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marcy-wu-on-the-brain · 2 years

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When I asked you guys to ask me Amphibia questions a lot of you asked how I felt about Season 3A. Now that the season is over I decided to just talk about it since yall seemed interested in what I think. First off, do I like season 3A? Yes???? I mean it has...a couple of problems.. The problem is we went from season 2 finale, true colors, to funny frog people in the human world, and it just feels so weird? We literally went from Marcy being KILLED and then we just went into new normal? The transition just feels weird and I wish we had gotten some sort of talking about true colors. We got two mentions of it, where Anne says Marcy has to be alive, and where Anne says she has to make up with Marcy and Sasha, but thats IT. Ive stated before its okay for Anne to not talk about it, ITS IN CHARACER. But Sprig? no?? I get it if Sprig is being a good friend and not asking, but you would think he would mention something? In season 2 he brings up Sasha a lot, hes KNOWN for bringing up things!! Heck even if he wasn’t bringing up Marcy, he hasn’t mentioned Sasha. ALSO, theres the whole fact that Marcy literally saved Sprig and I haven’t seen anyone in the show talking about that. Another issue I have is the FBI, the Wu’s, and the Waybright’s. The FBI is investigating the frogs, which makes sense they should be, but you would think the FBI would be like “Oh wait- this girl just showed up and her friends aren’t with her what did she do to them” BUT NO. Seriously!! I dont wish any harm another Anne or stress its just why isnt see being investigated for murder or kidnapping. Its also weird that the Wu’s and Waybright’s haven’t shown up. Lets say the Wu’s moved away already, which okay makes sense your daughter was gone for 5 months she may be dead so lets move on. BUT THE WAYBRIGHTS?? im not sure if this is all leading up to showing how bad Marcy’s and Sasha’s homes are, maybe they haven’t contacted the Bounchoys because maybe there too busy in work or something? It doesnt make sense still though, like wouldn’t those kids from the school paper start asking questions about Marcy and Sasha? Okay now onto the good stuff: The new characters are so much fun!! God they just bring me so much joy. Im honestly happy that were getting more nerdy characters (to replace that gap in my heart of loosing Marcy-) Right now my favorite human character is Mrs.bounchoy like honestly who gave her the right to be so great. Anne’s parents are so funny and awesome and support Anne. I like Mr.X hes funny and a new interesting villain (although Idk how hes gonna be wrapped up since Darcy and Andrias are our villains) I just love em all. Okay now we can talk about the Darcy in the room.

I.LOVE.DARCY. lets talk about Olivia and Yunan for now. That episode is by far the best episode in season 3A. Its what we all expected season 3 to be. Its the episode that makes sense coming from true colors. Im not even mad Marcy only got 1 episode (I mean she had to heal for a bit that sword like destroyed her body-). This episode is so distributing while also being really funny at the same time?

Drunk Marcy is literally so funny, shes just vibing the entire time and the whole “ohhh its a projection you know like *finger snap* VR!” “vrrrrr???” “its not real ya goof!!” always gets me BUT THEN. Marcy’s fear is one of the best scenes in Amphibia by far, it is so good and fully shows Marcy’s guilt. It sets up so much for the rest of season 3B and its great. Ill do a separate analysis eventually. AND THAT LAST SCENE. it is so scary and upsetting. Its worst than true colors because Marcy is screaming and very clearly in pain. We know things aren’t gonna go well for her in the future sadly because of this one scene. Overall do I like season 3? Yes. But do I have some issues with it? Yes Did these issues ruin my experience? No. Season 3A is great and im excited for Season 3B but it better fix these issues-

#amphibia #amphibia analysis #amphibia season 3 #amphibia season three #amphibia anne #anne boonchuy #amphibia marcy #marcy wu #amphibia sasha #sasha waybright #olivia and yunan #the new normal

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heresathreebee · 3 years

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Old Stomping Ground

[Ava Starr X Female Reader]

Summary: One of the good things to come out of constant alien invasions are the abandoned ruins of New York, and you’re fixing to show Ava your favorite place. Previous Masterlist Next

Tag(s): 13+ | can be reader gender and race neutral reader but is written with woc readers in mind, no-snap au, post-Ant Man and the Wasp, Ava and reader on an adventure in post Avenger's New York, homelessness, alien trees and the power of community.

AN: no-snap au, post-Ant Man and the Wasp. No beta, we die like men. Just you and Ava having a short adventure.

You took three days off of work for this one. Packed two backpacks with food, water, clothes, and other supplies. Bedrolls and bug spray and hiking poles. Ava laughed at your enthusiasm but she seemed to vibrate with excitement right along with you.

"Can you at least tell me where we're going," she pleaded.

You ran through the end of the checklist for the third time, trying to be extra careful now that you wouldn't be hoofing it solo. You dodged the question expertly with a "it's not far and it's not dangerous so hush! Learn to enjoy the mystery, babe."

Ava rolled her eyes playfully but stopped asking and let you finish. After that you ate a hearty breakfast and began your journey north by northwest. In the taxi, your girlfriend's eyes darted from building to building as you turned on every street and you mentally gave up on scolding her. She was too pragmatic to allow for that level of trust yet.

You were surprised that it took her until you passed the ruins of the daycare you once attended that she whipped her head around to whisper, "is this… Leviathan alley?"

You shush her but can't keep the excited grin from your face. "It's a bit more than just an alley."

Once SHIELD was finished stripping for parts and gutting the cybernetically enhanced alien creature left behind in the Battle of New York, the rest was abandoned. The city's been planning to clean up and rebuild but there are scores in the earth where the leviathan crashed and crumbling, precarious buildings that need to be brought down first in the safest way possible. While the city’s been debating how to deal with the destruction, the poor and destitute had moved in and discovered the blood of the chitauri has some very interesting properties.

"It's like it changes the property of concrete," you explained, climbing over rubble and reaching back to pull her up, "uhg– breaks it down into some kind of hyper fertilizer. There's this copse of trees growing where we think the stomach was and I think in its natural habitat, the creature was probably an omnivore of sorts and may have swallowed thousands of seeds–"

"That's all very fascinating dear, could you please take this?" Ava shoves a canteen into your hands and cups your hands to bring it closer to your mouth. You've climbed for what feels like miles and hey, you are pretty parched. "Think we'd better rest and eat, maybe look for a safe place to set up camp and… oh, look over there!"

Ava's sudden whisper makes you turn. It's green in that direction, though this 'alley' is shrouded in darkness due to the dome made from the spine and ribs of the leviathan, the sprigs seem to grow just fine, becoming taller as they moved farther away from you until they began to develop woody stalks and trunks.

"That's the forest you were talking about," Ava whispered in awe. “I wanna get a closer look.”

You gently caught her arm. “Camp first, eat. It’ll still be here tomorrow.”

Ava didn’t expect you to take her into an encampment. There were two dozen people in tents, an open grill going and laughter. They seemed to recognize you. It was mostly older adults, a few elderly people wrapped in thick blankets and teens walking around asking anyone needed drinks. You grabbed the blanket from your pack and wrapped Ava in it as soon as she found a seat on a slab of concrete.

"Comfy?"

Ava smiled up at you, taking the proffered fruit slice from you. "Very."

She examined the strange fruit. It had a thin violet skin with a spongy white inner layer and pink juice with black seeds dripping from it. She leabed over your shoulder get a look at the fruit as a whole, and it seemed the pink goop was loose inside the fruit similar to a coconut.

"Are these from the trees," she asked.

"Yeah, they're edible don't worry. No side effects we've seen," you assure.

Ava nods but as she's licking the tangy pink juice you continue, "well except for Nadia but she's a mutant."

Ava flicks worried green eyes at you and slowly takes the fruit from her mouth. She's already swallowed on reflex so there's no turning back now, only managing whatever weird things would come next.

"Uh… what do you mean by that?"

You blink at Ava. "Oh it's not, like, bad or anything. Right, Nadia?"

A dark skinned girl in an orange beanie looked up from her phone. "What?"

"Tauri makes you, what, gassy?"

The man on the grill threw his head back in a laugh and Nadia kicked a rock at you. "Ha hah, you're everybody's favorite clown in the circus. It doesn't make me gassy, you jerk, it makes me smell like roses actually."

"Oh," Ava said, "that's all?"

You and Nadia shared a knowing look. "It's strong. Not overpowering but strong like you've got your nose buried in a whole bouquet of them."

"And your fingers tingle and you make sparkles– "

"Nadia I think that's just you, baby!"

People laughed and the conversation died down. Ava let the slip of tauri fruit linger in her grasp until you gently pried it out and ate it yourself. You were side eyeing her but kept your question to yourself and eventually Ava was able to relax. She fell asleep during Nadia's uncle Rodney's story with her head on your shoulder and dreamed of violet things. Violet dresses, violet paint, violet fires, and violet sprigs.

All you could dream of was the smell of roses so close and so thick you could touch it.

The walk through the natural path as the trees got thicker finally prompted Ava to ask the question that's been plaguing her. "How do you know them? Are they family?"

You cast a quick glance over your shoulder and slowed your pace to match hers as your fingers tapped the straps of your backpack nervously. "Sort of. They were family when I had no home to go to. Then I got a job with enough money and a stupid good deal on my apartment because I had no priors.

"Rodney and Jules and some of the others prefer it out here with the forest. Some of them have nowhere else to go or no way to take care of themselves. Nadia's been kicked out of every home she's ever been to, but she won't go to that gifted school for mutants in Westchester county. Can't say I blame her either."

"School for mutants, eh," Ava said as she trudged on, "interesting."

You walked along in silence, drinking in the inviting quiet of the forest and the tiny chirps and peeps of its new inhabitants. You'd almost say it would be a shame to tear this place down knowing it's a new natural habitat, but you know New York had a hundred bigger and more pressing issues to deal with right now. As long as any capitalist moguls kept their eyes elsewhere, the new jungle should be fine.

As the forest becomes denser, you have to pull a rechargeable flashlight out to see the ground beneath you. Black bugs crawl under and over the brush and fallen twigs, and something no bigger than a cat scuttles away out of the path of the light. Ava puts a hand on your arm and you open your mouth to assure her you'd protect her, but as you look at her you realize she's ready to protect you. Arm poised out and eyes darting around for signs of sudden movement from the brush.

You walk in silence for what feels like an fantastic eternity but when you look at the canopy you stop yourself. Ava looks up to, gently taking a hold of your hand to keep you close and it sends tingles up your arm. She rarely reaches for you but she seems to be growing more and more confident of it.

Light dances beyond the thicket of the leaves. Green and gold flashes as a soft breeze creates gaps beyond the chitauri rib ceiling and every time a light flashes you feel warmth on your skin like soft little kisses.

Something wooden creaks, and that creaking quickly turns to snapping. You unconsciously squeeze Ava's fingers as you spot a black tree trunk beginning to fall towards you. Suddenly, Ava's arms are around you and she pulls you down into a duck.

Everything happens so fast it blinds you. You can't see, can only feel as shivers of warmth and cold jitter through your entire being, drowning you into sensations you've never felt before. It makes you feel fear more than anything. Is this how you die? Cowering?

When the sounds of falling trees stop, there is only the wind and the rush of Ava's windbreaker against yours. You test your fingers to see if they still work and dig them into her back. Nothing broken, you're still standing if gravity is correct.

She finally lets you lift your head from her embrace and survey the scene. That tree opened a spot in the canopy for more natural light to pour in which is good because your flashlight was lost among the thick bramble bushes.

Ava brushes your forehead. "Are you OK?"

It must be a trick of the light but she looks like she's shimmering. Perhaps you hit your head or something but it seems like you never fell. Your standing just beside the fallen tree but you could have sworn you'd almost felt it go through you. And then…

And then there was the smell of roses.

"I'm fine," you say at last. "Let's get back, probably shouldn't have come here by ourselves anyways…"

Ava gives you a look, it almost looks like trepidation. You steel your resolve and press on to retrace your steps, knowing you had a lot of walking to do before you would exit the treeline.

Ava has powers and you're ok with that. You'll just let her tell you in her own time.

#three bees writing #ava starr #ava starr x female reader #ava starr x reader #marvel #antman and the wasp #black reader insert #🐝🐝🐝✒

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thekobaltpossum · 3 years

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Memories of You, Chapter 1 - Freefall

Spoilers below for Amphibia True Colors.

The sun set on an orange sky, as the smoldering remains of a toad tower pillow with smoke, the sky mourning the massive loss of life. Among the castle of Newtopia which had suddenly started flying above Newtopia, the king of Amphibia opened his hand, dropping whatever he was holding. The object he was holding, which was a frog boy named Sprig, plummeted.

As he passed through the clouds, they only thing he could manage to do was cry. He didn’t scream, didn’t say anything, he just let forth silent tears that singed his eyes. There was only one thing he could think of: his family. He was too young to go. He didn’t see the blonde girl jump out after him, but he knew he couldn’t do anything to save himself. It was already too late. Feeling the air blow off his cap and goggles, he just kept his eyes clenched and waited for an impact. It was like the world fell silent for him. No sound seemed to reach his ears. He didn’t see or hear the girl, who was already deemed untrustworthy, screaming his name and reaching out towards him. He was only able to utter out a single word before his world went dark: “Anne.”

“Give him back!” Anne screamed after gaining some ability from the Calamity Box. It gave her incredible power, but it was clear she was losing energy, and fast. “Give him… back” She collapsed, her hair returning from the weird blue color back to its natural brown, the Plantars rushing to her side. “Where’s Sprig?” She mustered all the strength she could. She felt super dizzy, she felt th same way after riding the Spider Spinner at the Grubhog day festival.

“Anne.” Sasha, emerging from the shadows, a fitting place for her, but she seemed different. Sad. Guilty. She was carrying something in her arms. “I swear, I tried, I tried to catch up with him, but I couldn’t- I couldn’t get to him in time, I’m so, so, so sorry.” She lowered her arms to reveal Sprig’s lifeless body, bruised and battered, but still very much intact.

“MY BOY!!!” Hop Pop screamed in agony.

Sasha handed Sprig off to Anne, and stepped back to pay her respects. “No,” whispered Anne. “No nonono no no no!” She was hugging Sprig close to her own body, tears showering from her eyes. “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” An observer could have seen her eyes flash blue like they had when she gained that ability a few minutes ago.

“Awwwwww, it’s so sad isn’t it?” King Andrias stood over them, his blazing blade lighting his face with an orange glow, not too far a shade from the still setting sun. “You’ve still got the gift kid, so I can’t let you live. But don’t worry, you’ll see him again soon.” The leviathan raised his sword to strike the family down, when the castle jolted, the same as it had when Polly had removed the Box. It was Marcy, who was kneeling down, fiddling with the box. She was muttering to herself, then waved to Anne and the Plantars, motioning to them to get into the portal that had recently formed.

“Anne, go,” Sasha told her, drawing her two swords. “We’ll hold them off.” As Anne and her family ran two the portal, Sasha, Grime, and General Yunnan were battling the titan, but were quickly bested by him, who shouted for the box.

“Marcy, hurry!” Anne pleaded.

“I just need to-“

Her voice was cut off as Andrias’ sword plunged into her back. She looked down in utter fear and shock. “MARCY!!” Anne screamed.

“Ah,” Marcy gasped for breath. “I’m sorry.” She lost strength quickly. “For everything.” She collapsed, causing the music box to hit the ground, and Anne’s world went white.

Anne and the Plantars found themselves on Earth. Their first stop, of course, was Anne’s house, where she and her parents shared a loving reunion. They told her that she’d been gone for 5 months and that no one had seen them at all, except for a man in a pawn shop, who was the last person to see them. Anne was sure they wouldn’t understand where she was, but her found family was enough proof that they needed. Her mom would have loved Sprig. She thought about the blue butterfly that that one Newt girl gave her all the way back in Newtopia.

But Anne couldn’t give her mother her gift yet, they had more important things to do first. They had to regroup, recover, and reflect. She had to process what had just happened, with Andrias’ incoming invasion, Sasha’s betrayal, what Marcy had done, and oh Frog, Marcy! Was she alright? Of course she wasn’t, she was stabbed for frog sake. And, most of all, what would they do about Sprig?

The Plantar’s were finally able to enjoy Pizza, which was the first thing they asked for. They said they wanted either pizza or omelettes, but they were never able to bake the pizza, so it was chosen. The silence was filled by Hop Pop and Mr. Boonchuy telling stories to each other as Polly tried to play with Domino, but Domino was busy staring at the wall, which Anne remarked as strange. It was like she was staring at something invisible.

That night, Anne was plagued by nightmares. Andrias bared an evil grin as a glowing fire sword plunged through Anne’s chest, and she realized that she was in Marcy’s body. Then she was in Frobo’s body and she was crushed by Andrias’ fist. Then she was falling from the castle, but she was not in Sprig’s body, as she heard him calling her name. She saw him reaching out to her. “Can you see me Anne?” He cried out to her.

“Sprig, I see you, it’s going to be alright!” She screamed.

“Anne!”

“Yes Sprig?”

“Wake up.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“Anne, I need to know if you can see me. Wake up!”

Anne woke up in a cold sweat. “That was such a weird dream.” Sprig’s voice felt so weird, so real. She looked around and saw nothing. She lied back down to go to sleep.

“Anne, wake up!” She heard Sprig’s voice again. She sat up again, looked to her left and saw nothing. Then she looked to her right and saw… Sprig? She wasn’t expecting him to be there, so she stumbled back and screamed.

“Uh, are you another hallucination Sprig?” Anne shakily asked. She noticed a light go on in the hall, she must have woken someone up.

“No, it’s me, I’m real. No one can see me for some reason. Only the cat has noticed me.”

“Oh, so that’s what she was doing at dinner.”

She heard a soft knock at the door, followed by it opening. It was Anne’s mother. “Is everything ok, Anne? I heard some loud noises. Who are you talking to, and why are you on the floor?”

“I’m fine, but it’s Sprig! He’s right here.” She points to Sprig, who waved at the girl’s mother.

She stared at the empty bed, staring through Sprig literally. She then gained a sorrowful look. “Oh honey, I’m so sorry you’re going through this!”

They heard some pattering down the Hallway as Hop Pop slid into view. “Is everybody ok? Is Anne hurt? Is she sick?” He gasped. “Did the pizza poison her?!” He shouted in a panic, as Hop Pop is known to do.

“Everything is alright, Hopediah.” Anne’s mother assured the elder frog. “Anne is just saying that she saw Sprig in her room, and was talking to him as well.”

“Oh dear. Anne, it’s gonna be alright.” Anne shot a confused glance at Sprig, who shrugged, giving a look that screamed ‘I told you so’. “Anne, I know it hurts, and it will hurt for the rest of your life. I can stay here for as long as you need.” He looked at Mrs. Boonchuy, who nodded, agreeing.

“Thanks Mom, thanks Hop Pop, I think it was just a hallucination. I’ve had a hallucination of Sprig before, that night on the road to Newtopia, when you guys were taken by the Scorpileo. I’ll be fine, thank you.”

“Ok sweetie. Let me know if you need anything else.” Her mother kissed her on the forehead. “I’m so happy to have you home again. I missed you so much.” She ushered Hop Pop out of Anne’s room, while giving her a loving smile. “I love sweetie. Sleep Well.” She turned off the lights and closed the door. Anne got back in bed and waited for the light in the hallway to shut off.

“So you’re a ghost?” Anne softly asked.

“Yeah, I guess I am. This is so weird.”

“What does it feel like? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“It’s like my whole body feels numb. Like I can feel that my arms and face are here, but I can’t feel anything. It’s so weird. And I don’t have any legs.”

“And you are blue.”

“And I’m blue….” Anne thought about a funny song from the internet, but this wasn’t really an appropriate time to sing it. Marcy would have, and… there she goes thinking about Marcy again. “So what do we do now?”

“What we always do.”

“Have fun?”

“Wait.”

“Oh that makes more sense.”

#amphibia #amphibia au #amphibia fanfic #canon divergent au #my own writing #sprighost au #i hope you guys like it #let me know what you think

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popculturebuffet · 3 years

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Amphibia: Ivy on The Run and After the Rain Reviews

Hello all you happy people! We’re into week two and after far too long we finally get some answers.. well okay not the ones we thought we were getting but hey you take what you get sometimes. Point is it’s a big week, with a fun ivycentric episode that fleshes her and Felcia out and a far more serious episode that finally explains a few things, not saying what things because spoilers. So join me under the cut for some smiles, some tears, and a bit of Muay Thai and Myagi-Do as I break things down.

Ivy on the Run:

I was pleased as punch to find out Ivy was getting an episode. While I couldn’t say she was a faviorite of mine, I always found Katie Crowns performance exceptional, and her a delight to watch. The character wasn’t bad.. but EVERY episode up to this one involving her was about her and Sprig’s relationship which while really fucking precious left little room to flesh her out beyond a love of ambushes and being into the same kid stuff Sprig was into.

This episode not only corrects that but also takes another suprising leap for the series in having Ivy clearly be the main character of the episode. While this isn’t the first episode to spotlight a citzen of wartwood.. it’s the first where the Plantars are side characters in the plot instead of just as important as whoever got focus or usually more important. Here Ivy is the lead of the episode: We open on her waking up for the day (Or rather having been awake for hours to trick her alarm clock), get a sense of her personality.. and of the episodes conflict: Ivy’s desire to be free and explore versus her mothe’rs constnat anal renttientve insistence she do tea related stuff like fold swans properly. IT’s a decent enough conflict that gets elevated by hte twist at the end.

So she runs out after that to meet up with Sprig, and ambush him because that’s how thier relationship works. And what I really like here is while their relationships still present in the episode it’s thankfully not the focus or even realy lreated. Their clearly together, it’s just not the focus of the episode> Just some nice ranch dressing atop this salad. While they go to hunt for glitter beetles, Anne is teaching Polly, Muay Thai. The martial art of champions.. specifically one eyed ones who like to put tiger in front of their moves. As for why she took it up her mom wanted somewhere to put her energy, as seen in a flashback with a young Anne adorably banging on pans while singing her own version of Wannabe by the Spice Girls. It’s fucking precious.

So the couple happily go beetle hunting i’ts precious.. but Ivy’s patience with her mother starts to run out as her mother loudly interupts her hunt to return her for tea practice: stirring it, setting tables, folding swans that sorta thing. All things she clearly dosen’t WANT to do or like and gives the impression Felcia is trying to force her daughter to become more like her and less like herself which... no. Just no.

Ivy eventually hits her limit with this bullshit, tells her mother off and then stomps off to her room whiel her Mom fails ot understand that MAYBE being hypercirtical of your daughter, even if it turns out you have a good reason, might backfire. Ivy is encouraged by her posters, great scene by the way, to run away and leave town, and take Sprig with her.. whose relcutant as he talked himself up as being really well liked and savy out there but was just okay in practice.

Meanwhile Polly and Anne continue training but Polly can’t get it as she just can’t calm down and focus, and Anne easily blocks her. In constrast Wally shows up, having apparently been watching them.

And picks it up instantly. I can see why; Wally seems a bit scatterbrained due to his weird and wonderful nature.. but we’ve seen him be entirely capable when the chips are down, and to be a talented musician. So while he’d SEEM like he’d lack focus, it’s probably way easier to him than the impatient tadpole who just wants to kick ass without getting it takes a few steps.

Meanwhile Sprig tries to talk his girlfriend out of running away together at 10 only for Sylvia to tail them with those bee phone things she used earlier.. and also be there, as once they clear those out she’s waiting and both end up at the Muay Thai class. Things finally hit their breaking point and Ivy wishes she never had family... and I think this is what finally gets it in Felicia’s head she messed up. She meant well.. but sh’es clearly been so hard on her child that, even if she instnatnly regrets it, she’s willing to disown her own mother if it means getting away from her.

So Felica gives her a way out: Martial Arts Match. Because nothing says parental love like fighting your daughter for her freedom. Though in her defense things are pretty fair: three matches, and Ivy just needs to win ONE by getting a point on her, like in a martial arts competition. I only know that’s what they were going for because I binged Cobra Kai last month along with the first two Karate Kids.

And that refrence isn’t for nothing as Felcia easily dominates the first two matches using Miyagi-Do esque moves i.e. pure defense, and with a Miyagi style lesson inside as for the final one.. she has Ivy repeat the various tea things she’d had her do, and just like that amazing fucking scene from Karate Kid, Ivy can now fight and realizes her mother was training her the whole time, as her mom simply wanted her to be readly and as for why Felcia herself is a karate master, she picked it up while gathering tea as naturally it’s incredibly dangerous in amphibia.

So Felcia let’s her daughte win and expalins she just wanted her to be safe.. which is nice but while her devistaiton earlier clearly shows it, it still dosen’t QUITE justify how hard she was or not telling her why when her daughter is a clear tomboy. I do get the Miyagi-Do training style: it builds muscle memory and means you can defend without thinking, fight without having to plan every punch and kick. It’s brilliant.. but you have to match the training to the student. Daniel hated his traning too.. but Miyagi clearly KNEW he would, knew he’d give out and set it all up that way. Felcia.. nearly pushed her daughter into running away and never apologized. It’s not all terrible as there is the implciation this whole match was Felcia realizing she had to make it clera what she was doing, but it’s still fairly torubling the episode never adresses her behavior outright., even if they make up and Felciia plans to take her along next time. Also Polly punches wally in the face... eh he’l lbe fine.

Final Thoughts on Ivy on the Run: This one was decent. As said the final part feels a bit... ehhh..as it feels they don’t adress Felicia’s controlling attitude enough.. but it dosen’t detract from a pretty fun episode, especially the Muay Thai stuff. That was an unexpected treat. And let’s face it after recently getting in deep with the franchise thanks to cobra kai, I can’t hate anything that reminds me of the Karate Kid. In a good way at least.

After The Rain:

Well this was both a long time coming and as painful as I expected. And after over a year and a half, we FINALLY get some answers.. not ALL the answers but some. Look you know what this episode is about, I know what this episode is about, let’s get cracking in round 2.

So Anne’s got a letter, anne’s got a letter I wonder who it’s from. Marcy.. it’s from Marcy. Turns out she’s ready to go to the first temple, and even sent them a check list: weapons, food (check and check) and armor. Hop Pop already thought of that.. but instead of badass and practical armor.. it’s padded sumo suits that they can’t move in because “less mobility means less trouble”. Or you’ll get eaten by a hawk.. which given this show is probably also on fire and can shoot acid out of its’ eyes. Or lasers. Or acid lasers. The point is their gonna die. THey also naturally need the music box... which Hop Pop about craps himself hearing. Gee it’s almost like not getting the box sooner when you knew damn well abotu the temple thing and that they’d need it kinda bit you on the froggy bottom Hopidiah.

It gets worse for him as while he mentions his ‘contacts” again.. that night he goes to dig it up. Problem is, Anne follows him when she hears footsteps, and while she initially assumes i’ts just him being a weirdo and plans to suprise him... we instead get the gut punch we’ve been anticpating for the last year and a half. Hop Pop shouts about the box being gone, clearly panicked... and Anne hears him, utterly devistated and rightfully FURIOUS. He confesses the truth, clearly feeling guilty for what he’s done and lying all this time but Anne dosen’t want to hear it and storms off.

Yeah as you can tell this is a rough one. So next morning Hop Pop, who clearly hasn’t slept and given his surrogate grandaughter just rightfully walked out on him why would he, confesses to the kids what he did. And while neither like what he did .. they prioritize getting Anne back, sending him to go fix his mess while they find the box.

The box turns out to not be the only thing missing: various other things around town have been stolen, including a talisman that if Maddie dosen’t get it back will have horrifying consequences. Classic Maddie. As for why Swampy Joe has the answer: the magpie beetle, a beetle that emerges once every 20 years to steal stuff to use as a shell to impress mates. They find the box.. but it’s in a seatle of beatles and soon get swamped. Meanwhile Anne’s returned to the cave and... okay i’m just going to have to power through or this episodes going to kill me with sadness. After some bits about her and her rock rocky, Hop Pop finds her and she still has nothing to say to him, again for good reaosn, but before he can get to telling her WHY he did it, they hear the others crying for help and Anne tries to rescue them herself, only helping hop pop do so when he points out they NEED to and even if she rightfully dosen’t trust him she needs to for now. THey save the kids.. and Anne STILL wants to leave.

We then get an even bigger gut punch. It turns out Hop Pop didn’t hide the box for some big reveal.. regarding the box. Turns out it’s not the box itself, his book just says it’s dangerous and w’ell likely find out any specifics it had next week. It’s Hop Pop’s lingering trauma. While we don’t find out why the Box is dangerous.. we do find out what hapepned to their parents. And I just want to say before we get into that Bill Farmer’s acting this WHOLE episode is some of hte finest, if not THE finest in his career. HIs guilt, his pain.. it’s all so raw and palpable. Brenda Song’s no slouch either, Anne’s pain and anger is likewise very well done, but Bill is far and away the mvp of the episode.. and this scene is why.

He reveals he’s been so cautious, so scared for the kids and so overly protective in general.. because of how the kids parents died, something they don’t blame him for but he does: He was out of town on buisness.. when a pair of herons attacked. Sprig and Polly got to the family bunker in time.. their parents... weren’t so lucky. It’s not the big bombastic arc related death we all thought was coming.. but I like it for it’s brutal nightmarish simplicity. They didn’t die some heroic death, they aren’t still here.. they just died like SO MANY background frogs have. Two wild giant animals they coudln’t possibly defend against got em. Nothing could’ve been done no matter what Hop Pop thinks, theirs no way they coudl’ve been saved, and i’ts LUCKY their children didn’t share the same fate. But their gone and it gives a new, awful meaning to Hop Pop’s overproectivness. Before it was mildly justified if a bit strict.. now.. i’ts him trying not to loose what he has left. Trying to hold on tight to his grandkids so he dosen’t loose anyone else.

He hid the box because his trauma and guilt were so severe he did something very stupid, and regretted it ever since and begs anne to forgive him in THE best line read of Bill Farmer’s long and storied career. And she does, hugging her Hop Pop gently, realizing that while he fucked up.. she gets WHY he did.. and that he’s sorry for it. He wasn’t tyring to keep her from going home or any messed up shit.. he just was trying to keep her and his other kids alive. And as Sprig and Polly say it’s not his fault, it never could’ve been.. he can’t help but feel that way. You just feel.. powerless when you loose someone, like you could’ve done something even though 9/10 you couldn’t have and it leaves a hole you never quite fill. So this hit like a truck. But our family is reconclied and the kids get a look at the entry in Hop Pop’s ancestral book. What does it say besides it bad? what does this mean? We’ll find out next week. For now it’s just good to have them all together again.

Final Thoughts on After the Rain: This episode is a masterpiece. It’s exepertly crafted, sticks in a few gags for flavor and only has the sprig and polly plot to help keep the main meat of the plot as light as it needs to be.. and it works. The few scenes we get with Anne and Hop Pop are just plain brutal and exactly what’s needed. It’s one of the series best, painful, raw and with a twist I dind’t see coming. I expected, again like most of us for the kdis parents deaths to be tied into it.. but instead.. it’s just trauma. But it’s satisfying enough that it feels like a great payoff, that it wasn’t some big dark secret like misdirected... it was just an old man who didn’t want to loose what family he had left. And that’s fucking brilliant.

Next Week: THE FIRST TEMPLE BABY! The Plantars and Marcie head into the woods to fight moblins and ggghosts! I mean.. that is what the forest temple is right?

Until then follow me for more reviews, follow me on my patreon your support would be appricated and see you at the next rainbow.

#amphibia #after the rain #ivy on the run #anne boonchuy #hopidiah plantar #sprig plantar #ivy sundew #polly plantar #felcia sundew #one eyed wally #maddie flour #amphibia spoilers

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advisortotheadvisor · 3 years

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@nojohi hey, I was your holiday exchange person! I made some puckabrina fluff for you!

The first time it kind of happened was when Sabrina is thirteen.

She had been up since 5 AM because Daphne had woken everyone up banging on a pot and screaming that it was Christmas like it was new information the rest of the family hadn't been privy to until now. It was nearly 1 PM now and most of the adults were getting Christmas lunch ready, meaning that Sabrina (and Puck, kind of) was in charge of making sure none of the younger kids did anything hospital visit worthy.

Red was coloring quietly while Pinocchio talked her ear off about the new books he'd received; Basil chewed contently on the ear of his well-loved stuffed rabbit: Daphne had received a Nerf gun from ‘Santa’ and was currently doing her best to make it everyone else’s problem. Satisfied with the fact that nobody was in the process of burning the house down, Sabrina settled against the arm of the couch to watch whatever cheesy Christmas movie was playing and eat as much candy as she could until she inevitably lost her appetite trying to eat whatever food Granny Relda was whipping up. Unfortunately, a grubby hand stole both her peace and her candy cane.

“Your face is gonna freeze if you keep looking at me like that,” Puck responded cheerfully to her heated glare. There was a loud crunch as he bit the end of his ill-gotten treat. “You know, you humans like to pat yourselves on the back for all that lame stuff like going to the moon, but really your best achievement are these right here.” He waved the candy cane for emphasis. “Delicious and easy to sharpen into a weapon to use against your enemies? Genius!”

“Glad you're impressed,” Sabrina grumbled. “Now give it back.” She made a grab for it, but he simply leaned out of her reach. When she tried again, he fluttered away and hovered in the middle of the room. He shot her a smug smile and she saw red.

Oh, it was on.

She chased him around the room, nearly knocking over several stacks of books in the process. He would occasionally slow down, allowing her to almost catch him before picking up his speed again and leaving her in the dust with a high-pitched giggle. He finally stopped and hovered a couple inches above her, but before she could snatch the damn candy cane out of his hand (and maybe punch him a couple times for good measure), a loud, giddy voice interrupted them.

“Ooh, Puck and Sabrina are under the mistletoe!” Daphne cried, momentarily distracted from shooting Nerf bullets at the empty soda can perched precariously on a stack of books. Sabrina looked up and, sure enough, there was a sprig of mistletoe strung up above their heads.

“Mistletoe?” Puck flew higher for a better look. “What’s it for? Does it give you some kind of horrible rash or something?” He asked, looking at Sabrina like hundreds of new prank ideas were already streaming through his mind.

“No, it-" Sabrina started to say, but was swiftly interrupted.

“Nope!” Daphne bounced over to them. “It's just a regular plant, but if you stand under it with somebody, you have to kiss them.”

“Kiss them? But that means…” Puck trailed off, eyes locking onto Sabrina's, and she could feel his blush mirrored on her own face.

“Whatever. It's just a dumb tradition,” Sabrina muttered, furiously shutting down any thoughts of her and Puck's decidedly less platonic interactions and the weird, warm feelings they conjured up.

Daphne looked like she wanted to protest, but, thankfully Granny Relda called them in for lunch before the conversation could get any more awkward.

(Her and Puck still avoid making eye contact for the rest if the day.)

The second time it almost happened, Sabrina was fourteen.

The wind bit into her nose and whipped at the exposed bit of wrist between the end of her sleeves and the start of her gloves. Snow had made its way into her shoes and was slowly soaking into her socks. Her fingers felt like icicles masquerading as a part of her body. But, despite the miserable weather, Sabrina was having the time of her life.

Why? Because she was in the middle of a free-for-all snowball fight death match.

It was almost 10 AM and despite the inviting warmth inside the house, nothing could beat the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Snowball fights might be relatively tame for other families, but add in a couple everafters and Grimms, and it became a dog-eat-dog world.

Sabrina panted as she hid behind a tree, fingers curled as tightly as they could around a snowball without crushing it. From her vantage point, she had a clear shot at Red and Daphne's hastily constructed snow fort. But, before she could make a move, a twig snapped behind her, immediately putting her on the defensive.

It was Puck, hiding behind his own tree only a couple feet away. She raised her weapon, but he shook his head frantically at her and pointed at Red and Daphne's fort with a raised eyebrow. Two years of battle strategies and living together meant that Sabrina could read the look on his place like it was a book; he was proposing a sneak attack. She nodded, and then held up three fingers. On the count of three.

Three.

Two.

Before she could lower her last finger, Puck transformed into a polar bear and charged. He roared and the little girls shrieked in response. They tried to fight back, but it was in vain considering that Puck was literally a fucking bear. He knocked the their fort down and then swiped at the snow with his paw, sending it showering over the girls. It was then that Sabrina attacked from the left flank, pelting them mercilessly.

But, just when it looked like victory would be theirs, Daphne reached into her pocket and pulled out a small ring. Sabrina's world was upended as the snow she was standing on rose up and then dropped back down on her and Puck.

“Using magic is cheating,” Sabrina said as she wiped the snow off her face.

“You never said that,” Daphne chirped.

“She's got a point,” Puck pointed out. “Good one, Marshmallow.” He shot her a finger gun and she shot one back

“Don't take her side!” Sabrina said, shoving his shoulder. “She's the reason we lost!”

“Aww, did the wittle baby wose the snowball fwight?” Puck cooed, his baby voice dripping with sugary sweet condescension as he shoved her back

“You lost too, dummy!” She cried, nearly sending him sprawling with her next push. It continued like that for a little bit, playful and pointless fighting without any heat behind it. But, despite the lack of heat in their argument, there was still a warmth settling into Sabrina's gut because this, this was easy as breathing. It sparked something deep inside that she didn't want to name.

But, when Puck tripped over a buried tree root and fell onto her, the spark erupted into a raging inferno because suddenly with him on top of her, their faces hovering only a couple inches apart, Sabrina couldn't feel the cold around her through the abrupt heat pooling in her cheeks. Puck stared down at and for a eternity of milliseconds, the only things that seemed to exist were the two of them and soft sounds of their breathing.

The moment stretched out long, too long, and if it stretched any longer it felt like everything they weren't talking about was going to bubble to the surface and spill over so Sabrina found herself pushing Puck away from her with a shout of, “Get off me, you gasbag!”

That moment was quietly added to the pile of Things They Don't Talk About and Sabrina swore to herself that the redness of her cheeks was a result of the cold.

Sabrina was fifteen when it finally happened for real.

Her and Puck were outside sword fighting with the swords Charming had gifted her. They were dull and blunted training swords, but still a definite upgrade from Puck's old wooden swords. Veronica supervised from the porch as their blades clashed.

Puck thrust forward with his sword and she blocked it, quickly twisting her own weapon into a disarming maneuver. Puck's sword fell to the snow with little fanfare and she snatched it up before he could even move to pick it up. Puck seethed, but couldn't do anything; they'd agreed before the match that all forms of shapeshifting and other magic were prohibited. She smiled smugly about her victory and held out his sword for him to take back and his hand closed around the hilt before she could move hers off. A warmth that juxtaposed the cold air around them filled Sabrina's body.

She didn't know who started it. Maybe he stepped forward first, maybe she did. All that mattered was that they were much closer than before and the only things between them were their hovering, visible breaths and all the things they refuse to talk about.

This next part though, this was all Sabrina.

She kissed him.

She decided that she was sick of this, sick of all these what-ifs and should-haves and almosts. She was sick of this game they were playing where they flirted and teased but never made any real progress. She was sick of saying nothing when she wanted to say everything they both already knew.

So she kissed him.

It made it sound simpler than it was. If she had to describe it in clichés, she would say it was all of them. Fireworks and butterflies and the sun going supernova all at once in her stomach. In that moment, she didn't care about the cold seeping into her fingers or the layer of sweat covering both of them or the fact that her mom was still outside with them. The world could have exploded for all she cared.

The kiss lasted five seconds and an eternity at the same time. Their lips broke apart, but instead of pulling away completely, Puck simply rested his forehead against her own.

“I always knew you had a crush on me,” Puck teased softly.

“Shut up,” she said, struggling to keep a grin off her face and out of her voice.

It might have taken two almost-kisses to get here, but hey, third time's the charm, right?

#sisters grimm #sisters grimm holiday exchange #mine #my writing

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tommykaine · 4 years

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Careful What You Wish For

Fandom: Boyfriend To Death 2

Characters & Pairings: Lawrence Oleander / Original Male Character

Warnings/contents: Hogwarts!AU, implied character deaths, student/teacher crush, romantic horror, underage (NOT sexual!)

Prompt: Be Careful What You Wish For

Summary: While a series of mysterious student disappearances seems to plague the Hogwarts School of Magic, Basil just wants to get closer to the object of his crush, Herbology Professor Oleander. Little does he know that the apparently sweet and shy professor might hide a deep dark secret...

AO3 Link: X

Tumblr version after cut

The first time that Basil saw him, he thought he looked like an angel.

Professor Oleander had long blond hair, which he always kept tied up into a low ponytail, except for a messy fringe that fell in front of his forget-me-not blue eyes, underlined by dark circles - some students whispered that the man never slept. He had gentle features and was always clean-shaven, although the dark shadow on his otherwise pale skin suggested that his beard was not as light as his hair.

His demeanour was quiet and he always seemed kind of nervous, but he rarely ever got angry with the students.

He was always, always seen around the greenhouses behind the castle. Even during meals he rarely seemed to show up. He hadn't been at the teachers' table when Basil had been sorted into Slytherin, or he would certainly have noticed him.

Instead, their first encounter was during his very first Herbology lesson.

Professor Oleander was already there, wearing a shy smile and a dirt-smeared robe as he stood in front of a table full of empty vases.

"Alright, so... this is your first lesson so I won't give you anything too hard to do. Uh, you all have your copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, right? So-". The man interrupted himself as a short red-haired girl from Ravenclaw shook her head. "Oh, you, you don't? Err, well, can anyone... you two could share it, right? Ok... so, we'll be going around and I want you to try and recognize as many plants as you ca- hey, please don't touch the Fanged Foxglove, it won't like that". He glanced at Kevin Simmons - a dark-haired boy who shared his dormitory with Basil - looking rather panicked. The student hurried to retreat his hand, moments before the harmless-looking plant split in two and revealed a set of sharp fang-like thorns on each side, letting out a menacing hiss.

Immediately all the students moved away from it, while Professor Oleander sighed and took out a small vial, approaching the irritated plant and pouring it in its soil, causing it to calm down and compose itself once again.

"Ok, so... ugh, where was I?". The man scratched the back of his head, shifting his weight from one leg to another and looking increasingly nervous with each passing second.

Basil timidly raised his hand.

"You... you were saying we'd go around and try to recognize the plants?".

Professor Oleander looked at him with surprise for a moment, then he smiled in relief and nodded.

"Right! Right, so we'll be going around...".

The rest of the lesson went on without a hitch, with the man guiding them around the first greenhouse and then in the outside garden, even going close to the forest before warning them they should never venture there unless they were accompanied by an adult from the staff, and even then they should still be careful.

"Alright, so, that will be all for today", Professor Oleander said once they got back to the greenhouse. "For the next lesson, I want you to study the plants we saw today, especially those of you who could name less than ten".

Basil heard a couple of groans, mostly from a few other Slytherins. He hadn't done too bad but he still felt he could have done better. He never thought he would want to excel in Herbology of all subjects, but the thought of getting praised by the professor made him feel giddy. He had only seen him smile once, when Harmony Rogers was instantly able to recognize a Mimic Marigold which had disguised itself as a common daisy, and his whole face lit up for a moment. Basil wanted to see that again, he wanted the man to smile at him like that.

By the middle of his second year, Basil was the top one in his class. He'd never been particularly passionate about plants but he wanted to impress his professor. Melina Eliopoulos from his same year was quite irked about it as she usually excelled in all subjects so she started calling him a teacher's pet, but Basil didn't care. He was more than happy to spend his time learning more fascinating facts about magical plants, or even to stay behind to help out the man after his lessons sometimes.

"Ah! That's... really not necessary", Professor Oleander had tried to say the first time, blushing a little.

"I don't mind", Basil had insisted. "I like plants".

"Yeah, plants are nice", the professor had replied, smiling a little. "Better than people", he had murmured, speaking so low that Basil wasn't sure he'd been supposed to hear it.

"You don't like people?", he'd asked, clearly catching him off guard.

"A-ah, I mean...". The man laughed nervously, clutching on one arm with his other hand and looking away. "Never mind. You should go".

Basil had cursed himself for his unnecessary questions, feeling disheartened as he left the greenhouse.

What was it about plants that the man liked so much? He truly wanted to find out.

"Have you heard about Emil Kowalski?".

"No? What happened?".

"He hasn't come back to his dormitory, apparently he sneaked out during the night and hasn't been seen since".

"When was that?".

"Two days ago".

Basil tried to pay no mind to the gossip, but it was hard when it was happening right next to him.

"Isn't that scary?", Kai, a chubby black-haired boy who always tailed along behind him asked Basil. "I wonder if the professors are searching for him. They must be, right?".

"He probably got lost somewhere and still hasn't managed to find his way back. He's not particularly bright, even for a Hufflepuff", Basil replied with a shrug, shoveling more porridge in his mouth.

"For two days?", Kai insisted. "Plus, I'm sure after three years he must have memorized the routes. What if something happened to him?".

"If it did, then the professors would have told us", Basil replied. "You worry too much".

He glanced to their table. As usual, Professor Oleander was nowhere to be seen.

Basil wondered if he always ate alone. He didn't seem to like people much. Basil didn't know why that was the case. He'd never had the courage to ask again, after the first time.

"Wanna play Wizard's Chess later?", Kai asked, interrupting his musings.

"I can't, I told Professor Oleander I'd help him trim the Bashful Bushes".

"Hmpf! Why are you always hanging around him?", Kai complained. "He's creepy".

Basil glared at him.

"That's not true!", he snapped at him, raising his voice. He blushed when he noticed that a few other Slytherins had turned his head to look at him. Lowering his voice, he leaned in closer to Kai to speak again.

"He's just awkward around others. He's actually really nice. Last time, he gave me a sprig full of Everlasting Berries".

"Don't you find it weird that he never leaves his plants? I think he lives there. Plus, you ever noticed we never have lessons with him before it's dark? And those circles under his eyes... what if he's a vampire?".

"A vampire", Basil scoffed at him. "If you must know, he's got sensitive eyes".

"Sensitive vampire eyes", Kai replied, swinging his fork in the air as if to emphasize his words. "Let me tell you, there's something wrong with that man".

"You're just annoyed at him because you're always flunking his tests", Basil replied, shaking his head. "Seriously, how hard can it be?".

"It's plants. It's damn boring. I don't understand what either of you sees in it".

"Plants are nice", Basil replied, looking down at his mostly-empty plate. "You know what to expect from them. They can't disappoint you".

He felt like he was starting to understand his professor's feelings more and more with each passing year. He couldn't manage to relate to most of his peers. Even with Kai it was more like the other had attached himself to him and decided he was going to be his best friend. Not that Basil disliked him but he could be annoying sometimes.

What if Kai had been the one to disappear instead of Kowalski? Would he have missed him?

Basil wasn't sure. Maybe he would have, but...

How horrible of a person would he have been if his answer had been no?

The start of their fourth year was tense after the Kowalski incident. Some of the students weren't allowed to come back after their summer break.

No matter how much the Professors and even some Aurors searched for him, no one was able to find him again.

It was like he'd vanished without trace.

There were all sorts of rumours floating around. Some said he managed to sneak out of Hogwart's confines and Disapparate somewhere despite his young age, some said he got eaten by some creature roaming inside the Forbidden Forest, some believed he found a secret passage and got stuck inside of it, claiming they could hear him moving through the walls and faintly asking for help.

"That's absurd", Basil had told Kai when the other boy had told him about it. "The Professors have searched everywhere in the castle. Including the secret passages. If he was still in here, they would have found him".

"Then where did he go?".

"I don't know". And I don't care, he thought, but he made sure to keep that to himself.

He had other things to worry about. Such as the fact that he'd started to look at Professor Oleander with different eyes.

"Ugh! It's so annoying! 'Professor Oleander' this, 'Professor Oleander' that, it's like you're in love with him", his little sister had said once while he was back with his family, to which he'd turned red and threatened to feed her to his Carnivorous Camellia if she didn't shut up.

Ever since then, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her words.

"...It's like you're in love with him..."

Is... is that why I like him so much?, he couldn't help but wonder, blushing at the thought.

He'd never had a crush on someone before. His sister was in the first year and she already had plenty of them, her latest one being their Quidditch Captain Ricardo Torres.

How would he even know if he liked the professor in that way?

It can't be. He's much older than me and... a wizard.

Not that it was entirely unheard of but he didn't think he'd ever heard it mentioned in a positive way. His father had once mentioned something about wizards who had relations with other wizards and it had been with a disdain normally reserved for Mudbloods and Squibs.

Not that his father was always right about everything. Kai was technically a 'Mudblood' but he was pretty gifted, just not in Herbology. He was the top of the class at Charms and often beat him at Wizard's Chess too. Meanwhile, Emily Thompkins was a Pureblood witch and she was dumber than a Troll.

"Hey, Kai?", he asked him one of those afternoons, when the other boy was busy teaching him some kind of card game he'd learned from his Muggle mother.

"Yeah?".

"Have you ever... you know, is there any girl that you like?".

The other boy had looked a bit nervous, his ears turning red.

"I... well". Kai cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head and looking away. "Y-You know Martina Belli from Ravenclaw? I... I think she's pretty cute... I guess".

"Huh". One of the Chasers in Ravenclaw's Quidditch team, with curly blonde hair and green eyes. She was cute, he had to admit. "And... how do you feel when you think of her?".

"I... I don't know". For the first time in a while, Kai seemed rather uncomfortable. "I... I feel all happy and giddy when she smiles or talks to me and my tongue is tied, it's like I have butterflies in my stomach and I get all nervous. I... I want her to look at me but I also feel scared she might judge me so I'm scared of getting too close. And-". He interrupted himself, the redness spreading from his ears to his cheeks. "Why do you ask... uh? Basil? Basil, are you ok?".

"A-ah, yeah!". Basil forced himself to laugh, hoping he didn't sound too nervous.

Shit. I do have a crush.

In fifth year, their Herbology lessons were a lot more challenging.

They were actually handling some of the more dangerous plants, plants that could injure and even kill in the worst case scenario, although Professor Oleander was quick to reassure them that nothing bad would happen if they followed his instructions.

Basil had tried to distance himself during the fourth year, but that did not change his feelings. If anything, the longing towards him had become even worse.

"Hawthorne, what... what are you doing here?", the professor asked him one of those evenings, when Basil showed up at the greenhouse. He seemed quite surprised and a little worried as well. "You... you shouldn't be around this late. It's against the rules".

Since the disappearance of Kowalski, students were forbidden to be out of their Common Rooms after dinner.

"I couldn't sleep", Basil replied, taking a few steps towards him. As always, the man's clothes were covered in dirt and he was wearing thick gloves to cover his hands. There were a few leaves trapped in his blond hair, which made Basil want to pick them out, but he refrained from following his urges. "I... I thought I'd come here, because... because taking care of plants is relaxing".

The professor smiled a little at that, although he still seemed cautious.

"Yeah, it is... but you really should go back to your rooms".

"Please. I won't be at risk as long as I'm around you, right?", Basil asked him in an almost-pleading tone.

"I... I guess". the professor scratched the back of his head, looking away. "Sorry, I'm not... I won't be of much company. I'm very busy".

"That's alright. I like your company".

Basil hadn't meant to blurt it out like that. He immediately blushed as the man looked at him in shock, before looking away again while his cheeks also turned a little pink.

"I'm... uhm, okay then".

He seemed nervous. Basil hoped it wasn't because of his gaffe.

They spent a few hours together, before Professor Oleander insisted to accompany him back to the entrance of the Slytherin Dungeon.

"It was nice spending time with you", Basil shily told him.

His professor smiled and shrugged, before looking away.

"I don't... I normally don't like to be around people. But... it's not so bad with you. You're quiet, and...". He looked at him intensely, before leaning in closer.

Basil froze up as one of those gloved hands reached out towards him, but the man only took something out from his hair. A small twig. He relaxed, although a part of him was a little disappointed.

"Good night, Hawthorne".

"Good night, professor".

From then on, Basil had sneaked out a couple times to meet the object of his interest. The more time he spent with him, the more his feelings grew, just like the vines of a persistent infesting plant.

It wasn't like they exchanged many words, but Basil was content just being around him. At least, for the time being.

He knew it wouldn't be enough for long. He couldn't help but want more.

He wanted to know more about him. Wanted to know if he really spent all of his time with his plants, wanted to know if there was a way to get through the thorny walls he had put around his heart. From the few things that had slipped past his lips a few times, Basil couldn't help but think that, in truth, the man was quite lonely.

"Plants, they never leave you alone when they grow tired of you", Oleander had said once, sounding almost more as if he was talking to himself rather than to Basil. "They can't even go anywhere, they wouldn't survive without me. They need me". He had smiled then, a genuine smile. "That's why I like them".

"I think that's wonderful", Basil had said, his comment seemingly startling the man, almost as if he'd forgotten he was still there. "Wouldn't it be nice, to have someone who would need you as much as your plants do?".

"That... wouldn't be possible", Oleander had replied, looking away and hurrying to move somewhere else, watering a few pots of Wolfsbane.

Basil had stared at the man's back, his feelings burning inside him like a flame.

To be needed so deeply and completely...to have someone who entirely depends on you, who wouldn't even live without you... what a wonderful thing.

Now he knew why Oleander liked plants so much.

That was how he liked him too.

If only he could find away to keep him all for himself, uproot him and confine him in a little vase where he would never escape him... how wonderful that would be.

"Have you heard about Andrew Robinson?".

"No, what happened?".

"Apparently no one's seen him since yesterday".

"No way! You think it's another Kowalski?".

"I hope not... my parents almost didn't let me come back to school after that".

Basil couldn't help but overhear the conversation as the group of Slytherins chatted next to him at the table.

"I can't believe it's happened again", Kai noted, sounding quite worried. "Say, I heard you come back quite late the other night... I don't think you should stay out at night, what if something happens to you too?".

"Shh! Do you want everyone to hear?", Basil scolded him, before lowering his voice. "I'll be fine. I've just been visiting the greenhouses".

"What? Why would you do that?".

Basil looked down at his pudding, not sure of how to answer to that.

How could he explain to the other boy that he wanted to spend more time with Oleander? Surely he would think it was weird.

"I'm worried about the next test. I just want to make sure I'm prepared".

"No way, you always ace every Herbology test. If anything, you should give me some extra lessons".

"You're a lost cause. You could make a cactus die of thirst".

"Hey!".

Thankfully he managed to change the subject without much difficulty, but he couldn't manage to shake the thought off of his head.

Once could have been an accident, but twice?

What had Robinson been up to? And Kowalski, for that matter? Where would they be headed, that late at night?

Basil wondered if Oleander might have seen anything. After all, the man seemed to stay awake until late. From one of their conversations, he'd gathered that the man preferred to sleep early in the day and wake up in the late afternoon, just in time for his lessons. If someone else beside him had sneaked out in the middle of the night, he might have seen them.

He would have to ask him about it, next time.

"Huh? Tuesday night?". Oleander looked at him in surprise, then he frowned. "Can't... can't really remember anything, sorry. I've been... busy".

Basil could tell that he was upset. He'd become quite good at reading the man, even if he couldn't always tell what he was thinking. Maybe he was worried about Robinson, but that seemed uncharacteristic of him.

"You really shouldn't be out here this late. It's... not safe", Oleander said, looking at him in a strange way. He didn't really seem worried as much as...

Threatening.

A cold shiver ran down Basil's spine. He quickly tried to shake off that feeling.

"I'm not worried", he lied, taking a few steps closer to the man. "Not while I'm here with you".

Oleander smiled at him, but somehow it was anything but reassuring.

"The plants are not the deadliest thing in here, Hawthorne".

Basil gulped loudly. Oleander moved in closer and he retreated, until he felt his back pressed against the vine-covered wall, some of them slithering around his ankles and wrists.

His heart was beating fast, he could feel its pulse in his throat, especially when Oleander's hand closed around it.

"P-professor, please", he whispered, eyes filled with terror as he saw the man's face twist into an hideous grin.

"You're always coming back here. I kept telling myself I shouldn't... but you're like a stubborn weed, you made your way into my mind and I couldn't stop wondering... what would you look like, without your branches".

He had a pair of shears in his hand, a dangerous glint in his blue eyes. They seemed to shine even in that faint light, almost as if they were ignited from the inside.

There was a smell to him... Basil always thought it came from the plants, but no, it was emanating from him.

It smelled like...

Death.

"Please", he begged, his eyes filling with tears. "Please".

"Shh... don't worry. I won't get rid of you. I want to keep you". Oleander glanced at his shears and his smirk grew wider. "Well... not all of you".

Basil looked into those bright eyes and he knew. He knew what had happened to the other students.

But he would not be able to tell anyone.

Not after Oleander was done with him.

#bad things bingo #bad things happen bingo #boyfriend to death #btd2 lawrence #lawrence oleander #lawrence/OMC #mywriting #writblr #fanfic

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