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dangermousie · 5 months

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A danmei lover's biased and incomplete het web novel rec list

@mercipourleslivres thanks for inspiring me!

When it comes to Chinese web novels, I mainly read danmei. I tend not to care too much for OP heroine with a hero who dotes on her for no reason as she fights with 14 year olds narratives, nor inner courtyard fights. BUT!!! There are some het web novels I like and so here is my biased and incomplete rec list. Most of these don't have OP heroines, and very little to none courtyard fights.

Before I start, my favorite het web novel authors are: Gong Xinwen, Mo Shu Bai, Peng Lai Ke, and Jiu Lu Fei Xiang. I have yet to read anything bad by them.

Anyway, rec list:

1000 Miles of Bright Moonlight - one of my ultimate favorites, this would make such an epic drama! A smart as hell heroine, a hero who is a monk and a warrior (but also terminally?) ill and such a vivid world and amazing secondary characters (heroine’s brother is possibly my favorite supporting character of all time) and so much angst and happy ending. This has an amazing romance but it’s not romance-centric if it makes sense - ML doesn’t appear for a while. But once he does, it’s worth it!

Accompanying the Phoenix - the one that just got adapted into The Legend of Shen Li, this is high adventure and cottage core and funny and tragic and powerful ML being putty in the hands of capable FL and just EVERYTHING.

Apocalypse Arrival - Gong Xinwen’s novels are made just for me. Her heroines are always powerful as fuck and rescue abused MLs. In this novel, our heroine who lives in the post-apocalyptic world, wakes up right before that apocalypse happens. She forms a survival crew and also rescues ML who has miraculous blood and has been drained of it and is now hunted after the rescue for it. SO GOOD!!!

Black Moonlight Holds the BE Script - so fucked up, so good, with monster hero who learns to love and be human and heroine who learns to love and be human (but from the other side, her tower of perfection.) Much better than the drama which I did enjoy.

The Blue Whisper - the drama was so-so, but the novel is a bona fide angst masterpiece, which really delves into what it feels like to be imprisoned or to love.

Counterattack of the Cannon Fodder Chambermaid - I remember starting this and loving the realistic feel and the heroine and wanting to stab the hero and @mercipourleslivres telling me to be patient. She was right, by the end I was on board with both the hero (who was abused and is rather autistic-coded) and the OTP. Anyway, heroine is a servant who was a concubine in the last life and got killed as part of a rich family’s harem intrigues. In this life, she just wants to keep her head down but her life gets derailed anyway. She gets sold away and eventually made a servant in the household of an exiled prince who takes a fancy to her and she endures it because what choice does she have? All she wanted was to serve out her term and become a small time merchant. This is quite realistic about lack of options for women, especially lower class women or upper class male attitudes (ML is never vicious or mean to FL but it does not initially occur to him to wonder if she fancies him or enjoys being his concubine or w/e.) It is a DELIGHTFUL slow burn tho as they grow to love each other and grow together and become one of the most wholesome cnovel couples out there.

Dandere General and His Lord - hi there, Gong Xinwen! God, I love this one. Heroine transmigrates from modern world into a brutal slave-holding world at war (think something like Warring States era.) Our heroine transmigrates into the body of a noblewoman who just hung herself. When she comes to, she discovers that woman’s twin brother was the ruler of a city poisoned by a rival claimant and the besieging army of said claimant is about to take the city and original occupant of the body and the rest of the family chose suicide as a way to avoid dishonor. Our heroine refuses, schemes with advisors to pass as the brother and rally the troops. Once the invaders are defeated, she keeps on the masquerade and rides off to one of the never-ending wars “she” is summoned to. Our hero couldn’t be farther from this. A slave and a son of a slave, he’s escaped a horrific, starving childhood during which he narrowly avoided being murdered or raped, and ended up in the army. When the story opens, he distinguished himself in battle and as a reward, he and a few of his fellow slave warriors are invited to a banquet, where they are given some alcohol and to be playthings of any nobles who want them. One of them does not survive this but ML is lucky - heroine feels terrible and so “claims” him for herself. Instead she just tends to his wounds and sends him back. She does not fancy him or anything, she is just a human being with a conscience. And the story goes from there.

Demon King's Repayment - another delicious Gong Xinwen tale with a powerful ML dedicated to capable FL. This one is a great fantasy plot (I keep imagining it as an animated series) and a sprawling cast of amazing secondaries (and secondary OTPs - there is, I swear, an OTP that is Dong Hua x Feng Jiu done thru GXW lens) to boot.

Doomed to Be Cannon Fodder - I hesitated to put this one on the list because by the end I was not keen on how misogynistic novel got to original female lead but it was one of my earliest novels and I loved it for 90% and it’s fucking hilarious at times. Heroine transmigrates as bit villainess into a novel, all she wants is not to die, but her new attitude of “pls stay away” catches the attention of her terrifying general husband. Honestly, imo still worth it.

Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir - my n1 novel on this list, smart and fierce and don’t really read this for romance because it does not start until really late, but ice cold heroine x ice cold hero both of equal brains and ruthlessness is everything. I went from loathing the ML to finding him fascinating to adoring him (and yet he softened around the edges only for FL, he never became “nice”) and loved FL throughout; secondaries are epic. If you read only one non-danmei web novel, make it this one.

The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl - my n2 novel on this list. Our heroine is the unlucky laundry maid A’Chou. She is a di daughter of an upperclass family but her family got destroyed in one of the political upheavals of the time and A’Chou, only a small child at the time, was the only survivor and was made an enslaved laundry maid. Due to various events, at the start of the novel she is a laundry maid in a minister’s household and the minister’s beloved daughter is having a fit because she’s supposed to marry the former Crown Prince which may have been great a few years back but Crown Prince had since been deposed, tortured, imprisoned and now is living in the middle of nowhere under conditions that are too meager to be called house arrest. And he’s seriously crippled too. Understandably, the young lady doesn’t want to marry him! She’d rather kill herself and so she does. And so, a desperate plan is hatched - why don’t we pretend the laundry maid is the di daughter of the minister’s household and send her off? And so A’Chu is sent as the bride. She arrives to discover a broke, seriously injured man on the verge of death…and we go from there. This is so gorgeous and tender and slow in just the right way and like AAAAAA! Secondary OTPs (one of which is MM) are also epic.

Futu Tower - the drama (Unchained Love) was a mess but the novel is such a lovely, dark exploration of coming back to life, for the ML from his dark revenge-strewn path and for heroine from not being allowed wishes of her own. She is a tribute bride, he’s a (fake) eunuch, they are both servants who use themselves to achieve goals and find peace and happiness together.

The Grand Princess - a tale where both members of the OTP reincarnate as their younger selves after killing each other in their 50s, and get a new start, this is smart and slow and so good in portraying old souls in young bodies. Their rediscovery of not just each other but themselves and their passion for living is just AAAAAA!

Heroine Saves Gentleman - Gong Xinwen novel so we have a tough martial artist lady saving a very upper class scholar and it goes from there. If elegant gorgeous ML being saved and protected (and lovingly dommed) by awesome FL is your bag, pls come right in.

Husband Be a Gentleman - schemer meet schemer. He’s an idle prince she’s perfect daughter, in reality both are wolves out for blood. Mmmm. Very OTP gets together early and is us against the world.

I’ll Be the Male Lead’s Sister in Law - one of my all time favorite novels. Heroine is made to marry a disabled nephew of the emperor. He used to be a victorious god of war but went mad and now is basically locked away and kept as a beast. GOD I LOVE THIS NOVEL SO MUCHHHHH! So much hurt/comfort and awesome OTP and after he eventually recovers, all he wants to do is to fight and murder things and dote on wifey. MMM. He’s honestly one of my fave MLs.

I Married a Disabled Tyrant After Transmigrating - if you have a Florence Nightingale complex, this is for you. Heroine wakes up as tribute bride to an almost dead dragon lord and slowly nurses him back to life as his rivals try to murder him. They are both utter adorable babies!

Let the Villain Go - another Gong Xinwen novel, this and Apocalypse Arrivals are AUs of each other. Heroine is surviving in the apocalypse, ML is the “bugbear” of the world but in reality just reacting to all abuse and torture and after she accidentally saves him, devotes himself. Fun fun fun!

Long Wind Crossing - Amazing ML and FL who grow together, clever plot, arranged marriage to love etc etc. Oh, and one point he feeds her his blood to keep her alive, what’s not to love? (Adapted into Chang Feng Du/Destined)

Lost You Forever - this is a short but delicately wistful tale of trauma and loss and love, wrapped in a high fantasy setting but so relatable despite it.

Love In Another Life: My Gentle Tyrant - so so fucked up in the best way! ML cannot live with OR without heroine. It opens on them banging in jail night before her execution (ordered by him) with corpses of men he killed for trying to defile her cooling nearby. If you want healthy relationships with respectful boundaries, gentle and considerate male leads who are modern men in period clothes, OP heroines who have everyone help them and are OP to the max, fluff and wholesomeness, that is about the worst book for you.If you want complexity, dysfunction, darkness, pain and an absolutely lyrical even if fucked up story, come right IN!!!!I am so fucking in love with the melancholy heroine, with ruthless psycho hero and the endless regret and devotion and paaaaain!

The Marquis Is Innocent - our heroine is a beautiful woman married to a warlord who hates her family. (Yes, this was gonna be The Prisoner of Beauty until SZE tax scandal.) Except she's a transmigrator from the future who knows how it ended last time around and has no interest to end up this tragically. This is in my top 5 - FL is smart but believably so (and doesn't have super battle powers) and ML is a believable period warlord. The way their relationship develops so gradually and the way his character changes so gradually as well (and the way they slowly fall in love, her slower than him) is just amazing. It is such a smart, nuanced, gorgeous slow burn. With some gonzo sex scenes :P

Mulberry Song - you like tragic endings? Come right IN! This is short and heartbreaking and wistful and very what-if.

Nightfall (Ever Night) - so long but also so smart and unusual and bloody and tho it’s not primarily a romance, you will never see another ML who loves his FL as much as Ning Que does his Sang Sang.

Offering Salted Fish to Master - in some ways, this novel is a mess, but I am recommending it because this is a rare example of "nope he's 100% a villain and murderdude and odd, but he does love the heroine" that the author commits to.

Pihanjin - yet another awesome PLK novel, this is once again, like with Marquis, a ruthless man and a beautiful woman getting a second chance on a second go-around. FL is a lot more wounded this time around though. If you LOVE watching ML grovel and slowly, gradually win FL over, this one is for you.

Princess Agents - a dark tale with an incredibly competent and militarily powerful/ruthless heroine and two terrifying men who love her (but neither is as terrifying as she is.) There is an OTP switch halfway through that shockingly makes sense and it's just SO SO GOOOOOOOD

Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage - this is probably the one “typical” novel on this list, heroine is reborn as her youngest self and gets revenge on those who wronged her last time around. It is really really well-written and heroine is competent, hero is doting and powerful etc. It’s not a trope I tend to love but I do when it’s done THIS well.

Rebirth of the Tyrant’s Pet: Regent Prince is Too Fierce: Borgias cnovel style! Our heroine was empress in last life and put her husband on the throne tho he did not love her. However, he had her executed and had his half-brother carry out the orders and heroine died horrifically. She opens her eyes and she’s a little girl again. The OTP this time around is heroine and half-brother executioner. Why do I love it? Heroine is smart and tough but also this is a rare rebirth novel where heroine does NOT decide to seek revenge for past life wrongs because they haven’t happened yet! In fact, she sees ML abused and stands up for him because he’s a kid and no kid should be mistreated and this go around he hasn’t done anything wrong. She also gets and likes her former life husband. Anyway, this is fakecest galore because she’s supposed to be their half-sister and while she knows (from past life) she is not, they do not and fall for her anyway. ML is especially gonzo, at one point carving chunks of his flesh to save her. He’s feral and unhinged and she’s the one person he worships because she protected him and like - it’s all awesome. (I love secondary ML too.)

Reborn to Love Lord Qiansui - yes, this is a eunuch novel! If you like gender tropes reversals, this one is for you. Heroine is a tough martial artist, hero is a smart as hell and powerful eunuch. A real eunuch. Heroine finds out she owes him her life and decides to protect him. This is a total delight and an awesome love story between two really scarred people. And yes, there is sex - heroine literally reads manuals on pegging :P

Return of the Swallow - so freaking long! But really good. Heroine is neither transmigrator nor reincarnator, just a smart period woman. She is a lost family daughter taken back in. Her father is a minister in a dying empire (father-daughter relationship is one of the best things in this novel), her OTP is enemy general, and the smartness and the awesomeness of this all knows no bounds.

Seven Unfortunate Lifetimes - probably the wackiest JLFX novel I read, this is quite different from Love You Seven Times drama that was adapted from it. Our deity protagonists go through a bunch of lives figuring out they fancy each other. It's light like a souffle but just as delicious.

To Be a Virtuous Wife - some people prefer 8 treasures trousseau but I never warmed up to that one. This one is so good, with smart people (who actually enjoy sex, a ratity) and a perfect mix of plot and romance.

Transmigrator Meets Reincarnator - my very first web novel. A lot lighter than a lot of the ones on this list but a total delight. Heroine transmigrates into a novel as the heroine; she has no interest in drama or chasing true love, she just wants to live a nice life with her nice husband. Too bad for her, her husband has reincarnated into his younger self and remembers how she betrayed him, so is not interested. This one is funny and light and romance doesn’t start till late on but a total delight!

Wishing You Eternal Happiness - this is tied with Dreamer as my favorite het web novel ever though it couldn’t be more different from Dreamer, with its hard-edged and hard-souled protagonists ruthlessly cleaving their way to the world and, eventually, each other, its smart cynical air. Except in one thing - the world of Wishing is just as bloody and dark. Its two protagonists are gentle, deeply wounded souls who may find salvation in each other but even something as basic as safety almost seems out of reach.

Jliafu, our heroine, is neither a modern-day transmigrator, nor some exotic princess or demoness. She is very much a period woman of her time, from a weathy merchant clan, whose beauty is her curse. You can tell the novel’s tone from that utterly bleak opening chapter where she, a favorite concubine of a capricious dying emperor, is ordered to be buried alive with him and is not even given the “grace” of white silk but slowly suffocates in the coffin, scrabbling at the lid. There is no grand threats of vengeance on her part, not dramatic opera events. Just despair and death. The whole introductory chapter is haunted by emotional ghosts - the empress’ unrequited love for the monster on the imperial bed (turning into desire for Jiafu’s suffering after he dies), the emperor slowly dying in his prime after waging too many wars, and his fear of being haunted by Pei Youan, a brilliant if sickly minister who died of illness long ago on one of imperial campaigns. There is no triumph for anyone, only loss.

When she wakes up as still a young woman, all she wants is to escape the same fate. There are no plans for power or revenge, only a desire for survival. And so she latches on asking for help from Pei Youan, the only man in her past go-around who showed any consideration and desire and ability to protect her, though he barely knew her. Pei Youan is probably my favorite het web novel ML. Despite his brains and ability, he drifts through life. In modern terms, he clearly has depression. One of the biggest, best joys of the novel is watching these two very good, very quiet, very wounded people discover happiness and love with each other. I sort of want to cry just thinking about it, tbh.

The Yandere Came During the Night - a bit of fluff that’s oddly delightful. Heroine is reborn as a (fake) sister of ML, she hurts her legs saving him and the “siblings” form a bond that ends up in fakecest delight. They are both smart and efficient and he becomes a sexy marquis etc.

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kremlin · 11 months

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An earnest call for your support: Help me determine if there is a gas leak in my house.

for a long time now, I have been reading and hearing about This Guy on the news, and have been reading all the articles and stories about him:

Above: Sam, tenting his weird-ass fucked up fingers like a real Wall Street Guy might do in a movie he saw

Yep, you already know this guy, his name is Sam, I'll be referring to him as Sam, as that is his first name, and not by his initials, which is what I imagine a pod person might do in an attempt to emulate human behaviour. Whatever. You already know him and what he did, I won't waste your time. Listen. Pay attention. This is not a post about this guy or what he did. That shit is boring as fuck. This is a post about a potential gas leak in my house. We'll get to that in just a bit. Remember.

I've read all the articles and all the op-eds and everything. About Sam. Let us explore the entire spectrum of media coverage of Sam and Sam's Big Ass Problem, starting from the bottom, with the worm-food-tier jackasses: What do people like Jim Cramer and Shark Tank Guy have to say about him?

Above: CNN's "Mad Money" Jim Cramer also doing a weird hand gesture while he tells your alcoholic cable-news-addicted uncle to put his money in some dumbass shit

Above: I think this is the Shark Tank guy? I don't remember his name. Could have sworn his suit had dollar signs and not question marks (?)

I'll summarize their conclusions: "Sam is a boy genius who is super duper smart and can move objects with his massive brain due to knowing about Tech, FinDom FinTech, and computer money, specifically Money Coding. Unfortunately Sam committed massive fraud and will get his ass fucked in federal court".

Moving on from the worm-food-tier to the mediocre-tier: The totally nameless basic bitch journalists at the New York Times or Bloomberg. What do these assholes have to say?

Above: Jim Fuckface, associate financial correspondent for Bloomberg. Jim enjoys winding down on a Friday afternoon by sipping a Bud Lite Lime and wearing his baseball cap backwards, which bears the logo of his local professional sports team.

Above: Kate Fuckface, columnist at the New York Times. Kate enjoys spending her time chatting and interacting with her friends on Social Media Platforms like Facebook and Instagram, as well as purchasing items on Etsy

I'll summarize their conclusions: "Displaying the characteristic awkwardness of incredible technical and financial genius, it was clear to me during our interview that Sam's depth of knowledge truly knew no bounds. Unfortunately Sam committed massive fraud and will get his ass fucked in federal court."

Finally moving on to the people that might actually have a clue about what they're talking about. Sam Levine and Michael Lewis:

Above: Matt Levine, author of a comedy email newsletter named Money Stuff that is 95% financial information by weight and somehow still usually funny as fuck.

Above: Michael Lewis, author of a bunch of really good books you haven't read that were made into pretty decent movies you have seen: Moneyball and The Big Short.

I'll summarize their conclusions: "Sam sure is a smart kid and seems to know a whole lot about economics and this digital currency, and I mean a whole lot, and even more about business, accounting, and finance. Bright kid! Unfortunately Sam committed massive fraud and will get his ass fucked in federal court."

A pretty goddamn clear consensus across the board on both counts.

I listened to the interviews the entire spectrum of people listed above conducted with him -- the ones during which they unanimously concluded how smart he is. I listened to many hours of ad-hoc, unscripted Twitter Space calls he participated in, where he fielded questions about his fraud and his business with complete strangers. I listened to them very carefully. And here is my problem! I came to a different conclusion!

Sam is a fucking moron. I am not talking about solely his intellect, or solely his decision-making abilities, or any specific criteria. I am talking about all of them.

There are two possibilities:

(A) I am correct and, somehow, literally everyone else is incorrect, most of whom know vastly more about these topics than I do

(B) There is a fucking gas leak in my house and I have completely lost all cognitive abilities, suddenly and unwittingly, and exist in a cartoon reality inside my skull that would allow me to reach such a wildly different conclusion from the same evidence.

The likelihood of (A) being correct is very nearly 0%. I mean, come on. I am not fucking around when I tell you how troubling this is for me. I wrote earlier that this isn't a post about Sam or his bullshit. This is a post asking for your help in determining whether I have lost my god damn marbles.

I'll give Sam one thing -- he has some nominal ability to bullshit. If he's writing a Tweet, or making a short statement, he can finesse his words that, on some level, mask how much of a dimwit he is. He absolutely can't do that through about six hours of unscripted interviews. Listen to that shit. Listen.

I am going to go check all the joints in the gas lines in my house as well as the ports on my stove and heater. I'll come back and write a follow-up post on outlining exactly why I think homeboy is an idiot. While I do that, please, go listen to the interviews and tell me what you think.

#words

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lunawings · 6 months

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While I was in Japan during March 2024, I was able to visit the Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live 10th Anniversary Exhibit. This is my favorite anime of all time, so it was an incredible honor.

Unfortunately, you could not take pictures in many areas and I always try my best to be respectful and follow the rules. So, I will describe it.

The walls of the first room were covered in several tapestries depicting each individual episode of the anime, so you could reminisce about everything that happened as you slowly walked through the room. In the middle of the room, there were several exhibits perfectly recreating every single paper, notebook, sketch...

Hokkaido itinerary? Wakana and Bell's test scores? Momo's Happy Rain costume sketches? Naru and Bell's manager applications? The score to pride? Any piece of paper you can think of that appeared in PRRL, it was all HERE! Recreated with meticulous accuracy...

The next room was the photo room where you could take pictures in Prism Stone or in front of Rinne's feathers.

Something else they had here which was really neat, was all of these mini photo ops of various scenes from the anime that you could put your plushies or figures into! As I rarely have someone with me to take photos of myself at events like this, and I rarely post them even when I do, NGL I loved it. I wish I had brought something! I did have a PAF Naru on my bag I could have used, but it would have taken time to unpin her so unfortunetly I did not.

The next room contained an exhibit of various merch from throughout the years.

Unfortunately, there wasn't really much merch to look at in the classic section. Just the guitars, some stones, and the Smart Pod Shot. But I definitely think there was more than that back in the day! There has to have been because I own at least one thing that was not in here (a pool bag) haha!

They also had a REAL prism guitar on display, which apparently they are actually going to sell at some point!?

The last part of the exhibit before going to the gift shop, was a hallway with messages from all the voice actresses and the director. This was also a zone where photos were banned, but I remember in the director's he acknowledged Rainbow Live as being the only Pretty Rhythm season to achieve a 10th anniversary celebration and ended his commentary with "Glorious Pretty Rhythm" hahaha. Next was the gift shop...

Which was honestly super disappointing... I was prepared to spend a lot of money here, but in the end, I barely bought anything. Everything, EVERYTHING good was blind and the stuff that wasn't was just so expensive.

Like, they had this set of Hiro cards with his magazine covers and debut poster and I really wanted them but when I actually saw them it was like... 2,000 yen? FOR THREE CARDS!? Those tiny little cards you can see up there below the keychains?

????????????

Am I missing something!?

In the end I bought two Wakana boards and two clear files. And the one blind thing I couldn't resist was the Prism Stone badges... which turned out to be Otoha x2 and one Ann. Gah.

I also might have bought a Wakana plush doll, but she was sold out. Out of all the Rainbow Live girls she was the only one sold out both here and at Tokyo Station Prism Stone.

And here were the bonuses I got. Including, yes, the AiPri card. So for people who saw me posting it over on @pretty-idol-hell, this was where it came from.

I also got a very special letter, which I am saving to translate at a later date...

Outside the event was an up and running Pretty Rhythm machine, or so I thought. Wow, no line! I said to myself as I happily bounced up to it only to find the coin slot taped over and a sign reading it could not be used. Darn. (I know there's no prism stones left in the wild, but come on, there's no free play mode...? Well, I guess even if there was they wouldn't want people loitering around the exhibition.)

Anyway, as you read I did have a few complaints, but it still makes my heart happy that this event existed at all. I loved all the time and effort that went into making all the recreations of things!

#pretty rhythm #prrl #pretty rhythm rainbow live

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givemewallywestorgivemedeath · 2 years

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Reading the OG Teen Titans it's incredibly apparent that Donna and Wally put the 'Titan' in the Teen Titans. This isn't meant as a diss to the rest of the gang but holy shit Donna and Wally were doing everything.

Donna has the highest number of saves out of anyone. She was constantly pulling the boys out of danger or deflecting blows or taking down bad guys. She was their heavy hitter and it's so obvious that they'd be dead a million times over without her. On one of their first missions she singlehandedly lifts the entire mountain range of Mount Rushmore into orbit. She was like 14 years old when she did that.

Let's be real her strength is on par with Superman's, she was trained by Amazons and she can fly. She was semi invulnerable and she's smart. Donna could've taken out the rest of her team without breaking a sweat. Half the time the plot had to nerf her with mind control just to have the plot progress.

And Wally???? JFC! Half the time Wally wasn't even with the team because Robin kept sending him on solo recon missions. The team was always playing catch-up with Wally. They'd be hanging out at the base shooting the breeze while Wally was 12 hours into a stake out on the other side of the world. Then they'd have to scramble to his location when things started to go down and Wally would be left holding down the fort until they got there.

And when he wasn't off getting them intel he was the person saving civilians. 200 people caught in the crossfire? Not anymore they're not. Oh a sinking cruise ship with hundreds on board? Well now they're safe on shore with hot chocolate.

When he was actually 100% into a fight he'd pull out the most batshit crazy moves like vibrating into another dimension, time travelling on the fly, vibrating until he turns invisible, using his speedforce aura to deflect bullets, creating whirlwinds and waterspouts, hovering in the air, vibrating through objects, vibrating objects until they explode, dragging people with around with his slipstream, ect. The man was not normal about his powers.

Honestly Donna and Wally were so OP for what the Titans were doing that they kept being sent away on side missions or getting knocked out. Every other mission Donna and Wally were getting knocked out with random pots and branches so that they didn't singlehandedly solve the conflict in seconds.

#dc #dc comics #the flash #kid flash #wally west #donna troy #wonder girl #teen titans #fab five

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thislovintime · 6 months

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The Monkees with CFUN DJ's Terry David Mulligan and John Tanner in Vancouver, April 1, 1967.

“Regina: CKCK’s Terry David Mulligan claims to be the first Canadian air personality with an interview with the Monkees and he has a tape to prove it. Anyone wishing a copy can take Mulligan up on his boast by sending him a blank tape and he will return a dub to sender. Terry also did a 30 minute Christmas show with Peter Tork, his sister and brother. They sang cuts from the Monkees new LP (Mulligan sings too)[,] sang a few carols and just chit-chatted in a relaxing mood.” - RPM Canada, January 28, 1967 (this Christmas 1966 anecdote was previously posted here and more about Christmas 1967 here)

“History records that The Monkees played their first Canadian concert in Winnipeg on April 1/1967. What never gets mentioned is that the first time all four Monkees set foot on Canuck soil was many hours earlier, in Vancouver, while en route to Manitoba’s capital city. Top 50 radio station CFUN assigned two deejays—Terry David Mulligan and John Tanner—to meet Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork at Vancouver International Airport. A photo op ensued in a private waiting area as the lads waited, shortly after sunrise, to board a connecting flight. 'If you study that picture, you could tell two of the guys (Davy and Peter) were really into it and the other two (Micky and Mike) didn’t really want to be there,' recalls Mulligan (second from right in photo). 'They weren’t pissed off at us. They were just tired and weren’t particularly into having their picture taken that early in the morning.' Nevertheless, all six exchanged pleasantries. Despite the early hour, Davy Jones seemed friendly and 'Mike Nesmith was so whip smart, while Micky Dolenz had this interesting Hollywood vibe about him,' remembers Mulligan. Terry and Peter got the opportunity to renew acquaintances. The previous year, when Mulligan was spinning discs at CJME Regina, 'who should walk in but Peter Tork. Of course, I asked: "What are YOU doing here?" And Peter answered: "My dad (Halsten John Thorkelson) teaches at the University of Saskatchewan and I dig your radio program."' Peter would take a couple of additional breaks from Monkees commitments to visit his family. Each time, he’d visit Mulligan at CJME. 'We’d always have really good off-air chats, in between as I was playing records.' For his part, CFUN deejay John Tanner (second from left in photo) boarded the plane bound for Winnipeg with The Monkees. 'I remember being at the tail of the plane while The Monkees and their entourage were much further forward. I walked up there at one point and noticed some of them were sleeping. So I went back to my seat as I didn’t want to bother anyone.' Prior to the late afternoon Monkees concert at the Winnipeg Arena, Tanner said he killed some time walking 'what seemed to be the coldest streets in Winnipeg.' Indeed, band insider David Price would mention the frigid 17 degrees Fahrenheit daytime temperature when he subsequently wrote a four-page article titled My Life With The Monkees—That Wild Canadian Weekend for 16 magazine that detailed the April 1 concert in Winnipeg and the ensuing show in Toronto on April 2. Price, who also served as a decoy for Davy Jones (in addition to other band duties), claimed The Monkees came to Canada aware of rumours that attempts might be made on their lives during the two concerts. In the 16 magazine piece, Price wrote: 'Mike asked me and his friend Charlie Rockett and Mike’s wife Phyllis’s brother Bruce Barbour to make sure that any packages that landed onstage were thrown off again, because one of them might contain a bomb.' In the end, the only ‘bomb’ at the Winnipeg show was a water bomb hurled at Micky Dolenz atop the seven-foot high stage just before opening song Last Train To Clarksville. Seconds before, the four Monkees burst out of phoney amplifiers on either side of the stage, with the boys having hidden themselves within when the house lights were momentarily turned off. Likely backing up The Monkees onstage was Candy Store Prophets. If so, that band’s members—including guitarist Tommy Boyce and keyboardist Bobby Hart—had played on many early Monkees studio tracks that Boyce and Hart produced. Winnipeg-based Electric Jug & Blues band opened the show. Press reports later revealed that before the concert, rambunctious fans charged past about 30 police officers as the band left the Hotel Fort Garry for the arena. Monkees publicist Don Berrigan described the incident as a 'near riot' adding 'Mike and Davy were knocked down. It was really nasty.' There were apparently well over 400 police and security inside the arena. Perhaps it was the security concerns that resulted in Winnipeg and Toronto fans receiving slightly shorter concerts than about a dozen previous American shows in late 1966 and early ‘67—13-song setlists, three less than south of the border. The Winnipeg concert marked the first time Peter Tork-sung Your Auntie Grizelda, was played publicly. 'He really dug it, and so did the audience,' wrote Price. [...] Back in Winnipeg, after final song I’m A Believer, the band rushed to limos to return to the hotel, before taking an evening flight to Toronto. A subsequent Canadian Press article noted that one policeman was taken to hospital after a wire retaining fence collapsed on him when 'thousands of fans surged towards the rear exits in an unsuccessful bid to catch a glimpse of their departing idols.' The officer was treated for cuts and abrasions and released. The official capacity of Winnipeg Arena was 11,800. But Price claimed that several hundred additional tickets were sold just before showtime, resulting in an attendance closer to 12,500. Later that Saturday night, The Monkees checked out of the hotel and headed to the airport in what Price described as near-blizzard conditions. For his part, CFUN deejay John Tanner got a kick out of the 'wild and crazy' show he had just witnessed. 'It was kind of a thrill being there.' The photo taken back in Vancouver earlier that day would be published in the April 8 copy of the C-FUNTASTIC FIFTY survey given away at Greater Vancouver record stores. Part of the photo ID read 'They said it couldn’t be done' — likely a veiled reference to doubts that The Monkees would trek north for concerts so soon into their existence.” - Richard Skelly, Facebook, April 1, 2022 [x]

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uzumaki-rebellion · 10 months

Text

"King Killmonger: The Golden Jaguar" Chapter 1

Author's Note: You must have read the "Black Boys Bloom Thorns First" series before trying to dip into this new book!

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"I will be one of the greatest That is a vow, yeah, that is a promise Always wanted to be famous Just being real, yeah, just being honest

My haters gon' always be nameless Give them no cloud, I give them no power

Creators built different, they ancient Sooner than later, all will be ours…"

Iniko—"The King's Affirmation"

King N'Jadaka Udaku of the Panther Tribe from the kingdom of Wakanda sat at the head table for the Congressional Black Caucus's newly minted Pan-African symposium/dinner. Housed inside of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the event brought together Black leaders from all over the world that wanted to shape their future with the influence of Black American politicians after the great disaster of the Infinity War.

The king sipped from a glass of lemon water with his young Executive Assistant Mpilo by his side, very much aware of the eyes dragging across his intimidating figure in the midst of seventy-five world politicians of African descent with their various entourages. Women and men allowed to participate in the momentous occasion chanced glancing his way to assess what kind of man he was on this rare occasion that N'Jadaka visited Washington, D.C.

He grew accustomed to the staring. King N'Jadaka became the legend made flesh among them, the rare Black man of real power surrounded by other Black leaders that tried to balance governing in the face of American neo-imperialism. The people in that room would've given up their firstborn child just to be in his presence, especially the representatives from Sudan and Ethiopia. Thanos's ridiculous plan to snap problems away only created more dire ones on earth and Africa suffered as a result. The rise of new warloads and the loss of faith in democracy sprouted far and wide. Slavery, coups, and genocide had ramped up. Troubled nations in the motherland looked to Wakanda and not the U.S. for leadership, and that made N'Jadaka's stay in his former homeland dangerous. The C.I.A. had a bench warrant of death on his head. Western powers wanted the king of Wakanda eliminated.

The Golden Jaguar sighed and pressed his hands on his thighs and flexed his fingers to offset the ribbons of tension coursing through him. Despite it being an all Black affair, there were enemy ops in the conference hall among them. The Dora Milaje and his Onyx Squad remained visible and dispersed throughout the perimeter, their smart-looking uniforms marking them as superior protection among the American security hired to keep unwelcome outsiders from trying to sneak an audience with the Wakandan king.

This attempt at a heavily-publicized gathering of Black international elites became a way for powerless Black politicians in the U.S. to rival and possibly supplant N'Jadaka's influential UDC creation that made waves in under a year. No matter what power-to-the-people slogans were used to get them in office, Black American politicians were still…politicians. No different than their white counterparts that only worried about getting re-elected and stuffing their pockets with money, connections, and a fat board member assignment or consultation position on some corporations dime after retirement. No matter the pithy declarations about supporting the Black community he heard all evening, there were wolves in the room seeking access to more power. The white American power structure lit a fire under the CBC's ass to put together something that would convince diaspora Africans to join with them instead of the Wakandans. N'Jadaka knew what it was and decided to participate anyway. Just to let the CBC know he was watching them closely and feigning diplomacy. America was a weak and decaying order. The bored king found solace knowing he would be its demise.

N'Jadaka tapped his hand on the fancy table cloth. Mpilo took note of his mood and quickly checked his comm tab for the expected time of arrival for Yani and the children. The trip abroad had lasted over two weeks, most of it spent at the United Nations in Geneva, and meetings in New York, London, and South Africa. N'Jadaka cancelled a trip to Saudi Arabia when one of the crown princes of an oil billionaire insulted him on a viral vid. He made an example of them by snubbing a much-anticipated visit there. Any form of anti-Blackness anywhere was swiftly aired out. Mexico, Argentina, Spain, France, Italy, and the Dominican Republic were already smarting from his public call-out of their treatment of Black people due to an increase of racialized violence targeting poor Black citizens in their nations. With Yani's urging and Ramonda's powerful voice as an ambassador, there was a rallying call against global femcide in the wake of the disappearance of so many people.

The U.S. didn't let the great loss of citizens stop their continuing encroachment of resources and they took advantage of pumping predatory capitalism along. What could've been a moment of self-reflection, a shift in priorities, and a new way of being for the country as a whole was simply an opportunity to prey on weaker nations even harder. Their only hindrance in achieving more power was the rise of Wakanda under N'Jadaka's leadership. He instilled fear in every nation that wanted life to go on the same way, and he also gave hope to those parts that saw a chance at progressive changes aligning with Wakanda. The western powers still gasped at his U.N. speech criticizing colonial apartheid in Palestine and Gaza. The gasp turned into full-fledged choking when he charged genocide co-signed and funded by the Americans. Once he pontificated on the historical similarities between Gaza, South Africa, and the Black American segregation of his own people, his War Dogs got wind of Mossad operations trying to penetrate Wakandan intelligence through the C.I.A.

Back home, the continent was split.

African nations that had long been ignored and left to suffer on their own benefitted from supporting Wakanda. N'Jadaka flooded their lands with tech support, agricultural advances, doctors, and a quick rebuilding of infrastructures with his Wakandan Humanitarian Corps that embarrassed the U.S.. At N'Jadaka's urging, Azania and Caanan had stopped selling uranium, colbalt, and platinum to anyone outside of Africa in exchange for advanced agricultural expansion. Mining had ruined and polluted their lands with run-off depleting usable soil and water. Rapid climate change didn't help them either and the neighboring nations were on the verge of famine. Wakanda helped clean their water, soil, and air for free, allowing farmers to produce a bumper crop that saved millions from starvation and prevented them from becoming refugees in other nations. Those who had been malnourished received the best medical treatment, and once snatched from the brink of disaster, Azania and Caanan were staunch allies for good.

Niganda and Mohannda were a different story, currying favor from the CBC leaders and complaining to the U.S. president that Wakanda was a global threat to sovereignty. The other African nations galvanized by the freely given help, threw all of their allegiance to the Wakandans, thus leading other unaligned African nations to fear him creating a United States of Wakanda to rule them all.

It wasn't a bad idea.

He never acknowledged those types of concerns and just let the rumors grow to keep his enemies on their toes. His own father N'Jobu had flirted with visions of a united continent under Wakandan rule in his journals. Currently, N'Jadaka scrambled to replace War Dogs lost to the blip in order to keep his finger on the pulse of other nations.

"Princess Yani will arrive within the next two hours. They have crossed onto the Atlantic," Mpilo said.

N'Jadaka nodded. He gave Mpilo a full-time job as his personal assistant since the loss of his father in the snap. The king had no idea the young man suffered that loss until months after the memorial honoring the lost ones. Mpilo continued to do his work professionally until Yani brought the news to the king's attention. She recognized Mpilo's family name from one of the palace attendants sending personal condolences to their staff on her behalf. When N'Jadaka questioned him, Mpilo broke down in tears in the king's office. His father and two oldest brothers had vanished leaving behind his mother and baby sister. Barely an adult, Mpilo now had the responsibility of looking out for his immediate family. N'Jadaka terminated his fellowship and gave him a permanent job title as his executive assistant.

The king let out a sigh of relief.

He needed to be with his family again. Normally Yani would be with him, but she was on her own global tour promoting her book, "The Wakandan Way of Birth". Their children traveled with her and he caught interview segments of her in three countries. The world was enamored with the exotic princess. It was her first appearance outside of Wakanda representing the nation. N'Jadaka grinned thinking about the reaction of the Caribbean. The entire region went nuts finding out officially that an island girl had snagged the most powerful man in the world.

She promoted the book in St. Thomas first, and he hated not being there with her. She traveled to Jamaica next to visit the land of her father and paid her respects to their relatives there. In the midst of the new global normal, Yani's book became a smashing success. All proceeds went to funding her midwifery scholarships to further the number of Black and Native midwives and doulas learning at the Wakandan birthing centers. The money allowed women to focus fulltime on their craft without monetary constraints. She planned to give more once she became queen because the palace allotted a salary for Queen Consorts that she planned to use for more income-based scholarships. Wherever there were Black and Indigenous women in need, Yani made sure they took priority over anyone else.

Everyone wanted their hands on the book. A Wakandan publishing company mass marketed the coffee-table sized manauscript, and they looked exquisite. The cover was created by a Birnin S'Yan artisan who made a vibranium-tinged dye that was threaded into a gorgeous royal purple and silver cloth overlay. The book had fifty full-page color photos that Yani spent months agonizing over from a total of 200. The cover photo itself deserved to hang in a museum. It showed a young woman holding her newborn daughter and they were both dressed in the vibrant colors of the River Tribe.

When the pre-release online sales skyrocketed, Yani made the decision to only provide non-online sales out of Wakanada through global Black bookstores. The international brick and mortar stores made bank with the flood of non-Black customers wanting their hands on something from Wakanda. Even people who weren't even interested in childbirth or culture clamored to snatch up a copy just to get a glimpse of what Wakanda looked like from the inside. The first print sold out in one week.

The talks finally ended and the affair moved into a spacious outdoor dining area where a small jazz trio played music in a corner. The balmy weather made it comfortable to be outside and he took in a deep inhale of D.C. air.

Okoye and Ayo kept the pre-dinner rush to talk to the king at a distance, giving N'Jadaka time to snag a moment of peace. After ten minutes he shook hands and greeted caucus leaders, trying not to look annoyed at their requests for selfies with him. He obliged to be polite and to give an air of camaraderie. Everyone wanted everyone else to think they had connections to him by how loud they talked or laughed with him. He knew the drill.

The hosts ushered his entourage to their dining seats near the front of another podium. No one pretended to be sly about sneaking candids of him with their smartphones.

"King N'Jadaka, your son is here to see you right away," Ayo whispered in his ear.

N'Jadaka looked around and spotted Riki walking out from the museum with his personal Dora, Quamba. All the diners stopped to watch the prince of Wakanda walk through with his hands behind his back and his eyes searching for his Baba. Some people tried to snap photos of Riki, but all of N'Jadaka's children wore necklaces that thwarted any cameras from getting clear pictures of them by jamming up electronics and flash photography cameras.

Riki looked too clean.

Yani braided his hair in the spiral style of his Wakandan ancestors, threaded with shells and beads that bounced around his shoulders. This week, Riki wore jade and black fingernail polish decorated with mini panther claws in bright gold which was the rage of young children in Birnin Zana who loved their local team that played a popular sport called ukudlala ngomlenze…leg play. It was a game that required balance, and intense leg flexibility as two teams battled each other on a low swinging wooden bridge that moved across a deep body of water. One member of each team took turns standing in the center of the swinging bridge as the other team members of the challenging team split up on either side to rock the opponent off their feet, without any of their own teammates falling over too. The narrow bridge swung higher and higher, pushing athletes to go against gravity, their exhausted limbs put to the test for long durations. N'Jadaka had promised Riki a trip to the national competition in the River Tribe territory once they returned home.

Riki's black royal sash rested snug across his chest with the family crest emblazoned on it. The boy was seven-years old and sprouting a bit of height. He was almost as tall as Sydette and would probably surpass her by the time he was eight. The freckles on his red-brown skin were more pronounced, covering his nose and cheeks. Riki's eyes lit up when he spotted N'Jadaka.

"Baba!"

The boy ran past chuckling adults who admired the tailored royal suit and polished shoes. N'Jadaka held his arms out and his son jumped onto his lap and kissed his cheek. The happy king wrapped his child up in love.

"I've missed your busy behind," N'Jadaka said. "Where's your Mama and the girls?"

"Changing clothes. I couldn't wait to see you," Riki said, squeezing his arms around N'Jadaka's neck.

"Good trip, Dumplin?"

"Yes. People went crazy for Mama and her book. I'm ready to go home though. I don't like this country…the people here are so fake. They only like you if you're rich or famous."

"Hungry?"

Riki nodded and scanned the tables for the evening's selection. He scrunched up his nose at the servers placing rolls and butter on the tables.

"Can we eat this food, Baba?" Riki asked.

"We have people watching the chef in the kitchen."

The Udaku children had been taught to reject outside food unless their parents permitted them to partake. N'Jadaka had become cautious with poisoning and normally had his own personal chef make all of their food, but he opted to watch the American cooks this time around instead of turning down a plate. The head chef for the evening was a famous Black American from New Orleans who read that N'Jadaka liked food from that region and wanted to create a menu to impress the powerful king.

"Sit next to me," N'Jadaka said, pulling out a chair for Riki.

Mpilo took a seat across from them at the circular table that seated twelve. Members of the CBC organizing committee greeted him then took their seats at other tables. The jazz music grew softer as guests took their seats all throughout the guarded space. A congresswoman from Philly took to the podium near N'Jadaka's area and announced the arrival of Yani and Ramonda. Eager applause broke out and N'Jadaka stood up from his seat. He helped Riki stand in his chair so he could see his mother and aunt enter.

N'Jadaka's Uncle Bakari escorted Yani and Ramonda together as Sydette and Joba walked in front of them wearing matching purple dresses with their hair twisted and pulled back with amethyst panther-shaped hair clips. Yani mesmerized the crowd in a shimmery emerald green dress that revealed all her rounded curves. She styled her hair with extensions in an upswept fancy roll that denoted her status as queen-to-be. Ramonda had the crowd transfixed with her tall purple isicholo and deep purple gown. Uncle Bakari appeared dapper in his black tux. N'Jadaka's grandfather Dante escorted Bakari's wife Shavonne and they all made their way toward the front where their Dora Milaje escorts brought them to the king's table.

Sydette and Joba dashed to him first and he picked up both girls and smothered their faces with kisses amidst their squeals of delight for being with him again. He put them down the moment Yani reached him and he couldn't hide from the world his love for her.

He wrapped eager arms around her tight and pressed his forehead against her brow. The tense energy in his body drained down into the floor and he exhaled a long breath. Yani rested her arms around his massive shoulders, her perfume drowning him in memories of their shared bed and the last time they had been alone without the world watching their every move.

"Baby, I missed you so much."

"I know. I couldn't wait to get here and hold you."

"You know these niggas is starin' so we better play it cool for Ramonda's sake."

Yani giggled and pulled away from him. He kissed her hand and turned to Ramonda, giving his auntie double kisses on both cheeks. He hugged his grandpop next and finally showed love to his American aunt and uncle who raised him after his parents died. They all took their seats at the dining table. Yani sat at his right, and Riki, Joba, and Sydette took over his left side.

As the first courses of salads, soups, and finger foods were brought out, announcements were made. The head chef was brought out and recognized. N'Jadaka allowed the nervous man to take a picture with him holding up a plate of sausage gumbo with rice. There was special recognition given to Yani, along with a surprise plaque presented to Ramonda for her role as an ambassador fostering goodwill between America and Wakanda.

N'Jadaka caught up with his aunt and uncle and the family chatter reminded him of being home except they were being watched like fish in a fishbowl. When dessert and coffee were brought out at the end of the meal, Ramonda switched seats with Riki and leaned in toward the king.

"President Mubiri would like to have a nightcap with you during the mixer inside the museum," Ramonda said.

"Why?"

Ramonda's sharp eyes observed the guests.

"He believes D.C. is neutral ground and he would like to discuss rumors of you inciting a coup in his nation."

"Sounds like C.I.A. bullshit."

"Even so, it wouldn't hurt to appear cordial. Get some photos taken that shows two rival nations talking together. Yani is your icebreaker. Madame Mubiri is here, too. A nice photo-op of beautiful African women mingling will make the CBC very happy."

N'Jadaka glanced at Yani's fingers. She had on her deadly finger armor. Hopefully she wouldn't threaten the man again.

He signaled for Quamba and several Onyx Squad security to take his children and grandfather back to their penthouse suite at the hotel they were lodged in for the weekend. He hugged and kissed the children promising to read a bedtime story to them later. People moved out of the way and stared at his heirs. All three children walked like royalty, heads held high, backs kept straight.

The after dinner mixer started inside the lobby of the museum where a giant abstract art installation above their heads looked like the unfurling of giant bronze ribbons. N'Jadka read the description of the sculpture that was supposed to represent the swinging motions like a band of angels coming down to carry Black Americans back home like the old spiritual "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot". The artist, Richard Hunt, used suspended cables to anchor the work, and the swooping arcs of the bronze bands reminded N'Jadaka of his mother's arms around his body when he was small.

Several servers traipsed the lobby carrying drinks and savory finger foods. A D.J. played contemporary R&B and the guests relaxed into full-blown partying mode. Bakari and Shavonne headed toward a display of Harriet Tubman's shawl further inside the museum and Mpilo escorted Ramonda to meet some caucus members who were dying to be seen with her.

N'Jadaka held out his arm and Yani rested her hand on it. She walked with a majestic stride that matched his and they mingled for a bit. Yani's charm was her greatest weapon and they spent a considerable amount of time discussing her book and tour. Her radiance overwhelmed a few people who couldn't stop admiring her even as they moved on to other guests. The allure of power was a true aphrodisiac, and Yani wielded it well. All of her Wakandan training and years of experience dealing with all sorts of people paid off in spades as she delighted American dignitaries. He couldn't stop staring at her himself. Her voice lit up his face and he smiled at everything she said. Yani's youth also surprised people. She would be entering her late twenties soon enough, but carried a greater maturity and self-awareness in the last year representing Wakanda internationally.

They worked the first three corners of the lobby before the mixer branched out to the rest of the museum, and they headed toward President Mubiri and Madame Mubiri who lingered near a replica of a slave quarter. The Mohanndan president stood with a glass of liquor in his hand entertaining cronies as his wife watched her husband's dour animated face with his uppercase gums spilling over his lowercase teeth. Her eyes sparked up when Yani approached holding out her hands toward the woman.

"Madame Habiba Mubiri, I finally get to see you again in a less formal setting," Yani enthused.

Yani ignored Mubiri and immediately pulled Habiba away from her husband, touching her hand in informal friendship.

"Mubiri," N'Jadaka said, offering his hand. Mubiri shook it.

"King N'Jadaka."

Yani reached for a glass of wine from a server that had been freshly poured from the bar. She presented it to N'Jadaka using the ancient submissive stance of queens in Wakanda, holding the glass up to him with her right hand, while her other hand cradled the elbow of the serving arm. N'Jadaka caught the lust in Mubiri's eyes again for his fiancé. He took the glass from Yani and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, baby," he said.

"May I please borrow Madame Mubiri? I would love to introduce her to the head organizer," Yani asked Mubiri.

It was clear that Mubiri didn't want his wife to do anything, but Yani's seductive voice couldn't be denied. She played on the man's need to control women by asking his permission. Her earlier exaggerated submissive act toward N'Jadaka fed into the man's cultural ego. Yani upped the ante by touching his arm and squeezing it. Her touch ignited something in the president and he lifted his wife's arm and practically threw her at Yani.

"I'm sure you two have some important things to discuss without us present," she added.

"Enjoy yourselves," Mubiri said, his gaze plastered all over Yani's figure as the two women strolled further into the heart of the museum.

N'Jadka pretended to drink his wine while being focused on something else until Yani was gone.

"I thank you for the personal invitation to your wedding King N'Jadaka. I didn't think you would extend us any welcome to your country again."

"It's a time of celebration, not political intrigue. Yani wanted your wife there. They have been corresponding for a time getting to know each other. You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"And miss the nuptials of that delightful woman you parade around like a trophy? Never. We will attend and enjoy the splendor."

They both drank in silence.

"Did you like the tour of the museum earlier?" N'Jadaka asked.

"An intriguing history lesson. You must be proud of your heritage here."

"I am."

"Rebels at heart. I see why the Americans want to control you."

"I know you don't want to stand here and shoot the shit about my lineage. You want to know if I'm plotting to throw you out of office."

Mubiri choked on his drink as N'Jadaka stared at his face. The Mohanndan's cronies flicked their eyes away in embarrassment, not expecting the king to be that blunt.

"What would I gain from having you taken out, Mubiri? There would only be another leader who thinks the same as you, so nothing would change. Pinning your hopes on the Americans holding me in check has not paid off in a year. I offer nothing but hope and a chance at directing Africa's vast internal wealth and ancient wisdom back to where it belongs…on all of our people."

"Our people? You Wakandans are stand-offish and think only of yourselves. These little excursions into other African nations giving them little trinkets of your resources reeks of a ploy to rule over us all. At least your uncle acted like a benevolent father-figure in the west."

"My uncle was not the man you all think he was. I am telling you now, to your face Barasa Mubiri…I have no plans for a coup, an assassination, nor war with your country. Did you not read my fiancé's book? Wakandans value peaceful living, enhancements to prolong life, and self-actualization that benefits the whole and not just the individual. We kept to ourselves for centuries even when we had the means to colonize the world and bend it to our will. But we didn't."

"I still think that is an option in your arsenal, King N'Jadaka."

"I am from the school of 'don't start none, won't be none'. My goal is transformative liberation for whomever wants it."

"So-called liberators often transform into something sinister, if given the chance."

The king moved closer to the east African president, closing the small gap between them.

"I only plan to bring hell to those who mean us harm. Do you plan to cause problems for us with this U.S. administration?" N'Jadaka asked.

Mubiri shook his head and smiled.

"I want peace and prosperity for our people too."

"Good. You have heard directly from my mouth what I want. Let's spend the rest of the evening showing the world that Africans can co-exist on the continent without people confirming their biases about us being warlords and despots. We can be civil with our disagreements. Everything doesn't have to be bloodshed, or rumors of hostile take-overs."

N'Jadaka excused himself with Okoye by his side.

"You were very civil, kumkani," Okoye said.

"I promised Umama that I would control my hostile tendencies here."

"She would be very pleased. Princess Yani is speaking to a delegation from the Sudan. Ambassador Udaku is with the Press Secretary for the American President."

N'Jadaka peeked at his kimoyos. He wanted to leave as soon as possible without making it glaringly obvious that he was ready to dip. His declining of the White House meeting with the President didn't sit well among the ruling Republican party.

"Kumkani!"

Mpilo rushed to him breathing heavily.

"You must come immediately," Mpilo said.

N'Jadaka quickened his steps with Okoye at his side. Mpilo led them through a throng of people and Yani rushed forward, clasping his hand in hers.

"What is it?" he said.

He squeezed a protective hand around hers and she pulled him toward another room. His family stood with other guests admiring a wall display. Ramonda stood with Dante and his uncle Bakari had taken off his glasses. Shavonne held an arm over Bakari's shoulder and they made room for N'Jadaka to move in front of them. Yani linked her arm with his.

"We didn't know this was here," Yani said.

N'Jadaka looked at a series of life-sized color photos of his mother Califia leading a Berkley BSU meeting. Her young face looked on fire like her hair as she held up a fist, her brows knitted together, and her mouth open spitting fire. A second photo connected to the first in a collage-styled presentation showed her carrying N'Jadaka on her hip. He was four years old wearing intricate cornrows and they both looked directly at whoever took the picture for a public event in Oakland. A deep inhale filled his lungs. The third image brought the handsome beauty of his father N'Jobu to life. He wore the dark ceremonial royal robes of Wakanda looking noble and fly as fuck. A fourth photo made N'Jadaka blink trying to figure out where it came from. He sported an MIT sweatshirt and his grin looked so innocent long ago. It came back to him. Chocolate City. A school paper had done an article about him and his dorm mates The final photo was a formal publicity photo of himself as the king of Wakanda. The entire collage mural threaded his Black American roots to his Wakandan roots, forming a romanticized link of the diaspora back to the motherland.

He appreciated his family becoming a historical footnote in the museum. Dante wiped his eyes and Yani wrapped an arm around him, helping the older man to reconcile the pain they felt in not having Califia and N'Jobu there with them.

The museum director approached N'Jadaka with a timid smile, her pale brown eyes dazzled by how close she stood next to him and his entourage. She down casted her gaze quickly when he stared directly at her.

"We hope you like this new installation King N'Jadaka. Unfortunately, the artist has been ill, or else he would've been here," the director said.

"Very impressive," he said.

His eyes lingered on his mother's image holding him while Ramonda gazed at N'Jobu's image. He wondered what thoughts went through her mind. Was there regret? Any remains of sadness that he had chosen someone else over her?

"Every time I see your parents, I see our children," Yani said. "You look so much like Riki in this one."

Yani reached out and let her fingers hover under the chin of his childhood image. He wanted to go home. Back to Wakanda. He whispered in Ramonda's ear and she slid next to the director to heap praises on the installation. Clasping Yani's hand, he guided his relatives toward the nearest exit. The Dora snapped to attention flanking them while the Onyx squad scanned for any problems.

Five dark SUVs pulled up to the side of the museum with Kingsguard drivers. Their entire party was whisked away to a luxury hotel in the heart of the capital and they disembarked in an underground parking garage to avoid paparazzi.

N'Jadaka entered his suite with Yani, and their children tackled him onto the floor wearing their pajamas. Dante watched them from a couch for a few minutes before standing up.

"I'm heading to bed, JaJa. What time do you need me to be ready for Joba's grandma?" Dante asked.

"She's arriving with the rest of Disa's family in the half cruiser around noon. We'll pick up some family in St. Thomas and Jamaica too before we travel back to Wakanda. The wedding rehearsal happens on Wednesday instead of Thursday."

"Yani's still doing the Today show interview?"

"Yes," Yani said, pulling Sydette from on top of N'Jadaka's head, "It's the only place I'm promoting the book."

Dante looked surprised.

N'Jadka gave Yani a look to take the children to their shared junior suite. Dante watched the family leave and he moved closer to his grandson.

"What's going on?" Dante asked.

"I don't want Yani in this country any longer than she has to be. We have some credible threats here in the states, and we're doing some culling of problems."

"Culling? You mean killing right?"

N'Jadaka glanced over his shoulder. Yani's voice gently scolded the children from being so hyper and loud before bed.

"Grandpop, things are escalating. Neutralizing threats will become more common for me."

"I don't have any issues with that."

N'Jadaka nodded.

"I'm turning in. See ya in the morning."

"I'm sleeping in."

"That doesn't surprise me."

He squeezed his grandfather's shoulder and watched the older man shuffle off to the adjoining door that led to another private suite. A Dora on night duty greeted Dante and closed the suite door behind him.

N'Jadaka stepped into the bedroom with his children frolicking across two queen beds. Sydette bounced on hers and played with her kimoyo beads while Riki and Joba tried to sidestep Yani's attempts to get them under the covers. N'Jadaka clapped his hands and all three children stopped goofing around and centered their attention on him. Yani placed hands on her hips, her long extensions fallen over one shoulder.

"Hey, what's going on in here? Mama said it's time for bed. Stop playing around."

"You promised us a story," Joba said.

He sighed and tread softly to the younger children's bed and plopped down on it. Pulling Joba onto his lap, he nuzzled his chin on top of her head. She touched his cheek.

"Are you too tired Baba? We can wait for another time," Joba said.

Her soft voice and soft hands brought forth all the mental exhaustion of the day.

"Thank you, Sunshine," he said.

He kissed Joba's cheek and she scrambled under the covers next to her brother. Riki patted his hand and he stroked the boy's braids.

"Night, Baba," Sydette said.

His oldest climbed under thick blankets and blew him a kiss. He pretended to catch it and place it lovingly on his cheek.

"Tomorrow you will go with Grandpop to have breakfast with Uncle Bakari and Aunt Shavonne, then Grandma Theresa will arrive and we'll all meet up for lunch," Yani said.

"When are we leaving this place?" Riki asked.

"Soon," N'Jadaka said. "Get some sleep."

All the children looked relieved. He slipped his hand over Yani's and pulled her out of the room, turning off the lights and closing the bedroom door. Yani threw her arms around his waist and they hugged each other, allowing their mutual warmth and affection to flow through one another. He had his family back.

N'Jadaka's sleep was interrupted not by a sound, but by the missing softness removed from his side. Opening his eyes, he spread his hand out feeling for Yani. A toilet flushed from the bathroom outside of the hotel bedroom and she padded in quietly, closing the door before re-joining him. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand he was surprised to see it was only three in the morning. His body felt like it had slept later than that. He spooned back around Yani's lush form and they threaded the fingers of their right hands together, tucking them under her breasts.

The TV they watched before nodding off played a twenty-four hour news channel. Broadcasts of his visit stayed on loop most of the night, but the current images flashing onscreen highlighted the weather and celebrity gossip.

"At the end of this week we will be married," he whispered into Yani's ear.

She giggled and pushed her rump against his crotch.

"Queen Yani and King N'Jadaka," he said. "Nervous?"

"A little. Our counseling sessions with Elder Efetebo gave me a lot to think about. Umama and Ramonda have helped me too. Feels like I'm a part of something bigger than anything I have ever known in Wakanda…and yet…"

N'Jadaka reached over and turned on a lamp. He turned her face toward him.

"What is it?"

Yani's eyes watered and she blinked quickly. Two small tears trekked a lonely trail down her round cheeks. He kissed them away and cuddled her in his body heat and strength. She continued speaking in a low voice.

"At times…I know many still see us as outsiders on the noble court. They don't come for mi like they used to in the beginning, but I see it in their eyes. I know they want you take a Wakandan concubine. As modern and visionary as our country is, they hold on to these old timey ways to discredit our reign. I can see if they don't want Sweet Pea to have claim to the throne, but Riki and Joba have the bloodline in them. That should be enough. They want you to have a legally sanctioned child with a second wife to make the new line more legitimate…more Wakandan than diaspora. Everyone is scared to say this to your face, so that is the only thing that keeps them in line."

"Zola and Ilana tell you this?"

"They tell me everything. They love us."

"I've been on the elders' asses about that shit."

"There's only so much they can do. They can't stop other people from talking what they feel to be true in their hearts. A segment of the population will always see us diluting the bloodline."

"I will have Zola and Ilana tell me who the gossipmongers are and I will cast them out on their asses."

Yani sighed and burrowed into his arms.

"That will only make them feel justified and maybe cause more trouble for me in the palace. I will deal with it in mi own way."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. Right now I'm a weak piece on the chess board. But once that royal isicholo is on my head, I will have more power to play a different position. I won't need to run to you all the time complaining."

"You don't run to me."

She rubbed his bicep and kissed the skin there on his arm.

"I can stand on my own. I have to in order to survive the politics as queen. The more time I spend in the throne room with you, I see why you wanted me there so much."

"Does it overwhelm you?"

"Sometimes. The Council of Elders are so particular…so strict. Like I said, we have the most modern country and I can't get over how backwards they can be with a willful adherence to tradition without even considering the impact of our population being made up of so many young citizens. Nearly half of our citizens are under the age of twenty. Even before the Infinity War. These young people are hungry for change. They want to create new traditions. Look at Zola and Ilana, my staunchest supporters…their desire for new things spills over into every conversation we have together. So much goes on back home and yet, we both have to deal with the rest of the world's problems too. I tell myself I'm up to the challenge, that I can multitask and handle every little fire that breaks out in the Court of Nobles, but it can look daunting at times."

"We have each other. We have our family. There's nothing we can't get through together. I put us all in hell and we climbed back out… you and me. I plan on protecting you Yani, and providing you with anything you need for yourself or our children. The nation will know your power and influence for generations to come. I mean…look at your book tour. The world knows who you are…"

Yani's eyes drifted away from N'Jadaka's face. She reached for the tv remote on the nightstand and turned up the volume on a previously broadcasted segment. Onscreen a male news anchor out of D.C. spoke over a background image of N'Jadaka back in his Killmonger days. Mercenary fatigues covered his body and his short locs had barely curled over his forehead.

"They outed you," Yani said.

N'Jadaka listened to the anchor list his accomplishments at MIT and the Navy before cutting to alleged covert missions for various off-the-grid companies and ghost units. He sat up on the bed as a female political analyst sat in front of an image of the Pentagon. She shared a clip of N'Jadaka's speech to the U.N. and inferred that the Wakandan king's connection to the C.I.A. and mercenary past would prove to be a detriment to African nations seeking true democracy. The overall segment painted N'Jadaka in an unsavory light.

"…King N'Jadaka has stated publicly at the latest U.N. gathering in Geneva that he will continue to interfere with African nations that are in turmoil. Our government can't afford to have Wakanda becoming the world police if the U.N. can't rally around the support of ending genocide in the Congo or demanding that Rwanda and Uganda stop their pillaging of coltan in that region. His calling out of multinationals is dangerous to the progress America is making to help the DRC put an end to the loss of life there. We've sat on the sidelines long enough waiting to see what direction Wakanda will move in since the mysterious ousting of King T'Challa, and now that we know the full background of the rebel king…this by the way is what he is known as in Mohannda and Niganda. Those two nations also have large deposits of colbalt, coltan, and uranium, and their leaders have hinted King N'Jadaka may wage war to secure those resources just like he hoards vibranium from the rest of the world."

"Janice, are you suggesting that King N'Jadaka's background as a C.I.A. operative may provoke a World War Three scenario in the future? He is in our country right now, in this city exactly with other African leaders and Black politicians from around the world. You really believe he will bring us to the brink of another global disaster after we've gone through so much?"

"He is a threat to our national security and the security of other African countries who desire peace and free-trade without violence. It is our duty to protect those people, and to protect the leadership who want to sell resources that benefit all. We are all witnessing the emergence of a secretive superpower under the leadership of a man we trained in black ops and who has no allegiance to anyone. I find this disconcerting and frankly, Bill, I'm shocked at how casual the leadership in this country is taking this troubling revelation."

"Excluding his recent U.N. speech, King N'Jadaka has only spoken out publicly against the on-going genocidal war in the DRC. As far as we know, he hasn't done anything outright on the continent of Africa that should warrant the type of forceful caution you are suggesting. Why are you so adamant about this discourse in the capital?"

"Wakanda is an unknown factor in global conflicts to date. U.S. officials and the Pentagon would like to see it stay that way, but King N'Jadaka appears to be rattling his saber. His training and access to the most powerful weaponry on earth scares me. It should scare everyone, especially with his negative views toward the United States…the land of his birth."

"Genius…decorated solder…Navy SEAL…C.I.A. operative…mercenary…king…you've given us a lot to think about with your upcoming book about Wakanda's place in geopolitics."

"Here's something else to think about. King N'Jadaka —Erik Stevens when he was an American—used to have Tony Stark as a mentor."

"Iron Man?"

"Yes."

"Are you implicating the billionaire superhero in anything to do with King N'Jadaka's spectacular political trajectory?"

"I'm only pointing out how entrenched the Wakandan king is within bleeding edge technology in the military arms race and his close proximity to someone many found problematic years ago as an industrialist. Who knows if these two men are still in contact with one another? Tony Stark should be called to Washington to answer pertinent questions about his past with this king."

N'Jadaka flicked the off button for the tv. Yani placed it back on the nightstand.

"They've been sitting on this shit for a year. Been wondering when the C.I.A. would drop it in the court of public opinion. Of course that bitch pushes her upcoming book during the last leg of your international book tour. I bet all of your book sales that Everett Ross had a hand in being a ghostwriter for it."

"Will they connect me with your mercenary past? Klaue?"

"No. Klaue used aliases on St. Thomas."

"What if they ask you about how we met?"

N'Jadaka lifted a long braid from Yani's face and tucked it behind her ear.

"I was on vacation in paradise and met you…a beautiful island girl. We fell in love and that's all there is to it."

Yani kissed his lips gently and rolled back on her side. He curled around her and they snuggled for a bit. He whispered in her ear.

"I don't want you to worry about anything that woman said. They've been looking to smear me every chance they get. It doesn't take away from those who support and believe in us."

She nodded into his arm and he kissed her temple.

"These people can only speculate from afar. We'll always be ahead of them. The only thing I want you thinking about is how you'll look in that wedding dress when I see you walking down the aisle," he said.

"That woman on tv tried to make you look like a monster, but all of your achievements only made you look like a man they should praise."

"I came up out the mud and took my talents to the last place they expected. They're starting to see what Africa could become once I get these wars abolished. Africa has always been the center of the world. Once we get the rest of these colonial shackles off her feet, I'll make her flex."

"You sound like you want to be king of the motherland."

"Don't tempt me."

Yani glanced back at him.

"Would you do something like that?"

"No more talk about the world. The sun hasn't come up yet and the children are still asleep."

N'Jadaka smashed his lips against hers and hurriedly slipped his tongue in her mouth to hush more inquiries. Her watery mouth tasted of 7-Up that she must've snuck a sip of from the suite's mini-fridge. His mind slowed down the way it always did when he kissed her. The heartbeat thumps in his chest matched the speed of hers. His long locs fanned out around her face and his Golden Jaguar necklace claws grazed her throat. Yani hummed into his mouth while sucking his tongue and he gasped at the initial thickening of his dick.

Pulling away, he stared down at her face, taking in the wide round eyes with curling lashes that fluttered whispery kisses against his neck as he kissed her forehead.

"I hate when we're apart," he said.

"I know."

"I love being with you like this when the children are in the next room asleep and safe…when no one from the outside bothers us. I can have you all to myself…oohhh…."

Yani slid her hands down his chest and squeezed the growing bulge in his pajama bottoms. He leaked a growing spot of precum and she toyed with it through the silk barrier. Her fingers became sticky and slick. He groaned and murmured her name into her hair, lifting his body higher so he could watch her hand do wonders teasing his erection.

Resting against her, he slid his fingers across her chest, fondling her breasts through her gauzy nightgown top. He pulled down on it until her titties spilled out, the plump nipples feeling like fat grapes on his fingertips. Pinching and plucking at them gently, he played with her breasts until he was ready for more. He climbed above her and pushed his groin into her mound, the friction swelling his dick until it poked out of the waist band on its own. He tugged his pajama pants down and gripped the thick erection in his eager hand. Yani lifted off her gown and he pushed the covers back so he could see the blessed globes jiggle.

"Oh shit," he groaned.

He pressed the tip of his dick against her pierced clit and a glistening long thread of precum shined up her labia. Swiping the bulbous head back and forth, he smeared the clear fluid on her fat vulva like icing on a chocolate cake. Yani shifted her big thighs and her ass cheeks jiggled. He smacked the underside hard and the recoil from that position forced a heavy moan from his lips. She had gained weight. He knew her trip back to St. Thomas and Jamaica meant eating good childhood food, and his woman didn't miss nary a meal. It was a gift to him no doubt.

Kicking off his pajama bottoms all the way, N'Jadaka played with Yani's breasts and labia until he was ready to penetrate the pretty pink opening flashing at him. Yani turned on her side and he parted her labia with one fluid motion of his dick sinking deep into her. She whimpered at the stretching of her walls after a long absence.

"I won't go crazy, baby…I promise. Too many people close around," he huffed.

Her pussy accommodated his girth with a tight wetness he was accustomed to having mold like a second skin around his dick. All he could think of was President Mubiri ogling Yani's body, especially her ass. It looked so round and ripe in her dress. He thrust forward knowing that man would never know pussy as sweet and juicy as the one sheathing his exceptional length. Only kings deserved the clenching his dick received at that moment.

"Yani….dassit…baby…damn…"

He grit his teeth trying to keep from shouting. Lowering his head, he dropped his face into the back of her neck and muffled his vocal straining. In and out…her perfect gushy cavern squelched and he dug in deeper, wanting to hear the sounds of his balls smacking her ass.

"Fuck…girl…"

She arched her back and he smothered his body over hers, preventing her from taking control and making him nut too quick. His dick needed to marinate in her pussy. He held Yani's back against his chest and reveled in the snug pussy cradling his dick. Keeping still, he played with her clit without thrusting, making her indulge in the pressure off all that meat stuffed inside of her. She huffed into her pillow and wiggled her hips, but he kept her anchored against him without mercy.

"You miss Daddy's dick?" he asked.

"Yes."

She whimpered pitiful sounds and clawed the sheets, eventually wilting in his arms. His dick could stay hard for hours, the gift from the heart-shaped herb's power flowing through his blood. He rested in her walls for an hour, teasing her clit and whispering nasty things in her ear. She started crying from the delicate teasing of his fingers all over her jewel-pierced vulva for such a long time without release.

"You betta not cum until I tell you…okay?"

"Okay…okay…I can't take much more…"

She bit into his arm and the heat from her mouth made him chuckle. Yani sat on the edge of her orgasm. Her legs shook from the anticipation. He needed the slow revving from her to keep himself in check.

They shared a sex routine they always adhered to on their reunions since their year of living together in the palace. It was a way to protect her pussy from his veracity. He was never allowed to cum in her pussy first when they joined. It took too much out of her to handle him regularly, so he learned to control his first release and saved it for her submission to him on her knees. The king's affirmation was always a facial for his beautiful queen.

If Yani orgasmed too quickly first, he would head straight to pound town, spurting too much semen that always released the beast in him. Uniting their bodies in slow methodical build ups kept him manageable for her. As he resumed stroking her walls after the long delay of cockwarming, he kept tabs on his arousal levels. When it was time to shift the pace before he wore her down, he pulled his dick from her precious pink sanctuary. Yani scrambled off the bed to submit to his need for dominance.

He moved his legs over the bed and spread his thighs wider, giving Yani room to position her knees on the floor properly in front of him. She offered him her tits, smacking them together playfully, and he fondled a nipple, fisting his dick, and watching her big beautiful brown eyes stare up at him.

"I love you like this…looking up at me…yeah baby…open that mouth…stick out your tongue…yeah, just like that. You gon' let me fuck that pussy some more after this?"

She nodded, looking innocent and expectant.

"Sexy ass…" he hissed.

He bent down and kissed her and she sucked on his lower lip, tugging on the skin with her teeth. Pulling back he shoved his dick down her throat, the girth hallowing out her cheeks on both sides as she sucked and worked her neck. She smacked her lips against his tip, releasing it with a loud pop and a sliding of her tongue across her top lip.

"Suck dick so good…suck it some more…right there…let me stretch that mouth. Stop playing with it Yani, take that shit the right way…"

He reached out and softly slapped the side of her mouth and she gave him a sly grin and licked the underside of his thick ridge. He grabbed her hair then, yanking on the braids to remind her of her place. She hit that itchy sensitive part of his dick with the friction of her scandalous tongue. The thinnest part of the dermis seemed to rest there in that spot that gave her tongue-tip the secret combination to start making his dick leak with clear fluid again. His erection was like a rigid pole vault in her mouth and he was so ready to dismount with a fat nut. Yani hummed, and slowly licked along the sides of his dick. His breathing quickened to a pace that alarmed him. She was beginning to control him, making him react like a desperate man under her spell, and that was being disobedient. Her bratty behavior couldn't be corrected in the heat of her deep throating him. That would require major spanking and loud cursing. The last thing he wanted was for their children and security team to hear him curse a blue streak while spanking Yani's ass. She wanted him to hurry up and ejaculate so she could ride his dick and cum.

A surge of semen rose up through his balls. He slapped Yani again for putting a super charged gwak-gwak 3000 on him too soon. She became obedient again and squeezed his fat sack, staving off his release. He thought about letting her milk him and cumming in her mouth, but the decadent and demanding king wanted to paint her face with hot semen when he was ready. It was his way…he craved the ritual of it between them, and also because he knew a little secret about her.

He grinned slyly thinking about it.

Yani had been sneakily watching old videos of him with past lovers. Months earlier he had scanned old computers that he planned on destroying until his spyware cam detected unusual activity in secret files. The spycam revealed Yani's viewrship and he chuckled at the thought of her using him for her personal porn collection. He said nothing, and left the old computers where they stayed in their home, pretending to ignore them as old artifacts from his past life. The most viewed images were his cum shots on women's faces, and he clocked the intense looks of pleasure on her face when he did it to her. She loved submitting to him that way and it was a great help to their energetic sex life. Lovemaking wasn't as frequent as it used to be because their lives were so busy, but the intensity increased because of it.

Yani continued the arousing slow sucking. He watched her glossy plump lips slide back and forth across the top half of his dick. Her fawning eyes stayed locked on his, riling up his body because she made the act of dick sucking look so illicit. So pornographic.

Every now and then she would stop sucking and rubbed her lips back and forth across the mushroom cap creating a delicious tickling. His balls throbbed. She twisted her fingers around the head to give him new sensations, never once breaking eye contact. Yani knew how to chip away his defenses by giving off innocent vibes. She'd stay on her knees looking up at him with her big titties all out, nipples perky and offered to him like delectable appetizers. That look took him back to St. Thomas and the first time he ever touched her. His dick felt heavy between his legs. Thoughts of her back then being a little spitfire towards him ratcheted up his emotions for her in the present. In six days he would wed the most beautiful, cunning, and loving woman he had ever had to call his own. She latched onto him like a ride or die and he never wanted her to be that way ever again. She deserved better…she deserved more from him. His best. No, he would be a ride or die for her. Always.

He palmed her breasts and squeezed them. Lifted them up and down. Thumbing her nipples with wide circles, he listened to her breathy pants of pleasure. She stroked his dick. Yani would soon be the composed queen of a mighty nation in public, but at night, she would always be his nasty little slut…on her knees begging for Daddy dick to be stuffed in all of her orifices. That turned him on as he pushed her tits together. Her eyes were glassy. Lips pouted. She reached down and peeled back the wings of her inner labia giving him peek-a-boo glimpses of her wet pink. She needed his dick and slapped her pussy lips to ignite a wild fire in him.

"Taste mi," she purred.

Yani held up her wet fingers scented with her love and he licked them, opening his mouth wider so she could stuff three digits inside to paint his tongue with the dew. He swallowed her offering and she traced the shape of his lips with her own until the swollen skin on his lips itched for more.

"Killmonger."

Her moist lips pushed out the air to say that name. It ended him. He jumped to his feet and leveled the deep slit of his dick toward her cheek.

"Yani! Fuck! Fuck!"

Hollering out more expletives, a rush of thick hot cum splashed all over the side of her face. It dripped down to her neck in a sticky white deluge. He gulped for air and groaned to the ceiling.

Cumming on her face soothed the raging libido in N'Jadaka long enough for him to gather Yani in his arms and put her back on the bed. She leaned on her side again. Curling around her ass, he lifted her heavy thigh and pushed back inside her pussy.

"…fucking this pussy…."

He groaned and pumped, letting his lust take over, grateful he ejaculated on her face first because he would've broke her back if he hadn't. She took the pounding like a graceful queen, fully aware that he was lost in the pussy, her pleasure forgotten because her loving blotted out all of his senses. He took advantage of his selfishness because once she became queen, their sex life would switch over to ancient protocols that dictated that the queen had to cum first with her pussy being eaten before the king could even put his dick inside of her. Yani looked forward to that, and he plowed into her knowing that he had a week left to be a bedroom bully.

He smacked her ass cheek harder, talked his shit in her ear and knew his dick tugged on her labia long enough. The king pushed her onto her back and mounted her with one purpose: to hear her scream his name in his ear.

"Cum all over this big dick. Show me how much you love me."

Rocking into her, he held onto her bouncing tits and they both watched him pump long strokes into quivering walls. Her mouth fell open and he crushed her with his full weight. Her lips brushed against his ear and he waited to her that old name of his called out.

It didn't take long.

"Killmonger…Killmonger…fuck me…fuck me Killmonger…."

The silky muscular walls of her pussy squeezed around his dick in a constant flow of contractions that only added to his pleasure listening to her cry out for more. The ecstasy of her voice spiraled him out of his soul.

Hunched over her, N'Jadaka pressed his face into her pillow and roared into the cotton. His dick swelled inside of her and the intense throbbing rippled all the way to his anus and down the back of his ankles. He gasped like he was dying, mashing Yani's breasts into his sweaty chest and enjoying the rooted sensation of his balls throbbing and pushing out semen.

"Goddammit," he sputtered into her hair.

His eyes rolled back into watery sockets that blurred his vision. He rolled over and she climbed on top of him, breasts swinging in his face. Yani bounced on his dick and he thrust up to meet her passionate energy. He settled into sucking on her nipples and areola, letting her rock the bed with her own efforts. She gave him nurturing with the fucking, cooing to him and rubbing his locs.

"My man works so hard…you like your queen taking care of the royal dick, Daddy?"

He nodded, groaning at her soft accent and the way her pussy yanked on his dick with perfect timing. She went at his stiffness at the speed and depth that was comfortable for her and he submitted to whatever she wanted to give him. He watched the up and down movements and admired how shiny she made his dick. Her sticky wetness overflowed and made his lap slippery. The sounds of a fat ass smacking on his balls pleased his ears.

Yani leaned forward and her breasts covered his face entirely, smothering him in buttery softness like a fleshy curtain hiding him from the world. Grateful to be hidden inside her warmth, he relaxed into letting go of all of stresses, all of his problems, all of his worries. He let his queen carry him away to physical delights that poured life back into him. That's what she had always been for him. A life giver. A true goddess the way Tahir had called her.

He started hollering and Yani slammed her hand over his mouth. His heels pressed down into the mattress and his toes curled. Yani panted above him, her voice going up an octave as her second release ascended its peak.

"I'm cumming! I'm cumming on your dick, Killmonger!"

She whipped her head back and forth. Arching her back, her nails clawed his chest.

"Oh, God….oh god! Killmonger…!"

He grabbed her arms and pressed her against his chest. Thrusting his hips upward, he forced Yani to take all the dick as her pussy contracted and milked every drop of cum he shot into her. Their cries of lust co-mingled into an ancient primordial release.

N'Jadaka's voice became hoarse and Yani cradled his face and kissed him, uniting all of their parts together. Her slow languid kisses centered him once more. He hugged her tight, his face mashed into her breasts, and she rubbed his head. They both could feel his stiff dick still throbbing inside of her.

"Can you take more?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Go to the restroom and come on back," he said.

He smacked her ass cheek and she climbed off of him.

Waiting for her to urinate and put special lubricants on her vulva and inside her vagina, N'Jadaka stretched his body. His dick fell back onto his stomach, the head pulsing and dribbling semen above his belly button.

"Fuck, I miss this shit," he said to himself.

Yani returned and they kissed. He licked a trail down to her pussy and pampered her with plenty of earned licks and kisses. The sweet odor of the lubricant she used to protect her womanly parts excited him. He blew a soft breath on her clit and the lubricant warmed up on her vulva adding more pleasure to their adult play time. The pale lighting of the sky heralded the new morning. Yani came in his mouth with her thighs covering his head.

Before the children arose to greet them, Yani rode his dick reverse cowgirl so he could watch the new weight of her backside gleam from the sunlight. Each time she rose up, he watched how tight her pussy gripped his dick. He kept quiet, swallowing his groans, nearly crying himself looking at how big her ass had gotten. N'Jadaka knew the weight gain wasn't from pregnancy. They had been apart since her last period, but he imagined how she would look with pregnancy weight. He liked her chunky and round like a butterball. Her weight had fluctuated over the last year, but it had settled down in the last two months until she did her book tour.

He watched the massive orbs of jiggly ass cheeks bounce on him. It was insane to have a body like that. But it was all his. Her voluptuous gifts belonged to him.

A new thought floated in his mind.

Part of the royal protocols meant that Yani wouldn't be permitted to take birth control during their wedding and honeymoon. Any child conceived during the first month of marriage to a royal couple was a sign of a prosperous future. The world was missing billions of people. Wakanda needed to repopulate. That meant she couldn't be on the contraceptive shots Wakandans used. She would already be weaned off of it to match the timing of their wedding.

He could get her pregnant right then and there.

Yani arched her back and wiggled her backside. She studied his face over her shoulder as she made love to him in the best way for him to admire her body. His dick seemed to get harder thinking about impregnating her before the wedding.

"Do that shit, Ma. Shake that ass."

Yani giggled and tossed her braids over her one side of her head and continued watching him watch her move.

"Look at all this ass…."

She reached back and lifted her ass cheeks for him, her light pink manicured nails looking lovely splayed out to tease him by digging into the ripeness of that bubble. He smacked her butt hard. They'd been fucking for three hours after the troubling news broadcast. He gripped the sheets admiring the dimpling in her backside. If she grew bigger back there during a new pregnancy, she would probably get stretch marks. Titties would get bigger too. He remembered what they looked like filled with milk and he rubbed his large hands all across both ass cheeks, sinking his fingers into the weight.

Sweat dripped down her body and pooled around the indentations on her lower back. She wound her waist teasing the tip of his dick before sliding back down, clapping her own cheeks for him. The woman knew how to keep him satisfied. He gripped her waist and kept her bounce steady. His balls ached to release. He already knew she was fatigued but kept going because she missed him so much and wanted to show off for him longer.

"Such a good girl, Yani. You took good care of this dick. I can't wait to put some more babies in this pussy."

His loose talk brought a glance back at him. Her pussy squeezed his dick with his baby talk. He laughed.

"You heard me girl. Might get you pregnant right now if you keep playing with me like this…shit. Get down for me…just like that. Arch that back. Yeah baby, givin' me that right triangle action…yeah, there it go…head all the way down…big ass up…"

N'Jadaka wistfully stared at Yani in the doggy position, her head to the side so he could watch her face while he smashed. He held onto her waist and pushed in. They had to hurry or else there'd be a pounding on the door with three sets of feet jumping up and down to get their attention.

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

Loud. So loud.

Perspiration dropped down from his face onto her spine. His kimoyo beads lit up bright yellow. Okoye was notifying him of incoming reports from Wakanda. He had an hour before the general came to him.

He groaned once Yani hit that spot on his dick with her pussy that felt like lips and tongue suction. The queen had skills that were mindblowing. She started cumming before he did so he rode her wave of pleasure, encouraging her to squirt all over him and fuck up the covers even more with all their fluids on the blanket. He pulled out and palmed her ass, holding the tip of his dick close to her entrance where he shot ribbons of heat all over her labia. Sitting back on his haunches, he admired the way her tight pink opening throbbed and glistened with his cum covering it. She moaned softly at his gentle fingering of the pretty mess he made.

He rubbed her booty and then helped her get under the covers. Kissing her forehead he wasn't surprised to see her drift away quickly from exhaustion. She knew more than anyone it would be some time before they could be like that again until their wedding night. Once back in Wakanda there would be a whirlwind of duties and ceremonial events for their betrothal march.

His dick finally went limp.

He showered and changed into a saffron yellow lounging tunic and slacks. Kora arrived on time to get the children up and ready for breakfast with the rest of the family. He kissed them goodbye and welcomed Okoye and Ayo into the suite.

"Sit," he said.

He poured himself fresh orange juice and nibbled at some breakfast pastries his personal chef sent down from the half cruiser floating invisibly above the hotel roof. Getting comfortable in a side chair, he watched the two Doras on the couch.

Okoye tapped her beads and ten pictures of African men floated above her wrist. She flicked the images above the hotel coffee table and N'Jadaka peered at each one with stern eyes. Each man came from various nations on the continent in service of genocide and predatory exploitation. Okoye tapped each image as she spoke.

"Angola, Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Nigeria, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia. Each man neutralized as requested," Okoye said.

She gave him time to inspect the stats on each man's file report before swiping them away and bringing up targets in Eastern and Western Europe.

"Ukraine. Russia. England. France. Germany. Spain. Turkey. Italy. Norway. Sweden," Okoye said.

She went through all twelve countries in South America and ended with combined targets in the U.S. and Canada.

"Any blowback yet? Suspicions?"

Ayo spoke up.

"None kumkani. Each target was studied for months before our War Dogs acted. If there were pre-existing medical conditions, we exacerbated the problem. Others were set up with accidents or placed in precarious positions through threats of exposure. Several committed self-harm when faced with public humiliation," Ayo said.

The women led him through detailed intelligence. Yani eventually woke up and padded past a narrow hall in a long ivory robe to shower and dress. Okoye and Ayo didn't notice her.

"Kumkani, there is one more target," Okoye said.

She tapped her beads and Agent Everett Ross's image popped up along with his ex-wife, C.I.A. Director Valentina Fontaine.

N'Jadaka tapped his fingers on the arms of the chair.

"Since Nick Fury has been gone, Ross is our only reliable plant. I can't take any chances trying to turn anyone around from the inside. None of them can be trusted. Not even the Black ones," he said.

"We are on standby to neutralize them as soon as you give us word," Okoye said.

"I want Ross dead, but not until I've used him up. As long as he thinks he's cool with us, I'll string him along. We can use him to get intel on Fontaine. She's making waves in the intelligence community and they're still somewhat close from what we've gathered so far."

"He wants to meet with you before you leave," Okoye said.

"Nah. I have no desire to talk with him. Just tell him I'm busy with my nuptials and will be unavailable for a month. I'm honeymooning with Yani in Umbono Cove on the houseboat. I don't want to be bothered with anything. Ramonda will oversee everything in my absence. Understood?"

They nodded.

A knock at the entrance door brought them all into guarded attention. Ayo answered. N'Jadaka spotted an Onyx Squad captain standing next to Mpilo.

"Kumkani, sorry to disturb your meeting. I have a private message from the President of the United States," Mpilo said.

N'Jadaka waved the young man over to him. Mpilo handed him a thick beige envelope with the Presidential seal on it. He read the short message inside.

"The President would like a private meeting with me too before we leave," N'Jadaka said.

"Your schedule is under tight security. We would need adequate time to set up additional protective measures inside the White House," Okoye said.

"They don't want to meet at the White House."

"Where then?"

"Camp David."

"The American Department of Defense already has additional surveillance on us since our arrival in this country. Nothing we can't handle if they try something there," Ayo said.

N'Jadaka thrummed his fingers again on the armchair.

"They've set the meeting a day after Yani's television interview."

"Will you go?" Yani interjected from behind them.

Everyone lowered their heads to Yani. She stepped into the living room area dressed in a long cozy pocket dress with vivid colors that reminded him of Black Creek in Wakanda, the place where his parents were entombed. Her hair was elaborately wrapped in a matching headwrap. She took a seat at the small dinette table by the window where their morning meal was set up. Pouring herself fruit juice, she sipped and stared at him. N'Jadaka tossed the invitation on the coffee table.

"I don't want to be bothered," he said.

"I think you should go. At least see what he wants. You won't come here again for awhile and it's time that he gets to see you in an informal place. Maybe you'll catch him off guard without all the eyes here in D.C.," Yani said.

He considered it.

"Leave us," he said.

Mpilo, the Doras , and the Onyx Squad guard removed themselves from the suite. He joined Yani at the table and they fixed themselves plates of food and ate together.

"You really want me to go?" he asked.

Yani stuffed a small Wakandan red berry pastry in her mouth.

"I think President Matthew Ellis needs to see the man that frightens him so much. Think of it as a flex if you want," Yani said.

N'Jadaka grinned.

"And people out here think you're just some sweet faced beauty on my arm," he said. "That means I won't be able to travel back home with you and the kids."

She shrugged and sipped on more juice brought from their new homeland.

"It just means I get to miss you again and we can have another reunion in our bedroom back in Birnin Zana."

He widened his legs and patted his thigh. Yani left her seat and sat on his lap. He rubbed on her booty again and rested his head on her breasts.

"I want to be on a houseboat with you…naked. Making long slow love under the moon and stars."

"We will do that soon enough."

"A whole month, you and me…partially alone."

"Don't remind me. Riki has already complained that they don't get to join us until two weeks into our honeymoon."

"Man, two weeks off with just you and me. Yeah, you definitely getting pregnant Yani."

She slapped his arm.

"Stop putting that out in the universe. We said we'd wait two more years before trying…and trying is the operative word, sir. I'm not taking the man-made contraceptive shots as tradition dictates, but I am taking precautions."

She held up the bluish drink she sipped on.

"This was given to me by Umama. Two glasses a day and it inhibits any eggs from fertilizing. You can shoot up the club and I won't be penalized for forsaking tradition…technically."

"Alright then…practice getting pregnant is good enough for me."

"Aren't three children enough for you already for the time being?"

"Nah. I'm making a whole new tribe with you."

"Easy for you to say, I'm the one who has to carry your big babies."

"I'll be right by your side spoiling you every step of the way. You make pretty babies, Yani, and my family's genes are strong. They all gonna look like me."

He kissed her neck and let his full lips linger there.

"Tell me you love me, Yani."

She cupped his chin and raised it.

"I love you."

"Say it again."

He nuzzled against her breasts and she stroked his lengthy locs.

"I love you. I love you. I love you," she said above his head.

Closing his eyes, N'Jadaka listened to Yani's heartbeat and rested in her bosom of peace.

Chapter 2 HERE.

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liquidluckandstuff · 4 months

Note

character ask game: snape?

Oh you hate me huh 😂 Thanks for the ask. Ask Game

one aspect about them i love:

He is legitimely so fuckin funny. I love when people write him, I love his sass, I love the way he walks like he really don't give a fuck.

one aspect i wish more people understood about them:

I really wish people would pretend like he was only this abused kid in hogwarts. yes he was abused but he was ALSO a horrible person. One thing does not cancel out the other. He needed to be removed from a bad situation but also he needed his ass kicked a little (for the right reasons. Not because he was a death eater supporter). Bully him for supporting dark lords not because he is an emo kid.

one (or more) headcanon i have about this character:

I really really really do love him when he is like... almost op powerful. Like I have a love hate relationship with the guy, but he needs to be one of the smartest people in the room okay?

as well as

one character i love seeing them interact with:

Harry. Like please be sassy to each other. Tough love that kid. Stick up for him one minute and yell at him the next. That dude needs paternal love and literally no one steps up to bat.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more:

hmmm I really wanna see Lily kick his ass

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character

He really is just a terrible teacher. He really really is. I have had many a professor that were BRILLIANT at their craft... terrible teachers. It goes beyond "oh they can't see the board" No he is very much a terrible teacher.

The fact that anyone passes his class at all is a miracle. Harry getting what he got on his OWLS just proves how hardworking and smart Harry is not how well of a teacher Snape is. If this was a real teaching situation he would have been let go SO fast because he really is just that terrible.

I hate it when people go to teach but never took a teaching class in your life. You think it's easy? You really think you can just go up in front of kids and just expect them to learn? No. Nope. Fuck him for that alone. Fuck Dumbledore for doing that. Those kids need an EDUCATION and they were robbed.

Hogwarts really has gone to the dogs. I'll say that about most the professors too do NOT get me started.

#ask game #snape #Severus Snape #love hate relationship okay?

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themattress · 9 months

Text

youtube

Clips from the videos I recently linked to.

Out of all the main characters, Nomura and Oka's writing in Kingdom Hearts III (and the preceding Dream Drop Distance + 0.2 Birth by Sleep for that matter) significantly derailed five of them, four of whom the video above discusses and the other whom I'll bring up myself.

Axel then: A deeply selfish guy whose pursuit of his own agenda above all else puts him into conflict with others, even his own friends. Has a fiery (heh) side but is usually cool and collected, with a dry, sarcastic sense of humor, and is very smart and calculating.

Axel now: Honestly still selfish but in a bratty petulant way rather than a mature interesting way, and the narrative pretends like this isn't the case and portrays him as this great guy and wonderful friend. He's also hot-headed dumbass whose style of humor is more "wacky", based in catchphrases and self-aware jokes. Yes, I'm aware he has a heart now, but that explaining the difference doesn't work when the series is now claiming he had a heart all along as a Nobody anyway! If Lea's gonna call himself "Axel", he oughta resemble him more!

Kairi then: Spunky and sassy. Prone to reckless actions due to following her heart without thinking. Will fight to the teeth against any enemy trying to chain her down and will always use her agency every chance she gets, even if it's simply sending a letter. While she obviously loves Sora, she cares deeply for others too and does all she can to help them.

Kairi now: Meek and polite, a "Yamato nadeshiko" type. Frantic and self-doubting, to the point of freezing up in combat. Greatest contribution is "believing really hard" rather than doing anything, and who will write a flowery love letter for the sake of it but never send it. Her care for others is de-emphasized in favor of her love for Sora, even though he barely if ever thinks or talks about her when she isn't right in front of him, making her look pathetic.

Riku then: Starts out as a rude, arrogant jerk who uses darkness and falls prey to it, ends up a still rude but humbled and considerate guy who overcomes his darkness and turns it into a unique power of twilight. At peace with following his heart more ("which is Sora-esque").

Riku now: Totally polite, nigh-infallible hero who just uses plain darkness, not twilight, without consequence. Acts like a dull stick in the mud who barely shows emotion from the heart.

Sora then: Just a regular kid/teenager. Could be kind of a dumbass but not to the point of chronic idiocy that's always being made fun of. Reacted proportionately to events around him and was prone to bouts of depression that he covers up with his usual cheerful attitude.

Sora now: More childish than he should be at his age. Stereotypical shonen Idiot Hero, to the point of everyone making fun of him for it. Reacts over-the-top and excited to everything, is seldom if ever depressed about anything short of people dying. "Weak" yet OP all at once.

Ansem, Seeker of Darkness then: Profoundly arrogant in order to cover for his insecurities. Feels as though everything he does is justified. Cares for no-one but himself + darkness.

Ansem, Seeker of Darkness now: Will openly admit to his insecurities and stow his pride. Knows and acknowledges what he does as evil. Apparently cares for "Subject X", and Riku to a degree, plus chides Ansem the Wise for his cold treatment of others. Seems on board with Xehanort's plan which evidently is meant to safeguard the worlds against darkness.

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five-rivers · 1 year

Text

Cryptid Crawl! Chapter 2

See on AO3 for better formatting. Tumblr ate it for some reason.

For @aggressivelyclueless @going-dead @currentlylurking

AMITY OF AMITY PARK: A Friendly Helping Hand

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Forums -> Human Affairs -> Tourism -> Tourism Problems

Thread: MASSIVE PROBLEM

Cynosure (OP): @MOD I’m not sure if this is the right place for this thread, so don’t snipe me, but I’m kind of freaking out right now. Apparently this big paranormal show is coming to Amity. They’re always garbage, I know, but what if they actually see something? We already have so many stupid tourists. This thing is viewed nationally.

Pharaoh (MOD): Mod here. OP, we’re going to need some more detail if we’re going to figure out what to do, if anything. Unfortunately, we can’t actually stop outsiders from coming in.

merknlurk: we could if you weren’t a coward

Pharaoh (MOD): Once again, we’re not killing anyone.

Bog Mummy: Hey OP how do you even know this. Are you watching this show.

Cynosure (OP): Take your bad grammar and stuff it. I’m looking for a good link now.

Phantom (MOD): Is this that Cryptid Crawl thing? If so don’t worry about it. National or not no one takes those guys seriously. We just have to play unfriendly locals and steer them away from any fights.

Cynosure (OP): I’ve never heard of Cryptid Crawl before. I’m talking about this.

Phantom (MOD): ****.

[Video starts, showing two young men standing in front of a bank of old CRT television sets. The sets initially show static, but moving humanoid figures can soon be distinguished in them. Eventually, letters resolve from the static to spell out ‘The Investigation.’ Video shifts to a montage of the same two young men in various locations. Locations include: an underground area shot in night vision, a bridge during the day, walking around a field with backpacks and EMF sensors. The montage fades out, then fades back in to reveal an office-like space with several conspiracy cork boards. The two young men walk in. Both are wearing flannel shirts with the sleeves rolled up. They are joined by a third extremely tall man who is wearing a trench coat and turtleneck sweater. While the other two men are posed naturally, looking directly at the camera, and smiling, the third man has a thousand-yard stare and is standing completely straight. Words at the bottom of the screen briefly identify them as Ned, Azrael, and Jimmy.]

NED: Welcome, investigators, to the first half of our very first two-parter.

AZRAEL: And to those of you joining us for the first time this very special day, welcome to our Investigation into all things paranormal. I’m Az, and this is my older brother Ned.

NED: And this is our best friend Jimmy.

JIMMY: Hng.

NED: You’re right, we’re not paid for introductions. What we are paid for is investigating the truth behind paranormal events all across America. So. Az, tell us. What are we doing this week? Where are we headed?

AZRAEL: This week we’re not headed anywhere.

NED: What? But we’ve got to go somewhere.

AZRAEL: And we will! You see, we’re going to be filming the second half of our two-parter live, on location, in the most haunted city in the world: Amity Park, Illinois.

NED: Allegedly haunted. And why aren’t we going this week?

AZRAEL: Because if we went this week, we wouldn’t have time to tell our viewers the whole, supernatural history of Amity Park. That’s how haunted this place is. We can’t even summarize it in one hour.

NED (crosses his arms): It sounds like Az fell for the hype machine, huh, Jimmy?

JIMMY: Hng.

AZRAEL: I did not fall for the hype machine.

NED: You’ve been tourist trapped, little bro.

AZRAEL: Shut up and let me show you my research, okay? By the end, Jimmy will be agreeing with me. But first, I want to let you know we won’t be the only investigators, little i, on the scene. We’ve got some rivals.

The Smart Twin: Hey, I hate to be that guy, but there’s more. A whole bunch of the usual suspects were really insulted by the whole Cryptid Crawl thing. And they’ve teamed up this time.

Cynosure (OP): Are you telling me there’s three groups of weirdos about to descend on this town? Three? We already have the GIW and the Fentons. If we get any more, we’ll hit some kind of weirdo critical mass.

Phantom (MOD): Hey!

Thecooltwin: Guess that tells us its thename thief today

The Smart Twin: Anyway, the clip I saw is here.

[Video starts, showing seven young people and a tiger standing in various power poses. Video has a ‘static’ effect filter. Dramatic, spooky music plays. The title ‘Groovy Ghost Blasters Extreme’ fades in.]

VOICEOVER: WELCOME TO THE GROOVIEST BLASTIEST EXTREMEST GHOST TEAM AROUND. WE GIVE YOU VID. THRASH. DOWNLOAD. BRENNER. SULLIVAN. ANDY. FRAN. SCAREDY CAT! PREPARE FOR EXTREME. GHOST. ACTION. IN AMITY PARK. IN ONE WEEK. NO CRYPTIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDS! SCREW YOU CRAWLEY! YOU SUCK!

VOICEOVER (more quietly and in a completely different tone): BroughttoyoubyGhostBlastersUnlimitedCorporationinpartnershipwiththeGroovyGangandGhostbreakersExtremethisisnotanendorsementofviolencegoodbye.

Phantom (MOD): ****!

Phrontist (MOD): @Phantom (MOD) Please stop swearing, there are little kids on this server and they look up to you.

Phantom (MOD): I’m not swearing I’m just saying ****.

Phantom (MOD): ****?

Phantom (MOD): ****

Phantom (MOD): @Pharaoh (MOD) Did you do this?

Pharaoh (MOD): Oops, I forgot about that.

Phantom (MOD): We’re in the middle of a crisis and you do this to me. Unbelievable.

JACK FENTON: this gives me a great idea!!!!!!!!! :)

[@JACK FENTON has been permanently banned.]

[@JACK FENTON has been restricted from viewing forum posts.]

Phrontist (MOD): I’m not angry. I just want to know who gave him access to the forums again.

Phantom (MOD): ****.

Pharaoh (MOD): Crud, I thought I fixed that. I’ll be back on it after I figure out how Mr. Not Supposed to Be Here got back in.

Phantom (MOD): Oh you did. I’m just swearing for real now.

AMITY OF AMITY PARK: A Friendly Helping Hand

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Forums -> Community Alerts -> Paranormal Investigators

Thread: Paranormal Investigator Discussion Board (PINNED)

Phantom (MOD) (OP): As you may have heard by now, three separate groups of out of town paranormal investigators will be coming to Amity Park next week. These groups range from experienced to clueless and well-regarded to unknown. They will all be attempting to film ghosts and humans for their viewers. Please use this board to post any information you have about these or other groups who may be coming as well as any ideas you have for preventing these groups from successfully spreading more information about our ghosts.

Additionally, certain local ghost hunters may attempt to film and post videos online during this time. As they will undoubtedly complicate the Paranormal Investigator situation, they may be discussed here as well.

Point25Back: why are you saying lOcaL gHoSt HunTeRS we all know its [EDITED BY MOD]

[@Point25Back has been banned for one (1) day.]

Pharaoh (MOD): Speaking of people who are banned, why do we keep letting him back in when he keeps breaking the rules?

Phantom (MOD) (OP): He hasn’t tried to dissect anyone yet. Puts him ahead of the curve.

Pharaoh (MOD): Our standards are so low.

Lovetheshow: we're getting a crossover? two crossovers? Best. Day. Ever.

Valorous1: @MOD Maybe I'm not the one who should say this but is this guy even from Amity? Or Elmerton?

Pharaoh (MOD): Yeah, we checked.

AMITY OF AMITY PARK: A Friendly Helping Hand

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Forums -> Community Alerts -> Paranormal Investigators

Thread: Why are we even trying to stop this?

West of West (OP): I think my question says it all, but just in case it doesn’t, why are we trying to stop the TRUTH from getting out? It sounds like someone has an ulterior motive. I say, let the Investigators in. Tell them everything. Let the world know.

Valorous1: If you try to convince any of these idiots that any of the humans in town are ghosts, I will not be responsible for what I do to you.

ashtree: of course you watch the investigators

West of West (OP): It’s the Investigation!

[THREAD LOCKED BY MODS. DELETION PENDING.]

AMITY OF AMITY PARK: A Friendly Helping Hand

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Forums -> Forum Bugs and Complaints -> Complaints

Thread: THE MODS ARE BIASED TYRANTS

West of West (OP): The mods keep deleting my perfectly reasonable and on-topic threads. This is tyranny. We need new mods.

nobineryginger: why haven’t they deleted this one then lol man bro you just gotta follow the roleplay rules

West of West (OP): THIS ISN’T A ROLEPLAY.

Phantom (MOD): @nobineryginger It’s because we think it’s funny.

passthemike: Make your own site if it bothers you that much.

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Paranormal Investigators, Tourists, and Community Safety

Author: Phrontist

This week, we learned that several groups of Paranormal Investigators will be visiting Amity Park. The last time something similar happened, it was for the one million dollar bounty (since withdrawn) on the ghost Phantom. During that event, and in the immediate aftermath, the damages accrued by the city totalled more than…

A Statistical Analysis of Tourist Injuries and Tourist Related Injuries

Author: Pharaoh

Everyone has that story. You know, the one about how some rubbernecking tourist crashed into your car during a ghost fight, completely derailed an orderly evacuation, or gave Technus ammunition because they couldn’t keep their phones in their pocket. In this article, I’ll be exploring the relationship between high tourist…

Do I really need to explain why hunting people on live TV is bad? Apparently.

Author: Phantom

Hello, everyone. I’m Phantom, your friendly neighborhood ghost. Although this fact seems to escape some people, I am in fact a person, and I don’t enjoy being hunted. That’s a pretty normal thing. I read the Most Dangerous Game, too. That the hunting is being done with a camera and the only thing being killed is my privacy…

Dangerous Ghost Plants and How to Handle Them, Part 17

Author: Photosynthesis

In this latest installment of DGP, we’ll be covering Audrey-type carnivorous plants. Now, although these critters are named after the star of Little Shop of Horrors, they typically don’t get quite that large, and smaller specimens can be taken care of with careful application of standard gardening tools. We’ll be going over DIY and professional…

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Forums -> Advice Blog -> Do I really need to explain why hunting…

Thread: I'm not hunting anyone, I'm a journalist.

West of West (OP): [EDITED BY MOD.]

Pharaoh (MOD): You might not have named names in this, but you included enough personally identifiable information to doxx not only yourself, but several members of this server, so we're deleting it anyway.

West of West (OP): This is targeted harassment!!!

Photosynthesis (MOD): Keep this up and you'll be on the same thin ice as Point25Back.

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Forums -> Ghosts -> Hunting (INVITE ONLY)

Thread: ‘Groovy Ghost Blasters Extreme’

Valorous1: I hate to ask, but has anyone here worked with any of the (sigh) ‘Groovy Ghost Blasters Extreme’ before? I want to have an idea of what they're like before we start talking about them on the public boards and offering help with the 'problem.' As you know, I welcome the idea of more ghost hunters in Amity, but, you know. Competent ones. The name does not fill me with confidence.

My Hair: They've all worked in Amity before. Their tiger almost mauled me once. None of them caught Phantom for the bounty.

The Cooler Phantom: no 1 catches phantom tho xcept val theyr not sprcial

Valorous1: Are you telling me that's a real tiger

JACK FENTON: I caught phantom once!!!!!1!! super excited to teach new hunters the tricks of the trade!!!!! :)

Valorous1: jfc @MOD

[@JACK FENTON has been permanently banned.]

[@JACK FENTON has been UNINVITED from the Hunting (INVITE ONLY) board.)

[@JACK FENTON has been restricted from viewing forum posts.]

Photosynthesis (MOD): @Pharaoh (MOD) He came back again.

Pharaoh (MOD): HOW does he keep doing this?!?!?! He doesn't even know what hacking IS. I ASKED.

AMITY OF AMITY PARK: A Friendly Helping Hand

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Forums -> Advice Blog -> A Statistical Analysis of Tourist Injuries…

Thread: Fine. You win.

West of West (OP): Your hype squad makes some good points. I guess. I won't expose the TRUTH until the government gets a clue and sets up real ghost countermeasures. But the Investigators are professionals. It doesn't matter what I do. They'll know.

merknlurk: u know u sound like a comic book villain right

Tubalover: Wow and that's coming from merk.

merknlurk: what's that supposed to mean

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Forums -> Forum Bugs and Complaints -> Bugs

Thread: my account stops working all the time :(

JACK FENTON (OP): my account stops working all the time. :(

for a while it workd fine but then I'm not on the page anymore and it wont let me back in. :(

I keep fixing it but it keeps happening. :(

FootballPoet: I think thats because youre getting banned dude?????

ashtree: not sure how the mods can make it clearer

tubahater: You break the rules more than @Point25Back

JACK FENTON (OP): you sound like the guys who tried to take my license :(

but I'm still driving :)

Cynosure: Well, that's horrifying.

Pharaoh (MOD): @JACK FENTON could you tell me how you fixed it? Maybe that will let me figure out what's breaking. 😇

JACK FENTON: sure! :) [EDITED BY MOD]

[@JACK FENTON has been permanently banned.]

[@JACK FENTON has been restricted from viewing forum posts.]

Pharaoh (MOD): Gotcha. 😈

Bog Mummy: brutal

[THREAD LOCKED BY MODS. DELETION PENDING.]

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Forums -> Advice Blog -> Paranormal Investigators, Tourists, and…

Thread: I SAID YOU WIN

West of West (OP): I said you win. You can call off your attack dogs nkw.

Phantom (MOD): Do you think we run the Advice Blog just for you or???

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Forums -> Community Alerts -> Paranormal Investigators

Thread: But they have a point amigos

Roswell’s Child (OP): you knwo ive been looking at cryptid crawls stuff and they kinda have a point about phantom. like obv their video stuff has like spectral degradation and all that but its a pretty lit theory you got to admit. and theresthe whole phantm not being a ghost thing food for thought amigos

Cynosure: [Insert: Incredibles ‘please, I can’t do this again, I’m not strong enough’ meme.]

Locker724: What does this mean?

#danny phantom #phic phight #phic phight 2023 #cryptid crawl

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melancholysway · 2 years

Text

Serendipity (2007!Raphael x Fem Reader) 1

CHAPTER I: GENESIS

Chapter key:

--- = a flashback is happening or ending

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ or ====

= perspective change

~ = small time skip

Ah, Physics.

The best part of class, which is the last part of the class, to be exact. Sure, the break in between classes was a close second, and we were able to walk freely around Roosevelt University, which was a perfect photo op in your opinion; being in the heart of Manhattan in New York City. Your desk, closest to the window and air vent, a win-win situation made a good view for both the instructor and events happening outside. You could glance outside and watch athletes run the track, or you could glance to the middle and watch the empty football field be chalked for the foul lines, the crease for lacrosse, or the goal line for soccer. You could also watch the large jumbo Tron present the weather, time, and school mascot (which was a Tiger) all at once that was rimmed with the red and white colors of the school. If you were bored enough, looking to the right would show the boundary dividing campus and the city life. You could watch people call taxis, run frantically to their jobs to clock in on time, and, if you were lucky, watch a crime get busted by the police. The opportunities to get distracted in Physics were infinite. Quite possibly, your seat placement was the leading cause of your grade being in the low 90s and not the highs like it is for every other class, except Calculus, which was in the mid-80s.

To you, physics was a breeze. To most, it was hell, and whoever created the course and made it a required class should jump in the Atlantic Ocean. However, when it came to the exams and pop quizzes, you maybe once or twice glanced at your desk neighbor and good friend Teddy, only to "compare" answers.

You listened absentmindedly to the best Physics professor to exist in your opinion, Mrs. Scott. You felt bad for students who were less fortunate and did not have Scott, and had Mr. White or Mr. Lesser- Lord knows those two can't teach if their life depended on it. If only Scott taught Calculus, then you'd be set for life.

"Now the million dollar question...." Mrs. Scott erased the lesson learned today on the whiteboard- she was old school, and technology wasn't exactly her best friend, so the Smart Board Screen was forever a blank black abyss that reflected the students in the front row desks like a mirror. You finally gave your full attention to the words being written on the board, and for a moment glanced at the clock.

'In T minus 4 minutes, I'll be free!' you cheered, feeling a sudden wave of energy to answer the last question of the day, and of the week before the next one on Monday. You looked down at your Physics textbook, and your sky blue spiral notebook knowing what was to come. Usually, before the class ended on Fridays, Mrs. Scott would write a question pertaining to the week's lesson that you had to answer, and whoever could explain it in full detail got extra credit. This was a perfect opportunity to change that low 90 into possibly a mid 90.

"Why do boomerangs come back?"

Score! An easy question if you paid close attention during the partner lab on Wednesday. You structured your answer in your head and raised your hand in anticipation and restlessness.

"And no Google!" Numerous groans and sighs filled the room, as many kids put their phones and laptops away, already quitting.

Mrs. Scott looked around the room, only for her eyes to land on yours.

"(Name)?" Considering nobody else knew why a boomerang came back, your pride was soaring.

"Boomerangs work on the same principles of aerodynamics as any other flying object; the key to how a boomerang works is the airfoil. An airfoil is flat on one side but curved on the other with one edge thicker than the other - this subjects the boomerang to lift, keeping it in the air. The lift is generated because the air flowing up over the curve of the wing has further to travel than the air flowing past the flat side. The air moving over the curve travels faster to reach the other side of the wing, creating lift. A boomerang has two airfoils, each facing in a different direction. This makes the aerodynamic forces acting on a thrown boomerang uneven. The section of the boomerang moving in the same direction as the direction of forwarding motion moves faster than the section moving in the opposite direction. Just like tank tracks moving at different speeds, this causes the boomerang to turn in the air and return to the thrower." Once you finished, the hour and 30 minutes of physics were complete, and the day was done. In just a matter of seconds, all students were out the door.

"Nerd alert." Teddy snickered as he got up from his seat. You noticed he possessed his signature wine red football jersey that had the colleges “Roosevelt” logo on the upper chest area, with the bone white “#54” on the front, back and sleeve, his last name owning the same pure white color on the back. Whenever Teddy or any player wore their jersey, it meant there was a game tonight.

Teddy Wilds. While almost all jocks were assholes, Teddy was an exception. Shaggy chocolate brown hair, army green eyes, pale skin and a structured face, he was every girl's teenage dream. Except yours. The first time you both met was last semester in chemistry, and the trend of having Teddy in your science classes continued into the next one. When he isn't being harassed by girls in physics, he's talking to you or placing bids on Ebay for the newest piece of tech or even a signed football.

"Oh whatever!" you replied, lightly pushing him away as he placed his hand on the back of his neck.

"Home or away tonight?" You asked out of curiosity, it wasn't like you were going to go, but it was nice to know; and hey, maybe you'd change your mind.

"Home at 7, though, it'd feel more like home if you came." Teddy replied flirtatiously. His voice was a bit deep, but it still reminded you of someone going through puberty even though Teddy was already 20, as he still had little voice cracks here and there.

Teddy was a total weirdo, but he never failed to make you laugh at least once a day.

"Where'd you find that one on the internet?" You ask while putting your bag on your desk, firstly putting the heavy textbook in, then the other items. Once done, you slung your backpack on your back. It is a bit miraculous how you have no back problems due to all the weight you put on your back.

"Like I would reveal," The brown haired boy scoffed. "But you should come, s'not like you have assignments due today."

“I'll ask Jade if she wants to go. See ya 'round, Teddy. If I’m a no-show, text me how it went." You saluted as you finally walked out the lab room, hearing a “Gotcha!” From Teddy.

Now, you are ready to start your weekend. In all honesty, you didn't really participate or show "school spirit" per say; hell, you didn't even know the Boys Basketball Team won sections last weekend against another rival college until yesterday.

Once you went from the fourth floor to the school entrance, you immediately felt the chilly November winds hit your face. You were more than lucky you decided to throw on some sweats than your blue skinny jeans, as they warm your legs up a bit. Your eyes scanned the scene in front of you: the many conversations occurring, the laughs of some and the arguments among others, groups of friends leaving together in one direction, and others in the opposite. Some cars fly out of the parking lot in a rush to get home, and other students get on the bus to take them home. Finally, off of campus grounds, you sighed in relief. The weekend officially started, and you had nothing but time to waste. Now on the streets of New York City, you put your earbuds in to block out the noise and fish your phone out of your pocket to pick a song.

You passed through Central Park, then past the many shops and stores after leaving, knowing the exact way to your tiny apartment. You strolled and glanced at the many people who passed you by, only seeing their faces for less than a second, only to never see them again. It seems every hour is rush hour in NYC, but at 3pm in particular, it seemed the most crowded and busy, which always delayed traffic and a longer time to get home for you.

You thought to yourself as you continued to walk home if you should go to the game or not, and texted your friend Jade to hear her thoughts on it.

3:20: (Name)

Wanna go to the FB game today? I'm indifferent tbh :(

3:22: Jade

Hmm, idk 0-0, I'm not doing anything, but seeing our school lose(when do we not, we're only good at lacrosse- and basketball) is gonna hurt the small school spirit I have left :(

3:22: Jade

What do you say about coming over later? You can’t say no to a sleepover! *O* let's rage gurl!

3:23: (Name)

I'll bring the fun stuff :) and we’re pretty decent at football when we wanna be.

3:24: Jade

That sounds highly illegal.

You’re not wrong, but exactly! ‘When we wanna be’ tisk. tisk.

Bring Stella!

3:26: (Name)

You know what I mean, dummy. And you know Stella won’t leave her bed if I didn’t bribe her with food.

3:27: (Name)

Coming by around 7! (don't forget like last time -_-)

3:27: Jade

It was one time!

Well, you were definitely getting an earful of Teddy next class on Monday, but hey, you can't compare a college event to best friend bonding. You then thought of what to put in your overnight bag later, and made a note to bring a few movies and CD's to play at Jade's place.

Jade Santos. Lacrosse player, and a true artist. One of your closest friends.

When your parents found a Uni that only accepted a few, and you were lucky enough to get accepted. You were craving city life, and a different atmosphere. The only thing that came with this move was there was no way your parents were quitting their jobs to work in the city, so with the help of your weekend and summer job and your parents, they're able to pay rent for your tiny apartment that you were happy enough to call your own. Jade was the third person you befriended after she asked you to take a photo of her on your camera for her to keep- and any photo opportunity you were there for the taking. Not long after, she returned the favor by painting you a beautiful landscape on a canvas that screamed 'Bob Ross.' Once you got to know her, you loved being around her. Ever since, you've been conjoined to the hip, and good friends.

Sleepovers with Jade were definitely nights to remember; as they consisted of snacks, pizza, dancing like idiots on her bed to whatever song that played on the radio or CD, talking about the latest gossip going around campus, new music, and taking photos on one of your disposable cameras that you developed in the nearby Walgreens the next morning. After doing so, it was Y/n and Jade Sleepover Tradition that you would go to James’ Diner- which was the one you waited tables at for a job- a few blocks away to eat breakfast together.

After half an hour of walking home from class, you finally made it into your apartment complex. It was a bit more secluded, yet it was still a bit dangerous. A notorious gang called the Purple Dragons resided in your area sometimes- (they often moved around)- and caused nothing but mischief, only to be stopped by the police or- if they're having an unlucky day- the Nightwatcher.

The first time you heard of the infamous Nightwatcher was on the news, then he- it was newly known as a male rather than a female--shown up in newspapers. For the most part, it seems most of the crime activity stopped by him happens around your area, quite possibly because of the Purple Dragons, and even some good for nothing criminals. You didn't think much of it, though you did a bit of research here and there, only to realize nothing but conspiracies and old news articles came up in the search results.

Taking your ear buds out from your ears, the music stopped, and the city's sounds were your new tunes. Before you walked into the entrance to your apartment building, you felt someone push by you harshly- nearly knocking you over.

"Watch it." A gruff voice said angrily. Turning around, you saw a pale slim guy with a black short sleeved sweater that showed his slightly muscular arms. He looked a bit sketchy, but your typical New York jerk at a glance.

You flipped him off and replied with a simple "Screw you, don't be rude, dude!" the man looked down at you, his tattooed face and gloomy burnt umber eyes staring you down in anger. With the hoodie shielding his identity from you, you had no idea what his face looked like. Rolling your eyes, you walked up the steps to the apartment building entrance and slammed the door shut, watching him fume with anger and hear his muffled voice as he banged on the door, yelling how ‘he’d remember this’ and 'he'll see you soon,’ until stomping off to a nearby alleyway, never to be seen again like most of the people in New York. You figured he was all talk and no action.

If only you would've seen the tattoo on the back of his neck, it possibly could've saved you from being in any type of danger tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once you got to the 8th floor and unlocked your apartment door, you let out yet another sigh of relief -in pure bliss- as you were finally home, and you could relax for a few before you were off to Jades. You locked the door and made way to your bedroom, sensing your cat following behind you.

"I see you Stella, even though I'm not looking at you, I still see you." You stated not turning your head- and got nothing back, but you could still feel her eyes not leaving your body as you slumped your bag on the bed and she hopped on it in suite- curling up into a small ball of shedding fur. You grabbed your camera from your bag and placed it on the corner shelf with your other ones.

You quickly took a shower- sad that you couldn’t take a long, relaxing steamy one like you usually do- and put on a pair of black leggings, black and white Vans, a plain T-shirt- which would be your pajamas for the night. You brushed out your hair, taking out all the knots as you went- and soon deciding to leave your hair out since you didn’t feel like fighting with it to get a hairstyle you desired. After, you opened your closet and took your overnight bag out and placed it on your bed, careful not to startle the Balinese. You went into the bathroom and took your comb and brush, the travel bottle of shampoo, conditioner and unopened box of bar soap to place inside your bag. Then, you looked around your room for any other things you should take until your eyes laid on your Polaroid.

---

Call Y/n obsessed, but that vintage polaroid was her favorite.

She had gotten it as a “Good luck out there gift” from both her parents the day she finally moved in- without her knowledge, her mom placed it on her new bed, as it blended in with the rest of the clutter she had yet to unpack. Later on in the day, she received a text from her dad to “take pretty photos of NYC” knowing she loved to go sightseeing. New York City was the best place to do it! Aside from going to Roosevelt, it was also her reasoning for picking the beautiful state to finish high school. So, that she did. She took photos of whatever she could, even if it was a pigeon on a park bench- she took it. Then, Y/n had gotten more vintage cameras from a nearby Goodwill at a great price, starting her camera collection. This white Poloroid with a rainbow stripe running down the middle however, would always be her favorite.

---

After a little reminiscing about the camera your parents gave you, you also put it in your bag to take. You went back into your closet and took your work attire out for tomorrow to also put in it. You retreated back to the living room and turned on the television. It was Channel 5, the news, and you took a seat on the couch in front of the TV.

"NIGHTWATCHER STRIKES AGAIN. NYC CRIME RATE DECLINING FAST. IS PLAYING VIGILANTE OKAY?" You read the headline at the bottom, and then watched as an amateur camera-man got a shaky and blurry shot of the Nightwatcher. It was difficult to see, but you could still make out his figure atop the roof of an apartment building at night if you squint hard enough. You thought in your head about the headline. Is a vigilante really okay? I mean, going topside and busting criminals faster than the police can is not a bad thing, but most New Yorkers would say to leave the crime to the NYPD. But, the crime rate has gone down a bit from where it was last after the Nightwatcher showed up. So...maybe it's not so bad to have him around. You couldn’t imagine doing a better job than the authorities and NOT receiving any type of reward- specifically money- for the hard work you put in for keeping the city safe, and this dude did it for free. FREE.

After tuning in to the latest news story, it was now 6:11. You turned off the TV and headed toward the kitchen to feed Stella dinner and put cold water in her bowl to drink, hearing a loud THUMP when she jumped off the bed and light footsteps scurrying to the kitchen to eat the second you opened a can of cat food. After, you patted her head and left her alone with a goodbye and pleaded.

“See you tomorrow night, please don’t break anything.” You stated, only to have Stella completely immersed in her meal, and not paying any attention to you- it wasn’t like Stella could understand you, anyway.

With that, you grabbed the spare key to your apartment and opened your door, locking it behind you. Knowing Stella would need to be fed in the morning, you walked down the hall to the all-too familiar sunset yellow apartment door: 8-H. You knocked on the door, knowing the doorbell wasn't working.

After a few moments and some shuffling coming from the inside, an all too familiar male voice finally answered-

"Um, one second!" You heard two hushed voices on the other side of the door, one being a voice that wasn't April's and you haven't heard before, and you were now a bit curious. About a minute or so later, you saw the lock of the door turn and open, revealing one out of the two who resided in 8-H. A jet black haired, hair gel free Casey Jones.

"Y-Y/n! What's up kid?" A stuttering Casey asked, it was as if he was almost nervous. He placed his hand on the door frame and the other on the door, making it impossible to see the inside of his apartment's living space.

"I wish you'd stop calling me that, we're literally 2 years apart." You both shared a laugh.

"But I'm not in College anymore--thanks to Google and April, I graduated" You rolled your eyes at the smiling idiot in response. You remembered the time you were in their apartment the same week you met them 2 years back, chatting it up with the couple and soon getting into the topic of school for the very first time.

---

“I just...I feel like everyday it just gets worse.” April handed Y/n a cup of hot green tea with just the right amount of honey. Casey paused the movie he was watching- ‘Miracle’ was it?

“College is the worst aside from the parties. Not a day went by when I had a shitty day come to think of it. I’m surprised I balanced college and hockey without wanting to drop out and become a rapper.” Casey replied laughing to himself, April took a seat on the couch next to Y/n, taking a sip of her own cup of tea.

“As dramatic as he makes it, he’s right. I knew a friend who did a sport every season- tennis in the fall, swimming in the winter, and softball in the spring. She had a 3.8 GPA, even. Once Junior year came around, she couldn’t handle academics and athletics together and her grades started to decline. So, she didn’t swim or play softball that year. I didn’t do a sport, but I still struggled. I can’t imagine how stressed others were. School is meant to kick your ass, but you have to kick it harder.” April placed a comforting hand on Y/n’s shoulder, as she smiled in response.

“But, when you really need help, you should ask for it. I remember Sophomore year, the exact day I met Casey- who came to me begging for help in Geometry, and wouldn’t stop bothering me about it, until I agreed minutes later.” The red-haired girl stared at the ceiling, basking in its plainness, remembering her own school experience and how quick it all went by.

“I can’t believe you remember that! Then Y/n, I asked her to come watch my game, then homecoming, then I asked her out on a date, and then prom and then-” ''Slow down, Jones!” “Am I rambling again?” April laughed at her boyfriend, seeing how excited he was to talk about their history together.

“I know we just met on Monday but...I feel like I’ve known you for longer. You’d make a good therapist.” Y/n complimented.

---

"Is April around?"

You hoped she was. Lord knows Casey can't take care of himself, let alone a simple task of checking up on a cat and feeding it. He most likely would oversleep and forget.

"She's not, actually. She left for South America two days ago on a big business trip or something for some artifacts." Casey replied. Great.

Casey Jones and April O' Neil. You were close with both of them, as they were the first two whom you met, and greeted you when you moved in down the hall from them. When you got to know them well, you would often visit and drop by sometimes just to talk. A bit more with Casey since he was around more than April. You ranted about class, and he ranted about work and trying to be perfect for April. You thought they were relationship goals, they were so in love and happy and you were happy for them. It made you want to be in a relationship and experience the same feelings. They were both extremely humble and fun young adults to be around. You liked to spend time shopping with April or spilling the latest gossip on anyone on campus (even though she finished college, gossip always keeps it interesting) and you liked to talk about how much you disliked a lot of people in your classes with Casey, or watch a football, lacrosse or hockey game with him since he loved the company, (especially hockey, since it reminds him of his ‘school days.’)

"Wow, that's far. But, I'm actually not gonna be home until tomorrow evening, I’m spending the night with Jade, then I have to work from 8am to 5pm and I won’t have time to stop by here-I sort of need someone to feed Stella and see how she's doing in the morning, and April is always happy to see her…" You looked down at the floor, playing with the white earbuds in your hands. You did notice Casey tapping his foot at a fast pace, almost impatiently.

"That she is. I'd be more than happy to feed her for ya, Y/n. Responsible Jones at your service!" You looked up and saw Casey shooting you a toothy grin that made you snort. Who knew responsibility was in his vocabulary?

"Aren't you allergic? I can ask Mel downstairs, but I trust you and April more…" Casey shook his head, "That's what Zyrtec and Claritin are for, duh!" He exclaimed.

"If you insist, Jones. I usually feed her around 7 to 8:30 in the morning,” You took a breath before you continued onto the rules part of feeding Stella. “Make sure to give her COLD water, not room temperature, she'll look at you like you're crazy- and yes, she’s silently judging you- and won’t drink it. It HAS to be filtered water, or she won't drink it. You can put one ice cube in her bowl, not two, or she won't drink it. Her food is under the kitchen cabinet--give her half the canned food and put the other half in a small container on the top cabinet and I'll feed her that one in the evening. Thanks!" Casey looked absolutely lost.

"Picky cat- and I thought I was bad" He finally said in shock. Yep, Stella was one peculiar cat.

"You are!" A voice beyond the door shouted. Well, it was definitely a male, who possessed a gruff and deep even, but not too deep voice. One thing’s for sure, it definitely wasn’t April.

'Oh' you thought. You didn't know Casey had company over. Hell, you didn't even know Casey had FRIENDS other than you. Then again, he and April were somewhat secretive when it came to their social lives. Casey whipped his head back at the source of the voice, raising his slender middle finger. He looked back at you and saw the look of curiosity in your eyes.

"Did I uh...interrupt something? You seem off right now." You stepped a bit closer to Casey, and he stepped back, clearing his throat.

"Nah! Not at all! I just...didn't expect you this late ya know?" He laughed awkwardly.

You checked your phone, "It's 6 in the night, you're far from late." you sighed adjusting the strap from your duffle bag.

"6:20 actually." Jones stated matter-of-factly looking at the analog clock against the wall.

"Alright smart-ass, 6:20. So, here's the spare key, do NOT lose it. There WILL be consequences if you do." You handed the silver key paired with your lucky sea turtle Keychain over to your friend--who twirled it around his index finger.

“And if I do?” The “all-natural” haired male challenged.

“I’ll get rid of all your Zyrtec and Claritan and swipe it for laxatives. Don’t play me.” Casey gasped, wincing at the thought.

“Evil!”

“Well,” You started, “Don’t lose it.”

Casey saluted you. "Yes sir! I mean…ma'am." To which you rolled your eyes slowly in response.

"Thank you, seriously. I'll text you in the morning to remind you even." You suddenly heard the same voice clear their throat in the background, and Casey gripped the door knob.

"Welp, I gotta go! See you…tomorrow I mean, Y/n- have a safe walk-BYE!" Casey stumbled over his words, getting quieter and muffled after every second due to the door closing more after each pause.

“Bye, let’s talk-…” With that, the door closed, and you were face to face with the deep yellow door after it cut you off.

“...later.” You finished your sentence to the door.

"That was…odd." You say to yourself. There was definitely something going on, but you had no time to do some FBI secret agent super sleuthing. However, this encounter was nothing new you’ve seen. Casey or April taking longer to answer the door, shuffling and other voices behind the door becoming silent once he opened it. The times you actually entered the house, you felt as if they were hiding something during your short stay. You never saw anyone else in the house except for April and Casey- but you had enough knowledge that they knew other people. You never asked them directly, but the time would come eventually. You put your earbuds back in your ears and chose a new song to listen to, walking towards the elevator and out the building entrance door once you reached the 1st floor, beginning your walk to Jade’s.

What Y/n didn’t know, however, was that the person who she was curious about would come face to face with her soon enough.

NEXT CHAPTER: HERE

#tmnt #tmnt 2007 #tmntfandom teenagemutantninjaturtles leonardo raphael donatello michelangelo fanfic raphxreader raphaelxreader

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