#that he used his OWN feather for the lure he gives us (which is basically a proposal as far as I'm concerned!)

[from-my-gabriel-notebook]

Feathered pillow

Word count: 798

Balthazar, a bottle of champagne and a flute in his hands, was casually walking through the dark house, lost in thoughts.

Since you had forbidden hooks up while you and the Winchesters were exploiting their welcome at one of their safe houses, he had no choice but to turn to his second favourite way to spend some time and indulge in some other form of hedonism. In other words, spending the night in the Jacuzzi with some expensive drink.

Yet, while walking past the game room, something in the corner of his eye made him stop and lured him in.

He still wasn't used to seeing his brother with his wings out.

Gabriel was sitting cross-legged on the big couch that took most of the space of the room, fully involved in his current race in Mario Kart.

That wasn't surprising. The youngest archangel had always been full of energy, never unmoving for long, and since sleeping wasn't really an option for them, he had to find alternative ways keep himself busy. Balthazar doubted he had any annoyance at being stopped from finding someone to spend the night with, and, while Gabriel was probably not aware of the why, Balthazar didn't have to wonder the reason for his change of habit.

He was, hower, surprised the volume the game was at. While it was more than enough for their supernatural hearing, it was low enough that a human would have had difficulties in catching it. Could it be to not disturb those hunters? Knowing the Trickster, it was more likely he would keep it loud just to annoy them.

Too add to the list of oddities, he noticed that his wings weren't moving as they should. To be precise, they weren't moving at all.

While Gabriel was putting his whole body in the curves of the game, leaning this and that way like one must do in the turns, he was also making a considerable effort on making sure his wings stayed fixed to their spot, even stretching them to make sure they stayed still.

He took Balthazar only a couple of steps inside the room to have both his questions answered.

Of course.

He couldn't see it until he was closer, the couch and his brother's wings obscuring his view, but really, who else could make him act with such care?

You were sitting on the couch too. Surely you must had been playing as well, racing against his brother as usual, until you had grown too sleepy to make a decent opponent and decided to just sit and watch him beat his own records instead. Now the joystick laid abandoned on your lap, as you rested with eyes closed and soft breaths in your sleep.

And putting all of you weight on one of Gabriel's wings, basically using it as a pillow.

Pillow and blanket, Balthazar corrected himself, watching amused how said wing was curving protectively around you body.

He so wanted to take a picture, but who knows where the Archangel would have sent him if he did. Their perfect memory would have to do, but the teasing possibilities lowered considerably without a physical proof to show others. The pity.

But apparently their Father wanted to repay him for this wrong – or He was tired of those two and He was trying to give you an hint (in which case, good luck, you were both far too oblivious for something as subtle as this to work) – because, as he watched, his brother put too much energy into a turn, leaning a little too far on the side and making the couch give under his movement. Gravity worked its magic and your body followed until you ended up with your head in his lap.

Gabriel froze (sending his little pilot off the road and straight off a cliff) while you, true to your nature, shifted until you were comfortably hugging his legs.

He slowly rose to a straighter position, and the situation was reversed, with his wings being the only part of himself he allowed to move. Balthazar couldn't keep in a snicker. A death glare was immediately shot in his direction, but it's effectiveness was tampered, with how still he was trying to be, only his wings occasionally twitching.

The younger angel raised his hands, bottle and all, in a placating gesture and walked out of the room smirking. Stillness has never been Gabriel's strong suit, so he would soon grow restless and would have to either snap or carry you to your room. No doubts on which one his idiotically pining brother would pic.

And despite how much Balthazar would have loved to see that, it was wiser to remove himself from the Trickster's wrath.

And anyway, there was a Jacuzzi waiting for him.  

Author's note: Hi there! First of all, if you've read this far, thank you. Second, yes, this work is basically the same of the one on @dream-your-own-stories , but not to worry! That is still me. I decided to rework it a little and post it here so to have them all in one place. Okay, that was all, bye!

#gabriel x reader #reader insert #spn #spn gabriel #supernatural #Balthazar

[snaketherapy]

Siren/merfolk au thingy-

Part 1/?

Roman sighed as Logan walked over to another door, this one looking much like the others except some weird symbol carved into the metal. “I swear, this is just gonna be another room full of documents talking about fish we already know about. Or maybe another shredded picture torn up by rats!” Roman scoffed. He was so done with exploring this abandoned aquarium. They were the only ones to enter it in years apparently, due to rumours of some man-eating creatures that lurk there. That’s why Roman came along. He wanted adventure but all they’ve found so far is useless and information about fish they’ve already done research on.

“Hey Lo, did the former owners take the fish from here?” He called over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the floor of the tank. “According to what I read about this place and it’s owners, no. Why do you ask?” Logan answered as he and Patton walked over to the tallest of the group. “Well, there are no corpses or anything. Not even bones, cartilage, fins, nothing.” He hummed, looking from the water back to his colleagues. Logan stayed silent as he thought about Roman’s words, his own eyes searching the water himself. Suddenly the sound of footsteps entered the room. The three turned to see Roman’s brother, Remus, standing near the door. “Sup nerds. Sorry to distract you from your research or whatever your doing here but Emile is freaking the fuck out for some reason. He’s still in the truck but something obviously spooked him.”

The four quickly walked out of the room and out of the building altogether, unaware of the two pairs of eyes that were watching them.

✨🌙✨

Patton hopped into the back of the trailer attached to their truck, the doors already opened. He could already hear the distressed splashing coming from the tank near the front wall. He walked over, followed by the others, and sat on the side of the custom made tank. They had learned that the mer had abandonment issues and the twins, with the help of their older brother, made a tank for Emile in the trailer so they could take them with the group when they were exploring or going to the beach. Usually Remy also tagged along but the merman was currently resting due to him hitting his head against one of the tanks rather hard when he was playing with the other mers and marine mammals.

As soon as Patton sat down, Emile quickly jumped out of the water and sat beside Patton on the side of the tank, his pink tail folded under him. Their eyes were worried and their nose was scrunched up as if they smelt something vile, their large rounded tail fins flicking anxiously. “Hey emmy, what’s wrong?” Roman asked, figuring the mer might’ve just been uneasy because Remy hadn’t tagged along. Emile replied with a few distressed clicks, their head turning to the entrance of the trailer for a second before turning back to the humans. Patton hummed a small tune to hopefully calm Emile’s nerves enough so that they could respond in human tongue.

Emile had been rescued a few years ago when he got caught in a hunters trap, which was illegal at the beach they had placed it. They still had small scars littering their back and chest, and they had to get a replacement for one of his fins due to it bending due to the chains of the trap. The group had to remove it because Emile wouldn’t be able to swim with it bent like that. Roman had worked with Logan to make a replacement fin for them though. At first, they planned to help the mer just get used to its new fin and clear the beach of traps before releasing them but Emile had other plans. They had gotten attached to the other mers and creatures at the facility. The humans even tried to put Emile back, bringing Remy along so that Emile stayed in the tank with them. Roman had managed to pick up the mer and place them back into the ocean but Remy had jumped out of the portable tank they brought them here in and followed Emile. They tried everything to get Remy to get back into the tank but nothing worked. Well, until they agreed to take Emile with them.

So while Emile was now a permanent resident at the facility, they still didn’t speak fluent human so Remy often helped them, as the coffee-stealing mer was actually human-raised and not ocean born like Emile was.

“P-Predator.” Emile had managed to spit out after a while. Another thing about Emile the others had noted was that they often were sent into a panic attack when they sensed something that could be dangerous, even if it wasn’t. Logan blinked, a few thoughts running through his mind. They hadn’t found any signs of life or anything living in the abandoned building besides rats and a nest of birds. And they knew that Emile was fine with birds and small mammals, as they had seen Emile bring back animals like a cat, except they kept them alive.

“Did you see anything nearby Remus?” Logan asked, figuring that Emile may have heard a large dog or maybe seen one on the beach of where the abandoned aquarium was placed as another cat-like trait Emile had was having an irrational fear of canines. “Nope. I was planning on letting Emile out to swim in the water but they refused quickly and basically tried to hide in the corner of the tank. All that I’ve seen are some seagulls.” Remus replied, leaning against the wall of the trailer.

Suddenly alarmed squawks sounded from the beach, making all of the humans eyes widen and look over to the beach. They couldn’t see much behind the cloud of sand, dust and feathers where the sound was coming from. Emile immediately dove back into the tank with a scared whine. “What the hell…” Remus muttered before he ran out, Roman following. Logan ran after the two after making sure Patton was okay with trying to calm the panicking mer down.

When the cloud of dust cleared the three humans' eyes widened. Blood and feathers covered the sand around the creature, as well as three dead seagulls. Each one of the seagulls' corpses had a large bite mark on the side of them, their wings being torn halfway off and skin being shown behind the torn off feathers. The creature didn’t seem to notice the humans at first as it was still spitting out feathers with its nose scrunched up, the blood from the birds must’ve overpowered the scent of the humans. Suddenly the creature's head turned to the humans, it’s teeth bared in a snarl before it must’ve noticed something about the humans. The humans than got a good look at the creature.

It looked somewhat like a mer, a long tail starting at its waist and must’ve been at least 6’ feet in length, not taking in count of its fins. Starting from around the middle of its tail and ending in between its shoulder blades just below its neck was a large black fin covered in purple stripes that ended in the middle of the fin. It’s tail fins look similar except with more of a leather-looking texture and the ends looked as sharp as knives. Smaller fins went along the side of the tail and were also placed on its shoulders, elbows and bigger ones on the side of its torso and two longer ones replacing its ears. It’s eyes were a bright purple and it’s pupils dilated like a reptiles. It’s limbs started fading into a black near the elbow, small black freckles going up its arms and covering its back. The sides of its face, torso and neck also faded from the very pale white to pure black, almost looking like spray paint. It’s hair was long and tied back with what looked like thin rope, the long dull purple pony-tail resting on its back.

Roman almost shrieked as the creature bared its sharp teeth again, a low growl coming from its throat. The blood coating around its mouth and teeth didn’t help at all either. “Woah...” Remus muttered as he took a step forward but was quickly yanked back by Logan grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling. “That thing could be a siren. Don’t approach it!” Roman hissed as he backhanded his brother on the head. “It’s not a siren. I’ve done research on them. If it was, it would’ve lured the seagulls instead of just straight on attacking them with tooth and claw. Sirens drown their prey first, and they mostly go for humans or larger animals.” Remus informed, hitting his brother on the head back.

Remus took a step forward again, leaning down slightly like the group did when they first approached a new mer. The mer-like creatures ear fins folded back as it glared at Remus, another growl rising from its throat. Remus stopped walking and instead slowly sat down on the sand, giving the creature space and not making any sudden movements. The creature blinked a few times before its expression changed. Instead of glaring, it was looking Remus up and down sceptically. The mer slithered forward little by little until it was around an arm-length away from Remus. Remus slowly reached his arm out towards the mer, who backed its head up in response for a second. It relaxed soon again but a loud screech filled the air, making the three humans instinctively cover their ears with their hands.

The creature turned its head and looked to the aquarium and then suddenly to the truck, its ears perking up. It growled again, but this was more high-pitched and seemed to almost mimic a happy squeal that they commonly heard from the mers. That’s when it hit Logan. This is what Emile was freaking out about. This was the predator they were talking about. Logan quickly yanked Remus up with surprising strength, grabbing him by the arm and then Roman and hurrying back to the truck. He let them go near the side of the truck, not answering their questions as he grabbed his gun from inside the truck. It wasn’t an actual gun, just one that shot narcotic bullets that would put mers and other sea creatures to sleep, and hopefully this creature to. “Patton! Come here and make sure the twins don’t move.” He called out and started walking away, much to the two siblings protests.

Patton did as told and came to stand beside the twins, equally as confused. Logan crouched down near the side of the trailer, focusing on the creature as it moved towards the trailer. It hadn’t noticed Logan crouched there, as it was clearly focusing on something in the truck. That something being prey.

As soon as the creature set a hand on the edge of the truck, Logan aimed and quickly shot. The bullet hit the creature directly on the fin and it let out a surprised hiss. Logan quickly moved out of sight and hid against the side of the trailer. He heard a bit of thrashing and then a small thunk. He let out a sigh of relief and turned his head to see the creature laying on the ground unconscious. “Logan! What the hell was that for?” Remus exclaimed, trotting over to Logan with the other two following. “It was hunting Emile. I think that sound we heard might have been another one of them alerting it of nearby prey.” Logan explained, pushing up his glasses with his free hand. “Now call Thomas. We need another truck just in case it wakes up.”

“You don’t mean… Logan, we can’t take this thing back with us!”

“We can and we should. If you two didn’t notice, one of its fins is twisted.”

✨🌙✨

Remus gently placed the creature into the large tank, closing the door behind him as he walked out and back to where the others were looking through the glass. The creature floated in the water for a few seconds before its eyes fluttered open and then widened. It immediately spun around, its tail thrashing wildly. It continued to look around frantically, seemingly panicking at its new surroundings. “I told you this was a bad idea specs. The thing is clearly panicking-“ Remus was cut off by a tap on some glass and the sound of splashing water. The four turned to the small tank in the corner of the room that was connected to the tunnels that went in between all the tanks so the mers could move around more. Remy was leaning against the glass, an eyebrow raised at the group of humans as a still anxious-looking Emile popped out of the water beside him. “Emmy told me about how you found a sharp-fin.” He hummed, his head turning towards the tank. “Sharp-fin?” Roman muttered but didn’t get a response as Remy suddenly jumped out of the tank and slithered over to the glass of the larger tank. He knocked on the glass in a certain rhythm the humans didn’t recognize and the creature suddenly stopped thrashing its tail and looking around, its eyes now directed on Remy. It seemed to snarl for a moment before it stopped and suddenly appeared at the glass, moving at insane-speeds despite its bent tail fin.

Remy cooed happily and knocked against the glass again in the same pattern. The humans and Emile looked at Remy dumbfounded as the creature tapped back the same pattern. “Remus, do you mind letting me into the tank?” Remy questioned, looking to Remus with big eyes through his sunglasses. “I- but that thing literally tried to hunt Emile and tore apart a bunch of seagulls! How do we know if-“ “Just trust me on this one.”

Through some convincing, Remy was eventually allowed to jump into the large tank. As soon as he was in the water, he was tackled by the creature who was a bit bigger than him. Roman was just about to run up to the entrance of the tank when he saw Remy nip at the creature playfully. The creature immediately swam off a bit away before doing a small twirl. Remy did the same before swimming forwards and tackling the creature like it did to him, the two rolling through the water. The creature nipped back but Remy just head butted it in its stomach before swimming off again and doing a twirl. The group watched the two continue to play the strange game for a while before Remy started actually talking to the creature. A few minutes of talking later, the creature hesitantly nodded and Remy smiled brightly. The creature swam up to the top while Remy tapped the glass while looking at the humans before following after.

The group hesitantly walked up to the top of the tank, Remus leading. When they got up they saw Remy resting on the platform where the door to the tank was, the creature sitting not too far away. It looked like it wanted to jump back into the water the moment it laid eyes on the humans but Remy’s tail gently curled around the others to make sure it didn’t leave. “Okay, so, this is V. He’s a sharp-fin, or a mer that stays in the deeper water or caves and hunts smaller mers, seals, and a few other things. I met him when we were just small, a bit before I was taken here.” Remy explained with a smile. Before the humans could respond or ask questions, a soft but low and husky voice cut them off.

“Hi… Sorry about trying to eat your friend.”

💫🌘✨🌙✨🌒💫

#siren au #sander sides #tss sander sides #tss Roman #tss Logan #tss Virgil #tss Remy #tss Emile #tss Janus #tss Remus

[duhragonball]

Battle Tendency Liveblog: JJBA Ch.109-113

Hard to believe we’re at the end of this crazy ride.  

Last time, Joseph had defeated Kars, only for Stroheim to order his men to finish Kars off with UV rays.  Stroheim just wanted Kars to hurry up and die faster, and maybe he also wanted credit for the kill, but instead he played right into Kars hands.    After Joseph kicked his ass, Kars put on a Stone Mask he had stowed away somewhere, and he installed the Red Stone of Aja into the Mask.  

I should probably go over that a bit, since it hasn’t been mentioned for a while.   Kars has been perfecting the Stone Mask technology for thousands of years.   It turns humans into vampires, but for his species it unlocks even greater powers.   But Kars hit a wall in his research.   He wanted to design a mask that would make him the ultimate life form, but he lacked the means to power such a mask.   He discovered an answer in the Aja Stone, a mineral that focuses light, but he needed a bigger, more flawless sample of it, and that’s the Stone he’s using right now, the one he captured from Lisa Lisa.  

So instead of killing Kars, Stroheim accidentally made his lifelong ambition come true.   One nice touch I just noticed is that the Mask itself falls apart as soon as it’s finished its task.    I suppose, in theory, someone else could have tried it on and get the same power boost as Kars?  Would it even work on a normal human?  Well, we’ll never find out.   

There’s a couple of ways to interpret this.   One is that Kars’ “Super” Mask was highly experimental, and it must have been untested, since he’d never had Lisa’s stone until now.   So it’s possible that the thing burned itself out after a single use.   The other interpretation is that Kars designed this Mask to self-destruct after the first use, because it was never intended for anyone else but himself.    The whole point of this was to become the Ultimate Life Form, the very pinnacle of all living creatures on Earth.   I think it was implied that Wammu and Esidisi were expecting to share in this power when the time came, but why would Kars have ever allowed for this?   What’s the point of being the greatest and best in the world if you have to share that top spot with two other guys? 

Stroheim realllly wants to believe this is all a big fluke, and that he didn’t just make the bad guy stronger.   The Ripple wound on Kars’ arm is still there, so Stroheim figures he’ll die anyway.    Except Kars doesn’t seem too bothered by his injury.   And then...

Yeah, so Kars not only repairs his injured arm, he reshapes his hand into a squirrel.   Joseph speaks for us all: What the fuck?

For a hot minute, everyone thinks the squirrel he made is kind of cute, until Kars sends it to find another squirrel and kill it.  Then the Kars-squirrel tears a hole through Stroheim and carves a trench in a Nazi soldier from chest to eyeball.   Then it rejoins Kars’ wrist, and turns into a flower, and then a butterfly.   Some Part 5 and 6 pre-references for ya.  

Then the sun comes up.    Wait, the Joseph/Wammu fight happened around midnight, right?    How many hours have these folks been out here?    And it’s February, too, so this had to have been a long night.  Anyway, the sun comes up, so we’re saved, right?   Wrong.  Sunlight doesn’t hurt Kars anymore, thanks to the power he got from his special mask.   So now what are they supposed to do? 

Well, Joseph’s going to use his last resort: running away.    Also, he grabs the Aja Stone, for no apparent reason.    Kars grows a pair of wings to chase him.    He no longer cares about the Hamon users, because they’re no longer a threat to him.   But he wants to kill Joseph personally, both to celebrate his new powers and to avenge the deaths of Wammu and Kars.  

Smokey joins Joseph, which doesn’t make much sense to Joseph, but Smokey wants to tell Joseph about Lisa Lisa being his mother.   Except Joseph’s a little too distracted by the eldritch horror that’s trying to murder him. Read the room, Smokey.

Here’s a helpful diagram of Kars to explain what his deal is now.   Basically, he’s immortal and can regenerate and reshape his whole body, but he had that before, just by being a Pillar Man.   The big upgrade is that he’s no longer weak to sunlight (and by extension, the Ripple), and he can now replicate the traits of any life form on Earth.    He’s faster than cheetahs and has better hearing than bats and so on.   He can go for a full year without eating, and he no longer needs to sleep.    Sex is meaningless to him, because procreation is only important for lower life forms to maintain their species.   Kars has no need for children or bretheren.    “There is but only one summit.”  

Maybe Wammu and Esidisi had understood that truth all along, and they never seriously expected Kars to share this power with them.   They practically worshipped Kars as it was, so maybe they were only doing this for the greater glory of their leader.   

So what does Kars plan to do with all of this power he now has?   The Aja Stone was his only goal before, and that’s done.    He has no enemies to fear, and as Speedwagon observes, there’s no way left to kill him.    This page states that his only purpose now is to create a world to match his own desire, but what is that?   What’s Kars’ vision for the Earth now that he’s reached this point?   

We never really find out, and I suppose that’s why it’s convenient that he decided to start out by killing Joseph.    For all we know, he would have just chilled out and left humanity alone after that, but this way there’s still an immediate threat to deal with.  

Miraculously, Joseph manages to stay ahead of Kars long enough to find the airplane that brought Stroheim here.   You’d think Kars could have caught up to him with all these fancy new powers, but Kars was never in much of a hurry.    He took his time to search for the Aja Stone, and he made it a point to trap Jojo and Lisa rather than risk fighting them fairly.  So even now, when he has such an overwhelming advantage, he seems to be playing things the same way.   He has no weaknesses, so he may as well take his time and stalk Joseph, if only to watch him squirm.

Joseph tries using the plane’s weapons to even the odds, but Kars grows armadillo hide on his wings to protect himself, and he fires the armor at Joseph like shrapnel.   So machinery doesn’t seem to make much of a difference.   

So Joseph just flies south, using the plane’s engines to give himself a comfortable lead.   He’ll run out of fuel in a couple of hours, but Speedwagon calls him on the radio and tells him that they’ll figure out a plan.   Except that Joseph already has his own plan.  There’s a volcanic island off the coast of Italy.  I assume this is Stromboli Island, since Italy has only three active volcanoes, and Mt. Stromboli is the only one on an island.   Anyway, Joseph plans to lure Kars into the volcano, and destroy him with molten lava.    I mean, Kars is still flammable, right?

Speedwagon hates this idea, because he doesn’t see any way for Joseph to pull this off without getting killed in the process, and that sounds way too much like what happened to Joseph’s father and grandfather.  Oh, and his great-grandfather.   I didn’t notice George I up there until just now.   Speedwagon tries to tell Joseph about Lisa being his mom, but Joseph can’t hear him because of all the piranha noises in the plane.    Wait... what?

Yeah, all the feathers that Kars turned into armor and launched into the fuselage?   Well, he’s still controlling those things, and now Kars has turned them into piranhas.   Well, I guess not literal fish, since they’d never survive up here.  The point is that Kars can control every cell in his body and mimic any animal traits he wants, so if he wants to make small bitey creatures to wreck Joseph’s plane, he might as well make them look like piranhas.    ALso he makes an octopus that tears up one of the engines.  

So Joseph bails out, but he’s a sitting duck in that parachute.    Kars calls him a butterfly caught in a web, which is the second time we’ve seen that analogy in Part 2.   Araki just out here telling everyone what Jolyne would be wearing in twelve years. 

But the parachute contains a dummy.    Why did Joseph waste time drawing a face on it?   Because he knew he had to fool Kars’ razor-sharp senses, of course.    Kars probably saw the dummy, and got suspicious, but then he noticed the eyes and mouth, and though “Oh, okay, I guess that’s a real person then.”  

Anyway, this suckers Kars in so that Joseph can crash into him with his plane and they can both go into the volcano together.

But Kars thinks he can tear up the plane before it lands.   Except a robot hand grabs him from behind, and he finds Stroheim stowed away.   Wait, so Stroheim outran Joseph AND Kars and hid in this plane before Joseph took off?   

Anyway, Stroheim manages to get Joseph out of the plane to relative safety, but he crushes his whole lower body in the process.  But it seems to be worth it, because Kars landed smack-dab in the volcano!  Awesome!   Fuck you, Kars, you screwed over Lisa Lisa, and that’s what you get!   He tries to protect himself, but he can’t grow a defense against 1000 degree heat...

... is what I would say, except no, Kars totally does that.   Just when Joseph thinks Kars has succumed to the lava, Kars pops out and slices off Joseph’s left arm with his goofy blade.  

How the fuck did Kars survive?   Well, he couldn’t grow a lava-proof shell, but he could create a porous layer beneath the shell, and use the air inside to insulate the rest of his body from the heat.   That wouldn’t protect him indefinitely, but it was enough to get the drop on Joseph.  

So that’s it then, right?  Not even molten lava can kill Kars, unless you could shove him down in there and keep him still for like ten minutes, and who’s going to pull that off?    Stroheim begins to lose all hope...

Then we get a flashback to Kars’ origin.   Long, long ago, there was a race of subterranean humanoid with long lifespans and an aversion to sunlight.   Prehistoric humans thought of them as gods or demons because of their reclusiveness and power.   Also, they would eat humans and animals, so that probably made them dangerous, too.   

But I don’t think they were nearly as powerful as the Pillar Men we’ve seen in this story.   I say this because the flashback establishes that Kars was the one who discovered the latent power in their brains, and he was the one who invented the Stone Mask technology to harness that latent power.   So it stands to reason that much of what he and the others could do was the result of Stone Mask enhancements.   The problem is that those enhancements increased the amount of blood they needed to consume, and the others in the Clan feared that Kars’ experiments would destroy their whole ecosystem.   So when they tried to stop Kars, he killed them all.   The only survivors were himself, Esidisi, and two young children who grew up to become Wammu and Santana.  

So that story tells you something about what Kars might do with this newfound “ultimate” power.   He didn’t achieve this for the good of his own people, because they’re all dead now, and he wiped most of them out personally.   If he would do that to his own kind, the rest of the Earth would be expendable to him.

Back to the present, Joseph’s not giving up yet.   He tries to use the Ripple one more time, but it doesn’t work.   Worse, Kars counters with his own Ripple.    Because Kars can do that now, you see.    He’s got the powers of all life on Earth, and that includes Ripple users, I suppose.   Worse, Kars’ Hamon power is hundreds of times greater, so he ends up getting badly burned on his right knee.  

So now Joseph’s completely out of tricks, and he starts to accept the inevitable.   Kars decides that the best way to kill Joseph would be to destroy him with his own finisher, Ripple Overdrive.  So he charges up the most powerful Hamon attack he can muster, and just as he’s about to strike...

Joseph impulsively grabs the Red Stone of Aja and uses it to block, kind of like how he stymied Kars back on that cliff in Switerland.   Only this time, Kars doesn’t hold back, and the Hamon attack is amplified.    It bursts through Joseph’s right hand and into the volcano below. 

The narration says that not even Joseph really understood any of this.   He just sort of acted on instinct.   That bothered me once, but now I see that it wasn’t entirely unconscious impulse.   Back in Venice, when Lisa first told Joseph about the Aja Stone, Joseph suggested destroying it to deny Kars his prize. But Lisa said there was a legend that foretold that Kars could never be defeated without the Aja Stone.   And that would at least explain why Joseph picked the thing up back in Switzerland before he fled to Mt. Stromboli.    Maybe it was unconscious action that made him pick up the stone in this fateful moment, but I think it was a more conscious thought that made him take the stone with him in the first place.   On some level, he remembered that legend.  

Okay, so there’s a mega-ultra-Super-Saiyan-5-Ripple that just went into a live volcano.    What good does that do?   Well, it makes the volcano erupt, and it launches Joseph and Kars into the air.    So what?   Kars can fly.    Yeah, he could, but...

You know, Joseph’s lost hand really left an impression on me when I first watched the anime of Part 2, but now that I’ve read the manga, I’ve noticed tons of severed and wounded forearms all through this story, almost as if Araki had been building up to this moment.    I’d make a Part 4 joke, but nah, that’s too easy.   But it wasn’t even that long ago that Wammu lost both of his hands, and then he launched them as Joseph to distract him.    Kars lost his hand before he grew it back and turned it into a squirrel.    Hell, Stroheim launched his robot hand at Kars to distract him for the volcano crash.   And now Joseph’s hand has somehow launched itself into Kars’ throat to distract him again!

I’m assuming that Hamon energy has a lot to do with this.   You’d think Joseph’s hand wouldn’t have survived getting fired up this high, and it shouldn’t be powerful enough or alive enough to bother Kars this much, but it does.   So I’m chalking it up to all that Ripple energy.  It briefly reanimated Joseph’s hand and made it follow Kars up to this altitude, kind of like how Jonathan controlled Wang Chung’s decapitated body at the end of Part 1.

So Joseph taunts Kars about this, and implies that he planned this somehow.    And when Kars pauses to ask if he did plan this, more rocks and stuff from the volcano hit him and send him even higher up into the air.

And Joseph claims that he did plan this entire thing!  That’s bullshit, but he hopes Kars will believe it, if only to make him more frustrated.    Maybe Joseph didn’t plan all this out, but he seems to have deduced what’s happening here.  

Kars has been launched so high into the air, and at such an incredible speed, that he’s achieved escape velocity.    Does Kars even realize what that means?   I mean, he’s super-intelligent, especially now, and he’s been alive for thousands of years, but what could he really know about outer space?    Has he ever even considered it before?  It seems like all of his ambitions involve the Earth, and only the Earth, and everything living upon it.  

As for Joseph, the chunk of rock he’s on does not fly into space.   Instead, it starts to fall back down, and Joseph assumes that he’s probably not going to survive the impact.    Eight hours later, Stroheim makes it back and informs Speedwagon that Joseph must have died in the eruption.   

But Kars isn’t worried at first, because he thinks he has this whole “vacuum of space” thing figured out.  He just takes a page from Wammu’s playbook and makes air jets on his back to expel compressed gas from his body, like the maneuvering thrusts on a spacecraft.  Except that’s not nearly enough to counteract the force of the volcano that sent him up here.  

Yeah, Kars has no idea how space works.  Instinctively, he probably counted on friction to slow him down, except there is no friction in space.   He probably also expected his air jets to push him a little bit at a time, and maybe he could pull in more air as needed, except there is no more air.   Even the air from his body is denied to him, because it just dissipates into the vacuum of space.    Kars talks about the air freezing as it comes out, but I don’t think that’s right.   What’s happening to him is like when you use one of those compressed gas canisters to clean your keyboard.    Release a lot of the gas at once, and the can starts to get cold.   That’s because the liquefied gas left inside the can now has more room, and it begins to boil as it expands.    This draws in heat from the surroundings, which makes the can feel cold to the touch.    That’s what’s happening to Kars here.   All he’s doing it losing all his body heat.   Maybe some of the air really is freezing around him, but I don’t know.   It depends on whether the sunlight is hitting him, I think.

Anyway, the last thing Kars says is “I can’t go back!!!” And that’s what makes this so perfect.   In the anime, we see the Earth recede into the distance as he continues to tumble further and further away. By surviving the lava, Kars had “mastered” the Earth, but now he’s been separated from the Earth.   He’s got all this incredible power, but without the Earth, he’s got no one to use it on.

And then we come to the pièce de résistance of Battle Tendency: The epilogue page that establishes, in no uncertain terms, that Kars never returned to the Earth.   There’s no miracle escape this time, no clever trick or loophole.   He simply doesn’t have the necessary acceleration to push himself back the way he came. 

Did he die?   Nope, because he made himself immortal, remember?   Not even sunlight or starvation can destroy him now.   But now death is the only thing he craves, because he’s completely alone and has nothing to do.   I can’t imagine he’s very comfortable like this either, because it’s incredibly cold in outer space, and Kars must be able to sense that cold, even if it doesn’t actually hurt him.  

And this is such a fitting punishment for a villain like Kars.  Just as Stroheim wanted to become superior and lost his humanity in the process, Kars ruthlessly sacrificed friend and foe alike to achieve this Ultimate form, and what good does it do him?    It’s become his prison, his hell.    At long last, he’s become the supreme being, a world unto himself, but with no one around to lord it over, there’s really no point to any of it.  

I just really love this ending.   I’m not sure how else I can express it.    This is what should have happened to Akio Othori in Revolutionary Girl Utena.    But Araki was brace enough to do it to Kars.  

I suppose I could attempt some exercise in JoJo Part Comparison and connect Kars’ final fate to all the other JoJo villains.    But I dunno, this is getting pretty long in the tooth as it is.   I’ll just say that I’m suddenly reminded of Reimi’s final words to Kira in Part 4, when Kira asks where he’s being taken.   “Who knows?   But I’m sure it’s somewhere you won’t be able to rest in peace.”

So all that’s left is the matter of Joseph’s funeral-- Nah, just kidding, he’s not even dead.   What’s weird is that Smokey says he met Joseph “six months ago”, which seems a lot longer than the events of this story.    Anyway, Joseph returned to New York, only to find everyone at the cemetary.   He wonders who they’re mourning, and he’s shocked to discover it’s him.

So yeah, the rock Joseph was on acted as a “shield”, and he managed to survive the fall, and even ended up near Venice, where Suzie Q found him and tended to his injuries.  Stroheim even set him up with a robotic hand to replace the one Kars lopped off.   I guess Stroheim never sent word of any of this to the U.S., probably because of Nazi Germany gearing up for World War II.  

Anyway, Suzie took care of him for like two weeks, and they got married.   So in a way, Joseph did follow in the legacy of Jonathan.   Not in the “dying young” way, but the “Beat the bad guy and wake up in the care of a gorgeous blonde lady who eventually marries you” kind of way.   You love to see it.   But Suzie forgot to send a telegram to New York to let everyone know Joseph was okay, which is why everyone is so shocked and why Joseph is so shocked about them being shocked.

Then we get the epilogues for all the surviving characters.   I mentioned this when I liveblogged the Part 5 manga a few years ago, but the stark contrast between Battle Tendency and Vento Aureo is that Part 5 is very ambiguous about its ending.   We know who wins and who loses and who survives, but that isn’t really enough.   We don’t know what will happen to Giorno Giovanna after Part 5.   Does he live up to his lofty dream, or does he succumb to corruption like his wicked father?  I think that’s intentional, because Giorno is the “golden wind” in the story.    He’s an agent of change, but we don’t get to see the effects of his efforts, only the cause that he fights for.    But Part 2 operates in the exact opposite way.   We know exactly how and when Speedwagon dies.   I’m a little confused how Stroheim could have died at Stalingrad when Kars and a volcano couldn’t kill him, but maybe the Russians had Stand powers.    I think the only minor mystery is that we don’t know what happened to Lisa Lisa after 1948.    It’s likely that she survived into Part 3, and maybe beyond, but we never see her again.

It’s also kind of weird how upbeat this epilogue is about reporting on the deaths of so many characters.   Like, Stroheim died in one of the worst battles in human history, but he went out on his own terms, so it’s cool?  I guess?   Even the characters without deaths, like Smokey, it’s sort of implicit that he’ll die sooner or later.   But it’s a good thing because it’s final and proper.    It’s something Kars craves now, but can never experience.  A life worth living, made more precious by its limitations.  Kars tried to use cheat codes in nature, and he ended up clipping through the map and making the game unplayable.   But Smokey, he‘ll be mayor someday.

As for Joseph, we see him in an airport in 1987, bullying Japanese people because his daughter married a Japanese guy and moved there.    He’s headed to Japan right now to see her and his grandson, who probably doesn’t even recognize him, it’s been so long.   

On the other hand, he appreciates his Walkman, which is either Joseph giving the Japanese some credit, or maybe he’s just too dense to notice the irony.   

I hate that he’s listening to the Beatles, because the Beatles are overrated trash.  My favorite thing about the Part 2 anime is how they changed his music to “Bloody Stream” by Coda, which a) kicks ass and b) wasn’t a song by the shitty Beatles.  

And that’s Battle Tendency.   Kind of neat how it closes on Joseph’s flight departing to visit his daughter and grandson, in contrast to the final panel of Part 1, which showed Erina floating in a coffin alone in the ocean.   Joseph has bucked the curse and he’s graduated to Part 3, for better or worse.   

But I feel kind of weird leaving it here, because I do love the way the anime wrapped up, so I’ll close out with this:

Tsugi ni omae wa “Grazie!” to iu!

#jojo's bizarre adventure #battle tendency #joseph joestar #kars #rudol von stroheim #lisa lisa #robert e o speedwagon #smokey brown #esidisi #wammu #erina joestar #george joestar #jonathan joestar #george joestar ii #suzie q

[s-creations]

Return the Flames - Chapter 13

All at Dead Bird Studios knew of Amos' (The  Conductor's) ability. How the owl could suddenly erupt into flames if  angered enough. When the studio first opened, Dominic (DJ Grooves) was  told that Amos had his ability under control. Nothing to worry about. No  possible loss of anything from an open flame.

A few years later however, and that control seems to have lessened to a dangerous degree.

It should have just been a simple, week long drive to fix the problem. It really should have been.

Dominic should have asked a lot more questions and should have been prepared for a twist ending.

_________________

Fandom: A Hat in Time           Rating: General Audience           Relationships/Pairings: The ConductorXDJ Grooves         Warnings: Eventual depictions of violence, slow burn relationship, named characters, attempt of an accent, being hunted down, a race against time (sort of).

As the sun slowly descended over the horizon, Amos was slowly making his way up the mountain. 

  It was a painful process. Every part of him was screaming in agony. Attempting to fully put itself back together as Amos charged forward. As best he could. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been out since his fall. All he knew was he’d been away from Dominic for too long with the creeps breathing down his neck. So, even though all he wanted to do was sleep, Amos pushed forward. His mind focusing on getting back to Dominic. 

  The area was quiet. Sure, Amos was climbing up a mountain with wind roaring around him. But he was expecting to hear something. Or at least see something that counted as trouble. Anything. However, there was nothing. No noise, nothing showing that C.A.W. was still attempting their capture. It was unsettling. Because Amos wasn’t fully sure what to expect when he reached the top. 

  Had Dominic and those Nomads successfully block the way in? Or did they maybe chase off C.A.W. by some miracle. No, if that was true, he had a feeling Dominic would be hanging over the edge of the mountain, helping Amos up. So did that mean C.A.W. had captured them all? Were they going to be used as bait to better lure Amos out? 

  The owl let out a strangled cry as part of the mountain fell underfoot. Amos scrambled to find his footing again before falling too far down. Panting hard, pain flaring up again, a few minutes passed before Amos felt he could move again.

  He was getting closer. The familiar cart was getting bigger. A carved out, leveled section of the mountain was what said cart was resting by. Still no signs that anything was amiss…

  Amos really needed to keep his mental mouth shut. 

  He was only a few feet away when an explosion sounded. Not directly above him, but to the left. Amos assumed that was another entrance that Bakle had talked about. Rocks went flying away, Amos thankful he wasn’t under where that was happening. The relief was short lived when a rock seemed to shine in the dying light. Amos realized it was a large chunk of ice. Pure ice that looked like what Dominic had created back at the camp. 

  The owl’s attention snapped forward hearing desperate cries and shouts echoing from the temple. It seems as if the fight Amos had been fearful of was finally happening. 

  He was moving faster than he’d ever had before. Claws cracking the flat plateau as he finally reached the temple entrance. The doors were already open, showing a raised pillar in the center with a midnight blue feather resting on it. Amos paused, laying his eyes on it. His heart rate speeding up, feeling a pull deep in his soul. Which was instantly broken when he watched as a familiar C.A.W. agent slammed Dominic against said pillar. 

  Anger that Amos had never felt before filled him. Every part of him felt as if he was on fire. But it didn’t hurt. In fact, nothing hurt anymore. All he knew was anger and an overwhelming need to protect. 

  Amos knew he didn’t pass out. But all went black as his basic instincts took over. 

  __________________________

  There was not much that could be done but wait for something to happen in the temple. 

  Dominic felt uncomfortable with how quiet it was. Sure he could hear the wind and the crackling of the ice he’d made as it settled. But no one was saying anything. Bakle and his father were resting by the pillar. The penguin sitting on the steps, facing the entrance they’d come through. 

  “Where are you Amos…” The penguin muttered weakly. 

  “I’m sure the Child is alright.” Bakle offered as an attempt to calm Dominic. The child faltered when he didn’t receive a reply. Instead of dwelling on it, Bakle’s attention turned to the wall of ice and stone. “Do you think they’re gone?”

  “I doubt it,” Dominic replied, “If I had to take a guess, they’re trying to ‘solve’ this. Break the wall down somehow.” 

  “Oh…”

  Dominic was pulled from his own thoughts hearing the quiet reply. He looked over, finding Papa attempting to comfort his child. Letting out a low sigh, the penguin made his way towards the other two. “I’m sorry. I really wish this wasn’t happening.”

  “I… We don’t blame you or your partner sir.”

  The penguin flushed, but made no comment. “Still...what an absolute nightmare this has become. A road trip turned into a life and death struggle. How ironic that a rather cliche movie plot has become reality. Wonder if Amos and I could profit off this somehow.”

  “It certainly is an interesting story.”

  Dominic laughed softly, going to make another response. Only to pause, hearing something strange. A sort of ‘ping’ sound that sounded from the ice/rock wall. Leaving the other two, Dominic approached said wall.

  Hearing mumbles and harsh whispers as he neared it. A familiar hissing sound followed. A sound that Dominic had heard numerous times in Amos’ movie. Before an explosion went off…

  Dominic wasn’t able to get a warning out before the wall was blasted away. He was stunned, unmoving as he was sprawled on the ground with his ears ringing. There were muffled shouts and panicked pleas. Dominic looked over to find Papa being held down by thick ropes. Struggling to get to Bakel, who was being held back by two agents. 

  Any thoughts of helping were immediately broken when Dominic was picked up and thrown. His back hitting the pillar and collapsing at the base of it. Getting no time to recover as he was picked up once more. Hands grabbing his collar and pushing him against the pillar. 

  “You think you’re so clever…” The head C.A.W. agent growled darkly. “You’re just prolonging your fall.”

“And you...really are...full of yourself…” Dominic choked out. 

  “You could have avoided all of this! If you just gave us the Phoenix at the beginning-”

  “Why would I! You’re going to kill him!”

  “Because nothing that dangerous should exist.” 

  “Amos is not dangerous! He’s scared and in pain. He would never intentionally hurt anyone. You and your agents are the dangerous ones.”

  The crow’s feathers ruffled, beak opening to make one final comment. Only to release Dominic and step away when fire erupted between them. Stumbling away as well, Dominic collapsed once more. Leaning against the pillar as he looked up, mouth dropping as what he saw. 

  Amos stood between Dominic and the agent. Hunched over and breathing hard, his entire body was shaking. With rage or exhaustion, Dominic couldn’t tell. The most alarming feature were the flames. The tips of each feather turned to flames that combined with the rest of them, growing and in turn, making Amos appear larger. But the most outstanding part was the color. It wasn’t the typical yellow and orange, not the threatening burn that Dominic had been used to seeing. These flames were a merge of colors. Deep blues and purples, with the tips of the flames a bright pink, melding together with the natural orange of Amos’ feathers. It was as if day and night were competing to shine the brightest. 

  The penguin was in absolute awe. The agent, however, was less than impressed. 

  “There you are… I was wondering when you would stop hiding behind your accomplices.” The crow said calmly. Even with torn and tattered clothes, staring down an angry creature that was engulfed in flames, the agent seemed to act as if he was in control. “Now, do you plan on coming quietly? You’ve honestly caused enough trouble.”

  “You absolute peck neck,” Amos growled dangerously, “You chased me down, threatened me, threatened the people I’m with, drugged me, and ya think I’m the problem?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ya absolute wretched person-” The owl stumbled slightly when a familiar dart entered his arm. The agent who fired it looked pleased...only for their smile to slip away when the dart actually melted away. 

  Dominic flinched when, in a flash, Amos was suddenly standing before said agent. Grabbing the gun and easily melting it before the shaking crow. “I would highly suggest ya run.” 

  That was all it took for the surrounding underlings to frantically rush towards the exits. Practically tripping over each other with small, terrified chirps. Now free, Bakle rushed over to his father as the larger Nomad sat up slowly. The lead crow watched on furiously as their team ran out. 

  “You idiots, we’re so close to ending this! Where do you think you’re going?” They let out  small squawk when a clawed hand grabbed the front of their collar. Amos towering over them, glaring with a scowl. 

  “Ya should have run when ya had the chance.” 

  “I will bring you down.”

  Dominic stood up, hand reaching out to pull Amos away. “Sweetheart-”

  “Sir!” Bakle called out, him and his father hiding behind one of the large pillars. Getting Dominic’s attention, the young Nomad pointed towards the opening in the ceiling. 

  The sky was filled with stars, the inky black in such contrast towards the bright afternoon. The moon was in full view in the opening, almost touching the other side. Below it, the feather was giving off a gentle glow. Amos, who had also looked over hearing Bakle, had his attention drawn towards the feather. 

  Before he could move, Dominic let out a yelp of surprise as the larger Nomad lifted him up. Pulling both the penguin and his son behind the pillar again. 

  “What is happening?” Dominic frantically demanded, struggling to get out of the grasp. 

  “No sir, don’t go out!” Bakle gripped the penguin’s arm. 

  “What-”

  “The Child needs to return the given power.”

  “I don’t even know what that means!”

  On the other side of the temple, the C.A.W. agent struggled to break free from Amos’ grip. The owl fully focused on the feather. Beginning to walk towards it when the moon filled the opening fully. Dragging the agent along with. 

  “What do you think you’re doing creature!” The crow spat.

  Amos didn’t respond, keeping a tight grip on the agent as he reached the base of the pillar. Dominic was able to peak around just as Amos began to reach out. The penguin was pulled back gently and kept in place just as a clawed hand collected the feather. 

  To anyone outside of the temple, the peak of said mountain suddenly erupted into flames. Every available opening had a pillar of fire escaping from it. The tallest seen from the top. One could make the assumption that it touched the heavens. 

  The trio that were tucked behind the stone pillar cowered away from the flames. The heat unbearable as it quickly traveled past the group. Dominic screwed his eyes shut to protect from the blaring light. There had been a brief sound of a scream of pain and fear before it had been cut off by the roaring fire. 

  It all lasted for a few seconds. The deafening silence that followed seemed to cause more fear than the fire. Dominic let out a slow, shaky breath, pulling away from the rest to step around the pillar. He retched at the burnt husk of the C.A.W. agent. The blackened bones showing it’s beach open in a forever silent scream. The feather had returned to the top of the pillar. At the base of it, completely unmoving, the tips of his orange feathers burnt black, was Amos. 

  “Amos!” Dominic rushed over, rolling the owl over to cradle him close. Amos didn’t react, head rolling to the side to rest against Dominic’s shoulder. The fear only grew when he realized the owl felt cold. Frozen even. 

  “Amos… Amos, please, you need to wake up. You can’t...you can’t do this… We were going to make movies together, remember? Going to take the world by storm, right? ...Amos?” Dominic gave a small sob, pulling Amos closer. Hiding his face in the orange feathers. 

  “Please come back…”

#A Hat In Time #discotrain #the conductor #dj grooves #ahit conductor #ahit dj grooves #s-creations #fanfiction #Multi-Chapter

[chierafied]

What Wouldn’t I Do For You

1.7 k words of unproofread randomness because my enablers enabled me.

For @inuvember Day 24, Family.

Kagome had been Inuyasha's best friend since middle school.

By this point, she was like family – except Sesshoumaru's feelings for her hadn't been exactly familial for several years now.

He'd suppressed and hidden those feelings away, refused to acknowledge them.

But much as he loved Rin, she would never have persuaded Sesshoumaru into such ridiculousness if those unwanted, unrequited, inappropriate feelings for his younger half-brother's best friend weren't there.

Of course, while he did not expect anything from Kagome and would never presume to act on those damn inconvenient feelings, with this stunt he would surely ruin all his meagre chances forever.

Rin was five and had recently come to the conclusion that princesses were the best thing ever and that ballet dancers were basically real-life princesses.

The pink tutu Kagome had got Rin for her last birthday was her very favourite thing to wear, and if Rin could decide (and Sesshoumaru was forced to admit to his shame that she got to decide much too often) she would be wearing it and pretending to be a princess ballerina 24/7.

So, it shouldn’t have come as a huge shock to Sesshoumaru, that when he gently suggested to Rin that they should do something nice for Kagome, like buy her a gift and make a nice card, Rin’s thoughts had turned to ballerinas.

Solemnly, she’d informed Sesshoumaru that while gifts and cards were nice, she had something much better in mind.

They should invite Kagome over, Rin had told him. They would do dress up and have a tea party together. And then they would have a special show for Kagome.

Sesshoumaru had his doubts about this entire plan, of course. But then nothing would as effectively take Kagome’s mind off of the loss of her grandfather than a day spent indulging Rin.

Then again, he hadn’t factored in two things when he had given Rin the green light: that he would, himself, have to participate in this “special show”, and that Rin had his wardrobe all ready and picked out for him.

Kagome accepted the invitation gladly.

When the doorbell rang and Rin rushed to the door to let their guest in, Sesshoumaru noted that Kagome’s blue eyes looked bruised, the smile she offered Rin a little hollow.

“Welcome, Kagome-nee-chan!” Rin gushed, fiercely hugging Kagome’s legs.

“Hello, Rin-chan. Thank you so much for inviting me,” Kagome replied, ruffling the girl’s head.

Sesshoumaru stepped forward as Rin sped away towards her room.

He wanted to hug so bad – and for precisely that same reason did not give her one.

“How have you been?” he asked, his low voice laced with concern.

“Not great,” Kagome said, offering another wan smile. “One day at a time, right?”

Sesshoumaru only had time to nod, and then Rin was back.

Beaming, she proffered her favourite plastic tiara to Kagome.

“Here! You’re the princess today!”

That lured a little laugh out of Kagome. “Am I? How wonderful!”

With great care, she placed the tiara on top of her dark hair.

Rin took her hand, reached for Sesshoumaru’s next.

“Let’s play dress up!”

Over her head, Sesshoumaru’s gaze met Kagome’s and he offered her a wry smile. “Let’s.”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 Losing her grandfather had not come as a huge shock. His health had not been the greatest for a while, and he had been getting on the years. Her whole family had known it was coming, and yet… He had been the first family member she had lost since her father.

So for a while, life had seemed to dull into grey numbness.

When the invitation had arrived, it had shocked a smile out of her.

For one, Kagome had not expected an invitation from Sesshoumaru. Secondly, he had obviously given Rin free hands with it, as the invitation had been pink and decorated with copious amounts of flower stickers and glitter.

The fancy handwriting inviting her to a tea party and a dance recital was all Sesshoumaru’s, though.

Her heart had fluttered with anticipation, for the first time since her world had grown grey.

And so far, Kagome hadn’t been disappointed.

When Rin had offered the pink tutu and feather boa for Sesshoumaru at the very beginning of their dress up game, Kagome hadn’t quite managed to stifle her giggle.

She’d been pleasantly surprised when Sesshoumaru had accepted the items without complaint and put them on. He looked ridiculous, but Kagome’s heart also melted a little at how wonderful he was with Rin, how willing to engage with her and the things she enjoyed.

How many dads played dress up with their daughters?

Besides, Sesshoumaru could make that pink feather boa work.

Grinning from ear to ear, Kagome added her own touch by placing a flower crown on Sesshoumaru’s head, earning a raised eyebrow.

Rin had donned a set of fairy-wings and was now digging through her jewellery box, handing a plethora of bright plastic bead necklaces out to Kagome.

She obediently draped them over her neck.

Kagome found a sparkly scarf which she tied around her neck to serve as a cape. Princesses should have capes.

Then, Rin got out her makeup. All kids stuff, in bright colours. Her brown eyes were dancing with delight and Kagome silently thought that she must be the sweetest kid ever.

Sesshoumaru, however, groaned aloud.

He had good cause, because Rin didn't enthusiastically begin to apply makeup on herself, but focused her efforts on her father.

Kagome slapped a hand over her mouth so as not to laugh outright as Sesshoumaru sat patiently and with only the faintest frown creasing his brow as Rin hummed and smeared lines of magenta red on his cheeks with her chubby fingers.

Mischief sparkled inside Kagome then, and when Rin pulled back, she announced it was her turn, holding her hand out for the makeup palette.

Rin beamed at her as she passed it over.

Sesshoumaru sighed but offered no protest or complaint.

Kagome studied her choices, finally deciding on magenta eyeshadow matching the stripes Rin had drawn.

"Close your eyes," Kagome told Sesshoumaru, scooting closer.

He rolled his eyes first, but did close them, and sat perfectly still while Kagome carefully applied the eyeshadow on him.

"You can open now," she told him once she was done.

Oddly enough, it seemed to suit him, it made his eyes seem a bit lighter, a bit brighter. Like molten pools of gold.

For a moment, they simply stared at one another.

Then, Kagome hastily turned her attention to the makeup palette.

"Now, for a final touch!" she declared, trying for a joke.

She chose another eyeshadow, this one a glittery blue.

On a whim, she traced a crescent moon on Sesshoumaru's forehead, biting her lip in concentration.

“There,” she whispered, leaning back. “Perfect.”

And somehow, it really was.

“Right then,” Sesshoumaru murmured. He slanted a glance at Rin. “I think we’re ready for the tea party.”

 Kagome gushed over the selection of cakes, frosted cupcakes, cookies, ice cream and mochi that Sesshoumaru had ordered while Rin kept pointing out her favourites and insisting that Kagome try everything.

 * * * * * * * * * * * *

Sesshoumaru sat in silence and poured the tea, half-surprised that his hands were steady.

When Kagome had taken over Rin to apply that silly makeup on him, every nerve-ending had suddenly been standing at attention. His heart had raced madly in his chest and for a few critical seconds he had forgotten how to breathe.

She had been right there, in his reach, her fingers warm and soft as they’d danced on his skin.

Somehow, he’d managed to rein in the impulse to lean in, to kiss her.

The tutu and the feather boa had probably helped with that, as it was impossible to forget what a horrid sight he must be.

Sesshoumaru served the tea and even managed a bite of mochi while he listened to Kagome’s and Rin’s chatter, occasionally weighing in on the discussion.

It felt good, to have Kagome here with him and Rin, Sesshoumaru thought, as he watched Kagome brush off a bit of frosting smeared on Rin’s cheek.

It felt right.

If only.

All too soon, however, Rin and Kagome had eaten their fill.

Rin all but glowed with excitement as she turned to Kagome and told her they had prepared a special show for her.

Rin took Kagome’s hand, pulled her along to the living room.

Sesshoumaru trailed after them, resigned to his fate.

All too soon, Kagome was settled on the sofa, looking expectantly at him and Rin.

It was time to dance.

Rin hadn’t laid out any choreography for their grand performance, so Sesshoumaru tried to just imitate his daughter the best he could.

He hopped. He pranced. He twirled.

Perhaps, if Kagome squinted, it might even be called dancing.

Sesshoumaru felt like a prize idiot.

And yet, perhaps, he was an even bigger fool because he did not care.

Not when Kagome was clapping and grinning.

Not while her beautiful laughter rang in the air, sweeter than any sound.

To hear that now, after the grief she still carried within, was worth a hundred pink tutus.

When their dance show wound to its end and Rin dropped into an exaggerated curtsey, Kagome got up to her feet and clapped wildly.

“Bravo! That was amazing!”

They had a little more tea and a few more bites of cake after the dance, and then, finally, came the dreaded hour when Kagome had to leave.

She crouched down and took off the tiara and gave it back to Rin. Then she gave Rin a big hug and thanked her for the invitation.

When Kagome straightened, her eyes met Sesshoumaru’s. She came to him but offered no hugs.

Instead, feather-soft and all too brief, her lips brushed against his cheek.

Sesshoumaru froze.

“Thank you,” Kagome breathed. “This was everything I didn’t know I needed.”

“You’re welcome,” Sesshoumaru replied when he finally found his voice again and remembered how to use it.

“Also,” she added, her blue eyes twinkling, “you look great.”

With one last bright grin, Kagome left.

Sesshoumaru bent to pick up Rin and cradled his daughter in his arms, pressed his nose to the crown of her head.

“Thank you, Rin. Your idea worked really well.”

“We should invite Kagome-nee-chan over again soon,” Rin said, hugging Sesshoumaru.

“That we should,” Sesshoumaru agreed, his heart full.

#sesskag #inuvember #inuvember 2020 #domestic fluff #family feels #pining #Sesshoumaru in a pink tutu #It has it all #chie writes #fic: sk

[mulletcal]

triple word score - an ashton irwin blurb.

a/n: okay sO this is the third part to this little mini series i’ve been doing i guess, i’ll link part one and two below.  @sexgodashton​ said i should write a part three and who am i to say no to writing some more ash content???

word count: 3.6k

warnings: okay so there is smut, and more smut, there is light dom!ash in this, use of the nickname kitten, thigh riding, choking, use of the word ‘daddy’ once.... and i think that’s it???

part one | part two 

----

It had been nearly a month since your kiss with Ashton, and in your mind things were going quite swimmingly.  You had weekly dates where one of you would make dinner, followed by Scrabble just for something fun, and to cap the night off you would watch a movie until you would pass out on his couch with your head in his lap.  His niece left around two weeks in, finally being allowed to travel within the country.  Ashton whispered to you one night how he missed having her around, and you promised that you would remind him to call her in the morning.

The two of you hadn’t ventured into the outside world just yet, nor had you made things official.  You hadn’t minded though, content to stay in your own little bubble of exchanging baked goods and cuddles.  One other thing that happened to be gnawing at the back of your mind, was that you hadn’t made things physical yet - You were trying to be respectful of his boundaries, but everytime Ashton smiled a certain way, or he smacked your ass teasingly, it made your head spin. Figuring that maybe you could make the first move, you’d suggested maybe going somewhere more romantic for your date that week; somewhere still private but different enough that maybe it could set the mood.

Thursday rolled around, and you had just finished packing up the small picnic that you had made for the two of you before you heard your doorbell ring.  Eagerly making your way towards the door, you pulled it open with a wide grin, only to see Ashton standing there with a small bouquet of flowers.

“For me?” You teased, placing your hand on your chest as you let out a overdramatic gasp, “You shouldn’t have.”

“I mean, I know I brought cookies the very first time we met, but since this is our first outside world date I thought I’d make an effort,” Ashton grinned sheepishly, not unaware of the fact that your eyes were dragging down his chest, taking in the short sleeved black button down he was wearing, or the pants that hugged his thighs just right.  “Wanna take a picture? Might last longer.”

“Couldn’t help it, you look fantastic tonight,” Your eyes finally met his, and your smile got even wider as you caught the slightest hint of mischief in his eyes.

“Sure you’re not lookin’ in a mirror there, sweetheart? Because the only one I see right now that looks fantastic is you.”

Swatting his arm with the flowers, you tugged him inside so you could put the flowers into a vase.  You made sure to sway your hips a little extra, if only to pick up the movement in your dress, but it didn’t hurt if Ashton’s eyes lingered a little longer on your behind.  Ashton made small talk as you got the flowers prepared for the water, giggling when he told you that his niece had met a boy and she had a crush.

“Did you tell her to make some cookies?” You tossed him a glance which only made his smile grow bigger.

“Well of course, worked on you didn’t it?”

Rolling your eyes, you set the flowers down finally, turning to grab the small basket you had packed full of goodies.  Cocking your head to the side, you smiled up at him, “Ready to go?”

“Mmhm, wish you would tell me where we’re goin’ though so I can be sure I’m not about to get murdered by Little Red Riding Hood,” Ashton laughed softly, tugging on your dress.  Your plan may just work after all.

“Ash we’re just going on a little picnic!”

“At night?” He questioned, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you close, “Listen I’ll trust you for now.  But as soon as things go south I’ll run.”

You pecked his lips, reassuring once again that you weren’t planning on killing him before you tugged him out of the door.  You had decided to drive, to keep an added element of surprise to your date with Ashton.  It wasn’t something that was overly extravagant, you were going to take him to the lake nearby that seemed to look pretty at night, the lights of the city reflecting onto the water.

The drive to the lake was short, Ashton nervously bouncing his leg the whole time.  You wondered briefly if he actually thought you were going to kill him.  The two of you were no longer the strangers that played Words with Friends from a distance - instead, you were on the brink of a relationship, well maybe, hopefully you were.

Pulling into a vacant parking spot, Ashton looked over at you with a confused look, “The lake?”

“Yeah! I thought that maybe we could set up a little picnic, if you’re up for it,” You spoke, a small blush tinting at your cheeks.

“This is different from our Scrabble nights,” He brought your fingers to his lips, kissing them gently before leaning in to kiss you gently right after. 

“Oh don’t worry, I have plans for that later.”

With that, you got out of your car, Ashton quickly grabbed the basket from the backseat, rounding the back to reach his hand out to yours.  Smiling brightly up at him, you took it and squeezed gently.  

The two of you walked a bit of a distance before settling on where to lay the blanket down, settling in as you pulled out the snacks, including the chocolate covered strawberries you had made.  That particular food item earned you a quirked brow from Ashton, drawing a giggle from your lips.

Your date was uneventful, the real excitement planned for later; it wasn’t long after the food had been finished that Ashton sensed you were eager to get home.  The way you sat up on your knees and kept glancing around, mostly back in the direction of your car.

“Bored of me already, are you?” Ashton asked, a cheeky grin pulling at his lips.

“No! I just… I have something else planned for us, wanna get going?”

Ashton’s brows furrowed, nodding in response to your question.  He helped you to pack up the basket once more, leaning up to kiss his cheek in thanks as he finished the cleanup - shooing you away to the car.

Driving back, time seemed to move even slower, and Ashton seemed just as nervous.  Grabbing his hand to stop his nervous drumming, he let out a soft exhale.

“I hate not knowing what’s going on,” Ashton pouted, turning to give you his best puppy dog eyes in hopes that you may tell him. 

“Those gorgeous eyes may lure me in normally, but not tonight.  You’re gonna have to wait till we get back to my place.”

A soft huff escapes Ashton’s lips, a childlike pout on his lips as you continued on.  It wasn’t until you had made your way inside and picked up the Scrabble box and wiggled your eyebrows suggestively did Ashton’s face change.

“What’s with the face?”

“Told you I had plans for this later.  What if I asked you if you wanted to play strip Scrabble?” Your eyebrows raised suggestively once more.

Ashton’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, a small grin tugging at his lips as he looked from you to the box, “How long have you been plotting this, hm?”

The air in the room shifted, but you stepped closer to Ashton, setting the box aside, “You game or not?”

Ashton’s eyes dragged down your body, sending shivers down your spine, “You’re wearing a lot less clothes than me sweetheart.”

“Well, good thing I’m better at Scrabble than you, Boomer,” Your finger dragged down his chest, casually popping open the top button before Ashton swatted your hand away.

“That’s cheating, and how many times do I need to tell you m’not a fuckin’ boomer!”

You barely missed his playful swat moving past him so you could set up the board on the coffee table.  Ashton sat across from you, close enough so that your feet were brushing against one anothers. You were kind of unclear of the rules as far as specifics, but you knew  the basics of: who ever scored higher each turn, removed an article of clothing.

You had been doing well so far at beating Ashton, but of course he was being a tease about it - starting with his shoes one at a time, followed by his socks, and his belt.  He got you a couple of times, resulting in you losing your shoes, but you knew that your next thing to go would be your dress, having nothing else left to lose.

Without a thought, you had put down the word ‘cunning’, taking advantage of the triple letter score for the ‘U’, assuming Ashton wouldn’t have anything better so he’d finally be forced to remove his shirt.  What you weren’t expecting, though, is for Ashton to put down the letters L-I-N-G-U-S’.

“You know that’s not how it’s spelt right?” You asked, leaning your elbows against the couch with a smirk.

“We know the end goal, so I think you could let this one slip, hm? Lose the dress, kitten.”

Your mouth fell open with a soft gasp, the new nickname sending a thrill through your veins- but still, you couldn’t make it easy on him, “What’s in it for me if I let you have this?”

Ashton wasted no time sliding over to close the gap between the two of you, his thigh now brushing against yours.  His left hand reached across to trail feather-light touches up your thigh, “Want me to show you, or just tell you?”

This was a side of Ashton you hadn’t seen before, but the look in his eyes made your mouth dry, struggling to find the words to say.  You wanted to continue the banter, but your want for him far outweighed your need to be borderline bratty in that moment.

“Not so bold now are you, kitten?” Ashton hummed, brushing his nose across your neck, causing you to suck in a sharp breath.  “You gonna take this dress off or am I going to have to rip it? Would be a shame to ruin such a nice dress.”

You made a small attempt to catch your breath, but all attempts were thrown out the window as Ashton nipped your neck gently, causing you to squeak.  Moving your fingers to the bottom of your dress, you moved far too slow for Ashton’s liking, his hands coming to cover yours and pushing your dress up further until it was over your head.  

A slow smirk spread over his lips when his eyes landed on the matching black set you had put on, fingers gingerly tracing the patterns of the lace.

“Someone had big plans for tonight, hm?” Ashton motioned for you to get onto the couch, pushing the coffee table away from the two of you so he could have more space.  

When you sat up on the couch, you were suddenly very conscious, aware of the beautiful raven-haired man sitting on the floor in front of you, hazel eyes looking up at you with a hint of mischief playing in them.  What if he was disappointed?

Ashton didn’t give you much room to explore your insecurities, long fingers coaxing your legs apart.  You were expecting him to remove the underwear to get better access, but instead he began to rub at your core through the fabric, the friction of the lace making you arch into his touch.  His lips were busy marking the insides of your thighs, and you couldn’t help the sharp gasp that left your lips.

“Feel good?” He asked with a wink, applying more pressure against you.

“Yes,” You breathed, reaching down to run your fingers through his hair.

Without another word, Ashton lowered his head, closer and closer, until he finally began to suck right over your clit.  You had to cover your mouth to keep from screaming at the sudden change of pressure.  

“Shit Ash,” A soft moan was able to slip past your lips, your chest heaving already with him having hardly done anything - you knew you were fucked, literally and figuratively as you felt the pressure of his tongue moving against you.  “I can take these off if you wa--”

“You think you deserve it? After teasing me all night, kitten?” Ashton pulled away, bringing his fingers up to pull the fabric taught against you to get your attention, “Look at me when I’m speaking to you.”

The tone in his voice had your eyes snapping open in a second - maybe he wouldn’t be too weirded out at the idea that you’re alright being spit on.  You had a sense always that sex with Ashton would be good, but he’d already surpassed good in the very little he had done to you already. 

“I didn’t tease you,” You lied, finally meeting his eyes and licking your lips hastily.

Ashton narrowed his eyes, leaning his head against your thigh, “Would be sad if I had to stop here, love.  You wanna try that again? Try and tell me you weren’t flaunting that perfect ass in front of me, or the suggestive touches on our picnic, and the biggest offense of all the strip Scrabble.” He let out a soft laugh, rubbing his stubble against your thigh which raised goosebumps on your skin.

You knew you were beat - you were putty in his hands and all you wanted was for him to touch you more.  To feel his long fingers against you, in you even.  “I’m sorry for teasing you,” You said with a pout.

Your admittance brought his grin back, lifting his head off of your thigh and letting the fabric go, “You don’t get off that easy, but I guess I can forgive you.”

Ashton tugged the fabric just enough to expose your entrance, slipping a finger into you and bringing his lips back to your still covered clit.  You cursed under your breath, annoyed more than anything that he didn’t want to just take it off all together.  He added a second finger not long after the first, much to your satisfaction.  Ashton’s movements were working faster than they were before, more determined.  The friction and the feeling of his fingers sending you barreling towards the edge, fingers tangled in his hair.

He must have known that you were close, likely able to feel you, because he pulled away all at once, leaving you whimpering at the sudden loss of sensation.

“Ash, what the fu--”

“I said you’re not getting off that easy, kitten,” Ashton licked his lips, bringing his fingers to his mouth to clean them off. 

That image alone could have gotten you off, but you were excited to see what else he had in mind. 

Ashton stood from his previous position, holding out his hands to help you stand up, “We’re going to your bedroom, need more room than this.”

Chewing on your lip, you followed him as he led the way to your room, your breathing still laboured from being so close to the edge only a minute before.  When you both got to your room, Ashton let go of your hand so he could sit on the bed.

“Take the rest of your clothes off.”

“You’re still wearing more clothes than me, baby,” You said sweetly, trailing your finger down his chest, finger catching at the fabric where the remaining few buttons had been done up.

Ashton grabbed your wrist gently, looking up at you, “Did I stutter?”

This side of Ashton kept very pleasantly surprising you, and you kept it in the back of your mind to ask him later what he was in to - though you were already getting a sense of what that may be.

You stepped back from him, Ashton letting your wrist drop so you could strip.  Testing your limits, you made a show of it, fingers slipping the straps of your bra slowly down your arms, followed by reaching behind you to pretend like you were struggling to get it undone.  

Ashton made a sound of annoyance, letting you finish your teasing, thinking you were in control for even a split second.  When you were fully undressed, Ashton tugged on your hands, but he stopped you when you went to straddle his lap, instead settling his thigh in between your legs. 

“You really can’t resist teasing me, hm?” Ashton whispered against your ear, your body responding with a small shiver.  “You want to cum? Now you’re going to have to show me you deserve it.”

His hands guided your hips to move against his, and you quickly got the hint of what he wanted you to do.  Bracing your hands on his shoulders, you began to grind yourself against his thigh on your own, his hands moving to your thighs, a firm reminder that he could go back to moving your hips at a pace he chose.

“Please, Ash,” You whimpered, “The pressure is too much.  Want you…” Your head dropped into the crook of his neck, almost pathetically pressing down harder against his thigh.  “Need you.”

Your nails were digging into his shoulders, whimpering soft pleas into his ear.  You were trying to be good, in a way afraid Ashton would leave all together if you let yourself go and came just from his thigh, but it was getting increasingly more difficult to hold off.  

You were about to give up on trying to be good when Ashton’s hands gripped your hips, stopping your movements, earning him a grunt of frustration from you. 

“You’ve made quite the mess, kitten.  You wanna be fucked so bad you were ready to get off on my thigh alone.  Lay down on the bed.”

You obeyed, finally deciding your desire overruled your need for being a brat in that moment.  Laying back on the bed, you watched Ashton get undressed, pressing your thighs together when his eyes lifted to meet yours. 

“There are condoms in the drawer,” You managed to say, eyes never leaving Ashton’s body.

Nodding, it felt like it took forever for him to open the package and slide the condom on - but then again, maybe he was trying to tease you in the ways you had teased him earlier.  Making you wait to feel him was probably the worst punishment you could receive.

The bed dipped as he crawled onto it, hovering over you before pressing his lips to yours, “Ready love?”

Him going back and forth between ‘kitten’ and ‘love’ made you grin, tangling your fingers in his hair and bringing him back down for another deep kiss; you tried to push the feelings of butterflies bubbling in your stomach away when you finally nodded, waiting for Ashton to move to between your legs instead.

Even though minutes before he was teasing the fuck out of you, and you him, he was soft in that moment - the fact not lost on either of you that this was your first time having sex together, after all the build up to it the last couple of months.  Ashton took hold of himself, pressing against your entrance and sliding in slowly, his eyes shooting up to your face to make sure that you were alright.

He felt better than you could have ever imagined, filling you in all of the right ways.  You could tell that he was waiting for you to adjust, so you moving your hips against him encouraged him to move too.  Ashton’s thrusts started slow and steady, each drag of him against your walls pulling a moan from you. 

He used one of his hands to hike your leg up, the new angle causing him to go deeper, earning a new set of noises coming from your throat.  Ashton’s pace sped up, small grunts leaving his mouth, allowing his free hand to roam your body.  His hand settled on your breast, rolling your nipple between his fingertips.

You weren’t sure if it was the arousal coursing through your veins, or the fact that you felt somehow safe with Ashton, but you took his wrist and dragged it up to your throat, giving him a nod that it was okay.

His hips stuttered at the action, throwing him off of his rhythm a little bit, “Kitten’s got claws, does she?” Ashton squeezed gently, the restriction to your airway sending a new wave of thrill through your body.  

Ashton wasn’t sure if either of you could hold off any longer, and he was eager to see your face as you came apart beneath him.  He let your leg go so he could lean forward, whispering in your ear, “You wanna cum, kitten?”

“Yes… Please, daddy.”  The words were out of your mouth before you had a chance to even think about it, but it didn’t seem to affect Ashton, but rather encourage him.  His thrusts were sloppy, letting go of your neck to focus on his movements.

It took less than a minute before you were being sent over the edge, the sensation of being teased and edged aiding to what was quite possibly the most intense orgasm you had ever felt.  Ashton followed not too long after, his fingers holding your hips so tight you were certain to find bruises the next morning.

When he collapsed beside you, you immediately curled into his side while you tried to catch your breath.  Ashton wrapped his arms around you, pressing his lips to your forehead when he began to laugh. 

“What’s funny?” You asked, tilting your chin up to look at him.

“You somehow managed to get the triple letter score in the game, and got the triple word score just now.”

Smirking, you pressed your lips to his cheek, “What can I say? I don’t lose.”

tag list:  @haikucal​ @talkfastromance4​ @softbabiestan​ @calum-uncrowned​ @wildflowerirwin​ @irwindoll​ @gosh-im-short​ @atlcalm​ @thesubtweeter​ @heavenisapeach​ @ridingcthood​ @loveroflrh​ @mantlereid​ @inlovehoodx​ @irwinkitten​ @n-ctarinenga​​ @g-l-pierce​ @thecurlsofgod​

#ashton irwin #ashton irwin blurb #ashton irwin fanfiction #ashton irwin smut #5sos fanfiction

[jippy-kandi]

Digimon Adventure: 2020 – Episode 2: War Game (Review)

Thoughts on the second episode of the Digimon Adventure reboot series.

I loved this episode. Is it because Yamato is in it and I’m an unapologetic Yamato stan? Maybe. But the inclusion of Yamato in the story made things a lot more interesting.

I’m 99% sure the opening credits will change once all eight kids are introduced. I’m sure the other kids will join Taichi in “falling” like in the original opening credits. OG Adventure changed the opening and ending up as the series progressed, too, so it’s very likely they’ll do the same with the reboot.

I liked Yamato a lot -- clearly to everyone’s surprise. *cough* He’s similar to OG Yamato, but still different enough to be his own person. He was less of a lonewolf than the ending credits framed him as and I still liked it. He prefers to do things alone, but he knows what to do to get the job done (teamwork), even though he clearly has reservations about getting close to people. I want to know his background! I really want to see scenes of him with his parents. I hope Hiroaki still has a beefy part in this. Or maybe Natsuko will!? (Sorry, I stan Yamato’s parents too much.)

So it seems Greymon and Garurumon know each other. Interesting. Do they also know the other digimon partners?

Taichi on Yamato: “That’s a human, right?” lol. No, Taichi, he’s an Adonis. ;)

Daigo from Digimon Adventure tri. (Daisuke Namikawa) voices reboot Yamato and I can definitely hear Daigo in him. And while I do like his new voice and thinks it suits him, I still miss OG Yamato’s voice actor Yuuto Kazama in the role. But Namikawa does sound more believable than Kazama as an 11-year-old, lol.

I laughed at Yamato’s disdain at Taichi telling him he’d introduce a friend to him -- and then again at Yamato’s indignation when Taichi goes on to introduce Yamato as his friend to Koushirou. Stop refusing your Crest! XD

Yamato has never heard of the train station Taichi was at before he went into the Network. Ooh, where is Yamato from then?

It’s actually a really big stretch that Koushirou has connections to “web experts” and thus access to classified information at a whim . . . as a 10-year-old. And that he really knows what to do in the Network and everything . . . I know he’s a genius, but come on. :p

I love the sigh Yamato gives when he resigns himself to introducing himself to Taichi and Koushirou. He is seriously winning my heart over with just sounds and facial expressions lol. (But he had my heart already, let’s be real. XD)

What I loved most about this episode was the interactions between Taichi, Yamato and Koushirou. Taichi seemed so much more of a character (and not generic) this episode because he could play off of Yamato and Koushirou. What I loved most about OG Adventure were the kids and their relationships with each other, so having three of them interacting was awesome. I can’t wait for everyone to be assembled!

Yamato calling Koushirou by his last name “Izumi” was a nice touch so that when he does eventually call everyone by their first names, it’ll be really meaningful. (He still calls Meiko Mochizuki by her last name throughout tri. and beyond . . .)

I think I do like reboot Koushirou more than OG Koushirou. He just seems so much more human instead of a walking, talking computer. Plus he’s so adorable, lol.

Taichi reminds me of an adorable little puppy with Yamato. It was like he was all, “Hey, Yamato, can we be friends? Please? Yamato? Please be my friend?” XD His eagerness to befriend him was so endearing.

I like that Taichi physically fights baby Algomon himself. It beats them just watching their digimon partners do all the work. :p

I like Yamato’s quiet confidence. He just trusts that Taichi will understand his tactic to lure the baby Algomon away from the child Algomon “boss”. But after seemingly defeating Algomon, Taichi boasts to Yamato about how he knew what he was thinking, when it was actually Greymon who had to tell him, lol.

I liked Yamato holding his arm out to shut Taichi up because Algomon wasn’t actually defeated, because it reminded me of that scene in tri. Chapter 2 where Yamato stops Taichi that way in the hallway. It was also just funny, lol.

The series is really putting the kids in harms way when Algomon attacks them. I like it, because it makes them seem more involved, instead of just standing by the sidelines and being “owners” of their digimon. But that blow from Algomon that Taichi and Yamato took would severely injure them lol. But I guess if tri. Chapter 4 can get away with Sora being thumped against a cliff and not die, it’s all cool. :P

I have to give props to Toei for actually making Garurumon and Greymon seem like actual characters with their own minds, instead of just “pets” with childlike personalities (which is how I mostly view them in the original series). What a great step up! I really liked them in this episode.

Only two episodes in and we already have a Taito fist-bump! It even felt organic too, even though they just met and Yamato has an aversion to Taichi/making friends. Nice!

I really like the throwback animations to Our War Game. This episode was basically a TV-sized version of the movie and I was here for it. Maybe because Our War Game used to be my favourite Digimon movie (since surpassed by the third tri. movie). I like that they did this because it kind of “connects” this reboot to OG Adventure and it really feels like they could be the same characters in an alternate reality.

The feathers landing in Takeru and Hikari’s hands, activating their Crests, and helping (?) to evolve Garurumon and Greymon into Omegamon reminded me of when Angewomon and Angemon had to shoot arrows at Taichi and Yamato to give them miraculous powers to evolve. I’m sure they’re using a similar “prophecy” idea here.

Omegamon has entered the chat! And it’s only episode two. Wow. How fast does this show want to go? Omegamon is BOSS. Why do the other kids even need their digimon to evolve? lol. Oh, Yamato will leave straight after they win and they can’t evolve to Omegamon for a while anymore. :( Though Omegamon might also be a once-or-twice in a season “miracle” thing? It would work better like that so that they’re not overpowered throughout the entire series.

This episode was so very fast paced. It’s definitely aimed at keeping the attention span of the current instant-gratification generation -- but I do wonder if it’s perhaps too fast? Can they actually keep up and remain interested with things thrown at them at full speed? Because we have knowledge of the old continuity and so we are more ready to accept things like Omegamon happening now, but it might be too much for new viewers? I guess we’ll see how popular the series ends up being.

I think the quality of this series so far is better than the original series. Yeah, I know we’re only two episodes in, but the animation and direction are so much better than OG Adventure. I hope they can keep this level of quality up!

Well, that’s it from me this week!

Below are EPISODE TITLES for the next four episodes of Digimon Adventure: 2020.

They contain spoilers, so if you don’t want to know the episode titles, this post ends here for you!

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

The episode titles are:

Episode 3: And To The Digital World

Episode 4: Birdramon Soars

Episode 5: The Holy Digimon

Episode 6: The Targeted Kingdom

It seems we’re going to wait a while for Mimi and Jou’s introductions. But I actually do like that they’re slowly introducing the kids, because it opens up so much space to really introduce them. The series has done a great job with Taichi, Koushirou and Yamato so far, so I’m optimistic that it’ll treat the rest of the kids right in the end, too. Hopefully?

#digimon #digimon adventure #digimon adventure: #digimon adventure 2020 #yamato ishida #taichi yagami #koushirou izumi #takeru takaishi #hikari yagami #chosen children #review #screenshots #spoilers #here comes my man #...11 year old yamato ishida #lol

[peter-pan-on-neverland]

Nightmare’s: Part 2

request: I want from the fluffy prompt list 10 ,11,12 with Peter Pan where reader has a nightmare and Pan comforts her

Pairings: Pan x reader

Warnings: I make a shitty rhyme in the 2nd paragraph :/

Prompts: fluffy 10 - “Shhh... go back to sleep”

Surprisingly I didn’t wake up screaming, or in a cold sweat, this time I was woken up by the sunlight peeking it’s head through the thin curtains. Quickly, I bolted up, remembering last nights event.

My eyes danced around the strangely familiar room I was in, but they boy in green was nowhere to be seen. The make shift bed which lay at the foot on my....his bed, was vacated. A little note was left in his place.

Steadily I rose to my feet, grasping the small bit of paper in-between my fingers.

Y/n I have something I need to do today, I wont see you until the bonfire tonight. I hope you had a better nights sleep. -P.P

I smiled to myself, he sure did know how to fool people. I had always tried to keep my distance from him, I had seen first hand how cruel and vicious he could be with the boys, so why was he being so nice to me?

It’s probably just because he doesn’t want me to wake up screaming in the middle of the night again, making everyone jump out of their skin again,

I couldn’t tell if the version of him he showed around me was real or fake, maybe the cruel side to this boy was real and I was the one being tricked. After all this is Pan were on about here.

The rest of the day carried on as normal, except the blonde second in command was in charge of the large group full of rowdy teenage boys. I tried my hardest to get on with my day as normal, but the boys just couldn’t restrain themselves from asking questions. And the fact that they had seen Pan himself carry me in his arms all the way to his tree house didn’t help my case at all. 

“What happened last night?”

“Are you OK?”

“I saw Pan carry you to his tree house, is there something you want to tell us Y/n?”

“No way, Pan would never do that!”

“I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Is that true Y/n?”

I silently watched in awe as the boy squabbled among themselves, looking at me in search of answers. 

“Boys!” A British accent rang loud and clear, cutting through the thick air, “If you think there’s something going on between me and our resident lost girl then I’m sorry to say you’re mistaken. So please, get your porn somewhere else.”

There seemed to be a dark rain cloud hanging above the leaders head, following him where ever he went. He was clearly annoyed, but why?

We all watched in silence as he angrily stalked across the camp, before shutting himself away in his tree house, leaving us all dumbstruck and confused. What was going on with him? He had suddenly been acting nice towards me and now he’s angrily stomping around camp?

I shrugged the thought off, it was none of my business anyway.

That was the last time I saw him all day until the sun came down and the flames of the fire licked at the navy sky. The sound of the boys cheering filled the air while they danced around the bonfire as if they were performing some kind of Satanic ritual. 

I wasn’t one for dancing, I sat on a log a little ways away from the boys. My eyes were fixated on the flames of the fire as they danced and twirled around each other. The reds and oranges swirled together, looking like they had been painted on a canvas. 

Usually this sight would calm me, but tonight it felt different. There was an unsettling feeling in my stomach that I couldn’t seem to shake for the life of me and I had a daunting feeling I knew what was causing it. Like it was written on the pages of a chilling story book those glowing, red eyes seemed to peer at me through the flames of the fire. 

My breath imminently hitched in my throat. I could feel my pules quicken along with my heart rate as blood was pumped through my veins at a dangerously fast pace. His menacing laugh seemed to echo in my mind, haunting me, following me. He was right all along, I could never run, I could never hide, he will always find me no matter where I roamed.

“Y/n,” A low voice sounded beside me, making me jump slightly, I visibly relaxed when I saw it was only Felix, “Someone’s jumpy.”

His sharp features were illuminated by the glowing embers of the fire, lighting up his face in a calming blossom.

“yeah, I guess.” I chuckled slightly, trying to act as normal as possible.

“You want to talk about what’s bothering you?” He asked, I wasn’t going to bother to hide the shock of my face, of cores he knew something was up. He’s Felix, he knows just as much as Pan does.

“Nothings bothering me,” I jumped in, desperately wanting him off my trail, besides it wasn’t like he could help me, like he said he will gets what’s his.

“I know that look in your eyes,” The lost boy spoke slowly, “Every boy who’s come to this island has all had that look, you’re scared. Does it have anything to do with last night?”

I could feel my muscles contract and tense with awkwardness at his words.

“It’s nothing, OK?” I tried to reassure him.

“Whatever you say.” With that the normally motionless boy flashed me a smile before walking off. 

My eyes went back to gazing at the flames, this day was getting weirder and weirder. First Pan was acting weird and now Felix is going round like his world had just been introduced to rainbow cakes and unicorn stickers? I wanted things to go back to normal, to how they were before, and fast.

The faint sound of a flute shifted me from my thoughts. The soft notes floated out of Pan’s pipes, spreading through the atmosphere for everyone to hear.

The boys seemed to be hypnotized by it, falling under the spell of the song while they banged their sticks to the rhythm.

My eyes gazed beyond the flames of the roaring fire to see Pan perched on a log, Pan flute held to his lips as he played the soft tune. Our eyes locked and I flashed him a quick, small smile only to be met with a smirk of the king of Neverland.

He stopped playing, leaving the boys to dance to the music in their head for a while before he came and sat down next to me.

“How did you sleep?” He asked, for a guy who was always so mean, acting nice was becoming second nature to him.

“Better, I’m sorry I woke everyone up.” I said, my voice sounding small and weak conspired to his.

“Don’t apologize,” If you want you can always stay another night, just to make sure you’re going to be OK.”

What’s the catch? Is this all kind of some plan he has?

“Sure.” I say, smiling over at him, “I’ll sleep on the floor tonight.”

The leader scoffed at my remark, “What kind of host would I be if I let a lady sleep on the floor?” He left before I could argue back.

I couldn’t help but crack a smile as he walked away.

“Oh, love!” He yelled back, “Feel free to go to bed whenever you want, I might be up for a while.”

Silently, I gave him a nod, this wasn’t really my scene anyways, sleep was basically my escape at the minute.

Jumping to my feet I made my way over to Pan’s tree house, I could feel the eyes of the lost boys fixate on my as I climbed the ladder. Whispers and gasps could be hear among the crowd, but in fear of getting their fingers chopped off they kept their mouths shut.

I entered his candle lit room, it was simple but pretty at the same time. The first time I was in here I only payed attention to the basic things, now I could clearly see the things that clung to the wooden walls. Various sea shells, some kind of dust, leaves, feathers and millions upon millions of books to read, some factual and some full of adventure and mystery, I never would’ve though Pan was a reader.

Slipping off my big, brown, knee high boots before flopping onto the make shift bed on the floor, there was no way I could stay in his bed again, no matter how comfy it was.

Laying my head on the soft pillow, I wrapped the thin blanket around my small body before closing my eyes, letting peaceful bliss take over my body. 

The moon was so bright it almost blinded me, popping out against the jet black backdrop it sat upon. I was surrounded by dark, tall trees that towered over me like a sky scraper, I was enclosed by nature, not being able to escape.

“I told you I would be back.” That dark voice I knew oh so well spoke from among the trees.

Panic flowed through my veins as I felt those long nails scratch the back of my neck, clawing at my back. Hot drops of blood rolled down my back, I couldn’t move. I was stuck in place no being able to do anything about the pain I was feeling.

“Are you willing to give me what I want now?” He was so close to me I could feel his hot breath tickle my ear, “I will visit you every night until I get what’s mine, so you might as well give it to me.”

“No!” I screamed, “I will never hand it over, I wont come with you, I wont be apart of this little game I didn’t even sign up for!”

His slender fingers wrapped themselves around my neck as my chest quickly rose and fell out of pure fear. I wanted to wake up, I wanted Pan to be here like he was last night.

“Come one, It’ll be over soon, just let me have it.” His slimy tongue licked a long stripe from my neck all the way up to my cheek.

“You can’t have it! You’re never going to have it! Just leave me alone.” I pleaded as salty tear rolled down my face.

The monstrous creature tried to reason with me, tried to persuade me and lure me into temptation, but I kept screaming and screaming over the top of him.

“No! No! No! No! No! No!” I screamed over and over again.

“No!” I bellowed as I bolted up in...Pan’s bed? But I thought I fell asleep on the floor?

I could hear a faint groan sounding from the side of me, my eyes slid to the left only to find a very tired looking boy, with messy brown hair. I couldn’t help but freeze in place, was I really shearing a bed with the leader? I could feel my cheeks heat up at the thought.

“What’s wrong, love?” He groggily asked after letting out a yawn.

“W....I thought I fell asleep on the floor?” I said, tiredly rubbing my eyes.

He let out a low chuckle in response, “You are a stubborn one aren’t you?” He sat up, leaning on his elbows.

It was only then I realized he was shirtless, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. Was this his weird way of trying to seduce me?

We sat there in awkward silence for a minute, I couldn’t stop my eyes from wondering over the parts of his exposed skin, it set off something inside. I could feel my entire face grow hot, there was no way in hell I was about to let this guy soak my panties.

“You wanna talk about it?” He asked, genuinely seeming to care.

I shook my head no, forcing my eyes to stay glued to his blankets instead of him. Although anything to keep my mind off that nightmare was very welcomed in my books, even if it was the king of Neverland fu-

“If it helps, I can tell you one of my nightmares?” He spoke up, stopping me from finishing that though which I was silently grateful for.

“...O-Okay.” I said.

“Lie down,” He said, I did as I was ordered, getting comfy on his bed which could easily be mistaken for a cloud, “The worst dream I’ve ever had was about losing everyone, Felix, The boys, you. I was here all alone and I was dying. I had no one to talk to, no one who could help me. I was forced to wonder around on my own, hopelessly calling out for everyone, wondering where they had all gone.”

It was strange to hear Pan of all people open up and talk about the things he was scared of.

“I would hate that too,” I told him, making him feel like he had someone to relate to.

“Shhhhhh...” He whispered, “Go back to sleep, love.”

I nodded before rolling over, my back was facing him as I scooted other to the other side of the bed, being as far away from Pan as I possibly could before letting my eyes close.

I woke up before the sun did, watching the soft shades of pink, orange and purple blended together, but that wasn’t what alarmed me. 

I looked down only to see Pan’s arm slung over my waist, his faint breath tickled my ear as my back pressed against his bare chest. I felt oddly comfortable in this position, but I knew how awkward this situation would be if Pan woke up.

Carefully, I removed his arms from around me before crawling out of bed. I slipped my boots on after I left a note by his side.

Pan, Gone for a walk, be back in five ~Y/n

Silently, I slipped out the door, making my way towards the stream, I needed to cool off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 2 is up, I hope you guys like it! Look at me actually sticking to deadlines hehehe, I’ll try and get the next part up by Tuesday! Xxxx

#ouat #ouat fic #ouat fanfiction #ouat fan fiction #OUAT fandom #ouat ff #ouat peter pan #ouat pan #ouat peter pan fan fiction #ouat peter imagine #ouat peter pan ff #OUAT s3 #ouat season 3 #ouat peter #peter pan #disney peter pan #peter pan imagine

[kinetic-elaboration]

March 19: 2x11 Friday’s Child

Finally watched this week’s TOS. This was a hard day again and I’m tired and basically as soon as the ep ended my mood deflated again but I think I can write up a few notes and then crawl right back into bed again.

Another episode about negotiating for a mining treaty, huh? (I’m keeping track of all of these, roughly, for my own Nefarious Purposes).

The aliens are seven feet tall and they wear silly outfits.

Wow, what a dumbass red shirt. You’d think Starfleet would train people NOT to just randomly draw their weapons in diplomatic situations.

I honestly forgot there were Klingons in this.

DC Fontana wrote this!! I forgot that too.

Lol Kirk just drops the deceased red shirt. And then keeps holding his hands out like ‘what am I to do now?’

“They want to negotiate for our rocks. Our stupid, useless rocks. Everyone wants our rocks! So weird.”

I’m actually kind of surprised DC Fontana wrote a Klingon ep but like... I guess it’s not that surprising given this guy doesn’t even have a name and is also really dumb lol. At least he’s not in brownface.

When Kirk and Spock disarmed I didn’t realize they were throwing down their communicators and I was a little confused as to why they had to carry so many phasers each.

Kirk’s pretty upset about the crewman’s death, which I get, he always goes feral when one of his people dies and I appreciate that about him... but that guy really did fuck up lol.

I like seeing Scotty in command.

Oooh mood lighting in the tent. And Spock is meditating I think.

Emotion is “inefficient and illogical.” No wonder Kirk thinks they can never be in love!!

And yet jealous is also inefficient and illogical and I detect some of it in Spock when the blonde Cappellan comes in.

“They consider combat more pleasurable than love.” Hmm sounds like someone else I know.

... Honestly I wish the Grounders had been like this. I feel like there’s more thought in creating this society in one episode than in creating that one over 7 seasons.

I love Bones in this and his role as cultural translator.

The Federation believes in self-determination.

“The sky does not interest me.”

I really do dig the world building here. There’s so much going on in this one ep, even just in part of an ep, and you really get the sense that this is a whole world with its own rules and customs and values, and its own complex political machinations that our mains have really just wandered into.

Also the soundtrack today is NOT messing around. TV composers just don’t go this hard anymore, sorry.

Oooh now the Klingon’s afraid at the prospect of fighting Kirk.

The Enterprise just walked into a coup I guess.

Lots of fighting! Kirk must be having fun.

Scotty is so commanding! I feel like he and Uhura were already friends at this point. Like whenever he’s in command she seems really comfortable just wandering up to his chair all the time.

Also why are they ALWAYS signing stuff?

Yessss silent triumvirate communication.

“To live is always desirable.” I mean she’s not wrong but so much for being willing to die without a fuss lol.

It’s kind of wild how this ep started out being about a mining treaty and drama with the Klingons and all of this alien political drama and then basically becomes all about saving one (1) pregnant widow (and themselves) from huge, ,hostile aliens in funny feather boas.

Sulu insulting Scotty’s knowledge of ships lol. Not smart.

Can’t believe the Klingon couldn’t get his weapon back but Kirk got his communicators back no problem. Who is the smarter alien?

They’ll find us BY SCENT ALONE what a detail to just throw in there!

Lol this whole scene with McCoy and Eleen is hilarious and ridiculous in equal measure. Like I can’t entirely blame her for not wanting to be touched intimately by a strange alien man (rude!!) but also I do enjoy McCoy’s gruff insistence that he WILL care for his patient. This is what AOs didn’t get about “Grumpy Bones.” He’s not mean, he’s just...not up for niceties when he has a healing to do. He WILL care for you dammit!

And he has soft hands.

Spock is loving this.

Kirk’s subtle reverse psychology. “Well if you don’t think the communicator plan can work” and then Spock like “I didn’t say that exactly...”

They aren’t human, they’re humanoid!

And again, the subtle taunting/goading of Bones: “Well if you can’t do it...”

I’m a doctor, not an escalator! One of the best lines.

Detective Scotty. Kind of ridiculous how he solves the case of the taunting Klingons luring them away from the planet...but then sticks around a bit more just in case.

The child is McCoy’s!

Spock is so uncomfortable with this giving birth thing. “Oh look Captain, vegetation!”

“Just repeat ‘The child is mine.’“ “Yes, the child is yours.” Lol.

Arts and crafts with Kirk and Spock! I love that this is a McCoy ep with subtle space husbands in the background.

Favorite moment though is McCoy trying to teach Spock how to hold a baby. “I would rather not, thank you.”

“Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on...won’t get fooled again.”

I love that Chekov is consciously messing with them about everything being from Russia.

Also the absolute GALL of the Klingons trying the exact same ship luring technique a second time.

Can’t believe that Bones wants to go off and have fun with the boys and just leave the baby alone in the cave. You’re a dad now McCoy!! Be responsible!

“Small patient.” Yes very small!

Cool little robot battle station unfolding at the helm.

I feel like when Kirk and Spock have that exchange about cavalry coming over the hill and Spock says "if by that you mean..." Kirk should have answered, "I thought I just said that." But then that wouldn't be very Kirk of him. He never makes fun of Spock.

This Klingon is not having a good day!

Scotty and the redshirts here to save the day.

I guess Maab wasn’t so bad after all. And Elaan is perhaps a little confusing, but I admire her desire to both save herself and adhere to her people’s traditions, even if those are incompatible desires.

Spock absolutely IS going to consult linguistics about baby talk. Probably Uhura specifically.

LEONARD JAMES AKAAR. Absolutely one of the top 5 final bridge scenes. They really missed an opportunity to return to the planet in a later movie or series and interact with the Teer.Captain Picard meets Leonard James Akaar.

This was a good ep! I really only remembered the Bones and Elaan parts with the baby, so I forgot all of the political machinations and stuff in the beginning of the ep. It’s a pretty solid world building episode and of course, lots of McCoy, can’t go wrong with that.

I actually think it makes a lot of sense for Bones to be the child’s “father” tbh. Like, I know everyone thinks it’s funny but like... in our culture, we assign pseudo-parental roles to people who aren’t blood relatives of children based on the adult’s relationship with the child’s blood relative and that’s arguably weirder. Like you can be a kid’s step father by marrying his mom even if you really don’t have any relationship to him, so why shouldn’t McCoy, who saved Leonard’s mother’s life and delivered him, and convinced her to actually desire to raise him, be considered his “father”? ESP given that this society seems to have no place at all for fatherless children. They just can’t conceive of such a thing. So “father” has to encompass something other than, or not strictly limited to, biological father. She was so quick to assign McCoy fatherhood status, I have to assume this happens a lot, that people take on that role for non-bio children.

Not a lot for Spock to do today but I think he had fun. He got to explode some rocks and make some bows and shoot some arrows. And Kirk got into a lot of fights so I think he enjoyed himself.

I don’t know if I believed the Cappellans were 7 feet tall but they did look broad and alien so I will give them that.

It was nice to see Scotty in command again. I’m so mad at AOS still for making him comic relief. I think he’s actually quite a serious person. Talking with my mom, I’ve decided that the crew can be grouped into ‘cracks jokes through a crisis’ and ‘generally gets very serious in a crisis, reserves humor for calm moments’ and while Sulu, Chekov, and Spock are in group 1, Scotty is definitely in group 2 with Kirk and McCoy. (Uhura seems generally lighthearted and fun loving but not funny per se so I don’t know how to group her.)

Also this is one of the early filmed Chekov episodes (as you can see by the hair) and he spends it, again, at Spock’s station. It’s so obvious he was introduced as Spock’s protege, not as the navigator, which I think is very interesting. Like I want to hear the backstory on that.

Next week’s episode is The Deadly Years, which I remember as being very solid.

#star trek tos #the year 2021 #2021: star trek #2021: star trek tos

[anistarrose]

the years wore on, and changed my heart (The Owl House)

AO3: archiveofourown.org/works/23366812

Summary: A Boiling Isles fairy tale about two sisters, a curse, and the demon king who did the cursing.

Characters: King, Eda Clawthorne, Lilith Clawthorne, Luz Noceda

Relationships: Eda Clawthorne & King, Eda Clawthorne & Lilith Clawthorne

you ever think of a theory so unlikely yet so sad that you feel the need to write a fic about it immediately? that's basically the origin story here. (title is from "East" by Sleeping at Last because boy oh boy does that song have some King vibes)

***

(This is the part of the tale that a few parents still tell their children, to scare them into behaving.)

Once upon a time, there lived two Witches. Two sisters, the same blood and same bile running through their hearts of stone. They loved each other, and protected each other, and even in their dreams of the future, they never left each other’s sides.

But the firey-orange-haired sister had a fierce and rebellious spirit, chafing against authority and conformity of any form. The dark-haired sister still loved her, of course, but love slowly turned to worry, and worry to fear — after all, there was no room in the Emperor’s Coven for someone who openly questioned the foundations of the coven system itself.

Once upon a time, there lived a mighty King of Demons. Fur as black as shadows, hypnotizing round eyes that shone like two twin moons, and a cold uncaring heart, drawn only to conquest and brutality.

But a King is no Emperor, and despite his might and his magic, he found himself ousted. To reclaim his usurped throne, he could not simply act alone — he needed an army of ferocious servants, loyal servants, powerful servants.

Once upon a time, the King spied a head of red hair questioning the Emperor’s authority. He donned a mask to approach her — a two-horned skull that fit neatly over his own head, concealing his royal identity — and invited her to meet him at a later date, for he believed they had many views about the Emperor in common.

The naive Witch accepted his offer, and agreed to meet him on the night of the next full moon. When she told her sister about the conversation, the dark-haired Witch begged her not to go — it’s a trap! There could be agents of the Emperor waiting for you! You could be arrested — and then how will we ever be able join the Emperor’s Coven together? Please, stay home! Don’t throw your life away!

The firey-haired witch was not swayed by her sister’s pleas, and when the night of the full moon came, she drugged her sister with an illicitly brewed potion and slipped out of their house unnoticed. The icy nighttime winds howled, as if they to were begging her to turn back, but she ventured onwards, through the forest and towards the lair of the deposed King.

The masked King cordially welcomed her inside, and invited her to sit down. He had a plan to overthrow the Emperor, he explained, but before he could trust anyone to join his rebellion, he needed to pose them a few questions:

Do you hate conforming? he asked. Do you hate the expectations this world has for you?

I do! the Witch replied. I always have! I knew you’d understand!

Would you like to be something original? he continued. Something unprecedented? Something fierce and powerful and chaotic that the world has never seen before, something that’ll shatter all their dumb expecations of what a witch or a demon should be?

Of course! the starry-eyed witch exclaimed. That’s everything I want to be!

The King smiled as he cast aside his mask, and the concentric circles within his eyes lit up one by one. Then thank you for enlisting.

Before the skull-mask even struck the rocky ground, one of its horns breaking upon impact, the curse had been cast. Like an extinguished flame, the Witch’s orange hair turned gray in the blink of an eye. Her teeth and nails sharpened into fangs and talons, while two wings sprouted from her back, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream so loud it woke her sister from her slumber back in town.

After she fled the cave, the cursed Witch’s sister found her first, and smuggled her to the house of a friend Potions track who could brew an elixir and slow the curse’s progression. But for a complete cure, they would need to beseech the Emperor’s Coven themselves for help — and the cursed Witch refused, for such was the fury that she held for the Emperor. She was too proud to let any coven brand her with their magic, even if she turned into a monster without their help — and turn into a monster she did, as the years passed by.

Some say the Owl Lady still dwells in the Boiling Isles even as her curse worsens, spreading dissent against the covens by day and feeding upon unsuspecting witches by night. Do not stay out to late, young Witchling, or she will steal you away and drink your blood.

Even more importantly, do not make trouble for your elders, or the deposed King will lure you away and curse you. Give thanks to your Emperor, for freeing us from that wretched demon’s reign of terror.

***

(This is the part of the tale that no one tells their children because the only two to ever know it were the Witch and the King, and they forgot it all as soon as it happened.)

Once upon a time, a King cast a spell, and once upon a time, a Witch fought back. As the Witch’s hair turned gray, so did the world surrounding her. As she was plunged into the void, she did not go quietly, and she dragged the King down with her.

Surrounded by darkness, the King still laughed. With each ripple of magic reflected in his eyes, the Witch transformed further, feathers bristling and fangs elongating, but the King paid little attention to the nails at his neck transforming into talons.

You’re my beast now! he roared. You’re going to help me regain my throne!

The Witch drew no circles in the air, but something dark and primal ran through her transforming heart — and with it, she tapped into the foundations of the cursing spell itself. It was a rare type of magic that she performed that day, fueled just as much by spite as it was by bile.

The King had cursed her with a spark of his demonic essence. Well, she was going to take it.

She was going to take everything he had, everything ferocious and bestial and intimidating about him. She was going to take everything except his orders.

You want to make me a demon?! she screamed. Fine! I’ll make you powerless!

The King realized, too late, what was happening. His body, made more of ichor and magic than of flesh, was losing its form, liquifying and reshaping within that blank gray void, and he screamed too as he lurched forward and his head collided with the head of the transforming Witch.

Upon impact, a bolt of pain split open two minds, and in an instant, the Witch and the King both forgot.

A mighty demon and a puny mortal walked into the deposed King’s lair that day, and a mighty demon and a puny mortal left it. Neither looked the same, nor remembered as much, as when they had entered.

The Owl Lady left first, scampering out of the cave on all fours and practically bounding into her terrified sister’s arms. She had clung to just enough of herself to hold it together, and restrain herself from lashing out at what by all means should have been her prey — but as the years passed by, her control would wane, and she would come to depend on higher and higher elixir doses to stay herself.

The deposed Demon King awakened more slowly, as the sun began to rise and turn fateful night to ordinary day. He felt tiny and out of place in this lair, dwarfed in stature by mere stalactites and startled by every shadow — but most of all, he felt confused.

What am I doing here? How did I get here?

As little as he remembered, he knew that something was wrong. He was more than this runt of a body, more than these cowardly instincts. He was important. He was a ruler. He was a King — so where were his offerings? Where was his might? Where were his powers?

He didn’t remember how, but he knew he had been humiliated. He couldn’t be seen like this, he couldn’t be recognized. He needed to hide —

Frantically pacing in tiny circles, he nearly tripped over a skull lying on the floor, one of its horns intact and the other broken. It would do nicely to hide his identity, he realized — and maybe, just maybe, strike terror in his enemies’ hearts.

For the second time in recent history and first time in recent memory, the King donned his mask. Then he set out into the surrounding forest, in search of answers and royal subjects that he would not find.

***

(This is the tale no one tells their children because it’s only just now happened, and no one knows how the story will end.)

Once upon a time, there lived two Witches, torn apart by a curse. They both thought themselves successful, and believed the other was throwing their life away. They still loved each other, of course, and would never wish grave harm upon each other — but oh, were they loath to admit it.

Once upon a time, there lived a puny, impish King. He loved dreaming of conquest, and of sacrifices made in his name, but most of all, he loved the gray-haired Witch who’d taken him in off the street. The Owl Lady was what they called her, and The Owl Lady and The Demon King had a wonderfully ominous ring to it, after all. They made a good team, especially once the Human arrived to complete their sinister triumvirate.

Sadly, the Witch was afflicted with a curse, and this upset the King and Human greatly. Though the King often spoke of ruling with a cold heart and iron fist, he hated seeing the Witch upset — and he’d never seen anything upset her more than her worsening curse, no matter how insistent she was that she was fine, and there was nothing to worry about.

When he took back his throne, the King decided, he would convene a royal panel of investigators to track down whoever did this to the Witch. Then he would throw them in the dungeon until they agreed to undo the curse, at which point he would allow them to do so, before throwing them back in an even darker, smellier dungeon for the rest of their natural life.

He decided as much within an hour of learning of the curse’s existence, and informed the Human of his plan very matter-of-factly. She patted him on the head, and told him he would make a great ruler one day — but the King was more perceptive than he seemed. He sensed the doubt in the Human’s voice, and the sadness in her eyes.

She didn’t think he could do it, and he wasn’t quite sure if he blamed her.

The King was weak, and he knew it. Even from beneath his grim mask, he could hardly inspire fear, much less inspire ferocious warriors to listen to him. He was in no position to command an army of demons.

But once upon a time, while plotting revenge against an usurper his equal in size, he made a discovery: the Witch, while only half-transformed, would obey his commands with no hesitation. Knowing not of the spell-gone-awry that had tied them together a lifetime ago, the King was surprised — but the surprise stirred familiar feelings.

Confidence. Determination. Vengeance.

The Owl Lady was the most powerful demon the King had ever met, and at first, he feared this development was too good to be true. But a ghost of a memory had already returned to haunt him, presenting itself not as a recollection, but as an idea too tempting to resist:

He would use her to take back his playground throne — a logical first step towards world domination. It would be over quickly, and the Witch wouldn’t be hurt — she didn’t seem unhappy in this cursed form, after all — and no one would be the wiser. He would do this just to prove that he could, to prove that he was still a natural-born leader. To prove that he wasn’t as weak or as puny as he looked.

But upon reaching the playground, the Witch once again did what she did best — she rebelled. The King’s vague memory had prepared him for this possibility, and he had half-consciously resolved not to make the same mistake twice, but he hadn’t expected the backup elixir to fail him. He hadn’t expected demon hunters.

Most of all, he hadn’t expected to do the unthinkable, and abdicate his newly reclaimed throne. But the King loved the Witch more than any throne or kingdom or offerings, and deep in his heart, he knew there was no other choice he could make.

He squealed with all the rage he could muster — far more than a demon his size should’ve been able to contain. It was anger with the person who’d cursed his Witch, and it was anger with himself, for using the Witch in his own selfish scheme… and against all odds, it worked. The Witch remembered — not the truth of the past, but the truth of the present.

The King was her friend. She didn’t want to hurt him.

Later that night, the Witch admitted to the King what she’d never admit to the Human — whether it was because she’d known him longer, or because he’d clearly already assumed as much, the King didn’t know. But, for whatever reason, the Witch admitted that her elixirs weren’t working anymore, and as she spoke, her confident facade cracked and split open like the King had never seen before.

He hugged her. He didn’t know what else to do. How could he feel so helpless, so powerless, yet so guilty?

She hugged him back, cradling him in her arms and tucking him just beneath her chin, but even that felt just wrong and undeserved. He’d schemed, and manipulated, and hurt his dearest friend — and if this was what it took to be the King of Demons, then he wasn’t even sure what he wanted to be, anymore.

He told her, an admission for an admission. How he’d discovered that she would listen to his orders. How he’d been so power-hungry, and desperate for the reclaiming of his playground throne, that he’d used her. How inexcusable the whole affair had been.

I’m sorry, Eda, he sobbed. I’m so, so sorry —

I know, King, the Witch murmured, running her fingers through the fur on his back. That’s why I forgive you.

#the owl house #eda the owl lady #the owl house king #edalyn clawthorne #lilith clawthorne #luz noceda #the owl house spoilers #the owl house fanfiction #rosalia writes fic

[whitecrossgirl]

Two sides of a coin

AN: So basically I have a massive list of AUs to be working off of. Also I told @sassbewitchedmyass that I feel like I’m one of the few on Tumblr who still hasn’t seen Good Omens so I’ll probably go old school with this AU. I hope you like it.

Angel and Demon AU

They were enemies as old as time.

As old as the universe itself.

Their people were in almost conflict with each other and throughout the eons; Earth had served as a battleground between them. The angels sought to protect humanity whereas the demons sought to lure humanity to their side. It was a constant struggle between virtue and sin; right and wrong, Heaven and Hell. Both sides had sustained losses; had fought and battled many times and it seemed like both sides were waiting for something huge to happen.

Each of the angels had a demon to keep track of, to ensure that they didn’t intervene too much with human events and of course, didn’t try to buy a human’s soul. Although it didn’t always work; the angels knew it was their duty to protect humanity from the demons, no matter what the cost.

To anyone else, the image of the couple stood entwined under a tree, bathed in the light of a full moon, would have been a romantic image. However he knew better and he cursed himself for letting her give him the slip in order to make her deal. There was another soul who would be condemned to Hell in ten years. Humans were greedy, selfish beasts sometimes; the majority of them sold their souls for wealth or power, little else. His adversary was especially good at luring them into making a deal; had he not been one of his own kind, he would have respected her for it.

Maybe.

“See you in ten years,” Brienne said, smirking at the man as she removed her arms from around his neck. He hadn’t been anyone of great account. Yet. He had sold his soul in the hope that she would make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. Which she would. Until his ten years were up. Then his soul became the property of the demons. Forever. She felt no remorse for her actions. This particular human was a disgusting piece of filth who abused his power, hurt innocents around him and who would soon find that money could not pay for or hide everything.

She had promised him wealth. She had not promised him happiness or a life free of consequences.

As the man walked away, Brienne felt a ripple in the air around her and her smile curved across her cheeks. “You can come out now, he’s gone.”

“I’m not interested in him.” Jaime said as he walked towards her. “You know the rules; you can’t claim a soul.”

“He deserves it.” Brienne replied simply as she walked across the park, wandering towards the empty play area; using her powers to jump herself to the top of the jungle gym. Jaime glanced around before doing the same, so they were sitting side by side. Jaime turned his blade slightly in his pocket and Brienne raised her eyebrows. “Is that your Angel Blade in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me?”

“It-I – shut up!” Jaime stammered, flushing slightly. He hated how she had this effect on him. How she was able to make one of the strongest angel in the garrison stutter and stammer like a sinner in a confessional. “So tell me, how does he deserve it?”

“He’s used wealth to cover any wrong doing of his. He killed someone in a drunken hit and run; money made it go away. He squanders wealth while his staff struggle to make ends meet and you don’t want to know what he’s into sexually. It would make your wings fall off.” Brienne explained. She knew that she wasn’t allowed to tempt or claim souls for Hell. However she only targeted those who did evil deeds, who wanted to hurt the innocent; who abused power and privilege and wealth. Or scumbags like the man she dealt with tonight.

There was a special place in Hell for rapists anyway.

Jaime let out a low whistle. “That bad?”

“Jaime, I’m a creature from the pits of the Seventh Hell. It was bad.” Brienne explained, stressing the last three words. She had her own twisted sense of honour. She only targeted those who deserved to be flung into the depths of the Seven Hells. She just sped up the process a bit.

“You know I can’t let this go without punishment.” Jaime advised and the smirk returned to Brienne’s face. “I mean it.”

“Sure you do,” Brienne said playfully. “We both know that in this case, I was right.”

“It still isn’t honourable.” Jaime reasoned. Although, he supposed, what did he know about honour? He, who had earned more than one black feather for his dishonourable actions over the centuries, was not the best source for examples of honourable behaviour. The smile faded from Brienne’s face as she looked at Jaime. She didn’t need telepathy to read his mind; she knew what he was thinking.

Unlike most angels and demons, the two of them had actually managed to build a sense of trust, possibly even a friendship. After all, you didn’t spend thousands of years assigned to someone and not pick up a thing or two about them. Brienne was the only one who knew why he had his black feathers, not just what he had done. Truth be told, he had only told her when he had been weak from an ambush by some idiotic hunters and he had been delirious from pain. His had come from killing another angel. Admittedly, one who had gone insane and wanted to burn all of humanity; but murdering an angel carried an automatic sentence of 50 black feathers. A sentence he got the moment he slit Aerys’ throat.

An angels’ wings were the symbol of their purity; their goodness. They were to be used only for flight, in battle or to confirm their identity to humans (like Jaime’s snobby cousin Gabriel; honestly, tell one teenage girl that she’s pregnant and that apparently makes you the most important angel in existence.) When an angel committed a serious offence, their feathers turned black; the amount of feathers turned black depended on the offence that had been committed. When all of their feathers turned black, they were cast out of the angels and condemned to limbo, wandering for all eternity. With more than half of his feathers black, Jaime was doing his best to do the right thing, to try and restore some honour and goodness in himself.

Even if it wasn’t easy.

“No,” Brienne said finally. “I guess it wasn’t. Even if he deserved it.”

“I want to say that’s helpful but it’s not.” Jaime said, with an attempt at a smile.

“Demon, remember? I don’t do helpful.” Brienne retorted. “I can offer you a drink to take your mind off of it.”

Jaime thought for a moment, then smiled. “Make it a double.”

Angels and demons were enemies as old as creation.

But sometimes there was a very fine line between enemies and friends.

#game of thrones #fic #braime #brienne of tarth #Jaime Lannister #jaime x brienne #angel and demon au #need to start a tag or masterlist

[darkredehmption]

Lets Talk About the Shifter

#SL #LetsTalkAboutTheShifter

Malachi:

You’d think on a night off from stalking the streets of Caldwell, dressed up like a leather loving male entertainer, and killing things that smelled like the most heinous baby diaper meat factory in the world, you’d do something that was as far from that as possible.

Guess again.

When Zsadist suggested taking advantage of the empty gym, the thought of the vampire in a tank top sweating it out with me was more than lure enough to drag me away from the TV, or a book, or shit, any assortment of distractions I’d thought up.

The male could move. Centuries of being a warrior had honed his body into a lethal blade, and watching him evade my attacks was a glorious thing. As much as I wanted to draw blood, I wanted him to beat me, if only for the pure fucking joy of watching him work.

As he performed his own counter jab with the training blade I bent backward, letting it graze overhead before I followed through with the move and backflipped away. Gymnast point? Goes to me. Zsadist wasn’t distracted though, even if his golden eyes threatened to distract me as he darted forward again. Without thinking I summoned my wings and launched upward, overhead. I clipped his head as I went, earning a point with a laugh and landing with a flourish. 

“Gotcha,” I teased, taking a fight stance again only to keep the wings this time. I’d learned to fight with them before, but a refresh wasn’t a bad thing. Besides, considering the male was distracting me just by breathing at times, it was only fair I gave a little tit for tat. 

Zsadist:

[We were both off rotation and I thought it would be a great idea for us to train together. Okay. So really I just wanted to roll around on the mats with him and maybe cop a feel every now and then. Yeah I know. I’m fucked. But he was all I could think about these days. I couldn’t help it. The others all basically knew though we still kept up the routine of him having his own room and secretly sneaking to mine. Okay. So it wasn’t so sneaky and we got caught several times before. Though everyone was pretty nice to just kinda ignore or go along with our lame excuses. Except Rhage. When he would catch us in the act the fucker would unwrap a tootsie and give a creepy grin. 

Snorting at the thought before I focus back on the angel. He fucking brought out his wings, which distracted me for a moment. Every time I saw them I couldn’t help but stare. They were magnificent. My golden eyes lower as a smirk curls at my lips.] 

Oh so we are playing like that huh? Fine by me. [Says with a growl before I dematerialize. Only to take form behind the male. I reached out to grab at one of his wings. My fingers knotting in his feathers as I bring the blade around to his throat. Fuck. All this energy. This adrenaline had me wanting to rip his clothes off and take him right here on the mats. But I couldn't do that. No. Fuck that right there is one of the reasons why we weren’t allowed on rotation together. Luckily Vishous was nice enough to try to get us days off together like today. 

Inhaling his scent before I shake my head. Yeah...This would have been bad if we were in the field together. Too many distractions. And fuck if you got hurt I would of lost my mind. The sound of my phone pinging pulls me away from you.] 

Don’t move. [Chuckling as I remove the blade from his throat, my hand releasing his wing as I move to grab the device. Blinking as I see a text from Hadrian. Fuck. With everything that had been going on recently, I almost forgot about him. He was supposed to help us fight. Should I call him? In front of the angel? Thinking for a moment before my thumbs move to text him back. I wasn’t the best at doing it so I always kept it short as possible.]

Mal:

My wings afforded me a brief second in which the male stared, and were he an enemy, I’d have taken advantage of that. But then the sneaky fuck pulled the demat act. I knew where he was heading, and yet I was a microsecond too slow in the reaction. The cool kiss of steel at my neck brought me to a standstill, while the grip he had on my wing made me want to kiss him and kill him. I growled low, not for the first time hating that the trick happened to be one of several from my vampire side that I couldn’t master.

All the thoughts of revenge took a backseat though as I felt the male inhale at my back, breathing in my scent. The idea that even now I was distracting him earned a sly smirk, even in my defensive (Re: dead) position. With a sly quip on my lips, I didn’t get a chance to utter it as the phone buzzed from the side. I glanced over at it as the blade vanished from my throat.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” I counter smoothly, smirking as I fold my arms and watch him move to answer it. “Besides, if you wanted to fuck me at knife point it could be arranged. I didn’t know you were into that kind of kink but I’m pretty flexible,” I admit with a wink.

For all the good it did. The male saw the screen and his brow furrowed slightly, the text clearly taking him by surprise. Considering Zsadist had a grand total of three people who text him that I knew of, including me, I felt curiosity punch through my adrenaline fueled arousal.

“Who is it? Vishous?” 

Maybe something was wrong. The diamond eyed vampire would message the rest of us if help was needed by those out on rotation. 

Zsadist:

[What do I do? Lie to him? Tell him about Hady? Fuck he was a former hunter and I’m pretty sure he wasn’t too keen on shifters. I can’t lie to him. I won’t. Lifting my golden gaze to the angel as I gave a small shrug.] 

A friend. See before ah...I met you there was someone that the Brotherhood was training. So I think he just probably was wondering what was doing and when he should meet up with us again. [Smooth Z. Real smooth. Taking in a breath as I start to get a few more pings. Grunting as I continue to text, even though it annoyed the hell out of me.] 

Take five. [And just like that training was over and my mind was wrapped up in Hadrian. Maybe I should call him. Then again I wasn’t sure that was such a good idea. Moving to sit on a bench as I wait for a response from him. How could I have forgotten about the shifter? Especially after how he helped me the last time we were together. My brows draw in slightly as I think about how I hurt him. I could still hear the snapping sound of his bone breaking and that was enough to make me cringe. Shit. I was broken on the floor and he picked up the pieces and put me back together again. He helped me. Hadrian was an important person and someone we needed to have on our side. I couldn’t forget about him again. No. Never. 

Slowly I lifted my head up to eye the angel. I couldn’t help but let my eyes wander over his beautiful wings. Fuck I still don’t know what the fuck I did to deserve him. And yet he was here. He was here and staring at me with a whole lot of bonded male himself. Fuck...I liked it.]

Mal:

‘Friend’?

I turned the title over in my mind, but something about the way he’d said it didn’t make me think ‘friend’. It made me think ‘more’. More than a friend. More than an ally. And if there was someone that was more than both those things to Zsadist, how was I only now hearing about it?

As Zsadist pondered over the phone, I could see the faint hint of emotion in his eyes, the myriad only heightening the sudden, brutal punch of anxiety. Whoever this person was, they’d certainly left a mark on the warrior. I just needed to know what kind.

Striding across the sparring mats, I didn’t stop until I was right in front of Zsadist, my wings folded tightly down my back. I tried to moderate my tone, but I knew it’d be a challenge as the thought that my male was chatting with some other paramore ate me away on the inside. 

“You’ve never mentioned a friend. And you’ve never looked like that when talking about the Brothers or anyone else in the manse. Who is it?”

Ahh, fuck. That sounded way more aggressive than I meant it to. Oh well. There was no taking it back. And besides, I wanted to know. I /needed/ to know.

Zsadist:

[Letting out a sigh as I set down the phone beside me so I can give all my attention to the male in front of me. The male who was clearly getting pissed off. Though I understood why. Bonded male. Whether he was full vampire or not that part didn’t go away apparently.]

He’s a friend but an important one. One who saved me as I did him. [Scrubs a hand over my eyes, rubbing at them before I take in a breath.] And before you get all pissed off at me. He’s a shifter. Yeah a shifter. The first one I’ve ever met and one of the nicest male’s I know. I mean he may have a smart mouth on him. [Smirks at the thought.]

But I think that’s why he fit in with the Brotherhood so nicely. I mean...most did want to kill him at first, but then he showed us no harm and asked to help in the war. Fuck you’ve seen the lessers. We need all the help we can get. So yeah, he’s a friend. And I haven’t heard from in a while and got worried. 

[My brows draw in. Trying not not to worry that something could be wrong.] There are these other vampires. I don’t know if you came across them while hunting, but they aren’t like us. They are...different. I haven’t seen one yet. Though Hadrian, my friend, told me about them. They capture shifters and make them their animal to call. [Scratches my head.] Something like that. So I worry about him. I worry about these other vampires coming around looking for him. 

Mal:

I tried to keep my eyes from narrowing at the revelation and failed. A shifter. A Were-animal. What kind, was my first question. The type of shifter they were normally gave a good indicator as to what temperament they had, and how many people they’d probably killed. 

As Z downloaded to me, I felt my shoulders tensing that little bit more. I’d honestly wondered when I’d have to drop the bombshell that we weren’t the only breed of vampires in the world. Here in Caldwell it didn’t seem a problem; only the Scribe Virgin’s creations roamed these city streets. But if a Were-animal was here, then there was every chance vampires, and all sorts of supernatural creatures, could follow. 

Things never stayed the same for long.

Were-animals and other vampires aside, Z still looked worried about the guy, and I fought not to be a seething mass of feathered jealousy. An entirely unfamiliar feeling and one I really, really didn’t like.

“Alright. You made buddy buddy with someone who turns into a savage thing once a month. And to think I’d be fine if it was a woman,” I snark, turning to pace across the mats. “What kind of animal is he? Where did he come from?”

Whatever his shift was, it had to be strong if he thought he needed to hide from vampires that wanted to bind him. Werewolves were strong. So were bears. 

“And I knew about the other vampires,” I added absently, glancing away. I’d had to kill enough of them. They, unlike us, fed on humans. Some knew restraint, which I could deal with. But some hunted humanity like they were sport, and I’d never abided that.

Zsadist:

[Frowns slightly before getting up from the bench. I couldn’t stay still. Not in a conversation like this. My demons were out and I had to do my best to keep them at bay. Slowly I start to pace around the gym, my hands resting on my hips as I try to find something to do. But all I wanted to do was you up against the wall. Snorting at the thought before I move over to the punching bag.]

He’s...a few different animals. I’ve only seen two of them but I know there is more. [Nods as I lift my fists up and gives the bag a few hits. It wasn’t working very well but it would do for now. Scrubbing a hand over my face as I pause watching as it swung back and forth.] 

Well, we don’t know much about the other vampires so I’m glad you do. Just in case we run into one, true? As for the shifter…[Throwing a right hook to the bag as I let out a soft grunt.] He’s not a threat. You think the Brotherhood would be stupid enough to let one in? He’s had background checks. Multiple meetings with not only my Brothers but the King himself. Where does he come from? I dunno...Came here cause he was looking for a new life and trying to find a place without those vampires. I trust him. 

[Nods as I give another punch, gritting my teeth as I try not to lose my shit in front of you. I couldn’t help but smell the faint hint of jealousy coming off of you. ] So you...shouldn’t be worried about him.

[My bonding scent fills the air and I was glad it did. I wanted him to smell it and know who I wanted.] Smell that? That’s for you. [My fangs elongate slowly as I turn my head to gaze at the angel.] That's what I want. You. [Biting back a growl as I rip my gaze away from him. MINE. The word screamed in my head. He had to be crazy if he would think I would want anyone else.] 

Mal: 

Like me, Z couldn’t sit still, not having this conversation. As he got up and paced across the room toward the punching bag, I resisted the urge to stalk his steps. When had I become this green monster? Ugh, it was fuckin’ disgusting. I wouldn’t even blame him if he called me on this BS. Was this a Bonded male thing? How did their females stand it... Sweet /jay-bus/…

“That’s not…”

I was going to say ‘possible’, even as my mind whispered the opposite. It wasn’t impossible… just very, very rare. I’d never even heard of one existing in the last ten years. A Panwere; a human that could be infected by multiple strains of the lycanthropy virus simply by being exposed to it. 

Forcing myself to focus on my male’s words, I shelved my surprise that his friend happened to be one of the rarest things on earth, and fought back a few choice snarky responses as well. Like the fact they’d let their nemesis, Lash, in as a trainee, only to kill him here as well and ensure his resurrection as the Omega’s spawn. Did I think a shifter, a creature of dual natures, could blind side people to get what they wanted? 

Fuck yes I did. 

Just because they wanted to trust him didn’t mean I had to. And even as Zsadist’s bonding scent filled the gym, curling in enticing tendrils toward me, around me, I didn’t flinch. Yes, I adored this vampire, but I couldn’t ignore my hunter instinct. And it was majorly triggered. 

“There are more breeds of vampires in the world than you all know,” I said finally, my voice curt. “I’ve hunted several, but not all. Like our own.” But considering our own species only fed on each other, it was a moot point. “The fact he’s here means more vampires will come. Whatever quiet corner of the world this race has managed to preserve will be shattered soon. You don’t run and hide unless someone knows you enough to chase you,” I point out. “So trust him, if you want. But I don’t have to. I care about you,” I added, my wings shifting as I turned, the feathers rustling. “I care about your life more than my own, Z. But understand that I cannot trust something, or someone, that a life time of hunting has taught me to be wary of. I simply can’t.”

Zsadist:

[My eyes stay trained on the angel as he spoke. Not understanding how he could care for me more than his own life. I mean yes, I felt the same way, but what was my life?  Not as important as his to throw away. Though I let that all go, for now. Scrubbing a hand back and forth across my head.] 

I understand that, but you don’t even know him. Haven’t even met him and already are assuming shit. Just...don’t have so much hatred for him before you even meet him, true? ‘Cause one day he could be out on rotation with you. And you may need him at your side or vice versa. 

[Grunting as I move back towards him. My eyes roamed over his features as I reached out to cup his cheeks.] I care for you too. So much that I wouldn’t let something happen to you. Promise that. I never really cared about anyone like the way I do you. I don’t want to fuck this up.

[Nods before leaning in to steal a kiss. It started off soft but turned more passionate as my fingers twisted in his hair. Tongue tangling with his own as my arms wrap around his neck. I couldn’t help it. Once I started kissing this male I couldn’t stop. Reluctantly I pull back. Dragging my tongue over his lower lip as I do so. I was hoping the kiss would distract him from the subject at hand.]

Mal:

A frown curved my lips as I folded my arms, my wings rustling in agitation. 

“I never said I hated him. Distrusting someone and hating them are two different things, Z. I’ll make my decisions on this shifter after I’ve met him, and not before.” Drawing in a breath, I shook myself of the anxiety that a life time of hunting had given me. “Do you know what his animals are, this Hadrian?”

As he came closer I put a lid on any more questions. Parts of me warmed and softened at his words, my initial anger and frustration melting away with the kiss. For a moment I simply enjoyed it, let my wings relax at my back. When it broke, when his tongue flicked against my lower lip, I slow blinked and smiled.

“Nice try, Z.”

But even with the words, I felt no desire to resume our ‘discussion’. There would be time enough for that. And apparently I’d have to meet this Hadrian soon regardless. Rotations with a guy that could claw my face off was gonna be swell…

Sighing, I curled my wings forward until the primaries rubbed at his side. 

“I don’t want to mess this up either. Just so you know.”

Zsadist:

[Lifting one hand to rub at his nape. My fingers threading through his hair as my eyes meet his.] It won’t get messed up. I...I can’t afford to lose you. Just the thought of it makes my chest tighten up. So no. That won’t be happening. 

[Pressing my forehead against his own, my nose barely grazing against his.] Just stay...stay like you said you would. Hell get rid of that room you have and stay with me in mine. Pretty sure everyone knows about us. [Says with a grunt as I lean in to steal another kiss. This time when I pull back I let my nose drag along your jaw.] 

Come on. 

[Reaching out to take the angel’s hand. I twine our fingers before giving his arm a nice tug as I make him exit the gym with me.] 

We are going to my room right now and I don’t give a fuck who sees.

[Yes I was still feeling like a bonded male and wanted to have him in my bed. MINE. The word screams in my head once again. Fuck. I will never get used to this shit. Turning to gaze over my shoulder at him. I still couldn’t believe that he was mine. The fuck did I do to deserve him? Hell if I knew. I guess I could just be grateful that I had him. And hope that I would never lose him.]

#SLS

[hellyeahheroes]

Building Virgil Hawkins in D&D

I need to distract myself from this X-Men melodrama shit so I’m doing another D&D build. This time how about we try to build one of Dwayne’s McDuffie’s greatest creation, electric nerd from Dakota, who may be known to you as Static or

First, let us consider the goals of this build. We need to accurately reflect Virgil’s wide array of powers, including electric and magnetic abilities, some sort of healing and resistance to mind control and telepaths and few of Static’s iconic moves. And second, we need to get him his floating disc.

For Abilities, we will be using standard point array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8). As always I follow some of the guidelines from Tulok the Barbarian who inspired the creation of these builds. If you want or your DM tells you to roll or use point buy, go ahead and use this is a guideline. Remember that even numbers are better. We will prioritize Intelligence, Virgil is a textbook superhero with a textbook in each hand. Constitution will follow as de facto one of the most important stats in the game, then Dexterity and Wisdom, our lowest stats being Charisma and Strength. The base should look like this STR: 8 CON: 14 DEX: 13 INT: 15 WIS: 12 CHA: 10

Now for D&D outdated term for species, Race. As a Boom Baby Virgil is a Human of the Variant kind. Variant Human gets +1 to two Ability scores, I suggest rounding up numbers for Intelligence and Dexterity. You also get a bonus skill, choose Acrobatics

Variant Humans also get a feat. We will pick Magic Initiate, letting us grab two Cantrips and one 1st level spell from Cleric spell list - we can cast Cantrips as much as we want but we can cast 1st level spell only once per long lest and only on the lowest level. 

Sacred Flame forces a single target to make a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d8 radiant damage - this scales with your total level to 2d8 at 5th, 3d8 at 11th and 4d8 at 17th level - you can easily say it is one of Static’s bolts of electricity since radiant damage is basically light and light is s form of energy. 

Speaking of which, our second Cantrip will be Light. Upon touching an object, not larger than 10 feet in any dimension, you make it emanate bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light in the next 20 feet. It lasts for one hour, until you cast it again or take an action to dismiss it.

For 1st level spell, we will pick Cure Wounds, which allows us to regain 1d8+ your wisdom modifier of hit points. This is one way to give Static his, admittingly minor, healing powers.

For the Background, we will customize one. Pick up two skills - Perception and Athletics. The former is one of the most important skills in the game and the latter is only skill tied to Strength - meaning that if your DM asks to have you roll a Strength save or check you can likely argue it should be Athletics check instead. Take proficiency with Herbalism Kit to make yourself healing potions and a free language of your choice, pick something campaign relevant. And Watcher’s Eye feature from City Watch’s background, which allows you to recognize easier secret hideouts of local law enforcement and criminal organizations.

Now for the Class. While he received his powers through a freak accident, Virgil is known from his creative and intelligent approach to his abilities, he clearly studied them and related physics to do what he can do. As such, we will make him a Wizard. Besides, this is an RPG nerd, I bet you he played enough D&D to know Wizard is Tier 1 class across the editions.

We get proficiencies with daggers, darts, slings, light crossbows and quarterstaffs (which is close to a weapon Static used in one of the incarnations but useless for the build), Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws and two skills, pick Investigation and Arcana, which is closest D&D fantasy setting has to science.

Wizard’s main powers are spells. You get a spellbook to which you copy spells, each new spell copied takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp. Each day during long rest you choose which spells to prepare for next day, equal in number and level to the numbers show in Spell Slots Per Day part of Wizard table plus your Intelligence modifier. They cannot be of a higher level than that of which you have available spell slots. I see it as Virgil having a notebook to which he writes down his new ideas how to use his powers and keeping notes on how they work.

If a spell asks you to make an attack roll it is with your proficiency modifier + your Intelligence modifier. If it asks for a saving throw, the difficulty of the save is those two modifiers plus eight. 

First, we learn Cantrips, small spells that Static can cas as many times as he wants. We start with 3 of them and my suggestions are:

Lightning Lure - the target must make a Strength saving throw of be pulled 10 feet towards you and take lightning damage - which scales up with your total level just like Sacred Flame above - if it ends 5 feet or less away from you.

Prestidigitation - just a number of minor utility effects that are fun to have and can easily be portrayed as you using your electric powers to make them happen.

Shocking Grasp - you make a melee attack, with an advantage if the target is wearing metal armor, on a hit you deal 18d lightning damage (see the mentions of scaling above, same deal here) and cannot take reactions until the start of its next turn. Virgil has a different name for it, obviously

We also start having six 1st-level spells in the Spellbook. I’ll list my suggestions and then will list spells for higher levels whenever you get new spell slots for it but remember, you can add any number of spells you come across as long as you have the money for it so if you see something that feels especially Static-like or just good to have, go ahead and get it. 

Shield is cast as a reaction to upcoming attack or an enemy casting Magic Missle, it lasts one round and gives you +5 to Armor Class and protects from Magic Missle

Absorb Elements is also a reaction spell letting you gain resistance to upcoming damage of any elemental type, and then deliver 1d6 damage of that type to the first person who hits you. I see it as some of Static’s resistance to other electric powers.

Witch Bolt deals the target 1d12 lightning damage AND you can then stay and concentrate for up to one minute, to make it take another 1d12 damage on each turn as long as you won’t do anything else, target doesn’t move from the area or won’t hide behind a cover, making you lose the sight of it. And it scales if you cast it from a higher spell slot, adding extra d12 for a level.

Feather Fall lets you slow the fall of up to five targets for one minute, if they land in this time they take no damage and land on their feet. Explain it as Virgil using some of his magnetic powers.

Chromatic Orb is another offensive spell, it allows you to make a ranged spell attack for 3d8 (+1d8 for each additonal level of a slot from which you cast it) damage of chosen type. Since this is Static you’ll be likely choosing lightning or thunder or maybe fire (as with any spell dealing fire damage I’ll bring up, just say the target got burned by lightning) as lighting ball, but acid, cold and poison are also available in a pinch.

Mage Armor increases your armor class to 13 + your Dexterity modifier, which may go a long way since you do not wear armor. Write it off as Static wrapping his body in a protective magnetic forcefield. Also, it stacks with Shield since it changes how your AC functions and Shield is a bonus to your AC, just saying for incoming conflict with the DM.

EXTRA: Tenser's Floating Disk lets you create a disc that can follow you and carry up to 500 pounds of weight but you cannot ride it as it has no power to move on its own. It is a poor substitute for Static’s disc but if you have a generous DM you might talk about it and work something out, maybe agree to combine it with your flying spells. If not, ignore this bullet point

Finally, you get Arcane Recovery, allowing you to regain some of your expended spell slots every short rest. These spell slots cannot be of level higher than 6th and their combined level cannot be higher than half of your wizard level rounded up.

On 2nd level Wizard gets to choose Arcane Tradition and we’ll pick School of Theurgy. it allows us to choose one of the Cleric domains and gain a limited number of benefits from it. We will explain it as Virgil trying to study nature of his powers from all angles, both Arcane and the Divine since we’re treating magic as replacement science for this build. We will choose Tempest Domain. From now on you whenever you can advance in levels you can replace one of the spells in your spellbook with Cleric Domain spell of a level you have spell slots for. If one of the spells I suggested isn’t working out for you or you picked a spare spell to replace (or just stumbled across it because it is also a Wizard spell), grab Thunderwave - it forces every creature in 15-feet radius from you to make a Constitution saving throw or take 2d8 thunder damage and be pushed 10 feet away from you.

You also get Channel Arcana, allowing you to copy effects of Cleric Channel Divinity feature, you can do it once per short or long rest (twice from 6th level and three times from 18th) and choose one of two options. Destructive Wrath lets you not roll damage on a spell dealing lightning or thunder damage - you just declare it deals maximum damage. Divine Arcana lets you add +2 to an attack roll or saving throw difficulty of a next spell you cast if it requires one.

The third option is Turn Undead, which basically frightens undead creatures that see you - everyone must make a Wisdom saving throw at your spell save difficulty or be turned for 1 minute or until it takes damage. It forces them to spend its turn moving away from you, makes them unable to willingly move closer than 30 feet towards you and is prevented all actions or reactions other than dash to get out of what doesn’t let it move or dodge if it cannot move. I guess we all know now why Static wasn’t in Blackest Night as he would make Nekron and all Black Lanterns run back where they came from.

And 3rd level you get 2 2nd level spell slots so I think it’s time we get you your Static Cling. We will need two spells for it. Spider Climb is a concentration spell that allows you to walk on walls up for one hour. Hold Person forces a Wisdom Saving throw to a forced target, making it paralyzed as long as you maintain concentration, up to one minute, with additional saving throws at the end of each of its turns. If cast from a higher-level spell slot it can affect an extra target for each level.

On 4th level, you get an ability score improvement, boost your Intelligence. For your next 3rd level spell pick Levitate, it lets you make yourself or another target float in the air and control on what height it is. Living creatures can move with speed as if they were climbing. If your DM is generous, convince them to let you combine it into one spell with Tenser’s Floating Disc. If not, cas it at a metal disc tied to your feet and move with your other leg like a skateboard or just try other tricks to get that effect, something may get past the DM.

You also learn a new Cantrip, Booming Blade lets you make a weapon melee attack. On a hit, the target is coated energy until your next turn and if it willingly moves, it will take 1d8 Thunder Damage, scaling to 2d8 once you reach 5th level, 3d8 on 11th and 4d8 on 17th, from 5th level the attack itself also deals extra 1d8 lightning damage and an additional 1d8 from levels 11th and 17th

5th level Wizard learns two 3rd level spells and you get a 3rd one on 6th level.

Protection from Energy grants you or someone else up to 1 hour of resistance to the chosen type of damage and lighting and thunder are both on the list of options

Lightning Bolt lets you deal to each creatures in 100 feet long and 5 feet wide line 8d6 lightning damage (+1d6 for each additional level from which you cast the spell) and a half on a Dexterity saving throw. 

Fly lets you give a target a flying speed of 60 feet for the duration but it is a concentration spell so be careful. Also, unlike Levitate if you are still in the air when it ends you fall on your face.

On 6th level, you also get your Arcane Tradition Feature. Arcane Acolyte lets you grab Tempest Cleric’s Wrath of the Storm, which you can use as a reaction when hit by a melee attack from a creature you can see to deal 2d8 lightning or thunder damage to it or half on a successful Dexterity saving throw.

On 7th and 8th Level you gain 1 4th level spell each. 

Elemental Bane lets you remove resistance from a target that fails its constitution save and take additional 2d6 damage each time it is dealt damage of chosen type. It is sadly concentration so you may need to cooperate with someone else on it. Consider it for a Black Lightning team-up. 

Storm Sphere creates a 20-foot radius sphere of whirring air that forces creatures inside to make a Strength saving throw or take 2d6 bludgeoning damage, turns area inside into difficult terrain and allows you to, while maintaining concentration on it, on each turn take a bonus action to make a ranged spell attack with an advantage against a target inside for 4d6 lightning damage.

On 8th level, you get an ability score improvement, but we will take a feat. Elemental Adept lets you ignore resistance to lightning damage and whenever you roll damage for them, you treat any 1 on the dice as a 2.

9th Level Wizard gets 5th level spells 

We will grab one from Tempest Domain - Call Lightning. It works only outside and creates storm clouds above you in 60-foot radius, then choose a spot and made it hit by lightning, dealing 3d10 lightning damage to all creatures within 5 feet from that point, half on a successful DEX save. You can maintain concentration up to 10 minutes to make this continue and make another lighting strike on each of your turns. It deals extra 1d10 damage when cast from a higher level and an extra 1d10 if there was already stormy weather when you cast it. I’m sure there is a scientific explanation on Virgil suddenly stepping on Storm’s territory but I sucked at physics.

We also get an extra 4th Level Spell. Fire Shield surrounds your body in thin flames for 10 minutes, no concentration, that provide you light and either a) resistance to cold damage and 2d8 fire damage to a creature that hit you or b) resistance to fire damage and 2d8 cold damage. Explain it as Virgil using electricity and it burning whoever touched him.

10th Level wizard gets a new Cantrip and a new 5th Level Spell

Our Cantrip will be Mage Hand, it creates an invisible hand that can do minor things for you up to 30 feet away. It cannot attack or activate magic items or carry more than 10 pounds but it is a good way to show Virgil’s magnetic powers performing minor tasks. 

Our 5th Level Spell is gonna be Wall of Force, it summons a, maintained by concentration up to 10 minutes, invisible wall through which nothing can pass, be it enemies, projectiles, spells or even ghosts (no, seriously) and it cannot be dispelled by Dispel Magic. The only way to destroy it is a Disintegrate spell.

On 10th level we get a new Arcane Tradition feature and School of Theurgy grants us Thunderous Strike from a Tempest Domain. Thunderous strike lets you push a Large or smaller creature up to 10 feet away from you whenever you deal it thunder or lightning damage.

11th Level Wizard opens for us 6th Level Spells. Chain Lighting hits a single target and then up to 3 other targets (+1 extra if you cast it from higher levels) within 30 feet from it and deals them 10d8 Lightning Damage, half on a successful Dexterity saving throw.

12th level wizard gets an Ability Score Improvement, cap your Intelligence as your most important stat.

13th Level Wizard gets 7th Level Spells. Forcecage traps creatures within 20 feet radius inside an invisible force-field that they cannot leave through nonmagical means, can’t be dispelled by Dispel Magic and traps even ghosts. It lasts up to 1 hour. Attempts at teleporting out of it are successful on Charisma saving throw so it’s a good thing we just maxed out our Save Difficulty.

14th Level gives us our last School of Theurgy Arcane Feature, Tempest Cleric’s Stormborn. You now have a flying speed equal your walking speed as long as you’re outside. Honestly, at this point, you can forgo other flying means and grab a disc and just say you use it to surf in the air, DM should understand.

15th Level means 8th Level Spells. Mind Blank for 24 hours, no concentration needed, gives immunity to psychic damage, sensing emotions, reading thoughts, frightened and charmed conditions through magical means and divination spells, even up to including freaking Wish. Cast one on you each morning to never fear you may get kidnapped and exposed to Anti-Life Equation

16th Level Wizard gets Ability Score Improvement, I suggest adding +2 to Constitution - many of your spells are concentration so you don’t want to blow that check and extra hit points (and remember, upgrading your Constitution grants you extra his points retroactively as well).

17th Level allows us to pick a 9th level spell. We will reach our last gift from Tempest Cleric - Destructive Wave. This spell deals every creature within a 30-foot radius from you 5d6 thunder damage and 5d6 radiant or necrotic damage or half of it on successful Dexterity saving throw. Amusingly enough it is a paladin spell that Cleric only gets as a bonus from Tempest Domain and we got it on a Wizard due to School of Theurgy. No one can say Virgil hasn’t studied his powers thoughtfully.

18th level grants us Spell Mastery, allowing us to pick a single 1st level spell and a single 2nd level spell. From now on when Virgil has them prepared he can cast them as Cantrips, as many times as he wants without spending a spell slot, but only at their lowest level, higher ones still require a spent spell slot. Don’t worry about your picks, if they don’t work changing them costs you only 8 hours of study.

We also get a 5th level spell slot and my recommendation is Hold Monster - it basically works like Hold Person but is not limited in who can it be used against. See it as Virgil improving his Static Cling power.

19th Level Wizard gets the last Ability Score Improvement but we will once again take a feat. Even better we will take the same feat as before - Elemental Adept, now granting its bonuses to another type of damage we’re dealing, thunder.

We get a new spell slot for 6th level spells. Globe of Invulnerability surrounds you with a 10-foot radius force field that can be upheld with Concentration up to 1 minute. No 5th level spell cast outside the globe can affect the area within it and vice-versa and this effect blocks one additional level of spells for each level of spell slot above 6th that you cast it from.

20th Level Wizard allows us to choose 3 3rd-level spells as Signature Spells. It basically works like Spell Mastery described above plus these spells are always prepared and do not count against our limit of spells prepared. They don’t even have to be spells we were discussing here, as that level has some fan-favorite utility spells like Counterspell, Dispel Magic or Haste.

We also get a new 7th level spell slot. Reverse Gravity causes everyone in a 50-foot radius to fly upwards for 100 feet and if they hit something on their way they take damage as if they feel on the ground from above.

And so we have it, Static as a 20th level Wizard. How playable it is? I mean, it’s a 20th level wizard, so a very much. You have several means to fly, can dish out a lot of damage and overcome resistance and have enough means to protect yourself and control the battlefield. On the downside you’re squishy and if Power Word: Kill won’t get you instantly, one or two hits should likely bring you down within the range. We didn’t cap Constitution which is means concentration is not as good as it should be, lack of armor and low Dexterity means we’re easy to hit and forces us to rely on all these protective spells and stay away from the first line. Finally, even with Elemental Adept Lightning and Thunder are things a lot of enemies will be resistant or even immune to. But unlike his comic book, D&D is a team effort so join forces with someone more durable, who can take a hit. And in a pinch remember you can pick up more spells than the ones I listed. Say what you want about him, but Static has shown he can think on his feet.

You have any suggestions or criticism about the build? Be sure to share them, And check out my previous Cassandra Cain and Nico Minoru builds.

- Admin

#Static #Static Shock #Virgil Hawkins #Milestone Media #Dungeons & Dragons #DC

[authorsblocksucks]

Love in Low Places

Chapter 5

Warnings: none

Author's Notes: none

*Aislin's POV*

Lucifer’s kiss had basically short-circuited my brain and left me breathless. It was, if I was going to be totally honest with myself, the best kiss I’d ever had to date. But then I… I realised I barely knew him. Sure, he made me feel things I had only dreamed of for years. And yeah, for a split moment, I thought I might be in love with him. It was that good. But… he was the Devil. Or at least, he certainly thought he was the Devil. And if he was… could he love me back? Did I really know him enough to love him? Could I trust him? I broke away from the kiss and was about to apologize for leading him on, but when I had finally opened my eyes, I saw… well, I wasn’t sure what I was seeing. Sprouting from between his shoulders was one gigantic pair of magnificent wings. I couldn’t keep in a gasp; they simply took my breath away. The feathers were snowy white, luminous, and iridescent. I felt like I should’ve been blinded the moment I first beheld the pure, unmatched splendor of his wings. Each feather looked like an individual luminous, flawless masterpiece, even if a few of the feathers were a bit scorched at the ends as if they had seen better days. But despite that and the mildly concerning burgundy blotches scattered throughout them, they were still the most unbelievably beautiful things I had ever seen in my entire life. For the first time… I could not bear to doubt this man was telling me the truth. Lucifer was said to be the most beautiful of all the angels, and by glory these wings were more beautiful than anything I had ever seen.

They… they almost reminded me of the scales my beloved Alistar. The beautiful python had found me and has been my only constant companion and source of sanctity for the past four years, as well as the only real best friend I ever really had since I was very young. I trust and love that serpent more than anything else in my life. He has been everything to me for years. Besides, that was impossible… wasn't it? When I had finally dragged my focus away from his wings, I had realized that his eyes were practically beaming with… hope? Love? I couldn’t quite put my finger on the emotion, but it was strong.

“You can see them, can’t you,” he asked gingerly. I nodded slowly. He beamed even more joyously at me, if that was even possible, and huffed out a small laugh as he leaned forward again to give me a quick peck on the lips and a hug, which I returned after the initial shock of the devil being… affectionate? Happy? It was a bit strange and… unexpected. What the actual hell was going on? “I found you…” he said under his breath. “Wh… what do you mean ‘you found me’? Lucifer, what’s going on?” He released me from the hug. “I mean, I  found you.” “Explain. Now.” He rolled his eyes and sighed, “You can see my wings, right?” “Yes…? I thought we already established this fact.” “Okay, little miss smarty pants, no need to snark at me. When a human can see an angel’s wings, it means that angel and that human are what is called soulmates.” “Wait, what?!? Are you saying that we’re…” He nodded. I was shocked silent. I was soulmates. With Satan himself. I was Satan’s soulmate. “Ohmygod…. oh, my God! We’re really… I'm the soulmate of... oh my God!” I noticed through my mild panic attack that he was amused by my reaction. I was about to yell at him again when he asked, “He may have set us up, but can you please leave my father out of this? I'm not exactly overly thrilled about this, either. Do you even know what it means to be an angel’s soulmate?”

“Umm… no? I was actually going to ask after I stopped freaking out, but... oh well. Carry on.” He smiled and took my hands in his. “Aislin, to be my soulmate means that your soul is compatible to be bound with my grace. We were literally made for each other, like… two halves of a whole. Yin and Yang, so to speak. I am yours, and you are mine. Do you understand me so far?” I said nothing, still… he continued. “And there’s quite a bit more you should probably know, but I don't want to overwhelm you right away with too much information.” At this point, I was getting just a teensy bit more weirded out and confused by the whole ‘soulmate’ thing and his multi-color wings than I ever before. “Ooookay. This… this is completely, and utterly, insane.” “A little bit, yeah," he laughed nervously. "But you will adjust. We both will, and you will be happy by my side.” He takes my hands in his. “I assure you, Aislin, this was meant to be. We were meant to be. We were always meant to be. It is your destiny to one day become an angel and take your place as my queen."

"I… all due respect, Lucifer, but how can I be sure that I can trust you? We've only just met and… well, you don't exactly have the best reputation, do you?" "I don't give a damn about my bad reputation. It may not be safe for me to be around you, but I know that I… Aislin, you make me feel things that I have never felt before. Hell, I have long since forgotten what it's like to feel period. I… do I have your consent to officialize our bond?” I couldn't look into his eyes. “I have no idea what the fuck that means and I… I still need time to think. I need to come to terms with… all of this before we go any further with… whatever the hell we are at this point. How about, for now, we just… take it slow, alright?”

He hooked a finger under my chin and brought my eyes to his own, “Very well. I will give you as much time as you need to think it over. But, Aislin... whenever you are ready for me, or if you ever need me, just pray for me and I will be right there by your side. I swear to you, I will always come when you call.” I almost reached out to touch his face, then thought better of it. “Lucifer, I… I don’t know what to say. This is all just so much to take in...” He brought my hand up to his face and leaned slightly into my touch, covering my hand with his. “You don’t have to say anything, my queen. Just know that I will always love you. Always, and forever. ” “I promise that I… I will let you know when I’m ready.” I stand and he follows suit, walking with me to the door.  “Alright. And, thank you, Aislin. Thank you for this.” I gave him a small, brave smile despite still being scared out of my mind. “You’re welcome... Lucifer. And uh… you don't have to "keep your distance", just umm… don't push me to make a decision right away, okay? I really would like to spend more time with you and get to know you better.” "I don't know if that would be safe for you, angel. You mean a great deal to me and I have many enemies that would gladly use you to lure me into their clutches if they found out that you exist." He holds the door to the cafe open.

"I… I understand. Just don't be a stranger, okay?" "I… okay. You… you really want me around?" He walks slightly faster to catch up to me. "Of course, Lu. I want to get to know my boyfriend better. It'll help me decide faster whether I want to keep you." I wink at him and bite my lower lip as I smile. He smiles back and opens the driver's side door of my car for me. "As you wish," he says. "When do you want me to fly by?" I get in the car and he closes it behind me as I answer. "I think the next date should be at my place, after I get home from work tomorrow. Need me to give you an address or a time?" "No, I'll be fine. See you then, angel." "Alright. See you… then?" I only looked away for a moment to buckle my seatbelts and when I looked back… he was gone. A single, large, iridescent feather floated through my window and landed on my lap. I picked it up and inspected the beautiful, glowing thing closely with a wistful smile. He had left something behind for me to remember him by. How... surprisingly sweet. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. Maybe… maybe I had made the right choice after all.

[shewhowantsmouseears]

WebLouie MonsterMash AU

so I’m a big WebLena fan, but I’ve been doin’ a Rp thread with a pal and apparently in that one thread I can ship WebLouie (It helps that Lena does not exist in that world XD) I wrote a thing for my pal based on what we’ve been doing, so I figured I might as well share it here.

(just remembered the date and this isn’t a prank/joke anything just fyi)

Basically - AU where Webby is a mermaid, Louie finds her and tricks her into trading her expensive scales for “human treasure” (junk he finds) until guilt, feelings, etc. 

as for this storybit, we have a reverse little mermaid scenario going on, with Magica as the Ursula role, and...

It was like being in one of those lame fake haunted houses at one of those cheap amusement parks Donald used to take the triplets when he couldn't afford a real vacation – where the paintings were designed that no matter where you were, you could feel their eyes on your. It was kind of the same – only much, much scarier.

Though the woman was two-dimensional and little more than a shadow on the wall, Louie felt eyes all around him, all over him, as if he was being swallowed whole. He kept his hands in the pocket of his hoodie, hoping to hide his trembling. He didn't know why he was reacting this way – the sorceresses was a shadow and nothing more, she couldn't harm a feather on his head. Yet. Yet. There was this feeling of being dipped into subzero water, and even though his brain was screaming at his legs to run, they remained motionless.

“You must be nuts.” He finally said, sounding more confident than he truly felt. “I mean, have you looked in a mirror lately? You might as well have 'I'M A VILLAIN' tattooed on your forehead. I wasn't hatched yesterday, lady.”

“That's Magica De Spell to you, boy.” The ancient one sneered before pausing and remembering what she was trying to do in the first place. “A-hem... you're a businessman in the making, child, I know that for a fact. You know the ins and outs of deals, and the sort of deal I'm offering you is one you can't miss out on. I can give you your heart's desire, all for one coin.”

“Pass.” The cliches in her villain seduction actually did some good, as it pointed out how ridiculous this all was. With strengthened fortitude, he stuck his beak up, and began to walk away, feeling much better. “I'm not going to hand over Uncle Scrooge's most prized possession for some gold and jewels. I can get those on any adventure. Sure, it'd be nice to do it without risking my tailfeathers, but that's why I have brothers – as meat shields.”

He expected Magica to rant and rave about being denied, some “you'll rue the day” tossed in there, but when she spoke again, her voice was far too calm. “Whoever said I'd give you something shiny to toss in the money bin? Child... I can give you the girl.”

Louie froze. He felt his heart stop, his foot pointed up as he had stopped mid-step. Some sensible part of him said to keep moving and ignore her, but instead, he stupidly tried to play it off. “What girl?”

“Don't play dumb with me, boy, you know exactly what I'm talking about.” Suddenly she was right in his face – Louie yelped, stumbling backwards – wearing a thin smile. “You think I didn't come to you without research? I know all about the bubbly little mermaid that waits for you in the bay, day after day, as you trade trinkets for treasure. It's so sweet... in a disgustingly sappy sort of way.”

Now Louie felt his heart move again, except now it was beating so rapidly he thought it'd explode right out of his chest. He considered himself a master of manipulation, a trickster of truths, but in this moment he couldn't think of any way to spin this. “She's... she's just a friend. She's got nothing to do with this.” Run, run, run his brain pounded. But he didn't.

“On the contrary – she's got everything to do with you and I. Adorable creature, isn't she? If you're into that sort of thing. The way she dotes on your every word, willing to swallow whatever fabrications you invent, even mutilating her own body just to have your favor.”

“She's not mutil-” He cut himself off. This was a trap, and he was being lured in. It took solid effort to turn his head away, and his mouth felt dry. “Okay, so... so maybe I haven't exactly been the best friend to her. B-But I'm trying to change, and she knows it!”

“How noble.” Magica said dryly before continuing. “But is that going to be enough for you? The way things are can't last forever. Everything is against you.”

He knew better than to ask. He was smarter than this. He was also a young boy. “What... do you mean?” His eyes carefully slid back to the shadowy form.

“Where to begin?” Magica sighed, moving around him in a circle. “You know her dear devoted Granny hates your kind. The moment she finds out what's been going on,” she snapped her fingers, “goodbye girl. Then you have the family... oh, they'll adore your fishy friend, they'll be happy as clams to meet her. And she'll be delighted to meet them – because they're so much more interesting than you.”

Louie's fingers curled up in his pocket. He tried to come up with some witty retort or snappy comeback and couldn't.

“Scrooge McDuck, world's richest man. Donald, the brave adventurer. Huey, the brilliant scholar. Dewey, the hapless explorer. And then there's... you.” She feigned a sigh, pressing her hands together, before gesturing to him. “Louie, who can... do what? Con an innocent fish-girl out of her scales? Lie his way out of trouble he got himself into? Who spends his weekends snoozing on the couch watching bad TV? Oh, Louie, Louie, Louie... you're just so... dull.”

“Shut up.” It was weak and pathetic.

“Do you really think she'll want anything to do with you, once she's spent time with the amazing Duck family? You'll be yesterday's news.”

“Shut up...”

“She's all yours now, but she'll leave you for something better, just like good old mommy did-”

“I KNOW, OKAY?!” He suddenly screamed at her, feeling humiliating hot tears prick at the edges of his eyes. “You think I don't?! I think about this all the time! I know they're all cooler and smarter and braver than I am! I've got nothing, and she doesn't care! She's the only person who's ever just wanted me! She – she wants to listen to me, and wants to help me, even though I don't deserve any of it! She likes me, and I can't...” his voice broke, and in that moment he wanted nothing more than to find Uncle Donald and cry into his chest. This wasn't fair, none of this was fair. He just wanted to keep her as his own special secret, and that couldn't last forever. He wanted to have something he didn't have to share with his brothers, as he'd done all his life. “I can't... lose her...”

He took a few deep, shallow breaths, and then he felt ice under his face – Magica's fingers were underneath his beak, and she tilted his head up. “Oh, you poor thing... but don't you fret.” she cooed, as if she hadn't helped stick the knife into his chest. “Because I can make her yours... forever.”

Louie's eyes widened. There was the bait, and he'd all but jumped into it. He could practically feel her pulling his strings like a ill-painted marionette. “You...can?”

“Of course!” She released the hold on his beak, plastering herself against the wall. “Once my powers are restored, there is no limit to what I can do. For that one dime, I can make sure you two live happily ever after.” She reached into the ground, yanking up Louie's shadow – side note, he didn't know how she did that, and decided he didn't want to know – before creating a Webby shadow, tail-and all. “All you have to do is give me what I want, and I can make it so she only has eyes for you.”

The shadows of Louie and Webby smiled as if all were right with the world, laughing silently as they embraced, him swinging her around as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The real Louie clutched his chest. This was wrong.

“She'll be yours and yours alone.” Magica was beside him now, her cold touch on his cheeks, whispering to his ear. “No one will ever tear you two apart.”

As the shadowy version of his longing played out, memories flashed in front of Louie's eyes like a beautifully cut viral video. The first time he met her, her curious head popping out of the water and trying to snatch one of his feathers. Her little mouth opening in awe as he handed over one of his great “treasures”, which was really a plastic fork. Her deep eyes that sparkled whenever the sun began to rest on the shore.

No no no stop stop stop

“The... the dime is... Uncle Scrooge's... it's his memories.” Louie felt his entire body shake as he spoke.

Louie laying down in the sand and Webby running her webbed fingers through his head feathers, the ticklefights that had no clear winner, how she was somehow warm and cold when she rested against him as they watched movies on his phone.

No no no no no no i'm better than this I have to be better than this

“Memories are for the past, boy. What about your future?”

And then came a memory that wasn't a memory, it was a longing, so deep and powerful that it stopped his breath, as he saw her perfectly clear in front of him, wearing that sweet smile that rarely left her face, and he just – and he just – he wanted so badly – her hand gently taking his own, leaning in – stop stop no no – lips pressed -

“NO!” He shouted so loudly he felt his lungs strain, and at last he finally did run, in the opposite direction from the forbidden images, running so fast that the world around him became a blur, and he was determined to keep running until he was safe in the manor again no matter how much his legs ached.

Magica clicked her tongue, annoyed. But she wasn't wholly disappointed, no. This wouldn't be the last time they'd meet, and she'd seen the look in his eyes. She had planted a seed... and now all she had to do was wait for it to grow.

Because she knew – as Louie refused to tell any of his family where he'd been, instead scrambling to his room, falling to his knees as his body gave out, he pulled his hoodie over his head, rocking back and forth – because he knew -

“Hi, I'm Webby!”

“I'm really glad I met you, Louie.”

“Why can't you believe it? We're friends. I'd do anything for you.”

He had considered.

#ducktales 2017 #webby vanderquack #louie duck #magica de spell

[shewhohangsoutincemeteries]

it’s not a date(night)

Clint Barton x Reader

Summary: it’s well known among the avengers that you and clint have movie nights every friday. you insist it’s platonic, they insist it’s not. maybe it’s time clint made it definitive.

Characters/Pairings: clint x reader, natasha romanoff, sam wilson, tony stark

Warnings: fluff

Word Count: 3,641

MARVEL MASTERLIST

“Movie?”

You stopped halfway between the elevator and the bar, caught off-guard. You were currently on the hunt for something cheesy and potentially fried, and while the dining hall was closed, you always had a backup hidden here on the third floor of the Stark Tower’s Recreation and Leisure center. In a vain attempt to dissuade yourself from eating terribly after working out, you kept a stockpile of snack foods under the over-stocked bar in the corner. You’d figured having the dining hall and a couple of residential floors between you and it would be enough to keep you from snacking but right now, even with your muscles aching from weight training and hair damp from the shower, a short walk to the elevator wasn’t going to stop you from snacking.

On first glance, you’d thought that this room – which contained one of the most impressive home theatre systems you’d ever seen, as well as pretty much every gaming console you knew of – was empty, and you hadn’t expected it to be otherwise. It was Friday night, and most of the members of the team had plans. But now, you realized you had company.

Clint was sprawled on the main couch, lifting his head awkwardly to peer sleepily at you over the arm of it. His hair was mussed on one side and his eyes were half-closed, but the smile he gave you was genuine.

“Hey, buddy. How long have you been lying there?”

He sat up, running a hand through his hair and stifling a yawn. “Was waiting for you.”

“Long enough to fall asleep?” you asked with slight amusement, continuing on to the fridge to help yourself to a couple of beers. You dug the bottle opener out of the drawer, leaving the caps on the counter as you grabbed a bag of Cheetos out of your stash under the bar. “It’s barely dark out.”

Clint shrugged, tucking his chin on the back of the couch to watch you approach. “I was tired.”

“You’re always tired, sweetie.”

He grinned blearily at you as you handed him a bottle, rubbing sleep out of his eye with the heel of his other hand. You smiled down at him; the action was so disarmingly innocent, like he was a sleepy kid and not one of Earth’s mightiest heroes. Neither of you thought anything of the pet name; you had been friends for so long now that you used words like ‘asshole’ and ‘babe’ as equal terms of endearment without much thought.

“Yeah? Well, who was the one who slept for twenty-six hours after that mission in Madrid?”

You popped a Cheeto into your mouth and offered him the bag. He helped himself to a couple of puffs and dropped the packet on the coffee table in front of him. “That was you, Clint.”

“Oh.” Clint pouted, brow furrowing. “Right.”

You chuckled, shaking your head and swallow a mouthful of beer. “Would have been nice of you to do it in your own bed.”

Clint shrugged; you’d teased him about this before. You’d come back from the medical bay with a broken wrist, a bruised rib and a serious migraine from ability overuse after the team had been sent to Madrid to take out a bomb-happy Hydra split-off group. You’d come into your room to find Hawkeye passed out in your bed, with dried blood in his hair and still dressed in his mission gear. He’d been cleared by the medical team pretty quickly – for once he’d actually gotten away with just a few cuts and bruises – and had been ushered out while they looked after those of you with more prevalent injuries.

Clint had been lying face down on top of your sheets and hugging a pillow to his chest, and you’d found the image so ridiculously adorable you’d decided to let him keep sleeping. You’d rolled your eyes, cleared the blood out of his hair with your good hand without waking him up and let him be. You’d slept of the couch instead, but had made sure to take a picture of the super spy spooning your pillow – it was currently set as his Caller I.D. photo on your phone.

He’d woken up over a full day later, and you’d never seen him so sheepish before. He’d gone up to check on you and had decided to wait when he’d realized he’d beaten you there. It really didn’t take long for him to fall asleep, and in this case it had been understandable; it was one hell of a long day.

“Your bed is comfier than mine.” Clint said, yawning as if to prove some kind of point.

“Hard to believe Tony Stark would have bought a shitty mattress,” you pointed out teasingly. “Must be all those fluffy pillows and soft blankets you make fun of me for.”

“All I said was you could build a nest in there.”

“You would know, Feather-Head.”

Clint flipped you off and your grinned childishly at him in response. In truth, you knew he loved all the extra bedding you had; more than once he’d poached a blanket and a pillow or two on colder nights rather than just asking JARVIS to turn up the heat in his room, and he always hogged the quilt if you brought one down during movie night.

His expression turned to a hopeful, lop-sided smile. “So… movie?”

You ruffled his hair affectionately as you moved around to the front of the couch, flopping into the seat next to him. Beer sloshed out of the bottle in your hand as you did, and Clint snorted as you hastily sucked it off the back of your fingers.

“You’re so classy.”

“Shut up or I’ll change my mind.”

“You’re in?”

“What else are going to do? Go out, get drunk and hook up like normal people our age?” you joked. “Of course, I’m in. It’s Friday, isn’t it?”

He chuckled as you tucked your legs up under yourself. The two of you had been doing movie nights together for a couple of months now; it wasn’t ever intended to be a tradition, but it had kind of become that. Almost every Friday night, barring a few missions, the two of you would find something on Netflix, order in dinner and spend the night just hanging out like normal people instead of two assholes who occasionally helped save the world. All this was much to Natasha’s chagrin – she insisted you needed to go out and actually meet people, but you were more than happy to spend your Friday nights with her best friend instead. Occasionally she or one of the other Avengers would join you – you always watched them in communal areas – but most often it was just the two of you.

“Action movie?”

“Dude, we basically live in an action movie,” you pointed out, stretching languidly. Your overworked muscles ached pleasantly as you did. “How about a horror?”

You looked over at him when he didn’t reply; he was looking at you with unfocused eyes, his hand clutching his beer. You snapped your fingers in front of his face. “You in there, buddy?”

Clint shook himself slightly, as if bringing himself back to the present. “Sorry, what?”

You smiled, mildly confused by his lack of focus. “Horror movie?”

“Right… meet in the middle and watch a thriller?”

“Deal.” You leaned forward to snatch the remote off the table and tossed it into his sweatpants-covered lap. “Pick a good one, Bird Man.”

“Aye, Aye, Cap’n.” he replied, saluting. Clint settled back into the cushions and opened Netflix. You watched him scroll through movies, sipping at your beer and helping yourself to more Cheetos.

“How’d you know I was going to come down here, anyway?” you asked after a minute or so. “I mean, we have a perfectly good TV in the common room on our floor.”

He shrugged a shoulder, his eyes still on the screen. “Fury had you on weight training with Sam today. You always hit up the snack bar after that.”

“Am I really that predictable?” you joked as your phone buzzed in the pocket of your hoodie. You were in peak comfort clothing; cotton sleep shorts, a tank top, ridiculously thick socks and a mauve hoodie you’d stolen from Clint weeks ago during another movie night. You were surprised he hadn’t asked for it back yet. You dug your phone out of your pocket; you had a message from ‘Carmen Sandiego’.

“Nah, I just pay attention.” Clint replied causally. “Oh, and I ate your Red Vines.”

“You son of a bitch.”

“Yeah? Call the cops, hoodie-thief.” Clint laughed, tugging pointedly at your sleeve.

“You have enough to last you through the apocalypse, Barton.” You shot back. “Didn’t think you’d miss one.”

“Who’s texting you?”

“It’s my secret lover.” You quipped, snickering as he raised a brow, stiffening beside you ever so slightly. “Chill, man. You’re not losing your movie night. It’s just Nat.”

Clint relaxed beside you, giving you a cheeky smirk. “Well, I ain’t about to complain about that mental image.”

You scoffed and he laughed again, shying away from your prodding elbow.

You could practically see Nat rolling her eyes at that; she clearly had intended to get you out of the tower for the night. Instead, you were spending another night on the couch with Clint instead of out on the town with her and whoever else she was luring out of their rooms for the evening.

“This is the one.” The archer beside you proclaimed proudly, pointing to the movie title highlighted on the screen. You rolled your eyes good-naturedly; the two of you had watched this one at least twice already.

“Bring on the suspense,” you agreed.

“JARVIS, hit the lights?” Clint asked the room as he hit play, and the lights dimmed immediately. You moved to settle back against the couch, but Clint crooked a finger at you, smiling. “What are you doing? Get over here.”

You grinned back at him, scooting closer to his side until your knees rested on his thigh. He wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you against the warmth of his side. You settled in comfortably, giggling when he grumbled in your ear as the opening credits began. “Your hair’s wet.”

“Oh, grow up, you big baby.” You teased as your phone buzzed again. “Better damp hair than being all gross and sweaty, right?”

Clint shrugged, pinching your knee jokingly. “Depends on the context.”

You poked him in the side, snickering.

You caught Clint trying to read over your shoulder, and you stuck your tongue out at him as you shoved it back into your pocket. He shook his head at you. “You’re such a dork.”

“Oh, you love it.”

*************************************************************************************

“Well, aren’t you two cozy?” Tony’s voice cut through your movie-induced bubble just as a phone rang onscreen, and you jumped. Clint grumbled something under his breath as he paused the movie, his warm hand squeezing your shoulder in a reflexive, comforting gesture. Tony Stark strolled out of the elevator, Nat by his side and Sam in tow. He dropped into one of the recliners, cocky smirk on his lips. “We’re not interrupting anything are we?”

“Just the movie,” Clint groused petulantly, and Tony’s smile widened mischievously as he gave your position a pointed look. You pulled away from Clint’s side, straightening. Clint spared you a glance as his arm slid off of your shoulders. You felt Nat’s breath on your neck as she leaned over the back of the couch to speak in your ear.

“You sure it’s not a date? You two look pretty comfy together.” She laughed as she stepped away again, avoiding the half-hearted swipe you sent her way.

“Didn’t know you were bringing guests, Nat.”

She shrugged, perching on the arm of the couch. “Just Sam. Tony invited himself.”

“I do own the place.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be off at some benefit with Pepper tonight?” you asked, accepting the beer Sam offered you. Clint and Nat took one as well.

“So, we’ll be late.”

“Fashionably so?”

“When will you learn, Y/N? Everything I do is fashionable.” Tony replied with a wink, and Clint snorted. Nat rolled her eyes. “You’ve just spent too much time with Legolas here to remember what fashion is.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Clint asked, affronted, his beer paused at his lips.

“When was the last time you wore anything other than sweatpants?”

“They’re comfortable. Sue me.” Clint shot back, slumping further down in his seat. You patted his knee comfortingly, giving him a teasing pout.

“Sam and I are dragging Steve out tonight.” Nat said, tucking fiery hair behind her ear. “Thought we might take him to a club. Want to come?”

“As funny as it would be to watch Steve experience EDM for the first time,” you said. “I’m good here.”

“Clint?”

He raised a brow at his best friend. “When have I ever enjoyed clubbing?”

“You two are no damn fun,” Sam told you, shaking his head.

“Mr. Barton, Ms. Y/L/N, your delivery has arrived.” JARVIS informed you from overhead. “Shall I send them up?”

“Nah, I’ll go get it, JARVIS, thanks.” Clint replied, standing. He touched a hand to your shoulder and squeezed it gently as he left.

Tony spoke as soon as the elevator doors closed behind him. “When are you two just going to admit you like each other?”

Your brow furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Sam laughed. “Oh, come on, Y/N. We all know you and Clint—”

“We’re friends, Sam.” You shot back, rolling your eyes. Still, you could feel the warmth of a blush rising in your neck.

“Friends don’t spend their Friday nights cuddling on the couch in their pajamas.” Tony pointed out snidely. “Or if they do, Nat, I’m going to need you to find your fuzzy bunny slippers and a negligee.”

“We’re friends, Tony?” She joked back, smirking when he gasped in offence. “Y/N, you’re literally wearing his sweater right now.”

“It’s comfy,” you said lamely, folding your arms over your chest. “Doesn’t mean we’re sleeping together.”

Tony scoffed, and you rolled your eyes.

“You should be.” Sam muttered, and you shot him a look. “What? You two have like some Ross-and-Rachel-sitcom-romance-will-they-won’t-they-thing going on and you need to either throw my boy a bone and admit you like him back or cut him loose so he can move on.”

“So, you both can.” Nat said meaningfully, pointing at you with her beer.

“You guys are giving me too much credit, here.” You responded, holding up your hands. “Clint doesn’t have feelings for me.”

“Yes, he does.” Nat and Tony said in unison.

“He totally does.” Sam agreed.

“Yes, I do.”

Your head jerked towards the elevator so fast that you almost gave yourself whiplash, eyes wide. Clint was standing in front of the closing elevator doors, three pizza boxes and a couple of garlic breads in his arms. There was the whisper of a shy smile on his lips and his eyes held your gaze, weighted with earnest. The look lasted a few long moments before he cleared his throat and continued into the room, dropping the takeout on the table and handing Nat her pizza as he sat back down beside you. You shook yourself to stop yourself staring, turning your eyes to stare at the paused image on the TV screen. You saw Nat wink at Clint out of the corner of your eye as she accepted the box from him.

“So…” Clint began, and you swallowed. “Are we watching this movie or not?”

“Yup!” you said, a little too loudly, and Tony laughed as he stood.

“I think I’ll leave you kids to it.” He said, waggling his eyebrows at you. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“There’s nothing you wouldn’t do, Stark.” Sam pointed out.

Tony caught your eye and winked, patting Clint on the shoulder as he passed him. “Exactly.”

*************************************************************************************

You kept your eyes on the screen, managing to eat a slice and a half of pizza before giving up on it, your stomach and head swirling. You were too focused on the man sitting beside you; on how close he was to you, on how relaxed he was. You could feel Nat’s eyes on you, and occasionally Sam’s as well, and you could easily imagine the amused expressions on their faces. You weren’t sure whether you were grateful to them or ready to curse them out for staying; Nat was letting you stew on this revelation before discussing it. She knew you had a tendency to react instinctively to new information, to act before thinking it through. This was her forcing you to think it through. To figure out exactly how you felt about Clint.

Clint’s hand brushed over your knee as he reached for garlic bread, drawing you out of your thoughts, and your breath caught. You cleared your throat when it drew his eyes to you, swallowing down a mouthful of beer to cover your nerves.

“Well,” Nat said loudly, standing and making a show of stretching. The movie only had another twenty minutes or so left, but Clint didn’t bother pausing it this time. “We better be going. Steve’s got a date with the dance halls of the twenty-first century.”

Sam grinned broadly as he joined her. “Have fun, you two.”

You had to stop yourself from burying your face in your hands at that comment, but you did roll your eyes at Nat as she left. The score built in the movie you still paid no attention to for a few moments before you summoned enough courage to take the remote and press pause.

“Clint…”

“You don’t have to say anything, Y/N.” he said, surprisingly casual. He turned to look at you, his expression soft. “I said what I said. I said it because I don’t feel like I should hide it anymore. You know how I feel now, we can just leave it at that. You don’t have to give me some big speech about how you just wanna be friends.”

“How do you know that’s what I’m going to say?”

He shrugged, leaning back against the cushions again. He scratched the back of his head, almost sheepishly. “Didn’t think you’d spent the last half hour sitting like you’ve got a rod up your spine because you were happy about it.”

“Clint.” You said, ducking your head. “I…”

“Y/N, it’s okay.” There was an almost remorseful… self-depreciating note to his tone. “Like I said, you don’t have to try and let me down easy. I didn’t say anything before because I’m happy just being your friend. You’re—”

“Clint,” you said again, your voice soft. “Shut up.”

You closed the distance between the two of you, pressing your lips to his. Your hand brushed against his cheekbone before moving down to twist in the front of his tee-shirt, tugging him closer. He doesn’t react at first, caught off-guard, but at the feeling of the pull at his chest he began kissing you back, his lips warm and soft against yours. His hand ghosted up your arm to cup your cheek and then tangle in your still-damp hair, urging you closer.

Kissing Clint was wonderful, like something you didn’t know was missing was falling into place. It was familiar and brand-new all at once, a fire that felt both comforting and consuming. His teeth grazed your lower lip, a groan vibrating in his chest. He broke away to breathe, his nose brushing against yours. His breath warmed your cheek.

“Clint…”

“I should have told you months ago,” he chuckled, breathily, kissing you again. Your fingers slid through his hair and you tugged at it, your tongue mingling with his. Clint pulled you into his lap and you straddled it, your arms wrapping around his neck. His lips left yours to press kisses to your jaw and your neck, his hands tightening on your waist as you let out a tiny moan as he found a sensitive spot under your ear. “Should have kissed you months ago…”

You brought his lips back to yours as his hands slipped over your hips, and he gripped them tightly, turning to lay you out on the couch, his body covering yours. Your knees bent to rest on either side of his hips, your hands running over his shoulders to take hold of the hard muscles of his biceps.

As soon as your back hit the cushions, something exploded, and Clint’s body covered yours protectively, pulling your face to his chest, his own tucked into your shoulder as Wham!’s Careless Whisper began blaring overhead. Confetti rained down on the two of you, coating Clint in glittery, rainbow paper. He pulled away from you, a battle-ready expression on his face for the split-second it took him to realize what was happening. He sat back on his haunches, one hand braced on the back of the couch and shook confetti out of his hair.

“JARVIS?! What the actual fuck?” you shouted over the music, and it lowered to a more reasonable decibel immediately.

“My apologies to the both of you,” came the reply, and the AI actually managed to sound contrite. “I was following instructions left by Mr. Stark earlier this evening.”

You groaned and sat up, tossing your legs over Clint’s lap as he returned to a sitting position, your back against the arm rest. He picked confetti out of your hair and tossed it on the floor as he spoke. “And what was that exactly?”

“I was asked to initiate the protocol you just experienced when the two of you ‘got horizontal’. His words, Mr. Barton.”

You shook your head in disbelief, and Clint ran a hand over his face.

“I’m going to kill Tony.”

.

.

.

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tags: @lovely-dreamer19 @spacesuitsforemergency @wittyforachange @wefracturedmotivation

if you would like to be tagged in any future stories for marvel or clint barton in particular, please send me an ask! requests for reader inserts are currently open for clint barton, tony stark and peter quill.

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