#ohhh goodness. .. its so fun when it works in your favor . i need to do this more
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eldritchfreakazoid · 3 months ago
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ohhh hello beautiful woman!
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ifyoucandaniel · 5 months ago
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I want to thank you for making your list of recommended long batfam fics. I have been making my way through it and I am really enjoying them! ESPECIALLY cards on the table (I also love Dark Matter but I had already read it). Please let us know if you ever get more long batfam fic recs 🥺
okay so ive been waiting to answer this until i had gathered a good chunk of new long fics and ive been getting a lot of similar messages asking for recommendations, so here is another list of my fav long batman fics!
Jason and the Three Terrors by @cdelphiki, 220k, ongoing, T. if i can get you to read one thing, let it be this. ohhh my god where to even begin, this is a fic where jason stays with the league after his dip in the lazarus pit for a little while and winds up being charged with getting damian, his cousin, and his sister out of the league safely. this fic is just so fucking good, cdelphiki always writes such seamless relationship growth and watching jason go from "im dropping these brats off first chance i get" to "im a single mother of three and i need to provide for my kids" is phenomenal. 1000/10, the writing, the kids, the relationships, please do yourself a favor and read this.
A Collision of Masks by Movaz, 169k, completed, T. !! guys. this is such a good dick grayson-centric fic. this is set in an AU where batman never joined the justice league so the justice league knows very little about batman inc. and consequently dick never joins YJ so the YJ team is tasked with checking out a new hero called nightwing in bludhaven and police officer grayson is tasked with helping the team in their investigation :) really good fic exploring dick juggling all his identities and finally gaining people he can rely on! i actually did a bind of it so you know i love this story so much
Life Happens by @cdelphiki, 176k, complete, G. ok so this fic is probably one of the most beautiful stories of growth and love i've read. its about tim and damian being transported from their world into ours where they're only comic book characters and they start to build a life for themselves here. cdelphiki is one of the most amazing authors, im currently going through all of their works, but this one has just stayed with me and i dont think anyone should pass it up. watching tim and damian grow together and seeing damian have a real childhood and just the whole concept of life happening wether you want it to or not is so beautifully done. cannot recommend enough.
Honoring Promises by LananiA3O, completed, 14k, T. okay this isnt actually a long fic, but its one of my favorite fics ever and i need it on this list. if you're like me and you love UTRH aus where instead of sticking around as red hood after bruce threw a batarang at his throat jason fucks off and disappears to live a normal life, this is for you. from dick's pov, he realizes jasons last letter was a last attempt at reaching out and stalks him until he finds out what really happened to his little brother. i think about this every day and wish it was 10000 words long
The Time Before by @cdelphiki, 80k, completed, G. at this point this is basically just a cdelphiki fic rec lmao when i said everything by them was good, i meant that shit. this is a fic where jason is sent back into time when he was 9 years old but still has all his memories from the future. he goes to bruce for help despite wanting to do literally anything else and is surprised to realize maybe everything isn't how he remembers it 10 years in the future and maybe theres a chance he can go home when hes older again. once again cdelphiki hitting me in the feels with this one, really amazing study on how time and pain can change how you perceive and remember things and also just forgiveness and fixing mistakes and accepting mistakes were made. very good, highly recommend
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors by Sophene, 80k, completed, batlantern, T. I have no excuse for this, this is such a fun and funny fic i love it so much. basically HOA president single dad bruce with his 10 million adopted kids and then hal jordan moves in next door and plays his music too loud at 10pm on a school night and throws parties and bruce has a stick up his ass about it. i really really love the shift in hal when kyle comes to live with him as his ward (? i cant actually remember if hes adopted or just a ward) and seeing him finally understand why bruce acts the way he does when it comes to his kids. also seeing bruce just being a tired dad 90% of the fic when he isnt glaring at hal is so good.
Option C by CasualGeek, 78k, completed, T. this has, in my opinion, a very unique and interesting premise. basically, what if instead of becoming red hood, jason comes back to gotham and manages to get Joker put on trial for the murder of sheila haywood and get the insanity plea thrown out. really interesting approach to batman and joker and jason technically doing things through the legal justice system and what that means for him and the people around him. very good, read it all in one sitting
butcherbird, fly away home by e_va, 41k, completed, M. lost days jason todd loml! basically what if when jason was off on his world tour one of his tutors kidnapped bruce wayne and jason has feelings about it against his will. "what if lost days jason was stuck in the same room as a sick bruce for more than 10 minutes and actually had to talk to him without punching him" AU and i throughly enjoyed it. @darlingatlas recommended this one and she never misses with the jason recs
this kind of weather by r_astra, 55k, completed, T. this is the fic something in the static was originally inspired by and if you know me, i love that series, and i love this fic too. another what if jasons mom didnt die until later and social services gets involved before he can bolt and bruce seeks him out with some very interesting news. i love fics that display jason’s relationship with crime alley and him being one of them. very good, i love jason so much
ok now these aren't actually long fics but i need to get them out here because i love them so much and highly recommend!
To My Brother by a_silly_gander, 7k, completed, T. Lost days jason au where he starts sending post cards from his travels to dick on a whim while we follow his time away and the people he meets. i love this one so much, please read it if you love jason and dick, its so special to me.
Enhanced Fashion Sense is a Perk of Being a Cat by 12pt_timesnewromanfont, 23k, complete, G. selina breaks into drake manor to steal a cat artifact and accidentally meets the drakes ten year old son they left home alone. then she starts keeping tabs on him and eventually adopts him and makes him stray. i really love selina finding tim before bruce and taking care of him <3 10/10 i wish selina would adopt me
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officialgleamstar · 1 year ago
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For the art ask game 8 ! 2 3 6 !!!!
hi cubey!! :D i wasnt sure if the 8 was on purpose but i answered it anyways!
art ask game!
8 | what's the most fun and the least fun parts about your process
i love doing line art (which may be surprising, considering how little i do it nowadays LOL). i think its really fun to finally watch everything come together and to refine the sketch!! i barely enjoy it more than sketching though, they're pretty tied to me.
least favorite part... probably shading. ive never been very good at understanding what parts of the body will be hit by light, no matter how many observation and life drawing classes ive taken lol. i love shading a still life! but when it comes to the human form, not so much 😭 i cannot explain how many drawings ive done, like, three layers of shading, took a step back, then deleted every layer and posted it as flat colors instead because i hated it LMAO
2 | what's your favorite thing about your style
ohhh thats hard. i really like my art in general, honestly? i dont think im a fantastic artist, but i do think its clear that i like. went. to school for it bhbjfdghjbdfjh im proud of my art!! i really like drawing noses i guess and i think my style works well for good variation there? i still need to practice more types of noses, but i think im already doing well, so ill say that! the noses.
3 | what's your least favorite thing about your style
very small thing but EARS. I HATE HOW I DRAW EARS but i also dont know how to draw them BETTER ? i used to just never draw them. then i used to do them more detailed, but it always just looked... odd. i think it looks better without the extra details because i always did it weird, but it still looks goofy. its such a small thing though that i dont know that anyone else would ever even notice LMAO also! jawlines. my style very much favors a round soft jawline, which is obviously my default (stares at my art and tries not to think about same face syndrome), but then i try and do a sharper jawline and feel like im dying LOL im trying to get better at that though, because i want more facial diversity in my art. scary and veronica marlowe i just know you have sharp fuckin faces and im trying to get better at showing this aspect of you every day
6 | warm colors or cold colors
WARM COLORS!!! orange is my favorite color! i love warm colors! i tend to use a mix of both in my art though, i like the way warm tones and cool tones balance each other out :]
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dickwheelie · 3 years ago
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I dont know if you're still doing requests but.., space pirates or just pirates au jmart 👉👈 i lov ur writing i think i might melt every time i read you
ohhh this was a fun prompt! it ended up being a little more space than pirates, but at least the jmart is there! thank you for the kind words and I hope you enjoy :))
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Jon didn't consider himself much of a hero. He had none of the necessary prerequisites, such as physical prowess, quick thinking under pressure, bravery, or a charming personality. He didn't even have the functionally useless but favorable bonus of dashing good looks. He may have been the captain on board a stolen spaceship, but that didn't mean he was particularly pirate-like himself. He entrusted the majority of the pirating to his small crew, who he privately considered much more capable than he was.
Tim and Sasha, he thought, now those two were hero types. They had the charisma, the skill, the bravery--they even had the good looks. Jon was perfectly fine with letting them take the wheel, as it were, in a crisis situation.
Such as the situation they were in right now.
The SS Magnus had been tearing across space, scanning for large, cushy vessels to pillage, when the mayday alert had sounded. Sasha, who worked communications, said that the mayday had come from an even smaller ship that was hurtling, out of control, through open space. The Magnus was the nearest vessel.
Tim took the pilot's seat and rushed to follow the downed ship's signal, but by the time he'd reached it, the ship had broken itself apart, leaving nothing but shredded metal in its wake. There were no signs of survivors in the wreckage.
Jon, Tim and Sasha shared a collective sigh of regret. They all knew the risks of space travel when they'd decided to become pirates, but it was never pleasant to be reminded of what could happen if a certain combination of things went wrong. Jon stared bleakly out of the cockpit window, then told Tim and Sasha that they might as well start scanning the wreckage for what they could find.
And then something bounced off the cockpit window.
"Was that--?" Jon said, dumbfounded.
"I think so," said Tim.
"Someone in a suit," Sasha said. "From the crash!"
And suddenly, Jon was the captain of a rescue mission.
Jon rushed towards the airlock at the aft of the ship, Tim and Sasha close behind him. When he reached it he could see outside the window the lone survivor, in their spacesuit, clinging for dear life to a handle on the side of the ship's hull.
Jon didn't pause to think. By the time Tim and Sasha arrived at the airlock, Jon was already suited up, and was about to open the innermost door.
"Jon!" Sasha called. "What are you doing?"
"They can't hold on forever," Jon said, "I have to grab them now!"
Once more he looked out the window at the survivor, trying to see beyond their blacked out visor, and caught a glimpse of a pair of wide, frightened eyes.
"It's okay!" Jon said, knowing the survivor couldn't hear him, but hoping they could read his lips. "I'm coming to rescue you! Don't, er, go anywhere!"
Jon put on his helmet and stepped into the airlock, hooking a long tether to his spacesuit. He let the airlock depressurize before opening the outermost door, floating out into the vacuum of space. Holding fast to the tether, he dragged himself out onto the hull, and found himself practically visor-to-visor with the lone astronaut.
Jon reached out his hand, and hoping they could see through his visor, said, "Take my hand! It'll be okay, I'm tethered to the ship!"
He couldn't be sure if the survivor had understood, but they did reach out their free hand, and for a moment their gloves strained towards one another until finally Jon caught hold of theirs, gripping it securely across the palm and wrist. He used the tether to pull them both backwards, towards the open airlock, and after a moment the survivor let go of the hull and clasped their other hand onto Jon's, letting him guide them safely back into the ship.
As soon as they were both inside and the airlock had pressurized again, Jon removed his helmet, breathing heavily with adrenaline, and watched as the survivor did the same.
Their hands moved shakily to detach their helmet, revealing dark curls and a brown face, covered in freckles and with a flushed, elated expression. The survivor looked to be a man, and a handsome one at that, though Jon refused to linger on that particular thought. At once he was at the survivor's side, checking for injuries, though with his suit on there wasn't much to see.
"Are you alright?" Jon asked him, though the question seemed silly considering how the man's day had been going so far.
"You . . . you saved me," the lone survivor said breathlessly, his eyes landing on Jon's. He had a nice voice, Jon thought absentmindedly.
"Yes," Jon said, not knowing what else to say.
The survivor gave Jon a beaming smile. "My hero."
"Um," said Jon. His stomach did something weird, and fluttery.
"I thought for sure I was dead. I'm pretty strong, but I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to hold on before spinning off into empty space. But you rescued me. Just like you said you would."
"I . . . try to keep my promises, yes," Jon said, hoping he wasn't blushing. "Who are you? What happened to your ship? Could there be anyone else alive out there?"
"Oh, right, of course. Sorry, my manners are a little rusty," said the survivor, with an awkward little laugh. "My name's Martin. Martin K Blackwood. It was just me on the ship. I was on a solo delivery run. The company I work for, Solus, they've been cutting down on personnel lately, so most shipping runs are solo now. Which means twenty-four-hour shifts at the wheel, minimum. It sucks, but it pays the bills. Or . . . it did." The survivor--Martin--stared out the window at the remains of his ship. "I'm still not sure what caused the engine to overheat and blow like that. I wouldn't be surprised if Solus weren't up to date on their safety checks. I managed to get my suit on and eject just in time, but then I was sure I was just gonna drift through space forever and die alone anyway."
Martin looked back at Jon, gratitude in his eyes. "But then you rescued me."
Jon wasn't going to be able to keep withstanding Martin's adoring looks if he kept this up. "I'm Jon," he said, trying to change the subject. "Captain of the SS Magnus. Illicit captain, rather. We're pirates."
"Pirates?" Martin's eyebrows shot up, and he looked Jon up and down. "You don't . . . seem like a pirate to me."
"We're basically only pirates by a technicality," Jon said. "We pillage the ships of the rich to give to those in need. Food, medical supplies, power sources, anything useful, really. Occasionally we'll steal a vessel, like this one, but that doesn't happen very often. There's only three of us, at the moment, so we make do however we can."
"Wow," Martin said. "So you're telling me--"
"I know," said Jon, "it's not all that impressive when you--"
"--I was rescued by actual pirates? And their swashbuckling captain is my hero?"
"O-Oh, well, um, that's not--" Jon was definitely blushing now.
Martin laughed. "Do you know how many romance novels I've read the back covers of that I'm putting to shame right now? Twenty-year-old me would be so jealous."
"I--I am not swashbuckling," Jon said, at a loss for anything else to say.
"Of course not." Martin grinned at him before his expression grew more somber. "Seriously, though, thank you. For saving me. I really had given up hope, for a moment there."
Jon nodded. "Of course. You're, ah, very welcome."
They shook hands, and Jon turned to the inner airlock door. "My crew are in there, waiting for us. Tim and Sasha. They're very good. We wouldn't have even found you and your ship without them."
"Then I'd better thank them, too," said Martin. "And--you said it was just the three of you right now, yeah?"
Jon tilted his head at him, unsure where Martin was going with this. "Yes, it is. But I assure you, we're a good team, we'll get you back to your home, or anywhere you'd like to go, safe and sound."
"That's sort of the problem," Martin said. "I . . . don't really have anywhere to go back to. If I go back to the company, they'll find out their ship was destroyed, and my insurance definitely doesn't cover that. If I go home, they'll find me just as easily and chase me down until I've paid. So . . ." Martin gave Jon a meaningful look. "Right about now would be a pretty good time for a career change."
Something clicked in Jon's head. He smiled at Martin, nodding sagely. "Yes, I see. I think we may be able to help you out with that, Martin." He thought for a moment. "You said you flew deliveries for Solus . . . how are you as a pilot?"
Martin grinned at him. "Good. Very good."
"Any moral qualms about stealing from the rich and giving to the poor?"
"None whatsoever."
"Then I don't see why we shouldn't bring you on board," Jon said, returning Martin's smile. "The SS Magnus has been looking for a new pirate to join her crew, and I think you'd fit right in."
Jon might not have been much of a hero, but he had managed to pull a man out of the way of certain death that day, and then bring him onto his crew, which had to count for something. At the very least, Jon thought as he introduced Tim and Sasha to their new pilot, the way Martin looked at him made him feel like the sort of person who really had done something extraordinary.
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chironshorseass · 4 years ago
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29 and 30 fluff for perachel or percabeth? Hehe I like both ships don’t @ me. Love your writing btw!
I kinda managed to do both...kinda lol. This was fun to do :) Sorry in advance for the bad puns.
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“Detention? Again?”
“Look, I can explain.”
Annabeth rolled her eyes and sat back on her bed, too tired to stand up and listen to what Percy had to say, most likely.
“Sure you can.”
They’d been Iris Messaging for a few minutes now. Percy, exhausted from a day of school and homework, had taken the first chance off to fish out a drachma from his drawer and call one of the people he’d missed most since the summer.
It had slipped his mind that New York and San Francisco had different time zones. But luckily, Annabeth was still awake. He’d found her in her bedroom, curls pulled into a messy bun and eyebrows scrunched up in concentration as she read some textbook, still studying for the exam she’d talked about a week ago.
Despite her initial complaints about Percy interrupting her, he knew that she didn’t mind.
“So?” she asked, bringing him back to the present.
She pulled her legs under her and stared at him expectantly.
He blinked. “Huh?”
She raised an eyebrow, and Percy thought—in the back of his mind—that she looked unfairly pretty. At night, with the fairy lights illuminating her hair and her face, like an angel.
“Why’d you get detention?”
“Oh. That.”
“Yes, Seaweed Brain. That.”
“Uhm…” Percy scratched the back of his neck. “It’s kind of a funny story, I um…”
“Spit it out.”
Now that he thought about it, maybe he shouldn’t have said anything at all. Maybe he should’ve thought this through, to avoid any arguments. Or confrontations. Or another cold shoulder. They weren’t as awkward now that the school year had started, but the mention of her always put Annabeth on edge, anyway.
“You see, I was with, uh...Rachel.”
He paused, noticing the way she gripped her textbook tighter, slightly wrinkling the pages.
Why did I think this was a good idea? Stupid.
“I was with Rachel, and she sort of, um...” he laughed nervously, already cringing. “Made a bet?”
Technically, he’d made the bet. But that wasn’t important for Annabeth to know.
/
Chemistry, in Percy’s opinion, was the most boring class Goode had to offer. Useless. Irrelevant.
Confusing, most of all.
At least he was partners with Rachel. It was one of the few classes they had together. They sat at the very back, so they were rarely noticed anyway, mostly spending the forty five minutes of lectures about chemical equations doing little drawing games on their notebooks and playing hangman. Percy lost most of the time.
The teacher wasn’t that great, either. Most of the school knew her as Mrs. Jones. She was a short lady in her late sixties with thin, badly dyed hair who had a concerning addiction to gum—so to Percy and Rachel—she was known as Mrs. Gum-Gum. She turned to the board for some explanation that Percy had completely lost interest on since the first five minutes of class. Rachel let out a low moan, hands on her forehead.
“Kill me now,” she muttered.
“Sorry, I can’t. My sword doesn’t work on you.”
“I hate you.”
“Yeah,” he grinned, leaning backwards and tilting his chair. “I know.”
She hit him in the shin. “You’re going to fall one of these days, and the class will never let you forget it.”
“Eh,” Percy shrugged. “At least they’d get a laugh and you wouldn’t be so bored.”
Her green eyes twinkled with humor like she’d just remembered something. She snorted. “Okay. So this one time, a girl was doing the same thing as you, leaning back and all—and she like, fell. It was hilarious, because she just lay there, with her feet in the air.”
“Rachel Dare,” Gum-Gum called, narrowed eyes cast on them. She kind of sounded like a wounded hyena, in his humble opinion. “I sure hope you and Mr. Jackson are discussing the worksheet that I gave out.”
Rachel nodded and threw her a thumbs up, while Percy held a fist to his mouth to stop the smile forming on his face. Gum-Gum left her alone and went back to her lecture.
The class kept its monotone routine of worksheets and notes, so as a distraction, Rachel grabbed his arm and popped the lids off her sharpies, drawing little figurines. She was on his second tattoo when an idea came to him.
“Hey, Rach?” he whispered, making sure the teacher was facing the board.
“Hmm.”
“We should play truth or dare.”
She grabbed the green marker and spread the ink from side to side across his skin. “Mmm...No.”
“Come on,” he whined. “I’m bored.”
“Yeah, but we’ve done truth or dare so many times now. It’s gotten old. Besides, you’re such a pussy.”
“Am not.”
“Yes, you are. Remember that time I dared you to eat the gum from under the seat?”
Percy made a face. “That was so fucking gross. Nobody in their right mind would’ve done that. Maybe Mrs. Gum-Gum, but I am not on her level.”
“I figured, after you blatantly refused. And then there’s the time when I dared you to kiss Mary Andrews. On the cheek. And you couldn’t do it.”
“Oh my gods, I can’t just kiss girls. That’s leading them on.”
She exhaled, long and deep and stared at him as if he were a lost cause. “Okay. Whatever.”
She went back to drawing on his arm.
“If anyone’s the pussy right now,” he whispered. “It’s you.”
“Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that. You just wish you were as marginally cool as me.”
“Um...Then why won’t you play truth or dare?”
“Like I said: bo-ring.” She leaned closer to his arm, creating tiny details with the thinner side of the sharpie. “And don’t tell me I don’t do the dares, ‘cause I do. My last name’s Dare, after all. It would be a complete dishonor.”
“How long have you waited to say that?”
“Oh, you don’t wanna know. Now hold still. You’d look good with tattoos, by the way.”
He sighed. Okay, fine. She had a point, he wasn’t that great at doing “cool” stuff, likely because he was traumatized by the getting-kicked-out-of-schools thing he had going for him. You know, maybe it was that.
As Percy watched her work with her sharpies, he realized: maybe there was a way to prove to her that he could do daring stuff. A once in a lifetime thing. And in the process, he could make her smile.
“Fine,” he said. “If you don’t wanna do something, then let’s make a bet.”
“Depends on what you want to bet on, but go on.”
“How much money would you give me to flip this table, right here, right now, in the middle of class?”
The read-head stopped creating the swirly lines of the little wave she’d been working on, making his skin tingle from the loss of the pointy marker. She lifted her freckled face, watching him with raised eyebrows.
“Nah, you don’t have the guts.”
“Psh. ‘Course I do. I’m Percy Jackson.”
“Ohhh! Percy Jackson. I’m Rachel Dare, nice to meet you.” She lifted her hand like she wanted Percy to shake it.
He slapped it away. “Shut up. I can totally do it.”
“Do you not care about getting in trouble with dear ol’ Gum-Gum?”
“I’ll make it seem like an accident.”
“Nothing you do seems like an accident to teachers.”
“Good point. Still be worth it, though.” He lowered his voice even further. “Besides, I gotta prove to you that I can do cool stuff.”
Rachel snorted. “Now I could literally ask you to do drugs and you’d do it, apparently. Peer pressure is a dangerous thing, my dude.”
He grinned. “And I want your money. You’re like, rich, Dare.”
“Thanks for the reminder, Jackson.”
“No problem.”
Gum-Gum shot them an admonishing look, and they pretended to do their work.
“So,” she said after a few seconds passed. “How much money?”
“I knew you could work with me.”
“Ugh, I’m getting second thoughts from your dramatism.”
“You love it.”
They held gazes, green on green. Rachel narrowed hers and sighed. 
“Again, how much money?”
Percy shrugged. “You decide.”
“Fine.” She flipped some of her fiery curls over her shoulder. “I’m betting on a hundred bucks.”
He whistled under his breath. “Damn. You want me to do it that badly?”
“I do want to see everyone’s reaction to Percy Jackson losing his shit.” He shoved her, but she continued. “Especially Gum-Gum’s. But I know we’re getting in trouble, so we might as well go all out. What? It’s true! But at least you’d get your money.”
Percy shook his head. He’d probably regret this later.
Then he thought, what would Annabeth think?
But he couldn't dwell too much on that. At least it would be funny.
“We need to clear the desk, though.”
“Duh.”
So they worked, as quietly and discreetly as they could. When they’d finished, Percy turned to Rachel and nodded. She put a hand against her mouth to muffle her laughter.
On the third count, he flipped the desk. The table crashed with a resonating bang.
Rachel leaned backwards and let out a sound of surprise, probably because she’d half speculated that he wouldn’t pull through with it in the first place.
Immediately, everyone craned their heads to the back of the room. Some jumped at the sound. Others gasped or snickered, especially at the sight of Mrs. Gum-Gum. She yelped and dropped her marker, slapping a hand to her chest and retreating a few steps as if she were about to go into cardiac arrest.
“Percy Jackson!”
He winced a bit, but all in all, he thought he was keeping a straight face. But then he caught onto Rachel’s expression, arms crossed. He doubted they’d get off freely, just as she’d said.
/
As they shouldered their backpacks, heading for room 1345—detention—Rachel slipped her hand in the pocket of her paint-splattered uniform skirt.
“I didn’t know I had the money with me, but it seems as though he fates are in your favor, Jackson,” she said, taking the dollar bills from her pocket and handing them to him. They both knew all too well that she didn’t care for it. Daddy issues, he recalled.
Percy raised his eyebrow. “Thanks, Rach. Now, I can finally buy a new skateboard.”
“Nice to know that this was worth it.”
“Especially since now you have to do something...daring.”
She tapped her index finger to her temple mockingly. “Oh, I see. That’s why you wanted to do that bet. So then we could be on even ground.”
“Do you agree, Dare?”
“My gods, you’re so corny. But sure. Though let's not get ourselves a detention pass the next time, hmm? I feel bad for you. How many have you gotten this semester?” She clicked her tongue. “What will your mom say?”
1343, 1344 ... 1345. This was the place. Through the window, he could see many of the students already settling in, giving the teacher the strip of paper that he and Rachel had in their pockets.
He exhaled. “I don’t want to think about Mom just yet. But honestly, I don’t mind detention. And I don’t think she would, either. Better than getting kicked out.”
“Mmhmm. And I don’t really mind spending some more quality time with you. Even if we get in trouble, I kinda think you’re nice to be around, Jackson.” She smiled and held her arm out for him to pass. For some reason, that comment made his chest feel warm and fuzzy. “Gentlemen first.”
“Isn’t it ladies first?”
“Chivalry is dead. Now go on.” She nodded towards the door. “I like being fashionably late.”
“And you say I’m the dramatic one,” he grumbled.
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rinneganwritings · 4 years ago
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Never Far Away; Chapter Nine: Only Love Can Break Your Heart
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Word count: 3,346 Summary: Tamako finds herself feeling very lonely and unsure of what the future might hold for her. She meets up with Itachi, who shares some devastating news. This sparks a new flame in Tamako.
Warnings: Slight NSFW content
Masterlist
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Tamako is tired when she and the other women arrive in the new village. It’s shiny, bright and the lights are very attractive. Tsunade wanted to come here because of the casino, Shizune just wanted to get somewhere to stay the night, and Tamako was just following because she had nowhere else to go.
She often thinks about how her encounter with Itachi had gone miserably, and how it didn’t go according to how she had planned it. She wanted to see him again and maybe try to explain to him how she was feeling, but she knew he’d probably just send her away again. Tamako was starting to believe that Itachi’s feelings for her had diminished or dissipated long ago.
Her heart ached as Tsunade finally led them into the beautiful and luxurious inn. This was such a better looking inn than the last one they had stayed in. Tamako is wondering how they’ll be able to manage to stay here, but Tsunade knows her way around people. She’s got a few tricks up her sleeves.
“C’mon, kiddo. Let me show you how to get a free night stay,” Tsunade coaxes, and Tamako follows her inside. Shizune trails behind them, a little unsure.
Inside, the host is a stuffy older man who looks to be about Tsunade’s real age. He seems a little snooty, but Tsunade doesn’t let that stop her from following through with her plan. Tamako watches her saunter over to the counter, and she tries to mimic her actions.
“Hi there,” Tsunade says in a sultry voice. Tamako almost starts laughing, but manages to keep it together.
“What can I do for you?” the older man asks. He seems a little weary of the three women, but he tries to stay professional.
“We’d like a room… but, we’ve got a bit of a predicament,” Tsunade says as she starts to push out her chest. Her large breasts sit on top of the counter. Tamako looks down at her own breasts, which aren’t Tsunade’s size, but they are growing well.
“I can’t help you then. You need money to rent a room.” The older man warns, pointing towards a sign that reads “No money, no room”.
Tsunade throws her hair back a little, then she slowly undoes her shirt to reveal her tits to the older man. He takes in the sight for a moment, then turns away from all the women. Shizune and Tamako share a confused look.
When the man turns around, he’s holding a rag up to his nose and a room key in the other hand. He hands the key to Tsunade, who blows him a kiss after she’s adjusted her shirt. Tsunade then guides the other two towards the hallway, laughing slightly.
“Wow, that’s a great trick!” Tamako exclaims as they begin climbing the steps towards their room.
Tsunade smirks, “It’s only too bad it works mostly on just men. I’ve had it work on a few women, but they mostly aren’t too impressed.” She then looks over to Tamako’s chest. “You could probably do this as well, if you’d like. You’re not as flat chested as I thought.”
Tamako blushes and crosses her arms over her chest. It’s not often that people make comments about her body, and especially not since she’s become a young woman. Sasuke had made a few dumb comments once when they had gone swimming one day, and he had accidentally seen her breasts. Tamako thinks that maybe that was the first time he’s ever seen a woman’s chest.
“Lady Tsunade, I think that’s enough for tonight. You might be making Tamako a little uncomfortable,” Shizune pipes up as Tsunade finds their room.
“Awhh, let me have fun. Tamako isn’t bothered, right?” Tsunade looks over at Tamako.
“Oh, yeah I’m alright!” Tamako shakes off her uncomfortableness, realizing she needs to get used to this kind of life. She’s a rogue ninja now, and there will be times where she’s going to meet all kinds of crazy people like Tsunade.
When Tsunade opens the room, Tamako is in awe. It is gorgeous, roomy and lush. The carpets are a pastel pink color, while the walls are cream. There’s a large window that showcases the view of the whole town. Tamako has never stayed anywhere this fancy, and this place was even better looking than her room back at home…
‘Oh...home. I’ll probably never stay in that room again.’
Tamako felt so crushed for a moment, standing in the entryway as Shizune and Tsunade inspected the room. Shizune turns towards Tamako, giving her a small smile. Tamako takes a second to take a deep breath, then she starts to look at the luxurious furniture in the room.
“I’m glad you have that trick, Tsunade. I’ve never stayed anywhere this nice,” Tamako says briefly.
“Yeah, it definitely has its perks!” Tsunade explains, jiggling her breasts. She snorts for a moment before turning to Shizune, “get it? Perks!? ‘Cause my tits are so perky?”
Tamako giggles while Shizune groans and rolls her eyes, but Tamako notices a smile on her face. The women look around the bathroom and the bedroom, noticing it’s nice and roomy everywhere.
“I think I’m going to turn in for tonight, Lady Tsunade.” Shizune explains, but Tsunade is a little upset.
“No way! We just got here! C’mon, let’s go have a drink!” Tsunade cheers, pulling Shizune by the arm. Tsunade begins dancing with her, but Shizune just kind of stands there awkwardly.
“Please, Lady Tsunade. I’m tired, and I would like to make use of that bathtub.” Shizune pleads, and Tsunade narrows her eyes at her.
“Alright, but only because I’ve got Tamako here with me.” Tsunade says, wiggling her hips as she walks over to Tamako. Tamako laughs.
“Fine, but I cannot get drunk like last time. I’m still kind of a lightweight,” Tamako says, scratching the back of her head nervously.
“Ohhh, come now. You’re Takani’s daughter, it shouldn’t take you too long to start drinking like she used to.”
At the bar, Tsunade orders them a bottle of sake. They use some of the winnings from the last card game they played to pay for the liquor. Tsunade explains how using the boob trick a lot can make it lose its appeal to some people.
They sit in the corner table, watching for drunk or naive men to pass by. Tamako is dressed in a rather tight kimono, which stops just under her ass. She’s never really worn anything this revealing before, but she knows that Tsunade talked her into it so that the men might give them money or buy them booze.
“You really do look like her,” Tsunade slurs, already a little buzzed.
“Like my mother? Everyone says that. Yumiko favors my father, to be honest.” Tamako explains, leaning her chin on her palms.
“Yeah, she did. She’s flat chested and has a stick up her ass just like he did!” Tsunade says, laughing loudly. She hiccups and then blushes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.”
Tamako just chuckles, “don’t worry, I know how Yumiko can be. She’s tough as nails and she had to grow up fast, so she didn’t always have the most time for fun.”
Tsunade pours them both another drink, and she realizes the bottle is empty. She gets up on shaky legs to get them another bottle. Tamako watches her from the table, wondering if she’s always been this dumb. Her heart hurts as she thinks about Itachi. There’s probably a good chance that he’s fallen out of love with her long ago, and here she was, ruining her life to chase after him.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Tsunade says as she places another bottle of sake on the table.
“I think I’m making a big mistake.” Tamako confesses, covering her face with her hands.
Tsunade places a comforting hand on her shoulder, rubbing soothingly as she allows Tamako to wallow in her own self-pity. Tsunade knows how that feels, and she’s definitely felt this kind of pain before. Sure, it’s not quite the same kind of situation, but the pain is a similar one.
“Well, I don’t know about that,” Tsunade says as she pours them another drink. She passes one of the drinks to Tamako, then Tsunade downs her own.
“It’s just, I didn’t expect Itachi to trick me. I really thought he loved me,” Tamako begins. “I know it’s been some time since we’ve seen each other, but love can’t dissipate that fast, can it?”
Tsunade thinks for a moment before laughing, “Hey, let me just say one thing. There was this guy on my team when I was younger, and he has never stopped loving me.”
Tamako looks at her in shock, “Orochimaru?!”
Tsunade bursts out laughing even harder, making lots of the patrons in the bar start staring at them. Tamako isn’t sure how to react. Orochimaru wasn’t a good person, and for him to continue loving Tsunade forever, maybe it meant something good for Tamako and Itachi.
“Oh, kiddo...you crack me up. I meant Jiraiya, but I do think that maybe Orochimaru had the hots for me too. Most people think of me that way,” Tsunade says confidently. Tamako sighs a breath of relief.
“Let’s just say, Itachi probably didn’t stop loving you. If anything, he might be trying to protect you. But besides that,” Tsunade leans over to get closer to Tamako. “What are you going to do about your sister? She’ll never stop chasing you, you know?”
Tamako frowns and downs her drink, “I know. I’m hoping she’ll just stop eventually from sheer exhaustion, but I’d also hate that for her. I still love her so much, but she needs to let me become my own person.”
Tsunade eyes her for a moment, “you need to live your own life, kiddo. She’s your sister and she’ll always try to protect you, but you need to make your own decisions.”
Hours after leaving the bar, Tamako lays in bed staring at the empty ceiling. She couldn’t shake the anxiety her conversation with Tsunade gave her. She hates this guilty feeling that’s rising within her, building up in her stomach and making her feel like she’s going to vomit...or cry.
Tamako gets up quietly, and she grabs a jacket and her shoes. She needs to go outside and clear her mind. Being in this lush room doesn’t really help her understand her true feelings. The moon is large and bright, and the stars are calling to her.
Once she’s outside of the inn, she starts walking down one road, which leads to some beaten down path to the outskirts of the town. It's a quiet night, except for a few lovers who are walking about. It makes Tamako long for her own companionship. There’s a part of her that thinks maybe she should have stayed in the village, and maybe she could have waited for Sasuke to grow up a little...then maybe they could have gotten together. Sasuke isn’t her first choice, but he is reliable and familiar. He’s still a kid though.
Tamako barely pays attention to what she’s doing, though her ears are trained to listen for small noises that could mean an enemy. When she hears the call of a crow, her heart stops beating for a moment. She hopes it’s Itachi, but she figures it’s really just wishful thinking.
Those thoughts are swept away when she sees him standing in front of her. He’s got a stern look written on his face, but his eyes are telling a different story. Within them, there is sadness, love and a touch of guilt.
“Tamako, you didn’t listen to me.” Itachi says, and Tamako stops right in front of him.
“Why should I? We don’t even know each other anymore,” Tamako retorts coldly. Itachi can feel a sadness invade his mind when he hears her tone.
“You need to listen to me. Have I ever steered you in the wrong direction? I’ve always tried to guide you properly, and so has Yumiko.” Itachi argues, walking over to her. He’s hesitant to touch her, but he can’t help himself. He brushes back a few stray hairs, and he cups her cheek.
Tamako wants to be angry and yell, but she melts right into his touch. It’s been so long since he’s given her attention like this. Even if it’s momentary, she’s going to enjoy it as much as she can. Itachi looks deeply into her eyes, and she can tell he’s fighting back tears.
“Even if you were to come with me,” Itachi starts. “It’s not like I have much longer.”
Tamako pulls away, staring at him in disbelief. She’s not even sure what he’s talking about, but she really doubts this has anything to do with enemies or a bounty. Itachi has done good to keep himself stronger than most and mostly well-liked, despite slaughtering his clan.
“What are you talking about?” Tamako asks. Itachi sighs, and he can tell he’s already told her too much.
“I am ill, Tamako. It’s not something I can cure, but I can treat it. Even with the best treatments, my life is diminishing quickly.” Tamako can barely concentrate on his words. She doesn’t want to think about what this actually means.
“You mean...you’re going to die?” Tamako asks. Her breath hitches in her throat as she clings to him. He wraps his arms around her, holding her close and kissing the top of her head.
“This is partly why I didn’t want you to follow me. I thought by the time I would perish, you would have moved on to someone else. I would have hoped that your teammate would have charmed you enough, but as luck would have it, your feelings are strong just like my own.” Itachi explains, tears falling from his eyes. He can’t help it.
Tamako sobs into his chest, crying out and repeating “no” over and over again. She can’t handle this right now. It’s just too much information to take in. Her heart breaks as Itachi tries to comfort her as much as he can.
“What if I tried to find a cure? I could do that for you,” Tamako looks up at him with tears in her eyes. Most of them have spilled over, but she looks so pitiful this way. It’s really making Itachi weak.
“Tamako, love...please, don’t ever do that. I need you to understand that your life has so much more potential than mine. You cannot dedicate your life to mine, alright?” Itachi says sternly. “Besides, I do not want you to watch me die.”
The words hang heavy between them. Tamako wants him to take her away and live a quiet life in the forest together. Itachi would love to be that selfish and do the same, but he cannot. He can’t bring himself to ask that of Tamako. He loves her dearly, and he’d never be able to die peacefully if she made it her life’s duty to watch him die.
“Let me learn medical ninjutsu, and I’ll cure you. I know I could, if you just let me try,” Tamako pleads.
Itachi shushes her quietly, placing a tender kiss to her forehead. Without thinking about it, Tamako leans up and kisses Itachi softly. He holds her closely, feeling the tears in his eyes well up once again. He wants her, and only her, but this cannot be her life.
While she’s not paying attention, he places her under another short genjutsu so he can return her to the room in the inn.
Tamako is in the kitchen, cooking dinner with Mikoto while they wait for Sasuke, Itachi and Fugaku to return home. Mikoto is going on and on about how Itachi was becoming a very skilled policeman just like his father, and Tamako is gushing over this as well.
Tamako and Itachi have just gotten engaged, and soon the wedding bells will ring. It’s going to be such a blessed and happy day in summer when those two finally wed. It had almost been decided since they were children. Mikoto and Takani got pregnant roughly around the same time, and the two women bonded over that. Itachi and Tamako grew up together, and as they got older, they fell in love with one another.
The door slides open, and Tamako and Mikoto hear Sasuke announcing his presence. Behind him is Itachi and Fugaku. They all enter the kitchen, and Fugaku kisses Mikoto.
Itachi walks over to Tamako and wraps his arms around her. He presses a kiss to her temple before whispering, “I’ll always love you.”
Tamako snaps out of the genjutsu a little quicker this time. It’s left her so heartbroken, but so much more determined than she’s ever felt in her life. When morning comes, she’s resolved to ask Tsunade to take her on as another apprentice.
Tamako needs to learn medical ninjutsu so she can figure out the cure for Itachi’s illness. Tamako knows that there are so many cures for illnesses, and even though some of them are hard to find, she will make it her life’s duty to find it.
Nothing could take that away from her, and nobody will talk her out of it. Even if it takes longer than she’d like it to, she will continue to strive for that cure. Just know that Itachi still loves her after all these years has spurred her on.
When morning finally arrives, Tamako is basically bursting with excitement. While her heart aches for Itachi and she worries about him even more, she knows she can do something for him. Tamako has been wanting to train under the legendary Tsunade forever, and now this is her chance.
“You’re looking different, kiddo. What happened to you?” Tsunade asks as she gets ready for the day.
“Lady Tsunade, would you teach me medical ninjutsu?” Tamako asks, and Tsunade laughs. It’s not the first time she’s heard this, and memories of Shizune come to mind.
Shizune was so young when she asked Tsunade to teach her ninjutsu, but also they had a bond seeing as Shizune is Dan’s niece. Tsunade felt a little bit of an obligation with Shizune, but now the same situation was kind of presenting itself.
Tsunade sighs for a second, mulling it over. She had been planning this shinobi sabbatical for quite some time, and she wondered if it were even a good idea to teach Tamako something so important. Besides, what had happened to Tamako that made her so eager to want to learn this?
“This is pretty tough stuff to learn. Are you sure you’re willing to listen to me no matter what?” Tsunade quizzes, and Tamako nods. Tsunade studies Tamako’s reaction, and it makes her realize that maybe Tamako has found out about something that’s making her want to learn medical ninjutsu.
“Of course, I am completely ready.” Tamako is practically bouncing up and down, making Tsunade chuckle.
Tsunade smiles, “alright kiddo. I’ll train you.”
She’s a little worried about how much of this training Tamako can take, but she knows that Tamako is strong. She is Takani’s daughter after all, and while Tsunade is mostly known around these parts, Takani was such a force to be reckoned with. Tamako had definitely inherited that from her mother as well as her beauty, but Tsunade could see that determination that Nakachi had.
Tsunade has a good feeling about it, despite a few reservations she did have. It seemed like a good plan for Tamako, and besides, it could keep her out of trouble. Tsunade decides to take on Tamako as her student, and with that, she decides to send Hiruzen a message that Tamako is not a rogue ninja, she is just looking for some guidance outside of the village.
Maybe, this will keep Tamako away from Itachi for some time. Tsunade knows that will be her end goal anyways, but if she can distract her for some time, it may change.
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upontheshelfreviews · 5 years ago
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Whenever I discuss Sleeping Beauty with someone who doesn’t share my enthusiasm for Disney, they have an irksome tendency to get it muddled with Snow White; their excuse being “it has the same plot”. I’ll admit, there are some surface similarities that even the most casual viewer can pick up on: a fairytale where a princess is forced into unconsciousness and wakes up with some necking, the comic relief and villain being the most beloved characters, a little frolic in the forest with animals, the antagonist plunging off a cliff, you get the idea. In fact, Sleeping Beauty even reuses some discarded story beats from Snow White, mainly our couple dancing on a cloud and the villain capturing the prince to prevent him from waking his princess. Yet despite that, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are two wholly different movies shaped by the era and talents of the time.
I’ve discussed how Walt Disney was never one to stick to a repeated formula, no matter how successful it was. He must have noticed the parallels between his first movie and this one, but decided to make one crucial change for Sleeping Beauty that would forever differentiate the two: the look. We all know the traditional Disney house style: round, soft shapes, big eyes; charming as it was and still is, Walt was sick of it after several decades. Meanwhile, artists like Mary Blair and Eyvind Earle were producing gorgeous concept art that rarely made a perfect translation into the Disney house style.
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Walt wanted to make a feature that took the pop artistry of their designs and made the animation work for it instead of the other way around – which brings us to another animation studio that was doing well at the time, United Pictures Animation, or UPA.
UPA didn’t have the kind of budget Disney normally had for their animated projects, but what they lacked in fluidity they made up for in style. Watch The Tell-Tale Heart, Gerald McBoing-Boing and Rooty-Toot-Toot to see what I mean. UPA were pioneers of limited animation, taking their scant resources and creating some striking visuals with bold geometric designs. Through this, they defined the look of 50’s animation. Though perhaps unintentional, Sleeping Beauty comes across as Disney’s response to UPA, or what would happen if UPA had the funds they deserved. The characters’ contours are angular but effortlessly graceful, defining their inherent dignity and royalty. And the colors, ohhh the colors…
Because of the immense amount of work required to animate in this difficult new style (and in the Cinemascope ratio, no less) as well as story troubles and Walt barely supervising the animation studio now that he had his hands full with live-action films, television, and a theme park, Sleeping Beauty had a turbulent production that lasted the entirety of the 1950s. For a time, Chuck Jones of Looney Tunes fame was set to direct. Director Wilfred Jackson suffered a heart attack partway through production and Eric Larson, one of the Nine Old Men, took the mantle from there before Walt Disney replaced him Clyde Geronimi. And even after that, Wolfgang Reitherman teamed up with Geronimi as co-director to get the film finished after no less than three delays. Also, Don Bluth got his foot in the door as an assistant animator for this feature, beginning his short-lived but impactful tenure at Disney. Did all this hamper the movie, or did they succeed in what they set out to accomplish?
Well, one of the reasons why this review took so long was because I had a hard time not repeating “MOVIE PRETTY” and “MALEFICENT AWESOME” over and over. Make what you will of that.
The story begins as most fairy tales do with your typical king, Stefan, and his queen suddenly blessed with a baby girl after years of wishing for a child. They christen their daughter Aurora (middle name Borealis, localized entirely within their castle) and throw a huge celebration in her honor. People come from all over the kingdom to pay homage to the princess and OSMKFKSBFHFGILWBHBFC…
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Movie pretty…
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Movie pretty…
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MOVIE PRETTIEEEEEE…
John Hench, Academy Award-winning special effects man and art director, turned Walt on to the idea of basing the look of Sleeping Beauty on classic medieval artwork. Thanks to him and Eyvind Earle’s insanely detailed designs and backgrounds, this is one of Disney’s most visually distinct and beautiful films. A single still from this feature wouldn’t feel out of place up in The Cloisters.
Among the party guests is King Stefan’s old friend King Hubert (Bill Thompson) bringing his young son Prince Philip. Stefan and Hubert wish to unite their two kingdoms and formally announce Philip’s betrothal to the infant Aurora.
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“We were going to do it during the second trimester, but we decided to wait until she was more mature.”
By the way, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is Aurora’s mother, Queen Leah, alive and well and named. And frabjous day calloo callay, she even gets some lines! The most common joke about Disney princesses is that they don’t have moms (even Ralph Breaks The Internet went out of its way to highlight that), so as a hardcore Disney fan who often has to put up with this generalization, Leah’s existence leaves me feeling vindicated.
Once that happy revelation is out of the way, we’re introduced to our main protagonists.
Oh, you thought I was referring to Philip and Aurora? Nonononono, my friends. THESE are the true heroes of Sleeping Beauty, the Three Good Fairies.
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The fairies started off as one-note side characters sharing the same personality. Think pre-Ducktales-reboot Huey, Dewey, and Louie in dresses. But the studio had a difficult time giving Aurora more depth and was having a lot more fun developing the fairies. Naturally, they became so fascinating and appealing that more screentime was given over to them. Now the story’s carried by three wonderfully fleshed out ladies who are distinct in both looks and personality: Flora’s the pragmatic tradition-adhering leader, Fauna’s the sweet scatterbrain who mediates, and Merryweather’s the feisty young upstart.
With the plot now focused on characters who held a traditionally minor role, it’s easy to read this as a perspective-flipped version of the fairytale, but there’s more to it than that. Remember in my Clash of the Titans review how I mentioned the gods literally play chess using the heroes as pieces? I tend to view the main conflict of Sleeping Beauty in the same way. The Three Fairies and Maleficent are in a constant game of good vs. evil, moving Aurora, Philip, and the rest of the royals as pawns in their plans. There’s plenty of plotting and intrigue, with both sides constantly guessing and second-guessing the other’s next maneuver, and even if you’re already familiar with the story’s trajectory you’re still left on the edge of your seat as it inches towards the fiery climax.
And dare I say it but…the fairies and their power dynamic make this Disney’s most feminist film. Yes, really. You could argue that some of the other animated movies from the Renaissance and Revival period have more notable, stronger female protagonists, and many of the live-action remakes try to be woke without really grasping the concept, but consider this: The cast of Sleeping Beauty is mostly female, the leads aren’t objectified in any manner (that is if you count Aurora as a supporting character), nor does their gender factor into their competency, each one differs in age and body type, and most of them are working together towards a common goal as opposed to against each other. Name a movie in the past decade that does the same and still manages to be entertaining (no, really, I’d love to see it). There’s even one scene that unintentionally provides great commentary on the divides in the feminist movement, but more on that later.
Flora and Fauna bless the baby with beauty and song respectively which are accompanied by a short chorus and some sumptuous graphics. I don’t think I need to reiterate that when this movie goes extra with the visuals, it GOES EXTRA with the visuals. Next comes Merryweather with her gift. To this day, no one knows what Merryweather intended to give Aurora. Flora’s the most traditionally feminine of the three so her giving Aurora beauty comes as no surprise. By comparison, Merryweather is the most forward (or unconventional, depending on your point of view). I wouldn’t put it past her to favor Aurora with intelligence, or humor, or passion, or creativity or humility or confidence or decisiveness or physical fitness or great swordsmanship or telekinesis or ice powers or one million YouTube subscribers or comfort in her female sexuality.
Me personally, I think I’ve got the best gift of all:
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“O Princess, my gift shall be…getting all reviews posted on time for once!”
Alas, before Merryweather can bestow such a wondrous quality upon the child, she’s interrupted by a horny party crasher.
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Maleficent. The Mistress of All Evil. Chernabog’s right-hand witch. The Disney villain all Disney villains strive to be. She has it all – the looks, the poise, the power, the laugh, the cunning, the ruthlessness! She doesn’t even need to sing a song because she’s already awesome enough without one. Marc Davis’ gothic design cuts a fine figure and Eleanor Audley’s subtle icy voicework is trés magnifique. As much as I enjoy Audley as Cinderella’s evil stepmother, Lady Tremaine was but an appetizer in comparison to the four-course banquet of pure villainy that is Maleficent.
This leads to a small point of contention some viewers have with Maleficent in spite of hitting top marks elsewhere: her motivation. Putting a hit out on a child for not getting invited to a measly party? Not exactly compelling, is it? And yes, it isn’t a deep motive…is what I would say if I wasn’t well-versed in folkloric tradition. In the original fairy tale and the movie (though it isn’t outright stated in the latter), the party for Aurora isn’t just your average royal kegger, it’s a christening. Back in ye olden days, christenings were very big deals. To not receive an invitation to one was a grave insult, so not extending an invite to your semi-omnipotent magical neighbor is just asking for trouble. In the fairy tale’s defense, no one had seen the evil fairy for years and assumed she was dead, though I can’t imagine how nobody thought Maleficent wouldn’t find about it eventually.
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“You dare to deny me, foolish mortals? Very well, then! I shall have my own christening! With blackjack! And strumpets!”
Maleficent is proof that sometimes you don’t have to have an elaborate backstory, a god complex, a tragic past or the unfortunate luck to be on the wrong side of a conflict. Sometimes all you need is some magic, brains, class, and a whole lot of flair to be a perfect, intimidating, and unquestionably iconic villain.
Basically what I’m saying is these movies never happened. Got it?
Maleficent is disarmingly polite over being snubbed, even after Merryweather bluntly tells her nobody wanted her to come. She even brought her own gift for the baby – sixteen years of life cut short by the prick of a spinning wheel spindle, because why change into a dragon and destroy everyone all at once when you can draw the torture out over an agonizingly long time and deliver the coup de grace in the prime of a young woman’s life? That’s how Maleficent rolls, baby. She could dole out capital punishment when she has to without batting an eyelid, but causing human suffering is her bread and butter.
Stefan begs the fairies to undo Maleficent’s curse, but it’s too strong for them. Flora and Fauna insist, however, that Merryweather can use her gift to lessen the spell’s potency. Now instead of dying from that fatal prick, Aurora will sleep until she receives True Love’s Kiss™. Stefan’s not one to throw caution to the wind though, so he orders all of the kingdom’s spinning wheels to be burned in the meantime.
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I just pray his kingdom’s economy wasn’t based on textiles otherwise they’re screwed.
As the peasantry celebrates Guy Fawkes Day several centuries early, the fairies ponder their next move. They’ve been around long enough to know that removing spinning wheels from the equation won’t put a damper on Maleficent’s scheme. This scene is incredibly effective in establishing two things:
Maleficent’s near-omniscient presence in the film
How well the fairies’ differing  personalities play off each other
Maleficent rarely miscalculates her opponents, and that guile puts her one step ahead of the heroes, making her one of the few Disney villains to nearly reach their goal. The only mistake she makes in the entire movie is trusting her henchmen to do their jobs when she isn’t directly supervising them, though that’s more on them than her. The different methods the fairies propose to deal with Maleficent fantastically illustrate what kind of people they are. Fauna believes she’s just a miserable soul who could be reasoned with if they talk things over. Merryweather would rather take the fight to Maleficent and turn her into a toad. Flora, however, is wise enough to know Maleficent’s too wicked to plead to, too clever to bargain with and too strong to face head-on, so their best course of action is to focus on protecting Aurora through any means necessary. Her initial idea is to enchant the princess into a flower (her namesake is her specialty, after all), but Merryweather reminds her that Maleficent enjoys creating bitter frosts just to kill her flowers.
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“Well we could try that but stick her in a castle with a beast for a while…nah, that’ll never work.”
Yet never one to give up, Flora alters the plan so they’ll raise Aurora as a peasant girl out in the woods. This means disguising themselves as humans and giving up magic for sixteen years so as to not attract Maleficent, but that amount of time is like twenty minutes to the fair folk. Stefan and Leah reluctantly agree to the plan, and the fairies spirit little Aurora away from the castle that very night.
Sixteen years later, Maleficent is infuriated that her minions have failed to locate Aurora, even more so when one reveals that they’ve spent the whole time looking for a baby instead of a maturing woman. In an interview with the Rotoscopers podcast, Don Bluth called Maleficent a very flat antagonist because she surrounds lackeys dumber than her so she could be the smart one among them and, again, her supposed lack of motivation. But come on, let’s not entirely condemn the bad guys for having too much faith in their underlings. It’s difficult to find minions smart enough to carry out orders but dumb enough to stay unquestioningly loyal. Usually you have to register as Republican in order to get some.
Maleficent gets her anger out in the most therapeutic way – throwing lightning bolts at her orcs, awesome – then leaves the job of finding Aurora up to her trusty raven Diablo. We then finally see the grown-up Aurora herself, whom the fairies renamed Briar Rose as a nod to the Brothers Grimm version of this tale.
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I know I’ve made the occasional case for the princesses from Walt’s era compared to the present day, and yet I have a hard time defending how…I don’t want to say bland. Bland would mean there’s nothing interesting about Aurora, and that’s a lie. She’s gorgeously designed and drawn, and even in her peasant dress she has an air of elegance and sophistication. She carries herself like a queen; her innate royalty reveals itself in her graceful movements. Mary Costa also gifts her with an excellent set of pipes. Hearing her song echoing through the forest is nothing short of magical. She’s a flower child who can talk to animals. She has dreams of escaping her adopted aunts’ loving but stifling care and being allowed to grow up, see the world, actually talk to people, and even find a life partner. She has some strong potential. It’s not that Aurora’s boring, she’s just not quite as developed as we’ve come to expect our animated female protagonists to be. I’m grateful for what we’ve got, but I only wish we could have more. What was her childhood like? How did she learn to communicate with animals? When did the fairies trust her enough to let her spend time out on her own? Did the fairies ever subtly teach her lessons in royalty through lessons and games? Heck, nobody bothers to keep her informed about Maleficent or her curse, and they act surprised when she’s shocked to learn she was a princess the whole time. I want to see what Aurora could have been like if she had known the truth already and what kind of steps she would take to defend herself. Blame the source material for this; it’s difficult to write a compelling main character when she’s supposed to sleep through most of her story.
The fairies send Aurora on a fetch quest so they can plan a surprise birthday party for her. Merryweather wants to bring their magic wands back out for the job, but Flora insists on taking no chances now that they’re in the home stretch. Fauna gets to live her dream of baking an elaborate cake (it’s thanks to her referring to a teaspoon as a “tsp” that I do it too), and Flora insists on making Aurora a gown fit for a princess using Merryweather as a dummy. And we also get one of the best burns in the Disney canon:
Merryweather: It looks awful! Flora: That’s because it’s on you, dear.
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The fairies fall into reminiscing over raising Aurora and get teary over having to let her go soon. I see where they’re coming from, they’re the ones who raised her for sixteen years. They must have so many fond memories, not to mention they put all that work into learning to properly raise a child let alone live like normal human beings seeing how two of them still can’t sew or cook without magic. I wonder what that was like –
No, NO, you CGI abominations DO NOT exist! Go back to the fires from whence you came!!
“Ugh, I’m gonna need something strong to expunge that from my eyes.”
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There we go.
Aurora wanders through the forest, drawing out the usual bevy of cute woodland critters with her singing. She also catches the attention of a grown-up Prince Philip (Billy Shirley) who’s more dashing and considerably less blonde than he was sixteen years ago.
By this point, the Disney animators were far more confident in their ability to draw realistic but expressive leading men, hence Philip’s expanded role from the story. He’s also the first Disney prince to have a personality; not a terribly deep or defined one, but it’s a step up from his nameless plot-device predecessors. There are some signs of him being a hopeless romantic, he gets a few funny lines here and there, has a sturdy friendship with his horse Samson, and is fiercely determined when it’s time to kick some ass. He does have the same problem as Aurora in he randomly decides to stop talking for the rest of the movie once he reaches the midway mark (at least Aurora has the excuse that she’s sleeping for that remainder), but I suppose you could chalk this up as to him wanting to spite Maleficent with his silence.
The animals steal some of Philip’s clothes so they can pretend to be Aurora’s dream prince. Aurora plays along as she sings the movie’s standout song, “Once Upon a Dream”. Philip and Samson watch until he smooths his way into the dance. Once Aurora discovers the switch, Philip gets a little too up in her personal space for my liking, constantly grabbing her hand so she doesn’t run off and pulling her closer to him. Not as horrible as what the prince does to the sleeping princess in the original story (a questionably consensual kiss is a trifle compared to how the scumbag of a prince treats her there), but still a bit iffy.
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“It’s a good thing my aunts taught me to never go anywhere without a loaded pistol taped to my back.”
But once Philip backs off a little and joins in her song, they both dance together and OEHSGBJSGBLL…
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I think I’m going to need surgery to get my jaw off the floor back into its proper place thanks to this movie.
As per Disney tradition, Aurora and Philip’s waltz means the two are head over heels in love with each other. But when it comes time to finally exchange names, Aurora panics and runs away, though she sticks around long enough to tell Philip to meet her family at the cottage that evening.
Back at home, the party preparations aren’t proceeding as planned. Flora’s dress looks as good as my attempts at dressmaking, and Fauna’s dessert wouldn’t feel out of place on Cake Wrecks.
A fed-up Merryweather reads Flora and Fauna the riot act and convinces them to finally take up their wands again. This produces more desirable results, though Merryweather still gets stuck with cleanup duty.
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Enchanting a broom to come to life and do your dirty work? I don’t see this going wrong in any possible way.
Things start to go south when Flora and Merryweather argue over the dress color and it escalates into a full-blown wizard’s duel. This gag was supposedly based on the animators’ arguments over what was Aurora’s proper dress color. I think they should have compromised and combined both colors to make purple, which would go lovely with Aurora’s violet eyes, but what do I know. I’m just the illustration major writing a blog. Unfortunately, while the fairies remembered to cover every door, window, and crack that could expose their magic, they overlooked the fireplace. The sparkly residue of Flora and Merryweather’s fight fly up the chimney, alerting Diablo to their hideaway.
Going back to what I said earlier about this movie providing some commentary on feminism, consider this: Flora is obsessed with pink, a traditionally female color, and she gives Aurora an attribute that is oft preferred in a woman but not the most important quality, beauty. Merryweather, on the other hand, is all about blue, a color usually geared towards boys, and she has much more common sense and practicality about her. Though Merryweather and Flora are able to put aside their differences in personalities and approaches for a common goal, it’s when they refuse to compromise and begin prioritizing which color – ie. which ideology and extension of themselves – that they want Aurora to step into that they lose sight of what’s important, and allow everything they worked for to collapse on itself. It’s played for laughs very well, sure, but if not’s symbolic of the dichotomy between traditional femininity and modern sensibility that tears apart the feminist movement then I don’t know what is.
The fairies manage to fix their messes in time for Aurora’s return. She’s thrilled with their gifts but shocks them all when she announces her new boyfriend is coming over for dinner. They come clean about her heritage and betrothal to Prince Philip, and Aurora runs up to her room in tears over the fact that she’ll never see her one true love again. That and her entire life has been a lie and she’s being carted off to meet parents she knows nothing about to marry a man she’s never met and rule an entire kingdom with no prior experience or knowledge. But mostly the true love thing.
Meanwhile, Stefan and Hubert are making wedding plans over wine with “Skumps”, the preferred toast between me and my friends. Also adding to the humor is a minstrel who keeps stealing sips until he literally drinks himself under the table.
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This was also his way of getting through the Black Plague, co-opted by the rest of the world six hundred years later.
Philip returns and Hubert goes to greet him. He thinks his son is thrilled at the prospect of marrying Aurora but is disappointed to learn that he’s fallen for an anonymous peasant.
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“At least tell me if she’s royalty in disguise so you don’t elope to Sicily!”
Philip rides back into the woods for his big date, leaving Hubert with the unenviable task of breaking the bad news to Stefan. As for Aurora, the fairies smuggle her into the castle and prep her for her homecoming. She’s still blue over having to ghost her forest hubby though, so the fairies give her some time to herself.
Biiiiiiiiig mistake.
So imagine you’re me, growing up watching this movie on tape on a television set with a very standard but not spectacular sound system. Then years later you download the remastered soundtrack and give it a listen while you’re falling asleep. You’ve got the whole score memorized, the volume is nice and low, it’s all good.
And then, just as you’re drifting off, you hear a ghostly voice singing in your ear “Auroraaa…Auroraaaaa…”
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That reminds me, I haven’t had a chance to talk about the music yet, haven’t I? Forgive me for waiting so long to do so but my reaction to it is equivalent to the visuals. The score is taken straight from the Sleeping Beauty ballet by Tchaikovsky, the same composer as The Nutcracker, and it is lush, sweeping, sumptuous, just…
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While George Bruns was mostly faithful with how the score was represented within the context of the ballet, at certain points he took the same approach as The Nutcracker Prince and rearranged the music order to underscore totally different scenes to staggering effect. The beautifully ominous music where Maleficent appears as a ball of green flame and leads the hypnotized Aurora to her doom? It’s from one of the ballet’s divertissements where Puss in Boots dances with his girlfriend. But tell me which is more fitting for a musical composition such as this – two cats pirouetting around each other in a crowded ballroom, or eerie pitch-black spiral staircases illuminated by green fire as a cursed princess inches closer to her dark destiny against her will?
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The fairies realize their error and frantically search the maze of secret passages for Aurora. Though the princess resists Maleficent’s commands for only a moment, they are still too late to save her from fulfilling the curse. Maleficent gloats and leaves the fairies to wallow in their failure. It’s made even worse as the merrymaking from the oblivious revelers below ring out while they put Aurora to bed in a tower and mourn over her. It’s heartbreaking: they raised and loved her as if she were their own daughter, and they still couldn’t protect her. Everyone talks about “Baby Mine” and Bambi’s mom as huge tearjerkers, but why is this scene constantly forgotten?
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Stupid onions, stupid stupid onions…
Fauna and Merryweather can’t even begin to imagine how heartbroken Stefan and Leah will be, but Flora has a solution: put the kingdom to sleep along with Aurora until she is woken up. I understand her wanting to spare Aurora’s family some pain, but conking out an entire principality for god knows how long to cover up their failure? AND at a time when Europe was all about invading and conquering itself? Are we sure this isn’t just part of Maleficent’s overarching plan for revenge? This sounds more like something she would come up with instead of the leader of the good guys.
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“So what happens if one of the neighboring kingdoms decides to attack while everyone’s sleeping?”
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“Then we’ll put them and their armies to sleep, too.”
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“And once Aurora is saved, both kingdoms will immediately wake up to find themselves thrust into a war they’re barely prepared for, is that correct?”
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“Oh, you’re right, that’s a terrible idea.”
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“Finally, thank you.”
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“I’ll just turn them all into flowers.”
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“THAT’S NOT AN OPTION!!!”
The fairies flitter about the castle grounds spreading their spell over the unwitting royal court, even putting the candles and sconces out. We have another reprise of the “Gifts of Beauty and Song” chorus now altered to sound like a lullaby, providing an interesting bit of symmetry between it and its earlier use in the film. Whereas it first underscored their blessings upon Aurora, now it plays as the fairies are giving the “gift” of sleep to the entire castle.
While Flora knocks out the throne room, she overhears Hubert muttering about Philip eloping with a peasant girl and she makes the connection. The fairies speed to the cottage just as Philip arrives there. But once again Maleficent beats them to the punch. Her goons ambush Philip and she watches them wrestle and bond him with fiendish glee.
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You magnificent, kinky bitch.
Maleficent was only out to capture the one man who could break Aurora’s curse; the fact that he’s really the son of her nemesis’ allies is just icing on the cake. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather resolve to rescue him from Maleficent’s fortress in the Forbidden Mountain.
Some movies reach the brink of greatness only to falter when it comes to the final act. Sleeping Beauty is not one of them. Everything that happens from the moment we slowly zoom in through the purple mist on to the Forbidden Mountain itself up until the storybook closes is perfection. The perfectly paced action, the animation, the music, Maleficent’s hideaway in all its decaying glory (I swear it’s like Jean Cocteau meets Frank Frazetta meets Giotto) all make for the climax of climaxes.
The fairies shrink to insect size and silently sneak through Maleficent’s creepy domain, narrowly running into guards and gargoyles at every turn. They traverse the stronghold until they find her overseeing a hellish bacchanalia in honor of her supposed victory.
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“My old gaffer would have a thing or two to say if he could see us now.”
Soon Maleficent gets bored and goes to “cheer up” her captive. Then we have it: The Moment.
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I’ve talked about this before, that one small, devious step further the villain takes to make themselves more heinous in our eyes. It’s the Wicked Witch taunting Dorothy with visions of Aunt Em. It’s the Beldam hanging Other Wybie’s remains. It’s virtually everything Heath Ledger’s Joker does. And it is this simple scene where Maleficent details what she plans to do with Philip. She spins “a charming fairy tale come true” of Aurora sleeping without aging, waiting for her prince to come to wake her. And Philip will escape the dungeon, ride to her rescue and prove true love conquers all – in one hundred years, when he’s a broken old husk of a man on the brink of death. DAMN. If you want to know why Maleficent is considered the best of all the Disney villains, it’s not just all her previously praised qualities, it’s her sheer sadism and the pleasure she takes in it.
The fairies enter and free Philip once Maleficent departs. The course of true love never runs smoothly though, so they arm him with the Shield of Virtue (licensed by Carefree Maxi-Pads), and the Sword of Truth to aid in his escape.
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“So, why’s it called the Sword of Truth?”
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“Anyone who’s subjected to it speaks only the truth…as they bleed out and die, of course.”
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“Cool, cool. On an unrelated note, I think I’m gonna go to DC for my honeymoon.”
Diablo sounds the alarm and the Battle With the Forces of Evil kicks off with Philip slashing his Sword of Truth through Maleficent’s goons.
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“I steal lunches from the break room fridge!” “I broke wind last Tuesday and blamed it on the dog!” “I cried like a little girl during The Good Place finale!” “I only wash my hands for NINETEEN seconds at a time!”
Philip makes his getaway on Samson and the music reaches truly operatic levels as Maleficent does everything in her power to end him. Yet Philip soldiers through it like a boss. Crumbling mountainsides, Maleficent hurling lightning from the sky and summoning a forest of thorns to block the way? Fuck that shit, he’s gotta go save his girl.
Then, as Philip cuts his way through the briars, Maleficent looks at her watch, realizes it’s No More Fucking Around O’Clock, zooms over to the castle, throws down the most intimidating challenge ever  –
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“Now you shall deal with me, O Prince, and all the powers of HELL!!”
– and with that, she takes her final form: a massive fire-breathing dragon.
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Every Disney villain who’s gone kaiju in the final act owes everything to this gorgeous terrifying beast. The dragon is an awe-inspiring unholy fusion of style, power and darkness. There’s a reason why she’s the final boss in Fantasmic; the chance to watch a live dragon battle is too cool to pass up.
Speaking of battles, Maleficent’s dragon form was animated by Woolie Reitherman, who previously brought us such gargantuan monster clashes as the T-rex brawl in Fantasia and the escape from Monstro The Whale in Pinocchio. And when you have a dragon confronting a fairytale prince, well, you know what’s coming.
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Maleficent backs Philip on to a cliff surrounded by flames, leaving him only one desperate shot. With a little extra magic from the fairies, he throws his Sword of Truth at Maleficent and it plunges right into her heart.
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“I liked…Frozen 2…more than the first one…”
Maleficent’s spells die with her, clearing the way for Philip. He gives Aurora that wake-up smooch and everyone in the castle slowly rouses, owing their inexplicable simultaneous twenty-minute blackout to the unusually strong wine.
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He can attest to that fact.
The royal families are happily reunited, and the film ends on Flora and Merryweather fighting over Aurora’s dress color yet again as she and Philip waltz together on the clouds using animation Beauty and the Beast would borrow thirty-two years later.
Sleeping Beauty is a movie I can never have on in the background because the moment I look up from my work I am spellbound by it. Do I need to elaborate on how this is one of the most beautiful looking and sounding movies Disney’s ever produced? Sleeping Beauty is the swan song of Disney’s first golden age of animation. For better or for worse, their animation process would switch to the rough, cost-cutting Xerox process starting with their next feature, 101 Dalmatians, and few films would reach Sleeping Beauty’s level of gorgeousness ever since.
Though a massive financial and critical hit on release, it wasn’t enough to make up for the monstrous production costs, not unlike Fantasia. Thankfully, home video sales revived interest and made it Sleeping Beauty of the top-selling VHS tapes of the decade, cementing it as a bonafide classic. It’s one of my favorites from Disney for its stunning visuals, gorgeous music, phenomenal villain and overlooked but great cast characters. Revisit it if you haven’t already.
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this review, please consider supporting this misfit on Patreon. Patreon supporters receive great perks such as extra votes for movie reviews, movie requests, early sneak-peeks and more! Special thanks to Amelia Jones, Gordhan Rajani and Sam Minden for their contributions!
Artwork by Charles Moss.
Screencaps from animationscreencaps.com
March Review: Sleeping Beauty (1959) Whenever I discuss Sleeping Beauty with someone who doesn't share my enthusiasm for Disney, they have an irksome tendency to get it muddled with Snow White; their excuse being "it has the same plot".
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ginnyzero · 4 years ago
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Completely Harmless Ch. 45
Completely Harmless An SSO SilverGlade Re-imagining Story (Or Fix it Fan Salt fic) By Ginny O.
When Lily and her friends wanted to buy horses and were directed to the Silverglade Manor and its myriad of problems, they didn’t expect to start a revolution. They were just a bunch a stable girls. Completely harmless. Right?
A/N: Things are only canon if I say they’re canon. Pre-Saving the Moorland Stables compliant for the most part. Posted in its entirety on my website. Posted in 2000 to 4000 word bits here. Rated T for Swearing Word Count 177,577
Chapter Forty-Five She sells sea shells by the ... river shore?
Lily tried to regain control of the meeting. “Pauline, where do we stand on the decorations?”
“Okay, here is the ideas I’ve had with everyone talking. Okay, we take flower wreathes and put them on the lamps and then wrap them with more flowers like the ones in the wreathes and our artificial palm leaves, and the sea shell garlands and sea shell lights. Then, if you have an arm to hang things off of, put a paper lantern with more flowers if you want. Um, don’t choose any flowers that are protected ladies. Then we can use the bubble garlands and the jelly fish lights like we did with the clouds and rainbow hearts from the trees. You can mix them up with the regular paper lanterns too if you want. Put the flower lights, sea shell garlands, and paper lanterns in all the stables. You can make the paper lanterns look like bubbles if you do it right.”
“Like with the clouds.”
“Exactly!”
“Then we can use the beach scene lanterns the exact same way we used the heart lanterns. But you can add the decorated anchors or ship wheels in with them. Or use the shell buckets instead. We put up the boats with the selfie walls, boats have nets decorated with shells, the round white circles have flowers and greenery like they’re a big wreathe. Put up some of the round lanterns, throw in an anchor and a wheel for props if they want. Um,” Pauline scrolled through the pictures. “We can create cabanas for the bar and the dance floor using frames, sheets, the flower lights, the artificial palm leaves, and inside have the jelly fish lanterns and more bubble garlands. The bar can have a net on it and be strewn with the decorated shea shells and the shea shell lights.” Pauline stopped at the giggles.
“Sea shells,” Lily said dryly.
“Sea shells,” Pauline repeated. “We can have more bucket, anchor, wheel decorations on that. And the pineapples, because Lily wants the pineapples. We can put more of the artificial palm leaves there too. Above the bar can go the jelly fish lights and the bubble garlands.” She paused. “And these lace sailboats are cute. We can have them as a prop too at the selfie wall. I mean, I think we’re actually set for decorations. I mean, I know it sounds more than what we had for Rainbow Week, but we’re mixing them in more interesting ways?”
“There are more bigger pieces.”
“And no balloons.”
“Right, I mean, we could use the lantern lights instead of balloons to fill up space or use the jelly fish lights and white lanterns to make little scenes.” Pauline shrugged. “We’ll have to experiment.”
“Food,” Lily moved on.
“Jorvik Crawfish Boil,” Pauline checked her notes. “Crabwiches, fruit salad in a carved watermelon bucket, Vegetable and mushroom skewers, popsicles, watermelon on a stick?”
“One sounds too many.”
Pauline crossed out the watermelons on a stick. It seemed redundant.
“I saw mermaid tail favors. We could put candy in them?”
“We should have cookies, like citrus ones.”
“That means they’d be orange.”
“Orange cookies.”
“I also saw plastic seashell favors, we could put something in those too.”
“I think we better put out some things like pretzels and Cheetos for people like Alex,” Lily said.
“Okay, now we need some drinks because I think we’ve covered food pretty well. And I mean, we can all buy snacks to put in the buckets. That’s not difficult.”
“Pretzels, popcorn, Cheetos, and crisps.”
“Wait, can we really have a bonfire without s’mores, sausages, and potatoes?”
“Yeah, and bread for the sausages or to eat with the crawfish.”
“Cheese, we might need cheese.”
Lily rubbed her forehead. “Fine. But we’ll have to figure out how to split it out. Drinks.”
“I make some really chillax awesome drinks.” Tim spoke up. The first time he’d spoken up in a while. Maybe he was overwhelmed with the eager teenage girls. Or maybe he didn’t care that much about the food or the decorations.
Lily turned her head. “Yeah, I think we might want to test your drinks first.”
“Shibby!”
“Why don’t you tell us the ingredients?” One of the girls asked sweetly.
Tim rattled off his ingredients. They included kidney beans. Kelp. Corn water. Fermented potato juice.
Lily held up a hand. “Fermented potato juice is vodka and corn water is basically moonshine. Are you trying kill us and get us drunk?”
“You don’t think people will like them.”
“I think maybe we should stick to things like banana and strawberry smoothies. Orange juice. And grape and seltzer punch.”
“Apple juice. Watermelon and blueberry spritzers.”
Tim slumped in his seat.
“Those will bring the tourists back for more.” Lily patted his arm.
He sighed. “They sound boring to me.”
“We can try to make them exciting. Package them in fun ways! Mermaid, err, okay without lemons this is not as easy as you’d think.”
“Grape comes in clear.”
“Ohhh, that works. Look we did this at home, just color up some different ice cubes, put edible rainbow glitter around the edge of the glass. Put it in some grape juice with soda if you want, and let the ice cubes melt. Mermaid Cocktail. Or as it was described early grape and seltzer punch.”
“Mock up a white grape sangria too, strawberries, blueberries, apple or orange slices in white grape juice, apple juice, and soda.”
“They can be fun, we promise,” Lily patted his arm again.
Tim sighed. “All right, I’ll have to trust you.”
“Put the orange and soda in hurricane glasses, drizzle strawberry juice into it, garnish in a fun way, sunset hurricane drink.”
“See,” Lily smiled at him.
Tim didn’t look convinced.
“Watermelon and grape go with a lot of things. And we can get you the cucumbers too.”
“Okay, I think we’re good to go.”
“We’ll come up with a recipe list.”
“All right, then we’re doing the different wreathes at the different parties,” Lily said. “Let them have the sand souvenirs. We can do necklace garlands and bracelets to I guess for the luau theme.”
“And hide decorated Conch Shells, because they’re big, and colorful,” Pauline said. “Like, I think these are plastic or vinyl. I hope they are. Real conch shells might be too expensive.”
“Okay,” Lily nodded. “Hedgehogs, you’re the source of the crawfish for the crawfish boil. I’m leaving that to you.”
Riley groaned.
“I know you’d rather have the mermaid favors. Kelsey that sounds like something Madison would enjoy doing.”
“She would. So, we’ll take it.”
“You’re going to have to make a lot of them so, yeah.” Lily wrinkled her nose. She didn’t feel bad about giving that to them and only that. “Bulldogz, I know how you feel about Jamie cooking.”
“Someone is trying to hire her for the Midsummer Feast and thank goodness she’s easily distracted.”
“So, you can have the shell party favors.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Josefina spoke up. “We’re the source of the strawberries and the blueberries. Do you want us on drinks or on the fruit salad?”
“We’re going to have to buy watermelons in bulk from the food stalls.”
“Okay, question,” Lily put her chin on her hand. “Who among is a competent melon or pumpkin carver? Because they should be the ones doing the fruit salad. I mean, I don’t think the carved bucket idea was a plain bucket?”
The girls got on their phones and started texting people in their clubs.
Loretta shook her head. “None of mine.”
“Loretta, since you have the Midsummer Festival grounds in your area, are you going to do a beach party too?” Lily asked, genuinely curious.
Tan leapt in. “Of course we are, and we’ll decorate those Dark Core containers and chase off the goons if we have to.”
Loretta made a face. “They’ve been stealing. Can you believe it?”
“You don’t say.” Lily’s voice was bland. “Do you have any records of it?” Lily asked. She wasn’t at all surprised that a company with a name like Dark Core hired a thief.
Tan tossed her head. “I recorded everything.”
“Could you send it to Linda?” Lily asked slowly and raised her brow.
“Linda? Why would she want to know? I mean, she’s one of those weird druid riders,” Tan flicked her wrist.
“Because the Baroness will want to know,” Lily said. Frustrated she had to spell it out. “And Linda is her personal assistant and monitors her emails.”
“Oh, in that case, sure,” Tan said and dug out her phone. “As long as the Bobcats get the credit for catching them.”
“I’m sure Linda will tell her.”
Loretta sniffed. “I had them all file reports with Thomas.”
Lily nodded and texted that information to Linda as well.
Linda texted back she was going to ride over to Moorland to get it. She needed to see Alex anyways and she was probably at Maya’s.
“Or with Justin,” Lily murmured. Had Justin gotten up the nerve to say anything to Alex yet? Lily shook her head.
“I’ve got a carver,” Amelia said. “She sent pictures of her work. She can carve buckets and flowers.”
“Then you’re on for the fruit salad,” Lily said. “Do you mind another club coming and picking fruit for the cocktails and the popsicles?”
“Not at all.”
“Chipmunks,” Lily turned to them. “I know you’ve got the farmers, but you also have Harold.”
“Orange slice cookies. On it, Lady Captain Lily.” Kate saluted and then fluttered her hand and bowed.
Lily restrained a sigh. Of course Kate would choose both.
Pauline spoke up. “I think we should take the popsicles, Lady Captain President, we’ve got the big freezers in the Wine Cellar to keep them in.”
“Right, good plan.”
Pia spoke up. “I’ll take one of cocktail slots. That way I can work closely with Tim to make sure they’re fun and fizzy.”
Sonja spoke up. “We also have the other fruits in our forest. So, we’ll take a cocktail slot too. And help everyone harvest fruit.”
Ingrid was next to volunteer. “Ma Anna knows pastry, and croissants like those crabwiches are pastry. We’ll take the crabwiches and make different meat salads for them.”
“Fish salad, chicken salad, egg salad, ham salad,” Violet muttered.
Pauline checked her list, “That leaves the Pandas, the Bulls, and the Cats.”
“What do we have left?”
“Veggie skewers.” Pauline checked. “Snacks, bread and cheese, etc., and more cocktails.”
Loretta spoke quickly. “We can do the Snacks, bread, and cheese and so on. That’s all shopping. We are power shoppers. And none of the stinky stuff from Will’s Mill either.”
Ami wrinkled her nose. “We have a spa. We know cocktails. We’ll help out there and see what we can do with our grapes.”
“That leaves us the Veggie Skewers, and we can get most the produce from the Farmer’s Market and do assembly in Valedale.” Melissa nodded.
Lily spoke up. “This is going to sound crazy, but maybe we should have Courtney Summers do the Midsummer Feast. She’s a local and maybe she knows the local dishes.”
“Barney, Marley, and Carney can cook too,” Kate said. “Or, so says Barney. They have all the traditional recipes.”
“Kate, can you do the invitation thing? I’m sure the Baroness will refuse to invite her personally. But notice, she showed up last time.”
“I’ll invite all of them to do it. Make it a family affair. It’s a week and if we have too much food, well better than none at all.” Kate nodded.
“All right, well, here is hoping that the budget can take this,” Lily said.
“I bet we can get the farmers to donate lots of the supplies,” Kate waved her hands. “It’s for the Midsummer Festival after all.”
“That would be good.”
“We can approach them individually and get back to the group,” Amelie said with a nod.
Luciana spoke up. “I’d like to put a cabana up on the beach near the Dews Farm to be the gathering spot for everyone finishing up their charity events.”
“Splendid plan, Luciana,” Lily nodded. “We can set up one there, and a dance floor and it can be a celebration. At the end of the week, we’ll have all the money. Where are we keeping the money?”
“Silverglade Manor’s safe.”
“Right, we’ll have all the money and can present Maya with a big fake check. And I hope that will be enough to get them out of their debts and back on their farm.”
“They’re in foreclosure,” Loretta sighed. “Not bankruptcy. I had to go over it with her three times.”
“If they’re in foreclosure, that’s easier than bankruptcy to an extent. Though what did they do? Take a loan out on their farm?”
“From G.E.D. instead of a bank.” Loretta pushed her hair back behind her neck.
“Well, Ms. Drake is going to take the cash or else I’ll shove it where the sun don’t shine,” Lily muttered.
“Make it super public,” one of the girls said. “She can’t be a monster in front of a lot of people.”
“Ms. Drake?” Amelia asked.
Josefina snorted.
“It’s worth a try.”
“We’re going to have to do the same thing for the stables once it happens.” Ginny said.
“Have they tried anything but threats?”
“No. But the stable is in debt. To the bank, not to them, praise Aideen. But if the bank forecloses on the property, we’ll all be kicked out. Though your plans with the Friesians have been working. And Mr. Kemball has started on the Riding Arena. We’ve been having to keep him honest.”
“That must be a job and a half.”
“Like keeping James honest,” Pia said.
There was some nervous laughter.
“All right, Mares, Frogs, Squirrels, Terriers, and Kittens,” Lily said. “Get your areas in order. Your job is to focus on your section of South New Jorvik County and come enjoy the Midsummer Beach Party when it’s on. If you have problems with G.E.D. or Dark Core, report to me or to Linda.”
Pauline interrupted. “Music, Lily. Music!”
“Well, Fort Pinta will have DJ Kai. And I know New Hillcrest will have Syntax.”
“We’ve got a pretty big beach with a lot of islands all picked out.”
“I think asking Mr. Wetton for thirteen acts again is a bit too soon. Plus, it would make Rainbow Week less special.”
“Radio the different music the DJs are doing.” One of the girls suggested. “Set up a transmitter. Jack it through that tower in the Grey Mountains that G.E.D. has set up and it should get the entire county. Or stream it online.”
“That’s devious, and I like it.” Lily grinned.
“They shouldn’t have an obnoxious radio tower that big up there anyways. Radio towers can be much more discreet. I mean, put one on the observatory and it won’t be a blight to the landscape.” There was a sniff.
Lily turned to Pauline. “Happy?”
“Syntax can hack the tower,” Ginny said.
“Yes, keep them hacking for the greater good.” Lily smirked.
Kate shouted. “Okay, pizza time!”
They were all hungry. And there were new people to meet. So, they had pizza and wings and loaded potatoes and talked to each other and Tim. Though they all agreed Tim was quite strange and was it college or something else?
They split up.
FOR THE ACCOMPANYING IMAGES PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE MY WATERMARK AND CONTACT INFORMATION. THANK YOU. I get it. Some of you might get excited and want to see this stuff in the game, especially the clothes, tack, and pets. However, the only way I want to see this in the game is if I get paid for it. If I see it in the game and I’m not paid for it, there will be hell to pay. You think I’m salty. I’d be angry. Personally, I’m not going to send this info to SSO. If you do, leave my contact information there! Don’t give them any excuses to steal.
Now, I’ll know you haven’t read this note if you leave me comments about how ‘salty’ I am about the game and if I hate it so much I should do something else. I am doing something else. It’s called Mystic Riders MMORPG Project. Mystic Riders however is a very baby phase game. You can check out our plans on the game dev blog. (Skills, Factions, Professions, Crafting, Mini-Games, 25+ horse breeds!) If you know anyone who would be interested and has money or contacts about game making, direct them to the blog.
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mirkwoodshewolf · 5 years ago
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Aladdin Queen fic John Deacon x reader Chap. 8; Love is formed
*Author’s note*
Okay everyone here it is, my most FAVORITE SONG OF ALADDIN AND MY FAV. PART TO WRITE. And since I love both versions of this song SOOOO much I leave it up to you all on what you want to listen to. Whether its the OG or the LA version I’ll have both links up for you all to enjoy. So I’ll shut up now and let you all get to it and OHHH CHALLENGE ESP. TO US GIRLS!!! DON’T. SING. JASMINE’S PART!!!!! Since you the reader are basically Aladdin’s part you’re gonna have to sing the male part while Deacy takes over the female vocals hehehe. So hope you all enjoy that challenge :)
OG version
LA version
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Taglist:
@plethora-of-things​
@psychosupernatural​
@waddles03​
@ixchel-9275​
@georgesgentlyweepingguitar​
@queendeakyy​
@simonedk​
@kairosfreddie​
@geek-and-proud​
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After the party Freddie and I were in my guest room with my pacing around and Freddie brushing out his hair with his disguise now dropped.
“He just—walked out.”
“Perhaps I might’ve gone too far with the splits, but darling let’s be honest here. That dance was probably the best thing you will ever do in your entire life.”
“I was pretty good wasn’t I?” I bragged still remembering the look on that bitch Priyanka’s face as she tucked and run. But then I thought back to John, I mean nothing seems to impress him and I thought all royals loved treasures or women fighting over them. “But nothing seems to impress him.”
“I know. Not gems or jams or jewels. I mean if I can’t impress him, I wonder who can?” I looked out of my balcony to see just across from my balcony was the Princes’ balcony.  I saw John with Roger and Jim and the three of them went back into the room.
“What are you saying Freddie?” I asked as I turned towards him.
“I’m just saying maybe just try being yourself.”
“I already told you, he has to marry a Princess.” I sighed as I turned back towards the Princes’ balcony. “If I only just had a few minutes alone with him.” Then an idea came into my mind. “You have to get me over there?”
“That an official wish?” he asked me as he shook out his hair and turned towards me.
“No it’s more of a—favor. For a friend.”
“Sorry dear, genies really don’t do favors.” He said as he turned back towards the mirror and observed himself. “Plus we don’t really do friends.”
“But I thought you said you never had a friend like me.”
“See that’s where you’re wrong (y/n). I said you never had a friend like me. See when you’re a genie, people always want things from you it’s just—awkward.” He placed a turban on top of his head and modeled it wondering if it looked good on him.  That’s when I got a clever idea.
“Yeah, you’re right. Besides it would’ve involved distracting a—certain animal keeper to the Princes.”
“Oh-ho I see where this is going you clever minx, I hook you up, you hook me up, right?” Freddie said as came up in front of me with a wide smile while I just grinned back at him.
*3rd Person POV*
Now back in his disguise Freddie appeared at the Princes’ door and extended his hand outwards to the door, then using his magic he made three knocks sound off before they opened to reveal Jim.  He was surprised to see the advisor to the Princess and Freddie greeted him with a smile.
“Good evening.”
“How did you get past the guards?” questioned Jim.
“Oh I uhh—I snuck past them.”
“All 48 of them? Even the ones that spit fire? Impressive.” Jim said in a blunt tone.
“Well—that’s what people say about me.” Freddie chuckled nervously. Jim however just gave him an unimpressed look. “Oh that—that came out arrogant didn’t it? I mean I’m not overly arrogant or a prick I just I don’t know why I said that. Uhh….” He then saved himself by bring out from his back, a small bouquet of roses.
“They’re lovely.” Jim awed. “He’ll hate them.” Jim then suddenly spoke with a blunt matter-of-fact tone. “Tell the Princess that the way to Prince John’s heart is through his mind.”
“Actually these are from me—to you.” Freddie said. Jim’s face softened and he said softly.
“Could you excuse me for one moment?” Jim said as he reached for the doors and slowly closed them.
“No, wait I just….” Freddie tried to save himself but the doors closed in on him before he could say another word.
Jim remained calm as he slowly turned towards the Princes before finally letting go and silently pumping his arms up and down in victory.  John, Brian and Roger also mouthed out a cheer for him.
Meanwhile from the hallway Freddie turned his head angrily muttering to himself.
“‘Not that I’m overly arrogant’ really Freddie? That made you sound like a right up arsehole basically.” The doors opened up and Freddie turned back and smiled at Jim.  Jim took the roses and said.
“My favorite, I plant these all the time back home for the Princes garden. You may continue.”
“I was noticing of how—pleasant the evening is. At the party I noticed you noticing…me how—pleasant I am. Right, how is this going?” Freddie stammered awkwardly before asking cautiously.
“It’s clumsy. But in a…..charming sort of way.” Jim answered him honestly.
“A stroll.” Freddie blurted out. “Would you like to take an evening stroll with me?”
“Just the two of us? On purpose?”
“Yes, as people.” Jim was silent once again before whispering softly.
“Just one more minute.”
“Okay.” As Jim closed the doors once more, Freddie muttered, “Why the fuck would I say that?” as the doors fully closed he turned aside and softly growled “That woman is contagious!”
Inside the room, Jim tossed the bouquet over to John who caught it and he gestured and mouthed out ‘go’ to Jim.  Jim opened the doors once again and he said to Freddie.
“I’ve never really been on a stroll, how does it work?”
“Follow me my dear and I’ll show you.” The two men then walked side by side of each other, their hands briefly rubbing off against one another.
*My POV*
“I’m happy Jim finally found someone while we were here.” I heard Prince Brian say from the balcony.
“Yeah, he seems to be happy with Ali’s advisor. He looks like he’s a lot of fun, maybe I’ll ask if he’d like to go for a ride in the gardens.” Prince Roger spoke.
“You know you just wanna interrogate the poor guy in case he hurts Jim.” John’s voice spoke up.
“I just care about Jim’s wellbeing. I mean remember that one arsehole that used him to get to us, mainly you Brian.”
“I’d—rather not talk about that thank you Rog.” I then decided to make my presence known so I knocked on the corner of the wall and I heard John say.
“Come in.”
“Actually I’m already in.” I said cautiously as I came around the column pillar.
“Don’t move!” John warned me.  That’s when I saw both the lion and lioness stand up and growl at me, but the lioness seemed more protective as she looked like she was ready to attack me.
“I just came back because you left so…..”
“How did you—get there?” he asked curiously. I closed me mouth and said the first two words that came to my mind.
“Magic carpet?” he just scoffed at me.
“I, for one, am glad you’re here though Princess Ali.” Spoke Prince Brian as he stood up holding some sort of creature in his hand.  It looked kinda like a mongoose of sorts but it wasn’t like anything I’ve ever seen before. It was big, probably the size of a domestic cat, it had grey fur for the back but black on its underbelly, around it’s face was white with black lines along the eyes.
“You are?”
“Yes. For hours I’ve been trying to find Ababwa but it doesn’t seem to be on any of my maps. Care to show me?”
“Well I…..”
“Yes. I would also like to know just why your kingdom isn’t on any map.” John spoke up as he crossed his arms.  As I took a step forward, the lioness took a step forward while the male lion softly roared. “Now Nala. You and your brother can’t eat the princess tonight she needs her legs for dancing.”
“Did I go too far with the split?” I asked as I finally began walking forward while the two big cats were distracted.
“A little. Ababwa?”
“Yes.” I spoke loudly before finally muttering to myself, “Freddie I need to find Ababwa, they have maps, lots of maps.” I cleared my throat as I finally stood by the two princes and picked up the map and held it over my face in between me and John’s face specifically. “Ababwa, of course.” I remained silent for a bit before finally saying again, “Ababwa.”
Finally I saw a cartoon drawing of Freddie on the map in his genie formed and he waved at me.  He then began flying about and I followed his frantic movements as his genie tail began drawing random kingdoms at the center.  Along a banner it read ‘WEMBLEY KINGDOM.’
‘Not funny Freddie!’ I mouthed at him.  He then waved another banner in big bold letters that read JUST BE YOURSELF, his drawing scowling at me with his arms crossed. ‘Fred enough of…..’ John’s hand came on top of the map and he bent it over as he told me.
“Have you lost your country?” oh Allah say something you idiot.
“What no? No! No not at all its……” I set the map down trying to stand between the map and John. “It’s right here.” I pointed in a random spot. His brow rose skeptically as he said.
“I don’t think so, see I was with Brian when he was—” he looked down and low and behold Freddie had drawn the fake kingdom of Ababwa and gotten rid of the other drawings he had done, even his drawing was gone.
“There it is!” I exclaimed cheerfully.  John and Brian hovered over the map and Brian said.
“How did I miss that?”
“Well I mean who needs maps anyways? They’re old, and useless and add no practical value.” I said as I took the map away from the desk.
“Maps are how we see the world.” Brian said as he set down his pet.
“But I thought a prince could go anywhere?” I asked. All three of them had solemn faces as Roger finally spoke up.
“Not these princes unfortunately.” John especially seemed to look the most solemn and heartbroken.
“Well, if you’d—Prince John I’d gladly oh!” I felt a brush up against my leg and a soft bite on my shoe.  I know it wasn’t intentionally at my foot per-say, but I did feel small teeth nibble into my skin.
“Ahh Lulu naughty girl!” Prince Brian scolded as he came up and picked the creature up.  “Sorry, she’s always been a curious little badger but I’ve never seen her act like this before.” Then just before Brian could catch her, she went between my legs, her medium sized body knocking into my heels sending me towards the ground.
“Oh dear Princess Ali are you…..” just before Brian could help me up, the male lion stood between him and I.
“Simba! Nala!” Roger proclaimed as I was now surrounded by two massive big cats.  The female lioness standing right over me growling right into my face for a bit till it suddenly softened.
The male’s face also softened and soon the female slowly licked my face from my forehead down to my chin.  The two of them softly bellowed a soft roar as I said.
“Thank you…..Nala.” I scratched the side of her face and she leaned into my hand and accepted my scratches while Simba came up and plopped right down beside me and raised his paw up and wrapped it around my neck which ended up bringing me down and forcing my face to be buried into his dark mane.
“Incredible.” I heard Brian mutter.  Once I had my fill of lion snuggles and managed to break free of their loving grips, I adjusted myself and said as I walked out towards the balcony.
“I was saying you should really see these places. I mean there’s a whole world beyond books and maps. Do you want to?”
“How? There are guards at every door.” John stated bluntly as he looked at me.
“Who said anything about using a door?” I said as I walked towards the railing.
“What are you doing?” John’s tone turned into an alarmed tone as he came down the steps.
“Sometimes my English Princes, you just—have to take a risk.” I said as I swung over to the other side of the railing before finally letting go.
*John’s POV*
We all let out a gasp as Princess Ali just fell to her death.  All was quiet as I looked from side to side.
“Please tell me we didn’t just witness a suicide.” Spoke Roger.  Suddenly slowly rising up sitting perfectly fine and alive was Princess Ali on top of a—no way they really do exist? I thought these things were just stories.
“Is this…..” I asked as I walked up to her.
“A magic carpet? Yeah.” She scooted closer to the edge of the carpet and said to me, “Do you trust me?” wait a second. Did—did she just say what I thought she said?
“What?”
“Do you trust me?” she said again as she extended her hand out to mine.  I turned towards Brian and Roger and they nodded and gestured for me to go on.  I turned back towards Ali and gave her my hand as I said.
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“Yes.” She then helped me onto the magic carpet. The two of us sat down on top of the magic carpet and as Nala came up towards the balcony bellowing out a whine, the carpet took off flying over the entire city.
It was then I heard Ali beginning to sing, and my god she—had the voice of an angel.  The only other voice to sing so sweetly like that was my mother.  We flew through the tight alleyways of the Agrabah city and I couldn’t help but be in awe of the city at night.  When I turned back towards Ali, she had a small plum petunia in her hand and she held it out to me.
I took it and sniffed it as it’s delicate scent tickled my nose as we continued to fly through the rooftops of the city now before flying high into the sky.  Going up and over the clouds before slowly diving back down through them, like whales breaching in the ocean.  Even going as far to fly across the moon.
*Ali*
I can show you the world Shining, shimmering, splendid Tell me, my prince, now when did You last let your heart decide?
I can open your eyes Take you wonder by wonder Over, sideways and under On a magic carpet ride
A whole new world A new fantastic point of view No one to tell us no Or where to go Or say we're only dreaming
        I then began to feel the song in my heart as we continued to fly high over the clouds.  Soon the magic carpet even handed us some armful of clouds for Ali and I to hold.  
Never did I dream that I would actually get to hold a cloud it was more—fluffier than I imagined.  Kinda like feeling stuffing.
        As Ali’s cloud broke apart, I released my cloud go as we spun around a cloud making it into the shape of whipped cream topping before doing a loop-de-loop.  We now flew alongside a flock of cranes and I couldn’t help but extend my arms out, it was then we were briefly tossed off the carpet before being caught again, doing somersaults as we went higher and higher into the diamond lit sky.
*Me*
A whole new world A dazzling place I never knew But when I'm way up here It's crystal clear That now I'm in a whole new world with you *Ali*
Now I'm in a whole new world with you
*Me*
Unbelievable sights Indescribable feeling Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling Through an endless diamond sky
A whole new world
We flew straight down from the sky and through the clouds to see a river coming up.  I closed my eyes but she took my wrists and gently took them away from my eyes as we flew right over the water before going back up towards the sky to see the city of Agra.  The Taj Mahal standing so proudly just ahead as we flew over it.
We then flew far out of the city towards the open desert to see a herd of wild horses running freely.  As we got closer to them, I stroked the youngest stallion underneath his chin and he whinnied while we flew on ahead of the herd. *Ali*
Don't you dare close your eyes *Me*
A hundred thousand things to see *Ali*
Hold your breath - it gets better *Me*
I'm like a shooting star I've come so far I can't go back to where I used to be
*Ali*
A whole new world *Me*
Every turn a surprise *Ali*
With new horizons to pursue *Me*
Every moment red-letter
Now flying over the Indian ocean we both looked down to see the dolphins swimming up to the surface doing their breaching technique, the moon bouncing off the water gave it a beautiful glow and as I looked towards Ali, the moon also gave her an ethereal beauty, especially from her raven hair to her bright (e/c) eyes.
We turned to face each other as our song came to a close and I could feel my heart beat just a little bit faster at seeing her eyes shine like the stars under the moonlight. *Both*
I'll chase them anywhere There's time to spare Let me share this whole new world with you
*Ali (Me)*
A whole new world (A whole new world)
That's where we'll be (that’s where we’ll be) *Ali*
A thrilling chase *Me*
A wondrous place *Both*
For you and me
We leaned up against each other, my head on top of hers and her head resting against my shoulder as my hand gently took hers and they intertwined with each other’s.
After seeing the world we stopped right back into the city of Agrabah to see the people having a celebration of their own in the middle of their city.  A large bonfire was at the center, drummers banging on the drums in rhythm while the people danced in a circle and cheered.  I looked over to Ali and took off my white vest and draped it over her shoulders to keep her warm.  She turned to me and smiled in gratitude.
“Of all the places you’ve shown me tonight this is by far the most beautiful.”
“Sometimes you just have to look at it from a new perspective.” She answered.
“It’s them. The people. No matter what skin color they are, they make it beautiful. And they deserve to have an ally who knows that. I don’t see how that ever could be me.”
“Because it should be you.” She answered.
“Do you really think so?” I asked as I turned to face her.
“Does it really matter what I think?” she said as she tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, much like how (y/n) did a couple nights ago.  
But it—it couldn’t be her. Could it? So I decided to test something out.
“You know,” I slowly moved my arm around her waist. “It’s a shame that Abu had to miss this.”
“Nah, he hates parties, besides he’s……” she stopped talking and I saw her face fall. So it was her. It was (y/n)!
“I knew it, you are (y/n)! Why did you lie to me!?” I said as I backed away from her.
“John I’m sorry.” She pleaded.  No she doesn’t get any mercy from me.
“Did you really think I was stupid? That I wouldn’t figure it out?!”
“No, no you’re not stupid I was just….”
“Tell me the truth. Is your name (Y/n) or Ali?!”
“I’m Princess Ali.”
“So (y/n) wasn’t real?”
“No she is! Because I’m also (y/n). I—just use the name (y/n) for when I need to disguise myself amongst the commoners. To—escape the pressures of palace life.” I just looked at her with a skeptical glare and I asked her.
“Why didn’t you just tell me the day we met?”
“Well I mean you know—royalty going out into the city in disguise it sounds kinda strange don’t it?” well she’s got me there. I mean after it was my idea that Roger and I dress as commoners to escape the palace just shortly after we had arrived.
“Not that strange.” I said as I gently nudged her shoulder with mine.  “I’m sorry I snapped at you. Is just I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you.”
“It’s okay. People just don’t see the real you when you’re royalty.” Don’t I know that much.  We looked at each other and that’s when I returned the favor and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“We should—” she started off.  I looked down at her and she continued, “We should head back.”
“Already?” I sighed and that’s when Ali had the magic carpet take us back to the palace.
We arrived back at my balcony and I could see the lights were off, so I’m hoping Brian and Roger are asleep by now.  Ali helped me off the magic carpet and handed me back my vest and that’s when the magic carpet lowered itself down.
“Goodnight, Princess Ali.”
“Sweet dreams, Prince John.” She said softly with a soft smile.  Slowly the two of us began leaning forward when suddenly she was pushed right up into my face.  Well I guess I’ll have the thank that magic carpet tomorrow.  I then leaned the rest of the way and softly kissed her lips.
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She kissed me back and it felt like an eternity before the desperate need for air became necessary.  I pulled away before giving her a warm smile and turning my back on her to walk into our room.
*3rd Person POV*
After the kiss and John turned back into his room, (y/n) extended her arms outward as she whispered.
“Yes.” Before falling back onto Carpet who flew away from the balcony and (y/n) let out a giggly, whooping cheer.  However she was unaware of Iago who had witnessed the entire thing.
“Fascinating.” He crooned darkly.
Back in her room, Carpet stopped right at her balcony where Freddie now in full genie mode was drinking a cup of vodka and he said as he saw (y/n)’s face.
“Ohh I love that face. Good date?”
“The best.” She answered with a reply.
Meanwhile in the Princes room Roger and Brian who were still awake while Jim was preparing John for bed, John said to them.
“But it was better than the best.”
“Wow Deacy, who would’ve thought you had it in you.” Roger praised.
“However the thing was Roger we’ve actually met her.”
“Wait what do you mean?”
“He even figured out that I was (y/n). You said that wouldn’t happen.” (y/n) told Freddie.
“Well genie magic is really just a façade. Eventually real characters are always gonna show up. But that’s a good thing, right? Now he knows.”
“Well…..” she dragged out.
“Wai—hold-hold up now. What?”
“She told me that she was only pretending to be a thief to escape the stress of palace life, but she’s really a Princess.” John explained to Roger just after Jim finished brushing his hair. “Thank you Jim, you can retire for the night.”
“Thank you Prince John. Good night boys.”
“Night Jim.” Said Brian.
“G’night Jimmy boy” Roger called out as Jim left their bedrooms to go to his sleeping quarters.
“And you believed that?” asked Roger.
“I think so.” John said as he got into his bed.
“(Y/n) darling, eventually you are going to have to tell him the truth.”
“Eventually I will tell him Freddie. But anyway, how was your stroll with Jim?”
“Oh no, no, no you are not turning the conversation around dear.”
“I’m not I’m genuinely curious. How did it go?” Freddie looked at me skeptically but when he saw that I wasn’t lying to him, he proceeded to tell me everything.  He seemed to really like Jim, and heck maybe by the end of it all, maybe they could end up together.  Sure it’s frowned upon but love is love and that’s how everyone should live their lives, right?
Brian turned to his side to face John and asked him.
“You don’t think that maybe you want believe her because you have to marry a Princess, but can’t marry a thief?”
“No Brian. I believe her. I do.” John said affirmatively.  He looked up at the ceiling before sighing softly and shutting his eyes to rest for a new day.
11 notes · View notes
flannelplanet · 6 years ago
Note
Oh I love 7, 12, 18 and 22 (they all made me think of both stucky and buckynat) but that's no help is it? So I guess 7, since it's the first one?
Because I love you, I wrote all 4 prompts in one drabble. I hope it’s okay! Thanks to @random-rave for the prompt list and to you, Mags, for requesting this!!! OHHH and thanks @buckysbrat for being my resident buckynat expert ily ♥Pairing: buckynatWarnings: food + sex, this is comic buckynat not mcu buckynat fyi :)That makes my mouth water + I missed your taste + Looks like we made a mess again + Are those my boxers
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“The smell in here is making my mouth water,” Bucky says. He’s riding shotgun while Natasha drives the short distance from IHOP to his apartment. She’s staying with him for however long she wants to, and still continues to indulge his breakfast habits, despite her own feelings on the matter.
Natasha smiles at him from across the center console. “You’re very cute when you’re hungry.”
“Hah, correction, I’m cute all the time.”
“And humble, too!” She laughs as she parks, both of them getting out and finding their way into the apartment.  
He sets the bags of food down on the counter and begins pulling boxes out, digging through them until his eyes find the prize- a stack of delicious, golden-brown, buttery pancakes and two huge containers of sticky sweet syrup. He doesn’t even bother to hold back the groan he lets out at the sight.
“You okay over there?” Natasha asks as she pulls her container of fruit from inside the bag along with a fork.
“I’m in heaven. Seriously. I’ve died and gone to heaven. I’ve got pancakes and you and that’s all a guy really needs in life.”
She rolls her eyes affectionately at him before stabbing a strawberry with the end of her fork and taking a bite.
Bucky sat down with his spread of food and proceeded to take a gigantic bite, syrup dripping down his chin. “Wow, James. Sexy.”
“I’ll show you sexy.” He gets up from his seat at the small table and moves to stand in front of her, holding his hand out. She sets her fruit down and lets him move her, purely out of curiosity.
Now that they’re both standing, he begins moving boxes out of the way to make room for whatever’s on his mind. Once he’s satisfied, he turns to her. “Breakfast will have to wait.” His hand comes up to cup her jaw as he brings his lips to hers, grinning as the syrup transfers from his face to hers.
It should be gross, but the flavor is unexpected and she hums. “Lyubov moya, I’ve missed your taste,” she tells him, kissing him again and licking the syrup from the corner of his mouth.
He pulls back to get a breath in and takes in the look in her eye. “That… shouldn’t have been as hot as it was.”
“Hmm, just go with it.” Natasha crowds toward him and pushes gently until his ass hits the edge of the table. “Up.”
He does as she asks and hops up on the table, thankful he thought to get the sturdy solid oak version rather than the cheap wood. “What now?”
She rustles around in the boxes for a moment and Bucky desperately hopes this is going where he thinks its going. He feels her lift his shirt up to his chest and sees her shit-eating grin as she does so. He’s distracted by the impish grin on her face, so he’s well and truly startled when he feels her pop the button of his jeans with the other hand. “Now, I get to taste you properly.”
He hears a pop and he knows whats coming before he feels it; a hot stream of sticky syrup is drizzled from his treasure trail up the grooves of his abdomen. “Zvedza moya, how naughty! I’m impressed!”
The words die on his tongue as hers found its way to his sweetened skin, lapping up the stickiness at a leisurely pace, taking her time with it. She starts toward the top of his torso and works her way down, muscle by muscle, until she meets the line of his boxers. “Should I let you out to play? Or should I just have my fun and leave you all tucked in?”
“Natasha, please,” he whines, voice desperate and full of want.
She toys with him just a little longer before tugging his pants and boxers down and off, eyeing him as she does so. He can’t help but feel like prey caught up in her web as he watches her circle him, taking him in, figuring out her next move. Another strangled whine escapes him when her gaze lands on his swollen length and she smiles wickedly before gripping him at the base and closing her lips over him.
She licks and sucks and swallows around him until he’s writhing beneath her, begging for something and nothing all at once. “What do you need, lyubov moya? Tell me.”
His breaths are ragged as he pants. “I need you, Natasha. No more playing, I just need you.”
“You’ve been so good, so patient. I’ll give you what you need,” she tells him as she moves fluidly, hovering her newly naked core over his leaking cock. He knows better than to take what has not yet been offered, so he waits for her to slide over him and sink down until he’s buried inside her.
“Yes, that’s it. Move now.”
He thrusts up into her as she rolls her hips and it does delicious things to them both. They move together in a practiced dance, graceful and poised, giving and receiving pleasure from one another. Their words are lost in favor of a melody of sounds, each of their bodies making the other sing.
By the time they’ve finished, they’re both covered in sticky, syrupy sweetness and Bucky has to laugh. “Looks like we made a mess again,” he jokes.
“Yeah, better get busy cleaning or the syrup will dry and this will all be a nightmare to deal with,” she says, moving to get down off the table. She grabs the closest article of clothing she can find and begins wiping at the mess, chuckling to herself when she realizes what she grabbed.
A few moments pass and Bucky finally moves off the table and starts gathering some of the mess when he realizes.
Natasha laughs as she hears an indignant yelp. “Hey! Are those my boxers?”
-
my drabble list
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danvssomethingorother · 6 years ago
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YOUR AU RUSTY POST keeps coming across my dash omg so Im here fishing for headcanons!!! What do you think the better/Asshole Dimension is like? The boys, Brock, friends and foes?
Ohhh this is a fun ask.
Ok so like for the most part, for characters who have no personality in canon, I have a multiple choice kinda head canon thing since I write fics and like changing it up all the time. 
I know I have said in the past AU Rusty is probably a villain but since then I have also come to like the idea of him being more of neutral party neither on the OSI or Guild’s side.
I’m going to be using those head canons for my fic ‘Success in Progress’ and I don’t wan to give away future plot points.
But for this particular ask, I am going to go with my head canons for if AU Rusty is a villain.
- He started out his career in villainy when he was hanging out more and more with Action Johnny, neither liking that their dads were just forcing them into the roles of adventurer scientists. One day while they were smoking weed together, Johnny tells him they are going to rob their dads. Rusty is so high, he’s like whatever man, that sounds amazing.
- They both get super cheep, Scooby Doo like monster costumes and get their asses handed to them by the original team Venture who are freaking pissed these idiots were trying to steal dangerous chemicals that they were probably going to get high off cause they are super dumb teenagers.
- Rusty and Johnny are no longer allowed to hang out with each other after this but they are rebellious teenagers and are kinda sick of being controlled by their dads, so they run away together. They are both really bad for each other and only bring out the worse in each other. They were both living in their car, addicted to drugs and selling faulty doomsday weapons on the black market ready to murder each other when they are arrested. This draws the attention of not David Bowie who is just fascinated that Jonas’s son is out of control like this. He is the one to bail Rusty out and asks him if he really wants to do this, if he really wants to be a villain just to piss his dad off.
- Rusty becomes the sovereign‘s personal apprentice at 18 and begins working under him and learning from him personally how to be a professional bad guy.
- He meets Brock in Berlin a few years later on Brock’s first assignment with the OSI and they begin a rivalry of sorts. Brock always two steps behind Rusty when he becomes his own villain and they have a pretty love / hate sort of relationship.
- Rusty pretty much sets up most of his early years to messing with Brock who he has a huge crush on and yeah they start sleeping together. Rusty starts setting up traps and stuff just to lure Brock in and have him thwart him so they can have sex.
- Everything changes a few years later when Rusty has the twins, he has been caught up in his own selfish desires so long, he doesn’t stop and try to change for anyone until they are born and he realizes he doesn’t want to put them through the same shit his own dad constantly put him through.
- He moves to New York and puts all his focus on a career in Broadway, its the same basic principle as arching, its just acting and that’s what he finds he really likes to do.
- Brock and him get together officially and raise the twins together and later get married.
- The twins never die because Rusty asks a favor of his old mentor to make sure no one harms his family, sovereign cares enough about Rusty to agree to that. He pulls his strings so nothing can happen to Rusty and his family.
- When the twins go off to college, Rusty probably becomes the next sovereign  after the death of the former one because he was personally trained under him and knows the Guild inside out.
Just some random head canons I have:
- Monarch is probably obsessed with Rusty in this dimension too, so he probably also became a hero just to take him down. They also probably become friends because Rusty finds it amusing this man didn’t even sign up to be in the OSI or anything, he just has a super petty grudge against him and just started like breaking into his base to break things just because.
- Rusty probably went to a therapy group for side kicks like he did in canon but came out of it wanting to improve the lives of Boy adventurers and side kicks cause man all their lives are messed up.  He later uses his power as sovereign to make more direct changes like the Guild isn’t allowed to do such and such to children but he starts with charity organizations getting former sidekicks / boy adventurers the help they need.
- Before Rusty became sovereign, he arched Brock one last time, Dean and Hank rock, paper, scissored who would be on Brock’s side and who would be on Rusty’s side.
- Rusty the musical was only a big hit because it was based on a memoir Rusty wrote years ago about the abuse he went through as a boy adventurer.
- Rusty hired Jared on the spot as the lead role because Dean had a crush on him and he was trying to play match maker.
- Rusty never forgave his dad for the abuse he went through but he did eventual forgive and come to terms with the original team Venture and they probably went to therapy together.
- Rusty probably worked with Copy Cat a few dozen times in his career and considers him a good friend.
- I personally head canon him as trans and bi. 
- When canon Rusty comes to his dimension, he is more worried he is hitting on his husband then the fact he tried to murder him (that he can forgive cause they are Rusty, of course they are self destructive enough to try to kill themself like that) but him flirting with Brock is what lead him to work on a dimensional portal to get rid of him for good.
- Dean nor Hank become villains or heroes, Hank goes into acting like Rusty had because he always enjoyed helping his dad set up shows and Dean goes into journalism.
- JJ probably exists but he’s probably a failed Jonas clone Rusty found and took pity on then his twin brother he ate in the womb. They have a decent relationship, JJ doesn’t always agree with the weird dramatic things Rusty does but he loves his brother.
- Rusty is nicer and lot more stable then his canon self, mainly because not David Bowie supported him and encouraged him to get help when he needed it becoming a father figure to Rusty (the twins called him Grandpa before he died). He can still be a huge petty asshole when he wants to be though. 
And I’m going to stop now. Characters like AU Rusty are fun because you have a model of what they are like (I mean he is still Rusty Venture) but you can totally just go all my town now on him and change what you want as you see fit.
If you guys have more head canons, feel free to share them!
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prismatic-aconite · 6 years ago
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Pizza And a Movie 
Kicking the door open is Lupita, who is covered in goopy bits that suggest she'd been crawling about in a dumpster. Because of course she has been.  She stops just inside the door to scrape her feet on the door mat; oddly, hasn't been wearing her boots lately. But at least she wipes her feet before walking into the house, and  then the kitchen broadcasting Big Dick Attitude (as it were) and all kinds of confidence. She bellows, "Aeeeethra, I'm hooo-oooome! Where's my pizzas yo?"
Aethra siiiighs. "I was waiting to order them til I knew what you wanted... But I can guess. 'Meat meat and more meat' right? Also. You smell. You should go change clothes and wash up. Not... Like specific a bath just wipe the grime off and make yourself smell less." She's making that faaaace. The 'I am concerned for you' face.
Lupita rolls her eyes. "It's always bath bath bath." She says, shaking her head, before she nods. "All the meats ever. And like maybe one or two 'everything'." She says, pausing to stop in front of the fridge. She pulls it open, pulls out a two-liter of faygo, pops it open and just stands there chugging it. Seriously, like, until it's gone all in one go. She pauses, thumps her chest with a fist, and then lets out a belch.  Then she sets the bottle on the counter, and looks at herself, shrugging. "I guess I'll go change." She turns to head for her room, "Back in a sec, sis," She purrls, as she walks off, scratching at her horns.
"It's either bath or no cuddles cus you smell, yes!" Ae calls after her, and sighs. She busies herself with ordering the pizzas that Lu wants. And a couple with anchovies for herself. If Lu wanted to swipe some fish pizza she'd let that sooner than have her eat all the hakarl.
Well okay it takes roughly 20 minutes, but Lupita does soon walk out, in a pair of boxers probably stolen from Corbin, a baggy t-shirt, and trying to shake water from her hair with her hands, a slight swagger to her steps.  Either way, she wanders into the kitchen looking for Aethra, pausing to lean against the counter, and pick at some grapes left in a bowl.  "Aeeeeee, I need cuddles now pleeeease," she whines after a moment.
Ae blinks when Lu comes out shaking her hair out, and smiles. "Wow I'm impressed. Did you finally conquer your fear of water?" She asks, and steps over to wrap the wet Lu up in a hug. "I was actually gonna tell you about a cool setup I've been working on for one of the guest baths. If you wanna go see it. I got the bath area to make a shower that behaves like rain. And the stall itself isn't really closed in either and there's a bench. So you can stretch out and it's like washing in the rain. Of course there's a spray hose too for rinsing off the soap if you need... But I think you might like it better than sitting in water?"
Lupita perks, and grins. "Aw yiss that sounds lots better. And I did but only because you asked and I really really need the cuddles man." She leans into the hugging and lets out a sigh, contented and stuff, from the contact. She scratches again at her horns though. "Man, ever since the sopor fix my horn it's been itchy all the fuckin' time yo," she says, grumbling a little. "You think its just co's of the new keritan or something?" She asks, looking slightly aside to Ae.
"Probably. Want me to take a look at it anyhow?" Ae asks. "I mean. I just want you healthy and smelling nice when you cuddle me. I tried bath bombs and those don't seem to work, so I figure, just need a better way to get you clean that doesn't involve dunking in the stuff you're scared of. ...Hopefully this'll be a good option all around." She just... holds Lu a while. "You wanna go cuddle pile on the couch?"
"Yeah, can you look at it? And a cuddlepile on the couch would be totes awesome yo. And when the pizza gets here like we can still cuddle and eat, right? C'os like dude I just really up and need all the attentions ever yo." She says. But. She doesn't let go to move to the couch. Nope. Just clings.  She also purrs slightly. "And water isn't too bad if I just. Close my eyes, hold my breath, and just get it over with as soon as popcicle. but I think a rain shower is a great idea yo. Especially if I can just all up and sprawl n' shit."
"Yeah. There's sprawly room. I basically made the entire floor of that room a drain and waterproofed everything. Took a while but I think it'll be good. I'm thinking of installing some grow lights in the ceiling bulbs and getting some wall climbing plants maybe." She grins suddenly and scoops Lu up, to carry her to the couch.
"Ah geeeze do you gotta do that yo you're like a fuckin' giant man. Ain'ts my fault I'm all up and short." Lupita whines, but she mostly goes saggylimp when scooped, and then leans her head in and snuffles at Ae's shoulders. Sniffsniff. "Man you smell good. You been all up and working in the sewing room with the clean cloths ain't you."
Ae chuckles and nods. She soon settles Lu on the couch in the blankets and hmms. "I do because you are fun to scoop and cuddle. ...Is it just the one spot on your horn that's been itching or anywhere else? Lemme get a good look." She settles down on the side for optimal good viewing.
Lupita wruus softly. "Yeah, just the one horn," she says, scratching again idley before canting her head to let Aethra get a good look; the whole horn from a third up is shiny, new, unscarred and untanted;  just simply regrown. Smooth keritin, candy corn colors not yet tempered by sunlight or roughhousing just yet. "Shoulder was itchy for a couple of days, too, but, not anymore." She shrugs. Then grins. "Still say you shoulda seen the other guy. Best damn fight ever yo."
"Hm. Just looks regrown and pretty to me. Should be fine. Horns regrow if you treat em right and don't fuss with too much." She just wraps Lu up in her arms and kisses her hair. "Heh. Maybe youre due a pupation toooo. Who knows you might end up my siiiize," she teases.
Another happy noise, and Lupita can't help herself. She wriggles around so she can kiss Ae on the cheek and forehead and nose with a squinty eyed sort of grin on her features that's only made goofier by her oversized fangs. Then she siighs and just sinks in against Ae. "Pfft. I don't think imma pupate. I'm already too soon after my first molt man." Sure it's been several sweeps. She doesn't count good, though. She pauses though and looks up, suddenly staring intently. That's about when the doorbell is used. "Hey, hey someone's at the door, yo." She says, loudly.
"Been a couple sweeps dude. Yours wasn't all that long after mine. And I didnt grow much then." But then the doorbell interrupts. "Ohhh that's probably the pizza. Lemme get that." She hops up out of the blanket pile and beelines for the door, pays the man, takes the giiiant pile of pizzas, and walks it back to the couch pile. "Do me a favor Lu, and set up a couple of the tv trays? We can watch a movie while we nom."
"Okay but. There was someone at the door." Lupita repeats, as she attempts to look around toward the door again where the pizza guy was, doing this as she blindly grabs the TV trays to set up in front of the couch, and somehow winding her way back to the front door to peer out every window to the side of it that she can she can before bringing the trays to their spots and setting them up. She stands there then, shifting from foot to foot, staring at the door. "... I should go make sure he's not still there." She says, before she slinks back and peers out the door again. "Nope he's gone. Good."
"Look at you being a good home protector. Yeah usually they have bunches more people wanting pizza so they gotta leave real fast. Like the mailman." Ae sets her couple of pizzas, one with anchovies, and one with all veggies and mushrooms. "I got one for Corbin too. You wanna bring it to him? ...Without eating it all?" She grins and holds up an pizza... Stuffed crust loaded Philly with white sauce.
Lupita smirks, and says, "Are you trying to get rid of me or something?" Teasingly, as she picks up the pizza and considers, sniffing at it. "Maybe after I've had one or two of mine," She says, in thought, "Don't want to be tempted to eat his, and I'm /starving/," She says, as she pauses, considers, then moves over to turn the oven on low heat, and slides open the bottom compartment, slipping the Pizza into it. "I read that these drawers down here are meant for like, keeping things warm without cooking them directly, so like, earlier today I cleaned it out n' stuff to put things in." She says, proudly.
"Nah. Just wanted to do a nice thing for him. All good. I'd rather you stay and cuddle a while. Especially since I got you the giant pile of pizzas to watch movies.  ...Also that's really good thinking. ...You ever wanna learn some cool kitchen stuff I can teach you things. I got a dehydrater to make our own jerky. Youre welcome to use it on things you hunt if you don't drag bloody carcasses across my house. Tarps if needed and clean up after yourself."
"... But dragging bloody things around is half the fun!" Lupita playfully whines, before grabbing another 2-liter out of the fridge and walking back over to the couch, bouncing herself onto it with a grin as she pulls open the pizza box, grabs two slices, and turns them topping to topping to make a 'pizza sandwich', as she leans back and waits for Aethra. "You got any ideas for a good movie then? C'os like, I'm up for almost anythin' that ain't like, The Little Mermaid. I mean shit. I heard that guy with the hard to say italian name made an X-Rated version of that, maybe that wouldn't be too bad? But if I have to listen to 'Under Da Sea' one more time.."
"I was thinking that one with the witches and thr candle? The blond reminds me of you a little. At least the 'amok amok amok' part." Ae picks a piece of her pizza out of the box, but then takes a piece of anchovy off and dangles it in the air. "Wanna try a better smelly fish?"
A snort, and then a snicker. "Well she's got good taste, doesn't she? I mean, children are more tender and juicy, by theory, because they haven't had no chance to get all up and muscley." She perks though. And sits up straighter and nodnodnods, watching the dangled anchovy, stuffing her 'Za sandwich into her face all at once, chewing hastily, and then gulping it down, before opens her mouth to the offered fish. "It smells terrible, I love it!" She gasps eagerly.
Ae giggles and drops the fish into Lu's mouth, and then slides a piece of the pizza over into Lu's pizza box. "Figured you'd say that. They're fatty and salty and good." Ae nods and hmmms. "It's true. It's why lamb and veal and all are so popular. Not tough yet." She shrugs and gets up to set up the movie. Once it's started though she settles.back down and leans on Lu. "Everything's okay with you lately, right? Anything you need to talk out?"
Lupita chomps, fangs clicking as she does so, and then closes her eyes, moving the anchovy about in her mouth a bit as she chews, somewhat like savoring a candy you've just tried for the first time. She gulps down then, and snatches up the piece of pizza, and works on scarfing it. She looks up, mouth full, when Ae asks about being okay, and nods. Swallows. She is a messy eater, and it's likely Ae has given up on this by now, AB certainly gave up long ago. She wipes her mouth on the back of her arm. "Nothing really bad. Just, horny itchey, and being hungry like fuckin' hell, yo. Oh, but, I've also been getting a lot more exercise, been chasing the rabbits out your garden all week. Fun as shit to chase a rabbit man." She grins.
"...Horny itchey? I mean. Phrasing but maybe you can ask Corbin to help with that," Ae teases, and plays with Lu's hair idly. "I do see you running around a lot more. ...If you run around in the sprinkler please put on some swim clothes, or stick with the fenced in part of the back yard? Nudity is still... touchy with the neighbors. And no you can't just go bite em or mess up their lawn if they say anything. I don't mind so much but... you know?" Ae sighs. She haaaated dealing with society nonsense. But that was the problem with living in a city.
"Uuugh, wet clothes suck though!" Lupita says with a siiigh as she drapes herself overdramatically over Ae's lap while her hair is played with. She snorts, and shoves the remains of the Anchovy piece into her mouth, chewing, before she gulps. "And I don't mean like thaaaat although I guess I could see if it helps me get some of this energy out. Dunno, I just really like running all over the place." She grins.  Shrugs. Then grabs another pice of meat  pizza and begins to lazily drape it into her mouth like it was grapes, while watching the movie. She snorts. "Not enough wolves man." She teases, but sniggers, especially at the 'Yabbos' scene.
"We can watch one with wolves after. Ever see Balto?" Ae asks, and hmms. "I mean it might. This time of year is good for that. Lotta folks all... energetic or getting lazy in prep for sleepy winter season. Really depends." Ae streeeetches and wraps her arms around Lu and hmms. "Wet clothes suck but a swimsuit is made to be wet. You just peel out of it when you get back to your room and roll into a blanket Lu-rito, and be warm."
"Ehhh maybe I guess. Stupid neighbors and their whole hangups about bodies. It's like they don't come into the world naked as a blue singign flap-beast, and don't realize clothes ain't gonna go witchoo when you die." She shakes her head. And then gnaws off more pizza, before slurping at her fingers. Mmmgrease. She looks up at Ae and grins again. "Aww, can't we watch like, uh.. The human version of Troll Jack Nicholson's Packbeast? Or like... Oo, that really old one about the Packbeast in London. It's October for glubsakes, and humans do all their Dim Season stuff now."
"The Packbeast in London one is okay I guess. I mean. If you want." Ae shrugs and sit back, pulling the blankets around her. "Personally I just have a hard time staying warm this time of year and wanna stay in and make lots of food and drink hot tea and sleep."
"Dim season," Lupita agrees, before she  hms. "I dunno. I'm not that cold this time. I think I've acclimated or whatever the fuck the word is, you know?" She grins. "I just been running hot lately is all. Almost like a Mud- .. Er, brownblood." She says, chuckling a little. She pauses, grabs another slixe of pizza, and stuffs it all into her mouth. Chews thoughtfully, swallows. "Could also be the fact I usually run around with a pile of pelts on, and spend a lot of time sunning myself out there." She shrugs. And hms. "Hey, you know, I had a thought. Doesn't G have that like, Rainbow Drinker friend? Do you think she'd want any pelts or things to sun on that soak in the heat as well?"
"You know I have no idea? I'll ask her. She might. Heck G might like some. He likes fluffy things and all. I'll ask. Especially since they're all stuff you hunted up and cleaned yourself, so, that's good." Ae frowns softly and looks ceilingward. "Sounds unusual in general though Lu. Would you mind if we got you an appointment with a mediculler, just to make sure you're okay? I promise I'll sit with you for it and make sure everything is all right?"
"Ehhh, okay I suppose. A mediculler would be fine." Shrug. Lupita hmms! And nods. "I wouldn't mind hunting down some stuff for G. I like seeing him happy c'os it makes you happy. Plus when he's happy it's good, right?" She grins. "Pack solidarity!" She says happily, as she grabs another slice of pizza, pauses, sits up, and again pizza sandwiches. She begins to wolf down the slices, licking at her fingers again. "Mmmf. They need to add more meats to the meat lovers. There could be like chicken, and duck, and goat, and rabbit, and goose, and squirrel- Oo, squirrel, yessssss. Hey if I catch some squirrels can you fry them up?" she grins eagerly, looking at Aethra. "And like I could give the cat the tails to play with n' shit."
"I could make you a mixed meat stew if you wanted all those in it. But you'd have to catch most of those yourself cus not a lot of places sell em. ...And yes if you catch enough squirrels I will... Prooobably roast or stew em for you rather than fry. At least bake." Ae chuckles and leans into Lu and nuzzles against her neck. "You are warm. It's both nice and a little concerning. You're positively near midblood temp. ...You sure you're feeling okay?"
"Other than being hungry as fuck, I'm generally good." Lu grins, and wraps an arm about Ae as she leans in, turning to nuzzle, and then kiss at her fishster's forehead lightly. "I'm feeling like a million boonies! I feel like I could run laps around the house for hours and not get tired. But I'm also feelin' like I could eat a few more pizzas, watch another movie or two with you, and then just sleep with you till moonrise while the world outside goes to fuck." She smirks, and then hms. "But you're right, I probably should go take Corbin his pizza soon, huh.."
"I mean if you wanna. I am all up for sleepy cuddles. But if you got that much energy to get out I'm sure he won't mind getting pounced." Ae chuckles and nuzzles against Lu's neck. "But if you wanna curl up with me and sleep too, I'm good for that. Think I'm gonna put most of my pizza in the fridge."
"I'll try and leave it for you." Lupita says, before peering. She's finished the first pizza. She shrugs, exchanges the box for the next one, and grabs two more pieces. As she works on them like a sandwich she adds,mouth slightly full, "I like cuddlin' with you an' bein' all asleep and stuff, Ae. But I know you an' G are a lot more cuddly an' I don't wanna get in the way of that. Besides. I get this weird feelin' like he probably gonna need hugs n' shit from you." She shrugs, thoughtful. Then closes up the pizza box, and works on finishing her pizza sandwich at hand: "How about I go take Corbin his pizza, and then like, go out for a while, an' get some shit done, and then I'll join you in bed when I'm done?"
"Sounds like a plan to me. If I'm already paased out feel free to hop in anyhow, or curl up on the pile or whatever if you wanna. Cus I still wanna cuddle if you got the time and inclination." Ae stretches idly and hmms. "Probably nap here a while. I'm just getting that food nap feeling."
"Weirdo." Lupita teases, then leans in to kiss Ae on the forehead again. She mmms, and streeetches big and stuff, then licks the grease from her hands, and stands. She hms! Pauses, holds up a hand gesture of 'just a sec' and dashes off. She comes back from her room carrying a sheepskin blanket, which she then throws over Aethra carefully, as if tucking her in. "Better?" She asks, smiling, "Keep you warm while you nap n' stuff." She smiles, and crouches on the ground a little, to be at petting height.
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Gotham 4x15 (spoilers below)
-And we open with Martin, the adorably creepy lil child who will probably turn into a genius supervillain someday, considering with what a sweet smile he follows the instructions that will lead to the demise of his ugly captors.  I hope he lives long enough for that, because if there is one thing I don’t want to see on Gotham again it is the murder of a child *cries quietly thinking of Alex*  
And OMG it is Ed/the Riddler who just rescued him, “sent by Uncle Penguin” lol ALSO Ed is gonna take Martin out of ice cream that’s sweet.  I mean the kid probably needs therapy and a psych check but yes, he definitely should get some ice cream, Sofia tried to murder him once already
-Sidenote:  I love the Gotham skyline with the distant beautiful skyscrapers but if you look closer, at the darker buildings, shorter, uglier, with smoke and smog, you’ll see all manner of poor and broken things
-OMG so Samson just killed a man in front of his family and I am sOOO ready for Lee to somehow get back her power and absolutely destroy him (she looks so good in black...)
-WAIT I THOUGHT JIM AND HARVEY MADE UP IN THE LAST EPISODE WHY IS HARVEY ALL LIKE YEAH AFTER WE TAKE DOWN SOFIA I TAKE DOWN YOU??  (come on Gotham, why do you have to be so realistic as to make the healing process long and painful?  or wait, he just said, I will personally make sure you pay, so maybe he’ll just have Jim pay for all his alcohol therapy from now on?  please?  I need my cop brotp!)
-LOL SELINA BREAKING INTO WAYNE MANOR AND RUMMAGING THROUGH ALL HIS CANNED GOODS
Selina:  DUDE WHY DON’T YOU HAVE ANY FOOD
Bruce: ummm cause I was a jerk and kicked Alfred out for a few months and I lived on like takeout and club food and Alfred hasn’t had time to hit up a grocery store?
aww Selina wants to return the stuff she stole from the family whose patriarch Ivy turned into a miniature garden AND she doesn’t want to bother Barbara with it, because, yeah, like Barbara would care?  SO SHE GOES TO BRUCE INSTEAD!  AND HE DOESN’T LET HER DOWN OR CHASTISE HER OR ANYTHING HE JUST SEES SHE IS TRYING TO MAKE WHAT AMENDS SHE CAN AND HE IS LIKE GIVE ME LIKE FIVE SECONDS I’LL GET YOU SOME CASH AND HE GOES OFF AND SELINA JUST—SHE JUST SMILES!  BECAUSE BRUCE HAS HER BACK AND SHE HAS HIS!  THESE TWO! WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME!
-BAHAHAHAHA Oswald guessing the answer to the rhyme and then guessing the meaning of the answer a split second after, too late
mmhmm sweet old grandma in the candy store used to skin people and stuff like par for the course in Gotham good grief
-YAAAASSSSS VICTOR ZSASZ THE SASSY ASSASSIN IS BACK AND MAKING HILARIOUS HAND MOTIONS WHILE LOOKING QUITE UNIMPRESSED WITH SOFIA’S RAGE ISSUES
-so like Victor’s all cool with killing the Penguin off (and is gonna take a buddy along with him) but I still want to know what would happen if he ever found out Sofia was behind her dad’s death...
-GUYS CAN WE JUST GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE OR SOMETHING FOR HARVEY BULLOCK, WHO HAS GOT A LOT OF ISSUES AND SOMETIMES SAYS HE IS A COWARD BUT THEN WALKS DOWN THE MIDDLE OF A HALLWAY TOWARD NOT ONE BUT TWO EXTREMELY DEADLY ASSASSINS POINTING A GUN AT THEM
“I DON’T KNOW WHY YOU TWO ARE HERE AND I DON’T CARE. WALK AWAY”  you’re a good man Harvey
-Victor: Harvey do yourself a favor and walk away, give us Penguin and live to get drunk another day, hmm?
LOL
BUT ALSO
HARVEY SAYS NAH
*sirens go off and Victor and whatshisname look mildly irritated at being interrupted*
Victor: it’s okay we’ll come back
-EXCUSE ME BRUCE AND SELINA ARE ON A DATE IN A STORE LOOKING FOR THAT STUFF SHE STOLE THIS IS AMAZING
Selina:  you’re different
Bruce:  *looks back at her, with a side smile*  HOW.  DO YOU LIKE IT.  DO YOU LIKE ME.  DID I GET HOTTER.  ARE YOU MORE IN LOVE WITH ME
I mean he didn’t say that exactly but that’s totally what he was thinking
Selina:  you’ve been the world’s greatest DOUCHEBAG but now...you’re nOt   (OK LIKE THE INFLECTION OF HER VOICE SHE IS SO FREAKING HAPPY TO KNOW THAT HE HASN’T REALLY TURNED INTO THE SPOILED BRATTY JERK SHE SAW AT THE BAR)
-OMG THESE FREAKING KIDS I LOVE THEM SO MUCH LOOK AT THEM ALMOST LITERALLY DANCING AROUND EACH OTHER FLIRTING AND BRUCE TRIES TO APOLOGIZE FOR BEING A GRADE A JERK AND SELINA IS LIKE SAVE IT *SMILES* YOU’LL PROBABLY BE A JERK AGAIN LATER AND SHE tOUCHES HIS chEEK with her HAND AND SLIDES IT ACROSS HIS SKIN ALL SEDUCTIVELY AND BRUCE IS ABSOLUTELY DONE FOR HE JUST SMILES AND SAYS I MISSED YOU TOO BUT HE IS INTERNALLY SCREAMING AND WILL NEVER STOP
Selina:  *messed up*
Bruce:  great
Selina:  YOU REMEMBER WHAT I SAID ABOUT BEING A DOUCHEBAG?!
-At this point, a brief, glorious fight ensues, in which Bruce and Selina beat up the bad guys and Selina CATCHES A GUY’S ARM WITH HER WHIP SAVING BRUCE FROM GETTING SHOT AND THEN BRUCE PUNCHES HIM OUT
Bruce: *destroys a guy and takes his stuff, also drops hundreds of dollars of cash on him* JUSTICE
-so Oswald and Ed are teaming back up which should mean for some fun times for some people and death times for other people...but Martin is safe so that’s good.  LOL and Ed gives his hat to Oswald to hold?  but Penguin does NOT have time for Ed’s explanations, come on Oswald, let Ed have his day
-ohhh dear I have a feeling that Ed/the Riddler is gonna be pulled back and forth between Lee and Oswald for the foreseeable future?  or are they going to team up to destroy Sofia?
-BAHAHAHAHAHAHA ED’S BACK UP PLAN TO LEE HELPING THEM IS TO PUT OSWALD IN ICE AND HAND HIM OVER TO SOFIA LIKE “A CHILLY TROJAN HORSE” OMG
Oswald:  HELL NO
-So Grundy...is living in tunnels under the city??  with...loads of candles?? ?
-Ed:  guess what I’M SMART AGAIN
LOL look Cory Michael Smith kills this role that’s all I have to say
-UM Ed pretty sure you’re about to get beat up by Butch Gilzean (so wait BUTCH is the one who likes atmospheric candles?!)
-some days I look at Oswald and I’m like....boi you’re short
-Lee:  *tries to work with Oswald and Ed to destroy Sofia*
Ed and Oswald: *disappear*
Lee:  *eyeroll* WHAT DRAMATIC IDIOTS I’VE GOTTA DO EVERYTHING mYSELF
-LOL I’VE MISSED HARVEY HAVE-SERIOUSLY COMPLAINING ABOUT JIM TO JIM
Harvey:  how did Nygma get in touch with penguin anyway
Jim:  I don’t know
Harvey:  nothing is ever easy with you is it.  It’s always like, find Lee and then she’ll point us to Ed and then we’ll find Penguin and he’ll tell us where to find Pen
-ALSO
RIGHT AFTER THIS
PENGUIN APPEARS (HE HAS NO MANNER OF LUCK AT ALL)
-OMG HARVEY “We’re looking for an Arkham escapee, about yea high, mommy complex” LOL
-honestly I’m kinda surprised that Oswald hasn’t had a heart attack yet the way he gets so worked up about stuff
-sooo Jim agrees to let Oswald go if he gives them information, and then he goes to shake his hand?  I mean, like they have this really bizarre not exactly a friendship thing...I guess it’s Oswald has always considered himself Jim’s friend (in whatever strange way that is) and Jim doesn’t consider Oswald a friend but he knows him well enough to use that to his advantage...and honestly they’ve helped each other out of enough scrapes
-but also Harvey is now the WE DON’T MAKE DEALS WITH THE DEVIL.  Which like I totally get and Penguin has proven himself to be a volatile, murderous element, but its weird to see Harvey so worked up about being a clean cop when he used to hobnob with crooks all the time...is it just because he had grown to respect Jim’s honor and goodness so much?  And when Jim fell off his pedestal, Harvey was destroyed by that?  And wants Jim to be better again? 
-Victor: *shows up*
Me:  you’re here to do bad things and impede the good guys but nevertheless I am so glad you are here
Victor:  do you need Penn?  is he important?  yes, that’s his yes face
Me:  *cracking up* I do indeed love you Victor
-LEE SAVES OSWALD  (in a dinky little car that all those bullets should have gone through like it was paper)
-Barbara’s having a few issues...resurrection will do that to you (I’m pretty sure she legit died earlier, has that been made clear yet? I don’t remember, but there was that thing with Ra’s...was it confirmed she was dipped in the Lazarus pit?
-how on earth is Ed gonna get out of this mess?  Oh he’s not. Oops
-Sofia:  kill Penguin!!  GET PENN!!!
Victor: yeah sooo Penn, Penguin, where are we priorities-wise? BAHAHAHAHAHA
-Penguin:  *goes off on one of his rants* you can’t freeze me yet!!!
Victor Fries:  ...don’t care
ICONIC
-I THOUGHT THE BATCAT SCENES COULDN’T GET ANY BETTER I WAS WRONG!!! So like Bruce and Selina are in Bruce’s kitchen, and Selina is just...fidgeting with the jewelry and Bruce is prepping ice for his bruises but then Selina asks him to return the jewelry for her because she feels so GUILTY and Bruce my beautiful wise understanding compassionate son tells her JUST what she needs to hear—that the guy’s death was NOT her fault!!!  HE IS SO QUIET AND KIND TO SELINA
Selina:  *hunched over the counter, darting quick looks at Bruce* (OMG SHE PROBABLY THINKS HE WILL BLAME HER TOO)
Bruce:  *looking handsome and serious in his black turtleneck* *leans over the counter and gazes at Selina*  you did NOT kill Roland Charles
Selina:  but...I was there...and what am I supposed to say—I stole your jewelry, I’m sorry?
Bruce:  sometimes that’s enough
AWWWWWWWW MY BEAUTIFUL PRECIOUS CHILDREN I’M SORRY I CAN’T I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH I MEAN JUST LOOK AT THEIR FACIAL EXPRESSIONS THROUHOUT THIS CAMREN AND DAVID ARE SUCH FREAKING GOOD ACTORS MY GOSH THE WAY BRUCE AND SELINA LOOK AT EACH OTHER WOW
-Sofia’s goon is torturing Ed yet the man still has not a single hair out of place like what kind of gel are you wearing again?? ?
-Ed: *RIDDLES AWAY*
Sofia:  TELL ME WHERE PENGUIN IS
Ed:  I AM TELLING YOU YOU’RE JUST TOO STUPID TO FIGURE IT OUT LOL
-Penguin rolls in all frozen in ice and Ed starts laughing OMG I GET IT OSWALD USED ED’S BACKUP PLAN AFTER ALL
-Victor Z:  *looks at Ed, then Penguin, then Sofia*  I’m not even gonna ask
-Jim and Harvey walk into the weird looking place where Penn is
Harvey:  *in his flattest voice* what fresh hell is this
Me: yeah WTF
-Penguin has the chance to go save Ed (with whom he has had ISSUES) or to go wreak his revenge on Sofia...I’m betting he goes to save Ed.  Make good choices dude
-GAH THEY SHOT JIM
-IS THIS THE FINAL SHOWDOWN WITH SOFIA?!
-YAASSS HARVEY STILL CARES ABOUT JIM AND WANTS TO PUT HIS HEALTH BEFORE EVERYTHING
AND JIM IS STILL A BRAVE SELF-SACRIFICING FOOL AND GETS SHOT AGAIN
AND SOFIA STALKING/FLOATING DOWN THE KITCHEN HALLWAY LIKE A DARK ANGEL OF DEATH
-LOL Victor and Headhunter fail in their mission AGAIN
Victor:  can’t catch a break today.  let’s go get a milkshake
BAHAHAHAHA
-AHH JEEZ SOFIA KEEPS SHOOTING JIM STAHP
-Sofia:  beg me for mercy
Jim:  GO TO HELL
YAASSS SOMETIMES JIM IS AN IDIOT BUT HE IS STILL FREAKING AWESOME
WAAAAIIITT OMG OMG OMG LEE JUST KILLED SOFIA SHE DID THAT
LEE YOU ROCK!!!!!
-Ed is so DONE with stupidity
-aaaannnnd I called it.  Oswald ditches his revenge schemes to go save Ed
Oswald:  trust is hard to find, but I trust you Ed
Ed: a horrible decision really
But for real though these two psychos are friends again and there are going to be hijinx upcoming you can be sure of that
Ed:  I have a STRONG desire never to see this pier again
Oswald: SAME
-aww Harvey is sitting by Jim’s bedside...THE BROTP LIVES
-WIAT WHAT SOFIA IS IN A COMA SHE ISN’T DEAD?!?!!?!  SHE HAD A BULLET IN THE BRAINPAN SQUISH!  HOW
-I freaking love Harvey, telling Jim to get over himself and take the hard path of not confessing but keeping his job, living with his guilt, and working hard to save Gotham.  
Harvey:  it’s what this city needs
Me:  that’s what Gotham needs right now, not a fallen hero, but a white knight...Bruce will cover the dark vigilante who works outside the parameters of the law for you
-Lee: *gets all vicious on a crook who freaking deserves it*
Me: good on you...but also...yikes
-um light is spilling out of Barbara, I’m gonna take a guess and say that isn’t good?
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jasondean · 7 years ago
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i'm sending you the first thing i thought of when i tried to think of an ask to send you. so. here's this cursed thing. heathersstuck.
ohhh my god okay first of all im gonna preemptively apologize for how long this is about to be. 
another disclaimer that this is all gonna be based on my knowledge of the alternia that we see in homestuck itself because i havent gotten super into hiveswap yet. and, as we all know, any good homestuck au is one where the contending canon is thrust into the homestuck universe as opposed to the other way around. so im gonna spare everyone the painful ideation of plucking a small handful from the VAST homestuck cast just to put them into the plot of heathers
im ALSO gonna preface that im thinking about the heathers film while writing this, not the musical. and im not gonna go into anything regarding martha, betty, kurt, or ram because i think focusing on the main cast is enough for right now lol. 
anyway, potential positions in the blood caste system as well as god tier assignments under the cut!  
so ive definitely thought about this on several occasions and ive seen some heatherstuck content where the heathers are trolls right. the thing is, the color symbolism from both media dont line up. and the heathers being drawn to keep their original colors just doesnt work out with the hemospectrum. like no way is heather chandler a red blood or mutant blood (imo itd make sense for jd to have mutant blood). the heathers being red, yellow, and green blooded would just make them a group of lowbloods and that doesnt fit with the power structure depicted in either canon. 
heather chandler would absolutely have fuchsia blood! i couldnt imagine it any other way. duke could maybe get away with being jade blooded because thatd put her in the midblood range but also what does that leave for mcnamara? i dont really have a good answer for that right now but - 
the heathers themselves aside, veronica would actually be pretty well suited for being some kind of blueblood (teal or cerulean maybe?) veronica being blue blooded would put her in a position of enough privilege to be taken under chandlers wing but also not privileged enough to naturally be at the top. 
jd would probably be rust or mutant blooded. but its also fun to consider: purple blood? since those in that blood class are more susceptible to becoming more ..unhinged. however, i personally favor rust or mutant blooded since i am partial to reds and it would help play into his hatred of society.
trolls or not though theyd all be destined for something right? so im gonna move onto potential god tiers. 
now this is where my laptop cut out so most of the classpect analyses themselves come with help fom http://dahniwitchoflight.tumblr.com
im imagining veronica as a rogue of space. first of all, space players are CRUCIAL to a session as one of the cardinal aspects (space & time making up the fabric of paradox space). its been said by calliope that space can be a passive aspect that holds great power, “hosting the stage before suddenly in some way ‘showing who the master truly is’” and then collapsing in on itself. space players are essential to sessions because it falls on them to light the forge which is necessary for the process of ultimate alchemy (creating the next universe) - and that aside, the idea of veronica collecting and breeding frogs is incredibly cute to me. 
“Those bound to the aspect of Space are, as the name suggests, concerned with the big picture. They are patient, masters of the art of ‘wait-and-see’, and are inclined to take things as they come. That isn’t to say that they’re pushovers or willing to let injustice lie-they just choose their battles wisely, understanding that sometimes you have to let something burn to the ground in order to build it back better and stronger than before. To this effect, they tend to be innovators, concerned with creation and redemption. Catch them recycling the old to make the new, the fresh, and the beautiful. For the Space-bound, the journey is as, if not more, important than the destination; how they do something is as important as what they do. At their best, they are steady, impartial, and creative. At their worst, they can be detached, apathetic, and vague.”    – this description of space players comes from the extended zodiac quiz itself 
rogues invite theft through their aspect or theft of their aspect. they have problems coping with their aspect or their supposed lack of it, they think that they cant handle it which causes them to give it up too easily. the challenge rogues face is to come to terms with their aspect and own it. 
heres a bit on rogues of space specifically: “They might have a tendency to quickly change the subject into others things or cover their interests up to distract from what they perceive to be their failed creations. They may feel uncomfortable with the thought that everything is random and meaningless in the universe, or that it is what you make of it, because they often think they don’t know what to make of it. They may feel lonely at times and feel like they have too much Space to themselves, wanting to fill it up with other people and things. They might lower their standards to the point that they give up their personal Space to someone not worthy enough, just so they won’t feel alone.On the flip side they might feel like they have too much stuff, maybe because they invite others to use up their Space, giving it away too readily, lamenting their lack of impatience with others, or the ability to say no to people. […] a Rogue’s challenge is to learn to be comfortable with their Aspect, and allow the healthy parts of it to enter their lives. They must learn to be okay with what they have right now, that they have it within themselves to change things and make them better. They don’t have to give up so easily.”
jd seems like hed obviously be a prince of doom and this feels self explanatory but. princes are described as being stubborn and pessimistic and they actively destroy using their class / destroy through their class. a princes challenge is to not end up destroying themselves along the way. doom aspect because not only does it pretty much encompass chaos, but the symbol (and the aspect itself has been speculated to be) pretty clearly draws from The Tumor which is. a giant fucking bomb essentially. another fun tidbit about doom players is that they are DEATH MAGNETS they die a LOT and its theorized that for this reason sburb has a sort of game mechanic in place to help balance that out by granting doom players multiple dream selves. i just think itd be really fun to see a sburb session where jd (maybe) cant be kept down by dying. doom is also associated with judgement and sacrifice, and have been said to be “fates chosen sufferers.” “doom players are wise, kind, and non judgmental at their best and bitter, resentful, and fatalistic at their worst.” 
and while i definitely think the doom class is fitting for jd im stuck between prince and bard? bards are the embodiment of the “wild card”. they allow destruction through their aspect / invite destruction through their aspect and their challenge is to not be ruled by the whims of their aspect. and im just now thinking that while this does make sense in its own way, princes and bards are active / passive opposites and i cant really imagine jd being the more laid back of the two. hes just too extra, lol. although i love the idea of jd being in that ridiculous bard getup 
heres some insight to princes of doom: “A Prince of Doom unapologetically pushes people way past their own limits. They are truly passionate, even almost crazy activists. They hate being told no or that they can’t do something, but are more likely to simply destroy or kill the person who said no then prove them otherwise. Depending on what kind of situation or session they find themselves in, and whether or not what they do is really needed at the moment, they can be heaven sent saviors, freeing people from what binds them, or terrifying dictators, ruling over people and enforcing their will wherever they want, letting nothing and no one limit what they do. […] They likely use Bombs and Fire as their main weapons. They have a lot of potential to go down a very destructive or even evil path if they use their powers irresponsibly, but not every Prince of Doom is automatically evil or will Doom their session.“
heather chandler i can definitely see being a witch of rage. witches manipulate using their aspect or manipulate their aspect directly and their challenge is to use their rule breaking powers in a morally conscious way. 
heres some info about witches of rage: “You don’t tell a Witch of Rage anything, they tell you. Anything you have to say they can Reject with Doubt, Negativity and Skepticism and be like ‘No you’re wrong, it’s actually this way.’ They manipulate fear, mistrust and anger, either lowering it or making you believe it’s not all that bad, even if it is. Or they can amplify it, making you paranoid and afraid of even mundane things. […] They can be ‘loose cannons’ and this can be good or bad, depending on how good you are on getting them on your side and keeping them there. Their entire moral challenge lies in the choice between using their powers on their allies or their enemies, like most witches.”  
heather duke would likely be a maid of mind. a maid creates with their aspect / creates their aspect, and a maids challenge is to rely on themself for their aspect. this absolutely isnt to say that duke cannot think for herself at the beginning of the story by any means.
here’s a bit about maids of mind: “At first they tend to defer to the decisions of the group rather than be a part of them and are more focused on watching and waiting and seeing how other people make decisions. […] When a Maid of Mind starts rising to their challenge, they start deciding for themselves what roles they need to play and when. […] They may just have an apathetic and indifferent personality in general. They start letting their thoughts and decision be known and have an effect instead of just referring to others and blending in.” 
and finally heather mcnamara would probably be a page of heart. (i had a hard time coming up with a god tier for her since, if im being honest, shes not a character i pay much attention to.) pages invite exploitation of their aspect / invite exploitation through their aspect. they start with a deficit in their aspect that they overcome through (obvious) overcompensation. their challenge is to keep at things, even if they fail or the journey is slow, to become stronger in the end. 
bit about pages of heart: “They can be very over dramatic in their emotional displays, blowing up every little thing completely out of proportion and giving disproportionate emotional responses to almost everything. […] They can be easily exploited through all of this by other people who either take advantage of the Page’s emotions and empathy, or take advantage of the Page’s obsessions and desires, using it against them. […] When they rise up to their challenge, they start learning to be more balanced and sincere with their emotions, their affections, and with themselves. They learn how to be passionate, sincere and truly honest with themselves and others.”
and all of this is just SOME of the possibilities of what could happen in a homestuck heathers au. would they all be in the same session? would they all be trolls? would the heathers & veronica be in their own session and jd be in his own session that ends up intertwining together? theres literally SO MANY possibilities when it comes to homestuck aus and i love that shit. 
now that ive spent so much time speculating all this its time to deposit myself directly into the dumpster 
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lavenderprose · 7 years ago
Text
Hey kids I wrote a longer version of The Night Yuuri Katsuki Lost His Mind, AKA the College AU
--
Yuuri jerks awake just after midnight, realizes that he is surrounded by what to the uninitiated observer would look like the detritus of the insane, and quickly gleans from the angle of the ceiling that he is on the floor.
He flings out a hand, looking for his phone. The light of the screen, even set to its lowest level, pulls a violated wail from his throat.
"Oh my GOD," Phichit says from the sofa. He sits up, flops himself over the edge. The hamsters start squealing at the sound of their father's voice. "I submitted myself to only getting an hour of sleep but I am getting an HOUR of sleep, Yuuri Katsuki, do you hear me?"
"When does Starbucks open?" Yuuri demands blearily, trying to work up the energy to disconnect his cheek from the carpet. It smells like Timothy hay and despair.
"This is a college town you absolute disaster," Phichit growls from the depths of the couch cushion he has his face shoved into. "Starbucks never closes."
Yuuri would accuse Phichit of being ugly due to sleep deprivation, if he didn't know that absolute disaster was the kindest thing that Phichit has ever called him during a finals week.
"Oh God, I overslept," Yuuri moans into the carpet. "I meant to take a twenty-minute powernap. Oh God. But I was having such a good dream."
"Was Viktor Nikiforov there?" Phichit asks, because he's the worst person Yuuri knows and also because every single person in the state of Michigan knows about Yuuri's massive crush on the World's Most Beautiful Grad Student, Viktor Nikiforov.
"No," Yuuri whispers, hands now folded over his chest like a dead Catholic. "But God was."
"You're Shinto. You don't believe in the monotheistic God."
"That doesn't stop me from dreaming about him."
Phichit glances over his shoulder. "What does God look like?"
Yuuri considers for a moment. "David Duchovny."
Phichit snorts into his shoulder and rolls back over. Yuuri rises shakily to his feet and stumbles into his bedroom, where he opens his computer and scrolls unseeingly down the seventeen-page research paper he abandoned three hours ago in favor of what was intended to be a powernap. There is a cold cup of coffee on his desk which he unfeelingly chugs in the mannerism of those who drink to forget. He neither remembers when the coffee or the milk in it was poured, but it's an occupational hazard.
"Go to college, they said," he hisses under his breath. "It'll be fun, they said."
"Yuuri, I am legitimately going to murder you," Phichit says from the living room. "I have ten minutes left of sleep and I will get them if I have to gag you."
Five minutes later, Phichit rolls off the sofa and crawls into Yuuri's room.
"What final is that for?" he asks.
"It's for my IAH on the Russian Revolution," Yuuri says, whose eyes have not yet been able to focus on a full sentence. "It's my last final but it's due on Thursday and I still need to proofread."
"Well, uh, that's bad news for you," Phichit mutters, "because it's Friday, my dude."
Yuuri experiences a moment of the kind of calm, collected and composed terror that he imagines overcomes soldiers in their last moments before dying in the line of duty.
"WHAT," is what emerges from his mouth. It doesn't even sound like his own voice. It sounds like a bird has momentarily possessed his body and used his mouth to shriek an arcane and evil message to the heavens.
"It's Friday," Phichit repeats. "It has been for about fifteen minutes."
"Oh my God," Yuuri whispers, frantically pulling up the D2L dropbox. "Ohhh my God. Oh my God."
"David Duchovny leadeth me in paths of righteousness," Phichit says, and leans his head against Yuuri's thigh as, above him, the Chernobyl of undergrad crises implodes.
"The drop box is closed," Yuuri whispers as he watches his entire academic career flash before his eyes. "I'm toast. The drop box is closed. This paper is thirty percent of my grade."
"You can email the professor," Phichit says to Yuuri's knee. "Say you had a wifi problem."
"Professor Feltsman said that technological malfunction isn't a good reason for late work," Yuuri says, quoting the syllabus verbatim and feeling his soul leak slowly out of his ears. "I can't email him. He scares me. I think if I tried to get him to reopen the drop box, he'd bury me in the same hole where the Mafia buried Jimmy Hoffa."
"Okay, first of all, Jimmy Hoffa wasn't buried anywhere," says Phichit, wobbling to his feet. He turns on Yuuri's overhead light and blinks into the now-illuminated room like a newborn. "They cut him into little pieces and threw him into Lake Michigan. Secondly, isn't Beautiful Viktor Feltsman's grad student?"
"Yes," says Yuuri, for whom thinking of The World's Most Beautiful Grad Student is a slight reassurance. "He is."
"So send it to him. He has the hots for you, I'm sure he'd be cool."
"HE DOES NOT," Yuuri shrieks, to the agony of every dog in a six-block radius.
Phichit slams a hand against the back of Yuuri's desk chair and spins him around, jams a finger into his face. "Yuuri, I swear to God, if you even consider making a noise like that ever again, I will gut you like a fish."
"Please gut me like a fish," Yuuri whispers. "I would prefer it to being academically crucified by Yakov Feltsman."
"I told you, send Beautiful Viktor the paper. He'll drop it in for you."
"Phichit," Yuuri says, "we've been over this. Either use the full title, or just call him Viktor. Beautiful Viktor sounds like a rejected Muppets character."
Phichit sighs the sigh of a saint whose patience is being severely tested. "Send the World's Most Beautiful Grad Student your paper."
"I can't—"
"Your tongue has literally been down his throat, and probably other places that I don't like to think about, so tell me why he wouldn't A: have the hots for you and B: submit your paper to the dropbox so that Professor Feltsman doesn't rain the fury of the entire Russian Studies department down on your pretty little head?"
"Because he's a Grad student," Yuuri hisses, "and I could get him in serious trouble. Both by convincing him to give me special treatment, and by putting my tongue down his throat. Among other things."
Phichit literally throws his hands up at that point—they go flying into the air and knock Yuuri's framed poster of Daisuke Takahashi off the wall. It falls to the ground, betrayed, and lands face-down. Phichit, unheeding, carries his one-man demonstration into the kitchen, where he fills up the kettle and shouts, "Aren't there papers to sign? That say you guys can date? It's not like he's a professor! These things happen all the time!"
"The papers don't apply to undergrads taking a course taught by the graduate student they're dating," Yuuri says, arms limp at his sides and face on the desk. "It's unethical. He would lose his fellowship."
"You're only his student for the next…twenty-three hours and thirty-nine minutes." Phichit pulls tea out of the cabinet and leans around the door. "It's Beautiful Viktor's ethics, or your GPA. And you're on an athletics scholarship, so your GPA is kind of—"
"Important, I know." Yuuri sits up from his slump and stares at his computer screen, teeth grinding. "Ahh. AHHHH. AHHH. Okay, God, okay." In a flurry of movement, he slams his computer closed, yanks the flashdrive holding the paper out, and scrambles for his shoes
"What the hell are you doing?" Phichit demands, as Yuuri stumbles past him, pulling his bag over his shoulder. "I told you to email it to Beautiful Viktor, not special deliver it straight to his office at midnight."
"If I emailed it to him, he wouldn't see it until tomorrow morning," Yuuri says, hopping frantically on one foot as he pulls his shoes on. "That would be way too late. Feltsman would know it hadn't been dropped in by then. I can take the flashdrive to Viktor's house and—"
"You know where he lives?"
"I mean…" Yuuri pulls the carafe out of the coffee maker and takes several large sips out of it. It's very, very cold. "Yeah?"
Phichit, who's staring at him like he's finally realized that Yuuri is not necessarily a human being, says, "Godspeed, you complete maniac."
Yuuri is halfway down the stairs before Phichit thrusts his head into the hallway and says, "Are you going to put a coat on? It's like twenty degrees outside!"
"I'll be fine!" replies Yuuri, who is wearing a pair of pajama pants in a cartoon mochi pattern, a shirt that says World's Okayest Brother, and Uggs.
The Uggs are probably Phichit's.
Their apartment is located such that Yuuri has to walk past several of the most popular bars in town as he stumbles his way to the World's Most Beautiful Grad Student's Townhouse. He receives not a small amount of scrutiny from students who are reveling in the end of the semester—those who are lucky enough to have their finals week cut short by convenient scheduling or willpower against procrastination. Yuuri glances at them furtively, enviously, as he shuffles through ankle-high snow towards Collingwood Drive.
Viktor Nikiforov, The World's Most Beautiful Grad Student, lives in a townhouse three blocks away from campus with the two other grad students in the Russian Studies Department under Yakov Feltsman. Mila and Georgi are nice enough, although Yuuri doesn't think he has ever seen the front side of Georgi's head—only the back, as he sweeps out the door towards a date with the mysterious Anya. Mila is an incredibly charismatic redhead whom Yuuri has personally seen throw an undergrad into the Red Cedar River, so he's only a little afraid of her.
The townhouse is designed so that each person has their own 'front' door. Yuuri knows at this point to climb the external stairs to a deck around the side of the house, and knock there, because if he knocks on the real front door, he'll wake the entire house.
Viktor opens the door as he approaches the deck. Makkachin rushes out to shove his face into Yuuri's hip, begging to be pet. Yuuri has absolutely no self-control when it comes to pets, specifically dogs, specifically poodles, specifically poodles that belong to The World's Most Beautiful Grad Student, and so he leans down and rubs Makkachin's ears with both hands, despite his core body temperature rapidly dropping to something deeply unpleasant.
"Hi," says Viktor, the World's Most Beautiful Grad Student. "You should have told me you were coming over. I would have ordered extra food."
Behind Viktor, on the desk in his room, is a full container of Lo Mein.
"Oh," says Yuuri, whose stomach protests its emptiness almost immediately in the form of a noise that sounds almost uncannily similar to the groans of souls on their way to Hell. "That's…okay. I'm…good."
"Are you drunk?" Viktor asks, bluntly, obviously examining Yuuri's lack of coat and the glint of mania in his eyes.
"Of course not," Yuuri snorts, "who needs alcohol when you have sleep deprivation?"
"Good point," Viktor concedes, and holds the door open for him. "Come in, then." Yuuri and Makkachin fall into the door, Yuuri kicking off his (Phichit's?) boots at the door and then falling onto the bed. It's unmade and soft and smells very, very much like Viktor.
"I have a problem," says Yuuri, as Viktor settles back into his rolling desk chair.
Viktor rolls over to him, his knees framing Yuuri's, and says, "Alright, how can I help?"
"The dropbox closed on me," says Yuuri, in the wheedling tone of those dealing with dictators. It's not a flattering or appropriate way to speak to the World's Most Beautiful Grad Student, but it's how Yuuri's feeling today. "I couldn't turn in my paper. I know I should have turned it in before the deadline but I fell asleep and I didn't mean to and I was going to read over what I wrote and then I forgot and I—"
"Whoa, okay." Viktor holds up his hands. He's wearing wire frame glasses that make him look So Smart. Yuuri wants to forget about his paper and be pinned to the mattress behind him by Viktor's strong arms. "It's fine, you're fine. I'll just reopen the dropbox for you. Did you seriously come halfway across town in your pajamas to ask me that? You could have just called."
"I, um…thought you would be asleep," Yuuri whispers towards his feet, shuffling his shoulders. "It's…um…late."
"Midnight isn't late in a college town," Viktor tells him, which is true. Yuuri has personally witnessed people heading out for parties at two in the morning. Midnight is the new nine PM. "And I have finals too, you know. Nobody sleeps during finals week."
"You're right," Yuuri says. "I should have called. Um, I'm sorry, I'll—"
"No! No, it's fine." Viktor's hands go to his thighs, and Yuuri's heart goes swooping through his chest. "I don't mind that you came. I'm always happy to see you. I'm actually really glad you came, because I wasn't sure if I was going to see you again before break, and I wanted to give you something."
"Give me something?" Yuuri mumbles. "Viktor, neither of us is Christian. We don't celebrate Christmas."
Viktor laughs. "It's not a gift, really. Here, let's get your assignment turned in, and then I'll show you."
He scoots his way back to his desk, somehow managing to make it look graceful despite it involving tossing his own legs in front of himself and then dragging his body along for the ride. It's entirely possible that it's not really graceful—it's just that he's The World's Most Beautiful Grad Student, and everything he does has a glamour of beauty applied.
What's definitely, irrefutably graceful, however, is the way his fingers move across his keyboard, and the way he rests his chin in his hand as he waits for the dropbox to load, the light of the computer screen glinting off his glasses. Yuuri is so ridiculously attracted to him.
"Okay, it's open." Viktor holds his hand out behind him. "Do you have your flashdrive?"
Yuuri sets the drive carefully in Viktor's long-fingered hand, and watches as he competently uploads the file.
"Is this unethical?" Yuuri asks, clutching Viktor's pillow to his chest.
"No, Yakov is grading the papers," Viktor says. Yuuri's phone pings with the dropbox confirmation as Viktor closes his computer and turns around, scoots across the room to the file cabinet at the end of his bed, and slides it open. He pulls out a nondescript manila folder, which he tosses onto the bed next to Yuuri's lap. He finally extricates himself from his desk chair to throw himself across the bed, settling behind Yuuri with his head braced on his hand. He taps the folder on the other side of Yuuri's hip. "That's what I have for you."
Yuuri opens the envelope. It's some sort of form titled Disclosure of Relationship Form.
"Oh, just what I always wanted," Yuuri mumbles as he sifts through it, trying to figure out what it is.
"It's the papers we have to sign to keep the relationship above board," Viktor laughs. "We each have to fill out a little bit of information about ourselves, you have to sign a paper that says you won't take a class that's taught by me and I have to sign a paper that says I won't use my graduate status to give you special treatment."
"Oh, um…so…these are going to be filed with the university?"
"No, they're just for my own personal records." Yuuri glances at Viktor, eye twitching, and Viktor laughs again. He has a beautiful laugh. "Of course they're going to be filed with the university. It's unethical if I don't inform them that I'm in a relationship with an undergrad."
"A relationship, huh," Yuuri squeaks.
Viktor's hand slides away from his hip, back towards regions unseen and far away. "Oh. Um…yes? But only if you want it to be? We can, um…we can do this another time? But I thought…now that you're not taking a class with me, I would—I should file the papers, and—"
He stops, then, because Yuuri kisses him.
Yuuri throws himself down onto The World's Most Beautiful Grad Student, and then kisses him until he has to pull away to take a breath—and Yuuri, who's equipped with both incredible stamina and the knowledge of how to breathe through his nose, doesn't have to pull away for a long time.
"Wait, okay, so," says Yuuri, who pulls away more because his mind won't stop buzzing at him than any actual need to stop. "It was unethical. For you to be, um, seeing me. These past few months."
"Well, I mean, I wasn't going to scream about it to the Dean," Viktor says, and his hand is warm up under Yuuri's shirt, and Yuuri is in something that's probably a lot like love with him, "but…it wasn't…technically…against the rules? There are, um, y'know, unofficial…courtship…loopholes. Basically, if you report the relationship within the first few months, the dean's office usually doesn't have a problem."
"How do you know so much about this?" Yuuri asks.
"Georgi dated half the grad students at his undergrad."
Yuuri, who is profoundly unsurprised, throws himself back into what's shaping up to be a very successful tonguing session with The World's Most Beautiful Grad Student.
In the morning, after blackmailing Viktor into sharing his Lo Mein and helping Viktor find wording for his presentation on his work for the semester that doesn't sound a lot like he's saying Fuck the Russian Studies Department, even though it's hard, Yuuri wakes up to an email from Yakov Feltsman.
You turned in the wrong essay, it reads. Please fix the problem. I have reopened the dropbox.
And then, ten minutes later,
Tell Viktor to at least ask me before he accepts late work on a zero late work syllabus.
Yuuri, cringing spectacularly, shuffles to Viktor's computer and uploads the appropriate document. Curious, he opens the one that Viktor submitted the night before, which is titled Rasputin Paper IAH 325 instead of Rasputin Paper for Feltsman.
LET'S HEAR IT FOR EVERYONE'S FAVORITE EVIL MYSTIC, MOTHERFUCKING RASPUTIN, reads the first line, and Yuuri shrieks.
"Professor Feltsman is going to kill me," Yuuri informs Viktor. "I have to go back to Japan. I have to hide."
"He's not going to kill you," Viktor grumbles into his pillow.
"Yes he is! You turned in my notes instead of my paper. He read my notes! Viktor, I called Nicholas Romanov Sad Saint Nick."
Viktor cackles into his pillow.
"I'm serious! I just committed academic suicide." Yuuri throws himself onto the bed and curls up as far under Viktor's arm as possible, hoping to just disappear into his armpit. "Protect me."
"Okay," Viktor murmurs. "I'll protect you from my father."
"Thank you," Yuuri whispers, and there are exactly six seconds of blessed silence before Yuuri processes what Viktor has just said to him.
"Your what?" Yuuri hisses.
Viktor stiffens, and not in the fun way. "Um…I'm…adopted?"
Yuuri shrieks so loudly that, halfway across campus, Phichit Chulanont experiences a spontaneous and violent craving for salmon.
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A Court of Mist and Fury FANFICTION: PROLOGUE
When 16-year-old Feyre Archeron's life starts spinning out of control, her dad makes a choice. A choice that will change her future forever. Feyre is being transferred from Spring Court Public High School to Night Court Private School across town, a school she's only heard of for its reputation of rich, stuck-up snobs. Feyre will have to leave all of her Spring Court Public friends behind, and make a new start at Night Court Private, alone, friendless, and still recovering from the events of her sophomore year. -------------------- Prologue Incoming Call: Dad “Crap.” Ianthe glanced over my shoulder. “What?” I turned the phone over in my hands. “My dad is calling. I told him I’d be watching my phone so I could answer when he wanted to check up on me…” Ianthe laughed, and took another sip of her beer. “Ohhh, baby Feyre. Just ignore it. Where does he even think you are?” I glanced at my phone screen again. Missed call, but no voicemail. I was still in the safe zone with him for maybe another thirty minutes. “Well, I did tell him I was at a back to school party. But at the school. With chaperones. And definitely not here.” I slipped the phone into my pocket and scanned the room for Tamlin. He and Lucien had been somewhere near the keg ten minutes ago, but had disappeared since. “That man just won’t get off your case, will he? What is his deal? My parents don’t care where I go or what I do.” Easy for Ianthe to say. Her parents were richer than almost anyone in the city, except Tamlin’s family of course, and they could pay someone to find her and bring her back if they were really concerned about her. Which they weren’t. Me on the other hand? That was a whole different story. “He’s worried about me I guess. Ever since the end of sophomore year, when things. . Happened… He still won’t loosen the leash. Thinks I’ll ruin my chances at a college scholarship, or that I’ll lose my job. You know this.” She opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment we caught sight of Tamlin and Lucien, coming up from Tam’s basement and now heading in our direction. I smiled and bounced through the crowd of teenagers over to Tamlin, oddly eager to escape Ianthe for a bit. “Hey babe.” Tamlin caught me around the waist and gave me an almost pleasant kiss on the lips, his breath tinged with the smell of alcohol. “Feyre.” He glanced down at my cup. “You’ve barely drank anything. How are we supposed to have fun? School starts next week. It’s our last chance to let loose without any responsibility for who knows how long.” I cast around for something to say besides of the main reason I wasn’t drinking. “You know my dad is watching me like a hawk right now. He doesn’t even know I’m here.” He grabbed my cup and knocked it back in two gulps. “Guess I’ll have to make up for the both of us.” I giggled, grabbing his hand. “I have to be home by 11, so we’ve got an hour. Let’s get out of here. It’s packed.” **** 10:45. Where was my bag? It’d take me five minutes to go home, so I needed to leave probably within the next seven. Tamlin had been called downstairs to help find more alcohol a few minutes ago, leaving me alone in the bedroom we’d been making out in. I hadn’t realized how late it was. I stood, straightening my clothes. Then I noticed how many calls I had missed. Five. And three voicemails, all from my father. Great. This was the first time all summer he’d let me go anywhere besides work or the school for my “service project” and I’d screwed it up. Now he’d never forget what happened last year. I phoned my dad and found my purse, kicked under the bed. He picked up just as I was heading downstairs. “Feyre Archeron, why the hell did you not call me back? We had an agreement. I–” But I didn’t hear the rest of what he said because Tamlin was suddenly right in front of me. He grabbed my phone and said, “She’ll call you back,” before ending the call and pushing me up against the front door. “Leaving so soon? Come on, Feyre. Stay. Who cares about your dad?” Still a little shocked by the fact that he’d just hung up on my father, no questions asked, it took me a second to regain my senses. “Tam you know I— My dad is—I’ve got to get home. Please let go of me.” He stared into my eyes for a few seconds before releasing my waist and backing away. “I can drive you home,” he said, slurring his words a little. “NO. I mean, no, that’s okay. I’m sober, remember? I’ll see you at school on Monday.” I turned to go, opening the door. I really wished he’d just let me get out of there. My dad was going to flip. He whipped me around for one more kiss, sliding his hands down my sides as he did so. His breath really didn’t smell very pleasant. “Love you, Feyre.” I turned and headed down the porch steps. “You too, Tam.” **** “I’m sorry. WHAT did you just say to me?” My dad paced in front of the fireplace, his fist wrapped around my phone and my keys. “You’re grounded. I do not like you with that Tamlin boy, nor am I a big fan of that Isabelle brat. You clearly were not at Spring Court High’s Back to School Bash. You were at his house, weren’t you? You reek of alcohol–” Damn Tamlin. “–you’re fifteen minutes past your curfew, you ignored my calls all night, your boyfriend hung up on me, and to cap it all, you haven’t changed a lick since the end of last year.” “Her name is Ianthe. And I have too changed! It wasn’t me drinking, it was Tam–” Oh no. “Oh, so it was just your boyfriend sent from Heaven above drinking, huh? And the fifty other people at his party. I’ve heard stories about those parties, Feyre. And I don’t like the idea of you being there. You’ve got your future and your job to think about, and these people are inappropriate influences on you.” He stopped pacing for a moment, and looked me square in the eyes. He seemed to be coming to an important decision about something. I’d better do something, quick. “I’m telling you, things have changed. I didn’t drink tonight, and I paid really close attention to the time. I just got caught up leaving the party. I tried to call you back, I really did. But you didn’t answer after I got in the car. At least I’m here now, right?” Maybe if I compared now to last year, he’d forget about this. It didn’t really look like that would happen, though. “Feyre. I’ve tried to get you back on track, I really have. But I can’t help thinking that this is about your friends, too, and not just you making these decisions. I’ve got no choice. I don’t want you to ruin your life because of these decisions you’re making when you’re sixteen.” Something bad was coming. I could feel it. “I”m transferring you to Night Court High, across town.” What. The. Hell. “You’re kidding.” “No, Feyre, I’m not. I’ve talked to some of my work friends about you and this is the only thing I can think of that we haven’t tried yet. I want you out of Spring Court Public and into Night Court Private this year. It’ll be a better environment, with better academics. I even hear they have a fantastic dance program you could join.” This wasn’t happening. My dad was strict, but this was extreme, even for him. “But–But– Dad. You can’t do this. All my friends are at Spring! And I quit dance last year anyways, I don’t care about that anymore. There’s nothing for me at Night Court. I’m a junior–I can’t just switch schools in the middle of my high school career!” But my dad had the look on his face that he gets when he’s made up his mind. It’s the same look he had two months ago when he had told me I was grounded for the whole summer. The only way I’d convinced him to let me out of the house was to tell him I had a mandatory service project at Spring that I had to see through to the end. In reality, I was hanging out with Tam or Ianthe or Lucien or all three a couple times each week. But my father didn’t know that, and I could tell he wasn’t going to budge on me switching schools the same way he hadn’t budged about my grounding all summer. “I’ll get it squared away tomorrow. I have a favor to pull at NCP anyways, so you’ll be starting at Night Court Private on Monday. I may even be able to get you a tour tomorrow, too.” I didn’t say anything. My world was ending. School without Tamlin? School without ANY friends? And I’d heard stories about the mysterious private school across town… Stories of the most stuck-up kids in town, medium-rich, their parents ready to send them to an expensive school just to prove how much money they had. Tam and Ianthe hated those kids, told me all about how they were the most fake people on the planet. And the things they did… I’d heard stories about that too… I’d only ever met a few kids from NCP, and it’d been so long ago I couldn’t remember many details besides the fact that most of them were rich and good looking. “Dad–” I tried again, but he cut me off. “Go to bed, Feyre. We’ll talk more about this in the morning. But I want you out of Spring Court Public, and that’s final.“ I waited, holding my breath, as he cemented my sentencing with his words. "You’re going to the Night Court.”
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