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redhawtriot · 4 years

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Caught in The Act (Bakugou x Reader x Todoroki)

Tip Jar ☕- Not expected but always appreciated💞

This chapter is TAME compared to what’s coming next, but needed to be added (a calm before the storm, if you will).

Hope you like sexual tension.

Also a special thanks to @godtieruwu for giving helping me out with the chapter!

HnM💕

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5

Part 4:

Your crying had mostly subsided by the time you parked in front of Todoroki’s residence. With your now unblurred vision you immediately recognized his small, surprisingly normal sedan. It still shocked you to envision the unworldly man driving even though you’d witnessed it many times,

“Holy shit, he really did finish work up quickly,” you softly announced as you lightly shut the door of your vehicle.

You could feel your heart rambunctiously jump in your chest as you walked to his front door. God, just how long has it been since you had seen him? Almost an entire year?

You tried to remember yourself from this time last year, but she seemed to be a complete stranger to the woman you were today. You nervously wondered if Todoroki would even like the version of yourself that you had become—less composed, more pathetic, a fraction of the confident woman that you used to be. Overall, you had changed for the worse and was terrified of how one of your closest friends would react to the metamorphosis.

You pulled your hand up to give a few slight knocks onto the wood of the very large, very Japanese house.

Your heart dropped as the large door clicked and then slid open, “Y/N,” he warmly greeted you. You blinked a few times in surprise as your brain scrambled to take in his appearance.

You tried to tame your fluttering heart as you forced eye contact with the soft smiling man, “Hey, Todo,” you lamely replied as your eyes flew away from his face.

Why were you so shocked by his appearance? He hadn’t changed at all-- save for the extreme growth of his hair, “it’s been a long time, huh?” you softly chuckled.

“Yeah about a year,” he replied, ever so widening his slight smile. It greatly contrasted with the the look that suddenly enveloped his eyes-- his hard gaze igniting a blazing fire within your stomach. He looked as if he was examining you even harder than you were, him.

“Yeah,” you awkwardly retorted. Oh god, did you forget to wipe your face off before you came in? Were your eyes still red?? Were your cheeks still puffy? Were you still crying without even realizing it? These thoughts raced each other in your mind in a twisting swirl, and the heat in your stomach found itself running as well as you felt fire flee to your cheeks, “So- uh-- can I come in?” you awkwardly shifted your weight as the wind suddenly reminded you of the cold air.

“What happened?” Todoroki said very flatly as his eyebrows slightly scrunched to the center of his expression—his calm demeanor slightly fading, “You’re upset,” he instantly reached out to grab your face. His hand was extremely warm in contrast to the cold air, but the heat was fleeting as he suddenly pulled his hand away, as if it were a mistake. He looked down to the ground with a blush that you felt like probably matched your own before awkwardly escorting you into his home—his hand now warming the small of your back, sending hopefully unnoticed shivers up your spine.

“No I am fine! I mean—” you tried to move past the awkward exchange, “I was—upset that is, but I’m okay now I just… had a long night.” you breathed out heavily as the words finally slipped from your mouth.

“I am surprised that you came to see me,” he said before removing his hand from you, “I never thought Bakugou would allow for that,” his facial expression remained as calm as ever, but you could swear that you saw a hint of spite sprinkled into it.

“Well, I am my own woman,” you teased as you tilted your head to the side—slipping from yourself from your jacket.

“Of course,” he gave a slight chuckle as he grabbed the coat and hung it up on a nearby rack. You had accidentally followed him a bit too closely as he walked to the rack and as he turned back around, you found yourself dangerously close to the man.

You felt the heat of his breath on you for only a moment before you instinctively leaned yourself back, but not before your heart jolted in a quivering movement against your ribs.

Of course there was a legitimate reason that Bakugou didn’t necessarily like when you and Todoroki were close. No matter how fleeting your guys’ relationship was, there was no denying that there was a certain… tension.. in the atmosphere between the two of you.

Your eyebrows flew the top of your forehead as you immediately backed away from Todoroki, “Anyway,” you gave a slight cough to clear the nervousness from your voice, “Bakugou and I are…n’t on good terms.”

“I’m…” he obviously tried to hide the small smile that pulled at the corners of his lips, “so sorry to hear that,” he lied.

“Yeah, we just ended things not to long ago,” you shrugged your shoulders, unbeknownst to him also shrugging away the heavy feelings of sadness and guilt that weighed down your heart. You just ended things today.

You shouldn’t have even come here.

“Please, have a seat. We can talk about it if you want,” he sounded almost too eager to have you comfortable in his estate, “I’ll grab us some coffee—or tea for you, if I remember correctly,” Wow, not even Bakugou catered to your love of tea over coffee.

“Yeah, that would be fine,” you tried to pull your lips into a smile, but you were sure that it came off as more of a grimace. His eyes seemed to’ linger over your expression for a moment before he nodded and walked to the kitchen.

“So. I am assuming that you are not happy with your split?” he called out.

“I… uh- it was sudden to say the least,” you bounced your weight around uncomfortably on the couch, “He- uh- well I caught him with someone else.” C’mon. This was the entire reason that you came here, isn’t it? To talk to someone. To rant your sadness away. So why is it so fucking hard for you to strike up that burning passion that you have felt for the last fifteen hours?

Because you were an idiot and chose to talk to the one person who you could have very easily ended up on the opposite side of the situation with. It was hard to be so pissed at Bakugou when you were foolishly throwing yourself back into your ex’s life.

A twinge of guilt struck your heart strings.

“Caught him?” Todoroki questioned as he peeked back into the living room. His entire body followed before he calmly tilted his head to the side as if to say ‘go on.’

“Um.. I caught him—ahem—in the act,” there it is. The emotions that you had temporarily lost came back with a vengeance as your eyesight became blurry once more.

“Are you serious,” Todoroki was immediately by your side after he placed the tea down onto the coffee table, “That damned fool,” he said very lowly before taking your face in his hands and gently wiping the tears away, “I told him if he were to ever hurt you I would kill him.” You couldn’t tell if he was trying to be funny or not. You hardly ever could with him honestly.

Whatever the intent, you couldn’t focus on much else besides his lingering grasp on your face. You internally prayed for him to stop touching you like that. Was he always so bold? Was a new, special sense developed in your body now as a single woman.

Single woman.

Don’t kid yourself you only just ended things with your fiancé.

Guilt tugged at your heart, pulling you away from the man as you apologized, “I thought I had gotten most of the crying part out of the way already,” you gave a small laugh, “I actually came here to radiate some bad bitch energy and rant about how terrible he is.”

“We could still arrange for that. I have a list.” You laughed even though you knew that he was probably wholly serious.

“No. I don’t think I am ready for that. It’s too fresh.” Your voice burned you as the back of your throat constricted to capture a sob, “I can’t bad mouth him just yet,” Your throat was tight, but it completely closed up as Todoroki clumsily and stiffly pulled you into him for a hug.

Had you ever even hugged him before?

You tilted your head up to throw him a confused glance, but instantly regretted the decision to do so as you realized just how close your faces were.

You had never seen him so closely. As he turned his head down to look at you, you could take his beauty in fully. God, he was gorgeous. His soft features and strong eyes willed you to come closer as you flashed a quick glance at his lips-- he took notice.

At your gesture he gently cupped the back of your head to guide you into position as the heat of your breaths mixed in together, and the hot space between you became smaller and smaller. Your damp eyes slowly closed as you awaited the soft impact.

“Y/N,” Todoroki groaned as he frustratedly pressed his forehead against yours and regained distance between the two of you’s lips, “I think you’ve misread the situation,” he calmly implied.

Misread?

You would have to be pretty damned illiterate to misread that!

Todoroki slowly stretched himself away from you, “You see, I have—"

All of a sudden the front door opened and a small petite woman frolicked inside. She almost strode right past the living room before she caught a glimpse of the two of you on the couch, “Oh!” she sang, her melodious voice sounding like chimes, “I didn’t know you’d be home so early, Todo.”

Todo? Only you had ever called him that— or so you thought.

“I had to wrap things up quickly to host our visitor,” he coolly stood up and gestured for you to follow him and the two of you greeted the woman, “Fae, this is Y/N. Y/N this is Fae, my roommate.” For some reason your felt a wave of relief melt in your chest.

“Hello,” you genuinely smiled at the woman. As she greeted you back, you completely ingested her appearance. She seemed very tranquil, having soft features and smooth expressions. A very light cloud of happiness graced her aura, even when she wasn’t smiling. The cool undertones of her demeanor spread to you as she shook your hand, causing your smile to slightly falter.

She was the woman that you had so desperately tried to be—the persona that you had feigned for longer than you would care to admit.

So ‘Todo’ has a type after all? You felt the corners of your lips twitch in surprise at the amalgamation of ill feelings that bubbled within you.

“I was just about to tell Y/N that she would be more than welcome to stay in our spare bedroom for a while until she gets her living situation figured out,” as soon as the words fell out of Todoroki’s mouth your jaw flew open in shock.

“Oh really?” her smile beamed, but you noticed that it didn’t reach her eyes, “That would be just wonderful!” she finished as your open mouth continued to fumble over itself.

“Would you like for that?” Todoroki questioned.

God, way to put you on the spot, Todo. I guess it’s nice to see that some people stay pretty much true to their character traits throughout life. He was obviously oblivious to both yours and Fae’s discomfort about the situation.

“I- um,” you continued to struggle before your phone began loudly ringing. Your first thought was Bakugou, but that couldn't have been since you had blocked his contact during your long, emotional drive around the city,

“Excuse me,” you nervously shrugged your shoulders before walking down the hall towards the kitchen to answer your phone. You instantly recognized his contact with the goofy image that you had taken back in high school and reluctantly answered the phone,

“Kiri...?”

“Y/N! hey!” His loud, excited voice blasted into your ears, causing you to pull the device away from your head a bit, “You never answered my text are you alright?”

“Y-yeah, I am fine,” You could hear familiar, loud explosions in the background. That man better not be ruining your favorite tapestries and scorching the good flooring you just bought.

You punched those habitual thoughts out of your mind-- that obviously wasn’t your problem anymore.

“That’s good to hear,” Kirishima sighed into the phone, “‘Cause Bakugou is absolutely loosing his shit right now,” he nervously laughed and you could almost envision his scratching the back of his head like he tended to do, “Anyway, where are you? And when are you coming home? If I have to Dr. Phil for you guys I will,” he joked, “I don’t like seeing mom and dad fighting.”

God, that is when you realized. Your family would also be breaking up. You and Bakugou obviously, but also Kiri, Kaminari, Mina, Sero-- everyone. The little loving family that you had spent years developing and loving was falling apart just as easily as your relationship had, “Kiri…” you choked, “I-I don’t think I am coming home.”

“Not tonight, huh? Sleep over at Jirou’s?”

Your heart fell at his utter optimism, “No I mean...I am really not coming back. not at all.”

“What? What do you mean?!” you had never heard his voice like this-- desperate and scared, “All of your stuff is here! You.. you have to come back,” he sadly protested.

“Obviously, I’’ll be back to get my things but I don’t think that I am coming back to live with you guys, sweetie. Bakugou and I..” you had yet to say this sentence out loud, “we broke up today,” It felt dirty coming off of your tongue.

“You guys… what? Are you serious? It was that bad?”

“He cheated on me, Kiri.” you explained as your voice danced on the fine line of cracking. You waited a few uncomfortable beats for him to answer, “Hello?”

“Y/N, sweetheart. I am so sorry. I had no idea. I just...” your heart broke even more for him in that moment than it did for yourself. You knew how sympathetic he was, and you never meant for him to carry your pain, “I can’t believe he would do that to you.”

“It’s okay,” you tried to calm him down.

“No, it’s not. You are everything that he could ask for and more. I don’t understand how he could do that to you. You’re beautiful. You’re kind. You’re determined, smart, caring, loyal. I am sorry he couldn't appreciate that. I really am,” Your eyes were well on their way to tearing up at his words until--

“IS THAT FUCKING Y/N?!” you heard a familiar raspy scream on Kiri’s end, “So you’ll answer the dammed phone for shitty hair, but not me?!” Bakugou screeched loudly. You could tell that he had snatched the phone from Kiri by that point, “You should never have been driving so upset, you idiot!” Oh, okay. So now he suddenly cares about your health. He didn't seem to care that much when he was fucking that slut unprotected,

“Y/N, you need to answer your phone when you are doing dumb shit like that!” But he didnt bother on calling you when he was being dumb, shit-faced drunk. He continued but you couldn’t care less, “I was thinking you could have died or-”

Click.

You ended the call, before walking out of the kitchen, down the hall and throwing a smile over to Todoroki on the other side of the room, “I’ll stay.”

Todoroki had been thrilled at your decision-- well at least as thrilled as his stoic demeanor would allow for-- and he had instantly taken to showing you around the large estate. Being a top ten hero paid very generously it seemed.

By the end of the night you had ended up alone in the bare guest bedroom as Fae had stolen Todoroki to do some thing or another. Todoroki seemed to reluctantly follow, but only after your reassurance. You honestly didn't mind.

You needed time to absorb the heavy events of the day.

You sat in your new room and let all of the events soak in your head as you replayed them and stared at the ceiling. You had cried so much that you were likely dehydrated at this point. Tears no longer fell down your temples as you gazed above you.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, “Y/N?” Todoroki questioned before peeking his head in your room. You had to stifle a small laugh at the fact that he didn't even wait for you to answer before inviting himself in.

“We never got to finish our conversation on the couch,” he continued.

“No, it’s okay I get it,” you rolled over onto your side toward him and attempted to stretch the awkward feeling in your bones.

“You do?” he slightly raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, don’t worry about that almost kiss thing. It probably would be better to pretend it never happened at all,” you once again attempted a calm, passive demeanor.

“It would be?” his eyebrows fell back down, “I don’t think we are on the same page, Y/N,” you opened your mouth to speak but he quickly cut you off, “I wanted to kiss you. I still—uh want to. I just don’t want to be your rebound. I want to wait with you and take things very slowly if it means that I get to be the one for you.” You threw yourself upright as a ticklish feeling erupted within your stomach. Your mouth still sat open as he finished speaking,

“I don’t want you to think I am just preying on a heart broken girl after her breakup.”

Practically anything that this man has said you you all day set a fire in your heart that you had never felt before. It was slow and gentle—much different from the blazing inferno you had craved from Bakugou for the past many years.

The passion with Bakugou felt so natural, but was this slow burning love something that you needed?

As you stared at the Todoroki in the silence that had enveloped you, the feeling within your lower abdomen certainly screamed that that wasn’t the case.

Your legs started moving before you could think as you walked up to the handsome man. You knew that it was probably safer to move slowly, but that didn’t stop you from softly grasping him at the base of his neck.

Should you take things slow with Todoroki? Or move at a passionate pace?

YOU DECIDE

Follow this link to cast your vote!

#bakugou x reader #bakugou imagine #todoroki x reader #todoroki imagine #bakugou x reader x todoroki #mha #bnha #mha imagines #bnha imagines #kirishima eijirou #bnha x reader #mha x reader

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hansolmates · 4 years

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[teaser] a hero’s journey (m)

summary; jungkook and jisoo are the mightiest power couple. however, one drunken confession and that whole facade fades in an instant. you realize that maybe you need to break from your unvaried life for a bit and be the hero of your own love story pairing; jungkook x editor!reader (f) genre/warnings; best friend’s boyfriend au, slice of life, angst with a happy ending because im weak, pining pINING, everyone’s kind of a mess in their own sweet special way, alcohol use, mentions of ze weed, toxic relationships, mean friends, sex—slight dom!kook, food play, fingering, squirting, heavy use of the petname “pretty girl” bc im weak, manhandling (oop!) w.c; est. 25k a/n; woof! my first fic for @goldenclosetnetwork 23 | jungkook’s birthday project! this goes out to all the closet romantics *ahem me cough* who doesn’t love pining between a cutie koo? a huge thank u for vivi @eerieedits for making this bbbBEAUTIFUL fic banner!

prompt used: “I should’ve known.”

click under the cut for a saucy snippet! will be released this friday @5PM EST!

He brings breakfast over to the table, while Jisoo places two slices of toast on his plate, one buttered and one with strawberry preserves. Breakfast is a quiet, but peaceful affair. Jungkook takes note of how Jisoo takes extra long to complete her meal, her fork creating ribbons in her little blob of magenta jam. He allows himself to complete his first hashbrown and a slice of toast before asking the difficult question.

“Are you and y/n okay?” and he also takes note when Jisoo’s ministrations on her jelly stop, as she looks up at him with her big brown eyes.

“We’re fine,” she insists, “just normal roommate issues, I promise.”

“Maybe I should text y/n,” Jungkook says, pulling out his phone. “Lemme help you fix this, wouldn’t want you and her in a bad place when you’re about to move out.”

“Baby, why are you so concerned about y/n?” Jisoo croons while his thumb hovers over your contact, his screen showing a two-year old selfie you two took during a study session early on in your friendship. He can’t remember the last time you two took a picture together out of spite, one without Jisoo. Jisoo’s hand pulls him away from his phone, rubbing small circles between his palm.

He wants to ask, why aren’t you? But he sees the terseness in Jisoo’s smile, as her eyes fix between the interlocked fingers. He has a feeling he’s hovering somewhere he isn’t allowed to be in. Maybe it really is roommate stuff and it’s none of his business, but he feels a little insulted being left out because you and Jungkook are just as much best friends as you were in college.

Or are you?

This question plagues him throughout the day, and when Jungkook packs enough boxes for the weekend and says he needs to go home, Jisoo for once doesn’t argue. Normally Jisoo would cling to him like a koala, murmur simultaneously adorable and dirty things in his ear and lead him to her bedroom to coop up for hours on end. But Jisoo says she’s tired and needs some alone time, which is also fine.

He doesn’t feel like going home, and instead heads straight to the gym. A couple pumps wouldn’t hurt, and it would clear his head. It’s nearly five in the evening when his body is thrumming with the afterglow of his post-workout, and he decides to take a little cool down in the mall and treat himself to a smoothie.

It must be kismet when he sees you coming out of the bookstore, looking a little winded but no less professional in your beige blazer set and rose gold iPad. Whenever he hung around your apartment with Jisoo and you’d come home from work, he’d make it a point to acknowledge your plethora of multicolored skirt-suits. He never needs to be professional in his place of work, and admires how much effort you put in.

“Hey!” he jogs up to you, and he catches the way your shoulders jump at his voice. “We missed you today.”

Your smile curls into something dry, and you twist your spine like rusty hinges to face him. In turn, his smile dims a little, wondering if he’s doing something wrong.

#jungkook x reader #jungkook fic #gcn23 #goldenclosetnet #btsghostie #bts fic #bts scenarios

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bambirex · 4 years

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So, I finished two assigments today, and inspiration for writing hasn't hit yet but I'm a bit bored, so I decided to share some interesting facts about my fics that no one asked for:

Bed of Roses, Pleasure Cruise, my very first fanfiction, wasn't supposed to be posted. My ex of 1,5 years dumped me, and I wrote this as a sort of therapy, just for myself. I thought "hmm, not enough genderbent Queen, especially genderbent!poly!queen... Eh, you know what, I'm just gonna write it myself, for my own entertainment!" So, I wrote this on my old laptop, in a word document, hidden from anyone else. I only wrote it in English, because I was getting a little rusty and wanted to improve my skills. I had about eight chapters done before I decided to create an ao3 account, and posted the first chapter to see the reactions- which were all super positive! At the beginning, it was meant to be pure smut and nothing else, but seeing how incredibly immersed my readers were in the characters and their relationship, I decided to give it some more depth in the end. It was also meant to contain a random pool party/pool sex chapter, but I didn't know where to fit it in, so that got lost in the ether. 😂

When it comes to my one-shots, or fics submitted to a fic event, My Baby Does Me Good is my least favorite I've ever written. I think this was the most boring, subpar fic I ever churned out- which is incredibly surprising, considering how popular it was! 😃 Funny how that is.

A Miracle On Earth had two, pretty funny accidents. One, it wasn't meant to be modern au- I had to add the tag after realizing that I had Jane accidentally use a mobile phone in the first chapter. In retrospect, that was for the best- after all, how else would Freddie and Jane be able to have a baby through artificial insemination? I think the early chapters of this prove that I definitely needed a lot of time to improve as a writer. Two, I couldn't come up with a name for fem!Joe Fanelli - my stupid ass forgot that 'Jo' exists, and the only thing that came to mind was Jenny. Now, she is stuck with that one for good. I also intended for Jimercury to only have one kid- but for some inexplicable reason, I decided to give them a second one, through adoption. So, Gabriel Mercury-Hutton almost never existed.

The Garden Lodge Family Shenanigans series - after AMOE- was born as a sort of spite fic. I felt incredibly down after seeing how little comments AMOE got, but I was super invested in that AU, and I was like "fuck it, I'm gonna continue to beat a dead horse, and if people don't care, it's their loss!" This was probably my healthiest attitude in terms of fic-writing, like ever 😂 also, the responses so far were incredibly positive, so I'm glad I didn't give up!

If I talked about my least favorite fic, I need to mention my absolute favorite one-shot I've ever written, which is Thank God It's Christmas. I consider this a christmas gift for myself, as I was in a festive mood, and I love the OT5 (and I was a bit horny... Ahem). Once again, funny how this goes, because despite how much I loved writing this, it definitely didn't become as popular as I hoped 😂

Waiting For The Skies To Clear is the longest one-shot I've written so far, over 10.000 words. Despite that, I had it done in about one and a half hour- the words just kept flowing. This fic was one of the easiest for me to write, even though it was super long and quite heavy, too.

I actually considered writing Te Engemet, Én Tégedet fully in Hungarian, before realizing the odds of Hungarian Queen fans who are also into genderbending, is... Quite small 😂 So, I decided to have it available for anyone, instead. It was also the only fic where I literally cried while writing it, not just tearing up, but full on sobbing lmao

I almost gave up Keep Yourself Alive so many times, you have no idea. I absolutely had zero idea about where I wanted to go with that fic, and writer's block kept hitting me. But I powered through! I almost ended up writing the attack against Freddie as successful, but then I refrained, because I couldn't make myself do it, and I also peferred a happy ending.

I know it sounds horrifying in retrospect, but originally, Funny How Love Is wasn't supposed to contain The Clique. I brought them in for extra drama, and they soon became favorites, both to myself and my readers. I also considered going down the poly route, but changed my mind pretty quickly.

Can't Get No Relief, Lord was almost never born. I desperately wanted to write something for the Freddie Mercury Weekend, but I wasn't sure genderbent fics would be welcome. I also came across an influx of hate comments by the so-called "" "" "Freddie fans" "" "" ", and I didn't feel like dealing with that. If it wasn't for @a-froger-epic and her encouragment, I never would have written this. Also, writing this fic tore up a few wounds and brought some of my nasty internalized lesbophobia to the surface, so I was a wee bit depressed after finishing it. This fic is the only one that doesn't contain a wlw pairing.

Better Sit Back And Go (With The Flow) was originally meant to be much more light-hearted. I was considering writing about old Maylor babying the shit out of Addie Lambert, but then I went down a much angstier, heavier route- mostly because I was feeling down that day, and that was how I coped.

I don't want to spill too much, as this is is still a work in progress, but I hadn't even meant to write Deep Like The Sea just yet. But then Maycury Week came, I wanted to participate but had no other ideas, so I pushed the idea to the front. Delilah was meant to be some kind of smaller fish at first, but then I realized a dolphin would work much better.

Also a WIP, so I'm trying not to share too many spoilers, but Written In The Stars changed so much as it progressed. When I came up with the medieval Jimercury idea, I meant to have Jane as Freddie's handmaiden from the get-go, and no Phoebe and Jenny. I literally changed all that as I sat down to write the first chapter. I was also considering adding the other King girls, but I realized they wouldn't fit into the story too much. Paul was originally meant to be male!Mary at first - but even though I'm not a big fan of her, that would have felt a little too ooc, and decided to have Paul as my villain. It was also meant to be around 20 chapters, and yet, here I am at 47 chapters already 😂

And, lastly, most of you already know this, but Lilies of The Valley is based on a crazy dream I had after re-watching The L Word.

#my writing #bambi trivia?

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plush-anon · 3 years

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SCOOB! Stream of Consciousness Review

Here we are folks - I finally review the originally cinematic, fully CGI animated Scooby Doo Movie (one year later... I did not queue this as I thought I had last June - damn you, Tumblr. I’m not changing much here, so enjoy as it was intended).

Created by a team who have professed their affection for this mystery team and their meddling dog too, will this be a lush experience fit to satisfy any Hanna-Barbera fan? Or will it be a hot garbage cash-grab, littered with Easter eggs and references that do nothing to hide a meatless mess of outdated memes and shallow character development?

LET’S

FIND

OUT

Below this cut is my entire stream-of-consciousness review on the SCOOB! Movie, as experienced. SPOILER warning here - I’m digging into everything, no plot points spared.

Here we go~

And we start off with a decent shot of the California coastline (looks like the kids backstory is front and center), some 90s hip-hop synthwave song about California, and OH SWEET JESUS THESE MODELS LOOK TERRIBLE

Ahem

Yeah, this is a problem right off the bat - some of these people in the opening shots look remarkably unfinished - think three shades above “Rapsittie Kids: Believe in Santa” level - and the animation on them is less than stellar.

On the plus side, we do see a fantastic variety of ages, sizes, and races - there’s a brief blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Sikh man on roller skates playing a sitar - but when the designs look rushed in the opening shots, it’s not a fantastic sign. At least they’re brief, but it’s hard to see if this is a lower level of the film’s style due to rushed animation, or if they didn’t care to polish it up as much, given that it’s maybe a 30 second scene.

Still, kudos to actually going for variety in the crowd shots. Minus kudos to making most of the clothes look like Play-doh draped over a Barbie doll. I’m not even kidding on that one, the clothes are super basic and barely have any sign of texture or creasing or even fabric/cut variety. Almost reminds me of the first Toy Story movie’s design for human clothes, yeesh.

----

Ahh, our first introduction to Scooby Doo at a Greek gyro food stand. That’s foreshadowing right there folks! 😉

Sadly, he is really weirdly animated in his run sequence - he looks out of proportion as he’s running on his hind legs, and the human animation has really bad consistency - some background characters are really janky, while others actually move really nicely. The characters we immediately focus on seem to be pretty smooth at least, but that’s still very strange.

On a side note: Ruby and Spears Sub Sandwich shop. Nice 😁

----

They are reaaaally pushing the super over-the-top dramatic music for a bike cop chasing a dog that stole gyro meat

Why

It’s not even interesting chase music, just generic super-hyped-up chase music

----

And now we finally get to see a young Shaggy, standing next to a tie-dye food stand called Casey’s Confections that… sells meat. Hm. Guess WB hasn’t learned after all these years 🙄

Unfortunately, I’m not a huge fan of the kid they got to play him, Iain Armitage. He’s not a bad voice actor by any means, but he just doesn’t sound right for Shaggy. I know that as a kid he’d be much less likely to have a cracking/squeaky voice, but he sounds… it’s hard to pin down a word, but - precocious? Darling? Either way it doesn’t quite match, especially given how Shaggy sounds when he grows up via Will Forte. Just… no connection there.

I tie it down to the particular vocal twangs and nuances the gang usually has. I’ll touch base on that note later I think, once we hit the teenage versions of the gang, but for now I’m just not feeling it.

----

On the one hand, I empathize deeply with Shaggy and his Spotify’s unsettling ability to pinpoint his insecurities with song choices, and also deeply enjoy that one small gesture where his fingers kind of shake & tighten around his phone while he takes a deep breath to calm himself- it’s a very nice, subtle sign of frustration

On the other hand we just passed two guys with no nipples and an unerring likeness to a Ken doll in those Barbie movies, so I’m distracted by that now

(between this and Fred’s no-nipples in Happy Halloween SD!, is WB just terrified of giving men nipples in animated movies now? what gives?)

Also distracted by the thrifty lesbians who bought those two shirts that come together to make a heart in the middle, on the store’s 2 for 1 day

happy pride y’all!

---

Finally got context for the two sand piles!

Very, very sad context, but still! Progress!

Basically Shaggy’s practicing talking to people in order to learn how to make friends, since he either has no idea how, or has never had a friend before. So he’s trying to learn the right way to do it since his own attempts have failed

And him talking to these sand piles not only counts as practice, but he’s using them so that his mom thinks he’s spending time with friends like he told her

Ow :)

---

So ketchup leather is apparently a thing that exists

I’m learning so much today!

---

Given that Shaggy has no friends at this stage, but he’s still called Shaggy, I’m kind of wondering if that was a mean nickname that everyone called him, but he was just grateful for the interaction/pretended it was from friends, so he kept it 🤔

Actually, take it back, his mother is calling him that. Family nickname, maybe…?

----

Shaggy has Blue Falcon (classic) and Dynomutt funko pops

noice

---

Oof, you can reaaaaally hear the age in Frank Welker’s Scooby voice. Can we get Scott Innes back? He sounds almost identical to his performance 20+ years ago :/

Also talking waaaay too much - even SDMI Scooby wasn’t this wordy, and he NEVER shut the hell up

----

Okay wait

So Shaggy met Scooby on Halloween day - then met the rest of the gang hours later?

Huh. And here I was thinking it would have been a few weeks minimum

Although I have to say there is a lot here to work with, if it paces out how I think it does

Shaggy meets Scooby. Bare hours later, he buys him a collar (instead of his mom? weird) and asks him to stay with him, despite not really knowing him. Then, only a couple hours after that, he finally makes some friends… but only when Scooby is with him.

Given that it looks like the gang are all around the same age in the same neighborhood, there’s a solid chance that they’ve taken classes together at the same school. If none of them met/knew/made friends with Shaggy then, but only did so AFTER Scooby came into the picture, that might lead to the argument we know about later when they split up; afterwards, S&SD go to the bowling alley, then get abducted by the Blue Falcon, plot continues. This could make it seem like they were only friends with him at the start because he had a dog.

And the brief scene earlier with the music device shows that he tries to tamp down on his anger/doesn’t really address it - could lead to something more later

hmmmm 🤔

---

Wait what

These two kid bullies just came out of nowhere, stole Shaggy’s candy… and then started on about how Halloween is only a marketing ploy to get companies to rot your teeth and go to the dentist more, before throwing the bag through a window and telling the two that ‘your blood sugar will thank us for it!’

Are - are these the brainwashed children of a Karen? Is that what I’m seeing?

I mean we could have had a Red Herring cameo, but apparently informing children about candy conspiracy theories is more important :/

----

Daphne: It’s Halloween - no one should go home without their candy

FD&V: *none of them have candy/candy bags*

???????

(Wouldn’t it make more sense if the bullies had stolen their candy too? What the hey man)

----

I do find it neat that we actually get to SEE the wires the ‘ghost’ uses to fly in full effect - that’s actually pretty cool, and not really something we get to see up close in older Scooby shows. Most of those just have the bad guy randomly flying about, and the wires revealed after the fact

---

Actually, given how FD&V react to this ghost almost immediately… have they already been solving mysteries? It seems like it, given how smoothly they move together to capture him

That’s kind of odd in kids. Like, even in PNSD they weren’t perfectly in-sync on stuff

This then leads to the gang solving mysteries together… in spite of the fact that all Shag and Scoob did was hide in the wardrobe that had the stolen goods, while FD&V captured the dude

Granted, they do ask Shag and Scoob if they wanna join in and say yes, but that seems like an strange jump after what could have been a one-time deal

I just find that a touch odd - esp when they could have had a five minute scene or so of them wandering around the house, touching on some old SDWAY traits. Heck, show that they’re SCARED in some way, and don’t immediately move to tackle what looks like a murderous spirit at age 8-9 or so. Even just showing the kids learning about each other would be enough, but what do I know. I’ve only watched Scooby Doo everything since I was 4 🙄

---

Ahhhh, and now for the updated rendition of the theme song

Where they’re all still kids doing everything the teenage gang did in the theme song

It doesn’t look as good as the OG, though - kind of like a computer game simulating the SDWAY intro using the PNSD kids in CGI. It’s honestly strange to see, and a little jarring - especially when we then transition to the older teenage gang right in the middle

Like, we don’t get to see you guys age through the song as you’re chased by/catch different monsters? That could have been pretty neat honestly - shows how long they’ve been doing this

Tho I gotta admit, seeing the Spooky Space Kook with his OG sound effects is pretty awesome, brief as it waoH MY GOD FRED WHY ARE YOU HAVING A ROMANTIC BEACHSIDE DATE WITH THE MYSTERY MACHINE

THAT WASN’T IN THE ORIGINAL AND NO ONE ELSE GETS A CHARACTER INSIGHT SHOT LIKE THIS

WHY

----

Huh, looks like Ruby & Spears gave up their subway sandwich shop for a coffee shop

That apparently the gang goes to in order to eat malt shop food

okay?

----

Ah, and here’s where we finally look at the voice acting of the older teenage gang. Buckle up folks, cause I gotta lot to say

We’ll start with Fred, bc honestly? I think Efron actually fits him pretty dang well. He’s got a different cadence from Welker, true, but as far as an update goes? I think he’s a solid fit. Very much in line with the all-American kid that Fred’s kind of been slated as for the past 50 years or so, but updated more for the modern perspective. I call it solid (and possibly a replacement for whenever Welker decides to retire).

Next? Oof. Velma is, IMHO, the weakest casting. Velma, no matter her voice actress, has ALWAYS had some form of nasal twang to her voice - that’s part of what makes her Velma to begin with, and helps her stand out. Nicole Jaffe, Pat Stevens, BJ Ward, Christina Lange (PNSD), Mindy Cohn, Kate Micucci, Linda Cardellini -heck, even Haley Kiyoko from ‘The Mystery Begins’ and Sarah Gilman from the ‘Daphne and Velma’ movie understood this! They all had that nasal twang to their voice - differing between actresses, of course, but still recognizable as Velma. Gina Rodriguez though? Honestly, it just sounds like she’s acting it straight. Not bad acting at all, by any means - she just doesn’t sound like Velma, and doesn’t seem to be trying to. (Honestly wondering if she was only hired bc she voices Carmen Sandiego in the reboot cartoon for the lolz fun reference! type connection)

Daphne is sort of similar in voices, but hers is more of a pitch her voice hits - Heather North, Mary Kay Bergman, and Grey Delisle Griffin all have that pitch they hit naturally when speaking. Amanda Seyfried? Does not - in fact, her voice is actually deeper than I was expecting - but it’s not quite as big a difference as it is for Velma. It fits her character type okay, and she does well with it overall.

And finally, the most controversial one: Will Forte’s Shaggy.

I’ll go ahead and say this: he’s not Scott Menville levels of bad Shaggy voice acting. If I were to place him on a list, I’d probably put him around Billy West level - kind of sounds similar via vocal tics (voice cracking, likes and zoinks, etc), but his own voice just overtakes the impression he’s seeking to hit. When I hear him speak, I don’t really hear Shaggy; I just hear Will Forte trying to do an impression of Shaggy.

In comparison: when Scott Innes took over for Shaggy, it was like Casey Kasem’s, just a touch more of a twang to his voice and just a dash over-the-top - but it was still Shaggy, and you didn’t doubt that for a minute.

Same thing for Lillard, but maybe moreso - he was pretty much the most perfect casting for a live-action Shaggy there could be at the time Scooby Doo (2002) was made. Him taking over for Kasem from there made perfect sense: he was honestly the best cast Mystery Inc member of the live-actions, and a lot more recognizable to the general public as Shaggy than Scott Innes was. He could also do different emotions with Shaggy that not a lot of the other voice actors had the chance to do (mainly bc script), so for future stuff they have that flexibility, if they wanted to play around a little more.

With any luck Forte will get better over the course of the movie, but honestly the casting could have been so much better with Matt Lillard and Kate Micucci.

----

Shaggy Rogers, evading taxes since 2020

----

siMON COWELL??!?

WHAT THE

WHY?!?!?

ALSO HIS CHARACTER DESIGN STYLE IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF THE GANG WHAT IS EVEN GOING ON?!!?

IS HE SUPPOSED TO BE THE SD CELEBRITY CAMEO

IF YOU WERE GOING TO DO A CAMEO FROM AMERICAN IDOL WHY NOT RYAN SEACREST

HE TOOK OVER FOR CASEY KASEM ON THE AMERICAN TOP 40 WOULDN’T THAT MAKE MORE SENSE

aaauuuggghhh

---

Also he’s there as a potential investor in Mystery Inc as a detective agency

A music industry professional… is interested in funding a detective agency.

Like… did he miss out on Josie & the Pussycats? Is that why he’s here?

----

Wait a minute

Oh noooooo

I know why he’s here

I remember this spoiler

Shit

-----

And once again, here is your reminder to tell Simon Cowell a great big fcuk you

Only this time it’s for making Shaggy and Scooby feel worthless and saying that friendship is worthless and cannot be counted on for anything worthwhile

Simon Cowell: Professional Dickhead

---

Welp, at least this gives a solid reason why they leave: Simon Cowell was being a professional dickhead, and the gang didn’t really say anything against him or interrupt him on his whole ‘Shag and Scoob are worthless spiel’

Or, well... Daphne stepped up some, but more to say ‘they’re our friends!’ rather than ‘that’s entirely wrong, our friends aren’t worthless!’ Better than nothing, but yeesh

----

Ahhh, Takamoto Bowling - the emptiest bowling alley in the evenings this side of Coolsville

(no seriously, the past few times my dad has taken my sister and me bowling pre-pandemic, no matter the day or time? it’s ALWAYS got more than 6 lanes of people there, what the heck)

Also Scooby wears three bowling shoes, which honestly makes more sense than I thought it would - that pup goes spinning and sliding every which way on a normal floor, bowling alley floors would be like ten times worse

----

here’s a nice little detail - when Scooby sees one of the bowling pins peek out with red eyes and he yells that to Shaggy, Shaggy actually squints and walks closer to see if it actually does have eyes

aww

----

Huh, okay

Panicked Will Forte Shaggy actually sounds more like a good Shaggy voice than normal talking Will Forte Shaggy

I can dig it

---

Still kind of underwhelmed by the Shag and Scoob disguise scene - wouldn’t it make more sense to have them like, dish up hot sauce or something on a plate that nonsensically makes the robots overheat before they discover their ruse?

Idk, maybe they’re off their game after Simon ‘Dickhead’ Cowell

---

Carlton Way - must be named after Fred’s only other voice actor, Carlton Stevens of PNSD

Also Hanna’s Barber Shop is next to Barbera’s Pizza! Cute.

And… Pitstop’s Pink Perfume ad. Wait, who is that? *assorted googling noises*

...ahhh, Penelope Pitstop from Wacky Races! Who, according to Wikipedia, was revealed to have Greek ancestry in the 2016 Wacky Raceland comic book, having been born on the island of Aegina

Now I’m wondering if we’ll see her in this too, given Cerberus...

----

Honestly kind of fascinating to see the gang with a police radio in their van

Also fascinating to see that only main characters are allowed clothing variety and texture/creases/folds

---

it’s actually really sweet to see Fred, upon hearing that Shag and Scoob are likely in danger, immediately makes a 90 degree turn in traffic

---

It looks like they changes Dee Dee’s name a hair - now it’s Dee Dee Skyes, instead of Sykes

It works well for the Falcon aesthetic, so that’s cool

----

Shaggy, after Dee Dee tells them that Dastardly’s trying to kill them: Scoob, someone thinks we’re important enough to *mimes slitting throat*!

Scooby: It’s nice to be wanted.

Excellent! This movie has captured Shag and Scoob’s blasé attitude towards death! Now we’re onto a solid Scooby film :D

Dee Dee: Hmm, I hear that!

And they even have a friend to share in their attitude! Splendid!

----

Christ, I can work photoshop better than Blue Falcon can, and I don’t even know how to use photoshop

I will give major kudos on his costume tho - it maintains the important elements of the OG Falcon, while still updating it with more bird-related aesthetic, like the feathered appearance of parts of his costume, the split cape resembling the tail feathers, and the talon gauntlets & boots. neat!

---

Yooo, Dynomutt, I thought secret identities were still a thing with Superheroes, what the hey are you doing giving it out to a duo you literally just picked up behind a bowling alley

Ngl, I’m kinda hoping we get some scenes where Dynomutt messes up a little like in the OG cartoon - this one feels really serious, which is kind of strange

---

Okay now I want to see older!Blue Falcon come in for a cameo

Mainly bc I’m getting the feeling that this one is a major dumbass, and not in the fun and friendly himbo kind of way 😑

---

Wait, THAT’S our first look at Dastardly? That’s a bit abrupt, isn’t it?

Also his ship must be pumping thousands of gallons of toxins into the air, that smoke cloud looks hideous. Forget logging into his mom’s Netflix account like the trailer said, EPA should probably be hunting him for sport with a laser cannon, jesus fcuking christ

---

Honestly kinda want a plane you can pilot like a motorbike now

---

Welp, it looks like we have a fun, mustache-twirly, puns-aplenty, loves-to-be-bad kind of villain on our hands folks! This is gonna be FUN AS HECK

---

Eurgh, this scene - the super-stiff-but-stretched-out ‘yeeurgh’ faces really squick me for some reason, but I can’t really pinpoint why

---

I have decided I highly dislike the Brian Blue Falcon, or Brian Falcon for short, and would like to see Dastardly tie him to some railroad tracks

---

North St for Heather North, and… wait… Funland Carnival? Like where Charlie the Robot hung out?

Apparently that’s in Romania.

A very yellow-greenfilter Romania at that.

Like, I’ve seen blue washes on movies trying to portray evening in the middle of the day so they don’t actually have to shoot at night, but yellow? That’s normally used for deserts and hot days and uhhh

NOT for evenings in a country with landscape like THIS

odd

(I mean I guess they got the mountains and trees right, but still. Yellow filters make a place look arid, which Romania is Not, to my knowledge)

----

Dude, Brian Falcon is such an idiot even Shaggy and Scooby, commonly portrayed as the idiots of Mystery Inc, look at him like he’s a moron.

(They are Not Amused.)

Also Brian Falcon is an absolute coward. That’s new. Even Shaggy and Scooby face off against the robots directly in a Whack-a-Mole game and destroy some. Dude, get your head in the fcuking game already, yikes

Woah, Laff-a-Lympics, Wacky Races, Hex Girls, The Banana Splits, Penelope Pitstop, Space Stars, Posse Impossible, and Hong Kong Phooey easter eggs in one shot

Geezus

---

Another nice moment: when cornered by Dastardly, Shaggy moves to stand in front of Scooby to protect him

---

Dastardly (to Shaggy): I don’t care about YOU. You’re not REMOTELY important!

*proceeds to shoot Shaggy THROUGH the ceiling and up into the highest car on a Ferris Wheel where Brian Falcon is hiding like a man baby*

Welp, so much for a fun and zany villain. Time for this Plush Anon to kill a bitch *cocks shotgun*

I will, too - kudos to the animators for hurting me so badly with the face Shaggy made right before being shot because

---

Ehehehhehe, yess, the infamous ‘Dick’ scene

Dastardly: No, I’m a DICK. With a D!

You sure are, you sack of dildos with a D!

This scene had to be put in on purpose - if this had been released in theaters, I just know the adults would be dying in laughter 🤣🤣🤣

----

Shaggy: Brian, do something!

Brian Falcon: Like what?

Shaggy: Like, drop some F-Bombs!

love it 😂

---

Is it like movie law now, that if there’s an action scene with a Ferris Wheel in the background, it has to fall off and roll down a mild incline like a wheel? Because it kinda feels like it

---

Aha! Dastardly said his drats! Perfection.

Now to shoot him through a ceiling to make them matter even more :D

---

OOF.

Well that hurt.

Poor Shaggy - basically internalizing now that he’s the worthless one and weak link of the group now that Scooby is considered more important

---

Holy fcuk I’m crying

Shaggy just broke Brian Falcon down to his deepest insecurities without even trying while talking to him

He even used the words ‘imposter syndrome’

Shaggy hon, you’re the best

----

Oh hey, Fred, Daphne, and Velma! It’s been a while since we saw you guys again, what are you doing?

Arguing about the metric system and realizing that Shaggy and Scooby reminding them to eat periodically helped them keep a clearer head...

And using the word ‘hangry’.

But then looking through a ridiculously cute photo album of the two and a video the gang took together (the video is honestly really heckin’ cute, 10000/10 would recommend)...

And then getting pulled over so Fred can have a brief ‘oo-la-la’ montage about the pretty blonde cop who honest-to-gods looks like a Barbie doll.

Where Daphne then describes how ugly Dastardly is...

Right before the petite blonde cop who’s maybe like 5’7” at best rips off her outfit to reveal it was Dick Dastardly this entire time, all 7ish feet of him.

And then kidnaps them all along with the Mystery Machine while he makes terribly fun dorky puns

…

...SO BACK TO SCOOBY AND SHAGGY...

---

...where Scooby is making kissy faces in the mirror while wearing his Blue Falcon uniform

Hrm, that’s not really better is it

We actually see Shaggy reading (OG) Blue Falcon’s autobiography, and making hurt but snide comments about Scooby’s ego

Which are actually pretty clever tbh

-----

Cooooooongratulations, Fred Jones! You are now officially a full-on himbo!

----

Alas, poor Daphne. While your knowledge of the tropes of your show might have served you well in other places, this was to be a theatrical release once upon a time, and so such knowledge falls to ruin.

----

You know, I just realized - we’re never really told HOW the Cerberus skulls work, both in how each skull can be used to find the others, and, presumably, in releasing Cerberus itself. We’re given a brief glance-over of Scooby’s ancestry (and I mean REALLY damn brief), and a quick mention that these are supposed to be Cerberus’ skulls being stolen, but… that’s it. Nothing else is given.

Now, I read the first few chapters of my SCOOB! Junior Novelization, and it actually went into further detail about the skulls themselves and what Dastardly’s initial plan was early in the book - open the gates of Hades and obtain the seas of treasure therein. It acted as an introduction both to the climatic endgame we’ll face at the end of the movie, and to Dastardly, who uses the same disguise trick he used as the Barbie cop when he stole the first one in South America.

(They actually DID plan to use this as Dastardly’s intro, but cut this… 3 minute scene for time. Yeah. See below video for the details - honestly think they should have kept it in. Saves time later and definitely more show than tell, compared to what we got)

youtube

I feel like that would be a better introduction to him than the one we got - hell, it would have fit in quite neatly after the revamped theme song montage. They could have the scene with Dastardly finding/stealing the first skull as an introduction (as above), then have him answer a call or something. Exposit openly “You found the key! Excellent! Now where are we going next?”

THEN cut to the diner/coffee shop scene we had earlier. We still wouldn’t know exactly what the key was/entailed off the bat, and they could still have FD&V find out on their own - maybe by hacking the little robot instead? IDK.

---

The final skull is on Messick Mountain.

Cute.

On a side note, I do love how Dastardly’s ship interior looks - very dieselpunk

---

Velma just hacked into Dynomutt… somehow, and I finally get my wacky Dynomutt shenanigans! Hazoo!

...sadly that was really dang brief. Realistic, yes, but still too brief.

---

Eyyyy, we finally get the whys of why Scooby is needed! … really dang fast.

Also Fred says Jinkies.

----

Hey, Muttley popped up! In a shrine… to his demise… that we find out he reached when Dastardly pushed him forward into the Underworld to steal the treasure of Alexander the Great in a portal he rigged up… only for both of them to find out it was a one-way deal unless they used the key to be able to come back. The key, of course, being Scooby Doo, descendent of Peritas, Alexander’s dog.

Eh, workable enough-ish. It’s interesting to see that Dastardly, despite how much he disliked Muttley in the older cartoons, still cares about him to a certain extent.

---

Pfff, Fred’s a poor man’s Hemsworth XD

---

Sweet, we’re in ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ now!

---

O W W W

You guys really had to do the ‘me or them’ thing with Shaggy and Scooby… and tHeN hAvE sCoObY cHoOsE tHe FaLcONs?!? Just because they said he was important as “the key” and gave him a spandex costume.

Over at least 7 years of friendship.

Booooooooooooo

---

actually no I’m Not Done Yet

This whole scene is a mess.

Shaggy’s turn was really dang fast… but I can still see how he gets to it. It’s at least a day between Scooby being chosen as a pseudo-sidekick and the island arrival, during which Shaggy’s talk with the main adult (who has taken up the mantle of his favorite superhero) essentially confirms his feelings of worthlessness and leaves him to stew for HOURS on end (on top of another adult, Dastardly, who also calls him “not even REMOTELY important” at the carnival before freaKING SHOOTING HIM THROUGH THE CEILING NO I AM NOT OVER THIS). Tie that to a teenager who also believes his only friends have come to think he’s meaningless baggage, and suddenly his entire support system is vanishing underneath him to one of his former idols without ANY sign of hesitation from Scooby’s part (with the exception of the collar scene, but I don’t think that that means the same to Scooby, given how quickly he bounces back)

Scooby tho… hrm. It could be that he’s clinging to the good feelings Brian Falcon inspires in him (by choosing him as the next possible Dynomutt), as a way to overpower how FD&V hurt him, while also building on how he came to love the duo because SHAGGY loved them so much. But the movie doesn’t frame that up… at all?? At least compared to Shaggy.

Idk, maybe I’m missing something, but this scene is a mess through and through

Boooooo

----

Scooby: *tries to leap into Brian Falcon’s arms like he did with Shaggy but falls*

Brian: Uh, what are you doing?

Scooby: Rhaggy never missed.

Damn straight he didn’t

---

oh hey, it’s Captain Caveman

I was wondering when we’d see him.

---

AAAUUGGHH

It’s that blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scene from the trailers I sobbed over - the one with Shaggy holding Scooby’s collar

Fun fact it actuALLY FADES INTO THE FLASHBACK

THAT WAS NOT A TRAILER THING THAT’S ACTUALLY HERE IN THE MOVIE

---

Oh No

Fred is here, alone, after that whole scene with Dastardly saying he had a use for Fred

...while that’s likely Dastardly in a Fred suit (that sounds creepy just typing it), I’m still going to enjoy this brief but absolutely lovely hug Shaggy and Fred share...

(seriously tho, look at this, it’s a genuinely close, squish-your-lungs-out kind of hug, I love it)

...as well as Shaggy, who's still hurt from his fight with Scooby, immediately gearing up to go help him after hearing Dastardly’s trying to kidnap him.

----

Brian Falcon and Scooby Doo now have to take on Captain Caveman in gladiatorial combat in order to claim the final skull of Cerberus

I love cartoons sometimes

----

Captain Caveman just put the smackdown on Brian Falcon and punched him into the ground up to his CHEST

Then smacked him so far into a wall he cracked the stone around him!

GodDAMN is this satisfying 😆 altho minor question here: how did he gain the rank of Captain? Do cavepeople have a naval force?

---

He just whirled Scooby around his head, then spun him so fast his costume broke off

I may have to look into some Captain Caveman stuff now, that’s fantastic

---

Shaggy and Fred - sorry, “Fred” - just smashed through to the colosseum in the Mystery Machine

And Dynomutt just fired missiles at Captain Caveman to smash him into an Amigara-shaped hole of himself

I REALLY love cartoons sometimes

---

Oh No

Just as Shaggy starts trying to apologize, “Fred” kicks him in the back, rips off his disguise to normal Dastardly self, and kidnaps Scooby atop the skull, before revealing he destroyed the Falcon Fury jet

New tagline for this movie? Shaggy Rogers and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day

...at least the rest of the gang is back together?

---

Brian Falcon: *Immediately tries to blame Shaggy for inadvertently leading Dastardly to them, while storming up to get in his face*

Fred: *upon realizing BrianF is blaming Shaggy for everything, without a SINGLE moment’s hesitation, immediately leaps in to defend Shaggy and physically push back Brian Falcon several feet*

We stan one Himbo, theydies and gentlethem

Also?

Velma (sneering): What kind of hero blames other people for his problems? *Walks over to comfort Shaggy with Daphne, while Shaggy looks dumbfounded they’re defending him bc he also blames himself for Scooby’s kidnapping*

This. This right here, is the kind of Mystery gang content I wanna see.

I don’t care how the rest of this movie goes now, this scene right here is ambrosia to the Scooby fan’s soul, and therefore makes this entire movie worth it, outdated memes, lingo, and all

---

Cackling rn - Fred and Brian Falcon are in a point-off a la the Spiderman meme 😂

or, more specifically, the post-credits sequence of Spiderverse where they’re arguing about who started pointing first

It gets better when Velma and Daphne try to pull each other off of their pushing fight, and Velma grumbles “Toxic Masculinity” I’m crying

---

WOAH

More super Shaggy stuff here (apart from being flung through a building roof without a scratch) - he pushes apart both groups effortless, and even knocks them back several feet

If we estimate Dynomutt as… we’ll say 450 since he’s made of metal, Falcon at 220, Dee Dee at 160, that’s about 830 lbs on one side

Then Fred, Daphne and Velma on the other (hmm, 180, 150, 130?) would be around 460 lbs

Dang boi

---

Oh honey no, it’s not your fault

But dang if he didn’t get a good message from it, one I’ve done my best to transcribe here:

“I was afraid that... things were gonna change. And they did change. But like, that’s okay! People can grow. But it doesn’t mean that we’re growing apart. Because the one thing that will never change is that Scooby Doo is my best friend! Ten years ago, a little boy made a promise to a stray puppy that he’d never leave him no matter what. And I’m gonna keep that promise! Now it’s time we stopped that mustachioed menace from opening the gates to the {underworld} and letting loose that fearsome {Cerberus}. So what do you say we get out {of here}, and go get my always-snacking, never-lacking, often-napping dog back? Who’s with me?”

Honestly not a bad message for kids. Things will change, people will change, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop being friends. (Obvs real life exceptions apply, but that’s not a bad note honestly)

...shame that that conclusion comes right the FUCK outta nowhere

How, exactly, did he come to this conclusion? WHEN? What inspired him to realize this, what was the impetus for this specific line of thought, that it’s okay for friends to change?

It kinda feels like this should have been either the happy ending speech given after they’ve saved the world, or one at the start of the third act, like if Shaggy arrives when Scooby thinks he’s chased him away and ruined everything, and Shaggy & the gang still save him. And Scooby asks him why he did that - when Scooby tried to change himself to fit what Brian Falcon wanted, instead of treasuring the friend he still had, or maybe why Shaggy reacted the way he did. THEN Shaggy gives the speech we hear, a la:

“I yelled at you because… like, because I was scared. I was scared that... things were gonna change. And they did change. But like, that’s okay! People can grow. But it doesn’t mean that we’re growing apart. Because the one thing that will never change is that YOU’RE my best friend! Ten years ago, a little boy made a promise to a stray puppy that he’d never leave him no matter what. And I mean to keep it!”

At least that would make a little more sense to me. Again, not a bad speech, but a little rearranging would help to really hit home.

---

Okay, now we’re back with Dastardly in Greece, and suddenly the background people all look MILES better than the ones at the start of the movie. Did they just forget to polish the first two minutes of film, what the heck?

Also, Dastardly’s ship is literally the entire length of the Greek ruins presented o_O

---

HOLY SHIT THE SKULLS TURNED BACK TIME AND MADE THE RUINS INTO AN ENTIRELY RESTORED PALACE WITH THE GATES OF THE UNDERWORLD BEFORE THEM

They’re also colored a very atmospheric neon arrangement that’s surprisingly quite tasteful ^.^

----

The Mystery Machine can fly now!!! eeheeheeeheeheeheeheeee

----

And so we finally see Cerberus, a massive, towering figure with sharp teeth and pffffffhahahhahaa why are all three heads wearing Spartan helmets

To its credit, they’re also wearing basic body armor, wrist guards, tail spikes, etc, but the helmets are killing me 🤣 who thought to stick that onto the dog? Did Hades forget to remove the armor after winning the Gods’ Pet Costume Contest, or was it like that horse in the ATV costume - it felt safer so it didn’t let anyone take it off?

Or was this a precaution against Herakles coming back? These are questions - hilarious, hilarious questions 😁

---

Awww. Scooby immediately runs to the battered Mystery Machine to rip the doors open for the gang!

And… wait. THIS is where that wonderful hug was in the trailers? I thought that was at the end of the movie when everyone was safe!

This now does not bode well. But we’ll worry about that later. Time to enjoy this gorgeous wonderful hug of the entire gang, and Shag and Scoob apologizing to each other for fighting 🥰

Yet another scene to make the rest of this movie worth the rest

(halfway wanna frame this shit and put it on the wall, it’s that lovely)

----

Fantastic! Dastardly is now in Hell, where I’ve been wishing him this entire movie! :D

And dang… he actually apologizes to what he believes is a dead Muttley. Who is, naturally, snickering at all of this. The two bicker predictably, but eventually hug and make up, too happy to see each other to resort to old habits. Honestly a nice little scene, all-in-all.

---

Back to the gang and they’re doing the glowy eyes in the dark bit! I actually haven’t seen that in a Scooby movie forever, it’s neat.

Also Fred is now going full Liam Neeson over his van, war paint and all, using the tire cover as a shield and… holy shit.

HOLY SHIT

THE ASCOT IS BAAAnnnnnd it’s gone. Boy, that was… short.

Fred just ran full-tilt at Cerberus, screaming like a mad man, before getting flicked away by its big toe, and losing the ascot and makeshift shield. It punched so hard his facepaint came off

It was fun while it lasted y’all

---

Heyyy, Shag and Scoob just came up with the plan, and it’s actually solid! I’m so proud, and so is the rest of the gang! Also willingly going to distract Cerberus while the rest figure out how to close the gate and stuff Cerberus back in

I love my boys 😊

---

Annnnd there goes Brian Falcon like the coward he is

To… call his dad? And admit he isn’t a hero.

Only for Dynomutt to point out Shaggy and Scooby are taking him on and are terrified.

This then cuts to Shaggy and Scooby running around in a chariot and gladiator wear, running back and forth a la the door gag from Cerberus to the OG SDWAY theme

I think I love this movie

(although they’re hinting at Dynomutt being resentful of OG Blue Falcon essentially abandoning him to his incompetent son, and I really wish it had been touched upon more

that’s actually rather heartbreaking, when you stop to think about it, and there’s a lot that could be done with an additional two minutes of screentime)

---

Huh, another good message for kids: it’s okay to fail and be scared, so long as you keep going and try to do what’s right.

Two good messages for kids in one movie. Not too shabby, on the whole.

---

Brian Falcon just flew in and punched the three-headed dog, then jumped into its mouth as it tried to eat Scooby, resisted the MASSIVE JAW STRENGTH, and got them out of there safe and sound

Finally, something heroic!

I was wondering where Dastardly and Muttley got off to - apparently they’re off to take a money bath.

Aight

---

Shag and Scoob have now convinced the Rotten Robots to turn into bowling balls to knock Cerberus off their feet a la the classic marbles pratfall back into the underworld

That is a sentence I just wrote

----

OH FCUK NO

ABSOLUTELY NOT NO

YOU ARE TELLING US THAT AFTER ALL OF THIS - ALL OF THIS - ONE OF THEM HAS TO STAY IN THE UNDERWORLD TO LOCK THE GATE

THAT OCTOBER LEAKER WAS RIGHT WHAT THE HELL

LITERALLY SO

I mean i know its a kids film specifically Scooby Doo so happy ending but what the literal FUCK

---

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUGGHHH

SHAGGY NOOOO

“Buddy, back when we were kids, you saved me. Now, it’s my turn.”

and he dOES THIS WHILE HOLDING SCOOBY’S HEAD TENDERLY IN HIS HANDS

AND WHEN EVERYTHING REVERTS IT’S JUST RUBBLE AND RUIN AND SCOOBY’S LEFT SOBBING OPENLY AT NOTHING

AND THE GANG ALL COME TO CLING AT HIM AND CRY OVER THEIR FRIEND WHO THOUGHT HE WAS WORTHLESS MOST OF THE MOVIE AND THOUGH THAT THE GANG THOUGHT THE SAME ABOUT HIM

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH

---

WELP, TIME TO COPE WITH INAPPROPRIATE HUMOR

Shaggy: I yelled at my dog, got him kidnapped, and ended up helping the bad guy to open the gates to Hell. Guess I’ll die.

Dee Dee: Well actually, this is more Dastardly’s fault because -

Shaggy, yelling as he slams his hand against the lock: GUESS I’LL DIE!!!

----

Ah, so the writers wrote themselves into a corner, and the only way out was a Deus Ex Machina (at least, I think I’m using that term correctly…)

Because to get Shaggy back, a giant statue of Alexander the Great and Peritas appears out of nowhere - literally, since it definitely wasn’t there before - with an inscription Scooby has to read to get Shaggy back.

This would have been a lot more effective if we’d seen it when Dastardly arrived in Greece - maybe even as the marker for where the gate to the Underworld was. Have Alexander facing one way, and Peritas facing the other. You open the gate on Alexander’s side, and come home on Peritas’ side. Having this unfold into the gate gives it more purpose than “magically appears right the fcuk outta nowehere” and you could have a pun with the “backdoor” escape. Everybody wins!

And if that’s too good for ya, how about a brief lingering shot by it at some point as Dastardly flies into Greece, behind where the gate materializes, or directly across from it on the plaza? Maybe have one of the gang kick it after Shaggy leaves, and say ‘This is all your fault! Why would you make something like this?’

It’d still be a magical contrivance, but at least it would make some fcuking SENSE.

(Granted it DID lead to this hilariously ominous shot, so maybe I shouldn’t complain:)

---

Velma: I finally figured out what you guys are! You’re the heart of Mystery Inc.

Me: YEAH BABY! *flips over table* I’VE BEEN SAYING THAT SHIT FOR YEARS AND NOW, I’M FCUKING VALIDATED AT LAAAAAAAAST!

----

Shaggy: *rips off Dastardly’s face to reveal…*

ALL: SIMON COWELL??!?

Me, choking on food: I’m sorry WHAT?!?!?

Velma: *takes off mask again to reveal*

ALL: DICK DASTARDLY?!?

Dastardly: Drat! No one ever goes for the double unmasking.

So I was right all along - Simon Cowell truly was a Dick this entire time.

-----

And so we close on the gang unveiling a Mystery Machine paint job on their official detective agency building, Brian Falcon living the good life as the DJ at their party, the Falcon team gifting a sleek new Mystery Machine to the gang (which honestly looks pretty unique - it’s not the classic, but it is something new that isn’t awful, so kudos there), and the gang on their way to another mystery.

So, at the end of the day is this a good Scooby movie?

Meh? *waves hand in meh motion* But it definitely had its moments.

This Scooby film is flawed as heck, no doubt about it - the plot has a MAJOR problem with telling instead of showing, some parts feeling out of order or WAY too short, and of course the deus ex machina ending. I honestly would have loved some more time for their first mystery as kids, where we actually got more character moments/bonding from Fred, Daphne, and Velma as they solved it the more traditional route, as well as not framing FD&V as super duper mystery solvers right off the bat???

The stuff with Blue Falcon isn’t AWFUL, per se, but it is ridiculously satisfying to see him get smacked around. Captain Caveman was honestly one of the funniest bits in the movie, same with Dynomutt.

As far as the character stuff? It all felt fairly natural, progression-wise. Shag and Scoob don’t have this big break-up with the gang - they’re hurt by the literal Dickhead’s comments the gang don’t speak up against, and go to blow off some steam together. Shag and Scoob don’t have this giant blow-up argument - it builds over the film into a hurt spat they both recognize they overreacted to almost immediately. The gang (FDV) go looking for them almost as soon as they leave, and, upon hearing they’re in danger, turn and head towards them to save them, realizing how important the two are to Mystery Inc along the way. They defend each other, help each other, have some of the Best Dang Animated Mystery Inc hugs I ever did see - THIS feels more like the Gang I’ve been waiting for forever to come back to DTV (and in a rough sense, did). While I do wish we’d gotten more screen time of FD&V, what we got wasn’t too bad.

Weirdly enough, at the end of the day, I’ve actually grown more accustomed to Forte’s Shaggy - it feels like it fits this different style a touch more than I originally thought, and holy hell if I didn’t come close to tears at that ending gate scene, he knocked that one out of the park. Velma still doesn’t feel much like Velma, but I did get used to it by the end. I kept cracking up at Efron’s Fred, and no complaints on Seyfried’s Daphne.

Jason Isaacs as Dick Dastardly absolutely killed it. Blue Falcon Crew was okay (excepting Mark “The Racist” Wahlburg - it was just him talking, no real effort. You could recognize Wahlburg right off the bat, acting as a goofy douche) and freaking Captain Caveman was awesome. Apparently they combined both Billy West and Don Messick’s recordings for Muttley (awesome!!!), so this may very well be Don Messick’s final role in a Scooby Doo film.

It got off to a rough start, but ended well enough. The animation was solid, the writing has some unexpectedly clever and funny moments sprinkled throughout, with some pretty fun action sequences on the side. Watching this, I really do believe that the people working on it love Scooby Doo and all things Hanna-Barbera… at least in their own way.

I ended up buying this instead of just renting it ($5 more, why not) and I am honestly glad I did so. Despite its flaws, it has some great moments with the gang as friends, and I have been Craving That Shit for DECADES

And if these writers/directors ever did another Scooby film? I think I’d be up for giving them a chance - at least so long as we got some more absolutely BEAUTIFUL hugs with the gang

I hope you enjoyed this stream-of-consciousness reaction to SCOOB! (2020)... a whole ass year LATER, admittedly (I didn’t switch my Save Post to Queue, curse my hubris), but hopefully y’all’ve been entertained. Good night everybody!

#scoob!#scoob 2020 #scoob #scooby doo #plush reviews: final thoughts #note to self: never use queue for the big posts

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purrincess-chat · 5 years

Text

Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s Spite Playlist: Original CH20

It only seems appropriate to end this fic with the same gif that opened it. Get your snacks and your tissues ready, lads. This is the end.

Previous First

Chapter 20 no tears left to cry

Alya leaned against her locker a few weeks later, smiling down at her phone where an interview with Marinette and Nadja played about her foundation to help past akuma victims as well as an update on Adrien’s treatment. She was happy to hear that he was doing well and even happier to be forgiven by someone who by all means shouldn’t have forgiven her, but Marinette had always been like that. Even if they weren’t the best of friends anymore, it was a big relief to know that she didn’t hate Alya for everything she did, and although she couldn’t take back all of those wasted years, she could make up for them moving forward by helping others and being a hero in her own right.

“Ahem, excuse me miss, but it seems as though you’ve captured my heart.” She smirked at Nino’s voice over her shoulder, turning around and stretching up on her toes to kiss him. “You working at the foundation today?”

“Yep! I’ve been working on the blog with Gabrielle. We’re going to interview someone today about their experiences dealing with akumas over the past few years and meet with a licensed psychologist on coping mechanisms,” Alya reported as they walked, and Nino’s smile softened. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just good to see the light back in your eyes,” he remarked, and Alya felt her cheeks warm.

As they rounded the corner past the library, Alya caught sight of Lila sitting alone at a table, leaned over her maths textbook with a bored expression. She pursed her lips before patting Nino’s back and stepping out of his arms.

“I’ll catch up with you later,” she said, and Nino quirked a brow but pressed on anyways as Alya entered the library. She took a deep breath before pacing over to sit across from Lila whose eyes narrowed the moment she sat down.

“What do you want?” She grunted.

“For you to listen,” Alya stated, clasping her hands together calmly on the table. “I don’t expect you to apologize because I know you’re not sorry, but you’re going to hear me out.”

Lila rolled her eyes, so she continued.

“I wasn’t entirely blameless in everything that happened, and I’ve come to terms with that, but I cannot deny that you used and manipulated me, and that’s not okay,” she said, gaze steady despite how Lila averted hers. “But even despite everything, I want you to know that I forgive you, and I hope that someday you find your true self underneath all those lies and stop manipulating people. It’s not healthy, and you’re just going to make yourself miserable in the end.”

“Is this some feeble attempt at making me realize the error of my ways and turning me to the good side?” She quirked an amused brow.

“No,” Alya said flatly. “It’s closure for me. I lost myself to you for a long time, but you have no power over me anymore, and I’m going to go live a happy life.”

“Whatever.” Lila rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to her homework, and Alya opened her mouth to say something then thought better of it and stood up.

She squared her shoulders as she walked out of the library, finding them much lighter than when she’d entered. All those years she’d been carrying extra burdens that no longer plagued her, and now she was finally free.

***

Sunlight streamed in from the window across the room as Adrien folded his last few shirts and tucked them into his black duffle bag. He smoothed the fabric before turning to glance at the window with a sigh. It had been five months since he’d checked into this mental hospital, and he knew a storm awaited him the moment he stepped out. Nevertheless, it was time. There was a lot of work to do.

“Are you all packed, Mr. Agreste?” The nurse poked her head in. “Your family is here.”

“Yeah.” Adrien turned back to his bag on the bed, zipping it closed and slinging it over one shoulder.

His heart pounded as they led him up the hall, through several locked doors and out to the lobby where two sparkling blue eyes met his, and he felt his nerves calm as she stepped into his arms.

“Is this everything?” Tom asked, taking his bag, and Adrien nodded.

“You could have asked for more clothes, dear. We have access to your house, and I could have gotten more for you,” Sabine said, placing a hand on her hip, but he simply shrugged.

“Everything I own is Gabriel brand, so I was more than happy to wear something of Marinette’s for a change,” he said, smiling at her sweetly. “A reminder of the people waiting for me.”

“We’ve arranged a room for you,” Sabine said with a wince. “We weren’t sure where you’d want to go once you were out, so we prepared it just in case.”

“Thank you. I’ll definitely take you up on that,” he said, then lowering his gaze, he pursed his lips. “I should go by the house to close everything out, I suppose.”

“You don’t have to do that right away,” Marinette started, but he flicked his gaze to meet hers with a smile.

“It’s okay. I’m ready,” he assured her, but she exchanged looks with her parents.

“Adrien, there’s something you should know before you go…” she started, biting her lip, and Adrien stopped, eyebrows furrowing.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, and she shifted her weight.

“It’s her…” She said. “She’s awake.”

***

There were a lot of emotions Adrien should have felt when he arrived at the mansion, but somehow as he stared up at the tall gate, he wasn’t sure he felt anything at all. How should he have felt after everything? Sad? He’d had enough of that. Betrayed? Tons. Angry? What would be the point?

The truth of the matter was, he just wanted to bury the past and move on. It was something that he’d struggled to come to terms with, but no matter how much he wished it, he couldn’t change what had happened. All he could do was press forward into the future and live a good life. A free life. Doing what he wanted with the person he loved by his side. After everything, it sounded pretty nice.

The mansion was just as cold and empty as he remembered, the tall portrait of him and his father still hanging in the foyer. He’d always hated that picture because he didn’t like to think about his mother being gone. After all, it’s not like he’d known she was only a few meters below him the whole time. How could he possibly have known that? It’s not like his father ever spent time with him let alone told him his dark and nefarious plans to take over the world.

His bedroom was relatively untouched since the last time he’d be in it. Dust had settled on every surface, and he glanced around with a sigh before setting out to get what he came for. The only things he had interest in taking with him were a few gifts from Marinette from over the years, some photos, and a few other important documents and school books. He didn’t really have a use for anything else, and if he was being honest, looking at everything made his stomach churn.

He sat on his bed next to the box with a sigh, gazing fondly at a framed photo of him and Marinette with their cheeks pressed together, elated smiles stretched on their lips. The one person who had always been in his corner no matter what. His partner. His Ladybug. The girl who taught him to never give up hope, and looking down at their smiling faces reminded him that not everything in life was so dark. He would find happiness again, and this time it would come with freedom. The life he always wanted was finally at his fingertips.

He carried the box down to the foyer, stopping at the base of the stairs to look back over the house he’d grown up in. The house he’d been imprisoned in for so many years. It felt a little bittersweet to leave it behind, and his chest ached a little bit at the thought of never returning. It was stupid really. He should be happy to leave, but part of him felt a twinge of sadness. Most of the memories he had there were of isolation and loneliness, but when that was all you’d ever known, change seemed so scary. But he’d had a taste of life on the other side, and he didn’t want to look back.

Pursing his lips, he set the box down at the base of the stairs and climbed back up to his room. If this was the last time he’d ever set foot in the house, he might as well enjoy it and do all of the things he’d wanted to do for years. Was it juvenile to throw darts at his father’s portrait in the foyer? Probably, but something about seeing them pierce his stiff cheeks made him feel a little better.

“Do you really hate him this much?” He froze briefly at the voice behind him but threw the next dart after a beat without bothering to turn around. “He did what he did for us, you know. He just wanted us to be happy.”

“Yeah, how’d that turn out for him?” Adrien grunted, aiming another dart. “You spent years locked in the basement. I thought you were dead. I’d accepted that, and ya know, he could have just been a father to me, but instead he decided to be a supervillain. He decided to terrorize the city on a daily basis, and now he’s in jail and none of us are happy.”

She remained quiet at that, so he turned around to face her with a shrug. All those years he’d wondered what he would feel if he ever saw his mother again, but now as he looked at her, he couldn’t help but feel like he was looking into the face of a stranger. She looked the same as she had the last time he saw her, but after everything, he had to wonder if he’d ever truly known her at all.

“I’m not exactly thrilled with him,” he said before climbing up to retrieve his darts, and Emilie paced up to meet him, a hesitant hand raised to reach for him.

“You’ve grown so much,” she remarked, brushing her fingers through his hair, but he stepped away from her advances, trotting down a few steps to resume his game.

“Yeah, that happens when you spend 4 years in a magical coma. You wanna explain to me how that happened?” He quirked a brow as he aimed another dart, and Emilie averted her gaze. “I had a lot of time to think in the hospital. Time to realize things. You didn’t end up that way on accident.”

“I’m not entirely innocent either, I admit, but we just wanted you to be safe,” she said, fiddling with her ring. “You were our precious boy, and we never wanted anything to happen to you, so we used the Miraculouses selfishly. We didn’t realize the repercussions of using a damaged Miraculous until it was too late for me. If we had known then we never would have tried…and now when I look at you, I can only feel regret for all of the years that I’ve missed. You’re grown up now.”

“Yeah, I’m not exactly the submissive little boy I used to be,” he said, sinking another dart into his father’s face. “Father didn’t expect me to be on the other end fighting against him, now did he? And it turns out he didn’t even need the Miraculouses to wake you up; he just needed a guardian, but then he wouldn’t have gotten to play the brooding villain with a tragic past and sappy motives, would he? Did he honestly expect me to forgive him in the end just because he was doing it for love?”

He held out his arms and quirked a brow, and when Emilie winced, he continued.

“I never needed either of you to protect me. I needed you to stop smothering me and let me be normal for once,” he said, clenching another dart in his hand. “I’ve been fighting on my own for years. Successfully, I might add. And who was I fighting at the end of the day but the very man who thought I was so helpless.”

“I don’t think he intended for any of this to happen. Neither of us did.” She flicked her gaze up to meet his, biting her lip as tears welled in her eyes. “We loved you so much.”

“Yeah, well you should have thought of that before playing with magic you didn’t understand,” Adrien said before landing the last dart directly over Gabriel’s heart and stooping to retrieve his box. “I’ve already closed out the deal on the house. With father in jail and you in a coma, they came to me to decide what to do with it, so I told them to sell the furniture and tear it down. Then we’re going to use the funds to build a new center for one of Marinette’s charities to help those who were akumatized and anyone suffering from trauma related to the akumas. I felt it was fitting all things considered.”

Emilie remained quiet as he headed for the door.

“And since you’ve been in a coma for a long time, I forgive you for not remembering,” he said, stopping in the threshold and turning to face her. “I’m 18 today. You and father officially no longer control me, so if you don’t mind, I’m gonna go live my life.”

“Adrien-”

“Goodbye, Mom.”

***

Marinette fiddled with the ring on her necklace as she sat on the bench at the train station, eyes fixed ahead until the person she was waiting on approached.

“Hey, am I too late?” He asked as she hopped up and stepped into his arms.

“Nope, he’s just getting his train pass squared away,” she said, stretching up to kiss him. “How did things go?”

“They went.” He shrugged, and when her eyebrows furrowed worriedly, he smiled. “I’m fine. I’m free now. Finally.”

“And what will you do with your newfound freedom?” She asked with a smirk, resting her chin on his chest.

“I’ve always wanted to see Belize. I’ve heard it’s-”

“Don’t,” Marinette sighed.

“Un-Belizeable.” He waggled his eyebrows, and she gave him a stern look. “But seriously, what do you say? You. Me. Christmas vacation in a few months? I think we more than deserve it.”

“That sounds nice,” she said, leaning against his chest with a sigh.

“You two can go anywhere you want now,” Tikki piped up from her bag, and Marinette lifted her purse with a sad smile.

“It’s weird, but in a way I’m going to miss being Ladybug and fighting akumas every day,” she said, touching her earrings reminiscently. “I’m not ready to say goodbye yet.”

“It was an honor having you as my chosen, Marinette. You were an excellent Ladybug,” Tikki said before flitting up to nuzzle Marinette’s cheek. “I will miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, Tikki,” she said, cupping her in her hands. “I was happy to be your Ladybug, and I hope that your next chosen feeds you lots of cookies.”

Plagg poked his head out of Marinette’s jacket, averting his gaze awkwardly before floating out to hug Adrien’s cheek.

“I’m sorry things turned out the way they did, kid. I really hoped that your dad would come around for you in the end,” he said softly, and Adrien leaned against him with a smile.

“Being Chat Noir was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I’m glad that I had you as my kwami. You helped me feel a little less lonely all the time, and not to mention you taught me how to loosen up. I’ll never forget you, Plagg,” Adrien said, and Plagg closed his eyes, nuzzling closer.

“I’ll never forget you either, Adrien,” he said. “You’ll always be my Chat Noir.”

After a moment, Plagg pulled away abruptly, clearing his throat and taking his place next to Tikki, and Adrien and Marinette smiled in amusement.

“So you’ve said your goodbyes.” They turned to Master Fu standing with his suitcases. “All things must come to an end. You two fought very valiantly all these years.”

“Thank you for the opportunity,” Adrien said with a bow.

“Thank you for rising to the occasion,” Fu said with a smirk that faded into a frown. “I’m sorry for how the Miraculouses have plagued your life.”

“No.” Adrien shook his head. “Selfishness outside of my control plagued my life. The Miraculouses saved me. Being Chat Noir made everything a little bit more bearable and gave me the courage to reach for my freedom. So truly, thank you.”

“I’m going to miss you,” Marinette said, stooping down to hug him tightly.

“And I you, my young Ladybug. You have given me so much during your time. You helped me forgive myself for my past mistakes. You gave me hope for the future, and most importantly, you reunited me with the love of my life,” Fu said, placing his hands over hers. “You truly were a miraculous Ladybug, Marinette.”

She smiled, tears welling in her eyes as a voice announced a five-minute warning on his train, and the three embraced, their kwamis sandwiched between them.

When they pulled away, she removed her earrings slowly, placing them into the small box in her hand. She trailed her fingers over them one last time before closing the box and handing it to Master Fu. Tikki flitted in for one last hug, snuggling against her cheek as tears streamed down them. Once they pulled away, Marinette unclasped the necklace from around her neck, letting the ring slide from the chain into her palm before offering it to Adrien.

He eyed it in her hand a moment before picking it up and trailing his thumb over it. He really was going to miss it. All those nights in the rooftops attempting to charm Ladybug not knowing that over the next several years he would kiss her passionately every day. He wouldn’t trade those nights for anything. Not a single one.

Placing the ring in the box, he flicked his gaze back up to Plagg who stiffened.

“I’m gonna miss you, buddy,” he said, brushing Plagg’s cheek with his finger.

“Do you think we’ll meet again someday?” Plagg quirked a hopeful brow as Adrien closed the lid.

“If another tragedy like Hawkmoth were to take place, you two can never be Ladybug and Chat Noir again. Knowing your identities would put you both at risk,” Master Fu said, and Plagg slumped. “But in this modern age, it should be fairly easy to keep in touch.”

“Maybe we can visit you and Marianne across the pond sometime,” Marinette suggested. “We can pop over for tea any time.”

“That sounds nice.” Master Fu nodded.

“So this isn’t really goodbye then,” Plagg stated. “So there’s absolutely no reason to cry whatsoever because we’re going to see each other again.”

“Most likely,” Adrien said, placing the box in Master Fu’s hand, and Plagg peeked open an eye before flitting over to nuzzle Adrien’s cheek one last time, tiny tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Come visit soon, okay?” He blubbered, and Adrien chuckled, holding him close.

“I will. I promise,” he said before Plagg floated back down to Master Fu’s duffle bag where the Miracle Box was neatly packed away.

“Tell Marianne we said hi, okay?” Marinette said as Fu gathered his bags. “And take her out somewhere nice, okay?”

“I will,” Fu said with a laugh. “It’s been 80 years since we first met. That’s quite a long time to wait for a first date.”

“Just a little bit, yeah.” Adrien smirked. “Take care, Master.”

“I’ll see you both soon,” Fu said with a nod before retreating to his train car, and Adrien draped an arm over Marinette’s shoulders as they watched the doors slide closed. They stayed until the last car of the train disappeared through the tunnel before slowly heading home, finally free of their duties as Ladybug and Chat Noir.

***

“We’re back!” Marinette announced as they walked through the doors of the bakery, and Tom quickly moved around to greet them.

“Did you see your friend off?” Sabine asked, joining her husband.

“Yeah, he’s on his way to London,” Marinette said, stooping to kiss her cheek.

“Is this all you brought from home?” Sabine flicked her gaze to the single box in Adrien’s hands, and he shrugged.

“Everything in that house was bought for me. These mementos are mine,” he stated simply.

“Well, we did prepare a little surprise for you,” Tom said with a grin, motioning for them to follow as they headed for the stairs.

On the second floor, Tom opened the door to the spare room and gestured Adrien inside before draping an arm over his wife’s shoulders.

“It’s not much, but it’s yours for the time being, if you want it,” he said as Adrien stepped inside, glancing around at the cozy room. “It might seem a little lackluster compared to what you’re used to, but-”

“It’s great,” Adrien said, turning to him with a smile, tears welling in his eyes. “Thank you for always opening your home to me.”

“Oh, sweetie,” Sabine cooed, stepping forward to pull him into her arms. “This place is your home too. You have always been welcome here, so stay as long as you like, and know that we love you.”

“Thank you, Mom,” he said, hugging her tight. “I love you too.”

Tom and Marinette joined them in their embrace, happy tears trickling down their faces as Adrien held onto them tightly. The people who loved him no matter what. His family. The one he’d found for himself, and he was never letting go.

“Now, we do have a few house rules for you two,” Tom said once they separated, placing his hands on his hips. “At the end of the night when it’s time for bed, your bedroom is down here. Is that clear?”

“Of course.” Adrien nodded. “I promise not to do anything to disrespect either of you while I’m staying here.”

“Good.” Tom ruffled his hair.

“We’ll give you a few minutes to get settled in, but we baked a cake to celebrate, so it’s upstairs whenever you’re ready,” Sabine said, patting his shoulder as they slipped out to retreat up the stairs, leaving Marinette leaning in his doorway.

“They mean it when they say it, you know,” she said once her parents were gone. “They really do love you.”

“I know,” Adrien said with a smile, sitting on the bed with a contented sigh. “I’ve always known.”

“Papa is going to be watching us like a hawk,” she pointed out, and he chuckled at that.

“It won’t be long before we’re flying out to New York.” He shrugged. “Aubrey wants to leave as soon as possible once we finish school.”

“Knowing her she’ll want to leave that night,” Marinette said, rolling her eyes before pacing over to sit beside him, leaning against his shoulder, and he kissed her temple softly.

“I’ll follow you to the ends of the Earth, love bug,” he murmured against her hair.

“I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side, chaton.” She brushed his nose with her finger before leaning up to touch her lips to his, and for the first time in his life, Adrien didn’t feel trapped or alone.

He was safe. He was warm. He was home.

**Five years later**

“Does the Eiffel Tower look different to you?” Adrien asked as he peeked out the window of Marinette’s jet as they circled around to the airport, and she lowered her magazine with a quirked brow, leaning over to look out.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen it last, but I think it’s still the same. It looks different when you’re not climbing it,” she said with a smirk, and Adrien sat back with a laugh.

“I once scaled it in 4 seconds flat,” he boasted as if she’d be impressed, but she simply rolled her eyes and brushed his nose with her finger.

“I was there when you did it, remember? You were so proud of yourself,” she said, lifting her magazine again. “I never wanted to disappoint you, but I did it in 3 and a half once.”

“What?” He gaped as their pilot’s voice sounded over the intercom, instructing them to fasten their seatbelts and prepare for landing, and he pursed his lips into a pout.

“I’ve already arranged a car to take you to your parents’ house. Tomorrow morning, you have an appearance at the De-evilize foundation then a phone interview with Mode. At 3 o’clock you’ll meet with your friends for tea for the rest of the evening,” Danielle listed, scrolling down her tablet screen.

“Thank you, Danielle.” Marinette nodded, taking Adrien’s hand as the plane descended onto the runway.

“It feels a little weird to be back. I guess in a lot of ways I’ve tried not to think about Paris since we left. At least, not the bad parts anyway,” he said as they paced across the runway to the car, hand-in-hand.

“You’re in a better place now than you were last time we were here,” Marinette remarked before he helped her into the car and climbed in after her. “You’ve come a long way.”

“Yeah,” he said, wiping his palms on his pants with a sigh. “I know, but I’m just a little nervous I guess.”

“You don’t have to see him, you know,” she pointed out, placing a hand over his. “You can sit with me while I do my interview.”

“No. I need to go. I’ll never really heal if I don’t,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Okay.” She pressed her lips together. “One thing at a time. That’s tomorrow’s problem.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he sighed, relaxing his shoulders a little. “I’ve missed your dad’s croissants. We haven’t had them since they came over for Christmas.”

“I’m sure he’s made you plenty,” Marinette giggled, leaning against his arm.

Tom and Sabine welcomed them with open arms when they arrived, Tom giving them both a bear hug the moment they walked in the door, and Adrien was reminded that not all of his memories of Paris were bad. There was a lot of good still left there, and it gave him the courage he needed the next day to face the thing he’d been running from all these years. The past that he hoped to leave behind, but it was time to finally face it. To face him one last time.

“I’ll meet you after, okay?” Marinette said the next day on the curb outside their foundation headquarters - the center they’d built where his old house used to be. She stretched up to kiss him hard before he ducked into the town car and closed the door with a sigh.

Several times on the way he debated telling the driver to turn around, but he knew that he needed to go. Five years was a long time, and he needed to finally rid himself of his darkness because he wanted to live a long and happy life with Marinette. To put the past behind him for good and close the door without ever having to worry about it again, and this was the only way to do it.

Security was tight, but he barely flinched during the several searches he had to undergo as they made their way deeper into the prison. He wasn’t sure what to think about the whole time or what to expect when he saw his father, but when he was finally led in wearing a gaudy orange jumpsuit, Adrien couldn’t help but smirk. They stared at each other through the glass pane for a moment before picking up the phones.

“Adrien,” Gabriel said, his voice hoarse and grey eyes wide with emotion.

“Hello, Father.” He nodded curtly, pressing his lips into a firm line. “Long time no see.”

“I’d given up hope that you’d ever come here. It’s good to see you…You’ve grown so much,” Gabriel looked him over. “What have you been up to?”

“Marinette and I live in New York. She just finished up school, so we decided to make a trip,” he explained nonchalantly. “But I didn’t come here to catch up. I have something to say, and I want you to listen.”

Gabriel lowered his gaze with a sigh, running a hand over his stubble before nodding.

“I’ve been angry with you for a long time. What you did was despicable and horrible, and somedays I still can’t believe it’s real,” he started, twirling the phone cord around his fingers as he spoke. “All I ever wanted was for you to be there for me. To come to my fencing tournaments or even just have a meal with me more than once a month. I was willing to be patient with you for being busy with your work, but little did I know what kind of work you were actually doing.”

He flicked his gaze back up to Gabriel who swallowed hard.

“I should hate you, and maybe in some ways I do, but that’s not what I came here to say to you today.”

“Adrien-” Gabriel started.

“I forgive you,” Adrien cut him off, and Gabriel’s jaw dropped, lip quivering as tears welled in his eyes. “I forgive you, Father.”

Gabriel’s face fell into his hand, and Adrien sat back, running a hand over his face and tapping his foot.

“I don’t want you to be mistaken and think that this means I want you to be part of my life,” he continued after a moment. “This will probably be the last time we see each other because I’m going to ask Marinette to marry me, and when we have kids, your grandchildren, I don’t ever want you to meet them. I don’t want them to have a relationship with you, and I never want you to be part of their lives, and I will work hard every day of my life to give them what I never had: a real father.”

“I suppose that’s what I deserve after everything.” Gabriel nodded, rubbing at his cheek. “I’ve often debated what I would say to you if you ever came, but now I can’t seem to find the words, so I’ll just say this: I have always loved you, and I am sorry.”

Adrien held his gaze for a long moment before biting his lip and placing the phone back on the receiver. He flashed his father a small smile before standing up and following the guard back through the door. Never once did he look back.

---

“Marinette!” Macy squealed the moment they stepped out of the car, racing to hug her tightly. “Oh, last time I saw you was at Eliott and Lisette’s wedding in London. It’s been so long since you’ve visited us in Paris.”

“It’s been a while, but I knew it was in safe hands,” Marinette said, leaning against her shoulder before they pulled away, and Eliott stepped down from the front steps and held out his arms.

“Nice, scarf,” she commented with a smirk, tracing her thumb over her brand logo, and Eliott chuckled as they embraced.

“I only wear the best,” he said, lifting her feet from the ground and squeezing her tight. “Your color palette this year is stunning, no surprise.”

“Thanks,” she giggled as he set her down, and she exchanged quick hugs with Lisette and Martin while Macy and Eliott traded off with Adrien.

“Well, we’re not going to stand out here all day. Come inside,” Macy insisted, gesturing them into the house. “Martin and I imported our favorite tea, and we picked up some madeleines from the best bakery in town.”

She cast a wink at Marinette as they walked to the sitting room where her butler stood beside a fancy cart.

“So, how are things in New York? It’s been a couple weeks since we spoke last,” she started as they settled in, and the butler began serving tea.

“Great! I just finished with school, and I have a branding campaign coming up in a few weeks, so we’ll be traveling around a lot for the next year, but we’ve actually talked about settling back here in Paris once it’s over,” she said, placing a hand on Adrien’s knee and exchanging smiles. “How are things here? I’ve heard album sales are going well, and Eliott is playing the lead role in an upcoming show. Oh, and congrats on the engagement!”

“Thank you,” Martin’s cheeks flushed as Macy flashed the ring.

“Are you going to design the dress, Marinette?” Lisette asked, and Marinette bit back a smirk.

“Oh, I’ve already designed the entire bridal party,” she said, waving it away. “We can look at that later.”

“I asked her as soon as Martin proposed. There isn’t anyone else in the world that I trust to design for me,” Macy said, taking her hands. “It also helps when your sister-in-law is a makeup artist.”

Lisette flashed her a grin.

“When is the wedding? Have you decided yet?” Adrien asked, and Macy shook her head.

“We haven’t picked a date yet, but we’re hoping to do it before Martin applies to law school,” she said.

“Well, I’ll get everyone’s measurements before I leave today, and when you decide on the designs you like I’ll get started on them when I get back to New York,” Marinette said, and Macy perked up, clapping her hands together excitedly.

“Speaking of weddings, I’m surprised you two haven’t tied the knot yet,” Lisette remarked, and Marinette and Adrien exchanged smiles.

“We’ve talked about it, but we wanted to make sure that Adrien was okay after everything,” she explained, taking a sip of her tea, and Adrien shot them a wink.

“Well, Chloe and I have already planned your bachelorette party, so just be prepared,” Macy informed her, and Marinette chuckled.

“Why does that make me worry?” She laughed, and Macy bit back a smirk.

“It’s really good to see you both again for something that isn’t related to a charity or an event,” she said, and the looks on everyone’s faces seemed to echo the sentiment. “We’ll have to get together more when you two move back here.”

“We will, definitely,” Marinette promised, giving her hands a squeeze, and Adrien sat back with a smile as they continued on about Macy’s new album or work they’d done with their charities.

It was nice to catch up with friends again like Macy said, and it did help him realize that there were somethings he wanted to do sooner rather than later.

“Where are we going?” Marinette asked the next day as he took her hand and led her up the strip toward the Trocadero.

“You’ll see,” he said, taking a few more steps then turning to face the Eiffel Tower and adjusting her accordingly. “Right here.”

“Right here?” She quirked a brow, glancing down at their feet.

“Right here.” He nodded. “This is the spot where I was standing when I fell head-over-heels in love with you all those years ago. We were fighting Stoneheart, and you vowed to protect Paris no matter what, and it was the moment when you stole my heart and ran away with it.”

Marinette bit back a smile as he continued.

“I made my own vow that day that no matter who was under that mask, I was going to love you for the rest of my life,” he said, reaching into his pocket before dropping down onto one knee. “And I intend to keep that promise. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, my Ladybug, will you marry me?”

She cupped her hands over her mouth, eyes watering as she gazed down at him lovingly and nodded.

“Of course, chaton,” she said, pulling him up to meet her lips, their smiles and laughter breaking each kiss before Adrien lifted her up and spun them around.

Not everything in their life had gone the way they’d pictured it, but in the end they’d overcome every obstacle thrown their way. Akumas, broken friendships, fame, Lila, Hawkmoth, and the weight of Gabriel’s sins. They were both confident that no matter where they went in life that everything would work out so long as they had each other.

Fin

#miraculous ladybug #ml salt #mdcsp original #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #adrinette #mdcsp #my writing #the end of an era #for now

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thebrownblog · 3 years

Text

The Year of Our Lord 2020

I was in New Orleans when the world truly went nuts. It was surreal, I flew out to meet my friend on the 5th of March when it was still kind of a big joke (looking back, I don’t really know why it was), and in the 7 days I was down there it all became real. It was still the source of jokes and one-liners when someone coughed at the bar on Bourbon Street, or when I had a hay fever sneezing fit. I flew back in to Montreal on the 12th. By this time, when I yawned at the airport someone nearly jumped right out of their skin. I arrived just in time to be part of the first group of quarantined folk in Canada (cheers to being part of history!).

I remember those weeks in mid-March as being intense, scary, and...unprecedented. Not really seeing another human for two weeks is no fun at all, and something I pray to avoid having to do a second time. ‘Unprecedented’ is a word that has been used over and over again this year, because we’ve been living through the unknown since that aforementioned week in March. The faith that society would pull together in a crisis, that even the more grotesque politicians (ahem Boris, cough Trump) would step up and lead...that nothing too bad could ever happen to us in the shiny West, has been eroded. The safety blanket is gone, we see how fragile things really are, and how so much of what we took for granted was an illusion.

They say the novel coronavirus mainly has serious effects on people with pre-existing conditions, ‘comorbidities’ as they call them in the US. Well it turned out that western society had a fuck-ton of those things, and now I often feel like it’s become this revolting, sick thing made up of polarised extremes. Some days it feels like half the world is sitting at home in front of the TV, terrified that the virus is stalking just outside the front door like Michael Myers in a Halloween movie (I was like this at the start before I turned off the news and put Netflix on), while the other half are in a collective delusion/mass psychosis in which the virus doesn’t exist, and somehow every government in the world (despite how obviously incompetent most of them are), along with every health worker on the planet, have somehow pulled off the world’s greatest conspiracy just to stop them eating in at McDonald’s. To me it looks like being a giant, screaming baby denying everything which inconveniences you somehow (for an even clearer example of this behaviour, check out this year’s shambolic US election).

And no, I’m not here to pick sides or insult people, I’m calling it all as I see it when looking back on the year as a whole. I’ve personally flip-flopped with my own feelings and thoughts many times, and it’s normal in an evolving situation. There is legitimacy to questioning the measures at times if you’re prepared to have a reasonable, adult conversation. In fact, there’s legitimacy to most (not all) opinions in life if you’re prepared to do this. Sadly this is a skill that seems to have by and large died a terrible death in recent times. Another crucial thing that would help dig us all out of this shitheap is people possessing the ability to change their mind about something when presented with new evidence instead of doubling and tripling down no matter what. It’s okay to be wrong and make mistakes, seriously. Acknowledge it, apologise if you need to, and move on for the better. Oh, and if you’re offended by any of this, take a hike, seriously. I don’t care.

I’ve never been down the conspiracy rabbit hole, but yes I have felt anger at the restrictions because I want to live again instead of exisiting and holding on, it’s simply human nature at work. I want to see my family (at Christmas this stings worse than ever, and I will go in summer no matter what), I want to travel, to do work I get pleasure from again (and not from home, sitting alone). Today this feels like a year wasted. You can always make more money, but time is something you can never get back.

If you’ve stuck with reading this up to this point, you’re probably ready to call the Samaritans, but there’s no need. It would be pretty difficult (and incredibly false) to write a glowingly positive piece about 2020. My emotions have been like a yo-yo all year. Sometimes life has been almost normal despite the pandemic, and other times it has hit me in the face all over again. In spite of everything I have had good times this year, and I am grateful for the friends I’ve made over the years here, without whom all this would have been 10x worse. I’m also grateful to have my own place, I feel this would have been truly horrendous if I was sharing a living space like I have for most of my adult life.

Oh, and the defeat of Donald Trump in November certainly didn’t do me any harm, even though I’ll never understand how he got that many votes!

I am also grateful for all the free time I have had this year to indulge in many old pleasures I haven’t had so much time for in years. Reading through all seven Harry Potter books at the park probably wins the prize, but honourable mentions go to my eternal comrade Stephen King, as well as all the films of my childhood and adolescence that made a strong come back this year. Thanks go also to the PS1, PS2, and the XBox/XBox 360. For real, there is genuine comfort and refuge in nostalgia. When the present is crappy, look to the past. You’ve probably worked it out already too this year, but if not, try it...seriously. Just don’t get lost.

It was also nice reconnecting with a lot of old friends I hadn’t spoken to in years at the start of this covid story, but sadly it does seem that all that sense of unity didn’t last very long.

Nevertheless, there’s no doubt that being outside in summer and autumn was better than being cooped up indoors now. I don’t like this time of year at the best of times, so it’s no surprise I barely feel like getting out of bed some days presently.

I’m down, but not out however. All things must pass, covid included. It is my personal feeling that the next three months will be as bad, if not worse, than what’s gone before, and then things will slowly but surely begin to change and improve. I’m not sure we’ll ever go back to the way things were, but the way things were was far from perfect anyway. We’ll just have to wait and see, we’re still like mushrooms in this scenario; kept in the dark and fed shit. Life has been on pause most of the year, and it still is, frustrating as it is.

As for the future, there’s still not much to do other than hold on for a little while longer, but I’m sure when this shitstorm is over there are changes to come. I’ve certainly had plenty of time this year to think and reflect! When I can I’ll make the changes required to improve my situation, wherever the opportunities happen to be on the map.

Happy New Year, Death to 2020.

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one-leaf-grimoire · 4 years

Text

“triad”

Chapter 4: the three votes

AKA the main character manipulates men into doing what she wants.

Link to the full Ao3 work

Three votes.

Three votes, that's all I need.

Yes, the threshold I need to win is actually five votes. But once two of those votes swing my way, the others will follow. Well, maybe I just need two votes now. The one that was withheld last round and one from the pair of rivals.

Fuegoleon and Nozel... to gain both of their votes, I just need to convince one.

My grandparents once told me that the foundation of every Dyad is a strong relationship. It can be that between a husband and wife; lovers; maybe two best friends. But the most interesting yet volatile Dyads came from those formed from two rivals. Admittedly, it's been a long time since I had a true rival. Back when I was a kid, I mentally competed with Horatio. He was strong and powerful, at least for a commoner, and I wanted nothing more than to beat him. But that seems like a lifetime ago. Several lifetimes. I hardly recognize the girl I was back then, as if she's a stranger or just someone I made up in my own head.

The point is... the rivalry between Fuegoleon and Nozel is something I've never fully understood. They push each other to get better in the hopes of one day beating the other to the throne, but the understanding between them was that, at the very least, one of them was worthy of it. And no one else.

Not even me.

So...

In order to defeat them, I have to destroy it. Their rivalry. I'll crush it with everything I can muster. I'm sorry... but I can't let you stand in my way.

I walk for a long time, formulating my plan, until I make my decision. First, I'll go to Fuegoleon. Then, to Nozel. And finally... to William.

William...

My plan to get his vote is not solid. It relies completely on my ability to pull at the well of shame and guilt I know is building inside him.

... I'm sorry.

"Hey, Fuego~"

I find Fuegoleon leaning on the edge of a window, staring down at the city below. He turns quickly at the sound of my voice, and his eyes widen slightly as I approach. However, he can't help the small smile that etches itself on his lips. "Oh... hello." He straightens up, letting go of the edge. "If nothing else, you're surprising us all today."

"What? That sounds like an insult," I tease, walking up next to him and looking out as well. The city is busy with repairs, people moving around the streets like little ants. It's a view I'm used to, one I've known for almost 7 years now. "And surprises are good, right?"

Fuegoleon shrugs, his gaze following mine down to the city. "I suppose..."

We sit there for a long time in silence, just staring out at the Kingdom that one of us will rule by the end of today.

"...Fuegoleon?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember... that time you got turned into a frog?"

Fuegoleon's jaw drops and he makes a surprised noise. It comes out in a choked CROAK, and I can't help but burst out laughing at it. "Wow, I guess old habits die hard!"

"What?! Ah- AHEM!" Fuegoleon blushes as he clears his throat, but the sound of my laugh ensures that his smile stays on his face. "Yes, yes, I remember... although I'd like to forget." He lets out a soft chuckle. "That was so long ago..."

"Yeah, it really was." I shake my head a bit at the memory. "Back before you were captain and I was an advisor. Back when..."

I don't really know what I want to say. Back when things were simple? Before I was disgraced? Back when Julius was alive?

Back when Julius was alive... that wasn't even a week ago.

"I know today has been a big surprise. I know you never expected me to throw my hat into the ring. I guess I'm sorry about that..." I sigh, closing my eyes, the fleeting joy of the last few moments already ebbing away.

Fuegoleon draws in a heavy breath. He's tired, I can feel it, every bone in his body aching and his mind reeling to just stay awake. He woke up from a coma just a few days ago, after all, and has been on his feet ever since. It must have been scary and confusing to wake up in the midst of such a ferocious battle, but he got everything under control at his base and went on to fight inside the shadow palace. At his core, Fuegoleon is a leader, someone strong who can be looked up to and followed without question. I was proud to call him my comrade and captain.

I know in my heart that he would be a great Wizard King. Maybe it's selfish to take it away from him. But I have to.

I promised.

"Don't apologize. I can't pretend I'm not surprised... and a little confused." Fuegoleon glances over at me out of the corner of his eye. "You really haven't been planning this for a while?"

"No, not at all! Do I seem prepared?" I shoot him a little grin to keep things light. "But what is it you're confused about? I thought I made a pretty good case for myself-"

"You did, you did!" Fuegoleon, to my surprise, cuts me off. I look up to see him facing me, smiling despite the challenge I've created for him. "It was a very good case, too."

I raise an eyebrow. "Oh? You don't sound like someone that determined to become Wizard King."

Fuegoleon snorts. "No, no, I am... But just because I'm determined, doesn't mean I can't recognize those with worth of your own." I blink, a little confused, as he closes his eyes and smiles. "I think... you would make a fine Wizard King."

He lets the statement hang in the air for a moment before opening his eyes again, his expression turning grim again.

"But, the case you made today... those were just reasons why we should want you to be Wizard King. What I really want to know..."

He narrows his eyes.

"Why do you want to be Wizard King?"

...

I made a promise. I want to continue Julius's legacy. I deserve it. I've worked harder than anyone else. Spite. I want to be the first commoner to do it.

I want to be Wizard King... because I WANT to be Wizard King.

About thirty different reasons flash through my mind at once, blurring and blending into each other all at once. It takes me by surprise, the sudden animosity that wells up in response to the question, like a flame being fed by air... before suddenly sputtering out into nothing.

"...I..."

I feel Fuegoleon's hand on my shoulder, squeezing for a moment. "I meant what I said. I think you would be amazing. You're strong, confident, and people follow you. You're probably more powerful than any of us. And you carry Julius's soul in your own. But..." He lets go. "I don't want you to do this because you think you're expected to. That's too much pressure to bear."

Fuegoleon turns away, starting to walk off down the hallway to leave me alone again.

... I can't give up...

I ball up my fist, and my prior conversation with Marx and Yami.

"I don't think you should keep acting like nothing happened. It has to hurt... right?"

"... too much to bear?"

He pauses at the sound of my voice, which is wavering dangerously on the edge of a void. Slowly, he turns around to still see me staring out the window. My eyes feel hot and wet, but I don't let even a single drop of emotion escape. Sucking in a shaky breath, I finally look up at him, and I see his facade drop.

Look at me... see me. See what I want you to see.

"Do you have any idea... how much pain I'm in right now?"

Fuegoleon's eyes widen, his mouth opening as he realizes what he's done.

He made me cry. Me, the girl who never cries, is letting my eyes tear up in front of him. It's a vulnerability I don't dare show to people, except for those closest to me. Marx, my father, and Julius... I can count the number of people who've seen me cry on one hand. And now, Fuegoleon thinks that he's added himself to that list.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

He steps forward, his non-fire hand reaching out to comfort me, put I pull away before he can touch me. I cover my face, drawing in one long, shallow breath.

"It hurts, Fuegoleon... It's the worst I've ever felt in my life. Everything I ever wanted is gone. Julius..." I gulp thickly, squeezing my eyes shut. "He's gone!"

With each word I speak, I fly closer and closer to the sun. If I fly too far, I'll burn up and fall back down into that dark, deep emptiness.

That emptiness... it engulfs this whole world. It is the world without him.

Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Just speak.

"I'm sorry..." Fuegoleon has no idea what to do, and he's panicking just like I predicted. He steps to my side, then to the other once I turn away again and again, avoiding his gaze. "I-I didn't mean to upset you-"

"It's not you! Don't you get it!" Finally, I let my voice raise, just a little, which silences him again. I let my hands drop to my sides as I look back up at his horrified face. The tears streak down my cheeks now. "I can't make you understand. You and your rivalry... you wouldn't, would you? You don't know what it's like to lose."

Fuegoleon opens his mouth, but he can't possibly have a good response to that. I sniff deliberately, reaching up and starting to wipe off my face.

"I loved him with everything I had... and now I have to replace him, or this void..."

One of my hands clutches my chest, right over my heart.

Yes, it does hurt... but I can't think about it.

I close my eyes for a long moment, and when I open them, they're empty.

"The only think I can replace him with is the Kingdom. I want to be Wizard King, because I want to love something like that again."

The hand outreached to me finally falls, and forms a fist by Fuegoleon's side.

He's making his decision.

The first tightens.

Fuegoleon...

And finally, he lets it relax. His shoulders slump.

He's been defeated. A few tears, a crying friend... and a sincere statement. That's all it took.

You revealed your own weakness. You let yourself consider another option, other than yourself and Nozel. You considered me. And once I came up with my reason...

You can't refuse this last request from a friend, can you?

I'm sorry.

"...I see."

Fuegoleon's voice is soft.

"I... I'll see you back in the conference room. Let me know if you need anything."

"...thank you."

I keep staring at the ground until his footsteps fade out of earshot, and then finally look up at the empty hallway. I reach up and wipe away the lingering moisture, wondering how much of it was real.

Wow... I really am the worst, aren't I?

For a brief moment, I started to fall. The emptiness threatened to consume me. I know it's inevitable at this point, and before long I'll have to get it out of my system, but I don't have that luxury right now. I just have to tough it out until this day is over.

On that subject, there's just one more person to see, now that I basically have Fuegoleon wrapped around my finger. With that one conversation, I'm certain that I've secured two votes. Fuegoleon votes first, and once Nozel sees that his rival has given up...

It's mine. But not yet.

William.

I find him standing by himself outside the conference room. He looks up once he hears my footsteps, giving me a little smile. "...hello."

"Hey." I give him a smile before leaning on the wall next to him. "Are you waiting for everyone to come back?"

"Yeah." He nods slowly, his gaze meeting mine for just a moment before dropping to the ground. Ah. This is going to be hard. It's no secret that, despite what I told him on the night of the attack, William is drowning in guilt. He almost single-handedly destroyed the kingdom, but against me, personally... he committed a crime he'll never forgive himself for.

It's that guilt that I'm betting on now.

"I guess I have the easiest decision... I'm abstaining again." William's eyes close, their lavender shades hidden from my view.

His eyes...

Julius had eyes just like that, too.

"I don't want you to feel like this is a vote against you, though," William turns to me, suddenly very concerned about this point, almost frantic. "I mean- I just feel like-" He starts to stumble. "I think you would be great-" Gee, like I haven't heard that before! "-I just..."

For a brief moment, William looks like he's about to cry.

"I think I gave up my right to vote... when I let Patri kill Julius."

He winces at the sound of his own words, but they bounce right off my skin.

Oh... oh William...

Just like Fuegoleon, William has revealed his weakness.

"That's not true."

With every ounce of strength I have, I extinguish anything warm I feel towards this man.

He just made a mistake. Don't do it, please... It wasn't his fault.

It's just for a moment... but the light extinguishes.

"William..."

His eyes meet mine. There's a flash of fear as he beholds the cold emptiness within them.

"You gave up your right to be silent when you let Patri kill Julius."

Confusion mixes with the fear. "...huh-"

"William. I told you before-" I hold up my hand and point at him accusingly.

"If you want me to forgive you, you'll need to help me. And right now..."

Despite the bitter regret that taints each word I say to my old friend, I smile.

"I need your vote. So... vote for me."

Vote for me.

I say it like I normally would, as if I was just asking a favor of a good friend. Which, in the end, that's all I'm doing. But there's a weight stringed against my words, a weight that drags behind both William and I. If he knows what's going on here, he can't do anything to resist. Because, I have the one thing he wants most: my forgiveness. He doesn't know that I've already given it to him. I'm not stupid- I know that there were otherworldly forces at work, beyond even Patri's command. Patri's hands held the sword, but the Devil was the one who struck down Julius in the end. However...

It doesn't matter if I've already forgiven William; He has no idea if I have. So I'll withhold it until he does what I want.

"I'm going inside... see you soon, William."

His lavender eyes follow me silently as I walk away, the door slamming closed behind me.

And now... it's time to see if my bet pays off.

The final vote occurs and MC/Lisa finds herself at the center of a trial once again... but this time, she has something to say. Next time, chapter 5: the payoff.

#triad #fic #oc: lisa #this was kind of hard to write #when your goal outweighs your friendships aha

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fire-emblem-heroes-supports · 4 years

Text

Summoner/Anna C-A Support

Written by @unsuspecting-person

C SUPPORT

(y/n): [yawns] Morning, Anna. What are you doing this early in the morning?

Anna: Perfect time, (y/n)! I need some help carrying these clothes to the Shoppe’s storage. Mind to lend me a hand?

(y/n): Sure, no biggie. Wait, are these…

Anna: Right on track, Summoner! Oboro gave me the first finished set of Earth Clothes last day and-

(y/n): Let me guess, you got so excited about putting them on sale you ended up not sleeping?

Anna: …Maybe~

(y/n): [sighs] What would I do without your shenanigans?

Anna: You’d get bored to death, since you keep helping me with them.

(y/n): Still, I’m surprised Oboro is letting you sell those.

Anna: She did, but at a couple of conditions. First, the majority of the profit goes to her to cover the time and material spent, and second, she asked to have complete monopoly over them in Hoshido, and a helping hand with marketing.

(y/n): Wait, she wants to sell those clothes in Hoshido of all places? It’s not exactly the most welcoming place to foreign culture, especially to something so… outworldly.

Anna: Don’t worry. With her determination and my wits, I’m sure they’ll be a success!

Anna: But back to the subject, I also came up with the perfect slogan! Ahem… “Inspired by the Great Hero’s mystical land of legends… A breathtaking line of clothes for all ages! Buy them now at the Shoppe of Heroes!”

Anna: So what do you think?

[(y/n) stays quiet for a moment , then starts snickering.]

(y/n): Oh my God, it’s so cheesy! [laughs loudly]

[Anna starts looking slightly annoyed.]

(y/n): Sorry. But honestly, I get hyping a product, but this is a bit too much.

Anna: [sighs] Alright, I’ll try making a slogan a bit less outlandish. But I need your help preparing the Shoppe for today.

(y/n): Coming, coming.

(y/n): (I swear, I’ve been in Askr for almost five years and I still can’t get over the Shoppe of Heroes’ name.) [giggles]

[(y/n) and Anna have reached support level C.]

B SUPPORT

(y/n): Good news, Anna! I finally managed to borrow some books on Fòdlan from another Summoner, so we won’t be completely clueless on who I just summoned anymore!

Anna: Oh, finally! This should work while we find an expansion to the library. I still don’t understand why we have literally NOTHING about that continent when Askr’s library should be the most complete in the Outrealms.

(y/n): Well, we’re not the only ones with that problem. A bunch of other Askrs I asked around didn’t have any information either.

(y/n): Should probably make some notes and send them around to help. I really wouldn’t want a fellow Summoner to get almost stabbed by Kronya too, haha…

Anna: …speaking of near-death experiences, there’s something we need to talk about.

(y/n): I’m listening.

Anna: Ever since you got ambushed by Veronica years ago you’ve been taking the backseat on leading and the battlefield. I wholeheartedly agreed to it since despite everything, you’re still a civilian that got dragged into a war without warning or consent.

(y/n): Anna, I already told you, I don’t blame you for-

Anna: I know, but you’re still in this situation because of me, and as your Commander, you’re my responsibility.

Anna: And while I wish I could just let you help around in the Castle as you did until now, we’re getting overwhelmed with tasks and missions, and since our tacticians are already working as best as they can we need all the manpower we can get.

(y/n): I see. You want to leave the simplest missions to me?

Anna: Correct. Now, I know how self-conscious you feel about your fighting and tactical abilities and I can’t or won’t pretend you’ll become a powerhouse or a tactical genius, but at the same time I want you to be able to perform some simple quests and ESPECIALLY know how to defend yourself. Understood?

[(y/n) nods.]

Anna: Good. I’m going to teach you the very basics of battle and tactics in our spare time, but I’m afraid you’re going to have to ask some of the Heroes for help after that. Meet me tomorrow in the training camps.

(y/n): Got it. I’m ready when you are, Commander.

[(y/n) and Anna have reached support level B.]

A SUPPORT

Anna: Alright, we can take a break now.

[(y/n) falls to the ground and starts breathing heavily.]

(y/n): Huff… Puff… I’m so exhausted…

Anna: Come on, (y/n). You’re actually doing well!

(y/n): …Really? I thought I sucked.

Anna: Well now, you can’t pretend too much when you’ve just started. And you know, you reminded me of my days as a squire, so how about some storytime from yours truly while you recover?

(y/n): Sure, why not…

Anna: As you know by know, I come from a family of merchants all across the Outrealms. We’ve been doing that for decades at this point, and very well if I say so myself!

Anna: Anyway, ten years ago I had to choose where I wanted to settle down my business. It's… sort of an initiation for us.

(y/n): So you went to Askr and started your merchant business there? As a kid?

Anna: Of course! It went pretty well, and I really enjoyed working on it… for a while. After almost two years my shop was relatively famous and I made a pretty good profit, but at the same time everything felt dull and uninspiring.

(y/n): You wanted something more from life than just earning money?

Anna: Don’t get me wrong , I love earning money, especially when I can get creative with planning around! But the shop, well… it didn’t give me satisfaction anymore.

Anna: Over those years I had actually grown attached to Askr and its people, so I decided to enroll in the army. And you could guess how my family reacted when I told them.

(y/n): They… didn’t take it very well?

[Anna rolls her eyes.]

Anna: Oh, that’s an understatement. They threatened tooutright dishonor me. And training wasn’t going well either. Like yourself a few days ago, I could barely lift a training weapon. It felt… horrible.

(y/n): I’m sorry for that… but why did you continue then?

Anna: Because oddly enough, I still felt the path of a soldier kind of rewarding. Not to mention seeing all the townspeople’s happy faces… and I was also dreaming of traveling the Outrealms someday, and Askr was the perfect opportunity for that.

Anna: As time went by, I got better and better, and I also slowly realized I don’t need the approval of some elders who think building an exclusive super-elite secret shop underground with outrageously high prices is a good idea.

Anna: I even started using an axe just to spite them. And while I did keep doing business from time to time it was mostly for personal fun, and not some “family legacy” or similar nonsense.

(y/n): [chuckles] Yeah, that’s the spirit!

Anna: Eventually I got promoted to Commander, I met Alphonse and Sharena and well, you know the rest.

[Anna hugs (y/n), who looks surprised.]

Anna:What I’m saying is don’t give up, okay? Even if it doesn’t seem like it now, I promise things will get better.

[(y/n) returns the hug, smiling.]

(y/n): I really needed that. Thanks, Anna.

Anna: Every time, (y/n).

[(y/n) and Anna have reached support level A.]

#fire emblem heroes #female heroes #male and female heroes #anna #summoner #kiran #summoner x anna #kiran x anna #submission

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spiderman-homecomeme · 4 years

Text

Something Blue (and Red)

Part 4 of “And A Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe.”

AN: Well, it’s been a while, but here is the final part of the wedding fic! Thank you guys from the bottom of my HEART for all of your patience!! It has been a crazy semester for me, but I am finally free!! Look out for more promptmas stuff coming, secret santa, and a few more WIPS in the near future!

Enjoy!

In his twenty-four years of being alive, Peter’s not sure that something’s ever been so right-- ever felt so right. Rarely have the stars aligned in such a way, so perfectly as they had in that specific moment as he stood, waiting in the winding check-out line of his local TJ Maxx, his arms already full of items he didn’t necessarily need.

But when he saw them, he knew.

There was nothing else to do, no choice left to make.

No question in his mind as the bored teen mindlessly scans the treasures, as he swipes his debit card, as he answers the age old question on the pinpad, “amount okay?”

MJ, however, seems less than impressed with the purchase, holding the limited edition Spider-Man socks between her fingers as if they might bite her, her nose crinkling in disgust.

“Seriously?” She asks, fixing him with a quizzical brow.

“Seriously,” He beams, obviously more excited than she was. “I had to.”

“Uh-huh,” she speaks slowly, carefully examining the blue and red socks. “And you don’t think that it might have been a little reckless for you, Peter Parker, to buy Spider-Man socks?”

Peter gives an innocent shrug, mouth twitching into a nonchalant frown. “Nah. The cashier just thought I was a big fan. We had a nice chat about Spidey. No biggie.”

Her face remains expressionless as she stares blankly at him, save for the skeptical quirk of her brow.

Peter decides to simply ignore the doubt radiating from his fiancée, his lips pulling back into a mischievous grin. “That’s not all…”

She barely has any time to ask before he hikes his leg up, propping his foot on the couch, revealing the exact same pair of socks.

“Now we can really be the most powerful couple out there.”

MJ can only shake her head in response, forcing an exasperated breath through her nose as the faint beginning of a smile tugs at the corner of her lips. If she were being completely honest, she wasn’t in love with the idea of becoming one of those couples; she loved Peter, more than anything, but…

Enough to wear matching socks?

Peter doesn’t mind her immediate dislike of the garments. In fact, he almost welcomes it. One extra pair for him; just means that he doesn’t have to do laundry as much, right?

(MJ tells him that that’s not what that means.)

And perhaps he wears them a bit too much, especially for someone who’s quite literally donning socks with his own (masked) face on them. It had started as a weekend only, nights-in at home thing, though it wasn’t long before he was wearing them to work, to date night, family dinners, everywhere. She’s never surprised when she sees the masked cartoon peek from under the hem of his jeans.

He claims that they’re comfy, that they’re warm, that all his other socks were dirty, etc., etc.

And really, Michelle doesn’t mind or care all that much. Whatever Peter wants to wear isn’t any of her damn business. It’s funny, it’s cute, it’s just her loveable, dumb fiancé.

But it does make their more, ahem, intimate moments a bit more difficult.

If only because seeing those damn things in all their bright blue and red glory on his feet, after he’s whispered the things he’s whispered into her ear, after he’s been trying to be so sultry and serious.

MJ can’t help but tease.

“Those staying, too?” Her voice is steady, just barely hiding the humor in her tone as she gestures at his feet.

He pauses momentarily, his shirt now crumpled in his own hand, confused for a moment before following her gaze.

And then, she laughs at her own question, hiding her face behind her hands as he playfully throws his shirt at her; he nearly trips as he steps out of his boxers, making a point to show that, yes, MJ, the Spider-Man socks stay on during sex.

It’s no surprise when she sees the very same socks as she steps out of the shower, set out next to his black and white tux the morning of their wedding.

She wouldn’t expect anything less.

A small smile tugs at her lips at the recent memory, just hours before, as she stares at herself in the floor-length mirror, her mother and May both working diligently (yet gently) at the buttons on the back of her dress, Betty standing in front of her.

That same warmth she always feels around Peter has been in full force today, and she even finds the old, yet welcome fluttering of butterflies in her stomach when the dress is finally on . Throughout her life, she’s never quite understood what it meant to “feel like a bride.” It was just a white dress; how could it have so much power? Even when shopping, when buying the dress, she didn’t get that exact feeling. Sure, it made everything much more real, but it wasn’t this .

Yet now, in spite of all of her past notions, she finally gets it; the delicate lace on the bodice and the long, elegant sleeves, the deep-v neckline, that final addition of something blue, and with that same shattered Black Dahlia necklace Peter had given her all those years ago.

Damn it, she feels like a bride.

Her mother subtly wipes at her eyes as she moves to stand in front of her daughter, clasping her hands to her chest with an almost dreamy sigh. “God, you look beautiful, Michelle.”

May nods, smiling warmly, her own eyes sparkling. “Agreed.”

“So pretty!” Betty adds, her giddiness shining through.

MJ huffs out a light chuckle, mumbling out a quiet, “Thank you,” as her hands smooth over the soft satin of her skirt. Her mind immediately goes to Peter, what he’s doing right now, how nervous he must be, and what he’ll think when he sees her, when she walks down the aisle; and just like that, her stomach does a few more giddy backflips, and she bites her lip to keep the excitement in.

“And now,” May starts, breaking the silence, a knowing grin on her face as she moves to open the final box. “For the finishing touch.”

MJ was so incredibly wrong.

Now .

Now, as the veil is placed on her head, she honestly, truly , feels like a bride.

“There,” May says, gently adjusting the fabric a fraction of an inch so that the veil lays prettily against Michelle’s curls.

Again, Michelle’s mother sighs, though along with the misty eyes comes a twitch of a frown fighting back the tears.

MJ playfully rolls her eyes. “I’m not even married yet, Mom, come on,” she gently teases as she pulls her mother into a hug.

“I know, I know,” the older woman says with a soft, sheepish laugh. She pulls back, looking at the two Jones women staring back at them in the mirror. “Give me a break, okay? I’m just so happy for my little girl,” she adds, squeezing her daughter’s side.

Michelle utters another, “thanks,” looking down to hide her widening grin.

“I don’t blame you,” May says with a shake of her head and a kind smile. She looks to Michelle, expression warm and excited. “You ready, Em?”

The bride looks up again at her reflection, taking everything in again.

It was happening.

Today was the day.

And MJ had never been more ready.

Peter could have sworn he was dreaming.

This whole relationship even.

In what universe was he lucky enough to land someone like Michelle Jones, to get her to marry him, to marry his dumb ass and all the trouble and shit he gets himself into? What did he do to deserve such a partner-in-vigilante-justice?

He looks to Ned at his left, his best friend giving him an encouraging grin and a subtle (yet actually not all that subtle) thumbs up; then to his aunt, to his mentor, to his friends in the seats in front of him.

But when his eyes finally land on her, his very soon-to-be wife, he finds that he can’t look anywhere else.

Not that he’d ever want to.

He always thinks that she’s perfect, no matter what; she could literally wear a brown paper bag and he’d still marry her. But, cheesy as it sounds, the air feels like it’s quite literally been taken right from his lungs.

Even now, after six whole, wonderful, perfect years together, without fail, MJ still manages to make him forget how to breathe, the sight of her in that simple white dress, holding the bouquet of white roses and black dahlias, making his chest tighten at just how pretty she is. He knows that there’s probably tears in his eyes, but he honestly can’t tell, nor does he care when he sees the faint smirk painting her lips from under the sheer veil.

Again, he really is the luckiest loser in the world.

A lucky loser who happens to be wearing blue and red Spider-Man socks.

What can he say? It’s the nice boost of confidence. Ned has his hats, Peter has his Spidey socks.

He’s unable to hold back or fight his smile--though it’s not like he’s really trying all that hard--as she finally reaches him. She glances down, and he can see the toothy grin from behind her veil, the soft expression causing his heart to swell. He helps her pull the veil back, finally able to see her after a whole day apart.

The officiant welcomes everyone, beginning the ceremony with a short speech of thanks that both Peter and MJ had written before hand.

However, Peter finds that he can’t hear what the man is saying over how beautiful his fiancée is.

He almost doesn’t hear him ask to start the vows.

Peter snaps out of his trance, pulling a folded piece of paper from his jacket. “Oh, yeah! Sorry. Uh, yeah. Vows.” A faint pink blush settles over his features as he stammers. A quiet murmur of good-natured chuckles briefly fills the room, MJ joining in, of course.

“MJ,” He starts. He feels the lump in his throat, the emotion fluttering in his stomach. He coughs, looking between the paper and the love of his life. “You are my favorite person. My best friend in the entire world. Sorry Ned.”

That gets another laugh, both from MJ and the room, and Peter passes a teasing, fake-sheepish smile to his best man.

Ned waves it off with a laugh, shaking his head.

Peter continues. “I feel so overwhelmingly lucky and proud to stand here with you today. Honestly, I feel like I hit the jackpot. When I’m with you, MJ, I’m the best version of myself. Because… with you, I’m always utterly and unapologetically myself. You accept me for who I am, even if I can be a bit of a dumbass sometimes. There’s not much for me to say that I haven’t already said, you know me, and there’s not much to give that’s not already freely given. But… I’ll give it a shot.”

He takes another deep breath, glancing up to see the warmth and love in MJ’s expression, his chest tightening. “I promise to always try and make you laugh and smile, no matter what, even if my jokes aren’t really that funny, because let’s be honest, those are my best ones.”

MJ shakes her head, not even trying to fight back her smile.

“I promise to be a better roommate, and to actually put dishes in the dishwasher instead of in the sink or on the counter by the sink. I promise to send every conspiracy theory I find, even the ones you’ve already heard. I promise to listen to your advice, and even occasionally, I promise to take that advice. I promise to love you more and more. After every win. After every fight. After every laugh.” He pauses for a moment, clearing his throat once more, combatting the shakiness. He looks back up at her, no longer reading from the folded piece of paper. “And finally, I promise to always strive to be worthy of the love you give me so freely and openly, and to never, ever take that love for granted, and to always give it back.”

He wants to make some dumb joke about how she’s a thief, taking his breath away, but he doesn’t.

“I really like you, MJ.”

Her face crumples slightly at the callback, though she holds herself together, if only so she can get through actually reading her end of the vows, as Betty hands her her own paper.

A beat of silence passes as MJ gathers both her thoughts and emotions.

“Peter,” she starts, a slight shake already to her voice. Be it from nerves or overwhelming emotions, she’s not sure. “You’re my best friend. My partner. My supporter. You’ve loved me through easy times and hard times, and I am so incredibly grateful for you and the support you have always given me. Now… Promises have always scared me. Maybe I’ve been too cautious in making them, too afraid that a change in circumstance or myself will rip the world out from under me. But… over the years, I’ve found that they can remind me of solid ground when things get shaky. Here are some promises that I can happily give to you.”

She looks up at him for the briefest of moments, heart warming. “I promise to put you first, and love you, even when you’re purposefully trying to annoy me.”

A warm laugh.

Her grin turns more playful as she looks back down at the paper. “I promise to always admit when I’m wrong--which we both know, I never am, but that’s beside the point--and to forgive you when you are. I promise to try to laugh, a real, honest laugh, at your jokes, even if they aren’t funny.”

MJ hears him scoff, her lips twisting into an even bigger smile at the sound. She continues. “I can’t promise to never make fun of you, but… I can promise to always kiss you after, just to say sorry,” she vows, shooting him another glance. “I promise to be there, no matter what, to help you when you need me. And I promise to keep updating these as we go. Because one set of vows can’t cover a lifetime of getting to grow and change alongside you. Of falling more and more in love with you everyday, which is what I promise to do for the rest of my life.”

She hands the paper back to Betty before taking his hand in hers. She’s pretty sure that’s not entirely in the whole wedding protocol, but she doesn’t care right now.

“I really like you, too.”

And then it all happens too quickly, neither of them seeing or hearing anything else as they exchange the rings.

There are no more words spoken between them, apart from “I do.” No more thoughts.

… besides finally as they hear the fateful, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

And so, Peter does.

He’s not sure what song is playing now as he holds his new wife on the dance floor; he’s certain it’s not a song that you really slow dance to either, but he doesn’t care. After the very first one, he’s sort of lost track, too lost in his arm around her waist, hand on her back, the other holding hers.

He attempts to twirl her, though she has to awkwardly duck down under his arm, the mishap causing them to both erupt in giggles.

“I told you we needed ballroom dance lessons,” Peter tsks, pulling her close again.

“You’re right,” she remarks dryly, though he can feel her breathe out an amused smile against him. “Here, I’ll twirl you.”

He obliges, laughing when he’s able to pass under her arm much more easily. Mid-spin, his eyes land on her necklace once again, and he can’t help the way his heartstrings swell like the first violin section in an orchestra.

“Black Dahlia,” he points out, much like he did on the bridge all the years ago.

MJ nods, chuckling. “Something old.”

He hums in acknowledgement, giving her an affectionate squeeze. “I’m glad you still like it.” He pulls back slightly. “And the something new? Will I get to see that on tonight?”

Her head tilts and she takes a small corner of her lip between her teeth. “Maybe.”

“Can’t wait.”

Soon, the last cadence of the song fades out, and the familiar base-line of My Girl by the Temptations comes on.

They sway together a little longer, before Peter continues. “Something borrowed?” He asks, realizing she’d never told him.

“May’s veil,” she answers simply with a grin. Though it’s been put away again for the reception, MJ gestures to where it would have sat on her head.

Peter’s head jerks back a fraction. It had looked familiar. “Oh, God, how did I not know that?”

“I won’t tell May, I promise,” she teases. “She’ll never know you didn’t know what her own veil looked like.”

“Okay, okay, come on.” He shakes his head in good-humor, growing quiet for a moment. It’s when he doesn’t speak for even longer that MJ grows concerned.

“Pete?”

“Yeah?”

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” he answers truthfully, but she can hear the emotion in his tone. Another beat passes between them before he elaborates any further. “I’m just really happy that you got to… that you got to use that, you know?”

Somehow, she pulls him even closer, into a comforting squeeze. “I know.”

Silence falls over them again as they sway back and forth, not really dancing anymore, though still held in a close, loving embrace.

Suddenly, MJ pulls back slightly, to Peter’s utter confusion, taking his hand in hers and pulling him away from the dance floor and into one of the hallways.

“Where are we going?” He asks through a curious laugh. “What’s--”

“I need to show you something,” she says over her shoulder, before tightening her grip on his hand.

Without any question or hesitation, he happily follows her, the anticipation of what exactly she could be wanting to show him so badly that they needed to sneak away from prying eyes almost too much. They weave through friends and family, dodging questions with relative success as they reach the ends of the reception crowd.

Finally, they reach one of the welcome areas, MJ sits on one of the chaises, practically yanking her new husband down to sit with her.

She reaches down, pulling up the skirt of her dress to show a comfy pair of her black converse--a sight Peter’s not all that surprised to see, yet he still has to chuckle. Mostly in confusion still. “MJ, what--?”

She takes one of her shoes off, showing her very own pair of limited edition, Spider-Man socks.

Now that comes as a surprise. He huffs out another laugh, his brow crinkling as he looks between her sock-clad foot and her mischievous eyes. “Again… MJ, what?”

She leans in to kiss that bewildered expression off his face, only being the slightest bit successful. Her hand remains in his, her smile growing, eyes gleaming with pride and delight as she answers with a nonchalant shrug.

“Something blue.”

#spideychelle #petermj #peter parker x michelle jones #fic #silver sixpence fic #fluff #peter parker #michelle jones

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kingdomofkitten · 5 years

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Ikariverse: Ikari’s Day Out (SPECIAL SURPRISE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WRITER STORY!)

Sooooo, um...you guys remember that ask I got, about a story told from the perspective of Ikari? Well, a couple of days ago, a near and dear friend of mine, @tonythegrey (who you should totally follow, he does great art) asked me if I was actually working on writing that. I told him no, as I have a few projects I’m trying to work on. A few days later, he sends me a document with this. I asked if he was planning on posting it, but he’d rather I do it, so that, and I quote, “your hungry fans will have something to read.” Is it canon with the Ikariverse? ......I honestly don’t know, but I thought it was pretty cute, and funny, so....that probably doesn’t mean anything, but still. Here’s Tony’s story, Ikari’s Day Out!

*It is early in the morning and we see little Ikari playing on his Mr. Spell while his two parents are frantically getting ready for work. What exactly is he typing into the keyboard toy, though?*

Ikari: *typing into his toy* Ikari’s Log; Stardate, August 10th. Mama made me a plate of toaster waffles. Quite odd, considering how I am only two years old, and my teeth haven’t fully developed yet. She and Dada are zooming across the house. I believe the reasoning behind my rushed breakfast was a result of poor timing as they are talking about being late for work. I assume that they are late. Perhaps listening in on their conversation will confirm my suspicions. *he perks his ears up to listen on them*

Retsuko: *patting herself* Do I have everything I need?! *patting Haida all over* Do you have everything?!

Haida: Gah! I’m ready! We just need a babysitter for Ikari!

Retsuko: Who are we gonna hire at such a short notice?! We need to get their now!

Haida: Ah, you know I don’t like bringing him to our job! I feel like it has weird side effects on him!

Ikari: …*starts typing again* I really wish I could understand adult language better. As of right now, it all sounds like a blur with only a handful of words that I comprehend. Such is the curse of being so young. How I urge to have actual conversations with my beloved Mama and Dada.

Retsuko: *coming up to him* Uh, Ikari, dear? We’re gonna have to take you to our work again! You know the rules, right?

Ikari: Babababah! :D

*Later that same day, Retsuko and Haida are in the elevator to their work area*

Ikari: *typing* These slow elevator rides to Mama and Dada’s work tend to always be the most anxious part when I come along with them. Just a long melancholy journey to whatever chaos could be awaiting my parents and I. Will today be just a boring day like many others have been, or will something new and exciting occur? If the latter, will it be something good for my Mama and Dada? They appear to not like it here much, yet they arrive everyday. It’s typically where they interact most with Aunt Fenneko. Why do they put themselves through such torment? Do they take secret enjoyment from this ordeal? Is it all for my benefit? Or theirs? Is this the essence of existence itself? Am I too destined to be unhappy and spend most of my time in an area of which I do not enjoy being around? Is this all of our destinies? Are we here just to suffer? Are w- *suddenly the elevator stops, and the three are immediately greeted by Kabae!*

Kabae: HEY RETSUKO AND HAIDA! Aww! You brought little Ikari with you! *pinches his cheeks* Aw, he’s so cute that I could just eat him up!

Ikari: Hahahahahaha! :D

Retsuko: Kabae. Don’t touch my baby’s cheeks.

Kabae: Oop! Sorry!

*sometime later*

Ikari: *typing* As I suspected, it appears to be a normal day of work for my beloved Mama and Dada. They spend most of their time apart from each other, as they do not work at neighboring desks. For two individuals who love each other to no end like they do, it must be heartbreaking to be so far apart. Even worse, it seems as if my Mama still acts as something of a servant to the Big Fat Meanie who swings that metal stick around all day. I do not like that Big Fat Meanie. He always bosses around my Mama, and brings her so much pain and suffering. Why does she put up with him? Why doesn’t she stand up for herself? She stood up for me when the daycare teacher gave me a timeout for throwing a ball at the door. Why is this any different… Ah well. At least my Mama has Aunt Fenneko to keep her company.

Fenneko: *looking at Ikari who’s just kinda slapping his hand on the Mr. Spell* ...Your son is awfully attached to that calculator.

Retsuko: It’s not a calculator! It’s supposed to help him spell and read words and stuff.

Fenneko: *he’s still slapping away* ...The sad thing? He’s probably a better speller than most people on social media these days.

Ikari: Hahahaha! *typing* My Aunt Fenneko is very funny.

Tsunoda: *she drops by* Hey, giiiiiiiiiiirls~! *fondling Fenneko’s cheek* How’s my favorite booty-call doin’~? ;)

Fenneko: Patiently waiting to leave this joint and utterly destroy your pus-

Retsuko: *AHEM!* *gestures towards Ikari*

Fenneko: ...Oh. Right.

Tsunoda: *comes up to Ikari* Aww, you brought little Ikari with you again, Retsy?

Retsuko: We couldn’t find a babysitter. And you two need to watch what you say around him!

Tsunoda: Aw, what’s the matter? It’s not like he’s comprehending anything that I’m saying right now, right?

Ikari: *typing* She’s got you there, Mama.

Retsuko: *scoffs* I still don’t want hearing that kinda thing!

Fenneko: And he won’t! You have my word, Retsy.

Retsuko: Thank you!

Tsunoda: …*ahem* *looks Ikari right in his eyes* Sex! Vaginas! Anal! Fucking! Cunninglingus!

Retsuko: *GAAAAAAASP!* *she immediately covers his ears*

Ikari: Agoo?

Tsunoda: *completely inaudible from his point of view. She and Retsuko appear to be arguing*

Ikari: …*starts typing again* I do not understand the relationship my parents have with Aunt Tsunoda. She and Fenneko get along with each other very much, yet Mama and Dada seem very uneasy with her. Almost as if they don’t like having her around. I’m not sure why, however. Aunt Tsunoda is very funny, and playful with me. She’s also very pretty……… Do I like girls?

Tsunoda: I’m just saying, Retsy! Gotta teach ‘em while they’re young!

Retsuko: NOT THAT YOUNG!

Fenneko: Geez, Tsunoda. Even I’M not that cruel.

*suddenly, a powerful presence can be felt right behind all four of them*

Ton: HEY! PIPE IT DOWN, WILL YA?!

Retsuko, Fenneko, and Tsunoda: *GASP!*

Ton: …*patting Ikari on the back* You’re setting a bad example for the child.

Retsuko: ...Y-y-y-yes sir! It won’t happen again!

Tsunoda: Yeah! Scout’s honor!

Fenneko: Roger roger.

Ton: Hmph. *goes back to his golf swings*

Ikari: … *typing* Hmm. Perhaps I have misjudged The Big Fat Meanie’s character… Nah, he’s still a Big Fat Meanie.

*Later, at a karaoke bar, Retsuko is recapping what happened at work to Haida, Washimi, and Gori. Fenneko went home to lay pipe.*

Ikari: *typing* My Mama seems to really like coming to this place after working. It appears to be something of a sanctuary for her to be at peace with herself, and not have to worry about what other people think. Ironic how her source of relaxation comes from such a loud and aggressive musical genre. Dada also seems to really like it here. This particular place seems to mean a lot to both of them. Was this perhaps where they initially met? Or where I was conceived? Perhaps I may never know fully. At least not yet.

Gori: Whaaaaaaa?! You mean Tsunoda just up and said all that nasty stuff right to your kid?!

Washimi: Why?

Retsuko: I don’t know! Just to spite me, I guess?!

Haida: Maybe she just needs a new arch enemy, seeing how she and Fenneko are all lovey-dovey now.

Gori: Aw, but why at the cost of such a lovely boy’s innocence?

Washimi: Truly. If I were you, Retsuko, I’d protect my child from any and all things that would harm his view of the world. Who knows what kind of damage that would do to his psyche when going forward.

Ikari: *typing* The bird lady and her gorilla friend always appear to be wise and smart. I see why my Mama goes to them for guidance.

*Later that night, after a long session of karaoke singing, the two parents make it home with Ikari*

Haida: *phew* Well, I guess we learned something today!

Retsuko: Yeah! Keep Tsunoda away from our baby.

Haida: Er… yeah. Something like that.

Ikari: *typing* And so, my day comes to a close once again. It would appear that I have come back unharmed, my belly is filled with delicious food, and I heard my Mama’s singing again with Dada providing Bass. T’was a good day. *yaaaaaawwwns* But I am quite sleepy after all is said and done. And I am afraid of getting a nightmare tonight. So… M-mama! Dada!

Retsuko: Oh! You wanna come to bed with us, Ikari?

Ikari: Mm-hmm. *nods his head*

Haida: Well, alright! Just try not to take up too much space in bed!

Ikari: Hmhm!

*And so, Ikari puts down his Mr. Spell, and heads off to bed with his parents*

*Meanwhile*

Tsunoda: Aw, Fenny-poooooooooo~!

Fenneko: Nope. You’re not getting any tonight. You said nasty things to my friend’s baby.

Tsunoda: D’ooohh! It won’t happen again! I promise!

Fenneko: You sure?

Tsunoda: Positive! I won’t do it again to Retsuko’s kid, and certainly not when we have our own kids.

Fenneko: …”W-when”?

Tsunoda: ...OH! Right! I forgot to tell you! I’ve been doing some thinking, and… I think I’m ready to adopt!

Fenneko: …

Tsunoda: ...Fenny-Poo?

Fenneko: Okay, we can fuck now.

So, yeah! That was Ikari’s Day Out, hopefully you guys enjoyed it, and like I said, go give Tony a follow, if you can.

#aggretsuko #Aggressive Retsuko #Retsuko #Haida #Ikari #Fenneko #Tsunoda #Washimi #Gori #Ton

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lunapixu · 4 years

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Pixu Ponders: My Favourite Games of the Decade

As the 2010s come to a close, I wanted to take a look back on my gaming experiences of the past ten years. I wish to look back on the games that I believe shaped my teen and young adult years, games that defined this decade for me, and all my treasured memories with them.

As we go into this, please bear in mind that these are my opinions. If you don’t like what you see, cool.

Furthermore, just because of long this darn post is, I’ve had to keep my list pretty short. If there’s a specific game you think I’ve missed, it’s because I had to cut it out.

Among the games cut from the list are: * Portal 2 * Super Mario Odyssey * Undertale * A Hat in Time * Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild * Stardew Valley * Monster Hunter (3U and World) (If you wish for me to write up about these games like the list below, shoot me an ask.)

The Binding of Isaac (2011 and 2014) (Franchise)

To me, the Binding of Isaac is a trend-defining indie game that, along with a couple other entries on this list, I believe contributed to the indie game boom.

The Binding of Isaac, created by Super Meat Boy's Edmund McMillen, depicts a young boy trying to escape his mother (and his inner torment) by delving into his basement and slaying countless monsters with his tears. Amongst many things, The Binding of Isaac stands out due to its simplistic art, unusual fleshy monsters, frequent depictions of... excrement, and a variety of other unsavoury material.

In spite of the crass material and immature nature its contents carry, The Binding of Isaac is a surprisingly deep and heavily replayable game. Many Roguelites that have sprung this decade like to say “No run is the same” but nowhere is this more clear than in the game that kickstarted the modern Roguelite trend. Within the game, Isaac can collect a wide variety of items that can help better slay monsters or navigate the labyrinthine levels of his basement. Isaac can pick up an item that allows him to shoot a large laser of blood, he could obtain a knife to throw at enemies, he can pick up an item that suspends his tears in midair and then release in a volley of bullets Kylo Ren style. When this game says “No run is the same”, it means it.

On Steam, I have over 250 hours on the game’s 2014 remake (Binding of Isaac Rebirth). I have approx. 300 of the 413 achievements the game has to offer. To say that I love and play the heck out of this game is an understatement. And it’s not even my most played game on Steam.

Hollow Knight (2017)

Hollow Knight was a surprise favourite of mine. Being a big fan of metroidvania games, I knew I was going to like this funky little bug game. After all, the game seemed fun and was going to be something of a hybrid between Metroid-style exploration and progression but a Dark Souls health system and storytelling. What’s not to like?

I will be real here, the first two areas of the game weren’t all that amazing. Though there were pleasant sights, neat characters, and simple but kinda fun gameplay, I couldn’t help but feel like wanting... more. Something more captivating. Perhaps something more amazing might await me if I push on through. A hurdle that I needed to overcome. Would it actually happen or will this fun but unimpressive saunter through the world of insects be all there is? And boy were my instincts right.

I will not go into the specifics but the game’s appeal and charm finally clicked for me after a few hours in. It was a combination of taking on two very specific bosses and entering a specific area of the game that instantly made me fall in love. I was enamoured. What had simply been me crossing a game off my bucket list had turned into an adventure I was whole-heartedly engaged in. This game’s adventure was now my own. It was an adventure that I hadn’t been quite as engaged with as... Kingdom Hearts, honestly. And if my posts on here are any indication, that’s quite the feat.

Hollow Knight’s usage of atmosphere, clever writing and worldbuilding, and simple but challenging gameplay are something of a brilliant recipe. I was fascinated by every single snippet of dialogue, smiling as my little insect buddy clashed with perilous foes, wowed by some of the levels, and charmed by every character who I happened to stumble upon.

Though I only played it so recently (Spring 2019 for reference), I can very confidently put it as one of my favourite games of all-time. A list shared by greats such as The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, Cave Story, Kingdom Hearts 2, and Super Mario Galaxy.

Terraria (2011)

Ah, Terraria... The “2D Minecraft”, the “Minecraft but not as good”, the “Starbound but not in space”.

Terraria, as you may know, is a 2D action-platformer sandbox. It’s a game that drops you into a large (but not unlimited) world and says “You’re gonna need to gear up, bucko.” So, you tear down some trees and dig up the land a bit in a bid to gather some resources. After all, this is a sandbox! It’s mine, mine~ Mine for the taking~ It’s mine, boys. Mine me that gold! *ahem* Seems I got a little carried away. Anyways...

Within the first few minutes, the sun starts to set on Terraria’s world and you’re being mauled apart by zombies. That is unless you built a house and hunkered down for the night to avoid the ghouls that intend to ruin your night. Seem familiar? Well, it should. And it’s why people drum up the comparisons above, flag it as just another sandbox game, and leave.

This, I believe, is not really a fair look at Terraria. Yes, you mine blocks. Yes, you fight monsters at night to survive. But that’s it. Those are the only substantial comparisons to be made. Terraria, as I described earlier, is an action-platformer. To me, Terraria’s sandbox nature and simplistic Minecraft-esque survival come secondary to what I consider to be the meat of the game. The exploration, the combat system, and the shenanigans.

Within the game are several set pieces to explore and countless bosses to fight. Players are expected to plunge headfirst into the rotting landscape of the Corruption (or the more eldritch and bloodied Crimson), delve into the skeleton-filled Dungeon, brave the perilous Jungle, and even venture into Hell itself. In exploring and slaying the many powerful foes that await the player, one can go beyond just “I swing my Iron Sword at a Zombie. Yaaaaaay... =_=“ and into extreme levels of zaniness. Wanna beat up Martians with a lightsaber? I don’t recommend it but you can. Wanna kill a giant robot worm of doom with a minigun? You bet your butt you can.

Minecraft (2009, 1.0 release in 2011)

To say Minecraft didn’t define the 2010s would be a blatant lie. As the #1 best-selling game, a spot hotly contested with Tetris, it’s hard to deny the influence and critical success of this simple voxel-based sandbox game.

What is it that makes Minecraft such a perfect and fantastic game? To me, it’s all in the simplicity of it all. The lack of goal, the blank slate of a world you’re given, and the openness and accessibility of the game. Minecraft expects you to take whatever inspiration and ideas you may have and construct them in this blocky world.

Wanna build a plane? Wanna build a sweet mansion? A bit too normal for you? How about a working computer? What about recreating settings from your favourite games? In Minecraft, you can do just that. And let’s not even forget about the enormous modding community this game has. Automation, adventure, aesthetic, graphical enhancements, quality of life. Mods have everything and more!

Above all else, Minecraft helps to connect. With its huge player base and countless public servers, you’re bound to find a community that will welcome you and treat you right. Minecraft is best played in multiplayer, in my honest opinion. Explore caves with friends, collaborating on build projects, or just plain old chatting and hanging with folks.

For me personally, Minecraft is an invaluable game. Through it, I met countless people, made many friends (several of which I consider my best friends), I even found love through it. Minecraft came to me at a time I needed it most. As a late teen, I was at one of the lowest points in my life. The game allowed me to express myself and work past what issues I had developed over the years. In finding friends and a way to express, Minecraft helped shape me into a much better person. Were it not for this game and the folks I met through it, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

#minecraft #terraria #hollow knight #the binding of isaac #text post #pixu ponders

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freedom-shamrock · 5 years

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BAMF Mari #11 - Chatcall

Also on AO3 #1 Princess Chat #2 Snack Chat #3 Scalded Chat #4 Chat Ice #5 Chat’s Paw #6 Chat’s Cradle #7 Chataplexy #8 Chatatonic #9 Chatalyst #10 Chat Nap #11 Chatcall #12 Chatachresis #13 Chat’s Pajamas

As day 3 of ML WIP-Completion December, I am finally getting around to Fluff Month Prompt 26: Please.

Adrien : I need your help with something

Marinette : OK. What do you need?

He slapped one hand to his cheek and screwed his eyes shut, horrified that he was even doing this.

"Whatchya doing, Adrien?" Plagg asked, swooping in from wherever he'd been savoring his morning cheese.

"Nothing." Adrien pulled the phone to his chest to keep the curious kwami from seeing the conversation.

Plagg gave him that look . The one he'd seen far too often since Marinette had rescued him, er, Chat Noir from an akuma.

"It's none of your business," he added.

"So porn, then?" Plagg suggested. "Phone is really not the best place for that. So many things go wrong with those little bricks of tech. And you really don't want your father to discover all your new… ahem… interests, because someone hacked your account."

"It's not porn," he snapped, feeling his face go hot. He didn't use his phone for that stuff for that very reason, as Plagg well knew. "It's a conversation."

Plagg grinned. "Princess? I like her."

Adrien had come to realize that he and Plagg both liked her, but for vastly different yet strangely related reasons.

"It's not just any girl who can tame one of my kittens," Plagg said, puffing up his chest. "Even with the mess you are as Adrien, I'm able to counter that. She's got great power." He chuckled, a strangely ominous sound.

"I'm not… that's not… ugh." It had been wholly humiliating to come back to his full senses, draped all over his sweet smelling classmate, with a nice clear memory of everything he'd done while high on catnip. He probably needed to spite Alya somehow, because her gag gift had been a terrible idea.

"And she deals so well with this side of you, too." Plagg cackled. "I still can't get over you flat out asking her to order you around."

To be honest, neither could he. He'd no idea that side of him existed, and she'd picked it up like it was second nature. And she wasn't cruel or humiliating about it, like he'd seen in some of the things found online. He was pretty sure those weren't for him. But Marinette, and her firm but gentle… guidance. Yes. That was a much better word. She was helping guide him. That was all.

His phone vibrated.

"Best not to keep your domme waiting," Plagg said. "She may choose to punish you."

"Plagg! I told you not to call her that." This was all horrifying. Shoving the kwami away, he looked at his phone.

Marinette: Are you still there?

Adrien : Yeah. Sorry. It's a little awkward, and I'm still trying to figure out how to ask.

Marinette: Blurt first, clarify second?

He giggled. That did seem to be her way of getting through awkward situations, and it always seemed to work out for her. But he couldn't come up with a way to blurt this out without sounding like he was propositioning her or something.

Adrien: I have a shoot later today, and I could really, really use your help.

Marinette: OK. I'm free all day. What kind of help is this?

Adrien: I need you to come with.

She'd been along to a couple of his photoshoots, and she'd always been professional and unobtrusive. This wasn't a weird request.

Marinette: Yes! I'd love to come to your photoshoot.

Adrien: And I need you to do like you did at school.

There was a long moment where he could see she was texting. Then nothing. Then texting.

Marinette: The telling you what to do?

Adrien: Yeah. That. Would you be willing to do that?

Marinette: Won't it seem odd to your crew?

Adrien: It worked OK at school. Chloe was the only one who noticed.

Adrien: You're really good at it.

Marinette: Really?

Adrien: Really, really.

Honestly, just the idea of her being on set, telling him what to do made him feel better about everything.

Adrien: It's a shoot I'm not real comfortable with.

He kind of wanted to cataclysm his father's office over this, to be totally honest.

Adrien: But I don't have a choice, and I'd like to just get it over with.

Adrien: And I don't want to get yelled at by my father again if I do awful.

Marinette: Are you sure this is the right way to handle this?

Sure. She had a point. This probably wasn't a healthy way to deal with it, but since his father wasn't willing to listen to anything he had to say, because his feelings didn't matter, rational methods weren't options.

Adrien: Please, Marinette. Please. Please. Please.

It was stupidly easy for him to use that word over and over with her. That was probably weird.

Marinette: OK! I'll do it. No need to beg!

Adrien: We can agree to disagree on that.

Oh god. Why did he send that?

30 minute speedwrite

Sorry I forgot to do this when I posted - tagging the following folks by request: @frostymoon11, @starfirette, @bowser14456,

#Miraculous Ladybug #fanfic #My Writing #BAMF Mari #mlfluffiction #ML Fluffgust 2018 #WIP challenge #mlfluffmonth

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kriskebob-blog · 6 years

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Day 6: Lots of prep, and maybe turning a corner?

EHi friends. I’ve fallen a little behind, whoops. So I left off with Sunday night. If you recall, on Saturday I felt kind of sleepy and beat after hitting the gym but my energy improved as the day went on. Sunday I honestly felt pretty good all day even with the hike and the heat from being out by the pool.

Monday, though, I woke up and I just felt so clear-headed. I felt focused and just ready to take on the day. The way you wish you felt every day when you wake, you know? And I was going to need the energy, because it was once again going to be a grocery shopping day. Not only that, I had to thoughtfully meal plan for the first time since I’d started this project, e.g. refer to Dr. G’s two-week meal plan and make sure that his suggested meals for each day would more or less work with our schedule.

It didn’t take nearly as much time as the first time I’d done it, and what’s more, I had a few produce items I wouldn’t need to purchase because I still had enough left over from the week before. I checked out of Big Y with my smallest bill yet. I went to the farmstand and had a <$5 charge for the first time in weeks - all I picked up were an onion, a couple huge carrots, and a new pint of berries. However, I did have an exotic ingredient that was going to warrant another trip to the Asian grocer and/or Whole Foods: I needed dried dulse, aka seaweed flakes that would be added to a miso soup recipe.

I got home and ate some gumbo for lunch. There was still enough left for more leftovers the next day; that recipe seriously had made a lot. Then it was off to the races to find my dried dulse. This week, I decided to go to the Asian market first, because I figured if they did have the dulse it’d be a lot more reasonably priced there than at Whole Foods. There were quite a few varieties of dried seaweed there, but no dulse flakes. However, I did spot an 8oz bag of dried shiitake mushrooms for only $10.99.

...

Do you want to know how much I paid at Big Y for a mere friggin’ HALF OUNCE of dried shiitake mushrooms?? Do you???

I paid $5.99 for half an once at Big Y for a product I could buy at the Asian food market for less than twice that price and SIXTEEN TIMES the amount. Let my failures be your lesson, friends: go to your local ethnic grocery stores to stock up on pantry items like dried mushrooms, spices, rice, etc! It is SO MUCH CHEAPER than what the same item will cost at a corporate grocery store, and you’re supporting a small local business at the same time. Like literally you can buy tubs of spices like turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, etc. etc. for a fraction of the cost you’d pay for a comparable amount at a place like Stop & Shop for Big Y. It’s totally worth the extra errand for any staple ingredient you use often.

Anywho, I hadn’t found dried dulse but I still emerged feeling triumphant thanks to my renewed supply of dried mushrooms. I use those suckers all the time to make the veggie stock. I headed over to Whole Food’s. It was every bit as crowded as last time. I’m starting to realize that Whole Food’s is probably just literally always super busy, because there’s relatively few stores in our area that offer the amount of specialty cooking products that they do. And, clearly, there’s a rising demand for that kind of thing! Consumers want to cook in more healthful and interesting ways. And I can’t even be upset that I’m continuing to perpetuate Jeff Bezos’ evil empire when my Amazon Prime membership means I can buy two cartons of organic raspberries for $5. I want a Whole Foods on the other side of the CT river ASAP, honestly. Or maybe Sam and I will move in that direction soon enough. We’ve been considering it!

Ahem, sorry. A lot of deviations today. Somewhere out there every English teacher I’ve ever had is bowing their heads, ashamed of me. So at Whole Foods, I found dried dulse no problem. I also found a product that had eluded me at Big Y and the Asian market - 100% buckwheat soba noodles. All the other brands I’d found until then had been a combination of wheat and buckwheat - but Dr. G had stipulated 100% buckwheat and, as you know, I’m trying to avoid half measures!

I checked out and headed home. The whole time, I couldn’t stop thinking about how different this day felt compared to last Wednesday, in spite of how I was running basically all the same errands under similar conditions. Except one condition wasn’t similar at all - the food I’d eaten so far that day. If you remember, when I got home last Wednesday (the last day I’d allowed myself eggs, meat, cheese, sugary snacks, etc.) I was literally so exhausted from my multiple grocery trips that I collapsed onto the couch for a two hour semi-vegetative state in front of the TV. But on this day, I felt calm and clear-eyed the entire time I was running my errands. Sure, it helped that I had a better idea now of where some things were - but not everything. I still had to hunt down unfamiliar ingredients, and while certainly nothing had challenged me so much as the miso, I had still been on the go from pretty much the minute Sam had left early that morning. I’d stopped quickly for lunch but this was typically when I felt an afternoon slump in my energy levels and focus. But I didn’t feel that slump as I headed back into my apartment. Instead, I felt ready and even excited to do some cooking.

I looked at that night’s recipes. Because I’d be making miso soup, I was going to need veggie broth again - a lot of it. More than I had left over from yesterday’s batch (I’d used a lot of that to make the rice). So for the second time in two days, I was going to need to throw together some veggie stock. I got that going and then took inventory of the recipes coming up. In addition to the miso soup, I was going to be making soba noodles with chopped veggies and an almond butter sauce. One ingredient for the almond butter sauce was “umani sauce,” which of course was a sauce to make in itself. It wasn’t too hard to throw together - more veggie broth (I was literally going through the stuff like water), minced garlic and ginger, a bit of molasses (Dr. G specified “blackstrap molasses” - never heard of it - I just used normal molasses), date sugar, tomato paste, pepper, miso, lemon, and rice vinegar. It made plenty more than I would need for that night’s recipe, but I tasted it and am looking forward to using it in more recipes in the weeks ahead - it’s really tasty.

Behold, umani sauce.

I figured so long as I was at it getting all this stuff prepped, I would finally make the date syrup I’d been substituting with agave or maple syrup in several recipes so far. This was super easy - I just needed to boil a cup of water and put the dates in to soften for an hour. It got blended at the end with a bit of lemon. Again, not actually hard at all to put together - you just need to have the foresight to do it before you actually need it.

Ta-da: date syrup. You can see my (terrible) stove in the background with the veggie stock simmering away.

At this point, I was on a roll. I was still feeling good and buoyed by how much energy I had that day compared to the previous week. So, in spite of how no upcoming recipes called for the “healthy hot sauce” I had wound up not making for the burritos, I still had a couple of bags of habaneros and other red chiles in my fridge. The recipe called for 12 ounces of fresh hot chiles, which is quite a lot of chiles. They were taking up a lot of room in my produce drawer and I wanted them gone, but I wasn’t willing to throw them away... especially not when Dr. G stated that the healthy hot sauce could keep in the fridge for up to six months. I was already on a food prep kick that day - might as well make it.

Dr. G. advised wearing rubber gloves for prepping the chiles. Great idea in theory, but the only rubber gloves in my apartment are used for cleaning the bathroom, and I wasn’t about to use those on food. So, one by one, with my delicate bare hands, I painstakingly seeded and chopped dozens of habanero peppers and a handful of red hot chiles. This kind of sucked at first (the anxiety that I might accidentally touch my face/eyes is real), but eventually I relaxed and got into the flow of it, and it was satisfying to see the initially giant mound of unchopped peppers gradually go down. They went into a medium-sized saucepan with some water, a chopped onion, and garlic. It simmered for about 20 minutes and then Dr. G said I should let it cool down to room temperature before blending it. Why exactly? Not sure, but I do what the man says (or try). He said to add between 1/2 cup and 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, basically to taste. I started with 1/2 cup and tasted it. And... yup... very hot. It would have to be used very sparingly, but it wasn’t so hot that it was totally inedible, at least by my standards. I wasn’t sure whether or not to add more vinegar. Would that make it hotter? Less hot? More acidic, obviously, but peppers are so acidic already... I wasn’t sure what the true purpose was in terms of taste but felt like more vinegar would dilute the habanero flavor a bit. Maybe? I tried it out and added more vinegar before tasting again. I think it had the effect I wanted in taking back the habanero flavor a little. Who knows. Looking forward to trying it out in the future, even if we wouldn’t be needing it for that night’s meal. Here’s what it looked like:

It was around 4pm by then and a little too early to start dinner. I wandered off to relax for a little while and around 5 I got back at it to prep the miso soup and soba noodles dish.

I made the almond butter sauce first. Like most things in this cookbook, it was easy so long as you had the ingredients on hand - things like the umani sauce, blended lime, etc. Some garlic, ginger, miso, and red pepper flakes and that was it. I thawed some frozen edamame and chopped some carrot, red bell pepper, and scallion. I actually stopped and read for a little while, because Sam was at the gym and the miso soup looked so quick and easy that I didn’t want it to be ready too soon. Eventually I heated up 5 cups of the veggie broth and added some more edamame to that. Next came a couple handfuls of sliced shiitake mushrooms and scallions. In a separate bowl, I mixed a small amount of hot broth with 1/4 cup of miso - by far the largest amount of miso I’d used at one time yet, but then, it is literally called miso soup. Dad, here’s another shout-out for you - you probably haven’t had miso soup but I think you’d like it! It has a nice salty, mushroomy flavor. This one though was definitely heartier and thicker than the kind you’d be served at an Asian restaurant, mostly thanks to the pureed veg in the broth. When you’re out to eat, miso is mostly a thin broth with a few tiny scallions and mushrooms mixed in here and there, but this was a hearty soup with tons of mushrooms. And then, as is the Dr. G way, you had to add a bunch of greens too - 4 cups of chopped spinach, to be exact. And of course, our friend the dried dulse was added in at the end to get that extra seaweed flavor and nutrition.

Once I knew Sam would be ready to eat soon, I tossed the soba noodles in a separate pot to boil. You then run them under cold water and mix the cooled noodles with the almond butter sauce and chopped veggies. No heating it through - apparently it’s a pasta salad meant to be eaten cold or at room temperature.

Here’s the finished products:

The verdict? For both of us, the miso soup was our favorite of the two. The soba noodles were decent but I think in the future, I would go for the cheaper (and much easier to find) buckwheat/wheat soba noodles. These 100% buckwheat noodles were particularly chewy and had a stronger flavor than I’m used to from a pasta, it was a little distracting. I’m sure you could get used to it, but eh. The almond butter sauce was decent, although it’s hard to say how much I really liked it when I was a bit distracted by the buckwheat flavor. I think the sauce could’ve used a little more spice but then, I like my food to pack a big flavor punch. The miso soup, though - totally delicious. I probably wouldn’t change a thing if I made it again.

So, a busy Monday of a lot of shopping and prepping food. If it sounds time-consuming and like a lot of work... it is! But a big part of that is just my learning curve with these ingredients and recipes, and also creating my own pantry items that now will hopefully last me for a few weeks or even months (the date syrup, umani sauce, hot sauce etc...). I haven’t minded because this is a hobby and an interest for me, but I can see how it’d be a barrier for the average American working full-time and trying to juggle 4873286 other responsibilities and commitments on top of that. But honestly? This cookbook is designed with ultimate maximum health benefits in mind. Dr. G wrote this thinking of the sort of person who’s been told he probably has 6-12 months left to live due to the progression of their cancer, or the person who’s had to have multiple bypass surgeries due to the advancement of heart disease. That’s why there’s no oil, no added salt, and no store-bought sauces or condiments in this book. But does that mean you couldn’t cook this way yourself?

I think not at all. This book shows you what the absolute ideal would be - according to Dr. G’s nutritional philosophy, anyhow. There are other big names in nutrition who agree with him but there are others who don’t - a topic to get into more on another day. But if you think you’d be willing to try making a few plant-based meals, or even make a complete switch for a week or two as an “experiment” like I’ve been doing, but the homemade sauces and condiments and milks sound like too much work and you also refuse to give up your EVOO and kosher salt - then don’t! It’d be so easy to adapt these recipes to your own preferences. As I’ve written multiple times, I’ve tried my best to follow Dr. G’s instructions as faithfully as possible just because I’ve been curious about what it’s like to cook that way. If you think all this extra legwork isn’t feasible for you but are curious about the idea of incorporating more whole-food meals into your diet, you can absolutely use these recipes but substitute in your own hot sauce. Your own sweeteners. Your own vegetable stock. Add salt or oil if you want to. Your own pre-made Asian condiments that you know are loaded with salt and sugar. Heck, I’ve done almost all of those myself multiple times already on this journey. At the end of the day, you’re still getting a lot more vegetables and fiber into your diet, and you’re also significantly reducing your carbon footprint for that day - did you know every pound of meat you consume takes several hundred gallons of water to produce?

The reason why I titled today’s post “turning a corner” is because Monday is the day I first started to really think - Maybe I really do want to live this way. Not just as an experiment. The recipes have been delicious, honestly not that hard to prep (especially if you opt for pre-made condiments!), and I feel more energetic and focused than I’ve felt basically ever - and that’s after only 6 days. How will I be feeling by the end of Day 15? Still remains to be seen, but right now I’m definitely feeling more and more each day like I’m moving in the right direction. I feel like I’m taking control of my health and my life in a way that’s extremely satisfying.

Oh, and for the record - there won’t really be a Day 7 post, because I had so much leftover food at the end of the day on Monday that there was no need for me to cook yesterday! I’ll still aim to have a blog post up again in the next day, but will just skip ahead to Day 9.

Happy hump day, friends! See you on the next post.

Today’s music rec: “American Boy” by Estelle

#foodblog #foodblogger #foodblogging #veganism #plantbased #wholefoods #healthyeating #healthycooking

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