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#“hey you remember HER? she'll be back for another scene or two in the next episode as well! she's on the merch by the way!"
nostalgia-tblr · 2 months
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i had a thought (oh no). i've seen people say S2 Sylvie is cranky and confrontational because she's only starting the arc Loki is at the end of, but I feel like S2 Sylvie is written as though she has finished her arc, and that now she's freed the multiverse nothing remains to stop her fulfilling all her dreams by retiring to work in a McDonalds.
She will only return to the action to fulfill contractual obligations help out intermittently and unreliably with this new plot that has nothing to do with her other than being a direct consequence that neither she nor anyone else could have predicted because this plot does not actually follow on from the one she was part of before she didn't have all the necessary information about how this story would be dragged out while also not actually dealing with the situation(s) the end of S1. So she's annoyed to discover that things are still broken, but she's retired now and would prefer to be left alone.
Meanwhile Loki's arc is ongoing in S2 as he has yet to realise and accept that all this stuff about Free Will was bullshit and he is literally doomed by the narrative and can best serve those he cares about by becoming a cable tidy.
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Sanctuary for All, Part 1 Thoughts
*I always forget how different Will is in the pilot compared to the rest of the series. So desperate for someone to take him seriously that he's resorting to rambling to the waitress about his observations.
*Will finding a Russian nesting doll and immediately assuming the family is Russian or Ukranian. Like. Do you know how common those are, my guy?
*Alexi has ADHD confirmed.
*Kinda want to incorporate Joe into The Time Wars, even if it's as a bit part.
*Forever obsessed with the bit where Will narrowly avoids being hit by Ashley on a motorcycle only to IMMEDIATELY get hit by Helen in a car.
*OK but the way Will immediately covered for Magnus. Didn't tell anyone he'd seen the person who hit him or anything. He didn't know who she was, and maybe he didn't even know why he was covering for her, but he knew she was important.
*That's not how lineups work. That's not how any of this works. A lineup consists of more than one person.
*Oh BTW Will's hair was super curly when he was a kid. I choose to believe it still is when he doesn't put four million products in it.
*Eleanor! Hey remember when it was established that Helen Magnus had friends? And hung out with people she saw in her day to day life?
*JOHN AND HIS LOCKET OF HELEN
*John acting almost shy in this scene is painful. Especially knowing what's coming.
*Will desperately trying to convince someone, anyone to listen to him. Also just... The way Joe and Meg really are trying to help Will, in their own ways. They're wrong, but they don't know that.
*Helen is so dramatic, especially in reaching out to Will, and Will just. Doesn't Engage. "Lady, I'm getting soaked here. What do you what?" Just does not let her draw him into the drama.
*Okay but the way he makes her smile, even from the beginning. Her amusement. Her oh, this will be fun.
*One of my favorite things about this episode from a narrative perspective is the way they save the Ashley reveal for so far into it. Through most of the first part, Ashley and Helen are framed as Opposing Forces looking for the boy. (.... Oh hey not like I need another AU, but that would make a great AU.)
*Tbh I really do like Meg. Wish she could have been more of a character.
*Will. Will, what is that book organization? Will.
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Will, you're stressing me out.
*EC or not, there's definitely comparisons and contrasts between Meg's relationship with Will and Helen's relationship with Will. (Specifically humor, and also the contrast of Meg thinking he's crazy and him looking at Magnus' business card.)
*Magnus' excitement when Will says he doesn't know why she's looking for the boy is so fun.
*I forgot how HUGE the Sanctuary is from the outside.
*The one time teleporting into an EM shield just bounces him back. Also him laughing as he hits the ground, so fond of Helen... John, you're a DistasterTM.
*"Next time you just want some company, don't give your number out to strangers on the street." Ajdmsjsjdm Helen's sitting here trying to be all dramatic and mysterious, and Will's just like. "I diagnose you with Loneliness." And. He's not totally wrong.
*Ashley knocking out those cops just adds to the perceived contrast. We're so nervous that it looks like she'll get to the kid before Helen.
*Hey wait there's a clock on the wall when Will walks into the Sanctuary lab. We can see what time-WAIT THERE ARE TWO CLOCKS SET FOR DIFFERENT TIMES. ONE SEC. Wait, no, there's at least 3. All different times. Huh.
*Okay it looks like every pillar has a clock set to a different time. Nice detail actually.
*Love that the example for "Other [Abnormals] can't be allowed to run free" shows up multiple times throughout the series running free, including the VERY NEXT EPISODE.
*Flying Person should have been a major character.
*"He's just as unnerved by you." Ajdkfksms Biggie's characterization probably changes more than any other's throughout this show.
*Such a fascinating thing how Helen speaks so highly of Abnormals, but never refers to herself as one unless absolutely necessary. They're valuable, but they're still "Other" to her.
*Why does Ashley sign her texts? Ma'am you're texting your mother. Does she not know your number?
*Obsessed with the fact that it's played as if Helen looks too young to be Ashley's mother, as if Amanda isn't 19 years older than Emilie.
*"What she lacks in refinement, I assure you she makes up for in her field skills." Lines that get painful when you realize how soon Ashley will die.
*Wish there could have been more with Ashley trying to fool Will with stories and Will just shaking his head and laughing.
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heclingmuzik · 1 year
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Here's another memory Ismael Tamara Onai.
Ismael stands in front of the doorway, watching her memory self sitting on top her bed. This is a memory of that day and immediately upon realizing that, just by looking at the calendar Ismael's heart rate begins to pick up. Her hands feels clammy.
....
She rolls out of her bed, but stays seated. She’s resting her elbows on her legs and her hands are placed on either side of her head. She's wearing something to protect her hair during the nights she sleeps. She runs her hands down slowly with a groan. Oh, her muscles hurt. Specifically her legs.
Yesterday she had a blast with her friends. John-John, Piper, and Pepper had played soccer with her almost the entire morning and then again throughout the afternoon to late afternoon until they had been called back home for the evening.
Fun times like that means there's consequences and today, a brand new morning, the consequence is that her entire muscle aches. Hey! She's always said it was the best feeling ever though!
Ismael inhales, welcoming the familiar smell of bacon, onions, sadza. One of her favorites! She loves flavors that were rich and earthy with just the right amount of nuttiness to it.
And finally, the 13 years old gets out of bed and she's making her way out the door and down the short hallway. Ismael stretches, yawning as she does so when she bounds to the kitchen
...
Yaira Abayomi Onai. Her sister. Her caregiver, her friend...her everything. Yaira had been the one who raised her for as long as Ismael can remember. Ismael steps forward. She doesn't have anyone around to watch her. Break isn't here, Byleth isn't here, Nero--V--No one is around to see her, let alone see this part of her memory. Ismael reaches to touch Yaira's cheek, but...
“Good morning, sleepyhead. It’s unlike you to sleep in~.”
Yaira had fixed them both their plates. It's a lot, but Yaira always believed that a big hearty breakfast was important. "HAH! I knew it. Bacon, eggs---wait, I thought you made sadza?" Ismael looks up at her sister with confusion on her face and Yaira smirks playfully. "I can't fool your nose, mm? Hasbrown with some onions and potatoes and your sadza. Ooooh, I don't know how you do it. A big healthy breakfast is important, but with such a small body, you eat a lot. That's very good. Perhaps you'll grow even taller than me." Yaira laughs and takes her seat across her sister.
The conversation between the two were light and full of laughter. Her friend---Her crush from then had called and asked if she'd like to hang out and Ismael had agreed, wanting to see her and practice music with her.
"Alright! I’ll see you when I get back! Be home before sundown.” And young Ismael had stepped out of their home and...
The scene changes from where little Ismael was outside to her being in a facility. "This..." Ismael breathes out a shaky breath. Her sister stands right next to 13 years old Ismael. She's so scared. She's terrified and she can see her sister. She's scared, but not for herself. She's scared for her baby sister. Ismael can't hear the conversations between her and Yaira. It's as if everything is in mute, but then the men are pulling her younger self away from Yaira. She can read Yaira's lips as they say 'you'll be okay. We'll meet again. I'll find you." And then there's nothing but the ruins of yesteryear.
That was the day her sister had switched places with her. The workers there were worried that she'd come back or tell people of their secrets and took the liberty of wiping her memories. Ismael raises a hand up and places the palm on her forehead then over her temple with a sigh.
There really is no way to meet her again is there?
"I hope that Kyrie is finally reunited with her though. So they both don't have to be alone." She muses to herself.
...She'll stay here a bit longer.
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etheriadearie · 3 years
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“Promise”
Why can't you just… Promise ?
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Today's goal is an in-depth look at one of the most beautiful and breathtaking episodes of She-ra: "Promise"
Storywise, it's incredibly important to the series, and focuses entirely on Catradora. It's the first time since Adora left Catra behind to seek out the sword that the girls really have an opportunity to talk, and things are not going well. Both of them are royally pissed off at the other, with good reason.
For Adora, we're gonna deflate that proud hair poof of hers a bit, as we'll take an honest look at her as a person at this point in her life. And Catra... she's really guarding her feelings closely, as she's already deeply angry with Adora. But we will use the combination of Catra's younger self in the memories they see, plus looking at other times in the series that relate to this episode, where she was less guarded, in order to understand her as a person at this time. Also: warning: tl;dr, best enjoyed while cozy with a drink..
To get started, we skip to when they end up stuck together…
After Adora takes drastic measures to ward off the security spiders by collapsing the tunnel, the girls are now stuck together, and so… they talk...
We immediately see how incredibly irritated they are with each other as Adora chides Catra for being in the Crystal Castle, since the monsters will continue to attack them as long as she's protecting Catra… only to have Catra retort that she didn't ask for protection. Some snippy bickering back and forth happens, then...
Adora asks: "Does Shadow Weaver know you're here?" Very deadpan assertion from Adora. She knows Catra must be disobeying orders, she just doesn't know why.
"I'd say Shadow Weaver has bigger problems right now". Catra is already starting her move against SW back at the Horde. With SW abusively blocking her every move within the Horde, and now that Catra knows that SW was going to mind wipe Adora, Catra has decided she must deal with her abuser.
Adora puts on her telltale sideways grin, and Catra chafes at Adora's flirtation, saying "I told you it's not because I like you” downplaying Adora’s suggestion that this was the reason she let her go. Catra freely admits here that she does like Adora, but it's not the real reason she did it. Still, Catra doesn't explain further, and we see later that Catra often lets Adora explain away her actions this way... but that Adora constantly misses the deeper truths.
"Where are your new best friends? I thought you did everything together". She's very snarky and dismissive of Adora and her flirting. She's mad about Adora leaving her for her new life.
"The ones you let SW imprison and curse?" Adora is angry at Catra for what she did, which was a sudden escalation of things by Catra.
"Yeah obviously, what other friends would I be talking about?" An obvious dig at Adora for leaving her, everything behind. She deadpans this, staring back plainly. Catra is obviously really angry at Adora... while Adora is legitimately mad at Catra for doing something so nasty to Bow and Glimmer...
::Let's take a moment to talk about Catra's feelings about Adora's new friends: Catra feels horribly betrayed by this. Adora completely tossed her aside, and replaced her with Bow and Glimmer. What comes to mind is at the end of Sea Gate, Catra is thrown in the water and then looks up at Adora, who is celebrating and cuddling with Bow and Glimmer. Catra is emotionally forlorn watching this, as Scorpia comes to drag her off to safety, Adora doesn't even look back towards her.
She's forgotten, Adora showed no love towards her at all in that scene (and then hardly any at Princess Prom, either). Adora ignored her plea for her to return, she didn't reach out to Catra at all. And now she watches her cuddle with her new friends: everything Catra thought she had with Adora meant nothing, and she's been replaced with these feel goodie goods who are fawning all over Adora.
Suffice to say, Catra couldn't do this, she's got way too many issues with emotional intimacy and touch aversion. So she watches Adora, seeing that what she offered her wasn't good enough, knowing because of it she's forgotten. Catra was trying really hard to be a close friend to Adora in spite of her issues, but as we will see, Adora wasn't trying to understand what was going on with Catra. And because of this, Catra was too afraid to express her affection openly, and yet here's Adora... accepting all of Bow and Glimmer’s love, for which Adora really did nothing to earn. Adora took Catra’s friendship for granted while ignoring her deeper needs, as will be explained, then completely abandons her, not even seeming to miss her. Catra is deeply hurt by the unfairness of this.
>Catra stares back at Adora, frustrated when she doesn't even acknowledge their lost friendship.
"Well, we don't need to go together. You do your weird little magic quest thing I'll find my own way out". Catra looks resentfully at the sword on Adora's back as she says this. Catra is laying down boundaries, except it's useless since they are trapped together. But, boundaries are important to Catra and as the episode progresses, Adora shows that she doesn't really understand Catra's.
>As they walk along, both girls' shadows loom equally tall. The symbolism is that in this story, both are equally important... it's also a shockingly beautiful sequence. (pic above)
After entering the room of infinite darkness, Catra tries to separate from Adora but the door is gone, they are stuck together. Weird things start happening. As the Fright Zone appears, both of them are confused. Adora decides to suspect Catra, after all, she attacked her friends. But as Adora grabs Catra, Catra is surprised and confused... Catra doesn't like being touched unexpectedly, Adora knows this but is ignoring that and attacking her. She gets treated as an enemy when she clearly hasn't done anything wrong, and it sets the tone for the two of them: Adora has constantly treated Catra as an enemy since the very moment she defected, not even trying to understand Catra's point of view. And so Catra increasingly emotionally distances herself from Adora. Catra angrily casts Adora's arm aside, not liking being vilified by her, and Adora doesn't understand why Catra is so upset. Catra slips away to explore, needing space from her.
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The way Adora immediately suspects and then attacks Catra is symbolic to the whole episode: by defecting to the Rebellion, Adora chose to start treating Catra, and her entire unit, as enemies, backing it up with hostility. But Catra doesn't really agree that the horde is evil... in her experience, it's just how life is.
>The two girls, now separated, call out to each other. Adora hears Catra's call, then another: young Catra is behind her, looking lost and insecure. Catra joins Adora as their first memory has just begun…
~DISCLAIMER TIME~ A lot of information in She-ra is inferred by emotional context, so if this seems a bit head-canon-y, I assure you, I have data! Please ask questions and seek clarifications, I promise to answer back! ~EtheriaDearie
>A worried and hurt young Catra runs to young Adora's side. She is emotional and needs support. Adora checks her out then gets the real deal: Catra was in a fight with an adult. It hints that Catra always had to deal with people messing with her, even before SW began her abuse. This is a guess, but it's probable: this is likely a happy memory of the two of them right before the hurting began. Along with the "promise" memory and the moments immediately preceding their entering the Black Garnet chamber, these scenes set the baseline for what their friendship was like before Catra suffered SW’s abuse. Also, this memory is a happy one, and how Adora remembers their friendship: it was likely triggered by her memories. The next ones are not, as I believe they are triggered by Catra, who is trying to explain to Adora what was so painful about their childhood...
>Catra doesn't know what to expect when she shows Octavia to Adora. She probably expects Adora to try to apologize on her behalf, or to give her a hard time about what she did. Instead, Adora sticks with her friend and yells “Hey Octavia, you're a dumbface." This brings young Catra much joy, Adora is sticking with her, not passing judgement. The two young girls run together hand in hand, experiencing childhood bliss, but it doesn't last. The present versions of themselves return, holding hands...
They share a brief moment of connection before Catra pulls her hand away in anger. Adora is surprised at the strength of Catra’s reaction. They are not on intimate terms any more, in fact, I suspect they had been struggling for a while before Adora's defection. Adora doesn't want the moment to stop, but Catra does. It hints that the gulf between them is already wide.
"How can you deal with all this magic stuff?" Catra has a deep distrust of magic, as it was used in her abuse. She resents it, and throughout the series whenever anything magic happens that she doesn't see coming she gets creeped out.
"I'm only dealing with it because I need to figure out how to heal Glimmer after someone got her cursed." It's a valid criticism, but Catra deflects it.
"What do you want? An apology? You're not getting one." We don't get the full story on this moment until season 5 when a young Catra tells Adora she'll "never say sorry to anybody, ever." Adora doesn't like Catra just refusing to explain, and as Catra pushes her away, Catra is full of reproach at Adora's judgement.
::As an abused child, Catra was continuously vilified and abused by everyone but Adora. And when Adora would suggest she apologize throughout their lives, she can't understand why Catra won't. It comes down to literally everyone in the world judging Catra and being cruel. Not once did any of them apologize to her, even though she didn't do anything to deserve the abuse. Except Adora... but that has issues, too. In fact, SW literally tells her "I won't apologize" regarding her abuse of Catra. Can you imagine the hurt at that?
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[pic caption: Catra refuses to apologize, Catra often shows her deeper emotions while blinking, in this case: the incredible pain she experienced from SW’s abuse.]
So no, Catra won't apologize, she had a thing she was trying to do by kidnapping Bow and Glimmer and taking her sword, and it ended badly. But she felt she had a good reason to do it: she wanted to force Adora to see her, to make her acknowledge how big of a part of Adora’s life Catra used to be. And it's not like anyone has been helping Catra, she's had to make every single decision on her own her entire life and live with the consequences.
Also, mistakes for Catra have an entirely different meaning than they do for Adora. Whenever Adora made a mistake, she was given an opportunity to fix it. This is a theme of their relationship: Adora expects Catra to let her fix her mistakes. But for Catra, she learned that any mistake she made was dangerous, as when she did make a mistake, SW would torture her for it. And if other people saw it too, they'd use it to perpetuate the notion that she's some kind of no good fuck up. So Catra is extremely careful to not make mistakes, and if she does, she tries to cover it up, distance herself from it. (note: this isn't the same as Catra's intentional rebellions against this system where she was unfairly targeted for abuse-). This is why Catra simply cannot forgive Adora easily for breaking her promise: in Catra's world, she had to be perfect, or she could have been dead by SW's hand. She wasn't allowed to make mistakes like Adora is, she is what is clinically known as 'hyper vigilant' and always preparing for the worst. And so she applies this standard to be perfect all the time to Adora, and therefore she won't give Adora the same license to make mistakes with their friendship. Catra thinks Adora should know better, and see the consequences of her actions.
>Adora lets it go: when Catra seems to shut down, Adora does her best to try to accept her. Adora tries a different track. She asks Catra why she let her and Glimmer go when SW had them imprisoned, when it could have resulted in Catra getting in trouble. Catra walks ahead, trying to distance herself from having to answer. But the magic of the Crystal Castle intervenes: as Adora slips and begins to fall, Catra saves her. It's a symbolic moment: Catra has always tried to protect Adora, to save her from pain. It's why she changed course to give the sword back to her, partly.
"Did you really think I'd just let SW erase your memory like that?"
"I don't know. Probably." Adora shows such little understanding of their friendship. It shows Adora really is thinking of Catra as an enemy, not as the complicated person stuck between protecting her friend, and the cruel necessities of her life.
Catra looks at Adora with disappointment. "Yeah, well, you never did have too much faith in me." Adora tries to understand Catra's emotions, fails.
"Huh, can you blame me?" Ouch. Adora smiles at Catra, trying to show love for her roguish quirks. But it just shows how little Adora understands: she is repeating a negative stereotype of Catra that everyone in their old life believes and perpetuates. And Adora should know better, instead of just assuming the worst about her. That persona is one which Catra uses to protect herself, partly from her own emotional feelings, but also as a necessity to protect herself from SW. She had to act like she doesn't care, doesn't try, so SW wouldn't see her power.
"Psh, not really." As Catra turns away, again she deadpans this but you can see pain and disappointment leaking past her indifference.
As she walks away she trails her tail across Adora's hand, flirting and drawing Adora's attention to her butt. It's a cute little moment of telling a truth to counter the lie: 'Adora, you should know me better, and also, I like you.' Still, it's only a half truth: Catra couldn't let SW win because SW is Catra's true enemy. But, Adora takes the flirtatious hint, as always. She accepts it and doesn't dig deeper.
Catra asks Adora about their childhood, trying to understand how Adora could just throw it all away. Adora gives a very direct and impassioned speech, she looks Catra in the eyes, trying to convince her and make her understand why leaving was the right thing to do. Catra hides her emotions, weighing Adora's answer. She doesn't agree with her sentiment, in Catra's experience good and evil are relative and exist as such everywhere. Also, she's right: we meet many people in the Horde who aren't evil. And Adora's finding the sword is one giant sinister manipulation by Light Hope. Moral grayness is a constant theme in this show. Still, this isn't really why Catra chooses to stay with the Horde.
Adora sees her explanation failing to convince Catra, so she tries reminding Catra of their deeper friendship, telling her she misses her too. Catra is temporarily taken aback at being called out before remembering to deny it. She tells Adora to get over herself, and Adora tells her she won't stop until Catra says she likes her. They flirtatiously rough house, and Catra smiles during it: yeah, she does. But she denies it anyways.
::Adora often tries to be respectful of Catra's personal space but is making an exception here: she's telling her that she finds her desirable, and if Catra wanted it, they could be together. Adora can't understand why Catra feels the need to resist this, but she knows doing it helps her friend feel wanted. Still, this shows how casually Adora views their attraction.
Yes, they should be together. And actually, they had an unspoken agreement that they would be. But Catra's not going to open herself up to that just to serve her desire. She wants more from Adora, for Adora to show her that she really does see her, and cares about her. If she did, maybe Catra could open up about some of her pain. Being intimate without doing that would be impossible, and so far Catra's life still isn't safe enough to risk her feelings. Adora's promotion could have meant the beginning of something new between them, where they worked together to build a more secure future together where Catra didn't have to be fearful all the time. But instead, Adora left her.
So begins the second memory. The two girls, now teenagers, compete against each other in sparring. It's clear they are flirting, and neither is fighting all out. When Catra taunts Adora by putting her finger to her forehead, she shows how much better she is at fighting. She full heartedly laughs, Adora enjoys this and then throws a purposefully weak strike to restart the fight. When Adora seemingly turns the tables through brute force, Catra plays hurt to exploit Adora's naiveness. As Adora tries to show concern, Catra turns the tables back. She wants to teach Adora a lesson: that not everyone will play fair, as Catra knows all too well from SW's abuse. But Lonnie interrupts her. Catra doesn't appreciate this and makes quick work of Lonnie, showing just how good she is. Adora attacks, getting the predetermined win. Catra doesn't enjoy the beat down but accepts Adora's help up. She heads to Lonnie as Adora receives compliments from their commander.
As Catra confronts Lonnie, she tells Catra "you were playing dirty, I was just leveling the field". Catra will hear these words again when she leaves Adora behind in frustration near the end of the episode. They are significant: these are stereotypical views forced on Catra, and those views ignore that Catra was just doing something she felt was important: teaching Adora about the harsh realities that exist in the world. Real enemies don't play by the rules, and will be unpredictable.
As Catra’s anger rises at this, Adora puts her hand on Catra's shoulder to calm her down, then compliments Catra on her fighting skills. Catra ever so casually tosses the comforting hand aside. She's saying 'I can handle my emotions without your help, but thanks for asking.' As she tells Adora she let her win, Adora tries to tell if Catra really is ok.
Thus starts one of cutest exchanges between the two of them: as Catra tries to explain why she lets Adora win, Adora puts on her sideways 'you like me' grin while she playfully denies that Catra let her win. Catra gives a very animated and obviously made up explanation about not wanting to have people expect things from her. Adora grins along, and halfway through her lie Catra leans in, staring at Adora's lips before looking up into her eyes. Once again, Catra is undoing a lie by telling a truth: she let her win because she likes (loves) her. But it's only a half truth, once again...
Adora accepts the explanation, keeping her sideways grin: 'it's so cute how you like me'. Catra's explanation done, Adora moves on, wanting to catch up with their unit. Catra lets her do so while excusing herself. As Adora leaves, a huge amount of meaningful information passes across Catra's face…
First, Catra feels bad about having to lie to Adora, and it shows. Then, as Adora leaves to socialize, disappointment and rejection shows: Catra had hoped Adora might look deeper, and try to see the deeper truth. As Adora turns away and leaves we see a look of total love and adoration on Catra's face. She really, really loves Adora. She's the light of her life, a real idiot no doubt but Catra will always love her for exactly who she is.
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The girls remain their younger selves as the rest of the memory plays out, Adora staying to accept praise while Catra separates to deal with her internal feelings which Adora always fails to see: the hurt and aloneness she feels.
>A frustrated young Catra cries, expressing her repressed emotions. It would be easiest to assume she cries because she's sad about losing, but we have to look ahead to the next memory to find the real truth.
Catra is sad because she never had a choice. SW took that choice from her, and while Catra is happy to let Adora win because of the love she feels for her, it hurts that she never really got to decide. And Adora doesn't see that, doesn't see the pain Catra is bearing, hiding. And so she cries for that, too. The one person who should love her doesn't really see her. As she looks up in the mirror to see herself, since no one else in her life seems to see her pain, she sees her present tearful self looking back. The pain of the past is real in the present, and while she's older now and won't let herself give in to tears, she feels the pain as she did back then. (pic 1, below) She sees the tears and it snaps her back to her present self, totally unnerved by the simulation as the security detects her and attacks. A fearful Catra screams, wanting help, wanting Adora.
>Adora snaps back to herself, having been participating in the replay of the memory post Catra excusing herself. She tries to run to help Catra, full of worry. She sees a terrified Catra trapped by the spider. As the spider begins to drag her away the two girls lock arms, trying to free Catra. But it's too strong, and as we see their grip start to slip, Catra looks to Adora wanting, pleading for help. As Catra is pulled away, Adora feels helpless, knowing she couldn't help her friend. She thumps her head in frustration that she wasn't there for Catra.
The scene speaks to an obvious truth: Adora has never quite been there enough for Catra. She's always less present, less aware of Catra's reality than she could have been. But since Catra was experiencing a painful memory when this happened, her reaction shows her vulnerable emotional state, and so she called out for help: Catra just wants to feel safe, for Adora to be there to help her. But she wasn't.
>As Catra is dragged away, she feels helpless, and calls out mournfully for Adora. But she's long gone; Catra is alone and scared, as usual. She screams out her frustration, the realization that she’s never gotten the help she needed, she always ends up alone. She cries tears for the suffering and anguish she feels from that. (pic 2, below) It’s a moment that shows us the real inner Catra: She feels deeply, whether it be her desire to be seen, loved by Adora, or the fear she feels in this moment and others. She tries her best to act confident in herself, but it's a lie: she needs support, yet is left behind by everyone, including Adora. She was willing to bear her pain for Adora's love, but she has become increasingly aware of how tenuous that really was growing up.
>Catra digs deep, like she's always done. She will handle this, won't take the abuse lying down. She shifts her mentality to being the survivor, the person who has survived years of abuse. She frees herself and gets to her feet, accessing her foe, determined to defeat it. She attacks, using her anger to deal damaging blows, seeking to destroy her enemy, to make sure she survives. She stands back, confident she's won, proud of herself for it. She doesn't quit, she always perseveres against those who want to destroy her. (pic 3)
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Adora shows up, finishing the monster. Catra doesn't drop her mentality, this person who has lived a separate life from Adora and survived on her own, doing the hard things like winning fights and resisting Shadow Weaver's abuse.
Adora walks forward, seeing Catra's anger, determination. She looks blankly, trying not to upset Catra. She's trying to get a read on Catra but not having any luck, so she's being cautious. She asks if Catra is ok, casually pulling webbing off Catra's shoulder, trying to exist in her physical space without upsetting Catra further. "I had it" says Catra, not dropping her fighter stance, mentality at all. Catra is very much feeling the aloneness of her life from everyone, including Adora.
Adora tries to casually put aside Catra's assertion that she had it, she smiles diplomatically. She tries again to touch Catra, to break down her animosity and get her to calm down. It doesn't work. "We need to make sure we stick together from now on." As Adora touches Catra, she tenses, uncomfortable. Catra has strong touch aversion, and Adora knows this but she also knows doing it sometimes helps Catra shift her mentality, so she's trying to get Catra to connect emotionally, to get her to accept care.
"Will you stop telling me what to do?" An exasperated Catra says. We see a look of total dismay cross Adora's face. She's not understanding why Catra has so much animosity in this moment. (pic below)
As Adora looks at Catra, she hunches her body, looking misunderstood and isolated. Adora has consistently failed to see Catra's emotional states and so Catra is feeling more and more apart; that the mentality of the survivor she's feeling now is the right one. Adora didn't really help her at all growing up, and she doesn't see her for who she really is, either. Adora always took the easy explanation, like saying that Catra did things for her because she liked her. Never looking deeper, trying to see her struggle. And so Catra doesn't drop her combative pose, she stays in it because she feels in control, less vulnerable.
As for the words "stop telling me what to do", that's an essay in itself but consider: just now Adora became frustrated when she lost Catra, and now tells her they need to stay together. But they didn't, they never did, and even when they are together Adora is no real help to Catra. So she reacts in anger to Adora trying to direct her. After all, in the next scene we will see that Adora leads Catra into danger, and then doesn't really help her as she gets abused. Adora is no great leader, not according to Catra's experience.
::Adora is having a total loss, here, as she tries to understand Catra, why she's angry at her: It's because she has never really known this 'survivor' side of Catra. Adora wants to comfort her and calm her down, but Catra isn't having it. I think this is when we first see Adora begin to realize that there is something is very wrong with her friend that she has completely failed to see, and she's deeply worried by it. (pic 2)
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[pic cation: Adora can't read Catra's emotions, Adora realizes Catra is deeply angry. Outside SW’s chamber, Adora wants to take Catra’s hand.]
Adora loves Catra, but can't seem to get through to her: Catra is holding herself apart from Adora. Again, Catra pushes Adora's hand aside, frustrated. She expresses her exasperation at the situation, saying she's sick of what's going on. Adora follows along, confused. As Catra seemingly purposefully leaves her behind, Adora demands to know what Catra's problem is, saying that she was trying to save her. Catra looks down at her confrontationally, frustrated with Adora's lack of vision. "For the last time, I don't need you to save me. I've been doing just fine on my own. No thanks to you." Uh oh.
The words "no thanks to you" are especially cutting. Adora has totally failed to see the struggles Catra had all her life, she didn't understand the hurt and abuse Catra was fighting against. And so Catra did it all on her own, protecting herself and trying to remain strong. Her love of Adora might have helped her have hope, but fundamentally Catra overcame the abuse by not giving up on herself, believing she had worth, and not letting others tear her down.
Adora runs to Catra's side, taking her arm in one hand. Feeling her friend becoming increasingly distant from her, Adora tries authentically telling Catra her feelings, hoping to make her friend see her desire to help and understand her. Adora explains that she's sorry for leaving and that she did it because she couldn't stand the war the Horde has pursued. Her next words are telling: "but I never wanted to leave you". 'Want' is an important word in this series, and it comes up again in season 5 when Catra asks Adora "what do you want, Adora?”. By choosing to leave the Horde, Catra feels that Adora wanted that more than she wanted what they had together. Also, promises are not something you're supposed to break over a 'want'. And Adora so casually breaking their promises makes Catra think she doesn't matter to Adora. It's not the truth, but this belief still determines her reaction in this moment. Even though Adora dearly loves Catra, including at this point in the story, she hasn't shown it in a way that Catra can see as meaningful. As Adora finishes saying this, Catra looks back, feeling alone and unwanted, seemingly thinking 'but you did leave me, Adora.'
Adora tries to appeal to Catra to join the rebellion with her. Then she says "I know you're not a bad person, Catra. You don't belong with the Horde." Catra must be thinking 'Ok so at what point did you become the authority on whether someone is good or bad, Adora?' Adora has shown no interest in understanding Catra's position, she treated her as an enemy without fail since she left her, literally in every single case including at Princess Prom when Catra was trying so hard to romance her. And Catra doesn't accept Adora's naive black and white view of the world. Think about it: when Adora defects she begins treating all Horde with hostility, including her dearest friend, she judges them all and doesn’t even try to see them as the complicated people that they are. So when she suggests Catra doesn't belong with the Horde, Catra looks back at her, feeling totally isolated from Adora. Even though Adora's plea is earnest, Catra declines it.
>As the next memory begins, we see Adora now has both hands on Catra's arm, she's desperately trying to hold on to her bond with Catra and show her desire to fix things between them. Catra doesn't drop her wary demeanor at all, and Adora looks lost and anxious over this as a young Catra runs by.
The memory starts out full of childhood innocence as the two of them play together. When the girls see that the Black Garnet chamber is open, young Adora remarks "we're definitely not allowed in there." Young Catra looks at Adora, seemingly asking if she wants to go in, trusting her. Young Adora runs off, and Catra follows her in. Yes, Catra participates in the decision, but she's not the one who runs towards the chamber, and that's important to what happens next.
A worried (adult) Adora looks to her friend who seems so distant, stoic. Anxiously, Adora tells Catra "You don't have to go in there." Adora knows what happens next is very bad, that this is a hurtful memory for Catra. As an unwavering Catra begins to walk towards the chamber, Adora looks down at Catra's hand. [pic above] She wants desperately to reach out and take it, to hold Catra back from this terrible moment, to tell her she's sorry for messing up. Adora knows now that she screwed up, that she's let Catra down, somehow more than she ever realized. She doesn't know what to do about it… she follows Catra inside.
The young girls explore, Catra touches the black garnet and gets shocked. Adora has second thoughts, she realizes they're trespassing.. but of course, SW returns, so they try to hide. As SW takes off the mask, Adora cries out, taken aback... young Catra looks at her in dismay. She's about to pay for Adora's mistake with a lifetime of suffering. Offended, SW tells them to "Get out!" but rethinks. She puts the mask back on, and decides to use this moment to instead abuse the girls and use the crime of their trespass against them. As SW tells Catra to stay, Adora turns around, seeing that Catra is caught, and she's scared for her friend. She really did make a poor decision, and as a highly empathetic person, what happens to Catra scars Adora, too.
Held powerless by magic, Catra tries to explain that they were just playing. SW's words to her set the stage for a lifetime of physical and psychological abuse: SW leans over her menacingly, telling her "Insolent child, I've come to expect such disgraceful behavior from you, but I will not allow you to drag Adora down as well." Again, it's not Catra who decided to go in, so it's really not her fault. SW disparages her and heaps blame upon her for Adora's bad choice, ignoring the truth.
Adora weakly tries to protect Catra, saying "SW, it wasn't her fault. It was my idea too." It's an understandable response, as they're just little kids. Still, Adora could have taken the blame for their trespass, since she led Catra inside. But it's about to get a lot more hurtful for Catra...
SW's voice echoes through Catra's head as she trembles in terror: "You have never been anything more than a nuisance to me. I've kept you around this long because Adora was fond of you but if you ever do anything to jeopardize her future, I will dispose of you myself. Do you understand ?" Catra trembles in fear, her eyes unfocused, the room empty but for SW menacing her. She's in a dissociative state, terrified and helpless. I think some people probably feel like this must have been a idle threat, but it isn't: SW abuses Catra many times after this for her mistakes. And the depiction of the dissociative state helps us understand just how damaging it was. While Adora seemingly goes on to not realize the importance of this memory, for Catra it is formative to her entire life.
Again, Adora tries weakly to stop what's happening, putting herself between them. She tells SW "please, stop" then looks over at Catra, full of concern. Running over to SW, she tells her "she didn't mean to". This is so hurtful, as young Catra is very smart. Catra knows Adora has blown it again, after all, what is it that she "didn't mean to" do when it was Adora's idea to trespass? Adora isn't getting the magnitude of the situation, and Catra is very much left to fend for herself.
SW then does a very insidious thing to Adora, a very directed abuse that's meant to work against her personality and empathetic reactions to others pain. She tells her "Adora, you must do a better job of keeping her under control. Do not let something like this happen again..." SW follows this up with years of manipulation to make Adora even more susceptible to abuse. But in this moment, SW again heaps the blame for Adora's mistake onto Catra, who did nothing wrong. For Catra, she comes to believe that what she did doesn't even matter, nobody cares what the truth was. Even Adora. But for Adora, the hurt goes deep as well. She made a bad decision, her friend gets hurt for it, and she never comes clean... instead, she's told she has to do a better job of controlling her friend, and that she has to be perfect so that it doesn't happen again. It's a deep and hurtful moment for Adora, just like it is for Catra. But the hurt is much less direct, and more sneaky. Nonetheless, Adora struggles with this moment, this abuse of her, in the most intimate and painful ways all throughout the series.
Young Catra watches on as SW completes her manipulation of Adora. For Catra, she's left with the feeling that nothing she does matters, she was blamed for something she didn't even do. And Adora seemingly took the easy out, spreading the blame. But she doesn't realize this moment is so insidious for Adora, that it attacks and manipulates her at her emotional need to help others. From this moment on, Adora is afflicted with a desperate fear that she can't protect others, and must lead perfectly so they don't get hurt. This internal conflict erodes Adora's self worth, and causes her great emotional pain throughout the series. Catra, instead, believes she is being told she has no worth, and isn't even allowed to make her own decisions. It's hurtful, and it's part of why she tensed so badly at Adora for trying to tell her what to do earlier. We see this realization cross young Catra's face: she feels forgotten in this moment.
We see the young girls walking away from SW's chamber, Adora with her hand around Catra's shoulder. This comfort is not enough... Catra really needed Adora to stand up for her there, to come clean, and she didn't. Trying to comfort her now seems hollow. As they flash to their present selves, Catra knocks Adora's arm aside in frustration, accusing her of needing to play the hero.
Adora responds, saying she was only trying to protect her. Catra's next words tell the real truth of their childhood: "You never protected me! Not in any way that would put you on SW's bad side!" Adora at first chafes at this statement, feeling like she did try to protect her, then crosses over to confusion at the strength of Catra's assertion. Catra is telling Adora she was blind to her pain. She wasn't there for her, and this is very much at the core of Catra's disappointment with Adora: the fact that she never stayed, never tried to understand. Adora let SW control her, make her ambitious, and so Catra was put to the side of that, and over time Adora grew apart from her. Catra’s exact words here are important: she says that Adora ‘plays’ at being the hero, yet always seemingly protected her status as the favorite, never standing up to SW and risking harm onto herself in order to save Catra from pain.
And so, the fact that out of seemingly out of nowhere, Adora decides to risk everything and defect in order to fight for people she doesn't even know, insults Catra. Adora abandons and consequently fights against her own people, leaving Catra behind, unilaterally treating her as an enemy. Never, in their whole lives, did Adora ever fight for Catra, only offering affection afterwards to make up for the cruelties that happened to Catra. So no, Catra doesn't want Adora to save her, or her sympathy, when she seemingly cared so little about her pain. Adora was no hero to her.
Now an obvious question might be: if the manipulation is that Adora is supposed to protect and control Catra, then shouldn't she have had to see SW abuse Catra for it to work? The first part of the answer is that it was never really about that, once the idea was put in Adora’s head, SW used it to manipulate her further into a mentality where Adora would accept praise, promotion on her path to becoming a force captain.
The other is that when someone is being hurt like Catra was in that moment... if the one person in the world who is supposed to get it doesn't get it... then it becomes very hard to ever bring it up to them again. It's a specific type of hurt and abandonment: for Catra, she goes on to believe that this is her burden, that somehow she alone is supposed to learn these hard lessons. And so she doesn't tell Adora about the abuse. Also, keep in mind that they are small children, and Catra doesn't want Adora to hurt like she does... so she's actually protecting her, in her mind. But the fact that time goes by and Adora never seemed to care, to stop and see Catra's pain, was very hurtful to her. And Catra’s feelings of betrayal at Adora’s not seeing the hurt are justified: in episode 1, we see Adora watch SW menace Catra, then happily run off to accept her promotion, only remembering to check on Catra as an afterthought. Catra needed Adora's support, and never really got it.
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[pic caption: (left to right) Adora’s apparent willful ignorance of the abuse.]
So Catra believes she learns these hard lessons so Adora won't have to, but is left alone in her pain. This also means that SW specifically abused Catra at times and in places so Adora wouldn't be aware, which again, tells us it was never really about making Adora responsible for Catra's decisions. No, the reasons were much darker, and Catra bore it all alone.
The girls flash to their younger selves, and Catra accuses Adora: "Admit it, you love being her favorite." Catra is telling Adora that she was disappointed and hurt that Adora kept accepting praise and privilege from SW, after that moment when she so clearly should have seen how SW abused her, and the maliciousness of the death threat. In Catra’s mind, Adora could have rejected SW. As painful as it is for a small child to be without any parents, it would have been the right thing to do, for Catra. SW was no good to Catra, and they could have shared the pain of being orphans who only had each other, but instead Catra ended up bearing all of the abuse while Adora was given privilege.
Adora denies this assertion, and yet she did accept the privilege SW offered her. Catra's next words show how ignorant Adora was to the realities of their lives as they flash back to their present selves: "Oh yeah? When you left, who do you think took the fall for you? Who was protecting me then ?" Catra bore all the abuse and punishment for Adora's leaving, and Adora wasn't there to see it. Catra did this bravely for Adora, in fact, up until before Princesse Prom, Catra did everything she could to cover for Adora, just like she asked, protecting her, hoping she'd come back to her. But Adora shows no understanding at all for what Catra went through, she didn't even think about what must have been happening to her. Adora has never taken the time to think about how her actions affect Catra's life.
Adora counters, suggesting that Catra could leave the Horde, and therefore get away from SW's abuse. Catra just glares back at her, disappointed. Catra knows running from the abuse won't solve anything.
::What this comes down to is a totally different understanding of the world. For Adora, she thinks she became a hero for leaving the Horde, and becoming She-ra. She doesn't realize she was lucky to fall into the situation she did, with Bow and Glimmer helping her gain acceptance and protecting her. She's totally unaware that the reality that her becoming She-ra is a manipulation born out of evil intent. For Catra, she's always known that the world is harsh, and that bad people exist who will try to destroy you. She's not afraid to fight, she's had no choice learning these harsh truths. It's a jaded view that negatively affects her perceptions of people, but it prepares her for the worst, and so she relies on it. So when Adora suggests she run from it, she rejects her as naive. They flash back to their younger selves after Adora suggests Catra can leave like she did, and Catra accusingly points out that she doesn't need to follow Adora around. That they're children is relevant to the previous memory where Adora led Catra into danger, and then didn't protect her. Catra isn't interested in following Adora blindly after she's put her in danger so badly in the past.
Flashing back present selves, Catra tells Adora she doesn't want to leave. As she says this her face conveys her anger at the world, her drive to face SW instead of flee. She says "I'm not afraid of SW anymore, and I'm a better force captain than you ever would have been." Let's take this in parts: Catra won't run from her abuser, she's already planning to take her down. Doing so is important to Catra, as it fixes her world in an important way. And that Adora can't see this just shows how far apart they are now. In Catra's mind, Adora was supposed to stay, and as they rose to power together, they would have supplanted SW, fixing Catra's world. The two of them would have been stronger in the end. But Adora did leave, so Catra impatiently tries to get Adora to see that she won't just run away. If Adora doesn't want to help Catra overcome this evil, then she'll do it on her own.
Her disappointment in Adora for abandoning this fight is apparent, what comes to mind is when Catra calls Adora weak in the Sea Gate episode. And now Catra knows she's got the power to do this, she's a force captain, and if she can just find a reason to depose SW she knows she has the station and fighting ability to take her down. She always knew she could lead, but was happy to let Adora have success because she really didn't want that responsibility. So she points out her superiority, not to show that she's better than Adora, but to tell Adora she was blind to Catra's worth, and to be hurtful to Adora for abandoning her.
They flash back to their child selves: Adora looks at Catra, hurt and confused "You always said you didn't care about things like that." Adora is feeling hurt by the idea that she was unknowingly taking advantage of Catra, because Catra has seemily just told her she was lying.
Now, this next part is important, and it's important that we are seeing Catra's reaction as her child self: Catra looks sad and lonely as Adora finishes her question, and she's crying. Something adult Catra would never let herself do. So we're seeing a much more authentic expression of Catra's hurt and emotions than if it were her present self. What you need to understand here is that those emotions don't really match her words... Catra tells her "Well I was lying, obviously!" But her face says she's angry and hurt at Adora for not seeing her pain.
As she delivers those words her face is full of accusation and insult, she's being dramatic, something we will see Catra do time and time again. She stares down Adora, eyes scrunched up, showing Adora how betrayed she felt by her insensitivity. Then we get sadness, disappointment. Finally, we get a lonely kind of furious sorrow: all that time feeling alone and Adora didn't bother to understand is written on her face.
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The tears are still flowing, but as she turns away they shift back to their present selves. Adult Catra looks totally alone, heartbroken.
Ok but how we REALLY know Catra isn't telling the truth is this: almost word for word, this moment exists in episode 1. ANY time you see that happen in this show, you need to look back to find the meaning of it.
>We will need to look in totality of this scene in episode 1: An excited Catra pounces on Adora, asking her what SW said. She sees the badge and takes it. Here's a funny thing, because we see Catra jump on Adora you might think Catra is always like this, she just comes into Adora's space as she pleases. But once Catra has the badge, we see no anger or jealousy. Just total wonder. She shows nothing but exuberation and happiness for Adora's promotion (pic 1, lower left fyi).
Catra knew this could be the turning point she's been waiting for, that Adora was due for promotion. And so she's jumping all over Adora, full of joy. We only see her attitude change once Adora tells her SW isn't letting her go on missions. And so, we can infer a lot of information from this...
Catra expected this moment to change their lives for the better. That Adora's rising in rank means freedom, the beginning of something new. Some many new things, in Catra's case. But Catra definitively shows us in this scene that she doesn't desire the success for herself. She only shows happiness for Adora, for them together, and she's ecstatic. (pic 1, fyi)
This, in Catra's mind, probably means the start of their romantic lives. If Adora is the force captain that brings them to victory, SW won't be able to just trample all over their lives. Catra can begin letting down some walls, maybe even let Adora pursue her romantically. If they're together, and Adora is on her side because of that, she becomes safe from her abuser. It's a much better outcome than trying to fight SW, but that's not how the story goes. No, Adora leaves her instead. How's that for emotional whiplash? All of these truths are laid bare in s3ep5, when we see Catra's perfect reality, when she and Adora are together romantically. Catra only wants to be safe and to be loved, but when Adora leaves her she loses trust in the goodness of Adora, and in people in general.
> Adora tells Catra she shouldn't be surprised she's been cut of of the mission because she's so rude to SW, to which Catra responds by calling Adora a people pleaser, then storming off in anger...
::Note, as this is important: Adora is taking SW’s side, and not Catra’s, which is entirely opposite of their early childhood memory of Octavia. It shows how Adora had started listening to the negative judgements others placed on Catra...
>Adora goes after Catra, finding her sulking on the roof. Catra is angry, betrayed by the world, at the injustice that SW is in her life. Adora asks "I didn't even think you wanted to be a force captain?" Catra tossed the badge at her, saying she doesn't. Then she folds her body up, holding herself. Adora sees this, but doesn't touch her. She's being careful to respect Catra's boundaries. But the anger Catra feels here isn't about being denied the chance to be a force captain, it's at all the hurt that SW has dealt her and continues to do so. And Adora doesn't see that, which disappoints Catra. But, she's unable to verbalize it herself, she is too insecure in her emotional vulnerability, so she lets it slide.
What we have here is two different instances of the same question with two different answers, but in both cases Catra is telling the truth. In episode 1, it's the truth that she doesn't care about being a force captain because of her love for Adora, and the promise, in her mind, that they will eventually be together. In episode 11, Catra then says she lied, and this now is also true: Catra did think about what she was going through, all the pain and sacrifices she made for Adora, which were done in the name of love. But Adora doesn't love her the way that Catra loves Adora, instead leaving her behind. And so now that Adora didn't ever see how excellent a person Catra actually was, how dedicated to her she is, and the pain she was willing to bear for her sake, it does matter. Because that's shitty of her, and so now Catra will survive on her own by her own excellence, her strength that Adora never stopped to see. So Catra is guilting Adora, trying to make her see how blind and unfeeling she is.
>Back to ep11: Catra tries to walk away from Adora, who desperately chases her, trying to understand why Catra is becoming so distant, wanting her to tell her what's wrong. She reaches out for Catra's shoulder in one last attempt to get Catra to talk, she knows touching Catra could maybe get her to be more open. But the truth is Adora has been far too easy on Catra, she needs to be more forceful if she wants Catra to talk, which she later comes to understand... she's been coddling Catra, and so Catra is allowed to wallow in her unhealthy mental states.
Catra takes Adora's hand, forcefully holding it away from her and delivering a hurtful line: "Why do you think I gave the sword back to you in the fright zone? I didn't WANT you to come back, Adora!" This hits Adora like a load of bricks, her dismay is evident. And it's all true, which is the sad part. Catra was already preparing to cut ties with Adora, as even by that point she had come to a realization, a decision: if Adora doesn't want to be with her, then she'll do it herself. She will do the hard things on her own.
She turns away from Adora, looking hurt and betrayed. And Adora is at a complete loss, she doesn't know this side of Catra, this part of her that has survived hardship all these years... she lets her leave, not knowing what to do.
Adora is then attacked by the security, which takes up her time. As that happens, we see memories only shown to Catra. Catra runs, emotionally overwhelmed as all the unfair judgements, the abuse, and hollow apologies ring out around her. All the years of frustration and sadness weigh on her, she tries to keep it together, lashing out at the holograms. She falls to her knees, fighting back emotion and trying not to cry, her inner, vulnerable self is near the surface, and she's trying not to break down in tears over all of the hurt she's had to bear...
… and then she hears soft crying...
She turns to see her younger, tiny self, crying. Then, a tiny Adora joins the tiny Catra. Unlike the other memories, Catra never flashes into her younger self, she just watches...
The tiny Adora pulls the blanket down, Catra hisses at her... Adora sits down next to her tenderly. And we finally get the promise, the two parts that Adora has so tragically broke...
Adora tells her "It doesn't matter what they do to us, you know? You look out for me, and I look out for you... nothing really bad can happen as long as we have each other." The tiny Catra looks at Adora, wanting to trust her, to believe in her. As she says the question, present Catra echos it: "You promise ?" This was a sacred moment that gave Catra hope as a young orphan, that maybe she would be ok.
And so, the present Catra echoes it. Adora tells her she promises, as the skeptical present Catra looks on. Tiny Catra is still sad, insecure... she hugs Adora, needing this. Adora suggests they go back out to play... and we see tiny Catra look at her, still afraid, reluctant, wanting to stay. But she decides to trust Adora, and so they walk out, holding hands. Then something unique happens. Tiny Catra stops to look up at her present self: note, this is entirely a unique moment in the simulation, it never happened in reality... and yet Catra is given this moment...
The innocent child stares up Catra, making her see her. It's a look full of meaning, it doesn't carry any specific emotion... only innocence. Catra is having an inner child moment. That most deep and innocent part of her, her vulnerable self who feels love, is communicating with her. It's asking her to see it's vulnerability, and it's pain. Catra sees this, all of the pain Adora has caused her, the breaking of the promise, the promise that this innocent part of her was holding on to desperately with hope. She is forced to acknowledge Adora's disloyalty to her, her carelessness. Catra is reflecting on how she did her absolute best to keep that promise, even after Adora failed to look out for her in SW's chamber. Catra was so loyal and so good to Adora all of their lives; she made sure Adora had a good life, and she played by SW's rules so Adora could be the chosen one, wanting to protect her. All in the hope that they would be together, and that their love was real. But Adora couldn't even do that much, she left her. And Adora doesn't understand her, she doesn't even seem to miss her.
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[pic 9: Broken Promises, Catra’s inner child, The Hero goes Her Own Way].
Present Catra watches her tiny self leave, coming to the tough realization: that she's never been able to trust Adora, not really. Her love isn't reciprocated, not by her standards.
…. which makes Adora a deeply unsafe person to Catra...
Catra survived SW's abuse, learning to believe in herself, protect herself because no one else would. All while keeping this hope of love in her heart, this vulnerable core of herself that has tenderness and loves Adora, and needs love back. But, her need for love goes to such a deep vulnerability that giving in to it and then again being rejected or forgotten by Adora would simply destroy her. SW held the threat of death over Catra’s head her entire life, and Catra resisted it, got through it by being tough and trusting in herself. So now she sees she can't trust Adora: everything that happened since she left her behind, the fact that Adora always treats her as an enemy, that she seems to show no lingering desire for her, and doesn't even seem to miss her while replacing her with new friends, seems to confirm her worst fears. Fears that have been building over the years, starting when Adora broke their promise in SW's chamber, and then as Adora pursued her success while accepting praise and privilege from SW, ignoring the abuse Catra bore because of it. She decides she can't trust Adora. Love is a lie, a weakness. A weakness that could destroy her last bit of individuality, and belief in the world.
And so, Catra, The Survivor, makes the decision... in her mind it's the brave one, just like way back when and she decided to bravely stand up to SW's abuse and not let it destroy her: she will stand up to the threat that is the weakness of her love for Adora. Adora is selfish, she doesn't deserve Catra's love. She was stupid to believe that love was even possible, for someone like her… who has always been ignored, and told she is unworthy of praise or even existence. There's only one thing left for her to do: she will be alone, strong on her own, for herself.
Her gaze hardens... that part of her that has made sure she survived SW's abuse, and made sure she won fights when she was threatened, is now the decider. It will protect her from her vulnerability, and reject Adora for her. I suppose you might be confused as to what I'm referring, or maybe not... If you haven't had to fight for your life, whether physically, mentally, or otherwise, you might not know this side of yourself well. But we all have it, it's The Survivor. And while I knew mine would protect me, I didn't accept it as my real self, I didn't accept its necessary but vicious deeds as my own. This is very much how Catra is, and as the series goes on she puts this survivor in charge of more and more decisions, we watch her deteriorate as this part of her gets out of control, protecting her from darkness with more darkness. All the while her vulnerable inner self suffers, watching the horrible deeds and becoming more and more alone, desperate for affection.
>Adora is outnumbered, eventually ending up hanging from the cliff's edge by spider webs. She hears Catra return, dealing with the spiders. Adora looks up, hopeful because Catra has returned...
Catra saunters in. Let me say a few things before we go through this part: Catra is about to say a lot of things that aren't really true. They are instead meant to be hurtful to Adora, Catra is being intentionally mean. We shouldn't take her exact words as her authentic beliefs, because they're not... no, Catra is doing what she believes she has to so she can be apart for Adora, and be safe from her. The truth is, Catra needs to be away from Adora. She's too scared of the vulnerability that is her love for Adora, because Adora hasn't shown her that she cares. And she can't do that by defecting, no, she must stay with the Horde. It's the only thing she feels there is left for her to do.
Now, let's go through this: and heads up: I'm getting at something very powerful that's going on here that you may not have realized. This speech is, in fact, a heroic moment. A heroic moment... for Catra. Not Adora, for Catra. And you just need to open your ears to hear it...
"Hey Adora."
🎶 is sad
"Catra! Help me, please!"
"This thing wouldn't work for me if I tried, would it? It only works for you... then again, you're special... that's what Shadow Weaver always said..."
🎶 is melancholy
"Catra, what are you doing??"
"Ah, ya know, it all makes sense now... you've always been the one holding me back... you wanted me to think I needed you, you wanted me to feel weak."
🎶 has even tone
"Every hero needs a sidekick, right?"
"Catra that's not how it was.."
🎶 rises, falls, sad (“Promise” begins playing)
*Catra chuckles* "The sad thing is I've spent all this time hoping you'd come back to the Horde... when really you leaving was the best thing that EVER happened to me..."
🎶 lowers, is dark, is dramatic. -Note: we see Catra seemingly become deranged as she says this line. This is Catra deceiving herself out of perceived necessity.
"I am so much stronger than anyone... ever... thought." *she cuts part of the web*
🎶 begins to rise, uplifting
"I wonder what I could have been if I'd gotten rid of you sooner." *she cuts the rest of the web, Adora falls, catching herself*
🎶 rises, is dramatic
"I'm sorry! I never meant to make you feel like you were second best. Please, don't do this."
🎶 is still rising, uplifting
*Catra stands proudly, nobly, looking at the sword. She looks down at Adora, then she casually tosses the sword past her...
🎶 is rising, hopeful, heroic.
"Bye Adora, I really am going to miss you..."
🎶 is heroic, violins now playing, adding depth
*Catra turns and walks away from Adora, proudly*
🎶 has risen to its height, crests, is heroic.
"Catra... Catra, no!!"
🎶 remains high, cresting, heroic
*Adora cries, sad, confused by Catra's leaving her...*
🎶 crests again, fades out...
Ok, so... let's talk about what just happened here. The undeniable conclusion is that this was meant to be a heroic moment, and a damn heroic moment... for Catra. The writers are telling us that Catra leaving is an important part of her hero’s journey, and that it was the right thing to do. You might be wondering, how can that be? The short answer is, Catra is on a hero’s journey unlike all the other hero’s journeys normally portrayed in fiction. All of it, even her darkest deeds, all her cruelty towards Adora, will be part of a very... important... and powerful... journey. One which will forge her into a hero in this series, in her own incredible right... how this is, what she is, is yet to be revealed... but make no mistake, she's a hero. Just not the one you expect…
We see Adora open her eyes, and see Light Hope. She tells Adora to let go. She means of her emotional attachments, as we find out. Adora cries for her lost Catra, that she couldn't bring her back to her. She lets go...
BIG ASSERTION TIME: Now, I know it's a common theory that these memories were all just an elaborate manipulation by Light Hope to divide the girls from each other, but I don't agree with that. No, I believe this was a memory journey guided by Catra, subconsciously, to help her tell Adora why she couldn't come with her, why she has to be apart.
Take for instance the memories and visions that Adora sees when she's on her way to the Heart of Etheria in season 5: this system exists apart from Light Hope, who dies at the end for season 4. This simulation comes from somewhere more primal: in my belief, it is the deep magic of Etheria being visualized through the First One's tech. We see the simulation show Catra the promise memory, something Adora isn't shown at all, and then allows her to see her inner child's hurt. Something deeper is going on here, and you should consider how strongly the magic of Etheria is resonating with Catra when it does. Because the magic of Etheria will again speak directly to Catra, this isn't the last time... In short, the magic helps the two of them to understand each other, because Catra is an important part of Adora's true She-ra journey.
I also believe that a theme of this series is that abusers, like L. Hope, are not perfect vindictive manipulators. They are flawed, and L. Hope in particular, I believe, is no genius: she fails time and time again. That L. Hope uses the moment to get Adora to let go is her using the moment to her advantage, she didn't play ultimate control over it. She just piggy backed on Catra's hurt to do it. So that last memory really was for Catra... Furthermore, I simply cannot believe L.Hope would understand the concept of the inner child… as she can't even understand sarcasm.
But now, because of this, Adora now knows of Catra's pain... and this is the beginning of Adora's long journey back to Catra, of her repairing their bond…
Let's address the obvious counterpoint: Adora now knows that Catra is hurt, but she doesn't yet understand why. And it's not really her fault, as Catra doesn't know how to talk about her feelings, among other things. But it's apparent that Adora doesn't remember these crucial memories as well as Catra does, even though they were critical in her development as well. Adora is a mess of emotions, just like Catra, and (if) she has ADHD, it might be one reason why she doesn't really get Catra. Especially if her parental figure has been manipulating it against her. Adora very much vibrates between stimuli anxiously, so SW might have made her forgetful by distraction over time. Also, the way in which Adora treats Catra as an enemy when she doesn't accept Adora’s (totally rushed, afterthought, and hollow) ultimatum that she defect with her, is a reflection of Adora's ingrained Horde war training… this is something she has to unlearn, as it is wrong. But Adora is a good person, she really, truely, is, because Adora never stops trying to make it better. And so, she slowly, but surely, comes to understand Catra’s trauma.
We get one last scene of Catra returning to the fright zone. We get to see Catra's truth here: She walks, as if she's not even there, she's deadened by the sorrow and the inevitability of what her life will now be: one of hard work, and zero joy. She will try her best to stand on her own, and put Adora out of her heart, slamming its doors shut against love. It doesn't work, but that's what she's trying to do, nonetheless. This is the beginning of a profound depression that builds over the next 3 seasons, and combined with new traumas, nearly takes her life.
But the tech Catra has brought back will end up giving her what she needs to face down and depose SW, just like she needed...
::Here is another complicated twist that's so essential to She-ra as a series: Catra, in fact, protects Adora by taking down SW. Catra may go on to command the Hordes forces so effectively that it pushes the Princess alliance harder than it's ever been pushed before, but her deposing SW is extremely important in the story. She both removes SW’s ability to attack Adora, and then denies her any sorcerous power by taking the Black Garnet from her, since SW needs an external source to draw power from in order to use her vampiric powers...
Ok so more theory time: it's a common belief that Catra stays with the Horde, and goes on to try to conquer the world out of some deep need to externally validate herself, and to prove she was the better child by beating Adora. I don't think any of these explanations are true. Catra may go on to play such a character on a surface level, but every time she professes to have any such ambitions, she is either in the presence of Adora, or under incredible stress. In the one case, she's saying those things to try to hurt Adora, and make her see how naive and foolish Adora always was, especially now that Adora thinks she can fight against her.
In the other case, it's actually her survivor mechanism trying to take over, to make her world safe. In every case where Catra says something about ambition, somewhere in that scene, Catra shows the distinct emotions of her true inner self: generally, these emotions are sorrow, fear, and loneliness. They don't exist on screen long, they are what is known as micro expressions. (See below for a short discussion of Catra’s micro expressions.)
To put it simply, the only reason Catra stays with the Horde is so she has somewhere she can be separate from her feelings and heartbreak over Adora, and then she climbs the ranks in order to find safety, first from SW, and then Hordak, once he threatens her life with his temper tantrums. That she fights against Adora is just a collateral consequence, she isn't out to get Adora, but nor does she care if Adora gets hurt, because she’s hurt her. Catra does fight against the princesses, though (including She-ra).
A core feature of Catra's character is indeed one of personal power. She's a person who is told to hurry up and die at an early age, but refused to do so. So her arc, her issue, isn't a cautionary tale about chasing validation, it's about her overcoming her fear of vulnerability and allowing herself to rely on others in a way that lets her be safe without needing to combat the darkness with more darkness. But vulnerability scares her because of the abuse she experienced.
As for validation, the only person she would want that from is Adora. This is because Catra believes in herself already: that she has a sacred right to exist, no matter what SW and others may tell her (note: Adora struggles with this, she's actually the one who seeks validation). But, she also needs love, and she is too fearful that Adora doesn't really love her and is afraid of being hurt by that. It's also why I think she's so chaotic towards Adora: her inner child tells her adult self to protect her from her love for Adora, which it tries to do, but that same child misses and needs Adora in so many ways. So she's trying to be mean to compensate for the incredible desire she feels towards Adora. I love it when Adora calls her a brat in season 5, it's such a well deserved line, mmhhmmm.
Actual discussions of how these particulars play out in the show are better left for another time, but there you have it.
Promise sidebar discussions: Catra’s micro expressions; Catra nearly dies at the Battle of Bright Moon
“White Out” microexpression discussion: [see pics below] This is the first time since the Battle of Bright Moon that Catra and Adora meet. So it's a good time to talk about Catra’s micro expressions. Picture 1: Adora says “Hey, Catra” out of the blue and Catra is completely blindsided, she figured she wouldn't be bothered out in the middle of nowhere. She's anxious and unhappy to be seeing Adora. Along with her suspicious absence the episode before in “Roll With It”, the answer is obvious: Catra has been avoiding Adora. She may have cut ties with her in “Promise”, nearly bested her at the Battle of BM, but she doesn't want to see her. She doesn't know what she feels about her.
Picture 2: Enraged monsters are decimating the base, and a battle breaks out over the corrupted disc. Catra is desperately trying to protect it, because she can control Adora if she has it... and she needs this chance to have her back. As Catra reaches to pick it up, she's facing away from everyone and so no one can see her desperation and sadness from missing Adora. (pic 2) Shortly after, we also see her clutch the disc desperately to her chest in a way that's very endearing, right before the monster attacks her and makes her drop it. Then, as she's about to die in its jaws because she doesn't want to give Adora up again, Scorpia breaks the disc and saves her life. We see in this episode as Catra completely loses track of her emotions, and now realizes she has to come to terms with the fact that she's so desperately sad from missing Adora, she was willing to die just for a chance to have her back.
Pic 3: Catra hates working for the Horde. She HATES it. She gets zero joy from the job, and she’s already figured out that Hordak will kill her if she screws up too badly. She didn't want this job, plain and simple, but now feels stuck with it. None of this is the life she wanted. Combining this knowledge against Catra’s declaration to Adora at the end of Promise, we know she's not happy that she had to go her own way...
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Catra’s near death experience at the Battle of Bright Moon
At the Battle of Bright Moon, Catra leads Adora (She-ra) away. They battle, but then Catra retreats and instead starts listing out every single worst fear of failure she thinks Adora has. It's a dark moment, she's acting much like SW did to them as children, and we watch her manipulation take root in Adora. Finally, her words are too much, and as Catra looks down at Adora's (She-ra's) back, we see Adora become deranged, overcome with her fear of failing everyone... (pic1, above) she picks up a boulder and throws it directly at Catra. Catra is knocked flying, and only by the barest of margins does she keep from falling to her death. Adora nearly kills Catra. And so, as Adora drags Catra up from the cliff and slams her into the wall, we see a totally heartbroken and emotionally crushed Catra. In this moment, Catra believes all of her worst fears are confirmed: Adora only cares about being She-ra, so much so that Adora would kill her in the name of being that hero. Catra uses this moment, this belief, to justify her division from Adora. Sadly, she's wrong... she's ignoring the seriousness of the threat that the battle poses, and as Adora was facing away from her during that moment, she doesn't see the terror and desperation Adora experiences due to her cruel words…
Oh, and one more thing before we go: when Catra says “What, did you really think this was about you ?” SPOILER ALERT: It was. Because She-ra is one big Catradora story… and we love it.
As always, thanks for reading. <3
~EtheriaDearie
P.S. :: as I am new to tumblr, if you enjoyed reading this, please consider giving me a reblogg! Thanks!! 🙇💛
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tinyboxxtink · 3 years
Text
"...So I Married A Monster" *Chapter 6*
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Note I was going to put a 'rough sex' gif under the cut for Lewis's shot, but I don't know if people want that. So here's a scared Rafael for your...pleasure?
Chapter 5
Chapter 7
Alright SO I posted a warning post earlier, but obviously I'm gonna put one here too.
This is probably the most graphic, dark chapter I've ever written for any story. With rape.
Please read at your own discretion.
Also it's a pretty short chapter, but trust me-- you wouldn't want it any longer. But I wrote another sweet short fluffy chapter after this one to make up for it.
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--------------------------------
You did your best to keep calm and keep Billy happy as he aggressively groped at you with his hands, ripping off your shirt and then your bra before tossing you on the bed. Before all of this, you would have been super excited about the events transpiring. If there was one thing you and Billy were great at, it was sex. But somehow, this time it felt...different.
You didn’t know why, it didn’t make any sense to you. This was the same man, it was the same situation, he knew all your special places and you knew his. There were so many nights after he left you and the girls that you would dream about this moment, wishing for it so badly. But now that it was here, it almost felt...wrong.
“What’s wrong sweetie, you look like you’re somewhere else,” Billy stopped hungrily nibbling your neck to look into your eyes.
You used to look into those eyes and see such warmth and comfort, such lust and wanting. You had even told Rafael that you were still in love with Billy, so why didn’t you feel like it? Had they just been words? Words to hurt him because he hurt you by choosing Olivia?
Right now, that’s sure what it felt like. It felt like you were...cheating, on Rafael. Which was stupid, because you had literally just broken up with him. Didn't you? That’s what ‘done’ meant, right? Surely you had meant it in that moment; surely you meant it.
But now you weren’t sure.
“Hello, earth to Y/N!” Billy’s voice grew more agitated as he flicked you across the temple. He had never been so quick to anger before, you didn’t like this one bit.
“S-Sorry, baby,” You quickly put on a smile as your hand travelled down to his jeans, unhooking his belt. “It’s just been a day,”
“Oh, I know sweetheart,” He quickly changed his tune as soon as he felt you fondling with his belt. He helped you undo it and pulled off his jeans. You could feel his throbbing erection against your thigh.
“But daddy’s about to make it all better, I promise,” He gave you a sly grin.
You felt one hand wrap around your head and pulled it into his face even more aggressively than before. He began tugging at your hair as he attacked your neck and shoulders with hard, assertive bites. You remembered the sex between you two being rough, but you didn’t seem to recall it ever being this rough.
"Don't you like that, babe?" He asked as his mouth moved down your torso, pulling off your jeans this time.
"Mmmhmm…." You tried faking it as well as you could, feeling more and more uncomfortable the lower his mouth moved.
"Y'know, you used to be a LOT louder than this when we'd get down and dirty, baby girl," he observed while he moved to the end of the bed, ready to plunge inside you.
"Well Billy, the kids are in the next room," you thought of a plausible excuse as to why you weren't your "usual" self.
"Oh, makes sense," He nodded with a smile as he started chowing down on you like a sloppy dog.
You wanted to enjoy it, you tried to enjoy it, but you were accustomed to Rafael's sweet love making, he was so gentle with his tongue along your folds, taking time to enjoy every little moan and pleasure noise you made.You could often feel him smiling inside you while he gently lapped you up. You wished so badly you were with him right now. How had you fucked this up so badly?
Why didn't you listen to Rafael when he told you about Billy? Why had you not trusted him more? Why did you just react erratically just because you were mad at him? You should have thought it through, you should have heard him out. You should have--
"Alright now you're not even reacting Y/N, where the fuck are you?" Billy demanded.
"O-Oh I'm sorry Billy its just been--"
"A day. I know. You know I had a stressful fucking day too Y/N, having to deal with that prick ADA--- Wait," His eyes suddenly narrowed, he moved his face away from near your opening and looked you in the eyes, his glare in full effect.
Shit.
"Is that who you're thinking of right now? That fucking beaner?" He asked in an accusatory tone.
"He's Cuban not Mexican…." You muttered with a roll of your eyes.
"You really wanna get fucking cute with me right now, bitch?" He acted as if he was going to back hand you, but stopped himself.
"Billy!" You gasped. He had never been vulgar to you before.
"No, no Billy," He growled, pulling your naked body towards him.
"You're gonna stop thinking about that asshole right FUCKING now. I'm your goddamn husband, NOT him. I get to have you whenever I want and I want ALL of you. All of your attention, all of your fucking body. Do you understand me?" He snarled, practically drooling with rage.
"Y-Yes Billy," you tried not to start crying, now fully scared out your mind
"Good. Now flip over, I can't fucking look at you right now," He ordered you.
You flipped over to let him do doggie style but he started going in the wrong hole.
"Billy! What the fuck?" You tried not to yell.
"Well if you're gonna act like a whore thinking about other men than your husband, then I'm gonna fucking treat you like one. I'm gonna do what I want, and you're gonna shut up and take it. Got it?"
"B-Billy, please…." You pleaded with him. "Y-You know the last time we tried…"
"I don't give a FUCK, Y/N," He barked angrily. "I stopped last time because I didn't want to hurt you, because I loved you and you loved me. But now you've hurt me, so you're gonna hurt. REAL BAD," He barely rubbed some spit on his dick before he rammed it up your asshole.
You grabbed a pillow and screamed in pain, howling and trying to wriggle free from him. But he kept his hands wrapped tight around your stomach as he pumped rough and hard as fast as he could, getting off on the pain he was causing you, both mental and physical.
You tried to think of anything other than the pain, but it was so bad you could only cry and continue to scream into the pillow. It was worse than both times you went through labor, and that was saying something.
You prayed to God it would stop soon, he seemed to go on forever and ever. He was cackling softly as he felt you vibrating from the pain.
"Yeah, bet your fucking ADA didn't do you like this did he? What would he do if he saw you now? Hmmm….maybe we should find out,"
Your head snapped from out under the pillow at his threat. You saw him reaching for your phone that he had dropped next to your bed as he carried you into the bedroom.
"Oh God" You practically choked out, unable to speak from the pain. "N-n-no, Billy d-d-don't…"
"Oops would ya look at that I already did," Lewis shrugged with an evil smile.
----
Rafael was busy helping Olivia plan a rescue mission/battle plan when his phone went off. A FaceTime call request from you. He was absolutely terrified to answer it, but he had to answer it. He had to. As soon as he did, he wished he hadn't.
"Hey there Barba'' Lewis panted, a maniacal smile on his face. "You're missing all the fun!"
He could see Lewis had you pinned to the bed, shoving in and out of you forcefully. Your head was shoved into a pillow, to keep from screaming he imagined. He didn't know if he wanted you to look at him or not. He was watching you get raped, and he wanted to vomit.
Olivia noticed the horrified look on his face and stopped talking with the squad.
"Rafa are you-- ohmygod!" She instantly saw the revolting scene on his phone and immediately started pushing him into an interrogation room.
"Nobody needs to see this," Olivia started to shut the door but not before Lewis got to shout "NICE TO SEE YOU TOO DETECTIVE!!" At her.
Rafael was trying his best not to start sobbing; he didn't want to give Lewis the satisfaction. But the more he heard your muffled whimpers and screams of pain, the more he couldn't hold it back anymore.
"Lewis let her go," he begged. "Please I'll do anything you want, just let her go…."
"Well see Barba that's the problem," Lewis smirked. "I want Y/N to--" he suddenly stopped pumping you, feeling your body go limp. He angled the phone downward to reveal blood coming out of your anus and starting to cover the bed. You had passed out from the pain.
"Sorry Barba I'm gonna have to call you back, I have a situation," Lewis half laughed while wiping your blood off his dick.
"What the fuck-- LEWIS!!!" He screamed. "You better be calling a FUCKING ambulance!"
"Chill Barba, I'm sure she's fine. Just a little boo boo. I'll shove some toilet paper up there and she'll be good as new!" Lewis dismissed it, taking a pillow and putting it under your legs so the blood would at least attempt to stay in.
“Good ol’ RICE,” Lewis smirked, thinking of the old term they used in gym class back in the day. ‘Rest Immobilize Cold Elevate’.
“Now if I can get an ice pack from the freezer and tape it there…” Lewis thought out loud.
"Fuck you if you don't call one I will send one, I know exactly where you are" Rafael was losing his patience with him.
"NO, you're not," Lewis warned. "I'm not about to scare my girls by having cops and ambulances showing up here with all the bells and whistles,"
"She's going to DIE, asshole!!!" Rafael continued to scream. "You think your daughters won't notice THAT?"
"Look if she doesn't wake up in a few minutes I'll take her to an Urgent Care, tell 'em she liked it a little TOO rough, Kay?" He said flippantly.
"The fuck you will--" Rafael started to tell again but Lewis put the phone up to his face real nice and close.
"If you send ANYONE here Barba, she'll bleed out before you can touch her," He warned.
"Lewis…" Rafael was shaking. "Don't you love her? You told her you did, don't you care about her at all?"
"Of course I love her!" He snapped. "I'll always love her, she's the mother of my children. That creates a bond, greater than the two of you will ever have,"
"So why are you---"
"Because she needed to be reminded of that bond." Lewis explained. "She was thinking about you while WE were being intimate. I can't let shit like that slide, Barba," Lewis explained while gesturing to your unconscious body. He removed the pillow from your head so Rafael could the tear stained splotches on your face from screaming and crying so hard. Your face was almost white, he wasn’t even sure you were breathing.
"No…." Rafael's voice fell soft.
You had been thinking of him? Wishing you were with him? While Lewis was...having his way with you? He had caused this, he had caused your pain. You were being punished for simply loving him, and that broke his heart even more than it already was.
"You have a nice night there, counselor, ta!" Lewis's evil chuckle came through the screen before it went black.
The image of your body laying there unconscious and bleeding was going to be forever burned into Rafael's mind. He had to do something. SOMETHING.
He bursted out of the interrogation room where the team was still discussing strategy. Olivia immediately went to his side, knowing what he had just been through.
"Liv we--" he tried to stop from crying and compose himself. "We have to go there. We have to get her. We HAVE to,"
"Okay, Okay Rafa," Olivia tried to calm him down while the rest of the squad looked on in shock. They had zero idea what was happening.
"We'll go get her, it'll be okay," She assured him while trying to get him to calm down.
He hoped they wouldn't be too late.
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crashdevlin · 3 years
Text
Leftoverture 3- Carry On
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Author’s Note: Don’t get me wrong, I loved the finale, but I was thinking about how much I miss Dean and I couldn’t stop thinking about ways I could have him back so…I’m going canon divergent while being as close to canon as possible. ‘Cause that’s how Cassie do. This is where Leftoverture officially crosses over with Crash Into Me!
Summary: Sam tries to convince Dean to talk to his widow, but it takes a visit from an old friend to get him to do the right thing.
Pairing: Dean x OFC
Word count: 3755
Story Warnings: angst, Post-barn scene sads, mentions of major character deaths (Dean and AU!Sam), mentions of depression, memory fuckery,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hey, get off the phone. Who are you texting?” Dean asked, looking over at Sam’s thumbs tapping out a message.
“I’m...just letting some people know that you’re back, okay? What?” Sam defended, pulling his phone out of Dean’s reach as his brother tried to grab it.
“She better not be part of that group text, Sam. I will kick your lanky ass.”
“Dean, come on.”
“She has mourned me! She’s probably just starting to get okay and you want me to break that? Not to mention the kid. How are we supposed to explain to her that I’m just suddenly not dead anymore?” Dean pulled over onto the shoulder and glared at Sam until he rolled his eyes and sighed, hitting the X to take his sister-in-law’s number away from the list that included Bobby 2.0, Jody, Donna, Charlie 2.0, and Garth. “Thank you.”
“It’s only been a month. You think she’s starting to get over you already?” Sam finished tapping out his text as Dean pulled back onto the interstate.
“I think I’m a threat to her life as long as I’m in her life, man. I mean, that’s why it took us so long to get together in the first place, because I knew that me being a hunter was gonna put her in the ground and it was just lucky for all of us that it put me in the ground before her.”
“Don’t say th-”
“It’s better for her to think I’m still dead!” Dean exploded. “If she knows I’m alive, she’ll come back to the bunker and she’s gonna end up dead and that’ll be on me! Okay, it’s better if she thinks I’m dead and we keep it that way!”
“So, I guess you’ve made up your mind on this one?” Sam asked.
“Yes!” Dean nodded, somehow still keeping his eyes on the road. “You know what, yes, I’ve made up my mind. Because she deserves to live a life that I’m not ruining. She never wanted the job to encroach on her life, or Rebel’s, okay? Fuck, if I ended up getting that little girl hurt, I could nev--and you know she only agreed to marry me in the first place because Chuck was gonna kill us all anyway and he’s not a problem anymore and what happened to my ring when I bit it? You didn’t burn it with me, did you, because that was a really good silver ring and if you melted it with me, I’m gonna be pissed.”
Sam shook his head in disappointment. “Your wife was wearing it on her thumb last time I saw it.”
Dean sighed and licked his lips. “It’s better this way, Sam. I know you don’t see it, but it’s better.”
“Right. You, uh, you remember when you guys were ‘just friends’ and she started dating that asshole that didn’t know what ‘no’ meant?” Dean’s jaw clenched tight at the memory. “You remember how pissed off you got that she was dating someone, let alone a Dom dickbag like him, and how you spent the entire weekend trying to get dirt on him to use to get her to dump him?”
"He was tryin' to put things in her while she was drunk! He deserved a bullet through the skull for that shit and he's lucky she wouldn't let me go talk to him."
"Yeah, I know. He was a piece of shit, but you didn't know that when we got there. You just didn’t like him because he was dating her."
"I'm a good judge of character and she is not. She dates douchebags. She always has. I mean, look at her cheating son-of-a-bitch ex-husband. If she's dating them, they're douchebags."
Sam rolled his eyes, obviously catching Dean’s self-deprecating undertone in that sentence. "Okay, but you're just gonna let her date someone else? You're gonna let her find some other douchebag to date that you won't be able to save her from?"
"I didn't save her from Mike or Drew. She was already half out the door on both of them before I interceded with either. And I know what you're doing and it's not gonna work." Dean pointed his finger in Sam’s face. "You're not gonna get me all jealous so I go find her because I'm afraid of her getting over me and moving on. I want her to move on. I want her to have a good life. That's the whole point here, man."
"Dean, she's not going to move on. She's gonna be devastated the rest of her life because you aren't-"
"So, we should make it worse by putting her through it twice?!" Dean snapped. "We should make her have to watch me burn another time, right? We should make her clear her shit out of the Bunker in a few years too? We should make her live with the hope that one day I'll manage to make it home again? We should put her heart back together just to shatter it into pieces again when I die permanently? Fuck you, Sam. I can't do it to her. I just...no."
Sam took a deep breath and shook his head sadly. "Fine."
"It's better this way. It's just better."
"Sure. It’s better.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was something cleansing about a simple werewolf hunt. Sam was being a little overbearing, but Dean understood why. Sam didn’t want to see him die anymore than he wanted to die again. There were only two wolves and they went down easy. It was a textbook hunt...just like the vampire cult should have been.
Sam shook away memories of the night in the barn and followed an energized Dean out to the Impala. It wouldn’t happen again. Not anytime soon. Dean was around to stay. Sam would make sure of it.
“So, hit the motel, pizza and beer, head back to the bunker in the morning. Did you report my death to the fire department because I’m still wanting that job and I’ll have to think of one hell of an excuse if you told them I died.” Dean shrugged, continuing before Sam could respond. “I’m gonna need to come up with an excuse either way, but an excuse for a month of radio silence is easier than an excuse for comin’ out of the Lazarus Pit, ya know?”
“I...didn’t say anything to them, Dean. It was really low on my list of priorities to tell the Lebanon Volunteer Fire Department that Dean Campbell was dead.”
“Awesome. I’ll figure out what to tell them. For now...pizza.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“No, I know, it was a crazy situation, but I honestly think getting lost in the Yukon without a cell phone was probably the best thing that could have happened to me." Dean laughed into the phone as he walked into the library. "Yeah, exactly. Never gonna take a warm, dry bed for granted again. Well, thank you so much for understanding, Captain. I'm excited to get training. That's gonna be...yeah, I'm gonna be there. Thanks again."
Dean smiled as he tucked his phone into his pocket. "He bought it. Thanks for putting those fake Canadian news pieces up. Appreciate it."
"Okay, but what if someone else searches your fake name, Dean?"
Dean rolled his eyes. "You think she's Googling me?" He stepped forward and looked down at Sam sitting at the library table. "She Googles me and she'll find a story about a man named Dean Campbell getting lost in the Yukon and surviving on moose and wolverine and melted snow. No pic, no identifying words. She'll look at it, say 'It is a miracle this guy survived' and then she'll move on to the next search result, okay? I don't understand why you're all up in my business about this but-"
"You don't miss them?" Sam asked, pushing his hair out of his face and leaning forward.
Dean bit his lip and shook his head. "No, I do not."
Sam stood and looked down into his brother's eyes. "Well, I do."
"Well, they're staying gone." Dean patted his brother's shoulder and walked toward the hall. "Good talk."
He sat on the edge of his bed and ran his hand down his face. Of course he missed her. Of course he missed the little girl he treated as his own daughter...or...the other Dean treated like a daughter. It was just too difficult. Explaining to his wife was one thing, an easy thing. She’d come back in a heartbeat and it would all be fine between them. She wouldn’t care that he wasn’t exactly the same in body, that he had different scars and a slightly different pattern of freckles or that his hair wasn’t quite right even after trying to make it work for four damn days.
She fell for him because of how he treated her, how safe she felt with him, how he made her feel. All of that was in the memories. How he felt about her was in the memories, too. He loved her in a way he'd never been able to let himself love anyone else. She was so much different than any other woman he'd considered making a life with because she was like all the best parts of them all mixed together. She was smart like Cassie Robinson, badass like Jo Harvelle, understanding of the Life without being part of it...with a kid, just like Lisa. He remembered that...and he knew that he'd never find another woman like her.
That was okay. He didn't really want another one: another woman, partner, wife. He couldn’t see himself opening up like that to someone other than his short little badass. And Sam was right that he didn't really want her with someone else, either...but she deserved it. She deserved to get over him and move on to greener pastures. So he had to stay away. For her good, he had to stay dead.
For the good of the little girl, too. If he just came back from the dead, it would completely fuck that little girl's understanding of life and death. It would fuck her up for life.
Dean sighed, picking up his phone and kissing his lock screen; the picture they took on the beach for their honeymoon. He held the phone over his heart for a minute and lied back, staring at the ceiling until sleep took him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dean smiled as he sat in a folding chair on the side of a soccer field, watching a short blonde girl dribble a ball between her feet on the green grass. "She's gettin' good," he commented to himself.
"She missed tryouts this year," a familiar voice said. Dean gasped a little as he turned in his seat to look at the angel in the beige trenchcoat. "They moved back to Florida too late for her to be placed on a team."
"Cas? Are you--is this--this is a dream."
"Yes. But...my presence is not." Castiel smiled as Dean stood and wrapped him in a hug. "Jack saved me from the Cosmic Entity from the Empty. We've been improving Heaven."
Dean pulled back and sniffled as he slapped a hand on Cas' shoulder. "Man, where have you been, then? We've missed you."
"Angels stay in Heaven now. Jack and I thought it was best to keep our interference to a minimum." Cas chuckled. "I'm not technically supposed to be here now."
Dean licked his lips. "Well, then...what's with the, uh, Freddy Krueger you're pulling?"
"Dean requested it. He knows what's been happening on Earth, that you've taken on his memories and essentially become him, and he knows that you are avoiding Cassie."
Dean scoffed and stepped back from the angel. "I'm sure he's got an opinion on all this."
"He does. He has a strong opinion on what you're doing and what you should be doing." Castiel stepped closer. "He told me to tell you to get your head out of your ass. He said that, if you have his memories, you're in love with her too and you need to go to her. He knows you couldn’t live with losing her forever...so don't lose her."
"Cas, she's better off without me."
"Is she?" the angel challenged. "Because she’s Dean Winchester’s widow. Doesn't that put a target on her back?"
Dean pressed his lips together in a thin line and looked away. She could handle it...right? "She's got protections...and we taught her to fight. She's gonna be fine."
"Dean told me to tell you that if you don't get in his car and drive to Florida, he's going to 'rip your pansy lungs out'," Cas said, doing air quotes. Dean scoffed. "He was very adamant that you go to her."
"Fine. But it's gonna hurt her. I'm gonna hurt her." Dean was absolutely serious but Cas just smiled and shook his head a little. "Hey, uh, Cas? Before you go...I'm...I'm not gonna get to see you again, right? So, don't you think we should talk about-"
"I think that would be a bit redundant." Castiel’s smile brightened, crinkles forming at the corners of his eyes. "Dean and I have spoken at length about my sacrifice and the words spoken before Billie and I were taken to the Empty."
"And?"
"And Dean Winchester’s Heaven is full of people who love and cherish him...who see him for the hero he is. He never believes he's going to hurt any of them. You should learn from his example."
"DEAN! Look!" Dean looked behind him to see the girl kick the soccer ball at the goal. He couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face.
"Great job, Youngblood!" he shouted before turning back around. The angel was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dean smiled tightly at Sam as he walked into the kitchen the next morning. “So, uh...I’m gonna take a few days...drive down to Florida.”
Sam’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Dean nodded. “Yeah...Castiel came to me in a dream last night. Said the original me is up there in Heaven and he’s very unhappy with my choice.”
“Really?” Sam was obviously amused.
“Yeah. I don’t know if it was really him or not. Maybe it was just my brain kickin’ me in the ass but...I’m gonna go get ‘em back.”
“Thank you. I was hoping you’d come to your senses.”
“Yeah, yeah, anyway...I’ll be back in a couple days. I’ve got training on Monday so...it’ll be a short trip. Maybe she’ll come back, maybe she won’t but…” He shrugged. “Don’t know ‘til I go talk to her.”
“Good luck, man.”
Dean nodded before heading to the garage. He had plenty of time to get nervous as he drove toward his in-laws’ house in North Florida. A month wasn’t too long. She’d gone longer without him in the past, but...he was alive back then. She knew he’d be back eventually.
He parked the Impala down the street. He wanted to see her before he talked to her. He needed to see how she was working through his death...if she even needed him. Dead Dean told him to go, but if she was moving on, he’d just get back in the car.
She was on the porch when he arrived, coming around the neighbor’s house to hide in the shadows around the side of her parent’s house. “It’s still hard. I don’t think it’s ever not gonna be hard. I still keep wanting to hear that damn Impala coming down the road. But even if I did hear it...I know it’d be Sam.” Dean bit his bottom lip. She was still mourning him. “I don’t know, Manda, but Erik has been a godsend.” His eyebrows went up. Who the fuck is Erik? Did she move on already? “He’s the only reason I get out of bed most mornings. He’s been helping a lot with Aria, driving her to school in the morning and making breakfast. Oh, he makes the best pancakes.” She gave a small chuckle. “Not that I need pancakes. I’ve put on, like, fifteen pounds since he died. Yeah, that is a lot. Erik doesn’t think so either...and Dean wouldn’t care...but I care”
Dean watched her shrug before shaking her head. “I don’t know. He seems nice but...my parents didn’t even know Dean and I got married, so of course Erik doesn’t know. He doesn’t understand...but he’s helping anyway.” She sighed and hummed a little into the air, staring up at the moon. “It’s still just really hard.”
Dean watched as she finished her phone call to her best friend and kept looking up into the night sky. He had to force himself to step around the side of the house and toward her. “Who’s Erik?” he asked. It was the only thing he could think to ask. Green eyes behind thick, dark glasses went wide as she turned to look at him.
“Dean?” she squeaked.
“Mostly,” he whispered as she threw her phone to skim across the grass and launched herself at him. He closed his eyes as she wrapped her arms around him, overwhelmed by the feel of her warmth against him. “Come on, Crash, I taught you better than this. Where’s your silver and holy water, baby?”
“Inside,” she sobbed out into his chest. “But I know you’re you. I can feel it.”
He pressed his lips to her hair and took a step back, leaning down a bit to look directly into her eyes. “I am me, but I’m also...I’m also not. Can we...can we take a walk?”
“Of course!” she agreed, sniffling and wiping at her eyes under her glasses.
They started to walk out of the yard onto the street. “Okay, but before I get into my whole thing...who the fuck is Erik?”
“Oh, he’s a maintenance guy, works with my dad. When I moved to the Bunker, Erik rented my room.”
Dean nodded, his lips pursed. “So, he’s your parents’ tenant and you’re letting him take your daughter to school?”
“My parents trust him...I trust him.” She stuck her hands in her pockets and shrugged. “He’s a nice guy...and he’s a writer, too. He was shocked by the number of notebooks I have. He used to do all of his writing on his computer, but he’s started writing in notebooks since I showed him the versatility of handwriting a story. He said it was like going back to simpler times.”
“Okay. I guess...so, he’s just…”
“He’s just a guy that lives at the house.” She looked over at him as he jammed his hands in his jacket pockets. “So, how are you back? Sam burned you. You shouldn’t be back.”
“You remember when Chuck was destroying the other universes and the other versions of me and Sam showed up? They were fleeing their world.”
“I remember. Sam wouldn’t take his hair down.”
“Right, well...um…” He cleared his throat. “Couple weeks ago, Man-bun Sam died in South America. Werewolves...and Dean couldn’t take it and he did a full wipe of his memories so that he wouldn’t have to remember and Sam went to Rowena to get her to fix it. Her version of fixing it was to give him, give me, your husband’s memories.”
“So, you’re-” She stopped in the middle of the street and turned to look at him. “You’re not my Dean?”
“Of course I am. I’ve got all of his memories. I’ve got all of his love.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Slightly different body...and a different soul. Your Dean is in Heaven. But I’m just like him. I’m exactly like him, Crash.”
She swallowed and searched his face for a few moments before she looked away. “The day we met...why was I crying?”
She was quizzing him, testing his memories, seeing how much like her husband he really was. “Mike left you,” he said quietly. “It wasn’t the first time...or the last. Rebel was about...two years old and you were tryin’ to hold yourself together. We shared some beer and talked about the monster Sam and I put down...and you gave me your number.”
“You, uh, you had a tattoo that I designed...it burned so you don’t have it now, but what-”
“I’ll get the rune again,” he interrupted. “So you can astral to me again.”
“Oh, it is you,” she whispered.
“It is me.” He wrapped her in a hug again and she grabbed at his jacket to hold him to her. “I don’t know how to go about this, though. How are we gonna explain to the kid that-”
“I-I don’t know.” She pulled back and shook her head. “I don’t know if she even caught on to the fact that you were dead...all I said was ‘gone’. I just said you were gone.”
That might make it easier. “Is she back at the house?”
“No. She’s with her father. It’s just Erik and my parents at the house right now.”
“Do your parents know I died? I’m just trying to determine if we can go in or if I’m sleeping in the car tonight.” He smiled at her as she sighed and looked away.
“I told them you broke up with me.”
“So, can I come inside?”
“You’ll have to sleep on the couch...unless you wanna sleep on the floor in Aria’s room. I’ve been sleeping with her on her loft bed since Erik has my old room and bed and all that.”
He smiled and headed toward the house, her hand in his. “She still have that big pile of stuffed animals under the loft?” She nodded and he smirked. “Then I’ll sleep in her zoo.”
She led him into the house and started up the stairs. They were halfway up the stairs when the door to the room that used to be hers opened. “Cass?” a voice asked. Dean stopped in his tracks.
“Didn’t mean to wake you, Erik.”
“It’s okay. I was just worried when you didn’t come back in. Are you-” Shadows fell over Dean and Crash as a figure stepped to the top of the stairs. “Oh, shit.”
Dean’s eyes narrowed as he stepped around his wife and up a few stairs. “What the hell are you doin’ here?” he demanded.
“You’re dead,” the blue-eyed man squeaked.
“About as dead as you’re about to be, Chuck.”
~~~~
The Kitchen Sink - @emoryhemsworth @flamencodiva @wasabiwitteks @rainbowkisses31 @rissbennett @mariekoukie6661 @officiallyunofficialperson @dolphincliffs @mrs-meghan-winchester @gayspacenerd @foxyjwls007 @ilovefanfic86 @marvelfansworld @f-yeahfandoms @wonderlandfandomkingdom @hhiggs @sev3nruby @hobby27 @paintballkid711 @divadinag @thewhiterabbit42 @fantasymyth-1 @queenoftheunderdark @cosicas-cuquis @superfanficnatural @letsby @supernatural-bellawinchester @onethirstyunicorn @swinchester27 @chalicia @screechingartisancashbailiff @death-unbecomes-you @dayasvalkyrie @paryl @wereallbrokenangels @the-american-witch @that-one-gay-girl @tatted-trina6 @sunshineandwings86 @lunarmoon8 @wheezyeds @vicmc624 @couldabeenamermaid @vulgar-library
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shxyo-sho · 3 years
Text
Bnha girls on their periods
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Includes: Mina, Jiro, Momo, Tsu, Ochaco
Genre: fluff, crack
Warnings: blood, female products, periods
A/n: Hey babe! I thought this was a pretty cute idea and it was fun to write. I'm tempted to write a part two with the girls I forgot. These are all based on my experiences with my cycle. Please enjoy<33
|| bnha m.list ||
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mina ashido
She has the biggest mood swings
Is crying one second and then laughing the next
Doesn't even attempt to try and hide the fact that she's on her period
"I'm bleeding out of my vagina, Denki! Do you think I'm okay?!"
Gets the weirdest cravings like, pickles and chocolate or peanut butter and Hot Cheetos
Gets a huge splurge of energy and suddenly wants to run down the dorm halls at three in the morning
Has tried tampons but prefers pads
Has an extremely heavy flow
Looks like a murder scene down there😃
Made sure to inform the boys on all things periods
Answers every question asked, even the stupid ones
kyoka jiro
Doesn't get cramps but has horrible migraines
Every little sound makes her head spin so she keeps her distance from bakugo
"Bakugo, please shut the hell up."
Gets grumpy because she wants to blast her music but if she does then she'll get another headache😞
Has bad fatigue
Wants to sleep but her body refuses to
Stays up staring at her ceiling for hours
Also gets really anxious
Is way too scared to try tampons so she sticks with pads
Has a relatively light flow but is still scared of leaking through the pad
momo yaoyorozu
Gets bloated throughout her entire cycle and gets insecure because of it
"Does my costume make me look fat?"
Her boobs also get real sore and sensitive
Tries to wear a bra as less as possible so her boobs can breath
Is the best at hiding her period
You won't ever knows that she's on it unless she tells you
Wears tampons rather than pads
Claims that they are more comfortable and are easier to train in
Her flow is more in the middle
It's not super heavy but it's not necessarily light either
tsuyu asui
Get real emotional when on her period
Doesn't get mood swings like Mina, she just gets really sad and always wants to cry
The deku squad + the girls have to comfort her
Her entire body gets sore but it's mostly her lower back and thighs
Sleeps a lot and Jiro hates her for it
"Sorry Jiro, I just get really tired. Kero."
Her cycle is the shortest of the girls
It only last for about four to five business days
Sometimes even less
ochaco uraraka
Definitely has the worst cramps out of everyone
Remember that study that claims period cramps are as painful as having a heart attack??
Yeah, that's her for a week straight
"I think my uterus is trying to kill me."
Her cycle last the full seven days, occasionally last longer
Can't swallow pills so has to fight through the pain
Only wears pads because tampons weren't accessible in her household
Is open to trying tampons
People know when she's on her period because she constantly holds her stomach
Uses heating pads religiously
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shxyo-sho © 2021 | all content and its rights belong to me. please do not modify or repost on any other websites.
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sweetandsourfics · 4 years
Text
Baby Widow Two
Natasha Romanoff x Pregnant Reader | SFW | 2 out of 3 | NEXT  》
Summary: A quiet day at home for Natasha and her girlfriend has turned into the most exciting day of their lives.
Warnings: Labour, explicit language.
Author's note: Part two! I have another part planned, but I am more than happy to extended on Mama Natasha as we all deserve more Mama Natasha. I would love to hear your thoughts on the story! Please enjoy!
Baby Widow One
»———————————————————————«
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Natasha's trained eyes never leave you as you waddle around the living area. Your sweatpants ride low on your hips like every mother, in her last trimester, you feel heavy, sluggish and big.
Your due date is only two days away your stomach has dropped. Your hips, back and pelvis hurting more with each day and Braxton hicks are becoming a daily thing.
You hand Natasha her bowl of ice cream. The Avenger takes the bowl only to put it to the side, her hands landing on your hips. She draws circles with her thumbs and kissing your stomach.
She rest her forehead against you. Natasha could feel the gentle movements of the baby, and you comb your fingers through her hair.
"I love you and your mama more than anything in this whole world." She whispers, pressing another kiss to your stomach.
"And we love you." You slowly lower yourself into your spot. Looking at Natasha with a goofy grin on your face. You pull her into a passionate, loving kiss.
Natasha sits with the exercises ball under her legs. Getting her use out of it. Each day the two of you were trying to do something that you wouldn't be able to do as often as you would like once baby Romanoff gets here. Today was movie day.
"I'm going to miss having my own personal table." You say causing Natasha to shift her attention. Your bowel of ice cream sits on your baby bump.
She laughs, kissing your temple. "You'll have your personal table back one day."
You raise an eyebrow at her, trying your hardest not let the smile break out. "You mean..?"
"Baby one isn't even here yet, so don't go thinking of baby number two." She teases. Your smile broke free a giggle following shortly.
Your giggles were cut short when a sharp pain shot through your body. Letting out a noise of pain one hand holding on to your ice cream and the other on your stomach.
Natasha watches wide-eyed. Her heart in her throat, body tense and ready to pounce. "You okay?"
Your hair bounces as you nod. "Can you help me up?"
She doesn't need to be told twice. Natasha holds you as you try to keep your breathing steady.
"I need to move around..." you breathe slowly, "think it's just a Braxton thingy."
"Okay, do you want the ball?" She asks, her heart racing.
"Yeah. Please." You sigh softly swaying side to side.
Natasha slowly lets go of you and rolls the red excise ball over. She ushers warmly "come here."
Once you were sat and Natasha sits on the coffee table hands on top of you're thighs. One of your hands supports your stomach and the other lay on top of her hand.
Natasha goes through her mental checklist. The hospital bag is packed and ready by the front door. She remembers the birth plan and everything thing she's learnt in the past nine months.
Her thoughts must have reached her features because you give her hand a gentle squeeze. "Hey, we are more than prepared for Baby Romanoff. We'll be okay, you'll be okay."  You say with a reassuring smile.
How the hell did she get so lucky?
Natasha lets out a small nervous laugh. "You're right."
"Aren't I always?"
"Don't get cocky." she teases kissing you.  
You moved from couch, floor, ball and standing until you had eventually fallen asleep on the couch. Natasha had paused the movie and shifted to the dining table where she could get some work done. She'll rejoin you once you're awake.
You woke up an hour later with a dull pain ringing through your body. Not thinking much of it, you rub your eyes and sit up. Natasha still sits at the table busy with her work.
Make your way over to her the pain doesn't go it just lingers.  She kisses you hello before asking. "How are you feeling?"
"The usual." You smile. "Do you want anything to drink?"
"I'm okay. I'll just finish this then we can continue the movie." She explains, turning her attention back to her laptop screen.  
You hum out a yes and shuffle into the kitchen to make yourself a cup of tea. As you wait for the kettle to boil, you feel the pain growing, tightening.
You groan out hands massaging your stomach. Natasha's sharp hearing picks up on your discomfort.
"Hey, you okay?" she calls her voice full of concern.
You let out a shaky breath "Y-yeah just a little pain." The pain died down to a period cramp level pain.
You manage to make your tea and move out of the kitchen, but you were met with the intense stare from Natasha.
"What?" you question.
"You sure you're okay?" She fires back.
You cross over to her, her emotion written clearly on her face. "I'm sure. I'll let you know if I wasn't." You rub her shoulder affectionately "Shall we finish the move?"
You're grip on Natasha's shoulder tights as pain ignites every nerve in your body. "Shit..." you hiss out between clenched teeth.
"You're going to labour," Natasha states as she jumps to her feet. She checks the time 5:38 pm.
`"Movement and excises will help the baby move down." She says aloud for both of you. You nod your head as Natasha slowly walks you over to the ball.
Being who she is and what she does for a living. Natasha works well under pressure, and you were so lucky to have her.
6:20 pm
You've done several short sets of different positions on the ball.  Natasha holds your hands as you rotate your hips. Your grip tightens on her hands you grunt in pain as a contraction hits.
"Breathe," Natasha says softly and checks her watch.
"Fuck!" You curse.
"Ten minutes apart and lasting for twenty seconds." She kisses you softly. "Do you want to have a warm shower?"
"Please." You say, your voice wobbles as a sob threatens to bubble up.
Natasha leads you to the bathroom, sitting you down she starts up the shower. She helps you out of your clothing.
Natasha doesn't need to be asked. She strips down and joins you.
She kisses the top of your head. You hug her tightly, the warm water numbing out some of the pain. "We going to have our baby girl in a few hours." You mumble against her skin.
A large smile settles on her face, "we certainly are." Natasha hooks a finger under your chin, lifting your head so she could kiss you. "You are absolutely gorgeous." And just like that, the spy had you blushing like a lovesick high schooler.
You giggle shyly, hiding your face in the crook of her neck. Natasha smirks at you, hands on your hips as she gently sways both of your bodies.
Natasha feels your body tense against hers. Pushing your full body weight onto her, you cry out in pain.
Natasha whispers words of encouragement, mentally counting the seconds that go by.
7:48 pm
Natasha had gotten you out of the shower. You're dressed in grey sweatpants and a black tank top. She's made sure you have eaten and that your water bottle is never less than half full.
Natasha also has been on and off the phone with your midwife, letting her know how your progressing.
Natasha sits next to you on the floor, rubbing you back as you cry. You're on your knees with your arms and chest resting on the ball.
"In and out, that's it." She coos softly eyes glued to her watch.
"It hurts!" You sniff, turning your head to look at her. "I knew it would hurt but fuck it hurts..."
Natasha wipes the tears from your cheek, kissing your nose then your lips. Your contractions are getting longer it wouldn't be too much longer till you have to go to the hospital.
8:15 pm
The hospital bag, car keys and shoes sit on the coffee table ready to go. You squeeze the plastic water bottle in your hand and try to breathe through the pain.
Your whole body feels as it's on fire. Pain and hot flushes have been drowning you for hours now. Natasha holds you tightly as you shake in her arms. You have found comfort in semi-sitting and squatting positions.
Your contractions are now 4 minutes apart and lasting for 55 seconds. Active labour, it's time for the hospital.
4:02 am
After 9 hours of labour Widow Ellie Romanoff was brought in the world at 2:38 am. Natasha held herself together through labour and delivery. It wasn't until the nurses had left your little family be that Natasha let the first tear roll down her cheek.
She sat in the stiff hospital chair her daughter cradled in her arms. The scene made you cry. It's rare to see Natasha cry. Happy or sad tears seeing her cry always made you cry.
"Hey, hey. You've cried enough today." Natasha teases with a light sniff.
"Oh, shush." With the back of your hand you wipe away the stray tears.
Natasha leans over, kissing your cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
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Hi Colour! How are you doing today? I don't know about doing meaningful things with my life, feel like I've just been surviving this entire time lol. However I am trying to figure it out and working on building the life I want to live and hopefully I will be able contribute to this world in some way.
I don't think I've ever played a game of trivial pursuit. Have never been to a pub either, not like the ones you have in the UK anyway. Just been to very dirty bars where me and my friends used to drink as much as we could afford, shared questionable food that could potentially make us sick the next day and there were no quizzes or games really haha. So your exp sounds way more fun! 😂
I'm glad you're giving the song a chance! Only Spotify knows how many times I've listened to it lol. I reckon Hozier's going to be my artist of the year for 2021. I love attributing works of art to Dani x Jamie, have a whole ass Pinterest board full with images of paintings, poetry, music and anything that I think relates to them really (yeah I know, I have a problem).
I love everything you've said about how Dani, Viola and the lady in the lake are alike, I hadn't really thought about their similarities before, but everything you've said makes perfect sense. I always saw Viola as a narcissist, even her drive to protect her child felt selfish in a way, don't know if you know what I mean. And when she fades away and becomes the lady she's just pure (almost animalistic) instinct while on auto pilot, bc she only remembers rage and abandonment, she takes anything on her path aggressively unless they're a child. So what she sees in Dani is not processed logically, right? It's pure instinct and emotions, so what she recognizes in her when Dani invites her in is the desperate need to protect this child, so she sees her as deserving. Perhaps she also saw in Dani and opportunity to escape this nightmare. Despite all her faults she didn't deserve what happened to her either.
And don't get me wrong, Jamie is so, so strong and solid and she is my favorite mostly bc I identify with her personality more than Dani's. But we know Jamie is all that even before we learn her story, and I feel like it is expected that she'll be the strong and brave one bc she's had to be that her entire life albeit unwillingly. But Dani? We expect her to break at any given point, I mean she is reaching her limit after all that's happened, with all the weight she's carrying. I remember thinking "Jesus, this girl needs help" when I first watched the show hahaha. But she fights every damn time, she doesn't run away and that's why I find her so fascinating. That's why I thought this song was so fitting. Even if Dani would never see herself that way. But it's Jamie's perspective (and fire signs tend to exaggerate everything 😂) so it feels fitting that she thinks so highly of her baby haha. Ugh I just wanted them to stay together forever. 🥺
Omg yes! I love how you refined this idea, good thing you're a writer and I'm not hahaha. And yeah I'm absolutely here for sapphics with weapons like holy shit imagine Jamie fighting with a sword? 🤤 I'm weak. Hahaha would be cool to see them in a pirate AU too! Maybe someone's already done it? Idk. But aaaah I want to see them in every possible universe hahaha. Makes me want to get back into drawing too. 😩
Aww you two sound like you have a lovely bond going on. Your niece sounds like the coolest! I started out drawing anime too when I was a kid and ended up doing graphic design for a living! How did learning how to draw anime style go for you today?
Hey I'm doing great thank you I hope you are too? I know that feeling because I feel like that's how I have made it to 27 just surviving (barely) and taking things one day at a time to get me to this point and hopefully I can contribute in some way even it its just a small way... so I totally get that feeling but I am sure you contribute so much without you even realising it!! Oh it's great but depending on how competitive the people you're playing with are it can get pretty heated... I've been in some heated games of it before because people just refuse to believe I know the answers to some of the questions and they think I've been cheating and have all but demanded I have another question asked instead of the one I got right... and pub quizzes can be fun again depending on the team you're in and how seriously you wanna take it I have been in teams where its been a serious thing and we have all desperately wanted to win and then I've been in teams and we've just had fun with it... all the pubs I go in are dirty bars too but sometimes they have pub quizzes... I have had many nights where I have drank what I can afford... one night me on my roommate went over board though and we ended up spending ALL our money even our taxi fair and we had to walk home in the dark along country roads with hardly any lights to guide us... because of how drunk we were it too us around 3-4 hours and I fell over a road sign and ended up in a ditch... I've had a lot of fun experiences but some really stupid ones as well... your experiences sound great though!! I would love that!! I listened to the song and I loved it so much!! I don't even wanna know what my most listened to artist will be this year... my money is on it being the Six musical soundtrack... probably All You Wanna Do from that musical I'll be surprised if it's anything else. I would love for it to be someone like Hozier, but ever since I have done my Spotify wrapped thing it's always been a musical of some kind that's been my number 1 song / artist haha I love doing the same thing. If I can make something fit Dani x Jamie I will like it doesn't even matter what it is haha... I don't think you have a problem I think that sounds so cool!! I have nothing like that. I just have a head full of random ideas screaming to be let out I agree Viola is definitely selfish and narcissistic and everything she did came from a place of anger and rage over the things that happened to her she fell in love and got married and had a child and saw her sister try and take that from her while she was ill and in the end her sister killed her. Like yeah, I do feel sorry for Perdita with the way she was treated but I do think everything Viola did was out of frustration over what was happening to her. Like you said she acts on auto pilot and only knows rage until it comes to children- because all she knows is she is looking for a child so when she saw Dani so selfless sacrifice herself for a child she saw a little bit of herself in Dani she knows Dani is a good person and she can relate to that protective streak and I think she did see Dani as deserving I definitely agree with everything you've said here. Viola might have had faults and flaws and who doesn't? But I definitely think she had it rough and did deserve better than she was given. I agree, you can tell looking at Jamie that she is strong and brave while Dani comes off as the exact opposite. But I think you see fully how brave they both are when Dani sacrifices herself for Flora and when Jamie offers to keep Dani company and loves her despite knowing she won't be able to love her forever. I love Jamie but definitely relate to Dani's personality more, there are a lot of things Dani does that I see myself in her because I have done those types of things myself and the whole beast in the jungle speech resonates with me so much and every time I watch the last episode and hear that speech I am a crying mess from that point on. It's funny that you thought that about Dani when you first watched it, because me and my sisters got my mum to
watch it and she said the same thing about Dani "she needs help" but then once told me she liked Dani because she reminded her of me that was an interesting conversation to be a part of "Dani needs help... but I like her she's like you." I was like "Thanks?" I agree this song is definitely more how Jamie would see Dani, I think Dani just has a very blasé view of herself, like I don't think she's self conscious or self deprecating in anyway but I think she sort of walks around like "this is me and this is just how I am" where as Jamie just sees Dani for how brave and strong and amazing she is- maybe even if as a fire sign she exaggerates a little bit haha Jamie just thinks Dani is the most amazing person in the world and I just know that Dani saw her the same way!! I really wanted them to be together forever... I am never going to emotionally recover from Bly Manor. Your idea was incredible and I think it would be a great story to read honestly that's the type of thing I live for!! OMG Jamie with a sword is just 🤤 🥵 I am all for sapphics and weapons of any kind!! There's this pirate AU which is absolutely amazing!! I don't know if you've read it or not but iamalekza writes some really great fics!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/28631598/chapters/70179306 ^^ Pirate AU I really wish I could draw I would love to be able to draw scenes from fics I have read and even ones I have written but I just don't have the skill set for that!! I would love to see other fan arts though I think drawing is such an incredible talent to have and I am in awe of anyone that can do it!! Me and my niece have a great bond, she's like a little mini me (despite almost being as tall as me). She is honestly such a cool kid I have a hell of a lot of fun with her- I'm looking after her again tomorrow and I have no idea what we're gonna do but we will figure something out... she's such a good drawer she's only just started doing it at the beginning of the year and she's really progressed with it... I however have not so I am definitely gonna need more practice. That's so cool that you started out doing anime drawing and then ended up going into a career in graphic design. Again that's a talent that I am just in awe of because it's just something I have never been able to do!!
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non-stop-imagines · 4 years
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To a Groovy Night Out
 Request: Can you do an imagine where it’s in the 60s and Bucky and Steve are invited to an underground nightclub by Sam and Bucky meets the reader and she teaches Bucky how to dance. Kinda like in Dirty Dancing but the gender roles are reversed. The song Stay by Maurice & The Zodiacs played on my playlist and I thought about how funny it would be to see Bucky’s expression with the reader grinding on him
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Black!Reader (60s AU)
Word Count: 2.2k
Warnings: Nothing much really, the dancing described is a bit suggestive.
A/N: AHHHHHH!!! First thing written in months and I did it all within today. I feel like it's a good starting point for getting back into the swing of things especially taking the time to research and making the story as accurate as possible. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH FOr giving me the encouragement to get through the semester and being so patient. Thank you for not giving up on me because it really helped knowing that when I started writing again the people I'm writing for would be right there with me. So, THANK YOU AGAIN! THANK YOU FOR GETTING THUS BLOG TO 1000 FOLLOWERS! I LOVE EACH AND EVERYONE IF YOU! I hope you all enjoy, and to the anon who requested this, thank you for being so patient with me. Love you all!😍💛❤️💛❤️💛
UNIVERSAL TAGS LIST: @beautifulwisdom2001 @iamzion-therealhabesha @thottio @jetaimeamore @mixedfandxms @here-for-your-bullshit
Masterlist
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   “You’re coming tonight, right?” Your best friend since grade school, Sam, asks over the phone. You continue to pick out your near perfect fro, which you're grateful for.
    “I have to. I need to meet these white boys you conned into coming.” You set down your pick and adjust the phone that was in between your ear and shoulder, sitting back in your chair and twirling the spiraled cord around your finger.
    “They’re cooler than you think.” Sam looks into the oval mirror hanging on his wall, admiring his above the shoulder appearance and unbuttoning the first few buttons on his shirt, showing off a good amount of chest hair.
    "I just know they better not flip out like the last white person that came through. You remember that? When Jack with the box cut and glasses brought some fridged white bitch that tried to bug Sheila about how she was dressed?" You scoff at your words and adjust your bust in your yellow flowy satin button up that you tied around your midriff then pick up your eye liner pencil.
    "They're hip, I promise. Like me, the only reason they went to training for 'Nam was because they didn't want to get impounded." He runs a brush over his growing hair then looks at the clock on his nightstand. "When do you think you'll get to the club?" He sits in a chair close to the phone and bends over to tie his Chuck's.
    "Quarter to 10, 11 earliest. You know I always arrive on the scene fashionably late." You smile for a moment then proceed to finish lining your other eye and pick up your mascara. 
    "11:30 got it." Sam roll his eyes before checking his upper body appearance one last time. "See ya there." 
    "Later." You bid farewell the hang up. Standing from your seat after applying mascara and some lipstick, you move over to your closet door mirror to admire your new threads. You had on a satin yellow button up tied at the waist and cinched at the wrists with a healthy amount of cleavage showing, black mini skirt, showing off your assets, and black go-go boots accentuating your legs. "Alright girly, time to show up and show out." You grab your small clutch and make your way out of your room.
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    "Wow, this place is a blast." The tall, inhumanly muscular blonde says, looking around the dimly lit nightclub, Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson blasting through the building, loud enough to hear down the block. 
    "Hey where's this babe you were talkin' about, man?" The faux tough brunette asks taking glances at the door every ten seconds, reveling in each beautiful sight that walks through.
    "She'll be here. Why you flippin out over her anyway?" Before the man could answer you came up behind Sam and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. 
    "Hey boys! We havin fun yet?" You chuckle earning some smiles from the men around you. You remove your arm from Sam to get a good look at him. "Sam, looking groovy as always." 
    "And you, fashionably early this time." You chuckle and shake your head then turn to the two white boys, tucking your clutch under your arm and reaching yours out to shake their hands. "You two must be Bucky and Steve." 
    "I'm Steve. And my gawking friend here is Bucky." You didn't notice until Steve said something but for the past minute and a half Bucky has done nothing but revel in your presence. Even with the dim lighting of the club, your skin still shinned like gold, the red tint on your lips making him want to kiss you then and there, and you outfit highlighting your body's features in the best possible way.
    "I'm sorry. I'm James but my friends call me Bucky and might I say you look outta sight Ms…-uh-" He reaches out to shake your hand.
    "Y/F/N Y/L/N. But please, call me Y/N, Ms.Y/N is my old woman." You flash a sweet smile then look over to the near empty bar. "Welp it's not a good night out unless someone has the intention of getting blitzed. You guys want anything?" 
    "You know what I want." Sam tucks his hands into his pockets. Bucky and Steve both refuse allowing you to make your way to the bar. "You can put it on my tab!" Sam shouts to you.
    "I was going to anyway!" You turn around and grin then sway to the bar as Heard it Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye comes on.
    "You did not disappoint, Wilson." Bucky says, watching your hips sway almost subconsciously to the music.
    "Eh, don't let her fool you. She was a complete egghead in high school. Still is. She has a degree in engineering, a wiz with numbers." Sam leans on the high table standing next to them.
    "Oh that won't stop him. He's always been a kiss up to smart girls." Steve raises an eyebrow at his friend who was still looking at the dancing girl, who was now making her way back to the group.
    "An Old Fashion for the old man," you had the glass to Sam. "And a sidecar for moi." You take a sip from your glass. "And whatever he said about me… probably true." At that moment Uptight by Stevie Wonder comes on. "Oh well you know I can't be still with this groove." You set your drink next to Sam and grab Bucky's hand. "Let's dance, James." You pull him to the middle of the floor begin to move, doing the hully gully and the jerk while Bucky bobs his head trying to keep up. You couldn't help but bust out laughing.
    "Hey, cut me some slack! I don't go dancing all that often." He beings to laugh with you.
    "You just need to chill. Starting with your look." You take a step back and untuck his red polo from his dark brown pants and then reach up and pull a strand of hair from his slicked back hair-do. "Better. Now, for the dancing, uh-, here. Step side to side." Bucky does as told slowly stepping side to side. "No faster, with the beat." You grab his hands and show him with feet, your hands in his sending shivers up his arm. He trys to follow, tripping over his feet a few times. You chuckle. "Better, but not so… freaky. Smooth it out, make it look natural." He tries again, looking scarier than before, but just as you were about to give him another instruction, Stay by Maurice William & the Zodiacs flowed from the speakers and through the club.
"Ok, lets try this." You place your hands on your hips and move your hips back and forth slowly and sultry. Bucky tries to follow your movements but ended up being as stiff as a board. 
    "Like this?" You threw you head back in laughter, Bucky following suit. You shake you head and bring your hands to his hips, placing them on top of his hands, realizing just how big they are. 
    "Ok, now back and forth, back and forth, flu-id mo-tion. Good. Now…" you match Bucky's tempo and move closer to him, eventually straddling his left leg. "Put your hands," you take his hands which were hovering around your body and place them on your waist. "There. Now you keeping doing that and I'll do… this." You begin to circle your hips, your upper thigh dangerously close to his crotch. You reach your right hand up and around the back of his head, bringing his ear closer. "And don't be afraid to cop a feel, brother." You pull your head away and smirk. Then allow your left arm to hang at your side as Bucky's hands became more adventurous. His face on the other hand was still timid, and slightly surprised. Soon the song was over and you and Bucky were making your way back over to Sam and Steve who both seem to be chatting up a poor girl who had no idea which one she wanted.
    "You two were a sight to see." Sam grins as he hands you a fresh drink, and you take a sip.
    "Someone had to show this square how to chill out." You hip bump him. "I'll be back in two shakes." You take another sip of your drink and head back over to the bar.
    "Hey, uh, Steve? You want to shake that skinny bippy of yours out on the floor?" The girl asks, not making eye contact until Steve puts out his hand for her to take.
    "Let's dance." And with that, it was Steve's turn to humiliate himself on the dance floor.
    "So how was it? Dancing with Y/N? I've been told it's a religious experience." Sam chuckles, crossing his arms.
    "That's an understatement. I've never danced like that before. She's some teacher though. Uh, is she, um… carrying the torch for any one?" He rubs his neck and looks over at you, waving back after you wave at him from the bar.
    "HA! She is a catch, isn't she? Yeah, I tried to get her, but she said I was too much like family. But hey, maybe white boys such as yourself are her type." Sam shrugs and takes a swig of his drink, wincing at the burn then looking at his friend, who gazed hopelessly at you, then quickly panicked as you began to walk back over with four shot glasses in one hand and a bottle of liquor in the other. "Ah, come on. Don't be a candyass, y'all practically banged on the dance floor." Bucky's face turns red at the comment. "Hey come on. Just ask her out." Sam seemlessly changes from his whisper to taking a swing of his drink as you finally get back to the group. 
    "Alright! Now it's time to let it all hang out!" You set the glasses down on the table and pour the the liquor in three of the four glasses after grinning at Steve dancing with the cute dark skin girl a head and a half  shorter than him, even with her afro. You hand a glass to Sam and one to Bucky. "To new friends and a groovy night out." You intertwine your arm with Bucky's and then down the burning liquid, looking into Bucky's eyes before doing so. He takes his shot, lifting you on your toes a bit as he brings the glass to his lips due to your intertwined arms. He looks at Sam, who was tilting his head toward you, then slowly removes his arm from yours. 
    "Uh, Y/N… I was wondering, you know, if you would maybe wanna hang out sometime? If it's not a hassle, of course." Bucky messes with his glass, keeping his eyes low until the silence became too much for him. He looks up to see your eyes and are met with your smiling chocolate irises, red lips smiling in a similar way.
    "Far out!" You throw your arms around his neck, leaning back into his instinctual grip around your waist. "I'd love to James. Maybe sometime next week?" You lean in to his neck, taking in his scent then give hip a peck right below his ear.
    "Sounds like a plan." He hugs you tighter, tilting his head giving you more access to his neck. You accept and continue to kiss down his neck.
    "Man, if you guys are gonna neck, at least do it on the floor like everyone else." Sam points, the first thing catching your eye being  Steve's girl now pushing open the buttons on his long sleeve polo, sleeves now rolled up.
    "Well then color me gone." You grip Bucky's hand and lead him to the floor, his eyes on your swaying his hips as I Say a Little Prayer by Aretha Franklin floods the speakers, leaving Sam not so alone as a girl quickly comes up to him after you two leave.
    "Why have you been calling me James all evening?" He asks a few seconds of you kissing along his neck again, pressing your body to his and following your up tempo step and sway.
    "I like to call people by the name their mama gave them, if they allow me." You bring your right hand further up on his head and lightly scratch his scalp.
    "I love when you say my name." He says these words with an amount of confidence you didn't think could possibly come from him. He moves one hand down onto the back of your thigh and tightens his grip on both your lower back and thigh, then takes the lead in the movements, learning quickly how to move. You smirk up at him, running your gaze along his face, then pulling his head down to meet your lips in a heated kiss, nothing but a haze of lust and admiration coming from and surrounding you two, the music being the only thing part of your world.
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qweeby · 4 years
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Nine Lives To Short Part 8: Every Second is a Gift
♡♡♡♡♡♡♡💜💜
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Paring: Shinsou x Reader
Genre: Angst
Taglist: @bakuhoetoedoroki @foxypuppy
Plot: You only have nine days to tell him how you feel but maybe 9 days just isn't enough
A/n: IM SORRY I TOOK TO LONG BUT I'M HERE 😤
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"OI! ARE YOU TWO IDIOTS COMING OR WHAT!" Bakugou screams over the phone demanding a response.
"Bakugou shut up we're coming" Shinsou says while putting his phone in his pocket muffling the screams of Bakugou.
" HEY! HEYYYY!!! Did that bastard put me on HOLD!?" Kaminari can be heard in the background "Nah Bakugo he put you in his pocket."
"HIS POCKET?!! HEY YOU KITTY CAT BASTARD GET ME OUT OF YOUR POCKET", completely ignoring Bakugou Shinsou turns and looks at Y/n.
" How d'you sleep last night,"?
"SHINSOU, IT WAS SOOOO GREAT!"
"g-great?... come on, stop playing around."
"NO REALLY IT WAS GREAT! Your bed was so soft! And the pillow are immaculate!."
Hitoshi covers your mouth, "Hey! S-shut up don't say words like that remember we're out in public pleaseeee don't make a scene, we already have Bakugou  in our pocket."
Speaking of Bakugou, he can be heard arguing with Izuku in Shinsou's pocket, causing the people that walk by to glare that him weirdly.
"KACCHAN GIVE ME BACK MY PHONE!"
"COME GET SHITTY DEKU!!!."
An explosion can be heard before the phone hangs up.
You moves his hand clenching it while mumbling "But, it was only great because... I was with, you."
Shinsou's zones out after hearing Y/n say that "Does she really mean that?" He says in his head.
....
"Whatever happens you can't fall in love with me".
....
"Did you mean that you too..." Shinsou accidentally blurted that out.
"Huh? Mean wh-"
Shinsou slap your hood causing it to go over you face and cover your eyes.
"AHHHH! Shinsou! Seriously!"
He then rubs your head, you can hear him chuckling." It's nothing Y/n hehe.."
"More importantly I should be asking you about your parents Mr. Aizawa told me tomorrow he'd go with Mirio to get intel from the police about them so maybe, you say a few words to them,and then say your goodbyes.
"I'll go but...is it wrong that I kinda hate my parents?"
"I don't think you hate them-"
"No. I mean it. I hate them because after all I am is just a failed experiment right! I'm just a result of two people with non-compatible trying there best to make a dumpster fire work!."
"...Hitoshi you heard my dad back there, he said I was cursed, infected and that I needed to me fixed."
You take a deep breath " I didn't ask for this."
Hitoshi holds your hand calmly saying "I know don't worry I got something that get your mind off that. Come on."
After a few more minutes of walking Y/N and Shinsou finally make it to dorms.
You open the door to see all of the class 1A students standing there with there arms reached out all yelling.
"SURPRISE!"
"HUH!?!" Your jaw drops to the floor as Kaminari walks up to you and puts a party hat on your head.
"Looks like you finally made it to your party!"
"MY PARTY! WHATTT I-WHEN DID YOU GUYS HAVE TIME FOR THIS."
Mina runs up and hugs you tight.
"We've been planning it for a while! Midoriya and Kaminari wanted to throw you a party with all of your friends one last time!".
"Awww....you guys..."
Izuku walks up to you with a sad expression on his face "Y/n...we want you your last memories of us to be a memory that death can't erase."
Kirishima shouts while standing on the couch raising his fist high in the air " HELL YEAH! That was so manly.
"WATCH IT NERD!"Suddenly Izuku gets shoved to the side by Bakugo "H-hey! Kacchan!."
" Listen to me and you listen good DAMMIT!."
"If this is the last time we're ever gonna see you...I...I WANNA SEE YOU GO OUT WITH A BANG! GOT IT."
Hitoshi and all the other students get into a massive group hug, trying there best to show you their affection and love.
Y/n just can help but sobs as this is the last time she'll see everyone, even though she can't feel everyone's embrace she can feel Izuku's love she can feel Momo's warm she can feel Bakugou's kindness shine through, Jirou's courage, Uraraka's strength. Y/n is overcomed by the love her classmates have for her.
("Everyone is here for you...In your final moments, you should cherish this forever long you have left.")
Yokai sits and stares out the window "Because last time I checked..."
Hitoshi holds you close, as he is in the center of the group hug and whispers
"Every second is a gift."
"Every second is a gift"
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Time passes and Hitoshi,Y/n, and class 1A all have a blast together playing music, dancing, reminiscing on the past and even Sero brought weed but Bakugou dealt with with him....basically blew up his stash.
Eventually Sato and Momo made food for everyone and Kaminari even invited Class 1B. The dorms got very flooded but some how everything worked out in the end.
Y/n stands in the kitchen with Momo as she waits another batch of cookies.
"This is some party huh?", you sit on kitchen counter kicking your legs up and down
"Yup! This party is crazy Kirishima and Tetsutetsu are have a push up battle against Izuku! AND THEY'RE LOSING!."
Momo takes out the tray of cookies from the oven and puts them on the counter beside you, " Midoriya is surprisingly fit."
"Yeah, He always talks about how he trained his body for his quirk so I can see why...man I wish I could do that with my quirk." You say with an attitude before taking one of the cookies from the tray and eating it.
"Y/N!?!"
"Mmm?What Momo?"
" THAT CAME STRAIGHT OUT OF THE OVEN!"
"Yeah so it's ok I....didn't even taste it..."
You take another bite and...nothing you don't taste a thing not even the heat from putting it in your mouth.
"Momo I can't taste it..." you try to swallow it but you start coughing instantly.
Because you can't swallow..
"Y/n!" Momo quickly grabs the garbage so you can spit out the cookie.
"Momo....I can't eat. "
Yoayorozu looks around asking the question that's on Y/n's mind..
"Where is Shinsou!?"
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You'll never know when it's your last...so spend everyday like it is. Enjoy the quality time with people and treat it as if it's your final outing...but know you...only fools like you can make such an error"
.....
♡♡♡♡♡♡💜💜💜: Next Part- Fools like You
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janna-the-breaker · 4 years
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How would the turtles react to the poopy diaper prank???
A//N:My sister and i watched a few videos about this prank and we laughed a lot. But i laughed more when i imagined the boys getting pranked by his s/o with this.
Warning: Turtle dads!!!!💙🐢��️🐢💜🐢🧡🐢👨‍👦‍👦
You decided to give him a good lesson as he wasn't paying much attention to your baby boy/girl. He would just check if he/she doesn't need anything and would go back to his training/work out/computer/video games. You've warned him that he needed to pay a closer eye on your baby, and he would promise to do so. And always forget later. You had an idea to make sure that he wasn't going to forget about it ever again. You set up a clean diaper and pour a mix of peanutbutter and Nutella and left the diaper on the floor next to the baby, who quickly used his/hers tiny hands to eat the yummy and gross looking mix. You made sure to leave him/her on the kitchen floor so he/she would get caught easily, and you went back to pretend you were doing something else. May the prank begin!
Leo:
The fearless leader was training with his swords at the dojo. So, there was no way he would be the one who caught that scene. Acttualy, it was Raph. The big red masked turtle went to make himself a proteine shake, when she almost stumbled on his cute nephew/niece sitten on the floor. He noiticed that he/she was eating something, from a diaper. He instantly clicked what that might be and began to piss himself off. Snorting a lot more than Donnie does. He went to get his brother, not taking the wide smile on his face.
"Hey, number one dad! Your son/daughter has a little surprise for ya at the kitchen!" He announced as he continued to laugh. Leo frowned confusedly and went straight to the kitchen to see what was the trouble. Now, Leo have seen lots of crazy or scary stuff in his life. But, none of it could ever make him give such a girly scream like when he saw his son/daughter eating his own poop from a diaper.
"Holy Bushido!!! What are you doing, c/n?!" He quickly got him/her from the ground and examined his/her mouth. There was nothing but brown pasta. "Oh man! Your mom is gonna kill me!" He said as he tried to clean up the best he could, Raph laughing all along on the background. "Raph! Quit laughing and go get Donnie! Jeez, i'm a terrible father." He lamented as the guilt fell over him. Until he heard your laughs and turned to look at you very confused.
"How do you like the Peanautbutter, Fearless?!" You teased him as you kept laughing along with Raph. He had a serious frown now.
"Did you two set this up??" He asked agrily.
"Don't look at me! I'm the one who found him/her." He said in defensive mode.
"I set this up, Leo! So you can learn not to leave our baby unsupervised. This is one of the things that can happen if he's/she's left alone." You scolded him and he looked down in defeat.
"Alright, i got it. Sorry, akachan." He said kissing his baby on the cheek and even got some of the Peanautbutter on his face. You went to give him a kiss and your mouth was covered on it as well. This day was last long remembered and brought lots of laughs when brought back.
Raph:
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The big cuddly teddy bear was in the middle of a work out section, when Leo, who was only going to take a bath, found his little nephew/niece sitten in there, with a "dirty" diaper on it's hands and his/her mouth covered in brown pasta. He got instantly disgusted, and next, furious. He had the feeling that Raph couldn't handle himself all of the responsabilities of having a baby in his life. He grabbed the baby in his arms and brought him/her to the gym, where he leaned the small being to his father who turned at them confused.
"What happened?! Why is his/her mouth covered with goo??"
"You should've known! You're his/her father, Raphael! I found him/her eating from the diaper." Said the older brother angrily. Raph's eyes widened when he told him what that goo might be. He quickly took the baby in his arms and looked around desperatly.
"Shit! Literaly shit!!! What am i gonna do now?? Uh, i know! I gotta clean him/her!" He rushed to the kitchen with the baby and placed him/her on the sink. He took a lot of tissues and used to wipe the infant's face. "Shell, i am totaly sleeping on the couch tonight."
"You would if it was for real." You said as you showed up at the kitchen with a vitorious look. He looked back at you and then to the baby, trying to figure what was happening. "That's not poop, Raph! Don't worry, he'll/she'll be okay."
"Damn! Ya gave me a scare here!" He exclaimed with a hand on his chest. Relieved that his son/daughter wasn't acttualy eating his/her own poop.
"Unless you want this to happen for real someday you better keep and eye on him/her."
"Alright, i needed a little helper at the gym anyway." He said and the two of you chuckle as the baby pointed to the Peanautbutter jar, wanting more of it.
Donnie:
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Mikey was the one who found the baby at the kitchen when he was going to make himself a snack. When he saw that mucky substance spread all over the baby's mouth and tiny hands he entered in shock. He have heard that kids can make a mess, but this was riddiculous! And kinda funny too. He went to get his brother at his lab, who were working on another project.
"Uhhhhhh... Brah?! I think you should see this." He couldn't find the words to say that his son/daughter was covered in poop.
"Not now, Mikey! I'm very busy." Said Donnie in a serious tone.
"But, brah, this is serious. It's c/n..."
"WHAT HAPPENED?! IS HE/SHE HURT?! PAPA'S ON THE WAY!!!" He panicked when he learn that it had to do with his baby and rushed looking around for him/her. He finaly found his son/daughter with his/her mouth and face covered with his/her own droppings.
"Nononononono!!! Oh my god! Spit that out! Spit it!" He said desperatly, and kinda loud which caused the baby to cry. However, Donnie was more preocupied with all of the germs and bacteria that he/she might have consumed and was ready to take him/her to his lab and perform a stomach wash on his baby.
Until you showed up to safe the day.
"Hey! Donnie, it's okay! This isn't real!" You tried to calm him down from the inicial scare.
"I'm sorry, what?!" He said in disbelief.
"I set the whole thing up. This is just Nutella!" You said taking the jar you used for the prank. He took a deep sigh as he calmed the baby down.
"Oh thank goodness! It's okay, c/n, daddy is sorry for screaming at you." He cooed as he pets the baby's back gently. "I took the lesson from this one, those projects can wait. The two of you are the best projects of my life." He said as he brings you for a hug with him. Nuzzling on you and then on his son/daughter, covering his face with Nutella too. "And, time for bath!"
Mikey:
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The big sunshine turtle was on a Mario Kart maraton, totaly foucused on his game. Donnie was looking for a certain joystick that he remembered to have borrowed to Mikey. So, he went to look for it at his room. That's where he found his baby boy/girl making a mess with what was in the diaper and even putting it on his/her mouth. Donnie used all of his self control not to throw out to what he saw and went to call his brother.
"Jesus Christ, Mikey! You can't leave a child all alone like that! Just take a look at what he/she have done, gross!" He scolded his younger brother who paused the game and went to get to his baby. Almost passing out when he saw his little boy/girl looking like some goo monster from his comic books.
"Yuck! Baby, that's not for eating! You let it out, you can't let it in anymore!" He said as he picks the baby up and started thinking on what to do now. "To the shower! To the shower!" He demanded as he quickly took all of the suplies, like towels, wipes and rubber ducks. He filled the litte thub with water and places the undressed infant onto it, starting to use a sponge to wash his/her face. "That's it, buttercup! Daddy is screwed! You problably don't know what that means, but daddy is in big trouble. I think we should move and change our names, what do you think??" He asked as the baby laughed at the bubbles he made. The orange masked turtle chuckled at the innocent life he have created with the girl he loves.
And, speaking of you, you were standing at the door watching as he was being such a great father. "Isn't it as fun as playing with video games?!" You commented and he looked at you with puppy dog eyes.
"I'm sorry, angelcakes! I wasn't paying attention on him/her. I'm a terrible father. Do you forgive me??" He cooed as you came closer to them."
"Of course i forgive you, Mikey! Acttualy, this whole thing was a prank anyway." You confessed before laughing at him. He looked at you in disbelief but then began to laugh as well.
"Yo, girl! You really got me this time. Hope you're prepared for our revenge." He said looking at his baby with a little wink as he/she played with a rubber duck.
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andieperrie18 · 5 years
Text
if i die young (x reader)
WARNING: AVENGERS ENDGAME SPOILERS!! DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED! HAHAHA ENJOY.
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Thanos's threat has ended. The population of the universe has been restored to its rightful place. There was finally peace and the Avengers had done it. But, all Good things comes at great costs.
Y/n Stark
The real hero. She fought Thanos with all she had along side her father. All her life, Tony had always vowed to do whatever it takes to keep her safe. He vowed to her, to Pepper and to himself. Even if it cost him his life. When the battle came to its peak, he remembered every moment of how it all happened.
The Thanos that came from the past had already had his hands at the new gauntlet that he had synthesized from the original. He casted his eyes over to a pair of orbs masked with worry. He gazed at her daughter as she did as well. Panting, he turned towards the new sorcerer supreme. The said magician stared back at him with small hope lingering hope in his eyes. He lifted his hand with a singular digit on it. Tony knew that he had to do something. For the sake of the people that he loved. For Pepper, Morgan and Y/n. For the last time, he gathered all the strength he had left as he lift himself from dirt. This was a sacrifice he was willing to take.
It was suppose to be him.
He tugged the gauntlet, he fought with all he had. He only had a few minutes to take the stones of the gauntlet. He had already of this before. Tony knew that if something would happened, he would need a contingency. If something were to occur along the way, he could easily removed the stones from the gauntlet.
Then Y/n threw himself on Thanos's hand and tugged it aswell. He thought he was helping him but what she did next was not what he had expected. She stared at him for a moment as her arm piled on his, her lips mouthed a phrased that had carve its way in his heart forever.
"I love you 3000"
She blasted him away with her own blasters. And she sneakily swiped all the stones as she was thrown off.
"I told you, I am inevitable"
Thanos smirked, as he raised his arm after Y/n rolled off. He prepped his middle finger and thumb together and snapped them. Tony stared in fear as he waited for another defeat. But none came, the giant purple foe waited but none came and he turned his attention to the synthetic gauntlet. This slapped a look of shock on his face and he lifted his eyes to the man clad in red and gold as the same look of confusion mirrored his.
"And I told you before,..."
The two turned towards Y/n figure as she had straddled in her knees. The gleam of six hues crawled from her palm to the back of her hand, conjoining all of its powers to her purple suit. Their grand unification process earned a grunt from the beholder. Tony stared at his daughter, as she stared back with a conveying message.
'this time, I'll protect you.'
She quickly turned to Thanos and gave a tired smirked.
"You talk too much."
Snap
Everything was enveloped with a bright light.....
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
If I die young bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
Uh oh uh oh
"I knew you'd do something crazy. And mom has already tried to stop you from pulling off crazy stunt from the past."
Tony stared at Y/n's hologram. He sad with Pepper, Morgan, Rhodey, May, Peter (who is her boyfriend) and Happy. His daughter had actually left messages for everyone. Each of them got one one holo-messenger with an exception for Morgan who got two with the other being a sort of music box which confused them.
"You've been protecting me ever since we came back from Afghanistan. And I never felt in my life."
Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you when
She stands under my colours, oh and
Life ain't always what you think it oughta be, no
Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby
The sharp knife of a short life,
Well, I've had just enough time
They walked out of the cottage as they were greeted by friends. Tony held the a bouquet and in the middle was an arc reactor, Y/n's first reactor. He remembered how happy she was when she made it. He held Morgan's hand and his wife held the other as they made their way to the small wooden dock.
Peter followed swiftly behind them. Eyes glossy but a failing stoic expression. He watched the sad family stare at the drifting bouquet.
If I die young bury me in satin.
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
The sharp knife of a short life,
Well I've had just enough time
Peter spun to a certain corner, from a shore line of the lake stood Michelle Jones and Ned Leeds. The lone female who barely showed emotions was now sobbing a hell lot of tears with her breath hitching every few minutes. Then there was Ned, he would have laugh at his chubby best friend's crying but the weight of the loss was too great. They loved her, Y/n may have been the daughter of an seemingly arrogant Philanthropist but she manage stay level headed at all times. She knew all three of them like the back of her hand. She knew how to deal with Michelle's snobbiness, she knows how to roll with Ned's Star Wars fandom.
Then there was him, he loved the way she knew how to make him weak. She is supportive and helpful with his hero activities. He promised to treasure every kiss and hugs he had with her.
And I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom
I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger
I've never known the lovin' of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand
There's a boy here in town says he'll love me forever
Who would have thought forever could be severed by
The sharp knife of a short life,
Well I've had just enough time
The three sat by a small bench as they watched the bouquet. Morgan start fidgeting the music box. A beeping caught the attention of a few people including her parents. A hologram started to appear from the box. A sweet familiar voice echoed around the breezy air.
So put on your best boys and I'll wear my pearls
What I never did is done
A penny for my thoughts, oh no I'll sell them for a dollar
They're worth so much more after I'm a goner
And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singin'
Funny when you're dead how people start listenin
"Hey Lil Em, sorry sis had to leave but don't worry I'm in a better place. You said you wanted me to make you music box with my voice cause you loved hearing me sing to you every time you go to sleep. We'll here it is."
Morgan smiled at the information as she looked at her sister's hologram that looked as if she was sitting at the edge of dock. The little girl inched down to sit beside the hologram of her sister who held a guitar as she singed.
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Morgan felt complete. Her eyes slowly drift closed after finding comfort in the voice of her big sister's voice. Tony inched closer preparing to catch her but the next thing shocked her and everyone around him.
If I die young bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
Uh oh (uh oh)
The ballad of a dove
Go with peace and love
Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket
Save 'em for a time when your really gonna need 'em oh
The sharp knife of a short life,
Well I've had just enough time
So put on your best boys, and I'll wear my pearls
Y/n knew that Morgan was too young to remember her touch. The next thing she knew was her finding a key to put a solifying effect on her hologram. She manage to solidify the atoms of a holographic program.
Morgan slept on a familiar warmth. No tears left unshed that moment as every person on that place stared at the scene before them. Morgan slept on Y/n as the big girl wrapped her arm around her small figure.
Tony felt his wife's embrace as he turned to meet her. He found a teary eyed smile on Pepper's face, smiling back and returning her gesture as they stared at their daughters. Peter stared at them and slowly smiled. Even if it is a short moment, everything was perfect.
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etlunainmorte · 4 years
Text
❄ Three Wishes ❄
***
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***
"This,... is no time to be joking around." V was suddenly wide - eyed upon hearing Griffon's statement.
V seriously has no idea what turned him into that of all things in the first place. All he knew was that Avery and Roman were planning for something truly special for the kids in the neighborhood of Swan Lane for Halloween. Ideas were discussed, plans were formulated, even some weird props were bought from the local store.
What happened next was easily the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to the poor, clueless poet.
And that was almost seven weeks ago.
Despite that, V would still cringe from time to time whenever someone reminded him of that. But, it doesn't matter. All he knew was that, in spite of wearing heavy makeup and some form of unspeakable costume, you were there.
You were there.
And he could still remember the moments and every bit of conversation he had with you that day.
It all started when Avery and Roman transformed their mansion into a haunted mansion. Not only that, everyone he knew was commissioned ( not asked or invited ) to show up on that day in their most impressive Halloween costumes. Kyrie and Nero, being the two biggest suckers in the world when it comes to children, graciously accepted, and made costumes of their own. Dante, whose water and electric bills were due on the first of November, reluctantly accepted, and declared that he made a costume that would end all costumes. Nico also answered, and her participation involved effects such as different colored - spot lights, creepy sound effects, and a fog machine. Even Shadow and Griffon were given roles of their own.
And V? Let's just say he has no other choice but to go along with Nico's idea, since he didn't have enough time to buy or make a costume of his own ( unlike Dante, who chose to lie around the shop all day, the poet accepted jobs left and right, even though it pushed him to his limit most of the time ).
They had one job: to scare the children who dared enter the mansion and give rewards to those who could make it to the last room.
And Nico, being Nico, invited you of all people.
"This,... is no time to be joking around." V was suddenly wide - eyed upon hearing Griffon's statement.
"I'm serious here, V! She's already skulkin' 'round the courtyard." Griffon declared, his eyes were as wide as V's. "She'll be here within a few moments!"
Meanwhile, as you walked cautiously about the courtyard that was cutely decorated with skeletons, scarecrows, and graveyards, you felt someone stalking you from behind. You couldn't help but giggle, fully expecting something to jump out of the bushes and try to scare you.
And a few seconds later, as expected, something did jump, not from the bushes, but from one of the Styrofoam tombs. It was brown, it was furry, it has frightening claws, it has yellow eyes,...
... and it was wearing a pair of Fortuna University jerseys with the numbers 007 in it.
"Huh?" The werewolf thing mumbled as he scratched his head in confusion. "Were you even scared?"
"Umm, what are you supposed to be?" You asked the Wolf - man with an apologetic smile.
Nero was able to smile despite the few pounds of makeup and prosthetics on his face and flexed before you, putting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest. "I'm Bond. James Bond. Teen Wolf Bond, actually."
"Oh. Okay,..." you nodded. Not wanting to disappoint the young Devil Hunter, you added, "Oh, but, hey! That's a very creative costume!"
"I made it with Kyrie. The idea is mine."
"Well,... I like your creativity. Good job!"
"You do? Hehe, thanks!" If Nero could wag the fake tail that was attached to his bottom, he could very well do it multiple times in happiness after hearing your compliment.
"Go get 'em, Teen Wolf Bond!" You said, saluting him. Nero saluted and went back to where he was hiding to wait for his new victims.
Then, you made your way towards the mansion. Before you could even enter the premises, however, the door opened by itself, allowing you to walk freely and wander about the place.
Hmm, this must be the Artisan, Nico’s idea, you thought as you smiled and accepted the invitation. Nice touch,...
However, even before you could take a few steps inside the room, something jumped from one of the Grecian statues and howled with the full intention of scaring you. But, you didn't. Instead, you felt yourself bursting with muffled laughter at the sight.
With hair severely slicked back using some kind of cheap one - dollar wax, face hilariously pale with pharmacy - grade foundation, and a blue coat done with the worst stitching possible, Dante made quite an impression.
The smile on the Legendary Devil Hunter's face vanished as you finally let out the suppressed laughter that was quite literally killing you.
"That's not the desired response,..." Dante mumbled as he crossed his arms over his broad chest.
"I told you! No one's gonna get scared with that." Avery, who just came down from the second floor dressed up as Morticia Addams, scolded.
"You're wrong there, señora." Dante retorted. "My brother is the creepiest, most frightening creature I've ever met."
"I'm sorry, who?" You asked through your uncontrollable fits of laughter.
"My brother, Vergil!" Dante proudly announced. "Scariest of the scariest douchebags I know. He's away on a mission right now."
"Well, I'm not scared of him." You answered after catching your breath and finally calming down. "Unless he's a zombie who raids local pharmacies for cosmetics like how you're portraying him, that is. Then, I would definitely get scared. Of the real one."
Dante's pout almost made you hysterical with laughter once more, and before he could further embarrass himself in front of the children who would come and explore the house, Avery stepped in and intervened. "Think of a different strategy. I know you can do it." She said with a mighty tap on Dante's shoulder.
And with a smile, you left the two and headed for one of the rooms on the right. Skipping the life - size portrait of an evil - looking doctor with a moustache ( Avery placed Lancaster's portrait back on its former place for added horrific flair ), you entered what looked like a living room, complete with a sofa, a glass top table, and an old television in front of it. Thinking that the person here could be emulating a scary scene from a popular horror movie, you sat on the sofa and glanced at the television, which was currently only airing some weird static.
With a feeling of sheer anticipation for what's to come, you drummed your fingers on your lap and waited. And a few moments later, you noticed something coming out of the television's screen.
Nice detail, you thought to yourself as you watched a hand pop out of the screen. How are they doing this?
You continued to watch as another arm popped out of the screen, and inch by creepy inch, the lady in white finally managed to come out of the television.
So, she's doing the girl from Ring! You thought as you watched the lady convulse and hiss at you, her rotten face actually doing a good job of unnerving you. She didn't do anything else aside from that, however. She remained where she was, rooted to the ground and convulsing.
And so, as you thanked Nero's girlfriend for doing a marvelous job on her scary prank, you got out of the room just in time to hear some childish screams coming from the great hall. 
Dante must've changed strategies now,...
As you were about to leave the hallway, you noticed something blue and shiny on the ground. You grabbed it right away and realized it was an exquisite feather that seemed to glow and cast light to the dark hallway. You looked ahead of you and noticed more of these blue black feathers scattered on the floor, clearly leading towards another room.
Rightfully thinking that this could very well lead to an interesting discovery, you followed the path made of feathers that was made solely for you. Picking the beautiful feathers one by one and collecting them, you felt the temperature in the mansion clearly dropping by the second, and when you reached your destination - a door which was being pointed by that last feather - you heard someone running about on the other side. You even heard some voices, not one but, two.
Smiling and feeling excited, you opened the door,...
... and saw nothing, aside from the three or four bookshelves and the old grand piano in the middle of the room.
Taking a step inside, you cautiously looked around the place, waiting for something to come out and chase you around.
The door closed on its own, and the temperature dropped even further. You closed your parka and took a few more steps. Then, you noticed something on the stool in front of the piano - a steel pot.
Raising your eyebrows, wondering what a steel pot was doing there, you walked towards it, and before you could even grab it, you noticed something that looked like a dishcloth next to it.
A steel pot, and a dishcloth,...
Do they want me to rub this thing clean?!
Rolling your eyes and chuckling at the simple thought, you carefully placed the feathers you collected on a small table nearby ( you wanted to make something out of those ), took the steel pot and the dishcloth and started rubbing it, waiting for something to happen,...
"Oh! Now?" You heard a whisper from behind one of the bookshelves. "Okay, here goes!"
All of a sudden, something like a weak electricity ran through your whole body and startled you, making you drop the steel pot on the floor, and when you bent to pick it up, black smoke rose from it, engulfing it and swallowing it whole.
Where did - ?!
"Greetings, my lady." A low voice spoke. You slowly looked up and saw,...
... that gentleman you met at your cousin's wedding.
Now, who was this man again? Oh! It's V! His name is V. Although,...
... what’s that funny – looking turban doing on top of his head? Why was he standing like that, all proud and mighty, with his arms crossed over his chest?
And, most importantly, why was his skin blue?
"Umm,..." You began, uncertain how to respond. "Y - your steel pot,... I don't know what happened. It seemed so real and - "
"You have set me free from a hundred years of slumber." V spoke in what he hoped to be a mystical kind of tone. "And to show you my gratitude, I shall now grant you,... three wishes."
"W - wait a second here, three wishes?" You asked, finally figuring out what V was supposed to be. "Do you mean to say you're a Genie,... trapped in a steel pot?!"
V felt his face heat up at your words but, due to his heavy blue makeup, he was most definitely certain that you couldn't see through his shame of being a Genie for Halloween. He knew you have every right to laugh at him, to mock him for going through such a foolish thing, however,...
... you only gave him a gentle and understanding smile as if you sensed his discomfort.
And it warmed V's heart.
"Wanna sit down for a while?" You offered, and a few moments later, you were laughing at his stories of how he ended up here doing Avery's bidding once more.
"Stand in a steel pot, she said." V said, his words making you laugh harder. "It'll be fun, she said."
"I'm glad you didn't stand in a steel pot, though." You answered as you gave the man an apologetic look. "One comic relief for a Halloween attraction is enough. We don't need to add another."
V hummed in agreement, not saying any more words to add to the conversation.
For a while, V just sat there beside you, appreciating the quiet and peaceful moment between the two of you. No words were exchanged between you for a while, and yet, despite that, V truly felt at ease next to you.
It was like,...
... he was back during that time when he first met you. Not during the wedding, no, but, way back.
It was right here where he saw you after wandering about in the dark for so long. You played the piano for him, and you even gave him words of encouragement. And those words were the very weapons he used against the evil that once imprisoned the innocent souls here in this mansion for its own gain.
It was also here where he kissed you for the very first time.
And he was well aware that, unfortunately, you couldn't remember a thing about him, only that you knew you have seen him before but, couldn't remember when or where exactly. He confirmed this, himself, when he started observing you from the moment you reunited with him during Avery and Roman's wedding.
And now, as he observed you in the corner of his eye, he noticed the subtle look of sadness in your face. You may have shown him that you were happy and well, when, in fact, you felt the opposite. And it unnerved, no, worried V, a lot.
He desired nothing but your happiness, he didn't need to see anything else but your smile. After everything you've been through in your past life, he knew he must give you what you truly deserved and more. He will give back everything he owed you, for saving him, for making him see the truth in the face of evil, for making him believe that he's strong,...
... for believing in him despite everything.
Right then and there, he made up his mind, and he swore he would never repeat the mistakes of the past.
He vowed that he will make you the happiest woman on earth.
As he stroked the antique locket in his pocket, he turned to you and quietly uttered your name.
"Hmm?"
"Have you thought of them?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Your three wishes." V clarified. "Have you thought of them?"
"Oh! I,..."
V helplessly watched as he saw you fidget on your seat. Did he say too much?
"What I mean is," V added. " ... you've set me free from the confines of the evil steel pot. I feel it is only fitting that I should return the favor."
And to this, you giggled once more. You found it simply cute and adorable that, despite his discomfort in playing the role of the Genie, he still managed to be in character.
Somehow, you felt that he's doing you a kindness you don't deserve. Would it be like taking advantage of his kindness?
"Oh, Mr. V, you don't have to. We're basically just playing trick or treat, right? I mean you don't have to go to so much trouble,..."
"But, I insist." V answered with that disarming smirk of his. Damn, that smile! "And you can call me V. No need for such formalities."
Just like how V felt a few minutes earlier, you felt your face getting hotter with just that killer smile of his. However, unlike him, you're not wearing any makeup, save for some light lipstick and mascara. You could never hide your true feelings from him.
And so, with a sigh, you decided to just play along. "I suppose you will have a negative reaction if I ask you to turn me into a millionaire,..."
"Is it what you truly want? Wealth? Then, I could - "
"No! I mean, I'm only joking." You smiled nervously, feeling shocked after learning that V truly meant his word - that he really wanted to fulfill your three wishes. "It's not what I want."
"Then, please, tell me your deepest desires." V urged, his insistence actually making you a bit nervous and excited for the wrong reasons. “And I shall turn it into reality.”
With a deep sigh, you contemplated on what to say for a while. And when you finally decided on what to truly wish for, you spoke once more.
"Okay, first of all, I want you to have a rest day every once in a while." You noticed the look of question in his face and immediately clarified your statement. "Ah, I didn't mean this in a bad or hard way, believe me! It's just that, I noticed you work too hard, you barely have enough time for yourself. Maybe eat outside or cook something. Have fun with friends. Go to the mall, shop for clothes, or watch movies. Or if you want, you can drop by our house anytime you want and gran and I will prepare something for you. Or maybe, ahh, hang out?"
"Is that," V mused, a look of fascination in his gentle features. " ... an invitation, my lady?"
You swore he could kill you with that sultry voice and that devilish smile of his! You were even positive that you were blushing quite madly and shamelessly right before him. "I g - guess so. Yes."
"Oh, my. How generous of you. Well, then, what about the second wish?"
"Umm, let's see,... I want to," You muttered as you looked up at the Victorian style ceiling. " ... I want to have a proper rest."
"Hmm, and what does the lady mean by those words?"
You smiled guiltily at him. "I’ve been having some difficulty in sleeping for a month now. I just toss and turn around in bed, and I still couldn't sleep."
So, that explains the dark circles underneath her lovely (E/C) eyes,... "That,... must be really,... bothersome,..."
"Oh, you could say that again." You agreed, then sighed as you allowed your posture to slip for a slouch. "I miss those days when I could easily sleep like a child."
V hummed, then, a few moments later, he cleared his throat and went on. "And the third wish?"
"I want to move on."
The words came too fast that it almost slipped past V's radar.
What,... did she mean by those words?
"You,... want to move on?"
"Oh! Ah, scratch that, please. It's a joke, n - nothing too important,..." You stuttered, fully knowing that V would see through your lie.
And see through it, he sure did.
The desire to go out and have fun with friends. The longing to have a peaceful sleep.
And wanting to move on.
He knew, or at least figured out, what was really going on.
With a simple smile, he raised his metal cane that once belonged to Victor Blake ( not William Blake’s descendant ) and gently tapped your head with it. Then, as softly as he could, he raised your chin with his long and slender fingers and made you look him in the eye.
"Your wish,... is my command,..."
After your talk with the mysterious V, the rest of the day went by without so much as a ruckus. The host and hostess Avery and Roman, dressed as Morticia and Gomez Addams, graciously welcomed all the guests at the gate. Almost everyone who visited the house had their photos taken with Nero as the Teen Wolf Bond. However, he was not the most popular Halloween attraction. Dante, who finally made up his mind to chuck out his cheap Vergil cosplay, decided to just throw all pride and pretense aside and simply morphed into his Sin Devil Trigger form to scare people. And he became an instant hit. V declared he was too tired of granting people's wishes as the Genie after your conversation and decided to let Griffon and Shadow ( who only scared and bullied the hell out of the people who made out of Dante's prank without so much as a tear in one eye ) take over as his wish - granting familiars. Nico, who was staying in one of the rooms on the first floor, enjoyed the hell out of frightening people with her awesome effects.
And Kyrie? Apparently, she was stuck in the kitchen, waiting for someone to get lost in there so she could offer them the magical potions she made as a Good Witch.
There never was a Girl From Ring in the first place,...
***
❄ Snippets of V and Reader's conversations were based on a real - life conversation with @la-vita . ❄
***
❄❄❄
***
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ashanddreams · 4 years
Text
Back in Time Glitch: Twilight Princess Wii (IDK about GameCube cause I don't have one and not for HD because IDK how to get back in time started)
So this is really me tracking down my progress with doing the back in time glitch with Twilight Princess. I'm doing this because no one else really has cause I think they get stuck at one part. So, here we go:
So starting this glitch is pretty easy; all we have to do is go to Arbiter's Grounds and die (fun amirite). We have to make sure that when we die, we only see the tip of Link's gauntlet (or fingers, since it's different than how I remember it). Now, there are two things we can do while performing the glitch: either take damage or get it on the first try. Getting it on the first try is good, but we can't push the a or b buttons (all other buttons are fine, the other two will crash the game and we will need to unplug the Wii). Taking damage (any amount is fine) will allow us to push a and b, which will bring up the title screen where we can push a and b together to go to the menu and select any file. Whether it's new or not will not change anything from normal.
(Here is the title screen without crashing the game)
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The first thing that will happen when we perform the glitch is we will be taken to the title screen area with no map, health, music, or item/action abilities. Don't push a or b if we didn't take damage before (damage will not be saved between resets, only if we perform the glitch right). This is where we need to die again. Responding from this will give us the normal screen, but we will be at one heart. Now here is where things get kinda weird. We can save and quit here and we will be brought to Faron woods (this is the right way). However, dying again will result in a game over. If we continue, we will be brought to the King Bokoblin fight (IDK). Skipping the cutscene will allow us to fight him while letting play will get us stuck on the bridge. If we defeat him and save Colin, we’ll be taken to Kakariko. No matter what we do here, either skipping the cutscene or not will softlock us there and we cannot leave or do anything (side note: after having done this, I had a nightmare about twilight Kakariko and Barns' Bomb Shop, so now I don't like it there lol).
Going the Faron route, we will be in the save Talo sequence. Do what we’d normally do, save him and go to the next day. (Now this part is very fuzzy since I did this part a few months ago, so I'll come back later). Go through the day, heard the goats, leave and DO NOT SKIP THE CUTSCENE AS YOU WILL BE STUCK. Go about, go to the house, and if my memory is right there we can give the kids the sword (keep in mind we won't get the first bottle, fishing rod, sword, or slingshot- but we can still give them a sword). Before we continue, go into the mayor's house since the door is now open and get the iron boots. This will save us time later. Now, do everything as normal until we come back to the world of light. This is where people give up I think, as there is "no way to progress."
We cannot get the sword and shield as there are logs blocking the hole to get the sword, the area to get to the shield is closed, and there are no characters around. However, this can be skipped using the sword and shield skip (there are youtube videos showing how to do this on GameCube and Wii). We’ll need a Bokoblin from the are and DO NOT KILL IT AND SAVE OR YOU ARE SCREWED. We’ll need to bring it to the wall of twilight, align it with a black mark on the wall and do a really big double attack on it. If we do it right we’ll bypass the area where Midna will tell us to go back and she'll let us into the twilight. Please note: this glitch is the hardest thing to do (in my experience). It took me over a year to do this, as I rage quit a lot from doing it over and over and over again, and I got it cause I was very lucky.
So, after that long intro, it's all good. Progress as normal, get to the forest temple and prepare to think you're stuck. Everything was great and normal until the first room with the spiders on the vines. Remember: we don't have the slingshot. But, the solution is easy: find some Boko Baba seed things and throw it at the spiders. Easy peasy. Now before we leave, there is one thing to note: beating the mini-boss of this dungeon with jump attacks is a no-go, cause that will hard crash the game with a very fun sound playing. Beat him (and the boss) slowly and it'll be good.
Go to the Eldin province and we'll be at the glitchy part of the run (twilight and light). Go through normally until we get to the gate to Kakariko. Go through it and we'll be taken into a cutscene. Remember the King Bokoblin fight? Yeah, that's here now, just will no voices for the NPCs. Watch the cutscene. Now the world is weird cause it's the world of light with a twilight filter. Midna will tell us to help Colin and there will be no shadow monsters or dying spirit of light. To fix this, just leave the area (side note: this is where we go if we fight King Bokoblin right after doing the glitch and we'll be softlocked cause we're human, but now we're a wolf and can do things now). Going to a new area puts everything back to where it should, but we can go back to the gate and start the same cutscene as many times as we want, as there's no limit to this or the number of times we can fix it. When we're done, go on as normal, get the bugs, and save the land. Once we are done talking to the spirit, another cutscene will play, the one where we get our horse. The game most likely triggers this because we have the iron boots (remember?), and it has to play it for later, which starts the Epona scene. Get her and save Colin. Do that and go to death mountain.
(if we wish, we can go to Ordon spring to get the hidden skill from the stone we probably activated in the twilight, but we’ll be unable to do it because we need a shield. We can buy a shield, but we either lose the nice metal shield for a cheap wooden one that burns or we pay 200 rupees to tell the game "Hey, I have the shield now, even though I've had it the entire time," which is something I didn't want to do, so I'm not getting any of the hidden skills, which pains me cause I want the back slice)
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(This is in the Arbiter's Ground area but it's the same thing) (Also grandpa Time is blind cause I GOT A SHEILD) (ok boomer)
Back on point, go up to death mountain and realize that we don't have to take damage from that Goron because we got the boots (we won't be softlocked so it's good).
Now play through the area normally. Actually, play through the game normally, as everything from here on out is just a normal playthrough. We just do get the slingshot, the Ordon sword or shield, fishing rod, two bottles (one from the shop in Ordon and the other in the fishing area since we need the fishing rod to get it), and six hidden skills (if we don't want to part with a FREE metal shield).
So, I bet someones thinking about a problem in the future part of the gameplay. Right now I am it Arbiter's Grounds. (I found out it is possible to perform back in time again (but I think the point of restarting is just a bit later than I remember, since past of Link's gauntlet had to be seen then, and now it's the tips of his fingers). I think everything will go fine until we get to Snowpeak, or rather, not get to Snowpeak. We need the fishing rod to get the reekfish, and guess what we don't have: the reekfish. I believe one of three things will happen-
1) The game will hard crash (or just regular crash) cause we don't have the fishing rod, and the game will get really confused and die.
2) Nothing will happen. What I mean by this is that we won't be able to accept the earing addition and either Ralis will keep the earing or it will vanish and we never see it again.
3) The game spawns a fishing rod for the player to have and we go on as normal. With this, we'd be able to get a third bottle.
With the first two points, we will be softlocked, as the game will put us back at the start if we go into the blizzard.
I'm not sure what will happen at that point, but no matter what happens, whether we get the rod or not, I'm going to keep exploring with this glitch; I'll find the do's, don'ts, and mega don'ts. When I find something new I'll add it here later. Hope someone has fun with this and wish me luck! 🤞
Edit: So there's actually a fourth option: the fish hook is a new item in your inventory and now we're stuck.
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So.....not what I was hoping for but that's what we get for trying to kill the game. The sad thing is that if we go to Colin's house we can see a fishing rod on the wall. I even found out that we cannot buy the slingshot because it's not in the shop in Ordon and the wooden sword doesnt appear in our house. Another new piece of info: we dont have the Ordon Spring warp since we never got the sword and shield in the beginning of the game.
So I'm going to see if there's a way to skip snowpeak. However, this will definitely be a problem later on during the Zant fight since we need the ball and chain. Wish me luck on that!
TL, DR: go back in time and save Hyrule on hard mode.
UPDATE: So I saw a video on YouTube talking about having all of our items in the king bulblin fight. What we need to do is do back in time and take damage before doing so. I did it in Arbiter's Grounds and got there fine. Then we need to pull up the title screen and fall into a void. Right before Link starts screaming, we push a+b (or start since this works on the gamecube). If done correctly we should here Link screaming on the file select. Now we have to choose a game file. If we choose a new file, we go through naming Link and Epona and when we start this happens:
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(I sat here for 10 minutes. We can't do anything except power off and press home, but pushing reset still keeps us at this screen and now we can't use the home button).
If we select a file that already has data, then we go to the bulblin fight with all the items we had before the glitch, including the master sword (I'm doing this on a file where I already did the back in time glitch so I still dont have the fishing rod).
UPDATE: THE RUN'S NOT DEAD
So, I was watching YouTube and looked up Twilight Princess glitches and saw a glitch for early City In The Sky. By doing this glitch, we can skip all of Snowpeak Ruins and the Temple Of Time. Seeing as how the ball and chain is not needed to finish the game after Snowpeak and the dominon rod is only needed for the search for the sky quest (which we can skip while doing this glitch), we will be able to progress without the fishing rod and skip three hours of gameplay. I was hoping we could find a way to get the fishing rod so we could 100% the game, but now we definitely can't do that.
Early City In The Sky glitch:
Requirements: Master Sword and visited the desert at least once (completion of of Arbiter's Grounds recommended)
As soon as we have access to the Master Sword, we need to head to Lake Hylia. We need to go to the desert. Once at the desert, I recommend completing the Arbiter's Grounds, but that's not necessary right now. Now we warp to Kakariko village and go to Renado's basement. By sliding with z-targeting into the space between the statue and the wall (right on wii, left on gamecube). The angle is kinda precise so finding a YouTube video is recommended for finding a good angle. Once we're positioned right, we need to turn into wolf Link. If everything is correct we will clip past the statue. Now, as wolf link, go up to the cannon and say you'd like to warp. Midna will say Shad is still standing there (even though he's not). We can still warp the cannon as long as we open the map right after Midna is done talking (spam the button it has to be right after she's done). Turn on portals and warp to Lake Hylia and Midna will warp Link and the cannon there (we have to be in wolf form. Also, DO NOT AND QUIT IN THE ROOM. Apparently doing this on the wii will trap us as Midna won't let us warp)
Now at Lake Hylia we talk to the cannon guy and cough up 300 rupees. Here we can do some side quests. I finally caved and bought the Hylian shield and got the four hidden skills I had yet to get. (Note: apparently if you dony visit the desert before asking the guy to fix the cannon the game might crash). I have yet to to to the sky so I will see how that goes later.
End of the game stuff: We will be able to beat the game with a max of 16 hearts, 43 poe souls, 23 bugs, 2 bottles, five hidden skills, no Ordon sword/shield, no fishing rod, slingshot, no ball and chain, and no dominon rod. This is the max amount of items we can get. I will attempt this run again but try and see what the least amount of weapons required to beat the game is.
Edit: oof speedrunners use this to go fast in the game. This is just a way if you want practice doing speedruns of this game so you can get gud
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fly-pow-bye · 7 years
Text
Powerpuff Girls 2016 - “Buttercup Vs. Math”
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Written by: Haley Mancini
Written & Storyboarded by: Jaydeep Hasrajani, Leticia Abreu Silva
Directed by: Nick Jennings, Bob Boyle
Yeah, that's the fight we all wanted to see.
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The episode starts with the rascally little green princess skating across the school, racing against her best friend, Maylyn! If you don’t remember, she’s the leader of the Derbytantes, the somewhat-villains-turned-friends-of-Buttercup from Princess Buttercup. While the toyline treats them as villains to throw burgers at, in the show, they’re more of a bad influence than anything else.
Maylyn: Whoever gets to (mocking tone) math class first gets to be the baddest girl in school!
Buttercup: And the first to call Blossom a nerd?
Oh, that loving sister she is! They play up on how Maylyn and Buttercup are totally bad people who don’t care about math, and pick on other people who do. They skate across their bodies, and Buttercup even tears Barry's head off!
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A paper mache Barry made for show-and-tell, that is. With this and the mermaid bit in Summer Bummer, they're really upping the fake-out civilian death scenes. After that bit of roller derby, Ms. Keane shows up to tell Buttercup that she can never step foot in her class again. After getting praise for her apparent explusion from Maylyn, Ms. Keane gives Buttercup the real reason: she tested into honors math!
Yes, the rascally little green princess that was always shown to be a problem child is an honors student in math! Blossom takes her hand, knowing fully well that, as the nerd of the Puffs, she too will join Buttercup in her honor to be among the smartest mathematicians in the school. Ms. Keane makes a small correction, subverting their and our expectations.
Ms. Keane: Sorry, Blossom, you tested into regular math. For everyone else!
Bubbles: Hey, I’m everyone else!
(small fart sound)
As far as I can tell, that wasn't another Bubbles fart gag. Maybe it represents the brainfart this twist was.
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This does makes me think back to Viral Spiral, which has a similar theme with a girl getting into a STEM field one would think Blossom would be into. Quite a few people were taken aback by Bubbles being the programming genius. I assumed that they gave Bubbles the ability to program to make programming seem less like something only nerds like Blossom take a part in. Math does not get the same treatment in this episode.
Another big difference is that Buttercup isn't too happy about her newfound genius. Why should she hate being better than Blossom at something most people would think she wouldn't be? Her being seperated from her sisters? No, it's because she's worried that her roller derby friends will see her as a nerd! She reassures Maylyn that it's just a class and that she'll still be the baddest girl in school, but she doesn't buy it.
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Not helping matters is that her class is filled with stereotypical nerds who chant that Buttercup is a "math queen". Not only is Buttercup being cheered on by nerds, she's being called something one regal step away from "princess". One of them does this whole bit where he calls his chewed up pencil a "mathemagical wand", which causes Buttercup to tell him to "just not". Yeah, take that, you math-loving nerds. Also, please get into math!
Originally, I thought that this episode was going to be a ripoff of Bart the Genius, and that Buttercup actually cheated her way into this class. The teacher puts up a complicated geometry problem.
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Buttercup initially refuses, trying to keep her status as a bad girl, causing the rest of the students to start randomly shouting out numbers like this is a game of Numberwang. After everyone else gets into a frenzy, Buttercup off-modelly screams out the correct answer: 5. Not a lucky guess, either; she did it all in her head. Not an answer that would work in a real world that expects shown work, but they still do the "math queen" chant anyway.
So no, not Bart the Genius. It's Buttercup the Suddenly-Out-Of-Character Actual Genius. Even in the show, Buttercup is disgusted by that, though for different reasons.
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At the dinner table, Bubbles and Professor keep the chant going, to the annoyance of Buttercup. To my surprise, Buttercup brings up Bubbles being a "computer geek". Bubbles takes out her notes and attempts to explain how computer geeks and mathmaticians are different, until Buttercup eye lasers them in what seems like a rare occurence of her using a power they once said was exclusive to her. Maybe they couldn't find a way past the fact that most Computer Science degrees require higher math as well.
Meanwhile, Blossom desperately studies to try to gain back her title as the Puff's "math queen". Of course, in a way that makes Blossom look level-headed in this situation.
Blossom: There must have been a mistake! Ask me anything! ANYTHING!
Bubbles: What’s 2 + 2?
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Mutant Hair Beast Blossom: FOUR, THE ANSWER IS FOUR!
Blossom is made out to be a pinhead because she's studying. I mean, Blossom could have done the right thing and just suddenly know everything like Buttercup! This starts a subplot, as she spends the rest of the episode reading math books.
While the Professor is driving the Puffs to school, Buttercup tries her best excuses to get out of this math class. She complains that her hair is too messy, and she can't see the whiteboard! The Professor gets an idea, much to Buttercup's chagrin.
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It doesn’t work out, as the Professor helps her eyesight with glasses, and combs back her hair, turning her into another accessory for potential dress-up dolls.
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Not helping matters is when four of the Derbytantes show up to see Buttercup’s new image. Buttercup wants to be accepted by these bad influences, but the bad influences don’t want to be friends with a nerd. At this point, they made their decision.
Maylyn: Whoever gets to lunch first gets to be the baddest girl in school! ...and call Buttercup a nerd!
Buttercup gets trashed by people she considered friends, and she still considers them friends. Buttercup angrily throws her math book in the garbage, vowing to never do well at math again. Barry then shows up to throw his uranium he brought to school in the garbage, the mixture turning the entire school into graph paper. The closest this episode gets to making sense!
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It also spawns an evil Isoceles triangle named Isosceles! He wants to bring order to the universe by turning everyone, from The Mayor, to puppies, to even Bubbles into numbers for his massive equation! Blossom decides to put her studying to the test and takes a look at Isosceles' huge math problem. She looks at all the variables, uses all of her smarts, and...
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...she gets the wrong answer. The monster even turns her into a 0, as if this is some sort of karmic revenge for her heinous crime of studying. That’s pretty much the end of the Blossom subplot; Blossom studies so hard and yet she's a zero in the end. It's sad to see my favorite by default get the shaft, but maybe not too sad. She was kind of a jerk.
After that, this episode becomes yet another tally to the board of “times Buttercup had to save her damsel-in-distress sisters”. It’s fine for the lesson learner to have to save the day by herself, and Buttercup being the rascally little green princess, she tends to be one even with lessons she’s already learned, like "don't succumb to peer pressure".
It takes take her a little while to figure out how to deal with this situation. Her first plan is to crack this equation with her fists! Silly Buttercup, that trick never works! At this point, the Puffs should just stop attempting to end fights prematurely, because everyone knows what's going to happen next. The question isn't even about if Buttercup is able to succeed, but how badly she will fail.
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In this case, very badly. It’s not only a Monster Punch, Girls Down, but a Monster Punch, Girl Bruised, too! I wanted to see more people getting bruised in this action-comedy show that's a reboot to an action-comedy show that had villains getting bruised seemingly once an episode, but I don't think this is what I thought.
As violence wasn’t the answer, Buttercup has no choice but to show off her math skills. Buttercup puts on her math crown, and prepares to...
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...“nurd 0ut”! I was going to point out that they mispelled nerd, but nurd is an actual alternate spelling. Why they spelt out with a 0? Maybe they just thought they had to throw a number in there because math. For Buttercup, Isosceles shoots his arms out with various math problems for Buttercup to solve. Gotta say, Isosceles is giving Buttercup an easier time than Blossom, who had this rediculously large equation to solve.
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Buttercup: Time to solve for x!
I may not be a math king, or even a math jester, but you can't! There's no equals sign! x could be any number, and the fraction would still be valid! This was probably supposed be some sort of quip before an action scene, but considering this problem and the answer they give for it, the quip should have been:
Buttercup: Prepare to be simplified!
It's just as cheesy, but I think that's what they were going for.
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With each math problem, she draws up the answer with her “mathemagical wand”. She doesn't call it that, as she does have her limits. This seems to be their attempt to make math more fitting for Buttercup's character, as she swings her pencil to throw the numbers as projectiles.
This battle of math is finished off with a pi grenade, the school goes back to normal, and the untransformed students start raining from the roof. After saving the day, everyone cheers Buttercup. Even Blossom got over her jealousy, accepting her fate as the non-"math queen".
Buttercup: I guess I’m good at math and punching!
Yeah, how did punching go again?
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Oh yeah, like that.
Despite this, Buttercup gets a new nickname: "Mathlete". Buttercup doesn't seem to hate it as much, probably because there's nothing regal and/or feminine about it. Ultimately, Buttercup learns it’s okay to be good at math, even if she wants to be a bad girl. Speaking of which...
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The Derbytantes show up, not to end Buttercup's friendship that they don't deserve, but reveal that they were only bullying math nerds because they’re not good at math. They instantly become good again so that Buttercup can be their tutor. See, that bully was bullying you for having glasses because they want glasses. I don't buy it.
The episode ends with Buttercup still in that honors math class, seperated from her sisters. Who wants to bet they'll forget about that? I'd imagine it'd be a pretty safe one.
Does the title fit?
Buttercup does, indeed, fight a giant mathematical monster. It also has a slight double meaning with Buttercup’s resistance to her status as the “math queen”. It also accurately shows that only Buttercup gets to fight anything in this episode and in most of the show.
She never really does punch numbers like the title card seems to suggest, though.
How does it stack up?
As suggested before, this episode reminded me of Viral Spiral. It shows a Powerpuff Girl getting into a STEM field, this time focusing on the M rather than the T or E. It's a little harder to make doing math look like a superheroic act than programming in fish guns, but they way they did it here is good enough. The idea was done better in Divide and Conquer, but that's not a surprise.
This episode feels far more forced than Viral Spiral. I guess they couldn't give Bubbles two STEM fields to be an expert in, and it would be too predictable for Blossom to be the math wizard, but the episode doesn't do a good job convincing me that Buttercup could be a great mathematician. To me, her battle with math looks more like Buttercup trying to reject this new character trait the writers are forcing onto her.
Your mileage may vary, but to me, this episode can go to 7734.
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Next week, Blossom goes to camp! Will she get scared stupid? Find out next week!
← The Bubbles-Sitters Club ☆ Home, Sweet Homesick →
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