#blessed his ponytail has returned

[writteninkat]

Special Forces | Bakugou x Villain Reader

synopsis: You've decided to turn over a new leaf and leak intel on the League of Villains, sending the government’s special forces straight to your door. One tiny hiccup—their potty-mouthed leader has his sights set on making you his next target.

w/c: 3.2k

warnings: bondage, oral (f&m receiving), pervert Bakugou, unprotected sex, overstimulation, slight exhibition, not proofread !!

a/n: you've imagined special forces bakugou before. don't u fuckin lie to me

navigation

"I smell a rat." Dabi narrows his eyes at you. "Shigaraki go take a fucking bath." You quickly deflect is assumption, making Twice and Spinner cackle out loud.

"How about you shut the fuck up." Shigaraki sneers at you, resuming whatever the fuck he's doing on the paper on his table.

You return your gaze at Dabi, glaring at him.

Okay—he definitely called you out. But no one at LoV has any reason to believe him. You've done your part in the group; terrorized innocent civilians with a grin so wide your cheeks hurt at the end of the day, tortured members of the police with a straight face, and followed Shigaraki's orders quietly with no questions. But they've been taking twice as much time these past few months.

You've been duplicating each and every document your stand-in leader has sent you, and have been sending them to the Heroes Association under an alias. Hawks has been trying to track you down, asking pressing questions about you to Dabi. But that man never talks—god bless his heart, and you're always hiding whenever you catch a glimpse of those red feathers.

All that damned association knows is that they've been getting pretty intel regarding this cursed group from a nameless and faceless informant. They should stop looking at a gift horse in the mouth, especially bird man. But his ego's hurt because someone is giving out better data than him.

"You smell like blood." Toga points out, smiling up at you with a feverish smile. The first time you met her, she was sweet and cute. That was quickly squished the moment you saw her fight. Now, she gives you the heebie jeebies.

"I'll go wash up." You mutter, unable to cut the eye contact until you had to physically force yourself to look away.

As you walk towards the stairs leading to the basement, you feel Dabi's piercing eyes on you. God, you hate it when that man stares at you like that. He never fails to send goosebumps scattering your skin. He somehow makes your blood boil with the absence of anger, and something tingles. You don't know what, but something definitely tingles.

You ignore that usual feeling when it comes to the dark-haired man and continue down the basement and into your room. Quickly turning the lock, you strip out of your boots, leggings and halter turtleneck, undoing your ponytail to quickly enter your bathroom. Doffing off your underwear, you turn the knob and let the cold water spray your body.

Fuck these villains. They bring nothing but havoc and destruction. If you're going to ruin people's lives, at least get rich too.

You look down, taking note of the pinkish liquid going down the drain. One thing about wearing black- it's difficult to spot blood. Especially when you're constantly staying at low-lit areas.

You sigh, "Guess Toga wasn't lying."

You massage your scalp with your favorite sweet-smelling shampoo, rinising it out before applying conditioner, clamping it up as you work through scrubbing your entire body.

If you were going to live with the rats, you made sure to at least clean yourself properly every time you shower. You were a villain, not a monster.

As you begin to finally rinse off everything, you feel the air growing uneasy. The con with your rooms being underground is that you can never hear what goes on upstairs and vice-versa. You hate not knowing what's going on, so you quickly but thoroughly rinse off your body, wringing your hair before wiping your arms off with a towel.

You manage to begin your shoulders when a loud bang freezes your body.

Fuck.

Your eyes are wide as you look around your small bathroom, looking for a way out. Of course you don't find anything. This is underground, for god's sake!

You drop your towel, activating your quirk. Red aura engulfs both your hands as you get into a fighting stance. Whoever was outside your bathroom door, they knew exactly how to be quiet. They were good at it.

One second passes.

Two.

The air is stuck in your throat and you feel like you might throw up.

Three.

I should just go out there and start killing the first person I see. My members be damned.

Four, five-

A loud explosion has your bathroom door flying off it's hinges and towards you. Quickly, you use your quirk to destroy it into splinters.

Your quirk- red ruins. Telekineses with a hint of disentigrating everything in your path within a hundred mile radius. Yes, it's incredibly powerful and violent. Problem? It's strength depends on your cardio. And you hate exercising.

"Whose pussy do these pretty panties belong to?" A deep voice rumbles through the cloud of smoke and dust. The scent of burnt sugar fills your nostrils before the sense of dread washes over you like a bucket of cold water.

There's only one person in the Heroes Association who is widely known for such a scent.

"These smell incredibly sweet." In front of you, a man five feet and eight inches tall stands. On his head is a mask that covers almost everything but his vermilion eyes. His hand is raised to where his mouth and nose are located, and it has something pink and lacey crumpled in it.

"Panties..." You breathe out, watching Hero Dynamight take a deep breath in, smelling your panties without shame.

He has on a fitting shit with a bulky vest, cargo pants and boots. Any other time, you'd find it incredibly hot. Especially with the way the sleeves of his shirt struggle to enclose his biceps- biceps so big they look like they take up your entire thigh. Maybe even more? [Any other time], not now, though. His palm is glowing orange and one mistake will have you burnt to crisps.

"They are. Seem familiar?" He asks, dangling the small piece of fabric in the space between the two of you. Ypur cheeks flush at the obscenity unfolding infront of you.

"Yeah, they're mine. Give 'em back." You demand, holding your hand out as he simply eyes it.

"C'mere 'nd take 'em then." He teases, hanging the strap of your underwear on his pointer finger. You frown, taking a step before stopping yourself. You use your quirk to flick it from his fingers. Right before the lace makes contact with your palm, a white steel-wire encircles itself around your wrists, pulling you forward, making you wat dirt.

"What the fuck!" You exclaim, trying to get on your hands and knees but Dynamight pushes you down by your head with his booted foot. With your head turned to the side, you strain your eyes to the corners, watching him catch the thin scrap of fabric easily.

You begin manifesting your quirk once again, but come to a dead end when nothing happens. "What the-?"

"Technology is amazing these days, isn't it?" He chuckles, playing with the lace between his gloved fingers. "It's managed to copy Aizawa's quirk. With this, those smartasses integrated the power into this scarf."

He takes his foot off of you, replacing it with his hand instead. "Whatever target this scarf is locked to, their quirks vanish like that."

You helplessly try to push him off of you, but with little to no strength training, you're a puddle of defenseless goo underneath him.

His eyes lock into yours before drifting down your naked back, piercing onto a part you know very well. Right below the middle of your back, the words "Favorite crime" is tattooed in a type writer font. It's quite small, four inches long, inked when you were seventeen after deciding maybe the good citizen life wasn't for you when the government took both your parents and labelling their quirks as something 'hazardous' to the public. They helped you escape but that left you with nothing.

It's cringey and cheesy, but you were only seventeen.

Five years later, and you don't regret it.

"Maybe you will be." Dynamight mutters, smirking as he grabs you by your hair, looking deep into your eyes. "Pretty." He grunts before flipping you around, pulling you to your feet as he wraps the scarf around your wrists.

"Let go of me!" You demand, the feeling of being pulled up by your wrists forces you to stand on your tippy toes. Barely.

Dynamight has you hanging by your wrists onto the shower curtain rod, the scarf disabling your quirk. You take note of your naked state, your cheeks flaring at how exposed you are for him.

The hero's eyes glances you from your hands to your toes, agonizingly slow, before making it back up your cunt.

"Which part of our interaction did you like?" He takes a step forward, unjustly stealing the last bit of air between the both of you. Caramel and smoke fill your senses, making you light-headed.

"Was it me stepping on you? The simple fact of being held down? Or being tied up? Huh?" He stands toe to toe in front of you, having to crane his neck down at your short stature. He slips his gloves off, showing off clean fingers.

"What's got you this wet, baby?" With that, his fingers press against your cunt, moving across and between your folds.

Your back arches at the lewd feeling, a moan threatening to escape as he finds the ball of pleasure in your center, making you bite down on your lip.

"F-fuck! Fuck!" You whine, your thighs squeezing together, wanting to stop his hand from moving but [needing] to keep it there.

Despite being villains, the group you joined in engage in everything [but] sex. For months, you've been teetering on the edge, unable to find the time or energy to get off.

Now, however...

"Such a soft cunt." Dynamight whispers, pushing a digit inside. His thick fingers surprised you, causing a loud mewl to slip from your lips. Without warning, the hero shoves your panties inside your mouth. "I've got my squad upstairs, can't have them hearing that pretty voice of yours."

His digit continues pumping inside you as his thumb traces circles on your clit, your body shaking in pleasure. "You should see how you look right now, pretty girl." Dynamight grumbles, pressing his forehead against yours. "Gonna cum for me, pretty? Gonna cum for your daddy?"

Your eyes roll back and nod your head as your legs begin to give out from under you. Just as you're about to climax, he drops to his knees, pulling his finger out. He hooks his thumb under his mask, swiftly taking it off, revealing his blond locks and hellishly beautiful features.

You look down at him, just now understanding the term "pretty like the devil".

He replaces his finger with his tongue, burying his face into your cunt as he sucks. He lifts you up by the backs of your thighs, sliding them over his shoulders, tongue-fucking you until you're seeing stars, your thighs shake as his abuse on your clit fail to falter.

"'S even sweeter from the core." He grumbles into your cunt, lapping up your juices until your muffled whines tick him off.

He pushes your legs off of him as he glares at you, standing up to his full height once again. "You just don't know how to shut up, huh?" He tilts his head to the side, undoing the scarf bounding your wrists in one swift tug. You fall heavily on your knees, unable to collect yourself when he tugs on your hair, forcing you to look up. He pulls the panties from your mouth, pocketing them.

You meet his fiery gaze, but your eyes quickly drop at the sight of him undoing his belt with one hand. The scene has your pussy pulsing once more.

I may be a slut.

He makes quick work of his belt and button, but he stops there. He bends over, tying your wrists together behind you. "Take me out." He orders, his grip on your hair tighter than before.

"I- What?" You ask, confusion distinct in your voice. He's bounded your hands behind you, how the hell does he expect you to work?

"With your mouth." He answers, as if reading your mind.

Your cheeks heat in embarassment but you quickly gather yourself once more. Raising yourself up a bit, you bite down on his zipper, pulling it down. Underneath it, you find the outline of his cock under his boxer briefs, hard, big, waiting. At the tip, you find a damp spot.

Precum?

You look up at him in question and he looks down at you with a brow raised. "Well? Keep going." He urges you by pulling you towards him, your face pressing against his cock.

You bite down on the garter of his briefs, pulling it down the best you can. You catch sight of a patch of blond hair and before you know it, you've pulled down enough for his cock to spring out, hitting you on the cheek.

Dynamight smiles maliciously, giving your head a soft tug. "Open." He whispers.

You follow his demands, parting your lips.

"Wider."

You follow once again.

"Even wider, pretty. You're gonna have to do more than that if you want me to fit."

You glare at him. Cocky motherfucker.

Instead of doing as he says, you stick your tongue out, licking him up from base to tip. Dynamight lets out a deep grumble from his chest, but you don't stop as you toy at his tip, tasting the salty precum, smearing it around your lips.

"Stop bein' a tease and wrap those pretty lips around me, darlin'."

You bite down on your lip before opening once more, taking him as best as you can without your jaw falling off. Dynamight's breaths are erratic and inconsistent as you hallow your cheeks, sucking him as hard as you can.

"Fuck!" He breathes out, his hips fitful as you take him deeper, the corners of your eyes stinging with tears at the feeling of his head touching the back of your throat.

You pull away quickly, creating a string of saliva connecting his cock with your lips as you look up at him. "C'mon pretty girl, I know you can do better than that."

You look back at his cock to see only half of it wet with saliva. Your heart poinds in your chest at your new goal—take everything Hero Dynamight has without throwing up.

Fucking gag reflex...

With new incitement, you find your lips wrapped around his cock once more, only this time, you try to push yourself down, closer to his base this time.

You swirl your tongue around him, thinking about anything else but his tip slipping down your throat an inch every moment.

His hot, must scent.

His big fingers gripping on your hair.

His cock inside your throat-

And with that, you trigger your gag reflex, the movement of your throat tightening around him has the hero moaning loudly. He pulls his hips back for a moment and you begin to thank multiple higher beings for such sweet air, but the prayer dies quickly when the blond pushes himself back in.

"Gods, this mouth was made for fucking." He cries out, looking down at you. He continues thrusting with reckless abandon, the muscles in your throat constantly tight.

God, if you exist, please don't let me get a sore throat tomorrow.

His hips snap with hasty thrusts, his moans bouncing off the four walls of your bathroom, and his fingers dig even deeper through your hair, on your scalp.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He cries, your eyes rolling to the back of your head as tears run down your cheeks, snot trickling down your lip.

With one last thrust, he buries himself down your throat to the hilt, your nose pressing against his blond patch as he comes down your throat, his chest rising and falling rapidly, jaw clenched, and eyes brimming with desire.

When he finally pulls out, you fall on your side, coughing and gasping for the dear air you've craved so badly. Your thighs clench together as you think about what you believe is to be the single most hottest thing you've ever done.

"You like that, you little slut?" The hero taunts, pulling you and dragging you through the floor by your ankle. He pushes you on your back, hands on both sides of your hips as he taps his dick on your sensitive cunt.

"Hold on a minute-"

Without wasting another moment, he pushes inside you, your walls stretching for him in welcome. His size has the air inside your lungs locked in, your lips part and you have the strongest urger to scream. But you can't.

He's just so...

"Big!" You manage whine out, making Dynamight cackle. "Fuck yeah, that's right pretty." Unlike the throat fucking, his thrusts this time are slow and languid. As if he has all the time in the world.

"You take my dick so good, pretty girl." He praises, your walls fluttering around him. You can feel every detail. Every vein, every curve, every pulse.

Slowly, you begin to notice his thrusts progress faster and faster until loud slaps fill the bathroom. Your tits bounce with every drive, making the hero slap them once, twice- before grabbing onto them forcefully, tugging and playing with your nipples.

Your breathy whines begin to join his whispered cursing, your eyes fluttering shut as you feel the impending feeling of an orgasm right at your fingers.

"Open your eyes for me baby." Dynamight whispers, "We have company."

Your eyes instantly open, the hero pulling your hips up as he fucks you, leaving your head on the floor. His eyes are trained infront of him, a cocky smirk gracing his lips. You follow his line of vision and your eyes fall upon an upside down sight of Red Riot. His eyes are wide, jaw slack, and a tent evident in his pants.

Immediately, your orgasm takes you, waves upon waves almost drowning you. The feeling of your walls clamping down on him has Dynamight chasing after his own high. Just when he reaches it, your pleasure ceases. He grits his teeth, slapping your overstimulated clit, forcing another orgasm out of you as spills inside your cunt. You scream and shake through this one, tears streaming down your face as you thrash away from the hero.

You're out of breath, sweaty, sticky with cum and your body feels like it's a heartbeat away from collapsing.

"Not gonna lie, that shit was hot but..." You hear red riot chuckle and through your blury vision, you see his red boots infront of you. He's crouching over you, the movement on your wrists a tell tale sign of the scarf being hndone. "Will she be okay?"

"My pretty girl is a strong one."

My pretty girl...?

"Don't tell anyone else about her." Dynamight orders.

"What are you-"

"I'll take her to my place, so keep your mouth shut and I might share her with you." You can [hear] that bitchass smirk in his tone.

A moment passes.

"Alright." Red Riot finally concedes, "What are you gonna do with her?"

You feel rough hands pull you up until strong arms engulf you.

Who's carrying me? Red Riot?

Sweet caramel fills your senses.

Dynamight?

"Whatever the fuck I want." The blond spits and by this time, your eyelids have fluttered shut.

"Be careful with her, Bakugou." Red Riot hastily adds.

"Bakugou..." You whisper before nothing.

[novasintheroom]

Tournament - Prince Vash x Reader

A hot day for a tournament. The sun beats down on the backs and necks of attendees, flies buzzing through the air, drawn to the scent of horses and sweat. Fans try to wave away the heat, but people are growing sluggish and red.

You sit under the set-up awning for the royal family and higher nobles. The fan in your hand swats at the air and insects around your face. Drops of sweat streak down your back under your dress. Not for the first time (or the fifth), you wish the tournament would end early. At least then you could return to the relative coolness of the castle.

“Are you enjoying yourself, Highness?” Meryl asks at your side. Bless her, she must notice your slowly deteriorating mood.

“Well enough,” you say. Then, leaning toward her, you whisper, “Prince Vash will make an appearance soon, correct?”

The smile she gives you has you blushing. “Eager to see our prince in action?”

You wave the fan once, twice. “More eager to get out of this heat.”

Meryl hums in agreement, fluttering her own fan for a breeze. Before you, a clattering of armor and weapons. The four combatants wail on each other mercilessly. One goes down with a kick, then the other is hit in the back, a ringing gong as they also fall. The final two warriors circle each other. The first charges, catching the other in a defensive move before throwing them down to the ground. The crowd cheers and whoops, and Millie takes off her helmet to raise it high in triumph. Sweat glistens on her brow, her hair sticking to her face where it has fallen lose of the ponytail she had it in.

You and Meryl cheer loudly for her. You especially ignore the look Nai gives you on the side. Let him disapprove. You would cheer for your new friend if you wanted.

Millie is handed a white rose, and she grins. She hurries over to the sidelines and presents it to Wolfwood, his priest regalia hot under the blazing sun. Nicholas tenses at the presentation but regains his usual smirk, tipping his head in thanks. Millie leans forward with her cheek, and Nicholas presses a quick peck to it – the usual ceremony of being chosen as a tournament victor’s man or lady.

“The prince usually picks a new girl every year to present his rose to,” Meryl comments idly, clapping as Wolfwood pins the rose to his vest. It looks good on him. “I have no doubt he’ll be presenting the rose to you this year, my lady.”

But of course. Even as your stomach clenches in nerves, you know it’s the only proper thing for a husband to do for his wife – unless he has a public mistress. Which, you think, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t…Yet, looking at all the eager young ladies both in the booth and surrounding the grounds, you can’t help but wonder. He certainly has his pick of the bunch if he chooses.

The announcer climbs to his stand again. “We will now begin the archery tournament! First, Lord Hircine of the Red Marshes!” Crowds cheer and girls titter as the first young lord stepped up, fits his bow, and fires at the targets.

So it went for the next twenty minutes. It wasn’t until the very last combatant that the announcer proclaimed: “Prince Vash, of the Kingdom of JuLai!” A ruckus of roars goes up from the attendees, and you straighten your back. Vash steps forward, waving at the crowd and smiling. He looks radiant. This is his place, his people.

A surprise comes out in the form of a horse. Your brows twitch downward. “Ah,” Meryl says, waving a hand, “his trick this year. He’s been talking about how he wants to ‘wow the crowd.’”

“Is that allowed?” You ask.

Meryl shrugs and sighs. “The prince often does what he wants. Besides, riding a horse while shooting in archery makes it harder for him, not easier, so I see no reason not to allow it.”

The crowds murmur as Vash mounts the horse, then kicks it into a trot, then a canter, then a full-blown run around the field. With his bow, he draws back, and fires at the first target. Bullseye. He fires at the second and hits the middle again. People cheer and clap their hands, whooping at Vash as he goes by.

Then, he does something dangerous. He takes his leg over the saddle and rides on the side of the horse, pulling back the short bow and firing a trick shot into the air. Amazing how it lands perfectly centered in the target. He does this again, and again, switching sides on the horse with acrobatic precision when a target gets close. The crowds lose their minds. Even the other combatants shout encouragement at the prince, awed by both his archery and horse-riding skills combined.

You can’t help but stand to watch, leaning against the railing and watching this man, your husband, ride by. The grin on your cheeks hurts. Vash sees you and throws you a salute and grin, even slowing the horse down to blow a quick kiss at you. Cheeky, you think. With a thwack, the final arrow hits the last target. You and Meryl clap vigorously with the people, cheering the show on, even calling out encores.

Vash finishes with a deft dismount in front of the announcer. He gives a low bow to the crowd, who continue to yell and scream out his name. The announcer pats the prince on the back, murmuring something to him. Vash laughs. Taking the prince’s hand, the announcer raises it and says, “With an amazing score of twenty out of twenty targets hit in the center, I pronounce Prince Vash of the kingdom of JuLai this year’s archery winner!”

Everyone cheers. The only person who stays in his seat is Nai, who only claps. Vash is presented with the white rose of a victor, and your stomach clenches in nerves again. He looks around at the crowd, the girls lining the fence and waving him over with kerchiefs and hands. But his gaze lands on you, still standing on the low stage for royalty. His smile is warm, and he trots over to the fence, vaulting it and coming to a stop just a few inches below you.

He hands you the white rose. It is beautiful, and simple, and smells lovely. You give him your shyest smile. Vash grins, and tilts his face, tapping his cheek. Cheeky, you think again, and a rush of defiance overcomes you. You take hold of his chin and press your lips quickly to his – just quick enough to catch him off-guard.

Not quickly enough, though - he still manages to press his lips back, automatic and eager, even if he doesn't realize it. The crowd oohs and cheers. You break the kiss and turn before you can look at him too long; even the girls laugh at the look of shock on their prince’s face.

You head back and sit down in your chair. Vash is still leaning over the railing, eyes wide and cheeks red. You raise your brows. What are you waiting for? Go on. When he doesn't move, Nai clears his throat loudly. Vash shakes himself after a moment and gives you his own shy smile. It turns into a full-blown grin as he turns and shakes his hands in the air for the crowd. They cheer and wave back and call out to him as he makes his way out of the tournament grounds.

Meryl leans over. “Well, now you’ve done it. The crowd will expect that every year from now on.”

Your brows raise again. “Is that not customary here?”

“To kiss your husband publicly? No.” She smiles. “But it may become customary now!”

You feel your own blush crawl up your cheeks. You didn’t expect to break custom with that one action; you just wanted to humble Vash a bit. Nai is full-on glaring at you now. But you hold your head high, taking the scrutinizing gaze of your new people with dignity. You even see a few people shyly kiss their significant other on the lips as they trail away from the fences.

Carefully, you pin the rose to your bodice, right above your heart, and think about your second kiss with your husband. His lips were soft, a bit chapped.  You had a long way to go before you did that again. But it still felt nice to break from tradition for a moment.

[fancyfeathers]

The Moon Will Sing (Yandere Rex Lapis/Zhongli x Goddesses!Reader) (Normalized Yandere AU)

(TW- abandonment, kidnapping, restraints, extreme isolation, semi torture, dehydration, starvation, marking/body modification)

Inspired by this post

There is a story in Liyue about how Rex Lapis, the Lord of Geo and the Goddess of Moonlight fell in love. It is a story known by almost everyone in Liyue, a story parents tell their children before bed, a story couples remember at wedding, asking for the godly couple’s blessing on their marriage. This story is one of the most beloved in all of Liyue, you hear it on the daily as you walk past the families in the streets of Liyue harbor. You hear the children saying of how the story reminds them of their own parents, or how they want a relationship like that one day. 

This makes you want to scream…

You want to tell the children the truth, tell the couples that such a blessing would be wicked on their marriage, and you felt terrified when parents would get compared to you and your husband.

Yes you and your husband…

Perhaps we should start this tale from the beginning…

The real story, not the sugared tale this land knows…

In ancient Liyue, in the height of the Guili Assembly, there was two sister goddesses. They were not strong, they were not known to many people of the land, and their power could never even match that of an archon. The two of them made no deals with adepti or gods, had no ties, but with that they had no real enemies. The goddess of moonlight and rain only had her sister, the goddess of sunlight and rainbows, and they didn’t need anyone else. For after the night comes morning, and after the rain is the rainbow.

The two sisters lived in Northern Liyue, watching over a small nameless village. This community was outside the bounds of the Guili Assembly and forgotten by it, almost like the sisters were. So now the sisters have taken mortal forms to walk among the people of the village and protect them, like parents would.

The sister of the sunlight would walk the streets during the day, singing her divine melody to bring light to Liyue. The children loved her, calling her a princess, the adults consulted with her, asking for her guidance. She was welcomed everywhere she went for she was as bright as the sun and able to see the village when it is lively and cast in the beautiful light of the day.

Your life was much different. You lived your sister and you loved your village, but you could never walk the same path they did. Your song was sung by the night, a haunting melody that gave mortals chills. You sang it alone for most of the world dreamed when you walked. The people didn’t fear you to say, well perhaps the children did, they just did not know you. They never got to see your fond smile when you sung under the stars, nor did they see you tending to the fields of glaze lilies in the night, singing to them like you did to bring light to the night. The only time the people got to see you was at dawn when your singing would stop and you would return to you home to sleep the day away, and at dusk when you would come to guide your sister home to rest and you would begin your song as the sun would set.

Which leads you to wear you are now. The sun has just set over Liyue and that means you set out into the grassy fields of your home. This time your brought a basket with you, you wanted to surprise your sister with a gift but even as a goddess you were poor so the only thing you could manage was a flower crown made out of the glaze lilies that bloom under your song of moonlight. You walk through the field, the high grass brushing against your legs. You sing your song as you do, letting the moon and stars grow bright in the night. 

“Your voice is very lovely.” 

You turn in surprise to see a man dressed in robes of black, brown, and gold, a clear contrast to your dress of purples and blues. His hair is pulled back into a ponytail and his eyes of gold look at you with curiosity. You had never seen this man before, you knew everyone who lived here but not once have you seen him.

“Oh, thank you, sir.” You a say, giving him a smile and a semi bow. “But I am afraid my sister’s voice is much more welcomed by our people than mine.”

“Hm? But why? Your voice is beautiful.” You chuckled at the man’s confusion but your reaction only made him more confused. “Is something funny?”

“No, no, it’s just…” sigh and shake your head, taking a step towards the man so you can get a better look at him underneath your moonlight. He was beautiful, powerful, intimidating, but beautiful. “…you don’t know who I am, do you?”

“Should I?”

“No, I suppose not since you’re clearly not from around this part of Liyue.” You replied, never once breaking eye contact with him like his eyes were drawing you in deeper. “I know that you aren’t because I know everyone here, I have been in this land for hundreds of years now.”

The man stares at you for an even longer moment, looking you up and down, as if trying to read something about you. “You’re a Goddess, are you not?”

“I am… but… um…” you laugh to yourself, your hands fiddling with the woven basket you carry in your nervousness. “…I’m not strong at all, I would be one of the weakest gods. My sister is the strong one between us two but even she’s not very strong either. We might as well be mortals, the only thing we’re good for are our songs but even then no one really cares, I don’t even think Rex Lapis cares we exis- sorry that was disrespectful, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“You’re quite alright, my dear.” He waves you off with a deep chuckle. “Being forgotten by the world when you are meant to be known must be terribly hard.”

“Thank you, I- oh no“ You cut yourself off as you saw the sky grow dark, as if the moon was disappearing into the black sky. “One moment.”

You sucked in a breath and calmed yourself from the startle. You saw the man look at you with a curious look as you turned to face the moon. You raised your voice once more in song, when you did the moon began to glow once more, lighting the land in an ethereal glow. The man’s expression was taken over by pure wonder as you sang, even more so when your song gave the lilies around you light. 

“So beautiful….” The man muttered, hearing you sing and seeing the heavenly glow all around you two. 

“My domain…” You spoke in response as you finished your song. “Moonlight, not often something people pray for.”

“Maybe one day they will, my dear. I have a feeling they will.”

—————————

The days have passed since that faithful meeting, and the thoughts of the man slipped your mind. You would go out in the night still and sing in that same field, but now it felt as if something was changing, you just could not place it, after all things stayed the same here as they always have been for hundreds of years. 

Now you sit in the field of glaze lilies, the flowers closing with the daylight. You could see your sister walking towards you through the field from the village. There was a few children following her but they stopped and fell back when they saw she was walking towards you, you sadly weren’t big with the children despite your love for them. Your sister came up to you and sat at your side. 

“Good morning, my dearest (Name).” She said, brushing aside your hair with a wide smile. “You are as beautiful as ever, like the stars above.”

“Like the stars, hm?” You replied, a teasing grin coming across your tired face. “That’s a minor offense to the goddess of moonlight.”

“Oh sush.” Your sister responded, shoving your shoulder playfully. You pushed her back and soon the two of you find yourself tumbling, rolling, down the hill like two little bunnies. The two of you landed on your back, complete laughing messes. You may be goddesses but you two are sisters before that. Soon the two of your laughs calm down and you breathe, looking up at the changing sky. “You know, I wonder what would happen if we were just normal… just sisters…”

Your joyous smile fades into one of melancholy at your sister’s comment. What would be better, being a forgotten goddess or a mortal with dreams to live out? You didn’t know, but you couldn’t decide, you didn’t have a choice. “I wish, but that couldn’t happen.”

“(Name), think about it, it could! We aren’t bound by any contract, we have no ties to Rex Lapis or the other gods and adepti.” Your sister said, sitting up. Then you realize she was serious about this. “We could just leave, go off somewhere else, see the whole world. All we would need to do is sing to keep day and night alight! We have been here for centur-“

“I won’t go.” You cut her off, giving her a firm no. You stood up, dusting off your dress and your sister sat there in shock. “It’s our job to watch over this village, formal or not. We have made our home here and we just can’t abandon out people… I need to go to sleep, goodbye sister.”

“Goodbye (Name).”

…Little did you know that goodbye was forever…

When you set out to bring light to the night, your sister was gone. You asked the villagers if they have seen her before they went off to bed and a few said they spotted her walking off down to stone gate… 

She left…

She really left…

The moon and glaze lilies gave no light that night, instead the world was shrouded in darkness and there was no singing only your sobbing. You were the weaker of the sisters, you couldn’t protect the village with out your sister. If something were to happen the village would all be but destroyed. You hugged your knees close as you cried, the petals of the glazed lilies brushing against your skin. 

And you did something you had never done as a god…

You prayed…

“Please, Rex Lapis, god of contracts. I know I’m a goddess, but I’m a goddess that has nothing to give but myself. Please don’t let my people be harmed.” You begged, cried, hoping that he would hear you. “I will do anything you ask, just please, guard them when I can’t, I beg of you.”

You didn’t know if he could hear you, but you were absolutely desperate. You lay there in the field of glaze lilies, the blooms hiding from your eyes just like the god hiding from your eyes, watching you from a distance…

Little did you know you had just signed the contract that will turn over your fate…

—————————

Since your sister’s disappearance your people had gotten used to seeing you more often and you had gotten used to sacrificing much of your sleep to watch over the day and night. The people have warmed up to you more, and don’t fear you anymore. But the opposite has happened to your sister, your people talked about her and hated her for abandoning them for abandoning you. You asked them not to talk about her, the topic of her shattered your heart.

You walked through the village streets, helping one of the older residents carry fruit from her recent harvest back to her shop. It was calm, people saying hello to you and children asking if you can play later. Is this what your sister felt like? All this love? You weren’t used to it.

“LADY (NAME)!” You heard someone yell out from behind you, you turn to see one of the younger villagers running towards you at full speed in a complete panic. He gets back to you, breathing and panting and you notice blood pouring down his arm. “Geovishaps… edge of the village…”

Your eyes widen and your dropped the crate. You glanced around till your eyes landed on one of one of the nearby adults. “Get him medical attention now, I’ll deal with this.”

You ran forward where he came from, ignoring the cries and pleading of for you to stay. You sped forward, rushing past all the warnings. They’re outside the village, ruining your field of glaze lilies at least six giant draconic monsters stood. You took your bow and arrow and aimed it at one of the monster’s head, you had killed one before but that was with your sister.

You let the arrow fly and it hit the beast right in the eye. This also caught the attention of both it and its friends. They all turned to look at you and as soon as you heard their roar you knew you were screwed over. But you could run away and give up, you had a duty to protect these people and you would do that till you die on the battlefield. You watched as the monsters rushed towards you, raising one of its large claws ready to bring it down on you. You closed your eyes, waiting for the blow to come… 

But it never did…

You opened your eyes to see the beast with a spear stabbed through its head. Your eyes widened as you saw the weirder of it, you have seen him in artwork before,t he white robe, the marks on his arms…

…Rex Lapis…

…The Lord of Geo…

You could only watch as he pulled the polearm from the beast’s head and the monster fell the ground, dead. The dead  beast’s companions didn’t waste a moment before running away from the god. He watched them with a cold eye before kneeling down to you…

Then it hit you…

It was that man from that night…

Those things you said…

Oh dear…

“Are you alright? They didn’t hurt you, did they?” He reached down, a hand on you chin, looking over you for any bruise or mark.

“I-I am… alright my lord… thank you.” You stood up with shaky legs, his hands guiding you to stand. “You were there… that night… I said you didn’t care, I am so, so, sorry.”

“Yes, but like I said then, it is quite alright, my dear.” He chuckled, after he helped you up he didn’t let go, even when you  tried to step away. “After all we have a contract.”

“W-what? What are you on about?”

“That night, when your sister left, you prayed to me asking to protect your people. Your exact words were you will do anything I ask, as long as I guard them when you cannot.” Your heart sinks at those words, you remember that, between your tears you asked that. “I have made good on my end of the contract…” 

“…now there is mine…” You hesitated on your words. What have you done? You should have left with your sister when you had the chance. “What do you want of me?”

“I have been alone for many centuries, I have had many a god and adeptus come into my life but none have truly caught my eye like you did that night when I heard you sing.” He looked at you, not of a gaze of malice or of ill intentions, but that of the one he looked at you with that night when you first met, a look of adoration, of love. “I wish for our contract to be that of marriage.”

There was a long moment of silence, shock, and horror…

“…no”

“Excuse me?”

“I said no.” You repeated, planting your feet into the ground and ripping your arm out of his grasp. “I did not agree to marry you.”

“You said you would do whatever I ask.” The god snapped back as you stepped away from him, his hand squeezing around the polearm in his grasp. “Do you really want to go back on your word to me?”

“I cannot be bound to anyone, my role is to protect those who live in this village, those under my protection. I do not have a duty as someone’s wife, god or mortal” You answered, drawing your bow once more. “That is something I’m willing to fight for.”

“I see…” With that you feel the earth shake beneath your feet and you knew at that very moment you messed up. “Ones who break their contracts shall suffer the Wrath of the Rock."

…and that was it…

…it was over before it begun…

…you stood no chance against the Lord of Geo after all.

—————————

You sat on the hard cold ground, it felt like ice in here despite this cave being carved out by the lord of geo himself. Speaking of the lord of geo, you haven’t seen him since he locked you in here, how long has it been? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? You didn’t know anymore. Your clothing was tattered, you sat here half naked, and that was putting it nicely. You may not need to eat but it was still unpleasant not to, one of the cons of you choosing a mortal form.

That’s not the worse of it, you can forget that when you sleep, escaping to your dreams. The dreams are full of the days where you would lay in the field with your sister and watch over your people in their village. There is only one thing you can’t escape, the constant pain in your body, every time you move the searing pain that rips at your wrists ankles, even in your dreams you can escape that pain, it ruins the happiness you get from those memories. 

Chains…

Enchanted chains…

A special gift from Rex Lapis himself…

The chains linked around your wrists and ankles and attached to the floor of the cave. Sure they were long and if it was just that you would be able to pull yourself to the wall to have something to lay against, but it’s never that simple. Every time you move the chains surge geo energy into your body, it feels like you bones are shifting like tectonic plates during an earthquake. Even breathing hurts now, you wouldn’t be surprised if it was due to to the geo energy literally grinding most of your ribs to dust. A mortal would be dead by now, but not you, you just went through the same pain, and it never ended. You could only lay here, on your back, and stare at the same spot on the rock ceiling as dust and dirt collected on your body. But never any water, this place was bone dry, fitting for a place meant to hold the goddess of rain and moonlight.

Then there was the silence, it was maddening. The first few days, or maybe weeks, you sang to break the silence, keep your sanity, but most importantly fulfill your godly duties. But that was Celestia knows how long ago, you could only hope your sister was doing the best she could to watch over the day wherever she was now, because now you could only guess how violent the night has become in your absence. The night was already unsafe, but without the light of the moon, it was deadly.

A soft steps echoing in the cave snapped you out of your thoughts of simply reminding yourself to breathe in an out since it has become such a task. But now there was only one thought in your mind, after all this time he had finally come to see you again in this stone cage he made for you.  You could not even turn your head to look at him in fear that your neck would break from the pulses from the chain, nor could you give him one of your usual witty greetings due to your throat being as dry as sand in the Sumeru desert in summer from the lack of water or even moisture in this cave. 

You could only see him when he stood right beside your broken body, gazing down at you, but you were to weak to even make out the details of his face. He stared at you for a long time before kneeling down so that he could get a better look at your limp form. You could finally make out his expression, calm as ever, but it was unsettling for you to witness. He was ever so calm as he reached out his clawed hand and ran his finger along your cheek, collecting the dust that had landed on your skin. He looked at the dust on his fingers then back at you, like how you would treat a vase on the shelf you had forgotten to dust off. 

“Oh my dear…” 

He sighed as he reached down with his hand to graze over your arm, down to the chain that was sealed to your wrist without a lock. Suddenly he gave it a pull which resulted in a bloodcurdling scream ripping from your throat as your felt the surge of geo energy surge from the chain into you arm and your bones began to rub against each other and snap like twigs. As he does this you can feel your arm rapidly repair itself and breaking it again as your limb begins to change, the skin turning black and where you could feel the surges, golden markings begin to form the same one the Geo Archon bares himself. 

“It seems perhaps the punishment was too strong for the crime.”

Your body fell limp as the chains disappeared. He reached down and swept you off the ground as your vision faded in and out. You wanted to scream, strangle him, do something, but you couldn’t. Your body is nothing but dust compared to your fellow god.

—————————

“Then from that day on, the Lord of Geo and the Lady of the Moonlight were wed. The Goddess ever so grateful for her husband’s protection of her and her people during the perils of the Archon War. And now it is said that when ever one hears the Goddess’s song of moonlight, they will hear a love song to her husband.”

You rolled your eyes at the “historian’s” tale. What a load of lies. You could say what really happened, but no one would believe you, a seemingly mortal woman. You could tell them that his protection was him locking you away underground for five centuries as punishment for trying to break the contract. Tell them how when you returned to the surface there was nothing left of the Liyue you knew…

…Well almost…

Your “husband” was kind enough to keep his end of the contract still and leave that village standing which is now known as Qingce Village, you visit there occasionally but no one is left to remember you. All that is left there are the stories of the sister goddesses who once protected the village, one of them running away never to be seen or mentioned by name again, and the other who protected the village dutifully with the “help” of her husband, Rex Lapis.

At least there was one accurate bit in your so called perfect love story, your only good memory of your husband before all this. That fated night when you met in the field of glaze lilies, when your mind and body were still innocent to the God of Contracts. 

You rolled your eyes at the sound of applause for the historian, it hurt to hear how people romanticized your life and relationships. You couldn’t do anything but bitterly walk away, going back to to your husband who was standing at the edge of the crowd listening. Much has changed since those days, for your husband no longer went by Rex Lapis, rather Zhongli. He also wasn’t so cruel to you anymore, not after the chains. You suspected this was due to how he felt seeing you like that, not about all the pain you were in, that was just your deserved punishment.

“That was a nostalgic story, was it not, my dear?” Your husband asked as he interlocked your arm with his and walked through the crowd.

“That an interesting word to use for it.” You remarked as you watched the people of Liyue Harbor go about their day to day lives. “From what I recall, you left me in that cave for five hundred years, unless they just got the words comfort and chains confused because you did not come to see me once.”

“Well my love…” He reached his hand down to yours, running patterns over where the his markings are branded into your skin are, hidden under your glove. “…History will change to give a pleasing narrative, that is something we cannot even change.”

That was rich coming from him, the man who will correct historians on any other story but this one…

This historian said you sing a love song but truth it’s the opposite, a song of mourning for the life that was taken from you, but not that you can say anything…

…there is a silent truth that everyone knows…

…history is written by the victors.

[amaranthinius]

a short drabble-ish

As the groom, Madara wears a black yukata. It hides nothing— the large gap at the front stops near his stomach, revealing the valley between his pecs and the shadows of his abdominals, tinted by the beginnings of a dark trail of hair.  It wraps tightly around his arms, showing off even the tiniest shifts of his muscles.

His hair is in a high ponytail, flowing like a dark river onto his right shoulder. His black eyes twinge with an eerie red. It's the tiniest hint of Sharingan laying dormant behind them.

Tobirama's yukata is white. It's large on him, protecting Tobirama's modesty from everyone's eyes, including Madara's. And, unlike Madara, Tobirama is adorned with trinkles that reek of Senju alphas and omegas. Even now, as Hashirama prepares to announce the hunt, another omega comes forward to tie a band of cloth on Tobirama's wrist.

“You’re lucky,” an Elder muses, “to receive such a blessed omega.”

“I don't follow,” Madara grunts, turning around to salute the Senju Elder. It's another protocol that Madara has to follow. 

“It's an old tradition,” The Elders explains, “We used to offer trinkets to the omegas who were challenged in marriage hunts. Another way of begging the Gods to let them return into the clan. As Lord Uchiha sees, Tobirama is a beloved member of the clan.”

Flowers have been waived into his hair, which is now arranged into a braid. His wrists and ankles carry bracelets and anklets made from cloth, beads, and metal. 

[fictionlag]

First chapter of my AU on AO3 where Hua Cheng, a luxury shoe salesman, has a fascination with one of his client's legs.

The shoe boutique was a beacon of sophistication nestled in the heart of the city's most opulent district. The floors gleamed with polished marble, their smooth surface reflecting rows of beautifully displayed shoes encased in glass. Soft lighting poured from crystal chandeliers above, illuminating each item like a piece of art. Everything about the boutique whispered luxury, from the faint scent of sandalwood in the air to the muted tones of classical music playing in the background.

Hua Cheng stood confidently in the men’s section, his station situated beneath a sprawling display wall lined with polished leather oxfords, sleek loafers, and casual yet elegant sneakers. His attire mirrored the store's image: a tailored black vest over a crisp white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to reveal his sinewy forearms. A silver tie, paired with a pocket square, completed his look, complemented by a pair of shiny, black leather shoes that reflected the light. His raven-black hair was neatly styled, though a stray lock hung rebelliously over his forehead.

Customers came and went throughout the day, their presence marked by the tap of heels against marble and the hushed exchanges of conversation. There were the corporate types, sharply dressed and efficient, with clipped tones as they browsed the collection. Then there were the casual shoppers, their eyes wide with the wonder of excess. Hua Cheng’s demeanor remained calm and professional.

He enjoyed his work more than most would think. The art of matching a customer with the perfect pair of shoes was like solving a puzzle. It required attention to detail, a deep understanding of style, and sometimes, a bit of intuition. But today, it was just another day — or so he thought.

The delicate chime of the entrance bell signaled a new arrival. Hua Cheng glanced up, prepared to greet yet another customer, but what he saw froze him in place. A man stepped in, tall and lithe, dressed simply yet elegantly in a soft white button-down shirt tucked into black trousers. His black hair was pulled into a low ponytail, and his face carried a serenity that drew eyes like a magnet.

Hua Cheng’s professional mask slipped for the briefest of moments. The man approached the men’s section with an easy grace. His gaze wandered over the displays with genuine interest.

"Good afternoon," Hua Cheng said, his deep voice steady as he stepped forward. "How can I assist you today?"

The man turned toward him, a gentle smile gracing his lips. "Good afternoon," he replied, his voice smooth and warm. "I’m looking for something versatile, elegant, but comfortable enough to walk in for long hours."

Hua Cheng nodded, the gears of his expertise already turning. "I have a few pairs in mind. Please, have a seat."

The man complied, sitting on one of the plush leather armchairs. Hua Cheng retrieved a selection of shoes — classic loafers, minimalist sneakers, and a pair of elegant boots. He returned to find the man waiting patiently, his posture upright, legs crossed with poise.

"Let’s start with these," Hua Cheng said, kneeling in front of him with the first pair.

As he slid the shoe onto the man’s foot, Hua Cheng couldn’t help but notice something. The man’s legs were... remarkable. Long and perfectly proportioned, his calves were lean but subtly defined. The smooth line of his ankle flowed into the delicate arch of his foot, which fit the shoe with effortless grace. Hua Cheng’s fingers lingered slightly longer than necessary as he adjusted the laces.

He glanced up, catching a faint blush on the man’s face, though it might have been a trick of the boutique’s lighting.

"How does it feel?" Hua Cheng asked, his voice a touch softer than usual.

"Comfortable," the man replied, testing the fit by standing and taking a few steps. His movements were fluid, his strides as graceful as a dancer's. The shoes seemed to belong to him, as though designed for no one else.

"Perfect fit," Hua Cheng murmured, mostly to himself.

The man turned, his smile widening slightly. "You’re very attentive," he said, a note of amusement in his tone.

"It’s my job," Hua Cheng replied smoothly, though he could feel the slightest hint of warmth rising to his ears. He retrieved another pair and repeated the process, but his attention kept straying to the man’s legs. A testament to beauty he rarely allowed himself to admire so openly.

As they moved through the options, Hua Cheng learned the man’s name: Xie Lian. Xie Lian spoke with a quiet kindness, expressing genuine gratitude for Hua Cheng’s efforts, which only made him more captivating.

When they finally settled on a pair — a sleek, black loafer with subtle stitching — Xie Lian rose, his choice in hand.

"Thank you for your help," he said, his smile like a ray of light piercing through clouds. "You’ve made this process surprisingly enjoyable."

Hua Cheng dipped his head slightly, his usual air of detachment slipping into something warmer. "It’s been a pleasure."

As Xie Lian walked toward the register, Hua Cheng found himself watching him go, the image of those perfect legs etched into his mind.

[mozillavulpix]

so many details this episode

satoru is popular!

It's funny really, since Mey Mey is so fond of him they basically make it a joke but also all he really does is actually listen to him when he vents on the phone. It's like the bare minimum, but in a way it's rare to find someone who's willing to do it. Even if it's because they're kind of a pushover like Satoru

i love how mayu's ponytail has a mind of its own this episode

the Return of tire komugi

when satoru is shocked or worried he just goes Mathematical and it's very cute

when mayu has 'Go!' written on her tongue

yuki still makes cat noises when shocked and scared

komugi trying to take the credit about police dogs and yuki is like "this isn't about you"

the way they reflect satoru's glasses whenever An Emotion is happening. glasses are a great character design actually

yuki treating Love as War

Mayu using her catchphrase. both her catchphrases. in a context that fits the situation perfectly.

why are you making satoru do exercise you know that's his weakness. he wouldn't be able to court iroha that way even if they were animals

mey mey just fucking breaks down into a sheep melt

sudden surprise daifuku backstory! can't believe this bun got hurt by a snake, he really did "nah, i'd win" it.

apparently his other ear isn't round because of that injury, which is a really neat design touch. at least, none of the other animals have stuff like that, even though they were living rough before they were rescued.

the flowers...

"after three comes four! i learnt that in school!" bless komugi this dumbass

"kangaroos can't go backwards" feels like some random animal fact satoru would blurt out when he's nervous. i don't know why. i can imagine him saying it all flustered

they *can* do a shortened version of the Kirarin Animal summon. i guess they really only use the long boring version to save on new drawings

"I want to protect your smile! I might not be strong enough, but...I want to be near you, so you can depend on me!" If Satoru doesn't get to be a Precure after that kind of speech the writers are cruel bastards come on when is it happening

the fucking boxing noises because it's a kangaroo enemy this time. I Get It

everyone fucking holding back komugi and mey mey. where did niko even get that sign. does it matter

those faces

someone on twitter made the point this isn't the first time mey mey has blabbed about secret information despite how much he keeps trying to tell others to keep secrets. this is why niko has scared him so much

i can't believe they did that though. i can't believe they did that cliffhanger.

they really be doing things

[ninjagirlstar5]

I love it when the wheel lands on a character and gives them a drastically different talent from their original counterpart. Cause here we have Emma as the Ultimate Firefighter!

This one was interesting to tackle cause Emma is a pretty feminine person, but has a swapped talent that has a lot of dress codes and regulations for safety reasons as being a firefighter is quite dangerous. And it turns out through my brief research, Emma's OG design goes against a lot of regulations for firefighters: you can't wear giant earrings but you can wear tiny stud ones or very small hoop earrings, you're not allowed to wear makeup, if you're going to keep your hair long, you have to tie it back (and it's recommended to put it in a braid-bun or a ponytail), contact lenses are prohibited, and I had to try and tie in the firefighter uniform with how Emma dresses in her OG design. So here's what I came up with for Emma: I tied her long wavy hair back into a hair bun, she can't wear contact lenses anymore so her eyes are no longer aquamarine but are instead her real gray eyes, her round earrings were too big and hung from her eyes so they had to be changed to smaller stud ones, and since she wore a coat in her OG design, I decided that she'd have her jacket on her instead of being loose around her waist like Shinji's (although his looked like a one-piece suit in his sprite). I removed her makeup, gave her a shirt underneath her uniform, gave her pants and boots fitting for said uniform, and some fire-resistant gloves, not only as part of her uniform but also to...well, hide some certain scars that she wouldn't dare show to anyone unless it's someone she trusts. Just in case, you know? Her hair gets to remain blonde, though, since you are allowed to dye it but only a natural color...Which doesn't mean much when you live in an anime world like Danganronpa where hair and eye color can range from black to white to literally neon green, but hey. Regulations are regulations. I gave her uniform a blue, yellow, black and gray color palette with dashes of dark red on her boots and she is done.

Next up is Sora!

So, in Emma's backstory, she's living in poverty, her mom is basically out of her life and her sperm donor of a father is the worst EVER. That's still the same. However, when Utsuro blessed her with Divine Luck, on her return home after being forced to steal alcohol for her shitty father, she sees that her own house had caught on fire while she was away. She would later find out through the authorities that the fire happened due to a stray cigarette landing on some trash and the dirty environment went in flames in the blink of an eye. Two witnesses, who were a foreign couple from England, just so happened to see this and called the fire department but by the time they arrived, the only occupant inside the house had already died. Emma is...relieved that she will NEVER have to see her father again, but at the same time, she had NO idea where to go and has essentially became an orphan in a blink of an eye. However, that concern is quickly washed away as the two witnesses approached her and asked if she was alright, which is when she broke down crying. Realizing that she was in a horrible condition, the couple decided then and there to take her under their wing and adopted her. While living with them, she finds out that her adoptive father was actually an ex-firefighter that had to retire due to a career-ending injury and ends up getting inspired by him to become a firefighter herself. Something that both of her new found, loving parents encouraged and supported, even as they pray for safety in such a dangerous career. Like OG Shinji, she worked as an apprentice, which was quite easy thanks to her father's connection to the firefighting community, and she's made something of a name for herself in her career. However, like in her OG backstory, while she may not be in an acting career anymore, that doesn't mean that she wouldn't come across racist co-workers, which is what causes her to dye her hair blonde to try and fit in more. And Emma would mostly be surrounded by adults in her firefighting career, so she wouldn't really have many friends her age and some people may put her on a pedestal due to the work she does as a firefighter, saving lives and all that, which only isolates her from her peers even more. Poor Emma, she just wants to be treated like a normal girl.

[stabbyfoxandrew]

I’m super excited about the mer roadtrip one so that! Thank you!!!

WIP Wednesday (5/1) | Mer Roadtrip AU (Part 6)

As Lola rolls the window down, there’s the tiny blessing of a barely-there breeze. Nathaniel soaks it in and realizes that the car next to them has its windows down as well. A plump middle-aged man is the driver, with his entire family in tow it seems.

They must be on vacation. What a funny idea that someone would choose to be here. The cherry-colored car pulls up a bit and Nathaniel finds a couple girls in the backseat, about his age he thinks.

He doesn’t really mean to stare, but there’s nothing else to do. They’re sort of pretty, each of them with hair in ponytails and each fanning themselves with their hands. Suddenly, one of them looks over and pokes her sister, then they both wave. Nathaniel blinks.

Are they waving at him? He looks behind himself stupidly and decides they must be, so he tries for a friendly smile in return. He’s not sure he’s capable of such, but whatever face he pulls off makes both girls giggle until the lane on the right moves a whopping four feet forward, putting them out of view. 

And something clicks in Nathaniel’s head. He’s been noticed. Seen. Giggled at. Well, that last bit isn’t as important, but still. They know he exists. 

[superman86to99]

Superman: The Man of Steel #36 (August 1994)

"WORLDS COLLIDE" continues! Somewhat out of order, due to the way we're covering this crossover, but let's face it: if you were reading this in the '90s, you probably would have read the issues in some weird order, too (or, more likely, skipped some and been just as confused). So, in a way, we're being faithful to the original reading experience.

Previously in Worlds Collide #1: Rift, a god-like being who thinks the DC Universe and Milestone Media's Dakotaverse are parts of his imagination (meaning he's taking credit for the work of Siegel/Shuster/McDuffie/etc.), grabbed an island populated by thousands of people and just dropped it into the ocean, causing a tsunami that threatened Metropolis. The tsunami has been dealt with (spoilers for Superboy #7, which we haven't covered yet), but now Superman has to break it to his new allies at Milestone's Blood Syndicate that everyone they loved drowned pretty gruesomely. Luckily, Rift emerges from the ocean and saves Superman from that awkward conversation... while musing about destroying Metropolis, too. Well, destroying it even more.

Superman doesn't like that idea, obviously, so he tries to fight Rift, but Rift thinks that a fight scene between a god-like being and a mere superpowered mortal would be pretty boring. So, he summons Superman's closest analogue in the Dakotaverse, Icon, and tells him and Superman they have to fight each other if they don't want Metropolis to go down the toilet too. Rift even blows up the midtown part of Metropolis to prove he means business (but I'm not sure anyone there noticed, considering Metropolis' current state).

So, Superman and Icon start punching each other as hard as they can...

...while trying to direct the fight towards Rift without him realizing it. Meanwhile, Rift sees Lois Lane on a boat and grabs her to tell her he used to be her mailman, Fred Bentson, and compliment himself on doing such a great job creating her. Superman attacks Rift, causing him to drop Lois from a dangerous height (nothing she isn't used to by now, though). Lois is saved by Icon, but Rift realizes he was worried about her, which means she must be real.

Rift reasons that Superman has to be real too... but he doesn't give a crap about who's real or fake anymore. They're all his puppets anyway, and he announces he's gonna "up the ante" on their fight as he transports Superman and Icon to the latter's city, Dakota. TO BE CONTINUED! IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE!

Plotline-Watch:

This issue also features appearances by Superboy, Static, Rocket, Steel, and Hardware. We'll go into more detail on their storylines once we cover their issues, but I want you to know three important things: 1) turns out some scientific knowledge did rub off on Superboy while he was growing up (or being grown) at Cadmus...

...2) Static's full name is Virgil "Electromagnetic" Hawkins, and 3) Steel, like his main inspiration, is also a boxers man (you'll have to wait until another post to find out why he's in his boxers, sorry).

Rift forcing Superman and Icon to fight so their cities don't get destroyed is like a lower-stakes version of the main plot from the DC vs. Marvel crossover (though the stakes are about to get higher). More evidence that they should have included Rift in that crossover, as we were saying in another post's comments.

Jeb-Watch: Rift isn't the biggest villain in this issue, since it also features the return of Jeb Friedman, the ponytailed douchebag who kissed Lois when everyone thought Clark Kent was dead. Don Sparrow says: "God bless Jimmy for giving Jeb the side-eye all readers want to give that loathsome character."

Jeb says he's organizing a charity concert for the homeless people of Metropolis (so, pretty much everyone in Metropolis right now), featuring Jimmy's old would-be rocker friend Babe, whose band Shredding Metal apparently hit the big time. Last time we saw Babe, she had a centuries-old vampire living inside of her. That must have done wonders for her metal singing voice.

The Daily Planet's publisher, Franklin Stern, thinks they should suspend publication because of the "everyone's homeless" thing (plus, their building blew up and stuff), but Perry White refuses to stop putting out the dang paper. Don says: "I like seeing Perry’s commitment to informing the people of Metropolis, even at the risk of financial profit, but it might also explain why the Planet always seems to be on the brink of bankruptcy. Weird to see Lois swearing in that scene."

Whit cameo up there! Also: wonder if that's Alice the intern sleeping in the temporary office, for old time's sake.

Speaking of which, the other Alice in Perry's life (his wife) is volunteering at a medical center in Metropolis. There, she meets Superman's pal Keith the Unlucky (Probably) Orphan, who's trying to reunite another kid with his mom. Keith recently lost his second mother figure, Myra the Orphanage Lady, while Mrs. White lost her son Jerry Luth-- uhh, White some years ago. Hmmm...

The fact that Rift blows up part of Metropolis isn't really acknowledged by the other characters, probably because we all know that, like Paris Island's gruesome fate, it's gonna be undone by the end of the crossover. That makes me think they might as well have gone ahead and made Rift undo Luthor's damage on Metropolis, while at it -- it'd still be kind of a cop out, but I think it would have been a bit more organic than what we actually got.

Shout Outs-Watch:

Rift-sized shout outs to our supporters, Aaron, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, Bheki Latha, Mark Syp, Ryan Bush, Raphael Fischer, Kit, Sam, Bol, Dave Shevlin, and welcome aboard Dave Blosser! Join them (and get extra articles; we have a Byrne Superman-related one coming next week) via Patreon or our newsletter’s “pay what you want” mode!

Also, have you checked out our friends at @fortressofbaileytude recently? They haven't updated their Tumblr in a bit (9 years) but there's some seriously awesome stuff going on at their other sites, like a whole week of fascinating articles about Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey (including the action figures) and holy crap a podcast interview with Mike Carlin! Like us, they're also in BlueSky.

And now, more from the great @donsparrow.bsky.social...

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

We start with the cover, and it’s a good one, another piece in the puzzle that makes up this crossover with the Milestone characters.  Our heroes are slightly crowded by all the trade dress graphics, but not excessively so, as the DC and Milestone heroes fly out of a rift.  I always love yellow rim lighting, so it’s a winner for me.

For the most part I’ve found this crossover a bit hard to follow, especially since it has, in certain chapters, barely touched on the already seismic events of the destruction of Metropolis, so it can be hard to know how much we’re supposed to care about it.  While the story has been something of a letdown for me, the art in this issue is not, as Bogdanove and Janke are bringing their best work to this chapter.  Right from the opening splash, with Superman running ahead of various Milestone heroes, we’re off to a dynamic start.

We are so used to seeing Superman flying, it’s a pleasing change to see him running, especially when he’s drawn so well, in all his Shuster/Fleischer studios looking glory.  Only a couple pages later, we get another poster-worthy image, also a full page splash, of Superman soaring through the clouds toward the reader.  I especially like the white halo effect around Superman’s edges, defining his torso in front of his cape.  It may not be realistic, but man, does it pop.  As Superman surveys the damage on Paris Island, there’s a treasure trove of Easter eggs, that are worth the research.  Under the water, Superman finds himself at the cross-streets of Vesey Avenue and Prosser Boulevard.  These are references to real-life former slaves Denmark Vesey, and Gabriel Prosser, who both separately raised insurrections against slavery with deadly consequences.  [Max: I did not know that! In my ignorance, I kinda wondered if they were the names for Milestone creators...]

There’s also a reference to “Big Otto’s”, a Polish soul food restaurant.  At first I thought this was a shout out to famed comic writer Otto Binder, but Wikipedia informs me Binder was of Austrian descent, not Polish.  So maybe it’s just a gag, as it’s hard to imagine the Polish form of Soul Food.

Our first look at Rift, the villain of the piece, is a real showcase for the colouring techniques of this age, with very little of his form defined by the black lines of the rest of these pages, giving a bright, glowing look to his shape.

With Icon’s flowing cape, Bogdanove seems born to draw the character, and it’s hard to think of a time the character looked better.  Hardware also looks great in these pages, but he’s overshadowed artwise by the great penumbra image of Steel on page 16, which is just a terrific drawing.

The image of Superman and Icon speeding toward Rift, who is menacing Lois Lane is a good one, and it’s fun to see her caught by someone other than Superman for a change as Icon is the one who makes the grab here.

SPEEDING BULLETS:

Nice to hear Babe Tanaka and Shredding Metal mentioned, if not shown here.

Speaking of “shown here” it’s odd that they have Ron Troupe in this scene without him speaking at any time. [Max: He hates Jeb so much that he can't even speak. I sympathize.]

Is Jimmy being sarcastic, or does he think that a concert is really a good idea?  I’m betting on the latter, but I’d say a concert would be pretty low on the priority list at that present moment.

Static and Superboy make a very dynamic teen team, and wouldn’t be out of place on a Saturday morning cartoon together.  [Max: Superboy and His Amazing Friends, co-starring Static and Rocket! I believe they did appear together in Young Justice, but that show doesn't sound very Saturday morning-ish...]

It’s interesting that Superman’s Milestone counterpart is named Icon, since, many years later, Ra’s Al Ghul adopts that nickname for Superman himself, the Man of Steel version of Ra’s’ insistence on calling Batman exclusively “Detective”.  “Icon” is an absolutely terrible fit to describe Superman, essentially meaningless, but that issue is beyond the '86 to '99 timeline, and handled by a writer whose work on Superman I hated, so the less said the better. 

Is the Alice who is washing dishes, and who meets Keith and Lucan the same Alice that works at the Planet?  It’s hard to tell without her glasses, but she has a similar body shape. [Max: C'mon, Don, that's Alice White! How could you forget such a memorable character... who, based on our tags, hasn't appeared since 1992?]

I can’t find much information on Lucan.  His name seems so unusual that I wondered if he’s a regular character or something from the Milestone stories, but I haven’t unearthed much.  His design looks similar to a character from the cartoon, Richie Foley, but under the name Lucan I can only find references to Shining Knight or a character in Image’s Invincible. [Max: The DC wiki doesn't even list him in this issue, so I'm gonna assume he was a one-time character and an excuse for Keith to talk to Alice... but then again, the wiki doesn't list Keith or Alice either.]

I still can’t believe the cosmic power behind this storyline is a nebbishy mailman.  

[popculturebuffet]

Little Retrospective of Horrors: The Musicals (Monthly Muppets Madness) (Comission for Emma Fici)

Welcome back all you strange and intresting plants to both my little retrospective of horrors AND monthly muppet madness my (usually) monthly look at anything muppet related. And after a blood apptizer or the original corman film, you can find that review HERE, i'ts time to get to the chunks of fileted dentist main course with the stage musical and one of my all time favorite films, it's 1986 film adaptation.

Originally I was going to do the stage version seperate... but when I sat down to watch the best visual and audio quality one I could find on youtube, the 2008 production from the American Musical Theater of San Jose which you can find HERE if your curious.. I found out that in addition to being a great movie on it's own.. LIttle Shop of Horrors is an EXCELLENT adaptation: While there are changes to make it work better as a film, cut songs for time and some changes in Seymours character we'll get to, most of the dialogue and music is exactly as it was in the stage play. At it's core the film is simply the musical as it's best self, taking all the great parts of it, trimming a bit of fat and giving us some knockout performances in the lead rolls. The film has some issues, we'll get to that like everything else... but on the whole even looking past my nostalgia.. it's still just a complete joy to watch and a love letter to the original

So i'll mainly be looking at the movie, but still covering the stage play here and there including the cut songs.

Good then let's dive into the giant man eating plant under the cut and see how it still talks, moves, sings and busts our balls after all this time.

Ya Never Know:

Little Shop of Horrors was the second collab and the brekaout one for the duo of Howard Ashman and Alan Menkin, a lyrcist and composer respectfully. It's , to my shock this very musical that caught Disney's eye, leading to the two composing songs for The Little Mermaid, Oliver and Company, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and of all things Cartoon All Stars to the Rescue, which I covered this 420. Sadly Ashman passed away in 1991, same year I was born, of AIDS, never seeing the finished Beauty and the Beast. His lost is a tragic one and i'ts sad a voice was robbed from us too soon by a disease that might of had better treatment had the goverment not been homophobic idiots. Menken is still working for Disney to this day, often returning for the unecessary live action remakes. Hey if it gets a certified legend a paycheck, at least some good comes out of those.

At any rate, back then the two were theater writers, whose previous show, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, hadn't done well. Wanting a fun project, Ashman thought back to an old play of his about a plant that had a magnetisim about it, a cult of personality.. and then realized it was a ripoff of beloved film from his teen years, Little Shop of Horrors. He pitched the idea to Menken who after seeing the film was absolutely in love, with it's 60's setting giving him plenty of inspiration.

"Howard and I work fairly quickly once we have the handle on what we’re doing. But we did go through a long period of outlines and song styles that we discarded. I decided that I wanted the musical approach to come from some early 1960s music—the girl group sound. It has a very dark, menacing ring. You can almost hear whips and chains in the background. There were two ponytailed teenagers in the movie and we decided to turn them into a black trio that functions as a Greek chorus, commenting on the action.”

Ashman added in the same interview

“People who see our show say, ‘It’s just like the movie.’ It really isn’t. The movie falls apart in the middle and has a weak ending. We added the S&M romance between Audrey and the sadistic dentist. We dropped the character who eats carnations and got rid of Seymour’s mother, who had an iron lung and bitched about everything. Most important of all—the bodies fed to the plant in the movie were accidental deaths, like a bum who is hit by a train. In our version, the deaths are planned by Seymour and he kills off some very important characters. I think our show has a more coherent structure. Once the musical was finished, a major problem was to find someone who could play Audrey II, the malevolent plant that reduces the cast to a minimum.”

This tightend up but still rediculous show was put on at the two's regular theater, the WPA (which they joked stood for "We put on anything). It was soon a success and much like Audrey II grew, and grew and grew, with the play being a sizeable hit with critical acclaim, paticuarlly for it's puppet. Said puppet was done by Martin Robinson, a seasame street vetran who'd play snuffleupaguss, and did a great job making nit really seem alive.

Some Fun Now:

One of the plays producers, David Geffen saw the Film's Potetial, and wanted to make a film adaptation, and got some pretty big names attached: both Martin "Old Genius Yells at Cloud" Scorcse and John "Multiple Murders" Landis were attached at one point, the former wanting to shoot it in 3D

Geffen then offered the film to an at the time rookie director, but one who'd still more than proven himself. Frank Oz. Muppet Maestro extrodinare, co-director of the Dark Crystal who was just coming off Muppets Take Manhattan. Oz turned it down at first as he didn't really have a cinematic approach to it. Once it came to him though he quickly agreed. They had a script.. but Oz wisely noticed it was stage bound.

This is important as some musical adaptations fall flat simply because of staging: for instance a good chunk of the flack the adaptation of in to the woods got.. was that it was shot and staged like a play.. despite being you know a movie. It probably also didn't help it was shot like someone took a baseball bat to all their lighting rigs.

So Oz's first priority being "take this already great script and simply make it cinematic" is one of the very first great things I can point out about the film. Having now seen both while the Stage PLay is excellent as is, Oz takes what's there and elevates it: While most of the action's still in the titular shop, the shop itself is now split level and most musical numbers are taken beyond one of the plays three locations to really make them pop with Skid Row now being a giant crowd number to show how desperate things are, Da Doo being a full flashback that's ironically presented like a stage play, Dentist being mostly set in Orin's office and on the back of his bike, and Suddenly Seymour being taken to a back alley. All simple touches but ones that make the numbers feel a bit more alive and keeps the setting from feeling clostrophobic: we still spend most of the picture in the plant shop but unlike the musical or original film, you don't start to FEEL it. Giffen and Ashman liked what he had and thus we were off to the races.

Casting wise there dosen't seem to have been a lot of drama. The only real bit I got form the interview I used is that Cyndi Lauper was considered for audrey, and while she would've been great i'm sure, I wholly agree with Oz that Ellen Green, who originated the role, was perfect. I can't imagine anyone else in the roll.

A Strange and Interesting Plant:

That brings us to the puppetry and if anything proves this has muppet blood it's the team Frank Oz assembled: To design it he brought on Lyle Conway, the designer for Dark Crystal, to make it he brought on the team from Labyrinth and to move it he brought back Robinson and added Brian Henson. I can't overstate how much Oz was the right man for the job based on this alone: someone else COUDL'VE done it but the effects wouldn't of been nearly as perfect without a team of this level and someone to put it together of Frank's level. It's far from the only reason this film is good, but it's certainly one of the highest.

I can't gush enoguh about the plant puppets: it looks real, the rubbery nature of it resembling the texture of a rubbery plant in real life, the lips being perfect to open and emote and usually resting in a mildly unesettling smile, perfect for the smug manipulator Twoey is.

Something I hadn't really taken note of before but Oz pointed out was the baby versions designed, with it's flowers resembling a bonet, a nice touch to show how harmless it looks at first.. which helps sell the message: just because something or someone LOOKS harmless dosen't mean they can't be dangerous in the right circumstances.

It only gets better with each phase and I notice how Twoey looks creepier at each phase... being fairly mundane in it's first two, a bit unerving when we get to "I can talk and I can move" , and truly terrifying in it's last few phases, with it's teeth growing and growing each time as it's powers grow.

As for getting it to move right that took a trick I"m STILL impressed by and still looks near seamless: so when playing the dailies back, Oz noticed tooey didn't quite move right. It was a bit slow.. but he noticed when rewinding or fast forwarding it Toey moved just as it should. So he had a bit of a bonkers idea: have the actors move slower in scenes with the plant as a puppet, so they could speed up the footage. And to his credit while many a director would just run with this and tell the actors to get over it, especially at the time.. oz genuinely worried about the problems this faced and was sympathetic in pitching it. And to their credit... everyone was game. They saw it as a fun challenge.

Otherwise productoin seemed to go fine... with two big exceptions. The first was after test screenings, the studios wanted to replace Levi Stubbs with Rodney Dangerfield to make the plant less scary

Look I love Rappin Rodney. He's the best. He gave us one of the greatest lines in all of cinema

He's dearly missed.. but while he CAN sing, unsuprisingly, he's just not a good fit for this role. Audrey II is a tempting force, a manipulator, a smooth talker, and Rodney is none of those things. A schemer yes, a loveable everyman yes, a rap god, yes. But he was not Audrey II, Levi Stubbs was and i'm so damn greatful this abomination didn't happen, as hilarious as it would've been.

There was ANOTHER problem with test audiences, one i'm sure you all know and if not your going to... but that's best saved for when we get to the end. For now with all the behind the scenes behind us, for now, let's take a look at the events that started on the 21st day of the month september, in a decade not too long before our own, when the human race suddenly encountered a deadly threat to it's very existence. And this terrifying enemy suddenly surfaced, as such enemies often do,

In The Seemingly Most Innocent and Unlikely of Places.

We open the film with our title track.. and the stage show too but i'll just be saying "the film" for simplicites sake, though i'll still be covering where the versions diverge, unique stuff to both etc.

The title track is a decent , fun number to introduce it, done over a black screen on stage and in front of Mushniks in the movie.

Regardless of versoin it's sang by Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon, a trio of black singers and local teens who serve as our greek chorus. Their treatment is also one of the bigger diffrences between the stage and screen versions: on stage the three interact with the cast more and are more actual characters, getting a whole number with Seymour we'll get to and trying to get rid of Orin.

In the musical while two of their scenes interacting with the main cast remain, Mushnik shoing them away and the trio recommending Audrey date Seymour, their role as a greek chorus is emphasised, with the three appearing in more places and costumes, like on a roof in evening gowns for "Some fun now' in the dentist office for "Dentist!", in the florist at night for "Suppertime", and in an office in "The Meek Shall Inheret".

I prefer the film version. While they still had to have them as characters.. .after act 1 of the play they mostly vanish aside from chorus bits. This not only gives them more to do, but helps create a nice little question mark: are these three showing up everywhere, is it in the characters heads, artistic lisense, are they magic? We really don't know and I like it that way. The scenes of them as real people are still there.

Tichia Arnold, Michelle Weeks, and Tisha Campbell do a phenominal job in the roll and have a hell of a vocal range. They aren't given as much as the rest of the cast and it is a shame three of the only black performers in the cast aren't given as much to do in this version, but they still make the most of what screentime they have. Fun fact, Arnold and Campbell would later go on to both be on the sitcom Martin. I've never watched Martin, I never really want to, but I figured it was worth pointing out.

It's once we actually get inside the shop, Mushnik's Skid Row Florists that we meet our three leads: Mr Mushnik, the shop's owner played by character actor Vincent Gardenia, shrill voiced and gold hearted Audrey played by Ellen Greene as previously noted and my boy, the man the myth and the legend, Rick Moranis as Seymour Krelborne, Mushnik's hired hand, adopted son in all but legal papers, and hopless nerdy klutz.

The trio are perfectly cast.. granted that goes for everyone. Gardenia is hilariously shouty as the hammy Mushnik, being a worthy sucessor to the original film's equally hammy highlight. Mushnik is made a bit more of a dick here, as instead of being mad at Seymour for simply being really bad at his job he abuses someone whose just a tad clumsy, who he adopted and he basically treats as an indentured servant. He's also bumped down from Deutragonist to main cast.

Audrey gets a huge glow up going from a pretty forgetable character, to a tragically heartbroken one, a woman who assumes, very wrongly, she deserves the abuse her dentist boyfriend Orin gives her. Granted I don't like how Ashman seems to think BDSM is the same as domestic abuse, but Oz does a good job in the film downplaying the bdsm part, instead making it clear Orin is just a sadistic bastard. More on him later. Greene plays audrey perfectly: she has a goofy, perfectly doofy voice for adurey.. but she portrays it with such sincerty and heart. Audrey is a genuinely kind person: you can see why Seymour falls for her even if she can't see it. Audrey is someone who, as I relate to all too easily, hates themselves and sees their not worth it. We also get some nicely sex positive messaging with her, especailly for the 80's: while the bdsm mentions have aged like Ragu on a sidewalk, especially after 50 shades of grey ALSO didn't get what BDSM was and linked it to abuse, the internalized misogny audrey has, that just because she was a stripper (as is heavily implied) once and likes to dress how she pleases she's unworthy.. when really she's fine as is and fine as who she is. It's Orin who deserves to die.

Finally we have Seymour himself, played by the man, the myth, the boy, Rick Moranis. Rick Moranis slaps. He was an icon of the 80's and while he had to leave to raise his kids, he left at the height of his game. Moranis was the nerd of the 80's so he was perfectly cast. What this film also shows off , and thus i've always known about, but dosen't get shown off in say ghostbusters or other awesome roles.. is the fact that Moranis can sing. Moranis has a gorgeous voice, as does most of the cast here, and perfectly captures this version of seymour: someone who like Audrey, dose'nt think much of themselves but wants more for themselves, they just don't see a way out of where they are.

And where they are is DOWNTOWN, aka skid row, one of the best numbers of the musical. While it's decent enough in the original stage, Oz takes it up a notch, making it a giant, impactful crowd number, taking us all around as we hear just how hard it is for the people of skid row and how hopless it is.. and how much both Audrey and Seymour want to escape it despite the odds being against them. it's a beautiful I want song and one of the best, backed by Beatrice Reading's beautiful belting to open the song. A true masterpiece

So after that number we get a fun time passing montage, as with each shot we see it pass... and eventually see Mushnik throw up his hands and give up. They haven't sold anything all day, and he's going to close down the place.

Seymour however has a solution: they need a hook, an attraction. IT's him rather than Dick Miller who has the idea here which honestly... is just plain smart. While they sadly cut the Dick Miller Flower Eating guy out of the musical versions, I get he was suplerflous and he gets a perfect succesor in a moment and it makes way more sense for Seymour to just present the idea of his strange and intresting plant himself.

Seymour brings it up, the Audrey II. Audrey is flattered, Mushnik thinks the idea that this will work is laughable but figures why not... and then a weird man enters. This weird man is played by future comedy legend Christopher Guest of Waiting For Guffman and Best in Show Fame. I.. I can't understate how much I loved this guy even before finding out he was christopher guest a few years ago: his weirdly hammy way of talking, his suit, the way he says "what a stragne and intresting plant" you have to see him for yourself sometime. I also love how he titls his head when everyone says "twice as many"

As for how Seymour got it that leads us to Da-Do, a fun doo wop exposition number that in the movie is turned from just Seymour telling us in frame, to a neatly staged bit that looks like a play in construction. He buys it from Chang (Da-Do), a chinese botnist who sells him weird and intresting plants. Chang didn't make this one though, as TO-TAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN! (ding), leads to the plant beaming in and while neither man knows how it got there, Chang sells it to Seymour anyway for a dollar nintey five.

The strange man almost walks bout but then comes back to buy a dozen roses , then TWICE AS MANY, TWICE AS MANY? (Twice as many?), leading to a flood of new customers and the florist being saved

Problem is Tooey isn't feeling so good Mr. Krelbourne, so Seymour's forced to spend the night trying to fix it. It's then we get another banger, Grow for Me. Spoiler: this entire soundtrack is fucking great in both versions, but especially the film. Oz shows his smart framing again here, having the number in the basement rather than the main area, giving us a bit of breathing room. The number is really just rick singing to the plant while moving around but his awesome and sincre vocals and the hilarious lyrics make it a joy.

When Seymour asks "whaddya want from me blood"... Tooey's response is...

So he opens a vein and the plant grows for him, leading to Seymour getting an interview on the radio

In both versions the interview is off screen, with us only seeing it through Mushnik and the trio (in the stage) and audrey (in the film) listening. What the film adds is a nice extra bit of Seymour actually going to the station. The station bit is really there for one and only one reason: so we can get a John Candy cameo. And frankly every film while he was alive should've been mandated to have a john candy cameo

John Candy is a comedy legend who died too young. He also has a history with Moranis, as the two were on the awesome sketch show SCTV in the 80's, so it was likely an easy ask to get Candy on here. The two also once did a song together on SCTV. It is also not necessary to this review but i'd be doing a diservice if I didn't play it for ya

Even when the man is trying NOT to play good he slaps. if anything the fact he can sing well enough to sing awkwardly on purpose and still have it not HURT to listen to and be funny.. god I love this man.

Anyways John plays Wink Wilkin, a local DJ whose really just there for John Candy to show how hilariously awkawrd it is when a dj does a bit while someone's standing right there watching it. He's also on the Blu Ray cover for some reason

This SCTV character is not vincent gardenia, what are you doing.

Anyways in the stage version Seymour coming back from the interview, after failing to give the adress, leads to "Ya Never Know", our first cut number.... KINDA.

See while the other three cut numbers are entirely gone from the musical, Ya Never Know was simply remixed into "Some Fun Now", taking the last part of Ya Never Know and making it into a slightly diffrent song. This change is for the better as while Ya Never Know rocks, it tightens up the pacing and instead of a random mid day musical number, we get a later juxtopistion of the fun and upbeat "Ya never know" with Seymour giving more and more blood to Toey.

Before we get to Some Fun Now though we have another number as the trio ask Audrey what the heck she sees in Orin. And what I do like is that while most people around Audrey tell her to "Just leave"... the film and stage show make it clear that it isn't that easy. It's honestly a great depection of abuse: while the idea that most victims have low self esteem isn't great, the idea that their abuser chips away at that and exploits that is very clear in how Orin treats her and how Audrey sees herself. Not only that, we get a very VALID reason why she dosen't leave him "If he does this when he likes me imagine what he'd do if I left?". The only people Audrey has in her corner are a kind nerd she dosen't want to see horribly mangled and an old man who would certainly try. No one would protect her if she left, so she can't. It's a horrible and tragic circumstance and a shockingly frank depection of abuse in what's otherwise a pretty light musical, and a hint that this musical.. isn't nearly as light as it appears on the surface.

So all Audrey can do is dream of a house somewhere that's green, leading to our next number. And as a kid.. I hated this one. It was long, it went on forever and I didn't really find the jokes that funny. oh hahaha 12 inches was a big screen.

As an adult... it's heartbreaking. Audrey is so trapped in her situation all she can do is pine for a future she thinks she can only dream about, one she feels deep down she and Seymour will never have and will never live to see. The last part's true depending on the ending, which makes it hurt that much more: knowing what's comign for her, knowing what twisted version of her dream she gets.. it hurts. It tangibly hurts.

Outside of being beautiful, well crafted sad, this sequence also brings an element I really didn't notice before to the foreground: captalisim. The film really takes the screws to our society, how some barely scrape by and can only dream and how some can ONLY get ahead through sheer luck. Seymour only found Audrey II because of a freak TO-TAL E-CLIPSE OF THE SUN! (ding). When your poor.. the world just wants to keep you that way and while working your way out IS an option.. it may not always work out. Mushnik has a nice flower shop for what he can get.. but it's dying simply because he can't afford a place not on skid row, where few people can really afford what he sells. And as the film goes on we see sometimes the way out... will eat you alive in the process.

Anyways, captalizim aside, I also love the designwork here. I used not to register just how much work it must've been to make this sort of thing but OZ and co really went out of their way to make some truly neat sets that feel unreal and plastic. So while it's still not a song I go back to a lot, it's one I apricate a lot more.

So we then get Orin.. and to my shock his intro's a bit diffrent in the stage play. Him riding up on his motorbike while singing on a purposefully crappy green screen is so awesome I hadn't thought "Well yes Jake but that's impossible to do on stage. ". Instead he talks with the Trio a bit. As you can probably guess... I prefer the film version, and once again it's less nostalgia or familiarity and more just showmanship. It's not really a fair contest as Frank made sure this was as film friendly as possible, so each number is him going all out while on stage it's just like any stage musical: it's what you can do on a stage. Dosen't make it any less awesome, my hatchetfield reviews should make that clear, it's just hard to compare to what OZ pulled off.

At any rate Dentist! is one of the most iconic numbers of the film and that's thanks in addition to Menkin's perfect 50's greaser ditty, to the charisma of one Steve Martin. Like Moranis I shoudln't have ot introduce steve martin who at 78 is not only still acting and has never quite stopped, he's also currently starring in the popular Only Murders in the Building with fellow SCTV alum Martin Short. I'd love for Rick or Ellen to pop up on there frankly even if I don't watch the show.

At any rate, Dentist is a gloriously hammy, surpisingly dark ditty about just what a monster orin is and how since "his temprament's wrong for preisthood and teaching would suit him still less" his mother recommended he become a dennnntttiiist and he'll be a sucess. And he is.. somehow. 1960's I suppose. The film gleefully outlines him as a hamm over the top villian, not just from shooting puppies with a bb gun and poimsning guppies when he was done but from little things Martin adlibed, with Orin just flat out socking his nurse in the face and tearing the head off a doll. It's so over the top it's hilarious and the song is so damn catchy and well done you can't help but sing along once you know the words. Add on the fact Steve Martin does a shockingly good elvis and you have one of the most perfect musical numbers and most hilariously over the top villian songs there is.

We soon meet Orin properly and what I love is that while Steve Martin gleefully hams it up with orin most of the time... he tones it down just enough when audrey enters. It's best shown when he meets Seymour. With Seymour he's flashy, happy to see him and recommends he get out of skid row asap. With Audrey.. he's quitely meancing, getting snippy when she dosen't add DDS to his name and snapping at her when she dosen't. But what makes it work.. is that it's kept realistic. Yes Orin is a greaser dentist about to be eaten by a plant, yes he's a bit goofy.. but the actual effect of his abuse and how he does it is played creepily real. He dosen't hit her in front of Seymour, with us only knowing he does because orin keeps leaving bruises, but it's very clear he has a tight control over her and Seymour's deeply uncomfortable the whole time, unable to actually DO anything to stop the guy despite knowing Audrey going off with him will only result in more pain for the poor woman.

Before Seymour can get an out for that we have to go back to the stage for one of the most suplerflous subplots i've seen in some time: So Mushnik is terrified Seymour is going to leave him and take the money and run, so he tries to adopt him. A 25 year old baby boy. Or 30 if you go by the movie which cut this out. We do get a great number out of it "Mushink and Son", where Mushnik tries to convince Seymour who mostly disagrees because he can see the lines but then Mushnik holds his breath for too long and Seymour agrees to become his son. It's entirely stupid and I love it, but I can see why i'ts cut. As a joke it's fine, hilarious and the number is fun. As part of the plot.. it goes nowhere. The florist shop is renamed Mushnik and Sons Skid Row Florist.. and that's it. It has no impact on Mushnik's later demise, the plot or anything but making Seymour feel on top of the world, which he already was. It's a nothing plot point only likely kept in all future versions because otherwise Mushnik's actor dosen't get a song.

So we get back to the main plot from that cul de sac and Seymour has a bit of an issue: while he could feed Twoey himself fine, he's not only tapped from previous feeings.. but Twoey is HUNGRY.. and with a loud whimpering feed me, Seymour finds out his plant can talk, he can move his trap he can demand more food.

With this Audrey's voice actor joins the party, Levi Stubbs. Stubbs was a member of 60's vocal quartet the Four Tops, a vetran singer who to my suprise was one of the inspirations for Hall and Oates. And their STILL active, switching out members as they go. They were such a big deal that Stubbs had to get the rest of the group's permission for this but thankfully he did.

Stubbs is a standout, perfectly nailing Twoey's character, maniuplative, smooth, and sinister. He can slip from threatning to tempting in an instant. One minute he'll be talking up Seymour the other he'll be telling him "does this look inanimate to you punk?" or telling him "Must be blood, must be fresh" one of my faviorite line deliveries from Stubbs as it's just so damn creepy. It underlines what Twoey needs.. someone to die for it. And a line Seymour isn't ready to cross.

So to push him over it we get the best song in the film, Feed Me (Gonna Get It), it's the first of THREE villian songs for Twoey in the film, two in the play, and it's the most iconic, outlining what this plant is right away: A deadly force.. but also a smooth manipulator, offering Seymour WHATEVER it takes to get him some lunch. The iconic "Would you like a cadilaic car, or a guest shot on jack par, how about a date with Hedy Lamar you gonna get it?". The I don't know bridge also nicely shows that Seymour. .isn't sold... this is a lot to ask and it's a high price tag. He sees the dollar signs.. but also sees the blood stains he'll have to clean out.. and the blood he can't ever scrub off his concious.

WE then get my faviorite part of the movie period. Twoey loudly belts out "a lotta folks dessserrrveee to die" a deftly manipulative line: after all it's a bit easier to muder if the person is bad right? One less scumbag right? or rather.. one lest dentist as in both versions Orin hits audrey where Seymour can see it and thus we get one of the best duets there's ever been as the two sing together. a one, a two IF YOU WANT A RATIONALE, IT ISN'T VERY HARD TO SEE NO NO NO, STOP AND THINK IT OVER PAL! THE GUY SURE LOOKS LIKE PLANT FOOD TO ME, THE GUY SURE LOOKS LIKE PLANT FOOD TO ME!

Now (It's Just the Gas0

So Seymour goes to GO GET IT. Cue the dentist office. And the movie adds something back the stage musical took out. While most of it's characters were either excised for serving no real purpose (Seymour's Mom, Dick Miller, The Sex Worker, the Mourning Lady, the Cops), or changed up (The two teeny boopers becoming the trio), Oz saw fit to bring one cut back: the dental mascochist, Arthur Denton in this version.

For this cameo Oz once again casted a big name, this time on purpose: Bill Murray, asshole and comedy legend. Look recent reveals like.. dangling a teenager over a garbage can and rampant sexual harassment may not have me liking him as a person, and it's certainly hurt films I love such as Meatballs. But as usual with these sort of assholes.. I HAVE to give credit where it's due. Murray is, as usual fucking hilaroius, nicely playing off Martin, a pairing we really haven't gotten outside of this one scene, with Orin being disgusted since Denton gets turned on. And like Nichelson Murray has this hijlarious jolly energy, though his is a bit more over the top fitting his style.

Anyways Seymour goes in for his checkup, which like the original film, Orin plans to take WAY too far and fuck up his mouth, giving Seymour ANOTHER reason to want the man dead. And it's there things change... as in both versions the same event happens, if slightly diffrently. It's been shown before this in Dentist! that Orin is addicited to Nitrious Oxide, having made up his own special gas mask to endulge, a weird bubble helmet in the stage and a simplier one on screen that's still JUST goofy enough. Problem is ... the thing works a bit too well and Orin snaps off the knob... just as, in the film at least, Seymour points a gun at him.

HIs death is utterly horrifying in both versions. I like the films as Martin does a fantastic job selling orin is dying and the horror that he's dying as he's laughing, coughing wildly between laughs. I also LOVE the exchange they have, something original to the film that sums things up perfectly

Orin: What'd I ever do to you?! Seymour: It's not what you did to me.. it's what you did to her. Orin: Who? (it dawns on him as the lights start to go out) Oh... her.

It's a simple moment but it shows in one last bit.. Orin realizes why his grave was dug.

The stage version of Orin dies the same way.. but it's extra unerving.. as he SINGS while it happens. Our penultimate cut number, Now (It's Just the Gas). I get why this one was cut: while the others were either reformatted or simply too suplerflous to live.. this one would've been fine. Here's the best live version I could find on it's own. Jake Gyllehal is seymour for some reason

As you can see it's a nice mix... it's horrifying.. and really puts Seymour in a moment of truth: he COULD save Orin... but he ultimately can't bring himself to. This change is also big as it adds more moral greyness to Seymour: BOTH let the man die, but Seymour in the musical thinks it over more. Let's it set in more.

WHile I prefer the theater version... I still love both scenes and for what it adds to Seymour: it's forever a question of "did he let orin die on purpose or simply got too nervous to decide and the time ran out?" In both versions the guy simply.. can't pull the trigger.. but is letting Orin die a horrible death any better? is it REALLY Seymour's right to kill the guy? It makes the world better.. but was that his call? I like that the musical dosen't really answer these questions. Seymour feels GUILT.. but for what, for wanting audrey and clearing the way or for killing someone? For how orin died? All that's clear is there's no blood on his hands.

After this we get a stunning scene of Seymour feeding Audrey II. The stage version is excellent, with shadowed lighting as seymour throws the parts in. I really love the OZ version though, as he throws in a jazzy instrumental of mean grene mother from outer space... and some horrifying laughter as Seymour throws him parts wrapped up. Originally the parts were NOT wrapped up but the MPAA took issue with this.

Can't imagine why.

So with this we enter act 2 and finally get past our last cut full song, Closed for Renovations. It's cute and it exists, that's about it.

So the store's doing better, Seymour's star's rising and he only has nightmares from guilt every OTHER night.

He's not the only one as Audrey has a jolt of guilt from Orin's death. How varies, with the movie version talking to the cops and the musical version getting a far more heartbreaking jolt: Seymour wearing a jacket like his to try and impress her.. only for the ptsd and guilt to get to her. Audrey WANTED him gone.. and thus fears this is her fault. Seymour, who knows exactly who made him plant food comforts her.

This leads to one of the shows best numbers and one of it's signatures. It's also one of the few that's really not that diffrent between versions: Oz simply adds a sunset for a nice cinematic touch. IT's a tender, genuine romantic ballad between Audrey and Seymour finally confessing to one another and confriming their better than their brains give them credit for. Can relate. It's tender, well done and REALLY shows off Greene and Moranis' vocal range. The two REALLY hit the high notes, ESPECIALLY Greene. While Somewhere That's Green let her show off a little this is a whole damn parade of her vocal talents. It's nice, warm.. and very sad given what's about to happen in 2/3 versions of this story.

Though what happens next no matter the version isn't exactly chipper as Mr. Mushink confronts Seymour. And this.. is one of the biggest changed scenes in the whole musical and those changes are deeply important. In both Mushnik has figured out he killed orin the film version saw Seymour hacking and slashing up the corpse, the musical version got a call seymour had a bag there and saw red spots on the linoleium.

While those are still similar enough what seperates the Mushniks is intent: despite his earlier greed, Gravis GENUINELY wants to help Seymour in the play, begging him to come tell the cops his side and part of him clearly not beliving Seymour did it or if he did, he had a good reason.

The film version.. is the utter bastard we're used to. He holds Seymour at gunpoint and offers to let Seymour run away if he gives him the plant.. framing it as helping but really just wanting the money. One is a suprise show of decency.. the other is exactly what you'd expect, but with Garendia still giving Mushnik a nice tinge of clear horror at what his surrogate son has done. Either way it drives home how far Seymour's sunk, with Audrey before this showing the consequences. He killed a man..a nd he dosen't get to walk away.

Or does he? After all Twoey would prefer the more manipulatable person and thus sings to Seymour to feed Mushnik to him What I like is no matter the version, it's ambigious if Audrey II is actually communicating with Seymour.. or it's simply the Audrey II in his head. Mushink dosen't HEAR Audrey II but is that artistic license or is what's about to happen all seymour?

Well how MUCH it's Seymour depends on the version and it's something that hurts the original ending of the film: In the play.. Seymour is fully responsible. Twoey's talking him into it sure.. but Seymour tells Mushnik to look into the plant for the money. Which is stupid, and a nice takeaway from the original film, sure, but he still actively lead Mushnik there.

In contrast in the film... Seymour's at gunpoint, nervous and reluctantly backs him up to tooey, and is geninely unsure of how to tell him how to care, drawing it out.. and once again making it hard to tell if Seymour simply got nervous and Twoey took advantage or Semyour led him.

It's a key part of the film version; Seymour's guilt is way more ambiguous, which makes him more sympathetic. It's hard to tell how much is just making the wrong decision under pressure, and how much is intetnional. He also shows way more guilt.

Where Do I Sign?

What dosen't help is that both versions of the film cut out something important, the bridge of "The Meek Shall Inheret". The Meek Shall Inheret is a number I love, as Seymour's fame rises.. but as shown by Moranis' deft acting, it's eating him alive as the guilt is. And the bridge makes this clear.. but also makes him once and for all acountable.

Now did Oz go a bit TOO hard on adapting this bit? Fuck yes. I don't even know exactly what i'm looking at. There's a good bit or too like the bleeding painting of mushnik.

What's important is the singing and my GOD does moranis fucking kill it. This is easily his best vocal performance in the film..a nd it got left to the soundtrack. A real shame even if I do GET cuting this goofy version, if not you know, simply reshooting it. You don't NEED Audrey hugging a plant. Or plant seymour.. or most of this. The vines are a nice touch tho.

What's needed.. is Seymour's moment of weakness. WIth Orin, he simply acted too slowly and let a bad person die by his own hubris. With Mushnik, it was a moment of weakness or a moment of stress. Both left men dead and both aren't something he can walk back and will always carry with him.

The question is.... does Seymour give into the plant or fight back, does he KILL the beast before it grows and loose everything to do the right thing or selfishly give in? IT's the latter.. that seals Seymour's fate. That little last speck of insecurity and self hatred, that tiny voice that convinces him Audrey loved him for the plant and not who he is. And that's.. how Audrey II wins.

And leaving that out meant he couldn't POSSIBLY win. Which brings us to our finales.

Schrodinger's Audrey

The leadup is the same: with his guilt spiraling , Seymour asks Audrey to run away with him and get married, leaving Audrey II behind. The stage version.. runs on plot contrivance. Up to this point it's well plotted and the actual tragic finale is a heartbreaker.. but how we get there is

Okay so Seymour talks to Audrey about running away.. IN FRONT OF TWOEY. The one person he shoudln't. And it's not like the play dosen't have an alleyway set or they can't just dim the lights so it's implied he's not in the shop. I get the final plant puppet is MASSIVE but you COULD hide it. even just have Seymour throw a sheet over him.

Then while he's getting Twoey some sirloin, Audrey comes by because she can't sleep. That's it. The entire tragic ending.. happens because of stupidity and concidence. And seymor's hubris and weak spine, but the fact the last 15 minutes happen because of this just. .baffles me. The play is so good otherwise, honest, and the rest of the ending is great. But this one part just.. astounds me in both how flimsy it is and how it's never been re-written. WHy wouldn't you?

So Twoey tricks Audrey into getting him some water. She's nervous and senses something's off... but sadly not before Twoey eats her alive. And it's with that action the ending snaps back into the quality of the rest of the show, as Seymour comes in to save her.. but it's too late. His actions have had a consequence and his refusal to try and kill Tooey while he still could... cost him the only good thing in his life that didn't come with strings attached and never had. Audrey, selfless and kind as always, asks to be fed to the plant, not realizing what Seymour has become or what he's done and simply wanting to be with him somewhere tha'ts green. And to their credit while Twoey is a monster... in both this version and the film, he let's Seymour gently place her inside, honoring her sacrifice.

Seymour is left a mess after this, and only snaps out of his suicidal spiral when a salesman offers to make MORE Audrey II's... and thus Seymour gets the picture: The plant wants to conquer the world.As brilliantly put in the film in one of my faviorite parts in the whole thing.

Seymour: Every household in america, thousands of ya eating, that's what you had in mind all along isn't it?

Seymour: We're not talking about one Hungry Plant Here, we're talking about world conquest

Audrey II: And I wanna thankkkkkk youuuuuuu

It sells that this is SEYMOUR'S fault.. and in the play at least.. it's too late. He made the wrong choice... and it's too late to save the world.. or himself. Despite every attempt, despite going into the plant to kill it.. Seymour dies. THe plant gets sold to every supermarket in the world... and as "Don't Feed the Plants" plays, we learn everyday jerks like Seymour bought the deal. The world is doomed... and evne if the chorus tells us "we still have a chance" it dosen't seem likely.

And this ending.. is fantastic. It's a well needed aseop: that ANYONE can do horrible things with the right motivation. It's probably less shocking nowadays in the true crime boom built off that premise, but even then most people watching that stuff think "Naht hat isn't me". The point of the show is ... no it could be. Seymour isn't a HORRIBLE person, he isn't pure evil... but he still let two people die horrible deaths because it was easy and backed down from the hard path... and paid the price. Actions have consequences, and doing horrible things to get ahead just isn't worth it. It's not worth loosing your soul to feed the plant.

So that leads us to the film which infamously has TWO endings. The original was a variant of this one, the other something diffrent Both start the same way though: Frank fixes one of the few problems with the play by.. not having Seymour be a complete putz. He makes the plans to flee where he thinks Tooey isn't watching, in the Alley, and tries to sneak out, then does the sirloin thing as a compromise, clearly planning to leave after that. And rather than hapinstance.. it's Twoey that kicks off the finale. Seymour's going to renege on their deal? Well that's just fine.. then he's no longer of use.. and neither is Audrey. So he calls her over and reveals himself, with a truly nice shot from her apartment across the street as we see the plant grinning. She's certainly feeling uneasy.. but her kindness and trusting nature make it easy to see why she tries to feed the plant some water when asked.... and ends up lunch.

This is where the two endings split. A Schrodinger's Audrey if you will: She's not alive OR dead despite the obvious implications towards the latter while being eaten.. i'ts only when she's pulled out can you tell which ending you have: if her wedding dress is clean, it's the theatrical cut, if it's blood i'ts the original.

So before we talk about the different endings, you have to ask

Most films have test screenings: these are a way for studios to see if they have a hit on their hands or arbitrarily bury a movie, gage audience reactions, see what might need to be cut or what needs to be reshot. These aren't a bad thing entirely as sometimes testing can really help a film.

In this case it did and it didn't. The film was a cinch to get raitings for most of it... laughter, hollering. It was a crowd pleaser... until we get here. Until they kill Audrey then Seymour. Hearts are broken and the bad guys win.. and no one was happy with them getting only 16 percent liking it. Oz suggested another test.. and same result.

So while he wasn't happy about it, as the original ending had a lot of expensive puppets, minitures and fit more aseop wise.. he changed it so the film would get released.

It was then.. that the original ending was lost. All frank had was a black and white workprint which he DID put on the dvd.. till Giffen told him to take it off and said "Oh we'll just put the color one on" now where did I put it..

Yeah he didn't have it and it still frustrates me the ending was mostly lost. Thankfully a fan happened to have the original print and it was restored in 2013, but for most of my life the theatrical ending WAS the ending. I only saw the original one in a lifestream someone was doing around halloween and in the janky workprint.

So on paper it'd be obvious with ending is better: The original, the director's intended vision. But it's just.. not that simple. The hard truth is , as much as I love this film NEITHER ending completely works. Both are good.. but neither COMPLETELY fit the film Oz made

The original is , as said, close to the plays: Audrey is pulled out and Ellen green acts her heart out as she asks to be fed to the plant. If ther'es one big tragedy to this ending not getting in it's that Greene didn't get her oscar for this scene. God damn.

So Seymour decides to unalive himself out of guilt, only to meet the sales guy, realize tooey's plan and go to stop him. We also get one line that isn't in the thetrical cut "Your a monster and so am I" it shows tha tunlike the musical.. Seymour has realized their both monsters.. but only one is getting out of here. He has to do the right thing even if he dies.

He tries his best as we get one of the best numbers int he musical, my clossseeee second faviorite mean green mother from outer space as Audrey II talks about how badass he is in one long, awesome villian song, one of the best in existance. He easily beats Seymour. Ashman and Menkin made this for the film, to get nominated for best original song, which worked. They lost somehow but hey, points for trying. MGMFOS is a banger, and one of the musicals best in any medium, nad i'm glad stage productions added it in as damn is it fun. IT's also a puppetry feast as the giant final puppet moves, grooves and has little backups. it's a truly awesome musical moment and a spectcale for the eys, a deserving finale

And it's also... why this ending dosen't quite work. In the play Seymour goes down swinging and while still likeable, wasn't the best person by the end. His death went down easier. Movie Seymour showed WAY more visable guilt, being wracked with it and while he tried to dodge it it was clear it was eating him alive... and without that bridge, without that one moment of weakness... he comes off less as someone who willingly sold out to twoey after the two murders, and more as somone whose swept up in the tide of all he ever wanted but desperate to escape it as he knows the price tag is caked in blood. And as bad as he was.. some of that blood was his father figures.

As a result a 3 minute musical number where Seymour is humilaited AFTER the guy nearly killed himself AFTER having to give up the love of his life, knowing it was all his fault she's dead... is a bit much. It's karmic overkill. Seymour dosen't deserve to walk off scott free, he has to live with what he's done. But OZ both made Seymour way more sympathetic.. and then piled on way more punishment. I'm again not saying Seymour deserves to get the hell out of this unscathed, he let two horrible things happen and needs to stop the monster he created. But this was overkill

It dosen't help that after Seymour's death, and the plants taking over... the ending drags on for a WHILE. The director's cut does have GREAT puppet and miniture work that's just outright wasted in the theatrical cut, cool shots of the plants taking over the world. It's neat stuff. But it's also not edited like it probably would hav ebeen had it been propertly released, so it's about 30% good content and 70% the plants fucking shit up while laughing a lot. It's cool at first but after a while you just want it to end. And the end of Audrey II bursting through the screen is awesome but I GET why the test audiences hated this: It's not just the bad guy winning, that's a horror staple, i'ts that he basically rubs your nose in it for 15 minutes. The ending isn't terrible and I do get why people prefer it, as THEMATICALLY it's better.. but I wish we could get a cut with it edited down. otherwise while still a LOT of overkill for seymour, it'd flow way better.

So that means the focus group ending is 100% better right?

Yeah while I like the theatical cut ending a touch more... it's far from perfect. It's not bad: Seymour rescues Audrey, realizes what's going on from Jim Belushi (And we get the iconic line "IF you two kids would just stop singing for a minute"), and goes to confront the plant one on one to atone for what he's done. It helps that while we don't get the great your a monster and so am I line, we do get Seymour going in. He COULD run from the thing.. but he knows running is what got him into this. being passive, not helping anyone when he could. It's only actoin that will get him out

Mean Green Mother works WAY better as a villianous last stand than as a victory lap. It's still boastful, still awesome and Seymour is still outmatched.. but it works better when it's not "Someone whose genuinely trying to atone for horrible things getting battered" and more "A hero barely surviving against the beast he created. " Context helps.

It's HOW Twoey goes out that makes this kinda weak, as is Seymour just.. getting away from it. Feed the plants and you can escape the consequences of your actions! You can just bluescreen them to death and get your somewhere tha'ts green..e ven if it comes with a strange and inresting plant.

Thematically the ending dosen't QUITE work, changing it more to "accepting personal responsiblitY" than "your actoins have consequences and you can't just avoid them less they destroy you". But honestly.. it dosen't hurt the film bad enough. The changes to Seymour mean we root for him more. We're probably not supposed to, but Rick Moranis is just too damn likeable and sympaathetic and portrays the guilt too well. But the new aseop "When you do a bad thing, you need to own up to and face it not run away from it or claim you could've done nothing" DOES really hit in an age where many a person will deny they did anything when their ugly past takes root. Seymour did fuck up, but he coudln't exactly tell the cops, and while it took a push risked his life to undo his mistake. Again it's far from perfect, but for an ending that had to be made on the fly it works well and for the film Frank Oz made.. it works perfectly.

So that's Little Shop of horrors... and as should be obvious.. I love both vresions. The movie more, ending issues and all. It has phenominal performances, wonderful numbers and top notch effects. If you haven't seen it and this hasn't convinced you, I don't know what else I could possibly say except.. thanks for reading.

Next Time: We finish this retrospective with the piece of little shop history we all like to forget.

[ddagent]

Presents: softball coach!Sheridan

PRESENTS: John is a Girl Dad I am hosting a Birthday Month Promptathon - prompt me things!

Unfortunately, I know *nothing* about softball (or baseball) so I went with a sport I've actually competed in before. I hope you enjoy!

Thank you to Jumpnow for the Minbari dictionary; Ah'ard means 'My light'.

“Shoot it! Shoot it! Yeah!”

John Sheridan thrust his fist into the air, pulling three tugs on his whistle as his eldest daughter, Della, sunk a goal into the opposing team’s net. He applauded loudly, joining the other parents in celebrating the 2-1 advantage that the Babylon Furies had accomplished. John’s opposing number, Coach Smith, threw off his baseball cap and began yelling at the referee – and the goalie. John just shook his head. They’re twelve, John shouted over the sounds of the referee’s whistle. Such a man should not be coaching.

As gameplay took a break for Coach Smith to be admonished by the referee, number 3 of the Babylon Furies joined John at the side lines. Della wrapped both arms around his middle, squeezing him tight. He pressed a kiss to the top of her ponytail. “You did good, sweetheart. Real good.”

Continue Reading Below or Read at AO3

“Thanks Dad. Coach.” The whistle sounded again. Della, team captain, threw him a salute. “No surrender—”

“—no retreat!”

Della returned to the field, high-fiving Julie Franklin, one of her best friends, before taking a starting position. It wasn’t long before the Babylon Furies had possession of the ball and Della was, once again, striking home with a goal. If they kept this up, they would be in for another winning season. The Furies had been blessed with victory ever since John had taken over four years before. His goddaughter, Sofie, had been grateful for him to come aboard – their previous coach had not been as effective at drawing out the best in the girls. He also hadn’t cared for when Sofie muttered under her breath in Russian but John knew all the bad words by now, after years of working with her mother, Susan.

But while John had no issue with the girls he coached, their mothers were another story. He saw them, on the parent line. Whispering, waving. He had overheard more than a few comments about the tightness of his t-shirt over his arms – the tightness of his shorts during Wednesday training as he and the girls ran drills. A few waved to him now; he waved back with the hand bearing his silver wedding band. Yes, I know I’m Coach ‘Sexy’ Sheridan. Yes, you added my wife to the group chat before you realised and she accused several of you of sexual harassment. Bite me.

Thankfully, the whistle for end of game blew and John could turn his attention back to his girls. Della was diving around the pitch, high-fiving her teammates. Julie was on the back of the goalkeeper, Na’Leth. Mariella and Leah were doing some new dance they’d probably seen on social media. And John – John couldn’t have been prouder.

“Congratulations, Coach Sheridan. Another stunning victory.”

John tore his gaze away from his beaming daughter to stare at his lovely wife. She had opted for one of his football tees, the black and green of the Babylon Furies, underneath an ebony, knee-length coat. John drew Delenn into his arms, receiving the kiss he had been denied that morning when he and the team had left at five for warm up drills. Her thumb traced the smudge of leftover face paint from his cheek. He responded with a kiss.

“Good morning.” Another peck to her lips. “How’d David do?”

Their son, still wearing his denn’bok robes, had joined his sisters on the field to celebrate Della’s win. A new pin had been added to his lapel. “Won all but two of his pairings. He has now advanced. Della, she did well?”

“Three goals!”

“Ah’Ard.” Delenn turned proudly to their eldest daughter, currently playing penalty shoot-out with her siblings. David was in goal; Della was guiding Jadenn to kick the ball in the direction of their brother. “We have done well, John.”

He couldn’t agree more. “Three seems to be our lucky number. Three pins, three goals. Three kids. Three gold medals between the pair of us.”

“Three Olympics before you finally admitted your feelings for me,” Delenn teased, stealing another kiss from her husband. “How about we join our children for, uh…two-on-two before we go home for lunch?”

Grinning, John joined his wife and children on the emptying football field. He and Jadenn took one side; Delenn and David the other. Della was in goal, deflecting each and every shot. After Sheridan vs Sheridan drew nil-nil, the five of them headed home. Jadenn sat upon his shoulders, teasing the brim of his baseball cap, as David gave a play-by-play of his competition from earlier that day. Delenn and Della walked, arm-in-arm, speaking in Adronato as she, too, explained her game to her mother.

John loved being a coach. Whatever the score, he always won.

[writingemporium]

The Altus Showdown

Oh boy I'm going to post the next part of fic here because I can and I'm nervous.

Altus Showdown

She hadn't been seen in days, but that did not mean he lost her. Margit kept a vigilant eye from afar making notes of her movements throughout the Altus Plateau. She was seen making her way through Dominula Village to the windmills in the extremities of the town. She still wore the same, now ragged looking, dress that she had initially visited Leyndell in. Her hair was still tied back into a simple low ponytail that required the bare minimum of effort to maintain for a solo traveler such as herself. Simple, effective, and self sufficient.

He watched her from afar as she took a break sitting in the grass away from the roadside. Even if she was in The Lord's good graces not everyone knew yet. Or they chose to ignore any rumors regarding her well being in the Plateau and Leyndell. Such was the way of things. She stood up and beckoned him over moving further away from the roadside deeper into the golden grass. He took a deep breath and realized that maybe what he was doing could be considered immoral. Now was not the time to worry about such things.

“How much longer were you going to stalk me? Are we back to cat and mouse games?” She placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head.

Before he could get a word in she spoke again with a little more thought in her voice. “Actually I'm glad it was just you. I feel like there's someone or something that's been hunting me for a while now,” her eyes furrowed in thought over what it could possibly be.

“Is there ever a time when a Tarnished such as thyself isn't in some sort of peril?” he couldn't tame his glibness. The comfort he felt around her lulled him immediately. It was as if she had never met Morgott in the first place. A blessing and a curse.

“Ha. I'm laughing but in all seriousness I'm being followed and I don't care for it. There's a few people I don't want to meet out in the wilds,” she started to briskly move towards the direction of the windmills in the distance. Forward was the only way for her there was no going backwards, and walking helped her clear her thoughts.

Margit watched her move and followed suit. He metered his pace to keep just behind her watching her with a single golden amber eye. Such an odd creature. She led him to a windmill long since abandoned. The wood was rotting, the foundations corroding, but for a long time this had been home to Percival when she had none.

“Ah home at last. At last I can get out this wretched dress. Wait here I'm going inside to get a few things then I'll be right back,” she smiled then pulled aside a small plank and shimmied in. He said nothing in return.

Inside the windmill was a whole different world then what appeared on the outside. The inside was littered with weapons and armor of all kinds and a sleeping mat tucked off to the side. For all its clutter and chaos it was still home and it felt good to be back at last. Percival violently took the dress off and discarded it with little regard. It was grayed and sullied with to many bad memories attached to it now for her to ever appreciate the article ever again. She changed into her armor swiftly moving because of Margit waiting for her outside. She didn't want to keep him waiting.

She moved towards a sturdy looking chest and sat down in front of it struggling just slightly to open it. Inside of it were her most personal belongings. Trinkets and treasures that defined moment and events throughout her time in the Lands Between even if she couldn't remember the significance behind them all. She pulled out her kit checking to make sure that all the proper perfume bottles were safe and secure along with the flowers promised. She sighed scratching her head idly looking at the remainder of the contents. She wasn't sure what all she should bring back to Leyndell or whether or not she should even be returning in the first place. At the same time where else was there?

“A promise is a promise even if I have issues with it,” she said out loud. If Percival was anything she tried to be a promise keeper.

She rifled around in the chest and pulled out a crown with a gold gossamer veil attached to it. She carefully put the article into her kit, and fished out her most valued possession. She looked at it tenderly at a silver tiara with embellishments worn away in some places. She thumbed the worn places and reminisced on someone she struggled to remember who it was. It was knowledge that existed in the extremities in her mind lingering in a mist that she couldn't part her way through. She packed it away tenderly with the utmost care tears stinging her eyes for someone she couldn't remember.

She roughly wiped her face with her arm trying her best to pull herself together. Memories were hard for her on a good day. The many repeated deaths tore her mind asunder long ago fighting Margit. Her memories the cost of her repeated strife and victory over him. If she had any regrets she couldn't remember them.

Her final item the most critical was her sword. A hefty slab of iron that shouldn't be wielded with such abandon as she did. She kept it perfectly centered in the back, and staring at it drudged up a slight bile in her mouth. Light cut across the metal and all she

could do was stare at it. She took a deep breath and approached it cautiously. She touched the leather on the handle tenderly and felt her heart race. To her surprise picking it up was no effort despite the amount of time spent away from it. She set it back down and realized that perhaps carrying a massive sword wouldn't be a good look. She looked at her reflection in the sword and addressed it with formality.

“I don't need you right now. Where I'm going there are different weapons that I'm going to need and sadly I don't think you're going to make it into the roster. Good bye for now my dear friend. You were there for me when I had no one, and now I must try a new way,” the tears flowed freely as she stroke the broadside of the sword. She lightly touched the edge of the sword and found that it was blunt indicting the lack of care she had been giving it. Her hand dropped and she opted for an elegant long dagger instead. With all of her business sorted out she headed towards the door.

Memories flash and the blood poured on her in a deluge. There was no time for the other person to register they had been struck in two by the sword. She slammed it into the ground and threw successive lightning bolts at someone fleeing. They hit the ground and started to spasm and convulse. There was a roar in her ear as she dropped to her knees. Someone called out to her form afar.

“Percival!”

She stopped and let the memory play itself out. She exhaled not realizing that she had been holding her breath the whole time. Nothing like that had ever happened before. An odd moment where her mind scraped together a coherent memory. She stared wide eye at the floor unsure of what to do with this new knowledge. A loud slightly impatient rapping broke her train of thought however, and she did manage to recall one thing.

“Dost thou intend on staying in there?” he was impatient waiting for her. There were matters that needed to be addressed.

She looked at the door alarmed almost completely pulled out of her memory. She clung to it slightly trying to hear the voice that called out to her. It was so important who was it? A second bout of rapping cleared the rest of the fog from her head and she stumbled her way towards the door.

“Calm down! That wood isn't that strong. I'm coming I'm coming!”

She crawled out of the hole in the front door and looked up at Margit's stern eye with annoyance. She sensed that there was something else that was going to be asked of her. She pulled a bundle out from the door and stood up slinging the pack over her shoulder.

“You seem oddly impatient I must say. What's wrong?” she couldn't help her smile as annoyance crept across his face. Her familiarity with Margit was starting to bother Morgott.

“Don thine armor there's something that must be addressed. Consider this a special request.”

“Oooo a request from who? What are we doing?”

“There has been an increase in the number of Gelmir Serpents in the Altus Plateau. By any chance wouldst thou know anything regarding this?” He pulled a muddied red envelope from the hood of his cloak, and handed it to her. She stared at the envelope with wide eyes and opened it carefully revealing a name in the center a paper neatly folded into thirds.

Percival.

The Altus Plateau.

The blood drained from her face as she stared at the envelope. In the past she had honed her skill with the Recusants of the Volcano Manor trying to get stronger in order to defeat Margit, but for some reason she wasn't prepared for the formal request. It was all starting to catch up to her.

“Oh,” it was a tiny little noise that was barely audible to the ear. She couldn't imagine who could be the one after her all the same the same time. She tucked it into her waist band carefully mind reeling at the possible contenders.

“The only thing that I find odd is that I can't imagine who they might be sending. I culled their numbers aggressively. And generally speaking they aren't the ones I'm worried about. I'll deal with them as they come.”

“Oh?” Margit was genuinely curious at the statement.

“Yeah it's the Inquistion that you have to look out for. Anyway for now it's not worth worrying about I have to complete what I set out to do,” she was antsy and wanted to avoid talking further on the matter. She started walking toward the road with Margit following her with his head. He sighed and followed her with large steps down the slope.

As time progressed the roads became mistier and harder to see. Percival frowned starting to doubt her movements and directions. A wrong turn would take her into the forest with the wormfaces, a giant worm faced humanoid that spat blight from it's mouth instantly killing the unaware in a horrific manner. It was something she wanted to avoid at all cost. She turned around to see if Margit was still following, and found that he was no longer following her. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that the fog was slowly starting to enclose on her from all angles. She carefully scanned around her holding out a timid hand to see if there was anything in front of her. She wandered silently trying not to draw attention to herself.

At the very least there was no sounds of nauseated retching. That was the signature warning of the wormfaces, and as far as she was concerned that meant she was better off. The fog parted slightly and she discovered that she was in a clearing. Golden leaves littered the floor and slender white trees stretched up to the sky. It was all very lovely, but this also meant that she was lost. The fog had caused her to wander to far from the road. She scratched her head in frustration, but was disrupted by the sound of a stick snapping. She stopped moving and slid her hand to her dagger slowly. A feeling of being hunted started to creep into her bones, and she turned to face where the sound originated from.

“Well I expected nothing less from you're still sharp as ever,” a tall man in ornate silver armor stepped out from the misty trees into the clearing.

Percival stood straighter and waited for a moment to take what she was hearing. Her eyes widened when she registered the voice she was hearing, “...Bernahl...?” She approached slowly and saw the ornamentation on the armor take form into animals that were in various stages of roaring and fight. He took off his helmet at last revealing a handsome man with a scraggly peppered beard, and low hanging ponytail. His face couldn't hide the fatigue that a long journey took on him. Still in all he let a small smile.

“Bernahl! It is you!” she couldn't contain her excitement and embraced him in a strong hug. He returned it in kind, and the swayed together for a brief moment. “I never thought I'd see you again! How's everything? What have you been doing?”

“It's good to see you to as well,” his response was somber in comparison to her enthusiasm which cause her to stop moving, and her face to drop.

“...Where's your Finger Maiden?” he looked into her eyes and she knew the answer.

“Oh no...Bernahl I'm so sorry...I...”

“No. Don't worry about it. It was always a possibility we all knew that,” not even his stoic veneer couldn't hide the evident pain in his voice.

Percival lay her head against his shoulder and they mourned together for a brief moment. Their travels with their Finger Maidens ended in failure. Even with all that knowledge the heartache, the war, the strife, they knew the ultimate cost of their Maidens. The injuries tended, the tears, the motivation, the uplifting of spirits. The Tarnished and the Finger Maidens fed off each other drove them forward, and their early demises all the more tragic. And with so few left people became more desperate for alternatives.

The armor started to hurt Percival's ear and she finally picked up her head. There was something else that was odd about Bernahl that she couldn't place right away. A shift in energy and intent. He always was a noble character what else could have changed? The realization dawned on her as she asked the question.

“Where's your Zweihander?” She had always seen him with it. He had a new weapon that made her straighten up a little more, and start the adrenaline in her body.

“Wait. Before you say or do anything hear me,” she started squirming more trying get out of his grasp.

“Where's your Zweihander Bernahl?” Her voice was more stern. She saw the hint of red on his back and looking down saw a brief glimpse of an orb being consumed by something scaled.

He gripped tighter and she stopped moving at last. He eyes were imploring her to give him a chance.

“Hear me. I've been told that you were called by the Lord of Grace in defense of the Erdtree. What good has serving the Erdtree and the “just cause” of becoming Elden Lord done for either of us? The last I saw you you were carrying the corpse of your Maiden on your back to the Mountaintop of the Giants. My Maiden perished as well nothing came of it. It was all a lie,” the earnestness in his voice picked up with every passing word.

“What are you saying?”

“Come with me. To the Volcano Manor.”

“Wha- no I can't...What are you saying right now?” she knew all to well what he was saying. The muddied letter appeared in her brain in a brief flash like a heartbeat.

“There's nothing left for you or I serving the Erdtree. Like I was saying it was a farce from the beginning. Join the Manor. With me.”

“I can't. It's...the Erdtree is everything to this world. What are you doing? Come back with me instead. We don't have to do this. It doesn't have to-”

“No. I'm afraid it does,” he let go of her at last and donned his helmet. She stumbled backwards at last as he reached behind him and unclasped his new weapon. A giant club that consisted of a giant red snake devouring a globe that seemed to large for it's mouth.

Percival took a step back and stumbled on a rock as the first swing down barely glancing her. The impact was felt through the earth by her feet. There was intent to kill. He pulled the weapon back with an angled swing and hit her left knee with vicious force. She pushed herself up only to be hit by an angled swing. The blow hit her left knee and she cried out in pain and collapsed. Her left knee was bent in a new angle and was effectively useless now. She scrambled backwards with her hands and still functioning right leg. Her mouth was completely dry her breathing rapid as she tried once again to barely stand and scramble her way out of there. Steady footsteps followed behind her.

She managed to get up using a tree as a crutch and launched off it with effort as another hit landed behind her. She wasn't prepared for the cliff that had been hidden by the mist the whole time. She slid off the rocks into the abyss, but was grabbed in the nick of time by a leather gloved hand. She grabbed it reflexively and held on to it with all her might. Her heart hammered in her chest from the shock of the fall. It wasn't until he spoke that she realized that it was Bernahl that grabbed onto her.

“Hang on,” his voice strained with the effort as he clasped her with his other hand. He was starting to slide off the rocks as well.

A novel idea came into Percival's mind and she bit her lip.

She knew what had to be done.

“Let me go!” she held onto his hands as she began to explain the play. “It's ok. You wouldn't get a fair fight out of me anyway my leg is broken.”

“Perci no!”

She let go of one of her hands.

“I'm sorry it had to come to this I really I am. But this is a way out for both of us! I fall here and you make your mark with the Manor and I get to leave! Everyone wins!”

She loosened her the grip of her other hand.

“Don't you let go!” He was starting to slide off the rocks himself trying to hang onto her.

“I'm happy to have seen you again I really am,” she let her grip slack and smiled at him.

Her hand slipped out of his silently.

He clung to edge in astonishment and could have sworn in the faint mists he heard a sound. But surely that wasn't her.

However there was a miscalculation. A terrible mistake. She took measured breaths minimizing the broken ribs in her body. The cliff wasn't as deep as she had thought it was. She was bleeding out, but it wasn't enough. She heard a nauseated retching sound approach her as she lay there. Her arms were broken she couldn't move. The sound was moving closer, and she admitted to herself that perhaps Death Blight wasn't so terrible. She had never experienced that before. Though she was aware that there was something odd about those deaths.

Ah. Very well.

A looming shape appeared above her bedecked with horns and a golden eye. She could only barely look over at him with her eyes.

“H-How much did y-you-?”

“Enough,” there was a controlled neutrality in the response.

She closed her eyes and relaxed. The end was hopefully at hand.

He looked upon her a crumpled broken heap and remained still. It wasn't the first time he'd kill her, and it seemed it wouldn't be the last. How many times had she perished to his hand? The violent retching sound came closer as he steadied his hand the gold dagger appearing in a dazzling glow.

[rosebard]

a dominating kiss to end an argument (diluc)

egos flare, words are wielded like blades between the both of them. another inane, heated argument between an owl and a nightingale. a painted nail jabs into diluc's cheek, each time his name purposely said with a mocking drawl. each time he spoke, viktoriya stepped further and further into his space- stopping with each verbal volley that she returned to him. she's taller than him; the mundane realization crosses her mind as she notices that she has his back is pressed against the wall- her chest pressing into his. ( they do this every time, don't they? a meaningless cycle of arguing over nothing. )

diluc opens his mouth to say something. viktoriya grabs his hair by his stupid ponytail, and yanks it so he has to look up into her eyes. whatever words he was going to say next- they're gone. because she leans down- and kisses him. ( although, it could be considered more of viktoriya just mashing her face against his than an actual kiss. )

it is not a gentle kiss. it is not a particularly romantic kiss to viktoriya. its a kiss of all the built up, messy feelings she can't quite make heads or tails of. it is a kiss to end the act of arguing. the metronome in her mind aligns with the beating of her heart. one tick. two ticks. three. she pulls back. away from him. a half step back away from him. and there is a blessed quiet; because viktoriya passerine can say nothing.

kiss meme. // @resolutepath.

[thelostrainbowthenovel]

Some concept sketches I worked on over the course of the previous month, of the younger royal kids all grown up! Since I work so much on their older siblings, I wanted to give the younger royals some more focus, so here is a glimpse into their futures! As a reference, these are all roughly 15 years or so into the future.

I hope you enjoy! :3 More notes for each of them are below, from left-right and top-bottom.

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- Ashton Von Brandt: Grows to be pretty tall(about 6'0"), the second-tallest of the siblings and unlike them, has more of a soft and thick/slightly chubby build as he is not a fighter like them. His hair gets a lot curlier/fluffier, just a little past his ears and he has more of a simple and modest fashion sense. Despite being blessed with powerful magic that could potentially surpass his eldest brother's and mother's(former) magic, and his whole family having taken to the warrior lifestyle in some way or another, Ash surprisingly never did. He was still surrounded by warriors growing up, but as he is much younger than his siblings there was never quite the same pressure to join the army or do any sort of fighting like them. Being closer in age to Flint + his future nieces he naturally spent the most time hanging out with them, as he found it hard to relate to anything with Nate or Tia with the huge age gap he has with them. Kind of insecure with his role as a prince since he doesn't have any huge responsibilities, and even if he often gets compared to his older siblings he still tries to come across as his own person. Pretty sociable and friendly, having no major ambitions in life besides being the relatable uncle and socialite prince, but does enjoy more 'domestic' activities such as reading, cooking, and candle making.

- Flint Von Brandt: Does grow up to be pretty tall(about 5'10" or 5'11") but becomes the shortest of the brothers, with a little more of a lean build but still pretty toned and slightly muscular, with little scars all over. Hair-wise maybe gets a different part, and grows it longer to about shoulder-length, often putting it in low ponytails. He is also the only one of the brothers that inherits the noticeable shadow after he shaves, and he usually does keep a little facial hair. A possible left earring and maybe a few tattoos, and fashion-wise isn't super remarkable but does like wearing stylish jackets and boots. I honestly see his teen years sucking a lot for him, as kids his age are very mean and rude to him for many reasons, so he's very angsty and agitated during this time. Starts his junior training for the army within the next year, and continues that along with his other academic lessons till he reaches adulthood. Unlike his older siblings, instead of joining the army right away he instead sets out to go traveling, as that was always a dream of his to do. He does that for a few years, mainly checking out countries he hasn't visited before and doing any local hiking or trail challenges. Eventually returns home around his early-mid twenties, kind of spending a long time just reading and catching up on all that he had missed, kind of going through life aimlessly before he decides to join the army like he never actually did before. I've been kind of thinking that he would deal with some love issues throughout the years, though I'm not sure whether I can picture him just staying single or eventually settling down.

- Skye Neptune: Does get a little taller(around 5'3") but still relatively short compared to her family, while getting a little curvier with thicker legs. Kind of plays around with her hair-length throughout the years but mostly keeps a choppy-kind of style with a half-shave or undercut, with all her piercings that were described in her piercing post, a few tattoos(I'm thinking at least two full sleeves), and still keeps a gothic fashion sense but now more daring. Is already in her moody teen years but I think they just get more difficult, with the aftermath of what happens to her sister Talia and some people still being mean or rude to her. Once she is done with her schooling things get a little better, as now she is free to pursue whatever she wants. Still very much into the gothic subculture and has started feeling brave to learn and explore more "occult"/supernatural interests, finding these fields very fascinating to learn about, especially with them still generally carrying a dark taboo about them. Besides this she kind of doesn't know what to do with her life outside of her princess duties, but eventually she takes up some part-time modelling for the growing dark fashion trends in Arian, and mainly modelling for her brother's growing fashion line. I might not keep this but I've been kind of toying around with the idea of her turning into a vampire at some point, but I'm not completely sure yet.

- Zephyr Neptune: Grows to be pretty tall(about 6'0") and the tallest of the siblings, with a similar lanky build like his dad. Hair grows to be about mid-back in length, a few piercings(a left nose stud and multiple ear piercings), and a classy/fancy fashion sense that can lean a little experimental sometimes with his general interest in fashion. I don't think anything too remarkable happens in his childhood other than the atmosphere shift in his family with what happens with Talia, as well as the changing politics and dynamics of the world, so he is mostly the same shy and sensitive kid he is now. His interest in fashion does grow and during his pre-teen/teen years he starts taking extracurricular classes to learn how to sew, knit, and crochet, focusing his interests on learning to make his own clothes. Becomes pretty good at it at an early age, and his first project outside of his classes is a dress he makes for his older sister Skye, but he also eventually makes clothes for his other family members. Once he is an adult he takes some apprenticeships to learn how to make more complicated designs with more complicated/special fabrics, at first working under the 'Marcet Fashion' company both due to his interest in the company from a young age thanks to his sister Talia taking him there a lot, and because the style of clothes he likes to make fits closely with their own aesthetics. In time he becomes quite successful and popular as a fashion designer, and now has a bit more confidence and self-pride to him, but is still relatively reserved and humble as he gets overwhelmed easily in pushy conversations. Especially in romantic situations, as despite having a fair amount of people interested in him, he freezes up and gets all flustered in these moments and doesn't know how to handle himself or talk to others.

- Avani Erdmann: Grows a little taller(between 5'2"-5'4") but still kind of short, with kind of a slimmer figure from her sickness but she still has a pear-shaped kind of body with thicker legs. Goes through different hair-lengths and styles throughout the years but ultimately sticks with the short/pixie-cut one, gets her nose and navel piercing with some new ones(a couple of inner-ear piercings and an eyebrow piercing), several tattoos, and still keeps a comfy/light and breezy style, but one now that is a little more mature but still experimental and fun. Eventually gets better from the Blight Flu but is still pretty sick and weak afterwards, spending a long time at home and in checkups as she continues to heal. Kind of falls out of sports and focuses mainly on her art hobbies, especially during her healing period, but she does eventually pick up yoga and a simple exercise routine to still remain physically active. Goes a few years without seeing Vernon in person much with everything that has been going on in Erdennia, but they still keep in touch and once they reach their adult years, they confront their feelings for each other and finally become a couple. Doesn't have any grand plans for her life as her sickness burnt some of her adventurous spirit out, but she does learn to feel comfortable living life at a 'peaceful' pace and pouring more of her passion and energy into her art. She does a lot of crafts with flowers, along with drawings, scrapbooking, and oshibana, but she also takes up photography and starts a little cosmetology business on the side. Eventually gets married around her early-mid-twenties and eventually also has a couple kids of her own.

- Beaumont Erdmann: Grows to be the same height as his father(so 5'5"), with the same stocky/chubby figure from his youth but with some noticeable muscle definition. Grows his hair out a little longer to chin-shoulder-length, a little facial hair that is kept pretty short, ears pierced, a few tattoos, with a colorful/patterned beach/summer/vacation kind of fashion sense. Like Avani, he eventually gets better from the Blight Flu but spends a long time recuperating and healing from it. Eventually redirects his energy into exercising regularly as he finds it both beneficial to both his body and mind, kind of doing general exercises but he focuses more on weight-lifting to build up his strength. Comes out of his shell more to have more of a chill and laidback personality, as he learns to focus on himself more instead of trying to live up to others' expectations of him. In his teen years he finds more of his own people and supportive friend group to hang out with, and also finally manages to become friends with Murphy, as they never got around to doing that when they were kids but they enjoy catching up now. Besides continuing his exercise/weight-lifting and having fun trying new things with his friends, he takes his love for comfort food and sweets into a venture of cooking and baking, having learned from both the palace chefs and his mother, and enjoys trying new recipes/ideas and making good food for his family and friends.

- Murphy Alagona: Also grows a bit taller(about 5'9") but still relatively average, with an average build but a little more toned in his upper-body. Honestly, my main ideas for an older Murphy has always just been Inigo Montoya(sans scars and facial hair), mainly with the hair, but also the outfit a bit as I can seen him wearing a TLR/Mareasian-version of it. Has his ears pierced(single lobes and a few cartilage/helix), a few tattoos but mainly just matching ones with his older siblings, and kind of an experimental version of his current style, with a lot of androgynous and gender-neutral styles too. It takes him a bit to adjust to his brother leaving home(as he does within the year of the main story's events) as he misses him a lot, but in time he gets used to his absence and kind of takes over his "little shit" energy from him, to Mere's dismay. As his sister Meredith has her first child within the next couple of years, a main thing that keeps him going during his teen years is spending time with his nephews. His teen years are by far better than his older siblings', and while he has become more self-confident and friendly, he still has his anxiety and nervous/socially-awkward tendences. Kind of doesn't know what to do with his life at first when he becomes an adult but he decides to do some traveling, as besides the other three main kingdoms he hasn't seen the world much. Does that on-and-off for a few years, eventually getting inspired by his travels to start his author career as he always had an interest in writing. Writes mainly fantasy-adventure, action, and mysteries, and writes under a pseudonym so no one except for a few people know he is the author. Has retained a close friendship with Alwyn throughout the years who was a big help to Murph in figuring out and exploring his gender-nonconformity, and they have grown close to the point there is a new 'tension' between them, but they haven't talked about it much in fear of potentially messing up their current dynamic.

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 135

Amy’s Choice/The Man Who Knew Too Much

“Amy’s Choice”

Plot Description: When the Doctor returns to Amy’s life after five years, she faces an impossible choice

This one has one of the most heart wrenching lines

Oh god. Rory’s ponytail

The “Dream Lord” couldn’t give either of them a job? Anything? To give them more of a life? Make it more convincing? I dunno…especially considering the eventual twist (I think)

Nah. Doc, sometimes you CAN tell it’s a dream when you’re in it

Amy really gets the short end of the straw in this whole episode. She can’t run for half of it because dream her is extremely pregnant, we don’t have a job for her in the dream world yet (Rory gets to be a doctor), AND she’s the one this whole thing relies on

The sweater that old lady put on the Doctor is actually kind of goals. I want it

Oh. I love her putting the Doctor in his place. Yeah, this town is SUPER DULL, but you don’t get to say that shit when you’ve been yanking a very very pregnant woman around all day

“Nothing bad could happen here” as the Doctor examines the piles of dust that used to be this town’s children

Doctor Who can make anything scary: today? Old people in large groups. They’re a far cry from Wilf’s seniors group

The competitiveness between Rory and the Doctor is a really tiresome plotline that…god, does it ever end??

This VW bus full that the Doctor just keeps picking up every relatively young person in the town 💀

It’s kind of funny that Rory’s grand gesture is cutting off his ponytail 💀

Oh no. I don’t feel so good, Doctor

“This is the dream because if this is real, I don’t want it” 😭

You never told Rory you love him?? You two are getting MARRIED IN THE MORNING!! (Whenever morning ends up being) last episode he said it was a crime that he hadn’t said he loved her in seven hours

Oh shit, I forgot they were BOTH dreams

Wait. So he saw the Dream Lord again in his reflection, but…do we actually see him again??

“The Man Who Knew Too Much”

Plot Description: The wall comes down in Sam’s mind and all hell breaks loose while Dean and Bobby are powerless to help. The battle for heaven comes to a head.

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: well, no one died. Sam doesn’t know who he is, but that doesn’t mean anyone’s dead because of it

I can’t believe we’re at another season finale already

God bless this bartender. She’s way more patient and understanding at the end of her shift than I have EVER been

Sammy, you are much more than just some guy. You are one of god’s…..or the devil’s specialest little boys. I know you don’t know that right now, though

This girl does not have a self-preservation bone in her body if she’s going to go into that room alone with Sam while it looks like that and he just broke in…

Remember how I said I’m always a Castiel apologist? Yeah. Well. Professor Milf just died so…there is one thing I can’t forgive him for. He blames Crowley, but she said it didn’t get bad til the angel arrived

Wait…this whole time he’s been asleep? Or knocked out? So HOW MUCH OF ANY OF WHAT I HAVE WATCHED HAS BEEN REAL??

Why are we in so many dream scapes today??

So like…who’s this girl supposed to BE? What does she represent? Because she’s a figment of whatever Sam’s brain has cooked up

I know he’s in distress but “it was night and now it’s day” is a really funny line. Very “if there’s a lock, there must be a key” from The French Mistake

This Sam vs Sam thing I’d gonna be so anticlimactic. Wait… there’s ANOTHER ONE? Is it Lucifer!Sam??

Oh shit. Soulless Sam killed that bartender during a hunt. Like KILLED killed her, not failed to save, not couldn’t turn her back to human. Something was holding her hostage and he shot her to get rid of its leverage

See, BALTHAZAR has self preservation. He’ll betray when he thinks it’s the right thing to do but he’s only going so far

I………both do and don’t wanna know why Crowley believes Cas is “the bottom in this relationship.” His exact words. Castiel is gunning to be the next god or next to god. He’s the one renegotiating the terms so you get zero souls. He’s the only one who has ever SET any terms (I know there’s a difference between dom/sub & top/bottom, and I’m really describing the former rather than the latter here. I’m ace, not stupid, but it does feel like the writers Crowley forgot.)

I do like Cas giving him the ultimatum of flee or die

Oh…the next piece is the piece that remembers hell 😭

He’s not the next one, he’s the last one. That also feels anticlimactic, especially for a finale…BUT I GUESS THAT’S HOW IT GOES HERE SOMETIMES

Convenient that it’s right after Dean and Bobby leave that Sam gets the last bit back

Oh no. Should I be saying my goodbyes to Balthazar now? Does Cas know he betrayed him?

Rip Balthazar. Cas, I love you, but this isn’t you, babe. I know this isn’t your heart 💀😭💀😭

Yeah. So, like…if you’re in a war and you HELLA betray your temporary ally, maybe don’t be surprised when they team up with your enemy? Especially when your old temporary ally is not known for being a good person and is in fact the KING OF HELL

How many times does Raphael die??? Rip Raphael. Even though you were my boy’s enemy, if it weren’t for wanting to kickstart the apocalypse again, you would have been real cool

Castiel is entering his villain era and I am here for it

I’m not proud of what my feelings are doing as Sam literally stabs Castiel in the back with the angel blade, which doesn’t work, and Cas tells them it won’t because he’s no longer an angel, he’s their new god.

“Been On My Mind…”: they had me goin with that bartender for a while, but after six seasons…three more than it was supposed to go

[crystalmarred]

Never has he ever seen Alisaie like this, so wrought with grief and a certain kind of guilt and specific sort of anger that stems from the injustice of a loss that should never have happened. She grappled for his shoulders, a feat that would have been barely manageable with their height difference, were they both standing up straight.

There is no denying she needs to cry. Scream, perhaps, to the heavens above and this godsforsaken shard for crumbling very nearly beneath their feet. He would never speak the words, never dare breathe that he was glad in some small, selfish way, that it had been Tesleen.

X'kijin was no fool. It had happened with Moenbryda and Haurchefaunt both: Normal people with no great blessing giving their lives for whatever cause they deem fit. Normal people like Tesleen—and like Alisaie.

He was grateful it was Tesleen, in some small part. How easily it could have been Alisaie instead, had she moved only a bit quicker, had she drawn her blade before Tesleen could brandish her own.

It was a thought that made him hold her all the tighter, resting his head against the top of her own in a gesture few had received from him, save for his own sister. What a small comfort it was for the loss of a woman Alisaie had considered a friend, perhaps even a sister.

His thumb rubs circles into her back, knowing that it is barely a comfort. Little would be, after what he witnessed. She calls it horrible, but X'kijin would call it more. It had made his stomach churn, a cold icy grip around his heart, the horror of watching someone warp into something, like it had been ripped out of his worst nightmare.

X'kijin wishes now that he'd found the wherewithal to shield Alisaie from it, though he knows better than to think she would have allowed it.

When she finally speaks, more words this time than how briefly she described what happened to Tesleen, Alisaie brings up owing him and that gives him pause.

"You know as well as I do that you don't owe me that," he says, gentle in the way he lays a hand atop her head, ruffles her hair only slightly, not nearly enough to muss her ponytail. X'kijin isn't so sure she would care much in this moment, even if he did.

"You can taste-test a dish I've been working on when we get back instead."

It was more of a treat for her—he'd already tasted it numerous times, after all, as chefs often did—but he words it as a favor to him as a means of convincing her. She sniffs as she pulls away and her puffy, red eyes make him wonder if he should let go at all. But he does, Alisaie seemingly done for the moment, even managing a smile.

"It isn't childish," he asserts when she claims otherwise. Verging on twice her age, he almost wants to remind her that she is a childish. She should be 'childish' when her friends very form is rent asunder before her very eyes. How many people would lose their minds to it? Or have ever last wisp of their will sucked from them?

How many other people would have seen what happened to Tesleen and wondered if there was a reason to continue fighting at all, if there was not a better, easier way to go than to wait for... that?

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Alisaie," he says, gently, words familiar. He'd spoken similar enough to Naiha when last he'd seen her, when she'd burst into tears when he was leaving. She'd been mortified—it had been a surprise, but not because she was too old for such things. "None of us are above being upset. I've cried plenty over lesser things."

But such discussions were not getting her out of here, they were not giving her a break from being in the immediate area of where something horrifically traumatic had occurred to her. It would be better when they returned to the Crystarium, when she could see her brother.

... Although the poor boy was still in... Eulmore, was it?

"Come on, let me give you a hand. The Amaro aren't getting any shorter."

She was so damned unsteady when he put his arms around her. There was some hidden need in the way he'd gone about it. No hesitation, but no invasive action throughout. It was as though X'kijin had picked the more prime of opportunities, or maybe he was good at reading the minds of those around him.

Must've been a healer thing. . .

Alisaie could feel his heartbeat through the clothing, steady and unwavering. An unheard of calm in the midst of the chaos, but maybe the very grounding in which she needed.

At first, she couldn't find a position to place her hands. His upper back? Lower back? Who put their arms around others' waists anyway? Her arms rose and trembled, searching for a spot to place its purchase.

Finally she settled on weaving them under his own and grasping desperately to his shoulders, nails tightening into the clothing only briefly. If he was going to ground her here, might as well accept it with as much intensity as she could allow even herself.

Mourn, he said, there was time for her to do it. It was now.

While she would've wailed when she were younger, screaming and shaking her head and grabbing for her hair, here it was different. She simply shook, letting every ounce of tears she had to spend soak into his garments without remorse. Who was looking? The guards? The tamers of the amaro? Nobody.

Just her, and a friend. A dear, dear friend who knew this was what she needed. Her reaction, though different from his, in his eyes ( and in her assumptions ) didn't make her any less of a strong willed individual like the one before her.

"It was horrible, horrible," she whimpered, lowering her head slightly so her forehead could rest against his shoulder. They remained there for some time. The trembles that racked Alisaie had since slowed. Fingers loosening but her hold on the Miqo'te ever strong. "Seven hells I owe you too much right now. When we get out of this cursed area, you can pick a place. I'll . . . I'll feed you until you're too tired to move."

A sniff, then she pulled away. Her cheeks reddened from tears, eyes rung in crimson, but a smile to forget it all.

How long had she remained in his arms? Ten minutes, if she had to wager a guess. "Thank you, Kijin. I - . . . I'd have gone mad without you with me. As childish as that is I - . . . I truly do thank you. Now," another sniff, her body finally regaining composure as she stood upright, albeit a little weaker and torn than before. "By your leave."