#something about how he didn't offer the choice to Cassie

[theidiotabides]

My own hawk eyes returned, so superior to the Hork-Bajir vision. I turned my gaze on Visser Four. The head moved. He was still alive. Then I saw a smaller movement. I fluttered my wings and hopped over. I darted my beak down and snapped up the gray slug that was crawling down the doomed man’s cheek. <The Yeerk,> I said. The others came over. Cassie was human. Rachel mostly so. Marco as well. Just kids now, in a ditch, behind a burning tank, surrounded by bodies. <What should I do with him?> I asked. Marco held out his hand. He took the Yeerk. “We can’t let him get a new host. Can’t take him back to our own time. He knows now that we’re humans. We leave him here, he dies slowly of Kandrona starvation.” “They say it’s a horrible way to die,” Cassie said. Marco held the Yeerk out to Ax. <No,> the Andalite said. <I have enough to answer for.> Ax looked at Rachel, then looked away. “No,” Rachel said as Marco offered the Yeerk to her. <Not me, either,> I said. “I see,” Marco said, nodding slightly. “No one’s anxious to add another stain on their conscience? Everyone’s had enough?” He flipped the Yeerk almost casually through the air. Threw it into the flaming hulk of the tank. “Starve or burn,” Marco said, trying in vain to sound tough and indifferent. “His only choices. This is quicker.” -Megamorphs 3: Elfangor's Secret

Crying, screaming, throwing up, etc.

#probably going to come back to this to write actual meta but for now #here look at the Animorphs passage that's been living rent-free in my head this week #something about Tobias asking “what should I--” and Marco taking V4 away and making it a collective “WE can't--" #(like Jake would if he were here but Jake isn't here Jake was shot in the head Jake is dead) #something about Marco's careful outlining of their options and the consequences and Cassie backing him up about it being a mercy kill #something about Ax and Rachel -- who sat through David's nothlitting explicitly so the others didn't have to -- both bowing out #something about Tobias -- the self-described predator -- also refusing it #something about how Marco gave them a choice and made them explicitly say they wouldn't do it even already knowing he WOULD #something about how he didn't offer the choice to Cassie #something about how Cassie was already planning a worse crime that undoes this one anyway #animorphs meta #animorphs #marco animorphs #cassie animorphs

[rays-animorphs]

Rachel and Cassie

So, I haven't been reading or posting about animorphs recently, but I have been reading the Scholomance trilogy, twice, and I think observing El and Liesel's dynamic has given me some insight into Rachel and Cassie's friendship.

My initial impression of their friendship was...I didn't buy it. I identify with Cassie a lot -- I've never worn shit-stained overalls to school, but my middle school aesthetic was noticeably closer to Cassie than Rachel. And personality too -- I cared deeply (still do) about concepts like peace and justice and compassion and making he world a better place. I was subscribed to Zoobooks and read them all. When I was in fifth grade, I tried to talk a friend and two of her friends that I thought might also be my friends into doing a class presentation on environmental issues. It didn't work, but I tell you this to illustrate where my head was around that age.

(Plus I very much had Cassie's conflict avoidance. Why can't we all just get along?)

And...my experiences with people who dressed like Rachel or had the interests Rachel has, were not positive ones. They ranged from being lightly pressured into things I did not want to do at best, and getting my shins kicked in the hallways between classes at worst.

So. It's hard for me to picture two people like Rachel and Cassie, at the age that they are, actually getting along.

But...it's possible my middle school perspective was distorted by my considerable lack of social skills -- if my Rachel-like peers were interested in things other than makeovers and playing truth or dare, I didn't know how to draw that out of them.

And Liesel. Liesel Scholomance. Drive, ambition, a terrifying intellect, and ruthless efficiency. And she puts effort into her looks -- as a part of that drive, ambition, terrifying intellect, and ruthless efficiency. I think Liesel and Rachel might have a lot on common -- not everything, I think Rachel is substantially better at having regular human interactions that are about something other than a 30 year vengeance plan, like I don't know, desiring connection or whatever. And Rachel does not have Liesel's gift for managing logistics.

But I think their approach to fashion etc might be about the same: that Rachel might hunt for sales at the mall largely as a way of feeling competent, because she knows she's good at it and doing things you are good at feels good. Having classy, put together outfits is a thing she knows the rules for.

And...maybe when she criticizes Cassie's clothing choices, maybe it's coming from that sort of place, the knowledge that she has a skillset that Cassie does not, that as a friend this is something she can help Cassie with, because at some point Cassie is going to need to give a speech at a fundraiser for the wildlife clinic or a medical school interview, and she'll be more successful at that if she has nice clothes. That fit. And do not have animal poop on them.

Maybe it's not judgement or rejection so much as just -- and Rachel says in her own narrative voice that she respects Cassie, Cassie's work ethic and her values and her intelligence -- maybe it's just, well, we're all human beings with different strengths and weaknesses, and maybe when you recognize that you're good at filing taxes and your friend isn't you offer to help your friend file their taxes, and if they need to move and can't get everything on their own but you're good at lifting and carrying things maybe you help with that, and maybe sometimes you're good at putting together the right look and your friend just isn't but it's an important thing to do in order to get what you want, so it's a thing you can help your friend with. When she needs that.

Maybe.

#Rachel and Cassie #Animorphs meta

[countrymusiclover]

12 - Teasing Beau

Part 13

Other Hoyt's Off Limits

Tag list- just ask to be added @stoneyggirl2 @dragonixfrye

Unknown to either of us Jenny was sitting at the bar clutching a beer bottle in her hands watching the two of us before Cassie came and sat down beside her. "Jenny, I think you were wrong about Mallory." The blonde knew she wasn't leaving the bar anytime soon tonight.

Jenny raised her beer to her lips, scoffing. "I don't want to talk about this, Cass. She clearly doesn't care what I think, considering she was just doing karaoke with Beau a few minutes ago."

"Come on, Jenny. You can't really be mad at her over this. She is a grown person and should be able to make the choice on her own." Her friend explained ordering a beer for herself.

Jenny shook her head not wanting to admit that she might be right. Even if she was she could have told her that she changed her mind and had found someone she liked. But she didn't do anything like that, that was why she was frustrated with her little sister. "I get it, Cassie. But she lied to me. She lied to me even though she came home begging me to find her a guy that wasn't going to hurt her. I was doing my job to protect her and she just threw our trust away."

"So you're just going to be mad at her forever over this?" Cassie asked her. "I mean I get that she is your little sister. But she has to make her own choices in life. If she does get hurt again all you can do is be there for her."

Jenny sighed, pulling out some money paying the bartender sliding off the barstool. "I'll see you tomorrow, Cassie. And you're right I am doing it to look out for her. I just can't forgive her so easily."

"You did it for me with Cody. How is this any different?" Her friend asked, turning around on her barstool.

Jenny Hoyt paused in the doorway of the bar looking back at her. "I'm not gonna answer that. Goodnight Cassie."

Mallory's POV

Stretching my arms and legs out I turned over in a bed finding the other side was empty. Sitting upright I felt my head hurting from the amount of drinks we had last night at the bar. Looking around I was inside Beau's trailer where he was asleep on the couch that I could see in the living room. "Beau, Beau. Wake up." I called his name seeing he didn't move and just snored.

Grabbing one of the pillows I threw one on his stomach where he grumbled waking up rubbing his eyes looking ame confused. "Who the what - Mallory. Oh boy, we should not have drank tequila last night."

"For sure...do you happen to have any pain medicine anywhere?" I asked closing my eyes gently, laying back down, pulling the covers over my face seeing the sunlight trying to break through the curtains of the window.

Beau got up from the couch rummaging around in a cabinet or something before he gently pulled back the covers handing me a pill. Sitting back up I took it before he sat at the foot of the bed turning his phone on changing into a panicked state. "Crap I can't believe I forgot about Emily. She's gonna be so mad if I am late. And Carla has left three voicemails."

"Beau whoa slow down. What has you so freaked out. Just talk to me." I asked, swinging my legs over the side of the bed so we were sitting beside each other.

He turned his head in my direction running his freehand through his hair creating a messy look. We didn't get back to the trailer until almost midnight just talking at the bar till they closed for the evening. "I told her that we could spend the day together just the two of us. But I have this splitting headache and she is coming over in an hour."

"Hey Beau, it's okay. Look, I'll help you get through this hangover. And if you want, this could be the day I meet your daughter officially if you want." I suggested clasping my hands together in my lap feeling my headache starting to get better after taking the pain medicine.

The sheriff shot me a look of confusion at my offer. The two of you hadn't talked about meeting his daughter yet. Since we were still trying to take things slowly. "I mean if you want too we can Mallory. I don't want to pressure you into anything. Emily will probably be thrilled."

"Don't worry it won't be like the argument with my sister last night. She seems really nice, Beau." I replied, getting to my feet trying to make myself not look like I passed out here with her father before the girl would get here.

It was exactly an hour before a car pulled up in the driveway and I saw Emily get out waving bye to her mother when we stepped outside onto the porch. "Hey dad. Hey Mallory." She hugged him gently, smiling at the both of us.

"Hey 'Em, so there is something we should talk about." Beau broke the hug glancing my direction with a nervous smile on his face. He is normally a very confident person up until this moment in front of me and his daughter.

The teenage girl nodded, opening the door, putting her bag inside as we all sat down in chairs staring at one another in silence. I wasn't sure what to say or how to start the conversation between me and her. "So what did you guys want to talk about?"

"Well Em, do you remember when I was telling you about a new girl that I was dating. The truth is that she is Mallory. Jenny's sister even though the three of us work together." Beau explains slumping his shoulders still feeling nervous about what she would say next.

She grinned ear to ear, slapping her hands on her knees before getting up and hugging me suddenly. "That is so great. Mallory. Now there is some stuff I have to tell you about my dad. Like he wants to have you and your dog move in with him and he also snores sometimes at night. Oh and-"

"Alright alright kiddo. How about you get settled in for the night. I'm gonna talk with Mal." Beau held his hands up, cutting her off before she could say something else.

I chuckled watching her leave us outside alone before I intertwined his hands with mine. "Calm down Beau. I don't think she will embarrass you too much. I am just revealed that she actually likes me."

"See I told you she would. You're a special girl to me,Mallory." He leaned down kissing me where I kissed him until an idea popped into my head where I broke away from him going to find Emily.

Flinging the door opened I called down the hallway remembering something that he has done at work that me and Jenny found hilarious. "Emilf if you want to talk about your father he has a ten year old picture of himself on the sheriffs department website and he refuses to change it!"

"Mallory, I'm not changing the picture. And she doesn't need to know that." Beau sighed heavily standing in the doorway seeing us sitting on the couch laughing now.

Emily laughed falling back until she pointed her index finger at me. "He says people in Texas call him BT but I don't remember anyone ever calling him that."

Covering my mouth with my hands I started laughing even more at how easy we were getting along with Beau just standing uncomfortably in front of us. "Oh my gosh. I can't wait to hear more."

"Who wants breakfast? Oh, is that my phone? Maybe it's a call from Cassie." Beau pretended to search for his phone until I got to my feet, kissing him slowly with a smile.

Wrapping my arms around his neck he smiled into the kiss. "Awe don't worry, Beau. Isn't it important that we are bonding and like each other even if it's over you."

"I guess so, Mal." He mumbled looking back at his daughter where she takes a picture of us holding each other like this smiling back at her.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

#other hoyt's off limits #beau arlen x you #beau arlen big sky #beau arlen x y/n #beau arlen x reader #beau arlen #jensen ackles #jenny hoyt x sister reader #jenny hoyt #cassie dewell #big sky season 3 #big sky hulu #emily arlen #wattpad fanfiction #ask box is open for feedback #comments really appreciated #oc : mallory cessna #sunny barnes #cormac barnes

[undyingsunshine]

Otto as the Sense of Touch

(Spoilers for Psychonauts 2. Just in case :) )

Also before I start I'd like to say sorry if this is just... Super obvious. And kind of a pointless post. But I've been thinking about it for days and I needed to talk about it somewhere HAHA.

Alright so as we all know, in Helmut Fullbear's mind, Otto appears as his sense of Touch.

This originally struck me as a really... interesting choice. After all, Otto is constantly shown to be separated or distant from the rest of the Psychic Seven.

He's always on his own. In the wedding under the stage in Helmut's mind, Otto stands on one side, while the others stand to the other side. In bob's mind, he isn't at the wedding at all. Cassie's mind has him as someone who's full of himself. In Compton's mind, he's one of the judges. All of this adds up to suggest that he doesn't have the best relationship with members of the Psychic Seven, at least during the events of Psychonauts 2, and at the very least, we know that his relationship with Bob in particular might not have been the most peaceful.

In addition, he's the only one who's shown to be happy at the Motherlobe's opening ceremony, and is one of two original members to even remain there. And unlike Compton, he's much more present and active. Heck, this is stretching a little, but they're even on opposite sides of the Motherlobe.

All this distance - especially physical distance - as well as this sort of... "otherness", and yet he's the feeling of touch. A sense that most likely evokes images of closeness. It didn't quite add up.

Then I realised that he's most likely touch because of how he interacts with the mind. He builds machines, physically bringing his thoughts and dreams into reality. He keeps a whole stroage of brains - the physical form of the mind. He seems much more interested in the physical side of Psychonaut research, rather than the more abstract side - which is further enforced by the fact we never see that abstract side of him. We don't enter his mind, and instead we only get to see and interact with him in the physical realm, through tangible objects that he made himself.

He's. Literally got a hands-on approach to researching the mind. It even shows through the way he channels his psychic energy - through a pendant, rather than through his head, like all of the other Psychonauts we see.

Out of all of them, Otto is the one that's most in-touch with himself and the present; in-touch with his emotions, seemingly perfectly able and willing to talk about his emotions and express them, as we see with his gadgets and machines. ("I made that one when I was angry, I made this one when I was sad.")

He's more grounded, and though he does bare the scars from the battle with Maligula, he's not caught up in his own mental world with it, at least, from what we see. He has his regrets - he shows remorse for what happened - but he's also managed to keep moving forward, pushing and pressing on rather than dwell too much in his own mind.

While it's easy to get lost in the other senses - like sights and sounds - touch is often seen as something that tethers us to reality. To hold and to feel offers tangible comfort. This, in my opinion, suits Otto as the more tangible member of the Psychic Seven.

Quite ironic, though, that with all that in mind, it seems Otto had lost touch with the other members some time efore they all completely drifted apart.

#otto mentallis #psychic seven #psychonauts 2 #long post #been thinking about this for days and I needed to get it somewhere #sorry if this is super obvious and kind of a pointless post but I think it's just really fascinating #bc at first i genuinely was like 'why is he touch?? wouldn't he suit sight seeing as he's more distant?' #and then as I ran through it i realised that hes the most. tangible psychic seven member. #the most in-touch with himself to a degree #anyway yeah uhhh #undying prattle #psychonauts spoilers

[fizzyxcustard]

Too Close.

Fandom: Stay Close

Pairings: Ray Levine x fem!reader friendship (with hints of feelings on her side)

Warnings: Slight pining, angst, upset, worry, anxiety, ghosting. SPOILERS. But the fic is below the 'keep reading' icon. Enter at your own risk of reading spoilers (which you certainly will)

Summary: You are very close friends with Ray, but you're slowly wishing for something that he can't give you.

Comments: So I've just finished Stay Close. The show itself wasn't really my cup of tea, but this fic was an excuse to use the character of luscious Ray and also get some unwanted feelings out of my system; most of this is kinda what I'm going through at the moment with a male friend. Little bits have been added in though, or magnified to add a bit of drama to the fic. Hope you enjoy, and as always, if you want to be added to my tag list or removed, let me know.

It was exhausting. All of it.

Ray still hadn't moved on entirely from Cassie. Even though their relationship had ended nineteen years ago, and he'd last seen her in person two years ago. You were only there to pick up the pieces of a dream that had been shattered, and it was all at the cost of your own wellbeing. How selfish could you be to walk away?

You and Ray had become friends through working together. He was the photographer for the local newspaper, and you worked in the editing room. However, you had since moved on and now worked in a higher paid role with less hassle.

Ray would message you through WhatsApp every day or two, offering the normal pleasantries, and always say how good a friend you were. Never anything more than that. It didn't matter how often you sat up with him on phone calls and text discussions, talking about his old flame, and a couple of other women in between, you knew you would never be good enough. Always the friend and never anything more.

Some conversations had even become sexual, the two of you relieving each other's frustrations a little through kinky jokes, memes and sexting.

Sometimes you would find yourself imagining what it would be like to walk hand in hand with him, be the apple of his eye and be the first choice you always wanted to be. A few times you had even asked him to promise you that he would never settle for just anyone. Ray deserved the love of a good woman, and maybe you wanted to be that love for him. You felt in your heart that you would always have enough love for anyone.

And, finally, one day you couldn't take it any more. He had been discussing sending a letter to Cassie, after finding out where she was now living with her husband, Dave, and their children. That morning and when you saw his usual kind greeting, you knew it would mean discussing Cassie again. Going through reams of conversation about a woman who had left him out of the blue, broke his heart and was now married. It was killing you inside.

You often felt like screaming, "Look at me Ray! Look at ME! Just see me for a second, not your ex who couldn't give a damn about you, but me...who cares. If you just allowed yourself to think of the possibility of something more happening between us, I'd show you I care and that I could be everything you want. You want kids, and often say how you feel you're past it. I'm not. I could give them you."

Ray had seemed put out by your response, and questioned if he'd upset you.

Yes, you have upset me, but in a way you could never understand. And in a way that I'm not ready to talk to you about. I might never be ready. I still haven't figured out in my head how I feel. Am I developing feelings? Or am I just trying to cling to a chance of something happening out of the want for love? I don't want to be alone anymore, Ray, and I know that you don't either. But you need to let go of what's bad for you. Have I gotten too close?

You knew that keeping the barriers up, keeping your heart away from him, was slowly damaging you little by little. Headaches had started. Palpitations. You kept imagining him pacing his house, mind ablaze for Cassie.

Would he ever see past all the hurt of his own and see yours? Would he ever recognise your similarities and the ways you would compliment each other? Even if you did get together, Cassie would always be his number one. Never you.

The New Year's Eve text from him had said that you meant the world to him. Was that enough? Would it ever be enough?

You sat on your bed, your phone in hand, staring at the conversation that had gone on between you. Your thumb scrolled up the screen, masses of text from him talking about her. Followed by your kind and neutral answers.

Walking away seemed the only choice now. To stop this hurt. To stop all the insecurity and all the deep seated rage that was keeping you up at night, restless and with the sensation of your heartbeat muffled in your chest and neck.

What kind of friend were you to do that? Ray had never expected anything from you, and you were selfish to ever think he should give you something. It made you feel like the 'nice guy' who is 'friend zoned' by the girl they like.

The pain and questioning was too much.

The phone was growing heavy, until suddenly you began to type a message to Ray.

It started with "I'm sorry" and ended with you blocking his number, whilst sobbing and trying so hard to catch breath you felt would never come.

***

Follow Forever tag list: @narniaandthenorth @i-did-not-mean-to @shalinizhara @lathalea @middleearthpixie @xxbyimm @meganlpie

Richard Armitage tag list: @sketch-and-write-lover @cryptichobbit

#Richard armitage #fic #fanfiction #ray levine #stay close #ray levine x reader #ray levine x fem!reader #friendship #warnings in the top of fic #some personal feelings are in this one

[plasticnightmaredoll]

(art commission by the lovely and talented @curious-menace)

It is a time where I would like to see what my followers think about various concepts I have in mind pertaining to alternate versions of one my fics. It may take some time to write out any alternate versions since I've been busy and stressed out so much lately, but I am very curious as to what others would find intriguing to read.

But first, some backstory so be patient. We'll get to the voting at the end of this post.

I've been having a lot of bad days lately, and my mood has plummeted to a major low. This includes my self-esteem, which has always been in the dumps but is now basically a dumpster fire.

However, I don't want to be entirely cruel to myself. I deserve some sort of happiness, some sort of reprieve, and writing can be a good coping mechanism. I put a lot of my own thoughts, emotions, struggles, opinions, etc. into my works, as they serve as a way for me to get things off my chest. Sometimes, it's just cute and funny stuff, other times angsty but eventually fluffy stuff, and other times it's quite depressing and dark.

One fic, in particular, stands out, and that is the Mortal Kombat/Batman Arkhamverse crossover, "Volunteer," (trigger warnings: mentions psychological torture and suicide...more about this fic in a bit for those who would rather not read it because of those triggers) which features Arkham Knight Edward Nigma and Jonathan Crane, as well as a lady friend for Edward named Sara. It also features Erron Black and Cassie Cage from Mortal Kombat (Cassie is only mentioned in the story a few times).

If you read the blog intro/self-introduction post pinned at the top of my Tumblr, you know very well how I feel about Cassie Cage (particularly in MK11) and the Erron Black x Cassie Cage (BlackCage) pairing. Those negative feelings are mostly due to a very bad experience with a pushy BlackCage fan who just wouldn't relent one bit on their stance and it was emotionally and mentally draining to try and talk to them, including providing counter-arguments.

I've come up with alternate versions for "Volunteer" recently due to the spike in stress, depression, anxiety, and insecurities I've been dealing with as of late. This is where my followers come in!

I would like people to vote on which alternate take on "Volunteer" they would be interested in reading. Now, I can't guarantee when I'd get to it because, as I mentioned already, I've got a lot going on. However, I really want to try and write at least one alternate version of that fic, just to get some insecurities and negative thoughts off my chest.

Now, for those who are wary of reading "Volunteer" because of the trigger warnings, here's my advice: Just read the first chapter, if you want to. Chapter 2 deals directly with the sensitive subject matter, although, you can probably guess what happens anyway just by reading Chapter 1 and if you know anything about Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow...well, he likes to mess with people...mentally. To put it very mildly.

Now it's time for the voting. I have three different scenarios I've come up with that are variations/alternate versions of the current "Volunteer" fic's concept/storyline. I'd like followers to select 1 (one) alternate telling of the fic. I will open anonymous asks again, so if you are shy or just want your vote to remain a secret for some other reason, then that's fine by me. Otherwise, you can reply to this post with your choice.

Edit: if you are turned off by the idea of a Mortal Kombat/Batman Arkhamverse crossover, I get it. I don't read crossover fics myself, and that's usually because the crossovers either make no sense or do make sense but the ideas are poorly executed.

This crossover I'm talking about, though, isn't a full-on crossover of MK and Batman. There's no world-building, no larger plot, and no other characters in MK even appear or are mentioned except Erron Black and Cassie Cage.

If anything, it's more of a Batman Arkhamverse standard AU with Riddler and a female oc, and Erron and Cassie are the only concrete elements of MK brought in. I mean, yes, the other MK characters exist, I guess, but they have no purpose in this crossover I've written, and won't make any appearances.

So, if you had any concerns about the crossover aspect, I hope this clears things up

Choices below the cut!

A) "Don't You Wish"

This version is inspired by a song from Pink, called, "There You Go." In this alternate telling, Erron manages to survive Scarecrow's fear toxin, and escape (most likely because Erron is out of his mind and panicking, thus not a threat, and he has no one to help him, so Scarecrow doesn't give a damn what happens to the dude). The first thing Erron does is go to Sara's place, having already broken up with Cassie after realizing dating her was a mistake, and Sara means more to him than he thought.

Well, it's been several months since Sara basically pushed Erron out of her life for his poor choice in women, and (Arkham Knight) Edward Nigma has proven to be a much better (and, wiser and more sensible -- yes, I know, but he's not a skirt chaser, Guys) friend to Sara. While Erron ran off with a blonde selfie princess, Edward offered genuine comfort and companionship, and now Sara has been in the process of moving on from Erron even further.

Sara humors Erron and lets him tell her -- while sounding terrified, confused, and conflicted beyond belief thanks to the fear toxin -- what happened to him. Now, Sara doesn't know Edward asked Scarecrow to take care of Erron as a means of getting revenge for her. Doesn't matter anyway. She's unsympathetic towards Erron's plight, feeling as if he didn't even give her a chance to confess her feelings towards him, nor did he even seem to notice how she felt; it was like he was too busy with thinking with his privates to realize he had someone in front of him who would have treated him better.

Sara tells Erron -- in a flat, disinterested tone -- that his situation is tragic and all but wtf is she supposed to do? Why not go to his dumb blonde gf? Oh, they broke up? Well, how predictable. And Crane is also a (sort of) friend to Sara, which shocks Erron and leaves him feeling worse than before.

Sara sends Erron on his way, and he wanders off in a daze, unsure of what to do with his life now.

Sara and Edward meet the next day, and they have a pleasant time, obviously moving towards becoming a couple. She chooses not to mention Erron as she is completely severing the cowboy from her life.

B) "I Don't Even Miss You"

This alternate telling is similar to the previous one, but this time it's inspired by a Miley Cyrus song, "WTF Do I Know" (Hey, her Plastic Hearts album is actually fantastic!), and Edward is with Sara when Erron arrives at her place in a distressed state. At first, Sara deals with Erron in the hall of her apartment building, unsympathetic to his plight and basically telling him, "I told you so," and "too bad." Erron is getting more and more upset, even angry at Sara's callous tone, and starts to raise his voice, demanding to know why she is being so cold at a time like this?

Edward overhears Erron raising his voice to Sara, giving her a difficult time, and he gets pissed. Edward steps out into the hall and not only mocks Erron in various ways, but demands that he leave immediately, or what Scarecrow did will seem like a trip to Disney Land. Erron has caused Sara -- who is currently moving on and growing closer to Edward -- enough problems and heartache.

Edward reveals he set up Erron, and while Sara is stunned to find this out, she handles it better than expected. Edward said it was his way of getting revenge for her, and he'd do it again if need be. Erron is sent away feeling so much worse, feeling lost, hopeless, and betrayed.

Sara and Edward talk and she admits she's upset that he did something like this without speaking about it to her first. However, he explains that he genuinely did it for her and he doesn't want her to feel pain at the hands of some "idiotic cowman," who doesn't consider the feelings of others and who behaves like a greedy, violent Neanderthal. (And yes, Edward does care for Sara, and he didn't send Scarecrow after Erron out of jealousy -- maybe a little jealousy but it was mostly rage over Erron causing Sara so much emotional pain)

Sara means more to Edward than he can express, and he may not be the best when it comes to emotions, but he does care about her and wants her to be safe.

Sara forgives Edward, understanding that, through his heartfelt but very nervous and shy confession that he is sincere about his feelings for her, and they make amends. She of course tells him to never do something so extreme without consulting her first, though, because what happened to Erron -- while she doesn't care what happens to him in the slightest -- was a bit too much.

C) "Listen When the Devil's Calling"

Another title inspired by a Miley Cyrus song, "Night Crawling," and this alternate telling involves Telltale Riddler and no Scarecrow. Almost a year has passed since Erron went with Cassie and Sara, out of bitterness and heartache, refused to speak or see him. This didn't sit well with him as she was his only friend, and his relationship with Cassie dies within a few months.

He goes looking for Sara, realizing she has moved out of her apartment. It doesn't take him long to find out where she is, and she's with The Riddler, a notorious criminal genius and one of Gotham's elite villains. Erron is worried for Sara and seeks her out.

Turns out, Sara's just fine. This isn't one of those scenarios where the girl is with a guy who just using her and taking advantage of her vulnerability. No, Edward does actually love her and takes good care of her. He finds people like reckless, selfish, and ignorant people like Erron to be a disgrace but also amusing because of how pathetically primitive they are.

Edward also doesn't appreciate how Erron pushed aside a good thing in Sara to pursue a girl who is a social media brat and has more selfies on her phone than brain cells in her, well, brain. It defies all logic to Edward, but he's also not surprised because of how much of a disappointment Erron is as a human being (hey, this is Riddler we're talking about, and he's not one to be sweet and gentle to those he can't stand). Edward doesn't say these things out loud, though, as it's a bit too vulnerable and personal for him to do such a thing with someone he doesn't know or trust.

Sara is upset that Erron has resurfaced and she remembers how heartbroken she was when he went after Cassie Cage. She wants Erron to leave her alone like she asked, so she can move on. She can't trust him anymore, because he's just a skirt chaser in her eyes.

Erron tries to plead his case, tries to apologize to Sara, and expresses how he really feels, but this just distresses her further. Edward steps in and tells Erron he's done enough to Sara, she clearly doesn't want to see him, and he needs to take his leave.

This isn't a request.

Edward pulls Erron aside, telling the cowboy that the only reason he's going to walk away from this alive is that Sara hasn't asked for him to be killed. Should she tell Edward to take care of Erron, well, you all know what Telltale Riddler is like.

And those are the three variations on "Volunteer."

If you could be so kind as to:

leave a comment with your choice or

send an ask (even an anon ask) with your choice or

suggest your take on this story.

I'd appreciate it immensely!

Thank you all so much for supporting me and my writing and being patient with my sluggish publishing schedule!

#edward nigma #riddler #arkham knight riddler #edward nigma x oc #riddler x oc #edward nygma #edward nygma x oc #crossover fic #arkhamverse #arkham riddler #telltale riddler

[dukereviewsmovies]

Duke Reviews: Ant-Man

Hello, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews Where We Are Continuing Our Look At The Marvel Cinematic Universe....

Where Today We End Our Look At Phase 2 By Talking About The First Outing For The Pint Sized Avenger, Ant-Man...

This Film Is About A Recently Released Prisoner Named Scott Lang (Played By Paul Rudd) Who Gets Recruited By A Man Named Hank Pym (Played By Michael Douglas) To Become The New Ant-Man And Help Him Steal A Simiar Suit To That Of Ant-Man That His Protege, Darren Cross (Played By Corey Stoll) Is Making With The Money In His Company, Can Scott Steal The Suit For Hank Before Cross Releases It To The Public?

Let's Find Out As We Watch Ant-Man...

The Film Starts In The Year I Was Born, 1989 As A Young Hank Pym Marches Into The Offices Of The Heads Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Which Includes Peggy Carter (Played By Haley Atwell) Howard Stark (Played By The Guy That Played Him In Iron Man 2, I Don't Know His Name) And Mitchell Carson (Played By Martin Donovan) At The Under Construction Triskellion To Talk With Them About Their Attempt To Replicate His Work Without His Permission...

Despite Peggy Not Knowing Anything About This, Howard And Mitchell Believe That The Pym Particle Is Revolutionary Find And It Belongs To The World And Not Just One Man, This Leads Hank To Resign His Position At S.H.I.E.L.D. And Swear That As Long As He's Alive Nobody Will Get His Pym Particle Formula...

Wow, This Film Could Have Just As Easily Become Ant-Man: The Winter Solider With Howard Stark Just Saying That Line...

But Instead We Cut To Present Day As Scott Lang Gets Out Of Prison And Is Picked Up By His Friend And Partner, Luis (Played By Michael "I'm The Best Part Of This Damn Movie" Pena)

However, Just Because He's Good In These Movies Does Not Mean He Can Replace Ricardo Montellban As Mr. Rourke In Fantasy Island, Blumhouse!

Aside From My Bitterness Over That Movie, Luis Picks Up Scott And Immediately Tells Him About Some People He Met But Not Interested In Doing Another Heist As He's Going Straight For His Daughter, Despite Jobs Not Coming Easy For Ex-Cons...

But Knowing He Has A Masters In Electrical Engineering, He's Like How Hard Could It Be? Turns Out Pretty Hard As The Job He Can Get Is Working At Baskin-Robbins....

Yeah, But It's About To Suck More When The Corporate Heads Of B&R Discover Scott's Criminal Record And Fire Him, Despite His Manager Liking What He Did To Get Thrown In Jail...

Returning To Luis' Apartment, Scott Meets Luis' Friends Kurt And Dave, Who Like What Scott Did As Luis Tells Us That Scott Used To Work For A Company Called Vista That Were Overcharging Their Customers For Millions And He Tried To Tell The Heads Of Vista About This But He Got Fired Instead. So, Scott Hacked Into Their Security System Transferred Back The Funds To The People They Stole It From...

But Not Happy That Luis Is Telling His Life Story To These 2 Guys, Scott Asks What He Wants Which Leads Luis To Tell Him About A Job His Cousin Told Him About But Still Saying He's Out, Luis Drops It...

Meanwhile At Pym Technologies, Hank Pym Arrives To Meet With His Daughter, Hope Van Dyne (Played By Kate From Lost) And His Protege, Darren Cross, Who Makes A Big Announcement That Pym Technologies Is Working A Battlesuit Called The Yellowjacket That Is An All-Purpose Weapon Of War That's Capable Of Altering The Size Of The Wearer For The Ultimate Combat Advantage...

And Despite One Board Member Against It Because Of What Our Enemies Could Do With It, Everyone Seems On Board. Talking With Cross Afterwards, Pym Begs Him Not To Do It Because There's A Reason He Buried These Secrets, But Looking To The Future Of The Company But Not Cross Exits As He Talks With Mitchell Carson About Selling It To Him First...

Going To His Daughter's Birthday Party, Scott Gets An Uncomfortable Welcome From His Ex-Wife (Played By Judy "I'm A Bitch In Everything I'm In" Greer) And Her New Husband (Played By Bobby Cannavale) Who Tell Him To Leave Until He Gets A Job And Can Pay Child Support...

Now, No Offense I Know What Scott Did Was Illegal But In My Opinion What He Did Wasn't Bad Whatsoever, He Stopped A Company That Was Stealing Millions Of Dollars From Alot Of People, Hell, Even The Manager At Baskin-Robbins Called Him A Freaking Hero For What He Did And She Should Know That What He Did Helped Alot Of People...

But No, Instead She's Condemning Him For It And Him A Damn Criminal And For That I Say Screw You, Scott Has Every Right To See His Kid...

Meanwhile At Pym Technologies, Cross Kills The One Board Member That Went Against The Yellowjacket By Using A Gun That Turns Him Into A Miniscule Pile Of Goo...

(Sighs) Yes, Folks This Actually Happens We Have A Gun That Can Turn People Into A Pile Of Goo, What's Next An Alchemy Machine That Can Turn Dog Shit Into Gold?

And Don't Write In The Comments That That Thing Already Exists In Comic Books, I Already Know It Does It's Just The Point Of How Stupid This Is...

Taking Hope Out To Dinner, Her And Cross Talk About How Hank Pym Is A Failure As Both A Father And A Mentor, Before We Cut Back To Scott, Who Decides To Do Luis' Job After Realizing Nothing He Does Will Ever Work Out...

So, Luis Tells Him...

(Start At 0:41, End At 1:54)

So, Getting The Necessary Supplies And Coming With A Plan, They Go To The House, Dealing With The Phones Around The Area And The Alarms In The House They're Breaking Into. But When Scott Reaches The Safe, He Has A Hard Time Breaking Into It...

But With A Little Water And Nitrogen, The Safe Blows Open...

You Bet Your Ass It Rules, Bill Nye...

Going Inside, Scott Finds No Money But He Does Find What He Believes To Be A Motorcycle Suit But Is Really The Ant-Man Suit...

Grabbing The Suit And Getting Out Of What We Realize Is Now Hank Pym's House, They Consider The Heist A Failure And Move On. The Next Morning, Scott Looks At The Suit And The Helmet And Decides To Try It On...

Noticing Buttons On His Hands, Scott Shrinks For The First Time...

(Start At 1:15, End At 3:41)

Freaked Out By What Happened, Scott Returns The Suit To Pym's House Only To Be Arrested By Police, However, While In Jail, He's Visited By Hank Pym Who Says That He's His Lawyer...

Apologizing For Stealing The Suit, Hank Tells Him That He Was The One That Caused Everyone To Give Luis That Tip And That He Has 2 Choices Go To Jail For The Rest Of His Life, Or Wait In His Cell For Further Instructions...

So, Going Back To His Cell, He Waits Until Something Happens Which It Eventually Does When 2 Ants Bring In A Shrunken Ant-Man Suit Only To Make It Large So Scott Can Wear It...

(Start At 0:28, End At 2:41)

Getting Lightheaded, Scott Passes Out...

Waking Up The Next Morning In A Fresh Set Of Clothes, Scott Awakens To See Hope With A Bunch Of Tropical Bullet Ants On The Floor...

Is How A Normal Person Would Probably React...

Saying That Her Father Wants To Talk With Him Downstairs, Scott (When He Stops Being Afraid Of The Ants) Goes Downstairs To Meet With Both Hank And Hope, Who Reveals That She Had Scott Arrested By The Police...

Admitting That He's An Admirer Of Scott's And Really Liking What He Did With Vista Corp And His Vault, Hank Offers Scott A Job To Break Into Pym Technologies, Steal The Yellowjacket And Destroy All The Data After Telling Him About The Pym Particle And Darren Cross And Why It's Important To Stop Him...

Knowing That He's Good But Not That Good, Scott Suggests That They Use Ants Or Call The Avengers To Deal With It But Unfortunately, The Ants Aren't Much Without A Leader And He Doesn't Want The Avengers Involved Because Of Tony Stark And What His Father Did At S.H.I.E.L.D. To Hank Years Ago...

Dropping In On Her Father And Scott, She Tells Them That They Now Have Days As Cross Has Perfected His Formula So Hope Decides That She's Doing It As She Knows The Place Better Than Anybody And She Knows How Cross Thinks But Hank Is Absolutely Against Hope Doing This...

With Scott Asking Why He Doesn't Do This, It's Not Because He's Too Old For This Crap But Because Wearing It Has Taken It's Toll On Him, Thus Scott Is The Only Option Saying That This Is His Chance To Be The Hero His Daughter Thinks He Is...

And So, The Training Begins...

(End At 4:08)

Continuing His Lessons By Introducing Him To The Fire Ants Which He Uses To Get In And Out Of Places And Making Specialized Discs That Make Things Large And Small, Scott Faces One Problem And That's Controlling The Ants...

Running Out Of Patience In Scott's Training, Hope Decides To Leave Only For Scott To Follow Her To Her Car Where She Tells Him That She Only Became Apart Of This For A Chance At Making Peace With Dear Old Dad But She Still Thinks That He Doesn't Trust Her..

(Start At 2:06, End At 2:27)

However, Scott Manages To Convince Hope That Her Father Does Trust Her And The Reason He's Wearing The Suit And Not Her Is Because He's Expendable And Hank Would Rather Lose The Battle With Cross Than Lose Her...

Apologizing For Calling The Police On Him And Asking About His Daughter, Hope Suggests To Focus On Cassie And How Much He Wants To See Her And It Works...

So, Scott Can Now Control The Ants...

Going Back Inside, Hank Finally Opens Up To Both Hope And Scott Telling Them About How His Wife, Janet Who Was His Partner And Hope's Mom Really Died Saying That In 1987 Some Separatists Had Hijacked A Soviet Missile Silo And Launched An ICBM At The United States And The Only Way Into The Internal Mechanics Was Through Solid Titanium...

Damaging His Regulator When Attempting To Shrink Between The Molecules To Disarm The Missile, Janet Sacrificed Herself By Going Subatomic To Disarm The Missile And Save Billions Of Lives...

Saying That He Didn't Tell Her Because He Trying To Protect Her Saying That He Lost Hope's Mom But He Didn't Mean To Lose Her And So With All Forgiven With The Father-Daughter Duo, Training Resumes...

About Getting Everything Down Pat From Jumping Through Keyholes To Working With Ants, The Final Phase Of Scott's Training Commences When Hank And Hope Have Scott Steal A Prototype Signal Decoy To Counteract The Transmission Blockers In Pym Technologies From One Of Howard Stark's Old Storage Facilities Which Just So Happens To Now Be The Avengers Training Ground...

Telling Scott To Abort The Mission, He Tells Them That He Doesn't See Anyone Superpowered On The Ground So Scott Decides To Land On The Roof Only To Run Into The Falcon (Played Again By Anthony Mackie)...

(Start At 0:57, End At 3:31)

Believing That Scott Almost Jeopardized Everything, All Is Forgiven When Scott Gives Hank And Hope The Tech They Want, But Going Out To The Living Room, Hank Finds Darren Cross Waiting To Tell Him That Pym Tech Is About To Become One Of The Most Profitable Operations In The World Because Of The Yellowjacket Suit And He Wants Hank There To See His Moment Of Glory...

As Cross Leaves He Asks Hank What He Saw In Him All Those Years Ago And Why Did He Push Him Away, Hank Says He Saw Himself In Cross, A Little Too Much Of Himself Unfortunately...

Believing That Cross Is Baiting Hank, Hope Suggests Calling It Off But Knowing That There Would Be Risks, Hank Refuses. Getting A Phone Call From Cross Shortly After That, He Tells Hope To Get The Assembly Line Up And Running And States That He's Tripling Security With Full Sensors At All Entrances And Adding Air Vents With Steel Micro-Mesh...

Wondering How They're Going To Get Scott In Now, Scott Suggests Using The Water Vent If They Can Decrease It, But Knowing That Her And Hank Will Be By Cross, Scott Decides To Bring In His Own Team On The Mission, By Making Luis A Security Guard That Will Lower The Water Pressure So Scott Will Be Able To Get In, Having Kurt Hack Into The Power Supply To Kill The Laser Grid And Making Dave The Getaway Guy...

Despite Hank Not Liking This, They're All In As Hope Gets Luis' Credentials In The Pym Tech System. The Next Night, Scott Enters The Sewers Once Luis Is Inside Of Pym Tech. Eventually Lowering The Water Pressure, Scott Manages To Get Into Pym Tech With The Help Of Some Fire Ants To Which He Boards Ant-Thony Afterwards And Takes The Vents...

However When Scott's Ex-Wife's Husband Discovers That Pym Pretended To Be Scott's Lawyer, Him And His Partner Decide To Take Hank Downtown To Question Him, But Before They Can, Dave Steals The Ex-Wife's Husband's Car So Pym Can Enter...

Meanwhile Scott Uses Bullet Ants On A Guard So Luis And Hope Can Enter The Hardware Room To Place The Signal Decoy Inside Of One Of The Server Boxes...

Once Hope Leaves, Scott Moves Into Position To Get The Ants To Fry The Server Boxes So Nothing Can Be Backed Up Before Going To Formula Room To Set Charges To Blow It Up, Only Thing Left Is For Kurt To Shut Down The Security Grid So He Can Grab The Yellowjacket Suit, Which He Manages To Before Him And Dave Are Arrested By Scott's Ex-Wife's Husband...

But As All That Goes Down, Cross Takes Hank And Hope To The Yellowjacket Room Where They Meet With Mitchell Carson Who Is Revealed To Be Working With Hydra Along With Darren...

So, Yeah, When Scott Falls In...

Again Begging Cross Not To Sell To Hydra As If They Get The Weapon, They'll Use It To Spread Their Chaos Across The Globe, Cross Doesn't Care Saying That He'll Sell Them The Suit But Not The Formula...

Telling Carson's Men To Kill Hank, Hope Tries To Convince Cross That The Particle Is Messing With His Brain Chemistry And That It's Not Who He Is But Too Far Gone, Darren Decides To Kill Hank Himself But Not Before Scott Breaks Out And Deals With Carson's Men But It Doesn't Stop Cross From Shooting Hank...

With Cross And Carson Trying To Get Away, Scott Follows Them With Cross' Guards Along The Way While Hope And Hank Escape In A Gigantic Tank Keychain...

(End At 3:33)

Arrested By His Ex Wife's Husband, They Soon Hear Over The Radio Of A Disturbance At The Home Of Scott's Ex-Wife And Daughter...

Yes, It Turns Out Cross Survived Being Zapped By A Bug Zapper And Has Kidnapped Scott's Daughter, Cassie Who Thinks Cross Is A Monster...

(End At 4:34)

But Despite Killing Cross, Scott Went Subatomic But Managing To Find One Big Disc, He Places It Into The Regulator And Becomes Big Once Again, Reuniting With His Daughter...

Letting Scott Go As He Saved Cassie, He Returns To Hank's House Where Hank Asks Him To Explain What He Saw In The Subatomic Realm, But Having No Memory Of The Experience Whatsoever Hank Lets Scott Go So He Can Make Out With Hope As They Start Their Relationship...

Invited Over By His Ex-Wife And Her Husband, They Tell Scott That Any Evidence That He Escaped From Jail Was Somehow Erased So Scott's A Free Guy Now...

But Getting A Call From Luis, He Tells Scott That His Cousin Ignacio Told Him That Some Writer He Met At A Bar Where Stan Lee Is The Bartender...

Stan Lee Cameo!

A Minute There I Thought This Was Going To Be The Only MCU Movie Without A Stan Lee Cameo And (I Know Stan's Dead Now But) I Would Have Loved To See A Show Where Stan Lee Played A Bartender...

Anyway, The Writer Tells Luis' Cousin That Falcon Is Looking For Him, Ending Our Movie...

We Get A Mid-Credits Scene Where Hank Shows Hope An Advanced Prototype Wasp Suit That Both Hank And Janet Worked On Together But Now Hank Realizes That They Weren't Working On It For Janet But For Hope To Someday Follow In Her Mother's Footsteps As The Wasp...

We Get A Preview Of The Next Film, Captain America: Civil War As We See That Cap And Falcon Have Captured Bucky (But None Of That Matters Now As I'm Going To Be Talking About It in The Next Review)

Anyway, That's Ant-Man And It's Okay...

The Story's Interesting And The Characters Are Decently Written However, This Is One Time Where I'll Admit That The Villain Is Okay But Didn't Seem Like A Major Threat Unlike Some Of The Other Films In The MCU But Either Way I Say See It...

Well, With Phase 2 Behind Us Now We Move Onto Phase 3 Next Week With Captain America Civil War, Till Then, This Is Duke, Signing Off...

#Ant-Man #Paul Rudd #evangeline lilly #corey stoll #michael douglas #bobby cannavale #judy greer #Marvel #marvel cinematic universe