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novantinuum · 4 years ago

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Corruption + Pathophysiology concepts

So, I learned a few new terms and concepts this week in my Mechanisms of Disease class, and I believe there’s some interesting applications one can make between these human medical concepts and SU’s concept of corruption- specifically, when showing how Steven’s condition in I Am My Monster can indeed be referred to as corruption despite having a different origin to other examples of corruption we’d seen before.

Before I get into the fandom stuff though, we need to talk shop about some cool pathophysiology words! Let’s go do that.

Term 1: Etiology

Etiology refers to the precise cause of a disease or disorder. Now, one of the important pieces of knowledge I’ve had reinforced in this class is that some diseases/disorders can have multiple causes.

An example: Meningitis.

This disease can be caused by one of many species of bacteria, viruses, some fungi, and even by parasitic tapeworms. These are all wildly different sources, but in the end- if all the signs and symptoms of meningitis are there, and the etiology points to a documented meningitis-causing pathogen, the likely diagnosis WILL be meningitis.

Term 2: Idiopathic

Idiopathic is what one calls a disease/disorder wherein the precise cause, or etiology, is unknown. Sometimes, individuals develop some form of disease/disorder and doctors may not be able to pinpoint the specific root cause of it. In that case, their goal is still to recognize and understand the signs and symptoms of it, and work off of what they DO know to try and alleviate one’s signs/symptoms.

Term 3: Clinical manifestations

This term refers to all the presenting signs and symptoms of a disease/disorder. Signs are measurable and directly observable- such as rashes, fevers, increased blood pressure, etc. Symptoms are patient-reported, subjective, and not able to be directly observed or measured- such as a headache, fatigue, etc.

Term 4: Disease/disorder

I also think the specific definitions of disease and disorder are important to clarify before I move forward-

A disease is the functional impairment of cells, tissues, organs, or organ systems.

Whereas a disorder is a disruption of the normal or regular functions in the body or a part of the body.

__ OKAY, and now to the fandom related stuff!

So. Thesis. When it comes to corruption, my analysis is that it can be considered a Gem disorder that has a collective set of recognizable symptoms, but many potential etiologies.

First off, Gems of course don’t have physical bodies, organs, and cells, but they do have a physical gemstone, and their hard light forms have clear functional abilities that can sometimes become impaired.

Some of these functional abilities include:

Retaining a stable form

Shapeshifting

Communicative ability

Mental cognizance

Access of powers

Corruption disrupts many of these functions. Thus, considering the definitions of disease and disorder, I believe disorder would be the most accurate way to refer to corruption, looking at it from a human medical perspective. (While also recognizing that it’s a fantasy alien condition, and thus won’t perfectly align to human standards.)

As a disorder, corruption presents a number of recognizable signs and symptoms, which include:

Loss of control over form and shape- a corrupted individual’s form may physically expand, develop spikes/tusks/fangs/new body parts, or grow thicker hair. On top of this, upon reformation, this individual is not successfully able to revert to their original form.

Loss of communication ability- a corrupted individual expresses trouble with verbal communication.

Loss of full mental cognizance- a corrupted individual is not completely aware of themselves and their surroundings, caught in what may be considered a “fight or flight” mindset.

Sometimes, but not in all cases- the development of atypically colored splotches on one’s form or gemstone

The only known successful treatment for those who exhibit the symptoms of corruption is exposure to water that contains the essences of all four diamonds.

Now, moving on- Etiology.

From what we’ve seen in Steven Universe and Steven Universe Future, and considering the the situations in these shows that exhibit these clinical manifestations, we can confidently say that corruption has three distinct etiologies:

1) It can be caused by direct damage from the Diamonds. (All the corrupted Gems on Earth.)

2) It can be caused by fusing with a currently corrupted Gem. (Jasper.)

3) It can be caused by a state of extreme mental distress and distortion of self-image. (Steven.)

Now, when it comes to the third etiology, a point of clarification- it cannot be confidently PROVEN whether this cause is something that could arise from any Gem or just from a diamond since we only have one case as an example, but given the fact that we didn’t see any of the CGs randomly corrupt when they were going through mental turmoil, my personal hypothesis is that: it’s either a diamond or a Steven exclusive thing. But again, with only one recorded statistic to work with, we can’t really make any certain statements.

So. Let’s talk Steven’s corruption, and why I believe it wholly counts as such.

The symptoms Steven exhibits in I Am My Monster are: loss of control over form and shape, loss of communication ability, and loss of full mental cognizance. His form shifts until he’s larger than all of the Diamonds, he grows spikes and tusks and scales, he looses his ability to communicate verbally, and he expresses a great deal of mental confusion about his state, attempting to rush at his family and friends out of sheer fight/flight and survival instincts without wholly understanding what’s going on. He doesn’t develop splotches on his gem, but this is a manifestation that doesn’t always appear. It’s like the spotted rash in Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever- not every patient with this disease exhibits it, and it sometimes makes diagnosis tricky.

I don’t believe the Gems had any idea what specifically triggered him to fall into this state at first, nor did the Diamonds. Thus, initially they might have thought of Steven’s corruption as idiopathic. But when Blue Diamond first saw him, she recognized the signs and symptoms of corruption- and so, the most logical first step is to attempt to treat this condition like it IS corruption. The treatment of course, being exposure to water that contains the essences of all four Diamonds. Which means, with Steven being one of those diamonds, they must bring out his humanity so he can cry, adding in his own healing addition to that final elixir.

In sum: What happened to Steven in SUF was an example of corruption, despite having a different root cause than the other examples of this Gem disorder we’d previously seen in the show.

#su #su future #steven universe #su meta #corrupted steven theory #(not a theory anymore but this is v much on that topic so)#my post stuff #long post

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dancingthesambaa · 3 years ago

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The Smell of Plum Blossom Tea Ch 19

Summary: Just like a butterfly wing, a single act of kindness can change the course of the future, it certainly did for MK as a black furred monkey put out a hand towards him.

Rating: Teen and up

Chapter 19: Got Your Back (And Maybe Your Heart)

“Okay let me get this straight-”

“No one here is, but go on.”

“Hush, I’m still mad at you,” Tang gave a stink eye to the Kappa before turning back to Macaque. “So let me get this straight, so not only are you the same Six Eared Macaque that has fought the Monkey King and the deity that’s known as the Wandering Healer-”

“Not actually a deity,” he inputted.

“Whatever, but I’ve been coming here for years and just now I find out that there are mythical deities and magical plants within the forest! The Yao grass that is said to be a component to the Immortality Pills, an actual Qilin living here?! And the brown bunny and that little shit stain, who probably wants to laugh his ass off, is actually a Kitsune and spirit!”

“Guilty as charged,” the Shui Gui chortled.

“Pretty much,” the monkey shrugged his shoulders.

“Yup,” Ní nodded in her fox form.

“…I am both very angry and very excited,” he grumbled. “Do you know how many questions I have?! Do you know how many things I could have tested? Do you know how long I have wanted to meet someone like you guys? Do you know how many questions I have?!”

“I think you already said that,” said the water spirit though he froze as he saw an ominous glint in his eyes.

“Oh yes I did, because by the time I leave here,” he mysteriously whipped out his phone, “I will have all my questions answered.”

“Just how many do you have?” Macaque cautiously asked.

Tang said nothing as he instead showed a folder containing many files within them. “Quite a few. Quite. A. Few.”

All three immortals, the ones who have faced many fierce opponents throughout their life, gulped at the looming trials ahead.

“Fuck,” they all unanimously said.

It was cold, damp, and thoroughly disgusting with all of the worthless piles of junk lying around, but she supposed she would have to work with what she had under these…conditions.

Lady Bone Demon quietly walked through the open sewer as she attempted to distinguish where exactly she should strike next while her underling, who has been waiting for all these years, searches for the one item she hasn’t quite found.

It was quite tricky, to say the least, all the rest of the ingredients she needed to procure, albeit a bit rare, would be much easier to obtain even if those incompetent bugs mess it up. It won’t be too hard to find a replacement for those, she just decided on them for the proximity, she does not desire to leave the city before she achieves her prize. The last item though is something that is an ingredient that is not so easily replaceable, so she will need to take her time and look through every crack and back alley down until she does.

It was quite irritating, from the conditions she found herself into the annoying bugs that seem to think they are above her to Sun Wukong.

Sometimes she just wished that she could be over and done with this little game entirely and reach the end, but alas that’s not how life works. But she will admit that it will be fun watching them all struggle to get one step ahead of her, though she can’t decide which one she’ll enjoy more, Sun Wukong look when she finally drains him of every last bit of power and torture what he cherishes in front of his very eyes or Spider Queen expression as she stabs her in the back when she becomes the component to her plans. Both sound absolutely delightful when the time comes, but for that to happen she suppose she will have to achieve this the long way, no shortcuts or cheats allowed.

But she doesn’t mind the wait, after all, she had been imprisoned for over five hundred centuries.

She has nothing but time and she intends to play this little game all the way to the end.

“So your not just some random ass immortal,” Macaque bluntly said when Shen met up with him again.

“Took you that long to figure that out,” the frizzy hair old man laughed.

“Well, how am I supposed to know that you were literally giving me Immortal wine when I have never tasted it before you all but shoved it to me?” He grumbled as he held the bottle of very rare wine once more. “You know I don’t really need this, I am still perfectly immortal without it.”

“Oh I know, Yama sometimes grumbled about it from time to time when we get together. Gods know he wants to strangle Sun Wukong's scrawny neck when he gets the chance,” he said while drinking some of the wine.

“You regularly drink with the King of the Dead?” He deadpanned, “Who the fuck are you? Cause that right there shows that you're not just a regular ass deity.”

“Hmm I’ll tell you if you tell me how you figured out how to make the Immortality pills,” he smirked at the monkey still look.

“What do you mean?”

“I may be old, but I can smell a lot of the ingredients for the pills in this forest alone. Yao grass, Biya berries, Voya roots, Gracidea flowers, just to name a few,” he tapped his nose.

“Can’t really hide the smell,” he clicked his teeth. “Alright fine I’ll talk, but you better keep your end of the deal.”

“Will do.”

And so they talked and talked and when Shen spoke of who he was Macaque all but threw the bottle in his hand.

“What the fuck Ping?!” He hissed out as he had to stop himself from bashing his head against the tree. “How the fuck?!”

“He was an interesting one,” he laughed. He met his old friend by the river where he was doing his laundry, they spoke and then he found himself another drinking buddy.

Macaque’s eyes twitched as he just slumped over and groaned loudly. “What the fuck!”

Shen just laughed wildly next to him.

“Yeah yeah laugh it up,” he hissed before letting out a sigh and sat himself up. “Shit I don’t know if I can ask you this but I might as well fucking try?”

“Hmm?” He curiously questioned.

“I may need something soon that I can’t quite get on normal means and I think-no I know I will need your help to get it,” he asked with an almost pleading voice.

“Hmm, why do you need it?” He noted the tone in his voice but didn’t say a word about it.

“There is a demon that wants to take over the land and almost nobody would be able to stop her,” the simian admitted.

“Eh, there will always be some creature that wants to take over the world, been there, seen that, but that never really happens now does it,” he easily dismissed it as he leaned in closer, “but why do you need it?”

“Because there are people that I want to protect and I know that they will be the ones that will be fighting against that monster and like hell I am letting them do this alone,” he growled.

“Oh now I have your reason, so here’s another question. How much are you willing to give for my favor?”

“Anything,” he determinedly said.

“Anything you say? Even your life?” His green eyes challenged his violet ones.

“Yes,” he replied with no hesitation as the question didn’t even make him flinch.

There was a long silence as both beings stared the other down until the red haired man broke off his gaze and chuckled lightly.

“…hehehe, always knew Ping was fond of the stubborn ones,” he grinned.

“Ping is an old coot with the perchance of running into the weirdest fucking things,” he huffed as the air around them seem to settle down.

“You're not wrong,” he nodded. “Alright I’ll help ya, but next time I drop by I expect some high quality drinks.”

“Tch, fine you alcoholic bastard. Hope you don’t mind Plum wine, have a few sitting for a couple of centuries.”

“Are you kidding? The longer the age, the better it is! It’s like you don’t know me sapling,” he said with a mock hurt expression.

“I mean I might as well as you just told me who the fuck you are!” He threw his hands in the air.

“But you know my wine tastes!”

“You've only given me one kind of wine bastard!”

“Still!”

“Don’t you fucking pout you overgrown child!”

“Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!” MK cursed as he dashed his way through the volcanic land and ducked from a large fiery boulder aimed straight towards him. “Why does this happen to me!?”

Now you may be wondering how and why MK found himself stuck in the volcano arena, well he was visiting one of the more interesting customers he had delivered to before, as in she was trying to learn more about magic, with Red and Mei. Which is cool and all, especially since she has mastered how to change her hair color on will, but she was showing him her more advanced spells. Now it was very fun with the Bull Prince trying to explain to the young girl how each spell works and how much energy must be put into it. They were even going to try out a new spell together, but the thing about her is that while she does have quite a bit of talent, she is extremely clumsy. As she took a step forward and accidentally pushed him into the symbol on the ground and then ‘poof’ he teleported right in the middle of the fire imp territory.

Usually, this wouldn’t be a problem, he can handle a few enemies on his own and he did with such ease that not even a scratch was laid on him. It’s just that the problem was that they all happened to be a bit too loud and woke up a humanoid creature that was three times his size, entirely made up of molten magma and rock crystals, and looked very pissed.

Needless to say all of them booked it as fast as they could, but unfortunately it had their eyes on one creature that looked different from the rest.

“Seriously!” He yelled as he climbed up the mountain and quickly hid and he held his burnt side. He knows that he is quick on his feet, but even he can’t dodge all of those boulders and swipes aimed at him. It doubly hurts as he can feel the burning of the magma touch his skin, he desperately wants an ice bath when he escapes this.

SMASH

But until then he will continue to make his way to the ocean ahead where he hopes that it would be enough to stop the beast in its tracks. He will swim all the way back home if he has to, he can deal with the sickness later after he saves his skin.

He felt the beast let out a devastating roar and a glance back he saw the creature lift the largest boulder that he didn’t even think he could dodge. So, he instead prepared himself as he was about to bring out his staff when-

“Here comes Jade Dragon/ Blazing Bull!” Twin voices shouted as the next second two terrifying forces slammed into the creature and with a pained roar he flew back.

He blinked as he saw Mei and Red Son, one who is surrounded by ethereal viridian energy and the other encaptured in a fiery crimson aura, jump in front of him protectively.

“MK/Noodle boy! Are you okay?!” Both of them have been trudging through not only ashes clogging their lungs and spot marking their skins, but also all different types of books and ruins trying to find the right activation phrase to reopen the portal to where their friend had disappeared to. They were tired, dirty, clothes ripped, and pissed off, but in MK eyes they were the most beautiful people he has ever seen as he couldn’t stop the blush forming on his cheeks as he took in their perfectly disheveled appearance, the muscles peeking from their ripped sleeves, sweat dripping from their face, and the worried look in their gorgeous eyes.

“Y-Yep!” He involuntarily squeaked. ‘I really should not have read some of those romance books with Jin,’ he thought as he cleared his throat. “I mean yeah, yeah you guys are perfect-I mean you got here at perfect timing!” He nervously said as he rubbed the back of his neck and tried to avoid eye contact.

“You sure you didn’t hit your head along the way,” she lightly teased as she kept a firm stance in front of him.

“Would be an improvement,” he smirked, but his eyes didn’t leave the Cherufu dazed form.

“Heyyy,” he whined before he realized what they said before, “Do you guys have names and you didn’t tell me!”

“Umm.”

“We’ll you see-”

“They are so cool!” His eyes sparkled, “they fit you both so perfectly, and the way you guys came in and shouted it made the scene even more awesome!”

Both of them couldn’t stop both smiles and blushes as their smaller friend, and small crush, kept on praising them, but unfortunately, their little bubble popped as the beast roared once more.

“Tch,” Mei irritably clicked her tongue at the beast ride interruption, showing off her fangs (after countless of honing to both tracing and the dragon sword, she was more than ecstatic to see that she matched with both of her boys) “I actually forgot about that.”

“You mean the walking miniature mountain that was just chasing me down,” MK huffed as he shook his head. Hopefully, the two would just blame his fluster on the heat and not drift towards the thought that he may like them more than friends.

“Yeah that.”

“You both need to really get up to speed with your Mythical beings,” Red grunted as he opted to not use his fire against the creature made of lava.

“Says the one who never knew what Advil was,” MK muttered.

“It’s not my fault you mortals inconsistently change their names for no reason!” He hissed as his hair flared up.

“Surrrreee,” both mortals said.

“Let’s just focus on getting out of here.”

“You just don’t want to admit that your wrong~”

“Shut it!

“And where do you think you're going?” Wukong flinched as he heard Macaque's voice behind him.

“Oh you know, just a little road trip,” he smiled wider than normal as he quickly turned around to hide his suitcase, “I thought that it was time I get off of my mountain and see what else I missed.”

“Uh Huh,” he noncommittally said as he casually walked forward, “and you just decided that right this week?”

“Yep!”

“Just out of the blue.”

“You know it!”

“With no thoughts in mind.”

“None whatsoever!”

“Sunny, I know you’re bullshitting me,” he bluntly said.

“Whattt?” He nervously laughed, “I’m serious, I am just going to go sightseeing for a bit and-”

“You still have that same tell when you lie, you know. Smiling too widely,” he pointed out.

“I thought I got that under control,” he muttered to himself and sighed, “alright yeah, you caught me. I was gonna go out and look for a weapon to stop her, but I have to do this, Lady Bone Demon is not someone to trifle with. You know how she can easily command someone under her will and that was when she just got out of centuries of captivity! Imagine what she could accomplish once she regains more and more power! I just can’t sit here and wait for that to happen.”

“I know, that’s why you're not doing it alone,” he pointed out.

“Huh?”

“Did you really think that talk we had the other day was just a one off thing? No no no, there are so many people and demons solely invested in this, because what Spider Queen did really pissed off a lot of people and they want revenge on not only her, but those who helped her,” he said as summoned a map and showed him. “Just see for yourself.”

The monkey took the map and he became confused about what he was looking at. “There’s just a bunch of doodles in certain areas.”

“Those are the areas that have been hit and investigated thoroughly, the ones with X are the no goes of anything suspicious or useful, the ones with question marks are the clues or hints, and the few with checks are the ones where they found positive report and/or confirmation on successful supplies that we need. All of these are for finding the necessary materials to end the Bone Demon life once and for all.”

Wukong's eyes were wide at the end of his statement, “You know how to destroy her?! How long were you planning this? How have you managed to search all of these areas?”

“Well, it helps that I have so many favors stacked up from my former clients. I usually don’t care what they pay me, but usually, it’s in either money, food, or favors and I have a lot of those. I mean just Po and his students alone have them all checking the western areas for it by themselves. He says it’s a good training exercise for them, but I think he just wants a break from those brats. And for your first one, we’ll ever since BK got possessed the family has promised vengeance upon her, and Queen Iron Fan happens to have knowledge of a permanent kill switch to ending that demon life,” he said as he showed him the formula.

Wukong examined it and after a while, he nodded his head and faintly said, “Yeah…yeah that might actually work…there is something to destroy her.” He still couldn’t believe his eyes, but it was right there in front of him, then the first part of his words hit him, “Wait, that long?”

“Yes that long,” he said with exasperation, “Am I the only one who found it fucking weird that the Demon Bull King, one of the strongest beings in the realm, got possessed out of fucking nowhere? That right there was already suspicious by itself and the ominous whispers were sure not helping her case, that just added it on. So we decided to get to the bottom of this and boy is this one deep chasm we got ourselves into.”

“It really is,” he agreed as he looked over the map and saw that some of the places that were marked were the ones he was going to go to, even some that only celestial beings can access, “You already investigated these realms?”

He looked over to see what he was pointing at and nodded, “Yeah, pretty much. As I said, I have clientele all over and I don’t really restrict unless they have really done something so fucked up that I would rather kill them.”

“You have favors with Celestial deities,” he emphasized.

“Just some minor ones,” the doctor tried to brush it off, but judging by his friend's look, it wasn’t going to be easy.

“Celestial. Deities.”

“How about we talk about this later.”

“Oh we are so talking about this later, but I still have to do this. I have to make sure that she doesn’t cause any more harm to people anymore, this is my duty that I have to do-”

“You're not understanding!” He gripped his hair in frustration. “I literally gave you a map and you still don’t understand what I’m trying to say!”

“What!” He threw his hands in the air, “What can you possibly-”

“You aren’t alone dumbass!” He hissed out and froze the Monkey Sage.

“Wha-” he was cut off once more by a furious finger poking his chest at each word Mac hissed out.

“You. Are. Not. Alone. I don’t know how many different ways I have to say this, but if it gets through your thick skull then god damn it, I will.”

“I-”

“I know what you were about to do, you were about to galavant off and try to do everything on your own and not say a single word to nobody like a stupid martyr, cause apparently this is a shared trait between you and MK about being so self sacrificial that you wish to take on the burden yourself! Well fuck that! I’m putting my foot down for both of you, you don’t have to recklessly go out there and hope that one of them will stick!”

“What else am I supposed to do!” He leaped to his feet, “I basically serve no purpose other than this glorified title of hero, which I am really sick of hearing, and that Bone witch could strike at any moment and we won’t be prepared. If I leave the city then that would mean that not only would I be faster on looking for the weapon, but I would be far away from her and her attempt to sap my power.”

“But you would also be away from the city and by the time you come back, there might not be anything left to come back to,” he said with a final tone. “No one would be able to stand against her, not the demons, not the people, not MK, not the Bull Family, not even me. We would all fall by the time the morning sun rises if we tried to face her head on. We would all be corpses below her feet.”

The Monkey King stilled as the morbid images flooded into his head.

City in ruins.

Bodies sprawled everywhere.

Familiar faces all dead eyed.

Bodies collapsed.

Heart stilled

His precious student.

All of his tribe members.

The rambunctious Demon quartet.

His family to the West.

The headstrong Dragon successor.

Demon Bull with his wife and son.

Yanyu surrounded by her siblings.

Macaque

They're all dead.

Dead

Deaddeaddeadeadeadeadeadead

“Wukong!” He snapped out of his thoughts by black furred hands and looked up to see Macaque worried Violet (alive there so alive and bright, so so bright and alive) eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I’m-” he stopped himself and remend what he was about to say, “I will be fine…I’ll stay.”

The Six Eared monkey let out a sigh of relief, “Good, that’s good. Sorry for putting that image in your head.”

“No, no I needed to hear that. I-I can’t be impulsive, not right now, not when things are becoming dangerous, I need to think things through,” he sighed as he sat down.

“You're not going to be out of the loop, you are the one who knows where a weapon may be hidden, so you can easily tell them which spot to tackle more thoroughly,” he reassured him as he sat by him.

“That would be more efficient than me just searching one at a time, okay I’ll do that,” he let out a small puff of air and managed a small smirk, “I guess that’s why I have you in my life, you somehow manage my little quirks.”

“‘Little quirks’ is an understatement,” he deadpans and leans on him, “but yeah we do fit well for some odd reason.”

“Like peaches and congee,” he grins.

“I think you are the only ones who actually dip it into the food.”

“Oh like I haven’t seen you do the same with mango,” he pointed out.

“There’s a difference okay! It just tastes better that way,” he huffed.

“Surrrre it does,” he drawled out.

“It does.”

“Whatever you say.”

#lego monkie kid #monkie kid #mk #macaque #PlumTeaAU

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uwua3 · 4 years ago

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may I request taichi with friend/crush reader? reader asked taichi to help them dye their hair, and while the hair dye is processing they start to awkwardly flirt/joke with each other to the point that they don't notice how much time passed and the dye became too dark. i'm sorry if this is too specific, but thank you so much in advance if you do write it! take care! c:

hi hi, anon~ ☆ thank you so much for requesting! this made me sososo #Happy because taichi deserves all the love in the world 💗 !! ∪･ω･∪ please give our baby puppy nanao your heart 🥺👉🏻👈🏻 he deserves it! you also deserve love, anon~ ‧⁺◟( ᵒ̴̶̷̥́ ·̫ ᵒ̴̶̷̣̥̀ ) please accept all my #Love 💖✨ for this prompt! thank you for everything, i love you lots, okay? :D 💕

summary: when your best friend, taichi, texts you there’s an emergency, you come running to a bad hair day

author’s note: please love taichi lots, reader! that’s all~ have a good rest of your day and remember taichi & i will always love you sososo much !! (>◡<♡).:｡

word count: 3,055

music: dream boy – waterparks

bad hair day!

🍁🛹 nanao taichi

“where is he?!”

sakyo stared down at you, opening the door after waking up to repetitive pounding that nearly shook the whole dorm

you were still in your pajamas and out of breath—did you run over here?

before sakyo could angrily swear at you for making no sense just past midnight, you ducked underneath his arm and escaped around the corner

although some dorm lights were on, most of the rooms were pitch black as expected of it being a school day tomorrow. you were about to sprint into the slightly ajar door of room 105 before omi stepped out, an amused smile greeting you

“taichi’s in the bathroom, if you’re looking for him.” omi gestured towards the shared bathrooms at the end of the hallway, to which you gratefully thanked him and ran off again

(omi looked after you, a smile upon his tired expression. “kids these days.” omi yawned, heading back into his dorms and shutting the door softly behind him)

you didn’t take as much consideration into your actions before you slid into the communal bathroom, slamming the door behind you with uncontrollable force. you leaned against it, panting as you finally saw him

nanao taichi was sitting near the sink with three (3) boxes of random hair dye on the counters, very obviously confused and distressed

“taichi, what’s the emergency?!”

“my hair dye isn’t the right shade!”

“... are you serious?”

this was it. it was hair–dye day

except this time, it wouldn’t be just taichi’s hair transformation—you were getting a new look, too!

how did you get yourself into this mess exactly? maybe sleepily reading an urgent message from your best friend late at night declaring he was having an “emergency” wasn’t a good idea after all...

there was something about taichi’s big puppy eyes that couldn’t make you say no despite all your frustration, so here you were, tiredly following an overexcited boy down the aisles of the local convenience store

did i mention it was way too late? on a school day, by the way? i didn’t, well, now you know!

“taichi,” you called out, rubbing the sleepiness from your eyes and tried not to wince at the bright led lights of the display. taichi barely paid attention, humming an incoherent answer as he browsed the rainbow shelf of hair dyes in front of him

“don’t you think... we should wait until tomorrow?” taichi seemed to process your words a moment late, because he turned towards you, bewildered as if you were the crazy one

yeah, you were crazy. taichi definitely wasn’t holding three wildly different boxes of hair dye and debating between all of them. he also definitely didn’t mislead you into thinking something happened when all he had was s bad hair day. you knew you had to intervene or else his usual red would become kazunari’s palette

“tomorrow? what’s wrong with now?”

“it’s almost midnight, we have school in nearly seven hours, and i know for a fact you didn’t do your homework.”

(taichi flinched at that and you were unsatisfied to see you were right, as always)

“i know that, but!—” “it’s midnight.” “hey, new day, new you, right?” “we have school in a few hours.” “think of how cool you’ll be showing up with dyed hair!” “you have homework.”

“i know, i know,” taichi shrugged, holding the boxes up to his line of sight with serious consideration as he glanced at you. with one look at your tiredness, taichi put the red cart down and completely faced you, putting his hands on your shoulders with a pout

“come on, don’t be like that!” taichi whined, nearly stomping his feet when you just huffed and looked away. jumping so he stayed in your view, it was like a pet wanting attention and using its cuteness as its charm

“hey, hey, look at me, please~?” taichi dragged out, moving his hands so they cupped your cheeks. he made you look at him and all you saw was a backwards baseball cap on a head of nearly half black hair and wide cyan eyes. he looked fully awake, you wondered where his infectious energy came from

“turn that frown, upside down!” taichi turned the corners of your lips up with his pointer fingers, making you automatically smile with the way his giggle got louder. “that’s my best friend!” taichi patted your cheeks again and bounced back down to his heels, rocking back and forth on his worn down sneakers

“look at us! we’re two high schoolers about to make an impulsive decision! nothing could go wrong!” taichi laughed and although there were a million things that could’ve gone wrong, you just sighed with a smile on your face

“you’re right.” you said even if he wasn’t. taichi just picked the cart back up and tilted his head towards the dyes, asking for your opinion on what colors you liked

you chose red, too. when taichi questioned why curiously, you patted his head and responded with, “so we can match!”. the boxes of hair dye you both bought were red just like taichi’s face when you answered honestly

sneaking back into the bathroom to avoid the “you have school” lecture from a very pissed off sakyo who still couldn’t go back to sleep, you and taichi failed at hushed whispers. everything felt like a joke and it didn’t exactly help taichi found everything you did hilarious and comical

setting down the boxes like it was second nature, taichi let out a sound of excitement at the colors. even if you were running on little to no sleep, you felt the same with the adrenaline of looking like a new person in just a few hours

“we’re gonna look so cool!” taichi squealed, taking his time mixing the dye color with the bowl and brush quickly

you sat on the sink counter, swinging your legs as taichi leaned onto the surface next to you, rambling away about how popular red was this season and how all the students will fall in love with his trendiness

used to your friend’s lovesick, hopeless romantic antics, you fondly rolled your eyes as you stretched, stifling a yawn

“is that why you decided to dye your hair tonight?”

“... maybe. there was advice that having perfext roots would attract any woman in my favorite love advice column!”

“...” “do you think people will like my hair?” “they might think we’re a couple since we’re matching.”

taichi suddenly stopped mixing, staring at the bowl wide eyed at the red dye. you were about to ask what happened, before taichi nervously laughed and looked towards the ground

“u–us? a couple?! no way...” taichi blurted out, avoiding your eyes as he began mixing even faster

“do you want me to change my color then—?” you cautiously started, about to change your mind before taichi interrupted hastily, almost knocking the other boxes over by waving his gloved hands

“no! i mean, haha... no, no, it’s fine! don’t worry about it!” taichi laughed so you slowly nodded, not buying it but deciding to go with the flow anyways. you were too tired to think about it too hard

you both unanimously agreed that taichi would dye your hair first. after all, he had more experience doing this by himself until you came along

one thing though, you didn’t want to ruin your pajama shirt. after rummaging through his closet quietly, you felt a t–shirt land on your head and heard a victorious laugh from the doorway

lifting the shirt, you recognized the one–eyed monster graphic design on the front, its tongue sticking out with some graffiti text above its head

“are you sure? you always wear this one?” you hesitated to take it before taichi forced it back into your hands, his expression easy and humorous

“take it, it’ll look better on you, anyways.” taichi casually said and you wondered how many smooth pick up lines he’s been reading. but, one look at his light smile and you could tell he genuinely meant it

returning back into the bathroom wearing a black t–shirt, you had changed into his t–shirt as well. while you were making sure all the dyes were separated to avoid any accidents, you barely noticed taichi stop dead in his tracks

(how come you looked so... good, in his t–shirt? maybe, he should give you his clothes more often... taichi gulped, wondering why he was suddenly feeling this way. it must’ve been the lack of sleep, the tiredness of staying up past his usual bedtime, that’s all!)

“are you ready for the best hair day ever?”

unexpectedly, taichi was quiet for the next hour or so. you could tell from the way he carefully applied just the right amount on your roots to how he knew the time on the box without even looking

maybe it was the way neither of you had proper sleep schedules, but you nearly fell asleep when taichi began combing your hair. after letting it develop, taichi began evenly distributing the red color while humming a popular pop song from his playlist in the background

you didn’t know when you dozed off, but you woke up to a flash of a camera and heard taichi’s snickers right in front of you. rubbing your eyes, you sat up straighter to notice a plastic bag was wrapped around your hair with an empty bowl of red dye discarded in the sink

“morning, sleepyhead~!” taichi greeted way too happily at this hour, making you groan as you stood up. “you didn’t sleep, taichi?” you wondered out loud, noticing how he scrolled through his phone aimlessly with a nonchalant sound

“yawn—i mean! i’m not even tired, gotta wait for your timer to go off to rinse your hair!” (it was his rule that he was always the last person to sleep if he was with you) taichi proudly held up his phone and showed you the screen, as if you could see it from there

(maybe if you could, you would’ve prevented the disaster about to occur in the very near future)

“your turn, puppy. come over here.” you stretched and taichi squealed, running over just to nearly knock over the chair from excitement. taichi always liked doing things with you, and you pampering him made him feel a lot happier than he’d like to admit

“can you stay still?” “i’m trying~! geez, so mean first thing in the morning... uuh...” “awww come on, don’t act like a kicked puppy, taichi!” “woof...”

it was the saddest bark you’ve ever heard. you smiled even if taichi was squirming in his seat and pet his dry hair, your best friend automatically leaning into your touch with a content sigh as he closed his eyes. oh, finally! taichi went still, letting you start the dye process quickly

just like you, taichi was on the verge of staying awake and falling asleep. it was nice to have someone taking care of you like a little kid, not to mention how neither of you have slept for more than half a hour at time. as you applied the rest and making sure all the sections were even, taichi stirred in his sleep with a cute yawn again

“i’m cool, right?” taichi mumbled, seemingly getting closer and closer to snoring. you held back a snicker, nodding your head as you kept going with the dye. for your first time, it wasn’t even that bad

“yes, of course. you’re the coolest boy at o high, taichi.” you reassured truthfully, to which taichi pouted like a kid, crossing his arms and leaning his head back. you made sure none of the dye dripped off before you started painting the bright red on again

“that’s not true... juza and tenma go to o high... they’re so popular, everyone loves them.” taichi added on sadly, but you knew he meant it and it wasn’t just fishing for compliments. wondering why a boy as amazing as taichi would have an inferiorty complex, you frowned and tried to focus on applying the dye

“well, i think you’re the coolest to me, then. after all, juza and tenma don’t have this cool red hair!” you almost ruffled his hair but stopped, knowing it’d mess up the part. taichi must’ve sensed you were about to do so, because he let out a loud, sudden laugh with a big smile

“hehe, you’re the coolest to me, too!” taichi trailed off into a low voice, about to fall asleep for good. you wrapped his head to make sure the hair stayed in place, satisfied with your hard work and dedication to your best friend’s appearance

“do you say that to everyone you meet?” you joked, but taichi just shook his head vigirously, entering sleepy puppy mode anyways

“no, just you, you know why~?”

“why?”

“‘cause... i like y...”

taichi snored, his head falling lower as he fell asleep for good. you didn’t even process it, deciding to take the seat next to him without checking the time

time to get some shut eye...

you slowly woke up, realizing that you were now laying your head on top of taichi’s. he was almost drooling on your shoulder, even breaths leaving his lips as he continued sleeping. you lifted your head to look around for the reason why you woke up, until you noticed the constant ringing of taichi’s phone on the sink counter

“puppy, wake up, it’s time to rinse our hair.” you pushed taichi off, automatically waking him up as he rapidly blinked, trying to focus his blurry vision as he yawned

“... has the sun always been up?”

you froze, staring at taichi’s casual expression before it morphed into shock, his wide eyes finding yours with urgency. don’t tell me...

you rushed off the chair, nearly hitting it to the ground as you grabbed taichi’s vibrating phone, looking at the screen. instead of a timer for rinsing, it was labeled for starting the school day

“taichi.” you said, slowly turning to see him staring back at you. the realization dawned upon both of you severely. “we have school in less than a hour.”

mankai bathrooms were always chaotic in the morning, especially with twenty (20) plus boys all sharing one space. yet, today might’ve been the worst day to use the bathroom yet

you and taichi immediately began cleaning up and rinsing your hair at the same time, losing your minds over the lack of time as you two knew both your hair could not be saved

“what if i’m not cool anymore?!”

“can we focus on going to school on time?”

(banri and juza were exchanging their usual harsh morning greetings to each other, walking side by side to the bathroom only to hear taichi’s pierching shriek and your immediate scream back. they shared a look before collectively going back to their room, not wanting to know. it was the first thing they agreed upon in a while)

taichi dashed out of the bathroom with half a hour to spare, quickly putting on his uniform on without noticing omi who stood by the door, holding onto taichi’s backpack with an amused glint to his eyes

when taichi finally found his o high dark green blazer and pants (his dress shirt buttons were mismatched, but that wasn’t important), he was about to run right past omi before omi put his arm out, stopping taichi from leaving

“forgetting something?” omi held out taichi’s backpack with a packed lunch, making taichi exhale with relief as he took it gratefully. “omi, you’re the best ever!”

omi instead shook his head and crossed his arms, gesturing towards the bathroom where you were still cleaning up the red mess

“no, they’re the best. make sure you tell them that.” omi scolded gently, ruffling taichi’s hair but suddenly narrowing his eyes, looking the teen up and down with a confused look

“huh...? didn’t you dye your hair, why isn’t it that red?”

“don’t remind me, omi!”

(fun fact: leaving hair dye on for longer than 45 minutes will in fact, make the color much darker than intended)

(also... dry hair...)

you luckily brought your uniform, thinking the big emergency would require a sleepover. you stepped out of the bathroom and apologized to the bewildered and incredulous line that formed outside, rushing off to find taichi shoving a piece of bread in his mouth

“here! catch!” you assumed taichi tried to say, because his words were muffled as he threw you something from the kitchen. you caught it with ease, putting it in your pocket as you and taichi said goodbye to everyone in the dorms

you two didn’t even bother addressing why taichi’s hair was many shades darker and why yours was red as well. you two just left and prayed to whoever was listening you’d make it to school on time... or else

half way through making it out the door, you and taichi finally caught each other’s eyes and burst into laughter, nearly falling onto each other in the middle of the sidewalk like a bunch of weirdos

“yo! look at our hair!” taichi spluttered out, reaching up to touch your now red hair. you wheezed, trying to not cry from the sheer audacity of the strange situation at hand

“dude, look at your hair! it’s even darker!” you laughed and even though his bright red hair was apart of his identity, taichi couldn’t stop laughing just because he went through it with you

“am i still cool?”

“definitely, even cooler now, i think.”

the laughter died down and taichi wrapped his arm around your shoulder, grinning like there was no tomorrow

“you’re the best. i’m so lucky to have you.”

you suddenly remembered something you didn’t respond to just mere hours ago, and figured it was better late than never

“i like you, too.”

when taichi overcame his visible shock and multiple “are you serious?! don’t play with my feelings like that!” and figuring out you were being honest, he slipped his hand into yours with a visible jump to his step as you two walked to school

even if he wore gloves, his hands were still somewhat stained red from the hair dye that started it all

(“did you do the homework this morning?”)

(“... we had homework?”)

(“oh, taichi...”)

#nanao taichi #taichi nanao #a3! act! addict! actors!#a3!#act! addict! actors!#a3! actor training game #a3! headcanons #act! addict! actors! headcanons #mankai a3!#mankai company #a3! x reader #a3 x reader #taichi x reader #a3! taichi #a3 taichi

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mego42 · 4 years ago

Note

hi! a song inside the halls of the dark is an absolute masterpiece of plotting and pacing (and prob my fave fic I’ve read for the show so far), so for the ask a writer meme, I’d love to hear about your planning process(es). the idea of even plotting out something like that, let alone actually finishing it, just breaks my brain lol. do you do a lot of outlining? how much does the outcome end up looking like the ideas that sparked it?

adsfghgsj okay well first off, thank you! that is unspeakably flattering and i don’t know how to cope! my weird robot emotions are misfiring! but also, thank you for this question bc this is the kind of nerd shit i LIVE FOR and up until, idk, 5? 6? months ago my answer would’ve more or less been ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ but sometime in between now and then i leveled up how much of a nerd i am.

okay so, the short answer to your (first) question is yes, i do a lot of outlining though the scale of outline varies based on the complexity of the story. in song’s case, how i outline actually evolved significantly over the course of writing it (see that level up) and if i were to outline it today, it would look very different from what i originally started with.

the short answer to your second question is in song’s case, the original idea was a v short, almost fluffy stuck in a hotel room for a night one shot i daydreamed up while listening to a halsey song (is there somewhere, if you were wondering). obvs what it turned into was uh, v different.

digging into how i outline is going to get long, excessively nerdy and borderline terrifying so i’m hiding the rest of this under the cut, read at your own risk.

I preface everything here with a couple of reminders:

1. i am a crazy person who straight up does not know how to have hobbies like a normal person

2. i am actively trying to push myself and grow as a writer including developing new skills and training myself to practice certain habits bc at some point I would like to push myself out of the nest and try my hand at original fiction one day with a vague goal of maybe seeing if i could get it published. idk if i’ll ever actually do that BUT in the meantime, i do stuff like the nightmare that follows to myself

initial outline / what happens next list

okay so the most basic of my outlines (and how i originally outlined song) are p much just lists of what happens next. i do them as bullet lists bc my brain finds them less intimidating and i just start with one and then ask myself what happens next. sometimes the bullets are v vague, sometimes they get so specific i end up writing what becomes dialogue, i try not to think too hard about it, i just keep asking what happens next.

it’s really specifically about what happens next, not asking myself what i want to happen in the story, bc next implies the bullet before informs the one after, so you end up with an overall picture of what you want with a base level of causality built in. it also gives you room to surprise yourself (i think literally every what happens next outline i’ve done has had me going oh, okaaaaaay at some point).

sometimes, this is all you need. for trade my heart for honey, i started and stopped here bc at the end of the day, the skeleton for that fic is super basic: beth and rio attempt to play pool without tripping over their horrendous sexual tension. they fail. the end.

for your monster looks like mine, i did a version of the what happens next list, but i brought in some of my tricks from the pace structuring method i’ve been honing for the multi-chapter i’m currently planning. instead of mapping tentpole beats by story pace, i mapped tentpole beats for what points i wanted beth and rio to be scoring against each other and then mapped out the lead-up and fallout to connect the two and also what they were doing to each other physically at the same time so i could see how it all played together so the conversation supported the smut and vice versa. it was a TOTALLY normal approach to writing pwp. not over the top at all.

song’s original outline was basically a SUPER long what happens next list and if i could go back in time i would slap myself upside the head like bitch you have no idea what you’re getting into and you are WAY TOO COCKY ABOUT IT, but it’s okay i learned.

the spreadsheet method

somewhere around when i was in the middle of i want to say ch 9 of song, @pynkhues posted about her outlining process including a super awesome spreadsheet she uses (i cannot for the life of me find the original post, forgive me but know that it was hers) and i immediately jacked a version of it to use as my own and oh my god it changed my whole life.

iirc hers was a bit more in depth but since i was sort of baby-stepping into it, i stripped it down into the following and did a sheet for each of the remaining chapters (well, ch 10 and ch 11, ch 11 ended up getting wildly out of control so i split it in two and mushed the epilogue i’d been planning onto the end of it as a closing breakout scene:

plot

character

it’s a lot of repetition, tbh BUT once i started using it, i found the repetition was incredibly clarifying and by making myself take the time to go through each column and go through the same stuff over and over, it honed in on the strongest, most relevant bits of what i was planning and helped me see patterns and connections i maybe hadn’t been thinking of on the onset.

when i outlined swear i used this method and added a layer to my chapter overviews where i track the lies and corresponding truths worked into the chapter narratives (bc that’s a key theme of the story), and color-coded the beats that corresponded to the main plot vs individual character arcs vs foreshadowing so i’d have an at a glance visual reference to make sure nothing was getting lost and all of the characters (even minor ones) had stuff happening to them and didn’t just feel like cardboard cutouts coming in and out of the story as i needed them

pace structuring

these are all fine and dandy but one thing they’re missing is pacing! for song’s pacing, i will be real with you, i v much went a lot with my gut. i’ve spent most of my life consuming and paying a lot of attention to stories. i’m fascinated with how they come together and literally cannot shut off the part of my brain that likes to pick them apart to examine the pieces to see how they all fit together. as such, it’s left me with a p instinctive grasp for how a story should feel when it’s working which is fantastic when it is, but really useless when it isn’t bc i struggle to identify where and why sometimes so i can fix it.

for the buffyverse, once i started to realize (with no small amount of horror) the scope of what i wanted to write, i realized p quick i needed some kind of tool kit to help me figure out the arc and pacing bc this was going to be a lot closer to trying to plot a whole novel from the ground up (which is great bc one of the things i want to practice is pacing and plotting out novels from the ground up, hahaha)

i’ve been working with a two main docs (and neither of them are spreadsheets, yet, bc one thing the spreadsheet method taught me it’s that while i find them very soothing, my brain works in bullet lists so i’m starting with bullets and then i’m gonna strain it through a spreadsheet):

1. Thoughts:

just a doc where I word vomit out anything I’m thinking, I don’t worry about keeping it organized, I just throw whatever I’m thinking in there so it’s memorialized and I can sort through it later.

2. Act Timelines / Scene Breakdowns:

basically, i have a basic three-act story structure with tentpole story beats broken out by general ballpark percentages of how far into the story/act they should occur for the pacing to feel right. i use that as the framework i run my plot and character beats through and do it in a couple of passes:

high level: i go through and break out what’s happening in the story for each tentpole beat (what the specific story and plot focus is)

by character: i go through and fill in (at least) one sub-bullet beneath each plot tentpole beat with what’s happening with each main character in their individual subplot, how they got there, what their general feelings and mindset is, if they’re having any revelations, etc (one thing i fucked up with song is not making sure i had stuff going on for all of the characters, the plot was super focused on beth and while i generally knew what rio was doing and why, ruby and annie more or less floated in and out of the story at whim and i hate that, so i’m trying to be better about it going forward)

by relationship: now i go in and fill in a layer of bullllets with how the plot and character beats are shaping relationships and how they’re progressing through each tentpole beat

at this point i’ve got a pretty fleshed out outline hitting on plot, character and relationship development at least in broad, general terms. i can look at it like a map and see how characters are growing and changing throughout the story and look for areas where the plot is pushing the characters vs the other way around and places where it seems weak or poorly connected/supported and i tinker with that for awhile until i feel like it’s in good shape.

next step is applying the what happens next approach to the scene by scene breakdowns. i’m trying an experiment with this one where instead of breaking the fic into chapters first, i’m breaking it into scenes and working out the beats of them so they incorporate all of my outlined stuff and then i’m gonna go back and see where the chapter breaks look like they fall.

I’m like, 75% of the way through my scene breakdown for this particular fic and once I’m done with that, I’m going to take everything and plug it into the spreadsheet I worked with for the last couple of chapters of song and highlight/color code like I did for swear to make sure my chapter breakdowns align with everything I’m trying to do and I’m tracking all of my themes and details and setting things up to pay them off later.

so, you know, an absolutely normal amount of planning for a hobby i do entirely for funsies in my largely nonexistent spare time.

(sorry this was i am assuming WAAY MORE INFORMATION than you ever wanted or needed to know but once i started i couldn’t stop)

(and seriously, thank you, am truly verklempt that you love song like that 💖)

bts fic writing q’s IF YOU DARE hahaha

#welcome to my brain #every time i show people this they either freak out #or expose themselves as giant nerds #which i love bc i too am clearly a giant nerd #idk how to tag this #how i write #meg's mental nightmare menagerie #fic writing q's #ask me stuff #lindybot #shut up meg

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skellebonez · 4 years ago

Text

Smoke, Flasks, And Unfinished Tasks: Chapter 3

AO3 Link!

Chapter 1 Link!

Chapter 2 Link!

Summary: MK starts to realize things are a bit too familiar right now, an unspoken event is revealed, and someone else realizes other things. There is a lot to unpack.

Warnings: Mild violence and smoking at the tail end.

Chapter 3: Big Words Traveler, But Can You Back Them Up

Something felt... off. That's the only way MK could describe it. Off.

It reminded him of the Calabash when he thought about it, but was it even possible? When Jin and Yin had trapped him in that weird mechanical gourd thing they had tried to make everything perfect, barring those odd earthquakes and the glitches that his mind made excuses for ignoring at the time. Really, they were actually pretty bad at their scheme and he should have picked up on it a lot sooner. This time nothing felt perfect, however, everything felt... mostly normal.

The Monkey King kicked his butt in scheduled training and then lost matches in Monkey Mech and refused to stop until he had best out of 15. Mei and Red Son seemed to be acting like normal. No earthquakes. No glitches.

But his time in the Calabash had made him more observant of his surroundings and his mistake with Macaque had made him less trusting. The fact the weather station called for rain and it had not rained? That was just odd enough to catch his attention when the weather station hadn't messed up a forecast without someone attacking it or really messing something up, something that always got local news alerts sent to their phones and would have had Mei making fun of the poor sap who messed up by now, in the entire time he had a phone.

Something didn’t just feel off. Something was off. And just in case he was right he needed to play his cards carefully. Do something that wouldn’t raise suspicion.

“Hey, Monkey King?” He smiled, knowing that his expression was just fake enough that if the other were real he would call it in an instant. He would raise his eyebrow or ask him what was up or ask him what the look was for. “We have any snacks?”

“Yeah, bud, coming right up!” He just... smiled. Stood. Walked into the kitchen.

This was not The Great Sage Equal To Heaven.

This was not his mentor.

Well... Shit.

----------

“Wait, back up,” Mei turned from where she sat at the boat wheel. “What does that even mean?”

MK had gotten her to stop before they were nearly back to the City, feeling bad they stopped in such a poor spot for Red Son but determined to talk when they were seemingly alone. He’d played along and only grown more certain in his deduction that the person they were with was not the Monkey King. The more he paid attention the more certain he was that they weren’t on Flower Fruit Mountain either.

The mountain always smelled of four things. Flowers, peaches, dirt, and the slightest undertone of molten rock and ash from close by the Flaming Mountains. The more he tried to pick up the normal scents that would hit him they just seemed... muted, somehow. Like smelling them through a mask or like they were artificial. The rock and ash was nowhere to be found at all.

And there was more. He tried so hard to remember how he got to the mountain. Logically he knew they took a boat, they had to do that. There was a boat on the shore. But that was the first thing he remembered seeing. He could not remember the boat ride over, could not remember the walk to where they docked the boat at all, could barely remember anything past leaving Pigsy’s Noodles at all. Gaps in his memory were not an every day occurrence for him (despite Pigsy teasing him about forgetting to do his job, that was not the same thing).

The only things he knew for certain were real were Mei and Red Son. He’d almost let his anxiety get the better of him, memories of summoning monster trees with his stress being the thing that made him focus long enough to test the waters.

He knew that burying his face in their hair and smelling them was weird as hell, even given their close relationship that was pushing it way too far in comfort, but given scent was the most telling sense giving him pause he had to try once Monkey King was distracted. If it had been any other situation Mei and Red Son’s disturbed and confused faces (and the muffled “what the fuck dude” from Mei) would have been hilarious, but when he could clearly smell Mei’s tea tree shampoo mixed in with the ever present scent her bike’s motor oil he was certain she was real. He was almost certain when Red tensed up and flushed when he repeated the action, but the scent of slight burning and his overly expensive coconut oil and jasmine shampoo cemented the fact he was real as well.

He’d make up for making them uncomfortable after all this was over.

“Exactly what I said, that wasn’t Monkey King,” MK repeated, looking over the horizon at the city-scape. Still no rain. No clouds. It was half an hour until sundown. “I don’t... this is going to sound crazy... but I don’t think this is real.”

His companions looked at each other in clear concern and MK knew he would finally have to come clean. “MK, wh-”

“There’s something I never told any of you. Not even Monkey King. Just... promise you’ll listen to me?”

----------

When he finished recounting the long ago misadventure he had in Jin and Yin’s Calabash he couldn’t look Mei and Red Son in their eyes. Despite knowing he probably shouldn’t he felt guilty for keeping something that important a secret.

“Oh MK... That’s why you were so preoccupied with us not being perfect,” Mei said softly, standing to envelop her friend in a sudden hug that barely shook the boat. “I’m sorry for losing my cool with you back then.I should have known something was weird when you said that.”

A shaky breathe MK didn’t know he was holding escaped, grateful that they seemed to believe him immediately.

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry,” MK pulled away, giving Mei an awkward smile. Red Son had moved closer, and he shot him a smile as well when he placed a hand on his shoulder. “I should have told everyone when it happened, I just... I felt..” He trailed off, looking at the rainless city again. “We can unpack that later, right now we need to see if we’re really in another Calabash or if it’s something similar. If it is Jin and Yin again they’ve really stepped up their game.”

“I don’t think so...” Red Son said thoughtfully. He bit the end of his thumb nail, pacing the boat slowly in thought. “They seemed more preoccupied with just... having fun almost, last time. They didn’t seem to have an endgame past ‘capture the Monkie Kid’. What’s the end game? Why capture all three of us?”

“Yeah...” MK sighed, looking around carefully. “I dunno.. come to think of it, it all just feels different. This time it’s a lot closer and that is really scary if I’m being honest,” MK shuddered, not comfortable with how much better it was if he was really correct. “But it isn’t 100% accurate. Everything smells dull and Monkey King wasn’t picking up on things he normally would have.”

“Is that why you smelled o-”

“Unpacking later!”

“Why don’t we do what you did to get out last time?” Red Son interrupted, looking hopeful that he had solved the problem already. “We just have to find your staff.”

“Yeah that... that’s another problem...” MK bit his lip and held his hand up to his ear. The glow that lit from it illuminated the dawning horror on his friend’s faces as the staff materialized in his hand. They both seemed to regret not watching MK train that day when they realized what this meant. “That... may not work this time.”

----------

“You’re bleedin’ delusional!” The demon couldn’t help but groan out, pacing wildly in growing frustration. Before them both was a set of screens, watching the display of the trio’s conversation. The entire room looked like something right out of one of those American spy thrillers they’d seen, computers and monitors hooked up and showing a multitude of views. “I told you, you can’t just throw that many people in at once! It doesn’t matter how improved it is, it messes up, confuses the simulation! And-and you let ‘im keep the bloody staff! He’s-”

“Not getting out any time soon,” the other demon, seated comfortably in the only chair in the room, soothed. Their words were like poisoned honey and the first demon grimaced. How they let themselves be taken in by these words... they would never forgive themselves now, not after all of this. Not after what happened to- “Patience is what you and your brother lacked the first time. They don’t need to believe it, they just need to stay in it. Come now, you need to... relax.”

The first demon, the smaller demon, backed a step away as the seated one sat up straighter. They weren’t fast enough to get away from the clawed hand that gripped their throat, cutting off their air supply and pulling them far too close to the other’s face. No fight was given, they knew what would happen if they tried, and watched anxiously as the seated demon raised their forearm long smoking pipe to their lips to take a long drag on whatever foul concoction they had in it.

“Just rest Yin.” Their open mouth revealed colored smoke, sickeningly sweet and fruity smelling, swirling around inside before they loosened the grip on his throat to blow it directly into his face as he took a hasty breath of oxygen. "Perhaps you'll be more patient after a nice long nap."

The blue demon coughed when the other finally let him go, breathing deeply in the hopes he didn’t inhale as much smoke as he feared he did. As he tipped backward onto the ground he knew that was a fruitless thought. Now he laid on the ground with his head fuzzy and gaze filled with the equally unconscious visage of his elder brother.

The Gold and Silver demons... had really messed up...

#some of you guessed the where #can you guess the who now?#well the other who anyway #smoking is bad kids don't do it #mk #Qi Xiaotian #mei #long xiaojiao #red son #mystery character #monkie kid #lego monkie kid #jin and yin #fanfic #fanfiction #smoke flasks and unfinished tasks #sfaut #side note: mei 100% should not be driving that boat

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flyingfoxwriter · 4 years ago

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There was a moment of silence, raw expectation. The three could not register anymore how close they were to each other. Not with such a thing in their frozen sight.

What had been huge already had grown to sickening proportions, ones that should have not been naturally possible. Flesh had been ripped and bloody before, and yet it all twisted to a degree that made that memory tame in comparison. Blinding colors had emerged with a deep guttural howl, first a sickly green, then with a range of dispersing hues. Worst of all, was the stance of such being; what had been their friend was now a monster gaping down at them, sharp maws open in what could only be a devilish grin.

“What the fu-“

Arthur was the first to unfreeze. Vivi and Lewis flinched as he let out a scream much more panicked and loud than the ones before. It would have been funny, if they were not in dire danger.

Neither she nor the ghost had time to ponder the situation, the irony of them standing together. Before either could blink, Mystery did.

A ghostly grunt echoed, much more startled than the ones Lewis made when he watched Arthur fall by his hand. Arthur and Vivi were pushed sideways as a big green claw slammed around the ghost’s frame and yanked. Lewis had always been huge, even in death, and yet he seemed small in that grasp.

Violet plasma filled the air as Mystery heaved Lewis backwards and over his tails. The skeleton somehow fell noisily by a burnt truck with a thud, even if he could have not possibly made a sound, not while being a ghost. In fact, for a moment, perhaps he had flickered as his living self in the whiplash.

Did not matter, Vivi did not see that. Her sight was blocked; because in a second, Mystery lunged with a swift turn, pinning the ghost far away from the other two. Fast, direct and calculative, the beast knew to strike without giving them a chance.

This time, no one can rip my hold off. Not while I control the ripper now.

It could allow itself to mock them inwardly, whispering in Mystery’s mind; for its mockery was directed at the Kitsune, and less so at the insignificant youngsters at its mercy.

Lewis trembled and slammed his hand up onto the claw over him, his angry tired growls not as loud as the ones of Mystery. He set himself ablaze, his skull engulfed in pink fire; but it only seemed to make the monster laugh, unmoving.

His arms would have been crushed under the weight, his ghostly ribs shattered… if not for a thud echoing behind it. With that sound, it froze. Not because it felt hurt, but because it was surprised.

Slowly, ever so slowly, its huge neck and head turned back, its body staying hauntingly still while it did so. Its three eyes narrowed, fixing on the bat that had struck its hind legs. One single strike… Vivi still panted behind it, shaking as she fought the thought of who she had hit.

Her expression twisted a little when she met those eyes; her hold on the bat loosened a bit. She had doubted to lunge, her swing hesitant. And still, while looking now at that thing, she still thought she could see Mystery.

But it wasn’t him. All knew when it acted next.

A shadow dashed over her, fast as lightning. Her blue eyes widened as she glanced up, just in time to spot the tail swinging downwards towards her. Blue as her dress, much more brighter and longer.

Lewis’ sockets emptied for a moment, wide as his eyes would have been. His heart skipped a beat. However, she was not crushed; that instant was not only seen by him.

Vivi huffed as something slammed onto her faster than the tail. Her huff was not the only one to echo as she tumbled with something a few feet away. Arthur could not afford to be careful and not end up tangled up with her on the ground after his tackle; he somehow found himself rushing towards the monster, who had him frozen just mere seconds ago.

His eyes wobbled, as he tried and failed to stand with an arm that would not stop trashing about, now even more erratic. Vivi hissed as some sparks brushed her, busting out of the metal over her. When they both managed to untangle from each other, it was too late.

Arthur gulped, sat in the same position as when the ghost ripped that locket out of his hold, much more terrified however. He did not register her sitting up and raising her bat with a snarl, shielding him slightly. Time frozen around him, his eyes wandered all over the beast.

No, not beast. Mystery. Perhaps one and the same, as he could not tell the difference between the time his arm was ripped and this. His right hand latched instinctively around his shaky unorthodox limb, a phantom pain shooting up from it. Those teeth were leaning down, towering, much less fast this time. All the moments in which he doubted to lay a hand on his friend struck him back, right then.

It was only one thing that made him realize Mystery was not there. His heart twisted, as he dwelt on the sickly green on its eyes and claws. They did not hold the same black shade of its fur or skin.

Like…

He had not been able to recall anything past the instant in which he felt his arm shiver that night, not clearly. Not until now. Now, something hammered down all the pieces together in his head, forcefully and brutally. He breathed out shakily as he remembered a little more, something that made him realize why looking for Lewis had been pointless. He now knew why Vivi had seemed to block that memory. He remembered losing sight of him, in a blur, then pain, then blackness. Something did happen, he had known. But he had not imagined he had taken advantage of those spikes below…

Took you long enough to figure it out…

Arthur did not need to hear that unvoiced whisper. In just a moment, he finally pieced together why he had blacked out, why Lewis had disappeared, and why he could not find him. There was no accident, no mystery anymore.

I pushed him.

He did not move an inch when a claw moved over them, not even if Vivi still crouched at his side with him, much less out of it. Her teeth showed as much as Mystery’s did, returning the look of those annoyed but amused eyes.

The claw came down.

Lewis let out what would have been a yell, a ghostly wail instead. He deflated slightly under the talon that had him pinned, believing he had not freed himself in time. It was only when he saw the other claw shake that he realized it had not gone all the way down. It was struggling to slam, because something was pushing it up from below.

Her push against it would not hold for much longer however. Vivi panted and heaved, flinching as her legs fought to stand upright under the weight. Her hands did not let go of the creaking icy bat, not even when she casted a glance backwards, towards Arthur. Even if looking terrified, he was not backing off on the ground, still frozen.

“Arthur, get your ass up, dammit!”

That did it. It did not erase his daze completely, but it did the job.

Lewis growled, not really caring that the blond had finally run off like a coward with a gasp. As much as he had felt troubled about letting him hit those spikes, he still loathed his guts. He still could not understand why he cared about Arthur, why he still remembered enough of their past for him to be in his locket. It hurt, enough for it to have made him go down on his knees inside that truck. Seeing his enemy so scared and clueless, so capable of putting a surprised concerned façade… it made black tar pour out where tears should have gathered.

It made him feel anger, fury… And so, he used that feeling to focus on what he most loved; it was a love with no clouded doubts or indecision. It would not shift, or change, or end.

Vivi.

The devil gasped, as it felt a scorching feeling on its right claw, so contrasting to the icy coldness on its left. Before it could blink with any of its three eyes, a blast of violet shoot all over, blinding them.

Lewis had stood. He was not pinned anymore; his arms were raised high up against the green palm. And all the while, he screamed ghostly, almost hidden in between the flames that surrounded them.

Vivi gasped, relieved that the bat had stood the weight one second longer. Her eyes glinted as she watched the flames, amazement sinking in for the fact that they did not burn.

No, they wouldn’t. Not her. Mystery let out a trembling growl this time, a nervous grunt. At last, it was the one to take a step back, away from both of them.

However, that did not mean it cowered and fled. Vivi yelped when Mystery arched forward suddenly, closing his maws around the skull of the ghost. As quickly, it leaned back, leaving the spirit headless, with a gaping hole at the neck of his hollow suit.

The demon smiled, seeing the body jolt for a moment. A pause, flames still tangling. Its contentment began to falter, as slowly, ever so slowly, smoke pushed out faintly from in between its teeth.

“Mfh…pf.” It tried to swallow. It tried to keep it cool. But it could not hang on with a ghost pepper burning up in its maws. “B-r-raaaaaaawh!”

Like a missile launching off to space, fire shot wildly and rapidly from its throat. A skull bounced out with it, its expression pissed off and done.

As Mystery coughed, whined and wiped some multicolor tails on the scorched tongue, Lewis stepped near his skull and picked it up from the ground. After letting it float over his hollow neck once more, he patted his suit in apparent annoyance, and gave it the same look it had given Lance not too long ago.

It’s on, mutt.

The devil had the same regards for him. It laughed again; Vivi and Lewis subconsciously stepped closer to the other, facing the murderous being as it lost it. Its wild growled laugh echoed, this time much more uneven and maniacal, afraid deep inside but still defiant.

It let them stand together as it lunged with both claws, at the same time.

It did not manage to swipe any of the two. Vivi did not flinch when a gloved hand grasped hers and moved her, pulled her. She twirled instinctively as he swung her sideways, gently but strongly, calculatedly. Somehow, it reminded her of a dance move, one that she somehow felt familiar.

She did not focus on that feeling. As the ghost arched her away from the slamming claws, she build up a yell and outstretched her bat in their motion, taking advantage of the gravity pull. The bat slammed right on Mystery’s ribs, a burst of ice shooting all over the fur and towards the tails.

Lewis smiled as much as he could with only a skull. She regained her balance and then found herself in his firm hold, from which she could free herself easily. They stared at each other for a moment, both seeming to get lost in it… her eyes with wonder, his with affection.

The ghost sighed when that had to end, when a loud crack echoed a few feet away. Mystery’s left side had been completely encased with ice. But as he recovered from the hit, it forced a jolt and broke it off its frame. As the ice hit the ground, it melted due to the heat of Lewis’ flames, which still kept hot at a distance. Water drips fell from its fur and mixed in red, Shiromori’s stab wound open once again.

It was tiring. They could see. Those three eyes were blinking erratically, like if they were fighting to look at different things at once, with multiple minds.

Lewis felt he could win… until it let out the loudest of howls.

Much like when it had first awoken, its body pulsed. Green mist emanated and blasted from its fur, bringing in a brutal rush of air against them.

Vivi screamed and tumbled back; she would have hit her head if Lewis had not slammed his feet and muffled the hit in his arms. The bat fell forgotten a few feet away, as they found themselves pushed towards the scorched remains of a truck.

The yell continued, as the tails untangled and whipped up like snakes. Instead of covering his nonexistent ears with his hands, like he did with the first howl, he shielded hers from the deafening noise. He could do nothing as the sound of nearing steps echoed to them, the screech never stopping or lessening.

Mystery advanced, shielded with such howl… unbothered by the figure that trembled behind near a shattered van.

Arthur hissed, one of his hands on one of his ears. He was not able to raise his other one, because now it was trashing about again, even more wildly. He trembled as the sparks shot all over. His eyes widened as the arm seemed to try to yank him forward, like it had done for the first howl.

He froze, as by looking at the motions of the arm, he spied past the wreckage of the van. The devil was mere steps away now, from them. Inching closer… and with each clawed footstep, his arm mimicked the motion, pulling, outstretching, trashing wildly on their direction.

Arthur knew those maws would stop yelling soon, in order to slam around their bodies, once near enough. The mess would be much harder to fix than a ripped arm, he knew.

And so, he panicked. He began to look all around him, trying to spot anything that he could use to help. He could not care any less about the noise and ringing in his ears, it was lesser than theirs.

Shotgun. Where? Can’t see it. How then? A rock? None, and too weak. Myself? Maybe, if-

An echoing splash stopped his thoughts. Slowly, in a frozen instant, he laid eyes on the puddle of water where Mystery was standing. Its fur was soaked, still cold from the melted ice. Its claws were right on it… surrounded by a conductive trap.

His hand moved all on its own. Not his metallic one.

Mystery screamed now right at the ghost’s face, over his skull and her head. With a shake and gurgle, it got ready to stop howling… but it did not close its maw in a lunge, but in a flinch and jolt.

Sparks shooting through, Mystery’s fur pulsed even more than it could have done due to any possession. An electric current had flowed from a puddle behind his hind legs, quickly running through the stream and up into him. The kitsune let out sounds that would have sounded familiar if not tainted by that unnatural echo.

Lewis and Vivi blinked as Mystery convulsed, scream dying out; he was out of it, those three eyes open wide and unfocused. In a few seconds, the blinding electricity stopped coursing, dying out in smoke.

But it was enough.

A loud thud, a huge gasped growl. Mystery crumbled at their feet, sending a rumble through the ground with his weight. The kitsune did not move again to maul them; fur still pulsing… but less black and green. Both of them stood frozen as he convulsed, mutation seemingly twisting and fading.

As it did, his size was once more less towering and overwhelming. And with that, both could see past his animalistic body. He was not the only one thrown down on the ground, immobile.

“Arthur!”

Lewis frowned as she bolted, spotting the blond sprawled some feet away behind Mystery. She crouched quickly by him, hissing as she brushed a spark that shot out of his still electrified arm. She began to move him away from the puddle, fearing the worst. And as she did so, the ghost watched in animosity, not daring a step towards them both.

He let a few flames rise up on his shoulders, as he glared at the blond with conflicted emotions. Arthur was alive, fainted, perhaps hurt badly, but alive. Still breathing, still able to feel touch or warmth.

Vivi was trying to get him far from any water, deadly afraid they both could get shocked. Her eyes quickly glared at his prosthetic, seeing it twitch and malfunction continuously. She did not know how it could still jolt, not with the smoke coming out of it or its busted outline. The cables that were peeking were barely holding on to the inner battery.

When she reached to take it off… Lewis finally seemed to realize something; something quite obvious, clear as water to anyone with a functioning brain. His ghostly eyes fixed on the metallic arm as Vivi threw it away angrily, letting it tumble on the ground. Slowly, ever so slowly… he pondered on the fact that Arthur was, in fact, crippled. As well, it was important to note which limb he was missing.

Lewis tensed. A cold shiver flowed in his shattered locket. He swore he could feel that left hand on his back again… as he heard a rustle near his feet, fleshy and bloody.

When he glanced down to Mystery with a shudder, it was far too late to see what had crawled out of his bleeding wound.

His fur was no longer black, his claws no longer a sickly green. There were no blinding hues on his tails. His eyes were closed, the two of them. His chest was raising and falling with troubled breaths, severely affected by the bloody hole in it. It was deep, brought by two huge shears… a perfect opening and opportunity.

Something had torn itself out of it. He could only stare at the small trail of blood on the ground, which something had seemed to leave behind as it crawled into the dark.

His eyes moved wildly, glancing into the darkness around them. His locket gained a new crack on it, as the thoughts began to mix into his feelings.

He saw nothing, found no trace of what he feared to see. He wished it was only his imagination, a simple delusion. But as he looked down to Mystery and then towards them… the dark tears could not be stopped, he could not help but shudder.

While avoiding listening to her worried calls and averting his gaze from his fainted figure… he grasped his heart. He opened it slowly, dreadfully. He feared looking into himself, into his own emotion and memory.

The photo had changed again. He stared at it, now much more painfully. They were still there, but not the same. He noted the glints in her lost gaze, the worry in Mystery’s shameful stance, and the pain in his own eyes, his chest showing the deep stab that did him in.

However, all that, he had already known. He could not stop looking at Arthur, his left eye a sickly color; his expression, one of horror.

It was no murder.

#MSA #mystery skulls #mystery skulls animated #I wrote this at 5 AM #Hope it is not that bad #happy birthday Haloblitz #Call this silly bat if you want more

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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What Nicktoon Reboots We Want to See Next

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When ViacomCBS recently announced the slate of programming that would be coming to Paramount+, the rebranded streaming service formerly known as CBS All Access, the media conglomerate touted a rebooted version of the beloved Nickelodeon classic Rugrats. Described as a “reimagining of the classic ‘90s hit,” the new Rugrats will feature the voice cast from the original 1991 animated series, but present the babies in a brand-new, three-dimensional CG style.

“Rugrats is one of the most iconic cartoons recognized by fans around the globe, and this original version is one we are taking great care and pride in creating for a brand-new audience,” said Ramsey Naito, President, Nickelodeon Animation. “Having the voice cast behind these special characters come together is one of the essential pieces to making the show recognizable and we can’t wait to watch this talented group bring them to life again.”

Rugrats is not the only Nickelodeon property getting an update from Paramount+ The service also announced Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years, the first-ever spinoff of SpongeBob SquarePants, new spinoffs, shorts and features set in the wildly popular world of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, new live-action versions of both Dora the Explorer and The Fairly OddParents, and a continuation of hit kids sitcom iCarly.

One day the streaming wars will slow down, but until then, media conglomerates like ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia will lean on their wealth of existing intellectual property to entice buyers to sign up for a subscription to their respective streaming services. ViacomCBS is wise to tap into their Nickelodeon vault, as a whole generation of viewers weaned on Nickelodeon’s programming are now media buyers, many with families of their own. Driven by nostalgia and possibly fresh takes on old favorites, Nickelodeon IP could help Paramount+ catch up with its well-established competition.

With recent revivals like Invader Zim, Rocko’s Modern Life, and Hey Arnold! already delivered, here are some other potential Nickelodeon properties ripe for a reboot.

Danny Phantom

While Danny Phantom creator Butch Hartman may not be a favorite among the art community, Danny Phantom feels like the Nickelodeon property most fans are eager to see return. It’s easy to see why; the story of Danny Fenton, a teenager who’s transformed into half-human, half-ghost superhero Danny Phantom after an accident caused by his ghost hunting parents’ technology, had a unique comic book-influenced premise that lent itself well to interesting animation, colorful characters, and an excellent mix of action and comedy.

Superhero content has only further exploded since Danny Phantom’s cancellation in 2007, giving Paramount+ the chance to get in on the action with storytelling beats that are very familiar to Spider-Man fans. Hartman has already pitched Danny Phantom: The College Years on his YouTube channel and confirmed that a script for a live-action reboot exists. Whether the series returns in its classic style, a new CG rendering, or as a live-action property, Danny Phantom seems like a slam dunk just waiting to be thrown down.

My Life as a Teenage Robot

Speaking of superheroes, My Life As A Teenage Robot isn’t one of the most talked about of the old Nicktoons lineup, but it’s one of the series that’s held up the best. Credit that to Rob Renzetti’s art style, which used a classic sci-fi, Art Deco-inspired retro-futuristic look and a bold color palette. Centered on teenage robot XJ9 just trying to live her life as a normal, suburban teenager, the show got a lot of milage out of poking fun at the typical cliches about adolescence.

During MLAATR’s run, critics complained about the lack of complex storytelling, a problem that could easily be fixed by a new writing team focused on continuity and more epic action. Just like Danny Phantom, XJ9 would thrive whether she returns with a new look, in her classic style, or as a live-action interpretation. As long as there are teenagers, then stories about trying to fit in, feeling weird about your appearance, and achieving independence from your “creators” will always be around.

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

Developed by Klasky Csupo, the same folks that brought you Rugrats, Rocket Power, The Wild Thornberrys, and As Told by Ginger, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters was garish, gross, and grimy in all of the best ways. Embracing gross-out humor and some lightly nightmarish imagery, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters took style inspiration from Soviet cartoons, film noir, and movies like Blade Runner and Brazil. The show followed young monsters Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm as they attend Monster School below a dump in New York City.

The show was cancelled in 1997 due to worries about its “disturbing” content, but the darker quality of the show paved the way for series like Invader Zim and Courage the Cowardly Dog. New York has changed a lot since the ‘90s, which could give Aaahh!!! Real Monsters plenty of material to play with. A new series could bring our original trio back or introduce us to a new class of monsters, giving us plenty of new, weird creature creations.

KaBlam!

Maybe the absolute coolest Nicktoon to ever air on Nickelodeon, KaBlam! was a spinoff of All That conceived to be an “animated sketch series” which served as a showcase for alternative forms of animation, like stop-motion, live-action hybrid, cutout photo, and more. Hosted by animated characters Henry and June, KaBlam! featured recurring cartoons like Sniz & Fondue, Life with Loopy, The Off-Beats, and fan-favorites Action League Now! and Prometheus and Bob, alongside one-off shorts and music videos from artists like They Might Be Giants.

While we would absolutely welcome more Prometheus and Bob shorts, the KaBlam! banner could be brought back to give new creators a chance to showcase their skills and creativity. Technology has come a long way since the last KaBlam! episode in 2000 and there are plenty of new animation techniques that could be put to use.

Hey Arnold!

While the show was recently brought back to life in the form of a 2017 TV movie titled Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie, everyone’s favorite football head should be at the top of Paramount+’s list for a revival. Created by Craig Bartlet, Hey Arnold! ran from 1996 to 2004 and centered on fourth-grader Arnold as he navigated a facsimile of New York City while living in a tenement apartment with his grandparents and plethora of colorful characters.

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Set to a brilliantly jazzy soundtrack, Hey Arnold! taught audiences about respecting different cultures and portrayed inner-city life and non-nuclear families in a positive light. Hey Arnold! holds up incredibly well, and Bartlet and company could pick up right where they left off in their last feature. The world could certainly use more of Arnold’s optimism and positivity.

The post What Nicktoon Reboots We Want to See Next appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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bangtancentricsblog · 4 years ago

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○ let it burn ○

➣ you would watch it burn for what they have done.

❒ pairing: yoongi x reader, jungkook x reader, jimin x reader

❒ genre: angst(?), fluff, reverse harem,

❒ alternative universe: demon, royals,

❒ rating: NC 17

❒ word count: 3.1 k

warnings/disclosures: demons mc, yoongi, jungkook and jimin; humans seokjin, namjoon, hoseok, and taehyung. cameos from Lisa of black pink, yeonjun and soobin of TxT. yoongi has a war kink (idk if that’s a thing but yeah) breeding kink if you squint, mc is king because they don’t enforce gender rolls but yoongi still calls her his wife, I don’t think I missed anything but let me know if I did!

monster mash ml • main ml • AO3

“You filthy demon, how dare you step foot on the hero’s sacred land!” Jungkook looks less than amused, a frown already kissing his features.

“You deserve to die just as your pitiful king onc-” it’s yoongi that silences the ranting of a clearly deranged old bat.

“Our king is alive and well, but should any of you choose to sully her name again I’ll be the first to kill you.” He threatens with a smirk. Jungkook hates the human realm, has never understood your reason for coming here. He knows that your old rival, the legendary hero of humanity no longer lives, but his descendants do and they’re not friends. Yoongi seems less pleased to be here than Jungkook but politics require you come back to the human realm every so often to reassure the human leader of your long standing peace treaty.

“I hate it here.” Yoongi drawls glaring at a gaggle of girls who eye him lustfully.

“You say this all the time Yoongi.” you laugh turning to face him. It’s been almost four hundred years and you haven’t aged a bit, your beauty remains as radiant as the day you slayed the hero. He nor Jungkook could’ve been more proud to serve you, the war had been gruesome with each side losing more people than they could afford. When the war ended they had been surprised more so at the fact that it was the demon who had won. He isn't too sure how the peace treaty came about because it didn't exist for a 100 years after the war. Then one day as if out of thin air you’d informed them of its existence and locked yourself away in your shared bedroom.

You’ve become more alive in recent months and though they’re happy to see you acting more like the you they fell in love with but Yoongi is worried. Something doesn't feel right, you’re mana has been overflowing even with how much of it you pour into the kingdom. For now he’ll just have to bear with this meeting and then maybe he’ll bring up what had been bothering him. The humans continue to spit hateful words at the three of you as you travel through the capital to the palace. He’s never been more disgusted by humans, even in the war humans weren’t this vocal with their distaste.

“Your majesty you shouldn't be exposed to this, these ungrateful creatures don't deserve to be in your presence.” Jungkook says and you feel his mana shift spreading throughout his being as his anger grows the longer you ride to the palace.

“It’s fine Jungkook, we’re almost there.” you remind, though he’s right the words they spit are like dull knives slowly shredding your poor heart. The horses are galloping soon enough with a click of your tongue closing the distance between you and their king’s palace. Good you think more than dreading what awaits you once you have passed their gates.

Taehyung stands stiff beside his brothers, they’re all aware of the date and anxiously await your arrival. Truth be told he’s not too sure what they fear, he’s seen you and you don't seem all that threatening nor powerful. The mana he’s been able to see come off you is miniscule, barely a trickle compared to the roar of mana that comes from his brothers or even your generals. He thinks you’re beautiful as far as a king went, he’s well aware of your land's lack of forced gender roles, but he wonders if you’ve married yet seeing as he knows only what is allowed and what was taught to him. He doesn't want to trouble his brothers because Hoseok holds an open distrust of demons, whereas Seokjin cares more about their people than demons, and as for Namjoon, well he isn't quite sure what Namjoon does and doesn't know of the demon realm in his pursuit for knowledge.

He’s startled from his thoughts as the doors to the throne room are thrown open with a belated announcement of your arrival. You’re just as beautiful as he remembers, more breathtaking even, he can't quite pinpoint it but he’s almost sure there’s something different about you. His gaze lingers on you for a bit longer before it shifts to the other two demons who stand a step behind you. Their mana is strong, it’s almost laughable the way his people thought they would win the war all those years ago when those two were your generals. A frown finds its way to his lips as he once again notices that you’ve come with those two when he’s sure he’d heard rumor of there being three.

“Greeting King Seokjin, the first of his name descendant of the hero of humanity; and to your royal highnesses Prince Hoseok Captain of the royal knights, the Arch Mage Prince Namjoon, and his highness Prince Taehyung.” you say, bowing slightly because of the law not respect. Taehyung winces a bit because of all his brothers he’s the least accomplished other than being a descendant of the hero of humanity. He doesn't have a fancy title, he's just a prince but with no real duties he’s nothing more than just a show pony.

“Your Majesty King ___, there’s no need for formalities. After all this is a regular occurrence for us, is it not?” Namjoon says his dimples winking out as you raise your head to meet his gaze.

“How could I your highness, you’re guards would surly seize me and my generals the moment any semblance of familiarity fell from my lips.” you simper.

“Let’s move on then, shall we.” Hoseok announces turning and walking off towards the location of the peace treaty. Silence envelopes them like a heavy fog snuffing out any semblance of lighthearted comradery Seokjin and Namjoon had been working towards. Your generals are rigid as they follow you down the corridor, their posture stiff and ready to spring into action should a situation arise. Taehyung understands their concerns, after all this peace treaty isn't as simple as some would assume. They come to a stop before a monstrous set of double doors, the ones that keep all their most important things locked away from anyone who isn't from the royal line.

“This way your Majesty.” Namjoon says leading you in and closing the door after you have entered. Hoseok stands guard outside the doors glaring at your generals who stand ramrod straight now that you have left their side. No one says a word and Taehyung once again wonders what exactly he’s doing here since he’s neither a threat nor of great importance. He wishes to be anywhere else other than standinding beside his brother who has not stopped sizing them up.

“General Jeon, your family was once human was it not?” Hoseok asks.

“Yes Prince Hoseok but we have long since cut ties with the human realm.” he hisses as if offended by the reminder than his family line had ties to the human realm. Hoseok hums, turning his attention to Yoongi.

“General Min, it’s been a while.”

“It has Prince Hoseok, sadly not long enough. I detest having to see your face as does my wife.” he spits despite the gin on his lips. None of them hear the door click open.

“Where is the other General, is he still recovering from the blow I dealt him when he tried to sneak into the human realm?” Hoseok snickers with a smirk before his body grows tense his hand slowly falling to the hilt of his sword. Taehyung feels himself stiffen from the sheer amount of mana flooding the vicinity, it makes his knees weak, his heart beats wildly in his chest. He moves slowly, turning his gaze in the direction of the source and to his surprise the mana is coming from you. His eyes widened, you’d seemed so harmless not long ago but the sheer amount of mana you possessed was truly overwhelming; it surpassed even that of Namjoon who was gifted with the most mana in all the kingdom.Your eyes are glowing a bright shade of rose their previous beauty pales in comparison to the color that now encompases your iris.

“My King.” Jungkook says stepping forward your gaze following his movement easily. He and Yoongi move in sync reaching opposite hands out towards you, their gazes hold something that Taehyung is unfamiliar with. Something not meant for their eyes, something meant only for you and it seems to calm you greatly. The mana that had overwhelmed him not moments before has become all but nonexistent as you take their hands. Hoseok has long since moved out the way, he was the captain of the royal knights first and prince second. His priority was to protect the king, he’s standing before Seokjin silently observing the three of you. Beads of sweat had gathered at his temple the longer you’d remained quiet, his body has now gone lax the threat from earlier gone.

“Forgive me your highness, I did not mean to lose control like that.” You say turning to face Seokjin. The look in your eyes is different; it leaves Taehyung baffled as he wonders what exactly your generals had done to get that look in your eyes.

“No forgive us, the prince was in the wrong. Please send our regards to the General, we hope this will not change anything.”

“Of course not, please excuse us we’ve been away from the devildom for too long.” you say bowing your head and for the briefest moment Taehyung swears he sees horns and a tail. The three of you leave quickly and quietly, nearly sprinting from the vicinity as Taehyung watches a sad smile lining his lips.

You sit in the armchair facing the fireplace your second youngest son sleeping soundly in your arms. The day had been more taxing than you had imagined, you loathed traveling to the human realm. Hated what they made you agree to, it was blackmail at its finests and they played you like a fool. You absentmindedly caressed Soobin’s little hand nuzzling the crown of his head; his horns were growing nicely, you thought with a soft smile. The trip back to the devildom had been quick compared to the trip to the human realm. It had been Jungkook who’d kissed you first, the spell that cloaked your demon attributes falling once out of that wretched place. Yoongi had pressed himself to your back mouthing at your neck, followed by the sharp sting of his teeth.

The staff had been quick to clear the area once you three had materialized in the throne room, making sure no one disturbed you. After your impromptu love making you’d all cleaned up, and gone your separate way to deal with other matters but not before you’d kissed them once more. And thus here you were, in the playroom closest to your children's bedrooms with a sleeping prince, Jungkook’s and your second son. The baby of the five princes and the clingiest of them. You’d never minded though as you loved all your children, as did their fathers all three of them.

“Lisa take Soobin to his bedroom please.” you whisper to their nanny who smiles at you and takes the youngest prince into her arms. You’re left alone for a moment before you stand making your way to your bedroom. It’s a bit of a walk as your bedroom and the childrens are in different wings of the castle, but it's enough time to get your thoughts in order. You sigh heavily as you enter your bedroom, a small ache forming in your chest.

“What troubles you?” Yoongi says from his perch on your bed, ever the thoughtful first husband.

“Many things love.” you say throwing your weight down on the chaise lounge nearest the window.

“Oh, did we fail to take your mind off it?” he asks with a smirk, the lilt in his drawl a clear sign of his amusement. A laugh bubbles past your lips as you think back to earlier, it was a good distraction.

“It was but I have more pressing matters to think about.”

“And what’s that?” he asks and the tone he uses means he understands it's serious.

“The human realm, and that bastard king.” you seethe, because at least Hoseok was open about his biased animosity towards your people, but their King hid it well. So well in fact that he, like his last predecessors, kept their pitiful treaty intact using the same methods. How despicable you think your anger simmering just underneath your skin.

“Angel?”

“You know I don't like being called that.” you remind him.

“Just like I know you don't mean it. What’s really bothering you?”

“The promise of war.” you finally say, and it has him sitting up in the bed, your tail flicks as your cross your arms.

“Are the human’s preparing for war?” he asks, his confusion clear in his tone.

“No, but I would do anything to watch it burn to the ground as they deserve.”

“But then why sign the peace treaty? What is the purpose and why would you break it just to start a war?”

“I can’t break it, the peace treaty is signed in my blood which also holds traces of my mana. If I broke it by attacking the human realm it would harm her.” you whisper, voice broken. Yoongi is confused as to who you are talking about, you have no ties to the human realm. So he’s having a hard time wrapping his head around whoever you’re trying to protect.

“What do you mean?”

“They have the princess.” Jimin supplies from the door. Yoongi’s eyes widen as Jimin enters your bedroom making his way over to you in an instant. He’s cupping your face a grin tilting his lips upwards as he kisses your temple.

“The princess, as in our daughter?”

“Yes, it’s the reason Jimin tried to sneak into their realm but without an invitation it was futile. This treaty is like no other; it's written in her blood her mana matches ours and because their arch mage’s mana is on par with our dukes he’s crafted a spell to keep us out.”

“How is she?” Jimin asks worry filling his being.

“Alive and well, she’s strong like you.” You praise your third husband as a pretty blush settles high on his cheeks. His tail swishes behind him contentedly at the praise.

“Not as strong as you, but thank you.” He says kissing you briefly before bidding you and Yoongi a goodnight. Yoongi however is livid, it’s been four hundred years since her birth the same amount of time the peace treaty has existed. If there’s anything he knows about children is that demon children grow slowly 100 years time is equivalent to one human year. Though most children spend their early years learning and honing their mana for their benefit. They age rapidly after they’ve hit a thousand years, he’s lucky your oldest Yeonjun is only seven.

“How long did you plan to keep this a secret?” Yoongi asks.

“I wasn’t, our daughter has been a well kept secret for years. What did you expect me to not only endanger my life but hers too?”

“That’s our daughter, our only daughter the least you could’ve done was tell us that she’s been used as leveraged to ensure we never attack the human realm.”

“I couldn’t, because she’s been living in another realm and the only time I get to see her is on her birthday to resign that damn document!”

“Does Jungkook know?”

“Of course, he’s in the human realm as we speak. His mana isn’t in her blood so he’s free to roam between realms, he should’ve met up with my human informants by now.”

“And what then?”

“We’ll burn it all down, that’s the only way we can call it even. I want to watch their beloved kingdom burn for what they’ve done.” You say and Yoongi shouldn’t be as affected as he is but it’s arousing seeing the hunger for blood and war that colors your eyes. It's a look that had been lost to him since the end of the war, it’s the same look that gave you Yeonjun, he thinks. You move to stand, and in an instant Yoongi is by your side, hands traveling to the hem of your negligee fingertips just barely skimming the skin of your thighs.

“What’s this?” you breathe.

“Hmm, can’t I simply enjoy the feel of my wife?”

“No, it’s never been that simple with you.” You laugh against his lips, arms wrapping around his neck as one hand tangles in the hair at the nape of his neck. He’s got a hand wrapped around your thigh giving it a brief squeeze, as you sigh when he slides a leg between yours.

“I love the look in your eyes,” he starts cupping your jaw and tilting it up so he can look into your eyes. The rose that swirls in your irises promises war but compared to before this one is for your family and he finds that so god damn sexy “should we have another prince?”

“Yoongi, now is not the time for having more children.”

“But you know how much I want a big family.” he groans, kissing your jaw and moving down.

“We already have a big family with six children, three fathers and myself?”

“No, that isn't enough, I want more.” he sighs as you pull on the hair in your grasp. The hand on your thigh has long since wrapped around your tail and he pulls on it relishing in the moan that fills his ears.

“H-how many more?” you pant.

“As many we can have. We’ll take turns, Jungkook and Jimin want more too. When the war is over, let's have one when the war is over like last time.” he says through a smirk as you whine, and cry as he continues to pull your tail paired with a bite in between every tug.

“O-okay.” you agree quickly bringing his lips to your once more, the kiss is all tongue and teeth as you sink your fangs into his lip with the intent to bruise. He hopes the war ends quickly.

“I never expected her trusted person to be you.” Jungkook scoffs.

“I know, it was made to look that way.” Hoseok laughs leaned against the table in the rundown cabin they occupied. Jungkook has never been more weary of another being before but Hoseok is the exception to this. Even the fourth prince did not set him off as much as Hoseok did, but that mattered little right now especially when they were discussing treason.

“This might be fun after all.” Jungkook smirks at Hoseok, as they get down to business.

#houseofddaeng #heartsforbtsnet #bangtanuniversity #bangtanarmynet #emm writes #monster mash day 8 #spoopy season 2020 #min yoongi x reader #jeon jungkook x reader #jeon jeongguk x reader #park jimin x reader #alternative universe: demons #alternative universe: royalty #demon yoongi #demon jungkook #demon jimin #demon mc #genre: reverse harem

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sonofsallyjackson · 4 years ago

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A World Not Quite Her Own (pt 1/3) - The Estelle Fic

So here it is, my first foray into the Percy Jackson fandom despite being obsessed with the books when I was in elementary/middle school. This started as my take on Estelle’s childhood, but morphed into something more with a Percabeth wedding scene in chapter 2. AO3 Link Here.

Estelle Blofis had never lived in a world without monsters. Many people in this world would have been driven mad by this knowledge. But for Estelle, it was a simple fact of the universe like humans need air to survive, or blue chocolate chip cookies are the best dessert. Maybe knowing about monsters should have made her scared, but all it did was show her the heroes who would always come in and save the day.

Many of those heroes made the best babysitters.

Sally always let out a sigh of relief when Grover was in town. The Lord of the Wild didn’t even grumble good-naturedly as he took on his excitable charge for the day. Grover didn’t need the promise of Sally’s seven-layer bean dip or the collection of recycling curated for maximum crunch to make it through their outings. He had always wanted to teach humans to appreciate the wild, treasure it, and protect it. Grover might not be able to teach all humans, but he certainly could teach Estelle. They sat in an isolated corner of Central Park together, occasionally bothered by druids, but mostly it was just the two of them. They would sit directly in the grass, Estelle’s orange tutu and rainboots regardless of the weather stretched out next to hairy legs that Grover mostly didn’t bother to cover anymore. While Estelle likely fidgeted just as much as she listened (spinning breaks were deemed a necessity after a single outing), she did listen to him. Grover was the best at answering questions and like any small child, Estelle had a lot of questions. So as she grew, Estelle sang hi to the individual trees on walks with her parents and proclaimed solemnly in pre-school that “Pan was dead” (a reference that thankfully her teacher didn’t understand but had resulted in a headache-inducing conversation for Paul).

In comparison, babysitting with Rachel was essentially one long arts and crafts session. Finger paintings completely covered the fridge by the time Estelle was three. They’d repainted the mural on Estelle’s bedroom wall about four times by the time she was ten, with each rendition more fantastical than the last. Occasionally Sally regretted the afternoons spent writing with Rachel over once she discovered the paint covered mess that once had been her daughter, but overall with the sound of laughter echoing through the house (and only one minor prophecy), she supposed things could be a lot worse.

On days where snow piled up outside their window, but Estelle adamantly refused to wear anything but a swimsuit and a feather boa, Paul frantically phoned Piper. She was at the top of a very short list of people who could make Estelle dress appropriately for the weather. No one was sure if it was a form of diluted charmspeak or just Piper’s knack for finding outfits that technically could be worn in public but still fit the (unfashionable) vibe Estelle was going for.

Tyson was never allowed to babysit Estelle by himself, but he made up for his clumsiness and general lack of knowledge of human safety measures with an excess of enthusiasm. He took to having a baby sister so well that no one really bothered to explain that technically the two of them weren’t related. Still Tyson’s one eye seemed just as normal to Estelle as his hugs or extremely calloused hands.

Nico really wasn’t her babysitter. He would stop by the apartment looking for Percy or Sally, but would end up staying because Estelle had him wrapped around her finger. The first time they’d met Nico had come over with bad news regarding Apollo’s quest. Estelle couldn’t actually remember what had happened since she was so young, but Sally liked telling the story, complete with pictures, so Estelle knew it by heart anyway. Percy hadn’t been home yet and since he was with mortals working on a group project, Iris messages would have been a no-go even if the cosmos weren’t trying to prevent demi-god communication. So Nico had sat on the couch in the living room occasionally pestered by Sally’s “Are you sure I can’t get you anything to eat?” and “You look tired, sweetheart. You have time for a nap if you want one.”

In the end, Nico hadn’t gotten that nap because he’d been greeted by tiny hands pulling themselves upright on the couch cushion next to him. Estelle’s face had been alight with mischief that Nico would have previously sworn was only possible from a child of Hermes. Her black curls swung wildly around her as she wiggled her way onto the couch and into Nico’s lap. Estelle made herself comfortable while Nico looked ready to throw up. At fourteen, he’d fought in two different wars, but one crawling 10-month-old seemed to be enough to break him. As Estelle grew older, her little chants of “Nico! Nico! Nico!” had so much power over the boy who wanted a family more than anything else in the world.

Annabeth was one of her most frequent babysitters. She practically lived at their apartment when she wasn’t at school, or helping her cousins or the camp. She did keep Percy from giving into Estelle’s every whim which wasn’t ideal, but Estelle could deal with eating a full plate of vegetables if it meant hanging out with Annabeth. Unfortunately, Annabeth did not share Estelle’s undying love for all things Little Mermaid and often muttered “Seaweed Brain, I don’t know how but this is your fault. If I have to hear Under the Sea one more time, I’ll-“ under her breath whenever just watching Disney movies was suggested. So spending time with Annabeth often meant playing with Legos, creating a disjointed collection of buildings. Mini replicas of New York landmarks would be dwarfed by uneven towers because Estelle cared more about height than stability, aesthetics or really any other architectural principle. When Annabeth entered school, she was less inclined to spend any bit of free time still thinking about architecture. So she gave Estelle a little potholder loom and taught her the basics of weaving. Sally had ended up with more neon-colored monstrosities than she knew what to do with, but the girls could spend hours in relative quiet, so it seemed a small price to pay.

And then there was Percy, the biggest hero in Estelle’s eyes. Her love wasn’t like the hero-worship of new demigods, who idolized him for defeating the Titans, surviving Tartarus, or going on countless quests. Estelle believed more than anything else in the world that her brother would be there to catch her whenever she fell and there was no monster he couldn’t beat.

Even before she could walk, Estelle had seen her brother’s powers. Some things were easy to miss, like the way Percy could wash the dishes without getting wet at all, but others stood out to her. The waves at Montauk had calmed so he could teach her how to swim but were quick to come back to life if anyone stared too openly at Annabeth or his mom. While Annabeth built elaborate sandcastles, Percy added fantastical moats and laughed as Estelle roared like a minotaur to tear it down. He could hold his breath forever, which seemed awfully unfair the first time Estelle had tried to swim underwater and ended up with a mouthful of saltwater. Percy was always willing to translate for the fish at the aquarium, although Estelle was pretty sure he did the funny voices for her benefit. When Percy had landed Blackjack on their apartment’s roof after being called back to camp for an emergency, he had translated for his old friend too. Estelle loved those translations the most, even if they weren’t entirely accurate.

“Seriously, Blackjack, can you cool the language around my little sister?”

By age five, her older brother had bought wooden swords for the two of them to practice in the living room. Percy kept the moves simple, demonstrating before lightly wrapping his fingers around her tiny wrists and guiding her through the movements. Estelle would copy them intently with her nose scrunched up and her tongue stuck slightly to the side in concentration. They focused primarily on defensive strategies, but still had practice fights where Percy pretended to die dramatically.

“I don’t think this is a good idea Percy,” Sally had said after they broke their second lamp.

“Mom she can see them. And as long as I’m around Stella will always be a target.”

There was an unspoken promise in his words. I’m always going to be here Mom. I’m still alive, but I can’t lose anyone else, especially not my baby sister.

Estelle hugged her mother’s leg tightly, looking up with pleading eyes. “Please Mom I’ll be careful.”

Eventually, Paul signed Estelle up for fencing lessons because there had to be a better way to teach her to fight that didn’t involve the two of them wrecking the living room every time Percy visited. And if the way, allowed Paul to share his old fencing passion with his daughter, all the better. The living room still ended up with the furniture pushed to the side on a regular basis though because Estelle needed to demonstrate everything she’d learned for her big brother.

When Tyson had come to her sixth birthday party, his present had been a small bronze sword that transformed into a charm bracelet so Estelle could always be prepared. He’d look so proud and Estelle kept touching it reverently, but Sally had not been amused. She had wanted her daughter to grow up safe from this madness, even if she knew that wasn’t entirely a possibility. It was bad enough to have one child constantly in mortal peril and disappearing on dangerous quests.

“It can’t even hurt her; it’s celestial bronze. The first time I met Rachel I ran her through with Riptide and she’s still fine.”

Rachel flicked her red curls over her shoulder. “Worried for your sanity, but physically fine.”

Neither of them was as reassuring as they thought, but Estelle did get to keep the sword for emergency use only. This was after all a world full of monsters as well as heroes.

#estelle blofis #percy jackson #PJO #pjo/hoo #hoo #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo fandom #riordenverse #pjo fic #my fic

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inknose · 5 years ago

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mdzs read diary part IV, the end

It’s inspiring how much self care wwx is gonna finally get now that his husband will go along with whatever he does, so he’s gotta look out for lwj’s well being if not his own. that is emphatically the STUFF

dragging my hands down I face as I read this, after all these chapters of getting up close and personal with ghouls bleeding from every orifice, slaying ancient beasts, rebelling against the entire cultivation world, the two of them are absolutely paralyzed by middle school crush sleepover math

chicken

he actually drew kissy doodles .... he....

IDK I THINK I JUST DOCUMENTED THIS PART CUZ I WAS STILL SCREAMING you cant expect me to have very useful things to say at this point

this is torture you are both so mushy you are so GONE

This part really stood out to me, it’s an attitude I feel like wwx implies with his inner narration a few times but most clearly says here: he’s not one for allowing himself to exaggerate how bad his circumstances are/could be even a little bit - he’s already lived through some extreme low points and found a way to keep going, so he never makes sweeping statements about what he couldn’t live without (Inner JingYi: you’re supposed to say you’d be lost without him here!!!) Instead he seems to accept as a given that being alive doesn’t guarantee him any pleasantness or joy at all, and as a result his feelings toward being in TRUE LOVE are surprisingly pragmatic, but also colored with such gratitude. There are a lot of things in the novel that struck me, like this, as being just a little to the left of familiar tropes/sentiments, and were more touching for it. Whether it be the influence of culture difference as opposed to what I’m used to reading in most western romance stories, or MXTX’s unique outlook, or a combination of both, it was really refreshing and made me pause over it. Not “I can’t imagine living without you” but “I could be living without you, but instead I get to be with you and I think that’s the best thing that could happen.”

ADJFDKFJ THE UST BEING SO STRONG THAT EVEN THE VILLAIN COMMENTS ON IT IN THE MIDDLE OF EXECUTING HIS EVIL PLANS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WILL NEVER FAIL TO MAKE ME LAUGH MY ASS OFF. hes like god damn! here I thought I had problems

it was at this moment that I realized we were doing this Now... I’m still recovering. What a scene. I am so glad I saw the most incredible fanart soon afterwards, bc the fact that someone has already drawn a perfect comic of this part means I don’t have to

I love you so much, you are so annoying, you are perfect... I like how he’s been experiencing openly requited love for all of ten minutes but he’s already figured out how to weaponize it to piss people off

doing!!! his!!! job!!!!!

ahh... it’s a really good story. JGY is a great character. One of the most interesting differences for me between drama watching vs. novel reading experience is that without an actor to bat his vulnerable doe eyes at you and smile faintly with his cute dimples, the book does not go much out of its way to try to lull the reader into a false sense of security around him or *endear* him to you the way the show does. But just by seeing events through wei wuxian’s POV, its still enough to evoke pity or understanding towards him. The overall impression is a bit more detached though, there’s less emphasis on the spectacle of how he could manipulate everyone closest to him and more of a general feeling of resigned tragedy that everyones the worst on this bitch of an earth.

I CANNOT DEAL WITH YOU FOR EVEN ONE MORE SECOND!!!!

I clearly paused to take note of less and less parts at the end & the extras due to: a) too excited to reach the end b) too spicy to photograph and c) too sleepy cuz I kept reading in the middle of the night. but I absolutely took the time for Bro We Are Teens appreciation corner:

I’d absolutely read 40 more extra chapters of their monster-of-the-week field trip antics.

god... poor Jin Ling now basically has to deal with divorced parents that talk shit about each other to him whenever he is saying with one of them. except they are both his uncles. just a disasterhood of all uncles from start to finish. AUUUGH wei wuxian and jiang cheng have fucked me up completely, I dream of them reconciling but I also REFUSE to believe it would ever be easy. let me know if theres a fanfic that absolutely tortures you for decades before they hug

HAHAHA oh no this man ain’t making it to immortality thats for damn sure. HE’S JUST GONNA TRY AS HARD AS HE CAN HIS WHOLE LIFE NOT TO LOOK AT HIM BUT THEYRE *MARRIED* SDLKFJSF ohhhh it’s too funny, like... the mundane domestic family drama IN the fantastical swords and sorcery setting is what really ratchets up these things from amusing to fucking hilarious I think

aaaa the end... final random thoughts? No not final, I would like to please keep discussing at length and exhaustively, all the time please - CQL has gotta be one of the best TV adaptations I’ve seen. ANY adaptation of anything would be lucky to be so good!! reading the novel has just made me appreciate it even more.

- I don’t think I can do justice to what I find most fascinating about comparing the two versions briefly, to do that I need to get drunk and ramble at my friends for hours but... the condensed version is something like this. Really all the significant differences between the two versions (besides the ones which can be attributed to censorship and therefore aren’t worth discussing) are a side effect of the structure of how the story is told - there’s barely anything changed arbitrarily. Aside from having a cold opening, the drama sticks to a very linear version of the story, and I think for a TV show or film, that’s probably the best way to do it. We see everything, we get shocked and tricked and betrayed and surprised along with the characters, we feel the biggest impact at the climactic scenes having experienced all the build-up. The novel on the other hand is not only much more non-linear in WHEN we learn bits and pieces of information, but that information is also obfuscated under wei wuxian’s multiple layers of Unreliable Narratoritis, which are as follows: 1) difficulty remembering things because of personality/avoiding painful memories/actual memory loss, 2) No Homo Goggles still on, and 3) a wry sense of humor that makes the reader unsure of how much they can trust his attitude toward things, especially near the beginning. The experience of reading is a puzzle the reader has to mentally piece together through all of the above listed camouflage, and the puzzle itself is a three-sided mystery: One - How Bad of a guy was Wei WuXian really, and how exactly did all the bad stuff in his life go down; Two - wangxian epic pride & prejudice gambits; Three - political murder mystery. (I love stories like this btw... though I fully admit I’m glad I watched first this time bc it might have taken me a long time to tackle otherwise.) Because of this, where the drama wants to pull you in and submerge you in all the most potent emotional parts, the novel in direct contrast deliberately side-steps around these things and asks that you hurt yourself by filling in the blanks. In fact the more intense emotions and painful memories involved, whether it be his relationship with jiang yanli, his DEATH, the darkest days of war times etc, the more the novel evasively withholds details. I actually really like both styles of storytelling but each one is obviously way better suited to its medium. ANYWAY.... THATS BASICALLY WHERE MY BRAINS AT WHILE IM READING GAY SWORD WIZARD BOOKS

- The extras are so saturated with domestic married bliss that it’s a good thing I stopped taking pictures because I’d just take a picture of every page. this is too much for me to take... I did jump the gun a few times and read a few fanfics while I was still mid-read of the book (I tried to hold out but alas I am mortal) and at one point after finishing I was like “wow what fic was it in where lwj says something cute and wwx kisses him in public but they’re in the corner of the restaurant so no one really sees... OH NO WAIT that was actually in there.” and ... and that’s the LEAST OF IT... *stares into the distance* theyre married wow

- I ofc couldn’t help but see a few vague blogs beforehand so honestly I was braced for something like, wildly ooc for the sake of porn to happen in the extras... I definitely appreciate how the incense burner porn interludes could be uhhh a lot for many people and not my personal cup of tea in terms of smut however [here follows the words of a poisonous frog who has dwelt her whole life in the rainforests of BL] the concept is also surprisingly SWEET SDFLKJF like wwx sees lan wangji’s darkest mixed-up violent teenage fantasies and he’s just like aww babe you had a crush on me!! just... good for them

- I swear I’m not gonna rehash every cute married thing they do but wei wuxian grading papers in the tub........................rEALLY GOT ME

- I want to Draw - ok thats enough if I keep going I’ll just write “wei wuxian grading papers in the tub” seven more times probably

#mdzs readthru #this obviously has many spoilers

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midzelink · 5 years ago

Text

Behind the Masks

by Basil Ouija

game: Majora’s Mask

wordcount: 1,388

summary: Before Majora became a demon, he was a god. Before the Fierce Deity became a mask, he was a demon. Together, they have a favorite game to play.

(Also on AO3.)

* * * * *

“Okay! Let’s play good guys against bad guys.”

The words of the masked trickster came as the echoing of ringing bells, joyous and pleasant, but a wee bit off, a wee bit hollow. His legs carried the momentum of his small body forward and backward like the pendulum of a great clock as he swung sprightly from the one of the highest branches of a lofty tree, with seemingly no regard for the dangers that doing so might pose.

“Oh, c’mon! That again?” came the mildly annoyed reply from another in a space beneath him. This one wore a different kind of mask—the marks of a beast, though he in all other aspects appeared as nothing more than a mere boy. His disheveled, stark white hair stuck out against the natural colors of the surrounding wood, hands folded neatly at the nape of his neck, upper body lazily reclined against the tree’s wide trunk. A single, piercing red eye opened as he continued, half-groaning. “Can’t we do something else?”

In the blink of an eye, the masked one had stopped swinging; now, he sat perched precariously along that same branch, arms folded neatly across the tops of his knees. “What’s wrong?” he said, though his voice betrayed no sadness or concern. “Don’t you want to play? I thought you liked that game!”

“It’s not that I don’t like it,” said the red-eyed one, stifling a yawn, “but every time we play, I always end up losing.” He made to roll over onto his side in protest, but stopped when he felt a presence; sure enough, the masked one was now there on the ground, casting a shadow as he hovered over him enthusiastically.

“Well, the bad guys always lose,” came his cheery reply. Cheeriness that matched that of the mask he wore: the face of a young man, mouth locked in a broad, toothy grin, eyes closed blissfully and peacefully. A mask that had forever captured a moment of pure happiness. His absolute favorite. “That’s just how it works. Heh, heh!”

The red-eyed one exhaled in a deep huff, blowing strands of hair upwards and out of his face. Clearly, the impish character had entirely missed the point. “But why,” he began, standing up straight to face the other, “do I always have to be the bad guy?”

That made the trickster stop dead in his tracks. “Hmm...” He took a beat and spun around, and in the next moment, his mask had changed; now, he sported the face of a bemused Goron child, his hand raised up about his would-be cheek, fingers tapping rhythmically along it as if deep in thought. “Hmm, hmm, hmm!” He disappeared and reappeared in multiple places, feet tapping, body rocking, arms gesticulating wildly—then, an epiphany! He reappeared in front of the white-haired boy, his mask changed once more; this time it was that of a wide-eyed, portly woman, her mouth caught open in realization and excitement. “Oh! I know! It’s because you’re a demon, and demons are usually the bad guys! Right?”

A demon. Harsh words perhaps, but the absolute truth. His ivory hair and crimson eyes had been gifts from his mother, he was told. A servant of the Goddess. He had never known her—though, he had never known his father, either. But he didn’t need to know his father to know exactly what kind of man he was—or rather, what type of thing, because his gifts were far, far more apparent.

Indeed, it was the truth—and perhaps, on another day, in another place, with anyone else, it was a truth that would have stung. But the red-eyed boy had long grown used to the antics of his masked companion, and so instead:

He simply laughed.

“Pfffft! Yeah, yeah, okay. We both know it’s only because you’re a sore loser,” and he enunciated the you’re with a well-timed jab at the woman’s nose. A wide grin graced his face as he spoke - nothing like the fixed grin of the mask the trickster fancied, but a bona fide, genuine smile, revealing a rather impressive set of canines underneath. “Besides”—and he took a moment here to forcefully point at himself with a thumb—“this half-demon would be one heck of a good guy, if you ask me. Maybe even better than you.”

“Heh, heh! You really think so?” He was above him now, his body draped haphazardly along one of the tree’s lower branches, that happy, smiling mask of his returned. “In that case...how about...if you play the bad guy now, I promise I’ll let you be the good guy one day! ‘Kay?”

“Geez...” It was something that was inevitable, he knew, from the moment it had been spoken into existence. This game of theirs. Bad guy or not. A long, exaggerated sigh escaped from him as he collapsed onto the grassy hill below, the ghost of a smirk dancing at the corners of his mouth. Truth be told, it didn’t really bother him all that much either way. For a moment or two, he closed his eyes almost pensively—but the sound of something rustling soon caught his attention, and he looked up to see a smattering of leaves gently falling toward him, courtesy of the masked being he called his friend.

Friend.

For how long, now, had it just been the two of them? For how long had they had only each other, when it seemed the whole world had turned against them? A foul, loathsome monster doomed the moment he had been born into this world, and a faceless trickster god who delighted in wearing the faces of others. Outcasts. Unwanted and misunderstood. Years spent haplessly, constantly running, causing no shortage of fear and trouble wherever they went. Alone.

Until they had found each other.

Of course I’ll play with you, you numbskull.

All the same, he had so far put on a show of indifference, and his friend’s words had struck a chord with him. Could demons even be the good guys? He’d certainly never heard of such a thing. Perhaps he could be the first. Yes...he rather liked that idea. All he needed was the opportunity. He looked up once more, the slightest glimmer of a spark alit in his eyes.

“You promise?”

“Mm, hmm!” his masked friend chimed, appearing before him in mid-air, making a X-shape with a hand across his chest as he continued. “Cross my heart!”

“Fine, then.” A wickedly devilish grin, dogged and playful, crossed his face. Bad guy time. “Get ready, Majora!”

And then the boy rapidly began to change: messy hair gave way to tufts of spiked white fur, before quickly spreading to cover the rest of his body; long, pointed ears sprouted up from the top of his head, hands and feet reshaping into massive paws, a tail now where there before had not been one; the face of a human child now nothing more than the long and gnarled muzzle of a wild beast, mouth furled up into a ferocious snarl, revealing the set of jagged and razor-sharp teeth that lay therein. His eyes—pure white and infernal—accentuated by the navy and crimson markings along them. Father’s gifts. Even standing on all fours, he had grown no less than three times in size; any mortal man would have fled at the mere sight. But here, there were no mortal men. Here, it was only the two of them—for this was their playground.

And gods, did they play.

A piercing howl, like a wolf on the night of the full moon, split the air around them—and just like that they were off, all sprinting and claws and bursts of brilliant light, verdant fields folding and shifting like mere paper in the wind to suit their needs, the sound of vicious, thunderous growls and gleeful, childlike laughter exploding into the stratosphere. Perhaps, one day, theirs was a promise that would be fulfilled. Perhaps, one day, the beast would be able to walk away from this game of theirs and say that, at last, he had won. Perhaps—one day—they would be able to find out, together, whether or not a demon could truly be “good.”

But—for now—being the “bad guy” was more than good enough.

#majora's mask #fierce deity #majora #loz fanfic #legend of zelda #tloz #loz #precursor era #ohohoho! what's this?#what are these kids up to? 👀#anyway here's a sneak peek of my mm headcanons #yell at me in my inbox if you wanna know wdf is going on : o)#i wanna write more featuring these two in the future #but i also don't mind info-dumping in a post LMFAOOOO #writing #fics #mywriting*#text #myposts*

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hermannsthumb · 5 years ago

Note

Could you possibly write a fic with Newt sending Hermann a sexy vid he’s thoroughly convinced is sexy but is in fact the worst piece of cinematography Hermann has ever seen...kthx 😘

i originally wrote this by hand in a notebook. can u believe it

no EXPLICIT onscreen shenanigans but heavily heavily alluded to so 18+/not safe for work below cut

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

Newt wouldn’t describe himself as needy, exactly, not all the time, not consistently, but he thinks–well–certain recent needy actions on his part can be forgiven on account of the current (and fucking tragic) circumstances he finds himself in. He and Hermann find themselves in together. It’s like–they already have a difficult enough go as it is finding time to, well, fool around, between work and mandatory meetings and the general boner-killing haze the whole “end of the world” thing has exuded upon them all, and now Hermann’s been shipped off across the ocean to goddamn Seattle to offer his expertise.

And Newt?

Newt’s horny.

The horny part is kind of his own fault. See, last Valentine’s Day, he managed to talk Hermann into taking sexy Polaroids with him (relatively tame stuff, though Newt does have a pretty saucy snapshot of Hermann’s exposed collarbone under his barely-unbuttoned shirt–the trollop!), and, feeling particularly lonely after another long day of having absolutely no one to argue with and throw bits of kaiju entrails at, Newt decided today was the day to crack the album open again. This, of course, led to recalling vividly how their parting sex had gone two months ago (Hermann had left awesome hickeys on Newt’s thighs that Newt swears he’s still sporting, and they got so loud someone actually pounded on their door to make them shut up), an single attempt at masturbation, and then a very botched attempt at phone sex.

(“I’m so hard,” Newt moaned. “What are you wearing?

A strange choking noise. “I’m in a conference, Newton!”

Right–time difference.)

Newt can just finish himself off and everything, and he’s planning on it, when he suddenly receives a neat and surreptitious little text from Hermann that makes his eyebrows jump.

I miss you too, darling

only a week, and then–

What follows is a wildly explicit list of activities Hermann plans to do with and to Newt when he gets home, requiring the use of everything from his tongue, to Newt’s tie, to the large purple dildo they keep in Newt’s bedside table and refer to (or, at least Newt does) as Hermann 2.

i love you, Newt replies.

This is when Newt gets an Idea. Inspiration really courtesy of the Polaroids, in fact. He should show Hermann how much he loves him, how much he misses him and how lonely he’s been without him. And, y’know, get off in the process. Then Hermann (who definitely misses Newt just as much) can get off too. Goddamn foolproof. He just needs to find his old webcam, and then…

———

Hermann doesn’t reply when Newt sends the video. At first, Newt thinks nothing of it–nothing beyond the obvious of “Hermann is just too overcome with lust and needs to jerk off immediately and can’t answer yet”–but when he still hasn’t brought it up by the end of the next day (long after his lust should have dissipated) Newt decides he needs to pry a little. For the sake of his ego.

only a few more days, he texts Hermann obscenely early. Or late. He never went to bed, technically; Hermann constitutes about seventy percent of his impulse control, and without anyone to shame him out of guzzling half a dozen Monster drinks and getting elbows-deep in kaiju guts all night, Newt has a tendency to do just that.

six–I can hardly contain myself

maybe i can reenact my video for you in person, huh? ;)

Hermann doesn’t respond for several hours.

sorry – I fell asleep

Newt politely doesn’t point out that he sent his query at what would’ve been noon Hermann’s time. Who knows--maybe the guy had a long night, too.

——

Six days winds down slowly, painfully, tortuously, and then finally, it’s one hour, then five minutes, and then Newt’s throwing his arms around Hermann outside the airport baggage claim and kissing the living daylights out of him. “Never again,” he sighs happily into the crook of Hermann’s shoulder.

“Next time–” Hermann starts.

“–won’t exist,” Newt says.

Hermann gives him a small, crooked smile. “Next time I’ll stow you away in my luggage. How does that sound?”

Newt thinks it sounds very good. He kisses Hermann again to let him know. “C’mon,” he says, taking the handle of Hermann’s massive wheely suitcase (because Hermann, for all that he wears the same three fucking pieces of clothing every day, packed his entire wardrobe and a half) “taxi’s waiting, and I’m like, hardcore blue-balled, dude.”

Hermann flushes and swats at Newt’s side in mortified admonishment, but doesn’t–to Newt’s immense pleasure–remove his hand afterwards.

Newt waits patiently until Hermann’s finished unloading all the souvenirs Newt’s asked for (mostly shitty American junk food he has trouble finding in Hong Kong) from his suitcase to seduce him, and then he waits until he’s got Hermann stripped down to his stupid tighty-whiteys and threadbare undershirt and splayed out on Newt’s bed like a beautiful skinny-knobbly buffet to bring up the video again. Because, truthfully, it’s been weighing heavily on his mind. “So?” he says, with a little kiss to one of those bony collarbones that so ignited his lust the other night. “What did you think?”

“Mm,” Hermann says. His eyelids are at a lusty half-mast; his glasses slip further down his nose with each little jerk his body gives when Newt’s mouth does something exciting. “Of what, darling?”

“Of the video, obviously,” Newt says.

There is a slight, but noticeable, downward twinge to Hermann’s wide lips. “Ah,” he says. He fixes the glasses, then slides them back down, then back up. He’s nervous. Not a good sign. “Well–” He coughs. “Frankly, Newton, I found it…lacking.”

Newt freezes. “What do you mean?”

“The video,” Hermann says. “It was–well, it was terribly out of focus, darling. A bit sideways. And badly lit.” He fiddles with his glasses again and adds, almost chastising, “And you really ought to have gone for a more interesting color palette, I think.”

Newt drops his hands from Hermann’s knees (where they’d been braced, for proper sexy kissing and seduction) and sits back on his heels. “My sexy video?”

“Yes,” Hermann says. He blinks at Newt. “That is what we’re talking about, is it not?”

“It’s not,” Newt tries, stumbling over the words and a sudden surge of affronted anger, “it’s not lacking, you dick! It’s sexy! It’s–”

He digs his phone out from the heap of his jeans and jacket on the carpet. Hermann’s wrong. He knows Hermann’s wrong. The video’s sexy, okay. Newt’s sexy. Hermann’s just being difficult for no good fucking reason.

He scrolls back in his texts to find the video and clicks play.

Okay, like, maybe he could have angled the camera better, he’ll give Hermann that: in his deliberation over whether to film his face (romantic) or his dick (sexy), he settled somewhere in the vicinity of his abdomen in the hopes that the camera would get a bit of both. It did not. It was also a little dark in his bunk when he filmed it. And the sound quality isn’t, like, great--it’s all muffled. “Hi honey,” on-screen Newt says. “I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I miss you, and how bad I want you to just–”

The rest of the video consists of Newt’s loud grunts, the audible, wet slide of his hand on his dick, and a consistent shaky shot of his stomach and heaving chest. He jizzes in about two minutes flat with a little whimper of “Hermann–!”

The screen goes dark. Darker.

“Huh,” Newt says.

He flops onto his back on the bed.

“I wanted it to be a sexy thing for you to jerk off to,” he says, sadly.

“Well,” Hermann says, matter-of-fact, “naturally, I did masturbate to it anyway. Oh, Newton–” Newt turns away from him when he tries to lay a hand on his thigh. “Darling, I’m sorry, you mustn’t be upset. It was a lovely surprise. I’m just a daft old--”

“You don’t think I’m sexy,” Newt says, just as sadly as before.

“Of course I do!” Hermann plants a small kiss on his shoulder, right over a freckle Newt knows he’s fond of. It doesn’t cheer him up. “I think you’re devastatingly sexy. Not think--know.”

Newt rolls even further away. Nearly off the side of the bed. Hermann (sighing gently) follows with even more kisses to his shoulder, one at the nape of his neck that decidedly does not make Newt shiver. “Newton,” he murmurs. One of his hands ghosts down Newt’s bare chest and pauses to scratch over a nipple. “I would very much like to have sex with you right now.”

“Pity sex,” Newt says.

“Sex with my partner,” Hermann says, ignoring this, “whom I’ve not seen in two months and love very, very much. Because he is handsome--” Kiss. “--intelligent--” Kiss. “--thoughtful--” Kiss, kiss, kiss. “--mm, and very sweet.”

“Liar,” Newt mumbles, but finally concedes to Hermann’s bony, tender embrace and sappy, overblown compliments and rolls over to nuzzle against his chest.

“There we are,” Hermann coos. He slides his fingers through Newt’s hair; Newt makes a noise almost like a purr, to his embarrassment. “My sweet, handsome, sexy--”

"I’m gonna need a little more convincing than that,” Newt interrupts threateningly.

“Gladly,” Hermann says.

#newmann #maria's fanfiction tag #Anonymous

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kyosohmastan · 4 years ago

Text

Here’s the first chapter of a fic I started. As I have expressed, I’m a ridiculously mega fan of Taylor Swift. I think this blog is 20% a Taylor fan blog tbh lol. So I came up with this fun idea that Taylor somehow takes over Tohru’s body and life and how the guys would preceive that. So this is going to be chaotic.

I’m putting it on A03 later once I’m a few chapters in just in case I need to touch anything up since I don’t outline. But here’s the rough draft exclusively for here if you would like to check it out~

Title: (I don’t have one yet but I’ll concern myself with it later)

Rating: T

Words (ch 1): 1,811

I’m too tired to open my eyes, even though I’m awake. If I could get in five minutes before I have to get ready, that might be enough to leave me refreshed. Probably not. I haven’t gotten enough sleep since I was sixteen. But I can’t bail on the show tonight for being too tired. That was an unspoken rule.

I turn over, kind of surprised the girls haven’t awaken me. They’re usually begging for breakfast right now. “Meredith?” I murmur, stroking the duvet for any signs of fur. “Olivia?”

I finally open my eyes, seeing a pillow, sheets, a white nightstand...that isn’t mine. Puzzled, I sit up, getting a full scope of the room. What in the world? There’s so much pink in here, when my L.A bedroom is mostly white. There isn’t a cat in sight.

“Benjamin?” I try again, wondering if they teleported here with me. All there is is silence. I get up, open the curtains, and gaze upon yards of forest when I should be looking at the bustling view of Beverly Hills. Something’s wrong. Something’s been wrong since way long ago, since the moment I opened my eyes. Did the rosé from last night hit too hard and I crashed at one of my team members' places? That must be it. I’ll just go see them and apologize.

I head to the door, passing by a full length mirror on the wall on the way. I stop, taking a double take. The girl who looks at me has long brunette hair. I did not dye my hair. She looks young, teenager young. This isn’t me, but when I lift a hand to my face, the reflection follows. This isn’t possible. It’s got to be some type of dream. But as I touch my-...this girl’s face, I can feel it vividly. My mouth drops on an inaudible scream, and I scurry away from the mirror and out the door.

The breath is knocked out of me as I land on something solid. A body? No. It’s a cat. An orange cat is beneath me, but it isn’t one of my cats.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I say. What an adorable kitty. He stares up at me, a little befuddled. I’ve never seen a cat that expressive.

“Oh my gosh,” I giggle, pick it up, and squeeze him to me. “So cute!!! Where did you come from, little guy?”

“Nani?” Something said aggressively. The cat?

No. Not possible. I look around, trying to find the source of the voice. “Who said that?”

“Tohru!” It says. It’s definitely coming from the cat. His voice rumbles against my arms as I hold him. He says something in a foreign language that I can’t understand.

At once, I drop him, letting out a scream that I should have made ever since I found myself in this body. How could things be getting even weirder?

I drop him, scooting back against the wall. “I-I’m so confused. What’s happening?”

A puff of orange smoke fills the hallway and I cough through it. As I peer within it, a body replaces where the cat just was. A naked body of a boy. Horrified, I turn my head away, left with even more questions.

He maneuvers to the room on the other side of the hallway and comes back a minute later dressed in a uniform.

Now that he’s clothed, I get a look at him. He’s tall with limbs slightly elongated to show he must still be growing, and he has gorgeous orange hair that I haven’t seen on anyone besides Ed. It’s the same color as the cat’s. He’s the cat? I can’t grasp the idea. Lord knows I’m still dreaming.

He crosses his arms, eyes narrowing, saying something that I can’t understand again.

I think that’s japanese. I know a little bit from my travels to Japan on tours but only the basics. “I don’t understand,” I reply

His brows raise. He looks more confused than I am, if that’s possible. “English?” he says.

I nod, reacting as skittish as if I was in front of a ten foot tall monster. He’s anything but. He is...wow, he’s super hot. But he has to be no older than seventeen. No. Can’t think like that. That’s gross.

“When...you speak english?”

“Um...since forever?” I respond. His english is broken, but he clearly knows a little. Still, I need to find someone fluent and ask them what’s going on, if they even know. Wait. Does this mean I’m in Japan? Or I suppose this could still be L.A. There is a very diverse amount of people here.

He kneels, taking my hand and hauling me up from the ground. I stand on wobbling legs. “Sick?” he asks.

“Huh? No. Or maybe? I don’t know where I am. I don’t know who I am.”

His brows furrow more and more with each word I sputter out. His reply is indecipherable to me again. I’m only making him more frustrated in return. His voice is so aggressive.

I hate that I’m losing patience. I want to cry because I’m so confused, terrified, and worried that I hit my head on something. I must be blacked out right now and in a coma. Or I’m hallucinating all of this. “I don’t understand!”

He sighs and holds his hands up. “Okay. Get dressed. We...figure it out…” He leaves down the stairs.

I can’t bring myself to move. So much is out of whack that I feel dizzy. Body swapping is impossible. It’s a cliche concept that you only see in sci-fi movies. Not in real life. I go back into the room and stumble to the closet. There’s a plethora of blouses and skirts with a few dresses sprinkled about. Not a pair of pants or shorts in sight. Flipping through the blouses, I can tell whoever this girl is (Tohru?) and I have a very similar taste in style. It’s kind of refreshing that I can’t find any high-end brands. I can’t remember the last time I wore something just...normal.

She has three pairs of two types of uniforms. Her school must use uniforms. Is it a school day? I take the navy blue blazer and matchin skirt off the hanger and work on taking off my pajamas, then I put it on. I double check myself in the mirror. She looks adorable. No kidding, I’ve never seen a cuter girl. I comb my fingers through my hair to fix it, then leave down the stairs, completely lost once I hit the landing. I follow the sounds of voices that I still can’t understand. There’s three of them, including the cat boy, at a kotatsu. They’re just as pleasing to look at. The one in the kimono looks to be around my age, and the one with the silver hair has an aura of sadness lingering around him that is somewhat contagious. The orange haired boy looks concerned as he watches me sit with them, before turning to the man and speaking in japanese with the same worry.

The man nods, turning his attention to me. “Good morning, Tohru-kun. How are you doing this morning?” he says in english, and immediately relief settles in me since I can finally understand someone.

“Good...I think,” I reply. Nothing is going good.

“Is that so?” he inquires. “Kyo-kun thinks you seem a little off.”

Cat boy? I turn my head towards where he’s sitting adjacent to me, slowly sipping from a bowl of soup. I’m sure I must be acting nothing like this Tohru. It’s no wonder they’re concerned.

“Why do you think I’m acting differently?” I ask, knowing full well the reason. It’s a debate whether to tell them I’m someone else. How do you tell someone you’re another person in this body? Especially since they know Tohru.

“First of all, you took.. so long getting dressed that I...had to make breakfast. You have never skipped out on making meals unless....you are sick,” Kyo says, slowly struggling through his english by taking long pauses.

I swallow down my guilt as he continues, although I wasn’t aware. “You suddenly don’t remember how to speak japanese. You freaked out like...it was the first time again when...I transformed. You are wearing the fall uniform when it is spring.”

I don’t bother touching my food, even though it looks devine. He must be a good cook. I don’t know what to say to that.

The silver haired boy says something in their language, and I draw my attention to him.

“He said you are not...wearing your ribbons,” Kyo translates.

“My ribbons? In my hair?” I ask.

Kyo nods, observing me like I’m a foreign creature.

This isn’t going to fly. I can’t pretend to be someone I’m not, at least someone I’m not on the inside. But they see right through me, especially Kyo as it seems. I freeze, twiddling my fingers under the kotatsu as I speed through ideas in my head on what to do.

I could just tell them the truth. They might not believe me. I’m still having trouble believing it myself, but it would explain why Tohru seems off. It’d probably be easier if I told the truth anyway.

But...this could be my chance to live another life. I didn’t think of that until now. When have I ever been given the opportunity to just be normal? I’ve been constantly watched for fourteen years. I can’t even remember what it’s like to live normally. But especially after all that’s happened in the past few years..I want that.

So I lie. And I loathe myself for it. “I must have forgotten them! I’m sorry. I am feeling a bit off today.”

“Are you sick?” The man asks. “Maybe it would be better if you stayed home from school.”

God, school sounds so fun. I haven’t been to school in ages. I never even got a proper graduation. “No, I’m good. I’m just not in a good headspace. I’ll get better.”

Kyo is still leering at me. He seems to be the harder one of the bunch to convince. He feels my forehead, and my cheeks heat. That’s not going to help prove my case. “No fever,” he says. “I guess you’re fine then.”

“Right!” I respond. “Should we get going? Don’t want to be late!”

Yuki stands before I finish and Kyo follows. “Let’s go. Did you...forget your bag too?”

“Oh, I did!” I didn’t. I didn’t know I needed it. I skipped up the stairs. This is still wildly confusing and bizarre...but I’m going to school. I’m going to step into a place so forbidden to me to venture out to on my own. At this point, nothing is impossible anymore.

#Fruits Basket #furuba #kyo sohma #yuki sohma #shigure sohma #Tohru Honda #fruits basket fanfic #fruits basket fanfiction #taylor swift

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cadday · 4 years ago

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Collateral Damage - Chapter 12

Waking up on the floor sucked, even more so when it was stone and unforgiving as the one they had slept for the night. Waking up with a tiny angry man goat thing in your face going on about who knows what also sucked. Looking over he saw Lea and Isa were both awake and fairly startled by the angry thing ranting at them. Sighing Braig dragged himself off the floor and grimaced at the goat man.

“Look, uh guy. We just needed a place to crash while passing through, no big deal. We’ll get out of your um horns..”

“Not like we hurt anything, don’t got to yell at us about jack.” Lea stretched as he stood apparently having recovered from being awoken by this worlds occupants.

“This ain’t a hotel you brat. This is a place for heroes! This is...” Braig looked around at the comment and snorted a bit as he realized just where they were.

“The coliseum…” He hadn’t meant to say it out loud. Isa was looking at him weird but Lea didn’t seem to notice as he was having a glaring contest with the goat guy.

“That’s right. This is where heroes train and compete! Heroes like Hercules.”

“Who the hell is Hercules?” The little guy looked like he was going to have an aneurysm at Lea’s question which would be hilarious but they needed to ask different questions here.

“Right, anyway we apologise or whatever. Look have you seen some kids? A girl and boy specifically. Girl might be running around with a flowery key?” It at least stopped the yelling as the goat dude looked at him for a good long minute as he contemplated their question. Braig supposed they might not look the most trustworthy. Honestly Braig probably wasn’t being helped by the scar and the eyepatch.

“Yeah I saw them, junior heroes in training, they passed training but they need a whole lot more work. Told them to come back when they were stronger. Doubt they could have gotten pretty far in the actual cup tournament.”

“Hey I’ll have you know Kairi could probably kick most of your so called heroes asses…” Lea was arguing with the goat guy again which he wasn’t sure they had time for but at least it was confirmed that Kairi and Ienzo had been here.

“Lea that’s enough. Look we just need to know where they went, got anyway to point us in the right direction?” Isa was pulling Lea away from the conversation to get him to stop because he wasn’t backing down or stopping anytime soon it seemed.

“I don’t know much, I do know that Hades stopped them, the creep, on their way out but the older one, with the hair all in his face, pulled them away from that, smart kid. Herc talked to them a bit, he may know more than me. He’s outside if you want to try talking to him. Your other kids had more manners by the way.” Braig was so distracted by trying to organize his thought he didn’t even have time to sputter out a negative response to the comment about his ‘other kids’, Ienzo was his nephew at best and Kairi was…a kid. The goat guy had wandered off and Braig felt a little wrong footed as he joined Isa and Lea, who was no longer ranting loudly but had settled for quietly mumbling insulting things about the goat guy.

“Looks like we need to find the Hercules guy, he apparently talked to them before they left.” Lea continued to ignore him though as he was mumbling increasingly creative and vulgar insults. Isa slapped a hand over the red head’s mouth, Lea looked offended and startled which was a little funny.

“Right let’s go see if we can find this guy then get out of here…”

Exiting the colosseum was different in the daylight and it took a second to figure out which way to look. People were loitering around the colosseum and when asked where to find Hercules they were just pointed back in the direction they came which was no help at all.

“I don’t think this guy exists. The goat man just sent us on a wild goose chase.” Lea was wildly flailing his arms which in Braig’s understanding meant he was on the way to a full tantrum. Isa was trying to get him to sit and calm down but it wasn’t really working and honestly Braig was so annoyed he couldn’t care less if Lea went off, and probably accidentally set something on fire, maybe the Hercules guy would show up then.

‘not a good idea…’ Braig pushed off from the wall he had been leaning on with a huff.

“Hey, let's go back to the colosseum. Maybe we missed him and he’s there and if not Lea can yell at the goat some more.” He waved them to follow along and ignored Lea’s continued ranting and Isa’s long suffering sigh as they made their way back.

Braig expected a few things when arriving back at the colosseum entrance, he didn’t really expect the man goat of Lea’s ire to be running up to them in a panic or the screaming people fleeing the area.

“Where’s Herc!”

“How the hell should we know you freaking little..”

“Lea…” Braig ignored the silent conversation the two were having and shrugged at the goat guy.

“Look we couldn’t find him, is there a problem? What’s with the fleeing and screaming?”

“Cerberus is loose in the colosseum! Hades is obviously behind it but someone needs to go in there and get that mutt before everything is wrecked.”

“Cerberus is a dog?”

“A giant three headed monster of a dog with more teeth than brains.”

“Okay.”

“Okay, what?”

“You go find Hercules and we’ll keep the giant angry dog thing busy till you do. Then we can talk to him after he stops the thing.”

“Are you nuts? You and those scrawny punks can’t take out Cerberus. You’ll be eaten alive.”

“Who the hell are you calling scrawny!”

“Just go find Hercules. Lea, Isa, hurry up.” With that Braig took off in the direction of the colosseum entrance. His arrow guns were in his hands before they entered the last door and he turned to make sure the others were smart enough to have drawn their weapons. Isa looked serious as much as Lea looked thrilled that they were about to fight a giant three headed creature.

“Alright, anything starts going wrong you book it out here understood? Isa you drag his ass out if ya have too.” He didn’t wait for the indignant yelling of Lea as they rushed into the open area of the arena.

Cerberus was a very angry looking three headed dog, with red eyes and questionably disproportionately giant sharp teeth that seemed like they would probably get in the way of eating then assist. The giant beast didn’t even notice their entrance as it focused more on slamming into pillars and lunging at the few trapped and screaming remaining audience members in the arena.

Lea and Isa were off running to assist evacuation of the area as Braig took a leveled breath and fired several rounds at one of the giant dogs heads to draw it’s attention away from the others. It swung around pissed and growling and he quickly rolled out of the way behind a pillar. The top of the pillar shattered around him and cursing he flung himself further away toward the seating areas to put some distance between giant fanged drooling mouths and his person.

“Geeze mutt. Your breath smells like death.” The thing lunged forward and he fired into the closest face before rolling under the snapping jaws of another. Blinding three heads at once was proving to be difficult and annoying.

‘needed a strategy…’

“Yeah, well too late for that innit.” Jumping out of the seating area he ran underneath the mutt before taking refuge behind another pillar and took a minute to catch his breath. He was too old for this shit.

‘you are not that old, in fact i am technically older.’

“Technically my consciousness time traveled so I’m pretty damn old too.”

‘physically it hardly matters.’

“If you want to be like that you don’t even have a physical form to age.”

‘fair enough.’ The pillar next to his collapsed as the cerberus attacked the stone in search of it’s attacker. Creeping around the pillar Braig caught sight of Lea and Isa pulling the last of the trapped audience members out of some rubble. The pillar against Braigs back shattered and cursing he spun around with his gun raised as something slammed into his side and sent him flying into one of the last remaining pillars. It didn’t shatter with his impact but it certainly felt like something did as he collapsed to the ground. His arrow gun bounced out of one of his hands. Raising his remaining weapon he fired a bit wildly at the approaching beast. The other heart was saying something but his head was kind of ringing and he was just trying his best to breathe through the pain.

Someone was yelling something colorful and Braig wondered briefly if he was that out of it that he was talking without realizing it. That was until Cerberus caught on fire. Isa was next to him in the next instant but he was distracted from whatever was being said by an absolutely furious Lea holding flaming chakrams and spitting out words he most likely had learned from Braig, and sometimes Dilan. Isa was pulling him up and Braig stumbled a bit as he tried to take more of his own weight then was smart. With an arm around Isa they quickly headed for the door, he briefly heard Isa calling for Lea before the edge of his vision went fuzzy and he blacked out completely.

#Kingdom hearts #Braig #Xigbar #Lea #axel #isa #saix #kh #fix it #au #time travel #kairi deserved better

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