#lionesses can have manes in real life too

[jazzyquarterblugs]

Leilani : "He looks so angry..."

Lloyd : "..."

Leilani : "Why does He always look at US that way...?"

Lloyd : "......"

[mask-of-prime]

VG: Broken Birds

Previous

Next (Coming Soon)

____

The Outlands, Years Ago:

A very young cub Vitani ran into some young jackals that neighbored the Termite Mounds, and she'd confessed to her mother that she had felt a friendship coming on, but Zira snuffed that dream right out. Lions could not be friends with mindless food like little jackals.

"Oh, quit your sniffling. It's going to get you nowhere! Get up before I give you a real reason to cry! NOW!"

"Mother, please! I won't disappoint you again, Mother!" the toddler sobbed.

The young Vitani could feel her mother grabbing her wrist. The older lioness pulled the cub closer.

Suddenly, Zira seemed to change in appearance. She was now much bigger, sported a slick, red mane, and a scar across her right eye. It was now an unknown male lion.

"You're seriously going to let a bunch of crows get to you? Are you a helpless little lower animal like them?!" he screamed.

"Father, I'm sorry-y-y!" Vitani sobbed, except… this was not her voice, nor her body.

"A real lion doesn't sit here and cry! Get up, Zira! NOW!"

The bigger lion's paw came up, looking like it was about to swipe.

Vitani jolted awake, putting a paw over her racing heart. More nightmares of Mother, of course.

Mother…

The images of Zira's sentient waterfall form came back to her vividly. No one would believe her. She didn't even believe herself the more she thought of it.

And her head… it still hurt from… something. Her friends said it had been a fall, right?

This didn't happen. No, none of this happened. She just fell… Right?

SCRATCH, SCRATCH…

The Fiercest gasped and made a small noise. Before she went to investigate, however, she looked around to make sure no one heard her pathetic sound.

Luckily, no. But, only because Tiifu wasn't around. Odd. She'd be wrapped all over Vitani.

Perhaps the watery ghost did exist. Maybe it was a little like the case of Nuka's spirit. Maybe Scar's. Kion defeated Scar's spirit. Had he seen one made of water? How would he have dealt with it? She had to find him...

SCRAPE, SCRATCH…

Vitani leapt to her feet and prowled about around the corridors of the Ponya. Her ears pointed to the noise. At the main part of the Ponya, she saw a bipedal form smearing paint onto the wall with precision.

Vitani looked all around the wall. It was a portrait of her brother and her sister-in-law. She smiled a bit, but it quickly vanished, remembering how disastrous last night went. She digressed, and cleared her throat.

"Um... that's really pretty..."

The mandrill jumped a little. Her hand made a jagged mark of paint on the wall.

"Sorry." Vitani winced, "I know that must've taken hours."

"Oh, that's okay!" the mandrill charmed, "I could make these all day!"

"I really admire the light colors and soft shapes. They really come together to create a distinct style."

"Wow, I didn't know you were so artsy!"

Vitani shrugged, "I mean, everyone makes me plot out patrol maps on the ground in the morning. I think my Guard does that just to watch me draw."

"Oh, right! You're the new Pridelands' Fiercest! What was your name again?"

"Vitani." the lioness introduced, "It's Makini, right?"

"Mmhm!"

"You're, uh... the Mjuzi for Kion and his wife, now --" Vitani rattled her head, "Uh, Kion... Have you seen him? I need to talk to him. Saw some things I can't explain."

"Oh, the Night Pride already started heading back last night. I stayed back to catch up with the Pridelanders and paint —"

Vitani blinked, "What? Why?"

"Why what?"

"W-Why did they leave?!" Vitani began to pace.

"Can't leave the Tree of Life unguarded too long, I guess."

"B-But this is — Wha — I —" the Fiercest began seething, "Dammit!"

Furious, she smacked hard at something with her paw. It had been a husk full of vermillion paint.

Leaving her cloud of rage, she could see that she had gotten the paint all over her paw, and all over Makini's masterpiece.

"I... I am so sorry, I —" Vitani stammered, "I totally ruined your painting —"

"It's okay! I can make a new one any time. I'm always improving!" Makini reassured, "In fact, this gives me an idea..."

The mandrill began to wash the the rest of the painting from the rock with a soaked leaf.

"Here! Why don't you paint how you feel on this rock and maybe I can help you figure out what it means! It's called 'art therapy.'"

Vitani stared into her paint-covered paw. She didn't like the sound of just sitting here for therapy, but Kion was already gone. Kion may have had the advantage of defeating spirits with his Roar, but Makini must've known more about the past and spirits in general. That's what Mjuzis do, right?

Makini was the best option she had, it seemed. Especially with Rafiki opting to stay in his tree more often, lately.

Vitani got a good look at the rock in deep thought of how she would convey her anxieties. She considered Makini's suggestion, and began to make her first move.

Slowly, Vitani took her paw and brought it closer to her canvas. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Wait." she finally said, eyes open.

She tried and tried to remember the images she saw, but they kept changing and becoming unclear due to the deliberate effort to recall them.

"I… I can't remember, now." her teeth gritted, "It's fading too quickly!"

The Mjuzi frowned, "Aww, that's too bad. I forget my dreams a lot, too. I'm pretty forgetful in my waking life too, actually, and Rafiki says I need to work on that if I want to connect with the past. Which, you gotta see all the old paintings to know what paintings to make in the present so everyone in the future will know what to paint in their present -- We were talking about something else, right? What —"

"My dreams, Makini. The whole reason I was painting?"

"Oh yeah! And how you can't recollect the pa — OOOOHH! I got it!" Makini suddenly chimed, "I got just the thing!"

"You do?" Vitani's eyes widened with a slight roll, her jeering tone going unnoticed by the mandrill.

Makini removed the two gourds from her Bakora Staff, opening the lids of each, and — for once — carefully — poured something onto each palm.

"Rafiki told me that these two gourds on my staff represent the past and the future, and I think I know why, now! So, this staff I have right now wasn't originally my staff, it actually belonged to the old Mjuzi at the Tree of Life..."

Vitani nodded rigorously, anxious beyond belief.

"I found these powders left in the gourds! I asked Rafiki what they were, and he said one is called Zamani, and the other is Baadaye. One lets you see visions of your past, and the other lets you see your future! Rafiki told me he used the Baadaye powder on Scar to show him his future. But, we all know Scar didn't listen to his warning."

Vitani looked at Makini's hand. In each palm were powders of a vivid blue and orange. Mystery of its appearance and origin almost gave it a slight radiance.

"Please tell me you know which one is which…" Vitani knew Makini at this point. It would be in-character for this to be the next thing to somehow tragically and comically mess up.

"Actually I do! I remembered their colors! Colors are the one thing I know I can remember good. You need the blue one!" she then inhaled shakily, "Buuuut…"

"Noo…" Vitani whined to herself, shutting her eyes.

"I kinda… sorta… forgot how the powders are applied." Makini shrugged sheepishly.

"Great…" the Fiercest groaned, stepping away as Makini kept the blue powder in her ahand and placed the orange powder back.

"Don't know if you eat it, or — No, certainly doesn't look like you should." the mandrill thought deeper, "Or was it —"

Suddenly, the wind coming from outside swept the blue powder from Makini's hand. Vitani was unfortunately in the splash zone. The powder had blown into her eyes.

Makini bit her lip anxiously, "Or that could work."

"OW! Agghh! Makini, what the —"

"Sorry!" the mandrill winced, "Are you okay?"

The Fiercest frantically began rubbing her eyes with a paw, preparing for the stinging and burning. Oddly, there was none. Instead, however, she felt a numbness. Testing to see if it really was such, she blinked a couple of times. She felt comfortable to fully open them.

She began to see little blooms of blue specks in her view. They were like eye floaters, but they glowed, and morphed into mandala-like patterns until it filled her field of vision.

She saw her surroundings change from a dark cavern to her old termite mound home. Everything was starting to look like where she was in her dream, with a blue tint on everyone and everything.

"Makini, i-it's working!" Vitani gawked, astonished.

Suddenly, where the mandrill would be standing, was instead Zira., who towered over Vitani and was berating her, just like in her dream.

"Oh, quit your sniffling. It's going to get you nowhere! Get up before I give you a real reason to cry! NOW!"

"Mother, please! I won't disappoint you again, Mother!" the toddler sobbed.

Zira's form once again morphed into another lion. It became bulkier with a red mane, and with a scar over his left eye. His voice was raspy and scheming.

"You're seriously going to let a bunch of crows get to you? Are you a helpless little lower animal like them?!"

"I'm sorry-y-y!" the cub sobbed heavily, almost unable to breathe.

"A real lion doesn't sit here and cry! Get up, Zira! NOW!" the red-maned lion yelled.

Zira curled into a ball. She was sobbing, but she felt frustration build up too. It wasn't fair, the way she was being yelled at. But she still failed him. She shouldn't have tried to befriend those crows, as lonely as she was when she would stay over at the Outlands. She mustn't be so desperate to trust just about any animal.

The lion quickly changed his tone as to not completely terrify his little daughter. Screaming wasn't helping, he used a disarming charm that worked on her before.

"You want to be a mighty lion like me, don't you? You want to make the Pride back home proud of you to be one of them, right? I want to be one of them again. Help me, Zira, help the family come back together, and you can see your mother again. Don't you want that?"

Little Zira sniffled, "Yes."

"Yes. There's my mighty lion. Always be stronger than everyone thinks you are. Lions Over All! Lions Over All!" he chanted.

"Wait..." Vitani said aloud, "This is —"

Vitani was seeing way beyond what she recalled in the dream. She realized now that the Zamani hadn't taken her to the recent past, but the distant past.

The vision continued on, and pretty soon, she found herself in a deep, red dystopia. It was the Pridelands, but from an era she'd never known. A time where all animals took on a much more primitive appearance.

She seemed to be chasing a group of a type of animal she hadn't seen in the Pridelands before. Others of her own kind were doing the same thing, even going so far as to needlessly massacring the animals for sport, or as a punishment for existing.

Watching all this activity with a cold and callous gaze was a leonine silhouette standing atop a towering kopje. He sported a familiar mark above his right eye.

"Lions Over All!" he bellowed for all of the ancient land to hear, as if he wanted the lions in the sky to hear him.

"Lions Over All!" the fleet of pillager lions echoed. The message deeply engrained into their minds and hearts.

The visions and voices of these lions of the past had swarmed Vitani. The flashbacks all becoming one and playing back-to-back.

Just then, a gray lioness with eyes and a tuft like Vitani's appeared before her. She spoke with a kind, gentle, and timid voice.

"What's wrong, my little Moonlight?"

The mysterious lioness' appearance fizzled, and there remained Vitani's reflection on a shiny rock. Back to reality.

She yelped and hyperventilated from the bizarre visions. So taken aback by the frightening sights that she felt like she couldn't swallow nor catch her breath. She lied on the ground against the rock, staring upward.

"Vitani!" cried Makini as she bounded over to the lioness, "Vitani! Are you okay?!"

"I... I think I would like some privacy to paint, please." was all the Fiercest could muster, absolutely dazed.

____

Up in the main den lied Kiara. Her eyes filled with tears as she anticipated the future. So many changes were coming their way, and she didn't know how to tell anyone.

"Kiara, honey? May we come in?" asked Nala, who peeked into the entrance.

"It's open." Kiara said flatly.

Nala could still sense Kiara's tension from the humiliation yesterday. It was probably time to talk about it, knowing Kiara's honesty about her feelings.

"Baby, I thought you were finally ready for your coronation. Your dad and I told you we trusted you with the crown."

"I know, Mom, but... everything's changing so much. I don't know what everyone will think about... Just... what if I forget about who I am?"

Kiara was too afraid to say heavier things that were truly on her mind. No, her family wasn't ready.

"Kiara, I know change can be daunting, but sometimes it makes you who you are." Nala rubbed a brow against Kiara's.

"Your mother's right." Sarabi added as she entered the den, "In life, you will always learn about yourself, and become a refined lion. Your father most certainly did, and so did your grandfather."

Sarabi's eyes became glossy at the last part. Her husband would always be a part of her.

Sarafina followed Sarabi, as she always did in life. She had fetched a tortoise shell of fresh, cold water for her granddaughter.

"There ya go, Sweetie." she said, "To calm your nerves, a little."

"Thank you, Nanna." Kiara said sweetly, but still glum.

"Kiara, we trust that you can become a beloved and capable Queen. We've seen your cooperation with herd leaders." Nala said, "And Jasiri. You changed the Outlands forever by welcoming her to the Summit."

"See? Even you've made big changes. You're famous for it! And we can't forget you and that boy Kovu making us all one big, happy family!" Sarafina chimed.

Kiara's heart jumped for a second until she remembered what her Nanna meant. Right. That.

"You're a risktaker, but an openminded and levelheaded one." Sarabi observed.

Kiara smiled nervously, but tears still welled up.

They all saw this, and exchanged concerned looks before they all rubbed foreheads against her in unison.

"Thank you..." Kiara closed her eyes as she embraced them, "But what about Kion...? I totally wasted his time. I made him come all this way just so I could flake on him."

"Kion and Rani would come back in a heartbeat for you." Nala said, "I know Kion doesn't show it a whole lot, but he really wants to see you become Queen."

Kiara again tried to crack a smile, but she was just so touched by her mother's words.

"I need time to figure this out." the Future Queen finally said.

"Alright, we'll give you some space." assured Nala, "Just remember: You will always be yourself, even when you're Queen. The Queens of the Past will guide you, and so will we."

Nala turned away to the exit. The elders looked on at Kiara with love and still with concern before following suit.

Kiara continued sulking long after they left, but she eventually gave into her Nanna's kind gesture of water. Slowly, she dipped her nose into the shell, and lapped up the cool water.

However, as soon as the water reached her stomach, Kiara felt... strange. It's almost like she had lost consciousness, but her body was still up.

Pretty soon, she was trapped in her own body, which began to lick its chops as the water dripped from its chin. Her eyes took on a vivid azure glow as she cracked a grin to herself.

"I feel... much better, now." she said with a sinister tone, one she'd never used before.

____

Finishing her very own masterpiece after several hours of hunched-over work on few hours of sleep, Vitani finally managed to convince herself to sit up and refresh. The lioness had headed over to Lake Shangaza to clean the paint stains from her paws.

As she rinsed her paws, she caught her reflection in the water. She saw her exhausted eyes, and — under her tuft — what appeared to be her gash from last night all patched up.

She wasn't sure if it was the sleep deprivation, or if she'd still been under the effects of the Zamani powder, but when she stared into her reflection in the water long enough, she could swear she saw her mother's ghastly face appear for a moment.

Her body jerked back from the jumpscare. She glanced back to find nothing there. She was confused, and genuinely terrified, even though it may have been an illusion.

Though, this reminded her; perhaps she could contact a ghost she knew was on her side...

She lit a torch and said her summoning phrase:

"Roho ya Moto!"

A puff of fire exploded from the flame of the torch until it resembled her brother.

"What?! What's goin' on?! Where's the danger?!" Nuka whipped around, his paws chopping the air defensively.

"No danger, here." Vitani deadpanned.

"Lookie here, Vitani," he scowled, "You can't just summon me every time you break a claw!"

"Nuka..."

"You know how much energy it takes to —"

"Nuka." she snapped, "I summoned you for a reason. I have a genuine question that only you can answer."

"Fire away." he said bluntly. He'd realized his unintentional pun, and snickered to himself a bit.

"Have you... have you ever seen Mother up there, or... wherever it is you go? What does she look like?"

"Um... not recently?"

Vitani's eyes became curious, "Really? What do you mean recently? What does she look li —"

A raindrop landed on Vitani's nose. She looked up to see dark clouds she hadn't even noticed rolling over the lake.

SIZZLE

"OW!!" Nuka cried.

Vitani looked over to Nuka, and caught a worrying sight: Where there was fire around his being, there was now black, crusty spots that steamed.

"Nuka, what's happening?!"

"Ow, it's the rain! I can't be touched by rain, or I'll turn to smoke!" he cried, trying to blow fire onto himself where there wasn't.

"Well, we gotta get you out of here!" she cried, panicking.

"Ugh, come on, say the phrase!" he grunted as he waved his paws frantically.

"Okay, okay! Errr — Roho ya Moto!" Vitani said rapidly.

POOF!

The flame shrank into the stick shortly before it could be snuffed another, more permanent way.

"Well, that was brief." she muttered, not knowing at all how to feel today.

She couldn't see that in the distance stood a lioness. One who watched her entire interaction with Nuka.

The lioness turned away, back to the direction of Pride Rock.

____

Not too long later, the rain had mysteriously stopped.

Imara and Kasi muttered to each other about the events last night, expressing concern for Kiara along with the odd weather. They spotted Vitani wandering close to Pride Rock. She seemed pensive, but also dazed. After seeing her stumble a bit, they rushed their stroll.

"Hey, 'Tani." greeted Kasi, characteristically arriving first.

"We're about to head to our patrol routes." added Imara, "We split into groups, today."

"Taz and Shabs already headed out." Kasi said, "You wanna go with them, or us? Please pick us..."

Imara nudged Kasi. The smaller lioness got a better look at her tired friend.

"Hey, you good?" asked the Fastest.

"Um, yeah..." Vitani slowly shook her head, "Headache."

"Right. You probably don't wanna be out here, huh?" Imara said, "You fell pretty bad."

Vitani's memories of her interaction with her mother suddenly flashed back into her mind, along with the frustration with Nuka, and her visions she painted. This day was chaotic, and she just couldn't think of it anymore.

"Uhh, you know what?" she smirked, "I'll go. Joining Team Kasi and Imara."

The two in question exchanged looks. They eventually shrugged, and let their friend take the lead.

____

"Right this way, Rafiki! I can't wait to show you Vitani's work!" Makini beamed with delight as she took the elder's hand and guided him to the Ponya.

"Yes, yes, Makini, I'm coming." said the old monkey. It was difficult to catch up to his protege, now that he was without his staff, and for a long time, now.

"Welp, here it is! Could you believe a lion made all of this? With her paws?!"

"Hmm..."

Rafiki put a hand on his chin and looked all around the walls of the Ponya, noting many changes outside of just Vitani's work. There were detailed paintings all around made by Makini. He smiled a wrinkled and weary smile to himself, feeling proud and confident in his successor, and hoped she could frequent the Pridelands more.

"Vitani's been feeling a little stressed, lately. So I told her to paint her feelings."

“Hmm, yes. Art therapy is a good form of expression. Excellent idea, Makini.”

Rafiki’s eyes continued to follow every painting on the wall. He could see that not every painting had been finished. They were… very different from a Mjuzi’s paintings, to say the least. Not only from the shapes made from non-opposable, blunt paws, but the paintings were dark in palette and in subject matter.

Murky, grayish browns and deep reds were the main colors used in these nebulous shapes scattered on the wall. Circling everything was what seemed to be black birds swarming every picture. Attempts to draw her own kind were made with as precise shapes as one could make with their paws.

The lions caught Rafiki's eye. Some resembled Zira what with the recognizable stripe on her head, but others seemed familiar as well considering the motifs that surrounded them.

"Makini, take your staff and touch the paintings."

"Oh, o-okay."

With a tap to the wall, the finished paintings glowed a hellish red. The cub Vitani cowered below Zira, and Zira cowered below a similar-looking lion with a scar. The birds circled around them all in a terrifying storm. Rafiki's jaw dropped.

"R-Rafiki?" Makini stammered, a bit horrified at what she saw, "What is it?"

He slowly put his hand down from the wall, and finally spoke.

"That lion... I have seen him before..."

Makini dropped her staff, "Really?"

"Yes. When I made a recent journey to the Outlands to find paintings I had never seen." he said, "How did Vitani see these lions?"

"Vitani had trouble remembering her dream while painting, so I had just the thing — I gave her the Zamani powder I found in my staff! Pretty smart, right?"

"Makini!" the elder mandrill snapped, "You have to be careful with these powders. You cannot just use it all up on something like dreams. This powder is very difficult to find, and can have side effects if used too much!"

"Really?!" Makini gasped, "Ohh, I didn't think of that! I'll put it away, Rafiki! I'll put it way away!"

"Good. Now, come! I must show you something!"

"Rafiki, wait!" Makini cried, still putting the powders in a safe spot — a nook behind some vines.

However, in an attempt to grab her staff while she hurried after him, she didn't see that she'd knocked a gourd from the hiding spot. A mess of orange powder lay scattered about the ground...

____

((Author's Notes: Yeah remember when I said this would be out July 12th on that one schedule post I made? The one where I basically irreversibly printed those dates that I had to abide by? Well, I was once again a couple of days late because a bunch of ideas and revisions came up. This has to be, like, the most despised production of a chapter/episode so far because this is a very transitional (and kinda filler) installment right after getting to such a high point with the last one. I kept switching a bunch of concepts and dialogue exchange scenes around to make sense of the chronology and why and when such things would happen. I've been so concerned lately with how much everything makes sense rather than just having something jotted down like how uploading this story used to be.

On a positive note, however, Makini was super fun and therapeutic to write. It was so fun to channel informalities like run-on sentences and rambling through her because she's so ADHD-coded lol.

Artist Note: This entire episode is highkey a meta commentary on my struggles to come up with things to draw, even down to overworking an image in my head so much that I actually lose the image altogether, making me give up before the stylus touches the tablet. The struggles with composition and making sense of this story were what played into such a debilitating 9-month hiatus. That, finishing community college, and taking forever to rid myself of a perfectionist art student mindset while making art over the summer is what finally got my head out of my ass, realizing that this story doesn't need to be so overly professional. I get that I wanted to emulate a nonexistent, hypothetical PG-13 show to succeed The Lion Guard, but I'm not a studio, I'm one person jotting down ideas and putting them in a screenshot art style. That's how Vitani's Guard even started, and it's okay if it goes up and down in how refined it is.

Also, I'm thinking of adding that little border with watermarks of the VG logo and episode/chapter number on VG art so we can keep track of when in the story an illustration takes place. What's confusing is that I refer to things as "Seasons" too, like this is "Season 3", for example.

Fun Facts:

The Zamani and Baadaye powder are based on the unnamed orange powder Rafiki used on Scar during the future hallucination sequence in the Disney Villains: Scar comic. DV:S is… not my favorite TLK installment because of how disconnected it feels, kinda feels like someone didn't watch TLK for years and only wrote something based on what they can remember of it. But! There were some aspects I liked, such as the aforementioned eye powder trip scene, these selfish and greedy vultures whose motives are actually established rather than just "hunched bald bird evil haha" that Disney always does. Also, just the general idea of Rafiki and Scar having a dialogue exchange. You never see that anywhere in any other TLK works, I don't think. I love how Rafiki sees something in Scar that no one else can yet, and how much Scar is like the Anakin to Rafiki's Obi-Wan/Yoda. The concept does get ruined by Rafiki seemingly knowing way too much about Scar's intentions, though, it kinda just makes Rafiki look like he just let Scar's tyranny happen :p. Think I'll write a full review on DV:S sometime.

Vitani and Makini's dynamic are an analogy of me taking the word of much younger, passionate artists who simply love what they make and have fun.

"Broken Bird", according to TV Tropes, is a term used to describe once idealistic individuals who had their dreams crushed through tragedy or abuse. The individual's demeanor and personality permanently change and they find it hard to love or get attached in any way again. Vitani and Zira's ideologies and emotional maturity were commonly deeply affected by the actions of their predecessors. Also it just so happened to go with the crow theme.))

Nuka trying to restore his fire by blowing it is based on the visual gag of Lumiere doing the same thing to his candlesticks.

[ihopesocomic]

What is the difference between a lion and a lioness in this comic? In real life, whether you like it or not, animals have no concept of "gender" (and no sexuality either) They just follow their instinct, and reproduce. Lionesses who have manes and act like males do this because of hormonal and sexual issues. Not because they are trans lol. So if the lionesses in your comic can be trans, can assume the same positions, and sex doesn't matter at all, there's no reason to call them lionesses :/

Okay, now hear me out, and this is important, neither of us gives a flying fuck about realism. I thought that would be obvious with the lions having philosophy and the lack of infanticide and the mere existence of Diamond, one of the lions is fucking blue for crying out loud, but apparently you're too busy having weird emotional reactions to the concept of trans animals. You absolute weirdo. - Cat -

Yeah, can everybody just stop using anthropomorphic animals to represent your gender/sexuality because it hurts the transphobic wannabe zoologist's feel feels? lmao And yes, I'm just gonna flat out call you transphobic, anon, because it's interesting how you're not concerned about our characters having an established medieval society, knowledge of minerals/plants, philosophies and the power of fucking speech but trans identities are apparently what made your itty bitty bigot brain short circuit? Don't even bother replying, because we're just going to block your ass. - RJ

[jdgo51]

Run Toward the Roar

Today's inspiration comes from:

Roar Like a Lion

by Levi Lusko

Editor's note: One of the great privileges of parenting, grandparenting, and being an auntie or uncle is sharing your faith with little ones. A great way to do that is to read devotions together and pull out the Bible! Devotionals for kids are some of our most popular! Enjoy this one and share with your favorite kids.

"'I am the Lord your God, who holds your right hand, and I tell you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I will help you.’" — Isaiah 41:13 NCV

"'When you hear the word lion, you might think of a big, fuzzy mane or super-sharp claws. Then, of course, there’s that whole “king of the jungle” thing. But chances are, the first thing you’ll think of is its roar.

A lion’s roar is big and loud and really scary. Especially if you happen to be a cute little gazelle trotting across the African plains. Just hearing that sound will send a gazelle running as far away from the roar as possible. Which is the worst thing it could do!

Why? Because that roaring lion isn’t where the most danger is. The real hunters are the lionesses, hiding in the tall grass behind the gazelle. You see, the lion’s job is to creep out in front of the gazelle and ROOAARR! — making it turn around and run right into the middle of all those lionesses. Gulp!

As crazy as it sounds, the safest thing for the gazelle is to run toward the roar.

That’s true for you too. When you run from the things that scare you — like trying something new, standing up for what’s right, or telling someone about God — you actually move closer to the danger. That’s because you’re moving closer to what the devil wants you to do and farther away from what God wants you to do.

Facing your fears is the best thing to do. And guess what! You’re not some cute little gazelle surrounded by lions and lionesses. You’re a child of God, and you’re always surrounded by Him. He’ll help you face your fears. Trust Him. Be brave. And run toward the roar!

GET READY TO ROAR!

"Is something roaring in your life right now? Something you’re afraid to do? Maybe it’s trying out for the team, singing a solo, or inviting a friend to church. Or maybe it’s standing up to that older kid and telling him to leave the little kids on the bus alone. What’s the first step you could take to run toward the roar? Talk to God about it, and then run.

Dear God, when fear is roaring at me, please give me the courage to run toward the roar. Amen. Facing your fears is the best thing to do.

CRAZY FEAR

I asked the Lord for help, and He answered me. He saved me from all that I feared. — Psalm 34:4 ICB

Some fears are perfectly logical. For example, if you take a step outside and see a giant, growling grizzly bear charging down the street and headed straight for you, it makes sense to be afraid. You might wonder how this huge, hairy beast happened to be on your street, but being afraid of it would be perfectly reasonable.

Other fears aren’t so logical. Like me and spiders. I hate those guys. In my head, I know I’m like a zillion times bigger than they are. I could squish one with my little toe — covered in a massive steel-toed boot, of course. But when I see a spider, all I can think about are those eight creepy little legs crawling up my arm. I know my fear is crazy, but if I see a spider, I’m outta here. And don’t get me started on snakes!

Maybe you have a crazy fear too. Maybe it’s a fear of numbers — which, by the way, is called arithmophobia. Or maybe it’s just the number eight — octophobia. Maybe you’re afraid of heights or speaking in front of people. Just because your fear seems crazy doesn’t mean you aren’t afraid.

But don’t let fear keep you from experiencing everything God has planned for you. Sure, there may be spiders in that cabin, but I’m not missing that camping trip. Don’t you miss out either — on riding the tallest roller-coaster ride, telling people about Jesus, or even visiting the octopus exhibit at the zoo. Give your fears — crazy or not — to God, and He’ll help you be brave.

DID YOU KNOW?

Some people aren’t just reasonably scared of bears; they are terrified of all kinds of bears. This fear is called arkoudaphobia.

I have no idea how to pronounce it, but I do know it means a fear of all kinds of bears — whether they’re angry grizzly bears, wandering black bears, or cute and cuddly panda bears. It even describes people who are afraid of teddy bears!

Lord, I don't want my fears — real or crazy — to keep me from all You have planned for me. I will trust You to help me be brave. Amen."'

Excerpted with permission from Roar Like a Lion by Levi Lusko, copyright Levi Lusko.

[ancientstone]

Alright so AU where Geralt doesn’t realise he’s been given a decoy Ciri

Perhaps Geralt goes to fetch Roach, maybe someone stops him to mention the ballads they’ve heard or some guard decides to question why he’s there, either way, he doesn’t notice the hidden passage in the palace, and therefore, not half an hour later, leaves Cintra not with Ciri sat scared under a cloak on his horse, but this girl:

In my head I’ve taken to calling her Alice, so that’s her name now.

Full name: Alice Cavannah of Cintra

Calanthe needs a child who can pass as Pavetta’s daughter, and it just so happens that currently staying in the palace for the banquet set to take place that night is a nobleman and his family - in particular, a nobleman who is on the wrong side of Calanthe’s temper, has been trying to redeem himself for years and gain a better position in court, and has a daughter roughly Ciri’s age.

For her parents, the decision wasn’t hard, mainly because her Father, who she is almost completely distant to, declared that she would go. In comparison, Alice is far closer to her Mother, but that doesn’t stop anything as her Mother goes along with whatever her husband says, merely absently nodding her consent as if being asked if she would like fish for dinner.

Alice also has an older brother, one who would be knighted not a few hours later (the knighting scene in episode one), and sending off their daughter in place of Ciri and having a son knighted in Cintra firmly puts their family name in Calanthe’s good books, much to their delight.

It also helps that Alice had a similar schooling to Ciri, and knows of the local nobles, lords, and ladies. If they tried to play off a peasant girl, their ploy would be blown within minutes.

“You’ll be back soon, I’m sure.” Calanthe promises breezily as she digs through Ciri’s wardrobe to find a dress for her to wear, to give her a more princess-like appearance. “Once all this nonsense with Nilfgaard has blown over, the Witcher will bring you right back.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Alice whispered, squeezing her hands together tightly to try and save off crying.

She’s told to quickly says her goodbyes, and then gets a cloak dumped over her head to avoid prying eyes who could call out the fraud. The Witcher, who she is told is named Geralt of Rivia, the Butcher of Blaviken, helps her onto a horse, and slowly they leave the city, Alice glancing back to see if her parents are watching. They’re not.

Her brother is, though. He waves at her from a window. She hesitantly waves back.

So, they head out, a tense silence between them. Alice is scared stiff, mainly because she’s never heard much about Witchers, being in Cintra most of her life. She knows Calanthe hates them, and doesn’t entrust this Witcher to look after her granddaughter, so tries to be as quiet as possible, less she angers the man with two very sharp-looking swords. 

Alice is also terrified that Geralt is going to figure out that she isn’t Ciri, and, not being a princess, will be killed for it. Her parents are unlikely to avenge her death (gods, her death might even be good for them - sacrificing their only daughter in the name of the Queen is sure to get them higher titles), so it wouldn’t matter if he did.

She spends the time nibbling her lip, a habit her Mother is always scolding her for, and praying to any God willing to listen to the thoughts in her head that she sees this out alive.

Geralt, meanwhile, is having a Panic™

What do you say to a princess? How does Ciri expect to be treated? Will she mind camping, or will he have to get inn rooms every night? Does he have enough coin for that? They gave him a bag of her belongings, does she have a bedroll, blankets, more suitable clothes for travel, better shoes? Is it rude to ask? 

The only other princesses he’s ever met either stabbed him in the gut or tried to eat his organs. Ciri probably won’t do that. He hopes. Then again, if she’s Calanthe’s blood, maybe he’ll be dead by morning.

Should he take her to Kaer Morhen? Or will the Nilfgaardian threat blow over before they get there? Is it better for them to head to the Blue Mountains or should they just hide out in the forests somewhere and wait and see?

Whatever he decides, the one thing he does know for sure is that this girl is completely petrified.

“It will be okay, Princess.” Geralt says roughly, as awkward as anything. “No harm is going to come to you.”

Her eyes are huge as she stammers, “T-Thank you, Witcher.”

“Call me Geralt.”

She flinches, squeaking, “Thank you, Geralt.”

Fuck, Geralt thinks.

They don’t come to any inns as dusk begins to fall, so Geralt tries to find the cleanest spot he can among the trees for them to make camp. He helps her down, and she shies away from his offered hand as if expecting to be hit before eventually taking it, and then sets about making camp.

Turns out, the palace didn’t think to give her anything practical, surprising for the granddaughter of the Lioness. The bag is mostly dresses, shoes only suitable for palace floors, and a hairbrush and a few toiletries.

He goes to swear, and then reminds himself not in front of the Princess.

“We might have to get you some new clothes.” He says, and she jumps at the sound. “We want to hide from Nilfgaard and anyone else who may try and find you. That will be easier if you dress plainly.”

What Geralt expects, he doesn’t know, a bit of a tantrum, perhaps? Something about how a lady of her status can’t go around in cheap fabrics like a commoner? Tears?

He doesn’t expect the girl to bite her lip, nod, and then hunch her shoulders around herself, trying to look as small as possible, swamped in her cloak and eyes to the floor.

The night is spent almost entirely silent. He goes out and hunts, gutting and skinning the hares away from camp so he doesn’t spook her, and then cooks a pretty bland stew that the Princess seems to force down out of politeness than a real hunger. He then gives her his bedroll, something she’s hesitant to do until he reassures her that he can go without sleeping, and meditates most of the night, listening for threats and the sound of her breathing. 

She cries at one point, trying to stifle her sniffles in her hands.

Over the next two days they move fast and far, not talking to anyone and putting as much distance between Cintra and them as possible. Slowly, as if she realises that Geralt is not going to eat her alive, the Princess begins to relax. That doesn’t exactly make her chatty by any means, or any less stiff and jumpy, but in their brief, stilted conversations, she seems less worried that he will bite her face off. A small improvement, but an improvement nonetheless.

Surprisingly, it’s Roach that brings them together.

Ciri takes to the mare straight away, and voluntary begins brushing her down each night, muttering soft things that she thinks Geralt can’t hear into the horse’s ears.

“She doesn’t tolerate most people.” He says as he builds a fire, pausing to observe them.

The Princess ducks her head. “O-Oh.”

“It means she likes you.”

“Oh!” For a split second, her face brightens, and she spins on her heel to gently pet Roach’s nose. “I like her too. What’s her name?”

“Roach.”

The Princess turns towards him, her face not quite disgruntled, but showing more emotion than she has so far. “Like the fish?”

“Hm.” Geralt nods.

“Why did you name your horse after a fish?”

“My brother named his horse Scorpion.”

“Is it...A Witcher thing?”

“Not reall-” Geralt stops, thinking about it. “Actually, I suppose it is.”

The Princess turns before he can see her expression, but he thinks she may be giggling. A lump forms in his throat, and he swallows it down.

Meanwhile, with Alice, she can’t decide if this is fun (she gets to explore the countryside, see other places, have a horse, camp, get dirty) or most frightening thing she’s ever done (she’s pretending to be the Princess of Cintra, if she messes up, the Lioness with solely blame her, not to mention punish her family. There’s so much on her shoulders that at random moments all she wants to do is weep)

Geralt doesn’t seem as frightening as he first appeared, and he’s actually been really nice, not asking complicated questions she doesn’t know the answer to (does he already know about Cirilla’s life? Her favourite foods? Her favourite song? She doesn’t, and dreads saying something that could contradict what he already knows) and keeping his distance.

He also named his horse after a fish.

On the morning of the second day, they camp outside a town, Geralt wanting to wait until most of the main morning traffic has passed before entering. To pass the time, she carefully twists braids into Roach’s mane (who preens under the attention), watching out the corner of her eye as Geralt goes over sword practice.

In a brief moment of boldness, Alice asks, “Is it...Hard, to use a sword like that?”

Geralt pauses, glancing towards her. “In a way, like most skills it becomes easier over time.”

“My-” Alice nearly outs herself by saying brother, quickly redirecting, “Grandmother uses a lot of swords.”

“Yes. Did she ever teach you?”

Oh Gods!

“My...My Mother didn’t let me. Said it’d make me brutish.” The news of Pavetta’s death was widespread, when it happened. She can recall her parents talking about it for years afterwards. “When she died, my Grandmother kept her wish.”

Geralt’s expression does several different things, and the longer the bout of silence draws on the closer Alice finds herself huddling against Roach, as if asking the horse to hold her up.

Stupid! She chastises mentally. That’s the Lioness! Of course she taught Ciri! And you just insulted her daughter! Wait until the Queen finds out about that!

Finally, Geralt grunts, something he seems to do regularly, before easing his stance, relaxing his shoulders. “Would you...Like to learn?”

Alice blinks.”M-Me?”

“Being able to defend yourself is one of the most important skills you can have, and I’m sure your Mother would prefer you alive and wielding a blade than dead and weaponless.”

The Lioness is going to be fuming by the time she gets back.

Still, somehow, Alice finds herself nodding , and Geralt hums, putting down his sword and pulling out a smaller dagger. “Come here.”

She does, and he places the dagger into her hand, adjusting her grip and inching her fingers into the correct positions. It’s heavy, surprisingly so, and Geralt carefully puts his hand around her wrist.

“Ideally we’d do this with one made of wood, but I only have this, so we won’t do much just to be safe, but I can show you how to hold a blade, and how to use it in a pinch.”

“Okay.”

“It’s not a toy.” He says sternly, meeting her eyes. “Don’t swing it wildly, don’t touch the edge, and when in doubt, drop it and step back, understand?”

“I do.”

He hums again, pleased, and then carefully starts the lesson.

Alice, surprisingly, finds herself enjoying it. She can see what her brother saw in it when he was younger and still in training. There’s something about learning the different stances, the hand positions, the control, that feels good, right, almost like the beginnings of a new hobby.

Her favourite hobby is still needlework, though. Alice adores a night by the fireplace carefully stitching away.

They keep on going until lunch, which is when they stop to eat (a little to her disappointment), and then head into town, Geralt dropping a handful of coins into her palm and pointing out a shop.

“Go buy yourself a few set of clothes, ones good enough for a winter outside. Don’t go with fashions, go with practicality. I’ll be outside.”

“Okay, I understand.”

The fabrics on offer are cheap, bland, and all variations of dim green or brown, however, with a little help from the shopkeeper, Alice is able to find some items which work. She switches into one of her new purchases, pulling on a new pair of boots, before heading back outside.

She keeps the dress she’d been wearing, though. It belongs to a Princess, and the Queen may be angry if she loses it. Alice gently tucks it into her bag.

“Good.” Geralt nods his approval and Alice finds herself smiling shyly, before they turn to leave.

It is as they walk away, following the road northwards, that they catch wind of a conversation by another set of travelers passing by, on their way south.

For a split second, Alice freezes, before whipping around so fast that her head spins dizzy. Her eyes follow them, and her vision mists with fear-struck tears as her jaw drops low in horror.

Beside her, Geralt goes as still as a statue, his skin pale.

Cinta has fallen.

......

Anyway, this is getting super long so I may have to come up with a part two, but I’ll leave this here for now

Oh, and I’m totally naming this the Double Trouble AU

[forlornmelody]

Ionize

Rating: E (Smut with some plot, for flavor.)

Fandom(s): DC Comics, Supergirl (tv)

Ship: Supergirl/Livewire 

Linkage: Ao3

Summary:   Kara Zor-El, under the influence of Red-Kryptonite, makes some surprising discoveries about herself, and her nemesis.

Note: Commission for @rookie009. Dude, thank you so much for commissioning me again, and again. My bank account and I are very grateful. 

----

“Whatever you’re up to, Girl Scout, I’m not interested.” Livewire takes one look at Supergirl and turns so her back faces her. One glance, and she thinks she knows everything there is to know about her. Just like everyone else. Because Kara Fucking Danvers is so predictable. She'd show her. 

“You sure about that, Leslie?”

Right on cue, Leslie whips her silvery mane, her eyes sparking with hate. “It’s Livewire, Blondie.” Who’s predictable now?

“Leslie, Leslie, Leslie.” The last one slides off Kara’s tongue like acid. “Getting bored in there, Leslie?”

Livewire’s fist slams into the glass, and it crackles with electricity. “Say that one more time.”

“And you’ll what, exactly?”

Her nemesis shakes with rage. “One day I’ll make you pay.”

Kara laughs darkly. “If you can get out of there, you mean?”

“Don’t you have a cat to rescue from a tree?” Livewire knocks her head back against the glass, and her eyes roll back like a snot-nosed teenager.

“Oh? That Cat? I threw her from a building.”

“Real funny.” 

Kara leans her arm against the glass, letting her breath fog against it. 

“You’re serious.” Livewire sits up and looks at her. Really looks at her. “Holy shitballs.”

“Supergirl?” One of “Hank’s” lackeys stops inside the doorway. 

Waving him off, Kara says, “Don’t worry about it. I got it covered.” God, how she hates the sound of her own voice. 

“Sure thing, Supergirl.”

Leslie’s still shaking her head, her mouth hanging open. “I must be dreaming.”

If she’s honest with herself, Kara’s heart is hammering against her ribcage. She traces her finger around the release button. “Are your dreams always this boring?”

Livewire rolls her eyes. “Ha. Ha. We both know they haven’t given you an access card.”

“You mean this access card?” Kara dangles it in front of Leslie’s face. If her eyes were wide before, now they’re ready to pop out of her skull. Before her mouth can even twist into a how? Kara fills in, “I punched out one of the guards.”

“You did not.”

Kara slides the card and pushes the button and the glass releases with a hiss. “Are you gonna keep arguing with me, or are you going to come with me?”

Livewire’s eyes narrow, and she drapes one arm over her legs. “Where’re we going, Girl Scout?”

Kara shrugs, turning her back and heading for the door. “It won’t be long before they realize you’re missing. Maybe the table in the interrogation room or the couch in the break room?”

Instead of walking, Leslie reverts to static, and she materializes in Kara’s path, inches from her face. “And we’re doing what in there, exactly?”

She could banter some more, but Kara’s bored and impatient. Stepping closer, she comes nose to nose with her, and the air crackles with charge. Funny, how she’s angrier than she’s ever been in her life but she’s still fucking terrified. But Kara isn’t going to let that fear decide anything for her ever again. “I know you want me.”

Leslie snorts. “Want you dead? Yeah. For a while now. What about it?”

Kara grins, circling her like a lioness and her prey. “All the jokes? Butch? Sapphic? You want up my skirt and you hate it.”

The air snaps and Leslie’s gaze pierces her like a laser. “Fuck you.”

Nodding slowly as if to a child, Kara replies, “Yeeeeah. So? Couch or table?

“I hate you.”

“Then why aren’t you running?”

Leslie’s mouth slams shut, and she rattles with rage. But it’s not a punch that slams into Kara’s face. It’s a kiss. 

Tasting Livewire’s mouth is like licking a socket. Kara’s lips tingle, and even more so her tongue. Her fingers twist into Leslie’s hair, the static making her fingertips twitch. “Damn, Girlscout. Didn’t think you had it in you.” She runs her hand down Kara’s front, the fabric of her uniform clinging to her fingertips and her palm. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Kara senses, knows, how dangerous this is, but she’s past caring. And honestly? Kara’s tired of being careful. Being safe. Fuck safety. Supergirl is the fucking Girl of Steel. She can handle it, can’t she? And that doubt lingering in her mind? Well, that’s what makes it fun. 

Kara doesn’t reply. Instead, she leaves Leslie’s mouth, kissing a trail down her neck, her lips buzzing at the contact. Leslie’s hands grip her shoulders, then the back of her neck and her head. Her fingernails graze Kara’s skin in a way she notices, but they don’t break the skin. Few things can. Maybe next time they can lace her fingers with kryptonite. If there’s a next time. Does she want a next time? 

“Y’know, mm. I pegged you for a virgin.”

Snorting, Kara runs her teeth across Leslie’s skin. “Yeah right.” Kara always has to be so careful with humans. But Leslie’s not merely human, is she? How much can she take? “You’d tell me if this hurt, right?”

Leslie pulls back, raising her nose in disgust. “You can’t hurt me.”

Kara gives her a look, then bites her neck. 

“Oh.” It’s harder than she’s done with her human partners, but still with barely any force applied. Licking her skin, Kara bites harder just a bit to the side of what will soon be a delightful little mark. The thought of leaving little marks all over her makes her thighs twitch. “Ah.” Mm. So not made of steel, but still pretty damn strong. Kara lets herself relax a little. 

Only to have Leslie drive her hand up her skirt. “How do you get this thing on and off, anyway?”

“Mm. A lot, ah. Of determinaaaaaa. Fuck.” Leslie’s probing between her legs, tracing her folds through her underwear and her goddamn tights, the static from her fingers making her jump. 

“Well, I’m determined to get them off, kay?” Leslie gets down on her knees, jerking one boot off and tossing it across the room. She looks up, scrutinizing Kara as if she’s an unanswered question, and then she takes her by the heel. Kara leans against the pedestal, quirking her head, only to watch as a tiny spark leaves Livewire’s fingertip and jumps across the bottom of her foot. 

The gasp leaves Kara’s mouth before she can stop it. Every nerve in her leg is on fire, in the best way possible, from her heel to her groin.

“You like that, Supergirl? Is that what you came here for?” Livewire chuckles. “You wouldn’t be the first.”

Wait. Leslie’s fucking the guards? “Who??” Livewire doesn’t answer, except to send another spark across her skin. Her other boot comes off, tossed to the opposite corner of the first. 

“Mm.” Leslie ducks under her skirt, peeling her tights off with her teeth. When they get past her knees, Leslie snags them with her nails, and tears them off. 

“Hey!”

Chuckling, Leslie replies. “Fair’s fair.” She tilts her neck to the side, showing off the twin hickies she left there earlier. 

The hammer of Kara’s heart has turned into a sharp thud, and she reminds herself to breathe. Sure, she’s had guys down there before. But this? Why does she feel so...naked with Livewire at her feet? 

Leslie licks up the inside of Kara’s thigh, hands splayed wide and grins just before the spark leaves her fingers. Kara’s skin twitches and jolts oh so very close to her clit. “Nng. God.” Her knees crumble, and Leslie holds her up. 

“God isn’t here, Girl Scout. Good thing, too.” Livewire whispers in her ear and her hair stands on end. “You wouldn’t want Her to see this.” Another spark hits her labia, all the better because of wetness pooling between her legs. Kara can’t even form words at how nice it feels. Being ravished by her is such sweet torture. Her nemesis bites and growls and nips at her ears and neck. Never has Kara felt so alive, and yet so close to dying from being so close but not yet. 

“Leslie…”

“Livewire,” she snaps, and does jolt between her thighs, bordering on pain. 

“Livewire,” Kara agrees. “Please.”

“Oh, so the good little girl wants it?”

“Nnn. Not so good anymore.”

“We’ll see about that.” One finger slips into her easily, and then another. “How much more can you take, huh?” And another, this one stretching her enough to make her gulp. “Do you want more?” Livewire twists and turns her, and fuck her, Kara’s humping her fingers, so close so close. 

“Fuck you.” 

“Getting there.” In goes Leslie’s pinky, and the stretch burns so good. Kara has no words, just her own drool dripping from her mouth. “Got room for one more?”

“Ah. Uh. Mm.” Kara shakes her head, then nods, and nods vigorously. “So... close.”

“Say it.”

“Fuck!”

“Close enough.” Livewire cackles, pulling her fingers out, pressing them together, and slipping them back in. “Fuck, you’re wet.” She pumps Kara with her fist, and Kara feels weak in her knees. If she holds onto Livewire, she’ll break her shoulder bones, so she grips the pedestal that holds Livewire’s cell. The concrete crumbles in her fingers as she screams in bliss. 

Kara catches her reflection, and sees her hair standing on end. Her lips swollen and bruised, still parted as they pant. Her cheeks flushed and glimmering with sweat in a way they never do, because Kara Zor El never has to exert herself on Earth. Her mascara and eye shadow smudged and streaked in such a way that won’t come off without a shower. Who is this girl in the glass, and what has she done with sweet little Kara Danvers? 

Two days ago, Kara would have laughed if someone asked if she liked girls. Oh please. Just look at me. What about this bubblegum pop girl next door makes you think I wanna get railed by a girl?? If Kara is honest with herself, which she fucking will be from now on--she’s wasted far too much time pleasing anyone but herself. 

Which is why when Leslie goes down on her, Kara doesn’t return the favor. It starts innocently enough at first. Oh, she’s just paying attention to what Leslie does so she can try the same on her later. Oh, she’ll just come one more time and then. 

Well. Kara’s been used by the DEO, by National City, by CATCO, even Cat Grant herself. Shouldn’t she get the chance to be the user? To use someone else for a change? She’s fucking earned it, hasn’t she? 

And God, Leslie is good with her tongue. She ravishes her, licks her clean, then goes down on her again, but this time with a charge. Kara can see the sparks jumping like static in the dryer, and she jumps with it, every time. 

“C’mon, Supes. At least let me catch my breath and drink some--.” Her hair flips and a water bottle appears in her hand-- “Water.”

“Hurry up. I’m almost coming again.”

“Yeah, again. Isn’t it my turn already?”

Kara’s lips twist, and she rubs her thighs together a bit needily. “Maybe I want to see you beg for it.”

Leslie smirks “Now that’s the Supergirl I know and l--” Her eyes widen, and she snaps her mouth shut. “--Loathe.” She says a little too quickly. 

“Uh huh. Forgetting something?” Kara spreads her legs, scooching to the edge of the pedestal, shivering at the hungry look in Leslie’s eyes. She’ll have to think on that revelation. Later. When she’s not having the night of her life. 

“Fine. But I get to come next time.” Kara nods, closing her eyes. Her legs squirm, nearing the edge of overstimulation, but she can’t stop--won’t stop now. “Ah. Ah.” She bites her lips, feeling the warmth of the sun without the light of it, the blissful nothing of space between stars. “Fuck,” she says, drawing blood from her own lip. 

“My turn.” Leslie stands, wobbling from having sat too long. She holds out a hand for Kara to take, and she takes it, only to hear the clatter of boots down the hall. 

“Time to go..” Kara whisks on her uniform,

“Seriously? What the actual fu--” The two of them stand in the sun of the Mojave, and Leslie has to shield her eyes.  

Kara shoots her a shit-eating grin. “Catch ya later, Livewire.” Maybe next time Kara will let her finish. Maybe she’ll let her do a lot of things.

[vexvamp]

'Cause every night I lie in bed The brightest colors fill my head A million dreams are keeping me awake I think of what the world could be A vision of the one I see A million dreams is all it's gonna take A million dreams for the world we're gonna make

-----

This art was made to go with my Lion Guard fan theory, which you can read below. Kion was drawn by me, but the background is made up of screenshots from the show.

The following is my fan theory/AU/headcanon, which I came up with to fit the Lion Guard show into the universe of the films. Extra info can be found in the description here . ----- Kiara and Kion were born to King Simba and Queen Nala, shortly after the death of their elder brother, Kopa, and the subsequent exile of Zira and her Outlanders. Though born from the same litter, the two of them couldn't have been more different. While feisty Kiara grew strong and healthy, little Kion struggled just to stay alive. He was weak, grew slowly, and was quick to fall ill. Kion was suffering from something the Pride Lander's called the Fading Sickness, which we know instead as an immunodeficiency disorder. No amount of Rafiki's healing mixtures could cure it, and Simba and Nala prayed to the Great Kings that their son would not go to join his grandfather among the stars. Kion's illness persisted from infancy to cubhood. He was smaller than his sister, underdeveloped, and spent most his time confined to Pride Rock. While Kiara began to explore the Pride Lands, Kion was rarely allowed outside for fear that he would catch sickness or overexert himself. Tensions grew between him and his sister, as Kiara secretly wished that she had a sibling who she could actually play with, while Kion resented the fact that she had all the freedoms he didn't. This would eventually culminate in Kiara wondering into the Outlands and meeting Kovu, and this was enough to shock Simba into action. He asked Nala's brother, Mheetu and his mate to move closer to Pride Rock with their two daughters, so that Kiara would have other cubs her age to play with. Kiara found her cousins, Tiifu and Zuri, a bit hard to relate to, but it was still a better alternative to playing by herself. Kion, on the other hand, usually found himself alone. His parents tried their best to spend time with him, but fear of causing him stress combined with the previous loss of Kopa meant that they often treated him as though he was made of glass. This would create a rift in their relationship and make Kion feel as though he couldn't really connect with them. The isolation, and the fact that he was often too tired to even walk the length of the cave, were wearing away at Kion's mind. The young cub was slowly slipping into a deep depression. It was Rafiki, the healer who was often called to help Kion when he fell ill, that began to tell Kion stories. Legends of the Pride Lands, stories of Kion's ancient ancestors, and tales of all the creatures he never got to see in the outside world. Among those stories were those of the Lion Guard, the band of lions which patrolled the Pride Lands and helped protect the Circle of Life. It was hoped that Kion himself might one day lead them, but his illness was making this seem less and less likely. Still, it gave Kion cause to dream. He fantasized about it as he stared at the paintings Rafiki drew for him on the walls of the cave, and through these fantasies he found an escape. He made friends from the characters on the walls, and envisioned himself as their leader. The birthmark on his shoulder became the Mark of the Guard, and his weak, fragile body was forgotten as he fantasized about his imagined power, the Roar of the Elders. The Roar was part of the legend of the first Guard and their leader, who was said to have a roar so powerful that it was as if all the lions of days past roared with him. Kion turned this legend into something fantastical and grand, imagining himself possessing a power so great it wouldn't matter that he was smaller and weaker than other cubs. These daydreams occupied him, his imaginary friends filling the blank spaces in his life, and he spent his days lost in fantasy as the powerful lion he could never be in the real world. Kion's health had its ups and downs over the years, but as he approached adolescence, he suddenly contracted an illness that he couldn't seem to recover from. His body raged with fever, and the young lion slipped into a near comatose state, lost somewhere between sleep and waking, with the illness pulling him ever closer towards oblivion. In this state his fantasies grew violent, with visions of fiery demons in volcanoes and a scar which corrupted his soul. As Kion's condition worsened, it was decided that he would be taken to Rafiki's tree, closer to the store of healing herbs and away from other lions that might transmit further infection. In his brief moments of consciousness, Kion pulled bits of the real world into his tumultuous fever dreams. Rafiki's tree became the Tree of Life, and paintings on the walls became part of his adventure to reach it. Through Rafiki's treatments, Kion would eventually be saved, but he was still confined to the tree when Kiara first reunited with Kovu, and during the final battle with Zira. He wasn't there to see his sister's wedding, but Kiara and Kovu came to visit him afterwards. Kion tried to be gracious, but couldn't help but feel envious of the happy life his sister was living. He was small, sick, and weak. With only a scrap of mane, he looked much younger than he really was. What lioness would have him? So once again he retreated into his fantasies, crafting a love interest for himself and imagining a happy ending to his story. Kion would return to Pride Rock shortly afterwards, unsure of where his place was in this new, blended pride. Worst of all was what came next, when Kovu's sister, Vitani approached Simba and Nala about the Lion Guard. The current Guard had no formal leader, and was made up of lions who were growing older and getting ready to retire. It was a Guard only in name, without the deep-seated traditions of those led by the relatives of the royal family. As the sister of the new Prince Consort, Vitani put forward that she could lead a new Lion Guard. After the death of her mother, she had found herself feeling a bit hopeless and lost, and thought perhaps this could be her new purpose in life. After all, Kion was far too sickly and weak to have any hope of forming his own Guard, so why not her? Simba said he would think about it, and Nala said that they should talk it over with their son. The king and queen saw sense in what Vitani was saying, thinking it might be a chance to really cement the Outlander's loyalty, but Kion was horrified by the suggestion. Although he knew his health made it unlikely, Kion had always dreamed of leading the Guard someday, and now Vitani wanted to take that away from him. Simba pled for him to see sense, and Nala assured him that he would always have a place in the pride, as a prince and as their son. After some persuading, Kion reluctantly agreed to think it over. In his fantasies he imagined Vitani's 'Guard' trying to challenge him and the imaginary partners he had fought alongside for so long. He drew further back into his dreams, fantasizing about a reality where he was loved and wanted and had a place as the ruler and protector of his own world. In the real world, Vitani seethed with frustration, knowing full well that Kion had no chance of leading the Guard, and angry at having her progress hindered by him. Why did he have to take this away from her? Her mother was gone. Nuka was gone. Her pride was scattered. This was all she had. It was only when Kiara came to her and explained all that Kion had gone through, admitting to her own undesirable feelings of resentment towards her brother, that Vitani began to think differently. Kion had spent his entire life locked away in that cave, with his fantasies about the Lion Guard as his only means of escape. Without the hope that he might one day recover and truly lead the Guard, what was left? What purpose did he have? Perhaps he and Vitani had more in common than she had first thought. Vitani went to Kion and confessed how lost she had felt since her mother died, how everything she thought she knew had crumbled, and she was just trying to find a place for herself in this new world. She said that she knew she couldn't replace Kion as the rightful leader of the Guard, but she would feel honored if he could help her become a leader the Guard could be proud of. Kion was struck by this. So often he had been coddled and treated as though he was too fragile to upset, with his family often reluctant to truly acknowledge his condition and what it meant for him. Something about Vitani's honesty struck a cord with him. He was forced to come to terms with the painful truth, but in so doing he found a sense of clarity. In his heart he knew what he needed to do. Kion agreed to help Vitani put together the new Lion Guard, with her as their leader. But even as leader Vitani came to Kion for advice and for guidance, and through this Kion finally found a sense of purpose. As time passed, Kion began to grow stronger. His maturing immune system gave him greater resistance to sickness and more energy to actually leave the cave which had been his prison for so long. Although he would still have occasional bouts of sickness, he was far more resilient than he had been in cubhood, and could use preventative measures to keep his health in check. He even found he now had the strength to accompany the Guard on the occasional mission, though he was primarily restricted to observation and instruction rather than any sort of physically demanding work. He would never be entirely rid of his condition, but he found a place in his family, in the Pride Lands, and in the Lion Guard. 

[yourdeepestfathoms]

We’re Just Human (part three)

I don’t know if any of you remember, but I had this old fic called We’re Just Human, which was about the queens learning to live together! Well, I finally brought it back!

——————

Where The Lion Sleeps Tonight

The sky was the color of the ocean- dark, wild, and swallowing everything in its wake. The only thing that could possibly rival its impenetrable wall of thick black-blue was the occasional cracks of blazing lightning that split the roiling clouds like a hot knife. The storm would cut in half at the flash of its searing glory, then sew itself back together like a monstrous, watery wound. The wind was so fierce that it seemed to be sent by some being (in which Aragon would helpfully say it was “God” or “angels playing bowling”), to punish London for some unruly sin. Water rushed down the streets like baby rivers, threatening to drag anything and anyone in its way down the asphalt with it. Raindrops battered windows and walls and doors, knocking so viciously like an unwanted guest.

An unwanted guest. That’s what this damn storm was. And Parr was at her wit’s end with this elemental stranger.

Her computer crashed for the third time and she finally slammed the lid close, letting out a miserable groan that was soon challenged by a deep rumble of thunder. She cringed, curling her shoulders in, and then sighed.

“Fuck this storm,” She growled.

“Language.” Jane said from the kitchen.

“Sorry,” The blue queen muttered.

Jane chuckles lovingly. “It’s alright, dear.” She peered over at the closed laptop. “Everything okay?”

“If keeps crashing.” Parr said miserably. “I just wanna write my book...”

Jane laughed again and then turned back to the pot she was stirring.

It’s been two months since she and the other five queens started living together, and it was honestly some of the best months of her entire life. Waking up each morning always greeted her with new mayhem from one of the other tenants and more things she can learn about them. Plus, her starving maternal side was sated by the young Katherine Howard, who she has taken under her wing. Seeing that girl smile always brightened her mood and made her heart flutter.

“It’s really coming down out there.”

Jane looked over her shoulder to see Aragon standing at the back door, sipping a steaming cup of tea. The golden queen swiveled her head around to face her, eyebrows raised.

“It’s what you would call ‘Noah’s Arc’.” Jane said knowingly. Except her ‘knowledgeable’ comment got a weird look and then a laugh from Aragon.

“Noah’s Arc was not the storm,” Aragon said. “But I appreciate the attempt to make a reference.” She pats Jane’s shoulder. “The news channel said it’s going to be like this all week.”

“You’re kidding!”

Cleves’ head pops up from the couch in the living room.

“We’re going to be stuck in here for a whole week?!” She flops back over. “I’m going to lose my mind!”

Jane and Aragon both laugh, however the little moment they were having is interrupted by a terrible crash of thunder that seems to rip the entire city in half. The sound rings in their ears, even causing Parr to snap her hands up to cover her own, and the sonic boom that follows rocks the house from side to side.

As the rumble fades and the lights overhead flicker, there’s suddenly a body in Jane’s arms- it’s Katherine, who must have gotten spooked by the sound. The girl was shaking slightly and clinging tightly to Jane’s shirt, so Jane quickly begins to stroke her hair soothingly. However, before she can say something to calm her, there’s a heavy thud from upstairs.

From Aragon’s room.

At first, Jane thinks it’s Anne, but then she sees the green queen’s head looking around from the other end of the couch. She swallowed thickly, feeling a slight simmer of fear boil inside of her. She turns the stove down.

“Maybe something fell?” Cleves suggested.

“That sounded too loud to be a book or something.” Parr said.

Aragon creeps over to the knife holder and pulls out the largest kitchen knife they had. Cleves and Anne quickly do the same, followed by Jane and Cathy. Katherine ended up wielding her phone with 999 at the ready. Then, as quietly as possible, the six of them snuck up the stairs and to Aragon’s bedroom. Inside, they definitely heard shuffling and a muttering voice.

Someone was in there.

Aragon looked at the others and put a finger to her lips. With her free hand, she grasped the doorknob, slowly pushed open the door, and peeked in at the lioness of a woman in her bedroom.

She was young. Twenty-three, maybe. Her curly hair was the most noticeable thing about her- it was auburn in color and very frizzy, framing her face in a way that made it look like a mane. Snarled locks kept flying this way and that as she looked around frantically, clearly very frightened. She didn’t seem to know where she was...

The clatter of a knife on the floor caught her attention and she whipped around. When she saw six women staring in at her through a slight crack in the door, she screamed.

And then they screamed.

The woman is immediately running to the window and trying to get it open. She’s yelling in Spanish, but none of them can understand her.

None except Aragon, that is.

But Aragon is frozen in shock.

“Maria?” She called out.

The woman froze. She craned her head around slowly. Her dark brown eyes widen when she saw the queen standing there.

“Catalina?” She whispered. Her accent is a smooth mix of Spanish and British.

There are tears filling Aragon’s eyes and she sniffled, nodding.

“It’s me. Maria, it’s Catalina.”

“Catalina...” The woman, Maria, muttered again. She’s starting to tremble even more. Her eyes glisten, too. “Catalina!”

Suddenly, Aragon is being lunged at. She wraps her arms around the leaping woman and twirls her around before she loses her balance and they both crumble to the ground in a sobbing heap.

“Catalina, Catalina...!” Maria’s words break off into watery, blubbering Spanish. Aragon shushes her and gently strokes her unruly hair.

“Shh, shh...” The queen murmured. “I’m here. I’m real, Maria. I’m with you.”

Maria sobbed out loud and buried her face against Aragon’s collarbone.

They end up lying there on the floor for half an hour, but they eventually do end up getting back up. Even then, Maria is still clinging to Aragon and a little too shell shocked to speak, so it’’s Aragon who has to explain that Maria had been her most loyal lady in waiting and best friend.

“Rude.” Anne had huffed in a good natured way. “I wasn’t your most loyal Lady?”

Aragon glares playfully at her. At her side, Maria manages a slight laugh.

“Hey, Anne.”

“Hey, Maria.” Anne grinned toothily. “Your hair has not changed.”

Maria laughed again, this time louder. It turns into a slight cough, however, and she clears her throat.

“Let’s get you some water.” Aragon said.

Maria looked around everywhere as they all walked back downstairs. She seemed in awe at the house, but also a little confused.

“This...isn’t the castle?” She managed to say. Her tongue felt like lead in her mouth. Aragon chuckles at the way she kept sticking it out and biting it.

“Everything feels a little weird when we first come back,” She told her former Lady. “But yes, this isn’t the castle. This is our house.” She gestures to the other queens.

“House?” Maria tilted her head. She finds that one-word sentences were much easier to manage. “How-” She grits her teeth at the way her tongue refused to cooperate. Aragon gives her a glass of water and she drinks some of it before trying again. “How long have you guys, umm, been here?”

“Two months?” Cleves spoke up. She looks at Jane for confirmation and got a nod in response.

“But we’ve all been alive for three months, I believe.” Jane said.

“Ah,” Maria nodded. She still didn’t seem to get it. “And I’m sorry, but who are all of you again? I mean I know Anne...and Cathy. Vaguely. My brain feels like it’s made of cotton.”

Aragon pats her shoulder before guiding her to sit down on the couch. She chuckled at the way her friend seemed to be amazed by how soft and comfortable it was.

“We’re Henry’s wives.” Aragon told her.

Maria’s eyes widened. “He married six times?”

“Yup,” Anne laughed. “I heard he almost married your daughter.”

Maria’s eyes went even wider. “What?”

“I’m Jane Seymour.” Jane quickly said, cutting off that topic. “The third wife. I had Henry’s son, Edward.”

“I’m Anna of Cleves.” Anna said. “Wife four.”

“And I’m Katherine Howard.” Katherine, who had been mainly silent this entire time, said. “Number five.”

“Number six.” Parr raised her hand. “Catherine Parr.”

Maria nodded slowly. She looks the other five over before training her eyes on Katherine.

“You.” She said. “You’re just a kid. But I’m not surprised Henry would wed one after...” She fell silent and clenched her fists. Anger and anguish flash in her dark eyes before fading away into plain longing. Aragon squeezes her shoulder. “Okay. So you’re all alive again. Do you know why?”

They all shook their heads.

“We’ve just been saying it’s ‘God’s will’.” Anne said. “Because it sounds funny.”

“I see.” Maria said. She still doesn’t seem to really understand, but, then again, none of them really did. “And what time period is this?”

“The 21st-century.” Parr answered. “From what I’ve learned, we’re all reincarnated with knowledge of the modern world. Which is very helpful.”

“Yeah...” Maria rubbed her hands anxiously against her thighs and looks around again. She seemed a little on edge, but none of them could blame her. Reincarnation was jarring. “Okay... I think I got it.”

“Do you?” Aragon looked at her.

“No. Not at all.”

————

Despite several explanations about reincarnation, Maria still seem to understand at all, so eventually the attempt to explain was dropped. She didn’t really mind and just went to getting used to everything.

By Wednesday, two days after she appeared, Maria was mainly in the loop with everything around the house (even if the toaster still freaks her out every time toast pops up out of it). That’s when Aragon made the proposition to take her out. The rain had momentarily stopped falling and she wanted her dear friend to get a chance to stretch her legs.

“Maria, would you like to accompany me down to the city?”

Maria looks up from the book she’s reading (she had found in it Parr’s bookshelf). Her eyebrows furrow a little.

“The city?” She echoes, blinking slowly in the dull light coming through the surrounding windows.

“Yes,” Aragon nodded. “I think that we’ve been holed up in this stuffy house for long enough. I want you to stretch your legs. Plus, wouldn’t you like to see what’s become of London?”

Maria nods.

“Sure. Let’s do it.”

And so, the two of them set off to an amazing little bakery that Aragon knew about with an umbrella (which Maria had no idea how to work properly), boots, and jackets (Maria was borrowing some of Aragon’s).

During the walk, Maria’s eyes were lit up as she gazed all around at the towering city encircling her. It was so big and new and amazing! And yet, she had a sinking feeling of dread pooling in her stomach.

She’s…not sure what’s wrong. Feeling… ‘hypervigilant,’ (was that a thing?) maybe was the word she was looking for? Paranoid? But that was ridiculous, what reason did she have to be so jumpy? There was one thing she did know, though: There was a lot of people around…

Maria swallowed, forcing her breath out as her eyes flickered around at the people who were as daring as they were to venture into the storm’s grace period. She wasn’t sure what it was that was putting her on edge—it had been a long time since she had felt like this, she couldn’t place it—and that fact alone made her even more nervous.

Get it together. She thought to herself, fists clenching and unclenching as she and her queen go deeper into the city and, subsequently, become surrounded by more people going about their day. There’s nothing wrong. Catalina’s here. Catalina won’t let anything happen to you…

Suddenly, Aragon abruptly stops. It’s only because of Maria’s eternal awareness of her that she barely manages to avoid running into her, blinking at her in confusion as she looks at a building to her side with a frown.

Glancing to her right, Maria notices that it had shelves of baked goods such as cakes and bread behind the glass front, which leads her to believe this was the bakery that Aragon had been looking for.

“Hmm, well that is a problem…”

Maria’s heart rate increases—problem? What problem? What was wrong—until she speaks again, still looking at the bakery. “Quite a load of people in there. I didn’t expect it to be a busy time…” She looks at her companion. “Are you alright to go in?”

Maria nodded, but Aragon could read the discomfort all over her face.

“It’s okay,” Aragon said. “I’ll just only go in. Best not to subject you to that type of torment, at least not yet.“ She chuckles, smiling fondly at Maria in a way that makes her feel slightly better. “I’ll just pop in and see how long it’ll take. Will you be fine on your own for a minute, love?”

“Sounds good.” Maria said.

Smiling pleasantly, though a crease in her brow remains, Aragon bows her head before going into the small shop, a sharp ding from a bell above the door announcing her presence.

Maria presses herself against the side of the building, feeling moderately more steady as she huddles against the foundation. She watches the people that pass by, her eyes flickering rapidly from one to another, though she can’t figure out why. She wasn’t really even seeing them, catching the outline of clothes and colors, but their faces seemed to blur before her eyes and make them completely out of focus. A condition that seems to worsen with every passing second.

Sweat drips from her brow and her breathing becomes shallow, as if something has her heart in a vice grip and just continues to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze… She’s probably about to pass out, or at least fall over, when lightning suddenly cracks in the distance and a deafening roar of thunder rattles the entire city.

Maria leaps up and scampered inside the bakery like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs. She beelines for Aragon immediately and latches onto her arm, not caring how childish it may have looked. The comforting feeling of her queen patting her head calms her slightly.

“I’ve got you,” Aragon murmured softly. “It’s okay. It can’t hurt you.”

“I know.” Maria grits. “It just- it scared me. That’s all.”

Aragon nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulders protectively.

“Why don’t you stay inside with me until we get the order? Then we can go home.”

Home.

“That sounds nice.”

—

The panic quelled completely once the duo arrived back at the queen’s house. Maria finally let go of Aragon to put their purchases in the kitchen while Aragon went to the bathroom. She was conversing with Jane about her thoughts on the city when Aragon walked back over, an accusing look in her eyes.

“Anne, when did you break the mirror?”

Anne blinked innocently from where she was grabbing a drink.

“What?”

“There’s a crack in the mirror.”

“There is?”

Aragon was about to snap at Anne for trying to act like she didn’t know, but she’s become pretty good at knowing when someone was lying to her and she realizes that Anne really was innocent at that moment. She furrowed her eyebrows and scratched the top of her head.

“Did anyone go in there?”

“I did, but I swear I didn’t break the mirror.” Cleves said. She wasn’t lying, either...

Aragon, with Maria scuttling by her side, ends up showing Jane and Parr the broken mirror. Though, it could barely be considered broken. The crack in the glass was tiny, probably only the size of a finger, and sat at the very center of the mirror. Weirdly enough, though, there seemed to be something red oozing out of the chipped area.

“What is that?” Parr said aloud. She reached out and wiped up the oozing fluid and, at her touch, cobwebs of cracks suddenly spreads throughout the mirror. She jerks backwards. “Uh oh.”

“Cathy!!” Jane yelped.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know!” Parr cried.

“What’s going on?” Katherine pops in, and it’s that moment that the mirror shatters.

Screams overlap one another as the glass blows outwards with a terrible crash. Silver daggers rebound against the wall and Parr scampers into the hallway with the others before she’s cut open by the things. Her back is turned, so she doesn’t get to witness a girl falling out onto the bathroom floor, but she’s just as shocked as the ones who did get to watch it when she twists around and sees the stranger with long scars down her inner arms laying there on the tile.

When her eyes open, they’re the color of moonlight reflecting on ice.

[smollandtoll]

I went to see the new lion king today and all I could think about was Geno watching it and being deeply disappointed by all the animals he would never be able to find and aggressively hug. And then I needed to share it with you guys as a pseudo head canon of like Sid and Geno taking their kid to see this movie and Sid realizing his mistake as Geno absolutely loses it during Mufasa’s death bc as we know...he’s an emotional guy.

ANON. we hear you, we see you, we AGREE WITH YOU. And we know Geno has a big soft spot for lions: 

Also he and Sid are both Leos (as is like 50% of the NHL) and so in honour of the lion king and this anon Smoll and I Present a HC we have been sitting on for a while and desperately trying to figure out a plot for but indeed I cannot figure it out: 

HC: OT3 ABO/PRIDE AU - AKA ABO based on Lions

So basically, we knew we wanted a universe in which Anna was the alpha and had a harem of omegas (aka Sid and G) but we weren’t sure how that would work, or if we wanted to make something up just for the sake of a DP or something y’know?

And then it CAME TO US:

LIONS. Lionesses do like 90% of the work in the pride and the lions kind of lounge around and mate and raise other lions and fight and whatnot. So follow along here for a moment in the idea that lion = alpha and lioness = omega.

(I thought for a VERY long time about the feminist implications of this, and if we make sid & geno “feminine” and anna coded “masculine” does that fuck up the inherent (human) power balance that’s already flipped for lions? Does it end up a double negative and just kind of like two male doms and a sub female? In the end I realized #1 it doesn’t matter it’s a headcanon #2 In the universe their relationship has shaken out this way but others are not like this, Tanger is the alpha for his wife and both Fleurys so. #3 ABO as a whole is a really fucked up intersection of different concepts including feminism and biology and sexualty so, whatever, we’re just going to plow ahead like an inexplicable self lubricated butthole)

Basically we need a universe in which it’s normal for alphas to take several omegas and Anna claims Geno, and then realizes she wants Sid. A slightly blushing omega Geno bringing his alpha over from Russia introducing her to his team and his life.

Omegas following lion rules are more plentiful than Alphas, let’s chalk that up to biology percentages and not y’know, because Alphas fight each other to their inevitable deaths for territory. Because they’re still humans in the end and Yike. So anyway, the penguins locker room has mostly omegas in it, and like many circumstances in which you have a lot of omegas they make their own pseudo work pride. They take care of each other and the younglings and bring home that bacon.

Omegas traditionally are the breadwinners in this universe. They work hard and are competent and bring home provisions for their Alphas who then take all the pride in their hard work. Alphas like to run a tight household - their homes are their territory after all.

Sid in this AU definitely has this whole THING about not wanting an alpha for the longest time. It’s mostly because he’s one of those omegas that Alphas go after mindlessly because of his accomplishments rather than because they like him. Also the inter-omega dynamics in any pride he’d find might get really screwed up because he’s so talented and successful. Like not to brag but he’s Sid. Equivalent earning Omegas are usually CW stars or fame hungry influencers that Sid would rather choose dying alone over joining up with them.  

So, as much as he’d like to bring home his substantial contribution to a pride and an alpha he just doesn’t see it happening for him. He settles for having the companionship of the team pride, and doing a lot of babysitting. Just imagine Sid with his head in Flower’s lap, Flower raking his fingers through his hair to comfort him like “you’ll find your pride Sid, fear not,”

And Sid just sighing sleepily and shrugging, not believing but wanting all the same.

(Tanger definitely offers for Sid to become a part of his pride like once a year, but Sid thinks it’d be too weird. They aren’t the right fit for him.)

Anyway clearly Geno has no such problems with finding a mate, although he finds North American Alphas kind of weird and would prefer a Russian, so he goes looking when he’s home. THE TRICK with Geno however is he is looking for a SINGLE Alpha who is willing to come with him to Pittsburgh and either stay just a pride of 2 for however long his career lasts or slowly add to it as they find willing and fitting members (likely north americans).

When G first sees Anna, clearly a GORGEOUS Alpha on his TV, working for her own supper he is HIGHLY intrigued.

(Side note: Alphas in this universe have lion like thick luxurious manes, aka they have all the flow. All the long hair. The bigger the better. Omegas keep their hair for the most part short, tidy and out of the way so they can get their shit done. It’s also a mating thing to like identify who is an Alpha and who is an Omega. Of course it’s a style and there are A and O who wear their hair differently etc like any universe. THAT’S THE STYLE THOUGH.)

So anyway he probably entices her into courting for a couple years, like it’s difficult not to be real aggressive with it and just chase her, that’s the kind of person he is in any universe. Convincing her to come to North America and be a bit of a kept Alpha is a pretty hard sell, but he assures her she’ll have her independence and they’d plan out their first cub etc. Also they super fall in love and spend hours lounging together and grooming etc. So Anna knows a good thing when she sees it and agrees to move.

And then she meets Sid.

And she demands to know why G didn’t mention Sid was clearly going to become a part of their pride. Geno of course has no idea what she’s talking about but is really glad that Anna likes his captain…

Anna: NVM can’t leave the work of an Alpha for an Omega to do

Geno: What’s that supposed to mean?!

So then Anna goes about courting Sid as best as she can. Especially with Nikita happening, Sid probably feels the natural urge to step into the pride to help out wherever he can. He and Geno grew up together, helping to raise his cub just feels right. And Sid isn’t going to lie and say he’s never had fantasies about being part of a pride with Geno. They way they work together is magic, spending more time together, co-parenting would be…well the stuff of fantasies.

In any case Anna is a super hot commanding Alpha, and 100% has no qualms about staking out her territory and letting everyone know she was going after Sid. That kind of confidence is hard to come by, even without a language barrier. For once Sid felt like these people could possibly be his home, they could keep up with him, and he wouldn’t feel weird at all about competing to his heart’s content.

In acceptance of their invitation to their pride Sid probably makes a HUGE roast from scratch or something. Buys Anna something incredibly expensive and gauzy to wear that would compliment her hair at its biggest and wildest.

EVERYTHING THE ICE TOUCHES WILL ONE DAY BE YOURS, NIKITA.

COPARENTING. LIONS.

[tfcocktails]

             Welcome to a mane event! Some might be wondering if I have any drinks to put hair on your chest. Today we are going to focus instead on ones that put hair around your neck. The color of this cocktail gives away its transformative nature. Tawny gold, coupled with a strong level of alcohol to juice, ensures the imbiber will find themselves feline fine. Without further ado, I present.

The Lion

Ingredients

-The juice of 1-2 oranges as desired

-1 shot rum, Captain Morgan’s Orange Creamsicle is amazing

- ½ shot Midori, the real stuff

- ¼ shot Grand Marnier

-Splash of Grenadine to even out the color

             To gather these ingredients is to purrfect an exercise in specificity. Use your fine senses to track down a ripe, succulent orange. The juicier the better. One can never go wrong with Valencia. These things should have a good heft to them. If you can lift an orange in your paws like it is a balloon, pass. Do not worry about the fact you have paws out of the blue. Anyone who follows these recipes should have no problem rolling with the punches. I suggest stocking up on some quality oranges. You will want multiples, or perhaps desire to start your own pride. No judgement!

             Secondly, we must discuss rum. You are looking for this specifically. Captain Morgan’s Orange Creamsicle rum. Trust your feline instincts, you need that cream. This stuff creates the most pleasing, nuclear orange cocktail the hue of Mufasa’s chest hair. If you want to make The Lion king, then do yourself a favor and get to hunting. This stuff sold out quickly here. Some lionesses must have been busy. Regardless, if one cannot find this delicious treat, simply pick your favorite white rum. The color will not be as nice, but I understand that times are tough.

             Next on the list is Midori. Buy name brand. You can find it, and its worth every penny. The things one can do with this nuclear green liquor would astound. The perfect zip of melon will bring out the orange in anyone’s mane. This is a must have for any bar. It is the difference between being a house cat and a big cat. One’s flavor is mewling, the other bold and majestic!  Be a big lion, buy the good stuff.

             Now Grand Marnier is a bit expensive. However, you do not use a lot per drink, and often they sell tiny bottles. I suggest going big and buying one to last. This liquor is the key to making good Margaritas into exceptional ones. Often just a splash in any home mix will create something complex. Fun fact. Retractable claws make removing the wax seal extra easy! Who says transformation is always punishing.

             Grenadine. Go buy some. It is at Walmart.

             Now that everything has been gathered, we can break out our shaker and free the beast! Toss in a few cubes of ice, and measure twice. This drink needs to be shaken like crazy. If you do not feel the frostbite in your poor paw beans, then it is not shaken enough. What comes out of the bottle will astound you with the color. This is a more than sum of its parts drink. Now, take a sip!

             Atta lion! Well, if you were not turning into one before, you certainly are now. There is no more delicious a trigger. The sweet orange and cream taste will linger on your tongue, washing away the alcoholic bite. You are going to have a hard time keeping your muzzle from going back for more. Just double the recipe if necessary! Give in to those primal urges, but drink responsibly. Hung over predators are dangerous.

             Make sure you drink enough that the itching is not a problem. Fur growth is one thing but sprouting a mane quite another. Just brush it with your claws if things get a bit hairy. You do not want to try combing your mane out drunk, not the first time at least. Once you sober up in the morning, I am sure you will make a barber very happy! Trust me, you will enjoy the new style.

             Fair warning. Consumption of The Lion can lead to dangerous desires for meat, hair care products, and the company of other lions. I suggest you do not resist and simply share the drink with friends. I am aware that the pandemic is going rampant. Therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure your pride comes from a safe social bubble. Wear a mask over your face when you go out on the prowl. Remember the circle of life. Respect the dangers and respect your fellows!

             By this time, your tail should be growing in. I suggest investing in a nice apron for making these cocktails. You can stay safe for work and tear through less clothing! Fair warning, the splash of grenadine can lead to some wacky secondary shades of color in your tail fur. If it is the color of a strawberry, you may have used too much.  However, again remember all felines are beautiful, except fascists.

             It is probably about time for a cat nap if you have had as much of these as I have! Again: I am not responsible for how long you remain a lion after consuming this beverage. Nor do I accept any liability if you wind up living in a zoo, shredding your clothes, or accidentally becoming addicted to cat nip.

             Oh yes! My garnish. I had considered trying to make something that looked like the sun from the opening of the Lion King. I used a simple peel of orange zest and nestled a bourbon-soaked cherry in the center. It looked great for a hot minute, but then it got a bit silly. I will toss my recipe for bourbon cherries later. (The secret is you use a lot of bourbon.)

             As always give me a roar if you make the drink!  

[mirkwoodshewolf]

The cat tamer; Freddie Mercury x reader

*Author’s note*

And here we are my darlings, the second fate you might have chosen from the intro. And a little BTS for this story, I originally was going to make Freddie the ringleader but the more I thought about lion tamers and cat performances, the more I kept going back to Freddie.  Okay so as stated before NO HAPPY ENDING HERE.

Warnings: Voodoo magic, some violence, a bit graphic (not extremely but some graphic scenes), a bit of swearing. 

Intro to series

Taglist:

@psychosupernatural

@plethora-of-things

@ixchel-9275

@waddles03

@geek-and-proud

@mexifangorl

@queendeakyy

@coolcxt

_________________________________________________

You’ve always had a fascination with the big cats. Lions, leopards, tigers, cougars, you name it.  So it was only fitting to see if you could have a personal one on one talk with the cat tamer who somehow managed to wrestle a full grown male lion and not get ripped a part.  Or force a tiger to be mounted and then jump through a fiery hoop.

So heading backstage, you could hear the roars of the tigers just shake you to your very core.  But you can’t help yourself.  You pull back the flap and soon enough hundreds upon hundreds of ages filled with every bog cat in the show were all pacing back and forth roaring and growling at each other.

Then finally you saw him.  He stood by the cage of a lion and lioness.  The lion was sitting down looking like he was taking a rest while the lioness was up along the cage and the cat tamer was stroking her while softly praising her.

“Ohh that’s my darling girl. You were phenomenal out there darling, yes you were. Now don’t be cross you were the true star of the show. Yes you were.” Wow, if you didn’t know any better it’s like he could tell exactly what she was saying from her huffing and low growls.

“Excuse me?” you ask him.  He turns to look at you and says.

“Well, well a secret groupie I figured? Come for Roger, he’s over by the pool.” He said.

“Uhh no actually I uhh—I’ve come to…..meet you.”

“Me? Really?” he asked amazed. You nod confirming your statement from earlier. “Wow, usually when people pass by here, it’s usually to find old blondie. Bastard gets all the pretty girls to himself. But lucky for me I’ve got my lovely darlings right here for company.”

“I can tell you share a strong bond with each of them. It was—unbelievable out there. I mean I’ve seen big cat acts before but none like what you’ve done.”

“Thank you darling, I’ll take that as a compliment.” He said with a grin. “Oh silly me where are my manners?” he draped the whip along his hip and said, “The name’s Freddie, Freddie Mercury.”

“(Y/n). (Y/n) (l/n).” you introduce yourself as you hold out your hand for him to shake. He does take it but by surprise, he leans in and kisses both of your cheeks.

“Rule one about me (y/n) dear, I’m overly affectionate like my children here. Hugs and kisses, handshakes are too formal form me.”

“Ohh I see. Mr.—”

“Oh no, no, no. Freddie please, dear. Mr. Mercury makes me sound so old.”

“Sorry.”

“No, no it’s alright.”

“Anyways I—wanted to ask. Just how long have you been doing this?”

“The circus or the cat taming?”

“Well both if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, but please let’s sit down. I’ve been on my feet all day and these shoes are fucking killing me!” You couldn’t help but smile.  He seemed charming and funny and you won’t deny that he was pretty handsome.

That exotic physical look that made him look like he was from India or at least a part of it.  That long raven black hair that reached just before his shoulders, those enticing eyes, and the overbite was very noticeable but it suited him.

“Ahhh that’s better.” He said finally sitting down along one of the crates. “God I keep demanding to Reid to get me new shoes but the bugger never listens.” He whined to himself. “Oh sorry darling got a bit sidetracked there, okay so for your questions; well I’ve been with the circus pretty much since it started. In fact I kinda organized the whole thing.”

“Really?”

“Yes, in fact I was the ringleader before Reid came along and wanted to manage us. After he signed up, I focused back onto my true hobby.” It was then he gestured towards all the big cats.

“And how long have you been the cat tamer.”

“Hmm let’s see Johnny boy came to us at around 69 so—about six years ago.”

“Six years?!” You exclaimed.

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“Oh no, no, no it’s just—usually cat tamers I’ve seen said that they had over 10 to 20 years of experience.”

“Those old farts. That’s because they don’t get the cats like I do. They treat them like show ponies at a rodeo.  Forcing them to do tricks they won’t do, over disciplining them like they’re dogs. It sickens me to my core of what they call training, I can it manipulation.”

“Wow I—I never thought of it like that.”

“Oh now I don’t mean to make you sad (y/n) darling.”

“No, no you didn’t. It’s just. My whole life I’ve always loved big cats. They’re so powerful and fierce, but when it comes to putting them in animals acts such as these, I just thought tamers would respect them. But it seems like I was wrong.”

“Well you’re not entirely wrong dear. I respect them.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and gently squeezed it. “I treat my darlings with respect and awe. I understand them, and they understand me.”

“They’re lucky to have you Freddie.”

“If anything I’m lucky to have them. Would—you like to meet them?”

“I’d love to.” He clapped his hands once in rejoice before standing up and taking your hands in his.

“Then let’s go!” and then off you went back towards the cat cages.

As you walk along the cages Freddie introduces you to each of his cats one by one.

“The two leopard twins over there are Tom and Jerry.”

“Let me guess, you named them after the cartoon characters?”

“The very same darling. The male cougar there is Goliath, and the female is Tiffany. The black panther there is Romeo.”

“Tall, dark and handsome isn’t he?”

“Indeed. Exactly why I named him that. The tigers over there, that one’s Oscar, the female is Lilly. Spoilt thing that girl is. Been my running star out of all my tigers. And the other female is Tiffany. You see the scar above her eye?”

“Yeah.”

“Well she and Lilly got into a squabble one year to see who would be top tigress. And well—they’ve been best friends ever since.”

“Awww.”

“But here are the prized stars out of my entire show. My lions. Been with me since the beginning of my cat taming career.”

“You know I think out of all the big cats I’ve always admired lions the most.”

“I know. So regal and powerful. But softies at heart. The dark maned one is Jim, and the light maned one is Roger. Named after the bastard I mentioned before. Wouldn’t stop till I named one of my cats after him, he specifically requested I’d have a lion named after him. And this beautiful girl is the love of my life, Mary. She’s been my most loyal cat in all my shows.”

“Oh she’s beautiful.” You awed at her. He whistled for her and she turned around and came right up to the cage.

“Hello my love.” Freddie praised.  Mary let out a few bellows as she rubbed herself against the cage.  “You can pet her if you’d like.”

“Oh I don’t know Freddie.” You say wearily.

“Oh come on. Live your dream. She is a sweet girl. And I’ll be right here in case anything goes wrong. Be thankful you’re not meeting Trixie the cougar. She’s a tricky minx that one.” You look at him anxiously. “It’s alright darling. Take a few deep breaths with me.”

He takes in a couple deep breaths showing you what to do before you finally decide to join him. After relaxing a bit, he takes your hand and presses it towards the cage.

“Now, palm out. She’s gonna give you a sniff but that’s normal. That’s her way of saying ‘can I trust you?’” You both look and watch as Mary comes up to your hand and gives it a sniff.

Feeling her whiskers and cold nose pressing against your palm made you both fearful but yet made you want to laugh cause of the whiskers tickling against your palm.

She then lets out a warm huff before rubbing her head against your palm and rubbing it along the cage, wanting to be petted.

“See? I told you she was an angel.”

“She is.” You say. Wow if you had gon back in time and told your five year old self that you’d be petting a real live lion, she would’ve thought you were crazy and laughed at you.

“She likes you.”

“Well is it bad to say that I like her too?”

“Not at all. Want to see an up close and private performance?”

“Can you do that?”

“I’m the previous ringleader my dear, I can do whatever the fuck I want.” You softly giggle and say.

“What the hell it’d be awesome to see a private showing.”

“Then follow me to the ring my dear!” He once again takes your hand and guides you back towards the ring.  

He has you sit down in the front row before racing back up to the center of the ring.

“Thank you! Thank you and good evening everybody!” he proclaims loud for all to hear.  You couldn’t help but clap along and cheer. “Ahh it looks spooky in here tonight my darlings. In fact I think I’ve some of you beautiful people here before.” He says pointing to you. “Okay my darlings, tonight I would like to feature an act that has never been attempted by any other cat tamer in the world. But first, how would you all like to meet my beauties?”

You let out a loud yes and Freddie chuckles before stating.

“Then…..release the cats from Hell!” Soon enough the cage entrance from before opened once again and soon all the cats came running out. I clapped and whistled as loud as I could and watched as Freddie began to arrange his cats.

Now knowing that he was the first ringleader, he definitely showed the movements of being probably the greatest showman on Earth. The way he guided his babies across the ring, had them leap over podiums, or had them standing on their hind legs. I applauded and Freddie said with a bow.

“Thank you! Thank you dears. Now then; I would like to ask a lovely member of the audience to come down to the ring for this next act.” He looked around, almost like he was imagining a ring filled with people.  So I slowly raised my hand and Freddie pointed at me. “You, the lovely darling with the lovely jumper and cute purse.”

You shake your head at him playfully and stood up and walked down the couple of steps and jogged up towards the center of the ring.

“What’s your name my darling?” You look at him and whisper.

“Do I have to?”

“Yes now c’mon use your imagination darling.” Sighing you gave in and said.

“(Y/n).”

“Lovely name (y/n). Now then my lovely assistant (y/n) shall become part of an act that has never once been performed on any circus ring. My lovely darling I ask you to just stand here for one second,” he guiding you over towards a chair that he had pulled up.

Taking out the whip, he whipped it down to the ground and called out for Jim, Roger and Oscar to come forward.  The two male lions and tiger came forward and stood in a single file line of each other.

“Come right over here my darling,” he held out his hand for you to take.  You place your hand in his as he guides you over towards the three big cats. “Ladies and gentlemen; my lovely darlings and dears! My lovely assistant shall now lay across these three magnificent creatures!” Wait what now?! He takes you over towards Roger who was on at the bottom and he came in front of you.

“Freddie I—I don’t know if this is okay.”

“Just trust me darling, I’ve got you.” He picked you up bridal style and waited for your respond.

“You promise?” You asked nervously.

“I swear it dear.” You softly groan but knew you couldn’t persuade him out of this.  So you nodded giving him your permission.  

It was then he had your legs draped across Roger’s back.  You feel your lower back touching the top of Roger’s head, his mane lightly tickling the bare skin that was exposed from your jumper from being slightly pushed up.  Then you feel your upper half go across Oscar, your head stopping right up against his.

It was then Freddie came up and took both of your wrists and slowly raised them up so that they ended up going onto Jim’s back hips.  

He smiles down at you and nodds assuringly that you were doing great.  

After about a minute, he slowly released your wrists and backed away allowing you to be completely balanced on top of three huge cats.

He applauded before he quickly came up and picked you up bridal style spinning me around which caused Jim, Roger and Oscar to break the single file line and boast out roaring.

“Oh darling you were fantastic!”

“God did I really just do that?!”

“Yes you did, you were amazing! You sure you haven’t done show business before?”

“Never.”

“Oh I surely don’t believe that!” he boasted before kissing your cheek again.

For the rest of the night the two of you just talked with each other till you looked down at your watch and saw that it was almost midnight.

“Ahh man I gotta get home. I promised my roommate that I’d be home by at least 11.”

“Must you go already? We were having such fun.” He whined with a pout.

“I’m sorry Freddie. Maybe if you come around again we could hang out, or maybe you can call me from the road?”

“That might be a possibility.” You smiled and gave him your number and with a final two cheek kiss goodbye, you grabbed your bag and headed on out.

After finally arriving back home and your roommate throwing a fit for being late, you explain to them why you were late after having such a good time with the cat tamer.  After telling her he was cute, she brushed it off and she wanted every detail from that ‘date’.

You flip her off and tell her your too tired to explain but you would tell her in the morning.  So after doing your nightly routines and getting dressed into your pajamas, you finally lay down on your bed and fall fast asleep pulling your sleep mask over your eyes.

You feel this sudden cold chill brush up against you.  Shivering you begin to wake up, thinking you probably lost your covers you tried to reach out and grab them, only to find you can’t move your arms.

You become slightly more alert that your arms are in fact paralyzed but it’s when you try to move your legs that you find out you’re completely immobile.  And with your sleep mask still on, you think you’re in some sort of sleep paralysis.

Panicking you grunt as you try to struggle and that’s when you hear a very familiar voice say.

“Now, now my lovely darling. No need to panic.”

“F-Freddie?” you asked in shock.

“The one and only darling? Who else were you expecting Elton John?”

“Freddie what’s going on? Where am I? Is this a nightmare?”

“See that’s always the question on everyone’s mind. Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy?”

“Freddie enough games tell me where am I?” he took your sleep mask off and you see that you’re currently in some sort of dark cave with torches as the only source of light.  You also saw a statue that sorta resembled a cat-human hybrid of some kind.

Echoing through the cave you can hear the roars of Freddie’s cats.  He walked up and you can hear the clanking of chains and soon coming from above, moonlight comes down and you see some sort of sun dial or probably in this case a moon dial.

Freddie who is kneeling in front of you strokes a strand of hair away from your face.

“You look frightened darling. Why?”

“Why do you think? How the hell did I get here?”

“I found you sleepwalking darling. For whatever reason you ended up coming along the very archway that leads back to the circus. Taking pity on you in this cold night, I brought you here to this shelter because we’ve already packed everything away.”

“Bull. Shit! I’ve never had a case of sleep walking in my life. You’re lying to me Freddie!” He sighed and said in an ominously dark tone.

“Guess you’re smarter than the previous tributes. But that’s what’ll make you valuable.”

“What do you mean?” you struggle through your invisible binds.  God why couldn’t you move? There was no rope, zip ties, not even chains, all you could feel was just cold air.

It was then he holds up a wax doll that looks exactly like you down to the last detail.  But it wasn’t until you notice that there are about four strands of loose hair stuck on top of your wax doll’s head.  You then realize what’s going on.

“A voodoo doll?”

“So you do know your dark magic. Got the magic wax from a fell coworker here. Works every time. You do have some soft hair my darling. However whatever shampoo you use, makes you lose it very easily.” He stands up and presents the doll to the statue which held a burning torch before walking right up to the moon dial.

“The Harvest moon will soon reach the midnight point on this moon dial. And then the ceremony can begin.”

“What ceremony?!” I demanded.

“You remember when I said that I was the oldest act of the circus?” he said turning back towards me.  Hesitantly you nod and that’s when Freddie continues, “Well I meant it. Both figuratively…..and literally. In fact over 200 years I’ve been doing this.” He chuckled almost sinisterly.

And that’s when something horrifying happened.

Freddie scrunched up his face as it slowly began to morph into a cat-like face.  His ears grew to a point, canine teeth began to grow and his once friendly, warm eyes were now cold and piercing gold just like a cat’s eye, and his black nails began to grow into claws.

He let out a cougar like roar as he bared his teeth at you.  You let out a horrified gasp as you try to phase through the wall but it was useless.

“Wha-wha-what are you going to do to me?” you ask terrified, your voice trembling in fear.

“It’s simple darling, every harvest moon I need to pass on my DNA to willing tributes who come to see me. To keep the show going on.” He says as he walks back over to you and stands over you.

Oh god was he—he wasn’t planning on….. “Now don’t go thinking me a barbarian darling. I don’t rape women, or men. But by using my curse with either a scratch, a bite, or using my own kind of magic, they become well—a part of me I think the saying goes.”

“Wait so—your cats. All those names…..they were once people?”

“Very clever darling. You’ll make a fine performer in Santa Monica.” He says as he cups your chin.  You could feel his claw-like nail softly stroke under your chin.

Your lip trembles as you plead and pray to not feel him scratch you deeply.  You had to figure a way out of here.

“There’s no escape darling. So long as your wax doll is bound you’re not going anywhere.” The moon’s rays seem to grow brighter and Freddie let’s out a roar before standing back up and turning his back to me.

Portions of his shirt rips apart as his tanned arms now become brown fur, his nails sharpened till they became longer and harder like bear claws.  His face becomes more cat-like and his teeth sharpen themselves even more.  His feet became were-cat paws and a tail grows out of him.

He turned back towards you and throws back his head as he roars.  Seeing him now become this full fledge monster you let out the loudest, most horrifying scream you had in you hoping that someone would hear you.  As he comes towards you, you lean away and began rolling away as he pounced to where you just sat.

He hisses and gets down on his hands in a true cat-like crouch growling and twitching his tail.  His fangs baring out and with the overbite it made them even more terrifying to look at him.

You see your voodoo doll and quickly roll towards the podium but you feel Freddie pounce on you.  He forces you onto your back pining you down by your shoulders. But you’re not going down without a fight.

As best you could, you double kick him in the gut sending him away from you.  You’re just about to reach the podium where your wax doll was at so you crawl towards it before spinning around and tried to kick your doll down towards you.

But Freddie gets back up and immediately pounces on you again, the two of you rolling around till he has you pinned again, this time on your stomach.  You try to fight and struggle to get free of him but it’s futile.

“Now, now darling. I thought you said you always wanted to be a lion? Now you get to experience it.” His voice once warm and filled with friendliness was now low and murderous like a demon, but somehow it still held that soft quality.

“No, no Freddie please. Please I beg you please have mercy!” you plead hoping that he wouldn’t go through with it.  He pins your shoulders down to ensure you can’t struggle.

You then feel this numbness overcome you. Your will to fight is suddenly snatched away as you just let out this long, dragging moan as your strength is taken from you.  Allowing Freddie to sink his teeth right into your neck.

*3rd Person POV*

Santa Monica, it was like any other circus performance.  Freddie stood before the ring in his uniform and he proclaimed.

“Now then my lovely darlings. I would like to present to you the newest member of my little pride. She’s one of the most cleverest lionesses I’ve ever had to train, I present to you…..(y/n)!”

A cage soon rose up from the ground and pacing around in it was a large lioness.  She was lean but had strong muscles and she roared in her cage as the bars slowly lowered.

“Isn’t she beautiful my darlings? My newest addition and I can’t wait to show you all what she can do.” Freddie smirked as he looked at the lioness that came running right towards Freddie, almost with the intent to attack.

But Freddie ducked at the last second as apart of the act because Jim once did the same thing his first performance.  The crowd were all in shock but applauded thinking it was all apart of the act.  Freddie took out his whip and stared (y/n) down.

“Let’s show them what you got my darling. The show must go on after all.” As Freddie spoke that, she only let out a fearsome roar that would send shivers down your spine as she kept baring her four canine teeth.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Disney Live-Action Remakes

So we’ve covered the main Walt Disney Studios animated movies, and I am trying to find categories that I can slot other Disney animated movies into, but for now we are going to follow Disney’s latest trend and jump into the live-action field with my personal favourite top 10 live-action Disney remakes.

Now of course Snow White and the Huntsman will not be on this list primarily because it is not a movie released by Walt Disney Studios and also because it took me three attempts just to get through it. But I will also not be including sequels as they are not reworking animated movies but continuing the stories of the remade live-action movies, so 102 Dalmatians, Alice Through the Looking Glass and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil are also not in contention.

Also remakes of live-action movies, even if those live-action movie are in some form animation hybrids, also will not count, largely because I am only counting those under the official Walt Disney Animated Studios banner but also because there’s no real point.

As always please remember that these rankings and opinions are purely my own, I am not saying these movies are factually worse than others or better than others I am merely saying this is how I view them.

#10. The Lion King

The reasoning for this movie being at #10 despite how well it has done compared to other live-action remakes is purely because I had to check and make sure the title gif I am using for this entry was the one from the live-action remake and not the 1994 animated movie...I should not have to do that!

The problem this movie has, as many critics and fans have pointed out and I believe as I did in my review, is that this is effectively a shot-for-shot remake of said original animated movie. That doesn’t mean it’s not good because the original was a phenominal piece of cinema for the genre and the studio, but it does leave a question as to the relevance of bothering to remake something practically identical with the only USP being that this movie is completely CGI in an attempt to give it the “live-action” treatment.

That being said, I was somewhat entertained by this movie, but by different parts than how I was in the original. For instance, in the original Rafiki was my favourite character in terms of comedy and just as personal preference, here he barely gets anything to do and instead the likes of Sarabi and the Hyenas are more fleshed out.

I did enjoy how the Hyenas showed more of a pecking order in this version, with Shenzi this time being depicted more as the clan leader who is somewhat of a left-hand to Scar in the same way that Faora was to Zod in Man of Steel.

Also Sarabi, who is somewhat forgettable in the animated movie as she’s barely in it until really the end to the point where me saying she was Simba’s mother is the only real jolt some fans may have to remembering her, and the other lionesses had that one really tense scene with Nala trying to escape Pride Rock without being detected by the Hyenas and Scar in order to find help. I can imagine that being a very hard level on the game-version of this movie because I always hated stealth levels like this particularly in the earlier Harry Potter games.

Timon and Pumbaa come in and kind of steal the show half-way through and notably there is a bit more of them raising SImba even as an adult and both Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen do respectable jobs in their respective roles, in fact some have argued they are the best part of the movie because they bring some level of excitement to an otherwise bland remake.

To be fair, one of my favourite parts is when Timon begins to sing “Be Our Guest” as a way of distracting the Hyenas as live bait along with Pumbaa, this of course is reworked from the original when it was them performing a hula-inspired performance which I still love to this day, but this reworking did make me laugh.

Outside of that though, everyone really fills their roles as they did in the original, and it comes across as simply a pale imitation in comparison. It’s not like the other remakes where there was something new enough and exciting enough to differentiate the two. Yet this movie is longer than the original because the stuff that either is new or extended from the original feels like it has just been either shoehorned in because maybe the writers or Favreau himself believed they were lacking in originality or maybe they believed what they actually had was exciting.

The biggest misstep of this type is the almost three minutes spent following a piece of Simba’s mane on its journey from falling off Simba to reaching Rafiki and thus him discovering Simba is in fact alive. In the original, this wasn’t even a 30 second segment and they played up Rafiki’s shamanism a lot more to deduce this fact, but here the hair goes from river, to birds nest, to a giraffe’s digestive system, to a ball of dung, to an ant line until finally reaching him...all the while only promoting the admittedly impressive CGI.

Another example of this is at the beginning of the movie where there is more focus on the field mouse that Scar toys with before losing the opportunity to make it lunch, we spend a good 30 seconds to a minute more than the original as the mouse makes its way up to Scar’s den rather than simply starting off there. I don’t feel this is as big an offence as I do the hair scene but the time could easily be spent elsewhere.

There’s also, I feel, a disadvantage with trying to make these animals as realistic as they did. 2019 struggled with “realistic” CGI animals from The Lion King to Cats and Sonic the Hedgehog, and while Sonic fixed itself by having the titular protagonist’s design changed to a more accurate look, it is a shame that The Lion King did not also have the same idea because giving these lions more animated features may have helped show the emotional hot points of the movie, particularly Mufasa’s death and the emotion on Simba’s face.

It’s also a shame that the voice actors are underwhelming outside of Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen. I do appreciate that they cast regionally-appropriate actors for the most part, even bringing back James Earl Jones for one of his two most famous roles, but there in lies the problem, he simply performed an almost line-for-line redo of what he originally did in the animated version. It’s great hearing him again but I could have just watched the original again to hear him not do anything different.

You also have Beyoncé who fails at both scene-stealing acting and singing performances with her new original song which is hardly in the movie. However, while Beyoncé still delivers on star quality, she also outshines the movie’s main lead Donald Glover who feels like an acting school work experience placement compared to Beyoncé.

Finally the music, forget the rolling turn of mane, this movie butchers and wastes one of the best Disney Villain songs in history by having Chiwetel Ejiofor talk his way through one chorus line of “Be Prepared”...next to that having a lackluster shot-for-shot remake of “Circle of Life” didn’t seem so bad.

Overall, this live-action remake simply felt more like fan-service or even like Jon Favreau was too scared to touch what had come before and so just decided that simply having a fully CGI version of an animated classic was enough...but aside from simply looking at it, there is nothing really wondrous about this movie.

I can see why people like the movie, but I can’t really understand why people defend the movie even from a nostalgic point of view, I mean seriously just watch the original version you’ll get the same feeling out of it.

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.

[dragonleesupporter]

Unloved Siblings (Part 1)

Author’s note: H-OOOOLY crap, this took a lot. I’m pretty sure I went over this at least ten times, so enjoy this peek into the land where Lucaja was born!

Summary: Lucaja breaks in two.

Here’s the fics leading up to this one;  Tear Down the Wall,  Of Confrontation and Comfort.

Without further ado, let’s go!

...

             “The Eternity Crystal’s calling…” Cush murmured, barely loud enough to hear.

           The ball of spikes sat up and listened, trying to decipher what kind of signal the crystal was sending out. Though he had been the first born into his land, he was the slowest learner out of the rest. Cush was the Pain Monster. Specifically, physical pain. He was a porcupine-like creature with thick, black spikes sprouting along the spine of his deep red body. In contrary to his threatening body, his face was one of a tender mouse; large, fluffy ears, black eyes glistening and pointy nose constantly twitching. His long tail had the equivalent of a mace on the end of it which he liked to swing around whenever he was feeling playful.

 His tiny limbs stretched and the spikes along his spine bumped into each other as he arched his back, spiky tail lashing with excitement.

             “M-Mentora! Wake up! There’s a new manifestation monster!” Cush’s squeaky voice called into the cave behind him which housed his two friends alongside himself.

             “What are you yakking about? We hardly ever get rest, Cush!” Mentora slithered out of the cave, her three eyes droopy and her tail sagging as her head was barely kept upright on her snake-like body.  

             Mentora was the Mental Instability Monster. Though she was the last born thus far of the three, she had more brain capacity, and therefore knew substantially more than the other two. She took the form of a large snake with a lioness head, complete with a strangely feminine-looking mane along with two horns that sprouted peacefully from her head. She had three eyes that glowed white like the rest of her body, and had little swirly patterns in her retinas that constantly rotated. She threw her head back and yawned as Pascal crawled out of the cave alongside her.

             Pascal was the Emotional Turmoil Monster. The single eye on his otherwise blank face changed color with how he was feeling like a mood ring. The fuzzy rainbow fur along his long neck came to an abrupt end when it met his shoulders with feathers sprouting from the rest of the base of his body instead. The feathers had their own mood-ring fix, but would only turn the color of his eye if Pascal felt that emotion very strongly. Four, glass-like wings sprouted along his lengthy spine, and sat peacefully on his back. His six, grey, dragon-like legs moved in sync like clockwork machinery as his short, stumped tail twitched with curiosity.

             “A new… manifestation?” He asked shyly, his eye turning an orangish-yellow.

             “Yeah… actually you’re right Cush, that is the call for a new creature… but how could that be? I was only born a few millennia ago… what element could we be missing?” Mentora raised her eyebrows as she cocked her head to the side.

             “Let’s go find out!” Cush started to run despite the difficulty with his short legs, so happy that he had identified the call correctly with the other two in tow.

             The Eternity Crystal glowed a brilliant combination of colors- some not even known to humans- as its vibrations were sent through the ground and air, the soft voom of its call echoing along mountain where it stood. The three approached it carefully, and like all the other times a creature had been born, the crystal momentarily cracked open, booting a small form out into the light.

             “Is it a… puppy?” Cush guessed, his round ears twitching.

             “Not entirely… It looks like it has two faces…” Pascal murmured worriedly as his eye turned a light shade of purple.

             Mentora stayed silent, watching and analyzing as the tiny figure tried to get to its feet, its two pairs of eyes blinking open to show one pair pink and the other purple, much like the creature’s fur…

             “Why is it having such a hard time standing up?” The Pain Monster questioned as the three observed the small figure trying to get up and failing multiple times.

             “Because it has too many limbs! Look!” Pascal exclaimed, using one of his clear, glass-like wings to point at the small creature as his eye flashed a bright, blinding red and yellow design.

             It was true; the new manifestation had two sets of four legs on either side of its body, as well as two sets of wings and two tails.

             “It probably doesn’t even know what’s right-side-up right now…” Mentora commented thoughtfully, sniffing the small form as it tried to decide which set of eyes would be gazing upside-down.

             “Hey! Pink side! Try to stand up!” Cush called enthusiastically, trying to give the monster an easier solution.

             Hearing this, the pink side finally took initiative and stood “right-side-up” while the purple was stuck on the bottom.

             And that is how it stayed for most of Lucaja’s life. Debaja barley got any affection, just because she wasn’t very well-liked, unlike her sister, Lucia. Debaja was seen by most as too rough for a comfort monster. The other three had been surprised that Lucaja wasn’t actually a manifestation monster like the rest of them. She was, instead, a comfort monster to help balance out the damage caused by the others; whenever creatures couldn’t deal with them on their own. However, she could only be summoned at night, and only if either an individual was alone, or was with a group that was equally as tired as they were. This gave her the name of Sleep Deprivation Monster; the soft spot in the group.

 It had been a thousand millennia, and, after giving it some though, Debaja finally decided to confront her sister. She was sick of being the unfavored one- she was literally dying from it! She had to talk to Lucia.

             …

             “Look, it’s not my fault!” Cush heard a high-pitched voice cry from inside his head. His eyes widened at the harshness in the tone as he looked around to see if he could find the two-faced monster.  

             Lucaja, since her jaw was interlocked between two different heads, could only speak in telepathy. She usually tried to keep her sentences as minimal as possible, since Mentora had told her that if she tried to have a full-blown conversation with a real being, it would make their head literally explode. But in the Land of the Infinite, Lucaja didn’t have to limit her diction.

             “No, it’s not, but you could at least help! I’ve been starving forever now! Don’t you think you could give me a little attention?” Debaja’s voice hissed back and the weak crack in her voice echoed as Cush whined.

             “But I can’t waste my energy, Debaja. I have to be there for those who need me-”

             “I NEED YOU!” Cush covered his head and whimpered at the screeching cry… it had been so loud his ears were ringing from the inside. The Pain Monster was about to call the others for help when a familiar form slithered past.

             “Mentora?”

             “Cush, come.”

             “What about Pascal?”

             “I SAID COME! NOW!” The urgency in the Mental Instability Monster’s tone threw the porcupine-like creature off his bum and onto his legs, desperately trying to keep up with the smooth, swift form as his ears rang louder.

             The scene both of them were met with when they reached the top of the hill was appalling, to say the least.

             Lucaja had slit into her two relative parts. Lucia and Debaja now had their own separate bodies. Lucia had a pink, full-grown, healthy-looking body, smooth skin shining in the sunlight as the fur on certain parts of her body grew thick and luscious, her bright pink feathers filed neatly. Her form was an eye-spitting comparison to Debaja’s who’s bones were showing through her skin as her pink eyes were sunk into her skull. Her skin and fur were patchy and uneven, and her feathers were bent all the wrong ways; some were even falling off, making her look more dead than alive.

             “Why can’t you be there for me?! Even just a little?!” Debaja spat and wheezed as Lucia recoiled.

             Strangely, with their forms separated, they could now use their own jaws, and didn’t need telepathy.

             “Why can’t you just drop it? Thousand millennia go by, and SUDDENLY you say you’ve needed me this whole time??” The pink side stood her ground and grinded her teeth, tail lashing. “If this is really a big deal, why is it popping up JUST now?? That’s not how you handle big problems, Debaja!”

             “Then you must understand how hard this is for me!” The purple side sobbed out and clutched her chest, her heartbeat terrifyingly visible through her skin. “You get all the attention and love! Sure, you share, but I need some directly! With how much you love giving to our patients, can’t you give some directly to me??”

             “Quit being so selfish! Come on, let’s just get back together and go back to the way things were! You feed off of my achievements. If we fuse back together, you’ll feel better! Please, you look so frail… let’s just stop this!” Lucia took a step forward, purple gaze softening as she tried to calm her sister down. Everything had been going so perfect, why did Debaja have to throw a big fit now?

             “NO!” Debaja screeched and turned around, whole body shaking as she refused to look at her twin. “If I really mean so little to you… then I’m going somewhere else! You can deal with the imbalance on your own! Like I have!”

             Lucia stood in shock as she watched her sister stagger and disappear into another realm. Her eyes narrowed to slits and her breathing became uneven. She suddenly realized two of her friends staring from the hill behind her.

             “W-what are you looking at?!” She shouted defensively as Cush took a few fearful steps back. “What are you even doing here?!”

             “Lucia, your thoughts aren’t flowing correctly, your head is in a whirlpool of insecurity and destabilization. Why else do you think I’m here?” Mentora hissed, her aura glowing brighter with Lucia’s growing panic.

             “N-no! I’m fine! Sh-she’s fine!” The pink half trembled as the Mental Instability Monster slithered closer, her three, swirly eyes narrowed in anger as her lip twitched into a snarl.

             “L-Lucia… what did you do?” Cush tentatively called from the top of the hill, too scared to get any closer.

             A stake went through the pink side’s heart. Cush had never talked to her like that.

             “I-I’m not the bad guy here!” She shouted angrily, causing the cute porcupine creature to hide behind the edge of the hill, gentle whining being heard from the other side. “I’m not the bad guy! I’m not!”

             “Oh, and who is? Debaja?” Mentora spat as her snake tail lashed back and forth.

             It was no secret that Mentora cared for Debaja more than Lucia. Lucia was the easy option most people chose, whenever Lucaja had to comfort someone. A shoulder to cry on, a smile on her lips, Lucia was the positive reinforcement that everyone preferred. Yet Mentora knew more than anyone else that Debaja was the more efficient choice. Yes, she also comforted her patients, but she also gave them a good slap of reality. Lucia makes her subjects dependent on her and others, hardly giving them anything real to stabilize their soul; while Debaja teaches the person to rely on themselves, and deal with reality on their own; only then would they be strong enough to find true happiness. But you see- most people don’t like to hear that. That’s why the purple side was almost never chosen. Making her suffer while her sister got all the spoils of laughter or comfort that rose from the patient.

             “Wh-where’s Pascal?” Lucia finally broke the silence, not daring to look into Mentora’s three enraged eyes.

             “Probably with Debaja.” The Mental Instability Monster replied coldly before slithering away to comfort Cush, leaving the pink half to think over what she had done…

@cefsticklestoo @bexxbeauty

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[haloud]

take a chance and don’t ever look back: chapter 2

ao3

Senior year is everything and nothing like it was supposed to be. Maybe if Michael had more chance to watch television as a kid, he would have had a clearer expectation of what was to come; or maybe he just would have had a false hope to rail against.

Whatever the case, in real life he flew blind.

But it’s almost over now. He photocopies his scholarship letter from UNM and sticks it to the roof of his truck so he can look at it when it rains and the stars aren’t out. Final exams are a few weeks out, but for the first time in his life they don’t feel like the end of his world knocking down the door. He did it. He’s in. Everything else is just the credits rolling.

Only one more hurdle to jump.

Michael and Alex still don’t really know each other. Their circles brush a little more these days than they used to—Michael goes where his siblings go, Isobel goes where Max goes, so all three of them go to the Crashdown every day ending in Y. It’s not such a big deal, though, not yet. Prom has always been Michael’s endgame. A big gesture. Something deserving of Alex Manes and his smile and the nose piercing he got over the summer. Max keeps talking about how he and Liz are running out of time, but Michael doesn’t see why things have to end the second he hits the highway. People say long distance relationships never work out, but people also seem to think they’re alone in the universe. Clearly, people need to start using their imaginations.

Now, Michael never skips class, and he’s never really had to put up with bullies despite the rumors he’s homeless because everyone’s too scared of Isobel. But it’s a matter of course that he’d have a handful of hiding places across campus. Last time he grew he ended up too tall to fit in his old spot under the east stairs, but the new spot is even better: a little-used janitor’s closet sandwiched between two auditorium access doors. Spring is his new favorite season, because sometimes when he posts up in there during lunch or after class, he can hear the orchestra practicing for their upcoming concert.

It’s there where he gets the idea to kick off his master plan with a little bit of petty theft. Not the best idea, but Alex hasn’t gotten any easier to talk to, not when Michael’s heart still starts to tap dance whenever they’re in the same room. At least this gets his attention.

Smoothing his hands over Alex’s guitar feels all at once both sacred and utterly profane. He feels it under his palms for hours after giving it back.

And then…Michael always knew Alex was kind, but he doesn’t even have words for what it is that Alex offers him in a steady voice. Nothing to say but thank you, each word like the sound of a gonging bell between them. He doesn’t even get to ask what he was going to ask, too overwhelmed and grateful and awed and small inside.

On prom night, it seems like the whole school’s gone stag this year. There’s Liz and Valenti, of course, but everyone else Michael knows is only coming to party. Even Isobel doesn’t even play at wanting a trophy on her arm this year. When Michael asks her who she’s taking, she goes wan and tense the way she spends too much time going these days and snaps that of course she’s taking him, why, does he not want her to? Some college girl from Albuquerque already making the drive for him?

It stings a little—or, okay, a lot, but Michael gets it better than anyone else possibly could. Sometimes it feels like he knows people best by the way their backs look shrinking in the distance. He doesn’t want that for Is; she deserves to know that she’s always gonna be his best girl. So he spends half the night showing her a good time, making her laugh on the dance floor, keeping her company even when Max drifts away to follow Liz at a distance. It’s a bit of a dent on his plans, but nothing’s more important to him than Is knowing she’s gonna be loved.

The party’s in full swing when she turns to him, eyes sparkling, cheeks pinker than her dress, and says, “Isn’t there anyone else you’d rather dance with? Not that I’m not flattered, of course!”

Michael turns pink too. He feels like he’s been hearing Alex’s name whispered all night, but he can’t be sure because that’s just kind of normal for him. Isobel smiles—not her teasing grin, but a resigned twist of her lips.

“Go,” she says, punching his shoulder lightly.

“Are you sure? I don’t have to—”

“Go, Michael. You’ve done enough. I mean it.” Isobel leans in and kisses him on the cheek. As if to prove her point, she then turns sharply on her heel and stalks like a lioness to some random guy on the dance floor. Michael laughs, shaking his head. Oh, Isobel.

Oh, Alex.

It’s now or never. Michael has to find him in the crush of bodies somehow, has to seize the moment before it’s gone for good. He’s sweating a little too much, though, he’s a little too disheveled, a little too emotional. He just needs to catch his breath, maybe splash some water on his face. Slipping out the side door—really, it shouldn’t be this easy, aren’t these things chaperoned?—Michael sucks in a breath that chills his lungs, the building’s AC cranked up high to compensate for all the grinding, grasping bodies packed into one room. He heads straight for the bathroom, his secondhand dress shoes bouncing eerily off the walls of the deserted school. He rounds the corner, only to slam straight into the sharp shoulder of someone waiting on the other side. It clips him right in the center of his chest and he sprawls back, arms windmilling, until his back hits the lockers with a bang.

“Guerin?” The person almost-shouts. Michael jerks his arms up to cover his face before the voice registers to his brain.

“Oh god, oh god, Guerin, I’m so sorry, I thought you were someone else—” Alex babbles, and Michael jerks his arms down as quickly as they came up. Alex grabs his shoulders and pulls him forward, presses at a few places on his back to feel for bruising. Michael feels himself ragdoll with a combination of adrenaline leaving his body and the sheer sweet relief of Alex touching him with care, but he manages to coordinate his mouth muscles enough to speak.

“It’s okay, Manes, it’s okay. I’m fine.” He straightens up, holding his arms out to demonstrate. Alex relents slightly; the last thing he does is tug the lapels of Michael’s jacket so it settles neat back over his shoulders.

(He really hopes Alex doesn’t look down.)

The silence rattles around the cavernous hallway. Nothing but linoleum and concrete and emptiness in every direction, but Michael and Alex stand occupying the same foot of space, breathing in each other’s air.

Clearing his throat, Michael says, “Uh, I was just—got a little hot in there. What are you doing out here?”

Alex’s eyes dart off to the side, and he chews on his lower lip. Michael is about to say he doesn’t have to answer if he doesn’t want to when the door Michael came through bursts open and spills out four or five loud voices. The color drains from Alex’s face, and Michael doesn’t think, just says:

“I know a place. Come on.”

The two of them take off, cutting through all the shortcuts Michael knows until they reach the narrow auditorium accessway. Even this late at night, the door to the janitor’s closet remains blessedly unlocked.

One thing he didn’t plan for though: it’s a little cramped for two people. Michael’s “don’t look down” problem is going to become a different problem entirely if Alex gets too fidgety. Luckily, it’s at least too dark for Alex to see how he’s lighting up pink.

Potential for embarrassment aside, Michael doesn’t like the angry hunch of Alex’s shoulders, the ducked head, the clenched jaw. He wants to reach out and, and hug him, but he doesn’t know if he’s allowed. Doesn’t know if comforting him like that would be okay.  So he stumbles out, “Hey, a-are you okay? I know it’s probably a stupid question since it’s prom and we’re standing in a janitor’s closet, but—"

“I’m just pissed. It’s Valenti. He keeps popping up, and he hasn’t said anything yet, but I know he’s going to. And everywhere I look there’s a football player staring back. I shouldn’t let Valenti get to me. I kept telling myself this year would be different after last year was so boring and crappy but I’ve spent all night avoiding his stupid cronies instead of having any fun. And then I almost decapitated a perfectly innocent guitar-stealing weirdo.” At that last sentence, his eyes flick to Michael’s and he makes an attempt at a smile, at lessening the tension.

Michael’s shoulders drop in relief, and heart skipping a beat at Alex’s mention of last year, he licks his lips. Last year wasn’t boring for Michael. He’s kind of been measuring time in terms of before last year and after he started waking up with Alex’s name on his lips.

“Night’s not over yet. Pretty much everyone’s still out there. But hey, as Roswell’s resident guitar-stealing weirdo, I totally get it if that’s more your idea of a good time.”

Alex laughs an actual laugh, and Michael has to glance down to make sure he’s just being a sappy dork and hasn’t actually floated off the floor. Then Alex gets serious again and shakes his head.

“Going out and dancing by myself would just encourage them. ‘Get a load of Manes, he’s a loser and a—”

“Who says you’d be alone?” Michael’s voice comes out embarrassingly high-pitched, and he jams a knuckle against his lips. Alex glances at him, one eyebrow cocked, sharp dark eyes flicking left to right like Michael is a puzzle he’s been trying to solve for days.

Maybe even longer.

Outside their little sanctuary and a hallway over, a locker door crashes and the voices from before whoop loudly. The two boys flinch together, and without thinking Michael grabs Alex’s elbow and tugs him slightly behind him, putting himself between Alex and the door. They stay like that for a long moment, as the bangs and shouts move away and go silent. Michael’s head is tilted so he can still look Alex in the eye. Alex’s pupils are dilated in the dim light, but the effect is the same as if—Michael feels a little devoured, just then, a little eaten up. He’s never felt like this before. He wants to bury himself in Alex’s chest and trust Alex to hold him tight. Those long, dark eyelashes flutter every time Alex blinks, and Michael wants to feel them against his cheeks.

Alone again, the outside world feels so far away. Michael turns fully and rocks up onto his toes to bring their mouths closer together, just because he can. “Whaddya say, Manes?” he asks, jerking his thumb in the direction of the faint, faint music.

Alex draws himself up so tall and close it makes Michael’s heart beat faster. His heart falls again, though, when Alex shakes his head.

Then Alex says, “Nah. Not here. If you really want to, you can take me out some other time, where we don’t have to put up with those assholes. Deal?”

He skims his fingertips over the back of Michael’s hand. It restarts Michael’s heart in double-time, makes goosebumps erupt all down that arm. His curls bounce up and down as he nods his head. It’s scary—god, how is he going to come up with something for them to do?—but also Michael can’t stop smiling.

“Maybe I kind of wanted to dance with you, though,” he says.

Alex chuffs a little laugh. “Then maybe I’ll just have to go to dances more often.”

“We-eelllll…” Michael can’t help the spread of his grin, even though all the smiling makes his cheeks hurt. “When you do, maybe you’ll save a spot on your schedule for me?” He knocks his scuffed-up shoe against Alex’s. He’s so warm in this little space they’ve made together. He always picks his hiding places because they feel safe, but he had no idea he could feel like this.

“Yeah.” Alex swallows twice, Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “I will. I’ll save a spot for you right at the end.”

“The end? That gonna give us enough time?”

“Last song’s as long as you want it to be. Sometimes it even keeps going once you get home.”

Just like that, Michael’s uncomfortable problem is back. His heels hit the floor again flat, and he splutters all undignified as the closet lights up white with Alex’s feral grin.

“I think they’re gone. Shall we?” Alex says while Michael tries to collect himself.

“U-uh, yeah. After you.”

They climb out of the closet into the now-deserted hallway. Alex reaches out and steadies Michael when he stumbles over the lip of the doorframe, but the weight and sensation of his hands just makes Michael feel like Jell-O. At the intersection of the hallway—one side leading back to the dance, one side leading outdoors—Alex stops, grabbing Michael’s wrist to jerk him to a halt too.

“Alex?”

He doesn’t get a response, just intense, calculating eyes boring into him, staring him down. It’s been Michael’s greatest lifelong fear, being dissected, but he lets it happen now. Alex’s eyes pin him down spread-eagle on a steel table, but standing so close to him, leashed by that hand around his wrist, he only feels drifting and docile like a beehive smoked out. He wants to ask what’s wrong but can’t make his brain connect to his mouth to make words.

Slowly, oh-so slowly, Alex reaches out and, with just two fingers, smooths that loose curl back behind Michael’s ear. Michael’s mouth pops open on a breathy little sound as Alex follows that path again, stoking his forehead, combing through his hair. Then Alex nods, just once, like he’s come to some decision. Michael doesn’t know what it might be, but it’s okay, he’s cool with Alex calling the shots from now on as long as they can stay close like this.

“I’m going to the bathroom to freshen up a bit,” Alex says. “Meet me outside by the trellis? We can get food or something before everywhere closes.”

“Y-yeah, sounds good. I’m here with Isobel, but I’ll—I’ll let her or Max know.”

Alex gives him a little smile before he walks away. Michael sways in his direction just a little bit before he collects himself and goes the other way.

Standing under the latticework and the fairy lights, Michael closes his eyes and lets the night feel magical. He lets the whole, vast night wrap around him like the scent of Alex’s cologne pressed up against him in a tiny janitor’s closet. His mind whirls and crashes but for once the noise just sounds like singing.

What if Alex kisses him? Michael’s lower lip tingles, and he bites at it to make it stop. He’s not some blushing virgin; just because Alex is tall and his dark eyeliner makes his eyes look even darker, doesn’t mean Michael should be acting like a princess.

Alex has never had a boyfriend, at least not that Michael knows about. Maybe Alex is a virgin. Maybe Michael could be his first—

The thought makes Michael’s heart skip a beat, and he almost slaps himself before remembering that he is, technically, in public. You’re getting way ahead of yourself, he thinks. Who says Alex wants to be anything more than friends? Maybe Alex doesn’t even want him just because he’s offering. Besides, Michael’s never been with a guy either, so maybe he’d be crap at it…

Great, now he’s just depressed.

“Dude, are you okay? You just went on one hell of a face journey.”

Michael startles bad for the second time tonight, but this time when he whirls around it’s just Max.

“Dude, you know not to sneak up on me.” He smacks Max lightly on the shoulder, and Max rolls with it, nodding.

“You’re right, I know. Seriously, though, you okay? Where have you been all night?”

“Spent most of it with Is, why?”

“Well, she was alone a little while ago when she drove off.”

“She left?”

“Yeah. Said she wasn’t feeling it or something.”

“She was fine when I left her. Hell, she was the one who told me to go.”

They face each other under the fairy lights. Max won’t stop staring. Michael’s skin feels too small for his body.

Finally, Max says, “I’m sure she’s fine. There are a hundred Isobel reasons why she’d want to leave early.”

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re probably right,” Michael replies, weak with relief. “How’re you going to get home? I’ve,” he runs his hand through the curls at the back of his neck, “made plans, but, uh, what about you?”

“I’ll figure something out.” Max’s voice trails off, his attention already wandering. “I don’t want to leave until Liz does, in case…”

Michael lets out a little bubble of laughter. Shine on you crazy diamond.

“Why don’t you go find her? I’m sure Valenti will stop pissing on her leg long enough for you to get in one dance. Also I’m meeting someone here, so like, would kind of love to not have my dork-ass brother hanging around.”

Max scoffs and shoves at Michael’s head. “Shut up. I’m the cool brother and you know that.”

“Uh huh, says who? Tolstoy? Dostoyevsky?”

“Sholokhov, plebian.”

“Ugh, you disgust me.”

Max laughs again. Then he glances up at the building, brow furrowed. Michael follows his line of sight, heart leaping when he sees Alex hurrying down the stairs, then plummeting into his stomach as Valenti and the rest of the starting line spill out in pursuit.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The night ends sudden after that. The football players disperse, and Max does too, either home or wherever Liz Ortecho went, Michael doesn’t really care. There’s a cold little grain of disappointment in his chest, but the skin of his shoulder still burns where Alex squeezed him as he left.

Michael trails his path out to the parking lot, in no particular hurry, now, for the night to end. Alex is long gone. Michael hopes Liz managed to give him some comfort before he drove away, left angry to a house that hates him, and—

He decides then and there that he’s going to the toolshed that night. He hadn’t been sure if he would before, not sure how taking Alex’s charity would affect things between them. But all he care about now is being there, being close enough that maybe it brings Alex a little peace, as if he can feel him, even if he doesn’t know he’s there.

Something rustles under his foot as he steps off the sidewalk, and he moves his foot aside to reveal a champagne-colored rose, delicate and tightly-furled. The same one that had been threaded through Alex’s buttonhole when they stood so close their chests nearly brushed.

Michael cups it in his hands like it might fly away. That night, he fills one of his cupholders full of water and floats it there for want of a vase.

And there it stays.

[jdgo51]

un Toward the Roar

Today's inspiration comes from:

Roar Like a Lion

by Levi Lusko

Editor's note: One of the great privileges of parenting, grandparenting, and being an auntie or uncle is sharing your faith with little ones. A great way to do that is to read devotions together and pull out the Bible! Devotionals for kids are some of our most popular! Enjoy this one and share with your favorite kids.

"'I am the Lord your God, who holds your right hand, and I tell you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I will help you.’ — Isaiah 41:13 NCV"'

"'When you hear the word lion, you might think of a big, fuzzy mane or super-sharp claws. Then, of course, there’s that whole “king of the jungle” thing. But chances are, the first thing you’ll think of is its roar.

A lion’s roar is big and loud and really scary. Especially if you happen to be a cute little gazelle trotting across the African plains. Just hearing that sound will send a gazelle running as far away from the roar as possible. Which is the worst thing it could do!

Why? Because that roaring lion isn’t where the most danger is. The real hunters are the lionesses, hiding in the tall grass behind the gazelle. You see, the lion’s job is to creep out in front of the gazelle and ROOAARR! — making it turn around and run right into the middle of all those lionesses. Gulp!

As crazy as it sounds, the safest thing for the gazelle is to run toward the roar.

That’s true for you too. When you run from the things that scare you — like trying something new, standing up for what’s right, or telling someone about God — you actually move closer to the danger. That’s because you’re moving closer to what the devil wants you to do and farther away from what God wants you to do.

Facing your fears is the best thing to do. And guess what! You’re not some cute little gazelle surrounded by lions and lionesses. You’re a child of God, and you’re always surrounded by Him. He’ll help you face your fears. Trust Him. Be brave. And run toward the roar!

GET READY TO ROAR!

Is something roaring in your life right now? Something you’re afraid to do? Maybe it’s trying out for the team, singing a solo, or inviting a friend to church. Or maybe it’s standing up to that older kid and telling him to leave the little kids on the bus alone. What’s the first step you could take to run toward the roar? Talk to God about it, and then run.

Dear God, when fear is roaring at me, please give me the courage to run toward the roar. Amen.

Facing your fears is the best thing to do.

CRAZY FEAR

I asked the Lord for help, and He answered me. He saved me from all that I feared. — Psalm 34:4 ICB

Some fears are perfectly logical. For example, if you take a step outside and see a giant, growling grizzly bear charging down the street and headed straight for you, it makes sense to be afraid. You might wonder how this huge, hairy beast happened to be on your street, but being afraid of it would be perfectly reasonable.

Other fears aren’t so logical. Like me and spiders. I hate those guys. In my head, I know I’m like a zillion times bigger than they are. I could squish one with my little toe — covered in a massive steel-toed boot, of course. But when I see a spider, all I can think about are those eight creepy little legs crawling up my arm. I know my fear is crazy, but if I see a spider, I’m outta here. And don’t get me started on snakes!

Maybe you have a crazy fear too. Maybe it’s a fear of numbers — which, by the way, is called arithmophobia. Or maybe it’s just the number eight — octophobia. Maybe you’re afraid of heights or speaking in front of people. Just because your fear seems crazy doesn’t mean you aren’t afraid.

But don’t let fear keep you from experiencing everything God has planned for you. Sure, there may be spiders in that cabin, but I’m not missing that camping trip. Don’t you miss out either — on riding the tallest roller-coaster ride, telling people about Jesus, or even visiting the octopus exhibit at the zoo. Give your fears — crazy or not — to God, and He’ll help you be brave.

DID YOU KNOW?

Some people aren’t just reasonably scared of bears; they are terrified of all kinds of bears. This fear is called arkoudaphobia.

I have no idea how to pronounce it, but I do know it means a fear of all kinds of bears — whether they’re angry grizzly bears, wandering black bears, or cute and cuddly panda bears. It even describes people who are afraid of teddy bears!

Lord, I don't want my fears — real or crazy — to keep me from all You have planned for me. I will trust You to help me be brave. Amen."'

Excerpted with permission from Roar Like a Lion by Levi Lusko, copyright Levi Lusko.

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

“The Lion King” (2019) - Thoughts/Review

So my sister, Ciara, and I went and saw the remake of The Lion King at the cinema where I work since I get free tickets and I didn’t really want to have to pay £20 just to watch a film I could easily watch at home. To add, my sister has been super sick recently and I felt it might be nice to treat her - even though she has been saying for weeks “they’ve ruined it, I can tell”. The original Lion King is Ciara’s favourite movie and we actually rewatched the original on Friday because it’s one we both love.  Ciara and I went in with absolutely zero expectations, thinking “it’ll be absolutely shit” based on what we’ve seen trailer/advert/clip wise.

I’m going to put my thoughts/feelings under a “read more”, just to be safe. Also, reminder that it’s just my opinion and that I can’t tell other people how to feel about the film.

So...it wasn’t as terrible as we expected it to be but it wasn’t a masterpiece like the original either.

They could have just reused the original “Circle of Life” as it was, really, but whatever.

Having said that, they could have frankly just lifted the entire audio of the animated film and animated the film to it instead of bringing in other cast members.

One of the first things my sister said was “where the fuck is Rafiki’s staff?”, and she kept saying it throughout the film, like it REALLY annoyed her that he didn’t have his stick with him the entire time.

Ciara said that the opening was the best part for her personally, I don’t know if that’s because nostalgia or because there was no talking, but that’s her thought on it.

BABY SIMBA IS SO SWEET OH MY GOODNESS

I love James Earl Jones but for some reason he just sounded...rather unbothered here. Like he was bored. Maybe it’s because hes old(er) now and he just doesn’t have the energy for it, maybe I was comparing his vocal performance here too much to his original one in 1994, but for some reason he just didn’t sound at all bothered or like the wise powerful King you can respect and fear.

I didn’t hate Scar’s new voice but I did feel like Jeremy Irons’ performance had more character to it, more sass/sarcasm. Here he just seemed a little..I don’t know. It was a little less sassy, if that makes sense.

It honest to God does feel like watching a nature documentary, like I was half expecting fucking David Attenborough to suddenly start talking over it to be honest. 

Baby Simba reminded me of our cat, Dave, and he was admittedly very cute. I also really loved the things that the lions did that reflected actual cat behaviour, like pouncing and stuff like that. 

Is it just me or did the filmmakers have the same issue as the original did in that they couldn’t decide what colour Nala’s eyes were? Like at one point I was like “oh, they’re actually green, cool”, but then in the next scene I was like “they’re brown?!” etc. 

I liked the hyenas in this, I like that they were allowed to make actual hyena cackles because real hyena cackles are creepy as fuck. I also really loved Shenzi, even if I do wish they’d brought Whoopi Goldberg back.

During “I just can’t wait to be King”, I couldn’t help but feel like it paled in comparison to the original. I know I’m talking about the original a lot, but that’s the issue with these remakes - they will always be compared to their original films. In the original, the cubs were jumping on top of animals, making big gestures, the colours were bright etc. Here it was just two cubs running around a watering hole, the colours just...normal. Muted even. The vocals were fine, but compared to the original it just wasn’t the same. 

My sister wanted to know why they didn’t bring back Rowan Atkinson as Zazu and I kind of have to agree. I found his woodpecker joke funny though.

I stand by what I said about Simba and Nala as cubs looking too similar. In the wild, yeah, that might be the case but this is a movie - the audience should be able to tell who is who. Eventually I think I understood which cub was which but that was only because they were talking and Simba is nearly-always in front. 

Nala’s “Simba, do you speak bird” had my sister giggling though, so there’s that.

There were moments where I could see the animals expressing some emotion but for the most part it was very uncanny. It was like those voices shouldn’t have been coming out of lions - which is kind of the point. That’s why the Lion King on screen works better as an animation instead of realistic CGI.

I’m assuming that they changed Ed a bit to be more politically correct since in the original he was a bit...not quite there. 

Unless they were talking, I could not tell which hyena was supposed to be which. The original three hyenas had very clear differences in their designs, whereas here they all look the same.

I did like the “Kings of the Past” scene under the stars - I think my sister and I both agree that it was very sweet.

Having said that, it went from broad daylight to dark as night in about two seconds and I can’t stand it because it should have been FAR more gradual.

Let’s have a moment of silence for “Be Prepared”. Somehow the best song from the original is the worst one in the remake because they cut 90% of it and turned it into a weird chant. It just makes it even more glaringly obvious that Jeremy Irons was a better Scar, to be honest. The beat is good but goddamit, the song deserved better.

I know Disney changed it because the original “Be Prepared” had sort of Nazi undertones but like...isn’t that the point? Scar is an evil dictator, it’s not like he’s a good guy. It’s like changing Chicken Run so that the farm isn’t operated like a concentration camp - it ruins the whole point.

I could be wrong but did they not use the “Mufasa has something he didn’t have before...a weakness” line? Because that was the line I heard in the adverts and thought was a good addition. 

THE GORGE SCENE JFC

Not gonna lie, I kinda miss Scar knocking Zazu out - though I suppose it makes sense for Zazu to get the lionesses (and where the frick were they then?!)

I audibly gasped when Mufasa was knocked over trying to help Simba off the tree branch like I KNEW what was coming but it genuinely still gets to me.

Mufasa REALLY had to jump carefully down the gorge, huh

Mufasa’s death gave me mixed feelings to be honest; the delivery of “Long Live the King” was disappointing. Like in the original it’s slowly said, so evil it gives you chills, whereas here it’s so...meh. And I had to try not to laugh still because I turned to my sister and just said, “...Did Scar just bitch-slap Mufasa off a cliff?!”

Okay, Simba in the gorge and finding his dad’s body, him calling for help... god fucking damn it. My sister was openly crying and saying “for fuck sake, I’ve seen the original a hundred times and it still gets to me!”. I was crying too...it’s just something about that baby lion calling for help as his dad lies dead on the floor...shit, it gets to you.

It also helps that Hans Zimmer composed the soundtrack again - it’s beautiful, but I think that because we’ve heard it before and associate it with the original, it adds to the feelings. Like I hear the “Stampede” soundtrack and immediately I think of Simba crying for help. 

I wish they had showed more fear on Simba’s face when Scar told him to run away - in the original, his ears are down, his eyes are wide, his posture/stance is clearly showing he’s terrified. Here he just looks a little...surprised.

OKAY BUT HOW DID SIMBA END UP ON THE LOWER PART OF THE CLIFF?! I DON’T...HOW?!

The imagery of Scar walking onto the ledge of Pride Rock as the hyenas surround the other lions is still super powerful, to be honest.

I wish Zazu had been trapped like in the original, like that was comedy gold and they missed it.

Disney really couldn’t have brought back Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella huh -_-

Look, I’m not a huge fan of Seth Rogen anyway - Sausage Party HAUNTS me to this day - but usually in voice over I find him more bearable. Not that I hate him that much but still... I would have felt ten times more generous about his Pumbaa voiceover if he hadn’t done his laugh. We ALL know the Seth Rogen laugh.

I still liked the dynamic between Timon and Pumbaa, even if my sister felt it wasn’t the same. 

Some absolutely GOLDEN lines were cut, and it should be a crime:  “he looks blue” “I’d say goldish-brown”.

THANK GOD they kept in “what’s a-motto with you?” though

“I got downhearted every time that I...farted, are you gonna stop me?!” “NO I AM NOT, YOU DISGUST ME” - wHAT. I mean...what?!

I’m glad there were a few other animals living in the jungle other than Timon and Pumbaa, like it makes more sense that there’s others living there. Having said that, I also liked the idea of them having this utopia to themselves in the original so...yeah.

My sister pointed out that the Timon-Pumbaa-Simba relationship was severely lacking in this film. In the original, you could tell that Timon and Pumbaa loved Simba dearly and that he was seen as a total equal. Here they seemed so much stand-offish even after living with him for so long.

“Yeah, you’ve grown 400 pounds since we started” - LMFAO THIS WAS A GOOD LINE OKAY

“Oh now he’s riffing” - honestly same, was it necessary XD

Ciara felt that the added scene showing Nala/the lionesses in the Pridelands/Nala leaving was unnecessary. In the original, you feel the shock with Simba when he returns because it’s the first time you see what a wasteland it has become. Here you don’t have that. It was clearly just to fill some extra time and get their money’s worth out of Beyonce, milking it for all they have.

The tension in that scene was nice though, and I sort of liked how a) Sarabi rejected Scar and b) how this was then a catalyst for Scar saying “the hyenas eat before the lions...but they don’t leave much behind”. Good addition that was.

Was the additional exposition showing a tuft of Simba’s mane journeying really necessary? Like we didn’t need to see a giraffe fucking eat it or a dung beetle rolling a ball of shit with the mane inside of it. Like come on, Disney, really? They clearly just wanted to show off that they could pull it off.

What’s that quote Jeff Goldblum says in Jurassic Park (I think?)? “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should”. THE SAME GOES FOR THE PEOPLE AT DISNEY, JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN, DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD

How did Rafiki see a random tuft of hair and immediately go “FUCK YEAH IT’S SIMBA HE’S ALIVE”, like he didn’t smell it (it would have smelt of shit though) or anything, he just looked at it and was like “SIMBA IS ALIVE”. HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW THAT.

“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” was a fucking delight, and my sister and I both sung/danced along to it, no regrets.

I jumped so hard when Nala just came out of nowhere and interrupted the song to be honest

The close-ups of Timon’s face in this film are hilarious to be honest - creepy but hilarious.

HOW DID NALA REALIZE IT WAS SIMBA RIGHT AWAY?! In the original she was like “who are you?” but now she just knew?! SHE THOUGHT SIMBA WAS DEAD BUT SHE SEES A RANDOM MALE LION AND IMMEDIATELY KNOWS THAT’S HER OLD BEST FRIEND WHO IS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD?! FUCK OFF

“Can You Feel the Love Tonight”...hmmm. Sorry, I gotta have a whole separate section for this.

Firstly...TONIGHT. CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT, DISNEY. IT’S AT NIGHT TIME. IN THE EVENING. AT LEAST PUT A FUCKING SUNSET OR SOMETHING TO SHOW IT’S EVENING.

Don’t get me wrong, the animation was beautiful, but jesus christ, it’s set at NIGHT TIME. How do you fuck that up?! It’s literally IN the damn song.

My sister and I are really not Beyonce fans, I’m sorry. Ciara literally leaned over and whispered “I’m going to sing the song myself to block out Beyonce”, that’s how much she despised it.

Look, Beyonce is a singer and yeah, she’s a strong singer. No one is disputing that. Do I think she’s overrated? Absolutely, but I can admit she can sing. She is NOT a voice actress and she should NOT be voicing a character like Nala. Every time she spoke, I just missed Moira Kelly’s performance from the original even more.

Beyonce’s voice just doesn’t fit the song. She was overpowering Donald Glover far too much - it was like he was a backup singer in a song meant to be a duet. A duet is supposed to have the two voices melding together and harmonizing to create a beautiful sound - not one person taking over and making it all about them

Okay but why the fuck does Seth Rogen sound like Kermit right at the end of the song? 

Anyway, moving on back to the rest of the film:

Another moment of my sister saying “BUT WHERE IS HIS STICK, HE HAS TO WACK PEOPLE WITH IT”

Disney really cut out the stick metaphor where Rafiki hits Simba and says “it hurts, yes, but it’s in the past”. Like COME ON DISNEY. That’s one of the key moments for god’s sake!

So they could animate Simba’s mane-hair being rolled along the ground in giraffe shit but NOT Mufasa in the clouds? LMFAO OKAY WHATEVER

Jesus Christ Disney, did you HAVE to put that “Spirit” song over Simba going back to the Pridelands?! It just a) doesn’t fit the scene and b) comes out of nowhere. Like nowhere else in the film is there a moment like that, so why now? 

Unpopular Opinion: “Spirit” is a bad song and my sister agrees. Everyone’s kissing Beyonce’s ass about it but me, my mum and my sister have all on separate occasions heard it and said “wow that’s fucking shit”. 

I miss the slo-mo of Simba running through the desert more than ever. Couldn’t we have just had a recreation of that scene with the same music and NOT Beyonce’s random song ruining it?

I had a feeling they would cut out the Hula dance thing but it still annoys me because that is ICONIC

My sister and I were both far too happy when Rafiki took his stick out of the tree, like we were like “FINALLY”

Instead Timon and Pumbaa start singing “Be Our Guest” and like...Why?! Is this a joke just for Disney fans? BATB and TLK aren’t even set in the same continent, for a start, let alone being a part of the same story, so how the hell does Timon know it? I mean, it’s hilarious if you’re a Disney fan but just...why? It makes absolutely zero sense. 

Sarabi still manages to be a badass Queen and I love it

The vocals during the big reveal scene really weren’t anywhere NEAR the standard of the original, especially on Scar’s part. It just felt so weak compared to Matthew Broderick and Jeremy Irons, to be honest.

Why...Why does Nala suddenly have beef with Shenzi? Just...yeah, Shenzi and like 50 other hyenas tried to eat Nala (and Simba) as a cub but like...why does Nala suddenly have personal beef with her based on that one interaction? They don’t even LOOK at each other again until this moment in the film.

The battle was cool, I guess, but maybe I’m just super blood-thirsty and gory so...who knows. The Simba/Scar fight was especially good.

I wish Rafiki using his stick was more karate/martial arts like the original, here it’s just like he’s flailing it about randomly

I did like that they reused the part where Scar basically flings smoldering soot/ash/rock into Simba’s face. Like that’s the kinda dirty tactic I live for.

“You were right about one thing, Scar...a hyena’s belly is never full” - OH SHIT, MY WIG WAS SNATCHED OH MY LORD WHAT A LINE

The hyenas eating Scar is so dark in the original and it’s even darker here because it looks so real, like I genuinely felt horrified watching it even though you don’t see anything.

Towards the end when Simba nuzzled two of the lionesses, I couldn’t tell which one was supposed to be Sarabi and which was supposed to be Nala.

THAT MUSIC AS SIMBA BECOMES KING, THANK YOU HANS ZIMMER FOR NOT LETTING US DOWN 

Okay but I genuinely want to know if the baby cub at the end is Kopa, Kiara or Kion. Disney can’t seem to make up their minds about Simba and Nala’s cub so...yeah. It could literally be any of them at this rate.

I had no idea that the first credits song was Elton John, and I miss his renditions of Circle of Life/Can You Feel the Love Tonight even more, like those are arguably two of the best Elton John songs.

THEY USED “He Lives in You” AS AN END CREDIT SONG AND I WANT TO WATCH THE LION KING 2 AGAIN

So here’s the thing...it wasn’t as horrendous as I thought it would be, and Ciara agrees. Ciara is arguably the one to ask about Lion King matters since it’s literally her favourite film (having said that, for the longest time I thought her favourite was Tangled so...). It was nowhere near the standard of the original, and you could definitely just stay at home and watch the original and get more out of it then paying £30 at the cinema (far more if you’re a family). Some of the jokes fell sort of flat, some of them worked, it was a bit of a mix. 

For the most part, the new voices weren’t too bad but none of them were better than the original voice actors. I honestly don’t understand why they didn’t bring back Matthew Broderick, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, Jeremy Irons, Rowan Atkinson, Ernie Sabella, Whoopi Goldberg etc. Obviously I know at least two of the original voice actors died (the ones for Sarabi and Rafiki) but why replace the ones who are still alive? I just...I don’t understand to be honest. Having more members of the original cast would have definitely triggered nostalgia for the adults watching the trailer/adverts and made them want to watch it more. 

I didn’t hate it as much as I expected to. I don’t think I would want to pay to see it again (so if I do end up seeing it again, it’ll probably be at my place and for free) but it was cute and I can understand why parents would want to bring their kids to watch it. I did feel super nostalgic but afterwards, I kind of just wanted to go home and watch the original again. And I literally rewatched it three days ago. 

It’s definitely not a masterpiece like the original was - none of the remakes are up to the standard of their original movies, but The Lion King is definitely nearer the bottom of my list in terms of how good a movie it is. Like I said, it wasn’t anywhere near as terrible as I thought it would end up being - I fully expected to want to leave halfway through and to have a raging headache, but that was not the case. It was a fine way to pass the afternoon, no doubt, and I think I ate too much food whilst I was there, but other than that...yeah, you get the idea.

If nothing else, it has adorable lion cubs in it so that’s a big plus I guess.