#bee gets smaller with every piece but only by like 1%

[vodid]

blitzbee a day keeps the normalcy further and further away.

[bluegalaxygirl]

Wild Flower (Zosan X Reader) Bonus

Plot: Just some moments i couldn't fit into the main backstory of Y/N. Its just a bunch of moments i think are cute and i could reference in the future East Blue series.

Warning: Bad language, Abandonment, Snakes and Fluff.

Reader is female and has the ability to control Snakes that come form tattoo's on her arms, she can change the size of them and see through their eyes but they are also connected to her emotions.

P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - P7 - P8

----- Story 1 -------

Grabbing a large bag of Broccoli from the stall you look it over before handing the money over to the man behind it, Mr Grump, a sweet man who always had a smile "One day your gonna have to tell me what you do with all that?" He sighs shaking his head as he puts the money away, smiling you shake your head "It's a secret" You whisper before running off thanking the man as you do, you've been buying big bags of Broccoli every day for over a week now but you have your reasons. Making your way up the mountain with the small basket of fruit, eggs and fresh honey comb you open the bag of Broccoli making them smaller and placing them back into the bag before making it to the large waterfall. "Hay again, i brought fresh honey comb this time" you smile up at the waterfall but like always there's no answer, it doesn't bother you though, you like the quiet times you have here. Placing down the basket amongst the other gifts you walk over to one of the many trees nearby taking out some broccoli and placing it on the ground at the base of the tree before walking away to sit near the water. Taking your homework book out you start doing your work from time to time looking over to the tree hoping to see the squirrel you've been feeding for over a week, it wasn't long until she scurried out the whole in the tree looking around before making her way down and stuffing her cheeks full of the small piece of green broccoli. Placing the book on your lap you can't help but watch her and hold back your laughter at how big her cheeks get with every piece she stuffs in.

The poor squirrel was so skinny when you first came across her and to make matters worse she had three little baby's on that whole waiting for her, the dad didn't seem to be around but then again you didn't know a lot about squirrel and if the farther stays around or not after, either way you wanted to help her. Scurrying back up the tree she looked around one more time before going back into the whole where you immediately heard the sound of little squeaks, either their happy mum's back or their hungry either way your happy you managed to help at least a little. Going back to your homework book, time went by in a flash only being snapped out of your work by a rustling next to you, letting a smile spread across your face you slowly turn your head to look down at the mum squirrel grabbing pieces of broccoli from the bag and stuffing it into her cheeks. You tried not to move, but she must have noticed you looking so quickly ran away stopping in the middle of the path to look back at you "I'm sorry, i didn't mean to scare you... here" You softly stay keeping your voice down to not seem so scary, reaching into the bag you take a piece of Broccoli and hold it out hoping she will take it off you. She seems to think for a minute before slowly getting closer, her little hands reaching out to take it from you while her eyes watch your every movement. Taking it she scurry's away and back up the tree but you can't help the little giggle that leave your mouth.

----- Story 2 -------

Winter had arrived and even though it doesn't snow here it still gets cold and the bee's go into hibernation, as for you chickens you feel sorry for them since their bear feet walk on the wet cold grass all day everyday while you and your grandmother get to wrap up warm. "Grandma... do you think the chickens feet get cold?" You ask while helping your grandmother tend to the strawberry bushes getting them ready to survive a cold winter, with a smile your grandmother turns to you then looks over at the free roaming chickens "I don't know dear, I've never thought to ask" she jokes making you laugh and shake your head "Grandma, chickens can't talk... But i was thinking, if they do get cold then maybe we can make them some socks. The rest of their body is covered up but their feet are bear" You state making your grandmother laugh a little taking off her gardening glove to pat your head "You know i think thats a good idea but i'm not sure how the chicken's will feel about it" Your grandmother turns to look at the chickens again but shrugs turning back to you "But then again, i don't see any harm in trying" With a big smile you nod at her already planning on how to make socks for chickens.

A few days later you were done with your creations, you found your old baby socks and made a few adjustments so that their claws could stick out but their toes where covered. Making your way outside you run up to your grandmother who's cleaning out the hen house "Its finished" You smile holding out the tiny socks for her grandmother to see, leaning back the old woman looks over your creation with a large smile taking off her gloves to take one and look it over "Very good, i think the chickens might like this idea after all" she gives you a wink before standing up and walking over to grab one of the chickens, it didn't resist just let her pick it up and hold it so you could put the socks on its feet. Once on your grandmother puts it down and lets the chicken think for a moment getting used to the new feeling on its feet, feeling a little anxious that it might not like it you reach over and put its head "it's ok... its to keep you warm" you smile at the chicken as it looks down at its own feet before starting to walk, you smile wide as it walks away going back to peaking at the floor and clucking away "I think she likes it but honestly sweetie you spoil them" Your grandmother laughs while standing up to grab another chicken so you can do the same.

----- Story 3 -------

It has been a few weeks since you started talking with the deity but you haven't told anyone yet, your scared you'll either get in trouble or that who ever you tell will try and steal your time with the giant snake. You felt selfish but you cherished those times with Glykon, it holds a special place in your heart. During dinner, you sat the table next to your grandmother while picking at your food, the feeling of gilt and worry clouding your mind making you feel less hungry and more tired. Your grandmother picked up on this but didn't say anything hoping you would come to her when you felt ready but it's been a few days now, and she's starting to worry "So how was your day?" She asks watching as you look up from your food your tired eyes landing on hers "Its was ok" You state with a shrug before looking back down at your plate of food "Just ok? Did something happen?" She asks hoping to get something out of you without pushing too much, your body tenses a bit as you shake your head, Your grandmother sighs putting her fork down and taking your hand. "Sweetie, i'm starting to worry, your not acting like yourself... did something happen at school?" She asks with a pleading look, you shake your head again before putting your fork down and turning to look at the woman. "It's not about school... I-i want to tell you but i don't want you to be mad" You sigh seeing her face look at you with shock and concern.

Your Grandmother moves her chair closer to you while taking your other hand holding it in hers "Did you get hurt or did you hurt someone?" She asks with worry but when you shake your head she relaxes moving one of her hands to run through your hair getting it out of your face "Then i won't be mad" Your grandmother whispers with soft eyes making you feel a lot better, You open up finally telling her about talking to the deity and how he spoke back for the first time. You tell her you've been talking to him almost everyday and how it makes you so happy yet you feel guilty and selfish for not telling anyone since you wanted that time with him. Your grandmother gives your a small smile while squeezing your hands "Its very rare for the Glykon to talk to anyone so i understand your hesitant to tell anyone. I often wonder what he sounds like or what he would say but i won't steal that time away from you, I doubt he would talk to me even if you were there." She speaks helping you threw your thoughts and feelings "I'm going to be honest with you Y/N, it is selfish of you to keep this from people but its not for the reason you think." You look up at her in confusion not fully understanding what she means by all that, seeing you don't understand your Grandmother leans closed while placing her hand on your cheek "You always put others before yourself, if i need help or if the chickens need something or our neighbors need their dog walking, your more than happy to help even if it means not being able to do the things you want... being selfish isn't always a bad thing, some times you need to be selfish to make yourself feel better or to be a better person."

Your eyes water at her words, you thought she was finished so you turn to go back to your food only for her to cup your face making you look at her "Sweetie... You feel guilty because your being selfish and thats not something you normally do. I'm not angry or upset, in fact i'm happy your doing something that make you happy, that doesn't please other people. I'm proud of you Sweetie and i promise I'll keep this a secret, I'll always be here if you need to talk about things, i won't be mad" Jumping out of your chair you hug her starting to cry into her shoulder as she pulls you onto her lap, so she can hold you close. "I'm sorry Grandma" You cry happy that she wasn't upset and angry with you, she rubs your back and rocks side to side slightly trying to calm you down "There's no need to be sorry Sweetie, i'm happy you've made a friend and your doing something you love. I don't want you to be afraid to take time for yourself, ok?" She asks pulling you away, so she can wipe your tear stained cheeks with her sleeve, you nod at her while sniffling "C-Can we cuddle?" You ask deciding that your Grandmother is right, sometimes it ok to be selfish. Your grandmother nods letting you lay your head on her shoulder as she holds you tighter.

----- Story 4 -------

Your grades were always bad, it seemed no matter how hard you tried or how many hours of studying you did, your grades well all the same. You wanted to cry as the test paper was placed onto the desk, it big red ink a U, was circled which means your work was unsatisfactory. By the end of the day you walked home from school feeling like a failure and wondering what your grandmother would think, she's always supportive, she tutors you and helps you when ever you need but despite all that you can't get past an F. Hiding the paper under your clothes you walk into the garden seeing your grandmother looking after some strawberry bushes "I'm back" You put on a big smile as your grandmother turns to look at you "Hay sweetie, how was it? Did you get your test back?" You don't like lying to her but you didn't want to disappoint her again, keeping the smile on you try to answer as confidently as you can "It was good but Miss hadn't finished grading the test yet, so we might get them back tomorrow" Luckily your grandmother didn't see through your lie, with a nod she gestures to the house "The baskets all read to take to Glykon, I know you don't mind taking it" She winks at you making you smile for real this time and run off into the house, grabbing the basket you rush back out the house yelling goodbye to your grandmother on the way out. On the walk up the mountain you had time to think, you know your going to have to tell your grandmother sooner or later about the grade but maybe you can soften the blow a little, you could also talk to Glykon about it.

The wise snake who is almost as old as time itself would know what to do, right? Placing the basket down along with the other gifts you make your way over to your usual sitting spot while pulling out the test "Hay Glykon, how are you today?" You ask while sitting on the grass and looking up at the black waterfall "Hello little one, it has been univalent but i'm sure you'll change that" The giant snake stays behind the waterfall as it lets out a small chuckle, you let out a small laugh but it sounded more pained than you meant it to be "Is something wrong little one? You seem down" His voice hisses out in concern, gripping the paper in your hands you sigh while looking down at the grade "I got another U, I don't understand, i did the homework, i studied really hard and Grandma even tutored me for it so... Why can't i get past an F?" You ask as tears start welling up in your eyes, Glykon didn't answer for a second making you feel worse, thinking that he might see you as a failure and stop talking to you all together. "I understand that it is upsetting and frustrating but i know you Y/N, you are smart, maybe not school smart but you are smart" He states making you look up at him in confusion, You have to be smart to pass school so your not smart, was he just trying to cheer you up? Seeing your confused face the snake lets out a heavy sigh "Your a practical learner, which means you learn by doing, not sitting down and reading from a book or listening to a teacher talk. You learn by physically doing stuff and Visualizing physical things like images or facial expressions. Its something schools don't use unless they have no other choice."

You nod at his words managing to understand what he's saying but if they don't teach like that and you only learn that way then how are you ever going to pass an exam? "So... how do i fix that?" You ask earning a loud deep laugh from Glykon, it echo's off the sides of the cave making it louder than it should be, Shock over comes you making your eyes widen and your body freezes, but he soon calms down "Little one.. You have a gift for seeing what most others can't, please don't ever get rid of that, you can pass school, you just have to do it your way. For example, associating things with colors or images. Use colored pencils to go over sections you need to remember or draw an image next to that part, when ever you think of the color or drawing you'll think of that section. It'll take some getting used too but your smart Y/N, i know you'll be able to do it and i'm sure your grandmother will be more than happy to help" You smile at his words but when it gets to your grandmother it fades your hands gripping onto the test paper "I-I haven't told her yet... I don't want her to be disappointed, she worked so hard to help me" You sigh looking down at the paper "I'm sure she'll understand and agree with what i have said, I'm also sure she'll be more than happy to help you learn in what ever way is best for you" You smile again at his words feeling more confident than you did before, hopefully now you can start doing better and one day get better than an F, heck you might even get an A if your lucky.

----- Story 5 -------

Sitting on a rock near the black water you look over your right arm and the long snake tattooed onto it. "Now i haven't gifted someone two snakes in decades so i may be a little rusty on the details but i do know it will take a lot of training and time to have both of them out at the same time, until then it'll have to be one at a time. now all you have to do is make fangs out of your fingers on the hand you want the snake to come from" Glykon explains to you as his head sticks out of the waterfall while the rest of his body stays in the cave "So, is there a wrong way to make fangs?" you ask looking up at Glykon who lets out a small chuckle and shakes his head "Now just do what ever comes natural to you" you were nervous to say the least but you stretch out your arm and go to make fangs out of your fingers but stop yourself "Something wrong young lady?" The giant snake asks moving his head closer to you, a sad sigh leaves your lips as you put your arm down and let your eyes wonder to the floor "What if they don't like me?" you ask earning a sad look from Glykon who nudes your side with his snout getting you to look up from the floor "They are you, they won't hate you" he states but you shake your head "Their a part of me, but they have their own thoughts and feelings right so what if they decide that they don't like me?" your eyes stay on the giant snake as his eyes soften lifting his head high "Y/N, do you hate yourself?"

The question shocks you and makes you stand up from the rock "What? no of course not" you glare only for the giant snake to let out a soothing hiss and lower his head so his good eye can look at you "Then they won't hate you, They do have their own thoughts and feeling, but they take on how you are feeling, for example if you love someone then they will feel that too and take more care with that person, if you hate someone then they will feel more weary of that person." Nodding you start to understand but you still have that slight fear. Glykon seems to sense it and lets his tongue flick out to touch your cheek "Young lady, There is a reason why i give my gift to kind and brave souls like yourself, and that reason is because i know you will take great care of them, you will love them like their your own children or siblings and you will keep them safe from harm. I assure you, as much as you love them, they will love you ten fold" Tears well up in your eyes at his words but you nod and wipe them away, Glykon moves his head back as you sit back on the rock and hold out your arm before make fangs out of your fingers. The tattoo'ed snake comes to life slithering out of your skin and onto the rock where it curls around itself before looking up at you. Looking at each other you soon let a smile grown on your face and hold out your hand to the snake "Hi, I'm Y/N, it's nice to meet you" You whisper not wanting to scare it but the snake flicks its tongue at you before winding its body around your arm and up to your face where it nuzzles your cheek.

Letting out a small laugh you reach a hand up to stroke its head and down its body while leaning into its nuzzling. You've never felt love like this before or an instant connection that you know will never be broken "See, i told you it would love you" Glykon smiles looking over you and the small snake that turns its head to look up at the giant snake, your snake lets out a long sweet hiss which Glykon responds to by moving closer to nuzzle the tiny snake. You watch the two before placing your hand on the giant snakes cheek "Thank you for this, I'll make sure to love and protect them and i promise I'll get stronger so that they can both be out at the same time, so they can see the world with me" You tear up as Glykon moves his head to nuzzle you "I know you will young lady" he states with a low sweet hiss, your snake turns to you and flicks its tongue over your cheek before resting its head on your shoulder tightening its grip on your body as if its giving you a hug.

----- Story 6 -------

Sitting in the kitchen at the dinning table you flip the page over to the next section of the large book while your snake sits on the chair next to you its eyes staying on you. The book was all about how snakes communicate with each other and what their body language says but you wanted to make sure you got things right so turned to your snake "Ok, I'm ready, give me another one" You state watching your snake close as it makes a hiss and a slight head movement, you bit your lip trying to remember what that one is without looking at the book again, your snake does it again giving you another chance. A gasp leaves your lips when the answer pops into your head "Oh, thats a no, right?" you ask earning a nod from your snake making you smile and gesture to give you another one, your snake thinks for a minute before moving closer and flicking its tongue out to touch your nose, with a laugh you place your hand on its head and stoke down to his back "I love you too" Your snake happily hisses as you pull away, "Y/n honey, Remember the rules, no snakes on the table" Your grandmother sighs as she walks into the kitchen placing a large try on the counter containing fresh honey and honey comb from the bee hive outside. You let out a sigh and sit back "But its not on the table" Your proud of yourself for cracking the code but your grandmother turns and crosses her arms over her chest "Fine, no Snakes at the table" She states making you sigh and hold your arm out to your snake letting it slither up your arm as you stand and grab the book from the table.

Stepping away from the table your snake looks at your grandmother and bows its head low below your arm and let's out a long soft hiss at her, you tilt you head at it as your grandmother does the same both of you not understanding until it lets out that long soft hiss again "Oh!... Please" you look at your grandmother putting on a pout as you beg, your snake brings its head up to you and flicks its tongue out to touch your cheek before looking back at your grandmother. The old woman sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose while shaking her head "Fine as long as it stays on the chair" With a big smile you run over to your grandmother and wrap your arms around her waist as you snake happily hisses and flicks its tongue out to touch your grandmothers nose. Pushing the snake away the old woman pulls you off her to give you a stern look "A flick to the nose means i love you" you state making your grandmother smile and pull you back for a hug "I love you both too" she sighs giving into you while stroking your hair.

----- Story 7 -------

Before your snakes no one really talked to you since you were not that good at making friends and you were the person with the lowest grades but now suddenly people wanted to be your friend. Of cause, you wanted to say yes but it was overwhelming, the kids at school would come up to you during breaks and Lunch wanting to sit with you and talk, the topic was always on your snakes, the fight and Glykon, you didn't mind telling them about some things but you realized very quickly that if it wasn't for your snakes you would be sitting alone right now. Teacher would offer you extra credit work to get your grades up, something you were never offered before while also offering you after school tutoring. You love your gift and your snakes have before your best friends, you didn't blame them or Glykon for how differently people were treating you but you hate all the attention only because of them. You did tell your grandmother about all this, and she had a word with the school, you only heard from one of the girls whose mother works at the school what your grandmother said and did. Your grandmother was beyond angry with the school all of a sudden giving you what you needed years ago, if it weren't for the blessing they would never have offered her all the stuff their offering now. Your grandmother told the school that they could shove their kindness up their asses before flipping them off and leaving, you didn't believe the girl at first but when you asked your grandmother about it she told you it was true. You were doing much better with your Grandmothers help so you didn't feel like you needed the schools extra credit and tutoring.

The villagers were always kind to you so there wasn't much differences there, once in a while you would get offered free stuff but you always turned it down not wanting to be shown special treatment. Unfortunately there were some people who started to resent you, they'd give you funny looks or glare at you from afar, but they'd always act nice when up close. The one person who truly didn't change was a local stall owner weirdly names Mr Grump who was one of the nicest and happy'st people you know, it was always a joy to go to his stall to by food or head next door to see his golden retriever and walk it if he was too busy. He and your grandmother were the only two that didn't change at all, they still treated you the same which is why after your grandmother died and you graduated from form school, you asked Mr Grump if he wanted to buy the house you inhered along with the chickens and Bee hives. He always wanted a bigger farm but there wasn't many places to build so when you gave him that opportunity he couldn't say no. You both talked about prices soon settling on one that gave you enough to buy a boat and money left over while he could use the rest of the money he saved expanding onto the new property. You didn't care what he did to the house but you did tell him to take good care of your chickens and to make sure he brings at least 5 eggs up to Glykon one a week. With that all agreed on and the land signed over you left the next day knowing he will keep his word and hopefully have the farm he always wanted.

[forever-rogue]

Omg Congrats my beautiful baby!!! So happy for you and its well deserved!!!!

I am going to request with Frankie: prompt list 1, #11 “be my wife” and prompt list 2, #163 “fuck me”

ILY! 💋❤️💋💋

I think its time Frankie got some love 🥺💕🥰

Frankie Morales x Fem!Reader ; warnings: mentions of pregnancy

Frankie Masterlist 

»»————-　♡　————-««

As soon as Frankie walked into the small house you had made into a home, he was hit by the smell of delicious cooking. A smile tugged on his lips as he pulled off his work boots and set them in the small rack you'd placed by the door when you'd moved in. He'd never thought about such a thing before, but once you'd brought it in, he realized how much he liked it. It was just one of the many touches you introduced that made him feel truly at all home. 

As he hung his jacket on the coat rack, he heard you singing softly to Isabella, as much played in the background and you shuffled around the kitchen. He slowly walked in, making sure to make as little noise as possible so he wouldn't interrupt your sweet moment.

His heart instantly melted at the sight, and he could feel a flush of warmth was over him. You had her in the high chair, turned towards you as you worked on dinner and sang to her. She was giggling and cooing at you, waving her little fists around. As you cut a piece of carrot up, you handed one to her before taking another piece and eating it. She followed suit as you praised her, "see, you're so good with your vegetables! You're going to grow up so big and strong, my little love!" 

Frankie's heart melted at the sight of you with his daughter. She might not have been biologically yours, but she was yours in every other sense. You'd met Frankie when she was only a few months old and he had just finalized his divorce. His ex wife wanted nothing to do with him or her and had been more than happy to hand over sole physical and legal custody, even choosing to dispel her visitation rights. Not that Frankie minded; sure, being a single father was hard, but it was better than having her around a parent that couldn't care less.

You'd quickly come into his life, and had fallen in love with him and her like it was nothing. And now she was almost two, and you weren't planning on going anywhere. Frankie and Isabella were your forever. As far as you were both concerned you were her mother - one day he even hoped to make it legal. There was just one little thing he needed to do first, that'd he been dying to do for some time. He just...never could, often getting too lost in the moment.

"Yes, of course," you promised her, almost as if you decipher her question through her mouthful, "we'll tell Daddy tonight! How does that sound?"

Frankie's brows knitted together in question as he wondered what you were possibly talking about. Before he could get too lost in his line of thought, Isabella looked around and spotted him. Her face lit up with excitement as she leaned towards him. Frankie couldn't help himself as he came in and picked her, snuggling her tightly to his chest, "hi Izzy! I've missed you, baby girl!"

"Hello, my love," you grinned at Frankie, pleasantly surprised by his sudden arrival. Everything already felt so much better and livelier now that he was home for the weekend, "I didn't hear you come in."

"I didn't want to interrupt," he put his free arm around your waist as he pulled you close. You grinned before leaning in and kissing him softly. He made a small, contented sound as he beamed at the two of you, "I missed you, Honey Bee. And Baby Bee."

"We missed you too," you promised as Izzy laughed before wrapping her chubby little arms around his neck as best as she could, "little missy has been excited for you to come home all day. Well...so have I. We made your favorites for dinner and dessert!"

"Tell me what I ever did to deserve this," he touched Izzy's cheek gently before giving you another kiss. This was… everything and more than he could have ever dreamed of or believed he deserved. But you constantly reminded him how much you loved him, how good of a man he really was. And for the first time in his life, since you'd been by his side, loving him, supporting him, he believed it.

"Hmm," you mused thoughtfully, "a lot of things. But I have a big favor to ask of you now…"

"Anything."

"Take the Baby Bee here and get yourselves cleaned up for dinner," you gave both your loves a kiss as a flush of pink tinged his cheeks, "it'll be ready soon."

"I can handle that," he agreed as he tickled Izzy's side and she giggled with joy, "alright baby, time to get clean before Mama yells at us both!"

»»————-　♡　————-««

As Frankie cleaned himself and Izzy up, your stomach was in knots as you worked up the courage to tell him your news. You could hear the two of them laughing and giggling upstairs, and you instantly felt better. You were excited about this - and you knew he would be too, but still...it was going to be a huge change.

You plated up the food, making sure to cut Izzy's into smaller pieces before setting the dining room table. Every second that passed had you growing more nervous.

Shit - how were you going to tell him? There were a ton of different ways, and right now none of them seemed quite right. Maybe after dinner, after you'd put her to bed you could tell him.

"Here we are," Frankie exclaimed as he made his reappearance, clean and changed, right along with your daughter. You smiled at them, still finding it hard to believe just how much alike they were. She had his gentle eyes, with those wild, dark curls, and that singular dimple that appeared when she smiled. She was almost a carbon copy of him - especially right now as she supported matching little flannel pajamas to his, "we decided to get comfy already! Do you want to go and change, Honey Bee?"

"I'm okay," you promised as he sat her down in her high chair before pulling out your own chair, "what a gentleman."

"Anything for my girls," he said with a wink as he sat across from you. You nudged his leg gently with your own, offering him that smile that never ceased to make him melt, "how was your day, honey?"

"Nothing too exciting," you swallowed the lump in your throat as you pushed your bite down. You'd been to the doctor that morning, having made an appointment to confirm your suspicions and make sure everything was okay. Naturally, you'd brought Izzy with you as it was your day off and you always spent those days with her. Afterwards you'd taken her for ice cream and a trip to the park to feed the birds before tending to stuff around the house. The whole day was spent trying to figure out how to tell Frankie your news, the grainy black and white photos tucked in with the mail serving as a constant reminder, "just the usual stuff. We went to the park and Izzy fed the birds, huh baby?"

"So many duckies and their babies!" she agreed excitedly as Frankie listened to her try and recount her adventures. Your heart melted as she rambled on, but then… "the babies were so little and yellow. Like Mama's baby! Its like a...kumq...kum.."

Your eyes widened in surprise as she easily spilled the beans without even thinking about it. Of course she had no idea that this was a big secret or she shouldn't say anything...you just hadn't expected her to actually say anything. Frankie laughed lightly at her struggle to name the fruit, watching her little brows furrow in struggle, "kumquat? Is that the one?"

"Yeah," she grinned before scooping up another bite and shoving it into her mouth. Frankie affectionately ruffled her hair before chuckling. You were frozen in horror as he didn't seem to put two and two together, but soon enough it seemed that the gears in his head were grinding away.

"Wait...what do you mean Mama's baby?" he looked between the two of you as Izzy nodded and pointed to your still non-existent bump. A look of confusion crossed Frankie's features as he turned to you, his eyes soft and the corners of his mouth tugging upwards, "Honey Bee...what is she talking about...what's going on?"

"Surprise," you said nervously as you set your fork down, trying to keep your hand from trembling with nerves, "you're going to be a daddy again, Francisco."

"What?" his voice was soft as his chest rose and fell deeply, trying to comprehend the news you had just dropped on him. Your eyes stung with tears, both of joy and nerves, as you molded with a gentle smile, "Bee, are you serious?"

"Yeah," you whispered as a few tears rolled down your cheeks, "we're having a baby, Frankie!"

"Fuck me," his own eyes were glossy as you laughed in amusement before pointing at Izzy who was busy playing with her food, "we're having a baby!"

"Yeah," you stood up and quickly rushed to the mail stack, pulling out the sonograms you had gotten earlier and racing back over to him, eagerly holding them out to him, "I wasn't sure...I thought so and went to the doctor to confirm today. That's our baby, Frankie."

He delicately took the sheet from you and examined them, looking at the small bean that was your baby. His eyes grew misty as he traced over one before looking back at you, "holy shit...we're having a baby."

"I know...its all so surreal," you whispered as he stood up and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a tight hug, burying his face in your neck, "I love you, Frankie. I know it wasn't planned or anything...but I'm so happy."

"Me too," he agreed softly, pressing a few kisses to your shoulder, "you have made me the happiest man...you are everything. You, Baby Bee, and now Baby Baby Bee. I couldn't ask for more."

"Frankie, the two of you...well the three of you, are everything I could ever want," you promised as you pulled back and pressed a kiss to his lips, "nothing could be better than our family."

"I love you so much," he beamed at you, "I...I have-"

"Ask Mama! Daddy ask Mama!" Izzy was excitedly grinning at the two of you before making grabby arms. You raised a brow at him before going over to pick her up and bouncing her gently on your hip.

"What was Daddy going to ask?" you asked excitedly as his cheeks flushed a bright red. You reached over and touched his cheek, brushing your thumb over his skin.

"I...umm...I was going to…" he paused for a moment, swallowing nervously before blurting it out, "be my wife? I umm...Honey Bee, will you marry me? Finally...I mean, I know we're basically married already, but I want to make it official."

"You want to marry me?" you looked at him with wide eyes as he nodded fervently, as if saying of course, "yes, a million times yes. Of course I want to marry you. Nothing would make me happier."

"I-I-I have a ring," he stammered as he looked around, quickly dashing to the living room. Izzy giggled as you made a silly face at her, before he returned with a small velvet box. He opened it and displayed the gorgeous ring to you, "will you marry me, Bee?"

"Say yes, Mama!"

"Yes," you grinned at him, "nothing will make me happier than to officially be your wife."

He pulled the ring out and slipped it onto your finger, "perfection. Just like it was meant to be…"

"That's because it was, my love," you kissed him softly, "I love you - our whole little family so much. You are all my everything."

"Yes," he agreed with a gentle sigh, "my always and forever. My Honey Bee, and our Baby Bees. I love you all more than anything."

»»————-　♡　————-««

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[dearcat1]

Hi there! I absolutely adore Xanxu's parenting adventures, but I could only find 8 & 9. Is there a tag I can check out for the others? Sorry for the bother, super excited to read it! Thank you for writing it!

Screw it hahaha that tag is not working no matter what I do about it. I'm just going to post everything that's already published here. So: sorry about the long post.

And for anybody who's interested in reading it, I'm putting the next ones under "parenting adventures au". That should be a better tag.

I hope you like it! I meant for it to be cute.

[Xanxus’s terrible bad day]

Part 1 of Xanxus’s Parenting Adventures

Xanxus does not, in any way shape or form, appreciate mad scientists. He spits out the blood, cleaning up the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. The other hand keeping a tight grip on his remaining x-gun. Irritated, he just keeps glaring at the toddler whimpering in front of him. 

Seriously?

What the fuck!

How is this even his life, Xanxus doesn't know but he demands a fucking raise. And all the goddam alcohol. All of it. Every single fucking drop.

This is ridiculous. The enemy is dead and even Xanxus feels a little uncomfortable with the amount of blood and dead bodies surrounding a two-year-old. Or what looks like a two-year-old, in Xanxus rather uninformed opinion. 

Brat picks himself up, eyes still watery and then… oh no, oh no, no, no. He makes grabby hands at Xanxus. Xanxus sneers, uncomfortable but the newly miniaturized Sawada just pouts stubbornly, stumbling on wet sticky blood as he tries to make his way to the older Sky. 

Xanxus's reaction is pure instinct. He lunges forward, grabs the kid by the back of his overly large hoodie and pulls him up. Brat settles on Xanxus's hip, tiny face hidden against Xanxus's shoulder and the Wrath stands there, feeling more than a little awkward. 

Alright, then, he thinks. Fuck it. So an armful of mini-mini-Sawada in one arm, a gun in the other hand. Base full of dead people who are either already dead or soon to be. Because Xanxus is through like that. 

Clearing his throat, Xanxus hoists the brat up a little more and stalks out of the room. Cleaning up the base is easy enough, finding Byakuran's little note on the desk should be more of a surprise than it is. 

"Have fun on your vacation! You can bond now ~ :3"

Right, Xanxus needs a raise, all the alcohol, and a marshmallow enthusiast killing season. 

[Cabin by the sea]

Part 2 of Xanxus's Parenting Adventures

Finding the little cabin by the sea is easy enough with the handy map the marshmallow freak left for them. Mini-mini-Sawada is a surprisingly obedient toddler so Xanxus is still uncomfortable but at least he isn't deaf from crying fits. 

The only time the brat had cried, it had been silent sad tears that managed to make Xanxus feel like an ass when the brat confessed to being hungry. 

Note to self: brats need food. 

So Xanxus had settled in in the little cabin, laid the brat down on the smaller bed for the night and thrown himself to his own bed, intent on waiting this shit out. 

Except that he'd been woken up in the middle of the night by a toddler sneaking into his bed and now Xanxus can't sleep because mini-mini-Sawada is tiny. As in smaller than Xanxus's chest tiny and Xanxus is not a good man, he's not a kind man. 

But there's a toddler sleeping on his chest, all trust and far too delicate limbs and Xanxus finds himself terrified of falling asleep because what if when he does, he moves and crushes the little brat under him? Then the brat would suffocate and die. 

And yes, Xanxus could, potentially, just pick up the brat and return him to his own bed. But what if he doesn't wake up the next time the brat sneaks in? Because if Xanxus has learned something these last couple of days is that mini-mini-Sawada might be mellow but he also has a stubborn bone that won't be reasoned with.

In the end, Xanxus ends up staying awake all night, staring at the ceiling with a hand keeping the toddler in place, just in case he rolls over and falls to his death or something. He waits until the hour changes from absolutely ridiculous to marginally decent to leave the bed.

Doing stuff with a toddler on his arm is easier now that he has practice, his morning routine is no different. It's just when he reaches the point of taking a shower that he finds himself at a loss. They stink, they need to wash. Xanxus has no idea how to clean a brat and he's pretty sure that toddlers don't wash themselves. 

Xanxus looks longingly at his phone and snarls, ignoring mini-Tsunayoshi stirring in his arm. "Fucking dimension without YouTube. What the fuck."

[Watery warfare]

Part 3 of Xanxus's Parenting Adventures

Xanxus decides on the bathtub for practicality. It seems like a bath would be easier to handle with a toddler than a shower. Especially a sleepy, clingy toddler. Except that the second Xanxus set the brat down, brat went absolutely fucking insane. 

Watching bemusedly as the brat slaps the water around, Xanxus ignores the mess it's making on the floor and chuckles. "Yeah? Show it who's the boss, shitty brat." 

Tsunayoshi just screams louder, cackling like a maniac.

"Yeah, yeah." Shrugging, Xanxus sits down on the tub, ready to wash himself. He'll clean up mini-mini-Sawada after.

Mini-mini-Sawada has other ideas, however. As soon as Xanxus settles down, the toddler reaches for him and Xanxus helps him sit beside him, lest he falls down and drowns. "What? I thought you were in the middle of a war, trash. Can't just abandon that, you know?" 

The toddler just sticks his fingers in the shampoo Xanxus has just poured into his hand.

"No, that's not for you." Xanxus rolls his eyes, scrubbing his hair and ignoring mini-Tsunayoshi watching him curiously. Ok, so maybe Xanxus might be developing a bit of a soft spot for the toddler. Maybe. It's just… the brat's flames might still be dormant at this age but that doesn't change the fact that whatever is still there… it resonates with Xanxus. 

And that's a relief. It is, because it means that Xanxus might not be Timoteo's but he's still Vongola enough for this. Besides, the resonance helped Xanxus get over his initial 'ew, baby' aversion and is probably the reason the brat was so quick to trust Xanxus.

He wonders if it'll translate to the grown Sawada, once he returns. 

There's just something about mini-mini-Sawada, so small, so breakable and so trusting, that makes Xanxus feel a little protective.

[Shopping trip]

Part 4 of Xanxus’s Parenting Adventures

It takes Xanxus about a week to concede that this won't be a quick matter. Which means that they need clothes. Xanxus could, in theory, keep washing his uniform daily and it wouldn't be a problem. Except he's fucking tired of doing laundry and the brat can't keep wearing the same oversized hoodie for days on end. 

He turns to look at mini-mini-Sawada, who is curled up in Bester's flank, fast asleep, and sighs. It seems they're going shopping.

Which is easier said than done. Unearthing the wad of cash and credit card the marshmallow freak left behind is easy enough, taking mini-mini-Sawada is easy as well. As long as Xanxus doesn't put him down, they're alright. 

No, the issue comes from the clerk who is watching Xanxus like he's wondering whether he should seek the police on him for kidnapping. But Xanxus is still a Sky, no matter that he doesn't do the polite charming shit that Tsunayoshi and Cavallone are so fond of. 

"We had a little accident," Xanxus shrugs, gruff. "He needs clothes." 

Still, the clerk seems unsure until mini-mini-Sawada straightens in Xanxus's hold to point at something in the store. "Ansus! Beste! Look, Beste!" 

Bester, Xanxus knows, is back in his box but he turns to look all the same. He takes a good look at the white cat plushie and laughs. "Yeah, that's Bester alright."

Ignoring the now bemused clerk, Xanxus makes his way to that rack and offers Mini-Tsunayoshi the plushie. The toddler grabs it instantly, cuddling it to his chest and Xanxus snorts, catching a look at bath toys down the ail. Well, fuck it. They're spending Byakuran's money anyway, might as well treat themselves.

"Come on, you need ammunition for your next bath."

It is entirely possible that Xanxus got a little shopping happy but he gives about zero shits, the tiny shirt with a printed 'Mini-Boss' on it is Xanxus's absolute favourite. 

He buys his own clothes quickly and makes a bee-line for the cabin, mini-mini-Sawada cheerfully waving goodbye to the shopping mall.

[Nap]

Part 5 of Xanxus’s Parenting Adventures

What the fuck, Xanxus thinks, bemusedly. It should have been fine. The weather had been nice and the cabin has a nice piece of beach right there so Xanxus had taken the brat out and yes, maybe, Xanxus took advantage of the nice weather to take a nice nap.

But it should have been fine, Bester had been napping with the brat. Covered by the shade. And the brat never wanders off anyway. Bester would have woken Xanxus up if something had happened or handled it himself.

And yet, here they are. 

Xanxus wakes up to find Tsunayoshi sitting next to a hole, definitely of Bester’s making and lapping the water from it? 

He has questions, Xanxus has so many questions. 

First, how did they get water inside the hole? Where does this water come from? Also, why? Bester looks too damn proud of himself, Xanxus adores him but right now, he’s not sure he trusts the liger. Tsunayoshi laps the water again, makes a disgusted face and repeats. “What the fuck?”

Laughing helplessly, Xanxus stands up, patting the sand off of his clothes. “What are you doing, you little shit?” He picks mini-Tsunayoshi up, settling him on his hip.

The brat tries to reach for Bester, “juice?”

“No,” Xanxus chortles, gesturing for Bester to follow. “That’s not juice, trash. That’s seawater at best. What the fuck.”

“Fuck!”

“Shit,” Xanxus picks up their stuff with their other hand and makes his way back inside the cabin to hunt down some juice. “Your parents are going to lose their shit over that, aren’t they?” Toddlers usually don’t use curse words, he knows that much. Then, he remembers that the father in question is fucking Iemitsu and shrugs it off.

[Tuna-fishy]

Part 6 of Xanxus’s Parenting Adventures

They get returned to their original universe about 4 months in, to them at least. It looks like they’ve been gone for barely a week on their own. Xanxus doesn’t care about that, he’s more concentrated on the strained little smile Byakuran is sending to mini-mini-Sawada. 

“What!?” Xanxus snaps, ignoring the toddler’s face hidden against his neck. Brat is shy, that’s all.

“Aaah, yes,” Byakuran shifts uncomfortably, sending a bemused look Xanxus’s way before looking back down to Sawada. “That wasn’t part of the plan?”

“Are you fucking asking?” Xanxus ignores mini-mini-Sawada trying to share his crumpled snack and twitches, debating the virtues of calling Bester or seeking his elements on this moron. 

Iemitsu, apparently, decides that’s his moment to shine. Bastard has been starry-eyed since the second he caught sight of the toddler in Xanxus’s arms. And no, Xanxus is, in no way, shape or form, annoyed by this. The consigliere steps forward, big goofy smile on his face, “Tuna-fishy! Come to papa!”

And mini-Tsunayoshi loses his shit, loses it completely. As in loud screams and tears and a grip hard enough on Xanxus’s shirt that the Wrath wonders for a second whether he’ll rip it. Xanxus reacts on instinct because he’s been looking after this tiny brat for months now.

He shifts his weight to put distance between his toddler and the idiotic blonde and points his gun directly between the asshole’s eyes. His elements react with him, of course, and Xanxus finds himself bracketed between Squalo and Lussuria, all traces of humour lost. 

“What the fuck, trash?” The question is met with silence but all of them saw the way the toddler’s mostly dormant flames recoiled from the man. 

Byakuran steps forward, hands up in placation. “Now, now, no need for this.” He lays a restraining hand on Sawada’s shoulder, “I do believe it might be sweet Tsuna’s nap time?”

Xanxus takes the out, pivoting from his spot but not holstering his gun until he makes it all the way to the car. The brat is still making his best impression of a limpet and Xanxus sighs, cleaning some of the tears off the kid’s face. 

“Fuck, Ansus,” the brat mutters sadly into the fabric of his plushie.

“Yeah, yeah, what the fuck.”

Somewhere in the background, Lussuria coos.

[Apple Slices]

Part 7 of Xanxus’s Parenting Adventures.

Xanxus wakes up with a tiny brat nestled on his stomach and Bester stretched out by his side. Right. He starts the morning routine without thinking much about it before he remembers that they’re not in the little cabin by the beach anymore. 

And by remembers, he means he gets forcibly reminded by Squalo breaking down his door with a “voi! Wake up, shitty boss!” Lusurria trailing happily after the swordsman with breakfast in hand. 

“You trash!” Xanxus growls quietly, “if you wake up the little brat, you’re dealing with the pouting!”

Luckily for all of them, the toddler has migrated to Bester’s flank while Xanxus went around preparing the things needed for the bad and is now busy sleeping away, face buried in his plushie. 

“And get more napkins,” at Lussuria's odd look he adds, "brat's a messy eater."

Though now it seems like they'll be eating before bathing which is actually more practical. Why hadn't he thought of that? Doesn't really matter, this is how they will do things now. He picks up his own plate and eats quietly, ignoring Squalo's attempts to get Xanxus to do paperwork with the ease of long practice. Only once he's done he goes to pick mini-Tsunayoshi up, settling the sleepy toddler on his lap.

Tsunayoshi is more asleep than awake but he’s docile enough. “Juice?”

Xanxus’s mouth twitches up, “yeah, sure.”

Lussuria squeals, offering him a glass and Xanxus just knows, with one look, that shit is going to get messy. He accepts the apple slice being shoved into his mouth and says nothing. Luss can deal with this shit. "It's good," Xanxus approves, giving the brat another.

Mini-Mini-Sawada bites half of it off and then promptly falls asleep, slumping bonelessly to the side. Xanxus catches him before he can fall off, caught between incredulity and laughter. "The fuck?"

(Juice)

Part 8 of Xanxus’s Parenting Adventures

Xanxus stalks into his office with mini-mini-Sawada on his hip. The Varia as a whole are smart enough to know that if he has one arm tied up in keeping the toddler in place, it means he still has one hand free to shoot them dead. “You trash,” he growls at the closest grunt, “bring me my wine!”

“Juice!” Mini-mini-Sawada adds, waving happily.

“And juice,” Xanxus adds, patting mini-mini-Sawada’s head agreeably. He lets the brat down on the floor inside his office, eyeing the paperwork. Fuck that thing, honestly. 

By mini-mini-Sawada’s side, Bester chuffs gently, picking the toddler up by the back of his shirt and settling him between his paws. Mini-Tsunayoshi turns to hug the liger as best he can, happily waving his stuffed toy around and babbling up whatever comes through his head.

Toys, Xanxus decides, they're going to need those. Is two years old too young for a toy gun? Hmm… Well now he has google, doesn't he? Oh look, Timoteo's weekly ridiculous requests. He picks them up with a snort, fishing for some pencils in the drawer. "Here," Xanxus offers them to his brat, "this is your portion."

Mini-Mini-Sawada has taken to imitating everything Xanxus does. If Xanxus indulges him, it's simply because it makes things easier and no other reason whatsoever. He ignores the happy little squeal, smirking at his paperwork. When Squalo comes to pick up their finished piles, he makes a face at the brat's handiwork.

Xanxus glares, absent-mindedly cleaning the toddler's face after their snack. 

Squalo just huffs, irritably pushing his hair out of his face. "Voi, FINE! Don't complain to me if they bitch!"

"Fuck that trash," Xanxus doesn't care about what they want. 

"Trash!" His toddler smashes his juice box in agreement. Xanxus lips twitch. Ok, so he's a little fond.

(Strategy)

Part 9 of Xanxus's Parenting Adventures 

Timoteo knows something is going on the moment that the door opens for the Varia's scheduled paperwork drop and it's not only Squalo coming through it but also Mammon and Lussuria. He has half of the Varia in his office when it usually takes months of cajoling to get so much as one other than Squalo. And even then, for this very same dropoff. 

But the Varia are a lot like cats, there's no use in pushing them too much. You have to dangle the bribe and wait for them to come to you. So Timoteo doesn't show hesitation, he simply settles in to give their paperwork a quick check. There's never any blood but he does get a kick out of seeing the progressively more ridiculous fake signatures over the line with his son's name.

This time, it's a toddler’s handprint in ink so strong that some of the text is no longer legible. Timoteo blinks once, twice and then looks up at the gleeful faces of the Varia Officers. "What is this?"

"The mini-boss," Mammon begins, smug and greedy, "is living up to his name,"

Oh, Timoteo realizes, thumbing through the paperwork with new eyes and finding the sort of drawings he hasn't seen in over a decade. Iemitsu had been over yesterday, Timoteo had listened to his ramblings with half an ear but now it's starting to make sense. It hadn't been Iemitsu's usual delusions, Tsunayoshi really is a toddler now. Carefully, Timoteo picks the drawings from the rest of the papers. "Name your price."

Squalo smirks, "vacation. One week, full expenses covered, anywhere we want."

"Done," Timoteo stretches his hand, waiting patiently while Squalo looks inside his bag and comes up with a little plate. Tsunayoshi's small palm is etched on it, colourful kid's drawing decorating the outer sides, under it, in Xanxus's elegant writing, it's Tsunayoshi's name in perfect japanese.

"It's perfect."

"Whatever," Squalo snorts. "Voi, nice doing business with you." Squalo turns on his heel and walks out the door, his two tag-alongs following behind him.

[sasstrash]

Please forgive me I've been super focused on school

The Silent Queen 6; A Royal Morning

Raven woke up the same she always did - quietly. No one ever really noticed her until she was outside her room and hallway back in the castle but at school, people smiled and waved at her the second she left her dorm with Maddie. She guessed that the news of her arrival had spread and a lot of people wanted to know the daughter of the Evil Queen. Raven grimaced at the thought, she would have preferred not to be known at all. To just be a minor character in a smaller story. With a happy ending. But that wasn’t who she was, she was Raven Queen and this was her life.

Walking down the corridors to the castleteria was mostly uneventful aside from all the other students who continued looking at her and pointing things out. It was times like these that she wished she could hear. But then again she wasn’t sure how well she’d adjust to suddenly being able to hear. The castleteria itself is big and crowded with white lighting that made everything look brighter than what Raven was used to, many eyes looked over to her and Raven felt herself subconsciously tug at a lavender streak in her hair. This was going to be a long school year.

Cerise stood up and waved over at the pair of newcomers from her table where she sat with Cedar, Hunter, and a few girls who Raven vaguely remembered from yesterday who had been with that blonde- Apple, Apple White. The next Snow White, the one Raven would eventually have to poison. Raven stopped moving for a second at the thought of her destiny. Eyes wide she almost started to shake until Maddie lightly poked her shoulder, pointing to the castleteria’s food table. Raven straightened and followed her roommate and best friend to grab breakfast.

At home, she usually just walks into the kitchen. Chef made pancakes most mornings with berries from the nearby forest and honey on top. Raven always loved those pancakes, even if she had them almost every day. Raven quickly put a few slices of bacon on her plate smiling at the staff before grabbing some fruit salad and a couple of waffles and left to follow Maddie over to Cedar’s table. Most people moved out of the way to let the two girls pass through in order to get to their table. If Raven was being honest she had expected more students to run away from her when she arrived, and yet they all seemed to be completely enamoured by her. Weird. Maybe it was because she hadn’t shown up for regular school until this year, or because no one knew what she looked like (she avoided mirror phones and rarely left the castle grounds), or maybe none of them knew much about deaf people. Or maybe all three. By the time she and Maddie sat down, Raven was already exhausted, and she hadn’t even gone to class yet!!

‘Morning Rae, how was your first night at EAH?’ Cerise signed over to her childhood friend. Raven smiled at the nickname, Cerise had given it to her when they were about six, very soon afterwards Raven and Cerise began talking more over chats with their mirror phones as Cerise started elementary school while Raven began to be castleschooled. The two would work on video chats every now and again to keep sign language in Cerise’s vocabulary, (usually with a little help from Ramona too, but it’s not like they could talk about that it was a secret!) so the two stayed connected no matter where they were.

‘It’s been good Cher,’ another nickname that had come from their younger years ‘you know after the whole Headmaster situation me and Maddie set up our dorm. It was definitely different from the castle or your place’ Raven concluded before picking up her fork. She really was hungry after skipping dinner last night. As the others smiled at her she felt a warm fuzzy feeling wash over her, these were her friends, some through childhood, some through the others and they all loved her. She was loved, at least she was now but once she became, that she wouldn’t be. Her smile began to dim just a tad as she bit into her waffle. She shook it off before looking at the three girls she didn’t know the names of. ‘Oh sorry I almost forgot, I’m Raven, and you guys are?’ she asked the brunette in pink, the platinum blonde in white and the ginger with green eyes. Each one smiled at her as brightly as her friends, if not a bit brighter, they were probably princesses, Raven thought to herself before each one signed their names.

‘Briar Beauty’ The girl in all pink signed with slightly tired eyes. Raven immediately made the connection to the Sleeping Beauty Story, it took a lot for her not to frown, that was always such a sad tale, sleeping for a hundred years would mean losing the people she loved. Even still Raven could see that something else was turning in her mind, maybe she’d get to see what that was.

The ginger signed after ‘Ashlynn Ella it’s nice to meet you!’ she had the brightest smile that Raven had seen from the trio. Cinderella’s daughter her mind added in, another story with a happy ending but a tragic beginning, she couldn’t imagine losing both of her parents. Then again it was better than being imprisoned in a mirror, or being forced to dance in hot iron shoes until death, or being crushed by a boulder after falling off of a cliff. Raven’s thoughts were broken as she saw that Ashlynn was sitting very close to Hunter, who seemed to be completely focused on her, the dork had a crush, which seemed to be mutual. If Raven could speak well she would have laughed.

‘I’m Darling Charming but you can call me Darl for short’ The Platinum Blonde signed last as she gave a simple polite smile. Like the one that Raven had been taught to use for visitors and knights when she was younger. A female born Charming? She had heard of it before but it wasn’t common, most of them became small-time princesses with small kingdoms, or took over for the Charming Kingdom when the time came. It would be interesting Raven thought to see where her destiny leads her, after all, Darling definitely had the most open book story out of all of them.

‘It’s nice to meet all of you’ Raven signed before continuing ‘So.. has anyone gotten a schedule, I still haven’t’ It hadn’t been a big surprise to her though, she supposed no one had accounted for her deafness and they might have had to remake her schedule. After she mentioned it though she saw Cedar hit her head with her hand. “Ugh, I almost forgot,” she muttered to the group before pulling out a piece of paper. ‘Here Raven, I passed the headmaster and he asked me to give this to you, don’t worry he only had to reschedule two subjects!’ she finished passing the note over. Raven sent a grateful smile to her friend thank goodness for Cedar on the top of the paper a note was written with a schedule underneath. It read:

Dear Ms. Queen; first of all, I’d like to apologize for not being aware of this sooner, in the short time we’ve been given I was able to find some students to help you translate in each class. However, just in case most classes have an extra student who understands sign language. Below is your schedule, I hope you enjoy your time here at Ever After High.

Sincerely,

Headmaster Grimm

Breakfast: 6:30-8:30

Block one: Geografairy with Professor Jack B. Nimble (assisted by Cerise Hood) 8:45-9:30

Block two: Beast Training and Care with Professor Poppa Bear (assisted by Dexter Charming) 9:35-10:20

Block three: General Villainy with Professor Badwolf (assisted by Ramona Badwolf) 10:25-11:10

Block four: Math with Dr. King Charming (assisted by Ashlynn Ella) 11:15-12:00

Lunch: 12:00-12:45

Block five: History with Professor Rumpilstilskin (assisted by Madelyn Hatter) 1:00-1:45

Block six: Spellcasting and Potions with Professor Baba Yaga (assisted by Cedar Wood) 1:50-2:35

Block seven: Grimmnastics with Coach Gingerbreadman (assisted by Darling Charming) 2:40-3:25

Block eight: Art with Professor Card (assisted by Meshell Mermaid) 3:30-4:15

Dinner may be had at any time after this, as can counselling with Baba Yaga or Mother Goose. Lights out is at 10:30

Raven smiled at the schedule she only didn’t know two of the names on here. She was nervous to start her time at EAH but as long as she had good grades and a clear head she was sure she would do fine.

Notes:

I am really sorry this took so long, I kept forgetting about it because of school and COVID. btw if anyone knows how to make a master post and pin it could you please let me know? I would like to be able to do that. I also just got an AO3 account so I might post on there.

Taglist For The Silent Queen:

@virgil-is-a-cutie @justafanwarrior @bee-a-garbage-shipper @spicybelladonna @starrry-nites @tired-butterfly @insomniac-nerd-posts-things @themagicmistic @a-star-with-a-human-name @futursworld @pepelachanel @me-with-a-z-and-double-the-e @wolf-for-life

@iz-bell-saiah @thebookwormfairy @fantasiame

[cant-blink]

Prisoner, Ch. 1

Summary: Gigan and Megalon meet a young Ghidorah. Gigan is intent on converting the child into their pirate crew, whether he likes it or not. 

-

What the hell happened here?

Glancing between the red planet ahead of them and the radar meant to detect life, both seemed desolate. But that can’t be right, he’s heard all about this world and the rare fauna it held, valued on the exotic pet black-market. Yet the sensors were picking up no life down below. Not even a plant.

Gigan rechecked the coordinates, just to ensure that they made it to the right world. Yep, it was and he wondered if there was some sort of malfunction.

He glanced back, seeing Megalon play-wrestling with Scoli. He said nothing to the beetle and centipede, as he directed the ship to orbit this world. Maybe they were in a bad spot? But as they moved, there continued to be no signs of life down below. Odd, very odd indeed. It was almost li-

Wait, there we go! The radar was finally picking up life signatures by the world’s single giant ocean. That’s a relief.

He lets out a soft breath, a smile growing on his beak as his hooked claw reached out and delicately pushed some of the buttons on the control panel. He glanced back again at his crewmates.

“Hey,” he started, getting their attention. “We’re going in for a landing.”

And that’s the only warning they were getting to brace themselves before he plunged the ship down into the atmosphere with speed. Flames erupt from the front of the ship and the floor began to tremble slightly before increasing in intensity. The emergency light flashed as warnings came to the control panel’s computer to slow the fuck down! But Gigan held firm, his beak cracking into a wide grin. 

The screaming coming from behind him only encouraged his behavior as they cut through the last layer of cloud.

Cutting it a bit short, he leveled out the ship close enough to the ground to whip up a huge plume of dirt and debris. Their momentum held firm, the landscape zooming beneath them at breakneck speed.

Looming up from the horizon was a mountain, that they were heading straight for!

“GIGAN, STOP IT!!” he heard shouting and he was pretty sure it was Megalon. He lets out a laugh before activating the anti-gravity devices to lift the ship up higher to avoid a mountain range. There was the ocean just beyond, purple in color. Here we go. He finally brought the ship to a halt and began hovering it down towards the ground. Easy now, easy... Putting down the gears, the ship landed delicately onto the rocky shore. 

Perfect, as always!

Turning towards his crew, he saw Scoli clinging to a wall and Megalon stuck on his back and he shook his head slightly. But he did nothing to help up his clumsy friend as he refocused on the control panel. 

“Get ready to go. I’m going to activate the cameras; I want full 360 view of the place.” He glanced out a window. “Don’t want to miss out on an opportunity, after all.”

-

He’s almost done with this world.

Its lifeforms were quite large and plentiful, and so many of them had young. Perfect conditions for harvesting lifeforce and fueling his growth. He’s already gathered enough victims into his bio-sac dome to make the journey to the next world and was now occupying his time until his meal was ready for consumption. Nothing more fun than a round of exploration, and senseless murder!

He had just found the ocean, and he was playing with it. Its water seemed to have solidified into a thick purple substance, like gelatin, and it seemed to be alive in and of itself. It would rise up in thick tendrils and nudged against his legs in an attempt to engulf him; it reminded him of his bio-sac’s tentacles snatching up anything that came too close. 

Luckily, it was very easy for him to pull free and it only encouraged his curiosity. He would bite into the jelly and his teeth would penetrate a transparent layer. There was the taste of salt-water in the fluid that poured into his maw. 

Blegh.

He wasn’t a fan of eating it, and he lets the pieces splatter onto the ground from his mouth. But biting chunks out of it was still very fun indeed. What was more fun, though, was him spotting a creature further out to sea. It wasn’t a species he’s met before, and how could he resist flying out to meet it?

This prey was the largest creature he’s met in his short life so far, about half his size. It stood upright, without front appendages beyond a few small tentacles at the front of its body. Its disproportionately large feet were gouging chunks out of the gelatin ocean as it walked on its surface. It had a crest structure jutting out the back of its head and a large glowing... eye on either side of it, glowing a bright amber. 

It seemed so blissfully unaware of his presence as he flew over it, as if it was confident its sheer size would protect it from harm. No doubt, it had no natural predators on this measly planet, but he was anything but natural.

He opened his jaws and shot flaming energy balls at it. The thick purple liquid rippled out as some of his fireballs struck the surface, explosions coming up around his prey. It lets out an echoing booming cry and the young Ghidorah does not let up. He shoots another trio of fireballs, one of them striking its tail and severing it to fall into the disturbed ocean. The tentacles thrashed around as its cries grow more high-pitched in distress.

Chuckling to himself, the young dragon swooped in from behind, his talons out to sink into the creature’s flesh. It began to struggle, but he was not to be dislodged as his three jaws surged forward to tear into its flesh. Rip it apart bit by bit.

After a moment spent torturing this creature, his wings began to flap. Luckily, this world had a thick atmosphere with light gravity, allowing him to take off with relative ease even with this added burden.

There was a bit of a suction effect trying to pull it off the ocean, as if the creature was gripping it, but with another tug, he ripped it free. Chunks of the purple gelatin fell from its feet and back onto the rest of the ocean.

He flew this creature back to the beach, and dropped it onto land without care. Its collision onto the beach was not a pleasant one from the sound of it and it seemed to struggle getting itself back up. He doesn’t allow it to recover as he landed beside it, his jaws clamping onto different parts of its mangled broken body before lifting it into the air.

Hearing the cries of fear and pain as he slammed his prey into the ground repeatedly was like music to his ears and always had him wanting to hear more. He hoped this was a plentiful species, as he was starting to run out of toys to play with.

It was a sure sign that soon, it’ll be time to move on. 

Dropping his still-living prey onto the ground one last time, he planted a foot onto it to keep it pinned and leaned down to start stripping flesh from its body to devour. He didn’t require flesh to survive, he needed only to sap their life energy. But it was still fun to taste, to rip apart, even better if they were still alive while he did so.

His right head caught sight of something flashing through the sky over the mountains. His left head focused on it as well as he fed, his large eyes taking in every detail.

Not a meteor, but a ship. It was landing somewhere much further up the beach.

Oh, good! More toys to play with! It’s not often that prey just hand themselves on a silver platter like this.

Licking his bloodied lips, he shifted his foot to where its giant amber eyes were, assuming this must be the head. The creature wasn’t even struggling anymore, even as he placed all his weight onto that foot, crushing it beneath his weight. Feeling the bones break apart and the blood spreading over his sole, he pulled his foot away to admire his work for a moment before turning away. He started running towards the ship, his wings fanning open wider to catch the wind until he built up enough speed to kick off the ground and fly into the air.

Let’s have some fun.

-

“Ghidorah?”

Megalon tilted his head, looking back at the screen Gigan was watching, spotting a small kaiju flying in. The cyborg had the image zoomed in and enhanced, and he can see a three headed creature making a bee-line straight for them. The beetle has never met this infamous ‘Ghidorah’ before, so he wasn’t sure what he was expecting. This, however, wasn’t it.

“That’s Ghidorah?” he couldn’t help but ask. This was the creature that killed off Gigan’s Masters? The one the cyborg was lusting over? The one the beetle declared as his rival? THIS was the cosmic terror?!

Well, beating this thing to a pulp was going to be easier than he thought and he was about to hurry outside to do just that when Gigan speaks up.

“He’s not my Ghidorah,” he told him with audible confusion and disbelief. “This is a whole new one. I never heard of another Ghidorah being created.” The cyborg chuckled slightly as he watched the screen. This hydra was a lot smaller than the one he knew, a youngster most likely. Was his Ghidorah breeding somewhere out there and this was one of his offspring? Isn’t that very interesting...

“What do we do with it?” Scoli asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Gigan chortled. “We invite him to join us. A Ghidorah, even a young one like this, will be more valuable than anything else we can poach from this planet.”

“If he’s so valuable, shouldn’t we sell him?” Megalon asked with an edge to his voice. He didn’t want to have this... thing with them, so he’s willing to say anything to get rid of this little dragon. Gigan’s Ghidorah or not, Megalon didn’t want the potential competition for the cyborg’s attention.

Gigan was more than aware of what the beetle was trying to do and he couldn’t hold back a smirk at Megalon’s jealousy. “No amount of money would be good enough.” He heard the ‘hmph’ from the insect and turned back to look at the little hydra. “Like it or not, Megalon, we’re keeping him.” He looked towards Scoli. “Clear out one of the containment units, one of the heavy duty ones, just in case. We’ll meet you outside.”

Scoli nodded softly before turning and scurrying away towards the lower decks. Gigan spent another moment to watch the little dragon come in for a landing nearby before opening the doors and moving towards the exit.

Megalon rushed to keep up. “But what if it’s not a Ghidorah and it’s just some random thing that LOOKS like a Ghidorah?” What did he have to say to discourage this cyborg’s interest in this youngster?

“You’re being silly now, babe,” Gigan said with humor before continuing. “I know what a Ghidorah looks like. There’s no mistaking them for anything else.”

“But... but... He’s so tiny! Are we really going to play baby-sitter until he’s all grown-up?”

“I play baby-sitter with you all the time, soooooo...” Gigan drawled before he looked over his shoulder at him, knowing exactly how to shut this beetle up. “You’re not trusting me, Megalon. Acting all jealous over a kid of all things.” He maintained hard eye-contact with the insect. “Keep yourself in check, or I’ll start reconsidering our friendship.”

Megalon froze for a moment. Did Gigan just call him- “I’m not jealous!” the beetle stated defensively, fumbling over his thoughts a bit as he tries to come up with a valid excuse for his behavior. “I just don’t think this is a good-”

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion came and the ship’s foundation shook. Gigan knew immediately what was happening; the damn kid was attacking their ship! Without another word towards Megalon, he rushed outside and turned in the direction the young Ghidorah should be. There he was, shooting... fire at the hull.

He never knew his own Ghidorah to spit fire. In the time they spent together in Nebulan captivity, he’s only ever seen him shoot lightning. Very interesting...

The little one very quickly caught sight of his movement and all three of those heads turned towards him.

Silence...

-

Well, this wasn’t what he was expecting.

He was expecting small lesser creatures to be in this ship; that’s always been the case in his experience. But what came out was no small creature, oh no. This one was damn near twice his size!

He’s never seen anything so huge in his short life; in fact, he’s never met a fellow kaiju before. He was still young enough that different races still held novelty to him, and his eyes took in every detail. The creature had green flesh and gold... scales? And three wings, and one eye. And 2 extra appendages that ended in silver hooks. A weapon, that’s what this thing is.

But he was not one to be easily intimidated; even as young as he is, a Ghidorah was still not a creature to mess with. Besides, can you imagine how much life-force he can syphon out of this thing? Sure, it’s not as potent as the souls of children, but the sheer amount would more than make up for it. It would be enough to fuel TWO trips to the next world!! This thing looks very pointy and sharp though, so best to be carefu-

“Hey, kid,” the creature spoke in an odd mixture of a natural and mechanical voice. Really, the fact it talks at all was most surprising. The young Ghidorah never had anyone actually talk to him in a way he understands. Supposed it was an inevitability, but what now?

Flee, or try to kill it for that bounty of lifeforce? Never before has he ever had to make that kind of decision. He usually just defaulted to the latter.

“Ghidorah, right?”

Wait, how did it know his name...?

...

Heh, seems his reputation has preceded him. But then, what did this thing want? It knew who he was and yet doesn’t run in fear? His suspicions were starting to overcome his pride. For the first time, he engaged in this conversation. “Who are you?”

“Name’s Gigan,” the creature said in a strangely casual tone that did nothing to ease the young dragon.

“How do you know who I am?”

“Heh, I know another Ghidorah,” he told him. “Great friends, him and I. Used to work together in another solar system. A pleasant surprise to see another one here. You’ve been having fun, I see.”

The young dragon narrowed a pair of eyes. Another Ghidorah? He had no idea there were other Ghidorah out there. The idea any of them would be friends with this thing was dubious though. 

“Why did you come here?” He had no intentions on stopping his questioning, especially not while he was still on edge about this whole situation. 

"Glad you asked. Y'see, I travel around, stripping worlds of their resources, and life," At once the young Ghidorah's eyes lit up a bit with interest, and this 'Gigan' seemed to notice as he chuckled. "Yeah, sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Exactly why I worked so well with the other Ghidorah, when our goals align perfectly, huh?" He took a step closer and the dragon's body tensed up, still apprehensive. Thankfully, Gigan comes no closer. "I came to this world looking for a good time. And here we are. Fate works in strange ways, bringing us together, huh?"

The youngster can already tell where this was going before this funny-looking creature said it.

“How can I not give you the opportunity to join me? Whaddya say, kid? Interested?” 

The hydra doesn’t answer or move for a long moment. So many red flags were shooting up in his heads, and he was unsure if it was just his natural instinct to distrust other lifeforms. He just... didn’t like this thing. He didn’t like how it spoke to him or the words it was saying. It just... seemed manipulative.

He should get out of here. Whatever this thing has planned, it wasn’t good and he takes a step back. 

His instincts seemed to prove correct as the creature’s beak twisted into a smirk at seeing him step back. His tone too seemed to change, still friendly but with an edge laced into it. 

“You sure you want to do that? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The little Ghidorah said nothing, glaring at this creature before shaking his heads. Yeah, it was time to leave. He should fly back to his bio-sac and devour what he can before vacating this planet. Now. The urgency in his instincts only got worse when he spotted movement by the door to find another giant kaiju, roughly the same size as the one in front of him. It wasn’t as sharp-looking, but it did have pointy front limbs. It had no wings that he can see and it had a strange... horn between giant golden eyes that looked to be made of a bunch of little eyes.

“Such a shame,” the pointy one continued, the red jewel on that forehead starting to glow. “I was hoping you’d be smarter than the last Ghidorah.”

The youngster couldn’t ignore the red-flags anymore and he attempted to make a run for it. But no sooner had he turned his heads than he felt a jolt as a red beam erupted from the creature, hitting the scales in his chest.

Thankfully, his underside had heavy plated armor that held up well, but it was still enough force to stumble him back. He screeched in anger before regaining his balance, facing the two giant kaiju.

Seemed he had no choice but to stand and fight, in what would be the most dangerous battle he’s ever faced in his young life.

[bittydragon]

The Borrower of L’Manburg (Pt.1)

Notes: So for starters, this story is actually written by a friend of mine on discord. They asked if I would be willing to share this with you all and here we are! I’ve enjoyed reading their writing as the story progresses (and if you didn’t see in the title there are more parts in the making!) With that all said, their story is really good, so I hope you enjoy their writing as much as I do!

It had been a while since you had fled your home in L'manburg, but not nearly long enough to be able to move out of this cursed house that you had had to move into for the time being. You somehow chose what was possibly the worst building to ever live in. The dictator and his VP lived here; the ones that uprooted your life and destroyed the protective walls of the nation you called home. You were terrified every time you had to go out for supplies, but you couldn't survive another long journey to any other nearby building yet. Piercing loud yelling broke your train of thought.

"Quackity, I swear to God, don't you fucking touch that!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" A different voice yells back, laughing. The man behind that voice was a bit younger- Quackity is his name, the Vice President of the dictatorial president. He also seems to be a whole lot nicer in private than he showed when he was ripping down the walls that protected you. You tuned back in to their conversation, but it was too late. You hear the front door slam, and silence.

They had left. This gives you the perfect opportunity to go scavenging. These guys aren't exactly tidy- they leave everything out in the open, which is the only reason why you hadn't risked your life to escape to get somewhere else quite yet. You remove the pixels of the block you had hallowed out for yourself and look around, just to make sure the coast is clear. After replacing the pixels, you make your way across the counter of the whitehouse's kitchen, which is actually just a space below the stairs, with just a crafting table and a few furnaces. Once you get to the furthest furnace away, you clip your fishing rod string to the corner pixel and swing down to check for any leftover cooked food. There's some cooked chicken, so you grab just one pixel of it. You don't want to risk them noticing anything.

Just as you've swung yourself down to the middle furnace, you hear a loud thump upstairs, and freeze. The color and warmth drains from your face in an instant as footsteps begin thundering down the stairs that are right over your head. Oh, fuck…

You scramble to pull yourself up and unhook the string, but it's too late. You hear the clink of the door opening behind you, and your body turns cold. You can't see it, but you can feel his eyes burning a hole in the back of your head.

"What the actual fuck?" His voice seems slightly amused.

You're sweating bullets, but all of your senses suddenly hit you all at once. RUN. So, you bolt. You're sure that this is the fastest you've ever ran in your life, but somehow he's faster and slams his hand down in front of you.

"Oh hell no, you aren't going anywhere! You're staying right here, you tiny fuckin idiot." He laughs at you condescendingly as you slam into his hand and bounce off, flat on your back. When you try to sit up, he puts his index finger on your stomach to pin you down as he looms over you menacingly. "What, you really thought I'd just let you leave? I gotta know what the fuck you are!" He chuckles without a single attempt to comfort you. Can he even see that you're hyperventilating? You aren't sure.

Realizing that your hands are free, you pull out your swords and slash his finger in one swift motion, drawing blood immediately.

"AH, SHIT!" His scream thunders in your ears. He pulls away to look at the damage you did, and you swiftly scramble up and continue your escape to your block. "Hey!"

You're stopped mid sprint as your sword is snatched away from you, and you stumble a little bit. A moment later, you're also snatched up by the opposite hand. Another moment later, and you're held up in front of a giant, horned face of the man- and he looks absolutely pissed.

"You little piece of shit! What the fuck was that for? I didn't do nothin' to you!" Those words coming from him fill you with rage, but you don't want to piss him off any more.

"Let me go!" You squeak, squirming in his fist, your arms pinned to your side this time. Only your head and shoulders peak out of his hand. He raises his eyebrows at the sound of your voice, obviously a bit surprised.

"Hell no!" He looks at his other hand, at the finger you had slashed. He sucks on it for a second just to clean the blood off. "Not after that shit you just pulled. You're a violent little thing! What are you anyways, huh? Where'd you come from?"

"I'm a villager! Now let go of me!"

"Wh-What?" He laughs loudly. "You aint no fuckin' villager! You're smaller than a bee!"

"Yeah, thanks, I couldn't tell. I am a villager. At least, I used to be."

"What the fuck happened to you then, huh? A witch got you? When did they make that update?"

"Yeah, sure, a witch." You shiver at the memory of what happened to your village. Dream and Technoblade. You'll never forget.

He sets the fist you're in down on top of the furnace and leans over, resting his other elbow on the furnace as well. "Well c'mon, you gotta tell me your life story, I'm so very interested." Sarcasm drips from his stupid muttonchops.

"Piss off." You scowl at him. You remember how Dream had threatened the whole village if anyone ever said anything to anyone. Schlatt uses his thumb to nudge your head, just to annoy you. He smirks and chuckles.

"Y'know, you're kinda cute. I might have to keep you around." Your eyes widen at that.

"What? Keep me?"

"Yeah! Like a pet or some shit. Build you a little terrarium or something." He snickers.

You start to struggle in his grip again, which immediately tightens out of instinct. "Let me go! I'm not staying here with you, you crazy bastard!"

"Woah, woah, why the hostility, Jesus! Relax! I'm great to be around, I don't know why you're freaking out. You'd love Quackity, too." He stares off into space for a moment in thought of his new VP.

"No! I'm not staying with either of you! You ruined my home in L'manburg!" You fight with all your might to free yourself from his hold.

His eyes light up with something you can't quite place, but it isn't good. "Ohoho! So that's where you came from! L'manburg, huh? What the fuck did Wilbur do to you!" He laughs so hard that he has to straighten himself standing up. "Y'know, I rule L'manburg now. So you're technically my citizen. I rule you." He chuckles at your pitiful attempts to get free. "You're just as pathetic as all the other citizens I rule. Except with you, I can hold you in my hand. Oh yeah, you aren't going anywhere, anytime soon."

You didn't know it was possible to laugh as hard as he is.

~

You huff as you pace back and forth, glancing out the glass he had trapped you in. He had taken away your sword earlier, but before he had trapped you he had taken all of your supplies- your hook, your climbing equipment, your toolbelt, everything besides the pixel of cooked chicken. He said that you had 'earned' that.

Whenever you glance out the glass, you see Schlatt laying in his bed, turning a little bit every once in a while. You sigh, knowing that his VP will be home soon. At least that's what Schlatt told you before he went to sleep.

Speak of the devil, you hear the sound of the front door, muffled by the glass that surrounds you.

Fuck.

"Schlatt, I'm back! I got some extra food and coal and stuff!" A chest opens and then closes a few moments later.

You pushed yourself up and looked around for somewhere to hide. You see nothing. You're out in the open, trapped in glass, without anything to protect yourself. Double fuck. Footsteps can be heard coming up the stairs.

"Schlatt? I- Oh!" Quackity switches his voice to a whisper. "Shit, I didn't know he was sleeping." He giggles to himself. You push yourself to the far back corner away from him, which backfires on you immediately. Quackity swivels around, hearing the slight scuffling noise you made when moving. His eyes widen, as do yours, and he freezes. "What the fuck…?" He whispers, eyes locked with yours. He takes a step forward, causing you to press back even more. He notices.

"Hey, hey, it's okay! Don't be scared! I'm not gonna hurt you." His voice is a lot more calming than Schlatt's, especially since Quackity is still whispering, trying not to wake up Schlatt. You realize that you're shaking when you glance over at Schlatt. He notices that as well.

"Did… Did he trap you?" You nod in response. He squats down so he's not looming over you. "Oh Jesus. Uh… what exactly are you?"

You sigh internally, really not wanting to have to explain it each time. You decide to just give him what you refer to yourselves ever since Dream got your village. "I-I'm a borrower." You reply simply.

His eyes light up and he grins when he hears you speak. "Oh my god. You're so cute." He laughs, then looks over to Schlatt, who tosses a bit in his sleep.

"Can… Can you let me out? P-Please?" Your shaking slowly lessens, realizing that Quackity probably doesn't have the same intentions as Schlatt does. His eyes snap back to you. There's now pity in them.

"Oh… uh… I-I can't," he rubs the back of his neck. "I'm sorry. He… He would kill me if I did that." You wince at the second realization that it's not gonna be easy getting out of here. You sigh and slump down into the corner of the glass container, rubbing your face.

"It's okay! He's not as bad as he seems once you get to know him. You might like him! Eventually…!" He gives you a little smile. "What's your name?"

"(Y/n)." You hesitate a moment. "You're less scary than him. Thanks for being… nicer."

He grins again. "What are you talking about? I'm very intimidating! I'm way taller than you." He stands up to his normal height, his shadow falling over you. A shiver runs down your spine.

"Okay, okay! You're scary too!" You giggle nervously, and he laughs.

"It's alright (Y/n), I promise nobody's gonna hurt you, not on my watch." As if on cue, Schlatt stirs from the bed, making Quackity cringe as he sits up.

"Quackity? You better not be touching the little thing in the glass that I found. I'll kick your ass." Schlatt grumbles and yawns. You try to make yourself smaller in the little corner you've claimed as he gets up, stretching even taller as he approaches Quackity and the glass container.

"No, I haven't touched her."

"Good. Don't. It's mine."

"Where did she come from?"

Schlatt is fully awake once he asks that question, grinning. "Well, apparently our little visitor here came straight from L'manburg! Isn't that cute?" He sneers in your direction.

Quackity's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, what? You're from L'manburg?!" You saw his pity again. "You didn't tell me that."

You cringe. "It… It didn't come up-"

"Oh! You two've been talking! What did it tell you, Big Q?" When Schlatt looks at you, all you see is malice.

"Just… her name… and what she is…?" He fidgets nervously.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"Please don't-"

"Ah ah ah! Shush! Go ahead, Quackity!"

Quackity gives you an apologetic look. "Her name is (Y/n). She's a borrower." With that, Schlatt's face lights up like a Christmas tree, and he starts laughing maniacally.

"So…! You lied to me, huh?" He catches his breath after laughing. "I didn't even care much for your name, but what the fuck's a 'borrower' and how many of you little rats are around here?" He rests his weight on his hands, placed in front of you behind the glass. You start shaking again.

You push yourself away from him. "I didn't lie! I-I haven't seen anyone else around in years. I don't know. There's nobody else here or in L'manburg." You ramble, looking anywhere and everywhere but his face.

"Schlatt, c'mon man, you're scaring her." Quackity tries to push him back, but Schlatt slaps his hand away. Your eyes widen- that much force on you would kill you instantly, but it was practically nothing to them.

"Don't touch me. What I do with her is none of your business. I found her."

"Yes it is! I'm not gonna let you hurt her when she can't do anything to you!" Quackity yells back, taking Schlatt by surprise.

"She's from L'manburg! She could easily be Wilbur's little bitch sent here to get information!" Who's Wilbur?

"She doesn't know anybody. She's innocent, just leave her alone, man!"

"Fine." Schlatt steps over to your glass container, and opens the top. His hand reaches in and fills up your entire field of vision. You squeak in fear and push yourself back into your corner.

Since you made it hard for him, Schlatt has to pick you up between his thumb and index finger, on your stomach and back respectively. You squirm at first, but you grab on tight as your stomach drops when he lifts you up and out of the container. "No no no! Please!"

"If you want to protect her, then here, catch." Within a second, you're flying through the air, screaming your lungs out. You gasp when you land on your back onto a warm, plushy surface, frozen in shock, mouth agape.

"Schlatt what the fuck! You can't just do that to her, she's tiny!"

"Too late. She's your problem now, anyways."

Quackity protectively holds you close to his chest, shielding you as Schlatt walks by him and down the stairs. "If you let her run free to Wilbur I'm gonna hunt her down!" You both hear the front door slam shut.

[capricornus-rex]

Someone Left to Save (11)

Cal Kestis x Reader

Requested by Anon

Summary: The Mantis crew arrives to the capital of Ulfin, in the planet of Pevera, under siege. They meet the local rebel cell spearheaded by the former Republic admiral, Jax Beneb, who seeks to destroy the Empire’s occupation that was aggressively imposed upon while exploiting the planet of its natural resources. A plan is devised to destroy the Imperial’s main base of operations—as well as their influence—in the planet; however, it was a do-or-die mission that you and Cal had gotten yourselves caught in.

A/N: @glxy-otter​ Well, here’s a chapter where they meet but... I don’t think it’s not the way you expected it to be ;;;A;;;

Tags: Force-Sensitive! Reader, Inquisitor! Reader, Jedi! Reader, Fake Death, Jedi turned Inquisitor, Seduction to the Dark Side, Turn to the Dark Side, The Dark Side of the Force, Aftermath of Torture, Torture, Psychological Torture, Redemption Arc! Reader, Possible Redemption, Premonitions

Also in AO3

Chapters: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 | Previous: Part 10 | Next: Part 12 | Masterlist

11 of ?

The TIE Fighter sits on the western ridge.

The transmitter is set to its maximum range of reception, in case you pick up something interesting; at the edge of the ridge, the lone city intrigued you a lot and you have the strongest feeling that Cal may or may not have been there a time or two.

Putting your new helmet to the test, your fingers search for a particular button. When you found it, the visor’s scanners zoomed in and a reticle bounces back and forth within the narrow frame, leaving a piece of information whether in writing or in images before ricocheting to the next corner.

So far, you’ve seen most of what you saw in your vision—the barren wasteland, the lone city. However, the statues you saw were nowhere in sight… yet. You hummed while reviewing the data flashed on the surface of your visor. To the ordinary eye, it may be just another stretch of mountains, but you heeded to your feelings. Your eagle eye caught something else.

“Hell-o,” you cooed in a curious, singsong tone. One press of the button and the jittery reticle visits your visor again. “What do we have here?”

At the end of the mountain range, a pair of boulders peek out of the rim, though these particular boulders seem to be a little too symmetrical and clearly round for it to be any ordinary rocks. Squinting your eyes, you had a feeling something was up, and decided to explore it.

Not even the Inquisitorius killed off your curiosity.

“Okay, let’s tick statues off the checklist,” you mused to yourself.

Your eyes wandered, searching for an optimum landing spot. When you pictured that one exact spot in front of the statues--or their feet at least—you took five paces back to give yourself momentum. One big breath to calm down the nerves in your shivering legs, you clench your fists hard until the skin over your knuckles have turned white. The balls of your feet propelled you, kicking up the dust as you bolted through, and just at the very split second—when your toes barely sat on the edge of the cliff—you sprang away from the rock and plummeted down.

The two hundred feet felt only like two the moment you landed. Light as a feather, the sand wafted just at the height of your ankles. You erected from your crouched position and faced the entrance—nothing much than a portal of darkness that leads to who-knows-what. The mouth of the cave was seething with so much of the Force that it’s overwhelming, not just for you, but perhaps for any Force-sensitive.

“It’s a temple…” you gasped.

You held your head high up to take a good long look of the statues, the unmoving and unwavering guards, perhaps a millennia old.

Taking the first steps into this grand structure, a wave of calm washed over you—it didn’t give you peace though, it only made you feel more suspicious and a bit spooked about this place. Little did you know that it was the Light Side if this temple—long dormant and untouched until you came along—and the Dark Side in your clashing against one another. You begin to explore the temple; finding yourself in what ought to be a lobby or foyer of sorts, you stopped in your tracks at the very center of it and attempt to concentrate.

You feel like you’re not alone in here…

Because Cal is in here too.

—

“Bee…?”

“I don’t know, BD, it’s a strange feeling—familiar but eerie,” Cal thought aloud. Surveying the high ceilings of the temple, adorned with a strip of ancient runes much like most Jedi temples. “I don’t think we’re alone here.”

“Triiiil!”

Cal chuckled, “Haha! No, not ghosts, little guy. Another person, maybe, or an animal. But not ghosts, they don’t exist.”

The boy’s smile melted, his anxiety and uneasiness returned. The farther he goes in, the more he uncovers. Limestone parapets meld together with the stone of the caves—it reminded him of the inner chambers of the Zeffo tomb—and the rustic chimes of all shapes and sizes dangle at the slightest draft.

“Sure is spooky in here, though,”

BD-1 cooed a soft, almost-quiet chirp in agreement, folding his legs in as he hides behind Cal’s shoulder. Not even his own flashlight could torch the way ahead. The boy and the boy have comes to what ought to be an open antechamber, the features reminded Cal of the gardens in the temple in Coruscant—except this one is smaller, possibly twice the size of the entrance at the Vault in Bogano.

The extravagance astonished the boy, BD-1 showed the same sentiments in the way he knows best—hop down from Cal’s shoulder, scamper left and right, forward and back to scan every imaginable thing present in the room.

“Don’t wander too far, BD!” called the young Jedi.

Cal follows BD’s general direction, all while gawking at the design of this hollow, ancient chamber. Despite his great fascination at the beauty of the ruins, the looming uneasiness that he’s been feeling all day finally took hold of him.

And it took form in the shape of you.

At the insidious roar of a saber’s ignition, a bloody red glow illuminated the shadows and highlighted your silhouette. The shadowy sight frightened the poor, tiny droid, leading him to skitter back to Cal for safety. You step into the light, out into the antechamber, holding your saber low—the tip hovering beside your ankle—a menacing stride carried you forward to your now-enemy.

“Figured I’d find you here,”

The distortion in your voice, thanks to the helmet, made for an excellent guise. The storm inside Cal’s heart aroused you. You smiled beneath the mask, satisfied. It’s hard to deny that you truly missed him, but seeing his face reminded you of the things that your brother and sisters fed you—lies born from poisonous clairvoyance, until those said lies became the truth in your mind, and it is what you have accepted as reality.

The faint, fluttering feeling that used to exist in your stomach—all from missing him so—was replaced with an aching rage in your heart; because in your eyes, all you could see of him is the corrupted truth. Your grip around your saber tightened so hard that the metal sleeve was almost crumpled.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,”

You chuckled sinisterly, though amused, it seems that his roguishness didn’t die off from his depression of grieving for you.

“Oh?” you bobbed your head. “Then why don’t you get to know me?”

You brandished your saber horizontally, at the press of a well-hidden button, the half of the halo became a whole and along with it a second blade emitting out of the other end. Cal ignited his own, his own response to taking on the challenge. You softly chuckled and made the first move—lunging towards him like a dart, saber over your head. Landing on his block felt off and different—it was sloppy, loose, and less lively. You sensed the weakness of his body reflecting on the strength of his deflect.

At this point, you’re still quite generous. You voluntarily pulled away to let him reset his stance—also for you to quickly scrutinize his disposition. Your eyes examined his entire person: flimsy grip, poor footwork, and a weak core. You squint with suspicion.

Hmm, something’s up with him.

Cal remains at the mercy of the new Inquisitor: as lethal as a dagger, fast as lightning, and quick-witted. Her speed was almost impossible to keep up with.

He blocks and deflects your every strike, but barely affords a moment to counterattack. For every landed block, you felt how feeble his handling was, almost as if he’s crippled in the arm. You exploited that weakness and sent out a hail of slashes in his way, when Cal finally manages to lunge forward, you denied him an opportunity—darting to the far side of the space and attacking him from behind, similar to what you did to the Inquisitors weeks ago in your initiation duel.

The boy blocks it in the last minutes and then dodge-rolls to the side. He tries to stiffen himself up, but you sense that this is a façade he’s trying so hard to maintain. You can practically see right through his bluff.

“Seems like you’ve lost your touch, Jedi,”

“That’s perceptive of you,”

“Thank you,” you squeaked. “I get that a lot!”

Again, you thrusted yourself towards the boy. He’s slowly catching on in terms of strength. Looks like his focus has gotten back to him. After an intense exchange of blades, you flipped away from the clash and literally swept him off his feet with a single kick. His body met the floor, but quickly scrambled back on his feet; making him feel like he had no chance of the upper hand infuriated him, and this reflected in the way he moves with the saber. His technique was easily countered with a dash of elusive acrobatics mixed in with your own fighting style. You can sense the growing anger and the hate in him, though it’s no surprise that he’d succumb to it.

“You mistake your rage with sadness!” you snarled and then continued. “That anger, hate, and suffering. You don’t use them at all. Pity.” You scoffed as your blades are locked together.

A kick to the abdomen staggered him away from you, another brief moment to recompose himself. You spun your saber, the swordpoint facing Cal a few inches away.

“You know, you were never really good in hiding your feelings.”

And at the moment, Cal’s heart skipped a beat. Surely, this was a taunt most Inquisitors do to Jedi to catch them off guard, right? But no, there’s something else lingering in that Inquisitor’s words. Cal could barely breathe when he was beginning to become familiar with his opponent’s voice and the answer was whispering itself in his ears—though he refused. He tightened his grip around the sleeve.

The uncertainty from the boy reached you, another emotion to exploit within your grasp. It was almost a guilty pleasure taunting him; the climax being his melting point. You decided to while away the time bantering instead of fighting, which proved to be more entertaining—at least, for you.

“Don’t talk like you know me!”

“Oh, I’d bet my entire fleet for that,” you sniggered.

“Who are you, really?”

There was a pause. You tilted your head pensively.

“Oh, they call me the Twelfth Sister, but…” with a push of a button on your helmet, the front plate that masks your face retracts into its frame. You greet him with a malicious grin. “I guess you can call me [Y/N].”

Cal felt his strength ebbing, whatever life essence residing in his body has now departed, the saber fell from his hand—the clattering filled the entire antechamber until the only noise filling the place was his rapid, shallow breathing. He could feel his heart about to fail and he’ll just drop dead.

“No…!” he gasped.

You were ironically thankful to see the look on his face with your own eyes, without the visor. O, that multi-million credit expression was simply divine! So divine, in fact, that your grin stretched wider than an Acklay’s jaws.

“No, no…” he panted, until the whining evolved into a bellow. “NO, NO!!! It can’t be true! You’re not real! I’m just in a-a-a… dream! Or a trance! Or something!”

You scoffed, “Is it so hard to believe, Cal?”

“It can’t be… [Y/N]…”

“You abandoned me, Cal, and in turn, they found me. Made me stronger… much stronger. Enough to make you atone!”

“But I didn’t abandon you! I was about to come and get you!”

“LIAR! Because if you were, you would’ve taken me out of the rubble soon.”

“But I looked for you… I looked everywhere for you. I even waited when they were telling me to leave.”

You shake your head solemnly, “That’s not the way I see it.”

“Who told you all these things?”

“Does it matter?!” you raise your voice and readied your sword arm. “I’m going to make you pay anyway!”

Your frenzy overwhelmed Cal, indeed, but he was able to regain his bearings in the split second you darted through the wind in his direction. Another exchange of blades, only this time, oozing with a wildness borne of rage and hate—regardless if the root was corrupted and false. It is what the Grand Inquisitor would have designed in the first place. It’s what he would’ve wanted.

“[Y/N]…!” Cal pleaded in the middle of attacking. “[Y/N], please, listen to me!”

“I’m done listening to anyone!! All I could ever hear are lies!”

Cal made a quick scan of the area and spotted two balconies connected by a bridge overhead. He withdrew from the fight, hopped from one parapet to another until his feet were planted on the limestone. Of course, you didn’t want to be outclassed by the Jedi—you practically wall-ran until you’re at the highest of highs, propelled yourself off your feet, somersaulting in the air and landed in a graceful cat-like crouch.

“[Y/N], look, I don’t want to hurt you!”

“Sweet of you, honey, but you’re gonna have to come with me!”

It has become a battle of balance, dexterity, and strength. The bridge was just as wide as the walkway of a Star Destroyer’s hyperdrive pillar. The flurry of saber attacks remained frenzied and intense, the red gleam of your saber highlighted Cal’s freckled yet sullen face as you bore your weight down on his blocking, shining over the gloss of his teeth, and mingling with his jade irises encircled by dark rings. Ignorant of the imperfections brought upon by grief, you looked past them and still see the Cal you clearly remember in your memories.

“Oh, how I missed that handsome face,” you cooed.

That took him off guard, but only for a short while, he pressed him in closer to you which gave him enough momentum to pull away and take you by surprise—pushing you to the farther end of the bridge with the Force, causing you to stumble and land on your back and into this smaller chamber.

“I said, I don’t want to hurt you!”

When he saw that you were inside the smaller chamber on the other end, he focused the Force on the middle of the bridge—practically breaking off a large piece of the walkway like some crumb of bread—and sent it flying to the open archway of the chamber! That wasn’t enough though, he looked for every conceivable object within his reach to block your way, though he knew that you can easily break through it, doing so would buy him enough time to escape.

The next thing he used to block of the archway was the spherical chandelier, large enough to fortify the chunk of the bridge he initially put there. He could feel the resistance from the other side, you were doing the same thing he’s doing except to push your way out; but he persisted and focused harder on the blockage. Finally, that large “crumb” of the bridge was lodged harder into the archway, locking it in place before the chandelier.

Cal felt sure that he’s closed you in, but he’s perfectly aware that you won’t stay there for long.

“Come on, BD!”

“Woooo!!”

He ran, although in no particular direction, he simply ran away.

Air filled his lungs for every step he took. He just couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed.

He’ll have a difficult time accepting this new reality. As a matter of fact, he will never accept this reality.

[shijiujun]

On Translations

Once again, I’m just plain incensed by dumbasses who think it’s okay to firstly, steal someone else’s hard work and secondly, think they’ve got some right to edit that person’s work because they think they’ve got a better grip on English (not true btw) - It didn’t happen to me (well, as far as I know) and I’m not in the Guardian fandom and I don’t personally know the person who’s dealing with this ridiculous shit, but oof am I angry after seeing the tweet.

Just saw on twitter that some asshole stole a translator’s works (Guardian, Chinese to English) and edited it - Yes it’s just like the MDZS saga a few weeks ago when some white person who doesn’t have any Chinese language knowledge, tried to ‘improve’ translations done by another person who actually knows what they’re doing in both Chinese and English - And then put in on Wattpad with a ridiculous letter and intro where they said: “Great things can be made greater” to explain why they edited the English of the original translation.

“Great things can be made greater,” said the thief.

“I hope my actions will be appreciated,” said the thief again.

Like wow, once again, the audacity - There’ve been extensive arguments on translations since the MDZS saga a few weeks ago and obviously the fan who took ExR’s translations and ‘made them better’ stupidly stepped on a landmine by fucking with the MDZS fandom that has a longer history, more resources and clout than the amount of time she’s been exposed to MDZS via CQL, and got bitch-slapped by the rest of the fandom where there exists a majority of fans knowing clearly what to do and not to do.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of all fandoms, especially smaller ones - The user i saw is a translator for Guardian and the mofo 1. Stole their translations 2. Edited the translations to ‘better english’ 3. Wrote that they don’t know who did the original translations but “they know where to find me” *cue my eyeroll* 4. And after op commented to say please credit at the very least in May, they’ve been ignored so far - but luckily they’ve got some supporters as well to help report the mofo.

Aside from the ridiculous thievery (not crediting, blatantly lying and stealing, being an arrogant, indecent person stuck on that high horse) of course, the “I believe that great things can be made greater” is a fucking load of bullshit in this instance, and I mean taking someone else’s translations and adding your own spin to it because you think you’ve taken tests in English as a first language in school all your life (fuck off, a lot of these translators did too), that you’ve got some superiority over English or because you think it reads funny?

Granted, most fan translators don’t put up flawless translations (once again, these translators are FREE LABOUR), but you get it for free and you don’t have to (and can’t) read the original text, so suck it up.

Moreover, the disgust that I feel at the claim that the thief’s work is now ‘greater’ is extremely visceral - It’s not a greater piece of work because the thief stole it, period. No one asked for the thief’s help.

(In case you guys are curious the stolen post on Wattpad is here: https://my.w.tt/7dehLj7D56 and if you’d like to report just follow the instructions)

On Chinese to English translations:

1. If you don’t have good grasp of the original language, you have no right editing the translated work after, regardless of language. Until you can clearly understand the original idioms, context, characters etc. or have at least lived with the language for a substantial part of your life, honestly, just stop, you’ve got no right! 

Sure, some translators aren’t as good as you like them to be, but the argument is always, well, you wouldn’t even have this minimal translation if they didn’t do it, so yay you’re like a few sentences and words closer to the text than you were before. If it’s really that bad, hopefully there are better translations and you can ignore the one you’re looking at, but the same rules apply across all translations!! Don’t disrespect the translator (especially when they’ve done nothing wrong except try to give you access to more content).

2. For Chinese, it’s even worse because the language is known for its hidden nuances and complexities within just two to four characters that, when translated into English, can sometimes take up to two long sentences to explain. That’s why sometimes shit reads funny. It’s not that these translators can’t do English, but Chinese to English acrobatics is beyond your comprehension, hell sometimes it’s beyond translators’ comprehension, so thanks for editing something you’ve got no idea about. This user Bee made a very good argument thread IMO about this on Twitter which I suggest people read

3. Adding your edits to a translated piece of work especially without permission or discussion with the translator, honestly who the fuck are you to do that? Either work your damn ass off by painstakingly translating the original and then editing it however you like, or just... enjoy the free content. Chinese BL novels (in this instance and as in many instances i’ve seen) and some of these translators have been around for longer than you’ve been in the fandom, so suddenly when you have an interest in the content, in a culture and language that you’ve never seen before, are unfamiliar with and have zero knowledge about, you think that as a fan you now have the right to edit someone else’s work that was already done correctly? 

The fact is if the translator wrote a bogus line in the English translations, you wouldn’t have known, and when you upload it as your own and ‘improve’ it, you would be a joke, but you didn’t read the original text did you, so what makes you are any sort of authority to edit the translations?

4. Of course this is not to say that non-Chinese speaking people can’t enjoy the same content or have excellent, poignant discussions and understanding over the content, but honestly a lot of translations don’t capture 100% of a Chinese novel because the nuances are just that complex, and translators do their best to convey it regardless - This is why RESPECT FOR THE TRANSLATOR IS IMPORTANT. And I don’t mean simply paying lip service and typing “we respect all translators for their hard work on this work”, and then disrespect it entirely by not crediting, by the simple act of editing without permission etc.

Respect their interpretation and translations, because it can differ from translator to translator translating the same sentence (and people who don’t speak the original language want to compete with that, I don’t understand?!)

5. Honestly, considering how people are still arguing on the semantics of the Bible for example, not only in its original language but also in English alone - if people can’t agree on every sentence of the holy text and what each sentence means to different people, fan translators get a fucking pass

6. I read in Bee’s threads where someone disagreed with their argument of ‘only people who understand the original language can translate and edit’, saying that it’s okay if the editor doesn’t have a grasp of the original language - I understand that yes, someone else’s English might truly be better (for e.g. actual editors but also please don’t proclaim that you’re one just because you think the translator hasn’t lived with English for most of their lives or whatever), but even then, the editor has to work really closely with the translator because the translator is the primary source of the translation i.e. they know exactly what is going on in a particular sentence in their heads that may not have been translated fully, so how can non-Chinese reading editors truly understand the translated text on its own, editing in silos?

7. Perhaps in actual publishing houses that deal with official translations, this is a fallacy that is ever-present and editors do that anyway without understanding the original text (not sure about this, I’m bringing up the point for consideration, hypothetically putting this out here), but my issue with ‘editors’ in the fan translations space is that they come off sitting on some high horse because they think they’re better in English than you are (which of course yes, might be true, but then read points 1-6 again)

8. A thief is a thief, don’t put up an open letter or disclaimer explaining your motivations. It’s plain and simple, you stole someone else’s work, claimed it for your own and are riding on the great (sometimes not so great but still great, if you get what I mean) work that the translator did. You don’t get to claim ownership for any part of it, even your edits. And once again, “original work belongs to the translators” without actually naming the translators? Fuck off.

9. God, I hate Wattpad and Instagram (okay sometimes Twitter but Twitter seems to be a halfway point) - The Sanctuaries for Lazy Content Thieves Where The Platform Endorses Their Shitty Behaviour

10. Aside from translations, I’ve also seen assholes stealing like shitposts and jokes - These are the hardest to prove as well and it’s almost impossible to claim ownership when someone steals your jokes. Thieves only wish they had as creative a brain as some of you (didn’t happen to me but to a mutual) do. The audacity. The audacity! if the work was actually done and paid and recorded, if TurnItIn.com was available for fandom posts, these thieves would be out of gas.

11. Fan translators are not obligated to answer to any of their readers when it comes to why they translated something a certain way. You don’t like it or don’t agree with it, simply ignore, close the tab and go find another translation you like, it’s that simple. Nowadays readers 1. Threaten/Diss the translator directly and rudely 2. Steal the work 3. Add their own spin on it without understanding the original content and say: Yay! Look at this I made it so much better so give me some attention 

*****

The point of this post is not to claim ownership over any fandom or content just because translators or Chinese-speaking/reading people in the fandom know the content better. It’s also not to say that non-Chinese speaking/reading people can’t enjoy, understand, have great discussions over original Chinese content, because just from MDZS alone you can see that they can. Of course there are also individuals who might not be able to speak the language but are familiar with Chinese culture etc. because they’ve studied or lived it well, or maybe they’ve actually watched decades of Chinese drama to be able to analyse it properly now, all that’s awesome. 

Also, I’m all for people who are learning Chinese (or any language for that matter) to translate something as practice. That’s great, that’s good, that’s to be admired!! 

It’s non-Chinese speaking/reading people who claim they know the original content better than translators without any discussions, claiming some superiority over the content because they think the translation is not done well enough without doing any of the ground work that I really have an issue with (and also the fuckers who steal of course XD).

*****

And unfortunately I had too much time on my hands today and got pissed off after seeing the tweet so some of you have to read through this drivel XD

[babypink-cowboy]

[Selfish] [P.2]

[Selfish] [P.1]

Summary: Prince Jeon Jungkook has been preparing to become king for the last 3 years of his life. While Jungkook feels as he has a good head on his shoulder, shows concern for his people, and tries his best to be a fitting substitute for his father, he can’t but feel lonely. 

With his father’s condition getting worse, Jungkook will now face his very soon reality of becoming king. Fully prepared to take on the weight of leading the Kingdom of Busan, until he meets his little sister’s new tutor. You were the kind of person that couldn’t help but be thought of all the time. So much so that he begins to lag behind on his royal duties.

But what about what happened during Princess Dae’s birthday celebration? Or how now you can’t keep Jungkook out of your head, even with the impending fate of him marrying someone else, you can’t seem to shake him.

Pairing: Prince!Jungkook x Tutor!Reader

Words: 4.8k 

           “Can I kiss you?” Jungkook asks, your heart sputters and your eyes widen.

           The prince wants to kiss me? Did I hear that right?

You lean towards him, standing on your tip toes, brushing your lips against his. “I would like that-“            

           “YOUR HIGHNESS!” An older man bursts out onto the balcony, you and Jungkook separate. The man’s suit slightly crumpled and he out of breath, “It’s your father, he’s collapsed.” You look at Jungkook, his face earlier was relaxed and calm, now it’s rattled with worry and stress.

           “Lead me to him, Beomseok,” he tells the older man, Jungkook turns to you, “I’m sorry to cut this short, miss Y/N,” he tells you and bows. Before you can thank him for the short evening you two had already had, he was gone. Brushing back into the castle and out of reach.

_

           “Thank you for walking me back to my room, Your Highness,” you thank the princess.

           “It’s perfectly fine, it is the most royal thing to do,” Dae says as you both walk down the halls. “And please stop calling me your highness, just call me Dae,” she tells you.

           You laugh a little, “Is this a royal sibling thing? Never wanting to be formally addressed?” you jokingly ask.

           Dae laughs too and nods, “It seems so, but I think it’s because we want to feel a little normal,” she tells you, sounding a little far away with her final comment.

           “You looked very lovely tonight, Dae,” you tell her to try and change the subject.

           The young royal smiles widely, “You think so? I had been looking for a dress like this for a while and then one day at one of the fittings, there it was, just sitting in the back,” Dae chatters on about her dress and what she picked for it to make it look extra beautiful.

           “You also looked lovely tonight, Y/N,” Dae compliments you, “It seems my brother also thought so,” she pushes. You smile and look at her, the little mischievous smile painting her mouth.            

           “What are you doing, Dae?” you tease, smirking back at her.

           She feigns innocence, “Oh nothing, just seems like Jungkook was having a good time at the celebrations for once, never seen him like that before,” she tells you. You know that these are just little pieces she is laying out for you to pick up and hold onto later. Something to marvel and think about later tonight.

           “Oh, we’re here already?” Dae says as you pause in front of your door, you nod and open the door.    

           “You will be okay going back?” you ask her and she nods.

           “Of course, I will be, goodnight,” she tells you and bows and leaves. You watch the girl walk down the hall until she becomes smaller and smaller until you can no longer see her. You close your door and lean against it. You can help the smile that breaks out onto your face.

           He wanted to kiss me. ME.

           You cannot help but laugh at yourself a little as you wrap your arms around yourself. You stand and sway side to side, trying to recreate the memory of Jungkook’s arms around you, what it’s like to dance with him, what he smelled like, how his voice sounded. You let yourself wonder to when he thought you could not tell that he was looking at you, taking in every piece of you as if you were going to disappear.

           You remember how his nose grazed your bare shoulder, you felt as if you might burn in the middle of the dancefloor. His hand on your cheek, his lips barely on yours, the tight warmth in your chest from earlier begins to bloom again.

           “You seem lonely, Your Highness.”

           “I think I am.”

           Your heart sinks a little. The way his face looked as you danced, he seemed so far away, but when you said his name he came right back. Jungkook isn’t sure if he’s okay, you don’t think he could be, but he so good at putting up that front. A front that has probably been built on top of for years now, no wonder no one can see through it. Everyone but Dae, and now maybe even you.

           You know you shouldn’t hold onto this, this small coin of hope. You don’t know what will come of this, but this is the first time you’ve felt enthralled about being the castle. Teaching is something you’ve always dreamed of, so getting to come to castle to tutor the princess was a high honor. Every day you have felt a weight of high expectations. You were from one of the outer villages, poorer than the rest but somehow you made it here. Now, the child of cattle farmers tutors the youngest royal and has the eyes of the other. Even with the uncertain future of where this little relationship could go, you still slip that small coin into your pocket, and in the back of your head you are wishing for it to multiple.

_

“ ‘Juliet: Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.’ ”

“ ‘Romeo: O, then, dear saint, lets lips do what hands do! They pray; grant thou; lest faith turn to despair.’ ”

“ ‘Saints do not move, though grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.’ ”

“ ‘Then move not while my prayer’s effect I take. Thus from my lips, by thine sin is purged.’”

“He kisses her,” you read, Dae’s expression is in complete focus, her back still perfectly straight but her hands are gripping the other with the strength of a vice. You glance at your watch, a gift from your mother that came in this morning, it’s 11. There is no Jungkook.

You smile sadly, “That is all for today,” you tell the young royal.

Her face drops, mouth pops open, “What? That’s all?” she asks you, her posture still unaffected.

           “Dae, do you have your own copy?” you ask her.

           She nods, “Yes, I do.”

           “So,” you begin, “why don’t you just read it yourself?” you finish.

           Dae looks down a little and plays with the layers in her gown. “Well, I like it better when you read,” she confesses.

           “And why is that?” you ask while putting the book away and checking to see if you remembered your lunch this time or if you forgot again.

           “Your voice is so much more prettier than mine, even though I’ve only begun my speech classes, I feel like I’ll never sound as pretty as you,” she tells you, her eyes still watching her fingers mess with the skirt of her dress.

           “Dae,” you say looking up and out of your bag, “You have a wonderful voice, I remember when I was younger every little girl wanted to be you, they wanted to look like you, dress like you, sound like you,” you tell her. Dae looks up with a small smile on her face, “You should know that you’re remarkable, your highness.”

           Dae smiles a little more. “Thank you,” she tells you. “Now go to lunch.”

           You laugh and grab your bag, you wave Dae goodbye, even though you will see each other within the hour. With your bag on your shoulder you head out of the library and towards the garden, with it finally being spring and warm again you can’t resist the temptation of being outside. A few minutes of walking brings you to the entrance, the guards recognize by now and open the door as you walk near.

           You nod as thanks and begin your walk around the garden. Bees are just now making an appearance, bumbling and bumping to the flowers. The butterflies are slowly making their way out, just little white and yellow ones fluttering about. It’s peaceful, this little stroll had become a part your everyday routine. When you’ve walked around for a bit, you sit on one of the benches and take off your shoes. With your shoes and socks hanging off of your fingers you walking in the grassy area of the garden, wiggling your toes into the thin blades. You finally settle onto a patch, crisscross your legs and pull out your lunch. You search through your bag, looking for the book you were reading for yourself, rice ball in your mouth and head in your bag.

           “Are you alright, Y/N?” a voice asks.

           You whip your head out of your bag, it’s Prince Jungkook, “Oof, M’ fif-“

Take the rice ball out of your mouth.

You tentatively take your lunch out of your mouth, “I mean to say, I’m fine,” you finally tell him. Jungkook smiles and lightly laughs.      

           “Well I only ask because you seem to be looking through your bag quite aggressively,” he tells you.

           You laugh, “ah, I was looking for my book, but I can’t seem to find it,” you tell.

           The little coin of hope in your pocket suddenly feels heavy as Jungkook watches you, “Would you mind if I stayed here with you?” he asks you. You feel yourself blush, the memory of dancing close to him hits you a little hard, leaving you a bit dazed. “Y/N, are you alright?” Jungkook asks, his face ghosted with concern.

           You shake your head a little, “Yes, I’m alright, please stay,” you tell him.

           “Thank you,” he tells as he settles down next to you.

It’s quiet, but it’s not awkward, thankfully. You silently offer him half of your lunch, he shakes his head, but you shake it a little at him. Jungkook smiles and nods, he takes one of the rice balls and pops it in his mouth.

           “Good thing I made them smaller today,” you say after you finish swallowing. Jungkook laughs and takes a piece of your seaweed and munches on it. “Can I ask why you’re not with Dae today?” you question.

           Jungkook nods and tentatively takes another strip of seaweed, “She said that she wanted to read,” he tells you. “She also told me that you would be here, so…” he trails off.

           “So, you came to stalk me?”

           “I’m pretty sure stalking is a lot less consensual,” he tells you, bumping his knee with yours.

           “I don’t hear any denial,” you say, smirking at him, your lunch forgotten in your lap. “So, the prince is a stalker, and a stalker of his little sister’s tutor, hm, who would’ve thought?” you tease him.

           Jungkook rolls his eyes playfully, “Would it be better if I got up and just stared at you from the entrance or even through one of the bushes?” he asks you, on the verge of laughing.

           “I mean it would make you a better stalker.”

           “I AM NOT A STALKER,” he playfully shouts. All staff and guards turn and look your way.

           You blush but can’t help when the giggles bubble over, Jungkook joins too and soon both of you are laughing until your stomachs hurt.

           “I don’t think you’re a very good stalker, Your Highness,” you say in between laughs.

           “And what makes you say that?” he asks you, holding his hand over his stomach.

           “Because,” you say as you finally catch your breath, “stalkers know how to be quiet,” you tell him. You let out a long happy sigh and lay down in the grass. You shove your hand into your bag and somehow you pull out your book.

           You open to where you last left off, “What is it that you are reading?” Jungkook asks, trying to get a good look at the cover.

           “It’s Jane Eyre, it’s a Victorian novel,” you tell him, “would you like me to read to you too?” you ask him.

           “Too?” he asks.

           You flip your book onto its face and place it on your chest. “Dae likes it when I read to her, sometimes she’s just like a little kid,” you tell him. “So, would you?” you ask him.

           Jungkook taps his finger against his cheek, feigning to think hard, “I don’t know, what’s it about?” he asks you.

You put your hands behind your head, just to make it a little easier to look at him. “Well, it’s about this woman, Jane and she becomes a governess to this man, Mister Rochester’s, daughter, they fall in love and try to get married-“

           “Try?”

           “Hush and you will find out.” You tell him, “then, well, maybe I shouldn’t go there, I have read it before and I don’t want to spoil it,” you finish, slightly biting your lip.

           Jungkook looks to be in actual thought now but he starts nodding his head. “It sounds interesting,” he says and makes his way onto his back and lays next to you. “Can you pick up where you left off?” he asks.

           You realize now that it’s seems very possible to pop with joy.

_

           For the last 3 days, you and Jungkook have laid out in the grass of the garden as you read Jane Eyre. You act as if you don’t notice Jungkook’s eyes following the shape of your lips more than the words on the page. You try not to grab his hand every time it comes close to yours. You especially try not to think about him after he walks you back to the library or when you go back to your room or during anything.

           “ ‘Had you ever experience of such a character, sir? Did you ever love such an one?’  

           ‘I love it now’

           ‘But before me: if I, indeed, in any respect come up to your difficult standard?”

           ‘I never met your likeness.” You read, Jungkook’s breath coming in soft puffs near your ear. You hold the book in one hand and flip your wrist to face you, it was almost time to go back to Dae and you haven’t eaten yet.

           You tilt your head towards Jungkook, “I think this is a good place to stop today,” you tell him and close the book, sitting up and putting it back into your bag. “Would you like some of rice balls?” you ask him.

           “Yes, I would,” he tells you and sits up, almost leaning onto you as you pull out your lunch. His fingers come up and pluck one of your rice balls and a piece of seaweed and you both happily and quietly chew your food.

           A quick breeze brushes by, unlooping your hair from behind your ear and into your face. Before you could push it back, you feel Jungkook lean into your back and feel his fingers gently push your hair back behind your ear. Just the tiny bit of contact has made you full, you want to turn and look at him fully and tell him how you feel.            

           “Jungkook,” you say as you spin to face him. He’s looking at you with that baby soft look, the kind of look that you have found out in the last couple of days that melts you into you-sized puddles. It shrinks the wide words on your tongue to only their vowels. It makes you feel as if you are the only one meant to see this face, know this face, cause this face.

           “Yes?” he asks.

           You feel your cheeks warm, and drop your head but quickly pick it back up with a smile, “Thank you,” you tell him.

           You can’t tell him how you feel, even if it is mutual, he’s a prince, you’re a tutor, there is nothing meant to be here.

           “Anytime,” Jungkook tells you and stands, offers you his hand, you take it.

           You both walk back to the library silently, not a bad quiet, just a quiet that has a million sparks running in it but you’re both a little scared that if you look at the other, you both just might explode. As you come to the library doors, you expect Jungkook to tell you goodbye or that he will see you again soon, but he doesn’t.

           “Y/N,” he says, you turn to look at him. The young prince takes your hand and kisses it. “Will I see you tomorrow?” he asks.

           You feel like your chest just might burst open from how warm and tight it feels, you nod, “Yes, see you then,” you tell him.

_

           You feel that little coin of hope bump against your hip as you walk to the garden. Dae had to get your attention this morning you were so high up in the clouds. You were trying not to run, you know that nothing much will happen today, maybe he’ll lean against your back again, the weight of him against you is a heavy but it is welcomed. Or he’ll tuck a strand of your hair back behind your ear or bump his knee against yours. Or nothing at all will happen, you will just read to him and pretend like you don’t want him to lean over and hold your cheek like he did at the Dae’s birthday celebration and ask you again to kiss him. You only think of this because if Jungkook did do that, asked you for a kiss again, there would be no hesitation.

           Before you just saw him at the prince, the future monarch, someone who you had only seen and heard of. Even when you first met Jungkook, though you found him extremely attractive because anyone who had met him or even gotten a glimpse of him had always said that he was handsome. But you were up close, you could see the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, but he only smiled like that for Dae. You could see how he could in a crowed room but can appear as if he is not even there. You could tell that he was lonely and that he was used to it.

           That was something that bothered you as you settled into your pillow and sheets at night, that if there was affection between you and the prince, was it just because he was lonely? And not because he found you interesting or different? What if you just filled up a part of him that no one had fixed for him yet? Jungkook is 22, there should be some kind of arrangement to marry him to someone, right?

           You cannot seem to shake the thoughts from your head as you settle into the grass, now the marked place where you and Jungkook lay. You let your fingers play in the grass, trying to wiggle the worry out through your fingertips.

           “You seem deep in thought,” Jungkook says, suddenly popping out of no where.

           Your eyes quickly jump to his, Jungkook has already settled down next to you, it’s hard not to see what he’s wearing. Instead of his normal military like suit, today he is in cotton white long sleeved shirt, that are tucked into his beige pants and matching shoes. “I didn’t hear you,” you tell him, laughing a little to hide the thoughts in your head.  

           He can’t read your mind.

           “You’re dressed very casually today, what is the occasion?” you ask him, taking your eyes off of him and to your bag instead.        

           “My father wants me to meet some other diplomats today, we’ll be riding out on the horses,” he tells you as he lays down in the grass. You grab the book and settle down next to him, thumb on the page where you both left off from yesterday. Jungkook looks down at you, “Riding in a uniform is not very comfortable,” he tells you with a smile and a laugh.        

           You can’t help but laugh a little back, your head almost on his shoulder, “Can I ask why you are meeting them? Or is that prying?” you ask him. You watch as Jungkook’s eyes look away from your face and dart around the garden, your stomach drops a bit.

           He looks back at you, smile on his face, “Just another meeting, different setting,” he tells you. You nod and open the page to where you all had left off. You don’t remember reading, just moving your mouth as you scanned the pages. This time Jungkook didn’t ask you any questions, didn’t bump your knee. When you both sat up and opened your lunch, Jungkook declined, and you didn’t push. When he walked you back to the library, he only bid you goodbye, didn’t kiss your hand. He just bowed and said, “See you tomorrow?” to which you just nodded.

_

           Tomorrow came, but Jungkook didn’t.

           You still read however, nothing had ever kept you from reading, a guy definitely won’t be the first. Even if he is a prince. You ate your lunch, but didn’t finish because you made enough for two. You slightly were hoping that Jungkook was just hiding on you, somewhere in the garden waiting for you to spot him. Then you could call him ‘a decent stalker’ and he would laugh and probably say that it’s what he’s been practicing lately. But he wasn’t.

           Another day passed, you and Dae have finished Romeo and Juliet and decided to move on to another Shakespeare play, Othello. Jungkook still hadn’t shown up in the garden, not even in the bushes, you checked. Opening up Jane Eyre, you felt a small pit of guilt form in your stomach, you ignored it.

           If he can’t be here, then he can’t be here. I’m not going to stop what I like to do just because he’s not here.

           “He’s a prince,” you mutter under your breath, “He’s busy, and that’s okay.”

           It wasn’t okay.

           Another day passes and still no Jungkook, you were almost at the end of the book, you read faster when you’re not reading aloud. But coming to end of this book felt different from any other time you had read it, or any book at all for that matter. You couldn’t deny it, you felt guilty for not reading the rest with Jungkook. The little coin of hope you knew you shouldn’t have been carrying around was now too heavy to keep. You only wish it would go away, like you could actually hold it in your hands, and just hurl it off one of the towers. Or skip it across a stream. Or just lose it.

           As you walked back to the library, Dae came running up on you, “Y/N! WAIT!” she called. You turn to see her with confusion on your face.            

           “What are you doing out here? We have to go back to class-“

           “I can’t.” she tells you, out of breath. “A bunch of diplomats and other important people showed up and I have to greet them all, be a princess,” she tells you. “It’ll take a while, plus father wants me to sit in on the mid-day meeting today, he’s never asked me to do that before,” she says. “I guess Kookie could be getting married,” Dae says, a little sadly. She looks up at you, you hold yourself together, you aren’t going to cry, even though you can feel tears already pricking at your eyes. “I’m sorry, Y/N,” Dae tells you, but you just shake your head and put on a smile.

           “Sorry about what?” you ask her, a little surprised by your voice not cracking, “Go be a princess, we have tomorrow,” you tell her, bow, and leave before anyone can stop you.

           You stayed in your room, didn’t peek out at all, not even for dinner. When you came back to your room, tears had already begun to slip down your face. Opening the door, closing it opened up the floodgates. You just couldn’t stop crying, Jungkook wasn’t even yours, he was just the boy you read to in the gardens and who would lean into your back to steal a rice ball even though you made extra just for him. He would tuck your hair behind your ear and would bump his knee with yours and you would pretend not to notice how he stared more at your mouth than listened to it. Jungkook was the boy who could make you laugh until your stomach hurt, he could make you feel like the only person in the whole kingdom. You make it to your bed, collapsing into it and curling underneath it’s sheets.

_

           A knock on your door startled you, you bolted up in your bed. Your head was sore and a little sting-y from all of the crying. You still felt like you could cry more, remember more as you wake up. The knock came again, still scaring you as much as the first time, forgetting what had woken you up. You get up and shuffle to the door, opening it.

           And there he was. And it hurts.  

           You swallow hard, “Your Highness,” you address.

           Jungkook’s eyes soften as he makes his way to hold you, “Please, you know I don’t like being called-“ but as he pushes towards you, you pull back. “That.”

           “I remember,” you tell him, “But that’s who you are, Your Highness, a prince and you should be addressed as such,” you say. “Good night,” you close the door, but Jungkook stops it.

           “Please,” he tells you, “Just let me in,” he says.

           You lean your head against the door, gritting your teeth to try and keep the tears at bay.

           Don’t do it.            Don’t do it.            Don’t do it.

           You pull the door open again and Jungkook looks up at you, relieved, until he sees your tears. This time when he pushes towards you, you don’t pull back. You let the door close behind Jungkook as he takes you in his arms. You curl your arms around his neck and bury your face in his shoulder. You want to yell at him, tell him to go away, be cold, be distant, be an island.

           But you can’t. You won’t.

           Jungkook doesn’t let you go as you sob into his shirt, he just rubs your back and hold your head as he whispers “It’s okay, it’s okay.” Your breathing evens out and you pull away from Jungkook slightly, only to have him push toward you again. He looks at you, his eyes full with desperation, of want, of question.

           “I’ve asked you this before but, can I kiss you?” Jungkook asks you quietly.

           You nod your head, and you feel his lips against your cheeks, your jaw, anywhere your tears have gone. Jungkook brushes he nose against yours and you look at him, the warm, tight feeling returning, but not in your chest, but in your toes, fingertips, eyelashes and nose. Jungkook lays his lips close to yours, but they don’t touch, he grazes over your mouth before finally gives into you.

           Your heart beats at million miles a minute, you can hear it in your ears and you know Jungkook must feel it too. He leans into you, putting a little weight onto as you both begin to shuffle back to your bed. You both fall down, breaking your kiss for only a moment before Jungkook comes back again.

           He’s betrothed, you need to stop!

           But you won’t. You’ve waited, wanted this to happen for days on end, now it’s here.

           You lean back on the bed, Jungkook follows, he begins to kiss down your jaw and neck. He pulls down your shirt over your shoulder and kisses it too. He trails over your collar bones and back to your neck where he begins to leave little hickeys. You push your fingers into his hair and tug gently on it, he responds by a sharp kiss. Jungkook makes his way back up to your lips and presses them together before breaking away and hovering over you.

           His eyes flicker down then back up at yours, he swallows hard, “I’m sorry,” he tells you. “My father has begun to arrange marriages for Dae and I,” he says, and your stomach drops, your head begins to hurt again. Jungkook wipes your tears that begin to slip from your eyes before you even realized they did. “There isn’t anyone-“

           “Yet,” you interrupt. “There isn’t anyone yet,” you repeat hoarsely, you squeeze your eyes close and try to breathe. “I don’t even know why I keep crying,” you say, Jungkook’s own eyes begin to look glassy. You push the both of you up, you almost sitting on top of him. “You’re not even mine,” you tell him as you gently place your hands on your cheeks, your thumbs wiping away his now falling tears.

           “How can I be so selfish?” you ask, laughing a little, but Jungkook wraps his arms around you. “Falling in love with someone who isn’t, couldn’t be, mine?” you continue as he gently rocks you back and forth.

           Jungkook rests his head on your shoulder, you play with the end of his hair as you slowly weep. “You’re not the selfish one,” he says, “I am.”

[fauzhee10069]

Caato’s Stand and its mechanism so far (Jojolion)

Caato’s Stand, which until now has not been named yet, often becomes the object of hype in its ability and discussion in its name. I’m also interested to discuss both, but maybe I will focus more on its ability.

As her character is heavily a reference of French playing cards, Caato uses her playing cards as medium for her Stand ability.

Caato can store objects between her cards, making them appear or disappear like a magic trick. The first object we saw when she demonstrated her Stand for the first time was a cellphone. The phone is smaller in width and length, making the cards able to fully conceal it.

The second time we saw her Stand, she tricked Joshu to tidy up her cards, indirectly hurting him by the impact of the chair she stored into her cards when he took the cards that were stacked. With this second demonstration, we can sort the mechanism of her Stand:

She can store objects between her cards, making them appear or disappear like a magic trick

Anyone can release the objects that were stored inside her cards

She can store the objects with size much larger than her cards

Another interesting thing here is that the chair came out of two separate cards, it makes me wonder of the possibility that she could separate parts of an object and release them separately. There are also two things that I see as another mechanism of her Stand, though it’s still hypothetically speaking as the scenes were just mainly implication:

How she hid the chair between her cards? Did she slam the chair between her cards? If so, why no one noticed her while doing it (taking out two decks of her cards and putting the chair between them)? Two people might not had noticed that moment: Daiya (due to poor eyesight) and Joshu (being too distracted), why did none of the rest of the family notice that? Which led to two assumptions:

Caato does not need to take out (use) the cards to hide objects, she simply needs to will it

She does need to take out the cards, it’s just the family being too oblivious to notice that

Or some of them might actually noticed that but kept silent because Joshu definitely deserved that (LOL), the scene was focused on him afterall. Anyway, I’m more into the later, this reunion scene with her is not to be taken too seriously (in gauging the actual power as it is not a serious Stand battle).

In addition, a crucial thing that is easily overlooked in Caato’s words: “there certainly are a lot of chairs in this house, so you wouldn’t notice if I hid one between my cards, would you?”

Considering the hype from her supporters who frequently compare her Stand with D4C because their "dimensional-based" ability and "caught-in-between" mechanism?

「D4C」 has access to different parallel worlds/dimensions, it can also pull other people or items to other dimensions.

But in the case of Caato’s Stand and her words: she took out a chair from her cards, a chair that belongs to Higashikata's house, which is in the same world as her and the family. In other words, Caato’s Stand does not cross between dimensions in its mechanism, therefore the hype that her Stand has the same ability and power as the 「D4C」 has not been proven!

Notice how the warden took Caato’s cards, the decks were slightly open but nothing came out from them, but a few panels afterwards we see Caato took out her cellphone from the cards. Why didn’t the warden accidentally brought out the phone? It’s either:

Only Stand users (like Joshu) who can release the objects stored there besides the user (Caato)

Caato can control the timing of the stored objects to be released (and anyone who can release it)

I’ll pick the later too. However, there is also the possibility of luck as the decks, that were slightly open, were not storing her phone atm.

Now, regarding the hype she gets, many readers compare her Stand with Valentine’s D4C for being dimension-theme, though currently Caato’s Stand is still paled in comparison with D4C. Let’s see how D4C is capable of:

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (D4C)

SBR chapter 75: D4C – part 8

Take a note that the info explicitly said that D4C can send both living being and inanimate objects into another dimension, therefore it’s not limited to person.

Valentine sent away a man into another dimension, the caught in between two objects part is what makes the readers comparing this with Caato’s Stand. This comparison also conceived the idea of Caato being the part 8 main villain. The time-based theme that incidentally became the pattern of main villains’ Stands in Ireneverse (part 1-6) causing the readers to think that the reboot/SBR verse (part 7 onwards) will have the main villains with dimension-based Stands (in which this is still unconfirmed and purely assumption).

But if you consider the ability-based as the pattern, you should consider the form-based as the pattern as well. What kind of Stand the main villains always have so far? It’s always the humanoid-type. I don’t think Caato’s Stand is a humanoid-type, it looks more like a tool or bound-type.

After that, we saw that Valentine can also send intangible/non-physical objects such as Stand attack (Johnny’s Tusk) to another dimension, besides physical objects. Actually, he was unable to do that in Johnny’s case as Johnny’s Tusk Act 3 can also move through dimensions, but he did try it, meaning that under normal circumstances (non-dimensional Stand attacks), he can do that.

What makes D4C different from Caato’s Stand?

D4C ability can only be done by Valentine alone

Valentine does not need a certain medium to use D4C, he can use D4C with any objects that are available to be slammed together (since his Stand manifests in humanoid form)

Unlike D4C, Caato’s words in chapter 58 implied that her Stand does not cross between dimensions in its mechanism

While people like to compare Caato’s Stand with D4C, I’d like to compare her Stand with Terunosuke's Enigma which I found more similar to.

Enigma

Enigma, in the form of folded paper, can store any objects inside it just like Caato’s Stand, however Terunosuke has to fold them inside the paper which kinda reminds me of Paper Moon King visually.

DIU chapter 142: Enigma Boy – part 4

He can also store the object that much bigger than the paper itself, when the biggest object Caato had stored so far is a chair, Terunosuke had stored a taxi car (including the driver, btw).

Just like Caato’s Stand, anyone can release the objects that were folded inside the paper. Not only that, it can also store intangible object such fire and electric currents there.

And a living object such animal (scorpion).

Enigma can also trap a living person in paper, however, Terunosuke must discover the habits the target displays when afraid.

DIU chapter 141: Enigma Boy – part 3

He can also transform himself into a paper, by bringing a gun, he can surprise the target who opens the fold and harm them.

Damaging the piece of paper results in an equivalent damage on said object or person inside it.

What makes Caato’s Stand similar to Enigma?

Storing the objects inside medium (playing cards & paper)

Both can store the objects with size much larger than the medium

Anyone besides the users is able to release the objects from the medium

Even so, I'm a little confused, about the difference between the two. Does Terunosuke keeps some papers as medium or transform the object/target into a paper (which is then folded)?

I think it’s more the later, he did transform Tomoko into a paper rather than engulfed and folded her inside a paper, whereas in Caato’s case, she likely brings her playing cards as tool for her Stand ability.

We have seen very little of Caato’s Stand, thus, it raises quite a number of questions regarding its full capability:

Can she store living object?

My guess is she can. It’ll be cool if we see her trapping someone with dangerous animals such as killer bees, snakes or scorpions, though I’m not sure if she can store a human being.

JJL chapter 107: Kaato Higashikata's "Attack"

UPDATE! Eventually, the new chapter of 107 has shown that Caato is capable to conceal her grandson Tsurugi. Then it can be concluded that she can hide living object between her playing cards (though I think) as long as her playing cards perfectly stack.

Can she store intangible objects as well?

I think it is possible, I can imagine her working together with Jobin in a Stand fight (if he survives in the next chapter). It’ll be cool fight as well.

Is it only limited to her special designed playing cards?

Caato’s playing cards do have unique design, the back of her cards have the Higashikata fruit seller mark. I’m not really sure but I guess this can be limited to her special cards alone. Why would she keep these decks and use her Stand through them? Perhaps if the playing cards aren’t that unique, she can use her Stand ability through any playing cards, but let’s see it more in the future.

The exclusiveness of Caato’s playing cards as medium for her Stand kinda reminds me of Hot Pants’ Cream Starter.

Which can be used by anyone besides Hot Pants and still functions even though its user is already dead.

Does it have its own (humanoid-like) form?

I think it's possible, even every ability (non-power) based Stand such as Fun Fun Fun, Vitamin C, California King Bed, Walking Heart, Blue Hawaii etc have it. I hope it has a cool design. However, Tsurugi’s Stand Paper Moon King also hasn't shown its humanoid form yet, even though we have seen a lot of its abilities. 

However, Caato’s Stand seems to depend on her special designed playing cards which made it more like a tool/bound-type Stand and I haven’t seen any bound Stand that has its humanoid form. 

Perhaps, we will be really able to determine the type of Caato’s Stand if we have a chance to see its abilities further in a serious Stand battle.

UPDATE! The new chapter of 107 has shown that her Stand has its own (humanoid-like) form:

JJL chapter 107: Kaato Higashikata's "Attack"

At this point, it was most likely that all of the Higashikata family’s Stands have their humanoid form, bar Tsurugi… but I think that 「Paper Moon King」 will also have its humanoid form which it just hasn't revealed yet.

Next related post: The True Mechanism of Caato’s Stand, 「Space Trucking」

At the same time, the name of Caato’s Stand was finally revealed as 「Space Trucking」, it follows the ‘KING’ tradition just like every member of Higashikata family (including Mitsuba who joined the family through marriage).

Hence the speculation below that there will be the word "queen" in its name or that she is an exception due to her disowned status has become pointless LOL:

The Name of  Caato’s Stand

And last, about the name of Caato’s Stand, many readers (and JoJotubers) have talked about it. Some proposed names that appeal to me are:

Queen(s) of The Stone Age

Styx’s Queen of Spades

Queen’s The March of The Black Queen

David Bowie’s Queen Bitch

But why “Queen” instead of “King” (which becomes a trend in Stand naming among Higashikata family)? Perhaps because she is considered to be an outsider to the family as she disgraces the family’s reputation (for getting into prison) and divorced with the head of the family.

I am most interested in Queen of Spades just because I really like the album artwork “Pieces of Eight”. I think I’m gonna draw Caato in that album artwork style if this becomes her Stand’s name. A Caatofag also said that the lyrics are really complimentary to the lyrics Norisuke IV’s Stand, Metallica’s King Nothing, as if they are singing to each other.

Read also:

JoJolion Cardspiracy: Caato & Damokan group

Is Caato a Rock-Woman?

How does the hype of Caato turn really bad?

Edited:

Changed the spelling of 「Kaato」 into 「Caato」because it’s Caato, not Kaato.

[dansnaturepictures]

08/08/20-Bee and buddleia in the garden and birds and butterflies on another scorcher at Farlington Marshes 

It was lovely to watch the yellow and purple buddleia in the garden before we went out today in very hot sun glowing nicely, seeing Large White butterfly and bees around it. I took the first picture in this photoset of bees and buddleia in the garden. 

This afternoon I made my return to the coast again this year after an obvious gap in going there due to strict lockdown, visiting the coast for the first time since we went to Portland and Lodmoor in Weymouth, Dorset the culmination in principle of our splendid June week off which kicked off here at Farlington Marshes. On the hottest of days once more today it felt so good to make the most of being at the coast and the sea air. I just loved seeing everything look so blue and pure and I liked the almost creamy look of the landscape with the hot and bright sun sitting nicely on the edge of the clouds all walk with some interesting cloud formations in the air too. I took the second, third, fourth and fifth pictures in this photoset the views here today, as well as the eighth of some seaweed (or similar) very visible in some incredibly clear water beside the sea wall. 

As we walked along the sea wall I was very happy to see a big and erratically flying butterfly come towards us, we just made out it was a Painted Lady. It was the first time I had seen this iconic migratory butterfly species this year after seeing them again and again last summer in a boom year where I did see one here. This made me very happy they are a special butterfly and never one I’m guaranteed to see in a year. But to fall flat after last year with them would have been sad. It’s butterfly 41 of my year which I am so thrilled with it’s only one butterfly behind the amount I saw in 2018 so I still have a shot at making my butterfly year list my second highest ever behind last year which is something it would deserve for how lucky I’ve been that its been this good. It was my first butterfly year tick since Chalkhill Blue at Stockbridge Down four days sky of a month ago so it was nice to tick off another species. 

What’s more it was the only butterfly that you can submit sightings for in Butterfly Conservation’s ‘Big Butterfly Count’ which I had yet to see whilst doing it this year. I was able to include this in a big butterfly count today so it’s the first time I have ever counted every single species at least once over the course of this survey in the summer so this felt amazing. Elsewhere in the count I saw 7 Gatekeeper, 5 Small Heath, 3 Meadow Brown, 2 Common Blue and Large White, 1 Small White and 1 Peacock. 

We saw some top wading birds on the lake, including many splendid bronze plumaged Black-tailed Godwits, full plumage Grey Plovers and lovely looking always Greenshanks in big numbers. As we walked around the sea wall we came to a nice piece of reedbed where we got a cracking view of a Sedge Warbler. It was great to see one of my favourite birds and what’s more for a second time in a year after my first of the year at Common Marsh in June. These days I do rather often only see them once in a year or the second might be when it’s a bit easier too when watching the BTO ring them in the demonstration at the Bird Fair at Rutland Water. So it was good to see one twice this year, and even more positive in a sense this coming here and Common Marsh and not along the River Itchen at Shawford where I saw them the last two years as it broadens where we can rely on to see them when the time comes in years now. I also saw a gorgeous Hobby fly over the lake putting all the birds up from here. 

As we had a nice walk along the sea wall we saw loads of orange erratically flying butterflies that were a little smaller flying around the grass, the dirt and the wall and even out to sea. They could only be Wall Browns, a butterfly we had seen that day in Portland but didn’t get the very best of looks at with it flying over the bill car park. But today there was no doubt these were Wall Browns and it was fantastic to see them again they are so beautiful. One of our most prominent species of butterfly really. They frequent this kind of raw, relatively bare/short grassed habitat often by the coast. They do seem to have had a burst out in this hot weather judging by social media. This was special though as this is the first of the species I have ever seen in my home county Hampshire. This is a species I first saw in Pembrokeshire, Wales in a perfect coastal path location for them and saw them again and again there and it was mind blowing enough finding out they were about in neighbouring Dorset at Portland in 2016 and Durlston in 2017 I’ve seen them in Dorset between those two locations mainly Durlston every year since but to actually have them in my home county is something else as I associated them as a far away species really. I really was so lucky to see so many of then today what an experience. All of this really underpinned what I’ve learnt the last couple of years and our last visit here in the late spring that this nature reserve we’ve always known for birds is a fantastic location for butterflies too with so many about in the season. It does stand to reason actually as its renowed for its rare and varied grasses I was once told on an information tour round there. 

We walked in the grassy cut through and were happy to see and hear hundreds of Starlings probably noisily chatting and flying and piling into trees. A hive of activity which it was fun to witness many flew over our heads. I took the seventh picture in this photoset of some in trees. There were also quite nice large groups of Oystercatcher flying high over us against the blue sky at this point which was lovely to see too. I took the sixth picture in this photoset of them no Farlington visit is complete without this bird the last few years I’ve found, and ninth and tenth pictures of Meadow Pipit and Redshank both on posts nearby to each other it was great to see them both stars of Farlington too especially the former which I saw my first ever of here in 2007. A brilliant way to safely spend a very hot day today I did really enjoy it. 

Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first Painted Lady of the year, four of my favourite birds the Little Egret, Shelduck including a young one, Sedge Warbler and a Buzzard that like a Carrion Crow sat on the same pole for the entire visit pretty much which was memorable, Hobby, Goldfinch, Starling, Linnet, Rock Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting, Woodpigeon, a cracking view of a Swallow right beside my head over the sea, Herring Gull, Great Black Backed Gull; Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Mallard, Moorhen, Canada Goose, Redshank, Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Grey Heron, Wall Brown, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Peacock, a dragonfly could not quite see which with how fast it flew and moths.

[chaotickidcat]

true...but what if your such white fucking trash garbage and do not deserve her? And that you know that your such a piece of shit and no one deserves you or the BS. So how can somebody love a piece of shit not worth anything but shit 24/7. Would love to change and that for a while now. I stopped coke and porn and would love to fully stop drinking and smoking but I simply can't I need help and willing to accept help since i really would love to change and make her happy she deserves to be happy every minute of the day. And even if the whole fucking Internet hates me I acctually do not give a shit about your diss Orgy here. I Love her...and I really do ! Ok true Boobs are negotiable and if you realy love your wife you woulden't want her to run around with 2160cc.. but I admid I love big tits the bigger the better. I do not understand the problem here and that the WWW is trying to make me feel guilty. I see it this way I respect everybody's sexual Orientation if Gay Trans what so ever! You can have your little 19 years old boyfirend with 65 who cares...! (not ok with pedos though) you can have objectophilia and love the Busstation or your favorite tree or your VIBE. I think if I can bring up the respect and the tolerance so can you and I do not think it's asked to much if you expect something from me to at least give the same in return. I admid I love her breast... there are countless Men out there who dream of having such a wife. I NEVER FORCED her to do this NEVER ! I said I cold live with it and also without since we got a TON of PORNStars out there in the WEB. No my wife said she is not happy that I watch porn sometimes and I admid the truth the whole coke was messing this up big time aswell..true. I asked her since several weeks if she really wants to spend that cash on the tits. I said lets do your USA trip instead and if you feel like doing your boobs we can see Dr Revis and than still have more than 1/2 of the cash we spend on Dr Plovier. My wife was telling me she had pain in hr right breast so an OP was acctually inevitable. I asked her if she would like to reduce her breast instead..she said no. She even insisted and said I love em and I am used to them it would feel like she would miss something. So we decided together so see Dr Plovier since he is europes leading expert in this field of expertise. She decided to go and even came up with nearly 18.000 euros we spend on that trip and I have my doubts where the money came from. Now I acctually even refused going and said we should not do that its too much money. I love you with or with out tits and I really do. Some dreams shoud simply stay dreams. I even refused to go with her to Belgium and said let's not do it and if you still want to go on your own than take your friend mdm Garcia with you fo rtranslating. I even offerd her to take care of all her expenses if she would go. This totally broke out into a serious discussion. I said I prefer you to stay the way you are now than having all the men in this World trying to take you from me. I do not wanted to loose her. Though I admid I said... since your always complaining about housework and me gaming she would have the perfect Arguments do anything she asked me for and I mean who the fuck would want to play  Sony Playstation or WOW if she says .. hunney please could you ..Hell I would and I would run. Yes. So now after the Surgery. I asked her everyday like at least several hundred times if she is ok if she can handle it because if not we are still in Belgium and he can do them smaller. I seriously did evryday. I said we can call the Surgens office and simply decrese the volume since that is perfectly do able with expanders thats what they are made for. If too big you can simply decrese volume within in minutes with no further surgery. She denied the whole week. and she really did not want to. I admid I feelt a bit guilty but I was also totally hyped by her breasts and let my self a bit go on Twitter but I asked her if she is ok with it she said yes. And well She got me there with you guys for the 1k likes eventhough that no number compared to pine subs and Likes and views. I married her at the time in a real bad situation it was raining ... really pooring shit down on us from her ex for nearly 6 years. The Kids have been traumatised and that far far more that what ever you guy's say I did. I mean there father pushed it so far that they had to go into Childcustody and that was not because of me! I was not parrent yet ... I was simply ..voila... there you go now handle it! I had no fucking clue about parenting at the time and tryed to help and that made things even worse. But when ever I had to take the fall for her due to her Ex italien boyfriend (and boy! they can be far more exhausting than any White trash Daddy on this planet AMEN.) The Kids are not easy aswell and every week for over years.. seriously years I had to start over bulding up the relationship to them. Again and again and again...rinse and repeat and I did. Usually you grow into parenting and you're usually not just getting haveing 4 Kids and everything instantly but I love her and said I do my best and try hard. That's all I was able to do . I really meant it in a good way and wanted to help her since 4 Kids for singel mother is very though to handle.     Now my wife wished for Persephone another child it was the deepest wish from her heart...so I gave in to do the artificial fertilization procedure several times aswell. No husband who loves his wife woud say no to her biggest wish from her heart. Right?! So now I was really excited and also shit scared and paniced a couple of times..true. But I was at one point not able to cope with the whole situation anymore. Now... when I moved in with her I stopped coke at the time coz of her kids..thats true..but it's stilla major brainfuck sometimes if this little voice inside of you talks to you. So I did not even know anybody to get it from in the new town  I moved in with her . I swear its the truth since I really wanted to help her and really loved her and if I have to climb down the biggest Swiss Mountain in Town for her.. I would do it and litterally did it... and I would do it again. Anytime. So now the Mountain I am facing at the moment is bigger than anything else I had to handle before and I will take time... I am incapeable to change over night eventhough I wished I could. My depressions and my my constant fear to loose her just is totally messed up and emotionally its a hard fight with myself. Love is worse than drugs sometimes I makes you do things you probably would never do otherwise. And due to my emotional disorder (hey everbody got his handycap at one point so dont give me shit for that please. I was born with this disorder I did not choose to have it. Now I am not really sure if I should thank the Internet for this wake up call or give in into my depressions again. I am not sure yet I will have to sleep over it. So now since she removed the Implants and you have Posted the Photos... Now I would like to know one last thing?! If she already had a new Boyfriend and he moved in with her since a couple of month and lives with her.. than why the hell did she do the augmentation and She new exactly what she was doing. She could have said no. She could have at any given time tell the nurses or Dr Plovier that she would only like to minimal increase of even dercease since she was complaining about pain in her chest. Now the pain in her chest did not come from the implants themselfs... DR Plovier told me we where lucky to come and see him since if it would have gotten worse she would have lost her breast and this is due to cheap surgery done in Serbia. And hell believe me ... I was totally not ok with serbia since she wanted to do the T cut and that would def. made her unhappy in long term: I mean its about beeing well and feeling better and butcher her Breast in a Warzone Sugery room form the beginning 80's. SHe wanted and insisted to do it since it was affordable and her friend Dijana was with that surgeon aswell. She really insited to do it with me or without me. That's the response I got from her at the time. I really want to set things straight here .. I have never forced anything... it was her desicion and she wanted to do it and even got this hughe amount of money for it. Me and my hardcore Alcoholic Prof. friend both told her... to do the USA trip instead she always wished for and we take the kids along and stay a couple of weeks. It would fullfill her 2nd biggest dream after Persephone. So as I mentioned before... i would never say no to her dreams and always support them. Since you shoud live your dreams right?! Both the Prof and her argued that ist not possible with covid to travel through the US and my wife wanted to go to Belgium. I repeat never ever forced anything or her to do anything she is not ok with. I am a piece of shit yes and do not deserve her yes but eventhough I got Limits. Very hard for you guys to undderstand that now and to believe but it's the truth. So now... since the Situation is clear and she already lives with her new boyfriend since month and left me piece of scumbag Whitetrash and with your Super Internet pintree fiasco Shitstorm or let's call it Whitetrashstorm and..though yes I appreciate your help and the fucking wake up call bell you guys just simply smashed down on my head.. which I agree I totally deserve... But since this country is smaller than and has less Citizens than ANY of your Pinetree accounts you so surepass the 8million views and I am Nationwide Nr 2 BIGGEST LOOSER WHITETRASH Example exisiting now besides the Ideot who did the Swiss Porn Snychornisation... I will not find a Job that easy anymore. So since chris clun did brillant work... a bit exagurated at times but it's still funny and yes ..I really translated all the 1600 videos.. I really did. So now the whole World tells me to move my ass..I can not afford going back to IT school eventhough I would really want to graduate and I know that I am capable to do it .. I came untill the Finalexam but did not have the required apprenticeship in an IT comapany and therefore got got accepted with turned out me bing drunk and fucking shit up even worse  and even if my Mother said I have Math problems ..(which I acctually do not but simply didn't give a shit in Highschool about Calculus Class) am missing the cash and I will not be able to get a Job in that field that easyl but I will take my chances and try best since I have to come up with child support now and will face a Divorce... So now hear me cry... LOUD! I lost my CHILD (this hurts me very badly and giving birth to a 5 child to grow up with out Father was my greates fear ..Since I really did not have an trational Dad aswell..teaching you how to drill or see you play at a golf tournament. Or give me the needed drill..and holy shit yes.. he maybe should have kicked my lazzy ass HARDER !!! But unfortuneatly I had no opputunity and not the Luck and yes fucked up childhood. My father was working to provide my Mother the most Luxury lifestyle ever ! My Mother lived a Life back in the day shoud would have been most famous Instagram HIgh socity lady exisiting and it was easyier so send me to bording school with emotinal disorder in an Bording School and the only currency  in that Private School at that time was cocain and bitches.(Danke Ari das Du mich mit diesem scheiss Zeug angesteckt hast) The ritch Russian guy's where the only Opportunity to tripple my pocket money at the time wich was moderate but not exaggurated. I mean 100 bucks Week in Switzerland is like nothing. I could barely pay my Cigarrets with this money but no chance for out of plan Socialactivity like spending time with School friends in a Pub if I could not afford my Pepsi. Furhtermoe I would like to mention that I never drunk Alcohol not even wine or beer or whats so ever untill my 30th Brithday. My parents know that ! It all started with my Prof totally loosing it with his wife at the time and bascially lived with me for nearly 1 year, he simplay always was around. And he startet to drink exessively and since I concidered him my best friend at the time.. I played along to not let my only bro down. So now this drinking smoking and coking up to help him since he was a total wrack at the time.. useless unable to work things even got worse not able sitt straigh beeing so brainfucked by his Wife.. it was simply overkill for him. Now the drinking becaume somehow slightly and unknowingly a habit..it kind of sneaked in our lives without us even really realising and that's really bad because its not easy to to quit an habit once it's becamme a comman standard. I alwys feelt guilty for him to be honest and last Week when he came over for a visit he was drunk with in 15min I mean totally not even able to hold an conversation and man ..thats so sad. You did not see your friend for a while and are not able to talk with him its like instant drunk and usually he hurst himself in that state or passed out in the wild some where and that hurts me. Really it does. I seriously do not drink if he comes for a visit to be prepaired for the wort csae scenario. My Wife knows that.   I lost my family !!! I lost the Love of my Life !!! and I Lost my dignety and my life in Switzerland. I lost all my friends!!! I am Isolated due to beeing a piece of shit !!! Eventhough... I still resisted to take any drugs today since I kinda feelt shit is coming GREAT AGAIN. And my Fear of loosing her and my familiy made me really jealouse and jealousy... drives me sheer mad...insane. It's the most difficult Emotion for me to handle and the more I tried so set things in the right way again and fought for her Love the more it seperated us. And I am not able to handle this like apperently the wohle fucking World can and is soo easy .. but for me ..it is not. It's the hardest thing ever since that's what triggers my Voice telling me do return to old bad habits. It is a vicious cicle and is the most powerfull Deamon inside of me to fight with. NOW .. THE WHOLE FUCKING WEB tells me to move my bloody whitetrash ass and...just do it... But with the Divorce and the emotional stress coming with it.. again is the perfect condition again to drop back into old habits. It's very hard to break this Cicle and will be extremly challenging and will have serious side effects but who cares I am totally fucked up a bit more or less will not matter in my condition at the moment...right?! Emotionally I seriously doubt that I can change over or the next couple of weeks. I will though offically promise to do my best and try as hard as I can to work on me and my whitetrashflixmyvista little white Kartoffel boy ass and already made a little progress it's not much but hey..you got to take the first Step and everything starts with the first Step. Now please ...tell me why did my wife do the Surgery if she did not wanted to do it and already lives with a new Boyfriend together since month wihtou me knowing, We could have spared us the money and all the emotinal bullshit and this Shitstorm. all the lies and all furious outbreaks beeing scared to loose her... since hope dies last right? Maybe the situation would not be that fucked up as it is now. And my child growing up with a different dad.. I wish her and my child and her familie all the best and really hope that she finally get a good man who is capable of what i am sheer uncapable. My Exwife deserves it. The only thing I ASK TO YOU ALL... are 2 things... 1) Please tell my daughter that her Father really loves her and it's not her fault. And that I am very very sorry form the deepest bottom of my heart. I will never be able to make this up to her so please give my wife an helping hand and my Child. and 2) Guy's  I know I have to change myself and work hard on me and I know nobody can do this for me...but eventhough the WHOLE WEB hates me knwo and I am branded as Whitetrashdaddy world wide NR 1 (which is accutally quite a title compared to couple of rednecks and Hillbillys out there) I would appreciate a little help here. Yes flame me destroy my Life even more than I did untill now... But I really want to change but I could use a helping hand here...and hey no matter my mistaked and how hard they are... even me the biggest European Whitetrash Kartoffel piece of shit dirtbag...deserves a 2nd chance to set things straight and to be able to pay my child support. She at least ... deserves it. Now I am very sorry and I am very touched and hey thank you for the wakeup call..extrem people need extrem measures right. I hope that at least partially all of you in the WEB and my Exwife can forgive me.. I never had bad intensions towards her or any of you. For those you can not forgive me...fuck you !!! 2160xtimes !!! Do your meams... and do what you got to do and flood the net with my pathetic letter here. Do what you got to do...I deserve it and will take it like a man. But please be moderate and keep my disorder in your thoughts...please do not push it that far that I will do something incredible stupid. My child deserves a Father eventhough if I am shit and incapeble at the moment. I keep faith in that one day I will be able to be a good Father for her. Now thank you all for your time reading this. And hey I've ever somebody is willing to writ a book about how Hardcore Swiss Pirvate Bording Schools have been thoughtout the 90's..let me know I got stroy's to tell better than any Hollywood movie. The crazziest shit always happens in real life any maybe it's good warning for Parents to rethink and not do the same mistakes my Parents did. Thank you.

[thelastspeecher]

Recoil - Chapter 4: Squib Load

Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3   Chapter 4   AO3

I was too busy working on my thesis last week and getting sick this week to upload this chapter.  The fic is already written, but it takes time to post, especially since I sometimes edit while I’m posting it.  But!  It is here.  And things go from bad to worse...

(Again, this fic was inspired by “1 Step Forward, 20 Years Back” by @infriga)

Squib load (noun): a firearms malfunction in which a fired projectile does not have enough force behind it to exit the barrel, and thus becomes stuck

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              Stan paced anxiously by the side of Ford’s bed, glancing at Ford every now and then.  Ford was sleeping peacefully, his chubby, cherubic face particularly angelic.  Stan scowled.

              He has no right to look so relaxed when he did this to himself.  Why the hell did he eat that plant?  He knows better than that!  Hell, I know better than that, and I’m a dumbass.

              “Yer bound to wear a hole in the floor like that,” a voice said.  Stan spun around.  Fiddleford had returned from his house.  He handed the plastic bag he was holding to Stan.  “That oughta fit him.  Yer lucky that I’m a bit of a hoarder.  Children’s clothes are expensive.”

              “I know,” Stan mumbled, thinking back to some of the price tags he’d seen at the mall, what felt like years ago.  “Why didn’t his clothes shrink with him this time?”

              “The cause was dif’rent,” Fiddleford said.  Stan rolled his eyes.

              “Yeah, I got that, Fiddlenerd.  I’m complaining, not actually asking a question.”  Stan set the bag down next to the bed.  “It looks like he’s done shrinking, at least.” Stan looked at Ford again.  “No clue how old he is now.”  Fiddleford crossed over to the bed and sat on the edge. He stroked Ford’s hair out of his face.

              “I can’t give ya an exact age, but he looks to be ‘bout three.  Maybe a young four or an old two.  Depends on whether he was larger or smaller than average as a child.”  Fiddleford looked at Stan expectantly.  Stan shrugged.  “Well, the range of old two to young four ain’t exactly an easy one.  If ya thought he was difficult ‘fore, he’s goin’ to be extra difficult now.”

              “Why did that plant do this to him?” Stan asked.  Fiddleford let out a heavy sigh.

              “I don’t know, and I won’t until I get a chance to observe it more closely. Unfortunately, Stanford was the one who knew biology.  Combine the fact I ain’t that knowledgeable in the first place with the current state of my mind and ya wind up with someone tryin’ to shoot with both eyes closed.”

              “You figured out what was going on with the energy whatever,” Stan protested. Fiddleford shook his head.

              “Stanford collected most of that data hisself.  And it was regardin’ a machine’s impact.  This time, it’s a plant’s impact.  My knowledge on plants is strictly from growin’ up on a farm. That plant wasn’t alfalfa or an apple tree.”  Ford made a small noise and rolled over.  Fiddleford smiled faintly.  “These are terrible conditions, to be sure, but I’m a sucker fer a cute face.”  Stan sat on the edge of the bed as well, watching Fiddleford watch Ford.

              There was no doubt that Fiddleford was a loving, caring father. He radiated an aura of gentleness while he looked at Ford.  Stan felt an ugly jealousy unfurling in his chest, thinking of his own childhood.  Dreading the sound of heavy footsteps on stairs, being ignored until he succeeded or, more often, screwed up.

              Why is this hick who looks like there’s a chicken nesting in his hair a better dad than I got?  Fiddleford looked up.  He furrowed his brow thoughtfully.

              “Somethin’ wrong?”

              “No, just-”  Stan looked away and tried to fight back his sudden irritation.  “Just thinking about when we were this small before.”

              “Ah.”  The sound was small, but full of understanding.  Stan looked back at Fiddleford.  “I ain’t privy to the details, but Stanford told me a few things ‘bout his – your – parents.”  Fiddleford gazed down at Ford.  “I forget sometimes that not everyone had a ma and pa that took care of ��em as well as mine did.  When ya grow up with somethin’, ya tend to not realize that there are folks who don’t have that thing.”  The jealousy that had arisen out of nowhere began to settle into a low simmer.

              Right.  The reason why he’s a good dad and Pops wasn’t is because this guy actually cares about other people.  And he had a good dad, so he had someone he could copy. It was like a stone had been tossed into Stan’s stomach.  It’s for the best I haven’t had kids yet.  Maybe I shouldn’t ever.  It’s not like I had someone who could show me how to do it right.

              “What’s in the past is in the past,” Fiddleford said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.  Stan snorted.

              “Sounds like something someone who had a good past would say.”

              “Or it’s somethin’ someone would say if they’re beginnin’ to learn the hard way that they need to find a healthy way to move past negative events,” Fiddleford said sharply.  Stan raised an eyebrow.

              I touched a nerve, didn’t I?  The urge to keep pushing was strong, especially since Fiddleford had been strangely specific.  Stan fought back that urge.  Don’t. If you push him, he might leave. And if he leaves, you’re stuck with three-year-old Ford and no idea how to take care of him, let alone cure him. Stan frowned, a stray phrase that Fiddleford had mentioned earlier suddenly catching his attention.

              “What did you mean by your ‘current state of mind’?” Stan asked. Fiddleford stilled.  “You’ve mentioned it before.  That your brain isn’t what it used to be.”

              “That’s private, personal business,” Fiddleford said tightly.

              “Not really, if it’s gonna make curing Ford more difficult.”  Stan had touched another nerve.  Fiddleford’s jaw clenched.

              “Then it serves him right, ‘cause his actions ‘re what led me to it,” Fiddleford growled.

              “So it has to do with whatever happened between you and Ford,” Stan said. Fiddleford nodded reluctantly. “What was it?  Bad breakup?” Stan joked.  Fiddleford completely froze, every muscle tensed.  Only his eyes moved, darting back and forth like a bee trapped inside a room.  Stan could practically hear the gears frantically turning in Fiddleford’s head. Finally, Fiddleford relaxed.

              “No.”

              “…That’s it?  That’s all you’re gonna say?  ‘No’?”

              “What more do ya want me to say?”

              “I want you to tell me what happened with you and Ford.  And why it might make curing him more difficult. You might have a beef with him and I do too, but he’s still my brother, okay?  I want him to get back to normal!”  Stan began to pick up steam as he spoke, physically shaking by the time he bit off his last word.

              “Fine.”  Fiddleford carefully pulled Ford’s blanket higher, covering Ford’s shoulders.  “I’ll tell ya.”  His voice was soft but firm.  He looked up at Stan, meeting his eyes unflinchingly.  “But only if ya tell me in turn ‘bout yer own issues with him.”

              “Hell, no,” Stan said immediately.  “That’s my business.”

              “It’s only fair fer you to share with me, if I have to share with you.”

              “Your shit is relevant to the situation!  Mine isn’t!”

              “So you don’t think that there’s even a slight chance Ford might use whatever bad blood is between the two of ya as a weapon?” Fiddleford shot back. “He’s a toddler.  Toddler’s aren’t exactly known fer their self-control, and honestly, Ford wasn’t particularly good at that as an adult!  He’ll get frustrated at some point and use it against ya, to get ya to back down or hurt yer feelin’s ‘cause he’s upset he can’t stay up past eight!  It might not be relevant in the same way, but that don’t mean it ain’t!”

              “You goddamn fucking-” Stan started.  Ford let out a loud groan and began to move.  Stan and Fiddleford froze.  Stan belatedly realized that his voice had been getting louder, as had Fiddleford’s.  Fiddleford seemed to have come to the same conclusion.  Once Ford stilled again, Fiddleford got up.

      ��       “Maybe we should have this conversation in the living room,” Fiddleford said quietly.  “A toddler is one of the worst people to wake up from a nap.  A toddler who will wake up and know he’s not supposed to be one?  Bound to be even worse.”

----- 

              Stan entered the kitchen.  Fiddleford looked up from the papers scattered across the kitchen table.  Stan held up the bottles he had found.

              “Time to get liquored up!” he said cheerfully.  Fiddleford raised his eyebrows.

              “You can.  I think I’ll avoid imbibin’ fer a while.”  He pointed at a cup sitting next to him, likely leaving water rings over everything. “I’m fine with my water fer now.” He looked back down at the papers, frowned, and picked one up.  “I don’t need to mess up my mind with alcohol.  It’s a bit like a hamster in a wheel as it is.”

              “Suit yourself.”  Stan opened a pantry and grabbed a glass tumbler, then poured amber liquid into it from one of the bottles.  He picked up the glass and sniffed the liquid experimentally.  “Hmm.  Smells like some fine whisky.  Ford’s got good taste.”  Stan joined Fiddleford at the table.  Fiddleford set down his piece of paper.

              “So.  Tell me about yer history with Stanford,” Fiddleford said, nonchalant.

              “One sec.”  Stan gulped down half of his glass of whisky.  “All right.  Ford and I were best friends when we were kids.  Mom would call us ‘joined at the hip’.  We…”  Stan trailed off.

              You don’t need to spill the whole thing.  He doesn’t need to hear it.  Stan cleared his throat.

              “But when we were in high school, Ford made this science fair experiment. All of a sudden, colleges were looking at him like he was gonna solve world hunger or cure cancer or whatever. He decided that he wanted to go to one of ‘em.  I was pretty pissed, ‘cause we always planned on doing stuff together when we were finally old enough to leave New Jersey.  And I went to go yell at his experiment about it.”  He managed a weak laugh.  “Like that was gonna help.”

              “Better ‘n yellin’ at Stanford,” Fiddleford said, his tone carefully neutral.

              “Not really.  I bumped a thing, something fell, and the damn machine broke.  I tried to fix it, but I couldn’t.”  The memory filled him with a hot, pulsing shame.  “That screw-up screwed up his shot at going to a fancy school out west,” Stan finished.  Fiddleford nodded.

              “I knew he was bitter ‘bout not gettin’ to go to West Coast Tech, but I never knew why he didn’t go there.”  Fiddleford rolled his eyes.  “He complained about it all the time at Backupsmore.”

              “He- wait, you went to college together?”

              “We were roommates.”

              Oh my god, they were roommates.

              “Even if he got into West Coast Tech, I doubt he’d have enjoyed it.  That school might be years ahead of the general population in terms of technology and science, but it’s way behind in…how should I say it?  Social progress.”

              “Sounds like you have experience with them.”

              “A bit.”  Fiddleford took a drink of water, his eyes stormy.  “I got in.  West Coast Tech accepted me to their engineerin’ program.  But then they found out somethin’ personal about me.  Don’t know how.  Maybe some spiteful feller from my high school told ‘em.  But it don’t matter.  Once they found out, they decided they didn’t want to be associated with my ‘lifestyle’.”  Fiddleford etched quotation marks in the air, a distinctly sour look on his face.

              “They couldn’t rescind my acceptance over it,” Fiddleford continued. “I mean, they could’ve.  But my ma was a lawyer ‘fore she married my pa, which they knew, ‘cause I mentioned it in my cover letter.  So they knew I’d make a stink over it.  Them backin’ out on their decision to accept me over a rumor.” Fiddleford swallowed.  “A rumor that was true, but I didn’t confirm it to ‘em. I ain’t always wise, but I ain’t dumb, neither.

              “They didn’t want to deal with the bad press, so they quietly changed the rules fer financial aid.  When I first got in, I qualified fer all sorts of grants and scholarships. Practic’ly a full ride.  But after they changed the rules, I didn’t qualify no more.  And without financial aid, I couldn’t go.”  Fiddleford downed the rest of his glass.  “They effectively shot me in the legs.  Didn’t kill me, but wounded me enough that I couldn’t go on.” Fiddleford’s voice broke. “Absolute horseshit, the lot of it.”

              “I’d agree with that,” Stan said solemnly.  Fiddleford sighed.

              “Anyways, I doubt Stanford would’ve thrived in an environment like that.” Fiddleford shook his head.  “Never mind.  Was that the end of yer story?”

              “…Basically,” Stan said.  Fiddleford took off his small reading glasses and busily rubbed at them with his sleeve. “I don’t know how that’s gonna help you clean those.  Your shirt’s even dirtier.”

              “Hmph.”  Fiddleford set his glasses down on the table.  He locked eyes with Stan.  Without a thin layer of smeared glass covering them, his eyes were a bright shade of blue, something that took Stan by surprise.  He wasn’t completely sure why it startled him, but nonetheless, it did. “What happened when Stanford’s machine was broken?”

              “Ford got pissed.”

              “And yer father?”

              “Even more pissed.”

              “What did he do?”  Fiddleford’s questions weren’t purposeless.  Each one was sharp, short, and thought-out.  A chill ran down Stan’s spine.  Fiddleford knew there was something Stan wasn’t saying.  Something Fiddleford was determined to find out.

              “Why do you care what my dad did?” Stan snapped.  “It doesn’t have anything to do with- with anything!  Back off!”  Fiddleford’s mouth straightened into one flat line.  After a moment, he leaned back.

              “I mentioned before that Stanford told me a bit ‘bout yer parents.  Not a lot, but enough to know that yer father would not have reacted well to this.”  Stan was silent.  “I don’t consider myself a busybody, but-”

              “You’re doing a pretty good job of pretending to be one, then.”

              “Am I wrong?” Fiddleford pried.  Stan scowled.  “Am I wrong in that somethin’ particularly awful went down that day?”

              “I don’t need to answer any more of your questions!” Stan thundered.  “I said I’d tell you why Ford and I weren’t on good terms.  I did, so I’m not gonna tell you anything else.”  Fiddleford held up his hands placatingly.

              “All right.  I’ll drop it. Fer now.”  Fiddleford looked down at the spreading water ring from his glass. “I s’ppose it’s my turn to share my bad blood with Stanford.”

              “Damn straight.”  Stan leaned back and took a swig of his whisky.  “Talk, Fiddledork.”

----- 

              “That’s essentially what happened,” Fiddleford said.  His mouth was dry from talking for so long.  “Both to make things…tense between Stanford and myself, and to leave me in my current state.”  Fiddleford’s shoulders drooped.  “I’ve felt scatter-brained before, but nothin’ like this.”

              “Huh.  I get it now,” Stan said thoughtfully.  Fiddleford was too weary from the weight of his decisions to respond energetically. He picked up his glass of water.

              “Get what?” he asked.

              “Why you and Ford used to get along so well.  You’re both dumbass geniuses.”  That startled Fiddleford out of his tiredness.  He slammed his glass down on the table and glared at Stan.

              “Excuse me?”

              “Hey, don’t get me wrong, I’m a dumbass, too,” Stan said airily.  He ran his finger along the rim of his glass. “But I’m not the kinda dumbass who makes sci-fi villain weapons, I’m the kinda dumbass who licks a metal pole in winter.”  Stan shook his head.  “How the hell did you think it was a good idea to make something that would erase memories?  That’s like, the plotline of half of Ford’s favorite books.”

              “Being able to erase traumatic events would revolutionize treatment! Think of all those folks with PTSD-”

              “Look.  I’ve been through plenty of traumatic shit I’d rather forget,” Stan said.  His voice was level but firm.  “There are things that haunt me.  But forgetting ‘em would mean I- well, if I don’t have my memories, I’m not me anymore.  And isn’t that the same problem you’ve got?  You used that thing on yourself and started forgetting and now you’re not the same guy that got into West Coast Tech.”

              “To be fair, there have been side effects from prolonged use,” Fiddleford said. “If I had worked out the tweaks more before beginning to use it-”

              “Maybe you wouldn’t be dealing with this,” Stan finished.  “But maybe you would.  I stand by what I said.  Everyone’s got things they wish hadn’t happened, or that they could forget happened. Erasing them, though, changes who we are.”  Stan was silent for a moment.  He looked out the window, his eyes mournful.  “I don’t always like who I am.  That doesn’t mean I’ll try to become someone else.  I don’t know how to be someone else.  I barely know how to be me.  Y’know?”  A heavy silence filled the room.

              “Yer quite the philosopher,” Fiddleford said finally. Stan shrugged.

              “I think a lot.  Not enough to be like you or Ford, but my head isn’t completely empty.”  He cracked a small grin.  Fiddleford managed a weak smile in return.  Quiet footsteps sounded in the kitchen.  Stan and Fiddleford looked over.  “You found the clothes,” Stan said to Ford.  Ford looked down at himself.  He was wearing bright red shorts and a white T-shirt that Fiddleford remembered having a lizard on the front.  The lizard wasn’t visible at the moment, though.  “Your shirt is inside-out,” Stan said helpfully.  Ford scowled.

              “I’m aware.  My coordination is currently lacking.”

              “Tots aren’t really known fer their gracefulness,” Fiddleford said, in what he hoped was an empathetic tone.  Ford rubbed his eyes.

              “‘Tots’?  I take it I’m a toddler, then?” he asked, his voice shaking.

              “Looks like,” Stan said.  He seemed to be taking the tactic opposite to Fiddleford’s.  Rather than keep Ford calm by commiserating, he appeared to be downplaying the seriousness of the situation.  His voice was light and cheerful, like the latest wrinkle to occur could be smoothed out easily.  Fiddleford nodded slightly, appreciative.

              Stan might try to deny it, but he has very good instincts.  Children pick up on the emotions of adults and will mirror them.

              “What brought about this development?” Ford asked.  Stan got up from his chair and crouched down in front of Ford.

              “You ate a weird plant in the woods.  Lift your arms.”

              “Why?”

              “Why did you eat the plant or why should you lift your arms?” Stan asked. “I don’t know the answer to the first one, but the answer to the second one is so that I can fix your shirt. C’mon.  Lift ‘em up.”  Ford did as he was told.  Stan slid off Ford’s shirt, turned it outside-in, and put it back on Ford. Through the process, he was gentle and careful.

              “Do you not remember the plant?” Fiddleford asked Ford.  Ford rubbed his chin, an action directly contradicting his current youthful appearance.

              “No.  Do you happen to have it?  Seeing it might jolt my memory.”

              “It’s in the lab,” Stan answered.  Ford nodded.

              “Excellent.  I’ll need to run some tests on myself anyways.  Two birds with one stone.”

              “Oh, hell no,” Stan said firmly.  Ford’s eyes widened, taking Fiddleford aback.  He’d expected a scowl or frown.  Ford seemed less angry than startled.

              “What?  Why?” Ford whined.  Stan stood up.

              “You’re three.”

              “So?”

              “Your lab isn’t safe!  There’s all sortsa weird, dangerous stuff in there.”

              “Stanley!”

              “Calm down, gents,” Fiddleford said.  “Stanley, Stanford’s right in that more tests need to be run on him. Stanford, Stanley’s right that it ain’t really safe fer ya to be in the lab.  Yer too lil to do any experimentation anyways.”

              “I beg to differ,” Ford muttered, crossing his arms and looking away.  He let out a small squeak as Stan picked him up. “Hey!”

              “Fiddlesticks, think you can run the tests on him?”

              “I can do my best,” Fiddleford said hesitantly.

              “Your best is gonna be better than mine,” Stan said.  “Let’s go get those tests done.  Then…I dunno, maybe we put Ford down for a nap.”

              “No!” Ford protested.  He squirmed in Stan’s arms.  “Put me down!”

              “I thought you didn’t wanna be put down for a nap,” Stan said snarkily. Ford stopped squirming to glare at him.

              “That’s not what I meant and you know it!  I can walk downstairs myself!”

              “I’m not gonna risk it.  Those stairs are steep.  I don’t want you to trip and break your nose.”  Fiddleford watched the bickering with some amusement.  It wasn’t quite the same as an argument between siblings, which Fiddleford had plenty of experience with.  But it also wasn’t quite the same as an argument between a parent and child, which Fiddleford also knew well.

              Whichever fightin’ it’s most like, it’s kind of cute.  Though that might have somethin’ to do with the people who are arguin’.  Fiddleford flushed slightly.  Now what did I mean by that?

              “Fine, dad,” Ford grumbled, giving in.  Stan was facing away from him, but Fiddleford could still see him tense slightly.  “You can carry me down the stairs.  But I refuse to be carried all the way to the lab.  I can walk to the stairs.”

              “Sure,” Stan said quietly.  He set Ford down.  Ford immediately set off, his bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor. Fiddleford got up and walked over to Stan.  He placed a hand on Stan’s shoulder.  Stan startled.

              “Somethin’ wrong?” Fiddleford asked softly.  Stan looked away.  “…All right, I won’t push it.  But ya seemed mighty tense just now.”

              “It’s probably nothing,” Stan muttered.  “It’s- Ford’s never called me ‘dad’ before.  Even jokingly.”  Stan rubbed the back of his neck.  “But he was joking, so yeah, it’s- it’s probably nothing.  I’m probably just a bit on edge about all of this.”

              “It’s understandable fer ya to be on edge.”  Without thinking, Fiddleford squeezed Stan’s shoulder reassuringly. Stan eyed him.

              “You’re a bit touchy, aren’t you?”

              “My apologies,” Fiddleford mumbled.  He removed his hand.  “I’ll grab what I need to.  You bring Stanford down to the lab.”

----- 

              By the time Fiddleford arrived in the lab, Stan had found an old blanket and covered the large window through which the portal could be seen.  It was a challenging task, in that he had to do it one-handed, with Ford constantly trying to break free of his hold.  Now, Ford ambled around the lab, standing on his tiptoes to try to see over the edges of counters and mumbling to himself. Stan couldn’t quite make out all of Ford’s words, but he recognized a few as frustrated swears.  Ford’s cussing was incredibly endearing as he puttered around in the distinctive toddling gait of a very young child.

              “Sorry ‘bout the wait,” Fiddleford said, finally arriving in the lab, carrying a cardboard box.  He looked around.  “Why haven’t ya turned the lights on?”

              “There’s a light switch?” Stan asked.  Fiddleford reached a finger out and flipped a switch that Stan had seen before but assumed turned on some sort of death ray.  The lab was filled with light.  Fiddleford glanced at the window tensely.  Stan was relieved to see his face relax.

              “I see you’ve hidden that bad decision.”

              “Yeah.”  Stan shrugged, passing off the action as inconsequential to him.  “It hasn’t done anything good so far, so I figured, why stare at it?”

              “Very sound logic,” Fiddleford said.  He flashed an appreciative look in Stan’s direction.  “Stanford, c’mere.  Let’s get you all tested.  Sooner we’re done with that, the sooner you can have lunch and take a nap.”

              “I don’t need a nap,” Ford protested, but he toddled over to Fiddleford obediently.  Fiddleford set the box on the ground, got down on his knees, and pulled a device that looked like a grocery store scanner out of the box.  “By the way, how long was I unconscious?” Ford asked. Fiddleford moved the scanner up and down Ford’s body.

              “A coupla hours,” Stan answered.  “Not too long.”  He glanced at his watch.  “We went on a hike around nine, you passed out around ten, it’s noon-ish now.” Ford’s stomach rumbled. “Fiddleford was right about lunch. We need to get some food in you. Any requests?”

              “I’d think somethin’ not too strong,” Fiddleford said.  He looked at the screen of the scanner, his face grim. “Toddlers should be restricted to blander food.  Maybe somethin’ like chicken nuggets or mac ‘n cheese.  Do either of those sound good to ya, Stanford?”

              “Either one should be fine.”  Ford craned his neck around to try to look at the scanner’s screen as well, but Fiddleford put the scanner back in the box.  “What were the results of that?”

              “Odd.”

              “Odd how?” Ford pressed.

              “Yer no longer givin’ off the energy of a dif’rent dimension.  Yer cells seemed to have realigned with this one.”

              “That’s good, right?” Stan asked.  Ford rolled his eyes.

              “Duh, dad,” he scoffed.  Stan’s chest tightened.  Fiddleford looked up at him.  Their eyes met.  Fiddleford nodded slightly.

              He thinks it’s weird, too.  For weeks, Ford never called me ‘dad’, even though I acted like one.  But since he turned into a toddler, he’s called me that twice.  Jokingly, yeah, but what if he starts saying it seriously?

              “On the surface, yes, it’s good,” Fiddleford said carefully.  He removed another item from the box.  Stan squinted.  It looked like a pair of tweezers.  “I’ll see ‘bout testin’ some of yer DNA.”

              “You don’t have much experience with that,” Ford said.

              “I’ve seen you do it plenty of times.  I think I can figure it out.  And if I can’t, I can always ask ya.”  Fiddleford plucked a strand of hair from Ford, who let out a small yelp.  “Sorry ‘bout that.  It’s not a pleasant feelin’, but I figure it’s better ‘n blood samples.” Ford paled.

              “Yes.  I prefer this over taking blood samples.  Needles…” Ford trailed off.  He shivered violently.  Fiddleford’s mouth pursed in concern, but Ford’s reaction didn’t surprise Stan.  He remembered well his brother’s childhood fear of all things medical.  As a medical anomaly, he was in and out of doctors’ offices near constantly, and not just to try to fix something.  Filbrick used to brag about the number of studies they’d been paid to have Ford participate in, back when Ford was too young to protest being treated like a lab rat.

              “Needles suck,” Stan said, trying to take some of the focus off Ford.

              “No disagreements here,” Fiddleford said, feigning cheer.  He took out a third device from the box.  This one looked like a cross between a satellite dish and ray guns on the shows Ford used to watch.  Like with the scanner, there was a screen on it directly facing Fiddleford.  “This is the last test I’ll be runnin’ fer now.”

              “Really?  There are so many others!” Ford said.  “You haven’t even taken my vitals, for one.”

              “Well…”  Fiddleford set down the satellite dish-ray gun.  He pressed the back of his hand against Ford’s forehead.  “You feel fine temperature-wise.  Hold out yer wrist.”  Fiddleford silently took Ford’s pulse.  “Heart rate is also fine.”  Fiddleford placed his hands on his knees.  “There ‘re plenty of other vital signs, but those two are the ones I’d be most concerned ‘bout.  I can listen to yer breathin’ ‘n whatnot later, but ya seem fairly healthy to me.” Ford’s stomach rumbled again. Fiddleford managed a small smile. “And ya sound pretty hungry, so goin’ through this as fast as possible to make sure ya get to eat soon is a good idea. Let me get a quick readin’ on ya and then Stan can take ya upstairs fer some lunch.”  Fiddleford held up the satellite dish-ray gun again.  He pulled the trigger.  There was a flash of light.

              “Well?” Ford prompted impatiently.  Fiddleford nodded slowly, staring at the gun’s screen.

              “Yer givin’ off a bit of magical radiation.”

              “Wait, Ford’s magic now?” Stan asked.  Fiddleford tilted his head one way, then the other.

              “Yes and no.  I’ll need some time to properly interpret these results, but just goin’ off what I see here, it looks like Ford has a slight magical aura.  Prob’ly from eatin’ that plant in the woods.”  Fiddleford playfully poked Ford’s nose.  Ford wrinkled his nose in response, eliciting a small smile from Fiddleford.  “Go on upstairs and have yourself some food, okay?  Once yer done with lunch and yer nap after, I can go over these results with ya if ya still want to.”

              “Okay.”  Ford looked over at Stan hopefully.  “Mac ‘n cheese?”  Stan nodded.

              “You got it.”  Stan strode over to Ford and picked him up.  To his surprise, instead of attempting to wriggle free, Ford settled against his chest.  He began to head upstairs.  “And this time, I won’t even make you eat a vegetable with it.”  Ford beamed up at him.

              “Thanks, dad.”  A lump appeared in Stan’s throat.  He choked it down and forced a smile.

              “No problem, Sixer.”

[iicewitch]

✨ bleed magic

a playlist for @glitchedwitch​ link to playlist: here tracklist and favorite lyrics below:

1. poniko’s room [lights on] - yume nikki ost instrumental 2. distant past - everything everything Take me to the distant past, I want to go back Save me from the distant past, I wanna survive Canine fangs about my throat You're bleeding over Eden like a goat Tall blade dripping in every field I'm blooming like a fuming human shield 3. president heartbeat - everything everything Were you born in a cave now? Do you live in a cage now? If you burst into flame now Will they call you a human being? And your spine is a glass spire And your flesh is the concrete And your blood is the sewer And your skin is the city wall 4. orange caramel - catallena The small, dancing Catellena (Red Sun) Without knowing, I’m falling for you Chic and proud, Catallena (Red Sun) Jutti meri oye hoi hoi, I’m bewitched 5. wings - little mix Mama told me not to waste my life, She said spread your wings my little butterfly Don't let what they say keep you up at night And they can't detain you 'Cause wings are made to fly 6. eighth wonder - lemon demon Extra clever. Earthbound spirit. Ghost in the form, of a mongoose. And I have hands. And I have feet. I'll never die, I am a freak. Hello, I'm here, I'm living in the wall, I know I might be small, but I am a... Freak 7. the will of one - the protomen As I walk through the city streets These frightened people watching me pass There is an evil that holds them here Yet they won't try breaking its grasp But if I stay here with you Then I will leave them to their doom Do not say this is how it has to be You do no better than the fools of this burning city 8. father of death - the protomen What have I done? Though I did not pull the trigger, I built the gun That he holds in his hand Last night I dreamed I climbed to the top of a mountain of metal For miles I could see the destruction of man If the shadow blocks out the sun... there will be Light! If it stays 'till the sun is set... there will be Light! If the sun never shows its face again... there will be Light! No matter how dark the city gets... there will be... 9. i’m a hex girl - hex girls With this little cobweb potion You'll fall into dark devotion If you ever lose affection I can change your whole direction I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you I'm gonna put a spell on you 10. free - mother mother Love, let my anger Turn into peace Love, let the doves cry out in the streets Love, let the poison bleed out of me Love, let my love inside go free A bloody war Behind my eyes I come out right on the other side 11. the sticks - mother mother  I'll be gone for good Out there with the creatures in the woods And I'll be understood Make friends with the pagans in the nude I'll be no different Just a little less interested In all that new world shit 'Cause there ain't no new world in the sticks 12. infinitesimal - mother mother There's a million, billion, trillion stars but I'm down here low Fussin' over scars on my soul, on my soul, on my soul, on my soul On my soul, I am so infinitesimal, oh They say it started with a big bang But they say it was really just a small thing Strangely I'm feeling like a big bang 'Cause I've been making something out of nothing 13. burning pile - mother mother My mama, lonely maid Got her buns in the oven, and she never got laid My papa, renaissance man Sailed away and he never came back again All my troubles on a burning pile All lit up and I start to smile If I, catch fire then I change my aim Throw my troubles at the pearly gates 14. build god then we’ll talk - panic at the disco Raindrops on roses and girls in white dresses It's sleeping with roaches and taking best guesses At the shade of the sheets and before all the stains And a few more of your least favorite things 15. life is looking up - forgive durden Could this be the day I've waited for When all my hard work doesn't go ignored? Maybe she was right, the will realize I can change the world open us their eyes They know I am more than some eager blood Not some average bones, I believe in love I just want to prove I deserve this gift I will change the world, maybe this is it 16. bleed magic - idkhbtfm Crawling up your skin Potions pills and medicines To drain you And bleed your magic out 17. the oracles on the delphi express - the dear hunter You've been stuck in the middle of patience and animosity. With a lust for solidity, and a cryptic history, your luck's running thin. 18. chattering lack of common sense - GHOST Wait, what is going on here? I'm a little out of sorts I've been contemplating fallacies and things that scare me "Why not try to let go?" I've been feeling out of order I'm allowing change, so take a good look; This is me This is what I've come to be This is what I've come to be 19. daydream - j-hope  Wishing on a sky Wishing on a scar If there’s the sun I want to dream Wishing on a sky Wishing on a scar If there’s the moonlight I don’t want to wake up from it 20. witch flight - yume nikki OST instrumental 21. wiggle - cosmo sheldrake Hey ho, where did you go Did you wriggle or roll Did you giggle or grumble through Tom Thumb from where did you come Did you toggle or run Did you skip, trip, or stumble through 22. counting stars - one republic I’m old, but I'm not that old Young, but I'm not that bold And I don't think the world is sold I'm just doing what we're told Lately I been, I been losing sleep Dreaming about the things that we could be 23. urban caravan - fake type Because there’s a surely a bunch of fresh possibilities out there If I don’t try it out, ain’t that just a waste? In the end, it looks like the world is so wide that curiosity is inexhaustible There’s war songs but also songs of peace, The feelings remain just the same Keep your unwavering faith’s compass close to your heart 24. counting cards  - rainbow kitten surprise Jokes we tell to laugh, dear Laugh to hold back the pain Pain is in the mind, dear Stars are much the same Gone in the time it takes the light to reach In time you'll find We're blind to the things we don't believe Paint me red, paint me red Picture that, picture that Picture us and God shaking hands just because we can 25. god of marie - MASA This is our creed, aimed at a God that’s gone all floaty. We’re pure! We’re fans of Marie. We’re not doing anything wrong! Hm? Are you a fan of Marie, too? The stoned Reverend and his crazy worshippers Are surrounded by smoke in the cathedral The highest god has come down. We give thanks to ganja! 26. bad apple - nomico Will I exist in a place like this? Will I exist in a time like this? If someone like me can change, if I can change, will I turn white? Am I dreaming now? Or seeing nothing? My words are useless even if I speak I'm just tired of being sad, I should go on without feeling anything 27. my songs know what you did in the dark - fall out boy All the writers keep writing what they write Somewhere another pretty vein just dies I've got the scars from tomorrow and I wish you could see That you're the antidote to everything except for me 28. magia - kalafina If I can follow my path without wavering, I care not if my heart shatters. I wish I had a spell to stand against the sadness that's ever before my eyes Back when I loved books about wonderland where a captive sun shines, I believed the fairy tales that told me all my wishes would come true 29. immortals - fall out boy I'll be the watcher (watcher) of the eternal flame, I'll be the guard dog of all your fever dreams, Sometimes the only pay off for having any faith, Is when it's tested again and again everyday, 30. the last of the real ones - fall out boy 'Cause you're the last of a dying breed Write our names in the wet concrete I wonder if your therapist knows everything about me I'm here in search of your glory There's been a million before me 31. interweb - poppy And the world feels smaller When it's at my fingers So let's keep talking Tell me what day is it Can't turn it off yet, I'm wrapped up with it So let's keep talking Tell me what day is it I caught you in my interweb I caught you in my internet Well, maybe I'm a spider 32. armed and ready - casey lee williams Remember all too well My time of living hell The night my enemy would conquer But now I've been set free Lived through the tragedy You'll wish you'd killed me, now I'm stronger! Feel like I'm finally unbroken Oh, now I'm back from the dead Strength back, confidence growing Out of my way 'Cause I'm armed and ready (armed and ready) 33. red like roses part 2 - casey lee williams I couldn't take it, couldn't stand another minute Couldn't bear another day without you in it All of the joy that I had known for all my life Was stripped away from me the minute that you died I wanna tell you that you're all that ever mattered Want you to know that, for eternity, I'm shattered I tried so hard just to protect you, but I failed to And in a prison of abandonment I've jailed you 34. lapis lazuli - zach callison She wanted to leave this place And get herself back in space Lapis Lazuli You fled into the bottom of the sea Lapis Lazuli You were so mad but then you came around to me 35. unreasonable behavior - OFF ost instrumental 36. devil’s train - the lab rats Or I can be the bee in your bonnet, your best friend forever Two peas in a pod flockin' like birds of a feather And you never have a need to beg, work, or steal If all this sounds worth it then let's make a deal Sitting on the tracks waiting for the night train Looking down the road, ain't never gonna go back Listen for the whistle through the wind and raindrop Who's gonna ride the devil's train tonight? 37. the room where it happens - leslie odom jr No one really knows how the Parties get to yesssss (Parties get to yesssss) The pieces that are sacrificed in (Ev’ry game of chesssss) Ev’ry game of chesssss We just assume that it happens (Assume that it happens) But no one else is in (The room where it happens) The room where it happens We want our leaders to save the day— But we don’t get a say in what they trade away We dream of a brand new start— But we dream in the dark for the most part Dark as a tomb where it happens 38. the perfect fit - dresden dolls I used to be the bright one Smart as a whip Funny how you slip so far when Teachers don't keep track of it Can't you just fix it for me? It's gone berserk Fuck, I'll give you anything If you can make the damn thing work 39. million years - nico vega You better learn from a man who's afraid to dance With a witch like me, and a wicked trance, 'cause A spider bite is a natural wound, but a dagger in the back is a plastic tomb Ain't nobody knows the trouble I've seen, but they know the sound of their own damn scream, well Lady bug! Bring me news, or a soul so rich and a crystal pool Let it burn, let it burn, singing songs of truth 40. i want you - savage garden Anytime I need to see your face I just close my eyes And I am taken to a place Where your crystal mind and magenta feelings Take up shelter in the base of my spine 41. pursuing my true self - shihoko hirata Loading loading loading Quickly reaching maximum capacity Warning warning warning Gonna short circuit my identity We are living our lives Abound with so much information 42. backside of the tv - persona 4 ost Lost destiny Far outcry They hear you no more Numb feeling Whole dizziness Deep scars No pain No sanity Body aching Control your own fate Invisible Real enemy Bring your mind Deep Down A moment of truth, tell me what's really happening Their rhyme is nothing but you've got everything Bro, you've got everything but you don't know anything 43. rivers in the desert - shoji meguro A river in a dry land The last ace in a lost hand When the hope of new beginnings burned our feet Now we need it: A heartbeat for a tin man An oasis in a singed land Remind us what we're here for: Creating new life Creating rivers in the desert 44. again - yui I'm wanting to scream that we're living to make our wish come true can you hear it? We won't be able to take it safe, because we have no place to go back to I'm always grateful for your kindness, that's why I want to be strong I'll welcome friend or foe for the sake of moving forward You still have too long a life left to erase these feelings completely, don't you think? I want to redo the things I left undone, So let's go, one more time! 45. komm susser todd - arianne It all returns to nothing, it just keeps Tumbling down Tumbling down Tumbling down It all returns to nothing, I just keep Letting me down Letting me down Letting me down 46. the spider and the lamps - forgive durden I'm the Spider, Crawl inside her! They don't understand, This is their last chance, No more idle hands, I'll destroy the lamps, Then they'll know, Whose in control. 47. here comes a thought - estelle and aj michalka You're losing sight You're losing touch All these little things seem to matter so much That they confuse you That I might lose you And it was just a thought, just a thought, just a thought, just a thought, just a thought It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay We can watch, we can watch, we can watch, we can watch them go by From here, from here, from here 48. black paper moon - tommy heavenly6 Don't be scared of the pumpkin carriage the witch drew Cuz it can show in your eyes A symbol rises to the top on the card I dropped in the sweet crimson jam Your destiny - if you wish Any sort of world Can be yours 49. to zanarkand - ffx ost instrumental 50. poniko’s room [lights off] - yume nikki instrumental