#its rescuing and hand holding to improve
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I've been seeing a lot of Damian and Danny Twins AUs lately, but they always seem to recognize each other by appearance. They're two kids raised by the League to, assuredly, be a deadly duo at least until Ra's decided one of them had to go. Once Robin starts working with Batman--depending on the canon, he's also trained by the League--those team(twin) fighting lessons and years of practice should come back like muscle memory. For Danny, that should resurface at least a little as he works with Tucker, Sam, Jazz, and possibly Valerie (for this specific AU it would make a *lot* more sense if Valerie was added since she can also fly and then have Danny train her to fight like a Leaguer beside him).
Somehow, probably a ghost nut convention, Danny ends up in Gotham. Batman has been incapacitated and captured by Scarecrow, who is once again bragging about his latest fear toxin that will bring Gotham to its knees, starting with its Dark Knight. Danny has to help a fellow vigilante out and heads off, following the signals of Gotham's shades to Scarecrow's base. Danny, being cautious for once in his vigilante career, surveys the base, and sneaks in.
Robin, the only other bat in Gotham by some misfortune, decided to sneak off to "rescue" his father all by himself. He had no clue who the newbie breaking in Scarecrow's base was, but his father wouldn't want him to let them die, which is why he found himself following the *glowing* imbecile.
*Nice going Fenton, you could have just turned intangible. I guess old habits must come back,* and not wanting to miss another opportunity for improved sneaking, Danny promptly turned invisible and broke left as he continued to creep farther into the building.
*How did that idiot manage to evade me?* Damian wondered with no small hint of irritation after he entered by the same entrance and turned towards his right.
Minutes later, both teens entered into a large, open area. Apparently Scarecrow had set up shop in a large warehouse with ample office space at the front, which the boys had found empty of threats, to their mutual frustration. Danny, still invisible, flew to the rafters and slowly drifted deeper into the warehouse towards the source of the noise and lights he could see. Robin kept to the right of the warehouse, grappled to the rafters and swiftly darted along them towards the area where Scarecrow was likely holding his father.
As Danny neared the back of the warehouse, several things became very clear. The first was that his eyes had been correct, those were *actually* massive vats of chemicals. The second was that massive vats of chemicals without lids existed somewhere outside his parents' basement. The third was that this "Scarecrow" guy, with all his advanced chemistry lab set up, advanced formulas, TV cameras, hired thugs, and insanity was...just a dude with a sack on his head. Danny shook his head, *this is why I don't fight humans.*
Robin, on the other hand, was primarily focused on finding a way to neutralize the thugs around Batman long enough to free him. Robin thought for a moment, Damien Wayne thought for a moment, and Damien al'Ghul thought for a moment. Something in his gut told him his plan would work, and father had said to trust his gut unless it told him to kill people.
Robin leapt from the rafters onto the thug nearest Batman and after absorbing the rest of his fall with a precise roll to his right into the back of another's ankles (ACL tear if done right...or wrong for the rollee), he darted, again towards his right, attempting to clear a space around the objective.
Danny, from his vantage on the rafters, saw a flicker of motion before *Robin* dropped through his field of view and instinct kicked in, pulling Danny after him. Danny, feeling years out of practice, barely avoided twisting his now-much-larger ankle on the shoulder of the goon he crashed onto, and his roll to his left into the next thug's calves was horribly off target to the point he had to yank the man's feet from under him with ghostly strength, but this fight felt...right.
Damian noticed the stutter after his partner landed, that didn't normally happen. *Normally? Ttt, father isn't so clumsy...*
After a minute, perhaps two, had passed, a small space and a shorter window had appeared for Damian to free Batman.
Danny, appreciating the moment he and his mysterious partner had bought, made eye contact with their objective. Tall, dark, brooding, bat-obsessed, and intimidating was putting it mildly. The Batman was terrifying and his gaze was fixed on Danny, so Danny pointedly looked away from him and returned to his job, keeping watch. Dam-- his brot-- Danny had never been that great at rescuing the target anyway, he'd made the best distractions when necessary though. *Could have just phased the bindings off him, stupid,* the voice in the back of his head chided him. *Great going, Fenton. Really slipping up today aren'tcha?*
Damian's hands fumbled for less than half a second as he released Bruce from the table, but he couldn't help it, that had felt...just like before. As the bindings fell away, Batman removed himself from the table and focused the full might of his glare on Scarecrow.
"Forgive me, Dark Knight, if I'm not afraid of your...theatrics. You see my new toxin will--"
An echoing, teenaged voice cut him off, "Blah, blah, crumble the Dark Knight to ruins and bring Gotham to Wisconsin or something, just give up already!"
Scarecrow's mask twisted to match the sick grin underneath, "Is this a new bat for me to te--"
"Am not," the voice, coming from the glowing figure, retorted.
The few goons who had managed to regain their feet since the first beatdown slowly worked to form a perimeter between the 'Crow and the Bats (and co).
"Good, then try *this*!" Doctor Johnathan Crane cried as he hurled a small vial filled with a yellow fluid at Danny's feet. Both Batman and Damian lunged to make space and time to don their filtration masks, but the glowing figure didn't move and vial smashed between his feet.
Damian's heart clenched in fear, *Why didn't you move!?*
The Bat's eyes narrowed.
Danny breathed in the sweaty aroma. *Ugh,* "Dude, was this supposed to smell like gym shorts?"
The Scarecrow stood amidst the vast chemical distillery he had set up in his months out of Arkham, behind the wall of hired muscle he had found, and his jaw fell slack. All his calculations had amounted to was the smell of used gym shorts!?
While the 'Crow's brain tried to reset from Danny's perfect distraction, Danny turned his head back to face Robin with his customary, cocky grin.
Damian recognized the signal for what it was and they sprung back into action together, in sync. As they bounded through the remaining thugs like scythes through a wheat field, every thug they threw was stomped out by the other, every combat roll to quickly find a new angle was covered, and every opening was protected just like they'd been doing this for years.
The fight came to an end to the symphony of Scarecrow's screams, "It's not possible. It's just not! My formula was perfect!" They ended when Batman, who had already handcuffed the pleading lunatic, had knocked him out for "resisting arrest."
Danny and Damian stood near each other to catch their breath, supposedly, but they were appraising each other. Their physiques matched, even if one of them glowed, the eyes matched, even if they shouldn't, and the hair, which was still waving around despite the lack of wind, definitely didn't match, but Damian had a feeling.
Robin was dressed like a stoplight. It was really not Damian's style...at least not back then, but maybe it could have been by now. The hair was the same, he couldn't make out the eyes through whatever was covering them, but this was Damian, no doubt about it.
Danny stepped closer to Robin. Robin's body language immediately became tense in a falsely disaffected manner. Definitely Damian. Danny swooped in for a hug and turned his head intangible, *Ha! Got it right that time!*
When Damian swung at the mystery glowstick's head, he didn't expect his fist to go through it, but his fist certainly collided with their ribs.
Yup, it's Dami.
Damian let himself relax, this was Danyal. Somehow, he was alive, and Damian returned the hug. He'd kill Danyal for not telling him he was still alive later.
"Robin!"
Damian's eyes cracked open to see the disapproving figure of Batman glaring down at him.
"Report!"
In case it wasn't clear, Danny was "slipping up" because he was running on instincts from his days with Damian, not cause he's having problems.
#danny phantom#dp au#dp x dc#dc x dp#danny fenton#damian wayne#I dont know how to write their dialogue so I kinda didn't
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Did a doodle of my pretty tiefling twink and cleric of Selûne, Falûne. I forgot how much I enjoyed shading lips over doing an outline, his nose was fun too, its not the usual soft look I’d go for for a character like him but it’s a strong yet oddly romantic shape.
Curly White hair neatly tucked back, Big silvery white eyes, gold grafted horns, very pale pastel blue skin, always glossy and very kissable blue/grey lips, shorter than Astarion, heart shaped tail because he’s full of love.
He’s very kind, gentle, sheltered and naive. He left the safety of his cloister in baldurs gate to take up his studies at the now ruined chapel to Selûne near the now blighted village and immediately got kidnapped by absolute cultists. After escaping the nautiloid things continued to just go downhill for the poor thing. Everyone keeps bullying him and the pretty vampire keeps drinking his blood and corrupting his mind into indulging in sinful activities. Yes I made him specifically for ascended astarion to absolutely ruin him~
Relationships with others:
Shadowheart: low, she keeps bullying and threatening to hurt him for being a selûnite when he’s never said a thing remotely mean towards Shar. Has made him cry more than once.
Lae’zel: very high, she said she wanted to taste him and he got so frightened he fainted, he thought she wanted to eat him.
Gale: exceptional, when channeling the weave he thought about holding gales hand and having never had a crush before got so flustered he ran away in a panic. It took several hours for him to stop blushing.
Astarion: exceptional, Astarion clocked his gentle and naive nature from a mile away and manipulated him fully to his advantage, but then developed feelings for him, really, quickly and Falûne did so likewise. After luring him to a quiet place for some fun astarion so gently untied his collar and had a nibble while he made the cleric scream out his gods name for an entirely new meaning~ yes astarion holds him by his tail.
Wyll: very high, Wyll sees him as a best friend and a little brother figure.
Karlach: very high, sees him as an almost son like figure as well as a friend and wants to protect him. She calls him moonpie.
Halsin: High, he finds Falûne to be very good company and enjoys teaching him what he knows. Falûne on the other hand likes Halsin in his elf form, but is cripplingly terrified of his bear form and bears in general… they’re why his horns are grafted.
Minthara: Very high, after being rescued from moonrise her disposition towards him improved massively very fast and she found admiration in a surprising number of his aspects. Falûne however is extremely intimidated by her and her attempts at flirting scared him half to death.
Jaheira: high, she admires him but will rarely admit it. He keeps going despite his fear and keeps trying to do the right thing. She is keeping a firm eye on how astarion can easily sway him though. Falûne admires her likewise but Astarions convinced him she’s not as good a person as he thinks given shes threatened him repeatedly and drugged him.
Minsc: high, minsc thinks he’s adorable, so does boo. Falûne is often left too rattled by how loud and abrupt minsc is to walk away with any impression of him other than he’s nice and he’s loud. And boo is very cute.
Volo: dead, the whole group let him get killed for chasing Falûne with an ice pick.
Withers: very high, he admires Falûne and likewise Falûne admires him. They both enjoy tea and little sandwiches.
Raphael: high, it wasn’t hard for the devil to sway the poor cleric, especially since astarion wanted to make a deal. He’s still trying to convince him to join him and Harleep in the bedroom. Falûne is petrified at the mere thought of being around him because of how hard it is to say no to him.
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NSFW headcanon
zowens stuck in a unmoving car in the middle of nowhere in a stormm ,,,theyyy need to cuddle and stuff right to keep warm
"Stranded."
Synopsis: Sami and Kevin's car breaks down in the middle of a snowstorm. Will they be able to brave the elements until help arrives?
Warning: Must be 18+ to read under cut.
They're stranded in the middle of nowhere waiting for help to arrive. Due to hazardous weather conditions it's going to take thirty to forty five minutes before they're rescued. To make matters worse, the sun is beginning to set, causing the temperature to drop significantly.
As the snow continues its relentless downfall the pair sit huddled in the backseat, shivering, relying on each other's body heat for shelter. A sense of comfort washing over him as Sami lay nestled in his embrace. He missed the feeling of home Sami's arms provide, holding him close.
Snowflakes delicately collide with the window and despite the bitter cold, there's nowhere else he'd rather be as he gently brushes Sami's ginger curls aside to whisper in his ear. "I know how we can get warm."
A chill runs down Sami's spine, but it isn't because of the weather. His heart pounding as he looks over his shoulder, locking eyes with Kevin.
Kevin stares deeply into Sami's eyes, becoming lost in the soft honey hue. His hand reaching up to cup Sami's cheek before capturing his lips in a tender kiss, caressing his fingertips across his chiseled jaw.
Sami returns the kiss, emitting a contented sigh as he twists around to face him, pressing his body flush against Kevin's, eager for more.
A moan of approval erupts from Kevin's throat as Sami's slender frame melds with his own. Strong hands roaming over every inch leaving goosebumps, their tongues swirling hungrily in each other's mouths.
Eventually the kiss breaks, leaving both men gasping for air, their chests heaving in unison. "Just like old times." Sami remarks, a mischievous gleam emerging in his eyes as he reminisces on the past.
It's particularly cold in Québec, especially during winter months, so the pair often shared a bed not only as a means of saving money, but to also keep each other warm, which eventually lead to...other strenuous activities. "I remember the first time like it was yesterday." Kevin reflects fondly, an amused grin tugging at his lips. "You were so nervous you tripped over your own pants." He adds with a chuckle.
Sami bursts into a fit of laughter, surprised Kevin is able to remember that far back, back before they believed in fate and soulmates. "I've improved a lot since then." Sami counters, a seductive smirk on his face. "I'm a very tender lover." His voice taking a more sultry tone.
Kevin inhales sharply, feeling a tingle in his loins. "I'll be the judge of that." He whispers, dragging his thumb sensually over Sami's lips.
Sami's heartbeat begins to quicken as Kevin traces his lips. In an attempt to one-up his partner he slips Kevin's thumb into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it tantalizingly, never breaking eye contact.
Kevin swallows hard, watching Sami suck on his thumb intently, imagining his hot mouth on another part of his body as their lips collide in fiery passion. Hands tugging at Sami's shirt.
Sami smirks into the kiss, breaking away briefly to take off his shirt before helping Kevin remove his. Their eyes meet in a penetrating gaze as Sami lays down, raising his hips in order to slide off his pants.
Kevin's breath hitches as soon as he realizes Sami isn't wearing any underwear, his cock hard and standing at attention. The mere sight making his own manhood throb with anticipation. "Fuck, Sami."
Sami can feel the heat rise to his cheeks as Kevin's eyes bore into him, heavy-lidded and filled with lust. "Tout pour toi, mon amour." He replies in a hushed whisper, heart beating fast. "I'm yours, Kev."
A hush falls over the car, not a sound could be heard aside from the rhythmic thumping of their hearts. Kevin's eyes fixed firmly on Sami as he proceeds to peel off his own pants. "And I'm yours," he whispers back, tucking a strand of crimson behind Sami's ear. "Pour toujours."
The intensity between them ignited when Sami places a hand atop Kevin's, his hazel eyes aflame with desire as he guides Kevin closer.
They kiss soft and deep while Kevin positions himself between Sami's legs as he gradually eases his cock inside Sami's tight hole, eliciting a hiss from the redhead. "Are you okay?" Kevin asks, concern in his eyes.
Sami forces a smile despite how excruciating the pain is, not wanting to make Kevin worry. "Yeah, go slow." He coaxes gently.
Kevin obeys, starting to move in a steady pace, watching Sami's face contort in pleasure as he raises his hips in time with Kevin's thrusts, finding a perfect rhythm. "I miss you Sami, I miss us." Kevin breathes, pressing their foreheads together. "I can't stand being away from you."
Sami can feel his emotions stir as he meets Kevin's gaze. He loved the softer, more gentle side of Kevin, the side only he was allowed to see. "Then don't." Sami breathlessly replies, reaching up to fondle his cheek. "Marry me, Kev." He proposes, his voice barely above a whisper.
Kevin halts his actions, looking Sami dead in the eye. "What did you say?" He asks, his heart skipping a beat, trying to process everything.
Before Sami has time to explain, there's a loud knock at the driver side door, startling them both. "Shit!" Kevin exclaims, pulling on his pants and throwing on a winter jacket. The car is covered in snow, making it impossible to see outside. Had it been forty five minutes already? I guess it's true what they say: "Time flies when you're having fun."
Tagging: @loki69zowens Thanks for the request, bestie! @wrestlingdespairings, @domripley, @sizzlingavenuestrawberry, @cawcawmotherfker, @thewanderer-000, @darby--allin, @existwithpride, @mexxs-blog, @daddywrasslin, @smileceldaru, @fishgutsblog, @kayfabebabe, @racerchix21, @unintentionaloracle, @low-x-battery, @stardust181, @coloursflyaway, @riveliciousx, @kevinsteen, @pikapuff-316, @kristalynn94, @eleanor24, @wrestlingprincess80, @go-beatrizaf-blog, @anothersabah and @himbos-hotline. Thank you for reading! 😊 Stay tuned for the sequel!
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The Serpents Hold // Chapter Six
Summary: When Sebastian turns to dark magic to cure his sister, Nova and Ominis find themselves reluctantly thrust into a partnership to aid him. Amid the disapproval of Ominis' family, Nova wrestles with her growing feelings for him and also with the nagging suspicion that Ominis knows more about Anne's condition than he's letting on.
AO3 // Masterlist
"Gran was showing me around Blackdown Hills, where she used to play with wild beasts as a little girl—"
Nova was partially tuned into Poppy's recounting of her half-term break, her emerald cloak and tie inconspicuously concealed beneath the Hufflepuff table. Her head was propped in her hand as she picked at the pastry on her plate, reducing its flaky layers to fine dust.
"We got the kneazle untangled from the thorns... We named it... Nova, are you listening?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Poppy. I was just, uh..." She gestured towards her demolished breakfast. "Lost in thought, I suppose. You caught a kneazle?"
"Rescued!" Poppy corrected indignantly, "We managed to save the kneazle, and I named her Nova."
"Kneazle-Nova is lucky to have crossed paths with you," Nova smiled warmly, brushing the lingering crumbs from her fingers back onto the plate. "We both are."
Poppy's eyes sparkled as she beamed back at her, "How was your break? Feldcroft must have been lovely. Anne is such a gem, isn't she? We used to share an astronomy class. How's she doing?"
Nova's thoughts were still untangling from their earlier wanderings, making it a challenge to keep up with the rapid-fire questions. "Honestly, it wasn't great," she confessed. "I didn't get much time with Anne before her uncle and Sebastian got into a massive argument. I haven't seen him since everyone returned, and I'm getting worried."
"Have you seen Ominis?" Poppy asked, her words cutting through a large bite of croissant. "They're usually joined at the hip, you could ask him."
Nova's expression twisted into a grimace. "I make a point of avoiding him if possible. He tolerates me at best and doesn't exactly approve of our friendship."
"Because you're such a bad influence?" Poppy snorted, and Nova tried not to take offence. "Ominis is nice, I'm sure he'll help. I saw him heading to the Dark Arts Tower earlier. Do you want me to help you find him?"
"It's fine. I can tell you're eager to say hello to all your beasts."
Following breakfast, Nova dawdled at the threshold of the Undercroft. She had steered clear since Ominis had issued his threats, but it was the only unexplored corner of the castle in her search for Sebastian. Flicking her wand over the gilded symbols, she clung to the hope Ominis wasn't down there with him. That hope shattered the moment she stepped into the dusty abyss, instantly assaulted by the intensity of his deranged voice.
"Anything to do with the dark arts should be avoided, Sebastian. It's too risky."
"At this point, anything to do with Salazar Slytherin is worth the risk," Sebastian countered, his agitated footsteps pacing restlessly between the candlelit pillars.
"Well, I don't see it that way. I won't entertain further discussion on the matter. I'm sorry."
Nova might as well have been a ghost. Ominis strode past her with a silent indifference—an improvement, she had to admit, from their first encounter in the Undercroft.
"What was that about?" she joined Sebastian at a makeshift desk, creatively assembled from a precarious stack of trunks. "Is this where you've been for the past day? Sebastian, I was worried."
"I'm sorry," he attempted to console her with something resembling a hug, but his eyes and palm remained glued on scraps of parchment scattered across the worktop. "That book we stole states that Salazar Slytherin has a scriptorium here in Hogwarts. It turns out Ominis has known about it this whole time."
"A scriptorium?"
"Yes, there has to be a treasure trove of information on dark magic in there. There has to be some insight into curses." His initial enthusiasm gave way to a more solemn expression as he collapsed onto a chair. "Ominis wants no part in it, but only an heir of Slytherin can find the entrance. Whatever's in that room might hold the answers for Anne."
Nova nudged aside the manuscript, settling atop the trunk to face him. "Ominis does have a point, Sebastian. While a cure for Anne is the best-case scenario, have you considered the worst-case?"
"As I said to him, it's worth the risk." Sebastian dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand. "There is far more to dark magic than most people realise, the Gaunt's know this all too well."
Nova's curiosity stirred at his words. Ominis had implied that his comprehension of dark magic revolved solely around Soloman's time as an auror.
"What do you mean by that?"
Sebastian ran a nervous hand through his wild hair. "I shouldn't have told you about Ominis' family history in the library," his words escaped rapidly, as if fighting to restrain himself from divulging more. "He gave me quite a scolding."
Nova's gave him a sheepish smile. "To be fair, I didn't mention anything to do with the whole marriage arrangement. He's just annoyingly perceptive."
"You're not wrong." His eyes darted toward the exit to ensure Ominis had left. "Look, if you promise not to breathe a word..."
"I promise," Nova said, crossing her heart with her fingers, fully aware that her track record for keeping secrets was far from flawless.
"Ominis was schooled in dark magic by his family. Have you heard of the Cruciatus Curse?"
"Is that one of the unforgivables? Ominis told me a little."
"It's the curse that inflicts unbearable pain on its victims," Sebastian explained. "His parents and brother use it on muggles for sport. They forced Ominis to cast it when he was just a child; when he refused, they subjected him to it themselves."
Guilt coiled in the pit of her stomach. No wonder he was so adamant about keeping away from dark magic.
"The rift between him and his family only widened from there until I came along," Sebastian continued. "He trusts me, and more often than not, he listens to what I have to say. I'm sure I can convince him to help."
"I don't think it's fair for Ominis to forbid you from exploring options to save Anne. But it's also unfair to involve him, given his past. Is there anything in that book that doesn't drag him into it?"
"Nothing else that remotely relates to dark curses," he sighed, unbothered by her judgment. "Although, there's a whole section dedicated to secret rooms in Hogwarts." He angled the book to better catch the candlelight. "Take a look at this, the Room of Requirement."
The room features a unique capability to furnish or transform itself into precisely what a witch or wizard unequivocally requires at any given moment.
"Really?" Nova remained unconvinced. "Surely, a room like that would be common knowledge by now?"
"I'm not so sure; look here." Sebastian persisted, gesturing to another section of the passage.
To access the room, it is necessary to cross the vicinity of the door repeatedly, passing it three times while maintaining a focused intention for the desired outcome.
"According to this map, it should be located on the seventh floor of the astronomy tower, right across from the tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy."
"Where the toilets are?"
"What toilets?"
"Just... the toilets," Nova repeated with a shrug. "The ones across from the tapestry."
Sebastian's forehead creased in confusion. "Nova, there are no toilets across from the tapestry."
"Yes, there is," she insisted. "During my first astrology class, Professor Shah wouldn't let me go to the toilet. By the time the class finished, I was desperate, so I ran down that corridor—"
Her sentence came to a screeching halt in realisation, and her eyes locked onto Sebastian's, both their mouths agape in gleeful delirium.
Sunlight poured into the corridor from the adjacent staircase as Nova and Sebastian stood facing the deceptively ordinary wall. Sebastian rapped his knuckles against the stone before pressing his ear to the cold surface, listening intently. After a moment, he took a step back, shaking his head.
"Well, what are you needing?" Nova asked, searching along the dents and contours of the stonework for any hidden seams.
"I need access to a scriptorium that harbours cures for dark and debilitating curses."
"Right... Well, concentrate on... that. And walk past three times," she urged, giving him a gentle push to start pacing along the length of the corridor.
"Why in Merlin's name were you pacing back and forth like a caged lion if you needed a piss?" his voice echoed through the corridor much louder than necessary.
"It was my first week, Sebastian; I didn't know where the fuck I was."
He laughed, though his amusement gradually waned as he continued to pace, realising that no hidden door was materialising.
"Perhaps the room doesn't know how to fix a curse," Nova said as Sebastian came to a miserable halt. "Or maybe it only listens to me," she added, pushing him against the tapestry before darting off to the other end of the corridor. "I need a weeeeeeeee!" she bellowed as she sprinted back and forth.
Sebastian snatched the hood of her cloak and flung her behind him. "I need a scriptorium that holds cures for dark curseeeees!" he hollered with equal enthusiasm as he sprinted to the end of the passage, colliding with the wall and using the impact's momentum to throw himself back down the corridor.
He hurtled toward Nova, who extended her arm in an attempt to slow him down. Their collision sent them both tumbling to the ground in a wild entanglement of limbs, the force of the impact knocking the breath out of them.
"Well, it would have been a bloody miracle if that worked," Sebastian choked out between laughter as they both lay winded on the floor. He gave a thumbs-up to a confused Ravenclaw, who cautiously sidestepped their sprawled bodies. "I should get to class. I'll revisit the scriptorium topic with Ominis later," he groaned as he rose to his feet. Extending a hand as he helped Nova up from the floor. "And if he doesn't agree... well... he's not the only heir."
Nova watched Sebastian vanish around the corner, her elation transforming into a rising tide of panic. Hadn't he just told her about Ominis' family's reputation for torture? They were clearly very dark wizards. Sebastian was putting himself in grave danger.
Nova wriggled through the throng of bodies ambling into the classroom, diving to secure the seat beside Ominis.
There were several factors to the lethargy that hung over their history of magic class, but chiefly among them was Professor Binn's complete lack of direct engagement with his students. The hypnotic drone of his voice kicked into gear, and eyelids began drooping under the weight of the monotonous lecture.
Ominis folded his arms and rested them on his open textbook, snuggling into the bunched fabric from his sleeves. His charmed quill danced frantically across his parchment, diligently scribbling down vital notes while he stole a nap. Beside him, Nova absently scratched at the etchings on their desk, adding to the collection of inscriptions left by countless generations of tired students.
She let slip a quiet sigh, her eyes flitting over to Ominis as she wrestled with the best way to broach the subject of Sebastian. His gentle breaths tousled his typically well-kept hair, strands cascading untidily across his forehead. Nova resisted the temptation to whip out her quill and play connect-the-dots with the splatter of beauty marks on his cheek, instead captivated by how closely they resembled Ursa Major.
His disembodied quill darted across the desk, leaving behind a hastily scrawled note on her parchment.
Stop staring at me.
A deep flush of embarrassment stained her cheeks.
"I need to talk to you," she whispered, edging herself closer to him, her voice dropping to a murmur, "It's about Sebastian."
If this is about the scriptorium, I don't want to hear it.
She had barely finished reading his scribbled message before the quill scratched out every word in an erratic frenzy, leaving no trace of the message behind.
"This is important, Ominis. I'm on your side."
He continued to feign sleep and she released an exasperated groan, unintentionally rousing a pair of slumbering witches suspended in mid-scribble.
Class finally ended, and Nova hurriedly packed up, struggling to keep pace with Ominis while everyone else was still rubbing sleep from their eyes. He stormed to a secluded corner behind a stairwell, then promptly turned around to face her.
"You have one minute."
"Sebastian told me about the scriptorium—"
"It's a cesspit of dark magic. It's staying untouched," he interrupted, "He can't get near it without me, and I won't change my mind."
He began to walk away, but Nova's fingers tightened around the crook of his elbow. "Ominis, listen to me," she snapped. She anticipated resistance and was taken aback when he remained silent. "He didn't go into details, but he said you're not the only descendant. I think he's planning to reach out to your brother."
Ominis' pallid features turned an even more ghostly shade of white; he looked like he was going to be sick. "We can't allow him to do that," his voice strained as he fought to suppress a tremor.
"I know," Nova replied, comforted by his use of the word we. "I've been mulling it over all morning, and from where I stand, there are only two options." She spoke softly as she proposed the first option: "You unlock the scriptorium, and we allow him to go in alone." She knew he wouldn't favour this choice.
"He'll die."
"You can't know that for sure."
"I can," he murmured, his eyes squeezing shut as he dragged his fingertips down his face. "It happened to my aunt, Noctua. She shared my beliefs and disagreed with the family's use of dark magic. She hoped to convince my family there was more to Salazar Slytherin than worshipping pureblood status. She'd heard of this scriptorium and thought its contents might shed some light. She wrote to my father about her efforts to gain access, and then… vanished."
Their classmates passed by, casting concerned glances at the intense exchange under the stairs. Nova gently tugged on Ominis' sleeve, coaxing him closer into the privacy of the corner until their bodies were nearly touching.
"Noctua ventured down this path with good intentions and paid with her life," Ominis said quietly. "I don't want history to repeat itself."
She transitioned to the second option, "Your aunt ventured in alone, but three wands are better than one. We could do this together. Honour your aunt's memory by completing what she started and steer Sebastian away from self-destruction along the way."
He scratched the back of his neck as he mulled over the options. "This isn't your fight. I appreciate the warning, but if you want to walk away now, you can do so."
"I'm not going anywhere," she told him indignantly, offended by another attempt to distance her from Sebastian, but his features softened to something resembling relief rather than resistance.
"Good. I feel more at ease knowing you're on my side."
#ominis#ominis x mc#hogwarts legacy ominis#ominis x reader#ominis gaunt#hogwarts legacy fic#hogwarts legacy#hogwarts oc#hogwarts houses#hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry#the serpents hold#sebastian sallow x mc#sebastian sallow
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How exactly does intertextuality work?
I'm trying to improve my media literacy, but I'm not that great at understanding certain terms.
intertextuality is a REALLY broad term. in the most basic sense it refers to the relation between one text and another and how that relationship informs the meaning of the text being examined. think about parodies: the humor is referential, either to a specific work being parodied or to conventions of a genre, and relies on the audience having familiarity with the parodied text. a great parody should be able to stand on its own merits as a story, but knowing the parodied text(s) enriches the parody because you’re in on the jokes. that’s intertextuality in a nutshell.
as a writer, there are myriad ways to do this: direct parody or pastiche, quotation, allusion, translation, so forth. and as a reader, intertextuality needn’t necessarily be an argument for authorial intention—you can (and indeed should, if you’re interested in textual analysis, because it’s a good exercise) apply intertextual analysis to a text by comparison or contrast against another text in which you find resonant ideas or themes or patterns, and build an argument about the text you’re reading using reference to that other text, regardless of whether the author intended it that way. the author is dead: the point of textual analysis is not to divine the One True Meaning intended by god.
(that said, steer clear of joseph campbell and monomythic analysis; it’s notionally similar to an intertextual approach, but the underlying thesis that all stories, or at least all stories of mythic scope, are variants of a sort of pancultural ur-story, is ethnocentric garbage that incentivizes deliberate misinterpretation in a when-all-you-have-is-a-hammer way. intertextual analysis encompasses both similarity and difference because both are meaningful.)
rwby, for example, makes very deliberate use of intertextuality—in the character allusions and also in its weaving together of a few key texts (marvelous land of oz, petrosinella/persinette/rapunzel, the little prince, and cinderella) into the backbone of its original narrative. a lot of the fandom tries to rely on the character allusions to guess what will happen in the plot, with generally poor accuracy, because that’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what rwby uses intertextuality for.
its purpose in rwby—in rwby, this is a common use of intertextuality but not a universal one!—is to develop a symbolic and thematic vocabulary that enhances and clarifies what the story is trying to say. what does it mean, for example, that ruby is red riding hood? well, little red disobeys her mother and endangers herself and her grandmother. she’s also gobbled up by a wolf and survives unscathed with the aid of a huntsman. her grandmother, too, is eaten and at least metaphorically revived. the wolf is undone by his own hunger. it’s a story about childish rebellion and dire consequence, but also a mistake ultimately bringing about the end of the danger little red was warned against. and it is, symbolically, a story about death and resurrection. the wolf eats the girl and the girl is reborn from the wolf’s stomach: thus children become adults. and then in v9 we have ruby straying from her path, drinking the tea, facing the wolf, returning to life whole and unchanged. see how it rhymes?
that holds true for the narrative allusions as well. the marvelous land of oz, boiled down to essentials, is about restoring balance to a world upset by the hand of unworthy ‘gods’ (the wizard, whose machinations are maintained by his co-conspirator mombi alone after his departure from oz); the conflict is principally between deceptive illusions and ruthless honesty.
likewise the maiden-in-the-tower tales all twine around the central conceit of an imprisoned young woman who is both rescued and rescuer: petrosinella outwits and slays her captor to win herself and her lover free, and both persinette and rapunzel suffer in exile until their voices guide their lovers home and they heal their lovers’ blindness with their tears.
the little prince is about growing up and what it means to be alive not just in body but in soul—and like red riding hood, it uses the symbolic motif of death and resurrection to explore these ideas—and one of its core themes is that uncertainty and fear and acceptance of reality, of death, of danger as unavoidable, are necessary to truly live.
and cinderella is a story about cruelty and injustice and having the courage to do what it takes to survive, and also—inherent to the course of the fairytale narrative—a story about the obligation for those on the outside to help in the ways that they can. cinderella saves herself by asking for help. rwby doesn’t turn this story upside-down, exactly: both cinder and salem ask for help, and suffer brutal retaliation for it. how does cinderella save herself alone?
and so on. rwby handles intertextuality very well, so there’s a lot to tease out and a lot of threads to pull. it is that deep. but this is how intertextual analysis works, in the essentials. you connect one text to another and use the second to examine the first: why is ruby little red riding hood? what’s the common thread weaving the marvelous land of oz, the maiden-in-the-tower tales, the little prince, and cinderella together into the story rwby tells? the wolf eats red riding hood and red riding hood is reborn from the wolf and petrosinella’s ogre is eaten by petrosinella’s wolf: what does the wolf mean in rwby, and how does that color the parallelism between ruby and salem? it’s like if subtext had a megaphone.
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Byerscest angsty & nsfw hcs
❣❣❣incest, age gap, unhealthy coping mechanisms, overstimulation❣❣❣
- During his recovery after being rescued from the Upside Down, Will was at times so mentally and emotionally shattered that he'd panic at the slightest touch. He had to be kept sedated for much of his time in hospital, and after going home, he retreated into himself. Even his closest friends found themselves shut out for a time, with Joyce and Jonathan the only ones he'd trust near him.
Both kept a keen watch on Will whenever possible, but with Joyce working, the responsibility more often fell to Jonathan. He'd check in on his little brother regularly while they were both around the house, and sit beside him at bedtime until he felt calm enough to sleep. Despite being scared of anyone else getting close to him, he positively craved Jonathan's touch, and often dozed off holding his hand. On especially bad nights he'd cling to his older brother like a drowning man to a life raft, gripping hard enough to bruise, though Jonathan never once complained.
Its hard to say who initiated it. Maybe Jonathan was desperately looking for a way to calm Will down in the throes of his despair, or maybe Will had sunk so low all inhibition was cast aside. But the first time they kissed, everything just felt right. Will was anchored by his brother's arms around him, his lips on his mouth. Jonathan convinced himself he was just doing what he needed to make his little brother feel safe, not indulging himself in desires he'd long since shoved below the surface.
One kiss led to many more, kissing led to Will insisting Jonathan join him in bed rather than sitting in the cold, lying beside each other quickly resulted in clothes being abandoned. With nothing separating him from the warmth of his darling brother, Will's little hands roamed every inch of Jonathan's body, feeling how much taller he was, how much bigger was his cock. Jon's own hands brushed across his little brother's oversensitive skin, the lightest caress enough to make Will practically sob with need. Jonathan was always careful to time these moments of passion to when their mom was away, being safely back in his own bed and with Will dozing contentedly by the time she got home.
- Once his condition improved, Will continued to be heavily reliant on Jonathan. When not at school or hanging out with his friends, he'd follow his older brother wherever he went, holding his hand or his sleeve to stay as close to him as possible. To anyone watching, Jonathan was largely able to play this off as Will simply being shy and needing to stick close to him, but as soon as they were alone Will would start demanding kisses and more intimate touches. Every time Jonathan tried to distance himself, saying it had just been to cheer Will up while he was sick, Will would get even clingier, Jon would be drawn back in and the cycle would repeat. They engaged in some pretty risky acts, with Jonathan eating his little bro out at the public swimming pool under the pretext of helping him change, or having him suck his cock as he drove him to school, but they were never caught. At one point he worried Joyce was growing suspicious of how much time they were spending together, but by then Will was back to seeing his friends regularly and it seemed the crisis had been averted.
- And then the Mind Flayer struck. After the gate had been closed and the dark presence burned out of Will, Jonathan spent a long time beating himself up over it. He should have been there, should have seen this coming, it was idiotic of him to have assumed the worst was over. Jonathan could barely look his brother in the eyes without feeling like he would drown in shame and regret. He'd failed despite everything, his beloved little brother's recovery had been reset almost to square one.
And still, Will needed him.
In the dead of night he'd mount the pale, shivering frame of his darling brother and penetrate him, clamping a hand over his mouth to muffle any cries of pain, fear or ecstasy. He hated the thought of taking advantage of his Will at his most vulnerable, telling himself it was for his own good as the young boy got some relatively untroubled, post-orgasm sleep.
- Once things settled down again, Jonathan kept a much closer eye on Will. This time their mom didn't even think to be suspicious. She felt even worse than Jonathan over not having been able to save the youngest of their family from this latest horrific experience, and was so thankful to have another person watching him, she no longer questioned why her sons seemed unable to leave each other's side.
Will's crush on Mike threw a far less traumatic, though still irritating, spanner in the works, at least from Jonathan's perspective. His own relationship with Nancy helped take his mind off it, but as they drifted apart he went back to thinking about his little brother more and more.
Given Mike's reaction after Will poured his heart out to him, Jonathan found himself battling an array of feelings; seething resentment directed at Mike, sympathy for his sweet little brother and, although he wouldn't admit it even to himself, a bitter satisfaction that Will wasn't going anywhere. His little brother belonged to him. He was the only one who knew exactly what he needed, the perfect way to care for him. Nobody would ever come between them again.
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EM ‘Hey Stranger’ • Chapter Twenty One - Season of the Witch
Chapter summary: Something shifts in Hawkins.
Content warning: swearing, short chapter sorry!! But more to come!! Mentions of witchcraft, tarot card use.
‘You've got to pick up every stitch (gonna be)
You've got to pick up every stitch (gonna be, gonna be)
Oh no, must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch’
Season of the Witch - Lana Del Rey cover
Friday 20th October / 4pm / Hawkins Record Store
Nina: [entering the Record Store, smiling brightly] “Hey Eddie! How’s work going?”
Eddie: [groaning] “So fucking slow!” [Nina laughs at Eddie’s dramatics] “Rescue me.”
Nina: [smug] “Can’t, Karla gave me an early finish today, tough luck.”
Eddie: [grumbling] “Lucky for some, we’ve had two customers since we opened.”
Nina: “Guess what!” [excitedly] “Joyce came into work today and she said that I could go over to hers and she’d help me with my costume! How nice is that!”
Eddie: [smiling fondly] “Very nice.”
Nina: “Have you thought of your costume yet?”
Eddie: [shrugging] “I’ll think of something.” [Nina raises her eyebrow in amusement, Eddie smirks] “I promise, I’ll think of something!” [She shakes her head, laughing] “Are you staying over tonight?”
Nina: “Can’t, it’s a full moon tonight honey.”
Eddie: [teasingly] “And you can’t come over because you’re secretly a werewolf?”
Nina: [smirking] “I’m not the animal here baby.” [Eddie smirks and shakes his head laughing] “I’m doing that full moon ritual I was telling you about.”
Eddie: “Oh, cool! Can I watch? Please?”
Nina: “Really? You want to?”
Eddie: [excited] “Hell yeah! Watching my girlfriend do her cool occult shit? Doesn’t get much better than that.”
Nina: [rolling her eyes] “Not occult honey, witchy.”
Eddie: [teasingly] “That’s not what Jason thinks.” [Nina smirks at him] “I’d love to watch, if that’s okay?”
Nina: “Yeah, of course that’s okay!” [kissing him on the cheek] “I’ll pick you up around 11ish, baby.”
Eddie: “See you then, my little spooky lady.”
Nina: [calling out the door, cheerful] “‘Tis the season of the witch!”
11:45pm / Hawkin’s Junkyard field
Eddie [curiously] “And what does the moon do?”
Nina: [smiling] “It charges them. Like when your car battery uses up all of its energy it has to be recharged? When a crystal is worn out it needs to be recharged with moonlight.”
Eddie: [picking up a rose quartz crystal, interested] “And can anything else charge them?”
Nina: [laying out her crystals on the wet grass in a near row] “Moonwater,” [gesturing to the small vial of water she had laying in the moonlight], “Sage, and sometimes candlelight.” [smiling at Eddie] “Cool, huh?”
Eddie: [smiling back, stroking the pretty gemstones and crystals, poking at them] “Cool.” [he picks up the rose quartz again] “And they all have different meanings?”
Nina: “Sort of, they all have different properties.” [gesturing to the crystal in Eddie’s hand] “That one is rose quartz, it’s for unconditional love and supports emotional healing.”
Eddie: [smiling, playing with the crystals] “And this one?”
Nina: “That one is clear quartz, it’s used for healing and clarity.” [holding up another gemstone] “This one is aquamarine, it’s my birthstone. It’s supposed to be good for peace and empowerment.” [showing him a green stone] “This one is yours! It’s a peridot, it’s supposed to protect against negative energy and improve self confidence!” [giving him the gemstone] “Here, you keep it!”
Eddie: [grinning] “Seriously? I get to keep it?”
Nina: “Sure! Have this one too.” [handing him an Amethyst] “For protection.”
Eddie: “Thanks Nina, that’s so cool!” [playing with the gemstones] “Would you read my cards?”
Nina: “Of course! Come sit in front of me.” [Eddie moves so they’re sat on their knees face to face, Nina draws a circle around them both using her finger in the mud]
Eddie: [interested] “What are you doing?”
Nina: “Circle of protection, keeps the bad spirits away.”
Eddie: [joking] “Don’t think a circle in the mud can keep me away from you.”
Nina: [rolling her eyes] “Shush, you’re not a bad spirit.” [looking at him lovingly] “You’re anything but.”
Eddie: “So what happens now?”
Nina: “Now you pick three cards.”
Eddie: “Will you pick three too? We can do it together.”
Nina: [smiling] “Sure.” [they both pick three cards] “What cards have you got?”
Eddie: “I’ve got… for the past…” [Nina smiles at him proudly as he’s picked up what she’s taught him] “An upside down Four of Cups.” [Nina frowns slightly] “Present is an upside down Three of Swords,” [Nina nods, thoughtful] “And future is Nina of Swords! What does that mean?” [he looks at Nina excitedly who is frowning at the cards, he’s instantly worried but plays it off lightly] “Uh-Oh, that look doesn’t look good, I’m not going to die, am I?”
Nina: [cautious but reassuring] “You’re not going to die honey, no.” [Eddie lets out a dramatic breath, Nina smiles at him] “Four of cups in reverse means you’ve got a new outlook on life, that you’ve had a sign from the universe.”
Eddie: [flirty] “Well yeah, you came into my life, turned it upside down.”
Nina: [smirking, playing with the cards] “Your flirting is getting much better, great job.” [Eddie playfully kisses her knuckles] “Much better.”
Eddie: “What about the others?”
Nina: [smiling as he kisses up her arm, placing her arm on his shoulder] “Stop distracting me and I’ll tell you.”
Eddie: [smiling into her arm] “Nope.”
Nina: “Eddie..!”
Eddie: [mocking] “Nina…!” [she shoves him] “Fine, fine! Tell me.”
Nina: “Three of Swords in reverse means that you’re recovering from loss and letting go of the past.” [Nina looks at him with a raised eyebrow]
Eddie: “I think so, yeah.” [smiling at her happily] “I feel my luck is beginning to turn.”
Nina: [blushing at his compliment, then cautious] “And the nine of swords means… it’s…”
Eddie: [concerned] “Tell me.”
Nina: “Nightmares and crappy mental health, sadly.”
Eddie: [jokingly] “Well damn, honeymoon period is over.”
Nina: [offended] “Hey! I’d never cause you sleepless nights and sadness. Not purposefully anyway.”
Eddie: [rubbing his thumb over her cheek] “I know baby, I know.” [curiously] “What does it mean then?”
Nina: “It might not be literal, it might just mean a period of change is happening. Could just be nothing.” [reassuringly] “Don’t worry, I’ll be here with you whatever the storm brings.”
Eddie: [quietly, lovingly] “Thank you.” [smiling] “Your turn.”
Nina picks three cards and lays them out.
The past- Ten of Swords
The present - The Fool
The future- The Devil.
Eddie: “So, what do they mean?” [Nina blinks at the cards for a few moments, before coughing nervously] “Nina?”
Nina: “Well, they’re not good, but they’re not bad.”
Eddie: [laughing awkwardly, sarcastic] “Well that’s good, I was worried you were going to be vague about it.” [his attempt to make Nina laugh fails] “Tell me about them.”
Nina: “Past is… hitting rock bottom and the light at the end of the tunnel.” [looking at Eddie, trying to be reassuring] “That’s good, that’s true, right? I’m coming out the other side.” [Eddie smiles a small smile] “Present is new beginnings, also true. Taking a leap of faith, that’s good too.”
Eddie: “And the Devil?” [joking] “Are we proving Jason right and actually summoning Lucifer himself?”
Nina: “The devil is… something’s coming.” [frowning at the cards] “Something I can’t get out of.”
Eddie: [worried] “What kind of something?” [joking through his worry] “Are we talking a funk or a car crash here, love?”
Nina: “I don’t know. Could be anything.” [clearing up the cards] “Could be nothing.” [trying to be optimistic] “Either way, we’ll find out soon enough.”
Chapter Twenty Two - Dark Signs
#eddie munson fluff#eddie munson fanfic#eddie munson smut#eddie stranger things#eddiemunson#eddie fanfic#eddie munson#eddie munson fan fiction#eddie munson fanfiction#eddiemunsonstrangerthings#eddiefanfiction#eddie munson stranger things#eddie munson x reader#stranger things eddie#eddie my beloved#eddie the freak munson#eddie munson angst#eddie munson comfort#eddie munson fic#eddie munson lives#eddie munson series#eddie munson smut virginity#eddie munson x fem!reader#eddie the banished#stranger things season four#stranger things fluff#stranger things smut#stranger things fanfic#stranger things fic#heystrangereddiefic
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A little glimpse of Elain not being as "helpless, useless, inactive and boring" as the majority seems to think she is.
Sarah decided to show us (intentionally or unintentionally) that Elain has a fighting spirit beneath her gentle, kind and delicate "veneer". (Although I do believe Elain is inherently a good person as she is so often described as, I also think there's rage burning behind that, which has been building and building since she was thrown in the Cauldron)
Disclaimer : These are just my opinions and interpretations.
The scene, where Feyre and Azriel went to rescue her from the Hybern war camp, stood out to me :
"Get ready to run."
My heart thundered. Elain glanced between us, but did not tremble, did not cringe.
"Grab onto him!" Elain ordered the wide eyed human girl as Azriel thundered toward her. The girl looked like a doe about to be run down.
The girl didn't open her arms as they neared.
Elain screamed at her, "If you want to live, do it now!"
The girl dropped her cloak, opened her arms wide.
Her black hair streamed behind Azriel, catching amongst his wings as he practically tackled her into the sky. But I saw, even as I ran, Elain's pale hands lurch - gripping the girl by her neck, holding her as tightly as she could.
The girl screamed, but Elain moved. As Azriel fought to keep them airdorne, keep his grip on them, my sister sent a fierce kick into the beast's face. Its eye. Another. Another.
It bellowed, and Elain slammed her bare, muddy foot into its face again. The blow struck home.
With a yelp of pain, it released its claws - and plunged into the ravine.
Now, for my personal favorite...Elain killing the King of Hybern :
Elain stepped out of a shadow, and rammed Truth-Teller to the hilt through the back of the king's neck, as she snarled in his ear, "Don't you touch my sister."
According to how she has been portrayed so far, how "should" Elain have reacted to these situations?
She should have been crying, screaming, yelling. She should have been terrified, horrified, scared out of her mind. In one instance she had been kidnapped, taken to an enemy camp to be used for her power - and who knows what else - and she'd been bound by magical chains, in the other she'd been in a literal war, something that for her would've been absolutely petrified, (with that I don't mean to say that only Elain had a right to be afraid of war and not the other characters, but from her descriptions she's the one most easily affected) so it's only logical to have such a reaction. Add to that the fact that her mental state wasn't good in any way, shape or form (I believe she's still struggling, but has improved, not healed completely), yes, she should've been freaking out to put it mildly.
But what happened instead? How did Elain react? What did she do?
She ACTED. She did what was needed. She was cool, calm and collected - as much as the situations allowed, mind you.
In those scenes, SJM showed us that there is more to Elain, that she's more than what she seems to be. She also showed us that there's a level of selflessness to Elain's character. We don't know what went through her mind yet, but the way I see it, choosing not to leave Briar behind - a stranger -, when she very well may have slowed them down and gotten them killed, is a deeper, albeit small, glimpse to her character/personality. And the scene with Nesta. That doesn't need much explaining. There, Sarah showed us that Elain will protect her family, her sisters. And if she has to do something horrible in order to achieve it, she won't hesitate.
To me, these scenes foreshadow how her character development will go. They foreshadow the dichotomy that Elain Archeron's character is.
What I'm about to say now is most probably not true, since people associate it with Nesta, but in this line right here "Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn" I also see Elain, not just at the trembling fawn part, but at the fanged beast too. In my mind, it seems like a highlight of the contrast that is Elain. On the one hand gentle, delicate, soft, quiet - a trembling fawn - and on the other fierce, resilient, determent, strong - fanged beast. And I expect there will be a scene in her book where she goes feral, where she is done with everyone's opinions and expectations of her, and will show us that she is so much more (whether it has something to do with protecting her family, her friends, or Azriel). But I know I'm probably reading to much into anyway. (I interpreted differently than most people to be honest.)
Now I'm about to make a statement I wholeheartedly believe :
ELAIN ARCHERON IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT A STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER SHOULD BE LIKE. (or will be when her book is out.)
Every time someone uses that term, I want to gag and run head first into a wall (no, it's not an exaggeration). The reason for that is that people have a warped and biased idea in their heads of what means to be strong and female at the same time.
Many people believe that what defines a female character as strong lies in the character's ability to fight and be a "badass". If they don't know how to wield a sword, know ten different fighting styles, bring grown men decades or even centuries older than them to their knees and generally be some type of Bruce Lee, then they're viewed as weak and boring, not worthy of anything and lesser than.
Sorry to break it to you people (not really if I'm being honest) and please excuse my vulgar language, but that is utter bullshit. Yes, it's good to know how to fight and defend yourself, but that's not all there is to someone's personality. And, knowing how to fight in physical fights doesn't make you strong as whole. Not taking shit from anyone is good in the sense of not letting people walk all over you and use you, not when you're doing it out of arrogance because you think you're the best or because your excellent fighting skills entitles you to being mean and bitchy and petty (this doesn't go specifically to someone from acotar, just to be clear).
"Strong" female characters when presented only like that, while lacking in every other aspect, are just a marketing tool, because the majority eats that nonsense up. Everything revolving around one's ability to know how to fight in the traditional sense is not as empowering or as feministic as you think it is. (at least that's just my opinion)
You can be strong, while also being kind. You can be a badass, while also being gentle. You can be a fighter, while also gardening and baking and crocheting and wearing make-up on a daily basis and loving all things pink and girly. Fighting isn't just something physical. It comes in different shapes or forms.
A true strong female character should be her own person, make her own choices, fight her own battles. She should have flaws. She should have her own story and journey that will both develop her character and help move the plot forward.
Elain Archeron will bring all that. Her journey has already started, and it's independent of who her love interest will be. Because, ultimately, it doesn't really matter. Ships aside, whether she ends up with Azriel or Lucien, not much will change. She will still grow into her own and the plot will develop. Who will be her love interest doesn't define her. Can people honestly say the same about G?
*Again, these are just my opinions and I view the following lines as foreshadowing*
"You belong to him."
"I belong to no one. But my heart belongs to you."
Being her own person and making her own choices? Check and check.
Elain cut in sharply, "I am not a child to be fought over."
Fighting her own battles, both literal and figurative? Check?
"But I wonder if everyone has spend so long assuming Elain is sweet and innocent that she felt she had to be that way or else she'd disappoint you all." He sighed toward the ceiling. "With time and safety, perhaps we'll a new side of her emerge."
"That sounds dangerously close to what Nesta said about Elain finally becoming interesting."
"Sometimes Nesta isn't wrong." I glowered at Rhys.
"You think Elain's boring?"
"I think she's kind, and I'll take kindness over nastiness any day. But I also think we haven't yet seen all she has to offer." A corner of his mouth tagged upward. "Don't forget that gardening often results in something pretty, but it involves getting one's hands dirty along the way."
"And torn up by thorns," I mused...
Rhysand hinting there's more to Elain leads me to believe her book is next, combined with the opening line of the last chapter in ACOSF, "Spring bloomed in Velaris...". So, her own journey? Check.
See how Elain getting a book in general or more specifically the next one, stands all on its own without knowing for certain who her love interest will be?
And I could go on, but I'll stop here.
As Sarah said...I thought it was obvious.
#elain archeron#elain#elain kingslayer#pro elain for elain#pro elain archeron#pro elain#pro elriel#elriel#azriel x elain#elain x azriel#elain and azriel#elain acotar#elain acowar#elain acomaf
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Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective Episode 10 Review - The Poisoned Latte
It’s crazy how there’s only three more episodes left! No, don’t leave me! I need a Season 2 this instant! There are rumors of a Season 2 floating by, actually. Some fans notice that this cour is called Part 1, so there could be multiple parts in the future. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. The story goes back to its one-off cases, which I don’t mind. This time, our main duo accidentally get entangled in a murder case at a cafe.
It feels as if Ron and Toto are crime magnets at this point. Everywhere they go, they get roped into solving murder cases. Heck, this episode’s case, they didn’t even plan on it happening; it just happened out of the blue. Toto was at the cafe because he was going to take a quick break with Chikori while Ron just happened to be the barista working there. Is Ron stalking Toto at this point? Something similar happened during Episode 5 where he just showed up all of a sudden with hand puppets.
As a one-off case, this one is actually pretty interesting because Ron is once again suspected for murder, so Toto has to solve the case in front of Chikori; Ron still does help around, but Toto does the usual stuff like he always does. Unlike Episode 5, Toto isn’t seen as a doofus this time around. In fact, Ron even compliments that Toto’s deductions are getting better, to which I agree! Toto is improving as a detective! Compare this case to the cases before the Observatory case and you can see a difference! Toto contributed a lot to this case, but still relied on Ron, but not as much as before. Maybe there will be a day where Toto has to solve a case all by himself?
Speaking of which, a new character shows up. Chikori Monki is a crime reporter who investigates impossible crimes and ones that are known to be hard to solve. Toto’s cases haven’t been reported to the public, yet she knows about them. Her love for detectives stem from being rescued by one when she got involved in a kidnapping case as a kid. As a character, Chicory’s cute. It’s nice to see a character who really respects and idolizes Toto for a change, even if her idea of him is actually incorrect. I did like how in the beginning, her idolizing Toto was more of a romanticization of detectives due to her past, but towards the end of the episode, she realizes that Toto is a hard working detective who is human, but her respect for him is still up there. It’s also a nice breath of fresh air to see a character who doesn’t like Ron for a change as Chikori finds Ron annoying. It’s like a total day and night difference with Amamiya who looks down on Toto but has a crush on Ron.
The three girls were a case of toxic friendship. Hayami, the culprit, killed Julie, the victim, because she hated the fact that she stole her boyfriend and that she was also jealous of her being the center of attention. Girl, if you hated her that much, maybe cut her out from your life? Did you really have to resort to murder to get back at her? The moral of this episode’s story is that the short-haired girl, Tamada, needs better friends, ones that care about each other without resorting to murder. I was so surprised when I saw the names of their voice actors in the credits. These three girls are voiced by Maaya Uchida (Julie), Yui Ishikawa (Hayami) and Sayaka Senbongi (Tamada). These three are popular voice actresses! I’m surprised that the director would cast them as minor characters here! Then again, the minor character voice casting have been crazy! I actually didn’t recognize their voices because they were using tones that were much different from their usual roles; it felt like they were using their normal voices.
I loved the comedy moments for this episode! The way Ron was all cool and suave while doing platypus latte art as Hayami mistook them for ducks was hilarious! I’ve never seen Ron that shocked. I theorize he was holding a grudge ever since, hence why he wanted Hayami to bash her head. Ron’s eccentric behavior around Chikori was hilarious too! He just wants a case, but it has been slow at the station! Ron needs money to get by, which is why he has so many jobs that could give Touya Kinomoto a run for his money. I think the beginning was also hilarious with the way the Floor of Indolence turns out to be removable and long.
Since the big observatory case has come to a close, and this case was only an episode long, what are they planning for the remaining three episodes? A three-parter to conclude this season? Three one-parters? I’m super curious. What are your thoughts on this episode?
#ron kamonohashi's forbidden deductions#ron kamonohashi deranged detective#kamonohashi ron no kindan suiri#ron kamonohashi#totomaru isshiki#chikori monki#review#anime#anime review#arum journal#ecargmura
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What needs to happen in season 3 of the owl house part A
The owl house is entering its third and final season. Season 3 will consist of three 44 minute specials (I think. I heard a rumor that fan outrage forced Disney to lengthen the specials to 55minutes). Season 2 ended with the characters kinda spilt into three groups. Luz and her friends henceforth called "The Hexside gang" are trapped in the human realm. The adult CATTs members are back home on the boiling isles out of one apocalypse and straight into another, and King is trapped as the collectors playmate in what ever "owl house" he has made. I am imagining that each special will follow one of these three groups adventures as they all try to reunite.
Here is what I need to see happen with the Hexside gang.
Confirmation that their palismans came to the human realm with them. These kids have lost way to much already, give them their pets.
Give them all cute new human realm outfits
Make some pancakes
More of Camila and Luz interacting now that Luz is back with her original mom.
Do that kind of like how Amphibia did. Anne's parents came around to the Planters and Amphibia because going there helped Anne learn to be more outspoken, and more responsible in her actions. This show started with Camila being concerned with how overly impulsive Luz can act, and how she had no friends as a result. She has gotten a lot more focused and improved her social skills tremendously on the BI. That is probably what could make Camila see it as a good place.
Luz and Vee interacting together now that they are basically sisters. With Luz back will Vee change her human form much or will she and Luz go with the "yeah this is my twin" take?
Camila and Amity interacting and bonding. Preferably Camila bonding with all of Luz's friends, but if we are in a time crunch then at least her girlfriend.
Hunter and Flapjack discovering Caleb’s statue in Gravesfeild.
Confirmation on if Gus saw into Belos memories of Caleb and if he now knows Hunter is a grimwalker clone. It doesn’t have to be a big reveal. Just like have Gus be a bit more shaky and cling to Hunter a little bit more, so he can be sure Hunter is not going to disappear
Bonus points if Hunter at some point tells Gus that he does not mind him staying close to him if that’s what Gus needs, but to please not try and grab/hold his hand or anything because Hunter has a thing about people doing that. Really he seems to hate that so far in the show and while i do not need that explained (If he doesn’t like it, then he just does not like it). I would like it confirmed/acknowledged.
Take these kids to the Zoo
Let Gus see a giraffe. Tell me why giraffes where banished from the demon realm.... What are your powers Giraffes?
Give me Luz and Amity sharing a big stick of cotton candy
have Willow and Hunter looking at some human flowers there when a lady bug comes out of one and fly’s towards Willow, which scares her and causes her to run into Hunter. Hunter (pleased) makes a big show of scaring it off for her.
show everyone being scared for there families back on the Boiling Isles (they don’t even know if they are alive or not) and desperate to go back and rescue them.
I want Gus to see a reporter on the T.V. who reminds him of his dad. Willow to be learning some human dish with Camila then sadly remark how back home she always helped her dads with dinner. Have Hunter either fix up their ripped cloths or searching the web for clues on how to get back, then he remembers Darius teaching him how to sew and use penstagram. Give me Amity trying to pick out a pair of gloves, spotting two teens acting goofy near by, and trying not to break down with worry for her dad and siblings.
As for Luz we know she has pictures/video’s of Eda and King, and probably Lilith too, on her phone. I want her to treat those like she treated pictures of Camila. have look at the pictures as she lays down, talks to the pictures about how she is okay, that she misses them, and to hang on because she is coming back to help them.
We do need Luz’s egg to hatch.
I cannot decide if I want whatever is left of Phillip/Belos to be revealed and beaten in this special or kept a secret until the final when they are all back together.
have Camila and Vee step onto the isles at least temporary (have them move there with Luz) to reunite the witch kids with their families and say good byes (never say good bye).
#the owl house#toh#toh season 3#luz noceda#camila noceda#vee noceda#noceda family#hunter toh#hunter wittebane#hunter deamonne#amity blight#Gus Porter#Willow Park#Eda Clawthorne#King Clawthorne#Lilith Clawthorne#Perry Porter#darius deamonne#the owl house season 3#the human realm#emperor belos#phillip wittebane#toh flapjack#palisman#Gilbert and Harvey Park
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𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀 𝐌. ─── ☾ 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃
Masterlist || Daniel Brühl Masterlist || Wattpad
Word Count: 2.1k
Pairing: Andrea Marowski x Fem!Reader
Warning: Reader is deaf
English is not my native language, so I apologize for any mistake and if you can help me improve it, I will greatly appreciate it. I hope you enjoy it :D
The afternoon in the small Cornish seaside town had been quiet enough for you to have proposed to yourself to rest the rest of the day from the hectic morning you'd had at your little flower stall. You were surprised at the ease with which people came to feel sorry for you, you should have even been angry knowing the reason why the inhabitants of that town offered to help you and offer you more money than you asked for your beloved plants, but you couldn't turn down those kinds of incentives that helped you pay the bills at the end of the month. With no family to help you, no friends to turn to, or a partner to make the simple task of paying the bills easier, you couldn't turn down that extra money people offered you, even if you felt bad enough inside so that on some occasions you decided to return the extra coins that they gave you. Some mentioned that it was because of the good maintenance of the flowers, because of how you took care of them, or how dedicated you were to your profession, but you knew that it was just a lie invented by all of them so that you would not reject the only thing they could offer you.
Today, strangely, you had more work than usual and, to your surprise, at noon you were returning home empty-handed. All the flowers had been sold, and you had nothing else to offer to the public, so you decided to end your day when you saw a large mass of people heading towards the nearest church. You couldn't guide yourself by sounds, your birth condition had prevented you, but that didn't prevent you from finding out on your own what time the clock was showing, in this case observing how most of the town's citizens gathered to address themselves to church at noon.
Now, finally finding yourself home after having enjoyed a light meal and a sweet dessert, you were ready to continue your evening activities. Depending on the weather, and the day of the week that it was, you used to walk around the town, enjoying the tranquility that its inhabitants and its aesthetics gave you, or you would take a short walk along the small rocky beach that characterized the place, then taking with you some kind of book or notebook to entertain you for the next few hours in which you escaped from the world around you or at least tried to do so after meeting the Polish foreigner who came ashore.
Remembering Andrea made you smile unconsciously and let out a small laugh that you quickly stopped. The foreigner who had come to the coast was really charming, there was no other word for it.
The news that a castaway had settled in the house of the two sisters caught the attention of all the neighbors, many of them asking about the identity of the stranger and his origin, but you did not become aware of the existence of that young man until, a few weeks after his arrival and his quick recovery, you ran into him in the market with Janet and Úrsula.
Your first interaction was strange and quite awkward. While both sisters were at the vegetable stall, Andrea had diverted to the fruit stall, then met you and a kind smile that you gave him as a greeting, receiving from him an answer that you couldn't hear. As much as the boy tried to tell you his name and tried to hold a conversation with you, he was surprised that you didn't answer him and only looked at him with confusion and a guilty smile; you mentally thanked Janet when she made sure the Polish had moved away from her side.
That good woman came to your rescue, explaining to you through agile hand movements who the stranger was and telling you everything Andrea had tried to tell you, later observing how the same woman exchanged words with the man to, you supposed, explain to him the condition of birth that you presented.
From that moment on, you were surprised that the young Polish always came to you to try to find out more about you. When the sisters explained to him in simple words that you couldn't hear anything, he decided to try to communicate with you at any cost, taking with him a small notebook that they had bought for him to learn English vocabulary, but this time he wanted to use it for you; Andrea was eager to meet you, to find out what had caused you that little dysfunction and if there was any way to help you. He was helpful and attentive, and you couldn't ask for more.
Thinking about your chance encounters had caused your heart to beat harder as the minutes passed, and the little crossword puzzle that you had decided to solve ended up being forgotten. A smile decorated your face and, although it was very common to see that display of happiness in you, the current one did not show cordiality, but joy, affection, and love.
You loved Andrea much more than you could imagine.
You hadn't even realized how caught up in your own thoughts you had been until you saw Andrea's tall figure appear on the dirt road that separated your little home from the village; you liked the tranquility, and although your deafness prevented you from hearing the noise of the inhabitants, you were grateful to have a more picturesque and rural landscape, to say good morning to you whenever you looked out the window and to the young Polish who had become so close to you, it seemed to please him too much to be in your home and enjoy the same thing that you liked. An even bigger smile came to your face when you saw him arrive jovially, watching how he raised his hand in the air to greet you so you would know that he was on his way to visit you, responding in the same way by imitating his action.
To your surprise, once he saw you reciprocate, he began to run the small stretch of land that separated you, caring little that he could get covered in the dust of it, reaching the porch of your house in less time than it usually took him. The astonishment was in effect on your face because your raised eyebrows and your slightly open mouth showed that feeling, not only because of the way in which he had approached you with such urgency but because of the careless appearance he had at that moment; his usual shirt in whitish tones was over his pants, his skin was slightly wet with sweat from the strong sun that still illuminated the town and his hair was completely disheveled from the light wind and the fast run he had done to you.
You've never seen him look so casual.
You got up from the small rocking chair in which you had taken a seat several hours ago and, once you were face to face with the Polish, you slowly raised your hands to comb his short hair. You both looked into each other's eyes and, although inside you felt that you could explode with emotion for being able to have him so close to you, you tried to avoid smiling even more than you were already doing, then diverting your gaze to a completely different point than not her eyes, while hers were still watching you carefully; he felt that his heart was going to break out of his chest and he couldn't wait any longer, or he knew that he would end up dying before telling you what was so important and that he had kept hidden for so long.
Andrea suddenly pulled away from you, leaving you completely confused and embarrassed. He didn't notice it until he saw your confused look change to a more scared one, beginning to rant out loud in a fusion of English and Polish to tell you how he didn't want to make you feel bad and the real reason he had gone to visit you that day was for a slightly more personal, moving his hands quickly and awkwardly in an attempt to express himself better without making sure, or remembering, that you couldn't hear him.
Not even you, with the little training you'd had over the years in trying to read other people's lips, were able to understand what he wanted to tell you. Andrea did not know English at all, he moved his lips very quickly, and he often used his native language to say those words that he did not know how to pronounce or translate into the language that you knew; there was a language barrier, and you were getting scared at times.
It was then that the Polish stopped his speech.
Your deafness was always a negative point in your interactions with others, and now you felt worse for not knowing how to calm Andrea down or communicate with him. He hadn't brought his notebook, you could tell by the desperate way he moved his hands and fingers to express himself through sign language, but it was useless. You just didn't understand him.
He had tried every possible way. He couldn't tell you with words, he didn't know how to express himself with the language you knew perfectly, and his patience was running out.
Andrea took days to make the perfect declaration of love for you. When he realized the feelings he harbored towards you, which at first he mistook for friendship, he wanted to go looking for you as soon as possible to express what he felt, but when he realized that he wouldn't know exactly what to say to you, he started to work on himself to make you see how much he cared for you.
At first, he wrote his feelings in his notebook, trying to describe them in the most natural way possible, and once he had in his hands a set of paragraphs that combined perfectly to make a decent statement, he spoke to the two sisters who had loved him so much care and that they cared for him to teach him sign language. When they both found out that this sudden interest came from the obvious affection he felt towards you, they didn't take long to get down to work to help him, even if Ursula was slightly damaged by the implicit rejection she had received from the young man.
He had tried for weeks to be perfect for you, to study and learn to show you how much he loved you and now, that he had you in front of him, he didn't know what else to do to express how much he appreciated you. He was nervous, he was afraid, and having you in front of him didn't help him much.
You noticed Andrea's obvious anxiety and, once your heart had calmed down, you decided to try to calm him down, but that's when one of his hands reached for one of yours and quickly directed it to his chest, precisely the place where his heart was. which, latent, pumped with such force that it surprised you. You carefully observed the difference in sizes between your hands, allowing yours to extend as far as it could to cover the entire area of his chest and unconsciously stroking the scratchy material of his shirt, focusing on the pounding of his heart, feeling how your cheeks were starting to get hotter and hotter from the blush that was settling there.
Andrea made sure of the slightly reddish tones that appeared on your face, smiling softly when he saw that perhaps he had done the right thing by acting that way. He could say openly that he had proposed and you, from what she could see in your eyes and the expression on your face, seemed to reciprocate. The boy took a couple of steps towards you, shortening the distance that separated you more and more until your bodies were completely together in front of the other; at that moment you could feel his breath those inches away from you. By then, your hand was entwined with his, while the other had changed course to place it on your cheek, caressing it with soft touches as if you were the most beautiful creature in all the world.
"I love you."
You didn't listen to his words, you wish you had, but you managed to understand him perfectly when you met his gaze again, seeing how it flashed and the smile he had grew a little bigger for having managed to find a way to make you see his feelings. It was only a few seconds later when he began to slowly lean in so that his lips met yours in a shy touch that you strengthened once you stood on your tiptoes to kiss him properly, feeling your hearts beat faster than you ever could. have imagined.
Then you realized that an action was worth a thousand words.
#andrea marowski#andrea#marowski#andrea marowski x reader#andrea marowski x you#andrea marowski x oc#reader#you#oc#daniel brühl#andrea marowski imagines#daniel brühl imagines#ladies in lavender
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Arcade Research Megapost
What do you mean? I didn't leave the biggest task till the evening before going back to college! I would NEVER do that!
Part 1 - High Score Games
Pacman - Besides Pong, this is the arcade game that defines the medium. Move around a maze, eat pellets, avoid ghosts, eat giant pellets, eat ghosts! From what I understand, once you hit a score of 256 the screen corrupts because of integer overflow or somesuch.
Flappy Bird - While it might have started in the app store, this one's been installed in more laser tag plazas and entertainment centres than I can count. You click to hop a little and maneuver your bird through pipes. I'd even call Flappy Bird a rage game, considering the pixel-perfect navigation you need sometimes. Though I can't fact-check this, I'm pretty sure you fight Mario at the end.
Arkanoid - I used to play this one pretty regularly around 2019, through the secret on Google. (Hint hint: go to the Google front page, search up "play breakout on google" and hit I'm Feeling Lucky). You control a little paddle, hitting a ball up at a wall of coloured bricks. The more you break, the faster your ball goes. You can change its direction by hitting it while moving your paddle the opposite way, and there's probably more maths to it I don't understand. All in all, it's quite fun, and I like how it looks graphically.
Part 2 - Shooter Games
Space Invaders - Here's another classic. A wall of aliens is coming down the screen at you; shoot them before they reach you and your small array of defensive positions. There's not much more to say about it; it's really simplistic, as are most of these games.
Time Crisis - This is a more technically advanced arcade game. The story is better conveyed here; you're some sort of secret agent, sent to a remote country (specifically an old castle) to rescue the daughter of a president. And you're up against a guy who loves knives. (Hold on, this is just RE4, isn't it?) I digress; movement is all done automatically, your character takes up tactical positions and you have to gun down the enemies as they come running at you. Graphically it's quite nice, reminds me of the original MGS. The "time" part of the title comes from the limited time you have to get through a stage, but it can be increased by completing setpieces.
House Of The Dead - I will be honest, I only know about this game because of the godawful Uwe Boll film adaptation. It's a light gun game similar to the last one, but this takes on a horror focus. You're storming a zombie-infested mansion, blasting the undead apart with a hand-cannon. Already I can see improvements from the other rail shooter; you can blow chunks out of your enemies and there's a greater narrative focus with cutscene-like events happening as you play through the missions. I guess the easiest way to phrase it for myself is: if Time Crisis was Duke Nukem, this is Half Life.
Part 3 - Racing Games
Sega Rally 3 - This seems like your basic arcade racer; go in a circle while competing against AI cars. There's not much to set it apart from any other racing games. It controls with a steering wheel, like you'd expect from an arcade game of its genre. I guess you could think of those as the predecessor to driving rigs.
NFS Heat Takedown - On a basal level, this is just another racing game, but it has some improvements from the other one I covered. For one, it looks a whole lot nicer graphically, the announcer has way more personality, there's the nitrous speed-boost mechanic that's commonplace in a lot of racing games now, and you can eliminate other cars from the race by smashing into them, hence the name.
Fast and Furious - I don't have much to say about this one; it's more of the same. However, it is multiplayer, as far as I can tell. One thing I find a little funny is that while it tries to be a hardcore racing game, the players are seated in the most comically undersized, cartoonish, plasticky, RGB gaming keyboard looking, weird proportion having, recumbent bike resembling, unnecessary brake-light bearing, questionably-fitting engine noise making, seat jiggling, self-advertising, internal-combustion contraptions to ever exist.
Part 4 - Fighting Games
Street Fighter - This one I simply had to include. It wouldn't be right otherwise. It's a basic two-player fighting game. There are lots of interesting characters, each with their own fighting style, though some are outright broken. I'm mostly referring to E. Honda, and the fact that he can use his grabby-hands attack while moving. I'm pretty sure Street Fighter was the first of its ilk, which made it pretty unique back then.
Mortal Kombat - I didn't initially think this was an arcade game, but as it turns out, Midway released this pixelated gore-fest on arcade machines first. And the gore really is the main selling point of the game; there's a story about demon-kings travelling between the realms and stuff, but it's not important. From what I understand, most of the fighters were just employees, digitized into the game. The gore is pretty tame compared to today's standards, but I like the edgy and over-the-top approximation of what was considered taboo back then. The kinda blurry edges of character sprites adds to the charm, I think. The later games are weird, with questionable "babyfication" age-regression finishers that seem out of place.
Tekken - Out of the 'big three' of fighter games, this is one I never really knew much about. The main difference is its 3D aspect, with the camera angle changing when you suplex a guy. Interestingly, the camera tracks the characters as they move across the map, something that was definitely missing in the more static, cramped fighting games of yore.
Part 5 - Brawlers/Beat-em-ups
Final Fight - In this game, you're cleaning up the city of gangsters by beating up any in your path, along with beating up the city. You can smash into phone boxes, bins, and anything else to reduce it to scrap metal. Gangsters from the gang "Mad Gear" emerge from houses, walking single-file into your swinging fists. It looks pretty fun, but nothing special. Apparently it couldn't be played in North America. All in all, it seems pretty evocative of the genre; big burly men smashing everything in their path, beating off gangsters and barrels alike, and pounding thugs with postboxes till they explode in your hands.
Captain Commando - This is basically the same game as the above, just in a future setting. It even takes place in the same city. The catch this time is that you're fighting Super Criminals, that are far more powerful than your average unarmed mook. You're still banging out goons and busting crime bosses, just in the future.
Alien Storm - I decided to go for an obscure one for my final entry to this section. Earth is invaded by a swarm of aliens and it's up to a team of hotdog-vendors-turned-commandos to kill them. The various characters use flamethrowers, rocket launchers, and one of the playable characters, a little robot, explodes itself kamikaze-style. The aliens are interesting, Carpenter-esque amalgams of flesh and faces, ranging from gross spiders to snails who disguise themselves under bins and such.
Part ? - Interactive Games
I don't know what this means. Aren't all arcade games interactive? I searched up "interactive arcade games" and got nothing of note.
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The banality of disaster
i just finished reading an oddly fascinating book: The Wreck of the Carl D. Bradley.
This book, as you might have guessed from the subtle title, is about the sinking of the SS. Carl D. Bradley.
On paper, this should be a pretty damned boring book. Interesting to a very select group of people, certainly, but not of general interest.
If you're unfamiliar - which you almost certainly are, because even if you're "into" this sort of thing this disaster was far overshadowed by the more famous Edmund Fitzgerald, which at least got a song - the facts are thus:
The Carl Bradley was a Great Lakes freighter which hauled stone - mostly limestone - for the Michigan Limestone company.
In a heavy storm on November 18. 1958 the ship broke apart (either wholly or partially) due to hogging (wave action which exerted longitudinal force on the ship) and sank rapidly. Due to the intensity of the storm, rescue efforts largely failed and ultimately only two of the 37 men on the ship were rescued.
Subsequent investigation was unable to determine any particular cause of the wreck, and the inquiry concluded the Master of the ship had exercised poor judgement in going out in the storm. The only substantial recommendations were to improve the life vests of the time to have crotch straps, as there was some indication that some of the men drowned due to having to hold their flotation devices and thus became exhausted; and some improvements in the life rafts and lifeboats.
Now, the death of 35 people is not unimportant, but all told this doesn't seem to have the makings of an entire book. There's no thrilling conclusion, there's no unlikely hero, and even the technical details are wanting: a ship went out in a heavy Autumn storm and sank.
Schumacher does, however, bring a great deal of value in contextualizing and humanizing the story. He discusses some of the crew and officers, explaining why they were on that ship at that time - which ran the gamut from ambitious men who hoped to become captain or chief engineer, to those whose families were intertwined with sailing on the Great Lakes, to those who were somewhat less tethered and simply glad to get some regular income until they moved on to the next thing.
He talks about the community which was hit hard by this tragedy: the bulk of those lost came from a single small town which existed largely to serve the limestone industry. And here one is stuck by the difference in the era: of police and company representatives driving to the homes of each family affected not just out of respect but also necessity: many of them did not even have telephones. It's hard to really wrap a modern mind around the void of information, reliant on radio, hand-delivered material, and actual visitors for all news.
One point of frustration is the technical detail. Now, to be sure, there is some and it's a difficult matter to gauge how much to include. Moreover, no one has ever proven any exact cause. Eyewitness accounts say the ship broke in two amidships: that the survivors who were in the fore of the ship saw the deck tear apart and the fore and aft separate. Later investigation found the ship appearing to rest as one piece, but subsequent dives discovered that the ship had broken apart but the pieces came to rest together - though there is some suspicion the keel held together.
But no one has proven specific defects in the ship which would have caused this wreck. On the other hand, while the storm was exceptional, the Carl Bradley should have been able to weather it.
(My own suspicion is that it was a confluence of issues: the steel used in ships laid down at that time sometimes had excess sulfur, which made it brittle in cold conditions; the design of that particular ship made it more prone to twisting and hogging than most other ships; auto-loaders like the Carl Bradley - that is, a ship designed to be able to load and unload its own cargo rather than being reliant on dockside equipment - took more wear and more damage than similar ships as they could cycle faster and serve less-frequented harbors. there was some deferred maintenance which may have contributed; and modern weather models suggest Great Lakes storms could be more treacherous than was understood at the time. With the benefit of hindsight the captain should have taken refuge instead of trying to keep schedule, and most (but not all) other ships did just that; but it seems he did reasonably think his ship could handle it, and was fatally wrong.)
Yet what all this shows is that you can provide an interesting enough story without the typical elements. sufficiently humanized, just surviving is sufficient.
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Lucky Penny - Chapter Eleven
A/N: DID YALL ORDER SOME MORE ANGST WITH YOUR ANGST. y'all can blame Dragon, Cupcake, and Spicy for this one being as angsty as it is. Not really but it's fun to blame others. Lol.
Rooster broke out into a run with Eric hot on his heels, following the sound of Coyote's panicked yelling.
As they got closer, Rooster took in the horrific scene. Coyote had Lucky's limp body in his arms begging the girl to stay with him, to stay awake, to just hang on a little longer.
"Coyote! It's me, it's Rooster." Bradley shouted to make himself known.
Coyote's face turned to face him and Rooster saw the haunted look in his friend's eyes.
"She's so cold Roo, and her pulse is weak."
Eric fell to his knees in the snow and starting digging through his medic bag to get to work.
"I'm going to start an IV and get some fluids in her, it will help with the dehydration and get her core temperature up." Eric explained as he took the bag of saline in his hands and began to rub it in between his hands. "Bradshaw radio our location to the others and get the heli here now."
Coyote watched as Eric slid the needle into Lucky's cold skin to start the IV. Eric handed him the bag of fluids to hold. "Keep this elevated and squeeze lightly to get it in her veins faster. How are you feeling?"
"I'm good man, just help her."
Bradley returned from radioing in, and Eric used him to get supplies out. He was mesmerized by the way the other man was making this look easy. He didn't want to look at the way Lucky's body was still blue, bruised, and limp. He refused to acknowledge that this lifeless body was the spunky, little pilot that called him Chicken to get on his nerves. Or that it was the same woman who kicked his ass at pool no matter how hard he tried. This wasn't her. This was someone else.
"Here there are heated blankets in that inside compartment. Get one on his shoulders and we will wrap her in one too. It's not much but once we are on the helicopter our team will have a headstart on both of them."
Rooster did as he was told, and took the bag of fluids from Coyote's grasp. As he put an arm around his friend.
"She's going to be okay, she's made it this far because of you."
They heard the hurried footsteps of the other teams. Two of the other medics jumped in to help Eric with Lucky. The other pulled Coyote away from her body to start working on him.
"Oh my fucking God." Hangman muttered when he saw the two of them.
"This looks bad." Bob agreed.
"She's tanking, what's the ETA on heli?"
"Two minutes out."
"She might not have two minutes."
-----
Once Payback and Phoenix had convinced Fanboy to lay down and rest, they entered the communications room and sat down to get updates on the rescue. The flurry of voices and motions almost soothed them until they heard one of the medics come through the comms.
"Heli to base. Take off complete, heading back. Patient one; late 20s male, dehydrated, mild hypothermia, mild frostbite on extremities, bruising and lacs consistent with ejection from jet. Vital signs good considering, core temp warming. Patient two; late 20s female, mild concussion, LOC witnessed, mild dehydration, severe hypothermia, moderate frostbite on extremities, bruising and lacs consistent with ejection from jet. Vital signs tanking, no real improvement with core temp despite intervention."
"Come on Lucky." Payback whispered before heading out to grab his buddy and head to the infirmary on ship.
Phoenix stayed frozen in place, forcing herself to bear witness to what could be her friends last moments. She doesn't even notice the tear that makes its way down her cheek.
-----
"What's our ETA to the ship?" Bob asked from the copilot seat, there was no longer enough space in the back for all of them.
"With the head winds we are roughly 20 minutes to landing pad."
-----
Rooster and Hangman could only watch as the medics moved around the cramped space.
"Why isn't she fighting?"
Rooster looked over at Hangman.
"This is Baylie Steele THE Lucky, the girl who finds pennies wherever she goes. The girl who could probably go to a clover field in Ireland and find the only four leaved one. The girl who probably still believes in unicorns and shit. Why the hell isn't that luck kicking in Bradshaw? Why is she laying here just fucking dying on us without a fight?"
Rooster watched as the usually suave man ranted and raved like a man possessed. He didn't have any words, except ones he's said since he was four years old.
"Talk to me Dad."
-----
When Baylie was six, she attended her first funeral. It had been a distant relative on her mother's side that she barely known. She sat in the second row, in her cute black dress, lace socks, and scoffed black Mary Jane shoes. When her mother took her up to the casket with her, she had asked her Mom why the lady looked like she was just sleeping.
"Well honey that's what Aunt Phyllis is doing right now, she's sleeping for a really long time." Delilah explained.
Later in life, when William was on his death bed he would reiterate that lesson.
"I'm not going to be in pain anymore lucky girl, I'm just falling asleep."
Maybe that's why Lucky felt so tired, why she didn't want to wake up. Maybe she wanted to sleep forever too.
-----
When the helicopter finally landed and they rushed Coyote and Lucky to the infirmary they were greeted by the rest of the Daggers. And later they would all agree that as long as they lived, they would never be able to forget the sound that came out of Fanboy's mouth when he saw Lucky's body.
-----
A/N: I was going to make this chapter end sorta-kinda happily. Then I said fuck it and went full evil on it....maybe chapter 12? Who knows 🤷♀️
#top gun#top gun maverick#bradley rooster bradshaw#robert bob floyd#mickey fanboy garcia#jake hangman seresin#natasha phoenix trace#bob top gun#hangman#lucky x fanboy#fanboy#fanboy top gun#fanboy x oc#mickey fanboy garcia x oc#mickey garcia#baylie lucky steele#fanboy x lucky#callsign lucky#lucky penny
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I see your thenamesh pkmn au and I raise you: Gilgamesh is actually a pokemon ranger! Rather than training and battling pokemon, he has a bond with them! He protects locals from enraged pokemon, he helps deal with ecological problems, he even arrests pokemon poachers. It's got all the bang for its buck of Gil being a protector and a fighter. They absolutely adore each other, Gil for Thena's absolute scary proficiency in battling and Thena for Gil's love and conservation of pokemon. >:D
"Gil!"
"Thena!" he waved, able to spot her from a mile away. He grunted as Dragonite started a descent maybe way, way too quick. "Whoa, buddy, I wanna see her too, but you've gotta slow down. Dragonite--Dragonite, please, pal, slow down! Slow-!"
Thena laughed as Dragonite swooped in, picking her up in its arms and hugging her gleefully. She liked to act like she was annoyed by it, but she never put up much of a fight when it happened. "Hi, Dragonite, I missed you too."
"Buddy, you're killin' me back here."
"Gil!" Thena gasped as he, letting go of the safety harness between Dragonite's wings, slid down the curve of his tail and dropped to the ground. She kicked her legs to be let down, crouching beside him. "Are you okay?"
He picked himself up, fixing his hat and then letting out the straps of his backpack, setting it beside him. "It was quite a morning."
Thena took a seat next to him on the cliff overlooking the valley tucked between mountain peaks. "Poachers?"
"Yes and no," Gil frowned, pulling out some supplies from his bag. "We seem to have cleared them from the area, but there are still a lot of repercussions we're seeing. Tauros are displaced, there are wild Hydreigon fighting with Tyranitar in the caves. They really did a number on the ecosystems."
Thena sighed. She had heard all about the poachers from Gil, as well as some of the other rangers stationed in the area. She had even joined him on a few missions to arrest them. But he was right, the wild pokemon population wasn't going to recover in a day.
"That's how I found this little guy," Gil announced, pulling open his pack and unveiling a large head with even larger ears. "Come on out, bud, it's okay."
"Teddi?"
"This is my friend Thena," Gil smiled, fishing the young Teddiursa out of his pack and holding the little guy in his hands. "We found him among the rubble of a landslide. Probably got separated from the rest of the pack after that huge Rhydon battle in the north caverns."
"Poor thing," Thena frowned. She tilted her head at the little bear pokemon. It tilted its head right back at her, toddling its way over to her. She watched it carefully, until it leaned against her arm, latching on with a fierceness. "Hello."
"Ursa?" it looked up at her, eyes all wide.
She used her other hand to ruffle the fur between its ears. She looked up at Gil, who had the same sappy look on his face he always got when he was rescuing a pokemon. "Looks like you when you first hatched Dragonite."
"He likes you," Gil beamed, utterly enchanted to see the little bear clinging to Thena. It was a marked improvement from trembling in fear inside his backpack all morning. He pulled open one of the bottles filled with vitamins, "come on, little guy."
The young pokemon turned its face further into Thena's arm, burying its cold, wet nose against her.
Gil sighed. This had been the struggle earlier too, "buddy, it's good for you. You have to eat."
"Teddiursa!"
Thena let out a faint laugh. It was so cute to watch Gil argue with a literal baby. But this was what made him such a great ranger--his ability to work that charm he had with everyone, from people to pokemon; from a baby Teddiursa to the biggest, meanest Salamence. "Come on, maybe he'll eat inside."
"Dragonite," Gil stood, "will you go back to base camp and tell the others I'm working on the Teddiursa situation?"
The orange dragon saluted his paw(?) to his head and nodded. He waved at Thena before taking off again.
Gil followed Thena back to her cozy little house she had on the cliffside. "I really don't know who he thinks hatched him, me or you."
"It was a joint effort," Thena laughed. Really, it had been Gil who had taken such amazing care of the egg. Thena had been there when the Dratini hatched, but it was undoubtedly Gil to whom the dragon was bonded immediately.
Gil sighed as soon as he stepped into the cabin home. It smelled like Thena--and a few of her pokemon, of course. "Hey, guys!"
"Everyone, this is Teddiursa," Thena introduced properly, speaking softly with the little bear held in her arms. It looked around the room nervously before burying its face against her again. "Gil rescued him just this morning, so he's a bit nervous."
"Gallade?"
"I don't know," Thena looked up at her battle partner. He stood off the couch, leaning over her shoulder to look at the little bundle of fur. "As long as he needs to."
Ninetales sniffed over to them, letting its psychic energy draw what conclusions it needed.
"There's my girl," Gil greeted the fox pokemon with a bright smile. She bounded over to him, happily letting him run his hands over her fur. He had rescued her back as a vulpix. It had been the fire type's desire to battle that made her such a good match for Thena, he'd found as he'd nursed her back to health. "Your fur's so shiny! Someone's been using the zinc supplements I recommended."
Thena rolled her eyes at them. "Yes, I continue to spoil her by your recommendation, against my better judgement."
Gil snorted at that. As if Thena didn't take the best care of her pokemon he'd ever seen in a pro trainer. She could easily be part of the league, maybe even Champion class. But she kept insisting she had no desire to be confined to the plateau day in and day out as an Elite 4 or the like. And being free to roam Victory Road did suit her more.
"Froslass?"
"Hello again," Gil greeted the newest to Thena's team, taking off his hat for the lady. She had actually kidnapped him into an ice cave, thinking his soul was ripe for the plucking when she found him.
It was Thena who had come to his rescue, fighting Froslass off with Ninetales. It had been so impressed with her that it had excitedly asked to join her team, although Thena made a point of telling her that she would no longer be bringing 'handsome men' off the mountain with her.
"Froslass," Thena turned to her ghost with a stern voice. She was entirely aware of the phantom's fondness for Gil. "Leave him be."
"Ah, she's okay," Gil waved off, enjoying the bright smile he got from the ice/ghost in return. He had always thought a ghost type would suit Thena, it was just a question of which one. And she and Froslass both had a certain pretty quality to them.
"Come on," Thena said softly, the little bear still trembling in her arms. She reached into the cupboard, pulling out a basket of berries. She turned, "is this okay for him to eat?"
"Oran should be fine," Gil advised, walking right over to her, leaning against the counter and touching a hand to her back. "I didn't want to give him anything sweeter than a sitrus in case he'd been gorging on them in the woods."
"That's true," Thena murmured. She shifted Teddiursa against her, pushing one of the supplements into the core of the berry. It reached out its paws, claws extending for the fruit. She drew it back, "ah! Medicine and all."
It pouted at her, "teddi..."
"Medicine," she pressed, holding the oran as tightly as a pokeball. "Or no berry."
The little bear huffed, but nodded. Its face brightened instantaneously as soon as the oran berry was in its paws. "Teddiursa!"
Thena smiled as the little thing gobbled up the berry, vitamin mix included. "He is kind of sweet."
"Ace trainer Thena, all soft eyed over a cute pokemon?" Gil chuckled, bumping his hip against hers ever so gently. "Never thought I'd see the day."
Thena just rolled her eyes at him, watching the little pokemon stuff its face. She reached up, brushing some stray crumbs out of the fur of its muzzle.
Gil was looking at Thena.
Gallade was looking at both of them, thoroughly unimpressed. But he was used to this with his trainer, thickheaded as she was. If it wasn't a pokemon battle, she wasn't going to understand it any time soon. "Lade."
"Nine," his comrade shared in his plight, settling herself on her bed by the fireplace.
"Hey," Gil said softly, now that Teddiursa was done with his meal. "I should go."
"Okay," Thena nodded, trying not to look too disappointed to learn he had to return to duty. She had almost forgotten it in the quiet moment of them in her kitchen. She looked up, just now realising how close they had gotten while watching over his rescue. She looked down again, hoping her elevated heart rate wouldn't startle the little cub.
"Teddi?"
"Come on, buddy," Gil extended his arms, ready for it to be transferred from Thena's arms to his. "Let's get you back to the ranger centre."
"Teddi!"
They both blinked at the little bear, crossing his paws indignantly. Thena looked at Gil. He shook his head. "Come on, pal, there's a pokemon centre--we'll get you all healed up."
"Teddi!"
"Sweetheart," Thena joined in with a stern tone, trying to physically deposit the cub into Gil's hands. It clung to her forearm. "Don't you want to see the rest of your pack? The Chansey and Audino will heal you and then you can go be in the wild. Won't that be fun?"
"Teddiursa!" it protested loudly, clinging to Thena with all its little might. Gil let go of its belly and it curled its legs around her wrist as well.
Thena looked at the bear, attached to her arm like a Komala to its birth tree. She turned to Gil, holding out a hand.
"Uh," Gil put his hat back on, eyeing the distressed pokemon with a chuckle. "I'm gonna be honest, we usually try not to force it, in situations like these."
"What do you mean, situations like these?!" Thena whispered/hissed as Teddiursa began inching up her arm like a tree branch. "You encounter this often?"
He laughed, which Thena visibly didn't appreciate. But it was so cute! "Well, no, but come on. The little guy just misses his mom, and you were the one to feed him."
"You were the one who carried him around all morning," she protested. Although, like with Dragonite, she didn't exactly force the little bear away from her either.
"And clearly it didn't bond to me at all," Gil shrugged. Part of being a ranger was knowing which battles could be 'won' and which needed a different approach. "Look, I'll check in tonight again, okay? If he hasn't detached by then, you might just...have a new pokemon."
Thena sighed, although she had to admit, she couldn't bear the thought of trying to rip the little cub off her arm anymore than Gil - with his big, soft heart - could. She looked at it, and, as if sensing her gaze, it looked back at her.
"Teddi?" His eyes were big as saucers, glassy and pleading not to be taken away.
Thena sighed. She looked at Gallade, sitting on the couch and watching tv. "What do you think?"
"Gal-Gallade," it waved its hand at her. If the cub was that attached to her, why upset it? He wasn't going to have a problem with it, nor would Ninetales.
"Froslass!" the ghost pokemon materialised just to smile down at the little cub, who laughed as she disappeared again.
Thena withered. Even her antisocial ghost was onboard. She looked down at the cub. "Fine, you can stay. But this behaviour is not going to be sticking around. Do you understand that?"
"Teddiursa!" The little bear lifted its paws in celebration, only to latch onto her neck in a full embrace.
Thena sighed, letting it rub its fur against her cheek. "I suppose I have a Teddiursa now?"
Gil snapped a quick pic. "That's so cute."
"Gil!"
"Okay," he waved, settling his bag on his back again, "I'll see you tonight!"
Teddiursa waved, happily clinging to Thena's shoulder as Gil closed the door behind him.
#Is this asking for a fic?#no#am I writing one#yes#I know no one cares#but by god#I am going to write my silly little pokemon story#and you do not have to read it because that is your choice!#but if you do then thanks for being here#Thenamesh Pokemon AU#yeah you heard me#how could I not have thought of Gil as a ranger?#it makes pERFECT SENSE#also Thena is this super hardcore ace trainer#also Thena#holds one 1 teddiursa#Thena I am a mother now#she and Gil have joint custody of this little baby#yes they release him to the wild#his parents have already migrated#so he just#decides Thena is his mom now#and she's constantly telling Gil to visit her more often#y'know for Teddi#and even when he gets stronger and is like I wanna battle!#she's like no sweetie you sit on the sidelines with kirlia#I could go into heavy detail#and I will!#Thenamesh AU#Anon you and I are soulmates now I don't make the rules
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Change of Scenery
Madigan and Michael appear first here
Picrew
CW: trauma response, references to past whump
“Dude, nice one!”
Madigan smiles down at the controller in their hands. If they don’t think about it too hard, the motions come more easily, the tapping of fingers, the swivel of a joystick. They’re nowhere near as good at this as Michael, but they’re improving, and they can tell it makes their owner happy. They turn to him, fully expecting the proud and beaming grin spread across his face.
What they don’t expect is his hand, raised high in the air.
For a second, Madigan freezes, an overwhelming torrent of thought flowing through their brain. Then, a fraction of a second too late, they’re cringing hard against the couch cushions.
Stunned by the open fear on their face, Michael doesn’t notice the delay. “M-Mad?”
“S-sorry, sir.” Madigan knows their voice sounds strained. They can’t fix it, can’t make themselves sound right. The stricken look on Michael’s face isn’t going away, and Madigan is so tense they’re almost vibrating, unsure what to do.
Then, Michael is throwing his arms around them.
It takes too long for Madigan to relax their muscles. Mistake after mistake piles up – flinching and the voice and now holding their muscles tense against their owner. Real fear raises its head, drums its beating feet against Madigan’s chest.
“Someone really did a number on you.”
Michael’s voice isn’t muffled; it’s actually too loud, right against Madigan’s ear. Still shaken from their series of failures, Madigan buys themselves time anyway. “S-sorry?”
Pulling back, Michael looks Madigan in the eye, so earnest it almost hurts. Automatically, Madigan drops their gaze, but Michael tilts their chin right back up. Naked fear plays on their face, and naked pity on his. Madigan’s stomach twists.
After a pause that’s much too long for Madigan’s liking, Michael shakes his head. “Someone really hurt you, huh?”
“Y-yeah.” Once again, Madigan finds they can’t look Michael in the eye. They turn their face from him, only to be gently brought back by the touch of fingers. From the look in his eyes, they can tell he wants more, so reluctantly, they give it to him. “My…my first owner.”
Just saying the words tastes like defeat. It feels like admitting fault, a fault that’s not temporary, but lasting and unforgivable. It makes Madigan want to squirm, but Michael has one arm around their shoulders and one hand on their face, so they hold still. It takes just about all the self-control they have, but they hold still.
An unfamiliar look takes over Michael’s features. Brows crash down, eyes narrow, mouth pulls into a fearsome scowl. He’s angry. For the first time, after a month in Michael’s home, their owner is angry. “Fuck them,” he growls, and for a moment, fear thrills through Madigan as they forget who he’s talking about. When he sees their eyes widen, Michael shakes his head.
“Your old owner, I mean. Whoever they are, fuck them.”
“O-oh.” Trapped, Madigan’s eyes dart from their knees to Michael’s face to the wall behind his head. They can’t agree, can they? To agree would be the highest form of disrespect. But then, they can hardly disagree with their owner.
Before Madigan can spiral even worse about this new dilemma, Michael rescues them. He squeezes them tight against his chest once more, then releases them. “Listen. We won’t do high fives for a while. I get it, it’s scary.”
Somehow, Madigan doubts that Michael has any idea what it is to be scared at the hands of another. Still, they nod, eyes fixed on their owner’s face.
“I know you had…I mean, you must’ve had just, an awful experience before. But I won’t be like that, okay? You can trust me.”
Trust him. Madigan would laugh if they knew how. Instead, they nod, numb as they’ve ever been.
“I know that’s hard to believe, but really, Mad. You can trust me. You’ll see. This is going to be different.”
For the first time, Madigan nods in true agreement. Whatever this thing is with Michael, it is definitely going to be different from anything they’ve ever known.
#febuwhump#flinching#mad and michael#bbu#bbu general warning#box buddy#nonbinary whumpee#carewhumper
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