#and it just kinda struck me that this clown of a man A) listens to his students and proposes projects he thinks they’ll be passionate about
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robertsbarbie · 10 months ago
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wait i forgot to tell yall the absolute highlight of my day, and probably year, and probably existence because it was genuinely the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me
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bruciemilf · 1 year ago
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fem bruce ideas?
Gosh, it's so hard to like. Translate how a simple gender shift would change a character. Because on one hand I wanna be like, " nothing would be different. Why does it have to be different?"
But on another, sadder hand, it's everything. Everything would be different.
This might be kinda controversial, but I genuinely think fem Bruce would simply know, like Monday follows sunday: she wanted motherhood. That's just something she wanted. Maybe something she excluded from the realm of possibility, discarded in the trash when Batman crawled to life, but it was wanted.
EVERY Robin was wanted. Every single one.
Thomas and Alfred would put bee hairclips in her hair, because she wouldn't brush it otherwise. "The comb feels weird, dads!"
I'm melting at these two calling her "honeybee." Martha loved to let her daughter's pudgy hands paint her face clown white and give her cherry lipstick kisses.
Bryce wears the pearl necklace. Everywhere. It was her mother's favorite gift, from her mother, and many mothers before her. Why does a weak man decide what it means?
Listen. There's beauty, and there's Wayne beauty.
All I'm saying is; Dick learned very quickly to "accidentally" spill his drinks on people at gala. To "faint out of nowhere. Oh gosh, I seem to be struck by illness!"
I think it'd be absolutely adorable if Ollie and Bryce had a casual affection for eachother. Ollie fixes her hair in a braid, in rare moments where it sneaks out of the cowl. He can still recreate Thomas' patterns.
Alfred is the shotgun father but only in a hilarious way. I want him to pull a 47 on Pa Kent and Ra's Al Ghul for trying to adopt his beloved daughter.
Jason is the first batkid who calls her mom. It's hard and difficult and foreign for him. She say he doesn't have to, and he says, " well, you don't leave me much of a choice."
"I'm sorry if you feel forced."
"No, I mean, - that's how I know you are. I could do everything to you and you could do everything to me. We're going to destroy eachother. You'll forgive me for it. How can I not call you mom?"
She packs everyone lunches; Even Justice League members. Especially Clark. Even if he can't string two words together in front of her.
I think she wouldn't get lifts or voice alternators or try to appear more masculine to be intimidating. I simply think she'd be an intimidating woman, and that's it
Harvey never really falls for it.
To him, she's always going to be the girl he married drunk at 18, wasted on tequila and love, and never quite left
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boognish-worshipper · 3 years ago
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Remember the Rain
praying this is the final part of “Sunrise, Sunset” by the time i’m done omg ,, lamar finally talks it out with frank. i was tryna keep the titles consistent with a sky theme? wasn’t sure what to name this one at first, but i settled on naming it after a i song that i felt was sorta fitting lol ,, also lamar’s dramatic when drunk, that’s jus how it’s gonna be
oh and i included one last convo w/ that psychic lady bc each character got three opportunities to speak to her lol
//
The night Franklin and him fought was the third night in a row Lamar couldn’t sleep right. Then it became four. Then five. Six. He had hoped after the first couple days of Franklin being mad, that it’d all blow over and things would go back to normal. That he wouldn’t ever have to say anything about what he felt deep down. Even though he told himself he had to, he wouldn’t. He waited it out, and still hoped it would all just fucking blow over. That wasn’t what happened of course.
An overcast sky was spread over LS, light rain tapping against Lamar’s window. As cheesy as it was, it reflected how he felt. Another day had passed. Franklin wasn’t picking up, not even reading his texts, nothing. He called a couple times at first when the fourth day of the silent treatment occurred, then tried a few more times to contact him in the following days. It had grown into a long and sad string of texts.
franklin.
dog
plz
pick up
answer me
plz?
c’mon frank i told you i have nothin goin on with yo auntie
i wanna talk things out with you.
u ain’t let me finish explaining
text me when u read this. plz bro
He sighed. This was hopeless. He set his phone aside, still laying awake. A buzz came right after. Fucking finally, something.
fuck you
we got nothin to discuss
He didn’t know how to feel. This was fucking him up and he couldn’t think straight. He tried calling him once more, the ringing as he waited for a pick up mocking him. Voicemail yet again. How many messages had he tried leaving at this point?
for fucks sake frank pick up
u ain’t doin this to me rn
jus let me explain myself
He stared at the ceiling yet again, like it would have all the answers sprawled out for him. As he did, he focused on how the rain had picked up, coming down harder. Then he felt his phone buzz.
no
now stop blowing my phone up
i’m tryna sleep
Lamar was never one to be sensitive, but he felt so crushed right now that all he could do was cry silently to himself. He didn’t even have Chop around anymore to comfort him like he normally would whenever Lamar was going through something. Would he even see him again? He lived over at Frank’s now. Fuck. Did this mean they’d have to share custody now? If he wasn’t so upset, he most likely would’ve laughed at the idea of it. He was letting bad thoughts consume him, turning to a last minute resort of drinking to try stopping it. This kind of thing rarely happened to him, these kind of feelings weren’t common. He knew no other method of trying to stuff bad feelings down, working through a 6 pack of beer on his own, followed by a bottle of some type of random liquor. Anything to stifle the pain in his chest, although it didn’t accomplish much other than making him feel even more queasy. He left one last voicemail, choking back a sob. Or what he had thought would be the last one. He lost count.
“Franklin. Please jus’ talk to me already man. You- you believin’ what you wanna believe right now, you ain’t even givin’ me a chance. You my best fuckin’ friend, don’t that mean shit to you anymore? We.. homies n shit.” He sniffled, cringing to himself when he said the words “best friend”. Franklin was so much more than that to him.
“Ion… Ion think I can live without you in my life. You can’t hate me man that shit.. that’s fucked. This is fucked. I’m fucked.”
A strong feeling of humiliation hung around him for many reasons, one being that he was fully crying now, over the phone. He couldn’t get any lower.
“You jus’ mad right now. But you.. you won’t be, eventually. Right? Please get back to me soon. Please. I’d rather fuckin’.. die or sum’ than have you hatin’ me n shit. At this point I might as well.”
After hanging up, he decided to visit that site one last time. His tears blurred his vision, making it harder to type. The shit in his system didn’t help either.
lady
i fuckef up
thsi is yo faukt
What now? Why are you back?
frankljn hates me
He does? That’s not right.
damn straighy it fuckign isnt
No, I mean that’s not correct.
There’s no way that he could, even if it seems like it right now.
jus fuckin tell me whst to do
That’s out of my hands.
is not u fuckin wirch
*withc
*witch
Look, I really don’t know how else to help you. I don’t have any other visions to offer. You’re on your own.
They do say though, that dreams are visions themselves.
dont fukcin speak in riddles rn
Precognition, Lamar. Just have faith
prewhatnow
n yeah. faith. bc that helps so fuckn much
All I can say to you is good luck - it’s all coming together. Just wait.
th fuck does that mean?
It means that you’re stressing too much - you better sleep it off. Farewell Lamar. You’re gonna have a killer hangover you know…
SERVICE UNAVAILABLE. PLEASE TRY AGAIN LATER.
The notification did nothing but make him more upset. He calmed down eventually, the crying and alcohol tiring him out. He blacked out soon after, not remembering when he fell asleep.
For the first time in a while, he dreamt about the two of them. The start of the dream showed a radiant sight before them, the sky lit up in a million shades. Chop was laying beside Franklin, head on his thigh. All three of them sat on a grassy knoll, a soft breeze blowing through each blade. Franklin turned, Lamar not taking his eyes off him since the dream started. He only noticed the sky’s wide color palette because the intensity struck Franklin’s face just right. He looked right into Lamar’s eyes, speaking softly.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“What?”
“You had so many opportunities. So many times, I thought that you would. I got my hopes up, you know. I waited. When Tanisha left.. I only had you.”
“Tanisha..”
“I still love her. I.. I think apart of me always will, but I love you just the same. Even if you drive me up a Goddamn wall sometimes. You both mean the world to me.”
Franklin looked back at the view ahead. A heavenly indigo replaced the vivid hues from before.
“But she’s gone now. Shit ain’t the same. All I know is you stayed when she didn’t. Even when she got pulled outta the hood and made some kinda new life for herself, you never left my side. Never changed yo loyalties.”
He turned back to face Lamar again. His eyes were glassy, the glow of the midnight sky reflecting in them.
“So why didn’t you say somethin’ sooner?”
“Franklin.. I ain’t deduce that shit ‘til now.“
“You really didn’t know?”
Even in the dream he could feel that previous frustration occur in his mind. Was he hiding in a glass closet or something? He could only let out a wry laugh.
“Yeah man. I was a fuckin’ fool, jus’ like you always said.”
“Damn straight.” He chuckled, and Lamar came to the conclusion that he could listen to that laugh forever. Franklin’s face then fell solemn.
“Y’know I really thought that.. I really thought that you jus’ got with someone else. Not even jus’ my Aunt. I saw how you wanted to get away from me, and I thought…” He stopped himself, petting Chop’s head.
“I.. wanted to be happy if you was, but the thought of that at all bothered me.”
“Why?”
“Cuz you were all I had, dog. Mike n Trevor, they have their own lives, their own history n shit. I can’t always rely on them. Denise don’t give a fuck what happen to me. You my lifeline dog, I’ve known you for years. I didn’t want you to forget me over a chick or sum’. That day you acted all different n shit, it worried me.”
“Hey man, y’know I ain’t ever gon pull that shit on you. I’m with you for life.”
“Then don’t pull other kinda stupid shit on me.”
“Whatchu mean?”
“You can’t ever die on me bro. That ain’t how this shit works.”
“Ay man, I don’t plan on dying jus’ yet. Not unless yo ass by my side. Not ‘til I tell you I…” He couldn’t finish the sentence.
Franklin got closer to his face, cupping his cheek. His eyes shone as the stars around them fell from the sky, akin to raindrops, hitting them. Everything about him was flooding Lamar’s senses, and it felt surreal, between his aroma and all the other things he loved about Franklin. Golden flecks covered them both, and the stars continued to crash down. The sky was growing darker than before.
“Just say the words Lamar. Say them and this shit’ll be over.”
“How?”
“Well first you need to wake yo ass up.”
“Huh?”
“I said wake up, fool!”
Lamar’s blissful dream had been interrupted by an unknown figure shaking him, literal raindrops hitting his face. He was still bleary eyed, only seeing a vague silhouette in front of him. A wet slap to the face rattled his brain around, the hangover settling in. Shit, was he still drunk? What time was it?
“Lamar! Get up!”
“Oh.. Th’fuck? Who- who that is?” He grunted out.
“It’s me you fuckin’ clown!”
“Frank?”
“Who the fuck else?”
“Why are you-”
He was abruptly yanked out of bed, thudding to the floor with a small “oof”.
“Get up you punk bitch!”
“Franklin what the fuck-”
He was grabbed again, tossed back onto his bed. Franklin straddled him, shaking Lamar by the collar.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” He said, Lamar getting another slap to the face.
“What in the fresh fuck is you talkin’-” Another slap.
“15 fuckin’ missed phone calls! 15! Are you fuckin’ nuts?!”
Lamar’s eyes practically popped out of his head. 15? What the fuck did he say to him?
“I did what-”
Franklin shook him even harder by his shirt, stretching the material out. He was straining his voice now.
“You had me worried like fuckin’ crazy! I thought you was in some sorta fuckin’ trouble again! You blew my phone up when I told yo ass not to, and then didn’t fuckin’ pick up after I heard the first couple special messages you left me!”
Oh God. This was it. He told Franklin everything, didn’t he? The color drained from his face.
“Oh fuck me..” He mumbled, putting a hand over his eyes.
“What?!” Franklin yelled, shaking him again. Lamar’s head was pounding.
“Franklin.. what.. what I say on there? I barely remember a thing, let alone callin’ yo ass.”
“You seriously don’t fuckin’ remember?!”
“Yeah. Seriously, man.”
Franklin slid off of him, putting a palm to his face. He breathed through his nose hard, trying to calm down. Lamar realized he was drenched from the small downpour outside. Pellets of rain thumped against the window as a reminder that the storm never went away.
“You.. fuck, man. You started sayin’ all this shit about how bad a fuckin’ friend you was. That you, you was hidin’ all this shit and couldn’t live another day without tellin’ me.”
Okay. Good. He didn’t tell him the truth.
“You told me you wanted to die dog. Didn’t realize yo dumbass was safe n sound asleep in yo fuckin’ bed.”
“Oh.”
“…’Oh’? Is that really all you have to say?!”
“F, I was jus’ drunk. It was dumb of me, I know, but I.. It’s nothing, okay?”
“Don’t do this shit to me man! I’ve already dealt with enough of yo fuckin’ schemes n shit-”
“Frank.”
“It’s 3 am! You had Chop barkin’ his Goddamn head off the whole night!”
“Franklin.”
“Then I race my ass over here to find yo drunkass self passed out in bed-”
“Franklin.”
“What! What?! You finally gonna put yo two cents in for once?”
“Stop yelling. My head hurts like a bitch right now.”
“Good! I’m fuckin’ glad because I know mine does as well you fuckin’ asshole!”
Lamar looked pathetically up at him. This was getting out of hand. He let it go on for too long.
“Why did you come here then?” He croaked.
“Because you were fuckin’ sobbin’ into the phone! All I heard was you cryin’ like mad fuckin’ crazy and it scared me. You don’t ever do that shit, not even when you fucked up.”
“How much I say?”
“I got the first message pretty fuckin’ clear, the rest was jus’ incoherent bullshit. I barely got through the second one before speedin’ on over. You sounded hurt n shit, I thought something happened. I thought you was a goner.”
“No weird shit though right? I ain’t say nothin’ bad?”
“What? Lamar, what the fuck are you on about? I just told you what yo ass cried out to me! I couldn’t even understand any of the other messages!”
“Okay, okay. That’s.. good I guess.”
“That’s good? Fuckin’ hell, why did I come here? You- ugh!”
“Franklin. Can you jus’ sit down before you pop a fuckin’ blood vessel? You stressin’ for nothin’.”
If anything, Lamar should be the one stressing right now. He had been so close to confessing without knowing. Franklin sat next to him, arms crossed.
“Franklin.”
“What.”
“I’m sorry that I scared you. I didn’t mean to.”
“Well good fuckin’ job, you accomplished that real well didn’t you.” He said, sarcastically applauding him.
“I thought you were cutting me off for good homie. You think I was gon’ let that happen?”
“Lamar, that still ain’t a good reason to freak me out like that in the middle of the night.”
“It’s only cuz you hadn’t been listenin’ to me bro. I’ve been wanting to tell you somethin’ so badly lately and I never.. got the chance.”
“Then do pray fuckin’ tell LD, what the fuck is so important that you had to do this shit to me at 3 AM!”
“Franklin man, c’mon-”
“No! Don’t start!”
Franklin stood, heading for the door as he spoke. He stopped in the threshold.
“Tell me what the fuck is goin’ on with you, or I’m leavin’ yo sad ass here to wallow. I mean it L.”
“Don’t be like that. Please man. I want to, but I-”
“Jus’ fuckin’ tell me! Why won’t you tell me?!”
“Frank-”
“I dragged my ass all the way over here for nothin’ didn’t I? You ain’t dead, you ain’t sayin’ shit, you jus’ bein’ so- ugh! Fuck!” He threw his hands up, exiting Lamar’s bedroom.
“I’m done man, fuck this.”
“Franklin wait- don’t go-” He pleaded.
Franklin did nothing but leave him stranded again, thunder rolling far in the distance. Lamar ran after him as he walked out the door, hearing the rain heavily hit the pavement. His mind was racing far ahead of him. Franklin was leaving, he was leaving for good, and he couldn’t. He can’t. That’s not how it’s supposed to work. Franklin can’t do that, he can’t-
His mind had gone so far away, that he didn’t even realize that he had tackled Franklin to the ground. The two of them fell to the ground with a loud splat, followed by sounds of pain.
“Lamar what the fuck?!”
“Don’t go! Fuckin’ hell, I gotta chase yo ass and for what?!”
“Get off me dog!”
“No!” Franklin was pinned beneath him. The raindrops that rolled off of Lamar hit him in the face.
It reminded Lamar of when they were younger, playing football or whatever sport they could outside even as the deluge soaked them both to the bone. The roles had been reversed, with Franklin constantly knocking him down onto the grassy sludge. They got quite an earful from Lamar’s mom as they tracked mud in the house upon returning. It was a memory amongst many that stuck with him like glue. Those memories couldn’t go away. Franklin couldn’t go away.
Tears mixed in with the rain as he yelled out to him.
“You fuckin’ idiot! Why you makin’ this shit so hard for me?! You keep leavin’ before I can even finish!”
Franklin struggled to break free from Lamar’s grip on his wrists, huffing as he looked away.
“Look at me!” Lamar shouted, grabbing his face with a free hand.
“I didn’t wanna fuckin’ tell you like this, but Jesus Christ! For fucks sake you stubborn asshole-”
He was doing it. He bit the fucking bullet.
“You know how we got into that fuckin’ argument last week? When I told you that I was dealin’ with that whole love thing, I wasn’t talkin’ about yo Aunt, a hoe, nobody else! I was talkin’ about you!”
Lamar threw himself off of him, stumbling backwards. Franklin propped himself onto his elbows. He finally said it. He said it, and he was far from finished.
“But you didn’t wanna fuckin’ listen! And now I’ve fucked our friendship over for a second time! All because of you! This whole thing has been drivin’ me fuckin’ insane lately, and I couldn’t do shit about it! I tried so, so hard to avoid this, but nothin’ ever goes my way, huh?! Every time I think a plan of mine’ll work, it doesn’t! You know why?!”
Opening his arms wide, he spoke loud and clear, finishing his rant.
“Lemme remind you: I’m Lamar fuckin’ Davis! The biggest fuckin’ fool, fuckin’ clown, fuckin’ whatever you wanna call me! Lamar Davis, the most naïve bitch on the planet! Fuck me for thinking that this would ever go well!”
Now it was his turn to leave. But he didn’t go back into his house. His legs moved for him, walking in no particular direction. He just needed to get away from Franklin, not caring about how damp his clothes were now. He was shaking, and he didn’t know if it was from the rain or the range of emotions he was flying through.
He could hear a pair of sneakers squishing behind him. Franklin was running, and he was catching up fast.
“Ay Lamar! Get back here!”
Oh fuck. He was chasing after him now. That’s not good. Lamar started running himself, not caring about possibly slipping and falling on his ass. Only a few hours ago, he had told himself he couldn’t be without Franklin. Now all he wanted to do was run away.
“Lamar!”
Fuck fuck fuck.
He wasn’t fast enough. The second time they hit the ground, Lamar had the wind knocked right out of him, the duo splashing right into a puddle. Hands gripped his shoulders, flipping him around.
“Lamar!”
There were only a few instances in his life where Lamar felt small. He’d always been big in character, big in height, and according to him, big in other ways. But this was one of those moments where he couldn’t help but flinch, wanting to collapse in on himself. He was so tired.
“If you gon’ beat my ass or somethin’ jus’ get it over with.” He sighed, shutting his eyes tight.
When he felt nothing but raindrops touch his face, he opened his eyes slowly. His heart sank when he did. Franklin was visibly upset, guilt in his eyes.
“Lamar. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
A wave of déjà vu washed over him. Oh. So that’s what precognition meant. Motherfucking psychic lady.
“You should’ve jus’ told me man.”
“I tried dog. You wouldn’t hear me out.”
“Cuz I.. I thought you got with someone. I didn’t wanna hear it straight from yo mouth if you was.”
He shifted up, Frank sitting in his lap.
“Y’know I always thought that.. Part of me jus’ kinda thought that it’d always be the two of us. I’m never gonna get Tanisha back.. but you..”
Franklin looked away.
“You a crazy ass loyal motherfucker man. You stuck by my side no matter what, and some dumbass part of me was convinced that you… I mean fuck, so many times I thought you would jus’ flat out say something. Somethin’ so I could stop waiting for the one other person I had known forever to just say that they fuckin’ loved me like that.”
Lamar blinked, rainwater getting into his eyes. It wasn’t quite as serene as his dream had been, nor was it verbatim, but Lamar didn’t care. There was something about the way the water droplets sat along Franklin’s face, highlighted by a streetlight behind him that made him look angelic.
“When you started actin’ all weird it jus’.. made me so fuckin’ mad man. I thought you was gon’ pick someone else over me. Jus’ like Tanisha did.”
“Franklin..”
“So why didn’t you jus’ say somethin’ sooner? I waited. Hell, I don’t even know why I did at first.”
“Franklin.”
“But now I’m realizin’ you must not have even noticed yoself what you was feelin’, when I fuckin’ did. I noticed and you didn’t and-”
Lamar grabbed him by the face, grip surprisingly strong after being in the rain.
“How many times do I gotta say yo name for you to hear me?”
The rain kept falling, never slowing for either one of them. Yet, it felt like time stopped. Lamar chuckled lightly.
“Franklin Clinton and Lamar Davis. Two of the dumbest motherfuckers in LS. Homies for life.”
“Yeah. Homies for life.”
His hands never left Franklin’s face. He pressed their foreheads together, lowering his voice.
“I love you, bum ass bitch.”
“Yeah yeah. I love you too.”
He kissed the top of his head, moving his hands down to embrace him in a tight hug. When was the last time they did this? As he thought it over, he could hear Franklin’s voice muffled against his chest.
“Don’t scare me like that again. Next time save us both the trouble n jus’ spill yo heart out. Dramatic motherfucker.”
The words had no malice in them, Lamar feeling him smile as he said it. He kissed him once more, and they just sat in the rain, feeling it bathe them in fond memories.
//plz listen to remember the rain by 21st century it’s so good 💔😭 anyway ya i decided to end it on a sorta happy note !!!!! franklin is a stubborn guy smh,, sorry for any typos lol also i rlly had no idea where i wanted to go with this so sorry if it’s weird or whatever
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leglessjoekeery · 3 years ago
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Okay so it's the third of March 2022 and I have decided to live post whatever it's called supernatural because I hate myself.
I am currently on season 2 episode 1 and I'm 26 minutes in so 💀
Anyways
WHY DID HE CUT HIS HAND. JOHN. DOES THE THING REQUIRE HIM TO CUT HIS HAND??? WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE HAND???? WHY
is he gonna burn his blood
I think he just burned his blood
GOD TAHT GUY SCARED ME
Oh shit he's a dude not a dude
'suicidally reckless' perfectly describes all the winchesters tf do you mean
I'm so sorry but I head that "don't cha" and immediately my brain went "DONT CHA WISH YOUR GF WAS HOT LIKE ME" I'm so sorry
I'm Canadian btw 💅
Omg a deal with devil John you sussy baka
I LOVE THEM USING THE OUIJI BOARD SM ITS SO SILLY AND GOOFY
Crying at Sam rn
I really don't like this reaper
She sounds kinda nice tho I think I might just HAHHAHAHA IM NOT INTO PRUDE CHICKS WHY DID I FIND THAT SO FUNNY HA
Can you tell I have adhd yet
Girl I have seen so many spoilers for this show I know he isn't gonna die. At least forever.
WHY WAS THE "that's just facts 🤞💅🤪" SO FUNNY???
Girl you can't stop Dean Winchester stop fooling yourself
John r u sure this isn't a trick
Omg it's that guy who's kids Dean killed
WHAT ABOUT SAMMY WHAT WHO ARE THE OTHER KIDS WHAT
John please have a better plan than this I beg
What do you want sir
Why does she sound sad and should I use they them or she her bc its a reaper like what pronouns do reapers use THE LIGHTS??? WHAT OMG WHAT WHAT THE SHIT BISCUIT OMG SHW HAS YELLOW EYES WHAT THE
HES CHOKING WHT OMG???
Omg he's doing good again
HE DOESNT REMEMBER??????????
Did John just call his child dude. Bro.
John "specific" Winchester
Bro is he a dude again or what
Omg Dean Winchester lore??
ITS OKAY DAD OMG THATS SO CUTE
Crying.
Dean must be thinking "girl stop acting sus af 😒"
BRO IS HE GONNA DIE WHAT
What is he whispering WHAT IS HE WHISPERING
Why are they crying omg what
I thought he was gonna off himself for a hot sec omg
WAIT WHAT HES ACTUALLY DEAD WHTA
That poor coffee 😕
Bro John pls
Ah shit bitch dick NO HE DIED IN THE AM
Okay next episode time woohoo 🤪🤪
Bro I love clowns they're delightful
Except for that one he's sus
Omg where'd he go
That kid looked like lily from modern family for a sec
Why is he outside her window 🤨 very sus
NO DONT OPEN THE DOOR FOR HIM STRANGER DANGER STRANGER DANGER
BRO IS THAT HER ON THE SPIT OR WHATEVER ITS CALLE oh thank god it's just john
Girl stop lying this is why yo daddy dead. Dead as hell. What shoes he got on. What shoes he got on in that mummy looking ass cacoon.
Omg he's re building the car❗❗ let's gooo
Bro you were just in a coma and then ur dad died stop it listen to sam
Ellen as in Ellen Ellen? Like the show host??
I FEEL LIKE A FRIGGIN SOCCER MOM HAHAHAH
Is that man dead
Man(?)
OH GOD PLEASE LET THAT BE A RIFE HAHAHHAH
Ooh she got moves
In love with these badasses
Omg Ellen she's so much better than I thought she was gonna be
Lmao they can't ask him he's deaaaad
No, ma'am he's real dead. He's not doin good.
Yes, who is ash
Omg I love him too
Omg he's a smart bimbo
HE WAS STRUCK BY LIGHNING??? he's so cool.
Gender envy.
How old is this kid
HOW OLD IS SHE
Dean that is literally perfectly describing you
KILLER CLOWN?? WHAT IS THIS 2016???
SAM IS AFRAID OF CLOWNS HAHHAH
bro I almost forgot that Dean is afraid of flying LMAO
Omg is Sam a dude
"ur not like urself" omg where have I heard that before
That child is a MOOD
nvm we're breaching into non-mood territory
So true kids dad 🙏 so true 🙏
Oh shit no what no he's in the house in the dad's bedroom aw hell nah
Those are NOT the clowns ur looking for my duded
Bro can I be a smart bimbo
TRYING TO FIND A NEEDLE IN A STACK OF NEEDLES HA
Dean no what stop hate criming people
He does look just like his daddy.. sus 🤨
2.5 KIDS??? HOW???? IVE NEVER UNDERSTOOD THAT PLS SOMEONE HELP /SRS
I hate those mirrors
Omg is this gonna b like Phil dunphy. Is HE gonna be the clown 😧
Yo is that James Potter?? (Iykyk)
"your blind man hearing is outta control" 💀
Is Dean supposed to be the one giving me gender envy bc he's not. It's Sam. He just has so much GENDER
I WANT HIS GENDER
You are a white man outside of a black family's house PUT THAT GUN AWAY
She looks so happy 😕
THE CLOWN SURVIVED THE GUNSHOT???
John and Ellen??? NO, DEAN. NO.
"I stg the next person I see who asks me if I'm okay, I'm gonna start throwing punches. These are your issues. Quit dumping them on me" 😧
"IM DEALING WITH DADS DEATH, ARE YOU?" BRO
OW I WAS JUST CHEWING ON MY CHEW NECKLACE AND I THINK I BROKE MY JAW 😭
Anyways the supernatural grind never stops 💪💪
They sleep on a bed of dead insects? 😰
I KNEW IT. I SAID HE WAS SUS. I FEEL GODLIKE RN
Oh no he has a gun
THE CLOWN SUIT. THE CLOWN SUIT.
AGAIN, I FEEL GODLIKE.
Bro what just happened I'm so confused
Omg is Mr clown man nakey 👀
THE WAY HE JUST STABBED THAT DUDE??
Does Jo have a crush on Sam or Dean I can't tell
❗SMART BIMBO IS BACK❗
MIT??? HE SMART SMART
Dean pls dust ur car
DEAN HUG UR BROTHER
IF YOU GO BACK TO TO oh shit he broke the windows omg he's breaking his car he's having a mental breakdown no stop what
Dear Winchester brothers,
Hug each other.
Sincerely,
Bread
Anyways I gotta go to bed now 🙄 I'll continue tomorrow during school ig 😒
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katie-writes24 · 4 years ago
Text
I’ll Be Your Escape
Pairing: Ruben Marcado x reader
Warnings: SMUT, Oral sex, Vaginal sex, language, drug usage, alcohol, suggestive material, angst, too many emotions, Ian Price, hurt/comfort in a way, manipulation, bad humor and 5k of what the heck are these clowns doing?
Part 2
Well, would you look at all those warnings, ahahaha what the fuck? So my first Ruben draft from months and months ago has come back from the dead all because I said ‘haha look at this old draft,’ and @tinywhim said ‘uh, finish it.’ And.... here we are, so you know who to thank. Enjoy, maybe I’ll make another part but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let me know if you want to be tagged! 
Y/N has been watching him ever since he walked in alongside Ian, looking at the place in bewilderment. From the second floor, she could see girls swoon over Ian and try to grab him by the hand, thinking of fantasies that he would never spare, only suggest. 
It made Y/N sick; the only reason she stayed was because of Oz, because of him having that power over her. She would never sleep with him, no, it wasn't like that. She was simply there to be the "brains," which qualified as to make sure none of them overdosed, and if they did, to handle it without the cops. 
Y/N was never allowed to take anything, she could only have two drinks max. Some party. But she couldn't complain, the pay kept her on her feet. 
When Ian came, he always teased her, taunted her and tried to get anything to refer back to Oz. He flirted but she would never give him the time. She wasn't that low, she knew that he was trouble. Which is why she was confused why the dark-haired dude in a trench coat was with him. 
The guy looked like a nerd, the total opposite of Ian. When he was dragged upstairs, it made sense. Oz had said he was looking for a new chemist, a new dealer.  Y/N would know, the last one had been dealt with quietly. 
Y/N stayed along the wall as Oz and his posse surrounded the two men. She listened to the plan, and the poor guy obviously didn't want to be there. She could relate. If only she had finished college, she thinks what her life would look like. 
As the chemist worked, she stayed guard of the door, watching over the crowd of oblivious low life's below. A hand graced her side, tapping her hip and she turned to see Ian standing with a smirk. 
"What would it take for you to be a test subject?" She rolled her eyes, it was a classic game of his to get her into trouble. 
"Pay me double of my annual salary, then I might give it a shot," Y/N held her guard, not sparing him another glance. 
"Aw, c'mon, Y/N," Ian pulled her up against his back, and she tried not to make a scene by squirming. "Don't hurt Rubes feelings. Besides, you look like you could use a break? I bet my friend could help you out," He tilted her chin to the side and she watched him at work, fumbling with test tubes with a furrowed brow. "Or maybe you could help him out?"
Y/N rolled her eyes, and pulled away, "I'll pass, thanks."
Destiny was the first one to try, and soon enough pills were passed around the whole place. Y/N nursed her second beer upstairs, looking over in the corner at the drugged crowd. 
She spotted the chemist in the middle, dancing ridiculously next to girls. It made her chuckle, he was a nerd. Bouncing excitedly with his little pink backpack, it was adorable.
He looked up at one point, making eye contact. He gave a dopey smile, and she shot him a little wave with a small smile. At least he was having fun, that made one of them. 
Hours passed, and her feet were starting to hurt. She went downstairs and took to watching the crowd from a better angle. She stayed against the wall, occasionally checking her phone as Oz texted her to check up on things. 
"You look calmer than me," Y/N looked up to see the chemist grinning at her confused. She laughed. 
"That's because I am," She put her phone away and put her hands in her jacket pockets. "You seem to be having a blast."
"This is great, it's...I haven't felt this way in a while," He looked back at the scene and smiled. She watched his excitement, wishing she could feel such a thing. He looked back and stuck a hand out, "I'm Ruben."
"Y/N," She shouted over the music and shook his hand. "You're the fancy doctor?"
He shrugged, "Something like that, nothing fancy."
"Just made a pill to drug up the whole building and give people the time of their lives?"
He smirked, "You're not high, at least that's what I heard from you talking to Ian."
"Well, somebody's gotta keep the place standing, right?" Y/N sipped on her beer as she examined him closely. "As long as you're having fun, that's all that matters."
Ruben licked his lips and looked her up and down, "I've been shelled up in a lab for years, I don't get out much."
"Then it's doing the job," She patted his cheek and walked back upstairs, leaving him standing there star struck. 
Ian stopped her at the top of the steps, grabbing her arm and saying, "Cut the guy some slack, he needs to live a little."
Y/N scoffed, "What are you, his babysitter? He seems to be having fun."
"He could be having a little more fun," Ian pulled her in closer, letting go of her arm and whispering in her ear, "If you won't give me the chance, give it to Ruben. Think of it as a thank you."
"For what? You think I'm some whore that'll fuck someone for pity?" Y/N narrowed his eyes, two seconds away from throwing him and the cute chemist out. 
"No, I think you're trapped up here enough as it is. When's the last time you actually let loose at one of these shows? Ever since Oz found you?" Y/N looked away, she didn't want him getting in her head, but she could already feel the wheels turning. "You can't take anything, you can't dance, you can't be free. You're not one of his girls, you just stand here all night and watch. I know you're jealous that they got all the benefits and all the attention, and what does he give you? Nothing. You can't tell me it's not tempting to let loose?" 
Y/N had always thought about, thought about the past, how she would live her life to the fullest. She would put on a dress that would make the end of the night one to remember, drink until her vision blurred. These days she was lucky if she got a good enough sleep, that was the highlight. 
"No tricks?" She looked at him carefully, not fully trusting the man. 
"You won't get caught, I swear. I wouldn't do that to Ruben, you can count on that," He had a point, if he was protecting his friend in the moment that would guarantee protection for her. 
"Why'd you bring him here anyway? He's...different, he's not like you?" She didn't put any pressure on it, but he knew what she meant. 
"Let's just say he needed a break. It worked out for both of us in the end."
Y/N scratched her head and looked down at the crowd again, finding him easily. He looked happy, he looked fun. She looked around the floor, finding security at every wall. 
Oz would be fine for an hour or two. Ian would make sure of it. 
Y/N found herself moving pass dancing bodies, brushing up against people who were most likely having hallucinations. 
Ruben had his back to her, and she tapped against his arm gently, almost scared of proceeding. But he turned quickly, the smirk wiping off and turning into a surprised grin. 
"How often did you say you get out?" She shouted over the thumping of the music. 
"Not at all," He shook his head violently, giving her body another glance. 
Y/N gripped his shirt in her hands and pushed her mouth against his, receiving a quick response. His lips were soft, and his kisses were desperate. It made her want to take him right then and there. Instead she pulled back, looking up at him with blown out eyes. He looked the same, but disbelief was in the mix. 
Y/N bit her lip and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the crowd. She met Ian's eyes upstairs and he nodded assuringly. 
She wouldn't get caught. He promised. 
There was a backroom that was only used for what they called "business meetings." But it had a couch, and that was good enough.
She pushed Ruben against the wall, finding his mouth again and shoving her tongue in. The music was faded enough where she heard a tiny moan come from him. Her hands roamed his chest, his finding her hips hesitantly. She moved to his neck and gave him lingering kisses, licking a sharp stripe up his Adam's apple, and even Y/N could see his eyes roll back, his mouth opening in a silent moan. 
"You alright?" Y/N smirked at him and he nodded quickly. She continued her work on his neck as she walked him backwards towards the couch, pushing him against it.
"This is really happening," He mumbled in disbelief as she shucked out of her jacket. "This is something that's actually happening," Ruben laughed a little at himself, then slowly watched as she stripped her shirt off. Y/N walked over and straddled him, kissing up his neck. 
"What do-what do you want me to do?" He sounded breathless, it made her want to laugh, but the moment was too heated. 
"I'm kinda in the same boat as you, you know," Y/N watched as his face twisted in realization. 
"You really don't get to enjoy these parties?" 
"Not hardly," Y/N swallowed as she felt the tent in his pants. "So, let's enjoy it together, yeah?"
Ruben smiled and kissed her deeply, tongue scraping against the inside of her mouth. It was something dirty, sloppy and full of saliva. Y/N loved it, she held onto the back of his head so he wouldn't leave. His hands were traveling along her backside as she moaned into his mouth. 
Letting go, he pulled back and she took the opportunity to drag the backpack and sweater off him. She took in his chest, the tan skin warm under her fingers. Ruben licked his lips and shivered. 
"You're so hot," Y/N found herself muttering, and he just laughed while shaking his head. "You don't believe me?"
"Not really, no," Dark eyes avoided hers, and she slid off his lap. Disappointment fell over his face, he was probably scared he ruined the moment, that Y/N would leave him. 
Instead she slid to her knees and pulled at his belt buckle, "Let me show you then,"
Ruben lifted his hips and she dragged his khakis to his mid thigh. She palmed him through his black briefs, and he threw his head back. Slipping her hand underneath the waistband, he jerked his hips up on instinct. He looked totally flustered and Y/N was loving it.
Stroking him a few times seemed to do the trick. His whole body sagged against the couch and Y/N bit her lip as he moaned. She licked her lips before wrapping her mouth against the tip, sucking slightly and feeling arousal in her gut as he let out a broken moan.
Moving her lips up and down his cock started a chorus of small noises from the man, each sound music to Y/N’s ears. While she hasn’t been in this position very often, she was starting to gain more confidence than ever before. Looking up at him gave her butterflies, eyes closed as he parted his lips in a silent scream. She could see his hands twitch at his side. Y/N wrapped a hand around his wrist and guided his fingers to her hair. Hesitantly, he flexed his fingers and twisted her locks, gasping as she moaned around him. 
Growing more comfortable, Ruben sat up and used his free hand to caress the side of Y/N’s face, sucking in a sharp breath as he felt her cheeks hollow out. Y/N locked eyes with him, her hand slowly creeping down to her rub herself through her underwear. 
Her movements caught his attention. His hands left her hair as he started stuttering, “What, uh...what can I, you know, how can I help you?”
Y/N pulled off and looked up with a smirk. “What, do you work in customer service or something?”
“That felt really good, like, really good. I just...want you to feel the same. I want to make you feel the same.” Ruben ducked his head down in embarrassment.
Y/N used his knees to pull her up so she straddled his legs. While one hand scratched the back of his neck gently, the other gripped his chin to make him look at her. “You’re too sweet, you know that?” 
He leaned forward and she made way to him instantly. He was a good kisser, and she found it peculiar that he claimed to not do this often. It made her question if it was all lies, or if he had never done it maybe at all. But kissing him, it was comforting, it was reassuring. It was soft and felt divine.
Y/N got lost in his lips, and when she came back to reality, she took his hand in hers and moved it to her clothed clit. As he stopped moving his lips, he kept his mouth close to her own, both exchanging breaths. 
Brown eyes were already staring into her own when she opened them, looking for permission. Y/N nodded and soon his fingers were moving in slow circles against her nub. It was slow and unsure, but damn, if it didn’t feel good.
Arms were wrapped around his neck as he continued, it seemed the more soft moans Y/N gave, the more Ruben fell into her. His head was pressed against her chest, mouth opened as if he was the one receiving the pleasure. 
But maybe it was the way Y/N’s hips thrusted into his touch unconsciously that made his eyes slip close so easily. That made his jaw go slack as he pressed wet, open mouthed kisses against her skin. That made the tension around them so intimate that it started to become overwhelming. Like the heated touches that originally started this was far, far away. 
Something about this moment made Y/N figure that they’re more alike than they probably realize.
It also made her realize that she still had more clothes on than she preferred. Quick movements lead to her bra being tossed across the room and Ruben’s movements come to a stop. 
“No, please keep touching me,” Y/N whispered, out of breath. 
“Like this? Or-”
“I want you to fuck me, Ruben.”
The man looked so flustered, so overwhelmed. He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to compose himself, “I don’t...have a condom.”
Y/N cursed under her breath and got off of him. His hand reached out to stop her, but Y/N gave him a kiss to reassure that she wasn’t done just yet. Instead, she walked over to the desk in the corner, pulling the drawers out and rummaging for a condom. There was no way there wouldn’t be one in the building, and she just prayed that it would be in the room. 
Just as she found one in the bottom drawer, she heard some shuffling behind her. Y/N stood up straight as she fumbled with the wrapper and felt hands wrap around her waist. Soft kisses pressed against her shoulder, leading up behind her ear. 
Y/N turned around in Ruben’s arms, immediately finding his lips. As she handed the condom over to him, she slid her panties onto the floor, doing her best to ignore the dark eyes following her movements. It would distract her, it would warm her, it would make her feel like this is so much more. 
Once the condom was on, Y/N lifted herself onto the edge of the desk, as Ruben stood awkwardly in front of her. 
“Is this okay?” Y/N raised a brow.
All lust-filled looks vanished, and Ruben looked overwhelmed in a different sense then before. 
“You are so beautiful.”
It ruined her high, a comment like that. It was something odd, something much more personal than sexy. It was something that made her feel so exposed; even though she was literally bare ass in front of him, it made her feel like he was observing her soul, seeing something that she didn’t see was there. 
“You don’t believe me?”
His rough fingertips grazed her cheeks as her head was tilted up. Ruben looked so pure, so honest. 
Y/N didn’t want to ruin this for him, so she shifted forward until she met his lips. It was slow and heated, starting to grow too passionate for two strangers who just met. 
Grabbing his base, Y/N guided him to her entrance, lifting her ankles to wrap around his waist. The movement pulled him closer. Taking the hint, Ruben guided himself into Y/N, slow as ever and head lowered in concentration. 
Y/N’s head snapped back as she was stretched out, eyes squeezed shut as she realized she had not exactly prepped much before this. He sensed her discomfort, of course he did, and looked at her in panic. 
“What’s wrong? Oh god, am I that bad? Does it not feel good? Do you need me to-”
“Ruben, I’m okay. I just...just need a second.” Y/N lowered her head onto his shoulder. 
“Oh, okay….yeah,” His hand patted her back awkwardly, then suddenly he froze. “Shit...wait, I’m supposed to prep you first right? Like, before….fuck, Y/N I’m so sorry, shit-”
“Ruben,” Y/N took his face into her palms and shook it firmly. “I am fine, I just need a second to adjust…”
His fear had changed momentarily. 
He’s not that different from other men after all. 
Y/N rolled her eyes as she started moving just a tiny bit. “Smug is not a good look on you.”
“No, I just-”
“Don’t let it get to your head, please.” 
Ruben chuckled, and he honestly looked surprised. “How could it not, though?” Y/N gave a stern look and Ruben cleared his throat. “Sorry, you’re right.”
Just as Y/N moved her hips, he was putty in her hands. 
“You can move now,” One arm wrapped around his neck as the other held the edge of the desk. Ruben kept her close, not exactly finding a constant stance yet. His hands moved from place to place as he focused a bit too hard on thrusting into her. 
“Ohh, shit, yes.”
It was sloppy, there wasn’t a consistent rhythm. Instead, Ruben would change speed without thinking. As Y/N’s blunt nails ran across his shoulder blade, he would usually slow down. And maybe that’s exactly where she wanted to keep him. 
But Y/N met him halfway, every time the rhythm changed, they were both able to match each other. 
It was sloppy, but it was comforting, too. Ruben’s nose smushed against her collarbone, but the sounds he let out were so arousing. Y/N kept her face tucked into his neck as she moaned his name. 
Sweat collected at her thighs as the slick wood stuck to her skin. Ruben got even closer, hovering over her as he quickened the pace. Her back hit the desk, and the angle switched, chasing her to cry out. 
Y/N thinks he finally found confidence when he grabbed the desk behind her head and held one leg up. Y/N moaned, grabbing his neck as she tried to reach his thrusts. 
“Fuck, Y/N,” Ruben closed his eyes. “This is...fuck, it’s incredible. I’m close, Jesus.”
“Yeah, cum for me,” Y/N licked his neck as she whispered into the skin. “Please, Ruben.”
He actually slowed down just as he let out a groan, and something that sounded like her name. His grip tightened and she could tell by his blown out pupils that he had done exactly as she said. 
Y/N stroked his hair as he lowered her leg. He almost looked guilty, and that was the last thing she wanted for him. “What’s wrong?”
“You, uh…”
“Don’t worry about it, Ruben.”
I want to make you feel the same.
Ruben settled her back down before she could even get up properly. Y/N didn’t put up a fight, settling onto her elbows as he sunk to his knees, holding onto her thighs. Her stomach jumped at the thought of what’s to come. 
As if him fucking her wasn’t good enough, he proved to top that when his tongue grazed her folds. Y/N felt herself twitch at the sensation, moaning loud as he continued the motions.
His mouth sucked on her lips as he rubbed her clit with his thumb, and how could he not try and do more when the woman was making so much noise? Y/N lifted her hips to meet his skilled tongue just as he pulled away to take her in. She could’ve sworn that his eyes were shining, whether with lust or admiration or just himself being proud that he could make someone feel like this, look like this, a wrecked mess on some cheap desk.
It gave him courage, for one thing. Ruben sped up his motions and began fucking her with his tongue as he kept one hand on her clit and the other taking her own hand.
It was truly becoming more and more intimate than originally planned. 
“Fuck, Ruben,” Eyes rolled in the back of her head as she felt her orgasm approach. “Just like that, fuck, you’re doing so good.”
It only egged him on, and Ruben completely buried his mouth into her core at the praise, licking and sucking every edge. 
Just as she felt herself reach her peak, Y/N’s entire body lurched forward. A shout slipped out as she squeezed her thighs around his head and buried her hands in his hair. Ruben’s hands found her behind and held her close once more. 
And Y/N was floating. Years of seeing all the shit that went down in this warehouse, she never thought she would create one of the greatest memories she’ll remember. Months after taking the constant harassment of Ian Price, she never thought he would bring something happy into her life, even if for a small period of time. Days of contemplating whether this was the kind of life she would continue being trapped in or find a new way out, she never thought that looking into the soft eyes before her would make her feel more at ease than ever before. 
The silence wasn’t awkward, but it was a bit too tense. They both just stared at each other, naked and vulnerable. Y/N felt her arms indistinctly wrap around herself, the bass of the music from the other room now coming back to her. 
“Why were you with Ian?”
Ruben let out a long sigh, looking at the floor with shame.
“I wouldn’t judge you, I couldn’t. But I kinda figured that you didn’t exactly beg him to come down here to fuck up hundreds of people and have a dance.” Y/N slid off the desk in search of her clothes.
“Not at all, uh,” Ruben scratched the back of his head as he took the condom off. “It’s complicated.”
“Is it?” If she knew anything about the man, she knew that he was capable of dangerous things, just like Oz, maybe worse. Ruben deserved better than that. “Look, if you’re in trouble or something, I can help. You don’t have to-”
“Please, Y/N, it’s,” Even Ruben paused at his harsh tone, taking a breath before trying to compose himself. 
“I’ve been stuck here for as long as I could remember, Ruben,” Y/N whispered. “I know what it’s like...to feel like you don’t have a say, or an opinion. But, if your situation is worse than that, then you need to get help. It doesn’t have to be from me, but you can’t stay with him. He’s not a good guy, Ruben.”
“And who’s to say I am?” His eyes became wet, voice cracking at the end. “Who’s to say I'm not just as bad as him or Oz? I just created a drug, it could’ve killed people, holy shit.” Ruben began to pace as if all of this information was just settling in.
“Ruben, you were forced, don’t you get that? Let me guess, it was either that or some bullshit threat he told you, right? Ian manipulated you, it’s what he does.” It’s what he’d keep doing if he wasn’t stopped. 
Ruben swallowed, narrowing his eyes as he watched her throw on her shirt. It was like a wave coming over him, and he quickly grabbed her arm to make her face him. “Y/N, did he touch you?”
“What?” She tried to shake his arm off her, but he embraced her close and their foreheads were almost touching. 
“Did Ian hurt you? Because if he laid a hand on you, Y/N, I swear to god…”
“What? You’re going to stop him? Huh, Ruben? What are you going to do?”
“Just tell me if he did!” 
“What does it matter, anyways? What, are you jealous or something? I’m not yours, so why do you care?”
“Because we’re just the same,” She couldn’t fight her anger when his hands grabbed the sides of her face so gently, and his previous screams turned into a soft whisper. “You said it yourself, you’re stuck here. And why, because Oz says so? Are you his?”
“I’m no one’s.”
“Then what’s keeping you here?”
It was money in her pocket, it was a place to sleep at night, it was some place that didn’t require a high reputation and didn’t need a down payment with money she didn’t have before. If she left now, there was no doubt that Oz would feel betrayal, rob her of her savings and stick a gun to her head. There would be no remorse for him, there would be no one to miss her when she was gone. It didn’t even matter. 
“Exactly…”
Y/N refused to cry in front of him, a man who she hadn’t even talked to for two hours yet already was able to look right through her. She would not stand here and let him say those things to her when they were things that were impossible to overcome. 
“We’re not that different, Y/N. You know what I do with my life? I slave away in a lab for him, and sadly, this was the first time I’ve been out of there in a long time and it was all a scheme to get me to make a drug. How ironic, right?” But it was fine, because Ruben looked like he was about to cry, too. Still, that brightening smile stayed on his face, and damn him. 
Y/N found comfort in the man’s arms, so she stayed there, half dressed in the middle of a dirty room with Ruben.
“What if we left?”
Y/N didn’t want to move right now, she didn’t want this moment to end. 
“Did you hear me, Y/N?”
“No, I don’t want to let go of you.” She whispered.
Ruben scoffed and rubbed her back, “I meant...what if we left together? Like, you know, left them?”
Y/N tensed.
“You can’t be serious?”
“Why not?”
Y/N pulled back and looked up at him. “Ruben, if I left I’d probably have a search warrant on me.” 
“Y/N, you can’t stay here forever! Is that your plan?” 
“No, but...you don’t know what Oz is capable of.”
“It can’t be any better than what Ian is,” Ruben wasn’t making sense now. After just explaining everything to him, he still didn’t get it. “We could leave town, go somewhere far from them.”
“Ruben-”
“You wouldn’t even have to stick with me, not if you didn’t want to. But I would love it if I got to know you better Y/N, I would love it.”
“Ruben-”
“They wouldn’t be able to hurt us, we could go. I have some money saved up, we could get new jobs and just start over.”
“Ruben!”
He stopped rambling and looked worried as he saw her expression. 
“I’m not like you Ruben, I can’t just...run away. I don’t have a lot of money, I wouldn’t be able to start fresh right away.”
“I’d pay for you.” The poor man looked so hopeful.
“It’s not like that, it’s not just about money. Ruben, I can’t just get up and leave in an instance. I’d have to lay low, I’d have to prepare and I’d really have to think stuff out.”
But she would. Y/N would throw on pants and run out of there hand and hand with him if she could. She would follow him wherever he wanted. She’d live on the run just for Ruben. She would do lots of things that she could never picture doing before tonight, all for this chemist who made her feel so many things. 
But if she really wanted to make it a reality, Y/N couldn't get ahead of herself just yet.
Ruben looked shattered, and it made her give in. 
“Hey,” Y/N touched his soft skin and pulled him into a passionate kiss, one that she wished could last forever. “I promise you, Ruben. I promise we’ll leave. Just...not yet.”
“You’ll go?” He smiled small, and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. 
“I’ll follow you, Ruben. And we’ll both be free.”
“Yeah, yeah we will.” Ruben kissed her face all over, making her giggle and hug him tightly. 
“We just got to be patient, please, Ruben.”
“I’ll wait for you, Y/N,” He tried to remember what she felt like in his arms. He tried to remember what her laugh and voice sounded like. He did everything he could to hold onto this moment, because who knew how long he would be waiting. Ruben only knew that he would wait as long as it takes.
“I promise, I’ll wait for you, Y/N.”
41 notes · View notes
itsthebiiii · 4 years ago
Text
A messy summary of Ikepri Yves’ route up to chapter 15
So I've reached the point in Yves' route where I could choose which ending route (? idk) to pick and lemme just say that it's been cute... up until chap 15-ish. Also I drained my wallet dry just to get the premium avatars and his povs because imma simp for Yves so RIP me I guess
Okay, so summaries mean spoilers so imma put them all under the cut for all yall who don't wanna get spoiled. I may or may not have missed some points (especially about the plot i’msosorry) and maybe I understood some things wrong so feel free to correct me (pls). This is SUPER messy so proceed with caution
So first of all.
YVES IS SO CUTE WTF ???????
I mean he gave me strong Jonah vibes at first, it’s still there but kinda... different?
On MC's first day at the castle, while she was strolling around, she notices Yves  watching her from behind a pillar wtf. When he's found out he was like "i-it's not like I was worried about you stfu" and afterwards he told MC that he's gonna keep an eye on her because he's not sure she’d do her job as Belle right but he says he's only doing it because he's doing his duty as a prince yea right
Later they bumped into Nokto who reminded MC about the Belle system (MC: dafuq is that???). After they explained all that Yves was like "yo you better not fall in love with me or else" and MC replied with "bruh if you ever steal my heart then I'm all yours for eternity" then Yves comes back with "if you ever steal mine then imma do the same. But i kid you not, that will NEVER happen" and they both laughed it off like it's nothing. Meanwhile Nokto's just listening from the side like "HA HA BET"
Anyway, part of Yves keeping an eye on MC means he'd spend some quality time™️ with her and him going to her room to wake her up 😂 also, he decided to show her around and tell her about the princes so she can get a grasp of them to see who is the most suitable to be the next King. So he gives her a memo pad to write their deets down on and she got to talk to everyone except Chevalier cuz that dude scary 😭 MC's feeling down because she really wanted to know what his plans are if he becomes King. Seeing this, Yves comforts her with a leFtOvEr piece of cake from dinner. MC goes on bout how being affected by this whole thing is a disgrace to her Belle title so she's determined to try again. Yves is impressed by this so he silently supports her. In the end, ye, MC got Chevalier to talk and all is well not
After all the introductions, our girl MC straight out tells Yves "Aye this is great and all, but you've never really told me about yourself fam" because ye, she got a point tho. He kept singing praises about the other princes but never really talked about himself
SO... he takes her out to town on a date the next day to show (yes, show) her, and while walking she notices that everyone they passed by whispered under their breaths about how Yves has such a doll-like face and all that. But that's not all...
They also whispered bout how they shouldn't go near Yves and his backstory is revealed: Yves has some Obsidian blood in him, and the Obsidian kingdom, let's say, have some beef that's as old as time with Rhodolite and the other kingdoms(??). Also his earring was given to him by his mother who is from Obsidian 🥺 But he doesn't hate her from what I've read so, there's that
SOOO ye. Everyone avoids him and spreads rumors bout him, he thinks everyone hates him but he doesn't give a fuck bout that. He says as long as he realizes his own self worth, all those don't matter to him. But MC notices that Yves hates himself more than anyone does. That he puts up this proud façade just to hide his real feelings. That before you can even ask him to spit it out, he's just gonna sweep all that aside with his 'idgaf' attitude. He also revealed that he plans to bring the Kloss family’s honor back if he becomes King. Oh, and he mentioned there may come a time when he’ll betray Rhodolite so... o.O
Returning from the date, MC bumps into Leon who decided to spill some tea bout why Yves actually wanted to keep an eye on her (I'm sorry but I kinda breezed through this part so this was all I could remember 🙇‍♀️). Then one day Leon and Licht (either or both of them, idk) told them Jin suddenly collapsed or smth, so they rushed to the kitchen and saw Jin looking weak as he laid on the floor. Yves was worried af, while MC just noticed how Leon and Licht were all chill bout the whole thing, so she realized they were clowning Yves lolol. Jin dramatically tells Yves how he would die if he weren't to eat some of Yves' sweets and Yves was like "??? U CLOWN you even got MC worried-- wdym you caught on??? Haaa!?" And they teased him loool. In the end, Yves bakes a cake for them, when MC notices that it looked like the leftover cake Yves gave her one time. MC asked Yves if it was and he was in full panic mode. Licht was like "leftover??? But whenever Yves bakes smth there are never leftovers 🤔" so Licht tells her that Yves might have baked it just for her, to which the latter denied lolol u tsun
Anyway, to get to know Yves more, MC spends more time with him, yada yada, all that stuff, until they go out to town again. There they notice a group of performers playing and she also notices how interested he was. She then asked him if he wanted to watch them, but Yves declined since he's worried he'll only ruin the mood (iirc he thinks of himself as a bad luck magnet of some sort?). MC manages to persuade him and after he plays, everyone is in awe and like "omg, Prince Yves is actually good :O" And for the first time, Yves felt like he actually belonged and wasn't feared by the Rhodolites.
Everything was cute and all until they get caught in the rain, yada yada, and when they get home they both get sick so Sariel tells them to rest up. Oh, and did I mention they SHARED A BED? No? Well, they did 😏
When Yves wakes up, he notices he's been hugging MC in his sleep and he's SHOOKETH. He then has a slight internal conflict bout why his heart is going doki doki with just hugging MC, then as if he's struck by lightning he's like "omg, I like MC???" When she wakes up he immediately sputters "i don't like u ok!!?!" Then he rushes out to go to the library and look up the meaning of love lololol then he finds they are all applicable to what he feels for MC. But he still denies it because of the stupid system 🙄 then he's found by Luke and gets teased 🤣
After the gathering, she runs to the kitchen and finds Yves there. He told her he spent the night preparing a whole FEAST for MC to reward her for going through all that shiz and MC immediately feels guilty so she cries. She tried to play it off like it’s nothing and the next thing she knew Yves was kissing her tears away. It was her turn to be SHOOKETH but before she could comprehend shit Yves remembered he forgot smth then zoomed out the kitchen. Once outside, he was in panic mode yet again because he didn’t mean to actually do that. He’s like “oh no I like MC I’m screwed”, but in the end, he thinks MC is the one in trouble because she’s liked by someone like him boi I can’t wait for him to see the light istg
After all that, MC is informed bout a gathering Rhodolite is to hold with Benitoite and Jade so she gets ready for that, and when the day comes she’s kinda nervous and stuff. Before going she bumps into Yves who decides to ease her nervousness by fixing her hair (ugh get you a man 💯) and they talk some more about him, how Yves put more effort into acting and looking like a prince to hide the fact that he’s actually 'defective goods’ or smth and through that he feels like he actually has some value. Then he cheers her up by returning the words she’d told him before and it works like a charm ❤ MC then learns that Yves won’t be going to the gathering because “no Obsidian peeps allowed” and since he’s half Obsidian... 🥺 She did promise to meet him at the kitchen once it’s over. Anyways, MC meets diff people, until some punk from Benitoite or Jade talks smack about Yves and comments how he should just be sent back to Obsidian. As much as this pissed her off, all she could do was be silent and wait for the convo to end.
Also, by the end of chap 15, some stuff happens that will actually get the plot moving lol
Aaaaand that’s that for chappies 1~15! I might make another one for the remaining half or when I finish an ending. If you made it this far, here's this leFtOvEr cake from Yves 🍰
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jeidafei · 5 years ago
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D.Gray-Man Chapter 234 Translation Notes
I haven’t posted a note for many chapters, but this chapter dropped so many reveal-bombs I just can’t i just can’t aaaaaaaargh gurglegurgle
/regain composure /why am I listening to “Send In The Clowns” on loop while posting this?
Ahem. So, in short, this chapter is super LIT, but also a headache to translate. As with all reveal-heavy chapters, there is no knowing how disastrous the ramifications of one tiny misinterpretation can be on future reveals. Whoops! 
So let’s peruse the story page-by-page, word-by-word, unraveling the story plus a little ramble on the Japanese language. 
Warning: this post is incredibly long
(You can skip to 5 for my wild theory on The Pillar)
1. Gawd, I’ve always hated these opening captions T T
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Because they always give me this feeling of I think I kinda understand what this means but I don’t know how to translate this so it makes sense!  
紐解かれるかつての別離(わかれ)
I think I spent time on this one sentence even more than the rest of the chapter. Despite it being the first thing on the first page, this is honestly the last thing I translated this chapter.
Word-by-word, 紐解かれる (himo-tokareru) is the passive form of the verb 紐解く (himo-toku), which by definition means:
1) Unbinding and opening a new book 2) Unraveling (i.e. memories, history, the truth, etc.) 3) A flower blooming
紐 (himo) and 解く(toku) are also actually two separate words used normally in daily life. The first one means “rope” and the second means “to solve, to untie, to unravel etc.”
So, in essence, this word refers to something hidden, a secret being revealed. No surprises here, since we’re talking about D.Gray-Man. 
かつての (katsute no) means “Once”, “Used to be” whereas 別離 (betsuri) means “parting, separation” but the furigana indicates must be read as わかれ (wakare) for some reason, and means farewell or separation as well. 
I take it that as Mana and Nea were once separated by death, but now Nea has returned to Mana as he vowed to, the “farewell” is no more; it just used to be a farewell.
So now that we have all the pieces...
HOW ON EARTH DO I TRANSLATE THIS !!!???
You saw how it turned out above. To be frank, I’m still not satisfied with it, but as my period cramps are killing me and I’m literally typing this to distract my mind from it because I can’t sleep yet with this pain, and my brain is out of ideas, as always...
I’ll leave it to you guys to interpret freely!
2. Nea’s last words 
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Just when I thought I’d skip that troubling caption and start on the dialogue right away, manga-kun messes with me again! Who was Nea talking to? In the background, Nea is reaching up to Mana while decaying away. However, on the next page, turns out it is Cross recalling those words. 
So I walked over to my bookshelf and picked up DGM volume 17 and 22.
In volume 17, in their last meeting before Cross disappeared, Cross told Allen that Nea promised him that he’d return to Mana if Cross kept watch over Mana. 
In volume 22, however, Road reveals to Allen that “Don’t stop, keep walking.” were Nea’s parting words to Mana.
Um...so...which is it, exactly?
So if context doesn’t help, then should we turn back to the literal word? If it were some other language I might’ve said great idea! But this is Japanese; a douchebag of a language that assumes all parties must be native speakers and privy to the conversation beforehand. And thus omits subject, verbs, and objects whenever it pleases to screw foreign learners and outsiders alike. 
Why, Nea’s sentence has no subject and object!
まってろ。必ずマナの元に行く。「アレ���」が目印だ。 それまでは立ち止まるな。 
Literally this says “Keep waiting/Just you wait. (I will) definitely go to where Mana is. ‘Allen’ is the sign. Until then, don’t stand still.” 
While Nea using Mana’s name might imply that Nea’s not talking to Mana, but to someone else, otherwise he would’ve used “you/your”. But in Japanese, usually people will refer to their convo partner by name as well, i.e. Lenalee and Allen refer to everyone by name instead of “you”. This is considered neutral and politer than the textbook pronoun “anata” (which is kinda condescending actually...so why do they still keep it in the textbooks!?). 
In case you’re not that close with the person you’re talking to, and not sure which pronoun you should use, using their name is the safest bet to avoid offending them. (Don’t go calling your client omae, of course lol!)
So, back to Nea, going by this rule, he also could’ve been talking to Mana himself as well. See? Curse you, nihongo!!! 
Anyway, Nea didn’t talk to Mana/Earl that way when they met in recent(?  I dunno, my sense of time is already warped from too many hiatuses and hopeless waiting) chapters; Nea refers to Mana using the pronoun “anta” which is the shorter, more casual form of “anata”. And judging from his overall language, he’s not that polite or soft-spoken either, so the possibility is lower. 
Also it’s kinda weird to tell someone who’s sitting right in front of you that you’ll “go to” where he is.
So, using my spidey sense plus all things considered, I finally concluded that since it’s Cross’ flashback, Nea was talking to Cross this time. 
Looking back on this, I don’t know if I’d be able to translate DGM even with 50% accuracy had I not read the series from the start and have the volumes stacked on a bookshelf nearby just in case. Screw you, NIHONGO!
3. Pierrot, Clown, Auguste, Whiteface, Harlequin; What’s the difference?
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In Lost Fragment of Snow, Mana is described as a Pierrot whereas Cosimo is a Clown. As I’m not well-versed in clown traditions, I did some Googling and Wikipedia, and learned the art is even more interesting and richer than I once thought:
In this informative blog , it’s explained that while in appearance, the Pierrot and the Clown are almost the same, there is one rule that sets them apart: 
The Pierrot has tear marks under his eyes, whereas the Clown does not.
The Pierrot’s tear marks:
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(I just noticed Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker also has tear marks)
The blog is long and detailed and very interesting, but in short, though both the Pierrot and the Clown are supposed to make people laugh by doing foolish things, while the Clown intentionally acts foolish to be laughed at, and can also  joke back at and laugh at the audience as well, the Pierrot will always have to be laughed at and made fun of by the audience. 
Deep down, though the Pierrot is hurt and sad, he must act as if he’s not, to conceal it from the audience. Thus the tear marks indicates a deep, profound sadness.
(*pause to sob for Allen and Joker*)
Back to Mana, we can clearly see he has a tear mark on his right eye. But Cosimo has what looks to be a tear mark and a star under his eyes as well. 
So...aren’t they both Pierrots? Grrrrrrr! DAMMIT HOSHINO!!
Anyways, moving on. I think we remember that back in Allen’s epic showdown with the Earl in Edo, this scene happened:
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The Earl compares Allen to the White Clown/Clown Blanc and himself to Auguste. In classic tradition, Blanc and Auguste are often paired together, and it is said that this originates from the pairing of the Pierrot and Harlequin.
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No no no obviously I’m not talking about this one lol
Ahem, back to serious-ass clown lore: 
Both Blanc & Auguste and Pierrot & Harlequin are similar in that the former (Blanc and Pierrot) is more sophisticated, stern, serious and melancholic, whereas the latter (Auguste and Harlequin) is the happy, clumsy, grotesque, sometimes rude fool that does the former’s bidding, to comical results. 
In Lost Fragment of Snow, Mana is said to always be smiling and extraordinarily kind, and that he is an enchantingly elegant, beautiful clown, but when he smiles, he always looks as if he is actually crying, dying inside. 
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I mean, pretty much everyone has had that moment in their lives, no? 
Okay, back to seriousness, again; Yes, Mana is the ultimate Pierrot, the Whiteface, the Blanc. The sad fool who must always be laughed at by the world. 
And now Allen, who has taken on Mana’s personality, became the melancholic laughingstock of the world himself, constantly being pushed down and trodden on and used, but having no choice but to push on with a smile, hiding his pain deep underneath the white greasepaint.
Cue the music!
I started a joke, which started the whole world crying But I didn't see that the joke was on me. I started to cry, which started the whole world laughing Oh, if I'd only seen that the joke was on me.
(Bee Gees - I Started A Joke)
4. Great, Cosimo had a hard life too. One more confirmed-dead character I have to cry for!
I hated Cosimo. Still do. Heck, EVERYONE HATES COSIMO. I mean, until now, the guy totally has no redeeming qualities and no justifying reason behind his relentless cruelty.
But in the recent chapters, there are reveals not mentioned in LFS: 
Cosimo was bought and forced to work as an errand boy, like Red, before he somehow crawled his way out and became the circus’s top performer. While drunk, Cosimo would also complain about how he was actually born a noble (this last one is also mentioned in LFS).
Imagine that. Your parents abandoned you for whatever reason (maybe he’s a bastard child?) and you ended up sold to slavery in a circus. After years of being worked to the bone and abused, you struck it big and thought you had it all, then new guy waltzes in with his stupid dog and takes your spotlight. 
Heck, you don’t even have to live such a rotten life to feel bitter. In Toy Story, even brave and fair Sheriff Woody was reduced to a jealous wreck in the face of Buzz Lightyear stealing Andy’s attention from him, wasn’t he? And I think we can all relate to that. Most of us have been jealous of someone before.
Cosimo’s unforgivable actions towards Mana and Allen the Dog may have been fueled by insecurity, trauma and fear as much as jealousy. His abuse towards Red is a result of long years of being abused himself; his own way to cope. 
While Red/Allen blames himself for his pain and not inflict it back upon others, Cosimo did the opposite, because everyone reacts and adapts differently. However, to be clear, both of these traits are not healthy. 
There’s also the fact that Red was saved by the kindness of Allen the Dog and Mana while he is fortunately still young enough to regain faith; whereas Cosimo suffered alone all through his life, surrounded by selfish, two-faced scumbags like that guy handing out leaflets. Had things been different, who’s to say Red might not turn out the same as Cosimo?
In a nutshell, Cosimo is simply a product of his harsh environment. While I still despise him, I can’t help feeling some pity for him and understanding where all that evil had come from. I don’t believe he is inherently bad. Nobody is. Had he been raised with love, I’m sure he would have been a very different person.
5. The Pillar
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I know, this is what y’all are actually here for. I mean who cares about Cosimo’s tragic life or the difference between a Pierrot and a Clown when there’s an honest-to-gods HOLY LIGHT SPLITTING THE SKY APART AND OBLITERATING THIS WHOLE WORLD FULL OF SINNERS!? And it’s even teased, like, waaaaay back in Timothy’s Arc (gawd how old was I back then?) !!
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First, a recap of this chapter: 
7,000 years ago, The Pillar destroyed the world (which seems pretty modern). The Noah survived and held a grudge against The Pillar for forever destroying their world, leaving them with nowhere to return to. Once they found the reborn Millennium Earl, they pretended to be his family, but instead are using him to exact revenge on The Pillar, because it is predicted the Earl will one day become The Pillar and destroy the world again. Cross however took pity on the Earl and chided Road for believing in that prophecy and causing the Earl so much misery.
Some IRL tidbits: 
Hoshino-sensei revealed she traveled to Ground Zero of WTC for inspiration, now we finally get to know which scene that inspiration is for. And IMO, the instant obliteration coming out of nowhere on one fine day, the Pillar etching a line from sky to ground amidst the pile of rubble, reminds me of the A-bomb’s mushroom cloud over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And we all know which country Hoshino-sensei comes from, right? Could there be a link? 
Now, my personal analysis (or rather, pointless rant with no answers coming out whatsoever): 
This chapter both confirms, clarifies and also debunks important things we have believed from our time with the Order, listening to the Order’s side of the story. 
1) In the very beginning, Komui tells Allen about the previous end of the world 7,000 years ago. The Bible calls it “The Great Flood”. The Cube calls it “The Three Days of Darkness.” However, we now learn it is neither rainy nor dark. Nope, one day all of a sudden, a blindingly bright shaft of light struck down from the sky, and The Capitol suddenly became The Scorch. How did it achieve that? No clue! 
2) Komui tells Allen that the end of the world was caused by a war between the wielders of Innocence and the Earl + the Noah Family, and the ensuing flood that destroyed the world scattered the Innocence around the world. 
However, in this chapter, we learned there was no war. There was no flood. Just the Pillar that appeared suddenly one day. And surprise, the Noah Family hated The Pillar for destroying their beloved world, their only home (wait, aren’t they supposed to hate the Innocence?). 
Yet now the Noah are working with the Earl, who wants to destroy the new world and would someday become the Pillar and destroy the new world too? Yet Cross says they’re just using him for all this time? 
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE? 
My super duper wild theory is that since 1) The Earl is the Pillar-in-Making,  2) The Noah show hatred for The Pillar as much as they do for the Innocence, 3) The Pillar, like Innocence, could trigger their Noah Memory to threaten to swallow them, then it’s kinda implied that;
Mana = The Millennium Earl = The Pillar = The Heart of Innocence
And the Noah, knowing this all along and wanting to prevent the end of the world from happening again, tricked the Millennium Earl into thinking they’re helping him fulfill his raison d'être of Harbinger of the End of The F***ing World (sorry, another reference, heh), not telling him that he’s actually the Heart of Innocence itself, watch him go after Exorcists he suspects are the Heart, and gleefully accept his orders to kill those Exorcists looking for the Heart, in order to prevent the Black Order from ever getting the Earl aka the Heart on their side. 
They also let the Earl create legions of Akuma to fight the Exorcists and destroy all the Innocence shards, literally using the Earl to destroy himself, keeping him away from his true allies, chipping away at his lifeline one shard at a time, like Harry crushing Voldemort’s horcruxes one by one, not knowing he’s a Horcrux himself. Until finally, when there is nothing left but the greatly weakened Heart with no army to protect it, then will the Noah have the chance to defeat it once and for all. 
And of course while they keep the Earl busy searching for the Heart, old man will never pause and think hmmm, maybe I am the Heart? 
Perhaps this is why Wisely said that all humans who have awoken into Noah will accept their duty once they learned of Noah’s mission. Since Noah’s mission now seems to be preventing the end of the world at the hands of Innocence, which I take as God’s power, and God’s weapon for “cleansing” the world whenever he deems it too sinful. 
After all, we have seen the horrors Innocence can do, the lengths Innocence will go to punish people it judged to have sinned. Innocence is said to be a crystallization of God, and like God, it has been foreshadowed numerous times to have that ruthless, merciless, unforgiving streak within it that could alienate even Allen himself.
Anyway, I typed this one without checking the earlier volumes that much. I expect there will be several loopholes, so be sure to point out any inaccuracies and also please, please do let me know what you guys think of these reveals as well! I’d love to hear differing theories!
Other tidbits
The Garvey Troupe, not Garbeigh. Sorry, everyone. Phonetically, Japanese does not have the “v” sound. Nowadays, you can write it out by adding the mark on the ウ (u) letter like this: ヴ, but most words would still transliterate it to the “b” sound, and most Japanese people will still have trouble pronouncing the “v” sound properly anyway. For example, “Violin” could be written both as (v)ヴァイオリン or (b)バイオリン, and most people would pronounce it like the latter.
Do you think Road’s memories of the End of the World has anything to do with Lenalee and Allen’s shared dream of the End of the World as well? Though Lenalee’s nightmare features the Black Order in ruins and not the modern skyscrapers of Road’s. 
So Cross knew Nea and Mana from childhood!? I’ve always thought he met Nea by chance when they are grownups and he was forced to do Nea’s bidding. Interesting!! 
So, that’s it for this chapter! Phew! That was uber long. Thank you so much for bearing with me this far. Hit me up in comments!
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thepaperpanda · 5 years ago
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Shooter || Joker x Reader
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Summary: You're a witness of three privileged men killing at the subway. You accidentally meet the shooter the day after and he's far from what you've imagined he'd be.
Warnings: None
Words: 1562
Authors: Cass & Ailo
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The gunshots brought back the pain; it was as if he would still be laying on the dirty sidewalk in that alley, being kicked by those teenagers, trying his best to protect his head and crotch from blows. The gunshots were sounded as if they could crack a skull, as if the sound itself could purify the mind.  Arthur's stomach lurched as he lowered gun he was holding in hand. He did this. He actually did this. Then silence returned far more thickly than it was before the shots, as if everything around man was collectively holding it's breath.
You were hiding behind one of pillars, hand covering your mouth as you desperately tried to calm down your breath and racing heart. Witnessing such a thing was too much for you. Using subway was your everyday thing, you were using it to get to work as well as return home. This unfortunate day you were going back home later than usual, the evening was calm until you heard shooting in the other cart. You didn't see much through little windows between carts. The little bit of view was terrifying enough to make you sneak out of the cart as soon as it stopped. You peaked out of your hiding spot just to look if you could go but all you saw was a man being shot as he tried climbing up the stairs. Quickly returning to your spot you started to pray to get out of this alive. Thanks God, the shooter disappeared and you were able to get out of the station safely. You thought about going to the police but all you wanted truly was to go home and hide in the safety of your little apartment. "I can always go there tomorrow," you told yourself, running back to your place.
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Arthur returned home and pretended he was all fine but he wasn't.
That evening everything was making him angry, especially his mother and her pure trust in Thomas Wayne. Arthur helped her take bath but as soon as he put her to bed, he went to his own, little room and sneaked under the sheets, pulling quilt on his head as he was trying to hide himself from this world.
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You should have to be asleep for a few hours but you simply couldn't find yourself a place. Sitting on the couch, looking at the movement on the tv's screen, your mind was going crazy recalling every second of the event in the subway.
Even if you were in your own flat you still felt scared because of such things were becoming an everyday thing. Shaking your head you forced yourself to go shower and get to bed.
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Arthur was fired. All he could have done was get out of there with his head up, he didn't want to show them that they've broken him down like an old branch of a tree. He sat at the not high fence, foot tapping up and down like some dumb wind up toy. Man was rethinking his entire existence.
For you the morning was hard, dragging yourself out of the bed was horrible yet you started to get ready for going out.
Your friends made you join them during the protest against all the rich people in the city. You didn't really like such events because of the crowd but maybe they would finally affect something, you thought.
You never were a conflict person, you always tried to avoid fights or arguments but you hated all those rich bastards. They were having fun in their skyscrapers while all the regular people were drowning in trash and poverty.
Holding the strap of your bag you walked trough the streets, trying your best to not get crazy because of the yesterday's situation. You stopped your walk when you spotted a man, a really sad man.
Arthur felt observed, and indeed he was being watched.
A rather young woman was standing several steps from him glaring at him curiously.
At first he didn't react but when she was standing still in front of him, man raised his head a little and tilted it aside so his locks fell off his face, letting him see her fully.
Man looked too similar to the one from yesterday, it kinda made you afraid and all you've wanted was to run back to your flat but his look made you concerned.
You let out a sigh and smiled at him gently when he looked at you. Walking slowly you started to move closer to him. "Hey there... is everyhitng okay? You look sad," you said shrugging softly as you played with the strap.
He looked you deeply in the eyes; emotionless and empty eyes of his were like a well which ran dry. "Yeah," he replied without thinking too much. He observed you still yet he didn't move at all.
"So... Why so sad and aren't you cold? It's quite chilly today," you said bouncing on your legs a little. "Maybe I can help you somehow?"
"Do you like comedy?," He asked out of sudden. The question was so random that even he giggled a little but the giggle was full of darkness and sadness.
You blinked looking at him, taken aback by a sudden question. Thinking for a little moment you quickly nodded. "Sure! Who doesn't? I love to have a good laugh, it helps to keep going in this city. For me at last."
He sent you a brief smile but it was more a curl of his lips in a grimace. "I'm a comedian, I've always wanted to be a comedian," he said as he hopped off the fence and made a pose like only clown would do.
"Oh wow! It must be great, I bet you know a lot of jokes and anecdotes," you said smiling at him more and clapped your hands a little. "But you are missing one thing, friend."
He was about to reach into inner pocket of jacket to pull his notebook out and read something for you but he stopped any movement, looking at you. He shook his head for "no".
"Smile," you said giggling. "Come on, smile for me and I am ready to hear you out."
You turned round to find little bench, sitting down you put one leg over other like ever lady would does. Looking at man you send him another smile and waited at his performence.
He tried his best to smile yet he felt like tears started to gather into his eyes. He turned around few times and posed again but instead of smiling naturally, he slipped two fingers of each of his hands into his mouth corners and spread them upward in a grimace which had to be pretending smile.
You looked at him, raising your eyebrow. "Okay, let's say that this is enough to convice me. So? Can I hear you and your jokes?," You asked kindly.
You were really courious what he will 'serve' you. The things you told him were true, despite being young you already hated your life in Gotham. Silly comedies, stend ups and all of this helped you cope with the hard life and kept you away from bad thoughs and stuff.
Arthur pulled his notebook out of the pocket and opened it with shaking hands, turning page after page. When he was looking down onto his notes he was about to cry in a spot because of the sadness that were coming out of them. "Knock, knock."
"Who's there?," You asked looking at him.
"The man who killed three shitbags in the metro yesterday," he whispered seriously.
You looked at him completely struck with your eyes wide open. After a moment you laughed, it was very nervous. "You… Are you joking, right? 'Cus you are a comedian," you asked shortly.
"Am I looking like someone who's joking?," He asked openly.
You sat there quiet, swallowing heavily, soon you shook your head for 'no'.
"And do you know what's the worst? I'm fucking happy about what I've done, I don't regret killing them."
You giggled nervously and nodded, slowly moving to the edge of the bench, trying your best to slip away from him.
"I won't hurt you," he assured raising hands up. "I won't hurt you, no need to run."
You got up from your seat and looked at him. "You promise? I... I saw you. I swear, I didn't go to the police. Cross on my heart," you said.
He shook his head slightly with that strange grin on his lips. "I don't mind it. I have nothing to lose and I'm tired of pretending it wasn't funny."
You nodded, looking at him. Your hands once more played nervously with the strap of your bag. "You know…," You began slowly. "I think you did a right thing. Whoever they were, they deserved this. They play around because they are 'good, rich boys' while we all struggle here. Wayne and everyone similar to him could die in the fire and the city would become better instantly."
He listened to you patiently as the grin on his lips grew wider. Arthur nodded his head a little like he would be bowing to you. "When city will be burning, it's gonna be triumph of unprivileged. And I tell you this, it's gonna come sooner than everyone expects."
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freewalkerstudio · 4 years ago
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I find the intersections of cultures interesting, specifically the intersections of cultures we are born into and the cultures in which we choose to participate. These chosen cultures may speak to us on many levels, be they emotional, intellectual or even subconscious. We may not know why we are drawn to something but we feel an innate pull to be involved. The free will of humans leads to the most interesting combinations of birth and chosen cultures, which furthers the breadth of manifested identities in the world. Because of my own life experience, I decided to investigate other people of color who choose to be artists and identify as alternative, goth or punk.
During this project I had the privilege to meet, photograph and interview some stellar human beings. People who are unafraid and unapologetic about their artistic choices in this world. I am so inspired by each and every one of you. Thank you for being you and giving me a glimpse into your world.
Ashley - “I just do what I think is fun!”
I met Ashley Norman at school, I remember the day well. She had on a really bright outfit and her makeup was weird and fun. She had drawn wispy lines around her eyes in white eyeliner, like an abstract Picasso portrait – each eye different than the other. I thought it was so unique and I was impressed by her call to push her style in a different direction than her peers. When I met back up with Ashley recently, I asked her, what was her inspiration and the pull to identify as an alternative artist? She said only this: “I just do what I think is fun!” Ashley said she is also inspired by her diverse background. For her, being Black, Korean and Dominican gives her much to pull from historically and artistically.
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Selena - “I think the hardest part was me finding my tribe, my kindred spirits. You can’t always spot someone who is alternative all the time, just by looking at them. Sometimes it’s highly internalized and you would never know.”
Selena is an illustrator, whose artwork is centered around themes of alchemy and the occult. She expressed that her drawings of demon girls with detached limbs, reflected her inner feelings of being disconnected from her identity sometimes. I asked her when she started to identify as alternative and for her it was in middle school when she realized that music was so important to her but that she felt little connection to Rap and Hip Hop. “It’s kinda like, when you’re Black, you kinda assume that you’re supposed to like these things, and you kinda do, but…it doesn’t feel like it clicks. Whereas for me rock and alternative music clicked for me, I was more able to relate to the subjects in the songs. I was 14, rap music was not helping me cope with what I’m going through. With Rock, we are talking about anger, feelings, things I could better connect with. From there on out I wore all black and listened to My Chemical Romance.”
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Roxas - “It’s totally 100% possible to thrive and be yourself.”
Roxas Timmons was my classmate at LaGuardia in the photo program. I remember the first day I saw them and thinking how committed they were to their style. As I got to know Roxas over the past two years, I have learned of their interesting origin story growing up in the conservative Midwest. Roxas likes to be fluid in their identity and although they mostly identify as goth, they also enjoy dressing as a clown, a ghost, punk, alternative and anything in between. They talked a lot about how music and fashion influences their photography, which is primarily driven by self-portraits. They recounted how they started dressing alternative little by little in high school and after graduating, fully went for it. “I meet a lot of people who always say to me ‘I wish I could dress like that’. I want people to know that they can. They can have a successful career and make their way in the world dressing like this.”
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Jacqs - “The art that I give to the world is my self expression. Serving looks.“
Much like many of the people I interviewed for this project, Jacqueline Chavois is a total stranger to me. Stumbling across her Instagram account, I was immediately struck by her incredible style and the collections in her house, where she regularly photographs herself. I asked her about her split tongue and why she would choose to make such a drastic choice of body modification. “I feel like it connects me to my African ancestry because the body modifications – these painful rites of passage, I feel that my African ancestors were doing that. It annoys me when it’s seen as only a White thing. Definitely has indigenous, African, tribal roots.”
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Shola - “The aesthetic I want to give off is to live that best version of myself and let it be reflected in the work that I do.”
Shola Aurora is a first generation Nigerian singer-songwriter, born and raised in New York City. He performs an hybrid of rock, metal, and industrial goth music. He is heavily influenced by Japanese culture, having traveled to Japan several times. Anime, video games and Japanese fashion are all major inspirations and play out in his artistic choices. I interviewed him in Saint Marks Place, an area where he was able to truly express himself as a young man growing into his identity. Shola talked about how he came to his own style by being exposed to Visual K, a Japanese branch of glam metal. “Visual K showed me that performing is more than just getting up there and singing a song, you can create a world or an experience. It inspired me to live the best version of myself that I could. It left my mind open in terms of what I was interested in doing. As someone who grew up in Brooklyn in the hood, as a black male, the idea of doing feminine things or wearing makeup is unheard of. It took a lot of personal growth for me to break through to that side of myself.”
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Xero - “Everyone needs a little bit of fantasy.”
Xero Gravity is a 24 year old biracial Black/Jewish cosplayer and digital content creator who centers herself around diversity and inclusion in the horror and sci-fi realms. I asked her to speak about why these genres are so important to her. “I feel horror is the best lens through which to look at society’s fears as a whole. What people are scared of at a certain time says a lot about what people are going through. When you look at the history of horror, it doesn’t really look good for Black and Brown people like us. We have a very complicated history with the horror genre. I always bring the discussion of horror and Blackness back to Birth of a Nation, the first feature film. It features a white woman in ‘peril’ being hunted by a white man in blackface. Woodrow Wilson screened this in the White House and endorsed it as factually correct. At the end the ‘black man” is hunted down and killed by the KKK, putting the KKK in a favorable light. No one talks about how this is the scariest film ever if you’re a Black person.”
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Uny - “My art is fashion. My art is clothes, my art is expression. The way I dress is a total expression of the way I view my world through my lens.”
Unyquee Loretta Ortiz is a seamstress and cosplayer who identifies as Black and Latinx. Born and raised in the Bronx, she spoke about how her heritage plays into her stylistic choices.  “I often wear a lot of African prints because I want to be connected to Africa in the best way that I can do it. I was raised around my Latinx culture so I go out of my way to make my Black heritage more visual. A lot of people don’t look at me and see Latinx because my skin isn’t as fair or olive, but I feel very connected to that side of myself because I grew up around it. Sometimes I think people tend to push that aside and want it to not be there because of how I look.”
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joyxsoul · 5 years ago
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han jisung as ur boyfriend
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-lmao there’s so many of these, but here’s another !! (highschool au rlly lol)
-okay, so u two met at school in ur senior year. he was a class clown type, always making jokes, being loud with his friends annoying every one of his teachers along the way.
-bUt, you made him soft !! like the instant he saw you, a little smile was on his face, making his friends (especially his best friend Felix) tease lil jisung, wondering who, or what could have made him this flustered
-i mean, he stopped talking for a full two hours after he saw you, your power
-anyways !!
-you had a couple of classes together, being history and english, and jisung just loved to watch you whenever there was free time between lectures
-it sounds hella creepy (it kinda was), but the way you scrunched your nose when you were concentrated, or your smirk when you finally figured something out or finished a project made his heart jump in his chest
-you were making THE han jisung shut up
-(like i said, your power :3)
-eventually, he grew the courage to talk to you (which included a pep talk from all of his closest friends, making him stand in front of the mirror and scream, “YOU ARE THE SHIT !!”)
-his tactic was to start with a pick-up line, a very classy, “on a scale of one to america, how free are you tonight ?” 
-hyunjin cringed listening to that one, seungmin was sure jisung had blew it and was gonna beat his ass after
-you were a bit surprised; you two weren’t in the same friend group and you hadn’t been seated together at any point
-but you DEFINITELY knew who he was bc who in this school didn’t know his group (a weird combination of crackheads, intellects, and stoners)
-i’ll let you decide who the stoners are in skz ;)
-being as easygoing as you were, you just laughed, responding with “are you from tennessee ? because you’re the only ten i see”
-jisung thought he was going to piss his pants he was so nervous 
-glad that he hadn’t completely ruined his image in front of you, he pulled out the empty chair beside you and struck up a conversation, most likely something related to the substitute asleep at the teacher’s desk
- you guys began to talk more often, working together on various projects, “studying” in the library (all it was was him pointing out random people in a textbook and saying, ‘that’s you’), and sitting together at lunch
-one night, he was facetiming you about homework for your history class. it was probably around 10 pm, and he spent most of the call complaining about how the pizza place messed up his order and gave him pepperoni instead of cheese 
-he had this gray hoodie on; he looked so tired and you constantly fussed over how he should get some more sleep, but he looked so cute in-
-wait did you just call him cute
-you couldn’t lie, jisung was attractive; his almond shaped eyes, his heart shaped mouth, his fluffy long hair, how his nickname was ‘quokka’ due to his face and his personality, how he texted you every morning and night, the way he said your name-
- “y/n ? is something wrong ? stop staring at my face.”
-oh shit you have a crush on han jisung
- “i told you to stop staring !! what, you have a crush on me or something ?” you shook yourself out of it, staring at him through the screen with wide eyes
-he was playing with the strings of his hoodie, his hair being messy with all the times he ran his hand through it. it was a habit you always rolled your eyes at; he’d obviously spend time in the mornings to make it look nice, only for him to ruin in ten minutes into talking about the cold war
-your other friends (wendy and lucas in particular) always teased you about your relationship with jisung
-”DO YOU SEE THOSE PUPPY EYES ?? LOOK AT HIM STARING AT YOU! !”
-”lucas please shut up.”
-but when you did look, jisung was staring at you, his smoothie straw hanging out of his mouth
-you couldn’t help but laugh at how dumb he looked
-and wow, you almost thought you saw his cheeks turn pink when you giggled 
“i know i wasn’t the only one who saw that.” lucas was looking like he was going to cry, wendy just looked fed up
-you didn’t know when your crush on him started. in those seconds of silence where you and jisung were just ogling at each other through the phone camera, you reflected on where it could’ve all gone wrong
-was it the time he held your hand when he was walking you home when an older man got too close for your liking ? or was it the time you were hanging out at his house and he fell asleep on your lap, only to smile in his sleep when you began running your fingers through his hair ? or was it the time when you two went out for boba tea when the waitress said you were a cute couple, only for him to smile and say, “thank you.”
“..y/n ?”
-”jisung, i have a crush on you.”
-silence
-pure silence
-oh my god, you messed everything up. the screen had gone black, you didn’t hear anything. building up your courage, you actually saw that he had hung up the phone, the numbers taunting you. 
-call ended  2:29
-you didn’t know what to do. your body felt numb, all sounds muted. you could only focus on a car passing by, a bird flying against the wind, the soft raindrops against the window.
-what are you supposed to do ? you had just lost the one person who you cared about the most. you two had known each other for a little over two months, but you'd already grown extremely close. you told him everything, he trusted you.
-and you fucked up a perfect, amazing friendship.
-the rain was getting heavier now, but you didn’t mind. it was always comforting to listen to, especially when you felt upset. your parents weren’t home until sunday, and as it was a saturday night, you had plenty of time to cry it out.
-”Y/N !!”
-god, you were going crazy, you swore you just heard jisung’s voice
-”Y/N !! PLEASE LET ME IN ITS RAINING AND I’M TIRED”
-dumbfounded, you looked out your bedroom window to find jisung, still wearing his gray hoodie, a little drenched, with pebbles in his hand
-oh wow he rlly went full rom com with this one
-rushing downstairs, you pulled open the front door, only to be attacked by a hug from jisung, giggling to himself in glee
- “i got here as fast as i could, i need you.” with that, he pressed his lips against yours, still wet from the rain. he smiled into it, letting out a chuckle when you kissed him back. you pulled away quickly though, the blush on your cheeks turning into a full on tomato. jisung pouted, you poking his face as he flushed pink
- “in case you couldn't tell, i like you too. thought it was obvious.” he elbowed you, leading you up to your room while muttering “this isn’t real, this isn’t real”
-”you sleepy ?” you asked, making room for him on the bed. he just nodded, saying the homework could wait
-it was a little past midnight, and all you wanted to do was sleep. you climbed in, turning off all the lights, feeling jisung’s arms snake around your waist. he put his head into your neck, humming a song that wasn't familiar. just feeling his breath on your neck was making you drift off
- “goodnight sunshine, i’ll see you in the morning.” he placed a lazy kiss on your cheek, and drifted off.
-when it came to you two actually dating, no one was surprised (except mark, but he was oblivious at the best of times). the rest of skz couldn’t care less about what you looked like; they all knew how happy you made jisung and really, that’s all that matters
-jisung was always clingy, but dating him made it worse. he was always nearby, wanting to hold your hand, wanting to play with your fingers; basically any excuse to touch you. if you don’t like pda, he would definitely respect that, it made all those moments you shared with him that much more special
-he always had a nickname for you, but ever since you had first met, ‘sunshine’ had stuck. you never knew why, but jisung just thought you glowed, even at 3 pm on a school day or 7 am on a weekend because wow he loves you
-more than anything, he loved when you played with his hair, whether you were just touching it, or running your hands through it
-he might have liked it a bit too much, but uh you were not ready to venture down that path
-jisung would also spray his cologne on all of the hoodies he gave you because he knows how much you love it
-you have SO MANY OF HIS HOODIES IN YOUR HOME
-it’s not funny
-you keep telling him to take them back, but he doesn’t want them ?? “cooties bro. can’t.”
-you aren’t complaining, they’re comfy >:((
-jisung teases the ShiT oUt OF yOU
-like one day you came into class with your friend acting cute in an attempt to steal some of her hot cheetos
-only to have HEADASS just stare at you blankly, exclaiming “you look mentally unstable” while he laughed at you
-this along with doing middle school boy shit
-i’m talking taking your notebook and hiding it in another spot of the classroom, scaring you in the hallway, making you pull worksheets out of his hands while he passed them out
-think of ANYTHING that gives off middle school boy energy, he’s done it
-as annoying as he is
-he loves you. a lot. like, his main goal in your relationship is to make sure you’re happy with him, that you aren’t going to leave him because he isn’t putting the effort in
-you keep assuring him you love him, that you’d never do that to him. but no matter how many times he nods, or smiles
-there’s uncertainty in his eyes. because of that, he always assures you how beautiful you are, stays up all night if he has to when you pull an all nighter to study, gives you all the hoodies he can provide
-not only because he feels like he has to, but he’d do anything to see you happy; no matter how tired he feels 
-it breaks his heart to see you upset
-one day, you had gotten a test back while hanging out at jisung’s house, trying to help him study. you opened your score and your heart dropped. a 59%. that’s the worst you’d ever done. you had stayed up multiple nights to study, putting off your own personal needs in order to success
-it wasn’t enough. and that hurt
-jisung saw you start to cry and he  f r e a k e d
-oh god, his precious sunshine was crying and he didn’t know what to do
-he fumbled for a bit, saying, “it’s going to be okay !! it’s just one grade !!” only for you to cry harder and him to freak out even more
-eventually, he just hugged you from behind, laying you down on the couch. you were shaking so bad and it was making jisung tear up; he really hated seeing you like this 
-he knew talking wouldn't help, so he let you cry, wiping away your tears and rubbing small circles into your back. 
-”you’re okay sunshine, just hold onto me.” you always thought you didn’t deserve someone like him. someone so loving, so supportive. 
-but you love him. you’ve never loved someone like him; how dumb he sounded but always gave the best advice, always teasing you at any time during the day but shows up in front of your door with flowers just because
-and so when he sings “i smile” while caressing your cheek, you know there’s no place you’d rather be. in his arms, the vibration of his voice lulling you to sleep and just how warm he was
-and when you got to see him perform with the rest of his rapping group, your eyes just couldn’t leave him. his charisma, his confidence, how he’d always wink at you when he spotted you in the crowd. he was truly ethereal there, almost angelic in whatever he wore, because look at him
-almost nothing was better than seeing him backstage after a show to see him; him smirking when he’d pull you into his arms still sweaty when he’d whisper “missed you babydoll”
-no matter how much he’d nag you for staying up too late and not putting enough time into yourself, and no matter how much you’d nag him for not eating enough, you wouldn’t trade each other for the moon and all of her stars
-if soulmates existed, you were lucky enough to find yours in a shitty high school at 9:40 a.m. with a cheesy pick-up line
-but you wouldn’t have it any other way
AGHHHHH i really hope everyone liked this ?? ugh, it feels so rushed, but it’s really late here, so i hope i did sungie justice :((
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lillaxtrigger · 6 years ago
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Young hope: Chapter 9
On the outskirts of town stood a big skate park. Mally was riding through the rails, sparks trailing behind her as she grinds. She jumps from the rail onto a wall which she road and bounced off to the bowl, which she used as a ramp to flip over to the half pipe. After riding up the half pipe, she jumps high in the sky and does twirls in the air and lands on the edge. She stretches her limbs out as she stands on the edge of the half pipe. “Ah, feels good to be at an actual skate park for once.”. Looking out, she has a view of the whole park. Rails, bowls, ramps, walls, even a loopdeeloop, all right in Townsville skate park. “Streets are nice. But you kinda have to take in stuff like cars, crack, pedestrians, and that stuff sucks. But out here, I don’t have to worry about any of that. I can skate on to my hearts content. Traffic accidents be dammed!”. Mally looks around the skate park and says: “Now how am I gonna get enough speed to get through that loopdeeloop?”. She starts to trace a path through the park in her head, determining where she might go. “I could go from the half pipe, jump in the rail, up that ramp, bounce of the wall and-”. Mally then looks over and sees somebody hanging on the opposite side of the half pipe. It was a young woman, whose bright green roller blades matches with her striped bright green undershirt that was under her short sleeved dark green jacket. The clown cap with dark green highlights under her magenta hair went with the jacket nicely. The woman dropped down onto the half pipe and jumped right in front of Mally. She then skated out of the pipe jumped onto a rail, which she then jumped out to the half pipe. The woman then jumped down into the bowl and jumped out of it onto the end of a ramp. She sped through the loopdeeloop and off the ramp on the end to back flip and land on the ground. “Whoa.” Mally gushed in awe. She watched as the woman skated over to a green duffle bag and grabbed it as she skated out of the park. Curious, she skated after the magenta woman, leaving the park and finding her walking down the street. She speeds after her as the woman walks through an intersection. She tries to follow her, but is cut off due to traffic. Determined not to quit, she backs up a fair bit before skating to get a running start. Grabbing onto a way wards streetlamp, she spins around and ascends, jumping from the lamp over the intersection. Landing on the other side, she blows on her hands to cool them, remarking: “Man, I wish I could to that without burning my hands.”. She sees the woman climbing up a weird rock wall to a forest without hesitating, follows in after. With the rough terrain, she takes off her skates and puts them and her helmet away. Walking through the forest, she listens to the chirping of the birds and the whistles of the wind, a colorful bird flutters through the trees. She then sees the woman nearby and hides. As Mally gets closer, she sees the woman scanning the area, as if she was hunting. The careless girl steps on a twig and breaks it. Before the woman could look over, Mally swiftly gets behind a nearby tree. “That was close. She almost spotted me. But what’s she doing out here?” she thinks. Just then, a laser pierces through the tree, barely hitting her head. “Alright, come on out. I know you’re back there.” the woman says as she holds a laser pistol. Mally slowly comes out from behind the tree with her arms halfway up. The woman puts down her gun as soon as she sees Mally. “A kid?”. Seeing the woman putting down the weapon, Mally immediately went from frightened, to angry. “What the hell’s the big idea for!? You almost blew my head off!”. “Why are you following me like some kind of creepy stalker?” the woman boldly retorts. Mally calms down and says nervously: “Um-Uh..I-I saw you pull off that cool loopdeeloop at the skate park and was wanting to ask h-how you did that.”. The woman groans and pinches her big pink nose, then starts shoving Mally back. “Hey, what are you doing!?” Mally shouts. A long eared, beige fox prowled around the forest ground, scurrying for food. When it sees Mally and the lady coming, it bolts away. “You can’t be in here, kid. I’m following a lead and I can’t lose it to babysit some brat in the middle of the woods.”. “A lead? Are you some kind of detective?”. “Something like that.” the woman says “What are you following?”. “Some guy called Nonya bidness.”. “Nonya bid- Hey! Don’t give me fake names like that!”. “Never mind, kid. Just shove off back home.”. Reaching the end of the forest, both of the were shocked to see the sight in front of them. “What?” Mally says. In front of of the were miles of ocean, Townsville fading into the horizon. “Where’s the town going?” Mally asks. The woman checks her phone and sees she has no signal. She sighs, saying: “Dammit.”. She turns Mally towards her and says: “Alright, listen up kid. As long as your with me, you’re gonna have to do exactly what I say, when I say it. Nothing else, got it?”. “My names, not kid. It’s Mally.” “Fine. Mally. Whatever. Just do what I say so you don’t die.”. “Jeez. Fine.”. Both of them start heading back into the wood, as whispers under her breath: “Ya grump.”. As they walk through the jungle grove, Mally asks: “So what’d you really come in here for?”. The woman groans and says: “I was looking for some weird elf guy that had been stealing from pharmacies.”. “An elf?”. “Yep. Thinking it might be the one whose piloting this moving island. If I can find it. I can get it to steer this thing back to land and get you back home.”. “What? No way. You already got me hooked. I can’t back out now.”. “Ki- (groans) This ain’t some amusement park. I don’t know if this elf is deadly or not and I don’t want a kids deaths on my conscious.”. “I ain’t some defenseless wimp. I can take care of myself. Just give me something, I can prove it.”. The woman groans and says: “Fine.”. She then digs into her bag and pulls out a two hockey sticks, one smaller then the other. She throws Mally the smaller stick. Catching it, she says: “A hockey stick?”. “Expecting something better?”. “Why not that laser pistol?”. Thr woman break out laughing, saying: “You really think I’d trust some kid with a laser pistol. I ain’t that dumb.”. As she stops chortling, she finishes with: “Beside, its outta juice.”. As the woman zips up her bag, Mally looks at the worn hockey stick and shrugs. “Now stay close.”. Continuing to hike, they pass by scurrying lemurs. The woman looks back to Mally and sees her swinging and twirling her newfound weapon. She looks ahead and spots something in the distance. The woman pulls Mally behind and tree. “Hey, what’s-”. The woman quickly puts her hand over Mally’s mouth and goes: “Shhh.”. Mally pulls the woman’s hand off her mouth and whispers: “What are we whispering about?”. Both of them look behind the tree and see a pale lumbering monster with enlarged claws and legs with a tiny head. “What is that?” Mally asks. “Not to sure. Looks like a monster of some kind. Hang back.”. The woman slowly come from behind the tree and sneaks towards the pale beast. She sneaks around to its back, being careful not to make a sound. She brandishes here hockey stick and readies to swing. She stops when both her and the monster hear Mally running at the monster from the side. The monster lifts its large hand and swings overhead down at it’s oncoming attacker. “Dammit.” the woman cursed. Mally side steps out of the beasts attack and swings at its side. The monster swipes at her, Mally ducking to avoid its sharp claws. The woman jumps from behind and hold the beasts neck with her hockey stick. The monster flails around trying to get her off, swinging its large arms around. Mally swiftly evades the arms and strikes the monsters leg to try and topple it, but they were too thick to trip. The pale beast shakes the woman off and slaps Mally away with great force. As Mally was flying back, her hockey stick hooked onto a branch and send her upwards. She landed on the branch perfectly on her feet to her own astonishment. She looked at the wooden weapon in her hand, wondering how it didn’t break. Mally then looks back and sees the pale beast blocking the green capped woman attacks. The monster then tried to crush her in between its palms, but the woman ducked and struck it in the side of its stomach. Grasping its bruised stomach, the white demon backs away as it looks at its attacker, giving a smug smile and waggling its finger at it. She then hooks onto the beasts legs and trips it up. The young woman lunges, aiming for the monsters head. The demon raises its thick arms above its head to block its opponent. Mally watches the fight from above, seeing the beast get up and strike at the young woman. The green capped girl dodges to the white demons side and try to strike the side of its head. The beasts blocks again and swipes at her. The woman jumps up and tries her hand at an over head strike. The beast raises its hands above its head and blocks once more. With the woman landing in front of it, the monster tries to smash her in using its big legs, but she evades its crushing blow, leaving behind a print on the ground. Mally then realized what she was trying to do. “Oh, I get it. She aiming for its head. With it being so small, I bet it can’t take a big hit.”. She saw how the monster was not taking its eyes off its opponent. She was trying to think of a way to strike at the monster, when suddenly some sunlight got in her eye. Looking up, she saw branches decorating trees, their leaves blocking out the sunlight leaking through the treetops. Snapping her finger, she says: “There!” before jumping towards the nearest branch, using her hockey stick to hook on them. After that, she jumped towards the next one. She keep repeating this until she nears the treetops. Looking down, her veiw of the fight was much smaller, she couldn’t even tell what was happening, just that the woman was darting around the white demon. Using her thumb to aim, bounces on the branch before jumping down jumps down. While dodging, the woman sees Mally dropping down, brandishing her hockey stick, seeing that she was going to miss. She acted quick and pushed the beast towards Mally's range. Mally bashes the white demon in the head. “Yeah!” she shouts as she lands. The monster tumbles for a bit before falling to the ground. With the battle over, the both of them approach and look down on the fallen beast “Is it dead?” Mally asks. “After poking their newly defeated foe with her hockey stick, the woman concluded with: “Yep, its deader then death.”. “My first kill…”. Mally starts to giddy with a smile, then jumps saying: “Awesome! And its a huge monster of all thing. Wait til my brothers hear about this.”. “You wouldn’t have struck the finishing blow if it weren't for me. Better yet, we wouldn’t have to go through all that if you didn’t just run at it like a suicidal maniac.”. Upset how quickly the woman brought down her moment, she folds her arms while giving a huffed face. Just then, they heard the sound of thunderous footsteps approach. Turning around, they saw a whole pack of those huge white demons closing in. Backing up, the woman says to Mally: “So, how fast do you think you can run...Kid?”. Hearing no response, she turns around and sees Mally darting away in the opposite direction. The woman runs away, catching up to the girl. “So now what?” Mally asks. “Not sure. Gimme a second.”. Mally looks around, only seeing passing trees. “Maybe we should go up. I don’t think their big feet would be good for climbing.” she suggests. The woman uses her hockey to hook onto one of the branches, grabbing a hold of Mally as she pulls herself up. They ascend up halfway to the treetops, where they saw the pack of demons swarm around the bottom of the trees. The monsters scrap away at the tree in an effort to climb up, but slide down due to their heavy ankles. “Hey, it worked. Good thinking.” the woman says. Mally shows a big smile to the woman, which was again broken when the tree they were standing on began to shake. Looking back down, they see the beasts striking at the trees. “There trying to knock us down. What do we-”. Mally looks over and sees the woman putting on a pair of skate. “What are you doing?”. “Hey, Kid. How good can you skate?”. “I’ll have you know I can skate like crazy. Why?”. The girl sees the woman take off and jump to the next branch, grinding on the wood as she traversed. “Oh.”. After putting on her skates she jumps off from the tree just as it falls down, following the woman as she grinds. Looking back, she sees the mob of white demons chasing after, getting further and further away from them. She then sees the woman take her hockey stick and hook onto one of the above branches to flip off. Using the momentum from her speed, she flips up towards the treetops. Mally pulled her stick out and tried the same thing. She hooks the branch and starts to flip. Using the momentum, she sends herself up towards the treetops and lands on one of the branches. “Cool.”. Mally pushes herself off and grinds onto another branch. With her newfound skill, she picks up more speed by jumping off a tree and hooking onto another branch. With the added momentum, she ascends further, almost towards the treetops. Upon landing, she looks forward, barely able to see the green capped lass. Thinking with one big jump, she might be able to catch up. Mally darts out towards her, pushing herself off from tree to tree when she lands on a branch to gain more speed. She hooks onto the branch and rockets into the sky. Flying past the trees, she sees over the island and towards the vast blue sea. Looking to her right, she sees waves along the water moving away from the island. Something below the island was making those waves, but couldn’t make out what it was. Before she could have time to register what it might be, Mally starts to plummet back down. She falls past the trees and starts to rocket towards the ground. Halfway down, something catches her. She looks over and sees the green capped woman hooked her in with her hockey stick. As she dragged her back onto the tree, the woman warned Mally: “Easy kid.” Putting her back on the branch, the woman adds: “You gotta control yourself. You’re lucky we lost those white things.”. “Listen, I saw something. When I was up there. I saw the island moving.” Mally says. “Well, no duh. Why do you think we’re trapped here.”. “No. I think something is moving the island. Like it was paddling it away.”. “Really? What was it?”. “I...I don’t know. All I saw was the water splashing.”. “You know where you saw it?”. “Yeah, it was right...uh..” the girl as she turned around. Looking around she tried to remember which direction she saw the splashing water. “Um...Was it...No...Ah! I can’t tell where! Everything around here looks green!”. As Mally was looking around, the woman looked over and saw a figure staring at them in the distance. Squinting out, all she could make out was its long pointy ears. Her target perhaps? Not hesitating, the green capped girl immediately heads towards the figure. Mally turns back, stating: “Wait a second! I didn’t say where yet.”, then chases after the woman. Getting a closer look, the woman realized that intuition was correct and that the figure was an elf. One wearing a Chinese robe. Just before she lands on the branch the elf was on, he jumps away, casting out vines from his hands to swing to the next branch. Mally catches up just when the woman continues the chase, leaving her behind. “Wait a minute!”. She sees beside her a photograph. Picking it up, she thinks that it dropped out of the woman pockets and grinds after her. “Hey, wait up!’. The green capped lass chases the elf out of a jungle forest and more to a temperate woods. She jumps towards one of the trees and using her hockey stick spirals down and jumps to the next tree. Mally brandishes her stick and tries the same thing, only to fly off. She saves herself by hooking onto a wayward branch and sees the elf swing to the ground, darting away from his pursuer. Mally slides off the tree and sees the woman in her pursuit. She quickly gets up and follows. The woman chases the stranger through tall, dense shrubs, where she found herself atop a cliff. Although she could see the ocean from miles around, she saw no sign of her target. Mally catches up to her, says: “Hold on! Hold on!” After looking out towards the ocean, she looks at the woman and asks: “Was that the elf you were chasing after?”. “Damn it! Lost him!” the woman shouts as she slaps her hat against her knee. “Hey, its okay. I mean as long as he doesn’t know how to swim, he has nowhere to go, right?”. “Hmm, guess so.” the woman says as she puts her hat back on. “Oh, hang on.” Mally exclaimed. She pulls out the photo out of her pocket and gives it to the woman. “Here.”. The woman saw the photo of a younger girl that looked like her alongside a boy dark skin and green tinted glasses. “What the-!”. She quickly snatches the photo out of Mally’s hands. “Did you pick this out of my pocket!?”. “What!? No! You dropped it when you went after that elf. Why would I try and steal something out of your pockets?” Mally says as the woman puts away the photo. Distracted, they didn’t see someone approaching them from behind. Just when the woman realizes there was someone behind her, she was pushed off the cliff. Mally watches as the green capped woman plummeted towards the ocean. “Ash-...Uh, Barb-...Eh, whoever you are!”. That same something pushes Mally of next, leading down to the sea. Both girls splash down toward the water. While the woman calmly surfaces, Mally struggles to stay afloat. “What’s wrong with you!?” the woman shouts. “I don’t know how to swim either.” Mally says as she flails about. The woman swims over to the girl and grabs her to keep her from drown. “Ah...Ah, thank you.”. Mally looks over and is astonished by what she sees. “Oh my god.”. “What? What do you s-...s-...see..” the woman says as she look at what Mally sees. Her speech drops as she flabbergasts at the site before. “That’s why its moving.” Mally states. Before them was the head of a giant turtle, its dim, crust filled eyes staring out into the ocean. “It’s a giant turtle.”. “Hey! over here! Look!” Mally shouts. “Ah! What are you doing?” the woman asks. “I’m trying to get its attention. Hey! Down here! You got guests!”. The turtle doesn’t respond, as if it doesn’t know that they’re there. “I don’t think it can here you.”. “It doesn’t look so good.” Mally worries. “What makes you say that?”. “Look at its eyes, they’re crusty and colorless. Its skin is pale and gray.”. The turtle blows out a long and exhausted sigh. “What you thinks wrong with it?”. “Well, I’d be pretty sick if I had those white things on my back too.” the woman says as she swims back to the edge of the turtle. Getting back on the shell, Mally looks over to the turtles head. “How do you think we can help it?”. The woman shrugs and walks off, saying: “Don’t know.”. Mally walks after her, saying: “We gotta do something. It looks like its about to keelover.”. “Listen kid. That turtle ain’t my problem. The only thing I’m worried about is finding that elf and getting you home. Come on.”. With that, Mally stops in her tracks, sad that the green capped woman refuses to help. That sadness boils into anger, when Mally stomps her foot and declares: “No!”. “What?”. “I’m not going anywhere until we fix the turtle.”. “Kid, it might be too late to even do anything. We’d be wasting our time.”. “That’s better then doing nothing.” Both of them were looking at one another, until somebody broke the silence. “Do you really want to help her.”. They look over and see the elf, awaiting a response. While the lady brandishes her hockey stick, Mally simply replies with: “Yeah.”. “Then come with me.” The elf turns around and calmly walks deeper into the woods. The woman watches as Mally follows the stranger. “What are you doing?” the woman cautiously asks. “I’m helping.” Mally responds with a disgruntled tone. Having little other option, the woman groans and puts away her weapon, following the both of them. Sitting on a big stone slate in the middle of a calm and serene part of the woods, the lady stares at the elf with a discerning eye, watching as he pours three cups of tea. He hands both of them their cups. While Mally takes her cup, the green capped lass refuses to, prompting the elf to sit it beside her. After the elf sips his tea, he sighs and looks up towards the tree’s. “Do you hear it… the sounds of the forest?” he says. Mally listens and hears the sound of the birds chirps, echo through the woods. She sees sloths hanging onto the branches of the trees. “Amazing, is it not. To think that this turtle was once the size of an egg, barely able to carry even a pebble around. And now its carrying an entire forest full of animals from all over the world on its back. Truly wonderful.”. “Hey, uh. Hate to spoil the mood, but mind telling us a couple stuff?” the woman hastes. “Like?”. The lady was about to speak, when Mally cut her off, asking: “What making this turtle so sick? It looks like its dying.”. “More importantly, who are you? What were those white things that attacked us? Why were you stealing from pharmacies”. “In order to answer all your questions. I must first tell you of an ancient Chinese tale. One that dates back over 1,000 years.” “Oooh.” Mally goes. “Oh god dammit...” the woman says in impatience. A small turtle egg, buried in the beach. Hatching from its shell, it crawled out of the sands, expecting to greet its fellow tortoises. But when she surfaced, no one was around. It looked everywhere along the beach in hopes of finding its family, but to no avail. Having nowhere else to go, she awaited, hoping for them to return. From a nearby kingdom, a young boy watched as the turtle sat patiently on the beach. Days pass, the turtle was dry, cold and starving. The boy worried for the baby tortoise. Snatching up the turtle from the beach, the boy quickly ran back to his home in an effort to save the dying tortoise. He took her to the koi pond in his garden, where everyday he fed the tortoise until her color came back. When the turtle was healthy again, the boy decided to keep her as a pet, hoping it would upset the loneliness in his heart. From the day forward, the boy had addressed her by one lone name. Zool. With no one else to play with, not even his busy parents, he went to the koi pond to play with Zool everyday. As the years went by, their love for one another grew, as did Zool. Eventually, when she grew too big to hide, the boy parents found out and told him that he could no longer house her in the pond. With nowhere else to go, the boy returned Zool to the same beach where he found her. He knew that he could no longer keep her. With a magic stone that the boy received for his birthday, he recites an enhancement. “Ravos, elfin guardian. Come forth and fulfill my wishes.”. He asked the guardian to protect and care for his friend during her voyage. Zool wanted to go back to the boys home with him, but the boy wanted her to part, promising that one day, he would return to her side. Refusing to leave, the guardian was forced to carry the tortoise into the ocean, crying out as she watched her life long friend depart.”. After hearing the story, the woman noticed Mally crying into her teacup. “That...That’s so sad.” the girl sobbed, the tears running through her eyes. “Still doesn’t explain why you robbed a bunch of pharmacies, or those white monsters.” the lady said. “Ah, but my robberies do have to do with the white monsters.”. A colorful bird roost on the elf’s finger. “You see, Zool has traveled all over the globe. Exotic animals from all over the world have gathered on her back to nest.” The bird flies away, its wings casting a shadow on the three. “Unfortunately, worldwide travel brings with it exotic plagues. Most of them are harmless to her, unable to crack through Zool’s thick shell. Unfortunately, around a year ago, she’s picked up a rare virus that takes the form of the monsters you faced. Parasites that are feeding off of Zool’s grief. The broken promise made by the boy has driven her into a deep sadness.”. “Yeah, if the turtle so depressed, why don’t you try talking to her. Give her a pep talk or something.” the woman remarked. “I’ve tried. But her hearing has been worsening ever since these white monsters appeared. I fear they might be trying to block out any outside sources, to let the depression in her fester and grow. I can barely see the color in her eyes. All that she can do now is swim and house any other animals that are still alive. I’ve tried my best to fight off these parasites, but they multiply by the day. If only I’d found them sooner, they wouldn’t be so overwhelming.”. “That’s why you were robbing from those pharmacies. You wanted to try and make her feel better, or at least get rid of those monsters.” Mally said. “Yes. I’ve heard that these “pharmacies” housed medicine that might cure Zool of this plague.”. “What kind of medication have you been bringing back?” the woman says. Ravos stands up and stomps on the stone plate. A stone cabinet rose out from the middle, prompting both Mally and the lady to back away. Within its shelves stood dozens of bottles full of various medication. As the green capped lass grabs and looks at one of the bottles, Mally asks the guardian: “Have you given her all these drugs?”. “Of course not. Any medication that I feed her would be to small too have any effect. Which is why I’ve been testing them.”. The elf stamps on the giant slate again, making another platform rise. On it was one of the white demons that both Mally and the woman faced before, struggle to break free of its vine binds. Ravos takes the bottle that the woman was holding and pulls out a single tablet. Taking the vines off of the beasts mouth, he forced the monster maw open, the elf shoves the tablet down its throat. After binding the demons mouth shut, Ravos backs up, seeing the beast swallow the pill and awaiting for something to happen to the parasite. A couple seconds, the monster went back to struggling. The guardian sighs in frustration as he bends to his knees. “No matter what I try, every batch of medicine that I’ve brought back has proved ineffective. I’m running out of options.”. The woman walks over to the vine bound beast and closely looks as it growls at her, grunting as it frantically tries to break its binds. “These things are pretty mindless. Do they have some kind of queen or something?”. “Yes actually. Near the middle of the shell. Why? Do you have a plan?”. “Kinda off. This might be a hunch, but paranormal parasites like this usually have a hive mind thing going on. Take her out, then the rest should follow suit, right?”. “But the queen is surrounded by countless servants. Getting near her would be a challenge in of itself. How do you even plan on defeating her?”. The lady points to the stone cabinet full of medicine and replies with: “You got an ass load of meds on that shelf to overdose a T-rex. Just bundle them all into one and shove it down her throat.”. “Maybe. But we have nothing to hold them all together. I doubt that it will let us take. The time to drop them in.”. “What about honey?” Mally asks. “How is honey gonna help?” the green capped lass questions. “If we get some, we can stick all the drugs inside, making them all go down in one gulp.”. “Hmm...”. The elf slammed his foot once more on the stone, making another cabinet rise from the ground. “How many of those do you have?” the woman asked. The Ravos walks over to the cabinet and pulls out a glass from the shelf. “I know the perfect place we can get honey.”. He starts to walk off, asking the both of them to: “Follow me.”. As the woman watches the elf depart, she looks over to Mally, who was smiling at her. “What?”. “I knew you cared.” Mally replied. “Shut up. I just want to get back to land is all.” she pointed out as she tailed the elf. With a frown, Mally began to follow the both of them. Leaving behind the tied up parasite behind, they didn’t see the monster beginning to break its binds. Ravos lead the both of them to a grove of tall pine trees, bears lumber around, guarding the pine. “We must be careful. The bears horde the rich honey produced in those tree’s. Driving any other animals away from their golden nectar.”. A wolf begins to enter the grove, prowling to one of the pine. One of the bears spots the wolf, growling at the dog to try and drive it away. The wolf growls back to try and heed back the bear, until other ursas join in. The wolf then wimpers as it runs out. “Alright. Lets take them down.” the woman says as she grasps her hockey stick, ready for action. “No. We must not harm them. I will distract the ursa while you climb up to gather honey.”. The elf rushes out towards the shrubs towards the pack of bear. “Wait. What do we do about the bee’s?”. The lady shrugs and says: “Guess we do whatever.”. Ravos quickly sprints past the numerous bears, making them chase after him. While they were distracted, both girls climb up the nearest tree they can and start to climb up. Mally looks towards the elf leading the grizzlies away and asks the woman: “Do you think he’ll be okay?”. “He’ll be fine. Come on.”. Both of them make it up to a hole in the tree. Looking inside, they see a hollow full of bees buzzing around through the hive full golden honey. “That’s a lot of bee’s” Mally remark. “Yep.”. The woman pulls out a grenade out of her bag and takes the pin out with her teeth. “Fire in the hole.”. “Whoa! Whoa Whoa! Whoa! We can’t blow them up. You heard what Ravos said .” Mally objects. “Kid, relax. Its a sleep grenade. It’ll just make them pass out.”. The woman chucks the grenade in the hole and warns: “Now hold you’re breathe.”. Both of them go behind the tree before the grenade goes off. Smoke erupts from the hole, leaking out to the sky. “There we go.”. The lady pulls out the glass jar and approaches the hollow. “Now we just take a jar full of honey and-”. Before she could finish, a swarm of bees comes out and attacks, making the green capped lass fall off. Mally catches the jar as the swarm chase the woman down. She looks down and watches the lady plummet towards the ground. Using her hockey stick, the lady hooks onto a branch and slides down to the ground. With the bees still chasing, she runs away from the swarm. After breathing a sigh of relief, Mally reaches into the hollow and pulls out a jar full of honey. “Got it.”. She looks down towards the woman being chased by a swarm of bees. “I got the honey.”. “Great! Throw it to me!” the lady shouts. “What!?”. “Throw it down to me! I’ll catch it!”. Mally looks at the jar of honey and shouts: “I don’t think that’s a good idea!”. “Just do it!”. The girl thinks for a moment before she puts the jar away. “I’m just gonna climb down!” Mally shouts, Just then, she hears the sound of a monstrous scream echo through the honey grove. Down on the ground, one of the white parasites runs into the grove as it roars. The bears in response charge towards the monster. “No! Don’t!” Ravos begs the bears. As they come, the parasite begins to swipe at the territorial ursa’s, knocking them aside with its giant arms. The swarm of bees swarming the woman start to head back to its hive. With that done, she then sees Ravos rush towards the scene at hand. He jumps high into the air, casting its vines downward towards the beast. After it knocks way the last of the pack, the vines entangle the white monsters neck as Ravos lands behind it. “I will not let you harm anything else in this forest!” the guardian says with a determined glare. The parasite grabs the vines and swings the elf off around. Ravos slams into one of the trees, just in time for the woman to rush in with her hockey stick. She strikes its side, giving her an opportunity to aim for the head. The woman swings with all her might, only for the monster to grab her arms at the last second and fling her upward. The woman starts to hurdle down towards the beast as it readies to attack. Ravos pulls the green capped lass away just before the monster could strike. As the elf pulls her back, he tries to instructs the woman by saying: “Their enlarged limbs are to thick to try and attack, you must-” “I know, aim for the head.”. Both of them rush at the giant beast. As Mally watches the fight from up above, she rushes to climb down. “Gotta get down there.”. The monster knocks both of them aside. One of bears tries to strike it from behind, only for the white demon to slam it into the tree Mally was on. The tree shakes, with the girl clinging to it for dear life. It then begins to fall. Mally thinks fast and puts on her skate. She grinds down the tree as it falls, speeding towards the white demon. “Over here!” she shouts to it. The monster turns around just in time for Mally to kick it square in the stomach. The white parasite staggers, falling down on its knees as it clutches its belly. “How you like that?”. Just then, vines surround the monster entire body. Mally looks behind it and sees Ravos holding it back. With all his strength, the elf lifts the monster overhead and slams its upper half into the ground. Buried in the earth, the demon goes limp. With a sigh of relief, Ravos relaxes, knowing that the grove is safe. “That was amazing! The way you just slammed its head into the dirt was all like: Shhhoo...Boof!”. I mean that seemed like something out of an action flick.”. “I could not have done it if you haven’t given me the opening. If there’s anybody that deserves thanks, its you.” Ravos confesses. Both of them see the green capped lass approach rubbing her arm. “Dammit. I think one of those bees stung me.”. She turns to Mally and says: “What the hell, kid? Why didn’t you throw me the jar?”. “Sorry. I thought you might have been a little distracted trying to fend off a swarm of bees. I didn’t want it to break.” Mally defensively responds. “Girls.” Ravos tries to interject. “That’s not the point. You haven’t been listening all day. If you want me to help, you need you to trust me.”. “Girls.”. “And why should I? You don’t seem that eager to trust me.”. “That’s because you don’t listen!” the woman scream. “Girls!” Ravos shouts. “What!?” both of them say. They look around and see the pack waking up, approaching them with low key growls “Something tells me they’re not so thankful.” Mally states. All of them run out of the grove, a jar full of golden nectar in their possession. After stuffing all the medicine that Ravos had in the honey, all of them head to the middle of the shell. With a long trek through the trees, all of them noticed the trees near them were look rotted. They find themselves before the nest, where the woman and Mally first caught their first glimpse of the parasite queen. “That’s the queen!?” Mally exclaims. Before them was a gigantic white blob, sporting elongated arms with holes decorating the queens base. The queen was surrounded by legions of her of drones, all of them waiting to strike anything comes near. At the top of the mass was a little head with a crown like growth at the top. “Holy shit! It looks like the size of a warehouse! Are you sure the meds will work on something this massive?” the woman asks the elf. “It has to. Even if it’s for a moment. While I distract the drones at the bottom, both of you must climb up the queen and jam the medicine down her throat. No matter what happens to me. You must continue with the plan.”. “Kay.” the woman simply goes as she puts the jar in her bag. The elf swung himself towards the legion below in an effort to by the girls some time. “Come on. Lets get going.” the woman says as both of them jump. Ravos lands in the middle of enemy territory and starts by grabbing one of the parasites and swinging it towards the others. After that all of them charge at him, trying to swipe at the guardian. The elf jumps up and snags one of the monsters by the head, he pulls himself towards the beast, stomping on its cranium and hops up toward the next one. Mally and the woman lands right on the queens stomach just below its countless holes. Both of them hold on by the giants fat. “So, whats the plan?” Mally asks. “We climb up and huck the honey down its throat.”. “Come on. We need more of a plan than that.”. “How bout this. Your pretty quick on your feet. So you distract this fat bitch, while I come from behind and jam the jar in.”. “Wait, why don’t you distract her, while I chuck the jar in? You’re better at fighting.”. “But I can climb up faster.”. Mally looks up at the towering figure before her with a worried stare. “Kid, remember how I said you needed to trust me, well now I’m trusting you.”. Both of us need to do our part to save this giant turtle, got it?”. “I-”. “Great! Don’t let me down.”. The woman quickly climbs around towards the back of the behemoth. “Oh boy. Distractions, distractions. Uh...”. The girl then got an idea. She whipped out her hockey stick and jammed it into one of the fat folds. A few moments later, the queen looked down and saw Mally pounding on its flab. “Got her attention, now what?”. She looked behind her and saw one of the arms heading her way. Mally quickly ascended to avoid the queens reach. With the other hand incoming, Mally leaps towards it. She dodges its grasp and starts to run up the giants arm. With her hockey stick, Mally strikes the queen in its elbow. Before the queen could smack her, Mally jumps back towards the stomach. She sees both hands coming for her and jumps down before they can crush the girl. Mally hooks herself on one of the holes and watches as the queen punches her own stomach. The giant parasite, writhes in pain, letting out a horrid shriek. “Ha! How’s that feel for ya!?” she shouts at the queen with a confident smile. Her smile disappears when she looks back and sees Ravos fighting off the horde of monsters. She sees one of them strike him in the arm. Although she is tempted, Mally stands firm, and starts to trek back up the queen, not seeing a pair of eyes glaring through the holes. The woman on the other side of the queen climbs on the giants back. She hears the sound of monstrous grunting out nearby. She stops and looks around, wondering where it might be coming from. It isn’t until she looks down that she sees small parasites coming out of the queens holes, climbing up towards her. “Uh oh.”. She whips out her hockey stick and hits the oncoming monster, knocking them off their queen. With every couple she knocks off, dozens more climb up. The green capped lass realizes that if she didn’t keep moving, she’d be swarmed. So she jumps off the queens rubbery back and hooks onto one of the trees to jump back towards the head. Landing higher, she quickly begins to climb up, but its not long before the parasites are on her tail once more. The woman sees the back of the head, getting out the jar and prepares to dunk it into the queens throat. But the little demons soon encroach upon her legs, making her stop in her tracks. “Come on!” she strains. She tries to claw her way up as they pile onto her, but she is soon swarmed, barely able to move an inch. Mally does the best she can to avoid the queens attacks. She hooks herself on one of its arms and jumps for the head, brandishing her hockey in hopes to maybe knock it out. Just when she was close, the queen traps her between its giant hands and starts to squeeze down. Mally pushes hands away to try and ease the pressure, but her strength was not enough, as the queen was closing her grasp. She looks back to Ravos and sees him still fighting the horde of white beasts. After kicking one of them back, the guardian jumps up and snags two of them, pulling them in and making the monsters slam into one another. But as soon as he lands, he is soon grabbed by one of them by his leg and pins him down to the ground, with the others enclosing. Mally looks back at the queen, staring at her with its souless eyes. “Come on...You told me to trust you. I did everything you told me to do. So where are you!?”. The woman jumps out of the pile of little parasites, twirling her hockey stick around to get them off. She jumps to the queens head and pulls it back by its gaping maw, giving her the opportunity to shove the jar down its throat. “Yes!”. The queen grabs Mally with a single hand so she could grasp the lady on top. With the queen staring right at them, its hot breath bellowing out to them, the woman asked: “Well, we’re fucked. Any regrets?”. “I never got to skate off the Egyptian pyramids.” Mally responds. Just then, they saw the queens head slowly bobbing back and forth. Its grip on the pair starting to weaken. Ravos looked around and saw all the monsters around him starting to fall over. The one pinning him down collapses on the elf. He knocking it away as he rose to sees the queen weakening, barely able to keep its balance. “Its working.”. The queen loses her grip on its two captives, dropping them down towards the ground. While both of them landed on their feet, the woman grabs her hockey stick as it dropped down. Mally tried the same thing, expecting hers to do the same, but the stick just clonks her on the noggin. “Ah!”. As she picks the stick back up, the woman tells her: “Hey, look at that.”. Staring out, they could see the queen teetering from side to side. As the queen fell, Mally shouts: “Timber!”. The queen falls the root holding her up unbind from the shell. The impact creates a thunderous boom that shakes the whole forest, the birds flutter out of the trees. “Ha ha! We did it. The queen’s down.” “But for how long.” the woman wonders. “What do you mean?” “Kid, something that big ain’t gonna stay down for long.”. “She’s right.” Ravos confirms. Both girls turn around and see the guardian limp to them. “The queen is only knocked out. I imagine it won’t be long before it gets back up.”. “Then why did we do all this!?” Mally questions. “With the queen incapacitated, Zool’s hearing might have came back. We only have precious minutes to break through to her. Quickly!”. The elf starts to run, but soon collapses on the ground. “Ah!”. “What’s wrong!?” Mally asks. “My leg. It’s broken. My arm is too torn to cast vines either. I can’t move.”. “No problem.” the woman . Both of them turn to her to see the green capped lass with her roller blades on. “Count on me!” she says before skating away. “Wait up.” Mally says as she gets out her skates. The woman races through the jungle, passing by countless trees as she darts. No sooner, Mally joins her side. “So, whats the plan?”. “We skate as fast as we can to the head.”. “That’s it? I don’t think were gonna make it in time.”. “Got any better ideas?”. Mally looks up towards the distant treetops, the twilight sky peaking out through the leaves. “Yeah. We go up!” she says as she jumps towards the branches. She uses her hockey stick to hook one of the branches to rise, with the lady following sooth. Both of them jump from branch to branch, ascending up towards the sky. Mally misses one of them and starts to drop, but the woman quickly catches her. “Gotcha. Hang on!”. Both of them start to slow down, the overall weight dragging them. “I don’t know if were gonna make it.” the woman . Mally thinks for a moment before blurting out: “Throw me!”. “What!”. “Throw me up!”. “I don’t think that-”. “Just do it!”. The woman drops over to a nearby branch and begins to spin. She spins faster and faster and faster, until both of them are nothing but blurs. The woman then lets go of Mally, launching her quickly into the air. Mally soars past the treetops and up towards the clouds. She takes in all the breath she can and calls out: “ZOOOOOOOOOLLL!!!”. Her call echoes past the forest, past the vast ocean, past the very heavens. “I heard about you and that boy! The one who took care of you! He might be gone, but you still remember him don’t you!? I know your sad he’s gone, but as long as you don’t forget him, his memory will never die!”. How do you think he’d feel seeing you like this!?” All is quite. Zool’s head begins to rise, the color in her eyes start to return. The tortoises mouth begins to open. Out from her maw a loud roar that echoed from miles on end. A joyful smile grew as Mally plummeted to the ground. Descending through the treetops, the woman caught the girl with her hockey stick. “Good job, kid.”. Mally looked at the woman with a huge grin. As they climbed down, they heard Zool roar a second time. “What’s going on?” Mally asks. The woman looks around and see the various exotic animals stamped through, some heading up toward the trees. “I think Zool’s trying to tell us something.”. Just then, they felt the ground beneath them shake. Zool starts to topple to the side. They see the ocean coming up in front of them and try to run. But running proves fruitless as the island sized turtle flips over. Hanging on to a tree with his vine, Ravos watches as all the white parasite are cast off to the ocean with their queen. The woman start to be swept away by the current, try to grab on whatever she could to save herself. She then grabs onto a familiar looking stick. When she looks, it was her old hockey stick, Mally holding it out as she clasps both it and the tree she was on. The woman starts to climb towards her. She sees the stick is about break, and tries to hurry, but is too late as it breaks to pieces. About to fly away, Mally grabs on to the womans arm before she’s taken away. The woman sees the girl with her eyes shut tight, coughing as she holds on to the tree for dear life. Zool flips back up. Waves of water falling out to her side. The forest is drenched, the woman coughs as she regains her breath. “Kid. You actually saved my-”. The woman's smile quickly drains as she sees Mally flat on the ground. She runs towards the girl, seeing her completely motionless. “Shit!”. The green capped lass acts fast and starts to pump her chest. She then puts her mouth on the girls and starts to blow as hard as she can. She goes back and forth between pumping and giving. “Come on kid! Don’t die on me!”. One final breath, Mally awakens. She vomits out a lot of water before she catches her breathe. The woman takes huge sigh of relief. After Mally catches her breathe, she gives a wide smile before saying: “We...did it...”. Their heavy breathing is interrupted when a familiar voice says: “Indeed you have.”. Both of them look over and see Ravos limp to them. “Thanks to your actions. Zool shall live another day. Your speech to her was touching, exactly what she needed to hear.”. The elf guardian bows to the two and thanks them. “On behalf of Zool, all the creatures she harbors, and myself, we are in your debt.”. Both Mally and the woman look at one another, with Mally saying: “Hey, no problem.”. “Yeah, just taking us back home will work.” the woman finishes. Ravo’s then feels a sharp pain in his leg that makes him topple over. Mally and the lady, rush to the elf and hold him up. “There you go tough guy.”. “Please, don’t. You done more then enough. I can help myself.”. “Oh just shut up and let us carry you.” Mally retorts as they start to walk off. The woman and Mally stare out towards the sea atop Zools head as she swims back. “Man, what a day. Got to ride on a giant turtle, fought a monster, fought a giant, and saved the turtles life. He he, can’t wait to tell my mom about this.”. “Yeah, I do shit like this all the time. But its fun to have a partner around.”. “Really? Wow.”. The woman looks at Mally and says: “Hey uh, sorry about accusing you of stealing my picture.”. “Who was that with you?”. “Eh, my cousin that I hung out with a lot. I haven’t seen him in years.”. “Were you two close?”. “Very.”. Mally looks out to the sea, then something crops up in her head. “Wait a minute I didn’t even get your name.”. “Biz.”. “What?”. “It’s Biz.”. “Biz?...What kinda name is that?”. “What kinda name is Mally!?” Biz exclaimes defensivly. Both of them glare to the sea, until Mally pipes up and asks: “Hey, uh...You think after we get back to town...We...we can hang out some more?”. Biz stares at her for a moment before laughing. “Sure kid, why not. I’ll even throw in my hockey stick.”. “For real?”. “Yeah, sure. I got plenty of them. Might teach you how to fight with it when I take you along on my adventures.”. “Thanks. Maybe you can teach me a couple of those skating tricks too.” “Hee...Maybe.”. Both Biz and Mally look out as Zool swims forth, Townsville in the horizon along with the setting sun.
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ncfan-1 · 6 years ago
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ncfan listens to The Magnus Archives: S1 EP022 (’Colony’), EP023 (’Schwartzwald’), & EP024 (’Strange Music’)
In which a lot of plot material is dropped on us.
No spoilers past Season 1, please!
EP 022: ‘Colony’
- So we’re back from where ‘Freefall’ left off, with Martin retelling his close encounter with Jane Prentiss. What happened with the container full of worms that he presumably brought into the Archives, I don’t know.
- Jonathan’s silence after Martin says he can vouch for his sanity is so awful it winds up being hilarious.
- Martin picked up on the same thing that I picked up on the first time I listened to ‘Arachnophobia’—namely that the description of the worms rings a bell.
- It says something about how sketchy the Archives has become to me even at this point that I didn’t bat an eye that Martin regarded breaking and entering an acceptable part of “due diligence.”
- “I get closer, and I see that it looks more like a worm of some sort, maybe an inch long, with a silver, segmented body that goes black at one end, almost like it’s been burned.” This is a description of the worm. It stood out to me, and I’ll explain why at the end of the section.
- I wonder—did the edges of Martin’s shadow move because worms were moving in it, or does proximity to the Flesh Hive (or a host of the Flesh Hive) by itself have that effect?
- Oh, Martin, Jonathan didn’t once think about it in terms of you having disappeared.
- Because I have a slightly dirty mind, I assume Jane Prentiss was naked under that coat. Obviously, the holes in her body and the general state of decay her body was in would have distracted from that. Those images from Planet Earth of different species of cordyceps growing out of different species of animal corpses is firmly impressed upon my mind.
- I wonder how much of Jane’s mind is even left at this point. Like, by the season finale, I can only assume that she’s dead and the Flesh Hive is running around with her corpse, but was she even properly alive anymore at this point? I honestly don’t know.
- If I’d been trapped in my home by Jane Prentiss and the worms for thirteen days, I would have been screwed. Like Martin, I keep upwards of a week’s worth of food on hand, but a lot of my stuff is frozen. Also, since we live out in the middle of nowhere, if we lose power, we also lose running water, and about the only thing I drink anymore is water.
- I imagine Martin doesn’t want to think about it (and who could blame him?), but I wonder if, while Jane and the worms were stalking Martin’s home, any of his neighbors tried to stop by. Or any of their pets. Does Martin have pets? (Did he have pets?)
- It’s a testament to how seriously Jon takes Jane Prentiss that he isn’t nasty to Martin at all after he’s done making his statement, that he volunteers to ask Elias to hire extra security, and goes so far as to offer Martin the use of a room in the Archives until the danger’s passed.
- Martin’s stunned stammering when Jon says all this is kinda heartbreaking.
- “Keep him. We have had our fun.” Y I K E S.
- Now, I talk about the worms—namely, the description of the worms, and why it stood out to me that these worms, the manifestation of an entity that hates the Magnus Institute, look the way they do.
Let me tell you about the silverfish. The silverfish is a small insect, ranging in size from half an inch to one inch long. It has a silver, segmented body that’s darker at the head, and it looks like this:
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It doesn’t look exactly like the worms. It has legs and antennae; it’s not a worm at all. The funny thing about the silverfish, however, is that it’s the bane of many an archive in a humid climate, because among other things, one of its favorite things to eat is paper. I wonder if this was an intentional choice on Jonny Sims’s (the writer’s) part.
EP 023: ‘Schwartzwald’
- This is my favorite of the set I’m doing today, and it’s one of my favorites of Season 1. It’s just so lovely.
- So, was Jonah Magnus of German descent? Von Closen remarks upon his very strong opinions about the German confederation, and I get the impression that it is (or was, or possibly still is) much in use as a Germanic and a Scandinavian given name and surname.
- I listen to von Closen’s description of the Black Forest, and I wonder how it compares to the forests I know. I’d believe that the trees are taller, but the forests here are very dense, and the undergrowth can make them very difficult to navigate.
- I’d say finding a cemetery in the middle of the woods is incredibly creepy, but old, small family burial plots are so common in the South that it’s not out of the question that you’d stumble across one if you started walking across the backwoods in a really rural area. You can see a lot of them in farmland, far from the road at the tree line. My family’s old burial plot is in a cow pasture. One of the raised tombs is broken.
- Okay, I’ve read enough ghost stories to know that when a creepy old man tells you it’s dangerous to do the thing, that’s your signal to turn right back around and forget about doing the thing. From a more practical standpoint, even discounting supernatural elements, you shouldn’t do exploration of the kind von Closen is doing by yourself, because of the risk of being injured so far from civilization is a very real one, and it’s worse if you’re by yourself.
- And we have an intermission with Martin! And it turns out that Jonathan has been coming to the Archive well before seven in the morning for a while. Yeah, that’s not unhealthy at all.
- I would not be surprised if the books von Closen found in the mausoleum are of the same class of book as Jurgen Leitner’s stuff. Most of them were damaged past the capacity to read them, and the world is a better place for it. The fact that the one book he took away from the mausoleum is unaccounted for is… worrisome.
- A wall seemingly made of (probably evil) books molded together is a nice, evocative image.
- More eye imagery.
- The fact that the book von Closen found was probably in Arabic is kinda funny to me, because in Lovecraftian lore, the author of the Necronomicon was Arabic, and I think that’s the original language of the text.
- The text on the coin von Closen found, “Für de stille,” made the recording go staticky. It’s German for ‘For the silence’, if Google Translate can be trusted, and yeah, I know that’s a tall order.
- The date on the coin, 1279, is the year Ulrich II, Count of Württemberg, died. He was twenty-five.
- And now we get a story behind the creepy mausoleum. ‘Johann’s steps’ seems to carry on a long tradition of egregiously risky childhood games. And, indeed, what was it they were seen by?
- I can’t tell if Johann von Württemberg is supposed to be a historical figure or not.
- I love the detail about the old man being able to see despite having no eyes, and his head jerking up like a hunting dog’s responding to a signal. It so effectively signals that the only human thing about him is his appearance.
- The stinger is great—apparently this friend of Jonah Magnus’s nephew is the ancestor of another collector of the arcane, Mary Keay, and her son, Gerard Keay. Mary’s birth date struck me, though, the fact that she was born in 1924. Gerard was described as being in his late teens, so somewhere between seventeen and nineteen, in 2002 (‘Old Passages’)—I’d assume the reason Dominic Swain assumed him to be in his late thirties ten years later in ‘Page Turner’ was down to rough living. That means that Mary would have had to have been in her late fifties or even her early sixties when Gerard was born. It’s not impossible for a woman to have a child (and apparently her first) at that age, it’s just extremely rare.
EP 024: ‘Strange Music’
- I’m like Leanne; I’m not scared of clowns, but I don’t think they’re all that funny, either. Dolls can occasionally be creepy, but for the most part, they’re not—at least, not by themselves.
- Budel is a town in the Netherlands, it turns out.
- A loft is an… interesting place to keep something like a calliope organ. The fact that the organ and the steamer trunk full of mutilated dolls are the only things in the loft makes me think that Nikolai was hiding them there, like he couldn’t get rid of them but wanted to forget they were there.
- One does wonder how exactly the broken calliope organ played.
- The clown doll sounds like a Pierrot-style doll. I think the clown doll from Poltergeist was like that as well.
- The only way I have ever heard Calliope pronounced is “Cuh-LIE-oh-pee.” I’ve never heard it pronounced “Call-ee-OH-pee,” and I’ve certainly never heard it pronounced “Call-ee-ohp.” Who exactly pronounces it “Call-ee-ohp?”
- “Faster, faster” sounds vaguely demonic in origin. Just something about how frantically fast it is and how completely carried away Leanne gets while playing it, how lost in the music she gets. That and the fact that playing it immediately gets the clown doll’s attention.
- Wonder what Josh did that proved him to be “just another asshole.” From the context, it sounds like he cheated on Leanne or stole from her or something like that.
- I also wonder what it was that made the entity of the episode decide to target Josh and not Leanne. I really doubt it respects the fact that she’s the granddaughter of the person who owned the calliope organ.
- And some sinister delivery men (gee, I wonder who it could be, she says sarcastically) broke into Leanne’s house just to get at the organ and the trunk.
- And it turns out Leanne’s grandfather Nikolai Dennikin was an organist for a creepy circus called the Circus of the Other. Given that name, ‘Circus of the Other’, I expect that to come up again.
- And the stinger of this episode is that the sinister calliope organ has somehow ended up in the Archives’ artifact storage room. Which is a good stinger, I’ll admit.
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clown-bait · 6 years ago
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Paranormal Journeys (Pt8) Tortured
Update time! When we last heard of the trashpire she was in a bit of a sticky situation a new face arrived on the scene and somehow she lost a finger. Pennywise is not happy about any of this. Especially because he had to get help from his nemesis. At this point you should just get a pet tracker for your girl Pen she seems to get herself into trouble way too often.
Oh right and some music to go along with this chapter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHQUfgq1seM
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Ch 15 Tortured
“Well, well, well if it isn't my favorite bitch! You know I was going to send you some Frontline for christmas since the last time I walked by your house I got covered in fleas.” Leech grinned through the ichor leaking from her face as the alpha werewolf Danielle walked into the barn and backhanded her already bruised face.
“Still making dog jokes even though you're the one on a leash? Leech I knew you were obnoxious but this is just pathetic.”
“H-harder mommy.” Leech whimpered through the sting of the she-wolfs hand.
“ugh and still disgusting.”
“At least when it rains I don't smell like wet dog!” The vampire called out as her rival turned away to Zander who had grabbed her arm as she passed.
“Wait you know her?”
“Unfortunately. I also know that the creature she's dating is the creature you've been looking for Zander”
“You fucked Humperdink?!” Leech shouted from behind them. The she-wolf turned to her in confusion.
“What?”
“She's been referencing Princess Bride for hours now.” Chris sighed.
“It's a classic! I’ve been trying to get Penny to watch it with me forever now. He liked Labyrinth though so not all hope is lost.”
“Yeah back to *ahem* Penny. The clown that was in the house thats what killed your sister and whats more disgusting she's dating it.” Danielle pointed at Leech who was raising her eyebrows suggestively.
“She's what now?”
“Ok listen its more than just dating, we’re a mated imprinted pair! Like- uh shit how did he describe it…ducklings? Violent sexual ducklings!” Leech called out to them in annoyance. The group grimaced and turned back to ignore her.
“Well, thats a mental image I never needed.” Rick said while rubbing his temples. Danielle regained her composure after cringing at the thought of what the clown and his vampire got up to when they were alone.
“Look I'm not going to explain it but you can help me stop it, using her as bait.” she said to the group while Leech yelled in shock.
“Oh my god you absolute bitch!!” the nosferatu spat and struggled in her restraints.
“She's just as evil as the creature its self so don't feel bad about anything I'm about to suggest but were going to have to torture her a bit for information.”
Chris and Zander both nodded, Rick hesitated but agreed when he saw the others eagerness to work together on this one.
“I am so not evil…..wait no yeah, yeah I am.” Leech snarked at them once again. Whatever it was these humans thought they could do to her she's had worse.
“Get something sharp and silver. Vampires cant tolerate it.” the werewolf grinned. Leech's smile faded as she heard a mirror shatter.
“Ah fuck.”
The werewolf cautiously approached leech brandishing the silver mirror shard in one hand holy water in the other. “Tell us how to get to the clown.”
“You'll have to kill me.” the nosferatu spat.
“Splash her.”
Holy water sliced into Leech’s abused skin fizzing and bubbling like acid. The vampire cursed and whimpered. Then she laughed.
“M-more” she panted and was struck with the water again.  
“Let's try once more how do I find the clown?”
“Have you checked the circus?”
“You're not funny”
“And you snack on milk bones.”
“Hand me the crucifix.” the alpha said to Chris as Leech hollered out to the group.
“Don't believe me? Check her purse! I’ve totally seen some in there!”
The she-wolf pulled out a large cross from a sheet. The nosferatu smiled.
“Oh! We’re gonna get rough I see. Well, we all know I like it rough!” Leech’s sneer turned into a wail of pain as she was brought to the floor. The cross pushing her down via searing internal agony until the thing started to catch fire in Danielle’s hands.
“Th-that it?” the vampire panted and rolled onto her back.
“If you wont tell us how to find him well make him come to us” Danielle sighed putting the cross away. Her prey was as stubborn as she was annoying time for a different tactic.
“He's going to wipe you from existence when he finds out you betrayed him.” Leech snarled keeping her voice low so the humans couldn't hear her. “Why are you risking this?”
“For power. I kill you and put your clown back to sleep, then for 27 long years the town is ours to do with as we please.”
“Always knew you needed to be put down.” Leech muttered.
The blonde bared her teeth and plucked a pair of old rusted sheep sheers off the wall. She turned to Chris who had been wearily watching her since she had entered the barn. “Here make yourself useful.” she called to him holding out the clippers. The ghost hunter took the sheers and looked at the blonde woman and then over to the chained monster on the dusty barn floor.
“You know I don't have any hair right?” the vampire called out from the background.
The she-wolf rolled her eyes and turned to Zander. “Z this thing on the floor? She can lead the creature to us, the thing that killed your sister we have to use her to make sure justice is done.”
“IT would come for her?” the lead ghost hunter asked.
“Oh baby you have no idea!” Leech flashed the room a devilish smile still trying to taunt her captors.
“Ew.” Chris grimaced
“Yeah ok someone help me grab her at least we can shut her up” Zander pulled on Rick’s arm who moved to restrain the nosferatu. Leech raised her eyebrows in amusement as she was thrown to the floor and held down.
“Uh Z? What am I cutting off?” Chris asked
“Well, she doesn't have any hair…. maybe a piece of her shirt?”
Chris and Danielle both shot Zander a questioning look, then gave the same to the vampire when she started laughing from her spot on the floor.
“HA pussies! Like Pennywise would risk everything for a piece of fabric! You gotta cut off something I’d miss!”
“Why are you encouraging that??” The she-wolf shouted completely dumbfounded.
“Honestly? Cause your attempts at being evil here are pretty lame.”
“wh-“
“Plus the guy you gave those scissors to doesn't look like he has the balls to do it anyway.”
“well yeah you're talking about amputating something here!” Chris shouted.
“Just cut off her finger Chris.” Danielle rolled her eyes growing tired and impatient.
“Yeah Chris do it! Bet you’ll bitch out!” Leech yelled and taunted again.
“Chris wait we don't have to do this!” Zander could smell the potential lawsuit from here. His little revenge plot has gotten way out of hand. He had never really expected to find anything and when he did he had just sorta been winging it till he met Danielle in that bar.
“Humperdink is a pussy you gonna let a guy like that control your life? Cut off my finger” Leech shouted again.
“I-“
“Chris I'm your boss listen to me” Zander pleaded.
“I dont-“
“what are you waiting for be a man DO IT!” Danielle shouted this time.
“Z, I cant-“
“HA! I knew it!” Leech called out triumphantly as if she had just won some kind of prize. Zander continued to shout at his teammate while Danielle motioned the ghost hunter to proceed. The whole thing was a bit overwhelming for him to say the least.
Chris looked at Zander who was now shouting orders at him, the woman he chose to sleep with instead of him and the insane bald creature on the floor.
“This is some real half assed torture you've organized here Danielle I'm kinda embarrassed for you. Seriously you should brush up on your technique cause- FUCK” something behind Leech landed on the floor in a wet thud. “Holy shit I didn't think he'd actually do it…….” the vampire said in a small shocked voice as her breathing rapidly began to increase. The barn was silent in shock, for only a moment nothing but a few splatter noises of thick ichor falling for Leech’s hand. Then the vampire gasped and lurched forward before opening her mouth to scream.
————————————-
Over all the eons he had existed today had to be one of the top ten worst days of pennywise’s immortal life. the clown led his nemesis down the corridors of his sewer preferring to travel this way and to keep the existence of his- friends is too strong of a word…..associates he has been forced to live with. Yes much better! The existence of his associates hidden.
The group didn't seem too  troubled over his mates plight anyway. Which infuriated the clown even when he showed them her severed finger they rolled their eyes. If they only knew of her condition! At least two of them would actually be concerned!
“Soooo…” the human behind him began to speak. Pennywise let out a low clicking growl in annoyance
“What”
“Now that we have this…truce..I have a few-“
“You get three.”
“Can one of them be how to kill you?”
“No.”
“All right then when did you grow feelings?”
“I didn't grow feelings.”
“That’s not what i saw back at the house”
the clown bared his fangs. “Next question.”
“You cant give me three questions and then refuse to answer them.”
“The only reason you're alive right now sheep boy, is because your grandfather was clever enough to build his farm somewhere I can’t reach. Which way?”
“Left. Are you controlling her mind how did this start?”
Pennywise laughed at that. “You think I wanted this to happen? I was quite content till Leechie ruined my life. She came on to me.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“For all your snooping you sure don't know much. Humans, so moronic.” the clown grinned to himself. Mike chewed over the implications that someone could actually find this thing attractive enough to pursue it and even fall in love with it. Whoever or whatever Lucy Smith really was she must be sick in the head.
“What is she?”
Pennywise turned his head back and smirked as he walked. “Not human. Something much, much better.”
“Do you love her?”
The clown stopped cold. “That was three questions I'm not answering that.”
“You didn't answer it the first time. Do you love her?”
Pennywise stood still and silent. Mike couldn't see the clown’s ocean blue eyes or the slight quiver of his lip in the dark sewer tunnel but from the absolute stillness the librarian seemed to have his answer.
“We’re making another left.” Mike finally spoke up snapping Pennywise from his trance-like state. “I cant believe you of all people fell in love”
“Shut up Mikey.”
“Clearly she's had quite the effect on you.”
“I SAID THATS ENOUGH”
“The others aren't going to believe me when I tell them-“
Pennywise turned and roared in the librarians face. His fangs multiplying so much they no longer fit in his own mouth while his eyes bulged their alarming red and yellow. “NO! SHE STAYS OUT OF THIS” he practically spat bits of flesh into Mike’s eyes in his rage. It took a lot for the librarian to remain as calm as possible trying to remind himself that IT still needed his help and was desperate enough to broker a truce. He'd keep this bit of information for a later use, Pennywise may have a weakness after all.  As the clown turned back around still with those bulging glowing eyes lighting the sewer Mike sighed and boldly gave him one final jab to the ego.
“You definitely love her.”
“I hate your species so much” Pennywise mumbled and continued to blindly lead the way to the outer reaches of his territory.
——
They came to the end of the sewers greeted by the lush forest surrounding the town animals skittered away in fright at the sight of the creature that emerged from its domain squinting slightly in the light and sniffing the air.
“I don't smell her.” he snarled “Did you lie to me human?! I can find out yes I can! I’ll pluck out your eyes one by one and tear out your ears!” he sang and threatened the poor librarian who stood his ground and shook his head.
“No, I didn't lie. This is the back way to the farm a way only I know about.”
Penny snarled and huffed impatient and hungry from his walk. “Show me.”
“You have to promise”
“Yes, yes your life will be spared if she is unharmed.”
“No you have to promise not to kill anymore children.”
Penny bared his teeth at the librarian. He was close enough he could kill him now and search himself, it would take more time but he'd at least be rid of the little lighthouse keeper of those kids. The clown flexed his claws but paused when something crawled out of the river. A turtle hauled its self out onto a rock to dry in the last remaining beads of light in the setting sun something fluttered in the air around it landing on its shell and unfolding its pale wings. The moth sat on the reptile for a few moments before fluttering onto the clowns claw then out of his grasp forever off into the sky. A warning from his brother. Figures.
“This will not last.” Penny said at last.
“I didn't think it would. If it happens again, if you take a child I will call them back.”
“We have a deal then.” the clown grumbled. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place here. If Leech wasn't so vulnerable he could have said no and just gobbled his long time nemesis up but no. Things had to happen now at the cusp of everything important. He had little choice and he felt helpless and angry. For the first time he had something that made him happy other than food and his brother had to ruin his fun. First he’ll end the losers, then Maturin. He would see to it they all pay.
“Its just this way theres an entrance to the main barn through the cellar, I-I’d hide here when I was younger to get out of slaughterhouse work.”
“Couldn't take a life of a lamb could ya Mikey?” Penny sneered
“I raised them myself, its harder when they're your’s… but then again you wouldn't understand that would you.”
The clown snarled and let out a growl that was thick with offense. “I am learning.” was his answer as he pushed through the dusty wooden door. Mike chewed on the creatures words for a bit. What did that mean? The creature’s sense of urgency was starting to take on a much deeper meaning now as the librarian followed after him.
The cavern got darker and darker as they pushed forward Pennywise melting into the shadows despite his silver costume. Mike used a flashlight to keep track of the thing from his nightmares as it sniffed the dust filled air. Pennywise paused and inhaled deep a low gravely whine escaped his throat and he inhaled again as if the intoxicating scent was quelling an addiction.
“She's here.” he began “She's wounded.”
“Well, she is missing a finger.”
“Quiet human!” penny snapped and listened to the silent cellar.
His eyes flicked forward when he heard it. it was feint but ominous. Someone was singing and Penny knew the song well. She had been singing it non stop for a week now.  
Well you can't hold me
I'm too slippery
I do no sleeping
I get lonely
You can touch me
If you want to
I got poison
I just might bite you
Lie in circles
On the sunlight
Shine like diamonds
On a dark night
Ain't no mercy
In my smiling
Only fangs and
Sweet beguiling
Well the future he don't
Try to find me
Skin I been through
Dies behind me
Solid hollow
Wrapped in hatred
Not a drop of
Venom wasted
Well you can slip in
Try to find me
Hold your breath and
Flat deny me
It makes no difference
To my thinking
I'll be here when
You start sinking
The clowns posture relaxed in relief as he took in the siren call to him. He cocked his head to the side and grinned wide in the direction of the librarian who wasn't sure if it was wise to approach any further. Penny shut his eyes and sighed again.
“My Peachy.”
---------------------
Who’s ready for carnage! Cause shits about to get fucked up in the next chapter. Some graphic skin removal, playing 70s rock music on muscle tendons someone might even get shot in the face! How exciting! Oh and you know the reveal of whats been going on with our trashpire. That too.
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8147 · 6 years ago
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reading hamlet for the first time (act 5: the finale)
masterlist
none of you told me it was going to be this painful . none of you.
a5s1
“Ophelia’s dead.” “Enter CLOWNS!”
Like im sure this has a different meaning in EMA but im gonna make fun of it because it’s fucking hilarious. (future (present? (now past once more (?))) antares coming back to say i did look at nfs and yeah theyre gravediggers)
“First Clown: What is he that builds stronger than either the mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter? Second Clown: The gallows-maker; for that frame outlives a thousand tenants.” damn not even just this one quote but these are some depressing clowns
hamlet and horatio!
okay there’s something about all of hamlet’s skull talk that makes me uneasy. like, not even the topic, just something in the words and how earnestly and (pardon my pun) gravely hamlet’s speaking about this. and it’s almost a mournful tune, too. it’s a huge difference from his “we’ll all be eaten by the same worms” speech to the point that it’s almost haunting.
“HAMLET: I will speak to this fellow.” C O N F R O N T
“HAMLET: I think it be thine, indeed; for thou liest in't.” (incomprehensible scribbling)
HAMLET, NOT IN ENGLAND: oh yeah lol he was sent to england huh u know why lmao
wait. did the. did the pirate situation get resolved. before act V.
I mean i think hamlet mentioned something about three years but the pirates are so fucking glossed over like what the fuck
“First Clown: 'Twill, a not be seen in him there; there the men are as mad as he.” HOLY SHIT ROAST THEM JFC
“HAMLET: Let me see. (Takes the skull)” THIS IS THE SKULL SCENE! I fucking KNEW it was bullshit that holding the skull was in the to be/not to be speech. I saw it being presented as such like once or twice while reading and I KNEW IT
hm okay so hamlet picks up this guys skull, of someone he used to know, and sure maybe i could ignore the “those lips i have kissed” but then he goes on to mention alexander the great and i mean come on
but jesus like i feel like im not doing justice to the stuff hamlet’s saying. just, the gravity of it all. Its kinda hitting home a bit hard bc like ive had a crippling fear of what happens after death and being forgotten etc since i was like in fourth grade and this is @ing that phobia
like, with that julius ceasar thing. “O that that earth which kept the world in awe / should patch a wall to expel the winter flaw,” it’s so strange. like, every fucking human who has lived, whether they be emperors, murderers, inventors, peasants, or philanthropists- as long as they weren’t blind, they’ve all looked at the same sky. like. It doesnt matter what the fuck you did or didn’t. It’s wild.
“First Priest: No more be done: We should profane the service of the dead To sing a requiem and such rest to her As to peace-parted souls.” hey i get that there are cultural taboos around suicide but like this guy’s a dick it isnt even clear if it was suicide, like, she was so fucking crazy she might not have even known she was, y’know, in a lake or w/e
laertes, dude, my guy. maybe jumping into a grave is cosmic foreshadowing for something you don’t want to happen to you. js.
“HAMLET: [Advancing] What is he whose grief Bears such an emphasis? whose phrase of sorrow Conjures the wandering stars, and makes them stand Like wonder-wounded hearers? This is I, Hamlet the Dane. (Leaps into the grave)” hamlet is NOT one to be out-extra’d (posting-antares here to say, wait, ‘whose phrase of sorrow conjures the stars? is this my aesthetic-speeches-summon-ghosts theory? probably not, but i havent mentioned it for a while)
“LAERTES: The devil take thy soul! (Grappling with him)” IN A FUCKING GRAVE. THEY ARE FIGHTING. IN A GRAVE.
all because hamlet doesn’t want to be out-extra’d. my god.
“QUEEN GERTRUDE: This is mere madness: And thus awhile the fit will work on him; Anon, as patient as the female dove, When that her golden couplets are disclosed, His silence will sit drooping.” Ah yes gertie just talk about the distraught and angry madman as if he isn’t there. that’ll diffuse the situation.
You know what? We still haven’t discussed the pirates.
a5s2
“HAMLET: So much for this, sir: now shall you see the other; You do remember all the circumstance?” If this isn’t gonna be about the pirates im gonna. scream.
“HAMLET: My fears forgetting manners, to unseal Their grand commission; where I found, Horatio,-- O royal knavery!--an exact command, Larded with many several sorts of reasons Importing Denmark's health and England's too, With, ho! such bugs and goblins in my life, That, on the supervise, no leisure bated, No, not to stay the grinding of the axe, My head should be struck off.” god, though. imagine that. being exiled to another country by the person who killed your father, only to find out that they were going to have you killed, anyways. that’s fucking terrifying. jesus christ.
Damn this idea that pretty handwriting is ~beneath~ nobles confuses me so fucking much. I got called haughty once just because my main handwriting is cursive. I mean, they were right, but their evidence was circumstantial at best.
“HAMLET: That, on the view and knowing of these contents, Without debatement further, more or less, He should the bearers put to sudden death, Not shriving-time allow'd.” Hamlet’s Revenge. 
but also, what the fuck, dude. two wrongs dont make a right.
damn i kinda lost myself while reading but it really doesn’t sound like hamlet’s insane anymore. Like he’s… tempered himself. he doesn’t feel insane, just solemn.
“OSRIC: Your lordship is right welcome back to Denmark. HAMLET: I humbly thank you, sir. Dost know this water-fly?” goddamn ROAST HIM HAMLET (also what a fucking mood)
Osric put on your fucking ha--
The wind is
The wind is northerly
“HAMLET: No, believe me, 'tis very cold; the wind is northerly.” I remember someone saying that this is important
Okay here: “HAMLET: I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.”
oh no
Osric just wear ur fucking hat u doof
“OSRIC: Exceedingly, my lord; it is very sultry,--as 'twere,--I cannot tell how. But, my lord, his majesty bade me signify to you that he has laid a great wager on your head: sir, this is the matter,-- HAMLET: I beseech you, remember-- (HAMLET moves him to put on his hat)” excuse me a WAGER
but alas all hamlet cares about is osric’s fucking hat
“HAMLET: What's his weapon? OSRIC: Rapier and dagger. HAMLET: That's two of his weapons: but, well.” hamlet u sarcastic little shit i love you
I mean so is horatio. I love him too.
This stuff with the competition is. not gonna end well. not at well.
“HAMLET: I do not think so: since he went into France, I have been in continual practise: I shall win at the odds. But thou wouldst not think how ill all's here about my heart: but it is no matter.”
hamlet no. listen to your heart or whatever. jesus christ don’t do it.
“HORATIO: Nay, good my lord,--” HAMLET LISTEN TO HORATIO
Ohhh hamlet
okay reading what laertes said, you know what? i’m giving laertes one last chance. please do not prove me a fool, laertes. 
everything is giving me mad anxiety. e v e r y t h i n g.
claud’s speech is insanely sketchy
“KING CLAUDIUS: [Aside] It is the poison'd cup: it is too late.” One, so that’s why it was sketchy. Two, the POISONED CUP?
IT’S TOO LATE?
Gertie’s. Dead.
Shit, shit, shit
“LAERTES: [Aside] And yet 'tis almost 'gainst my conscience.” YES! SO PLEASE! STOP FIGHTING!
“LAERTES wounds HAMLET; then in scuffling, they change rapiers, and HAMLET wounds LAERTES.” Oh no oh no oh jeez eheu they’re hurting each other, shit, fuck,
“LAERTES: ...woodcock…”
“KING CLAUDIUS: She swounds to see them bleed. QUEEN GERTRUDE: No, no, the drink, the drink,--O my dear Hamlet,-- The drink, the drink! I am poison'd. (Dies)” one, i love how claud is desperatley trying to stick to the plan, its almost adorable in a childish sort of way. two, oh god. ohhh god. gertie. 
Oh no. 
this is the bloodbath. THIS IS THE BLOODBATH.
BODY COUNT: 1
“HAMLET: The point!--envenom'd too! Then, venom, to thy work. (Stabs KING CLAUDIUS)” ...
BODY COUNT: 2
wait and hamlet’s on death row, as with laertes. Oh no.
“LAERTES: He is justly served; It is a poison temper'd by himself. Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet: Mine and my father's death come not upon thee, Nor thine on me. (Dies)’ oh my god already??? I haven’t even really accepted king claud’s death?? jesus christ??
My friend just sorta nudged me and asked if i was alright and i. I’m not. i’m in shock. goddamn. what?
BODY COUNT: 3
goodness thats three in like less than thirty seconds JESUS CHRIST
“HAMLET: Heaven make thee free of it! I follow thee.I am dead, Horatio.” that’s chilling. just, the poignancy. that’s so fucking spectral. i’m not okay.
“HORATIO: Never believe it: I am more an antique Roman than a Dane: Here's yet some liquor left.” No no no on no nononon NO NO oh my god are you going to-
“HAMLET: As thou'rt a man, Give me the cup: let go; by heaven, I'll have't. … If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart Absent thee from felicity awhile, And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain, To tell my story.” hey i’m crying in study hall. i’m actually crying. what the fuck. I don’t cry unless i’m thinking about that one pair of 18th century shoes with the really good photo quality (transcribing-antares here. I fucking love those shoes. I’m looking at them right now and they’re so fucking beautiful. they look how velvet feels, which is odd, bc they're apparently silk. I don’t care they’re just so fucking lovely)
F O R T I N B R A S?
“HAMLET: O, I die, Horatio; The potent poison quite o'er-crows my spirit.” I’ve identified my emotion. Dread. pure, unadulterated Dread.
for all of you that’ve listened to the penumbra podcast: do you remember the concierge, right before final resting place, saying “you do realize you can just like, leave, and everything will be hunky dory and you won’t have to deal with the emotional consequences this episode will bring you” because i’m seriously considering doing that right now.
“HAMLET: The rest is silence. (Dies)” shit. (posting-antares here to say that i forgot to do the body count but honestly im crying while formating because of this goddamn fucking 400 year old play)
“HORATIO: Now cracks a noble heart. Good night sweet prince…” oh god. horatio.
“Good night sweet prince…”
(yet again tis transcribing-antares here to say that im fucking sobbing right now, the shoes are no match for this, and ‘goodnight sweet prince’ is actually never going to leave my head.) (editing-antares here to say im fucking crying again god fucking damn it) (posting-antares back again saying that this fucking line. this line. my god.)
“HORATIO: What is it ye would see? If aught of woe or wonder, cease your search.” oh, horatio. god. that isn’t something said without tears staining your skin and a bitter tone hard-won, not that its possession is a victory.
oh my god. this can’t. no. this can’t end like this. What. no. people must have rioted. No. no!!
i typically hate it but i would GLADLY accept a deus ex machina right about now!!
okay my friend just took my phone away from me and shut it off because i kept on trying to scroll past the end
jesus christ
okay so i’m not going to be okay for like, several eternities, so im going to play the sims until i. until i die, probably. my god.
masterlist
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