#have fun storming the castle without us I guess :(

[dafukdidiwatch]

What? No! No you mean Dimo is leaving us! Like I get he's the designated Smart One right now, but no some on we can't leave him! We already lost Moloch we can't lose him!

[allmyworth]

I was silenced by the last episode.

IT. WAS. SO. GOOD.

MONSTA DID SUCH A GREAT JOB??? THE ANIMATION, THE OST, EVERYTHING.

I was so caught off guard by the fact they killed Garumbang. I didn't expect death in something directed towards kids. But then again, many kids have experienced lost. Kuputeri crying over the general was another punch to the gut. Genuinely teared up. And Gempa kind of got his redemption so, that's nice lol

I'm gonna go on a small rant. (Not a bad one) Might not be organized, but who cares.

Despite the comics being more teen rated, I was kind of surprised by the darker themes of the animated version of BBBG Windara. And I'm happy about it. I'm so glad they didn't make light of anything that had happened in Windara, nor the death of General Karumbang. He's not coming back, no "Gotcha" moment. I love the effects of the death were red, mimicking blood. The way the scars on Reramos's face healed with that red effect.

Reramos was evil, through and through. I'm glad they were able to show that other than the things he had already done. To be able to show his greed for power right before people and not off screen. To show that he's willingness to do more for more.

If that's just Windara, I'm quite excited for Gentar's.

Don't even get me started on Beliung's appearance. I was skeptical, especially the design change. BUT GOD. IT WAS AMAZING. THE FIGHT???? OH MY GOD.

Gopal pointing out BBB Beliung became a butterfly was adorable. And when Beliung used Maripos's technique of illusion- THE SMILE HE GAVE???? THE "Peniru." UWAHHHHHHH.

Of course, we can't leave out BBB losing control of Beliung. The scenes they changed were EVERYTHING. Also, detail- When his eyes turned that bright colour along with his sclera, there were literally crack(?) like marks spreading out from his eyes to his actual face. It was so cool. The wing weapon was dead amazing.

At least we got to see him without his hat! I was worried they wouldn't remove it at all. Which, now that I think about it, is unlogical. With the storm surrounding the castle, it wouldn't make sense if he didn't lose his hat.

THE FLASHES OF RETAK'KA IN THE BACKGROUND? GOD, I WAS GRINNING NONSTOP. The amount of fics of Windara angst I could think of is legendary. Monsta fuels the writer in me each and every time.

Also, the way my jaw kind of DROPPED... WHEN KUPUTERI PUSHED BOBOIBOY OFF??? She planned it, of course. But that scene of BBB getting pummelled by rocks, losing his head piece, AUGRH.

I dig the way the butterfly board/weapon actually flapped while Beliung was in the air. Man's an actual butterfly and I'm here for it.

BBB wanting to give the tempest element back in the end was less emotional than I thought. But, I think General Karumbang was enough emotions, so I guess I'm not that upset by it. And we got a scene with the full 7, our beloveds. That's a good amount of happy chemicals for my brain.

If there's anything more I missed, I would love to hear someone point it out. I wanna show my appreciation for this silly little show. Changing my brain chemistry and whatnot, you know?

I hope BBB doesn't get time to heal before Gentar, that would be fun to watch.

[summertimemusician]

Linktober Shadow Day 7

Gloom Hands

This goes out to the way I cackled hysterically once seeing these things in TOTK, well done Zelda Team. They're a terrifying concept and I really feel exploring that could be fun, even if this prompt gave me a headache and a half.

Bit late today because we've been pelted by way too many storms/lightning and writing on mobile with lightning shaking your house is generally a bad idea, so I spent most of the time writing this and the Linktober prompt by hand, then transcribing it back onto mobile as soon as I could touch eletronics without the major risk of being zapped and picking a god and praying that my internet wouldn't be too funky so I could get it out on time. Short one again though because I still need to finish the Linktober prompt so it should come out later today or fully tomorrow, sorry folks.

Anyway, as always can be read as romantic or platonic, also Sage is here both because of the prompt and because the mental image of Wild Reader and Sage trauma bonding over the extremely twisted nature Gloom/the Malice have compared to just dark magic in general in LoZ was too funny to resist, if Nintendo won't talk about the many variations of Dark Magic in LOZ and how it affects any who come in contact with it then lord darn it I guess I'll just have to do it myself (or as much as I can without breaking out the companion essay to the Realm of Darkness and Realm of Light essay which I'm already having trouble digging out).

TW:

Technically graphic descriptions of decay, gore and eldritch horror, and Reader just not having a good day in general, don't recommend reading I'd you're highly squeamish.

When you’ve first met Sage, as the Chain temporarily dubbed him, you and Wild didn’t miss the way he looked so, so haunted. Emotions warring like a storm as he looked Wild over in a mix of disbelief and the weariness of a wounded fox getting ready to bite just to escape, at the Chain with such longing ache that made one’s heart break, the way the first time he met Wolfie he didn’t hesitate to throw himself atop the canine and hug him so close like he was trying to melt into the fur, and looking at you like he didn’t know wether to cry, scream or to shut down before he buried it under the mask you knew your resident Champion could use when trying so desperately to keep it together, hands shaky as he signed in a way that set your teeth on edge and felt like you had taken a dozen of ice arrows to the back, urgent, 'It’s not safe. None of you should be here. You need to leave. Now.'

Needless to say it was alarming, even as you all knew just how ferociously untamed his and Wild’s Hyrule could be, with being overrun with so, so many types of divinity through each crack, root, drop and flesh of it’s beings. From Hylia’s cold calculating care, the Three Goddesses blood, tears and breath of life, to the Malice’s howling self sustaining fury, The Lost Woods ever overgrowing freedom and even the remnants of the Fierce Deity’s hunt in Satori’s and Malaniya's savage display of cyclic eternity, it wasn’t any surprised that apart from the Traveler’s Hyrule it was the most aggressive one with the smorgasbord of energy so thick it made even you choke on it everytime you stepped foot in it. Beautiful and free in an echo of it’s once untamed state in the age of myth even before Sky.

Over time, you and the Chain learned how to adapt to it. To listen to the warnings Wild gave about the Guardians and about the remains of Malice in his monsters, of how the moon had been forever tainted with it and how, until Sheikah tech was fully repurposed it would be best to avoid the castle all together it was difficult but manageable, and even if Sage’s reaction was alarming (and he seemed even more troubled once Wild passed onto him from Sky that, while he wasn’t to come with them yet due to how things were apparently ‘fated’ to happen, there was no way you all could leave quite yet, distantly sticking by Wild and Twilight when possible and checking on everyone’s health when not doing so), you’d though it would be much the same for his own, and in parts you were right as the Chain had taken to the new environment like fishes to water even if it took some adjustments.

Though you were quickly proven wrong, and you could have laughed at your past self’s naivety.

It was meant to be a quick run to clear a black blooded monster camp, and while decently challenging, it was over quickly between the Chain getting more apt at fighting the enemy, Sage’s addition as the man fought as ruthlessly and ferociously as Wild, switching between deadly marksmanship and feral combat on a dime and the absence of the unnaturally inteligent black scales lizalfos, you’d rest and be on your way quickly. Or so you all thought.

Twilight had been the first to smell it, the bubbling of dark but distinctively twisted magic, even more so than Zant’s brand of madness. Wild the one to spot it, the rot black and blood crimson building up at the edges of camp from his vantage point but it was Sage who had tensed, eyes snapping to the faint glow the Master Sword emmited just as the sky darkned before his frantic, alarmed howl swept over the Chain, the sheer desperate, protective panic making all of your boys still, because Sage never used his voice unless he absolutely had to, “IT'S NOT OVER! MOVE!”

It was all the warning any of you got before reality twisted, straining, and then finally screaming, the heavens staining with crimson as if gutted open, the eyes of a sin against nature itself cutting through your relief and infecting your veins with terror. It shakes you to the core, freezing with indecisive flight or fight as you spotted the tide. Heart in your throat as you tried to comprehend what you saw.

“WHAT THE-“, Legend cursed, looking ashen as his grip on his fire rod tightened. Really, all of your heroes look disturbed and you can’t blame them.

“Get to high ground if you want to live! We can’t fight these things.”, snapped Sage, much more composed, but no less frenzied.

None of you hesitate to listen.

(There were some unspoken rules, when in Wild’s Hyrule the first time around. If there is something the Champion, the most reckless of all Links, wasn’t willing to fight head on or said wasn’t worth it, the best course of action was to listen, specially if the group was vulnerable.)

The hands screech, the tide rolling over the land with an reality splitting clamoring, a sound so filled with fury and so, so twisted it made your Hylian’s ears friends bleed and you lift a hand to your head in pain as Wild pulled you along, Sage leading the charge for the nearest cliff face as Warrior’s threw Wind over his shoulders and Twilight didn’t hesitate before doing the same to Four, the frost from Legend and bomb arrows from Time and Sky barely doing nothing to slow it’s relentless charge, merely taking from it a distorted, pitched crescendoing belt of pure rage and the overlaying of many tortured souls screaming all at once, of Hyrule rejecting this existence from the world but wounded at being unable to vanquish it, the sound it makes as it spreads and drags itself across the ground with uncanny speed with it’s many, many arms like something in between sludge and smacking, wet, rotten flesh.

Sage switches between shooting arrows to helping the other Links up the cliff and shooting at it’s eyes with the strongest bow he has,making as many arrow fusions on the spot as he dares. The others quickly taking as many ranged weapons from their sides to do the same. You help Hyrule up the clifface, while Wild swipes Cryonis over the field, climbing up himself, being hauled to Sage’s side.

You are almost there when one of the hands latch onto your ankle, and you go down with a scream, Sage all but dropping the bow in his hand in favor to latching onto your hand with snarl. And

It.

Is.

Agony.

(It burns through you like your very atoms have been set on fire,bthe hands take the opportunity to sink into you, long long unnatural fingers sinking into your flesh in a unhurried blanket of darkness, the Demon King’s will is roaring, growling with abyssal rage, if it cannot rule Hyrule, it would kill everything in it instead. Gloom sinks into your cells, raptures the membranes and makes the skin slip, frantically invading, you taste rotten flesh on the back of your throat and the scent of wither and ash choke you as it sinks into your flesh, marrow, breaks down your bones bit by bit, cracking and infecting and breaking down your very essence with the fury of a dead deity which refused die, decay on an accelerated rate all over where the hands clutched like a vice as the Links trunfo pull you out or attack it and it is painful and it’s excruciatingly wretched and make it STOPCEASEITHURTS-)

A well aimed Skyward Strike severs the connection, the pain stops and you fall into Sage, breathing hard and unevenly, grasping at him like a lifeline, clawing and counting at Wild’s arm on your other side like a wounded animal, your taste blood on your throat from the screams that were ripped from it, Hyrule falling to his knees on your side as healing magic washes over you like a shroud, trying to get you to respond.

Reality howls along with you, before all is silent.

It barely took a second.

“... Just what were those things?”, rasps Sky, horrified, a sentiment echoed through the Chain, though you can’t focus on it, trying not to choke on your own blood and to pull yourself together, Wild’s hand unconsciously settling on your pulse, shaking, and Sage’s tense tone cuts through the air as he scans the area. Still tense, tone hoarse.

“... The reason why I wanted you to leave.”

Later, much, much later, before you all leave, you learn they are called Gloom Hands.

It’s unanimously agreed that all you hold loathing for those abominations, even long after you’re forced to leave Sage.

He whispers something to Wild on the way out, hugging him close, trembling. Your Champion nods, you can’t make out the words, but you make sure to hold him as close as you can before you go, indulge him in checking for your pulse even long after you’re healed.

You hope he’ll be safe, he hopes that the next time you all see each other again, it’ll be under better circumstances.

[oceansprompts]

Daredevil: Cutting Edge Quote Starters 1

quotes taken from the Marvel novel, Daredevil: The Cutting Edge (1999) by Madeleine E. Robins // adjust pronouns and lines as needed.

Don't bother to buzz him, I've been summoned.

It couldn't happen to a more deserving victim.

I don't believe in fairy tales.

It's too nebulous, too pie-in-the-sky.

Not one of 'em understands the bottom line, I'll bet.

Can I bring you a cup of coffee? I'm already on number seven or eight... I forget which.

So now we talk about my coffee consumption?

We do need to talk about your health.

Who the hell's been telling you these lies?

Wouldn't you like a chance to go, I don't know, live on a beach somewhere, drinking rum punch or something?

I'd rather go to hell, I love this. This is what I do.

Everyone dies sooner or later.

This room would lok so much better with lighter color, less brass and leather. It's such an old money look. It's old fashioned.

I've given myself a little time. I've given myself almost a year. I don't want to wait any longer.

This room defintiely needs to go lighter. Get rid of those horrible dark drapes, all the leather.

Maybe it's better this way. It's really very graceful of you; I wouldn't have thought of it. You die, I get the insurance money, we save the cost of a gold watch, and I get your office.

Don't look at me that way; I'm not the one who drank a dozen cups of coffee a day and never got any exercise.

I think my work is done. Thanks for the chat, it's been lovely.

Boy, is he in a mood! He asked not to be disturbed, and I suree wouldn't go in there if I were you.

By day, lawyer, friend, even lover. By night, Daredevil.

Not bad for a skinny blindd kid from Hell's Kitchen.

Not as flashy as Spider-Man, maybe, but not too shabby.

Heads up, Charming!

Great, he likes to fight. Okay, pal, then party it is!

Heading this way; hope they brought an ambulance.

All right, longjohns, we'll do it without the blade.

I didn't kill him. Not with that blow, not this guy.

What is this guy, a zombie?

You moron, he's not the perp!

Okay, Mr. Off-the-Rack, what else did you leave behind?

How did you know ⸺ Oh. He told you.

He saved my life, did he tell you that?

Do you know how the attacker knew your name?

It's okay, you've been very brave.

It was a kind lie, kindly meant.

Don't ever let me lose you.

Pleading "blind man walked into the door" again, your honor.

It's impressive. What did you do?

Must have been one hell of a wall ⸺

Yaaaay for thee good guy!

So, he was the wall you ran into?

Yeesh, I don't have to worry about you.

The fumes play havoc with my sniffer.

Wht is that tune? You've been humming it for weeks.

Show off. I bet you even know what it means.

If I told you what it meant, that would be showing off.

Maybe it just works better when you've got a little life experience under your belt.

Triumph and hell, all at once. I wish you could have seen it.

Do you have time for coffee?

How about dinner tonight? In a real restaurant. Like grownups.

Off to Rykers. Another day in Fun City.

Have fun storming the castle!

Well, for the love a' ⸺

Maybe I should get Seeing Eye cat?

Seeing Eye gorilla, maybe!

Well, of the two, I guess the brain's more important.

Okay. Tell me the story the way you want to tell it.

They thought I'd be most... diplomatic.

Doesn't it seem a little too tidy? The pink ribbons and all?

Very good. Getting lots done. Very busy.

Does she have spies everywhere?

It's really lovely. I think you'll like it.

It should be lovely, for the amount of money it cost us.

Do we really need three playgrounds?

I presume that when you say "we are taking care of it" you mean you and ⸺

A problem? My dear, I trust you implicitly.

I don't care if you kill off a few of the local to drive the rest off, but don't taint the neighborhood.

He's playing golf! Who put this guy in a position where he can talk to the public?

Go away. You're interrupting my golf game.

Not me, I'm naturally susicious.

I was wondering if it was really any better in the lunch room than at your desk.

I just thought this might be more fun than what you were writing.

Tooth extraction would be more fun than what I'm writing.

Okay, hotshot, I'll take a stroll across the 'Net and see what turns up.

Does it look like they're going to be done with the painting anytime soon?

I don't like to leave you holding the bag, partner, but ⸺

Hey, I know what the fumes do to you.

The painters must be doing a brilliant job, because they're certainly taking their time. Only office is fully painted.

The chaos is too distracting.

Hang tough, partner. The painting can't go on forever.

The painting can't last forever, it'll only seem that way.

The paint fumes are probably eating my brain cells as we speak.

I can't smell anything, my food tastes funny...

I'm wasting away to a shadow of my former self.

I owe you one, when the painting'sdone and you can smell again, dinner's on me.

Two-bit mouthpieces! He actually said that? Who writes his dialouge?

At least he didn't call me shyster. I hate that.

So this guy deals with his problems by insulting you?

Why not just wave a big, huge red flag that says something susicious here?

Diplomacy is great for negotiation, but it makes lousy radio.

I will be the soul of discretion.

Is that what it says?

Nah, but I had you going for a minute, didn't I?

Geez, what a way to die.

Cripes, come down if you want to talk. I don't need a stiff neck.

You find anything out, share the wealth, will you?

Try not to break any of your well-informed friends too badly loking for information, okay?

Right, everytime you come in to chat, I wind up doing renovations. New plate glass, new tables, new ribcage...

[wrongcellbits]

Guapoduo as Taylor Swift's album Reputation.

Reputation is an album about love. About finding the one that can love you right when everyone else is having second thoughts about you. Or as q! Roier said:

"It's just q!Cellbit and I against the world."

1. Endgame: Q!cellbit in "Big reputation, you and me we got big reputations and you heard about me I got some big enemies. Big reputation, you and me we'd be a big conversation and I heard about you, you like the bad ones too."

2. This is why we can't have nice things: Q!cellbit Regret Arc in "And here's to my baby, he ain't reading what they call me lately."

3. ...Ready for it?: Q!Roier in "Knew he was a killer first time that i saw him, wondered how many girls he had loved and left haunted.But if he's a ghost then I can be a phantom, holding him for ransom."

Q!Cellbit in "Knew I was a robber first time that he saw me, stealing hearts and never saying sorry. But if I'm a thief then he can join the heist and we'll move to an island."

4. King of my heart: Q! Roier after being betrayed in "I'm perfectly fine, I live on my own. I made up my mind I'm better off being alone. We met a few weeks ago, now you try on calling me baby like trying on clothes."

Guapoduo in "Is this the end of all the endings? My broken bones are mending with all these nights we're spending up on the roof with a school girl crush, drinking beer of a plastic cup. Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff. Baby all at once this is enough."

5. Dancing with our hand tied: Q!Cellbit falling in love when they met a the boat in "I loved you in secret, first sight, we love without a reason. Oh, twenty six* years old. How were you to know? And my love had been frozen. Deep blue, but you painted me golden." Still Q!Cellbit insecurities in "I loved you in spite of deep fears that the world divide us. I'm a mess, but I'm the mess that you wanted."

6. Call it what you want: Q!Cellbit in regret arc and the whole Feds investigation is basically this whole song "My castle crumbled overnight, i brought a knife to a gunfight they took the crown but it's alright. All the liars are calling me one. Nobody's heard from me for months, cause my baby's fit like a daydream. Walking with his head down I'm the one he's walking to. loves me like I'm brand new."

Q!Roier after losing Bobby bcs of federation in "All my flowers grew back as thorns, windows boarded up after the storm. He built a fire just to keep me warm."

Guapoduo in "And I know I make the same mistakes everytime. Bridges burn I never learn at least I did one thing right. I'm laughing with my lover, making forts under covers. Trust him like a brother. Holding my breath, slowly, I said 'You don't need to save me, but would you run away with me?'"

7. Gorgeous: Q!Roier to Q!Cellbit in "You should take it as a compliment that I got drunk and made fun of the way your talk. Ocean blue eyes, looking in mine. I feel like I might sink, and drown and die."

Q! Cellbit to Q!Roier in "You're so gorgeous, I can't say anything to your face, cause look at your face. And I'm so furious at you for making me feel this way, but what can I say, you're gorgeous. Guess I'll just stumble on home to my cats, alone. Unless you wanna come along"

+

[arthropod-concoctions]

Uprooted: chapter 11

(ch 1 - ch 10 - ch 12)

Scott and Jimmy adapted to life in the desert remarkably fast. They fed the cows in the morning and evening, and mostly spent the afternoons trying to stay cooled. Sometimes Scott would go into the forest to gather flowers and make dye out of them, and very occasionally Jimmy would go out hunting-- for wildlife, never people-- with Joel and his 'family'. It wasn't the same as their old life, not by a long shot, but it was some semblance of peace.

That is, until one day when Scott was approached by Grian in the morning.

“Hey Scott,” Grian said, waving at him. “Do you know where Jimmy is? I need to discuss something with the two of you.”

Scott knew it was serious when he noticed that Grian said Jimmy's name correctly. “I think he was doing something with Joel. They might be by the cows.”

The two of them walked towards the cow enclosure, and sat down in the shade of a nearby dune to wait for Jimmy.

“You've been learning to use a bow, haven't you?” Grian asked Scott, taking off his glasses. He had bags under his eyes.

“I have.” While supplies in the desert were limited, one thing they had plenty of was weapons. By way of passing the time during hot afternoons in the bunkers, Scott had been practicing with bow and arrow, and he was actually a decent shot by now.

Grian nodded. “That's good.”

Scott didn't like the sound of that, but Jimmy arrived before he could question it much further. He had some drops of blood on his shirt.

“Morning. Had a fun time killing stuff today?” Grian asked.

“Uh, yeah, I guess so,” Jimmy stammered. “Joel did most of the work though.” Everyone, Jimmy included, had been surprised at how well he'd been getting along with Joel after their initial hurdles.

“Right. Well, I'll get straight to the point: you and Scott might get a bit more action soon. See, the Desert was approached by none other than prince Cleo and prince Bdubs of Troren yesterday, and with them we made a plan to launch an attack on the king of Sanguacanis by infiltrating their castle.”

“...And you need us for that?” Jimmy asked.

“Yeah, I feel like we're the least fit for this job out of everyone in the desert,” Scott added. “I mean, I only started training with a bow like a month ago.”

“True, but more importantly, Scott, you're Green. The way the Red Army works is that a red-lived is always paired with a green-lived, so if we want to convincingly get inside, we're gonna need some Greens on the team. The princes brought some soldiers with them, but more is always nice.”

Scott shook his head. Jimmy said: “The whole reason we went to the Desert was to avoid a war!” Again, his gray skin began to flush red.

Grian grimaced. “Unfortunately, war is coming this way whether we want it or not. By joining the Red Desert you're pretty much automatically declared an enemy of Sanguacanis, and their conquest will eventually reach here if nobody stops them. It's better to fight them now, on our own terms.”

“Well, if you already have some actual soldiers for this mission, surely you'll be fine taking just them?” Scott said. “We'll stay right here, I think.”

“About that...” Grian looked at the ground. “There's two parts to this mission. Everyone not on the infiltration team is going to storm the castle from outside. We've made the agreement already that everyone in the Desert is going to participate in this.”

So that's how our peaceful life ends, Scott thought, suddenly getting angry. “So you were just never going to give us a choice anyways?” he shouted at Grian.

“You have the choice to-” Grian made an annoyed sound, and raised his arms. “Look. I like you two, which is why I'm telling you this now instead of Scar. Because he would've made it into this nice flowery story that you can't refuse, and you would've agreed to a mission without any idea of what has going to actually happen. I'd rather give you the honest story, so yes: your choice is between infiltrating or storming the castle. And if you'll believe me, I think the infiltration is probably the safest choice.”

Scott wanted to argue more, but could think of nothing to say. Grian was right; joining the Desert to avoid the army was only ever delaying the inevitable. He felt his shoulders deflate. “Well, then I guess I'm going with the infiltration.”

To Grian's credit, he didn't seem happy about winning the argument. “Alright. Now, like I said, we need pairs of Greens and Reds. I assumed you two would want to go as a pair, but if you want something else, Jimmy, then-”

“Of course we're going as a pair,” Jimmy cut him off. He sounded angry too.

“Good. We're going to work out the plan further this evening, so if you want more details, talk to me later.” With that, Grian jogged off towards the central fort of the desert.

Scott looked at Jimmy. Then, he pulled him into an embrace.

“This is just not getting any better, is it?” he murmured into Jimmy's shoulder.

Jimmy returned the embrace, holding him tight. “We'll get through it,” he said. “And if we really do kill the king with this mission, it'll all be over. Then we can go back to our own home, like normal.”

Like normal. Things hadn't been normal for a long time, and Scott doubted they ever could.

But it was a nice thing to fight for, so it'd have to do.

[pansexualkiba]

i love how utterly fucking abysmal The Wild (2006) is. it's a horrible movie, and not even in a fun way. it's agony to watch. literally don't watch this movie. it's like. okay hold on.

so we all know how Disney's business plans worked in the late nineties to mid oughts, right? here's the big three:

appeal to the teens. because, ysee, word on the cool cat street was that disney just wasnt jivin with those rad hip youngsters, the teens. this was because then-CEO michael eisner learned his teenage son thought disney was like, soooo whatever. so in order to appeal to a wider demographic that potentially had money to spend on disney, Eisner would purposefully have things appeal to teens. or, at least, a 40-year-old's idea of what teens were like in the 1970s.

one-up Dreamworks Pictures. any disney fan will tell you that Michael Eisner and Jeffery Katzenberg were BEEFING, and this was reflected in the Disney-Dreamworks feud, not LEAST of which was that Dreamworks was created because Katzenberg was passed up for CEO in favor of Eisner.

jealousy. the most famous examples of this are Disneyland's California Adventure (a famously California-themed area in the California Disney park in the middle of the California-themed California) and Animal Kingdom (an entire third zoological park built just thirty minutes away from the famously safari-themed Busch Gardens (complete with live giraffes!) in Tampa, FL). if someone else did an idea, Eisner would try to have Disney do it better.

we caught up on that? good. most of you will be pointing something out by now: Eisner left disney in late 2005! The Wild was released in 2006! there's literally no way he could have been involved! which, ignoring how long movies take to make, COULD make this whole thing not an issue... except for one little event that happened in 2005. a little Dreamworks movie that was taking america by storm. the little-known snuff film... Madagascar (2005), released by Dreamworks to insane success. kids LOVED Madagascar, they loved King Julien, they loved the funny talking animals, they loved the use of old songs for fun interstitial plot beats, and they ESPECIALLY loved those silly little spy penguins. critics thought it was juvenile, however, so Madagascar now sits at a middling, but still positive, 55% critical reception on RT.

for a fun game, imagine for yourself what The Wild, released by Disney in 2006, could have a rating of. Go ahead, without looking it up, guess. we'll come back to that.

now, what i'm saying here isn't substantiated and the timeline doesn't exactly work, but hear me out. The Wild was often criticized for ripping off not only similar to Madagascar, but also The Lion King. Disney and Dreamworks's little pissing contest wasn't exactly subtle, and Eisner's jealousy when he saw how that stupid little animal movie was going over like gangbusters would've been enough for him to greenlight a similar idea, but with that little disney twist. and then he left, like a rat on a ship.

let's discuss the plot of The Wild.

we hear Samson the Lion start with telling someone a story about a previous fight he had had in The Wild, which is apparently just Africa. the logo is happening, yknow with the little firework line making an arc over the castle? except the much-younger teenage son then keeps interrupting by saying he's heard this story, and the firework keeps getting pulled back to the start in Comedic Fashion. the story is about how Samson, who apparently has sonic fucking roars, sent a bunch of wildebeests flying into the horizon, but then they had a big beefy furry wildebeest in the background who was like 46 feet tall. the son, Ryan the Lion, says he can feel the roar coming up, and Samson tells him to let loose, and Ryan does an alley cat soundbite because they didn't want to go to the Central Park Zoo and record actual lion cub noises.

By the way, this movie IS, in fact, opening in the Central Park Zoo. because we couldn't be more obvious. Samson the Lion is appropriately very famous, but not more famous than Nigel the Koala (voiced by Eddie Izzard), who is the basis of "the most popular doll in america", a pullstring plush koala that has two phrases: "I'm so cuddly; I like you!" and "I'm having a really nice day!". anyways, similar to madagascar, when the Central Park Zoo closes for the night, all the animals just get out and mingle. every single animal has a very distinct accent for some reason, as well??

anyways we're at this point introduced to the other main characters and their running jokes: Benny the Squirrel, whose joke is that he can't take a fucking hint; Bridgette the Giraffe, who is every sitcom woman in one and the unwilling target of Benny's affections; Nigel, who is extremely surly and the worst character in the movie; and Larry, a burmese python whose running gag is that he's stupid but sometimes he says something smart.

i'd like to just take an aside here to tell you all that Larry, despite being the idiot comic relief, ended up being my favorite character in the entire movie because the movie keeps forgetting he's supposed to be stupid?? like he'll just keep being very observant, but because every so often he'll drift into a nonsequitor all of his friends will angrily tell him to shut the fuck up, but it's like - bro he's the only one who's making sense. like at the end of the movie he puts forward an idea and before anyone can respond he goes "yeah, yeah, i know, shut up Larry :(" and it's like. bro get better friends.

anyways through a wacky series of events, Ryan's attempts to stop his friends from causing a Gazelle stampede cause the gazelles to stampede, and despite all of Ryans efforts to stop the stampede he caused, they run through the Turtle Curling competition the Samson is trying to win, costing Samson the Big Game, which means we gotta have Samson and Ryan having a big fight. i should mention that Ryan is insecure that he can't roar despite literally being prepubescent, and Samson is just like "are you acting up all because you can't roar?!" like DUDE THAT IS YOUR SON AND HE IS EIGHT. HIS VOICE HASN'T EVEN CRACKED YET.

Ryan then runs off to the green shipping crates that are being sent to New York's Harbor, and Samson and Benny go off to save Ryan after the workers somehow fucking miss the lion cub sleeping in broad fucking daylight. the dynamic duo is then joined by Bridgette (who knocks Benny off the truck), Nigel, and Larry. we then get a montage set to, and i am not fucking kidding, Clocks by Coldplay, where the animals experience the mysteriously-empty Times Square for the first time. more uhhhhh Wacky Hijinks ensue, and the rescue party are too late to get onto the cargo ship heading to africa, so they COMANDEER A PONTOON and tail the ship - after Benny rejoins them.

and here's where it gets to the point where i realized this movie was trying TOO hard to be dreamworks. if you'll recall, dreamworks likes to sneak in adult jokes, like famously Shrek looking at Duloc and going "do you think he's compensating for something". yknow, little innuendos like that.

Benny, having ridden in on a flock of Canadian Geese that mysteriously vanish after this scene after being hired as navigators, turns to Bridgette and, in an attempt to flirt with her, says that he's an expert goose rider, and that he rides bareback, and then slaps his flank.

it was becoming clear to me that every character was slowly becoming unmanageable to feel sympathy for.

after what would be, realistically, a few months - much too long for a pontoon to remain fueled, and WELL too long for a ship with passengers and sans supplies to remain populated, they reach the shores of Africa, which is... well it's not the shores of Madagascar, despite it literally being exactly like that scene in Madagascar where the animals are beholden to the rich jungles of madagascar. but for some reason this area of Africa not only has rich jungles, but ALSO an ACTIVE VOLCANO centrally located in the jungle. this is the purpose of the green transport crates: the wild animals are being rescued from an impending eruption. this is never brought up, but Ryan confuses the situation despite spending LITERAL MONTHS on that ship and potentially- actually

now that i'm writing this out, HOW DID NO ONE ON THE FUCKING SHIP. NOTICE THEY HAD AN ADOLESCENT LION CUB ON THE- THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE EMPTY CRATES. THEY WOULDN'T HAVE. NOTICED THE. LION CUB???? PROBABLY MEWLING FOR HELP???? IN A CONTAINER WITH OPEN-AIR WINDOWS????? BRO????

anyways Ryan runs into The Wild, and Samson and friends run after Ryan but lose him somehow. Samson, whose main character trait is that everyone else is saying that he always talks about being a real child of the Wilderness (notice that Samson himself never backs this up), eventually comes clean about his past after a scene with a hyrax that goes WAY too long in anyone's opinion - Samson was sold to the zoo after being raised in the circus. Samson was Ryan's age, as in like eight years old, when he was forced to attempt to roar in front of an audience, and when he couldn't because he was eight, he was SOLD TO THE ZOO. and his father's parting words were "if you had been born in the wild, you would have been able to roar" LIKE SIR YOUR SON IS STILL A CHILD DOMESTICATION DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T FUCKING- HELLO???

anyways everyone treats this as some Big Betrayal, and Samson goes off on his own to find Ryan. meanwhile Nigel gets kidnapped by wildebeests.

yes, there are wildebeests living in this fucking jungle.

Nigel is then brought to the ACTIVE VOLCANO, where the WILDEBEESTS HAVE STARTED A DEATH CULT. they are led by William Shatner Wildebeest whose name i have forgotten because despite being the main antagonist he was revealed fifty minutes into a seventy-minute movie. turns out, one of those Nigel dolls fell off of a cropduster plane over this nondescript african jungle, interrupting a lion hunt against this wildebeest despite the fact that neither of these animals live in the jungle. the pullstring then scared the lions into fleeing, and Shatbeest took this as an OMEN FROM GOD to START A DEATH CULT where ALL WILDEBEESTS WILL BECOME CARNIVORES AND ALL LIONS WILL BECOME HERBIVORES. also he made a whole song out of the "I'm having a really nice day!" voiceline complete with choreography. this is somehow not only plot important but also instrumental in his downfall.

anyways Nigel immediately gets drunk with power because he has no morals and is the worst character in the movie.

the wildebeests kidnap Bridgette and Larry and knock Benny out. have you noticed Benny just keeps getting put offscreen so he can solve the plot later? anyways Samson hallucinates dr seuss colors because he's activating his "predator instincts" to find his cub, which - red flag - but it also works. and then the wildebeests kidnap ryan after throwing Samson off a cliff, and you would not believe how much i wanted him dead so the movie would be over.

it was around this time that i realized i would much rather watch cars 2 again. my girlfriend had long since admitted that.

Benny wakes up in the middle of a bunch of German scarabs (who are all like. yodelling milkmaid types?????) who thought he was shit, and tbh yeah good call, but anyways Benny wakes up Samson who is somehow completely unharmed from being dropped off a cliff with an entire tree on top of him. Samson then has a tangible hallucination pointing them to the volcano, which he and Benny both see.

Nigel meanwhile actually has to weigh the pros and cons of siding with the wildebeests and watching them cook and eat his friends, or saving his friends. Shatbeest meanwhile REALLY wants to eat a LITERAL COWERING CHILD.

outside the volcano, we find out that Samson's hallucinations are a LITERAL LEGION OF SECRET AGENT CHAMELEONS who are trying to get people to defeat the wildebeests - which, like, WHY DID YOU NEED THESE TWO YOKELS???? YOU'RE LIKE. THERE'S A WHOLE JUNGLE OF POORLY-PLACED ANIMALS. THERE ARE OTHER LIONS IN THE JUNGLE SURELY. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LIONS IN THE FLASHBACK??

anyways the chameleons can make benny and samson invisible by covering them and going transparent. obviously.

the finale is incredibly like. it's such a nothing finale. the chameleons barely factor into it?? like Benny and Samson are just suddenly there, and Shatbeest keeps physically overpowering Samson and later Ryan, but Shatbeest angers the other wildebeests because one of them couldn't get the choreography right and so he's kicked towards the sacrifices as one of them. and then Ryan is like "aw dad... i wish you had the father i had. :(" which like. WHEN was it explained to you what happened with your dad. you were JUST told that your dad was born in captivity you don't know WHAT HAPPENED you just IMMEDIATELY went to being mean to him. and that inspires the wildebeests to turn on Shatbeest because this is the lion king so we gotta have that hyenas eat scar scene. but then the volcano, the LITERAL ACTUAL VOLCANO EVERYONE'S BEEN INSIDE OF THIS WHOLE TIME, starts to erupt, and Shatbeest is crushed under rocks.

everyone gets to the pontoon, and Samson, Ryan, the group, the wildebeests, and for some reason the chameleons all escape just as the island erupts, and it's like, fuck all the other bitches right? anyways then we have a heartfelt moment immediately undercut by the animated movie dance party ending where Nigel the koala just starts twerking. Benny stops being sexist out of complete nowhere despite never learning his lesson and this is completely undercut by Bridgette kissing him and revealing she was into being objectified this whole time, she just wanted Benny to be Woke about it. every single character in this movie was awful (except Larry i just feel bad for him) and in my mind the movie ends with that fucking pontoon sinking in the middle of the atlantic for exceeding its weight limit.

it's such a nothing movie. every scene feels like it's from something else. my girlfriend maintains that everyone who defends this movie is a corporate shill. my experience with this movie was i watched it multiple times as a kid, and i had somehow convinced myself this WASN'T a disney movie and was instead made by one of those low-budget studios that makes a single animated film before vanishing forever. it feels like a parody of itself, like someone had made a prior movie that doesn't exist that they then warped with ten consecutive funhouse mirrors.

it feels like michael eisner's teen son tried to make madagascar but Edgy.

and now we come back to the fun game from before the cut. what was the number you came up with on rotten tomatoes? what would rotten tomatoes rate this movie that has effectively been scrubbed from disney's records? Madagascar has 55%, what could its ugly step-reflection be?

...well that's not good.

[stewardofningishzida]

Stephen Strange Meta-Fic Sequel Chapter 5: A Learning Experience

Shenanigans at Kamar-Taj, ahoy! This is what happens when novices from another universe poke around.

TRIGGER WARNING: Fainting

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stephen gestures to the open portal and the group stands in hushed awe for a moment before Trix suddenly jolts and scrambles for her camera.

Trix: Wait wait wait this is the whole point! *she turns the camera on and pans around at the group* I would like to say that as the first humans from our universe to travel beyond our own and into one we only dreamed of being a reality, this is an important step for the history of our universe. We document this as the next stage of exploration and discovery and will hopefully turn into a great new relationship between the cosmos. *she then grins and points the camera at herself* Alright losers, get in. We’re going universe hopping! *she turns the camera back around and steps into the portal, then pointing the camera back towards our universe*

*I look a bit frazzled, but decide to face the camera.*

Me:  We’ll do our best, make a good impression, and hopefully bring back some worthwhile knowledge.  Let’s do this.  *I make the “peace out” sign and then walk through the portal.*

Tear: And try not to die while at it, I guess. *I follow my friends into the portal, only sparing a small smile to the camera*

PrettyWitch: (I wave to everyone) Bye guys! Have fun storming the castle!

*After we step through, we’re suddenly walking into the courtyard at Kamar-Taj.  The air is clean and cool.  Being from the desert, it’s rather cold to me.  I shiver slightly.  However, I’m too busy being fascinated and borderline overwhelmed by the majestic sight around us.  Our first steps into a whole new universe.  I look practically hypnotized by this experience and can’t help but gawk at everything.*

Me (quietly):  Whoa…

Trix: *nods slightly as she turns off the camera and just stares at everything* Whoa…

PrettyWitch: (My eyes sparkle) Wha…!!!

*Wong is already waiting there to greet us.*

Wong:  Welcome.  I will show you to your quarters so you can put your things down and then the four of you will have a brief tour to get your bearings.  We have much to do and you all need to begin your recovery, studies, and training.  *He’s direct and goes right to business.*

Me (a bit shy, but snapping into professional mode):  Y-yes, Sir.  Thank you.  *I nod.*

Trix: Hi Wong! Thank you for hosting us and teaching us! *waves*

*He looks at Trix and gives a very slight smile in acknowledgement.*  

Wong:  Hello.  You’re welcome.  It is the least we can do after the trouble our universe caused.

Tear: I wouldn’t say there’s any blame to hand out, really. Accidents happen.

PrettyWitch: Oh please! I’d say meeting you guys and your Snarky Dilf was a nice trade off, if you ask me. 

Scott: Hey, wait, if Stephen gets to be a Dilf then what does that make me?

PrettyWitch: The Best Boi, that’s what.

*Wong just silently watches the banter as it unfolds, privately amused.  Meanwhile, Stephen burns in embarrassment and is trying to conceal his red face.*

Peter: *He pouts at PrettyWitch* But I thought I was the Best Boi.

PrettyWitch: No, Scott’s the Best Boi. You’re a precious cinnamon roll.

Scott: Oh yeah, that reminds me; since you’re teaching the girls magic, Wong I was thinking maybe you could squeeze in a lesson or two for me? What do you say?

Wong:  I think you get into enough trouble without magic, Lang.

Stephen:  Yeah…What was it I heard about that heist Hank used to bait you again?  *His eyes flash with a slight amusement.*

Scott: How did you…(He groans, irritably.) I knew I should’ve gone on that mission with you and Hope!

Stephen:  Anyway, I should get back and help Cap and Stark.  Vishanti knows they’ll need it.  Wong, try to keep the girls in one piece, all right?  Girls, behave.

Wong:  No promises.  *He’s teasing slightly.*

Me:  We’ll do our best, Stephen.

Tear: Be careful out there.

PrettyWitch: Yeah, don’t push yourself too hard unless you have to.

Trix: Good luck!

*Stephen gives him a look before waving goodbye to us and walking into a portal back to our universe.*

*After Peter and Scott see us off, we follow Wong to the dormitories so we can find our rooms and drop off our stuff.  It seems Kamar-Taj is far more vast than it appears to be.  So, the nice part is that we each get our own room.  They’re small and a bit modest, but pleasant enough. Plus, they all have excellent Wi-Fi. Wong waits for us in the hallway.  When we re-emerge from our rooms, he gives us a brief tour of the ancient complex.  It concludes in one of the training courtyards.*

Wong:  Now, I want all four of you to watch the training session closely.  Pay attention to what they’re doing, their posture, the gestures, any necessary equipment, and see if you can pick up any key phrases.  I will ask you about your first impressions afterwards.  Part of being competent in sorcery is attention to detail.  Understood?

Me:  Yes, Sir.

Trix: That I can do!

PrettyWitch: No problem here.

Tear: Crystal clear.

*The training session goes on for around 2 hours.  It’s a group of novices learning the basics of shield spell formation.  The gestures are very precise.  Though the actual verbalizations don’t sound like much to us.  There’s probably something else to it, but we can’t quite place it yet.  Posture-wise, they seem to ground themselves in a standard martial arts position with feet shoulder-width apart.  I privately think I have an idea of what’s going on verbally, but have to think it through.  As for the gestures, we all have to pay close attention to really see what they’re doing.  Their fingers are positioned in a specific way.  After the training session concludes, Wong approaches us again for a private talk.*

Wong:  So, what did you observe?

Trix: It’s almost like a dance. You have to learn the steps and nuance before you can start adding your own flair to it.

PrettyWitch: Yeah. And you really need to visualize what you want and think fast, like how the cowboys in the old west will draw their guns real quick.

Me:  Those verbalizations…They’re not just spells.  I mean, they ARE spells, but there’s more to it.  They’re also to make sure your breath is precise and the correct muscles get tensed at the right time, aren’t they?

Tear: I noticed there must be intention behind the spell. I’m assuming that just like in our decision-making, our degree of conviction strengthens our actions and results. The novices who still hold some hesitation moved their hands slower, maybe still getting used to the gestures. You have to fully believe in the magic and yourself.

Wong:  It seems that each of you has a unique approach.  There is some truth in your words.  Though you each need to keep all of these perspectives in mind, not just your own.  There is always another angle.  What each of you failed to notice is that for effective magic, one must also take into account the spell’s own resistance.  Every cast has its cost and energy exertion, including on the outside world.  Not just on the caster.  For the shield, it emits light and tenses the muscles throughout the legs, core, and arms because you have to be a part of the shield itself.  Your power is what gives it the resistance.  Every spell is different in its execution and how it affects the surrounding environment, not just on yourself.  Remember that.  

Trix: Not to be pedantic but because I’m genuinely curious, if the shield emits light and you have to take into consideration of the outside world, does that mean depending on what time of day or if the brightness around you or lack thereof play into how much energy is consumed to power it? I’m assuming there’s other factors as well of course. 

Wong:  It depends on the type of shield spell and how much protection or resistance you require.  Not to mention how large an area you’re defending and how long you need to sustain it.  As for brightness…It’s more of a detection problem.  Basic shield spells are not meant for stealth operations.  They’re too visible.  There ARE invisible shield spells, but those are more advanced.  The light is merely a byproduct of the energy put into the cast.

Trix: So it’s the excess energy like how heat is released. Got it.

Wong:  Precisely.  Better it be light than heat.  *He curls his lip slightly.*

Trix: *grins*

Wong:  Seeing as your group needs to recover, the last thing for today will be a brief meditation.  I need to know how effective you are at disciplining your minds and clearing them so I can establish a baseline.  Come.  *He gestures and guides us to a secluded area with some mats to sit on.*

Wong:  I will lead you into the meditation and then I expect you all to continue on your own.  I will be looking each of you over, but pay me no mind.  I am merely there to observe.

Tear: Sure, no pressure. We’ll just have the Sorcerer Supreme breathing down our necks…

Trix: *smiling* Come on, we’re living the dream right now! The School of Wong!

*He eases us into starting meditation, much like how Stephen did with us all of those months ago.  Then, he quietly gets up and walks among us, silently checking on each group member.  It almost seems as though he’s mentally scanning us.  Then again, he probably is.*

Trix: *she’s not in a traditional meditation pose but seems absolutely involved in the meditation*

*I sit cross-legged, unable to get into the lotus position due to arthritis.  Despite that, I sit up straight and take slow, deep breaths.  My mind is clear.*

**

**

*After around 20 minutes, he decides that this is a sufficient start and lets us stop.*

Wong:  I detected a few intrusive thoughts, but each of you appeared to handle them well, for novices.  Some refinement is needed.  However, it was a decent start.  I assume Strange had taught you some basics before he returned here.

Me:  He did, yes.  Though some of us had some previous experience with meditation already because they received training in martial arts.

*He grunts in acknowledgement.*

Wong:  For now, you are free to explore the complex and have dinner.  However, if you encounter any unfamiliar relics, rooms, or enchantments, do not touch or enter them.  Go back the way you came.  You may ask about them later.  Understood?

Me:  Yes, Sir.

Trix: Got it! *she is visibly excited to explore*

PrettyWitch: Okay. Thanks, Wong.

Me:  So, guys…Stick together or split up?  What do we think?

Trix: I mean, if we’re gonna recreate Scooby Doo this would absolutely be the place that would have hallways that actually worked like the show.

Tear: I think we should just stick together. After all, we all have to know where everything is located, so it’s not like splitting up would help us finish faster or anything. Besides, if Kamar-Taj is anything like the Sanctum, I don’t wanna be stuck in its hallways for hours without having dinner first.

Trix: Now, I agree with you but I also assume dinner is going to have something that’s going to blink back at me. I do want to explore more and at least find the library. Not that I’m gonna touch anything but the need to see it in person is high on my priority list.

PrettyWitch: Yeah! I’m dying to see if the library here’s like the one in my headcanons.

Me:  All right.  We’ll explore together.  I’d like to not get lost on the first day anyway.  Terrible sense of direction.

Trix: You got lost going to work and you’ve worked there for a decent amount of time. It’s less than 15 minutes away.

Me:  I figured out maps…It’s the route that keeps shifting…

Trix: *facepalms* Anyways- ONWARDS! *she starts heading towards the large main building*

*We follow Trix inside the main structure to find a myriad of hallways bustling with people. They seem rather confused at our presence, especially since we are still dressed in our own clothes, but everyone seems friendly enough since we couldn’t be in here without the Sorcerer Supreme’s permission.* 

*During the exploration, our group finds a lounge, a mess hall with tall ceilings, the kitchen, no less than seven bathrooms, four dry landscape gardens, a storage room which we quickly back out of, and finally–*

Trix: The library!!!! *she nearly squeals as she steps into the rather familiar room. It looks very similar to the movies we had watched back in our world but with some subtle differences* I cannot wait until we get to study more. Do you think my Allspeak thing works on written language as well? *she really wants to open a book but she also doesn’t want to die by opening the wrong book*

Me:  Possibly.  If it doesn’t work yet, then maybe it will after you’ve practiced more and learned more about how to use it effectively.

Tear: I’m sure Wong will be able to help you determine more about it. *Like the others, I’m beyond excited about the library. I’m already walking through the first aisle in-between the tall bookshelves, looking at all the spines of the books curiously. Logic tells me these first books so near the entrance must be safe, otherwise they’d be kept on the back inside the Masters’ section of the library. Near the end of the bookshelf, I finally spot a title written in English. It’s a basic astrology book, so I carefully pull it from the shelf and leaf through it. It’s full of math and physics equations.*  

*I’m intensely curious and am sorely tempted to pick something up like Tear, but resist.  I like keeping my soul inside of my body, thank you very much.  I glance at everything, getting as close as I dare without actually touching or disturbing anything.*

Trix: *she looks around and spies an open book on one of the tables and can hear someone nearby, likely getting another book* I mean, if we don’t touch it…it’s already open so it’s probably safe so long as we don’t read the thing out loud or try anything out…

Tear: *I look back over my shoulder at Trix* I’m sure it’s fine. The sorcerers here wouldn’t be so careless as to leave a summoning ritual open and unsupervised like that. Besides, the books in this section seem to be harmless enough… *I put back the astronomy textbook and turn to the bookshelf behind me* Oh! They even have a book on Japanese folktales here! *I flip through another book written in Japanese. Its chapter titles come with copies of ink art depicting each tale, and I can’t help but wonder if the original works hold some sort of magic secret*

*I trot over to the nearest desk, wanting a look at the open book Trix spotted too.  The book is written in Sanskrit.  That much, I can recognize.  However, I can’t read it.*

Me:  Huh…That detail was right too.  *I stare at the book, intrigued.  It doesn’t seem to be hurting me or anything of the sort.*

Trix: What is it? *she comes closer to Steward*

*I shrug.*

Me:  I dunno.  Can’t read it.  Sanskrit…and you, shut up.  *Points at seemingly nobody.  Probably the ghost again.*  No, we are NOT doing this exchange again.  *I quietly hiss at him.  At this point, I’m distractedly arguing with what appears to be thin air, doing my best to keep my volume down.*  What the-You can’t say that!  *I’m still keeping my voice low.  Though my irritation with the ghost is clear.*  

Trix: *she wanders over to the book and glances down at the pages* Huh. *almost immediately her eyes roll back into her head and she collapses unconscious*

*I hear the thud and look over to see Trix on the ground.  I race over.*

Me (not shouting, but definitely urgent):  Oh my God!  Trix, are you okay?  Answer us.  *I gently nudge her and then tap lightly on her face to see if she responds.*

Tear: *I hurriedly place my book back on the shelf and dart out the isle to join the others* What happened?

Me: PrettyWitch, Tear, can one of you go find Wong?  Trix looked at that open book and passed out.  She’s not responding.  *I desperately take her vital signs.  Her pulse, temperature, and breathing seem okay.  It’s just that Trix is unconscious.*

Wong (from a few shelves away):  No need.  *He comes over.*  Surely, spellbooks would fall under the “unfamiliar” territory…*He sighs and checks Trix before casting some sort of recovery spell on her.*

Trix: *her eyes flutter open but immediately squint shut again* Ow- what the hell?

Wong:  Be careful around the spellbooks.  Your ability’s side effects can be more intense when encountering the written word.  Come, you need extra energy.  The rest of you may accompany her if you wish.  *He helps Trix to her feet and supports her.*

Trix: *groans slightly* Can it at least not stare at me like what Stephen had us eat before? *is still fairly dizzy and the room is spinning a bit*

Wong:  I will see what can be done.  *He leads us to the mess hall and presents Trix with a bowl of…something else.  Whatever it is, it appears to have fingers?  Yet, the fingers aren’t on any discernible feature.  It pulsates gently.*

Trix: I mean, it’s fitting the request much to my horror. I have absolutely learned from this lesson and I won’t do it again. *is staring at the food in disgust before looking up at Wong* How likely is it that you’re willing to disguise the food as something else or is that a ‘Stephen is nice to us’ thing?

Wong (blunt):  More of the latter.  It is more practical to get used to the appearance.  Not just to avoid wasting more energy by casting a disguise on it, but also to become familiar with safe food sources.

Trix: *sighs wearily* Well fuck, if I can eat escargot I guess I can attempt this. *hesitantly she starts eating and is making a face but continues to eat slowly*

*I try to look, but can’t bear to watch for too long.*

Wong:  You may have regular food afterwards.  You do still need it.  This food merely sustains your magic.  Regular food is what sustains your body.

Trix: Oh thank god. *she has finished her food but is looking a bit pale. Whether it’s from fainting or from what she just ate is anyone’s guess*

Wong:  The rest of you appear to be okay for now.  So, feel free to eat.  

*I nod and then proceed to eye a steamer full of xiaolongbao.*

Me (to my friends):  You guys ever had these before?  They’re really good.

Tear: I’d say I have, but it depends on their filling. I’ve had Japanese nikuman before. They’re really tasty indeed.

*I taste one.*

Me:  It’s broth with ground pork and some chopped bits of vegetables.  Here.  *I share the dumplings with Tear and PrettyWitch.*

PrettyWitch: (I hold up the dumpling the way I’ve always seen in anime and take a bite.) Mmmmmm!!!! This tastes great!!!! (I continue eating with a big smile on my face.)

Trix: *her head is down on the table* If I have anything else after that I am gonna link the two foods in my brain and it will forever be ruined. I’m good.

Me:  All right.  Well, I’ll at least set something shelf-stable aside for you in case you’re hungry in a few hours.  *I try to comfort her.*

*We have some dinner and then clean up after ourselves.*

Wong:  I trust that you four can locate your quarters.  I have some work to do this evening.

Trix: No more exploring, only sleep. *she still seems pretty wiped out*

Me:  We’ll go to our rooms for tonight.  Lemme help you, Trix.  *I help her up.*  Good night, Wong.  Thank you again.

PrettyWitch: Yes. Thanks again, Wong.

Trix: Thank you! G’night!

Wong (polite):  Good night.

*He leaves to do his work.*

Trix: I’m not allowed on the internet at home or to leave anywhere, am I? *she sounds resigned*

Me:  Probably only allowed on English pages for now and no.  I don’t think we can leave yet.  We don’t even know the area.

Trix: Well, let’s just head to bed. I feel like I ran a marathon but it was just my brain on fire.

*We head back to the dormitories for the night to get some rest.  So far, it has been an eventful first day at Kamar-Taj.*

***To be continued***

[nonbeas]

Wednesday October 23rd 2024

I haven't posted in a while and truly I've been busy.

I've kind of been busy, I mean, I've been busier, but also, I've been in a mindset where I'm giving myself permission to sleep. Something I think about a lot is I don't feel sad when I'm sleeping, so I'd like to sleep for as long as possible.

That's probably not a great thing, but it's better then before, where if I didn't have anything in the morning and I didn't wake up early, I'd feel really bad about myself. Right now I'm simply staying asleep and also not feeling bad. At least, not consciously. I'm sure it's there in the subconscious ready to creep back up as soon as I start feeling more worthless.

I really think I'm autistic. I know that I can't say that for sure without a diagnosis, but I just get so upset about the most normal of things. I'm starting to think my emotional regulation actually just isn't that great. I do things I think are right, people get upset with me, and I just can't help but feel whatever I could possibly do to make it better will just make it worse. I'm thinking this out in a much separate way then how you normally think. It's like, I can't say things correctly or they always come out wrong, so I'll just bumble back into the same situation that made people mad at me in the first place.

I've also realized that more people than I thought are just ok with people being mad at them. Like, it's not as big of a deal as I think it is.

I blame my parents. Specifically, I blame my mom. I guess my dad enabled it too. Being a people pleaser. It's not just a mindset, it's completely rooted in my brain. I don't think I can get it out. I could act differently but it'll be emotionally upsetting

I'm watching a film on Netflix about a family that accidentally goes back in time. It's set in Europe and after like, a storm or something, they find themselves in a medieval town.

Actually they're definitely in a game of werewolves - that's the game they were playing come to life. It's like European reverse jumanji.

I think it's set in Rothenburg ab der Tauber - it's probably a popular place to film these kinds of things. I want to say the castle and the walls look familiar but honestly all medieval castles look like that.

it seems they have developed powers, like in the game. That's kind of fun. The dad can read minds and the grandpa's dementia is suddenly gone and he has super strength now.

I'm not trying to be performative, I genuinely suddenly started getting into the movie I put on.

Agatha All Along Episode 7 was really good. Compared to the last two episodes, it was suddenly very cinematic. I guessed that it was going to be shown out of time, and then when they started getting into it, it was crazy. Lilia was both literally and figuratively "the good witch." Also I feel like all (maybe not all, but most) big secrets were revealed because of her. She just learns stuff and spills, because it's important, she's not trying to play games, she does everything for the good of others, and then she just goes and sacrifices herself.

Would the Salem Seven still have had to deal with the gravity flip disaster if Lilia locked them in, or was Lilia's presence after the trial the key to all of that?

I had a phone interview with a private lessons studio and it went pretty well. I'm nervous about managing my schedule if it starts going well but I think it'll be ok. I'll have to step back from my weekly ensembles a little bit and it'll suck rearranging that, but I know it'll be alright in the end.

I hope I'm good at it. I have a mock lesson with the interviewer next week. I haven't actually taught many private lessons, only someone who was moderately self taught. but they use Faber books, which I'm comfortable with. And I know how I could supplement my own stuff in there.

For the mock lesson, I'm assuming the "student" is a beginner piano player. So here's my plan of action, which can vary greatly depending on the student.

The most important things for new learners to know is the notes on the keyboard. I'm not even going to worry about technique or hands at first. . First I'm going to talk about the musical alphabet. I'll ask them if they know the alphabet song (most students should but some of them are as young as 5.) I'm going to have them sing up to G over an over with me. (Perhaps I can play twinkle twinkle little star as we sing, if the kid likes singing.) Then I'll tell them about how to find C using the two accidentals. I'll have them find every single C on the piano and count them. The fourth C is "middle" C.

Then we'll go up the board from whichever C we started at. All the way up the keys. CDEFG - then what? A. Start at A and go up to G. We can still be singing out loud if that's what the kid likes. Then once we get to the top, go back to the bottom and do it again.

Question: what happens to the sound as you go up the keyboard? High vs low definition of keys. The right goes higher, the left goes lower. Then we can talk about the alphabet going backwards as it goes down. That'll be tricky and more introductory, we can spend more time on that as we go on.

This is when I'll take a break from the piano and talk about hand shape. Make an O with hands, or hold on to our knee, curve our fingers up. Tap our thumbs with each finger. Then find the side of the first finger. Tap each finger one at a time on a table keeping that curve. Start introducing talking about the number of fingers - doesn't need to be official info, just start using that terminology.

Using our fingers and putting it together: Find C again and put our thumb there, the rest of the fingers on a key. Practice tapping and naming keys up to G and backwards. Do the same with the left hand, thumb on C and go backwards. Then try two hands together for extra hard level.

This will be the warm up to start for the next couple of lessons.

I'm wondering if I should start with rhythm reading right away, or get used to the piano more. I could use musescore or some of those YouTube play alongs that I've used before to start feeling a beat and starting with quarter notes and eighth notes and eighth note rests. Then I could have them find their favorite note and play along to some play alongs, before we get into music reading.

So it could be always 5-10 minutes rhythm reading activity, maybe at the beginning or the end.

Technique - notes - rhythm. That's beginning stuff. There should be a little bit of each. For younger kids, also just a lot of puzzles, play alongs, maybe introducing the metronome and drum beats and music.

The next steps would be reading and writing. That'll happen a little bit with the faber books. Quizzing on the notes on the piano, starting to introduce notes on the page. Start getting into reading FACE and EGBDF on the treble staff, and ACEG and GBDFA.

This will become more integrated with reading.

I think it would also be neat to actually get students reading and writing a little bit, but I'm not sure exactly how. Lots of kids don't use paper and pencil to read and write nowadays, and I don't mean that as a "back in my day" talk. I mean literally. I've been in the current public school system and it's literally so normal to use Chromebooks for everything. I've seen upper elementary schoolers who genuinely couldn't write complete sentences.

Writing this out, I don't think my "curriculum" is organized. I should come up with like, an excel sheet or something.

More to come,

Bea

[pof203]

A Summoner Birthday

Special Quest: Taishakuten

This is... quant. No sure why, though.

I just thought you could use some downtime. You have been busy lately, haven't you?

Taishakuten: Yeah, I guess you could say that.

You brought Taishakuten to the virtual fairytale world for some fun.

Taishakuten: Still, my fists are just screaming for a challenge. Do you know a place?

Lupin: Well, we could try the castle of the sleeping beauty where the dragons are. Maybe they would like to spar with you.

Taishakuten: (excited) Okay, now we're talking! Shall we?

Lupin: Okay, let's go.

With that, you and Taishakuen go to the castle where the dragons are.

Sometime later, you and Taishakuten arrive at the castle without any problems. No sooner you arrived, the wyverns sensed your presence.

Lupin: Dragons, Taishakuten wishes to spar with you, if that is alright.

The wyverns all roar as if to say they accept.

Taishakuten: (excited) Okay, let's see what you've all got!

Taishakuten then fights the wyverns to satisfy the challenge his yearned for.

After a long series of sparring sessions, you and Taishakuten decide to call it a day and head inside to rest.

(laughing) That was fun! If only stuff like this could happen in reality.

Lupin: I'm sure there are. You just have to know where to look. Maybe somewhere in Ikebukuro. I can ask Claude or Snow to set something up.

Taishakuten: Thank, but for now, I'll stick to the challenge of finding the right foe to fight. But I'll think about it. Plus, I'm not sure how the youth division would feel if I got into fights like that.

Lupin: Yeah, it would make them a bit nervous.

Taishakuten: I know. But I just want to show everyone that I'm only fighting for them. I may appear to be this tough guy who is willing to beat up anyone who gets in the way, but I care about people. I know there will be those who will think otherwise, but I'm not worried about them.

Lupin: I'm glad you think that way. I guess that's why I like you so much. You seem to hardly let anything phase you. You even used that courage of yours to help me and Ryota when we went to rescue Wakan Tanka and the others. I'll always be grateful for that. We all are. Even Wakan.

Taishakuten: That makes me happy. I love both you and Wakan Tanka and I know you both love me.

Lupin: We do. Thank you for that day.

Taishakuten: And thank you for giving me a reason to fight.

You both embrace each other happily. Your love a brewing a storm that can get you both through anything.

After resting a bit more, you both make your way back to Candyland to return home.

[nella09archive]

Marriage. 3

Chapter 3: The King

The day was coming, and I was tempted to leave my village to go. But one look in the mirror told me otherwise. These few months dad didn’t leave me alone. He made maids teach me all the proper ways to be a lady. He even threaten me that he’ll destroy my armor. How horrible, but I must keep face. When I wasn’t forced into dress and had piles of make up on, I was socializing at one of dad’s many parties. Some of the guess even brought their sons. Which they would try to ask for my hand. I happily decline, stating I was promise to Goku.

My father did not like this. He kept telling me to stop believing in those fairytales. Whenever he did, I left the castle for weeks. During those weeks I trained heavily, I improved my skills. And just when I was going to make my way to start heading to the tournament, he stopped me. So here I am, dress in whatever you call this, a qipao. It’s blue with gold flower patterns. I do like how it looks on me, but it didn’t feel me.

As I was doing my dancing lessons I was allowed to listen to the tournament, over the radio. It was the only compromise me and father agreed on. Whenever the announcer mention Goku I stopped. This happen a few times, and it angered father. He warned, unless I get through the lessons without stopping or the radio goes. How, troublesome. So, I continue dancing. It was when they announced the winner that I stopped one final time.

This is because I became enraged. There was no way my Goku could have lost, if it wasn’t for the stupid car! My father was walking up to me when I took the stupid books off my head, and stormed out the dancing hall. This is just so unbelievable! I locked myself in my room.

I angerly paced within my room. I was so angry I throw down frames, and punched the mirror hanging on my door. After that punch, I sat on my bed crying. I didn’t know if I was because Goku lost or because I wasn’t there to watch the fight. Without knowing it I had fallen asleep. When I woke up again it was night, and I finally unlocked my door. I was going to get one of the maids to help clean the mess, but stopped in my tracks at what I saw. It was dad, on the floor, against the wall sleeping. Moments like these reminds me he does care for me, and that I would always be his little girl. I woke him up, and we ended up cleaning and talking all night long.

…

I… I… I JUST CAN’T BELIEVE IT! HE’S DEAD! WHY?

I started feeling tears flooding my eyes. NO! There’s no time for tears! I need to find out who did this. THEY’RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS! THEY’RE GOING TO PAY FOR EVER CROSSING ME! I grabbed my power pole, my friends tried to stop me. I pushed pass them and got the dragon radar from Bulma. I’LL FIND YOU!

When I caught up to Krillin’s killing I felt my blood rushing, and I just saw red. HOW DEAR HE! I went in for an attacked. Soon enough he beat me. How could this happen? What am I going to do? Soon I could smell something cooking. My hunger was currently stronger than my resolve. I found the source of the smell, and ate. When I finished came out some strange guy.

He ended up helping me take down the killer, and to my disgust he ate him. Was this how Bulma felt when I offered her the centipede when we first met? Now I can’t make fun of her anymore. Me and Yajrobe went in search of King Piccolo, the one who sent for Krillin’s and other fighters’ deaths.

When we first encountered him I was once again outmatched. Then we heard from Master Roshi to seek help from Korin. After going through a weird place, and feeling like I could die from drinking the Ultra Divine Water. But after I recovered, I felt my strength tenfold. And once again I went in search of that monster. Before I left, Korin gifted me another flying nimbus, since my other one was destroyed.

One my way to King Piccolo, I heard a familiar scream. I went to investigate, and it was no other than Chichi. Ignoring the soldiers behind us, Chichi and I were having a small catchup. I commented that she grown, like her height. We shared a smiled before the soldiers reminded me, that I have something important to take care of. I quickly dispose the soldiers, and they told me where Piccolo was located.

One last parting words with Chichi, and then I headed to Kings Castle. There me and that monster had over battle. This time I wasn’t leaving without coming out the victor. So, I did, but the price of my body and the destruction of a city. With the help of Yajrobe, we went back to Korin Tower. There I was healed, and found out there was a way to bring back my dead friends. There was hope yet. And what I came face to face I was not prepared for.

I burst into rage was I saw that green face. I was already prepared to attack, when this Popo character stopped me. He then explained what was going on. To top it off, I agreed to 3 years of training, just so my friends could come back. I was so happy I almost forgot I couldn’t see them be revived. Now I question, am I really ready for this. The promise to get stronger and an ultimate battle had me excited. This excitement was stronger than I ever had in years. Almost like it was taking control of everything else about me.

…

Just when we were about to be shot by the soldiers, I gave my biggest battle cry, ready to keep my dad safe. After news about King Piccolo killing fighters spread, dad burst in my room stating we had to run for our lives. For the first I saw my father having a face of panic. I then suited in my armor, and followed my dad out the kingdom. Now here we stand, against these pathetic soldiers.

Just when I was about to attack, he showed up. IT’S GOKU! I felt so over joyed that he’s still alive. After everything that’s been going on, I was so happy to see him. I ran up to him, and we ended up talking. He commented on my height, I felt myself blush. He was still shorter than me, but still cute.

Our conversation was cut short by the soldiers. Then I saw Goku change from the happy face, I’ve come to known, to a serious, angry face. I witness him take care of those soldiers. I was so amazed at how strong he gotten. I was so hypnotized by his movements. Every move was flawless, you could almost see how powerful his hits were.

Before he left to fight King Piccolo, he said his final goodbyes and I couldn’t help feel scared for him. But instead of voicing my worries, I gave him my biggest encouraging smile. I wished him luck, and watched him leave. The moment he was out of sight, I finally let the tears fall. I screamed good luck at the top of lungs, before I went back to helping dad.

He then did something I was expecting but truly needed. He hugged me tightly as I cried. I felt so scared that I was going to lose my dad. I was scared that Goku would get hurt. I was scared something bad was going to happen to me.

[castlecult]

saw you wanted frank castle requests!! how about him after he did something dickish (like get overly protective and preachy abt readers safety) and now readers not exactly giving him the silent treatment but isn't as affectionate. thank you!!

an : hello anon !! thank you for sending in a request and sorry it took me a few days to reply <3 i’m not very proud of the initial part, i think it’s a weak reason and it’s poorly written but anyway *looks away* … i chose to write for gender neutral reader bc you didn’t specified a gender, i hope it’s okay and that you’ll enjoy it !!

warnings : use of pet names ( baby & darling ), sad frankie, sad but fluff in the end !!! not proofread

gif here

“why would you treat me like that?!” you stormed into your apartment, followed by frank. “why would– are you being serious now?” frank raised his voice once the door was closed.

“yeah, i am! you acted like a piece of shit, all of that in front of matt. just because i’m slower than you, that doesn’t mean that i don’t know what to do or how to defend myself, okay?” you said while pulling off you jacket, trying to keep your tone low given that it was almost five in the morning.

frank didn’t agree. “bullshit! you almost got hit by a sniper, you completely lost your target and were about to die if it wasn’t for red!” he kept screaming at you. you knew it was just his fear and worry taking control but you couldn’t really excuse him now, you two have been working together for so long it disappointed you that his trust in your abilities was that low.

“oh thank god daredevil exists!” you turned to look at him. “i’m tired of arguing frank, just say that you don’t trust me and go,” you said before walking towards your bedroom.

“hey! do not walk away now, huh?” he followed you and you rolled your eyes, sighing. “i wanna sleep, okay? i don’t care about whatever excuse you have for your behaviour. i hope the couch is comfortable enough for you,” you pushed a pillow and a blanket to his chest, then waited for him to exit the room.

frank stared at you for a moment, a bit taken aback by your behaviour. he mumbled something under his breath and then walked into the living room, leaving you alone.

—

“hi baby,” franks voice filled the kitchen. you were eating, sitting by yourself. “hi,” you simply said, keeping your gaze focused on the newspaper.

frank sat by your side and kissed your cheek. you said nothing and kept reading the news, ignoring his presence. “i’m sorry about the yelling, it was really late,” he said after a while.

“yeah,” you got up and started washing the dishes, sighing. frank just watched you, a bit confused. he cleared his throat and got up, scratching his neck. “so um… i got a thing, to do…” he started, hoping you would turn around. “with curtis.”

“have fun, i guess,” you simply shrugged, without looking at him. “it won’t take long,” he added soon, getting closer, “okay, frank.”

he didn’t say anything, just kissed your cheek once again and got ready to leave the apartment. once you heard the door closing you released a long breath you were holding.

“asshole,” you muttered. you hoped he would enter and apologise for his behaviour, but instead all you got was an apology for the last night’s yelling, which you didn’t really care about because it was a consequence of what happened.

you spent the day doing stuff around the apartment, you also went out shopping.

you were almost falling asleep in front of the tv when the door opened and closed, you heard his heavy steps and quickly sat up, almost forgetting the way you decided to treat him.

“darling, i’m back!” his voice filled the apartment. you yawned, tiredly. you turned off the tv and freed the couch for him. “hey,” he finally showed up and noticed you were approaching your bedroom. “welcome back, frank,” you simply said before closing the door behind yourself.

frank silently stared at the closed door, confused once again by your behaviour. he finally understood that you were angry about something and he was the main reason you were acting like that.

what he would never think about, not even for a second, was that the reason you were upset was the way he treated you the other night, in front of matt.

you laid down, groaning. you weren’t expecting him to come into your room, so when he opened the door and entered you slightly jumped up.

“what now?” you asked, annoyed. “okay, enough,” he said and came sitting on the bed. you faked confusion, watching him. “don’t act a fool, i know what you’re doing,” he added.

“oh, i see,” you nodded and laid down again, turning your back to him. “stop treating me like that, y/n,” he sighed and gently grabbed your hand. you freed yourself and kept silence, staring at the wall.

“i’m tired,” you said, noticing frank was still sitting there, without moving or saying anything. “i know, but i can’t wait to talk tomorrow,” he said, his tone serious. “no, i’m tired about you not trusting me,” you corrected.

frank felt his chest tightening, scared he was about to lose you. “w-what?” he chuckled nervously, as if the words you just said were foreign to him. “you heard me,” you replied.

you sat, angrier than before. “you think you’re the best out there. well, i guess you are… but that’s not the point,” you shook your head. “you always complain about matt, and i understand that because you guys have different opinions, but me?” you met his eyes, taking note of a glimpse of fear. “you always complain about what i do, you say that it’s all because you want me safe, that i risk my life every time i try to help you guys, but you try to protect me in the worst way possible.”

you took a deep breath, noticing frank wasn’t gonna say something. “i know that you care about me, you care so much about the people that you love and maybe you don’t even realise that… but frank, you gotta stop acting like a dipshit, getting angry because people don’t do exactly like you said,” you moved a bit closer to him, sighing. “there are good intentions behind your actions, i know that for sure, but it hurts… the way you look at me, the way you speak in those moments…” you noticed him looking away for a moment, clenching his jaw.

“i’m sorry,” he muttered, closing his eyes for a second. he reopened them and met your eyes, gently grabbing your hands. you let him, waiting patiently for his next words. “baby, i- shit, i’m scared of losing you, like… i hate when you come along with me and red, but not because you’re not good, but because i’m scared that the second you’re out of sight you won’t come back to me.”

you felt him squeezing your hands, nervously. “frank, baby, i know that this scares you, but maybe we can find a way to work together… i mean, being a better team okay?” you tried to show him a smile, letting him know that you weren’t that upset with him. “you always act like you have to protect me, like you have to save me… but i’m here to help, not to make you more stressed,” you caressed his cheeks, comforting him. “i wanna help, but you gotta let me do it,” you spoke softly.

“i know, baby… i can’t help it, it’s just…” frank sighed, struggling to find the right words. “it’s okay, i know what you mean,” you said before hugging him, holding him close to your body. “i’ll stop treating you bad, but i make no promises about the protect you part, you got that?” he said and you chuckled. “i figured you would say that, but that was the point,” you kissed his cheek and then his nose, making him smile.

“i’m sorry for my behaviour,” you looked at him, feeling guilty. “don’t. i probably deserved that, i’m a piece of shit,” he caressed your cheek and stared at your lips for a moment. “i still don’t know what is holding you back from walking out that door and never come back,” he said that chuckling, but you knew that deep down frank feared that day with every cells inside his body. “you give the best bear hugs and no one can resist to those,” you kissed his lips and smiled.

extra an : feedback and reblogs are super appreciated !! if you wanna send me your thoughts about frank hit my inbox <3 have a good day

[dreamwritesimagines]

Burn The Witch 13 - Trouble [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful support and feedback my loves ! ❤ Here’s the next chapter, I hope you like it as well and please let me know what you think! ❤ Thank you! ❤❤❤

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Warnings: Enemies to lovers, fake dating, mentions of blood, sex, violence, death, manipulation, language, guns, knives.

Summary: Fights can be inevitable.

Series Masterlist

Oh God damn it.

This mission was not supposed to include anything from your real life, and it certainly was not supposed to include your real life ex-boyfriend.

Not only was this going to make things very, very complicated, it also put the entire operation in danger. No part of the background that was specifically created for your cover had any details on your ex relationships and you didn’t think you would have to come up with something now.

Well. For what it was worth, you weren’t the one who came up with it.

“Just joking man. I’m her ex-boyfriend but no worries, I pose no danger.”

Bucky didn’t even dignify that with an answer and you heaved a sigh, trying to control the anger bubbling in your stomach.

“Yeah,” you managed to say, “Yeah, we used to—um, we used to date.”

Bucky frowned, “Didn’t you say you moved here two months ago?”

“I did move here two months ago.”

“We used to date back in Oregon,” Julian explained and Bucky huhed.

“Yet here you are.”

“Yeah you know, the big apple,” Julian motioned around you, “I just got a job here and I figured I could come and see Y/N. Small town people have to look out for each other, you see.”

You gritted your teeth, watching him with narrowed eyes.

“She took you there yet?” Julian asked Bucky “Cannon Beach?”

“No,” you answered on his behalf and Julian clicked his tongue.

“I guess you could take him with you when you visit next month,” he said, “Surely you are visiting next month?”

“I don’t think I am.”

“Come on, no way.” he said, his voice filled with disbelief. “It’s sand castles contest time, you love that contest!”

Right.

Julian had always been the best at playing the civilian and memorizing the back story of any cover. He was great at lying and that was why every mission you had gone on with him was that easy, he could fool anyone.

Including you.

“She came in fourth place two years ago, she made this dragon castle, you should’ve seen it.” He told Bucky, and you rolled your eyes.

Fourth place.

Easy enough to make someone believe, hard enough to find a trace of on the internet.

Julian was an asshole for sure, but he was a great spy and now you were beginning to remember why though every mission with him was a success, you had still avoided it even before your break up.

This was what he did, he took over every single assignment, no matter who was the leader.

Not this time. This was your mission and your mission only.

“Y/N, did you….” Julian let out a chuckle, “Did you tell him about the time your grandma caught us at the—“

“It was good so see you,” you cut him off, glaring at him “But you should probably go now, I’m kind of busy.”

Julian paused only for a moment before holding up his hands, gesturing surrender.

“Okay,” he said, “It was nice to see you too. Again.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“It was nice to meet you Bucky,” he said, “Take care of yourself, Y/N.”

He walked away from you and you closed your eyes for a moment, leaning your head back to the wall.

“Fuck this shit,” you murmured under your breath without even realizing it wasn’t something your cover would say, and opened your eyes to look up at Bucky.

“Was he bothering you or something?” he asked you and you scoffed.

“Please,” you muttered but then pulled yourself together. “He’s not…that type no. Just annoying, that’s all.”

“Are you sure? Because I can—“

“No,” you shook your head fervently, “No, please don’t. It’s fine, it’s just— who he is.”

How dare he?

How dare he try to take over your mission? You had put so much thought into this, coming up with multiple strategies, trying to convince yourself that-

That you were doing the right thing. Even if you felt yourself getting lost in this cover, it didn’t mean that Julian could swoop in and take this over as if you were a rookie agent in need of help.

This whole assignment belonged to you, not to anyone else.

If you were going to betray Bucky’s trust and feel like the most terrible person in the world, the least you could do was not let Julian take the credit.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” you attempted to change the subject and Bucky tilted his head.

“Come on Y/N, don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?”

“You don’t have to pretend like it’s fine,” he shrugged his shoulders, “I mean you don’t have to pretend, ever.”

Okay, this was too much. You could almost feel your defenses going up, the whole hangover and stress and anger and now Bucky being able to tell you were faking something, it was all getting the best of you and if you weren’t careful, you would say something you would regret later.

“I’m sorry?”

“I just,” he took a deep breath, “Sometimes you’re like…too good to be true, you know? And Sam has this theory that you’re—you’re somehow you’re doing this for me or the people around you but you don’t have to.”

“You think I’m pretending?” you asked, your voice coming out way too defensive for your own cover but you could hardly care.

You were slipping, and you didn’t have the luxury to slip. It seemed to take Bucky by surprise because for the first time since you had met, you were-

Aggressive. That was the word. Less like your cover and more like your real self.

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” he said and you let out a bitter chuckle, nodding.

“Yeah,” you said, “Okay. I’m kind of busy you see, I have so much to do at the shop so I should probably go back inside.”

“Y/N—“ he started but you pushed yourself off the wall.

“No it’s fine,” you managed to say, “This is me not pretending, for the record. I’ll see you later I guess.”

With that, you walked past him and went back to the milkshake shop, fury still poisoning your insides.

                                                 ***

You could hardly wait until you could go back to the base. Even though you thought that by then you would have calmed down, that didn’t seem to be the case.

You were fucking good at your job, and you were going to prove it to anyone and everyone. Without any help.

“Is he here yet?” you asked Chloe who rushed to greet you as soon as you stepped out of the elevator into the base and she cleared her throat.

“Who?”

“Don’t even, I know you heard what happened,” you cut her off and she shifted her weight.

“Yeah. I read his report.”

“Exactly. Where is he?”

“Okay, before I tell you where he is I feel like it’s important that you remember we’re not supposed to kill our own agents,” she said, “The paper work is a nightmare.”

“Where is he?”

“Keith says it’s considered rude to kill your team members.”

“Chloe,” you looked her in the eye “Where is he?”

She heaved a sigh, “In the training room.”

“Great, more weapons to use,” you muttered as you walked away from her to walk downstairs to the training room. Anger was pulsing through your veins and you kicked the door open, making the pair currently trying to hit each other stop.

“Get out,” you nodded at the other agent and Julian let out a small chuckle before he wiped his face with the towel. The agent rushed out of the room and you narrowed your eyes at Julian.

“You look upset,” he commented, “Want to exercise it out of your system?”

“What the fuck was that?”

Julian uncapped his water bottle to take a huge sip. “Come on, I saw an opening-“

“You made that opening,” you cut him off, “And crossed the line.”

“Oh please,” he waved a hand in the air, “It worked out perfectly fine.”

You could barely control your voice now, “You almost blew my fucking cover!”

“I would never,” he said, “Trust me, if anything I did you a favor.”

You dug your fingernails into your palms, “A favor?”

“Yeah. Guys love competition, an ex-boyfriend being in the picture will even speed up the process.”

“This is my mission.” You said through your teeth, “You don’t get to make spontaneous decisions without running them by me first.”

“When was the last time you had a proper fight?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You always get cranky if you haven’t had a good challenge in a while,” he stated, “A good fight. I take it your boyfriend doesn’t tire you out enough?”

The innuendo wasn’t lost on you and you let out a small chuckle.

“You couldn’t tire me out if you tried.”

He tilted his head, “Is that a promise?”

You shot him a look and lunged but he easily dodged you, scowling.

“Come on Y/N,” he taunted you, “I won’t hold back, you shouldn’t either.”

“Oh don’t worry, I won’t hold back.” you grinned at him and darted to grab at him but he twisted your hand to push you back, making your back hit the wall. You pulled your hair into a ponytail and jumped to wrap your legs around his neck, spinning in the air to shove him to the ground. As soon as you both fell, you straddled him and pulled the dagger out of your boots to raise it and slam it to the ground right next to his head. A sly grin pulled at his lips as if he was having the time of his life.

“Look at you babe,” he said, “You got even better.”

You were very, very aware of the position you had both found yourself in. You used to find this whole thing hot, it was like foreplay to you. Mock fighting, training, all of it -especially with Julian- it used to be your second favorite activity.

Now, all you could think about was just how much more fun it would be with Bucky.

Maybe Julian was right. Maybe you were just a wild card.

A smirk curled your lips and you leaned in slightly to lock your eyes with his, looking down at him.

“My mission,” you growled. “Not yours. The next time you try to control what’s mine, I won’t be so nice.”

You pushed the dagger into your boot again and got off of him before storming out of the training room, still trying to keep your anger in check.

For some reason, you had a feeling it wouldn’t work.

                                               ***

No matter what you did for the rest of the evening, it just wasn’t enough to calm you down. Now to think of it, it wasn’t even completely about Julian and his nonsense, it was because—

You didn’t want Bucky to think you were pretending, even if you were.

Just because it was a cover, didn’t mean your reactions and the happiness you felt with him was fake as well. But he could still tell something was off— Sam could still tell something was off despite your best efforts.

Great.

You poured wine into your glass and changed the channel, trying to decide whether you should go and bug Keith or not. You heaved a sigh and tore your eyes from the screen to lean your head back, nibbling on your lip.

Dealing with feelings was much more difficult than taking down a target.

You groaned to yourself and took a huge sip of your wine, but before you could grab your phone you heard the doorbell ring. Your head shot up and you grabbed your gun to walk to the door, but as soon as you looked through the peephole to avoid yet another mistake like actually opening the door to Julian, you froze.

Bucky.

….Fuck.

“Um- just a second!” you called out before rushing to your room to hide your gun, then quickly looked around the apartment to see if there was anything that could tip him off. Overall, it looked perfectly civilian and you ran a hand over your face to pull yourself together.

Your cover was supposed to be angry at him.

You threw your shoulders back and walked to the door to open it, then leaned sideways to the doorframe, your lips pulled into a slight pout.

“Hi,” you murmured and his gaze lingered on your shorts and flimsy tank top before he looked away for a moment.

Ah.

Compared to 1940s, it was almost the same as you opening the door in your underwear.

“Hey,” he said and held up a small box of bagels. “Listen, I know you’re angry but um…I was hoping we could talk?”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Keith’s door opening and he stepped out but as soon as he caught the sight of Bucky on your doorstep, his eyes widened and he froze. He quickly fixed his jacket so that it would cover his gun tucked into the back of the waistband of his jeans and gawked at you.

“What the fuck?” he mouthed and you got momentarily distracted, causing Bucky to follow your gaze over his shoulder to Keith.

And Keith, the badass spy, probably the only spy in the whole division who could give you a hard time in a fight, whom you had seen take down five armed soldier by himself with no weapons-

He waved at Bucky.

“Hi- hi neighbor,” he stammered as he turned to you and you shot him a forced smile.

“Hi.”

“Thanks for the cookies, I was going to bring you your plate the other day,” he said, “Do you need it now?”

Translation: Do you need back up?

“No, no,” you shook your head, “No worries, it’s fine.”

“Alright then. See you later.”

You cleared your throat and took the box from Bucky.

“Come in,” you turned around to walk to the living room, hearing him close the door behind him. It didn’t take him long to step into the living room and his eyes darted around as if trying to take in as much as he could. You figured it was natural, homes always gave clues about who their owners were.

Not to mention, as an ex-assassin he was automatically finding the nearest exits and things to use as weapons.

You would know. You did the same thing whenever you were in a new place.

You peeked into the box and frowned.

“What is this?”

“To be honest with you, I have no idea,” Bucky admitted, “It’s supposed to be a bagel. I just asked the guy to give me the most modern and weirdest combination.”

“Is this—is this glitter?”

“He said it was edible glitter, yeah. With lavender and cheese with honey.”

“Why is there two of them?”

He put his hands into his pockets. “I figured I could try one.”

You blinked a couple of times, “You want to try a lavender cheese honey bagel with edible glitter.”

Even the sound of it seemed to be painful for him but he pressed his lips together and nodded fervently. “Mm hm.”

You tried to stop the smile threatening to warm your face and put the box on the coffee table before looking up at him.

“Bucky, listen—“

“I’m sorry,” he cut you off, “That comment back there, it was so uncalled for.”

You crossed your arms, “Why did you say that though?” you asked, “Is that—is that what you think?”

“No,” he shook his head fervently, “Of course not.”

“Then?”

“I don’t know if I can give an explanation without it sounding incredibly weird to you.”

“Try me.”

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” he said “It’s like— the way you are, it’s like someone somehow looked into my whole life back in 40s before everything and saw every single detail of what I wanted and made you.”

Yeah. That was exactly what you and the division had done.

“I’m not used to…” he motioned at you, “This. It’s like you’re too good to be true, like you’re perfect, does that make sense?”

A dull pain flipped your stomach and you stared up at him, trying to ignore your throat tightening before you went to sit down on the couch.

“I’m not,” you rasped out, “I’m not perfect. You’ll see it sooner or later.”

That right there was as honest as you could be with him. You rubbed at your eyes and grabbed the wine glass to take a huge sip as he sat down beside you, his gaze fixated on you.

“I’m sorry too,” you said, “It was an overreaction, it’s just… Julian’s effect on me.”

He stayed silent for a couple of seconds as if he had no idea how to approach the topic.

“Rough break up?”

“You could say that,” you scoffed a laugh, looking down at your glass, “I mean….you think you know a person, right? And they have no problem with proving you otherwise, prove that you didn’t know them at all. They—they betray your trust and everything was a lie all along and—“

And just like that, the realization hit you like a ton of bricks, making you stop talking.

You were doing exactly the same. It was just another version of the betrayal you had seen from Julian, and you were doing the same thing to Bucky.

He thought he knew you, and you would prove him otherwise, and betray his trust and walk away when this mission was over. In fact, by the time it was over, he would hate you even more than you hated Julian.

You cursed under your breath and took another sip of your wine, trying to ease the crushing guilt making you feel almost breathless.

“Sorry,” you managed to say, “I didn’t mean to unleash it on you, I just don’t want him anywhere near me.”

“I could pay him a visit if you want?”

You pulled your brows together, distracted for a moment before you tilted your head to the side.

“What?”

“To warn him to stay away from you.”

“Uh, I appreciate the chivalry,” you said, “But I can take care of myself.”

“Never said you couldn’t,” he pointed out, “It’s just the old-fashioned thing.”

“Oh the old-fashioned thing?” you repeated with a smile and he shrugged his shoulders.

“Yeah,” he said, “You know, taking care of my girl.”

You thought your heart would leap out of your throat as the warmth spread through you before the idea of betraying him hit you once again. The words felt like they were trying to escape from your mouth, the urge to come clean getting heavier and heavier before you leaned in to brush your lips against his, making him wrap his arms tight around you to pull you closer. You settled in his embrace, the back of your eyes burning but you blinked a couple of times to get rid of tears. He nuzzled into your hair, inhaling your scent.

“Can we stay like this for a while?” you asked and he smiled, pressing a kiss on top of your head.

“Sure thing,” he said and nodded at the TV screen, “What is this movie about?”

“I don’t know, it has cars and criminals,” you said, the guilt making you feel almost nauseous, “Bucky?”

“Hm?”

He would never understand what your confession actually meant, but you felt as if you would choke if you didn’t say it.

“I like who I am when I’m with you.”

A chuckle rumbled in his chest before he reached out to caress your cheekbone.

“Makes two of us darling,” he murmured, “I like who I am when I’m with you too.”

A bitter smile curled your lips and you bit inside your cheek to control yourself, sniffling inaudibly before you closed your eyes, enjoying his warmth.

Chapter 14

[startanewdream]

Prompt 4: Jily in the rain for @jilytoberfest

(AO3)

They are 11 and the autumn rain catches them unaware on the way back from the greenhouse. They run as fast as their short legs can carry them, but by the time they reach the Entrance Hall, they are both drenched, a pool forming beneath their feet. They looked at each other, taking the sight of the other (his hair is falling languidly over his eyes, her usually impeccable uniform is all messy) and then a laugh escapes one's lips (Lily thinks it was his happy laugh first, James thinks it was her sparkle one) and the other joins, the sound reverberating in the hall.

They are 14 and they are returning from a Quidditch match that ended with Gryffindor losing the Snitch but still winning because of all his goals. James is in the arms of the crowd, laughing, rejoicing in his victory, oblivious to the rain that fell during the game and still falls heavily. He cries, louder than the rain, and then he sees her, walking with her friends, the red and gold paint in her cheeks melting under the rain, as oblivious to the rain as everyone else. Lily is smiling also and when their eyes meet, she winks at him, mouthing something that might be "good game", before she turns away. His heart skips a beat, and the feeling of winning is replaced by a sudden longing.

They are 16 and James messed up hugely. The last week of classes finds Lily miserable (Mudblood) and James ashamed of himself (you're just as bad as he is), worlds apart from each other. She doesn't care about it, though, or for anything at this moment; Lily stands still watching the lake at night--away from where everything happened--even when the first drops of the rain ripple through the lake and later when the heavy rain falls. It's good; the rain mingles well with her tears, hides from prying eyes. The sound of footsteps over the wet ground alerts her to someone. She turns, but it's not a person; a beautiful stag approaches her almost timidly. It's an impressive beast, but rather than be afraid, she lifts her arm, waiting until the stag is close enough to touch his head, the wet fur. The stag looks at her with more comprehension than it should be reasonable in a beast and Lily hugs him, sobbing, letting him warm her against the coldness of the rain.

They are 17 and helping a group of Third Years to reach back safely the castle during a storm that interrupted a class of Care of Magical Creatures, casting Drying Spells and Warming Spells when it hits her that this is the only kind of spells she sees him doing these days. To help others. And when he joins her back at the castle, trying to dry his glasses in his even wetter clothes, she smiles and offers him her help, having stayed warm and dry because James volunteered to venture outside. She approaches him, using the sleeve of her robe to dry his glasses, before giving him back; they are so close she can see each drop of water in his face as if he is sparkling. James smiles at her in thanks, putting back his glasses--his eyes are hazel, this beautiful combination of green and brown--and her breath catches. Before she can do anything, he runs his hand through his hair, splashing water everywhere, a mischievous grin on his face and Lily has to laugh too, trying to pretend her heart isn't racing in her chest.

They are 18 and it rains heavily on the day of their first date, but neither wants to give up. It's actually a good thing. They have to remain close together under an umbrella, the shops are empty due to most students giving up and they get a table in the Three Broomsticks without any problem. And later, when the wind takes away their umbrella, when they run across the grounds trying to catch it (Sirius is very fond of this umbrella), they turn to each other, their amusement fading away to be replaced by curiosity and longing; their lips meet under a curtain of water and this kiss is as wet as it can be, but they don't mind (Sirius complains that they could have cast an Accio and still snog, which is fair).

They are 20 and it rains on their wedding day but someone says that is a lucky sign and no one dares to question it.

They are 21 and Godric's Hollow feels more and more like a prison than their house. James spends as many hours outside as he can, feeling the sun on his face, the breeze of the wind, and he doesn't move when the first raindrops start to fall. Lily opens the backdoor, Harry in her arms, and calls him; James can't move. He watches as she leaves Harry in his baby carriage (their son loves to sleep under the sound of the rain) and walks towards him, the rain drenching her clothes in seconds, mud messing her legs. Lily doesn't mind; she joins him, lifting her head to accept the rain and James thinks there is nothing more beautiful in the world than this image of his wife under the rain. "I love you," he whispers, and she turns to kiss him. "As I love you."

They are 25 and the rain starts when they are outside attending to their small garden. Lily casts an Impervious to keep him dry and turn to Harry, but there is already a faint silver light around him; she guesses James already charmed him, so she just keeps explaining the herbs they are planting, Harry watching with attention. A distant sound makes her turn around. James and Sirius are running from the street, bringing bags from the grocery store; they could have cast a spell as well, but Lily thinks they are having too much fun. Then she blinks, turning to her son; if she didn't cast the spell and neither did James… "Your son just did his first magic," she tells James when he reaches her, and he hugs her, beaming.

They are 50 and the rain has just started. They watch from the porch, calling their grandkids to enter the house, hearing their laughs as they splash water at each other, enjoying the summer rain.

[odetothestars]

Sirius Black Headcanons

Has the most beautiful hair you will ever see. Thick, shiny, raven coloured waves. It's about chin length so not really long but not short. He takes really good care of it so it's never greasy or flat. Often ties the top half of it back in a little itty bitty bun.

Loves when his close friends play with his hair. Will have Lily put little braids in it sometimes. Often just lays his head in Remus' lap without saying anything, and Remus will just run his hands through Sirius' hair for hours at a time.

Cuts his hair a bit at the beginning of summer, I have a thing for shorter haired Sirius. Like not short short though.

He's tall! (Honestly doesn't matter but in my head he's pretty tall. I know a lot of people argue over this but please don't yell at me about it if you don't agree! This is just my personal view! The whole argument about height is so ridiculous because it DOESN'T MATTER)

The CHEEKBONES and jawline that this boy has wow

Eyelashes EYELASHES. Super dark, full, and long! Also very pretty light grey eyes.

Only touchy with the people he's closest too. Like super physically affectionate with his loved ones, likes to being touching one of them at all times. Loved hugs, kisses, holding hands, snuggles of any kind but only with people he really trusts. Otherwise he does NOT like being touched, strangers or acquaintances touching him is a nono. Really affects his anxiety.

His body language is super expressive, he doesn't often use words to express how he's feeling but his emotions are more obvious in the way he holds himself. Sometimes Remus will notice that he's feeling really down so he'll just grab him and hug him without saying anything. James notices too and will (dramatically) recite an ever-growing list of everything thing loves about Sirius.

Super academically inclined, like very intelligent. However, common sense is at 0. He's a genius but also an idiot.

LOVES animals so much! Takes a walk in the Forbidden Forest and has full blown conversations with any animals he sees. Sometimes after chatting with smaller creatures, he'll smuggle them into the castle, then he has to try to convince Remus that he "just HAD to take the animal in out of the cold" and promises to take good care of it in the dorm. "Look how cute Re, we have to keep him" "Sirius NO" "But he'll be cold outside *puppy dog eyes*" "...Fine"

Also brings back little gifts for Remus and James. Little rocks, or leaves, or even twigs that looked cool. "This leaf is kinda the same colour of your eye! It reminded me of you so here ya go!" Remus keeps every single one.

Sometimes forgets that he's not actual a dog...like will sometimes lick his Remus on the cheek insteaded of kissing him? Likes being pet of the head? Gets so excited about the littlest things, like will smile and pant like a puppy when someone mentions walks or treats. Also Jumps on people when he's happy to see them. Will chase balls and sticks in human form?

"Pads, fetch!" "YES! Wait-" *Cue James losing it laughing*

"Sirius want a treat?" "YOU BET I DO" "Ok, Sit" *Sirius sits and Remus drops a piece of chocolate in his mouth*

HATES being called "Mr. Black". Mcgonagall knows this and always calls him "Sirius" instead.

Loud noises are a NO. People raising their voice at him will trigger panic attack. Thunder storms are also really bad.

Despite common misconception, he is not a player. Doesn't sleep with tons of random people because intimacy is a very serious and scary thing for him. Also guessing that he never got proper Sex Ed growing up, not knowing what something is can be very nerve racking. He's also been in love with Remus since he was 11 so ya know

Existential crisis at like 4 in the morning at least once a week! "GUYS WHY ARE WE HERE? WHAT IS THE POINT OF LIFE" "Pads-" "NO WAIT! There has to be an infinite amount of universes right? Because if they end then everything would be nothing and nothing would be everything, which would be happening all the time but also never because time and space wouldn't be real! So what else is out there? Do you think there's an alternate Sirius? What do you think aliens look like?" "...Well he's got a point"

Him and Regulus stay very close! They hang out a lot and bicker like typical brothers, it's sweet. The Potters take them both in.

Loyal to a fault! Would do absolutely anything for his friends, and would defend them endlessly! Has hexed people for making fun of Remus' scars and Lily's muggle parents.

Bad liar! Can not lie to his friends! Super bad at it!

Remus' parents love him

Very clean and neat. His part of the dorm is always the tidiest. "JAMES PICK UP YOUR SOCKS". Will fold Remus' clothes for him.

Detail oriented, remembers the littlest things about people! Like how they take their tea, their favourite sweet, little trinkets they mentioned they liked in passing.

Generous, buys his friends gifts for no reason at all

Wakes up early

Is absolutely whipped for Remus Lupin, head over heels in love.

Doesn't really like being drunk because he hates the feeling of being out of control

Helps first years find their way around the castle. Also tutors younger students.

Wears black on black, leather or black denim jackets, band t-shirts, ripped jeans! Looks very intimidating but is ridiculously soft and sweet.

Cries at sad movies. Hides behind Remus during horror movies.

Cried happy tears when James and Lily got engaged, as well as at the wedding. Also cried when Harry was born. Is an amazing godfather. Absolutely worships that kid.

This ended up being really long oops! But here are some of my thoughts on my favourite boy! Yes I did project myself a little heheh

[mammonshuman92]

- Watched - Pt.2

(Mammon x GN!MC)

**TW: Stalking, cussing, kidnapping

Lucifer briefly looked up from his desk, the giant stack of paper work towering high next to him.

“Ah, Mammon. To what do I owe the pleasure of your abrupt company?”

Mammon walked straight to the front of Lucifer’s desk, wasting no time, he got right to the point.

“I need to go to the human world.”

“Absolutely not.” Lucifer replied, without looking up from his work.

“Why not?”

“You know as well as I do that you cannot be trusted to go there by yourself.”

“Then come with me.” Mammon offered.

Lucifer glanced at his brother.

“I cannot. As you can see,” he gestured to the large stack of papers, “I am very busy. Besides, what business do you have in the human world?” He inquired.

Mammon put his hands in his pockets, and looked away from Lucifer nervously. He knew he wasn’t going to like his answer.

“I need to check on MC.” He confessed sheepishly.

Lucifer sighed, and put his pen down. Leaning back in his chair, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“Mammon, you know the rules. MC is a human. Human lives are much shorter than ours. Taking up too much of MC’s time can be damaging.” He explained.

“I know, Lucifer. But, just listen- ” 

“No, Mammon. You listen.” Lucifer began. His hands were flat on his desk as he stood from his chair, giving his brother a stern look.

“I would like to see MC as well. We all would. However, unless Lord Diavolo says otherwise, we are not to interfere with MC’s life, aside from calling and texting. It may not seem fair, but it is what’s best for MC.”

A lump was building in Mammon’s throat. Why wouldn’t he just listen to him? MC could be in danger. He didn’t really have proof though, just a hunch...but still. He didn��t care about some dumb rule. He just needed to see for himself that you were okay, then he’d come home.

But, if you really were in danger..

He didn’t want to even consider something happening to you. Just the thought of it alone could all but crush him.

Mammon huffed and shook his head. “Ya know, there isn’t anythin’ MC wouldn’t do for any of us. Why are ya worried about interfering now? How many times did ya try to kill MC, huh? And what about Belphie?”

Lucifer was in shock. Mammon never talks to him in such a way. But before he could question his brother’s sudden bravery, Mammon stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

Mammon wasn't without options. Lucifer's help was preferred, but not needed. He was going to the human world, to you, no matter the cost.

After leaving Lucifer's office, Mammon went straight to his room, looking for anything he could use as a trade or payment but couldn't find anything she would want. He would just have to make another deal.. He would worry about the repercussions of that decision later.

He pulled out his wallet and dug out the picture he secretly kept stashed away. He took it when you all went on a retreat to the Demon Lord's castle and got to tour the royal gardens. You were the most mesmerizing thing in that garden. The way your face lit up and your eyes sparkled. You talked non stop about how beautiful all the flowers were, but they all paled in comparison to you.

A small smile spread across his lips before tucking the photo safely back in it's place.

His smile was quickly replaced with a groan when he realized the next step of this little adventure was going to be less than fun.

If there was one thing Mammon hated (and was terrified of), it was witches. Especially the scary ones. And this one was indeed scary, but she was also the only witch left that would still make deals with the Avatar of Greed.

-

"I guess this is the right place?" He asked himself quietly, standing on the sidewalk in front of a quaint little house.

The witch had indeed agreed to make the deal and send him to the human world on the condition that he would retrieve a rare item for her, as she was currently stuck at her creepy cottage that was nestled deeply in the Dark Forest and could not leave.

'Bring me the heart of a mammal, not of our world, that thrives on malice and sadism. If you cannot fulfill your end of the deal, I will place a curse on you until the ends of eternity that will make everything of value you come in contact with turn to ash.'

He shuddered at what she had said. He wasn't sure how he'd find something like that, but decided to worry about it later.

‘When you are ready to return, go to the spot I told you about and say the incantation. The portal will open and bring you back here. I expect to receive the heart upon your return.’ 

He climbed the steps leading onto the porch and approached the front door. He knocked a few times before taking a step back, rocking back and forth on his heels while he waited.

No answer.

Maybe MC ain't home.. He thought.

Just as he was about to knock again, he noticed the curtain in the window pull to the side, followed immediately by what sounded like several locks being unlocked. The door flung open, revealing the occupant of the house. But, there’s no way it could be you. ..Right?

But it was you.

Deep purple bags sat underneath eyes that no longer sparkled. Your cheeks were sunken in a little and your face had no color. It looked as if you hadn't slept in days. You looked from side to side several times, like you were paranoid about being in the open.

Mammon was frozen in place, a lump forming in his throat.

"MC...?" He asked quietly.

Tears quickly filled your eyes, falling in fat drops. You launched yourself at him, throwing your arms around his middle and burying your face into his chest where you began to sob loudly.

Without missing a beat, he scooped you up bridal style and took you back inside the house. He kicked the door shut, taking note of the five locks on the door, and made his way over to the couch.

Why so many locks? This don't look like a bad neighborhood..

He laid down, gently pulling you on top of him as sobs continued to wrack through you. He rubbed soothing circles on your back, trying to help calm you down. He took in the state of his surroundings.

From his spot on the couch he could see the back door, which also had several locks on it. The windows behind the couch had pieces of wood shoved in them to prevent them from being opened. A blinking light on the bookshelf caught his eye. It was one of those live feed security cameras.

What the fuck is goin' on?

By now you had calmed down enough to try and sit up. Mammon moved you off of him and sat you down on the couch, giving you a concerned look.

"I'm sorry," you began, wiping your tears away with your sleeve, trying to stifle a hiccup, "I didn't expect to see you and I kinda got overwhelmed."

He paused for a moment, looking at everything he had noticed that was off about the room.

"MC...is everythin' ok?" He asked.

He saw something flash across your face, before you hid it away, replacing it with a fake half smile.

"Huh? Yeah, of course. I missed you. You know I'm a cry baby."

He scooted a little closer, leaning down slightly to look you in the eye. His face was more serious that you'd ever seen it.

"No, MC. Somethin' weird is going on that you're not tellin' me." He said, gesturing with his hands at the room around him.

The fake “I’m okay” face you plastered on had fallen. You sighed heavily and got up from the couch, gesturing for Mammon to stay where he was.

You went down the hallway and disappeared into one of the rooms. You returned a couple minutes later with a box about twice the size of a shoe box.

You sat the box on the coffee table in front of the couch and handed him a piece of paper and what looked to be a newspaper clipping. You returned to where you had been sitting and gestured at the box, tears filling your eyes once again.

“This is why I’ve been so distant from everyone. And why all of this-” you gestured at the room and yourself, “looks the way that it does.” You wiped away a tear that had fallen. “Start with the letter I handed you, then the box.” You instructed.

His heart rate accelerated, and he gave you a confused look. As per your instructions, he started reading the letter.

Then read it again.

He opened the box in a frenzy and froze in his place when he saw the contents. Dozens of letters, and countless pictures of.. you? His heart dropped into his stomach.

With a handful of pictures, he turned toward where you sat, you were already watching him. Tears pricked his eyes.

You were being... stalked?

Someone was threatening you.. harassing you..

“MC, wha-” He started to speak, but didn’t know what to say. He began pacing.

“It started a little over a month ago,” you began to explain, “that was the first one I got from them.”

That’s around the same time Asmo said MC seemed flustered by some hate mail they got..

“They started showing up more and more frequently. I was getting them at work and school too.” 

Mammon’s head was spinning.

“Why? Why didn’t ya tell me?” He asked quietly, stopping to look at you, tear streaks staining his face.

“They threatened my family.. I couldn’t let anything bad happen to them.”

“We coulda talked to Lucifer and Lord Diavolo. They would’ve protected them.”

You shook your head, “I couldn’t take that chance, Mammon.” You stood up and walked over to him, once again wrapping your arms around his middle and resting your cheek on his chest. He held you close, his wings wrapping around you protectively.

He wasn’t quite sure when he’d shifted into demon form and It was very unlike him. Out of all his brothers, he was the most level headed one, believe it or not. He was the least likely to lose his temper, or to unknowingly shift into his demon form. Sure, he got into his fair share of trouble being the Avatar of Greed, but none of those resulted in him losing his grip on his temper. Perhaps that’s why Lucifer chose him to look after you upon your arrival in the Devildom. He knew that out of all of them, Mammon was patient and almost never lost control. He knew he’d be the one who could keep you safe.

None of that mattered now, because he in the end, he didn’t keep you safe..

He couldn’t believe it. His human had been in danger all this time and he never knew.. 

He thought you were seeing someone else, all the while some sicko was watching you. Threatening you.

He was livid.

He broke the embrace and looked down at you.

“I’m gonna go call Lucifer and fill him in on what’s been goin’ on.” He said quietly.

“What about my family? Who knows if or when the stalker will find out you’re here. They’re in danger, Mammon.” 

“I’ll make sure they’re safe, okay?” You paused for a moment, and nodded. You absolutely trusted Mammon. You had no doubt that he’d protect them and you. Now that he was here, you felt safe for the first time in weeks.

Mammon never left your side. He sat with you, after he insisted you eat something, and also stayed with you while you showered. You already seemed to feel better. Color was coming back to your cheeks, and the light in your eyes wasn’t so dull.

When you got sleepy, he laid with you, holding you as close as he could, never wanting to let go. The last time he let you go, this is how things ended up..

He stayed there still as a statue, silently kicking himself for letting you down, when he felt your breathing slow. Your hand still on his chest where you had been drawing random shapes. You always looked so beautiful while you slept.

He carefully untangled himself from you and got out of the bed, pulling the covers over you. You squirmed for a minute and snuggled into the spot he had been laying in, letting out a content sigh. By the looks of it, this was the first time you’d slept so peacefully in quite some time. The thought made his stomach churn.

He quietly left the room, pulling the door behind him, leaving it slightly cracked. He checked all the doors and locks one more time, then went into the living room. He pulled his phone out, bringing up the all too familiar number. He began pacing around the room when it started to ring. It was late now, but he would definitely still be awake.

-

“Well, if it isn’t the runaway.”

Mammon rolled his eyes, “You’re s’posed to say ‘Hello?’ when you answer the phone.”

A dark, stifled laugh came through the other end. Even from this far away, he could be intimidating.

“Do you have any idea, what you’ve done? What am I to tell Lord Diavolo, hmm?”

“Lucifer, listen..” Mammon began, but was cut off.

“I am going to string you upside down from the rafters for the next two centuries, at least. That is, after you’ve received official punishment from Diavolo of course.”

“Luci-”

“You have no business.. no. You have no right to interfere in MC’s life. To run off to the human world, with the help of witches nonetheless, without thinking about the consequen-”

“MC is being stalked!” Mammon shouted, slapping a hand over his mouth afterward and looking down the hallway, hoping he hadn’t woke you up. He let his hand drop when he heard your quiet breathing coming from the bedroom.

The line was quiet for a moment.

“...What?” Lucifer asked, his tone now quiet, laced with concern rather than malice.

“MC is being stalked.” He repeated, pacing the floor.

Silence again.

“You’re sure?”

Mammon stopped momentarily and glanced at the box on the coffee table, “Yeah, I’m sure. The sicko has been sending ‘em hate mail everyday for weeks now. They also send pictures, Lucifer.. of MC. At the store, when they’re at work, and even some of MC outside their house.” He gritted his teeth. His throat burned, feeling as if it had been burned with fire. The things he wanted to do to this freak..

“Why didn’t MC contact the police, or us?” Lucifer asked quietly. Mammon could detect the faint hint of sadness in his older brother’s voice.

“They’ve been danglin’ MC’s family over their head. Said if MC told anyone, they’d kill ‘em.” He explained.

He heard a sigh on the other end. Lucifer knew you all to well, just like the rest of them did. He knew you were willing to put yourself in harm’s way for the people you cared about. You had done the very same for him and his brothers numerous times. You weren’t concerned by your own self-preservation if it meant protecting someone you love.

“What is their end goal then?” Lucifer asked.

“Not too sure, but a lot of the letters said that they were gonna ‘cleanse’ MC. Maybe trying to ‘save’ them? The stalker seems kinda churchy and they’re targeting MC because of us and Lord Diavolo’s plan to unite the realms.”

The other end of the phone was silent again for a moment, then he heard the shuffling of papers and what sounded like footsteps.

“Mammon, listen carefully. For now, stay with MC and don’t leave the house. This stalker may not know you’re there yet. We need to keep it that way if we intend to protect MC’s family. I need to consult with Lord Diavolo. I will call you when I know more.” With that, the call was abruptly ended. He shoved the phone in his pocket.

He quietly crept back to the bedroom where you were still sound asleep and watched over your sleeping form for a moment. His heart started to ache. The thought of someone putting you through all of this, tormenting you for weeks on end..

You were definitely the strongest human he knew, you proved that more times than he could count. To see you like this, so broken, a ghost of your former self, filled him with pure rage.

He crawled into the bed, the slight movement waking you up.  

“Shh, s’okay. Go back to sleep.” He whispered, pulling to snugly against him. You  laid your head on his chest, your arms wrapped around him and gave a small squeeze before he felt your body relax again, having fallen back asleep.

He missed these moments. The cute, sleepy cuddles in the middle of the night. Feeling the warmth of your body next to his and your quiet breathing. He missed walking to RAD together, hatching schemes, and running from Lucifer. Convincing his brothers to trade him so he always had kitchen duty with you, the way your hair smells, or how perfect you look under the moon of the Devildom. He missed you.

He used to have such a hard time expressing things, thinking it made him look weak. He’s one of the seven rulers of the underworld, after all. As if he’d ever care about a human. He can’t let lesser demons think he’s gone soft, so he masked his feelings, or tried to anyway. It didn’t last long.

You were so different, exciting, even for a human. You were always nice and never called him names like everyone else. You even stood up for him against his brothers and actually wanted to be around him. You weren’t like anyone he’d ever known. He couldn’t help but be drawn to you, which terrified him.

He is a demon after all, and with that comes some responsibilities, so to speak. Being the Avatar of Greed, he would never be able to escape his sin. It’s part of who he is. 

But he found himself trying to get better control of it. He still got himself in sticky situations, but for the most part he was going straight, taking on more modeling gigs and other legitimate ways to make Grimm instead of stealing stuff and hatching ‘get rich quick’ schemes. He was even trying harder at RAD. He desperately wanted to prove to you that he wasn’t all the things everyone said he was, prove that he was someone worthy of your kindness and warmth.

But when he held your lifeless body in his arms, too fragile to withstand Belphie’s attack, screaming your name between sobs and begging you to open you eyes even just a little, he was made painfully aware of the truth he hid away in his heart. 

All he could think of was how he never got to tell you that you weren’t just some annoying human that made his life harder and drove him crazy. You were his best friend, the only person that’s ever understood him, like a little ray of sunlight cast into his darkness, warm and bright. You’re the only person he’s ever loved..

Thanks to Barbatos, everything worked out and he promised himself he’d be different, he wouldn’t hide his feelings anymore. He didn’t care if how he felt for you made him weak, because honestly, he was. When it came to you, he was the softest demon the Devildom had. He wouldn’t deny it any longer.

He had waited centuries for someone to come along and willingly give him the love he so craved. Someone who could see that he was more than just a Grimm hungry scumbag like everyone said. And you did just that.

Blame his greed if you will, but you were his human. He thought he had lost you once, and he wasn’t going to sit by quietly and let someone come in and take you away, or cause you harm.

For you, his precious human, he was more than willing to go to the ends of the three realms, if to only be able to show you a fraction of the gratitude and love he had in his heart for you. For choosing him. For changing him and his brothers for the better

His arms tightened around you protectively.

“I’ll never leave ya again.” He silently swore, placing a kiss on top of your head. “Never.”

-

Mammon was awakened by his phone ringing. Still in his pocket, he tried his best to fish it out without disturbing you, as you slept soundly on his chest.

“Hello?” He answered groggily, voice rough from sleep.

“Shouldn’t you already be awake? It’s nearly noon there.” Even in a different realm, Lucifer still found time to scold him. Mammon ignored it for now as there were more important things to worry about.

“Did ya talk to Lord Diavolo?”

“Yes, I did. He decided that it’d be best to bring MC back to the Devildom for the time being, until the stalker is dealt with.”

“And their family? What about them?”

“Lord Diavolo is sending in a team of highly trained guards. MC’s family will be under constant protection until this is solved.”

“Okay. Oh, uh, Lucifer? Could ya maybe tell their family some other reason they’re gettin’ the bodyguards, without mentioning the stalker? I don’t think MC wants to worry them..”

“Yes. I’ll make sure the guards know as well.”

Mammon sighed with relief. It looked like everything was going to be okay. 

Even if he and his brothers didn’t get along the best, he knew he could always count on them.

-

“Man, ya got nothin’ in here, MC.” Mammon complained. You watched from where you sat on the couch, as most of his upper body disappeared inside the refrigerator.

“Yeah, I’ve been too paranoid to go food shopping lately. I usually just eat at work.”

That hurt his heart. No wonder you felt lighter. You worked at a small coffee shop, it’s not like they had much other than muffins and scones.

Mammon shut the fridge door and padded into the living room, leaning on the doorway.

“Well, I’m starving. I’m sure you are too. So, c’mon, let’s go.” He said, motioning for you to follow him as he walked toward the front door, looking for his shoes.

“Lucifer said not to leave the house.” You reminded him.

“Oh, right. Hmm.” He put a finger to his chin, snapping his fingers when he thought of a solution, “We could get delivery.”

You nodded, “Yeah, ok. There was no rule against that.”

You placed an order at your favorite take out place, the one you used to get delivery from a couple times a week before all of this started. You were such a regular that you and the delivery guy on your route were pretty well acquainted now.

“Alex should be here soon.” You said to Mammon, setting your phone on the coffee table. 

He had been watching a video on his phone, slumped into the couch next to you, but something you said caught his attention.

“Huh? Who’s Alex?” He asked, abandoning his video to look at you.

“Oh, he’s the delivery guy on this route. Every time I order from this place he’s always the one that comes so we kinda know each other now I guess.” You explained.

“Ah.” He said nodding his head, turning back to his video.

“When he gets here, you’ll have to hide in the other room, though.”

Mammon nearly dropped his phone he was so flustered. He quickly sat up, his face turning red.

“Huh?! Just how close are ya with this “Alex”, MC?” He screeched, making air quotes around the guy’s name. His reaction confused you. Then it clicked. You could see how he interpreted it that way.

“What? Mammon, no.” You tried to hide a giggle. “It’s not like that. The stalker could be nearby watching the house. If you open the door or something they’ll see you and know that I most likely told you everything. Diavolo’s guards aren’t here yet, so it’s best if you remain hidden.” You explained.

He immediately deflated. “Oh r-right. Yeah, I knew that.” 

You walked over to him and got on your tip toes, placing a quick peck on his cheek. “You’ll always be my first man, Mammon.” A smile spread across his face.

He quickly wrapped you up in a hug and pulled you close, letting out a sigh.

“The Devildom ain’t been the same without ya. It doesn’t feel like home no more.”

You squirmed in his arms until you could look up at him.

“I missed you too.” You replied, knowing that that’s essentially what he was trying to say. He’d definitely improved on telling you hw he felt, but could still be emotionally constipated sometimes.

He was quiet for a moment, then you felt him tense.

“MC, I’m sorry I didn’t keep you saf-”

“Stop right there.” You said, pulling out of his embrace enough that he could see your face. 

“This is not your fault, or anyone else’s. This person is sick and lashing out because their personal prejudices aren’t enough to stop change. No matter what you’re trying to change, there will always be someone against it.”

His expression softened a little bit, relieved that you didn’t blame him.

“No matter how much people may hate me or try to hurt me, I will never regret my time in the Devildom. I may be human, but the Devildom is my home now too.” You returned to his embrace, squeezing him tightly.

You felt him relax, resting his cheek on top of your head.

“I love ya, MC.” He said quietly. With your head on his chest, you could hear his heart start beating faster. You smiled into his shirt.

“I love you, too.”

You stayed like that, wrapped up safe in each others arms, for what seemed like forever and not nearly long enough at the same time. The doorbell being the only reason you separated.

“Mammon, the food.” You said, trying to squirm out of his arms.

“No.” 

“Mammon?”

He grunted.

“Mammonnn, I’m starving!” You whined, still fighting to free yourself.

He dropped his arms, grumbling out a “Fine.”

“Go in the bedroom.” You said, pushing him forward. You put a finger to your lips when he turned to face you as if to “Shh” him. He made a face at you, but still complied.

You made your way back to the living room, and after checking the peephole, opened the door.

“Hey, Alex.” You greeted.

“MC, long time no see. How have you been?” He inquired, handing you the bag of food.

“Busy, as usual.” You replied, stepping back inside to set the food on the small table next to the door, grabbing the money.

When you turned back, you noticed his gaze on something just inside the door, next to your feet. You glanced down to see Mammon’s shoes where he had kicked them off after first arriving yesterday.

His expression had changed suddenly. He almost looked...angry?

You brushed it off, assuming he was having a rough day or something. Sticking out your arm, you handed him cash for the food and his tip, but he made no move to reach for it. His eyes still fixated on the shoes.

“Are you alone?” He asked quietly.

“I’m sorry?” You asked. You were sure you’d heard him right, you just didn’t know why he’d ask you something like that. You’d only ever exchanged small talk about work and the weather, so it’s not like you were close enough for him to inquire about something so personal.

His turned his gaze back to you, eyes now visibly cold.

“Is there someone in there with you? Someone not from around here maybe?”

The hair on the back of your neck was standing up. The way he asked the last question.. Something wasn’t right.

He leaned in slightly, “I thought I told you not to tell anyone?”

You felt the color drain from your face, your heart dropped into your stomach.

It’s him..

A sickening smile spread across his face at the realization of you figuring everything out.

“Not so tough now are ya, demon whore?”

Mammon can’t see the front door from the bedroom.. Think, MC. Think!

You quickly took a deep breath, filling your chest.

Mammon is right there in the other room, all you have to do is scream.

Sensing what you were planning to do, Alex grabbed you, holding you with your back against his chest, his hand clamped down hard over your mouth. You started to squirm and fight, trying to break free.

“Shhh. We wouldn’t want to make a scene now, do we?” He whispered into your ear. You felt something sharp poke your side and assumed it was a knife.

You shook your head, tears welling up in your eyes.

He’s going to kill me..

“You’re coming with me.” Keeping the knife in your ribs so you’d do as he said, he quickly led you to his car where he opened the trunk and shoved you inside.

“I hadn’t planned on doing your cleansing this early, but oh well. The sooner the better.” He said, laughing, shutting the trunk lid. As soon as it latched you checked for the trunk release that should be on the inside, but this car was much older and didn’t have one. You were stuck.

You wondered why no one had seen what was happening, but it all happened so quickly that unless you were purposefully watching, you wouldn’t have noticed anything.

This was it. Whatever this sicko had planned was how it ended for you. 

You just wanted one more hug. One more kiss. One more chance to love him before it all got taken away.

You curled up into the fetal position, keeping his face at the front of your mind. Your tears now falling freely.

Mammon, I love you... I’m sorry..

| part three |