#straight up a great baron

[adjectiveadjectiveadjective]

frank herbet had a nun fetish. my proof?

- the bene geserit's whole deal is that they're nuns who have a sexy voice so powerful they can make you do whatever they want and the only people who can resist are basically just more powerful nuns. or paul i guess idk fuck that guy. they're the archetypical dommy mommies

- duncan idaho's (frank's favorite character) final form is a guy who is designed to get women addicted to having sex with him (literally a hentai plot). the bene geserit made him Like That because they couldnt use spice so they just decided to fuck everyone into submission instead

i swear to got frank was fully yankin' it while writing by the end of the series bro is 100% cum brained

#i literally dont need to say anything else #the way duncan ends up really just proves my point #dune #spoilers #i guess? #i honestly would not be surprised if duncan was a bit of a self insert but that's speculation at that point #unrelated but dune 2 knocked it out of the ball park when it came to making the fremen likeable Human Beings with Thoughts and Opinions #stellar stuff #the other adaptations did a shit job at that so the bar was in hell but like really above and beyond #really made it super clear who is the bad guy #just a great example of building off the source material and fixing issues #granted ofc its not perfect but ill be damned if it isnt really good #i still think mini series baron harkonen was the best bc they made him a human threat #like not the butt of the joke for being fat or disabled. like they actually made him elegant and brutal without resorting to using his #fatness and disability as the means to that #straight up a great baron #the new one? not so much. i think they rely too much of the fatness and disability for my liking. at least he isnt comical but still. #bad taste in the mouth for sure #feyd was handled excellent they made him perfectly scary. rabban couldve used more but idk hes ultimately not important #but yeah the baron's been handled better. #the second season of the miniseries did delve a bit into early 2000's insanity but thats par for the course #the first season was pretty fire #but overall i still think the most recent iteration's been the best #even with the baron being made monstrous rather than human

[beeapocalypse]

just met the lady of the moon. her and pocketcat both wanting the girl rlly reaffirms the whole idea of rher meddling in human affairs and attempting to undercut advancement

#AND she straight up says that both her and rher do not trust humans and do not think they should be on equal footing w the old gods #taking all that and funneling it into that other idea that pocketcat specifically targeted daan bc he knew somehow of his upcoming possible #--connection to the sulfur god thru elise+the baron #also got to ask the new gods three questions. her being the child of a new god+a man of prophecy giving her great potential and nilvan-- #--wanting the player 2 take her to the darkest depths AND the god of the depths not showing up in termina is all rlly interesting. does she #--somehow supplant / possess that old god and use her power to become the god of fear+hungrer ?

[fruit-colored-ninja]

Still say that Iron Baron is one of the best villains in ninjago btw

#his entire motivation is being a duck and as retribution for this he gets one of the most brutal endings in ninjago #literally obsessed with it he has no tragic backstory he’s just the Worst #noooo not autocorrect not letting me say dick #i get why he’s overshadowed by garmadon and harumi and in general the ninjago half of the season but like #the first realm arc is GOOD it deserves more attention and iron baron is a LOT of the reason why it works so well #out of all ninjagos human/humanoid villains he’s the only one they don’t really give you any reason to sympathize for him At All #and in return he gets treated with No sympathy by the show. every new thing we learn about him makes you hate him more #wu’the best way to defeat an enemy is to make them your friend’ ninjago looks at him and goes ‘yeah there’s no fixing this guy’ #and straight up leads him to his death and it’s GREAT. i’m obsessed with it

[veryintricaterituals]

We need to talk about queer representation in What We Do In The Shadows

I'm just going to say it: for a show that claims to have great queer representation I sure haven't seen a gay couple in five seasons.

(The closest they've come is with Freddy and we all saw how that turned out)

Okay, I've been thinking about this for a while and I honestly don't love the discourse but fuck it. We need to talk about queer love and queer representation on wwdits and how it's not great.

Let me begin by saying that I love this show, I do, it's my favorite and I adore it and I am not going to stop watching it. But the internet holding it it as the be all, end all of queer representation needs to stop. We need to take off our heartshapped glasses for a second and think critically.

Now I'm not saying it's homophobic because it's clearly not, but a beacon of queer representation and love it is not.

Yes, it has its moments and when they come they are incredible (Guillermo's coming out episode my beloved). But if we stop and think about it for a second it becomes clear that same sex love in the show it's not treated with the same respect that straight love gets. And it's time to aknowledge that as a fandom.

It's 2023 and we don't need to be living off scraps or jokes made at our expense anymore. The times of Supernatural or Sherlock are done. But in wwdits we are, a lot of the time, the butt of the joke and not always in a good way. I'm begging you to think for a second about why the jokes are supposed to be funny, think of Laszlo and Nandor, or Laszlo and the Baron, or Nandor's guy wives... the joke IS that it's gay, there's nothing else.

And you know what? That could be FINE or it would be if they commited and treated gay love with a little bit of respect but they don't, not really. Show me queer love, stop just talking about it and SHOW it.

Or at the very least when you do show some semblance of it (looking at the season five finale, season three finale and a lot of other moments) don't immediately undermine it with articles about the power of friendship, it's the least you can do. We are just asking to be more than a joke.

It's like a reverse of what happened in Supernatural where after so many homophobic jokes it just turned kind of gay, it feels like after so many gay jokes with zero commitment behind them wwdits is starting to feel kind of hurtful.

I'm not saying they should have Nandor and Guillermo get together (though they should), I'm saying that after five seasons we should at the very least have seen a couple of the same sex treated with the same respect and love they've shown Laszlo and Nadja, Sean and Charmaine, or hell even Colin and Evie.

All I'm asking is for the show to make us more than just a joke or they're just going to end up circlying around and not looking great, and after five seasons it's starting to happen and I'm worried it's going to leave me with a bitter taste in my mouth by the end.

#wwdits #what we do in the shadows #nandermo #guillermo de la cruz #nandor the relentless #laszlo #nadja

[nyrasproblm]

Useless - prologue

Feyd-Rautha x reader (wife)

Word Count: 1,1K

Warning: angst, toxic Feyd-Rautha behaviors (as always), arranged marriage (yes, again), misogyny

series masterlist dune masterlist

Ginaz 📍

Sadness has flooded your life for as long as you have known. Being born into a practically destroyed house, without the same prestige and respect as before meant that you didn't have much.

House Ginaz was still considered a Major House, despite having lost the war to the Moritani, their planet and home were still considered the birthplace of talented swordsmen and weapons masters.

Even though your parents were dead, you had your older brother to guide you, care for you and love you. You trusted him with all your life and heart.

You thought that until he did what he did.

— This is treason. We have an agreement with House Atreides. — you argued.

— House Atreides did not help us in the war, our parents then dead because of them. — he rubbed his temple, irritated.

— Our parents are dead because of House Moritani, the Atreides helped us but the war was lost. Do you have any idea what will happen if they find out you want to marry me to a Harkonnen?

You sat on one of the chairs at the large table, reached across the table and held his hand, he raised his face, his eyes looked tired, he was exhausted.

— Reconsider this, brother, please. — you said almost in a whisper. Even though your brother had carried out an investigation and had all the traitors inside the Palace killed, you still feared that some information would be heard and used against you.

— We need some way to get closer to the Empire, our House can return to its glory and the Harkonnen are our ticket to do so. — he shook your hand.

— The Atreides have just been appointed by the Empire to control spice production, your logic is meaningless. — you frowned.

Your brother swallowed hard and looked away. He was hiding something, you knew it. Your brother practically raised you and invested everything he got into your education, you had knowledge of politics, geography and many other arts, and you could speak your mind on these subjects in his presence.

— The Harkonnen are closer to the Empire. — he leaned back against the back of the chair.

— What about them practicing cannibalism? You will send me there, I will have his heir and then I will be devoured, literally. — you sighed irritably.

He turned his head violently towards you and sat up straight, squeezed your hand tightly and took a deep breath.

— Don't say that, I can't lose you.

Even though you were very angry about what he had done, you knew he loved you. You squeezed his hand and closed your eyes.

— You're going to accompany me there, right?

-----------------------------

Giedi Prime 📍

— And why can't I take her as a concubine, anyway? — Feyd-Rautha asked as he twirled one of his blades in his hand.

— Because political agreements aren't made this way, nephew. It would be disrespectful and like it or not, she still belongs to a greater house, all the most talented swordsmen in the known universe leave there. — the great baron gestured with his hand full of rings.

— And they still lost the war. — Feyd sneered.

The baron floated until he was facing his youngest nephew.

— They still have great military power and our armies can increase their skills with them. Furthermore, you would provide an heir to our House, to ensure the Harkonnen future.

Feyd stared at his uncle's fat face without looking away.

— And before you ask, we can't discard her after she bears you a child, we need to keep this alliance standing. You can do what you want with her, you can have as many children as you want, but don't be so heavy-handed, I don't want her to complain to her brother. — Baron Vladimir placed his fat hand on his nephew's face.

Feyd clenched his jaw.

— When will she arrive?

-------------------------

Feyd faced the ship's ramp opening next to his uncle, his hands clasped behind his back, his face as stoic as ever.

The ramp opened fully and your brother walked out in front, you were being escorted by some guards from your house. Your brother started down the ramp and walked along the open path until he was in front of the Baron, you followed behind him.

You looked around lightly, feeling uncomfortable at the sudden lack of colors, the black sun of Giedi Prime bathed everything and left everything in black and white. The air was thick and uncomfortable.

— My lord Baron, it is a pleasure to be in your homeland, thank you for welcoming us. — your brother bowed slightly.

— My lord, welcome to Giedi Prime. — he opened his arms and turned slightly in his chair, as if trying to show the magnitude of his planet. — This is my youngest nephew, na-baron Feyd-Rautha.

You looked up at the mention of his name.

— It's a pleasure, my lord na-baron. — your brother bowed slightly again and turned, gesturing for you to come closer and as you did so, you felt the weight of the gaze of the two men in front of you. —This is my younger sister, the beautiful future of the Ginaz house.

You took a few steps forward and bowed.

— My lord Baron, my lord na-baron, it is an honor to be on Giedi Prime. — you said politely.

— Come closer, my dear. — the fat Baron said and extended his hand to you.

You walked over and accepted his hand, you didn't face the young na-baron directly, but you still felt his heavy gaze on you.

— We were blessed with something as beautiful as you in our family, an extraordinary beauty, isn't it, nephew? — he turned his face to Feyd and pulled your hand towards his nephew.

You swallowed hard as you turned your face to face your future husband. Feyd took a few steps towards you and took your hand.

— Indeed, uncle. — he brought your hand to his lips and kissed it, you shivered. — Such a beautiful thing.

You heard your brother shift uncomfortably behind you. Before you could pull away, Feyd leaned over and whispered in your ear:

— I can barely wait.

You pulled your hand away and approached your brother again.

— The wedding will take place on the same day as my nephew's birthday, Feyd will come of age and we will have a tournament in the gladiator arena, you are invited to watch. — the baron turned to your brother.

You saw the amused look on Feyd's face and looked away.

#feyd x you #feyd x reader #feyd rautha #dune fanfiction #fanfic #giedi prime #fem reader #x reader #writers on tumblr #writing

[writer-of-random-things]

Moriarty is Not Holmes' Greatest Adversary

Okay, hear me out.

Moriarty is a formidable opponent to Holmes, yes. In fact, Holmes and Watson have to take a totally calm and relaxing sightseeing trip across Europe to escape him. But at least Holmes had a plan; it was solely his logic against Moriarty's logic (and maybe a bit of martial arts in front of the Reichenbach).

But Moriarty doesn't hold a candle to Baron Aldebert Gruner (from 'The Illustrious Client') and Charles Augustus Milverton. Let me explain.

Even though Holmes detested Moriarty for everything he represented, he respected the professor as well. I think he even refers to Moriarty as "esteemed" in an unironic way in one of the stories (it was either EMPT or FINA, I'm not sure). But the case still stands. For the first time, Moriarty was well and truly his equal, so much so that Holmes would like to retire if he defeated him.

Yet Gruner and Milverton are different. They don't have criminal organizations; they aren't masterminds. They just revel and profit off of the suffering of other people. It makes them the vilest antagonists in the canon--Holmes knows this too. When he faces the both of them, he doesn't outwit or outrun them, like he tries to do with Moriarty. They are past outwitting or threats; not only do Gruner and Milverton make people suffer, they do not see what is wrong in continuing to do so. Therefore, Holmes resorts to burglary to try and stop both these men, because he is stumped. Even with his great brain, he cannot understand how Milverton and Gruner can be so commonly, if not casually, evil; as a last resort, he tries to stop them by taking what is incriminating (Gruner's disgusting 'book of women', Milverton's blackmail letters).

So Holmes' treatment of cases in ILLU and MILV are important; but I also want to draw attention to Kitty Winter and *that* unamed woman that turned Milverton into a piece of swiss cheese, because they are a) underappreciated favorites of mine and b) they also show a lot about Holmes and subsequently his attitude on Gruner and Milverton.

Holmes does not seem to mind that Kitty Winter threw a bottle of acid in Gruner's face. Neither does he mind that *that* woman did her swiss-cheese thing. In ILLU, it is mentioned that he defends Kitty in order to get her the lightest consequences for the acid-throwing, and he straight-up destroyed all of Milverton's blackmail papers. Holmes does this not only because he tends to go by his own moral compass in cases such like this, but he also recognizes the gross wrongdoing of his adversaries. This, I think, is what make the Holmes stories so special to me: it's not just about a genius defeating evil. It's about a man with a peculiar brain and an uncanny knack of observation, a man who is distant and lonely at times; but whatever happens, he'll always stand on the side of the wronged, even if society deems it otherwise.

#acd holmes #acd canon #acd sherlock holmes #sherlock holmes #charles augustus milverton #kitty winter #ILLU #MILV

[moonpaw]

Could I kindly ask what order you should watch the movies alongside the series? (i.e. in between which arcs are they?)

One Piece: The Movie (after syrup village)

One Piece Clockwork Island (after arlong park, but before entering the grand line)

One Piece: Chopper's Kingdom on the Island of Animals (after recruiting chopper)

One Piece The Movie: Dead End Adventure (anytime between alabasta-foxy)

One Piece: The Cursed Holy Sword (anytime between alabasta-foxy)

One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island (after skypiea, before water 7)

One Piece: The Giant Mechanical Soldier of Karakuri Castle (after skypiea, before water 7)

One Piece Movie: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta (alabasta arc made into a movie.... dont watch this unless ur interested i guess? its not great)

One Piece: Episode of Chopper (drum island into a movie BUT it's an au. a straight up au. interesting though! watch after water 7)

One Piece: Strong World (after thriller bark, before sabaody)

One Piece 3D: Straw Hat Chase! (dont watch this)

One Piece: Episode of Nami (Arlong park remastered in movie form, watch whenever after arlong park if you wanna see it)

One Piece Film: Z (directly after fishman island)

Episode of Luffy: Adventure on Hand Island (after fishman island)

One Piece 3D2Y (i've never watched this tbh? title should be obvious when though)

One Piece Film: Gold (fishman-wci)

One Piece: Stampede (i havent watched this, sometime after dressrosa though, i believe? i dont think wci characters are there)

One Piece Film: Red (this one is weird! it's after wci due to a title luffy is given but luffy uses a huge spoiler from wano at the very end so...use your own judgement i suppose)

‎

#mp answers #one piece

[rangerangel]

My dearest Will, I hope you're well-rested after your mission, and at the bare minimum that you've washed your shirts and haven't left them sitting in your saddlebags. I think Sable is always quite shocked when she comes to our apartment, because it's the first sign of civilization she's seen in months. And just to set the record straight, Sable gets one treat a day from me-- You're going to have to talk to Halt about the rest, because she does leave here noticeably chubbier than when she arrives. Halt's retirement is a subject of great debate these days, especially as Baron Arald wants to send him on a diplomatic mission to Gallica next month. One would imagine after nearly 40 years of service, our dear Baron would know better than to send my husband on a diplomatic mission, but perhaps he's looking to start a war with Gallica for old time's sake. Do take good care of our Maddie, and send her up to the castle at least once or twice. You know that we love both of you more than we could ever say. Or at least, more than Halt could ever say out loud. Keep yourselves safe, both of you, and return to us soon. Love, Pauline

Go look at @burnin0akleaves's beautiful companion piece and his letter from Will! This was such a fun collab to do of our favorite characters who also happen to be found family, a mother son duo of the ages, two people who don't get page time but love each other so much, yes I'm totally normal about this.

#ra #rangers apprentice #ranger's apprentice #john flanagan #will treaty #pauline dulacy #angeldraws

[maddys-nerd-blog]

Hello again!!

Things have been… not so great lately, but I’m slowly picking myself up again, and writing my silly AU has been a great comfort! I’m actually happy with this one!!

For context, this is how the second story to the trilogy ends— after Fugitoid sacrifices himself and after the death of Zeno, Grace is captured by Baron Draxum and he makes his move to harness the power of the dimensional portals, at the risk of using Grace as a battery.

WARNING! Katie swears A TON in this one, just be aware 🤣🤣 also A LOT OF ANGST AND WHUMP. AND this is a pretty long read 🤣

Hope you enjoy!!! 😁

Familia: Through Space and Time

“You should have reconsidered my offer when you had the chance… human.” Draxum’s hand extended towards her, bringing forth more vines that shook the ground beneath their feet. Before anyone could truly react to this unexpected turnaround Katie’s eyes snapped back up towards the empty chamber pods, lacking occupants for their sinister purpose.

Her heart dropped into her stomach upon putting the pieces together.

“DON’T TOUCH MY KIDS, YOU B—“ Katie was struck from behind by a tendril, launching her through the air as if she were a baseball. She barely had the chance to use the prosthetic arm to take the brunt of her crash landing into the nearby pillar.

“MOM!” Mondo shouted in alarm, going to rush to her aid, darts drawn into his fingers. But the gecko never had the chance to reach her as the floor split under his feet to widen significantly to create a massive gap between them, separating him from the detective entirely. “NO!” He went to attempt the leap but Raph grabbed his arm, holding him back and preventing him from what would have been a swift plunge to his untimely demise. “Mom, jump! We gotta go!”

“Run…!” Katie slurred, pushing herself up to stand on unsteady feet. “Jason, run!”

“Not without you!” Mondo cried.

“You have to!” Katie pleaded— she could feel her arm crack under the shoulder blade, the balljoint of her elbow pivoting to click back into place from being dislodged. “You gotta go home! The crystal will shatter if you don’t get a move on now! Forget about me and restart your life! Get out of here!”

Mondo’s eyes widened, orbs turning glossy. His hands clenched the darts tighter, trembling fists unwilling to relax, looking ready to break. “Not without you,” he croaked.

“You gotta,” Katie begged. Tears pricked her gaze. “Jason. Mijo. Please… think of me as a bad memory. I only brought pain into your life. Find your own path. Show the world how great you are. Live your life and be happy for me.” A grin filled with remorse took root, her resolve falling apart. “Do what I couldn’t, and prove them wrong.”

Mondo shook his head pleadingly. He repeated in a hoarse voice, “Not without you.”

“Oh, how touching,” Draxum crooned, a malicious chuckle shaking his shoulders. “Family loyalty. You’re too predictable!” With a flick of his hand more vines rose around him, thick tendrils of violet swarming within the gap that kept Katie from her boys. “I thought you wanted to go back home to see your dear friends?”

Mondo teeth his grit, incensed. Turning to face the yōkai he drew himself to stand straight, readying his darts in his hands to throw them. For one so small the fierce expression he wore now spoke volumes to how far he’d come. “I’m not leaving without my mom,” he snarled.

Draxum, relishing the way the poor boy’s hands began to quake subtlety in silent terror, merely scoffed. “She isn’t even your real mother! You’d really lay yourself down for this,” he motioned to Katie as if she were garbage. “Human?!”

“She’s more of a mom to me than my actual mom was!” Mondo shot back furiously. “And if any bozo thinks he can push my family around,” he pointed a dart at Draxum threateningly. “You got another thing coming!”

Katie’s mouth dropped open, words lost to her. Her hand started shaking, the useless robotic limb hanging at her side twitching as it fought to regain function. It was as though she were staring through a mirror; three years ago where she’d been put in a similarly defenseless position, cornered, outmanned, only for the equally unprepared Mondo to step in, so much smaller than he was now, brandishing a broken skateboard as his means of defense… he’d nearly been beaten to a pulp that night.

But the gecko wasn’t thirteen anymore. He had grown. He’d learned. He’d fought hard. And here he stood— unafraid and refusing to cower before this behemoth of a yōkai even if it meant certain death.

Pride bloomed within her chest, but alongside it a clawing panic set in. She stared at him with teary eyes, unable to help from afar, knowing if he so chose Draxum could easily rip her boy apart without an ounce of remorse.

“Oh?” The mad scientist hummed in bemusement. “You, a mere leopard gecko, are going to stand up to me?”

“Not just him,” Raph’s gruff voice broke through against the strain, stepping beside the shorter of the group with his sai drawn, twirling them in his hands before taking a defensive stance. Brown eyes were razor sharp, his canines bared as though he were going to bite back. “Yer gonna have t’ go through me too.”

“What am I, chopped turtle?” Drawing his twin katana, Leo proudly took a spot at Raph’s side, blades glinting brilliantly in the light, electric blue magic dancing up and down his fingertips. “I wanna take a swing at this guy. I’ve been dying to get some payback.”

Draxum frowned with disapproval. “I thought you feared me?”

“Here’s the thing, Drax-Dumbass,” Leo’s eyes flashed dangerously with hatred. “I’m not scared of you anymore.”

“Neither am I!” Donnie fired back, pushing his glasses further up his snout. “You may be bigger and stronger than us, but you’re just like Cynthia and Superfly! You’re a bully who punches down on people who can’t fight back!”

“And nothing scares Casey Jones!” The vigilante added with a cocky smirk, grabbing his hockey stick and pointing it at the taller being standing before them. “I’ve fought alien dinosaurs, bro! What do you got that makes you so special?”

Draxum— eerily— shook his head, a thin set of lips crawling upwards to curve into this strange, sinister smirk that held hidden intent. Tilting his head towards the teens he raised one hand, fingers curled. “This.”

Snap.

The ground tumbled violently below their feet; without a word of warning thicker, bulkier vines exploded out of the ground to swarm the five. Katie’s heart stopped as they grew in size, swiping the kids off their feet in mere moments to catch them by surprise. Gravity took hold of the vigilantes for a few seconds before the vines ensnared their limbs, tearing weapons from struggling hands, choking the thin throats of their captives momentarily as they were all thrown into a newly formed cage made of the same grotesque vines.

“BOYS!” Katie screamed. Arm be damned she unclipped her pistol from her holster and started racing forward, gun raised, her adrenaline pounding so hard and heavy she could hear her frantic heartbeat. Her fury overthrew the fear as she fired a few shots, the sounds piercing her eardrums. “PUT MY KIDS DOWN YOU MOTHERF—“

SHINK!

Katie’s body lurched backward. A powerful force seized her by the throat. Something got her prosthetic, and suddenly the right side of her body was ripped into an awkward angle.

The titanium screeched. Metal scraped on top of metal. The wires snapped and blood sprayed. She went flying.

All Katie could see in that instant was violet. Red. White.

WHAM! Her back struck the wall with a telltale crackling of her spine— her arm was suddenly holding up all her body weight, keeping her from outright fainting and buckling. The arm ceased to function.

Katie’s hearing went spotty— bits and pieces of her boys screaming, someone throwing death threats. The room tilted on its axis, making her nauseated. There was a creaking groan next to her ear as the tension in her shoulder tightened around the muscle tissue it had been fused with. The skin began to tear.

It only took a minute for her to realize that Draxum had skewered her arm into the wall, pinning her in place as though she were a butterfly within a display case. The robotic appendage fizzled and short circuited, three bolts missing from her wrist, some panels torn wide open to expose the sensitive wiring to the elements, her ring finger missing.

Fuck…

“Not so bold without your toy to help you,” Draxum lowered himself to the ground as if he were a godly entity; higher than thou, wickedly elegant in his body mannerisms. “Humans are so quick to use petty weapons in a last ditch effort to prevent the inevitable.”

The cage rattled with a violent clang as Raph began to wail on the bars, throwing his entire body weight against its walls, shaking it from floor to ceiling. “STEP AWAY FROM OUR MA, YA CREEP!”

“LEAVE HER ALONE!” Donnie shook the bars in his hands to pry them apart, unfortunately he was too weak to attempt such a powerful feat, straining his arms, groaning under the pressure he put them through.

Casey and Leo were ramming and beating the walls with a fiery vengeance; neither one of them would be able to break their prison apart, but they fought like hellfire to escape. “Pick on someone your own size!” The punk cried out.

“Case, he IS Katie’s size.” Leo bluntly retorted through gritted teeth, throwing his shoulder into the bars.

“NOT helping, dude!”

No one fought harder than Mondo. The shorter of the bunch scaled the bars and ceiling, punching and kicking, slashing with short nails at the veins in an effort to do damage. When that failed he leapt from one side to the next, clawing and biting, screaming in such a tone that left Katie astounded to hear such anger coming from such a small creature. “GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY MOTHER YOU OVERGROWN SACK OF GARBAGE!”

Despite their cries Draxum pretended they weren’t there. He approached Katie, slow and methodical, a creepy aura to his frame. “And here I thought you would fight harder than this to try and get my mutagen. Or the formula.” He snatched her by the chin and yanked her head up to meet the eyes of the psychotic scientist. “Are you really this worthless, or am I catching you on a bad day?”

“Fuck yourself, you cuck!” Katie spat blood in his face, writhing against him. “You’re a cheater! You don’t fight fair! Why don’t you take me down and I’ll show you how New Yorkers deal with bastards who try and fuck with this city!”

The yōkai madman shook his head, unmoved by the fury that claimed the woman, swiping the crimson off of his cheek with a claw. “And just how do you intend to stop me now? You don’t seem to understand the gravity of your situation!”

“I understand it plenty.” Katie ripped her face out of his hand, leveling a deadly glare at the man. “And I’ll do anything it takes to get my kids back home… even if I gotta sell my soul to the Devil himself.”

“You’re so sure of that.”

“I am.”

“Do you fear losing your chance at seeing your loved ones?”

“I don’t give a damn! The portals to my dimension were broken! I know I’m not going back!”

“What would you do if I broke the portals that would allow your dear ‘sons’ to go home?”

That threat caught deep in her chest, her heart stopping. Her face twisted into a blank stare of rage, fire burning in her eyes. “You wouldn’t.”

“I could. It will be so easy! One little swing of my vines and they’ll be destroyed.”

Katie’s body tremored, furious, breaths heaving through bared teeth. “You wouldn’t dare you ugly fuck.”

“Oh, but I COULD.” Draxum’s voice dipped deep into malice. “I’d relish in watching your mutants despair over losing their loved ones.” He sank his claws into her cheeks, punching through skin to draw droplets of blood. “And it would be glorious.”

“So you’re a sicko who likes watching people suffer? Make kids cry? Turning children into orphans?” Katie hissed. “You’re a pathetic piece of shit.”

“No. I’m a scientist. And my observations over you and your family is… telling.”

“AND you’re a stalker? Woooooow, you ARE unhinged!”

“You’re a classic case of depression. An alcoholic waste who hides behind a badge in the face of her constant failures. And your sons? They’re all mistakes! Take a gander at your ‘children’!” He dramatically gestured to her trapped sons with a flourish of his arm. “A mentally unstable hothead with an unstoppable temper, who can’t protect anyone even though he’s the most capable fighter! A weakling human who pretends he’s Robin Hood but in reality he’s compensating for the fact he’s nothing but a burden! A four eyed imbecile that needs to be protected because he knows he’s not special! My own creation; a traitor to my cause, a waste of valuable mutagen, a narcissist with a bigger ego than his father who doesn’t pay him the time of day, so he thinks comedy will allow him to stand out and be unique! And the gecko? He’s the worst of them! He can’t fight! Can’t battle! Can’t match up to his comrades in terms of dexterity, strength, speed or intellect! An unwanted runaway whose own parents threw him out because they knew their child would amount to nothing, even after he was mutated! Face it, ‘Officer’; you’ve collected a family of worthless vermin!”

CRACK!

For a brief moment there was a rush of movement.

Draxum yelled in astonishment. The wall holding Katie groaned. There was a sickly tearing noise before it stopped.

The yōkai staggered back, looking back at the woman, realizing he’d been unmasked. And he stared down at the human woman with bewilderment, noticing she’d almost torn her prosthetic arm off just to take a swing at him.

The shoulder’s balljoint popped halfway out of Katie’s socket. Katie’s body surged partially against the vines staking her limb to the wall, her one free hand slashing her fingernails across Draxum’s face hard enough to rip his mask off, the accessory clattering to the ground. Draxum blinked, a hand coming to touch his face— she’d actually cut the bridge of his nose and the bottom of his cheek.

Katie’s face was painted with bloodlust and murder. “DON’T TALK ABOUT MY KIDS LIKE THAT, YOU DEPLORABLE FUCKING CUNT!” She bellowed. If someone didn’t know any better they’d think she was half dragon— she looked as if she were breathing flames, ready to burn him alive for the sickening words that came from him. Red in the face she continued, “YOU DON’T KNOW A DAMN THING ABOUT MY KIDS! MY LIFE! OR ME! YEAH I FUCK UP A LOT, BUT AT LEAST I’M WOMAN ENOUGH TO ADMIT IT! YOU THINK THAT JUST CUZ YOU’RE A YŌKAI THAT IMMEDIATELY PUTS YOU ON A HIGHER PEDESTAL THAN THE REST OF US, BUT IN REALITY YOU’RE STILL PISSY THAT THE GUY YOU KIDNAPPED WON’T HELP YOU MAKE MORE KILLING MACHINES! DON’T GO MOCKING MY BOYS WHEN YOU’RE TOO MUCH OF A PANSY BITCH TO MAKE COMMENTS, YOU DUMB FUCK!”

In the cage the boy’s went dead silent with shock, jaws hitting the floor. “Whooooooa,” Casey and Leo awed.

“Did Mom just—“

“She totally tore him a new one.”

“Holy SHIT, I didn’t think she could swear so much.”

“SILENCE!” Draxum finally exclaimed. He conjured a vine from the earth, pointed end aimed right for her jugular, leaning in close for his breath to brush against her skin. Katie nearly retched. “I should slaughter you all right now, but I have use of you. Where did you put the Goro Crystal?!”

So that’s what this is about, Katie thought. “Like I would tell you.”

“Tell me or I will spear your esophagus!”

“Guess you’ll have to kill me, cuz I’m not saying shit.”

The tip of the vine gingerly pressed against her throat. Overhead the boys started creating more of an urgent ruckus, crashing and clanging the cage. “Tell me. Or you’ll experience a new kind of pain that you’ve never suffered.”

Katie’s death-like glare held firm. She wasn’t bending.

Draxum remained there, hovering, the vine perched and ready to strike if she so much as blinked. His fingers twisted— it pushed deeper, this time drawing blood, but not far enough to puncture the skin all the way. She was unfazed.

“Go ahead.” She challenged. “My boys will be safe if you never get that crystal.”

Draxum’s eyes flickered. It was as if he remembered something.

And an insidious expression crossed his face. Stepping back, the vine at her throat fell limp at her feet. The yōkai swiped his mask from the floor, straightening his posture as he put it back on. “Oh, wait!” He said. “I nearly forgot! We have a guest!”

Drawing his arm outward, one of his violet plant growths slithered towards him, toting the boys’ weapons. Deft fingers plucked one of Leo’s katana from the pile and he slashed at the air, creating a portal that sparked and whizzed with potent mystic energy. Tossing the sword aside he stuck an arm inside, latching on to something as he dragged it out into the open for all to see—

…

Katie’s heart exploded in her chest.

“DANNY!”

Draxum hauled the rat yōkai out of wherever he’d stashed him, hoisting him aloft by the back of his collar like a scolded dog. He looked like hell; patches of fur stained in dark red spots from where slashes had been inflicted. He had a black right eye, swollen halfway shut. His nose was gushing with blood. His mostly-black attire was in tatters and shredded, stained in dirt and grime. His feet were scraped and gashed at the heels— as if he’d been dragged across concrete. He was bound in vines, trussed up like a worm on a hook struggling just as fiercely. Danny’s arms were pinned against his chest, wrists ensnared just beneath his chin. His snout was covered with a thicker vine to muzzle him— but it didn’t stop the hustler from screaming muffled obscenities, wriggling and fighting like a madman.

But their eyes met through the initial crazed confusion. His voice grew louder, his struggles turning violent, almost rabid, as he screamed out what Katie could vaguely translate under the gag as ‘You fucking swine.’

“I found this,” Draxum snatched Danny by the face, claws squishing his cheeks, tilting his head towards her to force him to meet Katie’s gaze. “Vermin, trying to dismantle my mutation chambers. He nearly ignited the dynamite to set my research in flames! I guess the old saying is true— cornered mice are so much easier to trap.”

“YOU FUCK—“ Katie started wailing on her arm, smashing a fist into the severing wires and broken bits and chunks of metal intertwined with the wall, desperate to break free. Skin around her fingers and knuckles spliced from the exposed tears in the replacement appendage. “GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF HIM!”

“Why should I?” Draxum scoffed, jerking Danny’s head forward to better get a grasp on his face. “He’s nothing but a criminal! I’ve seen his wanted posters. I know that his former employer will be eager to tear her fangs into him for making a fool out of her,” he smirked. “Or better yet, why waste his potential when I could transform him into a superior yōkai?”

“NO!” Katie cried, growing increasingly erratic. “YOU CAN’T!”

“I can,” Draxum snatched Danny by his hair, moving his head up and down to make the rat ‘nod.’ “See? Even the rodent is enthused!”

Katie fought harder to pry herself free— the prosthetic still stubbornly clung to her body like a leech draining her veins of blood. “I’LL RIP YOUR FUCKIN FACE OFF, YOU EVIL WRETCH—!”

“Or better yet!” Draxum let Danny’s hair go— without a second glance he swept his hand over his shoulder that sent his vines flying, taking Danny with them as they tossed the rat into a previously empty mutation pod that slammed shut, causing Danny to use his bound fists to beat at the glass door that kept him separated from Katie, muffled screams turning rampant and urgent. “How about I use one of your sons?”

The cage suddenly came to life once more; the floor and ceiling morphed and swayed the prison, vines seizing one of the five as the bars opened briefly to allow the tendrils to carry out their load. All at once the boys started screaming once that gap snapped shut.

“MONDO!” “JASON!” Came the cries of the others in unison, their struggles in the cage turning feverish.

The leopard gecko was helplessly carried through the air, completely wrapped in dark purple vines that held him in a death grip that seemed to tighten around his small frame just to spite Katie. He wheezed, trying to free his arms, but found it impossible.

“What do you think, ‘Kathrine’?” Draxum asked aloud for all present to hear. “Should I mutate your petty lover? Or your weakest link?”

Katie’s heart felt ready to burst. “Please stop…”

“I will if you give me the Goro Crystal!”

“Please stop…!”

“Mom, don’t give him anything! He’s bluffing!”

“I could turn this useless lizard into a grand, bloodthirsty killer who could lay waste to your precious city in hours! It’s your choice!”

“Please STOP!”

“Mom I’ll be okay—!”

“Silence, child.”

“DON’T!”

“What’s your choice?! Your son?! Your lover?! Or your city?!”

“TAKE ME INSTEAD!”

The roar that deafened those in the laboratory was staggering.

Katie’s face was wrought with pleading. Tears had finally pierced her gaze, her body language deflated. But there was concern radiating from her being, eyes darting everywhere from the trapped Danny, to Mondo, to the cage. It was clear as day she was doing anything in her power to keep them out of harms way.

Draxum easily towered over her, eyeing the woman with an arched brow. “You? You would take their place?”

“Yes!” Out of breath from the mounting terror, Katie nodded. “Yes, please, I’ll take whatever experiment you throw at me! I’ll be the test hamster! Just let them go!”

“Why?” Draxum tilted his head. “Why risk your life for the sake of these failures? For this felon?”

“Stop calling them that!” Katie shouted. “They’re not failures! They’re not useless! They’re not wasted potential!”

“Then what are they to you?”

“They’re my SONS!” Katie exclaimed. “They’re my babies! I don’t care what people try to tell me, those boys are my entire reason to be! You think they’re useless and failures but that’s not true! They’re brilliant! They’re clever and adventurous and wild and crazy and everything that a parent would be proud of!”

“You’re foolish! They’re mere creatures! The human is pathetic! They’re nothing!”

“THE ONLY CREATURE I SEE IS YOU!” Katie bellowed. “You, Bishop, Mozar, Karai, you’re all the same kind of bigoted bastards. My boys just wanted to be normal. They never hurt anyone, never bothered anybody. They only wanted to do the right thing when nobody else would. Have you even taken the time to realize you were trying to kill children?! Do you know what they’re like?!”

“Leonardo is a gifted comedian! He’ll go out of his way to make his brothers laugh! He’s a prankster but he’s also so kind. Considerate. He takes care of Donnie. He’s a loudmouth, he’s crazy, he’s a sports fanatic and comic book fan, he’s all that in a blue mask and a hellish sense of humor! He’s a brilliant thinker and quick on his feet in bad situations! I’m so proud of him for overcoming his demons and being the best version of himself despite everything he’s seen!”

“Donatello is a wizard in tech and games! He can make so many amazing gadgets in seconds, he’s a sweetheart, his brain is bigger than Tesla’s! He can kick ass with his bō and in Mario Kart! No matter what he’s doing he takes the time to pitch in and lend a hand to people because the only other thing bigger than his intelligence is his heart and capacity to help! He gets straight A’s, he loves Nintendo and anime and the Kpop stuff! He’s such a kind soul who just wants to be normal!”

“Raphael might look fierce but under all that he’s a giant teddy bear! He can knock someone out faster than lightening! He’s a massive pushover if you get under his shell! He’s so so supportive, he’s so brilliant and smart and he’ll do anything to protect us! He’s not unstable— he’s just got a really big heart and loves his brothers!” The more she rambled the faster she became hysterical.

“Casey’s a fantastic hockey jock! He might look like an ordinary punk but he’s just a kid looking for someone to understand him and take him in! He’s brave, he’s fearless, he’s got enough endurance to make Hercules jealous! But above all else that boy is a Jack of all trades who will do anything to be there for his family!”

“Mondo’s the sweetest kid you’ll ever know! He’s only sixteen but he just wants friends so fuckin’ badly! That boy is literally the embodiment of sunshine! All he wants to do is skateboard and go to Florida someday! He’s so friendly, he’s so giving! He might be wasted potential to you but he’s my boy and he makes me proud every single day!” She looked to Mondo— who had started sobbing in silence— and she smiled weakly. “I’m honored you’re my son.”

“Mmm…” he whimpered around the vines covering his face.

“And Danny…” tears started spilling down her face, going unnoticed by the callous mad scientist. “He’s charming. Debonair. A smart aleck. Generous. Forgiving.” She swallowed a sob, teeth chattering as her barriers broke down to a boiling point. “There’s nobody else I wanna take this crazy ride of life with. I am eternally grateful that fate put him in my path. I’d do anything for him. I…” she breathed slowly, steadying herself, eyes falling to find him through the glass of the chamber pod. “Él es mi corazón y mi alma.” With a quivering lip, Katie confessed. “Me encanta.”

Danny’s face was unreadable. His eyes widened, understanding what she’d said. His hands, pressed against the glass door, clenched into fists. Tears moistened his golden orbs, his expression turning resolved. Raising one fist, his fingers uncurled, moving, twisting around. It took a moment for Katie to realize he was signing:

‘I love you too.’

Katie’s heart swelled, her determination returning. “In your eyes these kids are nothing. You couldn’t be more wrong! They’re all unique and amazing in their own ways! I’m a washed out detective who gave up on herself years ago… but these kids, that man, they see past all of it and made me realize what I really wanted out of life. I wanted a family, and I found it in them.” She cracked a genuine smile, speaking with true conviction. “They’re my family from now until the day I die.”

Above in the cage neither one of the others were left unaffected by the woman’s words. Donnie dropped to his knees still gripping the bars, weeping so badly he found it difficult to take a breath. Raph turned his face away, hiding his eyes in his hand as he, for the first time, started weeping, strong shoulders shaking to conceal his sobs. Leo’s cheeks were slick with thin tears that stained his mask, expression filled with grief. Not even the boisterous Casey could stop crying, clutching his chest as though he were fighting a heart attack.

“I don’t care what kind of monster you turn me into… I don’t care what you do to me. Just leave my kids and Danny out of it.” Katie wept. “They’ve been through enough. I just want them to go home.”

It took eons for Draxum to move, let alone respond. The yōkai held his stoic expression of cruel neutrality, uncaring for the woman or the people he was harming. Methodically, he reached his hand into the depths of his robes, fishing free a slim, glowing vile of bright neon green ooze. Unconsciously behind him the glass door holding Danny swished open, causing the rat yōkai to drop onto the ground with a hard thud, unsupported by the standing chamber.

“All these years I thought you were better than this,” Draxum mocked. “The rumors certainly don’t precede you. What a farce you are! So naive! So stupid! I’m still baffled that you pushed this far ahead just for the sake of these pests! Pests who will learn to outgrow you and leave you in the dust the first chance they get! When it comes to gathering ‘family members’, you chose the runts of their litter.” Picking her head up by the chin with his thumb and index finger he hissed, “Now: Where is the Goro Crystal?”

“D-Don’t… give it to him!” A new voice burst into the room. It caused Katie to jump slightly, taken by surprise.

Her eyes fell to the floor just a little ways off, to where Danny lay. Danny, who had managed to wrench the muzzle of vines off his mouth. Danny, who had managed to pull himself to his knees. Danny, who was out of breath, gasping, trying to control his breathing but still remained upright as his chest heaved with thick gulps of air.

Danny, who still had that same vengeful look in his eye despite being bound. “Don’t… give him anything!” He panted. “He ain’t gonna keep his word! If ya play into his hand you’re as good as dead!”

“She’ll be dead anyway!” Draxum scoffed. “As if you’re in any position to argue!”

Danny’s eyes went narrowed, ferocious. “Untie me, ya shit-faced prick. I’ll show ya how a real man fights.”

For a moment, Draxum just chuckled. “You?” He toyed with the vial in his hand, flipping it up and down in the air, catching it easily like this was a trick he did often. “Please. You’re worth none of my time, and you’ve already tested my patience. Your blood isn’t enough to stain the bottom of my heel.”

“And ya ain’t worth spitting on, but at least I ruined yer stupid cape.” Danny smugly retorted, a twisted grin taking shape. “How quick that bold facade went down when I did.”

“And how bold will you be…” Draxum flicked the vial into his palm, clutching it firm. Until he reared his arm back. “WHEN I TURN YOU INTO A BEAST?!”

Time slowed.

Her heart exploded.

All noise fell into a clear ringing.

The vial and it’s contents— ominous and evil— flew straight towards Danny, who shut his eyes and head his breath as if to prepare himself for his impending doom.

An awful truth set into her gut.

He wasn’t going to spare the kids no matter what she chose. He wasn’t going to let Danny go— he was a witness.

He was willing to do whatever he wanted to ruin her.

And that tiny voice in the back of her mind screamed:

Move

Move

Move

Move move move move move move move move

MOVE!

A second wind surged throughout her body.

The prosthetic was ripped from her arm entirely as an inhuman strength allowed her to free herself.

She sprinted.

She pushed her body over the limit.

There was no time to think.

No time to hesitate.

No time for failure.

Only a moment to react.

Throwing herself forward Katie covered Danny with her body, back facing the incoming vial, shielding the yōkai with her entire being, ignoring his urgent screams, shutting her eyes tight as she prayed this death would be swift—

CRASH!

“KATHRINE!”

Glass shattered into her spine.

Sickly ooze splashed against vulnerable skin.

…

…

…

One moment the form of Katie McAndrews was standing like a solid wall in front of Danny, creating a barrier.

The next, ooze was seeping into her flesh. And it wasn’t long before she began to shriek.

The laboratory was filled with the anguished noises of the woman as her body jerked and shook, staggering away from Danny to steer the worst of the mutagen out of his vicinity, falling to her hands and knees, when her body started to change.

Unholy sounds echoed throughout the chamber. Bones snapping. Tendons popping. Ligaments twisting. Muscle tissue morphing. Body bending unnaturally to fit the new shape. Her spinal cord stretched. Her skin sprouted more hair— thicker, finer… like fur.

Her fingernails screeched into the floor and sang a song of misery, extending and growing to turn into claws.

Her jaw, still open as terrible screams dragged themselves out, dislocated. It stretched. It unhinged itself to form into a stronger, square shape. Her teeth grew. Her canines became bigger. Sharper. Blood pooled into her mouth and flowed to the floor.

Her face rearranged itself. A maw formed. A black nose followed. Hair grew shaggier. It hung low in a messy curtain, hiding her head.

Arm and legs popped and clicked as though she were a toy being put back together. Her limbs were forced to grow an extra few inches. Round ears popped out on the top of her skull. Her chest heaved, ribcage expanding, making room for more organs that rooted within the inside and grew like weeds.

But the worse of the change came when a new appendage— a brand new limb— grew out of her missing arm.

She would never know how, when her body took on a mind of its own, those watching would never get the sight out of their minds.

In the cage, Donnie’s hands clapped over his mouth, eyes bigger than cereal bowls. Immediately Leo seized the younger, clutching the turtle close to prevent him from watching the grotesque display, although the slider looked ready to faint. Raph turned the latter to look the other way, gritting through clenched teeth, “Ya don’t wanna see this.” Casey promptly expelled the contents of his stomach in the corner.

Danny was as still as the dead. There was nothing he could do but watch on helplessly as the woman he loved suffered a fate worse than death. Mondo screamed until his throat turned raw. He kicked the air and thrashed wildly, voice cracking under the strain.

An entirely new arm grew out of the shoulder joint like a lizard regrowing its tail. The skin knitted itself back together. Muscles, veins, they regained blood. Bone reattached to her socket piece by piece. Soon an upper arm… then a forearm… a wrist… a hand. She writhed and jerked, convulsed, choked on blood and screams as her body turned against her to transform into something it wasn’t meant to be. Unfamiliar bone structure reshaped the woman into an abomination. Curling in on herself as though she were a bomb ready to explode, Katie gave one final bellowing screech that rattled the walls, vibrated the cage, made the fur on Danny’s neck stand straight up.

Then… silence.

Silence.

A pregnant pause…

Boots clicked across the floor as Draxum approached. He studied the woman, curled tight into a ball to hide herself, blood and claw marks ravishing the ground around her body. A coy smile. His teeth showing with sadistic pride. He poked her in the side with the toe of his boot. “There,” he spoke with the faux comfort that he’d used previously. “Now… you’re perfect.”

Without the watchful eye of the scientist, the vines holding Mondo loosened enough for the boy to wriggle himself free. He dropped to the floor, staring at the form of his mother, unable to fully comprehend what had been done. The gecko, wide eyed, pushing himself up to stand, couldn’t stop trembling.

Mom…?

Mondo’s heart couldn’t stop pounding. He found it hard to breathe.

He was partially aware of his friends overhead screaming.

Mom…!

He was very aware of Danny’s horror-stricken face. Of the daunting scene he’d just bore witness to.

Like watching such a thing had broken a part of him he couldn’t get back.

Momma…!

He tried to think of happier memories— ones where his mother wasn’t in constant agony, where she was beaming warm and welcoming, holding him tight to comfort him during rain storms. Where they were at the beach, everyone chasing the shoreline, waves lapping at their feet, throwing caution to the wind. Where everyone was gathered on the couch watching movies, trading jokes and laughter with each other.

But all he could see was his mom, twitching and convulsing on the floor surrounded in left over neon green muck and dark crimson blood.

The man responsible simply loomed over his mother with prideful glory. He stooped low enough to start reaching for her— like he was about to pet her back—

And Mondo’s anger finally overwhelmed him.

“GET AWAY FROM MY MOTHER!” He drew his darts. He sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him. Throwing his arm out into an arch he chucked the deadly weapons at the yōkai, trying to run for his parent—

A vine seized him by the throat. He scrambled, clutching at it with frantic hands to pry it off, fighting for air.

Snapping out of his horrified stupor Danny started roaring, writhing in his bonds. “DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE HURT HIM YOU SONOVA—“ before another tendril grabbed him by the throat as well, cutting him off.

Properly incensed by this transgression, Draxum glared at the two as they choked and wheezed. “As if I didn’t have enough to worry about,” he hissed. “The both of you aren’t even good enough candidates for my experiments. At least I’ll be able to salvage the rest of your lot,” he leveled a pointed spear-like arrowhead at the tip of Danny’s forehead. “You’ve outlived your usefulness, rodent.”

A jolt.

A flash of motion, too fast for either party to see.

A swipe of an arm, fast and deadly, striking Draxum across the neck, catching him off guard. He was sent flying backwards, skidding across the linoleum tiles, leaving a slippery trail of bright crimson in his path.

Hand clutching at his neck— grazed, not sliced, missing the corroded artery but hard enough to finally draw a sizable amount of blood— Draxum lifted his head towards the ball that used to be the human detective…

A fiery set of dark emerald irises stared back at him with thin slits where pupils used to be.

But instead of fury… there was more.

Hunger.

Rising to kneel, she slashed the vines still gripping the throats of Mondo and Danny— feeling the rat man in the process of his bindings. As he pushed himself off the floor, Danny stared at the woman before him, his heart dropping. “Kathrine…?”

No longer the woman he knew, this creature lowered herself into a crouch, the fur on her spine rising with the rage, growling so loud it caused Danny’s ears to fall flat against his skull. Spotted with raven black accents to her mangy hair that hung in wisps around her snout and brow. What was left of her clothes hung in tatters around a sturdier physique. Muscles were more rigid, wound too tight like a spring coil ready to leap into the air, toned thicker beneath a thick mane of grungy mustard colored fur.

Mondo gasped, his mouth dropping open in despair. “Mom…!”

Sharp ears shot up. The fur raised on her body, spots almost traveling up the curves of her back, the ridges of her spine. But no motion to acknowledge him was made. Instead, the jaguar mutant opened her mouth and with a graveling voice unlike the detective, she roared.

And like lightening striking from the heavens, Katie leapt; claws outstretched towards Draxum, mouth gaping open mid flight. Just before she could land on him, Draxum rolled out of the way to the side, blood dripping in messy splotches across the floor in his stead.

She hit the ground heavy— claws sinking deep into the tile, digging deep, ripping through granite and grout and cement. Drawing her arm back she threw punched a hole the size of a basketball into the space where he’d been. Emerald eyes darted around, mania enveloping every fiber of her face until she spotted him.

She tore her newly grown fist out of the hole she’d buried it into. A guttural snarl hissed through bared fangs. The jaguar woman roared again, shoulder muscles tensing from the strain of her swinging arms. Grabbing broken chunks of tile she started hurling them at Draxum with the powerful strength of a baseball pitcher, the tiles flying too fast for anyone to see with a naked eye. The moment the debris went flying Danny sprinted towards Mondo, scooping him up and ducking out of range. “Get down!”

Draxum brought a barrier up between himself and the debris, bristling as fragmented pieces rained over his head. He thrust an arm out, sending a flurry of violet tendrils towards the mutated woman to pin her down. But even then, her claws spliced and cut through the toughened exterior of the vines, some of their sharp edges ripping through her hands in the process. She twisted herself out of the tangled mess of concentrated chaos to start running on all fours atop them, as if riding the wave straight back to its source.

Draxum’s eyes widened. Gritting his teeth he cast another set of vines upwards, trying to push her away, but she cut them down. Ever the cunning manipulator he grabbed the forgotten katana, cutting the air at his open side. Just as Katie neared and jumped over the top of the barrier he’d created, reaching a hand towards his face as if to rip it off—

A petrified Casey was suddenly in Draxum’s place, a blue vortex having spit him out to act as a living shield— cowardice behind this tactic. Her claws were centimeters from his skin.

Cat-like eyes turned horrified. At the last moment, she threw her arms around the stocky teen, taking the both of them to the ground with a hard slam. The portal still hummed with life as Draxum reached within again to find another one of the boys to use as a hostage—

Which was his mistake as Raph came barreling out with a shout, wrapping his arms around the bigger man’s chest and tackled him, throwing all his weight into a series of deadly punches. Leo and Donnie came running out next, the slider effortlessly snatching his fallen sword to brandish it and race after Raph to aid him.

The jaguar didn’t move from where she lay on the floor in the middle of the chaos, body stiff with tension, but the teen she had enveloped in a protective hold started to tremble in her arms. Casey started shivering to the point where his teeth chattered aloud. “K-Kat…!”

Her eyes snapped open. She looked at him, too sharp fangs brought together to a painful grit. Sitting the boy upright, the woman whimpered, frantic orbs scamming him for any visible sign of injury or lethal wounds. Casey’s form was littered with dark greenish-purple blotches that scattered haphazardly across his face, his knuckles were shredded open— from bashing his fists into the cage to break free. He looked…

Frightened.

“Momma…?”

Katie’s head shot up, claws raised defensively. Her gaze landed onto the newly scared Mondo— who had approached unnoticed, holding something tight in his fist. Bulbous eyes were thick with glossy tears, though he was holding his fear at bay for the sake of those he held dear. Slowly he took a cautious step forward. “Mom?”

Katie glared. Uncertain. Blinded by anger to fully recognize him.

Mondo swallowed. Shuffling the slightest inch he dared to come closer. “Mom?”

Danny tried to stop the teen, putting a hand on his shoulder, murmuring with urgency, “What th’ hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“Helping my mom!” Mondo snapped back. “She needs us!”

“Ya don’t think I don’t know that?” Danny’s voice cracked— remorse hung thick in his words. “I dunno what Draxum put in his new ooze batches but she ain’t all there. She don’t recognize any of us. If she lashes out on ya and hurts you…”

“She won’t!”

“How can you be sure?!”

“… I don’t.” Mondo pulled himself free. “But I gotta try.”

She snarled in warning. In the background Raph didn’t sound any different from the jaguar in terms of the visceral rage in his tone while he screamed.

The gecko gulped, wilting under her intense gaze. “Mom…!” He pleaded. “It’s me! Jason! Your son!”

Again she dropped her stance into a crouch, snarling louder. Her fur raised high upon her arms and neck, bristling with a festering anger.

“Mom please! Look at me!” Mondo held up the item clutched in his fist. The golden metal of her police badge glistened under the faded fluorescent bulbs of the massive underground laboratory. Untouched by the brutality around them, the insidious reflection of the monster looked back…

But those eyes weren’t the same.

“This isn’t you!” Mondo cried. “You’re still in there! I know you are! You aren’t a beast or a failure! You’re a detective! You help people! You’ve saved us a dozen times and you never gave up on us!” Lips quivering he choked on words. “You never… gave up on me either… even when I dragged you down all the time. I can’t lose you… I don’t wanna be alone anymore! I don’t wanna go back home knowing you won’t be there! I can’t give up on you when you need us now more than ever!”

Katie started creeping towards him. Casey gasped with distress, eyeing both her and Mondo rapidly, hands slowly creeping towards a fallen taser glove… just in case.

Backing up, Mondo continued. “Remember what you said to me?! Back when you first took me in?! No matter what happens, even if there’s nothing left in the universe, I’ll still be around to look out for you! Cuz that’s what family is for! I’ll never go away! I won’t go home without you! You don’t deserve to be alone!” His back hit the forsaken mutation pods; trapped with nowhere else to escape. “And… if it takes forever… even if I never go home again… I’ll stay. There’s nothing for me back there if you’re not around to see it. I-I wanna win skateboarding contests and show you my awards. I wanna go to school and bring you my test grades so you can be proud of me…” tears freely fell down his cheeks this time. “I wanna graduate high school and see you in the crowd when I get my diploma! I wanna watch cowboy movies with you on the couch and throw popcorn at the TV when commercials come on! I wanna keep learning Spanish even though I’m not good at it!”

Katie’s ferocious eyes sharpened in anticipation, claws raking into the tile to screech, causing Mondo to cringe at the sound. The jaguar hissed, airy and devilish, waiting got any chance to strike.

“I never had that with my folks before you took care of me! I never had a chance to be a kid after I got mutated! I never got to be happy! I only wanted friends! I just…” Mondo’s sobs turned sorrowful. Eyes turned upward to meet hers despite the terror that wrapped around his heart. “I want my Mom.”

Then, without hesitation…

He threw himself into her, hugging the jaguar woman.

Danny hopped to his feet, ready to intervene should things escalate. Casey’s taser glove buzzed with electricity, his arm shaking with worry. In the background, Raph was thrown ten feet in the air. Leo dashed after him to catch the turtle. Donnie was shouting something but it was muffled from the chaos.

Katie’s body nearly recoiled from the embrace, her snarls turning to growls, claws poised and ready to start tearing into the fragile flesh of the gecko as primal instincts kicked into gear—

“H… hu…”

Claws fought for control. They seemed to battle themselves, retracting, releasing, over and over again. Her eye twitched. Her muscles tensed. The veins in her neck stuck out from beneath strained skin, her jaw snapping shut to prevent herself from doing anything to Mondo. One hand grabbed her face, clawing her head as she writhed and kicked, fighting for dominance over what little of her sanity was left. Even straining through the pain the woman punched her head with powerful blows, like she was attempting to knock whatever it was inside her brain out. “N-NOOOOOO…! H-HURT!”

“Mom!” Mondo cried. “Mom, you can fight through this! Come back to us!”

“Stay back!” Danny pulled the gecko away, his eyes worried as he observed the terrible scene. “Casey! Take yer pal and keep your distance!”

Without hesitation the teen leapt to his feet, grabbing Mondo by the arm to pull him back. “What’re you gonna do?!”

Danny frowned. “… I honestly don’t have a clue.” He lowered himself to her level, narrowly ducking out of the way of Katie’s incoming fist. Spastic, she cracked her fist into the floor with a crash. A guttural scream came through as she tossed and turned, clawing her head desperately.

Danny moved seamlessly; his hands latched around her wrists, prying them away from her head to stop the beating she gave herself, lest it lead to a concussion. As he fought to maintain his hold on her, the yōkai cried out. “I dunno if you can hear me in there or if you can understand what I’m about t’ tell ya, but you’re worth every broken bone I got in my ribs. I wouldn’t trade ya for nothing.” When she tried to pull away again, he tugged her body close, pressing his brow to her own and whispering.

“Yer sister needs you. These kids need you. I need you. Please… just come back to me.”

***********

EEEEEE SUSPENSE 🤣

Hope you like this one!

@queen-with-the-quill @tending-the-hearth @wasted-and-ready @figuringitoutasigoalong

#tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt fanfiction #tmnt crossover #tmnt oc #familia: through space and time #tmnt 2012 #tmnt 2007 #tmnt mutant mayhem #rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #tmnt mondo gecko #tmnt 2012 casey jones #tmnt raphael #tmnt mm donnie #mm donnie #rottmnt leo #rottmnt leonardo #rottmnt baron draxum #rottmnt dastardly danny #dastardly danny #angst #whump #Tmnt whump #tmnt au

[troblsomtwins829]

This is an old game, but there is still so much that we don't know.

One of the first things you can unlock in Jak 2 is Big/Small head mode, and I turned it on because I wanted to see how ridiculous it was. And it WAS ridiculous. But it was also a great model to see Jak's hair because I have a PS2, and those games were designed with a very different graphics output than our modern consoles. And I noticed something.

Jak's hair is RAGGED. Not like "It's been buzzed off and grew back messy" ragged, I mean "Left alone without an ounce of care offered" ragged. Weither the unfortunate messy mop he has in 'Daxter' is due to shrinkage or matts, this is still a fairly accurate amount of growth for two straight years. (For reference, the average human grows hair at a rate of one inch per two months)

I understand, as a 3d model, his hair is one object out of convenience, but when Daxter still holds on to that mop during a spin attack and Jak's response is a visual grimace, that hair may likely have ended up being a minimum single object over his time in prison.

Other Finds:

There are signs posted EVERYWHERE, and I DO mean EVERYWHERE. Everything from traffic signs to advertisements to shop signs! And they all say and mean things! Here's a few I noted

There's even a few Zoomer ads, but I cannot for the life of me make out anything more than "Long life" and part of the model

Another neat thing I found, though probably not new, is that when and NPC doesn't have a mission for you, they just don't exist. This is me in the Underground Base while I had misc stuff going on, standing in Torn's spot because he's just not there! Maybe he really DOES get some fresh air once in a while!

There's a map in the Underground Base, and I don't see this map anywhere else in the game, nor does it appear to line up with anywhere in Haven

It's an aerial view, but of what? It HAS to be Haven somewhere, why else would it be there? Is this an old map of the city before the walls were built? How long have the walls been there? How long has Haven been without it's rightful king? It's a very large city, that has heavily populated areas, but given the existence of Dead Town and areas beyond, it clearly used to have a much bigger footprint. The wall clearly wasn't built with travel along it in mind, it intersects houses and security gates. There are no patrols along it. I haven't seen so much as a guard or turret tower. And yet the walls are so tall and so thick, that they contain a whole network of power transportation to keep the shield walls up. Who designed it? And why isn't it maintained better?

Of course we know the answer to the latter question: Baron Praxis.

Baron Praxis is so uncaring toward his people, this much is obvious given the state of the slums, but Riddle me this: What dystopia leaders of note have enough funding to put up a giant FLASHING NEON propaganda ad in the middle of the slums, and still refuses to believe that people in the flooded districts of their city have no trouble getting into their homes?

These people have no way to get to these buildings, no WONDER they build their homes on stilts! The Water Slums is filled with what look like communal hovels and ramshackle dwellings that are staying upright and afloat with twigs and prayers.

Speaking of Prayers: The oracle.

There's this tapestry in the Oracle in the Water slums. There's like eight of them, but they all say the same thing. I've found no translations of this anywhere online, so I got real close and personal and snapped some pics to translate. And it's...it's oddly specific, in context, but I can't explain why in the world it's worded the way it is.

Translation is as follows:

"THE NOBLE WILL BE ASSURED OF A PLACE IN HISTORY THUS BEING GRANTED A FORM OF LIFE TO BE FOREVER VENERATED BY THEIR ANCESTORS AS ONE WHO LIVED A LIFE OF GOOD"

That is such an odd wording. Why "Ancestors?" Why not "Descendants?" that would make more sense, giving that noble person a place in history. It's clearly meant to be a general statement to the people and the followers of the Precursor beliefs to live their best life and BE a good person overall, but the way this is worded feels so specific toward Jak. I can't shake the notion that this is some old prophecy or prayer given from the Oracle before it fell silent that's been woven into that tapestry and hung in that place of worship.

#jak and daxter #LORE HUNT #jnd #I'm probably crazy #translations! #minor spoilers? #i did this instead of playing zelda #be proud of me

[lifeofamarauder]

Dark Prince 2

Mattheo Riddle x Odette 

Part 2 <3 (it gets more spicy as we go but you first need to SUFFER)

Word count- 1,487 words

Note- I wrote this not from Y/n perspective but let me know if you want me to post that version as well if you prefer it! I tried not to use too many descriptors for Odette, other than her house and family names.

.

.

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I woke up to the sound of rain hitting the windows next to me. I looked out and saw it was starting to get dark. The library was nearly empty of students, save for a few stragglers and the book I'd started was splayed out in front of me.

To my surprise, on its left stood a hot chocolate. I couldn't help but wonder if That Boy had brought it to me. I decide this is impossible and figure it could always have been one of the castles many house elves. I'd formed a bit of a bond with them when I joined a Gryffindor my year and a few others to protest for their rights, so it's not unlikely for them to have brought it. It certainly feels more likely that they would have brought it rather than the ever mysterious Mattheo whom I’d just met.

I picked up my books and the hot chocolate and started sipping on it as I walked past the many shelves, planning to sneak down to the kitchens and grab some food to bring upstairs so I wouldn't have to talk to anyone. I was so focused on not spilling the rich chocolate on my books that I almost didn't notice the Slytherin girl coming straight towards me with a sickly sweet smile.

"Hi! Im Astoria. You're Odette, right? Ravenclaw?"

I looked down at my obviously blue robes and back up to her.

"Yes...?"

"Right. Pleasure." She held out her hand and her face gave me the impression it was anything but a pleasure for her to be talking to me.

"I heard about your meeting with Mattheo today, I thought it was really nice what he did for you, seeing as it was your birthday and your only plan was to read in the library.” Astoria was looking me up and down by this point, utterly unimpressed. “Alone.”

Again, her facial expressions directly juxtaposed what she was saying, but I was too curious if this meant Mattheo really did bring me the hot chocolate so I took the bait willingly.

"Sorry, what exactly did he do for me?"

"The spot, silly. It clearly meant a lot to you seeing as you were looking like you were about to cry.." She chuckled then, the first actual smile that came to her face. "I just wanted to come wish you a Happy Birthday as well after hearing about everything. It was so sweet of him."

Astoria was nodding so fervently at that last line that I felt myself nodding along.

"I mean he's so... charitable. Yeah, that's one of the things I love most about him." At this she began glaring down at me all pretend niceties gone by this point.

Ah... understood. I began feeling slightly embarrassed by my earlier feelings around him as she was making it clear that he was her boyfriend. Yikes.

"Yeah, ok, I get it. Thanks. If you’ll excuse me,” I nudged past her and went to the Great Hall. So far my whole having-this-day-all-to-myself thing was ruined anyways so I might as well ensure I have a fulfilling dinner.

I head to the Ravenclaw table and find a seat across from Luna, reading her Dads magazine, the Quibbler.

After calling her name a few times, Luna finally looks up, looking utterly perplexed at her friends sudden appearance.

"Geez Luna, you look like you've seen the Bloody Baron. Its only me!" She smiled at me then, a huge bright smile that reached her whole face.

"Odette! Happy birthday!! I wasn't expecting to be able to see you until tomorrow. I have something for you!" She said airily.

Luna pulls out a large glass ball with a gold band around it from her pocket. "It's a Remembral, if you ever forget something, it'll glow red!" She exclaimed while reaching across the large table to hug me. Though it wasn’t the most comfortable hug, the sentiment was so nice I ignored it and laughed, thanking her. I sit back down and just as I'm reaching for some of the feast, I look up feeling someone's eyes on me.

Right behind Luna, I find a broody Mattheo. Under the candle-light I swear his eyes sparkle.

I notice he's surrounded by some of my absolute least favorite Slytherins. While they look like they're are trying to all carry on conversations with him, he hasn't taken his eyes off of me.

I point to the hot chocolate with a questioning look on my face and he smiles, looking back down at his food. I match his grin until Astoria sits directly down next to him and whispers something in his ear. He looks at her and I force myself to look away, reminding myself he’s taken and I have absolutely no interest in him whatsoever.

I finish my meal rather quickly and Luna prattles on about the different articles from this week. I’m thankful as my mind is filled with thoughts of what Astoria could’ve been whispering in Mattheo’s ear.

I work hard not to look at them through the whole meal, even if I do have the sensation that he keeps staring at me.

As I'm about to get up, I am stopped by a shoulder gently forcing me back down to the bench.

"Odette! Happy Birthday special girl."

My brother has a knack for talking exactly like our Great Aunt Amelia on occasion. I notice at his appearance, Luna quietly excuses herself to her dorm.

"Thanks, Silas."

He smiles his million watt smile and pulls a small box wrapped with a giant blue bow out of his pocket.

"This is from me and Mum. She picked it out but I wrapped it. It’s going to dazzle you.

I gingerly take the box from him and begin opening it already dreading whatever my Mums cooked up for this years gift.

I open the box and am in fact quite dazzled. Inside, a large gaudy blue stone sits surrounded by a thick silver chain and diamonds all around the border. It looks entirely too expensive and it’s something I would never pick out myself. Silas motions for me to bend down as he places it around my neck. I find myself leaning forward from its weight. I feign a smile and look up at my brother, thinking what to say to please him.

"Thank you so much! This will be perfect at our Christmas party this year." I gingerly hug him, this one still somehow much less comfortable than the one Luna gave me over the table.

"Oh, boy. You haven't talked to Mom yet have you? She told me she would mention it to you.. Well no stress. Mum planned a trip with some of the Ministry members over Christmas for me to mingle and set up a job for when I graduate this year. You said Luna stayed back last year for Christmas and we thought maybe you could join her and have Christmas at the castle. Honestly you would hate talking with all of those Ministry folk anyways so this felt like the perfect idea for all of us." He said this while nodding at me and smiling his all too diplomatic smile.

This is just like him to somehow try to spin something he and Mum want to do, pretending it’s for my benefit. In this case, I could disagree about how awful that Holiday sounds but forgetting to even tell me until my birthday? I feel a sudden sickness wash over me, overwhelming my senses. I need to get out of here right now.

"Right. Yes, that's no problem. Thank you for the necklace again." I grab my things and rush out of the dining hall not sparing a glance over my shoulder until I'm out of eyesight.

As I turn the corner, I stop and cover my face, trying to take deep breaths. I have never felt so discarded and overlooked and on my birthday of all days. And all I could say was thank you?? I can’t tell if I am more mad them for their disregard of my feelings, or at myself for not being able to say what I really feel.

"Nice necklace, Princess."

I spin around finding Mattheo leaning against the wall behind me.

"It's very...." he looks at it debating his word choice. "Loud." He decides.

"I didn’t pick, my brother just gave it to me." I say, monotone. “I don’t really even like it,” I feel compelled to say so he doesn’t think that this is me.

"Why are you wearing it if you dont like it?"

I hesitate looking up towards the ceiling, then, "You know, I ask myself questions like that all the time."

I slump against the wall and feel him slide up next to me.

"So do I."

I look at him then and we lock eyes once more.

"Odette." He says, his voice slightly hoarse and I swear he looks down at my lips then.

My breath catches at my name and I feel myself instinctively leaning towards him but pull back when I hear laughing down the hall. I remember myself, and more importantly, I remember his girlfriend. I push off the wall and he looks up at me dazed.

"I don't think Astoria would feel very good about how you keep getting so close to me."

His face turns to one of thoughtfulness as I back away still unable to shift gazes away from him.

"I suppose she wouldn't."

That does it. I look away then and thank him for checking on me over my shoulder, dismissing all thoughts from my head over what could've just happened.

I hear him say something under his breath and I turn around, but he's gone. My pocket feels heavier so I dig inside it finding a very delicate gold chain with blue and green stones dotting it. It's stunning, and utterly inappropriate for someone with a girlfriend to give me. But it's perfect, somehow exactly what I would have picked out for myself.

So, I decide my days been so shit and maybe just maybe I want to convince myself it's okay because it's so pretty and so me. I settle with telling myself I will forever avoid him from here on out, but still keep the necklace. I pocket the chain and head upstairs.

I sit in bed playing with the delicate gems in one hand as I pet Jinx with the other and I can't help my mind from wandering back to that confusing boy and his deadly eyes.

#mattheo thomas riddle #mattheo riddle fic #mattheo riddle x fem!reader #ravenclaw #benjamin wadsworth #mattheo riddle fanfiction #deadly class #mattheo riddle imagine #mattheo riddle fluff #benjamin wadsworth imagine #harry potter #hogwarts imagine #hogwarts fanfiction #slytherin x ravenclaw #mattheo riddle aesthetic #mattheo riddle icons #theo riddle #princess #mattheo x you #mattheo riddle x you #mattheoxreader #mattheo x reader #mattheo riddle x reader #the dark prince #dark prince #odette #mattheo x odette

[raventreehall]

will likely delete but i need somewhere to dune post and my main blog is not the place... anyway I'M OBSESSED WITH COUNT FENRIG. he's the emperor's bff. straight up described as evil-looking. has secret convos with the baron and makes lame jokes about treason out loud in front of the great houses. supportive of his witch wife seducing and getting impregnated by a psychopath for her religious eugenics program. an almost kwisatz haderach???!!!!??? ordered by the emperor to kill paul but refuses bc he feels a bond with him! ok who is slaying like him!!!!!! denis why'd you cut him outtttt

#dune

[diableasura]

Now that i've watched every one piece movie that isn't a retelling of an anime arc or straw hat chase i'm gonna go ahead and indulge in the very human tendency of ranking them in order from best to worst (SPOILERS!!!!):

One Piece: Strong World. Maybe it's because this was the first movie i watched and my first experience with one piece in animation but strong world has remained my favorite since day one (though the second place is very very close i must say). The straw hats are all great and have their little moment to shine the plot is solid and they do a great job with nami, out of the four straw hats with a movie more focused on them she's by far the one that gets the best treatment. Strong world is in the perfect position of being a pre time skip movie, so it's not dragged down by the expanding cast of post time skip, but also since it was the tenth anniversary movie they put in more effort than with the previous movies and it shows. Also sanjis cowboy outfit instantly makes it top tier.

One Piece: Film Gold. I'm... kind of obsessed with this movie?? Seeing the straw hats in a heist really scratched an itch i didn't know i had but my god does it feel good. The designs really excelled here the crew looks gorgeous throughout the entire movie and tesoro's island is so interesting and fits very well in the one piece world. Tesoro is also my favorite villain of any movie, i've seen people say he's the perfect blend between crocodile and doffy and that's so true lmao. Loved having zoro as the damsell in distress, inject that shit straight into my veins i love it when the strong character is the one in need of rescue. Everyone was very cool during the heist but i remember really enjoying franky and luffy's dynamic cause lbr we're kinda starved of it in the manga so it was nice to see them interact so much here. Overall amazing movie and the only one i've rewatched out of all of them.

Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island. This movie has become a cult classic amongst the fandom and with good reason. It breaks away from the loud spectacle of the other movies and is quieter and more unsettling and so far the only example of actual psychological horror in the lore. I've talked about this before but that final scene with the straw hats cheering luffy on even while they're being consumed by the baron and luffy struggling to the brink of death to save them changed me... I love seeing this family love each other so much!!

Clockwork Island Adventure. I know, I know what's the second movie doing so high up... but it was just so good!! It's very short but that's just a benefit to the plot and i love the gimmick of each straw hat being captured one by one till it's just luffy remaining and the one who has to free them (can you tell i love the movies where the straw hats are kidnapped and the others have to rescue them?? that's my drug). Sanji's fight in this movie kicks ass too, the animation is gorgeous.

One Piece: Film Red. This might seem like a sin, to have this movie so far down the list cause i've seen its pretty unanimously tied up with baron omatsuri as the best movie but to be honest i feel like that's just recency bias. The movie is still a spectacle and the songs slap and yes one of them was in the top 5 of my spotify wrapped this year lol. Uta is a good antagonist but i was never that hooked by her shared past with shanks and luffy, mainly because it's so aggressively impossible for it to be canon, it almost broke my suspension of disbelief. Zosan sleeping side by side was pleasing to my monkey brain and it almost made up for including st charlos in the movie seriously what the fuck was he doing there-

One piece: Stampede. The start of this movie is amazing cause they come up with the perfect competition to have all of these pirate crews on the same place but it quickly devolves into a "how many characters can we fit in" contest and the plot quickly turns into "lets all beat up the villain", which is fine! I did like seeing so many characters, at one point half way through the movie crocodile just appears out of nowhere lmao but hey i'm not complaining i love crocodile. Usopp is the straw hat who's focused on the most in the movie and i feel conflicted with what they did with him cause it just felt like they were making him go through his water 7 arc all over again by having his inferiority complex flaring up. And usopps arc was amazing in water 7 but reviving it for this movie felt a bit weird and repetitive. Despite this though i was very happy seeing him getting the focus, usopp is a painfully underrated character so having him on the spotlight is always welcome.

Dead End Adventure. This movie is a lot of fun. There's a bar fight, a secret pirate race and sanji being his sneaky self and helping out luffy during the final fight. Whats not to love?

One Piece: Film Z. Much like Stampede, i really enjoyed the start of this movie cause the monster trio get to briefly fight the big baddie together, but the plot kinda loses some steam for me after that. Also they tried to make the admirals sympathetic cause the villain is a retired admiral who was once their mentor but i really really really dont care about the marines at all so that was a bit awkward. The straw hats look stunning in this movie, i love that in the movies they give them a million different outfits and the ones from this one absolutely slayed.

Choppers Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals. Another fun movie where all the straw hats get a moment be cool. There's a kid on this island who i found completely insufferable but i can forgive this movie cause this is also where zosan have that famous scene where they praise the other to their defeated oponent, which made my monkey brain happy.

One Piece: The Movie. This movie's biggest misstep is that sanji isn't in it, but even with this critical flaw it was still quite enjoyable. Zoro is very funny on his own but add luffy into the mix and their dynamic was hilarious. Usopp as always was great. The villain is small potatoes tbh but not really the important part of the movie, which focuses more on the relationship between the kid they meet and his gramps. The final message was surprisingly very sweet. Also sanji appears briefly in the end credits to appease me.

Giant Mechanical Soldier of Karakuri Castle. This movie is a-okay. The villains are a complete joke and it takes the crew less than five minutes to deal with them. The crew dynamics carry all of my enjoyment with this one.

The Cursed Holy Sword. Yeah... this movie commited the unforgivable sin of having zoro as the main focus and yet managing to do absolutely nothing interesting with him. Even if they did shamelessly create kuina 2.0 with saga, they could've delved into how zoro would react when two different duties (his promise to saga and his position as the crew swordsman) clash against each other... but instead we see no conflict with zoro, even though we all know this situation would be conflicting for him. They just make him scowl throughout the whole runtime and thats just not who Zoro is... Luffy and usopp are a lot of fun though.

TL; DR my ranking is:

Strong World

Gold

Baron Omatsuri

Clockword Island

Red

Stampede

Dead End

Z

Choppers Kingdom

One Piece: The Movie

Karakuri Castle

Cursed Holy Sword

Conclusion: the one piece brainrot is no joke.

#one piece strong world #one piece film gold #baron omatsuri #baron omatsuri and the secret island #clockwork island adventure #one piece film red #one piece #one piece film z #the cursed holy sword #chopper's kingdom #one piece stampede #one piece karakuri castle #the giant mechanical soldier of karakuri castle #one piece movie 1 #clockwork island

[riveranova]

Heyy can i please request clavis x fem reader smut with fluff?💕

(A/N): MY FIRST REQUEST JAJSHAJA- ahem. Why, yes! Of course you can! I hope you like it~ 🤍

And happy new year!

Kiss Me at Midnight - Clavis Lelouch x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Smut | minors DNI, riding, fingering, fluff, Clavis being a lil bit sappy Character: Clavis Lelouch, Ikemen Prince

Word count: 1.495

His breath found its way into the night sky. It passed over his head like small clouds and then dissolved into nothingness.

Clavis had been standing on the terrace for some time, separating the quiet outside world from the hustle and bustle of the ball that was taking place in the palace.

Dressed in his expensive party suit, he leaned against the railing.

It was the annual New Year's party in Rhodolite’s palace, but for him it was nothing like the years before. Normally he'd be inside by now, with some important baron or viscount, with a glass of water in hand, which he cleverly disguised as alcohol, and aiming to get a piece of information out of them. For him, these parties were usually not an event of relaxation, but work.

Not this year, not today. With a smile he shook his head and turned back towards the ball. He promptly had a minor heart attack.

''Hehe boo!'' said a small piece of cake held in his face. Behind it was your grinning face. Clavis chuckled softly and took the sweet pastry from you. 'Why are you standing out here alone? ... You're not planning anything, are you? Sariel had enough headaches from your great idea of having real snow fall on the guests.'' you said, narrowing your eyes at him. Clavis couldn't hide the grin that appeared on his face anymore. ''For real? I thought the idea was great. But no, I'm not planning anything - don't worry.'' He turned back towards the rose garden. His smile was almost nostalgic. ‘‘No, I… was thinking. You know, ever since you said won't leave me alone - understandable, by the way - my life isn't going the way it used to be... I think I'm still a bit clumsy...'' he turned back to you with a mischievous smile. There was warmth and appreciation in his eyes now. "'I never thought I'd be dancing with my beautiful girlfriend instead of talking to sleazy old barons.'" He took a bite of his cake. Immediately he realized that Yves must have been the baker and he remembered that he had been too busy to taste the cake all those years before.

He put the plate on the railing and turned back to you. You looked almost ethereal in the soft light that came from the ballroom behind you, and Clavis made a mental note to get you dresses that show your figure more often. God, he couldn't get enough of the sight of you.

Forgetting the cake, he took a step towards you and put his arms around your waist. With a surprised squeak, you're pressed tightly against his chest. Forgetting the cold air around you, Clavis rests his head in the crook of your neck. ''Thanks...'' he whispered against your neck and a shiver ran down your spine. ''Clavis...'' you murmured and snuggled up against his hard chest. A laugh escaped him, and he straightened to face you. ‘‘Not my style at all, huh? I know I... I can't help but think I'm really lucky. I mean, with you.'' He smiled softly at you, and you felt your cheeks start to grow warmer. ''D-don't say it like that...'' you said with a light, shy laugh. Immediately Clavis' familiar grin was back, and he turned towards the railing with you in his arms to gently push you against it. "'Haha, I'm driving you as crazy as you are driving me am I right, young lady?'" he said happily, bringing his face closer and closer to yours. The fact that your face was almost a tomato now confirmed his statement and his grin turned playful as he ran his finger along your exposed collarbone. Your grip on the jacket of his suit tightened and Clavis let out a mock shocked sigh. "'My goodness, what kind of gentleman am I to leave my lovely girlfriend out here in the cold?'" With one movement he scooped you up in his arms and walked straight into the ballroom. With quick, big steps he crossed until he disappeared through the doors, with you in his arms.

Yves, standing not far from you, put down his drink and went to follow Clavis, but Leon stopped him with a hand on his back. ''Better leave them alone, Yves.'' he grinned. Yves narrowed his eyes and stepped back. ‘‘But it’s almost midnight! Can't this… this pervert wait a little longer?!'' he took a long gulp of his drink and turned back to Leon.

Clavis, meanwhile, had already arrived in his room and almost threw you onto his bed before pouncing on you with hungry eyes. Only now did he notice your gaze. ''I was wondering why you didn't put up a fight with my little kidnapping act. You wanted this the whole time, huh?'' he grinned and started to undo the bows of your dress. With red cheeks you opened his shirt and chuckled slightly. ''Not really, I just wanted to know why you were standing outside in the cold while everyone else was in the warm room like normal people, but...'' your eyes found his, embarrassed. ''I... don't dislike this outcome...''

A little later, freed from your clothes, Clavis covered your mouth to stifle the lovely noises that escaped uncontrollably from your mouth while the fingers of his other hand were sunk deep into your pussy. Your hands clung to his upper arms; your eyes shut tight. Even if they were open, the tears of your ecstasy would completely blur your vision.

Clavis lips sucked and nibbled at your neck, leaving wet, red trails that hurt so good you could come from his touch alone. But Clavis had other plans. With a wet sound, he removed his fingers from you. Immediately you whimpered against his hand, desperate to fill the emptiness inside you again. Clavis' soft laughter filled your ears, and you opened your eyes to look at him. He wiped the tears from your eyes with a gentle smile. ''You didn't think that was all, did you, my little bunny?'' he removed his hand from your mouth. ''P-Please...'' came the soft, broken reply. Your voice was dripping with lust that only Clavis could satisfy. His hand gently stroked your cheek and with a jerk he placed you on his hips. His strong arms supported your trembling body. '’You have to work for what you want, bunny. Come on-'' his voice dropped, and he ran his arms up your waist to your breasts. ''Ride me.''

That's all it needed, forgetting how exhausted you already were, you took his hard, throbbing cock in your hands and with almost trained precision he disappeared deep inside you. Clavis threw his head back, his hair fell in front of his eyes, and he looked at you with half-opened eyes. With a hungry look, almost like a leopard, he started thrusting into you from below while his hands wandered over your body.

With your hands on his chest, you leaned forward and caught his lips in a kiss that consisted mostly of moans. Completely forgetting that you were supposed to be quiet, you clung to him like he was your lifeline and moaned his name.

After just a few thrusts, you felt your climax approaching, still agitated from before. Clavis felt the same way, so he grabbed your hips and turned you around so he could thrust into you from above. Immediately your hands got caught in his sheets. Clavis grinned and placed his arms next to your head so he could place a kiss on your forehead. 'Come with me baby. Give me... everything you have and... I'll give you just as much.'' His sentences were cut short by his groans and heavy breathing. His thrusts became more and more uncontrollable until you came with a groan that was stifled by a kiss, and Clavis slumped onto you. A tired giggle escaped you and you gently stroked his hair. Clavis grunted against your chest and looked up. "Don't you ever stop," he said, laying his head down again. Your giggle turned into a laugh. ''Clavis, the ball isn't over yet, we can-'' but he cut you off with a kiss. ‘‘I won’t let you go back into the ballroom tonight.'' he put his hands on your cheeks and stroked them gently. ''Besides, it's too late now anyway~'' as if he had planned it, dozens of colors exploded in the sky outside his window. The great fireworks that were planned by the princes every year lit up the sky in the most beautiful colors.

Usually, he was too busy to enjoy it.

But not this year, not today.

Today he was in your arms, your hands in his hair - your bodies lit up by the fireworks outside and there was no place Clavis would rather be.

''Happy New Year, my little bunny.''

#Ikemen Prince #Ikemen #Clavis Lelouch #Smut #Clavis x Reader #Fem!Reader #Clavis x Fem!Reader #riveranova #Ikemen Prince x Reader #Ikemen Prince x Fem!Reader #Yves Kloss #leon dompteur

[strawberrywindow]

Done with notes for Justine and Machine for Pigs - a few thoughts:

1. The ending chase in Justine with Malo still terrifies me. Damn you water sections 🥲

2. I wish we had more info on the star shaped soapstone and its significance. Justine's father having one and one being mentioned in two of the Remember short stories means something, but there's almost nothing actually said about what they do lol.

3. I don't know HOW I never noticed until this playthrough but Oswald killed Edwin and Enoch IN Mexico and only brought their skulls back to London which is...odd, since the journal entries we find WRITTEN by Edwin and Enoch do not fit the timeline now as they should already have been long dead but I don't think this is an oversight because if it is it's a MASSIVE one lmao.

4. On if Oswald's great-uncle is Daniel or Alexander, it really seems like the game wants to push that it's Alexander but I can't for the life of me make sense of how. Alexander can't be an uncle of any kind if he has no siblings in this world and I saw someone posit that maybe he married into the Mandus family for nobility reasons but I don't think that's it. The Mandus meat company opened in 1828, meaning that by 1839 I DOUBT they were well off enough to marry a daughter off to a Prussian baron considerimg their family started as simple butchers lol. Plus, it's said in Dark Descent specifically that its presumed the baron DOES have a wife and heirs but no one has ever seen them, which I took to mean they don't actually exist and Alexander only claims they do to keep up appearances. Now, Daniel being the great-uncle makes much more sense. He has a sister, Hazel, that we know of and considering that it's highly hinted Daniel was raised in a lower-middle class family, with his father being an artisan of some kind - possibly something involving dying or painting - its far more possible for Hazel to marry into a family of butchers that wind up making a fortune for themselves that Oswald can inherit by the 1880s-90s, than it is for Alexander to marry into a family like that, as it would provide nothing for him nobility wise, but is a decent marriage prospect for Hazel. Also, in every ending in TDD Alexander either dies or goes through the portal. How would Oswald know about him? I guess unless the Machine/Orb showed him that as a vision too, but the way Oswald talks about him is with some sense of familiarity I feel, not as though he only learned of him in the past year. There's a 60 year difference between the first and second game, and if we make Daniel even as old as he's likely to possibly be in 1839, say 25, then by 1899 he would have been 85. Not unreasonable lol, and even if he didn't live THAT long, it's still possible Oswald knew him before he passed, or even knew Hazel if she wound up living to adulthood as by 1899, she would only be 75. Daniel survives in two of the original endings, one walking away from the castle and one ascending to some higher plane. Oswald says he can smell his great-uncles prescence in the Orb, which may hint to the latter ending being the canon one. But if this is the case it opens a lot more questions, - when don't these games lol? - like, did Daniel come back from that other plane and live a 'normal' life while also deepening his knowledge of the Orbs? I can't imagine he would have wanted to leave Hazel behind forever. Did Oswald speak with his great-uncle after having his visions? It's not terribly well explained how he gained knowledge of vitae which he specifically knows of from tales of Brennenburg, or got the body of the servant grunt straight up shipped to him lmao. I just.....it doesn't make sense for his great-uncle to be Alexander imo but if it's DANIEL then I have a lot of questions lmao.

#amnesia a machine for pigs #amnesia the dark descent #oswald mandus #daniel of mayfair #frictional games #amnesia justine

[warsofasoiaf]

In ASOIAF all landholding nobility is either called Lord or are Landed Knights. As ASOIAF is based on the English War of the Roses, where would a Lord be in English noble hierarchy? And if would the Lord Paramounts be Dukes if England / France around the Wars of Roses?

Be careful of going straight one-for-one. While the War of the Roses is a large inspiration for ASOIAF, it's not the be-all and end-all of GRRM's inspiration, even for worldbuilding. GRRM's worldbuilding is also somewhat simplified - there are Marcher lords much like there were for the Welsh Marches and that implies a special level of feudal obligation and consideration, but we see no other distinctions other than lordly rank and landed knight/master rank, which wouldn't map directly to the duke->marquis->earl->viscount->baron.

Much of a lord's wealth would be wrapped up in their fief and holdings that might not necessarily have straight correspondence with their rank. Take for example, the Knight of Ninestars, who is only a landed knight but commands great power and respect. He may not necessarily be seated above the salt by right of rank, but a wise Arryn would probably sit them above the salt anyway to avoid insulting a powerful vassal. An impoverished lord of a small fief might only have a small tower house in a state of semi-disrepair, but would still have the rank and the privileges bestowed upon them despite their genteel poverty.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

#feudalism #laws and customs