#there's a freak who gets weird about the witch if they choose a certain choice

[rotting-ink]

im incredibly cruel in the way I'm making little freak npcs and not letting them be romanceable.

im even sad about that

#there's a freak who gets weird about the witch if they choose a certain choice #also people's origin npcs come back and god #people really want aguilar #nasties #rottedinkspills

[thera-daydreams]

ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ ᴏʟᴅ ʟᴀᴅʏ ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴡɪᴛᴄʜ

ᗢ jujutsu kaisen x scarletwitch!reader ᗢ

04. ryomen sukuna

the sadistic maniac who's just too bored with his life so he waits to pick a fight as he sits on his throne made out of the skulls of his enemies

Chapter Index & Synopsis

warning: will contain spoilers from the jjk manga and the latest mcu shows (particularly wandavision and loki, as well as rumors from doctor strange in the multiverse of madness). once again, this will contain heavy spoilers—you have been warned. this chapter will also have mentions of cannibalism and will contain some, uh, certain tension with our tattooed king. and unfortunately, school starts tomorrow for me, so the next updates might be further apart in duration. thank you for your patience! and oh my god, thank you so, so much for 200 followers! i love you all so much.

[EDIT] 6/17/2022, 7:46PM: Edited after the things that happened in Dr. Strange 2. Oh, and Sukuna gets a taste of his own medicine with a glimpse of the Scarlet Witch's wrath. Just a teeny glimpse compared to what happened in DSMOM2.

(word count: 4,221)

(previous chapter)

You were displeased, to say the least. That much, Gojo could tell as you three waited for Yuuji to wake up in the heavily sealed room. However, you tried to distract yourself instead by carefully patching up the injured Fushiguro.

Up close and in person, he really did look like a carbon copy of his father (except for the spikier black hair he likely got from his mother).

"A-Ah, thank you, L/N-san," Megumi said, bowing his head thankfully to you as you finished wrapping bandages around his bleeding head.

"You're very much welcome, dear. And you can call me Y/N, don't worry." You smiled at him softly. Poor kid. Had it not been for Gojo's interference, he probably would've sustained even more severe injuries—or death—at the hands of Ryomen Sukuna.

Speaking of the devil, your mood soured again.

"That damn bastard," you muttered, for once not holding back in your words as you entered the cremation room. Gojo had explained to you the situation, and those damn jujutsu higher-ups had already made a rash decision about your adopted son.

Execution.

Cowards, all of them. Yuuji was only fifteen. A child who was clueless about this new world he was in! A child who'd just lost his grandfather! They had absolutely no right to do this to him. Thankfully, Gojo had managed to persuade them to delay the execution by allowing Yuuji to collect all twenty fingers first. But you knew that Gojo had a hidden agenda in mind; perhaps by the time all the fingers of Sukuna were consumed by Yuuji, he would be too powerful to be stopped by the higher-ups.

Perhaps, through Yuuji, the elders could be overthrown, too. Or at least, something would change and they'd learn their lesson.

On the other hand, you had other plans.

Knowing Yuuji, he would of course choose to not die now. He would choose to collect all the fingers first, bring Sukuna down with him, and die knowing that he's saved so many people who could be harmed by curses. That was how that kid was—heroic and selfless. And no matter what you did, you knew wouldn't be able to change his mind.

So what did you do?

Well...

"So that's your final choice? You'll eat all the fingers?" you asked Yuuji, voice still eerily level (even Gojo was freaking out as to why you weren't really freaking out).

The universe worked in mysterious ways.

Who knew that the adopted mom of Sukuna's current vessel would turn out to be his close elderly friend and the creator of the most heavenly brownies ever? And weren't moms supposed to pissed in situations like this? (Oh, you were pissed, alright, you were just extremely good at hiding it.)

Now, Yuuji, too, knew that you were somehow involved in this weird jujutsu world he'd plunged himself into.

The pink-haired teenager determinedly nodded, closing the lid of the container containing his grandfather's cremated ashes. He set down the long chopsticks he used to pick out the bones, "Yes, Momma. My grandfather would've wanted me to save people, not dwell on his death."

You sighed, rubbing your temples, "I can't stop you, can I?"

Yuuji sweat-dropped, laughing sheepishly, "Ehehehe, no... sorry, kaa-chan."

Though you hated what was happening to Yuuji, you could only watch as he embarked on this new journey, taking the second finger of Sukuna and eating it (this boy didn't even bite it into pieces—he deadass swallowed the entire thing without even chewing, eugh).

"You're... strangely calm for someone whose, uh, son is scheduled to be executed," Satoru cautiously began while watching the pink-haired teen from the corner of his eye. He walked closer to the exit door, discreetly blocking it with his arm, knowing that Megumi was right behind it. He was ready to fight and protect you if necessary, too.

There was another burst of dark, cursed energy as black tattoos reappeared on Itadori's face.

You didn't look one bit terrified at all.

Gojo, frankly, was even more weirded out. Impressed, even.

"It's not going to reach that point," you simply said, crossing your arms. If Yuuji was stubborn, then you were stubborner (was that even a word?). Screw the higher-ups. Screw Sukuna.

You won't let Yuuji be executed in the end.

"... How do you know?" Satoru inquired curiously, eyes still trained on Yuuji's every movement.

A mysterious smile curved your lips upward, but you didn't elaborate further, only watching as the tattoos on Yuuji faded away. He gagged, complaining that the gross finger tasted like soap.

"Ewwww, that's disgusting! Bleh! Bleh! Bleh!"

Gojo was pleased at how miraculously your adopted son suppressed the King of Curses, but he still was interested as to how exactly you—of all people—would prevent Yuuji's execution. What, were you going to have your weird spirit friends help or something?

Noticing this, you smiled even wider, moving towards Yuuji and taking his hand in yours, swinging it back and forth.

"Curse King," you called out in a sing-song tone.

There was no reply. Gojo and Itadori gave you incredulous looks.

"I know you're in there. And I know you're listening."

No reply, still.

"I'm warning you." You sweetly leaned your head on a confused Yuuji's shoulder. "Hurt my son, and I promise you, I'll come after you and rip your spirit out myself."

Reading Yuuji's mind, you could hear the mocking laughter from Sukuna. The pink-haired boy frowned, "Mom, he's—"

"Laughing. I know. I can practically hear him from here." Yuuji and Satoru didn't know you were being literal, but with you being able to hear thoughts, the Curse King's laughter was booming in your ear. You didn't mind.

"... You do?" Yuuji wondered, hitting his head with his palm as he tried shutting Sukuna out. "God, he just won't shut up."

"I told you earlier that I can talk to ghosts and other weird things in the spiritual realm, remember? The King of Curses is no exception."

"Oh yeah. I forgot."

Sukuna may not take you seriously now, but one day, he will. You'd show him.

Grrrrrrrr!

"Yuuji, is that your stomach grumbling? Are you hungry already, hun?" you asked. "Right after you ate that gross finger?"

"That was a hell of a growl," Gojo chuckled.

"... Yeah, I am pretty starved right now. Could use a—"

You placed your hands behind your back and magicked a bowl of pork cutlets. Yuuji's eyes brightly sparkled when you showed him your now-not-empty hands (you'd been doing this to him for like, six years, so it wasn't new). Gojo, on the other hand, was startled.

He'd never seen you do that before.

"Where did you get that?" the white-haired sensei asked, looking behind you.

"Waaaaah! It's the rice bowl magic trick again!" Yuuji exclaimed excitedly as you handed him the katsudon. "Thanks, Momma!"

While he gobbled down the food, Gojo gave you a questioning stare. "Rice bowl magic trick?"

"Magic." You winked at him slyly. "Anyone can pull a coin out of someone's ear, but not anyone can pull a rice bowl out of nowhere!"

"... It was probably in your bag this entire time."

You snorted, "Believe what you wish to believe, Gojo Satoru."

"Psh. Magic. I don't believe you."

"Says the man who still doesn't know the recipe to the best brownies in the world. That's it, I'm never ever telling you."

"Heeeeeeey, that's unfair!"

ᗢ▪︎ᗢ

Even weeks after Sukuna manifested into his new vessel's body, the brat's sensei never stopped prattling on about that stupid bakery (café?) in the city of Tokyo. He had to admit, though, that when he stole one bite of the chocolate cake brought by the teacher—he did that by having a mouth appear on Itadori's palm—it tasted divine.

What did you put in that cake, crack? How the hell was it possible for something to taste that good? He'd eaten humans before, and to his bewilderment, none of them tasted that good even when cooked by Uraume. What the fuck was that chocolate cake, the food of the gods themselves?

Thus, when his vessel, Fushiguro, and that Kugisaki woman were tasked by that irritating Gojo Satoru to purchase some sweets, he was looking forward to stealing more of those chocolate treats he ate before.

You came out of the kitchen, some flour on your hands, but a big, warm smile on your aged face. Instantly, you recognized who the three customers might be from their uniforms alone.

Within Itadori's mind, Sukuna scoffed. Your food may be heavenly, but you were dumb and a fool for threatening him. You. A human who was just years away from crumbling into dust (sorry, Sukuna, reader was already snapped into ash by a purple alien overlord a long time ago and she's not planning on doing that again anytime soon).

Little did he or Yuuji know that you could hear his thoughts. A vein appeared on your jaw, but you calmed yourself down.

"Disrespectful little shit. If he weren't in such an adorable vessel, I would teach him a lesson. I don't care if he's the King of Curses," you thought, masking your annoyance with a grin. You focused your attention to the three youngsters staring at you. "Hello, sweethearts! Can I help you three with anything?"

"Hi, Momma!" Yuuji waved at you.

"Hello, Y/N-san," Megumi greeted.

"Good morning, Y/N-san!" Nobara happily greeted. You were on her favorite person list after you called her pretty on the day you first met (you'd even given her a special promo card to a beauty spa as a welcome gift to Tokyo). Plus, according to Maki and the other second-years, you had the ability to see much more things in the spiritual world even if you weren't a jujutsu sorcerer. Rumor has it (ahem, Gojo, ahem), you could talk to dead people. How badass was that?

You wiped the flour from your hands, glancing at the door leading to the kitchen. Megumi had no idea his dad was working for you in the kitchen. At this very moment. It was a bit unfortunate.

Toji already knew about the Sukuna-Yuuji situation after you spilled the beans to him, and along with that story, you'd told him that you'd met his now-teenage son along the way. The green-eyed man showed a slight reaction, yet from his thoughts alone, you could tell he wasn't ready to show his face yet despite the numerous times the first-year trio had visited the shop.

It was somewhat sad, but you were understanding enough to not push his boundaries.

Back to the present.

You noticed that the blindfolded white-haired stickman was nowhere to be found. No wonder it was far quieter than usual. "Are you here to buy something for Gojo-kun? Where is he, anyway?"

"He's out on a business trip," Megumi answered before taking out a piece of paper. "He gave us a list requesting that we buy... uh... twenty sugar-glazed doughnuts, fifteen cinnamon rolls, thirty oatmeal cookies, an entire red velvet cake, and—"

"Three dozens of his favorite red velvet brownies," you supplied, already knowing his favorite pastry. "As usual."

The three students sweat-dropped. That was a ton for one order. Surprisingly, you just reached down under the counter and took out seven different boxes, all containing what Gojo requested.

"E-Eh!?"

At the sound of their yells, you turned back to them and checked the boxes, "Is there something wrong? Did I get the order wrong? I'm sure I put oatmeal cookies instead of the butter cookies..."

"You made all these, Mom!?" Yuuji exclaimed. Well, Toji helped, but majority of it was made by your skillful hands.

"Mmhmm! All fresh from this morning, hun. Why?"

"This is... a lot," Megumi's eyes were wide. "Even for that weirdo's usual order."

"She just pulled them from her stockpile like it's a normal thing," Nobara whispered to Yuuji, who whispered back.

"I know, right?"

"Ah, Satoru may be one of the reasons why I run out of stock every week but he keeps the business running, so I try to give what I can," you explained, unbothered. "Oh! Wait, I haven't been able to box the red velvet cake yet. Could you wait a moment, dearies?"

"Sure..."

They watched you retreat back into the kitchen. The trio took this chance to look around your shop (even Yuuji noticed some new details; you'd done some renovating since the last time he was here). It was homely and had a highly welcoming atmosphere inside it. The walls were made of mahogany brown wood—there were some white decorative symbols on the borders, as well—and the floors were a lighter shade. Freshly-baked goodies were displayed openly, too. The menu was written on black chalkboards and there was even a stand where you could freely try out different types of cheese, fruits, nuts, and spreads.

Overall, it had quite the rustic and authentic theme to it. Nobara and Yuuji immediately went to the cheese stand to try them out.

"Ooooo, this tastes amazing! This wasn't here before. Come try this, Megumi!" Itadori said, munching on some thin slices of meat. With a huff, the black-haired teenager complied. Needless to say, he liked it, too.

Wanting to see what the ruckus was, Sukuna made a mouth emerge on Itadori's palm as he picked up a piece of cheese.

The King of Curses was... satisfied (just say it's good, Sukuna) to find out that the food selection was as great as the chocolate cake he'd stolen tried out before.

"Oy, oy, Sukuna! Why'd you eat my piece?" Yuuji complained. The mouth reappeared on his cheek.

"Shut up, brat. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about."

Megumi and Nobara could only stare as the vessel and the curse argued. Unbeknownst to them, you had been watching from the sidelines all this time, unfazed by the fact that there was a second mouth on Itadori's face.

You soundlessly reappeared behind Fushiguro, holding the eight boxes—balancing four on each arm—and cleared your throat. All three students yelled in shock (well, Nobara and Itadori yelled; Fushiguro just flinched).

"Y/N-san!"

"Kaa-chan!"

They quickly took the heavy-looking boxes from your arms.

Fushiguro wondered how he didn't even sense you behind him until you made a sound. Sukuna was thinking the same thing. How did you...?

You inwardly took pleasure in their surprise. It was like the early days of your powers, fighting alongside Ultron. Hm, you should scare people more often (you'd try it on Toji later).

"I thought I'd seen them all, but a second mouth on a human face is something I haven't seen before," you offhandedly commented, crossing your arms and tilting your head at Yuuji, who'd instantly slapped his hand over Sukuna's mouth. "So you finally decide to come out, Sukuna. Welcome to Charmed Coffee & Confectionaries."

The trio gaped at you. Were you engaging in a conversation with the King of Curses? And did you just welcome him? Hell, even Yuuji hated talking to Sukuna.

"Hmmm... Y/N-san, are you a jujutsu sorcerer, too? Or a former one?" Nobara curiously asked.

"We don't sense any cursed energy from you," Fushiguro added, interested in your answer. Gojo didn't really say anything else about you aside from your shop and your ability to see curses and ghosts (plus other supernatural creatures).

Were you a sorceress? Yes. Were you a jujutsu sorceress? No. So what did you tell them? The truth.

"Nah, I'm no jujutsu sorcerer, pumpkin. It's probably my third eye," you replied smoothly, eyes crinkling from your knowing smile. "Aside from those curse thingies, I also see the ghosts of the dead people. The ones that can't move on to the afterlife, at least. I see... other supernatural and mythological beings, as well. But I think Satoru already told you that."

"Ah, he did," Nobara realized.

You tapped your chin, remembeeing something, "Huh. Come to think of it, I saw a tsukumogami outside that house two blocks away from here. It was really nice! It said that it celebrated its 103rd birthday last month."

(In Japanese folklore, tsukumogami are tools that have acquired a kami or spirit. Today, the term is generally understood to be applied to virtually any object "that has reached its 100th birthday and thus become alive and self-aware", though this definition is not without controversy.)

Who was the trio to label you as crazy when they themselves saw curses that regular people couldn't see? They'd be hypocrites to not believe you. Plus, you saw Sukuna's mouth. Talked to it, even.

In actuality, you've met a lot of... other beings before, especially in the multiverse. After the incident with America Chavez and Strange, you'd gone into a bout of isolation before he and Loki called for your help again. The Darkhold and all its versions in the universe were gone—courtesy of you destroying all of them—but there were still many threats and new allies to be met. Demons, devils, angels, fairies, elves, aliens, gods, sentient forces, and even the One Above All. Aside from Dr. Strange, Loki, and Agatha, you'd also become good friends with the Eternals—especially Sersi—before you left for this universe.

"Are the other spirit creatures scary? The ones that aren't curses?" Yuuji asked, baffled.

"Well it depends, sugar. Some are benevolent, others? Not so much. I'm pretty sure there are much scarier things out in the universe than curses," you honestly answered. One of those things was you. God forbid a curse tried getting its hands on you. You'd tear them apart from the inside just like the one at the train station with Toji. You were by no means afraid of them.

Suddenly, a ping from by the cashier signaled that the coffee you were brewing was done. "Ooh! Yay, it's done! Do you kids want hot chocolate, too? I have marshmallows."

"We couldn't possibly intru—"

"It's on the house," you offered, knowing they wouldn't be able to resist. "Along with a slice of blueberry cheesecake, too, of you want."

That single statement made them sit down immediately on the stools by the counter. They could never resist an offer of free food.

"There you go, Megumi-kun."

"Thank you, Y/N-san."

"Yuuji, sweetie, do you want some milk with that?"

"Yes, please!"

"Ooh, Nobara-chan, I have some treats which are very Instagrammable!"

"Ehhhhh?! Can I see?"

Sukuna's interest was incited, alright. He'd never met a human who could see other beings. This old woman was pretty fascinating. He might try to scare you in the future.

Spoiler alert, he was never able to.

Even when he switched with Itadori, you were unshakable. Yuuji told you that he'd go back to his domain pouting and sulking as to why he couldn't get through you.

His favorite chocolate cake slices were always the peace offerings you would give to him when he couldn't intimidate you. There was even a time you gave him an entire freaking cake to make him stop sulking.

Days later, in your shop...

"Damn woman," he grumbled, the mouth on Yuuji's face chewing on a sweet chocolatey dessert.

"No swearing on the table, Sukuna!" you scolded, pouring Yuuji a glass of orange juice. "That's our rule!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Geez, granny."

Sukuna didn't really give a single fuck.

ᗢ▪︎ᗢ

You warned him already. You warned him that if he hurt Yuuji, you'd come after him and rip his spirit out yourself. And what did this bastard do?

He'd torn out your son's heart and threw it away into a corner. Literally. That was what Megumi said.

For a while, you hadn't seen Yuuji or any of his fellow teammates. It was fine by you since you attributed it to their growing involvement in the world of jujutsu, but what was not fine was being told that one, Megumi and Nobara were in a nearly-critical condition and two, your son was killed... but was promptly resurrected afterward.

Sukuna was lucky that Gojo told you the news when Yuuji had already come back to life because you didn't exactly have the greatest track record in dealing with grief and loss (ahem—Sokovia, Westview, and the Multiverse—ahem).

That day, you closed the shop and sat in your living room absolutely seething. Toji could only watch from beside you on the sofa, guardedly doing his best to not tick you off even further.

If he told you before Yuuji came back to life, well... that would be an entirely different story.

You would most definitely not be as patient and understanding.

Right now, that dark, choking aura he'd seen was back in full force, and your eyes were glowing a spine-chilling ruby red. Seriously, you looked like you came out of the Exorcist.

"I should kill him," you bristled, fingers already crackling with that strange red vapor he'd seen only for a second. "I should absolutely rip him to shreds. How dare he."

Toji didn't speak, but he was ready to bolt out the room if necessary. He could count on one hand the number of times he'd felt that pit in his stomach in the face of imminent danger, and this was... well, to be honest, it was scaring him. For the first time, you were openly showing your abilities to him. Maybe he shouldn't have been so curious.

He'd never seen anything like your power (and he's seen some shit in his life, especially with the Zenin clan).

"He's lucky I only found out after Yuuji got resurrected," you mumbled, beginning to pace around while the red vapor followed you. Toji visibly swallowed as you entered the kitchen, the sharp knives you stowed away now floating in mid-air. "Either I stab him, shred him up, snap his neck, slice him into half, make his brains explode, or—"

The knives were promptly returned back into the proper places.

"—Perhaps letting him see his greatest fear would be better." The lights in the house began flickering on and off, with the sanguine mist the only thing illuminating the space.

Toji was really creeped out now. Really. You talking about greatest fears and listing down different torture methods weren't helping.

"Uh, Y/N?"

The lights fully flickered back on and the red glow vanished as you blinked at him, "Yeah?"

"You... need help or something?" the former assassin offered. "Um, a glass of water?"

A tired smile appeared on your face, "Yeah... yeah. Could use one. Thanks, Toji."

Nodding, he swiftly retrieved one ice cold glass of water, relieved that the weighty atmosphere of your so-called magic was gone.

That didn't mean you didn't barge into Sukuna's domain the moment you saw your son again after his "death".

ᗢ▪︎ᗢ

"You piece of shit."

Sukuna blinked. It was dead at night and his vessel had been staying in the enclosed room Gojo had provided. The kid was still learning the basics of jujutsu and had fallen asleep.

So how the fuck did this random woman even get into his domain without him noticing?

Wooooosh!

He barely dodged that quick flash of red that was thrown at him. Sukuna's head snapped towards your shadowy figure, surrounded by strange wisps of red he'd never encountered before. And why in the world were your irises glowing that same color?

"Oh?" He raised a fine brow. "Who are y—"

Wooooosh!

Holy shit.

He ducked out of the way from another projectile of red energy aimed towards him. That sole projectile dissolved the skulls around him into nothingness.

When the curse turned back to look at you, he was suddenly tackled to the watery crimson grounds of his domain, your face nearly touching his.

"This will be your last warning, Curse King," you hissed, eyes blazing with immense fury. "Two can play at this game, Sukuna. Hurt my son again, and I swear to the heavens that even your soul won't get any rest in the afterlife. This one time, I'll show you mercy. And only this time will I be reasonable with you."

Son?

He blinked, finally recognizing who you were.

You were that brat's so-called mom. That foolish granny who dared threaten him. That softhearted woman he mocked and laughed at (yet still made chocolates for him).

Right now, you were definitely not a sympathetic old woman. In fact, right now, it was the exact opposite. And you definitely managed to pique his attention with those strange... gifts of yours. You weren't a jujutsu sorcerer, he recalled Yuuji and Gojo say. This wasn't cursed energy as well, he realized. This was different.

You were different.

"You look... much younger than I remember, granny," Sukuna muttered to himself, looking up at your face. A smirk appeared on his lips. "To be honest, I like this view much better."

You ignored his statement. "I don't know what technique or vow you made with Yuuji," you snarled, eyes flashing brighter as you pushed him deeper into the ground. Harshly (but Sukuna liked a lot a little pain in his pleasure). "But the next time you pull a stunt like that, I'll make you suffer pain unlike anything you've ever imagined. Then I'll savor your death by killing you slowly. You hear me, Curse King?"

His smirk grew wider.

"Loud and clear, woman."

You subsequently (and quite roughly) tossed him like a ragdoll to his infamous pile of skulls with a wave of your glowing hand. With that, you completely vanished from his sight and his domain.

Well this was a pleasant surprise, he thought as he pulled himself up from the rubble of sharp bones. For the first time in ages, his body actually felt sore from a fight (was that even a fight if all he did was get thrown around?). Hell, some blood dripped from his lips while he was getting up.

This was interesting. Very interesting.

First it was Fushiguro Megumi and that hidden potential of his. Now?

Sukuna was looking forward to the next time you two met.

(next chapter.)

Author's Note: So one of the boys finally sees your true form and now, a total of two of them know (some of) your powers! And we've got some tension plus enemies-to-lovers (?) in this chapter, too. TBH, I don't see Sukuna being a good guy. Have ya'll seen his first appearance with him looking for the women and children? That guy eats people, I swear. He may like chocolate in my fic, but he's still a villain! 😒

Reblogs, comments, hearts, interactions, and constructive criticism are very appreciated! If you wanna be tagged in the upcoming chapters, feel free to message me or comment (just pleaaase make sure you allow yourselves to be tagged in your settings). 💕

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[silverryu25]

Ok ok here me out. So what if I’m the dragon au sans is invited to a ball. His lazy butt would rather nap with his big dragon skellie . But atlas his father is gently pushing him to find a prince. Dragon red feels jealous and possessive over sans but knows he’s not. A Prince Charming. He knows he’s not handsome, charming or princely. So maybe he finds a spell or potion that turns him normal and tries to impress sans at the ball ? I don’t know. Any ideas a what’s gonna happen next ?

Oh stars noony yassss! I love this!! >:3c

Ok lemme just share a tiny silly thing with you noony cause this idea made me so happy X3

--------

Let’s say Sans is lazing about under tree, napping (like in the pic the amazing @fuzzyzzz drew X3), while Red is off doing something (hunting or just dragon things). They don’t really expect any trouble cause I mean... who would mess with a dragon, right? And by then Red and Sans earned a reputation amongst the knights and princess to better leave them alone >;3

But one person is not ready to give up. Sans’ father, the king, Gaster >.>

He decides enough is enough. His wayward son was supposed to be “trapped” in the tower with that horrible excuse for a dragon (yes I wanna hit him for this too >:|) only for a short time. A worthy prince or knight was supposed to save him and marry him so Gaster doesn’t have to worry about a successor. He did have another son, but that one was just too kind and innocent for king work.

So king Gaster was determined to have Sans succeed after he marries.

And yet it just didn’t happen. That blasted nuisance of a dragon somehow kept chasing off all the princes and knights, and running Gaster’s well set plans (what he didn’t know is that Sans was the one helping Red chase them all of XD). Deciding enough was enough, it was time to change tactics, plan B so to say.

A ball.

If no one was worthy to “save” Sans, then he would be the one to choose the appropriate one at a ball. And Sans will have to be there, he had no choice. After all, Gaster wasn’t a horribly cruel man. He wanted to choose someone that would fit Sans at least a little, though that silly love thing that these kids were spouting about didn’t really matter. He will find Sans a comfortable enough spouse and that will be it.

Now he just had to get that wayward princess home.

So as Sans was lazing around, napping away, unattended, some knights kidnapped him and silenced him before he could call for Red. He was roughly carried home where his father, the king, made certain Sans knew what will happen. When Sans protested and tried to explain that he was in love with the dragon that kept saving him, Gaster had him locked up in a tower, with Sans’ magic locked so he couldn’t run ;^;

I don’t have to explain how pissed Red was when he didn’t find Sans! He tore down everything around the tower Sans was “trapped” in and searched and yelled for Sans for hours. When his stamina finally depleted, he crumpled to the ground absolutely furious but unable to do anything. Somehow, he managed to pull himself together and decided to search away from that place. Thankfully, in his rage he broke the magic that bound him to the tower (though it hurt... a lot >.>).

He quickly found some old friends that helped him find clues on where his princess could be. A ball. A fuckin’ ball??? He was ready to storm that bastard’s castle and take his tiny princess back! But one of his friends stopped him cause raiding the castle would lead to certain death. Red would have to be smart about this. He needed to get Sans without a fight. So... why not go to the ball and win his little princesses hand in marriage? >:3c

Red very reluctantly agreed.

He didn’t know what kind of fire power this damn king Gaster had and he didn’t want to risk Sans getting hurt. So he accepted. But he had to look less... murder dragon for the plan to work. A favor from a witch and he got a potion that turned him “human”, or well less “big murder beast” and more “respectable monster” sized XD

But dear reader, there is one thing the potion couldn’t really change. It might have made Red look like a handsome knight or prince. Made his scary looks soften up and give him that strong but not terrifying appearance (he still had horns and a tail, though smaller, but his wings were gone). But the outside does not change the inside, you know? The dragon was still lurking inside that smaller, still powerful, frame. It’s hard to hide one’s nature after all >:3c

The ball came.

Everyone who was anyone came. The palace was overflowing with noble knits, princes from different countries, noblemen ready to show their best. To get the hand of the princess. And to become the next king besides Sans.

Sans was suffocating. It was horrible. He was stuck in an extremely frilly dress that made it almost impossible to move (part of Gaster’s plan to make it harder for Sans to run) and there was nothing he could do. He could barely pass trough a doorway for freaking sake! His mood was sour and it showed. Everyone he was introduced to him were ignored or scoffed at. Gaster even had to threaten Sans that he better stop it if he doesn’t want to cause an international incident.

So he toned it down but still didn’t pay attention to anyone. What was he use anyway, when his father wouldn’t listen? He had to get away. That was the only way he could avoid this miserable fate. He was sure Red would keep him safe once they were reunited. And he’d never let Sans be kidnapped again. Sans just had to get to Red, cause he knew Red was bound to that tower he was in. So Sans had to do his best and run.

While pondering how he would escape, Sans was walking around the big ballroom, trying to escape the different suitors. His plan was (mostly) working. Anyone who got in his way was ignored with an excuse that he was going to see someone else, or going to get some food at the buffet or whatever, just so he could run.

In his rush to run from an especially clingy noble, he wasn’t paying attention in front of him and he run into someone. With an umph Sans was knocked down on his boney butt, the dress piling up around him, practically burying him under the frills and layers. With a desperate struggle he tried to get out of the pile, but it was hopeless. Suddenly, there was a strong hand grabbing his (very gently) and pulling him up, like he weighed nothing. He quickly found his balance and flattened out his dress, making it possible to stand again.

With a deep breath to steel himself cause he knew he couldn’t get away from this one after they helped him, Sans looked up with a thank you on his teeth, then froze. There was a skeleton monster in front of him but all he could see was teeth. Big and sharp teeth smiling down at him. The monster in front was big, at least double Sans’ height. The size didn’t really scare Sans, he was used to Red’s size and this monster wasn’t nearly as big. But something in the monster’s eyelights and the way his teeth curled made Sans pause. He looked... familiar.

He snapped out of his surprise and thanked the monster. The other didn’t say anything just blushed and nodded. There was something... strange about him. He was wearing a suit that didn’t fit him right, as if it was rushed. It was expensive looking, like the rest of the guests were wearing, but the monster looked extremely uncomfortable in it. Sans could even see him pulling at the collar when he thought Sans wasn’t looking. Weird.

He was intrigued. And since he couldn’t run right now he could see why this monster made his soul pulse in a weird way. So he took the offered hand and followed the monster to the side. They stood there in silence a bit, it was as if the monster wouldn’t or couldn’t talk (he couldn’t, that’s one of the side effects of the potion... where would the fun be if there weren’t any consequences >;3).

Sans noticed the big monster eyeing the buffet, a little drool escaping between those sharp teeth and with a chuckle, he dragged the monster to the food-ladden tables. With a red blush, the big monster looked at Sans like he was waiting for permission. Sans gave him a smile and a nod and all hell broke lose! 

The big monster ate like he hadn’t seen food in ages, stuffing himself and making a scene. Sans could see his father frowning disapprovingly and he couldn’t help but laugh. When Gaster started storming towards them, Sans grabbed the monsters hand and ran! As much as he could in that blasted getup. The big monster was startled at first, not understanding what was going on, but when he noticed the angry king nearing them he quickly lifted Sans into his arms, making the dress crumple, and ran as fast as his long legs could carry him.

They ran through the crowd at full speed, knocking monsters left and right, outrage and curses following their steps. Until they burst onto a balcony. Thankfully it was empty. The big monster quickly shut the door and pulled a big stone vase to block it. Sans wasn’t sure how he even moved it, it was huge! Yet the monster did it with one hand.

With a raised bonebrow, Sans gave the big monster a closer look. With a gentle phalanges, Sans traced the scars on the monsters skull, being very careful not to hurt. He pet over the horns and scratched the base like he would do to Red. He didn’t know what made him do that, but it felt right. When the big monster started purring and nuzzling into Sans’ hand, he was startled. And when he saw a tail with a specific tip wagging behind the monster his eyelights practically turned into stars.

“red?” Sans whispered, almost unheard.

But the big monster heard it and he smiled, giving a sharp nod and a wink. Sans squealed let out a happy sound and hugged Red’s neck, almost strangling the bigger monster. He started showering Red with questions about how he got there, how does he look like that, why he didn’t say anything. Red shook his head and held Sans a bit closer, to make sure he was comfortable. He used his free hand to show that he couldn’t talk.

Sans’ face morphed into a worried frown. He was worried Red would stay like that, that Red sacrificed his voice forever just to save Sans. But Red quickly stopped that. He took Sans’ chin in his hands, and made the little monster focus on him. He shook his head, trying to explain that it wasn’t permanent. Sans, being a smart skelly, understood and asked how to undo it then? Red... blushed. Hard. And looked to the side. Sans was confused at first, but the way Red was acting and memories of old stories made the gears in head turn. Then he blushed right along Red.

“a kiss.” He concluded. Red snapped his head back, blushing even harder. But he gave a small nod, confirming Sans’ words.

Suddenly, the doors to the balcony started rattling. They were found! The guards were trying to bust onto the balcony and, knowing king Gaster, separate them. Quickly, Sans grabbed both sides of Red’s face, squishing his cheeks a bit (Sans would have giggled at this if the situation wasn’t urgent). They stared at each other and both saw the consent in each others eyelights.

With a gentle hand, careful with his claws, Red pulled Sans closer until their teeth met, sockets closing. A surge of magic spark between their teeth, spreading and engulfing Red’s whole body. With a ripping sound, the fancy clothes were torn to shreds as Red’s body grew bigger, into his full dragon form.

Just as the glow was subsiding, the door broke and the guards rushed out. But they were met with a fearsome roar that knocked them all on their asses. Red stood up on his hind legs and spread his wings, still holding Sans in one of his front paws, and glaring down at the knights.

With a curse at their incompetence, the king made his way between the knights, only to stop in front of the dragon and glare at him. With a authoritative voice he demanded that Red release Sans, but Red just glared back not moving at all.

Instead, Sans yelled down to his father that he won’t be coming home again. With a tap to Red’s ribs he looked up and nodded at the big monster. Red looked at him, held him closer to his ribs, making sure Sans is safe, and used his powerful hind legs to jump up, flapping his wings hard to lift into the air.

The king could only watch impotently as his son eloped with a dragon.

----------

Damn this practically turned into a fic... I have no self control noonies >.>

I really hope you like it noony!! This took forever but I love it! It was so fun to write!

#amazing sweetie #silverryu talks #kustard #sanscest #dragon Red #this was so freaking fun QwQ #I love the idea noony! #it's adorable X3 #and really got the writing monster in me going X'D #really cool idea! #love it! >:D #Anonymous #SilverRyuWrites #SilverRyuDrabble #mywriting #drabble #fanfic #fanfiction #undertale

[littledarknesscalls]

Post-birthday reflections and plans for the new year

    2020 is ending in a few hours for me so I’ve decided to write a little reflection post just like last year. This year was supposed to be “The Year” when I get my anxiety to remain silent and write more pop culture practices related stuff. But both you and I know roaring ‘20 turned into whiny ‘20 and wasn’t a good year for any of us. For me it was year of constantly overcoming myself, be it through family, mental health or thesis work related issues. 

     Besides surviving, I managed to get my B.E. degree in applied geology this July, an achievement I was doubting often. It troubled me so much I considered giving up. Only Highlord and my SO know how big this was for me and without help of either of them I’m not sure if I had enough courage to be able to ask my thesis supervisors for help.

    I also consider myself to be spirit spoused in this year. It might be surprising to some, but it wasn’t my idea - the offer came from one of entities I work with that I at some point finally considered. It sure feels weird to be such a spouse, especially when we talk about pop culture entity and how similar it initially looks to waifuism (which I find okay, as long as the character is an adult being that is able to consciously consent). Initial uncertainties aside, it seems to allow me to deepen my understanding of facets of this particular entity. I promise to write on this topic when I’ll get longer break from university and get to interview few pop culture practitioners who also are spirit/god spoused.

    I’ve definitely slowed down with my practice. What I mean by that is, comparing to previous year, I haven’t done much of complex spellwork. One could consider it a result of laziness, but having in mind how downright crazy this year was, I am not going to beat myself with punishment stick for not being in headspace for writing complex lore oriented spells, wards and curses. But by no means this was a dry year for my practice - I’ve managed to get more interesting and better quality books on magic in it’s different flavors. From my personal favourites I got so far I can surely name “Magic by Design” by Taylor Ellwood, “Psychic Witch” by Mat Auryn and “Grovedaughter witchery” by Bree Nicgarran, which I hope to include in my reviews and sources on more magic oriented discussions of the pop culture.

    But this year also was time for observing people and what I’ve noticed worried me. Current pandemic confirmed certain problematic mindset that is getting more and more popular - that a lot of people chose to become closed minded and follow paths of misinformation, conspiracy theories and anti-science dogmas. People like to exclude those who don’t share their unhealthy views and choose personal comfort over having consideration for someone else than themselves. Unfortunately this issue got quite strong in the spiritual community. Instead of basic human decency they show self-centered mentality cloaked into concepts like “personal freedom”, “raising vibrations” or “doing your own research”. One could say that history repeats itself and I don’t freaking like this.

    I do have plans for this blog in the upcoming year. Definitely I want to be more active when my time allows it, but preferably in weekly format (my quality of writing plummets when having bad day or when being sick and I can see when). I’ve decided to make some general list of topics you may expect from this blog in 2021:

* Tidbits of information on my Lore of Choice;

* Application of those tidbits in magical practice;

* Spellwork and recipes based on in-game abilities and objects;

* Pop culture recipes, both from the lore and other media I know;

* General pop culture practices posts and tips;

* Maybe one post on spirit/god spousing from pop culture practitioners perspective;

* Maybe more personal posts;

* Maybe one or two posts on book reviews.

See you in the New Year!

31-12-2020; 21:00 CET

#witchblr #pop culture witchcraft #mini rant #spirit spouse #whiny '20 #reflection time #Adostra got personal

[michelles-garden-of-evil]

Episode 44 Review: The Second Séance

{ YouTube: 1 | 2 | 3 }

{ Full Synopses/Recaps: Debby Graham | Bryan Gruszka }

Hello and welcome back to my Garden of Evil, in time for the final episode of Strange Paradise by its co-creator and original headwriter Ian Martin. This marks yet another milestone in the history of this fun and sometimes perplexing soap opera: a little bittersweet, although I know that, unlike viewers in 1969, I can return to early Maljardin whenever I want.

In some ways, Ian Martin’s departure will benefit the show. Like a traditional soap, his SP scripts were generally slow-paced and heavy on recap, with variations of certain lines (e.g. “we must find the conjure doll and the silver pin”) repeated episode after episode. When Robert Costello replaced Selig Alkon as producer, he mandated several changes to the show. His stated reason: to help SP’s other co-creator Jerry Layton achieve his goal of improving the Gothic soap’s ratings:

"New York and Los Angeles stations took it off the air because ratings were poor.  And because they are the key stations for money purposes, Robert Costello, who did Dark Shadows for four years, was called in," one of the actors said this week. "Costello took one look at several episodes and said he wasn't going to have anything to do with it the way it was.  So the series was changed considerably.”

[...]

In the studio this week, Costello (who produced The Nurses, the Patty Duke Show and Armstrong Circle Theatre) said Strange Paradise was abandoning old voodoo, hallmarks of the first 13 weeks, for heavy occult (witches covens, ESP, apparitions and the like). "The concept, though good, was not completely workable for a day-in and day-out series," admitted its creator and executive producer Jerry Layton.[1]

Naturally, so many changes required a segue from the show’s original format that wasn’t too abrupt, hence the break from Martin’s original plans for the story and the creation of the current weird transitional plotline about the Rabbit of Evil. There are twenty-one episodes of Maljardin left after this one, followed by a shift of setting to Desmond Hall. Like Maljardin, Desmond Hall has its good parts and bad parts, fun characters and not-so-fun ones, but I’ll cover those when I get to them.

Do you remember my Episode 40 review, where I speculated at the end about how the original second séance might have gone? Well, this one is similar in some ways to the séance described in the Lost Episode summaries, but the way it plays out is bizarre. And by “bizarre,” I mean, “What the hell is Vangie thinking, holding it now?”

The (visible) participants of the first séance, from Episode 36 (clockwise from top left): Dr. Alison Carr, Quito, Vangie Abbott, Raxl, Reverend Matt Dawson, and Jean Paul Desmond.

In Episode 36, the choice of who participated and who didn’t participate in the séance followed a certain logic. Four of the six chosen participants had a direct connection to Erica Desmond: her sister Alison, her husband Jean Paul, and her servants Raxl and Quito. The latter two were doubly qualified to participate, both being members of the Conjure Faith, with Raxl helping Vangie determine who could attend and who was forbidden in the previous episode. They excluded Elizabeth, Tim, and Dan for being “disruptive influences” and Holly out of concern for her safety, but allowed Matt because of his strong faith as a man of the cloth. (Remember that, at that point, they still trusted him.) In addition, they left a seventh chair open for Erica’s spirit, making the total number of (invited) participants seven. This, according to Vangie, is one of the ideal numbers for a séance, the other being five. It’s logical, it follows the rules that the author establishes via Vangie, and therefore it makes sense that the second séance would be set up in much the same way.

In my post on Episode 40, I used this logic along with clues from several Lost Episode summaries (including the one for this episode) to try to reconstruct the events of the original second séance, which was slated to take place in that episode before script rewrites. The summaries indicated that Matt would return for the second séance and that Elizabeth would join him, although Vangie’s reasoning for including her in this one is unknown. I excluded Holly from my list because I felt it would be out of character for Vangie to knowingly endanger her life and speculated that Alison may have refused to take part out of justified anger at Jean Paul for making Vangie endanger all of their lives. I also excluded Tim and Dan, because I felt that neither had any reason to participate unless substituting for someone else. In addition, I assumed that Jean Paul would have originally participated in all the séances, being the one who initiated them in the first place, as well as Raxl and Quito for their loyalty to both their dead mistress and to Vangie. I concluded that the most likely participants for the second séance would have been Vangie, Matt, Elizabeth, Raxl, Quito, and Jean Paul: six living/undead participants like the first, but with Alison swapped with Elizabeth.

But what do you do on short notice, while Jean Paul is freaking out in his room, Alison trying to help him calm down, and Raxl and Quito are...sleeping, I suppose? (The episode gives no explanation for their absence, unlike with Jean Paul and Alison.) You hold an emergency séance in the same exact location as before, at a glass-top table identical to the first, with whomever is available. That includes Matt, Holly, and the disruptive influences of Elizabeth and Dan. Vangie claims there’s no time to wait, so emergency séance it is, even if it means breaking all the previously established rules.

Holly lampshading how the second séance comes out of frigging nowhere.

“Jean Paul cannot wait,” says the Conjure Woman. “The need is urgent, the need to find out from whence this locket came. I must choose those of you who will help Jean Paul Desmond contact his wife Erica.”

Holly tries to nope out of it, but Vangie--surprisingly, given her previous concern for her safety--refuses to let her. “You, if the spirits choose,” she insists, “the spirits” here most likely meaning some combination of Robert Costello, Jerry Layton, and Steve Krantz. (Let’s remember that the Serpent previously told her not to invite certain people, Holly included.) It’s a cop-out line, in effect, where the show acknowledges that it’s breaking the previously established rules to obey the new producer’s wish to speed up the action.

The reason why this séance is so urgent? The bloodied locket of Erica’s that Raxl found around the black rabbit’s neck in the previous episode, combined with Vangie’s speculation that the rabbit may be Erica reincarnated. The fact that the locket had blood on it makes Dan even more suspicious of Jean Paul, especially after Matt reminds him that eclampsia (which Jean Paul claims took Erica’s life) is a bloodless death. He begins another tirade about how he thinks that Jean Paul killed both Erica and Dr. Menkin and how he’s going to sail off the island, which Vangie interrupts:

That’s Vangie’s way of saying “shut up.”

Vangie tells the four characters in the room--Holly, Elizabeth, Dan, and Matt--to sit at the table and begin the séance, because a presence has arrived. The first three do, but Dan remains standing and tries to persuade Matt to not take part in the occult ritual.

“You, GO!” Vangie screams at Dan. “PLEASE, GO!” He leaves and, without having anyone join hands, Vangie calls out to her father, the Conjure Man, to ask whose spirit is there. And then she enters a trance and starts screaming, “LET ME OUT!” while breathing heavily. Frightened, Holly runs to her room, while Vangie continues screaming, only to leave her trance a moment later and ask, “Where’s Holly?”

“She couldn’t stand it,” says Elizabeth. “I don’t think that I can, either, or any of us.”

“It was two spirits,” Vangie continues. “One so angry, so confined in some place, in some form.” She rubs her neck as though rubbing scabs left by the chain of an uncomfortable locket. “It’s so dry, so dry!” Elizabeth leaves to get her a drink to quench her thirst.

The way Vangie rubs her neck reminds me of Erica’s bloodied locket.

Their first attempt a disaster, they go their separate ways. Vangie speaks to the portrait of Jacques Eloi des Mondes, demanding an answer to how the rabbit and locket appeared. In her monologue, she reveals that he “[has] always been an enemy” and that he “would laugh at [her] clouded sight”; also that the spirit she felt was “not so much evil as angry, horribly angry and confined!”

Elizabeth offers Vangie some wine. Rather suspicious.

Elizabeth returns with some wine for Vangie’s throat (wouldn’t that only dehydrate her more?) and is about to set it on the séance table when Vangie stops her. “The spirits may not cross it,” she explains, so Elizabeth moves the glass and decanter over to the table where they usually sit.

Vangie picks up the locket and starts thinking out loud about it, when Elizabeth says that she wishes that Jean Paul would just let them open it. This enrages Vangie, who says, “I made a mistake when I asked yo to join the séance. I need all the help I can get, but yours will disrupt!”

“I will not be ordered around!” Elizabeth shouts.

Hearing Vangie scream about how she brings anger, Elizabeth leaves for Holly’s room, where she confides in her about how she doesn’t trust Jean Paul anymore. I think that this is Martin’s subtle way of letting the audience know that her romantic pursuit of Jean Paul/Jacques is over and the new producer and writers have no intentions on continuing it.

Elizabeth’s dress has some interesting pleats/pintucks in the front.

Holly asks her if she believes that the rabbit is Erica’s reincarnation. She thinks it’s ridiculous, but acknowledges that they must humor him while they are stuck on the island because his delusions affect everyone trapped there. “Holly, we need each other,” she says, “if only to exchange notes.” She persuades Holly to return to the séance to keep tabs on what happens.

Elizabeth has come to her senses.

Meanwhile in the Great Hall, Vangie lampshades Jean Paul’s and Alison’s absences again and predicts Dan’s death and Jean Paul’s continued possession. (At least that’s what I think she means by “Jean Paul’s mind and body will hang in the balance by an act of the Devil.”) Still determined to disbelieve in his religion’s personification of evil, Matt accuses either her, Raxl, or someone else on the island of masquerading as the Devil. She starts to try talking him into staying and being part of the séance using his belief in the afterlife, when Dan arrives and announces loudly and in the direction of Jean Paul’s bedroom(!) that he’s going to use one of the boats in the boathouse to escape and tell the police about his suspicions.

That’s when Holly arrives for the séance do-over. This time, it’s four visible characters--Holly, Dan, Matt, and Vangie--plus the spirit, thus making a total of five. Like the first séance, she tells them only to focus on Erica, but this time Dan’s anger disrupts the contact and Vangie flips out on him!

The bad subtitle here, while not especially original, is too perfect.

He storms out and the séance continues. Vangie calls on her father for help, saying, “There is a message...a warning...I cannot bring it through! The path must be clear! What is the warning, Conjure Man?”

And then, all of a sudden, the spirit comes through:

Vangie: (possessed) “Let me out! OUT! Let me out!”

“OUT, OUT, OUT, OOOOUUUUTTT! Is he here yet, Jean Paul? JEAN PAAAAAUUUUULLLL!” [Notice that they’re not touching hands as Vangie insisted that the participants of the first séance do.]

Holly: (possessed) “Out, out, out. Let me out.”

“Out, out, out, OUT, OUT, OUT, AAAAAAAHHHHH!”

Matt directs Dan to the decanter with a tilt of his head and Dan makes Holly drink the wine that Elizabeth poured for Vangie earlier. But, rather than calm her, the wine makes her collapse to the floor in agony:

Holly faints from the poison in the wine.

“If the missing cyanide was in this, I’m afraid Holly is dead!” says Dan after sniffing the inside of the glass. But is it cyanide, and is Holly Marshall dead? I suppose you’ll have to stay tuned for Episode 45 (the episode or the review).

I don’t want you to think that, because I criticized some things about this episode, I must dislike it. Quite the contrary. While some things about this episode do reek of subverting expectations just for the sake of subversion (they didn’t have to film a séance episode on Colin Fox’s day off), the final scene is wonderfully chilling and Angela Roland gets to use her acting chops more in this episode than in any of the previous ones. Also, the missing cyanide subplot finally becomes relevant again at the end with Holly’s collapse after drinking the wine.

Coming up next: A two-part post looking at the best and worst things about Ian Martin’s episodes of Strange Paradise, followed by the Episode 45 review. I’ve been working hard on these and look forward to posting them within the next week.

{ <- Previous: Episode 43   ||   Next: Episode 45 -> }

Notes

[1] Sid Adilman, “TV’s Colin Fox and his Strange Paradise,” Toronto Telegram, November 29, 1969. I omitted part of this passage to avoid spoilers, but the omitted portion is also noteworthy in that it indicates that they had already begun filming Desmond Hall by November 1969.

#strange paradise #ian martin #maljardin arc #week 9 #episode 44 #analysis #foxless episodes #genuinely scary episodes #behindthescenes #the bloodied locket #continuity errors #dark shadows #jerry layton #lost episode summaries #plot structure #robert costello #the séance table #speculation on ian martin's original story #thank you steve for the toronto telegram article #it was very informative

[thenonbinarydetective]

MID Overview/Review

Ok so I redid it because tumblr broke the first one. Luckily, it gave me the oppurtunity to fix some of my grammar/spelling mistakes.

It’s actually even longer than before.

I’m thorough what can I say?

besides please read this it took a while.

·         On the menu’s Extra Section there’s a trailer for Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019). A movie that came out way before this game which is kinda funny

·         The movement is a little janky, to put it in professional terms, it’s a little fast and jumpy. It took a bit to get used to the navigation.

·         The problem with the movement really jumps out in the end in the tunnels. I could barely get my cursor around the Hardy Boys or even Mei.

·         Also in the tunnels, if I went slightly off trail the game would FREAK out. I wanted to look around the tunnels and maybe get a bad end but our Sleuths but I couldn’t look around without being yelled at.

·         This happens in other mini games and puzzles, whenever you mess up the characters make a snarky remark in your direction. Every. Single. Time. It would be funnier if it was only on a few occasions but it was every time I “messed up”.

·         The graphics were obviously terrible. They also were variable…Somethings looked kinda okay and somethings looked awful. Like the quality changed from time to time. Sometimes even in the same frames. Frank, graphically, looks better than some of the other characters. When he and Joe stood next to each other, they almost looked like they didn’t belong in the same game. This goes for some of the other characters too.

·         I don’t get why Frank was always in that pose? Everyone else stood awkwardly but admittedly it was a bit more normal. They stood with their hands towards their hips like how people typically do. Although there was a few times where people just grabbed their wrists for no reason.

·         As someone who loves mythology and folklore (and pretty much anything that can be tied to into those) it was really cool to see the Malleus Maleficarum or The Hammer of Witches in the game. I wish it actually had more use in the game and maybe helped in some way. I know the book did some terrible things but it is an interesting read. As I do own a copy of it.

·         Also my birthdate was used on the puzzle. Which was cool. It’s fun to be born on special dates. Except my birthday isn’t part of the solution but that’s okay.

·         There’s a couple times where Nancy(and Frank) starts talking about clues or reading things out loud before I got the chance to look at them which was super annoying.

·         The game crashed multiple times while playing

·         The closer look at the clues was nice but was only okayish for me. It didn’t always work that well. Besides I’ve seen other games with the same function that worked smoother.

·         I’m not a big fan of the new chat format. I prefer the old way. In this new format a lot of the dialogue options were getting cut off or the option didn’t fully describe what Nancy was going to say so I didn’t know what I was choosing.

·         The text boxes were a bit buggy and there were times I couldn’t click on some of the dialogue options.

·         The cutscenes were slow and the game had WAY too much talking. There was more talking than gameplay. The game was honestly just walking and talking

·         I liked the text messages, they were fun and cute but they didn’t add much to the gameplay

·         Lots of objects were clipping into each other

·         Loading screens were always glitch

·         The audio was off a lot of times. There were times when I could barely hear the characters over the background music or ambience sound. In Austria, I called Ned and Carson and I wouldn’t have even known they were speaking if not for the subtitles. Even after lowering the music and ambience sounds specifically and I still had this issue.

·         Also Ned’s voicemail has changed. Did he make up with his sister?

·         There were a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes. Almost every other written thing (books, pamphlets, and notes) had some kind of mistake. Hotchkiss’ book is one example.

·         There were times when the pop-up text box was harder to read than the written thing. Not all the paragraphs were spaced out far enough in the boxes but were fine on the written thing.

·         No “Can’t check that off yet.” The Checklist was unusable by the player. Unlike every other game. It did it automatically which wasn’t fun. I liked using the checklist.

·         The game was so linear that I couldn’t really look around or do my own thing. When one thing was down you were immediately shuffled to the next thing. It basically made the checklist unnecessary.

·         Terrible Animation. People moved for no reason. Just stuck in the same cyclical animation over and over and over again. They were pretty janky and awkward. Joe was the worst for me, he was constantly twitching on the screen. Frank was stock-still in comparison. No one else was that bad.

·         Many of the mouth movements did not remotely match what the characters were saying. Sometimes nonexistent.

·         Everyone’s EYES ARE SO WIDE. IT’S LIKE THEY DON’T HAVE EYELIDS. THEY’RE SO OPEN.

·         The Parry’s curtains glitch in the sink. There’s a few plants that look weird, they had a neon glow on them. Olivia’s hands are always clipping through her robe and hair. In Moosham Castle there is a thing that’s inside a table. Both the Hardy Boys’ feet (and maybe other characters) were entirely in the ground at times. There were plenty of other problems like that.

·         If I looked around a certain way while everyone’s talking at the Parry kitchen table Frank’s entire body disappears with the exception of his neck and watch.

·         Some of the windows had a view of the town outside but other windows have this shine that you can’t see through.

·         I’m not thrilled about the bystanders. Only the protest guy really helped. Over all they didn’t add to the game or help me at all.

·         Dr. Hirst’s silhouette was kinda weird

·         Also why did the game start in Austria??? That’s just weird? I thought we were just gonna start with Deirdre calling us but whatever

·         I really hate the needless and honestly misplaced drama. Why couldn’t we talk to Ned and why haven’t we talked to Ned. It really pissed me off. Why would you put this directly after Ned’s whole “I Love and Support- This Could Basically Be a Proposal” Speech in Sea of Darkness? It’s just super off

·         Not to mention the fact that the “Francy” moments in this game felt super forced. I don’t like what it does to their characters too. It feels like Ned isn’t trusting Nancy, which is crazy because he trusts her with his life. Frank is the more awkward Hardy Brother but that was ramped all the way up. Also Nancy completely ignoring Ned? What? They don’t feel like themselves here. It’s just off. This tone should’ve been brought in so soon, chronologically, after SEA. It’s out of place.

·         Who was the female voice that was in the phone call with Ned? That was never answered. Was that a drama plot that was unfinished? Why not take it out of the game if you’re never going to resolve it? Why start an unnecessary relationship drama that’s both half-assed and unfinished?

·         It’s kinda weird how in the end Nancy leaves the Parry house and calls Ned and we can hear her side of the conversation but not his. She’s just talking to herself.

·         The phone friends were basically useless. If it wasn’t for the flashlight and the checklist I would say that Nancy didn’t even need her phone. And I guess talking to Damian Faulkner. 95% of the calls I made just went to voicemail. I want to chat about the case, talk to my friends, and get hints like we used to. I didn’t even know we could call Dr.Hirst about the ergot poisoning. I only found out on accident. I don’t know how many conversations I missed. Calling people used to feel important but here it doesn’t even need to be in the game it’s so useless.

·         Just because this bugs me I don’t like the Hardy Boys starting their own detective agency. They began their work by working for their Dad. Who is a private investigator/private detective. Who runs a Detective Agency. Why would they start their own?? If you’re gonna make this a family business why not make it a family business? Right?

·         May February, 1692 was an actual date they used. I think it was supposed to be February and they changed it to May. Earlier in the same note they used May so I’m guessing they didn’t properly finish the rest of the note.

·         The lockpick game was visually glitch for me and the game itself didn’t work that great for me

·         Joe’s hair makes him look like a fake blond lol. There are parts of his head (by the nape of his neck for example) that have brown hairs. Also some parts of his hair didn’t load properly on occasion and underneath was brown. Did he dye it?

·         Which brings me to my next point. The hair was animated horribly. Frank and any of the other short and simple haired characters were okay. But probably only because they had short and simple hair. The longer haired characters were not as well animated.

·         I randomly got double the Johnny Cakes when I made them. So Teegan and Olivia got extra.

·         I will admit that making the Johnny cakes wasn’t the worst cooking minigame we’ve had in the games before.

·         Frank getting the Frankenstein ones were a little obvious. It also didn’t feel as personal as the other ones oddly enough. We had a fun little dialogue about the design with everyone but Frank. He just got some cringey “I’ll eat these right away” kind of dialogue.

·         I wish the truth serum was actually useful. Solving Tituba’s poem and going a bit out of the way to get the ingredients led me to believe it would be used for more than some “fun” dialogue choices. Joe and Deirdre are the only ones to use it. Which leads to some cute moments in which Deirdre admits she actually kinda likes and admires Nancy. I love her. Joe says he always tells the truth (no) so he doesn’t know how to tell if it works. I love him.

·         Maybe it’s just me or the audio was off but Carson sounded different in Austria than he did in Salem.

·         The use of the ergot poisoning was kinda of awesome. It’s one of the most popular theories on why Salem went bonkers and it was interesting to see it used to trick our favorite sleuths.

·         The note to save Deirdre didn’t appear when I clicked on it. Frank (and I think Joe) reacted to it but it didn’t let me examine it. The bug fixed itself by closing the examination and clicking on it again.

·         I love how the “ghosts” were handled. Especially them being hallucinations. My favorite was in the cemetery with the Hardy Boys and Olivia. The screen got kinda weird and everyone started to get worked up and really tense. They started fighting and you could see Abigail before they did. The build up to it was fantastic. The other scenes were cool too.

·         The tunnels where the “ghosts” jumped out at every wrong (and sometimes right) turns while you’re desperately trying to escape the tunnels with Mei was pretty awesome. One of the jumpscares even got me.

·         THERE WAS NO ENDING LETTER. She wrote a letter to Ned in the beginning but she never wrote a second one. Sure we sorta got to see how everything turned out at the party but it’s not the same. It doesn’t feel properly ended.

·         I lowkey ship Jason and Mei. I could totally picture the two of them making out in those hidden tunnel rooms beneath Salem. Not just because I would too. This easily could’ve been another unfulfilled romance sideplot.

·         Some of the books/notes really didn’t feel that helpful. I did learn some new things about Salem but I don’t feel we used the knowledge we gained properly in the game.

·         The Jack O Lanterns were fun.

·         The parallels between the Judges of the Witch Trials and Judge Danforth was a pretty interesting plot point. There definitely is a difference between accusing witches and accusing someone of arson when they were 9.

·         Teegan’s guilt for both the shed and Hathorne house was something I didn’t really expect. It was a good plot twist. I can see how it was hinted earlier on by Lauren who says “Teegan likes to protect what’s important to her, sometimes that’s Mei.” Sometimes being the key word.

·         The Hardy Boys being home-made ghost hunters was hysterical and adorable. I want them to have their own games soooo badly.

·         I am completely on Joe’s side that we can’t prove that ghosts don’t exists, even if we can’t prove they do exist.

·         I knew Alicia was the bad guy the second she started shit-talking Ned without knowing him. Only bad people don’t like Ned. He would never force Nancy to become a housewife, that’s not who she is and he loves her for who she is.

·         I did “OK Boomer” Judge Danforth. He deserved it.

·         I loved the little tidbits that we got of Frances’ and Lauren’s relationship we got to hear about. It’s really sweet.

·         The comparison of Jason being a fast food cheeseburger with extra extra extra cheese and Ned being a home-cooked meal is perfect. Home-cooked meal is a great way to describe Ned.

·         Either way they’re both snacks.

·         Ok Jason’s ugly in these graphics but it was implied he was supposed to be hot.

·         Jason could’ve been a true himbo but unfortunately he wasn’t

·         TBH Ned, Carson, and Damian were the most attractive characters in the game. Only because they weren’t subjected to these graphics.

·         I loved the Ghost Wavelength Spectral Analyzer 2.5 the Joe Hardy Guide to Amazing Finds but I hate the spectral analyzer itself. That mini-game was the WORST. It took forever!

·         Alicia was straight up just gonna kill everyone. I’m doubting her biology knowledge.

·         Also if you wanna raise kids in a more “modern” environment just freaking move. I know there was money in that real estate deal but there’s real estate in other towns.

·         I love Deirdre. She’s really funny and kinda sweet. Even though she likes Ned (and maybe Nancy too lol) she doesn’t try to break them up or get between them. At least not anymore. She knows how much Ned loves Nancy. She even gave Nancy relationship advice. Which Nancy desperately needs because she terrible at this.

·         This is just me but I kinda wish Nancy had an original idea for their vacation instead of just going back to Austria. Maybe let Ned pick this time because he’s the one who has to play catch up all the time and it’s only fair.

·         Carson’s an adorable dorky dad and the only rich white man I trust. I’ve said it in my tweets and I will say it until I die. No one can take that away from me.

·         This may be repetitive but I don’t like what this game did to Ned, Frank, and I guess even Nancy too. Ned knows about Frank’s feelings for Nancy. And now needless, useless, meaningless drama is gonna happen. I hate it I hate it I HATE IT!

·         Just the relationship drama didn’t add a thing to this game. It was stupid. Especially because it was unfinished. It should’ve just been taken out.

·         Joe looks 13 and way to skinny. He’s the brawn to Frank’s brain. Yes, he’s smart too and Frank isn’t weak. However, Joe is way stronger than him. If there has to be a scrawnier Hardy Boy, it’s Frank and we all know it.

·         To quote Joe he’s got Man Strength™.

·         Cause “Boy” is only part of the title, but Hardy Men doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.

·         At times it feels like that the creators forget that Joe’s supposed to be smart too. There were times where it felt like they made him a total idiot. Though that could be personal too.

·         Frank being a total Captain Obvious, perfect.

·         They’re both puppies that got turned into human boys. Frank is just a calmer puppy

·         Love that Mei’s going to Waverly but some of the other references fell flat. The Cat thing and the “I only smoke when I’m on fire” thing. It’s just not the same.

·         Jason deserves the Not-As-Much-of-a-Jerk-as-You-Could-Have-Been Award.

·         Mei’s a sweetie when she finally lets you in.

·         The multiple endings seemed to have changed from different culprits to just what happens to Hathorne House and/or Teegan (I think). They seem to be pretty much the same. I did expect that as that has often been my experience with “multiple endings” games.

·         I’m glad that both the Accused Witches and Lauren can get the house. It seems right for that to happen.

·         Olivia’s pretty funny. I have a thing for eccentric characters. And it was funny how she tried to induct us into the coven at the end.

·         The red/ginger hair superstition is a real superstition and I’m glad it was used. It’s for witches, werewolves, and vampires. Not just that gingers have no souls. (from the Malleus Maleficarum)

·         If there is another game, I hope it’s the Nedcy vacation. And that we actually get to see Ned lol. I don’t get why he has never made an in-game appearance. It’s a little unfair at this point.

·         Considering Emerson College is 39 minutes away from Salem and we still didn’t get him, I doubt it. Even though they mentioned both Salem and kidnapping Ned in Labyrinth of Lies.

·         Also that the next one feels more like a Nancy Drew game.

·         There’s no puzzles and there’s so much changed that it doesn’t have the same feel to it.

·         This doesn’t feel like it took 4 ½ years to make. It feels like it took less than ½ a year. I can tell that things have changed because pretty much all the people who worked on it originally got fired. And that the Austrian game development company that took over everything (besides licensing) struggled to match the quality of the previous games.

·         It definitely wasn’t beta-tested or was barely beta-tested. Quite a few beta-testers have come forward to say they didn’t get the offer to beta-test until September of this year. A month before preorder. Yikes.

·         I know I got a little mean for some of the points but coddling the company by just saying positive things doesn’t help. They’ll get comfortable and give the fans worse things than this. I’m not an expert but I’ve played and learned enough games that I know some basics about how they’re made. It’s not easy but that doesn’t mean we should excuse things because of it.

·         There’s been a lot of controversy with HER and Penny and this game and probably more. I’m not gonna get more into that besides mentioning that things changed because of this and not for the better.

·         I probably missed somethings but whatever this is over 3000 words. I covered the basics and then some.

·         This game is just a 2.5/5 for me

#nancy drew #mid spoilers #midnight in salem #ned nickerson #nancy drew games #herinteractive #frank hardy #joe hardy #the hardy boys #the hardy brothers #mei parry #teegan parry #olivia ravencroft #lauren holt #judge danforth #jason danforth #alicia cole #deirdre shannon #carson drew

[ifeveristoday]

follow the bread crumbs

According to this interview, the first year of Boom!verse was already plotted out prior to the announcement/publishing of the first issue. So I decided to go back to the very beginning and see if I could find the clues that lead up to Hellmouth and character beats as the series evolve.

Spoilers/references for the whole series, but starting with Issue 1

The twist is that Xander’s internal monologues are superimposed over shots of Buffy, so the audience assumes it’s Buffy’s thoughts.

“I just think it’s difficult to tell people what’s really going on in my head.”

Xander - but this applies to Buffy and Willow as well. Xander can’t admit to people that he’s depressed and lonely (and says in the beginning that it’s hard for him to make friends - Willow being the notable exception), Willow can’t tell Rose what she’s done for Xander and how it’s changed her as a person and her identity as the Willow that Rose loves is gone, Buffy can’t reveal to her best friends what she’s struggling with as a girl and the Slayer because she feels like she’s losing them anyway.

“Can’t really make a lot of friends when you’re not honest about who you are, I guess.”

Buffy, Willow, and Xander all accuse/point out each other’s difficulties with being truthful - Buffy and Xander about Willow lying to Rose, Willow at Buffy about keeping her Slayer identity secret from everyone else.

“Being strong is a challenge but being vulnerable...feels impossible.”

Vulnerability to certain people specifically: Buffy and Xander can’t admit their respective crushes to each other - Buffy’s on Robin, Xander’s on Buffy. Willow is their shared confidant. Willow tells Xander and Giles about her feelings after the soul-sharing ceremony but doesn’t tell Buffy. Buffy confides to a complete stranger (Angel) the whole past month of issues: Willow possibly ghosting her, her whatever with Robin, her confusion about what her life is outside of being a Slayer.

Cordelia’s popular, effortless charisma cracks in issue #9 when she admits everything is horrible post the Hellmouth opening.

Joyce’s fear in the aftermath of the museum attack, and how to let that side out without Buffy being there. Giles’s brusque, hurtful behavior as he brushes aside Xander’s very valid feelings and stomps all over Jenny’s choices.

The words Stalk, Dare, Library, Strange, Us, Witch are emphasized in Xander and Willow’s dialogue. Incidentally, these are possibly the most clunky faux Whedonism attempts in the comic’s short history. 

Giles’s dialogue to Buffy emphasizes Supposed, Responsibility and he asks her if she understands the concepts of discretion and caution.

Xander comes to her defense and points out that Buffy saved him. Giles dismisses him and Willow and that he needs to talk to Buffy privately. The line between Slayer and Watcher and Everyone Else is explicitly drawn.

In Buffy and Giles’s first argument - he says she needs to do better, and she snaps back how is saving two lives not good enough, and that maybe she could do better but he never stops to think if she’s already doing her best. The phrase not good enough is emphasized - but it’s clear that Buffy is extremely aware of how high the stakes are in her calling, and takes Giles’s criticism personally.

Her next retorts have Pressure to Overachieve, and Teenage Confidence bolded.

Buffy’s character as described by others over the series: Weird, Hot, Deceitful, Self-Absorbed, Troublemaker --

and then Xander’s “I’m so exhausted. When am I going to have some time to find out what I’m about?”

superimposed over Buffy resting on a marble slab.

Xander’s struggle with his vampire identity/human self and the fear that he hasn’t suppressed the monster inside him, and he’ll be in an unfinished state forever. Willow feeling she’s less than she used to be and is a freak - and also incomplete now. Buffy not knowing what she wants to do with her life aside from being the Slayer, and how to deal with her evolving friendships and relationships with her mother, Giles, and even Eric. And presumably, the man in the devil mask, Angel.

“Like, when am I going to know what I want to do with my life? Not just doing what everyone says I’m supposed to do.”

Xander essentially worried about his human soul and if he even has a life to look forward to, Willow chafing under everyone’s assumptions about her and a hard look at who she is and becoming. Buffy struggling with both her and Giles’s expectations for herself and choosing to be the hero she doesn’t think she’s good enough to be. Angel doubting Lillith and Everyfreakingbody Else that he has a specific reason to be in Sunnydale and it’s not just about the end of the world. Giles realizing he’s compartmentalized Buffy over everything else in his life and how damaging that is, almost too late.

Spike being used to doing whatever Dru commands he do, his whole unlife is devoted and because of her. If he’s not Dru’s, who is he?

This panel is drawn so we’re looking down on Buffy as she is in a fetal position splayed on a slab, but the background makes it look like she’s in a pit, with crosses prominently displayed.

Religious symbolism and Buffy as a Christ type figure implications continue to pop up in the next issue.

“Guess it doesn’t matter what I want, there’s always something more important.”

Xander lists the various connections people have in life and laments that he’s not good at any of them - and these are overlaid on scenes of Buffy fighting in a cemetery ‘ particularly Parent to please, and Friend who needs you.

Both of them have issues with these connections - Xander feels abandoned and misunderstood by his friends (and presumably family) and they don’t need him as much as he needs them, Buffy is afraid she’s not good enough for the expectations her friends and family have for her.

Anya’s whole dialogue:

“...no one wants to accept responsibility for creating something so heinous. Absolute immortality. Of course, you’re a vampire. But you’re not actually immortal, are you? It’s beautiful that even cursed to live forever, you’re still mortal in so many ways.”

Hello, Drusilla, Angel, and Spike.

“Beasts and men are quite alike.” 

Issue 10 deals with the Sunnydale men enthralled by Drusilla and turning on each other.

A banner on Sunnydale highschool reads, WelcomeEat Freshmen - in Hellmouth, one of the students is killed by Drusilla at the school. Don’t know if she was a freshman, but her life was eaten.

Hanging out with the Scoobies:

Batboy - a possible reference to Camazotz, the bat god who helps slayers, or Bat Man - er, Angel.

Buffy’s response: “I’ve yet to meet Batboy but that doesn’t mean he’s not out there, looking for a friend.”

In Angel, much is made about Angel needing to go to Sunnydale and making ‘friends.’ (And then we learn in the free comic book day story, that he and Anya were murder friends.)

Buffy says to Willow - “Anyone could be a witch! Even you, Willow. It’s just about having the right spellbooks and sacrificing to the right Dark Lord, I think.” 

Willow muses that “some are probably beautiful, kind, sensitive, [and] smart.”

Those are pretty much words Rose has used to describe her.

“Please, I get it from all sides as it is. I just want to have a normal night, with normal people and feel like a normal teenager.”

Famous last words, Buffy. Neither her, Willow, or Xander get to be normal in the issues to come.

Anya reveals she does business with Wolfram and Hart, who show up in Angel Issue #6, most notably Lilah.

Drusilla’s ending words. “No, Anya. I think I’ll take what I want now.”

And that’s her character in a power suit wearing nutshell.

#boom! studios #instead of writing fic #this is what i do #boom! verse #buffy comics #connect the dots

[wacheypena]

Movies I often ColdFlash Take 2:

Decided to make a new post about it with updated ideas and such, the original list is here.

The Holiday - Still coldflash as the main couple, with Barry being single and he and Len totally hopping into the sack at some point if not as soon as they meet XD But the second pairing is now arrowwave cause I want it, and I can easily see Oliver breaking up with someone and leaving on impulse for a vacation elsewhere. Mick is still a single dad with two daughters, Len's a writer who was having an affair with Sam Scudder, who is now engaged and refuses to let it be known that he's gay if not bi. 

Oliver didn't take his previous relationships seriously, b/c most dated him for what he was, rather than who he is, and Mick could care less what he is aside from hot af and great in bed. He's also got two little girls to consider, which endears him to Oliver and makes him take this budding relationship a lot more seriously. Meanwhile, Len loves that Barry isn't afraid to share that they're dating and doesn't treat him like some dirty little secret. The main issue would be the distance when they inevitably return home. (Yeah I'm totally resolving that via some peeps move.) First post about this Second post about this

Stepford Wives - Same, after killing his dad, rather than go to Iron Heights, Lyla Diggle arranges for Len to work for Argus, b/c Barry knew he was under duress and deserved a chance to do good in the world, he just needed a chance. That and monetary motivation, but Len won't be paid until he's worked his prison time off. His first mission: investigate the town of Stepford as one of their latest married couples. He got to choose his spouse, and deciding on some revenge, he chooses Barry Allen. Fake dating trope to the max, cause I love this fucking trope XD

The Mummy - I feel this would be easier as a coldwave fic, cause Mick as the American who charms librarian Len sounds really hot XD And Barry as their adopted son would be so cute :3 I know this is a coldflash list, but seriously, it would be easier to have Len and Lisa as a pair of archaeologists/historians, and Mick is the ex-soldier who's been to the place they want to go. Otherwise, I have no idea who Lisa or the others would be if I coldflash-ed this.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - This would totally have to be an AU, and I'd make Len and Mick both thieves as well as entertainers. Oliver or Ray are the detective sent to follow the two on Barry's behalf, and thus shenanigans.

Coming to America - I know I said Barry was the prince in the last post, but now I have it in my head that Len is a fairy!Prince and he drags Mick with him to find a bride cause he believes his people have become too isolated and need new world views. He doesn't limit his search to women of course, and Barry is totally adorable. I'd let Barry have his powers and be the Flash in this case, so both of them have a secret to keep, though Len is better at figuring out Barry's XD

Labyrinth - Same as before, Barry is annoyed with Captain Cold constantly pulling heists to get his attention, and wishes he'd just go away for a while. Enter Mirror Master sending Cold into some random mirror dimension and Barry feeling guilty and going after him. They have to work together to get out of there, encountering all kinds of obstacles and discovering love in the process XD

(more under the cut, with a lot of details XD)

Teen Witch - I never explained what I had planned here: Barry lives with the Wests cause his mom was killed and his dad put in jail, etc, and he's best friends with Cisco and Caitlin at school. Iris is also a good friend but she's part of the popular crowd and dating Eddie, a football player who's friends with Ronnie. Other football players include Mick, Len and Tony, the last two often times bullying/teasing Barry.

On his sixteenth b-day, during a class field trip, Barry discovers a necklace w/a lightning bolt, his teacher Dr. Wells encouraging him to keep it. Hartley, a loner/outsider that people often called weird, approaches Barry and claims he's a witch like him and that they should rely on each other and learn to master their powers together. Barry immediately rejects the idea, cause witches aren't real, but then at a party Iris invited him too, he's cornered by Tony and manages to make him 'disappear' into thin air, which freaks him out. With Hartley's help, he brings Tony back with no memory of what happened at the party, and Tony transfers to another school not too long after.

Turns out, Barry is a witch from his mother's side, and the necklace is his talisman. Hartley having a similar necklace only with a flute at the end of it. Hart also has a ton of books on magic so Barry has a lot to read through.

Barry discovers a love potion and considers using it on Iris, but he knows it wouldn't be real and it would hurt Eddie, who he has gotten to know as a decent guy. Instead, he tells Iris about the witch stuff, and she happily agrees to help keep it hush hush from Joe who would probably send Barry to a mental institution.

Some conflict arises as Cisco and Caitlin want to know why Barry's not hanging out with them as much, and so he confesses to them too. They don't believe him at first, so he demonstrates his power by making Caitlin admit her feelings to her crush, Ronnie. Turns out that Ronnie had a crush on her too, but thought she'd rebuff him since she was so aloof. Of course, Cisco now wants to experiment and test out Barry's abilities, including the use of that love potion. (No worries, it doesn't get used.)

Meanwhile, though he wasn't nearly as cruel and as menacing as Tony had been, Len still teases Barry to some extent, but rather than use his powers to make him go away, cause Barry feels that makes him just as bad as a bully, he applies a truth spell on Len, and discovers Len has been in the closet due to an abusive dad and has a crush on Barry. (Even though Barry utters the spell, Len would be admitting these things in front of Mick and Eddie who are in the locker room with him after gym class, the spell breaking after Len takes a shower cause water did that in this movie's continuity.)

And that's as far as I got with this XD (I'm a dick.)

True Lies - Len is the super, sexy, spy and Barry is his adorable husband who works in a cubicle and doesn't realize he's married to a spy. (They also have an adopted son.) Barry's been neglected for some time though, and he starts to worry he's being cheated on. With this state of mind, it's fairly easy for some scumbag to try and seduce him into an affair. Though like in the movie, Len discovers this affair before anything too scandalous can occur, and in his jealous rage he gets Barry to perform his own little 'spy' mission. It backfires when the real terrorists come in and kidnap them both and the rest of the fic is like the movie. @mockingbird-22 and I angsted it up though in certain parts cause Barry inspired it XD

Romancing the Stone - Definitely an AU, though this story could be turned into a coldwave as well as a coldflash story. Len as a romantic novelist sounds lovely doesn't it? And he'd do anything to protect Lisa, including traveling to a foreign country and risk all types of danger. Barry I see as more of an action/adventure, sci-fi thriller type of writer. He'd still go and try to save Iris of course. And either Len or Mick would make a great con artist/love interest.

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead - So Len, Mick, Lisa, and maybe a few others are orphans and living together in one house. Len successfully got their care taker put in jail cause they were embezzling funds. Of course the state gives them someone new, but that person winds up dying of natural causes on the first night. Mick and Len get rid of the body, unintentionally destroying the money along with it. The only choice they have now is to either wait till the next monthly deposit, or one of them gets a job. Len winds up getting a job while Mick agrees to stay and watch the younger kids. (They're 17 and 16 respectively, Mick being oldest.) (Btw, Len drops out of high school but gets his GED, in case peeps wonder why he doesn’t attend school)

Len's first job sucks, though he meets Barry who's secretly a hero in training. Len winds up quitting cause the pay isn't enough to cover all the bills or worth the amount of stress it gives him. He recruits Hartley, a kid really good at hacking, into making him a new resume that would land him a better desk job somewhere. Only he made it too good, as Malcolm Merlyn decides to hire Len on the spot as an executive assistant to his 'secretly a bad guy company' rather than be a simple receptionist. (Yeah I went cartoony with this XD)

Len is surprisingly good at this job, as he's organized, logical, and a great strategist. His only obstacle being Sam Scudder who had been in line to take the position until he showed up. Also, his creepy g/f Rosa who keeps hitting on him. Eobard is another creep who apparently likes to brag about tormenting the Flash. Oh, and Len is dating Barry now, so keeping this whole thing a secret is hard, especially when he finds out Barry lives with a cop and intends to become a CSI when he's older. So much conflict and all Len wants to do is keep a roof over everyone's head.

The Mask of Zorro - Netflix recently added this, so now it got me thinking of Henry being the original Zorro/Flash, only for Eobard to kill his wife and frame him for it. Then whisk Barry away to raise him as his own while also disguised as Dr. Harrison Wells. Len, Lisa and Mick are sort of thieves/anti-heroes until Lisa and Mick are captured and in his attempt to break them out of prison, Len breaks Henry out on accident. His family was sent elsewhere, and Henry offers to help Len find them if he agrees to help him put a stop to all the evil that's corrupting their city. Len doesn't want to be a hero, but he understands their city is suffering and he needs help investigating his family's whereabouts. Turns out Dr. Wells has been capturing metas and trying to turn them into soldiers so he could take over the city. (Len, Mick and Lisa are metas in this.) Keep in mind, the time period would be the same as in the movie. Romance wise, Barry would totally be enamored with the mysterious hooded figure who wields ice in ways he didn't know were so beautiful. And who is this charming but infuriating man named Leonard Snart?

Look Who's Talking - @mockingbird-22 and I both have different takes on this. In my version, it's an a/b/o world, and Eowells(?) has made a bad habit of spreading his seed. Barry thought it was true love, but turns out he was being used like the other omegas in Eowells life. (Debating if I should name Hartley among them and bring him into this idea or not.) Barry does what he can to move on, though it is quite stressful, especially when one omega pursues a lawsuit against Eowells for sleeping around so much with no intention of helping out with the resulting offspring. Barry, along with a few others, are called to witness the trial and to provide proof that they were all impregnated by the same man. It's enough to stress Barry into labor as he exits the building and into Len's unsuspecting cab.

Len saw that Barry came out of the courthouse, but he doesn't know why he was there. He just drives him to the hospital as quick as he can. Barry gives birth to a healthy baby boy, and returns to his apartment with both his baby and a compensation check from the lawsuit. Len arrives not too long after cause Barry forgot his wallet inside the cab.

If you've seen the movie, the rest follows along the same lines with a few details changed such as Len using Barry's address so Lisa can attend a different school, and both Len and Lisa taking turns to babysit the baby. Also, Barry's relieved when Len forcibly removes Eowells from visiting the baby, as Barry wants nothing to do with him anymore. Though the explanation as to why the other man was trying to visit is awkward, Len takes it in stride.

I can see Barry giving in and wanting a relationship with Len easily, but then worrying that Len was too dubious in the eyes of the law to consider, especially if I make him a thief in this verse XD

And that’s all I got for now folks! Thanks for reading, and if you’d like to head canon some stuff with me on this, feel free to message me. If you want me to just write these fics already, let me know which and please wait :3

#movies #fanfic ideas #head canons #coldflash #dccoldwave #this sucker got long #i swear