#in my head witches would also be like Why Is Everything So Sweet about American processed food | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

queenbirbs · 4 years

Text

the open door | Ethan x MC

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x MC

Warnings: swearing, some brief mentions of corpses and body horror, spooks and possible spectres

Word count: 7.7k

Premise: Bryce invites Sloane, Sienna, and Aurora on a tour of a haunted estate on the night before Halloween. What could go wrong?

Notes: I’m super bummed that we didn’t get a Halloween-themed chapter for this book, especially since it’s my favorite holiday. Takes place post chapter 11, though I’ve played with the timeline a bit to include Halloween. Re-post because it fell out of the tag, as posts seem to want to do as of late.

Taglist: @maurine07 @caseyvalentineramsey

------

“You are aware there’s no such thing as witches, right?”

“Well, yeah,” Bryce scoffs. “Maybe. Besides, I said she was rumored to be a witch. That’s a whole different thing.”

“Oh, right, of course it is.” In the backseat, Aurora rolls her eyes. “Just tell that to all the people killed during the Salem witch trials due to mass hysteria.”

“Hey, now -- it’s not like she was killed for being a witch.”

“Right. She pulled a classic Rose for Emily,” Sloane mutters while Sienna makes a gagging noise.

“What?” Bryce asks.

“It’s a short story by Faulkner.”

“Oh.” There’s a brief pause. Sloane wonders if he even knows who that is. Then: “Is he the dude that had a hard-on for the Civil War?”

“Yeah,” Aurora snorts. “Basically.”

“Yeah, never read any of his stuff. I think I used SparkNotes for one of his books in undergrad.”

“Same,” Sloane admits, to which Bryce shoots her a look of faux-surprise. “Yeah, yeah, we all had to skate by sometimes.”

“Well, well, well,” he crows. “Looks like the ‘next generation of medicine’ isn’t so high and mighty after all, huh?”

“Wait, how did you--”

“Ramsey was four drinks deep at Donahue’s the other day, and one of the interns came up and bothered him about a possible spot on the team. Which meant we all overheard the twenty-minute spiel about what a great doctor you are.” He snickers as she puts a hand over her face and groans. “Yeah, it was real sweet. Real obvious, but sweet.”

She’s saved by the GPS on her phone, cutting through the music playing over the car speakers; Bryce takes the next exit as instructed. The off-ramp spits them out onto a two-lane county road. Posted across from the solitary stop sign, the blue services sign offers nothing but blank, white squares.

“There’s a bathroom, right?” Sienna asks. “Because I’m not seeing a gas station.”

“It’s a house, you guys,” Bryce scoffs, “not a cave.”

“A haunted house,” she clarifies.

“Well, I mean, I don’t think the toilets are haunted.”

For several miles, there’s nothing but sweeping woodlands and the occasional passing car. Long squiggles of tar decorate the asphalt, snaking across the empty, leaf-strewn road. The setting sun casts a golden hue over everything, spears of light cutting through the tree trunks. It would be a nice, evening drive if it weren’t for where they were headed.

Forty minutes north of Boston lies the small, nondescript town of Angler. Even under the cover of dusk, Sloane can tell that it’s one of those towns. Pretty Tudors line the main street, their porches decorated with smiling scarecrows sitting on bales of hay; banners along the telephone poles advertise the annual apple festival. The bank and the post office and the dry cleaners are all tucked together in the refurbished general store. It’s the stereotypical, pleasant, all-American town. Which means that it’s the perfect place to hide a dark stain of history.

Why Bryce signed up for such a thing and how he won the tickets is beyond her. When he asked them all to join him for a haunted house, Sloane expected the typical theme: some dingy warehouse refurbished enough to meet modern building codes, full of tight mazes and masked actors with chainsaws.

“Nah, guys, this is the real deal,” he gloated over lunch the previous afternoon. “Back in the 1800s, this woman -- uhh Margaret, or Maggie, I think, yeah Maggie Angler -- she was one of the Boston Brahmins, owned this estate out in the country, blah blah blah. No one knows a whole lot about her because she was a little weird and she kept to herself. At some point, this dude woos her and they get married. But then, a few years later, he dies. Neighbors drop by to offer casseroles or whatever, but she won’t answer the door, so they give up and leave her alone. A few months go by, and suddenly this dude from town goes missing. Then a year, and another goes missing. This continues for several years and--”

“So, what, she’s some kind of black widow?” Elijah asked.

“No, this isn’t one of those Marvel--” Bryce’s brow furrowed and then lifted, realization striking his handsome face. “--oh, heh, yeah, sorry. But yeah, sort of. It wasn’t until word got around that the latest dude was seen talking to Maggie at the store that people got suspicious of her. So, they gather up some people and storm the house, where they find a Satanic Bible and other spooky shit. But that’s not the only thing they find.”

They all glance around at each other, waiting to see who will encourage Bryce to break his silence and finish the damn story. “They also find... the missing dudes.”

“What, buried in the backyard?” Sloane asked, and frowned when Bryce shook his head.

“No, not buried. She killed them and then kept them in the house. Supposedly, they were posed at the table or sitting on the couch, rotting away.”

Sienna made a show of pushing her plate away. “That’s disgusting.”

“I know there’s a group of people in Indonesia that keep their dead relatives at home,” Aurora said, “but they’re preserved and cared for. This doesn’t sound like that.”

“Nope.” Elijah shook his head. “Definitely not the same thing.”

“What happened to the woman?” Sloane asked.

“No idea -- get this: they never found her.” Bryce lifted his eyebrows for dramatic effect. “But the story goes that she still haunts the place, searching for her lost lovers, and maybe… trying to get some new ones.”

Jackie, who had been busy scrolling away on her phone through the tale, snorted into her salad.

“And you want us to come with you to some evil witch’s house on the night before Halloween to go ghost hunting? I may not believe in any of this shit, but no fucking way.”

“Yeah,” Elijah sighed, cringing at the crestfallen look on Bryce’s face. “Sorry dude, but I’ll pass. My idea of fun is a John Carpenter movie marathon, not a tour around Jane the Ripper’s house.”

“Okay, understood.” With that, Bryce looked to the remaining three and turned on the charm, draping his arm across Sloane’s shoulders. “C’mon, ladies, whaddaya say? Hard to pass up the prospect of touring a bona fide haunted mansion with one of the most handsome men you know -- second only to Elijah here.”

Tapping at her chin, Sienna nodded and grinned. “Sounds fun. I like scary things.”

Aurora, on the other hand, shot him a skeptical look. “Are you going to shout at the air and act like you’re possessed, like I’ve seen that one ghost hunter do on TV? The one with the spiky hair?” she demanded to know.

“Uhhh no to all of those things, but especially to the spiky hair.”

“Okay, then,” she shrugged, “I’ll go.”

Every eye at the table turned to Sloane; Bryce squeezed her shoulder in encouragement.

“Alright,” she agreed. “It’d be fun to get spooked, I guess. I’m down.”

Which is how she comes to be in the passenger seat of Bryce’s car, leaning forward onto the dashboard as they take the final turn onto a hidden lane. A thick tunnel of trees swallows them up as they drive deeper into the woods. After several miles, there’s a break in the pines, and then: sprawled atop a hill, looming above them, is the house. Even if she hadn’t heard the backstory, Sloane feels like the place would still give her the creeps. With its filmy lace curtains and its tall windows glowing yellow in the approaching darkness, the house looks like it’s been pulled from an Edward Hopper painting. Worn pavers lead from the semi-circular driveway and up to the front porch. Framing either side of the steps, thin, brittle blades of tufted hairgrass shift in the wind. Two people turn from the front door and raise a hand in greeting.

Bryce kills the engine and twists around in his seat to grin at his compatriots.

“You guys ready to get scaaaared?”

Sienna wraps her hands around Sloane’s seat and leans forward, her eyes wide as she stares out the windshield.

“Why does it look like The Amityville Horror house?”

“Is this a bad time to mention that the Blair Witch Project’s producers used this place as inspiration?”

“Yeah,” she hisses, “definitely a bad time.”

Shouldering open her door, Sloane lets in the cool October air in an attempt to corral their attention. It works; the rest of them pile out of the car with her and approach the couple.

As the current owners of the property, Jack and Nancy Bell guide them through the main floor of the house, pointing out spots of reported activity. The interior is lovely -- one of those Sloane would see in a Pictagram post of a wedding venue, with all those carved banisters and original wainscoting. Her brother, a successful carpenter in the Twin Cities, would have a field day in here. Most of the furniture is original to the house, as well, and in surprisingly good condition.

The only aspect setting the house apart from any other on the historical registry are the props. In the front hall, a bulletin board hosts an array of newspaper clippings. The earlier articles blame a serial killer, dubbed the ‘Butcher of Angler,’ for the mens’ disappearances. Then, starting on October 28th, 1892, the headlines change to the ‘Wicked Witch of Winthrope County.’ In the drawing room sits an Ouija board, surrounded by melted candles. A cauldron and a Satanic Bible share space on the kitchen counter; corked bottles of what look like cooking spices and herbs clutter the open cabinets. Mannequins lounge at the dining table or on the sofa, dressed in dusty clothes, their jaws slack, their painted eyes still and dull. Beside them, framed in cheap plastic, are the grainy photographs of the corpses as they were found. To Sloane, it all feels hokey, like a regular haunted house with the strobe lights turned off.

There’s something else, though, something underneath the fine layer of dust and the creaking floorboards and the shrouded furniture. It skitters across her neck and down her back, making her shiver, which she discounts as a wayward draft in the old house.

It’s the distinct feeling of being watched.

“Aside from the big house, there’s a carriage house to the left there. We rent it out in the summer and fall for overnight stays.” Jack gestures to the east as they step out onto the back veranda, where, just beyond the slope of lawn, a smaller house sits with a solitary porch light glowing. “And back down the path there will lead you to the lake. When we bought the place, the deed stated that there was a cabin out near the state park line, but we’ve never been able to find evidence of it.”

“Maggie’s been seen down by the lake, too,” Nancy chimes in. “People say they see her there, inside the boathouse, or walking along the shore with her head down, as if she’s searching for something.”

“We’ve got lanterns here if you want to use them as you go about the grounds, though you’re welcome to use your flashlights.” Jack nudges a neat row of antique lanterns with his sneaker. “For the optimal experience, though, we recommend turning off all the inside lights and using secondary light sources instead.” He chuckles when Sienna makes a throaty noise of dissent.

The couple leads them back through the house and into the front hall to finish the tour. While Jack goes over the various rules, Nancy motions for Sloane to follow her out onto the front porch.

“I didn’t want to say anything in front of your friends,” she starts off in a whisper, “but I wanted to talk to you about our son, Ben.”

For a fleeting moment, Sloane thinks that she’s going to get questioned about his bowel movements or a mysterious rash, that Bryce must have told them he was bringing along his doctor friends. “When he was seven, he nearly--” Nancy cuts herself off, pressing a hand to her heart, “--he drowned when we were at the beach in Florida. I did CPR until the EMTs got there, and they were able to resuscitate him, thank God.”

“I’m sorry,” Sloane murmurs, “that must’ve been awful.”

“It was. But I’m -- the reason I’m telling you all this is because, after that, Ben seems to be more… open. More open than the rest of us.”

“I’m sorry,” Sloane says again, though this time out of confusion, “but I don’t--”

With a huff, Nancy shakes her head and waves her hands. “No, no, I apologize. I must sound crazy. I just wanted to warn you that, due to what happened to you, you might see things or experience things that your friends can’t. That’s all, dear.”

Sloane opens her mouth to question her further, but they’re interrupted by the rest of the gang filing out beside them. “We’ll be back at one a.m. to lock up behind you,” Nancy says as she follows her husband down to their car.

With a cheery honk, the little Subaru rumbles down the winding driveway and disappears. The sun having set during the tour, the landscape before them is now draped with the heavy blanket of night. The moon peeks at them from just above the treetops, as if still deciding on whether or not to come out. The only lights are far-off, unmoving: porch lights of the houses back in town; cell towers with their red stars blinking lazily against the dark. A cold wind moves through the trees, rustling the leaves and scattering them across the front walk, the dried edges hissing along the brick.

“Can you believe he said no alcohol?” Bryce breaks the silence with a whine. “I read about this fun séance thing you do with tequila shots and--”

“No séances!” Sienna declares. “And definitely no tequila!”

“Can we argue about this where it’s warmer?” Aurora suggests and steps back into the house.

As she and Sienna wander off into the drawing room, Sloane wraps a hand around Bryce’s arm and pulls him back.

“Did you tell her about me?”

His nose scrunches up to meet his furrowed brows. “Tell who about what?”

“The-- Nancy, did you tell her about what happened to me? With… with the senator, and…” it’s embarrassing how much of a struggle it is to get the words out, even now, even after three weeks and two therapy appointments.

His face falls from confusion to concern. Bryce reaches up and lays his hand over her own.

“Slo, I didn’t tell them, I swear. I would never,” he promises. “Did she say something to you?”

She loosens her hold, frustrated at herself that she even considered he would do such a thing. He’s one of her best friends, the man who handed over the reins to a cutting-edge surgery just to be by her side.

“Yeah, no, listen: it’s fine,” she stumbles through a paltry reassurance. “She was probably trying to scare me, that’s all.”

He gives her a quick once-over, lips twisting into a frown as he debates on whether or not to push. She bites back a breath of relief when he relents, his hand releasing hers.

“Okay,” he says, and nudges her into the house ahead of him. “C’mon. Between the two of us, I think we can convince them to turn off the lights.”

------

Although he puts up a good fight, Bryce loses on the no-lights front.

Which is just as well, because by the time they reach the second floor, Sloane is glad for the light from the antique lamps. To be fair, nothing actually happens: no spooks, no spectres, and no signs from the former resident. Nothing she can point to with any amount of certainty. Whatever it is hovers out of reach, just on the tip of her tongue, but she can’t seem to give it a name. Maybe it lies -- like any good, scary movie -- in the setting. For as grand as the house is, time and dereliction have taken its fine features hostage. Thick, gray dust coats the wooden spindles and curled handrails of the antique staircase. The corridors are tight, the shadows gathering in the space where the lights can’t seem to reach. Small curls of peeling wallpaper look like fingers reaching out from the wall, backlit by the sconces. The cloying scent of wood rot and mold fills the air, like a pile of papers left to curl and yellow with age. The rooms are small, cluttered with furniture and trinkets and artwork.

Sloane stares at such a portrait in the master bedroom, where a couple stares down at her from above the fireplace. The man sits in a chair, the woman standing beside him with her hand on his shoulder. It would be any other family portrait, if it weren’t for the unsettling glaze over the man’s sunken eyes.

“Bryce, please don’t-- aaaand he’s sitting on the bed.”

“You do know that’s where they found her husband, right?” Sienna points out. “That’s why there’s a mannequin on it. And a picture of his dead body on the nightstand.”

“Maybe Maggie will see what a catch I am if I’m laid out for her. I’ve never met a woman over the age of sixty who could resist my charms.” Bryce waggles his eyebrows as he bounces once, then twice on the mattress before stretching out. “What’s up, bro?” he asks the mannequin beside him before doing a double-take. “Hey, it’s Annie!”

He snatches off the ugly wig and fake beard, and lo and behold, an old CPR dummy gapes up at them all. Sloane snorts and shakes her head.

“Looks like the years haven’t been kind to her.”

“Probably saddled with student loans just like the rest of us,” Aurora mutters as she wanders over to inspect the photograph. “Had to get a second job here.”

“Hey, that was a joke!” Bryce commends. “And a pretty good one at that.”

“I do jokes.”

“You so do not.”

A muffled bang from somewhere in the house stops their banter. Everyone glances at each other, verifying that everyone in their group is indeed in the room.

“What was that?” Sienna whispers.

“Probably the pipes,” Aurora says. “It is an old house.”

As if on cue, the lights flicker once, then switch off, sinking them into complete darkness. There’s a flurry of noise as everyone digs out their phones; the bedroom seems even creepier, now, under the white glow of their flashlights.

“What do we do?” Sienna hisses, scurrying from the window to latch onto Aurora.

“We could always search for the breaker,” she suggests.

“Which would be where?”

“In the basement, most likely.”

“Um, no,” Sienna balks. “Hell no.”

“Are you guys serious right now?” Bryce hops down from the bed and pokes his head out the open doorway. “This is so cool! Who wants to go downstairs with me and grab the Ouija board?”

“If you bring that thing near me, I will break it in half.”

He grimaces at Sienna’s threat.

“You’re not really supposed to do that with them. It’ll keep the door open for the spirits to come in.”

“It’s a toy made by Hasbro,” Aurora scoffs. “It’s not going to ‘let in’ anything. And the planchette doesn’t actually move on its own. That’s due to the ideomotor effect.”

Moving over to the window, Sloane presses her temple against the pane’s edge and squints. Just past the eastern wing, she spots a faint halo of yellow light on the lawn.

“Hey,” she raises her voice over their bickering. “It looks like the carriage house still has power.”

“Great!” Sienna squeaks and pulls Aurora with her towards the door. “Let’s check it out. I… love carriage houses.”

They push past Bryce and start back down the hall. Turning from the doorway, a coy smile spreads across his face, a single eyebrow lifting at his wordless request.

“Oh, no.” Sloane shakes her head as she crosses the room. “I’m not staying up here so you can play Twenty Questions with a ghost.”

She ignores his good-natured grumbling and leads him to the staircase, where Aurora and Sienna are waiting on the landing. Aimed at the ground, their flashlights slice at the hand-carved walls; dustmotes dance in the twin beams, kicked up by their feet. The air feels heavier, mustier here, too, like breathing through wet wool. They tromp down the stairs and across the first floor to the kitchen. Being at the back of the group, Sloane can’t help but glance back now and again at the shadowed recesses, searching for the source of her uneasiness. That she finds nothing amiss doesn’t seem to curb her anxiety.

The sensation wanes when she closes the door behind them, sealing up the house once more.

“How is it warmer outside than in there?” Sienna asks as they start cutting across the lawn for the carriage house.

Bryce zips up his coat and shrugs. “I’ve heard that ghosts tend to suck the energy out of a room, creating cold spots when they mani--”

“Please stop talking,” she begs. “At least until we’re somewhere with electricity that actually works.”

“Aw, come on, you’ve got nothing to worry about. You’ve seen enough scary movies in your life to know that we’re safe if we travel together. Besides, everyone knows the funny guy goes first.”

“I think that honor belongs to people of color, now, sorry.” Aurora chuckles when he spins around to wince at her.

“Yeah, fair point.”

Coated in fallen leaves, the ground crunches loud underneath their shoes, blocking out the night sounds as the four of them approach the smaller house. “But for real, I don’t think we have much to worry about from Maggie here. I mean, almost all ghost stories are about little white girls from Victorian times named Sally or Sarah or Kate.”

“That’s because of the spiritualism boom in the late nineteenth century,” Aurora answers.

Bryce sighs and quickly changes the subject, uninterested in a history lesson.

Converted into a proper guest house sometime after the turn of the twentieth century, the carriage house lacks the severe decay of the main house. Though not as grand, the wallpaper here is intact, the dust not as heavy. It might just be the comforts of amenities such as central heating and electricity, but the inside of the house feels much more benign. As they complete a loop around the building, though, Sloane realizes that the feeling of being watched still remains, growing stronger when she passes or glances out one of the windows. With the glare of the lights, though, it’s hard to see much of anything past the panes. None of the others seem to be frightened -- or if they do, they keep quiet. The same can’t be said when Sienna flips the light on in the parlor.

Toddler-size dolls lean against the walls, their porcelain hands cupped around their faces. Each wears a pretty, pastel dress trimmed in white lace, their hair falling down their backs in long, springy ringlets of dark brown, cherry red, and honey gold. Bryce makes a noise of disgust when he spins one around, its face blank: no eyes, no nose, no mouth. Time-out dolls, Sloane tells them, remembering her grandmother’s friend who owned several back in the early nineties -- though hers were all dressed as clowns.

“People actually rent this place out? They pay money to stay here?” Sienna shudders. “I’d rather sleep in the other house, even with all the cobwebs and mannequins.”

“And the ghosts,” Bryce adds.

“Ghosts don’t exist,” Aurora says.

“Okay, Scully, that’s enough out of you.”

------

As the clock ticks closer to ten, Bryce votes to go check out the lake. Aurora and Sienna, however, vote to stay in the warm, well-lit kitchen. The plan is decided to split up and then meet back at the main house in time for midnight.

“You know,” Bryce explains as he and Sloane make their way across the lawn, “because it’s the witching hour.”

“I thought it was three a.m.”

“It is if you’re taking into account REM cycles and all that, but I’m not. All the legends I’ve read say…” he trails off, frowning as he jogs up the main house’s back steps. “Hey, you shut the door when we left, right?”

Her phone’s flashlight sweeps up the French doors; one of them is ajar, standing open several inches. She reaches for the handle and shuts it, listening for the snick of the latch.

“I guess I didn’t pull it closed enough.”

“Or,” he taunts as he grabs two of the lanterns from the porch, “something else opened it.” Ignoring her scoff, he pockets his phone and hands one of the lanterns to her. “These are nice. Do you think they’re original?”

“Bryce, they bought these from a Cracker Barrel. And besides, they’re battery-powered.”

“Oh.”

The back of the estate has been left to run wild. Overgrown swath rolls along the ground like dunes, snagging dead leaves between the dry blades. Thickets of barren shrubs creep out from the distant tree line. The path to the lake is marked by an old fence post, tied with a tattered ribbon. They make their way across the wide expanse of lawn, the trees ahead towering higher and higher the closer they get to the forest. Sloane can’t help but check over her shoulder. The house is just as they left it, though the moonlight is too weak to see if the door is still closed.

Gravel crunches under their feet as they step onto the trail. The quiet night is broken by a ding from her phone.

How goes the ghost hunting?

She hooks the lantern in the crook of her arm and taps out her reply: Fun so far, lights went off by themselves. Very spooky 10/10

Ethan: What do fractions have to do with what you’re doing?

Sloane: Nvm

Ethan: This isn’t 2002. You do have a full keyboard under your fingertips.

Sloane: so?

Ethan: So there’s no excuse for using T9 acronyms.

Sloane: Never thought I’d see the day you reprimand me for texting

Ethan: I’ll spare you the lecture and let you get back to your witch hunt. Text me when you get home, please, so I know you returned safely.

She hits send on the next message. Several seconds later, a red bubble appears beside her will do!, informing her that it refused to send. A quick glance at the top of the screen shows the one measly bar of service her phone is clinging onto. With a sigh, she tucks it away.

“How’s Dr. Ramsey?” Bryce asks.

“Preparing a TEDtalk on prehistoric cell phone etiquette.”

His nose scrunches up. “What?”

“Nothing,” she chuckles, exhaling through her mouth just to see her foggy breath.

The light from the lanterns casts an eerie, yellow glow across the tree trunks and underbrush. Creaks and knocks echo up out of the dark -- branches smacking against each other as a cold wind sweeps through the area. The last vestiges of October skitter along the ground; the leaves almost sound like footsteps, dragging across the dirt behind them. The trail tightens as it winds down a small embankment and into a hollow. Their pace seems to pick up, though neither of them mention it. Sloane burrows into her scarf at the sudden dip in temperature.

“How’s Keiki?” she asks, more so out of need to make conversation than actual curiosity.

“Probably eating her way into a food coma with the pizza money I left for her, and beating all my high scores on Need for Speed.” He’s grinning as he says it, though, which Sloane finds encouraging. “I invited her to go with us, but she said no.”

She doesn’t miss the crestfallen expression that crosses his face for a moment.

“Trust me when I say this, because I speak from the experience of having a younger sibling, but she didn’t say no because she doesn’t like you or anything. It’s because she thinks you and your friends are dorks.”

He sputters at the insult. “I’m not a dork!”

“You so totally are.”

“Am not.”

“Are too!” she argues. “Ethan thinks I’m bad, but you -- you come in on your days off and you like it.”

“That’s called dedication to the craft.”

“That’s called being a dork.”

What little she can see of the path ahead is more winding turns, more endless seas of bark and brushwood. But just when she thinks that they’ll never reach the end, that they’ll wind up stumbling upon Elly Kedward’s house -- there’s a small dot of light and then a break in the trees, where the path spits them out onto a rocky shore. The lake glints under their lanterns, the pearlescent gleam of the moon dancing on its surface.

“Oh, hey, that was nice of them.”

Sloane’s gaze tracks along the shore and over to where he’s gestured. A solitary lantern sits in front of an old boathouse, illuminating the weathered cedar shake.

“Too bad they can’t install lights along the path,” she mutters as they make their way to the structure.

“What part of ‘bona fide haunted mansion’ did you not understand? This is the thrill of it!”

Bryce shoulders open the door to a dim room with a half-sunken rowboat in the center.

“Thrilling,” she drones, side-stepping his attempt to whack her arm. “Right.”

They poke through the dirty raincoats and rusted tackle boxes. The wooden planks under their feet jostle and flex. Everything smells of wet and mold, the walls slick with grime. “I can think of several better places to haunt.”

Bryce hums his agreement as he prods at a stack of old hunting magazines, the pages sealed together. Sloane steps over to look down at the boat, where minnows dart underneath the oars to escape her light.

“Watch where you step,” she tells him as she crosses to the starboard side. “Some of these boards are really falling apa--”

The rest is lost to her shriek as the floor underneath her snaps. Her foot goes through the wood. She drops the lantern and scrambles to stay upright. The soggy planks slip from her grasp as she falls backwards, and then: water, the icy rush of it closing over her head.

She fights back a gasp at the sudden cold. With her knee trapped in the joists, she can’t get her feet under her to kick to the surface. Her hands sweep out, flailing desperately. Something hard slams against her neck. She twists at the waist; the sunken lantern illuminates the long shadow of the boat. She digs her fingers into the wood. The cold saps at what strength she has, her muscles refusing to work as she tries to push herself out of the water. Her lungs ache; her heartbeat thuds inside her skull. Down in the murky depths below, a long shadow reaches towards her. Fingers, then hands seize her waist; her skin hits the cold air. Sloane blinks away the muddy haze that coats her eyes and sucks in a lungful of blessed oxygen.

“Sloane!” Bryce shouts, as if he was expecting to pull out someone else. He ropes an arm around her back and helps her up out of the water. “Jesus, you scared the shit out of--” the rest of his words are lost to an undignified oof as Sloane wraps her arms around his neck.

“Thanks.”

His hands come up to rest along her back, gently rubbing there to warm her frozen skin.

“I would say don’t mention it, but please do. The notoriety of me saving your life needs to make its way back to the hospital, so Rahul will finally go on a date with me.”

She fights the urge to roll her eyes.

“You would be concerned about getting a leg over while mine is still stuck.”

“Oh, whoops. Sorry, here, I’ll...” Sitting back on his heels, he steadies her against him and helps her shimmy out of the hole she’s made. Despite how saturated the planks are, her jeans are torn along her knee, where blood wells across several scratches. “Ouch,” he hisses.

“Nothing a few bandages and a tetanus shot won’t fix,” she assures. Wobbling as she stands, Sloane limps over to the storage chest in the corner. The blanket she finds is tattered and smells of mold, but it’s better than braving the night’s chill in just her soaked sweater. “Alright, I want out of this place like yesterday.”

Bryce picks up his lantern and nods, following her out onto the shore and back onto the path.

------

“And, I don’t know, he’s also distant with me sometimes, ya know? He’s hot, then he’s cold. He’ll flirt with me and agree to a date, but then he bails at the last second.”

“I get you.”

“That’s why I’m coming to you, oh wise one,” Bryce says with a grin. “Teach me your ways of dealing with difficult guys.”

Sloane laughs, the sound echoing through the quiet forest. Tucking the blanket tighter around her shoulders, she shakes her head.

“Trust me, if I knew how to, I wouldn’t have such problems with my own.”

The cell phone in her pocket burns at the reminder of Ethan -- not that she could contact him if she wanted, given that the freezing water had zapped the last of its battery.

“Yeah, but you could at least give me some pointers on how to wear him down.”

“Oh, my god, Bryce--”

“Okay, okay, not… ‘wear him down’... more, like, encouraging than that, I guess....” he trails off with a shrug.

Humming as she thinks over her plan of attack, Sloane slows her pace to drop behind Bryce to skirt around a fallen tree -- until she can see it no more. “Fuck!” Bryce curses from in front of her, rattling the lantern as if abuse will bring it back to life. “Batteries must be dead. Let me…” There’s a rustling of clothes, a brief, hopeful inhale, then: “Fuck. Phone’s dead too. Must be the cold or something.”

Sloane closes her eyes and opens them again, hoping that they will have miraculously adjusted to the dark -- but no such luck. With what little moonlight seeps through the canopy and the dusting of fog that’s rolled in, it’s hard to see farther than a few feet ahead. It will make this slow-going trek of theirs even slower. She scans the woods surrounding them and stops when she sees a pinprick of light back down the trail.

“I have an idea,” she says, “but you’re not going to like it.”

He does not, in fact, like her idea. But even he can’t argue against it. Besides, they’d only made it about a half-mile up the path, and the boathouse wasn’t that far back.

Which is how Sloane comes to be sitting on the log, trying her best to ignore the darkness pressing in on her from all sides. If Aurora were here, she would be explaining that being afraid of the dark is just a concept carried over from early hominid days. Then again, if Aurora were here, she wouldn’t have had to send Bryce back for the other lantern, and they’d be back at the house by now. Sloane knows she should keep moving to stay warm, but she’s cold and wet and her knee is throbbing something awful.

She’s uncertain of how much time passes before that silly bundle of nerves in her stomach morphs into the proper weight of worry. Bryce should be back by now. She knows he made it to the boathouse because the light through the trees is gone now. Her eyes have since adjusted to the night, which means it’s been at least thirty minutes. Maybe that lantern died, too, she reasons. Sloane listens for his familiar cursing, or his footsteps on the path -- but there’s nothing. The nighttime noises of the forest are gone: no animals, no birds, no wind. The stillness is nothing short of eerie, especially when she feels that now-familiar sensation of being watched.

“Bryce?” she chances.

From out of the black, she can hear someone walking down the path.

“Bryce!” she shouts, struggling to her feet. “Sienna? Aurora? Is that you?”

Whoever it is doesn’t respond. She starts down the trail towards them, cursing when she nearly trips over a rock. “Seriously, guys, I’m not in the mood--”

An awful sound echoes out of the dark, like a high-pitched whistle played over radio static.

She freezes, pebbles and twigs skidding across the dirt at her sudden halt. Every hair on her body stands on-end, her muscles locked as adrenaline races through her. Sloane swallows and clenches her blanket tighter.

The high-low tone of the whistle sounds again. Whatever’s out there is just beyond the reach of her vision. Sloane wheels around, her gaze darting across the shadows, as if she’ll be able to even see-- a light. It’s several hundred feet out in the forest, back in the direction of the house. It’s too far away to make out who’s holding it. It has to be Bryce, though -- playing a prank on her, as if she’d find this sort of thing funny in the state she’s in.

She bites back a curse and hurries after him as best she can, keeping low to the ground in an effort to hide from whatever animal is out here with them. The trail becomes rougher, more overgrown as she trudges through the leaves and shoves away sticker bushes. Forced to waste precious time watching where she’s going, she glances up only to keep track of the light that grows closer every second.

The whistle comes again -- louder, closer now. Whatever it is, it’s still following her. Sloane pushes through a thicket and stumbles into a clearing. Tucked between a small grove of pines in the center is a cabin. With the caved-in roof, sagging porch, and front steps that form nothing more than a woodpile, it’s obvious the place has long stood abandoned. Sitting on the porch and casting a glow into the open doorway is a lantern -- the same make as the others. Approaching the steps, she slowly leans up and snatches the lantern from the porch.

“No fucking way,” she mutters to herself. “I don’t care if it is a bobcat out here, I’m not hiding in the Evil-Dead-looking-ass cabin.”

The dark silhouettes of the trees rustle under the cold wind that blows through the glade. Carried with it is a different sound: voices, all slurred together, but forming one syllable. She steps away from the cabin and back towards the forest, straining to make it out. Her name, she realizes with relief. They’re calling her name.

She sucks in a breath to yell back when movement catches her eye. Something dark curls away from the tree line, only to dart into the tall grass when she swings the lantern in its direction. Sloane squints at the underbrush it disappeared into, waiting for it to appear again. For a few, blessed moments, she thinks it’s run off, that it’s finally given up.

Until a black shadow crawls out of the underbrush towards her, shrieking, braying like an animal in pain. It’s an ear-splitting cry, echoing across the clearing. Sloane tightens her grip on the lantern and bolts. Ducking back into the trees, she heads in a single direction, knowing that she’ll either hit the lake or the house -- of, if she runs far enough, the town.

Shoving through low-hanging branches, she glances over her shoulder to see the shadow chasing her, peeling itself out of the shadows as it moves between the trees, somehow darker than the black surrounding them. Her foot hits a patch of wet leaves and she slips, skidding down the hillside and tumbling out onto a stretch of asphalt. She grits her teeth against the pain in her leg and crawls forward into the middle of the road. With no time for hesitating, she pushes to her feet and runs, hoping she’s picked the right direction.

It wails again, in the trees to her left, scurrying across the hillside after her.

“Fuck off!” she screams.

Another noise comes roaring out of the dark, drowning out her cry. Lights -- searing, blinding -- swing around the curve. Brakes squeal as the car swerves, narrowly missing her; glass shatters as Sloane staggers to the roadside, her lantern cracking as it hits the pavement and rolls off into the grass. The guard rail is like ice beneath her palm where she clutches it, using it to stay upright as her heart threatens to vacate her body through her throat. The hillside is drenched in red from the car’s tail lights.

“Sloane!”

Ethan -- it’s him, his car, he’s here, but he should be in Boston, shouldn’t he? He was when he texted her and that was only an hour ago so why is he here and how did he-- all of her panicked thoughts cease when he folds her into his arms and hugs her tight. The night around them is still, save for the purr of the engine and the soft dinging of the door ajar warning.

“What the hell were you thinking, standing in the middle of the road like that?” he hisses, pulling her back to pin her down with his glare. “You could’ve-- I could’ve killed you.”

“You’re here,” she whispers.

Her lips are numb from the cold and shock. She reaches up for the blanket, then realizes that she must’ve lost it somewhere along the way.

“Of course I’m here. You really need to stop scaring the hell out of me, you know that.” His brow furrows as he frowns, taking in the state of her. He slips off his own coat and bundles it around her. “Honey, you’re freezing. Let me--”

“We have to go,” she urges, remembering what’s waiting for her, out in the forest. Grabbing hold of his hand, she starts tugging him towards the car. “There’s -- in the woods, there was -- I don’t know, this thing, and it kept screaming, it was horrible--”

Ethan shushes her rambling and guides her into the car, buckling her seatbelt when her hands won’t stop shaking. She tucks her nose into the collar of his coat, breathing in the comforting scent of his cologne. Sliding into the driver’s seat, he backs the car up and turns back towards the estate. With one hand on the wheel, the other finds hers and holds tight.

“Your friends called me when they couldn’t find you, wanted to know if I’d heard from you, in case you’d made it to somewhere with a working phone. I called you-- well, more than I’d care to admit, though it was obvious your phone was dead.”

“How did you get here so fast?” she wonders aloud.

“I got here around twelve-thirty, did a sweep of the woods. Around one I started driving around, hoping that I’d come across you in case you made it to the road.” He gives her a worried glance before returning to the road. “The others have been out with the sheriff’s office and the owners, searching the woods.”

“But I… that doesn’t make any sense,” she tells him with a shake of her head. “It wasn’t even midnight when me and Bryce started back, and he was gone for twenty, maybe thirty minutes. And then I saw him-- well, not him, but at the time I thought it was him being an asshole-- and then that… thing chased after me and I got turned around, sure. But it couldn’t have been more than an hour.”

“Sloane, it’s nearly three in the morning.”

Her immediate reaction is to protest, but the concern in his tone and the clock on his dash render her mute. Which is for the best, she realizes later after pulling up to the house and seeing the driveway choked with cars: Bryce’s, the Bell’s, and several police cruisers. Modern floodlights tucked below the eaves turn the dark house into a bright beacon. Blue and red lights of the cruisers swirl across the lawn. As soon as they pull up, her friends race over to the car and wrap her into a hug. One of the cops takes her statement, ignoring Ethan’s insistence about getting her home and taking it over the phone instead.

“Must’ve been a coyote,” the cop tells her after she’s finished. “We get a lot of reports of them out here, being so close to the state park.”

“A coyote,” Sloane repeats.

“Well, sure,” he says with a shrug. “Unless you think it was something else?”

She doesn’t have an answer for that. Having dealt with her fair share of wildlife coming down from the mountains and into her backyard growing up, she can’t remember ever hearing anything similar. Even her grandfather’s tales about the Wampus cat, her favorite spooky story as a kid, didn’t hold a candle to… to whatever was out there.

After the cops leave and the Bells lock up, her friends pile into Bryce’s car for the ride home. Though not before Bryce shares with her his own experience with the mysterious shadow. However, he’d gotten a good look with the lantern.

“It wasn’t an animal,” he whispers to her. “It was her. It was Maggie, I swear it.”

Sloane didn’t know what to say to that. So she hadn’t said anything, just squeezed his hand and hugged him goodbye. Returning to Ethan’s car, she settled into the passenger seat, thankful for the change of clothes he had in the trunk -- and the first aid kit, of course.

With the classical music floating out of the speakers and the warmth of his hand in hers again, it would’ve been easy for Sloane to close her eyes. She can’t help it, though, when they back out of the drive. She looks up to the long row of windows. It could be a trick of the headlights, but something watches them from around the lace curtains. As they start to pull away, it slinks back into the shadows of the house.

------

Author’s notes and what-have-yous:

The inspiration for the Angler Estate is the abandoned Uplands Mansion in Baltimore, MD. If you like urbex stuff, I highly recommend looking up some videos of it on YouTube. It’s a gorgeous place, despite all the vandalism. The owners’ surname being Bell is a fun nod to the Bell Witch Cave, my state’s claim to supernatural fame. The mention of The Evil Dead cabin is another poke, since the 1981 original was filmed an hour away from where I live.

The “watch where you step” line is pulled directly from Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

#open heart #ethan x mc #ethan ramsey x mc #Kaila writes things #f: the open door

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yet-another-fan-girl9 · 4 years

Text

Inhuman (3)

Summary: All beings in the universe have a soulmate except for Midgardians. People can hear their soulmate in their heads. For almost five hundred and fifty years, Loki believed that he had no soulmate until 1513 when a Midgardian princess was born. Will fate be kind to them or will the universe tear them apart?

Warnings: violence, language, hella historical inaccuracies (I tried to do research but then got lazy), maybe some AOS season 2 spoilers(?)

Word Count: ~3800

A/N: My HS German teacher would be so disappointed to discover I used Google Translate. I also actually researched WWII med kits for this.

[New York, New York, March 2024]

You sat at your kitchen counter and admired the ruby ring on your finger. Max had gotten half of what he had pillaged from Anderson’s home, you had even let him have first choice. He also got a third of the million dollars you had earned for the death of Morano. You had also given Izzy one fourth of the million for her troubles.

“What’s next?” Max asked from your couch.

“Nothing.” You stood up and joined your friend on the couches.

“Bitch, what are you saying?” He raised an eyebrow at you. Today’s theme was gold. When he had walked into your apartment, he held up one manicured nail as a warning before you could say anything. “We just had a great haul and you wanna stop before we really get the ball rolling?”

“The Avengers got involved,” you pointed out. “I am not dealing with them.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“They’re heroes set on ridding the world of evil and we literally fucking kill people for a living.”

“Uh-huh. Are you sure you’re not just avoiding someone?” Max laughed.

“I’m sure,” you said with a glare but Max only laughed harder. “What I’m avoiding— Max, shut up. What I’m fucking avoiding is being thrown in jail or even death. You just want to be caught so that you can shoot your shot with a supersoldier.”

“Or the God of Thunder.” He gasped and looked at you with wide eyes. “What if we could be in-laws!” You rolled your eyes and suppressed a smirk. “Hmm. Imagine being dicked down by a god. Well, I doubt you have to imagine.”

“Shut.” You picked up a pillow. “The.” You smacked Max. “Fuck.” Smack! “Up.” Smack!

“How was it? Tell me everything.” He escaped to the loveseat and composed himself.

“Get your fuckin’ head out of the gutter, Max. It was back in the 1500s and I was a princess and princesses don’t just go around getting ‘dicked down’ as you so nicely put it.”

“Damn, sometimes I forget that you were literally the Queen of fucking England.” He cocked his head. “Are you sure you don’t want to see Loki again? From what you told me it sounded like you really loved him and he loved you.”

“I-I never said it, though.” It was true. You loved Loki. You still love Loki. Did he love you too? You were soulmates and you were made for each other, but it had been four hundred and eight-six shitty years since he had last seen you. “Not to mention the awkward situation of having to explain why I’m still alive.”

“Um, that’s easy,” Max said. “It’s just, ‘Oh, Loki,’” he mimicked your voice. “‘It’s me, (Y/N), the one and only love of your life. Surprise! I’m still alive.’”

“That’s not how I sound.” But you couldn’t hide your grin.

“‘I am an Inhuman whose power is to look pretty and live forever.’”

“Your power is very obviously not mimicry.”

“See? Easy,” Max smirked. “I give you full permission to plagiarize my speech.”

“Nuh uh. It’s not plagiarism if I pay you to write my speeches.”

“Honey, what speeches are you making?”

Before you could respond, your phone started ringing. Hardly anyone called you. Could it be the Avengers? It couldn’t be, no matter how good Stark’s AI was. Max was also giving your phone a strange look. Your curiosity got the best of you and you answered.

“Hello?”

“(Y/N)? Oh, my god. Listen I know you said only to call if it’s an emergency, but it’s an emergency,” the person on the other side spoke quickly.

“Wait, wait. Arthur, is that you?” Arthur was your man up in Michigan with the ability to generate light.

“Yes, it’s Arthur. I’m calling because the Avengers showed up at my last job. I barely managed to get a picture and get out. I might have blinded the Scarlet Witch!”

“She’ll be okay. Hey, man. How about you lay low for a while. Spread the word for others to do the same.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll do that.”

“Stay safe, Arthur,” you parted.

“What happened?” Max asked.

You told him everything. “We have a technokeniser nearby, don't we?”

🌹

You looked at yourself in the mirror, the night time New York skyline twinkling behind you. You wore nothing but your undergarments, but your black stealth suit was waiting for you on your bed. Your skin was smooth and unblemished thanks to your accelerated cell healing. Everything was perfect except for the single, one-inch scar directly above your left knee.

Apparently, vibranium was your weakness. It didn’t bother you because everyone had to have a weakness. Thankfully, it was a rare metal on Earth. Your cells repaired themselves slowly like a normal human when it came to injuries dealt with vibranium. You had learned that the hard way.

[Austria 1944]

You were in central Austria for two weeks while things back in New York calmed down. It turned out that the man you had strangled three days ago was a low ranking member of the local mafia. Because the man wasn’t that important, they would, hopefully, move on quickly and you could safely resume your contract killings.

It was a beautiful place, with many trees that were changing with the season and beautiful lush mountains. Just a few days after you had arrived, Captain America and the Howling Commandos rolled into town. People cheered and it almost felt like a parade.

You had heard of them of course, going around Europe dismantling the Nazi organization called Hydra. You walked through town, dress swishing around your calves and hair pinned in the latest style. You looked like the stereotypical rich American girl. Your favorite heels clicked along the cobblestone road as you windowshopped.

“Guten Tag Fräulein,” a young man winked at you as he leaned against a wall. “Du siehst wunderschön aus, aber du würdest noch besser aussehen wenn—”

His words stopped when your fist slammed into his face, your ring cutting his cheek. You were not in the fucking mood to be catcalled today. You were never in the mood to be catcalled.

“Du verdienst das,” another male voice said behind you.

You turned around and your eyes widened when you saw one of the Howling Commandos standing there. More specifically, James Buchanan Barnes, Captain America’s best friend from Brooklyn.

“Bist du in Ord-Ordnung?” he stumbled over the word.

“I didn’t know you could speak German,” you smirked and continued your stroll through town. “Not the best at it, though.”

“Oh, you’re American!” He fell into step next to you. From the twenty-some years you had lived in New York growing your business, you had lost your accent.

“I suppose,” you said vaguely.

“We kinda need to know some German if we’re going to be intercepting Nazi communications,” he explained and rubbed the back of his head. “They usually don’t ask if everyone’s alright, so I don’t really know the phrase.”

“Bist du in Ordnung?”

“Bist du in Ordung?” he tried and you chuckled.

“Ord-nung,” you drew out the syllables.

“Ordnung.”

“Bist du in Ordnung?”

“That’s better,” you smiled. “You’ll be sweeping girls off their feet with your German in no time Sergent.”

“This may be a bit forward,” he said slowly and you raised your eyebrows. “But… Do you want to see the shield? Considering you’re American and all that. Girls always want to see Captain America’s shield.”

“Bold of you to assume I’m like them.” You brought a finger up to your chin and pretended to think. “But my answer is yes. I would like to see the shield.”

He grinned and led you to the edge of the forest. You held nothing against forests, but they always reminded you of Loki. They reminded you of the days long ago when he actually was there for you. When he cared about you. When you hesitated before going under the cover of trees, Barnes gave you a strange look.

“Just a bit suspicious,” you lied. “Leadin’ a sweet little dame like me into a mysterious forest mere minutes after you met me?”

“Based on what I saw back there, you can handle yourself. If anythin’, I’m worried ‘bout myself. The rest of the Commandos are within shouting distance so don’t you try anything,” he said with a laugh.

You joined in and you two walked deeper into the forest. Sure enough, the sounds of boisterous laughter and cheers reached your ears. Captain America and the Howling Commandos sat around a small clearing. When you said ‘small clearing’ you meant small. Like a circle with a three-meter radius small.

“Who do you have there, Buck?” a tall blond asked. It took you a moment to realize that he was Captain America. You almost didn’t recognize him without his helmet.

“Fellas, this is… Do I know your name?” The Howling Commandos lived up to their names and began to howl with laughter.

“You can call me (Y/N),” you laughed. “James saw me punch a guy and invited me to check out Captain America’s shield.”

“What’s a nice American dame doin’ all the way in Austria?” a man with a prominent mustache asked. Dum Dum Dougan.

“Hiding.”

“So you wanted to see the shield?” Jim Morita asked.

“That would be nice.” A look passed around the group. “I’m not going to steal it,” you scoffed. “Even if that was my intention, I’m wearing heels.” Another look went around.

“Be careful,” the Captain handed the red, white, and blue shield to you. “Buck, can I talk to you?” He and Barnes walked away and with your enhanced hearing, you briefly heard, “-can’t just bring over any dame…”

You smirked and examined the shield. Vibranium, the metal was called. It was strange how light it actually was. Once you finished, you looked up at the remaining Commandos who were staring at you.

“Do you know any tricks?”

Gabe Jones eagerly raised his hand and you passed him the shield. The other men quickly scrambled away. Jones threw the shield like a frisbee and it rebounded off of a tree with surprising speed, the dark-skinned man barely caught it.

“That was pretty good, eh?” he asked the group.

“Au moins, cela n'a touché personne cette fois,” Jacques Dernier spoke in quick French. At least you didn’t hit anyone this time. Jones groaned and you hid your smirk.

“I have a trick,” James Montgomery Falsworth said.

He took the shield from Jones and everyone took another step backward. Falsworth noticed this and rolled his eyes. He roughly threw the shield in the air with a flick of his wrist that gave it a spin. You guessed he wanted it to bounce back to him, but the shield hit a rock and veered off course.

Instead of returning to Falsworth’s hand, it flew at you. The vibranium hit your left leg above your knee through your dress. How sharp was the shield because it actually cut your leg. You could already see some blood seep into the dress.

“Oh fuck! I mean gosh darn it!” Dougan cried and helped you stay on your feet.

“I didn’t— I’m so sorry,” Falsworth stuttered in his British accent. “Are you okay?”

If only he knew that he had hit one of his former Queens. The thought made you laugh through the stinging pain in your leg. You shifted your weight onto your right leg.

“I’m fine,” you said in between short bursts of giggles. It wasn’t that funny. Anyways, the wound would heal soon.

“What happened?” Captain America and Barnes returned to the group.

“Uh—”

“Er—”

“Um—”

“The shield hit my leg,” you said and motioned to the small bit of blood on your dress. “I’m fine though.”

“We were only gone for two minutes.” The Captain looked at the Commandos.

“They just wanted to show off for a pretty dame,” Barnes winked at you.

“I told you guys to be careful,” the Captain sighed. “Come with me, ma’am, and I can help you clean up.”

Small wounds like these would usually be healed by now so you were about to tell him that you can handle it yourself but you could still feel the sting of the cut. You nodded and accepted his invitation. You walked over to him and he put an arm around you to help you support your weight.

He brought you to a house on the edge of the forest. Rows of cots covered the ground. A table with a map stood in the back. Men’s clothes and trinkets laid around the room. The Captain led you to one cot and pulled out a small first aid kit from underneath.

You rolled your skirt up just until the wound was visible. It was about two and a half centimeters long, but it was a bit deeper than you expected. The Captain pulled out a small tin box that read ‘Iodine Swabs.’ He removed one of the swabs and began to clean around your wound.

“I don’t know how this could have happened,” he said. You realized he was trying to avoid touching you.

“You can touch me. I don’t mind.” He nodded and the process went faster. “And don’t worry about the shield.”

“It shouldn’t be able to cut skin like this.” He moved onto the hydrogen peroxide and dampened a cotton pad with the solution.

“It was spinning. Maybe that had something to do with it?” Another question, a more important question was why weren’t you healed yet?

“Maybe.” Then he began to profusely apologize when you hissed the moment the hydrogen peroxide touched your wound. “Sorry, ma’am.”

“It’s alright, Captain,” you laugh lightly. “And just call me (Y/N).”

“Alright, (Y/N).” He wrapped your injury and gave you a kind smile. “Then you can call me Steve.”

“First name basis with Captain America, huh?”

🌹

Your phone read 2:47 as your silver Porsche 911 rolled to a silent stop with its headlights off. The Avengers compound was about a mile up the road. Liam, with his technokinesis, managed to get you this close, but now you had to leave the safety of the car. You crept through the woods, Max and Liam close behind you.

Liam just wore black jeans and a black leather jacket. He also had a black bandana around his head, again, courtesy of Max. Max also wore a similar leather jacket and bandana as well as black leather pants and a cape. He had shown you his Captain America shirt underneath the jacket, you know, ‘just in case.’ You were in a fucking normal skintight stealth suit.

“What if we get lost?” Liam whispered.

“We won’t,” you said. There was a force pulling you in the right direction. You could feel the familiar aura Loki’s presence grow stronger as you neared the compound. Your heart was racing, but it wasn’t because of the current mission. Could he feel you too?

Fifteen minutes later, the Avengers compound came into view. Fortunately, Liam didn’t need a computer to do his work. Stark was so fucking tech savvy that all Liam needed was to get inside. He didn’t need any help to do that either, easily disabling the electronic locks. Honestly, you and Max were just there for protection. Max took watch outside while you stayed with Liam inside.

“You know what to do?” you asked and kept your eyes fixed on the dark hallway.

“Yeah,” he placed his hand on the wall and closed his eyes. Glowing blue lines that resembled a circuit board grew from his hand. “First delete everything they have on us. Then, if there’s time, scramble everything else.”

“How long is it going to take?”

“Not too long. Maybe ten to fifteen minutes?”

This was the closest you’ve been to Loki since 2012. Maybe the closest you’ve been to him since 1538. What was he doing right now? Was he sleeping? Would your presence wake him up? If you could just…

“Where are you going?” Liam’s words shook you out of your head.

Where were you going? To your soulmate, probably. You were five feet away from where you stood before your mind was consumed by the thought of Loki.

The distraction had consequences when Max’s shout of surprise made you look back just in time to see your friend doge a blast from Iron Man. A small sound from the end of the hall caused you to whirl back around. You ducked, barely missing being decapitated by Captain America’s shield and you knew you wouldn’t heal from that.

“Fuck.” You pulled out a gun as the shield returned to its owner. “How much time do you need?” You fired twice down the hall and saw two sets of sparks where the bullets met the vibranium shield. Your eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and saw your opponent.

“Just give me two minutes.”

Liam opened his eyes and clenched his fist at the flying billionaire outside. The Iron Man suit’s eyes dimmed and it fell to the ground. That left Max to deal with the Black Widow who was doing well on Max’s ice-like surface.

You went to meet the Captain in the dim hallway. You landed a quick hit on him before he could react. Instead of raising his shield, he pushed it into your chest, shoving you back. He moved forward and you dodged his punch. You went to punch Steve’s head again and this time he raised his shield. When he did, you used your other hand to punch him in the stomach. Hard. He bent over slightly and you took the opportunity to sweep his feet out from under him. You noticed something…

Shit, was Loki getting closer? You could feel the link grow stronger.

Steve used his shield to sweep your feet out from under you this time. You landed on your back which knocked the breath out of you. To recover, you took a deep breath while Steve pinned you to the ground. He was about to hit your face but you managed to catch his fist. Using his momentum, you forced his fist down to the side of your face, throwing him off balance. You flipped him over and now you were on top.

“Ma’am, we can work this out,” he said. Captain America, always the diplomat.

“I thought we were on a first name basis, Steve,” you smirked and you could pinpoint the moment realization set in. Using his distracted state, you grabbed his shield and slammed it into the side of his head, effectively knocking him out.

“We’re good to go,” Liam called. Just in time because Loki was definitely coming.

You stood up and took an involuntary step in the wrong direction. In the direction Loki was. Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck. Come on, (Y/N). Go the other way. Finally, your body listened to you and you ran out the doors.

“You deleted the security footage of tonight too, right?” you asked Liam as you ran.

“Yes, I got that too.”

Max saw the two of you and joined you, leaving the Black Widow on the unnaturally smooth grass. You passed the Iron Man suit that was laying on its back. Wait, was the Stark asshole still in there? Yes, you could hear faint complaining coming from the suit.

You felt the ground under you change to feel springier like a track, no doubt Max’s doing. The three of you made it back to the car within seven minutes, all of you out of breath with you less so than the two men.

You started your car and sped down the road. Max and Liam collapsed in the back.

“Man, that was awesome what you did to Iron Man,” Max laughed.

“Nah, you were great against the Black Widow. Not everyone gets away with just a black eye and cut lip.”

“And bruised ribs and missing a cape.”

The two men laughed in the backseat as the adrenaline wore off but your tight grip on the steering wheel didn’t relax until the feeling of Loki was gone.

🌹

Bucky, Sam, Wanda, Thor, and Brunnhilde were immediately called to the conference rooms when they returned from Michigan. Steve quickly found Bucky by the hanger. The metal armed supersoldier noticed that his blond friend was in uniform and had a couple faint bruises on his face.

“What the fuck happ—”

“Do you remember being in Austria in 1944?” Steve cut him off.

“Those were pretty busy years, pal. We were all over the fuckin’ place.”

“Do you remember a girl? You said she punched some Austrian guy in the face for catcalling her. You brought her to meet the Commandos and Falsworth hit her with my shield? Her name was (Y/N).”

“Um, yeah, I think I remember. She taught me some German.” Bucky raised an eyebrow at his friend. “Why are you askin’?”

“She was here and it was like she hadn’t aged a day,” Steve said and gauged his friend’s reaction. “She was actually the one to…” he gestured at his bruised face.

“So what actually happened?” They walked into the conference room.

“Short story?” Tony asked. A blind man would have been able to tell that the billionaire was furious. “Three fucking people broke into the fucking compound and fucking deleted the files I had created for the fucking white rose assassins case.” He slammed his fist on the table each time he swore.

“What do we have?” Sam asked. “‘Cause we got nothin’ from Michigan.”

“Yeah.” Wanda put her head on the table. “Just blinded.”

“Three people,” Steve repeated. “Two men and one woman, all enhanced. against me, Nat, and Tony. Clint is still benched.”

“Where were you, brother?” Thor looked at Loki.

“I was distracted about something else,” he stated

Loki thought about what had happened during the attack. He had sensed her. But that was impossible, wasn’t it? Something had been trying to pull him somewhere. When he finally gave in, the feeling had led him to find an unconscious Captain and Stark trapped in his own suit. The tugging had faded then and the attackers were nowhere to be found.

“The woman,” Steve continued. “I think she was the same one from the cafe.”

“She has to be at the head of this thing,” Nat said.

Loki had thought the woman in the video had reminded him of (Y/N).

“I met her before.” Everyone looked at Steve.

“We both did,” Bucky added. “In Austria back during the war.”

“And she hasn’t aged a day. She referenced something she said when we met. I know it was her. I never forget anything.”

The God of Mischief’s heart missed a beat. Was it possible for the woman to be older than they thought? All signs were pointing at (Y/N). The woman’s familiarity. The strange tugging. The long life.

“What does this mean?” Clint asked.

“We don’t know.”

Tags: @kaithehero @liliannyah @andreasworlsboring101 @oatballsoffury @aberrant-annie @simplybree @adalina-perez @emage-king @yandereforyou @notactiveonmain @tvdplusriverdale

#marvel #mcu #loki x reader #loki x soulmate reader #loki #loki odinson #ocs #inhuman #steve rogers #bucky barnes #captain america #winter soldier #iron man #tony stark #black widow #natasha romanoff

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thatdamnokie · 4 years

Text

so, as everybody knows, our man, the lovely mark strong, turned 57 this past august 5th

since the kingsman films have had a huge influence on several aspects of my day-to-day life (gee, wonder what group of people i could be referring to...), i decided to sit down and do something i’ve been thinking about since getting my medical card earlier this year: getting high as a kite and watching them back-to-back.

to celebrate mark’s birthday, i decided to do another running commentary post like the one i did for rocknrolla ages ago, under the cut. it’s a pretty similar style, which is to say not necessarily super coherent and might be hard to understand if you’ve never seen the movies. D:

there are some mentions of the roanoke society, but not many.

if even just one person finds this mildly entertaining for four seconds, then i’ll have done my job. there is a lot of cursing and this is NOT spoiler-free.

enjoy~

edited 9.1.20 to correct typos and such, please remember that i was Not Sober while i wrote this lmao

how many times have i watched these movies at this point? i don’t even know.

i always liked the nifty like—retro arcade marv opening animation

and the thing with the tapes! we love book-ending devices!

kingsman: badass motherfuckers worldwide incorporated

like why was merlin even with them? i understand why lee and james would be there, but merlin, was he not acting quartermaster then?

i have SO MANY FEELINGS about lee unwin

i think it haunts harry and merlin more than anyone thinks, but these are fun spy movies so we just don’t talk about trauma and shit, don’tcha know

don’t look at how merlin tears up and tell me he doesn’t drink about it *HEAVILY* later

it’s such a stark contrast to see the 1990s interior vs. what it’s like when eggsy’s grown :(

michelle baby i’m so sorry. you deserved better than this.

and BABY EGGSY

omg. like this scene is both heartbreaking but is also adorable.

colin firth has gd anime legs, that dude had to straight up unfold himself as he stood up lmao

aaannnnd swooping logo, whooooo, goin’ over some mountains~

and mark hamill, ladies and gentlemen!

this whole thing with james deciding to kinda go rogue makes me wish that we knew more about his backstory as well. like, is this james being james, or was this a weird one-off situation and he was just unlucky?

YES unlucky. nobody could plan for the hurricane of sleek destruction that is gazelle

who has one of my favorite aesthetic designs as a villain (although i guess i’d put her more on maybe henchman level? but idk, it seems like valentine looked at her more as a partner, less like an assistant? and they had a very interesting chemistry together too, like i would’ve added more valentine x gazelle scenes)

i would LOVE to be this chill about just—draping blankies over bodies

blankies over bodies sounds like a cool band name

DIBS you guys can’t have it

i am SO GLAD samuel l. jackson gave valentine a lisp!

valentine, to me, does fit a lot of the usual spy movie villain tropes

but since this movie doesn’t take itself super serious, it’s more fun than annoying

and we never hear about any of the other knights?? like

half of this is just gonna be me whining for additional footage that there just wouldn’t have been room for realistically lmao

michael caine, you are lovely

MARK STRONG, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN

WITH LEGS THAT DON’T QUIT AND AN ACCENT THAT I’D DIE FOR

i’m an embarrassment

like let’s all stop and thank god that mark didn’t have time to learn the welsh accent

not that i would’ve been disappointed, because all accents are good accents on this blog

but at this point i can’t imagine merlin as—not scottish

“try picking a more suitable candidate this time”

arthur you DICK

like were you this cold-blooded when lee died, you fuckin’ reptilian-ass son of a bitch

no wonder you were charlie’s pledge person thing

and enter the fabulous taron egerton, stage left!

DEAN you are DISGUSTING

god, michelle, you need better friends, if you were my bro this entire relationship would’ve never happened

;-; and eggsy’s so sweet with his sister! i know there probably wasn’t “room” for it but i AM glad that there are scenes showing that family is one of eggsy’s kinda “core values”or whatever you want to call it

dude is a hufflepuff through and through imo

can you imagine eggsy as a villain? we would be so fucked. he’s sly, he’s smart, he could’ve made life v e r y difficult for lots of people if he really wanted to

but look at him with the squad!

eggsy’s just like the british version of a good ol’ boy

this car scene is some dukes of hazzard bullshit (ramp-jumping and fun car horn aside)

if butterflies are harry’s main symbolic critter, would foxes be eggsy’s? or would it be a pug instead? i guess that’s like asking if harry would be either a butterfly or a cairn terrier, like mr. pickle. let’s say both.

this fandom is pretty on top of character associations like that

you get symbolic associations! YOU get symbolic associations! EVERYONE gets symbolic associations whether they’re actually in the canon or not! don’t have any? don’t worry, we’ll assign you at least one!

the guy playing the interviewing officer is ALSO the patriarch in the witch which i didn’t realize until—like, a while after

and it was while @circlesofbone was visiting, and we were just “oh, okay, guess we can’t escape this cast at all, this is fine”

“your father saved my life.”

harry you’re such a fucking peacock, waiting all posted up and posing so you’ll look cool

you big doofus

i’d kill to be inside his head during this first conversation with eggsy though

like is eggsy like lee? is harry seeing lee the entire time he’s talking to his son, in his mannerisms, how he carries himself, how he speaks?

or is eggsy the opposite? which—i don’t know if that would somehow be sadder?

there’s just a lot going on in the background of this bit that’s left up to interpretation

“although i’m sure it’s well-founded—“

harry’s just so casual about this entire thing, nobody’s that casual without practice

harry you rabble-rouser, what kind of life have you led

“manners. maketh. man.”

our timeless motto, my flowers

kingsman STILL to this DAY has some of the most well-choreographed fight scenes i’ve ever seen??

like yeah the church scene but even just this initial bar fight

harry could’ve been a dancer

in a way i guess he already is

like he moves so fluidly and gracefully, it is BONKERS

colin you did so good! i’m so proud!

the way eggsy’s just O.O

whether or not you ship hartwin, like, you gotta admit, that was hot

and his BODY LANGUAGE, he’s sitting like RAMROD straight, this poor dude lmao

nobody prepares you for a situation like that in public school is all i’m saying

harry, exiting stage left like a suave, smooth motherfucker

remember when iggy azalea was relevant

ugghhhh i hate this part

“I WASN’T WITH NO ONE”

can you imagine being harry hart listening to your dead friend’s son getting the shit beat out of him

like, surely he heard the cleaver, he knows dean was going to fucking gut eggsy right?

listen to how cold and icy his voice gets, oof

yeah, he’s pissed, and dean is lucky

PARKOUR

ugh, i want to go to london ;-; i want to walk in front of the shop and visit harry’s house and kiss cute english boys

i’d like to think harry’s super excited to show eggsy everything but he’s gotta keep it dialed back because “decorum”

the way eggsy pauses though

“come on.”

and he says it so softly.

if i was eggsy, i’d be nervous, too.

but i didn’t realize how quickly harry tries to give off signals like “hey there’s no reason to be scared.”

“like my fair lady?” “well, you’re full of surprises.” <3 one of my favorite sceneeesss.

harry’s voice is so soothing but eggsy is so freaked out by the elevator that he’s just—there’s no room for anything else beyond processing the elevator lmao

“how deep does this fucking thing go?” asking the real questions

aannnddd KINGSMAN BULLET TRAIN

i’d like to think they have like soft jazz or something playing in there

and then they get to the hangar and there are obviously a buuuuunch of people out on the tarmac that we just—never hear about? i just assume they’re all like technical officers or maybe other agents

“your father had the same look on his face. … as did i.”

harry is already rooting for him.

“late again, sir.”

that. brogue.

fuck, i could listen to him talk for hours, scottish accents are my favorite thing

#squadgoals

not a very diverse cast :/

the body bag speeeeech

and of course nobody was in any actual danger, but merlin doesn’t want them to know that so he becomes mr. hard as steel, i am emotionally stoic at all times, do not test me you bunch of rugrats

“classic army technique.”

ROXY

ROXY I WANT TO JUST HOLD YOU IN MY ARMS TT.TT

aannnnddd charlie, also

who we might’ve found sympathy for if we knew aaannyytthiinnggg else about his backstory

like, could he just be Like That, yeah

but most people i know who are assholes like that are that way because their parents were first /shrug/

can hardly fault the dude for turning out like that when poison was all he was given to drink

anyone else a hundred percent positive they would’ve drowned in the first trial

i would absolutely have panicked and bit it

but then again, i’m not kingsman material, i’m roanoke

and if this is the exact same test that merlin and harry went through, does that mean there might be some weird drowning trauma hidden back in there that’s just ANOTHER thing we’re not gonna talk about?

(yes the correct answer is yes)

god that’s such an american response to the problem though

glass can’t cause problems if it’s in a million pieces!

“yeah you can wipe those smirks off your faces…”

i wonder if there was ever a situation where a trainee actually drowned

and i don’t mean like amelia, i mean some poor kid who just failed the test

merlin knows how to put the fear of god in people though!

and mark strong, very handsome, yes, very scary, also yes

he and colin both look like they’re 80 percent leg in every single scene

harry literally had brain matter smatter ALL OVER HIS FACE and still somehow had the mental facilities to be aware of those dudes, leave a bomb and dive out of a window (and then escape said dudes)

billy badass, y’all

“just get it done.” okay, i took back what i said earlier, maybe he does see her as more of an assistant, less than a partner. their relationship is weird.

the puppy scene!

“it’s a bulldog innit?”

YASSSS the golden trio

because of what happened with our other canon charlie has become a weird character for me to watch, like, yeah, i “watch” charlie be himself in tss but the charlie i “see” is like—”our” charlie.

“bollocks!” and then he just runs with jb in his vest, makes me smile

aannddd we see valentine’s super cool factory

harry your hair gets so long <3

“water!” wow, who wants to bet that the fact he was instantly screaming means that maybe he’s gonna have some stuff to talk about in therapy later

roxy baby i’m sorry they made you hold the balloon and have to trust these dumbasses to not shoot you on accident

i would trust roxy to not shoot me

i love, love love valentine’s house

it’s gorgeous

set design is always such a cool way for filmmakers to include details about a character using pure aesthetics and i’m such a slut for it

tilde!

see also: one of the characters done the WORST by these movies imo!

the fact that she not only says no, she says no with enthusiasm and gets blatantly pissed, is one of the best insights we get into tilde’s character and then it just—gets wasted

like it takes three steps and then gets mowed down in the hallway like her guards

i would never be given the opportunity to be asked if i wanted an implant but i draw the line at having stuff put into my neck

awwww harry’s so proud!

that finger point “yeah, see, be more like your uncle”

merlin is SO TALL

“a bit much innit?”

he’s just—tapping a normal clipboard

… nobody wanna talk about how that’s a normal clipboard

anyway

i also love how they show him in professor sweaters for the beginning acts of the movie

definitely a softer aesthetic than one would guess for a dude who apparently did field missions sometime within the past decade or so, but i also have a theory that lee’s death directly contributed to merlin maybe being the man behind the screen as opposed to afield

because trauma is a thing but this is a FUN movie so we’re NOT gonna talk about it

“you’re gonna be all right. you’re top of the class!” this was the scene that made my mom a reggsy shipper

regardless of how you feel about them as a couple, their friendship is one of the best things about this movie, along with their dynamic with charlie, asjdnaskdjna WHY could we not have had a trio movie instead

eggsy you show-off “lemme just throw my arms up and dip outta this plane like it’s not a big deal”

roxy you can do it!

ugh, there goes my baby, off to have a near-death experience under merlin’s immediate supervision lmao

“good girl, rox, glad you made it!”

guys, they’re just kids.

i love this big group scene because it reminds us that these are just young folks, still

“my, my, you’re all very cheerful...”

“rufus, come on!” dude eggsy—and not even just eggsy, charlie and rox too--at least made an attempt at teamwork. you get points for that bro

but man, for all they know, they’re about to beef it in a very permanent way, i’d be freaking out too

merlin getting caught up in the drama

because again, he’s supposed to know that eggsy has a parachute

i think he wasn’t prepared for these two to get that close to not making it and that’s why we see him break face and drop his mug

*WHAM*

i HATE the sound of them landing

it’s not like you can hear bones breaking but it hurts me, guys

and then there were three

plus one daddy long legs quartermaster

“if you have a complaint you come here and you whisper it in my ear.”

yes SIR

“you need to take that chip off your shoulder.”

merlin coming’ in with the tough love portion of the kingsman core squad

there’s no reason for me to think harry’s persona was inspired by cruella de ville somehow but i do anyway

she reveals the mcdonald’s and valentine is just :D

idk if he was expecting a specific reaction or was just excited to see a reaction period

valentine is definitely a fun villain, which, given the tone of the movie, makes sense, it’s all supposed to be fun

one of the reasons i love kingsman is that it’s like, this golden ray of goofy cinematic fuckery in a world of grim!dark remakes and other superhero/spy films who are presented as more serious stories

“and thank you for such a—happy, meal.”

harry got a puppy smile

but see, then, here at his house he’s a lot more relaxed with gazelle! like, patting her butt, etc.

maybe what we see of their relationship is dependent on setting, because valentine himself has it compartmentalized?

perrrrrrhaps

“and i am never, EVER GOING TO AGREE!”

tilde, you deserved better, and i think all the weird hate you get from our ohana is unfair

you don’t twist a runner’s ankle before the race starts and then get mad when they don’t win

your story was mishandled from the beginning

asmr: hanging out with the golden trio watching worrying news in the kingsman trainee bunker room

the way he says “biblical sense” lmao

i have never been able to figure out if the way he says that line is supposed to infer spiritual respect, or lack of it, but i might be looking too into it

“it’s an acquired taste, mate.”

what—what would you even do if you were at a club and three people as hot as taron, ed and sophie all came up and start talking to you at the same time

like i know the target got up and left pretty quick because of the training exercise

but i’d be doing it because i’m ugly and if three hot people are all talking me up at a bar something is Bad and Wrong

which—the CAHONES on both eggsy and roxy

they both literally said “yeah i’m willing to die for this organization that hasn’t even given me a permanent place yet, what of it”

look at harry’s dimples in this scene, he is fighting a huge grin, he’s SO PROUD

i know that charlie’s response is supposed to be just more fodder into the “charlie hesketh is a tool” fire

but given that i’m not unconvinced that his home life wasn’t super shitty, like—

idk, this makes this scene a lot less fun to me. it makes it sad.

like, maybe charlie didn’t even want to be there deep down, maybe this was all for like, arthur, or his dad, or some other person he looked up to

and the way merlin looks when he tells charlie to go home, the way that he’s kinda grimacing? i’m wondering if he’s along the same kind of feeling. he’d know more about charlie’s history

have i also mentioned how much i love harry’s war room?

“YES harry!”

an evil plan is being born!

“true nobility is being superior to your former self.”

eggsy is still in his club clothes, so like—has he slept? y’all let those kids sleep after fucking drugging them, right? … guys?

“—when one is popping ones cherry.”

and eggsy is just CHEESING he is SO EXCITED

am i the only one who wants to learn more about the store clerk guy though?

he’s like the one person around who’s legit just there to run the shop

has no idea about any of the spy stuff happening

his name is donald, he’s married with three children and has two spaniels he loves

“THAT is sick.”

i would KILL for this room.

i don’t need anything in here for any reason but still

foreshadowing, foreshadowing, foreshadowing, more foreshadowing—

harry is such a NERD

“put it back, eggsy.”

the amount of self-control it would take to not have a sudden change in expression in that moment, omg

i wonder how THAT gets trained up in kingsman

“i guarantee it.” ha, get it, it’s a reference to that one commercial

“y’all—talk so funny.”

and this all means that they had a contact at that hat shop and got all that info to them before valentine got there, and somehow made sure he did end up buying a hat that they could also successfully put a bug on, how deep does this goooooo

“jack bauer?”

it says a lot about eggsy that out of all the jb’s it could’ve been, it was jack

uggghhhhhh of course they HAD to do this scene with eggsy with arthur

obviously harry couldn’t do it

i just think most of us would NOT be fans of arthur at this point in the movie, we’re all rooting for eggsy, like, he needs this moment with this other character because we gotta drive home that he’s an asshole

also—would have absolutely failed that test

and i’m not sorry at all

“welcome to kingsman--lancelot.”

i was really happy that it was a female agent who ended up getting the handle

aannddd more echoes of past scenes, man, nobody can say that this crew wasn’t intentional with their cinematography

when eggsy rolls the window down you can see his chest moving up and down, like, he is MAD

dean you asshole

so no wonder he gets so pissed that the car suddenly decides “nope, no, we’re not doing this, c’mon”

this entire conversation at harry’s house is—tense

and you don’t pick up on it the first time, i don’t think, but uh

i’m seeing it now

harry’s not just mad, he’s hurt, and eggsy’s furious but he’s also maybe regretting his actions.

it’s these two men who are rapidly trying to figure out their headspaces and trying to figure out how to navigate this situation with each other

and the way eggsy tries to apologize ;-;

kentucky is a beautiful state, actually

ohhhhhh y’alllll

we’re at the churrrccchhhh

we’re gettin’ closer to the coolest part of the movieeeee

it’s telling that gazelle was trying to make sure that they’d be safe

“… so hail satan, and have a lovely afternoon madame.”

the most metal lines colin firth has ever uttered on camera

the siren noise after it’s switched on bothers me in a way i can’t quite articulate

it might be because i have silent hill-colored trauma, who knows

FREEEEEE

BIIIRRRDDDDDDD

THE GREATEST ACTION TRACKING SHOT IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA

but then eggsy and merlin are reacting aaaanndddd it’s—a lot less fun

because you realize that they’re watching their bro mercilessly slaughter innocent people and not stopping

and still not stopping

but plot twist, i’m really glad they kept the track going, because if they’d suddenly picked *this* part of the scene to get serious, that would’ve brought the mood down so low that i don’t think there would’ve been any bouncing back

i just

how do people exist who aren’t attracted to harry hart

that man is a machine

and colin worked so hard to be able to do the scene himself, and that work SHOWS, that man cuts a FIGURE

i don’t know how they managed to somber it up just the right amount, either? maybe because they waited for the “fun action sequence” to be over so there wouldn’t need to be noise that had to be masked by a fun rock track?

“… what did you do to me.”

i cannot imagine what harry was feeling in that moment.

the way he spoke it was like he didn’t even have time to be afraid to die

“that tends to happen when you shoot somebody in the head. feels good, right?”

“no, it does not feel good!”

i love that exchange because we normally hear the opposite.

also—whiplash.

mark has this way of expressing grief without showing any—blatant signs.

like merlin’s not especially tearful, or crying, but his eyes look MASSIVE. and SAD. and he has just the tiiiiiniest tremor in his voice.

and eggsy, dude, like, we’ve all had it come on us really quick and suddenly it’s like your chest is pumping like a piston and when did it get so hard to breathe?

ARTHUR you REPULSE me

like look at how egssy’s shoulders sag when he realizes that arthur isn’t on his team

and in a way, this is eggsy’s final test as a kingsman trainee, imo

do you realize how quickly he had to assess what was happening and figure out what to do, all without arthur noticing?

“you are all alone. it is all up to you. remember all you have learned. good luck.”

it’s a very—almost horror-esque situation from that pov

and he passed with flying colors to go on his first true mission, because after he puts on the suit, that’s his visual cue of graduating, if that makes sense

that’s the knight putting on his armor.

“i’d rather be with harry. thanks.”

“so be it.”

*click*

me: *laughing at arthur’s big dumb stupid head*

… man i’d love a replica of that decanter and glasses set though

not to mention that eggsy recognized the flaws in arthur’s character and weaponized them, which is a whole other level of shit that isn’t necessarily easy; he knew that arthur carried the kind of pride that would leave him open

god, he looks so exhausted though when rox has him at gunpoint.

i think he was being pretty serious, about harry

sick helipaaaaaaad

that thing looks vaguely like a rock-‘em sock-‘em robot but in pieces though

more grandpa sweaters <3

man. you can see roxy swallow, you know she’s scared, but then she just sets her jaw and—

roxy baby you are the best i love you

i like the vintage vibe of the mountain lair

i think that’s another visual poke at the aesthetic themes of some of the older, og spy flicks out there

merlin looks SO LANKY walking back to the plane for some reason??

he stays until the last second for roxy. that’s love right there.

“a bespoke suit always fits.”

which can be good spiritual life advice too but that’s a separate conversation

“what the fuck is WRONG with you people?”

and his fuckin’ disco ball

uuggggghhhhh his speech reminds me of so many… “public figures” that i dislike

even though it’s obviously a bad thing that the chips are everywhere, i appreciate that phones and such are being shown in a positive manner (like, michelle talking to someone in the park, people at a ball game taking selfies, people at the beach, etc.) because i get so sick of that anti-tech boomer humor tbh

and the big reveal of eggsy in his suitttt

A KNIGHT IS BORN

“how’s the view?”

“hideous.”

you’re allowed to be crabby baby, you just let it out.

“lookin’ good, eggsy.”

“feelin’ good, merlin.”

merlin is so calm heading into the fortress and i don’t know if it’s because he’s very, very good at compartmentalizing and that’s genuinely how he is at the moment or if he’s that way through extreme self-control and effort

he can rock a pilot’s uniform though

just like eggsy can rock a suit

they’re both so handsome, help

i also wonder how eggsy’s feeling right then

like, i’d imagine that the pressure of having to perform a role to literally save the world would be enough to distract him from the bite of grief

that’s—probably enough to distract everyone, tbh

i a hundred percent believe there are breakdowns we don’t see

i wonder if eggsy told tilde he’d spoken to lindstrum(sp?) after everything was said and done

like, that’d be some kind of weird foreshadowing in hindsight

this scene is anxiety-inducing in a big way so to distract myself i imagine roxy as a mech pilot

dude i’d totally watch sophie in a role like that, like, let her be in a movie like pacific rim, she’d kick ass

and now we have The Chaos

otherwise known as that point when Everything Is Happening All At Once All The Time

also a thing that doesn’t exist in spy movies: hearing damage

because like his voice is right in eggsy’s ear and without it he’d have a LOT harder time surviving

imagine being an agent, merlin trying to talk to you, but something either hits your ear or goes off right next to it and suddenly it’s just silent

SYSTEM FAILURE

YAAASSSSS

WE WIN

GGOOOAAAAALLLLLL

THE AUDIENCE IS DOING THE WAVE

except JUST KIDDING

The Chaos 2 Electric Boogaloo!

merlin with a huge gun: hot, also, very scary

eggsy is just 10000% done

“this is mine. i’ll show you yours.”

i wonder who e man was supposed to be that valentine called.

like is that a reference to a real person that i just did’t catch?

… elon musk? maybe? idk

eggsy slides like a gd anime character

when he uses the rainmaker, it’s just like harry’s protecting him from somewhere else

(oh—wait, technically kentucky, i guess)

“merlin, i’m fucked.” you can hear the anger there. not only did he fail, but he—and everyone else—is about to die

but this? this is the pinnacle of eggsy showing himself as a kingman agent

he was staring death straight in the mouth and STILL

SOMEHOW

REMEMBERED THE IMPLANTS

so i guess if i say that the moment when he puts on the suit is when he becomes a true agent, then maybe this is the moment when he becomes galahad.

*bobs head to pomp & circumstance*

i remember getting a huge kick out of how colorful they made this

because in real life you know a bunch of people literally blowing up would be like—DISGUSTING

viscera everywhere

no fun rainbow mushroom clouds

“i’ve always wanted to kiss a princess.”

ANOTHER knight reference, very clever matthew

mmmmm Do Not Like that noise

aaaannndddd *that* line

which—maybe that’s mr. vaughn’s sense of humor, or what he thinks the sense of humor his core demographic has, idk

but it always kinda rubbed me the wrong way

the mass brawl scenes are edited so like--jarringly compared to the other fight scenes in the movie

that’s probably for a reason

also, a showdown to the tune of something disco: kind of another trope homage

this shot of gazelle is so sick, i love everything about it, she is so cool

this entire fight with eggsy is awesome tbh

we got a little bit of what gazelle can look like in combat earlier with tilde’s guards, but now we get this epic showdown seeing her at her full potential against someone who’s actually a challenge

and the way valentine is shouting for her to kick his ass from upstairs and yelling encouragement lmao that’s how real friends act when there’s a fight

daisy ;-; ugh, that’s the visual gutpunch that makes it juuuuuust serious enough by reminding us of the stakes

which is why it’s fitting that then we see the Slo-Mo K.O.

and that smile with the fun little chimes in the back, lmao

and eggsy, quick on his feet again byyyy being quick on gazelle’s feet—foot—whatever

man, impalement deaths are always fun.

coulda done without the vomiting but that’s also one of valentine’s quirks that makes him different from a cookie cutter villain

aaannddd have a heavy sigh from merlin

that dude needs a full-body massage and a drink

“is this where you say some really bad pun?”

reminder: i love that this movie is self-aware! i could not picture a super serious kingsman movie! i just picture something depressing!

there had to have been a better option besides—this, for this eggsy/tilde ending scene

i’m not saying i’m mad it ended with them fucking, i’m mad that the extent of the joke was anal and that was it.

also the idea of my boss possibly seeing me having sex would have me a little more concerned about the hardware on my face, but okay??

aannddd the tapes.

gah, we love visual throwbacks!

we love being able to see that despite all this growth and change, family remains very important to eggsy—he hasn’t changed into a different person, he has grown more into himself than ever before! THIS! THIS is eggsy unwin!

… GET READY FOR IT

time for tgc! (and to get into my roanoke feels, maybe, this is the nexus where our canons connect)

the BAGPIPES

okay

i did not stop to consider how unpleasant this was going to be to watch stoned but we’re gonna power through it and get through it together

if i cry i cry

the way the music swells into the main theme <3

and the perfect reveal for our boy eggsy!

reflected in gold, looking sharper than broken glass

and SUDDENLY CHARLIE

the pacing in tgc leads me to believe that matthew had huge plans for this movie, and a lot of cool stuff probably ended up on the cutting room floor for time

i also love that they brought charlie back

i love his voice box and his cool robot arm

and i’m not just saying that because it made it super easy to blend him into our canon, either, this is like—charlie’s evil twin in terms of his new aesthetic, the contrast is really cool

YYAASSSS THIS SCENE

WITH PRINCE PLAYING??

*CHEF’S KISS*

like we are IMMEDIATELY thrown back into the gold parts of it all, like how physics is a little broken so we can do cool shit like have a knockdown drag-out fight all within the space of a small cab

i wonder what would’ve hurt charlie worse—being thrown onto his organic side, or having all his weight land on his metal arm if it hadn’t disattached

but then he’s up and standing so i guess we’re fine?

MERLIN! <3

otherwise known as the character entrance that literally changed my life

i try not to think about it too much or i get weirded out

ANYWAY

(and to think i almost never even saw the movie)

Sick Car Chase, Bro

and as an american, like, everything’s on the opposite side to me, it’s stressful to watch a little bit

“i seem to remember in your training you were rather good at holding your breath.”

man, that’s uh—kind of a macabre thing to say, merlin

just a little bit

i’m not even gonna attempt to hold my breath to see if i’d survive this scene just assume i’m dead in that universe

we all live in a kingsman subarmine, a kingsman submarine, a kingsman submarine~~

“not boasting, but i trained him well enough that even he wouldn't mess that up.”

merlin are you okay??

gah, i love that chest-deep laugh though.

is it real love if they won’t crawl through the sewer to get to your house in time

i love that harry’s house looks basically the same

i know they talk about eggsy not wanting to change anything in the novelization but i haven’t read it yet so I’m not a hundred percent sure what all is in there

and we still get to see him hanging with his friends, and his girlfriend, like, this dude is still all about the family

“wwwwOOOOO!”

i love this group so much omg

for as much as he’s galahad, he’s still eggsy

the transition in the weed bag looks super cool

… oh, i guess watching this while high makes the main storyline hit a bit different

welp

i love that poppy is an aesthetic slut and really doesn’t give a shit about anyone’s opinion about how she makes her space

like, “i want a big 50s-style diner with a gourmet kitchen that i can cook people in, soooooo i’m getting one”

it’s also refreshing to see julianne moore in a bad guy role!

not that i’m super familiar with her filmography but i feel like i’ve mostly seen her cast as like a good guy?

i could be wrong

awwwww jet and bennie!

there’s so much to love about this set

cannibalism and the fact that she bulldozed jungle to build all this aside (suspend that belief!)

the breakfast sceeeeeene

it’s so bittersweet, for obvious reasons

and it’s more evidence that he’s not super ready to move on into new territory yet, like making new memories with tilde that ring close to home

“i wish i could have met him.”

and the way he has to turn away, ugh.

eggsy. i’m sorry.

tilde, i’m sorry, too. you had good intentions, but they lost against his pain.

michael gambdon! the new arthur we didn’t know we wanted until we got him.

charlie had a moral glo-down, it’s fine, happens to everybody

FFFFFF his imitation of merlin lmfao

man, poor charlie, like

you wake up, you can’t make a sound, your arm has been blown off and your family’s dead

like his reaction to that entire scenario isn’t entirely unrealistic, i’m just saying

also LOOK AT ROX

omg everyone in this movie can wear the FUCK out of suit, y’all

man, i’ve gotten a few tattoos that were exquisitely painful—i can’t imagine how much it would suck to do it with literal molten metal

dude this means clara laid on her stomach and probably screamed at the floor as she got hers D:

this kinda—riffs off of hannibal, a teeny-tiny bit

like we’re so overloaded with the aesthetics and behavior of a certain character so it’s like, we forget about the much darker parts untillllll there’s a mood change and we’re looking at that dude’s legs, to the burger this other dude puts in his mouth, and thinking “oh, oh dear, ew”

i love eggsy in the orange jacket <3 snaps for the wardrobe crew across this series.

tilde’s face, omg, she was heart-eyeing so bad. and like, that little proud nod at her dad (who was of course being Like That on purpose)

and roxy, coming in in the clutch, you are tonight’s MVP

uggghhhhh i hate this part

because again, it’s just--a bunch of bad shit colliding outside of anyone’s control

(it was also really jarring seeing the war room with blank walls the first time i watched this)

like—granted, you should maybe not touch stuff that’s not yours, but…

like we *just* saw eggsy and brandon in a very casual, intimate scene with each other, how can anyone get angry with brandon?

this is all stress-inducing

i remember being in the theater watching this and feeling like i was watching some awful slow motion car wreck and i couldn’t look away

idk what other story i would’ve wanted to see but i was NOT a fan of Sudden Death For Christmas, especially concerning roxy!

and poppy is such a *bright* villain, not just because of taste but because of her personality, which is another weird thing to have next to the cannibalism

gaaahhhh charlieeee your arm is so cooooool

this shot is gorgeous and incredibly depressing.

what do you do?

gah, and the way merlin comes out of the dark, like

i probably would’ve drawn a gun on him too

“you think *i* would?”

this scene shows 1. how much he trusts eggsy to not shoot him, and/or 2. how good merlin is at compartmentalizing, because this is an even bigger blow than harry’s death, and he’s following the protocol like it’s an art form

i hope that we see some reference to this safe in the next movie, that’d be a cool way to tie the narratives all together

“i suppose that must be upper class humor. … i don’t get it.”

reminder, merlin is working class.

if you’re a ho for this fandom and went and bought this whiskey specifically because of this movie clap your hands *clap clap*

and they proceed to just get HAMMERED

“country rooaaddsss… take me hoooooome…”

another reminder: kentucky is a beautiful state!

i would love to tour a whiskey distillery, that’d be super cool

“shame it’s not scotch”

again, with his weird night vale clipboard.

who would win: two highly-trained kingsman agents vs. one (1) cowboy

channing tatum, ladies and gentlemen!

“y’all look damn sharp!”

i am forever gonna be mad we didn’t get more of tequila in this movie, and not just because of roanoke either, but like, “that dog don’t hunt,” whatever he has in his mouth sealed a leak in a barrel, and it took him all of two minutes to incapacitate both eggsy AND merlin? hello??

i’m glad we’ll get to see more of him in the another movie.

“you know why the measurement of alcohol is called proof?”

just dumping it on their laps, so disrespectful

“—and you can go fuck yourself.”

eggsy fucking just giggling.

these two doofuses

also it’s hot to see merlin be sassy ngl

“HARRY!”

these guys have been fast thinkers in stressful situations but as it turns out, people being unexpectedly not dead can kinda fuck with your day

aaannddd halle berry, everybody! i love ginger ale omg

(and so does merlin, he is instantly enchanted)

;-; this reunion scene

i don’t know how colin manages to be two completely different people at once

like there’s a huge difference between former agent galahad and harry hart the lepidopterist and i can’t explain it

i really, really hope we see at least one little hint at kinsman’s relationship with statesman in the new movie, i just think it’d be really cool

in roanoke canon, there’s an office rumor that the nanobot tech used by statesman was influenced directly by the same technology developed by dr. wernicke in the outlast games. i still think it’s one of my better crossover ideas.

also

god bless whoever decided to get elton john involved with all this?? because i was DELIGHTED

i love poppy’s wardrobe as much as i love her weird 50s-land in the jungle

i also really love the main statesman theme? it reminds me of all those fun epic westerns

jeff bridges! :D

champ vaguely reminds me of my dad

“can you imagine us in the tailor business?”

and he’s super quick with the questions. my headcanons for champ are all over the place but one that i really like is that he was maybe a sheriff or in law enforcement before being recruited by statesman.

aaanndddd pedro pascal, everybody!

otherwise known as *another* character that this movie did dirty, that’ll probably come up in this later

imagine being harry hart, not remember all of yourself, and suddenly your entire room just—fills with water

that had to have been so terrifying, and it was just as hard for merlin to watch (and possibly remember something unpleasant)

and like

that sounds like SUCH bullshit, too, like “yeah we thought if you came close to drowning it would help”

which, is that what merlin meant, no, but is that what harry heard, probably

enter jb the second ;-; <3 sweet baby

tilde’s trying so hard. i see you!

aha, penis jokes.

and all of the unnecessary weird festival stuff, uuggghh

there are so many different things they could have done, like, all of this is just weird from the get-go

first of all, whiskey striking out? hello?? saying no to a man like mr. pascal???

not realistic

the way whiskey takes a shot as he walks away lmao, relatable

and poor clara, like, it’s not like she was asking for any of this D:

hmmmmmmm don’t know how i feel being a stoner watching other stoners get this blue rash thing when i know it kills some of themmmmmmm

i love charlie in his newsboys cap!

poppy has a little bit of a point. like, booze is way more dangerous than pot, as is tobacco. like i would never advocate anyone try meth or heroin, but i think weed and some hallucinogenics get bad wraps.

seeing a dude get torn in half in the reflection of elton john’s sunglasses is the surprising bit of gore we need to remember that oh, yeah, the villain isn’t fun, she’s a murderer

uuggghhhh the TENT SCENE

and, look, i’ll defend tilde forever, but i did NOT like the weird marriage ultimatum. i still think it’s a dick move, like, in that situation either decide to trust your boyfriend or break up with him

the tent interior is super cool-looking

and like, man, he tried, he tried to bounce D:

/sigh/ work hazards, i guess

mmmmmm we don’t need any of what’s happening on screen right now so i’ll just sit patiently and wait for it to be over

and like, there’s nothing funny about merlin and ginger being able to hear everything that’s going on, it’s so grosssss, poor ginger has to have heard some shit before to be so nonchalant about it

everything about this sucks

and then he tries going to the one person who he needs the most and having to deal with him still existing in some state between alive and dead

his body is here

but harry is not

“maggots turn into flies, perhaps you mean larvae!” :D he is SO CUTE

but this entire conversation, with harry still not remembering and eggsy trying so hard to reach him through the fog, is so depressing

like, i’d need a drink too

*and* a joint

i’m seeing my coping mechanisms on screen here folks

the way he comes up with the idea is kinda ingenious though

like, he’s looking at stuff to make himself bummed on purpose, but therein he finds the thing he needs to fix the issue

harry’s smile when eggsy hands him the puppy TT.TT

and then eggsy just becomes a stone cold motherfucker with no emotions

“no one’s sick enough to shoot a puppy!”

hi, flashback!harry

and as SOON as he remembers himself, it’s like his eyes are different, something about him looks like it did before kentucky

“… eggsy.”

one of my favorite movie hugs

and eggsy has to stand on his tiptoes because harry’s so tall

like yeah merlin and harry’s reunion isn’t as overtly emotional, but there’s definitely a sense of joy and relief there.

harry my baby ;-; much better with the sunglasses (and merlin was so close to telling him he looked spectacular)

“now is that any way to welcome a visit from outta town, moonshine?”

he! tried! to! defend! harry!

i hate that jack got a villain story line!

we could’ve had something so much better and infinitely more compelling!

“hurrrr durrrr morgan you just like redemption arcs because you don’t want anybody being a villain permanently” i also like them because sometimes that’s better writing, y’all sit down

“that is NOT what i call a kentucky welcome.”

i love so many things happening in this scene, like

we get to see whiskey kick ass, like yassss gimme those sweet action sequences and give us some character development by showcasing his fighting style

and also NOBODY shits on harry for not being able to handle the situation. both eggsy and merlin were like “dude we’re still celebrating the fact that you’re alive tbh it’s fine if you’re not back up to speed right this second”

you can really tell that this was penned by british people writing american slang because having grown up in the southern half of the u.s. i have never ONCE heard ANYONE say shit like “i feel like a tornado in a trailer park” lmao

and poppy’s fun little death threat infomercial, so great

“what have you done to me you FUCKING BITCH” oof, that’s a mood

!!!!! gonna be honest i kinda forgot that bruce greenwood plays the president

okay but save lives, legalize isn’t an entirely bad idea tbh

hnnnnnnng the scenes about people not being able to get into the hospital hits different in the year of our lord 2020 huh

… y’all i’m being weirded out by all this hospital scenes, this is unpleasant

i, too, wish i could pull a tequila and just be slipped into a chilly coma until shit wasn’t so fucked up

“the fact is, this presidency has won the war on drugs!”

THIS SCENE!

look, y’all can come into my inbox and call me a pothead, or a lazy stoner, or some third insult, but this dude’s VP is bringing up some very, VERY important points when it comes to any kind of discussion about drug use in the u.s.

am i drug-friendly, sure, but i’m more friendly to the notion that we stop demonizing addicts/users

harry looks fucking SCANDALIZED when he sees champ spit into his spittoon thing

i don’t think whiskey even brought up harry not being ready to return to the field in an insulting manner, he literally just saw him get his ass beat in a bar, but eggsy’s faith and loyalty are up there in the category of unstoppable force/immovable object, so here we are

am i the only one curious about the whole charlie x clara thing? because he’s definitely grown up a bit by tgc, and i wanna know how much of that might be because of clara

and he MISSES, e for effort harry

“so sorry about this—“ WHAM

and now that guy can say colin firth busted his face with a fire extinguisher, which is very cool

“*you’re* wu ting feng?” “… yes?”

“you motherFUCKER” ohhhhhh charlie maaaaaad

ginger and merlin though, #couplegoals

the only person more pissed off about the hallucinations than everyone else is harry

imagine remembering that you’re one of the top people in your field and you just keep seeing imaginary butterflies everywhere

like, yeah, i’d be pissed at not being able to do what i knew i was capable of, too

if it wasn’t careening towards a random retirement center, getting stuck in a wildly rotating gondola thing could be fun

nice tuesday afternoon activity

i would loved to have seen more galahad/whiskey field stuff

“you’ve got to be fucking kidding me—“

meanwhile, in the continuing adventures of eggsy and jack: shit goes from bad to worse like a formal spiral only going downward

their expressions as their both just SCREAMING always make me laugh

”that’s the first decent shit i’ve had in three weeks.” <- as does that line, that old dude’s just telling it like it is

eggsy’s comment about the antidote just reminds me of when boromir looks a the ring and says something like “all this for such a tiny thing”

dun dun DUN what are THOSE? hints that whiskey may not be who we think he is??

great. so excited about that. i say, rolling my eyes into the sun

“i’ll fix their wagons.” no one says that matthew!

i. love. this. scene. because now we get cool gun tricks AND the second most metal thing that happens with a lasso in this movie (we’re coming up on the most metal thing)

like please please PLEASE show us more lasso tricks in the statesman movie

“well thank fuckin’ christ i didn’t need any backup.” i wonder if whiskey’s acting angrier than he actually is to throw off the fact that he might’ve caught harry’s glance at him betraying suspicion

RIP jack

imagine the timeline where whiskey was never a bad guy and harry hart just blew a dude away for NO REASON

now THAT would be an interesting movie

because harry and eggsy, for all they went through in the first film, never had a conflict where it was harry in the position of mangling the ropes up

but of course eggsy would never, never tell merlin what happened because he’s still ultimately on harry’s team

damn, charlie, literally blowing up your girlfriend seems kinda extreme

“THIS is vital!”

and here we get to see the biggest difference between merlin and ginger

now, i know there’s extra stuff in the novelization about their relationship and i can’t talk about it because i have no idea what’s in the book

but!

i DO still headcanon as merlin quitting fieldwork after lee’s death

his comment is either what he genuinely believes, or maybe what he fashioned his beliefs into after stepping down from his field role, and ginger is just as sincere in her desire to break into that aspect of working for statesman

it’s like seeing the same character but in two points in time, and it’s really cool

that balance would’ve also been a fun aspect of their romantic relationship to explore but alas! ’twas not to be

colin and mark could both play slenderman

look at those limbs.

gracious.

also this facetime scene with eggsy and tilde T.T

that has to be so terrifying to watch when you know the steps of death and what they look like as they get closer

but it also puts a fire under eggsy though

“i’m leaving with, or without you.”

and of course they’re both gonna go because that’s NOT characteristic eggsy behavior based off of how we know he views family/squad

that’s how they know he’s being for cereal

uugggggGGHHHH and THAT FORESHADOING

stacey pruitt, attorney at lawwwww

hmmmmmmmmm

what does this conversation between poppy and the president remind me of

gonna just sigh into the void

and now we have harry and eggsy on the jet along with the BIGGEST LIE harry hart has ever told in his LIFE

kingsman and statesman aesthetics at least tend to be the same color schemes. lotta golds, yellows. browns.

eggsy, yeah, it’s a bummer your gf dumped you, but this relationship wasn’t very well-developed or written so i’m not as bummed as i could be

“… and in that moment, all i felt was loneliness and regret.”

harry shut the FUCK UP

you felt NOTHING??

you weren’t thinking of, gee, i dunno, EGGSY? or MERLIN?? your MOM???

like these lines from him just seem to come out of left field and i can’t even halfway suspend my belief long enough to come close to believing him

like mr. hart you just gonna be like that in front of jesus and everybody????

so, yeah, of course he’s on board with saving tilde! because he recognizes (apparently just right that second) that “having something to lose is what makes life worth living”

and i don’t know if they felt like there need to be some weird, deeply contrasting reason for harry to swing around to being in support? or something?

i’m forever pissed about this characterization and i don’t even know if i’m expressing my anger in a way that makes it easy to understand lmao this is fine, i’m fine, literally not a single person in this fandom ever believed those lines anyway, it’s fine

moving on

... and even if they WERE true then honestly that just makes me more excited about butterfly knife, because that means that harry acknowledged both the bad side of the coin, and also the side with rae on it (which would mean seeing her for who she was and also recognizing his feelings for what THEY were) and drew the ultimately correct conclucision that love! is! always! worth! it! let that shit in like a welcome guest in the home of your heart, and they will stay as long as you let them!

as SOON as he wakes up ginger looks a thousand percent done lmao

and the “process” that they use to wake people up or whatever is—interesting

because all it is, is trauma turned into a tool which is kind of a weird concept to see in a “fun spy movie” imo

and this is one of what i feel were like only what, two? glimpses we get into whiskey’s Tragic Backstory

and the other scene isn’t a glimpse it’s just straight up exposition in his dialogue :/

jack, i’m sorry, you deserved better than this as a character

i’m sure the name “silver pony” is a reference to something but i don’t know what

“lookin’ GOOD merlin!” “feelin’ good, eggsy.”

ladies and gentlemen when i tell you that i lost my pool-noodle mind seeing him put on that suit watching this in a theater, i--

ANYWAY

because now that i have the horrible burden of having seen these movies a million times

i know it’s more symbolic

he stays in sweaters so long, as an agent of the background, because he walked a man to his death

so it figures when he puts the armor back on for the first time in ages

he walks to his own

uuuggghhhh the minesweeper

i hate this

i hate it

i hate everything about the feelings i’m having while this is happening

*beep-beep*

“you move, we die.”

i HATE IT

but like, i don’t know, how preferable is this to the end scene we almost got, which was merlin dragging his newly-legless corpse through a doggy door?

because it’s been literally multiple years and i still have no fucking idea

they’re both horrible in their own terrible, awful ways

damn, matthew, it’s not often someone manages to come up with multiple versions of a thing and have every version be so gut-wrenchingly horrific, i’m truly impressed and completely disgusted

“do as your told!”

god

everyone just going through twenty shades of Bad Feelings in the space of fifteen seconds here in the jungle

and colin and taron do this thing where it’s like—their eyes go dead? like, there was a light here, it’s gone now

it SUCKS

oh no

ALMOST HEAVEN

WEST VIRGINIA

… fuck

LIFE IS OLD THERE

OLDER THAN THE TREES

“… singing?”

this sucks.

this sucks this sucks this sucks

MOUNTAIN MAMAAAAA

TAKE ME HOOOOME

COUNTRY ROOOADDSSSSS

*THUNK*

and he even took off his glasses before he hit him, he had his end coming towards him and he was still a gentleman

TAKE ME HOOOME

COUNTRY RROOOOAAAADDDSSSSS

his EYES AT THE END

FUCK

… okay i had to get up and go for a lil’ walk

anyway

(and again, roanoke canon, fucking fixing’ shit left and right, because we’re the goat)

harry and eggsy look MURDEREROUS

MERLIN SAID KNOCK YOU OUT

it DID make the grand ending fun action scene a lot more satisfying

because like, without merlin there, that means harry and eggsy get to go full feral

poppy you big idiot you just robbed them of all their motivation to show any kind of restraint and now everybody’s gonna get blown up

except for those dudes who get kicked by elton john

which would be an HONOR first of all

(the part where eggsy’s using his gun and shield vaguely reminds me of the specialist, @bloodofthepen)

and harry and eggsy just—they’re drift compatible! that’s it! the teamwork! the grace! the flow! my god!

eggsy vs. charlie: round like 4 if you count the first movie

it was also satisfying to see charlie’s new arm in action

we love fun robotics and gadgetry in this house

colin firth is really just not afraid to throw himself full force down a bowling lane huh

ugh, seeing charlie slam eggsy over and over again makes my chest hurt

the sound mixing on all these films is top notch which isn’t always a good thing T.T

ROCKETMAN~~~

that shit will never NOT be funny

a wild elton john appeared!

eggsy is indestructible, he can walk off anything

but charlie, charlie i feel really sorry for, imagine being attacked by a superior version of your own limb, i.e. something that you can’t exactly quickly remove from yourself, that would be TERRIFYING

harry + elton = dream teaaaammmm

“darling if you save the world, you can have a backstage pass.”

i love you elton john :(

i would have been the most OBNOXIOUS hype man in the background of the entire kingsman vs. poppy land face-off

“let’s make this fair.” eggsy you’re fuckin’ cheeky

and poor harry, all that lank just getting tossed like noodles

i thought the robot puppers were very cool

“for the record charlie i’m more of a gentleman than you’ll ever be.”

mmmmmm do NOT like this death for charlie

SUPER glad we fixed it

and another scene where i can’t stand the sound mixing T.T it makes me cringe every time

“i don’t consider genocide especially lady-like.”

and are we gonna talk about how merlin knew how to make heroin?

… no?

nobody wanna talk about that?

ugh that houndstooth dress is so PRETTY though

high!poppy is weirdly comedic for all of two seconds and then it stops being funny real fast

whiskey D:<

this is so dumb

this is all so, so dumb

“our agencies were founded to uphold peace, to protect the innocent—“

there’s that nobility again

is what happened to whiskey fucked up, yes

i’m not saying we have to completely remove that from his story

i just

literally anything but this would have been preferable

and then HOT DOG it’s one of my favorite shots in the movie with the whip where harry’s just chucking it away from his face like a bamf, YES

how great is this cover, let’s be honest

like, i’d be lying if i said i didn’t enjoy this scene visually

plus

HARRY GETTING PEGGED RIGHT IN THE FACE WITH A FRYING PAN

gracious

it’s one fluid tracking shot, so kinda in alignmentment with what we’re used to

some people get annoyed with repeated junk but when you can do it THIS WELL you can get away with anything

but then jack

you did NOT desert that

yes, you were in dire need of an attitude adjustment but jesus

“this is for you, merlin.”

/ugly sobbing/

and tilde is all betterrrrrr ;-;

you guys did itttttt

COUNTRY ROOOAAADDSS

TAKE ME HOOOOOOMMEEEE

TO THE PLAAAAAACCCEEEEE

I BELOOOOONNGGGG

and the scene with jamal and liam T.T #wholesomecontent

poor tequila, after i knew that you would have a bigger role in another movie, i was less annoyed by the fact that they iced you so quick into the story

#FOX2020

“… now we’re brothers, working side by side.”

spoiler alert i actually love champ’s toast

“y’all shittin’ in high cotton now” WHAT DOES THAT MEAN???

and ginger becomes the new whiskey like she always wanted T.T

merlin is proud from heaven (or london, depending on which canon)

iiiiiii have mixed feelings about the whole wedding scene, which is probably because i take HUGE issue with the weird proposal ultimatum thing that happened earlier

but the way eggsy says “not a doubt in my mind,” he says it so seriously and i remember that tilde almost died

there was such good intention packed into this couple that was so badly written that i just

augh

“but it is perhaps the end of the beginning.”

there’s ***merlin! lmao i see you dude, they did you dirty

look

i was pissed off about a lot of things that happened in this thing but i was honestly hype seeing tequila at the very end walking into the tailor shop

like, yeah, i’ll stick around to see what happens in this universe but i’m gonna complain the whole time

GO JACK RABBIT

RUNNING THROUGH THE WOODS

and again, i almost didn’t see this movie.

… i think about that morgan sometimes.

hope she’s doin’ okay.

…

she’s probably not. D:

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carrottuan93 · 4 years

Text

Haven’t met you yet | Mark

Masterlist (3/4) | part1 - part2 - part4

Starring: MK x You

Tags: Mark Tuan, Fluff, Destiny, Waiting, Christmas, Bookworm, Nerd, Love, Fate

Total WC: 2194

You nearly puked your guts out to the sight of Jackson sticking to Eunhee and hugging her like forever has been robbed from them. You failed to confide to your best friend about what happened to you in the last 24 hours. So as not to spoil their couple time together, you chose to not disturb them and just mingle with all the kids in the sweet treats section. You love kids so much you play Santa and distributed macarons to each one of them. As expected, most of your close friends and guests brought their own boyfriends, if not, their own husbands and it was a nice show to witness, with sarcasm aside. Thanks to Jackson’s little cousins, they keep you entertained with their bubbly personality.

“One with the kids, sure you’re missing the party in the adult section, no?” The sight of a guy clad in a formal white dress shirt, tucked in a black denim pants partnered with a classic chuck taylor, and a gray winter coat, welcomed your eyes. Guys who dress fashionably is such a head turner for you.

“Actually, they keep me company so I’m having fun to be honest.” You replied, feeling all the weird sensation cascading across your spine. You feel a bit nauseous whenever guys approach you. You don’t know if you even want to be with a guy right now, after your embarrassing experience last night.

“My cousins here are a bunch of nuisance, you’ll get tired of them soon.” He picked one matcha macaron from the aisle and took a bite of it. You observed his expression. A smile crept up to his face and you caught sight of Eunhee in a distant, gossiping to Jackson that you’re having a moment with his cousin. You certainly know that they’re mentally pairing you up already and you are growing nervous about the plans that they are possibly plotting behind your back.

“You like it? I bought them all the way from a café near my workplace that sells classic macarons just like the original ones from Paris.” He nodded in approval as you watch him took another piece, this time it’s strawberry. That’s your favorite flavor among the rest and you can really tell that the sweet tooth runs on Jackson’s bloodline by how his cousins, from the little chubby ones and the grown up beside you, munch on your favorite treat.

“I never really eat macarons, but you introduced me into it. You deserve a recognition, uhm?” He lifted his hand for a handshake. He doesn’t know your name yet so you took his hand and introduced yourself right away.

“It’s Y/n, Eunhee’s best friend. Thank you for the recognition by the way. Well, you come here with a date?” You’re mentally tiptoeing above the thin ice. It’s better to assume that this cute guy over here is already taken, I mean with his looks, he's totally a charmer, you thought to yourself.

“I didn’t bring anyone with me, so I assume you also come along on your own, no?” Green light. Okay, you need to calm down. This isn’t like any of your past blind dates but first meetups are usually nerve wracking and scary so you played the innocent heroine that you are and chose to just go with the flow seeing how Eunhee and Jackson are staring at you maliciously from Mark’s back, you know they were able to receive the death notes you are sending them via telepathy.

“That explains it.” It’s not that you had a thing with cute guys, but maybe you just discovered it right now. You can tell he’s a decent one, a cool and random Asian-American import from the west and maybe if you’re an ice cream, you already turned into liquid by the way he stares at you.

“I don’t know anything about you yet, but would you trust a complete stranger to celebrate your Christmas eve with? If you’re up for it, we’ll leave this party right away because I can tell that you’re going to get sick from all these couples outnumbering us.” Have you been a good girl this year? You didn’t include this guy on your Christmas list but Santa rewarded you without even asking for it.

“I’m putting my trust on you knowing that Jackson is a good guy so does his cousin. I'll sue him and he’ll answer for the damages and fines in case you failed to bring me back in good shape.” You both let out a hefty chuckle earning glares from your best friend and her boyfriend. You’ve decided to pursue your spontaneous trip with Mark and the next thing you know you’re already closing the front door upon your exit even before the two of them could react to your great and grand escape.

----

He took you on a ride away from the busy and bustling streets of Seoul. You're thrilled to find out that he actually brought you to Namsan Tower, the highest peak in the city. You're awed expression cannot suffice the picturesque panoramic scenery of Seoul unfolding in front of your very eyes when you entered the observatory on the top most floor. You were unable to talk all of a sudden and your heart is brimming with unexplained strings of emotion as you kept on taking pictures and videos of the breathtaking place that sent your eyes into a food coma.

"I only went to N tower once, or maybe twice but that was during the day and I have no idea that this is how it looks at night. It's a miss, nobody will be able to witness this scene on a Christmas eve the way we're seeing it right now." You forgot about your shameful episodes of last night's happenings and your worries disappeared in just an instant.

"I kind of paid for tonight's reservation when I arrived here in Korea a week ago, with the hopes of spending Christmas only to myself. Consider yourself lucky, you've managed to join me on this one-time event. Heck, the price I paid for is totally worth it. Come here and try this." He urged you to look on the telescope, and to your surprise, you're taking in every aspect of the city in a bird's eye perspective. Everything you look at is really stunning. Like you never really imagined that perfection exists for real until tonight and you're experiencing it with a random guy whom you've only met an hour ago. Your eyes met his and you wished you aren't redder than a rotten tomato for looking like a lost deer caught on a headlight.

"The view here is really pretty.” He gave you a smile, too charming for your own consumption.

“It really is.” He’s even prettier than the view. You can only sense your guy-o-meter raising for Mark. Good lord, is this a sign? Your mind is now ready to tick the ideal guy boxes on your list.

“We shouldn't keep this New York style pizza from waiting while it is hot.” He chuckled, like the cute kid that he is. There is something with his unique laugh that you really don’t mind hearing at all. Is he older than me? Please, I don’t want to date someone younger than me.

“Okay, sure kid.” You followed him as he sat on the ground in a dimly lit room radiating a romantic atmosphere under the starry and chilly skies of Seoul. This is not a date, but a friendly escape out of boredom planned by two single hearts on a Christmas eve. As if you’re two partners in crime, sitting on one of the highest skyscrapers in town, while sharing a box of pizza. It’s just that you aren’t Bonnie and neither he is your Clyde but you're loving the idea of him as someone whom you can rely on.

“I’m older than you, silly.” The sight of a wine bottle behind him caught your attention and wondered where it came from. He noticed you eyeing the prize so he did the honor and poured you a glass of wine while you’re devouring your slice of pizza. You never imagined that eating pizza is too romantic and one for the books.

“Any proof that you’re actually above 25? Cause you really look young. With that face, you can qualify for a student discount on public transports and still save money for your commute.” You want to make sure that he’s at least 5 years older than you. You prefer dating someone older than you because they always say that a guy's maturity is a year delayed for his age.

“Trust me, I just know. I’m old enough to buy a house and enter into casinos, I guess.” He gave you a wink and you felt a gush of strong wind blew your senses away. He’s totally a Romeo and you took a swig of wine while observing him secretly.

“So you’re a gambler? I might have been spending my time with some kind of a mafia leader and still have no clue about it.” He’s laughing at it again. I might have a talent with making cute guys laugh and that’s an asset I only discovered right now.

“What, no! But my dad is a big spender in casinos. My duty is to look out for him and take him home before he could even bet our fortune with his leisure. I could always hear him say ‘It has gotta be all or nothing’. He’s born for taking risks and maybe I got that gene from him that’s why.” He stretched his legs and sat like he’s on a photoshoot. He’s not a model but he can beat the professional ones even without the need for screening.

“What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your life so far?” You folded your legs as you watch him wonder with his eyes fixed on the ceiling. He poured a glass for himself and you noticed that he used the same glass that you drink on.

“I believe we’re taking risks everyday in our lives. The only difference is the distance of our leap towards taking or not taking chances at all. Like when you’re playing a game, everything starts with equal opportunities. It’s a race to the witch mountain. The first one to gamble takes it all. You gotta be the predator of every tournament and you gotta be the last one standing in a survival of the fittest. If you’re brave enough to take the earliest start, you can use that advantage to ace your end game. It’s all about timing and investing. Win or lose streak. There is no such thing as a grey area when it comes to taking risks. You don’t get to tie with anybody. Either you’ll win or lose. You just have to trust your instincts and roll your dice like everyday is your last day on earth. If I go for something, I go all in. No half-baked decisions. Because my father taught me that risks equates to rewards and I’m all up for the extremes of both worlds. That’s the one thing I’m best at. I know how to play the game nice and fair because I know how to measure the corners of a square and even the distance around the circle which is not visible to the naked eye. After all, he considers me as his lucky charm. That explains my presence to his endless casino nights. And he hardly ever loses if I’m with him. Sure, Pops are probably waiting for me at our doorstep in LA right now. Too bad, his son is on the other side of the world, taking his own risk of a lifetime.” You left with no words to say. He’s too deep, a food for the soul. Guys like him are the ones that can be displayed in museums. He’s a delicate art and nobody should be allowed to touch him but the curator. And you’d want to take that role.

“What if you lose? If you go all in and you lose everything all at once? Have you experienced it already?” you asked, admiring the tiny mole sitting under his left eye. You decided to take your second glass of wine.

“The best thing about losing is that you’ve tried. I don’t take failures as an excuse for not trying again and taking another risk the next day. If I lose, so what? That only means you’re brave because you grow stronger with every fall that you take. Like a bamboo tree, it only bends but it doesn’t break. Life is all about swimming against the current of uncertainties and finding yourself floating on top of your insecurities.” As if he’s summarizing all the lessons in life, you’d always want to go for the front seat. He’s a walking self-help book, and maybe Mark Manson’s book of ‘the subtle art of not giving a fuck’ would have to sit longer in my shelf for the meantime. I got a risk-taker author Mark, right here and I got nothing to worry about.

#marktuan #got7 #ahgase #mark #mark tuan #got7 mark #got7 marktuan #got7 fanfic #got7 fluff #got7 imagines #fluff #kpop #kpop fluff #fanfic #boyfriend #got7 jackson #jackson #got7jackson

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stevenuniversetanzanite · 4 years

Text

Fallen Angel (Venable X reader) Part 5

Michael's character might be inconsistent in this chapter if so I'll fix it later.

Also, don't hate me too much, I have a plan with this story.

Prequel Link: The Angel Among Us (Cordelia x reader) Plot: The event’s leading up to Y/N joining Michael and the Cooperative.

Summary/idea: Two strangers come to ‘save’ the occupants of outpost 3. Neither are what they seem.

Warnings: N/A

Parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 , Part 4, Part 5 (Will add as I go)

The two of you wound up tangled in her bed. No words shared just gentle touches of hands brushing over bare skin. A black nightgown discarded on the floor. You held her close, her head rested on your chest. Most would have thought it would have been the other way around, you wouldn't complain, you won the girl- at least for now. Venable was like a sour candy, bitter at first but once you get to understand her, sweet. You hoped the lolly wasn't expired.

Before you'd found yourself, you posed her a question, "What next?"

"We take our places for ourselves."

You had no clue what she had in mind. Was this the time to tell her there was nowhere else to go? The sanctuary is destroyed and everywhere else had been contaminated with radiation. This was the sanctuary.

You could take this woman away from here and leave Michael to have this fun with the other. You had no debt to him or his father. The reason you'd joined him was because you sought the truth. You had your answers, you only stuck with them because you never found the remaining witches before the bombs went off. The witches lived on- well at least two did. There was no place to take her, you'd been exiled from your former home and hell wouldn't go so well either nowadays. Anywhere on earth would be contaminated so she wouldn't be able to go outside without a hazmat suit. The former sanctuary could be revived, steal one of the apples you'd brought from the garden, but that would take time. She'd require food for which you can't supply.

"Sounds like fun," you attempted to sound happy, but the sadness came through. "You're probably still tired, I accidentally woke you."

"I could say the same."

"Yeah, sorry, again."

"No need to apologise, we both made a fool of ourselves today."

"I should let you get back to... bed" You shuffled towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Venable asked.

"Bed?" Venable raised her brow. "The generator room."

"That won't do at all."

"It won't? Got a better idea in mind?" You smirked.

"One or two."

"Do tell." You crept closer to the woman until you were close enough where you were forced to look down at her. "Does this idea involve me in less clothing by any chance?"

"It could."

"Are you going to keep me wondering or are you going to tell me?" Venable stared at you not saying anything. "Ms Venable?" Venable gulped and fought against the urge to shrink down and into herself. "Mina?"

"Yes," she croaked out. "I... don't-" Oh god, was she going to admit this to you? It's so embarrassing. What were you going to think of her when she told you? You'd probably have been with a lot of people and yet you were her first. "I haven't- Um, had intercourse before-" or even a relationship if that's what you would even call this.

"Okay and?"

"Isn't that shocking to you?"

"Not really, I kind of guessed that would be the case," you answered. "You outlawed sex; red flag number one. You appear generally uncomfortable any time I pursue you or get close to. Your distaste for connecting to people or building an emotional connection and the fact that the act involves some form of connection whether it be a fling or long-term thing. Also your fear of people seeing your back would most likely stop you or at least you'd keep a shirt on. Need I go on?"

"Please don't"

"You also have to keep in mind that won't be the weirdest thing. You would be fucking the devil's sister."

"-And Michael's aunt. Oh god I forgot about that. I thought you two were a thing"

"Eww~"

"Only briefly. It was the first rational conclusion I came up with. It didn't help that in the beginning you didn't appear to do much, other than annoy the man."

"I think I'm going to be sick" you covered your mouth. Freezing then you had a lightbulb moment. "That's it. That's it!" Venable waited for you to continue. "We make them all sick."

The plan was simple to create an event based around some holiday, Halloween as an example and tell them that it was this weekend. The two of you would poison the supply of apples you and Michael brought with you with snake venom and feed it to the unsuspecting residents.

You'd put your plan in motion tomorrow, for tonight it was just you two. You wouldn't move an inch in fear that you'd lose her. Death followed you like the plague. Divinity doesn't come without it's consequences and yours was being unable to among the living for long. You pulled Venable closer, holding her tighter. She hummed, bemused by your actions.

"Y/n? Are you still awake?" Venable asked.

"Yeah," you mumbled.

Venable sat up, you frowned as she escaped your grip. She spun around to face you. A look of worry etched on her face. You scanned her face. You sat yourself up, pulling yourself out from underneath the redhead and gathered your clothes.

"Where are you going?"

"We need to by ourselves some time." You kept your head lowered as you dressed yourself. Venable made no attempt to stop you. A part of her forgot she was mobile enough to stall you.

"What's your plan? Think whatever you're going to do though first-"

"What I do is none of your concern," you snapped. She was taken aback. You fidgeted about as you gathered the last of your belongings. Your hands shook as you tied up your shoes. You thought about apologising, nothing came of that thought. "I'm going to see Michael-"

"No-"

"I'm buying us some time."

"H-how? What are you going to do?"

"No clue."

You closed the bedroom door behind you. Walking down the long hallway down with no plan. Your movements became less shaky. A tune played in your mind, you shut your eyes for a moment convincing yourself you were anywhere but in the last standing outpost on planet earth. The imaginary music blared, you could feel the buzz of the sub, the vibrations shaking the floor. In reality it was the power in the air from the few magic individuals. To be anywhere but here.

You loosened up, body slackened as you walked like a drunk man. For a moment you thought of hightailing it, there's probably a club in hell you could attend. No- chickening out wasn't an option. Unfortunately. You halt immediately, your eyes flung open, your nephew stood half a metre away.

"You seem to be having fun."

"I am, Mikey. Don't be a buzzkill," you responded in your usual ditzy way.

"You seem to be getting close to the outpost leader." No shit sherlock. You already knew that... right? God, I don't remember anymore. He should know, you made it blatantly obvious.

"Hmm. Want something?"

"I want your answer to my question"

"What question, you never asked one?"

"Whose side are you on?" That's right, you thought. It had been some time since you'd been 'blessed' by the man's presence. Since the checkup with Venable and you were forced against the wall and choked you'd stayed away from your nephew.

You leaned in close to the man and whispered, "my own." You straightened up and moved past him, brushing shoulders.

"We'll see how long that lasts."

"You will leave her alone or you'll face me. Got that?"

"Crystal clear."

You sat in the auditorium tuning a trumpet when Venable graced you with her presence.

"Beautiful," you mused. Venable caught what you had said and blushed deeply.

"Unlike your trumpet playing," she said. She sat down beside you resting her cane beside her. She was still using it to make Michael unaware of her being healed. She rested her hand on your knee. "What's with the trumpet?"

"It's the end times," you said, forgetting she wasn't as knowledgeable about the biblical telling of the end times.

"They don't correlate. I mean an instrument and the state of the world-"

"Not one for religion?"

"Not as much as you... clearly."

She assumed all it was bullshit that was until she'd met you. She didn't understand your rule in all this or if you had any relation to religion other than being the devil's sister. She'd have to do more research to come to her own conclusion.

"Wouldn't blame you. Most of it's bullshit written by men from minenila ago. I'll fill you in when we're out of here."

"The trumpet?"

"Oh yeah, sorry. An archangel is said to play it at the end of time."

"And you think that's you?"

"God no, but I like the instrument. I like it's my brother Michael-"

"I thought he was your nephew."

"Not that Michael. There's more than one."

"Not confusing at all."

"Human's do that too."

"I presume we got that from your kind."

"Don't know, maybe."

"How many brothers do you have?"

"Stupid question. That's like asking how many angels there are."

"Do you know the names of all of them?"

"Yeah."

"I'm not going to have to meet all of them, am I?"

"Don't want to have dinner with your future in-laws?" You said it as a joke but felt Venable tense up. "I was kidding V. You don't have to meet them-"

"It's not that. Do you see us two together-together in the future?" She didn't want to use the word 'married'.

"Yeah- unless you don't want that. I guess it would be hard seeing as I'm an angel and you're a human. It would be like a human dating the Doctor, mortals and immortals don't mix well even with my-"

"Doctor? Why couldn't a human date a doctor?"

"Not doctor....The Doctor. Doctor Who? BBC?" Venable looked confused. "God Mina, I'm forcing you to watch that later, I can't believe you haven't seen... oh wait your American, never mind. It wasn't important anyway." it also didn't help you've watched everything since the dawn of time. You'd say the same about any show.

"You're not american?"

"I'm not human, I can't be american... well animals can be American I guess- I'm not from earth so I can't be. I showed up somewhere in what's now Egypt when the land was still Pangea- at least I think it was Egypt."

"I keep forgetting how old you are."

"What can I say, those anti-aging creams work wonders." Venabe chuckled.

"Can you tell me a story from your past?"

All your stories ended the same. You alone, wandering the earth. A part of you assumed it was designed as punishment. All crumble away with time while you remain the same. Whomever you shared your life with will fade away too. The first human you befriended and the last. You left your imprint on the world as well as the people you associated with. What story to tell? One with a happy ending? if you could think of one. Your first interaction with a human, a similar looking woman to the one beside you, hair of fire, skin to pale for the beating sun of the desert you were both stranded in. You'd shown her a part of yourself you haven't shown anyone since. She left you in a bloody state, you left her worse. The kindness you showed her by healthing the damages she'd received by the dust storm (and other wounds) amped up until she'd beg you for death. That's what she deserved right? It took you eons to understand humans and every stowaway you had helped you more until you gave it all up for a taste of humanity, even if it was among witches.

Hours later, the two had retired back into Venable's room.

The selection where near completion. Michael was in his office going through his selections for the new world. He expected the company of the red-head soon. He had ordered one of the greys to fetch the woman as soon and have her come as soon as she was available.

She showed up half an hour later unamused. She addressed him by his last name as she did with everyone besides you.

"Ms Venbale, I'm glad you could make it."

"This better not be a waste of time, Mr Langdon, I was in the mix of some very important work."

Is that what she called you nowadays? Michael thought knowing just by looking at her she was with you prior to her arrival. "Then I won't keep you long. Please take a seat."

"I would rather not. If this is going to be as quick as you say it will be, I won't need to."

"Suit yourself."

"I've almost completed my selections."

"And?"

"I want you to join us... but only if you end things with Y/n."

"I will not"

"I only have one vacancy left... so it's you or her," Michael explained. "There can't be both of you. Keeping her around is a liability. It would be best if you get done with the breakup before Monday, I don't want any mess and we'll be expecting visitors." Visitors? Who the hell would be coming to the Outpost?

"And why do you think I would agree to this plan of yours?"

"She is not the woman you think she is, Ms Venable. There is more to her than either you or I can ever comprehend. As long as she is alive she is a threat. All you have to do is read any of the journals in the library and you'll see her for what she is. You may think she loves you but in a second she'd change tones. Especially by Monday night."

"What's Monday?"

"The guests will arrive."

"Who are these guests? Are they from the cooperative?" Venable asked, gripping the topper of her cane tightly. "How are they getting here?"

"No one you'd need to be concerned with... only Ms L/n's ex."

There was no way she could trust the man. He had been nothing but trouble since arrival. He had a point, she could ever truly know you. If you found out that your ex was still alive you'd go back . It was evident from the interactions from the beginning of your relationship that you weren't over her.

There was only one way to know about you, google you.

Venable never noticed it until now but she'd never the hum of the generator in the room next to the lab. You'd always been tinkering with it, but it's never made a sound. Is that regular? She'd never been in the room alone, either you were in there and you'd usher her out after a moment, or the door was locked.

She decided to test her luck today and tried the handle. The door glide open with ease. The room was pitch-black besides the glow of some sticker stuck on the back wall. You're doing, of course. She felt for the switch, once finding it flipping it. Nothing happened. Odd, she thought. She had her candle from when she was walking outside this section of the outpost. The auditorium lights didn't switch on either.

She made her way using her candlelight to the generator. It was off, rusted over and looked like it hadn't worked or been maintained in years. But you'd worked on it the other week. Something wasn't adding up. She tried to switch it on, hopping to hear a rubble but received nothing.

Venable sped to the computer room to test if there was any electricity in this place. The monitor light was on. She entered your name in the search bar. ERROR. She tried different variants of your name. ERROR. She slammed her fists into the desk, one hitting the keyboard. The screen blacked out. Crap. She cursed and tried to get something to appear. System reboot, the monitor said. The computer restarted itself. Venable's eyes were glued to the computer. Once the scene had light up, the language settings has shifted to default. They were the same ones she'd seen the first time when you set up the computer for her.

Blindly, she went back to the search engine. She typed out your name once more. The text entered shifted about, glitching in between the default language and another. The jumbled mess of letters appeared to spell out a place, Salem.

This was all bullshit, you must have done something to the computer along with the electricity, Venable thought. Jokingly she entered the name into the search, she got the typical (from what she could tell as it wasn't in English), the place, witch trials etc.

She scowled around some random sites until she heard a gasp from behind her.

"What are you doing?!" You snapped at her.

The red-head said nothing. She needed time to come up with an excuse. You tore her away from the computer, pushing the chair across the room and shut down the system.

"I was searching up about witches," she lied.

"No, you- you couldn't even read that-"

"What's the big deal Y/N? I wanted to know more about the stuff you talk about."

You clenched your fists, not bothering to turn around and look at the woman. "Get out."

"What?"

"GET OUT!" You spun around and roared at her. Sparks erupted out of the computer, leaving you unfazed.

You stared into her soul with your eyes fully dilated. Not just over the colour but the white of the eye. Your skin had paled down a couple shades giving you a ghastly appearance. Behind you, projected on to the wall was your silhouette, it mimicked you like a shadow but unlike you, it had wings.

Venable was stuck in place, trembling and not daring to look away for a second.

"Didn't you hear me missy?" you snarled. Her voice had a more demonic underlay. When she didn't respond you trudged up to her and pulled her up off the desk chair by her lapel of her blazer. She fought against her urge to quiver in your grip. "DON'T EVER use my technology to search me," the last part turned into a whisper.

You hadn't googled her and even if you had, she gave you permission when she first showed you the device. You had even suggested it. What had changed?

Venable grabbed you arm to try and push you away. Instant burning pain surged through her hand. She yelped and retracted her hand. You both immediately looked over to her hand. You dropped her instantly and backed away.

"I-I didn't mean to-" you stuttered out knowing your mistake instantly. Turning back to the monitor, you caught a glimpse of your ghastly reflection. "Please leave this room, you're not safe around me right now. I need to cool off."

Venable wanted to comfort you, but you made it clear not to and it was in her best interest not to aggravate you further.

You clenched your jaw, before smashing your fists into the mirror repeatedly.

She left you in that room to destroy whatever you saw fit. You were dangerous to be around, if she hadn't touched your icy skin who knows what would be of her. She hadn't searched you and yet you claimed she had. All she did was such up Salem, how was that connected to you other than witches? Where you there?

The skin that you'd touched began to deteriorate. The irritated skin bruised around the untouched areas as the rest turned to a nasty scablike wound. All in an hour, she'd found herself in the infirmary, wrapping the wound up with gauze.

"You screwed up, Y/n," Michael told you.

"I know that." Your body had yet to go back to normal no matter what you did to calm down. You teleported to Michael in hopes of his help and at worse a some snarky comments and 'I told you so's'.

"It's not so bad, now you can focus on the beginning of the world."

"Why am I here again? I got what I wanted out of this and I owe you nothing."

"You were bored and have nowhere to go."

"I could go back to heaven."

"As if they'd want you after the mess you've made."

"Hell."

"Do you want to go back there?"

"Not particular."

"Then where else would you go, besides I thought you were having fun. You enjoyed destroying the sanctuary-"

"That was my home long ago-"

"Didn't you enjoy watching it burn?"

"I want to see it burn again," you said. "Watch the waterfalls flow lava and the tree's goose blood instead of tree sap."

"Then do it. Nothing is stopping you from having your own hell on earth."

"But Mina-"

"Forget the woman Y/n, she's nothing to you. She's like all the others before her," Michael said. "You stole woman from there husbands and held them up in Eden, you were ruthless. Where has that woman gone?" He's gotten the story wrong, you didn't steal them, you saved them. "She's holding you back. Leave her and help bring a little more hell to earth."

"You're right. I'll do it," you said. He was pleased to hear that. "I'll do it this Sunday," a little less after that. "I need to... finish off Mina first."

"You can leave her to me-"

"You said to kill what 'it' wanted; I should be the one to do it." 'It' meaning the humanity in you.

"Don't take too long, the beginning of the new world can't wait any longer."

You and Venable made amends before the sunday. Both wary of the other but still going through with the previous plans of poisoning the members. Venable questioning whether to stick with you and go to the sanctuary with you or backstab you and go with Michael. You had to think about if you'd stay with Venable or find your own path void of her.

You hadn't gone back to your normal self. You decided to hide away from the others for the remainder of the week, only showing up on the Sunday night masquerade ball. Your outfit was an all black suit where the blazer with a train,paired with a black and gold belt you stole from Venable and your goldern devils mask.

The masks covered half your face, a black veil underneath to hide the rest of your discolouration skin. All skin was covered so you wouldn't harm anyone prematurely.

You stood above the music room looking down at all the unsuspecting survivors. Venable walked up behind you. You noticed she didn't have her cane with her.

"No cane?"

"No need to keep up appearances for the dead." You chuckled at her answer. "Soon it will just be us, we'll have the sanctuary all to ourselves."

"Yeah~" Venable noticed the uncertainty in your voice.

"What haven't you mentioned?"

"How do you now I haven't mentioned something?" You paused. "Oh, that's how." Your response gave you away.

"The sanctuary isn't real"

"What?"

"It was, but we destroyed it."

"Why? Y/N!" The woman took a step back.

"This is the last sustainable place left," you said not paying the woman to much mind. "We torched the place before we headed here. Those apples are from the oldest tree in existence. The one that caused the downfall of humankind."

"And we poisoned them."

"Yep."

"You killed humanity."

"You had no problem with it when you were told you were going to an outpost leader. You wanted to have a taste of power. Well you have and doesn't it taste good. The world is over. Humans are gone and you... well, you helped caused it." She was to blame as much as you were. "You'll be fine though. You got me and I'm not going to allow anything to happen to you." You smiled. "I'm going downstairs to keep up appearances. Can you get the two untainted apples? and then we can end this once and for all."

Venable nodded doing as asked. She headed to the kitchen to retereve the two apples. When she had her hands on them she paused. Michael was right, there was no snatuaray. The foundation for the two of you being there was destroyed. What was to make her believe that everything else you was saying was true too. You did have magic, there was no way you could fake what you did to her back, but the rest, how much of that was real? How about your feelings? Hers were but yours- if you were willing to lie to her, how could she know for sure?

With the wrong apple it would create a disaster.

Venable handed you an apple watching you remove your cover from your lower face, smile at her and take a bite of the apple. You gleam at her while chewing. "Well, aren't you going to eat?" Venable eyed you weirdly questioning if she gave you the right apple.

"I think we should save it, as a treat for victory."

"Well if that's the case then have some of mine."

"I couldn't possibly-"

"Oh, no, insist." You handed your apple over. "Unless you did something to mine." Venable stiffened. You covered your mouth and started coughing, dropping the apple on the ground. You hunched over, coughing with an earth shaking strength for your body.

"I can't be with you," Venable said.

"Why?" you croaked out. She doesn't respond. After a minute you straighten yourself up and dust yourself off. There was no hit of blood on you. "Oh, I know what you did. Might I say the poison gave it a nice taste." You stepped closer. "Who put you up to it? Michael?" The endearing look you used to give her faded away leaving a plain expression. You always wore emotion on your person, you looked vacant husk. It made you unpredictable. "You fool, he tricked you." You grew anctisy, "It's fine... I can work with this." You slipped off the gloves covering your hands and shoved them in your pockets. "Your just as dumb as he is, thinking that destroying the sanctuary was a good idea. He's still human, he too will be infected." You kept your undivided gaze with her. The inhuman part of your grew more evident by the second. The shadow from the computer room was back but this time had the same horns as your mask. "All humans will be dead. It's truly the end of time. I thought it would be different, God said it would be different. Guess he too couldn't give two craps about us. Hell if you read the old testament he was a bastard-" You rambled on, growing more irritated and manic by the moment.

Venable grew worried. She was frozen in place.

You retracted a blade from her sleeve and inched as close as you could.

"If I can't be with you then you don't serve a purpose." You shivved her. She grunted. You shushed her. "It's alright V, death ain't so bad." You eased her body to the ground, still clutching the knife in one of your hands. Once she was against the ground, you straddled her hips pushing the knife further into her. "All you had to do was pretend to like me and you would have been safe. I mean come on, how hard is it to do that? You humans can't make up your mind. You guys deserve to die." You added more pressure. You felt a presence at the door. Michael.

"Wasn't your toy to your liking?"

"Mickey, she didn't like me, what did I do wrong?" You ripped out the knife in one swift move. She cried out in pain.

"There will be plenty more for you in the new world."

"Your psychotic," Venable choked out.

"You're one to talk. You'll do well in hell, love. All those people you killed." You looked back to Michael. "Maybe I should go back to hell and look after this one?"

"But what about my partner in crime?"

"You got Mead."

"We'll find you, someone better, if not, she's not going anywhere." She wouldn't leave hell any time soon.

You stared down at Venable, watching the life drain from her eyes. "See you soon love." You leant down and placed a kiss on her forehead before her vision faded to black.

Don't worry there is at least one more chapter joining the two stories together. and it will have a happier ending. So don't worry that Venable was stabbed.

#wilhemina venable x reader #wilhelmina venable x reader #wilhelmina x reader

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ice-cream-nekogirl · 5 years

Text

lay us down, we’re in love (Tokoyami Fumikage X Reader)

I’m a slut for fluff!! I wrote this because I was going through an existensial crisis!! And I thought about Tokoyami, he’s one of my favorites... and this song is so soft and romantic and it reminded me of him!! That and I can’t stop listening to Brendon Urie’s beautiful voice...

SO PLEASE ENJOY THIS!! This also features Taromaru!!

Summary: Time’s moving too fast for your liking but Tokoyami’s love for you remains the same.

Wintertime was a season you were oddly fond of. It was nice and chilly outside, which meant you could just cuddle up in the warm blankets and get close to people you actually cared about, all the while enjoying a nice hot beverage.

You smiled and sighed in content as you opened the window to feel more of that cool air filling the empty common room, and made your way to the couch to snuggle into your favorite (D/S) blanket. As happy as you were getting comfortable, at the same time you felt a little bit sad knowing that another year had gone by and now you were starting all over without a clue what to do.

However, you didn’t want to think too much about that, you just wanted to get comfortable and feel the cool air in the room while you were wrapped up in your blanket, watching American Horror Story on Netflix. Something about Netflix that made you forget about the fact that January was already almost over and that it was still fucking 2020...

That was a disgusting thought... how could it be 2020 already? How could January almost be over already? How could Winter almost be over? Ugh you hated how fast time was moving and you just wished that you could be trapped in some never-ending show where time didn’t matter...

“Woof, woof!” The sounds of barking made you perk up as you saw Taromaru looking up at you with his adorable eyes as you giggled a bit and patted the couch to encourage him to jump up. Standing on his little hind legs, the puppy launched himself upwards and quickly made himself comfortable in your lap. “Hee-hee you’re one of the best things I ever got Taromaru...” You said rather lovingly to your puppy as he yawned happily while he lied in your lap.

That’s right... you got Taromaru as your new puppy. Before him you also found yourself the most wonderful boyfriend in the world. He was a little on the gloomy side but you were pretty gloomy at times yourself so it worked out perfectly.

And from the corner of your eye you could see said curious boyfriend emerge from the shadows of the dim hallway, clearly, he was looking for you since you weren’t in your dorm-room.

“Hey Fumi~.” You waved to him with a smile to let him know that you weren’t oblivious to him being there, and he pretended to look not surprised and resisted the urge to shiver when he felt how cold it was in here.

Oh, the window was open. That’s right, he knew how much you enjoyed getting warm in the cold…

“Good evening (Y/N).” He said in that deep voice that made you feel things… especially when he said your name. It took quite a while to get him to call you by your first name instead of your last name, but you got him to, and you fucking loved hearing him say it. And he was only partially oblivious to this as he looked right at you with such intense eyes that withheld curiosity.

“Couldn’t sleep?” He assumed, since he was well aware that you didn’t have the best sleep schedule, because he didn’t really have the best sleep schedule either. It’s why he was up too.

You chuckled somewhat shyly as you nodded, “Yup… so I’m just sittin’ in the dark, watching AHS with Taromaru… maybe it’ll help me go to sleep.” Sighing, you looked pretty relaxed and then patted the spot next to you, gesturing for your avian boyfriend to come over and sit with you. Tokoyami took this offer without hesitation, while he certainly wasn’t the most expressive type, he didn’t miss a chance to be with you. You two had been together for over a year, and Tokoyami hoped that it would stay that way for quite a while.

Sure he was a hero of the night and a creature of the darkness, but you were a constant source of light for him and you were never far away from him. He didn’t enjoy being too far away from you because you always brightened up his cloudy days and his darkest nights.

Not only that but he loved this show, it literally had ‘Horror Story’ in the title, plus it was American. America made some pretty classic horror movies, and all of these seasons never ceased to amaze him. Asylum was his favorite, and to his delight you were watching the first episode of the second season. “This will never not be the best season… but murder house is pretty close…” You thought outloud as he nodded.

“The first season was shrouded in mystery, and there was no way the audience could predict what could happen or what had happened until everything would unfurl. But Asylum is a grim representation of the darker nature of humanity and the madness that lies within.” Tokoyami wasn’t one to speak much, but he did whenever someone actually shared one of his interests, and you were the lucky one who got to hear him actually share, show and tell his opinions.

“Ohh yeah…” You tried not to giggle at how dramatic he sounded, because you agreed with him, “Ain’t that the truth? It’s so wicked~. But I love Coven too~.” You sang-songed a little bit, and the raven had to agree that Coven was also a really good season. It had witches in it!

Although he couldn’t fight the blush heating his cheeks when you leaned against his shoulder and nuzzled him a little bit. He was so glad he had the feathers to hide his blushing so he was less transparent, but at the same time he was certain that somehow you knew when he blushed. Still, he was able to be a little more open around you, it’s what he adored about you. He could be him with you, because for some reason, you liked him even when he was a bit of an oddball who enjoyed these kinds of shows.

Of course, you liked these kinds of shows too and you were an oddball too, it’s why you and him got along so well. Birds of a feather watch horror shows together.

You hummed in content as you watched the first three episodes of Asylum with your dear Tokoyami, giggling when Dark Shadow came out to lay down his head onto your shoulder and you happily pet him, much to his host’s annoyance.

“Arf~.” Taromaru then had to stand and put his paws on your chest so he could reach up to lick Dark Shadow’s beak. You quietly cooed when the shadow giggled and pet the puppy, “Who’s a good doggy? Whose a good doggy?!”

Tokoyami sighed in annoyance when his shadow just had to play with the puppy. Now it’s not that Tokoyami disliked Taromaru, in fact he did find the pup rather cute, but stealing his underwear was certainly NOT cute at all, and then sometimes it felt as if the puppy deliberately stole your attention away from him on purpose.

Including right now as you seemed enthralled in watching Taromaru happily whining under the shadow’s surprisingly soft petting and you just found it adorable. “Awww~...” You shamelessly cooed even if your boyfriend wasn’t amused.

Still, Tokoyami kept close to you and he was happy you shared your blanket because it was really cold in here. He wasn’t a physical person, but he felt comfortable being near you, and touching you, being so close to you made him feel warm inside as you hugged his arm.

As tempting as it was to stay warm with you holding him and watch another episode, it was about to be two o clock and you knew that someone might wake up and catch you both still up at this hour.

At least it gave Tokoyami the excuse to make his quirk retreat, and as he stood up he felt a little more tired than he was earlier. And you gave a rather vocal yawn as you tiredly stood up from the couch and made sure to close the window, “Mmmkay… I’m goin’ to bed now…c’mon Taromaru...” You mumbled, and yet you moved over to the raven and put your hands on his shoulders as Taromaru perked up with a bark.

“Lead the way…”

This somewhat surprised Tokoyami, but he knew what you were getting at. “You wish to sleep in my room tonight?” You said you were going to bed, but didn’t specify you were going to YOUR bed…

“Yeah!” Despite being sleepy, apparently you had enough energy to chirp out an excited but quiet ‘yeah’, and Tokoyami couldn’t help but sigh as he wordlessly led you to his room while your puppy followed. Although the inside of his room still embarrassed him, you didn’t mind it at all. You thought his room was awesome because you were into that gothic stuff, sure some of it was a little edgy, but it was still cool!

He had a freaking sword just like Game of Thrones!

“Fumikage you’re my dark angel…” You smiled drowsily at your boyfriend, and he refused to let himself get so flustered at your flattery. “Get into bed (Y/N), it’s late.” He said a bit firmly, but only so you could go to sleep already because it was clear you were tired. His face was hot over the fact that he was going to share his bed with you, but he wasn’t going to just kick you out of his room. He was always your gentleman and he wouldn’t dream of kicking his girlfriend out of his room.

“Okey~…” Without complaint you got under his covers and already got comfortable and took your own blanket under with you just in case you wanted to put it at your feet. Tokoyami then shakily sighed as he forced himself to get into his bed with you in it. This was no problem he was just getting into his bed with his very cute, very sweet girlfriend in it…

He swallowed hard as he got into his bed and realized that he was lying down right next to you, and did his best not to tremble but ultimately failed. Somehow lying right next to you was a little bit different than just sitting right next to you. Calm down, calm down… he wasn’t going to get so nervous about this, but oh gods it was too late…

“Woof!”

Oh Thank God for Taromaru. The puppy made himself at home in the room and climbed onto his bed, but instead of taking your attention he just happily lied at the foot of the bed and circled himself into a ball as he gave a little yawn.

So much for that help...

“Awwww...” You did coo at your sweet little puppy, but then you diverted your somewhat flirtatious eyes back on Tokoyami, who immediately felt the nerves now that your attention was back on him.

Even when tired you weren’t completely oblivious to your poor boyfriend’s nerves so you smiled a little bit and held his hand, turning to face him as his eyes widened a bit when they looked into your (E/C) eyes and you suddenly started to softly sing.

“Hello darkness my old friend… I’ve come to talk with you again…”

“Hello~.”

And Dark Shadow popped out from under the covers and sang, making Tokoyami jump ever so slightly as he glared at his shadow for coming out without permission. But Dark Shadow didn’t pay him no mind, he loved singing with you and happily snaked right beside you as you giggled and kept on singing with the shadow.

“Because a vision’s softly creeping… left it’s seeds while I was sleeping…”

Despite Tokoyami’s annoyance with his quirk, you just kept on singing as the shadow nuzzled you as you happily sang with him. Tokoyami would have been entertained by your oddly comforting voice if not for his shadow hogging you and singing with you…

“And the vision that was planted in my brain still remains within the sound…”

Almost getting lost in the song you and Dark Shadow sung along as you nodded your head along with him, but then you and he came to a pause at the last part and turned to face Tokoyami with smiles on your faces. The raven resisted the urge to sigh as he had no choice but to humor you both.

“Of silence…”

Tokoyami softly sang the last two words as you couldn’t help give a little squeal and snuggle up to him when he did it! He sung the song! Two words but still! You were happily nuzzling your now flustered Tokoyami as he trembled a little more and tried not to glare at how comfortable Dark Shadow looked just resting on you like that.

As comfortable as you looked petting the shadow, and having Taromaru resting happily at the edge of the bed, for some reason you still couldn’t bring yourself to fall asleep and Tokoyami knew. “What’s the matter?” He was aware that you were very sleep-deprived and he had no doubts it’s because you couldn’t sleep, however there was always an underlying reason to it and he felt the need to try and help you with that.

Sighing, you rested your head on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling, hand still stroking the top of Dark Shadow’s head as he purred. “Can I ask you a bit of a personal question?”

“Of course you can.”

That question made him a little bit nervous, but the raven nonetheless would hear you out. “Do you ever just wish time would stop? So you can just have a goddamn break? I swear… every second passes and it feels like I’m just slowly getting more and more ancient… and then I think too hard on it and begin to wonder just what the point is and why I’m even here. I mean… you know… I’ve always had a lot of self-doubt, and people who liked to make me feel low… sometimes I think I am low, and then I think about just where I am in life and contemplate if it’s good enough. You know me I’m an overthinker and once I think about that I can’t stop…” You admitted, and you didn’t see the thought swirling in your boyfriend’s eyes.

He understood your words, even if they were a tad bit depressing, he knew and understood that. In fact, he wasn’t ashamed to say that he’s had thoughts like that too whenever he in particular felt like he wasn’t very successful in a particular endeavor, or when the things he hoped for weren’t here yet even when he desperately wished for them to come sooner so he wouldn’t have to wait anymore.

Along with the occasional existential crisis Tokoyami, like many an edgy teenager, felt on a somewhat daily basis whenever he felt any of those things. Why was he even here? He didn’t know why, but then again, being with you reminded him that maybe he was here for a reason.

“That’s a hard question to answer.” He replied truthfully and you chuckled with a small nod, “But everything happens for a reason, isn’t that what you like to say? I believe it’s true. Everything does happen for a reason.” Tokoyami remembered you always saying that everything had to happen for a reason, and he found himself starting to believe that. There had to be a reason, he knew there had to.

“You found Taromaru for a reason. You and I started dating for a reason…” He trailed off that last part a little awkwardly as you giggled a little bit, “Because I couldn’t resist you, you’re just so handsome and sweet~.” You grinned a little as you could see Tokoyami’s feathers starting to preen as he started to get flustered. That reason he didn’t understand, but didn’t argue with it because it made him feel good.

“S-See? There’s a reason for everything. There’s a reason why we are here, there’s a reason why I’m here at UA. I understand what you’re feeling. I too have had people tell me before that I wouldn’t qualify as a decent hero because of my dark quirk.” You couldn’t help but frown when you thought about it. Tokoyami didn’t necessarily have the easiest childhood and you knew it because he had told you about it in private so you felt so bad that your dear raven had to go through all of that.

“I’m… sorry Fumi. I’m sorry that they made you feel that way.” And you couldn’t help but apologize to him, but he didn’t really seem all that saddened thinking about it.

“There’s no need to be sorry. If I was never told those words, I never would have realized that I want to be a reliable hero and let people know that they don’t need to fear the dark. I never would have worked hard enough to make it into UA, I never would have met our classmates, and I never would have met you.” The raven continued with a thoughtful gaze that he gave to you. He would always be honest with you, and so he felt just a little less flustered as he confessed that he felt that this the reason he was here, because he was meant to meet you. That you and he were meant to meet.

You could feel your face turning hot at such a humane confession and how surprisingly optimistic your boyfriend sounded about everything. Wow, you had never thought about it like that. Now you were starting to believe that maybe that was true, that you were meant to meet your Tokoyami and be with him because of how everything you’ve been through led to being with him.

With flushed cheeks you tried not to snicker and smile but you couldn’t help it, “God… Fumi… people always say Todoroki’s the heartthrob… but I think it’s you… way to make a gal feel special…” You sounded very touched as you had to lean in to kiss him on the beak as he perked up and grew even more flustered.

A contrast to how calm he had looked as you giggled when his feathers floofed up a bit. “I think… you’re right… that has to be the reason… makes everything… all the bullshit… worth it. I’ve got my reason right here.” You warmly said as she had to cuddle up closer to him and Tokoyami felt a little bit warmer having you so close to him.

“Me too.” Was all he could bring himself to say as you sighed in content, “Sing with me Fumi~.” You weren’t quite tired yet, but a nice little song would definitely do the trick and Tokoyami didn’t complain as he let you start humming.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yu6W0rss2o)

“Whether near or far, I am always yours… Any change in time we are young again…”

The raven held you in his arms as he sang this song for you, it was his song to you. He never wanted you to feel like you weren’t worthy of love, no matter how fast time moves, he would always be yours.

“Lay us down… We're in love... Lay us down... We're in love…”

It took all your willpower not to tear up as you thought about Brendon and your sweet boyfriend as you gladly sung and harmonized with him. God you loved Panic! At The Disco, their songs moved your heart, but when Tokoyami sang their songs, it moved your heart just a little bit more.

“In these coming years many things will change, but the way I feel will remain the same…”

He wasn’t Brendon Urie, Tokoyami knew he would never be Brendon, that man was a God, but he could at least try to be your Brendon. And you were his Sara. The one he always wanted to see smile, and he would make sure that he could be the one to make you smile. And for once he didn’t have any caveats when Dark Shadow remained cuddled up at your side and purring into you affectionately.

“Lay us down… We're in love... Lay us down... We're in love…”

You were smiling the entire time as your eyes slowly started to close as you rested your head on his shoulder and hugged his arm, and Taromaru was cuddled up at your legs. “Good night Fumi~.” You whispered your soft good nights to him when he finished the song you loved and Tokoyami sighed as he gave you a little smile when you looked at peace beside him.

“Good night (Y/N).” He whispered to you gently before his eyes started to close and for once in a while, he was able to fall into a peaceful sleep because he was lied down right next to you. Still very much in love with you, and you were still in love with him.

Lay us down… we’re in love…

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blackevermore · 4 years

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x Wade In The Water

{ Chapter 7: Glory Glory }

Summary: Ester Scott was once in love. She thought the days of her shortcomings were over and that the man she found was her one and only. But all that was taken away when the demons she had became too accustomed to finally took the one thing she had left. Louisiana was her home but the devil down below was calling her name. She only has herself to blame when it came to the hands dragging her under.

Notes: It’s Hazbin Hotel, be ready for everything. Also I apologize for all my mistakes in advance!

Word Count: 4,767

The light that shines down upon our skin is bright, welcoming, and rewarding. It tells us we’ve done something right and that we are being called back home. But the colour of said light is what will get you in trouble. White is from the angles, every other colour is the devil’s ringing.

- Ester R. Scott

I’ve always loved the sight of the colorful lilies that were planted through the town. During the long weekends of Mardi Gras shopkeepers would set out lilies to keep up the spirit. Right outside of Mrs Birdy’s shop was a bakery across the street, the son of the owner would set out every color possible around the shop. Chemintine used to tease me for staring out the windows at the boy as he worked. But I wasn’t looking at him, I could care less for him, though he was attractive it wasn’t he who made me lost. It was the flowers and the memories they brought me. Many Springs mama would bring home flowers and tell me what they meant. I thought it was amazing that something as simple as a plant could mean so much to people.

As I watched the boy put the display together I always noticed that he always put the yellow lilies closer to the store door. Yellow meant thankfulness and desire for enjoyment, he was thanking every customer that came in and bought something for coming. It was a sweet gesture until I found out that his father wasn’t too keen on serving every walk of life. Last year his father had turned away some wealthy blacks that were on vacation simple for their skin. And as they walked out the door of the shop those yellow lilies bobbed and swayed with innocence. Not too long after that they died unexpectedly and had to be replaced. But even when the son replaced them they always died when his father did something unkind. I was sure the boy knew why the lilies died, when he saw what he father did he always looked out the window towards the flowers worried. Then the following day he would automatically get to his knees to unpot them and replace them. A sweet boy.

“Ester, you watching that boy again?” Chemintine said, slipping from behind the curtain from the back carrying three boxes. She placed them on the counter with a sigh and rubbed her hands on her apron.

“I’m not watching him, never have, I’m watching the flowers,” I respond, not breaking my eyes away from the lilies that blew in the breeze.

“Are they-”

“No, Chem, they are just flowers.” I had to cut her off before she got too excited, at first I thought it was cute and childish. But now it was starting to annoy me that she suspected everything I looked at to be angel related. Poor girl would think of me having a sweet tooth and eyeing a piece of cake was a message from god.

“ But they do have meanings, the flowers, they all have meanings. People thought they were so pretty they had to mean something.” I couldn’t allow Chemintine's mood to drop, she didn’t mean to be pestering, just curious, and I knew that. She moved closer to me and looked out the window with a smile.

“What’s the orange ones?”

“Confidence, pride, and wealth.”

“I got confidence and pride but not much wealth.” Chemintine giggled then pointed out again. “The whites?”

“Purity and virtue.”

“Well, Ester I think that one fits you well. Now the pink ones.”

I quickly shook my head at her little comment, “Prosperity and abundance.”

“I don’t know what that means but pink is such a lovely colour, don’tcha think?” Chemintine sighed happily and looked towards me.

“It’s okay, I wouldn’t really wear it, blue and greens are my safe colours.” I shrugged and Chemintine nodded.

“And lastly what does the red ones mean? Is it like all the other red colour flowers, all about love and what not?” Chemintine asked.

“Yes, it’s love and passion.” I finally pulled myself away from looking out the window and reached under the counter for the name cards.

“I figured. Yeah, I know people can be so smart and come up with fancy meanings for all these colours. But red can only mean love. Why is that Ester?”

“Well red doesn’t just mean love there are other things but red is associated with the heart and the heart is where we’ve put the idea of love. So since all that is red people project that onto flowers. But red can also mean war and violence, you could hand someone a red rose and they think it's a confession. When really they are about to kill you. With that being said Miss Chemintine, never accept a green rose, they don’t exist but if someone gave you a green rose that does mean they wish to kill you.” I chuckled a bit when Chemintine’s eyes lit up and her smile dropped.

“Green roses?” She whispered with concern.

“Green is the real colour of life and death, we just wear black because they think the color is scary, full of mystery, and in many ways more powerful.” I looked out the side of my eye at Chemintine then ran my fingers up my exposed wrist. She gasped then playfully hit my shoulder when he realized what I was indicating. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

“Why black though?”

“I have a question for you, Chemintine. Do you know the city Tusla, in Oklahoma?” I turned to her fully and placed a hand on my hip. Chemintine shook her head slowly and tangled her fingers together nervously. I knew it was a dumb question to ask her, not many people knew about it since it was covered up. “Tulsa, Oklahoma, in Greenwood District was the nergo Wall Street. It was beautiful, wealthy, and they were all powerful people with so much knowledge. The white people didn’t like that they could wear nice things, have nice houses, and speak the queen’s English. So they burnt it to the ground and tried to kill anyone there, they got 36. They saw black and could only think of raged and deep down fear. How dare a nergo be better than the whites that lived around them? How dear the colour black is better than all the other colours in the sky? I was only twelve when three of my cousins came home as orphans and my mama took one of them in. This was in May through June of 1921.”

The look on my face sent shivers down Chemintine’s spine as if I told her her time was soon. She would never understand the feelings I had but she knew people than to doubt them. Chemintine shook her head and gasped, she gripped her apron and turned away from me. I took a deep breath and let it out quickly before reaching a handout and patting her shoulder.

“Ester, I never knew about that, I have family in Oklahoma, I never heard any of that.” Chemintine became so uneasy and nervous, she was imagining the days and fear and unfairness.

“Chemintine you weren’t supposed to and I don’t think anyone that isn’t black is going to.” It hurt me so much to say that outloud. The people that were hurt would be forgotten and the story of my people in Tulsa would be forgotten and swept under the American flag as a minor event that meant nothing. Nothing for them but everything for me and my own.

I had to change the mood around us or god forbid Chemintine would be crying later when we went home. “Come on now, no crying and being sad at work, that’s my history, not yours which means you shouldn’t feel anything.” I patted her back once again but Chemintine quickly and aggressively shook her head.

“Easter, I care so much for you, it makes me upset because you and anyone should have to go through that. That’s ugly and nasty and anyone that has done that should riot in hell.” Chemintine sounded as if she was going to go witch hunting for every curl person in the world. I could only smile and be grateful for one like minded person.

“You sure are built differently, Chem.” I told her and that made her smile with so much pride.

“Mrs Birdy says the same thing.” Chemintine mood has shifted and I could till she was a bit better. He happily turned on her heels and went towards the back of the shop. I should have gone with her so I could get to work but once again I was staring out the window towards the bakery. Today the owner’s son was outside replacing the yellow lilies, but as he repotted the flowers I saw shades of purple beside the yellow. He placed purple hyacinths, the flower of forgiveness, he must have really felt bad for the lilies. He must have felt bad for all the people that were turned away as well. When he stood up and dusted himself off he looked around the street as the people passed. He sighed and turned back to walk into the shop. He was becoming tired as time passed and I knew soon he would leave working with his father in favour of something else. I could only hope it was something good for everyone.

The rest of the day was as normal as always, customers came and picked up their commissions, new faces came in to have something done, and Monique and her lap dog Clover complained about my presents. Surely one day they would get tired of saying the same ol’thing about me. Maybe one day they come up with something clever, but two brainless pits could never conquer enough brainpower for that. As I shake off today's work from my dress and hang up my apron I notice Chemintine still working away at her desk.

“It’s time to go, Chemintine,” I walked up beside her and peeked over her shoulder. “What are you working on?”

“A man came in asking for the cuffs of his coat to be fixed but every time I put the stitches in they keep coming out. It’s starting to piss me off, I have to get this done today because he’ll be here to get it in the morning as soon as we open. I don’t want to take this home with me either.” Chemintine threw down her needle and thread and crossed her arms. I sighed and gently pushed her shoulder for her to move out the way. When she got up I could fully see what I was dealing with and it didn’t seem like it would take longer. I peeked up to the clock above the door, it was 4 pm and the bus came a half past, which meant that this should only take me ten minutes to finish.

I quickly smooth out the arms of the coat and pick up Chemintine’s needle and replace the thread with my own royal blue. The coat is pure white with red and gold trimming and edged in black. I picked up the right sleeve to see the work Chemintine already did. She used the cross stitched that should have held everything in place. I started pulling out the stitching and began restitching everything with an invisible understitch. Within five minutes I finish the cuff and move on to the next one. Chemintine stood behind me the whole time clenching her dress hoping the thread would stay. When I finished with the other cuff I tied everything off and snipped the extra.

I tugged on the threads to see if they would come out again and they didn’t. Chemintine gasped and asked me how I got them to stay and I shrugged.

“I tried that and they still wouldn’t sit...Easter are you magical? I mean you are but are you even more magical?” Chemintine held up the cuffs once again and gently pulled on them to double check. I didn’t know how to answer that myself, her stitching should have been just fine compared to my own. For why it didn’t work was just as much a mystery to me as it was to her.

“I’m no more magical than you already believe. Now hurry up so we can make the bus.”

“Yes ma’am!” Chemintine spun on her heels and headed to an open box on the back wall to fold and wrap the jacket and package it away. I grabbed our jackets from the rack and handed Chemintine hers. She thanked me and we headed to the front so we could close up shop. Mrs Birdy only allowed me or Chemintine the second set of store keys to lock up. Monique and Clover had already lost them before and Mrs Birdy was no fool to trust them again. Luckily for the old lady Chemintine and I was a wonder pair despite how different we were.

We didn’t make the bus. It was impossible in a very strange way as we were there long before the bus was meant to arrive. Two other buses came and stopped asking Chemintine if she was getting on, never asking me, and she quickly shooed them away. We waited another thirty minutes before we gave up and started walking home. Thankfully it was the beginning of Spring so we didn’t have to worry about the sun setting at the nick of 5 or 6. So in our prime, we started our journey back to my house. Chemintine was in high spirits with a continuous conversation. But I wasn’t, I was never a walking girl let alone a distance one, even in my lowest pair of heels I internally begged for a break. But I couldn’t voice that out loud, Chemintine would laugh at me and once again tell me about her time on the farm. She tells me over and over again how I would like the farm and all the animals. I would tell her once again that I wasn’t going to a farm for more labour.

As we passed by some off roadhouses that laid far from the dirt road I noticed a car coming towards us. Chemintine did too and sighed, she looked over at me then smiled weakly, it was in our agreement that when someone was coming by we would separate. It was my idea and Chemintine hated every bit of it. She understood why I said it but she wore her heart open that she would rather stand right beside me than five steps forward. As she put distance between us so the car could drive by with little speculations, we both realized the car started to slow down. Surely whoever was driving would have noticed sweet darling Chemintine and offered her a ride so she wouldn’t be walking with a nergo behind her.

Chemintine straightened her back and clutched her purse ready to reject the driver. I lowered my head down and prepared myself to excuse myself around Chemintine and the driver as they spoke. The car was on us but drove right past Chemintine and stopped in front of me. My heart nearly jumped to my throat as I heard the wheels stop and the engine cool. I started to pick up my feet even more afraid to look up and see who was coming after me. I looked up and saw Chemintine hurrying to take off her shoes and once they were off she dropped everything and came running towards me. We shared the same scared expression of fear and the what if of this untimely situation.

Chemintine grabbed my arm and pulled me close to her, “Come on Ester!” I stumbled a bit before finding my foot.

“Wait! Ladies! Ester!” I stopped when I heard my name and foolishly turned around. Chemintine shook her head and told me to forget about it and come on but I had to know who called my name. Alastor was standing outside the car waving his hand in the air. He was dressed as dapper as he was the day he came into the shop. He wore the suit I made him and his hair was combed back with a pig’s tail hanging just above his brow. He looked like he was heading towards the city for a night out, he looked handsome. Chemintine pulled me once again and I turned back to yank my arm out of her grasp. I whispered it was okay but she didn’t believe me and stayed close behind me with one shoe in hand. Alastor looked up and down the street before coming over to us.

“Ladies, what a wonderful surprise, Ester I wouldn’t take you for one that prefers walking.” Alastor wore his transatlantic accent as he spoke and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. He snickered and I puffed out my chest to seem confident.

“Well Mister Alastor, with all due respect, you know nothing of me so you wouldn’t be able to make such assumptions.” Alastor's eyes went wide and a smile crept its way onto his face. Then he let out a roaring laugh and held his chest.

“You’d be right but I know a walking lady when I see one, you ain’t one.” Alastor’s accent fell from its high and pompous to it’s Yat New Orleans charm. Once again his voice nearly made my face heat up and the fluttering in my stomach turn over too many times. “Now, this girl here,” Alastor broke eye contact with me and looked towards Chemintine. He looked her up and down for a moment then smiled politely. “This girl be a walking girl, hell might even be a running girl by the way she threw off her shoes.”

Chemintine became red in the face as she dropped her shoe and looked away. Alastor shook his head and chuckled before pulling out his pocket watch to check the time. He hummed then placed the watch back before smoothing down his already smooth hair and shaking off his jacket.

“Where ya girl’s heading?”

“Home.” I quickly answered, I shooed Chemintine off to go collect all her stuff and she quickly did. Alastor looked over me toward Chemintine then back towards me with a mischievous look in his eye.

“She doesn’t belong this way does she?” I felt my heart stop and the air around me became stale and hard to breathe. I slowly turned back towards him then down to the ground. I gripped the cuffs of my coat and kept my eyes low. The last thing I needed was for his man to try and crack information out of me. He seemed to catch on and I heard him chuckle again, this time it sounded more teasing than ever. “She’s not city but she’s not black either.”

“And you are?” As soon as the words came out I shot my hand up to cover my mouth in fear. I had no idea how Alastor would react to that and I was scared of what would come next. I closed my eyes and stepped back a bit waiting for something, I’ve been hit before, kicked and even spat on by ugly people. I only hoped that his hits would leave me able to walk away when he got tired.

“Well I hope so, my mother was a fine woman of ebony and gold, I get most of my looks from her.” Alastor’s words felt like they could rip me apart slowly but he stopped them before they could. I opened my eyes and saw him standing straight up with half hooded eyes and a gentle smile. “Just because I’m passing doesn’t mean I forget where I come from, Miss Ester. I'm sure you have a few of us in your family.”

“Not any that actually cared enough to say there were. All of them went off for something better.”

“They be a fool to forget their roots.” Alastor was so close to me, I didn’t even realize that he had moved. Or had it been I that got closer to him? I had no idea, what I did know was that now that I was close I could feel how strange it was to be around him. Strange, dangerous, yet welcoming, and a bit of trust tied into a tall man with dangerously beautiful eyes. I held my breath and took a step back which made him snicker at my dismay.

“W-Well Mister Alastor we have to be on our way, have a lovely evening.”

“Why don’t I give you all a ride?”

“That wouldn’t be necessary, you look like you have somewhere to be and I wouldn’t want to dirty up your car with muddy feet.” I turned away and started to meet up with Chemintine as she was making her way back. Alastor quickly took long strolls in front of me to cut me off. Curse him and his damn long legs.

“No really I insist.” His voice lowered and I thought for a moment I was once again in danger. Before I could snap back and tell him off he was already turned around and chatting up Chemintine’s ear. He hooked an arm through hers and even offered to take her coat for her. She was smitten and already passing me by to get to his car.

Once they got to the car Chemintine turned back towards me and smiled largely. “Come on Ester! Mister Hazbin is gonna give us a ride!” Hazbin? So that was his last name.

“No Chemintine, we are walking.” I tried to protest but she was already jumping into the passenger seat and Alastor was closing the door. He smirked at me then walked around to the driver’s seat. He stood upon the ledge of the door to peeked over the roof and propped his elbow up to rest his chin in his palm.

“Come on darling, I can hear your dogs barking all the way over here.” He started laughing and Chemintine joined him so casually. I could have turned around and started walking away from them but I knew Chemintine wouldn’t allow that. Nor would Alastor as they both would likely follow me all the way back home. I was hesitant as any normal person with a working brain should be to get into a customer’s, let alone a stranger’s, car. Once I made my way to the back seat I realized just how suited up and fancy the car was. The outside of it was black with whitewall tires, yet the seats and coating on the inside were all red. Alastor started up the car and turned us around to head in the right way.

“Now I won't pretend to know where I’m going and I’d be rude to ask Miss Chemintine here. So Miss Ester, would you mind telling me where to?” I looked out the window as we passed a few more houses then sighed as I looked forward. Alastor glared at me from the rearview mirror and I felt my soul shakedown to the core. His eyes were red and glowing and it scared me the longer I continued to look at him. I don't know how long we looked at each other but it was him that broke his gaze and looked back towards the road. “Well, Miss Ester?”

“K-Keep straight and when you come to the old mill, turn right.”

}~~{

When he got to my neighbourhood I told Alastor to let us out right before we got to the house. He didn’t try to fight me on it and did as he was told. I quickly climbed out of the car and waited for Chemintine to follow suit.

“Oh thank you Mister Hazbin! Oh gosh, I know I dirty your floor with all the dirt on my shoes and I apologize.” Chemintine was halfway out the car window as she spoke to Alastor.

“Oh, no worries dear! Nothing a good cleaning can’t fix, I’m just happy I was able to save you two a long walking trip. Now if you excuse me.” Chemintine smiled and nodded. “Goodbye Chemintine. I’ll be seeing you later Miss Ester.” Alastor spun the car around and took off down the street the way he came. When he was out of sight Chemintine stomped her foot and turned to me with cheeks red as cherries.

“Ester Scott you didn’t tell me you knew Alastor J. Hazbin!”

“I-I don’t!”

“Well, surely you do if he knows you and offered us a ride.” Chemintine cupped her face and started mumbling to herself about how much of a mess she must have looked to him. I had no idea what had gotten into her.

“Chemintine who the hell is Alastor J. Hazbin?” I crossed my arms and tapped my foot, annoyed and starting to leave her where she stood.

“Alastor J. Hazbin is the man that just gave us a ride. Alastor J. Hazbin is the renowned radio host from New Orleans that made his way all the way to Hollywood to New York and back. That man has so much social class you wouldn’t believe!” Chemintine burst with joy as she went on to tell me all the amazing things Alastor has done in the radio business and in Hollywood. To say I wasn’t a little bit impressed would be lying. The customer I not only made a suit for but also danced with was basically a celebrity in the coming age. I started to feel bad for how coldly I must have acted towards him but then again I knew better. Just because someone had money didn’t mean they were kind, that was evident with the Jim Crow laws. Maybe I had a right to be wary of Alastor but I should have been a bit nicer.

“I had no idea,” was the only thing I could say as Chemintine looked at me bewildered. “I danced with him at the ball, I had no idea.”

“Whatcha mean you danced with him? Ester! Was that him?” Chemintine pulled me by my shoulders and shook me gently. I nodded and she let go of me and let out a scream. That was enough to snap me back to reality and pull her along to the house. I didn’t need people looking out their windows trying to figure out what the crazy white woman was doing in the middle of the street.

When we made it to my house and behind closed doors, Chemintine was spinning around in circles smiling and laughing. “Oh Ester, I’m so jealous, I wish I had a celebrity for a customer.” She fell onto my couch and sighed. “I nearly threw my shoe at him, oh that's so embarrassing, I was gonna attack Alastor J. Hazbin trying to protect my friend.”

“I didn’t know you were a runner.” I laughed and hung up my coat before making my way to the armchair beside her. Chemintine let out a huff of air and shrugged before straightening up.

“Well, I had to do a lot of running around the farm. I got powerful legs, I was gonna use them to get you to safety if I had to.”

“Well, I thank you, Chem. But I don’t think I’m lucky to have made Mister Alastor a suit. He won't remember me when he leaves New Orleans again and goes back to his big wig designers.” I kicked off my shoes and rubbed my feet, my lord I’m so young but I have the pains of an old woman.

“Oh yes, he will! He’ll remember you like he did today when he called your name. A man only calls out to someone he knows never a stranger.”

“If you say so.” I brushed her off and switched to my other foot to message.

“I know so, so when you two get closer please remember me and also remember I look good in bright shades. I refuse to wear brown to a wedding.”

“Chemintine get ya head out the clouds, ain’t no way that man and me will never cross paths again in the future.” I waved my hand in the air to dismiss her and she sighed and got up from the couch.

“Sure sure whatever, now, whatcha craving tonight, I’m thinking Italian.” Chemintine kicked off her shoes by the door then headed into the kitchen.

“Whatever you wish to make is fine by me.”

#🔻Red Thread🔻#chapter 7 #my writing #hazbin alastor #alastor #hazbin hotel #self ship #self shipping #self shipping community

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sohin-ace · 4 years

Text

Joseph - Accent

This is cross-posted from Wattpad and available on AO3.

Enjoy~

For this one shot, Y/N is not american (and preferably not british either) I'm sorry for my brits and 'mericans out there, but hey, you get to be another nationality of your choice for today yaayy! Please enjoy~

New York City. What a beautiful yet cruel city to live in. Because of your own country's situation, your parents decided to send you to the United States of America to settle in more safely, saying they'll join you later eventually whenever they can.

Even if you were worried for your family and scared to be alone, you understood and tried your best to blend in and start a new life in America.

Luckily for you, you managed to find a little job and an appartment by yourself. You were a pretty charming person by nature and managed to become a barista at a local café in the city.

One day, the coffee shop was pretty calm and empty, so you took it upon yourself to take a break and make yourself a little beverage. Around the same time, a good looking, tall man with turquoise eyes barged in with a cheeky grin on his face. You greeted him with a huge smile, contaminated by his own.

"Hi there! Give me the strongest, blackest caffeinated-est coffee you can!" He said leaning on the counter. What a weird fellow.

"Right away, sir!" you said with a little chuckle and got to work. He was fun right off the bat.

"What are you laughing at? Do I have a funny face or something?" he said still grinning.

"Your smile is catching like the plague. Also, you do have a funny face." you laughed cutely.

"Whaaa- Hey! It was nice until that last piece of comment!" he tried to sound offended, but he secretely thought you were pretty endearing.

"Haha I'm just teasing~ you're very handsome." you handed him his coffee.

"Heh! I know, I hear that a lot." he cockily said as he took a seat at the counter after paying. You didn't have many customers, so you stayed with him, continuing your rather pleasing conversation.

"Huh, humble I see." you responded while giving him some sugar cubes. "Also, I didn't catch your name big guy."

Joseph blushed a bit at the nickname but played it cool.

"I'm Joseph Joestar, but you can call me, Worldwide Handsome or Mr. Hot Bod!" he added almost with stars sparkling in his smug eyes.

"Ehh, I'll just call you Jojo then!" you said amused, leaning over the counter with your chin resting on your hands.

"Oh nooooo!!! She's a tease!!" he dramatically screamed and you bursted into a fit of laughter that he found profusely charming.

Sometime passed and Joseph finished his coffee. He wanted to stay longer with you, but the day was advancing, and soon customers would swarm the place. As you took his cup away you called him out.

"By the way Jojo..." he looked at you in anticipation, "Where are you from? Your accent is very very sweet~"

Joseph's heart skipped a beat at your tone. How could someone be this cute and sexy at the same time? And without even trying!

'It's your voice that's sweet!' He screamed in his head, but answered as naturally as he could.

"I'm from here, but I was raised by my grandmother who's british, so I guess I took her accent." he responded honestly.

Your eyes softened on him. "Aw that's cute! Tell your grandma she did an amazing job!"

Joseph smiled. Erina was indeed the best. He wanted to ask you where you got your own accent but speaking of his grandmother reminded him of something important.

"WOAAAHH I FORGOT GRANDMA ERINA'S TEA PARTY HOLY SHIIIT I HAVE TO GO NOW!" He yelled in panick as he stormed out of the café.

You just stared at his sprinting figure in a light daze. "What a wholesome guy, he made my day."

Some days later, he came in the coffee shop earlier than last time, but when he arrived you were just taking your purse and got ready to leave. You almost bumped into him at the door.

"Oh! Isn't that my favourite Jojo?" you said pleasantly surprised.

"And the only Jojo there is!" he responded smugly "Anyway, were are you going like that? Aren't you working?"

"Oh, I worked the first shift today, I just finished." you replied and he nodded in understanding.

"Also, I'm pretty sure there are a looot of other Jojos out there! Maybe there are more Jojos even in your own family line!" you smirked while walking out the café alongside him.

"What? How can you even tell that? You witch!" he put his hands in a cross gesture as if to exorcise you and you slapped his hands away playfully.

"Anyway where are we even going right now, I'm following you." you said changing the subject.

"Huh? I don't know, I'm following you." He said nonchalantly.

"Pffftt let's just go eat something, I'm starving." you proposed and he couldn't deny.

"As long as you're paying, I'm in!"

"Wha- you hungry bastard!" you laughed at his greediness and he giggled and stuck his tongue out like a school girl.

You both went to a small diner and ate while conversing like you knew each other for years. You enjoyed each other's company a lot and discovered you two had a similar sense of humor and loved to tease each other. At one point Joseph was really wondering where your accent came from.

The way some words rolled off your tongue, your tones, and even the way you messed up some expressions and slurs, everything felt so exotic and almost mezmerizing to him.

Everytime he wanted to ask, he just lost himself again in the discussion or drowned in your clear laughter. He took advantage of a little moment of silence to finally ask.

"By the way Y/N-chan," you looked up at him in wonder. "You have an accent yourself, where are you from?"

You blushed a bit, embarassed and not expecting him to ask. You felt a bit self conscious about your accent and wondered if it was that noticable.

"Aah I... Actually I'm from (country)." you sheepishly avoided eye contact.

Joseph was surprised. You came from this far away by yourself? Again, he lost his train of thoughts as he looked at your current state. He thought you looked super cute when embarassed. He subconsciously grinned at your flushing face and you saw it, mistaking it for mockery.

"A-am I speaking weird?" you nervously laughed as you scratched your cheek.

"No no no, not at all, it's just super cute! Please never stop speaking like that, I love it~" He looked at you with such a handsome expression and such fondness in his eyes, your heart fluttered in your chest.

"Aah.. Thank you Jojo! Hah I must be blushing so hard, my face feels all warm." you put your hands over your cheeks to cool yourself down.

"Hehehe, yeah I know, it's me who's doing this to you, I'm just that hot." he leaned back, gliding a hand through his hair acting smug as always.

"Eeewwww get out of here with that douchey attitude!" you playfully took a paper towel, scrunched it into a ball and threw it at his face and he let out the funniest 'Ow' you've ever heard.

You were dying of laughter and wiping some tears out of your eyes as he growled at you.

"Hey (country) woman! Keep this on and I'll squish you to death with my big strong manly arms." he threatened.

"Oooh nooooo!!! Not the squish of death!! Anything but the squish! Whatever shall I do?!" You sarcastically said while mimicking his infamous 'oohh nooo!'.

After you finished eating, you both stayed many more hours to talk about yourselves. He was actually very curious of your home country and how it was back there. The language, the culture, the people and how you acustomed yourself to the U.S.

He felt empathetic about you being all alone in a foreign country, away from your entire family and friends. But he promised himself to be there for you. He didn't really know why he was so enticed with you, but he later on realized that it was because he fell in love with you the first moment he heard your voice.

Never in his life would he have imagined he would fall in love with a beautiful (country) girl.

After that, he went to his best friend Smokey and asked him to help him find books to teach him the basics of (your language). Although, and as expected, Joseph gave up after a few lessons and decided to only learn the sentences he needed to steal your heart.

He called you and set up a rendez-vous to meet up with him. He arrived and searched for you, all giddy and excited. When he found you he ran towards you and grabbed your shoulders, making you face him. You jumped in fright and looked at him confused and surprised at how suddenly he appeared.

"Hey Y/N, I have something to tell you! It's very very important!" he stared into your (e/c) eyes with confidence.

"O-okay, what is it?"

"I love you." he said softly in your mother tongue.

You paused for a second, processing what he just said. You were beyond impressed and also pleasantly surprised. Did he just...

"What...?! Jojo!! Who taught you that?" You put a hand over your mouth and looked at him in awe, your face turning red by the second.

He didn't say anything as he waited for your response. For a second you didn't know if he was serious or not, but the sincere look on his ocean eyes told you the answer.

"I- I don't know what to say Jojo..." You were overwhelmed at the sudden confession and at the fact that he went all the way to learn to confess in your language. "You're amazing..." You added softly.

He released you and started backing away, taking your lack of clear answer as a rejection, but you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him in for a soft, longing kiss.

Joseph melted into the embrace in relief and wrapped his large arms protectively around you, bringing you even closer to his body. As you pulled away, you both stared at each other lovingly until he started smirking. Before you could question him he said.

"Your next line will be 'Jojo, why are you smirking like that?"

"Jojo, why are you smirking like that?... Huh???" you gasped as he actually guessed your next line, word for word. What kind of sorcery was this?

"Hehehe, don't worry my beautiful Y/N-chan, I will answer that question for you!" He pulled away and you stared at him amused. And he was back to his usual goofy self.

"I'm smirking because now that you're my girlfriend I can get couple-only discounts for this Spa that I really wanted to try. My back is sore from being this handsome~" He said rubbing the base of his neck.

"What??? You sketchy asshole! You only wanted a girlfriend for discounts! Well you know what? I need a husband for my citizenship papers, so c'mere" you started dragging him away by the arm.

"Wh-what ?? Husband??!! OH MY GOOOOODDD!!!" He screamed dramatically in the distance.

What a pair.

#jojo's bizarre adventure #jojo #jjba #battle tendency #joseph joestar #joseph #x reader #reader insert #writing #jojo no kimyou na bouken #part 2 jojo #part 2 #joseph x reader #joseph joestar x reader

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itskateak · 4 years

Text

(Preface: this is a really long post as I typed it as I was watching the movie so this is unedited, pure thoughts as I was watching this movie.)

I just started watching the new Cats movie and I’m already having issues with what’s going on

Why did Munk spider man his way down a wall

What’s wrong with Misto

Why don’t they just crawl on their knees Jesus Christ if they weren’t on their toes it would be better

“Are you mean like a minx” that’s not in pitch

ThatS NOT HOW JUMPING WORKS

The choreography is going good though- I knew it would. I’ve worked with that choreographer before.

WHY IS THIS NOW A POP REMIX

I have so many questions

Music is too fast. Tempos are everywhere.

Singing isn’t too bad. I can understand the words better.

Munk is a little too feminine for my taste at the moment but I like his design.

ROMANTICAL CATS (heart hands) IS THE MOST ON BRAND MISTO THING YET

Macavity speaking and singing his own song is disgusting

WHY DO THEY HAVE HUMAN TOES AND FINGERS

Why is everyone bullying Misto

AND HUMAN NOSES

Munk there’s a rhythm to the Naming of Cats. You can’t go off it whole everyone else is on it.

You guys can’t keep a tempo can you

HIS name. HIS.

Munk that’s a little sexual. NO YOU ARE WITH DEMETER STOP

stop cutting the scene up. Just let them dance.

AH REFERENCE TO ORIGINAL CHOREO. I SAW THAT

Misto is on brand except he’s not Misto yet storytellers

Also I’m liking the idea that Victoria is new to everything and the plot is they’re introducing her to the wild and the whole heaviside layer thing

THATS NOT THE MELODY MUNK STOP

they have human eyebrows too what

Munk that note is too high for you

Is Jenny twerking excuse me

JennY IS SUPPOSED TO BE MOTHERLY STOP THAT

that’s also not the melody

The human mice are going to cause nightmares

Wait is Jenny lusting after Munk

Why does he actually look interested

Munk do you have an English accent or American. Please decide.

Jenny that’s not the right notes

HUMAN ROACHES NO

WHY DO THEH HAVE HUMAN FACES

The skiN UNZIPPED OH NO

no one needed that undershot of cockroach crotches

Mm meow

huh what Tugger what was that

Okay Derulo is not bad at all

I’m missing the Tugoffolees banter though

This Tugger is a little gayer than the original

THE NEUTER JOKE OH MY GOD

Tugger is reminding me of Dr. Frank N Furter from Rocky Horror Picture Show

Why does he have an English accent though

VictoriaaaaAAAAA? (The TOES)

Jenny’s humor is eh. Don’t see the reason of putting that in.

The ending is pure Tugger though

Not a bad rendition

Grizz isn’t as rough as I imagined her looking

Oh her VOICE

HER VOICE HITS HARD

Who is this cat singing about Grizz (the first) her voice was nice

NO. WHY THE SHORTNESS ON “that”

Munk why did you grab that queen’s head

Edward Hyde is that you?

Jenny stop trying to be the comedy relief you’re too awful at it

Bustopher please STOP singing your own song

PLEASE KIDNAP HER IDRIS ELBA

THANK YOU

I wish they spent more time dancing since that’s really the point of the show and the draw to it.

Bustopher wearing heels? I’m for it. Gay legend.

“Thanks Tugger” stop this whole sequence please

Bustopher is supposed to be a very prim and proper cat. What happened to him

Still can’t get over Idris Elba being in this

THATS NOT THE MELODY OF MUNGOJERRIE AND RUMPLETEAZER

What have thEY DONE TO THE MELODY GOOD GOD

AND THE RHYTHM THEY DESTROYED THE SONG

Oh. Hey that’s pretty neat choreo though

“I bought that for her myself” “hey” “what?”

My brain is rebelling because it’s not right at all in anything I remember

Did Misto just pull a whole femur from his hat

STOP THAT. MISTO LOOKS LIKE A CLOSETED TWINK STUCK IN A STRAIGHT RELATIONSHIP

is he wearing eyeliner

GROWLTIGER IS BACK

I don’t actually know his song so this is new to me

Jenny and Bustopher being comedic relief hurts because they’re not funny

Munk “where have you been?!” Is there a love triangle happening. What happened to Demeter

Also his voice in Deuteronomy is actually really nice

“Sits in the suuun” that was beautiful oh god

Deut looks more like how I imagined Grizz would look

IS THAT DAME JUDI DENCH

I bet she regrets ever saying yes after this.

What cat is randomly wearing a crow skull around their neck. Is that a witch’s cat

JUDI DENCH CAN’T YOU ACTUALLY SING? WHY ARE YOU STRUGGLING

Why are you singing Munk’s line

Oh the Jellicle ball is next let’s go Andy show me that awesome choreo

Asparagus are you okay

Tempo doesn’t exist in this movie does it

Neither does rhythm or time keeping

IS THAT MY BOY SKIMBLESHANKS

Twirly boy Munk

Munk really just wants to be topped doesn’t he

WhAT WAS THAT TWITCHING AND THE PANTING

Andy I love you man but the traditional and classic choreo would’ve worked just as fine

Skimble and Munk being gay

what happened to Plato and why is there something going on with Misto

TUGGER YOU HAD A MOMENT YOU COULD HAVE INTERRUPTED

Ah okay I understand why that happened. No mating dance or slumber party

Cats wearing shoes disgusts me more than the toes

POINTE WITHOUT POINTE SHOESSSS GROSS

honestly? Jellicle ball is disappointing. They just cut the ten minutes of amazing dancing down to like four.

I don’t like the heavy breathing. That’s not something that was ever necessary.

Okay, the end worked okay with the big synchronized dances.

I’m ready for this Memory rendition. Already getting chills.

Those are very human hands

Oh keep with the rhythm I beg of you

Ooh altered verse

Wait that’s jennifer Hudson???

Oh we just removed a whole verse, bridge, and chorus didn’t we.

Sweet moment? See I like Vic reaching for Grizz

Vic gets a song??? Ooh intrigued

I like her voice

I’m going to cry this song is sad and I’m glad she gets a story

Though it’s kind of “you think your life is hard? Mine’s worse” feeling after Memory

Awww I’m gonna cry what a sweetheart what a lovely dear protect her

Ugh meaning of happiness. I hate this song no matter who sings it.

Wait what happened to Rumpus Cat song :( the battle of the pekes and the pollicles

What do you mean you’re about to make the choice

We still have Gus’s song, Misto’s song, and Skimble’s song.

They got Ian McKellen to do this?? How much was he paid

“Cross paws” no stop

Why is Gus singing his own song please don’t

Munk’s face bugs me for some reason

His song always makes me cry for some reason but this is kind of goofy and cute and I love it

Misto in the background is just strange for me

Is he forgetting the words sometimes and mumbling to fill in because goodness

Misto’s so eager to please what a bottom

“Macavityyy” I hate it

Munk starting Skimble’s song has the same energy as Tugger doing Misto’s songs

I’m glad they’ve kept this song the same as it was

Skimble is SO gay oh my god what a classic twink

Oooh I like this addition of the train getting started via tap

I’m actually really liking this rendition and the tap dancing on the the rails

Though the tap continuing when no one is tapping or the rhythm being wrong is uh not good

Such an iconic song and I love the changes in scene

Oh skimble that note was not good

WAIT OKAY THAT WAS MACAVITY’S DOING WITH THE LEVITATION

Oh hi Taylor Swift

Use more breath. Stop doing the pop voice thing. Stop it.

Is Bombi a drug dealer

MISTO BEING TWEAKED ON DRUGS IS THE FUNNIEST GODDAMN THING IVE EVER SEEN IN THIS LIFE

I can say though that what they’ve done to the song is exactly the vibes it needed. Sultry and pushing the boundaries.

Sad there’s not a Demeter.

SORRY MUNK WHAT WAS THAT

I actually rewinded to see what happened there with the martini glass

OKAY MAN NEEDS TO BE TOPPED OH MY GOD

“Green house glass is broken” was changed and that makes me sad

This was a good song for Taylor to show off her vocal prowess but she just didn’t

Why is Macavity naked

Why is he singing his own damn song

PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON

Munk you’re still tweaking out a little

Oh here’s the sleeping orgy

What’s with this drama now with the choice thing

We don’t have Munk’s fight with Macavity. Robbed

VICTORIA YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE TO GET MISTO OUT THERE. IT HAS TO BE TUGGER

If there are no 23 spins, I’ll throw my phone

Munk that’s gay and I’m here for it. Encourage your twink Misto

“Please don’t make me do this” has phantom vibes

Munk that was a lusty look

Where’s the “ooh ahs”

This is weird without Tugger singing it and being an ego for Misto

Tugger come on. Please save this number.

Victoria I swear to god I will beat you

Why do they have one person on the melody in this. And Derulo going through the stratosphere

WHERE IS THE DANCING >:(

That trombone is playing absolutely nothing in the music at all

DON’T YOU DARE KISS HER

oh here’s the fight music

WHY DID WE UNZIP SKIN AGAIN

oh they used the fight music for the escaping of cats

How much longer is there

Oh there’s the daylight reprise thing

I want to die

To the sun, Vic. To the sun.

Munk, Tugger, be respectful. That’s your mother.

Wait that doesn’t work in this universe because Deut is female.

Oh they gave the Asian cat patterns that resemble tiger stripes hmmmm

Why couldn’t they have just filmed an actual stage version and turned that out

Oh that “smile at the old days” was god awful

How much longer oh god

I’m tired man. I wasted 6 bucks on this

Victoria just stealing Jemima’s parts

“Like a flowER as the dawn is breaking”

Okay here it is

OH COME THROUGH QUEEN. WHOLE FILM IS WORTH THIS CLIMAX

Okay so there are some cats wearing clothes and others not. What are the rules for this universe. Are they naked or are they not.

I have not shed a single tear. Usually I have by now from this show. Not a single tear.

Deut X Grizz is still my favorite ship

Is that the intro to Til I Hear You Sing that I hear. Those F to Gm chords Lloyd Webber loves.

Judi Dench stop trying to sing for the love of god.

Ah yes show off that beautiful ballet dancer that plays Vic

Aww Munk bowing to Grizz

Oh so it’s a chandelier this time and not a tire

Where’d Macavity and Bombi go

Oh there he is. What a child. Hate that.

BUSTOPHER CONFIRMED A GAY ICON

Deut being a proud mother to Munk is cute with the hands on the shoulder

Why are we reprising the first song

Also Air balloon.

WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ME JUDI DENCH

why are they all staring so intently at her too wait

Munk looks like someone is touching him inappropriately this whole scene.

Munk and Misto looking at each other

MUNK STOPPPP JESUS CHRIST DO YOU NEED TO BE REMOVED FROM THE SITUATION

The choreography doesn’t even match the beat of the song. Huh???

Misto you’re gay stop

Munk and Misto looking at each other and the shy glances away

So Grizz gets hot air balloned to death is that what I’m seeing

Oh it’s over okay

I want to cry.

It’s not as bad as I heard. Once you got used to the way things looked and just let things happen and say it might as well happen, it became a bit more enjoyable.

It’s still god awful though and let’s pray the furries never get ahold of it.

#katetalks #ren live blogs #shitpost #cats #cats 2019 #cats the musical #im so sorrh for sich a long post but thoughts man thoughts

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normal-thoughts-official · 4 years

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Ahh yes the Polycule all being polyglots too. Poly-everything. But in all seriousness, Mel is so... charmed by their partners speaking other languages. Especially Spanish. And ugh imagining them traveling together and all translating for each other and oh god the pet names and introducing each other to new places/cities/foods ahhh.

hdbdidnsidn well i mean it's kind of canon since obviously raphael grew up in méxico, simon is hinted to speak spanish since he understands when raphael speaks in it and also uses some words with him from time to time, and emeraude refused to say "rosa" with an US american accent (which. sexy of her) meaning it's heavily implied that izzy speaks spanish because her pronunciation is, obviously, perfect.

and yeah i just. look. meliorn loves hearing different languages and thinks they all sound beautiful (i kind of have a headcanon that seelies can speak all languages? like including tree and animal languages and shit. like some magical stuff? yeah) and they know it brings raphael in particular great joy to call them pet names in spanish. and well, if it brings them great joy to hear it too, that's just a bonus. but simon and izzy notice and start calling them bella and princesa and mi amor too and aaaaaaaaa

and simon also speaks yiddish as we know (i know that some ppl hc him as a Sephardi Jew and i dont mean to invalidate that hc, im just saying that because he calls his grandma bubbe. maybe he's both?). and.... okay i looked it up for several hours and maybe it’s just because i’m stupid but most endearment terms i found in yiddish were said to be for children? but also i do love the idea of simon calling mel/rapha/maia “oytser” (treasure) and even with petnames aside, yiddish just..... has so many beautiful words??* and meliorn (and also maia and rapha of course) love hearing him talk about it and learning all those great words, from insults to beautiful descriptions. and it feels so important for simon too because he already had very few opportunities to speak yiddish outside of his home, and he’d hate to feel like another part of being Jewish was being taken from him when he was already losing most of his family, you know? plus, it’s kind of one of his special interests and it’s nice that he can monologue about yiddish and everyone is genuinely interested. and raphael of course partially understands how he feels about the language (not fully, since it isn’t really simon’s first language, and there are particular complications with being Jewish and the fear of losing your Jewish identity/culture that just don’t apply for goyim, but still, as an immigrant, there’s solidarity there)

*a few of my faves that i came across researching yiddish for this: nakhes (”proud pleasure, special joy--particularly from the achievements of a child”), Kemfer (”a fighter… but one who fights for a cause; an activist”. lowkey obsessed with simon calling his partners that, because.... they are), mechayeh (”literally, something that has brought you back from death to life, and colloquially, something relieving or refreshing” - tbh i love how dramatic yiddish is, reminds me of brazilian portuguese lmao), balebus (”a gracious, welcoming, and considerate host”).

anyway! i just love the idea that simon and raphael can find some sort of comfort and understanding in each other, despite the fact that by all accounts simon should be (rightfully) wary of raphael’s religion, but raphael is genuinely interested and respectful towards simon’s culture and he understands the fear of straying too far from your roots and losing yourself, the feeling of having your culture shunned and kept to the indoors, the responsability of trying to keep it alive and the feeling of being completely lost when you’re apart from your community. again, it’s different, but... most goyim (for simon) and non-latinos (for raphael) don’t even come close, even among vampires, and it’s nice that they get that

also raphael has no illusions when it comes to catholicism/christianity and he understands why ppl, especially ppl like simon and magnus, would be wary of it, and he feels genuinely humbled and happy that the both of them understand what being catholic means to him and accept that part of him, even if from a distance. like, magnus canonically helped him find his faith again, you know? that’s really, really humbling and a show of love, because the shit catholics put him through - he was literally there to be prosecuted by witch hunters, he watched in real time as christian colonialism tried to tear his homeland (and did tear his family) apart, and still he found it in himself to help raphael find his way back to the religion because it did him good. raphael will never stop being thankful, and humbled, by that. and even if simon sometimes rolls his eyes at the goyishness of raphael’s whole punishment and sacrifice thing or fucking whatever and generally doesn’t get too close to it, he also trusts raphael, and raphael knows that it’s a big deal. and simon loves that raphael knows that it’s a big deal and doesn’t have illusions when it comes to his religion or the role christianity had in oppressing not only simon’s, but thousands of ppl historically. u kno?

hmmm that was a tangent. also as u (probably) know i’m not Jewish so please let me know if there was anything inaccurate or offensive in what i’ve written.

anyway! polyglotcule. and okay i think those are the languages i can think of (and well simon could also speak ladino if you hc him as a Sephardi Jew) other than the hc that meliorn just knows all languages, which...... i absolutely love and stan tbh??? like yes i know the logistics of that are complicated and that to truly know a language you have to understand its culture and so they’re not exactly fluent as much as they’re able to understand most of them, but look, look. i just love the idea of the polycule travelling around and meliorn talking to ppl for them and simon and maia being super excited and wanting to know, like, everything they can and asking them a billion questions and asking them to translate every sign they come across and every time they do (even as they have literally no way of knowing if meliorn is correct or not) they’re just like WOAAAA and generally being huge goofy nerds about it. and izzy and raphael have a more held back approach but they’re also clearly so impressed and proud of them, even if it’s literally just like, magic

like raphael is just in love and watching them with those soft eyes (especially when simon and maia get all wide eyed and excited about it because he loves them okay) and sometimes their eyes will cross and they share a little smile??? and hold hands???? and it’s super sweet??? and izzy is just smiling at them too, although with that more open, big smile of hers, head tilted to the side a little, while clary huffs because izzy is not paying attention to what she’s saying, even as she’s swishing their linked hands a bit because they’re That Couple. and then every once in a while izzy’ll ask a question of her own, except it’s always something like “how do you say ‘the most beautiful one’ in [language]?” and meliorn smiles and tells her and she’s like “yes, you are” and they laugh and make a joke about flattery and she just winks and smiles

(then she grabs maia’s hand and goes “you all are” and kisses her and clary too, just so they know she doesn’t play favorites. not that they need it, but it’s nice)

foajhsdoajda im just a slut for the polycule okay

#ask #anonymous #The Polycule™#meliorn #simon lewis #raphael santiago #maia roberts #izzy lightwood #clary fray #sh #shadowhunters #raphaeliorn #saiaphaeliorn #saia #clizzy #claiabelle #isabeliorn #this ship is such a mess and i love it tbh #q

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god-save-the-keen · 5 years

Text

Super Bowl surprise

Book: Mother of the year

Pairing: Thomas Mendez x MC (Tara) with Luz and MC's daughter (Rory)

Summary: It's almost Super Bowl and Thomas have a surprise for the womans in his life.

This is part of the Super Bowl Weekend Challenge hosted by @argylemnwrites so I hope you all enjoy it!

Words: 1.545

Warning: None, fluff!

Note: I'm not North American so I don't know for sure all the traditions or even the game itself but thanks to the help of the awesome @client-327 I think it turned out great! In another hand, my computer just DIED witch is why I can't cut the long post... Sorry for that! Be patient with me!

Thomas Mendez tag list: @chetachisblog @annekebbphotography @princess-geek @lilyofchoices @ao719 @marycarrillo21 @kamybelen-blog @cxld-play @vaticanwaltz @kingliamrys @x-kyne-x @hatescapsicum @thecordoniandiaries @choicesfannatalie

Permanent tag list: @gardeningourmet @desiree---1986 @dawn-1994 @violinet @darley1101 @blackcatkita @flyawayboo @drakewalker04

Tara was in the living room after work with the two girls as they were doing their homework. She was sitting on the couch when she heard the front door and just a few seconds later, Thomas was beside her, giving her a sweet 'hello' kiss.

"Evening ladies." He kissed both girls on their heads and hung his briefcase and jacket on the rack. Tara noticed how happy and excited he was, grinning the whole time time and his eyes sparkling.

"What's up with you?" Tara asked smiling as he sat beside her holding her waist and pulling her closer.

"Well… I may have something planned for all of us." Both girls turned to observe him, curious looks in their eyes.

"Who wants to go to the Super Bowl in Miami?"

"WHAT?!" Luz shouted standing up, almost jumping out from her chair, thrilled. "Are you serious, dad?!"

"Dead serious" He laughed. "Oof" Luz had ran and pounced on him, hugging her dad hard. She loved the Super Bowl as much as playing soccer.

"That's amazing!" Rory said, going to hug Thomas too. She wasn't a sport fan but she enjoyed the halftime show. "We are going to see Shakira and JLo!" It was funny that a girl so smart and serene was this happy about a pop show in the middle of a sporting event.

"Forget that! We are going to see the Chiefs!"

"And that's not even the best part." Luz watched him anxiously, Tara was convinced that she was going to explode any second. "We are going to have a private box"

"What?" Tara asked surprised, her eyes widened and her mouth slightly open making him laugh again. Luz sat down again, her cheeks a bit red and her eyes more open than normally.

"Lulu, are you okay?" Thomas asked her, still smiling big.

"We are going to Miami… To see the Super Bowl… I'm going to see the Chiefs playing live… In a private box…I need a moment." As Rory sat beside her and happily observed her, Thomas focused his attention on Tara.

"So, can you take a few days off?"

"Oh definitely! But honestly, did you rob a bank or something? I'm okay with the conjugal visits but I don't think orange is your colour." He laughed lacing their fingers together.

"No I didn't, although the conjugal part sound tempting." She slapped his chest softly. "George can't go this year so he gave me the box."

"Is he okay?" At the Christmas Dinner for his law firm, Tara had met Thomas' boss and she really liked him, he had been kind to her and an amazing host.

"He is, his family doesn't want to go this year so--"

"We are going to the Super bowl!!" Luz suddenly shouted startling everyone as she stood up so abruptly that her chair fell to the ground. Rory, who was beside her, concentrated on a book, watched her with a little resentment, searching for the page she was on before she had closed the book startled.

"Luz!" Thomas reprimanded her but she didn't listen, she was running down the hall towards her bedroom still shouting about the Super bowl. "This girl…" He sighed as Tara giggled.

"When do you want to leave?"

"I was thinking we'd be there Friday, Saturday, Sunday and return Monday at night. What do you think?"

"I think it's perfect." She smiled happily.

"Mom" Rory, who was still in the living room, was watching them with an expectant smile.

"Yeah kiddo?"

"Miami is kind of close to Disney, can we go there too?"

"What do you think?" She would love to take the girls there but she wanted Thomas' opinion too, after all he was the one that planned this getaway.

"You know what Rory? I think it's an amazing idea." Thomas said smiling, he knew Rory had never been to Disneyland so it was the perfect opportunity. She thanked them and went to the bedroom to tell the news to Luz. Tara cupped his cheek and leaned to kiss him lovingly.

"You, Mr. Mendez, are the sweetest man alive." He smiled brightly at her, his warm eyes almost sparkling.

"Okay, then we need plane tickets and hotel rooms. You take care of the tickets and I search for the hotel?"

"Let's do it baby!" He chuckled at her enthusiasm as she took out her phone and lay her head on his lap searching for flights to Miami. He held his phone with one hand as the other absently stroked her hair. Thirty minutes later, all the reservations were made with a couple of gifts for the girls.

The next two weeks passed in the blink of an eye, before they knew, they were landing in Miami. Thomas noticed how happy Tara was, her eyes observing every detail around her and her smile so big that he was sure her face hurt. Luz and Rory were in the backseat of the rented car, loudly talking and laughing, excitedly.

"Oookay, we are here!" He opened the door and gave the keys to a valet as a hotel bellman grabbed their suitcases.

"Thomas… It's amazing!" He kissed her cheek and took her hand while the girls ran in front of them. The hotel was not only beautiful but also comfortable in every single possible way. It had an indoor pool, steam room, outdoor pool, restaurant, a bar, a playroom and a library.

The first day they toured around the city, they went to South Beach and Ocean Drive, then Downtown and Miami Seaquarium and the second day was exclusively for Disney World. Rory grinned the whole day, running here and there, as Luz showed her her favorites rides, when she saw Cinderella castle, she took Luz hand and headed to the line as fast as she could. Finally, Super Bowl Sunday arrived. Luz was so excited that they heard her voice through the door that connected both rooms waking up both Tara and Thomas. He buried his head against her shoulder as the arm that was under the cover pulled her closer, his eyes still closed and his bear chest warm against hers.

"Thomas…" She gently caressed his nape.

"Don't say it." Tara chuckled softly moving strands of his hair from his eyes.

"We have to" She responded as he groaned quietly covering them further before gently kissing her.

"Good morning beautiful" He said smiling under the cover and sheets, his nose almost touching hers.

"Well, good morning to you too handsome" She pulled his head with her hand towards her and kissed him again. They stood like that for a few more minutes before the shared door opened and Luz came inside their room chanting "Super Bowl" excited. They changed and went to breakfast in the hotel restaurant, since they wanted to be early they decide to stay there for the day and take advantage of the accommodation it had, the girls went to the indoor pool, they did a group activity with other kids and the hotel personal, as Thomas and Tara took the chance to visit the spa and sauna. By 3pm they were in the room, getting ready, with the Chiefs T-shirts that he had bought for everybody, Tara smiled to herself when she saw Rory in her football t-shirt for the first time ever. She braided Luz's hair how she liked, feeling Thomas' gaze on her and his smile on her cheek before he planted a kiss there, he loved how good Luz and Tara's relationship was, and a ponytail for Rory. Once the girls were ready, she chose a pair of tight dark blue jeans, a messy bun and tied her t-shirt on the side, showing a little bit of belly. He grabbed her waist and kissed her neck.

"How can you make a football t-shirt look this good?" She laughed and turned in his arms to kiss him.

They took the rental car and went to the stadium, the parking lot was almost full already but luckily they found a spot not too far from the door, they bought a lot of snacks, food and soda and headed to the entrance. The line was long and slow, the security took their time with each person, checking the tickets and belongings. Once inside, they put everything on a couple of couches and tables, as the girls turned to watch through the windows around them, Thomas and Tara sat on one of the sofas as his hand softly brushed her exposed skin.

The game was everything they expected and more, Luz passed through all the states humanly possibly, she was happy, excited, anxious, nervous during the game, angry and laughed with some of the commercials. Everybody enjoyed the Super Bowl, Tara laughed when Thomas jumped out of his chair with his cheeks flushed, angry with the referee, Rory and Tara sang along with JLo and Shakira as Luz ate a hot dog waiting for the rest of the game.

It was a perfect and fun day, the Chiefs had won, the halftime show was awesome and they had enjoyed it like a family, making their hearts feel completed.

❣️

#choices big game blitz #moty thomas #choices thomas mendez #thomas x mc #thomas mendez x mc #thomas mendez #moty mc #pb moty #choices moty #moty daughter #luz mendez #super bowl fanfic #thomas fanfic #fanfic writing #choices fanfics #choices fanfiction

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animepopheart · 5 years

Text

Ranking Every Studio Ghibli Movie

Studio Ghibli's contribution to anime (and animation in general) cannot be understated. Founded by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and producer Toshio Suzuki, the studio has produced many of Japan's most hallowed films, movies that are both critically acclaimed and monsters at the box office. In 1996, Disney partnered with Studio Ghibli to bring their movies to North America, developing a new audience that has since come to age; now, Ghibli is as much a part of American childhood as Pixar and Dreamworks releases.

On Anime Pop Heart and @beneaththetangles, we are commemorating the studio with Ghibli Month all September long! I’m kicking things off by ranking Ghibli's twenty-one releases, plus Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, which is often honorarily included among the studio's slate, ranked from first to worst (including alternate viewpoints on a couple of the selections).

22. Tales from Earthsea

Miyazaki famously quarreled with his son, Goro, over the latter's ability to direct Tales from Earthsea, and indeeed, the final product feels like the result of a young man who was in over his head. The movie deserves its ignominious reputation, as it is inconsistent, poorly staged, and often terrible. It's a shame, too, for there are some strong elements to the film and enormous potential, with the outlines of an epic tale and compelling characters in Sparrowhawk and Cob (who are wonderfully dubbed by Timothy Dalton and Willem Dafoe, respectively)—it just never comes quite together and totally unravels at the end, resulting in the only bad film in Studio Ghibli's outstanding run.

21. The Cat Returns

Most Studio Ghibli films are family features, made for children. However, they still capture the imagination of youth and adults as well. The Cat Returns, the only "sequel" in Ghibli's film catalog, doesn't do the same however. It is purely for kids, and aside from flourishes here and there that speak of fantasy adventures and feature whimsical characters, fails to engage viewers of a certain age—maybe anyone older than about twelve. A neat companion piece to Whisper of the Heart, it's worth watching, showing to your children, and then giving away to parents who need better-than-average entertainment to busy their children.

20. Ocean Waves

At one time, Ocean Waves was considered a black eye in Ghibli's filmography, an overpriced television movie that wasn't all that good. In retrospect, the intial judgments were only partially right. Ocean Waves is very much a TV movie, melodramatic and small in scale. The animation, too, is sometimes shoddy, but more often than not it's far better than it has the right to be. Ocean Waves is lovingly made, and the characters are almost frustratingly sincere—and oh so early 90s. While on the lowest tier of the Ghibli scale, Ocean Waves is far better than a simple curiosity.

19. Arrietty

Like Poppy Hill before it, there's nothing terrifically wrong with Arrietty—it just lacks the magic of the great Studio Ghibli films, making it rather forgettable. It's also sometimes dull. While beautiful colors, a foreshadowing of the spectacular animation to come of Yonebayashi in Mary and the Witch's Flower, shine through in the film, and some of the action sequences are highly engaging, our hearts are never fully in it. Maybe that's because we lack a loving connection to many of the characters, particularly to the pensive Sho. A nice watch, but one that's lacking.

18. From Up on Poppy Hill

Much maligned for our lowest ranked movie, Goro Miyazaki returned from that entry with a stronger film, one that functions as an ode to historic preservation while presenting one of the studio's most lovely relationships—that is, until it gets a bit tricky, unfortunately begining to enter a zone unusual for Studio Ghibli, if standard fare for other anime. But that's a relatively minor issue in what's a perfectly lovely film that does well in evoking nostalgia in a movie that reminisces about the past and a Yokohama that no longer exists. Not every emotional moment hits as it should, but enough do to make the film Ghibli's best "date night" entry.

17. Pom Poko

Often criticized for being too over-bearing in its ecological message, Pom Poko's main issue instead is that it's meant to a collection of stories that to flow into one another, based on one group of tanukis' fight against urban development, but the movie doesn't feel cohesive, partly because there is no central protagonist. We only get to know each main tanuki so much, and none feel central to the tale—any could step in and play the necessary roles. Still, Pom Poko is unreservedly charming and often hilarious. It's also a peek into Japanese culture that we often don't get, a look at a country transforming in landscape and in values.

16. Ponyo

Why is Ponyo the low point of Miyazaki's output, the only film of his that doesn't attain the level of classic? It is wonderfully animated, bursting with energy and featuring a story that is never disingenuous and a heroine that is funny, cute, and breathtaking even. However, the film proved that Miyazaki was on a downward trajectory after Spirited Away. Repetition seen in Howl's Moving Castle was on full display in Ponyo, a new movie that too often feels like a rehash, featuring characters that other than the title heroine, fail to connect, and a story that is muddled and often just strange. Ponyo is a fun film and a better one after repeated viewings—the problem is that such defenses do not have to be made for any of Miyazaki's other works.

15. When Marnie Was There

The last feature film from Studio Ghibli to date is both quietly personal and a surprising risk. When Marnie Was There is the studio's first true mystery tale, and has a tone that's slightly haunting. The lead characters, also, are unusual for Ghibli—neither Anna nor Marnie are as embraceable as most of the heroines from Ghibli's past, but that seems be purposeful. What they demonstrate to us is not as much of "who we can be" but "who we are" and even so, how we can overcome. The creative energy of past Ghibli films is missing, but the replacement here by a surprising intimate tone in a modern setting is welcomed.

14. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

While this notoriously expensive film flopped at the box office, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya was well-received by critics, and for good reason. Adapting a famed folk tale, the film is animated in style befitting its origins, creating the sense that the viewer has fallen into a some traditional Japanese painting. But the movie is not as pastel as its colors indicate—the storytelling is bold. It doesn't sit in the past, instead feeling remarkably current in the fable of a princess imprisoned by seemingly everyone and everything, without ever feeling worn or heavy-handed. Mystical and fantastical elements are both woven into the foundation of the story and come alive in key moments, keeping the film compelling (for the most part) throughout its two hour+ run time.

13. Howl's Moving Castle

An underrated aspect of Studio Ghibli's brilliance is in how they often adapt already-beloved works. Adapted by the master, Howl's Moving Castle, based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones, is gorgeously animated and bold in both design and character—Howl and Calcifer, particularly, are memorable (and give strong emotional weight to the tale). While it suffers in comparison to its predecessor, Spirited Away, by being a little unwieldy, it remains a classic and an example of how well Miyazaki can bring themes and plot points across subtly (think of the flashback of Howl) in a movie that's otherwise fierce and larger than life.

12. The Wind Rises

From conception, The Wind Rises was a challenging film—how do you tell the story of the man who designed a fighter essential to Japan's WWI efforts, and show him as a patriot and dreamer without excluding the crimes of the nation, or making a film that goes against Miyazaki's anti-war values? It's difficult to say if he succeeds, but the film itself is beautifully crafted. The supporting characters here are less important than in other works, so it's vital that the audience admires Jiro Horikoshi, and we do—his character and positivity make him easy to root for, and dream sequences in the film both flesh out his thought process and keep us captivated. Once believed to be Miyazaki's last film, if it had been, The Wind Rises would have been worthy of that designation.

11. My Neighbors the Yamadas

The oddball in Ghibli's filmography, My Neighbors the Yamadas is presented through half-a-dozen or more short stories in the style of comic strips come to life, with animation that matches. The magic in the film is that the Yamadas are as over-the-top as the movie's aesthetic is, yet maintain an authentic feel. Think of some of the most popular family sitcoms of the 1980s and 1990s, but with an addition those shows could not feature—fantastical sequences that break in without warning and bind the ties of family further. We may not want to live like the clumsy Yamadas, but the heart of the family will make you consider whether they're the ones who really have it all together.

10. Porco Rosso

Studio Ghibli films share animation styles and themes, but one can never say they lack in variety when it comes to story. The tale of Porco Rosso is of an ace pilot cursed into living as a pig—but not to worry! He is still adored by women as he flies fantastic missions while running from fascists, pirates, and fame-seeking assassins. Porco is gruff and unattractive, but both he and the tale are sweet, as what's already a compelling story of WWI aces and dogfights is buffeted by grief, romance, and two strong heroines of very different types and roles. Perhaps the film with the largest range of opinion among the Miyazaki classics, Porco Rosso is nonetheless fantastic, and require viewing if you haven't watched it already.

9. Whisper of the Heart

Ghibli's most unabashedly romantic film is one of its most formulaic, but still among its best. The debut film by Yoshifumi Kondō, Miyazaki and Takahata's proposed successor before he died just a few years after the movie's premiere, is at once encouraging while also refusing to shy away from the melancholy experienced by children—and adults, too—when one doesn't seem to have what it takes to become great. In joy and sadness, Whisper of the Heart lets the kids at the center of the film be kids. They are at times stubborn, silly, and immature, and by treating them that way, the movie never drifts into something banal (with the possible exception of the famously abrupt ending)—it's a lovely lesson in growing up and meeting challenges, and a personal favorite.

8. Kiki's Delivery Service

The charm of Kiki's Delivery Service is two-fold—in the setting, a northern European-style town that is alive, forcing the events of the story through its residents, cozy cafes, and early 20th-century transportion, and in Kiki's journey itself. Her community's tradition of sending of young witches to live by themselves at the age of thirteen sets the story in motion, and Miyazaki captures the spirit of a girl that age perfectly—in all its confusion, energy, enthusiasm, and difficulty. Kiki is not a subtle character, but her growth is. When she takes to the air for the finale, Kiki isn't experienced enough to know if she can save the day—and so we cheer when she realizes what the rest of us already know, what we've all experienced ourselves, that it takes time and failure to mold us into becoming the hero.

7. Castle in the Sky

Miyazaki created classic film after classic film for decades, in a streak that started with Lupin III and ended, I'd argue, with Howl's Moving Castle. Often forgotten among the wonders is Castle in the Sky, a steampunk entry that is a joyous adventure, akin to Treasure Island but developed for an audience of both boys and girls. Sumptuous cloudscapes fill the screen, as do colorful characters with meaty roles, including a group favored by Miyazaki—pirates (in this movie, air pirates led by Dola, an older female). Reflective of Miyazaki's ability to master genres, Castle in the Sky again crosses fantasy and sci-fi in perfect proportions, underscoring an uplifting tale with an apocalyptic story line.

6. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Unofficially part of of Ghibli's canon, the success of Nausicaa, based on Miyazaki's own manga and exploring the ecological, anti-war, and feminist themes for which the studio's future films would be noted, launched Studio Ghibli. Nausicaa herself remains one of the studio's most iconic and compelling heroines, a physically powerful and feminine hero who must grow into adulthood very quickly while putting aside deep flaws to offer salvation to her people and land. The beautiful landscapes speaks to the epic story, better fleshed out in the manga, while reminding us that Ghibli films are giants not only in animation, but in fantasy and sci-fi realms as well.

5. Only Yesterday

How do you create an animated film about a twenty-something woman that waxes nostalgia while on a trip to the countryside, and at the same time make it entertaining and accessible? It's not an easy task, but Only Yesterday accomplishes it fully. Taeko, the protagonist, explains, "I didn't intend for ten-year-old me to come on this trip, but somehow, once she showed up, she wouldn't leave me alone." We experience her nostalgia for and complicated feelings about the past through a family that's genuinely flawed, while experiencing her visit to relatives in the countryside in the present, a trip that is subtly life-altering, one that pushes her to consider who she is and who she wants to be. Oh, and the film also features one of anime's most wonderful endings, set to a cover of a now-classic love song.

4. Grave of the Fireflies

It's a testament to Miyazaki's stature that the first three Ghibli films on the list are all directed by him, and also to the supreme talent of the other directors that their films rise above some of his other tremendous work. Directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder, the legendary Isao Takahata, Grave of the Fireflies is the most painful and emotional movie in the canon; it is also one of the greatest war movies ever made, using animation to deftly explore the how war victimizes children. Opening and closing shots, both of which express the uncaring nature of bystanders (and by extension, the world) toward children cause us to wonder what we really feel about the world's most vulnerable population.

3. My Neighbor Totoro

It's often said that nothing really happens in My Neighbor Totoro—but that's part of the magic of the film. A child's movie in all ways, including in the action, which revolves around a sick mother, a move to a new house, and a lost child, the film finds its center in a magical being that never says a word (Totoro only growls), and about whom many theories abound. If Totoro is a figment of Satsuki and Mei's imaginations, he is then similar to Winnie the Pooh, a necessary presence in the lives of a child character (two of them, sisters, in this case) who is growing up in a difficult situation, not to adulthood, but to the next step in the journey of life.

2. Spirited Away

Miyazaki has retired and unretired several times—when did so following Princess Mononoke, he returned with what is often considered his magnum opus, Spirited Away. At once deeply Japanese and completely accessible, the movie takes viewers on one of the most remarkable visual journeys ever put to film, a feast that never relents through its entire run time. Perhaps underrated is Miyazaki's decision to move the action away from the bathhouse for much of the final act, a quiet last leg that is key to Chihiro's journey, as well as for many of Spirited Away's supporting characters. Absolutely deserving of all love and acclaim.

1. Princess Mononoke

Studio Ghibli's finest film is also perhaps its most surprising. Visceral, violent, and conflicting, Princess Mononoke is no easy tale to absorb. There is no "good guy," not in the traditional sense, as Miyazaki explores hist favored ecological theme but through the lens of humanity struggling to survive in a world where they are just surpassing nature, the beast gods and goddesses who had previously ruled. It is an epic in the vein of films from decades before with vibrant and complex characters, ground-breaking animation, and an English voice track that is second to none. The studio's most intricate work, Princess Mononoke requires multiple viewings to fully appreciate.

All Studio Ghibli movies are available for sale, including many in special collectible editions. We encourage you to go check them out!

#studio ghibli #ghibli month #spirited away #my neighbor totoro #howls moving castle

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faunahudson · 4 years

Text

The Hudsons Strike Back

Who: Sawyer & Fauna Hudson @sawyer-hudson (guest appearances by Molly Sheridan and Tommy Deluca)

When: 26th of November 2020

Where: Ohio

What: Fauna and Sawyer meet up with two blasts from Sawyers past, with explosive consequences

Warnings: Slut shaming, mild violence, threatening language, references to unsafe practices, homophobia and an almost slur

“I’ll admit you Americans do decorate for Fall better.” Fauna conceded as they passed shop window after shop window filled with Thanksgiving themed displays. “Obviously Ireland is superior in every other way. But I’ll give you this one thing.” She teased pressing herself a little tighter against Sawyers side. The bright smile on her face having been stuck there practically since they’d left their claim interview.

Sawyer supposed that, growing up with Thanksgiving, he'd never had been one to notice the decorations, but spent a good look at some of the display windows that Fauna had pointed out. He wrapped his coat-laden arm around her tiny waist, laughing slightly at her teasing words. They had barely stopped laughing since the moment their claim came through, and he couldn't see it stopping anytime soon. "We really love Thanksgiving over here," He told her, "but yeah, Ireland is definitely superior. I was amazed at seeing all of the Belfast Christmas decorations last year."

She felt so warm despite the wind, as he wrapped his arm around on her waist her body alight with her own delight at the world right now. “I like the american commitment to going as big as possible with everything, so you made up a holiday and now you're gonna like.. do it hard." Fauna agreed knowing it was about time that she gave her new homeland it’s dues. "So remind me.. what was your hang out around here when you were in high school? I need to contextualise all those fun pictures that your Mom showed me this morning."

Sawyer furrowed his brow at Fauna's subtle dig at Thanksgiving. "Made up a holiday?" He repeated, "Surely, all holidays are made up in some way or another. Is this the whole Irish Catholicism thing about it being something not centred around Jesus?" Sawyer knew that, the actual reality behind Thanksgiving was a lot more grim than sitting around with family to share thanks and eat turkey, but sadly, his patronism had to win out against this one. Her other question made him laugh, and roll his eyes. "I still cannot believe Mom showed you all those pictures. They're super embarassing." He shook his head. "Um, there's a Barnes and Noble I spent a lot of time in, over that way. There's also this record store -- Groamy's CD's and Tapes -- it's not in here, but we can head over later if we can be bothered?" Sawyer suggested, directing her towards the stores he and his friends hung out in their youth. "There's also this, like, froyo place. I spent a lot of time there with --" He trailed off, noticing someone not even three feet away from the couple, "-- Molly." That wasn't who he had actually spent time with at the frozen yogurt shop -- that was actually Leanne -- but Molly was the person in front of time, who had noticed Sawyer in the same awkward way he had noticed her, with neither of them pretending they hadn't just seen the other. Basically, Sawyer's worst nightmare.

“If the holiday doesn’t have deep roots in Celtic paganism then I’m afraid it doesn’t hold much appeal for me.” Fauna shrugged with a teasing little giggle. “If I don’t feel the mood includes having been able to celebrate it in the woods like witches then I’m afraid it simply doesn’t get me going.” She declared, patting his chest through his coat as she reached to adjust her hair a little. “I can’t wait for her to get out the second album, apparently you went through a phase of holding up books in photos and I definitely think you should go back through that phase so you can self identify as a nerd.” She giggled, nodding along with him describing the places they could visit. “I like froyo.” She started and then noticed him staring at something, and with a little curl in the bottom of her stomach she noticed Molly. It was odd, seeing her in the flesh when she’d spent so long pouring over her instagram pictures. Without really thinking about it the brunette leaned in closer to Sawyer unsure if this was a motion of support for him or an act possessiveness. “Do you want to say hi?” She asked quietly.

He shook his head with a laugh. "I always knew you were a witch, this basically confirms it." He told her with a laugh, cringing at the memories he knew that photo album would brings. "I mean I can self-identify as a nerd without such a cringey practice, thank you." However, after he noticed Molly, he admittedly didn't hear what Fauna said at first, and it seemed like time had stopped around him, his heart beating erratically. He heard Fauna's question slightly too late, feeling her body lean in even closer to him. "Hmm, what?" He asked, it suddenly registering to him. "Uh, I don't know if it's best...." The Dominant trailed off when it was made apparent his decision had been made for him, as Molly closed the space between them. "Sawyer?" Molly asked, almost as if hoping it wasn't him, that it was Finn with a haircut, or some third dopplegänger wandering around the Lima, Ohio mall. "Hey, it's good to see you." She stepped towards him as if to give him a hug, faltering slightly, and settling for just making it seem like she shifted her weight instead. "Molly!" Sawyer said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "Yeah, good to see you too." After a moment, he glanced down at Fauna. "Oh, so, Fauna, this is...Molly, my...er..." He felt rude to refer to her as her ex, but he also felt rude if he didn't acknowledge their relationship, so he took the coward's way out and said nothing at all, just trailed off. "And Molly, this is Fauna...my...claim."

Fauna tried not to let her face be pinched by the nerves and jealously that she was feeling. She knew it was a poisonous habit to compare yourself to other women, to survey Mollys outfit and wonder if she looked better than her. If she’d heard any girl she knew doing such a thing she would have given them a dressing down. So she painted on a soft smile, hoping that her malice played as nerves. Though she kept her body tight against Sawyers frame as she spoke. She waited to see if Molly really would go for the hug for a moment, and was relieved when she didn’t. Seeing the tension in Sawyers frame, and noting that his face seemed tight. He was uncomfortable, and so it was her job to make this more comfortable. To put him first even though she quite wanted to drag him down and kiss him until he wouldn’t remember Mollys name. “Pleased to meet you. And kinda weird to see you come to life.” She chattered offering Molly her own hand to shake. “I’ve seen you on Finns insta.” She explained in what was a partial lie.

A part of Sawyer was amazed that Fauna and Molly -- two very different parts of his life -- were speaking, and kinda jus stood there as Fauna offered out her hand to shake. Molly took it with a warm smile, always so infectiously nice to everyone she met. "Pleased to meet you too, that reminds me I need to hit up Finn, haven't caught up with him in a while. And, uh," She glanced between the two of them, "congratulations! On the...the claim." Sawyer's heart ached at the way she had stumbled over her words, not even bearing to imagine how it felt to see someone so happy an content. "Thank you," Sawyer said, biting his lip, not knowing what else to say. It was a lie, he knew what he wanted to say. He was saying to Fauna less than 2 months ago how he wanted closure with Molly for that night, for the way their relationship ended. But a busy mall the day before Thanksgiving wasn't the time or place to discuss his past, especially when he was with Fauna, his future. "Do you, still live here, in town?" He asked. "Yeah," Molly said, with a nod, seemingly suspicion. Sawyer nodded in response. "Good, we're here until Wednesday. If um, if you want to catch up sometime?" He suggested, heart racing, clutching round Fauna's waist as if his life depended on it. There were many ways it could go. She could say no, make up an excuse and that be that. She could say yes, and it'd be awful and open up old wounds that'd take longer to heal. Or...she could say yes, and it'd go surprisingly well. The risk of it all was in the asking, he supposed.

Fauna turned off the part of her brain that wanted to overanalyse every word that Molly was saying for now, hating how much she resented how sweet the other girl was being. “He’s knocking about town somewhere.” Fauna added as she shook the other girls hand. Glad that Sawyer was far too distracted to note the fake quality to the smile that she was giving. She was sure Molly wouldn’t know the difference, but Sawyer knew her too well usually for this shitty performance to pass. “I’m sure he’d be pure thrilled to see you.” The brunette confirmed continuing her barrage of friendliness. “Cheers. It’s a fun time of year for it to happen. Whilst the yanks are giving thanks.” Fauna rhymed, wondering why she had suddenly become Doctor Suess. He invites her, and Fauna can feel how tense he is. Her little hand smoothing across his back in comfort. She wanted him to know that she supported him, that she understood why he needed to have this conversation. “Please take him off my hands.” She encouraged gently. “I’ve got Christmas shopping to do, and all these limbs can occasionally get in the way.” She added, taking the cheap shot at her boyfriend to let Molly know that it was okay to say yes, and that she would be far out of the way if this little meet up were to happen.

Sawyer relaxed at the way Fauna was soothing him, knowing his laugh at her silly, yet adorable rhyme, and the teasing about his height sounded way too fake and tight to his own ears, trying to calm himself from the panic, to not let the troubled inside bleed through onto the put-together outside. Half of him wanted Molly to say no, the other half yes, and the few seconds between him asking, and her answering was driving him mad. Molly had laughed at Fauna's joke, "Tell me about it, I was always scared about him accidentally catching himself on a railing and knocking a display over. Or bumping his head on one of those ceiling beams." She agreed, and Sawyer found it nice they were bonding over...something. Even if it was his tallness. She turned back to Sawyer. "Yeah, I'd be up for...grabbing a coffee or something? Maybe Friday?" She suggested, before turning back to Fauna to ask, "That's okay, right? No special plans or anything?" He supposed she either asked Fauna for some special 'girl' thing, or maybe her own experiences with Sawyer knew that, no matter the designations, Sawyer was never the one to make the plan in the relationship, and even now, as a claimed Dominant, he knew Fauna would be the one making the bulk decisions on how they'd be spending their day or night.

Fauna was glad Molly laughed, she really did want the other girl to feel like she was okay with everything. Because objectively she was. She wanted them both to be able to get closure on what was clearly a very painful chapter of their lives, she just didn’t want them to get too much closure to a point that they missed one another or wanted to start over. “He’s a danger to himself and society when he gets going. It’s why him and his brother have to wear so many layers.. to kinda cling film their limbs.” It was a weak joke and she’d probably apologise for it later, but it was the best that she could come up with while she was so distracted. Molly looked to her and the nasty little Tinkerbell buried deep down inside smirked. As if to say ‘yes nothing happens with him without my say so’ but she pushed the fairy into the drawer and smiled the best and softest one that she should. “No special plans. You kids have fun, maybe I’ll let Finn persuade me into that Maize Maze he’s so convinced that I should visit.”

Sawyer felt himself blush at all the height jokes, ducking his face into his scarf so they didn’t have further ammunition regarding his reddened face. “Coffee sounds good,” He said, slightly delayed, nodding when Fauna gave the go-ahead that Friday was fine. Molly nodded, smiling politely still. “I mean, the Maize Maze is the only selling point of Lima, so you may as well go see our famous landmark. I mean it’s no Statue of Liberty or anything but it’s something.” Sawyer laughed at this, thinking back to all the times Finn had begged to go to that maze, with a reluctant Sawyer and Molly joining him, knowing his brother would be really grateful for Fauna to take him up on that offer. “Honestly I’m sure if he could, Finn would have moved into that maze a long time ago.” He commented, “Um so, Friday...at the Starbucks on the corner?” He suggested, wanting them to meet up in a neutral place that meant nothing to either of them, that also granted them some privacy. “Sure. Two-ish?” Molly asked, and a part of Sawyer wondered if she was hoping that time was too inconvenient for him, and a part of him wanted to lie and say it couldn’t work, but it was true that he had no plans that day. So he swallowed down the lie and grinned. “Two-ish works. It was...um, it was really good to see you.” He said hesitantly. Molly’s smile formed into something that, whilst genuine, was tighter. “Yeah, you too. And uh, it was really nice meeting you too, Fauna.” She said with a wider smile, and Sawyer wondered if he imagined the sad glint in her eyes for a millisecond.

“Well I guess I can perform some kind of study on the difference in Maize Maze foliage between Ireland and Ohio.” Fauna found herself saying without really knowing why. Finn had seemed very excited by the idea of them all going into the Maze together and would probably be disappointed that Sawyer had made plans without him. But Fauna was sure as long as Alexis went the other Hudson brother wouldn’t really care. The tension between the two other people standing there remained in the air, and Fauna reached over with her spare hand to subtly take his much larger one in hers and to gently squeeze it. To say, it’s okay I’m here, you’re doing so very well with all of this. Seeing Molly here must have been something akin to bumping into Charlotte and instead of running Sawyer was doing everything in his power to face this all head on and for that Fauna had to support him. Molly addressed her, and Fauna made sure she was smiling when she said. “Lovely to meet you too Molly. I hope you have a wonderful holiday.” She nodded, trying not to sound as distracted by Sawyers discomfort as she actually was.

Sawyer let out a small contorted laugh at Fauna’s randomness. He knew she had her moments, it was the Flanagan gene, but she rarely caught him by surprise like this. His heart was pounding in his chest, smoothed only by Fauna clasping his hand in hers and squeezing it. I’m here, she silently told him. He squeezed back; an I know, a thank you, and I’m here too. They finally shared their awkward goodbyes with Molly and she shuffled away, Sawyer purposefully walking past the store they were originally heading for to collapse on a bench, feeling nauseous, limbs heavy. “Jesus Christ,” He murmured, his large hands supporting his head. “That was the worst thing to have ever happened.”

She was simply glad that he’d squeezed back, there was a part of her that had worried he’d be too nervous to care about their little signal. She kept hold of him as she watched Molly go, silently hating the other girl for having made the day take this turn. She let him pull her along, heart aching as he collapsed into the bench, small hands finding his shoulders as he sat down, standing over him protectively. “Hey.. you did so well Sawyer. Honestly you were so brave, inviting her out like that. I couldn’t be more proud of you.” She promised, rubbing her thumbs over his shoulders. “You were so kind and open. It literally couldn’t have gone better. Even if it was bloody awful to get through.” Fauna promised him, feeling like she wanted to shield him from the world while he took a moment to recover.

He gave himself a moment to compose himself, to slow his heartbeat, and control his reddened face. Fauna's very presence there helped immensely, and he didn't know if he could have done it without her by his side. "Yeah?" He asked, looking up at her, feeling uncharacteristically small in this moment. "I'm just...I'm just glad it's over." Sawyer offered a small grin to his submissive, "Hopefully that litle detour down Memory Lane is the only one..." He trailed off as he noticed someone else make their way down through the mall, and Sawyer just watched with a blank stare, in disbelief that he had just jinxed himself. But there he was, Tommy de Luca, in the flesh. Sawyer silently prayed the other man wouldn't see him, but apparently the universe was ignoring his pleas today, as the high school bully of the Hudson-Hummel clan beelined towards Sawyer and Fauna.

Fauna just continued to smooth her thumbs over his shoulders as he composed himself, she would give him all the time in the world if he needed it. “Yeah, you were friendly and open and you left things open for her and that’s all anyone could hope for.” The brunette promised him, reaching to take one of his big hands. “It is over and you don’t have to think about it for a while. I think we need a winter warmer.. come on I’ll buy you the biggest gingerbread latte that Starbucks does-“ She started. “Oi Hudson. Didn’t know you were in town.” Tommy called coming all the way up to them. “Having a cry already? Sad that drunk old Dad won’t make it to Thanksgiving.” He taunted trying to look around Fauna. Who turned to him with a little scowl gracing her face. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you can get fucked. Stat.” The Irish girl demanded waving her hand as if to direct him to leave. “Aww it’s cute that you’ve got this little girl standing up for you Hudson. That’s a pretty short skirt she’s got on, I can practically see her ass hanging out.”

All of Fauna's soothing words of encouragement didn't register to Sawyer as Tommy came up to them, taunting them. It had been years since they had last seen each other, and honestly, Sawyer pitied the other man. He was so scared of his feelings and himself, and just had to take it out on others. A part of Sawyer, the nasty high school jock who stirred when Tommy's voice was heard, wanted to loudly point that out and embarass him, but he pushed it down. No matter how vile Tommy was, Sawyer was to show him some compassion. And he was willing to ignore him until he could feel his legs again and he and Fauna could carry on their day. Until he came for Fauna that was. Then it was all cards off the table. Sawyer stood tall, all 6"5 of him towering over Tommy, dropping Fauna's hand as he did, scowl etched on his face. "That little girl, Tommy, happens to be my claim, Fauna," Sawyer informed him, voice low and dangerous, "normally I'd list her accomplishments, like how she graduated high school early back in Belfast, or how she finished med school with top grades, or her list of amazing extracurriculars, including being a flyer on the cheer team of one of the best finishing schools in the country, and captaining science club." His scowl turned into a nasty smirk, a piece of vital information the couple had laughed about months earlier suddenly popping into his head, "But I don't need to, because she informed me last month you seemed to have liked a photo of hers from 275 weeks ago. So it seems like you pretty much know our deal. Now," He clenched his fist and his jaw, "Get out of my fucking face, de Luca, or the 'ass hanging out' of my submissive's skirt will be the last thing you ever fucking see."

Tommy seemed pleased when Sawyer stood, obviously having hoped to gain a rise out of him when he mentioned Fauna. Willing to do anything to capture the Dominants attention. Though there was a flicker of something akin to fear in his eye when Sawyer mentioned that he'd liked Faunas picture. "Well.. I'm a fan of her work. As I'm sure is every fucking guy in town, I've seen her little videos. Makes sense that the only girl you'd manage to get is a fucking slut- but then it's probably the Daddy issues that bonded you." Tommy sneered. Fauna put a little hand on Sawyers chest, she didn't care if he hit Tommy but she felt like he would care. Like he would feel like he'd let himself down or something. Tommys words stung because he was repeating one of her more significant fears. That all of Sawyers friends, and relatives would see her videos and wonder why he was ever with her. That they would all think he'd done rather badly for himself, their all American boy, and yet it was more sad to her that Tommy had taken the time to watch her video at all. Considering the fact that he was most likely a gay man. "Thanks for your views Tommy, bit sad though that you spend your time stalking me rather than- I don't know finding a submissive or a life of your own. I think it's time we all moved on from high school.. don't you? Or is your life really so fucking empty that Sawyer and I's relationship is the only thing you have to think about." She snapped.

Tommy bristled again, his face briefly twisting with an expression of something akin to shame as he looked past Fauna at Sawyer. Fauna almost felt bad for him because she could almost see the pining buried deep underneath all that bravado. She more than anyone understood what it was like to want Sawyer more than anything else. "You really are pathetic these days Hudson, letting your whore of a submissive fight your battles for you. Did you finally end up on drugs like your deadbeat Dad? Drinking to get yourself through the day. Reflex's too slow to take me on like in high school, or maybe you're scared that even she'll leave you if she see's what a fucking psychopath you are. That's why every other fucking girl you ever dated left you right, scared you'd fucking snap on them. Because you're a fagg-" While Tommy had been speaking Fauna had removed one of her mittens from her hand, and curled her fist in the exact way that Percy had once taught her after a few too many. Then she simply pulled back her arm and punched him as hard as she could possibly muster in the nose, her fist meeting his face with a satisfying crack. Tommy recoiled but Fauna advanced on him. "Don't you ever fucking speak to him like that again you vile little cunt. He's too fucking nice to ever ruin you but I'm bloody not. You ever so much as breathe in my Dominants direction ever again and I'll break your fucking arm and I'll make sure you never so much as take out a pizza in peace. You hear me?"

Each word hit Sawyer like a tonne of bricks, and he could feel the anger practically burning in his veins. His fists were clenched, and he stepped closer, fully aware he was going to give Tommy exactly wha the other wanted to get out of his taunting. However, Fauna was too quick for him. He looked in shock horror as her small fists made contact with Tommy's face, and he winced as he heard the definite cracking of the other man's nose. The threat Fauna made to him wasn't pretty either. Sawyer frantically looked around, noticing some people were beginning to stare, and he knew he had to do something before they got in trouble. Without thinking, he picked up Fauna and put her aside, before pushing Tommy against the wall in a blind mix of panic and rage. "If her hand is fucking broken from what you made her do, you're finished De Luca." He growled, before dropping his grip on him. He then swooped Fauna up and began to briskly walk away from the scene, muttering the word 'fuck' repeatedly under his breath until they were safely back in Sawyer's mom's car, luckily not followed by Tommy or any security personnel. "Fuck!" He then exclaimed once he could breathe again.

Fauna couldn't stop herself from smirking just for a minute when she saw how completely she had broken Tommys nose, the doctor inside of her told her he'd need it reset pretty pronto. Her smirk faded when she saw the panicked look on her Dominants face, and felt pretty terrible for scaring him. Surprised when he lifted her up and put her aside, an apology dying on her lips. She tried really hard not to be aroused by the way that Sawyer pushed Tommy up against the wall, and instead just sort of stood there until he pulled her off her feet again. She didn't say a word as he carried her out of there, flexing her hand a little. It wasn't broken, Percys advice had proved once again to be solid, it might need icing later though she'd hit Tommy as hard as she could muster. "I'm sorry Sir." She said in a small voice once they were in the car. "I know you didn't want to hit him, but I couldn't let him say all those things to you that weren't true. I know I was a bad girl."

Sawyer’s heartbeat was slowing from the adrenaline rush he received during those few moments interacting with Tommy. In response to Fauna’s apology, his heart panging at the softness in her tone, he leaned over and kissed her hard. “Thank you,” He murmured, “don’t be sorry. He deserved it. You were amazing.” Sawyer promised. “I just really didn’t want us to get arrested a few days after being claimed.”

The tiny brunette felt a sense of relief when he leaned over and kissed her, her hand coming up to touch his cheek. “Oh good.” She responded breathlessly. “I mean I don’t want to get arrested either, I’ll be honest I wasn’t really thinking about it. My brain was more focused on making more nobody ever spoke to you like that ever again. I don’t know how you managed it in high school. He’s a class A cunt.” She said without remorse.

He let out a short laugh as she explained her reasoning behind the actions. "Honestly, that's how I managed it in high school," He admitted, "I'm surprised his nose isn't permanently bandaged up." Sawyer let out a sigh as he thought about Tommy again. "God, you have to really feel sorry for a kid like that, so angry at himself he takes it out on others in that way." He glanced down, gently taking Fauna's hand. "It's not broken, is it? Because I will make good on my promise and go back and kill him for you."

Fauna laughed too. "I mean I hardly blame you, if anyone ever spoke to Ror like that I'd have made damn well sure they didn't have teeth by the time the bell rang." She shrugged. "It is sad.. and so weird that he's still stalking you hard enough that he knew that much about me. I mean I get it because I'm also like obsessed with you but still I wish he could just come to terms with himself." She said quietly, shaking her head as he took her hand. "No it's not broken, it'll bruise but that's a given considering how hard I hit him. Percy taught me how to throw a punch without breaking my hand when I was like nine, it was some of the only useful knowledge he's ever shared with me."

Sawyer nodded in agreement, imagining the visual. "Well, that was the case for me in school, especially with Finn. Tommy tortured the poor guy. It's just...I keep remembering the day he approached me, and how normal and friendly he was," He shrugged, "Sometimes I feel like hooking up with him was the wrong call. Like it just made him feel worse about himself, confirmed it for him all those feelings were slightly more complex than he hoped to be." Truthfully, Sawyer didn't know much about how Tommy was truly feeling, his therapist even said that she couldn't diagnose him from a second-hand account, but that's the conclusion they had 'hypothetically' reached. "Well, let's go get some ice on it. Maybe something with sugar in it. Your dad really taught you to punch like that?" He paused,thinking about Percy, and laughed. "You know what, yeah, I can see it."

Fauna reached with the hand that he wasn’t holding to push his hair off his face tenderly. “You couldn’t have known.. people start relationships out of things like that. Like people who get married... Hooking up with him could have ended with you guys even just being friendly.. but it didn’t and that’s his choice. You gave him a chance that he didn’t deserve by even getting a hot dog with him... one day probably when he’s like 48 and finally ready to accept himself. You’ll get some weird apology via Facebook messenger. Or maybe you won’t, but either way he’s the one that not only did you dirty here but also did himself dirty. Because hooking up with you is literally the third best thing in the world.” She pressed a kiss against his left cheek. “Getting to know you, that’s the second best.” Fauna pressed a second kiss against his right cheek. “And getting to love you is the greatest privilege in the world.” She told him with her impish smile. “Sugar! Yes please.” She agreed happily. “Perfect thing to teach your nine year old after you’ve had a pint or eight. How not to break your hand when punching someone.”

"I can't wait to read out the weird Facebook message when we're sat on our porch watching the sunset," He teased lightly, her words washing over him in a soothing manner. Fauna always knew the right thing to say, and Sawyer was ultimately grateful. He grinned as she listed the top three favourite things about him, feeling himself blush at the words. "That's funny, because loving you is the greatest privilege to me. Guess our lists are pretty similar." He murmured, before catching his lips against hers. "Okay, let's head to a grocery store. Who knows, maybe Cassidy will be lurking in the deli aisle, or Brad is hiding among the cereals." He joked with a weak smile, shaking his head at the idea of Fauna's dad. "Well it came in handy. We should send him a bottle of whiskey as a thank you." He deadpanned, not sure where this random bout of dry humour had come from, probably still in shock from the rollercoaster he had been on today.

She was glad that he seemed less tense, that she'd managed to soothe over some of the hurt of this particularly jarring little trip down memory lane. "As long as he doesn't hope you'll run into his arms in the sunset I'd enjoy that very much." The little brunette agreed, kissing him for a long lazy moment before smiling when he returned her compliment. "I think we have a lot of similar lists which is good, considering you agreed to be my prisoner for life once after I held you at knife point." Fauna laughed at the idea of Brad lingering in the cereals. "It's okay Sawyer the wild Brad is more scared of you than you are of him." She giggled, and then let out another stream of giggles when he joked about the bottle of whiskey. "Or just the half drunk one in our kitchen?"

Sawyer chuckled at the imagery. "If he ever ran down towards me, I'd honestly sock him, it's my knee jerk reaction." He admitted, feeling safe and secure that Fauna didn't care about his past, especially now he watched her throw a punch of his own. "Well, as you can tell, I held up my end of the bargain. I'll gladly be your prisoner until the end of time. Knife of no knife." He promised her, momentarily holding his fingers up in Scout's Honour. The words about Brad made him huff in amusement, mostly because they were true, but at least Brad's internalised homophobia was presented in him being overtly nice, too considerate about personal space and boundaries. It was still a shitty thing, to be hiding away like that, but at least Brad had some compassion. "God, that would drive your dad crazy, returning a half-drunk bottle of whiskey, maybe a note on how you do prefer 'that swill' after all," He joked in reference to Percy's dismissal approach to Fauna's usual drinks of choice. "Come on, Kitten," He then said, "let's blow this popsicle stand, before the cops hunt us down."

Fauna giggled at the image of Tommy trying to run into Sawyers arms, and Sawyer just panicking and smacking him one. "I mean I would also have that reaction to a lot of my past hook ups so maybe it's natural." The irish girl suggested lightly. "I let you collar me so I think I'm keeping my end of the deal too." She agreed, returning his scouts honour with her tongue stuck out for effect. "God, he's such a dick about alcohol until he's had a couple in him and then he's suddenly willing to do a shot of bathtub gin." She sighed, and then nodded. "Rodger that Sir, on the run we go. Bonnie and Clyde for life!"

#(( adventures with sawyer ))#(( ft molly ))#(( ft tommy ))

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