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#please tell me if you have any ideas
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Hey guys I'm writing a song and I'm kinda stuck on what it should be about, Any ideas?
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katabay · 2 months
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original thief series basso & garrett :)
ngl, it's about quality over quantity for me. an npc can have a total of three minutes of screen time, but if they have a cool name, they can live rent free in my head and I'll spend several hours trying to decipher drawable features from a blurry screenshot of pixels
there is a vague hint of a story here, and that's because every time I try to play thi4f, I get incredibly frustrated with how Not Fun the game play is. like, is the story good? well. but it has a PLAGUE. that should've given it instant 'I'll replay this once a year' status in my heart, but the game play sucks so bad that I've never finished it. I can't believe Not Fun gameplay beat out my obsession with narrative plagues.
anyway, the idea is basically if the original era had a game with a plague centric narrative and some other stuff I liked out of thi4f thrown into a narrative blender, with a heavy dash of horror thrown in because some parts of the thief games were scarier to me than entire dedicated horror genre games.
⭐ places I’m at! bsky / pixiv / pillowfort /cohost / cara.app
#if i had a laptop and the skillset i would attempt a story mod because the thief modders who create whole mission stories#are GENIUS and also somewhat terrifying. love them! xoxox#anyway im actually kind of obsessed with parts of thi4f but its also like. not at that sweet spot of almost good enough to be fun#to talk about. which. for the record. has not stopped me from talking about it at length to people#the city itself actually fucking fascinates me. its almost alive and im SO mad that not a single part of that game is actually terrifying#it should be gnarlier and instead it feels a bit like it doesn't quite want to be trapped in the story it has to tell?#but between the level that has the bodies on the meathooks#and the scene with the bodies hanging from the rafters or whatever that was and garrett living in a clock tower#because the game is very much ALMOST about changing times and authoritarian violence and capitalism#(like. by virtue of how the story sort of spins out i think it misses it's mark on a lot of stuff here#in the sense that i dont feel like it actually wants to tell that story. it wants to. go in a different direction. or at least walk on top#of those themes instead of through it)#ANYWAY between all of those things. it does kind of live in my head rent free. they did create a compelling setting#SHAME THEY DIDNT WANT TO ACTUALLY EAT ANY OF IT#unrelated but i would've given thi4f a 10/10 if they kept garrett's fucking nail polish from the concept art. cowards. unforgivable#thief the dark project#i still have no idea how to tag the game series as a whole RIP#sorry for the dedicated dark project fans. if you know what the general series tag is. please let me know#garrett thief#basso thief
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hishoi · 8 months
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HELLO PEOPLE!
ARE YOU A COSPLAYER?
ARE YOU A SKY:COTL PLAYER?
DO YOU LIKE TO CROCHET?
ARE YOU HERE BECAUSE THE ACTUAL SCARF ON THATSKYSHOP IS RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE?
After maybe 2 months, i've finally put together a pattern for this! First, i wanted to make a video about it, but decided it was too much work for me, and it would have been to mentally draining. (And i hosted a poll about it too). This is of course my pattern for the days of feast scarf from sky: children of the light! This is not a hard pattern, but may be a time consuming one. My scarf isn't as long as the one in the game, do i can't wrap it like how it looks in the game, but if you want to make yours game-accurate that's fine too! Now, here's the pattern!
Days of feast scarf
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Materials:
2 balls of red yarn
1 ball of white yarn
Hook size of your choosing, mine is a 2.50 mm hook.
Scissors
This pattern really only has 2 parts, the scarf, and the ends. The scarf uses a graph/chart? i made, but if you don't know how graphs work, i suggest looking that up.
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Now, i personally did this graph 8 times, to make the lenght of the scarf i wanted. I would suggest maybe 14-16 for the in-game lenght, but i'm not sure. The entire thing is worked in herringbone half-double crochet stitches.
When switching colors, i recommend not taking the yarn with you through the entire project, but cutting the yarn when you switch, and only take the color you begin with you. So for example, you are going to change color to white. You cut off your red yarn, and finish the stitch with the white yarn. Take only the white end with you to fasten as you go. Otherwise the scarf will not look as clean. You can fasten the red yarn later. It's a time consuming process but it is so worth it.
To make the ends, i have a short video showing the process. It is not very hard, you just have to get the hang of it. Take five threads of red yarn for each end. The scarf has four ends on each side.
(my desk is very messy so i filmed this on top of my sketchbook)
Use five threads at once instead of only one, but you don't have to pull it through with the hook if it's too hard. You can use your fingers. You can have the ends to be any lenght you want, it just depends on how you want it to look!
Repeat this for the other side too, and your scarf should be done! If you make it, i'd love to see how it turned out!
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mediumgayitalian · 2 months
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I know I’ve been liking all your works on here but I just have to say I LOVE ALL OF THEM SO MUCH <333 they’re just so silly and goofy /pos
Out of curiosity, have you done your take on the “3 days in the infirmary” yet? And if not, do you ever plan to?
THANKS!
thank you teehee silly and goofy is my specialty. and thank you SO MUCH for asking bc the thing is that i’ve been trying?? like i have three drafts barely started right now and i can’t tell which one, if any, are promising. would y’all mind telling me (honestly, i promise i can handle criticism when i ask for it) might be something you would read, and if not, what you like/dislike? thank you in advance!! and they’re rough drafts so please forgive any poor formatting or grammar/spelling. words like /this/ mean they’re italicized btw.
okay, the first one. the idea here is less three days in the infirmary and more pining nico post the three days in the infirmary, but he keeps thinking back to it. here is one such moment:
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please let me know what works/doesnt et cetera!!!
okay next one. this one is more classic, it’s literally the three days in the infirmary except whoops nico was exhausted as shit and slept through them entirely and now will is making him stay another three for observation. and they fall in love obviously. featuring in william-andrew-never-shuts-up-for-even-three-seconds solace bc i love him.
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i think this one is the most promising tbh but i could be wrong. mostly i just love motormouth will. lmk what u think!!
okay and the last and possibly most iffy one. this one is actually the thing that yanked me full force back into this fandom, creatively, bc the idea wormed itself into my brain and i couldn’t get it out.
i haven’t worked on it in like a month and a half bc i’m nervous people will despise it, but the general idea is that nico gets to the infirmary and will has an open crush on him, like he doesn’t say it but even nico is not that oblivious, and nico has to face, for the first time, someone who is not even slightly ashamed about their sexuality. it’s less of a solangelo fic and more of a nico fic tbh.
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i ditched it bc i don’t think anyone will read it, but if you would, tell me please! i’m an attention whore and very motivated when i know i’m getting attention lol.
anyways! please tell me your thoughts! reblog or comments are great, but if you’re shy my anon asks are open :D my DMs too!!!
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around-your-throat · 7 months
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onedragonaday · 2 months
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a day late, but skipping ahead again for 3/3/24, an unnamed paper dragon puppet i made for myself as a birthday present!!!
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starflungwaddledee · 3 months
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been working on answering a prompt i received in an ask the other day, and so i'm back thinking about... the Thing... 💖🎀 and thought maybe prompt doodles might help me work through this a little?
so uhhh.... if by any wild chance anyone has any ship suggestions for starstruck...??? feel free to send them through!
#this is *only* for starstruck and is not general requests! i'm just trying to figure out how i feel about this 😳#obviously no guarantees that i will be confident enough to draw any of these or that i'll enjoy them all but i just... am considering it?#idk idk idk is this stupid....#hope i won't regret this or won't get genuinely weirdass things.#just to be transparent this is sfw exclusively tho implied flirting is a-okay. please don't be weird....? i'm trusting folks to be nice!!#i would also happily take little prompts if you have thoughts about how it would work or whichever! like if you're a character Understander#if you have an idea how it would Work or what it might Be Like that would also help me to get a concept on how i feel about it!!#also i would.. consider ocs (only from their creator) if you... wanna??? character+artist *must* be an adult. starstruck is in her early 30#also with ocs preferably from folks who i've at least interacted with before and like.. not just bc u want art ;;;#like... do u geniunely think they could have a cute dynamic? i'm just wondering if she could be Cute w someone. AUUghhGHHHH#again no promises and also for now i need this all done on the assumption it's just for fun!! just funsies. i'm just... thinking i guess!#want to try and figure out what it might be like if she WAS involved in a little ship/romo space...? as a treat? auughghhggghGHGLLG#also fair warning i may just get super embarrassed/nervous about this all and delete!! but i'm.. yknow. trying!#also i figure you can kind of tell my faves and who i hardly know much about. might not have lots of feelings about most side chars!#delete later#probably#wheeeeeEEEEeeahahahah okay;;; just post it. just post it starflung. just do it. hit the button hit the button hit the b
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blu-raes · 14 days
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Things At Home That Remind Me of The Arcana Main 6 For One Reason or The Other
Asra: This globe that looks oddly like a crystal ball and has to sit in this purple bowl
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Nadia: This crane teaset
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Julian: ...self-explanatory
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Muriel: This little ceramic chicken
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Portia: This little cat teapot that's actually way too tiny for a cup of tea
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Lucio: A medal in a martini glass in the cabinet
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corvidares · 4 months
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okay, so i just finished re-reading Any Way the Wind Blows and this feels so blatant as to be smacking me in the face: simon is disabled.
now, the reason why that makes itself even clearer in this book than in wayward son (where he, of course, also has the wings + tail) is because simon is once again in the world of mages - despite doing his best to leave it behind. compared to wayward son, where hes basically and literally in the wild west. where theres magical beings everywhere, where simon practically fits in because he is one.
but ill get back to that.
ive seen a lot of really interesting points about what simon's wings represent and mean, and i'm not disagreeing with those. but in a very literal sense, they are a disability.
think about it like this: the world of mages (and Normals) is not built for humanoids who have giant webbed wings and a tail. simon constantly struggles with controlling these limbs, and their size makes it ten times harder. spaces are too small, furniture and objects are broken when he spreads them, and many a shirt or jacket are ruined.
he struggles to find a good way to deal with this - spell them away? wear them out by cutting holes in things? fold them extremely painfully into his shirt? even though this last one is treated like a solution for a little while, its far from ideal. who is simon doing this for? himself, or everyone around him? yes, of course Normals cant see them. and yeah, hes expressed discomfort about baz and penny spelling them hidden. but thats not the point. even with this botch job of a way to "wear" his wings, which succeeds at hiding them from Normals, simon still states a couple times that he knows people stare at him and his seeming hunchback. i mean, thats blatant.
(he eventually, with shepard's help, realizes a good way to work around this - zippers or buckles on shirtbacks - which very much feels like an aha! disability aid moment)
im not saying disability is based in how people look at you, or it only being a societal thing. (as in, when he wasnt in the world of mages, he wasnt suddenly 'not disabled at all') disability is a huge spectrum. but those things absolutely can be a part of the disabled experience.
but all of that doesnt even get to my main point: simon has no magic anymore. and in the world of mages, thats a huge deal. magic is like living and breathing, especially for baz and penny. its not something they question or have to worry about not being able to call upon. hell, even before simon lost his magic he was disabled, just to a different extent.
before awtwb, we dont hear much about mages whose magic is weak. but they come to the forefront now - which just solidifies that solid magical ability = able bodiedness.
smith is promising a miracle cure. a cure. think of it like bullshit orgs such as aut!sm spe@ks, wanting to "cure" autism - he wants to cure people. (and hes just as full of shit) why? because weak magic is seen as a disease, a problem, even subhuman.
take daphne, baz's stepmom. her quality of life is fine, great. her weaker magic doesnt seem to put her at a disadvantage. she manages her disability well. but in comparison to the norm, to what is expected of the average mage, shes got nothing. less than nothing. she feels shame over what she cant do.
smith's case becomes even more blatant when we see, at the end of awtwb, that he wants to essentially cull weak magicians. that they're holding back society. that theyre better off as powerless as Normals - who are blatantly seen as subhuman - than as weak mages. much like how ableist rhetoric puts forward that disability is a fate worse than death.
which brings us back to simon. he insists hes a Normal, now or always has been. baz insists hes the most powerful magician to exist. both of them are wrong.
and right. and right and wrong.
simon is some third thing - not a mage, not a Normal. akin to how disability is its own minority aside from race or ethnicity he has a foot in each world, and he always has. but now he cant achieve blending into either.
this is why the increasing presence and humanization of other magical beings beside mages is so important (thank you shephard!) how mages tend to seem magical beings is very ableist. theyre subhuman, theyre not to be trusted, theyre freaks, theyre dirty, etc. except oops, how can you keep thinking that penny, when this very nice one works at a cafe and helped you translate shephard's engagement terms?
even baz and the events of wayward son play into this - yeah, some vampires are horrible people. but plenty, like baz, are just people. with a range of experiences and morals and ways of living life. (take nicodemus) (i could make a point about how simon's stalwart acceptance of baz's vampirism helps baz comes to terms with it and how this is also super disability coded, but thats another essay)
in the beginning of awtwb, he decides to go to the extreme opposite of his chosen one powered life - to live as a Normal, and the second step (after cutting himself off from baz and penny) is getting his wings removed.
except he cant do it. and even having his wings touched is horribly uncomfortable. now, this partly has to do with how much theyre sensual parts of his body - same as his tail. but its also, separately, very intimate. theyre treated very clinically, like a fascinating specimen to pore over. im not trying to give niamh shit here, just saying what i saw.
but theyre part of him. people with disabilities often deal with being stared at and poked and prodded by the medical field (if theyre not ignored or waved off. maybe both.). even every day folks feel the right to touch disabled folks, or their mobility aids.
for a lot of people, mobility aids are a part of them - its like a stranger touching your face and thinking theyre doing you a favor. when instead theyre being weird as fuck.
simon's status as previous chosen one even plays into this sort of thing - people see him more as a figurehead, for what he can and cant do (including his wings!) than a person. hes a tragedy, hes a hero. hes inspirational, hes to be pitied. sound familiar?
the end of awtwb doesnt spell out whether simon ends up deciding to keep his wings (frustratingly). but they spell out that he would absolutely would, in my opinion.
simon increasingly treats them as a natural extension of his body. think of the scene where he flies about the watford goats. how he expresses his feelings with his wings and tail. and of course, how he learns to let baz loves each and every part of him: including his dragon limbs.
baz loves him, and loves them, not in a fetishistic way, but because its simon, and he loves everything simon is. not just what he represents or can or cant do.
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oifaaa · 8 months
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With baby bat Jason au
Cass/Steph?
Of course they're the only two with a happy marriage life they do have other issues tho that are making their lives hell they get 1 nice thing and that's it
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simmersofia · 4 months
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Me and all my sims just wanted to say THANK YOU for 300 followers! 🥹🎊❤️ it’s a small milestone for some but i am just in awe that anyone wants to follow this silly, messy and inconsistent blog so from the bottom of my heart, i appreciate you all! 💕
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uncanny-tranny · 5 months
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Something I love about art is, often, you won't be able to tell who made the piece of art - no matter what, no matter one's background, gender, or anything - people want to surround themselves with beauty, creation, something which stirs ones emotions, warmth, fear, care, and love. There's something special about that.
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wetland-wolf · 11 months
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A beast!! I adore carnivore and I just had to complete this little project immediately!
Now I just need to think of a name for her aaa
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daddyplasmius · 7 months
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hand on my stupid heart flashbacks
this is a No One Knows AU & Full Hazmat AU where Danny ended up in the Ghost Zone & didn't go back into the human world initially because he thought he was dead. by the time he realized he is, in fact, at least half alive, he'd already been missing for at least 2 weeks. will probs never finish homsh sorry. i wrote this a couple years ago in a haze & just haven't been able to finish it because i can't replicate the style, which i find is what i love about this fic the most. it wouldn't be the same without it. posting the flashback introsーwhich are meant to be read between chapters/the actual plot, starting after chapter 1ーcuz fuck it. excuse typos & shit, i never properly edited it, as i forgot it existed immediately after i wrote it original description of homsh: Danny Fenton has officially been missing for over a year. Maddie & Jack Fenton refuse to give up on their son. Sick and tired of the police running them in circles, and the case getting colder by the day, the Fentons turn to their last resortーPhantom. 800~ words (full unfinished fic is 20k~)
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When Danny woke up surrounded by thick, green fog, and couldn’t breathe without swallowing heavy air that was more like water than anything, he was sure he was dead. The portal glowed behind him, illuminating the pitch darkness around him in soft, yellow, warm light.
He almost went back.
Almost.
He was dead. His parents were ghost hunters. They had drilled into his head from the moment he was born that he could never, ever panic in death. That he would accept it. That he would not be scared. So he would be prepared to be brave in the face of death and would not become a ghost.
He panicked. He did not accept it. He was terrified. And so he woke up in the Ghost Zone.
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Danny went back through the portal when he saw some ectopuses acting… strange. Like they had an idea in their heads. Like they had a plan.
Which was weird, with animal ghosts. He had only been in the Ghost Zoneーmom and dad called it that, he rememberedーfor a couple weeks. Or, he had already been there for two weeks. Or maybe time worked differently and he was there five minutes, or four years orー
The ectopuses went through the portal and, despite everything, Danny went after them.
While he was busy reeling at being home, the ectopuses immediately attacked dad. Danny was horrified. Jack was overwhelmed. Danny stepped in, in a moment fueled by sheer adrenaline and stupidity, snatching a Fenton Thermos™ off a shelf and releasing his shaky invisibility. The ectopuses didn’t stand a chance. And when they were safely in the Thermos, he slowly turned around to dad, ready for the confrontation. Ready for the “what happened to you?” and the “where have you been?” and the “we’ve missed you”.
Dad scrambled to shoot at him.
Danny fled.
His parents didn’t recognize him.
-
The Lunch Lady attacked when Danny was mourning Halloween.
He’d waited all year. He made a costume that summer. He wouldn’t get to go trick or treating with Sam and Tucker this year. Or any year. For the rest of his lifeーor existence. Whatever.
The Lunch Lady appeared in the school and demanded in straight fury, “Who changed the menu?”
Everyone pointed at Sam.
Danny hadn’t known just how powerful ghosts could be. His parents never told him the specifics. Just that they were dangerous.
This ghost grew and her aura hit him like a hurricane, almost physically pushing him back. It was so strong that the students in the Casper High cafeteria seemed to feel it too.
The Lunch Lady was a much harder opponent than the ectopuses. She levitated meat. She used it as a weapon, and seemed to bring it back to life. She created weird meat creatures that grew sharp teeth and claws out of bones. They were mindless, attacking everything that got too close to the ghost. Danny would have run away without hesitation, if Sam hadn’t been in the crossfire.
Danny fought the Lunch Lady. It was a long struggle, but he caught her in the thermos after over an hour. When he turned to Sam and Tuckerーboth of whom he had to save due to Tucker trying to jump into the fightーall three of them bloody and bruised, he cringed. But a part of him hoped. Desperately.
Surely they would know him on sight.
“Wh-what are you?” Sam gasped at him finally.
Danny flinched as if she had struck him. “J-just… your friendly neighbourhood phantom.”
-
Danny didn’t know what possessed him. Oh. Pun not intended.
He just barely caught the Fentons leaving in the GAV, dragging suitcases behind them. He couldn’t help himself. What on Earth were they doing?
They were going to Vlad Master’s mansion for their college reunion.
It was a whole thing. But something was off. Besides all the adults reminiscing about the 80’s.
Danny sensed ghosts immediately but he couldn’t see anything. Unfortunately for him, Vlad could also sense him. It was two days of Danny staying invisible, and Vladーthe halfa? Is that what Danny is?ーtrying to kill Jack. Somehow, Danny managed to fight off Vlad, not turn back, and without the Fentons getting hurt. His secret intact.
VladーPlasmius, also learned about Phantom. And Vlad hated him. The manーghostーwhatever, seemed to only care about one thingーpossession. Of money. Of things. Of people. He was more ghost than Danny had ever seen. Vlad’s obsession was overwhelming.
Danny couldn’t believe someone so much like himself could be so disturbing.
#danny phantom#danny phantom au#danny phantom fanfiction#you know that gif of the wailing emoji dissolving? :Why:?#yeah that's what i do every time i remember i never finished HOMSH while i still had the style in my brain#feel free to steal this idea. please steal this idea. please write it i wanna see this idea so bad but im already writing another 100k+ fic#if y'all want me to post the full fic i can but. it is not finished & most likely never will be. sorry again#i won't lie. the haze i was in was a depressed one. i was. not in a good place At All when i wrote HOMSH#like the only part i remember actually writing was the panic attack scene & that's just barely#i reread the whole fic in the middle of the night months later while listening to Implode Alright by Built by Snow on repeat#yeah i cried. this one is funny but mostly it's just. mourning. grief. the works. it's a vent fic & also a. kind of. wishful fic#like. don't you just wish death wasn't so permanent. don't you wish you could tell them everything you wish you could#don't you wish you could just see them again#i'm actually writing this into a bigger ventier series currently called Let Grief Do Its Work#cuz i rewatched LUCIDS again recently & remembered what HOMSH was originally about. why i was writing it#i'm not calling it HOMSH cuz. HOMSHie is my baby. it's its own thing & i don't wanna ruin the vibes#reluctantly admitting i call an unfinished fanfic i don't remember writing... HOMSHie baby... in my head#yeah i have a cute nickname for my fic. what of it#it's 5am & i think i'll throw up if i think any more about posting unfinished unedited pieces of a fic so i'm going for it. cowabunga#go into the world. get your 2 notes you beautiful animal#*passes out*
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coquelicoq · 6 months
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i also think it's interesting how natsume's early episodes with both tanuma and natori point out a lot of ways in which he's different from them, and then slowly over time he learns how to deepen those relationships. with taki i feel like it's their similarities that are emphasized from the outset, PLUS natsume loses his Sight temporarily, putting him and taki on a more even footing very soon after they meet. of course he gets it back, but the scene in which he meets up with taki after getting it back is very telling - chobi and sensei are having an argument, only half of which taki can hear, and she asks natsume what they're saying. natsume doesn't answer, but sensei starts mockingly repeating chobi's words, which achieves the same result from taki's perspective. much 2 think about...
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Dc x dp (Harper x Valerie)
Valerie lifted her coffee cup to her lips mechanically only to sigh when nothing flowed through. This was the third cup of the day and she still felt ready to pass out.
She once again repeated to herself that this was for the greater good. 
“Valerie.” She could hear Vladimir Masters call.
For the greater good she reminded herself. Pasting a smile on her face, Valerie walked back to the hotel’s sofa where her employer was waiting. 
“Yes, Mr. Masters?”
“Get me some food. The plane’s meal was disgusting.”
“Right away, Mr. Masters.”
In moments like these she couldn’t help but wonder if this was really the only way to take Vlad down. Working as a personal assistant to find some non-ghost related dirt on the millionaire sounded thrilling in theory, but the practice was proving to be a nightmare.
She asked the lady at the front desk for some appetizers which arrived promptly. And after only a few minutes more of waiting the receptionist announced their rooms were ready.
"I have a brunch tomorrow with Robert, so tell the front desk to make a wake-up call for 8." Vlad said as they stepped into the elevator. "Also, call ahead at the store, you know the one, and make sure they have the cherimoya liqueur I ordered. Don't forget the flowers for Robert's wife."
"Yes, sir."
Vlad stepped off the elevator before turning towards her with a regretful face. "I cannot apologize enough for having to put you up in the Hamptons, there were just no more rooms here."
As if. This was clearly another way of showing off his money and power.
"It's no problem at all, Mr. Masters," said Valerie with a bright smile, playing dumb.
"I know the Hamptons is a ways away from the Orchards, but I'll still ask that you be here by 8:30 on the dot."
"Of course, sir. I'll be there!" Valerie said as the elevator closed on Vlad's kindhearted smile.
She was so sick of his benevolent act, especially since he also never missed an opportunity to make masked snide comments in the form of backhand compliments. It would've been chipping at her ego if she wasn't already aware of the absolute trash being that Vlad was and how little his opinion mattered.
She got her phone out to check where the Hamptons Hotel was and asked the front desk to call a taxi. As it dropped her off in front of a fairly old, but decent building, Valerie finally let out a sigh at the idea of getting to fall in bed soon. She checked in, took a shower and undid her luggage and by the time she was done, hunger was beating out exhaustion.
So, with a weary groan, she stoop up once again. Grabbing her handbag, she made sure her Fenton thermos and blasters were in it, just in case. With her phone and wallet, she stepped outside in search of food. She soon spotted a hotdog vendor and scarfed one down on one of Grant Park's bench. Valerie was sitting, comfortably full, watching the wind rustle the leaves on the tree when a flash of familiar green caught her eye.
In front of her was Cujo, wagging his tail at full tilt and his tongue sticking out.
"Shit," she uttered, before quickly looking around to make sure there was no one close enough to witness the green glowing dog. "Come here Cujo," she coaxed as she slowly dropped her hand in her bag to grab the thermos.
The dog let out a high-pitched yip, before taking a few steps in her direction. "Good boy," Valerie said. "Just a little closer, ok? Can you do that for me?"
Cujo took another step and she closed her hand on the thermos. Just as she was about to whip it out, there was a loud noise and the dog startled and in a second, he had already turned tail and started running away.
"No! Cujo, heel!" Valerie yelled, but it was no use. With a curse she set out after him, hoping that the dog wouldn't leave the park as it offered some sort of cover.
Judging by the absence of screams, Valerie was assuming nobody had seen him yet, but as this was Gotham, you never really knew. She managed to gain a bit on the dog when he started slowing down by one of the park benches, sniffing at one leg. She slowed down and got the thermos out ready to uncap it. Unfortunately, the dog probably had sniffed her out somehow because he turned to her, barked once and turned invisible. Luckily for Valerie, he was still tangible and still leaving imprints in the grass, so she took off after him following the imprints.
The game of cat and mouse lasted for a good ten minutes, and Cujo led them out of the park and up to the waterfront where she could only look on as the fading in-and-out-of-view dog started running on the water in the direction of the Narrows. Looking around desperately, Valerie spotted a bridge's entranceway about 500 feet away. She ran for it and started down the path, all the while keeping an eye on her right for a flash of green. Time passed and Valerie could feel a stitch starting in her side, but she finally made it to the other side, just in time to see Cujo step on land too. She was less than 100 feet from him, so she started running at full speed. He took a turn and Valerie was about to do the same when she collided hard with someone.
She fell back heavily on the ground and the thermos rolled away. As she lay there, trying to catch her breathe, she heard the person she'd barrelled in groan. Suddenly, super-aware she'd just charged right at someone at full speed, she rolled to her knees with a wince before turning towards them.
"I am so sorry!" Valerie said to the fallen form. "I wasn't looking where I was going, this is completely on me."
The person sat up and something in the back of Valerie's brain gave an appreciative hum. Then shaking it off, she got to her feet and offered a hand to the other girl.
"I'm Valerie, I am so sorry about this."
The girl squinted a bit, before taking the hand and pulling herself up. "I'm Harper," she said. "You really know how to knock a girl off her feet."
Valerie blushed "Oh, um, yes? I try not to do it very often."
"So, what you're saying is I'm special?" Harper said with a teasing smile, which had Valerie's blush worsening. "So, where were you running to so fast?"
"My friend's dog got loose" Valerie sighed, the colour in her cheeks dying out a bit as she picked up the thermos. "I saw him turn on this street, but I don't know where he went."
"That really sucks," Harper said with a frown. Then, her expression cleared up and she continued. "You know what, how about I give you a hand? I live here, so I know the area pretty well."
"Oh, no, you really don't have to," Valerie tried to refuse, not wanting Harper to see the glowing green dog.
"I insist," the other girl said with a winsome smile.
Valerie felt torn. She didn't want to be rude because on one hand there were no good reasons to turn down the offer, but on the other she really did not want the cute girl to see Cujo. As if to help her out of the dilemma, Harper's phone rang.
She took it out if her pocket and put it to her ear. "Hello? Oh, hey Cullen. Yeah, I'm on my way. What? You mean, right now? Yeah, ok, I'll be there right away."
She turned back towards Valerie with a regretful face. "I am so sorry, my brother needs me back right now."
"It's ok," Valerie reassured, feeling a mix of relieved and disappointed. "It's not the first time Cujo has run off, I'm pretty used to it."
Harper looked at her for a moment, before she took out a pen and a piece of paper out of her own bag and scribbled something on it.
"Here," she said. "It's my number. If anything happens, please don't hesitate to call me. The Narrows can get pretty dangerous, especially at night."
Valerie took the paper and put it in her bag.
"Thanks, I'll keep it in mind," Valerie said before turning towards the other girl. "See you around Harper," she said with a smile.
"See you around Valerie," the other girl answered with a smile of her own. She waved goodbye and started walking the way Valerie had come.
Valerie let herself look at her departing figure for a moment, before shaking herself out of it. Right. She had to find Cujo before he could be seen by any civilians. Or worse, any of the bats.
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