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rohanrider3 · 4 years

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Brace Yourselves, I have THOUGHTS on this guy

Okay so I just watched Wizards (Tales of Arcadia) and I, along with many other folks, adore one (1) wizard in particular--Hisirdoux Casperan, better known as Douxie. I’m sure you’ve seen the art, the posts, and, well, the internet lately.

BUT HERE’S THE THING. One of the (many) reasons I love this guy. He’s not what one typically gets in a main character, AND he’s very different than other protagonists we’ve met in Arcadia.

TLDR: Protective, kind-as-summer, ultimate “good older brother vibes” wizard who simultaneously 1) doesn’t think much of himself, 2) tries his hardest, and 3) is actually SUPER FREAKING POWERFUL is unique and I love him for all those reasons and more!! (Details (and spoilers) below the cut)

1: He’s young, yes, but he’s extremely experienced. He looks 19, but is 919. As the first episode shows, he’s been doing his best to live a good life and master magic for NINE CENTURIES. All the while looking like a kid! Douxie lived through the fall of Camelot, has seen technology blossom and evolve, AND has seen countless people come and go, all the while completely on his own except for Archie.

2: He’s extremely humble. He’s apparently been working odd jobs FOR ALMOST A MILENNIUM--so he can work from the shadows to protect people from terrors they don’t even know about--and works hard AT ALL OF IT. Menial jobs AND demon-fighting. First episode, he clearly WANTS to use magic to clean up the cafe (and as a former customer service worker I would have sold my wisdom teeth for magic, LET ALONE magic clean-up help!) but he refrains from doing so, because he really took Merlin’s advice to heart.

(Side note: IMO, Merlin’s an ASS. But the advice he gives in the beginning of “Wizards”--along the lines of “Relying on magic alone isn’t enough, first you have to master how to live well and THEN you can master magic, hard work is extremely important and not to be skipped”--is good. AND DOUXIE STICKS WITH IT FOR OVER 900 YEARS. OF HIS OWN VOLITION. Merlin’s in a tomb, he hasn’t been glaring over Douxie’s shoulder all this time!) Which brings me to-

3) Douxie, although a hard worker, sincerely good guy, and all around badass wizard, doubts himself a LOT (thanks Merlin’s endless snarking and yelling.) BUT, instead of always fighting/planning to get Merlin to approve of him, Douxie instead focuses on doing the right thing. But it isn’t easy and Merlin’s dismissal of him/his ideas/Merlin’s constant disparaging put-downs hurts him. But he doesn’t let it stop him.

4) Douxie CARES. A LOT. He’s patient, kind, eager to help, works hard, and has protected humanity from horrors it didn’t even know about for CENTURIES. While he was still an apprentice, with no master, and no other magic users (that we’ve really seen) that could teach him more about his own magic or how to use it. The hedge wizards are cool, but we don’t get to see much of them and it looks like they’re more of a side society in Arcadia than something Douxie’s strictly a part of.

5) Douxie protects whoever he can whenever he can. To him, all life is precious, and he gives off major “is anyone else protecting this person or trying to make things better okay cool cool cool, I’m gonna try to do that as much as I can for as many as I can right now!” attitude. Which gives off major older sibling vibes to me.

(To emphasize, he cares about EVERYONE. He’s distraught at the thought of Arthur’s death, HE’S the one who uses his magic to remind--not enchant, REMIND--Arthur and Morgana of their old love of the forest and of Gwen (apparently the glue that held their trio together) and how, each in their own way, they miss her and still love each other. HE’S the one who’s constantly checking the time continuum, and keeps trying to tell Merlin that it doesn’t have to be Arthur vs. Morgana. But Merlin outright pushes him aside/ignores him, and events take their course. Interesting note: Right during the big fight scene in the past with Arthur vs. Morgana, just before Arthur cuts off Morgana’s hand with Excaliber and she falls to her death, you’ll notice the time continuum is blue. Which means it’s fine. The future is good. Douxie could go back to his future no problem. BUT WHEN HE SEES MORGANA’S DEAD FORM as part of the repaired timeline, HE SHOUTS AND RUNS TOWARD THEM TO TRY AND STOP IT. Morgana being DEAD didn’t mess up the timeline. Excaliber being broken did. But Douxie was still trying to save Morgana AND Arthur, and only the blast of magic from their fight knocked him back. And he still grieves her death as one of the parts of his failure, even while Merlin pushes him aside and focuses on Arthur and Excaliber in the aftermath of the battle.

6) Does anyone else think Douxie has a major guilt complex/super messed up self esteem? Because Douxie tearfully shouting “I’m so sorry! This is all my fault!” to Merlin, AS DOUXIE’S OWN LIFE IS IN DANGER AFTER HE TRIED TO SAVE HIS FRIENDS and keep the Arcane Order from destroying the world...that hit hard. His life is on the line and (most likely) his last words are a plea for forgiveness to the Master that routinely dismissed him as an incompetent idiot and was more than happy to leave teenagers (!TEENAGERS!) who’d fought and risked everything to protect the world to die horribly at the hands of his enemies. Douxie--caring, kind-hearted, I-get-my-ass-rountinely-handed-to-me-but-always-get-up-again DOUXIE was the one who ran back to get Jim and Claire. Not Merlin. Merlin was *this close* to leaving to protect Nari for the greater good, and only reconsidered because Douxie had thrown himself into the fray (and despite his best efforts got thrown hard into a rock wall by The Green Knight. And then volleyball spiked into the (equally hard rock) floor and crushed by MindControlledTrollJim.

7) Douxie DOES NOT GIVE UP. Merlin writes Jim’s injuries off as hopeless and him as a lost cause, but Douxie relentlessly tries to figure out ways to fix things. Arthur and Morgana’s relationship, Jim’s injury/worsening curse, all the scenarios where they (it looks like) have to choose between saving their friends AND the world. He doesn’t just shrug and write off losses the way Merlin does. Douxie keeps throwing himself at problems and putting himself at risk to solve them.

8) He’s honest. (Certain Lad of Fortune bowl games aside ;) ) Merlin only told Jim the problem with the wound and left it at that. Douxie makes sure that Claire knows the reality of the situation and promises he’ll find a way to fix it. He knows their situation isn’t ideal, but he refuses to just shrug and leave things as they are. He’s more than willing to throw himself wholeheartedly into finding a way to fix things and refuses to let defeat stop him. Which leads me to, finally--

9) Douxie willingly, without flinching or making a big deal about it, walks into the jaws of death for his friends and the world. For Pete’s sake, he does it with a SMILE. He KNOWS getting his friends back is a long shot. He KNOWS the Arcane Order cannot get Nari AND the Seals, or else the world is doomed--AND he could easily have chosen to go on the run, with the Seals, for the rest of his life. His friends would have died (or worse), Nari would have been trapped with the Order for the rest of time, but the world (and Douxie) would have been safe. Why? The Order doesn’t know he has the seals. Merlin said they could be FOUND if his staff was destroyed, he didn’t say they were STORED there. (And yeah, I wanted Douxie to trick the Order with fake Seals too, but after some thought I’d argue that they’re ancient and powerful enough where they probably wouldn’t have been fooled by or chased after a fake.) Also, going on the run with inanimate objects your hunters don’t know you have and having the kind of magic Douxie does--he could have had a niiiiiice life. Maybe a little mobile, but arguably MUCH easier than constantly making sure a small forest spirit doesn’t get snatched up by her angry brethren. In any case--

Douxie’s plan included--and even hinged on--his willingness to die buying his friends and Nari time to escape. He BUILT IT INTO HIS PLAN. And that bravery, courage, and matter of fact heroism--along with that defiant smirk he gives the Order when they threaten to kill him--is why I love this guy so much.

#douxie #wizards #tales of arcadia #toa spoilers #wizards spoilers #long post #but its about DOUXIE you guys #heroism #protectiveness

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thegeek-s · 3 years

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30. photographic dilemma, empty glass, and not much else

PREVIOUSLY: Kat’s grappling with feelings of betrayal, disappointment, and not being enough, but refuses to talk to anyone about it, even though her roommates think she should; instead, Kat calls Chris and leaves a message on his answering machine, letting him know that she’s done with him and that no further addressing of the situation is required; Gwen seems to be the only one out of her, Mark, and Kat who’s handling her heartache in a somewhat healthy way but when she runs into Mark in the laundry room, she quickly manages to hoist him out of his spiralling, perhaps not fully but enough to get him to stop hiding from the world; she also alludes to Kat going through a break up as well, which is news to Mark; he seeks Kat out and initiates a reconciliation between them, realising in the midst of it that Gwen was right and he does in fact need his friends; Eva and Gwen go to a MLB show, where Eva hangs out with Jeff after their set and Gwen has a confrontation with Chris, during which he yells at her that he likes her; a couple of days later, Chris shows up at Kat’s work, but she is having none of it – she tells him how she feels, calls him a fucking asshole, and storms out.

“Liz, I have to come clean with you,” I kill the engine outside her building and turn to face her. “I’ve been meaning to ask you a favour…”

“What is it? Shoot away!” She beams at me, unclipping her seatbelt.

“I’ve been thinking about what you were saying about uh…you know, how long distance can work if you put some creative effort into it. Well anyway, I think your idea to send Dee some photos is really cool. We don’t really have each other’s pictures lying around, so…” I stutter out my thoughts. I’m not sure why I’m feeling nervous all of a sudden. I suppose I’m just feeling a little out of my element. I want to make things work between me and Dee but I’m kind of at the end of my wits.

“Yeah? So how can I help?” Lizzy looks at me with an eager smile. Yeah, of course she’s ready to help. She’s always ready to help anyone and anyway she can. Honestly, Lizzy is quite possibly the kindest person I’ve ever met. Maybe that’s what it is – I just feel like if I ask her a favour, she’ll feel like she has to say yes and I don’t want to abuse her kindness. And frankly, it’s a pretty random request…

“Well, I thought maybe you could take some photos of me?” I flash her a quick smile accompanied by a small shrug.

I’ve decided to try once more and if it doesn’t work – then it doesn’t. I really don’t even want to think about breaking up with Dee – like how the hell would I do it?? Casually bring it up during a phone call? Put it in a letter? Fucking sucks that we can’t even see each other face to face for that, if it comes down to it… But I’m not an idiot, I can see that Dee is creating a life in Colorado that she loves…she loves it maybe more than her old life back here. She doesn’t even want to come back to visit, for fuck’s sake. It takes Christmas to get her back out here so is that how our relationship would be then? Seeing each other once a year, unless I go to Colorado? Or move to Colorado?

And these photos? I guess I’m hoping that if I do something like this, that Dee will reciprocate. Kind of like, hey, the ball is in your court – do you still want this? Are you still interested? Is this still a two way street?

“Oh…” Lizzy’s face clouds just a touch. “You want me to take pictures of you so you could…send them to your girlfriend?” She asks again, as if to clarify that she heard it correctly, and now hearing it from her, I can see how that sounds strange.

“Yeah,” I nod while her eyes wander around the car for a second before landing on me again. “Is that weird? I was thinking just some shots of me playing my guitar or something… I haven’t actually come up with a concept yet…”

“Wouldn’t you feel more comfortable with Sean or Layne taking photos of you?”

Oh hell no. I’m not sure what exactly I’m trying to convey with those photos but whatever it is, I don’t need my friends lurking around and making fun of me while I do it. “Yeahh, I just… Those guys, they…have opinions that don’t always align with mine. I—” My breath catches and then I laugh and shake my head. “What I’m trying to say in a very contrived way is that I’m too embarrassed to even ask them. This is not exactly how they woo girls, if you will believe,” I pop my eyes at Lizzy and she lets out a chuckle. “And I guess I just don’t feel like listening to their comments about it.”

“But you don’t need to woo her, you’re already together!”

“Yeah, you would think…”

“Well, I guess I get what you mean…”

“So?”

“I mean, sure!”

“Really? You would do that for me?”

“Yeah!” Lizzy’s hand lands on my shoulder and gives it a light squeeze, and it sends a tingling sensation down my arm. “I mean, I was the one to suggest it so I might as well take the photos, right?”

“Cool. Great! Thanks, yeah... So uh… This weekend?”

“Uhm…” Her gaze drops to the floor momentarily. “How about next weekend?”

“Deal!”

A couple minutes later, when Lizzy climbs out of the van, I wait until the building door swings shut behind her, then switch the gears and drive off. We’ve agreed to meet for band practise at nine tonight and it’s twenty till, so I head that way. We didn’t really used to schedule rehearsal times that often but now Layne’s pretty much all moved in with Demri so we have to pre-arrange these things. And actually, Mike’s been thinking about moving too – a couple of his friends are looking to fill a bedroom – so it sounds like in the future, there will be a lot more planning involved.

I’m kind of relieved. I think sometimes living, playing, and doing everything in between together causes a lot of unnecessary tension. Everything’s fine, nobody’s flown off the handle, but I think our changing living situation will definitely help to prevent that in the future. Hm, maybe I should see if Sean wants to find a place together…

“Where were you?” Layne, who’s sharing a loveseat with Demri, demands the second I open our rehearsal room door.

“What, you guys are all here! Hallelujah, it’s a miracle!” I grin at all of my bandmates who are, in fact, all there on time.

“Duh!” Sean rolls his eyes exaggeratedly. “Can’t say the same for you, Jerry Berry. Where were you?”

“Just dropping Lizzy off after work.” My answer is followed by Layne and Demri exchanging ridiculously obvious looks. I glance over at Sean and he merely shrugs. “What?” I look at Layne.

“What what?”

“You two seem like you have something to say,” I shift my gaze to Demri; she sighs and opens her mouth:

“You spend a lot of time alone with Lizzy.”

“What?” My voice goes up, as per usual, at the most unfortunate moment. I don’t mean to sound defensive, not least of all because I don’t understand what I’m being accused of, but… “I do not.”

“I mean…” Mike joins in. “You do take her home like every other night.”

“And?” I stare at him. “Just ‘cause you can’t give someone a ride without cheating on your girlfriend,” I blurt out, triggering an avalanche of the whole gang speaking over each other in varying tones of anger and negotiation.

“Whatever, your girl moved to Colorado and left you behind and you’re still under the impression that you have any kind of relationship to speak of,” Mike furiously grabs his bass out of the case and starts tuning it obnoxiously loudly.

“Look, what we’re saying is that you do go out of your way to do things for her…” Demri begins but I cut across her.

“I do not, it’s just whenever I’m over at Fairmont and she’s done with work... And even if I was, what’s wrong with that?” My brow furrows momentarily. “She doesn’t have a car and I’m a good friend. Is that a bad thing now? Would you guys not say that I’m a good friend? Do I not do things for you?”

“And is that what she thinks you are? Good friends?” Demri quirks an eyebrow.

“Yes,” I answer without hesitation. If Lizzy does think of us as more than friends then she has a really weird way of showing it.

“And does Dee know about this friendship?”

“Yeah…” There’s less conviction in my voice this time. I’ve told Dee about hanging out with Lizzy once or twice, so she’s definitely come up. Of course, I haven’t gone in depth about the exact details of our friendship because I never had a reason to do so… “What’s with this whole interrogation, anyway? Dee knows that I have friends and some of those friends are female.”

“Like me and Xana?” Demri grins at me.

“Yeah!”

“Well, we’re both in committed relationships…”

“That’s right, you are.” Layne plays with Demri’s hair draped over her back.

“…and as far as I know, Lizzy is very much single. That’s a big distinction to make.”

“So that’s it? That’s how it works? That’s fuckin’ ridiculous! Sean?” I turn to my drummer but he throws me an utterly clueless look. “Can you please back me up here?”

“You know,” he clears his throat, “ever since Mel dumped me, I’ve realised that I need to focus more on finding my own path and bettering my inner self and this relationship drama is bringing negative energy into my life, which I don’t need.”

Yeah…he’s been like that lately. Mel said something about Sean being just a transitional, fun boyfriend and I guess he spent too much time overthinking that because now he’s all about…well, I’m not sure what his goal here is. But good for him, I guess…

“There is no relationship drama,” I accept that Sean won’t help me and look at Layne and Demri again. “Lizzy has never once said or done anything…inappropriate. Just ‘cause she’s single, doesn’t mean she’ll try to get with whoever.” I know for a fact she’s not that kind of a girl and my friends clearly know nothing about her, they’re just going off stupid stereotypes.

“How are things with Dee?” Layne inquires.

“Fine,” I answer shortly and then recompose myself. “As fine as they can be, considering we’re in two different states. In fact,” a lightbulb goes on in my mind, “Lizzy has given me some really good words of advice about Dee!”

“Oh, no…” Demri groans.

“What??”

“Oh, Jerry… When a guy starts telling things about his relationship to his female friends…well, let’s just say, it’s a well known recipe for disaster.”

“What? That makes no sense…”

“Can we fuckin’ rehearse or are we gonna spend the whole night playing Oprah Winfrey Show??” Mike glares at all of us and it’s enough to get me, Layne, and Sean moving.

We start by playing Bleed The Freak, a song we’ve been working on lately, but my mind is still clinging to our abruptly finished conversation. I don’t think Demri’s entirely wrong, I just think that she doesn’t know Lizzy the way I do. Sure, we’ve all seen relationships broken up by a third person, who starts out as a friend… But that’s definitely not Liz, that’s not what she’s about. I almost laugh out loud when I remember that one party at the Geek’s place, when Lizzy was giving me their apartment tour… That was so awkward but that’s exactly what I mean! Lizzy seemed appalled at the mere thought of me, a guy in a relationship, trying to hit on her. So no, she’s not out to break me and Dee up.

And how do I feel about Lizzy? I think she’s great! She is very attractive and the more time I spend around her, the more I see what a beautiful, kind heart she has, and sure, I’m drawn to that, but it doesn’t really matter, does it? I am in a relationship so I haven’t even really allowed myself to think about Lizzy like that in any capacity. When I see her, we laugh together and we talk about things – I’ve definitely told her some things I don’t necessarily tell other people, like this whole Dee thing – but that’s the extent of our relationship, there’s no sexual or romantic layers to it. And actually, Lizzy’s been really helpful by being there and listening to me when I do talk about Dee. And we’ve never crossed any lines. So I would definitely call us friends, there’s no doubt about that.

I’m with Dee, Lizzy’s my friend, end of story. But what if Dee and I were over, then what? Ugh nothing, because Lizzy probably isn’t interested in me like that. Or is she? Fuck… Am I into Lizzy?? God damnit, why am I letting Demr’s bullshit get to my head like that? I love Dee, that’s not changed just because she moved away. And is there something to the fact that I tell Lizzy about the struggles in my long distance relationships? I certainly wasn’t aware of it if there is, I was just talking to someone who was willing to listen. Or, wait, how’s that supposed to work again? According to Demri, if I confide in Lizzy, what does that do? What happens next?..

* * *

I’ll just ask my roommates, we’ll vote, and I’ll know what to do, I tell myself as I sluggishly make my way up the stairs. It always feels like we live in a tower when I come home from work but I know better than to use the elevator – I still remember how Kat and Mark had to spend hours stuck in it a few weeks ago and I’m not interested in spending my night like that.

Finally, I reach our door and, as usual, check to see if maybe it’s unlocked before looking for my key. And sure enough, it is. I push it open and step inside, into our living room-kitchen brimming with people. Alright, maybe not brimming, but it’s a lot more people than I expected to see! First, I’m confronted with Steve and Matt on our corner couch by the door, watching MTV. Then, my eyes wander to Gwen, Kat, and Mark huddled over a magazine lying open on the dining table, and finally – Eva and Danny in the kitchen, in a cloud of steam, evidently cooking something up.

“Hi, Lizzy,” Steve, who’s sitting closest to the door, greets me.

“Hey! What’s going on? Looks like you’re all having a party here!”

“We just finished our last rehearsal before we leave,” he replies as warmly and politely as ever. And then the image of him, mostly naked, in my bed next to me that one time pops into my head. Ugh I still can’t believe Gwen, of all people, was in on that joke!

“Oh, I can’t believe you’re leaving tomorrow already!” I redirect my mind. “I’m so excited for you guys! I wanna go to Europe!”

“We would be honoured to have you as our roadie,” Matt croaks with a lopsided smile.

“Maybe next time,” I beam at him and briskly walk deeper into the room. I can only imagine the daily horrors of that job title… “Hey guys,” I greet the trio who are, I now notice, reading the horoscope page of some magazine. I have no doubts that this astrology session was initiated by Gwen. “What’s it say?” I ask.

“Apparently, I might die within the next month,” Kat drawls.

“That is so not what it says,” Gwen snorts.

“What’s your sign, Mark?” I turn to him.

“Apparently, I’m a Pisces.”

“Apparently?”

“Apparently, he didn’t know,” Kat eyes him suspiciously.

“They seem to be confused by that,” Mark points a thumb at Kat and Gwen as he leans in closer to me. “First time I’ve ever disappointed two women at the same time!”

“I’ll take that as a compliment because there’s no other scenario in which this clown would ever refer to me as a woman,” Kat flashes us all a grin and goes back to the magazine, flipping to the movie theatre schedule page.

“Your hair’s gotten real long, Mark…” I note as I drag my gaze back to him.

“Thank you,” he grins at me, but I have to point out…

“It wasn’t a compliment.” Right after I say that, everyone looks over at me. “What?”

“I didn’t know sweet Lizzy can be mean,” Steve muses cheerfully.

“Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve witnessed anything other than sunshine and daisies come out of her mouth,” Lukin agrees.

“What? I’m not mean!”

“Lizzy, I’m so proud,” Kat whispers dramatically and wipes an imaginary tear and it tips me over the edge, into a fit of laughter. My friends are so damn funny, I love coming home to this!

“Although you don’t seem to have the same attitude towards Jerry Cantrell’s much longer hair,” Eva points out from the kitchen.

“Actually, speaking of Jerry…”

“What did he do now?” Mark rolls his eyes.

“Nothing…”

“Oh. I thought we were gonna talk shit,” he shrugs with a grin and walks over to the couch to join his two bandmates.

“He asked me to take some photos of him for his girlfriend,” I turn to Gwen instead. I told him I would do it but I was thinking, I could cancel if I had to… I don’t really want to cancel but I think it might be weird. But it’s also just so, so sweet of Jerry to do that and I want to help him… But… I know I wouldn’t be too happy if Jerry was my boyfriend and he sent me photos taken by some other girl…

“Huh?” Gwen stares at me.

“His girlfriend Dee who lives in Colorado…” I remind her. “Jerry wanted to send her some photos of him, just for her to have. I mean, I suggested it first… I told him that he can make his long distance relationship work, he just needs to be creative…”

“What kind of photos exactly are you talking about?”

“I was just going to ask,” Danny adds with a loud cackle, following Gwen’s question.

“Yeah, I don’t think steamy photos taken by another girl will convey his whole ‘even though we’re apart, I still choose you’ concept…” Eva laughs with a slight shrug.

“Noo, you guys! Get your heads out of the gutter!” I flail my arms while sliding my jacket off. “We were talking about some photos of him with his guitar, literally just normal photos for her to have in her wallet or something...”

“So what’s the problem?” Kat asks.

“Well, I just don’t know…”

“Does Dee know about you?” Gwen peers at me.

“Know what about me?”

“That you’re Jerry’s friend?” Steve is the one to finish Gwen’s question.

“I’m not sure,” I stare off, my eyebrows knitting together. I also didn’t realise that Steve was following the conversation either. “Probably. They talk on the phone often… Well, maybe not lately,” I say more to myself than anyone else. I don’t know if that really matters that much, but that’s a good way to think about it. Would Jerry be okay telling her that some girl took those pictures? Would she be okay hearing it? If so, then it’s fine for me to take them, right?

“Why the hell does it matter?” Matt clears his throat. He really needs to stop smoking… “If he asked you, you should help him. Or was he asking you out? Those Alice In Chains guys aren’t that bright, he might’ve just jumbled his words…”

“Well, why did he ask you?” Gwen talks over Matt’s rambling.

“He said his closest friends,” I say carefully; I just always feel like I’m walking on eggshells when we’re talking about Jerry’s bandmates, and even though Gwen acts like it’s fine, I just don’t want to say something stupid – or accidentally say the unmentionable’s name… “don’t really get his relationship and always have things to say about it… I guess he’d just feel more comfortable with someone who doesn’t judge him for staying with Dee over long distance.”

“Then you should help him,” Kat chimes in. “You’re Jerry’s friend, aren’t you? So what does it matter what’s between your legs?”

“I’m with Garfield!” Matt cackles, pointing at Kat.

“And might I suggest borrowing wardrobe pieces from Stone for the photoshoot,” Mark joins in. “Although, Cantrell already has a pretty interesting style.”

“Hair metal but make it country,” Kat drawls, making everyone laugh.

“Hey! Don’t be mean, guys!” I protest.

“We’re not mean, we’re just observant,” Mark shrugs.

“He’s just jealous of Jerry’s golden locks, Lizzy,” Eva smirks over at me while taking her apron off.

“But don’t you guys think it’s weird?” I press on. Do I want them to tell me that it is, that I shouldn’t do it? No, not really. I guess this has more to do with how I feel about it than it does with what Dee thinks about it. And how do I feel about it? I’m not sure but I always enjoy spending time with Jerry, so it’s probably fine? Or is it bad if I help him mostly because that means I get to hang out with him?..

“Do you think it’s weird?” Kat bounces the question back at me with a piercing glance before she returns her attention to the magazine.

“Once again, Freckle Fart is asking the real questions,” Matt cackles again. “And if it makes you feel weird, then ask yourself why,” he winks at me. He sounds uncharacteristically wise, I have to say.

“What do you know about that?” Mark throws his bandmate an amused smile.

“I know loads about relationships and about women. For one, women only call me ugly until they find out how much money I make. Then they call me ugly and poor!” Matt bellows, earning himself a round of resounding laughter.

“They call me handsome because I have hands,” Mark mumbles but this time, Kat’s the only one to chuckle at it.

“I think you shouldn’t listen to anyone but yourself, Lizzy,” Steve speaks up.

“Clearly, you’re not familiar with Lizzy’s decision making method,” Gwen waves a finger at him from across the room.

“It takes a village,” Eva explains and I can’t say that it’s not true. I do like to talk it out with my family and friends, see what everyone thinks, and then make a decision when I feel like I’ve explored all the avenues. It just makes it so much easier and a lot less scary. “Alright, Lukin,” she walks over to the couch and kicks his feet off the coffee table. “You wanna eat - you get the table ready.”

“Why me!?” He scowls up at Eva and looks at Mark and Steve sitting next to him.

“Because you’re the only one who never contributes.”

“Not true!” He protests but still obediently follows her to the dish cabinet.

I think they’re right – it makes sense to help Jerry with the photos because that’s what friends do. And he chose to ask me, not his bandmates, not even Mel or Demri, so maybe he really just doesn’t feel comfortable having someone else do it. And he sees me only as a friend – which we are! – so he probably didn’t even think anything of asking me. And it’s probably just me who worries too much and overthinks things like that…

“For what it’s worth,” Steve turns to me after I’ve changed into my comfy clothes and came back to the table that’s now groaning under a big pot of chili – and a smaller, vegetarian one. “I don’t think you need to listen to these villagers. You do you, Lizzy.”

“Thanks, Steve,” I pull my lips into a smile. “I just don’t want to, I don’t know, do something wrong, you know?”

“Oh but we all do things wrong all the time. We’re messy and it’s human nature,” he sprinkles some cheese into his bowl and passes the rest of it to me. “In fact, I like people that fail. Makes me trust them more, maybe ironically.”

“You know what, me too!” What am I so worried about? Why did Jerry’s request make me feel so weird? I think it’s because I’m not sure if it’s right or wrong… Am I doing something inappropriate by agreeing to help him? Because it’s going to be just me and him… But that’s ridiculous! He asked me himself, and it’s for his girlfriend, so it’s not like he’s asking me out in a way that would definitely be inappropriate. Besides, we’ve already hung out one on one and it wasn’t weird and nothing happened. Kat’s right, just because we’re opposite genders doesn’t mean that that has to play into this in any way. So as uncertain as I am… I guess I’d rather be someone that people can turn to and rely on when they need help than the know-it-all in the room. And I suppose that’s my answer.

* * *

I lift my head from my book just a split second before the thrift shop door swings open – a sixth sense one inadvertently develops while working in customer service – and I barely stop myself from groaning. I don’t necessarily have anything against these two people themselves, but given their proximity to a certain someone…

“Hey, you!” Andy beams at me from behind Xana as they make their way towards me.

“Heyyy,” I drawl as I place a bookmark on the page.

“Before you say anything, I’d just like to make it known that we are not here on behalf of Cornell and we do not condone his actions,” Xana utters in her usual monotone, a small smile tugging at her lips as she peers at me.

“Oh, I…”

“He’s a bastard, that one!” Andy seconds, although his big smile doesn’t fade.

“A piece of shit,” Xana nods. “You’re so much better off without him, he was just holding you back, girl.”

“Uh…”

“I’ve always known something was wrong with that motherfucker, from the moment I met him,” Andy goes on putting on the world’s worst act.

“I’ll never forget the first time I met him, no matter how hard I try,” Xana continues.

“His face makes onions cry!”

This is so ridiculous. All he’s done is kiss someone while in an extremely loosely committed friends with benefits situation… It fucking sucks, I would not recommend this to anyone, but it’s really not a big deal, or shouldn’t even be any kind of deal as far as anyone is concerned – but now everyone knows about it and now it’s this big thing, the hottest gossip, the ideal butt to so many jokes… Which I can appreciate the humour in, I’d just like it a bit better if people would let it go and leave me be. My preferred method of dealing with this disgusting betrayal has been shedding a few tears in the privacy of my own room (and on one occasion in the shower) and hoping that Chris steps into dog shit every single day for the next month or so. I could definitely do without other people’s comments on the whole situation. “I bet you guys say the same stuff about me to him…” I attempt a half-assed joke.

“Hey, I don’t ever say shit like that about other women,” Xana flashes me a grin and folds her arms over her chest. “So you really weren’t into Stoney, huh?”

“Nope…”

“Then why did you lead us on believing that you were?!” Andy throws his arms out, making his girlfriend laugh louder and more sincerely than I ever see her laugh at other people’s jokes.

“Yeah, Kat, why did you have us believe you liked Stoney?”

“I literally said I didn’t.”

“Poor Stoney…”

“Well, you know, when we found out about you and your boy toy Chris, that really explained a lot about his recent mood improvements,” Andy announces to me happily, but all I can muster in response is a likely painful looking smile. “Wrong thing? Should I not say that right now?” Andy looks to Xana for help.

“Yeah, I don’t think Kat cares to hear that right now.”

“I don’t…” I slowly bob my head. Okay, I guess I’m always happy to see this duo.

“Well you should come over for dinner anyway! We’ve been wanting to have you over!”

“Yeah, we can kick Cornell out,” Xana goes on. “He won’t be a problem.”

“Aren’t you renting…from him?”

“Good point… Yeah, maybe not the best time for that. Well, fuck. Always meddling with our plans, isn’t he?” Xana looks at her boyfriend and they both laugh. Theirs is honestly the only relationship that I would ever aspire to model my own life after.

“Worry not, though!” Andy’s face lights up, both his hands up, evidently indicating that he just thought of something. “Basketball season is almost here!”

“Oh, yeah!” Xana nods, but I have no clue what that information is supposed to mean to me…

“Jeff said he’d ask Eva if she wants to be on their team this year, so you’ll definitely hear about it,” Andy beams at me.

Ohhh, I see. “Yep, I’ll definitely hear about that.” Eva loves playing basketball. She was on the UW women’s basketball team for four years and this was the first year that she’s not been regularly playing. So I’m sure she’s excited!

“Word on the street is, we should expect the opening game in about a week or so.”

“And sure, asswipe Cornell might be there,” Xana rests her hip against the edge of the counter and leans a little closer in, “but a lot of other people will be there too. Enough for a good social buffer. And either way, Chris is always using Lucifer as a pretext to get out of these things, so he might not even come at all.”

“Um…” I am, yet again, unsure of what I should say. Great? Fingers crossed? I don’t give a fuck? All of the above but at the same time, nothing sounds like what I’d like to convey. Or should I bring a date and make out with them on the bleachers the whole time, just in case Chris does show up? Would he even care? Probably not. ‘Fair enough’ seems to be his whole attitude and personality lately, so he probably wouldn’t give a damn. Ugh. I hate everything. “Yeah, sounds great,” I do my best to sound cheery, or at least alive. “Eva will definitely keep me in the loop.”

“Great!” Andy exclaims happily.

The two of them hang out for a bit more, chatting and browsing through piles of old books and clothes, and I catch myself imagining an alternative outcome of that whole mess. I don’t know why I do this to myself, but I wonder what things have been like had I not been so adamant about hiding…our relationship. God, even in my own head I struggle with that phrase. So I guess this current outcome is the only realistic one. But what if, what if I was less of a weird idiot and more of, well, just a normal person? Less of a sad, ugly girl and more of the badass, don’t-give-a-fuck kind of person that I always tell myself that I am?

“You gals are right,” Andy tugs me out of my thoughts completely after I absentmindedly agree with Xana that he should buy a gold coloured headband. “And I'll take this hat. And this book,” he says, placing a copy of Cat's Cradle on the counter next to a bright red cowboy hat. “It's for Chris," he adds an explanation. "He's been looking for it… But man, fuck that cheating scumbag..."

“You really don’t have to—”

“Oh, we enjoy it, believe me,” Xana cuts across me with a devilish grin.

I help a few more customers after the two of them leave and before I know it, Virginia shows up to take over for the closing shift. I kind of hate myself for mentioning my break up, for lack of a better word, to her the other day but it made her a little bit nicer to me. She’s very sensitive to these things, she’s been giving me some advice ranging from how to get over it to how to take revenge. All because I mentioned that I ended things with a guy I’d been seeing. I say I kind of hate myself for saying anything, but her efforts have been cheering me up some. And it’s always easier to say anything at all to a random person than it is to, let’s say, my flatmates. And Gwen says talking is healthy, talking is healing. So there.

“Change of plans, we’re not going home!” Eva bursts in through the door just as I’m pulling my jacket on, ready to walk outside and wait for her. She was supposed to pick me up on her way from work since our schedules coincided today.

“We’re not?” I ask as I walk out after her, quickly waving bye to Virginia.

“We’re going to the beach!” Jeff Ament pokes his beaming head out the passenger side of the baby blue Falcon parked right in front of the thrift shop.

“I can’t say that I’m interested in…”

“Get in, don’t be a party pooper!” Stone swings the back door open from inside the car, almost ripping it off, judging by the sound.

They all proceed to talk over one another while Eva and I get into the car, explaining to me how Aimee’s there and we’re going to play Frisbee, and how the weather’s been nice enough, how I shouldn’t sit cooped up inside because for all I know, the rest of the Spring’s just going to be rainy and snowy, and how there’s croissants from Raison in a bag in the back, if I’m hungry, and how Stone’s car broke down and is getting looked at…

“And besides, what else are you going to do with your playmate gone on tour?” Eva looks back at me from the driver’s seat as she starts the car.

Maybe shed a few tears, drink some whiskey mixed into apple juice, perhaps read or maybe just stare at a wall. The possibilities are endless, I think to myself and almost crack up. But sitting on the beach and watching the world go by and letting the ever icy wind cleanse my very soul sounds nice.

* * *

“Hey, someone’s here to see you,” my co-worker Lisa informs me while squeezing past me and grabbing a new sleeve of plastic cups.

“Who?” I ask while chewing the last bite of my sandwich and grab a paper towel to clean myself up.

“Uh…” She lingers in the doorway of our staff room. “I don’t know, Jesse told me that someone was asking for you.”

Who could it be? I don’t usually have people dropping by while I’m at work, other than my roommates who always tell me in advance. I glance at the clock – my break is just about over. As fun as working at Rock Candy has been these past few months, I feel more ready to say goodbye to this place with every shift. And luckily, it looks like I’ll be getting that embassy internship soon, and then all I need to do is leave them no choice but to hire me full time!

I step out from the staff room into the bar area and catch Jesse’s eye, who points me to the far end of the counter. I still can’t see who’s over there as I head in that direction… Ugh, I hope it’s not Chris. Or maybe it is one of my roommates after all? I think Lizzy’s working tonight but Eva and Kat have the night off, so could be them… They didn’t seem to be in the mood for going out last I saw them though. Maybe it’s someone from school? Again, work is not really the place where people come to see me and catch up…

“Hey,” a voice I haven’t heard in about a month, yet still painfully familiar, even within that one short word, catches my attention. I almost walked right past him, I honestly didn’t even see him. Probably because I was expecting anyone but him.

“Oh, it’s you,” I try to recompose myself. I’d hate for Mike to see me flustered and think that it’s for any other reason than being confused at why the hell he’s even speaking to me.

“It’s good to see you too,” he throws me one of his smirks and I squish it like an annoying mosquito in my head.

“Is it now?” I try to sound nonchalant, cheerful even.

“I hope you don’t mind I dropped by. I was just…in the neighbourhood and I really wanted to see you.”

Is he going to apologize? Is that why he’s here or is he just that bored? “I can’t stop you from coming. Maybe if I became a bouncer here, it would be a different story.”

“I’m sure. And you’d make one mean bouncer too,” he smiles again which only makes me want to smack him across the head.

“Uh-huh,” I utter, mad at myself that I can’t think of anything else to say. Honestly, why the hell did he come here? I’m also mad at myself that I can’t stop staring at him and I’m not even sure why – it’s just that I haven’t seen him in weeks and it’s like there’s a part of me that doesn’t know what happened, a part of me that instinctively wants to jump right back in to where we left off before everything went to shit. Not that I want to get back together, fuck no! But I guess I really wasn’t prepared to see him like that, out of the blue, at work, so I don’t know how to react. I don’t even feel angry or hurt, not in the moment, not seeing him in front of me – I’m just…disgusted. His presence does nothing to keep the mental images of him and Kristine in his car from appearing in my head all over again.

“I’m sorry…” Oh my god! “…it’s probably not a good time for me to come by, I didn’t realise how busy it would be…” Oh. Well, at least that’s something. This is probably one of maybe three times I’ve ever heard Mike apologise for anything at all. Hm, maybe that’s why he’s here – to show me he’s changed? Ha!

“It’s a Saturday night, what’d you expect? I need to get back to work, you know.”

“Can I stall you by getting a beer from you? I am a paying customer, you know,” he winks at me and I respond with a plastic smile.

“Four dollars,” I tell him as I turn around to grab a glass.

“I miss you, Gwen,” he says and I feel my face sour.

“Well I don’t miss you,” I barely glance at him.

“Seriously?”

“Very.”

“You’re gonna play like that, act like we weren’t good together?” Mike’s voice goes up ever so slightly in frustration. I don’t know what he expected.

“Seriously!?” I turn on my heel to face him and I do it so suddenly that, I’m pleased to see, he flinches ever so slightly. "You're going to act like you didn’t fuck Kristine?? Like everything’s fine, like I’m just being a bitch for no reason?” I slam the glass down on the counter, surprised that it didn’t shatter.

“Why do you always have to be like that?” He pouts. “I know what I did, okay? I’m very aware. Why can’t you appreciate that I’m here now? You think it was easy for me to come here??”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I look at him with pure, unmasked disgust now. “Why did you come here?”

“I told you. Because I miss you,” he says calmly now and it makes me feel nothing. Not even a flicker of anything.

“Tough luck.”

“Just tell me how to fix things and I will…” He sounds pathetic now. Not something I’ve ever witnessed before. The Mike I knew was always so proud, so self-important. And here he is now, looking so sad and empty, lined only with regret. Maybe Mark was right, maybe I was too blinded by who I wanted Mike to be to see who he really was all along.

“There’s no fixing things, Mike,” I look him square in the eyes. “Don’t tell me you don’t know that.”

He chews on his lip as he thinks for a moment and I can only imagine the kind of bullshit that goes on in that head of his right now. “Our birthdays are coming up,” is what comes out.

“I’m aware.”

“I thought maybe you’d like to have a celebratory drink with me?”

“With you? Why??” My eyes narrow slightly as my whole body contracts into a confused and weary shrug.

“I’d like to see you. To actually see you, spend time with you—”

“Why?!”

“To show you that we can fix things. If only you give me a chance…”

“Oh save that garbage for your yard sale, okay. Why are you seeking me out now? Do you not remember how hard it was for me to get you to be with me, to really be with me? Because I remember and I don’t want to go back to that.”

“I know…” Mike inhales sharply and shifts in his seat. “I know I acted stupid. I know that now.”

Wow. Who knew regret is all it took to make him wanna change. “Even if you hadn’t cheated,” I say and feel my face heat up. I don’t know why he’s here now and I don’t want him to be here…but at the same time, I’m glad to see he regrets ruining our relationship. I want him to suffer, to feel like he’s fucked up, and to know that he can never, ever fix it. “It still wouldn’t have worked out because you didn’t want it to work out, you didn’t try.”

“I did! I did so much for you! How can you say that?” He snarls as if I’m the one who somehow wronged him.

“Well, it wasn’t enough, Mike.”

“Come on, gorgeous…”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Look, we don’t have to get right back together. I’m just asking for one drink. Just ‘cause it’s our birthdays.”

“And then what? After the drink? We hook up in your car?” I ask and I can tell that it stung him right where it hurts. Which is fucked up, because he willingly chose to cheat on me. I’m the one who was hurt by him, not the other way around.

“Ah fuck,” he lets out a loud sigh. “Always so feisty.”

“Okay…”

“Alright, I’m just gonna ask you then – are you seeing someone?”

What the fuck? “That’s none of your business.”

“So you are… I’ve heard Cornell’s been circling around you like a vulture, so I guess that’s not just rumours.”

“Chris? I’m not with Chris,” I snort at the thought of another walking sack of shit. “And really, you showing up here and accusing me of all these things…that’s fucking rich, you know that, right?”

“Look, I’m sorry, Gwen, I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything… I just…wanted to see you, is all.”

“Well, there I am. You can take a picture and leave.”

“Come on, did all those months mean nothing to you?”

“No, it wasn’t nothing…” I admit. “It meant a lot of waiting by the phone and trying to play by your fucked up rules. And you know what, actually, you coming here now is a classic example of that. You do something fucked up, you disappear, and then you come back acting like I’m the one hurting you by keeping my distance.”

“So I fucked up, I admit it! I’m not trying to say I haven’t.”

“And yet, you won’t even apologize.”

Honestly, looking at Mike now, being face to face with him so unexpectedly after weeks of absence, I can say that I genuinely don’t want him anymore. All of his charms, all the ways in which he made me feel alive and excited and giddy – it’s all gone. Now I just feel slight nausea looking at him. And I’m so right about his bullshit games of hide and seek – he came here tonight thinking that the statute of limitations on cheating only spans about a month or so?? He really thinks everything’s fine and we can get back together now? Yeah right.

“Are you kidding me?” Mike throws his arms out. “Can’t you see how sorry I am? I would do anything to make you forgive me…”

“Hey, Gwen, how about some help over here?” Jesse calls me over with an overwhelmed smile and I nod.

“I’ve got to go, Mike. I’ll see you around,” I say without thinking, out of habit, and walk away, leaving him with an empty pint glass in front of him.

#fanfiction #grunge #seattle #80s #alice in chains #jerry cantrell #mike starr #layne staley #sean kinney #mudhoney #mark arm #steve turner #dan peters #matt lukin #mother love bone #andy wood

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askbohemiancompany · 3 years

Text

The Guest

It had been a few hours since the two mercenaries escorted Brittany back to her apartment that was set up by Mariah as a vulpix-hole for hiding people from anyone’s potential enemies. Lenox was relieved the roserade was no longer in her old apartment where she would have been a sitting duck for anyone who would want to kill her. The Urami incident really made the hawlucha push for better security.

“Hey Lenox. When we get back to the base, do you mind if we talk? Just the two of us.” Gwen said, still seeming depressed finally lit the cigarette she was holding back earlier. Irony was Lenox was relieved to see her smoking for a change. Seeing her like this was uncomfortable.

“Yeah sure. What did you want to talk about?” For both women this was one of the few times they were not either arguing or dealing with eachother’s, but mostly Gwen's antics.

“You know what. Let’s just start talking now.” The gothitelle blew her cigarette smoke away from Lenox. “I’m worried about Grohl. He’s been acting more and more erratic lately.”

So Gwen noticed it too. This was a relief to the hawlucha as she was not the only one who noticed. “Yeah I noticed from the water park he is getting worse. I thought him being overly chipper was odd, but I could accept that due to Grohl’s previous lack of confidence. But the way he acted at the park was like he was out of his mind.”

While his enthusiasm would have been fine, he did nothing to try and defuse the situation plus he did not even bother to tell Lenox what the cluster he gave her would even do. Made worse by his own confirmation admitting his form is explosive which could really hurt someone.

“Yeah I’m with you there. I was happy he was feeling confident in himself but he’s been acting erratic on base. Muttering to himself, eating more and disappearing for long stretches of time. I think him maintaining his security system 24/7 has done a number on his sanity. I think we should talk with him on it.” Gwen finished smoking her cigarette tossing the butt on the ground.

“Agreed. If we go together maybe he will hear us out,” Lenox and Gwen both nodded at that idea. “Once we get a moment to get ourselves situated we should do it. We both have had long weeks.” Long for different reasons, but both women could use a break from the weeks of head and heart aches.

Approaching the gate, both buzz themselves in and enter the secure base. What they saw in there was going to spit in the face of their attempt to calm down after a hectic set of weeks.

In the main foyer Freddy and Mariah were standing there with a third person in tow.

Nigel.

What was he doing here? Last anyone heard from him he skipped the city. Both mons just stared in disbelief. Nigel, in turn, was shocked Gwen evolved since the last time he saw her.

“Hello ladies. You have impeccable timing.” Mariah sauntered towards them with a casual smug flair she usually had. “I can fill you all in at once.”

With rage in her eyes, Lenox stormed towards Nigel causing the clefable to recoil.

At this point Lenox could not move, she wondered why but when looking down she saw shadow sneak tendrils running up her legs and reaching her arms. In retaliation, Gwen prepared an energy attack only for the greninja to shoot her a look.

Don’t even think about it. I will not need to crush you physically. Guifei.

The moment Gwen heard Mariah’s voice in her head, the gothitelle’s face turned to horror, which was rare for anyone to get that kind of reaction from her. Mariah knew.

Nigel, whose arms were covering his face, removed his arms to give a sigh of relief and a composed smile.

“Mariah I told you this would happen.” Freddy commented in a way that sounded defiant but very muted. “You need to get him the hell away from here.”

All of the words Freddy said just bounced off Mariah, coldly turning to face Lenox. “Alright. Let me explain what you and your coworkers are required to do. Nigel here is going to testify before court regarding two different pokemon trafficking rings he is involved with. This is a big operation for me and you know what’s riding on this. So. You will stop.”

Hearing the reason for Nigel being there did not make her any less mad, but she would cease her attack. Still, she wanted to send Mariah a message. With a single motion Lenox broke out of Mariah’s hold, which stunned all present, even Mariah.

“You can’t do this!” The hawlucha now turned her attention towards Mariah, getting right in her face. Most people that have worked for the agent have seldom seen her break her smug, cool persona. This was a moment where the agent’s collected mask would crack. “Nigel was an accessory to my girlfriend being nearly killed by a corrupt cop. He tried to burn her alive!”

The hawlucha’s boldness was to be admired. It was also to be quelled in Mariah’s view. The greninja prepared an extrasensory to activate the pain receptors in Lenox’s brain. Only to have one shocking revelation, it was not working on her. The moment Lenox saw Mariah’s eyes glow with that pink energy, she knew the greninja was trying a psychic attack.

Retaliating Lenox struck Mariah with an assurance attack. Normally this would barely hurt any greninja. What Lenox knew was Mariah’s ability was protean and she just did a psychic attack. So the pain this caused was immense.

“Don’t ever try to do that again. Got that?” The hawlucha picked the greninja from her flesh, which hurt like hell. What this also did was it gave Mariah a view of Lenox’s mouth, to which she noticed tiny needle-like teeth retracting in her mouth.

“Need I remind you, who is currently watching over Brittany?” Like a key phrase on an electronic lock, this caused Lenox’s grip to tighten, her claws digging deeper in Mariah’s flesh.

“And you do anything to her Nigel will be first to go.”

What was going on? Brittany was usually Lenox’s achilles heel. Mariah did not want to admit it, but she was actually terrified. Peeking over at Freddy, his reaction he had a nervous smile on his face. He was getting off of this.

Suddenly, Nigel’s laugh echoed in the room. Which turned everyone’s attention to him.

“This is great! Oh man I needed this!” His laugh turned into a hysterical cackle. “Lenox I gotta thank you for giving me this epiphany.”

What was Nigel going on about? Both women were confused by the sentiment. Gwen on the other hand saw what was coming as the moment she was told why Nigel was here, and what Mariah’s situation was. Mariah is slim on options.

“You are really resource strapped. In your efforts to keep this under the table you had to put me somewhere that was as safe enough to protect me because you have your boy toy wrapped around your finger to do what he can to protect me.” The fairy type saying this actually agitated Freddy, who this whole confrontation was bouncing between horrified and low-key happy.

“One beautiful thing about the internet is I can google the procedures for this type of thing, and you skipped a lot of steps. Namely you came to my nightclub with no warrant and you were supposed to give me an attorney. Which means if your superiors find out you breached procedure you could actually go to prison and have your civilian status revoked.” Mariah, who was now furious, clenched her fist and teeth and got on the balls of her feet.

“Although you should not be too worried. I mean if shit hits the fan and you get fired, at least your daddy can give you a loan, bail you out or a job at OPP-”

In the span of 15 seconds she got right in Nigel’s face readying a toxic imbued punch, but the clefable did not even flinch, looking at her dead in the eye then looking at her feet before looking back in her eyes. “Daddy is a sore point for you.”

“Uh.” Everyone present turned to see Yumi and Grohl both staring in confusion as they entered the lobby where this whole confrontation was happening. “All of his stuff is in his quarters now.” Yumi said, not wanting to touch what was happening. Grohl just looked blank in his face.

With that, Nigel turned and walked to his quarters. “I’d love to chat with you Gwen but I’m pooped and I need my rest. No one enters my room without my permission or knocking first. Also let me know when dinner is on.” Before he disappeared down the other end of the lobby to his room he turned to face everyone. “This feels great! I feel like I have my finger hovering over the nuclear bomb button.”

He began to cackle again as he walked towards his room, quickly shutting and locking the door.

Everyone else in the lobby was frustrated at this current situation. Not Mariah though. She was enraged to where she did not even address Lenox over that scuffle earlier, leading her to storm out of the building punching a wall. This act of desperation left a minor dent in the wall, but caused her left hand to bleed from the impact.

Things were going to get more tense.

#plot #gwen the gothitelle #lenox the hawlucha #Freddy the Toxicroak #Mariah the Greninja #Nigel the Clefable #yumi the heracross #Grohl the Tangrowth

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ben10daily · 3 years

Text

happy day 4 of gwevin week ☀️ this fic is written for the prompt of the day: deception. thanks as always to @brooken-gwevin-weeks for organising!

title: one swing ahead of the sword words: 1,100 summary: everything is not what it seems. au.

Kevin craned his neck to peer out through the gilded doorway of the Lord’s Suite, and into the empty corridor beyond. All clear, for a while at least.

He’d been camped outside one of the arched windows for hours before dropping through it. All that precious time spent lying flat under a bush in the court gardens, just to track guard changes and the frequency of patrols in this wing of the castle. But it meant his ears were now fine-tuned to the heavy stomp of their armoured footsteps from at least a hundred yards away.

Things had been going surprisingly well so far, but he didn’t want to jinx himself. After scaling the high wall along the outer perimeter in the early hours of the morning, and crawling through foliage that pricked and prodded at his skin through his dark leathers, he was not about to leave without his prize. Meaning, of course, coins, jewellery, silks, and whatever else he could get his hands on. He had mouths to feed – namely, his own – and loan sharks breathing down his sweat-slicked neck for money he sure couldn’t afford to pay back.

Argit had called him stupid for even attempting this, like his opinion meant anything to Kevin. He didn’t take advice from scruffy orphan kids, especially ones who made a living stealing vegetables from absent-minded market vendors. He was on his way to better places; all he needed was a sack-full of loot from the rich jerks in this castle.

Once Kevin had marked out where the patrols were least frequent, he’d located the nearest room, and inside it the biggest canopy bed he’d ever seen. Temptation was strong – he hadn’t slept well in weeks – but so too were the ever-present hunger pangs wailing from the pits of his stomach. With great effort, Kevin bypassed the bed and instead raided the heaving walk-in closet for a suitable disguise.

The high-collared doublet he decided on was a narrow fit, and the creases chafed at him under both arms. But after combing his hair out and dabbing his wrists and neck with whatever filled the array of nearby fragrance bottles, Kevin was feeling very unlike himself, which was exactly what he needed.

Back out in the hallway, he walked with confidence along the deep red carpets leading to the first corner. Frankly, he had no clue where he was going. He’d already filled his pockets with gold rings and jewels from the bedroom; the kitchen was his next target, wherever that might be, but it wasn’t like he could stop someone and ask for directions.

Rounding the corner, Kevin almost broke his nose on the metal plate of a guard’s helmet before jumping back in surprise.

That wasn’t supposed to happen. Why was there a guard there, 10 minutes too early?

“Apologies, sir, I didn’t mean to alarm you,” said a woman’s voice from under the helmet, and Kevin realised this was perhaps the shortest soldier he’d seen all day.

“Yeah, whatever.” Kevin checked himself. “I mean, uh, that’s all right. Carry on.”

The soldier raised a gloved hand up, and Kevin tensed, but rather than reaching for a weapon she simply lifted the visor on her helmet. Emerald green eyes blinked up at him curiously, and Kevin almost backed up a second time at the pretty face now glancing over his shoulder and down the hallway he’d just taken.

“Most of the nobility have already taken their seats for dinner, sir. Are you…” she trailed off, and Kevin worked to keep his expression neutral, entitled, but may have landed on irritated. “Lost?”

“No,” he said shortly, straightening his posture. At least she hadn’t pinned him for a thief just yet. An idiot, maybe, but he could work with that.

“Then can I escort you to the dining hall?”

“I’m not hungry.” The lie blurted out of his mouth before he could help it, followed almost immediately by the guttural churn of his empty stomach. Kevin flushed, knowing she must have heard that, too. “Or, I mean, I’m not feeling well. So I thought I’d go to the kitchens instead for some,” he paused to consider what a lord might drink instead of the hard canal water routinely poisoning the local townspeople, “wine.”

“I see,” the soldier said, nodding like this was reasonable. Kevin congratulated himself on a successful lie, and stepped forward to move past her.

“So, if you’ll excuse me—"

“I’ll escort you there.”

She had laid a hand on his shoulder. When he turned his head to look at her, in rickety jolts like his neck was snapping under the effort, she was beaming at him as if permitting some great favour.

Kevin had, of course, prepared himself for the possibility that he’d need to kill someone to make it this far, but how the hell was he supposed to attack a woman who looked at him like that? Her grip was like a vice on his shoulder, and he felt his traitorous body start to sweat. She wouldn’t let up, and he didn’t know where he was going; there was no way around it.

“Sure, that sounds, uh, reasonable. You lead the way.”

He followed her from one corridor to the next, past door after door and his hands itched to open them all, just to see what treasures they might contain. But he couldn’t do anything suspicious with this eager soldier glued to his side. So he walked, and kept walking, and some of the turns started to look familiar after a while. How big was this castle?

“Here we are,” the soldier said, finally drawing to a stop outside two tall wooden doors. “I hope you feel better soon, sir.”

Kevin thanked her and, as an afterthought, leaned into what he hoped was a respectful bow. Then, realising he was posing as nobility with no obligation to bow for random guards, no matter how pretty, straightened his back and almost ran into the kitchen.

When both doors latched shut behind the strange young lord, Gwen exhaled heavily and pulled the helmet off her head, running a hand through strands of long, red hair in relief. For a second there, she thought he might have noticed that she was well outside the normal patrol route. Or that she was alone where the rest of the guards had worked in pairs.

He hadn’t even commented on her poor sense of direction. Wealth really was no substitute for a brain. Smiling, Gwen pressed a hand to her bulging pockets and sauntered off in search of more loot.

#ben 10 #gwevin week #*fic #*

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in-a-cave-with · 5 years

Note

can you make a list of every mavel comic you've ever read (good and bad) i just finished iron man (1998) and i thoroughly loved it with all its best and weird bits

GOOD™

iron man stuff:

tales of suspense (1963) – a classic. 100/10. would read several times

iron man vol 1 (1968) – i’m on, like, issue 20 out of 300 something but it’s also very very good! the drama..the action……..wig

iron man vol 3 (1998) – obv i know youve read this one anon but for anyone out there starting comics this one’s SUPER good, and also Love Is Stored In The Tonyru

iron man vol 4 (2005) – listen this comic. so great, so iconic. maya hansen! epic fights! director stark! good art except for, like, the 6 issues of execute program but execute program is such a good story arc that you wont even notice!

iron man noir (2010) – INDIANA JONES AU TONY STARK, LITERALLY THE BEST CONCEPT MARVEL’S COME UP WITH. PEAK COMICS IRONFAM

iron man legacy (2010) – i enjoyed this one a lot! i’m kind of confused as to, like, what’s going on but it’s fun

iron man season one (2013) – ok so this is, like, a modern remake of tony’s origin story and it’s..kind of average imo but thats ok! bc you can just look at the very very pretty pictures

iron man fatal frontier (2013) – tony becomes governor of the moon and fights doom! also he takes down an ai with weaponized fanfiction somewhere in there. read this one with a .cbr reader

invincible iron man vol 2 (2015) – gonna maybe fuck around and rec bendis’ entire iron man run bc . the art is gorgeous and the story isn’t the strongest but tony’s characterization is v good

international iron man (2016) – ok i dont remember what happens in this one but alex maleev’s art is literally god

invincible iron man vol 3 (2016) – RIRI WILLIAMS!!!! AND ALSO AI TONY STARK (MY SON MY BOY WHOM I LOVE)!!!!

other stuff:

new avengers vol 1 (2005) – as i have said before. new avengers GOT the sauce. stevetony and caroljess on one team was too powerful so marvel had to break em up with civil war . also stop reading this comic when you get to civil war

civil war: casualties of war (2007) and civil war: the confession (2007) – these are both oneshot comics and also the Only Civil War Content You Need To Subject Yourself To

spider-man noir (2010) – a break from the avengers stuff to tell you that this comic is very brutal and also very good

secret invasion (2010) – ok avengers emh did it better™ but this is still very neat! also it’s pretty trippy so its got that going for it too

siege (2010) – i dont understand what’s going on but the art is very good. also the avengers get to beat up norman osborn’s bitch ass

avengers prime (2011) – apparently this is the “stevetony bible” and …honestly there isn’t anything i can say in objection to that

avengers vol 4 (2010) – this comic is SUPER fun. after the fear itself tie ins the art and story get pretty eugh though so be careful

fear itself (2012) – BEST BEST BEST!!! my favorite crossover event in comics, with cool art and a badass storyline

captain marvel vol 4 (2012) – can we get a yeehaw for CAROL DANVERS . hell yeah. this is her first run with the name captain marvel and it’s Very Good

avengers: the enemy within (2014) – captain marvel vol 4 ends on a cliffhanger and the storyline’s capped off here

avengers vol 5 (2013) – ok so *clown noises* i haven’t exactly finished it but…this is the One Was Life The Other Was Death comic and it’s super good from what ive read so far

hawkeye (2013) – matt fraction’s run! everyone and their dog wants you to read it and you absolutely should if you have not. not too sure abt the volume numbering but heres a link to download in TPBs, it’s volumes 1-4

captain marvel vol 5 (2014) – this is the volume featuring chewie (!!) and carol in outer space with the guardians of the galaxy (!!!). super fun in general, would read again

ms marvel (2014) – again i am VERY confused as to what the official issue/volume numbering is, but here’s a list of TPBs that collect pretty much every kamala khan comic pre 2019 (im gonna rec all of them bc kamala is a treasure)

doctor strange vol 3 (2015) – literally everything i want from a comic tbh, also chris bachalo’s art is amazing

marvel 1872 (2015) – no one actually calls this Stevetony Bible 2 but lbr it’s basically Stevetony Bible 2

all-new all-different avengers (2015) – BEST AVENGERS TEAM EVER. EVER. PLEASE BENDIS WHY DID YOU BREAK THIS TEAM UP IM SAD

the unbelievable gwenpool (2016) – oh god oh fuck it’s miss GWEN POOLE . this comic is super funny and also surprisingly heartfelt, plus the art is . mmm.

champions (2016) – the gen z superhero team, i love all of them so much. i can almost forgive marvel for ending anad avengers

hunt for wolverine: adamantium agenda (2018) – so this is, after 11 goddamn years, closure for the first civil war regarding tony and the new avengers that sided with steve. amazing.

the life of captain marvel (2018) – the carol origin retcon is…eh. but it’s still very good! think of it as carol’s international iron man

avengers: back to basics (2018) – kamala goes back in time and accidentally reveals tony’s secret identity and it’s the funniest fucking thing

captain marvel (2019) – the first issue is everyone bullying tony which sucks but DONT LET THAT GET YOU DOWN bc it’s, like, actually good and also tony appears more in later issues without getting bullied

war of realms (2019) – i guess it’s a marvel rule that all crossover comics having to do with asgard are Top Notch? anyway

loki (2019) – AMAZING loki shenanigans and also the REAL reason you needed to read war of realms tbh

ironheart (2019) – gosh i love riri williams so much she’s so GREAT and you should DEFINITELY READ THIS

QUESTIONABLE™:

invincible iron man vol 1 (2008) – matt fraction’s iron man run…it’s ..ok story wise? however the characterization is a lil off at times and the art is HORRIBLE

iron man vol 5 (2013) – ok so this comic is super weird ? because it’s nice that tony spends time out in space but also it confirms that he’s a furry apparently. pretty much the only truly average iron man comic

avengers vol 8 (2018) – okay so i really like the art and the story’s okay but there’s a bit where tony flirts w carol and it’s the most ooc thing ive ever seen and that’s enough to land it in the questionable category

tony stark: iron man (2018) – i debated over whether to put this here or in the Bad™ category BUT valerio schiti’s art is too beautiful and the rhodeytony content fuels me. also issues 12 and 13 (war of realms) written by gail simone are pretty good. unfortunately dan slott wrote the rest and it AINT IT CHIEF

gwenpool strikes back (2019) – it starts off strong in the first issue but goes downhill from there and tbh it’s not really respectful of the previous gwenpool run

magnificent ms marvel (2019) – ok listen i love kamala a lot but if theres gonna be a romance plot between her and bruno it’s the electric chair

BAD. AVOID AT ALL COSTS™

iron man vol 2 (1996) – just. don’t touch this. it’s a hot mess

civil war (2006) – i hate this. so much. it’s unreal. all you need to know is that steve was real close to killing tony in the end but surrendered when he saw that he no longer had the moral high ground. and also steve got assassinated right before he was going to be put on trial

mighty avengers (2007) – this comic had the potential to be SO good. unfortunately the artists for the actual avengers issues don’t respect women at all

superior iron man (2015) – they made tony evil and i could not be more angry with it. who even fucking wants to read this theres not even any emotional payoff for any of this

civil war ii (2016) – i would hit this stupid comic in the knees if i could. there is not a single c*vil w*r with rights. all you need to know is that carol put tony into a coma and it’s super ooc

iron man 2020 (2020) – listen i know this comic hasn’t come out yet but it has all the ingredients to be EVEN WORSE than superior iron man which is saying a lot.

this took way too much effort

#long post #tony stark #iron man #comics rec #i have read..many comics

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ai-katsuu · 4 years

Text

Wonderland Ball (4/4)

Chapters: 1 2 3 4

previous chapter

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“Have you ever seen them fight like that?” Briar asked.

Hans shook his head, “Never. At least not in front of us. Either way, I think it’s safe to say this is the biggest fight they’ve ever had.”

“And this isn’t just a meaningless fight, this is serious, about status.” Noki noted.

“Not saying that it’s solely Jack, we’ve all had our fair share of nobility privilege,” Arthur referred to the rest of his F7 teammates, “but Jack has always had it bad. Next to his looks, status has always been important to him.”

“But that was before he met Audrey! Right..?” Goldie worriedly asked them.

“I have no doubt that Jack cares more about Audrey than either of the two, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t value those two things still.” Merlin said, “As bad as this fight is, it’s not enough to bring them down. Far from it.”

“Is it our business to get involved though?” Gretel crossed her arms concerned, “I mean as interesting as it was, we weren’t really supposed to be listening to their private conversation.”

“If they wanted to have a private conversation they shouldn’t have done it in the parlor. You know, where everyone hangs out.” Peter noted.

Gretel looked at him, “Peter that’s not the poin-”

“No- wait, he might be right.” Snow put her hand on Gretel’s shoulder. “We could say we overheard them and that would give us the excuse to talk to both of them.”

“Are you sure it’s alright though, what if they don’t want us to get involved,” Pino said.

“If they say so the first time then we stop.” Snow responded.

Kio nodded, “Let’s split up in half then, one to Audrey and the other to Jack. Is everyone okay with that?”

The rest agreed and they set off two find the other half. Merlin, Briar, Noki, Kio, Peter, and Gretel found Audrey in the center of the square garden, lying down by the fountain. It wasn’t that hard to find her, given that the garden is in the center of all three wings of the palace and the large glass walls made it easy for anyone in the hallways to see. The bun she had her hair in was now removed. Audrey let her fingers float on the surface of the running water, debating on just falling in and sleeping there for the night.

That was impossible for one reason only, which is that in their wedding vows they had both said they would never go to bed angry at each other. But right now, she just wanted to take a short nap underwater though, like she always did when she was stressed. She shifted her weight to the edge of the fountain before a pair of hands stopped her. Annoyed and slightly alarmed, she looked to see who it was.

“I know you don’t get wet from it, but try not to fall in the water? You’re gonna ruin that dress, as well as your make-up.” Peter said.

Audrey only frowned back, “What are you doing here?”

“We’re trying to make sure you sleep in a warm, comfy bed, not with the fishes.” Merlin sat down next to her. Audrey sat up and saw Briar, Noki, Kio, and Gretel as well.

She sighed, “And I supposed you all heard the whole thing?”

“Kind of. Sorry.” Gretel admitted.

Audrey shook her head. “It’s fine. It was the parlor, we shouldn’t have argued there.” Peter raised his head at Gretel and mouthed an ‘I told you so!’ to her.

“Audrey, we heard both sides of the argument, and you’re right.” Briar started, “I’ve gotten the opportunity to live both lives. Raised in a palace when I was younger and trapped in a cabin in the woods for the next half. They’re very different but both are nice ways of living.”

Gretel nodded, “Agreed. Though I retained my title after I left my palace I got the chance to live with commoners and it was wonderful. I appreciated all the sorts of traditions that were different from mine.”

“I’m more on the commoners' side, never liked royalty but I don’t hate its perks of it,” Peter added.

“Right? They’ve all experienced it, not just you.” Merlin smiled, to which Audrey returned the gesture, “And you know who else has experienced it?”

Audrey chuckled, “You?” Merlin shook his head,

“Far from it, born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Try again.”

“Well if not you then,” Audrey's smile faded as the realization hit her, “Jack…”

On the other side of the palace, Snow, Arthur, Hans, Gwen, Pino, and Goldie found Jack at the astronomy tower. He hated heights. That was a fact that everyone knew aside from him refusing to eat any sort of beans. But he had been so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t realize he was climbing the handleless open stairwell and was now sitting here stuck, in fear he might fall climbing back down.

“This was literally the last place I thought we’d find you.” Arthur opened the wooden doors.

“Oh thank heavens you’re here. Put that strength of yours to use and carry me down” Jack raised his arms up.

Arthur laughed, “As much as I would love to humiliate you, that’s not why we’re here.” he gestured to the rest entering.

“Hey...sorry to intrude.” Gwen offered a small smile.

Jack shook his head, “It’s fine. I don’t like being here alone.”

“So the fight really got to your head that much?” she asked.

“You were listening?” he frowned.

“Well, even if we weren’t your voices were pretty loud. Heard it from down the hall.” Goldie said.

Jack's face had a hint of concern, “Was my voice that loud?”

Goldie shook her head, “It was the both of you but that doesn’t matter now.”

Pino sat beside him, “Jack, I’m sure even you must know you value all the nobility way too much. It’s not bad to live your life that way, but-”

“If it’s not that bad then she should live that way too. As her husband, I have a responsibility to give her the best life has to offer.”

“That’s true but have you considered the thought that your ‘best’ may not be the same as her ‘best’?” Gwen told him. Jack was about to ask what she meant before he continued. “You and Audrey come from very different backgrounds. That may seem like something bad but the truth is, you always need to have a partner that is different than you. It keeps things balanced. It’s literally the fitting definition of the phrase ‘you complete me’.”

“You see Jack, there are dreamers and there are realists in this world. You'd think the dreamers would find the dreamers and the realists would find the realists, but more often than not the opposite is true.” Pino told him, “You see, the dreamers need the realists to keep them from soaring too close to the sun. And the realists, well without the dreamers, they might not ever get off the ground.”

“Yeah! I always try to calm Noki down when he’s being too much of a perfectionist, and he makes sure I don’t get killed trying new things out in the forest.” Goldie agreed

“Though in your case, I think both of you individually are dreamers and realists. Fifty-fifty.” Arthur said, “But regardless, Pino is right. It’s good that you’re having these fights because it will only make you understand each other better. Don’t go around picking fights though.” he quickly added.

“In order to understand her though, you really have to picture her whole life.” Snow gently said. “Her whole life she had to fend for herself, get her own food, make her own money...well she may not have always gotten these things the lawful way..but disregard that part.”

“But that just proves my point though,” Jack looked at her, “I don’t want her to live that way where she has to risk her life just to eat.”

“” Risking her life’ is exaggerating a bit, but I get what you mean. But has it ever occurred to you that because she grew up with that lifestyle, she doesn’t want to let it go? It would be like losing a bit of her past.” Snow told him.

“It was much too easy for you, Jack.” Hans said, “You left your old life behind as soon as the doors of nobility were open to you. Nothing wrong with that but since you were once a commoner, don’t you think you of all people should make an effort to see where she’s coming from?”

“He was a farmer, right?” Audrey asked Merlin to which he nodded.

“He made news of the prince who went from Rags to Riches. He was the first prince I invited to join the F7,” he told her.

“Before that, he was very hardworking though. He would work the grounds and fields ordered by his uncle. Dawn to dusk.” Noki said.

“He didn’t have much to get by with, only enough to feed them both,” Kio added.

Each word they said only made Audrey feel worse as she replayed the last thing she said to Jack. She felt stupid and inconsiderate. He had only lightly mentioned his past before he became a prince, but he never went in too deep with it; she never pushed on it either.

“So that’s why he was so obsessed with nobility and riches...it was something he was deprived of and what he longed for when he was younger.” Audrey looked down in shame.

“He may not have said it well, but he does have the best intentions for you.” Gretel told her, “I think he just needs a bit of time to understand the social equality and rights between classes.”

“You guys are human, you both made mistakes. Communication is important more than ever in times like these. You should go look for him.” Briar told Audrey.

“But how do I even apologize to her?” Jack asked Gwen, “I said all those things to her face...I basically insulted her as a person.” he cringed at himself.

“Just talk to her as you always have,” Gwen told him, “Talk to her gently. If she needs to vent then let her. As her husband, you need to listen to her.”

“I don’t know if I can even make it through him venting.” Audrey ran her fingers through her hair at Kio’s suggestion.

Merlin laughed, “If you start crying then Jack will drop everything he’s doing. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Go find him.”

“Go find her.”

Before thanking them with a smile, Audrey ran out of the garden into the palace halls. Jack burst through the doors of the astronomy tower, although hesitated when he was a few steps down, but was then given a literal push by Arthur as he ran down the steps. Audrey tried her best to run in her Christmas heels, and her hair was beyond fixed now, but she didn’t notice until she saw Jack turn the corner.

“Jack!

“Audrey..!”

“I’m sorry!” they both said as they stopped just a meter from each other. Both of their faces red and sweaty from running and exhaustion.

“Jack, I’m sorry I said that. I should’ve known you of all people knew what commoners go through and you had such a rough time so of cour-”

“No! Audrey, please don’t say that!” Jack put his hands out, “I was stupid and inconsiderate and I should know better than to insult how you lived. I may not understand how both classes are the same but if you say so then it must be true. I promise I’ll try my best to understand. You’ve lived as a commoner your whole life and you turned out to be the person I fell in love with. So you’re right, they’re not as bad as I say they are. I shouldn’t have said those awful things.”

“Oh, Jack, I,” Audrey paused from his words, unsure what to say except, “I love you. I love you, Jack. I’m so sorry we had this fight.”

“No, no, it’s alright. This is a good thing.” he assured her as he pulled her in his arms, “I love you as well.”

She looked up at him, “So are we okay?”

Jack chuckled, “I should be asking you that.”

“Of course I am!” she laughed. Jack, happy to hear it again, easily lifted her up and spun her around the halls as their laughter filled the halls.

“You look lovely in your dress by the way, it’s not often I get to see you all dressed up.” Jack noted.

“Right?! Isabella made it for me, she even picked out these shoes for me,” Audrey lifted her heels.

“I know, they’re fabulous.”

At the end of the hallway by the corner was a relieved group of princes and princesses, happy that this finally all came to an end.

#red shoes and the seven dwarfs #red shoes and the 7 dwarfs #red shoes #red shoes movie #rsat7d #rsatsd

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insomnihan · 5 years

Text

han’s Entire Thoughts and Feelings on Dreamcatcher’s “Breaking Out”

youtube

MY TIME HAS FINALLY COME

ITS TIME FOR ME TO GO CRAZY AAAAAAAAAAA GO STUPID AAAAAAAAAAA ON TEXT POST THE TIME IS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FULL SOMNIE MODE ACTIVATED DONT LOOK AT ME (added mv instead so bc there are already TOO MANY pictures)

there are no read mores here so im sorry (im actually gonna apologize this time this is long™) IM GONNA BE VERY SPECIFIC

hella pictures, links, and words youve been warned™

ALRIGHT SO-

THE SONG i think a lot of us would agree that the introduction threw us off (i was also one of those people) but to be honest i dont mind it AT ALL?????? that kinda harmonizing sound during here and here i dunno what that is but i was vibing hard with it i really liked it and yeah it is different from their usual style but once i heaRD THAT GUITAR IT WAS OVER FOR ME I COULDNT- like i wanna bounce but i also wanna headbang at the same time

i mentioned this to gwen @wickymicky tho one thing i would say is i just WISH this song went harder??? i dunno how to describe it exactly but something heavier??? i wish i knew how to elaborate on what that means im sorry but i just know thats what i feel but other than that im very satisfied with this song!!!!!!

yoohyeon starts the song as if i wasnt vibrating with excitement already like her singing voice is just sounds so pleasant???? HIT ME WITH THAT SILENT NIGHT SILENT NIGHT i personally liked this part in the middle and how it built up into the chorus i FELT THAT IN MY BONES

MISS JIU YOUR VOICE its so soft yet powerful just like you GENERALLY LIKE HOW!!!!!!!!! youre literally the second person to sing and you got two things from me: 1. F UCKED UP and 2. my heart........................... like her bridge part just SO PERFECT LIKE YOU DONT UNDERSTAND-

S U A YOU CANT BE KILLING ME WITH NO WAY NO WAY LIKE WERE STILL IN AND THERE WAS NO ONE LEFT just something about her tone.................. im- pairing her with jiu for THIS my heart and my ears, yknow what ALL OF ME is just so happy and ‘you cant stop my heart’ well you sure stopped mine with your voice-

there is SO MUCH DAMI??????? THERE ARE TEARS???? IN MY EYES???? i was shocked to hear her so early on in the song but i welcomed it with open arms i love her deep voice so much her parts were nice (tho a little off as in not very ‘dami-like’ if you will not usual to her parts in their other songs) BUT when she was saying that part with love, lost, and hide it and her part at 2:31.......................... pls.....

HANDONG P L E A S E her parts at 0:40 and 1:39 were small but they sounded SO pleasant im cry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a moot of mine mentioned in her tags somewhere about how handong’s voice sounds silky and like...................... thanks for saying it bc youre sO RIGHT like i cant even describe it in depth to yall bc it just makes me feeL GOOD hearing it!!!!!!!!

miss lee gahyeon hitting me with something gentle at 0:44 but then hitting me with this at 1:31 like with handong her parts are small but still impactful!!!! her voice is so nice to listen to like it sounds smooth??? i cant Words™ but yknow what im saying right-

SIYEON I COULD LITERALLY LISTEN TO YOUR VOICE FOREVER her voice for the chorus................ IM CRYING ITS SO CATCHY!!!!!!!!! SO BREAKING OUT OF THE DARK NIGHT is literally stuck in my head i cant- her voice is just SO unique right??? like its so powerful and it jUST H I T S YOU FULL FORCE side note: i found myself waving my hand with her when she sings bye bye thats so dorky of me leave me alone

THE DANCE L I S T E N i was PLANNING on trying my hand at gifs but i was impatient and we all know that pictures WILL NOT do this choreography justice but AS ALWAYS THEY COME THROUGH WITH SOME GOOD ASS CHOREO it doesnt hit as hard as their other dances but that doesnt bother me- there was a lot of Hands™ like a lot of emphasis on the hands and gestures (will mention more later) UUUUUM the dancing during the chorus with so much arm swinging and they all hit the air so hard with their elbows and fists i could really just feel that energy?? like all the effort and power they put into their dancing and to give it their all???? aka i feel tired just watching them dance

two parts i REALLY wanted to gif: 1. when yoohyeon does this with her hands up to 1:30................................... thanks and 2. this part with jiu and sua together................................... thanks x2

BONUS PICTURES:

so this pose is like their thing now right?????? this is from what???? i dunno what this means here but like im glad they have a cool pose that represents them

OKAY TWO THINGS: this was all i could focus on when i watched the teaser like siyeons face as if shes super into this (or was singing i dunno) and then jius face like is it THAT serious-

THE VISUALS ON TOP OF BOMB CHOREO THEY ALSO HAVE BOMB AESTHETICS FOR THEIR VIDEOS!!!!!!!! i would explain EVERY scene but i thought why not show the ones i really liked and put some thoughts under, some are more specifically about how i left looking at them (this is long enough already):

(i must mention beforehand that i loved the part with suas swing and jius rope too but i liked looking at these ones much more)

I KNEW THE MOMENT I SAW ALL THAT RED THREAD IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH FATE like i think actually believe in fate and stuff like that now bc LOOK at them their threads of fate all tangled together and s hit but also i just REALLY wanna see how they pass through the strings lmao

this part was haunting to me??? like i felt suffocated just looking at this??? i dont think thats how i was supposed to feel but this hit

do you see how disorienting???? do you feel that way too???? bc I SURE DID plus i dunno these colors, overlaying her looking in different directions and then at the end when they connect again in the middle my god yes-

okay i said i was going to mention hands and that theyre basically the most important thing in this entire video there are so many scenes of them reaching towards each other, wiggling their fingers and shaking their hands, but unable to even TOUCH you could really F E E L how DESPERATE.......... the WANT and the NEED to just connect together and bicth im gonna cry but its BEAUTIFUL™ (i was gonna add every shot that showed them reaching to each other but this is long enough already)

THIS JUST HITS HARD TO ME

ITS SUPER SYMBOLIC BUT IM TOO BIG STUPID™ TO PUT IT INTO WORDS JUST LOOK. AT. IT.

this is like gahyeons scene but it didnt hurt as much i love the color green but for this scene seeing that wall nearly crushing her and this color together i ACTUALLY felt scared and nauseous and again i dont think thats what im supposed to feel but i did and it also hit she is certainly........................... breaking out sorry

P L E A S E this is the ending and theyre all finally together and i think them standing in a circle and holding hands like is also their thing but do you see?????? yoohyeons smile?????? (im sure theyre all smiling at least i hope so)

T H E M

to the shock of LITERALLY NO ONE they are the seven (7) most beautiful women to walk this earth, so of course i was shaking continuously and my neck was getting broken every second i have nothing to complain about or even REMOTELY MENTION to change anything about them except i want damis shorter length back

plus their outfits and makeup looks are simple and nothing over the top and i think theyre wearing their teaser image outfits in the more colorful scenes but no complaints there like the white outfits when theyre surrounded by the red thread like they look great!!!!!!!!!! just nothing to specify (also their really cool looking earrings they just always have)

(also pls appreciate these screenshots they all come from a split second within their individual shots instead of the shots from the beginning bc i love making my job harder for no reason looking good as hell it took forever to get them okay moving on-)

JIU

someone pls tell me how she could make her face so intense...................... pls i thought i was gonna get turned into stone any second with how threatened i felt seeing her i just about died with all those damn close ups she got im TOO TIRED miss kim minji if looks could kill............................ her white dress was longer on one side so its lowkey just one leg and her shoulders out pls- that scene with the purple background and the rope and her eyes are purple too and just FULL of threatening energy....................................... dont hurt me

SUA

COME👏THE👏F UCK👏ON👏

ALL INSOMNIAS AGREE SHES A WHOLE MEAL™ this hairstyle and color on her specifically like this picture and its wavy i wish she could just keep that forever but yknow and that white dress shes wearing in this picture too with the sleeves pls you BEAUTIFUL BIH- her hair has a smaller pony tail in the red dance scenes and a whole pony tail for the swing i just wish i could see those styles better and I KNOW its a swing and the shot has to be far away but thanks for her side profile there im just saying-

SIYEON

THIS WOMAN™ this exact look with her hair straight and the one black glove and the one long sleeve that s hit hurted me and when they were dancing in the kinda red (i think its red) scenes shes wearing pants so good for her to stay on her brand plus i mentioned the green scenes earlier and she is THE Actress™ shes literally so stunning i had a hard time getting this screenshot bc i just kept looking and NOT doing this, her Power™ truly i finish with mentioning the eyebrow thing at the same part as bye bye................................. thank you

HANDONG

YALL ALREADY KNOW HOW IT BE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS WOMAN IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IVE EVER LAID MY EYES ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the first couple of close up shots she got I DIED AT THOSE TIMES SHES SO ETHEREAL i will NEVER get over this hairstyle on her EVER and her hairstyle for that one dance outfit here like CAN WE JUST ALL AGREE that she just almost always looks Expensive™ and Princess™ like whenever we see her bc i cant deal!!!!!!!!! and i DID see her wearing that lavender outfit from her teaser image when that dropped during these scenes like i understand its supposed to be far away to express distance between others and how gloomy it is like that but i wanna see- ANYWAY I LOVE HER

YOOHYEON

let me just start out with how HAPPY AND THRILLED I AM that she has grey hair again like THATS HER LOOK™ shes also very good at being intense and powerful and that breaks every bone in my body but i had accepted it i wanna specify her little snarl hit me harder than it shouldve it lasted for literally a second she had the wavy hair too during those green yellow (???) and red scenes which i have to say AGAIN i wanna see it better but i understand why i finish this with her smile at the end i must mention it again pls my uwus-

DAMI

im sorry i need to start with full on wishing her hair was still that shorter length i miss that so much- ANYWAY this color on her F A N T A S T I C™ like this look with the black around her shoulders and she has a shorter dress instead of the long on one side like siyeon she was also wearing pants during those red dance scenes and honestly thanks im not even going to mention her scenes with handong again yall already know i wanna see it better

GAHYEON

LOOK AT HER she didnt have a lot of screentime like this picture comes from her first singing part and it was blurry but yknow that was aesthetic bc it focused eventually so ill let it slide literally she just has long black hair but she looks absolutely GORGEOUS in this mv!!!!!!!! i just wanted to see her more at all!!!!!!!! shes just so pretty and she got to have that cool scene with the plastic but like GIVE👏ME👏MORE👏GAHYEON👏NEXT👏TIME👏

LIKE i keep reminding myself that this IS a japanese song and i expected the style to be different so i guess thats why im not TOO critical about it i can totally hear how someone could be not so into it like that beginning part which doesnt sound like a dreamcatcher song if you didnt it was them yknow what i mean??? at least thats how i see it BUT PERSONALLY this is a pretty solid song!!!!!! ive been listening to it for two days straight and im feeling G R E A T!!!!!!!!!

IN CONCLUSION: GUESS WHOS GOING TO LISTEN TO THIS (AND THE WHOLE ALBUM) ON LOOP FOR WEEKS ON END YUP THATS ME

bonus bc i had to make this:

#FINALLY I WRITE ONE ABOUT DC #i dunno if i wanted to add it to the post but i just wanna say MY WAY GOES HARD AS HELL #this is a day late sorry i was a lot busier than i thought #i expect no one to read this entire thing #but if you do GOOD JOB #im chaotic™ lmao #dreamcatcher #han.txt #han's mv afterthoughts

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kariachi · 5 years

Text

Okay, because I’m proud of what I’ve got so far and don’t know when or if it’ll get finished- have 3400 words of WIP.

Kevin is getting married off, they’re still working on the ‘to whom’ portion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all began, as these things do, with dinner at his mother’s. Nothing special, just Kevin, his mother, his girl, which really, he supposed, was why this was when things started getting serious.

“So,” his mother had said, midway through the meal, “I’ve been thinking that we should try for Looma.” It hadn’t come out of nowhere- fuck, his last birthday had included the line ‘there’s applications by the door, if you want to marry him get yours back to me by the end of the week’- but still Kevin paused in his eating, going so far as to set down his fork. Gwen paused at his side, eyes narrowing.

“Mom, I’d have to fight Looma to get her. And win.”

“You could win easy.” She, meanwhile, had not stopped eating and took a moment to finish a bite of stew before turning to Gwen. “You’d like her, she’s a good kid, competitive.”

“Looma is intense to say the least,” Kevin countered, “with a short fuse and strong ego.” His mother shrugged.

“Okay, she’d learn to like her.” Glancing Gwen’s way, Kevin rolled his eyes and groaned in the traditional ‘mothers, can’t live with ‘em, invested too much money to kill ‘em’ manner. Gwen just looked confused, face scrunched like she thought someone was up to something. Which was probably true, but that had nothing to do with the conversation at hand.

“Can I just clarify,” she asked, glancing between them, “what are we talking about?”

“Marriage candidates, Gwendolyn, keep up.”

“Mom, be nice.” One of the greatest remaining issues of his life, somehow his family liked Gwen less than Gwen’s mother liked him- and he’d set her son up with Argit! As if to prove this fact, his mother rolled her eyes much like he just had.

“Alright. We’re discussing who Kevin’s marrying.” And attention back to Kevin. “Looma’s a catch, even Luka and your cousins agree.” Kevin huffed.

“What if we don’t want to move to Khoros? You know she’d expect it.”

“It’s a great planet, wonderful food.”

“Lots of sand.”

“Rich culture.”

“Also giant spiders.”

“Stop! Stop.” Hands held between the two, palms outward, Gwen looked between them, eyes still narrowed and lips set in a frown. Eventually her gaze settled on Kevin’s mother. “What am I, chopped liver?” There was an opening there, and Kevin glared at his mother before she could take advantage of it. She continued on like she’d never planned to.

“You didn’t get an application in,” she said simply. “If Kevin wants to marry you it’ll have to be on his own time. Meanwhile, we’re getting him some good spouses.” Now Gwen was the one huffing.

“You can’t really have expected me to fill that out, it was over Christmas, and my birthday right after!” And foot, mouth, the snowball of disapproval ever grew. Kevin’s face fell into his hands as his mother finally set her spoon down with a glower.

“Oh, I’m sorry, is my son not worth wasting two hours of your precious holiday time-”

~~~

“I cannot believe your mother, and you just went along with it!” This was the struggle he faced when it came to spending time with Gwen and his relatives together- in the end, he had to deal with all of them.

“Babe, I’ve been expecting my family to be involved in my love life my entire life. If anything the fact they’re looking to get me multiple spouses this young says a lot about my desirability. At my age Kay had like five offers. And she included you in the conversation! Forward progress!” Kevin flashed a grin that was met with nothing but pure scowl.

“And you were going to discuss this with me, when?” Wait, stop, what? Huh? Kevin’s face scrunched in confusion.

“I have? Multiple times?” Gwen continued to scowl. “When we started dating I told you my family was going to arrange at least one marriage for me and you’d have to share, you were cool. I told you when they started getting offers, you were cool. You were there while three of my siblings got married off, you were cool. My family passed out marriage applications at my last birthday. You were cool. Excuse me for assuming, you know, you were cool. We need to hash out details, but that wasn’t really a priority until now and I don’t know if you’ve noticed but we’re busy people.” The scowl remained, but she stopped aiming it directly at the side of his head. Instead she leaned back in her seat and turned it out the passenger window.

“I wasn’t even on her damn list.” It took effort for Kevin not to sigh, something he was half sure would get him killed.

“You can’t be surprised,” he said, “my family doesn’t like you and you didn’t fill out an application.” The scowl deepened and came for him again.

“It was due over Christmas!” This time he didn’t even bother trying to hide the groan.

“Gwen, please, you just finished arguing with my mother over this.”

“It’s true! I was set up to fail!”

“G. Babe.” He was this close. “I swear to Zak, if you try to have this argument again I will drop you off at Feli’s. She will gladly spend the next three hours telling you how big a fuck-up you are and how you don’t deserve me.”

“Kevin…”

“She’ll gloat.” Gwen scowled at him for another long minute, then turned back to the window.

“Have I mentioned how much of a bitch she is?”

“Nearly as often as she says that about you.”

~~~

“So, your ma made a very nice offer-”

“Oh fuck.” Kevin groaned, going limp under his car. “Don’t tell Gwen.”

“Aw, but Earthboy, I was hoping to rent a billboard and everything. ‘Kevin Ethan Levin-Jones’s mother offered him to me’ in big bold print. Was down to choosing the color.”

“Do not,” he repeated, sticking a pointing finger out in Argit’s direction, “tell Gwen. She’s already in enough of a mood about this whole thing. Surprised I haven’t heard from Ben yet.”

“Give them time.” Kevin returned to his tinkering with another groan.

“What’d you say? When she offered?”

“I told her I was flattered- I mean look at you- but I’d have to talk to Ken about it before I made a decision.”

“Okay,” Kevin said, nodding, “that makes sense. Things going good with him?”

“Great.” He couldn’t see it, but he could hear and practically feel the smile on his old friend’s face. “He might say yes you know. Feels guilty about it ‘cause you’re dating his sister but he does think you’re a nice piece.” Chuckling, Kevin shook his head.

“Of course he does. Fuck that’d make it worse- not only does my family like you more than her, but her brother gets a chance at a hunk of me via you?”

“Well in your family’s defense, I don’t like Red either.”

“Yeah, because you’re incompatible brands of asshole.”

“Come on, Kev, you can’t blame them. If nothing else this is the girl whose immediate reaction to Feli was passive-aggressive implications of attempted boyfriend snatching.” Fuck, if there was a moment he never wanted to remember.

“You don’t know pain until you’re trying to get a word in edgewise for introductions, and your girlfriend is unwittingly accusing your sister of incest, and your sister is just letting her dig her own grave.” He heaved a short, tired laugh. “You shoulda been there though, the look on Gwen’s face when I finally got to tell her who she was talking to- Priceless.” Argit chuckled.

“Oh I know, Feli has described it to me in detail. She’s described it to a lot of us in detail. I think she’s gonna get a painting done of it, hang it above her mantle.” That, sounded like something just about any of his sisters would do, and a few of his brothers. Kevin silently vowed to keep an eye out for such things.

“Just, give me a heads up when you two come to a decision, before you talk to anyone.”

“Sure thing, Kev.”

~~~

Alan appeared to be having some sort’ve crisis, laying on his couch, staring up at the ceiling. He’d been like this since before Kevin’d showed up, looking forward to an afternoon with his niblings, and the only sign he’d moved in the hours since was the half a sandwich he knew nobody else had made for him. In true younger sibling fashion his brothers and sister didn’t seem to much notice, just rolling their eyes when they saw he was still there and dispersing through the house.

Kevin was so proud.

“Alright, Shortstack,” he asked, leaning over the back of the couch, “what’s eating you?” It took a moment for Alan to respond.

“I’m next.”

“Next?”

“Once you’re married off.” Ah. Okay. That explained that. Kevin purred at him.

“You’ve got time you know. Not like wedding bells are ringing tomorrow.”

“Yeah, it’s just…” Alan sighed. “The future. It looms. College and marriage and kids-” Finally he moved, hauling himself up on his elbows just enough to have to crane his neck to look Kevin in the eye “-do I even want kids?” Kevin shrugged.

“Do you?”

“I don’t even know right now.” And there he went, collapsing back down. “Guess I should figure that out.”

“Don’t rush yourself. Like I said, you’ve got time.” What had been a soft smile turned toothy. “Don’t think Cooper’s figured that out either.” Alan looked at him, lips tugging into a smile.

“You guys are going to try to get Cooper for me? He’s not exactly…” He gave a little half shrug, which Kevin mirrored.

“Oh we’re gonna have much higher standards for everyone else, trust me, but the kid’s going places, he gets on with the family, and the two of you have been practically melting every time you’re around each other for over a year.”

“What can I say,” Alan said, smile morphing into a grin, “he lights a fire in me.”

“Boooo.” Kevin gave the pun a solid two thumbs down, followed by a quick exchange of raspberries. Puns or no, it was always nice to see one of his niblings smiling. “At least make puns based on each other, damn.” Alan blew another raspberry and shook his head.

“How are you not freaking out?”

“Honestly, Shortstack,” Kevin answered with a shrug, “I think I might just be numb to change at this point.”

~~~

He wasn’t really. Numb to change. He just had a million different ways to distract himself from the potential negatives of a situation, especially when the situation was like this, where he knew those negatives were unlikely to come to pass. After all, his family loved him, was maybe a little too overprotective if he was honest, and even if they did mess up and get him somebody awful, he’d have other spouses to turn to and also eviscerating would probably happen.

His mom was really good at eviscerating.

She was where he got it from.

But one’s brain never listened to logic if it could try to panic, especially not if you were mentally ill, so distractions it was. Such as, for instance, baking, his favorite form of cooking for it’s more exacting, technical requirements. Today he had Manny keeping him company while he worked. Ostensibly he was there to taste test things, make sure they weren’t poisoned, which Kevin had warned him was a bad move because he had various breads and pastries with long proofing times planned, but he’d insisted.

In the end Kevin had made a batch of maple blondies for him to munch on, something Manny was doing with gusto while watching him force bagel dough to submit to his will.

“‘ey ‘ev?”

“I know it’s good, dude, but swallow before you choke.” He couldn’t see the man sat behind him, but he heard him swallow and blow a raspberry at him before continuing.

“How’s the marriage arranging going?” And there went plans of distractions.

“It goes. Why, what’s up?”

“Nothing much, just, heard there was some drama going on.”

“What? No. There’s some Tennyson Drama trying to horn in on Levin Drama territory, but I have five older sisters hovering, there will be drama only over their dead bodies.” Manny chuckled.

“Thank fuck, was worried for a minute there. I, uh, may have filled out an application, so...” He didn’t stop kneading, not immediately, but Kevin turned that information over in his head. Manny had filled out an application. Manny, who had known him since they were babies and so really should’ve known better, had applied for a position as his husband. His girlfriend had not.

Kevin half-collapsed over the counter, shoulders shaking as he struggled not to laugh.

“Hey!” He was glowering at him when Kevin turned to look at him, and the Ossy raised his hands in surrender.

“Not laughing at you, promise!” he said. “Wasn’t expecting you to be the only person I know of who put in an application.” Though in thinking about it he certainly wasn’t against the idea. He just, hadn’t known there was any interest there. And his siblings and parents liked him, especial Val, so maybe he was in with a shot…

Manny shrugged.

“You’re smart, you cook, and sometimes, if you squint, you’re almost cute. Figured I may as well give it a shot.” He bit into another blondie, pointedly chewing and swallowing before he continued. “Who else is on the list?”

“Don’t know.” Kevin shrugged as he spoke and returned to his work. “Right now I know of three people who’ve been options, including you, and to hear some of my family speak it’s a long list. Family’ll pick out who they think are the top candidates, then I’ll get to say which ones I like the sound of, and then they’ll see about making final choices and getting things arranged based on that. Unless of course you’re Argit or Looma, at which point you apparently just get handed me on a plate.”

“Argit’s my competition? I’m a shoe-in.”

“Argit and Princess Looma.”

“…well fuck.” Grinning toothily, Kevin looked over his shoulder at him.

“Luckily, you’re almost cute too, that’s gonna earn you some points.”

Manny proceeded to drown himself in the blondies.

~~~

“Alright, all your options, ready to go!” To say Kevin was nervous, sitting there watching Luka reenter the kitchen with a stack of files, would’ve been a serious understatement.

Today of all days he was keenly aware of where he was- in a home he’d seen more of, when his father was alive, then he’d seen his mother’s, talking to a man who’d had more a role in his early raising than anyone related by blood. Luka was his father’s longest standing spouse, the only one who had followed him to Earth, and it was no secret that half his siblings had been given the information on their potential spouses right where he sat now. Right where things felt most like home. At an old, old table stained, scorched, scratched by the use of every child from his eldest brother to his youngest nephew, files were placed down by the same clawed hand that carded through so many’s hair.

Kevin tamped down his nerves to exchange a smile with him.

There were a lot of files. Some traitor part of his brain said it wasn’t that many, but he shut it down before it could give him a number. It was more than four, it was too damn many.

“I take it I’m popular,” he half-asked half-nervously chuckled, fidgeting with them. Luka took a seat next to him, tail resting supportively against his leg.

“Well, you know a God, you hang out with a Hero, your father was a High Prince and a Hero, you’re a Hero and also one of the most powerful members of our species even at your young age. So, yeah.” He nodded. “You could say you’re a little popular. We narrowed it down to the best prospects and the ones we thought you’d enjoy the most.”

“Huh.” Kevin nodded back. Letting out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, he began to sort through the pile.

“Remember, you don’t need to make a decision today. Take some time, weigh your options.”

“I know…” He did not recognize the majority of these people, though he supposed that was to be expected. Despite not having his attention, Luka carried on in the calm tone of someone who had been through this ten times counting his own experience in Kevin’s shoes.

“We haven’t heard back from Argit, so we’ve kept him in there just in case. And that one, Prince Hunter Alba Rhon, very well bred, supposedly has a great sense of humor, loves to read.” More nodding from Kevin.

“Looma and Manny are still in, huh?” Luka chuckled, not unkindly, and leaned back in his chair.

“He doesn’t have much to his name, but he’s a good kid from some good families, and he’d complement you well. Looma, well she’s just you with a shorter fuse, more limbs, and an inheritance.” Taking a moment to blow a raspberry at his, fuck what number was it at this point? at his not-first-father, Kevin set Looma’s file off to the side. Whether that was his keep or discard pile he didn’t know yet.

“I really don’t want to move to Khoros. All my stuff is here.” With a fond look, Luka ruffled his hair.

“We don’t want you to move to Khoros either, but Eva will do what she can to get you the kingdom she thinks you deserve. Plus, your father is proof enough that long distance marriages can work.”

“Dad was a fucking miracle.”

“Language.” Kevin opened his mouth- “Don’t you dare.” -and closed it again. He took and released another deep breath.

“How am I supposed to do this, anyway,” he asked. The pile of files felt… daunting.

“Listen, Little Monster-” Kevin rolled his eyes at the old nickname, it’d bothered him for a while, but he’d mellowed back into it. “-don’t worry about anything to do with their clans, breeding, connections. That’s for the rest of us to worry about. All you have to do, is read the files and pick the ones you think you would get along best with.” The look Luka got was suspicious, but he smiled on.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

There were too damn many files there. Kevin had time, but he didn’t feel like he did and there were too damn many files there. For a third time, he sighed, and moved Argit and Manny’s files onto Looma’s.

“Alright, where should I start?”

~~~

He’d gone through the files. It’d taken him five thousand years (two weeks) but he’d done it.

“Managed to cut the list down by seventy-four percent!” Helen raised a brow at him, then looked back at the stack of files on his desk. Kevin could see her doing the math in her head.

“You had twenty-three options?” Her tone was incredulous, like she couldn’t believe her math. Kevin didn’t blame her.

“Yeah. But! I have it down to six now!”

“Damn.” In a flash Helen had stood up, grabbed the files, and returned to her spot on his bed. “How many are you supposed to narrow it down to?” With a shrug, Kevin flopped onto his back.

“There’s not really a set number. One to three to start with, maybe? And I should probably run them by Gwen.”

“I think,” Helen said, “she would toss all of them.” It was a good bet. “She feeling any better about all this?”

“I, really don’t think so? She keeps changing the topic when I bring it up, but she’s been moodier than normal. And I haven’t heard anything from Ben about it.” That was the scary part. He’d expected Ben to call him and bitch him out on his cousin’s behalf weeks ago, but no. Things had been, not really normal but there’d been less ‘you’re being an asshole’ then he normally got when Gwen was upset about something involving him.

He’d have to ask Argit if Ken talked to them.

Either way, Helen did not look enthused by his answer.

“Yeah, that can’t be a good sign.” Kevin tossed her a shaky grin.

“Cross your fingers for me?”

“Gladly.”

#fanfic

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radiodreadzone · 5 years

Text

Irredeemable

WC: 4,451

TW: Blood, death and death mentions, mentions of panic attacks.

It was as casual a night as you could call it. A little ridiculous, a little wild and out of the park, all things considered, so far. Gwen had paired me off with two names I’d heard around the Club but never really run with before. Some hot-shot loud-mouth named Icy, and a calmer, reasonable sort in the form of Burrick. Missions with them so far had been...interesting. Icy was full of bluster, if not charming in his own way. I had more fun than I probably should have sassing him over the coms, Burrick occasionally interjecting.

We weren’t nearly as thorough in our explorations as I was with Muse, Kyle, and Kirby when we all ran together, but it was gloriously chaotic. It was also deliciously funny to hear Icy screeching panicked complaints into the coms. I’d had to crank the volume on mine way down not only to prevent him deafening me like a flashbang, but to keep Sleepers and Lucids alike from swinging in my direction any time that Icy met with any aspect of misfortune.

I’d been following a trail of blood through the Maze, the gravity of the situation of a missing club member slightly shattered by Icy’s continued attempts to lighten the mood. His constant wittering was as ridiculous as it was soothing in a strange way. It kept me from thinking too much, even as he bypassed Sleepers and Lucids with apparent ease as we entered the Plexus. His words were drowned out by the great bellows above, but the hum of his voice over my earpiece was as consistent as ever.

“Looking at all this blood, they’re probably dead!” His tone was light, but I could see the jerkiness to his movements. As nervous as I was, maybe. Or maybe he just wasn’t graceful.

The blood trails when they were this long rarely had happy endings. A small part of my heart fluttered with a vain hope that maybe they would be...even as Icy scoffed at me for saying as much, going on about mortal wounds as we crept into Signal Relay. A Lucid was walking through on patrol, and ignoring Icy a moment, I took careful aim.

“A robotomy!” Icy declared theatrically, causing me to snort as I took my shot, missing the Lucid’s back by a breadth, and ruffling Icy’s hair as the bolt barreled past.

“Did you just try to shoot at me?!” Icy barked in surprise.

“No. I missed the Lucid.” I stated, lowering my crossbow, even as I smiled slightly at him. Let him think what he wanted. I could already see the mock betrayal flash in his eyes, and I let it fuel my laughter, muffling it with a hand over my mouth at the proximity of the Lucid.

Then I saw the body behind him.

“Oh.” I said softly.

Another one down. Another one we’d lost. “Geeze.” Icy muttered. There was a beat of silence where he shifted from a slight sag in his posture to resume his apparent carefree air. “Well, they’re dead!” He declared into the coms. I could hear Burrick’s resigned sigh on the other end.

One more body that would be imprinted in my mind. They were turned away from me where they lay. I was glad for it. I didn’t need another face to add to the tally in my mind. I kept track. I never told anyone. But every time I saw another one of us down here...gone…

It was haunting, in it’s own way. But would they have anyone who would remember them? Who would tell their family? God. I didn’t even know who they were. But Gwen and Dax did. This would be another hard night for them. Another hard call.

I turned away.

He arrived so quietly and suddenly that had the thought that brushed across my mind not been so at odds with the swell of grief I felt in that moment, I wasn’t sure I would have noticed his presence at all.

SHE HAS GOTTEN AHOLD OF WHOM?

My steps out of Signal Relay stuttered to a halt at the flickering thought of inquiry, leaving me blinking in the half light. I could hear Icy saying something to me in the background, but I missed it in the moment of surprise and confusion. “Sorry...I don’t…?” It was a mad fumbling of words as I tried to gather my wits. He always seemed to catch me off guard.

Thee-I-Dare? Again? He’d been by earlier to speak with a teammate, and whatever they’d discussed had left her...troubled. She’d called it a night and bid us farewell as we’d left for another mission. I hadn’t expected him to come back. Much less to come talk to me.

What had I last told him..?

A flicker of a memory; staring down my reflection in front of the ritual mirror, wringing the worn edge of dad’s jackets in my hands. “Look I...I know you need more allies but...Don't let your sister onto the table.”

“OH!” I gasped, then shut my mouth hastily, staring behind me at the Lucid that I’d left behind. “Oh. She’s picked Chosen is what I meant.” I informed him. The rumors had circulated the boxcar like wildfire. Not only was their a new goddess vying for a space on the table, but she’d also started selecting her champions.

I suppressed a shiver.

Icy was speaking again. “It was kind of cool that Thee-I-Dare stopped in earlier-”

“He’s back.” I chimed in, cutting him off.

Icy paused on the walkway across from me. “Who?” he asked, caught off guard, “Who’s back?”

“Him.” I threw over my shoulder, slinking in the direction of the Barracks. The rest, lost to the bellows above, was spoken into the radio, to let Burrick into the loop as well. “Thee-I-Dare is here.”

“Oh.” Came Icy’s realization, followed quickly by a swear at a Lucid who’d gotten too close. “What, is he talking to you, now?”

Surprise colored my tones as I responded, “Yeah. Which...I did not expect at all…” And it was true. It hadn’t been so very long ago that he’d spoken to me last. Usually he’d spend time visiting others, speaking of various matters. His absence for longer windows was...expected. Even if I didn’t always enjoy the silence at times. Somehow Redacre and missions felt a little safer with him around, and I’d always enjoyed his company.

Burrick and Icy’s voices crackled on the radio again, though I couldn’t quite catch the words for the distraction of those that suddenly slipped quietly across my mind, a distant ebb and echo, making itself a prominent place in my attention.

I AM BOUND TO EACH RITUAL IN TURN

“I know...but you’ve…” I began, slinking down the long hallway towards the Barracks, easing down into the shadows there, my restless feet already taking me in the start of a long loop. I struggled to find the appropriate words, and as a result, unfiltered thoughts poured forth instead. “Honestly you’ve talked to me a lot lately. I figured...You had...Is it bad if I thought you had better things to do?” I cut off a moment, wincing, before I made an attempt to correct myself. “That’s not a jab at you, it’s more I feel I don’t say interesting things, sometimes.”

Silence extended for several long moments, leaving me wonder if I’d just choked a Voice to death on the foot I’d just shoved into my mouth. “I just...um…” I tapered off, as he spoke.

SPARROW, YOU FEAR MY SISTER.

To my credit, I didn’t flinch, though I did freeze in my tracks in the shadows. I felt...caught, almost. I didn’t sense admonishment from him, but still, shame burned low fires in my belly. “Yeah…” I admitted around a sigh. “Yeah I do.”

DID YOU THINK I WOULD NOT CARE?

Now I did flinch.

I think you have better things to do with your time than listen to me be afraid. The words nearly shot out of my mouth, and I bit them back, just in time. Secondary to that came surprise, followed by a dribble of guilt. Yes...in a way I’d expected him to simply...continue on regardless of what I had to say about Seed-The-Grudge. I’d burned that ritual expecting him to consider it...but ultimately I’d thought I was speaking into silence again. The daimons had demonstrated that they always seemed to keep their own plans at the heart of matters, more so than the wishes and fears of the humans that they were hosted within. I guess the mentality had stuck more than I thought it had.

“I…” I stumbled to begin, trying to recover. “Look...I...You...you need allies, right? Every daimon counts?” Especially now. Especially for him. A Voice without a voice. Weaker and fragmented. He needed all the help he could get, even if I was wary of where that help came from. It was for the best if I just...cast that fear aside, right? “I thought...maybe...you know greater good versus...needs of…” I stopped, realizing how much that sounded like something that They would say. The individual less worth the effort than the group’s safety and purposes. “Fuck, that’s Their thinking. God. I just.” Frustrated, I ran a hand through my hair, fleeing the Barracks, heading back into the roar of the Plexus in an attempt to drown my own raging thoughts.

“I want to help you and I’m more used to...putting my own fears aside to help other people, I guess…” More secrets of self. It cut, admitting it to Thee-I-Dare. More weaknesses for him to know and understand. He didn’t judge, but at some point I expected him to step back and realize that in this town, in this struggle, I might not have what it took, even if I fought for it. “But yeah…” I finished softly, sliding off into the tunnels below a Somniloquy. “She scares me. She...I told you why. With my parents.”

He was silent for a few moments. I let it draw itself out, waiting, keeping my attention focused around me as I watched a Sleeper patrol past before I hauled myself up out of the underbelly of the Somni.

SLEEPERS SHE WOULD AVOID KILLING.

Some relief flickered in my chest.“Right. And I know...I think that’s what happened to my mom.” If this new daimon started on a warpath, my mother might be safe. But...That was only half of it. “My dad…” I could hear the unease starting to creep back into my voice. “They picked him for some kind of project? A work project? And he hasn’t been home in a long time. I’m starting to think that maybe...whatever he’s doing for them is willing…” I had harbored the hunch for a long time. A fear never given voice. It felt too much like willing it to truth that way.

He’d been gone so long. I could see the tired looks mom threw out the window sometimes, her eyes sad. She missed him even if she never gave a voice to it. I’d joined the Club in part to find him. To find out what had happened to him. To figure out what had taken him so far from us.

YOU BELIEVE HE KNOWS OF IT ALL?

A chill that had nothing to do with the Maze crept over me. I saw my dad’s face in my mind’s eye. I pictured him here. In the Maze, wearing Their garb. I shuddered, shouldering open the door that lead to Dream Therapy. The green light was softer than the harsh glare within the Somni, and I waited a moment for my eyes to adjust as I shifted to the strange, man-made tree-tops. “I...I don’t know.” I admitted softly, wringing my hands around my crossbow. My eyes cast out across the twisted wood, the shifting fog, and the deep abyss beyond the catwalks.

“It’s...my best guess? We haven’t talked to him.” Not for a long time. It was like he’d drop off the face of the earth for days at a time. Then mom would tell me he called. I’d never spoken to him since he’d left. After being in the Club as long as I had...I’d wondered if he’d truly talked to her at all. What he was doing and what he was up to. The creeping suspicions were there. A deep rooted fear without a foundation, but stabilized by plausible evidence. “He’s the one that got the job offer from CHORUS. The reason why we moved here?” Well. Part of the reason anyway. I cast that thought away before the sharp pang could follow it.

Dad was a structural engineer. Military background. He was in good physical condition. Smart as a whip. I remember him saying that the offer that they’d made him was good. Really good. I wondered what else had been at play, now. What other subtle influences had crept in through the open windows of his mind. I drew my jacket tighter around myself. I could see him down here in the Maze with alarming clarity, if I tried to entertain the thought. And that worried me.

“So it...seems to fit. Not that I would ask Them about it...The last thing I need is for Them to use that against me if he is.” ...Too bad that the ship on that had already sailed. One Light sent in a fit of grief and anger. They don’t know his name. They don’t know who he is. The thoughts were there, attempting to soothe me, even as the anxiety dwelled in the back of my head like a creeping vine. I wrapped my arms across my body, holding tight, stilling me, and waited in the deep silence.

SPARROW. IF HE IS ONE OF THEM…

The words came at last. I froze in their wake, fearing his next words. Waiting for what I felt in my chest could be words that damned or saved him.

IF SHE DOES NOT KILL HIM. YOU MAY

My heart just...stopped. My breathing froze. The low drip of water and rumble of the Maze faded away as I focused on those words burned in my head. The image I held in my head of my father fractured. Vanished.

Gone forever.

Just like Jacob.

I cringed so violently away from that thought that I physically recoiled. My voice came out a low hiss, barely a death rattle as I tried to suck in air that my body had forgotten how to process. “I don’t want to do that.” It sounded loud even as I rasped it, cracking across what had been silence prior. “I can’t. I can’t lose another person!” The burn of tears came again, and I was helpless to stop them as I felt them track down my face. A hand came up trying to muffle myself.

This is dangerous. You’re too loud. You’ll blind yourself if you cry.

It was a thought that I only had the ability to heed for a few moments before another crashing wave of grief, both old and new, buffeted me again. “I can’t lose another part of my family!” I whispered. “That’s why I don’t want her around! That’s why I’m trying to save people!” I was desperate to make him understand. These fears. They weren’t unfounded. I’d lost too much already. Didn’t he realize? Had he not lost too? Did he not remember those Hosts we had found? Their ghosts that lingered in the Maze and haunted him when we asked?

How could he say that?

My radio crackled. I heard my name, called in Icy’s voice, followed by a yell. I stirred from my own private reverie. One hand wiped at my face as another reached down to grab the radio and flick the volume back up so I could hear him.

“Yeah?” I asked, hearing how muffled and small my voice sounded. I cleared my throat once, twice, trying to fix it. But I couldn’t choke anything else past the knot that had affixed itself there.

“It’s really awkward without you sassing me, what’s going on?”

“Not good things!” I managed to get out. The false cheer in my voice was obvious. I couldn’t bring myself to fix it. To smile at the banter. I couldn’t bring myself to do much of anything. Move. Breathe. I was now a machine of limited perpetual motion. If I froze any longer, I’d lay down and cease to move all together. I couldn’t let that happen. I bolted from Dream Therapy, seeking out the nook within the walls of Host Conditioning. That would be my next destination. Something to focus on.

“Well that’s not good.” Came Burrick’s quiet voice.

Icy followed not long after. “Ah. Sounds delightful, what’s going on?”

Right. I hadn’t explained much of anything. More vagueness. More hiding and secrets.

My voice was absurdly small against the empty air of The Throat, the giant body of the Maze echoing slightly as I finally managed to find my voice again. “I may have to kill my dad. If Seed-The-Grudge doesn’t get to him first…”

There was silence on the other side of the coms. Icy was the first to recover. “Ooh...that’s...that’s bizarre.” I could hear the puzzlement and shock that had crept into his voice, despite his best attempts to hide it. “...It is Thee-I-Dare you’re talking to, right?”

I hadn’t thought about that. Hadn’t bothered to verify or check. But I...I was certain it was. He’d come to me asking directly about a prayer I’d sent to him. I...I never said his name in it, I realized. More recoiling, more fear. Too much. Too much. I would trip myself right into a panic if I wasn’t careful.

I sniffed, lifting the radio again. “I think he means more like...collateral damage?” Did he? Or did he mean it seriously when he said I had to kill my father? Was it supposed to be an honor? Or an accident? I didn’t...couldn’t...understand. Not in that moment. My thoughts were too much of a blur. I chose to focus on something else. Before I got myself killed down here.

His words slipped forth again, doing little to soothe the ache in my chest at their crack and burn across my mind.

THE LUCIDS ARE BEYOND REDEMPTION.

I flinched back into the alcove. Beyond redemption. The thought repeated itself at full blast. Like an echo chamber across my mind. More tears slipped silently down my face, even as I bit down on my tongue, refusing to break more at the words, even as I could feel myself buckling.

No. God. Please no.

Icy broke through the din again, his voice shattering my panic. “Right uh...You need to start from the beginning.”

Did I? Had I not been clear enough? I didn’t...I didn’t want to go through all of that. Not again. I…

“Sparrow, what’s going on?” He pressed.

I needed this to stop. I couldn’t do this from two sides. Not now. “Can I...can I take a moment later and tell you?” I managed weakly, begging in my head that he would leave it at that. That he would stop pressing.

“Sure.” He finally said. I sagged against the cold wall. “We’ll have a meeting back at the train car.”

“Sounds fine.” I whispered, relief leaking through me in a sluggish trickle.

“Tell Thee-I-Dare that ...that's not a very nice thing to say.” He came back through the radio one more time, ending his words on a nervous laugh before he called out to Burrick, rallying them both.

I remained there in the dark, pressed against the stone. I was sure in that moment that it was all that was holding me up, even as I stared blankly into the shadows and light of the room. My senses were strained. Waiting for him to say something else. Nothing came. So instead, I met the silence with my own torrent.

“I don’t...I know that...they serve Them but that’s my dad, Thee-I-Dare! I can’t just write that off! It’s not that simple!” Again, trying to impress the point upon him. I don’t know if he even...understood. Their idea of family was so different. So full of hate and anger. Rivalries and fighting. Did they know what it was to love someone so dearly that it felt like your heart was torn from your chest when they went somewhere you couldn’t follow? Could they even understand what it was like to lose a part of yourself irreparably? If any could..I’d thought he’d be the closest but…

SPARROW...IT IS NOT ME.

I COULD LIE. I CHOOSE NOT TO.

Some distant, cold part of me respected that. Respected that he would tell me the truth in this moment. Comfort while well and good did nothing in the long run. Did nothing to fix things when truth was necessary.

Another part of me was so so frightened.

My voice came out in a hoarse whisper, cluttered by the sniffles that tried to keep my nose from running haphazardly down my face. “I know. I just…This hurts. This hurts. And I...I know but...God.” I hadn’t meant to get emotional. A mission was no place for that, and made things riskier. I tried to pull myself back together. Tried to rally.

You can fall to pieces later. Not now. Not here.

“Either way.” I tried. “I get it. I don’t like it but I get it.”

No you don’t. You don’t understand at all.

THEN YOU LEAVE REDACRE. FLY.

My head shot up, startled. That wasn’t what I had expected from him. What? My mouth hung open, working for a moment around words I couldn’t find or format. Finally I managed something as rationality kicked back into gear in the face of shock. “How am I supposed to do that? They’ve got us blocked in from all sides. I’m stuck here until something gives.” He’d asked the impossible of me.

WE CRIPPLE THEM, AND YOU RUN.

I stood there frozen, eyes wide. Realizations trickled in. How much risk that would be. How much he was offering. My mind tried and failed to process it, to accept it. More words tumbled forth from me. “...then what about the Club? What about you?” What would happen?

YES. BUT WE SPEAK OF YOUR ENDGAME

I felt dizzy. I couldn’t think straight again. I bolted for the other room. Seeking the tunnels that led to the bunker, led back to clear night air. It took until the hatch into the backyard had been shouldered open before I could find my tongue. Before I could think past humming static and noise in my head.

I couldn’t help but ask more of him. It was out of my mouth before I could stop it. “I don’t know if...if in that endgame. Does my family get to come?” His offer...it sounded too good to be true. But...could...could we all make it out of here? Could we run? Could we get away from this place?

Could you even convince someone willingly participating in this to do that?

I flinched.

“Is that even a possibility or with all this going on...is it just going to be me?” I threw myself over a fence, hiding in the tall grass on the other side. Before me the empty, yawning air beyond the Leap expanded outwards, the sight of the town visible below an endless expanse of stars.

THE ODDS DO NOT FAVOR GROUPS.

Alone then.

I sat there staring off the Leap.

For a moment, I could see it all. A thread unspooling before me. A future away from Redacre. I could break free of here. I could run. Survive, like he always told us to. I would never have to worry about Them. I would be beyond their reach. I could go find my grandma. I could be free. I wouldn’t have to be afraid again.

It was tempting.

More than it should have been.

But...Alone. No Mom. No Dad. Left alone to their fate here. Muse. Kyle. Still left fighting for what they believed in. What I believed in.

It would shatter every promise I’d made for the sake of saving myself.

“...then that’s the coward’s way out.” My tone was hard, even as the words that slipped from me were quiet on the night air. “And I won’t do that.” I couldn’t. Wouldn’t. “I won’t leave everybody. I won’t leave my dad. I won’t leave my mom. I can’t leave Muse or Kyle to face this.” I took a deep, fortifying breath. Something solidified in my gut. Something that felt less like a stone and more like…

Resolve.

“I’m scared of a lot of things but...I’m not a coward.”

SOUNDS LIKE A CHOICE. I RESPECT IT.

I had no sense for his tone. Had no idea if he found my decision to be a good one or utterly foolish. He didn’t judge. Not to our faces, anyway. I’m sure he had his own thoughts on each of us.

I shut my eyes, rubbing jacket sleeves across the sticky trails that remained on my face, slowly drying in the night air. “We’ll see what happens with it.” It was low, nearly lost to the soft hum of crickets that had begun chorusing in my stillness.

A pause. Then:

OUR RITUAL TIME ENDS, MY SPARROW.

My eyes opened again. My Sparrow. Maybe it had been the right choice then. Maybe I wasn’t a fool for all I’d done. There was a wry twist in my chest at the thought that I cared so much for the endearment. That it acted like a marker for how he saw me.

You’re a fool, Sparrow.

I turned away from that thought, before it could start down a path of doubts. Before I could remember accusing texts and notes scrawled in a boxcar.

“I know.” There was a pause. “Thank you...for telling me.” I expelled a long, slow breath. “I’ll have to think about things.” When I could think again. When all of this stopped being a confusing circuit in my head.

I WILL BACK YOU, EITHER WAY.

“It’s appreciated.” I whispered. Even now, even in my tumult, it was good to know that when things were at their worst, there was something, someone, there to back me up.

SURVIVE.

And then he was gone to the night.

I stayed there curled in the grass. Quiet. Thinking.

He’d offered me an out.

It still rang in my head. Then you leave Redacre.

What would have happened if I’d said yes? What would it have cost him to let me even try? His Hosts, his chosen were so few. The resources at his disposal limited. And yet he’d still offered.

In that moment, he’d seen me not as a resource. Not as a Club member, not as something to help him win this war, but just Sparrow. A scared kid who was neck deep in things she didn’t understand.

But...he’d also told me that my father had to die if my suspicions proved correct.

It sat like a weight on my chest.

Now what will you do?

I allowed myself another few seconds to sit. To think.

Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to fix this.

I stood and picked up my radio. “Alright. We’re good to go, guys.”

#The Blackout Club #TBC #TBC rp #one shot #THEE-I-DARE #HOO BOY THIS ONE IS A DOOZY #And also like 4k words #It is ridiculously long #BUT GOD IT WAS SO GOOD???#radiodreadzone #redacrespeaks

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ladyrevanhalin · 5 years

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TWISTED MORALITY (PART III of ONLY LIGHT CAN CAST SHADOW) CHAPTER THREE: SEEKING SHELTER FROM THE STORM (PREVIEW SECTION 4 OF 16)

[Author’s Note: This is a Preview section from an incomplete chapter]

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Three days had passed since the destruction of the Endar Spire. Carth Onasi sat polishing his blaster in that little run-down apartment on Taris. He was beginning to grow impatient with the situation. The Sith forces would surely be searching for Bastila Shan, and he needed to make sure that the Republic got to her first. After the space battle, the Sith blockade had ordered a planetary quarantine that prevented any ships from entering or leaving the planet without special access codes. The situation just seemed to be getting worse and worse. Without Bastila’s battle meditation, there was little help left for the Republic, and without his crewmate regaining consciousness, he had no one to help him look for the Jedi.

That day, however, would prove different than the previous three had. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and holstered his blaster pistol before moving over to check on her. She was panting, and thrashing about again. He’d learned by now from the previous experiences of being whacked in the face not to get too close when she was in this state. He only hoped though that this time, she would finally be waking up for good.

His hopes were fulfilled when this time he saw her sit fully up in the bunk. She continued her panting a few moments longer as she braced herself back against the mattress with her hands before her breathing finally slowed to a normal pace and she looked slowly about the room. The woman’s eyes stopped and grew wide when they landed on him, and she frantically seemed to start feeling about for something. When she was seemingly unable to find whatever it was she was looking for, she stood, facing him.

Carth managed a rather sheepish smile in return to her rather startled gaze. “Good to see you up instead of thrashing about in your sleep,” he said, placing his hands where they were clearly visible in front of him so she understood he meant no harm. He had seen her react in fear onboard the Endar Spire, and thought it best to make it very clear he posed no threat to her. He could only imagine how startled she must have felt waking up in a completely strange place like this after having been in the state she was for several days. “You must have been having one hell of a nightmare. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to wake up…”

He watched her, waiting for some sort of a response, but the woman seemed to be at least partly in shock still. He sighed and ventured stepping toward her. The woman flinched at first, but looked to Carth’s hand as he held it out to her. “I’m Carth,” he said, introducing himself, “one of the Republic soldiers from the Endar Spire. I was with you in the escape pod… Do you remember?”

He watched her, still holding his hand out to her and hoping she would accept his gesture. There were no signs that he had seen so far of any other survivors from the attack, and he needed her help and cooperation if they were ever going to find a way to get off of this planet and back to the Republic.

“I had a… strange dream,” she murmured, her blue eyes growing more distant now. “Like a… a vision, or something…”

She didn’t seem to be looking at him anymore. Carth cleared his throat a little in an attempt to recapture her attention. It seemed successful because her eyes shot upward and alert to meet his own. “I'm not surprised. You took a serious blow to the head. You're probably having all kinds of strange dreams. I wouldn't worry too much about it,” he assured her.

Carth felt himself take a breath in relief when she finally took his hand and shook it. “Carth… the one on the communicator. I remember…. I’m Gwen, by the way. Gwen Dakaal….” she looked around, letting his hand go. “How did we get here?”

Carth’s smile softened. He was glad to know it seemed as though Gwen was going to be okay after all…. “Well, you've been slipping in and out of consciousness for a couple of days now, so I imagine you're pretty confused about things,” he said. “Try not to worry. We're safe… at least for the moment. We're in an abandoned apartment on the planet of Taris. We were overhead when the Sith fleet attacked the Endar Spire. You were banged up pretty badly when our escape pod crashed, but luckily I wasn't seriously hurt. I was able to drag you away from our crash site in all the confusion, and I stumbled onto this abandoned apartment. By the time the Sith arrived on the scene we were long gone.”

“I guess I owe you my life then,” Gwen said. “Thanks…”

Carth shook his head a little. “You don’t need to thank me. I’ve never abandoned anyone on a mission yet and I’m certainly not about to start now… Besides, I’m gonna need your help.”

Gwen raised an eyebrow and folded her arms as she sat back down on the bunk, crossing her legs. “What sort of help?”

“Well,” Carth said, scratching his head, “Taris is under Sith control. Their fleet is orbiting the planet, they've declared martial law and they've imposed a planet-wide quarantine. But I've been in worse spots. I saw on your service records that you understand a remarkable number of alien languages. That's pretty rare in a raw recruit, but it should come in handy while we're stranded on a foreign world.”

“Yeah, well I work in cipher,” said the woman. “Being familiar with a variety of languages is kind of a requirement. Truth be told, once you know a few of them, you start to notice that everything’s related one way or another… Well, almost everything…. Anyway, is it just a translator you need until a rescue party comes?”

Carth shook his head. “There's no way the Republic will be able to get anyone through the Sith blockade to help us. If we're going to find Bastila and get off this planet, we can't rely on anybody but ourselves.”

“Wait! Wait… Backup a moment? Bastila? You mean that Jedi from the Endar Spire?” Gwen had unfolded her arms, making frantic motions with her hands in emphasis of her words. “Why is it so important to find Bastila?”

Carth looked at her rather confused. “That smack to your head did more damage than I thought,” he remarked, quickly regretting his words when he saw Gwen’s eyes narrow into a leer. He chuckled nervously, hoping to ease the situation. She was rather… odd. Carth couldn’t help but to recount the moment on the Endar Spire when she’d pointed her blaster at him upon reaching the escape pods. “Bastila was with the strike team that killed Darth Revan, Malak's Sith master,” he said in an attempt to defend his comments about wanting to find the Jedi. “Bastila is the key to the whole Republic war effort. The Sith must have found out she was on the Endar Spire and set an ambush for us in this system. I believe Bastila was on one of the escape pods that crashed down here on Taris. For the sake of the Republic war effort, we have to try and find her.”

“Forget it!” the woman said, standing firmly and folding her arms. “I’m not risking my life to try to save her.” With this, she made a move as if to walk away. Where to, Carth was unsure. After all, she’d not seen any of the surrounding area and there could very well be Sith patrols around, like earlier. Not to mention the fact that she’d been unconscious for days and had just gotten up. She was likely to end up fainting from fatigue before she got very far.

He reached out, catching her by the arm. “I don't think you understand the situation,” he said. “We can't hide on this planet forever. Eventually, the Sith will find us… and you don't want that, believe me! Getting off this world isn't going to be easy… we'll probably need Bastila's help. Not to mention that without her, the whole Republic war effort is doomed.” He added the last part on for good measure, hoping to appeal to some sort of patriotism. After all, Gwen must have joined the republic military for a reason. If he could manage to touch on that, then perhaps he could convince her of his side of things. It was, after all, in both of their best interests.

Gwen sighed, causing Carth to relax his grip on her arm. It seemed, at least, like she wasn’t going to straight-up walk out on him. “Look,” she said, “how do you even know that this ‘Bastila’ is still alive?”

“I don’t,” Carth admitted. “But Bastila has a strong command of the Force. If we survived the crash, it doesn’t seem too farfetched to think that maybe she did too. Besides, what’s the alternative? If she’s dead, then there’s no one who can stop Malak and the Sith from wiping out the Republic. All things considered, I’d rather operate on the assumption that she survived.”

Carth watched Gwen’s face. She seemed to be giving thought to his words. Maybe…. Maybe she changed her mind? “You make a fair point,” she said, her eyes lifting to meet his. “What do you suggest we do next then?”

Her answer gave Carth some degree of relief. It seemed as though Gwen Dakaal was willing to cooperate with his plans to find Bastila and get off Taris and back to the Republic. “Well, I doubt any of the Sith are looking for us specifically. We’re not that important, at least not in comparison to Bastila. That being said, if we’re careful, we should be able to move around the planet without attracting any unwanted notice--a luxury that Bastila isn’t likely to have.”

Gwen shook her head a little. “You know, if Bastila is as great as they say she is with her Battle Meditation, then how come the Sith managed to completely obliterate the Endar Spire?”

“Well,” Carth shrugged, “the attack on the Endar Spire happened so fast she probably never even had a chance to use her power. I'm guessing she barely got out alive, and now she's trapped here just as we are. The whole planet is under quarantine. No ships can land or take-off. So if Bastila's going to escape Taris, she's going to need our help. And we'll probably need hers.”

“I guess you have a point... Any idea where we should start looking for Bastila?”

“While you were out I did some scouting around,” Carth said. Since his first little expedition out, he’d managed to gather slightly more information. It still wasn’t a lot to go by, but it was all they had, really. “There are reports of a couple escape pods crashing down into the Undercity. That's probably a good place to start, but the Undercity is a dangerous place. We don't want to go in there unprepared. It won't do us or Bastila any good if we go and get ourselves killed.”

Carth winced internally at his choice of words in the last part. He’d meant it to come out as a joke, but it hadn’t quite played the way he intended… Dammit… The sound of Gwen’s voice, however, interrupted his internal berating or himself.

“I’d like to ask you some questions, if you don’t mind,” she said.

“I'll tell you whatever I can,” Carth said, “though I don't know how much help it'll be.” It was natural for her to have questions about the whole situation, given how long she had been out for. As the senior officer in this situation, it was his duty to answer any questions regarding their new mission. Even so, he was still very much playing the situation by ear himself.

“I’d like to know some more about you, Carth, seeing as you’ve read my service records.” Her question caught him off guard for a moment. He chuckled, wondering for a moment if he could avoid the question. After all, they had a lot to do if they were going to find Bastila and get through the quarantine. Beyond that, Carth didn’t really enjoy much talking about himself, and now really didn’t seem like the time for long, drawn-out introductions. Her expression, however, made him realize that he wasn’t about to get out of the situation so easily. He’d not seen a look like that from someone since…

Carth swallowed, pushing the thought aside. Now wasn’t the time. Instead, he forced a smile at Gwen before he risked a reply. “I understand why you want to know more about me. I, uh…I kinda get the feeling we'll be spending a lot of time together over the next while. But this isn't really the best time for long introductions; we should stay focused on the task at hand. There'll be time for that later, promise.” He knew it wouldn’t allow him to avoid her questions forever, but he hoped it would at least buy him time.

His companion let out a slightly frustrated sigh and placed her hands on her hips. “Fine,” she said. “Later then. Let’s get a move on. After all, the sooner we find Bastila, the sooner we can get off of this planet. Maybe while we scout things out a bit, we can find something to eat. I’m starving…”

Carth couldn’t quite tell if she was joking or if she was being serious. Gwen was an odd creature, that much was certain. “Right. Uh… We can use this abandoned apartment as a base, and we can probably get some equipment and supplies here in the Upper City. Just... remember to keep a low profile. I've heard some grim stories about the Dark Jedi interrogation techniques,” They’d warned him especially when he’d been assigned to act as a guide for Bastila’s special mission, but even before then, he’d heard rumors. “They say the Force can do terrible things to a mind. It can wipe away your memories and destroy your very identity! But I figure if we don't do anything stupid we should be okay. I mean, after all, they're looking for Bastila, not a couple of grunts like us,” he grinned a little to show he was trying to stay positive.

Gwen’s face showed that she didn’t seem convinced. And maybe she was right. The Sith would be looking for any survivors at all, and the ship that had attacked the Endar Spire…. It had been the Leviathan. And if her crew were the same, they might very well start searching for him too if they knew he had been aboard...

The woman shook her head and walked passed him to the little table where he’d set their supplies, taking her pistol and holstering it and the couple of grenades she’d had on her previously and clipping them to her belt elsewhere. “Ready when you are,” she said, turning back to him over her shoulder.

Carth cleared his throat. “Alright, soldier, let's move out!” he said, trying to sound authoritative as possible. Lieutenant or not, barking orders like that in this situation felt odd, especially since he was pretty sure it wasn’t a ground soldier he was with…

Once he’d gathered his own weapons and supplies, the two ventured forth from the apartment. He had hoped that it would be relatively quiet. After all, with the Sith Patrols out and searching the Uppercity for survivors, they had to be extra-cautious. However, today was not so very quiet as the pilot had hoped for.

“Okay you alien scum, everybody get up against the wall! This is a raid!”

Carth instinctively put an arm out, stopping Gwen when he heard the voice from a bit further down the hall.

“There was a patrol here just yesterday, and they found nothing!” came a Duros voice. “Why do you Sith keep bothering us?”

“Let’s head back and wait for them to pass,” the pilot whispered to his companion.

No sooner had he spoken to her than blaster fire sounded, echoing through the corridor.

“That's how we Sith deal with smart-mouth aliens! Now the rest of you get up against the wall before I lose my temper again!” The voice belonged to a Sith Soldier who was accompanied by two battle droids. One of the droids seemed to have picked up the two humans on its sensors, because it made a sound, causing the soldier to shift his attention toward them.

“What's this?” the Sith Soldier said. “Humans hiding out with aliens… on Taris? Republic fugitives, perhaps?”

‘Dammit,’ Carth thought. There was certainly no chance now of them slipping away from the situation without a confrontation. Things were likely to get messy….

Before Carth knew what was happening, a blaster fired from beside him. Gwen had drawn her weapon and opened fire on the Sith soldier and droids. “Dammit!” he exclaimed, aloud this time. He made a mental note to berate her choice of acting without waiting for word from her senior officer when they ever got out of this. In the meantime, he drew his own blaster pistol and also opened fire.

The whirr and flurry of fire from both ends was relatively short. Luckily for them, the Sith soldier had been alone other than his droids, and it seemed that the alien locals weren’t particularly fond of him. Carth could have sworn there had been some extra shots fired at their common enemy from a few of the perhaps bolder among the alien refugees there. He sighed and holstered his pistol before turning to Gwen.

“Next time,” he said, “you should wait for my order before firing.”

Gwen’s brow raised and her eyes widened and she let out a single laugh. “Excuse me?! He would have shot us dead if he had the chance to fire first. Doesn’t take a genius to figure that much out.”

Carth raised a finger, opening his mouth as if he wanted to say something in protest, but was unable to find the words initially to do so. She did make a fair point. It wasn’t so much that he disagreed with her assessment of the situation so much as it was his duty to try to make such assessments. He gave another sigh, more frustrated this time and then shook his head a little as he brought his finger down. ��Look, I know you mean well, but just… try not to act too much on your own. We’re a team here. Neither one of us can get out of this situation alone…” “Poor Ixgil,” came the voice of a Duros. Carth and Gwen both turned to look to find a Duros male approaching them. “He should never have talked back to that Sith. Thankfully you were here to step in and help us humans. This isn't the first time the Sith have come in here to cause trouble for us, but hopefully it will be the last.”

“Just happy we could help,” Carth said to the alien creature.

“Won't someone come searching for this patrol?” Gwen interrupted.

“Don't worry about the bodies,” the Duros said. “I will move them so it looks like they were killed elsewhere. That should throw the Sith off the track. With any luck, they won't be bothering us again for a while.”

“Thanks,” Carth told him before turning to Gwen. “We should head out before any more Sith see us. Humans hanging around aliens is a strange sight on Taris. We’ll be safer to avoid sticking around here unless we’re back inside the apartment.”

“Right,” Gwen agreed with a nod. “Besides, we won’t find what we’re looking for here.”

The two were in agreement, and with their goal in mind, left the apartment complex to begin their search for the lost Jedi.

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#KOTOR #kotoredit #kotor 1 #knights of the old republic #star wars #star wars the old republic #Revan #Female Revan #revan carth #Carth Onasi #female revan and carth #fanfic #fanfiction #Jedi Civil War #taris

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meowloudly15 · 5 years

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Stranded: Day 5 - OCTAGONS

Okay, I know I'm supposed to be on hiatus from Tumblr right now, but I have to keep posting these things.

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Gwen woke up gradually to the high pitched hum of fluorescent lights. She stared blankly at the black ceiling, blinking a trickle of blood out of her eyes. Her forehead ached. Actually, every part of her ached, felt restrained and tight.

OCTAGONS

"So the spider finally awakens," said Liv. At least, the lady standing at the other end of the room resembled her to the extent that Gwen's blurry vision could distinguish between figures. The primary difference was her clothing. Liv now wore a green and black onesie and had three, no, four long tubular arms, each ending in a translucent pincer, protruding from a harness on her torso.

"Nuh?" Gwen mumbled sleepily.

Liv turned away from some sort of black rectangular blur. "Still tired, are you? Don't worry. You'll have plenty of time for rest."

"Whaddya wan' from me?" Gwen slurred, blinking rapidly in an effort to clear the fog from her mind. For some reason, she couldn't reach up to rub her eyes.

Liv walked to her side. "You've got an awfully pretty face, you know. Except for this thing." One tubular arm reached over her head and tapped Gwen's eyebrow piercing. "How nonconformist of you."

Gwen grimaced, less at the jolt of pain than at Liv's condescending tone. "I like it. And I don't care if you don't."

The fog abruptly lifted.

Gwen was in a medium-sized, low-ceilinged room with frosted glass walls and a white tiled floor. It was brightly lit, despite the darkness outside. There was a computer about twelve feet away and a workbench covered with science-y stuff two feet to her right. Her backpack and mask stood on another, more distant table. Gwen herself was strapped to a black and green chair by thick plastic bands. She could move her head and hands, but that was all.

HOSTILE SITUATION

Her spider-sense could easily contend for the position of Captain Obvious.

What was this, the second time that she had been imprisoned? She needed to up her game big-time.

Gwen shook her head. "You couldn't have just sent me back home, could you?"

Liv chuckled. Her insincere grin remained on her face as though it had been stuck there with epoxy. "No, sweetie, of course not. You're the perfect guinea pig for me to understand more about dimensional travelling, especially the effects that it's had on you."

Gwen strained against the bands. They were an awful lot tougher than they looked.

"Don't bother struggling. I've analysed your strength levels. You're stronger than you look. It's truly fascinating how your spider DNA has affected your physique. Regardless, these bands can only be opened by me and this lever." Liv gestured to a small metal switch on the workbench.

Gwen immediately knew exactly how she would escape. She nearly snickered, but her face remained impassive. She was well-practiced at concealing her emotions. Still, she didn't trust herself to speak.

Liv began to pace back and forth and continued, "I figure you'll appreciate being enlightened about your situation. I mean, you have nothing better to do. And I do love imparting my knowledge of science upon others.

"The way you got here is utterly fascinating. I still can't figure out how the dimensional transporter hasn't even been activated yet but you arrived last week."

"It what?" asked a befuddled Gwen.

"Yes. We're due to test it tomorrow evening. I can't imagine the test will go very well, seeing as you're now here."

"Tell me more about it."

Liv chuckled to herself. "Oh… that's none of your concern. Besides, how would I know if it hasn't happened yet?

"The big question is, what's happening to you? I'm sure that'll interest you far more." She clapped her hands together. "So! I'm sure you've noticed those odd spasms that you have every once in a while, right?"

"Atomic disjunctions," Gwen corrected.

"Ato- huh." Liv ran over to the monitor and typed forcefully on her keyboard. "That's a good term for it. Well, the thing is, your atoms aren't really jazzed about being in another dimension. The rules of physics and such are a bit different here than they are where you're from. So your atoms are breaking down. Slowly. Agonisingly, I imagine. Have you been in much pain?"

"Well, I've been getting headaches, and I'm tired all the time," Gwen answered truthfully.

"Those must be side effects. I imagine they'll worsen as time passes. You've been here for how long now? Five days? Five and a half?"

Gwen nodded.

"Given your superhuman durability, I imagine you'll be dead in about a week."

She was right. She was a ghost. She was going to die.

But at least she wouldn't die holed up in this lab.

"That's why you have to stay here. I need to study the long-term effects of dimensional travel before you disintegrate. While I could wait or find the other one, you're already h-"

"Wait," interrupted Gwen. "Other one?"

Liv clapped her hands together. "Ah, yes! I've detected traces of another being, similar to you, in Brooklyn."

That was intriguing news. Maybe that was a good thing. She could get help from him. Or her. Or maybe he had ill intentions. Not all people with superpowers were good. Regardless, Gwen now had a goal.

Liv strode over to the workbench. "Well, anyway, now that you're awake, I ought to perform some more tests on you. Don't worry. I promise they won't hurt too much."

It was now or never. Gwen looked down at her gloved hands, chuckling inwardly.

"There's one factor that you haven't considered," she said.

Liv frowned, looking up. Her claws continued to fidget with what looked like a futuristic syringe.

"And what's that?"

"You gotta watch the hands."

Gwen fired a webline from her glove at the switch, flicking it off. The bands snapped open, and she leaped to her feet, mildly disoriented.

Liv exclaimed and whipped the syringe at Gwen, missing her neck by a fraction of an inch as she dodged out of the way. Gwen grabbed the claw and yanked it forward, sending Liv hurtling into the workbench and chair, scattering instruments everywhere.

Gwen let go and ran to the exit, but Liv blocked her, moving more quickly than she had anticipated. Her cybernetically-enhanced foe lashed out with a claw, striking Gwen across the face. She retaliated by webbing the pincer shut and kicking Liv in the chest, sending her flying backwards into the door.

Liv recovered and grabbed the workbench, tossing it at Gwen. She ducked under it, and it smashed to pieces against the surprisingly sturdy wall. Gwen shot a webline at the door handle and attempted to pull it open, but the handle snapped off.

Liv slashed and stabbed through thin air, playing a game of Wac-A-Mole with Gwen. The mole was winning. Gwen ducked and dodged, expertly avoiding the swinging tentacles.

Liv was protecting the door. There was no way for Gwen to get past her, so it looked like she'd have to take her out.

"Could you please cooperate?" asked Liv. "I need these data for research purposes!"

"Yeah, sorry, you're getting your mad science in my compelling need to get back home. That's a no from me."

One of Liv's tubular arms managed to grasp Gwen by the left wrist, holding tight. Gwen struggled to free herself, but the inflatable claw was a good deal stronger than it looked. She eventually resorted to using her right hand to pry off the pincers one by one, but another arm grabbed her by the neck, choking her, as a third grabbed her right wrist and yanked her arms apart.

She needed to disable that harness.

"Please, don't make me do this the hard way! I can't get much useful data from a dead body!"

Gwen gasped out, "I'm… already… dead!"

She attempted to gain ground against the push of the claws but barely got two feet before being forced back again. Her shoulders screamed from the strain of keeping her arms attached to her body.

Liv chuckled maliciously. "You're not dead quite yet, but you might be sooner than you think. There's at least one other spider-person out there, so you aren't all that important to me. And I for one would love to squash a spider."

Gwen somehow found the strength to flex her left arm so that her hand was pointing at Liv. She opened fire with her webshooter, covering Liv's face with webbing so that she couldn't see. Liv yelled in surprise and started wiping the stuff away, but Gwen surged forward and pinned her human arms to the wall.

The claws, unsure of what to do, loosened up. Gwen yanked her arms free from their grasp. She ran forward and dented Liv's harness with a swift kick to the gut. Liv doubled over, gasping for breath. The arms likewise deflated and retracted into her harness.

Gwen pried off the harness, wires crackling and snapping apart, and grabbed Liv in a chokehold. "Tell me more about the collider."

Liv shook her head, remaining silent.

Gwen glared at her. "Answer me! Answer me, or, or I'll kill you!"

"You wouldn't."

Gwen blinked, then reaffirmed her savage look. "I've killed before…"

Memories that she would have preferred to stay repressed bubbled to the surface. She quickly shoved them back down.

"...and I can do it again."

She squeezed harder, and Liv gagged, her face losing all its colour.

"Can't… tell… if… can't… breathe…"

Gwen relaxed her grip, still keeping her hands on Liv's neck. "Then tell me."

Liv gasped for air. "We're testing it tomorrow, on the bottom floor. If I were you, I wouldn't intervene. Who knows what you'd do to the timestream? And know that if I see you again, you're gonna die."

Gwen sighed, then released Liv and webbed her securely to the wall. She grabbed her mask and backpack, kicked down the door, and left the room.

She wasn't going home for a while yet, but at least she had some inkling of what to do next. She could try to find the other spider-person, or she could find the dimension collider. Or both. She had a week.

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#spidergwen #spider gwen #violence #brief peril #death mention #gwen stacy #ghost spider #spiderverse #into the spiderverse #spiderman into the spiderverse #fanfic #fic #fanfiction #spiderverse fanfiction #spiderverse fanfic #writing #stranded #stranded fanfic

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hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger · 6 years

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ASM Annual 2018 rant

There will be spoilers for this and I’m going to presume you’ve already read it so I’m not going to give you a synopsis.

In short it was at best mediocre and at worst a waste of your money.

First of all maybe this is just me but the art was not that great. Overly sketchy, under detailed and it failed to capture the time period. If you wanna see a throwback story with art that at worst nods towards the style of the time, check out Untold Tales of Spider-Man or even better ASM Annual 1996, with art work by Ron Frenz and Romita Senior himself!

I already complained about how Black Cat was written out of character in regards to her attitude to the black costume and how her costume was inaccurate too.

But miraculously both things come off as WORSE in the full context of the story.

Going back to the art, Garry Brown directly references Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8 where Spidey first got the black costume. So...he is CLEARLY checking the old artwork and using it as reference and yet...he screw up Felicia’s costume.

And despite what I’ve seen some people say, that it was just an art flub on like one panel of one page no, he draws Felicia multiple times and the costume design is the same, Brown genuinely believed her outfit looked that way or else DGAF and drew it how he wanted. He wasn’t even entirely consistent with his own error because he draws her with white books in one panel of the comic.

Then we get to the story itself.

First of all in terms of judging this story purely in isolation (which you shouldn’t do in general, but ESPECIALLY when it bills itself as an untold tale meaning it’s entire premise rests upon how it fits into the history) it’s at best okay.

Honestly my biggest take away was like...what was the point of this story?

Okay, I grant you a story set in the Alien Costume Saga from the symbiote’s point of view diving into its head could maybe be interesting. But you’d have to have something really interesting involved because the symbiote itself was a simplistic animalistic creature back then, it wasn’t the more evolved and twisted entity we saw in the 2000s or in more modern stories. It learned emotions FROM Spider-Man himself.

Like what was there really worth exploring from the symbiote’s POV. It didn’t change by the end of the story beyond the ways we already knew about because again, this is a flashback story.

So basically we got an extra length story where we learn that the symbiote briefly befriended some kid.

Wow. That was worth over $4.

Looking at this story in the context of the time it was raising a million questions for me in terms of how the hell it fit.

In the story Peter visits Aunt May, but it was in literally the second issue during the ACS that Aunt May and Peter had a huge falling out over his dropping out of grad school, something not resolved until AFTER the ACS wrapped up.

The impression given by the overall story heavily implies Peter has had the costume for a little while and that the symbiote’s night time joyrides have been draining his energy by the time we get the Aunt May scene. This doesn’t add up because there wouldn’t have been time for that.

Another arguable problem was Felicia referencing Peter taking the costume to Reed Richards. Peter does do this but much later on and I don’t think Reed’s name ever cropped up between Peter and Felicia back then. Granted, I double checked and Reed had offered Peter the chance to check out the suit from the beginning of the ACS, meaning it’s possible for that he mentioned it to her off panel. But again her attitude doesn’t add up.

There are a few other Felicia problems too.

Peter says he was unaware that he and Felicia were on a date, which is weird because they spent MOST of their time together fighting crime and it was made explicit that that was to them what going out to the movies or for dinner was for a normal couple.

This is literally one of Peter’ problems with their relationship, they spent so much time doing that and not just being a normal couple. Hence he broke up with her!

Later Felicia reprimands Peter for being 2 hours late and tells him he’d have to put in more of an effort if he wanted her to stick around.

There is no single moment that explicitely calls this out as OOC for her, but in context this is BS. Felicia was so devoted to her relationship with Spider-Man that she not only gave up her criminal ways (twice) and risked her life but went behind his back to get powers from the Kingpin and lied about it afterwards. She is very obviously not going to say something like that unless she was ribbing him and that was not the impression given off by the scene.

Finally there is a scene where she enters Peter’s bedroom via his window to just...watch him in his sleep I guess? Then Peter is slightly weirded out but otherwise chill.

Putting this stalkerish moment aside, it doesn’t jive with either of their characters back then.

On Felicia’s part she had a problem with Peter’s civilian side and preferred to minimize time spent in Peter’s company rather than Spider-Man’s.

On Peter’s part he had a major problem with Felicia coming into his apartment like this because she was being cavalier with his secret identity. A good example can be found in ASM #258 which just so happens to be the conclusion of THE ACTUAL ALIEN COSTUME SAGA FFS!

Then we have the main story itself, the symbiote’s night time activities.

This is a tiny thing but the story explains that the symbiote itself is inducing sleep and controlling what Peter feels during it’s joyrides. This makes sense and is fair enough, up until the point where Peter’s body is being physically injured.

Now, as a lover of the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon, I will admit my second favourite episode is where the symbiote hijacks Spider-Man’s body and defeats the Sinister Six, only for Peter to wake up with some bumps and bruises he was unaware of. So I feel somewhat hypocritical criticising the story from that angle.

I do not however feel bad at all about asking how the Hell did the symbiote manage to keep Peter asleep when it was literally being put through immense pain and partially slivering off Peter’s body!

Isn’t the whole POINT of symbiosis that two organisms are one so if the symbiote feels pain shouldn’t Peter as well?

If the symbiote is feeling pain and literally losing it’s grip on Peter’s body, how is it still so in control of what he feels that it’s keeping him asleep?

How does that even make sense from a pure instinctive survival POV?

Moving on the symbiote gets overly aggressive with the criminals it fights to the point where only by taking advice from a kid in it’s immediate company does it help rescue people sans any form of gbh.

I dunno what the point of this was beyond I guess making it more explicit that the symbiote wasn’t JUST swinging around but also fighting crime. Maybe to foreshadow the symbiote when it and Brock went full lethal protector?

Anyway one aspect of the story which is inconsistent is whether anybody even recognizes Spider-Man. Now yeah in the ACS people DIDN’T recognize Spider-Man in his new black costume at first so this lack of recognition could be excused depending upon how early in the timeline this story is supposed to take place. Problem is the story doesn’t occur over like one or two days it’s obviously unfolding across various nights in which the black costume has been joyriding Peter. Peter himself is feeling the fatigue which if this was one or two nights wouldn’t add up.

In the first scene of the costume going out crime fighting a woman recognizes Spider-Man immediately, implying that there HAVE been at least some photos in the papers showing the new suit and confirming this as the same guy.

However later when we meet the kid the suit befriends in that scene the kid is seemingly unaware this guy even is Spider-Man referring to him as a new hero.

That same night the kid gets abducted by Hammerhead who explicitly calls him Spider-Man. But when the suit rescues the kid he says he doesn’t know who he is but that he could be a good hero someday.

I honestly tried to consider that the kid was referring to Spidey’s civilian identity. But the fact that in their first and last meeting he is talking about how the symbiote could be a good hero someday and told it to be less aggressive and more caring for civilians, implies that the intention was for the kid to STILL not realize this was Spider-Man.

This gets even dumber in the context of Marvel’s timeline. However you slice it if modern Spider-Man stories happen in 2018, then the ASC should’ve happened at the biggest of pushes like 10-12 years ago in 2006, probably even more recently.

How in the Hell does anyone, let alone a kid who’s likely consuming more media than older people, in like 2006 or later NOT hear about how this new dude in black is Spider-Man?

Even if he doesn’t follow the news that’s one of those things you’d pick up via osmosis.

Especially since the media doesn’t shut up about fashion and celebrities and in this case a celebrity bigger than any real life ones has massively changed his costume (and now more closely resembles notorious vigilante the Punisher).

Now let’s talk about the symbiote’s violence.

The story implies the symbiote is trying to help Peter by fighting crime for him as he sleeps. Except the symbiote is violent in a way Spider-Man never is, maiming and killing people.

This makes sense...for Venom. But the symbiote itself is not inherently violent beyond bestial instincts. It committed immense violence in the company of Brock because Brock himself was a violent disturbed individual.

If the symbiote wants to serve it’s host, it’s ‘friend’, by doing what he routinely does why does it go so much further than he does?

In fact if it’s bonded to him and knows his inner thoughts enough to induce images of Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy then surely it is aware that Peter doesn’t act like that?

A far bigger problem is the general public’s reaction to all this.

Again, people obviously know that black costume Spider-Man is the same guy as the dude with the red and blue suit.

So...why is NO ONE reporting that Spider-Man is maiming and killing criminals?

Spider-Man had been demonized for YEARS by Jameson and framed/blamed for various crimes including the murders of George Stacy, Norman Osborn and IIRC Gwen Stacy too!

If Spider-Man was now acting this way it’d be MAJOR news!

In fairness I guess the implication is that the symbiote did this stealthily enough that not too many people found out about it. And every witness that did either forgot about or shut up about it.

Which seems...kind of difficult to believe. It’s difficult to believe, especially if this story took place in the CCTV laden 2000s, that NO ONE saw this happen or else forgot or else kept it quiet. In Hammerhead’s case I do not understand WHY he never spoke about it and why he never ever brought it up to Spider-Man ever again.

Then we get the biggest ‘You really didn’t put much effort into this at all did you’ moment of the story right towards the end.

Okay so the implication is that this whole adventure with Hammerhead and the kid might’ve happened during ASM #258 itself when the symbiote took control of Peter’s body in the middle of that issue. I say this because the page immediately after the symbiote tucks peter back into bed is Peter taking the costume to Reed Richards.

I do not know why but for some reason the idea that the climax of this annual transpired specifically during ASM #258 just bothers me for some reason even though I can’t seem to find any explicit contradiction or problem with it doing so.

The same cannot be said of the actual scene involving Reed.

The scene plays out differently in various small but noticeable ways and one big egregious ‘This is the laziest lack of editing and research ever’ kind of way.

I’ll list them out in a second but it’s easier to just to a side by side comparison of ASM #258 and this annual.

· The ‘choreography’ (for lack of a better term) of the scene is different. In the annual Reed and Spidey are sitting down and in the middle of examining Spider-Man’s suit when Reed delivers the news that it is alive. In the original story Reed had already conducted all his tests and Spidey was waiting around to hear the news which Reed delivered to him and Johnny whilst all three of them were standing upright.

· Reed’s dialogue explaining the symbiote is alive is totally different and far more blasé, whereas originally it was longer and ended with the reveal as a shock, Peter reacting accordingly

· Peter is casual about learning his suit is alive and about removing it only getting distressed when it starts clinging to him.

· Reed wasn’t wearing a lab coat in the original annual

· Reed was accompanied by Johnny

· The Sonic Blaster is totally different, resembling a gun you could hold in one hand whereas in the original issue it was shaped more like a rifle

· The annual implies Reed busted out the Sonic Blaster almost immediately after the symbiote tightened it’s grip on Peter when there was several panels depicting Peter’s struggle and Johnny and Reed’s attempts to help him and retrieving the Sonic Blaster

· Oh yeah and there is the teeny weeny fact that in the original story, unlike this annual, PETER DIDN’T HAVE HIS MASK OFF!

I’m sure there are some who will be like “Oh get over it it’s a tiny little mistake from a comic over 30 years old”.

NO!

This is not a tiny mistake.

When your series is about a superhero with a secret identity who knows that identity and when is a HUGE deal innate to the narrative.

But what makes this mistake so transcendentally lazy on the part of the writer and/or artist and definitely the editor(s) is that Reed NOT knowing Spider-Man’s identity is a plot point for the rest of the story!

You ever see a video game, info book or collage of Spider-Man’s costumes and see that one funny looking outfit where he was wearing what looked like a lame blue Fantastic Four outfit and a paper bag over his head?

Yeah, this is where that came from!

Spider-Man didn’t want Reed or Johnny to know who he was so he covered up his face, necessitating Johnny provided him with an old suit and lieu of a mask gave him a paper bag.

Spider-Man is the Amazing Bag-Man for 6/22 pages of the conclusion to the story this annual is directly referencing!

It’s a fairly well known piece of Spider-Man history, being one of the more famously funny moments of Spider-Man lore and one of the great examples of the Parker Luck.

And it was all part of a historically VITAL story. Not just for Spider-Man but think how much of Marvel history has involved one symbiote or another, there were three EVENTS built around them across the last few years alone FFS!

And the people behind this comic book blatantly didn’t bother to re-read the damn issue, let alone the over all arc!

And the most ironic part about that?

The very last page of the annual includes a message from the editor talking about how interested he was in this era of Spider-Man, how it was one of his favourites and he even recommends trades collecting the story arc!

Like fucking take your own advice maybe?

Two final points to end this rant on.

The impression given by the editor’s message and the over all story was that they seemed to think that they were the first or only people to do a flashback tale about what the symbiote was doing whilst joyriding Peter’s body.

They were not.

In fact it seems like every damn decade someone decides to tell that story.

In 1995 as part of the ‘Planet of the Symbiotes’ Super Specials Dan Slott, in his very first canon Spider-Man story ever, used that idea. And whilst it didn’t shit on the ACS in general it did shit on the character of Jean DeWolff by pretending she never had romantic feelings for Spider-Man.

Because even in his formative days as a young intern cheating his way through Marvel’s door Slott had to fuck up characterization I guess.

In the 2007 as part of ‘Back in Black’ Sean McKeever (he of ‘Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane’ fame) did another storyset during the ACS. It wasn’t wholly about the symbiote’s night time activities but it did more subtly with just a few moments get into the symbiote’s head, depicting it’s loneliness and homesickness. Whilst that story also screwed up Black Cat’s costume there were no other egregious continuity errors, the story fits pretty neatly into the histories of Spider-Man and also the Sandman.

It was infinitely better than this story which I don’t think anyone should ever regard as canon going forward.

P.S. How poorly produced was this annual?

So poorly produced that no one considered that despite it going against the literal meaning of the word this comic is the second Amazing Spider-Man annual for 2018!

#Spider-Man #Amazing SPider-Man #saladin ahmed #Garry Brown #Peter Parker #alien costume saga #venom #Venom symbiote #black cat #The Black Cat #Felicia Hardy #Aunt May #May Parker #Tom DeFalco #Ron Frenz #Sean McKeever #Dan Slott

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bgnmagic · 3 years

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The Iron Chair - Merlin fanfic

Summary: Merlin and Arthur are captured by bandits, they attempt to torture Arthur using the iron chair. Merlin has to decide whether to reveal his magic in order to save Arthur. Whump ensues. Need I say more?

WORK:

The next punch that flew at his gut was harder than the last. Arthur doubled over in pain, but he didn’t stop fighting against the four men that were bodily dragging him towards his doom. Not much truly terrified Arthur. However, the thing these men were about to strap him to was going to kill him, painfully.

Unable to get away, Arthur struggled in vain as he was moved closer to the chair covered in hundreds of little sharp spikes. His boots had already been wrenched from his feet along with the forced removal of his chainmail and coat. These men meant to inflict maximum pain with their efforts.

He was about to start screaming out of shear panic when the chair’s appearance shifted. The change had been so slight that Arthur almost stopped fighting against the men holding him. No one else noticed as they were too focused on preventing his escape. Arthur’s brain was working overtime to figure out what had just happened.

The metal spikes looked almost see through, it was hard to actually determine why until Arthur was pushed down into the chair and the men began using thick leather straps to hold him down. Crying out on instinct more than anything Arthur realized the little pointy ends of each spike were now blunt. Relaxing only for a split second Arthur tried to think.

Once he was fully strapped to the chair he’d be unable to get free, time was running out before all the restraints were in place. Merlin couldn’t help, he wasn’t conscious. Straining to fight once more Arthur finally realized something very important. Magic had dulled the spikes on the chair. Merlin wasn’t unconscious after all.

“Merlin! I know, m’not mad!” Arthur shouted frantically, hoping his friend would understand his meaning.

A groan of pain and a blast of magic followed his plea for help. All four men in the room with them were thrown against the stone walls and fell down unmoving. Merlin’s magic had even moved the wretched chair he was in a few inches. Breathing heavily Arthur attempted to pull his arms free but they were stuck fast to the arms of the chair. The dulled metal spikes dug into his skin but they didn’t pierce the flesh.

“Can you free me?” Arthur asked while working to quell his own panic at the possibility of their freedom slipping away. The silence he got as an answer was unnerving. “Merlin?!” Arthur shouted in hopes of getting a response. His manservant appeared to have passed out. It was no wonder why, the poor man had been beaten first and then strung up by his wrists and left to hang from the ceiling.

The dark chains their attackers had used to bind Merlin were digging into his soft flesh and had already left a trail of blood behind. Arthur was sure that Merlin had saved him from certain death by altering the nature of the metal spikes. There had to be a way to free himself so he could help Merlin.

His arms were a no go, trying his legs next Arthur nearly cried in joy when he discovered his left foot had been strapped too loose. Taking a deep breath Arthur pulled his foot free. Getting his foot up and crossed over to reach his hand took some effort, but he managed. Ripping off his sock Arthur used his toes to undo the leather restraint on his right wrist. It took a few tries since he was shaking so badly, but after a few seconds Arthur had fumbled with the strap enough to get it to release. He was in the home stretch now; they were going to make it out of this alive!

Arthur practically threw himself out of the chair once the last restraint was loosened. Falling to the floor he gasped in a breath, he had to help Merlin. Forcing his aching limbs into action Arthur stood and looked for where the chain was secured. Rushing over he lowered Merlin to the ground. Merlin’s body was still limp as he crumpled into a heap on the floor.

Wasting no time Arthur ran over and worked to remove the chains on Merlin’s wrists. His manservant was pale and his breathing was labored, being strung up in that nature made the simple task of taking a breath very difficult. “Merlin, wake up please I need you right now,” Arthur pleaded while patting his cheek.

Merlin stirred slightly and blearily opened his tired blue eyes a second later, “R’you hurt?” he slurred.

“Bruised, nothing time won’t handle,” Arthur answered quickly. “You don’t look so good, can you heal yourself?” he asked honestly. Merlin’s eyes opened wide as he attempted to push himself away. “No, no, no, Merlin, its okay I meant it I’m not mad about the magic, we need to get out of here first. We can talk later alright?” Arthur replied with worry.

“I’m too exhausted to do a proper healing spell right now,” Merlin mumbled from where he was still lying on the hard stone floor.

“Well then do what you can right now, it should help a little right?”

Nodding Merlin closed his eyes and uttered something in a foreign tongue. His body convulsed immediately afterward and Arthur worried that he’d passed out again. Reaching out Arthur gently shook Merlin’s shoulder and relief flooded over him when those familiar eyes opened and peered up at Arthur.

“Any better?”

“Yeah, I think I might be able to stand now.”

Arthur quickly snatched his lone sock and boots and threw them on. Deciding the chainmail wasn’t worth the effort he hauled Merlin up and they cautiously made their way outside. Merlin couldn’t stay upright so Arthur had to help him along as they searched for an exit. The place they’d been taken to was a partially abandoned castle ruin. It was filled with empty passages and tumbling walls. Only the great hall and the bloody dungeons were intact.

Avoiding the rest of the men waiting in the crumbling courtyard Arthur steered them towards the back of the castle. “There should be another way out, come on let’s find it.”

Merlin didn’t say anything in response but simply sighed and leaned a little more into Arthur’s side. Thankfully, the gods were being kind as they hunted around for a back exit. There, right next to a sizable hole in the outer wall, were all the bad guy’s horses tied up, their own having been spooked and run off, from the initial fight in the woods earlier. Pulling Merlin along Arthur took notice to see which horse reacted well to his manservant.

Merlin was always good with horses; they liked him most times and wouldn’t act up. Arthur had always had the luck to get the rowdiest animal in the bunch. He loved his horses but this time he needed a calm steed. When a brown mare attempted to burrow its nose into Merlin’s side Arthur knew he’d found the right horse. Leaving Merlin literally hanging onto the horse’s neck he found a saddle and quickly got everything in order.

Helping Merlin up onto the horse’s back took a few attempts, but they managed and soon they were slipping out the back and following a path through the moonlit woods. Wondering how best to hold onto Merlin, Arthur snaked one arm around his friend’s chest and gripped his opposite shoulder. “I’m not hurting you am I?”

“No, can you reach the reins alright?”

“Yeah, but you can hold them if you think you’ll stay awake,” Arthur offered.

Merlin hummed in acknowledgement as he made a weak attempt at prying the reins from Arthur’s hand. They eventually ended up holding it together. Arthur was more than fine with that. Feeling Merlin’s hand in his own was enough to keep him grounded.

“How long have you known?” Merlin eventually asked when the path left the forest and opened up into a field.

“Since you announced it to the entire council, when you were trying to save Gwen,” Arthur answered calmly.

Merlin huffed out a short breath, “So you believed me after all?”

“Certainly, I sort of panicked when you said all of that, and I knew I needed you to help me clear Gwen’s name so I couldn’t let you get tossed in the dungeons.”

“And you aren’t mad?”

“I was, but I’m not anymore. You aren’t evil despite what my father says about magic, I know that much. If you hadn’t saved me just now I’d be bleeding out in that freakish death chair. I have no doubt you’re here to help not hinder.”

“I didn’t know what to do back there, I was so tired and you were yelling and --,” Merlin trailed off in thought.

“You made the spikes dull, right?” checked Arthur.

“Yes, I had to cast an illusion spell to hide it though, I didn’t want them figuring out what I’d done. Then, when you said you knew I hoped it was about the magic. I had no other choice left so I had to take the risk.”

Arthur involuntarily shuddered at the memory. “I’ve never been so scared Merlin, that thing was terrifying.”

“Did it hurt?”

“It wasn’t comfortable, but it didn’t hurt, not like it was designed to at least.”

“When I came to after you’d released me you were shaking so badly I thought you were upset about the magic.”

Arthur hugged Merlin closer at that admission. “I’m sorry Merlin, I don’t want you to think I’d ever hurt you. It was that blasted chair, my adrenaline was through the roof, and I wasn’t sure if you were okay or not.”

“What now?” Merlin asked and Arthur could tell he wasn’t referring to their current situation.

“Once we’re safe and rested we can talk more about all that’s happened. I know I’ve got questions that only you can answer.”

“Should we tell the knights?”

“Not sure, but I do know it would be helpful to know your true strength when we get attacked. I can’t imagine having to hide your abilities when people’s lives are on the line.”

“Lancelot already knows,” Merlin nearly whispered.

“That doesn’t surprise me, is he the only one? What about Gwen?”

“No she doesn’t know either.”

“Well, I don’t feel so bad about not being officially told then.”

“I’ve not told anyone Arthur. Lancelot figured it out himself.”

“I assume Gaius must know.”

“We are roommates,” retorted Merlin.

Arthur couldn’t help but laugh, “Of course, I imagine it would be hard to keep something like that secret. He practiced magic back before the purge anyway.”

“How much farther should we ride?” Merlin asked changing the subject. “I’m not sure how long I can go without a lie-down.”

“You and me both,” Arthur sighed. “Do you remember seeing a sign for an inn when we rode through yesterday?”

“We have no money,” Merlin huffed.

“We have a horse to sell, that should get us a room for a few days. I can send word to Camelot and the knights can come get us.”

“That actually sounds like a good plan.”

“I always have good plans,” he quipped. Arthur chose to ignore Merlin’s smirk as they ambled along, he was too tired to jest with his friend.

After nearly two hours they found the inn. Their horse trade worked well and they were given a room for a whole week. Arthur prepared a message, and left it with the innkeeper for the next traveler towards Camelot. It shouldn’t take more than a few days for his knights to arrive.

Arthur managed to order a hot meal for them both as he helped Merlin to the room. The innkeeper nodded and sent a boy along with them to get the fire started. Once the food had arrived and the fire was crackling brightly Arthur dismissed the boy and closed the door. Barring it with a chair just to be safe Arthur turned his attention towards Merlin.

His manservant was lying on the lone bed and appeared to be asleep. “Merlin, are you hungry, we should eat before we pass out.”

Merlin grunted softly as an answer and turned his head to look at Arthur better. “Can you feed me?”

Barking out a laugh Arthur grabbed a plate and crossed the room to set it on the bed. “I’m sure you can manage to shove some food in that big mouth of yours.”

“Ha, maybe,” he grumbled turning over on his side with a wince. Merlin did finish his food albeit much slower than normal.

Hoping they were truly safe from harm Arthur attempted to relax. His own body ached from being manhandled; sleep would be welcome when he retired for the night. However, first he needed to do one thing. Tend to Merlin’s injuries.

Merlin flinched slightly when Arthur approached the bed and sat down grabbing his hand. “I’m only going to clean and wrap your wrists. Those chains tore at the flesh a little.”

“Hanging like that hurt,” Merlin added softly.

“I’m glad we were able to escape.”

“Hearing you panic like that was scary Arthur; I don’t want to go through that ever again.”

“You and me both, Merlin,” answered Arthur as he set to work bandaging Merlin’s wrists. Once he was finished Merlin was fast asleep. He looked better already despite having been descended upon by thugs. Rising from the bed Arthur gently worked Merlin’s boots free and brought the blanket up to cover his friend. Sighing heavily Arthur undressed as well and gingerly crawled in next to Merlin.

Tomorrow they’d rest and stay in the room. Arthur didn’t want to see anyone else right now. They were safe, that’s all that mattered at the moment. Exhaustion clung to him as Arthur lay there staring at the ceiling. It didn’t take long before he felt himself pulled into the lulls of sleep. Thankfully, he didn’t dream at all that night.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33275734

#merlin #merlin fanfic #hurt/comfort

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theonetrueblue1 · 7 years

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Portal portal meets camp camp

Ava/blue: Sudden thought. What if the crossover between camp camp and portal portal went the other way around?? Pp!max who is in the middle of trying to fight daniel. Daniel causes a major malfunction with the portals. Next thing Pp!max knows he is finally outside. But just, pp!max being mistaken for cc!max trying to run away?? But the other campers are like, “Your clothes?? What is that strange device you’re holding? You look like max but you havent yelled at us yet?? wHO ARE YOU?? Cc!gwen finds pp!max and drags him to camp (he appeared a little bit away from it). Ollie: Poor pp!max has no clue what the hell is going on. Onyx: Being forcefully grabbed and dragged away seems awfully familiar…. Ava/blue: Pp!max is just internally screaming. Onyx: oooohh no! He isnt even sure about cc!gwen since she hasnt casted herself in a very positive light. Ava/blue: poor pp!max is AMAZED and SHOCKED that he is outside. Be he is also freaking terrified. Onyx: of course kinda predispositioned to behave around david. But gwen is a new factor entirely! Ava/blue: its so many people at once. Plus the unwanted touch and OTHER HUMANS?????? Plus the emotional mess that is having to fight A GIANT ROBOT THAT WANTS TO KILL YOU. Pp!max is on the verge of a emotional and mental breakdown. Someone save him pls. Onyx: oh god if he hasn’t broken down already he definitely is right now. Of course since this is cc!david’s first interaction he’ll probably try to physically comfort pp!max but it makes it 100X worse. Ava/blue: ABSOLUTELY. //IMMEDIATELY FLASHBACKS TO ALL THE TIMES PP!DAVID HAS TRIED TO ‘HELP’ MAX Onyx: of course there is no moonrock floor to use the portal gun on so, and they are probably in a cabin. So there is no immediate escape. Ava/blue: pp!max would probably kick all their asses if he wasn’t a mess rn. Onyx: like a caged animal tbh. Ava/blue: id imagine that the cc!crew would realize that what their doing isn’t working. Ollie: AWWWWWWW Onyx: since he’s been fighting for survival since day one Ava/blue: so they give him space. Onyx: gwen would probably notice first tbh, psychology major? Ava/blue:^^^ YEP Ollie: YES Onyx: manhandles cc!david to back off and everyone else is just kinda standing there dumbfounded. Ava/blue: everyone wont stop staring at pp!max and its starting to make him uncomfortable. Onyx: probably cant stop looking at him because he shouldn’t be there Ava/blue: how much you wanna bet pp!max is covered in scars? Ollie: watch pp!max not even talk, but make small noises instead. Onyx: probably even snarls. Ollie: HAHA ohmygod he goes to base animalistic instincts and growls. They’d DEFINITELY know its not their max by then. They’d sooner think he and nikki traded bodies. Onyx: anything to look threatening to these people he has no idea how to interact with. Ollie: what if like. Nikki is the one to calm him down? Ava/blue: OH MY GOD YES. Ollie: because she has the whole interspecies communication thing. And can probably communicate beyond words. Onyx: use submissive gestures to get her point across that she means no harm. Ollie: HAHA she gets on the ground and rolls over Onyx: no teeth baring Ava: Nikki is just like, step aside. I GOT THIS. Ollie: D'AWWWWW Onyx: since our poor bean hasn’t really seen smiles save for those that literally brought them pain. He just doesn’t understand human facial expression that well. Ollie: Nikki keeps her mouth closed when she smiles and after max warms up to her she goes to gently touch his arm. He pulls away uncertain.. Onyx: because teeth baring in literally any other species means a threat gesture. Ollie: and she just nods and does it again and he sits there, taking in the she’s touching him, and he slowly calms down. Ava/blue: nikki eventually softly hugs him. Ollie: Y E S Onyx: and it isn’t hurting and he can get away Ollie: YEAH she totally demonstrates that he can break away first. Onyx: lotta failed attempts before this of him shying away and putting distance between them, nikki lets him. Ollie: and she yells at the campers who start to circle Ava/blue: cc!nikki and pp!max is a brotp i didn’t know i needed until now Onyx: they give him a separate tent to retreat to. Its empty, no one allowed in without permission since god knows this kid wasn’t allowed boundaries before. Ollie: He’s comforted by nature because you know, too much technology. So he takes walks into the forest with nikki Onyx: brings back all sorts of leaves and stuff back to his tent. Ollie:!!!!!!!! So he and nikki have a need for nature that’s so cute Onyx: he might even obsess over texture since he’s used to smooth white walls. Ava/blue: tbh i highkey headcannon that pp!max tends to cradle his right arm, because he’s so used to carrying a portal gun. Ollie: ^^^^^ BOTH OF THESE THINGS Onyx: different leaves, pieces of bark and stones all litter the inside of his tent. Ollie:… guys Onyx: he likes to pick them up randomly to just examine and feel them. Ollie:…………guys Onyx: yeah? Ava/blue: yes? Ollie: when he finally decides to let nikki on she’s COMPLETELY HONORED. Onyx: oh yes!! Ollie: like her eyes get all wide and starry. Onyx: she probably makes an effort not to touch anything tho. Wants to establish that it is his stuff and he doesn’t have to share it. Ollie: BUT HE DOES GIVER HER THINGS. HE DROPPS THINGS INTO HER HANDS Onyx: that it wont be taken away from him….. like mr.honeynuts. Ava/blue: awww because he never really got to have things of his own!! Personal belongings are nonexistent in aperture science. Onyx: David might try to get him nice blankets and stuff. Nikki might actually tell him or he might notice that he likes different textures. Ollie: AWWWWW! Im a sucker for hurt/comfort so like. Cc!David hurting for pp!max and trying to keep his distance so he doesn’t make him uncomfortable. And just being sad and asking nikki about him all the time. Onyx: i’d imagine pp!max would favor really fluffy stuff like fleece. Ava/blue: HE LOVES SOFT THINGS. Ollie: YEAH SOFT AAA, he’s never felt a soft! What is a soft? Ava/blue: EVERYTHING AT APERTURE IS EITHER SMOOTH OR ROUGH (debris) Onyx: FLEECE PJS, also they might try to get pp!max new clothes. No more nasty jumpsuit. Ollie: the first thing they try to do is get him a camper outfit Onyx: he might even view it similarly to a jumpsuit Ava/blue: his jumpsuit must be so dirty. IT HAS BEEN QUITE SOME TIME SINCE THIS BOY WAS CLEANED Onyx: because it has a logo, and its practically mandatory to wear it. Over half the campers wear it. So he might wear it at first, but starts to piece it together as being a uniform. Ava/blue: ok but, nikki and gwen slowly helping pp!max talk. And gwen figuring out what happened to pp!max through what little he speaks about it. And, what’s mentally and emotionally wrong with him. Onyx: and scars Ava/blue: they notice the scars early on. Onyx: this bean needs a full on fleece pj set tho. He is wearing cloths. They might notice worser ones underneath. Ava/blue: some scars are too clean looking (lazers) some are from bullets a few from being nearly killed. Onyx: burns Ava/blue: He’s definitely covered on bruises and cuts as well. Onyx: acid is a hazard, he might have almost fallen a few times. Ava/blue: absolutely!! There is no way to get through many tests without trial and error Daisy: omg i love this….. what is cc!david’s first reaction to the scars? Ava/blue: OH GOD HE WOULD BE HORRIFIED Onyx: maybe whimper Ava/blue: so many scars on such a small child Onyx: probably paralyzed by so many past wounds. Daisy: AWWWWWWMAXX Ava/blue: I feel like they would be wondering what would cause a child to act so feral and wild towards others and when they see the scars its just…….. ‘Oh’ Onyx: how do you think pp!max would react to the actual lake? The only large bodies of liquid he’s seen literally melt skin and bones. Daisy: i wonder if max would super freaked out by people seeing his scars or just he’s so used to them. Ava/blue: second option. He’s a lab rat essentially so he is definitely used to it. Ollie: OH! He’s not used to others not being used to the scars. So they all gasp and step back a little and he tilts his head in confusion. Onyx: he thinks there is something else wrong with him, i’d figure. Did he not do a good job? Did he break a rule? Daisy: He sees them and he’s like ”……where’s your scars?“ Onyx: when he gets somewhat past being touched he might check nikki closer for scars. Ollie: and she has none and he starts to sense something is up. Onyx: Pushing up her sleeves, closely examining sections of skin for lasting damage. Ollie: AWWW thought lets be honest, its NIKKI, she has SOME scars. Onyx: but nothing like his. No too clean ones no acid burns. And most are relatively small and faded. Ava/blue: pp!max’s scars are so much more fresh. Onyx: do you think the labs were sterile? Ava/blue: i would think so. Onyx: hell he might be getting infections when he meets the cc!crew Ava/blue: OH LIKE THE OLD LABS AND STUFF? BECAUSE HE WOULD DEFINITELY GET INFECTIONS DOWN THERE. Onyx: cuts without access to medical supplies? Ollie: OH NO Onyx: the laser wounds might not be as bad since they were cauterized. Ava/blue: no access to medical supplies and no one to help him. Onyx: he’d suddenly just feel so sick and not understand whats going on. Ollie: and it’s like a time urgent thing so nikki has a lot of pressure to get his trust because they have to treat the wounds. Onyx: god. Imagine how he’d react to his body fighting the infection! Pus in wounds is something he hasn’t seen before and doesn’t know it’s a natural reaction. Redness that gets worse and swelling that doesn’t go down. Ava/blue: he would be so terrified Onyx: dizziness, he literally thinks he is dying and could honestly be on the path to it. Ollie: and then right when he trusts Nikki, she has to start treating him. And what is this liquid she is putting on his arm?? WHY DOES IT HURT SO MUCH??? WHY IS NIKKI HURTING HIM?? Onyx: he’d probably collapse due to dehydration because of his fever. Fever fucks with your system, makes you really dehydrated. Ollie: ok but what if he and nikki have a COMPLETELY non-verbal argument. Like, he’s angry with her and shoving her away and she acts super submissive but then she gets angry too. And eventually she grabs him roughly by the arm and gestures to it. And he looks at it and realizes that he is healing. Onyx: he isn’t as sick he feels better. Daisy: AND HES SO SURPRISED “they…. they dont look the same.” Onyx: heck he probably has crap immune system being in a mostly sterile lab. Ollie: and he slowly looks back at her and she softly touches his arm just like the beginning. Daisy: And she smiles “Their getting better max. We’re going to help you feel better!” Ollie: oh fuck i just got a REALLY longwinded storyline. Ava/blue: TELL US OLLIE Daisy: OHOHOHOHO Ollie: my brain just fucking completed a plot. Ok so like…

After a while he gets to know all the campers, they all understand how to gesture and understand him, david being the last of all. He slowly learns to separate GLaDOS david from cc!david. They get an understanding and he learns about all their personalities and they become close with him, but we’ve been forgetting about the other max. He’s in a lot of trouble at the facility. PP!max reveals more and more about the facility and everyone at camp becomes more worried then ever, guessing that is where CC!max is. They’re eventually able to put the facts together and nikki IMMEDIATELY starts a rescue mission to save cc!max. She’s about to go without pp!max, but in the last moment he grabs her arm, like she did for him and nods. She gives him a pointed look like “Are you sure?” He sighs reluctantly and squeezes her arm and she smiles. Ava/blue: (does pp!max still have his portal gun?) Ollie: (he could! It wouldn’t change the story i have in mind!)

When they get there, pp!max is their only navigator. He knows exactly where cc!max is being tested. The campers are there, using those crazy talents of theirs to pass through. But things get tough and eventually pp!max has to take the lead. He starts using what he has learned about the campers’ personalities against their respective turrets. He’s able to defeat their counterparts. Because he knows them. Onyx:(god how horrified the others would feel when they meet their doubles.) ollie: (HAHAH RIGHT.)

And he eventually gets to where cc!max is. He’s screaming at pp!david, as pp!daid is trying to talk to him and break his spirit. “But Max, this is good for you! For us! For all of us? R i gHt??!!” /zaps/ Pp!max drops down to the floor in front of pp!david and cc!max. Pp!david: “You’re back!! Oh wonderful!” Pp!max glares at him, and then boss battle ensues. The campers try to help but it is ultimately pp!max vs pp!david. Daisy: (AND EVERYONE IS CONCERNED FOR BOTH OF THE MAX) Ollie: though cc!David ends up in the fight. Onyx: (cc!david would feel like absolute shit.) Ollie: cc!David and everyone go and comfort cc!max while the portal portal two fight. Ava/blue: (EVERYONE FEEL SHIT SINCE THEIR ROBOT COUNTERPARTS HAD A HAND IN THIS) Onyx: (BUT DAVID WOULD FEEL THE WORST) Ava/blue: (HE WOULD) Daisy: (OMG DAVID WOULD FEEL SO B A D) Ollie: eventually pp!max is able to defeat pp!david through something he learned about cc!david only when he was able to open up to him. Which in a way is unnerving to Cc!david but he’s also touched that pp!max?? Actually listened to him?? But in the last second as the facility is falling to pieces pp!max gets stuck under debris as the others are escaping. And as if it were a final act to solidify the trust, cc!david frees him and carries him to safety. The first time he’s actually made contact. And then towards the end of it all, pp!max is now back at the camp with the others and cc!max is now traumatized much like the other max was, all the other campers go to help him and offer comforting words. But pp!max just waves them all off, he gestures to cc!max in a sort of “come on lets take a walk in the woods” way. The end.

EXTRA!!!!!!

Ollie: imagine like- cc!david able to give lectures to his portal self. OHMYGOD WHAT ABOUT CC!DAVID WORRYING HE MIGHT BECOME HIS PORTAL SELF. Ava/blue: OH M Y G OD Ollie: “kids… im not… ignoring your needs am I?? Am-am I overworking you with activities?? Y-You know what?! Break time… no activities today” //hugs arms and walks into the counselor cabin. Ava/blue: OOOOHHHHH GWEN WOULD TOTALLY COMFORT HIM!! Ollie: AWWWWWW Ava/blue: pp!max would definitely talk to david eventually as well. “becaUSE FIRST OF ALL. YOU’RE ALREADY BETTER THEN HIM BY WORRYING. second of all YOU’RE HUMAN. SO YOU ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT HUMANS NEED TO LIVE. third of all, NONE OF THESE ACTIVITIES ARE INTENTIONALLY LIFE THREATENING. Fourth of all, YOU’RE HUMAN. mistakes are meant to be made!!” Even pp!max understands this. Ollie: AWWWWWWWWW Ava/blue: THIS IS LIKE THE OPPOSITE OF THE SEASON 1 FINALE. MAX MAKES DAVID FEEL BETTER. INSTEAD OF MAKING DAVID FEEL BAD AND SEE REALITY. IN THIS CASE. PP!MAX IS TRYING TO MAKE DAVID TO FEEL BETTER AND SEE REALITY. /OH THAT PARALLELS ARE BEAUTIFUL/ Ollie:OWNXOWMXAOXKDNOXNWOXNAOZ AWWWWW.

AFTER TWO DAYS. I FINALLY. GOT THAT WHOLE DAMN CONVERSATION WRITTEN DOWN. @portalportalau HERE YOU GO EVERYONE WHO WAS CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT WE CAME UP WITH!! THIS WAS FOR ALL YOU LOVELY PEOPLE ❤

#portal portal au #camp camp meets portal portal #my port #HAAAAAA THIS TOOK A BIT

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