#that dock was such a bitch to draw and color my god

[sneverussape]

rare summer snape enjoying the heat and sunshine in a hidden spot somewhere on the malfoy estate

[werezmastarbucks]

boston

honeymoon masterlist

word count: 2538

music: savage streets by perturbator, you’ll only be safe with me by tuff turf, dark all day by gunship

You stood on one knee, feeling Kai’s fingers under your belt as he held you. You shoved out of the window half way, and yelled,

“I’m good!”

He pushed the gas pedal into the floor, and the car roared angrily, tearing through the night mist.

The black shadows surrounded you, floating out of the metal and brick twilight of the street so suddenly fear shot through you like lightning. You held up your shotgun and aimed, trying to balance with your hip on the frame of the window. Falling out of the window would mean imminent death: zombies were everywhere. They were waiting on the corners, in the windows of the buildings, hiding in the shade, behind the smelly dumpsters and in the middle of the road. As the city lights died out, and the car raced deeper into the district, golden and silver changed into cold blue and electric, the colors of docks and warehouses.

“I got them!”

“Shoot!” Kai yelled.

You exhaled and did not inhale, because the best snipers don’t breathe when shooting. As the monster truck passed by the cluster of black silhouettes, you fired three rounds into them, scaring the gathering and hitting one of them. Then you fell back into your seat and pulled your hair away from your face. It will be a bitch to try and brush after. The car drove out into the narrow quay where black water lay like glistening dirty skin, and Kai’s face was yellow in the passing bleak lights.

“What the hell is that?” he asked, poiting at the figure on the roof on the left. He slowed down a little, and you looked back to make sure nobody’s following you. You set the shotgun on your right.

“It’s Jeepers Creepers”.

“Wha... Y/N. What is Jeepers fucking Creepers doing at our zombie apocalypse?”

“I don’t know, Kai”, you snarled, “maybe he launched it. How am I supposed to know?”

“You’re driving me crazy”.

“I am afraid of Jeepers Creepers, okay? He’s gonna be the final boss”.

“I’m gonna tear his balls off”, Kai mumbled.

“He’ll take yours. That’s what he does”, you reminded him.

Kai snored.

“Get up. There’s more. They must have circled the parking lot. Look”.

Right in the middle of the road, where yellow fog was floating in the air like phantom veil, and the asphalt glistened, sweaty after 10PM rain, the black shadows barricaded the road. Kai stopped the car, and the low grumble slowly faded into the quiet, monotnous howl of the city. Somewhere, trains were moving to and fro on the rails, colliding with each other, creating noise. The factories were working, sending black smoke into the opaque sky, clogged by unwilling cigarrette clouds. The river itself, it seemed, hummed something very low, like a deadly lullaby. This world was a hostile and lonesome place. The only warm thing in here was Kai’s body sitting next to you, radiating humanity. You jerked your shotgun. You knew he was seeing exactly the same thing as you did - a bunch of zombies swaying slowly in your direction. He turned up the music a little.

“Ready?”

“Yeah”.

“Aim better or else we’re gonna drive in circles all night”.

“Don’t tell me how to kill zombies, Kai”.

He mimicked you, starting the car.

Next night, it was his turn, and you did the same thing, racing through the night city, crashing into cardbox fortresses and blowing up the glass forts, shooting the heads off the zombies, until you both have had enough of that zombie apocalypse world. It has been some time until you got tired.

(To get into the right mood, you have occupied the Columbus Movie Theatre for like a week, rewatching zombie movies. Turned out, you can’t just walk into a movie theatre and find all the zombie films piled up neatly in the movie room - or whatever it’s called. You have argued about them again and again, Kai insisting on Evil Dead being immortal classic, but the Day of the Dead was his all-time favorite. You nearly got into a fistfight with him over the Return of the Living Dead.

“Of course”, he puffed and laughed out, condescending as hell.

“What’s that laugh?!” you demanded. Kai shrugged.

“It’s such a girly thing. Return of the Living Dead. The third part is also your favorite, isn’t it?”

And he gave you the nastiest look. You narrowed your eyes.

“You bigot. You absolute fuckface. The first one is my favorite”.

He was enjoying himself too much, obviously agitated by the topic, not entirely there.

“Okay, okay”.

“But for the record, yes, I do think that the third part is the best love story I’ve ever seen on screen. It’s incredible”.

Kai nodded, the smile never leaving his face.

“She managed to fight off her cannibalistic instinct not to hurt the person she loved. She tore herself with needles and hooks to fight the urge to kill him and actually managed to keep him safe although she was literally a flesh eating zombie. How cool is that?”

Kai sighed and looked you in the eye.

“Very cool’, he said, with the tone that screamed ‘you’re silly and I adore you’.

“What other movies came out this year?”

“Not many, it’s only May”, he replied, digging deep into the box with films.

“Is Dream Lover out yet?”

“Yep”.

“We should watch it”.

“Later”, Kai said, throwing a film across the room and allowing it to crash into pieces. You hoped to hell it wasn’t Dream Lover.

“And Freddie Krueger?”

“No, not yet”.

“Damn it”, you looked over his shoulder.

“No Freddie Krueger!” he announced, “that’s it, she draws the line at Freddie. We’re leaving now”.

You laughed.

In the dark movie room, you could choose any row, any seats. You nested against each other, honoring the sacred cinema theatre tradition to gently touch in the twilight. While the action unfolded on screen, you had to shove popcorn into Kai’s mouth because it was the only way you could make him stop talking. When you ran out of popcorn, you had to shut him up with your mouth. It was a great week.)

You looked around the street and then, at Kai. How lucky he was, to find himself in this wretched place with someone as willing to play zombies as you were. You should do it more often. Maybe you should act out Mist next, somewhere in Houston.

You pulled your backpack up, and your eyes darted towards the black tower, ominous, insidious without any light, like a gigantic grave stone. Before Parker cut all the electricity, it was the Hancock Tower, now, it was just Tower. And the path to it lay through the dangerous city filled with brain craving monsters, bloodthirsty, dumb and ferocious, and you were running out of bullets. Besides, earlier on, you fell through one of the cardboard box forteresses and bruised your knee so badly, together with your left hand which you landed on. This adventure would be the death of you.

Kai twitched.

“I hear something”, he said, cocking his gun. You stood behind him, one-handed, unable to shoot. You closed your eyes. Lo, if they attack from all directions, you won’t be any help. A wounded companion is worse than an enemy in this world. You wondered if Kai would leave you alone to be eaten and stall them, or whether he’d shoot you in the head first, to spare you.

He walked on a little, entering a small square, and the black outlines of hairless, clotheless humans frightened you like you weren’t the one who had put them there ten hours earlier. They spooked you every time.

Kai shot three times, hitting each mannequin with one bullet.

“On the roof!” you pointed, turning back. You bowed as he threw up his shotgun, and fired. Heavy plastic body hopped and rolled down, falling on the ground. Kai could see in the dark so well you had to remind yourself he was human. Sometimes you would forget that fact completely. He was so different from everybody else.

He led you towards the tower where you stabbed one of the zombies in the throat. He was good at shooting, but you were very gifted with stabbing. You never missed.

“God damn”, Kai panted, as the mannequin swayed and collapsed on the asphalt just next to the glass door he was holding for you, “you saved my life”.

He took you in the movie gesture, pulling you into a long kiss. Your wrist started swelling and you had to take off your electronic watch temporarily. In the bleak room, it shone with green thin neon light from the bedside table while you had sex on the matrass.

In the middle of the night something fell off the roof, and scared the hell out of you - for real this time. You did not put anything on the top of the Tower since it was your fort. In the morning you came up on the top, while Kai went down and examined the object. Turned out, on the tenth of May, 1994, one single bag filled with files and staplers fell off the roof of the Hancock Tower. There was no way of knowing why.

“Wake up”.

You opened your eyes and rubbed your neck, aching from sleeping on the single mattrass on the floor. You looked out of the window. It has just stopped raining, which meant it was already close to midnight. In the dystopian Boston, you have switched to night regime of living completely because in the daylight, mannequins randomly standing in the streets looked simply stupid.

“The Titans”, he said. Kai’s face was so close to yours, you could feel the words on your skin. His eyes shone nervously.

“What Titans? It’s zombie apocalypse, Kai”.

He frowned.

“And what was Jeepers Creepers doing there then?”

“Oh my god”, you groaned, “let go of it already! You killed him like a week ago”.

“Come on, see for yourself”, he pulled you up, and you walked to the window, and gasped, instantly feeling for Kai’s hand. It couldn’t be happening.

That’s it! This madness finally drove you... mad.

There was an actual silhouette, the one you didn’t put there, and possibly couldn’t. The one that could not be put there for the life of you. The one of proportions too great for anyone to put it in the middle of the city, one foot on the right side of the river, and the other, on the left.

“What the fuck!” you yelled, your fright real as ever. Kai grinned happily, but then his face changed back to the philosophical expression of impending doom.

“This is it, Y/N. The zombies... and that dude... were just omens, but that’s it. The sky people have come to destroy us. It’s the end“.

“Seriously, Kai, how did you put it up... there?”

The sky was blackish-bordeaux, like usual. The river was seen just fine from here, from the top floor of the Tower. You had a pretty good look on the gloomy city and all its post-war industrial charm. The figure was so big it stood almost above the Tower itself; he reminded you of the Colossus of Rhodos, the Bronze Man, or one of the mythical golden gods of ancient times. You could actually feel your heart trying to break the hell out of your ribcage in a desperate attempt to kill itself. You couldn’t breathe for a second, mortified by the size of that thing. It was one of the deepest nightmares of your childhood, one of the visions haunting you from when you were little and kept dreaming about the end of the world.

You told Kai about those, and he now used them against you, but you appreciated the performance. It was all almost like art. It was horrifying and great, but you hated it.

“He came down from the clouds”, Kai said quietly, like a dispassionate narrator. Who already knows what’s coming, and doesn’t give a shit, because he’s already dead.

“To press the earth into the core of the planet, and make all life perish. He shall walk the land... waging his wrath on all that breathes. Including you and me”.

You made an effort to turn away, mesmerized by the statue, and looked at Kai.

“How much magic have you wasted on it?”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t break the character, it takes me a lot of concentration”.

“Sorry”, you whispered.

“How do you feel about facing the end of the world with me?” he asked.

It was a damn good question. Parker really did ask all the right questions. After all the time in post-apocalyptic Boston, surrounded by enemy, living in a dark den and barely seeing the sun, it was very easy to actually sense the end coming. You clutched your own elbows, thinking. Strangely, you weren’t scared anymore.

A part of his face was in the shadow. He blinked the way you’ve only ever seen Kai blink, just a little, as if he didn’t want to lose visual even for a split second.

“I’m okay with it. I have lived a fine life, in my totalitarian city, guarded by robots and...”

“...zombies...”

“Hunted down by Harrison Ford...”

“You just jumble together all the movies, it’s actually insane, stop it”.

“But now as Cthulhu has sent its warriors...” (Kai rolled his eyes), “I’m ready to go”.

A lonely honk of a train cut through the distance making you feel melancholic. The trains were just crawling there day and night, filling the air with their lonesome cries occasionally. It would make any reasonable person go crazy, too.

“What will be the last thing you do before you die?” he whispered, his nose almost touching yours. You gave in, hot slow lava crawling up your body. You took Kai’s waist, trying to feel his ribs through three layers of clothing.

“You”.

He probably wore three or four shirts just to see you go nuts as you tried to undress him every time. His street jacket goes, then, a pullover, then a shirt, then another shirt, and you groan with anger as he chuckles at you, his hands snaking under your clothes at once. Your skin went shivering, covered with goose bumps under his fingers, like by magic.

As he pushed you against the wall, the gigantic Titan started melting above the river, looming shadow stepping away from the city, which was flattering. Kai’s whole mind was directed at you now.

You thought about how one loves at the brink of extinction; is it passionate, like when Kai grabbed your shoulder, your hair, pounding you into the floor, or is it gentle and thoughtful, like when you only moved your hips slowly, pressed against each other like two halves of Oreo, or is it impatient, breathless and vile, like when he was fucking you against the wall, talking all the way through your whimpering?

It took the end of the world for you to end up on his dick.

[seven-spirits-of-light]

The Barian Invasion - Avina

Avina cheered as Yuma delivered the finishing blow to Heartland. God, she could watch that asshole eat shit over and over again! Except… his sudden and spontaneous combustion put an abrupt end to that. She stood in shock with everyone else, her jaw dropped in horrified awe. She then realized that Kite was still down, and Yuma was definitely hurtin’ and she went to them.

“Are you guys okay? God, fucking Barians blatantly cheating by putting you in a field that does actual, physical damage to you.” She spat, causing Yuma to chuckle.

“Ah, it’s nothin I can’t handle. I just gotta feel the flow!” He grinned, making the pop star giggle. Before she could say anything more, the huge pillar of light over the ocean caused the world to rumble, and 7 different sparks of light burst from it, flying directly at the group. Avina screamed, pulling Yuma down and covering Kite’s head with her body as best she could. The flying lights slammed into the towering cranes and walls, throwing dust and rock everywhere before gathering together on the wall above the cowering group. She looked up, her eyes fiery with rage, her brain immediately recognizing Vector, Dumon, Mizar, Alito and Girag.

“HEY! DO YOU ASSLORDS HAVE NO DECENCY? YOU COULDA KILLED US!! WHAT’S THE BIG ID-“ she barked, but stopped. It had taken a second… but her mind was finally registering that there were 2 more in the group of Barians.

Two she recognized.

“O-oh… god.” Vance breathed, his eyes wide too.

“Sh-… Shark?” Avina finally spoke. She couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing. There he was. Her Shark. Her boyfriend. The man who held her heart, who made her laugh, who made her smile, who held her when she cried and who could calm her when she raged. There he was, his sister right beside him. The girl her own brother loved more than anything in this world and the next. They stood up with the enemy, glaring down at everyone they had called ‘friend.’

“'Shark?' Feels like ages since anyone called me that…” he finally spoke. Avina gave a breathless laugh, slowly rising to her feet.

“Aha… Ages? Babe I… it’s only been like a day. C’mon, quit fooling around. Like… we’ve got kind of a serious situation here. Do you, uh… wanna explain what’s up with… them? I-I mean… are they on our side now or… something like that?” She asked nervously, her eyes flicking between the other 6 before returning to Shark.

“Hardly, love. You see… Shark was my old name. I am Nasch, Leader of the Seven Barian Emperors, and this world is now ours! You all should surrender now, it would be in your best interest.” He spoke, his voice carrying that unwavering tone she was all too familiar with. As he said this, her eyes welled with tears, and her jaw dropped before clenching shut. She lowered her head, trying to hide her tears.

“You… y-you… you rotten, lying, BACKSTABBING, TWO-FACED SON OF A BITCH!! YOU BASTARD!! YOU SERIOUSLY CHOOSE THEM OVER US!? OVER ME!? FUCK YOU, JUDAS!!” she cried out, her face twisted with rage but eyes pouring with tears.

“I promise you, love, I haven’t chosen them over you. In fact, I intend to have you join us. I promise you, we will be together forever. Nothing will ever be able to part us again.” He said, though his words did little to soothe her. Quite the opposite in fact. Avina made like she was going to charge at him, but Vance luckily caught her, holding her back. He too was crying, unable to remove his eyes from his beloved Rio… the girl who had betrayed him and come to see his destruction. Yuma then rose, trying to reason with Shark, but he took it one step further, revealing to everyone present the undeniable proof of his new alliance. Shark Barian-phosed, along with Rio and the other 5. Not long after he did this, Sha- Nasch and Yuma seemed to share some sort of memory with one another, and Yuma was unable to handle the shock, passing out on the dock. When the pop star saw this, she was agitated further, fighting hard against Vance’s hold to get to the man who had betrayed her love, her trust. Vance held fast though, trying to pull her back toward the Arclight’s vehicle.

“Avina… Avina that’s not gonna help anything. Let’s get out of here, it’s not safe.” Vance urged, pulling his heartbroken sister with him. As they finally drove off, Avina curled into her brother’s chest, the adopted siblings both grieving the loss and betrayal of the ones they loved so dearly.

If only the knew just how much worse things were going to get…

————————————————————

Avina’s chest shuddered with her silent sobs while her brother sat and held her, tears rolling down his cheeks too, too numb to do much else. The pop start could physically feel her heart breaking in her chest, and for a moment… she feared that she would actually die from heartbreak. For a while, the car was silent. No one really knew what to say… everyone was in shock. Shark. Ryouga Kamishiro. Their good friend, Avina’s boyfriend… he had betrayed them. Left them to fight alongside the ones who had been harassing them for months and had been actively trying to kill Astral. Avina was definitely in the worst shape of all. After everything she and Shark had been through… he chose those stone faced assholes over her, over his friends! The people who had stood by his side when no one else would! Not only that… but he planned to turn her into some stone faced monster, too. She wanted nothing more than for this nightmare to end. She wanted to go back home, lay in her bed with her boyfriend and listen to music.

But that wasn’t possible… not anymore. He’d made his choice. He had chose them over her.

Avina’s sorrow turned quickly back to rage and resolve. Nasch wasn’t going to win. No matter what.

Avina glanced out the window, a terrified gasp leaving her as she saw who was pursuing them. Nasch! Nasch and Merag!! Oh fuck, ALL SEVEN were there! They were chasing their vehicle and she could see Nasch and Merag looking right at them! Avina couldn’t stop the look of horror on her face. She turned away, frantically thinking of what she could do when she quickly realized what she had to do.

“V! Stop the car!” She called, causing the white-haired man to jump.

“What! No! Why!?” He asked, glancing back at her as if she were mad.

“They’re chasing us, and if they catch up to this car, they’re gonna get their hands on ALL of us. You have to stop and let me out! I can draw him away. Please! We can’t let Nasch get his hands on either Yuma or Astral, and god forbid he gets them BOTH. So don’t fucking argue with me, and stop the goddamn car.” Avina explained, her franticness making her hiss out the last bit. V looked hesitant, looking to his little brother, but neither III nor anyone else in the vehicle offered any objections.

With a resolute nod, Avina scooted over to the door, taking the handle and preparing to launch herself out of the car once it had stopped, not noticing as Vance prepared to jump from the car too. V hit the breaks, turning just so that she had quick access to an alleyway, and came to a stop. Avina jerked the door open, throwing herself out and onto the street, yelping when Vance followed. She opened her mouth to protest, but when she spotted the seven eerily glowing figures quickly approaching, she huffed, closing the door and grabbing Vance’s wrist.

The adopted siblings took off in a direction adjacent to the vehicle, running into the shows of the alley. Sure enough, the Emperors seemed to pause, and three broke off from the group, following Avina and Vance while the other four continued chasing the vehicle. Fuck. Ok, well, four is better than all seven… and it looked like Nasch and Merag along with one other had decided to follow her and Vance, so the Barians didn’t have their powerhouse leader. Avina prayed that her friends would all be safe as she continued to run. The pop star could see them swooping down closer, and so she began to dip and weave in and out of alleys and behind the many towering buildings of Heartland City. She was gasping for breath, and her sides screamed at her, but she refused to stop. Not yet.

It seemed like an eternity until, finally, she glanced behind them and didn’t see any of the Emperors. Avina pulled Vance with her, hiding in an alley and crouching down in the darkest corners so they could catch their breath. She motioned to Vance to be quiet, creeping forward slightly. Avina could hear footsteps, and out in the street she spotted just who had accompanied Nasch and Merag. It was Dumon, Nasch’s little fanboy. He was looking around, but luckily seemed to have lost them. She couldn’t help the cocky little smirk on her face.

For a moment, she thought she’d won…

That was until she heard the terrifyingly familiar sound of a portal ripping open behind her, and a pair of large, purple stony hands wrapped around her waist.

Avina shrieked, turning to see a similar pair of white stone hands latching around Vance’s chest. She screamed bloody murder, reaching out for her brother and fighting hard against the grip around her.

”NO!! VAAAANCE!!!”

And then gravity was gone. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. She was so scared. She had no choice but to cling desperately to her kidnapper.

————————————————————

The Barian King stepped out of the portal carrying the trembling human in his arms, looking around his room. It was elegant yet simply decorated, and in any other situation, he thought Avina might have liked it. He hoped she would still… this was to be her new home after all. Nasch looked down at her, a gorgeous wine-colored gown now draped over her slim figure, a silver metal bust encircling her abdomen. She truly looked like the queen she was meant to be.

“You can open your eyes, love. We’re home now.” He murmured, nuzzling her with his mouthless muzzle. Avina’s eyes flew open and she gasped, looking around before shoving away from him.

“How dare you!? HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!?! YOU- YOU-- YOU BASTARD!! You terrorized all of our friends, you betrayed Yuma, you betrayed me! God, don’t you love me at all!? Am I just- am I just a fucking object to you!? A prize to be won! An item to possess!?” She spat, her furious amethyst eyes boring into him.

“No… you’re… you’re my bride.” Nasch replied.

“Your bride. You seriously think that I would ever WILLINGLY associate with you at all after everything you’ve done, let alone marry you!?” Avina retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. She then paused, glancing down at herself, going silent for a beat too long. Finally, she spoke, her words dripping with seething anger.

”Where… the fuck… are my clothes? What the FUCK is this!?” She growled, her hands clenched into fists.

“You don’t need those rags anymore. You’re going to be a queen, Avina. You deserve the finery befitting a queen. You should see yourself… you look stunning.” Nasch answered evenly. He was trying desperately to keep up the heartless Barian façade, but it was so much harder with her here. She looked so hurt, so upset, so uncomfortable. While she did look beautiful… it was also unnatural.

“Jesus… you really don’t fucking care at all, do you?” She breathed, her heart squeezing painfully in her chest. “God… god I had hoped so desperately that some how, some way, you… the you I know was still in there. But… but he’s gone. My Shark… he’d never try to turn me into something I’m not. He’d never betray his friends. He’d never stoop as low as you.” She wrapped her arms around her torso, hugging herself tightly. In the red glowing light, Nasch could see the trails of tears streaking down her cheeks, and he could no longer maintain the mask. Not in front of her.

“Avina… I… I do care. I know in your anger, you see me and Ryouga as two different people and… while that is true in a way, I promise you I am the same man that you fell in love with. The truth is I really… don’t want to do this. ANY of this. I never wanted to betray my friends, or Yuma… or especially you. But I can’t deny what I am. There are so many souls here that need me, souls that can’t rest until I defeat all threats to our world. Did your Ryouga not share that same dedication?” He asked.

Avina turned away, not seeing the pain in his mismatched eyes.

“It doesn’t have to be like this… I still love you. I love you so deeply. I know you still love me… I can see it in your eyes.” The Emperor continued, approaching her. The hand that was placed on her shoulder wasn’t one of stone… it was flesh. Avina jumped slightly.

“You know I want you

It’s not a secret I try to hide

I know you want me

So don't keep sayin' our hands are tied.” his voice came drifting to her ear, warm and inviting and distinctly human.

“You claim it's not in the cards

And fate is pullin' you miles away

And out of reach from me

But you're here in my heart

So who can stop me if I decide

That you're my destiny?”

Avina turned to him, looking up into his beautiful deep blue eyes, his face once more human and no longer the strange featureless muzzle he had revealed to them all. Nasch took her into his arms, dancing slowly with her as he continued to sing those sweet and loving words to her.

“What if we rewrite the stars?

Say you were made to be mine

Nothing could keep us apart

You’d be the one I was meant to find

It’s up to you, and it's up to me

No one can say what we get to be

So why don't we rewrite the stars?

Maybe the world could be ours

Tonight.” He spun her once before pulling her close again, leaning down to kiss her. Avina felt herself leaning forward, wanting to accept his kiss. She suddenly realized where she was and what was happening, and in an instant, she ducked, sliding out of his arms. The pop star walked away, desperately trying to catch her breath and stop her head from spinning.

"You think it's easy

You think I don't wanna run to you?” she sang, slowly looking over her shoulder. 

”But there are mountains

And there are doors that we can't walk through” Avina turned back to him fully.

”I know you're wondering why because we're able to be

Just you and me within these walls

But when we go outside, you're gonna wake up and see

That it was hopeless after all…” She turned to the large double door to Nasch’s room, her hands resting on the handles for a moment before shoving with all her might, pushing them open. Avina wasn’t entirely sure where she was going, but the huge staircase at the end of the hallway seemed to be a good bet. Where it lead, she didn’t know, but it was certainly better than just staying stuck in this room. She knew she couldn’t actually run… but even moving around a little helped alleviate some of her anxiety.

The words continued to pour from her heart as she walked out of the room, knowing Nasch would follow.

”No one can rewrite the stars

How can you say you'll be mine?

Everything keeps us apart

And I'm not the one you were meant to find” She began ascending the stairs, her skirt lifted so she wouldn’t trip. Avina looked up, noticing some of the other Barians standing in what must be the main throne room, her sadness switching to irritation. She stopped, whipping around to motion between herself and Nasch.

”It’s not up to you

It’s not up to me

When everyone tells us what we can be!” She spat, shooting a glare at Dumon and Girag. The two Barians looked back at her with open wariness and confusion, the Barian Knight looking back at his king. Avina huffed, turning away from them all and walking further into the throne room. This is probably where it would end. Nasch wouldn’t sacrifice his dignity to sing with her, especially in front of the other Barians. Her shoulders dropped, head lowering.

“How can we rewrite the stars?

Say that the world can be ours

Tonight?” she sang. When she continued… she was shocked to hear another voice join hers. Avina turned, seeing Nasch coming towards her, still singing! Their voices harmonized beautifully, and for a moment, she was able to forget where she was entirely.

”All I want is to fly with you

All I want is to fall with you

So just give me all of you!”

”It feels impossible…” She sang.

”It’s not impossible!” He replied, reaching out to her.

”Is it impossible?” She asked, her eyes turning hopeful.

”Say that it's possible!” Their voices joined again as he finally reached her, taking her hand and holding her close. Ryouga smiled, pulling her up the stairs leading to his throne.

”How do we rewrite the stars?

Say you were made to be mine?

Nothing can keep us apart

'Cause you are the one I was meant to find!” They reached the top, and he danced with her, spinning her and holding her close.

”It's up to you

And it's up to me

No one can say what we get to be

And why don't we rewrite the stars?

Changing the world to be ours!” Their voices rang out, uncaring of who heard or who saw, standing close to one another, relishing in one another’s warmth and comfort. Ryouga leaned down to kiss her, and Avina smiled, ready to kiss him in return. This time she was stopped by the feeling of a pendant lying on his chest. The Barian pendant. That’s right… This was Nasch. She stopped him, pushing him back slightly. He looked down at her in confusion, and Avina couldn’t help the bitter smile that made it’s way onto her face.

”You know I want you…

It’s not a secret I try to hide

But I can't have you…” Avina sang softly, her thumb running over the red gem in the center. The sensation startled Nasch so much, he found himself suddenly Barian-phosed, changed back into the towering stone creature he had chosen to be instead of the human man that could be with her.

”We’re bound to break and my hands… are tied.” She finished sadly, pulling away from him and walking back down the stairs, looking out one of the huge archways overlooking the Great Barian Sea.

————————————————————

Avina looked out at the deep red landscape below, her heart aching, trying desperately not to cry. God… for a moment, for just a moment, she felt connected to him again. She felt like she was singing with Ryouga and not the heartless Barian King. She began to wonder if… if maybe they really weren’t so different after all. God, she didn’t want to think about this madness anymore. She just wanted it to end! She wanted to go back home, with her human boyfriend. But the longer she was on this strange planet, the stronger this feeling of dread grew.

Something terrible was about to happen.

Nasch approached her from behind, reaching out to lay a hand on her shoulder. Before he could touch her, though, she finally spoke up.

“Nasch… I’d like to see my brother. Please. If your intention is still to turn me into a Barian, then I… I’d like to see my brother first.” Avina asked, not wanting to look at him. She knew her heart couldn’t take it. The Emperor was silent for a moment before answering.

“Yes… I’ll send for him and Merag.” His deep and alien voice came, turning to nod at Dumon. He then turned back to Avina, unsure of what to say. He stood beside her, looking out at the garish landscape of his world. There was silence for a few moments before Avina spoke, her voice soft and hesitant.

“Will it hurt?” She asked, not looking at him. The Emperor was quiet, considering how to answer her question.

“It… It shouldn’t. I will do everything in my power to ensure it doesn’t but… I’m afraid I don’t know for certain. All of us became Barians after our deaths on Earth so… I can’t say for sure. But I promise you, I will do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t hurt.” He answered.

“Do you have to? Do you have do turn me? Do you have to do any of this? Ryouga, please… we… we can still go back. We can go back to Earth, we can help Yuma fight and we can return to our normal lives! It… it doesn’t have to be this way.” Avina pleaded softly, tears rolling down her cheeks. Nasch felt tears prick his own eyes too, but he refused to let them fall.

“I must, Avina. I’ve been shown my past. There are hundreds of souls here counting on me. They all had their lives cut short on Earth due to choices I made, they are my responsibility. They were brought here for a second chance, and it’s my job to lead them and protect them from all threats. They… they deserve to be happy and safe. I failed them in my first life, but I won’t in this life. Believe me, I wish it didn’t have to be this way, but Barian World can’t exist in peace when Astral World does. Our worlds are polar opposites, and as such we are bound to fight. We have to destroy them before they destroy us.” Nasch explained, and Avina turned to look at him.

Even though his face was the featureless mask of a Barian, she could see that strong resolve and dedication that her Ryouga had shining in his eyes. God… it really was him. That realization only broke the singer even more. She desperately wanted to stay with him, to help him and see him succeed, but she also didn’t want innocent people to die. Avina lowered her head and closed her eyes, her tears falling steadily. There was no way to win this… not really. She couldn’t convince him to trust Yuma, and she couldn’t stand by his side and let him beat Yuma. She wanted to scream. This was impossible! A gentle breeze stirred her hair, making her open her eyes… and look down.

There… there was only one option.

“Avina!”

The magenta haired girl turned, seeing her brother enter with Ri- with Merag, his attire similarly changed like hers. She ran to him, hugging him tightly and trying not to burst into tears.

“Vance! Thank God, are you okay? Are you hurt at all?” She asked, pulling back and looking him over. He chuckled sadly, shaking his head.

“Not physically but…” he trailed off, the pain evident in his eyes. He was suffering the same dilemma she was. Avina could only assume that whatever conversation he’d had with Merag, he’d come to the same revelation she had… that Merag and Rio really were one and the same… but there was no way that he could stay by her side.

“Vance… Vance I… I’ve been thinking. We can’t let this happen. We can’t become Barians, otherwise we’ll just become part of the problem. We can’t get in Yuma’s way. I know he and Astral have a plan, but if we let them turn us into Barians, all we’re gonna do is throw a giant wrench in those plans.” She murmured, making sure her voice was low enough that none of the Barians present would hear them. “I’ve… already made my choice. I’m gonna fly…” Avina whispered, glancing back toward the large archway

The open archway that overlooked a fatal drop down to the beach.

“I’m… I’m really sorry. I don’t want you to- I-I don’t know what else to do… you don’t have to follow-“ Avina started, her tears falling once more, but Vance stopped her.

“Hey… you… you don’t have to be sorry. Truthfully, I had made the same decision.” He whispered in reply, the pain agonizingly evident in his eyes. Avina hiccuped, hugging him again, holding on tightly. God… god, she didn’t want this. Not for Vance, not for her. She didn’t want to do this to Nasch or Merag. She wanted this whole stupid nightmare to end!

But it wouldn’t… not yet.

Avina extracted herself from her brother, sniffling. “I need to… say goodbye.” She murmured, Vance nodding in agreement. The two siblings went toward their significant other, reluctance in their every step. The pop star looked up at the purple visage of her beloved, reaching up to caress his stone cheek.

“Okay… I-I’ve made my choice. But first… can you please turn back into a human? Just for a moment s-so I can… say goodbye?” She asked. Nasch didn’t hesitate at all, shifting back into the human body of Ryouga Kamishiro. She hugged him tightly, kissing him with all the passion and desperation she had felt for him ever since they’d first met. In her heart and her mind, she said goodbye to the future she had always imagined for them. She said goodbye to her band, she said goodbye to their wedding, their children, their blissfully-wedded future. None of that would happen now… So she savored this moment. The safety of his embrace, the warmth of his lips. After what felt like both an eternity and less than a second, she pulled back, her forehead resting against his and her hands resting on his chest, feeling the pulse of his heart.

“Ryouga… Nasch… I know now that you are one and the same. You are both a champion duelist with many friends who care deeply for you, and a great leader who will protect those who follow him. You’re a man of dedication and passion… and that is what I fell in love with.” She murmured to him, looking up into his brilliant blue eyes.

“I love you. I will always love you.” Avina declared.

Then, she shoved him back with all of her might, catching him by surprise and managing to push him off his feet and away from her. In an instant, she turned, making a mad dash for the open archway, spotting Vance having done the same to Merag before running the same direction as her. She reached out her hand to him, the two siblings grasping at one another and bolting for the edge. Avina faintly heard Nasch roaring for someone to stop them while Merag screamed after Vance, though the sound was muffled by the pounding of blood in her ears.

The edge grew closer

And closer

And closer

And then the ground was gone.

And she was falling.

And she was screaming.

The wind whipped around them, but even over that plus her own screams and the blood still rushing in her ears, Avina heard one single word being cried by two voices.

”NOOOOO!!!!”

It seemed like she fell forever. Had the ground vanished? Was there a bottomless pit that she hadn’t seen? She could faintly see the heads of the Emperors watching in horror as the two humans plummeted down.

“N-Nas—“

And then… darkness.

When Avina opened her eyes again, she was on the beach of Barian World. She looked over, seeing her brother standing beside her, his figure startlingly transparent, almost like Astral looked except not blue. She looked down at her own hands to find them equally transparent. An agonized cry drew her attention up, and not far ahead of them, she saw Merag pounding on the chest of a slightly burned body.

Vance’s body.

The sound of a pained grunt followed by sorrowful weeping attracted her attention next, and she spotted Nasch coming up out of the bloody red waters of the Great Barian Sea, a body in his arms with skin reddened from the acidic water.

Her body.

They hadn’t hit the ground, they’d fallen right into the Barian Sea, thankfully dying on impact so they didn’t have to suffer the agony of the acid. But… but now they had to watch as the two people who they loved more than anything in the world mourned over their broken bodies.

Avina wept openly, and she heard Vance doing the same. She reached over, taking his hand, the two siblings weeping at the tragic scene.

”Fellow Lights… I am so sorry it came to this.” a strange, feminine voice said. Avina gasped and turned, spotting a group of five women approaching them. ”There is much that needs to be explained, and we will do so. Please… come with us. Things will make sense soon.” a lady with blond hair dressed in blue said, offering her hand to them. The siblings hesitated, looking at one another and glancing back at their Barian lovers.

”I understand your desire to stay… and I promise you, you won’t be parted from them for long… but right now, there is nothing you can do. Truths have been hidden from you, and you deserve to know about your past, as well as theirs. Let us help you… Together, we can free them from this agony, but in order to do so, you must understand the whole story.” The girl in a flowing purple skirt said, her lavender eyes imploring. Avina let out a shuddering sigh, looking back one more time at the sorrowful scene behind her.

“Nasch… I’m so sorry. I love you.”

Then, she and Vance turned, following the group of women into a glowing white light.

[sugurushimura]

what do you think of the yotsubas' character designs? what are your favorites?

oh, i adore the yotsubas’ character designs. they’re all very individual from one another and you can tell a lot about each of them just based on their appearances alone, imo. 

starting from least favorite to favorite:

8. mido

just getting this out of the way: i adore mido. i adore pretty much all of the yotsus. this isn’t, like, a personal thing at all. i also do like the way that mido’s design looks visually; obata obviously meant for it to be appealing. i just don’t find anything particularly grabbing about it personally.

7. namikawa

and here is the other token conventionally attractive yotsuba. the takeaway here is that i like ugly designs more than hot designs. but seriously, as easy on the eyes as namikawa is, this design is pretty much just “long-haired pretty boy”. looks the same as about a million other long-haired pretty boys.

6. ooi

(glasses not included in this image.) i like ooi’s design a lot, actually; it’s only behind the others because i’m docking points for originality since he’s just morpheus from the matrix visually. otherwise i think it’s very good and fits him like a glove. sorry, ooi.

5. hatori

i love hatori a lot and i love the way he looks. there’s a very youthful aspect to his appearance that suits him very well. mostly i just don’t think it’s quite as stellar as the ones listed after this but seriously, i want to ruffle his hair affectionately.

4. kida

kida really has that “uptight bitch who really likes math” vibe. he looks like he takes meticulous care of his appearance. you can really see the spite and disdain for his colleagues if you look in his eyes long enough and i love that about him.

3. takahashi

i love everything about takahashi’s design. yes, he is a middle aged japanese businessman. yes, he has shoulder-length hair (bleached, if you believe the anime color scheme), pierced ears, and the only facial hair out of all his coworkers. he really does belong on the beach, not in a meeting room. it’s no wonder he gets bullied by higuchi & co. god bless him.

2. shimura

ok, yeah, i’m incredibly biased. i love everything about shimura’s design. those wide eyes, that well-shaped nose, those luscious lips, those prominent cheekbones, that beatles hair cut… i’m joking a little, but i really do love how obata designed him. i draw him all the time. he’s the reason i like that specific hair cut so much. suguru shimura has influenced my taste in men.

1. higuchi

HIGUCHI’S DESIGN IS AMAZING AND I WILL HEAR NO COMPLAINTS. “higuchi is ugly!” ok, SO?? yes higuchi is ugly. yes i love it. he might be ugly but he’s so fucking interesting to look at. he makes so many animated expressions, especially later on, and it’s fantastic. everything about him is so visually telling. he looks like the kind of person you’d want to punch. he spikes his hair up to be taller – because he’s short and also all skin and bone. seriously, i can tell his entire life story just by looking at him. god. higuchi good.

[theabominableblogger]

My Reaction to “Birds of Prey“

*in best Roman Sionis impression*  WHOOO!

Figured I might as well FINALLY watch it.  On with the show!

*silently jams to the opening logos*

This animated intro is great.

*snorts at the little animation of how an egg gets fertilized*

Why is this animated Joker a different (and actually better) character design than what we got in Suicide Squad?  Were we robbed of Letoker in full Joker suited glory?  I think we were.

“Behind every successful man is a badass broad.”  *points at screen in agreement*

I love Harley’s freaking rainbow apartment

The hyena!

This movie has the same amount of color saturation as “Pulp Fiction”

Freaking Bernie the Beaver is holding her tissues!  We stan supportive friends!

*gasp* Cass!

This guy [Roman’s driver] looks an awful lot like Jon Hamm and that is never gonna go away

“It’s not a party without a little drama!”  I love Ewan McGregor

*snorts in hilarity when Harley turns to address the audience about how much she doesn’t like Roman in front of Roman*

“Do give the Joker my [Roman] best.”  Uhhh....

*jams the crap out to “Boss Bitch” by Doja Cat*

*laughs at Harley drunkenly giving relationship advice to a female bust in the club*

“Some people have the Eiffel Tower.  Or Olive Garden.”  Can we please hear the stories about Gotham’s Olive Garden?

Oh that shot [of Harley walking away from the Ace Chemicals explosion] is great

[Four Minutes Ago]  *snorts in hilarity*

So far I actually really like Rosie Perez as Montoya.

Huntress!

*Huntress kills the mob people in the flashback*  That was awesome.  And the way Montoya steps back and forth to investigate the body is great.

“Harley Quinn just called open season on herself.”  And oop.

God, seeing Ewan as Black Mask is really gonna throw me off but man this is gonna be a great performance.

*jaw drops in horror when Zsasz removes someone’s FACE*

JESUS CHRIST HOLY SHIT RATED “R” HUH?!?

“Is that a snot bubble?”  Shit!

OHHHHH THAT SHOT OF ROMAN WITH THE MASK ON!!!  AAAAAAHHHH!!

The SATURATION IN THIS MOVIE

Also the soundtrack and aesthetic in this movie is very... “Suicide Squad”-esque

Man that sandwich looks good

*jaw drops when Harley accidentally throws her sandwich into the road*

Also they de-saturated everything again hahaha

Oh my gosh that guy [”Happy”] is HUGE

[GRIEVANCE:  COSMETIC VANDALISM]  Yeah, that sounds about right

“Par-ley??”  *snorts*

Her [Montoya’s] shirt....

Also why is she wearing that shirt at work?

This movie is giving me huge Tarantino vibes

Why does the actor that plays Montoya’s boss looks familiar?

Oh!  He’s Rufus in “Supernatural.”  Bobby’s kinda buddy!

“Ms. Montoya, we do have a dress code.”  There we go.

They are really just going back and forth in the timeline to cover everything, aren’t they?

Harley’s using nonlethal rounds?

The action set pieces in this movie so far are awesome.

*says “Run, piggy, run!” along with Harley*

Of course Dinah is singing “This Is A Man’s World”

Also I’ve seen like a 20 second Twitter compilation of Roman saying the f-bomb and it’s glorious

“We could make our own family.”  Oh snap.

WAIT THAT’S THE GUY WHOSE FACE ZSASZ REMOVED!

Does... Roman... like Dinah?  Like... that?  Or is this manipulation?

*chuckles when drunk Harley slides up next to Dinah at the bar*

*gets very uncomfortable at a guy trying to take advantage of a drunk Harley*

C’mon Dinah...

What’s the song playing here [when Dinah’s beating up the guys in the alley]?

Uh whatcha doing in the corner there, Zsasz?

“Oh sooongbirrddd?”  Noo...

Did I just see a street sign that said “ANUS”?

So is Cass faking a broken wrist or does she actually have a broken wrist?

So far my favorite characters are Montoya and Dinah.  Not gonna lie.

*has to muffle laughter when Roman does the mmkay hand sign* 

“I mean, I like crossbows!”  *giggles*

Holy shit, Zsasz is jealous of Dinah.

“Look at his little ears, the little haircut...”  *insane giggling*

ZSASZ IS DYING IN THE BACK I LOVE THIS SONG

Dinah is clearly rethinking some life decisions while looking at that statue of Roman

*jams out to “Sway with Me” by GALAXRA*

*Cass robs Zsasz of the diamond*  WHOOP!

*winces when Roman does acupuncture*

“SHE’s a chILDDD!!”  *laughs*

ZSASZ

Ho shit that shot of Roman on top of the stairs looking down at Harley

“VOTED FOR BERNIE” HAHAHA

*Harley completely derails Roman’s villain monologue*  THIS IS AMAZING

HE [Roman] GOT A BOWL OF POPCORN

*Zsasz licks Harley’s cheek*  EEUUUGGGHHH!!

Did that goon just pull a tampon out of Harley’s pocket?

I’M SORRY CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE PICTURE OF NUDE ELEANOR ROOSEVELT?

*gasps when Roman backhands Harley across the face*

OH HERE WE GO

HOLY SHIT THIS IS GREAT

ROMAN IN THE STRIPED SUIT

THE CHOREOGRAPHY

WHY WAS IT SO SHORT I LOVED IT

Where is this cover at on the official soundtrack?!?

“I’ll give you ‘til midnight.”  Hold on, hold on, what’s the timeline for this movie?

Harley’s just booking it in the background

Aaaand we’re back at the beginning!

Aaand there’s Harley!

Wait there’s about an hour left and we just now got to Harley meeting Cass?

CONFETTIIIII!!

Is she just using paint bombs on all the guards?

Harley, trying to enter the cells:  I AM PRESSING.  EVERY BUTTON.  I CAN FIND.

Why would they put Cass in the cell block with all the adults?

OH HALSEY!  COME THROUGH!

*Harley slides across the floor to knock a guy down*  OHHHH!!!

Daniel Pemberton’s orchestral score for this movie is reminding me an awful lot of “Into the Spiderverse”

Is that Katana’s sword?!?  How the hell did it get there?!?

WAIT SHE’S GONNA HUFF THE COCAINE?!?

Jesus, now THIS is Harley’s fighting style!  Holy crap!

*gasps when Harley gets kicked back and knocks off a car door off its hinges*

*jaw drops*  SHE JUST SET THAT DUDE’S BEARD ON FIRE

How does everyone seem to know where Harley is?

*Smash cut to Harley buying laxative for Dinah in the store*  Hahahahahaha!

“I do not care that you’re [Cass] a kid.”  Yeah, Harley, didn’t you uh... assist in the murder of Jason Todd in this universe?  Hmmm???

Wait so how long ago have Harley and the Joker been together?

Doc calls Harley “lotus flower”!

Those are the nuns from the school in the beginning!

She is actually... talking to the beaver

“[Joker] Sounds like a dick.”  I mean, yeah.

Also I just realized that Harley drew an actual dick in the Joker drawing’s mouth

HUNTRESS!

OH NOW WE’RE GETTING INTRODUCED TO HELENA!

*eyes widen in shock at the Bertenelli massacre*

*chuckles at the smash cut to Helena practicing in the mirror*

*Roman sees someone laughing in the club*  Oh no.

“Get on the table.”  Uh.

Oh no what is he doing?

“DANCE, ERICA!”  Ohh.  Shit.

“Take your dress off.”  *jaw drops in horror*

God, I cannot watch this.  Holy-

*has to avert eyes*

*Roman stops Dinah from leaving*  NO.

“You soothe me, little bird.”  AHHHHHHHHHHHHH-

OK, I can take a breather now.  Ohhhh my God...

They’re [Harley and Cass] really just having a girl’s night

BRUCE, NOOOOO!!!

“No one knew we were here except-”  DOC SOLD THEM OUT!

“This next bit ain’t very pretty.”  Oh boy.

“I [Roman] own this town.  You have my protection.”  Mmmmm... no?

Whoa this super dramatic cover of “Hit Me with Your Best Shot”

OH HE’S [Zsasz] GONNA SEE THE TEXT SHE [Dinah] SENT [to Montoya]!

*Roman starts to break down*  Oh.  Shit.

OH THIS MUSIC

*Roman puts the mask on*  OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

OH THIS IS GREAT

Also of course Joker and Harley had a hideout in Amusement Mile

*winces when Montoya punches Harley right in the boob*

*Harley kicks Montoya out the window*  Oh she dead

*gasps*  Zsasz!

Man that sideways shot of him is terrifying!

OH FRICK NO

JESUS I DON’T LIKE THIS

So is it implied that Zsasz only kills women or what?  I thought he was an equal opportunity killer?

“That’s why he [Roman] needs me [Zsasz] to look after him.”  Dude.

...did they just kill Zsasz?

Everyone except Harley is pointing guns at each other and all I’m thinking of is that scene from “The Office”

*snorts in hilarity for Harley clapping for Helena completing her kill list*

Oh Roman just brought a whole freaking army

OHHHH HE’S GOT THE MASK

Oh this music *chef’s kiss*

Oh my God is Roman gonna find Zsasz’s body?

Oh that crane shot out of the lair and back outside?  That’s some good shit.  Cathy Yan, I see you.

“I [Helena] DON’T HAVE RAGE ISSUES!”  DINAH’S FACE!

*Helena pounces on a goon in the slide down and kills him*  Geez that’s awesome

This whole set is great

*Helena gives Cass her old toy truck*  THIS MAKES ME SAD

Yeah when did Harley have time to put on her skates?

Some dude just gets shanked then leaps back up

That fight scene just went by real quick

*gasps when Roman shoots Montoya*

*jaw drops when Dinah does the Canary Cry*

*Harley gets sideswiped by one of Roman’s goons*  Yeah no there’s like half a rib cage gone

*Harley works on overtaking one of Roman’s goons’ car*  CRAZY TOWN BEEP BEEP!

*Harley backflips onto the top of Roman’s car*  OHHHH!

Founders Pier... geez that looks great

Wait are those all Roman’s goons just lining the dock or are those just statues?

Oh they’re all statues.  That’s creepy.

“exCUUSEE me?!?”  *snorts in hilarity*

*jaw drops when Cass tucks a grenade in Roman’s coat and activates it*

*still shocked when he FREAKING EXPLODES*

I’M SORRY THEY JUST KILLED OFF BLACK MASK

*Cass finally goes to the bathroom*  Finally!

“Does she always [Montoya] talk like the cop in a bad 80s movie?”  *laughs*

Guys Helena is great

*laughs when Helena laughs at the fact that Harley stole Dinah’s car*

“They call themselves the Birds of Prey.”  Yay!  Lemme see them again!

Harley’s jacket has a bedazzled vagina on the back of it

Look at Cass with her jacket and sunglasses!

“Yeah, I made the kid my apprentice.”  Yeah, that’s not gonna last long.

[kclenhartnovels]

🏚

[I can’t help but use Harding for this one. Prompt was “building collapse.” TW for uh, lots of pain, and a little bit of death. Enjoy my cockroach mercenary.]

“I thought you were retired.”

Harding didn’t answer until after he had finished the last of his glass. “Semi-retired.”

The man beside him curled his lip in a way that made his already-unattractive face look like something a first-year painter would recreate a face from memory. Definitely not Met material. Probably not even worthy of a magnet pinning it to his mother’s fridge. “If you’re semi-retired, then why are you charging so god-damned much?”

He shrugged, clicking the ice in his glass casually. “Gas is expensive. Blame the shit economy, not me.”

The colorful string of words that left the man’s mouth made Harding all the more certain that his mother never hung up pictures at home. “Half now, half when you get it done.”

“Yes, that is the standard practice.” Harding gave the bartender a long-suffering look, and dropped a few bills on the counter. “Can you believe this guy? Acts like he’s never hired an assassin before in his life, but asks me if I’m retired.”

The bartender smiled sympathetically, palming the money. “Can’t win ‘em all, Harding.”

“I can.” He stood before his sputtering employer could add anything else to the conversation. “Wire it to my account by end of business day, and I’ll get it done for you, Picasso.”

It should have been a simple job, anyway. The target wasn’t particularly well-guarded, the building had basic security, and Harding probably wouldn’t even had accepted the offer if he hadn’t been in town and bored. His boat was dry-docked for repairs, he was too far from anyone he’d care to visit, and already restlessness was starting to eat at him. So why not make a quick buck, slit an easy throat, and move on?

It should have been simple.

Harding took in a breath, and felt nothing but dust and grit fill his lungs. His chest seized with coughs, blowing clouds of concrete dust away from his face and coating his face in fine white powder. The silence filled his ringing ears; even the building had stopped groaning and shifting, and the last echoes of the explosion no longer bounced around the collapsed walls. Nothing but silence, his own heartbeat, and the pain that felt like a beast of its own, roaring in his head.

Looking back, this was probably a setup. They had probably meant to kill him. A shame they didn’t realize he was half cockroach.

Harding eased his arm out from underneath him, a hiss of pain adding to his shuddering coughs. His shoulder felt dislocated, but at least he could mostly move it, enough to feel around the edge of the debris that lay across him. A heavier beam pinned his left leg, broken concrete scattered around him, and a sheet of drywall lay across his abdomen. He twisted carefully onto his back, each movement finding new pain. Glass shards in his face and neck, a stabbing in his chest that was likely a broken bone, and an uncomfortable numbness radiating from his left thigh and extending down the rest of his leg. He had to get out from under the beam. He had to move. He had to move. He had to move.

He took in a slow breath through his nose. Blood pooled at the corner of his mouth, sharp and coppery on his tongue. He felt around the edge of the drywall first, getting his better arm beneath it and shoving to the side. It moved a few inches, then broke in half, part of it falling away, the rest dropping onto his chest with enough force to knock the breath from him again.

“Fuck.” The echo of his own gasping voice seemed hollow and thin, but it broke through the lancing pain long enough for him to push the broken drywall off his chest again. He leaned his head back against the cracked concrete, counted to ten, and looked into the impermeable blackness again. No, it wasn’t totally black; if he craned his head to one side, digging the glass deeper into his cheek, he could see the street lights finding cracks in the debris, a thin promise of freedom in the night. He heard no sirens. He wasn’t sure if emergency services would even know about the collapse way out here, much less respond to it. And if they did, he wasn’t so sure they would help him anyway. It was not friendly territory for an English-speaking white man, much less one who was already listed as deceased and carried too many weapons and scars.

“Fuck,” he said again, more emphatically, as if it was fuel for him. It was good just to hear something, even if it was his own voice and the crumbling of the debris he slowly worked away. He sat up, pulling himself up by the edge of the metal beam. It sliced across his palm, and the new pain dulled into the rest of it.

Internal bleeding, he was sure of that. Broken rib and severe bruising. Breathing hurt. Moving hurt. But staying still meant death, and he wasn’t ready to give in yet. Better pain than death. He couldn’t break his daughter’s heart, by dying alone in the middle of a drug runner’s cluster of warehouses in Columbia. She would expect it. It wouldn’t disappoint her any less.

He pressed his weight against the beam. It shifted slightly, and the pressure eased against his leg long enough to send pain like bolts of lightning from the limb, leaving him gasping for breath. He dropped the beam back down, and a strangled noise of pain echoed back to him. Dust swirled. Somewhere in the darkness, debris groaned. Or maybe that was him. Maybe it was both.

Fuck it, he wasn’t going to die down here.

Harding leaned forward again, getting his uninjured shoulder against the beam. His body screamed protest, the metal whined and scraped, and his mouth moved with breathless, rasping curses to fill the hollow blackness all around him. He pushed, shoved, pleaded, snarled, and finally yanked his leg free. The beam crashed back down, choking him with dust as if in final fuck you.

Harding flicked his middle finger back at the beam, and lay on his back once more until he could breathe again. He wasn’t sure if his leg would hold his weight. He fished his phone out of his pocket, and it dangled in two pieces. He threw it into the dark, hearing it crack against the building’s skeleton.

“This is going to hurt,” he remarked to the dark, hearing his voice break. He turned onto his stomach, yanked an especially large piece of glass out of his collarbone, and began to half-crawl, half-drag himself towards the promise of light. Broken edges of concrete and glass shredded through his pants, drawing long red lines into his skin. His fingers were sliced open, his arms scraped, and again and again he had to pause and shove debris out of the way, bulling his way through.

It could have been hours to cross the room, it could have been minutes, but when he finally spilled into the moonlight and flickering lamplight, he rolled onto his side and vomited blood and bile and concrete dust.

“Son a bitch, he’s still alive.”

Harding cracked his eyes open, and noticed with some sense of pride that he had managed to vomit over someone’s black leather boots. He spat out blood, got his elbow beneath him, and lifted his head enough to find the owner’s face, silhouetted by the streetlight in a deceiving halo.  

“Hey, Picasso,” Harding greeted, his voice as bloody and rough as his smile. “Next time, hire a better contractor.”

Picasso drew a gun from a shoulder holster, and the bullet fired wildly into the dark as he fell, screaming, a knife buried into the large artery in the back of his knee. Harding would have aimed higher, but he didn’t have the energy left to reach any further up. As it was, it took enough to rip the knife back out, sending a spray of blood arching across the pavement. The other man kicked and writhed and squealed, sending his gun clattering. Harding pulled himself six agonizing inches to reach it, rolled onto his side, and shot his employer in the face. He thought it rather improved his appearance, all things considered. At least it stopped the screaming.

He dropped onto his back again, and the gun slipped from his trembling fingers. This, he thought, was the shock setting in at last. Soon the blood loss and injuries would overcome everything else, and a quiet death under the moonlight wouldn’t even make the morning papers.

By dawn, a handful of drug runners would find the collapsed building, their dead contractor, and a large smear of blood and discarded weaponry that promised that somewhere, John Harding wasn’t yet dead.

Not yet.

[unholyhelbig]

promt: Beca gets shot before jumping off the fat dingo bitch and doesn't tell anyone about it until you know... she passes out.

[A/N: This was probably a little darker than you wanted, but it was kind of hard not to make it dark!]

Beca’s hands were shaking, the heavy tweed blanket draped over her shoulder as she watched idly while her friends talked about what was going to happen next. Not next in the sense of how to get around the yellow police tape and flashing blue lights that morphed into a shady purple. They were done. Done with the group, and ready to move on to whatever life had to offer next. Actively persuading Beca to follow the opportunities presented to her by a man who looked more like a turtle than anything.

Her career wasn’t what she was supposed to focus on right now; The thing that was once so important to her didn’t’ matter much. Not with her hand hidden behind the wall of fabric that was intended to keep her warm. Her fingers were held painfully against the wound- a wound gone unnoticed as blood draped over her fingers like some mix of corn syrup and food coloring.

It was colder than she thought- bleeding out.

Her mouth was dry, and the heaving pain against her ribs wasn’t so blatant anymore. Her mind was screaming at her to speak up, to just tell someone that she had been shot. That a bullet was turning her insides into a hot mix of lead and bile. Instead, she stayed quiet. Because they were finally so happy.

If you asked Beca Mitchell five years ago what she would do if she had been shot, she would say the opposite of this. She would have spoken out against the pain instead of keeping her lips sealed shut. But this was her family. Her family that didn’t’ deserve to worry about her after what had just happened.

“Beca?” Chloe’s voice sounded like she was underwater, or so far away that her words echoed against the side of the DJ’s skull. Deep midnight eyes were darker than any of her friends had ever seen before as they snapped towards Chloe.

Her skin was morphing into a sickly grey, lips slowly fading to a blue. “Huh?”

“I asked if you were okay?” Chloe said, having involuntarily scooted closer to the woman she captained beside for years. Beca just nodded hastily, her own stare moving to Aubrey’s- the blonde was wrapped up in her own blanket, a look of pure determination on her face that reminded the young girl of the first time they had met.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She mustered a smile “That water was just really cold.”

“Oh,” Chloe swallowed thickly. “Well, they said we could leave soon… they just a few more questions,”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah.”

They fell into a labored routine. It was comfortable with them, Jessica leaning heavily against Ashley. Lily was sharing a very quieted words with Emily who nodded with exaggeration, trying to wrap her head around actually being able to hear the woman. Chloe had turned to ask Flo about her own business ventures as Aubrey continued to stare.

Her dark green eyes were almost sharper than the bullet wound at this point. Again, Beca staring her down like the two were in a pissing match. Even in her struggling pain, Beca would not surrender to Aubrey Posen.

“You’re hurt,” Aubrey whispered in a hushed voice. Even with Beca’s vision beginning to fade to a deep blur she still registered the words- her mouth dry and metallic. Part of the stubborn edge biting away at her resolve as she shifted her shoulders- warm blood pouring across her palm. None of the other girls noticed. “Beca.”

This time Aubrey’s voice was loud enough to cut across the air- conversation stopping. It was her alpha tone that drew attention to the duo. Neither of them breaking eye contact despite the color of Beca’s stare flickering.

“Drop it.” Was all she choked out.

“Open the blanket.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” Aubrey placed her palm fully on the table in front of her. “If you’re fine, drop the blanket.”

Beca didn’t’ get a chance to let the fabric fall from her shoulders or draw in a shuttered breath before the pain overtook her- the sharp burn that ate so thickly into her resilient attitude. The blood loss too much, she supposed. Her fingers falling away from the wound as she felt her faltering vision finally close in on her, the chair scooting under gravity as her.

She felt the cold docks under her, the scent of the sea overwhelming. It was salted and abrasive, and fuck, blood had never smelled so prominent before. “Turn her on her side!” Chloe’s voice was broken as Beca blinked up at the sun that peaked through the stinted paneling above her. “Help! We need some help over here! She’s not breathing!”

The light wasn’t the same as it was on the docks. This was hard. Its fluorescent edge slicing across the silence of the room like it was a double edge sword. Part of Beca pondered if she was dead- if that bullet wound to the abdomen had actually slain her, and the afterlife was just some big office building.

That was until she heard the soft pounding of her heart match up with the beeping of a large monitor, the kind that all those medical dramas had. The scent of antiseptic and horrible hospital food made her stomach churn even more than her meshed insides.

Without opening her eyes she twitched her fingers, running the pads of her touch over the scratchy blankets and multiple wires that were all attached to her in one way or another. She struggled to move- letting out a sharp breath the second the EKG tugged at her chest. “Ow, fuck.”

“Beca, oh my god!” Chloe was the first voice that she recognized, well, the only voice as of now. There was someone else here- someone in heels. Miss Aubrey Posen, Beca was sure. The bed dipped a bit towards the end, Beca drawing in a clean breath as she finally blinked against the harsh atmosphere.

“What happened?” She grumbled, the taste of blood still on her lips.

Instead of waiting for an answer she dug her hands into the mattress, pushing herself up to a sitting position. The sharp pain that dug into her side made her groan. Chloe inched closer- Aubrey keeping her position at the bottom of the bed with her arms crossed over her chest.

“You’re the most stubborn son of a-“

“Bree.” Chloe held up her hand, effectively silencing the woman who was basically frothing at the mouth by now. “You were shot, Beca. You don’t remember?”

Beca shook her head, knitting her eyebrows together as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “I remember jumping from the boat, a lot of pain. And everything moved so fast. You guys were so happy, I didn’t want to- I couldn’t ruin that.”

“So you risk dying because we were happy?” Aubrey asked, trying to calm her seething tone. “That’s utter shit, Beca. You know unhappy every single one of those girls would be if you died?”

“I’m their captain!”

“You were their captain,” Chloe countered tenderly, her fingers wrapping easily around Beca. “Now you’re just some stubborn idiot that we could have lost forever.”

Beca swallowed thickly, staring the two of them down. They both had worn looks of confusion on their faces- the brunette wondering how long she had been out, how long the pair had been sleeping in uncomfortable hospital chairs and drinking half-rate coffee just to stay awake.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t want to scare any of you.”

“well,” Aubrey let out a thick sigh, “You effectively did the opposite of your intentions. You fucking idiot.”

“Bree!”

[kindofchaoticgood]

Shady’s Back, Tell a Friend

Deleted scenes from Descendants 2, featuring your favorite pirates.

Harry burst into the shoppe, eyes ablaze and a maniacal grin on his face. “Guess who’s ba-ack?”

Uma raised an eyebrow from behind the counter. “You?”

“The witch who stole my glass eye?” Ashe guessed, and then giggled at her own joke.

“Your sanity?” Jonas suggested, as Marya snickered.

“Ha bloody ha, fuck you. No, it’s much better than that.” Harry hopped over the counter and leered at Uma. “Let’s just say she’s the bastard brat of a certain faerie turned lizard.”

Uma’s eyes widened, Gonzo spat out his beer in Ashe’s face, but Jonas just laughed. “Dude, don’t fuck with us like that, Uma’s gonna fucking kill you.”

Harry gave Jonas a withering look. “Shut yer trap.”

“Wait, you’re serious?” Jonas looked incredulous. “What the fuck is she doing here?”

“Who gives a fuck about what she’s doing here? I say we go find the bitch and pound her!” Marya said, pounding the table for emphasis.

“I’m with Marya,” Ashe agreed, casting a glare at Gonzo and wiping off her face. “Let’s feed her to Harry’s pet crocodile—”

“Shut the fuck up Ashe, it’s not my pet—”

“Ooh! Or we could string her up and use her as target practice for the little kids!” Ashe finished, looking a little too thrilled with the idea.

“We’re not doing any of that,” Uma responded coolly, sliding a tray off of the counter and passing it back to Cook.

When she turned back around, Jonas was staring at her as though she had announced a desire to become a pretty, pretty princess, Marya was giving her a look that clearly said wtf?, Gonzo was eyeing her as though she had some sort of contagious disease, and Harry and Ashe looked like Christmas had been cancelled.

“I’m sorry,” Marya said after a pause. “I just blacked out for a moment. Could you repeat that?”

“We’re not doing any of your lame-ass ideas,” Uma replied. “Instead, we’re going to cut her up, bake her into a pie, and send it to the king.”

Jonas burst out laughing and Gonzo shook his head. “Jesus, Captain, for a second there . . .”

“You bitch! I thought you were going soft on us!” Ashe chucked a rag at Uma’s head, which missed by a wide margin and flopped pathetically onto the floor. Marya sniggered.

“Nice aim, Ashleigh.”

“Bite me, preacher girl,” Ashe retorted.

Harry was giving Uma a starry-eyed look, and honestly, Marya was surprised hearts weren’t flying around his head. “I have never been so attracted to you, darling,” the pirate purred, snaking an arm around Uma’s waist and drawing her close.

“Fucking hell, get a room, you two,” Gonzo said disgustedly as Uma smirked up at Harry.

“Does nobody care that this rat bastard is feeling up my cousin in front of me?” Jonas asked the room. “Just me? Okay.”

 Meanwhile, elsewhere on the Isle . . .

 “Si-Si! Si-Si!” Jia chanted as she ran towards her older sister, Nicky close on her heels.

“Calm down, midget,” Sierra ordered.

“What is it?” Claudine asked, in a much gentler tone.

Jia brandished the royal blue wallet embroidered with a garish red design, too out of breath to speak, so Nicky took over for her. “We stole Evie’s wallet!”

Sierra rolled her eyes. “That’s great, hon, but from who?”

“Evie! We saw her, and then Jia was like, we should totally tag team her, and then we did and then she gave it to us! Isn’t that so weird?”

“So weird,” Jia agreed breathlessly.

But Claudine had frozen in place, and Sierra was still trying to sort through what Nicky had just spouted off. “Did you just say you saw Evie? Evie as in blue hair, Evil Queen-spawn Evie?”

“Yeah!” Nicky agreed enthusiastically. “There was so much money in her wallet, but we spent some of it on sour lemons—”

“Where did you see her?” Claudine interrupted sharply, and Sierra looked at her in surprise; she had never heard that tone from Claudine before.

“I think they were heading towards the Horned King’s bazaar—”

Claudine started storming towards where Nicky and Jia had just come from, and Sierra was just about to pull her aside and demand what the hell she was doing when Gil barreled past them, nearly knocking Jia and Claudine off their feet. Sierra and Nicky managed to flatten themselves against a wall in time.

“What the hell?” Claudine demanded, straightening her headscarf and scowling at Gil.

“Going somewhere, Egg-head?” Sierra asked sarcastically, brushing debris off of Jia’s hat.

“Got news for Uma,” Gil called over his shoulder (not even out of breath, Sierra noted enviously), “You’ll never guess who’s here!”

An idea came to Sierra, and so being Sierra, she ran with it. “Oh yeah? Well, we’ve got news too. Race you for who gets to tell Uma first!”

She sprinted towards the direction of the docks, leaving a stunned Claudine and Gil chasing after her, yelling, “Sierra, you bastard, you never called out a starting time!”

“Can’t hear you from how far away I am!” she called back.

Gil cursed and picked up the pace, leaving Claudine with Jia and Nicky.

Claudine sighed, and then smiled down at the six-year-olds. “Which one of you wants to ride on my back and which one wants to try and beat me to the Chip Shoppe?”

Nicky and Jia’s eyes lit up.

 *****

At the Chip Shoppe, Morwenna Mim was scarfing down a plate of cold crab surprise like it was the last meal she would ever have. (And given that this was the Isle, who knew if she would survive until tomorrow?)

“Slow down, Baby Mim,” Uma said, leaning against the counter with an amused expression on her face. “Food’s not gonna run away from you.”

“I know that,” Morwenna retorted. “This tastes like it’s been dead for two weeks at least,” she gave the plate a disgusted look. “This isn’t even crab!”

Uma laughed, but Desiree, who was walking by, called out to her. “Just pour some mustard on it; it helps with the taste of rot.”

Morwenna was in the process of drowning the crab surprise with mustard when Gil and Sierra burst through the door, shoving each other.

“—Get off me, you dick!” Sierra snarled, trying to pry up Gil’s fingers from around her arm.

“The only reason you beat me is because you tripped me as I was walking up the steps!”

“I can’t help that you have weak ankles!”

“What the fuck ever, Sierra – UMA!” Gil hollered at the captain, who gave them a look of vague interest. “The – mmph!”

Sierra slammed a hand over his mouth. “Ladies first, Gil, didn’t your mother teach you manners?”

Their fight had caught the attention of the rest of the crew, and now they were all watching Gil and Desiree with avid interest. Harry, Jonas, and Big Murph were betting in quiet voices on who would end up winning. Jonas was betting on Gil because he had muscles to spare, Murph was betting on Sierra because she was scrappy, and Harry was betting that Uma would kill them both before they ever finished fighting.

Gil licked Sierra’s hand, and she yanked it back with a disgusted yell. “King Ben’s in the Isle!” Gil bellowed before Sierra could try to strangle him.

Desiree dropped a tray with a loud clatter, Marya actually gasped out loud, Gonzo reflexively reached for his sword and then remembered it was at the sword check, Sierra looked stunned, and Morwenna felt her fingers clench around the cheap metal fork, bending it.

Uma was staring at Gil, eyes stormy and face unreadable, but before she could do anything, Nicky ran through the door and jumped into Murph’s arms, yelling; “Dad, Jia and I saw Evie, Carlos, and Jay sneaking into the Horned King’s Bazaar!”

Claudine shouldered her way through the double doors, Jia clinging to her neck like a small monkey. “Did he tell you . . . .?” she took a moment to observe the room and raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t expecting this amount of shock.”

“The king’s in the Isle,” Sierra said hoarsely, still holding Gil in a headlock.

Claudine blinked, and then carefully unwound Jia’s arms from around her neck before setting her down and staggering into a chair.

Nicky looked confused. “Wait, when did the king come here?”

Quite honestly, that’s what Morwenna wanted to know too.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Uma asked. Her face was calculating, and her eyes were focused on something past them. Harry had silently gravitated to her side, a dark scowl on his face. “Our lovesick king must have followed Mal to the Isle, and taken the other three traitors as tour guides.”

“Wait, Mal’s here too?” Gil demanded, sounding utterly confused.

“Oh my God,” Marya whispered. “This is way too good to be true . . .”

“Yes!” Ashe cackled, rubbing her hands together. “We’re baking five pies tonight, bitches!” She waved a dismissive hand at Sierra’s incredulous look. “I’ll explain later.”

“Shut up, all of you,” Uma commanded, and the room quieted instantly. “We have an opportunity and I intend to make the most out of it.” She cast a glare around the room, meeting each person’s eyes. “Are all of you with me?”

“Always,” Harry said instantly.

“Of course, Captain,” Gonzo agreed, Murph and Claudine nodding in affirmative.

“We’ll do whatever it takes, Uma,” Sierra declared as Ashe nodded vigorously and Marya grinned devilishly.

“Do you even have to ask?” Desiree asked, giving her cousin a shark smile. Jonas smirked at Uma and saluted her with his shot glass before downing it.

Everyone turned to Gil with raised eyebrows, waiting. It took Gil a second to notice them, and then he grinned embarrassedly. “Sorry, got distracted. I’m your man, boss.”

“Good.” Uma climbed on top of the table, and Morwenna was forced to abandon her crab surprise and push her chair back to avoid getting stepped on. “We’re getting off the Isle, and we’re gonna use the king to do it. Our primary target is no longer Mal. That bitch can rot in her house forever as far as I care. No, we need the king in order for this to work.” Her eyes gleamed feverishly. “And I’m going to go get him.”

“Hell yes,” Claudine spoke up, color returning to her cheeks. Desiree smirked, and Gil looked excited.

“Cuz?” Jonas spoke up. “Not to rain on your parade or anything, but Auntie’s still here . . .”

Uma scowled, her mood instantly plummeting. “Goddamn it.” She cast a glare at the kitchen, but then gave a devious smile as she looked down at her first mate. “Harry?”

He gave her a sultry look, menace lurking in his smile. “Yes, Captain?”

“Would you be a dear and pick up the king for me?”

The pirate grinned, and absently, Morwenna wondered how he had managed to show off of all of his teeth at once. “It would be my pleasure, lovely,”

“Cool.” Uma nimbly hopped off of the table and whisked away Morwenna’s plate. “I’ll leave the details to you, I want to be surprised.”

Harry looked positively deranged as he turned to leer at the assembled crowd, all chomping at the bit to go and kidnap a king.

“Oh and Harry?” Uma poked her head out through the window. “Try not to hit him too much; he looks like he bruises like a peach.”

“But that eliminates half of my ideas!” Harry complained.

“Not my problem,” Uma disappeared back into the kitchen with an evil laugh.

Scowling like a little boy who had just been denied sweets, Harry turned back to the crew. “Who wants to drag a king’s body?”

“I will!” Ashe called out instantly.

“If Ashe is going, so am I,” Sierra said authoritatively. “You guys remember the last time . . .”

Morwenna barely contained a shudder. The blood, the way it had spattered all over her freshly-stolen dress . . . It was almost too gruesome to bear, but Morwenna was a Mim, and Mims were never intimidated.

“Alright, then that’s two people to drag the body. Who wants to distract him?”

Instantly, the Chip Shoppe was filled with yelling.

Jonas was proclaiming that since he was Uma’s cousin, he should be a part of the team that bought the king in, while Desiree told him to sit down and shut up because he had no subtlety, and she was infinitely more qualified than him. Marya was arguing with Gonzo over who had to look over Nicky, since Murph really wanted to test his new war hammer. Claudine was yelling at Gil because Gil insisted that she wouldn’t be able to contain herself from killing the king instantly, and she was telling him that his Gaston-ness would make it so that he would feel obligated to kill Ben. Meanwhile, Jia and Nicky were vehemently insisting that they were capable of dragging the king’s carcass through the streets.

In the midst of the chaos, Morwenna felt herself stand on her chair and whistle sharply, like Maddy had taught her.

The room quieted, everyone swiveling around to stare at the young Mim girl.

“I’ll do it,” she spoke firmly, casting her eyes around the room like she had seen Uma do countless times, daring anyone to challenge her.

As if on cue, the crew looked at Harry for his reaction.

Harry’s face was blank at first, but then he gave Morwenna a mocking grin. “Make us proud Mim,” he drawled.

Morwenna smiled. Finally.

****

Ben needed to walk away from the situation and clear his head for a minute. His mind kept on flashing over Mal’s face before she had handed him the ring back, twisted with tears and stubbornness. The only thing that he could focus on was the coldness of the ring in his hand.

As he walked away, he dimly heard Evie trying to talk with Mal, while Carlos and Jay quietly argued over what to do.

Does Mal and I breaking up mean that I can’t see them again? That’s how it goes in those pop songs doesn’t it? I get the ring and my jacket, she keeps all the friends.

Ben was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he barely registered bumping into someone and nearly knocking them over.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, trying to clear his mind. Gods be good, now he was bumping into random pedestrians? What was wrong with him?

“That’s alright, your highness,” a voice said sweetly.

Ben looked down, and for a minute, he could’ve sworn that it was a six-year old version of Mal looking up him, and then he couldn’t breathe.

But wait . . . this girl had dimples when she smirked, and while Mal had pale green eyes, this girl’s eyes were so dark that Ben felt like he was drowning.

“I have to admit,” Not-Mal said, her eyes shining malevolently up at him. “I’m a little disappointed by how easy this is.”

Before Ben could try to speak, or run away, the girl leapt at him, striking him in the temple with a cold metal band around her knuckles.

The last thing Ben saw before the darkness dragged him under was purple hair.

[ingeniousxchaotic]

Hit me

Open the door and came into the fifth dimension. Fool, I'm psycho. I've got a future, I have a future Fool, I'm psycho. I've got a future, I have a future

Drill down the road.

Pumping with a red light.

My feelings are split Drill down the road.

Pumping with a red light. My feelings are split Seeing the depths of the universe, brings the talent in my blood. Non-spiritual and mental growth, I'm out of shape in the nowhere. Your family is basic, basic your family. Your friends use white flowers, you invoices, son.

I Prophet.

I'm the shape of the future. There you go, fancy.

Your imagination is the statue of your demise.

My third eye accidentally met your Anxious eyes. My vision was so perfect and you lose all the value of your life

Lost sight?  Lost reason to live? My train of thoughts, rip your limbs into pieces. I’ve planted paranoia into you. You’ve come to the wrong place. Me and my connection to the universe as a spy in your nightmares. Feel the worst of the pain suffered no physical contact. Do not attempt to communicate with me Pupils of the devil, mind of a chaotic , I'm doped, lightweight. I would not say any more about developments. Life is not the movie , so you can’t escape the fufure You can read this, but could never understand. I look out the feeling. My color is heard? I heard the anger of color blindness. I just draw a circle and see what it causes to you.

This rhythm that makes your eardrums cry

This beat which hits your eardrums like a slut to your chest. Everything that exists here, happiness until your new obedience, everything. I’m Elastine while you are dandruff Your standard is a commotion. A hero like a leech, kill me tie me up, give me my destiny I’m so super I just grew up.

Beggar-like mothersuckers, motherfuckers all of them decay, make them break their hands and feet. I’ll open this place’s doors and close them like a campaign. My mind is stronger than your dirty tongue. Got six bullets in my tongue, six snakes in my lung, six shots got me feeling like a maniac. Like a couple with good conjugal harmony, there’s nothing big your heaven, just like a woman, you won’t see face to face. I’m tick dock a duster, bak bak dusting, my tongue like oil, you’ll see it yeah this is meaningless wordplay, these are all how many words?

My motherfucking lines Bitch I’m the one I’m so mufuckin prime.

I’m your man, 10 out of 10, my heart is pitch black, a summer’s suntan my operations are beginning, my name’s brand. I do it all myself.

You’re more annoying than favorable, rice rather than a tower. Short instead of answering. I’m the top of the top, favor of the favor, answer of the answer. Just play with your dick, try eating, it’s delicious. Okay, you’re my friend, right, my enemy Yeah I’m getting on them bitch, getting on them rich. The son of the seaside, you’re son of a bitch. I shine like a diamond in the rough, like son of a jade. I’m a monster, son of a Stitch. Yeah I told you that I’m a monster that’s why I’ll be planning non-stop I do want your hands on your throat want your fuckin damn erry hands on your throat.

hit me

Storm the planet hunting you down, cause I'm on a mission To split your body into a billion one-celled organisms I will destroy your religion, fool. You're faker than blue-eyed crackers nailed to a crucifix. I am about to blow up like NASA Challenger computer chips. Arsenic language transmitted revolutionarily. I'm like time itself, I'm gonna bash you inevitably. Chemically bomb you. I'm illmatic, you won't make it home. I'll sever your head diagonally for thinkin of talking to me. And then use your dead mind to write my name in calligraphy. This puppet democracy brain-washed your psychology. So you're nothing, like diversity without equality. Using numerology to count the people I sent to madness. Produces more digits than 22 divided by 7. I’m a mind wiper, a complete psycho, if I’m a dicer, then I have all the dice If you’re nice, I’m nicer. If you’re Pride, then I’m a Chrysler, that means I’m priceless Your mind is empty and spacious. Like the part of the brain that appreciates culture and erases. Face it, you're too basic. You're never gonna make it. Like children walking through Antarctica, butt naked .

And now the devil follows me everywhere that I go. In fact, I'm sure he's standing among one of you while looking at me. He could be standing right next to you, and you wouldn't know. The devil grows inside the hearts of the selfish and wicked. White, brown, yellow and black color is not restricted. You have a self-destructive destiny when you're inflicted. And you'll be one of god's children that fell from the top. There's no diversity because we're burning in the melting pot. So when the devil wants to dance with you, you better say never. Because a dance with the devil might last you forever.

[theabominableblogger]

My Reaction to “Gotham” S4E3

*slamming my hands on my laptop repeatedly while trying to comfort a sulky dog*  LOOOOOOAAAADDDDD!!

AN:  I managed to record my reactions to this episode and hopefully I can transcribe what I said into this post. 

So Jim’s gonna go see Falcone?  That’s gonna go well.

Wait, we’re gonna see Lee again?  When are we gonna see Lee again?

“I am Ra’s al Ghul.”  Good to know!

We’re gonna see Bruce leap around in this Proto-Batsuit?

The jacket still needs a little work... but it looks nice

Whoa...

What is this battlefield?

What is going on?

[Arabia 125 AD]  *gasps*  OK, this is definitely gonna be a Ra’s al Ghul episode

Whoa!

*claps with each word*  Seriously, what is going on?

Is that Ra’s?

What....

*slips into horrible Cockney accent*....is going oooooon....

Whoa, OK, so the Lazarus Pit was around before Ra’s came around?

...Kaaaaayyyy...

“I [Ra’s] was no more.”  “And now you live.”  Great!  Good to know!

Even Ra’s looks like he has no clue what’s freaking going on...

“[Ra’s] You must find your heir, as I found you.”  The heir to what?

Oh that’s a cool shot [of Ra’s hand grabbing the knife]

Wait, isn’t that the same knife that Bruce and Barbara kill him with in the S4 finale?

AN:  Yes

What’s going on, guys?

GUUUUYYYYSSSSS....

*scats the opening theme*

[Shot of the moon over Gotham City]  *sing songs*  Hello moon!

Not sure how I feel about the mask... you gotta put ears on it!

I really want Bruce to try this dramatic Batman entrance and he just ends up pratfalling in. 

Think like Bruce in “Thor Ragnarok.”  It’s just *makes splat noise with mouth and slaps hand*

Yeah, how did Alfred make Bruce’s mask?  That’s my question.

Whoa...

Mysterious hooded figure in Gotham...

*slaps hand on desk with each word*  That’s not weird at all!  This is Gotham.

Alfred:  Bruce, walk away.

Bruce:  Naaahh!

“Now walk away.”  *starts singing "Walk Away” from High School Musical 3*

Alfred’s like “God dammit, Masta Bruce!”

Oh it’s Selina!

What’s Selina doing at the docks?

*Bruce fights his way through a barrage of machine gun fire*  Whooooooooo.... oooohhh!!!

Yeah, that’s Selina.  Honey, what are you doing?!?

Oooohhh, I don’t know what that city is but it looks nice.

*ends up singing “Despacito” for no god damn reason*

AN:  It’s Miami.  They just did some crazy coloring to make everything look warmer.

Oh that shot of the horse’s eye though!

This show has some really nice cinematography.

Oh hello Sofia!

I thought Sofia in the comics was- well, when I first saw in in “The Long Halloween”- like really tall and broad.  Well that was the way Tim Sale here so...

Hello, Falcone!  How are you enjoying retirement?

“Carmine.”  Bitch!

I cannot believe Jim has the freaking balls to go visit Falcone when he murdered his son last season!

Oh my God, I would want to steal Falcone’s retirement home right now!  It looks so nice!

Wait, doesn’t Sofia get freaking shot in the head later this season?  And she somehow survives?  Like, what’s going on with that?

AN:  Yes.

“Who’s this?”  Oh yeah, this is James Gordon.  He killed your [Sofia’s] brother.

How is this whole scene not seeping in awkward?

She [Sofia] should be livid with rage!  The dude killed her brother!

“I’m [Falcone] dying.  Doctors don’t know why.  Maybe old age.  Karma.  They seem to think the air is better down here for me, give me more time.”  So is Sofia gonna in his place or what?  How does Sofia end up in Gotham?

“I [Bruce] let my guard down, Alfred.  It wouldn’t happen again.”  *coughs in hilarity*  Five minutes later.

“Oh, no, where do you [Bruce] think you’re going?”  “To the docks.”  Oh my freaking God, Bruce.

*Barbara shows off one of her guns to a potential buyer*  Whoa...

Yeah, Barbara, get rid of the haircut.  Now!

Oh my gosh, Oswald, what’s with your hair?  Is that a hair extension?  If so, you’re going a little bit too far, buddy.

Who... is this...

Whaat...

*cracks up when Oswald finds the Ed-sicle missing and starts screaming*

“THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING!!!!!”  “I [Victor] don’t know.  Kinda opens up the room.”  HAHAHAhahaha

“I [Oswald] want Ed back here today!”  Attachment issues, much?

Who is that [Ed’s kidnapper/rescuer]?

*Ed finds a bunch of fan clippings on the wall next to him*  Oh oh OOOOHHH...

“I [Myrtle] could say I’m your number one fan.”  That’s just creepy.

Ed just looks so done with Myrtle, oh my God.

“How long was I [Ed] on ice?”  “Five months.”  Whoa!

“With me [Myrtle] as your sidekick, of course.  Doesn’t that sound wonderful, my love?”  That does not sound wonderful.  Stop calling him love!

*Bruce goes in disguise as a street kid on the docks*  Oh my gosh, Bruce...

How does no one recognize that that is Bruce Wayne?!?

Bruce, what are you doing...

Yeah, Bruce needs to voice on the voices a little bit.  He’s getting there!

“It’s clear that this isn’t about profit, but about your [Barbara’s] mysterious benefactor.  He is your client, is he not?”  Yeah, it has to be Ra’s.  She’s working for Ra’s.

Why does Oswald want the knife?  What interest does he have in the knife?

*imitates Bruce’s pronounciation of “Ra’s”*

Here’s my question:  if that is the only weapon that can kill Ra’s, then how did he let it get out of his possession, after all this time?  Seriously.

Likin’ the totally non-conspicous sunglasses Jim has...

Oh my gosh, she’s [Sofia] tall.

“To my dad.”  And to my brother, whom you [Jim] murdered.

*laughing*  How is no one bringing up the fact that Jim killed Mario?

“He [Mario] was infected with the virus.  [Jim] You did what you had to do.”  Oh, so it’s just like that then?  OK.

Here’s my question:  how did Myrtle get access to the lounge?

*Myrtle shows off her homage dress*  Oh it’s a cute dress!

Dude, you [Ed] were stuck in ice for five months.  Yeah, you definitely need time to recover.

What is that?

“What’s black and white and red all over?”  Newspaper.

*gets confused when Ed gets the answer wrong*

“I have a face and two hands, but no arms or legs.”  Clock.

Oh that sky looks awesome!

They’re [Jim and Sofia] walking barefoot on the beach together... and I don’t know how to feel about them as a couple!

Oh... oh...oh...

*Sofia kisses Jim*   Ooooooooooooohhhhh maann...

Oh my gosh, he’s [Bruce] wearing a black bow tie!

“Play the role that you [Bruce] were born to play.”  “You mean behave like a spoiled brat?”  Yes.

“Bruce Wayne, billionaire brat.”  *claps hands*  Let’s go.

This version of Bruce Wayne is awesome.  I’d definitely rank him up there with Kevin Conroy and Ben Affleck.  I think it’s mainly because we see Bruce Wayne in this show become Batman rather than in most stuff, where that transition has already happened.  Here, they focus on him as a kid, and it seems way more natural.

*absolutely loses it when Brat!Bruce tries high fiving Alfred, who almost considers it*

“I’m gonna put it in my... my bathroom!”  HAHAHAHAHAHA

“Technically, you [Bruce] are the richest man in the room, but let's not try and buy absolutely everything, shall we?”  “True, but if I only bid on the knife everyone's been trying to steal from Penguin, it might draw his suspicion. If I go on a spending spree, recklessly throwing my money around, he won't think twice.”  ...Yeah... I mean...

Bruce look so smug that he’s figured out this billionaire brat persona.  Four for you, buddy!

“Barbara Kean.  I [Bruce] thought she died.”  “Unfortunately, nobody stays dead in this town.”  True!

Whoa...

*smiles when Bruce tries outbidding Barbara by one dollar for the knife*

“300 thousand dollars... and one cent!”  OH HO HO HOOOO!!! 

Oh my God!

*cracks up when Bruce smugly thanks Barbara*

You notice that when Oswald started warning him about Barbara, Bruce’s persona just dropped.  He’s like “OK.  Game time.”

“What’s red and green and goes round and round.”  Frog in a blender.

“The answer, obviously, isn’t ‘newspaper.’”  *gives Ed a confused look*

*gasps when Ed knocks out Myrtle with the riddle book*

“Frog in a blender!”  What the heck kind of riddle is that?  Why is that in a kids’ book?

Here’s my question:  why doesn’t Bruce tell Selina about this whole shindig with Ra’s al Ghul?  Seriously.

Wait a minute, doesn’t Ra’s die for this like first time early this season?

Yeah, ‘cause they bring him back in episode 19 but then he dies again in the season finale, so it’s like “Umm.... what?”

Jiiiiiiimmm!

Harper!

Sofia!

Wait, so how old is Sofia?  She said she moved down when she was 13, so she has to be 23 or something right?  Like five years or so younger than Gordon, at least?

“We [Sofia and Jim] can do great things together, you and I.  I’ll be in touch.” That sounds... very bad!

*snorts in hilarity when Victor answers the frog in a blender riddle correctly*

Oh my gosh, I like Oswald’s blue gloves

Where the heck did Ed go?

Eeeeeeeeeeddd, where are you goingggggggg....

[Welcome to the Iceberg Lounge]  *imitating Penguin*  I froze my crush because he did not like me!

Nice.

Whoa...

OK, that has to be Ra’s, right?

He’s gonna be like “Yeah, uh, hey Barbara?  Where’s the knife?“

Barbara:  Ummm, let see, there’s a funny story about that... I didn’t get it...

Awkward...

“That knife is the key to everything.”  It’s the key to killing him!

*makes extremely loud disgusted noise when Barbara proceeds to make out with Ra’s* 

NO!

Ohhh, no, I did not like that at all!  Noo!