#i want it to be wh-related and Clever
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heya, i have to wake up in three hours but! here's another lil human au snippet! ft. lightly implied Laughingstock! disclaimer i am so so tired so don't come at me for typos or strangely worded sentences or missing info <3
~
Before heading home, Eddie swings by a charming little store he’s been to once or twice before. He usually goes to the chain store by his house, but he doesn’t feel like dealing with the hustle and bustle and the endless aisles. This little store is quiet, nice, and strangely has everything anyone could need.
The lot is mostly empty at this hour, so Eddie claims a spot right at the front. As with the other times, the windows are littered with displays and stickers - half off on this, sale on that. Eddie enters Howdy’s Place with the chime of the door’s shopkeeper’s bell. He’ll get what he needs and get out, quick and easy and peacefu-
Boisterous laughter slams into Eddie like a hammer, so sudden that he jumps in place. An employee stocking cans nearby glances weirdly at him. Eddie clears his throat and hurries into the nearest aisle as the laughter tapers off. The silence barely lasts a second before loud chatter starts up. It’s too fast and muffled for Eddie to understand, but he can pick out two distinct voices - one deep, one less so but still decidedly masculine.
Eddie tries to tune it out as he gathers what he needs. Toothpaste, some paper towels, shampoo. For the hell of it, he nabs a box of classic bran muffins from the spacious food section. He lingers for a moment, enjoying how far-away the conversation seems at the other corner of the store. Unfortunately, theft is illegal, so Eddie is forced to move towards the noise.
A strange thing about the store - it’s a combination general store, antique shop, and diner, complete with a miniature gift shop separating the two. One long checkout counter stretches from the open store area, behind the gift shop, and into the diner, where the conversation is coming from. An interesting setup, but an understandable one. It allows anyone behind the counter to move fluidly between customers and sections.
As Eddie approaches, the conversation becomes slightly clearer.
“-said, no wonder you didn’t get her number!” the deeper voice barks, and the two dissolve into that almost-too-loud laughter again.
As it tapers off, the other voice says, “Sounds like a real charmer! But really, you oughta be careful, Barn. One of these days someone’s gonna throw a right hook at ya.”
Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up. A transatlantic accent? He hasn’t heard that anywhere outside of real old movies and a queen he once knew. It sounds natural too, like the man was born to sound like he belongs on a 1920s radio show. It nudges something in the back of Eddie’s mind. He’s started to get really sick of that nudge.
“Oh, this guy did.”
“No kidding? I don’t see a shiner.”
“Well, yeah. I went left.”
Both of them laugh again, and Eddie feels a tiny tug at the corner of his mouth. That wasn’t funny enough to garner an actual laugh in his opinion, but it wasn’t unfunny.
Eddie steps up to the counter and quietly puts his acquired items on it, not wanting to interrupt. He chances a glance to the side - walking space in front of the counter’s length lets him see right down into the diner.
A large man with dyed-blue hair and an interesting fashion sense is at the bar, talking to an employee leaning against the other side. The employee doesn’t really catch Eddie’s gaze, but the other man… Eddie swears he’s seen him before. He studies him from the corner of his eye, not wanting to be rude but unable to mind his business.
“Our bouncer didn’t even get a chance at the action - the idiot knocked himself out tryin’ a second swing!” The customer says. His deep voice, wavering with humor, only adds to the sense of familiarity. Metal glints in his right ear. Eddie knows this man from somewhere.
The employee shakes his head, tutting. His busy hands polish a vintage pitcher. “I swear, you get all the crazies.”
“Makes for a good story, though.” The customer takes a sip from his tall milkshake and scoffs. “Though if it wasn’t all well-ending, amusing bull, I doubt I’d be so tolerant.”
Minutes drag by as the two keep talking. Eddie goes from patiently waiting to awkwardly trying to get the employees attention. If only there was someone else behind the counter, but the only other staff member is elsewhere, likely still stocking shelves.
The two men are too absorbed in their little world, even though both are facing Eddie’s way. The customer has both elbows on the counter, one of them bent to prop up his chin. The employee has his hip leaned against the edge as they chat. They’re obviously very familiar with each other, and clearly deeply enjoy each other's company.
Still - and Eddie is sorry to say, but it’s bad customer service. He’s not in a rush, but he’d still like to be on his way home. He could be fishing out the complex keys right now. He checks his phone - he’s been here for nearly fifteen minutes. Picking out the items took less than five.
Eddie sighs, staring at the various cigarette packs displayed behind the counter. He’s never seen the appeal in smoking, but as the laughter starts up again, he almost wishes he did. He’s going to treat himself to a very long shower once he gets home.
The store’s other employee walks behind the counter, carrying a box. Eddie lights up. Finally - she pointedly clears her throat and heads into the back.
The constant conversation stalls for the barest moment, and he looks over. The customer grins at him for a second - lord he’s handsome - before turning that grin towards his friend.
“You’re losin’ your touch, Howds,” he teases, bringing his shake straw to his lips.
“I resent that statement. You’re just distracting.”
“Lil’ me? Distracting? C’mon, you can just tell me I’m pretty to my face. I’ll take it like a champ, I swear!”
“Ha, good try.” The employee sets the pitcher down and starts to mosey in Eddie’s direction. “Your ego is big enough for the both of us as is. One more compliment and your head’ll pop like a balloon.”
“Well, given that most balloons don’t really pop, they just kinda deflate slowly-”
“Sorry for the wait!” the employee says loudly in a glaringly obvious customer service tone. He stops in front of Eddie with a cardboard smile. At the other end of the counter, the familiar man snickers and hides his grin behind his drink. “I trust you found everything you did - and didn’t! - need.”
Eddie just stares up at him for a moment. At six-one, Eddie hasn’t felt small in a very long time. He usually stands at least a full inch above other people. This employee - Howdy, his name tag states - has several more on him.
“Uh, y-yes, I uh, I did,” Eddie stammers, glancing at his items.
“Wonderful! And again, my sincerest apologies for the delay. My friend makes a game out of keeping me from my job.” Howdy shoots his ‘friend’ a glare with enough heat in it to make an ice cube sweat.
“No worries.”
Howdy scans the items at an almost frightening speed. Beep, into a paper bag. Beep, in. Beep, beep - “Oh, no.”
“What?” Eddie says, dread plucking at his ribs as Howdy holds the bran muffins and shakes his head. “Is there somethin’ wrong?”
“Indeed there is! You’re making a mistake with these. They’re absolutely horrible, I tell ya - and bad for you, too!” Howdy tuts and puts the box to the side. “No, no, you don’t want those.”
“I… don’t?”
“Not if you knew better! Lucky for you, I’m here to set you straight. What you need is-” he snaps his fingers, “Barnaby, be a pal and-”
“Already on it,” ‘Barnaby’ says, appearing next to Eddie.
If Eddie weren’t already paralyzed, he’d jump right out of his skin from how Barnaby towers over him. He has to be a scant inch or so shorter than Howdy, but he still makes Eddie feel tiny. Unfortunately, Barnaby is even more handsome up close.
“Here ya go.” Barnaby hands a plastic container to Howdy and taps it, smiling lazily down at Eddie. “I’d take his advice on this one. Those bran-named muffins may sound fancy, but they’re pretty crumby! You want muffins of quality. Real breadwinners!
Eddie can’t help a soft laugh. “Breadwinners, heh, that’s a good one.”
“Are you selling these or am I?” Howdy says, raising a bushy eyebrow.
“Hey, I’m just doin’ what you asked! I’m bein’ a pal.”
“And I - I’m sorry," Eddie interjects, "but you’re awfully familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?”
“Eh, I’ve been around, but uh… you ever been to [INSERT GAY BAR NAME HERE]?”
Howdy clears his throat. “I’m trying to make a sale here, Barn. You can flirt on your own dime when you’re not costing me mine.”
“Didja know your nose gets redder when you’re jealous?”
Howdy rolls his eyes and shoves Barnaby in the diner’s direction. Barnaby goes with a hearty snicker. Despite the joke, Eddie thinks it has some merit as Howdy scans the final item and rings him up, considerably frostier than before.
Belatedly, Eddie realizes that he didn’t actually agree to the different muffins. Too late now. “Say, what kind of muffins are those?”
“Poppyseed-lemon.”
Eddie relaxes - that is a lot better than boring bran. “Y’know, my mother loved poppyseed-lemon muffins.”
“Did she now,” Howdy drawls.
“Like you wouldn’t believe! If baking was so much as mentioned, she’d jump right on houndin’ us to whip some up for her, or send us to go buy some. We’d never even get a taste! They’d be gone the moment they hit the air, I tell ya.” Eddie chuckles. “Took me a while to understand what all the fuss is about, but man was she right. They are good!”
“Uh-huh. Well, we have a fresh batch delivered every morning. They’re not the same type every time, mind you, but I can promise that they’re all of the highest quality.”
“Breadwinners, right?” Eddie jokes. Howdy doesn’t blink, but Barnaby snorts. He’ll take it. “I might have to come by more often, if that’s the case! Thank you kindly, sir.”
“Mhm, have a good day.” Howdy hands him the bag and strides away without a glance. The dismissal is clear as day. “Say, Barn, did you hear about the racket one of those cult crackpots stirred up at our dear friend’s tearoom?”
Eddie doesn’t catch the tail-end of the sentence as he hurries away, but he frowns. Cult? What cult? There’s a cult? He certainly didn’t hear of one before moving here, and none of his background checks had turned up anything of the sort. He hopes it was just a figure of speech.
The door chimes again as Eddie leaves. It isn’t until he’s in his car that the embarrassment of that whole exchange catches up with him. If he had a nickel for every time he’d made a fool of himself in front of a gorgeous, strangely familiar man, he’d have three nickels. At the rate he’s going, he’ll either be rich, or he’ll have to move.
Eddie subtly tries to peek around the store’s window displays from the safety of his car. He catches a scant glimpse of blue hair - come to think of it, it’s a similar shade to Wally’s. But where Wally’s had, to Eddie’s memory, been uniformly dyed right down to his eyebrows, Barnaby’s rich brown roots were obvious. His beard and eyebrows weren’t dyed, either.
As Eddie relaxes back into his seat, he re-reads at the store’s name. The color drains from his face and he barely restrains himself from slamming his forehead against the steering wheel.
Oh, of course. Of course he made a fool of himself in front of the owner. Eddie can never come back here again. And it was such a nice store…
#wait wym this is almost 2k words what the Fuck!#ok! the writing gods blessed me tonight i guess!#anyway slight context -#in my mind there's a whole Plot and stuff for this au#where it starts off with eddie running into The Group™️ and meeting them mostly separately#before they all meet up and go 'hey yeah you guys ran into eddie from high school too? cool. he's ours now'#and forcibly drag eddie into their little Circle#wh modern human au#snippets from the bog#also sorry about the [INSERT GAY BAR NAME HERE] lmfao i cant come up with one atm#i want it to be wh-related and Clever#but i am not very clever on a good day and this has been a bad one! and again! im tired!#i. dont know how to tag this. whatever! if you see it you see it!#ok im going to sleep. for a whopping three hours before my alarm goes off. *less than three. Sigh.#i always do this! its like 'oh i have to wake up early tomorrow! lets not sleep at all! im feeling so creative!'#gonna go think about this au's laughingstock as i drift to sleep#FOR THREE. HOURS.#have i mentioned the three hours????
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misc sweeney hcs
(disclaimer. i am new-ish here and have no idea how popular/prevalent any of these are go easy on me ok. also a lot of these are dadben related wh o o p s)
i've seen some variance of if this is canon in fics and stuff but i really do like the idea of the barkers also living above the pie shop in addition to the barbershop being there. similar situation w the pie shop/lovett living quarters. ig it's just easier to picture in my head then????
(p sure the b*rton film confirms smth like this but i'm ignoring it bc i don't like that guy. this idea is mine now)
part of the reason i like this so much is it means that benjamin barker had all the more time to have lovely moments with lucy and johanna when he wasn't busy with clients
(this also makes sweeney returning there without them all the more painful. if he sits and doesn't do anything then he's flooded by memories of the life he had in those same walls fifteen years ago. like no wonder sweeney's so bent out of shape by being forced to wait for the judge and the beadle to come to him)
johanna had only JUST started walking when ben was transported. he was so excited and happy and loved to try and assist her, encouraging her to take steps holding his hands. chattering away about her with any customer that would listen, perhaps even showing her off ("look at my jo! she's such a fine girl!" "i'm sure she is, mr. barker, but could you please finish shaving me?")
he bought johanna a little lacy bonnet when she was a week old. she didn't need something so fancy at such a young age, and lucy had already sewn her a few bonnets months prior. it wasn't the most sound financial decision he ever made. but oh, his girl just had to have it, and it's a little big, she could grow into it! (lucy admits she looks very cute with it on, even though she says johanna doesn't need it)
(the bonnet is left forgotten in a drawer somewhere for years, until sweeney opens that particular drawer and finds it gathering dust upon his return. he feels sick seeing it, reminding him again how much he missed. then he puts it back and refuses to give it any mind.)
nellie lovett was infuriated by lucy barker in that way that you can't quite pinpoint why you're mad other than they're "too perfect" or "too pretty" or something. ofc there was the fact she was married to ben, but i think there was a little "get out of my school" energy going on there too
idk exactly how lucy ended up on the street (or in bedlam, as lovett says in the finale) but i do think that nellie was, sadly, at least complicit in inaction to stop this from happening (if not having thrown her out herself)
anthony is the sweetest dude around and genuinely loves johanna. doesn't matter that he barely knows her when he says he'd marry her, he knows that he's going to be happy as long as she is
johanna loves him too, and she's surprised by it. not because of anything to do with anthony, but because she's felt so little real love in her life (that she can remember). it's a wonderful and frightening rush looking at him, sometimes, but then he squeezes her hand, or does something silly, or even just sneezes or clears his throat and she's brought back down to reality, in a good way. that anthony is real, and human like her. she doesn't have to "earn" his love by being utterly perfect.
they get out of london basically as soon as they can, just wanting to leave it all behind, at least for a while
it took a little time and arguing but anthony did end up getting a good sum of money from the judge's death, through johanna's inheritance going to her husband (him). they immediately used this money to finance travel. they both love to travel, anthony promising to show her the beauty of the world that, still, cannot rival her in his eyes
this is all i got that's coherent rn really lol. anyway here you go sweeney todd fans who liked/reblogged my post haha @demonbarberofbeepbeep @captains-clever-goose @little-lovett @fabulousairpirate @funnygirlthatbelle
#sweeney todd#benjamin barker#johanna barker#anthony hope#lucy barker#sweeney todd the demon barber of fleet street#headcanon
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thousand autumns donghua, episode 6~
shen qiao: bro why did u poison me? :)
yu ai: lol what?? POISON?? whaaaat??? no waaayyy, i would NEVER!!! here drink something i prepared with my poisoner hands pls
shen qiao: 🎶MAYBE I SHOULDN'T SAYS CÚNLA!🎶
past!yu ai: yes…..YES! DRINK IT!! DRINK THE POISON BOOZE!! BAHAHAHAHAAHAAAA >:D
past!shen qiao: bby bro ilu, actually ur just as good as i am, so u look after everything for me, ok?? if i die u take over my position and everything will be great, i trust u with my whole heart :) :) :)
past!yu ai: ….....uh-oh
ngl yu ai has a really cute face??? actually i might…..i might think he's a teeny tiny bit cuter than shen qiao?? I DON'T LIKE HIM MORE!! but idk i feel like….maybe they fussed with shen qiao's face a bit TOO much and got a weird effect? (i say this as someone who often fusses too much over my drawings' faces and ends up with a weird effect ;A; it's a curse 😔)
NOOO SHEN QIAO DON'T GET SICKER!! poor bby sorry i criticised ur appearance so much ;A;
awww he doesn't want to be bros anymore ;A;
i find it interesting how he's willing to be forgiving of strangers, but not his former bro. not that the former bro really deserves it, bc he's being awful ;A; but its interesting to me, how different ppl approach betrayal!! I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT U SHEN QIAO. TELL ME UR SECRETS PLS.
yan wushi is so relatable lol. he watches all this and goes 'what an idiot!' and it doesn't even matter who he's referring to, bc he's right lmao
shen qiao poor bby ;A; he cough so much ;A; someone get my mans a glass of water ;A;
HOLY SHIT YU AI JUST ATTACKED HIM WTF???!!!!!
DID
DID HE CALL HIM A-QIAO AS WELL??
WHAT A RUDE JERK!! THAT IS UR SHIXIONG, U BRAT!! >:V
yu ai: 'i don't want u to leave!' *makes shen qiao spit blood* 'i don't want to hurt u!! come on bro, just stay here with meeeee uwu'
ITS THE OLD MAN! HE'S HERE!!
aww he help shen qiao up ;A; so cute ;A;
uh sir u need to learn to take 'no' for an answe--OK NVM HE'S JUST WHISKING SHEN QIAO AWAY BY THE WAIST ONCE MORE
THAT'S FINE. I GUESS
yan wushi, king of evils??? LMAO more like king of dramatic hoes
'the evil gang' ….idk what i expected it to be called really
DID HE JUST
DID HE SLAP YU AI FOR CALLING SHEN QIAO 'A-QIAO'????? THATS AMAZING
a bit hypocritical BUT STILL AMAZING AND HILARIOUS DO IT AGAIN!! DO IT AGAIN!!
he's such a badass omg ;A; also he has such great accessories!! such good taste in fashion rly!!
lol now it's yu ai's turn to spit blood!! serves u right for being a jerk smh
lol i LOVE these random side characters who just look like normal ppl in comparison to these bishounen pretty boys. 10/10 artistic choice
oh we've met a new friend! yuanchun! hello sir!! he's quite handsome, even if his spine is made of jam
SHEN QIAO WILL U WHIST I CAN'T HEAR THEM OVER UR INNER MONOLOGUE
yws: i'm gonna help u, then hurt u, then help u again, then ruin ur day and make u cry >:)
shen qiao: …….. :( get me out of here pls :(
yws: *evil laughs triumphantly*
i just want everyone to know that every time yan wushi evil laughs, i laugh too🤣
'YOU SHAMELESS GUUUUYYYYY!!!!!!' amazing
oh ok we're
we're just gonna fight now. ok cool
fellas, is it gay to touch fingertips with ur bro while wreathed in spiritual energy??
GHOST SWORDS!!
i do love these pretty sequences with all the martial arts…..stuff lol. i wish i were clever enough to describe it but. just know that it's all very spiritual and neat ;A;
aww shen qiao is so cool ;A; ilu my lad! ur a good boi!!
WH
SSIR
SIR WHY ARE U GRABBING HIS FACE LIKE THAT
WHOOOAAA UR GETTING REAL CLOSE TO HIM THERE SIR
oh i see, the devil whispering in ur ear is actually yan wushi trying to make u be his wife, it all makes sense now!!
yws: A-QIAO COME BE EVIL WITH ME. IT'LL BE FUN A-QIAO I PROMISE. WE CAN BE EVIL TOGETHER A-QIAO. I WILL BE THE EVIL HUSBAND AND U CAN BE MY EVIL WIFE A-QIAO. ARE U THE ONE FOR ME A-QIAO??? I THINK U ARE THE ONE A-QIAO. A-QIAO
the old man moves fast, not like he's got unlimited time left i guess
OH MY GOD
HE'S LITERALLY CARRYING HIM AWAY LIKE A BRIDE
in summation:
✨THESE BITCHES GAY✨
#birb watches#thousand autumns donghua#qian qiu is this liveblogging?? is that what im doing here???#yu ai is a BIIIIITCHH he really should stop poisoning ppl!! what's his PROBLEM?? >:V#WAIT I SHOULD#i should explain#'maybe i shouldn't says cúnla' is from an irish song that is very old and was probably meant for night visiting#(when ur bf would come see u after dark for canoodling probably. maybe. who knows)#'cúnla' being the bf's name in this song#the verses are the gf saying like 'who's knocking on my window? who's putting the kettle on? who's tickling my feets?'#and cúnla going 'it me gurl!' but like. irishly.#and then the chorus is like her going 'cúnla dear don't come any closer' and him going 'actually i totally will tho'#it's NOT noncon tho!! it's just a game!! like a courting game....thing!!!#the chorus of the english version is a bit different#the lady goes 'cúnla dear don't come any nearer me'#and the last line is 'maybe i shouldn't says cúnla'#lol i......have been known (when sufficiently anxious and without any other outlet) to#LOUDLY SHOUT THAT LAST LINE. TO EXPRESS MY RELUCTANCE TO DO THINGS OTHERS SUGGEST#some ppl (my mother) find this hilarious#others find it very annoying#i'll let YOU decide lol#god it took me ages to get this to post#it BETTER work now or i'll be VERY ANNOYED >:V
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Childhood Friend - MC x Diavolo (6)
[MC and Diavolo’s First Friend Quarrel.]
Diavolo: *facing the wall; his arms are crossed* *ignoring MC*
MC: *worried look* Dia-
Diavolo: *scoffs*
MC: *sigh* I don’t understand why are you mad-
Diavolo: *looks at them with a glare*
MC: ...
MC: Okay. Maybe I did. But is that the only reason?
Diavolo: *faces the wall again* *pouts*
MC: Dia... Seriously... Why are you like this?
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[A few hours ago.]
Lucifer: *just finished introducing his brothers* So, we just came here not too long ago.
MC: I see... Wasn’t it after the Celestial War?
Lucifer: Yes.
MC: *smiles* Well then, how do you find Devildom so far?
Lucifer: *smiles back* Diavolo is surprisingly kind and open-minded for a demon prince.
MC: Ah, yes. Dia is really like that.
Mammon: MC, can I ask a question? Why did you leave Devildom?
MC: I went to the Human World to study their customs.
Satan: Is it related to Lord Diavolo’s plan of uniting the three realms?
MC: Yes. You’re quite clever, Satan.
Satan: *blushes* Well... I have receiving news about it.
Belphie: So what is your opinion about the humans?
MC: Humans are hard to decipher, but a lot of them have a good heart.
Belphie: You look like you are fond of them.
MC: Yes. I think you do too. Am I right?
Belphie: *looks away shyly* Not really.
Beel: Do you have food? I’m hungry.
MC: *laughs* I have a candy. Would that be enough?
Beel: *smiles in satisfaction* Yes. Thank you.
Lucifer: Beel... You have just eaten.
Asmo: Seriously, Beel. You have to control your hunger once in a while.
MC: Oh no... It’s completely fine. Beel, I have some pastries in the kitchen. You could ask Barbatos to wrap them for you.
Beel: *eyes sparkle* *yanks Belphie’s hand*
Belphie: Hey-!
Beel: Pastries.
*the two went away*
Lucifer: MC, please excuse us. I don’t quite trust Beel when it comes to the kitchen. We would need to follow him.
MC: Oh... Alright. See you again, Luci.
Lucifer: *is taken aback a little with the nickname* O-Okay. See you again too, MC.
*All of them left except Levi*
Levi: *sigh* No one even noticed me. *sad frown*
MC: *smiling at him* *walks towards him* Maybe because you were not saying anything.
Levi: *eyes widened* *a bit embarrassed* N-No... No one really noticed me that much...
MC: *touches his forehead* You are not good with crowds?
Levi: *nods* *looking shyly at them*
MC: *closes their eyes* *then opens them again* *smiles* Can I hug you?
Levi: *blushes* Wh-Why?
MC: *laughs* I want you to be my friend. So you would have someone to spend time together with.
Levi: *fidgets* I-If you say so...
MC: *hugs him*
Diavolo: *sees them* *feels jealous* *clears throat*
MC and Levi: *looks at him*
Diavolo: Am I disturbing you?
Levi: *instinctively hug MC tighter trying to hide from Diavolo*
MC: Um no... Do you need something from me, Dia?
Diavolo: Forget about it. *walks out*
Levi: Wha- He looks mad.
MC: ... I think you’re right.
Levi: Go follow him. It’s not good to prolong a lover’s quarrel.
MC: ... Levi, we are friends though.
Levi: *shocked expression*
--------------------------------------------------------------
MC: Dia.
Diavolo: ...
MC: Dia.
Diavolo: ...
MC: Do you want us to have a sleepover?
Diavolo: *his ears twitches*
MC: *noticed it* *smiles* I would also sing your favorite lullaby.
Diavolo: *forces to wear a frown* *faces MC* Do you think that would be enough to bribe me?
MC: *laughs* Yes. Since you finally looked at me.
Diavolo: *walks towards them* I am still jealous on what you did to Leviathan.
MC: *looks up at him* It was a hug for him. A cuddle for you.
Diavolo: ...
Diavolo: *smiles* Okay. Would it be in my chamber or yours?
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Fucking Fame
Idol!Bakugou x Idol!Reader(NSFW)
Warnings:NSFW,18+, cursing, thigh riding, slight degradation??, unprotected sex
Word Count:3,656
Crossed off: Popstar AU
Tag list: @gallickingun @prismaroyal @shoutodoki @sadistiks @keigod @honeytama @shoutogepi @hawks-senseis
A/N: Happy forth of July to my fellow people in the USA enjoy some smut. This is my first piece for the @bnhabookclub bingo event, but I hope that you guys really enjoy it :3
“We’ve been driving for hours, PLEASE tell me that we’re close to the venue. I think I’m going to die.” You say as you throw yourself against the couch in your tour bus. You were currently heading to where your next concert was supposed to be located. It wasn’t far enough in distance to warrant taking the plane so here you were, trap inside this boring bus.
“You should be relaxing for the show tonight. And your supposed to be on vocal rest until we get there, so stop focusing on when we are going to arrive and just do what you’re told.” Your manager doesn’t even bother looking up from her laptop while you throw your fit. You roll your head over to where she sat and sigh dramatically hoping to get her attention so the two off you could do something more entertaining, but when she continues typing you give up. Moving your feet off of the side of the couch, you get up heading back toward the little hang out room.
You shut the door behind you and take a seat on one of the comfy chairs and pull out your phone checking out tonight’s show and venue. After typing in your password you can see that the show tonight was one of your combined shows with a well known band that your agency wanted to have a show with to help boost your ratings. You had tried refusing doing a combined show but in the end your manager and team won. You knew that it would be good publicity but there was apart of you that wanted to be able to achieve your fame without having to piggy back off of others. Seeing as this was your first tour though, you didn’t have much say in things. What bothered you the most though, was that you had never even met this band before. At the least with other shows, you had a day or two to get to know whoever you were preforming with but this time it was almost as if you were thrown to the vultures.
So you took it upon yourself to look them up. The band had consisted of 5 members. There was their lead singer, Izuku Midoryia, who seemed to be the face of the band, appearing in the most amount of interviews and seeming to have the biggest general following. The lead guitarist and back up singer, Shouto Todoroki, seemed to be more of the band’s mystery man and the ladies favorite. The second guitarist, Eijirou Kirishima, looked to be the life of the group, appearing at as many meet and greets and almost always staying after shows to talk to fans. There was the base guitarist, Denki Kaminari, who seemed to get in the most amount of newspapers and magazines. Never for any super bad reasons but it seemed to be for really stupid things like accidently breaking a hotel microwave by microwaving glass. And then there was the drummer.
Katsuki Bakugou.
According to article after article, he was the group bad boy. He had no filter and was often never brought to interviews due to past appearances. He didn’t put up with the fakeness of celebrity life and called every person who was apart of it out on it. The band’s PR team constantly had to log him out of his twitter due to vulgar debates. You were also able to find multiple scandals' involving him and other female celebrities and fans to which he never responded to with more than a wicked smile. But other than his hot headed ego and promiscuous relations, there wasn’t much else you could find. You searched for a half hour to try to see if you could find anything else about who he was but nothing came up. Eventually you gave up on your efforts to try to uncover any actually useful information on the man, instead decided to waste your time by taking a nap until you arrived at the venue.
It felt like only seconds had passed before you were being nudged awake by your lovely manager. She explained to you that you had arrived at the arena and gave you direction to where your dressing room was going to be. The band had already preformed the sound check so you were free to take your time while getting ready seeing as they wouldn’t need you for a bit before it was time for your own mic check. You made your way through the poorly lit halls to where your manager had told you your dressing room was. When you finally come across the door you believe to lead to your room you push it open and quickly enter. Your make your way over to were the vanity was and take a seat. While reaching over to grab your products for the night, your attention is caught by the sound of the door opening. There in the doorframe was the same man you were unable to find any information on. Although you were confused as to what he was doing in your dressing room.
“Um can I help you?” Your eyes trail after him as he beelines toward the couch before plopping down. You raise your eyebrow at him, questioning how comfortable he was making himself. “Make yourself comfy I guess” He continued to ignore you while moving his arms behind his head as he closes his eyes. “Are you just going to sit there and ignore me? What are you even doing in my room?” You were now standing next to where you were just seated, hands against your hips as you question him. He shuffled on the couch looking over at where you were.
“Your room? I don't think you got the memo princess.” He sat up from his spot on the couch, still taking an obnoxiously large amount of room he spoke again. “This is our room. The other dressing room was too small for all 5 of us so the two of us are sharing. Besides...” He looked you up and down, suddenly feeling very small under his glare, “wannabe brats like you don’t get a private room. Sorry about your luck your highness” You’re stare hardens at his words, angry now flowing through you.
“Well you don’t have a private room either so what does that say about you?” Crossing your arms you wait for him to come up with some clever response. You make your way over to wear he was, prepared to shove him out of your room so that you could have some peace and quiet before tonight.
“Why you little-” You cut him off before he can finish his sentence.
“You know what I think. I think that your other bandmates probably got sick and tired of your ‘I’m the best person here and everyone else can fuck off’ attitude and forced you to go to some other room. How pathetic do you have to be for your own friends to find you obnoxious?” Your words leaving your mouth like venom, not even caring how mean you sounded. When he shot up from the couch and stormed right infront of you, you still stood your ground. You weren’t going to back down. He kept coming closer and closer to you until he was barely a step away, his face merely a few inches from yours. A breath hitches in the back of your throat, as you feel your body betray you. Just his presence alone was soaked in intimidation. You go to speak up again to tell him to back off but you feel the words get trapped and fail to get out. A smirk covering his face as he notices as well.
“Oh? Not so big and tough now are you? You should learn to hold your fucking tongue, especially when you’re talking to someone who could end your whole career.” He holds you in place with his killer stare, Vermillion eyes staring into your own. You swallow whatever lump had formed and spoke up.
“Oh yeah? You and what following? I’ve heard about you ya know. Everyone knows that you call out everyone for living such fake lives. For taking advantage of their fame and sleeping with whoever they want just because they’re famous and they know they’ll do what ever they say. Yet you’re exactly the same. You pick up chick after chick as they all practically fling themselves onto you. You’re just a fucking hypocrite and I know you’re not going to do shit because you’re all talk.” Confidence pouring from your mouth as you take a step away from him, trying to create distance between the two of you. But he quickly takes another step forward closing your attempt.
“You almost sounded jealous there, what do you wish you could be one of them?” His smirk so wide you could see his gums poking out. You scoff at his remark.
“As if I would ever be with someone like you.” A look of disgust taking over you face at even the thought of sleeping with him. But like a disease, the thought continued to spread in your thoughts and slowly your face began to heat up. Suddenly the little space between you felt hot and you were wanting nothing more than to leave the room and distance yourself from him, but he had different plans.
“Is that so?” He continues stepping toward you and you back away from him. This continues until you feel you back hit the wall next to where you were once getting ready. A gasp leave your lips at the sudden contact but are quickly brought back by a hand on your jaw, turning you toward his face.
“Yes t-that’s so” You curse yourself at the stutter that manages to escape, the tension in between you finally getting to you, against your own wishes. A deep chuckle makes a shiver shoot down your spin.
“You don’t seem to confident in that answer. Come on where did all of that sass go? Don’t tell me the brat has lost her fight.” His free hand makes its way to the wall behind you, effectively caging you in-between it and his broad chest.
“I didn’t lose anything and I’m not a brat.” You clench your teeth, sure he could feel it through his hold. His grip tightens slightly against you as he brings you closer to his face. So close that you could now feel his warm breath fan across you as he spoke.
“Then prove it princess. Show me that you’re not just some goodie two shoes who’s gonna cry if she doesn’t get her way.” His face hovering just barely in front of yours. You look into his eyes and think about what he said. You could very easily just brush past him and walk out but it was something about the way he was staring you down that almost didn’t make you want to go. So, against you better judgement, you did the exact opposite. You raise your arm up, bringing it to his forearm. Moving your fingertips up the muscles of his thick arms, you watch goosebumps litter his skin. Once you get to his bicep you switch to having your full arm feel him as you continue to travel all the way to his neck, where you run your hand around the back of his neck, finger tips spreading throughout his hair. Bringing your eyes back to meet his, you take a handful of the soft locks and lightly tug it, earning a throaty groan from him. Using the leverage of control over his head, you bring him down so you are at level with his ear.
“Why don't you make me?” You say as you lean forward, giving his ear a small nibble before returning back to your spot against the wall. His face grows red at your sudden forwardness, and you chuckled before letting a smirk cross your lip. But when you watch as his eyes darken as he drinks you in, you find yourself subconsciously biting your bottom lip. His eyes flicker down to see you release your lip before bring his own to come crashing down.
Both of your lips meet in a fight for dominance, not wanting to just let him win and loose your ground. Your hands still tangled in his hair as you find yourself tugging on the stands as you fight for air. The sensation only further driving Bakugou to want more. His hand moves away from the wall and to you hip as the other travels to the back of your neck, pulling you further into him if it was even possible. Your lips move in perfect harmony as he pushes himself into you, his thigh separating your legs as he kept you pinned against the wall. You gasp as you feel his hand grab your ass, but he takes advantage of it and dives his tongue into your mouth. They meet in a battle of dominance, exploring every dip of each others mouth. Eventually he takes charge and you feel yourself moan into the kiss. Oblivious from the heated kiss, you had hardly noticed Bakugou’s hand slid down to the edge of your skirt until you felt him take a handful of your ass and squeeze.
You pull away from the kiss looking him in the eyes, lust glazed over them. You squeezed your thighs together but instead of getting any relief from the presser, it caused you rind down onto the thick thigh that was holding them apart. The friction making a surge of pleasure rip through you and the need to feel again grew. So you roll you hips forward, moaning from the rough jeans against your almost naked core, protected only by thin lace. It was almost as if something had came over you as you continued rolling your hips against his muscular thigh getting yourself closer to your own release. That was until two firm hands landed on either side of you hips, haltering your movement.
“Are you so desperate that you’re trying to get off by riding my thigh? If you want more all you have to do is ask princess.” Leaning down so that his head was right next to your ear, making sure you heard his next sentence. “Go ahead, I want to hear you beg for it.” The feeling of his lips on your neck make your hips involuntarily move as he searches for the sweet spot, but as soon as he finds it you’re a puddle of whimpers in his fingertips.
“Pl-please Bakugou- ughh- I need more” Barely able to get the words out any louder than a whine. Desperately trying to receive any form of please the man infront of you was willing to give to you. You shutter as you feel him chuckle against your skin.
“Is that all you got? You’re going to have to do better than that if you want this dick at all.” He returns to kissing against your neck, just light enough not to give you the pleasure you so desired.
“Fuck! Bakugou please! I need you to fill me up and fuck me until I can’t walk. Please I need your fat cock to just split me open.” If you could hear the words you were saying right now you would probably die of embarrassment but the amount of lust taking over your body made you not even think twice at the lewd confession. You feel his grasp on your hips tighten, his finger tips digging into your soft sides, surely leaving marks, as a groan leaves his lips at your begging. Quickly, he moves his hands from your side to underneath your hips, picking you up before placing you down on the sofa he once was on, pinning you between the soft cushion and his hard chest. You two met again in a passionate kiss, much messier than the first, spit was everywhere but you couldn’t care less you just wanted all of him. As he reached down to pull the drenched lace down your thighs you could feel his hard on press against your thigh and you couldn’t help but feel even more turned on by the fact he was liking this as much as you were. Pulling away from the kiss you feel him pant against your lips.
“Call me Katsuki baby, I want to hear you scream my name as I destroy this pretty little pussy of yours.” He almost couldn’t tear his gaze away from your soaked core, wanting nothing more than to devour you then and there. “Next time I’m going to have to eat you out but for now I want to feel you around me instead.” You feel yourself clench around nothing at the thought of there being a next time.
But suddenly your attention is grabbed when you feel his head press against your entrance, your head shoots down to see his massive cock rubbing against you, gathering all your slick with each stroke. Teasingly, he stops right as his tip is aligned with your hole, causing you to squirm as you craved to feel him deep inside you.
“Please Katsuki I can’t take it any more, I need you!” You bite down on your lip as you feel him start to push into you, feeling yourself stretch around his head as it dips further into you. Clenching around him at the pleasure of him filling you up.
“F-fuck Y/N you gotta stop squeezing me like that.” He struggled with trying to slowly push into you at how tight you were, so he did the next best thing. Thrusting his hips forward, he forces himself passed though the squeezing grip into you until you are filled to the brim with his cock. His head dipping back in ecstasy at how your walls hug around him. “Shit you’re so fucking tight.”
“P-please move.” Tears collect in your eyes at how full you were. Sure you may have been with other guys before but no one ever made you feel this full. Slowly he pulls out of you before rutting his hips forward to fill you back up. The way he was positioned, causing him to hit your g-spot. A moan leaving your lips as he starts moving his hip again, starting to pick up the pace before eventually he is slamming into you at an unforgiving speed.
The feeling of his vein dragging against your walls as he slams into your spongey wall causing you to cry out at the amount of intense pleasure you were feeling. Your hands make there way to his back, digging your nails into the muscle as you try to somehow control how you were feeling.
“Is my little princess already going to cum?” A yes barely makes it out of you as a mutter of profanities follow soon after. His hand reaches down to press into your clit causing a wave of heat to flood through you. While rubbing little circles into you, he leans down, kissing and sucking on your neck before speaking again. “Come on then baby girl, let me hear you. I want everyone in the whole building to know who’s making you feel this good.”
“God you Katsuki!! You do! Holy fuck you’re gonna make me cum” Your back arches as his pace becomes sloppy but he keeps increasing in power. You can feel the couch shaking at the intensity at which he’s slamming into you.
“Cum for me princess, cum all over me.” If the pleasure from him hitting both of your sweet spots wasn’t enough, the addition of his lewd words burning into your ear was enough to make you see stars. As he continued his assault on your body your vision went white as you chased your release, clenching tightly around him as your hands dragged down his back, marking it as your own as you felt yourself cum around the thick cock that pulsed inside of you. Watching your face be taken over in pure bliss and the feeling of you milking his dick had Bakugou painting the inside of your walls white within a few thrusts.
His pace started to slow down helping the both of you ride out your high. The room was filled with the sound of both of your uneven breathing as you both attempted to catch your breath. After a few minutes he pulled himself out of you and you immediately felt empty. He watched as his seed tried spilling out of you as you clenched at the sudden emptiness, and quickly brought his finger down to scoop it back up and push it back into you. He looked into your eyes as a smirk takes over his face.
“Maybe you aren’t as much of a goodie two shoes as I thought.” He grabs your hand and helps you to stand up and you feel your knees buckle under the weight. An arm is wrapped around you waist, stopping you from falling to the floor. As he held you, you felt his cum run down your thighs. You were about to ask him a question when a knock came from the door.
“Y/N you’re need for a mic check, make sure you hurry up because they’re waiting for you.” You heard the voice of your manager from out side of the room and a look of panic crosses your face but Bakugou just chuckles.
“You heard her princess, your audience awaits. We’ll just have to pick up where we left off after the show.” An evil smile on his face as he lets go of you and nudges you toward the door. As you step out of the room and make your way toward the where the stage was, you realized one thing.
That fucker didn’t give you back your underwear.
#bnhabookclub#bakugou#bakugou katsuki#bakugo#bakugo katsuki#bakugou x reader#bakugo x reader#bakugou smut#katsukibakugou#katsuki bakugou x reader#katsuki#katsuki bakugo smut#bakugo smut#bnha x reader#mha x reader#bnha bakugou#mha bakugou#bnha#mha#bnha bakugo x reader#mha bakugo x reader
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thoughts on voltron: legendary defender, season one, first five episodes. this will be like witnessing your mom watch a show for the youngins and being confused the entire time.
warning for spoilers, obviously, but idk what for because i’m later to this show than the alteans were to the war.
i almost closed netflix bc i saw that the first episode is one hour long wh-
this is how shiro is introduced? harsh. but i like that in the first few minutes, the galra are already established as a force to be reckoned with.
first scene with lance, hunk and pidge, already showing their dynamic and their current situation! also, lol, lance getting told "you're only here because the best pilot in your class had a discipline issue" way to create tension between characters, keith isn't even there and we already know lance kind of hates him.
i like hunk he reminds me of po from kung fu panda hehe
what's pidge's thing with the kerberos mission? he seems very very invested in it, even for a character that science oriented.
OH IT'S KEITH. man i'm actually really impressed with the character introductions in this first episode, they're so clever and very effective, they show the most important facts about the person without slowing down.
keith really lived alone in that desert cabin for however long huh
where's the cat going
oh the cat went home, neat.
i love how at this point it seems that only blue chose its paladin, for the rest of them allura did a personality assessment off first impressions and assigned the rest of the lions, she really said "the bond cannont be forced... by anyone except for me" ma'am these are 5 random people from earth.
apart from that, i'm loving how intuitive piloting is with the lions!
lol lance fully killed some people there
listen if pidge doesn't turn out to be related to the people in the kerberos mission... just :( the way he reacted to shiro quoting the commander? there's no way he doesn't know them.
"go. be great." SHUT UP 😭
blue woke up yesterday and she's already getting beat up give it a rest it's been 10.000 years.
FUCK OFF SENDAK. I know of you, you lame ass excuse for an antagonist.
shiro i love you that's all i have to say.
THE COMMANDER IS PIDGE'S FATHER I KNEW IT HHHHH
the mice are so cute i can't believe allura is a fairytale princess with animal sidekicks.
YEAH GIANT HERO ROBOT!
ok second episode let's go:
this druid lady has a very cool character design, not sure what's her point in the story tho
pidge when are you gonna tell us your secret?
third episode!
it's really not fair how cool shiro is, paladin of the black lion, and "the champion"
oh no, shiro was forced to fight for galra entertainment? mmmmm yeah why not i love pain and suffering.
the little people who live on arus are very cute.
i'm sure shiro only attacked pidge's brother to keep him from fighting the gladiator don't be mad pidge :(
oh so the thing was the same gladiator, makes sense.
OH PIDGE'S NAME IS KATIE she's matt's sister this makes so much sense, i'm very sad, i can't wait to know her story.
ok episode four, the iconic failed team cheer i used to see on twitter.
the way lance pronounced varadero beach made me want to cry but at least it's the first mention of anything related to cuba, so i'll take it.
why'd they already beat up lance gdi give the boy a break.
episode five, i'm stressed.
NOT THE FLASHBACKS I CAN'T KEEP IT TOGETHER :(
kerberos mission: takashi shirogane, and samuel and matthew holt :(
pidge you are such a badass you have my heart too, also it's so sweet how rover has like a little personality.
"hasta la later, keith" MAKE IT STOP
(but ok that does sound like something i would say to be annoying)
hunk and bolin from legend of korra would be such good bros you can't change my mind.
ok the galra are the bad guys but they have style, "nothing stops me but triumph, and death" that's cool.
THAT FLYING ROBOT BETTER COME BACK OR ELSE.
damn even the mice have a kill count everyone has a kill count.
love lance waking up only to shoot a bad guy and then dramatically faint again, maybe he has hispanic heritage after all, he has the flare.
"we are a good team" hell yeah you are buddy.
final thought on the first five episodes: honestly? i’m impressed, the pacing is great, the characters are well defined and they all get their little moments to shine. loved the pidge focus on episode five, and i’m very excited too see what happens next. that’ll have to wait because i haven’t slept and now my brain is repeating that voltron forming sequence they play EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
rest of season one liveblog.
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Talking Books With @aliteraryprincess!
[What is this and how can I participate?]
This is the interview number 50!!!!!!!!
I’m so excited, I really can’t believe we’ve reached such a high number... or that we’ve got so many interviews left. Thank you, everyone.
Today we chat with the Fairytale Expert Extraordinaire, although she can also school you on Victorian Literature should the need arouse. Enjoy.
Important note: I haven’t changed or edited any of the answers. I’ve only formatted the book titles so they were clearer, but nothing else. Because I’m incapable of shutting up, my comments are between brackets and in italics, so you can distinguish them clearly.
-------------------------------------------------------
[Image description: a square titled “Know the blogger”. Name & pronouns: Elizabeth, she/her; country: United States; three adjectives to describe her: serious, shy & trustworthy]
1. What is a (funny, curious, etc) anecdote about something book related that has happened to you?
For a book-related anecdote...hmm. One of my favorites occurred while I was in the master's program in Lancaster, UK. I took a class called "Place and Person in Early Modern Literature." We were studying Thomas Pott's The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster right around Halloween (just for some background, Lancaster was the site of the Pendle Witch Trials, which are some of the best known witch trials in the UK). My professor decided to take us on a field trip to Lancaster Castle and she got permission for us to have class in the dungeon where the witches were held while awaiting trial. So we sat in this medieval dungeon, reading the book out loud by candlelight while the wind howled outside. It was incredibly eerie and so much fun! It's one of my favorite memories from grad school, and definitely one of my favorite bookish stories.
[This must have been awesome!! What an incredible professor, what an incredible class!]
2. If you were to switch places with one random character, which one would it be (does not have to the main, super minor characters are fine as well)?
This is always a hard question because bad things usually happen to the characters in the books I read, and I don’t want bad things to happen to me. I’d probably go with a character in a Jane Austen book, like Elizabeth Bennet or Emma Woodhouse. Actually, definitely Emma. It would be nice to be handsome, clever, and rich. If I were Elizabeth, I’d have to deal with having Mrs. Bennet for a mother...
[Yes, but Emma marries a man 16 years older than her who admits he started loving her when she was 13... I liked Knightley up until that moment.
But true, Emma has way better life prospects than Lizzie, even if Lizzie marries The Love Interest par excellence. And by being Emma, one can avoid both Mrs Bennet and Lydia!! Very important for one's well-being, in my humble opinion.]
3. Do you use NetGalley or similar websites for reading ARCs?
I just started using NetGalley this year, and I really like it. I've gotten access to some really great books so far and some new releases that I've been excited for.
4. First book that comes to your mind when I say "spring"?
Chalice by Robin McKinley. It’s very focused on nature and bees, which just screams spring to me.
5. Absolute favourite character ever?
I would say my favorite character ever (if I really had to pick only one...it's so hard) is Sansa Stark from A Song of Ice and Fire.
Free space!
I suppose I'll leave things off with some recommendations for books that I don't think get enough attention.
The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib is a beautiful and harrowing look at a woman's recovery from anorexia and it is the best book I've read this year. It's a difficult read, but absolutely worth it.
All the Ever Afters by Danielle Teller is a historical retelling of Cinderella focused on the stepmother's story. It features a Cinderella character who is coded as on the autism spectrum, which I thought was fantastic, and overall it's an amazing retelling.
Or What You Will by Jo Walton, which was just released this year. It's fantasy metafiction and one of the most delightful fantasy novels I've read in a while.
[This year = 2020, the year the interview took place in]
You can follow her at @aliteraryprincess, on her website, and on Goodreads.
-------------------------------------
Thank you Elizabeth! This was lovely.
Next interview: Saturday, 27th of February
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Mistakes & Regrets V
Summary: When a trip to your Dad’s hometown of Hawkins goes wrong, you end up in the year 1983, and have to learn how to cope with being stuck in the past.
Pairing: Steve Harrington / Future!Reader (like, a really slow burn)
A/n: Italics are memories!
•••
You were scared, and alone.
The star and moonless sky sent chills up your spine, and the cold made you feel like it was winter. But this place didn’t have any seasons. It was just cold, and empty. And slimy.
It always felt like your feet were slipping whenever you tried to sneak around whatever those things were around you. They were terrifying, growling, and faceless.
And you made a big mistake, you’d ran away, you broke the rule of never going into the woods alone. This was on you. And you wanted nothing more for your phone to work. To be able to call your dad, either one of them. You wanted to apologize for being an idiot, for not being responsible.
You were hiding, holding your keys. They were too loud. All the keychains you had on it were jingling drawing attention. You were trying to take them off of the ring as quietly as you could, the first one to go was your Millennium Falcon keychain, quietly slipping it into your backpocket. The second was the Avatar keychain, that one being slipped into your hoodie pocket. You needed to seperate them, keep it so the jingle was no longer there. So you could get by them easier.
The last one you hesitated on. The rose quartz crystal keychain your brother had bought you from the dollar section in Target for your birthday. You didn’t really have an opinion of crystals, you thought they were pretty, so you kept it on your keyring.
You hesitated, before deciding against it, holding your pepper spray as if it would do anything, the pale pink can being gripped in your hand, fingers wrapped tightly around it, your nail polish a dark shade of purple, contrasting the pink, even in the dark.
“Could you find a way to let me down slowly.” You sang as quietly as possible, holding the keychain in your hand, trying to calm your down as much as possible. They’d seen you once. You didn’t want to risk it again. You’d lost your skateboard along the way, having dropped it the moment you saw one of those. . . things.
“A little sympathy I hope you can show me.” Tears were close to going down your cheeks as you grabbed your bag, holding it to your chest as tightly as you could. Your phone died a day before. And you’d been here a total of two. Evading the creature’s, never really getting a good look at them. Just knowing that they towered over you and looked emaciated, and their hands were huge, if you could even call them hands. They looked more like claws. And reminded you of the Windigo from that one video game whose name kept slipping your mind. And that’s what you called them, because that’s what they looked like, even if they weren’t because you knew these things had to be a different species, not a cannibal turned monster from Native American lore.
“If you wanna go then I’ll be so lonely.” Your low voice cracked a bit as your grip on the
sketchbook inside of your bag tightened. Your knees meeting your chest as you held the red material of the Jansport bag.
“If you’re leaving, baby, let me down slowly.” A loud noise came from down the street. Away from where you were hiding. Looking from the tree branches to the dark uninhabited houses you saw one of them moving. But you moved quicker. Hopping down from the tree and carrying your bag while you ran
•••
You didn’t know where you were going, you were pretty sure you were just running. Maybe there was something behind it. Some reason you were going towards the center of town, like a gut instinct telling you that you needed to go, run away from the motel you’d been living in for the past months.
The second the bowl had shattered and Linda snapped you out of it, you’d ran, going for your room again, and packing a few things you thought were necessary, and you went running down the street, it’d been 15 minutes now.
And at the end of those 15 minutes, you turned a corner, and almost ran straight into an older woman, who looked upset, and frazzled. An unreadable look on her face. But you knew it wasn’t a happy one. Maybe one of being deep in thought? Contemplation maybe.
It took everything in you not to call her what you knew her as, but you also knew that would get a strange look before she left. But as she steadied your by grabbing onto your shoulders, you grabbed her arms.
“Mrs. Byers! I was just looking for you.” Realization struck, your instincts telling you to run into town, where Joyce would be at the coroner's office, to tell her that Will couldn’t possibly be dead, because you were still there, you hadn’t disappeared like in all of those movies where something bad happens and someone was never born.
Or this could be like in Avengers, where something caused another timeline to happen. But then what would that mean for you? For the rest of your family here? For Will? Would he really be dead?
You refused to believe that. It didn’t feel right.
“I’m sorry? Do I know you?” Joyce looked more confused than she could have ever been in the entirety of her life.
“No, you don’t.” You spoke sadly, looking down to the ground, blinking away quick tears before looking back up to Joyce. “I’m new to Hawkins, just please listen, this is about your son-”
“If Jonathan told you anything-”
“There’s no way he’s dead!” You interrupted, grip on her sleeves growing tighter before she slowly pulled her hands away from your shoulders, eyeing you cautiously, almost as if you’d found out a secret.
“Wh-what?”
“You’re going to think I’m crazy, like, psych ward level crazy, like needing to be so heavily medicated that I wouldn’t be able to function normally-”
“Sweetheart, I’ve been the crazy one in town the past few days. I’ve seen it. . . What’s going on?”
You felt your heart swell a bit when she called you ‘sweetheart’ because that was what she’d always called you. Dad called you ‘baby’ and she always called you ‘sweetheart’. You blinked away more tears as you tried to muster up the courage to speak, but you couldn’t.
Carefully, and almost hesitantly, you pulled off your bag, and opened it. Taking out the large notebook and closing the backpack again, flipping to the page you were looking for, the image you and your dad had drawn together. You handed over the sketchbook, and you saw her eyes widen a little as she looked down at the carefully drawn image.
“This is- this is Will’s Dungeons and Dragons character-”
“Will the Wise, Right? A Cleric, a healer, he’s clever and smart, and he helps people! And that’s my character that he helped me make when I was nine, she’s a half-elf rogue, I named her after Elizabeth the first!” You explained.
Growing up, you played D&D with your Dad and uncles whenever they came to visit or you went to visit them. They weren’t actually related to you, but rather the kind of uncles that everyone else had, the uncles that were your parent’s best friends. They all helped you make your favorite character.
“When you were nine? Will’s only been playing with his friends for a year and a half? Right after he turned 11, he asked for the set for his birthday, there’s no way, and he doesn’t know you. He has three friends.”
“Check the date. Upper right hand corner.” You told her, watching as he eyes darted to the date on the paper, and you watched as her face fell before she looked back up at you.
“January 21st 2019? That’s. . . like 40 years from now-”
“36, actually.” You corrected quietly, a small shrug given when her face now turned into a scowl at how you corrected her.
“What are you saying?” She asked cautiously, flipping through the sketchbook. “I know I have no right to say someone else is crazy, I mean- I’m talking to Will through my christmas lights, you being from ‘2019’ sounds more believable.”
“There’s no way that Will’s dead, because I’m his daughter.” You admitted to her.
“Tell me something about him then. Only someone who knew him would know.” She demanded, closing the sketchbook and handing it back to you.
“He has a birthmark on his right arm, I had the exact same one, but then I burned myself on a pan, and it went away. . . Um- His favorite song, it’s ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ from The Clash. Uncle Jonathan introduced him to it. Dad introduced it to me.”
Joyce’s face was once again, unreadable as she stared at you, eyes tracking over your face carefully, catching every detail, and everything that was asymmetrical. Everything that made you look like a Byers.
“Oh my God. You’re not lying.”
•••
“So, I’m your grandmother.”
You nodded as you grabbed the boombox, setting it down on the table, examining the christmas lights she’d put up around the house. It looked like something a crazy person would do. Put up this amount of christmas lights. And paint the alphabet on the wall.
“And you have two dads?”
You turned your head to her, giving her a look. You’d explained everything to her, how your dads had met, how you’d been conceived and born, how you’d grown up, and who your brother was. How close you were to your Uncle Jonthan, and that your favorite non-related uncle was Uncle Lucas, which sold her even more into the fact that you were really from the future, and were really her son’s daughter.
“Yes, I have two dads. But I’m biologically Will’s.” You explained once again.
“Okay.” She said quietly, taking the tape out of the boombox, rewinding it with a pencil. “Alright, one more question.” Joyce started again, making you sigh. “How’d you get here?”
You paused, looking down at your dirtied and almost ripped converse. You didn’t quite remember. All you could remember was running into the woods after getting away from Enzo’s, trying to take a short cut to the motel, and then you fell through the ground, into something cold, and gooey. What you imagined it would feel like to stick your hand into a dead body for an autopsy. But you didn’t remember anything after that. Just waking up, in dirty clothes laying on the ground in the woods, backpack on, skateboard gone. And you had gotten up, legs feeling weak, and wobbly, before you’d found yourself back in town, but it had all been different. You hadn’t realized that it had been a different century until you’d gone into Melvad’s and saw something with the expiration date of ‘November 28th 1983.’
“I don’t remember. But I remember I made a mistake, and I ran off. And I regret it. If I could take it back I would.” Looking back up you noticed she was looking up at you, sympathy written on her face, and you knew what she was thinking. And you knew that one day her sympathy or your situation would turn to empathy for your Dad. Who would be going through what she was now.
You reached down and pressed ‘play’ before standing up straight again, giving her a soft smile as you looked up at the lights. This was not the house you’d assume belonged to a perfectly sane woman. And yet, it did.
“Come on Will!” You yelled “Do your weird magic bullshit!” Joyce started a bit before standing up.
Banging came from the wall, and you turned your head to look over. Joyce stopped the music and went to the spot on the wall where the banging continued, with you following shortly after.
“Mom?”
Joyce gasped. “Will?”
“Holy shit.” You murmured
“Mom?” The boy asked again, banging on the walls continuously as if trying to get through. Something told you that it wasn’t as easy as Joyce thought it was by running outside while you placed a firm hand on the wall, nails digging into the wallpaper and peeling it away.
“Will?” You questioned.
“Where’s my Mom?”
“Will!” Joyce yelled, running back inside seeing that the wallpaper in her living room was ripped off and you were staring at what looked like a thin layer of skin. Maybe a membrane. You didn’t like it, and that feeling came back, of being on a roller coaster drop, but the drop never ending. It was a bit sheer, and you could see the outline of the small boy banging against the membrane.
“Mom!”
“Will! I’m here! I’m here!” Joyce yelled back.
“Hello? Mom?”
But when she put her hand over the membrane you froze up, standing and watching in terror, because all of a sudden, you knew how you got here, and the growling of something getting closer to Will made a shiver run through your entire body, goosebumps showing up on your skin.
“Mom, it’s coming!”
The image of what ‘it’ was was fuzzy, but you saw it, like a memory. Almost ten feet tall, and so skinny their bones protrude, and almost sickly pale, white skin stretched out over the body. And the claws. You could almost feel the scratch of one of them against the back of your neck.
Reaching a hand up to your neck you could feel a skinny and elongated bump in your skin
that had never been there. But it felt like a scab. Like a scab over a healing scar.
“Tell me where you are! How do I get to you?” Joyce cried, her hand over Will’s.
“It’s like home, but it’s so dark. . .It’s so dark and empty. And it’s cold! Mom? Mom!”
You couldn’t even attempt to hold back the tears that were burning at your eyes and making
your vision blurry as you could hear the echoes of your own voice, calling out for an older version of him, the version that knew you the entire time you’d been alone. You’d been scared, and freezing in just a t-shirt and pair of ripped jeans. Holding a broken skateboard that you’d landed on in your fall.
It came to you briefly, running into the woods after Pa had yelled at you at Enzo’s. But then the rain had gotten worse, turning into the thunder, and loud noises never really scared you, it was the lighting that was a little too close to you that had you running, searching for any way out, yelling and screaming for both of your fathers, for anyone.
And then you took one wrong step, in the wrong direction. And you fell into the ground, instantly feeling cold, and as if the temperature was going to kill you. It felt like falling through cold slime before you’d landed on your skateboard, breaking it in half.
Everything there had echoed, and it felt like the entirety of the town had been placed inside of an infinitely large and inescapable cave. You’d cried out even louder for your Dad, getting no response. You’d begged and pleaded for the nightmare to go away, but it never did. You remembered screaming out “Dad! Dad please, I’m sorry!” And then you remembered waking up in the woods, sun shining down on you, a real sky in view.
•••
Let me know if you want to be tagged!
@disneyprincessbuffyannesummers @jxnehxpper @yllwtaxi @songofcosplay @potatopooper05
#steve harrington#steve x reader#steve harrington x reader#steve harrington x you#stranger things x you#stranger things x reader#stranger things slow burn#Steve Harrington slow burn
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Mémoire (Part 1)
...
Huh?
*Shuichi sits up after a long nights sleep, still stiff from his injuries the previous day. He awakes to the sound of his phone ringing. He gets up and gets dressed as he answers it.
Hello?
Himiko: Hey! Shuichi! It’s me!
Oh, hey Himiko...What’s up?
Himiko: Come to the music room. You gotta see this!
The music room? Is everyone else there?
Himiko: Yeah! Get over here!
Alright, alright, keep your hat on...
Huh?
...
...
...
...
...
*Everyone is gathered around the stage in the music room, all looking up at a miniature performance.
...
*Kaede is letting her fingers dance over the keys of the piano, a big smile on her face.
Claire De Lune...
*Pretty much all of the V3 gang are present, except for Miu, who presumably is still working on Keebo. Kaede finishes her performance and everyone begins to clap her.
Thank you.
*She hops off the stage.
So...you finally did it...
Looks like the whole Claire De Lune thing and Memory thing were related.
Well, it’s a good thing you know how to play piano properly again.
Yep! Back in action!
*clap!* *clap!* *clap!*
Huh?
What?
*Suddenly, an additional person sitting at the far back of the classroom begins to clap their hands. No one else noticed them before now, so everyone is caught off guard. However, what catches everyone off guard even more is who actually is clapping.
Man...How have I never been part of a performance like this before...I’d gladly pay to see you jam it out on stage...
Oh...and long time no see guys...
Wha-!?
YOU!
Wh-Wh-Why is HE here?
...
...
Shuichi...Is this...?
This is what I wanted to tell you about recently...
*Shuichi quickly summarizes everything that happened with Kokichi and Keebo and Mikado.
So...Kaede’s kidnapping was HIS doing...!?
You bet your biscuits...
You know Shuichi, I found you interesting at first, but then I just let spite get in the way of that interest and appreciation...But now, I’m back to appreciating you...Good on you.
Forgive me if I don’t find that comforting.
I do sort of wish things could have gone differently in the past...We could have been great rivals...Or perhaps...even friends...?
Oh, well, there’s no point talking in hypotheticals...
And you needn’t worry. I didn’t show up just to say hi or anything...
Then why ARE you here?
...I’m here to make a proposition.
You see, now that I’ve basically betrayed them, Tsumugi and Zetsubou have stopped funding my cabaret. That means we won’t be able to function anymore...But now, the Future Foundation are agreeing to fund us, so thanks for that...
And what’s your point? Hurry up, before I throw you out...
...
I suggest we cut our remaining ties with each other.
Huh?
You heard me. This is probably going to be the last time I ever converse with any of you...
I don’t want to see any of you ever again...
Fine by me...!
Wait...but...what are you going to do from now on?
Isn’t that obvious?
Mikado was just the beginning...I’m not gonna stop until I bring down all of Organization Zetsubou...
Then why aren’t we cooperating? Teaming up will increase our chances of-
Because I don’t want to work with a group of people who hate me...Simple as that...
C’mon! No one hates you! Right...?
...
...
...
...
...
Guys?
Kaede...don’t try to deny the reality...And even if things were different, who’s to say our methods won’t conflict again like last time...
Kokichi’s already proven he isn’t above sacrificing others to achieve his aims...
...
Anyway...That’s all I came to say...See you guys...never...
Oh, yeah, I should probably pop off and see Miu before I leave...
*Kokichi exaunts...
Did he really come all this way just to say he doesn’t want anything to do with us...
...Maybe we were a little harsh...
No...This is likely for the best...Refusing to cooperate with us means that we won’t be burdened by Kokichi and his schemes...
...Is that really a good thing though?
Kaito!
Look, I hate him just as much as everyone else here...
But...give him a little credit, he’s clever...We kinda just lost a lot of brain power because of this split...
Maybe you’re right...
...
Kaede?
Oh, don’t worry about me...I’ll be alright...
Alright...
...
*In the tech labs, Miu sets Keebo up on a hoist, getting ready to work on fixing him.
Right...spanners, hammers, other things...did I miss anything?
How about your dignity and self-respect!?
AAAH!
Nihihi...
FUCKING ASSHOLE! How dare you show up here!
Just checking up on you one last time...
One last time?
From this point on, I’m cutting all contact with you guys. We won’t see each other again, unless some freak coincidence happens.
Good! I wouldn’t touch you with a 10 foot dildo! I don’t even want you here! Move on fucker!
Owch, so mean...This is the last time we’ll ever see each other and that’s how you treat me?
Like I give a shit!
...
But...for the record...what do you plan on doing from now on?
Dunno...Overthrow the government?
Get real...
I’m gonna keep running my cabaret...And while I’m at it, I’m gonna bring down the rest of Zetsubou.
If you’re fighting Zetsubou, doesn’t that mean we have a common enemy? We’ll totally run into each other if that’s the case...
...
Tch...Fine by me if you want to die friendless and alone...
I have friends...They just aren’t you...
Good...keep it that way...
...Will do.
*Kokichi leaves.
#danganronpa survivor#danganronpa#danganronpa v3#drv3#shuichi saihara#kaede akamatsu#kaito momota#maki harukawa#kirumi tojo#miu iruma#tenko chabashira#himiko yumeno#kokichi ouma#the amnesiac and the alter ego arc
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january reading
why does january always feel like it’s 3 months long. anyway here’s what i read in january, feat. poison experts with ocd, ants in your brain, old bolsheviks getting purged, and mountweazels.
city of lies, sam hawke (poison wars #1)
this is a perfectly nice fantasy novel about jovan, who serves as essentially a secret guard against poisoning for his city state’s heir and is forced to step up when his uncle (also a secret poison guard) and the ruler are both killed by an unknown poison AND also the city is suddenly under a very creepy siege (are these events related? who knows!) this is all very fine & entertaining & there are some fun ideas, but also... the main character has ocd and SAME HAT SAME HAT. also like the idea of having a very important, secret and potentially fatal job that requires you to painstakingly test everything the ruler/heir is consuming WHILE HAVING OCD is like... such a deliciously sadistic concept. amazing. 3/5
my heart hemmed in, marie ndiaye (translated from french by jordan stump)
a strange horror-ish tale in which two married teachers, bastions of upper-middle-class respectability and taste, suddenly find themselves utterly despised by everyone around them, escalating until the husband is seriously injured. through several very unexpected twists, it becomes clear that the couple’s own contempt for anyone not fitting into their world and especially nadia’s hostility and shame about her (implied to be northern african) ancestry is the reason for their pariah status. disturbing, surprising, FUCKED UP IF TRUE (looking back, i no longer really know what i mean by that). 4/5
xenogenesis trilogy (dawn/adulthood rites/imago), octavia e. butler
octavia butler is incapable of writing anything uninteresting and while i don’t always completely vibe with her stuff, it’s always fascinating & thought-provoking. this series combines some of her favourite topics (genetic manipulation, alien/human reproduction, what is humanity) into a tale of an alien species, the oankali, saving some human survivors from the apocalypse and beginning a gene-trading project with them, integrating them into their reproductive system and creating mixed/’construct’ generations with traits from both species. and like, to me, this was uncomfortably into the biology = destiny thing & didn’t really question the oankali assertion that humans were genetically doomed to hierarchical behaviour & aggression (& also weirdly straight for a book about an alien species with 3 genders that engages in 5-partner-reproduction with humans), so that angle fell flat for me for the most part, altho i suppose i do agree that embracing change, even change that comes at a cost, is better than clinging to an unsustainable (& potentially destructive) purity. where i think the series is most interesting is in its exploration of consent and in how far consent is possible in extremely one-sided power dynamics (curiously, while the oankali condemn and seem to lack the human drive for hierarchy, they find it very easy to abuse their position of power & violate boundaries & never question the morality of this. in this, the first book, focusing on a human survivor first encountering the oankali and learning of their project, is the most interesting, as lilith as a human most explicitly struggles with her position - would her consent be meaningful? can she even consent when there is a kind of biochemical dependence between humans and their alien mates? the other two books, told from the perspectives of lilith’s constructed/mixed children, continue discussing themes of consent, autonomy and power dynamics, but i found them less interesting the further they moved from human perspectives. on the whole: 2.5/5
love & other thought experiments, sophie ward
man, we love a pierre menard reference. anyway. this is a novel in stories, each based (loosely) on a thought experiment, about (loosely) a lesbian couple and their son arthur, illness and grief, parenthood, love, consciousness and perception, alternative universes, and having an ant in your brain. it is thoroughly delightful & clever, but goes for warmth and humanity (or ant-ity) over intellectual games (surprising given that it is all about thought experiments - but while they are a nice structuring device i don’t think they add all that much). i haven’t entirely worked out my feelings about the ending and it’s hard to discuss anyway given the twists and turns this takes, but it's a whole lot of fun. 4/5
a general theory of oblivion, josé eduardo agualusa (tr. from portuguese by daniel hahn)
interesting little novel(la) set in angola during and after the struggle for independence, in which a portuguese woman, ludo, with extreme agoraphobia walls herself into her apartment to avoid the violence and chaos (but also just... bc she has agoraphobia) with a involving a bunch of much more active characters and how they are connected to her to various degrees. i didn’t like the sideplot quite as much as ludo’s isolation in her walled-in flat with her dog, catching pigeons on the balcony and writing on the walls. 3/5
cassandra at the wedding, dorothy baker
phd student cassandra returns home attend (sabotage) her twin sister judith’s wedding to a young doctor whose name she refuses to remember, believing that her sister secretly wants out. cass is a mess, and as a shift to judith’s perspective reveals, definitely wrong about what judith wants and maybe a little delusional, but also a ridiculously compelling narrator, the brilliant but troubled contrast to judith’s safer conventionality. on the whole, cassandra’s narrative voice is the strongest feature of a book i otherwise found a bit slow & a bit heavy on the quirky family. fav line is when cass, post-character-development, plans to “take a quick look at [her] dumb thesis and see if it might lead to something less smooth and more revolting, or at least satisfying more than the requirements of the University”. 3/5
the office of historical corrections, danielle evans
a very solid collection of realist short stories (+ the titular novella), mainly dealing with racism, (black) womanhood, relationships between women, and anticolonial/antiracist historiography. while i thought all the stories were well-done and none stood out as weak or an unnecessary inclusion, there also weren’t any that really stood out to me. 3/5
sonnenfinsternis, arthur koestler (english title: darkness at noon) (audio)
you know what’s cool about this book? when i added it to my goodreads tbr in 2012, i would have had to read it in translation as the german original was lost during koestler’s escape from the nazis, but since then, the original has been rediscovered and republished. yet another proof that leaving books on your tbr for ages is a good thing actually. anyway. this is a story about the stalinist purges, told thru old bolshevik rubashov, who, after serving the Party loyally for years & doing his fair share of selling people out for the Party, is arrested for ~oppositional activities. in jail and during his interrogations, rubashov reflects on the course the Party has taken and his own part (and guilt) in that, and the way totalitarianism has eaten up and poisoned even the most commendable ideals the Party once held (and still holds?), the course of history and at what point the end no longer justifies the means. it’s brilliant, rubashov is brilliant and despicable, i’m very happy it was rediscovered. 5/5
heads of the colored people, nafissa thompson-spires
another really solid short story collection, also focused on the experiences of black people in america (particularly the black upper-middle class), black womanhood and black relationships, altho with a somewhat more satirical tone than danielle evans’s collection. standouts for me were the story in letters between the mothers of the only black girls at a private school, a story about a family of fruitarians, and a story about a girl who fetishises her disabled boyfriend(s). 3.5/5
pedro páramo, juan rulfo (gernan transl. by dagmar ploetz)
mexican classic about a rich and abusive landowner (the titular pedro paramo) and the ghost town he leaves behind - quite literally, as, when his son tries to find his father, the town is full of people, quite ready to talk shit about pedro, but they are all dead. it’s an interesting setting with occasionally vivid writing, but the skips in time and character were kind of confusing and i lost my place a lot. i’d be interested in reading rulfo’s other major work, el llano en llamas. 2.5/5
verse für zeitgenossen, mascha kaléko
short collection of the poems kaléko, a jewish german poet, wrote while in exile in the united states in the 30-40s, as well as some poems written after the end of ww2. kaléko’s voice is witty, but at turns also melancholy or satirical. as expected i preferred the pieces that directly addressed the experience of exile (”sozusagen ein mailied” is one of my favourite exillyrik pieces). 3/5
the harpy, megan hunter
yeah this was boooooooring. the cover is really cool & the premise sounded intriguing (women gets cheated on, makes deal with husband that she is allowed to hurt him three times in revenge, women is also obsessed with harpies: female revenge & female monsters is my jam) but it’s literally so dull & trying so hard to be deep. 1.5/5
the liar’s dictionary, eley williams
this is such a delightful book, from the design (those marbled endpapers? yes) to the preface (all about what a dictionary is/could be), to the chapter headings (A-Z words, mostly relating to lies, dishonesty, etc in some way or another, containing at least one fictitious entry), to the dual plots (intern at new edition of a dictionary in contemporary england checking the incomplete old dictionary for mountweazels vs 1899 london with the guy putting the mountweazels in), to williams’s clear joy about words and playing with them. there were so many lines that made me think about how to translate them, which is always a fun exercise. 3.5/5
catherine the great & the small, olja knežević (tr. from montenegrin by ellen elias-bursać, paula gordon)
coming-of-age-ish novel about katarina from montenegro, who grows up in titograd/podgorica and belgrad in the 70s/80s, eventually moving to london as an adult. to be honest while there are some interesting aspects in how this portrays yugoslavia and conflicts between the different parts of yugoslavia, i mostly found this a pretty sloggy slog of misery without much to emotionally connect to, which is sad bc i was p excited for it :(. 2/5
the decameron project: 29 new stories from the pandemic, anthology
a collection of short stories written during covid lockdown (and mostly about covid/lockdown in some way). they got a bunch of cool authors, including margaret atwood, edwidge danticat, rachel kushner ... it’s an interesting project and the stories are mostly pretty good, but there wasn’t one that really stood out to me as amazing. i also kinda wish more of the stories had diverged more from covid/lockdown thematically bc it got a lil repetitive tbh. 2/5
#the books i read#long post#sonnenfinsternis is so good the audiobook nearly made me cry in the supermarket
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Reviewing time for MAG172!
- I didn’t truly believe that we would encounter a Web domain so soon, since somehow I still pictured it as the very last thing standing between Jon&Martin and the Panopticon. It means that the domains that I was expecting to be the most “heavy” on the boys, the Lonely and the Web, are already behind us (we’re down to Hunt, Vast, Dark, Spiral, and Eye).
- The “thanks Alex” Fun™ Fact of the episode was that he used the sounds of spider mating calls in this one. Alex, why.
- With MAG170, this was amongst the most “empathetic” episodes of the season so far? Or at least as far as the Fears domains are concerned? It was closer to the way older statements were framed: it really felt like someone’s story, someone’s personal struggles and life, the horrible things happening to them. I’m a bit less fond of statements this season, overall, because they feel too voyeuristic (I know, that’s the point!), because it’s decontextualised people reduced to their fears and nothing more… but Francis’s story really felt heart-wrenching.
And it was an incredibly harsh episode, dealing with codifications, scripted situations, stage&audience conspiring against the “puppet” (the audience laughing at Francis’s misery), down to the audience call excluding the non-binary protagonist (“Ladies and gentlemen”), physical cruelty (the hooks, the spiders). I like how Francis’s “act” worked, both by highlighting that they had absolutely no chance of ever winning the play on their terms, since the Spider was deploying everything against them (physical restrains, pain, psychological torture and the voices of close ones for more pressure and impacts)… and yet, that we saw them still fiercely trying to reject what the Spider wanted, still able to tell that this was not what they wanted. It was also a good move that, in this one, Francis was a victim from start to finish: not pitted against others; the addiction wasn’t making them a danger for anyone else, it was first and foremost about them, what they wanted for themselves, how others’ casual cruelty was in the way and isolated them further, leaving them at the mercy of the Spider and its hooks. If there was someone “winning”, it was the Spider (managing to give birth to many others); all of this was solely for its benefit.
It seems to be part of The Web’s game to allow some resistance, to revel in internal conflicts, but it doesn’t remove the fact that Francis had been tortured for 48068 acts, and that they were still trying to reject it.
- We got a few interesting formats so far: The Stranger's poem (MAG165), The End’s Coroner’s report (MAG168), The Flesh’s botanical book (MAG171), and now The Web’s play (MAG172)… which was awful(ly clever), with the puppet/puppeteer’s dynamic.
Nothing new about The Web preying on vulnerable/isolated people, and especially people dealing with addiction, it’s been a reoccurring thing: Raymond Fielding had taken in kids that the system didn’t know how to handle (and nobody was suspecting anything when, as “legal adults”, they were disappearing); a Spider person had tried to get Trevor off her back by making old needs resurface; Annabelle’s first encounter with The Web, if she were to be believed, was through a victim who had suffered with drug addiction; there is a huge proportions of smoker characters in Web-related statements, and there is still Jon’s lighter and Jon starting to smoke again after he got it.
Same thing: nothing new about The Web having a knack for stories and the entertainment arts! We had two statements dealing with movies, Annabelle taunting Jon about having possibly lied during her own statements, Annabelle’s website searching for stories…
- WOW, did this domain come for Jon’s throat as the ~Apocalypse-bringer~
(MAG172) THE SPIDER: Oh, Francis… It’s such a shame, but I couldn’t do such a thing even if I wanted to! The man in the audience saw to that! [CHUCKLES] I am no more free than you are, little puppet. Ah! If only you could see the strings that bind me, that wind together as they pull me along my own path…! Perhaps then, you would not blame me so. But they are not the tripping threads that we are here to watch – no. So sit, Francis. It’s time…!
That gaslighting and self-victimisation from the monster who was pulling the strings and doing a show to generate more of itself (both fears and spiders). First time one directly referred to Jon’s presence, of course it would be a Web one, uh…
- There was an awful parallel between Francis’s story, the Spider forcing the consumption on them, and Jon… for the first time, getting stuck in a loop of stories as the next act was beginning. Is Jon reacting to the domain’s logic (since this one works on the long term, the accumulation, the fact that Francis knew that their torture would keep going and happen again and again)? Was it The Web purposefully trying to trap Jon here? Was Jon more susceptible to this domain given his own experience with The Web and his relying on statements? Would Jon even have been able to leave if Martin hadn’t been there to stop it…?
(Jon had already been vulnerable to the cabin, as he discovered in MAG162: the domains and the new reality can affect him. Jon had pointed out that The Eye didn’t want Jon to stay there; it’s not surprising, but incredibly bold to see that a Web domain tried to trap Beholding’s precious little Archivist…)
- Second time that Martin had to forcefully interrupt Jon mid-statement:
(MAG169) ARCHIVIST: The photos on the wall of her family–”MARTIN: [MUFFLED, DISTANT] Jon!
[STATIC INCREASES]
ARCHIVIST: “–whose faces seem indistinct but she knows–”
MARTIN: [MUFFLED, DISTANT] Jon!
ARCHIVIST: “–that she loves, begin to blacken, as the glass–”
MARTIN: [MUFFLED, DISTANT] Jon! [COUGHS]
ARCHIVIST: “–pops out of the frame.”
MARTIN: [MUFFLED, DISTANT] Jon, she’s here!
ARCHIVIST: “Her home is being eaten alive by–”
MARTIN: [CLOSER] Please come back!
ARCHIVIST: “–this devouring Desolation–”
MARTIN: JON!
ARCHIVIST: “–and she–”
[RESOUNDING SLAP]
[STATIC FADES]
MARTIN: She’s here! [COUGHS]
(MAG172) AUDIENCE (BACKGROUND): [LOUD CLAPS AND CHEERING]
[STATIC RISES]
ARCHIVIST: “The tragedy of Francis. A comic puppet show in all acts. Act 48068.”
MARTIN: [MUFFLED, DISTANT] Jon?
ARCHIVIST: “A stage that is a room that remains a stage.”
MARTIN: [MUFFLED, DISTANT] Jon, one is enough.
ARCHIVIST: “The audien–”
[RESOUNDING SLAP]
[STATIC FADES]
AUDIENCE (BACKGROUND): [CONSTANT MUFFLED LAUGHTERS]
ARCHIVIST: Oh… Oh, wh–what?
MARTIN: … Sorry. You were starting another and, I didn’t want to wait. We should get going.
And the trick definitely seems to be not being in Jon’s presence while he settles into statement-mode, or it prevents anyone from being able to interrupt? Martin wasn’t able to stop him during MAG167 (but that statement had been sneaky about its start), and he didn’t when they were in Jared’s garden either…
* Daisy listened to Jon reading two statements during season 4 (MAG133 and MAG136) and, although it was part of their deal that she would not interrupt, I wonder if she could have, back then? Jon had gotten interrupted a lot during season 1 and 2, but it was by people walking into his office while he had begun reading alone.
* … I’m still not sure that Basira could have stopped Jon in MAG141, when he forced Floyd to give his statement? Jon told her that she could have but hadn’t because she wanted to know too, but he was also, quite frankly, full of shit and trying to avoid his own responsibility with regards to his victims, back then.
* It’s interesting that Jon’s “statement bubble” is now constantly showing to muffle sounds from the exterior (/from an extra-diegetic level) when he’s giving the statement. The tape recorder only catches Martin’s voice muffled, far, as if behind another layer. But once Martin broke Jon out of it, the cheers, laughs and claps from the audience, which used to be very distinct and present, were the ones suddenly sounding far away (while Martin was on the same level as Jon). We’ve been told, again and again, that the tape recorders are not neutral, but I find quite interesting the fact that they’re “translating” the different levels around Jon in this way?
- On first listen, I had failed to understand that Martin was actually meant to stay around Jon – like in MAG171, and like he had done in MAG163 when they discovered Jon’s new need to pour out about the domains:
(MAG163) ARCHIVIST: You probably want to wait outside.
MARTIN: … Hum, no?!
ARCHIVIST: [SIGH] Well… Put your fingers in your ears then, I, I suppose. […] Martin…? [DRIP] Martin? [DRIP] Martin, I hate your tea, and wish you made coffee instead…! [DRIP] … Alright, then. […] End recording…! [CLEARS THROAT]
[SHUFFLING]
MARTIN: Mm? All done?
ARCHIVIST: [INHALE] Yes. [EXHALE]
MARTIN: Good.
(MAG164) ARCHIVIST: We’re fine.
MARTIN: A–are we? I mean, that place is– … I don’t, I don’t feel fine, okay, and you were there a long time doing your… y–you–your guidebook, which, you know, I get it, but that place is… I–it’s–it’s infectious, and, I don’t–
(MAG165) ARCHIVIST: You, uh… [SHUFFLING] You might want to take a bit of a walk. This… feels like a strange one…
[LOUDER SCREAMS IN THE DISTANCE]
MARTIN: What does “strange” mean, with something like this?
ARCHIVIST: Don’t think you want to know…!
MARTIN: Good point. Hum, o–kay, well, uh… Good luck, I’ll be… uh, o–over there!
[BAG JOSTLING]
[DEPARTING FOOTSTEPS]
ARCHIVIST: [INHALE] … Right.
(MAG166) MARTIN: Do you need anything?
ARCHIVIST: No.
MARTIN: Fine, I’ll just… [RUSTLING OF CLOTHES] Ye–yeah, right.
[BAG JOSTLING]
[DEPARTING FOOTSTEPS]
ARCHIVIST: [EXHALE]
(MAG168) ARCHIVIST: Now, if you’re quite done inciting me to murder?
MARTIN: Not “murder”! Smiting.
ARCHIVIST: [FOND SIGH]
MARTIN: Right, yes, yes, of course. You… [INHALE] You vomit your horrors. [SIGH]
ARCHIVIST: [REVULSED SOUND] Uh! I’m… not sure I like that metaphor…!
MARTIN: “Puke your terrors”?
ARCHIVIST: … Just go.
MARTIN: Alright. Fine, I’m going.
[BAG JOSTLING]
[DEPARTING FOOTSTEPS]
(MAG170) MARTIN: Why am I here? I… I, I fell behind. I was, I was too slow, and, and, and the fog caught up, I was… I was following, al–always following, never leading; never leading. Why did he leave me behind? Di–did he? […] I thought you’d left me behind…! Gone on without me.
ARCHIVIST: No, never…! N–never, I–I just… [RUSTLING OF CLOTHES] I, I didn’t want to… look too ha–, I–I–I promised I wouldn’t… know you, and, and with the fog in all–all the rooms, I’ll, I just, I lost y–, I… I–I’m sorry.
(MAG171) JARED: [LONG MEATY INHALE, EXHALE] Cheers for that!
ARCHIVIST: … Don’t.
MARTIN: Jon, are you… alright?
ARCHIVIST: Yeah, hum… Sorry.
MARTIN: No, it, it’s alright.
(MAG172) ARCHIVIST: If you’re bored, you could always… take in a show.
MARTIN: That’s… That’s not funny, Jon.
ARCHIVIST: If you say so…!
MARTIN: Just… [INHALE] Just give me a shout when you’re done, alright?
[BAG JOSTLING]
[RUSTLING OF CLOTHES]
ARCHIVIST: … Good. Right.
[…] MARTIN: … Sorry. You were starting another and, I didn’t want to wait. We should get going.
ARCHIVIST: Y–you were listening, I… I–I–I thought that you–
MARTIN: No, I… Not for most of it. I just thought I heard… something. Whatever. I went exploring, alright? I don’t know why; I shouldn’t have. […] Can we just go, please?
ARCHIVIST: Of course, but… You were safe here. And after everything that’s already happened, I… I–I just don’t understand why you would–
MARTIN: [SHAKEY] Me neither, okay!
ARCHIVIST: What?
MARTIN: I mean, that’s it, isn’t it?! I don’t know! I don’t know why I went exploring!
So they’ve truly learned from the Lonely house: Martin had to stay in MAG163 when they discovered Jon’s new predicament; then starting MAG164, Martin began to leave Jon alone for his statements, not keen to listen to them. In MAG170, they lost sight of each other in the house – since then, Martin has gone back to staying around Jon, trying to not listen (except, precisely, that Martin went wandering off in MAG172, which he wasn’t supposed to do, and came back… just in time when Jon was beginning a new cycle). Trials and errors.
- MMMMM, so this is the second time Martin did something, wasn’t exactly able to explain why he had done it, was questioned about it, and the matter was ultimately left hanging:
(MAG134) PETER: What does puzzle me, though, and I mean that genuinely, is… why you were piling tape recorders onto the coffin, while Jon was in there. [PAUSE] It’s a question, Martin, it’s– it’s not an accusation.
MARTIN: I don’t know. And I just… felt like it might help. He’s always recording, I thought… it–it might help him… find his way out.
PETER: Interesting. Were you compelled?
MARTIN: [SULLEN] … I don’t know. … M–maybe? I–I, I definitely wanted to do it…
PETER: But?
MARTIN: I’m… I’m not sure where the idea came from.
PETER: You should watch out for that. Could be something dangerous.
MARTIN: Sure.
(MAG172) MARTIN: No, I… Not for most of it. I just thought I heard… something. Whatever. I went exploring, alright? I don’t know why; I shouldn’t have. […] Can we just go, please?
ARCHIVIST: Of course, but… You were safe here. And after everything that’s already happened, I… I–I just don’t understand why you would–
MARTIN: [SHAKEY] Me neither, okay!
ARCHIVIST: What?
MARTIN: I mean, that’s it, isn’t it?! I don’t know! I don’t know why I went exploring!
ARCHIVIST: Are you saying you were… compelled?
MARTIN: I’m saying I don’t know, do I? I thought I was just curious, it felt like curiosity, but… given where we are, and with The Web everywhere, and Annabelle Cane still out there playing mind games with payphones, I just… [SIGH] I mean, how do you even know if it’s your motivation, you know? Being here… [SIGH] I–it just makes me second-guess all of it, and I… I don’t like it, it… really scares me.
Regarding Martin putting the tape recorders on the Coffin: Jonah didn’t claim it to be his doing in MAG160 (I thiiink that Peter was suspicious of Elias influencing Martin then, since he also checked that Elias wasn’t overstepping in MAG158…), so probs wasn’t him. Annabelle pointed out to Jon that she had sometimes helped “to keep you safe” in MAG147, I still feel like it was most likely her doing?
Two things were interesting here: that Martin began exploring, and that he came back just in time to stop Jon. The first one left Jon vulnerable, allowing him to potentially get trapped in the cycle of Francis’s Acts; the second one… allowed Martin to make him snap out of it just in time. Or the wandering may have “protected” Martin from being trapped in Jon’s statement, too, because he could have accidentally begun listening if he’d hung around?
(A bit afraid about the fact that, twice, it was shown that as long as Martin didn’t slap Jon out of a statement, he wouldn’t stop: it makes Jon and Martin both vulnerable to their surroundings if they’re not together. Jon gets trapped in the statement, while Martin’s main protection is still Jon… That sounds a bit like a weakness that could get used against them at some point? ;;)
- SOB about Martin mentioning he was (probably) motivated by “curiosity”, since it has been hammered in that… it isn’t a good thing for Beholding-touched people to indulge themselves too much, tends to cause their downfall, and has even allowed The Spider to sneak in and weave its Web:
(MAG167) ARCHIVIST: “When Gertrude was appointed to the role, there was a single survivor left in the Archives: a woman by the name of Fiona Law. Fiona was the most fascinating combination of curiosity and cowardice, pushing forward and forward into the unknown, until the very first moment of threat… crystallised. […] She had never got deep enough into the mysteries that plagued her to slake that burning curiosity. And she never would. […] But Emma had a sickness. As much as she might have despised the ageing Fiona, it was the same one that plagued her: curiosity. That desperate, grasping need to know. […] There was a fire to Sarah Carpenter, perhaps the one which led to Gertrude hiring her, and Emma’s curiosity ignited once again, this time keen to find out exactly what it would take to break this brave investigator of the unknown.”
No wonder Martin Is Feeling So Threatened Right Now, after having learned about Emma (Beholding assistant taken over by The Web… and become a master at deceiving her Archivist).
- Martin rejected the Lonely house, so does it mean that other domains will be trying to seduce him, now? It’s interesting that he reacted to the theatre in a way that was very similar to the house, which was supposed to be “his” (but wasn’t “anymore”):
(MAG167) ARCHIVIST: We all have a domain here, Martin. The place that feeds us.
MARTIN: Oh. [PAUSE] Where’s yours?
ARCHIVIST: [MIRTHLESS CHUCKLE] I mean, we’re… traveling towards it.
MARTIN: Oh! Right, obviously. [CHUCKLING] Duh. Hum… What about me?
ARCHIVIST: … Would you… like me to… ?
MARTIN: No, no. Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.
(MAG170) MARTIN: Do I have a home? This, this place feels like it’s all… for me, I think, but I don’t… [CREAKING OF A DOOR] I don’t like it here. […] I feel like there’s somewhere I need to be, but… But no, no; this is my house, [CHUCKLE] where else would I need to be? […] You, you are Martin Blackwood; yes. You–you didn’t choose to be here. Jon is coming. I am Martin Blackwood, and I am not lonely anymore, I am not lonely anymore! […] Jon, it’s… okay. I promise it’s okay. This place tried, it really did, and honestly I… I wanted to believe it. But I didn’t.
ARCHIVIST: This… “place”, i–it… [STATIC] My God…!
MARTIN: Yeah…
[SILENCE]
ARCHIVIST: M–Martin, if you… did; i–if you wanted to forget… a–all of it, stay here and just… escape. I… I would understand. […] I, I just… I wanted to make sure that you knew what this place was.
MARTIN: It’s The Lonely, Jon. It’s me.
ARCHIVIST: [INHALE] Not anymore.
MARTIN: Hm! No. [LONG INHALE, EXHALE] No…! Not anymore.
(MAG172) MARTIN: No, I… Not for most of it. I just thought I heard… something. Whatever. I went exploring, alright? I don’t know why; I shouldn’t have.
[…] ARCHIVIST: Are you saying you were… compelled?
MARTIN: I’m saying I don’t know, do I? I thought I was just curious, it felt like curiosity, but… given where we are, and with The Web everywhere, and Annabelle Cane still out there playing mind games with payphones, I just…
[…] ARCHIVIST: Would you like to leave now?
[BAG JOSTLING]
AUDIENCE (BACKGROUND): [LAUGHS]
MARTIN: … Yeah, screw this place. Never liked theatre anyway.
Interesting, too, that there are a few parallels right now with the situation in which Martin had initially encountered Peter in MAG108: while reading a theatre-related statement, isolated and scared. Even Jon’s way of describing The Lonely’s “seductiveness” was quite reminiscent of The Web (especially in Francis’s story):
(MAG150) ARCHIVIST: The Lonely is… possibly the most insidious of the powers, I believe. Certainly it is the one that… most delights in having you do its work for it. Even the Spiders seem to have a hard time matching it for sheer seductiveness. [HUFF] “Time to yourself”, “self-care”, “putting yourself forward”… “not being a burden on those you care about”… [PAUSE] It doesn’t even need to tell you any lies; just waits for the lies you tell yourself.
So… a few similarities in the way The Lonely and The Web are shown trying to seduce Martin? Martin seemed to reject the theatre, but it could do a Peter with him and go… persistent.
(So obligatory “this is how Web!Martin can still win”, and it’s never not a good time to remind myself of:
(MAG138) MARTIN: I think he wants me to join The Lonely.
ELIAS: Then it sounds like you have a decision to make.
[SILENCE]
MARTIN: … What? [HUFF] That’s it? No, no monologue, no mindgames? You love manipulating people!
ELIAS: That makes two of us.
MARTIN: [HUFF]
(MAG158) MARTIN: Oh, I’m getting there, but if this is the final test or something? Then bad luck. The answer’s still “no”.
[FOOTSTEPS]
PETER: … No. No! This isn’t fair, do you have any idea what you’ve done? You knew, he must have–
MARTIN: Elias– … Jonah had nothing to do with it.
PETER: No! That’s not– You can’t–
ELIAS: You’ve lost, Peter. Admit it. [CHUCKLE] He played you like a… like a cheap whistle.
PETER: No! Shut up!
Because gnnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiih.)
- It was a bit of a (pleasant) surprise that Jon&Martin didn’t meet Annabelle in the obligatory Web domain of their journey! But it makes us go back to the usual question: where is she, why is she not showing herself directly, what does she want, why can’t Jon see where she is?
(MAG172) MARTIN: Jon, what does The Web want? It’s… I mean, we know it’s got a plan, can’t you just… see what it is?
ARCHIVIST: [SIGH] “Knowing”, “seeing”… i–it’s not the same thing as… understanding. Every time I try to know what The Web’s plan is, if it can even be called a plan, I see… a hundred thousand events and causes and links, an impossibly intricate pattern of consequences and subtle nudges, but I–I can’t…! … I can’t hold them all in my head at the same time. There’s no way to see the “whole”, the, the point of it all. I can see all the details, but it doesn’t… provide… context or… intention. I suppose The Web doesn’t work in knowledge, not in the same way.
MARTIN: … Oh. Right. [SIGH]
ARCHIVIST: Sorry.
MARTIN: … And Annabelle?
ARCHIVIST: Still can’t see her. If it wasn’t for the phone call, I’d have said she was probably already dead…!
MARTIN: Yeah… [SIGH]
Jon had trouble seeing when inside of Hill Top Road, back in MAG147 (though he blamed it on having recently encountered The Dark). Could she be there? On the other side of the crack? Waiting inside of the Panopticon/Institute? On the back of Jon’s head? Being many many spiders, as an avatar, and thus impossible to locate because she’s plural? Technically dead already, but having planned and foreseen how the phone call with Martin would go, leaving a pre-recorded message that would play exactly as needed? That makes a lot of people that Jon has trouble seeing in the new world, with Georgie&Melanie, Jonah…
- I’m still laughing a lot that the beginning of the episode felt very much like Jon asking for a bathroom break:
(MAG172) ARCHIVIST: Ah… Hold up, I–I need to, uh…
[RUSTLING OF CLOTHES]
MARTIN: Now, seriously? We’re almost out of here.
ARCHIVIST: [SIGH] I’m sorry…! Not really up to me…!
MARTIN: Fine. [SIGH]
Martin: When are we getting to the Panopticon!! Can’t we take another direction or a shortcut? I don’t like these places.
Jon: Can we stop for a bit? I really need a break!! Right now!!
Awful kids, do not go on vacation with them.
- Eeeeeeh that Jon&Martin’s tastes in media are so different!
(MAG136) ARCHIVIST: Hm. Neil Lagorio… You ever see any of his work?
DAISY: No. Not really into films.
ARCHIVIST: Oh, they were… Well, let’s just say that it’s not a complete shock there was something unnatural to them. Didn’t know we had copies in the Institute, though; let alone original cuts. [CHUCKLE] Records indicate they [PAPERS RUSTLING] ended up in… Artefact Storage.
DAISY: Probably best that they stay there.
ARCHIVIST: … Yeah. Yes, of course.
(MAG165) MARTIN: Was it a good poem?
ARCHIVIST: I don’t know! “No”? You’re the poetry expert, Martin, not me…! […] Then I don’t know what you mean, Martin, I’m not a poetry person, I don’t… “get it”. I never have.
MARTIN: That’s… That’s fine, I understand…!
ARCHIVIST: Look. I’m better than I was; I used to think all poetry was bad.
MARTIN: Sorry, what?!
ARCHIVIST: I mean, I just thought of… [SIGH] I sort of thought it was pointless! Just… write some prose and stop… wasting everyone’s time!
MARTIN: Hm! What changed?
ARCHIVIST: I don’t know, I just… mellowed on it, I suppose.
MARTIN: That’s… kind of weird.
ARCHIVIST: In my defence, there is a lot of bad poetry out there.
(MAG167) ARCHIVIST: … Methinks the Spider doth protest too much…!
[BAG JOSTLING]
MARTIN: Jon.
ARCHIVIST: Joking! Just joking.
(MAG172) MARTIN: … Yeah, screw this place. Never liked theatre anyway.
I hope that Theatre Kid Jon felt personally offended by that last one. (I’m really waiting for Martin to learn that Jon has been listening to The Archers.)
- It had been highlighted in season 3 that Martin didn’t really get Jon’s sense of humour. The archival staff overall had a general tendency to resort to dark/insensitive humour to cope with their situation, but ;; I side with Martin on how right now, it doesn’t feel relieving or reassuring that Jon makes small jokes about the horror befalling people:
(MAG171) ARCHIVIST: It takes a skilled gardener to get them to grow like this. The curling, cascading intricacies of collagen and marrow… it takes devotion.
MARTIN: Jon.
[FOOTSTEPS STOP]
[WHIMPERS IN THE BACKGROUND]
ARCHIVIST: … S–sorry.
MARTIN: You sound like you think they’re beautiful.
[FOOTSTEPS RESUME]
ARCHIVIST: Don’t you?
[SILENCE]
(MAG172) ARCHIVIST: If you’re bored, you could always… take in a show.
MARTIN: That’s… That’s not funny, Jon.
ARCHIVIST: If you say so…! […] Ticket for one, then, I suppose.
… because we don’t really know if Jon wants to make them stop?
(“Ticket for one”, tho, was INCREDIBLE and very “jON.”)
- … When Jon told Martin to try to not focus too much on which part of his actions/decisions could be due to The Web:
(MAG172) MARTIN: I’m saying I don’t know, do I? I thought I was just curious, it felt like curiosity, but… given where we are, and with The Web everywhere, and Annabelle Cane still out there playing mind games with payphones, I just… [SIGH] I mean, how do you even know if it’s your motivation, you know? Being here… [SIGH] I–it just makes me second-guess all of it, and I… I don’t like it, it… really scares me.
ARCHIVIST: I, uh…
MARTIN: Oh, don’t say that’s what it wants, I know.
ARCHIVIST: I, I wasn’t going to. […] Don’t do this to yourself, Martin. This is what it wants, the, the paranoia. [SIGH] Trust me, I, I know.
MARTIN: … Fair.
… he indeed reaaaally knew from experience. MAG147 had visible effects on him, to the point that Melanie directly addressed it and Annabelle became a regular potential culprit in Jon’s mind alongside Peter and Elias:
(MAG147) ARCHIVIST: I’m sure the flares will work fine. … I mean, un–unless it’s all some… elaborate… plot… to have us… burn this place down again.
BASIRA: So what if it is?
ARCHIVIST: I don’t follow…?
BASIRA: I mean. Anything we do could be part of the “Grand Master Plan”. So – what, we do nothing? Just… sit on our hands, and hope that’s not what the spiders want?
ARCHIVIST: [SIGH]
(MAG150) ARCHIVIST: Melanie, could you… could you describe your therapist for me?
MELANIE: [CHUCKLING] What? You think I wouldn’t notice if she had cobwebs down her face?
ARCHIVIST: … No? […] It’s just… The Web can be subtle, you understand?
MELANIE: And? For all you know, its plan is to paralyse you with indecision…!
ARCHIVIST: [SIGH]
MELANIE: Leaving you… sitting here, terrified that… everything you do is somehow all part of its Grand Plan… And who do you think that fear is gonna feed?
ARCHIVIST: Yes, well. [INHALE] You are… not the first, to make that point.
(MAG157) ARCHIVIST: [LONG INHALE, EXHALE] This… tape was left on my desk. I don’t know by who, but to my mind there are… three options. Martin has left it here, to let me know that… whatever the situation is with Peter Lukas, it is entering its final act and he needs my help. Alternatively, Peter may have left it here to… goad me into action? Or just to gloat, to highlight my helplessness and everything. [SIGH] Or Annabelle Cane is trying to manipulate me into thinking it’s one of the other scenarios. Previously, the Spiders have made their presence clear when they’ve sent me… “hints”, but I can’t take that for granted. I don’t know what to do…!
(MAG158) ARCHIVIST: And I don’t keep any of them with the key to the tunnels. It’s been left for me.
DAISY: And it says “Play me.” Kind of suspicious.
BASIRA: So Elias left it?
ARCHIVIST: Or Martin. O–or Peter, or… Annabelle!
(And we still don’t know who had left the tapes and Adelard’s last statement. Peter and Martin didn’t mention them, nor did Elias, which indeed leaves The Web for these ones…)
I love that since season 4, Martin’s answer tends to be “screw it, I hate this, bye”: with Peter and Elias’s live-divorce, with the Lonely house, now with The Web doing… something to him. Trying to call to him? To make him hear “the music”, as Simon’s allegory had described it?
- So Jon has trouble seeing ~the big picture~ of The Web:
(MAG172) MARTIN: Jon, what does The Web want? It’s… I mean, we know it’s got a plan, can’t you just… see what it is?
ARCHIVIST: [SIGH] “Knowing”, “seeing”… i–it’s not the same thing as… understanding. Every time I try to know what The Web’s plan is, if it can even be called a plan, I see… a hundred thousand events and causes and links, an impossibly intricate pattern of consequences and subtle nudges, but I–I can’t…! … I can’t hold them all in my head at the same time. There’s no way to see the “whole”, the, the point of it all. I can see all the details, but it doesn’t… provide… context or… intention. I suppose The Web doesn’t work in knowledge, not in the same way.
And how ~convenient~ that the Vast grandpa wasn’t dead by the time of season 4, and is probably Enjoying Sky Blue in a domain of his own:
(MAG151) SIMON: Peter, however, seems to think that it will upset the balance that we all have an awful lot invested in. And he’s not at all certain the world as we understand will come out the other side.
MARTIN: And let me guess – you think he can’t see the “big picture”?
SIMON: [INHALE] I see why he likes you!
MARTIN: [SIGH]
SIMON: It’s all a matter of perspective, you see. My patron has gifted me with… quite frankly, an absurdly long life. An appropriate gift, and one that serves to provide a certain distance from things. Of course, a paltry few centuries is nothing, really, but it’s more than most get. And even in that brief time, I’ve seen all sorts of ebbs and flows to balance off things.
We’ve yet to cross a Vast domain, Jon said he REALLY didn’t want to meet Simon ever, Simon was incredibly smitten with Martin… there is still hope for Meeting-Simon-in-the-Vast-domain.
(- Sounds like Jon remembers Helen’s point about “knowing” and “understanding” being two different things (with Jon adding “seeing”):
(MAG164) HELEN: And please: my name is “Helen”.
ARCHIVIST: Like you said, I can know everything now. Including how much of a lie that really is.
HELEN: Don’t mistake “complication” for “falsehood”, dear Archivist.
ARCHIVIST: [AGGRAVATED EXHALE]
HELEN: And remember, that knowledge is not the same thing as understanding.
And now I’m remembering that The Distortion used to be curious about the house on Hill Top Road, but not really able to tell what The Spider was doing there… Did Helen get her answers in season 4?)
- Oufft re: Martin&Jon’s discussion:
(MAG172) ARCHIVIST: I was going to suggest that… I could… maybe… “know”. I could look. Just a quick peek, to, to see if it was just curiosity, or… something else. … Well?
MARTIN: I don’t… If you look, and I was… “influenced”, then how can I trust anything else? How can I believe any of my thoughts and feelings are really mine?
ARCHIVIST: U–uh, well… I–I–I’ll still be here to check, I–I’m not leaving you.
MARTIN: Sure, but you’d be looking through the details of everything that ever crosses my mind? I don’t want that! Y–you know I don’t want that.
ARCHIVIST: … I know. […] So… Do you want me to? To, to tell you if…?
MARTIN: No. [SIGH] No, I’ll just have to live with it, I guess. Hardly the worst thing I’ll have gone through since– … I, hum. I–it’s fine. [SIGH]
I really liked how it absolutely didn’t feel like an argument (and wasn’t one!): Martin has objections, has the power to make a decision, and gets the last word… since it primarily involves himself. I appreciate that Martin was able to tell the main flaw of Jon’s offer – knowing what is happening could provide a temporary relief… but wouldn’t offer a sustainable existence for him (if The Web isn’t trying to manipulate Martin now, it doesn’t mean that it won’t try later, which means that Jon would have to check regularly; and if Martin is under influence… indeed, Martin couldn’t trust himself anymore, and depending on Jon’s power to check everything would turn Martin’s existence into a half-life. And it would still feed The Web in the process). Kudos to Jon for his restraint, too, because given his insistence, he’s probably curious/afraid about it, but he hasn’t broken his promise of avoiding to “know” about Martin and he laid out Martin’s options, leaving the decision to him. On that front, they’re doing fine!
Title for MAG173 very much screams “Dark, duh?!” but it feels very easy, so is it a trap. I could see the link if it were Vast or Hunt, too, but really, it just screams Dark. … And it could work for a character death episode, but I feel like every title can read like a character death episode one way or another. (Worried about Daisyyyy…)
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ACCEPTING ANXIETY, Part 1/2: Excepting Anxiety!
[Thomas]: Uh, hey…uh- this is Thomas, and, uh--this is usually where I start off, uh- by saying something quick and witty to begin the video. Yeah.
*logo*
[Thomas]: So yeah! Another video. This is awesome! Oh wait, actually, I usually start off this video by saying “What is up, everybody!” But you know, I don’t actually hear your responses. And, strangely enough, I’m not concerned about consistency today. You know what I wanna talk about? Eatin’ food. Or you know what, actually? Maybe about that TV show I just watched. Or maybe I should just watch another TV show and eat some food. That’s it. Alright, until next time. Take it easy, guys, gals, and non-binary pals--
[Logan]: Uh, if I may… I’m going to step in for a second.
[Thomas]: Ahh, Logan’s here, so I probably did something wrong.
[Logan]: What? No. You just seem to be a little… uncharacteristically… careless.
[Thomas]: Hm. I hadn’t cared to notice. Ah- pfft, that’s it, there it is, that’s what you were saying.
[Logan]: Yes… I mean you tend to start the video with at least some sort of direction before the inevitable internal conflict.
[Thomas]: They do usually follow that story arc. But, maybe, that’s a good thing. You know, like, changing it up.
[Logan]: No. I mean… maybe. I don’t know, you’re confusing me. I think I have a vocab word for this. Uh. You good, fahm?
[Thomas]: Wow. That was bad, but like, you’re a really good try-er, Logan. You’re really good.
[Logan]: Thanks.
[Thomas]: ...If anybody, like, texted me… ooh!
[Logan]: Thomas, you didn’t answer the question.
[Thomas]: Your question about whether or not I’m good, fam?
[Logan]: That’s the one.
[Thomas]: You’d probably know if something is up because you usually provide, you know, the explanatory exposition in my videos because all the other characters are too zany or relatable.
[Logan]: Okay, I’m at a loss here. Should we check on the others?
[Thomas]: If you want.
[Logan]: I do. I do want… that. Are you going to-
[Thomas]: Morality! Creativity!
[Roman]: Wow. Rude.
[Patton]: You too cool to call us by our names, kiddo?
[Thomas]: Nah. That was just the easiest way to, you know, quickly establish what you guys generally represent, in case there are any new viewers watching.
[Logan]: Jeez. Okay, I- consider taking a more nuanced approach with that explanation next time.
[Thomas]: He’s my logical side. He’s my logical side.
[Roman]: Uh… is everything Gucci, Thomas?
[Logan]: I suppose I could’ve posed the question that way as well, but that is precisely why I wanted you two here.
[Patton]: You mean us three?
[Logan]: Oh, did I say three?
[Patton]: No.
[Logan]: Then I guess I didn’t mean three.
[Patton]: He’s made mistakes before.
[Logan]: An uncommon occurrence.
[Patton]: Well then you might say the amount of mistakes you’ve made is... infinitesimal?
[Logan]: You make ONE MISTAKE, and THIS is what happens!
[Roman]: Okay, time out for thee and time out for thee, focus on issues or focus on me.
[Logan]: -groans- Okay, you’re right. Let’s get down to business.
[Thomas]: To defeat…
[Thomas and Roman]: The Huns!
[Logan]: Please stop. Stop, please.
[Thomas]: Come on!
[Roman]: I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
[Thomas]: Mulan!
[Logan]: Thomas, that aloofness that you are displaying is highly… unproductive.
[Thomas]: You mean I can’t make babies? What? Just kidding. Uh...
[Logan]: Can someone else please- some whe- le- Flames. On the side of my face. See- Seething… Seething fire.
[Patton]: Is something bothering you buddy?
[Roman]: An unattainable dream? A hopeless romance?
[Logan]: Lack of sleep, a- a puzzling situation.
[Patton]: Having trouble with adultery?
[Thomas]: Oh yeah, you always say that instead of ‘becoming an adult’ or ‘adulthood’. As if you didn’t know the troubling definition of the word you’re using, which actually means, you know, when a-
[Roman]: Wait! Pumbaa, not in front of the kids.
[Patton]: Well, I don’t know what you two are talking about, but something definitely seems to be off.
[Thomas]: You keep saying that, but honestly, I’m good… fam.
[Patton]: Now, don’t you go shortening the word family by cutting out my three favorite letters: I L Y.
[Logan]: Okay, well, Patton definitely seems to be doing okay. How ‘bout you, Roman?
[Roman]: Let’s see, uh… Disney references, regal appearance, general awareness that I’m better than you two… Uhh, I’m feeling pretty good.
[Logan]: Then what could be wrong here?
[Patton]: Boy, you both always act like you know all the answers… So, it’s surprising that you keep overlooking something so simple.
[Roman]: Oh, is that so, Patton? You're so cute.
[Logan]: And, uh- what might that be?
[Patton]: Where is Anxiety?
[Logan]: Hmm, do you honestly think it’s necessary to have him here?
[Roman]: To offer his mopey, dopey input? I- I don’t like him.
[Thomas]: I’m still hungry.
[Logan]: No- No.
[Roman]: S-Stop him. Stop him!
[Thomas]: *Singing to himself while looking in the kitchen*
[Logan]: Thomas, this is highly… -sighs- We can’t afford these detours… anymore.
[Thomas]: Ooh! I found some granola!
[Roman]: We’re try- we’re doing a- we’re doing a vid here, buddy.
[Logan]: Alright. Well, at least it’s something healthy.
[Roman]: Thomas, isn’t there a more important thing that you should be focusing on right now? Oh, you’re just getting it all over the carpet, aren’t ya? Alright, well…
[Logan]: Wh- What if you have guests over?
[Thomas]: That wouldn’t happen for a while so it’s not really a big deal.
[Patton]: Well, he’s definitely inviting some ants over. -chuckles-
[Logan]: Just aunts? No uncles?
[Roman]: Can you at least- Can you take off the hoodie? Like, you look like a hot mess. Nay, not hot, cool. Nay, not cool, uncool. An uncool mess.
[Thomas]: If you want me to. *takes of hood revealing very messy untamed hair*
[Roman]: Oh, dear, sweet MOTHER of hairbrushes, what IS your hair?!
[Thomas]: I’m just letting it do it’s thing.
[Roman]: There’s a… lot of viewers that are going to see you like this so-
[Thomas]: Eh, they’ve seen me on better days, so it evens out.
[Logan]: You know, Thomas, I don’t know if that makes sense.
[Patton]: You have kind hair.
[Thomas]: Oh, thanks I guess.
[Patton]: Kinda hair that grows on a dog’s butt! *laughs*
[Thomas]: That’s probably an accurate comparison.
[Roman]: Ugh, just put your hood back on.
[Thomas]: *snaps his fingers* You’re the boss, Hoss.
[Roman]: What does that even mean? I’m not… Hoss. I’m Prince Roman. Ugh, okay. Well, better bring in Count Woe-laf. Any input is better than what Mr. T is contributing.
[Thomas]: Roman brought the clever nicknames to the table, I brought the oats and honey clusters to the table.
[Roman]: Put them down!
[Thomas]: Okay.
[Logan]: Fine. Let’s get him in here. Anxiety? Hm. That’s odd.
[Roman]: He’s probably listening to that PG-13 music again. Anxiety! *tries to summon Anxiety* Ugh. How dare he? What?
[Patton]: Now, now, try to be a little more loving. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Anxiety! Come on up here, kiddo. Come on up here so everyone can see that cool makeup! Welp, love has failed me.
[Thomas]: Ho-ho-ho! That can be applied to many instances in my life. The first being-
[Roman]: Steady now, Thomas. Are we really going down that road? Uh, you usually don’t like talking about that kind of stuff.
[Logan]: You’ve got no shame.
[Patton]: Definitely not much of a filter.
[Roman]: Yes, and no fear…
[Logan, Patton, and Roman]: You have no-
[Thomas]: I have no anxiety, is that what you guys are trying to say?
[Roman]: Okay… Well, he also has no sense of tension build-up. That’s disappointing.
[Logan]: This is very disconcerting.
[Roman]: I don’t know. Shouldn’t a lack of fear be a good thing?
[Patton]: -gasp- Roman, I’m surprised at you.
[Roman]: What?
[Patton]: Anxiety can be a gloomy goober sometimes, but he’s still one of us.
[Roman]: Is he though? Check it out. Morality, Logic, Creativity. We three, are the most important facets of Thomas’ personality. Plus we all contribute a little extra stuff too. We got along just fine without him in the first two Sanders Sides videos.
[Logan]: He may not have had a physical presence, but he was always there within Thomas, to some extent. And he contributes more than what you credit him. Plus, he too, may represent more than just anxiety, even though it is a significant part of who he is.
[Roman]: Even still, I just don’t see why he’s necessary. If Anxiety is gone, what do we have to lose?
[Thomas]: I don’t fear death.
[Patton]: Wow.
[Roman]: So, you’re super brave. That’s good.
[Logan]: There’s a difference between bravery and acting without caution. Think fast! *Chucks a laptop which hits Thomas in the back of the head*
[Roman]: Oh, my- sweet Cole Sprouse, what-
[Thomas]: That really hurt. Was that a laptop? That, like, hurt real bad. Woah…
[Logan]: Unalert, and without his natural defensive reflexes. Yes, it seems that Anxiety has officially clocked out.
[Roman]: Okay. Well, he can work on that.
[Logan]: Thomas, did you remember to lock your motor vehicle earlier today?
[Thomas]: I probably did, I’m not sure, but probably.
[Logan]: Weaker memory.
[Roman]: Wh- that’s not a symptom of a lack of anxiety.
[Logan]: Not directly, but with the anxiety over leaving his car unlocked… Thomas always double checks to make sure, securing that memory in place.
[Thomas and Patton]: I doubt anyone will go looking through my [his] car- oh my gosh [goodness]!
[Patton]: You just see the best in people.
[Logan]: But he can’t always afford to.
[Patton]: Ugh, yeah… I guess you’re right.
[Thomas]: Well, it sounds like I’m in trouble or something.
[Roman]: No, it sounds like these two are worrying too much.
[Logan]: That’s the thing- is anyone among us worried?
[Patton]: It’s because he isn’t worried and that doesn’t seem right, Roman.
[Thomas]: Princey’s never liked Anxiety, that’s his problem!
[Roman]: That’s not true.
[Thomas]: Mmm…
-flash back-
[Anxiety]: Hey there, Princey.
[Roman]: Ohhkay, I can’t stand that guy.
-switch flashback-
[Roman]: (as Valerie) I’m trying REALLY hard not to like you right now.
-switch flashback-
[Roman]: Still don’t like you.
[Anxiety]: What was that?
[Roman]: Uh- chim chim cheroo!
-switch flashback-
[Roman]: To offer his mopey, dopey input? I- I don’t like him.
-end flashback-
[Roman]: Oh, now your memory works… That’s convenient.
[Logan]: It is interesting to note that Patton and I have both had our moments of seeing eye to eye with Anxiety… But you seem to remain resolute as ever in how you perceive him.
[Roman]: Look, I am the dreamer, and the one BIG thing that gets in the way of pursuing any new adventure, is fear.
[Thomas]: *holds up a pair of jeans* Took my pants off!
[Roman]: Why?!
[Patton]: Hey, now.
[Thomas]: No one can see, I don’t care.
[Logan]: Yup, we are getting your anxiety and shame back. I cannot deal with any more of this ridiculousness.
[Patton]: You put them back. Right now.
[Thomas]: Alright, fine. Well, if Anxiety’s not here, where is he?
[Roman]: Ugh, probably in his room.
[Thomas]: His room?
[Logan]: Technically, it’s the corner of your mind that you go to if you wanted to enhance your anxiety, for some reason… Or if you wanted to cathartically indulge in typically troubling emotions. Think, “the mind palace,” but specifically for Anxiety.
[Roman]: Where else do you think we come from? Where do we go?
[Patton]: Where did you come from Cotton-Eye Joe?
[Thomas]: So, you all have one? Oh, my goodness- more stuff I’m learning about myself. Uh, I’d rather go to Patton’s. Can we go there?
[Logan]: Nope. We need to go to Anxiety’s room to check on Anxiety. This is the priority, do you remember what we just... were talking about?
[Thomas]: Ah, okay.
[Roman]: So we’re all going to Anxiety’s room? Who knows what THAT tragic kingdom looks like? Hhmm…
[Patton]: Are you going to join us on this Thomas? ‘Cause we need you to get us all there.
[Thomas]: Yeah, it sounds fun or whatever.
[Logan]: Ohhkay. I thought I would like you without your… never-ending assembly line of predicaments, but this is truly, truly bothersome.
[Roman]: Just focus on the things that would normally make you anxious. That is the corner of your mind where we need to go. It may be difficult to go down that road-
[Thomas]: Got it.
[Roman]: ...Yeah, okay. There is no drama in this today.
[Logan]: Ugh. Into the unknown. Here we go.
[Patton]: ♪ Again on my own, going down Anxiety’s corner in Thomas’ mind… ♪
[Thomas]: Oh, I guess I’m doing this too. This is new.
-in Anxiety’s room-
[Thomas]: Woah. -chuckles- I knew I should’ve taken that left turn at Albuquerque. *snaps his fingers*
[Logan]: Uh, no. This is where we needed to go.
[Thomas]: I know, I- it was- it was just a- uhm… a joke.
*To be continued Guys, gals, and non-binary pals…*
*end card*
[Roman]: Wh- are- are you serious? A cliffhanger for a YouTube video??
[Logan]: Highly unusual… and frustrating.
[Patton]: Oh, I’m sure it won’t be that bad. How long do we have to wait?
[Logan]: According to Thomas’s schedule, just a couple of days.
[Patton]: Yay! And knowing Thomas, he’ll get this video out when he says he will, right on time.
[Logan and Roman]: Riiiight…
Oh my stars. I read this whole thing btw. I didn't actually expect you to do it. Dang.
#asks#Lee!!#reading this made me really happy for some reason#probably the memories#i love the AA ark sm
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be more careful
(mmmm I saw @earnkeeen’s lovely sword cane art and had a somewhat related idea for writing, I feel it’s only fair that I credit them!! have a lil awkward drabble. mostly dialogue, I didn’t do much scenery)
“You’ve got to keep a tight grip on it, Harry. If you’re just waving it about, it may go flying!”
Gabriel sounded extremely exasperated. Lines of frustration had appeared in his forehead; he’d furrowed his brow as he gazed at his friend in confusion.
“I told you, I don’t know how to use a sword!” Jekyll cried. He ran a hand through his hair; although mostly kept back, a few stray strands had fallen down in front of his eyes.
“You can’t simply hand me a sword and expect me to know how to use it, Gabriel. That’s akin to giving someone chemicals and telling them to make a specific solution—”
“Except it’s not, Henry,” Utterson snapped.
He exhaled, puffing out his cheeks. “Sorry, sorry...a sword is rather self-explanatory, Harry. You swing to strike, but you have to make sure you have a proper grip so you don’t go hurting someone. You’ve got a dozen degrees, Henry. You’re a clever man. A sword isn’t astrophysics.”
“Still, you cannot imagine I will instantly be an expert,” Jekyll grumbled. He shifted his grip on the hilt of the sword, gloved fingers stretching and re-wrapping themselves around the metal.
Gabriel had to laugh. The expression of intense dislike on Henry’s face, combined with his determination to not make a fool of himself, resulted in quite the laughable sight.
“Stop laughing at me!” Henry cried. “I am not a—a pet to be teased and toyed with! I am a distinguished scientist!”
“You’re a distinguished scientist holding a sword as if it is some unsavory object you do not wish to see,” Utterson chuckled. “Here, let me help you.”
He stepped forward and began to adjust Henry’s grip on the sword, delicately lifting and resettling each finger as if it were made of glass.
Despite the fact that he wore gloves, the gentle touches from Gabriel were enough to prompt a faint blush in Henry’s cheeks. The esteemed doctor furiously fought the rising heat in his face, not only embarrassed but afraid that his friend would notice and assume the wrong ideas.
Or, rather, the correct idea but one he did not want to be disseminated.
He gazed up into Utterson’s stunning blue eyes, biting at his lip to keep any sound from escaping his mouth.
That beautiful color...so magnificent…
By this point, Henry was barely paying attention to the words coming out of his lawyer’s mouth. He was floating in the velvet expanses of the slightly-shorter man’s voice, letting his every sense drown in the soft and calming tones.
I could stay here forever. I wish I could.
“Hold the sword like that,” Gabriel hummed. “If someone comes to hit you, you parry the blow. That grip will keep you from dropping the sword when hit. Understood? Now show me.”
“Wh—huh?” Jekyll mumbled. “Oh, yes, yes…”
Such a lovely voice...
He absentmindedly swung the blade, still staring at Gabriel. Consequently, he swung directly at the man.
“Christ, Harry, watch—AUGH, that hurt!” Gabriel cried, pressing a hand to his arm. He had thrown up a hand to protect his face; the blade had made direct contact with his forearm, cutting into the soft flesh there.
Henry gasped, horrified.
“Oh, Gabriel, I—I didn’t mean to—”
Fuck.
He stared for a moment as blood began to soak through the sleeve of his friend’s shirt before quickly jumping into action.
“Roll up your sleeve,” he instructed firmly, turning and digging in a drawer for a roll of gauze. “How deep is it?”
“Not very,” Gabriel mumbled, examining the cut with a rather nonplussed expression. “I’m no great fan of blood, however. Kindly hurry.”
“Yes, yes, of—of course,” Henry stammered. He threw open another drawer; various articles of surgery flew into the air and scattered upon the floor. He snatched up a piece of cotton and quickly sought to clean the wound on Utterson’s arm.
Oh god oh god what have I done what have I done? This is my fault…
“You’re shaking, Henry,” Gabriel frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“N-No, I’m—I’m fine, really, I—I’m fine,” Henry insisted.
He began to wrap the gauze around Utterson’s arm, keeping it taut but not too tight so as to cut off circulation.
“It should stop bleeding soon…”
Hesitantly, the doctor looked up into the eyes of his friend.
Wrong choice, Henry Jekyll. Wrong choice.
The rest of the room seemed to melt away. The wood paneling, the furniture, even the gauze in his hands was gone.
“....Harry, are you alright?” Gabriel asked softly.
Henry nodded quickly.
“Yes, I….I’m fine, Gabriel,” he managed, cracking a smile. “Just a bit overwhelmed, I suppose.”
Gabriel smiled fondly in response.
“Well, there are certainly worse things,” he chuckled.
The moment had passed. And yet, somehow, Henry felt as if it hadn’t. There was something in the way Gabriel’s touch lingered on his skin. How their hands met and remained for just a moment too long.
He feels it too.
Gabriel, meanwhile, was gazing at Jekyll with the exact same gaze that he’d been on the receiving end of barely moments earlier. He took Henry’s hand and intertwined his fingers with the other man’s. It resulted with both men wearing faint blushes, yet the feeling was mutually comforting.
“I should get you to a chair where you can properly rest,” Jekyll hummed, offering Utterson a shy smile. “Come along.”
“With pleasure,” Gabriel replied softly.
#alyssa’s writing#henry jekyll#gabriel john utterson#utterson#jekyll#jekyll and hyde#the strange case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyde#mmmm swords#mild implied sword wound but there’s no real description of blood or anything uwu
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The Gooper Adventures ~ Day 3 ~ A Markiplier Ego Fanfic
PAAARRTTT 3 OF THIS SERIES, LET'S SEE THE NEXT PATIEEEENT WOOHOO LET'S DO THIS!
TAGGING: @thegoodnewsdoctler @erik-lee-derekson and @ericleederekson @doctoripliler
Dr Iplier was a very, very happy man. His coffee machine was working at full capacity, he had no outstanding paperwork to pore over; he also only had one major appointment today which was with one of the sweetest people on the planet, and was with someone who the doctor was very excited to share company with. Iplier grinned when he heard the all too familiar, tentative knock at his door that was accompanied with a faint sniffle and shuffle.
'Come in!'
The doctor smiled fondly when Eric Derekson slowly entered his room, a timid smile on his face as he muttered.
'H-Hey doc, are you having a nice day?'
Iplier grinned and strode forward, engulfing the nervous man in a warm bear hug as he replied happily.
'I most certainly am....and don't tell anyone, but having your appointment today is the main reason!'
Iplier winked at Eric after releasing him from the hug, which made Eric giggle bashfully and mime zipping his lips shut before he skipped to the doctor's medical bench and laid down on it, as per usual. The check-up was of course related to maintenance of Eric's feet prosthetics that started from the bottom of his shins. Google, who developed them, obviously took care of the technical side of everything, whilst Iplier made sure that the real skin in contact with the artificial materials was kept strong with a salve that was applied every month so that Eric's skin layers would be tougher. Eric always enjoyed these appointments since he was basically just getting a massage.
After removing Eric's shoes and socks and rolling up his sweatpants, Iplier started rubbing some of the salve between his hands to warm it up as he grinned at his relaxed little patient.
'Is sir ready for the skin strengthening massage this morning?'
Eric burst into giggles at Iplier's put on posh accent, and nodded giddily as he put on a poncy voice of his own.
'I am indeed ready, and do hurry up I have a brunch appointment that I cannot be late for!'
The doctor gasped dramatically and bowed his head in mock respect of Eric's CLEAR superior station, and started massaging the skin that met with the prosthetic on his left leg.
'Of course sir of course, my apologies for my tardiness.'
Eric giggled happily before relaxing at the soothing treatment. Despite his stumps having healed long ago, it was important for the skin to be strengthened on a regular basis because of something in the prosthetic materials that would weaken his natural skin. Eric never complained because he got a free massage every month, and it always helped him unwind and forget about his anxieties for a little while. Until....this occasion, when a little crash from under Iplier's desk made Eric jump and bolt upright.
'Wh-what was that?!'
Eric looked around, not out of fear, but out of curious confusion. Iplier's office was the one place that had the fewest random, strange occurrences, so this was most irregular. Then he looked curiously to the doctor, since Iplier had sighed and smiled as he wiped his hands on a towel, before looking to the floor near his desk.
'That, was the world's smallest troublemaker.'
Eric furrowed his brows before following the doctor's gaze, and he gasped at the sight that he saw. It was Gooper. Eric had heard about the little creature from the septics but had never actually met him before! At present, Gooper was on the floor next to Iplier's metal, mesh trash can...which had been tipped over. Gooper was engaging in a tug of war, with said trash can, for a paperclip that had gotten caught in the trash can's wire mesh. The little monster was quite annoyed about this, and was letting out a constant stream of growls and snarls as he tugged and tugged at the little piece of stationary. The doctor grinned, and then cleared his throat.
'Uh....bud? Why are you fighting with the trash can?'
Gooper growled even more, not relinquishing the battle as he hopped up and down with clear annoyance; the doctor by this point, had learned to understand Gooper's little language since it was always a combination of sounds and movements. Eric covered his mouth with his hand, giggling as the doctor sighed softly.
'The trash didn't steal your paperclip!'
Iplier stated pointedly, before letting out a little gasp when Gooper's growling got even deeper as he strained to reclaim HIS paperclip.
'Don't you take that tone with me! The trash can is inanimate and the paperclip just got stuck! Ugh, frigging squish....'
Eric kept giggling as Iplier sent him an apologetic look, and he observed curiously as Iplier went and crouched down to Gooper's little scene of attempted conquest. He swiftly unhooked the paperclip from the metal mesh and gave it to Gooper, who let out a quiet little gurgle that served as a thank you, and as an apology for being a grumpy squish. Iplier gave him a little pet before picking him up and taking him to Schneeple's jumper, wherein Gooper swiftly scooted into the bundle to deposit his little treasure. Eric couldn't handle it. He was too cute.
'I-Iplier p-please may I hold him he looks so cute and soft and adorable please please tell me I-I can hold him?!'
....the doctor thought that his heart was legitimately going to melt. He took one look at Eric's puppy dog eyes and hopeful smile, and smiled back.
'Of course you can....hey mr, you wanna meet a sweet friend of mine?'
One soft gurgle later, the little creature emerged from the jumper, and squeed at the sight of the new Iplier person who he hadn't noticed before. He crooned as Iplier scooped him up, and immediately mewled warmly when he was placed in Eric's hands softly; this Iplier's pets were particularly tentative and gentle...Gooper reasoned that this Iplier was absolutely very cute because of how gentle he was.
'H-H-He's s-so p-precious....'
Eric sniffled and stammered happily as he ran his fingertips over the creature carefully, he didn't want to cause him ANY kind of distress. Dr Iplier smiled and decided to stroke Eric's hair softly, because Eric had soft hair so why the hell not. The doctor smiled fondly at Eric's soft sniffles, before grinning and whispering.
'Careful, if he thinks you're upset he'll tickle the hell out of you.'
Eric's cheeks went a soft pink as he giggled, a little shiver going down his spine at the thought of the little creature finding all his tickle spots....but then he remembered, he was a big human! Eric figured that he could keep the upper hand easily, and so he looked up at Iplier and teased back happily.
'N-Not i-if I t-t-tickle him first!'
Iplier let out a soft laugh as he watched Eric carefully scratch Gooper's underbelly....and the doctor did consider warning Eric that there was NO way Gooper would let him get away with that....but this was too cute to hinder. As Gooper squealed and wriggled, the doctor teased softly.
'Wow, you're such a meanie!'
Eric grinned bashfully, but ended up whining to the doctor in an attempt to justify himself.
'B-But he's so cuuute, h-he has goofy baby squeals!'
Gooper, without a doubt, turned a few shades darker of green when he heard the new Iplier blatantly teasing him. That was not fair, he didn't have baby squeals he didn't he didn't! He couldn't help how he sounded! Gooper had never felt more embarrassed in his whole life, and ended up squealing more as he curled up around Eric's tickly fingers. This was so not fair! Meanwhile, Iplier ruffled Eric's hair and gave him a playful nudge, deciding that it was Eric's turn to be on the receiving end of some teasing.
'Oh yeah? How would you like it if someone tickled your tummy and teased about it?'
Eric froze, stopping the tickling, and blushed a bright red as his words failed to come to him. And that....was Gooper's cue to take his revenge. Before Eric could even react or retort to the, now excitedly smirking, doctor, his attention was caught by a certain little squish...letting out quite the battle growl. Gooper scooted faster than he ever had scooted, shooting up Eric's sleeve before dropping down in search of the goldmine that was Eric's tummy. In Gooper's book, gentle people often have sensitive tummies....and as he latched onto Eric's and vibrated his form, he was NOT disappointed.
'EEEHEHEHEE AHAHAHA OHONO-HEHEHEEELP!!'
The doctor stepped back away from Eric, laughing at how he immediately arched his back along with flailing arms and kicking legs. There were no build up giggles or titters, Eric was just straight up consumed by the cutest high-pitched laughter that Dr Iplier ever had heard.
'Hey you started it! Gooper's just getting revenge, fair and square.'
Iplier smirked as he mused, and chuckled softly when Eric sent him a VERY strong pout. Eric couldn't believe that Iplier as just watching him being tickled! No, scratch that, tickle tortured! Gooper was nuzzling and vibrating so deep into Eric's chubby tummy that it felt like Gooper was ticking him from the inside out! Eric couldn't stop squealing as he hit the medical bench with his hands desperately.
'BUHUHUT IHIHI DIHIHIDN'T TIHIHICKLE THIHIS MUHUUUUCH!!'
Eric whined amidst his mirth, but the doctor merely remained an amused observer as he replied frankly.
'That may be, but you did tease him too!'
Eric proceeded to hide his face in his hands as he cackled, predominantly due to the fact that Dr Iplier's words were entirely truthful....he'd started it....so he deserved to be tickled in return. How could he have been so silly to think that this clever, adorable tickle monster wouldn't get revenge on him?! Oh this was such an evil pickle for Eric. For Gooper though, he was having the absolute time of his life. There. Was. So. Much. Tummy. Everywhere around him, it was just tummy, and part of Gooper honestly hoped that he could just live engulfed by this warm softness forevermore....but then he figured it would be a bit TOO mean to tickle the soft Iplier here forever. So, Gooper wriggled down to Eric's waist, nuzzling it happily. Eric, of course, shrieked with a new-found need to justify himself.
'B-B-BUHUHUHUT HEHEHE'S T-TEHEHEASABLE!'
...yes, that really WAS the best that he could come up with. Eric had rolled onto his side and partially curled himself up, laughing as he twitched and jumped as his waistline was played with. Iplier folded his arms and raised an eyebrow as he looked over the sweet boy, shaking his head as he taunted.
'So are you, tickle boy.'
....Eric had been in the midst of peeking through his fingers to look at the doctor. He aborted that plan, with immediate effect. Eric hid his face in his forearms as he wailed. It wasn't even a detailed tease, and yet it affected him. It wasn't even very personalised, and yet it affected him. Which thus proves how Eric is in fact, incredibly teasable
'NAHAHAHA NAHAHA SHUHUHUSHY!!'
Eric cried out, since Gooper was becoming more and more in earnest as he wriggled over and nuzzled into his waist, the little fibres at his underbelly fluttering and scratching away rapidly as Gooper got more and more excited. And, as you can probably tell, an excited Gooper is a far more evil Gooper, hence the increased rapidity of his tickling. Iplier of course continued in his role of teaser, since it was pretty hard for Gooper to tease AND tickle, so the doctor kept up his assistance. It was only fair.
'Woooow, rude much? Especially since you're the one loudly shrieking, not me!'
Iplier replied to Eric with the utmost indignance, looming over a writhing Eric who simply tried to curl up more because now he was being attacked on two fronts and all he could think to do was to try and hide away. All Eric really ended up doing though was proving Iplier's point....by shrieking.
'IHIHIHI CAHAHAN'T HEHEHELP IHIHIIIIT!!'
Thankfully for Eric though, with his echoing cry, he was granted a tad bit of mercy. Gooper relinquished the torture at his waist and simply rested on it, and gurgled in amusement when he heard the little yips of hiccups come from the gentle Iplier's mouth. That was cute. Hiccupies are cute. Dr Iplier thought this too, and he couldn't keep the fond smile off his face as he looked down at Eric who was hiccupping and giggling residually.
'Poor little Eric.....such a loud little ticklee....'
Eric gazed up at Iplier pleadingly, his eyes begging for mercy from the teasing as his face burned with embarrassment. Eric was trembling and smiling preciously, almost overcome from it all. However, Gooper was not quite yet done. Gooper had spotted the little indents that were the bowels of Eric's hips....and so decided to see what would happen if he nestled into one of them, nuzzling it a little. The results were not disappointing. Eric let out a soft, initial gasp, before descending into a mess of purrs and titters. Gooper had found his melting spots.
'N-N-Nuuuhhuhuhuhehehhh nnnuuhhh.....'
Iplier blinked in confusion for a few moments, hurrying to place his forearm behind Eric's head as it lolled back. The doctor soon understood the situation however, and was just entirely enamoured. Iplier knew that practically everyone had melty areas or spots, but he'd so far been under the impression that Eric was someone who did not have such places. The doctor was so damn pleased to be wrong.
'Awwww what's thiiiis? I think someone has some sweet melty hiiiips....'
The doctor purred as Gooper kept up the gentle rubbing into the soft flesh, relishing in Eric's weak little whimpers and barely coherent slurs of speech.
'Pleheheeee.....nuhuhuhuhhh teheheasssee....'
Hearing the gentle Iplier react like that was beyond sweet, and part of Gooper wondered what would happen if he went for both indents at once, which he easily could by splitting his form. However, he could see that the gentle Iplier was having a very nice time, and after all the tickling he'd done, Gooper wanted to make sure that he didn't go over the top again. So, he carefully moved the bowel of Eric's other hip, giving it the same treatment whilst gurgling sweetly at the doctor Iplier's previous words; these were definitely special me-eelty (?) spots.
'Well I think Gooper agrees with me....'
Gooper let out another little gurgle of confirmation at Iplier's next purr, before merely continuing the treatment that he knew the gentle Iplier was enjoying. And Eric was enjoying it....partially. I mean, he was clinging to the doctor's arms and shoulders by this point as he whimpered and giggled as tickly, warm tingles shot through his meek form. However, that new warmth did help to melt away some of the anxieties and stresses that had built up in his system....so yes, he was definitely enjoying it.
'Mmmnn.....m-meheheaniesss....b-behest meheanihiiiies....'
Eric stammered with a lazy smile, hiding in Iplier's chest and blushing crimson when he felt it quiver with the doctor's amused chuckles. Iplier's heart just swelled at how unbelievably sweet Eric was....if he hadn't been holding Eric to his chest, the doctor might have convinced himself that such sweetness was merely in his imagination. Gooper thought that Eric was sweet too, sweet and gentle and precious and soft and perfect. So he decided to have mercy for real this time. The little creature could feel how the tension had bled away from Eric, so he figured that it was the perfect time to stop, since Eric was in the perfect state of relaxation and un-stressiness. As Eric gasped and shivered, Gooper slid out from under his shirt, resting on Eric's lap. He immediately yipped when he saw both Ipliers in an embrace; the doctor smiled, winking proudly at the creature.
'Good job buddy.'
There were a few moments then where Gooper rested on Eric, and Eric rested on Dr Iplier's chest. Gooper was recovering from all the tickling he'd inflicted, Eric was recovering from all the tickling he'd received, and Dr Iplier was recovering from how much insane cuteness he had perceived. All in all....it had been a lot. Soon though, after making sure Eric was okay, Iplier quickly went back down to his shins to make sure all the salve he'd rubbed in earlier had sunk into the skin properly and evenly. Gooper of course rolled himself down Eric's legs so he could have a look at the special parts that the doctor Iplier had helped put on the gentle Iplier; Gooper knew he couldn't significantly contribute, but gave Eric's shins a little head-butt each of affection to show his love. Eric smiled and gasped softly, tears welling up in his eyes.
'Th-thahank you....b-b-bohoth of you...'
The doctor smiled as he scooped Gooper up into one of his hands, before helping Eric to his feet carefully, whilst teasingly remarking.
'You are most welcome Mr Derekson.'
Iplier spoke airily and poshly as a homage to their earlier conversation, but was surprised to see Eric suddenly blink and become rather bashful. Eric took in some air before speaking, with the most amount of pride that Iplier had ever heard.
'A-Actually....i-it's Mr Iplier now. D-Dark helped me sort it.'
....now Dr Iplier was the one with the tears in his eyes. I don't need to explain why, I think it's pretty clear why this is so damn meaningful. Iplier nodded and brought Eric into a swift hug, making the man giggle happily.
'Mr Eric Iplier....that definitely suits you.'
Eric grinned, still with a strong sense of pride, as they parted. And after giving the happily squeaking Gooper a final pet, he left with his head held high and his strides solid and steady. Before the doctor could weep however, he felt something nuzzling his palm. Iplier grinned when he looked down at a, rather needy, Gooper, whining and head-butting his palm as a cry for attention. Which he certainly deserved, since whenever he administered a great bout of tickling he always needed after-affection to help get his strength back up. Iplier of course complied, stroking Gooper with his fingertips as he sunk into his desk chair. Iplier made a mental note to find some more paperclips.
WOOOO HPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS NEXT PART WOOOOPPP LEMME KNOW IF YA DO WOOO LUV YOUS XX
#markiplier#markiplier egos#dr iplier#iplier#eric#eric derekson#platonic#sfw#cute#ego fic#ego fanfic#tickle fic#tickle fanfic#tickle#tickles#tickling#ticklish#gooper#tickle monster#luv these cuties
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Session Recap 5/18/19: Stilled Waters
Ditto hung out with Erwyn and the twins for a little while, but eventually took her leave to give them some time to talk amongst themselves, parking herself under the large tree in the courtyard. A bit into their conversation, Bramble jolted upright and ran into the kitchen to ask Amaranth if she’d really wrestled Kriv (Erwyn having told her about it in a Sending), and if she had any tips. The tiefling bragged she had, and told Bramble she could give her a demonstration later. Bramble and Erwyn also discussed some of the struggles of wild magic, and she gave him a little advice on reigning in his surges as best he could, and he spoke with the girls about several other topics related to the party’s adventuring.
Coila emerged after a bit, looking far less stressed than the last time the party had seen her, and spoke with Ditto a little about the party’s travels -- though the gnome was reserved in saying all that much. After a bit she wandered over to Erwyn, who was glad to see her but similarly restrained in talking too much about some of the things they’d dealt with.
Undwyn was very surprised to see Kriv when he arrived at the blacksmith’s shop. He asked them how things were going in town and they said things were still settling down, but that Bramble and Rose seemed happy and Coila seemed nicer than her husband. They offered him some tea, as well as some hay for Volfred, and he picked up the greatsword he’d commissioned before. When he arrived back at the castle, he left his old stolen sword in a corner.
Those visiting Soreth had a lovely dinner at the castle -- meaning that Erwyn finally got to try one of Stelly’s famous pies, as he’d been been a deceased soul trapped in a ring when most of the group for their chance. Amaranth set a pie aside to bring back for Voski. As the sun drew low in the sky, they headed back to the stone circle. After a series of goodbyes, they were whisked back to Elessea’s throne room.
The Lady was waiting on her throne, lounging once more. As the group filed out of the room, Erwyn turned and thanked her for letting them make the trip before skittering off to his room. Amaranth barged into Voski’s room with the pie and filled her in on the trip, and Voski told her how she hadn’t seen much while the rest of the group was gone -- though she had heard some sort of faint humming from the other side of one of the courtyard walls near the sea.
Ditto and Kriv spent the evening messing around more with the Rhymer’s Ring in one of the castle courtyards. Ditto went first this time, testing what would happen if she intentionally messed up a spell by using the non-rhyme “Tenser’s Floating Dish” -- and immediately took psychic damage, as tons of small plates started throwing themselves at her. One cracked itself on her head, and Kriv doubled over laughing before using Lay on Hands on her. Kriv took the ring next and tried casting the rhyme “Divine Sight,” which caused him to see a tiny illusory image of Bahamut floating over his pendant, as well as the figure of a tiny defiant isopod above the symbol of Tsova on his shield.
The next morning, Ditto tracked down Russet and Gusset and asked them for some materials she needed for something she wanted to try, as well as where the best places to pick plants were. She gathered a few before heading towards the others’ rooms. She visited Amaranth first and asked if she wanted to play a game. The tiefling agreed. Next she went to fetch Kriv, who was more hesitant. He wanted to make sure that, since it was a gnome game, there were no explosions involved before he agreed. When they went to get Erwyn they learned it was one of the days where he was very exhausted. He also had to ask what “tag” was when Ditto described the game as being like it, but agreed to at least come along -- though he did bring a book.
When Ditto approached Voski’s room, her wind chimes made the sound of a slide whistle. The dragonborn asked Ditto some questions about the location she had scouted out for this event, but surprised everyone by agreeing to come along. She asked if Ditto was planning on inviting Astoria, which Ditto thought was a great idea -- though Astoria was somewhat confused when she was invited along.
Ditto lead them to a cove Russet and Gusset had told her about just outside the castle, where there a covered basket and materials to make garlands were waiting. She explained that each player would have five garlands to put on themselves, which the other players would try to steal. Each player would also have an egg filled with confetti that they could throw at others, allowing them to “steal” a garland from a distance, or to use as a distraction if someone went for theirs. Volfred agreed to referee for them. The party set to making their garlands -- though Kriv needed Ditto to show him how to make one, Voski took her time choosing auspicious color combinations, and Erwyn slowed after starting and looked a bit sad about it. Erwyn also ate some of the materials as he worked.
To start the game, Ditto tossed a garland in the air and everyone ran. Amaranth dashed to some rocks by the water, Voski towards the shore, Kriv towards the woods and Astoria after him (though she seemed confused), and Ditto to a different set of rocks than Amaranth. Erwyn was too tired to move far from the center, but dropped to the ground near a rock all the same.
Amaranth tried to get a better vantage point on the others, but was unable to spot anyone. Voski dropped one of her garlands on the beach, popped one of Auntie Eyren’s water-breathing lozenges in her mouth, and walked into the sea, completely submerging herself. Kriv was able to sneak up on Astoria and grabbed a garland off her waist. She went to grab one of Kriv’s garlands back and he threw his egg at her, but missed. Ditto ran towards Erwyn, but as she reached for him he snatched a garland off her wrist and kicked some sand in her direction to try to get her to go away.
“Oh, fighting dirty, are we?” Ditto asked, and snatched one of Erwyn’s garlands off him before running towards the shore.
Voski continued to hang out underwater.
Erwyn tried tossing his egg at Astoria but missed, prompting him to try crawling after it to retrieve it for future use. Amaranth ran into the trees after Kriv and grabbed a garland as she dashed past him, sticking her tongue out as she did. Ditto ran past Erwyn towards the group in the forest as Astoria tried and failed to grab a garland off of Kriv. The latter two stuck their tongues out at each other, taking a cue from Amaranth.
Reaching his egg, Erwyn grabbed it and lobbed it at Amaranth, hitting her successfully. She tossed one of her garlands at him, grinning, before trying to take one off Astoria herself and missing. Running towards Erwyn, Amaranth looked back at Astoria, shouting, “We still gotta sing later!”
Voski, who had been admiring some of the kelp just off the shore in the ocean, braided some strands together experimentally.
Ditto ran towards the group in the forest and threw her egg at Kriv, hitting him successfully. He tossed her one of his garlands. Astoria tried taking a garland from Amaranth and nabbed the one around her waist, excited about her first success.
“I do agree we should sing again later,” she said.
“We’ll see who survives this first!” Amaranth replied.
Erwyn, who was still low to the ground, launched himself upwards and managed to snatch the garland off Astoria’s wrist while she was still distracted by her success with Amaranth. He clipped Amaranth slightly on the way and knocked her over, before announcing, sounding surprised, that he’d gotten three of them.
With Erwyn the official victor, Amaranth started to go into the sea after Voski as Erwyn Messaged her, seeing if she was alright. She said she’d be right out and cast Freedom of Movement on herself to make an unencumbered entrance out of the water, her armor changed to reflect the inspiration she’d gathered from the kelp. She looked at the garland she’d left on the beach.
“Did you need gift wrap?” she asked.
“I sort of assumed it was a trap,” Erwyn said.
Ditto commented that Erwyn’s strategy of staying in one spot had been clever, and he replied that he’d been keeping in mind his hunting experience. She presented him with his prize -- a cool rock she’d found wrapped up in bit of wire and string to make a “medal” of sorts. Volfred walked up to Erwyn and gently set his head atop of the elf’s. Erwyn looked genuinely touched.
The party set up a fire to gather around on the beach. Amaranth was still in the water and was soon joined by Astoria, though she only remained near the shore and didn’t hop in herself, and the two of them started singing some shanties. As they tired, Voski played some of her own music. Eventually, she asked Astoria a little more about the sound like a breaking string she’d heard in the castle, asking if it sounded like a particular note. Astoria said it had, but she wasn’t sure which one.
Voski asked the group if they’d met any other bards before. They all said they hadn’t, really. She tried to explain a bit about arcane musical theory, and how bards like the Fossegrim at the market, who’d simply disguised a charm spell in a song, were a poor example of the craft. (“Any wizard with a pair of finger cymbals could pull that off,” she said dismissively.) A more bardic approach, according to some theories, involved choosing or writing songs to be “in tune” with the people around the player and drawing on the ambient magic in those reactions -- meaning it was less about control, and more about connections. She suggested it was possible that the sound of the string breaking could be indicative of some magic effect powered through song suddenly ending, and that it might have been load-bearing, given how empty the castle was as of late. As Voski talked, Amaranth fiddled with something in her pocket.
Erwyn mentioned that he kept thinking back to what Eddystone had said about anchors when the party was sailing to the Faewilds, and the fact that the word had also been mentioned in the Sylvan document he and Kriv had translated back in Soreth, which also mentioned some of the Ladies. Voski said that in her attempts to try to research the fae anchors, she hadn’t unearthed much of substance.
Erwyn expressed an interest in trying to find the Celestial counterpart Kevin had mentioned and suggested he try to use his portal sense to find them. The others were up for the idea. Astoria asked if there was anything they wanted her to watch out for the next time they were gone, and they told her they’d be interested in knowing about planar comings-and-goings, like the devil that had showed up. Voski asked if she’d heard anything from Lady Starling recently, and she said that she hadn’t.
As the conversation wrapped up, Voski heard a distant, low barking, along with some small high-pitched voices. She hushed the others, got up, and gestured for them to follow. She asked if Astoria had a call for Max and the drow whistled. The barking increased in volume, and she charged into the woods.
The party found the dog in a clearing, surrounded by some tiny sprites who were trying and failing to keep him from bounding towards Astoria and bowling her over. In Sylvan, they muttered about the dog being their “war beast.”
“I don’t think you’ll find that’s true,” Erwyn said to them in Sylvan, as Voski cast Comprehend Languages.
The sprites complained to Erwyn that everything had been so awful lately that they deserved to have this one nice thing. They went on to explain that the tide hadn’t been coming back, and he asked if they knew why. The sprites told him it was the fault of some monsters in a cave below the castle.
Voski turned to the others and wearily explained they were about to also solve the sprites’ problems.
“I was just going to say--” Erwyn said.
“What were you going to tell them, Erwyn?” she said.
Erwyn sheepishly admitted he did feel at least a little personally responsible for Max being lost. He asked the sprites to describe the monsters. The sprites said some of them were so deep they couldn’t go down there, but that the one nearest the surface was long and covered in armor made of shells, that would snatch you in its teeth and tie you up with reeds.
Voski continued to translated, annoyed.
The party discussed it amongst themselves and decided that they couldn’t know if the creatures were in the employ of the lady or not, which complicated things. Erwyn suggested they needed to ask for payment up front, and Voski pointed out he was the only one who could negotiate -- a concept which intimidated him. He tried to talk to the sprites, but wasn’t very successful in getting them to listen, though Voski tried to assist how she could. The party eventually agreed they would try to talk to Elm or Lichen and ask if the creature was there intentionally -- though Astoria stayed behind with her dog.
The party successfully found one of the two castle guards they were looking for, though as usual they could never be sure which because of their glamours. Voski handed them some braided kelp, which they solemnly tied to their belt. When the party asked what was under the castle, they were told to stay away from the creatures, and that the Lady had appointed them. They were told they shouldn’t ask about them, and that the Lady maintained they did not need the tide. The guard told the party they should have faith in her decisions, that it had been a long time since the tides came to the isle of Elessea, and that the sprites were fickle and would likely abandon about the issue in time.
On the way back to the sprites, the party discussed their options. Giving the sprites a replacement warbeast was proposed, though Voski pointed out that would probably endanger the sprites if it encouraged them to go after the creature. The conclusion they kept coming back to was that they might just have to take the dog, even if it angered the sprites.
“Remember those little gnomes that almost killed us?” Voski said.
“They weren’t gnomes,” Ditto interjected, insulted.
Back in the clearing, Erwyn tried explaining to the sprites what they’d learned. They weren’t having any of it, saying they didn’t want to do all the work required of them without the tides. Erwyn asked them how long it had been and they told him it was generations of sprites, starting around the time that the newest lady took her seat. When he explained that if they went up against the monster they would probably be defeated, the sprites said the waves would just roll up and restore them. He commented that if the party were to be killed, they would be gone forever, trying to explain why they were hesitant, but actually just ended up overwhelming the sprites with the concept of mortality, which was completely new to them.
Now fairly distraught and crying for the party, the sprites told the party to just take Max, so they could at least have him while they were still alive. Voski, however, who was the only other person able to translate their Sylvan due to her spells, told it to the rest of the party a little differently.
“So what’s happened here is he’s threatened to destroy them, and they’re all begging for forgiveness,” she said.
“It’s… it’s probably best if we get going back,” Erwyn said.
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“Sunny Streaks (Bonus)”
Same event, another perspective.
Feat: Summer Rush
Story and Description Under The Cut!
Spitfire: -hums in approval as Summer Rush lands after finishing her flight maneuver- Not bad, Zippy!
Summer Rush: (!!) -slides her goggles up and grins at Captain Spitfire and her second-in-command, Vapor Trail. She approaches the two who are standing at the sidelines of the runway- Thank you, ma’m!
Vapor Trail: -beams warmly- I think you’ve mastered that move at this point! -sighs contently- It’s going to be so great, having you on tour with us…! Being away from home for such a long time might be weird at first, but...hopefully not too weird?
Summer: -chuckles and shakes her head- Nah! I mean, my family might miss me, but it’ll be okay! I think I’m ready to really get out there.
Vapor: -giggles- That’s the spirit, hun!
Spitfire: (!) -glances behind Summer, and snorts- Well, well...speak of the devil and she will appear…
Summer: (?) -turns around and though surprised, she immediately brightens seeing her mother and father trotting towards her- Oh! Gosh, I thought they’d drop by right before we left!
Spitfire: Well I don’t know about you, Gush, but I can see that twinkle in Dust’s eye all the way from here and we ALL know what that means… -snrks as Summer playfully squints at her. She then pulls down her own goggles- Just don’t take too long! I expect you back in the skies fifteen minutes tops. Got it?
Summer: -salutes- Got it, ma’m!
Vapor: Heh, see you Zippy! -flies after Spitfire into the sky-
Summer: -happily faces her parents as they draw closer. She takes in Lightning’s near giddy expression and how tired yet relieved Dumbbell seems to be. She extends her wings invitingly-
Hi guys!
Lightning Dust: Sunny~! -wraps her arms and wings around her daughter and sways her back and forth, causing Summer to laugh cheerily. She pulls back with a prideful smirk- We saw that trick you did theeeere~ What an amazing Somersault Twist! -lightly taps Summer’s nose with a feather- Or should I say... Summersault Twist?
Summer: -jokingly groans- Mooom!
-giggles and turns to beam up at her father- So what brings you guys here so early, anyway?
Lightning: Psh, we wanted to check up on our little champ~
Dumbbell: Your mom wanted to check up on y- OW! -shoots a glare at Lightning, who had “inconspicuously” kicked him with her hind hoof-
Lightning: -smiles sweetly, ignoring Dumbbell’s grumbles- As I was saying, we just wanted to see you in your element~
Dumbbell: -shakes his head at Lightning before stepping forward. He affectionately slides his own wing across Summer’s back before giving her a warm, genuine smile- And you were absolutely awesome. Even if that freefall uh.... -rubs the back of his head and laughs uncomfortably- Let’s just say I’m glad you’re not a pancake...b-but I know you know what you’re doing!
Summer: Aww, dad…-leans into his one-winged hug- It’s alright! I’m nowhere near perfect, but I always make sure to stay safe.
Lightning: -leans in and smiles smugly- Hey Bell? Remember those times when you doubted her?
Dumbbell: Ugh... Light…
Lightning: Oh no no, I’m NEVER letting that go. -pushes her muzzle into his grumpy face, jabbing a wing feather into his chest- The maneuvers were “too much for a filly like her” you said. Well look at her now, buddy!
-pulls away from him to stand next to Summer, puffing out her chest as her eyes glimmer- We mares can do anything you stallions can, if not better~
Dumbbell: -drags a hoof down his face, groaning louder- Alright, alright! -glances off to the side- Geez, I was just…
Summer: -chuckles, remembering how her father used to fret over seeing her practice air tricks. Heck, he used to fret over her training regime in general. That used to lead to somewhat heated spats between her parents (well...heated on her mother’s end. Her mother admittedly had quite a temper...), but she was so glad they were past those days-
Dad was just worried! Give him a break, mom.
Dumbbell: Thank you!
Summer: …-innocently taps her hooves together- Buuuut she is right, though.
-Lightning’s grin widens and she holds out her wing, to which Summer gives her a low wing-five. Summer then bursts into a fit of laughter, seeing the deadpan look her father is shooting them.
Dumbbell: Mares. I swear…
-As Summer’s laughter dies off, she blinks, noticing something floating about on the winds above. She recognizes the object as a paper, though closer inspection leads her to notice another paper...and then two others drifting about. Her curious blue eyes follow the direction they’re flying from until she notices two more take off into the wind, originating from...one of the buildings?-
Dumbbell: (?) What’s up, Sunny?
Summer: I wonder where those papers are coming from…
....-curiosity gets the best of her- Sorry guys, I’ll be right back! Gonna check it out! -flaps and takes off-
Lightning: Wait wh- Summer! -watches as her daughter flies away. Her happy demeanor falls and her eye twitches- Ugh...I swear that girl is too damn curious for her own good...she knows she has to get right back to training after this!
Dumbbell: Psh, if you’re worried about that, then why did we bother interrupting her-
-winces, seeing the harsh glare his wife shoots him, and holds up his hooves- Okay okay, right, don’t question you, I’ll shut up…
Lightning: -huffs and extends her wings- Stay put, I’ll get her…
-Summer flaps her wings to slow down before landing on her targeted cloud. She notices that no one else is around and is instead greeted by the sight of a bunch of papers, scattered in the shadows and sunlight beside the tall building. Tilting her head she steps forward, her eyes analyzing the scene before her. It’s then that she notices a detail - faint hoof imprints in the fluffy white of the cloud.
Summer: Huh...somepony was just here.
Lightning: -lands behind Summer, wrinkling her nose at the sight- Looks like the work of literrers to me…-sniffs, turning her head while lifting her nose high- Leave them be. This isn’t worth your time, Sunny, it’s not your mess to clean up.
Summer: -only half-hears her mother, picking up one of the papers to skim for herself. She mentally notes how pretty the flier design is- “The Cutie Mark Sanctuary”...I think I’ve heard that name before. (!) Oh! They’re holding some sort of volunteer event! To showcase talents to kids! -smiles fondly as she squishes one of her cheeks with a hoof- Awww, that’s so cute! Oh, I want to go...
Lightning: -takes the paper from Summer’s hoof, squinting at it- Hmph...not sure why you’d want to go someplace with a ton of shrieking children, but looks like you’ll be away on tour anyway.
Summer: -leans in to look at the date on the paper, her eyebrows drawing back- Oh, you’re right...that’s too bad.
Lightning: Yep. Too bad. -crumples the paper up into a ball-
Summer: (!) Wha- Mom!
Lightning: What? It’s trash now.
Summer: -frowns- Somepony worked really hard on these...and they probably dropped them on accident. What if they need them?
Lightning: -snorts in amusement, waving her hoof dismissively- Then that’s their problem, isn’t it? And it’s just paper, they can just reprint them-
-trails off, noticing how Summer is eyeing her disapprovingly. Lightning quickly changes her tempo, forcing out a laugh-
Kidding! Geez, I’m kidding! -steps closer to Summer and pulls out her best grin, playfully pushing Summer’s shoulder (though maybe a bit too roughly)- Goodness, you need to stop taking me so seriously, baby girl!
Summer: -a hesitant smile pulls at the corner of her mouth before she focuses back on the papers- I wonder if I should return them…
Lightning: -though she’s hit with annoyance, she puts on her best motherly coo- Aw, sweetie...but that place is a biiiit far just to return some pieces of paper. Don’tcha think? Besides, you’re busy enough as things are, preparing for this tour!
Summer: -sighs- You’re right...Spitfire will want me to get back to practice soon.
-eyes the papers one more time, humming- ...I can at least put them in her office and have us hold onto them for now. Maybe they’ll come back. -leans down and begins picking the fliers up- If nopony comes for them, there’s at least one thing I can do…
Lightning: Shred them?
Summer: PFT no! Hand them out to the the rest of the Wonderbolt staff! To help spread the word? -laughs, shooting her mom a playful look- You’re such a silly filly today.
Lightning: Oooh, of course, haha! Silly me!
-The moment Summer turns her back, Lightning’s cheerful facade drops into displeasure as she rolls her eyes. She thinks about how Summer is too nice for her own good. Such a goody two-shoes who shouldn’t even be bothering with something so pointless.
Yet as she watches Summer, she soon finds herself trotting over to help pick up some papers herself-
Lightning: Alright, but once we drop these off, you absolutely have to show off that sweet Somersault Twist one more time before we leave. Deal?
Summer: -chuckles, gathering the papers underneath a wing- Oh fiiiine~ Anything for you, mom.
A few notes:
“Zippy” is a nickname Summer earned from the Wonderbolts due to her odd hummingbird-like flight style and just how much she zipped about while trying to keep up with the other ‘bolts on her first day. The nickname was also made to sound child-like and be a poke at how she’s the youngest and smallest on the team (adult Summer is tragically mistaken for a teenager more times than she can count).
“Summer Gush” (or “Gush”) is a personal nickname Spitfire has fondly given to Summer. It references Lightning Dust's habit of...well, gushing about her daughter nearly every chance she gets. Spitfire first came up with it after the ‘bolts had already settled on “Zippy”. Although she too preferred a nickname that actually related to Summer herself, Spitfire thought "Gush" was faAAAR too clever to pass up.
Spitfire of all the Wonderbolts is all too familiar with Lightning Dust. And while she isn’t very fond of the snooty and proud mare, she likes turning Lightning’s overbearing bragging into an inside joke. It’s an intentional jab at Lightning that she knew Summer would have no choice but to explain to her mom (though it didn’t hinder Lightning’s bragging in the slightest...unfortunately). Secondly, the lighthearted nickname seems to help alleviate some of the embarrassment Summer experiences at times over her mother’s boasting. So it’s a win-win. Spitfire tends to switch between the two nicknames (“Zippy” when addressing Summer during practice maneuvers, and “Gush” whenever Lightning is involved).
Yep! Soarin is no longer second-in-command! I imagine he retired to be a stay-at-home dad (and there’s a chaaaaance he’s with Spitfire, but I'm still thinking on it).
Vapor Trail and Sky Stinger were both lucky enough to join the oifficial Wonderbolts team some time back. And while Sky Stinger had a strong drive, Vapor’s humble loyalty and service to the ‘bolts reminded Spitfire of Soarin and earned the mare’s respect. Hence how, once Soarin' retired years down the line, it was Vapor Trail that Spirfire chose to take his place.
Don’t worry about Sky Stinger being jealous, though. He and Vapor were a very supportive, inseparable duo. In time they came to recognize their stronger feelings for one another and are now happily married. Summer looks up to them and admires their relationship so much, hoping she’ll have something just as loving one day.
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