#which it's a farm she's not gonna kill me if an animal gets hurt in a freak accident or sumn

[wereverine]

had a minor farm emergency so i had to pause underworld and now i've completely lost the will to finish the movie guess i will have to try again later

[whereispearlescentmoon]

My thoughts on Billy are this:

Pearl has no named pet in Last Life. She had a wolf army but only two survived with her to the final fight, she didn’t react very much when they died, and she never named any of them. She used them to great effect for killing, however, which is a lesson she would bring with her into DL. She did utilize them to help Ren kill Cleo, which… cycles and all that. “We want to kill Cleo and then we can reconnect the three Gs” lives in my head rent free. The only other pet she has is her two axolotls, which she does not name and both of which Joel kills.

I don’t know that Pearl has ever really connected to an animal the way she connected to Tilly because she hasn’t been alone since Double Life. Tilly was her lifeline because she was all Pearl had. She was her soulmate because no one else wanted her. She was the only living being who Pearl could rely on. And both times losing her were devastating to Pearl. The first time, it kicked off the Scarlet Pearl arc, and the second time it spurred on her rampage towards Impulse and Bdubs, and Cleo and Martyn. She had her wolf pack because when you can’t count on allies to fight beside you, to protect you and want you to live, you have to be able to count on something.

This is in contrast to every series since, where Pearl has largely kept her animals tucked away in her base and where her pets have been more important in the way they help her interact with other players than anything.

The first thing Pearl says to Froggy is, “I found you! Hello! This is gonna be my friend of the season, in animal form”, because she wanted to be prepared in case she was alone again. And then said “You are my love. If you die, I don’t know what I would do,” because again, she was thinking about what happened after Tilly’s first death. She was preparing to need animal companionship in lieu of players, but then she found BigB.

Froggy stayed at the bottom of that pit trap for the rest of the series if I remember correctly, and Pearl hardly ever moved her from that one corner of the tower even before that. Why? Because she had BigB to bounce off of, and because, frankly, cats just aren’t as useful as wolves in Minecraft. You don’t get a cat for protection, unless you’re really that scared of creepers. Pearl wanted a companion from Froggy, not a warrior. She didn’t want to risk losing something dear again, so when Froggy falls into the pit trap that kills Pearl, that she herself set, she leaves her at the bottom.

Mailbox and Matchbox were closer to the kind of companionship she had with some of the wolves in DL, but certainly not Tilly level. And again, she didn’t want to risk losing them, which is why they stayed tucked under her base near the skeleton farm. It’s why her main concern when the wither and the warden were out was to get three things underground: Matchbox, Mailbox, and Bdubs. She didn’t want to lose any of them.

However, the most important thing about her wolves in SL, to me, is how they affected her interactions with other players. For one, they were the catalyst for the “Pupper Alliance” with Cleo. Pearl doesn’t play the social game, so she often takes alliances in situations of when you can materially help each other, rather than out of friendliness. Needing bones to tame wolves gave her a material reason to ally with Cleo. It also meant that we got yet another Cleo and Pearl betrayal when Cleo killed some of Pearl’s wolves later on. The other is something Pearl actually said in her episode today. She knows how powerful a wolf army is, it’s a large part of how she won Doible Life. Which is why when it came down the wire, because she had no intentions of winning, she left Matchbox and Mailbox at home and sat down her wolves so they wouldn’t hurt Gem. That was Scar’s kill, his fight with Gem. It’s probably the most literal example of her wolves taking a backseat to her companionship with other players.

In Real Life, she was just doing it as a joke and because she wanted to pet a Minecraft wolf in VR (which I respect so hard) and thus I have no analysis lol.

As for this season, it seems like Pearl’s theme this whole season has been “trying to live up to what people think I am, even though I’m not that anymore”. It’s why it’s kind of funny that she keeps trying to do the cool Scarlet Pearl killer thing and failing miserably. And it’s why when she comes across the wolf in episode one, she goes out of her way to not only tame it, but name it something so close to Tilly (yes I know she was likely also playing into the Tilly Milly thing). But just like with Froggy and just like with Matchbox and Mailbox, her main priority is keeping them safe, not with using them to win. She doesn’t want to win, she’s here to have fun!

Losing Billy isn’t devastating to Pearl because, unlike in DL or LimL, she doesn’t really need the wolves for emotional support, and unlike in LL, DL, or SL, she had no intention of making a dog army because she has no intention of placing high. Pearl has literally said she wants to see a top four of people who haven’t made top four before (and Impulse lol), which as the only person who’s ever made top four in all of her seasons (4th, 1st, 4th, 2nd), is a pretty big tell. She was trying to keep him safe by not moving him, but like she said to Joel, everything dies in the Life Series.

I would also like to point out, Pearl has only ever named two of her pets entirely on her own, Matchbox and Milly. Martyn named Tilly because she had accidentally trampled some wheat (tilling, get it?) She named Froggy after the frogs that BigB had said were his family, because Froggy was hers. Mailbox, if I’m remembering, was a Bdubs idea. Matchbox was only named because Pearl kept accidentally calling Mailbox Matchbox so she decided to just name one of her other wolves. Milly was a joke that Pearl came up with. And Billy was Cleo’s suggestion. To quote Pearl when she found Froggy, “I don’t know what I’m gonna call you yet. We’ll find out. You know usually we kinda figure these things out when we go talk to somebody,”

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 128

Chapter 128: "I've Decided"

I love Emma so much for this. She agrees that the annihilation would be a smart way to ensure that their family can live safely and happily in this world, but it is by no means the best way to reach that future. I understand Norman's drive for revenge on the aristocrats and those who play an active part of keeping the farm systems running, but the whole method to achieve that is just morally wrong, especially to attack those who are innocently going about their days as normal. (during this part of the conversation, the anime has "Existence of an Insider" playing, which famously played in s1ep5 when Ray reveals he's a double agent to Norman, so it's almost like roles switched in regards to whom we're supposed to be cautious about.)

She also agrees that escaping into the human world may be dangerous for them as well since they dunno how well they'll be accepted there, but still wishes to take that chance. Their whole journey up to this point was full of risks, optimism and resolve, so naturally Emma is willing to put her beliefs into such an iffy idea. All that is quite similar to her reasoning later in ch178 when they're all about to cross over actually and if it was for this recent ask I may not have thought about this just now. (perhaps that's another reason Ray chooses to trust in Emma so strongly, as he's heard her speak similar truths before during this moment.)

Anime is wild for having Norman make a comment like that. Naturally I love Ray getting angry at him for it.

Lowkey funny to me how it's the thought of not having Emma smile anymore that causes Norman to be like "oh wait, I certainly can't have that," and proceeds to talk through the situation more openly about a sort of compromise.

Maybe I'm the idiot, but how would you exactly defeat the demons without killing them? It's not like you could mortally wound them since they'll regenerate quickly, yeah? (unless we're chatting about Norman's drug that has yet to be revealed, since that forces them to degenerate. though that'll still lead them to death, just slowly. idk. this is why i write these out days beforehand so i can think and try to make sense of random shit like this.)

Norman, I regret to inform you that you're in a fantasy type manga. Impossible things are gonna happen no matter what you wanna believe.

He goes through this whole spiel about the Seven Walls being a total mystery and claims there's absolutely no proof of the place actually existing and Emma fires back telling him they've basically found the entrance already and it's such a perfect in-your-face moment for her and I love it.

The way her grip tightens on him.. aahh she wants to take the pressure off him so badly so he can just be Norman again instead of the WM persona and it hurts!

Hug her! Hug her, you fool! She needs many hugs!

How can you expect to her relax with that fake smile on your face? If ya wanted to be convincing you should've just HUGGED HER. (i'm surprisingly passionate about this moment suddenly, dunno why.)

Perhaps it because it didn't happen in the anime that I'm fond of the embrace now? Instead we get Emma just reaching for his hand.

And after she asks Norman if the annihilation is truly what he wants and if it's tough carry everything by himself, he simply replies with "no" followed by the below. Like damn boy, and here I thought manga Norman was being harsh.

Spoilers: he did, in fact, not think about it when Emma returned. In his defense, she arrived a bit too late. But also in her defense, a lotta things happened at the Seven Walls.

Enjoy the brief happiness while you can.

My boy gets sidelined so hard during this chapter that despite all the chatter that's going on, he only got about seven total speech bubbles.

Favorite panel/moment:

I'm afraid Norman fails to understand that Emma is gonna make her own agreement between them whether he likes it or not.

I absolutely love the way Norman freaks out, even if it's definitely a valid concern about if they could actually return from the Seven Walls. C'mon boss, this is Emma we're talking about here, of course her plan is gonna be reckless. He should've expected that.

She's got a fair point about the first Ratri being able to return. And I'll never get over how she thinks this task/burden she volunteers for is simple. Emma is amazing. Crazy, but we love her.

In the anime it had the trio agree to find Sonju & Mujika instead (since the Seven Walls really don't exist in that silly adaptation) and I did kinda enjoy the quick banter between Emma & Norman about how many days the search should be. Not including anything else here though because this is longer than intended and I am very tired.

[ahkaraii]

"I'm sorry if it hurts Chi-Chi and Gohan, but please don't try and resurrect me. Besides, Gohan's a lot better person than I was..."

I think about this line a lot. It shows a lot of self awareness from Goku, y'know?

I have a lot of Goku feels, not all of them fandom-friendly. Twitter folks either bash him or defend him unto death, very black and white binary split-like, which makes it difficult to talk about in 140 characters or less. “Good” dad or “Bad” dad is subjective. But I think his actions -- and inactions -- had profound effects on his family and the world beyond, for good and for bad.

Lemme word vomit for a while and see if I can get something coherent out xD

I think he’s a fantastic shonen protagonist -- arguably the template!! -- and I love him as a character that steadfastly drives the story inexhaustibly forward, to stronger and stronger opponents, to ever more fantastic plotlines. But I personally Iike to take a magnifying glass to the small moments, the quiet moments; the breaths in between the panels. And in these moments, I think Goku is a fascinating chimera of a character: a patchwork man he stitched together through mimicry and good intentions and animal impulse.

He acts like a doofus and in many cases its genuine -- he practically self-raised himself in the wild after not just accidentally killing his grandpa, but also after suffering an actually plot-significant brain injury -- but he is no idiot. I think Goku knows he’s different and not just because he’s an alien with a regrowing tail.

Goku isn’t a normal human because he doesn’t connect like a normal human. He loves but it’s because he chooses to love. He’s loyal because he chooses to be loyal. It’s not sociopathy, but it is a kind of almost... autistic spectrum like inability? I hesitate to step on toes here, but I’m basically heavily projecting my own father -- who is himself a man with high functioning autism -- so that’s where I’m drawing my main inspiration.

Goku struggles immensely to understand people who are emotionally volatile. He defaults to humour and acting like he doesn’t get it just to defuse the situation, because otherwise it’s time to Fight and Goku never takes fights lightly, and that often doesn’t end well with squishy humans. He has a moral code but he doesn’t Regret like a normal person does upon causing injury, physical or emotional. He doesn’t empathize like an emotionally adept person can. He reads body language better than tone.

On the vein of being on the spectrum, or just surviving a brain injury, or just being a saiyan, or a combination of all three -- Goku’s special interest is Fighting. And that’s one of the sources of his family’s problems.

Before Raditz, Goku was content fighting in the World Tournament and marrying the world’s strongest woman, and raising a family with her. Farming to make money to support Chichi and Gohan was boring but it was a form of training if he squinted, and he was fine conforming to that. He looked forward to Gohan growing up enough to train him (remember him saying Chichi wouldn’t let him until Gohan got older), and there he’d have another sparing partner. How exciting! He can’t wait. Let’s go fishing, Gohan, I’ll show you how to use your tail just like I used to! Can you catch a bigger fish? I know you can! Isn’t this fun? Haha! I wonder if this is what Grandpa Gohan felt. I miss him. But Gohan’s here with me! Gosh, I can’t wait till I can teach him all I know!

But after Raditz, Goku was introduced to Strength Beyond Earth, and I believe that was the start of the death of Goku’s attachment to his humanity. Because humans had a limit, and the stars did not.

Goku’s not a bad person. He’s not a terrible father. But like a good shonen protagonist, he’s addicted to chasing strength, and the strength beyond even life itself ultimately called him to abandon his mortal coil (which we see culminate in GT’s ending).

It began by wanting to stay dead. He doesn’t want to hurt his family -- he genuinely doesn’t! -- so after surviving Namek’s destruction he preferred to keep them ignorant as he trained on Planet Yardrat, since what good would it do for them to know he lived if he didn’t plan on coming back yet? Then he mastered Instant Transmission!! How amazing! Now he can travel to and from any reaches of the vast universe; he can come home whenever he wants to. Now he doesn’t have to hurt his family AND he can fight whenever and wherever he wants! Wahoo!!

So he comes back to life. Aaaand life’s not the same. Chichi’s not the same -- she mourned his death and she’s still angry he lost her Gohan for a year, and then took him to space, and then he nearly died for it, too -- and Gohan’s not the same. He’s not four years old anymore. He’s not the wide-eyed kid who looked like his father had all the answers. Krillin’s gotten older.  Everyone has changed, even if just a little. Everyone but Goku.

(Except Goku HAS changed. There’s a whole universe to discover. There’s so much strength he can defeat, still. He looks up at the stars at night and feels for Yardrat’s ki. He feels so much ki everywhere up there. He wants to chase it all down. Is it because I’m a Saiyan? Or is it because I’m a bad person? Goku don’t know...but Goku longs for it. He longs for the peace he finds in letting go).

Future Trunk’s message that a heart illness will kill him politely confuses him. Goku doesn’t fear death -- he knows what’s beyond it, now. And there’s fighters there. Even if he dies, there will be people to fight. No worries. But he does worry about this nebulous future where all his loved ones are dead, too, all except Gohan. It sounds like his boy’s gonna have it rough if these android fellas win. Time to beat some androids! :D And hey, this is finally a good excuse to train with Gohan!! So he does that for a couple of years, teaming up with Piccolo. Gohan’s gotten so strong! How exciting!

Chichi’s slowly come ‘round to him again, so that’s nice, too. He doesn’t really get why she’s still so mad but he rolls with it. He responds to violence he can’t fight against with a smile. Her emotions are too hard to follow, and it can get a little tiresome. But he loves her -- he chose to love her, so he does, and he always will. In his own way.

Then the androids come, and then Cell comes, and Goku steals Gohan away for a day and a year inside the Chamber, and he finally, finally realizes -- gosh, Gohan’s not like him at all. Gohan’s what a Real Human should be. What a Real Hero should be. The hero the Earth needs. Because Goku can’t be that hero anymore -- he never could be. He’s not human.

And there’s so many people to fight beyond the stars....

So when Goku choses to die alongside Cell, it was a choice, too. Gohan’s a better person than him, anyway. He’ll make Chichi happy, and he’ll protect the earth, and maybe one day Goku’ll meet him again and they can spar to see their strengths :) He’s so proud of his boy....

So........ is Goku a good father? A bad father? A good person? A bad person?

I think Goku is Goku. So I’ll let you decide :)

(Here’s the canon Goku dialogue from the end of Cell saga: )

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

I know you haven't really done many prompts for Empire SMP, but having seen Jimmy's perspective today, I really want to see him just talk about everything that's against him and I think it would be really fun to see him just breakdown with Pixl.

Lore-wise, Jimmy really has gone through the ringer.

he really has T_T someone pls save him

...

Pixlriffs is working on setting up some more candles around the vigil when he hears a noise from behind him. Immediately alert, he spins round, already pulling out his sword, but he freezes when he spots a figure half-limping towards him.

As he rushes towards the figure, he realises with a jerk that it’s his closest ally. “J-Jimmy?!”

The ruler of the Cod Empire is dishevelled and clearly exhausted, and instead of his normal cod mask, he’s wearing the brown llama mask that Pixl remembers giving him a few weeks ago.

Pixl reaches out to steady his friend, holding him by the arms. “Jimmy, what on earth-?!”

“Gosh, your empire is… is really out there,” Jimmy murmurs, his words slightly slurred. “In the middle of a desert. I’m so hot…”

With that, he collapses against Pixl.

“Jimmy!” he gasps, propping his unconscious friend up.

He manages to lift Jimmy onto his back and hurriedly carries him over to his home. He lays Jimmy down on his bed and hesitantly removes his friend’s mask.

He’s shocked to see a fairly fresh cut on Jimmy’s face from his left temple to the corner of his left eye. It’s not still bleeding but it looks untreated. Maybe from the last day or so.

Forcing himself to ignore that for now, Pixl fetches some water and an ice pack, the latter of which he applies to Jimmy’s forehead. Immediately, Jimmy lets out a quiet sigh and stirs slightly, though he doesn’t wake.

After about ten minutes of gently tipping sips of water down Jimmy’s throat, Jimmy’s eyelids flutter.

“Hey,” says Pixl quietly, giving his friend a soft smile. “Can you hear me?”

Blinking groggily, Jimmy frowns. “What happened? Where am I?”

“In my empire,” says Pixl. “Do you not remember?”

Jimmy lifts a hand to his forehead. “My head’s a little fuzzy.”

“I’m not surprised; you were pretty dehydrated. Do you have any idea how long you were wandering around in the desert?”

“No, not really.”

“Well if you walked all the way here from your kingdom, it’s a wonder you didn’t parch to death,” Pixl responds. “Why didn’t you use your elytra?”

“I wanted to walk as long as possible and then when I eventually tried to take off, I realised I didn’t have any rockets,” says Jimmy sheepishly.

Pixl chuckles. That’s so Jimmy. “Right, I see. Why would you want to walk all the way here, anyway? We didn’t have a meeting or anything, did we?”

“No, I…” Jimmy hesitates. “I just needed a break. And I wanted to see you. And I needed to be several thousand blocks away from everyone else.”

“Really?” Pixl frowns. “Are you okay?”

Jimmy hesitates again, before deciding to tell the truth. “Um… no. I’m not okay. A lot of stuff happened yesterday and I’d really like to curl up and cry right now.”

Pixl gives his friend a sympathetic look. “Tell me about what happened.”

“W-Well…” Jimmy sits up in the bed, taking a deep breath. “fWhip covered my nether portal in cobblestone so I told him to come over and clear it up but he used tnt to blow it up and then when I told him to fix the hole in the ground, he blew a bigger hole under the first one and then Scott and Gem showed up and I was hoping they might be on my side but apparently Scott actually helped fWhip make the cobblestone thingy so then I got really mad and hit fWhip with my sword but then he killed me and stole my Codfather mask and I begged him to give it back but he just flew off with it a-and I don’t know how to get it back now cuz Scott said I keep starting things I can’t finish and that even with my allies, I couldn’t hope to beat fWhip but I need that mask back Pixl I can’t-.”

Sensing Jimmy’s rising panic, Pixl quickly grabs Jimmy’s shoulders to stop his friend. “Hey hey hey, shh. It’s okay, Jimmy. Shh.”

Jimmy lets his breathing settle, clearing his throat as his voice cracks. “Wh-What’s wrong with me, Pixl…?” he whispers. “Why am I such an easy target? Is this all because I stole stuff from Sausage so early on? Do I deserve all this?”

“No, Jimmy,” replies Pixl immediately. “fWhip is being a bully, and bullies always have their buddies backing them up so they feel stronger. First it was Sausage, now it’s Scott.”

“I just… I just don’t understand. I thought Gem and Katherine were my allies but Gem is now fully on fWhip’s side and Katherine pretends she’s on everyone’s side but she always seems to back up the person who isn’t me. Who do I have on my side?”

“You’ve got me, you’ve got Joel, you’ve got Lizzie.”

“I do trust Joel and Lizzie, and you of course, but… I-I’m just kinda expecting everyone to leave me if another alliance offers something better. And I wouldn’t even blame them.”

Pixl pauses, casting a brief look at the walls surrounding him. “...well, I’ll never leave you.”

“I-I don’t think you can realistically promise that,” Jimmy responds dejectedly.

This reinforces Pixl’s resolve. “I’m doing it anyway. You need an ally you can always count on, and I will be that ally. No matter what, Jimmy, I’ll stick by you. I know my empire is a long way from yours but if you ever need backup again, send me a message and I’ll drop whatever I’m doing and fly straight over.”

“Really…?” Jimmy stares at him with hopeful eyes. “Wh-Why would you do that for me? Aren’t there better, stronger empires out there you can ally with?”

“Frankly, yeah, there are. But I don’t care. It’s not all about power.”

Jimmy scoffs.

“It’s not,” Pixl repeats. “Power gets you through a war, sure, but wars aren’t the only things empires have to deal with. You’re a kind and fair ruler to your subjects, Jimmy. Villagers, animals, everything. You always go the extra mile to ensure their comfort and safety, and in this world, that’s a rarity. Power really isn’t the only thing that matters. It’s one of the biggest, but that doesn’t mean you should be counted out just on lack of power. That’s why you find yourself a powerful ally, right? And I like to flatter myself that I’ve built up a pretty powerful empire here. Maybe not fWhip-level powerful, but strong enough to defend us both if a certain tnt-crazed empire comes calling.”

Jimmy gazes at him. “Would you really put your empire on the line for my fights?”

“Of course.” Pixl gives him a kind smile. “That’s what allies do.”

“...Pixl, I…” Jimmy can hardly muster any words to express his emotions. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. All we need to do is take care of each other and we’ll be okay.”

“Pix…” Jimmy is almost completely lost for words. He’s never had someone show this level of dedication towards him before, especially considering they haven’t known each other very long. “A-Anything you need, Pix, anything at all, just ask.”

Pixl’s smile falls as his eyes flicker up to the scar on Jimmy’s face. “Actually… I do have a question. How did you get that scar on your face?”

“Huh?” Jimmy’s hand automatically moves to touch the jagged line on his forehead. “Oh. This. A, um… a piece of debris from fWhip’s second tnt explosion got me. Nearly got my eye, actually.”

“It looks bad. Untreated.”

“Yeah, I… I’m not so good at first aid and I did ask Scott and Gem if one of them could help me clean it but they refused.”

Pixl’s eyes widen. “They what?!”

Jimmy nods sadly. “They made some excuses and left. Scott said it didn’t look that bad and I could deal with it myself. I looked at it in the river and I also didn’t think it looked that bad.”

“Gosh.” Pixl shakes his head disapprovingly, a deep frown on his face. “That’s… That’s so terrible.”

“I-I’m sorry,” whispers Jimmy.

“What? No, not you. I can’t believe Scott and Gem would leave you when you were clearly hurt. Do you have a first aid kit back in your base? And your food situation: do you have enough food? What’s your diet like?”

A little taken aback by the sudden questions, Jimmy hesitates. “I’ve, uh… been eating fish, mostly. Cod Empire, you know.”

“Any potatoes? Carrots?”

Jimmy shakes his head.

Pixl scrutinises him. “Right, okay. Jimmy, you’re gonna stay with me here for a while.”

“A-A while?”

“A few days. You’ve been through a lot lately; you need someone to take care of you. I’ll get that wound treated for you, show you around my empire, and make sure you get some nutrients in your diet. Do you have a potato farm?” Before Jimmy can reply, Pixl continues, “Nevermind, I’ll get you enough potatoes to either get started or improve it, whichever. You need to keep drinking water, though; you’ll get dehydrated really fast in the desert.”

He pauses as he registers the smile on Jimmy’s face. “What?” he chuckles.

“Nothing.” Jimmy averts his gaze, though his smile remains. “Just… thank you. I can’t tell you how much it means to me to have you on my side.”

Pixl smiles back and squeezes Jimmy’s shoulder.

“I’ll always be on your side, Jimmy. Always.”

[revswanson]

I always wished that Uncle had gotten a more peaceful and somewhat happy ending so here it is, in a perfect world, in an alternate universe, whatever you want to call it. I belted this one out at 1 am and definitely did it through tears so take it as it is or not at all, tbh.

"Old man," The gentle hand on his shoulder woke him up. "You going to sleep here tonight, or?" He'd fallen asleep in his chair by the fire. It must have been midnight or later judging by the sky and the sleep in Abigail's eyes. She usually went to bed earlier than this- she must have stayed up knitting and came to check on him.

He stood up and fought back a lament about how much his back was hurting: it always started to ache badly as the sun set. Made it tough to sleep. Finding trouble sleeping wouldn't be an issue tonight, Uncle thought. He was feeling sleepy already when he sat by the fire and sung some songs with Jack and Abi but he hadn't realized how tired he was until the warmth and the crackle lulled him.

John was standing on the porch finishing up a cigarette when Uncle started to make his way inside. "Sleep well, you old bastard," he said, with his classic smile.

"You too," Uncle chuckled, "You know, you're getting old too. If I keeled over right now I'm not so sure you could keep this farm running without me."

Abigail came and stood by John and placed her arm around him and laughed breathily. "I don't know what we'd do without you." She sounded only slightly sarcastic and so was Uncle's reply.

"Probably die yourselves."

Passing through the door and the hallway, he could see into Jack's room with the door slightly ajar. Sometimes the boy liked to sleep with the door open as he had nightmares and it made it easier for them to check in on him. Tonight, it appeared, he wasn't asleep yet.

"Goodnight, Jackie boy," Uncle grunted. "You better get some sleep. You've got big shoes to fill, John keeps buying shoes a few sizes too big and your momma's gonna kill him for keeping you up so late letting you read those stories."

Jack was reading a book in the dim light and Uncle could just imagine his mother nagging about him hurting his eyes and his father nagging about him ruining his brain with stories. On that note, he decided to head to bed faster before he could witness it.

"G'night, Uncle," Jack looked up at him with the same sleep in his eyes that his mother had. They're too alike. Uncle knew the boy would stay up at least two hours more reading that dang book which he has certainly read many times already. "Maybe tomorrow you can finally tell me about your days as the One Shot Kid."

Uncle had to laugh at that one. "Maybe I won't, Jack, that story will definitely rot your brain." He stepped away and walked slowly to his room in the attic, admiring the home that he called his now and for the last couple of years. It was a shitshow and everything else terrible but he loved it.

As he laid in his bed, he thought about all of the times that he had no bed to lie in. He thought about all of the times that he hadn't eaten in days and he fell asleep to the sound of his stomach rumbling, trains passing, and men fighting. He thought about the times he was woken from sleep in the dark of night or the earliest of mornings to screaming, to blood, to unimaginable violence and pain that he was so, so incredibly glad to be away from now. Instead of crying for the past, Uncle smiled as he fell into sleep. He had a home now, a family. A bed, food. He had everything he had needed in life and more. Arthur and many others died to give him this and he was very grateful.

He woke once more as the sun began to gently shine through the windows and he smiled again sleepily, thinking of his loved ones also sleeping in the house below him. He watched a light beam roll across his raggedy rope on the wall as he thought that John would be waking soon to tend to the animals and Abigail to begin her cleaning and cooking. He fell back into sleep imagining what kind of stew she'd make today, and what kind of insults John would lovingly throw his way.

He dreamed of the plains and wild horses, he dreamed of his parents, he dreamed of Arthur kicking him awake with a laugh, he dreamed of singing a song with his old friends late at night by a warm fire, and then he dreamed of nothing.

He did not wake again. John found him after Abigail started to wonder about him- usually he got up and around about noon or so and it was getting past that. "Get up, Uncle. It's time to do some work-"

John's eyes focused on Uncle's unmoving chest and the peaceful look on his face. The slight smile. His eyes were still closed- it could not have been very long ago. He sighed. He sat on the bed next to his Uncle and he began to cry. "I'm so sorry." It was all he could say.

He sat there for a long time before he started down the ladder to the kitchen where Abigail was standing with a worried look on her face and Jack was entering with a confused look. "What is it, Pa?"

John shook his head. Abigail silently walked into the living room and sat down on the couch and… and then she laughed. "He did say we'd bury him here." Jack quickly looked at John with tears in his eyes.

"Uncle is dead, Pa? When? Why?" he started to walk towards the kitchen like he wanted to go up the ladder towards the attic. John gently stopped him and pulled him into a hug and held him with the love only a father can.

"He's gone, son, and I don't want you to see him yet." John had stopped crying before he came down to them but now he felt more tears dripping down his face. "I've got to get him down here and get him ready to be buried. We'll have a hell of a time breaking soil to get him buried in this weather but we have to get it done."

Jack let out a horrible noise and sobbed into John's chest and in that moment a million words were said. John remembered finding Jack tickling Uncle's nose with a feather while he slept. He remembered reprimanding Uncle for asking Jack to get him some booze. He remembered finding Jack and Uncle both asleep at separate ends of the living room couch, and he remembered wondering how they could possibly fall asleep in such uncomfortable positions. He knew that he needed to be strong in this moment for his son.

Abigail came and stood by him and asked him what she could do to help. "Grab me a shovel and find me a couple of pieces of scrap wood for his marker, sweetheart. Jack, stay here for now, we'll come get you in a while. I want to put him under one of the trees he liked to sleep under."

"You big softie," Abigail chuckled through tears. She left to do what she needed to do and so did John. He walked up the ladder again and he laid eyes on Uncle again. Life and death and everything in between happens so incredibly fast, and John couldn't help but find anger in his heart at all of it. But, he shook away the negativity as he looked again at his beloved friend. He found joy in the fact that Uncle had died here in the safety of a house rather than in many of the places he once could have. He found joy in the fact that he could be and do that for him.

He struggled to do so, physically and so very much emotionally, but he carried him down through the kitchen and the back door and met Abigail up the hill near a large tree. She was crying but she always looked so beautiful and he spoke a silent thank you to the late Uncle for bringing her into his life. For reminding him constantly to be good to his wife. For helping him rebuild his life and bring her back into it.

He laid Uncle down on the ground and began to dig. His body racked with sobs with every motion and Abigail stood and watched and said a few things about how she met Uncle in the worst time of her life and she could never repay him for what he did for her. He agreed, and he agreed, and he agreed, and he dug, and he dug, and he dug. And finally the hole was deep enough, and the hole in his heart was greater. He had lost so much. He knew Uncle had too, and he again found joy in the fact that Uncle was finally free from that pain. All of the pain.

He had gotten to die at home like every old man deserves. Humbly, at peace, in a mostly warm bed in a mostly clean and happy house with a… somewhat normal family. "I'll go get Jack now. I'm afraid I'll need his help lowering him down there gently. I want him to be able to say something as well, and he needs to see this part of life, Abigail."

"Go," she turned her head and looked to the sky. When they returned, she had picked some wildflowers from nearby and was tucking them into Uncle's shirt pockets.

Jack looked upon Uncle and wiped his face and tried to look brave. He had seen dead people before despite his parents every efforts to keep him from seeing it, but Uncle looked different. There was no blood. He did not look afraid. He looked happy and like he was sleeping. "Did Uncle die while he was sleeping, Pa? Why didn't he wake up and tell us he was sick?"

"That just isn't how it works, son," John said and held his boy. "I'm sorry you have to see him like this."

"I'm not. He looks happy."

They all stood there under the sun which was now just beginning to set. They stood there for longer than John had sat by Uncle's side, they stood for long enough that the sun nearly left the sky completely. They talked about all of their memories with Uncle, the good and the bad, too. "Help me lower him down, boy," John's face hurt from crying and Jack came and stood by Uncle and looked at his father for more instruction.

"Just… Just grab his feet and I'll carry most of his weight. He's heavy, son, and I'm not making a mean joke. This is the truth of life and death."

"I know, Pa, I understand. I've got him." They lowered Uncle into the cold ground and they began to cover his body with the earth. John almost wished he had chose to give him some kind of warrior's send-off, with fire and a ceremony and everything: Uncle had been a fighter. He fought hard. And John was so sorry that he hadn't given him more credit.

"Goodbye, Uncle. We love you." Abigail's body moved violently with sobs, no tears came at this point but the sobbing did not stop. She walked into the house. John and Jack stood there for a few moments more and then John sent his son inside too.

He set up the marker for Uncle. A simple cross with simple engravings. For a simple man. One of the simplest and one of the best. He would never forget him until the day he died himself. He cried and he cried and he sat by his Uncle's grave until he fell asleep.

A rush of wind came and John felt a tickle on his ear, like a feather. It woke him up. He thought he heard Uncle's laugh in the wind, which smelled slightly of booze.

[border-spam]

Does troy really have a split jaw or is that fanon?

It's total fanon!

The design of the split lines across his cheekbones and chin coupled with the cheek clips and v shaped hinge outline next to his ears lead to a lot of people coming to that same outcome, that there is something up with his mouth from a prosthetic/mod standpoint.

So much of his design is never mentioned once or referenced in any way (hightech spinal rig with tattoos under it, neuro connector, mech arm that's much older and doesn't seem related to the spine and neuroport, implants on bicep, face mod etc) that like Tyreen's scars and possible lower body Siren markings, fandom took over when it came to coming up with logical explanations for 'em.

This actually touches ground with some Ao3 comments I wanted to share as they are all Leech Lord compliant, so I'll list them here alongside links to the fics they were related to (note warnings!)

You leave no avenue for characterization unexplored. Troy's facial prostheses finally receiving backstory is amazing

- Maw (Gore/Bodyhorror)

I LOVE the idea of it being not just decorative shit on his face, but my MO for any content I make is always based around asking why, over and over, and trying to make sense of what material I'm using in the first place. The modded mouth is a popular piece of fanon but you know... why? Why would he do that shit to himself. WHY would he want to be grotesque, why would he be chasing the reaction people would have to it when canonically he seems to really not be interested in fan attention the same way Tyreen is, what's the difference to him between being adored as his persona or being lusted after as a monster, etc. I just love deep-diving into the logic behind character and world building? It's what adds meat to the bone for me.

Big 'ol character and worldbuilding / lore responses list under the cut -

He could afford better robots but these ones UNDERSTAND Ty, don't you get it?

- Good night in (tooth rotting fluff)

Hey just because it's mangled and broken, and can't perform its intended function to a degree expected of it by everyone around it... and it's got rusty sharp bits it accidentally hurts you with sometimes... and it's cranky but it doesn't mean it... and sometimes it errors out in a way that's mildly disturbing in a way you can't place.. uh.. doesn't mean you should just GIVE UP ON IT you know? He can fix them :) They will be fine :) No one should just throw away something that's trying so hard just because it's damaged... haha... :')

It's so hard seeing how much they tear each other down when they're the only thing they have left. And what a poor self-image Tyreen has beyond all that glitter and bluster...

- Wolf in sheep's clothing

The twins function well enough as a unit till tensions rise, and I was trying to seed in The Leech's influence on them in earlier work like this too - towards anyone else Ty would become MORE aggressively confident, more assured in her complete and utter dominance of the situation, her flawlessness, but against Troy who see's her for what she is, it turns inwards and eats at her instead of lashing outwards. He switches from relatively submissive around her to almost surgical levels of dissection, he knows exactly how to go for the jugular with words, and doesn't hold back. She's The Leech's mouth but he's its eyes and it's only when they lose control emotionally enough for it to claw to the surface of their psyches that you get an idea of how much it really affects them individually. GB had an absolute goldmine on their hands here of cosmic/body horror and the concept of toxic family when all you have is each other, there's so much to work with, and I figure it's a factor in why some people still really enjoy messing around with Calypso content.

I like how you allow Troy to be a disabled character, how his congenital defects and prosthetics colour his outlook and appear in ways big and small in all these vignettes. It's easy, I think, to see him as largely untroubled by his health apart from when he needs a charge from Tyreen in the game, but you allow him to struggle with his weakness.

- Chronic (Drug use)

I'm really glad to hear that's coming through in the writing because it's something I noticed a lot too. Very often when Troy, or other characters canonically disabled / chronically unwell are written it's "told" and not "shown". Chronic pain, illness, it's not something that is just a little tickbox in a life or some descriptive terms added to a character synopsis, it's something you live and deal with. There are bad days. There are times it is a negative that has to be worked around or faced in ways that aren't pleasant. It doesn't make you lesser or weak to have times where illness does leave you unable to function to a level you want to, it's not a failure for you to be unable to perform tasks when a disability or flair up means it's not viable. I feel personally that by showing scenes like this where his health and body issues do have a very visceral and impossible to ignore the effect on his ability to function, and going through his mental processes of dealing with and managing them, it brings the character across as stronger than if he never seemed to be shown dealing with symptoms or weaknesses. People are more than their disabilities and conditions, those aren't just kinda taglines to add onto a character's description and then never address. I feel like doing that in a way undermines what people deal with who manage chronic illness, pain, and who have disabilities that affect their daily lives negatively. Appreciating the effort it takes to manage them is important.

What I really like about these is that you can really understand as a reader how their dynamic must have evolved. How even before Leda's death Tyreen would have felt demonized while Troy got the attention because of his condition, because he was less willful.

- Starlight, Moonbright

Ah man, absolutely - and that shit stayed with them. It wasn't his fault and he never wanted it, but of course their parents would have had their extremely ill child at the forefront of their thoughts, especially during weeks when he was.. bad. Tyreen by nature even without The Leech's influence is a little attention seeker, she'd be the life of any party and she BLOSSOMS if she's got the spotlight, but as a little kid who's got literally no one but her parents and her brother, and who all three of which can't give her nearly as much time as she deserved? That's rough. That's really unfair. That coupled with The Leech's warping effect on their egos as they grew up and the bitterness and resentment they harbored in different ways created a reverse dynamic. She'd never be out of the Galaxy's attention again, and he'd have no choice but to take his rightful place in her shadow.

I love how you illustrate both how much more, and yet how much less Troy is now. How the blameless child, full of potential, is inextricably linked to the brutal, larger-than-life avatar he fashions.

- DeLeon ( Graphic Violence / Gore / Hallucinations)

He's molded the monster he is now out of the bones of the man he should have been - there's no going back really. There's nothing left to go back to. He broke Troy DeLeon apart to build the persona that acts like an iron lung now, suffocating him breath by breath while forcing him to still take them. That life is over, he killed it before it had a chance, but the idea of it is still there in his subconscious. Somewhere in the absolute trainwreck of Troy's brain is the tiny, flickering belief that maaaaaybe one day this will all be over and he can shuck off the bracer and spines, peel off all the shit he's covered his skin with, and just go back to not being Calypso. DeLeon here isn't some aspect of his mental state or his sins haunting him - it's The Leech, spitting venom at a host it loathes in something that's not sound or comprehensible language. His subconscious has just translated it into something it can understand - his greatest regret.

On if Borderlands Humans originated on Earth -

There's a really tenuous link between BL verse and rEarth, but it's there and can't be ignored. The cultures, accents, terminologies, so many are Earth specific despite these people being spread across galaxies, so hell yes - Earth as an emergence point makes total sense. The next question then, is why is it never mentioned - and you can cover for that with a lot of things like say, tt was so long ago that it's not relevant to anything that would ever be discussed, or it could be a mass evacuation from a catastrophe there is little record of now. I like to go with something along those lines, that the first human Siren host emergence on earth just absolutely decimated the planet. Like, we were doing fine till this random woman somewhere in the ass-end of nowhere develops weird markings overnight, then goes apocalyptic. The first Leech maybe, not understanding her powers and having them rip across continents in a spread of crackling electric death that only left husked shells of plants and animals in its wake, or the first Firehawk who went nuclear and burned the sky, or the first Voidgrasp who lost control and began to collapse the planet's core - some extreme shit that had humans fleeing en masse with barely any preparation and HUGE swathes of history and knowledge left behind. That would cover so many social things surviving into the BL verse, cultures, accents, cooking, that shit comes with us regardless of what we were able to throw into escape ships. Like so much data would be stored on any tech and data arrays within the vessels people would use to leave a dying planet even in an insane rush, but that shit waters down over time - if you're farming barely edible plants on some planet that smells like farts, are you really gonna be that stressed about teaching your kids history from a lost planet when your current concerns are not being eaten by something with 19 legs and 4 buttholes? Don't think so.

On if the other Siren entities are as influential to their hosts as The Leech -

I touch on it a wee bit throughout LL, but the others are FAR more passive and meld more to their host's whims. The Firehawk Siren wouldn't.. like.. care? If the host was burning down a planet or fighting off an evil corporation? They are removed from any nonsense happening on this side, they might not even really be able to tell, it's like asking an amoeba or a collection of sentient atomic particles what its opinion is on Brexit. That's not really its priority. The Leech is so aggressive in its control of the twins and desperation to drive them towards an outcome it desires only cause it's split, broken, removed from the song, and completely lost. We're talking a caged, half-mad animal removed from its natural environment and left totally isolated from its own kind for millennia. It's in pain, it's confused, it wants to find its way back to the song and the others and where it belongs, but it's stopped by a barrier it can't comprehend ( the twins and being ripped between them), so in its impotent rage it feeds back that hatred onto them. It's not really sentient in the way we would describe functional intelligence, but it wants, and craves, and FEELS. And it feels very, very angry.

Big thanks to @undergoingcalibrations for talking through so much of this with me!

Asks are Open!

[elizabethsharmon]

reblog if you feel disrespected by skam france and demand official apology

below a full list of all the offenses:

Manon going back to Ch*rbage after he emotionally manipulated her to not testify against his brother (who got her drunk, took nudes of her, and kept blackmailing her) because “after all nothing happened = he didn’t r*pe her”

Making Arthur and Alexia a couple in the first place just so he could cheat on her with Noee and lie to her for weeks and then having her break up with him, only for them to suddenly being good friends in s6 and kissing in the last clip (which ngl almost made me throw up)

Bringing up Lucas’ insecurities and abandonment issues but never letting him talk about them with Eliott; posting some damage control posts on instagram instead and pretending like Lucas is fine with Eliott kissing Lola for the film (which he clearly wasn’t, the writers seem to not know him at all)

Wasting time to edit Tiff’s head onto different animals and posting things on that cyberbullying account that no one cared about instead of posting something from the grew + the worst social media ever

Not giving us a proper goodbye to the grew and not really saying anything about their future

Lying to the fans about god knows what we will see in s6 and baiting them to watch even though legit nothing of it happened

Not continuing Arthur’s story in s6 (fine, I don’t really care about that but we were supposed to see it so ???? )

Treating some fans more privileged than the others, giving them spoilers about the new seasons, inviting them on set

FranceTV Slash and SkamLaSerie instas mocking fans in their stories - saying stuff like Lola will cause the break up between Daphne and Basile, “addiction can be useful for flirting” (yikes), creating a ship war between fans in s5 by posting two photos of Alexia/Arthur and Noee/Arthur with a caption “we love them both, we can’t choose”, the host of the live of s6 calling people on tumblr “obsessed” and not apologizing when people said they’re offended by that, blocking people who were asking questions about why the SA was never mentioned again during the live

Liking all the praise but constantly ignoring fans when they were asking questions about writing choices and then blocking them

the rest of 50 offenses under cut cause turns out they really disrespected me more than I thought

feel free to add whatever you want if i forgot about something

None of the girls really apologizing to Imane at the end of season 4 after all they’ve put her through and after they took the side of the racist (who already had a history of drama with Emma) instead of their friend

Taking away Noee’s integrity and making her say “I love you” out loud (which was totally ooc cause an episode earlier she said LSF is her language and she doesn’t like her voice) after Arthur (who was leading her on for weeks) told her they can’t be together

Male gaze in s5 because even though the sign language is a body language, the way camera was lingering on her flat, bare stomach, a few times showing a close up on her boobs during the “song-dance” scene was male gaze

Lack of beautiful, slow-mo, piano music scenes for Alexia with Arthur staring at her awestruck because apparently she’s not worthy enough

Completely sidelining the deaf/hoh storyline in favour of cheating/love triangle plot

Reducing Camille to a translator and randomly making him Mika’s boyfriend because why the hell not

Completely forgetting about Mika and Lisa after s5 (did they ever find that roommate????)

Noee kissing Arthur right after he shared his traumatic story with her and overshadowing domestic abuse with cheating

Absolutely no follow-up about P*trick and domestic abuse after s5 

Having P*trick cheat on Arthur’s mom with Emma’s mom because they’re all one big family

Random crackfic farm episode that didn’t make absolutely ANY sense

Killing Fifi rip [*]

Arthur getting hit by The Car and being perfectly fine the next day

The Boy Squad becoming cheating apologists, Lucas giving Arthur the same advice he gave to Emma in s1 and Yann (who got hurt because of it back then) supporting it

Character regression, especially for Lucas, and the whole boy squad acting out of character

Continuously trying to make Lucas look like a bad guy because they knew we would forgive him everything

Arthur suddenly liking art even though it hasn’t been ever mentioned before and his whole instagram was filled with space related posts

Parallels between Eliott/Lucas and Arthur/Noee

Catherine - or lack of her - aka the queerbait from s3

Completely ignoring character’s birthdays - Basile and Manon (second year in a row)

Not introducing Lola before and making s6 about a complete stranger but still expecting the fans to like her from the get-go and watch the show by baiting the fans with the promise of “unofficial mains” (Daphne and Eliott)

Forcing the Lola/Eliott friendship and selling it in the promo as sister/brother relationship instead of writing it in a way that would make it flow naturally

Making Eliott Otteli Urbex King only to forget the plot after more or less three clips; also having Eliott hide the truth from Lucas for months and then pretending to resolve it in a text to Lola ??? which didn’t make sense in the first place but then it turned out that it was just damage control

Making Lola hook up with much older guys than her over and over again and having one of them s*xually assault just so Eliott could play the hero and save her; never bringing that up again

Making Eliott punch people left and right - anything to protect the ladies, Sofiane punching Ch*rbage in s4 can agree I guess

Making Eliott Otteli Urbex King only to forget the plot after more or less three clips; also having Eliott hide the truth from Lucas for months and then pretending to resolve it in a text to Lola ??? which didn’t make sense in the first place but then it turned out that it was just damage control

Letting Eliott talk about his past and insecurities only so Lola could prey on them later and emotionally manipulate him into drinking

Also Eliott not letting Lola apologize and brushing off her apologies because apparently that was nothing at all and it’s okay to let people walk you over and manipulate you 

Not letting Lucas speak for himself

The whole Lux & Obscurus plot, having Eliott write the film about his and Lucas’ relationship and what his love means to Eliott only to have Lola play in it, not adjusting the script so that it would fit the change and still keeping the Eliott/Lola kiss as a big fuck you to the fandom instead of having it end with a forehead touch and fade to black especially that they haven’t even showed it to us again during the screening of Eliott’s film (but it made all the other couples turned on enough to kiss in that exact moment so maybe it had a purpose) (it didn’t what the fuck was that)

Also acting like Lucas can’t spare a few hours to film it with Eliott cause he has to sTuDy FoR tHe BaC when they were filming it in the middle of a night on Friday, how is that realistic

Not giving Eliott any friends of his own and pretending like he’s a lone wolf even though he’s the biggest sunshine ever and he’s naturally drawn to people; acting like there are no other studens at his film school who could help him film his project so instead he let Lola find random people who knew nothing about filming to help him; having a bunch of random people at the screening of his film and if they were supposed to be his “friends” from the film school then I’m gonna throw hands

Acting like we will see what “minute by minute” really means and “see Eliott like we’ve never seen him before” which never happened

Switching POV for two clips only and they all revolved around Lola because they decided to go with su*cide attempt in episode 9

Also ending that episode with a su*cide note even though the next clip was before midnight on Friday

Giving Lola the worst therapist ever and a really poor attempt at cheering her up from the nurse

Enforcing that “having a loved one” is “the real reason to change” instead of sending the message that you should change for yourself first and foremost and showing that reaching out for professional help is a good thing and can really help you

Acting like ED can be cured by italian cuisine and not mentioning it again for weeks; having Daphne ask Lola not to go to rehab because they have each other and a few clips after that she’s suddenly after her first therapy (love that for her but there’s something huge missing here)

Making Lola’s life a living hell and a misery porn for 10 weeks straight

Making P*trick, Thierry and Lola’s biological dads The Worst (men are trash but it would be nice to see some good parenting on the show)

Giving all the members of La Mif two or three personality traits and not fleshing out their characters

Giving Maya a girlfriend because a season without a love triangle is a waste

Not really developing Mayla well and having their first kiss right after Eliott/Lola cursed kiss as a preemptive damage control to shut us up

Never mentioning why Lola was doing

Wasting a good chunk of the season on Tiff and that insta account and ending it with “she’s addicted to social media”

Giving Yann like one line each season after s3

Reducing Sofiane to the background dancer in s5 and s6

Hating female characters

F/M friendships are only possible if the guy is gay, otherwise cheating always had to be involved

and you know. in general. pretty much everything they did after s3.

[zootopiathingz]

Thrill of the Kill

Part 1/2 (TW for blood and gore)

What if Judy and Nick didn't switch the Night Howler serum?

Just when their luck seemed to be turning around, Judy and Nick were once again struck by another surprise. Only this time, the shocking turn of events was something neither of them could have predicted. The new mayor Bellwether (formerly the assistant mayor), whom they thought was just a small and kind sheep was the mastermind behind the savage attacks in the city. She was the one targeting predators. It was her cronies doing her bidding, making the Night Howlers into a serum that infected all types of predators.

Judy was fast to realize this, as it was suspicious as to how she and the rams found them in the closed museum on their way to the ZPD. Thankfully, Judy didn't give the case to her. If anything, she held it tighter, and tried to insist she and Nick take it to the ZPD instead. But that plan backfired quickly. Their exits were blocked, and their only choice was to run and maybe come up with a plan to outwit Bellwether and her men.

But as the two ran into a closed-off section of the museum, managing to outrun the ram following them, Judy tripped over a tusk display, dropping the case and falling to the floor. She let out a painful cry as she held her injured leg, noticing the tear through her jeans and the blood caused by her cut. "Carrots!" She heard Nick say as he ran back to her. He picked her up as she grabbed the case and carried her over to hide behind a nearby wall.

Well, now that had two problems. There was a power-hungry mayor chasing them, and poor Judy couldn't even walk. How were they supposed to get out of this?

As Nick tended to her leg, they both heard Bellwether's voice call out, beckoning for Judy to reveal herself. They didn't have time, they had to get the case to the police somehow. Judy abruptly held the case up to her friend, since he was the only one between the two of them that could complete the job. "Take the case. Get it to Bogo." She knew it wasn't the best plan, but they were running out of options.

However, Nick refused to just leave her here, understandably. He didn't know what Bellwether and these rams were capable of, and he would never be able to live with himself if anything happened to Judy. "I'm not gonna leave you behind." He argued, pushing the case back to her, "That's not happening!"

"I can't walk!" She whispered urgently.

"We'll think of something." He said, trying to ease her nerves. But could they do? They were outnumbered and surrounded on all sides. It would take a miracle for them to escape unharmed.

While Bellwether continued to try to get them to surrender, they spotted a rabbit mannequin display, almost the same size as Judy. They decided to use it to trick the rams while they made their way out. Nick set it at an angle that it's shadow could be seen, then quickly scooped Judy into his arm while he held the case with his free paw.

It worked for a minute, and though when one of the rams saw it was fake, it caused some confusion which should've bought them some time. Up until they heard the clanging sound of Nick bumping into something.

"Over there!" Bellwether signaled the rams to follow the pair. Nick made a run for it toward the exit, but he struggled to carry Judy due to her limping. She held onto him tightly so she wouldn't fall, but it still slowed him down.

Unfortunately, the ram caught up to them and head-butted the two into an exhibit pit. And even more unfortunate was the gun case didn't fall in with them. Instead it was brought right back into the sheep's hooves, and now Judy and Nick were trapped.

Bellwether laughed as she walked up to the edge of the display, looking down at the two mischievously. "Well, you should've just stayed on the carrot farm, huh?" She said to Judy, "It really is too bad. I.. I did like you."

Judy sat up and glared up at her, trying to keep a brave face. "What are you gonna do? Kill me?!"

"Oh, no. No, of course not." Bellwether chuckled, then revealed the dart gun she had been hiding behind her back, her expression switching to an evil grin. "He is."

Right as the gun was fired, Nick felt a sharp pain in his neck caused by the serum pellet. He fell to the ground with a harsh grunt, holding his neck where he had been shot. "NO!" Judy yelled in horror as she scooted to his side, watching him start to twitch and tremble. "Oh, Nick!"

While Bellwether faked a panic call to the police, Judy stared down as the fox try to maintain control over his mind and body, unsure on how to help him. It wasn't like there was some magical antidote for Night Howlers she could give to him. "No, Nick, don't do this. Fight it!" She urged him, rubbing his back to try to soothe him. But it was no use. He already made contact with the serum, and now they were both screwed.

"Oh but, he can't help it, can he?" Bellwether asked mockingly after hanging up the phone, "Since preds are just 'biologically predisposed' to be savages."

Judy frowned nervously up at her, feeling guilt build up at those words. If she hadn't said something similar at the interview a couple weeks ago, she and Nick wouldn't even be in this situation, and he wouldn't be savage right now.

She gasped, now seeing Nick direct his attention to her. His widened eyes stared at her menacingly, his pupils beginning to shrink, the affects now completely taking over. And now there was nothing she could do but try to avoid his attack for as long as she could until the cops arrived. She quickly pulled back and scrambled onto her feet, having to limp away due to her injury.

Seeing her run away sent Nick into an immediate rampage. On all fours, he began to chase the limping rabbit with a loud snarl, doing whatever his instincts told him to do. It was hard to get away from him, being that even if her leg wasn't hurt he would still be faster than her. She tossed a nearby deer mannequin in his way to distract him and hopefully keep a distance between them.

Bellwether watched the scene unfold completely amused. It was working out better than she thought. If all went according to plan, Judy would be dead, Nick would be caged like the rest of the savage predators, and prey would finally have the high ground in society.

"Gosh, think of the headlines! 'Hero cop killed by savage fox'!" She taunted, walking around the exhibit to be right above the bunny.

Judy backed up against the wall, gasping in fear as she watched Nick chew and tear up the dummy, showing it no mercy. If that's what he did with just a mannequin, then she wasn't looking forward to witness what he would do to a live animal. She swallowed and looked up at Bellwether with a glare, "So that's it? Prey fears predators and you stay in power?"

The mayor shrugged, "Yeah, pretty much."

"It won't work!" Judy shook her head.

"Fear always works!" She retorted angrily, but then resumed her smug expression, waving the gun around casually. "And I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to keep it that way."

Judy didn't have time to give a response, as now she saw the fox beginning to crawl closer to her, poking his head through the fake grass. She gasped, trying to scoot away, but there was no room left behind her. She was trapped.

"Oh Nick. No..." She whispered sadly, observing her friend's state; his bearing sharp teeth, his shrunken eyes, his flaring nostrils, his low growls. This wasn't the Nick she knew and loved. It wasn't him, she kept telling herself. No matter what he was about to do to her, she kept in mind the real Nick would never do.

Bellwether laughed before her expression went cold, "Bye-bye, bunny."

As Nick closed in, Judy took a deep breath to brace herself for whatever would happen next. If this was how she died, then so be it. Hopefully someone else in Zootopia would find out the truth and stop Bellwether once and for all, so that predators could live in peace again.

Suddenly, she let out an agonizing scream as she felt Nick bite her neck, sinking his teeth into the skin under her fur. Nothing could've prepared her for that kind of pain. She felt a warm liquid roll down the side of her throat, and she knew it was blood.

She choked out a cough, pressing her paws on his shoulders, trying to push him away or at least pry his teeth out of her neck. But her attempts only made it worse and further angered the fox. He growled and pulled her up by her throat, tossing her into the fake grass. Although his actions nearly strangled her, it did cause him to release her, but only for a moment.

Right as Judy tried to stand up, she was shoved back to the ground and pinned down by the savage fox. He began to bite her chest and shoulders, tearing through her shirt with ease, tasting the blood that spewed out with every slash he made. Judy screamed and cried with her weakened vocal cords, placing her paw over her neck to try to prevent blood loss.

"Nick, stop it!" She demanded, despite knowing it was useless. Nick didn't know who she was right now. Hell, he didn't even know his own name. Right now he was on a hunt, and he wasn't gonna stop until his hunger was satisfied. Still, Judy had to do something. She squirmed and threw her legs around to try to kick him away, but no matter how much she moved, Nick wasn't setting her free.

She caught a glimpse of Bellwether, who was staring down at her, rather enjoying the sight of the bunny being mauled. How could someone be so sick and twisted to think this was entertaining?

Judy tried one last time to make this stop, and she prayed it would stall for enough time. She raised her leg up to shove her knee right into his stomach. He yapped and hunched over, in which she instantly seized her chance and crawled out of his loosened grasp, hauling herself away from the fox as fast as she could.

But her efforts were once again unsuccessful, as now Nick was even more irritated. He growled loudly and swiftly grabbed her leg with his teeth, dragging her back towards the wall. Judy cried out desperately, grasping onto random objects that she couldn't seem to hold onto for long enough. Her open wounds left a trail of blood as she was pulled back to the previous spot, where there was already a puddle of thick redness waiting to expand.

Judy felt too weak to continue trying any longer. The loss of blood was getting to her, and any hope she had of being rescued was fading. She stared up at the fox as he gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes at her. She wasn't as scared as she was a moment ago, now she was more devastated than anything. What was Nick going to do if he was ever brought back from this savage state? How was he going to live knowing he killed his friend?

"I'm so sorry, Nick." She whispered weakly, closing her eyes as a tear fell onto her face. All that was left to do now was accept her fate, and hope everything would sort itself out.

Right as Nick was about to finish her off, he suddenly froze. Judy opened her eyes to see him collapse on the ground next to her, seemingly passed out. She tried to sit up to see what was going on, but she could barely move her arms. Luckily, she could see everything from where she was laying.

To her relief, the other officers arrived just in time, and apparently had tranquilized the fox. A couple of them used an emergency ladder to climb down into the exhibit, while Bellwether tried to "explain" to Bogo what happened. It was at this point Judy had to say something while she could. She couldn't let Bellwether get away with her plan.

"W-wait," She spoke up in a frail voice, but it was loud enough for the others to hear. "D-don't listen to her. She's been..targeting p-predators."

Bellwether laughed 'innocently', regaining her guiltless facade. "Don't be silly, Judy. I would never hurt anyone." She looked up at the Chief, "We better get her to a hospital quick, she's not making any sense."

Bogo was about to say something, until he and the rest of them heard the mayor's voice. But it wasn't actually her that was speaking. It sounded more like a recording.

"And I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to keep it that way."

Everyone looked to see Judy holding up her carrot pen that she managed to hold on to this whole time, playing back the recording of Bellwether revealing her evil schemes. They all widened their eyes and turned to the sheep, watching her face drop.

The rams tried to make a break for it, but there were too many cops for them to get away. While the ones above were busy arresting Bellwether and her cronies, the two cops down in the exhibit ran to Judy's side to aid her. One of them wrapped a towel around her to apply some pressure to her gashes. The other kneeled down to Nick, pulling out a muzzle from his belt's pouch.

Judy's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the muzzle. She couldn't let them do that to Nick, not when it was the one thing he tried to avoid his whole life. "W-wait, no." She reached her paw out, signaling the officer to stop what he was doing. "D-don't hurt him, please.."

Although they were confused by her request, they obeyed and carefully carried her and Nick out of the exhibit, preparing to take them to the nearest hospital.

[crashingmeteorz]

rich kid runaways (ft. yuexzukoxtoph friendship)

for my 100 Followers Celebration - credit to @aroacebitchboi for this amazing idea!

zuko faces his father in the agni kai, and when he is told what he must do in order to be welcome in his homeland again, he just says “fuck this” and runs away.

he’s not sure where he’s gonna go, just that he has to get out, and fast, because his dad’s gonna kill him. like. for real. so he stows away on a fire navy ship headed Literally Anywhere Else (and maybe the soldiers don’t care! because he’s 13 and hurting children is a disgrace! maybe they sneak him food and blankets idk!)

yue, meanwhile, in the north pole, has just been told she is going to enter an arranged marriage for the good of her people when she turns 16. respectfully, she asks her father what exactly this marriage will do, politically speaking. the north isn’t at war with itself, in fact they’re more united than ever. maybe if it were a southern water tribe boy, sure, but no, it’s going to be a northern boy.

her father just tells her it’s imperative to the stability of the tribe that they uphold tradition. yue, realizing this is bullshit, even at the tender age of 13, says “fuck this”, and runs away.

she is all but screwed without waterbending or any practical survival knowledge - except, she’s been chosen by the moon spirit. when she steals a boat and heads south, the moon takes pity on its ward and keeps her safe, at least on her waterbound journey. once she lands on the northern shores of the earth kingdom, yue depends on the kindness of strangers to survive.

zuko, meanwhile, is angry and mistrustful and afraid when he ends up on the western shores of the earth kingdom, and he depends entirely on his determination to survive. he learns to live off the land the hard way, and avoids major cities and towns for fear of being found out as a firebender. of course, if he’s ever spotted, he’s regarded with pity and empathy because of the festering burn on his face, but zuko doesn’t realize that.

yue never stays in one place too long, bouncing from family to family and learning more skills in a few months than she was ever taught in her whole life up north. she cooks and cleans and sews, yes, but she also farms and skins hunted animals and does house repairs. she is happily taken into homes because of her ability to heal - though never a waterbender, yue still learned basic healing with the other northern women, and can manage even bad wounds all on her own.

afraid she’ll be recognized by her vibrant hair, however, yue continues her journey south, considering running to the south pole for sanctuary. she wonders how their women are treated. zuko, meanwhile, lives alone in the wilderness most of the time, and moves very slowly up the west coast.

they’re 14 when their paths cross. three fire nation soldiers harass yue while she’s journeying along a rural road, asking her for a made-up toll. usually trading in work, yue has no money to speak of. the soldiers threaten violence, and, though he is afraid of being caught by his countrymen, zuko was never one to let bullies have power over the innocent.

he emerges from the forest, swords in hand, attacking the soldiers. at first it seems like he has the upper hand - and then he stumbles, and the soldiers laugh and pull him up to beat him. zuko panics and relies on instinct - firebending at the soldiers and burning them badly. they run away yelling, and zuko panics, certain that he’ll be caught out. he goes to run, but yue stops him.

“you’re hurt,” she says, pointing to where he’d been cut by the soldiers’ swords. “please, let me help you. it’s the least i can do.”

“you’re not scared of me?” zuko asks in confusion, looking around wildly, afraid his father will pop out of the trees and strike him down.

“you saved me,” yue says, just as confused, because between the rescue and the obvious burn mark, she doesn’t really think this boy would have any reason to hurt her. also he’s kinda shrimpy, and yue, who has built up some strength through hard work, is pretty sure she could take him. “come on, i have some herbs. is there clean water nearby?”

shocked that anyone in the earth kingdom wouldn’t call for zuko’s arrest on the spot, zuko leads yue to a stream in the forest. yue silently patches his wounds, and then eventually asks if she can get a look at his eye. apart from the initial work of the fire nation healers, zuko hadn’t really done much to treat his eye, and it’s so badly crusted he can barely see out of it. when yue reaches for him, he jerks away.

“i don’t need your help!” he snaps, standing and shaking himself off. “if it weren’t for you, i wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with.”

“excuse me.” says yue, standing as well, because who is he to talk to her that way? “i didn’t ask you for help, you chose to do that. and you’re mad at those soldiers, not me, so why don’t you try being a little nicer?”

they stare at each other furiously for a moment. then yue sighs and says “i think i can help you with your eye, so that you can see. let me do that and i’ll leave you alone.”

it’s painful, and a very slow process, but with water warmed by zuko’s bending (”just heat up the water.” “someone could see!” “we’re in the middle of a literal forest! who’s spying! the frogs???”) and a few medicinal herbs, yue manages to clear away most of the crust and dead skin over zuko’s eye. when he finally opens it again, he’s shocked to find that he can see.

“well, i won’t bother you anymore,” yue says huffily, moving to leave the forest. as she does, she realizes she doesn’t know where the heck she is. zuko’s still marveling at how different the world looks with two eyes.

“umm, which way is out?” yue asks him. zuko snaps back to reality and says “oh, um. i’ll show you.” because he is, admittedly, grateful.

of course, when they try to leave the forest, they run into bandits and barely escape. then yue reccomends they take a country road, and zuko reluctantly agrees, except they run into more bandits. after the fourth round of bandits in two weeks, they’re convinced they’ve been cursed with bad luck.

“can we just go to a town or a city?” yue asks, panting from their desperate escape. “we’re not having much luck living in the wild.”

“i was fine until you showed up!” zuko retorts, panting as well. “fine! then i’ll leave!” yue yells back.

“wait,” zuko says, and yue turns, tapping her foot impatiently. “i’m sorry,” zuko says, to yue’s shock, because if her few weeks with this kid who calls himself lee has taught her anything, it’s that he does not apologize. “i don’t really...understand, um, local people and-“

“let me do the talking,” yue says, gentle as always, reaching for zuko’s arm. he smiles at her, a real, happy smile, and they make their way to the nearest earth kingdom town.

after that, yue and zuko are inseparable. they argue a lot, naturally, but they become good friends, too. yue says she always wanted a sibling, zuko says he always wanted a different sibling, so it’s nice, to have each other. without going into too much detail, they bond over their shared experiences of pre-determined destinies and overbearing parental figures (“my father said i have to get married for the good of the people! what does that even mean?” “tell me about it, my father got mad that i talked out of turn, so he tried to kill me.” “...he what?” “hahaha just kidding that’s not a normal thing that happens.”) no matter how scary it gets, they agree, the earth kingdom makes them feel freer than they ever have before.

does the food they cook suck because they’ve never had to cook in their lives? yes. do they sometimes put all four feet in their mouths because of how they speak to the poor people of the earth kingdom? yes. have they ticked off a lot of fellow teenagers for acting bratty? yes. (“what, so, you don’t have palaces around here?” yue asks. “yeah, where are the royal gardens?” zuko asks. “leave before we rock your shit.” says Every Teenager They Meet.) but at the end of the day, they’re happy.

at 15 they reach a city called gaoling. by now they can both do enough odd jobs that they always have some pocket money on them, although yue still struggles to behave in a way that isn’t dainty and delicate, and zuko still struggles with basic social skills.

they’re getting ready to move along, when they’re stopped by a girl. she’s young, about 11, and entirely blind. she’s being chased by a loud crowd, who seem to be just around the corner.

“please!” the girl says. “help hide me! they’re after me! i think they’re going to kidnap me!” yue and zuko, who are the captains of the child-protection-squad, immediately move to protect the girl.

“this way!” zuko says, and the three of them run down narrow streets and alleyways, in and around shops, until they’re stopped at the city gate by the mob going after the girl.

“alright, kid,” the leader, a tall, buff man with long greasy hair says. “you’ve stolen from us for the last time.”

“how many time do i have to tell you?” the girl bellows, much different than her sweet and innocent pleas from before. “i won fair and square! you’re just mad because you got your butt kicked by a little girl!”

before zuko and yue can even react, the girl pummels the mob of men with an avalanche of rocks, and then launches the earth they’re standing on into the air, landing them far outside of the city limits in a dizzying display.

“woo! that was awesome!” the girl says gleefully pumping her arms. zuko and yue are both trying to wrap their heads around what just happened. “thanks for the help. not that i needed it, i just didn’t want my parents’ guards to see me bending...i wasn’t really planning on running away, but, i mean, i doubt they’ll even notice i’m gone-”

“just a second,” yue says, collecting herself. zuko’s jaw is still hanging open. “who are you?”

the girl grins smugly. “name’s toph. who are you?”

i cannot fully express how much i love this idea. top-notch. god-tier. thank you again!

[stray-tori]

TPN S02E08 - Initial Thoughts (anime-only)

Reaction Vid: Google Drive

I’m here, finally! Let me just say, I’m glad to see some more positivity around ahh- Not that anyone isn’t allowed to feel negatively about it, I do have my problems too of course! But it’s just nice when things are epic and liked by people :)

.

I don’t think I can really separate it into topics this time so I’ll just kind of... go through it by chronological order this time! With “.” paragraphs separating thoughts :)

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Norman figuring out that there’s at least one other person taking tests because he’s left-handed and the code scan thing is placed on the right when he put it down left is such a nice, unspoken execution!

.

also. Zaziee :(

.

also, what do we think is happening in this room? are those just... dead subjects that they feed to demons or...? experimenting with how certain manipulated humans will affect demons eating them? 

(also they just flipped Norman’s walk here, so his curl is on the wrong side. not blaming them or anything, I just noticed. I hope the staff is doing okay :<)

.

also, idk if my brain is melting but when Norman was like "I just need a detonator" and then he focuses on that king chess piece before the explosion, is the implication that the king piece was the detonator? :D

I do like the few subtle hints we do get just from the scenes (like the left hand/right hand thing and the cube communication) but I feel like I'm missing some connecting pieces here, even with knowing Smee was there and supporting him. It’s weird because I feel like the left-hand thing was really nicely done and digestible and the fork thing is presumably checking out how many cameras there are (even if still a little obvious) - but the explosion? Maybe I’m just stupid haha- it had to be Smee helping, right? I just would have liked more hints (but maybe I’m too small brain rn).

.

I'm a little confused because Peter said "the era of James as the gatekeeper has ended" (paraphrased), so he’s the gatekeeper right? And Norman was so concerned about the gatekeeper last episode, to the point that I felt like it was a point largely against the "using the gate in GF" plan (aside from uncertainty about the gates and the human world, of course) - but it's literally just a human then? I thought it was gonna be some epic demon or magic concept or something, but it's just that dude pff- whats the dude gonna do against the murder squad? :D Ig he has the farm/demon forces behind him but those would exist either way (and Norman must have considered that), so why is he in particular such a big deal/threat? Is he that ultra big brain? Not big brain enough to have prevented Norman’s escape anyway.

Or maybe he’s just 6 moves ahead and waiting for Norman to lead him back to the hideout that was referenced a few episodes ago where Norman brings all the stolen kids -- but I feel like that’s such a... roundabout way of capturing the GF kids. Plus, that should be Isabella’s doing, if anything. So yeah. Confused about that a bit.

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I love the parallel how in ep1 Ray running from the pursuers and Emma collapsing was the whole thing about like, not taking it all upon yourself -- and now Emma (who mirrored Ray’s exact run through the forest) got help with Ray jumping in and also later Sonju, conveniently timed as usual haha.

(negativity) It’s a nice parallel, though i would have preferred if Ray had run again and Emma had gotten the shot - it’d still carry around the same message (”then vs now”) but please I beg you give Emma one (1) cool bow shot  - or I’ll steal your animation and do it myself >:”(

(ik she got the hunting shot which was slow and cool but idk)

.

The animation was so pretty. I loved Norman on the cliff and the wind animation, and the MUSIC when the town raid happened and how everything was framed and the goddamn MUSIC???? DID I MENTION THE MUSIC.

Also Norman’s expression and that shot where he realizes Vyrk has the blood condition and sweeps in for a stab.

It was pretty brutal and I appreciate that they showed it. It’s just... really pretty overall and- yes. thank you. love goes out to the staff. god knows they need some. and money. please give them more money.

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I also like how with how the episode set up the whole, "are you god?" - "I'll be a god or devil" thing, and then when Vyrk asks "are you a human?", my friend joked he'd answer "no, i'm god" and then we joked a bit about his silence. But in hindsight, I really appreciate those jokes, because it made me realize: for a different kind of character, that WOULD have been the perfect setup to have a badass response but that silence was probably on purpose and I can’t really explain it but I just like how that makes the through-line in the episode even stronger and also kind of connects with his wavering?? I can’t explain but I LIKE IT.

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(slightly negative) It's a little bit funny that the parallel didn't occur to him until it was thrown in his face, but I think that's what dissociation and just being observed in one's plan does.

Plus I do get what they're going for, and it was pretty dang emotional. A little on the nose maybe but- yee.

It works well as an eye opener to tear down the mental wall between the two groups. He's also never really been in contact with demons equally before afaik so, I shall accept it. Not that currently killing them all makes him equal in power dynamic right now, but I mean like, in a way where he truly, in real life, got to see that they’re similar -- he made comparisons to humans last episode, so clearly he wasn’t completely unaware. He’s smart, he knew what he was doing would make him seem like a devil to the demons. He probably just numbed himself to it until something that could break those walls down happened, ie the Emma thing.

I feel like it could have worked too if her name wasn’t Emma, but he probably wouldn’t have paused for as long and the voiced lines couldn’t have been given the time needed to make them hit as strongly - but I do think just a line that sounds really similar to what they talked about in GF could have been enough too - but again, that would have potentially taken too long down the exchange between the two.

It also doesn’t seem completely random since the old guy also reacted to Emma’s name before and everything so. Overall, I’m willing to suspend my disbelief - even if it IS funny that the family naming went from Vyrk to... Emma :D (though demons do get old so I suppose that makes sense haha)

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I also wonder how this will impact Norman going forward. Even if he decides for the GF plan now (likely, we don’t have much time), he still did that and even if they return all the degenerated demons with Mujika’s, Sonju’s and Vyrk’s help... I doubt those who were already eaten and killed, can be saved. So that blood is on his hands forever now, likely hurting even more now that he feels personally impacted by it and not just... knows he’s doing something bad.

The anime definitely doesn’t have the time to delve into that sadly but that’s,,, very good angst.

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week 3 of asking where is Isabella- (I mean I am GLAD that she didn’t show up at the temple- yET - because that’d just make them leaving them there worse but fudshjsd- Is she actually just waiting for them to come for the gate what’s happening ahahaha-)

I also don’t know if I mentioned this in my last episode thoughts or not, but I do still believe the gate stuff could have been revealed more incrementally? Like have James include that tidbit of info, please. If we know gates exist, then at least now it isn’t such an extreme change of information to know: “there are gates. yes where you were sent WAS a gate, but they’ve been destroyed. oh and another gate is in GF!” like HOLD UP-

.

I wonder if we’ll ever see the hideout that Cislo or Vincent referenced... I’m sure that’d be lots of random children designs so probably not but,, I am really curious how and if they’ll take all those kids. Norman did say he wants freedom for all cattle children. but with no large scale plan anymore, I’m not sure if that’s gonna work. If any human stays behind, as I’ve often talked about before, the cycle just starts anew and I’m really curious if TPN will go for a morally grey ending like that.

Unless the whole “evil-blood” religion works out this time when the high class is gone. but even Sonju is already in part a counter-example so... we’ll see I suppose.

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I really loved this episode though! If the anime continues this trend to the finish line, it’ll stay a wonky 7 for me :) (quality wise, you guys know my tpn brainrot won’t make me truly hate it pff- tpn love too big-)

[fandom-blackhole]

Hello, hello it's me, your partner in crime 🐣 who's got a batch of new ideas.

So Din has his australian shepherd Razor Crest,

I feel like Boba is more of a cat person and he's a busy man so he wouldn't have time for walks anyway,

I was initially thinking about either a sphynx cat or a British shorthair, these are really fancy breeds, but

I've got this idea, maine coon! This breed is fancy too!

Big kitty resting on his meaty thigh or in his lap 😳 (okay are we keeping this PG or at some point we are gonna go to town)

Oh and of course we can't obviously name kitty slave (Din points for you for the name of your ship working here)

Okay, back to work. Umm Paz...

While I love idea of him owning any breed, taking home any strays from the back alley of his restaurant, we need to remember that his living space is limited,

It's cheesy but imagine the spaghetti scene from Lady and The Trump recorded irl by Paz and Sent to you,

So a good doggo for Paz? Chihuahua?

Like there is this huge, chunky, ex-army man, which owns the best restaurant in Town, going around, stocking supplies with his little companion tucked under his arm,

Because of his bde he won't be ashamed of carrying his pet in cute little bag!

Razor Crest is such a good girl. She instantly starts loving you and Grogu,

Din is a busy man but still he manages to go jogging with her, his girlie needs a lot of activities since she is a shepherd dog (also Din with nicely toned legs because of the joggs? Ok ok keep this PG! Unless👉🏽👈🏽😳)

Grogu would still occasionally try to eat anything he can find (bad habit from his troubled upbringing but you and Din are working on fixing it though!)

This means Grogu would gladly share a "snack" with his big sister, and vice versa she once brought him her chewy snack,

Let's say you and Din need to visit uncle Paz more often, so Grogu develops proper taste for human, non-object food,

Crest sleeps with you and Din in bed. Neither of you can deny her that privilege,

But when Din finally adopts Grogu and the kiddo moves in, Crest will only sleep with him, guarding the little one all the time,

You and Din have no idea, but once Grogu snatched a small ball from daddy's car,(shiny-metal-ball-thingy from ship but in this case it's not metal and is child and pet friendly?) maybe he got it for kids at school but was forgetting to take it with him, Din big dummy dum,

Boba's lockscreen is a photo of you curled on the bed with the kitty atop of you(he is a big softie for both of you),

He has a huge folder with full on photos hoots of his cat,

But most pictures are blurred and the cat looks into camera like "human, don't bother me, human pet me, human bring treats),

Nonetheless, he treasures them dearly,

Paz' place is pet friendly,

He even has some dog and cat special dishes on the menu,

His doggo is his best culinary critic (after you of course),

Paz is thinking about making some accommodations in the backyard, back at home because he desperately wants to rescue more strays, but he keeps in mind that his farm animals need proper care too,

So he holds an event with local shelter at his place,

You help him organize everything perfectly, there is delicious food and lots of cute pets who are looking for a new home,

After fruitful ending you decide on collaborating witj the shelter as often as possible,

Paz even helped his old army pal adopt a dog because as a, selfcare king, he knows animals can provide great help when someone struggles with ptsd or anxiety.

As always please don't mind my mistakes. I hope you have been doing well, my writing bestie - 🐣

Screaming!!! Okay so sorry for taking so long, Saturdays are my 'busy' days lmao, also this can get as spicy as you want! I'm down for anything......

Please for the love of God yes, Boba totally has a Maine coon aka my favorite cat breed

He loves this cat dearly and you love when it comes and curls up on your lap

As for the name, what about Fennec??? Unless you want to have her be like his right hand in his organization

And Paz totally picks up strays and takes them to the local no kill shelter, he wants to keep them all, but he knows he can't

Paz is constantly sending the reader pictures of dogs and cats and animals doing various things, and recreating movie scenes

As for Paz's dog, a Chihuahua is so fucking perfect!!! Huge man with tiny dog yes please

(Though I may be biased because I own a three legged chihuahua named Guinevere aka Gwen)

Paz totally goes around shopping and everything with his little pupper with him (did you know they have harness for dogs so that you can carry them around like babies....so like my new pp except instead of Grogu its a doggo)

Paz also definitely allows pets into the restaurant and even has a little dog area for the pets to mingle while you eat

He of course is also a 5 star chef when it comes to feeding the animals, making sure to check all of the boxes when it comes to their basic nutritional needs

OMFG BIG BRAIN MOMENT, Paz is a certified rehabilitator for animals, he will take in hurt animals, domestic and wild, and help them until he can release them back into the wild or take them to the shelter/give them to a good home

Din totally goes jogging when he can, and he has a jogging stroller so Grogu can go with him (Grogu is on the smaller side because of his past hardships)

Grogu sooooo gets into Razor's treats (my sister used to walk along our alley behind our house and eat our dogs 😂😂)

Grogu and Razor are also partners in crime, they steal stuff and share the spoils all the time (hence why Din doesn't give Grogu chocolate or anything bad for dogs yet)

Din once found Grogu chewing on a bone he gave Razor and almost had a heart attack

Also the images of Grogu curled around Razor in his tiny space shipped bed, 102038302/10 too fucking cute (Grogu's room is space themed and you totally helped Din set everything up for him)

As for the metal ball, in this AU what if its like a small moon plushy that Din had in his classroom that Grogu keeps managing to sneak home until Din just gives up and let's him keep it? (Thats how the two of you got the idea for a space themed room)

Boba being a total grandpa taking pictures of his kitty to send to you all the time, aka another reason why they are blurry because Boba can't take a good picture to save his life lmao

Paz totally holds drives for the local shelter and events for people to come and meet animals they can adopted

Paz holding nights at the restaurant where all of the money is donated to the shelter and at the cash register he gives out home made dog biscuits as thank yous for coming in and donating

Omg Paz help his buddies with getting animals 😭😭

Also I raise you, Paz owns rabbits as well that he often takes with him when he visits Din's classroom (one of them is Grogu's and he comes over and plays with it and feeds it once a week)

(Send me THOTS!!)

[marvelous-writer]

Baby Giraffes & Overheated Spider-Kids

Summary: In which Peter faints during a family trip to the zoo.

Word count: 2,203

Genre: whump, humor, fluff

A/N: Thank you @whumphoarder and @xxx-cat-xxx for beta reading!! Bethany, you’re a saint for putting up with me. ❤️

Link to read on Ao3

“So where should we go next? Lions, zebras or giraffes?” Tony asks as they come to a stop in front of the sign displaying the zoo’s map. 

“Giraffes!” Morgan exclaims excitedly from her spot on Tony’s shoulders. “I want to see April and her baby!” 

Grinning, Tony continues along the crowded pathway. “Giraffes it is then.” 

Happy is bringing up the rear with Peter, carrying the day bag Pepper had packed for them. “We have a two-thirty reservation at the Rainforest Cafe, so we only have enough time to visit one more exhibit after.” 

“I heard one of the hippos just had a baby last week. I think they’re near the alligators,” Pepper says. 

Morgan lets out a small gasp. “A baby hippo? Can we go?” 

Pepper glances at her smart watch. “If we have enough time.” 

The four of them continue moving through the hoards of people toward the enclosure. They’ve been at the zoo for well over three hours now, going from exhibit to exhibit. Morgan seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself, especially when they stopped at the petting zoo where she was able to hand-feed the farm animals. One of the goats even tried to knock Tony over by ramming into his legs from behind. 

Peter on the other hand… wasn’t having the best time. The hours of walking around in the sun on a sweltering July day have really taken a toll on him. He’s exhausted, his feet are killing him, and all he wants to do is call it quits and go back to the car, turn the AC on full blast and fall asleep until they get back home. But this is Morgan’s day, and Peter is going to suck it up for her. She’s been looking forward to their day at the zoo all week and he isn’t about to ruin it for her. 

When they finally reach the giraffes paddock ten minutes later, they’re met with a horrifyingly long line at the feeding station. 

“I can’t see the baby,” Morgan complains from Tony’s shoulders. 

Tony peers through his sunglasses around the crowd. “She might be inside the barn.”

Peter wishes he thought to bring his own along—not that they would help much right now. 

“Can we feed them?” Morgan asks. 

Tony looks over at the line. “We can… but we might not have enough time to see the baby hippo.”

Morgan hums in thought as she looks back at the giraffes. “Giraffes,” she decides after a few seconds. 

Peter resists the urge to groan, wishing that they could just skip the rest of this and head to the restaurant to get out of this heat wave. But it’s Morgan’s day, so it’s her call what they do and Peter is going to go along with it. 

“It’s not everyday you get to feed a giraffe, right, Pete?” Tony asks, looking back at him as they step in line. 

“Yeah,” Peter agrees with a tired smile. 

Happy on the other hand, doesn’t seem too thrilled. “You don’t think they bite do you?” he asks warily. 

Pepper seems to ponder the question. “Well… I’m sure they’re used to visitors coming here and feeding them,” she reassures. 

“I don’t know… animals are unpredictable, especially exotic ones,” Happy grumbles. 

Tony turns to him with a raised brow. “Are you telling us you’re afraid of these things?” 

“No!” Happy retorts. “I’m just worrying about Morgan getting up close to them.”

Tony nods, his lips spreading into an amused grin. “Oh yeah, sure,”

When Tony turns back around, Happy shoots a glare at the back of his head, causing Peter to huff out a short laugh. 

“We can sit this one out if you want,” Peter offers, turning to him. 

“You sure?” Happy asks. “It’s not everyday you can get up close and personal with one of these things.” 

Peter nods. “Yeah, I’m sure.” The sooner they can get out of this line and find somewhere nice and shady to sit, the better. 

Happy nods and turns to Tony, tapping him on the shoulder. “Pete and I are going to walk around for a bit while you guys do this,” he says. 

Morgan pouts at that. “You don’t want to feed the giraffes?” she asks disappointedly. 

“Not today, but you have fun,” Happy says with a gentle smile. He turns back to Tony. “Call me when you guys are done and we’ll meet you back here.” 

Tony lets out an overly-dramatic sigh. “Alright… but you guys are missing out…” 

Happy rolls his eyes as he turns away, lightly nudging Peter’s shoulder. “Come on.” 

They both step out of line and continue down the crowded pathway. Peter squints in the harsh sunlight, only adding to the headache that’s been steadily worsening since noon. It feels like a fog has settled over his brain, making it hard to think. 

“So what do you want to do to kill some time? We can head over to the hippos and take a few pictures of the baby for Morgan?” Happy suggests. 

Peter nods as he wipes a hand across his sweaty forehead. “Yeah… she’d like that.”

“I’m just not sure where the exhibit is. Maybe they have one of those maps around here. I knew I should have grabbed one back in the gift shop…” Happy trails off, his voice becoming lost as Peter’s ears start to ring. 

He feels lightheaded and breathless all of a sudden, like the hot air is weighing him down, making him even more exhausted than he already is. “Uh, can we… can we stop for a sec?” Peter asks as he looks up, finding that Happy is now walking quite a few steps ahead of him, typing something into his phone. 

“Yeah,” Happy says distractedly. He slows his pace, oblivious to Peter’s distress. “I’m trying to pull up the zoo’s mobile map but I can’t get on their WiFi…” 

Black dots dance across Peter’s field of vision as a rush of heat washes over him. He sways, struggling to keep his heavy legs moving. Happy’s figure grows more and more blurry as the seconds pass by. 

Peter licks his dry lips. “H-Happy?” he mumbles, blinking sluggishly. “I… I don’t feel so good…” 

That seems to get Happy’s attention. “Huh?” He stops, turning around to face Peter with a frown. 

That’s when Peter’s legs suddenly decide to give out underneath him, the ground rushing up to meet him. He’s barely aware of the pair of hands that catch him under his arms, saving him from face-planting against the asphalt before he passes out. 

...

The next thing Peter’s aware of is someone tapping his cheek. 

“...c’mon, Pete wake up…” someone says. Their voice is a bit muffled, kind of like they’re underwater, but that doesn’t make sense. It’s so hot — there can’t be any water around.

Peter groans as feeling starts to come back to him. His head is swirling and pounding and he’s so hot , despite the thin t-shirt he’s wearing. He manages to open his eyes, only to find Happy kneeling over him, his eyes wide and panicked. 

“Did I pass out?” Peter mumbles. 

“Yeah, you did,” Happy says. “How are you feeling?” 

“Really dizzy… tired,” Peter answers, suddenly very aware of the people that have started congregating around them. 

“Think you can sit up?” Happy asks. 

Peter nods sluggishly. “Yeah.” 

Happy helps him sit up and Peter has to shut his eyes tightly against the lightheadedness he’s met with from the change in position. After a few minutes, Happy helps him to his feet, keeping a firm hand on Peter’s arm as he leads him over to a thankfully empty bench in the shade under a tree. 

Happy eases him down on the wooden bench before standing back up and looking around. “I’m going to get you some water,” he says, glancing back at Peter. “Stay here. There’s some right over there,” he says, pointing to a vendor across from them that has a long line in front. 

Peter nods. He leans forward, arms resting on his knees as he hides his face in the crook of his elbow to shield his eyes from the light. 

Happy comes back not even three minutes later, two water bottles in hand, and Peter doesn’t want to know how he managed to skip that line. Peter slowly sits up a bit, arms still braced on his knees. He winces as a sharp pain shoots through his right temple. 

Happy unscrews the cap from one of the bottles and hands it to him. “Small sips,” he instructs as he sits down next to Peter, watching him with concerned eyes. 

Peter takes a few small sips of the icy water, just as Tony suddenly appears. He’s a bit breathless, as though he’s been running. 

“Happy called. Are you alright?” Tony gasps out as he crouches down in front of Peter. 

Peter closes his eyes and shakes his head slowly. “Feel like hot garbage,” he mumbles. 

“I’m sorry, bud,” Tony says sympathetically. He takes off his sunglasses and slips them onto Peter, causing the boy to sigh in relief. “I think we’re just gonna just order some food and eat it in the car on the way home.” 

“I’ll put an order in at the cafe,” Happy says as he stands up. He hands Tony the other water bottle before stepping away to make the call. 

“Did you get to feed the giraffes?” Peter asks as Tony sits down next to him. 

“Nah, but Pep and Morgan are over there now,” Tony says. 

“Maybe we can make it back in time before they’re done?” Peter says as he tries to stand up from the bench, ignoring the way his vision swims a bit. 

Tony stops him by gently grabbing his arm, keeping him seated. “It’s alright, Pete. There’s always next time. Besides, I’ve got my own hungry kid to feed.”

“But-”

Tony shakes his head. “No buts about it. You just fainted and you need to take it easy.” He uncaps another water and hands it to him. “And keep yourself hydrated.”

Peter sighs, but he takes the bottle anyway. “Okay,” he mumbles before taking a sip. 

They sit there for a few minutes, just watching the people passing by. Eventually Happy finishes his phone call and walks over to join them. 

“The food’s all ordered—should be ready by two-thirty,” Happy says as he stops in front of them. He looks worriedly at Peter. “You feeling any better?” 

“A little,” Peter says. His head still hurts and he feels a bit shaky (probably due to the fact that he really didn’t eat much at lunch), but mostly he’s tired. 

“That’s good. I almost had a heart attack when I saw you drop,” Happy says, taking a seat beside Tony on the long bench. “I think the heat might’ve gotten to you.” 

“Yeah,” Peter agrees as he leans forward, resting his arms on his legs as he lazily sips at the water. “Don’t really know what happened.” 

“Well, I texted Pep and told her where we are. She and Morgan are almost done, so when they find us we’ll head to the car so we can get you out of this heat,” Tony says, glancing up from his phone to look at him with worried eyes. “I’ll even let you sit in the backseat and eat while you watch Star Wars if you want,” he offers with a small grin. 

Peter smiles at the offer. “That sounds good,” he says, even though he knows he’ll probably end up passing out before the opening credits roll. 

Several minutes later, Pepper and Morgan arrive, spotting them almost instantly. 

“Petey!” Morgan shouts as she runs over, practically dragging Pepper after her. “We heard you weren’t feeling good, so we got you this!” She holds a fluffy giraffe stuffed animal out to him. 

Peter smiles tiredly at her as she hands it to him. “Awe, thanks, Mo,” 

Tony smiles. “That was very nice of you two,” He says as he helps Peter stand up from the bench. “Now, lets head back to the car so we can all get out of this heat.” 

“Amen,” Happy groans, pushing himself up. 

…

Thirty-five minutes later (including a ten minute search for the car), Peter is sitting in the backseat with the AC on full blast, snuggled up with his new giraffe plushie and almost half asleep while 101 Dalmatians plays on the small built-in TV. 

The car is silent, except for the sounds of the movie and the highway as they drive, but it’s soothing, lulling him to sleep. Peter blinks slowly as he leans back against the headrest. His gaze shifts to the front when he sees Tony raise a hand from the wheel to adjust the rearview mirror. He smiles softly at Peter when their eyes meet. The corners of Peter’s mouth lift into a small, tired smile in return before Tony looks back at the road. 

Peter’s eyes drift over to the window, watching the world go by in a blur as his eyelids get heavier. Eventually he gives in and lets them drift shut, feeling safe and content, knowing that Tony will get them home safely. 

[trashy-slashy]

I’m very rusty and this is very trash ok

(What even is pacing lmao)

‘Are you going to kill me?’

Thomas Hewitt x FemaleReader

Stupid unreliable machines. After your car spluttered to a halt in the middle of the arid Texan wasteland, you’d had to wander a good hour to find any sort of civilisation. Sweat drenched your back and your throat burned. The lone building you stumbled upon had turned out to be a butcher’s, which seemed particularly bizarre on the side of a road. The shops occupant explained that there was a slaughterhouse nearby and some of your qualms settled. You acquired a bottle of water and waited as the clerk dialled a local mechanic

“What brings you here then, Missy?” The phone clacked back into its holder, the older woman turning to peer over her glasses at you. Despite the similarity in size, you felt incredibly small under her gaze.

“Visiting family” you lied instinctively, garnering an upwards head tilt from behind the counter. Something didn’t sit right about this place still; you were fairly sure she knew about your unease too. Flies buzzed around the butcher’s shop, your fingers finding purchase on a set of keys in your pocket. The awkward fiddling released some of your nervous energy.

You sat silent under the womans scrutiny for what felt like hours before the telltale sound of an engine pulled up to the shop.

“What do we have here then?” Your eyes widened as a man in a sheriff’s uniform strode through the door, carrying rope and a linen sack in one hand, the gleaming barrel of a shotgun under his other arm. His eyes glinted maliciously as his gaze fell on you.

* * *

Deeming it in your best interest, you complied as the man bound and gagged you, before unceremoniously bundling you into his backseat. Oddly enough, you didn’t feel much; shock you assumed.

“Mama says you want to stay for dinner!” He chuckled, a shiver running through your spine. The car jolted and you jerked with it, head bashing against the inside of car door. The sheriff heard your muffled grunt and giggled. “Sorry ‘bout that, these darn armadillos won’t learn...” Between the pain in your temple and the suffocating bag bound to your head you began to feel a little woozy. “Seeing as you’ve been so good, I’ll let that off you when we stop. I heard my nephew can’t wait to meet you” He sniggered, turning the car sharply. You whimpered as your head collided with car again, the throbbing overwhelming your thoughts, not giving you a second to contemplate what meeting his nephew would entail.

* * *

A short while later, the car pulled to a stop. Your ears perked up as you heard the man clamber from the vehicle.

“TOMMY! I got something for ya!” He shouted, slamming the door behind him. A few baited breaths later, the door beside you opened. “Take her downstairs then boy, come on” The sheriff urged, and not long after you felt yourself being pulled effortlessly from the car. The wind left your body as your stomach impacted what you could only assume was Tommy’s shoulder. Jesus christ, how big was this guy? His shoulder easily supported the span of your waist.

“Oh, hang on, wait just a second” A few moments later the bag was pulled from your head, leaving you face to face with the Sherrif. His name badge gleamed under the burning sun. Hoyt. “You kids have fun now.” His ensuing grin was up there with one of the most disturbing things you’d ever seen. So far.

*

You watched as he shrunk into the distance, soon finding yourself inside a dingy house. You didn’t get to see much of it before passing a sliding metal door, descending down into a dank, disgusting basement. The floor was hidden under a foot of murky water, the stench of rot and mould filling the air. The walls contained the same tools one might use to butcher livestock. You shivered unvoluntarily. There was no signs of animals being kept on the farm, nevermind actually getting one down here.

I’m the livestock.

You didn’t see any way out except for the way you came in. There was no escaping the man underneath you. His legs were easily twice the length of yours and overpowering him; stupid idea. Tommy paused for a moment, his breathing uneven. You sighed dejectedly. Neither your fight or flight instincts kicked in. Accepting your fate, you did the only thing you could think of.

“Tommy?” Your voice cracked from dehydration and the bubbling mixtures of emotions boiling up inside of you. He grunted in response, shuffling towards the middle of the room. Tears welled up in the corner of your eyes. “Just... please, make it quick.”

You were upright. Wrists and ankles still bound, but sat upright. Your captor stood before you, his face shrouded in darkness. You were right about one thing though. He was huge. Easily well over 6 feet tall and heavily built, his torso covered by an apron, that once may have been white, but now tinged with grime and bloodstains. His hands were more than likely bigger than your face. There was no way this man would show mercy. You gulped as he stepped forward, his face exposed under the lamp.

A crude leather mask covered the entirity of his lower face. His hair was untamed and grimey, some parts grazing his shoulder, others sticking wildly in all directions. The skin you could see was mottled, as if he’d been caught in a fire or even acid had melted his flesh. Most people would’ve screamed at the sight of this feral beast of a man. But you saw his eyes: saw the pain and confusion hidden in them and furrowed your brow. Why?

“Are... are you going to kill me?” You asked after sitting there for a few minutes of Tommy being deathly still, his eyes locked on you. He growled angrily, turning to snatch a cleaver from a nearby table, brandishing it at you. You froze, watching his chest heave as he poked you with the tip of the knife, but not breaking skin. His gaze never left your face, his free hand coming up to grip your shoulder firmly.

“What do you want?” You paused, gauging his reaction. Tommy made a low rumbling sound in his throat. You wondered if he was mute. He still looked confused, and if it wasn’t for the fact that you were 99% this man was a serial killer and that he was inevitably going to murder you, you’d say he looked kind of adorable. The cleaver clattered to the floor as he let it go, in favour of gripping both your shoulders. He stooped to glare at you, inches from your face, his fingers squeezing just hard enough to leave bruises.

“You don’t have to kill me” It was a matter of fact statement: worth a try. Tommy released your shoulders, a pained expression on his face. He nodded solemnly, his hand surprisingly light as he touched your neck. He jumped back in terror when you giggled, hand recoiled against his body. How can one man be so menacing yet a huge baby?

“I’m ticklish” You explained, going to gesture toward him. “Look-“ Your hands were still bound. Well that’s not going to work. Tommy seemed to notice and scooted his way around the table. It seemed almost alien how gentle his fingers were as he undone your ties. Wrists freed, you instinctively rubbed the circulation back into them, giving your captor a smile. “Thank you” His head tilted curiously, watching as you outstretched your hand. He made no motion towards you, eyes flicking between your hand and face. “I’m not gonna hurt ya.” How had this happened? Ten minutes ago you thought he was going to murder you in cold-blood, yet now... He looked like an overgrown puppy. You wondered if you were the first stranger to show him kindess. The thought made you sadden a little. “Tommy?” You mimicked his head tilt, gesturing him to come closer, hoping he’d get the idea. Eventually he complied, shuffling forward until your fingers met his belly. The warmth under your hand was comforting and it just felt... right. You couldn’t place it, but something about him was warm and comforting to you. At this point it seemed more likely that you would spook him.

“I’m gonna touch you, okay?” You murmured softly, trailing your fingers up his torso slowly. He froze up under you and whined. “Sorry Tommy I-“ you began to pull away but his hand enveloped yours, pressing it back against his chest. His heart thudded rapidly under your palm.

“Why is it so dang quiet down here?” Hoyt slammed open the gate at the top of the stairs, startling both you and Tommy. He grunted and stepped backward, whilst you almost fell face first off the table, steadying your hands on the wood below you. The sheriff grumbled when he saw you, snarling at Tommy. “Can’t you do something right for once ya dumb idiot? Dinner will be ready soon!” His nephew recoiled under his words and you felt rage boil in your stomach.

“Don’t talk to him like that!” You instinctively clamped your hand over your mouth. Whilst Tommy may not be the evil killer he appeared to be, the Sheriff seemed to be far more sadistic. Though currently he looked a little stunned.

“How in the...” he shook his head, pointing at the butcher. “You ain’t keeping her son, Ma won’t allow it!” Hoyt pulled his shotgun from his shoulder to his hands. “Now finish it and come for dinner, or I will.” He sneered, pointing the barrel at you. You saw it gleam for a second before Tommy stepped between you two, the sheriff sighing dejectedly. “Fine, but you bring her to Ma and explain yourself.” You heard the telltale sound of boots on wood as he left the basement.

“You shouldn’t...” you began, but didn’t know where you were headed. Tommy turned back to you, making short work of the ties around your ankles. “Thank you” He helped you off the table, keeping a firm but gentle grip on your arm as you both climbed the stairs.

Despite the circumstances, it seemed that everything was finally looking up.

[umbramatic]

Bear No Fruit

This is an ancient Zootopia fic I am posting here now because apparently I never posted it here??? or at the very least I absolutely cannot find it searching this blog. Anyway here you go:  Bear No Fruit

They were cornered, outnumbered, outmatched.

Judy was curled up next to him, a large, gaping, bloody wound in her leg left by an inadvertent yet literal scrape with a fossilized tusk in the Zootopia Natural History Museum. He saw she was as scared as she was, wanted to calm her down, figure something out...

"Okay, now just relax..."

He knew this was no time to relax. He was just desperate for them to both stay composed, figure something out.

He reached to his pockets, looking for something, anything, that could help the cut. He found nothing. He had a vague recollection of forgetting blueberries somewhere, but dismissed it, that was hardly important right now.

"Come on out Judy..."

Nick froze for a second, feeling the vice was disturbingly omnious for a sheep, before Judy shoved a metal case into his chest.

"Take the case! Get it to Bogo!"

"I'm not gonna leave you behind. That's not happening."

"I can't walk!"

"Just... We'll think of something."

"We're on the same team, Judy!" said the sheep's voice again.

Nick grabbed Judy and the case and ran, haphazardly placing a dummy rabbit into view of the officers as he headed off. He tuned out the rest of Bellwether's rant as he ran, until: 

"Over there!"

He just ran faster. He ran so fast, in fact, he  didn't see the ram heading straight for them until his horns were within his tail's length of his face.

He and Judy were immediately knocked into a deep pit and slammed against the decorative rocks amid the fake grass within, the case knocked from his grip onto the museum floor above. As they got to their feet, Nick reached out to Judy, only for both to hear Bellwether laugh - at Judy, however.

"Well you should have just stayed on the carrot farm, huh? It really is too bad. I... I did like you. 

"What are you going to do?" said Judy. "KIll me?"

Bellwether laughed. "Of course not!"

"...He is."

Just as Nick had come to the realization of what she entailed, the dart had already hit his neck. As the serum flowed through his bloodstream all his horror and coherent thought were replaced by other things.

Anger.

Hate.

Hunger.

-----------

Judy rushed over to Nick as the dart hit him, horrified, even as Bellwether continued to taunt. 

"Yes, police! There's a savage fox in the Natural History Museum! Officer Hopps is down! Please, hurry!"

Judy clutched Nick even as he groaned and snarled. "No Nick, don't do this, fight it..."

"Oh, but he can't help it, can he? Since preds are just biologically predisposed to being savages..."

Suddenly Nick got up on all four paws and snarled at her, Judy realizing with horror his pupils had been reduced to slits. She scampered back with her lame leg best she could as he rushed her, threw a fake deer in his direction he was pinned by and savagely attacked as Judy watched, helpless.

"Gosh!" said Bellwether, "think of the headline! 'Hero cop killed by savage fox!'"

Taking her eyes off Nick just barely enough to look up at Bellwether and fiddle with something in her pocket, Judy scowled. "So that's it? Prey fears predator and you stay in power?"

"Pretty much."

"It won't work!"

Bellwether scowled herself. "Fear always works. And I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to keep it that way."

Suddenly, she saw Nick's slitted eyes lock on her again. He made no slow stalk, just a mad, frenzied rush toward her, fangs bared.

Instinctively she used her good leg to let out a kick. He flinched, yelped, then mindlessly lunged again, only to be hit with another, breaking teeth and drawing blood. He attempted to claw, at which she bit, drawing more blood. He snarled, snapped, until another kick laid him unconscious.

Judy gasped and panted as Bellwether sneered.

"Hmph. Should have gotten a tougher fox for a partner. But no matter. It's clear with all this evidence it's my word against yours."

The other police officers file in, stunned at the sight. Belwether turned to them, opening her mouth to speak, when she heard her own voice and Judy's come up from below.

"So that's it? Prey fears predator and you stay in power?"

"Pretty much."

"It won't work!"

"Fear always works. And I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to keep it that way."

Bellwether turned to see Judy weakly holding her carrot recorder up in the air. She turned back to see the officers -particularly Bogo - scowling down at her.

"We're going to need to talk," said Bogo.

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

 Judy lay fidgeting, tossing and turning in her hospital bed even as the bandages and stitches around her wound stung. She grabbed the remote, flipped through various news channels,saw everything of the Bellwether scandal she had exposed by the skin of her teeth but nothing of what she truly looked for.

She perked up slightly at the entrance of an opossum doctor, but didn't look a him, merely spoke softly. "...Doctor?"

"Yes, Officer Hopps?"

"This hospital... It's the one with Zootopia University Medical, right?"

The doctor nodded. "It is, as a matter of fact."

"Aren't they helping the Night Howler cure effort? What do you know about that?"

The opossum blinked, then sighed. "I'd be lying if I said I haven't gotten that question many a time from many a patient as of late... We're making good progress, but we're still a while from a working antidote."

"...Alright. Thank you."

"And thank you, Judy Hopps, for saving this city."

The opossum exited the room as Judy sighed. Obviously, she was glad the city was saved.

At this point, however, she was more worried about Nick.

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

Night. He stalked through the woods, just as he had heard in all his tales of predators of old in his youth, sniffing, searching.

Eventually, he caught the scent of prey on the wind, he crept towards it, found a burrow, all too easy to creep inside.

Inside were baby bunnies, mewling, helpless. Ravenous, he lunged forward, craving the taste of their blood.

Just then, they were replaced by Judy, panicked and desperate, looking at him with utter terror before a got of blood burst from her throat, and he screamed as he staggered back only to be dealt a kick to the face, then another.

He tried to scream again, but was cut off by the shadowy apparition of a prey animal clamping a muzzle over his snout. He tried to pry it off, but more herbivores surrounded him, clamped more metal restraints to every part of his body, shoved him in a metal cage as he squirmed and let out muffled screams until he saw a blinding flash of light.

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

Nick woke with a start, gasping, panting, lying prone on a hospital bed. As he came to he felt his jaw and the side of his face ache horribly, as did a bandaged part of his arm.

"Wh-where am-"

"Easy there, Nick Wilde. The antidote seems to have worked. You're in good paws."

Nick turned his head weakly to see a hyena nurse looking over him.

"Wait, I'm-"

"Alive, and cured of the Night Howler serum. You can rest easy now.

Nick sighed and set his head back to relax when his eyes widened in shock and despite the pain he turned back to the nurse.

"Judy, is she still - "

"She's all right. Did a number to your arm, head, and face fighting you off, and the latter may not fully heal, but she got out there alive and exposed Bellwether for who she was."

"Are... Are you-"

"Trust me, if she hadn't I wouldn't have this job right now."

Nick paused, then sighed and laid back on the hospital bed. "Heh... Guess I shouldn't doubt Carrots when it comes to going up against me..."

The nurse smiled. "Good to hear; she told me to give you a call once you'd recovered, so I'll be going ahead and doing so now."

Nick's eyes widened again. 'Wait, maybe you shou-"

But she was already gone. Nick groaned, then clutched himself and shuddered.

The blood and clamps were still on his mind.

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

Judy sat on a park bench, thumping her foot. She glanced around, saw pedestrians come to and fro, saw a kid playing Pocket Primates on a PawDS - she briefly marveled at it still being around  after 20 years - and sighed, placing her head back on said bench. Her one day off duty and she was still too anxious to do anything because -

Her phone rang. She held it up and answered.

"Judy Hopps here, may I ask who's speaking?"

As the voice chattered, she beamed.'

"He's recovered? Doing fine? Ready for visitors? Thank you so much doctor I will be right over!"

She bounded off the bench and ran. Not even bothering to catch a cab or bus, she sprinted for the hospital herself as fast as she could.

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

Judy forced herself to keep to a fast walk as she maneuvered her way through the hospital corridors, eyes darting between room number after room number.

"Lessee, it was this floor... No... No... No... Ah! There it is!"

She opened the door wide and grinned.

"Nick! I'm so glad you-"

She stopped and  frowned in worry when Nick gave an uncharacteristic yelp and covered his face, leaning back.

"J-Judy, stay, away!"

Judy's ears folded back as she shifted back and forth.

"Nick... You don't have to be afraid anymore... The serum worked, you aren't going to hurt me aga-"

Nick slowly lowered his paws. Judy stifled a gasp enough for it to become a whimper as she stepped back. They'd told him she'd left some damage on him, but not this much - there were distinct scars and deformations from where she kicked him, and another, thick scpar from her bite.

"Nick, I- I didn't expec-"

"Judy. Stay away from me. I almost killed you. I-I almost-" he wretches- "ate you..."

"Nick, no, I stopped you, I-I stopped you too well, I'm sorry..."

"Judy, I was savage. You did what you had to do. Now stay away from me before I relapse or something. I should've known I had it in me."

Judy doesn't respond this time, instead backing up and simply sprinting back down the hospital hallways the way she came, tears streaming down her face.

Nick silently lays his head down on his bed, tears falling down his face as well.

---------

As Nick was led out of the hospital, he felt himself briefly. It felt a bit weird to be in normal clothes again.

He paused and realized he was glad he was still comfortable in clothes at all.

"Mr. Nick Wilde, sir?" said a vice from behind him.

He turned to see the hyena nurse who had cared for him standing nearby.

"I... I'm awfully sorry about what happened with Hopps... I assumed-"

"No, no, lady, it's fine... You thought she'd be happy to see me, I'd be happy to see her, I get that. It... Just didn't work out then."

"All right. Take care, Mr. Wilde."

"You too."

The nurse walked back into the hospital. Nick turned back around, gulped, and headed off into Zootopia yet again.

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

At the Zootopia police station, Clawhauser plunked a box of freshly-obtained donuts in front of his desk. Eyes glistening, claws twiddling, he grabbed one and reached in to take a bite when his eyes were drawn to someone entering the building.

He squealed "Nick Wi-"

"Er, keep it down?" said Nick. "Nice you're happy to see me and all but... Y'know."

Clawhowser's voice was reduced to a strained whisper.

"Oh, yes, sorry abou-"

He stifled a gasp. "What happened to your face?"

"Judy... Did a number on me, what with the feraling on my end and all. Speaking of which, do you know if she's on duty today and where."

Clawhauser figeted. He looked left, he looked right. "So I heard you wanted to talk about Judy."

He leaned in to Nick with a lot less subtlety than Nick figured he thought,

"Because don't tell anyone I said this, but-"

He is interrupted by the sudden appearance of Bogo, who clamped a hoof over Clawhauser's mouth. Nick staggered back.

"Er, hey, Bogo, how's it going?"

Bogo gave him a leer which he quickly redirected at Clawhauser. "You know you don't have the authorization to give that information, Clawhauser."

The tubby cheetah gave a muffled "sorry".

Bogo sighed, removed his hoof, and gave a berudging look at Nick. "...That said, I do. She's investigating some bizarre bromeliad burglaries - do not even think of asking me to say that five times fast - in the Rainforest District. Don't interrupt her."

"Right," said Nick, "Thank you you two and I am off!"

He dashed out of there as fast as he could. Bogo leaned back and managed to crack a small smile.

Making sure Clawhauser was too distracted by his donuts to see, of course.

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

Nick navigated through the rainy leaves, searching, sniffing. Eventually, he found her; sitting on a bench by the gondolas, halfheartedly scribbling notes on a notepad.

Hesitating at first, he made his approach, but stopped, fidgeted, and moved back to give enough distance for her to run away.

"...Hey Judy."

Judy started, looked at Nick in surprise, then looked away in shame, shifting awkwardly. 

 "...Sorry about that," said Nick.

"...You're sorry? Your face is still-"

"Scraped up a bit from me trying to kill you? I am not one to judge."

"You... You're still-"

"It doesn't hurt or anything. I'm just glad you're more OK than I am."

At that Judy looked up at him, unsure. He smirked.

"Besides, I could totally start a supervillain gig with this new look. Get a mask and everything."

At this Judy grinned. "You'd be a better supervillain than Bellwether."

Nick rolled his eyes and snickered. "Like that'd be hard."

Judy grinned wider, then lept up toward Nick and embraced him. Initially shocked, it didn't take long for Nick to hug back.

Judy broke the hug. "But more seriously, we need to find you a real job."

"Heh... Thanks."

"But once I finish writing down the files for the bromeliad culprit - Some Idaho Jones, nutjob wannabe action archeologist trying to find some Outrealm Gate and activate it - we'll head off to my family's farm to relax and catch up, if that sounds good?"

"Sure, a trip to hicksville actually sounds refreshing at this point."

He chuckles.

"...And I could certainly go for some fresh blueberries."

***

Thank you for reading! As an important note, this was the first non-Pokemon fic I ever completed, so... Yeah, that felt pretty awesome.

[yourdeepestfathoms]

chasing pegasus (part two)

part one

[horse racing au]

tw: there’s some discussions of unhealthy dieting in this one, so watch out!

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

a lap around the yard

The Trainer

Four days later, the sound of hoofsteps came crunching up the driveway of the Netherworld. It was a wet, early morning, the sun not even up yet. Animals were still asleep, as were Barbara and Adam- not even Lydia had showed up for work.

And yet, there were hoofsteps coming from the street.

It had taken little persuasion to convince Presley Lind’s parents into allowing Beetlejuice to be her new trainer once they found out he was associated with the Maitland’s. Their bored expressions lit up instantly, and Beetlejuice easily saw the greed shining inside of their eyes. He had managed to bite back a laugh in the moment, not wanting to ruin this opportunity.

As a child, horses were Beetlejuice’s entire world. Despite his mother working in politics, he lived on a farm, where the plains rolled out to him every morning like green carpets and the air was fresh and clean. There was so much space, and absolutely nothing to fill it.

Lawrence “Beetlejuice” Shoggoth longed for a pony of his own more than anything. Almost every day, he would watch the neighbors ride around on their horses, practically radiating smugness like, “Hahaha! Look at us! We got horses and you don’t! Hahaha!”

He tried to get a horse. Every single Christmas, every single birthday, he would ask his mother for a pony of his own. And every single time he was shot down. She would say that his wonder towards the animals was just a “phase,” that he would lose interest in the beast and leave her to take care of it, but Beetlejuice knew the real reason she said no was because she didn’t like when he got anything he wanted.

It wasn’t until he was seventeen that he finally got the horse he had been dreaming about.

She was a little black-and-white thoroughbred filly that Beetlejuice nursed himself after her mother was killed by a pack of hungry coyotes. His mother had been furious when he carried the foal into the house that dark evening, but he managed to convince her into letting him keep the animal, as long as he paid for everything and didn’t come running to her when he needed help. He was ecstatic.

That little black-and-white thoroughbred filly was the same large black-and-white thoroughbred mare standing beside him at five-thirty in the morning before the sun had even risen, waiting for their pupils.

Sandy, aka It’s Showtime, was the highlight of Beetlejuice’s life. She was fast, full of energy, and had more of a personality than most people Beetlejuice had met. She was everything he dreamed about and more. He didn’t know what he would do without her.  

 “Good morning, student!” Beetlejuice greeted Presley animatedly when she finally finished her walk down the driveway. Strangely enough, she wasn’t riding her horse, instead guiding him by a halter. She didn’t seem to have been on his back at all that morning, deciding to make the whole trip on foot.

 “Good morning, Mr. Shoggoth,” Presley greeted back. In the faint glow from the light attached to the wall of the nearby barn, he saw that she was dressed in a soft-looking flannel, a tank top underneath that, leggings, and boots. Her helmet and goggles were hanging from the side of her saddle. She had her crop with her and she kept fidgeting with it as some sort of nervous tic.

Beetlejuice couldn’t help but laugh at her insistence in formality. She truly was the epitome of a Southern Belle, even up in Connecticut.

 “You can call me Beetlejuice, kiddo, it’s okay.”

Presley wrinkled her nose, but nodded anyway. Beetlejuice was sure that was going to last for maybe an hour, and then she would be back to referring to him like he was the president of the United States or something.

 “So, are you ready for our first day of training?” Beetlejuice asked, hoping he didn’t sound too much like an excited child on Christmas. He had been waiting for the perfect protégé for what felt like forever and he finally found someone who showed real promise. He couldn’t wait to teach her about everything he knew.

 “Yes, sir!” Presley answered. She matched his energy, so Beetlejuice decided to ignore the fact that she replied to him like he was a drill sergeant and she was a wannabe soldier preparing for war.

 “That’s what I like to hear!” Beetlejuice clapped her on the back. “Let’s get out to the track.”

--- --- ---

The first hour and a half, they didn’t even touch the horses.

Sandy and Presley’s stallion, a scraggly grey thoroughbred stallion named Peril, were put into the carousel to get their muscles warmed up for later riding--

--except Peril attempted to physically fight the equipment the moment it turned on and tried to guide him around the circle, which he did not like at all. Beetlejuice and Presley both had to rush to calm him down before he could break something or hurt himself or worse: wake up Barbara. After a few moments of resistance, he finally gave into the tug of the machine and relented to following its pull.

By the time the sun had finally come up, Presley was soaked in a fine layer of sweat. They spent those first few hours exercising; or, rather, Presley was exercising. Beetlejuice watched over her with a hose at the ready if he caught her slacking off.

Being a jockey was a lot harder than anyone initially thought. Despite being small in stature, easily half the size of any NFL player most of the time, they were required to guide twelve hundred pounds of pure flesh and muscle at speeds of up to forty miles per hour. Strength was needed to stay on the backs of the sprinting beasts, hence why the training regimen for jockeys were so intense.

After the initial stretches, Beetlejuice had Presley do a myriad of exercises- squats, lunges, jumping lunges, flutter kicks, bear crawls, burpees, and one-leg deadlifts, and even after finishing all of that she still wasn’t done. He told her to run a mile around the track, and she went without complaining.

 “Lawrence, you better not be killing our jockey. We just got her.”

A voice like a songbird’s sweet chirping broke through the silence of the morning. Beetlejuice turned to see Barbara and Adam walking over, both of them smiling. He perked up.

By then, the sun had come up, bathing the Netherworld in soft golden rays. Horses emerged from the stables, moseying out into the pasture to graze, though some of them stopped to peer curiously at Peril. He and Sandy were mulling in a nearby holding pen after they finished their own exercise on the carousel. When Peril caught the stares he was getting from the other horses, he lifted his head, grass hanging from his mouth, and flicked his ears at them in some kind of silent, equine gesture, then went back to eating.

 “I’m not!” Beetlejuice said, laughing. “She’s fine. Doing great, actually!”

With impeccable comedic timing, Presley skidded to a halt at the fencing in front of them, kicking up a plume of dirt, which only furthered to dirty her even more than she already was: head-to-toe, she was completely covered in silt from the track, turning her pale skin a faint orangey color. It effectively stuck to the sweat already coating her body, making her look like she had tried to test the dust baths the horses sometimes took.

She raised her head, face red from exertion and orange-brown from dirt, and squinted through the morning sun at Barbara and Adam.

 “Good morning, Mrs. Maitland. Good morning, Mr. Maitland,” She greeted the couple with her trademarked politeness, even as she was doubled over and heaving her breaths.

 “Morning, Presley,” Adam said.

 “Good morning, dear. How are you?” Barbara asked.

 “Good,” Presley answered. “You?”

 “I’m doing very well.”

Presley nodded. She shook herself out, though it did little to remove the dirt clinging to her frame, then stood up straight, hands pressed against her lower back like she was trying to pop her spine.

 “BJ isn’t working you too hard, is he?” Adam asked, looking at her, then squinting at Beetlejuice in playful suspiciousness.

 “No, sir,” Presley answered. “I’m okay.” She dragged her feet through the dirt, brewing up another storm around her, as she walked over to the fence and braced herself against the wood.

 “Rude,” Beetlejuice poked Adam in the ribs. “You’re acting like I’m gonna torture her or something! I’m a great teacher! Right, kid?”

 “I got sand in my boots,” Presley said distractedly, kicking the heel of one of her musty boots against a small rock.

 “See!” Beetlejuice said, and Adam and Barbara laughed.

 “Before you continue your teachings, I want you both to eat breakfast,” Barbara said, for all the world sounding like a mother to a soccer team. She looked at Presley. “Do you like danishes?”

 “Oh, uhh,” Presley shuffled her feet awkwardly, then scrunched her face up like a disturbed bunny when the sand must have scratched around in her boots. “I don’t eat breakfast.”

Barbara and Adam stared at her. She blinked back at them, then glanced up at Beetlejuice with a worried expression that said, “Did I do something wrong?”

 “Ever?” Adam asked.

 “No,” Presley shook her head. “Sometimes I’ll have a shake. Maybe an apple. That’s usually it, though.”

 “Honey, you have to eat,” Barbara said, sounding concerned.

 “I’m on a diet,” Presley said back, as if that justified her skipping meals all the time. “It’s kinda strict, so…” She kicked at a pebble, avoiding their gazes.

 “Diet for what?” Adam probed. “You’re already so thin!”

 “We have to be thin,” Presley reprimanded. “Jockeys, I mean. There’s a weight restriction for a reason. And if I slack off one day, then I’ll snowball, and you know how easy it is to regain weight?”

 “How much do you weigh right now?” Beetlejuice joined in on the questioning. He hoped nobody could hear the curl of concerned sickness edging his voice.

 “Uhhh,” Presley had the audacity to count on her fingers, which made Adam’s eyes practically bulge out of his skull, as if he were expecting her to say some absurd number like seven or ten. Though, in his defense, what she actually ended up saying was equally as concerning.

 “If I remember correctly from the last time I checked… I think ninety-nine pounds?”

 “Ninety--” Adam sputtered, cutting himself off. “NINETY-NINE?!”

Presley scrunched her face up at him again. “Yeah…” She said slowly. “Usually I’m ninety-four, though.”

 “NINETY-FOUR?!”

Presley blinked at him. She seemed innocently oblivious to how worrying what she said was…or maybe she did know how worrying it was and was just acting like she didn’t in a way to convince herself that what she was doing was okay and perfectly healthy.

She didn’t look emaciated. To be honest, Beetlejuice used to think that anyone under a hundred pounds were like those people in the sad pictures of Africa, the ones that stated that everyone on the continent were starving to death and tried to convince you to do some twenty-four hour fasting thing to “see how they lived” or something like that instead of doing something useful like asking for donations to help those people. You know- drum-tight skin, ribs showing, stomachs sunken into empty caverns, every detail of the hip bone being perfectly highlighted, limbs like matchsticks, more skeleton than human.

But Presley looked like the exact opposite of that. Her skin wasn’t pulled tight over her bones, her bones weren’t showing at all, even, and she definitely was not a skeleton.

But Beetlejuice also knew firsthand that the effects of “jockey dieting” weren’t always physical. Sometimes it all on the inside- throat eroded from constant purging, muscles weak with no energy, stomach cannibalizing itself in a desperate attempt to get nutrients.

He knew because he, too, had slaved himself over the jockey diet before eventually accepting that he would never meet the weight restriction and get to race in a real derby.

Seeing his new pupil torture herself with such a hellish thing did not make him happy.

 “Presley, you have to eat,” Barbara said gently before Beetlejuice could blow his top and scold his new student.

 “I do,” Presley tried to assure her. “I eat dinner. One meal per day; that’s what the regimen says. I have to follow it if I want to be a jockey. Those are, like, the rules.”

 “Well, I don’t see any rule book around here,” Adam said.

 “It’s an unspoken one.”

 “Presley, Barbara is right,” Beetlejuice spoke up. “You have to eat. I get the whole ‘staying in shape to stay in the weight requirement’ thing, I do, but you’ll be no use in a race if you’re too weak to ride.”

Presley seemed to be getting flustered. She opened her mouth, then closed it and ducked her head. Her boot scuffed at the grass.

 “Danishes sound nice. Thank you, Mrs. Maitland.”

--- --- ---

After a breakfast of danishes, scrambled eggs, grilled ham, and orange juice, Beetlejuice and his student were back outside. Now that it was light out, he decided to let her muscles rest a little longer and give her a tour. Lydia, who had been dropped off by her father, joined them.

Most of the horses were out in the pasture, as were the other farm animals the Maitland’s kept, but most of the broodmares spent their time inside the stables, a breezy building that smelled like hay and dirt. The pregnant horses rumbled and huffed to each other, and Beetlejuice recognized the low-level threat in those sounds. Foaling mares were often aggressive. They were kept separately from each other, in large stalls with heavy wooden walls and thick layers of rushes on the floor.

Six mothers filled the stables. Barbara and Adam were encouraging more breeding to replace the three mares they had recently lost, and to fill the orders they had gotten from richer racers that were seeking out a good horse. Lydia pointed out all the foaling horses as they went by, and Presley listened with great interest.

The first was Bullseye aka Target’s Grand Splash, a solid black Arabian with a single white spot around her left eye and pure white socks. She was fierce and standoffish.

The next was Sky aka Up, Up, and Away, a pure white standardbred with hints of pink around her dark eyes. She was the restless type, constantly resetting her bedding because it wasn’t good enough for her liking.

Then there was Flicker aka Light The Night, a buckskin paint horse with white splotches all across her body and a constant need for playing. As they passed by, she was throwing her hay up into the air with her teeth.

After her was Pisces aka The Zodiac Killer, a dark chestnut thoroughbred with even darker socks around her hooves. Her ears were pinned back and she glared as they walked by her pen.

Fifth was Magi aka Blaze of Enchantment, a blonde quarter horse with a silky brown mane and tail. Her gentle nature made her easy to care for.

Finally, there was Sneeze-Breeze aka It’s A Long Story, a second thoroughbred, this one with a coat of red roan. Upon hearing her name, Presley gave Lydia a confused look, to which Lydia replied with, “It’s a long story.”

Presley laughed.

 “And then that’s my horse!” Lydia said, pointing to a black abyss that was a Tennessee walker gelding. Its dark coat really fit Lydia’s aesthetic. “Well, he’s my favorite horse, but I still like to call him my horse. His name is Gloom!”

Gloom lifted his head from his stall and blinked big blue eyes at Lydia. She patted his large cheek.

 “His show name is The Moon Man,” Lydia further informed.

 “He’s so handsome,” Presley said in awe, staring up at the void.

Beetlejuice allowed the two teenagers to chat a little longer before pulling Presley back out to begin training. It was good that Lydia talked to girls her age. She usually just made conversation with the horses ever since the recent passing of her mother. Maybe a human friend would be good for her.

 “Alright, kiddo,” Beetlejuice said once they were all back outside. Presley had Peril by his halter for an inspection. “Let’s see what you got.”

Beetlejuice, for one, knew a pretty horse when he saw one, and Peril was the epitome of thoroughbred beauty. His coat was a glossy steel grey, rippling rays of light when the sun hit the fur, and his mane and tail were the color of storm clouds. He had four black stockings up each of his legs as if he had crawled out from the shadows. There was a freckling of grey on his snout and his eyes were a bright flame blue. Beetlejuice could see why Presley liked him so much.

Unfortunately, outward looks were just about the only thing Peril had going for him.

Although he was huge, easily twice, maybe three times the size of his tiny jockey, he was gangly and awkward. His legs were stalky, knees knobby, and his tail was bushy. His ears were moving constantly, like spirits were whispering in them, telling him secrets, and his eyes were always looking around.

Peril twitched when Beetlejuice laid hands on him. He lifted one of his back legs, scraping the dirt with the edge of his hoof, but seemed to decide against kicking for the moment, though he still leered at Beetlejuice out from the corner of his eyes, silently warning him.

Beetlejuice went on.

Peril quickly proved to be the exact opposite of the phrase “gentle giant.” He was a stubborn thing, bearing enough tenaciousness to fill all of Connecticut. Even Adam’s mule wasn’t as hard headed as this beast.

The stallion refused to lift his hooves for Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice had to wrestle with his leg just to be able to check his feet, though he decided to let the attitude slide because it made Lydia and Presley giggle.

Peril had thoroughbred-typical shitty feet. Thin soles. Too flat. Underrun heels. Typical racer. Best to get the farrier down to the farm to start drawing the toe back into something that would at least be considered a little healthy.

He dropped the foot. The joints flexed cleanly. Peril had muscle, Beetlejuice could see, but it was hidden beneath his bulk and awkward girth. At least his ribs weren’t showing.

Beetlejuice stole a glance at Presley, who was holding Peril steady by his halter and chatting avidly with Lydia. Her horse ate better than she did.

Dropping the subject from his mind for now, Beetlejuice began to check Peril’s withers and back. Peril humored his touch, keeping his hindquarters cocked for the moment, not ready to kick just yet. Beetlejuice eyed them wryly. As lanky as his legs were, he could knock someone’s brains out with those hooves.

Beetlejuice ran his hands over Peril’s soft hide. Peril shifted beneath his palms, letting out an impatient huff. He looked at Presley, who looked back with a nervous expression.

 “How often do you train with him?” Beetlejuice asked.

 “Six days a week,” Presley answered, and Beetlejuice caught the anxious tremors in her voice. “Sundays are our off days.”

Beetlejuice nodded. “It’s good that you both have time to relax.” He stroked Peril’s broad neck, and the muscles bunched and released beneath his fingers. “What is his diet like?”

 “I give him two to three meals a day of grain and hay,” Presley told him. She was whiteknuckling the halter leash nervously, as if she fed Peril baby heads or something and didn’t want to reveal her bloody secret. “He gets carrot and apple slices in the evenings. Sometimes other fruits and vegetables I have at home. And if he’s good I give him peppermints.”

At the sound of the treat, Peril’s ears flicked to alertness and he began to lip at Presley’s hand. Presley laughed and fished out a mint she had in her pocket. Peril devoured it instantly.

Beetlejuice began to rattle off several questions, and Presley answered them with little hesitation, though her anxiety remained.

 “Does he receive yearly vaccinations?”

 “Yes, sir.”

 “When was he last seen by a vet?”

 “Two months ago, I believe.”

 “Who grooms him?”

 “I do.”

 “Has he ever had colic?”

 “No, sir.”

 “What kind of bit do you use?”

 “Usually a D-ring snaffle, but sometimes I use an eggbutt snaffle. They’re both easiest on his mouth and he gets cranky if it isn’t comfortable.”

 “Where did you get him?”

 “My neighbor gave him to me.”

 “For how much?”

 “For free.”

Beetlejuice raised an eyebrow at Presley. “Really?”

 “Yes, sir,” Presley said, and Beetlejuice was sure he had been called ‘sir’ more times in one day than he had in his entire life. “He really didn’t want him anymore and just gave him to me.”

 “Huh,” Beetlejuice looked up at Peril. “Well, let’s see how he rides, shall we?”

The four of them walked to the hooded paddock. Presley looked supremely uneasy. She wouldn’t stop fidgeting for some reason.

 “Be safe,” Presley whispered.

Beetlejuice couldn’t help but give her a weird look as he climbed onto Peril’s back.

Oh, Beetlejuice thought as he was being bucked off mere moments after sitting down. THAT’S why he was given away for free.

--- --- ---

 “He’s certainly an…opinionated horse.”

Several hours later, Beetlejuice and Presley were sitting on white picket fence together: Beetlejuice nursing a half-empty bottle of bitter apple cider, Presley sipping lukewarm water. In the enclosed field they were balanced before, Peril trotted the length of his pasture, tail flagged, head snaking in front of him.

 “He’s not bad.”

 “Never said he was, kid.”

Presley ducked her head. She looked guilty. Beetlejuice hadn’t realized someone could say sorry so much in one breath, and yet Presley had. Even though he only had a minor bruise on his side from being bucked off, she still wasn’t over what happened.

 “Doesn’t like doors very much,” Beetlejuice observed.

Presley winced. He was referring to when Peril had viciously fought the door to a small pen she had tried to put him into earlier that afternoon.

 “He’s not-- I mean, he doesn’t usually--” Presley was fumbling. She was pale, hands clenched in her flannel. She looked like she was about to spiral into a full blown anxiety attack.

Beetlejuice put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay,” He said. “Horses have their quirks. Sandy used to snort sand all the time.”

Presley blinked big doe eyes at him. “Really?”

 “You didn’t think she was named because of her colors, did you?” Beetlejuice tipped his head at her, looking amused.

 “There’s black sand! That exists!” Presley tried to argue in an attempt to save face.

Beetlejuice laughed. “When she was a filly, she used to stick her nose in EVERYTHING. Always these big mounds of dirt, and then she would sneeze, knock herself backwards, and look at me indignantly, to which I would say, ‘Then stop sticking sand up your nose!’ She never listened.”

Presley giggled.

They both watched Peril for a minute. His head was still in the air, neck arched, ears pointed at some unknown distant object he deemed worthy of his attention. Then, he caught them staring and took off in a dead sprint around the corner of the yard, ripping up chunks of turf with his hooves. He stopped abruptly, glanced to make sure they were still looking at him, and then trotted away regally.

 “I like this horse,” Beetlejuice said, breaking the silence. “I want him to win.”

 “Everyone wants their horse to win, Mr. Shoggoth,” Presley mumbled, shoulders slumped like they were being weighed down by some unruly sin.

Guilt, Beetlejuice rationalized.

He gave Presley a look.

 “Beetlejuice,” She corrected herself. “Mr. Beetlejuice.”

 “That’s Mr. Juice to you,” Beetlejuice said, poking her in the side, and she nearly squirmed right off of the fencepost. She giggled again. It didn’t last long.

 “I want him to win, too,” Presley whispered.

As awkward and ill-tempered as Peril was, he could.

Beetlejuice had met a lot of horses. He had run his eyes and his hands over champions. Hundreds from afar, and dozens up close. A.P. Indy, The Strawman, Stay Thirsty. Even Ocean Liner, though he’d been long retired by that time. There had been Sweet Devil, getting roses draped around his mud-spattered neck; Slipstream, bounding around the winners circle; Permafrost, head held up in haughty pride as he passed by other horses.

Beside The Dying Fire could outrun them all.

 “I just don’t know if I’m enough for him.”

The comment caught Beetlejuice off guard. He looked down at Presley, and he could see it now: the self-doubt, the worry, the fear, the painful anxiety raking up and down her insides like jagged horse hooves.

Presley “Jeopardy” Lind wasn’t just timid, she was fragile, too. Much too fragile for the awful things spiraling in her head.

Beetlejuice set a hand on her shoulder. “We chose you for a reason. You rode that beast and got third. You have skill, Presley. You’re exactly what he needs.”

Presley’s eyes were sparkling up at him. Beetlejuice smiled.

 “You’re our jockey.”

Presley looked out at Peril. He looked back at her. A thousand plus pounds of muscle, and even heavier than that, the weight of all the dreams each one of these beasts carried. A dark, sharp look in his eye that was either intelligence or haughty pride, or maybe just the hope of his human creators reflecting back at them.

She looked up at Beetlejuice again and, buried beneath the fear and anxiety and doubt, there was confidence.

 “I’m your jockey.”