#if a genie appeared to me right now one of my wishes would be for the ~last starks~ to be replaced by their better versions: robb rickon ned

[newchangestf]

Paired Wishes

When I came home with that lamp I bought from the charity shop we were both pretty surprised to find a Genie living inside.

The burly man explained that as we were both party to cleaning his lamp our wishes would be shared. One for each and one shared.

Taking a moment to discuss our shared wish we both turned to him.

"We wish to be wealthy enough to never have to worry about money ever again." We declared.

After accepting our wish the genie explained what to do for our personal wishes . He told us to close our eyes and say our wish silently in our heads.

Figuring that made sense we done so.

Suddenly our bodies began to heat up. My hair changed from its short dark brown state into a wavy, blond, youthful mop. My eyes flickering from their muddy brown into a vibrant piercing blue.

Meanwhile my body fat fizzled away, except of course my ass which ballooned with muscle and fat in all the right places. Lean muscle began to fill the rest of my body as I became a specimen both men and women would swoon for.

It seems that as my ass filled in my brain drained. I didn't ask for this but I guess it came with being blond. I was nothing more than a twinky blond himbo that focussed on little else other than cock.

You on the other went a totally different direction. Your body exploded with beefy muscle. Muscle that gave your body a rugged mountainous appearance. The landscape of your new abs and pecs were quickly turfed with thick black hair.

Not long after, the forest of hair stretched across your new face completing a magnificent beard.

To match your new dark hair your skin soon shifted from a pasty white into a light tan finalising the new Arab complexion.

Although my brains melted away yours grew. Now in possession of twice the knowledge than before you'd be doing the thinking for both of us. Which as it turns out was the Genie's plan.

To fulfill our shared wish of wealth you, now Hadi, had inherited your family's oil and gas company. The family business brought in millions every day from its various ventures.

Although you were Hadi to everyone else, to me you were Babi. My new rich Arab daddy.

It turns out the Genie played a bit with our wishes. You had wished to become a muscle Arab daddy with a thick cock. While I had wished to become a hot bubble butted twink with a hot daddy to look after me.

Seeing the compatibility of our wishes I guess the Genie took some liberties. You may not have wished to have been gay but you don't really seem to care now. In reality, as you bounced me up and down your thick shaft as I pleaded for your cum, we were both very satisfied with the results.

----

This was inspired by my new Babi @musclejedi7

[salmonskinrolltf]

Emilio Bedilio

[Author’s Note: Proof of life! I can’t say I’ll be back to writing consistently any time soon, but I’m really trying to master short stories that are ACTUALLY short, because that would help me at least dip my toe into TF writing more often. So here’s my attempt to do that. Of course it’s over 2,000 words. Oops. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!]

I am Emilio Bedilio, the genie of the- sweet Agamemnon, this man is beautiful!

Sorry, I got sidtracked. I am Emilio Bedilio, the genie of the lamp. That lamp over there. The one that just got rubbed by this hunk. It looks a little dented and tarnished, sure, but it’s home. I’ve lived there a long time. Such a very long time. So long, in fact, that my English is a little rusty. It’s not my fault! I speak 16,000 languages, after all, and English is one of the newer ones.

Last time I was out, a guy wished to be the hottest person at his school, so I changed his internal temperature to 99.7 degrees Fahrenheit. He wasn’t too happy with me. But I thought I was giving him what he wanted! So that’s why I reeeeeeeally need to pay attention to what Aaron wants. That’s this guy’s name, by the way. My powers give me access to so much more information than you mortals could ever process. Anyway, stop distracting me! I’ll let Aaron tell the rest of the story, so I can focus.

——————————————

Holy shit! There really was a genie in that lamp I bought at the flea market that Stacy dragged me to! I didn’t even rub it. I was just heading back from the dorm shower and brushed it with my towel, then this huge purple plume of smoke came out, clarifying into a floating man with a huge mustache. The genie of the lamp, apparently. He says I only get one wish, which seems like a ripoff, but who am I to complain? Genies are fucking real, man!

I don’t need much time to choose my wish. I already look like.. well, like this. I’ve already got the best, hottest girlfriend in the world. And the coolest friends. All I need is some cash, so I can ditch this shitty dorm and move into that swanky off-campus apartment I’ve had my eye on. And live a comfortable life down the road and shit. Anyway, it takes me like three seconds before I say, “I wish I was the richest person in town!”

The genie sits there for like a full minute and a half. Did he not hear me? But then all of a sudden he snaps his fingers and dissolves back into smoke, which gets sucked back into the lamp. I feel a rush of energy sweep over me and my body begins to tingle. Weird. I kinda just figured my wallet would feel heavier or something, but maybe being rich would fundamentally change how I look in some way. Nicer teeth or whatever.

I look over to the warped full-length mirror on the closet door. I pull back my lips and inspect my teeth. Nope, nothing. I glance down, making sure my dick is still the same size it always was. Yup. Weird…

Suddenly, I feel a chill on my solar plexus. A silver chain has appeared around my neck, and a ring that’s hanging on it is pressing into my skin. I inspect it. Does it have like… my new family crest? Nope. It looks like a pretty normal ring. I set it back down, but instead of the cold feeling returning, the skin on my chest suddenly feels boiling hot. I watch as dark ink begins to flow across my skin, seemingly emanating from the spot where the ring is touching me.

It forms a word in loopy script that I can’t read in the mirror, and I’m distracted when the burning sensation envelops my left arm and more tattoos emerge on my shoulder. A shark and a cross. My chest and arm hurt at first, but the feeling slowly fades, as does the ink, settling into a dark grey, like I got them done a few years ago.

I’m confused about what’s going on. But haven’t I always said that if I won the lottery, the first thing I’d do was get a tattoo? That probably explains why - ouch! My cheek is hurting now.

Oh, no. Oh no, no, no. I watch in horror as another cross tattoo inks its way across my cheekbone, right where a gangster would have a teardrop tattoo. Fuck. I rub my face. Do these things come off? It looks so trashy. Why would I get that, even if I was rich? I- I feel- I feel… full.

My stomach is inflating, starting from the beltline, each row of abs disappearing one by one behind a layer of fat that forms a small but sturdy gut. All that hard work, gone in just a couple seconds. I want to cry. I rub at my new stomach, feeling its heft. I bounce up and down on the balls of my feet a bit. At least it’s not jiggling too much. It’s like… tight. I can fix this pretty easily I think, if I up my gym time over the next couple months.

I remove my hands from my stomach, leaving two handprints behind on my skin. The skin there looks darker than it was before. Redder, almost halfway between a sunburn and a tan. As I look, the color slowly spreads from my handprints across my entire stomach, speeding up as it races downward, turning my dick, legs, and feet the exact same human-lobster color. It goes upward too, spreading across my chest like I’m flushed, filling in the formerly ivory skin beneath my new tattoo, spreading up to my neck, my cheeks, my nose, my eyebrows, my forehead… Which I can suddenly see more of.

As the color rushes upward across my forehead, my still-damp bangs begin to retract, shrinking past my eyes until I can only see them in the mirror. They stop halfway up my forehead. Then, as if I’m watching a time-lapse video of someone using a hair dryer set on high, my hair frizzes out, going from sleek salon-cut bangs to a dry, unconditioned mess that looks like it was cut by a three-year-old with safety scissors.

But I don’t even have time to process any of this as the changes accelerate. My forehead is now fully brown-orange, and as the color reaches my hairline, it spreads to the roots of my hair, too, as they begin to fade from my standard brunette to a light auburn, the color rising to the ends of each strand like that time in grade school when we put food coloring in the water those roses were dipped in.

I turn my head to see that the new hair color is spreading on the back of my head too, but it doesn’t stop at the ends of the strands this time. As the auburn color reaches each tip, it just… keeps going. The strands lengthen and twist, forming cascading waves as the mass of frizzy, newly lightened hair extends to my neckline and cascades down to my shoulders. Some strands in the messy mullet - and that’s what it is now, a mullet - are even spilling out over my ears in their eagerness to bounce in every direction possible.

I shake my head, feeling the voluminous hair tickling against the back of my neck. It feels kind of… nice? But fuck no, I look like a tool. This definitely isn’t what I wished for. But… I shake my head a little more, enjoying the sensation. As I do so, my eyebrow color begins to fade to a lighter auburn, too. And… did one of them fall over my lips? No, a bristly mustache is beginning the form, the same color as the rest of my new hair. As it fluffs out over my lips - god, that’s going to get in my mouth when I eat - more scraggly hairs burst out from under my lip, forming a bristling soul patch that then spreads into a straw-colored goatee, reddening further as it spreads up my cheeks, my sideburns, and eventually connects to my hair. My… My mullet.

A few more straw-colored hairs burst forth in the center of my chest, though they don’t spread quite as thickly. They just seem to be… hanging out. Lazily, almost. Sparse. Prickly. Ruining my whole smooth aesthetic, not that I have the same musculature to highlight anymore. My pecs grow thicker, smoother, the tattoos tightening against my newly forming bulk. The same thing happens to my arms and legs. They don’t swell with fat, they just get… thick.

I rub my beard, feeling the prickly feeling against my sensitive palms and trying not to enjoy it. But I’ve always wanted to be the type of guy who could easily grow facial hair… Haven’t I? I must have tweaked my nose when I was doing that, because it looks shorter now. Rounder. My lips are thinning out, too. Fuck. No. The magic is still going. My face continues to shift. Eyebrows grow a little closer together. Skin gets a little drier. But then… everything settles. I poke at my new face and body, in awe of how different I look from the way I was just a few minutes earlier.

I stare at the mirror in trepidation, but nothing else seems to change. I think… it’s over? Thank goodness. I need to-

There’s a knock at the door. Suddenly I remember the reason I was showering in the first place. Stacy was coming over. Fuck! I can’t let her see me like this. Or… can I? Maybe she can help. And a growing part of me feels like I mostly look pretty good. But I should at least try to cover the gut. And the tats. Well, the ones I can cover. I can’t look so different that she won’t believe me. Maybe I can convince her that my drama kid roommate was testing out a wig and fake beard on me or something.

I go to grab a button-down from my dresser, but all I find in there is a vest with an American flag pattern. Shit, that won’t cover the tats at all. But at least it’ll hide the gut.

Pants. Need to find pants. I open the next drawer down, and of course all that’s in there is a pair of worn denim overalls. This will have to do. I slip the overalls on easily (it feels so natural), then turn toward the door and swing it open to reveal Stacy. She has her same dark black hair, bold red lips, and sultry look as usual.

She stares at me, jaw agape. “… Aaron?”

Thank fuck. She recognizes me. Maybe it’s the eyes. Maybe we really are in love. I’m so elated and grateful. I want to hug her, kiss her, nuzzle her neck. But I don’t do that.

As if on autopilot, I lean against the door, revealing a thick thatch of auburn armpit hair in the process. She wrinkles her nose. Do I smell? I just showered!

I try to act nonchalant and say “hey,” but my voice cracks. Is it higher than usual? More nasal? And is that a hint of a drawl I’m detecting? While trying to hear the sound of my own voice, I don’t even notice what I’m saying.

“Hey, darlin’. You look sweeter’n a spoonful of molasses. How ‘bout we get you out of them clothes?”

Stacy’s face falls. “What the fuck did you just say to me? We’re going to the movies, remember?”

I’m so embarrassed by what just came out of my mouth that I can’t even figure out what to say next. My mouth moves anyway, and I say, “I ain’t going to no chick flick. I’m a real man. Now get over here or get out.”

“What is WRONG with you?” she snaps. “And are these tattoos real?” She grabs my collar and widens it to read my chest. “RENECK? Is that supposed to say ‘redneck’? It’s not even spelled properly.”

I splutter, staring down at my chest. Is that what it says?

She gives me a long, hard stare. “You have nothing to say for yourself? You know what? I have finals next week. I can’t handle this right now.” And just like that, she turns around and storms out.

Fuck. Fuuuuuuuck! What the hell is going on? I need to talk to that stupid-ass genie. I know he said I only get one wish, but the least he can do is reverse whatever the fuck he did. I rub the lamp, but nothing happens. I rub it again. Nothing. I knock, and the lid opens up a crack. Emilio’s voice emanates from within. “Your wish has been granted. What is it, Aaron?”

Exasperated, I ask “What did you do to me? I asked to be the richest man in town, not some redneck asshole.”

To my surprise, Emilio laughed, saying “Well, isn’t that funny? Now, I gave your request a lot of thought. It turns out the word “rich” means a lot of things in English, and I had trouble figuring out which you meant. But given the high concentration of men named “Rich” in your area, I assumed you were talking about exhibiting their qualities, but in a more concentrated way than any other Rich. The Rich-est if you will. And more than 70% of those men named Rich live in trailer parks in the area. I didn’t know why that’s what you wanted, but humans are funny that way. Sorry about the mixup. It can’t be fixed, but at least you’re healthy and safe. No harm, no foul!”

The lid snaps shut as I scream “Very harm! Very foul!” My accent is definitely a full-on country twang now, emerging in my agitation. I need to fix this. All of it. I decide that I can at least get rid of the beard right now. The hair would have to wait for a proper stylist and the tattoos would be a whole process, but I can shave. I turn around to run to the bathroom and grab my razor, but as I spin, the world whirls around me. When my dizziness settles, I’m no longer looking at my dorm room, but the dingy interior of a trailer home. Empty beer bottles are on the couch, dirty laundry is in the sink. A huge Confederate flag hangs above a bed sitting against the far wall.

I try to peer out the window on the front door, which has blinds so dusty that they look black. I can’t really see, so I open it up and step outside, the steps creaking under my newfound weight. Yup. I’m in a trailer park. In a daze (but not so much so that I don’t lock the door behind me, using a key that has materialized in my pocket), I wander aimlessly, trying to get my bearings and find my way back to the school.

As I make my way through a park I swear I’ve never been in before, I catch sight of a swing set. A vivid memory of pushing a kid on those swings blossoms in my mind. Oh yeah. Colton. My son. Had him back in high school, before I dropped out. I get to see him once a month, make sure he learns to be a proper man. Go to football games and spit on the ground and all that shit.

As I look around, my sense of direction grows clearer. Oh yeah. That corner is the liquor store where I get my Bud Light. Across from the bar where I try to pick up girls on Saturday nights. Where was I trying to go, again? Some school? Nah, I’m not looking to bang any college chicks today. Too snobby. Maybe I’ll hit up the tattoo parlor though, I picked up a few extra shifts this week at the EZ-Mart and I know exactly what to spend the extra cash on…

[wandixx]

Ok it closes out on me when I tried typing it the first time-

Anyway, I'm a sucker for shock value ones, just so funny to me, so how about M'gann being nervous about introducing bf danny and it happens at an inconvenient time! Could go ghost royalty, ancient of space or anything, hell ghost as dragons would be pretty funny, up to you though!

I'm not sure if I did a good job at this, but I didn't want you to wait too long and real life is keepimg me busier than expected, so for now, it's here. I may continue it one day (I also have different version of fill for this prompt, because neither idea felt right, so if you'd like to see I too, just let me know whatever way is most convenient to you)

This wasn't supposed to happen like that. M'gann didn't have a super detailed plan on how it was supposed to happen, but even her vague (thought and rethought every night) ideas were anything but this. It was supposed to be a calm, low-stakes situation. Maybe even make it look like an accidental meeting, Team in civies hanging out around Happy Harbour, bumping into Danny and then she'd just introduced him, perhaps adding ‘btw, he is my boyfriend’ almost like an afterthought. This seemed like the best possible scenario.

This was also, as expected with the way hero life is, the exact opposite of what actually happened.

Of course, it didn’t start with anything heralding the absolute disaster this day had to become. Kinda accidentally the Team stumbled upon something between a cave and a basement, and in it a group of people, who decided to perform a summoning of a genie so they could… wish for stuff. They didn’t even look like cultists or villains of any sort, just a group of random adults from seemingly very different backgrounds. M’gann had a really hard time understanding what actually brought them together other than their wishes.

Which was actually pretty useful when it came to fighting them, because nobody really cared about their fellow summoner, just trying to save their own butt. She kinda wished more of their opponents were so incompetent.

Though, she spoke too soon because in the excitement of the fight, somehow all of them didn’t realize that one or two of the summoners… actually managed to finish a summoning. It was honestly a little bit embarrassing.

But, it was too late to dwell on all that, as right above the summoning circle appeared a circle in a worryingly familiar shade of green.

Of course, this one time she didn’t have any equipment from Danny, had to be when the Team encountered a ghost.

Ghost in question was a beautiful woman, with long hair covering one of her eyes, in a blue outfit that was related to one of Earth cultures, but M’gann didn’t know which, and a bunch of bracelets on her wrists. Martian could make a hazard guess on who it was, based on the stories Danny told her.

“We don’t have time for explanations, I think I know who this is, if I’m right for the love of everything that’s dear to you, don’t say the word ‘wish’ out loud” she demanded over the Mindlink.

Before she finished, Artemis took silver tape from somewhere and slapped a piece of it over Wally’s mouth. M’gann understood the sentiment but still… it was a little bit too nuclear option.

Desiree (if it was her) didn’t attack anyone, looking a bit confused, giving Team a moment of reprieve to plan and for Kid Flash to make sure none of the summoners could make whatever wish they wanted either. Also with the use of silver tape. Djinn’s were always tricky.

M'gann used this moment of everyone getting their bearings to curse herself for not bringing any ghost weapons this time. Any other mission, Team or not, she had something on her but today? Today she had nothing.

Excluding the summoning engraved into clips holding her cape but it was kinda last resort. It wouldn't annihilate everything in one mile radius or something but she didn't want to drag Danny there if he was during a test, other ghost fight or something. She knew better than anyone that he didn’t need more distractions.

Conner crashed into a wall right next to her. Artemis seemed to lose her cool when none of her arrows seemed to reach the ghost while Robin was trying to make some counter plans with Kaldur. They couldn't do a thing to Desiree and it was a matter of seconds before she stopped entertaining them and went to the city. It… would end badly, most likely. Danny would prefer to get involved before it got that far. Yeah…

She really wished she didn’t have to call.

“I have an idea, cover for me for a minute or two”

“Bold of you to assume we can stop her from anything”

“I believe in you Wally. Just distract her”

“My water attacks seem to be effective weapon against her”

“That’s aster! What do you plan to do, M'gann?”

“Summon another ghost”

She expertly ignored yelling that followed, taking the golden clip off of her cape. She held fabric in place with absentminded use of telekinesis, while she focused on an engraved pattern. Danny's summoning circle wasn't actually too complicated or intricate but she needed to do it just right. And frankly, she just liked looking at it. Physical proof that her boyfriend would be there if she needed it. Drawn representation of who he is, the deepest and truest parts of his soul written in the language that only Universe itself could fully understand.

And it was beautiful. Absolutely incredible. Much better than Desiree's circle, thank you very much.

M’gann dropped to her knees and grabbed leftover chalk from previous summoning and crouched to quickly draw Danny's seal. She had a lot of practice from all the times she doodled it on a whim just to get something of him with her when she missed him the most. She rarely actually summoned him, again, it was difficult to align their schedules, but she was very familiar with the first step.

And it was really easy from there.

She placed the clip in the middle of the circle, shapeshifted one of her nails to get a bit of blood on the chalk and leaned back.

After a careful, deep breath, she started an incantation, putting as much power in her voice as she could.

“I call upon you guard of Amity Park, I call upon you dearest child of the Ice, I call upon you one favored by the Time, I call upon you vanquisher of the Fear, I call upon you subduer of the King, I call upon you defender and the guide, I call upon Phantom, both worlds beloved child”

Circle erupted in green light, putting a momentary pause to the fight. M’gann was still blinking spots away when a figure flung itself out of the summoning circle, right at the Desiree.

“What the fuck?!”

Only after the first punch was thrown did Danny turn back to her, with his usual, somehow both gallant and bashful smile, that without fault made her knees get a little weaker. She smiled back.

“Hello Starlight” he greeted, sounding almost casual.

“Starlight?”

“Hi Angel. Nice of you to drop by” she answered in the same manner. Wally tried to yell from behind the duck tape.

“Angel?! M'gann, who is he? Who is she?!”

“I will always come if you call” he said without any doubt, suddenly as serious as if he was sharing information that could break or make the world.

It certainly worked like that to her world. She actually melted a little on the inside.

“I know”

“Actually, that's kinda cute. I still have no idea who this is, but you go girl��

“I feel like it's not the right time Artemis”

“Not to interrupt… whatever this is, but the other ghost is escaping” Robin cut in “Also, if you want to make out afterwards, please find the room, Batman and Catwoman are traumatizing enough“

Few people snorted, while Danny blushed green. He darted back at Desiree, clearly to escape the embarrassment. M’gann stood up, totally at ease now, that he was there to take care of it.

“Will you need a hand? I don't have any tech but we have a trick or two up our sleeves!” she asked, projecting her voice so it carried through the cavernous basement without yelling.

“I'm good for now but thanks for asking!”

“M’gann, can you give us anything substantial? Who is this? How do you know him?”

“One question at the time and let's wait until he finishes, okay?“

She cut off Mindlink before anyone agreed or protested.

“Miss Martian!”

“Soup time!”

With a blast of light, Desiree got sucked in and Danny landed in front of them with a proud grin.

“My job here is done”

“It truly is. You're getting faster too”

“And thanks to who is that?”

“You”

Danny sent her both an incredulous and playful glare.

“Of course. I miraculously found a ways to not be a mess and don't crash through every wall on my way and–”

“Well, no but–”

“Let me remind you, you're not alone… also who are you dude? And where did the other lady go?” Wally asked, right after ripping the duct tape off his mouth.

“Oh, well, I'm Phantom, I usually work in Amity Park?” he said a bit unsure, as if calling him a protector was under any question. That just wouldn't do.

“He's a hero from Amity Park”

“Thanks love. It's nice to finally meet you all. M talked a lot about you!”

“Can't say same about you, sorry”

“That's fine. I know M was agonizing over how to introduce me in the best way possible. I'm really happy it's finally over,” he paused for a moment, with his brows furrowed “Did I do good? This first impression thing?”

“You're… far less imposing that I personally expected after hearing Miss Martian summoning you, but–”

“M’gann how could you hide this from us?” Conner blurted out quietly, and oh, he sounded so utterly crushed. Everyone fell silent, the playful atmosphere gone as if it had evaporated.

“I never intentionally hid it. It wasn't significant enough to mention at the start and when it became important I felt like I couldn't just drop it at you during lunch or something. I always planned to tell you, there was just never the right time nor right words. I never wanted to hide it.”

“Even just me?”

“Especially you”

“You still should've…”

“Yeah, I should. I'm sorry”

“How long ago have you met?”

“Half a year ago,” Danny said before she managed to answer “It's all kinda my fault actually. I was really set on not getting mixed up with more hero business than I had to back then. I didn't want you or Justice League finding out about me. And when I agreed, it was already really late. I'm sure she'd told you all from the get go if I let her, I'm sorry”

“Why wouldn't you want us to know about you?”

“It's… Probably not the conversation we should have right here, over gagged wannabe cultists.”

“Valid. Let's call the cops and get going. You two have much to explain”

“And you're sitting eight feet apart until you do!”

Danny leaned in to kiss her, quick and playful, before he jumped back at the demanded distance.

“Well, this still went better than at your side”

“Absolutely”

*******

Also, here is some lil arts for a longish wait, sorry again, I hope this story is yours to your expectations

[fictionsoul]

Behind the scenes

Fem!reader x Yesung

Synopsis: Through a TV show you confess your feelings for a Super Juior member. While the show keeps going, Yesung will developing feels for you too. Will it be enough for you?

Warnings: Maybe a flirty Yesung, use of female pronouns, use of "(Y/N)". And as ever, english isn't my first language, so be ready for my grammar mistakes.

w/c: 3.5k

Behind the scenes

The door separated you slightly from the forum you had longed to step into. You had seen other groups promoting their songs, other idols laughing out loud while joking next to Super Junior and now it was your turn.

Not even the thought of the debut had made you tremble as your limbs did now that you were in front of the door.

You inhaled sharply and as you exhaled you tried to expel your nervousness, but to no avail. In a second attempt to relax your body you decided to jog around the waiting room, you didn't want to make an embarrassing appearance on the show.

Super TV2 was getting enough attention so that people from all over the world could learn a little more about your band and your budding career.

You were only a few months into your debut and you felt that you had a lot to show, that one song and its media tour was not enough of a stage for your audience to know you perfectly.

You wouldn't even have to face all the members of your favorite band, two of them were still doing their military service and that reduced the number of people you would have to interact with.

"Relax (Y/N), I don't think they are aware that you are their fan," said Ji Won in a new attempt to reassure you.

"And if they know," complemented Kang Hee, "they will just joke about it and that's it. You shouldn't worry."

You turned on your steps and with a look full of fear you walked towards her, dropping dramatically on her lap. The last thing you wanted was for them to take you as their prey, you had seen them joking with each other and you didn't want to be one more of their victims.

"If they make fun of me I might cry. Kang Hee, thanks for unlocking a new fear for me."

"Oh come on (Y/N), that's why we're supposed to be here.... Not to be a tease" she replied to the question she saw shining in your eyes. "We're going to have a good time. We'll joke if they want to joke and we'll do our best to make it an entertaining program."

Rae Jea's sweet words had the desired effect on you, you finally felt your muscles relax again. After all she was right, you were there to have fun and have a good time, whatever happened your only intention was to let the audience see your true self.

"Let's do a group hug before entering the forum," suggested Min Soo taking you by the hand to drag you to the center of the hall.

Feeling everyone's support made you smile and regain your confidence. You were ready to open that door and face whatever was waiting for you on the other side of it.

Someone from the staff suddenly appeared to announce that the forum was ready to receive you. They had put everything in place and all that was needed was for you to get in place to present yourselves in front of the cameras.

Fortunately the program was not broadcast live, so the footage could be re-recorded if necessary. That made you feel a little more at ease.

"You should know that the members of the group with us today came to make your wishes come true," Leeteuk introduced.

You were excited to hear him talk about you and your group. That characteristic tone of voice when he took his role as MC made your skin crawl.

"Do we have Tinkerbell and her fairy sisters?" Eunhyuk joked.

"Or are they genies that come locked up in a lamp?" commented Shindong continuing with the silly jokes.

You still couldn't believe that you were about to make your group appearance. You prayed your legs wouldn't forget how to coordinate when they told you it was time to appear on camera.

«Breathe in, calm down and relax» you repeated to yourself as if it were a mantra. You needed all your concentration to trust that you wouldn't screw things up.

"They were very close. Let's welcome Shooting stars!"

The staff motioned for you to cross the threshold to the center of the stage, where a board with your pictures and information on it was already waiting.

The Super Junior members applauded as they all entered, bowing to show their respect.

In the midst of the greetings and welcomes your eyes were able to focus on Yesung for a few seconds, enough to realize that you had to mentally prepare yourself before talking to him if you wanted to say more than two coherent sentences.

He looked wonderful, you couldn't describe him in any other word. A printed t-shirt and torn jeans had never looked as good as they did on Yesung, he had even bleached his dark hair and now it was a light brown, like the color of a golden and delicious caramel.

"It is a pleasure to welcome a group of promising young people in the industry. Would you please introduce yourselves?"

One by one you were introduced. You started with the leader Rae Jea, who confidently talked about her position in the group and gave a couple of curious facts about herself, which were praised by the MCs.

When Kang Hee spoke she made everyone laugh by declaring that she could perfectly imitate Heechul singing Rokkugo. When she managed to do so, everyone applauded in awe.

Your turn came and your heart began to race.

"My name is (Y/N), I am the vocalist of the group and one of my special talents is to imitate the sound of some animals."

"You are like the beat box of the jungle," joked Heechul, causing your friends to laugh. "Yesung is also good at that, he can imitate a dog's sneeze."

Yesung stepped forward proudly to show off his uncanny ability, his eyes locked onto yours causing a slight blush to rise to your cheeks but you didn't look away. After the brief and intense exchange of glances, he squeezed his eyes and made the sound successfully.

"Top that," he challenged proudly.

The Super Junior members booed you as they flashed their thumbs down in disapproval of you.

Just as he did, you locked your gaze on his eyes and Yesung gave a small gasp as he felt a shiver run through his body. He quickly pulled himself together and then pursed his lips and blew you a flirtatious kiss in the air.

Your face was a poem. Your mouth was open and a bright red color decorated every inch of your skin.

The whole forum burst into loud laughter as your brain short-circuited. You had promised to do your best to show every facet of yourself, but this was something new even for you.

"You failed!" declared Leeteuk pointing at you as if he were a referee pointing to the winning team.

Your teammates greeted you with a hug and patted you on the back thanking you for your great effort.

As the other members made their introductions, Yesung's gaze wandered momentarily to watch your reactions.

As strange as it seemed to the idol, you had caught his attention. Maybe it was your carefree way of standing in front of the stage, or maybe it was the harmonious tone that came out of your throat when you pronounced your name. Whatever the reason, he needed to get better acquainted in order to approach you with more confidence.

"Since we all know each other, it's time to give space for Shooting stars to present their debut song Lovely day." Leeteuk's voice rose above the laughter forcing everyone to stand at the edge of the stage to give them the necessary space for your presentation.

The music started and your face took on the usual smile you wore on stage. The tempo of the song was a calm one, in the style of songs by groups like G-Friend and Lovelyz.

Your gestures seemed to hypnotize Yesung. Although his gaze encompassed everyone as a group, his attention was inevitably diverted to you.

The most complex part in the song was yet to come. Kang Hee and Ji Won would do a spectacular crossover in front of you while you held the high note of the song. When the crossover was done your powerful voice was showcased to perfection.

Yesung watched you in amazement, clapping his hands limply and absentmindedly.

The rest of the Super Junior members had to contain their laughter at their friend's reaction. He had been so enraptured watching you that he hadn't realized that everyone was watching him waiting for him to come out of his trance.

The presentation ended and noisily the MCs returned to the stage congratulating your group for a performance worthy of an awards ceremony.

"I just found out that (Y/N) and Yesung are a better fit than we thought," Eunhyuk commented with a half-smile that seemed to reflect some mischief in him. "Back there he was imitating a seal. His eyes followed one of our guests and out of nowhere he started clapping his hands."

Yesung laughed and playfully pushed the dancer, causing him to stagger to the side.

You smiled at the interaction and then took a seat in front of a board displaying the five members' pictures along with the skill they believed you were proficient in.

"Before we begin the dynamics, I have an important announcement to make. Someone from production told us that in the hallway they heard that one of you is a Super Junior fan," Shindong announced and everyone pretended to be surprised by his words.

"Is there an insider among you? Who is it?" interjected Heechul.

They all turned to look at you, waiting for the ELF who had secretly entered the forum thinking she would not be discovered to reveal her identity.

Your hand went up and you smiled as you saw their faces full of surprise. The seven hosts looked at you perplexed.

"Since when did you become a fan of the group?" Siwon asked.

"Since you released Sorry sorry I fell in love with yours songs. I'm not a recent fan," you declared proudly.

You had dreamed a hundred times of that moment, of the day when you would finally tell them straight out that you loved their music.

"Who among us is the member you like the most?" Yesung asked. Although his tone was friendly, his gaze was serious.

You thought carefully about the best way to answer so that your words didn't sound like a declaration of love. It was easy to tell someone else that Yesung was your favorite member, but when it was he himself who asked, the multiple answers all seemed like an undeniable love confession.

Without being aware of it your face reddened and Yesung's eyes widened with astonishment.

"Hey, the staring contest hasn't started yet," Shindong interjected to break the tension between the two of you.

"She's just nervous. It's a tough question, isn't it?" asked Kang Hee with a smirk.

Everyone turned their attention back to you, waiting for your answer.

"I like you," you admitted while making a heart shape by joining your index finger with your thumb and pointing your other hand towards Yesung.

Remembering the way he had sent you a kiss made you take courage to return the gesture.

"Is this Super TV or are we recording a dating show," Heechul commented, stepping between you and Yesung.

Another set of laughter invaded the forum, ending that segment of the program and returning everyone's attention to the board with the pictures.

Leeteuk read their names and explained why some members had voted to assign them to one skill or another. The explanations were witty, or at least they were until it was your turn to speak.

The camera focused on your picture and Eunhyuk stood up to erase from the board the skill that presumably read "high note challenge" to place in its place in big letters "Fall in love with Yesung" while Donghae placed hearts around your picture.

They all laughed out loud as you covered your face with both hands wishing the ground would open up and swallow you. Yesung had no better reaction, the tips of his ears had turned red as he smiled awkwardly and the camera focused on him.

His friends were being so outrageous. He could see the way their brains were straining to make him uncomfortable, to pressure him to make him confess his feelings for you.

He was admitting it to himself. You had seemed interesting to him because of the picture on the board, then he had liked you as soon as he saw you enter the forum. But you had finally won him over, he had felt the silly butterflies in his stomach as soon as you performed your group performance.

Your kind smile captivated him and your wonderful voice captured his heart. He knew then that there was no other explanation for how he felt about you. He was in love.

"Let's stop being childish and get serious. It's time for a new challenge. My reflexes are the best!" Leeteuk shouted and you clapped excitedly even though you didn't know what kind of battle awaited you.

The forum lights went out and the staff entered with a tall table that displayed a red button on its surface.

The lights came back on and the staff signaled to stop watching those who were moving the furniture around and instead pay attention to the game instructions.

"Each group will send a representative and both players will have to stand behind the white line marked on the floor and face each other. A song will play in the background and when it stops you will have to press the button. The first one to press the button is the winner."

Leeteuk's explanation was clear to both teams. You gathered in a circle to discuss the order in which you would participate to ensure your victory.

This task would be easy for Min Soo, she had the best reflexes of all of you, so she should go last in case one of them proved difficult to beat.

"And what will you do if it's your turn against Yesung? Are you going to give him the victory just because you like him?" asked Kang Hee looking at you accusingly.

"I won't let him beat me. I would never betray them for a man," you declared with the seriousness with which an oath is made.

They all nodded, placing their trust in you.

The first to pass were Rae Jea and Donghae. They had to repeat the shot twice because Hae claimed an alleged trap that never happened. Fortunately the leader of your group was able to defeat three of them, however she fell to Yesung and it was your turn to avenge Rae Jea.

In the forum they played Yesung's song "It has to be you" causing everyone to laugh while you bent down to put your face against the table as you felt embarrassed again. The singer didn't miss the opportunity and started singing with a charming smile on his face.

The moment seemed eternal and embarrassing, it was too much to bear. Still with your heart racing you raised your blushing face to meet the challenge, you couldn't let him get away with it.

The song played again but this time everyone tried to contain their laughter, when the music stopped you quickly raised your hand but he was quicker and took your hand in the air and then intertwined his fingers with yours.

The rest of the people present couldn't take it anymore and started laughing uncontrollably.

They were enjoying it so much, they were doing such a great job on the show. Your face reddened again and for the first time you gave Yesung a furious look because of your frustration at not being able to continue with the game.

"That's enough. If you want to take my hand, all you have to do is ask," you declared with a serious look that contrasted with your mocking smile.

Finally he released your hand and took his position in front of the table ready to continue the game without interruptions.

Although his attention seemed to be focused on the game, his mind was miles away thinking about the softness of your hands, the way your fingers twitched slightly when they came in contact with his.

Your reactions endeared him to you, it was unavoidable to want to tease you because you kept putting on those expressions that made his stomach turn and his lips twitch into a smile so easily.

Your group's song played and as it stopped you threw your hand out without thinking too much about your actions, but unfortunately your hand was the one that was left over the singer's hand.

You smiled in acceptance of defeat and walked back to your place as your teammates greeted you with scolding for losing.

You didn't understand what that look from before had been. You could have sworn that his look changed for an instant, that he had apologized to you for defeating you. Or maybe you were imagining things where there were none because of your tendency to favor those who won your sympathy.

Yesung's eyes would occasionally rest on you, sometimes making eye contact, but it was always you who looked away and missed the few seconds when a tender smile graced the vocalist's face.

Two segments of competitions came to an end and the recording was almost over without any inconvenience for the rest, because you had to endure a couple of teasing and incisive comments that insinuated that a romance was brewing between you and Yesung.

By the time it was time to end the program, you all thanked them for the attention received and for the good time you were able to have there.

You all walked in line shaking hands with the Super Junior members and bowing. By the time your hand took Yesung's an electric current ran through your body, you were sure he could feel it because of the way his gaze landed on you.

"Could we talk for a second," he whispered in the middle of bowing, making sure no one else heard.

"Sure," you replied before moving on to the next member.

The staff took care of taking you back to the dressing room so you could rest for a moment while your manager went to get the transport to take them to your bedroom. It was inside the dressing room where Yesung found you with your eyes closed resting on the couch.

"Can we talk (Y/N)?" he asked, not caring that your companions could hear him.

"We will go to buy water, it won't take long," announced the leader forcing everyone to get out of there.

Once everyone was out, Ji Won closed the door to leave the space for you two.

The singer took an empty water bottle in his hands and drummed on it with his fingers to keep his hands busy with something. He needed to relax before confronting you.

"What do you want to talk about? I don't think we have much time," you said, feeling the room shrink.

"My agency has a project for duets and collaborations, I don't know if you've heard of SM Station," you nodded without interrupting him. "I would like to do a collaboration with you."

"Are you doing it because you want to sing with me or because you have feelings for me?" you asked, placing all your bets on the table. If there was no interest involved it was better to make it clear at once so as not to encourage your feelings in vain.

Yesung bit his lower lip slightly nervously and shifted his body weight to the side. He needed to think through his answer so it wouldn't sound confusing, he wanted to make his intentions clear but didn't want to belittle your talent.

"It's true that I like you, but that has nothing to do with my offer. Your voice is perfect for the song I was offered and I would like to record it with you, as long as you agree to do it."

Your heart fluttered with emotion and your eyes filled with tears that you managed to hold back, you didn't want to ruin the moment by crying like a little girl.

He couldn't have chosen sweeter words to talk about you, he had acknowledged his feelings but also gave value to your talent.

You didn't know what to say and there didn't really seem to be anything else to be mentioned.

"So, will you sing with me?"

Feeling overwhelmed by your emotions and trying to express everything you were thinking, you grabbed the idol by the collar of his t-shirt and pressed your lips against his.

The sudden silence alarmed your companions. Without thinking twice they all went inside to stop the possible fight, but what they least expected was to find that scene.

Yesung took a step back to establish some distance between the two, however Kang Hee pushed him and you stopped him by placing your hands on his chest. Your touch sensed the strong and irregular beating of his racing heart.

"Your heart is..."

Yesung bent down and captured your lips between his, interrupting your words and clouding your mind. Although the kiss didn't last long it was enough to make clear everything he felt for you.

[msallurea]

So wow ok it just hit me! It's come to my attention that ppl have misinterpreted the law entirely so I'll say this once and one time only so no one gets confused:

The law of assumption is not some magical fairy houdini genie bullshit. The same way God is not some genie in the sky granting u all your wishes willingly, the law is not some magical fairytale wishing well. The law of assumption is a LAW meaning nothing or no one can change it. Sure you can change the wording, think that's its something different but the law of assumption remains the same regardless.

With that being said, let's go back to the very beginning:

"The law of assumption is that whatever you assume to be true, will become true"

So..if u assume the law will not work it "won't" if you assume that it is true then it will also "work" either way the law of assumption is still doing exactly what it's suppose to do which is reflecting your assumption into reality. That is why everything of your world is all about mindset shy do you think some of the most successful people in the world the first thing they always say is its all about your mindset.

Everything u see in the world today would have and could have not existed if it was not first imagined. Thus the imaginal act was persisted upon with the belief that somehow, someway it would come true. Everything inbetween what is happening now and what will happen soon with your fulfilled desires is only divided by the bridge of events aka, the motion that's put into works to fulfill your inaginal act aka the "how" and the "when".

In manifestation you don't worry about the how or the when because both are already taken care of. The world will shift itself causing a sequence of events to occur like a domino effect that will be the connecting cause to your desired outcome. The when you should not worry about either because if you know in your heart it is done and u will get it that when doesn't even matter because what may seem to take years would feel like only 5 seconds to someone who'd trust that desire/dream.

Now many of you may think it was the coincidental sequence if events that's the cause of your desires being fulfilled but in fact it is not. It was all FIRST caused by imagination. None of those bridge of events or "coincidences" could have happened if u did not first imagine in the beginning what the end would be like.

With all this being said I will say this one time and one time only in honor for the 99 and 2000s, the law of assumption is NOT magic and it is NOT some wishing well, it is a LAW that is always in effect t regardless if u believe in it or not or regardless if u believe its working or not. If u do not believe me that is fine, however i only ask that you test my belief for yourself. Reflect on everything that goes on in your life right now and observe the assumptions that arise when u think about it, now u tell me before u even knew about that thing did u have the assumption surrounding the topic before or after it's occurrence. For example let's take your appearance for instance, if I ask you right now are u pretty or ugly I can guarantee you'd know immediately what your answer is. But when did u start having that assumption? What in your mind made u think u were ugly or pretty. How did u even know what ugly or pretty was to know if u are either of those things. No one just wakes up randomly and just believes that they're ugly UNLESS at some point in time there was a time frame gap in your reality where u took out the time to assume whether or not u were ugly or pretty.

All I ask is that you just try it, that's all just try it and you will see that everything u have assumed up to this point is a reflection that is being shown in your outside world.

[alphasunpup]

Feedist Kinktober Day 24- Ritual

"Welp, here goes nothing," you thought as finished the demonic ritual. Finally all your dreams were going to come true!

The demon appears in the summoning circles, purple flames dancing around and hiding his face. But upon looking at you, all the flames go out.

It's dark and dead silent. The only thing you can make out are his dark purple eyes. Snake like slits staring into yours, until you hear a loud exasperated groan.

"Gods, I hate when that happens!" The lights come back on when he claps your hands and so do your candle flames. And all of a sudden the scary demon is now a chub muscle man in a long flowing purple morning coat. Hisblack curls fall and fram his face. Somehow it's angular and sharp at the same time of having a soft jawline. He's beautiful.

"Your not Mammon..."

He raises an eyebrow and looks around. "Lemme guess kid, you tried summoning one of my brothers to help you out of student loan debt or something?"

You nod shyly. He sighs and shakes his head. "Wouldn't be the first. Sorry, little human, but we're not genies. We can't grant wishes. And believe me, if we had the power, we'd take out student loan debts. Tell you what, kid? How about I become your patron and just help you get what you want? Sound good?"

You nod not sure what else you could do in your position. You go to shake his hand but he doesn't let you explaining that this would make your agreement a contract and he doesn't want you to feel like you're in more debt than you already are.

Strange things happen after the demon takes his leave. You notice you're alot more confident in yourself and your looks, even though you're putting on weight you kinda like it. Nothing goes to your boob's, which you're really happy about. All your weight settled in your arms and thighs and sometimes to your belly. You have a kinda sleeper build.

You notice you care more about your appearance and you're starting to get into skincare, especially about how to take care of your new found rolls. You get hit up by an older woman on tinder. She takes you out and decides you're going to be her sugar baby and she's going to pay for everything you've ever wanted.

It's only been about six months since you last talked to your demon patron. So you do the ritual again and he appears, though he's far more muscular than you last remember.

You ask him why some random woman wants to be your sugar mama and why you're so interested in sex and beauty.

He chuckles. His claw tucked right under your chin. "Well if you didn't want sex and beauty to be how you got things don't let the Prince of Lust be your patron."

[deancaspinefest]

It seems a lot of the fic that you're reblogging has been deleted from Ao3 :( It always guts me when that happens but it's been surprisingly more common in SPN that in any of my previous fandoms. anyway, it would be nice to not reblog the ones with deleted fics, i feel, if that's okay with you?

Hi anon,

Thanks for your message :)

It's definitely a shame when people decide to delete their fic or art, particularly when their work is connected to that of another fan artist or author. For that reason, we encourage any author or artist who has decided that they no longer wish to participate in fandom to make use of the "orphan work" function on Ao3 so that others can continue to enjoy their work after they've gone.

Right now, we've been made aware of five Pinefest fics which have been deleted. Those fics are Wayward Pines and Buttercream Dahlias (2017) and The Rigged Mandela Effect (2018) by microespressos, Ships in the Night (2018) by thetwistedwillow, and Genie in a Bottle (2018) and Where the Lightning Splits the Sea (2019) by thepopeisdope. All five masterposts have been updated to mention that the fics appear to have been taken down.

That said, art for the first four fics is still available to view via the links on the masterposts, and some art also appears as part of the masterpost of the fifth fic. As a fic and art challenge, we see value in sharing those masterposts regardless of fic availability.

If you're wondering why we didn't re-check every single link before queuing the reblogs -- it's purely because there are at least four links in each of the 253 masterposts. This would have meant opening over a thousand links, most of which don't actually require attention, during an already time-consuming process.

If you have encountered any other masterposts that link to works that have since been deleted, feel free to let us know via ask and we'll make sure to update the relevant masterpost :)

[rosyrosethorns]

(this is. the rewrite of that jafar selfship thing. but reworked since the og was outdated... and since this is basically. a self-insert AU of the "return of jafar" movie with madi taking the role that abis-mal had in the og. the timeskips are just for unaltered scenes cuz i dont wanna write out half of the damn movie just for a fic TwT)

୨ ——- ♡ ——- ୧

Madilyn had just obtained the mysterious black oil lamp from a traveling merchant. If the girl had known the lamp had a genie inside, she would have thought twice before trying to wipe the small smudge off.

But when the large red genie appeared in a plume of smoke, cackling in triumph, the way he loomed over everything else in the room was unnerving as the girl cowered in response.

“… What’s this?” The genie immediately realized this was an unfamiliar place as he looked around the room. “Drat…! I must be a great length from Agrabah now.”

Upon noticing the window, he attempted to depart through there; but the bracelets on his wrists suddenly glowed as he attempted to stick his hands out; unable to move them completely out the window as visible frustration appeared on his face.

“And the rules of the lamp forbid me from traveling any great distance as long as I am bound to it… Which means I cannot destroy Aladdin with my own hands,” the genie growled as he did a double-take of the room… His eyes widened as they fell upon Madi, who was so small and quiet he almost didn’t notice her in the corner at first.

A hum escaped him as he stroked his beard before he made a comment: “Allow me just a moment to change into something more… appropriate.”

In a whirl of smoke, the genie’s form changed. He had now taken the appearance of a six-foot-something tall man, dressed in red and black robes of arabian origin and holding a golden staff with a cobra head in one hand.

“Now then, my dear,” he spoke in a calm voice, “where might this humble abode of yours be located?”

The girl hesitantly sat up, still anxious but less overwhelmed now that the genie assumed a human form. “Am… America,” she timidly replied.

“… I assume that is a long way’s off,” the man sighed as he stroked his beard, slightly irritated by his situation. Though his expression softened as he looked back to Madi. “You had obviously witnessed my predicament with the accursed lamp, and as such I require someone to aid me in my return to Agrabah as I am unable to carry the lamp myself.”

The timid girl cautiously approached him. “And… And you won’t… hurt me?”

Her behavior amused him slightly. “Indeed; if you remain compliant,” he replied with a smirk, “then no harm will come to you~”

Madi reached for the lamp on the floor, hesitantly picking it up and fiddling with it in her hands as she thought on how to transport the genie there… After a moment of thought, she perked up with an idea.

“You’re… You’re a genie, right?—Mister…”

“… Jafar,” the man replied with a raised brow. “The most powerful genie in the universe. And before you ask, granting wishes is a minor formality—”

“A—Actually…” Realizing she interrupted him, the poor girl cowered slightly for a moment. “Sorry. Sorry. I just… I—I don’t really have… much to spend, or forms of transportation… so… I just… I was thinking, wha—what if I wished us to Agrabah…?”

… Jafar looked intrigued by her thought process.

“Ohh,” he purred in response. “I had almost assumed you were contemplating your desires~” A slender hand reached out to cup Madi’s face. “Perhaps we could negotiate something in return for your wholehearted compliance after my business in Agrabah is done… Miss…?~”

The girl blushed; flustered by the man’s closeness. “M… Madilyn,” she timidly answered.

“Madilyn,” Jafar repeated. “What a lovely name~ Now, Madilyn… Use the genie’s power to wish us to Agrabah, and there we will discuss the next step!~”

Holding up the lamp in both hands, Madi took a deep breath before reciting her wish; and all it took to whisk them away was a flash of red smoke…

୨ ——- ♡ ——- ୧

The first part of the plan was a heart to heart between Jafar and his former parrot companion Iago… All it took was some intimidation and he was able to keep the bird’s mouth shut while he went about his work with his new companion: the young American woman who kept his genie lamp secure in her bag.

It was after Jafar had trapped a friendly blue genie and Aladdin’s monkey companion in the dungeons under everyone’s noses, leaving the room with the girl by his side before speaking up:

“What a peculiar little thing you are~”

The comment left Madi with a puzzled stare. “Huh?”

Even the way she expressed her confusion amused him. A chuckle escaped the sorcerer’s throat as a hand gently lifted the girl’s chin. “I had never met someone so strangely humble to the point of not wishing to take advantage of a genie~” he purred. “And to think someone of your timid spirit would comply with ruining a few lives you have no affiliation with…~”

… The way Madi’s eyes shifted was enough for him to realize there was more depth to this girl than he assumed. She looked hesitant to say something in reply, despite how her lips slightly parted.

“Ohhh,” Jafar remarked with a smirk… “There’s a pinch of darkness in your heart; is there, my dear?~”

The girl winced–as if she was scared to admit it.

“Come, now; what is there to be ashamed of?~” The sorcerer’s voice was alluring as he spoke in a low tone. “Tell me any foul little thought you might have, and I promise you I’ll be unfazed~”

Madi was still hesitant at first. She was taught for so long to keep these thoughts to herself, and now this man was encouraging her to bare the darker parts of her heart to him… It wasn’t something she was used to.

“… I…” The girl couldn’t look Jafar in the eye as she confessed. “Okay–I didn’t only help… out of fear for my life; I also just… couldn’t see any reason to care about… a few… average… minded… people… Well, I–I feel a little bad for the monkey, but–but only cuz I like animals… Otherwise… I… I don’t know, I just… I feel like there’s a third reason now, too… But I can’t… figure it out yet…”

Jafar looked even more intrigued. His thumb caressed Madi’s cheek as he murmured a reply: “So you understand that the inner workings of your mind are beyond theirs… Yet you choose to remain humble~”

The girl’s brow furrowed. She seemed melancholic now…

“I don’t like… some of my own thoughts. And I just… don’t… trust it when I get… nice things for free. I expect to owe compensation… Money… Favors…”

The sorcerer slowly pulled his hand away with a raised brow. This part of her confession left him looking inquisitive in response…

“Well, of course we live in a world of ‘this for that’, my sweet Madilyn,” he purred oh so lovingly, “but I believe you already have plenty to offer on your part~ Now… regarding what I had mentioned earlier about possible negotiations…~”

He circled around the girl as he continued to speak, placing a hand on her shoulder and leaning in from behind as his breath grazed her ear:

“The big blue clown and his irritating monkey friend have been dealt with, but we still have four more lives to ruin~ Continue to aid in my plans, and I’ll reward you for your patronage~… If I’m feeling generous, I may even grant you one wish~”

“… R… Really…?”

“Why, of course; a darling little thing like yourself deserves a bit of compensation~ I only expect one specific thing in return… Once you receive your reward, you must use your last wish to free me from the restrictions of this accursed genie lamp.”

A hand rested on the girl’s head as she felt him run his fingers through her hair. “D… Deal?” the shy girl replied.

Jafar’s smile increased slightly. “How adorable you are~” he chuckled before pulling away. “Come along; it’s time we move forward with our plans~”

୨ ——- ♡ ——- ୧

Next to be admitted in the dungeons was the sentient rug. Then the current sultan. Then his daughter, who was also Aladdin’s lover. Now, after Jafar had masqueraded as the princess, the evil genie’s arch-nemesis was to be beheaded by the royal guards.

Madilyn quietly followed after Jafar to the throne room with a furrowed brow; thinking back to their interaction with Agrabah’s princess earlier. Jasmine questioned the girl’s decision to help him, trying to warn her that the man was selfish and manipulative, but Madi chose to act in denial… She almost didn’t hear the bit of gloating the cocky sorcerer was doing now that he was so sure that he had won, but the realization that his new partner had gone mute made him raise a brow as he turned to face her.

“Why the long face, my dear?~ You’re not questioning your choices this far in, are you?~”

“… N… No…?” Madi looked a bit nervous. “I mean… Not questioning… Just…” She looked between him and the way to the dungeon where his enemies were held. “Jasmine… I can’t believe she’s just a teenager—she’s… pretty headstrong, huh…?”

A coy smirk crossed Jafar’s lips. “Ahhh, admiring a fellow spirited woman?~ It’s almost a pity; the Princess Jasmine refused to join me when I first gave her the chance… And I say ‘almost’ because, while I too admire her fire, she’s admittedly… below my league~ You, however…” One of his slender hands delicately lifted the girl’s chin. “I haven’t met anyone with so much depth to their character before~”

His thumb grazed her cheek before he pulled away, leaving Madi with a light blush on her face as she awkwardly stood there with the black lamp in her hands…

“Which reminds me,” the sorcerer continued as he stroked his beard, “I believe I still owe you that reward for your assistance before you free me from that accursed lamp~”

Holding up his hand, he summoned a large pile of gold into the room; much to Madi’s visible surprise.

“What?!” was all the girl could say at first.

“You admitted before how you lacked wealth to spare for travel,” Jafar reminded her as he watched her hesitantly approach the pile. “Now you will have plenty to return to Agrabah… and for us to continue our interactions~”

The last remark stunned Madi, looking up from the piece of gold she was examining. “Wha…? What do you mean?”

“… Oh. Oh, you oblivious little thing,” the sorcerer chuckled. “All the times I’ve voiced my admiration of your character and watched how flattered you were to hear such praise, and you did not think I would invite you back?~”

… So he did notice, the timid girl thought. She stood there dumbfounded for a moment, her eyes watery as she felt her heart rapidly beating in her chest.

“Now, now,” Jafar crooned so sweetly; flicking a tear from her cheek. “Let’s wrap up some important business before you get too wrapped up in your emotions~… Use your wish to free me from the lamp.”

Lowering the lamp as she held it in one hand, Madi used her other hand to wipe her own face. “And… then… can I give you… something else afterwards…?”

“Yes, yes; but let’s not waste any more time, shall we?” Jafar’s tone was sweet yet firm, like a parent trying to gently tell their child it was time for bed… However, some movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention as his eyes widened.

Aladdin’s pet monkey, freed from its chains, had snatched the lamp in Madi’s hand…!

୨ ——- ♡ ——- ୧

The chase led to a final confrontation between Jafar and his enemies. All Madilyn could do at first was watch the chaos unravel, the ground literally breaking open to reveal lava, but the friendly blue genie getting rendered unconscious was at least a sign victory was in reach… right?

“Hey, Jafar! SHUT! UP!!”

Iago flew in screaming this at the top of his lungs, and the girl internally panicked as she realized this would distract Jafar… but when the evil genie wiped the floor with the unfaithful parrot, she saw where the half-conscious bird landed—right next to the lamp—and she immediately sprung to action.

Grabbing the lamp before Iago could reach, the girl held it up and acted without a second thought, doing the one thing she could to save her new partner before anyone had time to react:

“JAFAR!! I WISH YOU FREE FROM THE LAMP!!”

… Every conscious person involved stopped and stared in the moment. Even Jafar, who was visibly dumbfounded as he returned to his human form. No one even noticed that the blue genie had regained consciousness right when Iago had passed out from his injuries.

“Madilyn…??” The sorcerer was so flabbergasted that he couldn’t get more than that out, watching the girl step in front of him with the lamp still in hand as she was the first to notice the blue genie had woken up and immediately rushed to help Aladdin away from the lava.

“None of you come near him!!” Madi shouted with a furrowed brow. “Or the blue one’s goin’ in the lamp!!”

Princess Jasmine stood up with both hands in balled fists. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“The hell does it look like?!” Madi defensively replied. “I said back off!!”

With the girl’s threat leaving everything at a standstill, everyone hesitated to make a move for a moment… The first to move was Jafar, who had now seen an opportunity to make a getaway as he suddenly wrapped an arm around Madi’s waist; raising his staff as he glared at his opponents.

“You may have won this battle, street rat, but mark my words,” the sorcerer growled, “I will have my revenge…!”

Jafar and his new partner were both gone in a flash. Despite everyone’s concern, all they could do now was turn their attention to the unconscious Iago and rush to his aid…

୨ ——- ♡ ——- ୧

Madi’s head was pulled into Jafar’s chest. She was still shaken by the sudden teleportation, and the timid feeling from being this physically close to the man only added to how flustered she felt.

“Treacherous parrot,” the sorcerer growled. “If he hadn’t interfered, I would have been able to destroy Aladdin once and for all!” However, his expression softened as he looked down at the trembling girl; running his fingers through her hair. “But you… Your actions were baffling to me at first, but now I understand that if it weren’t for your quick thinking the lamp would have been destroyed while my immortal life was still bound to it. This has ended in a setback… but as long as I still live, there will be another opportunity for revenge~”

To Madi’s surprise, the sorcerer embraced her with a fond smile. “And such an endearing little thing you are~ I never expected such strong loyalty from someone with few villainous traits~”

… The girl felt her eyes starting to water. She was admittedly scared that the words of Aladdin and his friends were true, that the fact they interacted with him in the past was proof their words about his dishonesty were entirely true, but the way he praised her and showed such affection even though things didn’t work out was enough for her to understand his support was genuine…

“Now,” Jafar spoke… “Since we are alone, I believe you wanted to gift me something?~”

Madi looked up at him with big watery eyes, nodding slightly in response. “Yes,” she muttered… To Jafar’s mild surprise, the girl cupped his face with both hands before her lips fell upon his nose, throwing her arms around him immediately afterwards…

@candyheartedchy @silverlining-ships @grinningghoulie @shrimpoe @darknoverse @thesorcerersspouse @flavoredink @dolls-self-ships

[lonelywretchjervistetch]

My DCCU: Character Essay - Mr. Mxyzptlk

So...did you see the last episode of MAWS?

I just wrote an essay discussing this series, and without making you read that (although here it is if you wanna), let's just say I love almost everything about it, but the villains have me...nervous. Which, yeah, not exactly a unique take on the series, critically speaking. It is, in fact, the most common refrain about the series amongst Superman fans.

Now, since then, to be fair, we've gotten some very promising characters make their debut, or becoming more prominent. Task Force X - which includes Amanda Waller, the General (who's gotta be Sam Lane, but may also take some inspiration from Wade Eiling; time'll tell on that one, though), and a very cool super-armored version of Deathstroke - are our main antagonists, and I'm excited to see what comes out of them. Their former associates, power couple Brain and Monseiur Mallah (who are also gay in the comics, if you didn't know) are a more sympathetic turn on the characters, but quite satisfying in this form.

But no, there's only one real reason I'm making this post. And that is of course, the villain featured in the most recent episode, as of me writing this post. He's already up above, so let's just get into it.

Fun fact about me: I love a lot of Superman villains, but of all of them, my absolute favorite is Mr. Mxyzptlk. He's a mischief-making, chaos-loving, harmless and harmful menace from the 5th dimension, who obeys no laws of the dimensions below. The origin of legends, past and present, of genies, leprechauns, fey, and imps that tease men with ill-fated wishes. An all-powerful being disguised as a man dressed in a funny little hat.

Mr. Mxyzptlk is the Robin Goodfellow of Superman's world. He appears to amuse himself, no matter the cost to the Man of Steel's day. Usually, you can send him back via making him say his own name backwards, but that's just one of the rules to Mxy's games. And make no mistake, that's what they are: games. Mr. Mxyzptlk has played on the side of angels and devils, and he really only cares about his own amusement. And his relationship with Superman, varied as it can be, helps to fuel his morality.

I could bring up the character's live-action appearances (which are notable in their own right), but those are mostly afraid to really go for it. The closest to the original character would be Michael J. Pollard's version in Superboy, a mostly forgotten series from the late'80s, and a version that actually wears the comic book outfit. There's also the Supergirl version, which was notable, and played by Peter Gadiot and Thomas Lemmon; and there's the version played by Howie Mandel (yes, really) in Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman in the '90s, which is a more evil but passable version of the character. Oh, and the Smallville version? Yeah, absolutely doesn't count. If you want a true adaptation for Mxy, you gotta go animated.

The most iconic adaptation of this character was portrayed by the late, great Gilbert Gottfried in Superman: The Animated Series. Now, I say the most iconic, but that's probably a bit biased on my part. In my opinion, this is the most fun and accurate version we've seen of the character, taking from his original design for inspiration. An annoying imp that appears every three months, his debut episode in the series, Mxyzpixillated, is one of my favorite episodes of the series, and goes balls-to-the-wall wacky, as you should with Mxyzptlk.

The character had only a few more appearances in the series after his first, but Gottfried's performance was so memorable, he was brought back for multiple incarnations, including the video game DC Universe Online, and the more recent animated series Justice League Action, which would be one of Gottfried's last performances, and therefore his last appearance as the character. He'll be sorely missed for a number of reasons, but the voice he gave to the imp is never going to leave me.

Which brings me to the version of the character we see in MAWS. And yeah, this is obviously a VERY different version of the character, appearance-wise. Outside of the orange and purple color scheme and one other exception, this version has no design similarities with any version of Mxyzptlk, and is obviously very anime-inspired, as is the entire series. I mean, for Chrissakes, the title of the episode is a reference to Ouran High School Host Club. They knew what they were doing.

We meet Mxyzptlk in the middle of a heist, and he already shows his power and prowess by tricking Clark immediately. Amongst a bunch of fantastic DCU references, and a lot of multiverse talk, we eventually stumble upon his actual goal: the reclamation of an ancient artifact stolen from him by the League of Lois Lanes. And that artifact is...his hat. THE hat. And lemme tell ya, I was overjoyed to see that stupid little bowler.

Once he gets it, we get a glimpse of true Mxyzptlk power, as he goes full chaos lord on us. He's eventually defeated through trickery with portals, and NOT through the backwards name gambit. And even then, he's not actually defeated, and returns in the end to annoy his new target: Lois Lane. Yeah. He's haunting LOIS, not Clark. And honestly, I'm...very intrigued.

This Mxyzptlk is, honestly, a faithful version of the character, straight-up. Sure, there are elements missing, and the outfit is completely different, but he also sort of looks like you'd expect an imp or genie to look. Like Alan Moore said in Whatever Happened to the Man of Steel?, why should an extradimensional imp look like a little man in a suit and funny little bowler? I think this works, honestly.

I'm also excited to see him in the future of the series, and see what they do with the character as a result. Mxyzptlk is, as I said earlier, one of my favorites, whether he helps or hurts the Man of Tomorrow. And if I had one complaint, it's that I want him to go wackier. Like, CRAZY. Watch his appearances in Superman: The Animated Series if you haven't, and you'll see what I mean. The potential is quite literally unlimited when it comes to the fifth dimension imp.

But if that's the case...what would I do with Mxyzptlk in my DCCU?

Mr. Mxyzptlk in My DCCU

I would do...not much more than Easter eggs at first. Look, I love Mxyzptlk, but having him as a character in a film or film series is extremely tricky. But instead, Mxyzptlk is both a seen and unseen force in my DCCU, hovering around Superman's world without actually interfering in it directly. Not exactly his bag, I know, but it's a good way to get him to work in a film series. Essentially, I'm turning him into a background character in the first and second films, to be noticed by only the most observant. Disguised as other characters, maybe making odd gestures every now and then as if to manipulate things around him. The ultimate Easter egg character, basically. Until, possibly the very end of the second, or even the third film in the franchise.

Fast forward to the second film's post-credit scene.

A poker game is being played, but we're table level. All we see are the hands and the cards, which get increasingly stranger as the game goes on. Three voices are speaking, and we get the immediate idea that these people are watching our heroes. Eventually, a fourth voice juts in, and we also find out that a fifth one of them has been invited, but chose not to attend. Finally, we pan up, and we see...some dude.

This guy, whoever they are, should've been a face we've seen in the first and second films, usually hanging around the Daily Planet, but also around Metropolis. In fact, they should be visible in every conflict or battle seen in the films thus far. As we look at the others, we should see similar figures that've appeared in Batman, Wonder Woman, and Flash films that've come put by this point. All extras, and all watching our heroes. In fact, it'd be great if the Flash-focused person hasn't appeared yet, because the Flash's film releases after this one.

Finally, as we pan back around to the Superman-focused character, who is smoking a cigar, the conversation turns to what's coming. Mxyzptlk is aware of what's coming for Superman, but the rest refer to "the first Crisis". Mxyzptlk sort of brushes it off, even as they're saying things that hint at the first big even film to come in the DCCU. And these should be vague yet intriguing clues to this event. But Mxyzptlk insists that his guy'll be prepared, and that he has a lot of money riding on that outcome. With that, the mysterious figure looks directly at the camera.

Yeah, realizing that we're peering in on the game, he probably berates the nerds in the audience for knowing who he is without it being said (possibly by turning into a more comic-accurate version of himself) , then confirms that he'll be back in the next one, but not as the big threat. Maybe he'll be there to help, maybe not; depends on his mood that day. After a few more snarky remarks, he gives us a look and tells us to buzz off. We may even get a glimpse at the other imps in the room, those being Bat-Mite, Wondermite, and Mopee. And with that, he snaps his fingers, and the film ends officially.

Yeah, I basically pulled an Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania to bring in Mxyzptlk. And, since that scene is one of the best of the film, I don't think that's a problem! In the next film, we know what Mxyzptlk's identity looks like, and he may even give us a wave from the background in his first appearance in the next film. He won't interfere directly, but in the last post-credits scene of this trilogy, he'll finally get caught by Superman. Over time, Superman's had some experience with magic users, probably via Wonder Woman. And magic, in my universe, has a distinctive smell of some kind.

Knowing that Mxyzptlk's been watching him throughout the films, Clark finally confronts him on it, and asks what he wants. And Mxyzptlk actually replies and shows himself, explaining that the battles to come are pretty intense. He won't help or harm, but he just wanted to give a heads-up, mostly because it's fun. With that and a bit more conversation, Mxyzptlk leaves having given this ominous warning.

Does he return? Maybe during a Crisis on Infinite Earths movie, maybe in the Darkseid-based Justice League film to come, who knows? This version of the character is basically a Watcher, maybe throwing in some fun chaos here and there. It's sort of hard to add Mxyzptlk into a film series, because he's not a plotter. He's an all-powerful one-off character who, were he to be introduced as a genuine threat to the films, could just kill Superman immediately. It wouldn't make sense. So, make him neutrally bent, and keep him as a fun Easter egg character.

That take may be disappointing to some, but...like, c'mon, guys, he's a pretty big gun. Having him as the ultimate threat of a film also wouldn't make it very fun, because we don't want to see him get killed, but he also can't really win. It'd just be unsatisfying. I like the idea of making him this greater, scarier presence, while also making all of the imps these all-powerful observant beings that watch over our plane with fascination and/or reverence. And maybe, just maybe, we can squeeze some mischief in there somewhere.

Any other ideas on how you would introduce Mr. Mxyzptlk to a cinematic universe (if you should at all)? Reblog! Comment! I'm extremely curious, frankly. This was one of, like, three ideas I had, but the one I thought worked best.

And if you liked this, check out my other Superman essays here!

[kadaverk1nks]

Eyo! Curiousity killed the cat- 4. Genie granted you three NSFW wishes. What are you wishing for?

Oo 3 wishes okay

1. Shape shifting, as a trans system with mostly nonhuman alters, many of my headmates and myself wish we could appear as ourselves physically, with the right equipment. This would fix all of that in one fell swoop (and i wouldn't have to spend money on surgeries hehe)

2. SERIAL KILLER SEX DUNGEON NOW. im a weird pervert who fucks other weird perverts, I need a set up stocked with everything i could ever want to use on myself or others

3. Unlimited weed forever. And maybe shrooms too. I have a chronic pain condition, weed helps make sex more enjoyable for me and having an intox kink only adds to it

Thank you for your ask doll 💜

Ask game here (hopefully i linked that right lol)

[incorrectcoldflashblog]

For the Fanfic Writer Emoji ask, ⛔️ and ✅

Hi, friend! Thank you so much for asking <3

-> Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?

Yes, I’ve mentioned before that the very first fic I started writing for Coldflash was a Genie AU, which was a fusion of canon and AU where Barry is The Flash and Len is a 5000-year-old genie. I wanted to subvert the master/genie trope because at the end of the day it doesn’t matter if your masters are kind or cruel, they’re still trying to master you. So I was going to have Barry choose to free Len without making any wishes—and then of course everything would’ve gone to shit with Len being hit with an ancient curse and just being. the most ungrateful, bitchy house guest you’ve ever met XD I did have quite a bit of it written down as well as a general outline, but then I realized how gigantic this project was actually getting and kinda talked myself out of actually trying to post it. It was a very low slow burn spanning several years and I just didn’t think many people would be interested, and I also didn’t think I’d be able to stick with it to the end. Which was probably the right call considering how long it’s taking me to finish the Vegas fic, which is like 1/10th of the length ;-;

-> What’s something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don’t mean to?

Hmm, good question. I’ve written one of them or both getting plastered or drugged a total of four times now so maybe that, haha.

I think one theme that comes back often in my fics is Barry being wantonly tender and having no idea of the havoc he’s wrecking on Len’s heart. That’s definitely intentional, though XD Like, Barry does something impossibly soft and tender because he’s just such an affectionate soul and Len's whole brain starts spinning inside his head like a top, and he’s drawn to it but has no idea what to do with it. That’s the stuff, right there. Not even big gestures, just, Barry kisses Len’s palm or strokes his cheek, and Len’s like, there was wild tenderness, it’s unspeakable.

Also I can never let them be together on the first try, they have to fight a little about it first, as a treat. It’s both intentional and unintentional, as I sometimes feel like it makes my writing repetitive and yet I’m absolutely incapable of not doing it. There’s always gotta be a fight scene or a temporary break-up. I see myself doing it and I’m like, don’t do it this time, switch it up a little, but the problem is that I like writing them fighting or breaking up, haha, it’s my favorite except for writing them kissing, and in any case it’s so satisfying to bring them back together ;)

Fanfic Writer Emoji Ask

[time-travelling-chaos]

oohhh the writers ask had so many good questions i couldn't really choose: 3,4,10,12,16,30,40 (you can skip some if it's too much :3)

Thank you for the ask!

3. What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?

I don't really have any writing ritual? The only thing close to a ritual that I have, is I almost exclusively write in the evening/night. And while it's not cursed by itself, it comes from the curse that makes me able to function only when it's dark outside. I, however, do have the well-known writer curse of having ideas only when I'm not able to write, and to not have motivations or good ideas when I am.

4. What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?

Right now, probably seeing the words angel or demon outside of a Good Omen context.

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

Yep, it happens quite regularly that some part of a book, of a story will stick with me for a long time. Like it's some details that I will notice more often, some sentences that will appear from nowhere inside my mind, stuff like that. And yes, my own writing haunts me from time to time, but it only does so before it's actually written and I have a pile of some ~40 stories speaking to me from time to time in the back of my mind. It ends when I'm done writing it usually, as I don't really like remembering my own writing once it's done, at least for some time. After a few months/years I feel good reading it again usually, because I don't have the same attachement, but it rarely haunts me in that case.

The only counter example that I have there, is a story that I wrote during my first year of uni. It was the evening, I was sitting on the table (it was large enough to do so) and doing chemistry homework, and feeling good, because it was the evening and I loved chemistry especially the type of exercises that I was doing (it was quite easy and fun - well at least for me who liked chemistry), and I wanted to write (I don't remember if I actually had a story idea or not) so I took a sheet of paper and started writing (it was the time when I still wrote almost exclusively by hand). It was a story about the universe, and its birth and death, and to this date, it is still one of my favorite story that I ever wrote, partly because how much I enjoyed writing it. And I lost it. I tried to look at all the places where it could have been, and it was not there, and it was a story that I had been careful with, so I wouldn't misplace it accidently. I will probably keep looking for it, from time to time, as I still have hope that at some point it will reappear, but at this point, it is probably at the same place that the book that vanished behind the bookselved. So, yeah, that one still haunts me often.

12. If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Btw if you wish for more wishes the genie turns all your current WIPs into Lorem Ipsum, I don’t make the rules

Usually, I would refuse to play along with genies, because of a weird trick, but if for some reasons I was sure that there woudln't be any tricks and that it would come as I picture it in my mind I would wish for.

1- For all the next elections (that means every election that happen everywhere in the world) to be won by a left party (yes, even if no left party currently exists) and for them to be able to actually follow through with there program (wonder why it's my first though hey...)

2- To have time to rest and get time to get to know myself and to recover from burnout without having to worry about anything (safety, money, job, having to move flat...) for as much time as needed to be ok.

And I wouldn't use the third one, not yet, I would keep it for if (of more likely when) something happens that puts me/my friends/people I care for in danger or in a bad position.

16. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever used as a bookmark?

I don't know? I don't really remember using anything especially weird, appart from the normal receipts, leaves, sunglasses or stuff like that.

30. Talk to me about the role dreams play in your writing life. Have you ever used material from your dreams in your writing? Have you ever written in a dream? Did you remember it when you woke up?

They play barely no role. I don't remember ever writing in my dreams, nor consciously using stuff from my dreams for stories that I wrotes or was planning to write (occasionally for personnal daydreams though). And I do believe that I got ideas during my dreams a few times, but completely forgot about it when I woke up.

40. Please share a poem with me, I need it.

I'm not the right person to ask, I've never really understood poetry, it rarely speaks to me and I've found it boring to read most of the time. So, I've never writen any (to the exception of when I was around 11-12 and found out about haiku and wrote a bunch of them). But, sometimes, once in a while, one will particularly speak to me, and that's what happen with The hollow men by T.S. Eliot (a pretty well-known one, I know), because the last sentence was said in an episode of Doctor Who (the Lazarus Experiment if my memory is not too bad) and it stuck with me. I'm particularly fond of the last part, so here it is, and it's really one of the rare poems to actually move me:

 Between the idea     And the reality     Between the motion     And the act     Falls the Shadow                                     For Thine is the Kingdom         Between the conception     And the creation     Between the emotion     And the response     Falls the Shadow                                     Life is very long         Between the desire     And the spasm     Between the potency     And the existence     Between the essence     And the descent     Falls the Shadow                                     For Thine is the Kingdom         For Thine is     Life is     For Thine is the         This is the way the world ends     This is the way the world ends     This is the way the world ends     Not with a bang but a whimper.

[cryptic-paw]

The Mirror

The events in this poem,

I can say for sure,

Happened right after

The experiment’s failure.

Regina now had nothing left.

She wanted the kingdom to herself, by all means.

But for now, she decided

To act as a quiet and good-natured queen.

For now, we will shift focus

To Regina’s husband, King Leopold,

Whose purity, generosity, and kindness

Never grows old.

King Leopold was taking a walk

Along a sandy beach ramp

When he saw that the tide had washed in

A golden and oddly shaped lamp.

He picked it up,

And like a curious kit,

He rubbed the shiny lamp

With his hand a bit.

Purple smoke encircled the lamp.

It was anything but teeny.

Before the king appeared

A well-dressed genie.

He said, “I am the genie of Agrabah.

I will grant you three wishes.

It can be anything, from granting you gold

To cleaning your dishes.”

The king replied,

“I have everything that I require.

I have a good life. The kingdom is healthy.

There is nothing I desire.”

“Then maybe you

Can do something for me.

A genie’s job is tiring.

Can you wish me free?”

“With the power

Vested within me,

I so wish for you, Genie,

To be free!”

Smoke encircled the gold bracelets

On the Genie’s wrists.

Now he could do all of the things

That were on his to-do list.

“Your Majesty, I thank you

For setting me free.

Though, I still am not the happiest

That I could be.”

“I wish with all my heart,

As my second wish,

To bestow upon you

My third and final wish.”

The lamp was now back

In the Genie’s possession.

He could use the wish

For any little want or obsession.

“Genie, for your generosity,

I grant you a place at my palace.

You will be safe

From any forces of malice.”

Genie accepted the invitation to the castle.

The king had become his friend

And he would stay by his side

To any length’s end.

Time passed at the castle,

So much that Snow was now a young adult.

In my opinion, though,

She was still a wretched little dolt.

Regina survived through every tedious day.

Being good was really boring.

She never really fit in and was slightly shamed

By everyone, even the king.

One day, there was a feast.

Regina entered the dining hall in a beautiful white dress.

The food upon the long tables

Appeared to be a scrumptious mess.

Genie happened

To be at this feast.

He had only expected everyone

To be eating like beasts.

This was the first time

That Genie actually noticed the queen.

He took a shine to her,

If you know what I mean.

It was the high point of the feast

And people were busy meeting happily.

This is the moment

That Regina chose to leave discreetly.

Genie saw

Regina leave.

He decided to go after her

For it would make him unhappy if she were to grieve.

He found her in a courtyard

Next to an apple tree.

Regina jumped in surprise

As Genie spoke, “Pardon me.

I saw you leave.”

Genie did not kid.

Regina said, “No one in there ever notices my absence.”

Genie said, “I did.”

Regina looked up and stared into Genie’s eyes

With awe on her face.

She smiled. In her life,

Genie had found a place.

“I grew this tree,” said Regina,

“In my childhood garden.”

She became serious for a moment

And her heart hardened.

“This tree and I have two things in common,”

Her words were like a mournful song.

“Neither of us can leave the castle

And neither of us really belongs.

I don’t feel for the king.

I don’t intend to be mean,

But I know that he will never love me

Like he did his first queen.

I feel trapped.”

Genie could understand.

“Of all people, I know what it’s like to be trapped.”

He held out something in his hand.

It contained a handheld mirror.

“Here is my gift to you

So that you can see yourself

The way that I see you.”

Regina accepted the mirror and held it

So she could see her reflection.

“How do you see me?”

She was trying to make a connection.

“I see you as

The most beautiful creature in all the land.”

Genie was obviously infatuated

And Regina had things in motion for schemes she had planned.

The next day,

The king called Genie to Regina’s chamber while she was out.

“Genie, there is someone of a matter

That I need you to scout.

I have called only you here

Because I trust you.

Now here is the thing

That I’ll have you do.

Read this entry in my wife’s diary

And you shall see

What has me so

Terribly worried.”

Genie was given the diary

And through it he read

An entry that half-filled

Him with dread.

It read, “Last night

By my apple tree,

A man I had never seen before

Walked up to me.

We spoke for but a moment,

Yet, his words held me dear

And he gave me

A small mirror.

Though it was but a simple mirror,

It stirred up feelings in me that had long been forgotten.

He had treated me much better than the king,

Who makes me feel nothing but rotten.”

The king said, “I never would have thought

That the queen would betray me like this.

Genie, I need you to find the man who gave my wife this mirror

And bring him to me. You cannot afford a miss.”

Genie replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

But what was he to do?

It would only be a matter of time

Before King Leopold saw him through.

Until the culprit was found,

The king locked Regina in her room.

Genie knew that he would need help to free Regina

And he would need it very soon.

Genie went to Regina’s courtyard

Where he met Henry, Regina’s dad.

He hoped that Henry would have a way

To help Regina out a tad.

Henry was holding a box and said,

“What’s inside will work for sure.

The content of this box

Is the only thing that can free her.”

Genie took the box

And Henry handed him the key.

Genie knew it was his duty to deliver the box to Regina.

It was the only way to set her free.

“Genie, King Leopold trusts you.

You can gain access to Regina with ease.

You must do this to free my daughter!

Do this task for both her and me, please!”

That night, Genie went

To Regina’s room.

He ever so hoped what was in the box

Would free Regina from her impending doom.

Regina was sitting

In front of her mirror.

She turned to face Genie.

“Oh! You’re here!

Why are you here at this hour?

You could be caught by the king!”

“For you,” said Genie,

“I would risk anything.

Your father instructed me to give you this box.

He told me its contents would free you.”

“Ah, yes,” said Regina,

“I think it will do.”

Genie set the box on the table

And Regina turned the key.

The objects inside the box

Were a sight to see.

Regina slowly opened the lid

And as if following a piper,

Two scaly, green heads poked out with a hiss.

Genie gasped, “The Agrabahn Viper!

It’s from my home country, Agrabah,

And is the deadliest of all snakes.

It can kill with a single bite,

Leaving chaos in its wake.”

Genie realized in an instant, “Death is your freedom?!”

Tears were streaming down Regina’s face.

“It is my only escape

From this wretched place.”

“If you are to die,

Then I will die, too.

My life is nothing

Without you.”

Regina slowly slid her finger

Towards the deadly snakes.

It was inches above the vipers’ heads when Genie grabbed it.

“Stop! I can’t let you make this mistake.”

“But I cannot

Possibly stay.

Genie, there is

No other way!”

“Oh, but there is

Another way that we could try.

What if the king

Was to die?”

Regina smiled. “That might just work,

But you have to be sure.

You can’t let this plan

Become a failure.”

“My queen,

Soon, you shall be free,

And then we can

Live happily.”

Genie went to King Leopold’s chamber.

He was sleeping soundly in his bed.

In a few moments,

He would be dead.

Genie went to the foot of the bed

And set the box down.

He moved swiftly,

Making little sound.

He opened the box

And the vipers looked at him.

They recognized his Agrabahn blood and awaited orders,

No matter how grim.

Genie pointed at the king.

The vipers understood.

Genie believed that what he was doing

Was for the greater good.

The vipers slithered under the blankets.

Their figures moved up the bed.

You could see murder in their eyes

When they got to King Leopold’s head.

The king awoke and stared at Genie.

There was pure innocence in his eyes.

It made Genie feel guilty

For the king’s surprise.

The vipers hissed and striked

At King Leopold’s neck.

Genie knew now

There was no turning back.

The king’s face was turning purple.

The venom was taking effect.

The look that was now on the king’s face,

Genie would never forget.

“I am the man who gave your wife that mirror.”

The king’s expression was the worst he’d ever seen.

“Just as you freed me,

Now I must free your queen.”

The king was gasping for air

And choked out his last words with much anguish.

“I never should have

Made a wish.”

King Leopold was silent.

The dark deed was done.

Genie fled the dead king’s chamber.

Regina had won.

Back in Regina’s room,

Genie came rushing in with quite a fuss.

“I have succeeded in killing the king

For the both of us.

Now,

Both of us are free,

And neither of us

Has a reason to flee.”

“You’re wrong.

You have to go

For a dire reason

You’ve forgotten so.”

Genie knew that something

Was troubling his queen

And he asked,

“Whatever do you mean?”

“The guards will find the vipers in his bed

And they’ll know that it was you.

You have to escape

While I see this situation through.

I’ve arranged for a boat to be your transportation.

It will take you far away,

But the castle is a place

Where you cannot stay!”

“I don’t understand.

We could leave and be together!

What happened to being

Together forever?”

Genie realized, “It wasn’t a coincidence that you chose the Agrabahn Viper.

You knew it was from my homeland.

You wanted the king’s murder to be traced back to me.

This was all planned.”

“I never loved you,” Regina stated boldly.

“What?” Genie said.

Regina repeated it a bit louder, “I never loved you!”

Genie wished that he could be dead.

“You should be grateful that I’m granting you the option

Of safe travel.

Otherwise, you would be buried

Underneath the gravel.”

“No. There is another way.”

Genie took the lamp in his hand.

“I am certain that I must use this wish.

I completely understand.

I wish to never

Leave your side.”

Purple smoke encircled him

And he was gone like the tide.

Regina looked left, right, and turned around,

But Genie wasn’t there.

Then, she heard something

Crying out in despair.

She looked down at the mirror in her hand.

It was in the perfect place,

But instead of her reflection,

Regina saw the Genie’s screaming face.

Regina grinned and thought,

“This adds perfectly to my plan.

I’ll use this to my advantage

In any way I can.”

[ramalbumclub]

20 Years of Almost Killed Me

Let me quickly run through the biography.

Craig Finn, future leader of The Hold Steady, was THAT kid in school - neither the first to be picked for the sports team, nor the last. A bespectacled adolescent navigating the school corridors, aware that there’s an “in-crowd” and he’s on the outs. 

He's the kid in-between - like most of us. Like me.

So what's the plan? How does he get from there to here?

Does he settle or does he aspire?

He does neither, he retreats into a world of books and music and becomes an expert in HIS field. He learns how to play guitar, becomes a fan of local Minneapolis bands like The Replacements and Husker Du, and, even though he's still a kid, he goes to see them at the "all ages hardcore matinee shows" in town.

Just a quick aside here but "hardcore matinee shows" sound like the most fun in the world - something to really build a day around. I'd basically vote for any political party that introduced them into the U.K.

But back to the story....

In his early '20s, Finn forms a band called Lifter Puller who are simultaneously pretty good but also not quite right. What works, spectacularly, is Finn's lyrics about drugs and the shady characters that surround them but "the not quite right" bit is the music - a sort of '80s inspired synth overdose that, at its worst, sounds like the soundtrack to a Brian De Palma movie and, at its best, sounds like the soundtrack to a Brian De Palma movie.

After a few albums, a modicum of success, Lifter Puller split up and Finn becomes a financial broker for American Express before moving to New York to get a job at a digital webcasting company. At this stage in Finn's life it would appear that his brief flirtation with a career in music had ended and he was now on a course for a series of jobs in tech and finance. In fact, he doesn't do anything related to music for two whole years. He's just the guy at work, the one who used to be in a band called Lifter Puller.

And then it happens.

Craig Finn is watching Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz, the film of The Band's final concert, and he turns to his friend Tad Kubler, and says "Dude, why aren't there any bands like this anymore?"

Finn's observation is correct - there are no bands like that and I'm not sure there ever will be. But that's obvious, that's the bit we can all see. Even I've watched The Last Waltz and said to my mate Dan (I don't have a mate called Tad, I wish I did) - "Dude, why aren't there any bands like this anymore?"

No, what I love about this moment is what they did next. Finn and Kubler, there and then, decide to form a band like that. They took the completely mad decision in 2003, when everyone was still floored by that Neutral Milk Hotel album and everything it spawned, of creating a band with just guitar, bass, and drums.

They called themselves The Hold Steady and there wasn't a singing saw, a zanzithophone, or a wandering genie organ in sight.

What started out as an excuse for a bunch of guys in their '30s to hang out, drink, and play the occasional show, then becomes something of a going concern. Finn's lyrics, framed by Kubler's big riffs, created an unlikely breath of fresh air, a sense of celebration. Before long they're signed to Frenchkiss, the best name for a record label ever, and they release their first album - Almost Killed Me.

The album, in fact their career, opens with A Positive Jam, a song which tells the history of 20th Century America in 171 words. In the background, a lazy guitar struggles to wake up as the events are passed like road signs. It's their first song, on their first album, and after 90 seconds there's been a stock market crash, a World War, and 3 Kennedys are dead. The lyrical economy is remarkable, the way he deals with each decade precisely and definitively in one sentence. 

This is how he nails the '50s -

"We got shiftless in the '50s, holding hands and going steady, twisting into dark parts of the large Midwestern cities"

No need for the white picket fence trope, no need for Ike or Truman to co-star. Post war America perfectly reduced to "Holding hands and going steady". And then The Twist tells you the ‘60s are coming.  I got it straight away.

And this is how he nails the '70s -

"We woke up on bloody carpets, got tangled up in gas lines and I guess that's where it started"

He rhymed "carpets" with "started" and reduced the long term economic and political effects of the 1973 Oil Crisis to a line. What's not to like? I can still vividly remember my first listen now - the time, the place, and an album cover of blacked out faces. It was immediate. I was in.

And I didn't even know then what I know now, that he was providing context - that he was explicitly saying "We have shared history." Because at the end of the song, he brings us up to date, the guitar does wake up and the band kicks in. It's then that he tells us that he was bored so he started a band, it's then that he tells us that he wants to start it off with a positive jam.

The first time I heard Almost Killed Me I rewound the opening song again and again. I guess the "positive jam" that the song was trailing was The Swish, the second song on the album. But I couldn't get to it, I couldn't get past how good the opener was. I listened to it five times on the spin – by the time I was finished 15 Kennedys had died.

But then I did I get past it. I got to The Swish and my head fell off. Honestly, I stood there laughing, air riffing and dancing, in thrall to my new favourite band after just two songs. The bridge from A Positive Jam to The Swish is one of THE moments in music for me. It simultaneously comes out of nowhere yet evokes a memory. I made it through the rest of the album, breathless and giddy.

I'd never heard anything like it, despite having heard things like it.

Does that make sense? That bit really needs to make sense.

You know when The Sopranos came out and you thought "Jesus, not another story about Italian American Gangsters. Surely not THAT again." But then you watched it and saw that the characters were immersed in that culture as much as the viewer. They existed within their own context and couldn't move without referencing it.

And that was the difference. It was derivative but it was spun, from an angle so it wasn't head on.

That's The Hold Steady. That's Almost Killed Me.

It would be easy to say it's my favourite album of the 21st Century if only it didn't have to compete with what they did next - Separation Sunday, Boys and Girls in America and, finally, the hangover, Stay Positive. Finn had done it, with his friends they'd made one of the greatest runs of albums ever - an aggregate score of at least 36 out of 40.

At least.

Yes, there were comparisons to things you'd heard before, a familiarity, but for me it was almost entirely different. People screamed Springsteen, people screamed The E Street Band but I never really knew why. These weren't stories about open roads, about making love to the interstate. These were stories about the claustrophobia of community, about the kids in between - confined by drugs and religion. And you know what? Springsteen never swished through the city centre to do a couple of favours for some guys who looked like Tusken Raiders did he? No he didn't, he was probably driving somewhere.

The Hold Steady wore their influences on their sleeve but they spun them. They humoured them. They said "Tramps like us and we like Tramps" and told stories about people who looked like people -  people who looked like Rocco Siffredi, Elisabeth Shue, Izzy Stradlin, Alice Cooper, Mickey Mantle, and, of course, Tusken Raiders. They were doing that thing again - they were saying "We know you know. Because we have shared history"

But this analysis, my attempt at explanation, is nothing compared to the visceral triumph and joy of a Hold Steady show - the pleasure of watching this band that had been plucked from their own lives and were creating anew. I used to spend hours looking at the bass player, I'd never seen anyone work so hard whilst standing still - a man who started the night dry and ended it dripping in sweat and smiles.

And then there was Finn - the inbetweener, the most generous of front men. He was always so warm and inclusive to his audience, so glad that they're there with him. Yet he never forgets the band. Never. And for someone so wordy it's remarkable the gaps he leaves for them - the gaps for them to play and for him to admire. Often he’d be clapping, dancing, and having so much fun in admiration, that I’d worry he’d forget to join in again – that he’d forget that the moment after the gaps were his.

But he never did.

Fast forward to 2014 - to the Holiday Inn, in Brighton, a few hours after a Hold Steady show.

I'd probably had my back to him for about 10 minutes, having a night cap at the hotel bar and thinking about what had come before. But then I turned around and there he was - Craig Finn, sitting alone, a hero rather than a star. I decided to say hello and he gestured for me to sit down. We talked about The Last Waltz. I asked him if it was true, whether that's really how it started, and he said it was. We talked about the rest of the film, all those conversations, you know where they go - Joni Mitchell and all her chords; Van Morrison and that ridiculous high kick. And somewhere in the drink and The Last Waltz I lost the memory of the night, other than to say he was good company and he paid his way.

And if I met him now?

If I met him now, I'd probably get lost down another rabbit hole - about how we're the same age and how I wasn't picked first for the sports team either. I'd ask him how he feels now, at 44, about the start he gave himself at 33 - whether that still surprises him, whether it ever did. Whether he knows, REALLY knows, that for about four years The Hold Steady were the best band in the world. But more than that I'd tell him about how HE influenced, how HE inspired, about how Ruth and I always used to say this album club was about spinning familiar stories, about telling them from an angle rather than head on - just like The Hold Steady.

Because that's what we used to say. When we wanted to avoid nostalgia and reheating the past , we used to say it should be "JUST LIKE THE HOLD STEADY".

And before I lost another evening, and its fluid memory, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank him for that.

Martin Fitzgerald (2014)

[crypticpawpoems]

The Mirror

The events in this poem, I can say for sure, Happened right after The experiment’s failure.

Regina now had nothing left. She wanted the kingdom to herself, by all means. But for now, she decided To act as a quiet and good-natured queen.

For now, we will shift focus To Regina’s husband, King Leopold, Whose purity, generosity, and kindness Never grows old.

King Leopold was taking a walk Along a sandy beach ramp When he saw that the tide had washed in A golden and oddly shaped lamp.

He picked it up, And like a curious kit, He rubbed the shiny lamp With his hand a bit.

Purple smoke encircled the lamp. It was anything but teeny. Before the king appeared A well-dressed genie.

He said, “I am the genie of Agrabah. I will grant you three wishes. It can be anything, from granting you gold To cleaning your dishes.”

The king replied, “I have everything that I require. I have a good life. The kingdom is healthy. There is nothing I desire.”

“Then maybe you Can do something for me. A genie’s job is tiring. Can you wish me free?”

“With the power Vested within me, I so wish for you, Genie, To be free!”

Smoke encircled the gold bracelets On the Genie’s wrists. Now he could do all of the things That were on his to-do list.

“Your Majesty, I thank you For setting me free. Though, I still am not the happiest That I could be.”

“I wish with all my heart, As my second wish, To bestow upon you My third and final wish.”

The lamp was now back In the Genie’s possession. He could use the wish For any little want or obsession.

“Genie, for your generosity, I grant you a place at my palace. You will be safe From any forces of malice.”

Genie accepted the invitation to the castle. The king had become his friend And he would stay by his side To any length’s end.

Time passed at the castle, So much that Snow was now a young adult. In my opinion, though, She was still a wretched little dolt.

Regina survived through every tedious day. Being good was really boring. She never really fit in and was slightly shamed By everyone, even the king.

One day, there was a feast. Regina entered the dining hall in a beautiful white dress. The food upon the long tables Appeared to be a scrumptious mess.

Genie happened To be at this feast. He had only expected everyone To be eating like beasts.

This was the first time That Genie actually noticed the queen. He took a shine to her, If you know what I mean.

It was the high point of the feast And people were busy meeting happily. This is the moment That Regina chose to leave discreetly.

Genie saw Regina leave. He decided to go after her For it would make him unhappy if she were to grieve.

He found her in a courtyard Next to an apple tree. Regina jumped in surprise As Genie spoke, “Pardon me.

I saw you leave.” Genie did not kid. Regina said, “No one in there ever notices my absence.” Genie said, “I did.”

Regina looked up and stared into Genie’s eyes With awe on her face. She smiled. In her life, Genie had found a place.

“I grew this tree,” said Regina, “In my childhood garden.” She became serious for a moment And her heart hardened.

“This tree and I have two things in common,” Her words were like a mournful song. “Neither of us can leave the castle And neither of us really belongs.

I don’t feel for the king. I don’t intend to be mean, But I know that he will never love me Like he did his first queen.

I feel trapped.” Genie could understand. “Of all people, I know what it’s like to be trapped.” He held out something in his hand.

It contained a handheld mirror. “Here is my gift to you So that you can see yourself The way that I see you.”

Regina accepted the mirror and held it So she could see her reflection. “How do you see me?” She was trying to make a connection.

“I see you as The most beautiful creature in all the land.” Genie was obviously infatuated And Regina had things in motion for schemes she had planned.

The next day, The king called Genie to Regina’s chamber while she was out. “Genie, there is someone of a matter That I need you to scout.

I have called only you here Because I trust you. Now here is the thing That I’ll have you do.

Read this entry in my wife’s diary And you shall see What has me so Terribly worried.”

Genie was given the diary And through it he read An entry that half-filled Him with dread.

It read, “Last night By my apple tree, A man I had never seen before Walked up to me.

We spoke for but a moment, Yet, his words held me dear And he gave me A small mirror.

Though it was but a simple mirror, It stirred up feelings in me that had long been forgotten. He had treated me much better than the king, Who makes me feel nothing but rotten.”

The king said, “I never would have thought That the queen would betray me like this. Genie, I need you to find the man who gave my wife this mirror And bring him to me. You cannot afford a miss.”

Genie replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.” But what was he to do? It would only be a matter of time Before King Leopold saw him through.

Until the culprit was found, The king locked Regina in her room. Genie knew that he would need help to free Regina And he would need it very soon.

Genie went to Regina’s courtyard Where he met Henry, Regina’s dad. He hoped that Henry would have a way To help Regina out a tad.

Henry was holding a box and said, “What’s inside will work for sure. The content of this box Is the only thing that can free her.”

Genie took the box And Henry handed him the key. Genie knew it was his duty to deliver the box to Regina. It was the only way to set her free.

“Genie, King Leopold trusts you. You can gain access to Regina with ease. You must do this to free my daughter! Do this task for both her and me, please!”

That night, Genie went To Regina’s room. He ever so hoped what was in the box Would free Regina from her impending doom.

Regina was sitting In front of her mirror. She turned to face Genie. “Oh! You’re here!

Why are you here at this hour? You could be caught by the king!” “For you,” said Genie, “I would risk anything.

Your father instructed me to give you this box. He told me its contents would free you.” “Ah, yes,” said Regina, “I think it will do.”

Genie set the box on the table And Regina turned the key. The objects inside the box Were a sight to see.

Regina slowly opened the lid And as if following a piper, Two scaly, green heads poked out with a hiss. Genie gasped, “The Agrabahn Viper!

It’s from my home country, Agrabah, And is the deadliest of all snakes. It can kill with a single bite, Leaving chaos in its wake.”

Genie realized in an instant, “Death is your freedom?!” Tears were streaming down Regina’s face. “It is my only escape From this wretched place.”

“If you are to die, Then I will die, too. My life is nothing Without you.”

Regina slowly slid her finger Towards the deadly snakes. It was inches above the vipers’ heads when Genie grabbed it. “Stop! I can’t let you make this mistake.”

“But I cannot Possibly stay. Genie, there is No other way!”

“Oh, but there is Another way that we could try. What if the king Was to die?”

Regina smiled. “That might just work, But you have to be sure. You can’t let this plan Become a failure.”

“My queen, Soon, you shall be free, And then we can Live happily.”

Genie went to King Leopold’s chamber. He was sleeping soundly in his bed. In a few moments, He would be dead.

Genie went to the foot of the bed And set the box down. He moved swiftly, Making little sound.

He opened the box And the vipers looked at him. They recognized his Agrabahn blood and awaited orders, No matter how grim.

Genie pointed at the king. The vipers understood. Genie believed that what he was doing Was for the greater good.

The vipers slithered under the blankets. Their figures moved up the bed. You could see murder in their eyes When they got to King Leopold’s head.

The king awoke and stared at Genie. There was pure innocence in his eyes. It made Genie feel guilty For the king’s surprise.

The vipers hissed and striked At King Leopold’s neck. Genie knew now There was no turning back.

The king’s face was turning purple. The venom was taking effect. The look that was now on the king’s face, Genie would never forget.

“I am the man who gave your wife that mirror.” The king’s expression was the worst he’d ever seen. “Just as you freed me, Now I must free your queen.”

The king was gasping for air And choked out his last words with much anguish. “I never should have Made a wish.”

King Leopold was silent. The dark deed was done. Genie fled the dead king’s chamber. Regina had won.

Back in Regina’s room, Genie came rushing in with quite a fuss. “I have succeeded in killing the king For the both of us.

Now, Both of us are free, And neither of us Has a reason to flee.”

“You’re wrong. You have to go For a dire reason You’ve forgotten so.”

Genie knew that something Was troubling his queen And he asked, “Whatever do you mean?”

“The guards will find the vipers in his bed And they’ll know that it was you. You have to escape While I see this situation through.

I’ve arranged for a boat to be your transportation. It will take you far away, But the castle is a place Where you cannot stay!”

“I don’t understand. We could leave and be together! What happened to being Together forever?”

Genie realized, “It wasn’t a coincidence that you chose the Agrabahn Viper. You knew it was from my homeland. You wanted the king’s murder to be traced back to me. This was all planned.”

“I never loved you,” Regina stated boldly. “What?” Genie said. Regina repeated it a bit louder, “I never loved you!” Genie wished that he could be dead.

“You should be grateful that I’m granting you the option Of safe travel. Otherwise, you would be buried Underneath the gravel.”

“No. There is another way.” Genie took the lamp in his hand. “I am certain that I must use this wish. I completely understand.

I wish to never Leave your side.” Purple smoke encircled him And he was gone like the tide.

Regina looked left, right, and turned around, But Genie wasn’t there. Then, she heard something Crying out in despair.

She looked down at the mirror in her hand. It was in the perfect place, But instead of her reflection, Regina saw the Genie’s screaming face.

Regina grinned and thought, “This adds perfectly to my plan. I’ll use this to my advantage In any way I can.”

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 1/5

Book Blurb:

Perfect for fans of Erin Sterling and Ann Aguirre, for everyone who’s ever dreamed of finding Mr. Right, and settled for Mr. Right Now, this romantic comedy from debut author Shannon Bright is a sparkling cocktail of humor and heart.

Raised by a mother whose ironclad motto is “men are trash,” Iza longs to prove her wrong, ideally with a kind, steady boyfriend who will free her from the exhausting treadmill that is dating.  Although she’s willing to try (almost) anything to find love, accidentally summoning a wish-granting stranger out of thin air was never part of the plan.

Unfortunately, Beckett, her personal wish-granter, isn’t exactly the sage and generous being she would expect. Instead, he loves to party, has attitude to spare, and boasts an uncanny ability to point out Iza’s worst flaws. Iza decides to use one of her three wishes to create her dream man—a modern Mr. Darcy. If that esteemed gentleman can’t impress her overbearing mother, no one can. Using Pride and Prejudice as the handbook to Darcy’s heart, Iza plays the part of Elizabeth Bennet and sets out to create her epic love story.  

Making wishes and winning Darcy over becomes more complicated than Iza expects, especially with Beckett’s adorably dimpled grin and unexpected kindness in the equation. Soon enough, she’s glimpsing the truth of the man behind the flippant persona, and each moment in his company makes her question everything she thought she wanted from love.

Review:

What if you suddenly found yourself with a magical genie who can grant you three wishes and the only thing you ever really wanted was to find Mr. Right? Well for Iza, being raised by a mom who thinks all men are trash, finding a guy to meet her mom's standards has been difficult. Iza longs to find Mr. Right but she's had no luck until suddenly one day after opening a bottle of nail polish suddenly a very cute but frat boy genie appears named Beckett, who tells her he is here to grant her three wishes. Iza wants to find Mr. Right and the only Mr. Right she can think of to ask for is a modern day Mr. Darcy, but when she gets her wish granted he is not what she thinks at all... and maybe her Mr. Right has been next her all along wanting to grant her heart's wishes...if only she could pay attention. This one was such a let down for me, I truly wanted to like it so much but Iza constantly got on my nerves. She goes on and on about how she's tried everything when in fact she has not, she went on one dating app and then went on a date with an actual prince who liked her and dipped. She has serious mommy issues and when someone calls her out on it, she immediately says nah. Iza is whiney, judgmental, and for someone who says she wants Mr. Darcy and says her favorite book is Pride and Prejudice but freaks out when Mr. Darcy just acts like Mr. Darcy and has to have her own friend explain it out for her, it's baffling. I loved Beckett, the genie and love interest and honestly wanted him to end up with someone else because the way she treats him the entire book is not it at all. Sadly this did not come off as a cute rom com and missed the mark on growth for Iza. I really just did not vibe with her at all.

*Thanks Netgalley and Alcove Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*