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ruewrites · 3 years

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Thrones are Built on Lies Chapter 11: Cracks in the Surface

AO3

Ship: Solomon/Asmo, Diavolo/Lucifer

Word Count: 4075

Warnings: None

A/N: We gettin closer to the coronation babyyyyyyy! As always, comments are appreciated! If you wanna reach out and talk or invade my inbox as well you are more than welcome to!

Solomon had never cooked by himself before.

Solomon had never been in a kitchen before.

When you were royalty you didn't need to cook for yourself, you had people to do it for you. So here he stood, in the kitchen, when no one else was around, staring down the vastness in front of him. He clapped his hands, illuminating the kitchen and grabbed the first pot he saw.

Cooking couldn't be that hard right? All you had to do was mix some things into a pot and hold them over a fire. Easy.

Rummaging through the cupboards and pantry was an interesting adventure. Solomon was familiar with some of the foods and spices, but others were completely foreign to him. He did manage to find the beef which he grabbed in two handfuls to throw into the pot. Surely that was enough right? Now that his hands were sufficiently covered in residue, he went towards the vegetables and spices.

Honestly, this cooking this was rather fun. Perhaps he could start doing it more often. It might give him more points with his new family. He could be alone with his thoughts and the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board below him.

Which reminded him, he needed to find a blacksmith. Surely there must be one in the main hub.

Solomon only added water when he realized that the food may burn after it sat in the pot for a while. It tasted fine from what he could tell, and he was contemplating eating some of the food when he heard someone come down the steps.

"What are you doing?" Asmodeus asked, gracefully descending the staircase into the kitchen, "It's so late."

"I could be asking you the same question," Solomon smiled, lifting a bit of his creation to his mouth with a ladle.

"I was actually on my way to see you, but I wanted to check to make sure Beel wasn't about to sneak anything from my wedding."

"Our wedding."

"You're acknowledging it's yours now?" Asmo's voice came out a bit shocked, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Of course, it is ours is it not? As for what I'm doing, I figured I'd try my hand at cooking to earn a little more favor with your family," he turned back to the pot, stirring it a little more, and scratching along the bottom to unstick some of the food.

As he did so, Asmo's slender arms snaked around his waist and his head rested gently on his shoulder. It wasn't like his vice grip grasps in the past. Thus one was gentle and, dare Solomon say, fond. His old self would be surprised to see himself relaxing into Asmo. His old self would have never pictured him this comfortable in another's grasp.

"It is ours," Asmo said softly, gently squeezing Solomon's waist. Solomon found his free hand moving downward to squeeze one of Asmo's. Slowly he brought the ladle from his pot up to Asmo's mouth, and his pretty lips opened to accept his offer.

Then he started sputtering. Arms quickly let go of Solomon's waist as Asmo turned away from him.

Solomon turned quickly on his heel to pat Asmo's back, "Did you choke?"

Yes, it was a dumb question. He realized that as soon as the words left his mouth. Of course he was choking. Was he really that poor at social interactions? He was a scholar, a great king, an incredibly intelligent man, and all he could come up with was 'Are you choking?'.

Spoken like a true gentleman. One that fell face first down a mountain only to be attacked by wild beasts that is.

"No," Asmo weezed, "What the hell did you do?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Solomon, darling, are you trying to poison my family?" he gestured towards the pot with disdain and attempted to right himself, "That is nowhere near edible! Did you eat that?"

Solomon blinked a few times, staring at Asmo as he pulled away, glaring up at him. He wasn't really sure how to respond. Surely it wasn't that bad. "I did, are you sure you're not overreacting a little bit?" he asked.

"Over-? No! Are you serious? You ate it?" Asmo gasped, grabbing at his arm, "I'm not even sure the meat is cooked through properly! Well now I'll have to stay with you for the night and take you to one of our healers!"

"But I feel fine," Solomon frowned, as Asmo tugged on him, "Why were you looking for me this late anyways?"

Asmo stopped for a moment before letting go of him in favor of cleaning out his pot instead. "Well, I was hoping I might be able to spend some time with you. I've heard your sleep schedule is terrible and I figured I could visit your chambers."

Solomon moved closer so that their bodies were inches from each other, "That still doesn't explain to me what you want."

"Well I couldn't sleep," his voice came out in a similar fashion as when Azazel spoke to him. It set off small alarms in his mind.

What had he gone through?

"And I figured that perhaps I could-?"

"Something tells me your brother wouldn't be too happy with that," Solomon said, leaning against the counter on the other side of him. Their rooming situation hadn't changed from when Solomon first arrived till now, and he figured with how protective Lucifer was of his brothers that it wouldn't until either after the two of them were joined or until Lucifer trusted him. The latter was a long shot and, at the moment, seemed like it would take more time than what Solomon possessed in a lifetime.

Asmodeus frowned. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to think of an excuse that might work, but the longer he thought about it the more he realized that he was right. "He wouldn't have to know," he tried to reason, "Diavolo might be able to talk him down."

"And if he can't?"

"Don't think about it."

Solomon could have laughed. Stubborn was a good word to describe Asmodeus. He knew what he wanted, and he wasn't going to give up easily. In that way, the two of them were similar. He couldn't even be mad when he felt himself give in.

"Alright then," as he spoke, Asmo perked up, "What is it that you wanted to do?"

"I wanted you to hold me," Asmodeus responded quickly, "I just, want you to touch me, just for a little bit. So perhaps you could come back to my room with me?"

Asmo went to grab his hand once more and gently tugged him towards him. His fingers brushed against the silky, flowy fabric of Asmo's night attire.

Solomon allowed him to tug him towards the staircase and down into the caverns. Asmo's room wasn't what he'd been expecting. Flowers and vines neatly crawled up his bed and to his canopy. Moonlight seeped into the room, illuminating bits of the bed and the floor. He stripped himself of his shirt, realizing that it had gotten a little dirty in the process of his cooking adventures, and slung it over the chair in front of Asmo's bureau.

When he looked up, he saw that Asmo's eyes were on him, tracing every line on his body. "You have a lot of markings," he commented, lounging on his mattress. He shifted a bit as Solomon settled next to him and once more let Asmo pull him closer. "Do they mean anything?"

Solomon waited for Asmo to cling to him first before touching him. He probably wouldn't be heading back to his room tonight, not with the way Asmo was clinging to him. It was almost like he was afraid Solomon would disappear if he let go. So, he slung his arm over the smooth curve of Asmo's hip. "They're runes. Ones that I've found interesting from books I've read."

"There's so many of them."

Solomon shuddered as Asmo slowly traced along one of the inked paths. It reminded Solomon of how he traced the runes back in the cavern. His own hands wandered up and down Asmodeus' back and along his hip, encouraging him to snuggle closer.

Warmth.

It was the only thing he could think of. It spread from his core and along every spot Asmodeus touched him. He swore he was in some sort of trance.

"You're always so cold," Asmodeus murmured, "I don't understand why, you're always wearing long sleeves. I thought you'd be warm."

"You're always warm," Solomon yawned, "And soft. It's very calming." He felt Asmo's hands trail from his chest, over his shoulders, and to his back and his long lashes fluttered against him. He flushed, feeling a bit hotter than normal.

Crickets chirped outside and the occasional hoot of an owl resounded in the distance.

"This is nice," Asmo murmured.

It was nice.

***

"Did he say how long it would take to get done?"

Simeon and Luke had both accompanied him into town. Luke trotted behind, scurridly writing down time stamps and what had been done at those times.

"Hopefully not too long," Solomon twisted a ring on his finger, "I'd really like to get it to him as soon as I can. Before the coronation, preferably."

If the universe would have the smallest bit of pitty on him, he would be able to present Asmo with the gift under the stars a few nights from now. It would be a proper way to give it to him, and an acceptable form of an apology. He just needed things to go smoothly.

Simeon kept his stride, not even daring to fall behind him. He could feel him analyzing him, looking over his motions in order to come to a conclusion. "I think he'll enjoy it."

How did he always know?

"How are you holding up back there Luke?" Simeon turned his head to look at his apprentice.

"I would like to slow down, it's hard to write and walk!"

"And that is why you're practicing now."

Luke huffed under his breath and Simeon craned his neck to look over the notes. He always enjoyed seeing where he could offer praise and note where he could improve. Solomon realized that Simeon had been doing nearly the exact same thing to him here in Arcadia. Had he intended to coach Solomon on how to be a good husband?

Sneaky.

Solomon sat down on the steps of the palace, not quite ready to return inside. It had been a while since he just enjoyed the sunshine, and the weather was perfect. New days, new beginnings. It felt as if he’d had two new beginnings since being here, and he was sure these wouldn’t be his last.

Soft warm hands laid over his eyes, and soft breath caressed his ear, “Guess who.”

Luke made a retching noise as Solomon reached for his hands, “Asmodeus of course. Those hands would be hard to not recognize.”

Laughter surrounded him as Asmodeus moved to sit next to him. He set a few pictures down in his lap. Simeon patted his shoulder as he passed them. He wouldn’t stick around when Asmo came and take time away from the two of them bonding, especially not when they’d been getting along rather well recently.

“Mammon said he saw you heading out to the market this morning, so I waited for you to come back.”

Oh his smile was contagious.

“I wasn’t even aware he saw me,” Solomon said, not minding when Asmo decided to scoot a little closer, “What had you waiting for me to come back?”

“I’d always wait for you to come back,” Asmo leaned in and his soft lips brushed against Solomon’s cheek, “But, I did want to show you my attire for our wedding.” He fingered through the papers on his lap, pulling out one from the center of the pile. It wasn’t quite a suit, but it wasn’t a dress either. It was pretty, and Solomon caught himself slipping into thoughts of how lovely it would look on him.

“I based it off my mother’s dress, I remember that I used to love looking at it.” Solomon had never heard Asmo sound so whimsical. He was somewhere else, and Solomon wasn't entirely sure where he went.

"I've never heard you talk about your mother before."

Asmo's eyes lit up, "Oh she was wonderful. She's the one who taught me how to sing. Don't tell my brothers, but I think she was the best mother."

"You all had different mothers?"

"Well, for the most part. Lucifer and Satan shared one, she was the queen, and then the twins and Lilith shared one," Asmodeus traced his wedding attire as he spoke, carefully and ever so precisely, "I don't think any of them got along well, each of them wanted us to be father's favorite even if Lucifer was the crown prince. But they only stayed in our lives up to a certain point, if they hadn't died in childbirth."

Solomon remembered his mother and his father. They'd both done their jobs and molded him into the ruler he was supposed to be, but he hadn't been ripped from them by another person. "I'm sorry."

It was all he could say, and he hated it.

"It's nothing you had any control over. At least I have memories."

He'd been so excited to show Solomon his plans and to continue their planning, but now the mood was completely changed. With hesitant motions, Solomon reached over to touch his hands, "What do you remember?"

"Her voice," Asmo started, "And the way she held me when she sang me to sleep at night. I remember her taking me to see when the twins and Lilith were born. I remember her explaining that Belphie was sick. I used to always want to help take care of him, and I still do even if doesn't want much to do with me as of late. I also remember how she used to kiss my forehead and tell me how everything would be okay. That I was perfect, no matter what father said"

Asmo sunk into Solomon, looking down at his lap as they sat together. Asmo played with his hand, flipping it around in his own, training along his fingers, and squeezing. "I miss being touched like that, feeling safe in someone else's arms."

Was he meant to hear that? Solomon almost missed his words. Carefully, he slipped the papers out from under Asmo's hand and looked over the designs. "I bet she would have loved to see you in this. I didn't know her, but I think she'd be proud."

Asmodeus squeezed his hand a little tighter and it made Solomon relax. The words had felt awkward tumbling from his lips. But luckily it seemed like he'd said the right thing. "If yours looks this wonderful, I'm excited to see what mine will look like," he continued.

***

They weren't the only two scrambling to get preparations done. Servants were running inside and out decorating the palace for Lucifer's coronation, under Barbatos' watchful eye. He'd been seeing more and more of the crowned prince's stressed expression as he, Diavolo, and Azazel had been spending much of their time in the main hall. Azazel had assured him in passing that they would still have time for their regularly scheduled meetings, but they hadn't been lingering on Solomon's mind as of late.

He had other things to focus on.

He also had some internal things to sort out.

His opinions and feelings surrounding Asmodeus had started to change. That much was evident. Yes, he was still high energy and hard to keep up with at times, but he was also incredibly kind hearted. Solomon had always been physically attracted to him, that hadn’t changed. Something else had started to bubble up inside of him though. It was a feeling that was unfamiliar to him. It started in his core and spread up into his cheeks and made his chest tighten.

He didn’t dislike it, but it was a new feeling, one that reminded him of how Asmodeus felt.

“Mammon, sit still.” Azazel’s voice was harsh, but the sound of the wooden rod swishing at Mammon’s shins was harsher. He yelped and pulled his legs out of the way and straightened his posture. All of them had been lined up in the main hall. Despite having his own seat, Azazel was wandering up and down the row, eyeing up each of them. As soon as Mammon had been reprimanded, he couldn’t help but note how Levi had scrambled to fix his own posture. The room was tense, and Solomon was trying to keep his own composure.

Who would have known that a coronation rehearsal would be so intense. His coronation rehearsals hadn't been this strict. Then again, Solomon was also an only child.

Asmo’s fingers twitched as he stole glances towards him. Touch meant something to Asmo, and Solomon knew he wanted to touch him. If only he could indulge him in this moment.

“This coronation will be a momentous occasion. Not only will the crown be passed on to Lucifer, but it will also be the precursor to a new kingdom joining us. We are putting the end to an era, and entering a new age,” Azazel placed his hands on the back of Solomon’s chair, a wide grin spread across his face, “It’s a time for celebration. I think it’s also fair to say we could allow ourselves to loosen up a little.” His gaze glanced towards Belphegor and then to Asmodeus, his smile faltering, “But I expect you to look like the strong rulers you are, even if adjustments need to be made.”

Asmo flinched, but Azazel moved away from him and towards Belphegor, “This also meant that you shouldn’t wear your mourning attire. It’s a joyous occasion! Act like it.”

“Says you, I say when I’m done mourning.”

All eyes shifted down towards Belphegor, who was refusing to look at Azazel.

“Your father would want you to enjoy the moment.”

“My father is not the one I’m mourning,” he snapped, “Since all of you have forgotten, Lilith is still dead.” He threw a pointed look towards Asmodeus, “But I suppose I’m the only one who cares that our little sister is gone.”

Silence pierced the room. Lilith hadn’t been brought up all that much since Solomon had been there, and he hadn’t really brought it up. It was like glass, and every time her name had been mentioned, a long crack appeared in the smooth surface.

“Just like the youngest of the family to get hostile when he’s told that he can’t do what he wants,” Azazel’s tone was even but filled with venom. Each word had been punctuated.

A little bit of life flared into Belphie’s eyes as he stood up. Honestly it had been the most alive that Solomon had ever seen him. He stood face to face with his uncle for a moment, before turning briskly and leaving towards one of the corridors.

“And just where do you think you’re going?”

“Somewhere where the memory of my sister won’t be insulted.”

The door slamming echoed through the room and ended the conversation. Beel went to follow but Azazel cut him off, “You’re not going anywhere. He can throw his temper tantrum on his own.”

“Actually, I think we should end here today. Productive practice will not come from a situation like this,” Lucifer stood and Diavolo followed, looking a bit more concerned, “We can continue tomorrow.”

Azazel nodded curtly, but Solomon could tell he was struggling to hold his tongue, “As you wish.”

Asmodeus also went to stand quickly, he’d been so focused on Belphie and Azazel’s confrontation, that he hadn’t noticed that Asmodeus had turned away. Solomon felt that he should have followed him, he wanted to follow him, but Azazel caught his shoulder.

“My brother wasn’t happy with them for a reason,” he growled, “Of course, they all have their little flaws, but I have no doubt they would have ruined the crown if they’d been allowed to interact with him too much. It only takes one bad egg to ruin the bunch.” His gaze wandered over towards Diavolo who tried to strike up a conversation with Asmodeus and a few of the remaining brothers to try and lighten the mood. Beel was missing.

“I told him the twins should have been separated as well, he would be so disappointed to see how soft his descendants are becoming. Hard work is going down the drain.” Solomon barely felt Azazel let go of him, and he almost didn’t realize that he left. He was standing alone from the group, he felt like a stranger again.

Until Diavolo looked at him. He offered him a smile and waved him over, and those feelings started to ebb away. He couldn’t help being drawn into the group with Diavolo’s charismatic smile.

“I can’t believe it’s almost time, it’s like the days didn’t even exist,” he said as Solomon took his place near Asmodeus.

Lucifer nodded in agreement, “Life had seemed to go rather quickly lately.”

“And all of your brothers are going to play their own parts,” Diavolo brought their attention towards Asmodeus, who seemed to perk up a bit from earlier, “And Asmo will be singing, just in case he hadn’t told you.”

“I was going to tell him,” Asmo hummed, “I just hadn’t found the right time yet.”

“And he hasn’t heard you sing yet,” Diavolo shot a look to Lucifer who nodded.

“You are correct, he hadn’t heard you sing Asmodeus.”

Solomon had never seen Lucifer look this calm this close up. He was almost afraid to ruin the moment by speaking. Perhaps Diavolo did have some sort of magical abilities, but he did admire their relationship.

Maybe it was possible for good things to happen in arrangements like this.

Maybe he’d been a little too pessimistic in his views.

His eyes shifted back towards Asmodeus, who was already looking to meet his eyes. A soft finger went to interlock with his own. “Look at you two, putting so much pressure on me.”

“Yeah, if ya flub up, you might lose your fiance and embarrass yourself in front of all sorts of people,” Mammon cut in, poking at Asmo’s nose.

“Oh puh-lease, you should be focused on making sure none of your golden decorations are dull. No one likes underwhelming decorations,” Asmo bounced back quickly. He was witty. Perhaps it came with the territory of growing up with so many siblings, but Solomon still liked it nonetheless. It was endearing, and added to the growing list of things that Solomon had started to enjoy about him.

“Oi! I make sure none of my babies are ever dull! You watch your tongue!”

“And my voice hadn’t failed me yet, so maybe you should watch yours.”

His mother had been a singer too.

Had he learned from her?

Or was it something he picked up to carry her with him.

Regardless, music must have been important to Asmo. Solomon was positive that he would sound perfect. If he had learned anything about his fiance in the time he’d spent here, it was that he strived to be perfect. After all, he’d done so much to garner Solomon’s attention, even when he hadn’t been there for him, even when he’d been terrible. He still promised Solomon perfection, promised that Solomon would fall in love with him.

Maybe he was right. Maybe Solomon was falling in love with him. From the way he went to cover his mouth when he laughed to the way his eyes crinkled upwards ever so slightly when he smiled. He had a wonderfully melodic laugh, one that Solomon could listen to for hours. He was witty in his responses and graceful in his motions.

He’d still hold him later when he asked. Solomon had seen how bothered he was during Azazel and Belphegor’s confrontation, and Solomon wouldn’t mind helping him take his mind off of the entire situation.

After all, he was trying to be better for Asmodeus, because he deserved better.

For the first time since coming to Arcadia, Solomon genuinely felt like he belonged.

For the first time in his entire life, Solomon thought that he might be falling in love.

#TaBoL #ruewrites #solodeus #dialuci #asmodeus x solomon #soloasmo #asmosolo #lucifer x diavolo #obey me solomon #obey me asmodeus #obey me lucifer #obey me diavolo #obey me belphegor #obey me mammon #obey me luke #obey me simeon #royalty!au #arranged marriage!au #slow burn

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algernoninwonderland · 3 years

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Miraculous, intertextuality and why referencing other works all the time isn’t necessarily a great idea

TL;DR: Miraculous loves itself some pop culture references, they’re in the show all the time for you to enjoy, especially if you’re a big nerd.

Only, making a list of references and trying to replicate what other works did before yours doesn’t make your show good by association, and when it comes to Miraculous, these references seldom do these original works justice. Instead, it makes comparing these other works with Miraculous really easy, and the comparison is rarely flattering.

Miraculous would be a much better show if it tried to be its own thing, a few scenes are just that and they are great. It’d be a wonderful show were they not so few and far between.

Miraculous is made by nerds, as is the case with most cartoons. The show itself lets you know that right away. It’s a pastiche of magical girl anime and Silver Age comics, it uses a lot of their visual languages, and references its other inspirations a lot, for instance:

The name of its fictional locations, (Françoise Dupont is a regular kid with a masked detective alter ego named Fantomette, Marinette’s address is a reference to a French illustrator who often drew a talking ladybird)

The way its characters look (Master Fu is both Mr Miyagi from the Karate Kid and Muten Roshi from Dragon Ball, when akumatised, Mme Couffaine becomes basically Captain Harlock and her houseboat becomes the Arcadia)

Sometimes entire scenes are references to other works (Aurore’s akumatisation is straight out of Utena’s Dark Rose Saga, “Gorizilla” has a King Kong pastiche).

You could fill an entire Wiki with all the references in Miraculous if you wanted to. If you paid me well, I’d do it myself.

Wearing your inspirations on your sleeves is a double-edged sword, really.

On the one hand, you showcase the things that inspired your creative process, a way to say, “hey, that show/film/book exists within a landscape, it’s the heir to such and such work”. You acknowledge that you owe a lot to your predecessors, you acknowledge that there’s no such thing as a 100% original thing. That’s a great act of humility.

And intertextuality conveys meaning, too! Let’s take a very mainstream example. When you notice that ha! The pod-racing scene in Phantom Menace comes from the 1959 movie Ben-Hur for instance, you get the sense that you understand the cinematic masterpiece that is Episode 1 a bit more. It tells you that your movie about space wizards owes a lot to other genres, and that it transposes these genres to another setting, space! “It’s Ben-Hur, in that that slave kid is pod-racing for his freedom, but I gave it my own spin,” George Lucas tells you. “Look, the funny Gungan stepped into that space cow’s poop! Haha, sure hope I’ll sell lots of toys and buy myself some death sticks!”

You feel really smart when you get a reference, too! “Hey, that’s a Dezaki effect right there!” “Wow, is that a robot from Castle in the Sky in Age of Ultron?” Likewise, if you don’t recognise the work being referred to, you might get curious about it! References send back to other things and your knowledge of these things and when you get it, it feels nice. Lots of people discovered Utena thanks to Steven Universe and that’s really cool, and these references add to the meaning of the cartoon! Folks who casually got into RWBY but didn’t know Soul Eater and Cowboy Bebop heard about those shows and many others while discussing RWBY and I’m sure lots of them got into anime thanks to RWBY!

On the other hand, by being so open about your sources of inspiration, you expose yourself to criticism, especially in the case of your work being compared with what inspired it: it might be seen as derivative, or even worse, unable to do these previous pieces of media justice by only retaining and replicating their most superficial elements without a great understanding of what made them work, gratuitous fanservice for nerds.

And I’m not quite sure where Miraculous stands. Oftentimes, it feels more like a Spider-Man/Kamen Rider crossover with bits of outdated shoujo manga and superficial wuxia sprinkled in there than a show at least trying to be its own thing.

And the problem is, Sailor Moon is better at being Sailor Moon than Miraculous could ever be, as it uses its visual language better, and it has a tiny thing called “the main character having a group of friends who aren’t props and a plot you can follow” that is the very reason why people liked the manga and anime in the first place. Miraculous only retains the very superficial aspects of the manga/anime and of the genre. Marinette still trips over a cat in the opening. Because that’s how it happens in Sailor Moon. Her characterisation as a civilian screams “Usagi Tsukino but more stressed out”.

Spider-Man is better at splash pages than Miraculous because ML’s CGI is pretty meh when it’s not in motion, these weird filter effects don’t look great, that only works when you’re Into the Spiderverse and have comic-book aesthetics. Queen Wasp has a whole sequence that is just that scene in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 only this time Queen Bee sabotaged a metro on purpose to stop it. It’s not an awful scene, it carries its point across rather well (Chloé is a selfish nerd who thinks she can be like these comic book characters but truly isn’t fit to be a hero) but the original did it better, it was more impressive, there was more tension to that original scene, some really interesting camera and foley work that made you feel the weight of that train. It didn’t feel cheap the way that scene in “Queen Wasp” did.

Utena’s Black Rose Saga explores the psyche of some of its secondary characters the audience is already familiar with, with problems we could already identify within them. It offers an examination of the storyworld from another point of view, and helps build it further. There’s always a proper buildup before these characters have a mental breakdown in an moody elevator with a butterfly pinned on the wall that turns back into a chrysalis, because the characters are going through a kind of regression that makes them easier to manipulate and turn into “villains” while acting out their true desires in a twisted way. “Stormy Weather” has most of that, an elevator with dramatic lighting, a butterfly and a mental breakdown, but the character is all new to us so it’s just not that impactful. Often, that one secondary character who’ll get transformed has had spoken lines, yes, but that’s only minutes before they get akumatised.

“Kinda the same but a bit worse and missing some of the key aspects of what made the original thing so good” isn’t much of a tribute, is it?

In an earlier post, I stated that Animaestro was basically “I have watched a lot of animated shows and I know how to mimic them, the episode”. It told us nothing about animation as a medium except that it’s cool sometimes and that you get to imitate other people who are much better at the things they do than you are.

It’s not a clever metacommentary, it’s just “me likey moving pictures”. Good for you, I guess… Did you really need an entire episode to make that point?

And then you’ve got all the bad outdated shoujo tropes with characters falling on top of each other, aggressive flirting (harassment, really) from Adrien portrayed as really sweet and romantic because it’s just like in the shoujo manga (which one?) you see… And that’s just not great, is it?

Miraculous is a much better cartoon when it doesn’t try (and fail) to emulate other shows and movies and comic books and manga. The only thing it tells us about these works is that That Guy and co really like them and that copy-pasting them is the best way they’ve found to show their love. Imitation and flattery and all of that I guess.

“Look, it’s like in that scene in the anime! Did you like the anime? It sure was a good anime, and if our show makes you think about it, then it’s also good, right?”

No, you guys, I’m sorry but no. If making references was all it took to be good, then gaming webcomics would be regarded as masterpieces.

Very often, the show seems interested in being anything but itself. And it’s a shame, because there are lots of ideas the show kind of brings up but never quite touches. Marinette is interested in fashion design? That’s great, show us more of that! Make it an important part of her character, and by the same occasion, make her creations look not-laughable. Miraculous could be the first cartoon to explore what it’s like to be a biracial kid with a Chinese parent in France (would that work with a crew of almost strictly middle-aged white men is another question to which the answer is a resounding “no”). The show is set in Paris? Cool, how about exploring the city outside of its landmarks every tourist and their mom already knows?

Inexplicably, in the middle of an episode when you expect it the least, you get brilliant bits of directing that aren’t references to other works. Alya becoming Rena Rouge and her first steps as a superhero? Brilliant, really immersive, loved it, not a reference. The sad car scene in Puppeteer 2? It’s really really good, not a reference either. All the unexplored lore? It seemed really promising and having more of it would help us understand things a bit more!

People don’t just like your show because it reminds them of another show. Why watch it if you can watch that original work in the first place?

Trying to make a superficial mashup of all things you think are great in other works is not the way to do these works justice, nor is it the way to make your show interesting, let alone good.

#miraculous #ml salt #ml writers salt #ml critical #ml analysis #longpost #rwby #star wars #spider-man #adrien salt

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writings-of-a-daphodil · 4 years

Text

Fire Keeper: Chapter 21

Douxie x fem reader

Masterlist in Bio!

Series Summary: You are Jim’s older sister who is taking a break from college and has moved back home to Arcadia. You end up joining Jim and his friends on their adventures.

Chapter 21 summary: You're back in the future, but things don't go well.

Warnings: temporary death and grief

A/n: Wow, last chapter for a while, cue bittersweet emotions. I hope you like it!(sorry for any typos)

Jim’s words echoed in your head. “We need an edge. I'm sorry.”

You and Claire had protested, but he wouldn’t listen. “It's the only way!”

Then he had turned into that beast and told you to run. Which you did, and you regretted it. You couldn’t have stayed, but how could you leave? Guilt haunted you and you knew Douxie wasn’t doing any better.

His aura was overwhelmed with his own guilt over Merlin’s death. “It's all gone. Everything. The Heart of Avalon, Camelot...Merlin.” Douxie looked away, but you could see tears shining on his face.

“Maybe we should say a few words?” Claire suggested.

You nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

“Yeah, okay. Ahem. Battleship. November. Fruit punch.�� Steve sobbed. “Purple!”

Douxie sniffed, turning around. “Oh, what can I say about Merlin? He was... he was, uh... He was everything. He was all that we had.”

“We'll get through this, together. We need you, Doux, now more than ever,” Claire consoled, handing Douxie Merlin’s book. “The world, our friends are in danger.”

“And the Order's about to kick off an arcane apocalypse,” Archie added, nuzzling Douxie.

You took a seat next to him. “In our line of work it’s hard to find the time to grieve and now it’s harder than ever with this new threat, but we’ll overcome it. We’ll figure out a way together.” You gave him a hug.

Douxie leaned into you and opened the book. He sighed. “But Merlin didn't tell me anything. And of course, he gave us a book that I can't even read. I mean, what is that supposed to be? Orcish? Elvish? Naga snake tribe?”

Archie gasped. “It looks like...Ancient Draconic.”

“Draconic?” Steve’s eyes widened in panic. “Dracula! Oh, no, Dracula!”

Claire rolled her eyes. “No...as in dragons.”

“As in...” Douxie trailed off.

“Charlemagne, the Devourer,” Archie finished, leaping into the air and transforming into a Dragon.

“Charlemagne, the Devourer. Keeper of the most sacred stones and treasures. A vicious dragon,” Douxie elaborated for yours, Claire’s, and Steve’s sake.

Archie circled the clearing landing on top of a piece of Camelot. “Which is why we shouldn't trouble him. Maybe someone else can translate.”

Douxie shook his head. “Come on, Arch! This is clearly about the Genesis Seals. And if the Order finds them first-“

“Yes, yes, yes, we're all doomed.” Archie proofed back into a cat. “I suppose we'll have to pay Charlemagne a visit.”

“What about Jim?” Claire asked as Douxie called the flying ship to him. “I need to find him.”

“I’m worried about him,” you added.

“Go back to Hex Tech. Research any dark magic that can help him,” Douxie advised.

“Claire, do you think you can handle that alone?” You asked. “I think I should go with Douxie.”

“Of course. I’ll save Jim and you keep Douxie from doing anything crazy.” She made a waving motion. “Okay. Let's go, Steve.”

“Aw! But the dragon quest!” Steve protested.

“What're you going to do, get eaten again?” Claire sassed and you laughed.

“If I can I’ll get you some pictures, Steve,” you promised.

“Thanks, Y/n,” he said, but you could tell he was still kinda pouting. Claire rolled her eyes and sent him through a portal.

“Also if it’s not too much trouble, could you have Toby feed Mao?” You asked her before she could disappear into her own portal. You had left your familiar back at Hex Tech with Toby and Nari seeing as it didn’t seem like a good idea to bring a kitten into the Arcane Order’s Castle. You couldn’t wait til this was all over so you could spend some quality time together.

“Will do,” Claire said, hoping into the void.

Douxie helped you onto the ship. “Well, let's hope we get some answers... before the Order does.”

You went over and leaned on one of the rails as Douxie put his staff in the key. The ship hummed to life and flew into the air.

“Here goes nothing,” Douxie whispered, turning the staff. The ship lurched forward and you fell against the rail.

“Do you know who to drive this?” You asked.

“Of course,” Douxie said at the same time Archie mouthed “No.”

Douxie turned the staff again and the ship shot ahead. You couched the rail, afraid that if you let go you’d fly off.

Douxie didn’t really talk and so you retreated into your thoughts. You were worried about Douxie. Sure, he was distracted now, but you knew Douxie and he was an open book. With you able to read his aura you could clearly seem the grief in it. It was so overwhelming, you were tempted to stop looking for auras, but you also wanted to understand how he was feeling.

Not only was their grief, there was blame and you knew he was blaming himself. Douxie liked to shoulder the world, you recalled how Strickler used to call Jim ‘Young Atlas’, but to you, the nickname seemed to fit Douxie perfectly. You wished he would let you take some of the weight.

His sadness was another overwhelming emotion and you wondered how he wasn’t curled into a ball and crying. You had a very strong instinct to go over and hug him and promise him that things will get better, but you were a little scared to let go of the rail, you would do it later though and you’d make him a pie for good measure.

Archie shouted directions and it wasn’t long before Douxie was lowering the ship to the forest.

You looked ahead to see a rogue tree sticking out of the canopy, but Douxie didn’t seem to notice.

“Douxie!” You screamed. “There’s a tree there!”

“I see it, love.” The ship made a sharp turn and you fell to the other railing, taking Archie down with you.

“Sorry, Arch,” You apologized.

“He may know how to drive everything from a car to a stagecoach, and he may have learned how to drive this, but it doesn’t mean he’s good at it,” Archie grumbled.

This time you held on a little tighter and the cold rail bit into your skin. You didn’t have to be uncomfortably gripping the rail for long though. Archie gave one last direction and the ship shot down, making a surprisingly gentle landing.

Douxie helped you down and looked to Archie. “You've told me tales of Charlemagne, the Devourer, for centuries.”

Archie hopped down. “The truth may be stranger than fiction.”

“Who is he?” You asked.

“Oh...I've heard terrible tales-whoever stole his treasure got baked alive into a blood pie,” Douxie explained.

“And burned, and singed,” Archie added. “Oh, here we are.”

“Sounds like this’ll be fun,” You muttered, shivering a bit from the cold night air.

Douxie looked down into the old well Archie had gestured at. “I really don't want to be a blood pie.”

“Let’s try to avoid that then. We aren’t here to steal his treasure, we are here to ask for help,” you said, looking into the well for stairs or a ladder.

Douxie stood on top of the well. “How do we get ther-“

Rocks slid and Douxie fell into the well. You winced as you heard him tumble.

“Oh, no!” Archie flew down after him and you hoped in as well, but instead of free falling like Douxie you levitated.

You touched down to see Douxie lying on the floor as Merlin’s staff hit him. “Ugh! All this...ugh-“ the book hit him “-for a book.”

“A very important book,” you reminded me, lighting your hands up with orange flames.

Douxie moved his staff around and screamed. You went to help him stand and you looked down to see the two of you were standing in the middle of a giant foot print. “Oh fuzz buckets.”

You heard and growl and you yelped. You and Douxie looked around for the source, ready to defend yourselves. “I do not want to be baked into a blood pie!” Douxie repeated.

THe ground shook and something stomped up from behind you. The two of you and you whirled around to see a huge white dragon.

“Oh...fuzz buckets,” Douxie whimpered and you grabbed onto his arm.

“We can do this,” you whispered. “We’ve battled a Nyarlagroth and won.”

Douxie didn’t respond, but the dragon did. “Look what the cat dragged in. Get it? 'Cat drag-in'! It's a play on words!” He laughed a big hearty laugh that made you smile despite your fear. “I slay myself! Archie? My cuddly little shapeshifter. Come here.”

“Oh, Father!” Archie touched his face to the dragon and your eyes widened. Not that you knew they were related, you could see it, they had the same eyes.

“When did you get so big?” Charlemange asked.

Archie rolled his eyes. “Very funny, yes. You don't see me talking about all those grey scales, do you?”

“What? Charlemagne, the Devourer, is your father?!” Douxie concluded, lessening his tight grasp on your arm.

“Dad, these are my dear friends, Douxie and Y/n,” Archie introduced and you gave a small wave.

“Nice to meet you, sir.”

“So, I finally get to meet your wizard familiar. Mm! Which one is it?” Charlemange looked between you and Douxie.

“I am.” Douxie cleared his throat. “Um, pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Charlemagne, the Devourer.”

Charlemagne laughed. “Please. My friends call me 'Charlie'. Let's retire to my dragon's den.”

As you walked you gently nudged Douxie. “And you thought you were gonna get eaten.”

“This guys is the most feared dragon out there, you can’t blame me.”

“Don’t worry, your screams were cute.” You kissed his cheek and went to stand next to Archie.

Charlie lit the fire. “I'm sure Archibald told you all about my famous blood-berry pies.” He set a gigantic pie down in front of you and you admired the craftsmanship.

“'Blood-berry'?” Douxie asked, shaking his head. “There's no time for tea! The Arcane Order is back. They-“

“Killed Merlin,” Archie finished.

“Merlin's...dead? So, you're after the Seals, hmm?” Charlie asked.

Douxie nodded. “And we think this will tell us how to find them.”

“Hmm. Of course.” Charlie took the book and opened it. “He never wrote anything in large print. Mm. Ancient Draconic.” He gasped. “The first letter is an 'H'.”

“Aw, come on! We don't have forever! The world's at stake here!” Douxie shouted, frustrated.

“I'll need my reading glasses. Be back in two shakes of a wyvern's tail.” Charlie promised. “Where did I put those things?”

Douxie snapped to Archie. “Oh, a 'real monster', eh?”

Archie licked his paw. “You think you're the only one with father issues, hmm?”

“Archie, why did you make your dad sound like a terrifying beast?” Douxie asked.

“They're here somewhere!” Charlie yelled from across the room.

Archie sighed. “Truthfully, I was embarrassed. Dad's a walking pun factory. The legends seemed better than the truth. Then again, compared to Merlin, who was...”

“Not the type to make tea and biscuits,” Douxie finished.

“Yes. And now that he's, well, gone, I'm more worried about you. You know you can talk to me, right?” Archie asked.

“We’re here for you, Doux. I know what you’re going through,” you added.

Douxie took a seat and you followed suit, wrapping him into a hug. “I can't help but think...what if Merlin was more like Charlie? If he hadn't saved me in that alley-” Douxie sighed “-would I be a completely different wizard?”

“We don't get to choose everyone that comes into our lives,” Archie said.

Douxie looked down. “Or when they leave.”

You gave a small smile and Archie came over to join your hug. “You’re exactly who you should be, Douxie,” you consoled.

“Ta-da!” Charlie said, coming back over. “Would you believe they were on my head the whole time?”

You gave a small chuckle as Douxie held up the book. “Please. Just tell me what it says.”

Charlie looked at it thoughtfully. “Mm. 'Hisirdoux, if anyone could figure this out, it'd be you. Since you're reading this, clearly, I'm dead. I kept many secrets close at hand, but now I entrust you with this, my final one. The Genesis Seals can be reached by destroying my staff.'

Douxie jumped to his feet, retreating away from everyone. “What? Wait, destroy his staff?”

“There's no time to waste, my boy. You've got a world to save!” Charlie said

Douxie clutched the staff. “A wizard's staff is everything to them. Look, are you sure that you translated it correctly?”

Charlie swiped at Douxie, trying to get the staff. “Uh!” He yelped, coming to the edge of a small cliff.

“Hey!” You yelled.

“Dad!” Archie scolded.

“Wait! Don't rush me!” Douxie begged, raising his hand, a spell ready.

“Douxie, Dad, play nice!” Archie called, trying to mediate.

“Guys! We can talk this out!” You added, ready to use your own magic to stop any fighting.

“Careful, boy. You're playing with fire,” Charlie growled, letting out a string to show Douxie he wasn’t kidding.

“Oh, dear,” Archie whispered.

“Never challenge a dragon,” Charlie roared. You and Archie rushed to stand between the two.

“Father, Hisirdoux, I miss him, too. But you know, Merlin's not the only family you had,” Archie pointed out.

Charlie sighed, baking down. “He's right. Family isn't only who you have. It's also who you're with. Did you know, Archibald used to be the cutest little dragon you've ever seen?” Charlie turned around and showed you a picture frame. You squealed. It was a picture of Archie as a baby nestled in what you assumed was his egg, wearing Charlie’s glasses.

“That is just too cute!” You squealed.

Archie gasped. Father, please! Burn that!

Charlie shook his head. “Archie always wanted to explore the world, even before he took his first form. And when he chose a cat, that broke my dragon heart. He became a familiar- a lower profession. But if a cat is what he wants, a cat is fine with me. I realized I had to let him go, so he could spread his wings and soar. And accepting that set me free. And r-r-r-right now, your people look to you-to stand up, to lead.” Charlie let out a breath and a sort of brownish mist swirled around Douxie. Smiling figures of Steve, Claire, Jim, you, Archie, and Merlin appeared in it.

“I know you're still grieving.” Charlie continued. “I know this is too much. But in order to save your family-to save the world-you must let him go.”

The mist cleared and Douxie looked up to Charlie, determination burning in his eyes. “Do it. Destroy it.”

Charlie nodded and Douxie held up the staff as flames engulfed it. Douxie braced himself against the ground, tears streaming down his face. He screamed and the staff shattered, letting out a blast of blinding green light. The light faded, but Douxie was nowhere to be found.

“Douxie!” You and Archie yelled.

You rushed over to the pieces of the staff and picked up the remains. “What happened?”

“If I had to guess, he went into a wormhole Merlin created to store the seals in,” Charlie said. “We just have to give Douxie his time.”

You nodded. “Okay...”

Charlie came up from behind you. “I have more baby pictures of Archie to show to pass the time.”

“Father!” Archie complained as you moved back over to the pie.

“Feel free to have some,” Charlie called over his shoulder while he looked for the pictures. You did as he suggested and got yourself some. Honestly you were shocked when you bit into it. It was warm and gooey and utterly amazing. The crust was perfect and flaky as well. The pie was perfect and you said as much.

Charlie thanked you as he came back over and handed you the photo album. You went to open it but paused. “Could I take a picture of you please? My friend, Steve, wanted to meet you, but he had to go with our other friend, Claire. It’s a long story.”

“Of course,” Charlie beamed and you took out your phone. “Say cheese!” You called, snapping a picture of Archie and Charlie. You took a few more for good measure and then sat down to look at the baby pictures.

You had no clue why Archie was so embarrassed of them. He was the most adorable baby dragon you had ever seen, though you hadn’t seen many of them. The pictures of him learning to fly were your favorite. Charlie was in the background of some of those, encouraging Archie. Seeing how cute baby Archie was really cheered you up.

You were only on the seventh page though, when a cloud of green fog billowed out of nowhere from the corner of the room. When it cleared away Douxie was standing there.

“Douxie!” You yelled, immediately jumping up.

“Mordrax's miracles, you found them!” Archie exclaimed and you looked at what Douxie was holding.

Charlie smiled. “Well done! I knew you'd do it, little buddy!”

Douxie admired them. “The Genesis Seals! Now we just need to get back to Hex Tech and regroup.”

~~~~

“Um, Doux!” You called as you looked down to the street Hex Tech was on. “You need to see this.”

Shards of ice were all over the place and bits of everything was burning. There was no sight of your friends.

Douxie gasped as he hopped out of the ship. “No! No, no, no. No, no, no! No!” You all rushed over to Hex Tech, but the lights were off and ice was everywhere. “Claire! Steve! Nari!” Douxie called. “What happened here?”

You heard someone groan and you rushed over to see Krel. He was trapped in ice and looked on the edge of consciousness.He wasn’t the only one you saw though, Mao was licking away at the ice trapping Krel. You grabbed her and waited for DOuxie to free your Akiridion friend.

“Krel! No.” Douxie blasted the ice that was trapping Krel and you moved to heal him.

“Where is everyone?” You asked.

Krel groaned. “Couldn't stop them. Took Nari. Oh, wait! He can show you.” He stood up and grabbed the head of a glitching robot with a human face. You shivered a bit at the creepy sight.

“Wahoo! How are you, buckaroo?” The robot head asked. Krel pressed a button and a video of Krel screaming and running appeared on a big screen. There was a lot of screaming as the camera was rolled around until Toby grabbed it.

“This looks like the end!” He cried. “I leave my classic VHS action movie collection to my nana and my warhammer to Y/n!” The video was taken from Toby and showed the fiery person from the Arcane Order who crushed the camera.

With that the video cut out. “That's all fo-beep-boop,” the robot said.

You continued looking at the screen in horror. “Not them too.” You squeezed your eyes shut as tears ran down your face. You hated the Arcane order. Gumar had already taken so much from you and here they were to finish it off.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no! This wasn't supposed to happen! No! Oh, please tell me there's something in here to help,” Douxie begged, setting Merlin’s book on a table leafing through it.

Archie put his paw on it, covering some of the words. “You don't need the book to tell you the answer, Doux. Merlin was clear. If the Order has Nari, we can't let them get the Seals, or it's arcane Armageddon.”

“But I can't just leave our friends to die!” Douxie protested.

“No we can’t,” you stated, determined. Your friends were not going to die. You weren’t gonna lose anyone else.

“It's not easy being a leader,” Krel said.

“The Order will never stop coming after the seals,” Archie reminded and you nodded.

Douxie sighed. “We'll spend the rest of our lives running.”

“Save our friends or save the world? You have to make a decision. We're out of time!” Krel complained.

Douxie’s head snapped up. “Or maybe...time is all we have.”

“What do you mean?” Archie asked, but it hit you.

“We send the Arcane order through time,” you concluded.

“It’s a crazy idea, but it just might work. Arch, remember how before we met Merlin we used to do the Lad of Fortune trick with the cup to earn money? We do that, but inside the cup is a smaller heart of Avalon. Krel you mentioned something about magic and Acaridian tech earlier, can you fashion something out of the heart of Avalon that will send the Arcane order through time?”

Krel shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Well, ‘maybe’ is all we’ve got right now. We can only hope this works. Let’s get to work!” Douxie exclaimed.

You turned to him. “I’m gonna go leave Mao with my mom, but I'll be back to help soon, okay?”

“Okay, stay safe.” He kissed you and you wished you didn’t have to go. You wished you and Douxie could just hang out and date like a normal couple, but alas, the fate of the world was in your hands.

~~~~

You made it back just in time for Douxie to explain his plan to you. He, Krel, and Archie had gotten a lot down in the short amount of time you had been gone and were ready to put the plan into motion.

You watched as Douxie closed his eyes, projecting himself so he could talk with the Order. “Arcane Order, Hisirdoux is here!” He spoke. ”Ah-ah-ah-ah--! Hold your hexes if you still want these.” He held up the seals and you realized how weird it was to be on the other side of astral projection. “You want them?” Douxie asked. “Well, come and get them. I'll be at the cafe.” Douxie’s eyes opened and gave you a thumbs up before he turned to walk over to Krel.

“Your designs were complicated, but I'm 98.442 percent sure that this will work.” He set the device down and it spun to life. “Akiridion tech and magic are so compatible! Who would have thought?” Krel laughed.

“No turning back now,” Archie said as Douxie picked up the little-yet very important-trinket Krel had made.

“Wasn't planning on it. Arch, pass me those salad bowls, then head out. Y/n, prep the airship,” Douxie requested.

“I'll always follow you, Doux, but this could be a huge mistake,” Archie warned.

“'A wizard doesn't make mistakes-he makes unexpected possibilities,'” Douxie quoted, courage and determination ringing through his voice.

You smiled at him nervously as you walked out the door. “Stay safe and don’t forget you still owe us brunch.”

~~~~

“Hold on, big guy. I'm about to bust you out. Agh! Cheap lighter!” Steve whined as you entered the room. You nodded to Archie and he sent his own fire to free Aaarrrgghh.

“I did it! Sir Steve is your savior!” Steve cheered and you rolled your eyes.

“Helpful as always, Steve,” Archie said as he flew around freeing everyone. You sent your own blasts of fire, but you were distracted by Jim, or what was supposed to be him. You knew your brother had to be in there somewhere, but whoever was in control of him was not your Jim.

The beast roared at Archie, ready to fight and you got ready to protect, but Aaarrrgghh stepping, punching Jim. “Please stop, Jim!” Aaarrrgghh growled. “Don't make me hurt you, Master Jim!”

“Stop it, Jim!” You scolded, your big sister instincts kicking in as he hit Aaarrrgghh .

“Wingman, no!” Toby cried as Jim punched Aaarrrgghh again, knocking him down. Toby ran over there, ready to face the beast if it meant saving his wingman.

“No!” Claire called as Jim got ready to punch Toby. You were ready though and sent a shield their way. An orange sphere blossomed protecting them, but Jim never attacked.

A guitar riff played and you knew that Douxie had arrived. Jim covered his ears and you laughed, your Jim wouldn’t enjoy this type of music either.

“How about a little music to soothe the savage beast? Is everybody all right?” Douxie asked, knocking Jim out with his guitar-staff.

You rushed over to him. “Did it work?”

Douxie nodded. “So far so good. Now we just need to get everyone out. Is everyone all right?”

“Douxie!” Toby exclaimed. “I'd hug ya, but I can't move my arms.”

“Where is the Arcane Order?” Claire asked, getting to her feet.

“I have them preoccupied.” He gasped. “What's the Queen of the Apocalypse doing here?”

“What I should have done long ago-deal with my brother,” she said, moving past Douxie. “Get your injured to safety.”

You moved to help Aaarrrgghh up. “We need to find Nari.”

“Nari!” Douxie exclaimed. “She's not here with you?”

Claire shook her head. “They locked her up somewhere. Douxie, did you get the Seals?”

“Uh...” Douxie hesitated. “I'll explain later. Let's go.”

“Grab Jim,” Claire requested.

Aaarrrgghh grunted. “Got him!”

You raced out of the castle and to a ledge were Douxie whistled. The ship rose out of the clouds, hitting the castle. You winced and covered your ears as metal on metal screeched.

“Whoa, whoa! Whoo-hoo! Whoa! Sorry, sorry! I'm still getting the hang of it,” Krel apologized.

“All right, everyone on board. Krel will take you down to Arcadia. I have to get Nari, see my plan through to the end,” Douxie explained.

Douxie held out his hand to help you onto the ship, but you didn’t take it. “I’m coming.”

“No, you go with them. You need to keep them safe.”

“Fine.” You took his hand and hopped on. As he walked away you could only hope that he would be safe. You hated not going with him, but you also knew he was strong and could handle himself. The Arcane Order were still going through time anyways.

You went to take the steering staff from Krel, hoping you’d be a slightly better driver.

“He’ll be okay,” Claire soothed and you nodded.

“What should we do about Master Jim?” Blinky asked.

“Restrain him,” you replied, raising your hands to perform the spell, but before you could his eyes snapped open.

“Oh, no!” Claire yelped.

“Oh! No, no, no! Go back to sleep, Big Jim!” Steve yelled, trying to whack Jim with his axe. Jim caught it and sent Steve flying over the edge.

“Steve! No!” Claire yelled as Jim sent the axe flying right at you. Toby pushed you aside and the axe hit the staff instead, sending the ship spiraling out of control.

The ground grew closer and closer and you sent a spell to slow your fall. “Hold on!” you screamed. The ship bounced on the ground and you all fell from it.

You did your best to shield everyone, but you still had a nasty fall. You were very glad you hadn’t been impaled by a branch from the tree you had somehow landed in.

"Y/n! Claire!” Toby screamed and you hopped down from your branch to see Aaarrrgghh and Jim fighting.

“Jim!” Claire cried.

“Aaarrrgghh remind Jim who he was.” Aaarrrgghh pinned Jim to the ground.

“Master Jim, snap out of it! We are your friends,” Blinky tried.

“Your family!” You added, blasting him with a stun spell. It only seemed to enrage the beast though and he threw Aaarrrgghh onto you, Krel and Blinky.

Your back hit your old tree and you felt the wind get knocked out of you.

“Oh, no!” You heard Toby gasp. “Come on, Jimbo. It's Toby, your best friend. Oh, no, oh, no!” Jim roared turning to Toby, but Claire sent a portal and Toby popped in next to you.

“Jim Lake Jr., I know you can hear me! I know you're still in there!” Claire yelled as you got up. Her eyes glowed purple and Jim’s golden outlining turned the same color.

“Get out of my head!” Jim roared, attacking CLaire who portaled away.

“I promised I'd come back for you! Now fight it, Jim!” Claire begged sending a swirling blast of magic at Jim when he continued to charge.

“No! My soul belongs to the king!” Jim growled. You got ready to take over the fight when a blast shook the ground, knocking you back down.

“Morgana!” Claire yelled, but her voice turned into a scream.

“Jim, no!” You got up again, already chanting a spell.

“Oh, no!” Toby cried as Jim squeezed Claire.

“Claire!” Blinky called.

“I love you, Jim. We all do. Please...” she begged and his markings once again faded to purple.

You were soon distracted though by a piece of the castle crashing to the ground on top of Morgana and Arthur.

Another blast almost sent you to the floor, but you braced yourself. As the energy faded you looked over to Jim.

“Claire? Y/n?” He asked.

Claire smiled. “There you are!”

Jim beamed, but your euphoria faded when you saw stone spreading over him.

“Oh, no!” Toby cried.

“Claire!” Jim panicked. “Y/n?!”

“Jim! Jim!” She sobbed. “No! Jim! No! No!”

You sank to the ground. “No! Not again, This will not happen again. We’ve already lost too much.” You buried your face in your hands as sobs wracked your body. In the few seconds that Jim had been yours again, hope had built itself inside of you and now it was getting destroyed. It felt like your heart was getting ripped out of you.

Jim was gone again, and unlike last time you had seen him die. It was. over, there was no way you could get lucky enough to get your brother back again. It was over now and this time you’d actually half to tell your mom.

You sobbed harder, it just wasn’t fair. Jim couldn’t be gone, he had barely lived his life. Sure he had his fair share of great adventures, but that didn’t make it any better. You may have your memories, but all you wanted was to have Jim back.

You only stopped sobbing when you heard a crack.

You looked over to see Jim breaking apart. You began to sob even more, angry at the world that wouldn’t let him be. You couldn’t even have his statue apparently.

After a while you felt a hand on your back and you looked up, expecting it to be Claire, Toby, Steve, or even Douxie, but who you saw shocked you even more. Jim, human Jim was smiling at you. “Y/n...”

You stood and wrapped him in a tight hug. “You’re okay! I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too.” You stayed there, hugging him for a while, trying to soak up all the happiness you were feeling from your brother. You couldn’t believe he had lived, but you were so so happy that he had.

Now to make this day even better Douxie would come. Nari and Archie had already arrived, you were just waiting on your boyfriend to figure out the next phase of the plan.

You looked up though when a blast rocketed across the sky. Your eyes immediately found Douxie’s body falling through the debris.

You barely registered Steve and Toby shouting as you and Nari took off. The forest blurred behind you as you ran. This could not be happening. You had just gotten Jim back and now Douxie was free falling to his death. The world could be so cruel.

A flash of blue light briefly lit up the clearing in front of you and you raced to its source. Douxie was lying on the ground and you could barely sense his aura. You dropped to your knees and searched for a pulse and though you found one, it was so small there was nothing you could do, not that both you and Nari wouldn’t try.

You placed your hands on his chest and went through every magical healing spell you knew, even trying normal things a human paramedic would do, but nothing worked.

Your emotions were thrown right back into the dark lands of grief.

“I can’t be too late. Come on Douxie. You’re gonna be okay. You can’t leave me here. I can’t do this without you. You can’t die now. I need you,” you sobbed, tears soaked Douxie’s jacket as you mourned.

You couldn’t even process it. Your emotions had been thrown through a blender and it hurt so much. Your heart ached with the pain of knowing that this time you had actually lost Douxie. There was a small part of you that was still hoping though, maybe today was a day of miracles and Douxie would live?

The demons that had taken over your rational thoughts laughed at that idea. More tears fell as you sank deeper and deeper into despair, grief and guilt. Maybe if you had run faster or convinced Douxie that you could take on the Arcane Order with him, then he would still be with you.

You barely heard your friends talking and were only relieved from your dark thoughts by the impossible, Douxie’s chest was moving.

“Y/n...?” Archie asked and you realized that he had been on your shoulder, lying on Douxie with you.

Douxie coughed. “Eh...?”

“You’re okay!” You cried, jumping into his arms.

Archie copied you. “Douxie! You brave, foolish boy.”

Douxie groaned. “But everything hurts.”

Claire smiled. “I can't believe you're okay.”

Archie laughed. “Barely! Seems you're the one with nine lives. And don't you ever do that again.”

“Happy you're alive, Teach,” Claire said as the two of you plus Steve helped him up.

“Easy,” Douxie rasped. “I just came back from beyond the grave. But wait, where's Jim? Mordrax's miracles. It seems I've missed a lot.”

“Same, but glad to be back,” Jim said.

Douxie looked around. “What about Arthur?”

“Squished,” Aaarrrgghh grunted.

“Indeed,” Blinky confirmed. “And I'm afraid with their demise, Excalibur...”

“Is right over here!” Toby yelled, racing over to try only for the sword to not even budge. “Okay, I just had to try. It’s kinda fun. Y/n you should try.”

You chuckled. “Thanks, but I’ll pass.” Honestly you just didn’t want to let go of Douxie.

“What of you, Master Jim?” Blinky questioned.

“What?” Jim asked.

You helped Douxie forward. “Jim, Blinky's right. With Arthur gone, someone needs to wield Excalibur.”

“Who better than the Trollhunter?” Claire pointed out.

Jim looked down. “But without the amulet, am I still the Trollhunter?”

“This means nothing, Jim. If I've learned anything, it's that we don't draw strength from magic artifacts like amulets and swords. Our strength is something far less enchanted, but no less special—our friends. We are the protectors of this world. That's why I made the gamble I did: because the only way to stop the Arcane Order and save this world...is to do it together,” Douxie explained.

“Are you sure our Douxie came back from the dead? This one is super sappy,” Claire joked.

“Cheeky,” Douxie said and you all laughed, but you noticed Douxie stopped soon after. “It's time Nari and I got a move on, before the Order catches up.”

Claire frowned. “You're leaving? Already?”

“Yeah, you just finished a whole speech about saving the world together,” Steve reminded, as Douxie, Nari, and Archie got onto the slightly damaged ship.

“Where are you going?” Jim asked, coming up to stand next to you.

“I promised Merlin I'd keep Nari safe, which means taking her far away from here. Don't worry, I'll be seeing you champions of Arcadia soon enough,” Douxie reassured.

“We’ll make sure to visit, we just have to keep moving. Staying in one place too long will give them time to catch up to us,” you added, climbing onto the ship.

“We?” Douxie asked and you took his hands.

You gave a small smile. “Yeah ‘we’. You’re gonna need me.”

“What if you get hurt?”

“We’ll have each other's backs,” You said, petting Archie. “It’s gonna be okay.”

You turned to wave goodbye to your friends and family. It was a bittersweet ending, but like Douxie had said, you would see them again soon.

****

Yay! It's done-ish!! I can't wait for the movie so I can finish it!! I really hope y'all enjoyed this series and I can't wait to write more for Douxie. Thank you all so much for your kind comments and I hope y'all will have a fantastic and safe weekend.💙 And happy Halloween!!

P.S. if you want to be on the taglist feel free to ask. I hope it works and please message me if it doesn’t.

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agendaculturaldelima · 1 month

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#ProyeccionDeVida

🎬 “MI AMIGO ROBOT” [Robot Dreams]

🔎 Género: Animación / Ciencia Ficción / Drama / Comedia / Años 80 / Amistad

⏰ Duración: 102 minutos

✍️ Guión: Pablo Berger y Sara Varon

🎼 Música: Alfonso de Vilallonga

🗯 Argumento: Dog es un perro solitario que vive en Manhattan, hasta que decide construirse un robot, para que sea amigo. Su amistad crece, hasta volverse inseparables, al ritmo de la ciudad de Nueva York en los años ochenta. Una noche de verano, Dog, con gran pena, se ve obligado a abandonar al robot en la playa. Basada en la novela gráfica de Sara Varon.

📢 Dirección: Pablo Berger

🌎 Países: España-Francia

📅 Año: 2023

📽 Proyección:

📆 Sábado 13 de Abril

🕡 6:30pm. y 🕗 8:30pm.

🎦 Cine Caleta (calle Aurelio de Souza 225 - Barranco)

🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️ Ingreso libre

🙂 A tener en cuenta: Prohibido el ingreso de bebidas y comidas. 🌳💚🌻🌛

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fulcrum-agent · 3 years

Text

008. Adroid [FFXIVwrite2021]

"So just...pick a big room?" she asks the punkish apparition, head canting a little.

The redhead nods, smirking a little. "You're a clever girl, Quil - I trust ya won't pick somewhere with so little space, the bulkheads get blown up."

There's the briefest moment of blue screening brain at the compliment, but it's gone in a microsecond.

"'Cept when it comes to that other thing you brought up," she chides, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. "That was stupid as fuck, and we're gonna be discussin' it when you're done kicking this Miqo'te about."

Quila can't help but wince, giving the Arcadia a sheepish expression.

All the apparition does to such is wave her hand a little dismissively. "I said later. Call your new potential toy - just be sure ta gimme a show~."

Then just like that, Quila's alone again. Sort of. Mostly. Sighing, she reaches up for the linkpearl that's paired to her tomestone. "Karuis...found us a place to train."

"Ah, and here I thought I was gonna resign to watching the rain bounce off the bulkhead. Where am I meeting you?"

Xe has busied xemselves with taking up a curled up position somewhere in one of the Outlaw's more out of the way pieces of real estate, some cross beams nearby to some of the larger guns. Xe hops down from their Miqo accessible locale as xe wait for the exact location, tail flicking idly behind xem.

"You grab a place ground side, I assume?

"Nah. Arcadia's letting us pick a room," she explains but doesn't. "I figure one of the cargo bays is gonna be best, yeah?"

She's already making her way through the massive ship. She's trying to find where the cargo bays actually are, given she's near the bridge out of habit.

"Long as we have permission, that's fine with me. And aye, cargo bay works fine."

Xe didn't really require an explanation, everything after talking house, living through the memories of others, a massive skeleton trying to kill xem, and whatever the fuck the past few moons have been...

Xe assumes the Arcadia is just as alive as anyone else, and she told Quila what room to use. As xe make their way over to the other airship, xe give some idle thoughts to where precisely in the cargo bay they were meeting before deciding that finding out could be the adventure. Xe gives a slight bow of respect as xe come aboard the Arcadia before xe start moving like a shade through the halls, the map the Viera had shown before of this great airship bouncing about between their ears; as xe try to find... oh, there she is. By providence, luck, or maybe just The Arcadia being well designed xe spot the Garlean and give a half-wave, tail flicking behind xem.

"Didn't get lost, did we? Would be a little concerned if you did."

"Pfft, she'd let me if only to watch in sadistic amusement," she chirps as she turns, startling a little physically due to their lack of footfalls. "But, there are multiple cargo bays here. This is just the first one I've found. This ship is MASSIVE, and I feel like it's some sort of game to her to not just...give me a map."

"I could certainly see that; watching people wander around aimlessly can be pretty hilarious." The Seeker blinks at the noise before rubbing the back of their head as xe put on a small smile. "Sorry, someone had the bright idea to put a bell on me when I was young, fucking menace ever since, apparently. But! I have a map.. kind of, at least I remember the floor plans or whatnot. Rika managed to snag, so I mostly know my way around.. but that doesn't stop me from being thankful that I haven't gotten lost.. yet."

Xe glances about the cargo bay for a moment before turning their gaze back to her and motioning to her, finding a nearby support beam to lean on.

"So, what's the plan for today? Am I starting with teaching you the basics of Thavnarian dance fighting, or are we sparring to see where you are in hand to hand generally and working from there?"

At this point, she's in a pair of shorts (black), stockings (dark purple), her almost-trademark boots (black & gold), and one of those tank tops that the Isghardians were handing out to crafters (wine red). While she doesn't have Talekeeper with her, at least, as far as can be seen, she's still wearing the Warmage magicite Locke'd given her as a pendant to the collar she seems to wear 24/7.

When he speaks of the bell, she ends up giggling a little, trying to picture xe with a collar bell...which was surprisingly easy.

"I'm thinking we try some hand-to-hand so you can figure outplacement," she notes with something of a wicked grin, suddenly ramping towards manic. "Just don't go easy on me."

Xe has swapped over to something more warm with their Bozjan coat now missing for The Twelve only know how long. So the Seeker has thrown on a currant purple anemos gambison, some modified jet black strife pants, and one of their constantly swapping pairs of combat boots, these ones an Alliance make in soot black. Xe still has the twin onyx and dark amber revolvers gifted to xem by Locke on their belt though, besides that, xe aren't carrying any type of polearms. The two accessories that stand out are a watch on their left wrist that has a faint hint of aetheric energy coming off of it and a dull grey gunmetal tin clipped on their right, just about the size of a soul stone.

Xe raises a brow at the snickering and just shake their head a little; that smile from before staying before it turns into a grin at she's request.

"I wasn't planning on it; it wouldn't be an accurate assessment if I did take it easy. So I'll give you one warning before we do go; if you're gonna try and flow again, I'll start using my stone. On your mark, Aquila."

As soon as those words leave the Seeker, their demeanour switches with all the effort of a light switch, mismatched gaze narrowing as xe drop into a defensive stance, the style more reminiscent of an Imperial martial discipline than anything else.

"I uh...kinda don't know how to make those moves otherwise, so game on?" she replies as she falls into...absolutely no stance. There's nothing. Her stance is absolutely neutral all around, and suddenly, all but the most necessary of movements evaporates as she begins to focus on xem. It's slow, but there's a pronounced shift in her entire being, down to an aetheric level. A change she doesn't seem to be aware of.

She's almost maddening to fight. Any and all movement happens with barely a microsecond of warning, yet all of them still flow as though she's dancing, not fighting. Even watching the triangle, her telegraphs are tiny as hell; she always falls back to neutral if there's time, otherwise flowing from one motion to the next as xe fight.

And just like that, she blinks into the Lifestream to close the distance, ejecting just in reach of xe - as she had on the deck, only this time with the intent of actually striking him right in the solar plexus.

Xe would have clarified that xe head meant the blinking manoeuvre, but when xe takes in that she lacks stance, any of those thoughts leave xir mind. The Seeker catches the shift instance, their ears pinning back and tail puffing up as xe prepare for that same focus xe encountered on the deck of The Outlaw.

The dance-like flow to the spar thus far and the speed on display put the Seeker right in their element, moving with all of the grace that being both a Miqo'te and professional performer granted them as xe keep in sync with the Garlean. The Seeker shifts between and around styles like breathing the longer the fight goes on, prodding and poking at her defences to find her responses and strengths to certain things. The Seeker seems to favour a style favoured by Doman resistance cells, sending out elbows and fist and knee strikes in rapid succession.

Like a viper, the Seeker waited for that shift in the air as she went into the Lifestream. Xe know that point for point, xe weren't going to be able to match the manoeuvre for sheer speed, so instead, xe rely on the anticipation of the strike's previous flow. With an utter lack of hesitation, the Seeker moves to send out a swift dragoon kick, less focused on power but more on sheer speed as it snaps the air around the two. xir's body twists for the kick and hopefully moves the blow to somewhere less disastrous should it land. Xe was not about to hold back here, she deserved the Seeker at their best, and xe weren't one to disappoint.

Given that xe is a clever catte, xe'll quickly pick up on certain hallmarks of what she's capable of combatively: one of her biggest strengths is the lack of movement telegraphing, as it makes finding any sort of opening complex, at first. While her eyes seem to be unfocused, she locked onto the triangle that's formed by the Miqo'te's collarbones and sternum, that distant gaze seeming to more stare into their soul than past xem.

Blinking back into a kick sends her strike wide, the palm of her hand skimming along the side of his leg as she adjusts to try and block the kick before sliding around the side of Karius' body. Should she slide past him, her next attack is towards the middle of his lower back - another snapping strike with a bit of aether behind it, her second hand following to make a small follow-up strike.

With a better sense of what xe were working with when it came to her, the Seeker decides to switch up tactics. Xe shifts energy from trying to read the Garlean's movements to instead focusing on following through on their own and keeping a sense of spatial awareness in the room. Xe decides to eat the strike to their lower back, the energy needed to counter that far too much of a gamble; the weaker follow-up was a different story, however.

Turning on a dime on their heel, xe move to face she, using the speed and momentum of the rapid turn to try and veer the strike off to their left with their palm. Now fully facing she and the distance relatively short, xe go on the offensive, taking a far more aggressive stance as xe unleash a combination of palm and knee strikes. Xe wasn't relying on all of them to hit but instead overwhelming the other fighter with a complete switch from their previously tight defence. Xir's aim at the moment seemed to get the two of them out to a far smaller section of the cargo bay or at least push them to fight closer to this area.

Surprisingly, she doesn't smile at landing the strike. In fact, her expression is little more than deadpan as xe launch the continuous series of strikes. At first, she manages to keep up on blocking or redirecting the hits, but the longer xe continues the tactic, the more she has to pivot or dodge than she does block. Finally, it's becoming clear xir is going to overwhelm her with the rapid strikes...

...and as the Miqo'te overwhelms her, she blinks into the Lifestream, crossing through xe before flashing back into existence at their back. She's already executing a roundhouse kick as she solidifies, aiming for her opponent's middle back.

The Seeker was not about to let up the advantage of xir's rapid combos as xe continues to press her further into the smaller section of the cargo hold, boots squeaking against the metal floor as their speed increases. xe were, however, incredibly aware that xe couldn't keep it up forever; either she would come right for their throat or-

The sensation of being teleported through gets xem to shiver, warning xem what may be coming alongside dreading that blink. Unfortunately, there just isn't enough time for xem to dodge the strike, at least not in a way that wouldn't give her another big opening to exploit. So xe quickly turn on their heel and brace their arms up to catch the blow, which still sends the Seeker sliding back and does some solid damage. Xe hiss in pain as xe take a moment to centre xemselves before rushing into the Garlean's space. xir's method swaps now to something far faster, using their stone to gather as much momentum and speed as xe can while bleeding into these dancer-like strikes and spins. Thavnairian dance fighting, and xe gave her a crash course like an Imperial locomotive coming down the tracks.

Active learning at this speed is possible for the Warmage, though it was more of a slow build-up rather than a sudden gift of knowledge the way it can be when there's less going on. Falling back to focusing on dodging more than redirecting or blocking, xe would start to notice the more xe does a particular mood or technique, the more likely it is that she works it into her side of the fighting. With movements the Miqo'te's using heavily, she can almost perfectly mirror them; with the less frequent movements, she's a little unstable and erratic, her form nowhere near as tight and proper.

The continued attacks again start to press her, causing her to play defensive more than offensive.

Xe's next high kick ends with a different result: she doesn't attempt to block, redirect, or dodge such the way she has been. No, instead, she just...bends back at the waist, forming an almost perfect arch as her hands drop to the floor behind her. And then she pushes her feet off of the floor, intent of kicking her opponent with each foot as she shifts into a handstand before vaulting from such to her feet - facing xe, but several fulms away now.

As xe starts to notice she putting xir's techniques into her fighting styles and the like, that.. certainly gets a reaction from xem. But, then, something snaps from behind their crimson and amber eyes. The Seeker continues darting into she's space as much as xe can up until that next high kick, eyes going a bit wide as xe watch that arch and then the kick lands.

The hit lands nicely and sends xe sliding back, getting their tail to puff up and to show off their sharp canines, which are considerably sharper and pointed than even a vast majority of Keepers. Unfortunately, this fact doesn't stay in the spotlight for long as black aether sparks around xem as xe concentrates on their stone and go on an onslaught. Xe was going to put pressure on the fact she couldn't precisely copy their techniques perfectly or keep up with their speed to the same extent. If she continued using flow, then xe wasn't going to go easy, sending forth kick after dashing elbow to shin strike. One of the main strikes xe go into xe get right in her face and attempt a sweeping kick the Garlean before spinning into another kick to her midsection.

The initial onslaught causes her to start losing ground rapidly, causing her to dart backwards as she refocuses on trying to dodge as many of the strikes as possible. However, the moment the Seeker starts to focus on her face, she blinks backwards three separate times - putting as much distance as possible between them. Although she retreats, xe' leg sweep fully lands while the second is more of a light graze across her stomach.

She crashes to the floor as she exists the Lifestream the third time, rolling several times due to the force of the impact. Such is only stopped when the back of her upper body slams into the metal wall with a loud clanging thud. For a few heartbeats, she's propped up against the wall before her eyes fully roll back into her head as she falls sideways.

Xe was in the zone and was hard-pressed to get out of it, especially with the amount of blinking around the place that she was doing. Despite the serious expression on their face, xe were having so much fun with all of this. Xe goes to try and bring down another combination when xe hear that crash.

Xe pauses a few fulms away from the Garlean before their eyes go wide, and xe dart over to her side. Then, cursing under their breath as xe tries to force xemselves to not only calm down but try to figure out what might be wrong with their limited medical experience.

"Shit, shit... Aquila, are you alright?"

((Adapted from an RP session with Karuis.))

#ffxivwrite2021

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keiths3dart · 3 years

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Max in the Black Lodge: A Life is Strange / Twin Peaks Crossover.

Part 2

Chloe headed through a gap in the trees, panning her flashlight to either side rather than in front of her. It was this that led to her literally walking straight into the man she had completely failed to notice. Chloe's heart froze and her blood ran like ice. Who the fuck could she have run into in the middle of the woods at night other than Max?

Regaining some measure of composure, she pushed herself away from the man, and brought her flashlight to bear on him. The sharp weathered features of a well built, grey haired native american in a Sheriff's department uniform were illuminated.

The man winced as the beam from Chloe's flashlight dazzled him. He put his hand on Chloes and gently but inexorably lowered the light beam from his face. His companion approached, a younger man but still with hair peppered with gray. He too wore the uniform of the Twin Peaks Sheriff's department. It was he who spoke first;

"Hey Hawk, have we found them?".

"I think so Bobby, according to the descriptions i got from Margaret i think this is Chloe"

"What about the other one? Max?".

"We got seperated, have you seen her?" Chloe blurted out, her head swimming. What were the cops doing out here? Why were they looking for them in particular? and how had they managed to find each other in an enormous forest which stretched all the way into Canada?

The older man, deputy Hawk looked concerned. "when did you become separated?" he asked.

Chloe had to think, she and Max had stuck together for most of the hike up into the hills but as the darkness set in, they'd taken slightly different paths around obstacles and before they had known it, they were no longer in sight of each other. It had almost been like the forest itself had gently and insidiously prised them apart and set them on divergent paths.

"I don't know" she stammered, and it was true, when it came down to it she had no idea how long she and Max had been wandering the woods separately.

Hawk looked at her kindly, an experienced woodsman as well as having a lifelong experience of Twin Peaks and its surroundings gave him an understanding of how strange things could get out here in the woods, especially for the unprepared or unwary. He was just glad that he and Bobby had found the first of the two girls without any harm coming to them.

"Bobby, get onto base and let them know we've located Chloe and she's ok. We're gonna continue on to find Max. And Bobby, make sure Lucy gives Margaret a call".

"Right away Hawk" Deputy Bobby Briggs answered and thumbed the transmit key on his radio.

"We took a call from Margaret, the woman you met in the Diner earlier".

"The one with the Log?".

"Lucy, it's Bobby, are you receiving? over".

"Yes, she told us she'd relayed a message to you and that you'd run off into the woods".

"We've located one of the girls, Chloe".

"Later, her log felt that there was something seriously amiss so she called us at the Sheriff's department".

"Yes, that's the one".

"So me and Bobby came to find you, there are hidden darknesses to this place".

"Yeah, this forest has been giving me the creeps for hours".

"No Lucy, i don't think she's a natural blue".

Bobby had raised his eyes to the heavens in exasperation.

"Im worried about Max, what have we got ourselves into?".

"Lucy, just put it on the damn form as 'Dyed', Tell Harry we're proceeding onwards, and get poor Margaret on the horn and let her know what's going on".

"A lot of things happened here a few years ago Chloe, We need to press on but i'll explain as we go."

Deputy Hawk motioned for Chloe to follow him and he began to tell Chloe about the strange history of Twin Peaks. Bobby followed silently to the rear. He had been a high school senior through the entire episode and it had been a tumultuous and traumatic time for him which he didn't feel like contributing to. He was lost in his own thoughts, heading he knew for the very place his own father Air Force Major Garland Briggs had disappeared from never to be seen again.

So Chloe learned that night about this strange town, about Laura Palmer's murder by her father Leland, Leland's own death, the investigations by FBI Agent Dale Cooper, Dale Cooper's own disappearance, reappearance, disappearance again. About Wyndam Earle, about The Black Lodge and "Bob".

Christ and she'd thought Arcadia Bay was fucked up. Why had Rachel and Frank come to this place? (Apart from Norma Jennings' heavenly Cherry Pie) and why had Rachel disappeared again? On top of it all, where was Max? Please God let her be safe, Chloe couldn't even bear to picture being alone again.

The room was neither cold nor warm, and the sounds of soft Jazz permeated the air, the hypnotic shuffle beat having an almost soporific effect on Max. She looked around to take in her surroundings. A second ago she'd been in the woods at night freezing her nipples off in the autumnal chill of North Washington State and now she was.... Well now she was sure she was tripping, she was in a room. The tiled floor was an eye bending zigzag pattern of black and white and the entire space was ringed with heavy crimson drapes. There were few furnishings. 4 easy chairs, a statue and a small table with a bowl in it.

If it had just been the surroundings and the circumstances, then Max might have been able to not freak out. But it was the fact that the room was not empty that made her wonder why she felt so fucking calm. Why everything seemed to happen slowly and calmly and in silence. An almost cloying serenity when her very soul should be clawing at the back of her head before making a bolt for the nearest exit.

Sitting in the chair in front of her, in a dapper red velvet suit was the oddest little man Max had ever seen, his head swaying in time to the music. To his right sat Rachel Amber, silent and unreacting to Max's presence. She simply sat, a benignly neutral expression on her face, looking over at the occupant of the chair opposite to her, on the dwarf's left.

Mark Jefferson.

Similarly oblivious to Max's arrival, he sat looking over at Rachel and Max's stomach churned with hatred for that despicable man, what he'd done to her in the dark room, what he'd done to Kate and those other poor girls he'd groomed then drugged. And how he'd manipulated Nathan into trying the same thing with Rachel with (Prior to Max's temporal intervention) fatal consequences for them both. How he'd killed Chloe, and Nathan, and Victoria and driven Kate to take her own life. But still Max felt like a puppet in somebody else's show. she still stood there just taking this bizarre scene in. The little man began rubbing his hands.

And laughed, the sound strangely distorted, almost reversed in sound, like the backing to one of The Beatles' more psychedelic studio explorations.

"S'TEL KCOR" The little man clapped his hands once.

"I EVAH DOOG SWEN! TAHT MUG UOY EKIL SI GNIOG OT EMOC KCAB NI ELYTS". He motioned his head towards Rachel.

"S'EHS YM NISUOC, TUB T'NSEOD EHS KOOL TSOMLA YLTCAXE EKIL LEHCAR REBMA?".

Max spoke for the first time since her arrival.

"But it is Rachel Amber. Are you Rachel Amber?"

"I LEEF EKIL I WONK REH, TUB SEMITEMOS YM SMRA DNEB KCAB". Rachel appeared pained as she said this.

"S'EHS DELLIF HTIW STERCES, EREHW ER'EW MORF EHT SDRIB GNIS A YTTERP GNOS, DNA S'EREHT SYAWLA CISUM NI EHT RIA".

The little man sprang from his chair as the music in the room began to not so much get louder but simply permeate Max's consciousness more and began to dance. Backwards. Max became lost and hypnotised by the scene, losing all track of time or reality.

Chloe's chest felt like it was on fire, the two policemen were setting a brisk pace through the woods, Hawk darting his eyes this way and that before deciding on a course. Like a hunter on the scent. Bobby had taken up station towards the rear.

"Christ, i'm hella unfit, i really should quit smoking".

"Just a little further Chloe, i think we are close. can you feel it in the air? like static electricity".

"Hawk" Bobby called out sharply, "is that a light off to the left?".

"Max!" Chloe called out as Hawk veered off to the left to investigate the light. No answer. Not even the hooting of the owls. Their damned racket had been driving Chloe nuts but now she missed their reassuringly natural presence. The watchful, expectant silence of the woods worked on her anxiety like a violent catalyst causing it to well up inside her like a tsunami choking, smothering, cloying and overwhelming. She staggered, her head reeling with every conceivable fear her subconscious could throw in front of her eyes. The strong arms of Officer Briggs caught her before she could topple over completely and Chloe allowed herself to be gently guided forward into the little sycamore ringed clearing Hawk had led them to.

The little clearing with the smouldering campfire. Max's discarded flashlight, still on. Max's bag.

But no Max.

#llifeisstrange #life is strange #chloe price #lis #max caulfield #pricefield #rachel amber #life is strange fanfiction #twin peaks #fanfic

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