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villains4hire · 1 year

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Betilla, The Great Fairy (Rayman)

1. So you don't really need to know the lore of Rayman other than these following things: it is some funny little weird guy that goes on adventures in a european-esque fantasy, that also can have sci-fi elements considering Rayman 2? Pretty much anything can happen from fighting some techno-advanced pirate to being in a candy land still shot at with guns as in Rayman 1 and can have dark undertones considering Rayman 2 has literal slaves in it that you free. It's like if it was a European Mario Series that wasn't afraid to tackle some darker themes occasionally, but be whacky and not over the top. Just nothing disgusting such as bodily humor is all I ask from the games, as it doesn't bother me as much anymore, it's just annoying and a mood-killer.

2. I rp Betilla as a combo of Rayman 1 and Rayman Origins in terms of design, look below. She is not going to look anything like Rayman 1 or Origins just to clarify other than combined. On that note, I keep her status from Rayman as not a great fairy, THE Great Fairy as a cosmic defender of the glade, but I am still okay with the other Nymphs existing from Origins, just don't call her that or she will probably ruin your day. She’s a storyteller and narrator that narrates a character's adventure (or to mess with them) and goes with them and creates endings to that journey or something major if plotted for people as a guide. Then with a few talking quirks such as 'hay' tacked on among a few rarer others or cursing in 'fae' sometimes and is all around usually jerky, playful and tends to poke and prod people. You are free to attack her but not without consequence, though I won't have her do like what I explain next. It'd be more comical, fun hi-jinx even with probably evil characters at first. Just don't expect her to get hit right away or at all depending on your character's skillset if say just an average human. I will say that she does have fae weaknesses which I do headcanon Mr Dark exploited since Mr Dark was more tactical, mysterious and smart with how he attacked her in canon, along with ambushing her in the first place for how I have it. Since I will say if you're writing a big bad, trapping Betilla is probably the first step to any villain thing.

3. This character is rped as an actual fae and as such does not feel entirely like a human in terms of emotions, as remember, fae for some are considered akin to demons even in european-esque mythos even if she is friendly and can cry very rarely. I am willing to do tragic ends or bad endings for characters using this character, so long as your character is 'evil' or unrepentant or has done heinous crimes, albeit I am fine with tragic endings for good characters so long as we discuss what happens. Regardless if 'evil', she will deal all the crimes that the character has done back to them for their ending as their narrator and do them herself, yes, everything that means so long as it harms the character in question, but that will not be rped out other than her maybe throwing your character around or beating them up before we time skip to avoid anything graphic. No extreme gore, but losing a limb with little detail is fine, and especially not weird stuff or on-screen implications, as I'm not here to rp some potentially creepy fetish you have. I just like fae, dark folktale endings in classic European literature and how demented they can be, but more or less I'm keeping anything that involves any form of torture or worse fates than death fade to black. Despite what I'm willing to rp otherwise on other characters, it isn't exactly fitting to the setting of Rayman. This is plot only for this side of the character, as she wouldn't show this side normally to someone she cares about, and really only to literally the worst of people who want to destroy everything or ruin countless lives or worse to people. On that note, I won't have her get 'too' inappropriate on my blog, but you're free to flirt with her or 'try'. Anything SUPER down bad if I deem it fit will be on the sideblog rather strictly.

4. This character can work with even villains and is intended to be a companion of sorts as a powerful bystander bound by cosmic rules. Granted, Rayman in terms of raw power as you can read in her characterization drabble is far more powerful in terms of fighting prowess and potential, but not utility comparatively, as that's just not Betilla's function in the universe, as to note, as I do use the original trailer origins concept, just the concept that Betilla created him. Not what Rayman did to her like five seconds afterward as Origins kinda suffers from horny-brain in terms of design.

5. This character has two voices, a narrator voice which sounds like in your ear like a whisper on the wind and done by ->Bloodborne's 'Doll' for her German Voice actress named Lara Trautmann<- in terms of tone and voice. The other her ->Rayman Origins Voice, Gabrielle Shrager<- in a more casual yet personal, less formal tone and voice done in person you can find in timestamps on the vods (Make me aware if they get taken down). These are separated by italics for her narrator voice and then her casual voice is just normal text and your character won't be aware of where the narrator voice is coming from, seemingly only they are able to hear it unless she does it in front of them if deciding to move her mouth while doing it.

6. This character has no allowed canon family other than her creations or made family. Rayman is the only person I would consider her son, but I am open to her creating your 'character' for an AU for something familial or reviving them otherwise regardless if instead evil or not, look below. If you are a Rayman rper and have a problem Betilla being your Rayman’s mom/creator? Let me know and we can probably work something out.

7. I will not rp with certain fandoms using this character based on themes, but do talk to me. We could maybe work something out, just DBZ is a little dumb for power-scaling or anything like it.

8. This character advances your own if allowed and chosen to be a hero or at least a protag in their journey together. They develop side by side even if she has a static set of powers? Her new ones will reflect how to better synergize with yours, I will only use this verse to verse so she doesn't end up with a stupid amount of powers, and I highly SUGGEST these types of powers are mostly mechanical like a game to game scenario so we advance horizontally than say upward like DBZ and just raise numbers and write ourselves into a corner for advancement.

9. Considering the powers and endings this character provides? I am okay with ‘evil’ ships with her, but it has to be consenting in every context since she’d have them fae bound. Nothing weird other than just bullying or beating them up if they deserve it in a not too gorey fashion. I’ve had a few weird requests with mind control/mind control-like powers before so I’m just gonna put this here.

-Redesign I had done.

A few main face references. Do I want them to die: Fine with it, but they don't die easily. Her powers and potential I consider comparable to Rayman and other Protags, just in a different, more supportive way even if normal people don't really stand a chance against her. I expect your character if a supernatural fighter comparable to Powered Up Rayman, Super Sonic or a Super Star'd Mario to be able to take her on, but a struggle nonetheless. I would be fine with it if she won? But it really depends as we’d need a good reason for her to win such a direct fight like that. Will I have/get icons: I have more than I expected, honestly. Tag: thems the rules! | Age: As old as the first plant or vegetation life on any planet in her universe, even if not self-aware just yet as a primordial fae essence of lum energy. Sex: AMAB by human standards Gender: Trans Female by human standards, but is fine with any pronouns such as she/he. Does not care but is fem-presenting. Race: Fae, but their ascendant additional race and also title is 'The Great Fairy'. Think kind of like a Force of Nature, Titan or Mother Nature incarnated into a fae form. Granted, while she is 'The Great Fairy', there are other incarnations of nature such as the Nymphs from Origins that I accept, but refuse Betilla’s rework into one. Sexuality: If she likes you that way, so good luck with that. Personality traits: Really sweet, but can be jerky in a playful way. Tends to mess with people. Manipulative for your own benefit. Likes to lie jokingly or outright. Has a quirk of saying 'hay' tacked onto or mingled into words in her sentences, then adding 'kah'ta' to her more powerful spells. Will say damn or hell sometimes rarely, any more than that and it's the fae language. Likes to adventure, likes fighting. Responsibly irresponsible. Likes jokes of mostly any kind and getting under peoples' skin. Motherly somewhat but not quite, it depends on whom though. Extremely loyal if she never intends to betray you from the start. Extremely loving deep down, past what most humans feel. Nearly perpetually smiles but has other expressions. Feels little to no fear. Depending on whom, she can be extremely sadistic, though is purely reserved for the worst of people. Speaks in two voices, rarely speaks directly using her narrator voice in person unless being formal with a hero, granted she can very much talk to you in a whisper, but also with her casual in person voice at the same time. Yet tends to break into her casual speech more often than not as it’s not a big deal to reveal to someone, she tends to just do it to mess with people past anything formal with the narrator voice, however. Doesn't mind dying exactly, but it will annoy her. Can be absolutely merciless, cruel or even incredibly monstrous when dealing judgment to those who deserve it that most normal 'human' or 'human-like' beings couldn’t stomach. Keeps secrets rather well. Can be flirty but it can easily turn into a mocking you kind of way. Has high standards for her partners. Is a bit strange or goofy at times. Likes animals. Protects the forest from corruption, but does not interfere otherwise unless absolute destruction of the forest is taking place. Nature is unmoving and indifferent is why she often does nothing in response, she knows whatever being that lives on the planet she is? Will face an end befitting of them one day depending on what they’ve done. Mental traits: Is not affected by fear entities due to her mental state and is rather inhuman in perception but still has some semblance of humanity. Deceptively intelligent. Physical traits: 1'0 to 10'0 in terms of feet tall depending on if she shrinks or enlarges herself or not. Human looking eyes, but with green pupils with reddish, but white pale skin, freckles and red/red bark hair. Wears a leaf cloak mixed with vines and a few twigs here and there in it with maybe a few leaves or twigs in her silky hair. Her hat instead of pointy, droops a touch at a certain point in the middle, two lum orbs a slight way from the tip, then a star at the end, all hovering and following her, but subtly bobbing. Her eyes glow green whenever using magic, along with her pupils yellow and star-like albeit not in shape, merely in brightness and color. Rather expressive and can make unnatural expressions compared to a human to near cartoonish, has a large mouth, deceptively sharp teeth under the fae veil. Can purr akin to a giant-sized cat that’s just an internal rumble but otherwise does not usually, although likes to lounge in the air like one. She’s got a thicker body than she is in canon for either games, and has a reasonable cleavage and feet size proportionally along with waist to match her hips, so it’s there, but not crazily so. Notably when hovering, however, her feet meld into her body and become pointed at the ends like that of a pointed, sharp cone, which yes, she can impale people like that or simply shift to. Powers: 1. Ascended Fae Mind and Body: Betilla has canonically shown that even the likes of Mr Dark or otherwise cannot corrupt or control her. She has a complicated soul even if she does have one, so forms of soul-stealing, mind control or corruption simply do not work on her. She can however, be trapped through certain methods of capturing fae and has certain weaknesses that can be exploited if a character like Mr Dark who researches their targets before attacking. You need to talk to me though before we decide on what they would and wouldn't know, however. Along with this? She has seamless, limited size control and can move incredibly fast with her wings almost like a blur, then on foot but not like 'The Flash' from DC or something and while she could wrestle using a combo of plant and earth magic with creatures such as a giant, large dragon or otherwise? I consider Rayman in terms of lore still vastly stronger in terms of raw power, so again, I expect characters like Rayman to be able to outgun her, or eventually outgun her. 2. Power and Item Bestowal: Betilla can teach and help someone learn any technique, power, or ability (Within Reason) to someone else even if she can't use it, but is confined to a strict series of cosmic rules that must be followed, in order to earn such powers for the person receiving them- such as it has to make sense in a way for your character that we both agree on? I’m not gonna complicate it or try to be a stickler too much, but I don’t expect Kirby for example to be using ‘Naruto/DBZ’ powers in terms of theming. She cannot give powers unless you deserve them, even if she would have to let you literally die even if she wanted to save you, that goes also in giving them items she is aware of. Now, they could use some artifacts that she’s left around in order to summon her to help persistently rather than sometimes, or when she feels like it. But she can’t really tell you where they are exactly unless you have a certain artifact, then her little lum spheres and star hovering near her hat will start humming louder the closer you are. Betilla leaves these artifacts around herself, this includes ‘1-ups’ otherwise known as life artifacts, to which if your character dies while having one? She will teleport you both out, the artifact breaks and then they revive.

3. Thems the rules!: This character is limited in how much help they can provide at any given time unless using certain artifacts to have her tap in to help fight so to say. Eventually, if your character gets or is powerful enough from the start, she CAN help persistently if she wants to. Just if she wants to. Some things have persistent cooldowns from her to help with though, it depends. 4. Support Magic/Star Magic: Has various ‘Buff’ or Healing Spells involving Astral Magic: rather self-explanatory, just cosmically aesthetic as a nod to her Rayman 1 appearance, though has other forms of magic such as teleportation or transportation on the back of the star floating near her hat for example that will enlarge. Granted, she will only use these on occasion or when you use an artifact you find. All your standard support-type spells such as shields, moving faster, better attacks, etc. But depending, such as Shantae? She could buff certain aspects of her forms for example or make someone move at supersonic speeds such as a Vampire or something for a limited time.

5. Plant and Earth Magic: I think this is pretty self-explanatory. Vines, Man-Eating Plant Traps, Thorns, Bramble. Then moving Rock, Shards of Rock etc. 6. Immortal: otherwise Mr Dark would’ve just outright killed her instead of trapping her, knowing she’d just reincarnate. Even if the planet she’s on for example just explodes or is completely corrupted? It’d basically just kick her off the planet and to the nearest next one or otherwise in terms of multiverse, dimension, etc. Which I am down with, if you got a big bad you want me to interact with and like and I like you? We could maybe work something out of her getting booted off an au of her planet. Though we’d have to agree what direction to go in the future.

7. Story Teller and Narrator: this is a plot only power, I don’t expect everyone to want to do this with her, you need to TELL ME that’s what you want with her. At the end of a WANTED journey with her, your character will get a true wish and face the ending they deserve, I presume for any ‘good/neutral’ character we can just give them what they want within reason, though I am open to unintentional tragedy regardless for the character- as thems the rules if they don’t read the fine print enough. Then if it’s a bad ending? We will discuss it ooc as I will probably give some idea of what happens, but nothing too over the top dark will be described. I prefer to leave it to imagination and we can talk how to keep going as, she can form bonds with evil people like this, but tends to ‘fae own’ them or ‘fae bound’ to just toy with or entertain herself with even if she does care about them, albeit can give mercy to someone depending on what they did previously. And for them to keep being companions if the character in question hates Betilla? She could literally just mind-break them into accepting her as a permanent part of their existence if you’re down with that, as we can keep their dynamic and how they feel. But otherwise can get close. She won’t work with evil characters she doesn’t have bound from the start and once you do? There’s no real way out of it unless it’s a really specific kind of character, of course, you’d have to present and ask me to do this to your character even if they’re ‘horrible’ because yeah. I don’t want to upset people with this and don’t come to me trying to ‘surprise me’ with a fae contract/soul taken being somehow broken/returned without a really good reason, that’s plotted only, but I will still use the narrator and story-teller part still just for rp for funsies rather than the wish part.

8. Character Creation and Revival: this is a plot only power, as she can revive technically any character she wishes within reason, I’m gonna say something like Cthulhu-Esque or a Robot without a soul is a no-go. Granted, she has to follow certain rules and wouldn’t revive someone like Mr Dark other than to keep them on a leash they wouldn’t be able to break free from her with. If you agree to this, you need to understand that she CAN and WILL abuse your character if they’re one of the worst. And Betilla is in no actual danger and can basically physically or mentally torture or even kill or keep them from dying when ‘breaking them’ at will. Now, even if a character that was ‘good/neutral or evil but hasn’t done super, SUPER messed up stuff as we can talk about the latter,’ disobeyed her? She would not use this type of control over them even if they fought her or even killed her whether intentional or not out of her own alien morality. Then as for character creation? She can ‘create’ your character if you want an AU for your character and a mom-like dynamic like she has with Rayman. She could technically kill your character as a note if she’s created them, but is only really allowed as bound by cosmic rules that she only can if you’re ‘corrupted’, not just ‘evil’. You’d have to go as far as wanting to destroy everything or otherwise and could even ‘kill her’ if you wanted, but it wouldn’t make sense for her to create an evil or murderous being, so yeah. One is to keep it open for shipping/familial/platonic with reviving, the other is very much familial and kept that way for creation.

9. Grows in Powers with your Character: this is a plot only power, Betilla will develop and advance specific powers she will only use with your character. Whether it’s a specific buff or power that synchronizes with yours? Or some kind of ‘ultimate ability’ to help fight, protect, or aid otherwise? It is for you, and YOU alone though sometimes things might be similar depending on archetypes, characters, etc. This is similar to how her power bestowal functions in terms of growth that your character pretty much has to earn it, along with her liking yours enough. Which can happen even if she say ‘hates’ some evil person she’s revived to be cannon fodder for her. Motivations: To keep balance within her universe and do her part. Have fun, be loved, protect who and what she cares about. Backstory:

There is no real backstory for her other than me taking the concepts below: Her being the tutorial, guide and move teacher in Rayman 1. Her creating Rayman in the original Rayman Origins Concept. In Rayman 1 she had a star-like aesthetic and was similar to Rayman in terms of design. In Rayman Origins she has a ‘horny-brained’ but intended to be a forest-like character but with a new personality.

Both personalities and forms of looks are used along with a more inline Rayman 1 aesthetic that I like, but she has all her limbs etc. ->The End<- Her characterization and to give some examples of how it’d be like to interact with her.

#long post #thems the rules!#bios #bios save #ooc

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youwontlikethisblog · 3 years

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I Don't Believe He Desires Me

Before I continue I want you to know I will be talking a lot more about Betty in this post and there will be a brief mention of r*** in this post.

I keep mentioning how Betty is more than just an insecure girl, that she's more complex than that but I don't really explain it all too well.

I've been lingering with this thought for quit a while now and though this is something that is mentioned in future episodes and I try not to bring such far away episodes into the breakdown of the current episode I feel like it's important to do so in this post.

Betty's first time.

We're still in the same day as Betty with her new look. Aura Maria and Betty are sitting outside talking and Aura Maria is asking her if she desires her boyfriend and Betty explains that their relationship is more than just seggs but an intelectual relationship where they talk about thought provoking subjects and things that stimulate their brains.

Betty has mentioned in the past when she's writing in her diary that she is really attracted to Armando in a physical sense but I noticed a hesitation from her when talking about this with Aura Maria and isn't only because she's not used to talking about this but for another reason because its while Aura Maria tells her that she might be weird if she doesn't even desire him to a small level or that he might be gay that Betty confesses that she is attracted to and that she does desire him. Betty isn't that uncomfortable talking about the subject with Aura Maria so why does she hesitate?

Her first relationship in the romantic aspect was traumatic on it's own however in the physical sense it was more than traumatic.

Betty thought of herself so hideous before Miguel that she thought no man would ever be interested in her until he came along. He really did force Betty to have feelings for him. He courted her, her sought her out and he manipulated her through small gifts and cards with poems and dedications that soon Betty started to develop feelings for him. Once he had her in love he plain out pressure her to have seggs.

Though we are only told the general story of it we can understand why it was painful.

See Betty in love has always been unconditional, she has been sweet, kind, loving, and faithful. She has been unwavering in loyalty. She wasn't any less of that in her relationship with Miguel. The same way she is right now with Armando and his gifts is the same way she was with Miguel. Miguel's attention built her self-esteem, it built her self-worth.

Miguel manipulated Betty's innocence's and her low self-esteem to serve his own agenda without ever feeling anything, not even empathy, towards Betty. He made her feel special, desired, wanted, and attractive to him. He worked so hard to build her self-esteem just to pressure her to sleep with him so he could win a bet.

How does this affect Betty to this day?

I once mentioned that to Betty this translated that she was so heinous that not even her love convinced Miguel to love her.

Diving in deep it translated to something so much worse.

[This is your warning to skip to the next [RED].]

Her first time must've felt like r**e in the after math. I've thought about this for so long that it's the only way I could ever explain it.

For Betty that first experience has left her feeling like no man would ever be attracted to her in a physical sense, that no man would ever be attracted to her because of her personality. That she is so disgusting, so worthless that no man would ever notice her and the one who did was horrified by her body and felt a disdain towards her as he had seggsual relations with her. She was left bare, naked, and destroyed and the entire neighborhood laughed at her expense. They spoke badly of her for what Miguel did to her. She herself said that he "Suggested" that they have relations and though at fist she didn't want to that she decided to because she loved him and she gave all of herself to him that first time.

Her first time is enveloped in guilt, shame, embarrassment, and self-hatred that it causes her to not aspire for more in the relationship she is currently in. To keep herself safe and away from harm she doesn't want to believe that Armando would ever be attracted to her in anyway other than admiration for her intelligence and she doesn't want to feel guilty or like she forced(r**p) him.

[You may proceed below.]

She doesn't aspire for Armando to be attracted to her in that sense. She doesn't aspire for Armando to desire her or want to sleep with her. She's content with the kisses, with the dates where they dance and have intelectual conversations. Though she does desire him, she doesn't aspire for him to feel the same way. In an effort to self preserve her subconscious pushes her to only view Armando as a man who isn't seggsually driven, however Betty is fully aware that he is and she denies this fact for the sake of her heart.

She knows that he is, she says it herself that night at the museum but this time Betty says that she doesn't want to pressure him to do something he doesn't want to(like desire her or have relations with her, again this goes in hand with the idea that she has that she is so hideous no man would ever be attracted to her enough to desire her and that if they ever did have relations with her it would be forced.)

While Betty and Aura Maria are having this conversation in another part of the city Armando and Mario are having the same conversation(huh I just realized both of these side kicks are named Maria, except well Mario is the male version... and they're talking about the same thing, interesting...).

Armando, scared, asks Mario if he really believes that Betty would jump his bones of those days, to which Mario says that Betty is crazy for him so he does.

In the previous post(Betty's New Look) I mentioned how these episodes are to push Armando to accept to some degree Betty's physical appearance and his attraction to her(even if it's based on personality it is still attraction) and that he also had to confront his inner self that he's Betty's boyfriend.

In this scene he not only has accepted this but he also accepts that he has a relationship with her as he tells Calderon that the relationship he has with Betty is based on more intelectual stuff.

Mario then goes on to say than what's the point of having a lover if all he's gonna with her is have cerebral conversations, that the point is to have as much s. relations and for it to be good.

Armando proceeds to say that that's why he has Marcela and that's the only thing that keeps them together.

Back to Aura Maria and Betty:

"Betty remember, nothing about cerebral relationships or intellectual or anything like that. A relationship is maintained by appearances, you keep it with the bed involved, mija, otherwise someone more experience comes along and takes him and you end up like the fool."

"No Aura Maria, truth be told, I think he admires me for who I am, for my knowledge, for my career but I don't think... I don't believe he desires me." she looks at her embarrassed and sadden.

"Ay Betty, be careful, because of that guy doesn't manifest himself seggsually break up with him, mija, break up because there's only two reasons. One he's gay or you don't inspire him at all." Betty looks off, worried and confused her self.

This is why Betty starts acting so...heavy in the next couple of dates because she's testing him to see if he does desire her, if he does want to be with her, if he is attracted to her because she knows! She is fully aware of how seggsual the man is.

Back to Mario and Armando.

Mario has now told him that s. is the best way to compliment a woman because it means you desire her however Armando tells him something.

"I don't desire her, I am not crazy about, especially now with that new look.(can't understand what he says at the end)"

When Mario and him talk about plastic surgery. He does entertain the idea but dismisses it when he says that Marcela wouldn't allow that as well as tell us that Marcela is so controlling that she checks his bank records. Personally, I don't care how many people think that Betty would agree to get that plastic surgery if Armando told her to, she wouldn't. She said it herself in previous episodes that she doesn't believe in plastic surgery and that true love goes beyond what is skin deep. She said so in the first episode and when Bertha was talking about getting lipo. She said that with her self-esteem being non-existing and having no ego and her ego has grown just a tad bit since starting that relationship with Armando.

Even in this same episode when Aura Maria tells her to get plastic surgery Betty tells her that she won't because that's for women who like to get attention, that she is more discreet. One could argue that for love Betty would do anything, but even for love she didn't go all out on her new look because though Betty is unconditional one cannot fight the subconscious nature of our brain and the desire to maintain itself safe so even if Armando did agree to the plastic surgery and told Betty about it she wouldn't go ahead because her issues are far beyond just skin deep and she knows that.

In the next scene Betty is faced with AA's picture on Armando's desk and we hear Betty remembering what Armando said about AA. As she stares at this picture Daniel walks into the office and clears his throat.

"How are you, Sir?" Betty hurried to stand by her office.

"Worried, displeased, surprised. You and I ma'am agreed that as soon as money came into the company that you'd deposite what was mine to my account and in my account there's nothing."

"Yes I understand, Sir. I'm embarrassed with you but we had to pay roster but by first hour tomorrow we'll deposite your money." Betty proceeds to smile. "You've got my word, Sir."

Daniel proceeds to look her up and down and tell her "Is your word as serious as your look." and her proud smile disappears. "'cause that attire, that hairdo, more than an assistant to presidency, you look like an circus assistant." Betty stares at him hurt.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes I know Armando is a clown and that this entire company is just clownery but that doesn't mean that you should be dressed like one. You have to have a little discretion."

Betty here tries to stand up for herself and tells him "Excuse me Sir but you're offending me."

"No the one that's offending here is you." and Armando is seen walking towards his office, through the open double doors we see him stop on his tracks and look at Betty. "What were you thinking? When you got dressed in that clothing? What went through your head when you were doing your hair? Did you think you looked devine?" Armando now looks at the back of the head of Daniel like a bullseye. "No ma'am you look worse, so much worse."

"Sir please, respect me. You're treading on something personal."

"Tsk tsk tsk. I'm butting into the imagine of my company. Do us the favor to come like a normal person. Are you convinced that because you have a boyfriend(Armando for a second unfocused and turned to look at Betty and then focuses again on Daniel and his anger) you can do what you want and finish with peoples retina? Please, pity humanity."

"Daniel Valencia." Armando prepares to yell at him furiously. "Get the hell out of my office! Now."

"Hello Armando." Daniel turns to him.

"Hello nothing! Get out of my office now! and stop disrespecting my assistant."

"The one who is disrespecting everything here is her. She is disrespecting aesthetics, the company, the retina. Someone with such an important title. Someone who practically manages the company under the incapability of her president. Someone who has under her command a company that designs style, fad, and color can't be dressed like that."

"What? Did you not understand me Daniel Valencia? Get out! Now!" Armando grabs him by the caller of his blazer and they spin(honestly this reminds me of valet lmbo).

"Sir, please."

"Out!"

"Be very careful. I am not one of your clowns. Don't you ever place your hands over me again."

"Oh no?"

"Much less push me."

"You didn't like that Danielito? You didn't like that?" He moves to grab him again but Betty goes to hold him back. "What then? What then!" He yells.

"Sir, please." Betty pleas.

"Get out!"

"I understand that you defend the economist but her bad taste?"

This retaliates in him understand that Armando in the past defended Betty's job in Eco Moda and that he was aware that she is smart but for him to defend her on something so personal, he doesn't.(You're blind, Danny boy).

"No then, Tarzan and cheetah(someone explain this to me... why cheetah? Tarzan killed it.)."

Now lets bring the previous post and this one to a concluding halt with the following break down.

After watching this exact scene so many times I feel confident in my understanding of what we are being shown and told here.

In this exact day, when Betty wasn't around, Armando showed to be upset and furious at Marcela, Patty, and Hugo for their jokes about Betty's new look and the jokes they were making about her boyfriend. Since Betty wasn't around we can conclude that it wasn't projecting or him faking it because he didn't have to prove anything to her right there since she wasn't even there.

Now in this scene Betty's eyes are always on Daniel, never drifting or shifting between Daniel and Armando but focused solely on Daniel and what he is saying. You can tell she's upset, hurt, feeling humiliated but even then she respectfully tries to stand up for herself. Since Betty hasn't taken notice of Armando in the background and Armando isn't even paying attention to Betty but solely focused on Daniel we can asume he isn't doing this for show but in fact feels furious at Daniel exclusively for the way he is talking to Betty.

For a moment though he does look away from Daniel and that's when he mentions that Betty has a boyfriend like all of a sudden he's been hit with the ole "Betty has a boyfriend?" and then realization comes "Right. I'm her boyfriend." and he returns to focus on Daniel. Why is that the thought I decided was in Armando's mind at the time? Because he blinks repeatedly and looks confused for a second before no longer being confused. It's either that or he wondered if Betty told him about the boyfriend or how he found out but decides not to care and only focus on his anger.

Armando up to this point has always been very composed towards Daniel, never shy to to show his dislike and even hatred towards him, however he's never been close to throwing hands. Even when he yelled at him to mind his business(RagTela telling betty they'd give her a commission of 10% if she got them the business deal with Eco Moda and Danny Boy went and snitched on her.) he did so because he was mad that he wouldn't let him do anything in the company without spying on him and he wanted to be left alone but he didn't even make a move to throw hands, he just yelled. This time, just like that night before, Armando is ready to throw hands.

Why does he do this with everyone else except Mario? With Mario, though he says that he doesn't like Betty's new look, that he doesn't have the imagination to sleep with her, and that she's ugly, he doesn't really talk make fun of her. He complains(this doesn't make it okay) but he doesn't say the really cruel things that Mario does and he says really bad things about Betty, like naming a list of all her physical flaws and not once does Armando stop him. He doesn't even tell him to shut up or look angry like in the past. This time he looks concerned, worried, and pained.

While yes he does hate that people devalue and disrespect Betty he doesn't have the balls to actually defend her to Mario and that plays such a huge role. It also shows that Armando is still very much in denial and ignorance towards his attraction to Betty.

Betty is visibly hurt here. She tries not to frown while Daniel says all these awful things to her and even then tries to be respectful while she defends herself. She don't need no man.

When Daniel leaves Armando takes notice of Betty's arms around him, holding him back and though he looks panicked for a second he rolls his eyes and turns to comfort her(see he's forced to place Betty's needs before his own).

"Easy Betty. I just don't like it when people mess with you, for them to bother your or make fun of you." He gently passes the back of his hand against Betty's face in an affectionate way(which he's been doing a lot more as their dates progress 😏).

"Don't worry, Sir, because he's right." Betty turns around and walks to her office while Armando disagrees. When Betty shuts the door to her office Armando stays in his and turns to look at the opposite direction, sits on his desk, and looks thoughtful.

Like I mentioned in the last post; Armando is being forced to accept Betty's appearance and not only because of what Mario told him but because he has witnesses everyone making fun of her while he is now having stronger feelings towards Betty.

This is such an important thing for him to achieve, not only because of his feelings but because this literally is what moves him to be more accepting of said feelings because you really do start to see Armando become more attentive to Betty. He becomes more affectionate, little by little like touching her face a lot more frequent(if I were Betty I'd tell him to keep his hands off my face because acne, like hello?) wanting to kiss her and not pulling away right away.

At the ending this all comes full circle. These episodes are critical to what happens on the B-Day episodes and Armando's reaction for not knowing it was her B-Day.

BONUS:

When Armando enters her office and tells her to not listen to Daniel Betty tells him that it wouldn't hurt her if was all just speculation but she thinks he's right about her new look. Armando lies and tells her her new look is great and she looks devine.

"Really Sir?" Betty looks at him, "Because It for you, only for you. So you could see me differently." She says timidly and laughs softly. Armando's entire expression softens and a smile creeps on his face while he stares at Betty.

He's happy to know that Betty would do something only to make him happy, which again, shows that Betty is the first person to ever truly love Armando while the same thing could be said that Armando is the first person to truly ever love Betty.

Though Armando is lying straight outta his...teeth this is different under context because he's not lying to keep Betty in an affair that means he gets to prove he's better than Nicolas and that Nicolas won't take away his company which is a disguise for his fear that he'll take Betty(though he is worried about Eco Moda too except it's not really his main priority). This time Armando is lying to her to not destroy her self-esteem. In his mind what he is doing is telling her a white lie while also convincing her to go back to her old look. Yes he's lying here but at least it isn't all based on selfish things.

Imma be real with ya, it really concerns me how they NEVER shut the doors in his office whenever they're having "romantic" moments in the office, like yeah son no one is going to walk in there and overhear y'all talking about love and ish.

Anyway again, I need sleep.

'Til next time :)

#don armando #armando mendoza #armando ysblf #analysis of ysblf #beatriz pinzon solano #betty pinzón solano #beatriz pinzón solano #betty ysblf #betty la fea #betty #yo soy betty la fea

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mst3kproject · 3 years

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Caltiki, the Immortal Monster

We've talked about how there are an awful lot of fishman movies. There are way too many Bigfoot movies. There are even a surprising number of movies about monsters named Paul, but one thing I swear I never thought would be in two different movies is growing space blobs in the Mexican jungle. Yet here we, are following up The Flame Barrier with Caltiki, the Immortal Monster. The cast includes Gérard Herter from Secret Agent Super Dragon and Daniele Vargas from Hercules Unchained. Mario Bava insists he didn't direct this but Riccardo Freda says he did, while most film websites blame both of them.

Long, long ago, the Maya were doing math and building pyramids in Mexico when a sudden unknown cataclysm forced them to abandon their cities. In the present (or at least the 60s), a group of scientists have come to the ruins to see if they can solve this mystery. Two of them venture into a cave, and only one returns, raving about Caltiki, a Mayan goddess. The rest of the party set out to find out what happened and perhaps rescue the other man, but instead discover a huge carnivorous blob monster! Most of this beast is destroyed by crashing a gasoline truck into it, but they take a sample back to Mexico City with them for analysis. Because that's a great idea that won't bite them in the ass at all.

The opening titles of this movie tell us that it is 'based on an ancient Mexican legend'. I don't know anything about Mexican folklore but I did look through the List of Mayan Gods and Supernatural Beings page on Wikipedia and there are no names there that you can remotely bend into 'Caltiki'. I'm going to assume this movie has about as much to do with ancient Mexican legends as Village of the Giants has to do with H. G. Wells' Food of the Gods. The same credits also tell us that the dancer we see ripping her own clothes off in some 'native ceremony' was a woman named Gay Pearl. The early 60's was around when the word 'gay' stopped being used to mean anything other than 'homosexual', so I suspect she changed it shortly thereafter.

Although the basic premise of a growing space blob in the jungles of Mexico is strongly reminiscent of The Flame Barrier, in several ways Caltiki, the Immortal Monster takes an opposite approach to telling the story. One of the things that made The Flame Barrier kind of annoying was how it puttered around in the jungle with character-driven stuff for ages before it even introduced the monster. Caltiki goes almost entirely in the other direction. The first thing we see is the aftermath of a monster attack, with the dying archaeologist staggering back to camp. In the minutes that follow, we watch the rest of the expedition puzzle over what happened to their colleagues, but we have almost no idea of who they are. Most of the character development has to wait until they get back to Mexico City.

Unfortunately, the characters are really not very interesting people. Our supposed hero is the dishwater-dull Dr. John Fielding, who is one of those movie science guys whose significant other whines because he would rather look down a microscope than gaze into her eyes. Fielding promises his wife Ellen that he'll pay more attention to her, and I guess he does because next time we see him he appears to be happy with her and their little daughter, but if I were to call the issue 'minimally addressed' I would be giving it way too much credit. The other subplot in the movie is about a mixed-race woman named Linda (repeatedly described as a 'half-breed') and her relationship with one of the archaeologists, Max. Max was a dick to begin with, and when he goes mad with pain after being attacked by the blob monster he only gets worse. He never seems very interesting or threatening, and since the audience knows there's a blob monster coming, we feel our time is being wasted. Linda, as the only major character who isn't white, is killed when Max decides she is no longer useful to him.

Another place where Caltiki does exactly what The Flame Barrier didn't, but with far better results, is with the monster itself. In The Flame Barrier the space blob was immobile and basically just looked like somebody spilled a truckload of petroleum jelly. The blob of Caltiki, however, truly is the coolest thing in the movie. It's a pulsating, leathery mass that reproduces by stickily dividing in two, and dissolves people's flesh to leave only their skeletons. There were worse monsters on Star Trek: the Next Generation nearly thirty years later. Not only that, but the blobs are active, able to roll around and grow to engulf screaming victims, with a satisfying sense of weight and volume to their movements. There are also some pretty good gore effects, my favourite of which is a guy who's still breathing despite having had his face dissolved.

The Flame Barrier kept its blob in the distant jungle, where the only people it was menacing were three explorers and a chimp. We were told about the threat of its exponential growth, but that was fairly abstract. In Caltiki we still don't get the city-smashing rampage depicted in one of the posters, but just knowing that the city is there and having Fielding's wife and daughter around to be chased by swarms of blobs makes the threat feel far more concrete.

So this movie gets right a lot of things the other Mexican Space Blob movie got wrong, but I wouldn't be reviewing it if it wasn't still a bad movie. The dull characters and the refusal to deal with their arcs is one big problem. Another is the poor picture quality. The lighting is mostly good enough that you can tell where people are and what they're doing, but the film stock itself is not very good, which makes for a loss of detail. In some of the wide shots you can't tell who's supposed to be talking because it's impossible to see whose mouths are moving. In another, Fielding consults a book that appears to consist entirely of blank pages.

The dubbing is also not great. Fielding and his wife have very bland voices, which is a big contributor to them seeming like very bland characters. The guy voicing Max gnaws on the scenery, sounding like a villain from an old Disney movie. Fielding's daughter Jenny has the voice of an adult woman trying to talk like a child, and it sounds even worse than the same thing did in Manos: the Hands of Fate.

The script is pretty ham-fisted at times, particularly in the character scenes that tell us things far more often than they show us. Much of this is the fault of whoever wrote the English dialogue, but there's also the series of ridiculous plot devices that prevent anyone from warning Ellen Fielding that the blob in her basement has begun to grow. First, Max escapes from the hospital and goes to the house to get help from Linda, and pulls out the phone cord so nobody can turn him in. One of the scientists, finding no answer on the phone, tries to drive out to the house to talk to Ellen, but gets into a car crash. The police block the road off while they investigate the wreck, and Fielding runs the road block in his own haste to get home, leading him to be arrested and thrown into jail! I have to admit, it was pretty funny just watching these contrived events pile up.

As far as having a point to make goes, Caltiki, the Immortal Monster kind of shaves by one in two different places, but never quite gets there. For starters, there's the idea of archaeology as a treasure hunt. When the diver first ventures into Caltiki's sacred underground lake, he finds the bottom littered with bones but also with the gold jewelry the sacrificial victims were wearing. He returns to the surface and does not even mention the skeletons, but brings fistfuls of gold and goes back for more despite the risk of running out of oxygen. I suppose he is punished for this, as is Max when he tries to retrieve a piece somebody else dropped, since they're both attacked by the blob. It doesn't really qualify as a thematic thread, though, since the gold is never mentioned again. For the rest of the movie, the characters are motivated by scientific interest in the blob itself.

This leads into what's sort of a second motif, people disregarding the danger posed by the blob. Fielding has a sample he wants to study (the movie has no idea what kind of scientist he is. An archaeologist? A microbiologist?), and upon discovering that radiation makes it grow, he pumps more into it to see what happens. He and his colleagues are admittedly more cautious about this than the characters in Reptilicus, but the idea's still there: scientists who think they have everything under control, but don't understand how dangerous what they're working with really is. Again, this doesn't really go anywhere. At the end they about-face and insist on destroying every scrap, not even leaving enough for an “... or is it?” ending.

Caltiki, the Immortal Monster comes very close to being so bad it's good. There's plenty of stuff to laugh at, while the actual monster is threatening and well-executed enough to be entertaining in the way it was intended to be. If the film-makers had diverted a little of that money into better film stock, I probably would have enjoyed the movie very much.

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #caltiki the immortal monster #i reference star trek #60s #we're running out of plots

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tortie-tales · 3 years

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Friendship Ch. 6

I scrolled through my notifications, shocked. They were almost exclusively from Mokuba, who had called and messaged me over a hundred times.

I opened the group chat I was in and began to catch up. They were all related to my whereabouts, except for the last few;

Red Eyes: If anyone asks, (y/n) stayed home because she had diarrhea.

Dancer Girl: Couldn't you have thought of a better excuse, Joey?!

King of Games: I'm with Téa, couldn't we have just said that she wasn't feeling too good?

I groaned before typing up a quick response.

Psychopath: Gee, thanks, Joey. I'm fine guys, I was just sleeping all day.

I'm so happy we don't have school tomorrow, I thought to myself, dreading the homework I would have to catch up on tomorrow.

My stomach growled, reminding me of my original goal: food.

I sighed and stood up, stretching. I walked back into my bathroom and decided to try to fix my hair. I combed it back, only for it to look worse. I sighed and grabbed a hoodie off of my bed, pulling it on quickly.

I grabbed my wallet, only to see that I had five dollars left. No food for me, I guess.

I put my wallet back down and grabbed my laptop, deciding to instead spend this time looking for another job. I walked back out to the living room, hearing the brothers chatter quiet down once again.

"Thanks for checking on me-” I looked at Kaiba “-and breaking my window. You guys can stay if you want, but I'm not making any food or doing anything fun.” I sat down next to Kaiba and directed my attention to Mokuba. “Why did you call me so many times?”

“We were worried!” Mokuba exclaimed.

“Didn't you just say that you were hungry?” Kaiba asked, eyeing me. I shrugged.

“I guess I'm just not hungry anymore.” My stomach growled almost immediately as if it were protesting to my lie. My cheeks flushed slightly.

“..right,” Mokuba said, disbelief evident in his tone. “Seto, I'm hungry too. We should order a pizza!” His eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Absolutely not. You know how much I hate greasy foods,” Kaiba scoffed.

"But Seto, you shattered (y/n)’s window! The least you could do is order pizza for us!” Mokuba begged.

I laughed. “He has a point, you just cost me my deposit, which was two hundred dollars, not counting the repairs I'll have to pay for. Pizza is the least you could do,” I said, smiling. I shut my computer and turned my attention towards him. Mokuba perked up.

Your move, Kaiba.

“I already said no, if you’re that worried about the window I’ll just pay to have it replaced and refund your deposit,” he said cockily. Mokuba groaned.

“Sorry, I only take payment via pizza.”

Mokuba perked up once again, a wide grin spread across his face. He giggled.

Kaiba sighed. “Fine. Gather your things, we’re heading back.”

“Okay big brother. Bye (y/n),” Mokuba mumbled sadly.

“No, (y/n) is coming with us.”

“She is?” Mokuba jumped up off the chair.

“I am?”

“Yes. You wanted payment in pizza, correct?” I nodded, still not understanding why I would have to go to his house. “I refuse to look at that greasy peasant food, let alone let Mokuba consume it. My personal chef will be making us dinner tonight.”

“I appreciate it Kaiba, but it’s kind of late, and I don’t want to get back when it’s dark.”

“You could stay the night!” Mokuba exclaimed throwing his arms out and smacking Kaiba in the process. He gave a quick apology before redirecting his attention to me.

“Ah, that’s sweet of you, but I’m not sure about that,” I said, not knowing how to feel.

“You obviously don’t feel safe here,” Seto began, pinching the bridge of his nose, “you had a chair propped up against your front door and you tripped me with a bat. We have 24/7 security at the mansion, and I can guarantee that no one there will hurt you.”

“Plus your window is broken, so that makes it even less safe,” Mokuba added quietly. Kaiba shot him a glare.

They have a point…

“Alright, let me get some stuff packed.” I stood up and walked to my room, smiling at Mokuba’s cheers.

I stopped in the hallway, realization hitting me.

“Actually, I don’t want anyone stealing my stuff. You guys wouldn’t happen to have boards in your car, would you?” I asked sheepishly.

“I’ll get someone to take care of it,” Kaiba said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Hurry up and gather your things.”

“Alright, no need to rush me.” I went to my room and packed some clothes along with my chargers and laptop. I brushed my hair out and threw it up into a bun before returning to the brothers.

“I’m ready.”

Mokuba grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door. “This is so exciting, Seto never lets me have friends over!”

The cold air made my skin tingle. I walked out onto the pavement and was surprised to see a sports car parked outside. “Did you drive that over here?” I asked Kaiba.

Kaiba scoffed. "How else do you think we got here?” he asked cockily, continuing to walk towards the bright blue car.

“Gee, I don't know, don't you guys have limos?” I asked sarcastically, a little annoyed with his behavior. I glanced at Mokuba, who seemed to share my frustrations.

Mokuba had a look of disbelief and irritation on his face, one that quickly turned into a mischievous grin. “Seto was so worried about you, (y/n), he couldn't trust our driver to get us here fast enough!” He gave us an innocent look before opening the passenger door for me. “Here you go, (y/n).”

“Thank you, Mokuba.” I got into the car, buckling my seatbelt and holding my bag on my lap.

I glanced at Kaiba, quickly looking away before he could accuse me of staring. I directed my attention at the window, watching the scenery fly by.

The ride to the mansion was short and silent, the only noise being the purr of the engine.

We finally arrived at the mansion, pulling in front of the building. Mokuba practically lept out of the car, running to the doors.

I got out of the car and swung my bag over my shoulder, smiling at Mokuba’s energetic outburst.

I waited for Kaiba to get out and walked with him towards the enormous building, opening the door for him.

“Where should I put my stuff?” I asked.

“Seto will show you to your room! What do you want on the pizza, (y/n)?” Mokuba asked, ecstatic.

“What about (favorite topping)?” I said, glancing at Kaiba. He looked tired and slightly annoyed.

“Sounds good to me! I’ll go ask Raymond to start on it!” Mokuba ran off, likely in the direction of the kitchen.

“Follow me,” Kaiba said quietly.

We walked for what seemed like forever before reaching a hallway with 2 doors on each side, and one at the end.

Kaiba opened the second door on the right, walking in and turning on the light. A bed was on the left side, with a dresser across from it.

“This will be your room for the night. Try not to mess it up too badly.” He rubbed the back of his neck, averting his gaze. “And, if you need to sleep here for more than one night, you’re welcome to do so. Mokuba appears to enjoy your company.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Kaiba. I really appreciate it. And thanks for checking up on me today, sorry if I made you worry.”

Kaiba locked eyes with me, his gaze softening. He opened his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by Mokuba entering the room.

“Hey, uhh, big brother? Raymond quit.” Mokuba handed Kaiba a note.

“Unbelievable,” Kaiba muttered.

I tossed my bag on the bed and walked over to Mokuba. “Should we just order one?”

“No. I’ll make it myself.” Kaiba crumpled up the note and threw it into a waste bin before dramatically exiting the room. I quickly followed, afraid I would get lost in the endless halls.

We reached the front of the mansion, the glass coffee table in front of the couch looking at me threateningly.

“Do you want help, Kaiba?” I asked, still following him. We went through an archway which revealed a large kitchen.

“No, I do not need help, thank you. I think I am capable of making a pizza by myself.” Kaiba walked up to the fridge and got out several ingredients, mumbling to himself. The only words I could catch were ‘unreliable’ and ‘idiot’.

Mokuba walked up beside me, glancing up at me. “So, (y/n), do you want to play video games while we wait for Seto?”

“Sure, what do you want to play?” I grinned at Mokuba’s excited smile and followed him into the living room, watching him open a cabinet and look through the games.

I sat down on the couch, carefully walking around the glass coffee table.

“Do you want to play Mario Kart?!” Mokuba asked, his eyes shining.

“Sure,” I said, entertained by the idea of destroying this young child.

I let him win the first few rounds before I got serious. I easily beat him, flaunting my victory after the third win.

“I am the Mario Kart Queen!” I yelled, standing up and throwing my hands in the air. Mokuba giggled.

“The Queen, huh?” Kaiba walked into the living room, smiling slightly. I grinned at him.

“Yep. Care to challenge me for the title?” I asked, holding up a controller.

“Not today,” he said, walking over and sitting across from me. I smiled at him, happy he was talking to me a bit more than last time.

“Mokuba, can you set a timer for the pizza?” Kaiba asked. Mokuba nodded and grabbed his phone.

Mokuba and I played a few more rounds of Mario Kart. He gave up after I won for the fifth time in a row.

“So Seto, tell me more about that girl you fired today.” Mokuba was barely able to sit still, constantly moving around in anticipation of the pizza.

“She was incompetent, and I have no room for incompetent people at KaibaCorp,” he stated simply before sipping from his glass of water.

“What did she do wrong?” I asked curiously.

“Well, for starters she didn’t appreciate the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. She had the audacity to tell me that it was just a card,” Kaiba looked up at me. “She also overlapped my appointments several times, and I had to do her job for her today.”

“I see. Was she your secretary?” I asked. Kaiba affirmed by nodding. “Does that mean you are looking for someone to replace her?”

“Are you interested?” Kaiba asked, raising an eyebrow. Mokuba was watching us intently.

I thought for a moment.

Do I really want to work for Kaiba?

Joey had always told me horror stories, but he didn’t seem that bad. Joey also exaggerated a lot, so something simple like Kaiba's taste in food probably offended him.

"Yes. Should I set up an appointment for an interview now? Or would you rather do that later on?” To say I was desperate for this job was an understatement. If I got it, it would take a lot off of my shoulders.

Mokuba and Kaiba looked at each other. Kaiba took a breath to respond before Mokuba quickly interrupted him.

"You're hired.”

“Mokuba, she's still in school. How is she possibly going to have time to work full-time as my secretary?”

Oh. I guess he has a point.

“But it would be perfect! You would get to see each other all the time!” Mokuba protested.

I sighed. “He has a point, Mokuba, I didn’t realize the job was full time. You're not offering any part-time jobs, are you?” I asked, still desperate. Kaiba thought for a moment.

“Do you want to scrub toilets?” he asked. Mokuba facepalmed.

"....how much does it pay?” I asked.

“Sixteen dollars an hour,” Kaiba stated simply.

“Done. I'm hired.” I stood up and stretched. “I feel like the pizza should have been done by now. Mokuba, how much time is left on the timer?”

Mokuba looked at his phone and paled. “I never pressed start.”

“Do you guys smell something burning?” I asked, looking at the kitchen. Black smoke became visible.

“Fire!!!!!!!!!!!!” Mokuba screamed.

“The pizza!!!!” I yelled, running into the kitchen. I threw the oven open only to be smacked in the face with the sun's heat and glory, along with a ton of smoke. I started coughing and grabbed the pizza, desperate to save it.

The pan burned my hand, and I yelled, dropping the pizza. The pain was intense, but it hurt more to know that my food was willing to hurt me in that way.

“What are you doing?!” Kaiba yelled, startling me. He put on an oven mitt and put the pizza on the stove.

“Saving the pizza,” I said, coughing a little. Kaiba sighed and opened a window. He walked over to the sink and turned the water on.

“Put your hand under the water,” he said, walking back to the burnt pizza. I followed his directions quietly, looking back at him. He shook his head and shoved the pizza aside.

I stood there for a few minutes. He walked over to me and turned the tap off, gently grabbing my wrist. He looked at my hand and shook his head once again.

“Come on.” Kaiba walked out of the kitchen. “Mokuba, order a pizza.”

Mokuba cheered and ran for his phone.

I followed Kaiba through the mansion, keeping my burnt hand close to myself. We reached a familiar hallway, entering the second door on the left.

We entered the master bedroom. There was a bed with a dark blue comforter on the right side of the wall, a window at the back of the room, and a door on the left of the room.

“Sit down,” he said, opening the door. He walked into a bathroom and opened a cupboard.

“Where?” I asked, glancing around.

“On the bed.” Kaiba walked back to me with a first aid kit.

He sat on the bed next to me and tenderly took my hand in his. I looked away, my cheeks warm, trying to ignore how his rough hands fit perfectly around my own.

“It’s fine, you know. The burn isn’t even that bad, it’s not like I’m going to die,” I mumbled. I glanced over at him and watched him completely ignore me, continuing to treat my burn. He lightly wrapped it in gauze. When done, he sat there holding my hand, saying nothing.

"...Kaiba?"

"Enlighten me: why did you grab the pizza pan with your bare hand?" he asked in disbelief.

"It was burning??" I said, confused.

"There were oven mitts right there." His eyes pierced into my soul, analyzing my very being.

"Well, Kaiba, I wasn't looking for oven mitts, I was saving the pizza." He looked irritated at my response, removing his right hand from mine and pinching the bridge of his nose, his left hand remaining on mine.

Kaiba let out a deep sigh and stood up, pulling me with him. "Let's go see what Mokuba ordered."

#seto kaiba x reader #seto kaiba #kaiba x reader #yugioh x reader #yugioh fanfiction #yugioh #yu-gi-oh #yu gi oh #x reader

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imagine-lcorp · 4 years

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Cosa Nostra (One Shot)

A/N: Fuck...This is what happens when an anon comes to me with a Mob Boss Lena idea and I unconsciously decide to watch the Godfather Trilogy the same week...You got me this time, anon, you got me good, I hope you're happy now....Also, this was a good excuse to proctice the little italian I know, so sorry in advance for any mistake I make, feel free to correct me. Please enjoy!

Lena Luthor x R/Mob AU//Word Count: 1,339 -------------------------------------------------------

"E questa è un'offerta che non sì puo rifiutare, eh?" The man sitting in front of Lena's desk leaned back on his seat after she had spoken fidgeting with the half glass of wine on his hands.

"Potete naturalmente." You replied from your own seat in the corner with the most cordial tone you could muster. "But what we want you to understand, signore, is that we do not like violence. Miss Luthor is a woman of business, and blood is expensive. There's no need to waste any more of it."

The people in the room, his men and yours, looked at him expectantly as he took a deep breath. All except for Lena, who was seated with her legs crossed and her hands resting on the arms of her chair. She was only waiting for his resolution.

"Capisco." He said after another minute and took another sip of his wine.

All the men in the room readied themselves as the man stood up, leaving the glass on the near table, and moved to round Lena's desk.

"Signora, é un piacere fare affari con lei."

At his words, everyone in the room visibly relaxed and Lena nodded slowly. She offered him her hand, once he had reached her, and let him kiss the skin over her knuckles. With a little satisfied smirk, Lena looked at you. Your work was done.

"And just like that you have the last of Del Portenza Family at your service." You said as you stood in front of Lena's desk after the man, Mario Del Portenza, and his men had left the manor.

"I would like to think about it as a 'collaborazione'." She raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"I'm sure they will appreciate that." You smiled.

"They have to." She said with the grin on her lips getting bigger.

You remembered the way the head of Del Portenza Family had turned his face at you then, his dark tired eyes looking at you with a troubled frown. Lena had offered him a good deal indeed, one that could guarantee the peace between them. So he had known, as you did, there was no way he would have left that room if he had refused.

"Something else on the agenda?"

You hummed and put your hands in your pockets, already knowing how Lena would react at what you had to say. "Sinclair wants a meeting with you."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not interested in any of her business. You know I don't like the kind of entertainment she offers. She knows it too. "

"In any case, you will have to tell her that directly." You pointed out.

"Is that your advice, consigliere?" She asked, remarking the last word.

"It is, if you want to stop receiving her invitations."

"Alright, arrange a meeting then." You nodded at her instruction. "Anything else?"

"Not really. Although I want to talk with you about... something."

"What is it?" You saw a small frown appear on Lena's features as she invited you to sit with a movement of her hand.

You moved to the chair where Del Portenza had been and took a seat. You were unsure about how to start the following conversation, knowing it would lead to a certain topic that, even when she denied it, still bothered Lena. However, it was your duty as her adviser to always discuss clearly and truthfully the matters that concerned her business and herself.

"Some of our people are concerned about Supergirl." You sighed. "As you know, she caught a few of our men during an operation a couple of weeks ago, right after she announced herself to the world. Now, they fear this might be a regular thing if she keeps popping around the city."

She seemed to meditate your words for a moment.

"I wouldn't concern myself with her that much, (Y/N)."

"But I have to." You raised an eyebrow. "She has power, and she could stop our entire business if she keeps sabotaging our operations."

"She might, but she won't." She leaned back on her chair. "I've been keeping tabs on her. You're right, she has power but what she's been doing has very little to do with the way we handle our business."

"How are you so sure?"

"Supergirl likes to fly around the city, in that little skirt and the symbol she wears on her chest, doing nothing more but stopping petty criminals and the occasional alien threat. She has the power to stop a few bullets and an outer-space invasion if she wants but there's no stopping what we do. Unless she manages to dismantle our whole network." You saw the little smile appear in Lena's lips again.

Lena was right. Your network consisted of a great deal of friends and acquaintances, from National City to most parts of the country. Judges, politicians, press members, bankers, heads of institutions and much more. Your operations weren't only domestic but international and Lena, as head of the Luthor Family and their multi-billion dollar company, had enough financial, social and political power as to not face any real legal consequences.

"But what if she comes directly after us?" You replied, taking a moment to look at Lena. "I don't want you facing a Krytonian in the same fashion your brother did."

The mention of her brother made Lena tense for second. He had died a bit less than six months ago in Metropolis after a direct clash with Superman.

The Man of Steel had actually managed to dismantle some of Lex's business in the city by destroying a couple of his underground facilities and exposing all the big names that were involved with the help of one of the few honest reporters left in Metropolis.

As his consigliere back then, you had suggested taking some precautions, including sending a message to the Daily Planet and the ace reporter who had published the revealing article, Clark Kent. But it wasn't enough for Lex. Superman was a dangerous variable and you knew how much he hated when people didn't behave according to his big plans. He needed to eliminate Superman and, in trying to do so, he had been reckless.

"Lex's obsession with Superman was his downfall. It won't be mine." She said reassuring herself.

Your eyes followed as Lena moved a hand behind her desk, opening the drawer that you knew had a small safe installed. "If my brother did something right before facing Superman, it was his research."

You listened when the safe opened and watched as Lena pulled a leather box from it. She leaned over the desk to place it in front of you and lifted the lid. Inside, a revolver rested with six green-tipped bullets at its side. It made you wonder if that green material was what Lex had been so impatient to get from his little investment in the Indian Ocean. Whatever that was, anyway, you figured it would come in handy against Kryptonians.

"If the Girl of Steel decides to come after us, we will be more than ready." Lena closed the box and moved it back into the safe. "So tell the boys there's nothing to worry about."

Lena, unlike the rest of the family, had always been more centered. She had loved her brother dearly, and his death was a great grief to her but she understood, better than anyone, that Lex's only mistake had been making his problems with Superman about himself. Lena wouldn't antagonize the Supers by pursuing a vendetta for her brother, but she was going to protect her interests.

"Still, we cannot be careless." You said in a stern voice. You cared too much about Lena to let anything happen to her. "You cannot be careless."

She smiled again at your concerned tone and pulled herself out of her chair. She walked behind you and put her hands on your shoulders, lowering herself, so she could whisper in your ear.

"Non ti preocupare, amore mio. Fidati di me." She placed a kiss on your cheek, putting your mind at ease.

"Sempre." You smiled.

#lena luthor #lena luthor imagine #lena luthor imagines #lena luthor x reader #lena luthor x you #lena x you #lena x reader #one shot #mob au #mafia au #cosa nostra

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palettes-and-prompts · 4 years

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25 Dialogue Prompts for Each Color of the Rainbow (Part 2)

Red 1) "How could anyone not like me? I'm perfect." 2) "Quick! They're coming, how do I look? Do I have anything in my teeth? Do I smell because I need to look perfect!" 3) "Wow, have you been working out, you look great!" 4) "Oh, this old thing? I just threw this on." 5) "You really think I'm beautiful?" 6) "I wasn't meant to be some little star. I was meant to be the sun." 7) "They haven't texted me since the date and it's been a week. What if they didn't like me? No, that's ridiculous, I'm wonderful. Something must've just happened to their phone." 8) "I'm going to die alone aren't I? Just me, some cats, and boxed wine. At least Real Housewives will always be there for me." 9) "They're obviously not looking for perfection because I'm right here." 10) "I'm not shopping at a thrift store, that's where poor people shop!" 11) "You had better change for the party because you're fucking high if you think I'm going to let you stand next to me while you wear that outfit." 12) "A gift? For me? Oh you shouldn't have! Oh...a book...wow...thanks. You, uh, really shouldn't have." 13) "Please be a loser somewhere else." 14) "I'm on a diet where I have to drink kale. If you value your life leave right now." 15) "I want this entire box of Kit Kats." "....the whole box." "NOW!" 16) "It's scary out there, I'm not coming with you to check out that noise." "Okay." "No! Wait, don't actually leave me alone." 17) "I am not a scaredy cat! I just don't like when things pop out at me or creep around in the dark or come within ten feet of me unless they're hot." 18) "I would never ever fall in love with you." "Okay, well, you're still holding onto me." "I just didn't want to get lost!" 19) "Wow, you're really strong. Like...really strong." "If you're that thirsty there's a water fountain right over there." 20) "God look at them. They look so good when they're sweaty. Oh fuck they're taking their jacket off." "You're drooling." 21) "Give me back the honey bun or I will scratch your eyes out." "You need to calm down." "You need to not tell me to calm down." 22) "Everyone keeps getting flowers and it's so annoying. Like, we have work to do, you shouldn't be worried about getting flowers. I hate flowers, I-" "I think there are some flowers on your desk." "Oh my god I love flowers! They're so pretty. Aww, I wonder who got them for me." " 23) "I think you're the most dramatic person I know." "That can't be true, I'm not dramatic." "You literally cried yesterday when no one noticed you got your hair trimmed like a centimeter." "It was a big difference from how it was!" "It was a centimeter!" 24) "My ideal home is one that's small but enough to have a family in." "They're such a fucking liar, their ideal home has to have mirrors everywhere, a double curved staircases so they can walk down dramatically, a maze in the backyard, a fountain in the front with a circular driveway, but then the road in is lined with trees because their dramatic and when you get to the gate it has their last initial on it." "Oh my god, you do listen to me!" "Unfortunately yes." 25) "Are you in love with me?" "What? No, I can't stand you." "You remember everything about me! You pay attention to everything I say and I can be very..." "Dramatic?" "Passionate about certain things. You hate it." "I don't hate it." "So you love it?" "We don't have to put a label on what I feel." "Yes we do. You love me!" "Fine, okay, I love you." "Really?" "Don't get all passionate right now." "I'm already planning our wedding in my mind."

Orange 1) "You're really cool, we should hang out sometime. Maybe you could watch me skateboard." 2) "You're always stressing yourself out, why don't you let me help you unwind?" 3) "It's just you, me, and this goat you told me not to get." 4) "You think hiding your snacks is gonna stop me from eating them? I'm like a bloodhound, I will sniff them out!" 5) "What do you think would happen if I snorted Cheeto dust?" 6) "Remember when you told me not to try to reach into the vending machine when my chips got stuck because my arm would get stuck in there. Well, the good news is I got my chips. Bad news is I wont be home for a while." 7) "You know how Gaston ate four dozen eggs every morning to help him get large? Okay, so that's bullshit because when I was a kid I tried to do that and I barely ate a dozen before I threw up." 8) "Oh, I'm an idiot? Because I think I'm fucking styling in these diamond studded crocs while I ride my razor scooter!" 9) "Oh, I always get a perfect score on any test I take. Everyone always thinks I'm cheating but the doctors say I've got something called an photographic memory where I only look at things once and I just remember it. Anyway, wanna see how many ants I can eat?" 10) "One time I got stung by a bee on the tongue because I wanted to see what it felt like." "Did it feel good?" "It did not." 11) "I used to think Bronchitis meant I was growing broccoli inside my lungs." "It doesn't mean that. When did you find out that it didn't mean that?" "Oh, um, like... a few days ago." "A FEW DAYS AGO?!" 12) "So, I did something." "What did you do?" "I should preface by saying I am not smart." "What. Did. You. Do?" 13) "Just shaved a cat to look like a lion with a mane." "That's so stupid, why would you do that?" "Why don't you look at the results first?" 14) "I beat all of Super Mario World and found every single secret." "When's the last time you slept?" "Last time I what?" 15) "Why are you all twitchy?" "I just mixed every energy drink from the gas station with pixie sticks." "Jesus, we're going to the hospital." 16) "I know eating cheese makes you constipated and everything, but like, how much cheese? I don't want to be constipated so what's the maximum amount I can eat without that happening." 17) "Don't freak out, but I'm in jail." "JAIL?!" "It's all a big misunderstanding!" 18) "Can I tell you something without you getting mad?" "You always ask me this and I always get mad." "Yeah, but like, maybe this time you could just...not get mad?" 19) "You are the human equivalent of the smiley face emoji." "Aww! Thank you." "It wasn't a compliment." 20) "You look like you eat sunshine and shit rainbows." "Actually I eat Lucky Charms. Well, just the charms actually with like a little bit of the lucky bit." "You're so positive it sickens me." 21) "I love Thanksgiving." "Yikes. Why?" "Because I get to have dinner with all my friends and family. There's no pressure to buy gifts or anything. We all just come together and appreciate each other." "I could put everything you've ever said on a Hallmark card." 22) "Do you know how much I love you?" "You send me every heart emoji before bed and end it with a kissy face with the words 'I love you' every night. I think I get it." "I'll start doing it every morning just to be sure." 23) "You know how in Inside Out there's all the different little people that represent each emotion?" "Yeah, I love that movie!" "Yeah, I think your Joy emotion person killed your Sad emotion person." "What? No! She wouldn't do that!" " 24) "You have to stop crying every time this scene in the movie comes up." "He thinks she doesn't love him!" "It's just Shrek. You've seen how it ends, you can quote it for fuck's sake!" "I know but he doesn't know right now!" "Oh my god." 25) "I swallowed the key to Person A's car." "Oh my god why would you do that?" "I thought it'd be funny but now I'm worried about it." "Oh now you're worried about it?"

Yellow 1) "I heard everyone survived, is that true?" "Yes, everyone's fine." "Pity." 2) "If being classy means being mean to everyone who's considered to be beneath you then I must be the classiest bitch in the whole fucking world." 3) "I don't think you're beneath me, I know you are." 4) "A piece of advice I'll give to you for free. Stay out of my way unless you'd like to be crushed under my foot." 5) "Hmm, I wonder which shoes I should wear to stomp on the dreams of others today." 6) "Don't cry on me, this jacket is worth more than your car!" 7) "Oh no, I won. Aww! And you wanted it so bad, didn't you?" 8) "You know, in duos it's usually one's the beauty and one's the brains but in our case I guess I really lucked out, didn't I?" 9) "Don't think for a second I'm interested in you, I'm only speaking to you because I have to." 10) "They took something that was mine. And now I have to kill them." 11) "I was scheduled to ruin someone's life today, but I guess I can save that for another time. Let's hang out!" 12) "I know that person, their significant other made my friend cry so I slept with their boyfriend/girlfriend and made them fall in love with me. I can't wait to be there when they tell them they're leaving them for me." 13) "You need good friends, people who will watch out for you and help you handle your problems." 14) "Listen here, you little shit, I've worked hard to get this perfect so if you fuck it up I will destroy everything you love." 15) "Oh, how cute! You think you're a threat to me." 16) "Next time you try to threaten me remember who you're dealing with. Because I don't do threats, I make promises. And when I promised I'd ruin your life I intended to keep that promise." 17) "Oh my god, here comes that insufferable bitc-Hi! Oh my god, I haven't seen you in forever, you look so good!" 18) "Oh, gag me with a fucking spoon. If I have to listen to you idiots try to talk and breathe at the same time I'm going to jump in front of a fucking bus." 19) "Move! I'll handle it just like I handle everything, with grace and vague threats." 20) "What do you mean they're in love with me? Did they say that word for word? Because you know I'm in love with them so if this is a trick it's not funny and I'll fucking kill you. Did they say that word for word?" 21) "I only have strengths I don't have weaknesses." 22) "They called me heartless? I'm not heartless! I'm nice. I'm so fucking nice. I'm going to prove how fucking nice I am and then they're going to look like an idiot for saying that!" 23) "Stop crying. You look fucking pathetic and you're not pathetic because I don't have pathetic friends. So keep your head up, bury your feelings, and act like the goddamn champion you are." 24) "Don't speak, you could make the town idiot feel like a genius." 25) "Stop acting like a loser or you're not allowed to stand next to me anymore."

Green 1) "Well, look at that, we're all alone. So, anything you wanna say to me? Anything you wanna do to me?" 2) "Of course I have sex for money, you think I'd just give all this away for free?" 3) "What do you mean I can't wear this to the funeral? It's my mourning crop top." 4) "How's my outfit?" "Hideous. You should shred it and then burn it just to be safe." 5) "Ew, what do you want?" 6) "I'm gonna need you to not stand next to me at this party, I don't want anyone thinking we came together." 7) "Does this make me look slutty?" "Not at all, it's very modest for you actually." "Ew, okay, I'm gonna go change." 8) "Why are you putting on glitter? We're going to a toddler's birthday party." "Look, if you wanna look like that that's your choice. I plan on looking like I hunt mythical creatures for a living." 9) "The robbers took everything in my house." "Yeah, but they left your clothes so what do you think that says about them?" 10) "I thought you hated the thrift store." "I did, I thought it was a very sad little place, but then I started designing my own outfit with all the decent things they sell and so now I love the thrift store." 11) "They broke up with you? You?! No, I don't think so. Come with me, we're going to fix you and you're going to show them what they're missing." 12) "They might have more money than me but I'm the one who has clear skin and the ability to not look like trash." 13) "A choker can be something that says it all. It can say 'I'm fun and I love hanging out with my friends' but it can also say 'I only have rough sex' you know?" 14) "You're not my type." "You haven't even turned around to see me." "Didn't need to. I could smell that cheap cologne/perfume from a mile away." "What is your type?" "Rich." 15) "What are you doing?" "Eating take out and watching porn." "What kind of porn?" "Bondage porn." "Oh, that kind of day, huh? Should I come over?" "No, I'll just try to sleep wit you." "You do that even when you're not sad." "Okay, you can come over." 16) "Where are you going with my keys?" "I've got to kill someone." "Okay, make sure you don't get blood on my seats." 17) "No, highlight yellow and highlighter orange are not real colors. Okay? Are you a hunter trying not to get shot or a construction worker? No, you're not. You're trying to seduce someone. So lets get rid of this monstrosity and find something that'll make your eyes look pretty." 18) "I love you very much and it's because I love you that I can say this. Please don't wear that outfit or you will embarrass me." 19) "You just kissed me." "Yeah, I did." "Why? Did I seem like I was drowning or that I needed mouth to mouth? Were you trying to kill a bug with your lips? Why would you kiss me?" "I like you. A lot." "Hahaha...wait, seriously?" "Why's that so hard to believe?" "Because I'm me, people don't like me, they just like looking at me." "Well, I like you. A lot. And if you like me maybe we could get some dinner later or something." "Okay!" 20) "Oh my god, is that a skort? I think I might vomit. Skorts are for children, not adults. Once you hit eighteen you are legally banned from wearing skorts unless you play tennis or something. Do you play tennis? No. I didn't think so. Burn that." 21) "Camo is disgusting and if I ever catch any of you wearing it we are no longer friends." 22) "Your shorts are a little too short." "Yeah? You like it?" "You're attracting a lot of attention." "But am I attracting your attention?" 23) "Oh, wow, that's a bright shade of yellow. Um, why don't we try a few different outfits for fun before we decide on that one, okay?" 24) "Hey, I came as fast as I could, where's the body?" "Actually, I called you for a--you came here prepared to hide a body with me?" "Of course I did, you're my best friend." "Aww!" 25) "I only have sex for free when I like someone, and for you, honey? It'll cost triple what I normally charge."

Blue 1) "I heard the pet store got new puppies and kittens, wanna go see them with me?" 2) "We should go ice skating!" 3) "I love having picnics with you, you always bring my favorite foods." 4) "I love spending time with you." 5) "I think I wanna spend the rest of my life with you." 6) "Are you cold? You can wear my jacket if you want!" 7) "I don't want any of that stuff. I just want you. I've always wanted you." 8) "I wonder what it's like to hug a cloud." "Your hands would go right through it." "Yeah, but I've always wanted to touch one." 9) "Is it okay if we stay a little longer?" "We can stay until close if you'd like." "I just really like looking at the fish." "I know." 10) "Could you hug me for like an hour?" "Yeah, okay, wanna watch a movie while we do that or?" 11) "We have to leave right now. The Easter Bunny is at the store up the road and they're doing pictures." "You're an adult." "Please!!!" "Fine. We can go sit on the employee dressed in a rabbit suit's lap." "Yay! Thank you!" 12) "You can't eat that much cotton candy, you'll make yourself sick." "But it's good!" "You'll get a cavity." 13) "Can we go to the fair?" "We're not riding the toddler rides again. People gave us so many dirty looks last year." "But what about the teacups?" "We can ride the teacups, but none of the other kid ones." 14) "Can we shoot fireworks this year?" "You hate the ones with loud noises." "Yeah, but I like looking at them." "I'll buy earmuffs for you." 15) "Can we paint the side room." "Sure, what color?" "I was thinking like maybe a purple or green. Maybe all the colors." "Like a rainbow room? Why would we do the whole room?" "It'd be fun, it'd be cute for a side room or an office, maybe a baby room." "Baby room?" "Maybe. I mean, if you like that idea." "I think it's a great idea." 16) "Can we get a dog?" "You're an adult, if you want a dog you don't have to ask me." "Yeah, but it's your house too so..." "Yes, we can get a dog. We can go to the shelter tomorrow." 17) "So, I was thinking maybe we could have our wedding during the spring or maybe the summer." "You have bad allergies during those times." "Yeah, but I was thinking we could get fake flowers and I could take some allergy medication and it could still look like a spring or a summer wedding." "I'll start looking at fake flowers." "I'll check venues." 18) "Why are you up so early?" "Look outside! It's snowing!!!" "And you woke me up so we could play in it?" "Uh huh." "One hour and then you let me go back to sleep." "I'll go get my gloves!!" 19) "We have to go to the zoo." "You hate the zoo, you said you don't like seeing animals in cages." "I know but the goats just gave birth to baby goats and they're finally letting them out to be pet today!" 20) "I dream about flying all the time but I never thought I'd actually get to do it." 21) "Thanks for tonight, I had a really great time with you. I hope we can do it again soon." 22) "We should move in together. I mean, if you want." 23) "I don't want to lose you, and it took me a while to realize but I know what I want now. Will you marry me?" 24) "I wouldn't trade you for all the gold, silver, gems, or all the most expensive things in the world." 25) "You really are the love of my life."

Indigo 1) "They're obnoxious and loud and stupid and I can't believe I'm in love with them." 2) "You may be a star but you'll never be as big a star as VY Canis Majoris." 3) "The most fucked up thing I ever learned was that Luna moths don't have mouths or a digestive tract because their sole purpose is to mate. So they live for a week and then die because they starve to death." 4) "I think you have more outfits than you have IQ points." 5) "Can you just stop doing...whatever it is you're doing for like ten minutes." 6) "God you're so annoying, just stop breathing. Please? Just stop." 7) "I wish I were a plant, I wouldn't have to talk or think or do all this shit. I'd just have to soak up sunlight, soak up rain, and take in carbon dioxide. Being a plant really is the fucking dream." 8) "Hey, I heard Person A broke up with you. That sucks. So, um, do you think I could get my Chemistry book?" 9) "Are you still upset about your break up with Person A? You shouldn't be, I've seen their family members, they don't age well. But, um, that neighbor of yours, the cute one, their family looks pretty good. And with your genes you two would have some above average looking children." "Thank you?" "You're welcome." 10) "You know, you're terrible at giving advice." "Yeah, well, I'm not used to being around other humans." "Maybe just say people. Calling other people humans is kind of...weird." "Noted." 11) "Do you want to come to a party with me tonight?" "To what? Drink, embarrass myself, have to listen to terrible music, and interact with people I don't even like?" "Yes." "Pass. I'd rather be here studying plants." 12) "Would you like to go out sometime, on like a date?" "Sure, I guess. You just set up the blind date and I'll do my best. Though, maybe you could find me someone who at least can carry on a conversation with me." "No, I mean would you want to go out on a date with me?" "With you? Why would you want to date me? Don't you have plenty of other options?" "I like you." "We wouldn't work out. You and I are too different. You are good looking and nice and deserve someone who's like you. You don't want someone like me anyways. Besides I'd bore you to death before the appetizers came out." 13) "I care about you." "You? Thought you didn't care about anyone." "I don't. Usually. But I think the reason I care so much is because I like you." "You like me?" "Yeah, it's um... it's a new feeling for sure." 14) "What they said back there. You're not a robot." "No, I am. They're right. It's hard for me to be like the others. I didn't grow up having friends so I didn't know what it was like to care about anything other than school or projects." "You care about me. You said you care about me. Is that true." "Of course it's true." "Then you're not a robot." 15) "You kissed me back there. Why did you do that?" "I was testing a hypothesis." "Oh yeah? What was your hypothesis." "You would kiss me back if I kissed you." "And the results?" "Well, if worked the first time. But a good scientists always checks their work to be sure, right?" "That's correct, yes." 16) "Have you ever kissed anyone?" "I've done a lot of things." "Have you had sex?" "Yes, but it was purely for research. I wanted to know what certain things felt like and what certain things would do for others." "Only you could manage to make sex sound so boring." 17) "Hey, I was--are you watching porn?" "I'm researching for an experiment." "What kind? You gonna see what happens when you put your hand down your pants to that?" "No, I was studying to see if I could tell the difference between a real orgasm and a fake one." "If you wanted to study that you could have just asked me." 18) "Do you think I should socialize more?" "Since when do you care what I think? You're the one with a billion degrees." "Well, you're better with people than I am." 19) "You're hugging me." "Yeah. It's what friends do, they hug." "It's, um, nice. I think." 20) "Yesterday I felt the urge to hug the mailman. Isn't that weird?" "Did you hug the mailman?" "No." "Then it's not that weird. Probably just your body telling you it needs to be touched physically, you know?" "What?" "You crave physical touch." 21) "I think I'm lonely." "Yeah, I think you are too." "Should I start dating?" "Do you want to date?" "Not particularly." "Then maybe just try getting friends." 22) "If I have to spend another evening with that idiot I might lose it." "Is this because they thought photosynthesis had to do with photography?" "Don't remind me." 23) "We're having dinner with my friends tonight." "They hate me." "They don't hate you, you're just smarter than all of them combined." 24) "I can't talk to Person A, they tried to ask me about plant cells and actually thought that I was talking about a cellphone made of plants." "They're not very good at Science, but they like you a lot an they're trying to find ways to talk to you. It's cute. You should give them a chance. Take them to a Science museum." "Like, the ones for kids?" "Yeah. They'll love it." "Fine, but if it starts to go bad I'm texting you to call me and say there's an emergency so I can get out of it." "As long as you give it a try." 25) "They're in love with you, you know? Why do you ruin all your chances at love?" "Because sometimes I'm not sure I'm capable of feeling it."

Violet 1) "You smell like desperation. That a new cologne/perfume or is that just you?" 2) "I'm not here to play nice, I'm here to protect your ass because you couldn't follow simple instructions!" 3) "God, you are so annoying. I can't believe I have to put up with you for six months." 4) "Get your shit, we're getting out of here. I'm not leaving you in this hellhole, alright? Pack your stuff, you're coming with me." 5) "Are we gonna be a family?" "Let's not call it that, let's call it I'm taking care of you for a while alright?" "For how long?" "For as long as you want me to." 6) "Are you gonna be my mom/dad?" "WOAH! No. Absolutely not. I'll be your guardian, okay? And it's only temporary." 7) "Goddamn it, kid, wake up! You can't annoy the shit out of me for months and make me care about you just so you can die like this. I'm not allowing it. Come on, get up, kid. If you get up I'll take you to that Funland place you wanted to go. Anywhere you wanna go. I'll be better to you. I'll...fuck! I'll take care of you for the rest of your life. I'll teach you how to ride a bike and be there for you when you do Science fairs and shit. I'll be your mom/dad." 8) "You're stupid trying to save me like that. You can't swim." "You never taught me how to." "Yeah, well, I'm gonna teach you when we get out of here." 9) "You're evil and manipulative and you're mean and I kinda love that about you, kid. You remind me of me. If you want a place to sleep and food you don't have to dig out of the trash you can stay with me as long as you want." 10) "Can I get a motorcycle?" "Absolutely not, kid. As long as I'm alive the only two wheel thing you'll be riding on is a fucking bicycle." "Well, can I get a bicycle?" "Yeah, we can steal you one later." 11) "You might be the most annoying person I've ever met in the world but I'd die for you." 12) "If you ever come near me or my family I'll fucking kill you. I will bury you in a shallow grave and leave you as food for the worms. Do you understand me?" 13) "You're not going to die here because I'm gonna protect you." 14) "Hey, you trust me don't you?" "Yeah." "Good, you're going to have to disguise yourself. And whatever you do keep your head down, don't talk, and don't let go of me, okay?" 15) "Hey short stack." "You came for me?" "Course I did, did you really think I'd leave you behind?" 16) "I'm coming with you." "You're not." "I am and you can't stop me." "I can handcuff you to that bench over there and leave Person A the keys." "...well I would appreciate if you didn't do that." 17) "Hey there, stranger, haven't seen you in a while." "What the fuck are you doing here?" "Is that really how you greet your best friend?" 18) "Out of my way." "You'll die if you go in there." "And you'll die if I don't go in there." 19) "I'm always gonna be here for you, you know that? 20) "Woah, what's wrong, why are you crying?" "You'll be leaving after this." "Come here, I'm not leaving you after this. I'm staying here with you. Did you really think I'd leave you here all alone? You can barely make toast." 21) "Hey, you can't run off like that again, do you hear me?" "Yeah, whatever-" "No! No, you don't get to whatever me about this. You could have fucking died out there. So you look me in the eye and you promise me you're never going to do that again!" "I-I promise I'll never do it again!" 22) "Look, I'm not your parent so I'm not going to tell you what to do, but that kid you're hanging around is bad news. I've seen their arrest record, you shouldn't be hanging around them. I know they're nice right now but people like that take advantage of nice. I would know. I used to be like them." 23) "I love you. More than anything in the world and that's why I train so hard. I have to train harder because now I have to be stronger. Because now I finally have something worth fighting for." 24) "You can't come with me. You're staying here." "I want to fight!" "You're sick. You need to stay here with Person A, take some medicine, and get some rest." 25) "Hey, watch your mouth, no one talks like that in front of my kid!"

#175 dialogue prompts #color prompts #25 prompts for each color #dialogue prompts #prompts #writer #write #writing prompts #fic prompts #fic inspiration #fic writing

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anomander-dragnipurake · 4 years

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Ghost Portraits

I replayed all the Luigi's Mansion games recently (in a rather janky order: 2nd, 1st, then 3rd) and in them are several differences in how E. Gadd interacts with the ghosts. In the 1st one he's dead set on getting his ghost portraits back. But in Dark Moon, he seems to be working with the ghosts and clearly on friendly terms with them before the Dark Moon shatters. And in the 3rd one, at the end he and the heroes help the ghosts rebuild their hotel after King Boo destroys it. So basically my headcanon is that E. Gadd changed his ways due in large part to his befriending of Luigi and this is a short little thing exploring the beginning of the process.

E. Gadd was a strange man, probably the strangest Luigi had ever met. A mad genius, he’d dedicated his life to studying ghosts and overall had the air of someone who didn’t interact with people much. Despite that though, he’d helped Luigi a lot and generally seemed to be a good person. Except for one thing that haunted Luigi enough to bring him back here to E. Gadd’s lab only a handful of days after his ghost hunting adventure had brought him there initially.

He had to ring the doorbell three times before E. Gadd finally answered. “Oh Luigi,” he said, seemingly pleased to see him again. “What are you doing here? Oh, I know, the thrill of ghost hunting has enchanted you and now you’re back for more.”

“Uh… nope, that’s not it at all.” If Luigi had it his way he’d never see another ghost in his entire life. “I have a question about ghosts though if that’s all right”

“Oh, of course, come right on in.” E. Gadd stepped back and gestured Luigi in. “What’s your question?” he asked eagerly once they stood in the middle of his lab once more.

Luigi couldn’t stop his eyes from wondering over the Ghost Portrificationizer – being the biggest thing in the room, it was hard not to look at it. “Uh… ghosts are people, right?”

“People who have died, yes. What else would they be?”

“I don’t know just… When I was fighting them the other night,” if it could even be called ‘fighting’ in some cases, “some of your escaped portrait ghosts didn’t really attack me. I uh… sort of attacked them first.” He’d had to because they’d held keys that had let him progress further into the mansion and ultimately save Mario but maybe he could’ve tried a more peaceful approach and been successful. He’d been far too scared to even consider it at the time though and thus had done exactly what E. Gadd had told him to do; capture them with the Poltergust.

“Well, yes, not all ghosts are feisty and ready to fight all the time. What of it though?” Did E. Gadd really not see what Luigi was getting at here?

“Well uh…” Luigi forced himself to meet E. Gadd’s gaze. “What I mean to say is that because they’re people maybe keeping them trapped in portraits is wrong and you shouldn’t do it. Meaning uh… that you should let the ghosts go and stop turning them into portraits.” There he’d said it, now it was time for E. Gadd to get mad and yell at him or something similar. And then Luigi would have to decide how hard he wanted to stand his ground in defense of ghosts.

But… despite Luigi’s worry, E. Gadd didn’t seem mad. His large glasses made his expression hard to read so it was hard to know for sure but he was certainly at least thinking about it before responding. “Hmmm… I suppose you may have a point. But how am I supposed to study ghosts if I have none to study? Also, I worked rather hard on this,” he patted the side of the Ghost Portrificationizer, making a hollow clang, “after learning of King Boo’s power to turn people into portraits, not using it anymore would be a waste.” It wasn’t anger or refusal though so maybe Luigi had a chance to convince him to do what was right even if it would involve more spooky ghosts being released into the world again.

“Maybe you could ask some ghosts to help you in your studies, I’m sure some would if you give them some kind of compensation.” Did ghosts have a need for money? They certainly seemed to like to collect and hide it in various places so maybe. “And perhaps you don’t have to let this technology go to waste, it can pull someone out of a portrait too. Maybe focus on that aspect of it and… try to streamline it or something.”

“Hmmm… hmmm… I suppose I could. It is rather big and clunky, isn’t it? ... Ooh, I know, I could work on making a portable version. Where to begin though?”

“And releasing the ghosts?”

“Oh that, I can do that.” E. Gadd gave him a dismissive handwave as it really weren’t a big deal. “A willing participate would be easier to get data from anyway. I’m not sure why I never thought to ask. Oh well, science is an ever changing artform, it’s never too late to start doing things more efficiently and uh I suppose ethically too. And besides, I was starting to get tired of those specific portraits anyway. I was thinking of selling them, freeing them works too I suppose. You think King Boo would let me run tests on him if I asked nice enough?”

“Uh… maybe don’t release him yet after what he did to Mario and uh… tried to do me too.” Luigi couldn’t help but shake a little at the thought. King Boo had been justified in freeing the ghosts E. Gadd had captured as portraits but capturing Mario and turning him into a portrait had crossed a line. And how gleeful he’d been about it made it pretty clear he had no regrets and thus there was a decent chance he might try to do so again. Especially since, based off the things he’d said about Mario, he was clearly the type to hold a grudge and now he had rather good reason to want revenge on Luigi too and that was not something Luigi had any wish to deal with.

“Hmm… I suppose you’re right, he probably wouldn’t cooperate. Being the newest, he’s my favourite portrait anyway so I’d like to keep him a bit longer. But come on now sonny, help me start figuring out how to make this smaller and eventually portable.”

“Uh… okay.” It’s not like Luigi had anything better to do today anyway, right? And this conversation had turned out far better than he’d hoped it would, he might as well stick around to help a little if he could. And while he was here, he could make sure E. Gadd would indeed do the right thing and free the ghosts.

#My writing #super mario bros #Luigi's Mansion #luigi #e. gadd

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lovabletomholland · 4 years

Text

The Beach House - Chapter 4

Tom Holland Imagine (Tom Holland x Reader)

Word Count: 2,366

Warnings: Language, Angst, Fluff (that’s it for now, will add to it if needed)

Summary: Tom keeps popping up at unexpected times. You spend the day at the beach with the twins and later go for a midnight swim where something unexpected happens.

A/N: So here is Chapter 4. I am so excited for you to read it. Thanks for the feedback and the comments, they always make me smile and I love hearing what you all think. So I hope you all enjoy this one!

Previously: Chapter 3

You're sat in front of Nikki as she braids your hair. She has always loved playing with your hair and you don't mind. You love the feeling of it. You always loved it when your mom would brush your hair after a bath when you were younger. Tom and Paddy are sitting on the couch playing Mario Kart. You can't help but smile when you see the look of concentration on Paddy's face. You hear the winning chime as one of them crosses the finish line first, "Yes! I totally destroyed you!" Paddy's victory yell comes right after. "You did. Good job." Tom chuckles and winks when his eyes meet yours making you look away. "Is Dom not coming up?" You ask Nikki. It's weird her husband isn't here. "Yes, he's coming. Should be here in a couple days. He just had things to do." She pats your shoulder, "All done. You're free." "Thanks." You stand and smile at her. Even though she doesn't have any daughters, she's really good at fixing hair. "You're welcome, sweetie." She smiles, "Thank you for letting me play with your hair." "Always a pleasure." You giggle and turn to head up stairs but instead you run smack dab into a hard chest, "Oof." You pull away and see Tom looking down at you. "You know it's creepy to just stand behind someone like that. You could have at least made your presence known." "I was going to but before I could you ran into me, again." He sounds smug, "That's the second time you've ran into me. One might think you're doing it on purpose." You roll you're eyes. You really just want to kick him in the shin but you hold back. "More like you're making me do it on purpose." You push past him to the stairs. "Now if you'll excuse me. I am meeting your brothers at the beach."

After you have changed into your bikini, you walk down to the beach where Harry and Sam are waiting for you. You see Harry has his camera with him today, he is taking pictures of the ocean and objects on the beach. You know they must look amazing, Harry’s photos always do. He is like his mother in that way. You can tell he is really focused right now, he didn’t even notice you walk up. You decide to leave Harry alone and walk over to Sam, who is laying back in a chair.

“Hello you,” he smiles as you walk up.

“Hey,” you grin and sit next to him. “Harry is in the zone, huh?”

“Indeed, now would be a good time to sneak up behind him and scare the shit out of him.” He winks, “I’ve had to fight the urge to do it.” He shrugs.

“He would be so pissed if you made him drop his camera.”

“He would be, that is why I haven’t done it. If he would put the strap around his neck I would do it,” he grins at you mischievously. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to his camera, he loves that thing and getting a new one wouldn’t be the same for him, even if it was the exact same one,” he shrugs.

“Very true. Wanna go out into the ocean with me?” You ask Sam.

“Sure.”

You and Sam talk as you are out in the ocean. It was nice having a chance to catch up with him finally. You guys even ended up getting into a heated water fight which was fun. You fix your hair by dunking under the water, because unfortunately you had to take out the braid Nikki put in earlier thanks to Sam messing it up. As you come up you notice Harry and his camera are facing you. You smile at him and then stick your tongue out as you see him taking pictures. You are happy to see his attention turn away from you as he snaps some pictures of Tom, Harrison, and Will as they make their way down to the beach.

“I need to reapply sunscreen before I start to burn.” Sam tells you and you head out of the water with him. As you are coming out you notice Harry is taking pictures of you again. You hold your hand up and show him your middle finger which makes him laugh.

“Y/N, can you put sunscreen on my back?” Sam asks you. You nod and walk over to him and apply some to his back, making sure you don’t miss a spot.

“Yeah, I need to do that too.” Harry says, suddenly standing next to you. When he gets to his back he holds the bottle out for you, making you giggle. He squirts some into your hand so you can put it on his back.

As you finish Tom calls your name and you turn around to face him. “Wanna help me out too?” he asks shaking his own bottle of sunscreen.

You shake your head at him but walk over to him nonetheless.

“Bro, I was gonna do that for you. The treachery!” Harrison says theatrically. “How dare you!” he continues to joke, smirking at Tom.

“Oh, fuck off!” Tom laughs, pushing Harrison away from him.

When you get to him he hands you the bottle and turns around which is a relief, you already feel your cheeks heating up. By the time you are finished, your cheeks are on fire from your hands touching his bare back. Why does he still have this effect on you? It simply isn’t fair. “Okay, all done,” you tell him and it makes you happy to hear your voice came out normal.

“Thanks,” Tom turns around to face you, “I can do you.” he pauses and thinks about what he just said. You notice his cheeks are pink tinged now. “I mean- you know the sunscreen?” he adds quickly.

“I’m okay,” you smile at him, “thanks anyways.” You turn and walk away, you seriously had to get as far away from him as you could right now. Your stomach was doing flips and your heart was currently trying to beat out of your chest.

You sit in a beach chair next to Sam and Harry, who finally put his camera away, and you talk to them as you calm down. The rest of your time at the beach is spent making sure you don’t even look at Tom because every time you do your heart rate speeds up. *** Later that night you're sat in your room, unable to go to sleep. So you change into your bikini and sneak outside to the pool for a late night swim. It's your fifth lap around the pool when a splash interrupts your peacefulness. You lift up your head to see Tom. "Are you stalking me? Do I need to get a restraining order?" You tease. Seems like all that time avoiding him today is now wasted. Of course he has to come out here when you’re here. He rolls his eyes, "No, I just couldn't sleep so I came out here. I was surprised to see you." You nod and continue your laps, letting it relax you so hopefully you'll be able to sleep soon. Swimming at night is so peaceful. When you feel your muscles start to get tired you get out. You dry off a little and sit in a pool side chair, listening to the waves off in the distance as you continue to dry off. Tom gets out of the pool and you have to look away from his bare chest. You can hear the chair next to yours creak as he sits down. "So what made you want to come back this year?" "What makes you think I only came back this year?" You retort. Your mom said he wasn't here last year, so how would he know if you were? "Last year my brothers said you weren't here." He laughs. Right. Harry and Sam would have told him. "I missed this place. It was my childhood. I also missed your mom and brothers. I wanted to see them again." You answer honestly. You look up at him and watch as he nods, "But not me?" "Of course I wanted to see you too. Even if you didn't always let me play with you while we were growing up." That's just how it is when you're younger. You don't want to play with your siblings. You want to be cool and hang out with people your age or older. It changes as you get older though. You see that in your brother and Tom. Will used to not want anything to do with you, now he enjoys the time you have when you catch up. You see how Tom is hanging out with his brothers and does his best to play with Paddy and keep him included. You sit up and wrap your towel around you so you can properly look at Tom, "I missed all of you." He smiles, "I missed you too." He seems to think about that for a second, "Will and your mom as well." He adds. You stand up, finally dry, "Goodnight Tom." It is never a good idea to be alone with him. Your heart is fluttering. "Wait!" He calls out. You pause and look at him. "Would you like to go to the board walk with me tomorrow? We can get something to eat, maybe ride the Ferris wheel?" He asks. "Are you asking me out on a date?" He scoffs, "Of course not. Just two friends goin-" he abruptly cuts himself off and sighs, "yes, I'm asking you out on a date. Is that okay?" "It's weird seeing you nervous." You grin at him. Tom usually oozes confidence so seeing this side of him is refreshing. "Yes, it's okay." You wink and walk inside without another word. *** Around dinner time you're getting ready for your date with Tom. You're feeling nervous but you're also really excited. You pull a dark purple off the shoulder dress out of your closet and put it on. It goes down to about mid-thigh but the back of it is a little longer. You look at yourself in the mirror and pull it off quickly, feeling like it's a bit much. You do this several more times before you finally just put on a cute gray t-shirt dress with some converse shoes. When you walk out you go into the twin's room. You're happy to see it's just Harry in there. You know Sam would tease you for asking. "Do I look okay?" You ask Harry. He looks up from his laptop and smiles, "Yeah. You look gorgeous. Why?" "I'm going out with Tom." "Oh." The way he says it throws you off. Almost like he isn't happy about it and you noticed how his smile disappears. "Oh? What do you mean, oh?" You ask him suddenly worried. "Nothing. It's great and you look great. I hope you have a good time." He smiles again, but it isn't genuine. You sigh and sit next to him, "Seriously Harry, what is it?" "It's nothing, really. I just thought you didn't like him anymore?" "I didn't. Or well at least I didn't think I did." You shrug and smile brightly at Harry, "I don't think my feeling for him ever left, I just pushed them away because I didn't think he'd ever like me but he asked me out last night." You can't help the excitement in your voice. You think back to when you were fourteen and he was seventeen. You would go wherever he would, hoping he would just notice you or just include you. Harry nods, "Well, I hope you have a good time." "You already said that." You ruffle his curls. "When I get back we can have a movie night." "Okay." He grins. *** You and Tom manage to get out of the house without anyone noticing. Neither one of you wanted to listen to the teasing. "You do realize we are going to a place with a high amount of tourists, someone will spot you," you tell Tom. You watch as Tom puts on a Monster's University hat and a pair of sunglasses. "Does that help?" "Um, a little but I can still tell it's you but maybe that's just because I know it's you," you shrug. When you get to the board walk you find a place to eat. You tell Tom how it's been going with your classes at college and he tells you about the last four years of his life. Which sounds crazy. You're not sure how he's done all of this, his life was very busy the last few years. After eating you walk around the board walk looking at all the things to buy, that's when you notice people are starting to stare at Tom, point, and whisper as you walk by, his hand entwined with yours. "Let's go ride the Ferris wheel." You smile at him and pull him towards the Ferris wheel. You get in line and sigh in relief when you are finally on it. "I don't think your disguise is working." You shake your head at him, "People are starting to stare and point as they whisper." "Oh, I was wondering why you were in such a rush." Tom nods. Unfortunately, it didn't help. Once you are off the Ferris wheel, a group of people surround you and Tom asking him for pictures and an autograph. You feel very claustrophobic so you push your way through them and find a place to sit while you wait for Tom, you know he's too nice to tell anyone no. As you wait you overhear some girls talking, well you are pretty sure they want you to hear since they aren't talking very quietly. "They were holding hands, I think they are dating." You hear one say. "No way! Why would he date her? She's nobody, she's not even that pretty." The other girl scoffs, "He can do so much better. I'm sure it's nothing. He's probably just being nice."

Chapter 5

Taglist (let me know if you want to be added or removed:)

@averyfosterthoughts, @artsyle, @photoshopart15, @peterisparker, @rebekkah4766, @jackiehollanderr, @myr5heart, @143amberrose, @mendes-fan, @peteparkersdarling, @jdroman5432, @stxfxniexreads, @nightxshadex201, @literalfsngirltrash, @livingforbarnes , @stretchkingblog97, @headlights95, @parkerpeter24, @okami-the-oaktree, @ohhh-boo-tiful, @kpop-wuver, @thevelvetseries, @heroes-die-young, @jillanaholland, @llamaluverlizzy, @greenarrowhead, @iwastornsincethestart, @adayasgeorgia, @spn-assemble-seven, @musicandbokkslovingweirdo, @broimjustvibin, @coni-martina, @tequilasunrisesenorita, @lets--be-honest, @meme-lord-shit, @panicattheeverywherekid, @illwritetomorrow, @infinityflamesworld, @juliebean247, @inmyworstlies, @smilealways19, @agirlwithpointlessideas, @myslightobsessions, @blazingrosepetal, @luvv-myy, @captainbuckyy, @silver-winter-wolf, @just-a-random-fangirls-blog, @yourwonderbelle, @spaghetittiesbcimgay, @awkwardnesshabitat, @lulueliott24, @silteplaittais-toi, @just-a-littlebit-of-everything, @multi-fan-lover, @maianakali, @perfektionsmakel, @herondalism, @ifilosemyselfagain

If your name has a line through it, it means I can’t tag you.

#tom holland #tom holland imagine #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland fanfic #tom holland x reader #tom holland x y/n #tom holland x you #peter parker #peter parker imagine #peter parker fanfiction #lovabletomholland #the beach house #harrison osterfield

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maggotsandcream · 4 years

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Since I've been looking at a lot of Mario Bros fan content for the past few months I've run across a couple of posts where folks came up with and defended ideas about why in Super Paper Mario the Chaos Heart worked best with Luigi of all people and not one of the villains. I have a theory myself, but I don't think it actually had much to do with his personality.

As interesting as it would be if Luigi were predestined to be the ideal vessel for the Chaos Heart due to something intrinsic about him, I don't think that was actually the case. I'm not saying this to disparage the folks who've come up with ideas along that line as they tend to make for some really interesting character interpretations, it just doesn't happen to be my personal head canon for this. I think what actually set up Luigi to be it's ideal host was his reaction to Bowser and Peach's sham wedding right at the beginning of the game.

First off, if Count Bleck and co. had known that they were going to need Luigi from the beginning, they probably wouldn't have just dumped him in with Bowser's minions at the wedding. Sure, they got rid of Mario and kept Luigi which is sometimes pointed to as evidence that they were already planning to use him, but pretty much the only reason they yote Mario into another dimension was because he was causing them immediate problems by trying to rescue Peach. They basically didn't register Luigi as more of a threat than a Goomba to their plans nor did they see him as particularly useful to have around. If you had someone you thought was vital to your evil plan to destroy the multiverse, I feel like you'd probably keep a better eye on them than that. Heck, if anything I don't think you'd risk tossing them unconscious into a group of goombas and koopas who might have enough of a grudge against them to maybe go in for a bit of revenge if they hadn't been so happy about the wedding happening at the same time. Not to mention Bleck and Nastasia literally don't who Luigi is when he tries to break up the wedding a little bit late.

So what did make him the ideal host for the Chaos Heart? Trying to Goomba stomp it while it was still forming. Either A touching it in that state made it bond to him in some way or B you need to do something chaotic and unexpected in front of it for it to bond to you such as disrupting carefully made villainous plans, fail a rescue attempt, and accidentally spread everyone out by the resulting shockwave.

It really would make more sense for Dimentio or possibly Count Bleck himself to have become it's host. I especially think it would be funny if Bleck tried coaxing the heart afterwards like:

Bleck: Come on, I brought you an evil clown, it doesn't get much more chaotic than that. Just bond with Dimentio already.

Chaos Heart: *angry heart noises*

Nastasia: Um, I can just brainwash the green plumber too, you know. It's not like free will has stopped us so far.

Bleck: Fine, he is trying to organize the Goombas anyways. Better to break that up before it becomes serious.

I think it also fits better with the prophesy about how the "green one" would "decide" how things go since Luigi doesn't actually make any decisions as Mr. L considering he's brainwashed. Having the decision be to try to rescue Peach and fail in such an unexpected way works pretty well, though, as that sets up a good deal of the rest of the plot.

#super paper mario #luigi #mario #nintendo #count bleck #nastasia #dimentio #paper mario

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crocodilenialledfics · 4 years

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story page // masterlist // wattpad

join the taglist

nine: going off the rails

word count: 4210

warnings: contains swearing, mentions of violence, sexual content, and drug use

“I want to start by saying that you’re not in trouble, Ms. Civella,” he said. “We just want to get to the bottom of this. Don’t you think Mario deserves some justice?”

“I guess,” Rosalind nodded. “I didn’t kill him. You think I did but I didn’t. I have an alibi.”

“And what would that be?” Falco asked, the tone in his voice almost didn’t believe it.

When Niall told Rosalind that he’d take care of everything, he meant it. Wholeheartedly. Early the next morning, he burned the files and pictures and every shred of evidence he had in his closet.

While he watched Rosalind’s life go up in flames, he had Lewis meet him behind the casino. It was all very discrete.

“Capaldi,” Niall said, eyes glued on the fire in front of them. “I need a favor.”

“Sure,” Lewis responded with a nod.

“Rosalind’s brother,” he began slowly, eyes finally looking over to him. “Needs to disappear.”

“Can I ask why?” Lewis asked, eyebrows furrowing. “You know I’ll do it but I’m just confused why her men won’t do it.”

“It’s a long story,” Niall told him, reaching into his jacket to pull out an envelope. “Twenty now, twenty later. You know the drill.”

“Alright,” Lewis sighed, taking the money. “When?”

“The sooner the better,” Niall told him. “It has to look like an accident and he probably has eyes on his house. Go in the back of the apartment. Can be like a robbery or something. Steal his tv or some shit.”

“You want me to take care of the body?” Lewis asked, shifting on his feet.

“Nah,” Niall shook his head. “Let the police find him. Fuckin’ piece of shit.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Lewis nodded, shoving the envelope into his back pocket. “I’ll do it tonight. Soon as it gets dark.”

“I appreciate it,” Niall told him, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket, lighting it slowly. “Call me when it’s done.”

Lewis and Niall parted ways. Niall got back into his car, driving back to his apartment. It wasn’t a surprise that Rosalind was still there. He saw her shoes at the door, and the dark of his room. Niall slid his own shoes off, checking the time. It was nearly eight. Usually Rosalind was up and out by the time the sun rose.

Niall was greedy, crawling back into bed. He wrapped his arms around her bare waist, nose pressed against her neck. Rosalind stirred softly, humming quietly, “where’d you go?”

“Business things,” he told her, tightening his arms around her waist. He didn’t get very many mornings with her so this one he’d savor every lasting second.

“Should’ve been gone by now,” Rosalind told him, tangling her legs between his.

“It’s too late for you to sneak out,” Niall murmured, pressing a kiss to her neck, exhaling against her skin. She smelled like his bedsheets. That was something he had to be proud of.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Rosalind mumbled, rolling herself onto her other side, draping her leg over Niall’s hip.

“Roz, baby,” Niall whispered, pushing his fingers through her hair. “Hate it when you leave me in the morning.”

“I’m a busy woman,” Rosalind shrugged, looking up at him.

“Too busy for morning sex?” Niall asked, eyebrows raising. “Unheard of.”

Rosalind laughed, rolling her eyes. “How presumptuous. You think you’re getting morning sex today?”

“Come on,” Niall smiled, hand smoothing over her thigh. “You put this leg on me. I know I’m getting morning sex today.”

“Smart guy,” Rosalind smiled, fingers sliding over the collar of his t-shirt. “Your odds seem pretty good if you ask me.”

“Just how good we talkin?” Niall asked. He knew he was teasing, wanting her to tell him more, confess everything she was feeling. He couldn’t care when he was looking down at her, warm cheeks from sleep and messy hair. It drove him absolutely crazy.

“Kiss me and you’ll find out,” Rosalind shrugged, eyelashes fluttering as she looked up at him.

So Niall kissed her, gripping her hips. Rosalind was on him in a second, kissing him like her life depended on it. Niall ran his hands down her hips and over her pantie-clad butt, grinding her hips against his.

Niall was already half hard, well on his way by the way Rosalind kissed him. She tangled her hands into his hair, pulling gently. Niall let out a groan against her lips.

“Come on,” Rosalind murmured against his lips, rolling her hips against his. She worked down his body, kissing at his neck and Niall was gone. She gripped his hair pulling his head to the side to suck bruise to his neck.

“Fuck,” he whispered, already lost his breath. “Roz, baby.”

“Think you can get off like this?” Rosalind asked, nosing along his jaw.

“Yes,” Niall chuckled, squeezing her hips. “Doesn’t mean I want to, though.”

Rosalind’s hips stilled and she let go of his hair. She sat back on her haunches, looking down at him. “And what is it that you want? How can I make you happy? My only desire in life is to make you happy. Please, Niall, tell me how I can do that?”

“I know you’re takin the piss,” Niall laughed, taking in the sight of her. Outspread legs, the weight of her on his thighs.

“I might be,” Rosalind smiled. After a moment her smile faltered and she looked away from him.

“What is it?” Niall asked.

Rosalind laid down beside him, talking to the ceiling when she said, “I want to disappear.”

Niall didn’t answer her, eyes glued to the side of her face. Rosalind let out a breath, “just like to run away. Never to be seen again.”

Niall hummed, “I know the feeling.”

“Sometimes I think of how many people I’ve hurt. Families who I’ve taken men from, lives I’ve completely destroyed over some fuckin’ money and it just...” she trailed off. “Makes me sick.”

“Do you want out?” Niall asked her.

“I don’t know,” Rosalind mumbled, reaching up to rub her eyes. “I’m just fuckin’ exhausted. The thought of working today makes me nauseous. Going home makes me nauseous. I don’t know.”

Niall didn’t know what she wanted from him. He knew, just looking at her, he’d give her everything she asked for and everything she didn’t.

“What stops you from leaving?” Niall asked after a long moment of silence.

“Dunno,” she mumbled, pushing the hair from her face. “You.”

“Well maybe I’d go with you,” Niall told her, his own eyes on the ceiling now. “For the fuck of it.”

Rosalind hummed at that, fingers winding themselves into the sheets. It sounded like an alternate reality straight out of her own mind. Niall and her running away together, never seen or heard from again. The idea filled her with the comfort she now knew that she needed.

“I don’t think we’d make it out alive,” Rosalind told him. “Don’t think we’d make it out of New York before the shit hit the fan.”

“I told you everything’s taken care of,” Niall added. “Don’t have fo worry about anything.”

“But the shit I’ve done?” Rosalind echoed, almost incredulous. “It’s a miracle I’ve made it this fucking long.”

“The evidence is gone,” Niall told her. “I talked to a guy up at county and he heard about a whole drawer of evidence just disappeared. No one fucking knows what happened.”

“Even still,” Rosalind conceded, looking over at him. “Would you really do it? Run away with me?”

Niall took a moment to think about it. His mind raced. What would he give to have Rosalind to himself, forever- or at least the foreseeable future. Leave the business behind? His family? All of it?

“Yeah,” Niall answered, finally meeting her eyes. Because that was the hold Rosalind had on him. No matter what she gave him, he always wanted more.

“Something to think about, then,” Rosalind concluded. “Lots of planning.”

Niall hummed in agreement, eyes back on the ceiling. He let out a breath, running his fingers through his hair. “You gonna work today?”

“Dunno,” Rosalind responded, a distance to her voice that wasn’t there before.

Niall wondered how they’d gone from hot and heavy to the tense air around them. He could tell she was up in her head by the way she chewed on her bottom lip, biting at her skin. Niall rolled over onto to his side to face her. He pulled her bottom lip from her teeth, almost forcing her eyes on him.

“I feel weird,” Rosalind told him, unprompted. “Out of place.”

Niall wondered if it was because they didn’t spend the mornings together. Or because of everything that has happened. Niall didn’t ask her to describe it, though. He pushed her fingers through her hair and watched the way her eyelids fluttered.

He was no genius but he could read Rosalind’s face like no one else. Niall pulled her in, wrapping his arms around her. Rosalind exhaled, eyelids closing as she settled against his chest.

Niall’s fingers ran through her hair a million times until Rosalind was asleep again, cheek against his t-shirt clad chest. And then Niall was sure. The most sure that he’s ever been. He loved Rosalind with every fiber in his being.

It wasn’t enough that he’d die for her, most strongly, he’d live for her. Carry on through the worst days, the most horrible things a person could imagine just to spend a moment longer with her. That’s what he’d tell her, eventually, when she was ready to hear it.

The minutes stretched on until Niall was falling asleep too, heavy eyelids as he stared at the ceiling. He’d dream about them running away because now he couldn’t stop thinking about it. What it’d mean. If Rosalind ran away with him, surely it would mean that she loved him.

Niall had gotten good at spotting Rosalind’s hidden feelings. She loved in quiet. It was the smile, he realized. And her eyes. A dead giveaway. To him, anyways. Maybe everyone else could see it written on her face too.

For a moment Niall imagined a world where no one could get hurt if they were in love. No harm could come their way. He wished it on Rosalind. Maybe he wished it on himself too with the hope that Rosalind loved him.

Their sleep lasted only an hour. They were awoken to Rosalind’s phone ringing from the bedroom floor. Rosalind pulled herself from Niall’s arms, reaching down to grab it. She put it to her ear, sitting up. “Hello?”

“Roz.” It was Maria.

“Yeah?” Rosalind answered.

“The cops are here. At the shop,” Maria told her. “They’re um looking for you. Mario is dead. They found him this morning. A gunshot to the head.”

“What?” Rosalind asked, eyes flicking to Niall. He sat up, eyebrows furrowed. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” maria breathed out. “They’re talking about getting warrants for-for your house and maybe here. I don’t know,” maria cried.

“Okay I’ll- just tell them that I’m coming down. On my way as we speak,” Rosalind murmured, pushing the covers off of her. She tossed the phone on the bed, shaking her head.

“What is it?” Niall asked.

Rosalind slid out of bed, grabbing her t-shirt from the floor. She gave Niall a glare, the kind that would kill. “What happened?” Niall urged.

“That fuckin-“ Rosalind cut off with a groan. “Fuck!” She yelled, grabbing her jeans. “Do you even listen to anything I say?” She demanded.

“Of course I fuckin listen to you!” Niall exclaimed. “Just tell me what’s going on,” he demanded, watching her tug her jeans on in a way that was more than threatening.

“Oh I don’t know,” Rosalind laughed dryly, grabbing her phone from the bed. “Mario’s fuckin’ dead. Shot in the head. The police are at the shop asking for me because of course I’m the suspect. Some would go so far as to say the prime suspect.”

“And you think I did it,” Niall concluded, nodding his head.

“Coincidentally, you took care of some business this morning,” Rosalind shot back. “I’m so fuckin pissed I need to get out of here,” she shook her head. “Where’s my gun?”

“In the living room,” Niall sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“If I find out you did this,” Rosalind warned, eyes narrowing at him. “This shit between you and I. Over. Do you fucking hear me?”

“I didn’t do it!” Niall yelled, pushing the covers off of him. “Do you wanna know where I was? Do you really want to fucking know?”

“No I don’t,” Rosalind snapped. “Because I don’t care. I’ve got shit to deal with. If all goes well, I’ll probably use the one phone call I get in jail to call you just to say fuck you, you fuckin asshole!”

Niall watched Rosalind leave, phone already up to her ear. She was out of his apartment in record time, slamming the door behind her. Niall sat back in bed, rubbing his forehead. He took a second to breath, before picking up his own phone.

Rosalind was convinced that Niall had done it himself. It went against everything she’d told him. While she drove, she tried to push the thoughts from her head. She was so angry her hands shook if she loosened her grip on the steering wheel.

When Rosalind got to the shop, she saw the police car out front. She took a breath, rubbing her eyes. They stung for reasons she wasn’t ready to unpack yet. Rosalind stepped out of the car just in time for Luca to pull in beside her.

He had an equally as angry look on his face. He greeted Rosalind with a nod, tossing his half smoked cigaret on the ground. “Fuck is going on?”

“I have no idea,” Rosalind mumbled, glancing around. “I didn’t set it up.”

“Who did?” Luca asked, eyebrows furrowing.

Rosalind shrugged her shoulders, nodding toward the door. “I don’t know,” she repeated, the anxiety burning in her stomach. She felt like was walking into her own death. A slow and painful one that she had to do herself.

Luca went into the shop first. Rosalind’s feet were heavy but she made it. Maria was talking with the officers. She was less than surprised to see Detective Falco standing with them, arms crossed over his chest.

“Ah, Ms. Civella,” Falco said, looking her up and down. “Just the person we were looking for.”

“I presume Maria has filled you in,” the officer began, pulling out his notepad. “I was wondering if you could tell us where you were from 7pm last night to 8am this morning?”

“Can we do this down at the station?” Rosalind asked, shifting on her feet.

“Roz what the fuck,” Luca whispered, eyebrows raising because who in their right mind would elect to be interrogated.

“I just...” Rosalind trailed off. “It’s better to do it there. Give Maria a break she’s probably got tons of shit to do.”

“Roz,” Maria began but Rosalind shook her head gently.

“It’s better this way,” Rosalind nodded, voice raw.

“If you insist,” the officer nodded, exchanging a glance between the two other men.

Rosalind felt the air leave her body when she sat down in the back of the police car. It wasn’t real, she kept telling herself but it was all very real. Every second of it was real and she was acutely aware of it all.

Rosalind’s mind blurred as she walked through the police station, eyes focused on the floor. Falco’s hand on her back, guiding her toward his desk. It was enough to make her want to vomit.

“Can I have a cup of coffee?” Rosalind asked, sitting down in a chair.

Falco nodded to someone behind her and she had half a mind to look but she didn’t, eyes glancing up at him as he sat down in his chair.

“I want to start by saying that you’re not in trouble, Ms. Civella,” he said. “We just want to get to the bottom of this. Don’t you think Mario deserves some justice?”

“I guess,” Rosalind nodded. “I didn’t kill him. You think I did but I didn’t. I have an alibi.”

“And what would that be?” Falco asked, the tone in his voice almost didn’t believe it.

“I was with Niall. Horan,” Rosalind told him. “I didn’t want to say anything because that’s not something I’d fucking announce to everyone in my family. We were together all last night and this morning.”

“And he can corroborate that?” Falco asked.

“Yes,” Rosalind nodded, rubbing her palms over her thighs. “Do you think I’d actually kill my own brother?”

“The last encounter I had with him, he said that he thought you knew he made a deal with us,” Falco told her, shrugging. “So you’d have motive. I don’t know.”

Rosalind had so many things she wanted to say to him. The words were on the tip of her tongue but she held it in, white knuckling it. An officer set a cup of coffee down in front of her and Rosalind felt a little relief.

“I’m going to call Mr. Horan,” Falco said, reaching for his phone. “Just for the fun of it. See if he’ll come down for a chat. In the mean time, one of these lovely officers is going to take you to one of our... conference rooms.”

“An interrogation room,” Rosalind corrected him. “And if I think for a second that you’re accusing me of killing my own fucking brother I’m getting a goddamn lawyer.”

“Noted,” Falco smiled, nodding his head.

An officer came up beside her, guiding her the interrogation room. Rosalind sat down with her coffee, rubbing her eyes. She was strung out, exhausted from the thoughts racing through her mind.

Rosalind would lie for him, she decided, not even hesitating. She hoped he knew that. He had to of. The whole ‘I would die for you’ was heartfelt and as literal as she could get.

Detective Falco came in, moments later, sitting down across from her. “Mr. Horan is going to come down. Make a statement. Can you tell me what you were doing last night?”

“Jesus,” Rosalind muttered, rubbing her forehead, “Okay. Let’s see I got to Niall’s apartment around six last night. We got takeout from some Chinese place I don’t know the name of. We had a couple drinks, went to bed.”

“In that whole time neither one of you left?” He asked. “You can say with one hundred percent confidence that you were with him in that whole time.”

“Yes,” Rosalind nodded, picking up her coffee. She took a sip, very slowly setting it down.

“Can I ask when this affair with Mr. Horan began?” Falco asked.

“No you cannot,” Rosalind answered, not skipping a beat. “Considering that it’s none of your business what my affairs with Mr. Horan are. They don’t pertain to this fucking murder either.”

“I’ll decide what pertains to this murder,” Falco demanded.

“Right right,” Rosalind laughed. “Hey I was wondering if you’ve heard anything about the man that shot me? You know you came by once when I was in the hospital, took statements and then never fucking came back. Did ya catch the guy? Give me some fucking justice?”

“We’re here to discuss the murder of your brother. Mario Civella. If you’d like to talk about your open case, perhaps we can find another time to chat,” Falco told her, eyes glued to hers.

Rosalind nodded, sitting back in her chair. Falco handed her a sheet of paper and a pen. “I’d like you to fill this out. If your story aligns with Niall’s I don’t see why you won’t be able to go about your... affairs.”

Rosalind didn’t respond, eyes glancing over the statement sheet he’d given her. She spared Falco one last look before he walked out. Anxiety rushed through her as the door closed. She prayed to the gods above that Niall was on the same page as her.

No matter how angry Rosalind was at the things Niall did, she’d go up in flames for him. So when she wrote down her statement just as she’d told Falco, it was a lie and that was punishable by law but it’d hurt her more to see him go down for murder. The murder of her brother, no less.

To her knowledge, though, Niall was with her the whole time. She’d plead the fifth, she decided, finishing up her statement. She put her pen down, sliding it across the table.

The time moved slowly but it could’ve been her nerves bubbling inside of her. She didn’t appear nervous but her mind was racing and she had cold sweats. Her heartbeat was in her ears.

If she made it out of this alive, she swore she was leaving. Disappearing and forgetting it all. She swore, eyes slipping shut as she let out a deep breath.

In a miracle, the door opened back up and an officer nodded toward the door. “You’re free to go. Alibi checked out. Falco says he’ll be in touch.”

Rosalind pushed her way past him, feeling like her legs were jello. She made her way through the maze that was the police station and out into the parking lot. Niall was waiting for her, leaning against the car. He had his phone pressed to his ear, a cigaret between his fingers.

Rosalind just barely made it to the passenger seat when she felt the nausea become too much. She doubled over, nearly falling to her knees as she threw up what little she had in her stomach.

“Fuck,” she heard Niall say from the other side of the car. And then his hand on her back, scooping her hair back. “What the fuck, Rosalind,” he muttered. “Pull your fucking shit together.”

Rosalind blinked the tears from her eyes, remembering the anger she had for him just building. She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, straightening up. She pushed Niall’s hand away, opening the car door.

Niall got in the drivers seat, shaking his head as he started the car. “I didn’t kill him,” Niall told her, putting the car in reverse. “And it pisses me off that you think I did.”

“Timeline matches up,” Rosalind responded, eyes glued to the window, watching as Brooklyn passed by them.

“Okay,” Niall answered slowly. “I left the apartment around seven. Burned the files like I said I fucking would and then Lewis met me to discuss a business deal.”

“If that’s the story you’re sticking too,” Rosalind muttered, shaking her head.

Niall always stayed calm even when Rosalind was at her worst but she could see his grip on the steering wheel tighten. “It was going to be taken care of tonight,” he gritted out. “Lewis was having one of his men deal with it tonight at sundown. I even fucking talked to him. He didn’t even talk to his guy yet.”

Rosalind let her glance slide over to him, eyebrows furrowing. Niall shook his head, “why the fuck do you assume the worst of me? And do you think I actually wanted to kill your brother? I wanted him dead but- Jesus fuck!” He yelled, shifting in his seat. “When will you understand that I actually respect you. Whatever you say goes- that’s how it’s always been.”

“I’m sorry,” Rosalind mumbled.

“No you’re not,” Niall laughed, shaking his head. “You’re not sorry. You never are. This is so fucking stupid. You convince me you feel a certain way and then lose your fucking mind like none of it even matters.”

“I am sorry,” Rosalind repeated, earnestly. “I lied to the fucking police. Are you aware of that? Why would I do that? Why would I get so fucking angry about that?”

“Because you’re certifiably insane,” Niall snapped as they pulled into the auto body shop.

“Because obviously I fucking love you,” Rosalind gritted out, eyes blurry as she tried to stop herself from crying. “And the thought of you fucking our shit up by doing something stupid makes me throw up. The idea of-of living without you is too fucking much to bear so I get pissed off and say things I don’t mean. I’ve been this way since we started this godforsaken mess. Don’t act so fucking surprised now.”

“Roz,” Niall muttered, rubbing his forehead. “You cannot treat people like shit and it just be okay.”

“Would it have been that damn hard to have told me where you went this morning?” Rosalind asked. “That when you came back to bed you told the fucking truth instead of waiting until the worst fucking second to tell me. After I’m questioned by police. After I have to tell them that yes, I do indeed fuck the second most wanted mob boss in Brooklyn.”

“This is absolutely fucking ridiculous,” Niall laughed dryly. “I’m sick of this. All of it.”

“This is over,” Rosalind decided, unbuckling her seatbelt. “I’ll save you the fuckin’ trouble. It’s over. I’m calling it all off.”

“Roz-“

“Don’t fucking call me,” she told him, opening up her door. “You and I don’t exist. As far as I’m concerned, we never did.”

Rosalind got out of the car, slamming the door behind her. Luca was waiting for her at the garage doors. She could already see the look on his face. The confusion. It wouldn’t be long until everyone knew the things they did. Their secret would come out and Rosalind had to do everything she could to make sure she wouldn’t be there when it happened.

Note: There is one chapter left, an epilogue which will be posted next week same day/time. Thanks for reading!!

taglist: @swasanfrancisco @halluciniall @coconutdawn @exoticniall @missy14us

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deathduty · 4 years

Text

Life, Death and Mario Kart || Ariana & Deirdre

PARTIES: @letsbenditlikebennett & @deathduty SUMMARY: Ariana finally fixes Deirdre’s leaky faucet. WARNINGS: none

Since the previous full moon, Ariana had spent most of her time in the woods with Luna or locked away in the workshop the landlord had let her set up in exchange for some handy work around the complex. As such, she finished the table she’d been working on for Deirdre, but she had been dreading bringing it over. Not after what Lydia did. Not knowing they were friends. Would she already know? Would she be angry? She deserved anger. It was what she felt toward herself for coming up with such a half thought out plan when it was Ace’s life on the line. Today, she’d have to stifle that down as Deirdre had asked her to actually repair the leaky faucet this go round which meant she should bring the table with her. She’d loaded up her truck and drove to Deirdre’s. Music wasn’t a distraction she bothered with. It wouldn’t keep her mind from drifting back to Ace and she needed to live with what she’d done. Still, she stood a little straighter as she got out of her truck and went to ring the bell to Deirdre’s. She took in a deep breath as she rang the bell and awaited the door opening.

Some things were strange; whatever way a microwave worked, however Anya decided she felt comfortable folded into herself like a loaf, and excuses, however transparent, to see Ariana. By logic, Deirdre knew she could see the younger girl whenever she wanted, that she could in fact invite her for dinner and ask after her well-being—if she needed money, if she was eating right, staying away from the wrong people. But in strangeness, she found it far easier to ask the girl to fix the leaky faucets she loosened herself, and was more than capable of tightening herself. It wasn’t so much about the faucets, it never really was. This time, she just didn’t know how to ask a friend over. And, strangely, she was excited. “Ariana,” Deirdre opened the door with a wide grin and gestured her in. “You look a little tense,” she noted, though more as a joke than any factual bit of observation. “There’s no Spinach-deer here this time if you’re worried about it. I double checked. There are, however—“ Moira padded to the door, screaming her greeting in a series of incessant meows. “Cats that missed you.” And a banshee that did too, in her way.

The reflex to frown at the mention of tension was hard to ignore, but Ariana smiled slightly anyway and simply said, “Oh.” There was no real explanation she could give Deirdre anyway, especially not one that she would like. The mention of the Spinach-deer did make her laugh a bit, it was easier to think of spinach deer than the fact that one of Deirdre’s friends had an actually torture bunker in her basement. At least that had been what Sammy’s ghost had told Blanche. “Good, good-- no spinach deer. I’d rather not accidentally have your house destroyed again. What if it hurt my mini fridges,” she joked. She smiled down at the cats before she gestured back toward her truck. “I actually have something in the truck for you. It’s not too heavy, but if you could hold the door open, I’ll bring it in.” She set her toolbox down by the door and quickly grabbed the end table out of her truck. It was dense, but she still felt some residual strength from the moon paired with energy she’d hardly been expending as she avoided everyone. Part of her wondered if she also saw Layla’s post online about her being missing. Surely, after Morgan’s message threatening to kill someone for her, she had to have known and it only further the uneasy feeling in her stomach. She made her way in the house and set the table down by the couch. “I can move it wherever you decide you’d like to put it. I did my best to make the table legs anatomically correct femurs and tibias while still being load bearing.” With the table set down, she kneeled down to reach her hand out to Moira and Anya. Moira was quick to come see her while Anya remained a bit more aloof. The now bigger kitten purred and rubbed her face into Ariana’s hand. “Yeah, I missed you, too.”

Whatever must have been wrong, Deirdre smiled softly and ignored it. Ariana was a smart kid, but more than that, her life hadn’t been kind to her. There must have been a number of things on her mind at any given moment, and who was Deirdre to force her into confessing them? Ariana must have had enough people asking for her feelings and whereabouts at any moment. Deirdre thought it better to carve out a space that was kind, give the kid something better to think about for some time. “Oh no, not the mini fridges. That’d be a terrible tragedy. I think there’s still some food in there.” She paused. “Probably should have taken that out.” But snacks didn’t get mouldy, right? Deirdre closed the door behind the young werewolf when she was done, eyeing the table. “It’s beautiful.” She moved to the table, running her hands over the fine woodwork. She was no leanan-sidhe, nothing like Lydia, no purveyor of craftsmanship...but it looked fine to her. More than fine, and all the more having been made by someone she cared about. “It might be the best piece of furniture in this house. No, don’t move it. Leave it there for when Morgan gets in, I’d like to ask her opinion of where she wants it. But I think she should get to see it like this first. As your art, something you made for us.” She withdrew her hands from the wood, worried she might taint it somehow...and then worried the cats might think of it as a scratching post. Not that they’d ever harmed any piece of their furniture before, having more than enough to keep them occupied around the house. “How much?” Deirdre asked after a moment, lifting her head. “How much do you want?” But her eyes offered a challenge; she’d told the girl to charge her fair share, and she had no interest in paying anything less. “And why are you standing around the foyer like a stranger? Come get comfortable.”

There was something about Deirdre’s humor that had always brought her a sense of ease, even now when Ariana was filled with doubt. It was evident that Lydia hadn’t mentioned anything to her which was somehow both a relief and a disappointment. Deirdre surely wouldn’t approve of a promise that put her in serious danger, right? Then again, she didn’t know just how close they were or if she knew about the actual torture bunker in her basement. Still, she laughed, “We couldn’t have that.” There was something that made her feel a bit lighter as she watched Deirdre appreciate her craftsmanship. She had a long way to go when it came to making truly professional pieces, but she had enjoyed the process behind this one. She’d never really worked with trying to recreate bones before and they weren’t perfect, but the table was sturdy and unique. Something both Deirdre and Morgan could enjoy. “Thank you,” she said proudly. Saying it was the best piece of furniture in the house may have been a bit of stretch. Deirdre did have some extremely gorgeous things in her house. “I don’t know how true that is, but I’ll take it. It was definitely made with the most love, that’s for sure.” She was happy Morgan would get to see it and help place it, too. “Perfect then, I hope she likes it, too. Yes, it is definitely something specific to you two.” She shook her head as Deirdre was trying to get a price on the table. Of course she wanted to pay her. Ariana wasn’t even sure what to charge her if she was going to at all. She placed a hand on her hip, “Any chance you’ll accept it as a gift?” She made her way to the couch with Moira following closely. She smiled down at the cat who hopped on her lap as she sat down. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I’ve missed my favorite kitty.” As she stroked Moira’s fur, she asked, “So how’s everything been with you? I know I haven’t stopped by in forever.”

Deirdre shook her head, she knew enough about young artists from leanan-sidhe to know how valuable support and praise were to them. But she wasn’t making some game of trying to get Ariana to like her, she cared for the child, and she could spare a few hundred dollars to the good cause of treating the girl like the professional she might be one day. “Not a chance at all,” her eyes turned back to the table, and all the attention poured into it. “You’re a woodworker, you’ll get paid like one. Your work and your time are valuable, Ariana. I’ll start accepting gifts of this nature from you in twenty years time, maybe.” She smiled, drawing her hand away and stuffing it in her pocket. She followed behind Ariana slowly, wondering what manner of strength it took to lose as much as Ariana had, as young as she had, and to still be someone with hope. Enough of it, at least, to be making tables. “But we can work out the dollar amount later, you’ve got a leaky faucet to fix as well. And I intend to pay you for that.” For once, finally, to end some strange saga she started with the faucet she unscrewed herself to laugh at humans trying to fix it. Until she’d nearly gotten a child killed by some manner of bad luck. Her faucet would get fixed, Ariana would get paid, and she felt everything would be well. She took a seat across from Ariana, smiling gently. “Oh, nothing’s changed much, apparently. Morgan’s being hunted by a ghost that wants to kill her, again. I still can’t find that one glove I lost months ago.” She crossed her legs one over the other. “I hear you’ve been busy though,” she smiled a little wider, drawing a finger to her lips, “I won’t ask. You’re a smart kid, Ariana. I trust you’ll do right by yourself, whatever it is you need to do. But if you ever need a place to go, I won’t touch your room here. It’s yours.” She cocked her head to the side, offering her next words with a soft drawl, as if they could be swept away and forgotten if Ariana wanted it. “Do you...want to talk about it?”

It was hardly a surprise to Ariana that Deirdre wanted to pay her for her work. She could remember their first ever conversation where she all but insisted she charge more for her time. The fact Deirdre wanted her to do well for herself was nice even if it still felt strange charging someone who opened their home to her so much for something she’d wanted to give as a gift. She supposed it was part of the way Deirdre showed she cared. While her words were often nonchalant and funny, her actions indicated she cared for her. It made her stomach turn to think that could change if Lydia told her what she’d done to Sammy. Was there any making this right? She hardly cared about doing so for Lydia. Hell, she wanted to lash out at Lydia more than anything else, but she knew it was dangerous and that it’d hurt Deirdre. As it stood, she was bound to hurt herself and others if she were to deliver on her promise. She pushed that away and smiled weakly, “Okay, we can discuss payment after I fix the leaky faucet. This time there won’t be a whole home repair to go with it.” At least she hoped as much. She walked over to the kitchen and looked over the faucet. It didn’t look like the main would need to be turned off just to tighten it again. She knelt down under the sink and grabbed the wrench from her toolkit. With a few twists, it was good to go. She leapt back up and turned it on and off for good measure. “I think we’re good in the sink department.”

She made herself comfortable now that the work part was done and called Moira over to her. She really did love this kitten who was slightly bigger than the last time she saw her. She frowned at the mention of the ghost, “Oh, Morgan told me about that. Warned me to be careful. Gave me a salt and iron mix that I haven’t really opened since I have a ghosty roommate right now. I think he’ll pass on soon though.” At least she hoped so. Sammy deserved to be at peace. At the mention of being busy, her mouth dropped and she felt her stomach flip. Did Lydia tell her? Was she upset? “You heard I’ve been busy… from who?” She asked the question though she was sure she knew the answer. Moira seemed to pick up on the tension rising in her and further butted her head into her hands. “I appreciate that I always have a room here. I really do. As much as I really want to talk about it and think you could probably help, I can’t.”

It was strange that, after so long, after all the ways she pestered people about it, her leaky faucet was finally fixed. Deirdre could have cried, in fact, she might’ve. She watched Ariana with a fond smile, hiding some sniffling as she went back to the couch—an action she figured might have been futile against a girl with enhanced senses. Either way, it was just silly to cry about a sink, even if it was the strange sense of pride for Ariana that flooded her that she was really teary-eyed about. “Morgan got to you first, huh,” she laughed, settling in again. “Ghostly...roommate…?” She cocked her head to the side, “bad or good roommate?” Ghosts could be such pests sometimes, as she saw it. But while she believed in quick exorcisms and a peaceful space, she understood where others might disagree, and so she didn’t press Ariana to just use her salt and be rid of the ghost. “Passing on soon is good, I suppose. Some ghosts can be pretty stubborn about it though.” Constance was a perfect case-study of that. She picked up a bottle of wine from one of several places she had them stashed around the great room (laziness was the greatest innovator), pulling out a glass for herself. She popped the bottle open, and started to pour. “From the internet, mostly. Apparently you went missing.” Was all she really meant by that statement, by Ariana’s reaction was peculiar—guilty, almost. Deirdre tilted her bottle back, satisfied with the full cup she poured. She turned the label to her and smiled softly before putting it down, a bottle that marked one of several gifts from Lydia. She crossed her legs, one over the other, and took slow sips. “Can’t...why?” She looked at the girl. “If it’s a promise you’re bound to, you should know fae make exceptions for each other, I could easily have it undone. Unless, of course, it isn’t that. Have you done something I wouldn’t approve of? Are you protecting someone else?” She wasn’t sure where her inquiry suddenly turned to interrogation, but it was something in the nature of her that stirred it forth. “It’s no matter, really,” she corrected herself with a short cough. “It’s none of my business. As long as you’re safe, and okay, and know what you’re doing...I don’t need to know the facts.”

Deirdre gazed into her wine glass, her reflection twisted in the crimson depths. “You are safe...aren’t you?” She set the glass down, crumbling into concern. “Promi—well, don’t promise me but...just answer me truthfully. You’re taking care of yourself? Not doing anything you shouldn’t be? You are...a valued friend, Ariana. I feel like…” She had almost said a mother, which was as laughable a concept as crying about a sink. “...your wine-aunt. I worry about you, is all I mean. You and all the other kids in this town. Are you hanging out with Blanche? I feel like that girl has got some broken or sprained or pulled or twisted or burnt part of her body every week or another. I know you lot feel like you have to do something, but maybe it’d just be better to...let someone else take care of it.” She sighed, laughing to herself. “No, you wouldn’t listen to me if I told you not to get involved with this town’s problems. Just….are you safe?”

It was a bit curious to Ariana that Deirdre was so happy about the sink. Despite her efforts to hide her sniffles, Ariana could still hear them and smiled to herself. Something about Deirdre’s guidance had become a welcome light in her life. While she was a peculiar woman in the best of ways, she found Deirdre easy to talk to. It was something she shared with Morgan. The way they made their home so welcoming to her without any sort of second thought. Something about it made her chest pang as she realized how fragile it all could be. The ghostly roommate was a reminder of that. “Not bad. He was a good friend. My medium friend is trying to help him move on, I think,” she explained even though the thought of Sammy being truly gone pained her. At the sound of the word missing, she rolled her eyes. She still couldn’t believe she was the talk of the town online when she’d just been holed up in her apartment. “Ugh, I wasn’t missing. I was literally in my apartment. I was just… well, laying on the floor and being sad admittedly, but people came and checked on me and knew I was there.” She shook her head. “Sorry, I’m a little annoyed that it became somewhat of an internet spectacle. Which is not on you at all and I’m sorry that it worried you.” The next question made her stomach turn. Even if she could tell Deirdre who she owed a promise too, she wasn’t even sure it’d be meant with kindness. In all of this, upsetting Deirdre had never been something she wanted to do, but it was obvious she cared for Lydia a good deal from the way she spoke to her at that funeral. Would it matter to her that it was her friend Lydia killed? Would it matter that it was her life she was putting in danger? Not all the werewolf hunters in town were Kaden and Rio. Transforming at the Common was sure to only end in disaster. She could feel her palms becoming clammy and the rapid thudding of her heart. Crying was tempting, but she had to put on a brave face. She’d only worry Deirdre for no reason. Well, there was reason to worry, but she wasn’t sure she could even drop the right hints for her to figure it out. If her figuring out would even be a good thing. “It’s-- Maybe,” she started realizing that the indefinite answer didn’t cause the same pain to shoot up her leg, “I appreciate that, but I’m not really able to say much. I think I may be taking care of it before anything too bad can happen. I mean, I did do something stupid that I don’t think you’d necessarily approve of, but I can’t really… Even if it’d upset you, I’d tell you if I could. I respect you too much to ever lie to you.”

If her stomach could sink all the way into the ground, Ariana was sure it would. There was no way she could in good conscience tell Deirdre she was safe with what she had to do. Her mouth felt impossibly dry and she found herself focusing her gaze on Moira for a moment to calm herself. She thought over what to say. She didn’t want Deirdre to worry more, but she wanted to be honest with her. At least about this. “I think I will be,” she answered in a tone that sounded more hopeful than she felt. “I’ve got some stuff to figure out, but I believe it’ll go well.” Maybe she was riding on this spell of Nell’s a little too much, but she had to believe it would work. The alternative was too bleak. She couldn’t help but laugh at the part about Blanche. She did have a knack for finding trouble. “I do my best to stay safe, even when helping others. I don’t think I have quite the same knack Blanche does for finding trouble if that makes you feel any better.”

“Medium friend?” Deirdre raised a brow. “Do you know someone else besides Blanche?” Were there other mediums in town? Like some group of ghost-gawkers, huddling around tea to discuss the headless man by the convenience store? Truthfully, she still didn’t understand the purpose of mediums. Even as Blanche explained her goals of helping ghosts pass on. She’d been seeing and hearing the damn things since she was eight, and it’d always been a ‘toss salt and get it over with’ kind of deal. Or a, ‘don’t look your dead uncle in the eyes, dear’. “Well, I’m sorry your friend died.” She took another sip of her wine, refilling it as Ariana went on. “It’s not so bad that people were worried about you, Ariana,” Deirdre chuckled, “enough to be so nosy about it. So many people in this town go missing and…” She paused, the wine in her cup rose, threatening to spill free before she shook her head and set the bottle down. “...I’d hate it if you ended up like them.” And she’d hate it more, if her next scream happened to be Ariana’s. That was the risk she ran as a banshee, a risk that never was her concern before she started caring about people. In some way, she wondered if she should have been taking her own teachings better. But she couldn’t, with a clear mind, cast Ariana away. She didn’t want to. Deirdre frowned and looked up. “There are very few things that upset me.” She held her glass close to her. “The harm of a fae or someone I care about, is one. ‘Pull’ doors that should really be ‘push’ is another.” She smiled. She couldn’t imagine what it was she wouldn’t approve of, but at Ariana’s age, with her experience, most things must have seemed terribly dire. “No matter what it is you’ve done, Ariana, you have your place here.”

But there was still something that tugged uncomfortably at Deirdre. Ariana clearly wasn’t able to speak the entire truth, but something beyond that felt...worrying. A knot twisted in her stomach, lump in her throat. Ariana couldn’t even tell her that she’d be safe. She knew, better than anyone else, that doing the most wasn’t always enough. It hadn’t saved Morgan. And it probably wouldn’t save Blanche one day either, who found trouble like magnet. So, what would it mean for Ariana? “How would you like to die, Ariana? What would you like to be done, in your death?” Her gaze narrowed. “I know that sounds odd, I know other cultures don’t think of this so frequently but...as a banshee...it’s something I’d like to know. If you were going to die tomorrow, what would you like to do? What would you want to be done for you?”

“Oh no, just Blanche… I guess unless you count my friend Connor who’s an exorcist? That’s not really a secret since he has a whole YouTube channel dedicated to it,” Ariana answered uneasily. What if she asked Blanche questions? Would it make her situation better or worse? There was so much uncertainty with this whole situation that left her feeling constantly stressed. It was difficult to hide and pretend like it wasn’t there. There was no denying that the role she played in Sammy’s death left her feeling immobilized on even the best of days, but she was trying to push through it. “I won’t say it’s okay, nothing about how he died was okay, but I guess this stuff just sort of happens.” She looked down at her lap and couldn’t help but think she wished it would stop happening to her. How much more loss could one person take in such a short span of time? It’d been so long since she felt okay. Since she felt like she didn’t have to fill every minute of the day to keep herself from falling of the metaphorical ledge. Now she simply found she could hardly even go through the motions. They all felt so terribly exhausting and it showed. Deirdre was no fool and could likely see the bags under her eyes. Make out the way her smile never quite reached her eyes anymore. See the way her movements seemed slower now. As Deirdre spoke, she knew she made a point. The ones she cared for were the only thing pushing her through this. “I know, and I appreciate all of them. I just think drawing attention to me online wasn’t the smartest of plans. Thankfully, I don’t have much in the way of hunter problems anymore, but still, I always worry about how quickly that could change.” All it took was Adam finding out she turned someone or killed Celeste’s dad. This whole peace she had tried to build between two worlds was so fragile. She felt so fragile. “I do get it though. Things happen in this town and people want to know-- Morgan mentioned maybe setting up a little automatic response for when I don’t feel up to talking to people. I think it could be a good idea.”

Instead of trying to answer something she knew would only result in pain, Ariana simply leaned back into the couch and looked up at the ceiling momentarily. Did turning Sammy into a werewolf count as harming Lydia? She wasn’t actually hurt and the promise she was cashing in on was much more dangerous to Ariana than anything she’d done to Lydia. She wished she could just talk it over with Deirdre. Know where they really stood one way or the other. The next question hit her like a ton of bricks. Ariana had no idea how she wanted to die or what she wanted to happen in her death. For someone who was quick to rush into danger, she hadn’t given it much thought. Now, it just felt paralyzing. Would there be any hunters hanging around the Common? Surely, they’d be out in the Outskirts. “I haven’t really put too much thought into it,” she answered with her hands clasped firmly in her lap. “If I have to die, I’d like to die protecting the ones I love. What comes after, I haven’t thought of too much. Maybe put my ashes at the same tree we have marked for Celeste. Kaden knows where it is. I know you two know each other though I’ve gathered you’re not necessarily big fans of each other. Once Ulf is back, he could show you, too. If it was needed, that is. Hopefully it’s not. I appreciate you asking. What about you? Is there anything special that’s done for banshees or that’s important to you?”

Deirdre wouldn’t presume to know who Connor was, or whatever kind of YouTube videos he must have been making---it seemed to her that the platform was exclusively carved out for videos of cats. Did he make videos about cat ghosts? Were there even cat ghosts? Deirdre frowned and took a sip of her wine. “Not an okay death? Do you know who did it? Perhaps there might be justice to be delivered.” It wasn’t her business, certainly, but she extended the offer to murder out of curtesy. It was the polite thing to say. Though she was wholly willing to commit the crime herself, if it would bring Ariana and her friend some manner of peace. Ariana seemed wrecked by it, tired, anxious, unlike herself. Murder was the least Deirdre could offer. “Well, perhaps, but I’ll have you know that I haven’t attracted a single warden yet. And I do dangle myself online. It’s quite boring, in fact.” Deirdre smiled, trying to relieve some of Ariana’s worry---she was right to be cautious, given her history, but that didn’t mean Deirdre liked seeing it. “Oh,” Deirdre laughed, “yes, Morgan’s done that a few times. A simple copy and paste ‘hey, I don’t feel like talking; don’t ask me about it’ seems to be convenient.” She shook her head. “But you know people who care that much about you are going to bother you about it anyway.”

Finishing her second glass of wine, Deirdre set it aside in the interest of not downing too much at once. “For you?” She leaned back, “I’d brave talking to Kaden. But I’d expected more...I don’t know…’eating ice cream’ or ‘finally getting to set a house on fire’.” By comparison, Ariana’s death wishes were...shockingly plain, and horrifyingly practical given her age. “Me?” She glanced around the house, a dour expression pulled on her face. “I’ve already got that figured out. And my family knows how I’d like my body to be taken care of but…” She turned to Ariana, brows furrowed and hands squeezed into fists. “But I wouldn’t accept death, not where I am now.” The blasphemy of her sentence was probably lost on Ariana, and so she shook her head and pushed her question. “I’d just--as a banshee, we discuss this frequently. And I care about you, Ariana, and if I were to scream for you today...I’d like to know what you’d want me to do. This is...this is the best I can offer.” It was the highest mark of loyalty and love among them to usher a friend into death.

More than anything, Ariana just wanted to come clean to Deirdre. All this understanding and caring she was being shown felt wrong given it was Lydia who she was at odds with. There is no way Deirdre would be implying justice or revenge if she knew who it would be against. After all Deirdre had done for her, it didn’t feel right for her to be offering this advice and kindness given the circumstances. At most, all she could expect if Deirdre knew was to try and get her out of the promise. She’d have more sway with Lydia than she would. As it stood, she couldn’t say much. She simply nodded and answered, “I do, but I don’t think justice is the answer. I don’t think you’d believe it is either if you knew more about the situation.” That was as truthful as she was able to be. It wasn’t enough, but it was as much she could give Deirdre without putting herself through excruciating pain. Deirdre’s next statement did little to comfort her. She was sure Deirdre knew what she was doing, but she couldn’t help but picture something bad happening to her or Athena as a result of their meeting. It made her stomach turn and acid feel like it was rising up in her throat. She swallowed it back and said, “If you say so. I trust you know how to handle yourself. I’d just rather not deal with more hunters who want me dead, personally. Then again, that was kind of my whole life up until a few months ago.” At what cost did that game of cat and mouse finally end? It hardly seemed worth it, but there was no changing it. At the mention of Morgan, it was easier to laugh along with Deirdre. She could see Morgan doing that. “People who love you will always worry, but I think it’s a good idea to put that message out there so no one thinks you’re dead. I’ll have to adopt that the next time something terrible happens.” It seemed cynical, but it was an inevitability. She seemed to constantly be losing people. There was no avoiding the grief that followed.

Ariana let out a small laugh as she said, “Well, thank you. He’s really not that bad. I know you two don’t really like each other, which I kind of get. You’re very different, but you’re both important to me and have shown me a great deal of kindness.” A thought dawned on her and she blurted out, “You know, he makes really good pie.” Deirdre loved pie. It was part of how they became close was all the pies she made her. She quickly added, “I don’t know, setting a house on fire could be fun depending on whose house it is. I prefer venison to ice cream. So, I guess protecting people just seems natural. It’s something I already do and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how I end up going out one of these days.” Hopefully it was later rather than sooner, but she wouldn’t know until it happened. Deirdre would get a warning which had to be difficult, but she trusted she’d do what she could to give her the death she wanted. “I am glad your family knows your plan. Hopefully it’s a long time before it goes into place.” She shook her head, it felt odd discussing all of this, but she knew it had to be natural for Deirdre given she was a banshee. Death touched their lives in different ways though Ariana grew tired of the death that seemed to follow her. She nodded along. “That makes sense with being a banshee. I appreciate that you’d give me what I’d like after my death. Being with Celeste again when that time comes is important to me.”

It was strange to hear justice--murder--wasn’t the answer. Murder was usually the answer, and where it wasn’t, it was always great consolation. Deirdre frowned, but didn’t press the point. Ariana was young, and perhaps some bit foolish, and maybe she didn’t think of murder as liberally as Deirdre did. “Oh,” Deirdre’s frown deepened, “your life is always going to be running away from hunters. That’s--” She gulped, stopping herself. Ariana must have known this, but more than this, it wasn’t the comfort she wanted to be offering. If there existed a world of peace, she wanted to believe Ariana could find it. Life was cynical enough, Ariana didn’t need Deirdre’s pessimism too. And though she hated Kaden, she lunged at the opportunity to talk about his pie instead of the futility of peaceful life. “Is it?” She feigned surprise. The one pie she’d seen that day he tumbled down the stairs was pretty nice, maybe she’d bother him to send her one. “I--uh--” And then it occurred to her that talking about death plans also wasn’t comforting; not to most people, anyway. Ariana seemed almost fatigued by it, and the more Deirdre looked at her and listened, the worse she felt about the topic. “You know...there is something I’ve always wanted to do...I think, well, what can be good about figuring out what you want to do before you die is...that you can do it right now.” She grinned. “There’s no need to wait until a scream to knock old dreams off your bucket list.” She gestured to herself, and then to her TV, “you see, I’ve always wanted to say I was better than Ariana at The Mario’s Kart.” She paused. “I bought the Kart of Mario to play with you. Like the children do. So we could have fun?” if anyone needed fun, she figured it was the girl who’d gone through too much, lived too quickly. Ariana might not have seen herself as young, but Deirdre certainly did, and according to the store clerk, this is what kids did. “Come yeet the Mario’s Kart with me, fam?”

#wickedswriting #c: ariana #chatzy #life death and mario kart #// deirdre's leaky faucet might be fixed #but my leaky eyes were not

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