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purplelupins · 2 years

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Bad Moon Rising

|The Quarry|

Part I Part II Part III Part IV

Sheriff Travis Hackett x fem!reader

Summery: two years after the curse was ended, you find yourself on your way to the small town of North Kill. It was all because of a favour to your grandparents, but this simple trip to look after their summer cabin during the winter became more than what you bargained for when you found yourself smitten with the curmudgeon of a sheriff.

Warnings: suggestive thoughts, self hatred

Note: this is a NSFW story, Minors DNI

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Your eyes glazed over as the rain pattered gently on the window pane. Your chin was perched in your palm, and your other hand held your second coffee that day at only 7:50am.

Something about the lull of the wind and the constant sound of rain began to put you in a sleepy daze, caffeine be damned.

“Hey, you want a muffin?” Dan stuck his head out from the kitchen. You turned halfway to let him know you heard him, “Kate made some that got a little burnt so it’s either us or the garbage.”

The prospect of having at least three quarters of a free muffin made your heart soar, “Please.” You murmured, turning to fully face him. Dan smirked and made a dramatic show of bowing and placing the goodie in your hand.

“Thanks.” You laughed lightly, and turned back to the front, taking a chunk out of the top and chewing it thoughtfully.

Your eyes unfocused again, thinking about everything and nothing at all; so when the door opened and a gust of cold wind blew in, you jumped. But you didn’t stay startled for long when that gold badge caught the light.

Those same long, slow strides brought the older man up to you, and you couldn’t help but stare.

“Good morning, sir.” You said with a gentle smile, “How are you today?”

The sheriff sighed and cast a look around, “Another day.”

You nodded, already getting his coffee.

“You?” He asked.

You had to resist whipping your head around to ask him if he had actually asked you a question. It had been weeks that he barely replied to you.

“Oh y-you know…another day.” You turned to him and glanced up at his eyes only to see the slightest creases at the sides, and an upturn of one side of his lips.

Is he…amused?

Sheriff Hackett pulled out the money for the drink and placed it in your hand; his fingers grazed yours so gently that you had to question whether it not it happened.

“Have a good day, Sheriff Hackett.” You murmured softly as he took his coffee from your hand.

“You too, ma’am.” The sheriff said far more gently than usual.

He watched your eyes go wide as he actually plucked up the courage to reply to you. Travis mentally throttled himself at his idiocy. Why did it take him this long to get to that point?

Is it so hard to talk to a pretty girl? You’re a grown fucking man.

But it wasn’t like it was all his fault. Travis spoke just fine to the other woman of North Kill; not that he wanted to. They made him nervous when they flirted with him, and since two years ago, it happened more and more. He could brush it off and move on with his day, knowing it meant very little…but then there was that sweet little lady who just started working at The Crow. Travis had been at a loss for words since he first spotted you in the front yard of that house on Spruce Trail in early September.

Something about your gentle nature, and soft voice that greeted him every time you saw him. Even the times you didn’t see him but he saw you- he knew your kindness wasn’t an act. Hell he had seen you talking to a raccoon one morning when you thought it looked lost.

You never failed to make his heart jump into his throat. How you always looked a little sleepy, or like you had rolled out of bed not long ago.

He hated how he noticed small changes you made to your appearance.

He hated how he knew you how you liked your coffee from seeing your personal cup next to the register every morning.

He hated how much space you took up in his mind.

He hated that he had to see you every damn day or his head would itch.

He hated himself for getting so wrapped up in you.

But most of all, he hated how much he adored every second of it.

He knew this would never be anything but an interaction. Hell, he had to remind himself that you were probably just as nice to your other customers too. That he was just another face you saw.

Travis would sit in a puddle of self-loathing on the days that you didn’t work; he often found himself spending an hour or two extra on patrol just to see if he could catch a glimpse of your beautiful legs, or soft hair. He daydreamed that he’d see you and you’d wave and smile; maybe even ask him to stop the car and come into your home…

And by god he didn’t even want to think about where his thoughts at night took him. Unable to rest because of the fire under his skin at the smallest remembrance of you, and the glaring evidence of his straining cock against the leg of his pants-

You’re an old man…pull yourself together.

The sheriff sighed, wishing he could just speak to you normally. Ask you about yourself. Tell you how beautiful you were. But he couldn’t. So he gave you a nod as he turned from your sweet face, and pulled himself away from your presence and into his cruiser.

Another day.

As October rolled in, those walks you took in the morning became less and less pleasurable. The days grew shorter, and the weather grew more unpredictable; you swore the trees whispered to you, and eyes watched from beyond the shadows of the thick foliage. On the mornings that you worked, you found yourself walking a little faster, and your ears grew a little sharper.

On that particular morning, there was a light wind that ran a chill up and down your legs. You nestled your face deeper into your scarf, and quickened your steps as you walked onto the main road from the house’s driveway.

A strange sense of unease ran down your spine, and you couldn’t help but grow a little paranoid. It wasn’t that your were scared, but you had already seen your share of wild animals move through the woods or run through your backyard. You knew you had to be wary of your surroundings.

The hairs on the back of your neck began to stand on end, but then all at once, it stopped when the sound of an engine made you turn. Sure enough, behind you was a car just turning the corner to the road you were walking on. You nearly tripped over a loose stone when you saw what kind of vehicle it was, and more importantly who was driving it.

The cruiser pulled up beside you and you stopped to bend down to the window, which he rolled down. Those cold, tired eyes were unwavering as he looked up at your bent over form.

“Hi Sheriff.” You said sleepily, voice still rough. You hoped you didn’t look as tired as you felt.

However, what you didn’t see was him sucking in a breath or grip the steering wheel tighter.

Say something old man!

“It’s dangerous to walk alone on these roads this early.” He said flatly, nodding out at the long stretch of pavement.

Jesus Christ almighty Hackett…

You were a little taken aback by his firm tone, but you had grown used to it. You knew it was just a part of his job.

So you smiled.

And Travis almost snapped the steering wheel in two.

“I know…but I don’t have a car, and I need to get to work.” You shrugged, “Besides you’re the first person I’ve actually ever seen along here for the past month at this hour…”

Travis couldn’t stand the fact that you were so relaxed about your safety. If he had things his way he’s drive you to and from work every damn day just to make sure you were safe.

“There’s more than just people here that could harm you.” The older man chided you.

While his face was hard and unwavering, there was something in his voice that made you wonder if he was worried. The words Shirley had said weeks ago rang in your mind and you began to feel bad for letting him think you were aloof. He was probably paranoid as all get out after what he went through for those years.

He would know all about the horrors of this place…

Instead of challenging him, and likely infuriating him further, you took his words in stride and tried to give him a soft smile to reassure him.

“I may be new here but I know a thing or two to keep myself safe…I have bear spray and a taser in my bag, sir.” You said, nodding to it.

Apparently that didn’t do anything to calm the man. In fact he only seemed more irritated.

“That won’t always keep you from being harmed.” His voice gained an edge, and even though you would have normally shied away or apologised, you found yourself staring right back at him.

You didn’t know if it was your sleepy head or something else, but you said something next that you would beat yourself up over for the rest of the day.

“Well then why don’t you give me a ride to work, sir?” You asked, tilting your head to the side.

Now that…that made the old sheriff pause.

You swore that even in the cold, his ears went a little red. To your surprise, he seemed to be struck silent. The older man just stared back at you, and suddenly the confidence you had foolishly had just a moment ago was gone again.

“I-…sorry, sir.” You whispered as you looked away, and stood up to begin walking down the dim road.

Stupid stupid stupid stupid

You had made it about ten feet before you heard the car door open; when you turned back, the sheriff was standing just outside the car with an elbow on the roof and a hand on the door. He stared at you for a moment before he looked away and gave you a single beckoning wave to come back.

You had to look at your feet to hide the glow on your face as you walked back to his cruiser. As you slid into the seat, you were overwhelmed by the smell you knew was his; fresh air, coffee, and…sandalwood, you thought. It permeated the cafe when he would wait for his coffee every morning, but now with it all around you, it was almost too much. Your mind began to run away with itself as you imagined burying your face in his chest and he held you-

No. Stop it. He doesn’t think of you like that so stop thinking like that.

“T-thanks.” You muttered, clicking in the seatbelt into place.

Sheriff Hackett sighed. He should have just let you walk to work, but he had no self control. Not when you looked so cute all embarrassed.

Weak. You’re a weak man, Travis Hackett.

Good for nothing, old man staring too long at this poor girl next to you. Even if she did want you it wouldn’t last. She would grow tired and loath you just like everyone else…

Travis huffed. “Do you really need to walk alone at 6am every day?” He asked, irritated.

That caught you by surprise.

How did he…?

“How do you know I start walking at 6 in the morning, sir?” The question was out before you could stop it.

Travis instantly recognized his mistake. His jaw clenched.

You idiot.

“It’s 6:13 currently ma’am. I can only assume it takes roughly fifteen minutes to get from Spruce to here.” He ground out, clearly irritated.

You watched how tense he was.

Travis sighed heavily but didn’t take his eyes off the road.

“I don’t want another missing person…those posters take up too much ink.” He mumbled, pulling away down the road.

You felt an ache in your chest as you imagined what he must have gone through. The not knowing…the deaths and uncertainty. The terror. You wondered when he had last slept peacefully was. You wondered if he lost friends and family during those years he stayed to defend the town. Surely he did. Your mouth was pressed in a thin line as you imagined what he must have gone through…you wanted him to tell you about himself; you wanted so badly to know about him, but with such a horrific story under his belt, you didn’t even know where to start.

There was more to this sheriff what what met your eye. You knew he wasn’t all grumpy and firm. A part of you could see he was far more gentle than he let on. When he didn’t think you saw him, there was a softness in his face as you looked away, or a gentleness in his eyes when you said his last name.

If you were painfully honest with yourself, you just wanted him to let go of his demons…you wanted to see that man smile and let his shoulders drop. He seemed to survive on stress and caffeine, and you wanted him to know that there is so much more to life than that.

Over the course of the car ride, you stole a few glances at the man beside you as you lost yourself in thought. Eventually you had to stop yourself after you noticed how each time you caught sight of him your cheeks grew warmer and warmer. Hero or not, you liked the officer a great deal, and respected him even more. Worst of all, you were fairly certain the man was catching on.

“What?”

You jumped in your seat and turned your head to the sheriff. He glanced at you and sighed.

He has seen you staring. You knew it.

Oh god…

“S-sorry…” you said quietly, shifting in your seat.

“I didn’t ask for you to be sorry. I asked to know why you were staring.” He snapped.

You stared at him for a moment. His hands tensed and released the steering wheel, and he pointedly didn’t look at you. He ground his teeth, too.

Did he feel bad?

Of course he felt bad. Travis was screaming at himself internally at his harshness.

She was just looking at you, Jesus.

Yes and she might be laughing at me. She probably thinks I’m an old creep who she has to be nice to because of the badge…

The car turned, and pulled in front of the Crow, but you didn’t get out. He let one hand slip from the wheel to his thigh and he heaved another sigh,“Well-“

“I know what you did, sheriff.” You cut him off, and looked over at the man’s dark eyes. You didn’t even know you were going to say that, it just came out.

His heavy gaze pierced through you.

“What the hell are you talking about?” The sheriff bit.

A beat of silence passed between the two of you.

You saw the sharpness there in his concentrated face that told you to spit out whatever you were going to say. You were walking on very, very thin ice.

If you hadn’t spoken so spontaneously, you might have stuttered, but you found your voice oddly calm as you spoke your mind, “I know that you defended this town against whatever the hell was here, and risked your life…I don’t know what it was, but even if it was a crazed ghost out for blood it wouldn’t change anything. I’m sure you must have lost family and friends in the process…”you trailed off, lost in your sorrowful thoughts, but he didn’t say a word, “I asked about you, sir…I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable. I didn’t want to pry- I only wanted to know more about you. And your past sort of came with it…” you flicked your eyes between his and your hands as you half turned to him, “What I’m trying to say is that…you’re a good man, Sheriff Hackett. I know we don’t know each other very well, but I do know that much. I don’t think you hear that enough either…even if people around here don’t say it…you’re a good man in my eyes.” You finished, holding his intense gaze for a moment longer.

When he was quiet and looked away from you- his mouth in a tight line and his knuckles turned white- you unbuckled your seatbelt and opened the door. “I really appreciate the ride, sir…I hope I’ll see you later.” You slid out of the car, and shut the door gently before casting the dumbfounded man a soft smile through the window and running down the ally beside the shop.

You didn’t look back, but you had to admit that when you made it out to the front to start organizing, you half hoped he would be standing at the front door knocking to talk to you. But he wasn’t, and his car was gone.

“Did someone die?” You heard Georgia ask as she came to help you.

You sighed and shook your head. “No…just one of those days.”

Georgia nodded and let out a humourless laugh.

“Tell me about it…apparently we’re due for some big storm in a week…also my cat got into my underwear again and…”

Her words drowned out as you began your morning as usual. Your mind was elsewhere. You couldn’t help but wonder if you should have kept your words to yourself. Should you have just sat quietly and never told him what he should be hearing every day?

No.

No you were glad you told him.

But even so, there was a gaping hole in your day in the shape of the sheriff, and you hated it.

On your break, you hung you head in your hands and when you returned from the back, you downed a shot of espresso to get some pep in your step. After half a day without seeing that black uniform after a month of him being so consistent, you knew you had messed up whatever strange friendship you had with him.

Your heart broke right down the middle. You knew you shouldn’t feel so strongly, but somehow that man had wormed his way into your heart and coiled himself in there tight.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and you chalked it up to your head being anywhere but on your neck. Even as you locked up, and shrugged on your coat, you barely registered Georgia saying goodnight to you. That night, you barely slept; your mind too infested with your embarrassment to let you relax.

The following day was an extra shift you picked up, and while your stomach felt hollow, and your throat felt tight, it was a perfect distraction. It had been a busy day, and you were grateful; The bell above the door seemed to be a constant sound, and you barely looked when it sounded anymore. You and Georgia barely had time to sit the entire day.

You were just finishing an order for the last customer in a five person line when the bell rang again. You marked the name on the cup and passed it off to Georgia who was on drinks; and when you looked up to greet whoever had come in, your movements slowed.

His radio crackled on his shoulder as he stood there just two feet from you, waiting. Neither of you said a word for a long moment until Georgia calling out an order to be picked up snapped you back to earth.

“C-coffee, sir?” You murmured, your shyness returning. You couldn’t look him in the eye.

“Yes please.” He said formally.

You blinked.

Please? Yes please? That’s new.

Snap out of it!

“Okay… um that’s…oh-“ you were about the tell him his total but he already had his hand out with a five dollar bill.

You didn’t need to know that Sergeant Milek kept pestering him the day previous about not having his usual fancy Crow coffee, and how cranky he was. Or that said Sergeant cornered the sheriff and interrogated him until he gave him that look that said, “You’ve stepped too far over the line.” Travis promptly bit his head off; which only solidified the sergeant’s guess.

You didn’t need to know that Travis made a u-turn when he glanced into the Crow that afternoon and saw you working. You didn’t work on Fridays. Why were you working? Did you need money?

You didn’t need to know he had to give himself a pep talk in his cruiser before he came inside.

He wished he could tell you what an ass he was, and how he wanted to make it up to you. He wanted to tell you how much your words meant to him.

But he didn’t know how.

You gave him a small smile, biting your inner lip, but twitched when his thumb grazed your pinky. His hands were cold that day, but it was so gentle you assumed it was an accident.

You tried to steady your breathing, took out his change and went to place it in his hand, but decided to test him and run your fingertips along his as the coins clinked in his palm. You sucked in a breath when you felt his skin. It was rougher, but you couldn’t help but like it.

It wasn’t clear if he noticed your gesture, but you didn’t linger to notice as you turned to pour his simple coffee. Then, just as you went to turn back to him, you had a thought. You grabbed a paper bag and quickly placed a blueberry muffin inside before Georgia noticed- not that she’d say anything. It seemed the sheriff didn’t notice either as he was looking away when you turned to him, and placed the small bag beside his drink. You gazed at his firm face and waited to see his reaction to your peace offering.

Travis finally turned and found your eyes on his, and his breath hitched. But when he looked down to take the coffee he didn’t need, he eyed the bag. “That’s not mine…” he murmured, then glanced at you.

You shrugged shyly. You were maxed out of embarrassment, so a little more felt like nothing.

He stared at you and raised a brow at you. Then to your amusement, he tapped his badge sitting on his chest as if to say, “Naughty girl.”

To which you tapped your name tag in retaliation.

His other brow rose up to match the other, and he actually looked surprised at your defiance.

You kept your smile at bay, “A customer left without their muffin earlier so we’re overstocked by one…you’d be doing me a huge favour.” You said quietly, and admittedly very convincingly.; but you knew he saw the cheekiness in your eyes when he looked down again and took the cup and bag without a word. “Have a good day Sheriff.” You murmured when he pulled away.

You expected him to just turn and walk away. Maybe just grumble a response.

But he didn’t.

“You too, y/n.” He murmured just loud enough for you to hear, before he turned and left you standing there dumbfounded.

He said my name.

It took a moment before Georgia noticed you still standing there with your mouth open and cheeks ablaze.

“You alright, mouse?” She asked, washing her hands in the small sink behind her.

You blinked and nodded, finally taking a breath that filled your lungs. “Yep! Never better…” you could see him get into his car through the front window, and you knew your imagination was playing tricks with you when you swore his eyes locked onto yours as he climbed into the cruiser.

Your breath caught in your throat.

It was a very busy rest of the day, but all you could think of was the sound of your name on his tongue.

“Y/n we’re not in the 50’s!” You heard Dan call from the back as Frank Sinatra filled the café.

You laughed to yourself quietly, finishing with shelving the cookies. A moment later, Dan came through the open door, with the last batch of donuts. You made a mental note to save one for a certain brooding man with tired eyes.

“You’re such an old lady sometimes.” The young man nudged you and you shook your head.

“You don’t have to time travel to enjoy good music.” You muttered, walking around the counter to open the shop.

“I heard that!” He called to you.

You shook your head and unlocked the door.

“I wasn’t hiding it.” You shot back quietly, coming to stand beside him.

Dan rubbed the back of his neck and you instantly knew what was coming. Your stomach dropped ever so slightly; he was going to ask you out again.

“You know I could should you some new music that actually sounds good.” He said teasingly, leaning against the counter. You rolled your eyes playfully and sighed, continuing to make the front look it’s best. Not that it would last long.

As you put the last chair in place, the door opened and you watched the first customer start your day. If you were honest, you were growing used to the small town and the routine you had. You liked that you had regulars and that you could spot a tourist. You liked the simplicity of everything.It was comforting.

“Y/n can you take the front?”

You looked up from sweeping some crumbs around a table, and nodded to Dan as he disappeared into the back. A sigh escaped you and you heard the hikers that had been sitting in the corner leave in a loud shuffle. “Have a nice day!” You said over your shoulder as you walked to the waste bin behind the counter. Your head was a little in the clouds, and you hummed along to the Julie London song playing.

You hid the broom away, and washed your hands before turning around to face the front.

When you did, you almost leapt out of your skin.

“Sheriff Hackett!” You gasped, placing a hand over your chest.

Sure enough the man in question was standing right there, less than a foot from the counter.

He raised a brow at you, but you hoped desperately that it was out of amusement and not annoyance. You knew if you weren’t careful you could end up on his bad side.

“I-I’m sorry I didn’t hear you come in…Um…c-coffee?” You asked, trying to move past your embarrassing moment.

Travis clenched his jaw at the sight of you all flustered.

“Mhmm.” He hummed, placing a hand on the counter and the other on his heavy belt. The older man looked around like he often did, but you noted that his shoulders seemed more relaxed. You hoped he didn’t notice how tense yours were as you got him his usual.

“I hear there’s going to be a big storm next week.” You said, instantly regretting opening your mouth, but you busied yourself with grabbing him a fresh donut.

“That’s right.” He replied from behind you.

You smiled secretly. You loved hearing him talk, especially after fearing that he would never talk to you again. Perhaps it was just because he rarely said more than a word to two to you, but you didn’t care. He had a nice voice.

You took the few steps to the counter and placed his coffee and the little bag in front of him. He already had his hand out with the $5 bill, but you shook your head. “On the house today, sir.” You said simply.

He stared at you, and you started to fidget, thinking you overstepped. To hide it your nervousness, you picked up the coffee and bag and held it out to him.

Travis was certain he was about to awaken from a dream at any moment. It had taken him a full day to process what you had told him that morning in his cruiser; a sleepless night too. Your little nervous ticks had plagued his mind so much that he had nearly driven clean past the station that morning.

To your relief, he finally took them, and gave you a small nod.

“I hope you have a good day, sir.” You whispered, bouncing ever so slightly on your feet.

“You too.” He murmured.

Like you always did, you watched him go, and wished you had the confidence to run after him. Not that you knew what you would do if you did go after him…ask for his first name? Ask him on a date? Kiss him?

Abso-fucking-lutely not.

You let out a long, heavy sigh as 4:30 came around at last. Being a small town, meant that everything closed early. Even the grocery store closed at 6. While you held the door open for the last customers to leave, you smiled to yourself as you thought about how the sheriff had brushed his fingers against yours twice that day- once when he went to pay, and again when you handed over his coffee.

It wasn’t anything noteworthy, but it was special to you. You liked to think that he was warming up to you.

However, just as you felt your cheeks start to heat up, a crack of thunder made you jump.

From the back of the shop, you could hear Dan whistle in response. “Damn they weren’t lying hey?” He said, coming to the front to gather the left over baked goods.

“I know…” you murmured, starting to wipe down the espresso machine.

“Any plans tonight?” He asked, tying the garbage bag.

You shook your head, “Just trying to avoid getting struck by lightning.” You sighed, wiping off your hands before untying your apron. Dan snickered from behind you as you both filed into the back to finish up.

By the time you began your walk home, there was a prominent wind blowing that bit into your exposed cheeks and ears. You hoped you would at the very least be able to make it home before the rain started, but your prayers were not answered that day.

There was barely ten seconds to prepare you as an onslaught of pouring rain began to sheet down; before long, there were small rivers coursing down past you on the old gravel road. In that moment, you cursed your grandparents for having the house built so far out of town.

The rain jacket you had wisely chosen that day began to grow cold from the constant barrage of storm water, and your hair grew wet whether you liked it or not. It was like the wind blew the rain in all directions just to enter your hood. There was a half hour left of your walk when your shoulders began to slump and you were counting your steps.

But then you heard the familiar roar of an engine through the blaring rain, and you turned to see if you could snag a ride, hoping it was Elton or Lindy who lived just down the road from you. At first all you saw was headlights, and you gave them a small wave in hopes they might stop. The car pulled over just ahead of you. You finally wiped the copious amounts of water in your eyes so you could see more than a foot in front of you and you instantly felt your heart leap into your throat.

“Pretty sure it was you who told me about the storm, ma’am.” Those black eyes stared up at you filled with an accusatory mirth.

You breathed out a laugh, hoping you weren’t shaking too much. “I-I think I underestimated Mother Nature, sir.” You said. You swore he even cracked tiny smile, but you couldn’t see when your body decided it was time for you to sneeze.

When you recovered, he was already leaning across the passenger side to unlock it. “Get in.” He said; with his tone so firm and simple, you immediately snapped your head up.

Did he just…?

“Oh I don’t want to inconvenience-“

“Ma’am please get in the car.” He said a little more sternly. Even in your frozen state, a heat shot straight through you that made your cheeks warm.

You barely whispered a “Yes sir.” before you scrambled to get into the dry vehicle. As you pulled the door shut, you cringed at how wet and muddy the car would be after you.

“T-thank you.” You murmured.

He sighed and nodded, already pulling away towards your home. “You’re at that new place on Spruce?” He stated more than asked.

You nodded, “Yea, it’s my grandparents…I’m just looking after it for the off season.” You said.

Travis felt his heart sink into his stomach. You weren’t staying?

Was this a damn game?

What a cruel fucking twist of fate.

He was certain his hands would leave imprints on the wheel from his tight he was gripping it.

You might have asked how he knew where you were staying, but you remembered that early morning almost a month ago when he had chided you for walking to work in the dark. He must have spotted you all the way from down the road when you left the driveway.

Sheriff Hackett seemed to have a knack for catching you when your logic was at its lowest. He chided you too, but you couldn’t bring yourself to be offended.

You wondered if he cared for your safety or just didn’t want the possibility of a person going missing or getting eaten…you knew it must be the latter, but you could dream about it being the former. You sighed softly at the thought.

Travis clenched and unclenched his jaw. Did you have no regard for your safety? His breath caught in his throat when he imagined you getting hurt and laying in the ditch as this god forsaken storm raged on. What if a tree fell? What if a stupid driver hit you and drove off? What if you slipped? What if an animal attacked you?

He momentarily imagined detouring from the road and taking you to his house. Keeping you there so he could watch over you…ensure your safety…

No. Never again Travis.

Besides, she’s leaving in five months…it doesn’t matter.

Make her stay-

Enough.

His thumb tapped on the steering wheel, and you let your eyes dart between it, his profile and the monsoon outside.

You liked how his ears stuck out slightly, and how heavy his eyes were; how veins sloped out from the skin on his large hands. You liked his nose and his lips that pouted slightly when he was relaxed.

You liked him…more than you should have.

Within minutes of you sitting beside him, he was pulling down the driveway to the house, and you felt your heart ache. You wished you could pucker up the courage to talk to him properly. He was just a man after all…

…no he wasn’t.

He wasn’t just a man.

He was him.

The sheer thought of him made you blush even as your hands shook from the cold, and you wet hair stuck to your face. You groaned internally when you realized how close a resemblance to a downed rat you held.

But he didn’t care. Hell, you could have been in a paper bag and Travis would have thought you were the prettiest damn thing.

The sheriff pulled up to the front steps and you peered up at the porch, trying to will yourself to leave his presence.

He has work to do. Pull yourself together!

“Thank y-you so much for the ride, sheriff…I really appreciate it.” You stuttered, the chill starting to settle into your bones.

He gave you a small nod but his face was still stoney, “If I or one of my deputies catches you out in this,” he pointed to the storm outside, “I’m putting a warrant on your head.” He chided you.

You were shocked for a moment, staring right back at him, your hand on the door handle, but then you saw the smallest upturn of a corner of his mouth.

Did he just make a joke?

Your heart exploded in your chest.

“Sir, yes sir.” You said softly with faux seriousness. He even breathed out what you might call a laugh through his nostrils; it could have just been a sigh though.

You a gave him a small wave as you clambered up the stairs to the porch, and you noticed he stayed as you unlocked the door. The heavy wood gave away as you pushed, and you cast him one more looked over your shoulder before you stepped inside; letting out a deep sigh you had been keeping in.

However, after only a couple paces, you stopped in place and froze. A small puddle began to form under your feet from the residual rain on your body, but you didn’t care in that moment.

At that very second, you were terrified.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

@dogmatic255 @theroadreader @honeycovered-bandaids @spaghetti-spider @otassbek @minilev @our-legacy

#the quarry #travis hackett x reader #sheriff travis hackett #ted raimi #sheriff hackett #the quarry fanfic

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phanfictioncatalogue · 26 days

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Fics Named After Foods (4) Masterlist

part one, part two, part three

Cakes And Answers (fanfiction.net) - BluStrawberri

Summary: Dan and Phil decide to do another baking video, and while Phil is hesitant, Dan’s excitement is catchy, and they have a good time. Questions are asked, slight awkwardness ensues, and Phil’s left speechless.

Candy (ao3) - greymarius

Summary: Dan and Phil take their son, Dil, trick-or-treating on the day of Halloween. Dan, being the little sneak that he is, decides to steal half of Dil’s candy.

Candy Ache - boofphil

Summary: Dan eats too much candy, but luckily there’s Phil.

Chocolates, Flowers, Poems, And Other Ways To Say “I Hate You” - placingglaciers

Summary: In which Dan is determined to show his feelings for Phil, the boy from school who barely knows him, before Valentine’s Day the only way he truly knows how.

Christmas Candy Grams - auroraphilealis

Summary: Dan gets a candy gram at his workplace from a secret admirer calling him an angel, but Dan has absolutely no idea who it could be.

Cinnamon and Pepper (ao3) - Absolutefilthimsosorry

Summary: Dan doesn’t like it when Phil tries unusual food without him

Coffee At Midnight (ao3) - waveydnp

Summary: A recent trauma has lead Phil to embrace a ‘try new things’ approach to his life. One of those new things is learning how to swim, and Dan is the lifeguard who’s going to teach him.

Cupcakes And A Child’s Love (ao3) wavydanrises:

Summary: Dan is working at the bakery “The Cake Whisperer” when a man and his child come into his life. All it took was a spiderman cupcake.

EXTREME TRIPLE CHOCOLATE NESTS (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Dan and Phil cook some Easter nests.

fish me up (ao3) - megiaolf

Summary: Dan has a crush on the pet store clerk.

Icing Fights And Lovebites - phanlight

Summary: It’s nearly Dan’s birthday, and Phil wants to celebrate by making him a cake in a baking video. But will things go according to plan? Read on to find out more!

Marshmallow Santa - adorkablephil

Summary: Just a little domestic fluff moment for Christmas.

much-a-dough about muffin (ao3) - tinydragon (tiny_dragon)

Summary: Dan is the best baker in his apartment building until his new neighbour shows up and threatens his position (and his dignity). It turns out that actually, he might have a competitive streak.

Salted Caramel Brownies (ao3) - dip_the_pip

Summary: Family insists on calling more during quarantine, so Dan hops on a video call with his Nan for some baking.

Scrambled Eggs (ao3) - thoughtfullightcollection

Summary: Phil makes Dan comfort food on a bad day.

Secrets and S'more(ao3) - flowerchilddeeno

Summary: In which Dan and Phil are coworkers who seem to hate one another, but then something happens at the staff Christmas party.

the sanctity of fajitas (ao3) - kishere

Summary: prompt: dan and phil cook something without the recipe, because phil is confident they know how to cook it from memory

the ultimate pizza (ao3) - watergator

Summary: sex and pizza

when it rains, it’s lemon cakes (ao3) - gogystyle

Summary: Sneaking around. Crushed pastries at the bottom of the tray. Kisses at dawn and the impending threat of an arranged marriage.

Phil meets a tall stranger on a late-night rendezvous through the castle. What happens when that stranger’s smile and laugh fill an entire room, burrowing besides Phil’s heart and refusing to leave?

You Opened the Ice Cream Shop, Give Me the Scoop (ao3) - Nefertiti1052 (Succubusphan)

Summary: Phil confronts Dan about the marriage comments he made live on Stereo.

#phanfictioncatalogue #phanfiction #phanfic #phan #masterlists #food #food masterlist #food tw

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foodfightnovelization · 23 days

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Foodfight! Workprint Analysis and Discussion (Part 2)

Okay, we're back! So continuing right where the previous part of my analysis left off, Dex has been knocked unconscious by Lady X after figuring out Brand X were behind the rub-outs. He wakes up in a giant washing machine and sees Dan, also held captive in there. Now as I've talked about before, in the finished film it's a dryer, but in this workprint (and several early tie-ins such as the I Can Find It! book) it's a washing machine that slowly fills up with water. I've speculated that this change was made because it was a struggle for the animators to render water convincingly, but I've never actually heard if that was definitively the reason why it was changed. But on top of that, in the movie it's not really clear where this dryer is or how it exists in relation to the store. In this workprint, the Brand X tower is shown several times to have a large washing machine bolted to the side, with it being a cardboard promotional display next to the Brand X shelf in the real-world supermarket. This perfectly explains its appearance later on, and it's baffling as to why this was left out as a washer/dryer in the middle of a grocery store doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Dan explains to Dex what happened, and they figure out Lady X kidnapped Dan as bait to lure him right into her trap. She tells the Brand X Muffin Man to activate the spin cycle and...wait, the who? Okay, so for context, in the finished film this character is called The Brand X Lunchlady, but in the novelization, based off an earlier draft of the script, she's instead a character called The Brand X Mashed Potato Man. I fast became a fan of this character, honestly for little reason other than it's fun to say The Brand X Mashed Potato Man. But in this workprint he's instead called The Brand X Muffin Man...? He looks identical, so I'm going to take a guess and say this was just an early name for the Mashed Potato Man, as later in the workprint he's referred to as such. So basically, the changes this character went through over the years go something like this:

Muffin Man-> Mashed Potato Man-> Brand X Lunchlady

I mean, that's one hell of a transition, right? I don't know why they revised this character so many times and still couldn't even settle on their gender, but either way as a longtime fan of the Brand X Mashed Potato Man, it's exciting to finally hear his voice in this workprint. He only gets one line, but he sounds something like an evil Arnold Schwarzenegger, which is honestly just what I imagined back when I first read the novelization.

Lady X tells her henchmen they're taking over the store, and they proceed to head out and execute Kung Tofu. Or at least... the character CLAIMS they're Kung Tofu, but according to concept art the character actually shown in the storyboard is called Noodle Ninja. Was this a mistake made due to putting together the boards in a rush, did the storyboard artist not have Kung Tofu's model available when they were creating these, or did the two characters swap names at some point in production? You decide.

Meanwhile, Dex and Dan are trapped inside the washing machine, now violently spinning them around in a whirlpool of hot water. Just as it looks like they're done for, Dex manages to get the two of them out by escaping through the fabric softener hatch, which Dan somehow misinterprets as Dex making a move on him. I don't get it? Dex says "if only we could get closer..." but he's clearly referring to some way of escaping the washing machine, so I don't know how Dan mistook this as an invitation to get hot and heavy. Regardless, Dan makes it clear he's not up for dog intercourse while they're slowly being tortured to death, and the two make their escape. In comparsion, the movie's version of events has them escape the dryer by finding a sock and grabbing onto it as disappears through an air vent, with the only explanation for this being "socks always escape from the dryer". While that's true, socks usually get lost INSIDE the dryer, they don't literally escape by flying through air vents and out into the unknown. Overall, the workprint's version of this scene jusst makes more sense, despite the homoerotic faux-pas.

After their escape, Dex looks through a window into the Brand X war room and discovers they're building an entire army of the Xobytes he fought earlier. Now here's one of the most interesting changes in the entire workprint- in the movie, Dex is on the fence about stopping Brand X even after it's clear how much danger the store is in, and has to be talked into it by Dan. Here, as SOON as he sees the Xobyte army he says "I just had an idea" and springs back into action. Dan even questions this, saying he thought Dex didn't get involved anymore, but Dex simply responds "By the time this is over, you may wish I didn't". This makes Dex seem FAR more heroic- as soon as he's made aware of the threat Brand X poses, he immediately gets serious and decides to take action despite everything he's lost, never once doubting he has to do the right thing. Seeing Dex instantly take charge is far more appealing than the wishy-washy self-doubting characterization he's given in the movie, and while you might say the latter gives him more depth, I'd argue the former makes him more charming. There's nothing sexier than confidence, after all.

Dex and Dan sneak into the lab of nasal spray mascot Dr Si Nustrix, and ask him to analyze a sample of the Brand X elixir Dex "borrowed" from Lady X. The doctor takes a whiff of it, and while the dialogue in this scene is mostly the same as it is in the finished film, it's elevated a lot by the temporary voice actors giving far more convincing performances than the actual cast- I particularly love how emotional Dex gets at certain points, raising his voice and actually sounding like a person as opposed to an actor reading lines.

One notable difference is that Dan suddenly tells Dr Nuxtrix "Have I mentioned you look fabulous in that labcoat?" in the middle of their conversation. In the script it's mentioned he's just inhaled the elixir, somehow making Nustrix seem irresistible to him, but without that context, it looks like Dan just makes a move on Nustrix for no reason...which is DOUBLY confusing given the scene not two minutes ago where he rejects what he believes to be Dex flirting with him. If you hadn't read the script, you'd probably just think Dan wasn't into dogs and that neurotic doctors with giant noses were more his type. These kind of things are important to clarify, especially in storyboards which are SUPPOSED to dictate how your movie is going to look! But here, as with many other sequences, the entire scene is depicted with a single storyboard. You'd think they would have thought this would be relevant information to communicate to the animators before one of them animates Dan flirting with Nustrix for no reason but hey, what do I know?

Nustrix's analysis of the elixir shows it's both highly addictive and toxic to humans, and so Dex makes the decision to cross the store during the day, allowing them to get to Mr Leonard's computer and email the info to their market's corporate headquarters. This scene is mostly the same as it is in the movie, but there's an additional line where Dex points out the humans are in danger too. I think this raises the stakes a little and shows that what's happening with Brand X isn't just putting the store at risk but also the world outside it, so I'm not sure why it was cut, but hey- at least we get to see it here.

As the sun rises on Marketropolis, Dex laments that he let it get bad enough that there are whole aisles of Brand X products already, and that they better get going before they lose any more Ikes. However, right as they're about to make their way to Mr Leonard's office, the Brand X Mashed Potato Man/Muffin Man appears with a platoon of Brand X soldiers and hurls a pudding lid at the two. Dex and Dan backflip off the shelf and onto a cart below, and since this is an action setpiece we once again get to a fully storyboarded segment! I REALLY enjoy these, and I know I've said it before but they're absolutely the highlight of the workprint, second only to the actual sequences of completed animation we get to see. The action is so well directed and the boards are so lively and kinetic, a sense of constant movement and motion and cartoon expression that isn't anywhere to be seen in the finished film. It's like a glimpse at what Foodfight! could've looked like with a competent director at the helm.

This whole sequence is VERY different to how it is in the movie, and it's tough to describe since they're so different there's basically no comparing the two, but I'll give it my best shot. Here in the workprint, it's a HUGE exciting setpiece in the vein of something out of Indiana Jones or Ben-Hur, a dramatic shopping cart chase through the aisles of the store, Dex and Dan fighting off Lady X's henchmen attacking from all angles. There's martial arts, price-tag guns, a juicer, multi-cart drifting and more! ...And in the finished movie, it's a short 30 second scene with absolutely no action, no tension, no cartoony movements, and no fighting. Dan just falls onto a cart, is very briefly accosted by the Brand X Lunchlady, and Dex immediately shows up on a soda bottle to rescue him. I can't fathom why almost this entire sequence was removed from the finished film, but given how complex and intense the scene is and how by the end of production they were just trying to finish the film as quickly and as cheaply as possible, they likely just didn't have time to animate anything that actually looked cool.

Truly, this scene is a work of art and it's a shame we never got to see it fully realized. We get a single, beautiful, fully-rendered shot of Dex swooping in on a soda bottle at the very end, but that's it, gone as soon as it arrives. At least we get to see the storyboards of it though, you know? At least this piece of animated action survives in some form. I know I'm talking it up a lot, but it's a fantastic setpiece that truly shows the strength of making a movie set in a supermarket. Regardless of how you feel about Foodfight!, you surely have to admit- a shopping cart chase through the aisles of a store populated by food characters so tiny the carts look like unstoppable behemoths to them- that's an exciting concept just brimming with potential.

The excitement isn't over yet either, as the soda bottle crashes through the freezer aisle, leading Dex and Dan back into the Marketropolis, stranded in an area that looks like the Alps. Polar Penguin pulls up on a toboggan and offers the duo a lift, and another exciting chase ensues as they're pursued by an avalanche as well as Brand X soldiers on snowmobiles. Dan makes a very unusual joke about "squirrels chewing their nuts" that you can actually hear several crewmembers laugh at (a rare instance of people actually ENJOYING working on Foodfight!). They're promptly catapulted back out to the supermarket and into Mr Leonard's office, but not before telling Polar to bring as many Ikes as he can to the Copabanana and warn them about Brand X. This sounds like it would've been another fun action-packed scene, and I love the storyboards we get to see of it even despite them changing to the less appealing Photoshopped ones halfway through.

But wouldn't you know it? None of this made it into the movie either, with it instead being an incredibly short 15 second scene where Dex and Dan fly in on the soda bottle, tell Polar about Brand X, then fly back out again. No chase, no avalanche, no snowmobiles, nothing. The Foodfight! workprint never ceases to amaze me... and the actual movie never ceases to disappoint me. Given the snowmobile chase was in all versions of the script I have AND the novelization, this was likely another last-minute cut due to it being too complicated to animate and needing to rush the movie as fast as they could. But maybe they wouldn't have HAD to rush the movie to completion if Larry Kasanoff hadn't wasted several years and millions of dollars stalling production, you know? Food for thought!

Dex and Dan make their way into Mr Leonard's office and come across Vlad Chocool, an Ike who managed to survive being wiped out by the Xobytes due to already being undead. All of Vlad's dialogue is different here, as in the finished movie he's voiced by Larry Miller, who improvised all over the few lines he was given, throwing in all kinds of rambles, riffs and little jokes. When I first read what Vlad's dialogue was initially supposed to be in the novelization and early scripts, I preferred Larry Miller's take on the character as he was far funnier and made a whole meal out of the few breadcrumbs of dialogue he had to work with. However, I think the voice and dialogue here fit far better in the world Foodfight! takes place in. As funny as Larry Miller was, his version of the character does just feel like a standup comedian doing his own thing rather than a natural part of the movie (especially since all the cast recorded separately and so nobody actually responds to anything he says). Here, the dialogue given to Chocool actually makes him seem like a grocery mascot like the others. In addition, he's given a stereotypical vampire accent, sounding just like the Count from Sesame Street, and you just can't go wrong with that kind of voice.

I also like that Mr Leonard's office actually LOOKS like an office here- in the finished film it looks like a morgue, and while it's very briefly explained that the Ikes call it the "Expiration Station" and so this is just what it turns into after dark, it's never really made as clear as it should be. I think the simpler design of a real-world back office is much better- it helps sell the gravity of the situation, that they're not in the cartoony Marketropolis anymore and that this is the real world with real stakes.

While Brand X soldiers seal the trio in the office, Dex uses Mr Leonard's computer to try and send out a recall, discovering in the process they had Sunshine recalled, as well as a rival prune mascot called Priscilla Pussly. And man, I REALLY love the acting here. Dex sounds genuinely FURIOUS upon finding this out, his voice bitter and filled with regret. Compared to Charlie Sheen's flat, lifeless delivery of the same line, delivered with all the emotion of someone who's just discovered they have a pebble in their shoe. I know all voices in this workprint were just scratch track and so they were never going to be used in the finished film, but they SHOULD have been, they're so much better than any of the actual cast. They fit the characters better, they put more emotion in the delivery, they have natural chemistry with each other, it's night and day.

While Lady X gives a Hitler-esque speech about "sending all the undesirables to the Expiration Station", our trio escape the office through an air vent, Vlad displaying an impressive ability to turn into a bat that he never shows in the finished film (where instead simply flapping his arms somehow allows him to fly). The storyboards for this scene are incredibly detailed, and really show off how appealing the character designs look in 2D. I'm not sure why this particular scene is more detailed than so many of the others, but given the mish-mash of styles this workprint consists of, it's not particularly surprising. As Ikes start turning each other in, we hear a conversation between Hairy Hold and the few remaining members of the USDA, with them blaming Hairy for putting Brand X in charge. Hairy insists it'll all work out, but you can tell by the shakiness in his voice he's trying to convince himself more than anyone else. This last part isn't in the movie (although it IS in the novelization and script), and I really wish it had been as it shows just how bad things have gotten in Marketropolis and how Lady X sowed seeds of distrust among the Ikes until the community they had with each other fell apart. It really is bizarre, I feel the scenes cut from the finished film are always the cool ones. There's never an additional scene in this workprint I feel doesn't add something, or wouldn't have improved the movie had it been left in. Usually with deleted scenes you can see why they were deleted, but none of these feel like they should've been deleted at all.

It's now we get to one of my favorite scenes in the entire workprint. Just as Dex instructed, Polar has gathered as many Ikes as he can at the Copabanana to form a rag-tag resistance against Brand X. Dex still hasn't showed, and Lieutenant X walks in claiming he's been discontinued, and that they'll all suffer a long, cruel expiration unless they sing their allegiance to Brand X. Oscar Mayer refuses to sing the Brand X anthem, saying "my bologna has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R!" and Lieutenant X prepares to skin him alive, just as Dex bursts in and tells them to "play it".

Now in the movie, it's Francois Fromage, a fictitious mascot made up specifically for the movie, and they start singing the "USDA Anthem", a similarly fictitious song sang to the rhythm of La Marseillaise. Obviously this is a homage to the La Marseillaise scene from Casablanca, but the scene doesn't really land at all. It feels unsure of what emotion it's trying to evoke- is this supposed to be serious? If so, it doesn't work. Is this supposed to be funny? If so, the joke doesn't scan.

But in the workprint, they start singing the Oscar Mayer Weiner jingle and the first time I heard this a huge smile spread across my face. Not because it's a recognizable song, but because using this instead of the fictitious "USDA Anthem" actually makes the scene work and makes it clear what they were going for! It's the inherent ridiculousness of taking something as serious as Casablanca, and applying it to something as ridiculous as grocery store mascots singing a commercial jingle. It's the juxtaposition of the weight all the characters give it with the wackiness of the situation, singing a song about weiners like it's the most important thing in the world, like this show of camaraderie puts their very lives at risk. I just really love this scene, and I think had it made it into the finished film it would've been by far the comedic highlight of the entire movie. It just WORKS, and it's a genuinely funny and clever idea executed well. Lieutenant X retreats, but promises to return soon and pulverize them all.

The next few scenes are mostly the same as they are in the finished film- Dex tells the Ikes he's got a plan to stop Brand X and that they'll need all the plastic wrap and trashbags in the store, while Lady X prepares her evil army and says they'll take no prisoners. However, an INCREDIBLY strange moment follows this. Lady X spots Dex's resistance and tells her army to attack and annihilate...and out of nowhere, we hear an unusually realistic scream, like someone was shot in the face in the middle of recording. I'm NOT making this up- go to 47:13 in the workprint if you want to hear for yourself. I mean, what happened here? Why is this in the workprint? What purpose does it serve? Why is it so fucking loud? Did Larry Kasanoff randomly kill a crewmember in the middle of the script reading? It's completely bizarre. I mean, have you EVER heard of an early workprint of a movie having hyper-realistic screaming randomly inserted into the audio track? Of course you haven't, that's insane, it's like something out of a creepypasta! As puzzling as this is however, it's unlikely we'll ever get an answer as to what it's doing here, so I guess we should just move on.

The resistance surround the Brand X army, Dex does a Suicide Squad-style title drop (the voice actor here delivering the line AMAZINGLY), and the battle for supermarket supremacy begins! This is once again a properly storyboarded sequence, and it looks fantastic, selling the impact of the battle in a way the finished movie never does. Even though most of the basic beats of the fight are the same, the way it's boarded makes it look far more action-packed and dynamic. There's even an additional scene where Polar gets catapulated around the battlefield on food the Ikes are throwing, and it looks like it would've been visually fantastic. Come to think of it, is Foodfight! the only movie in history where the storyboards ended up looking better than the final product?

This is followed by yet another properly boarded sequence, in which Dan and a squadron of flying Ikes set out to destroy the Xobyte army, and it looks fantastic as well. Despite the content of the scene being more or less the same as in the movie, only with Sonny the Cocoa Puff bird being present here instead of Jet Pack Jeffery (I talked about this in my last post), it's just executed far better. I honestly think whoever drew these boards should've been the director instead of Kasanoff, as they clearly knew a lot about animation and what makes scenes look good. If you haven't already, I seriously recommend checking out the workprint for yourself.

The next few scenes proceed mostly the same as in the finished film- Cheazel offers to help Dex and Maximilius with their plan, Lord Flushington is captured and Lady X threatens to cut out his tongue, Hairy Hold finally snaps and joins the resistance, Polar Penguin is wiped out by an Xobyte, and Dex asks Dan to fly him over the Brand X tower so he can destroy the Xobytes' fuel source. In the actual movie, this series of scenes DRAGS and goes on far longer than it should, but here it's a much brisker and shorter few minutes, communicating all the same information and story beats but in MUCH less time. Seriously, in the finished film they waste so long on random scenes of characters getting pelted with food, Brand X tanks preparing to fire ketchup, an entire segment where the Ikes prepare their plan to the tune of a song called "Fire In Our Skies", and none of it adds ANYTHING to the plot, it's just there to fill time. Thankfully, all of that is left out of the workprint and instead the scenes here focus on progressing the characters and story.

One of the interesting things I noticed about these few scenes is that the part where Lord Flushington is captured is represented by a wholly unique piece of art not seen anywhere else in the workprint. Why they had concept art drawn up for such a minor scene is beyond me, it doesn't really add a whole lot to the plot or do anything visually unique. On top of that, during the scene where Polar is wiped out by an Xobyte, we see Maximilius roll a can of Campbell's soup to crush General X. This is because at one point, Campbell licensed out their brand and characters to be used in the film- there's even a scene in the script (but left out of the workprint) where Sunshine plays kickball with the Campbell Kids, former mascots for the company. However, by the time the movie came out the Campbell's soup was replaced by Dinty Moore stew, and the Campbell Kids were replaced with generic children.

Cheazel has agreed to help the resistance with their plan to take down Brand X, and so slithers through the sewers to cut the phone line connected to the store's fire alarm, allowing the Ikes to set off the sprinklers without the fire department being alerted. The Mashed Potato Man/Muffin Man attempts to stop him, but is promptly crushed by the the falling telephone pole. This is another properly-storyboarded scene, showing every detail of Cheazel's motion throughout the sequence, and it's once again chock-full of squash-and-stretch goodness. I really think if the movie had been animated this way, Cheazel would've been a fan favorite character- the way he moves and conducts himself is just so charming and silly, and it's a cartoony style of movement rarely attempted in 3D. I mean think about it, most 3D animated movies of the era (and even now) don't put an emphasis on exaggerated movements or cartoony physics the way Foodfight! does- they mostly go more for realism, with characters moving in much the same way an actual person would. I think had Foodfight! come out in 2003 or 2004 in the artstyle we see in the animated sequences from this workprint, it would've been a unique breath of fresh air compared to everything else that was coming out at the time.

As Dex parachutes into the Brand X tower, Maximilius tells Lord Flushington "Time to flick your Bic!" and he leaps into the air with a lighter, bringing it right up close to the store's smoke detector and activating the sprinkler system, causing a flood that slowly destroys Brand X's cheap cardboard buildings.

In the finished film, there's no flood at all- Dex's plan to stop Brand X instead being to start a lightning storm, using lightning rods made of aluminum foil to divert the bolts of electricity towards Brand X's buildings. The aforementioned scene with Cheazel is instead him cutting the power lines to the whole store to start the lightning storm, and this scene with Flushington is instead a conversation between him and Maximilius about how Dex's plan is working. I have no idea why the flood was changed to a lightning storm, but as mentioned before with the washing machine being changed to a dryer, it seems likely the change was made due to animators having problems rendering water. It's unclear exactly when this change was made as well- the script from 2005 has it as a flood, the tie-in "I Can Find It!" book has it as a flood, but the Deluxe Sound Storybook has it as a lighting storm. And to FURTHER complicate things, the novelization features a weird hybrid of both- Cheazel cuts the power lines, but Flushington then needs to jump into the sewer and spread water across the floor of the supermarket to electrify the live wires. So it seems like a change made incrementally over various script drafts, with them paring the idea down more and more to feature less water until it was removed entirely and it was only the lightning storm. It's honestly baffling to me that they ended up cutting almost all instances of water from the plot, as obviously the flood using the sprinkler system makes a lot more sense and fits with the theming of it being a grocery store. I mean, even if they were having trouble rendering water, have you ever heard of a movie being THIS hydrophobic?

Dex uses a grappling hook to destroy the Xobytes' fuel source, only to then spot Sunshine, tied up in a laundry hamper being wheeled away by Lady X. In the movie, the scene simply cuts off as soon as Dex destroys the fuel source, reusing animation from earlier in the movie to bridge the gap to the next scene. However this scene IS in the novelization, so it's fascinating to actually get to see a visual representation of it after previously only getting to read about it. Quick sidenote though- what's going on with the geometry in this scene? I know these storyboards were hastily photoshopped together, but look at the room they're in for more than 5 seconds and it starts to look like something from the mind of M.C. Escher.

Dex defeats Lieutenant X, and he's finally reunited with Sunshine. In the movie, this is the scene with the infamous line "I'm not the one who's going to be puppy-whipped, you cold-farted itch!" but here that's entirely absent. It's not in the draft of the script from 2005 either, nor is it in the novelization. It IS in the the draft of the script from 2007 however, pointing to it being an incredibly late addition to the film, and I'll give you three guesses as to who wrote it (I actually don't know, but given everything we know about Lawrence Kasanoff and the fact that he has a writing credit on the script, it seems incredibly likely it was him). I can't decide whether the movie is better or worse without this line- on one hand, it IS incredibly stupid, but on the other hand it's SO stupid it actually loops back around to being funny due to the sheer ridiculousness of it.

Meanwhile, in another scene that was cut from the finished film but WAS in the novelization, the flying squad realize the Xobytes are out of ammo and prepare to bust their stingers. It's not a particularly significant scene, but once again it's fascinating to finally see something I'd previously only been able to read about. One interesting detail of this scene is that a bee character is included in this scene, who isn't in any of the other storyboards of the flying squad and isn't in the novelization's version of the scene. According to several early storyboards for the original pitch reel, this character's name is either Drone Rivers or Busy Bee, and she was replaced in the finished film by Hedda Shopper, a parrot character. We did get to see Drone Rivers/Busy Bee earlier in the workprint in a fully animated scene, but she more or less disappeared from the plot after that, so it's bizarre to see her suddenly show up again right at the very end.

We also get another properly-storyboarded sequence of the Energizer Bunny taking out a platoon of Brand X soldiers using some slick martial arts moves, and although I think this is an odd time for a scene like this, it looks like it would've been awesome. It reminds me of how every movie in the early 2000s had a parody of the slow-motion kick from the Matrix- although this isn't quite the same as that, it has the same vibe, with the part where he spins around in the air taking out four soldiers at once being particularly similar.

Meanwhile, Dex and Sunshine try to escape the collapsing Brand X tower, and just as the flood is about to completely destroy the place, Dan flies in on his plane and rescues the two of them. This is another of the highlights of the workprint for me- after Dan sucessfully rescues the two of them, Sunshine says she just knew he could do it, and the voice actors for Dex and Dan improvise a bit where they keep saying "me too", with Dex sounding increasingly bemused before everyone starts cracking up. It's such a natural, spontaneous moment that demonstrates the chemistry they all have, and it's the kind of moment you only get by having all the cast together in one room. I've said it before and I'll say it again, these definitely should've been the voices in the actual movie.

It's not over yet however, as Mr Clipboard stomps in and attempts to destroy the store. Interestingly, the storyboard for this sequence is put together using an actual 3D render of the Marketropolis, something not used at any other point in the workprint. Also, unlike the movie there's quite a striking shot of Mr Clipboard framed against the night sky, having opened the loading dock door and turned off the fire alarm, allowing the water from the flood to drain out. It's not a huge deal, but it's one of the little changes the workprint makes that reminds you despite looking like a city, Marketropolis is still just an ordinary grocery store underneath it all. Dex gets Maximilus Moose and Lola to trip Mr Clipboard with a piece of dental floss, revealing him to actually be a human robot piloted by Lady X. Lady X then reveals herself to actually be Priscilla Pussly, Sunshine's old rival, and she's taken away by Dan. This scene is mostly the same as it is in the movie and novelization, so I don't feel the need to discuss it yet again- but I still like to recap the plot each time just to make sure nobody reading gets confused.

In a scene previously only depicted in the novelization, Mr Leonard enters the store the following morning to find all the Brand X products destroyed. Not having any idea of what happens when his store closes at night, he utters "I must be dreaming..." as we transition to one month later. A new shipment of cereal arrives at the store, with Mr Leonard saying he's been expecting this. He pulls out a new box of Cinnamon Sleuth Cereal, now with Sunshine Goodness Raisins added to the mix, and happily declares it looks like a best seller. This is where the novelization ends, and I remember reading it for the first time and being blown away that it had a completely different ending to the finished film. I vastly prefer it as well-it's much more grounded and low-key, and anchors the resolution of the story back to the real-world supermarket it's taking place in. In addition, the idea that Dex and Sunshine's marriage is represented by his cereal now having her raisins in it is adorable, despite raising several logistical questions about how marriage works in Marketropolis. I'm really glad we got to see this ending onscreen in some form, and it reminds me of just how lucky we were to actually get to see an early version of the movie.

Finally, the workprint ends with one last shot of the Copabanana, Dex and Sunshine happily celebrating their wedding as everyone starts clapping and cheering. And that's the end of the Foodfight! workprint! What did you think? Were you satisfied finally getting to see the original version of the movie that had been talked up for over a decade? Were you disappointed there were only around 6 minutes of completed animation in it and the rest was just storyboards of varying quality? I'd love to know what everyone thinks, but personally I couldn't be happier we finally got to see this. It's an ENTIRE early cut of the film, it's written and acted much better, the storyboards (when they're drawn properly) look amazing, and the completed animation we get to see is fantastic.

The first time seeing this, I literally dropped everything I was doing to sit and watch the whole thing because it just blew my mind that after a decade of the movie being "lost" (the fabricated theft story making people believe it'd never be found) that we finally got to see what Foodfight! was originally going to look like, as well as various scenes I'd previously only read about in the novelization. Is it better than the finished film? Absolutely, a hundred times yes. I personally consider this THE definitive version of Foodfight!, and I couldn't be happier the movie I've spent so long writing about has finally been recovered as best as it possibly can.

And so you'd think with the workprint found and almost all the original animation recovered (there were only ever 7 minutes fully animated and rendered, between the workprint and other sources of footage we've got 6) that would be it for Foodfight!, right? That's what I thought too, and I was planning on wrapping up this blog after finishing my analysis of the workprint. I even had a final post planned where I'd reflect on my experiences writing about Foodfight! and working on ROTTEN, as well as showing off my collection of merchandise (which has grown considerably over the past few months). But as is often the case with this movie, something new was brought to our attention and yet ANOTHER piece of Foodfight! history was uncovered, one everyone also once believed to be lost forever. I can't talk about it yet, but rest assured when I can you'll all be the first to hear about it. Truly, a Foodfight! blogger's work is never done, so stay tuned for the last chapter in the Foodfight! saga...for real this time!

#foodfight #dex dogtective #daredevil dan #lady x #mr clipboard #cheazel the weasel #movie analysis #storyboards #production art #larry kasanoff

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seitosokusha · 10 months

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using legends to reshape me, using agony to reforge me 04

Blade sits, his legs still chained down, unable to rise from his position. But the shackles on his hands have been undone. An empty plate (with chocolate muffin wrappers, really Jing Yuan?) in front of him told Dan Heng that Jing Yuan must have given him food to eat and undid the chains to do so.

And Blade sits, silent and staring at his hands. He doesn't acknowledge Dan Heng’s presence, doesn't move or say a thing as the door closes behind Dan Heng.

Dan Heng says nothing either. He simply waits.

Finally, Blade looks up at him.

Dan Heng stiffens a gasp because there is nothing but devastation written on Blade’s face. It's a grief that cuts deep. He looks lost, disbarred of all hope, like a man in a desert, chasing after an oasis only to find out it was a mirage. Blade looks at Dan Heng, as if he's a ghost, an illusion, a trick of the eyes, like a dream that will fade away in the morning light.

He is looking for Dan Feng.

#honkai star rail #hsr #hsr trailblazer #hsr stelle #hsr caelus #hsr dan heng #hsr march 7th #hsr welt #hsr himeko #hsr jing yuan #hsr blade #hsr ren #hsr fanfic #seitowrites #adorned in starlight au

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floweramongstthecold · 3 months

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Mutual Catch-Up

Hi hello yes. @sasslett tagged me so I'm just like, sure why not? @shroudkeeper ALSO tagged me. ouo you guys should totally go check those two out, they're FUCKING amazing?

Last Song: I'm listening to my Youtube likes playlist so it keeps changing. XS But the song I picked myself that I felt like listening to was DYWTYLM by Sleep Token

Currently Watching: Shogun baby! I hope to god they don't fuck this show up half way through... I'm gonna be SO fucking upset if that happens cause it's so good man.

Three Ships: Uuuhhhhhh, cannn I put my OWN ships in here? XS Cauuseeee I'm gonna do it annywwaaay. :P Me and Ilar, Me and Dan Heng, me and Sesshomaru.

Sorry, I rarely do CanonxCanon ships anymore if THAT was what you were expecting. XS

Favorite Color: Pink and Blue! ^_^

Currently Consuming: A blueberry muffin

First Ship: Ren and Len Kagamine

Place of Birth: USA

Current Location: Same place, I hate it here ._.

Relationship Status: *laughs hysterically* What relationship? I don't have relationships. ._. Unless you mean with me and my characters cause that's the only relationships ever I've been doing. *shrugs* Sooo single but taken? Self-love? I unnooo!

Last Movie: Sonic Movie 2

Currently Working On: Trying SO hard to start Wonderous Tails. *sighs* I'm so behind cause my bodeh hated me last week and still hates me.

I'm gonnaaa taaagggg! Whoever wants to do this.

#tag games

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unorthodoxsavvy · 9 months

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The Philver Scream

The American Nightmare

Chapter 8

Word Count: 75k

Rated: R

Genre: Horror

October 13th, 20:00

Phil sat in his living room with Dan, chewing on a muffin he’d made that morning before Dan had arrived. They were waiting for Jake to get there. Phil’d been up early that morning, though, he was up early most mornings, to make the muffins and other baked good he sold to customers when they arrived. Tonight, though, it was just the three of them once more. Tonight, it was all or nothing.

Dan sat on the oversized plush recliner, the one Phil’d picked up from a secondhand shop, the one that’d had its own ghost when he’d gotten it, the ghost of the old man that had lived and died in that chair, and a ghost Phil had thankfully been able to banish from his own house. Banishing ghosts wasn’t a service Phil offered but it was a skill he’d learned, and it’d come in a handy a time or two in his life believe it or not. You’d be surprised, he’d tell you, how many people are haunted by ghosts and just don’t realize it. Phil made a living off of making other people’s grief his problem, though, and he didn’t intent to add ghost hauntings to that list as well. If you were haunted by a ghost that was your own business, not his, and he was sure there were many reputable sources out there on how to be rid of them yourself. It simply wasn’t his problem.

Phil finished his muffin and went to throw the wrapper away when he heard a car pull into the gravel parking lot of his apartment. Dan had been scrolling on his phone in silence, but looked up as the headlights moved horizontally through the windows.

None of them had come up with a better idea, so here they were, on October the 13th, when it was predicted that Phil would have another prophetic dream or nightmare in which one man managed to do the impossible and slay children in a way that just seemed like it came out of a horror movie, because it could only exist in Hollywood.

It was just past 8:00 and Phil had a bottle of sleeping pills on his nightstand and a chair overlooking his bed.

Jake knocked on the apartment door and Phil opened it, greeting his coworker and inviting him into his humble abode. Jake took in the bookshelves crammed with an assortment of books and knick-knacks Phil had collected for the craft and the trade or simply just for the aesthetic. The three of them had been staying in touch from their respective home states over the past few weeks, and it was for the first time since flying home from Texas that the three of them were joining together once more on this auspicious night.

When it was time Phil led Dan and Jake upstairs to his bedroom. Phil carried two glasses of water, Dan carried two knives, and Jake carried a gun holstered onto his hip.

Phil sat down on one side of the bed, and Dan the other, and Jake moved the chair to the foot of the bed so he could watch them both at the same time, and one or the other if needed.

Phil poured out two pills from the bottle into his hand and grabbed one of the glasses of water. Dan grabbed the other glass of water while Phil placed the other pill in Dan’s hand.

“Are you ready?” Phil asked.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Dan smiled, echoing the words Jake had spoken just weeks before.

“God bless you,” Jake said again, though he wasn’t even sure if he believed in God.

“Bottom’s up,” Phil smiled, popping the pill in his mouth then swallowing a gulp of water to chase it down with.

“Bottom’s up,” Dan replied, doing the same.

And then they sat there.

“I guess we wait for the pills to kick in now,” Phil suggested.

“Sounds good,” Jake agreed.

There was a pause.

“So how was the flight here?” Phil asked.

“It was good, thanks. Nice drive coming in too. Nice little area.”

“Yeah, it is, isn’t it.”

“Your apartment’s lovely.”

“Thank you, I quite like it.”

“I noticed you got some fake plants.”

“Yeah I di- woah, just felt the pills kick in. You?” Phil asked, turning to Dan.

“Yeah, I did. Ready to lay down?”

“Laying down,” Phil said.

They laid down on either side of the bed and Dan handed Phil one of the knives.

“Now you remember, if anything goes wrong, you guys come out of there immediately.

“Right,” Phil agreed sleepily, taking Dan’s hand beside him.

“We’ll be alright. We’ll get him, you’ll see,” Dan bragged, words slightly slurred.

“Be safe,” was the last thing Phil heard before he slipped into the darkness, Dan’s hand in one hand, and a knife in the other.

#ospbb #ospbb 2023 #old school phandom big bang #horror #80s horror #slasher horror #dan and phil #phil lester #dan howell #savvy’s fics #phanfic

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captainnameless · 1 year

Note

Max’s virtual Le Mans disconnect has me feeling so sad. I’d be forever grateful if we could get a Little Max snippet? Preferably with Daniel? 🥹

It’s a couple hours later in the day when they get to call. While Max wasn’t particularly happy for his early wake up today, Daniel’s glad it’s allowed him to speak to the boy despite the 7 hour time difference.

Max had texted him after two missed calls that he’d call him back in a bit and Daniel answers on the second ring.

“Hi bud.”

Max looks tired, disappointment still prominent on his face when he appears on Daniel’s screen.

“Hi.” His voice sounds a bit off, and Daniel tries to look sympathetic.

“How you feeling?”

“Tired.” Max sighs, the phone moving when he rubs his free hand across his face, settling back into what appears to be the living room couch. “Just-, I feel tired. And sad.”

It’s hard for Daniel to not want to try and physically jump through the screen. “I’m sorry, I know how hard you and the team worked on it.”

Max nods, another deep sigh leaving the younger as he chews on his lower lip, biting back a pout. “It sucks, Dan.”

Daniel can only nod, try and validate the younger’s feelings while they evaluate the events of the day. They talk for a good while, Max getting out most of his frustrations and Daniel trying not to laugh when he realizes Max told everyone to uninstall the game. Max seems a little less tense when the conversation quiets down, but Daniel can see how tired the younger is even through the phone screen.

He’s watching Max’s eyes grow more and more droopy before he suggest. “You wanna grab Leo? Take a nap?”

Max blinks his eyes back open, shaking his head unable to hide a whine. “No, I don’t wanna hang up.”

Daniel soothes. “You don’t have to hang up, just go grab him.”

“I don’t know where he is.” Max replies, and Daniel raises an unimpressed eyebrow. “I’m sure you’ll find him if you go look.”

“Dann-”

“Max.” Daniel interrupts, fondness in his eyes as Max forces out an even bigger pout. “Muffin. Go grab him, please. I’ll be right here.”

There’s a dramatic sigh before the phone gets dropped on the couch, the rustling and then there’s silence. Max is back in a few minutes, phone picked back up as Max drops the plush next to the pillow he’d been resting on earlier, face squished in the soft fur.

“Hi Leo.” Daniel says, purely so he can watch the faint blush spread on Max’s cheeks and a shy smile appear. Max hides his face in the lion for a second before reappearing.

“He says hi back.”

It doesn’t take long for Max to relax after that, cuddled up and soothed by the plush and Daniel’s voice. Once Daniel is sure Max is asleep, he snaps a screenshot, because he can, before disconnecting the call and texting Max to call again when he wakes up.

#littlef1adventures #lf1a.minific

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hermesserpent-stuff · 1 year

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youtube

@theriddlenerd you seemed interested in the post about me building off of the idea of Quentin and Dr. Strange interacting more.

Quentin is not entirely sure what to think of the 'wizard' incident. Tinkerer and the Enforcers had been mother-henning over him and he had not left the apartment for just about a week. He is starting to go crazy. He had felt relief at first but now feels frantic energy burning beneath the surface of his skin. It leaked out into the production of several ideas for equipment and the creation of a taser-like bite for his gremlins, just in case.

He finds himself in the kitchen in the early hours of the morning baking. He had been unable to sleep and had spent the night watching musicals with Montana and the other Enforcers, who were currently sleeping in the living room. They had fallen asleep around midnight and Quentin's brain had refused to turn off. So here he is at 3 in the morning, trying to be quiet while mixing together the batter for blueberry muffins. He has music in his ears, which soothes his nerves. A gremlin sits on his shoulder, in sleep mode.

He taps the batter out into the paper-lined muffin tin and steps in time to his music. He pushes the tray into the oven and then drops the dirty dishes into the sink. He starts the water and mixes in some soap. Quentin turns off the water in anticipation of the music drop and spins in time to it. He then goes back to scrubbing in time to the rhythm. He also starts a kettle on the stove to boil, suddenly wanting tea. As he pulls out his mug and spins carefully in time, his heart skips a beat as he catches sight of Doctor Strange standing in the kitchen. Between him and the exit.

"I've been trying to track you down."

"By the Scottish play!"

He yelps tearing off his headphones and hopping backwards. The gremlin wakes up and screeches loudly. The wizard blinks at him and Quentin reaches behind himself. There is the kettle. He could throw it.

"I need to resolve this issue of your magical trace."

"And I need you out of my home!"

Quentin yells, throwing the kettle and rushing forwards. The wizard’s eyes widen and he creates a portal to redirect the kettle to somewhere else. But Quentin had been counting on that reaction to allow him to get close enough to jab the man harshly in the ribs with an elbow and escape into the living room. His gremlin is screaming bloody murder and he is happy to see that the Enforcers are up. Some sort of glowing rope wraps around his ankle. He slams into the floor. Dan is already leaping forwards. The wizard is forced to go on the defense as Dan uncollapses his staff and starts swinging. Montana kneels beside Quentin and starts trying to remove the glowing rope, hissing as it burns his fingertips. The cowboy pulls a knife and cuts through it, ignoring the sparks. Quentin winces but focuses on getting his gremlin to go grab his gear. He notes that Dan and Ox are now engaging the wizard who is using magic glowing circles to fight them.

“We need to get you out of here.”

“If he can find me at home, he’ll find me anywhere. If anything, we need to make a stand here.”

At that moment his gremlin flies back with his gauntlets and several of its brethren. Quentin has a plan. Part of one anyways.

“He moves his hands for spell work. If you can lasso him, and we can pin him, I think we can try to talk, maybe? Though he is the Sorcerer Supreme… so this is probably really stupid.”

“Good thing Im a little stupid. One of my lassos in that first kitchen cabinent. Its the closest one.”

Of course, Montana sleeps with a knife and keeps multiple lassos around the apartment. Quentin nods and puts his gauntlets on. He moves his hands, gets his gremlins' attention, and starts sending out commands. They fly into the fight, ducking around Dan and Ox while Montana scoots around the entire fight.

The wizard attempts to use the glowing rope to hold either of the Enforcers, but both are fairly quick and good at redirecting the wizard's attention. The gremlins are able to dart in and deliver electric-filled bites to the wizard. Montana quickly returns and they attempt to lasso and pin the wizard. But when he hits the floor, Quentin finds that his initial theory had been very wrong. Fire lights up the rope and an invisible force shoves all four of them to the ground. Quentin lets out a pained cough as he had been slammed both into the floor and a wall. Ow!

“I call upon the enchanted chains of Azeroth!”

Quentin feels panic as chains secure themselves around his body. Terror rips through him as a portal opens up underneath him. Montana shares one terrified look with him. Quentin feels a twinge of regret that he has no comfort to give the cowboy. And then he is free-falling. He squeezes his eyes tight and starts running through play lines. He used to do that whenever he was particularly distressed in high school and it soothes his nerves a little. He hears something as the falling feeling ends and finds himself being forced into sleep.

He wakes up in a strange room devoid of his gauntlets. He runs a small check on himself. No gauntlets, no tech, no gremlins. He is inside a circle seal once more, bound in glowing chains that are a different color from the rope used last time. But the chair is different. Softer. But it also has a soft grey glow that makes him a nervous. He twitches a little at the silence and starts tapping out a beat and humming to himself. Definitely a bit worse than last time.

Honestly, he maybe should have just shown the charm last time. But it had been given to him by someone he had come to see as a grandmother right before her death. So he would very much like to not hand it over to strange magical people who kidnaped him and tied him up in basements.

Doctor Strange suddenly appears in the chair across from him and Quentin cannot suppress his flinch.

“Alright. Enough nonsense.”

Quentin scrunches his nose at the man’s words.

“Avoiding kidnapping isn’t nonsense.”

Quentin does not like being dismissed. A pained sigh comes from the man.

“If you would just cooperate, none of this extra running around would have been necessary.”

Quentin tilts his chin upwards and huffs.

“How would you feel about being portaled from somewhere to a foreign room not once, but twice? Maybe you're not actually doing this as an act of preservation of any particular laws. Perhaps you're lying and in reality, you do intend harm to the world beyond. What reason do I have to cooperate?”

Strange seems to consider his words steepling his fingers. Quentin twitches a little at the stretching silence. He is averse to such stretches of silence. His knee bounces a little as Strange stares at him. This is why he likes fighting Spider-man. The kid is a chatterbox. And not prone to kidnapping him.

“I suppose you are right. You have nothing except my word to assure you that I am who I say I am.”

“To be quite frank with you, I only had the slightest belief in magic before you dragged me here. I really don't know what a sorcerer supreme is.”

Huh. Okay. That is a little more than he intended to say. And a bit too truthful. He should be holding more cards to his chest. He notes that the chair’s glow has shifted to light green. Right. So that might have something to do with things. That makes him uncomfortable and he feels a flash of determination to watch his mouth.

“So you were serious about just being an illusionist that uses tech?”

“Yes.”

His tongue feels the urge to say more but he keeps it firmly locked behind his teeth. That answer is enough. Strange tilts his head and the chair glows a little brighter.

“So the ‘heirloom’ around your neck might be magical, but you would not know.”

“I would not.”

It feels like he is yanking his own words down away from his tongue. He is not even sure what else he would add. Okay. No. Thinking about it makes it worse. He starts up a mental run-through of the musical version of Legally Blond, letting the play roll through his mind while partially paying attention. Given he had watched that musical millions of times, it is not too hard to be semi-focused.

Strange's eyes narrow as he leans forwards.

“Why did you hesitate to show me the object?”

“I want to keep it. It means a lot. To me.”

Quentin says with a small twitch. A slip-up. He had not meant to say that much. It is fine. This is fine. Strange looks that more intrigued.

“I see. I still want to check it. You put on a rather convincing show of being a sorcerer.”

“I did special effects for movies.”

Till he found that he needed a lot more money and turned to crime. And then found the thrill of crime too good to give up. Strange blinks and then folds his hands into each other.

“If the object is benign, you will probably be able to keep it. There are millions of charms and blessings out in the world that need not be collected. That might be the case here. One of the main reasons I pulled you here is because you look and sound like a threat. But it appears you believe that is all an act. This will be easier if you cooperate.”

“Believe? I know I'm not using real magic for my illusions.”

Quentin says with a huff of irritation. Strange gives a small nod.

“You must understand that I have to be suspicious. Especially given the magic residue.”

“... I genuinely have no idea why that's happening.”

Quentin says, letting frustration hiss out in his voice. Strange gives another small nod.

“I can understand the frustration. If you let me examine the object, we can resolve this.”

Quentin hunches his shoulders a little.

“Fine.”

Not like he can stop the guy. His stomach twists as Strange stands and walks closer. The wizard moves his hands and Quentin feels the charm move. He suddenly is hit with the desire to hide it and he can feel it stutter and shake. Quentin closes his eyes. No. This needs to be over. He feels the charm slip out and he squeezes his hands into fists. This is very very uncomfortable. He cracks open his eyes. The charm hangs in the air, glowing purple. The greenish-blue turquoise dragon face hovers at the end of the simple chain. Strange stares at it and the glowing symbols that hover around it.

“Hmm.”

Silence follows the small noise from the wizard. The thudding of his own heart fills Quentin’s ears.

“Where did you get this? It was a gift, right?”

“My grandmother. Right before she died.”

His brain is too wigged out to try to control his tongue.

“It seems to be for anti-possession and feeding a blessing someone put on you. Presumably your grandmother. But it does not seem to be doing anything else. You can keep it.”

“Great.”

Quentin says feeling instant relief as the wizard steps backwards.

“So you won't be portaling me away again?”

“No. Though I am somewhat intrigued by your tech. It is impressive, and very convincing.”

Quentin puffs up a little. Okay, so that is a pretty big complement from an actual wizard.

“Thanks.”

Strange waves his hands and the chains disappear. Quentin shudders a little and tucks the charm away beneath his shirt.

“Apologises for using the truth chair of oblivia on you. You must understand my worry over dangerous magic being in the wrong hands.”

Ah. That explains the pressing of words against his tongue.

“Oh, that's a fantastic name. Giving objects an ‘of’ makes them sound so much more mystical. I'm going to steal that idea.”Quentin says as he rubs his wrists and stands, “And I sort of do. I'd rather the world not blow up from unseen forces. You better not try to Men in Black me though.”

Quentin says with a huff, smoothing down his shirt.

“No. I dont think that will be necessary. As long as you stay away from the arcane arts.”

Strange opens another portal and pulls out Quentin’s gauntlets and one of his gremlins. It seems to be in sleep mode. Quentin takes the gauntlets back first and slips them back on. It feels like security. He notices that Strange is absently petting the gremlin. It seems that their cuteness has won them another fan. He activates his gantlets and snaps his fingers. The gremlin wakes up with a stretch and yawn and then flaps to his shoulder. Strange looks at it a moment longer.

“Real imps are far less friendly. And cute.”

The wizard sighs. Quentin reaches up and holds it out to the wizard. Strange blinks in surprise and gently takes it. While the sorcerer holds it, the gremlin churrs.

“I appreciate you wanting to keep the world safe. Spider-man does that for the city all the time and I still am on good terms with him. But perhaps, you should consider a different method for handling potential threats that you're not sure are threats at all. I'm a fantastic illusionist, who just happened to have a protection charm. And as much as I hate to take myself off a pedestal, there are likely other people like me. So just… Just think about it?”

“Think!~”

The gremlin copies with a squeak. Strange’s eyes crinkle slightly at the tiny beast.

“Alright. I will consult with Wong about this. We may have come on a little too forcefully for the situation.”

The wizard admits.

“Maybe a little. If you want some help detecting tech over magic; I'm great at making things. I'd rather not have anyone else get kidnapped like me.”

Quentin gives a smile and the gremlin wiggles and flies back to him.

“Apologies. Again.”

Quentin rubs his arms a little.

“Thanks for the apology. I’d like to go home now. Montana’s probably going to be freaking out.”

“One of the people who fought me earlier?”

“The cowboy.”

Quentin grins thinking of his friend. He is definitely ready to go home. A portal spirals upwards from the ground and Quentin finds himself standing once more in his living room. He blinks. Light dances across the floor, showing that it is much later in the morning. He calls out.

“Hello?!”

He moves around the apartment and yelps as his gauntlet goes off. His GPS tracker has been activated. After a bit of digging, he finds his phone and he calls Montana.

“Quentin!?”

The cowboy sounds distressed.

“Hey, Montana. I'm alright. The wizard dropped me back at the apartment.”

Quentin tries to exude calm.

“Are you injured? Are you okay? Stay right there we’re on our way.”

“No, I'm fine. I'm okay really. Nothing happened. Not really.”

“Stay on the phone with me.”

It is an easy request to say yes to. The conversation mostly consists of Quentin reassuring Montana that he is fine, really. Quentin just about drops the phone as the front door opens. He feels very jumpy. Montana rushes him and pulls him into a very tight hug. He squeeks and hugs back. He feels another set of arms and spots Dan hugging him to. Then they are lifted in the air by Ox. Quentin relaxes. It is good to be home.

#tssm mysterio #tssm quentin #tssm #doctor strange #hermes speaks #spider nephew au #Youtube

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