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tinyboxxtink · 3 years

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"Doppelganger" *Part 12*

I give you this my babies, because tomorrow I have tons to do and I don't know if you'll get a chapter during the day, it might just be tomorrow night after most of you are asleep. So enjoy the plethora when you can!

Also, I hope you're not getting whiplash from the twists and turns. I'm just making it as dramatic as possible, apparently.

Please still read my stuff.

Part 11

Part 13

Tag List

@madamsnape921

@lolliepopsicle

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@word-scribbless

@gibbs274

@sassyada

@aprildecker-blog

@bookishfanfic

@stars-in-the-skies-world

@stars-trash-18

@omgsuperstarg

@objection-argumentative

[Once again top is Nevada as 'Rafael', Bottom is Rafael]

---------

You walked silently through the park while crying. You were fuming, you felt guilty, but mostly you were heartbroken. You knew Rafael didn't mean what he said, he was just hot headed. But you did mean what you said. You didn't know if he could ever get past what happened, and you weren't positive you could either.

You wanted to, but just knowing the damage was done to Rafael's heart killed you inside and how you could spend the rest of your life just feeling guilty?

You were so lost in your own thoughts you didn't notice cops running through the park towards the cave.

-------

"FREEZE!!!!" An NYPD officer yelled at Rafael as several more surrounded the cave and him.

"Okay gentlemen, I try that you're doing your job but there's been a mistake--" Rafael put his hands in the air.

"Save it, Ramirez. Barba told us everything,"

Olivia had told him over the phone that Nevada had gotten to the people at Ryker's and they had alerted the NYPD but he didn't expect them to be this fast.

"Look if you go into my jacket pocket you'll see my wallet with my ID," He assured them.

"Yeah how dumb do you think we are?" One cop scoffed. "Even my fifteen year old sister has a FAKE ID,"

"Fair point," Rafael nodded.

"Now where's the girl?" Another police officer barked.

"Girl?" Rafael’s brows furrowed.

“Barba's girl. You know it takes some balls to kidnap the ADA's fiancée, I'll give you that,”

“Wha---he DID! I just rescued her!” He insisted.

"Yeah, before you got what you wanted?" The cop asked him suspiciously.

"And what did I want?" Rafael asked.

“You wanted your boys free,” he replied.

“No HE did. That's why HE was there. Come on guys you're smarter than this,” Rafael started to take a step forward.

“DON'T move,” The cop cocked the gun closer to Rafael.

“Really then how did he explain why he was there breaking them out and not me?”

“He said you had the girl and when he brought you the boys you'd let her go.”

"What would be the point of that if we look identical?!" Rafael exclaimed in exasperation. This was ridiculous.

“You think we're gonna buy you're that stupid to walk into Ryker's completely unarmed, just because you look like the ADA?”

“No he's just that cocky,” Rafael rolled his eyes at Nevada’s ego.

“Alright enough, where is she?” The cop ordered.

“She just ran away….” Rafael realized this didn’t look good.

“Oh really? She just ran away from the love of her life, who just rescued her from an evil man?” The officer asked sarcastically.

“Yeah she--we--- it's a long story,” He sighed. If he had just kept running after you, you’d be together right now. God knows what was happening to you right now.

“Right, well you can tell it downtown,” One cop nodded to the others to handle him.

“Well fine, Olivia Benson will vouch for me,” Rafael was talking a tough game, but secretly praying he was right. Olivia would know he was himself, right?

“Whatever you say Nevada,” Two cops grabbed by the shoulders and dragged him out of the cave.

---------

You suddenly realized as you reached the end of the park that you had no cell phone, no money. You didn’t even have shoes. You really didn’t want to continue to fight with Rafael, but it seemed you had no choice in the matter at the moment. You started heading back to the penguin cove when you saw a bunch of NYPD officers surrounding the place, and after a few minutes they were dragging Rafael out in handcuffs.

You were just about to run and tell them there was a mix up, when a hand clamped over your mouth. And then everything went black.

When you woke up, you were back in Nevada’s limo.

“Are you fucking kidding me…” You muttered to yourself, but you quickly realized you were not alone. Two more of Nevada’s men that you had never seen before were sitting across from you, huge evil grins on their faces.

“Hola, mami,” One rubbed his leg up and down your bare leg but you kicked him away.

“Now that’s not very nice, mujer,”

“Especially when we brought you refreshments,” The other one pulled out the champagne bottle of mind serum Nevada had on him the last time you saw him.

SERIOUSLY?

-------

Rafael was dragged through the precinct, glares from every single cop and detective, finally reaching the squad’s room. Olivia rushed over, trying to help Rafael out of the cuffs.

“What are you doing? THIS is Mr. Barba!” She exclaimed.

“No offense, Ms. Benson, but this man is very good at fooling people, you’re no exception,” One officer told her.

“Then why did he have Mr. Barba’s phone?” Olivia asked them with an attitude. The officer’s looked between each other, not really having an answer for that. Maybe they had been mistaken.

“.....Because I dropped it when I was running for my life with my fiancé,” A voice came from behind them. Everyone turned to see ‘Rafael’ with you draped on his arm.

“No….” Rafael whispered. This couldn’t be happening again.

“Ah, Mr. Barba,” One of the cops nodded. “Thank you so much for helping us catch this guy. That’s a decade of fine police work’s worth,” He shook ‘Rafael’s’ hand while Olivia circled around them to talk to you.

“What are you doing?!” She hissed.

“What are you talking about?!” You hissed back.

“Why are you vouching for Nevada?”

“What are you talking about? This is Rafael,”

“....Seriously?” Olivia was taken aback.

“Yes Olivia, SERIOUSLY. Don’t you think I would know my own fiancée?” You gave her an offended look.

“Yeah well from what I heard, you’re not that great at it,” She smirked.

“OLIVIA,” ‘Rafael’ suddenly stepped in between you two. “This vendetta you have against Y/N has got to stop, I thought we talked about this,”

“I...she...you…” Olivia looked from him to you, her eyes searching both of your eyes for anything telling.

“Do you have any idea what she’s been through?!” ‘Rafael’ barked, you laid your head on his shoulder looking very scared and traumatized.

“Yeah, I don’t know why you’re so mean to me,” You pouted, making Olivia gag.

“Oh my god, there is no way you are--”

“We’re done here, Olivia.” ‘Rafael’ shut her up. “If you can’t tell the difference between a hardened criminal and your ‘best friend’, then clearly we’re not as close as I thought we were.”

-----------------

Inside your mind prison, you were watching all of this go down with absolute horror. How could this be happening again? How did you do this to yourselves AGAIN? What is WRONG with you? And now, now it was worse than ever because now Rafael was actually in trouble, and it was your fault.

“OLIVIA!!!!!” You screamed. You couldn’t believe out of all people, you would need her help. But here you were.

Olivia watched in shock as you and ‘Rafael’ walked arm in arm out of the station, leaving ‘Nevada’ in cuffs, with the most pitiful look on his face.

“Alright Ramirez, you can drop the act. It’s gonna get you nowhere, the jig is up,” Olivia sneered at him, with a wink.

“Olivia,” Rafael looked at her sadly. “I know you know me better than that. You know about….things that would convince Y/N that Nevada is me,” He muttered softly, looking around them.

“I know,” Olivia pressed her forehead to his. “I never doubted it was you, Rafa,” She smiled; now that you were completely out of the way, and turned against him, he needed her. For the first time, he needed her. And she was going to take every advantage of that.

“But they’re not going to take my word for it,” She sighed. “You might just have to wait it out in Ryker’s a bit while I sort this out,” She shrugged apologetically.

“Oh no, he won’t be going to Ryker’s Detective,” The mayor had entered the station, and heard the last part of their conversation.

“...Excuse me?” Olivia asked worriedly.

“For all the bad things this man has done-- murders, rapes, pillaging, for a DECADE now. No for that he’s not just going to ‘wait it out’ in a cell, wasting our taxpayer dollars. He’s getting the chair as fast as I can sign the release,”

Both Olivia and Rafael’s faces went white; Oliva fell back as if she was going to pass out.

“Mr. Mayor, please-- I understand this is a serious manner but this is a man’s life here. Don’t you want to make absolutely sure that you have the right man?”

“I’m pretty sure Miss Y/N knows her own fiancée,” The mayor pointed out.

“Well no offense to Miss Y/N but that’s how she got herself kidnapped, sir. By NOT recognizing her fiancé,”

“....I’ll take that under advisement,” The mayor nodded.

“Liv,” Rafael looked at her seriously. “Look whenever someone’s under….the influence,” He whispered looking around the both of them.

“They are still ‘there’. I know it. I know Y/N is there, she's just...trapped,”

“...I’ll see what I can do,” Olivia nodded. “Don’t take him anywhere until I come back,” She instructed a cop, before running out of the station.

---

“Nev---Rafa!” Liv came running out of the station where you and ‘Rafael’ were waiting on an Uber.

“Liv,” He nodded curtly.

“Look you’re right, I need to talk to Y/N, give her a proper apology,” Olivia looked between the two of you. ‘Rafael’ eyed her curiously, but then addressed you: “Go on baby, I’ll wait here for the car,”

Olivia took you to the side and lowered her voice so ‘Rafael’ couldn’t hear.

“Y/N, Look--” She put both hands on your shoulders. “They are going to put Rafael to DEATH,”

Inside your mind prison you let out a blood curdling scream, making ‘you’ wince in pain. Olivia stood in front of you so that ‘Rafael’ wouldn’t see, but she tried to talk to you.

“Yes, exactly. You should feel bad, because we both know that that--” Olivia pointed to ‘Rafael’. “That is NOT our Rafael,”

“Okay, ‘our’ Rafael is pushing it, Olivia,” You rolled your eyes. “But whatever-- this, this cannot be happening. My body cannot be this vulnerable. I have GOT to love Rafael more than this, GOD DAMMIT!!!!!”

You pulled at the bars until your arms felt like they were going to fall off, you sobbed until no water was left in your body. How could this be happening? How could you be failing him this hard? How could you keep hurting him like this, and now you were going to get him killed!

“Please,” You looked up to the sky, whimpering softly.

“Please, I don’t know-- I don’t know who or what is up there, I’ve never really believed in a lot. Hell I’ve never even believed in myself. But I believe in Rafael, and I believe in our love. I really, really do. And I believe that our love can beat anything, I just-- I need, help.”

Suddenly a blinding light appeared, and when you adjusted your vision, you were back in your body. You looked up at Olivia, who was apparently comforting you from another ‘migraine’. Before you could say or do anything, ‘Rafael’ came walking up to the two of you.

“Carino, our ride’s here,” He smiled at you sweetly. You wanted to vomit; But as long as he thought you were under his spell, you were safe.

“Coming baby,” You kissed his cheek sweetly, over exaggerated. You know his ‘version’ of you was over the top, like a freaking trophy wife stereotype.

“You have to get him out of there, Liv,” You whispered, tears in your eyes. "This is all up to you now,” Then you turned and followed “Rafael” to the car.

Olivia stared at the car as it drove off. How had you just...woken yourself up like that? But you were right. It was all up to her now. She bolted back into the station where they were processing ‘Nevada’.

“Ahem, gentlemen,” Olivia nodded to the officers, then the mayor. “Sir if I might have a moment,” She motioned him to the side.

“Sir, like I said you want to be absolutely sure you’re going kill the right man. And I have a way,” She told the mayor.

“Which is…?”

“Let me take him and get a DNA test,”

“A DNA test? Right now?” The mayor laughed.

“The lab doesn’t close until eight, it’s six now,” Olivia looked at her phone. “I can get to the head of the line, and you can get your results instantly. Then if it turns out this is indeed Nevada Ramirez, then you can execute him tomorrow,” She explained.

“....I suppose that is the best course of action,” The mayor nodded. “Do you think you can handle him all on your own?”

“Trust me sir, I’ve handled worse,” Olivia shook her head, showing her gun.

“Alright,” The mayor walked over to the men holding ‘Nevada’.

“Men, Detective Benson will be taking Mr. Ramirez to a genetics lab to get a DNA test, to make sure he is in fact Nevada Ramirez,”

“Seriously? Sir, come on--”

“Did I stutter, Donahue?” The mayor narrowed his eyes at the cop.

“Alright fine,” The officer shoved ‘Nevada’ towards Olivia.

“Let’s go, Ramirez,” Olivia grabbed ‘Nevada’ roughly and dragged him out of the station to a squad car. She threw him in the back and got in the driver’s side.

“Liv, I appreciate you getting me out of there, but we need to go to Nevada’s place and get Y/N,” Rafael instructed.

“Screw that, I’m proving your innocence before anything,” Olivia scoffed as she drove towards the lab.

“OLIVIA,” He emphasized.

“RAFAEL.” She emphasized harder.

“Come on, Liv I know you don’t like her but--”

“Nevada’s not going to hurt her, you know that. I know that. She’ll be fine,” Oliva rolled her eyes.

“She won’t be FINE,” Rafael pounded on the glass between the front and the backseat.

He thought about your last conversation-- your last fight. He had told you that you hadn’t been ‘assaulted’, that you ‘enjoyed’ being basically raped. And now, you were back there.

You were probably just thinking how he’d be upset, how he’d react, when really he was just scared for you. He realized none of the other bullshit mattered. All that mattered was you, and him, and the love you both shared. And that had to pull you through, didn’t it?

------------

Back at Nevada’s place, ‘You’ changed into a see-through red teddy, and waited on Nevada. You knew that you were supposed to be under the elixir, so you had to act obediently, at least until Olivia showed up. She’d show up, right?

She had to show up.

#law and order svu fanfiction #law and order #rafael barba #rafael barba x you #rafael barba x reader #rafael barba imagine #nevada ramirez fanfiction #nevada ramirez x you #nevada ramirez x reader #nevada ramirez #trouble in the heights #raul esparza #doppelganger

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buckyswinterbaby · 3 years

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Always By My Side — Chapter 1

Click here to read the Prologue.

Synopsis: The fates have spent millenniums correcting the daily mishaps that interfere with soulmates ever meeting. Will they find a way to bring together Bucky and Zara, two people separated by time and circumstance, just as they’ve done a thousand times before?

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Black!OFC Ziarah Heartwell

Warnings (will change with each chapter): flashbacks, PTSD, mentions of past sexual assault, angst, bits of fluff

Word Count: 3,791

Acknowledgement: I’ve created this AU alongside my best friend Taylor in roleplays, along with many of the plots and scenes that will be featured. I’m posting this with his expressed permission as we both continue to work on the story in our chat. Credit for its creation goes to both of us.

Please like, comment, and reblog (I love that shit). The divider was created by me, please credit me if you use it. The gifs are not mine. Click here to fill out the form to be added to my tag list!

Note: Here’s chapter one of my new series “Always By My Side”. It takes place in a soulmate AU where a bond is triggered when one or both halves experience a life threatening level of distress. The bond allows them to see imaginary versions of their soulmates to help support them while they wait to meet their other half. Just a warning, up until we reach the current time in the story, there will be significant time skips for plot progression’s sake. The time changes will always be labeled.

Addition: I said I’d tag you when I posted my WOC OFC story so here’s chapter one, @bucky-the-thigh-slayer !

[Bucharest, Romania -- 2016]

The Romanian streets were bustling with early morning energy as Bucky took the final steps outside of the clearly worn apartment complex that he had been calling home for sometime. He seemed unfazed by the sixteen year old girl practically jogging to keep up in step with his longer strides. He had grown rather accustomed to her presence and her commentary since she first appeared to him in 2014. It had been during his final brainwashing session with Hydra before they fell. He couldn’t help but view her as a banshee of sorts, harkening the end of what remained of his mental stability. He couldn’t fathom another reason as to why he would hallucinate an opinionated teenage girl.

Even so, he found comfort in their conversations and how at ease she seemed around him. Almost as if she had always been with him, a piece of himself that still saw the good that was left. Never addressing him with fear or apprehension, never as the monster and killer he was forced to become.

Her features were young and innocent, seemingly unscarred by life despite the bruises that graced her skin--which he was never sure why they existed. At first, he feared that she had been one of his countless victims who had returned to haunt him in her afterlife, though the theory became less likely to him as more time passed.

The defined coils of her hair were pushed up into a messy bun, edges laid smoothly to her forehead in defined loops. When she first started showing up, Bucky had attempted to make sense of the witty phrases and references that so frequently adorned her clothes but he had long since given up on ever understanding them. He had to admit that the shirt she wore that day, a middle finger painted with pink, yellow, and blue, was quite the fashion choice. Not that he could particularly judge with his similar pieces of clothing that were practically identical besides in color.

The pair made their way down the familiar stretch of pavement on their way to the outdoor market that Bucky had made a habit of visiting. He had found that a reliable schedule throughout his week helped him better grasp the passing of time, a fact that his companion had been informing him of for weeks before it finally seemed to click.

The girl’s nose clinked as they neared the fresh fish stand, just as it did every week. Bucky couldn’t help but chuckle at her childish antics as they were so few and far between for someone who seemed quite mature despite her appearance.

“It smells like cat food,” she whined, making a clear act of breathing primarily through her mouth as she jogged to keep up. “How are you not gagging?”

“Not all of us have the luxury of being a figment of someone’s imagination, Zara. If I start gagging, I have a feeling a few people will start to notice.” The man gave her a knowing look. Drawing attention to himself was the exact opposite of what he wanted during his brief outings. “Besides, I can’t say I’ve smelt cat food or have any intention to. So I’ll just have to take your word for it.”

Zara rolled her eyes as the smell began to dissipate the further they moved past the stand, her trademark smile working its way onto her features. “Could’ve had me fooled, I thought that was your guilty pleasure. I can’t say I’ve ever intentionally gotten a whiff, but when I feed the outdoor cats at my house, it’s kinda unavoidable.” She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly as if it was the most natural thing in the world for an imaginary person to have their own home and animals.

Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed as he narrowed his eyes down to her smaller form beside him. “You don’t have a cat because you aren’t even real,” he retorted. Somehow the idea that she could be real made her presence in his life even harder. The idea that she was just some girl he had passed by in the street or on a mission and his brain decided she’d make the ideal emotional support apparition.

“Who are you to declare that?”

“The creepy hundred year old man who hallucinates a sixteen year old girl, occasionally in her pajamas, for one.” His voice raised a bit louder than he intended, drawing the attention of a few nearby pedestrians. Bucky offered them an awkward smile before ducking back down under the bill of his hat and picking up his pace a bit. She couldn’t argue with his logic so she focused on keeping up until they reached their destination, the produce stand that had the best plums in the city, or so Bucky described.

Zara watched as he spoke Romanian with the merchant, only catching a few words she had learnt over the past few months from their conversations. She couldn’t help but smile at how effortlessly Bucky seemed to interact with the man and how it contrasted so starkly to how he acted when he first arrived in the city. Decades of next to no positive human interaction left the soldier awkward and clunky in his exchanges, often stumbling through questions and requests, or simply forgetting them altogether. It had taken a great deal of patience and metaphorical hand holding to build up his confidence and ease his anxiety on the matter.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know how to blend in, in fact he was almost too good at it at times. Over their conversations, she had managed to show him that yes, blending in made him go through the motions of life, which was better than nothing. Yet, the beauty of his life now and the freedom that came with it was that he no longer had to settle for simply surviving and he could instead use it as a chance to learn to live again. It started small, like convincing him to get a pillow and blanket for the mattress on the floor, to which they compromised with a sleeping bag. Soon came two pillows for the couch and a lone floor lamp that he shoved in the corner near his bed for the late nights when night terrors had him scribbling away in his journals. They were minor improvements, in truth, but the progress spoke volumes as Bucky worked on building a place that felt a bit more permanent than his last few hideouts.

Zara had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t even registered that Bucky completed his purchase and had moved to stand at the edge of the sidewalk. She approached him curiously, watching the way he hesitantly analyzed the seemingly anxious newspaper peddler from across the street. It was very clear something was wrong from the way his demeanor had changed.

“Buchanan?” Her voice raised a bit at the end of his name, concern now replacing her curiosity as he began to make his way to the stand. He either didn’t hear her--which she found unlikely--or he simply opted to ignore her as he picked up the paper, ocean blue eyes scanning over the headline. The color seemed to drain from both of their faces as they took the accusation in, not having to speak to know what it meant.

Bucky would have to pick up his life, yet again, and run. Find a new country, new home, and start the process all over again. The ex-assassin hardly seemed surprised at the realization, as there is no rest for the wicked.

[Boston, Massachusetts -- 2016]

Zara made her way down the hallway to her bedroom, an imaginary version of Bucky trailing along behind her. She let her book bag drop to the floor once she entered the room, stepping out of her shoes before flopping down onto the soft, sunflower themed duvet of her bed. A look of weightlessness overtook her features as she let the events of the day settle in. Today she would graduate with a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from MIT, top of her class. It was the culmination of years of pouring herself over every textbook her parent’s provided, testing out and early graduations. At only sixteen, Zara would join the ranks of some of the youngest individuals to ever receive a doctoral degree. It truly seemed unreal to her.

Emerald eyes drifted to where Bucky sat at her desk, his arms crossed loosely in front of his chest.

“I wish you could be there tomorrow,” Zara commented, propping herself up on her elbows as her fingers pulled at the frayed threads on the yellow quilt folded at the end of her bed.

A smile teased the corner of Bucky’s lips as he leaned back against her swivel chair, long hair swaying as he tilted his head to the left to look at her. “I will be there, maybe not in person, but I’ll be there cheering right along with everyone else,’ he assured.

“It’s not the same and you know it, Buchanan.”

“I know. Just try to focus on the positives. Tomorrow is your day, you’ve more than earned it.”

Zara nodded, though her disappointment was still evident. On the average day, Bucky’s seemingly invisible presence to everyone else but her came in handy. As she was willing to bet her parents wouldn’t be too keen on the amount of time she spent alone with the grown man, let alone if they knew who he was. The public’s perception of James Buchanan Barnes, who she had quickly identified him as, was low to say the very least. Though it was days like this that she found herself wishing the most that he could truly exist in her life outside of her mind.

She could never quite pinpoint why she began hallucinating him two years prior. Though, the time before and after her fourteenth birthday had flown by in a post traumatic daze so it was even more difficult to analyze. The aftermath of four older boys assaulting her in her own bedroom left her wishing to repress that portion of her life altogether. Zara squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the ghost of their hands on her body. Grabbing, groping, pulling and tearing at clothes. She had hardly seen them since their attack but her mind was still trapped in the room with them.The feeling took her back to meeting Bucky that night, or more so the Winter Soldier, as he appeared at that time.

Upon entering her room, Zara failed to notice the masked man sitting silently in the corner of the room, illuminated only by the small lamp on her bedside stand. When she caught a glimpse of the figure, her body jumped to it’s fight response, just as it had an hour or so before. The young girl grabbed the closest thing she could find, a textbook on advanced chemistry, and held onto it tightly before turning to face the intruder.

“You need to leave,” she ordered, her voice wavering at the end of the demand. Her green eyes only met a pair of dark glasses securely strapped to his face. She couldn’t make out any facial features to identify him by, as all but his forehead and hair was covered.

It wasn’t just his silence that sent an unnerved shiver down her spine. It was his demeanor, cold and nearly unresponsive to her presence and defensive stance. Had his head not briefly turned her way when she started to speak, she’d question if he even heard her at all.

A large gun, likely a rifle from what she could tell, was resting across his lap. His hands weren’t actively gripping it, but something told her he could take aim in the time it took her to breathe her next breath. A variety of handguns and knives were also visible from the holsters adorning his thighs. If he had this many weapons visible, Zara could only imagine how many he had stashed under his tactical vest and heavy boots.

Her green eyes followed where she believed his gaze had drifted. He seemed laser focused on the strip of light just barely visible from under her door as a roar of laughter could be heard from just outside. His hand moved to rest just over the barrel of his gun. The young girl analyzed him for another moment before lowering the textbook, while still keeping it tightly in her hands.

“Will you at least tell me why you’re here?” There was a hint of desperation in her voice, one that vocalized all of the fear she had been trying to hide. She was met with more silence, which quickly became deafening to her. She was afraid to make a move to get his attention again, naturally unsure of how he would react. Yet, at the same time she couldn’t relax, not with him in her space.

After another few moments of no response, she allowed herself to consider the possibility that he wasn’t actually there. She had just been through something horribly traumatic and it was entirely possible that this was her brain's way of coping with the stress and fear. That it had conjured some masked figure to sit at her bedroom door and keep all the bad away.

She knew how best to test her theory, but she recognized the risk that came with it as she picked up a neon pink highlighter that she had been using earlier that night. She gripped it for a moment while weighing her options, throwing it across the room only seconds later. She didn’t put too much force behind it, hoping that if it gently came into contact, he’d be less likely to be angry. The consideration meant very little as the marker passed straight through the man and knocked against the wall before falling to the floor. She watched as it rolled across the floor and disappeared underneath her nearby dresser, a bittersweet feeling washing over her. On one hand, he wasn’t real and couldn’t hurt her. On the other, she was truly alone and definitely going crazy.

“This is fine,” Zara tried to reassure herself with very little luck.

She was pulled back from her thoughts as Bucky called her name for the third time, snapping her back to reality. Their eyes connected for a moment as she attempted to ground herself again, focusing on the small changes between how he was now versus then.

He had since lost the mask and goggles, she remembered him removing them a month or so after he first appeared. His current casual attire contrasted starkly with the hard kevlar of the tactical vest she first met him in. His features were more at ease now, no longer reflecting the fear that she could only compare to an animal in captivity. While she wasn’t fond of the comparison, following what she had learned of the real James Barnes, it wasn’t entirely far off.

As if the world was reading her mind, she faintly heard the voice of the local news anchor from the living room directly below her bedroom. Her features scrunched as she focused in on hearing the report, only catching snippets here and there. The words explosion and Sokovia Accords were most of what she could make out along with what she could’ve sworn was the suspect’s name, James Buchanan Barnes.

Before Zara could even question it further, she found herself racing down the main staircase of their suburban home, sock clad feet skidding to a halt on the polished dark oak flooring. Her eyes widened as she took in the security camera footage that was believed to place Bucky near the scene of the crime. Despite having no real proof, something deep within her gut screamed that it wasn’t true. She knew him, maybe not the real version, but he’d never do that.

Imaginary Bucky followed her into the living room a minute later, his pace slow and relaxed in comparison as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Being held responsible for the most recent atrocity was honestly just beginning to feel like the average Tuesday to him. More than anything, it was Zara’s reaction that took him the most by surprise. Her unwavering faith and loyalty was unexpected and as he believed, undeserved.

He had committed unspeakable acts over the years and this was likely far from the worst he was accused of. Sure, they had grown close in the two years since he first appeared and he imagined that made it easier for her to block out the rest of the stories, since she knew at least some version of the person in question.

Zara was good, in every sense of the word. Of course she had flaws, but who didn’t, especially at sixteen. But he saw the way that she looked at the world with love and curiosity despite the violence and violations she had experienced. It was a strength of character that he truly wished he could grow to embody. Bucky couldn’t help but find it funny that he was left looking up to a teenager who hadn’t even passed her driver’s test yet; but she honestly had more morals and heart than most of the adults he had met in his life. All of those facts being true is what made her belief in his innocence all the more confusing.

His eyes fell to her father, Gabriel, as he sat on the couch to take in the evening news. The man’s head shook in what seemed to be disappointment, or maybe it was anger, Bucky honestly couldn’t be sure anymore. They had never spoken, as Bucky’s intangible form made communication with anyone other than Zara impossible, but he knew Gabriel was a black and white kind of person. He couldn’t help but accept that to anyone who didn’t know him, the evidence would be damning.

“They need to just put him down while they have the chance,” Gabriel scoffed, speaking to no one in particular while switching the flatscreen off before they could finish the broadcast.

“He’s not a wild animal to be euthanized.” Zara’s expression twisted in disgust at her father’s casual nature. “He’s a human being. If he's guilty, and that’s a really big if with how blurry that security footage is, he deserves a trial just like anyone else!”

Gabe turned to look over the back of the couch, clearly displeased that she would defend the man. “I’m in no mood to debate with you, Ziarah.” He rose from his seat and dropped the remote onto the foot stool before leaving towards his study.

Zara watched him leave, her eye practically twitching with each step he took. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, to make him see that there were likely more sides to the story than they were seeing but she knew that it was useless. Her father rarely took her opinions or beliefs to heart on things that actually mattered to him, a topic like this would truly be a lost cause.

She looked up at Bucky as he shook his head lightly, letting her tension fade away as she accepted that it was pointless. “It’s okay, Zar,” Bucky assured, his small smile wiping away any lingering doubts she had. “There are more important battles to pick with him. This isn’t a hill worth dying on.”

Zara would’ve liked to argue that defending her friend was more than a worthy cause but she nodded nonetheless.

“How about we go find your mom. I bet she’s already working on the cake for your graduation and knowing you, you can convince her to let you lick the spoon.” His tone was playful as he coaxed her into motion, the promise of sweets and a friendly face luring her into the kitchen behind him.

Hanna was busy mixing away the different batters she would need for the next tier, the sweet aroma of baked goods filling the air. She hummed lightly as she worked, creating her own personal mix of her favorite 80’s songs together in a unique medley. Her green eyes moved to the doorway as she heard Zara walk in, a bright smile overtook her features as she set down her mixing bowl.

“There’s my little scholar,” she praised, moving around the kitchen island to take her daughter into her arms. Her warm embrace was a welcomed escape as Zara melted.

“Momma,” Zara grumbled as her mother placed a series of kisses on her forehead. “I thought you stopped doing that since I was a baby.” While Zara whined, deep down she always loved her mother’s open displays of affection. Not that she was willing to admit it.

“That’s the beauty of you always being my baby. You’re never too old for me to embarrass you. Just be grateful that I’ve opted to do it now instead of at your party.” The woman grinned away as she moved back to her work.

Zara honestly couldn’t argue with the logic as she found a seat on one of the tall bar stools. She quickly lost herself in the pleasant conversion with her mother, happily opting to clean the excess batter and frosting off of the bowls and mixing spoons like the helpful child she was. Imaginary Bucky sat quietly at the kitchen table, watching the women as they fell into the usual banter and discussion. After they finished her conversation she quickly grabbed a snack and made her way towards the door.

“I believe you’re forgetting something,” Hanna reminded, sending Zara a knowing look.

She huffed lightly before turning on her heels to grab her blood testing and insulin kit, waving it at her mother knowingly. She quickly turned back around and left the kitchen, making her way back upstairs.

Bucky didn’t hesitate to follow after her, stopping only when he saw Zara staring in her old room, which now housed her older brother Daniel. He could practically see the wheels turning in her mind as she ran over the events that more often than not had her scurrying past said room without acknowledging it. It was easier to just pretend it didn’t exist.

A few more moments passed before Zara pulled herself back from the darker parts of her mind, focusing in on everything else in her life that was good and worth celebrating. She had known pain and a time in her life where she often considered if it would’ve been easier to just fade away, but she had made it through to the other side. She had a lot going for her now and that was enough to push her feet forward again.

Chapter 2

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onf-headcanons · 3 years

Text

ONF MEMBERS AS YOUR SIBLING (MK & U version)

OMG I AM VERY VERY LOOKING FORWARD TO WRITE THIS PART!!!!!

Either you are related from Yuto or Minkyun side and either one of them later joined the family. Confusing? OK example you are Yuto’s sibling by blood and then later Minkyun joined. Or in reversed, Yuto joined later.

1. You are the youngest sibling (could be in terms age when the family comes together or you being born later OR stand in of Yuto’s youngest sister)

2. You are the middle sibling, being either Yuto’s elder blood sibling or Minkyun’s younger sibling but is older than Yuto.

3. Or you are the eldest (Good luck if you do lol there will be a lot of face palming), and alot of “Yuto, I thought you are on my side????”

Any scenario that is suitable to your own imagination. Also there will be some repeated ideas from first universe because i would like to keep characterization consistency.

Btw this pair of sibling would be one of the noisiest.

My recommendation, you are the middle sibling. But you can totally imagine that your are younger ones. I will try to elaborate both, I hope i won’t confuse you guys🙈

Also age recommendations, Minkyun born in 1995 while Yuto is 1999, so if you are the middle sibling, your birth year is at between. I would prefer as 1997 or 1998. Preferable that 1997 born if you are Yuto’s sibling, while 1998 born if you are Minkyun’s.

If you are the youngest, either you are same age as Yuto but later birthdate or the 3rd child that born after your parents marriage, in this case, 2 years younger than Yuto and 6 years younger than Minkyun.

Heads up I mentioned in the Hyojin & E-tion household, 3 households in this universe are very close to each other.So, apologies in advance and by all means there is not explicit favoritism (I did wrote about household interacting for previous universes). It just convenient and i felt we can use it this way. Also, Minseok is Yuto’s classmate.

General headcanons

Yuto family moved to Korea when he is still a toddler. So he speaks Korean outside and Japanese back home. Because his family speaks in Kansai dialect, Yuto picks up that dialect automatically

Of course it could be Yuto’s family moved to Korea when he is at middle school age as well, it can be flexible.

Minkyun struggling to learn Japanese but then give up. But it never stops him to randomly drops in weird Japanese when he is hyper, and then leaving Yuto （and you）facepalming because Minkyun used it wrongly

Actually even though mature but super sensitive brothers. Well in very different ways. But should you live with them long enough, you pick up that intuitively

I dont think this family will have alot of fight because both are sensitive in nature and deeply scare to hurt each other. So this family is all about giving out mental security to family members as well.

(its very different from MInseok Yuto household, because them 2 are in same age, so there is less factor to consider, while Yuto would have to put in Minkyun being a hyung when he started to get used to Minkyun’s existence. And Minkyun will sometimes, not in a bad way, being to passionately and freeminded hoping the younger one to open up more)

I mean, Yuto is defo the tsundere one while Minkyun radiates big puppy energy for this pair chemistry.

Loud

Bonus, Yuto never knew Minkyun can be that clingy lol XD

Minkyun never knew Yuto can be such a fan towards his weird antics XD He thought Yuto wont get his joke due to cultural differences, but turns out Yuto loves it (well cause mostly is body gag/ mom gaegu, like you see what Minkyun did during his birthday’s mini game heaven in 2020, that suddenly motor engine starting? Ya that is total epic lol )

Its super harmonious? like this family combi does not shy away on expressing hey i need help and family members super volunteer to help out if needed. (not that i mean other family does not help out each other, but this one is particularly doing it with super high tendency)

Due to Japanese background, Yuto might try to settle things on his own, but Minkyun will break that mindset stereotype and helps him out (like why you think it is a hassle for me? Ask for help if needed that is what family is here for.)

Minkyun playing guitar while singing and that is how your family know if he is at home or not.

Yeap in this universe Minkyun is a songwriter while Yuto is a dance coach and dancer (later when they all grow up, BTW i am thinking that Yuto and Minseok runs a dance academy later on.)

Minkyun is also part time sponsor/volunteer at pet shelter. In the end you and Yuto also are familiar faces at the spot.

Also, hanging out being little part timers at Baskin Robbins lol

OH IF WANNA TRULY LINK EVERYTHING FOR UNIVERSE 3, BASKIN ROBBINS being the main meetup/setup point. Jaeyoung is Minkyun’s friend so he would always drop by to have ice cream. While Changyoon could be doing a part time job there before and while occasionally drop by when he is nearby.

welp they all live in the neighbourhood/same city in this universe so they all coincidentally bump at each other very often.

Either Yuto joining a school dance club or a dance academy so there is where he met Minseok. (Who is a really curious kid who also look up to Yuto and Yuto also look up to him, cos dance talents)

(for this part I wont be talking about how Minkyun snuggling cat snacks cos its repeating what I wrote.)

Scenario 1

If you are related with Yuto and Minkyun is the new join

Could you be are extroverted and you kind off help Yuto to get close to Minkyun

You and Yuto would find this new brother fascinating. He looks quiet at the beginning but later he will prove you both wrong

But when Minkyun is his serious mode, you will feel strange towards that too, because how can he has such large gap

i thinking its super cute and funny that if you and Yuto both gets intimidated at Minkyun’s height lol

It will be fun if Yuto has a denial stage aka hard time opening up to accept it because he is cautious, but you just bluntly accept it and joins Minkyun. It shows difference between personality of related blood siblings lol

IF actually you and your blood brother are introvertedly fun, Minkyun’s existence will be the key to spark both of your dork traits. It is a assuring factor for your parents that you 3 hang out very well.

its not like your family never heard Yuto laughed, but ever since Yuto and Minkyun opened up and gets close, Yuto is laughing alot.

you and Yuto both asking MInkyun for help when you two could understand some Koreans. But since Minkyun fools around 50:50, you two ends up googling or just straight up asking your friends

But if it is homework/grammar wise, Minkyun will really really explain it to you.

Minkyun also get close towards Yuto’s classmate, Minseok. I think a few times, you did not join, but the boys went out to roam the streets to feed stray cats/animals.

Bonus if in this hc, and you are younger than Yuto, and you have a crush on Minseok. Minkyun picks it up and would wanna help out but you told him to keep still XD

you three gonna be game buddies for sure lol

Scenario 2

If you are related with Minkyun and Yuto is the new joined / OR my preference, Yuto being the home stay student, and your family ends up unofficially adopts a Japanese sibling since Yuto continues his homestay contract with your family.

You and Minkyun thought Yuto is a bit distant in the beginning, and you three overwork your brains on trying too hard not to do something impolite towards each other culture.

But you and Minkyun would be surprise at how Yuto is so adapted to Korean culture later on.

Could be you are similarly shy like Yuto and need time to open up. This time Minkyun will be the one to open up first and slowly helps you.

Minkyun would suggest 3 of you to hang out at pet shelter. It does help.s

hould it is the homestay hc, I do see your family and Yuto’s family going along very well. Occasionally showing up to greet Yuto’s family during Skype session.

As Minkyun is the one who gave up, you are the one who would pick Japanese up later on. It gave Minkyun a shock when you and Yuto casually switching Japanese and Korean (with you amateur Japanese, but its already enough to give Minkyun a fright)

He might pout a bit, thinking/semi blaming himself a bit for not putting more effort to try to manifest the tool get close with Yuto. But then will throw the worry aside because its not really that important. Because he understands that its not like he and Yuto could not communicate anyways.

if it is the student hc, This could be when you and Minkyun are still high shcool-ers/ middle school-ers. And your school opens for foreigns students.

Minkyun being a bit worried because of he is 95er and Yuto a 99er. But when one day he sees Minseok come to visit, he goes: “ OMG thank goodness, I was so worried that he could not get along with classmate.”

Yuto just sidelining his hyung lol like chill dude, I interacts just fine ok. Don’t worry.

(maybe Minseok comes to pass homework for Yuto because Yuto was sick and Minseok know the address.)

Similar to above, should you are Minkyun’s younger sibling, he can picks up that you have a crush on Minseok too.

Scenario 3

If you are the child that born later from your parents marriage

Them both flustered when they first meet the baby you.

Idk why for this hcs, I felt that age gap will be wider, as Yuto and Minkyun’s parents come together when them both are more older than other hcs. My age range idea is Yuto is about 10 or 13 while Minkyun is 14 or 17.

So, also I do think them both had a fight with parents, especially the mom because of her decision to get pregnant at older age. But quickly reconciled, they are just worried, no bad intentions.

Because they are more grown compared to other hcs for this scenario, they help out on babysitting even more and even practical.

Minkyun basically is just like a young flustered dad while Yuto is the calmer one. But sometimes when the baby you throws a tantrum because you specifically wanted mommy, cues in both Minkyun and Yuto flustered.

Also, Minkyun being funny but you are unbothered, 3 seconds later, it was Yuto who could not hold in and burst out laughter.

You might be the one who pick up the language. And because you master both language, maybe later on your career pick would be interpreter

Rather than Yuto gets confused with language, you are the one who gets confused with language in the beginning lol

It only got better when Yuto decided that you should speak Japanese with him and Korean with Minkyun in the household.

Minkyun is gonna let his baby young sibling ride him, and he will do his iconic either elephant or horse voice imitations.

(super funny bonus, if you are scared of that when you are a baby, but it got better later on.)

A/N I will stop here because I dont wanna write repetitive stuffs

#onf #onf headcanon #onf headcanons #onf imagine #onf imagines #onf scenarios #onf scenario #sibling!au #sibling!onf #mk #u #onf mk #onf u #mizuguchi yuto #park minkyun

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ducktracy · 3 years

Text

183. porky’s double trouble (1937)

release date: november 13th, 1937

series: looney tunes

director: frank tashlin

starring: mel blanc (porky, killer), tedd pierce (narrator), sara berner (petunia)

the end of an era—this is the final cartoon to feature “fat porky”. though he’d been dieting since late 1936 and steadily throughout 1937 with the other directors, frank tashlin was the last one to skinny him up. ironic, since he was such a stickler for streamlined designs! nevertheless, this is an exciting change, as porky is finally completing his transformation into the pig we know and love today.

not only that, this is the final appearance of frank tashlin’s petunia as well. she’d go on a hiatus all throughout 1938, only to be revived by bob clampetts with a totally new design in 1939. unfortunately, she was only kept for two more shorts before being discarded again. parting is such sweet sorrow!

we deal with not one porky, but two: an escaped convict kidnaps porky and steals his identity in order to successfully rob a bank. it’s up to petunia to put a stop to this criminal’s crime spree... or is it?

a silhouette of a pig furtively creeps under a blanket of typography from the title card. the pig isn’t our favorite stuttering porcine, but rather a grisly, stubbly porky doppleganger attempting to escape from prison. he jumps and growls at the spotlight that shines on him, shooting at the offscreen subjects. not only does he whip out two pistols, he even flips them--such a small detail of flamboyant dramatics goes a long way.

prison guards shoot back at the convict, silhouetted against the night sky, illuminated only by the glow of the searchlight and the stylized white bullets raining down below. the composition is stellar, its flatness reminiscent of the backgrounds of the early ‘40s cartoons, primarily from the likes of frank tashlin, chuck jones, and even norm mccabe at times. a whistle screeches as the prisoners run along, rifles in hand. in all, the dramatic opening rampant with silhouettes feels quite reminiscent to the opening of little beau porky, another tashlin entry just a year prior.

callbacks are more blatant as we undergo the signature Frank Tashlin Expositional Montage, footage of cop cars racing out into the street reused from tex avery’s the blow out, while a close-up of a newspaper press is also reused from avery’s porky the wrestler. all the while, a shot of the convict, identified as “killer” by one of the newspapers in the montage, oversees the chaos, his eyes drifting along to survey the action, his lips parted in a sneer. the narration (tedd pierce?) is the cherry on top--often times, narration has a tendency to feel redundant, as if it’s a crutch to support the gags (i.e. some of tex avery’s earlier entries), but here it elevates the theatrics of the entire prison escape.

speaking of narrators, ours introduces us to a gangster hideout--an abandoned all girls school by the name of katz school for girls, a nod towards studio business manager ray katz--no doubt a place frequented by killer. tashlin’s cinematography is in full swing as we iris in on an exterior shot of the hideout before panning along the interior, an arsenal of weapons littering the schoolroom of years past. a smooth, clever transition of pans from the classroom to a grandiose hallway, focusing on a door.

killer’s lackeys crowd around a table littered with alcohol bottles and playing cards, but most importantly, newspapers highlighting killer’s escape. his cronies all mutter words of praise in thick brooklyn accents (”yeah, dis guy’s clever, jus’ like who-dun-y! he can get outta anyt’ing!”). the conversation between the gangsters is surprisingly natural and fun to listen to: one of the lackeys likens killer to “clark taylor”, a humorously false remembrance of actors clark gable and robert taylor combined.

knocking outside the door prompts the cronies to whip around with their guns drawn, all crowing “who’s ‘dere!?” in unison. outside the door stands a rather spherical caricature of mae west--if there’s a mae west cameo, it must be a ‘30s cartoon! funnily enough, tashlin gets an animation credit on buddy’s beer garden, a cartoon whose mae west caricature is relatively integral to the plot as well.

mae informs the boys that she comes peddling a message from killer. furtively, they all crowd around the door, stacking on top of each other, each peering out of their own peephole door. the silent film inspiration is strong in this shot. not only that, its composition also reminds me of some of the shots in tashlin’s porky pig’s feat, a personal favorite of mine.

all hesitation to let newcomers in is dropped once the cronies spot their curvaceous company. they’re instantly smitten, batting eyelashes and all, one of the cronies going so far as to stroke mae the messenger’s face. tashlin’s cartoons always had a promiscuous flair to them, especially in the ‘40s--here is no exception. perhaps it’s only natural, seeing as this entire cartoon is one large parody of all of the gangster pictures churning out from warner bros. at the time (marked woman, kid galahad, san quentin to name a few.)

“he said...” mae lunges a haymaker, causing all four cronies to domino together and knock into the door as mel blanc settles out of his falsetto, “NOT T’ FOOL AROUND WITH DAMES, YA LUGS!!!” killer strips out of his outfit (even removing an iron barbell from where his chest is), growling “let that loin ya a lesson!” as always, mel is fun to listen to--his falsetto voice sounds rather similar to the voice he’d use for his lou costello caricatures.

killer eyes a stray newspaper, gloating “once i was only public enemy numba NINE!” at the sight of his new title as public enemy #1. (it should be noted that in tashlin’s first picture, porky’s poultry plant, another “public enemy” gag is used. gag continuity is always fun to see!) his eyes drift over to an article on the other side of the page (if you look closely, the date is “thoisdays octember 42nd”, the paper addressing the denizens of “porkysville”.):

“hey! what’s dis? da guy looks just like me! he could be me twin brudda!” frank tashlin’s disgruntlement with porky can be felt multiple ways here. not only did he hesitate until 2.5 minutes into the cartoon to introduce him, the underscore is “puddin’ head jones”, a frequent score associated with porky on numerous occasions offering not-so-subtle commentary about his intelligence (or lack thereof.)

killer ushers his lackey to take a glimpse at his bank-teller doppelgänger, whispering a plan to them involving porky and the bank, the narrator clueing us in that “the evildoers carefully plan another hideous crime.”

it’s not a tashlin cartoon without his signature up-shot: we iris in on an impressive up-shot view of “worst national bank”, a score of “plenty of money and you” and even the extravagant car horn of a limo solidifying that yes indeed, this here’s a bank! inside, porky dutifully deposits the goods of his spherically designed patrons. even by 1937, these mathematically proportioned designs were out of style--i suppose tashlin got the memo, though, seeing as this is the final “fat porky” cartoon, indicating a transition into more modern, streamlined designs.

bob bentley animates a close-up of porky depositing the cash of a scottie dog. cue the ever prevalent “cheap scotsman” gag, the scottie’s coin purse (a sock with a lock on it) revealing a swarm of moths upon its opening. he deposits a lone dime, porky happily obliging to sign the bank book. the scottie leaves, and it only takes a few bloated seconds for porky’s brain to catch up with him, realizing that he just signed a bank book to deposit a measly dime. he smacks himself in the face, a carl stalling favorite cue of “you’re a horses ass” providing musical commentary as porky glowers into the camera, hand sliding down his pudgy face. stereotypes aside, this is a fun little scene. it gives porky some personality, accentuating his gullibility (a persistent factor of his character, no matter who is directing him), and bob bentley’s animation is extremely appealing. no discretion to volney white, who animates the next scene, but there’s a noticeable difference in bentley’s and white’s styles, bentley’s animation much more dimensional. i absolutely love how he draws porky.

secretary petunia, once again voiced by sara berner, coos at porky to come over to her desk. she wastes little time flirting with him, asking that the two “step out” for the night. volney’s animation of porky is hysterical--his discomfort is exceedingly visible. porky gets cold feet, a stuttering mess (more than usual) as he sputters “geh-eh-g-eh-g-g-gee, miss petunia, i’m, uh, buh-beh-bashful... huh...heh, you’re so eh-peh-purrty, and eh-uh-i’m, uhh... yee-you’re, uh...” cue one of my favorite deliveries ever by mel blanc as the lunch bell rings. porky grins, realizing he’s saved by the bell. he doesn’t stutter once as he declares breathlessly “it’s time for lunch, g’bye!” and rushes off. the comedic timing, both from mel’s delivery and volney’s animation, couldn’t be better.

porky strolls outside, where he stumbles across killer (disguised as mae west again) hammering away at a car. porky’s good nature prevails, which often leads to trouble: with a polite tip of the hat, he asks if the woman needs any assistance. “would you be so kind?”

as porky works on the vehicle, killer prepares to strike, hammer in hand. his motives are thwarted as porky turns to offer assurances that the car will be fixed in a jiffy, killer impatiently hiding the bludgeoner behind his back. the charade continues, porky turning and talking, putting a stop to the nefarious deeds. as porky turns to say “eh-nuh-neh-nuh-now, it’s in the beh-beh-eh-beh-bag!”, killer grunts in his normal voice “SO ARE YOU!”, kicking porky under the hood (bumpy ride!) and peeling off in the car to certain doom.

the transition from killer kidnapping porky to killer putting on porky’s clothes (who’s bound and gagged in a chair) is surprisingly snappy, yet comprehensible and smooth. of course, the narration does contribute to the clarity, but regardless, such a quick transition can be difficult to convey smoothly and clearly. tashlin does it very well.

volney white animates killer’s taunts to porky: “and, wit’ your sissy clothes on, i can rob da bank! and YOU’LL take da rap, see!? AHAHAHA!” volney’s animation is fun to watch--before i saw this cartoon for the first time, i only ever saw google images of it, this scene being one of those images. volney’s eye takes amazed me at how anachronistic they seemed, and i remember likening him to joe murray if he made cartoons in 1937. very fun eye takes indeed!

speaking of fun, bob bentley does a neat little scene involving a brawl between killer and his reflection in the mirror. he goes to check out his new pilfered duds (”now i look like da squoit!”), admiring himself in the mirror. suddenly, his reflection grows a life of its own, sticking its tongue out. real killer gets pissed (if you notice, when he does a take of surprise, you can see where the cel of the reflection gets cut off) and punches the mirror, leaving the glass broken, his reflection now touting a blackened eye. while the “reflection becoming sentient” gag may seem tired, i enjoy how interactive killer’s reflection is, all without saying a word. the staging feels incredibly natural and nonchalant.

with that, killer makes his way to the bank, whistling along to the underscore of “with plenty of money and you” beneath the words of the narrator. you can spot a bit of camera trouble as the camera pans out from the sign at porky’s desk reading “PORKY PIG -- OUT TO LUNCH”: the pan janky, the picture briefly turning blurry before resuming to normalcy. it’s more interesting than detrimental, especially considering warner bros never did retakes.

cue a montage of “porky” stowing away the goods of the townspeople into his pocket, pretending to deposit them in the bank. the minor key rendition of “puddin’ head jones” is a nice reminder of killer’s similarities and differences. similar in appearance, maybe, but not much else.

petunia engages in her routine from before, attempting to seduce “porky”. mel blanc’s genius shines as killer responds to petunia’s calls in a gruff, scratchy “YEAH, WHAT IS IT!?” he catches himself, and responds in an authentic porky voice “ye-ye-ye-yes, wuh-weh-wuh-weh-what is it?” the transition is seamless. whether it was on one take or two separate recordings, i don’t know, but it remains just as entertaining either way. i especially like how killer switches from “yeah” to “yes”--porky’s personality, while still relatively thin at this point, is certainly coming clearer. at the very least, frank tashlin knows that porky wouldn’t respond by saying “yeah”. it’s a little detail, but it says a lot.

and, just like myself, petunia also understands the distinctions between killer and porky--especially when killer plants a kiss on her as soon as she pulls the same “how ‘bout you and i stepping out tonight, big boy?” routine. killer grabs her in his arms, sneering “why wait until tonight, baby?” and gives her a kiss, prompting petunia to smack him and declare “why, you’re not porky pig!” killer’s response is full of careful wit and thoughtfulness as he so eloquently answers: “SO WHAT?”

ringing the burglar alarm, that’s what. petunia discreetly sets the alarms off, prompting a flurry of bullets to whiz at killer offscreen (they sure have good security!). killer retaliates with his own shotguns, but quickly speeds off to his hideout, goods still in his possession.

killer and his lackeys admire the treasures stacked on the table, eager to pounce. a clever pan to porky, still writhing around in his ropes as killer sneers “AND DEY ‘TINK YOU DID IT!”

tashlin’s artistry strikes again as we peer at the hideout through the bars of iron gates outside. truck out to reveal police officers crowding around outside, crouching on the ground to remain discreet. the shot is composed rather nicely, with the ground level nearing the horizon line, elevating the subjects to the middle plane. even though the shot itself doesn’t linger very long, the clarity is easy to see. a tree placed off to the side cleverly frames the two officers who are on the screen--little things like that make a big difference.

one of the lackeys notices the cops are lurking by, alerts the others, and immediately shoots his machine gun out the window. watch all of the stuff flying out of his pocket as he shoots--playing cards, knives, guns, jewelry, even a wig! definitely a fun scene to freeze frame and pick apart all the details.

the cops retaliate, and an all-out shootout occurs. a gag reused from i’m a big shot now (another gangster parody cartoon) and porky’s duck hunt ensues as a cop shoots up at the building, the impact from his rifle driving him into the ground as each shot digs the hole deeper and deeper. another rather fun gag includes a woodpecker drilling into a tree, causing the officer in the branch to clutch his heart and moan “they got me!”

in the process, stray bullets from down below shoot out of the floor, conveniently ripping the ropes bounding porky to the chair. a quick bird’s eye view of the hideout, and it’s onto porky to take action. because we all remember porky as a suave, charismatic crime fighter, it’s only natural for him to jump onto a chandelier hanging from the hallway and knock all of killer’s cronies into a door. (do cartoon characters have stunt doubles? surely they do! don’t they?)

volney white’s animation prevails for the remainder of the cartoon. porky hops down from the upstairs landing, plopping down right on top of killer himself. both come to fisticuffs, volney’s hilarious facial expressions and treg brown’s masterful sound effects combining to make quite the amusing amalgamation. certainly a scene worthy of freeze-framing for all of the funny faces!

perhaps even more amusing, however, is the drastic tone shift as soon as the cops arrive: no time is wasted during the transition between the fight and an armed cop probing “alright, who’s the killer!?” the fight breaks up in an instant off screen, and porky (his voice un-sped) pleading “i’m uh-puh-peh-puh-peh-porky!” the transition is almost too swift, but is comical over everything else, so i’m not too slighted by it. killer insists in his own gruff voice “I’M porky!”

the cop isn’t convinced, and tries again. both insist that they’re porky. that’s when it’s petunia to the rescue, who assures the cop that she knows how to find out. she cozies up to the real porky, once more enacting their “big boy” charade from earlier. as porky flops over his words in all of his collar-tugging glory, petunia gloats “that’s porky.” porky nodding along to her affirmation is a nice, subtle touch.

as we’ve repeatedly discovered, frank tashlin was no fan of porky. even though he outwardly admits that he didn’t like to work with him, there are multiple clues throughout his pictures solidifying his disdain. here is no exception, as petunia outright screws porky over.

her sultry demeanor changes from reassuring to duplicitous as she heaves a sigh and coos “how that killer can kiss!” porky rightfully grows angry, and, in a pattern we’ll observe in many a cartoon, allows his jealousy to triumph his bashful, reserved nature as he grabs petunia’s arms and pulls her in for a kiss. killer’s eye-boggling, affronted expression and porky’s triumphant, chest-puffing stance after the fact are both hilarious. volney white does a wonderful job of conveying personality through his animation.

here’s the kicker. despite getting her kiss from porky, she still isn’t satisfied. she coldly remarks “i STILL take the killer!” with that, porky can only gawk in awe as petunia and killer march arm-in-arm out the door, petunia cooing that she’ll wait until killer gets out of prison. iris out.

the voice acting steals the show in this cartoon. mel KILLS it (no pun intended) as killer, from the falsetto to the porky impersonation--which is just mel doing his regular porky voice--to killer’s evil belly laughs. sara berner does a fine job as petunia, and tedd pierce’s narration is always a joy to hear. i’m unsure of who voices the lackeys, as they don’t quite sound like mel, but nevertheless, they too are fun to listen to, especially their introductory dialogue. if anything, you should check out this short for the voice work alone.

frank tashlin’s eye for cinematography sparkles as it always does. the opening montage is particularly impressive, especially the use of silhouettes. very bold and striking. his layouts are very well structured, and the cartoon flows very nicely. it’s a snappy one, but it hardly feels like it drags. there’s a lot packed into these 7 minutes!

though i do pity porky, especially at the end, i will concede that the end IS a good shocker, even if petunia is straight up cruel. porky’s personality is slowly weeding its way out of the woods, with some traits (good natured, gullible) sticking to his character all throughout his career. progress is being made! and, as i said before, as much as i enjoy the fat porky design, i won’t shed too many tears over this being its final appearance, because it marks a new step forward for warner bros. cartoons are becoming funnier, snappier, wittier, the disney influence continually waning. good things await.

i definitely recommend you check this one out. while it’s not my all time favorite tashlin cartoon, there’s a lot to admire, from voice direction to animation to even the layouts.

link!

#lt #looney tunes #porky’s double trouble #tashlin #reviews #long post

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thenextchapter22 · 3 years

Text

Visiting New York

Description: Crossover crack fic with The Mortal Instruments/Shadowhunters featuring Jace and Alec and Magnus and all the Demon Brothers.

Warnings: None! This is pure fun :)

Pairing(s): None!

Word Count: 1,636

Link to my AO3: Click Here

Author’s Notes: I originally got inspiration from a post here, but I cannot find it :(

_+_

It was a full moon night in New York City. The time was nearing 2 in the morning, and it was cool, crisp, and totally silent aside from the occasional car alarm or shout from some drunkard stumbling home.

Jace and Alec were out on their usual route. Nothing interested was happening, for a Tuesday at least. A few minor demons and a couple mundanes waltzing by stinking of booze. Just a normal, average, totally normal night for the parabatai.

“HEY HEY HEY! I JUST WANT TO TAKE A PEEK INSIDE! I WON’T STEAL, I SWEAR!”

“Keep your voice down, you fool.”

The pair glanced across the street. A group of men all dressed strangely for 2 a.m. stood in front of a store front window for expensive jewelry. While they were not the police, Jace and Alec still wouldn’t tolerate theft.

So they strolled across the street, expecting them not to notice as they were glamoured. But all of them, except for the one with a phone glued to his face, turned to look at them. That’s when Alec knew they were up to no good. And that they were not actually humans. Not that that meant they were evil, Alec was in love with a warlock after all. But when you heard the words ‘steal’ and saw 7 guys practically casing a store at night something was definitely wrong.

He raised his bow at them with an arrow ready to fire at any second, and Jace in turn his seraph at the other half Alec wasn’t aiming at. “Downworlders, what are you doing?” he asked in a deep threatening tone.

“Humans, what do you want?” the dark haired and red eyed demon in a fur coat (the only clothes that really made sense in this freezing cold) asked sarcastically.

Jace sneered. “He asked you a question. So answer it.”

He raised his brows, but kept his smile. Which was not very friendly. “I am not a ‘Downworlder;. We prefer the term ‘Demon’.”

Like that was any better.

Jace stumbled a little as the demon with the most feminine look, one would call him pretty rather than handsome, pranced to stand next to him and inhale before eyeing him up and down. “Ooohhh! You are so BEAUTIFUL and smell divine! I want to. Eat. You. Up! And these clothes, so sexy and tight, hnng~”

Jace flushed when his gaze went to his pants, and the demon licked his lips. He felt his hand shaking a little around his sword. This was worse than when Magnus flirted with Alec for the first time.

“Come on, don’t you want to have some fun together?” he asked, fingers tracing the air above Jace’s arm.

While Jace was being flirted with by the pretty demon, Alec was staring down the others.

“Where is the food? I’m so hungry.” The tall red head asked. His orange eyes looked so sad like someone kicked a puppy, and he held his stomach with one large hand.

“Most places are closed.” Alec felt almost bad for saying it because the demon looked even more upset.

The white haired demon’s eyes widened as he maneuvered right in front of their weapons, shocking the Shadowhunter at the bold move. “Woah, that sword looks like it’d go for a lot of grimm! Same with that bow thingy.”

Alec was stunned. Then the dark haired demon grabbed him and yanked him back by his clothes and started scolding him like a kid while holding him up off the ground, and Alec just shook his head and focused on someone else while that happened.

He looked at the demon with a phone that illuminated his face. Why was he glued to his phone? Was he texting some of their friends for help?

The demon was mumbling while frantically tapping and tilting his phone. “Gah! Stupid—no, left, left you normie!”

Then the purple haired one looked up and found Alec’s eyes with his own. He blushed, made an ‘eep’ noise, and hid his face even more. So, probably the least threatening of the seven.

Alec kept his bow facing towards the others. Mostly they seemed fine with weapons turned on them. The white haired demon kept going on about selling their stuff now that he was free, the blonde was unmoving and glaring them down with his arms crossed like the red-eyed demon. Jace was still handling the ‘pretty’ demon who kept speaking flirtatiously with him. The large red head said nothing, just kept holding his belly and looking around like food was going to appear. And the last one was…

Alec frowned. “Why is he holding a pillow and… is he sleeping?” Impossible, really, as he was standing up!

The hungry demon who stood next to the demon with a cow pillow to his chest smiled sheepishly. “He’s tired a lot.”

Alec jumped when Jace made a shocked noise and he shot his eyes over to see what happened. Jace was gaping at the demon, who looked super upset, and Alec could see a pink smudge on his parabatai’s cheek. Did the demon kiss Jace? He knew the look of lipstick or gloss from Magnus doing such things.

Alec was very confused at what was going on.

“Hmph! Not another one, this is just not fair! I always want the prettiest human and they always turn out to be unaffected by my charms,” the pretty one pouted, crossing his arms and looking very disappointed.

“Charms?” Jace asked, coming out of his stupor. “What kind of charms?”

The blonde with a permanent scowl on his face seemed annoyed with each word that came out of their mouths had decided to speak. He didn’t look directly at them, instead looking at his fingernails. It was very rude honestly. “He means his charms, his powers to attract any human into being with him.”

Jace stuttered. “Wh-what—b-but I—I’m straight!”

Asmo winked. “So was everyone else, honey~” He giggled.

Jace looked at Alec then. They knew why it wasn’t working. Because of Valentine’s experiments and Jace’s mixed blood.

The fur-coated demon hummed and looked between the two of them, arms crossed. “Well, it’s obvious we have a pair of hunters in our midst. And this one,” he said, pointing at Jace, smiling small without any real facial movement, “has pure angelic blood running through him.”

All the demons, except the blonde with a scowl and the one on his phone, made shocked sounds.

“I’m starving, can we get some food now?” the red head asked again, totally interrupting the tense atmosphere.

Alec made a super frustrated noise, and he saw who he had now deemed their ‘leader’ hide a chuckle himself.

Enough was enough.

“Are you here to hurt anyone or anything?”

“No.” The ‘leader’ confirmed. Again, speaking like they were playing a game.

“And are you planning on stealing anything?” Alec asked, watching the leather jacket wearing demon who was mumbling about ‘grimm’.

“We are not.”

Alec sighed. “Okay, fine.”

“Are we off the hook then, humans?” the leader asked.

“Yes, fine. But I have a few questions—”

“Luccciffeeerrrr~ I want to go inside, it’s freezing! At least lend me your coat!”

Jace and Alec both froze in spot.

“Lucifer?” Alec repeated, looking at the dark haired demon. “That is your name?”

“Lucifer Morningstar. Pleased to meet you.” He grinned, and it was all teeth and not ‘pleased’ at all. “And these are my brothers,” he said, gesturing to each as he said their names. “Mammon, Satan, Leviathan, Beelzebub, Belphegor, and Asmodeus.”

The Seven Lords of Hell.

What has this Tuesday turned into?

Lucifer, the avatar of Pride, seemed to stand a foot taller then. Or maybe it was the revelation of who exactly they were. He looked down at Alec and asked, “What sort of questions did you have?”

Alec felt his throat close up, and he cleared it quickly. “I just want to know what you are doing here.” Why did his voice seem so small and quiet compared to his?

“We are visiting a human friend. They recently moved to the city.”

“A friend?” Alec asked, confused. What human would be a friend with these seven demons?

Jace spoke up. “You do know it’s almost 3 in the morning. Unless they work night shift, they’re probably asleep.”

“We were unaware of the change in address until recently.”

Alec sighed. This was tricky. Either he could let these seven demons roam free, or he could keep an eye on them. It was obvious, really, when said plainly like that. If he let them go, it would be Hell on Earth.

“Well, I can see about getting you some rooms to sleep in for the night, I suppose.” Alec found it better to be friendly with them than cause more trouble. After all, these were… the seven avatars of sin in his city.

“Hang on, let me call my boyfriend.” He took out his phone and dialed.

“Oooh, I did not see that coming~ Just kidding, I totally did,” Asmodeus chuckled.

Alec resisted rolling his eyes. He, unlike Jace, did not have special blood, and would be affected by the charms of this demon.

“I hope they’ll have good food.”

“Hopefully internet and a charger cause my phones dying! Ah, this is terrible! I was just about to win!”

Alec tuned out their complaints. They seemed like teenagers, really. It was crazy to him. “Hey Mags. Can we make room for seven tonight?”

After a quick conversation and a ‘I love you’ at the end, to which a couple demons gagged (Mammon and Satan), he said, “Okay, you can stay with us. Magnus can make room, he’s a warlock.”

Asmodeus gasped. Then, with words to shock after everything that had happened, he screamed with joy, “MY SON!”

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cherryfi · 5 years

Text

Don’t Run From Me: Ch.2 ‘Destination? Unkown’

A/N: And we back, and we back! Sorry this took longer than was anticipated. I really hope you enjoy it!

Word count: 2962

T/W: mentions of drugs, kidnapping, Some gaslighting

Ch.1

You wake up with a start. Lurching forward you find yourself buckled into a seat.

Dry heaving and coughing, your throat feels like it’s on fire, it’s tight and you can barely get any air into your lungs.

‘God, I need some water, why does my throat burn so much?’

It takes you a moment to realise that you’re in a moving vehicle but, you can’t grab your bearings enough to know what kind of vehicle it is, your vision is a little hazy and the jerking movement of tyres on tarmac is making you dizzy.

You’re still spluttering and gasping, after what feels like forever; and the urge to throw up begins to rise in your throat, leaving it raw.

“Here, if you’re going to be sick, do it in this.” Hongjoong sees you struggling and casually hands you a travel sickness bag.

He doesn’t really look at you, only casting you a sideways glance, which you think is weird because your boyfriend always dotes on you when you’re feeling sick.

Pouting, you take the bag from his hands. You don’t have the time to think about why he’s ignoring you when the contents of your stomach are fighting tooth and nail to resurface.

Hongjoong hums in displeasure as you gag into the bag, he knew the knock-out could have this effect on you and so, he’d made it his last resort but, with your refusal to cooperate what else was he supposed to do?

Still, the sight of you being sick doesn’t bring him any pleasure.

“Oh God Hongjoong, I feel like shit. I think I’ve got some kind of stomach bug. I can’t remember falling asleep . Why’d you let me sleep so long? Where are we, anyway?” Hongjoong looks at you curiously, and for the first time you start to take in your surroundings.

The cream leather interior, the seats, the windows?

You’re on a plane?! You realise with rising fear that you’re on what looks like a private jet.

It hasn’t taken off yet but, the movement you felt was the jet taxiing and getting ready to join the runway.

Seonghwa, who was sitting across from you on the phone hangs up his call and shares a confused look with Hongjoong. He looks back at you like you’ve grown a second head.

‘This is all too confusing.’

You’d only met Seonghwa a handful of times despite how close he and Hongjoong were, and you couldn’t figure out why he would be on a flight with you.

As your brain fog begins to clear you take in more of your surroundings.

You spot Mingi in the set of seats across from Hongjoong and a beautiful girl next to him.

She smiles at you apologetically and although you can’t quite place where you’ve seen her; she looks so familiar and she seems to know you.

She quickly turns away from you when Jongho, who’s sitting across from her, kicks her shin lightly.

“Ow.” She only gets a warning glare in response. Mingi tells her to be quiet.

You’re still not sure what’s going on and the feeling of Hongjoong staring at you is making your hair stand on end. His eyes gauging your reaction to everything around you, has you on edge.

Hongjoong has never been the quiet type and he was always holding you or touching you in some way. He’s almost cold.

It’s beginning to feel like an episode of ‘the Twilight Zone’.

“Captain says we’re ready for take-off, so you losers need to hang up your calls.” A tall man steps out of the cockpit and into full view. The others scoff and chuckle lightly.

It eases some of the tension in the cabin – even if only for a second.

You recognise him immediately.

“Jiwon, what are you doing here?” You can stop the question from leaving your lips. Usually you’d keep your mouth shut and wait for the answers to come to you but, the confusion and brain-fog has you feeling desperate.

This is beginning to become surreal. There’s an eery feeling crawling over your skin and as Jiwon looks back at you blankly, his personality completely different to how it was at Tongyong, things begin to click into place.

Tongyong.

‘The interview!’

You’re in full panic mode, frozen stiff as tears begin to prick at your eyes. The events leading up to this plane ride all hit you at once. Your eyes just about fall out of your head and you grip the arm rests; ready to get up and run.

Hongjoong puts his hand on your shoulder – a silent warning. ‘Sit down or I’ll make you.’

‘If I’m on this plane, how long are we flying for? Where are we going? Where is he taking me?’

“What exactly do you remember Y/N?” It’s the first time since you’ve woken up that Hongjoong has axtually addressed you, he looked angry, as if you were the one who’d done something wrong.

Like he hadn’t kidnapped you.

“I remember you drugging and kidnapping me.” If you weren’t going to get away from him any time soon, you were going to be as difficult as possible.

Hongjoong doesn’t even blink at your response.

“Yunho, please tell the captain that we’re ready. Y/N I’d suggest that if you want a safe flight, you’ll keep your seatbelt buckled.” You look at the man he just called Yunho, who a few hours ago had introduced himself as Jiwon.

The sense of betrayal is crushing.

He’d been so passionate and so convincing, you’d looked forward to seeing his smiling face at work every day and now here he was, smirking at you.

He had you fooled.

You look over again at the woman next to Mingi, certain that she was the receptionist that had taken you to the room.

She looks away guiltily.

‘You were caught, the moment you stepped foot into that building Y/N’ Your heart plummets.

An idea begins to take shape in your mind as you stare back at Hongjoong who only blinks at you.

If you can get alone with that woman, maybe you can get a way out; she looks guilty enough that she’d help you.

“Where are you taking me?” Hongjoong doesn’t even look up, he keeps working on his laptop, clearly ignoring you.

You try to look over his shoulder, hoping you’ll get some clues as to where you’re headed and he closes the lid, while glaring at you.

Still not answering your question, he speaks to Seonghwa instead.

“How are things looking at our destination?” Looking back and forth between the two men, your anger grows to new levels.

Jungho, Mingi, Yunho and Hongjoong are all paying attention to Seonghwa; listening to him intently – and ignoring you

You wanted to scream.

“Our destination is all set. As long as the weather stays the same, we should land in 3 hours, everything’s been set up and everyone’s on standby. They’re just waiting for us to land.” Seonghwa glances at you briefly and rolls his eyes.

“Where are we going Hongjoong?” He turns to you and looks away.

The silence was beginning to kill you. You weren’t sure how long you’d been on the plane for but, it felt like forever.

You were trying hard to stay awake but, the adrenaline had cleared; you were exhausted.

Seonghwa was working across from you, on what, you had no way of knowing but, you had a suspicion that it had to do with your destination. Hongjoong had his earphones in, pretending you weren’t right next to him.

Across from you Jongho, Yunho, Mingi and “The receptionist”, who hadn’t been named, were sitting facing each other.

Jongho and Yunho spoke occasionally and Mingi would join in but, the air was tense, and conversations quickly died down.

“We’re preparing to land.” The person you assume to be the co-pilot steps out to warn everyone and Yunho thanks her.

‘Does she know the kind of people she works for? The things they’ve done?’

You know when the plane starts landing shortly after, as your ears begin to pop, and the heavy feeling of descent settles into your body.

You look out the window as the clouds begin to clear and the bluest, clearest water comes into view.

The plane circles around tropical forests and the small airport before landing on the runway with a bump.

The plane travels along the tarmac; too fast for you to distinguish the details outside.

As the plane halts, dread fills you again. ‘Where is he taking me?’

The plane door is opened, and everyone files out, leaving you, Hongjoong and Seonghwa behind.

Seonghwa looks at you with disapproval and walks away.

‘What is his problem?’

“There are 2 ways we can get you off this plane – we can all walk off or, I can drag you off.” You choose to stand up and follow him out.

He holds your hand the entire time, ignoring the way you try to remove yourself from his grip.

His hold only tightens.

You stand in front of 2 expensive looking cars, the others are waiting for you inside.

“Y/N, the more you fight me, the tighter my hold is going to be, get in the car.” He pushes you in.

He gets into the second car.

As you slide across the seat, you’re beginning to realise that maybe you won’t be able to get away from Hongjoong.

Wherever you are, it looks remote.

The road leaving the airstrip is vacant. As a matter of fact, there are only the 2 cars by the plane.

Just enough for everyone on that plane.

You’re in the back seat, Mingi on one side of you and Seonghwa on the other – they’re blocking the doors.

Jongho takes the passenger seat in the front and from the reflection you can in the mirror, you can tell that it’s Wooyoung driving.

“How was the flight? Yunho told me the pickup went well.” Wooyoung glances at you when he says ‘pickup’.

‘Am I cargo now?’

“Flight was boring but, I got some sleep. Yunho didn’t tell you? Y/N got her ass chloroformed because she tried to run away.” Wooyoung looks at you, eyebrows raised and, it’s the first time since getting on the plane that anyone has even looked you in the eye with more than contempt.

“How are you feeling now Y/N?”

“I just want to go home.” Your voice comes out cracked and silent. God does your throat still hurt. Seonghwa scoffs next you and Wooyoung shakes his head at your response, starting the car and heading out onto the main road. There is still only one other car.

‘Why is it so remote? What is this place?’

“You know people are going to look for me? My Mum, my friends, my boyfriend.” Okay, you didn’t have a boyfriend but, they couldn’t possibly know that, right? Maybe if you threaten and bargain they’ll just let you go.

If Hongjoong thought you had a partner, maybe he’d let you go? If Hongjoong knew people were looking for you he’d have to let you go.

‘There’s no way I’m worth the risk.’

‘He tracked you for a 2 years Y/N, would he really give you up now?’

At the word ‘boyfriend’ Jongho and Mingi turn and glare at you sharply.

“You’re a liar Y/N. I guess you don’t know but, we’ve been following your movements since you’d left. We’ve only lost your whereabouts for a month in total. You don’t have a boyfriend; you barely have acquaintances and your mother’s been taken care off. If she makes a statement, things won’t go well for her or you.” Seonghwa’s glare is nothing short of murderous. You try to hold back your tears at the thought of your poor mother being threatened by these men. Would ever see her again?

“Was it worth it? All that running, just to end up right back where you started.” Jongho shrugs, his tone patronising. Mingi barks a laugh beside you.

“What you did to Hongjoong, wasn’t right.” Mingi speaks to you for the first time and it floors you.

They hate you.

“Jongho, Mingi – that’s enough! Hongjoong wouldn’t appreciate the turn this conversation is taking. Even if it’s what Y/N deserves.” You look at Seonghwa and he glares back , daring you to question him.

“I left because I found out what kind of men you all are. I know exactly what you do.” Your statement has little effect on them.

“Y/N, did you ever ask what Hongjoong did, where all the money came from? No. You didn’t. You were more than happy to take all his gifts and attention. All the clubs and vacations, you didn’t care where it came from.”

“Mingi you make me sound like a gold-digger. I worked for you as your PA. I met Hongjoong through you. I knew he owned multiple businesses. Why would I question where he got his money from when it all looked legit? I didn’t care about the money! I cared that you all willingly hurt people. How many innocent people have been hurt by you?” Jongho scoffs and Mingi rolls his eyes again.

Wooyoung speaks from the driver’s seat: “None of them were innocent Y/N. It was a turf war. If we didn’t remove them, they’d have taken us out. The night you left Hongjoong, the man we’d killed was after you. He was going to kill you.” You didn’t know that.

“The way you left him was cowardly. To tell somebody you love them, sleep with them and then leave them in the same night? Let alone your boyfriend of a year? Don’t you think he deserved to hear you say you were leaving him? Shouldn’t he have been able to have his say?” Seonghwa breaks his own rule about keeping silent to stick up for his best friend.

This is too much, you want to be angry but, part of you is hurt.

‘Did Hongjoong deserve it? Should I have left?’

If you could do it again maybe you would’ve told him, you were leaving. Maybe you would’ve written him a letter or called him on a burner phone.

Maybe you shouldn’t have left without a word.

Yeah and maybe hell will freeze over.

There was no way that Hongjoong would have let you leave.

“Fine. Maybe I should’ve said something but, that doesn’t change my mind that leaving was the right choice.”

No one responds.

The mood in the car is sour as Hongjoong’s men hold firm to the idea that you betrayed him. He deserved better than you.

Your destination comes into view as Wooyoung drives through a gated entrance, up a long driveway.

The edge of the compound is lined by tall tropical trees and infront of you are several villas. Really, it looks like a holiday resort.

Each villa is distinct from the next but, they’re all similar in size. They’re huge.

The other common feature is that they’re in a similar architectural style – Mingi’s.

While you were in college, you’d worked as Mingi’s PA, setting up meetings with high class clients and heading with him view his projects. These were in his style.

You turned to look at Mingi, eyes wide and he looks back at you smirking: “Do you like them?”

It’s a break from the madness. For a moment it feels like you’re talking to your boss and friend.

It feels like the old days when you’d both go to view completed projects and meet up with the client.

‘Just like the old days, back when you thought you knew who your friend was.’

“My one’s behind these.” As you step out of the car Mingi points somewhere further behind the 3 villas in front of you.

Being out of the car gives you the chance to take a look at your surroundings.

‘No where to run to Y/N.’

Your plan isn’t going to work. It’s trees as far as the eye can see and you’re beginning to think that this might be a private island.

The tropical weather, the view of the sea and beaches on landing, the lack of other vehicles on the road?

There was no way you were going to get out of here without being caught.

Especially because you still didn’t know where here was.

The second car pulls up behind and everyone steps out too.

Hongjoong stares at you. His expression is unreadable and when he catches your eye, he holds your gaze – daring you to look away.

“San’s waiting for us inside.” Seonghwa guides everyone inside. Hongjoong breaks your gaze and leads you inside. You go in, defeated.

Inside, is just as beautiful as the outside. It’s modern, with cream walls, furnished with black leather seats and glass accents.

Although it’s modern, it’s still very homey, giving the impression that it’s lived in.

“I guess things went successfully huh?” San smiles at you, his dimples on full display. He’s lounging on one of the 3 large couches all set up in a square, with a large flat-screen completing it. With board shorts on and a bright Hawaiian shirt, in comparison to the suits everyone wore – he looked friendly.

He’s kind of, adorable.

This isn’t your first-time seeing San but, you hadn’t been around him often enough for you to get a grasp of what he was like but, the few times you’d met him, he’d seemed nice.

“Yep.” Wooyoung drops down on the couch next to San, looking up at you. He grimaces.

“Yeosang, will please take Y/N to my place? I’ll deal with her later.” Hongjoong barely spares you a glance and Yeosang steps forward. You’ve never seen him before.

He reminds you of a prince.

“Let’s get you out of here.”

Tag list: @r1ce-cakes, @fivesecondsofsarang, @asmallatiny

#Ateez #ateez imagine #ateez imagines #ateez scenarios #hongjoong #mingi #wooyoung #san #seonghwa #jongho #yunho #yeosang #hongjoong imagines #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #ateez mafia au #kpop mafia au #dont run from me

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rhinozilla · 5 years

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Whumptober Day 21: Laced Drink

Summary: Two androids with a grudge attempt to drug and abduct Connor. They nearly succeed, if not for the intervening of strangers.

Connor didn’t realize immediately that something was off. He supposed that was the point. By the time his system identified an anomaly in his thirium supply, the effects had already taken hold. His processors slowed, and his ability to balance and see clearly was compromised. In the event of a foreign contaminant entering his thirium lines, his system should have activated an emergency expulsion protocol to force him to vomit the contaminated blood. Whatever had been laced into his drink, it had a suppressant engineered into it that prevented that from happening. He couldn’t even manually activate it.

Now, he was at the mercy of the two androids whom he had mistakenly identified as friendly. They had said they were from Jericho, and that they were one of the few who did not hold his actions as the Deviant Hunter against him. They had mentioned wanting to start over…to build a bridge and…leave the past where it belonged…Now the drug in his thirium lines made it difficult to feel anything, but Connor felt like a fool.

The air had transitioned from the warmth of the bar’s interior to the brisk chill of the outside night. He was…walking? He was walking…sort of…with help. There were two sets of hands on him, holding each of his arms and steering him across the sidewalk. He was stumbling heavily, blinking repeatedly to try and get a visual on his surroundings.

Everything was becoming exponentially more difficult with each unbalanced step. His cybernetic connection was being bogged down with a noise that he couldn’t place, blocking him from calling or messaging anyone for help. His analytic sensors felt numb. They were functioning, and maybe they had identified the substance used to drug him. But he was not functioning well enough to comprehend the results. He did manage to ensure his optical and audio sensors were recording everything. Some macabre but realistic part of him had violently realized what was happening…what was likely going to happen…and he knew that the DPD would need recordings later to identify the perpetrators.

“Just get him in the car,” one of the androids was whispering. “Let’s go.”

Connor thought he recognized the voice as belonging to the android who’d called himself David. The other, Zach, was closer, having Connor’s arm around his neck to hold him up as they neared the car. Connor struggled to note any details about the vehicle that might aid the police in finding it later, but all that made its way through the thickening fog was that it was brown.

David had opened the door to the back seat, and Zach was shifting his grip on Connor’s body, preparing to stuff him into it. Connor tried to resist, but his limbs were heavy and he couldn’t think straight. Even the warning text scrolling at the edges of his vision were blurred and sluggish. Even if he got free, he was in no condition to fight the two of them with any hope of winning. That logic didn’t stop him from trying, however pathetic that attempt likely appeared to be.

“Hey,” a third voice abruptly entered the scene, young, sounded female. “Is everything okay?”

Zach’s body locked up, and Connor hung in his grip, forced to stare where his slack neck aimed his gaze, at a block of damp sidewalk. His periphery barely snagged one part of a lower leg and a foot in a gold high heeled shoe standing nearby.

“Yeah, he just had one too many,” David was quick to assure the stranger. “We’re taking him home.”

There was a dubious silence, and Connor shifted his feet, the only part of him still obeying any of his commands. He stumbled and felt part of the car door rub against his side. The moment’s pause lasted an eternity, and a cold sensation like coiled barbed wire twisted through his torso.

Please…

Somewhere between realizing he was being drugged and reaching the car, some part of him had run a partial preconstruction on his rate of surviving this situation. His increasingly compromised state had left the percentage in the single digits. These two androids were likely going to take him to a secondary location, do him whatever harm they intended to do, likely resulting in his shutdown, and that was going to be that. Something residual in his programming had accepted that as the irrefutable outcome, even as the rest of him fought it.

Please…

Something about having a witness now…someone who had the ability to do something…a variable to upset the dwindling percentage of his preconstructed fate…It dumped fresh desperation into his processors.

“Please…” Don’t leave… “Help.”

It came out garbled and crackling with static, and Zach chuckled, patting him on the chest.

“Don’t worry, buddy. We’re gonna get you home, and you can sleep this off.”

A second female voice spoke. “His LED is red. He doesn’t look good.”

“He parties hard,” David said, starting to sound impatient.

“Sir?” the first woman said, in a pointed manner that sounded directed toward Connor.

He rerouted his power reserves from his legs to his head, causing him to buckle further against Zach. He managed to turn his head more fully in the two human women’s direction, fighting to make eye contact with them. They were young, barely twenty years old, and dressed in clothes suggesting they were on their way to a party, wearing heavy makeup and tall heels. The blond one was standing farther back with wide eyes. The other had unnaturally dyed red hair, and her expression was tight with suspicion. She appeared to have been the one who’d spoken, staring directly at Connor.

“Hey,” she addressed him again. “Do you know these two men?”

“He’s our roommate,” David chimed in, irritated. “Just mind your own business, ladies.”

“I’m not talking to you,” she snapped at David, then to Connor. “Do you want to go with them?”

“Nn…” He stared at her, hoping his expression would convey to her what he couldn’t form with words. “Hul…Help…”

Zach made a low noise and abruptly resumed steering Connor toward the back seat of the car. “Just buzz off, girls. This isn’t—“

“Hey!” the redhead barked, yanking her phone out of her purse. “Let him go!”

David started to walk around the other side of the car. “Walk away. You don’t know—“

“Don’t come near us! This is livestreaming to my social media account and is being recorded to the cloud, dickwad,” she barked, holding up her phone. “Say hi.”

“What the fuck are you doing?” David raised his voice.

“Two guys come out of a bar carrying another guy who can barely walk and clearly doesn’t want to go with them…What the fuck are YOU doing?” she roared back. “Let him go. Nina, call the police.”

“You’re making a mistake,” Zach growled.

Redhead held her phone up dramatically with one hand, her other hand reaching toward Connor. “Let him go.”

“Hello, 911?” Nina was saying behind her friend, relaying their location over the phone.

“Shut,” David cursed. “Fuck this. Let’s go!”

Zach hissed and then abruptly moved away from Connor, fleeing into the car with David. Connor wobbled on his feet, making a mad grab for a metal bench on the sidewalk to catch himself. His palm hit the arm of it, but he couldn’t form a grip. He stumbled, and his knees buckled as the car revved to life behind him. There was a sound of tires spinning as the two made their escape, and high heeled shoes clacked onto the street as Red furiously tried to record their license plate on her phone.

“I gotcha!” Nina materialized in front of Connor, grabbing awkwardly at him and trying to slow his fall. “Jess!”

Jess, the redhead, stomped back over, taking a more confident grip under Connor’s shoulder than Nina’s faltering hands had.

“Here, sit him down. Hey, sir? There’s a bench right behind you. We’re gonna just…ease you on down…There we go,” she narrated as the two women assisted him into sitting on the metal bench.

“Police are on the way,” Nina was saying. “Um, I don’t—He really doesn’t look good…”

Connor swayed heavily in his seat, focusing on trying to activate the expulsion protocol.

“Need…” he slurred, willing the world to stop swaying around him. “Be sick…Drugs in my…thiri—thir—“

“Hey, hey, stay awake!” Jess patted his knee. “You need to…throw up? Is that it?”

Connor might have nodded. He wasn’t…sure if he actually managed it or not…

“Okay…Okay, here, uh…” Jess’s hands touched his shoulders, helping him sit up straighter and turn his head away from his body, toward the gutter. “Go for it.”

Repeated attempts to force the expulsion program into action had left the synthetic muscles around his torso sore, and he coughed with a weak groan. Jess stayed seated beside him, rubbing his arm, while Nina resumed speaking on the phone to the police.

“—Yeah, they’re gone now. We’re with him…Me and my friend…Nina. W-We recorded some of it on a phone…It—“

Emergency Expulsion Program Initiating.

With only that split second warning, Connor gagged, dropping his head and vomiting the laced thirium onto the street in a rush of blue fluid.

“Oh fuck,” Jess wheezed, holding onto him to keep him from sliding out of the bench to the concrete.

“He just started puking,” Nina reported. “Yes, he’s conscious…Yeah, we can stay with him…”

A second round of throwing up took the wind out of him, and he coughed to clear out the rest of the contaminated thirium. The effort left him even shakier than before, and he closed his eyes with a low groan.

“You’re good,” Jess assured. “Help’s coming…Talk to me. It’ll keep you awake. What’s your name?”

A leather jacket that smelled like fruity perfume was laid across his shoulders, blocking out the chill of the air. Connor spat the last of the blue blood on the ground and then leaned into the hard back of the metal bench, finding some solace in the solidness of it.

“Con…Connor,” he said with a grimace, keeping his eyes closed to hold the spinning world at bay.

“Connor. Okay. Connor, I’m Jess. That’s Nina. We’re gonna sit with you until the cops get here, okay?”

He made a low noise of acknowledgement and forced his eyes open again, squinting at the blurry face of the redhead swimming in front of him.

“Thank you…”

Jess gave a brief smile and swallowed. “Hey, thank me by not passing out until the cops get here, yeah? Deal?”

Thankfully, the sound of sirens had picked up at the far end of the street several blocks down, so the promise to stay conscious would only be a brief one.

“Deal,” he wheezed, tilting his head back to rest on the top of the bench’s back rest.

True to his word, he remained aware until the flashing red and blue lights on the squad car pulled up to the curb, and he recognized Chris’s voice.

“Connor?!”

Then he promptly blacked out.

#whumptober2019 #no.21 #dbh connor

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mantra4ia · 5 years

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My Top/Bottom “10″ Moments of Avengers: Endgame [Spoilers Ahead]

In no particular rank…

The Good and the Legendary Moments (I had a hard time limiting it to 10, clearly there are more)

Cap’s “don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone” and Bucky’s reprise “How can I? You’e taking all the stupid with you…I’m gonna miss you.” He knows his friend well enough through all the years that he understands and accepts (and in that second, we do too) that Cap’s not coming back the fast way, that he’s chosen the slow path to the end of the line.

Sam inheriting the Shield from Rogers with Bucky’s blessing, “go to him.” Because Bucky knows that, even though they are the best of friends and fellow supersoldiers, Sam has kept an eye on Steve while Bucky was MIA, and that puts him in a reasonable position to inherit the mantle.

Post-snap “5 years later” we see Steve taking up Sam’s role as a group counselor, our first hint at the transition of roles later to come, capped off with Sam emerging from the portal with a timely “on your left.”

Hawkeye’s opening: the very real, personal, character driven moment in which Clint is with his family, and shortly thereafter the snap is dragged out of retirement kicking and screaming.

Tony’s and Stark’s intellectual interactions which began as animosity and conlcuded as a kind of mutual admiration “is this the one we win? / if I tell you, it won’t happen (almost apologetically because Strange knows what is about to happen and is letting it go forward anyway),” culminating with “I am Iron Man” and thunderous applause.

EVERYTHING having to do with Tony’s daughter Morgan. From her interaction with Jon Favreau aka Happy about cheeseburgers, to finding her dad’s suit mask, to Stark calculating time-travel while doing the dishes, then swearing, then swearing Morgan to secrecy, and most heartrendingly “I love you 3000.” Tony’s father-daughter relationship is one of those key character pieces that elevates this whole film from a Marvel capstone to a best picture.

Steve’s moment watching Peggy even though he never interacts with her, in 70s at the Pymm/Stark research facility. It’s the most poignant foreshadow of his destination to come. He doesn’t make that mistake twice.

Natasha’s character development. Five years later, even as she falls apart spinning her wheels about deep sea tectonic quakes, and she still cuts her peanut butter sandwich corner to corner as if daring “Nick” Fury to unsnap himself and say “no, let me show you how it’s done.” Two great insights into the depth of their familial relationship courtesy of the Captain Marvel film. Also a shout-out Steve’s subsequent offer to cook Nat dinner. Steve and Nat always carry great character moments, all the way back to CA:WS when she was setting him up on dates.

The small moments of battlefield humor that were just enough not to break the moment: Steve calling out to Parker “Hey Queens,” Peter engaging the Spidey suit kill mode and then him curled up in the fetal position, Wong’s deadpan “were you expecting more?” Jesus, just give Wong an entire act in the next Doctor Strange movie and I will be happy. I adore him. PS: what a pleasant surprise the way the Russos put Tilda Swinton in as Sorcerer Supreme opposite Banner. That was just the right character for the exposition on the perils of altered reality.

The overarching theme of premonitions as it deals with crossing through the quantum realm into the past, and the ensuing parallels from what we’ve already seen in the Marvel past. Specifically the ‘premonitions’ that past-Nebula had when future Nebula past through time and how they could access each others memories, which puts the interesting and poetic possibility that Tony’s dreams/visions this whole time (ex: Infinity War’s “[Pepper] we had a kid, it was so real”) were never a direct result of Thanos, but rather his travel through time. The Time Travel element also relates to parallels where Howard Stark meets “Howard Potts” and the potshots at his questionable beard. Tony meets Stark Sr. at the exact right moment when Maria is expecting and they relate to the perils and joys of fatherhood: “there’s no manual for this/ there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for this kid / you did your best”, which sets up Howard’s video journal to Tony and Tony’s post-battle video journal to Morgan as even more powerful together, in the context of each other, then when we saw the original Iron Man films. Endgame brings new depth / meaning to those historic moments.

Honorable mention to Thor who, after the “I aimed for the head” reprise, developed a sense of crippling anxiety and notable weight gain within his depressive reclusiveness, and still managed to suit up and be a hero anyway. While I didn’t necessarily like the fact that Thor dealt with his PTSD through hardcore gaming, I like the direction that the Russo’s steered him after subsequently calling him an “Angel Pirate” in Infinity War. The message, by contrast, that you don’t have to look a certain way, or step into the role that everyone expects of you (King of Asgard), or even have your shit together to be heroic - you just have to step your foot out of the door and face the day - is damn brilliant.

Honorable mention #2: Rocket’s speech to Thor “you’re not the only person to have ever lost someone.” Great BroTP, with tha dash of crossover Whovian.

Honorable trifecta: Steve Rogers wielding the Mjolnir and FINALLY. FIN-A-LLY “Avengers: Assemble!” What great standing ovation moments.

OVERALL: What this film misses in building the tension (it cycles down before it revs up), it makes up for by setting up the small, poignant character moments that show off the emotional talent of these actors in a way that I’ve never seen with this impact before: Infinity War, Black Panther, and Civil War being the runners up.

The Disappointing:

The “Smart Hulk” / Ant Man “little man” gag didn’t work for me. The autographs, the tacos, the test time travel run. It got stale very quickly.

Speaking of Ant Man, by contrast to Tony and Morgan, Scott Lang’s reunion with his daughter after 5 years didn’t hit the emotional note it was meant to. It make sense how they use Lang as perspective of “what’s going on / fish out of water” to drive the aftermath of the snap home and to introduce quantum science. But out of all the characters, I was probably least invested in him.

The female-led gauntlet scrimmage in the final act across the battlefield felt like more of a “set piece” rather than really earned emotion by comparison to Infinity War’s female tag team (Okoye, Nat, and Wanda) against Proxima, where Nat defends Wanda and says “she’s not alone.”

I didn’t like the script choice of killing the complex, Infinity War version of Thanos so quickly (while it was unexpected and paid off big time for a hot second when Thor’s said “I aimed for the head”) and taking on Past-Thanos. For me, it undermined and underdeveloped the villain. I would have wanted a deeper understanding of “The Garden” and flashbacks to Titan or young Gamora, or even more interaction between him and his daughter present-Nebula, before the war-torn Thanos gets the 1-2 chop, but I understand the choice given time constraints of a three hour film.

Hawkeye’s ronin montage: his revenge against criminals in the post-snap era, “why are you here, why did you get to survive and my family didn’t?” could have had the ability to be powerful, especially considering that Natasha has been keeping tabs on him and didn’t intervene until critical mass. But instead, I feel like it was mishandled, too thematic, it takes your out of the moment like a set piece.I loved Natasha’s bond with Clint up to and after the ronin sequence, it took two characters that I was on the fence with and got me emotionally invested in them as a team, I just hated the montage itself.

No Vision? What?! Hardly even a mention in this film except for Wanda’s wrath when she is resurrected and brings that house down on Thanos, but even then Thanos essentially said “who the heck are you and what did I do to make you mad?” completely taking the steam out of Vision’s fall. Hopefully Phase 4 addresses / fixes that.

No Loki resurrection? At the very least, no past-Loki dialogue?! Come on. I thought for a second, when Loki escaped STRIKE custody in the alternate timeline with the tessaract, that maybe the team had created a and untrimmed time branch (I still think they did, because if Rogers returned the Stone to 1970, it doesn’t fix the later botched attempt to steal it, so maybe there’s a branch reality where Loki is alive with witty trickster lines and I’ll cling to it). Then I was fooled again when Mjolnir went flying through the air I thought perhaps that Loki Odinson had returned and was worthy to wield it through his selfless sacrifice (I was only momentarily disappointed / awed to see it was Cap instead). Again, Phase 4, give me some help here!

The fact that Black Widow got no proper funeral sendoff, concluding Natasha’s long history of under-use throughout the entire Infinity Saga. Don’t get me wrong: I understand her soul stone sacrifice, and in a way I understand the people who say, “don’t take that away from her, it’s powerful.” It is. She comes from a manipulative, violent background that made her who she is and good at what she does. Throughout her history, she never had family, which she admits: “Red Skull knew my father’s name, that’s more than I ever did.” So it makes the choice more poignant that she built a family around herself and did whatever it took to keep them safe and united. That said, I wasn’t (until this film) necessarily invested in Black Widow like I am the other Avengers characters, but she’s had some great moments with Clint (I still want to see the Budapest mission, and the Iran extraction that Bucky compromised) and Rogers (Endgame: I’ve been telling everyone to move on, but not us. Winter Soldier: their getaway from Hydra-infested SHIELD) and Fury. Which is why I HATE that her only tribute was a bunch of men standing around lamenting over her (while simultaneously being oblivious to the Nebula swap, seemingly incapable of intelligent script development by McFeely and Markus around those two female characters). It would have at least been fitting if they had more regrets “why didn’t we know her better, we were supposed to be her family”, “why didn’t we appreciate her while we could” or her name added to an altered “fallen” monument. There was no payoff to her chemistry with Bruce, and no final closure with un-dusted Fury to pay his respects, which would have been a small but vastly fitting gesture. WHAT A WASTE.

Captain Marvel’s use in the film as essentially a ballistic, ship-destroying missile and her anticlimactic Thanos battle. Why use her at all in this film if it’s going to be as a plot device? She could have had potential opposite Thor, and I’ll argue that she should have been Banner’s tag-team person to bring him out of new-Asgard exile. But the Russos and writing team missed that opportunity as well. Danvers’ appearance felt hollow.

The pacing / cycle down of tension post-opening sequence was off-putting to me. I was revved up to level 10 ready to go to 11, but had to dial back down by half (ex: even though I love the montage of Tony and Nebula playing table football, it crawls by comparison to the expectations set right after Infinity War). The tonal shifts between the three acts of Endgame made me feel like I was watching two good films as opposed to the one great, legendary film I was expecting. Perhaps I came in to Endgame too pumped and needed to be more in the moment, because this displaced feeling was very strong on initial viewing, but faded the second time I saw the film.

Honorable mentions: Parts of the alternate reality “time travel” sequence really bothered me: ie the battle of New York (from A1). Hulk smash didn’t work for me, though Hulk “take the stairs” and Stark’s minor cardiac dysrhythmia corrected by Thor’s hammer were funny. Also Cap’s “I found Loki” was priceless. So I guess you have to absorb the disagreeable montages of time alterations to enjoy the good, like Banner and the Sorcerer Supreme, Howard and “Howard.”

Honorable mention #2: This movie did a hell of a job at all the couple / BroTP splitting, WTH! Steve and Sharon never stood a chance, Wanda and Vision, Banner and Natasha, Steve and Bucky, Steve and Sam, Thor and Loki, Gamora and Quill. Dammit, I hope Phase 4 at least patches up a few holes in these ships before sending in the speculated new ensemble of comics characters.

In SUMMARY: as my dislikes wane with time and my likes grow in retrospect with each saga part I rewatch, and each time I revisit A4 in theaters, I think that Avengers: Endgame, while not quite my favorite installment, will stick with me forever. What a decade! And my next great joy will be 10…15…20 years from now, when I get to meet a kid, let’s call her Morgan, who’s never seen an MCU film before and vicariously relive that first joy watching it with them. To the end of the line.

I can’t wait.

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robinhoodrevisited · 7 years

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Power To The People (pt.4)

Nottingham Castle. The Great Hall. (Clarke stands before her uncle, her wrists still tied and mouth gagged. The Prince stares at her with an anguished look on his face before speaking.) Prince John: "Do you even want to be Queen? The Church will never accept you, you have no allies politically and above all you're a woman!" (The Prince walks forward and tugs Clarke's gag down.) Clarke: "If it means preventing you from becoming King then I will gladly take the throne. As for the church, I think the Archbishop is on my side." Prince John: "As soon as I’m King that old fool will be replaced." Clarke: (Shakes her head:) "Even if he did agree to make you King, the church isn't your only obstacle." Prince John: (Sneering:) "Ah yes, your savage friends. You think the Commander can stop me?" Clarke: "If it comes to that, I know she will." (They watch each other for a long moment without speaking. Then the Prince throws up his arms.) Prince John: (In a whiney tone:) "But you don't even act like Royalty. You even prefer to be called by your pseudonym now." Clarke: "Clarke is who I am, who I've become since you hunted me like an animal. Which you wouldn't have done in the first place if you didn't realise that my claim to the throne is stronger than yours." Prince John: (Raging:) "Your claim means nothing! You collude with outlaws and swear fealty to the Celts! No, I am the leader England needs and everything is falling into place. (Begins to walk past her:) Make no mistake, Clarke, I shall be King." (The Prince strides from the room.)

Joan's Camp. (Carter bows his head as the body of King Richard is laid out before him. Joan kneels crying beside the body vowing her revenge.) Joan: "I am not yet defeated, I vow before my brother's body that his death will be avenged. (Turning to her son:) And I swear that you, Richard, one day will be King. (To Carter:) Prepare the body to be moved. We leave for Loughborough immediately.” Sherwood Forest. (Djaq and Will are returning from their scouting mission, Djaq in disbelief.) Djaq: "A wedding? The country is amidst a civil war and Prince John plans a wedding?" Will: "To Isabella no less. I never thought I'd see the day she'd agree to marry again. Not after Thornton." Djaq: "Perhaps it's fitting? For a woman like Isabella, marriage would be a fate worse than death." (Hoofbeats can be heard approaching and Djaq & Will quickly disappear into the woods. The Black Elite ride after them. They run through a meadow. Will & Djaq, holding hands, jump into a short ravine. The horsemen slow and stop at the edge, unable to follow.)

Sherwood Forest. (The forest is in uproar as news of the Prince's elite guard spreads.) Little John: “I’ll see if the road’s clear.” Robin: “We’re making it too easy for them. We have to split up.” Much: “Split up? We should stick together!” Robin: “Listen to me. We’ve got Prince John’s elite guards after us.” (Little John comes back.) Little John: “They’re closing in.” Robin: “I’ll lead them away.” Marian: “No, you won’t.” Robin: (Turns back.) “I’ll be fine.” Marian: “Robin, you’re supposed to be dead, remember? And you would be if not for Nyko’s antidote. Let’s just head back to the tunnels and wait them out.” Robin: “There’s no time, we need to scatter right now!” Marian: (Grabs Robin tightly:) “And we will but you’re staying hidden. (To the gang:) Listen, Djaq, Will, go north, take the cliff road. Allan, Much, go west through the marshes.“ Little John: “I’ll go east.” Marian: (Nods:) “Good man.” (The gang start to go their separate ways as soldiers appear on the rocks above them and all around them.) Robin: (Ducking behind a tree:) “Damn. It’s Blamire, he’s still alive.” Much: “And leading the Prince’s elite guard by the looks of things.”

(As the gang are distracted by Blamire and his men, the villagers take it upon themselves to surround the outlaws.) Allan: (Noticing:) "What the...?" Bertha: (Stepping forward:) "You lot aren't going anywhere. If you run the Prince's men will capture you all. You've all put your lives on the line for these folk dozens of times. Now it's our turn to return the favour." (Robin and the gang look on confused as the villagers move to encircle the outlaws, effectively hiding them from view.) Djaq: "We’ve been herded!" Much: "Like sheep." Robin: (Dubiously:) "Or like lambs... to the slaughter." Bertha: "Shh. Quiet, trust me." Little John: "This is not going to work." Bertha: "Just keep your heads down. (Bertha frowns and a horse neighs in the distance as the Black Elite approach. It’s a splinter group, not led by Blamire. The sergeant hands off his shield, dismounts and approaches Bertha. Bertha smiles grandly and slyly, a hand on one hip.) How can I help you, officer?” Elite Guard: “Name... and purpose in this forest.” Bertha: “I see, straight to business, is it? Suit yourself. (Arms out.) I’m Bertha, of Bertha’s Circus Maximus. (Turns to the right.) These are my gladiators... (turns to the left) ... my little band of helpers, and my audience.” (The guard looks over all the faces, The gang keep their heads down.) Elite Guard: “Why are you all gathered in the forest?“ (Steps forward. Bertha puts a hand to the guard’s chest.) Bertha: “I don’t ask questions dearie I just go where the people are. We were on our way to Nottingham when we came across all these fine men and women here in the woods. My men and I thought it was odd ourselves to tell the truth.” Elite Guard: (To the villagers:) “Begone, all of you. The forest is no place for you to be today.” (Walks back to his horse.) Bertha: “I was getting that impression already, but thank you for the advice.” (The guard mounts, takes back his shield and they all leave.)

Allan: (Impressed:) "Now that was some serious blagging." Robin: "That just bought us some time, but they'll be back." Marian: (To the villagers:) "Thank you, all of you. That was... very brave." Little John: (To Bertha:) "Thank you...erm..." Bertha: (Steps to Little John and spreads her arms wide, presenting herself.) "Bertha of Bath. (Little John nods and looks away, not knowing the name. Impatiently:) Of Bertha’s Circus Maximus... famous from Huddersfield to Haltemprice? (Little John shakes his head. Puts hands on hips. In disbelief:) Where you been?" Little John: "Here, mainly." Bertha: "Well you may not've heard of me but my men and I have certainly heard of Robin Hood. Talk about famous!" Marian: (Curious:) "What brings you here, Bertha?" Bertha: "I haven't been in these parts since the old Sheriff ran me out of town. I'd heard old Vaisey had finally died, so I thought we'd head back here." Marian: (Glances at Robin:) "Ah. Well it's a long story but Vaisey is still Sheriff and very much alive." Allan: "Back from the dead if you like." Bertha: "Oh." Robin: "I don't think you could've chosen a worse time to return to Nottingham." Marcus: "Not necessarily. (He walks over to Robin & Bertha:) I think Bertha and her particular brand of entertainment could be just what we need to sneak into the town." (Robin gives Marcus a confused look as Bertha flashes the man in black an appreciative smile.) Nottingham Castle. Great Hall. (The merchants have been assembled, and they’re whispering amongst themselves when the door under the balcony squeaks open and the Sheriff enters, taking off his gloves.) Guard: “The merchants are here as per your instructions, sir.” (The Sheriff walks through the people.) Sheriff: “Yes, I can see that. Let’s get on with it. (Addressing merchants:) Thank you for coming on such short notice. (Stands behind the table.) I have been given the task of arranging a wedding for our future King and his bride. (Lays gloves down on table and looks up.) Now, seeing as I don't know the first thing about weddings, I thought I'd call on your varied expertise to make both the church and reception look enchanting. (The merchants look at each other.) And, because this is for Prince John, you will all wave your fees. Unless of course… (sits) … anybody has a problem with that."

Nottingham Castle. Isabella's Chamber. (Clarke is brought to Isabella's room by two guards whom Isabella dismisses with a nod of her head. As the door closes behind them, Isabella walks forward and draws her knife. Clarke tenses for a second before Isabella brings the knife down between Clarke's restraints and cuts the Princess free.) Isabella: "How're you feeling?" Clarke: (Raises an eyebrow:) "Considering I've been captured and brought to the castle twice in as many days, not great." Isabella: (Nods:) "We need to get you out of here. I can hide you, sneak you out of the castle while the Prince is distracted by the wedding preparations." Clarke: (Folding her arms:) "Personally escorted by you I suppose? You're planning to run." Isabella: "I can't stay here. If I do I'll have gone from Sheriff to spouse and I won't return to that life again - I cannot do it!" Clarke: (Smirks:) "Sounds like quite the predicament. If only people had warned you about choosing the wrong side." Isabella: "I have the money and means to disappear. Vaisey will aid my escape, he wishes to see me married to the Prince as much as I do." Clarke: (Scoffs:) "Your escape plan involves trusting Vaisey? Now I know you're desperate." Isabella: "Think what you want of me but we're the same, Clarke. We're both survivors." Clarke: "Your method of survival is sickening. You lie and manipulate people to get what you want. You've betrayed everyone in your life and you're still going to end up running. (Shakes her head:) No, I have people out there coming for me, people who are depending on me to stop the Prince once and for all. If there's even a sliver of a chance of that happening I'm not going anywhere. (As Isabella glowers at Clarke:) You and I are nothing alike."

#bbc robin hood #robin hood #lucy griffiths #jonas armstrong #keith allen #lara pulver #toby stephens #joe armstrong #richard armitage #anjali jay #harry lloyd #sam troughton #gordon kennedy #Eliza Taylor #Alison Pill #Fraser James

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thenextchapter22 · 4 years

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Visiting New York

So I took inspiration from @mammonsgoldcard on the post talking about a shadowhunters au with obey me and wrote this crazy stuff! Please enjoy!