#anyways this is eleanor but as a beast and i need to make the full body ref next | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

robotlesbianjavert · 1 year

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Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

oh it's been forever since i got a top characters ask - this has probably changed a lot since i last considered a definitive top ten. and actually this has tormented me a lot. had to kill a lot of darlings. oof. not actually definitive this could probably change a lot.

10) it's a really good thing i never got into Supernatural when the fandom was in its heyday i think there would be something wrong with me if i did. anyways november 5th unlatched something in me and i do think that Castiel is real and alive and gay out there in the universe in a way that precious few characters can lay claim to. everyone please respect him.

9) Battleborn is a dead game and a dead fandom which i grieve all the time, not least because it meant one of the greatest yuris of all time was lost from knowledge. anyways i love Galilea for largely gay reasons - tall woman in armor sword and shield, intense relationship of deep friendship and betrayal with Ambra, being a knight templar cursed by eldritch powers. i miss her. we truly lost something great. being so trapped between duty and love that it rips you apart for the rest of your existence. insane.

8) when Locus from Red vs Blue was first introduced like i kneeeeewwww they were gonna do something with him and also he had a sexy voice (tragically the voice actor turned out to be a dick.) and my knowing paid off. i love it when a character tries to abdicate their autonomy in order to escape their crimes but ultimately can't it's soooooo juicy.

7) Beast Wars has so many insanely good characters who are all my favourites and it is so so so hard to ever choose among them. but Blackarachnia claws her way to the top. funny enough it's a point where i think the show failed with her character that pushed her to the top - a large part of her characterization is trying to win and protect her autonomy/individuality, and "proving grounds" is such a triumphant climax of that. but she's also stuck in a toy commercial and needed a new design to sell so "crossing the rubicon" had to happen. it's something about how she had to be literally knocked out for the writers to make that upgrade happen that's both infuriating, but also speaks to how strong she is as a character.

6) Denji & Power from Chainsaw Man, do not separate them. i'm actually incapable of separating them. i have a lot of beloved characters from csm - makima, aki, kobeni, asa, yuko, it's probably easier to name the ones i don't like - but denji and power as both individual characters and as a relationship in the story is so important to me. denji was a character i actively didn't think i would love as much until the narrative gut punched me so hard with the full breadth of his story and development. power i always knew i would love, and it paid off i was so pleased with her and chapter 90 was pure euphoria for me. i need to see them together again so much.

5) Eleanor from The Haunting of Hill House, SPECIFICALLY the novel not the tv show, the tv show is nothing to me. she's anxiety incarnate she's trying too hard she's a uhaul lesbian she's a jealous paranoid waif of a woman but this house loves and accepts and wants her so she'll let it have her. there are a lot of parts of eleanor that are painfully familiar and no one will ever understand her like me. certainly not mike flanagan.

4) Community is one of my favourite tv shows, and in a similar way to beast wars there's so many characters that i love love love. but Shirley is actually a very easy choice. a choice with a lot of hang-ups as shirley is easily the most mistreated and least developed of the main long-term cast and every day i imagine myself shaking dan harmon violently saying hey if you were so proud of have half a room of female writers maybe you should have a) kept going with that and b) make less of them right. there's so much ground that could have been covered with her anger issues and past alcoholism, her crossed paths with jeff as kids, finding herself outside of being a wife and a mother, and they just struggled to really do right by her. but also she's so cute the way she says "i'm so sorryyyyy" in competitive ecology. kills me all the time.

3) i have written 18 spinaraki fics with more in my wips and i think it's fair to say that Spinner from Boku no Hero Academia is an all time forever favourite character for me, just barely edging out over shigaraki. obviously spinner is a gay little evil henchman so that clinches it. but also it's just like - seeing him go from a nothing character that could have easily have been written out, to being given his own plotline and character arc about trying to find meaning and purpose and ultimately finding it in caring SO HARD about one weird guy. and he's so moe. i believe in him.

2) jose from cybersix but i can't talk about it.

anyways i'm actually really at killing my darlings so really quick a couple of runner ups based on long-term history vs faves with a recency bias.

Runner-Ups Based on Intense & Passionate History

mr lahey from trailer park boys; enrico from stravaganza; bulk & skull from power rangers; jason voorhees from friday the 13th; redcloak from order of the stick; gob from arrested development; soundwave from transformers (franchise-wide); harvey dent from batman: the animated series; hardison & sophie from leverage; rabbit from winnie the pooh; cobra commander from gi joe; hyde from jekyll and hyde; griffin from the invisible man; bosola from duchess of malfi; masquerade & gus from bakugan; claptrap from borderlands; hook-handed man from a series of unfortunate events; kaiba from yu-gi-oh; rorschach & laurie from watchmen; stephanie and reverend putty from moral orel; demidevimon & impmon from digimon; quickstrike, inferno, dinobot, and rattrap from beast wars; chang & abed from community; cybersix from cybersix; shigaraki and honestly all of the lov & mla in bnha; six & makoto from bnha: vigilantes.

Runner Ups Based on Recency Bias

jessica from cannibal farm; mimi from psycho goreman; oj from nope; barbara howard from abbott elementary; evelyn & joy from eeaao; kinsey from the strangers: prey at night; misty, taissa, and shauna from yellowjackets; eva from monster; akagi from kimeno jihen; dimple from mp100; uma from disney's descendant (a movie series i have not watched. but i like her sooo much.)

okay with all that off my chest, my most number one favourite character of all time ever.

1 ) Meowth from Pokemon he's my best friend.

#thanks for the ask my dear this was fun to think over

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 4 years

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tapestry 👑 XXIV

Warnings: dark elements

This is dark!(king)Steve and explicit. 18+ only.

Summary: King Steven had a wandering eye but you never thought it would fall upon you.

This Chapter: The reader prepares for her wedding.

Note: Alright, so I managed another chapter. I’m working an awful shift that gives me no time before or after and it’s all so depressing. That being said, I think we all sense cummies in our near future as we get closer and closer to the thottening. Anyways. Enjoy. :)

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply! Love ya!

masterlist

You were halfway through your glass of wine before the next guests arrived. Your mother’s voice floated in from the corridor as you tried to hide in your cup from both the king and his dowager mother. You looked up as Steve lifted his head too and Sarah lifted a brow in mild interest.

“Oh, you’re rather strapping, aren’t you, sir?” Your mother trilled with a bawdy laugh.

“I suppose,” Lord Barnes’ returned and you had to resist a chuckle of your own. You kept your face straight as you listened patiently. “You must be Lady Malford.”

“I must be,” She affirmed. “Lord Barnes, was it? I recognize you. You did imbibe at the harvest a few years past and found yourself under the table and nearly up my own skirts.”

“It was not intentional, if you would believe it,” He countered dully. “A regrettable night.”

“I should hope not. The best nights are spent with liquor warm in one’s stomach,” She chimed.

“After you, my lady,” Barnes diverted her. “My lord.”

“Lord Barnes,” Your father said evenly.

Hugh appeared in the doorway at once and entered. He stopped short and spoke with his eyes to the ceiling. “Lord Willis and Lady Elizabeth have arrived, your highness,” He announced. “And the Lord James Barnes.”

“Thank you, Hugh,” Steven pushed himself to his feet and you rose in kind. Your mother was the first to enter with your father close behind.

“Lady Elizabeth.” Hugh introduced your mother. “Lord Willis,” Your father stood beside your mother as they bowed to the king, “And Lord Barnes.” The third stepped forward and bent in kind.

“I do prefer--” Your mother began as she straightened.

“Bessie,” The dowager’s voice rose above hers. “I should have guessed.”

“Your highness,” Your mother greeted Sarah genially. “I was not informed you’d be attending.”

“I thought this mouse was some distant niece of yours, a cousin even,” You looked to the royal widow; she was almost smiling. “Though with a tongue so candid, I cannot say I’m surprised. She does lack your humour, alas.”

“Oh, she merely hoards it,” Your mother returned.

“She must get that from her father then,” Sarah chided. “Do come sit. I think you should keep me from nodding off through this dinner.”

“I cannot promise I won’t,” You mother approached as the old queen beckoned her forth.

“Time has seen you well,” Sarah said. “Pardon me, lady,” She turned to you, “Would you offer your seat to your mother? My son does have another shoulder you can sit upon.”

“Certainly,” You assured her and rounded to the other side as your mother took your place.

“Bess, you old cow, you do seem as well-fed as ever,” Sarah sat and pulled your mother down with her.

“And you do seem as decrepit as your soul,” Your mother cackled. “I daresay, I do cling to my youth yet. Does the grave call to you, hmm? Does the descent seem less perilous?”

“The prospect of rest has never frightened me. Truthfully, it does seem a comforting fate,” Sarah laughed softly under her breath. “I see you are still latched onto Willis the Weasel.”

“We do have quite a cozy little burrow between us,” Your mother boomed as you father scowled and sat at her other side. “A few kits of our own.”

“I only ever had the one but he is more a snake. No surprise he does choose to feast on a mouse.” She remarked.

“She looks a mouse, but she’s a fierce beast indeed,” Your mother assured. “Why, I was sure by now you’d gone to stay with your husband.”

“Not just yet,” Sarah said. “Merely his former abode. A castle most quaint… and quiet. No doubt a relief from this den of fools.”

“Surely, but how bored we should be without fools to entertain us,” Sarah poured your mother a goblet of wine and you looked across at them astounded.

You’d known your mother to have been at court as a youth but she never mentioned such a kinship to the queen. The two of them were enlivened by their former acquaintance and you were stunned to find the dowager almost giddy. Her son looked just as surprised. The women leaned in as they lowered their voices and began to titter over their rims.

“Hugh,” Steven motioned to the footman, “You may call for the food. We’re ready to begin.”

The servant nodded and marched off to his task. The king sat back and held his chin in his hand as he watched the ladies laugh quietly. Slowly his eyes strayed and found you watching him. The wrinkles left his forehead as he smiled and sat up. He leaned on the arm of the chair and towards you.

“My love,” He whispered. “You handled her as well as any can. Even me.”

You nodded and lowered your lashes. “Thank you.”

“Perhaps your mother can soften her yet,” He said. “But she does not hate you entirely. It is only her way.”

“I shall be patient.” You replied softly.

“As I will be,” He countered with a smirk, “As I have been.“

👑

Your mother insisted on silk the colour of rose petals. She said it made you glow though you felt little more than an impostor. The first fitting had been near disastrous but the second was reassuring. This one was stressful.

In a week, you'd be taken away to the castle of Heron's Ford. There you would spend the fortnight preceding the wedding in isolation with your mother and your maids. The tradition offered a brief respite before you were to face the inevitable but in your mind, it was barely long enough.

You stood before the long mirror as your mother placed pins to mark the last of her adjustments. Along the neckline, she'd woven silver and magenta ribbons over the bodice. The shoulders were wide set and displayed your collarbone without seeming risque. The sleeves were fitted to your wrists and slitted with white satin. The skirts were full and the same silver ribbons trimmed the hem.

You inhaled deeply and sighed. Your mother looked up from her work and stood straight.

"Dear… what is it that troubles you so?" She asked.

"Oh mother, you are braver than me for I feel a terrible dread." You mourned. "I have felt it since… since the last queen was marched to her death."

Your mother frowned and set aside the pins. "We all do. Ladies, that is. To think a queen could be cast aside so easily but… it does embolden us to think an earl's daughter can be raised all the same."

"I know I'm fortunate but I do not feel it." You lamented. "I know little of being a queen, I was a poor enough lady."

"You will learn because you must," Your mother said. "And there is one thing that should secure you against the fate of the queen."

"Which is?" You wondered.

"An heir. If you can bear a child, or more, you will not need to fear." Your mother touched your sleeve kindly. "I never struggled to conceive though I did bear only daughters and your sister quickened almost upon her wedding night."

"And if I cannot?"

"You mustn't think of that now," Your mother said. "You must cling to hope until it is extinguished."

"I fear I've not had hope since I was a girl." You admitted. "I have ever disappointed father and I do think my husband shall one day be as cruel to me as he is."

"My girl, you are… blind. I see the king and how he dotes on you. He abides more of you than any. I see that he does long for you deeply and while I cannot promise his faithfulness I do see his persistence." She mulled. "Why, you only need tend your wifely duties and I think he should be pleased."

"And if I cannot?"

She frowned. "Well, a wife's ability barely matters for a husband should perform his duty either way."

You hung your head. "I am trying." You uttered. "But I cannot accept it though I know it is not up to me." You turned from her and tried not to loosen the pins. "This crown shall ensure the hate I've sown among the court. I know it."

"Dear, you do have too little esteem in yourself," She chided. "These people do not hate you. They fear the king and his impulses. They have seen the unbelievable and they do appease the king's wrath. They see a girl like a fawn; terrified but caught in a hunter's snare."

"Is that what they see?"

"They should. And if they do not see that, they see the blood of a queen upon their hands and that they do fear that theirs could just as easily be spilled." Your mother came up beside you.

"You are not Eleanor, you are not trained to be queen. And you are surely not Sarah. But you are you. You are kind and you are sweet. Those are as much strengths as any." Your mother turned you to face her and cradled your face in her hands. "You are strong for you have remained resilient through all this."

"But I am scared." You breathed.

"That, my girl, is human. We are all afraid." She said. "Even me. Even your father. Even the king."

You stared at your mother and she drew you into an embrace. "I love you, mother."

"I love you too, dear," She cooed. "My queen."

"Mother," You pulled away from her and she grinned.

"I must practice." She said. "It'll take some getting used to but I think I can manage. Oh! Imagine your father. How he should hate to say it."

You shook your head and giggled. "Then I shall make him call me nothing else."

There was a knock at the door. You had dismissed Rita as you'd quickly tired of her silence after breaking your fast that morning. You crossed to the doors carefully and opened the left one. Your mother watched from behind as she grabbed her pins once more.

"Lord Barnes," You greeted him in surprise.

"My lady," He returned. "I come bearing a gift from the king."

"Why, my lord, thank you," You replied. "A valiant messenger indeed."

"It is for your wedding, I understand," He said dully. "I see you are already of the mind for preparations."

"Do invite him in, daughter," Your mother called. "I never turn away such a handsome caller."

"Mother," You reproached as you looked over your shoulder.

"We should need a second opinion," She added. "Even a man's."

"I should be on my way. The council does gather." Barnes intoned.

"It will not take very long," She insisted. "Only if you should continue to delay."

"Very well," He relented and you shuffled backwards to let him through.

He closed the door behind him and you turned back to approach your mother. You stood before the mirror as she placed another pin. "Now, Lord Barnes, do you think I should add another ornament along her bodice?"

He squinted and clung to the box in his hands. He stared at you in the mirror and shrugged. "My lady, I am not one for fashion but I do think she looks fine indeed." He replied. "And I do offer another ornament already."

"Ah yes," Your mother nodded, "Let us see this newest bauble."

He removed the lid from the box and held it out. A thin silver coronet with pearls along it sat upon a cushion. "The king did say it is merely a placeholder until the coronation," He explained.

"A rather extravagant placeholder," Your mother took the coronet and lifted it as she turned to you. She lowered it onto your brow and stepped back. "Beautiful."

"Indeed," Barnes agreed. "I think I prefer the simplicity."

"As you would," You snorted.

Your mother tilted her head as she looked between you and Barnes but said nothing.

"This court would distort the merest turn of phrase and the simplest stitch of thread," Barnes countered. "I do not think it unnatural to long for the simple."

"If one should abide the court, they must bide its nuisances," You challenged. "There is but one escape from such."

"Surely, we do abide," He said firmly. "As painful as it should prove."

Your nostrils flared as you met his gaze at last. He finally looked away from the mirror as he turned to you directly. You glared at him as his brow crinkled. You set your jaw as you sneered at him.

"I thank you, Lord Barnes, for delivering this gift." You reached to touch the coronet. "I shall be a beaming bride indeed."

"So you will," He nodded curtly.

"You may tell the king I thank him," You said stiffly as you lowered your hand and grasped your skirts tightly. "That I do look forward to our union most… eagerly."

"As you wish…" He bowed and slowly backed away, "My lady."

"My lord," You said all too sharply as he retreated to the door. "We should hate to keep you from council."

"I should be in time, I think," He contended. "Good day, ladies."

"And you, Lord Barnes." Your mother answered as you returned your attention to your reflection.

The door opened and closed again. A silence pervaded the chamber as your mother watched you in the mirror. You avoided her gaze as you pretended to adjust the coronet.

"You are mad at him." She mused.

"No." You lied.

She scoffed and crossed her arms. "Don't play coy with me, girl. I suspect if I hadn't been here, he might not have been spared a strike across his cheek."

"If you were not here, he'd not have been permitted in my chambers." You declared.

"You doubt your potential, my dear, yet you sound a queen to me already." She snickered.

"He does not bother me," You insisted. "He is but the king's man. I tolerate him."

Your mother's smile fell. Her eyes found yours in the mirror and she quirked her head. She dropped her arms and her hands went to her hips.

"Oh, dear," She said though you could not figure if she referred to you or expressed the concern which wrinkled her forehead. "Do not let that boy affect you so."

"He does not." You retorted.

"He does so," She argued. "Oh, no no no. I do like your head as it is and not only for that pretty gift the king has sent you."

"Mother," You huffed.

"Daughter," She mocked. "Do not think others will not see as I do. That man is more than the king's man. You encourage him this and he shall want to be yours."

"That's silly. He is loyal to his master. He has done his bidding, delivered his gifts, delivered me." You spat. "He is beholden but certainly not to me."

"The heart is silly," She grabbed your arm as she stepped before you and looked you in the face. "And you should know it is hardly restrained by decorum."

You stared back at her then looked to the door. You surely didn't care so much for Barnes. You couldn't, he was the king's friend and you were the king's betrothed. It could not be. So then why were you so mad at him? And why did it hurt so much?

#tapestry #Steve Rogers #dark steve rogers #dark!steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #dark steve rogers x reader #dark!steve rogers x reader #fic #series #au #medieval au #mcu #marvel #captain america #dark fic #dark!fic #bucky barnes x reader #Bucky Barnes

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determinationisnotcrash · 4 years

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Conspiracy! Search Between the Lines of the Movie Script!

I wrote animated actor skits between the characters as a joke on the RP part of the @gbpack-discord , but then I thought about what kind of studio would allow the use of very real laser-shooting bone beasts in movies, as well as what kind of actors would stay around laser-shooting bone beasts, and this oneshot was born.

Impact and Soichiro belong to me.

Sabre and his brother (tentative name: Tsurugi) belong to @paddie-ut

Rigel and his brother (tentative name: Kaoru) belong to @skellepuns

Sabre helplessly clung for his life to the branch at the top of the prop tree like a stuck cat. “So this is how I die… Mum… Dad… Bro… I’m so sorry… You were right, I should have just stayed home doing Super Robot Wars recordings all along…”

Impact – or rather, the creature playing the role of the beastman’s body – kept trying to leap up at Sans, eying him hungrily like it had just discovered what it would have for its next meal.

From a safe distance (knowing well that trying to interfere himself would lead to being ripped in two), Impact’s voice actor yelled. “Hang in there, Sabre! You’ll be alright! Help is on its way! As long as you sit tight and don’t move-”

CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

The raptor started munching on the tree, its massive jaws easily slicing through the thick material like butter! The skeletal actor facepalmed, feeling quite foolish for jinxing it.

On the other hand (or rather, paw), another actor decided he’d had enough of seeing his co-worker being chased around by beasts. With several heavy footsteps, Rigel dashed towards the raptor and tackled it, wrestling it to the ground.

In his base humanoid form, it would have been like throwing himself at a brick wall. But in that half-beast shape, not only did he have a lot extra weight to throw around, he had quite the solid constitution. The ravenous animal snapped and struggled like the beast it was, but it was completely pinned.

Just in time, the people Impact’s voice actor called over arrived! Rigel carefully handed it over, not releasing his grip until it was safely in chains.

Rigel turned upwards towards his friend, putting on what he hoped looked like a reassuring smile. “Alright, Sabre! It’s safe to come down now!”

The small half-Blaster slid down to the ground. Without a moment’s hesitation, he sprinted past the others and off the set.

“Sabre…? Wait! We’re not finished with this scene!”

***

Break Room

Sabre huddled in the break room, staring grumpily at nothing in particular. During this time, several staff passed by, such as the ones in charge of props and special effects, but it felt too awkward for them to talk.

This continued for about half an hour… before he was startled out of his sulk by the sound of a coin rolling into a vending machine slot. A claw-tipped hand holding a canned drink entered his field of vision. “Wanna talk about it?” Sabre followed the arm to see…

“You’re Rigel… no, your real name is…”

“My name really is Rigel. Rigel H. Aster. Yours?”

“Rigel H. Aster…?” Sabre’s face lit up at the familiar surname. “I know you! You’re one of the leads of Pink Dark Boy! And the main lead of The Silver Soul! As for my name… it’s also really Sabre. Sabre Midorikawa.”

Rigel’s smile remained on his muzzle, but his eyes slightly narrowed at the last sentence. “Heh, that is what I’m famous for. But Midorikawa…? The actor half the staff- no, half the world is practically in love with? Did you use connections to…? And hold on a sec, how can a blind man watch television?”

A green blush tinted the small Blaster’s cheeks. “O-oh, I’m not actually blind.” He lifted a handpaw and with a cartoonish POP sound, the socket-blackening lenses came out. “And yes, I would like to talk about it. I just can’t stand the Director’s choices anymore! I thought I had the resolve to keep coming here, no matter what, but now…”

The tall, bulky skeleton nodded, taking a sip of his own soda, but his eyes bugged out upon the unfamiliar flavour reaching his tongue. He looked down at the can. Grass Jelly…!? Then Sabre got…

“EUUUUGH!” Several splutters and coughs left the man’s maw, his entire face seemingly scrunching up. “This milk…! It expired years ago!”

“Sorry, I should’ve known not to trust in company import vending machines.” Taking both cans, the blue humanoid dragon poured them down the sink, before chucking the empty cans away. It was for the sewage plants to deal with now. He silently wished them luck. “…Anyway, people drop in and out all the time. I don’t think anyone would blame you for wanting to leave. Just one question I’d like to ask, first…”

Sabre felt uncomfortable, shifting under the dragon man’s gaze. “Depends what it is…”

“Why did you come here in the first place? Everyone around the world is aware of the Director’s extreme methods. His movies have a massive following, but he’s renowned on the streets as a terrible employer.”

The smaller Blaster’s eyes seemed to shift their focus to thin air, recounting a time that had already passed. “Can you keep a secret?”

Rigel nodded solemnly.

Sabre checked the area around him, before ushering Rigel into the restroom and locking the door. He sat down on the toilet, getting ready for a long explanation. “It’s the reason I chose to have my character be a blind man to begin with… And the reason why that ‘Impact’ creature the Director brought along makes me so uncomfortable. I’m not only an actor, you see…

“I do detective work on the side – anything from missing pets, goods, or people… to dangerous cases, involving things like human trafficking and drugs. Mind you, I don’t operate alone. The reason why I’m not beloved as a detective is that my brother Tsurugi is the figurehead of our operations.”

That name was enough to make Rigel’s hair stand on end… is what would have happened if he had any. Instead, his ectobody tensed up, going from the consistency of blueberry jelly to more firm agar jelly. “That Tsurugi… The Early Genius? You’ve gotta be pulling my leg!”

Sabre disproved him, taking out his wallet and revealing a photo of them together. “I’m dead serious.”

“N-no way…”

“Way. Tsurugi’s hailed as a genius and a fighter, but that isn’t entirely correct. He’s the combat expert who handles the battles, whereas I’m the discrete thinker. He shines in the light, whereas I loyally provide him with everything he needs from the shadows.”

Cogs in Rigel’s skull started to turn. “I see… but… wasn’t he recently…?”

A grimace formed on the shorter man’s face as he confirmed. “Yeah. It was a crime in my hometown…”

***

La Gias City, two months ago

“HAAAAAA…! TASTE THIS, MY SIGNATURE TECHNIQUE! HUNDRED STORM FIST!” With strength beyond that of mortal men, the skeleton let out a fist rush, the wind stirred up from each punch being enough to blow away all his opponents!

“Heads up, bro! They’ve got reinforcements coming from below!”

Tsurugi’s confident grin didn’t fade. “Is that so? Then…” He leaped into the air, a powerful aura flowing around him, before doing a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree spin and colliding straight into the wave of mooks coming from downstairs. “LIGHTNING KIIIICK!” The room around him illuminated brilliantly! In one fell swoop, they were all immobilised!

Sabre couldn’t help but grin upon witnessing his brother’s handiwork. He really was amazing…! “Alright, proceed! The ‘boss’ is at the top!”

“Roger that!” Tsurugi sprinted up the stairs, entering a large, grandiose office room. It looked almost like the huge, majestic boss’ offices he saw on television: larger than a personal office had any right to be, elaborate paintings on the wall, and the back wall being a transparent window showcasing the night city skyline. Within it… he came face-to-face with the enemy.

Shouting with bravado, the man pointed a finger at the human woman behind the desk. “Well then, you’re the one behind all this! Kidnapping all those poor schoolboys!”

“Of course~!” The Evil Eleanor giggled. “My desire is nothing more than to dominate the young. So rather than brutes and savages, those boys are used to create fine gentlemen! Gentlemen for me to do whatever I wish with!”

“Such dreadful desires…! Desires befitting of a supervillain! Therefore, you must be punished as one!”

Eleanor cackled like a witch, the laugh of an evil hag erupting from the otherwise beautiful face. “Just try and stop me, Tsurugi! Come, my loyal guard dogs!”

“B-bro…! Be careful! My console is picking up several extremely high energy readings right next to you!”

The paintings to the side opened up, revealing skeletal demonic creatures that looked like they crawled out of hell itself. Curved, goat-like horns. Maws filled with vicious, blade-like teeth. They were completely covered in wicked spikes, to the point where simply approaching one would cause physical harm. And the worst part was…!

Tsurugi had seen his fair share of criminals, but the eyes of these creatures? They were something far worse than even the scummiest of lawbreakers! These beings… they radiated pure evil. An unstoppable force of nature unbound by the laws of society or the modern world! The simple sight of them made the half-beast skeleton break out into a cold sweat.

“Ufufu~ Marvellous, aren’t they? I know you’re world-renowned for your close combat fighting style. These wonderful creatures are the ultimate counter!”

“Indeed…” Tsurugi took out a handkerchief and dabbed at his skull. “You have me beat… I truly have no way of countering with my Dragon Style CQC… However!” Determination ignited in his eyes. With a snap of the fingers, several airborne mechanical drones burst through the roof and from below. “You’re sorely mistaken if you think my hands and feet were my only weapons!”

Eleanor’s face contorting into all sorts of ugly expressions, she screamed, “DO IT! MAUL HIM!”

“FULL BURRRRRRRST!”

The world become awash with light… and when it cleared, there was nothing left of the demons but ash. The skeleton let out the breath he was holding. He didn’t say it out loud for obvious reasons, but those laser drones were experimental. There was an equal chance of them detonating and blowing him up.

Warily, he approached the soot-covered mastermind. “Now tell me, why did you kidnap all those boys? What meaning is there in taking innocent children away from their family and friends? Most importantly… where are they now!?”

The only response he got was a wad of spit in his face. “Fufufu… You foolish skeleton… because you had to play teen detective, you’re marked! ‘They’ will pursue you to the ends of the Earth, until you’re silenced! Guhhh…” The life faded from her eyes. Unfortunately, it seemed that was all the information he would ever be able to receive from her.

***

The next night, Midorikawa Household

Tsurugi shifted in bed uncomfortably, that woman’s words still bouncing around his skull. It was the wee hours of the morning, yet he was unable to sleep. They… they… who were they…?

The sound of the fridge opening and being messily rummaged through, for once, was welcome. Sabre! Someone he could talk to about this!

Tail wagging vigorously, he leaped out of bed and all but sprinted downstairs into the kitchen. The creature he saw there would be the last thing he would see for quite some time. “…Y-you’re-!”

SLASH!

***

Present Day

Sabre finished his tale, a lump in his throat. “He was taken completely off-guard. The fact that he managed to fight it off anyway while blinded, unable to use his equipment, and hurt by physical contact with it is impressive, but just what I’d expect of my bro.

“No damage is permanent… he’ll heal, thanks to the funding and technology we have… but it’ll be a while before he’s able to see or move properly again. For that purpose, he’s in hiding right now while recovering. We took the opportunity to fake his death for now.”

The Blaster shuddered again at the recollection. “I felt crushed by that. If it weren’t for me wanting my brother to have all the glory… He wouldn’t have been targeted. I tried to make up for it by coming here, but… I’m starting to wonder whether it’s even worth it, if simple situations like these nearly kill me. If I’m just causing more problems…”

Rigel attempted a comforting purr, patting his friend on the back. “Sabre… It’s admirable that you’re doing something like this. I… I have a secret to reveal, too.” He reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a shiny golden badge. “I’m a member of the International Police. Kit is, as well.”

“What!? I thought that was just a thing in movies!”

Chuckling, the dragon gave a friendly wink. “That’s what they want you to think!” The amiable expression, however, disappeared as he continued his explanation. “There have been a lot of funds diverted to the Director and his projects, some through legal means, others through not-so-legal means. A lot of money laundering’s been going on.

“And additionally, there’s… you know, that… thing. ‘Impact’. I became familiar with creatures like it prior to coming here. I performed an infiltration in one of the Director’s secret labs with my brother. What I found was something terrible…”

***

Lightbringer Labs, one month ago

Rigel had to physically clutch his snout to prevent the vomit from coming out. “T-this is…!” Familiar footsteps quickly approached from behind him, causing his heart to leap into his throat. “Kaoru, don’t look-!”

Too late! His brother had already seen the awful sight. “N-no… No, no, no, no, no, no, no…!” Those children were…!

In contrast to the hi-tech, futuristic outer walls of the institute, this room looked like it belonged to a deranged cult. Strange symbols, coupled with indecipherable writing were drawn in red paint(…?) all over the walls and floor, and beaten, ragged-looking children were placed in the very centre.

Cloaked figures surrounding the circle chanted out harsh, disgusting-sounding words, as a large muscular figure approached the children. It slowly raised its blade, and…! And…!! The two brothers reflexively looked away, but the sound of the splatter and the scent of blood were enough to confirm what had happened.

The room was soon filled with a terrible atmosphere – one that made Rigel even more physically sick than he already was. He had to fight the instinct to just flee that rose within him. The waves of evil aura became stronger and stronger… and a ball of shadow coalesced at the centre of the room. One of the cloaked figures grabbed it before Rigel could get a good look at it… but it was skeletal. And moving.

A smile – not genuine in the slightest and more like the fake one of a dog’s or dolphin’s – spread across the face of the staff member next to them. “Remember, you signed the legally binding contract! If you speak a word of this classified information to the general public… You’ll soon join them.”

A voice in Rigel’s mind screamed at him to tear the man apart. But he knew that wouldn’t get him anywhere, and he had to bear it for now.

***

“Connections across the world, where they kidnap sacrifices… Labs, where they create hellbeasts… A movie, where they use real live hellbeasts… and, where they aim to portray said hellbeasts in a positive and affable light…

“I don’t know what the Director’s goal is, but it’s something sinister for sure. That’s why Kit and I decided to come here.”

This new information made Sabre’s head spin. Those children Tsurugi couldn’t save… and it was happening all across Earth…? After what felt like hours, though in reality it was a minute at most, the skeleton came to a decision. “…If the incident’s grown this large, then I have no choice but to keep going! My brother would have never turned a blind eye to an injustice like this! For my brother, and those poor children…”

Resolve starting to grow in his voice, Sabre continued, “We’ll beat that bastard at his own game! We’ll make a great movie, and find out what this Director is up to! Red, Doc, Mr Ignis, Magester, Ginger… maybe even that Soichiro guy who does lines for Impact! If we get them in on this as well, and use the creative control we’re allowed, we can foil the Director on all fronts!”

A grin spread across his face as the two of them left the toilet cubicle, heads held higher than anyone who had just taken a dump would look. Several stares went their way, but Sabre didn’t care at all. Just keep waiting, bro… soon, I’ll get to the bottom of this!

#undertale #gasterblaster au #gasterblaster sans #gasterblaster papyrus #my writing

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patricksilvrrozartistry · 6 years

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Current Music Obsessions: July 16 - 31, 2018

July is over, but this series goes on. Let's see them honorable mentions.

Phosphenes - People You Love Become Ghosts Morbid Violence - Knights Evictus - The Heart of Pandora Aural Vampire - Flare Stack Hatemagick - God ov Worms Eleine - Echoes Fleesh - Time Lapse Helion Prime - Silent Skies Vrsty - Neon 69 Chambers - Metamorphose 69 Chambers - Chemical Poetry Chaos Heidi - Anubis (Septicflesh cover) Twenty One Pilots - Jumpsuit/ Crystal Viper - At the Edge of Time Aquaria - Your Majesty Gaia Desdaemona - Invisible Thread Hell City - Your Darkest Hour 69 Chambers - Machine Aeternitas - A Case of Revenge Lullacry - Crucify My Heart Allamedah - Perspective Soul Desire - Rapture Lejana - The Dirty adn the Beast Eluveitie - Ira Sancti (When the Saints are Going Wild) [Powerwolf cover] Flyleaf - Broken Wings Tomoko Tane - Broken Wings I:Scintilla - Boxing Glove

And now for these obsessions.

1) To Paint the Sky - The Ghost

I recently cracked into my old YouTube account and decided to check out some of the music I was into back in the day and found this song. I'm honestly shocked by the fact that I genuinely enjoy this track. It's a catchy, fun jam and it's got emo/scene queen written all over it, but I really enjoy it.

2) Charli XCX - 5 in the Morning

I got curious as to why gay twitter was all over this song, so I decided to give it a listen and holy hell is this song absolutely amazing. I was blasting this song for weeks. It's such an epic jam. I really need to look more into her music.

3) Once - The Hour of Eden's Fall

I knew that their music was going to be amazing and was very excited when I heard they were going to be dropping their debut single, but I wasn't expecting this. This is some dramatic and powerful symphonic metal goodness right here. I've been a fan of Alina Lesnik for a few years now and I'm so happy that her own project is finally releasing music. I can't wait for the album to drop, because it's bound to be full of many more epic tracks, and maybe some even better than this one.

4) Zeromancer - Send Me an Angel

Another track I found on my old YT account. This song grew on me so quickly. Like I already enjoyed it, but as I continued to listen to it, I got really hooked on it. It has a really great industrial rock vibe going on with it that I really dig.

5) Ariana Grande - God is a Woman

This song is everything. Of all the songs she's released, this has to be my favorite. I know the gays are probably mad that I'm saying this, but this surpassed Into You for me. It's so powerful and beautiful and is absolutely everything. And the video. Oh my god, the video is STUNNING. And I love the screaming furry friends. So much yes.

6) Florence + the Machine - The End of Love

Not gonna lie, her new album didn't impress me that much, but this song really stood out to me. It's songs like this why I love Florence. You can hear so many of the beautiful dimensions of her voice here. It's full of so many emotions and is so captivating. Absolutely love it.

7) Foscor - Encenalls de Mort

Found this song through their record label. It's a really chill post rock/metal track. It might even fall into the blackgaze category, but I'm not familiar with that genre at all, so don't take my word for it. Anyways, this is a great track to just veg out to. It's very soft and soothing, but also has this broody kind of atmosphere to it.

8) Estrum - Abiosis

Once again, another find from my old YT account. I'm so glad I found this song, because I've had the music video for it stuck in my head for a few months now. This is a really great gothic metal track and I love how deep the singer's voice gets during the verses. I also love it when a female singer can hit some low notes. I'm definitely am gonna check out more from them.

9) WonderOnce - Morrigu

This was a random YT find and I absolutely need to hear more from them. This is such an epic symphonic metal track. The fantasy vibes are so real here. It has such a catchy feel to it. I love the blending of all the singers' voices. It just adds to the epicness of the track.

10) Synkvervet - Room of Angel (Akira Yamaoka cover)

I rekindled my love for this wonderful cover. I honestly prefer this over the original. These guys are such a great blackened symphonic gothic metal band and they turned this cover the fuck out. It's so beautiful and still just as haunting as the original, just with some added drama, and we all know how I feel about dramatic music at this point.

11) Thy Shade - Dies Irae

These guys recently released a video for my favorite song off their debut album. This song is powerful and dramatic. Pure symphonic gothic metal right here. It has some Therion vibes to it which fuels my love for it even more. I will say this though, the studio version is way more epic since they cut a decent amount out for the video. I hope they have more songs like this on their next album. And I also hope their front woman's voice has gotten a lot stronger since this release.

12) We are the Catalyst - One More Day

I'm always seeing an ad for them on Facebook and this song is always playing and it finally got stuck in my head. This is easily one of my favorites from them. It's so simple, but the amount of energy and emotion they put into it really makes it what it is.

13) Rhapsody of Fire - Magic of the Wizard's Dream feat. Christopher Lee

Ok. How am I just learning that Christopher was an opera singer? Not only that, but that he also did a song with Rhapsody of Fire? Holy tits. This is such an amazing duet. Fabio's voice is already so iconic and wonderful, but the two of them together is a match made in heaven. Such a powerful ballad track.

14) The Gathering - Eleanor

I recently got my hands on a copy of Mandylion, which is probably my favorite album of theirs from their doom days. This song wound up really sticking on me. It's a lot faster than a lot of the tracks off the album and has really pretty "orchestrations" in it. Such a gorgeous track.

15) Twenty One Pilots - Nico and the Niners

I've never really bought into the hype with these guys, but I really dig this track. I'm a sucker for pitch shift harmonies and that's exactly what this song has. But the vibe of this track is so cool. It has a bit of a trip hop kind of vibe to it and the chorus is really catchy. And don't get me started on that epic bridge.

16) Yuki Kajiura - Bloody Rabbit

I got curious as to what all anime soundtracks this iconic composer/singer has done and found out she did Pandora Hearts. I haven't gotten around to watching it, but I read the whole manga and it's a really cool story. This track is just pure amazingness. I miss the days when a lot her songs were like this; when they had this progressive pop vibe to them. Don't get me wrong, I love her cinematic stuff, but the pop and rock stuff are always gonna be my favorites.

And that's it for July. August is looking to be pretty interesting, and I'm also gonna dive back into my old YT to find more old jams. Shit's gonna get wild.

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pangolinheart · 6 years

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Here it is! My long-awaited submission to the @santa-age Dragon Age Secret Santa! This gift is for @errantgoat! She asked for something fluffy or bittersweet from the past of her Warden, Harvey Cousland! I hope this fits the bill! Hopefully I wasn’t too off on the characterization! (Also it’s a bit lengthy so most of it is under the cut!)

Title: Frida Rating: General Warnings: None

Harvey was a born wanderer. That was what Fergus thought, anyways. He had always been a solitary soul. Ever since he was a young boy, he was never happier than when he was alone on the coast. Their father called it “strange” and “irresponsible,” but their mother insisted he just had an adventurous spirit.

When he wasn’t roaming the teyrnier, he could usually be found pouring over maps in the castle library, making notations or just envisioning faraway places. That was where Fergus found him now.

He cleared his throat, as not to startle his brother. Harvey still jumped, wheeling to face him. He relaxed considerably when he saw Fergus.

It was easy to see where the rumors about his parentage came from. While Fergus looked like a younger copy of their father, Harvey looked nothing like the Teyrn; he had a long face, hawkish nose, and wild dark hair. The only thing that marked him as a Cousland was his eyes – verdant green, just like Eleanor’s.

“I apologize. I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Fergus said. “I was just on my way to look at Lorna’s pups. I thought you might like to join me.”

Harvey’s face fell. He looked downright miserable. While a litter of mabari pups was always cause for good cheer, these pups served as a painful reminder to Harvey. He had loved Lorna, their father’s faithful hound, as if she was his own. He had known the stately dog all his life. She had practically been his nursemaid. She had doted on Harvey almost as much as his own mother had.

She wasn’t supposed to breed – she was too old. But one night she had escaped, and had returned pregnant. Their father had been furious, and that fury turned to grief when the strain of the birth had been more than the aging mabari could take. She had taken her last breath as her pups had taken their first.

Harvey had been even more devastated than their father. His anguish was compounded by guilt – he couldn’t remember if he had securely latched her crate the night she escaped. Their mother had assured Harvey that Bryce didn’t blame him, but the icy looks the Teyrn had directed at his younger son made that difficult to believe. The youngest Cousland had tried to take responsibility by vowing to care for the pups, but Bryce was having none of it. He refused to entrust such valuable commodities to his wayward son. Instead, the puppies had been handed off to the kennel master.

Still, it was clear that Harvey felt some duty to the pups. Despite his obvious discomfort, he nodded. “Alright.”

The puppies were so young they could barely be classified as dogs. They looked more like exceptionally fuzzy potatoes. Their eyes were barely open, and they were capable of little more than toddling about.

The kennel master insisted that the pair make themselves useful. He handed each a bottle and shoved them towards the whining balls of fur. Hesitantly, Harvey picked up a mewling pup. It was surprisingly warm, and squirmed in his arm. He offered the bottle and the pup was quick to latch on. It fed eagerly, and Harvey marveled at the tiny creature in his grasp. It was hard to imagine that this small lump of fluff would eventually grow into a fearsome war dog. Certainly, the puppies were too small to fill the gaping hole Lorna had left in his heart, but perhaps they could soothe the ache a bit.

After feeding for a few more minutes, the pup in his arms yawned and shifted. Soon, it was fast asleep. Though Fergus had already moved on to the next puppy, Harvey couldn’t bring himself to put the snoozing dog down. He cradled it and stroked its head while Fergus attended to the other two pups. He only relinquished his burden when the kennel master came to shoo them away.

After that day, Harvey became a fixture of the kennels. He materialized on the daily to attend to the needs of the litter. At first there was little for him to do other than bottle-feed the pups, sweep out their pen, and the entertain them with bits of string and sticks. The labor was menial, but Harvey took it seriously. While he still mourned the loss of their mother, he carried a certain fondness for the young mabari, and it came as a huge blow when one of the females succumbed to an illness that winter. He hid any tears he may have shed, but everyone could tell how deeply the death affected him. For the first time in more than a month, he disappeared on one of his solo journeys to the coast. Fergus had worried after him, but within days Harvey had returned and resumed his duties at the kennel, as resolute as ever.

As the remaining three pups grew, Harvey spent more and more time with them. He brushed their fur, bathed them, and helped to teach them rudimentary commands. They were quick learners, and were soon ready to move beyond simple tasks like “sit” and “stay”. From there the kennel master took over. He insisted that the training of such noble beasts was too important to be left in the hands of some snot-nosed son-of-a-noble, but allowed Harvey to watch their sessions. After all, the stern-looking boy was nothing if not dedicated.

Harvey was diligent about attending training. He would watch from the sidelines as the pups chased clay pigeons or practiced charging at armored dummies. They had grown to more than half their full size, but still retained their puppy-ish clumsiness. As often as not, exercises ended with one or another toppling head over heels and landing in a heap. Harvey did his best not to snicker while the kennel master threw up his hands in exasperation.Under the tutelage of the kennel master, though, the pups slowly learned the arts of hunting, tracking, guarding, and battling. Harvey with sometimes charged with shouting orders, giving rewards, or even acting as bait. By that point the dogs recognized him and would crowd around him, vying for treats or head scratches.

The older the puppies got, the more distinct they became. None yet had a name – those would be for their eventual masters to choose – and all were the same mottled brown color, but their unique personalities shone through, making them easily distinguishable. To Harvey’s disappointment, none were much like their matronly mother, who had been wise and dignified. But they were young yet, the kennel master assured him, and may come around.

One of the males was a cautious, watchful dog, always the last to join in games and play fights. He frequently balked at the sound of clashing steel, and was cursed for it by the kennel master. His wariness of strangers, however, made him an excellent guard dog. The other was something of a showboat. He reveled in displaying his talents and the praise he garnered for it. After completing an exercise, he would prance around the field, giving them a chance to admire him. He was a skilled hunter and tracker, but his constant quest was approval was tiresome.

The female was the most vexing of the three. She was mischievous, rambunctious, and particularly slobbery (or so Harvey thought). While she was fiercely protective of her siblings, she would also lead them into trouble. Unfortunately, Harvey noted, she also seemed quite fond of him. Every day she greeted him by jumping up and licking his face until she was shoved off. Whenever he was near the kennel, she would follow him around like a particularly noisy shadow, shoving her wet nose into whatever he happened to be doing. Sometimes, during hunting lessons, she would bring her catch to Harvey rather than the kennel master. She would be scolded by both men, but it never seemed to curb the behavior.

Bryce Cousland disapproved of the time his son spent with the dogs. The fact that Harvey would neglect classes or important meetings to attend to the puppies was a source of endless frustration, and he often complained when Harvey showed up to dinner smelling of mabari. The term “dog-lord,” he mused, had never been so appropriate. Eleanor, ever the buffer between the two, defended Harvey. It was good for the boy to take on such responsibilities. Besides, he was spending more time within the castle walls rather than traipsing about in the wilderness. Bryce begrudgingly agreed, but never missed an opportunity to lecture Harvey about spending more time on his studies and less time playing with the hounds. Harvey was unfazed. His father had never approved of anything he did, and he didn’t expect him to start now. Especially with the loss of his own companion still festering.

Harvey wasn’t sure when the trouble started, but it came to a head while he lay curled up in his bed late one night. He had been sleeping soundly when he was awakened by a scratching at his door. At first, he thought the sound was the remnant of a dream, but then it came again, this time louder and more demanding. Harvey sat up, torn between fear and annoyance. This was how men died in all the old ghost stories, he lamented.

He lay completely still, barely breathing, for several minutes, hoping that whatever ghoul was lurking at his door would give up and move on. But it was insistent, and the scratching was joined by soft, plaintive cries. It was clear that he would get no peace that night. What was worse, he was growing concerned that the racket would wake his parents. He decided he feared his father’s admonishments more than ghosts.

Rallying his courage, he slid out of bed and grabbed a sword from the corner of the room. Slowly, quietly, he crept towards the door. Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, he swung it open.

He didn’t have time to register what was happening before he was hit with a hundred pounds of smelly, slobbery, mabari. He stumbled back and threw up his arms to shield himself, but it was too late. The dog had its tongue all over his face, stubby little tail wagging at record speed.

“Gah!” he gasped, pushing the beast away from him. Undeterred, the mabari continued wagging its tail and gazed at him affectionately as he wiped the drool from his face. He instantly recognized the soft, brown eyes and expressive features.

“What are you doing here?” He hissed. “How did you get out of the kennel?!”

The young female just panted at him. He thought she looked pleased.

“You can’t be here!” He insisted, “We’ll both be in trouble if someone finds you here!”

She yawned, unimpressed by the prospect.

Harvey groaned. “Why are you even here?”

At this, the mabari yipped excitedly and pushed past him to jump up on his bed. She circled several times before settling at the foot of the bed and resting her head in her paws.

Harvey stood there mutely, mouth agape. “Oh no!” He spluttered when his mind finally caught up with him. “You are not staying here. No way. This is my room, not yours. You have a perfectly nice kennel to sleep in.”

The mabari whined upon hearing this, but Harvey would not be swayed by the dog’s hurt expression.“Don’t give me that look! Come on, I’m taking you back to where you belong.”

The dog whimpered again and lingered on the bed. Agitated, Harvey affected his most authoritative tone and commanded, “Come!”

Finally, the dog slunk off the bed, head and tail drooping. Harvey couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty, but he stood his ground. “Maybe your master will let you sleep on their bed, but you can’t sleep on mine,” He tried to explain, until he realized he was reasoning with a dog. “Ugh. Let’s just get you back to the kennel.”

The dog dragged her feet the whole way, but Harvey was eventually able to coax her back into the dog kennel and into her enclosure. She cried sadly as he turned to leave, and attempted to follow.“No! Stay!” He instructed. She complied, but continued to whine. When he closed the door behind him she let out a mournful howl. Not wanting to be discovered, Harvey sprinted out of the kennel and all the way back to his bedroom.

The next day he told the kennel master to double check the latches on all the dogs’ pens.

He hoped that would be the end of it, but Harvey had never been that lucky. The next night the mabari was back for a repeat performance. Once again, he escorted the dog back to the kennels. Undaunted, she returned the next night. And the next. And the next. Soon it was a nightly ritual. For more than two weeks he would wake in the small hours of the morning to the dog pawing at his door. And every night he would drag her back to her own pen.

He was at his wits end. The kennel master, baffled by the young noble’s sudden intense interest in the security of the enclosures, assured him that all the locks and latches were in good working order. She shouldn’t have been able to escape at all! Ignoring or berating the offending mongrel only made her more determined to curry favor with him – a struggle he could sympathize with. He even stopped visiting the hounds altogether, hoping she might redirect her attention. Nothing seemed to work. He had done everything he could think of short of telling someone or leaving her until morning to be discovered. He couldn’t help but think that he had somehow brought this on himself. He didn’t want this father to know that he had somehow psychologically damaged one of Highever’s prized war hounds. As silly as it was, he also didn’t want the dog to be punished.

The midnight disturbances were taking a toll on him, though. He was tired and irritable during the day, and was repeatedly caught nodding off during meals and lectures. The dark circles under his eyes were becoming more and more pronounced. When someone, usually his mother or Fergus, asked him what was wrong, he would simply say he hadn’t slept well. It wasn’t exactly a lie.

That night had started like any other: with a scratching at his door. Harvey groaned into his pillow, cursing anyone he could think of – himself, the dog, the Maker. His body felt like lead, but he dragged himself to the door and yanked it open to glower at the mabari. She merely wagged her tail in greeting and dropped something at his feet. A gift. He sighed and knelt to pick it up, only realizing what he was doing when his hand wrapped around damp, matted fur.

“Ack!” He spat in surprise, dropping the item – a dead rat. A large one. Lips curled in distaste, Harvey picked the mangled creature up by the tail and held it at a distance. The dog wagged her tail.

“I don’t want this,” He told her, sternly. “This is disgusting. I’m not impressed.”

The mabari’s tail slowed to a stop, and she made a dejected sound.

Harvey sighed and dragged his free hand over his face. This couldn’t be happening. “Where did you even get this?” He grumbled. “Alright, come on. You know what comes next.” The mabari’s ears dropped, but she followed Harvey reluctantly out of the room.

Castle Cousland was eerie at night, with its ancient stone walls and creaky wooden fittings. Fergus had always delighted in spinning ghastly ghost stories set within the castle’s walls. Harvey was well past being scared, though. He was tired, annoyed, and could by now navigate the path between his room and the kennels on even the blackest night.

He paid no mind to the scuttling when it started, either because he was too tired to notice or too tired to care. The sound did not escape his keen-eared companion, however. She halted and sniffed the air.

“Oh, stop stalling,” Harvey said when he noticed she had stopped. He had grown used to her theatrics. He made to keep walking, an unspoken threat to leave her behind, when something scrabbled over his bare feet.

From there, the gates of the Black City burst open. Harvey gasped and stumbled backwards, flinging the dead rat he was carrying into the darkness in his surprise. The mabari took off after the offending critter – an even larger rat – barking wildly. The rat snarled and hissed in return. The ruckus was more than enough to rouse those sleeping in adjacent rooms. Torchlight flooded from cracks under doors to other suites. Harvey bolted after the dog to hush her, but it was too late. A door swung open, and the color drained from Harvey’s face.

It was his father.

“What in the Maker’s name is going on out here?” Bryce Cousland demanded.

Everyone froze. Harvey had a hand on the scruff of the dog’s neck, and what remained of an enormous rat dangled from her jaws. For a moment, nobody knew what to say.

Finally, Bryce broke the silence. “Is that a mabari?” He asked harshly. “Is this the racket I’ve been hearing every night? Is this why you’ve been practically falling asleep with your face in your breakfast?”

“It’s not my fault! I can explain!” Harvey exclaimed.

“Then by all means! Explain why you felt it necessary to sneak a mabari out of the kennels and gallivant about doing Maker-knows-what with it before the crack of dawn!”

“I didn’t!” Harvey’s heart sank. How did he explain this? He knew the truth hardly sounded believable. “She just keeps showing up! I don’t know how, but she gets out of her pen and comes to my door! I can’t get her to stop!”

Bryce scoffed. “Do you really expect me to believe that, boy? Don’t lie to me, Harvey!”

With Bryce’s voice rising, the dog chose that moment to interject, pulling back her lips and growling at the Teyrn. She stepped protectively in front of Harvey as she did so.

The older man’s eyes snapped to the dog.

“She didn’t mean it!” Harvey said quickly, trying to shove the mabari back behind him. She could be a nuisance, to be sure, but he didn’t want her to be treated harshly. He was sure threatening the Teyrn would not be received well.

Bryce looked from the dog, to Harvey, then back to the dog. “Come with me,” He said finally. His tone was calm, but that did little to put Harvey at ease. “And bring the dog,” He added.

Harvey exchanged glances with the mabari. They had little choice but to follow.

Bryce led them to his study, where he lit a few torches and took a seat behind his desk. “Sit,” He instructed, indicating a chair across the table from him.

Harvey sat. The dog came to stand next to him, still eyeing Bryce suspiciously. “Sit,” Harvey parroted the command at the dog. She sat.

Bryce studied his son, and Harvey shifted uncomfortably. “Tell me Harvey,” he started, “What do you remember from Aldous’ lectures about mabari?”

“Mabari are the pride of Ferelden,” Harvey answered automatically. “They were bred by the Formari to be smarter than other dogs. They’re said to be able to understand human speech, though they’re incapable of speaking themselves. They’re powerful, intelligent, and loyal. Fereldens keep them as hunters, guard dogs, companions, and war hounds. Mabari charges are an essential part of Ferelden military strategy.”

“Very good,” Bryce said, taking Harvey by surprise – praise from his father came about as often as the Blights! “Now, do you remember the part about imprinting?”

Harvey faltered, suddenly aware of where this was going and not wanting to believe it. “Mabari choose their masters. Most mabari will bond with one person and serve them for the rest of their life. The process is called imprinting. But I hardly see how that applies –”

“Precisely,” Bryce interrupted. He fixed Harvey with a serious stare. Harvey stared back, swallowing hard.

“Understand, I don’t say this lightly, Harvey. This dog,” He gestured to the mabari waiting attentively at Harvey’s side, “Is yours.”

“Father, you don’t have to –” Harvey started, but was cut off again.

“This is not my decision,” Bryce reminded him. “Nor is it yours. A man doesn’t choose his mabari – his mabari chooses him. This dog chose you.” Harvey opened his mouth to protest, but his father continued, “This is not a gift. At least, not from me. Mabari only bond with the worthy. A mabari’s respect is a mark of honor. Clearly, this dog sees something special in you. That is not something to be taken lightly. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir,” Harvey responded. In truth, he was conflicted. Of course, every Ferelden child dreamed of being partnered with a faithful mabari, but this was not at all how he imagined it happening. What was more, he had difficulty imagining himself partnered with this particular mabari for life. She was nothing like Lorna, and nothing like him. But it seemed he had no choice.

The mabari in question, on the other hand, looked as happy as she ever had. While she remained seated where Harvey had ordered, she wagged her tail and shoved her face into Harvey’s lap. From there she gazed up at him affectionately. Harvey reluctantly patted her head.

“Owning a mabari is also a large responsibility,” Bryce continued. “From now on the care of this dog will fall to you alone. It is your duty to feed her, clean up after her, and teach her. She still has much to learn. You are her master and she will look to you in all things. But more than that, the two of you are partners. You will care for each other. You will rely on each other. This, too, should not be taken lightly.”

Harvey nodded, considering the face in his lap. While it wasn’t ideal, he was determined to make it work, he decided. He would show his father, and the entire castle, that he was deserving of such an honor. He wouldn’t fail this dog as he had failed Lorna. “I understand,” He said resolutely. “I won’t let you down. Either of you.”

“Good,” Bryce said, then paused. He looked awkward. “Look, son, I know I can be hard on you at times but tonight, well… I’m proud of you.”

Harvey was at a loss. He wasn’t sure if he was more shocked that his father was proud of him, or that he had actually called him “son”. He was unsure how to respond to either. All he could manage was a quiet “Thank you.” He hoped his father couldn’t hear the lump forming in the back of his throat.

Bryce seemed equally uncomfortable with the display of affection. They sat in awkward silence for a long moment, before the Teyrn cleared his throat. “Yes, well…. You’re dismissed. Go back to bed. And take care of those maker-damned rats on your way.”

“Thank you,” Harvey repeated. He pushed the dog’s head off his lap and got to his feet. She looked at him expectantly. “Come on then,” he said, stifling a sigh. “Looks like you got what you wanted all along.”

The mabari barked happily and leapt up to bounce after Harvey.

“One more thing,” Bryce called after the pair. “A mabari needs a proper name.”

Harvey stopped and considered his dog thoughtfully. He considered her spunk, her mischievousness, her stubbornness. She could be a pest, but she made her dedication and unflagging optimism known. He placed a hand on the mabari’s head and peered into her eyes, willing her to understand him. “Frida,” he declared. “Her name is Frida.”

#pangolinheart #participant #santaage2017 #dragon age #cousland #harvey cousland #errantgoat #auggie writes

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themoonandotherslikeit · 4 years

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What the Rain Can’t Wash Away - Chapter 20

*FINAL PIECE IN THE LOOK IN HER EYES TRILOGY* Sixteen years after Lucifer rose and Dean lost his wife, he finds himself with a teenager, a Nephilim, an angel, and his brother living out a Full House rerun with some seriously dark undertones. How will he be able to raise his daughter, fight monsters, and deal with the loss of the love of his life? Sometimes moving on is the hardest part, but with the Winchester’s there’s always something harder around the corner. Isn’t there?

Chapter Twenty, A Little Piece of Heaven

Ella

Cas pulled away from our hug after a moment. He was staring at me with that look. His forehead was wrinkled, and the bags under his eyes hung heavier than I’d ever seen them. It was the same look that he gave us right before Dad was about to do something really stupid. Right before he told us that he couldn’t heal Jack. A pit grew in my stomach as the pieces came together. They clicked as they fell into a perfect picture. I died. It was the kind of realization that should’ve been earth shattering, but what’s the point of having everything crumble around me when it already did?

“What happened, Cas?”

He sat down in the seat that Dad was sitting in, and I settled back on the tattoo table where I’d been laying. His palms were flat on his knees, and his blue eyes were avoiding mine. He wasn’t one for beating around the bush, so things had to be bad.

“Michael took over. He attacked Dean… he was going to kill him.”

My gut wrenched. He couldn’t have killed Dad, if he did Dad would be here… wouldn’t he? “Is he…?”

Cas shook his head no, and I immediately breathed easier. “It was Jack. He saved Dean. He saved all of us.”

“Little Jackie,” I whispered, smiling to myself. “I always knew he’d be the one. He’d save us all. I think it’s his destiny, don’t you?”

His pair of blue eyes examined my face, searching for something. He didn’t smile. He didn’t agree. There was more. “What is it, Cas?”

“He burned his soul away killing Michael.”

“His soul… all of it?”

“I don’t know for certain. I haven’t had a chance to examine him.”

“Haven’t had a chance because…”

“Because he left,” Cas said sadly, his voice dropping another octave. It resonated through the empty room, making me feel so much more alone.

“Why would he do that?”

“When he killed Michael he burned you out, too.”

Oh.

His words hung in the air between us.

“He has to know that it isn’t his fault. He has to.”

Cas shook his head. “I don’t think he does, and Dean… Dean isn’t happy with how things turned out.”

My heart squeezed at the thought of my dad dealing with this. Oh god. Dad, Mom, Sam, Claire. I wanted to cry, but I bit down on the inside of my cheek instead. I couldn’t get emotional. It was all over. It’s been over. “Cas you have to get Jack back. You have to… you have to talk to my parents. You have to tell them that I’m okay. They can’t stop being a family.”

He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. He was a strong man, but even for a strong man, he was carrying far too much. “I will try, Eleanor. I will try my best. Things aren’t going well at the moment, as I’m sure you can imagine.”

“You can’t let them fall apart.” I could feel the tears welling in my eyes, disturbing my vision. “They have to figure it out. There isn’t any other choice.”

Ava

“Where the fuck are you, you coward?!”

“Ave,” Sam said with a wince.

I turned and looked at him from my kneeled position. I must’ve looked like a crazy person in my hands and knees in the snow, but fuck, what were my other options? “Leave me alone, Sam.”

I needed answers, and I was screaming to Chuck for some. It was pointless, I knew, because he wasn’t fucking listening. He didn’t care before, so why should he care now?

“When have I ever been capable of doing that?”

I closed my eyes and curled my fingers into the snow. “Never,” I admitted breathlessly. “She’s dead, Sam. I need her back. Dean needs her back. She’s our baby.”

“I know.” He placed a hand between my shoulder blades. It felt like he pressed a button, because my heart cracked then and sobs poured out of me. “I can’t… I can’t do this… I…”

“Hey,” he whispered, falling to his knees. He pulled me into his arms and held me like a child, like he used to.

It should’ve been Dean, but it wasn’t.

I’d always heard that losing a child would rip couples apart, but I was barely even back. Maybe there was nothing left to tear apart. “There has to be something that we can do.”

Sam shook his head. “I don’t know if there is. Rowena said there isn’t a spell… if she brought her back it would be Nel.”

He smelled familiar, even after all of this time. It was comforting. It brought back a completely different ache within me, one that I hadn’t realized was still there.

“I don’t think we will survive this, Sam. I think this will break us.”

“No,” Sam said sharply, shaking his head. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel his tears in my hair. “I won’t let that happen. I won’t.”

Dean

Nobody ever tells you that when you become a parent you’re no longer yourself. I wasn’t me before Nel was born, not really. We all give pieces of ourselves to the people that we love. Sammy has a big part, Ave has a chunk, but Eleanor… fuck she had more than I ever knew. Parents don’t outlive their kids. It ain’t the nature of the beast. It’s not how things go, but there I was, laying in the goddamn snow face down without my kid.

“Get the fuck up.”

I didn’t bother turning my head, because I couldn’t see them anyway. Didn’t need to even if my eyes did work. “Leave me be, blondie.”

“Fuck off.” Her voice was strong, rough, but pained nonetheless. I heard a crunch of snow and twigs next to my face and two small hands pulled on my shoulders. “You don’t get to do this.”

I tried to shake her off, but if I was being honest, I didn’t have the energy to fight. I was broken. “She’s gone,” was all that I could muster.

“I know that,” her voice broke. “Don’t you think I know that? She was the best thing, the best thing, Dean. The best damn thing that you or I have ever done. You know what it feels like to lose the love of your life so you don’t get to lay there in the snow feeling sorry for yourself when I have to pull myself up by my bootstraps.”

“You don’t have to.”

“What?”

“Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. When Ava died, I didn’t.”

“So what should I do instead?”

“Drink?” I offered with a laugh, feeling my skin sting against the cold from the snow against my numbing cheeks.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

I groaned and slowly sat up, turning my face in the direction of her voice. “Nah, kid. I’m not. Help an old man up, and I’ll share my stash with you.”

I half expected her to kick me in the chest, or walk away. What I didn’t expect, though, was her hand grabbing mine with a strong tug. “Fine, but I’m leading. Fall once and it’s okay, but you keep doing it and Sam is going to get you a seeing eye dog.”

I held onto her arm as I stood and kept a hold of it. Without my vision she could’ve been Nel. They were close to the same height and used the same shampoo. The calm that I felt from that thought only lasted for a second, because she wasn’t Nel. My heart squeezed again.

The familiar musty smell of the bunker invaded my nose. The air felt heavier down there, although I’d never noticed before. Claire rested my hand on the counter, and I felt around for a chair. When I felt the cool metal, I situated myself and sat down. My aching muscles seemed to sigh in relief at my sitting. I hadn’t really realized how much strain I put on myself trying to maneuver around without my eyes. “Top shelf,” I instructed. “Behind the cans of stew.”

I heard a creak, some rustling, then a click of glass. “How long have you been hiding this back here?”

“Bout as long as you’ve been alive. Grab two glasses.”

Was I really about to get fucked up with a teenager?

I tried for the thousandth time to open my eyes, expecting the darkness to dissipate. It didn’t.

She placed the glass at my fingers, and I picked it up. I placed my finger in the glass to check how much she filled it, a trick I’d seen on television before all of this shit happened. It turned out to be useful. I took a swig, letting the smooth liquid trail down my throat, lighting it on fire.

“What’s it like?” Claire asked.

“What’s what like?”

“Being blind.”

“Fucking sucks,” I admitted. “Feel vulnerable, useless… you know, more than usual.” I took another swig.

“Gonna keep feeling sorry for yourself forever?”

“Probably,” I admitted.

“She may not stick around for that.”

I pressed my lips together. “I know.” My voice was hollow, empty. I thought about Ava. Her long luscious black curls, her curvy hips and the way she swung them as she walked, her full lips, those blue eyes, and the lone freckle beneath her right breast. I wasn’t enough. She deserved a man a million times better than me. She always did. “She probably shouldn’t.”

My glass was empty, and Claire poured me another. “Do you think it’s true? That time heals all wounds?”

I shook my head and said nothing. Some things just couldn’t be healed. Some things left a crater so deep inside that there was no mending it.

“Do you blame yourself?” She asked.

“Yeah, don’t you blame me?”

“Sometimes.”

“Why just sometimes?”

“Because she wanted to be a hunter. After it all, she wanted to be in the life just like her dads. So it was inevitable. We all die like this.”

No wonder Nel loved her, she sounded a hell of a lot like me. “I wouldn’t have let her.”

Claire laughed, and if I hadn’t already been pretty drunk the sound would’ve shocked me. “No offense, Dean, but I don’t think you could let Ella do anything. She is a force of nature. Was.” Her voice broke.

I reached for her but found nothing but table. I curled my fingers into a fist. Everything was so fucked up and broken.

“What the fuck is going on in here?”

“Your turn to babysit,” Claire said.

“Yeah, give me that,” Ava said back to Claire with a bite in her voice. “None of us are useful drunk.”

If looks could kill I’d be dead, because I couldn’t even see her, but I could feel her daggers digging into me. “Don’t start.”

“Right,” Ava muttered. There was sloshing liquid inside of glass.

“Thought being drunk wasn’t gonna solve anything.”

“It won’t, but you’re not exactly helping, so I get a pass.”

I felt her fingers graze mine as she poured me another glass and my skin caught fire. I reached my hand out and grabbed her wrist. It felt so small in mine, and I almost lost it right there. “I’m a dick.”

“Yes,” she whispered. “You are.”

“I want you to hate me.”

“You’ve done that before and it didn’t work then.”

I could hear her swallow and her pale neck flashed through my mind. I loved the way it would heat up when I’d kiss down her throat. I used to be able to drown in her, forget everything about me that was wrong. I wanted her to hate me as much as I hated me. I didn’t deserve to have her since I killed our kid.

“You should hate me,” I barely mustered.

“Dean,” her voice trembled, filled with broken tears. “I need you. I lost her, too. I can’t… fuck, I can’t do this alone.”

I was the most selfish person alive. Who the fuck do I think I am? Who gave me the right to not be a man? It isn’t about me. It’s about Eleanor. It’s about Ava. It’s about our family. I pushed my whiskey glass out of the way and pulled her against me. It wasn’t as fluid as it used to be, when I could see. Our noses bumped, but I found her mouth quickly. No matter what, I knew that we could do this. This we could do.

She was warm, sweet, familiar. She tasted like whiskey. She tasted like home. I realized, then, that I never watched her as we kissed. This was something we always did in the dark. I brushed my hand over her cheek. They were wet, because she was still crying. She placed the bottle down with a klunk, and hastily wrapped her arms around my neck.

I’d become many things while Ava was gone. I was a demon, a knight of Hell, a martyr, a vessel, a bad brother, a terrible father, and a true killer. My heart ached for the life that we could’ve had if I never lost her that day. If I never lost her in the first place. Even though they were buried deeply, I still wore the scars from Hell like a badge of honor from a war in which I was on the assaulting side, the side that fired off rounds into a crowd of children.

Ella

My Heaven was a lot lonelier now that I knew everything. I sat alone in my room in the bunker. I could basically shape it to be whatever I wanted. It was like lucid dreaming, but a lot more final, a lot more depressing. I had no idea how much time had passed, but it felt like a long ass time. It kind of felt like forever.

There was a creak to my door and a blonde head popped in. The curious eyes that I knew so well caught mine. “Jack?” I searched my mind for a memory that was replaying on the big screen. It could’ve been a dozen.

“Ellie! There you are! You’re okay!”

The door swung open revealing a stark white hallway that definitely didn’t belong to the bunker. I sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. “Jackie, what’s going on? Are you really here?”

He ran to me and got on his knees. He took my hands in his. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to. I was trying to kill Michael I…”

“Shh, it’s okay,” I said, pulling him against me. His head rested on my chest. I half expected him to cry, but he didn’t. No soul. I swallowed hard. “Jack, you saved Dad.”

“He is blind,” Jack squeaked.

Oh my god. I felt like I was going to be sick, but I had to swallow that down, too.

“He’s strong, Jackie. He can help you. You have to go home. You have to go home…”

“How can I face them? You have to come with me…” He pulled on my hand, but I held my ground.

“I can’t come back. You have to understand. We can’t keep breaking the rules… every time one of us comes back another one of us dies. I can’t risk that. My parents deserve to be happy. They deserve to be together.” I touched his cheek and sighed. “My sweet little brother… Jackie you will do great things, but you can’t run from your family.”

“I don’t want to go home without you,” he whispered desperately, wrapping his arms around my middle.

I stroked his hair. “But Clementine will miss you.”

“She’s going to miss you more.”

“You can tell her that I love her and that I’m okay. I’ll be okay, I promise.”

He looked up at me, meeting my eyes with his brave golden ones. “You promise?”

“Yes,” I whispered, pressing my forehead to his. “I do.”

I moved out of his embrace, and I got a piece of paper and a pen. I scribbled down my thoughts. “Give this to my mom when you get back. It’ll explain everything.” I folded it a few times before giving it to him. “Her eyes only, okay?”

He nodded quickly. “I understand.”

“I love you, Jackie.”

He nodded to me and gave me one more hug. “I’ll go home now.”

“Good,” I whispered. I stood as he did, with my hands at my chest like I was watching him go off to war, because in a way he was. He opened the door to the hallway and closed it behind him, leaving me alone again.

I collapsed on my bed and let my emotions roll over me like it was the first time. Everything ached. My breast bone and my heart deep beneath it. I held my pillow to my chest and prayed to a god that I wasn’t sure existed that Dad wouldn’t kill Jack when he came back, that they would work everything out. They needed each other, more now than I ever.

The door knob to my room rattled again, and I looked up. It slowly opened, and I let out a heavy sigh. “Jack, you have to go, I’m sorry I don’t want to kick you out but…”

A woman stepped through the open door, halting my words in my mouth. I’d never seen her before, but there was an aura around her that seemed to flow out from around her. She pushed a dark curl out of her face and leaned against her sithe that was just as tall as she was. “Eleanor Winchester.”

“Who are you?” I asked cautiously, my pillow still pressed to my chest like a shield.

“The names Billie. We need to talk.”

—————

Chapter Twenty-One, I Can See it

Get caught up!

Tag list:

@deans-baby-momma

@xjamiedennettx

@linki-locks11

@sonnierae26

@ricky-666s-blog

@akshi8278

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britesparc · 4 years

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Weekend Top Ten #403

Top Ten Disney Villains

Chalk another one up to “topics I thought I’d already covered”…

So this weekend, or thereabouts, sees the release of Frozen II, which is cool because it uses the “II” instead of the “2”, which makes it seem all moody and epic. At the time of writing, I have not watched it, because I do not believe it is out. However, I will watch it, and not just because I have two little girls who at various points have been utterly nuts for Elsa and Anna. No, I will also watch it because Frozen is rather great and I’m interested to see what happens next. Hopefully Elsa will get a girlfriend. That’d be nice for her.

There are lots of things you could discuss when talking about Disney movies (and by Disney movies I mean specifically the animated “classics”, from Snow White to Wreck-It Ralph, from Cinderella to Moana; I am discounting Pixar movies for the time being, however). There’s the principle characters, the songs, the settings, the dresses… but today I will be discussing The Villains.

What is a Disney movie without a Big Bad? I mean, Winnie the Pooh, I suppose. Arguably Ralph Breaks the Internet. Even more arguably, Moana. Stuff like Dumbo and Pinocchio certainly have bad guys, but not over-arching nemeses. Anyway, where was I?

Yeah, so, Disney Villains. Iconic. Often terrifying. Sometimes hilarious. Kinda sexy? Yeah, sure, why not. They tend to get the best lines; often the best songs; sometimes they’re played with relish and gusto by the best actors. Although some villains sometimes have a bit of nuance, depth, or tragedy to them, most of the time we’re in strict hissing panto territory, and I don’t think that diminishes the films one iota. As our big, broad entertainment enjoys putting wrinkles in its evil linen – be it the fraternal intricacies of Loki or the self-pitying emotional outbursts of Kylo Ren – we do enjoy shades of grey. Therefore it’s all the more entertaining when somebody properly goes for it as a bad guy, and pulls out the Full Palpatine.

I’m not sure, either, quite why Disney excels at female villains. Even when their titular heroines are a bit wet – like Ariel or Aurora – the bad girls are full-throated, evil joys. Ursula and Maleficent are the best bits of those movies, Jamaican crabs notwithstanding. And, yes, they both get to be a bit sexy too. Is it some kind of dark undercurrent of misogyny, of Disney exploring tropes of the fallen woman? Is it something primordial, like a dark inversion of maternity (there are quite a few Wicked Stepmothers in Disney, after all)? Or is it just coz the animators liked drawing sexy bad girls? We’ll never know.

One notable – and unincluded – villain here is Hans, from Frozen (spoiler alert). He just slipped off the list – but then so did quite a few famous others. Hans is interesting because he’s an absolute bastard, conniving and scheming and murdering his way to the top in as sociopathic manner as possible. His heel turn was, for me at least, a surprise, and part of Frozen’s beautiful unpicking of common Disney fairytale tropes. The perfect love-at-first-sight duet partner turns out to be a lying, manipulative toe-rag. Although the film predated the #MeToo movement, Hans is the perfect poster-boy. Whilst his early-days civility and lack of a show-stopping villain theme song means he’s not quite as memorable a character, it’ll be interesting to see if Frozen II pulls off as successful a switcheroo, or has a villain that resonates as strongly with the film’s themes.

But enough of this guff. Let’s get wicked.

Scar (Jeremy Irons, The Lion King, 1994): pretty much the dictionary definition – alongside Alan Rickman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – of “upper-class English villainy”. It’s just delightful to listen to him enunciate his wickedness. This is Iago-level bastardry. Oscar-worthy.

Ursula (Pat Carroll, The Little Mermaid, 1989): ditto Ursula, who also brings a delightful, raw sexuality to an otherwise rather chaste movie (especially one that’s so concerned with body transmogrification). Great set of pipes, too.

Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy, Tangled, 2010): less of a sneering monster but more realistic in her purely wicked gaslighting. A case study in belittlement and subtle mental torture. Also another case of “belting villain song”.

Maleficent (Eleanor Audley, Sleeping Beauty, 1959): no real nuance, and sadly no real numbers, but Maleficent gets a nod due to her phenomenal visual design, an epic and iconic dragon battle, and just by being the embodiment of unreal, emotionless evil. A literal devil.

Gaston (Richard White, Beauty and the Beast, 1991): not the sneering evil overlord or psychological manipulator, but an early example of toxic masculinity and patriarchal suppression writ large (the size of a barge, in fact). Swagger, ego, and – horror – popularity, rallying the town behind his hate. Also – again – cracking tune.

Prince John (Peter Ustinov, Robin Hood, 1973): Disney doesn’t just do cold evil with its villains; much of the time they’re funny, too, and Prince John is like Captain Hook in being essentially a bumbling idiot used chiefly for comic relief. But he’s funnier than Hook, and with his thumb-sucking schtick, has a better, er, hook, too.

Professor Ratigan (Vincent Price, Basil the Great Mouse Detective, 1986): full disclosure, I’ve not seen this since I was a kid, but I loved Ratigan. Again, cool song; again, tremendous performance. But he managed to be both aloof and sneery yet utterly, primally terrifying; at the end, with his wild face and ripped clothes, he freaked out Young Me so much. Also one of the few Disney villains to actually flat-out murder someone.

Doctor Facilier (Keith David, The Princess and the Frog, 2009): AKA “The Soul Man”, Facilier is an interesting character that explores cultural roots of the film’s New Orleans setting, giving him a vibe (and, frankly, an ethnicity) that makes him unique. Plus he’s really creepy, with his scary “Friends on the Other Side” (great number), and a frankly unsettling death scene.

Lady Tremaine (Eleanor Audley, Cinderella, 1950): ploughing a similar manipulative furrow as Mother Gothel, Tremaine – the quintessential Wicked Stepmother – is a malicious, quiet presence, rarely shouting, never getting physical; she simply strips away everything of Cinderella’s until she’s left with a torn and tattered dress and no means of escape. She is The System which is all-controlling, and only magic is enough to defeat her.

Jafar (Jonathan Freeman, Aladdin, 1992): similar in his own way to the melodramatic villainy of Scar or Maleficent, Jafar also adds some baser human wants and lust for power. He’s a more physical villain, with some of Scar’s eloquence but more of Gaston’s personal need for growth, success, and – well – a bit of a legover. Doesn’t get a good song till The Return of Jafar, though.

So there we are: top Disney gits. Shame I didn’t have room for Mad Madam Mim from The Sword in the Stone, who was so nearly there, along with Hook and Hans. I did, however, veto supporting villains, henchmen, and second-tier bad guys, if you’re wondering where Smee, Iago, and Tamatoa are. Maybe that’s the subject for another Top Ten? Shiny!

#top ten #disney #disney movies #disney animation #disney princess #villains #bad guys

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mirage-05 · 7 years

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Horrors of Battle - Boruto Fanfic

Author’s note: Here is a little something I just couldn’t get out of my mind since I saw episode 13 of the Boruto series, and we finally got around to let it out with my friend @eleanor-devil in a short RP :D We thought it might be... interesting if the final battle of this arc took a turn like this and hope you enjoy it! Of course, favorites, reblogs and comments are always appreciated. Ehm... song suggestion for this fic is “Ready for Battle” from the new Boruto OST xD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUggPyCnEgw ... "C'mon, class rep... surely you must know something about how to stop this... this monster!..." Boruto was trying not to let it show, how literally terrified he felt... Things just took a decisively worst turn... Sumire had a change of heart - finally... but not before starting the detonation process... they were bruised and battered from the battle previously, and even the three of them couldn't both hold off the Nue and try to close the portal at the same time... "I'm sorry..." the purple haired girl genuinely sounded like she meant it. "Th... the Nue was not supposed to be stopped... once it is engaged, there is no turning back..." "No... no, there has to-" "There is a way." an almost... indifferent voice interrupted then, and both Boruto and Sumire turned to look at Mitsuki, who was just gazing at the monster calmly, as if the world as they know it wasn't going to end in a matter of time.

"Mitsuki...?" the blond muttered as he eyed the boy that just a few moments ago was only focused on ending Sumire's life... without muttering another word Mitsuki walked ahead of them just a few steps and his eyes never left the Nue's threatening eyes. The beast was growling at him but for some reason, it didn't raise its paw against him.

"Turns out there is another way to stop the Nue... without ending the user's life." He didn't turn to face them, Boruto felt sweat run down his face and his body... somehow grew cold when Mitsuki finally turned to look at him, still with those indifferent eyes. "Can you re-open the portal Boruto...?"

"I..." the blond started to say, but for a moment didn't continue, something about this... just didn't feel right, even though what his blue haired friend was saying was completely lost on him... Although then, it was no surprise, Mitsuki was indeed full of mysteries... A small frown came across his features. "What are you planning to do...?"

"Can you?"

"Answer me, Mitsuki." he said, his voice becoming slightly strained as he noticed how the blue haired boy just stepped aside his question. He didn't even notice his hands slowly curling into fists.

Mitsuki just continued looking at him for a few seconds more and then he turned back to look at the Nue... indeed what a great beast stood before him... ready to blow them all away... "I am going to seal it away... before the bomb goes off."

Both the other two's eyes widened at the words.

"But that's..." Sumire started.

"It's not impossible." He was stating facts, his tone didn't change.

"I don't care if it's impossible or not, you are not going to do that!" Boruto was loud... again... which just made Mitsuki smile a little...

"I'm just a clone, relax..." He... wasn't lying... technically speaking.

"C-clones... can't do everything the original can do..." Boruto said, although he wasn't exactly sure... his clones could use the Gentle Fist - well, as best as he could, anyway... but... to actually use the amount of chakra that's required to seal this beast...?

He turned around to look at Sumire, but the girl didn't seem to know much better than him...

"They can." came Mitsuki's voice right behind him then, and he put a hand on his shoulder... almost reassuring. "Of course the effects are not as strong as the original but... it will do." And then he gave one of his smiles... one Boruto was never sure if it was genuine or not... "Trust me."

Boruto looked between both Mitsukis... he wasn't... sure if he should believe this or not but the touch of the Mitsuki behind him felt as real as the other times he had done the same.

"There is not much time left." The Mitsuki facing the Nue quickly did the hand signs and put both his palms on the ground where a sealing mark appeared and spread through the place. A purple light started filling the marks. "Open the portal now, and go." It was pretty much an order...

Boruto gulped before taking a step back and hoping his eye would do what it had done back there... last time it happened right after he had contact with Mitsuki and Sumire at the same time... was that the answer to reopen it?

With the little time they have... he really didn't have any choice but to improvise. With a wordless nod towards Mitsuki's clone, he grabbed the class rep's hand, felt her tense slightly at the touch... he knew she didn't feel worthy of going back to Konoha... that made him only tighten his grip a little harder, he was NOT going to let go of her, not like this...

"Well... here goes nothing..." he mumbled as he closed his eyes for a minute, and his right eye shone momentarily with blinding white light as he reopened them...

Mitsuki's face softened into another smile as he saw Boruto, Sumire and... the other Mitsuki disappear through the portal... 'Boruto...' he thought, his mind suddenly, weirdly at peace as the purple light began covering the whole area now, engulfing the Nue and also himself... 'Sometimes... you just can't save everyone...'

Those words... although unheard by Boruto, made the blond feel his heart tightening... trying to tell him something as the light of the portal engulfed them and threw the three young students back on the top of the Hokage's monument with a loud thud.

Boruto quickly looked up and saw the same purple light from the seal shining through the now small opening of the portal until it disappeared in thin air. He was shaking... why though...? They were safe... the village was safe, the Nue had been sealed... so... why...?

He looked around, Sumire was getting up, she seemed fine. But when he looked at Mitsuki, expecting to see him standing up as well... he saw him turning completely white slowly... until it vanished into thousands of snakes...

And everything came to a stop... literally, the world stopped spinning as Boruto just stared at where his friend... was, is... he... he was there... he was supposed to be there...! A cold dread gripped his heart and he felt his breath getting caught in his throat as he tried to understand, to make some sense out of it...

He heard an almost inaudible gasp as Sumire too, no doubt glanced around.

"N-no, what...?" the words that tumbled out of his mouth felt so feeble... so weak... so unlike him, who felt so brave just minutes ago, facing that monster...

"No, no... NO!" he yelled, turning around, REFUSING to even think about any alternative... "MITSUKI!!!" he cried out at the top of his lungs, frantic, terrified... now truly feeling horror down to his very bones...

He breathed... or tried to breath, he had to find a way to go back in there! It wasn't even a matter of discussion, he HAD to go back in there no matter what... the problem was... his eye was not responding...

"Come on you stupid eye WORK!!" he was yelling at himself at this point, he felt angry, sad, he felt in every imaginable way! He then turned to the purple haired girl. "Class Rep...! Use it, use that chakra, my eye will work on that!"

"Boruto-kun... I... I can't..." she stammered.

"What do you mean?!" he didn't mean to yell at the girl but he was just... so distraught right now...

The girl hesitated. "With the Nue gone... I don't have access to that chakra anymore..."

"No... God dammit!" Out of the sheer need to do something, Boruto brought his hands together. "Kagebunshin no jutsu!!"

He wasn't in his right mind, he didn't even know if that would work, heck he didn't give two fucks! "Activate your eyes!" he ordered them, he didn't mean to sound harsh... but he just didn't care. "We are going to force open that portal if we need to!"

The clones just quickly glanced at one another, their expressions sad... it almost made the blond want to smack them, this was not the time to be sad, this was time for action!!

"I'm sorry..." one of the clones, decidedly soft in contrast of all of the times he bickered with his replicas. "We... can't..."

"Yes we can!" Boruto reacted stubbornly, trying to ignore the stinging feeling in his eyes, in his throat... and in his heart too... "W-we can do it if we just put our minds to it!" His voice sounded even desperate, on the verge of breaking...

"I'm sorry..." another clone repeated, and his look was also one of sadness. "We can't use a jutsu you didn't plan ahead... we can't use that eye technique..."

"No! We have to!" he insisted.

The other clone shook his head. "We can't do that... he is gone..."

The feared words said by none other than his own clone... it made the original shake in fear as the tears finally came down his cheeks. His arms fell limp at the sides of his body, his teeth clenched... and the clones disappeared in clouds of smoke.

"No..." he whispered, Sumire didn't know what to say...

'You don't know the true horrors of battle...' The words told to him by his father echoed in the blond's head again and again... the true horrors of battle... was this what he meant...? Losing a friend...?

It was all too much... too much for him to bear... Boruto shut his eyes tightly, letting more tears fall down as his right hand clenched around his shirt, right where his heart is... it hurt... so much...

He let out a huge, loud cry of anguish as he fell down on his knees, and started sobbing, uncontrollably... Why...? How was this even fair?!

He didn't even notice the sounds of more and more people gathering around them... until he heard the familiar voice...

"What's going on here?!"

He had never felt more glad in his life to hear his father's voice...

Two ANBU surrounded Sumire, one of them holding her arms behind her back. She didn't fight back. "Sumire Shigaraki, you will be taken into custody for practicing crimes against the Hidden Leaf." She just nodded, she kept her head down.

"Boruto..." Naruto knelt down in front of his son and put his hands on the boy's shoulders, he was clearly worried... he was shaking...

"It hurts..." the boy whispered, his voice completely broken.

Naruto frowned. "Are you hurt...?!"

"He's gone... dad he is gone..." the boy just hid his face in his father's arms.

"What... who...?" Naruto was at a complete loss of what to do or even say as Boruto just shook his head, his seemingly endless tears started dampening his outfit... The hokage quickly looked around, there was no sign of the Nue, no sign of even his chakra... What had happened...?

"M..." his son choked on the word as he tried to speak, Naruto didn't remember the last time he saw him like that... "Mitsuki..." he whispered, his hands tightening on the hokage's robes. "H-he... sealed the Nue away... H-he's... g-gone..." and words were once again lost to the younger blond, he couldn't continue... he didn't know how to... how to deal with this crushing pain...

#boruto #mitsuki #sumire #boruto naruto next generations #fanfiction #boruto fanfiction #two-shot #part one #my writing #boruto uzumaki #shigaraki sumire #kakei sumire

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