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#(not just the teens obviously the teens just got the most physical description)
idalievu · 18 days
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Started reading the jaws novel today. Why is it like that.
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actualbird · 2 years
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So as someone who got into Tears of Themis partially because it reminded me of Ace Attorney, I hope you and anon don't mind if I toss my own ideas into this!
If mc and Artem were in Ace Attorney, they'd pretty obviously be the young female and older male dynamic in pretty much every game except mc isn't a teen like everyone else. Also following Ace Attorney's rules this would be Artem Wing Ace Attorney with mc as the sidekick but I find the role reversal more fun so mc remains the main character this time. Artem's already her co-counsel in tot anyway.
I think it'd be hilarious if mc was like the other protags giving snarky commentary on the absurdity of the setting while Artem is completely accepting of all of this and that's why he can remain serious and not pull funny faces all the time. Artem operates within Ace Attorney logic while mc operates on ours. Yes mc, I do think it's normal that Luke's myna bird is the size of a human, why do you ask?
This would also keep the humour present in the mc-Artem dynamic I feel since most of the humour in the dynamic is the peppy sidekick making zany comments which isn't in character for Artem. So instead, make him comically serious!
Mild spoilers for a game mechanic of the Great Ace Attorney here in case anyone reading this is playing, but I think the gimmick of this particular au could be something similar to the Dance of Deduction. It'd be less humorous because Artem wouldn't be making ridiculously wrong assumptions for mc to correct like an actual Dance of Deduction, but the rest of what makes the Dances fun like the dramatic spotlights on characters and important items as well as the visual presentation of filling in the details of what happened in the case could very easily be kept. Even the ending of the Dance of Deduction could probably be made to fit in a tot modern setting by making it a report typed into the NXX database. (I know this is not a good description of what the Dance of Deductions are like so I highly recommend watching one for reference. They're very fun to watch!) The questions the boys ask mc during cases that she has to answer in tot's chapters could easily be repurposed Dance of Deduction too. Besides if we really need the dancing around I think Marius as a guest assistant would be more than happy to mess around a bit sfjdif
Mostly the Ace Attorney characters tend to remain fairly unaffiliated with any organisations but I don't see a way tot's story could be carried out without joining NXX so I'll make an exception and say that happens anyway. It would be interesting to have Artem hide his involvement with NXX from mc and have a "is he trustworthy" story beat though...
This is my very barebones structure for how mc and Artem would be like in Ace Attorney. As a bonus, here's what everyone's gimmicks would be if they were the main characters! Spoilers for...nearly all mechanics in the Ace Attorney games here.
Artem would have Logic, pretty straightforward here. It functions the same as it does in the actual games, join two logic statements that are related to each other together to discover more about the case.
Luke is a little trickier, but I think he could have Psyche Locks. This is mostly from the many scenes in tot where he's getting information out from people and also because his key necklace makes for some neat symbolism. In this case the locks aren't actually something he can see, it's a visual metaphor, and also he isn't threatening people for information. Well, maybe he still does that a little but mostly he relies on evidence.
Vyn was a tossup between Perceive and Mood Matrix for a while, but ultimately I think Perceive fits him better because of the moments in his personal story where he catches someone averting their eyes or something and deeming them suspicious as a result. Mood Matrix isn't quite his specialty. Just like Luke, Vyn doesn't need a physical trinket to use his ability, it's just a built in thing. Something different about Vyn's Perceive is that sometimes the lack of a nervous tic when someone should be nervous is what clues him into something. In this way a little bit of Mood Matrix is mixed in since the lack of a certain emotion was sometimes what you needed to point out to proceed unlike Perceive where you Had to find a tic.
Finally, Marius gets Logic Chess. It was very, very difficult to find a gimmick that fitted Marius, but I think Logic Chess does the job reasonably well. It requires you to know when to hold back and when to be aggressive to get information, which is something Marius has displayed in I think main story chapter 5 when he meets with Stellis News' editor-in-chief. He starts out pretty polite but goes on the aggressive after a certain point. Just like Luke, Marius' Logic Chess is a visual metaphor though in this case it's always been one.
And that's about it for my thoughts on an Ace Attorney tot au! This was a lot of fun to write fgidiy
🌌
irt my fever dream aa/tot edit that i almost forgot i made
first off, milkyway, i need to tell you this is all WONDERFUL however i have no idea what any of it means or have forgotten all about them sans the Psyche Locks jjhjVKJ it has been...so long since ive played aa...that being said, i love your rationales for everyone oh my gosh, it's all so well thought out even and it all fits SO WELL if i havent experienced/remember the mechanics!!!
secondly, the aa player to tot player pipeline is such an entertaining demographic. i partly also got into tot for that reason (while it's been years since ive played any aa game, the Core Memories at 12 years old still shine brightly) and when coworkers ask me what this game im so obsessed with is about my go-to is always "do you know ace attorney? it's like that but you can kiss the characters. also it's nothing like ace attorney." jkHVKSJHDFVKJSHDGKS
thank u for all of this it's DELIGHTFUL :DDD
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jasontoddssuper · 2 years
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Was reading ur dni and wanted to ask a question for clarification. One was "rick riordan apologists" the pjo author? What did he do? And "radical inclusionists" did you mean exclusionists? If not ive never heard of inclusionists and dont know what it means
Hi!!For the second part of your question,a radical inclusionist is a person who supports every lgbt identity even if it is harmful such as bi lesbians(which my lesbian friends have told me makes them very uncomfortable because a big part of lesbianism is that it dosen't involve attraction to men and it makes me uncomfortable as a bi woman too because bisexuality is it's own thing just as lesbianism is and it feels biphobic to me).I am a critical inclusionist,which means i support all lgbt identities that aren't harmful-such as xenogenders and aspec orientations(i myself am demisexual and have several xenogenders).
And for Rick Riordan,he's put a lot of bigoted stuff in his books and hasn't really apologized or made up for it in another way.To give examples:
Clarisse La Rue:Is constantly called ugly because she's fat,muscular and gnc and was feminized to better suit her male love interest,while also having a friendship with another girl that parallels Achilles and Patroclus that was never confirmed as romantic
Piper Mclean:Is a native american girl(specifically cherokee)who wears feathers in her hair,which Rick admitted to knowing is stereotype but left in to show that she 'was trying to connect to her culture'(if you'd like proof for this,i have a screenshot if you want me to show it to you!),and made her girlfriend a minor character who barely got a physical proper description,much less a fleshed out personality
Leo Valdez:A mexican boy who is always flirting with girls,gets called unattractive in comparision to the white characters quiet a few times and ends up in a relathionship with a girl that was written in an incredibly heteronormative way that is potrayed as what he needed to learn self-love instead of his friends helping him with it
Hazel Levesque:A black girl who is younger than the other mcs(they're in their mid-teens while she's 13 for most of the series)but gets placed as the 'Team Mom' and has eurocentric hair and eye colors despite no real reason for it(she has brown hair and gold eyes despite her mother being a black woman from the early 19th century and her father having black hair and eyes)
Reyna Avila Ramírez Arellano:Many wlw in the fandom interpreted her as a lesbian with comphet or a repressed bi girl because of her romantic subtext with almost all her other female friends and asked Rick if he could give her a girlfriend since he was able to make a major supporting character gay(that one being Nico di Angelo).The next time we she made in apperance in canon,he made her a mouth piece for how much he hated her wlw ships and called it aspec rep by confirming her as asexual on twitter afterwards-This is pretty obviously lesbophobic and biphobic but it's also aspecphobic becuase it implies aspec people can only be aspec and it disregards that many of us identify as bi or gay/lesbians as well.Yes they're are aroaces but that's not what he was trying to represent and it really shows
There's more things but i hope this awnser satisfies you!!And thank you for your support of my posts <3
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andreafmn · 3 years
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I'm Not Afraid - Chapter 6
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Word Count: 3,753
Characters: Female Reader Argent Character, Original Male Argent Character, Derek Hale, Allison Argent, Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, Isaac Lahey, Lydia Martin, Chris Argent, Jackson Whittemore
Story Description: (Y/N) Argent arrived at Beacon Hills to put to rest her father’s sister, Kate Argent. For the first time, her family has decided to settle down and sustain a life in this interesting small town. After 17 years, (Y/N) has the opportunity to establish interpersonal relationships but will she be ready to face the complications that come with relating to her cousin’s, Allison, friends; especially, the infamous Derek Hale. She will face the adventure of being associated with the Derek and McCall pack as well as being faced with the discovery of certain aspects of her life she never imagined.
*DISCLAIMER* I do not own in any way Teen Wolf, all credits of the pre-established characters, script, and storyline belong to Jeff Davis and MTV Network. The only thing I own is Argent Reader insert, her immediate family, and her storyline, as well as her effects in the others’ storyline.
Chapter: 6/?
Warnings: mentions of murder, arson, and blood
A/N: The ending is dark, y'all, dark. If you enjoy my writing I’ll also be posting them in AO3 and Wattpad along with other stories (I also hope to start taking requests if ya’ll want) Hope you enjoy and all constructive criticism is encouraged.
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Chapter 6
I followed my father inside the house, my hands trembling and sweating. The only topic I believed they would seriously need to talk to me about was the supernatural and the family business. Just as I had told Derek, if I hadn’t met him and Scott, I would have probably joined without a second thought. But I had met them, I had been embraced by them, and I didn’t know what I was going to answer.
I sat across from my parents on the kitchen’s island. They seemed excited, but a bit anxious. Obviously, revealing to your daughter the existence of supernatural beings and the fact that the whole family hunted them wasn’t an easy task. At least, she already knew the most hard-hitting information and she wouldn’t feel blindsided.
“Honey, what we have to tell you is very important, and we don’t want you to feel like we have been keeping this from you on purpose,” my mother started. “But you need to understand that everything we have to say today is nothing but the truth. Okay?”
“Guys, what is it? You’re scaring me.”
“You know that all Argents work at the family company, Argent Arms International, and that at some point you’d probably end up working there.”
“Yeah, dad. The reason I know too much about weapons,” I laughed. I couldn’t let on that I knew more than they thought.
“Well, the company is actually a front for the real work we do behind the scenes, and the reason we’re on the road a lot,” my father started. “Since the start of our lineage Argents have been hunters.”
“Hunters of what?”
“Now, I need you to remember that what I am about to tell you is the full honest truth.” I nodded. “We hunt supernatural creatures, but mainly werewolves. You remember the tattoo I have on my arm that you asked about when you were younger?”
“Yeah, ‘Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent’. French, we hunt those who hunt us. I always thought it was more of a psychological phrase.”
“That’s our family mantra. All Argent generations have been trained since childhood to become hunters one day, Chris and I were the only ones that decided to give you and Allison the choice once you became teenagers to know about our world. It’s completely up to you to join us.”
“So, all the training, physical and with weapons, was all in preparation for this?” My father nodded. I could see the worry in his face of how I would take this news – a one-worded answer was going to shift my whole life. It was one thing to be knowledgeable of this life, it was another to be in the center of all of it.
“We run by a code,” my father explained. “We only hunt those who have been proven to have harmed innocent lives – only adults, no young ones, and no humans. Any hunter that breaks that code is an enemy to our cause.”
“Is that what aunt Kate did?” I spoke in a hushed tone knowing this was a difficult topic for my father, one that we hadn’t touched upon in the time we had been here.
“Yes, it is” my mother answered. Her dislike towards her sister-in-law wasn’t a secret. Mom had always thought of her as arrogant and self-centered – or so she would state when in an alcohol-induced rant.
“Unfortunately, my sister did break the code, but that’s beside the point,” dad interjected. “Sweetheart, we make sure that everyone around us is protected from the creatures that are unknown. So, what do you think? Do you want to join us?”
They both studied my face, waiting on any reaction that could arise from me. All I could think is how my decision could affect the people that had made their way into my life. Allison had accepted, and although her relationship with Scott was strained, she still managed to keep him close. But what if I accepted and all it did was deteriorate all the new relationship I was trying to build?
“Yes.”
After the conversation, my father warned me that training would start soon, after I passed some sort of test. They were happy that I had agreed to join the family trade, but I noticed a sign of worry in my father’s eyes. His whole life had been built around supernatural hunting, so what was he worried about? Whatever it was, he did not express. They had both been called away on a meeting and excused themselves before leaving. With the house to myself, I basked in my decision sitting on the living room couch, petting Brody.
“What do you think, bub? Did I make the right choice?” Brody looked up at me, his tongue hanging out, a smile on his face. A bark came after and I took it as confirmation that I had. “Maybe you’re right. We’ll see, huh? Should I call Derek and tell him?”
At the sound of Derek’s name, Brody barked out happily. I laughed at his reaction and decided to call Derek. It still surprised me that Brody had taken to Derek so quickly – probably had to do with him being a werewolf and an alpha. I clicked on his contact on my phone and waited on speaker for him to pick up.
“Hello?” His voice rang out, exciting Brody once more. “Hey, buddy!”
“He’s been very excited to hear from you.”
“I can see,” he chuckled. “I can assume you made it home safely?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“What’s wrong? You sound weird.”
“How can you possibly deduct my tone from over the phone?”
“Intuition, you could say. But seriously, what’s wrong?”
“Well, my parents talked to me about the family business,” I breathed out, nerves building up inside. I didn’t know what his reaction would be, and I hope my decision wouldn’t push him away. “They asked me to join them.”
“And what did you say?” He already knew the answer. Asking was just courtesy.
“I said yes.” He kept quiet for a second, and I truly believed I had ruined our relationship before anything had ever started. “Are you mad?”
“I can’t be mad. I understand why you did it, they’re your family. Why would you think I would be mad?”
“I don’t know. I’m gonna be actively working on hunting you and your kind, that would put a strain on any kind of relationship.”
“And what kind of relationship would that be?” He teased.
“Derek, this is serious. What kind of relationship could we have when we’re born enemies?”
“Allison and Scott seem to make it work. It’s hard, but it’s not impossible.”
“So, sneaking around, worrying every second that we’d be found out by hunters. Seems viable,” I snickered. “And in no way, shape, or form stressful. Believe me, Derek, I have enough anxiety as it is. I don’t need the stress of keeping all my relationships secret.”
“Do you have any other choice?”
“I guess I don’t.”
“The way I see it, (Y/N), is you can use this opportunity and work for both sides. You can protect us from the inside, and hunt those that are a real threat. Like the Kanima,” he stated. It made sense to work with my family to protect my friends, even if my family was hunting them. “And, as much as I hate saying this, you should talk to Allison about this. She seems to be handling this way better than I thought.”
“I will. Thanks, Derek. I’ll call you soon, okay?”
“I’ll be waiting. Sleep well, (Y/N).”
“You too, Derek.”
I hung up the phone and breathed out. My life had turned a lot more complicated than I had ever imagined, and I was sure it was going to turn a lot worse. I had just started dipping my toes in the supernatural pot we were living in, something told me that there was still so much that I didn’t know. And there was one person I knew would have the answers I was seeking.
I grabbed my jacket off the coat rack and got on my motorcycle, a clear route ingrained in my brain. The night was cold, and the breeze nipped at my skin as it blew under my shirt. There was so much I had to learn, and so little time.
The drive wasn’t long, and I was still surprised I remembered the way.
The lights in the McCall house were off, but the car was in front, so I assumed Scott was home. I would have gone to Allison, but I needed to know everything, and I was sure she would try to protect me from the worst of it. Scott seemed like someone I could trust, and being at the center of everything gave him a lot more insight that I could use. I looked around the house and, remembering which room was his, found a way to climb up the side to his window. Hopefully, I didn’t encounter something I didn’t want to see.
Looking away, I knocked on his window – loud enough for him to hear, but silent enough to not alarm his mom. I clutched my jacket tighter as I waited for an answer, the wind finding me easier on higher ground. It didn’t take long for the window to slid open, revealing a very confused Scott.
“(Y/N)?” He rubbed sleep off his eyes. “What are you doing here?”
“I need to talk to you. Can I come in?”
“Sure.” He stepped aside and let me through. His room was messier than the last time I had seen it, and the bed was disheveled. On his desk, his computer was propped open, and a disarray of papers lived atop the wooden surface.
“Sorry for waking you, but this couldn’t wait.”
“Don’t worry. I couldn’t sleep anyway,” he chuckled. A lopsided smile taking place on his face. “So, what’s up?”
“Tonight, I was asked by my parents to join the hunters, and I agreed. But, going into this, I’m the one that knows the least about this world. Apart from Lydia, that is. I need to know everything you know about what we are up against. I don’t think our parents would have asked Allison and me to join now unless we were facing something truly dangerous.”
“Okay, I get it. And please don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you asking me and not Allison or even Derek? It seems like they would be the natural choice to ask about this.”
“Because they would try to shield me from the most dangerous aspects of what’s happening. Hopefully, you being a third party you’ll be truly honest about the situation we are in.” My tone came out friendly, but the underlying threat was evidently laced with it.
“Alright, where do you want me to start?”
“I want to know everything. No detail left out.”
“For me, this all started last year…”
And everything I learned. Scott had been bitten by Peter Hale, Derek’s uncle, who was alpha at the time. Most of last year he spent learning about his new werewolf life, which he believed he was alone in, until Derek, who came from a long line of werewolves that resided in Beacon Hills. The very same family my aunt had murdered. When he explained that part of Derek’s history, I couldn’t help but tear up. How could he ever stand being near me when my own blood had done that to him? Ripped him from his family in such a horrifying manner. I knew she had killed people but knowing that Derek was one of the survivors made my stomach knot.
He also told me how Derek came to be the alpha, and how Peter had held the alpha title also. And how my aunt had truly died. Everyone’s stories seemed to bundle into the same mess of supernatural chaos.
“Then, Jackson asked for the bite, which Derek gave him. And the thing about the bite, you sometimes turn into something other than a werewolf due to internal issues you could say. So, he became the Kanima, which is a lizard type-creature that looks for a master as we just recently learned. His main objective is to do as his master commands, and in his case, it's killing a bunch of people. He also secretes a venom that paralyzes people, but it didn’t work on you and Lydia.” Me? “Which was really weird – Lydia, we think it has something to do with Peter biting her. But you, we’re not sure. Because there’s no indication as to why you could possibly be immune. Unless you’re not human, but that would mean that Lydia’s not human either, and that doesn’t make sense.”
“Okay, Scott. You’re rambling,” I chuckled dryly, stopping him in his track. How he talked for so long, I did not understand. I believed Stiles was the only one with that ability. “How could you know that I was immune though? I haven’t had any contact with the Kanima or this venom.”
“Well, actually, the day we were making rock crystals in lab, Isaac had left some venom on Lydia’s crystal. You weren’t supposed to taste it, but it was a surprise when nothing happened to you. Have you ever been in contact with any other supernatural beings?”
“Seeing as I didn’t even know my parents were hunters, it’s safe to assume I haven’t. But I think finding out why I am the way I am is at the bottom of the list with this Kanima going around.”
“Yeah, and your family is making it very hard to do so when they’re actively hunting us.”
“They can’t be, they run by a code, and you guys are innocent.”
“But your grandfather doesn’t care. He lifted the code. He’s on a rampage towards all supernatural creatures, us included. They’re even keeping an eye on us at school – with Gerard running it and Victoria being our new teacher.”
“But we have the upper hand in learning about the Kanima, right? I mean, if my family is actively recruiting the younger ones, it means they are up against a threat they don’t know about, and we have the bestiary translated.”
“Kind of. I just have a feeling Gerard knows a lot more than he lets on.”
“Can’t really give insight on a person I don’t know. But anything I find out I’ll be sure to pass it along,” I smiled. “I still can’t believe all of this was happening right under my nose. How did I not notice?”
“It’s easy to ignore when you don’t know it exists. If I hadn’t been in the forest that night, I would be as in the dark as you were.”
“I guess so,” I smiled. “Thank you, Scott. For your honesty, and for trusting me with this information.”
“You’re one of us now, (Y/N). We look out for our own.”
“Thank you, Scott. I’ll leave you now to hopefully catch up on some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”
“Of course, (Y/N). We’re gonna meet up with Allison in the library to talk about the Kanima. I think it’d be good for you to be there.”
“I will.” My body was outside the house, squatting in front of the window. “Again, thanks, Scott. It’s good to know I have a friend looking out for us.”
“Don’t mention it, (Y/N).” He smiled, scratching his neck trying to hide the blush that had crept to his face. “Get home safe.”
I felt uneasy the whole ride back home. I truly couldn’t fathom how Derek old even spend a second with me after everything my family had put him through. My stomach hadn’t stopped turning, and I felt like I could throw up at any second. He didn’t deserve to have to look at a person that resembled the person that had screwed up his life. The tears started streaming from my eyes before I could stop them. It didn’t feel right, and it wasn’t right.
Somehow I made it back home. I had blacked out at some point and was moving out of muscle memory. I was glad my parents had not made it back home yet — I could let tears cascade without having to hide them. Allison and I had always looked up to our aunt. To us, she presented herself as a confident, independent, and badass woman. I still remember how one Christmas Allison and I had gotten into her clothes and pretended to be her. When Kate found us, she couldn’t help but laugh at the two little irks in front of her. She questioned what we were doing and we told her we wanted to be just like her. I recalled how I told her I wanted to grow up to be her. There’s nothing I wouldn’t have done to take that back. Had I know back then what I knew now, I would have stayed as far away from her.
“This family is all types of messed up. Huh, Brody?” My dog looked up at me, a questioning glance on his face. “What am I gonna do, bub? I don’t think I’m strong enough to face him. I really don’t.”
Brody barked, leaving kisses on my cheeks — a nimble approach to getting rid of my tears. I snuggled closer to him, enjoying his comforting presence. There was no way I was going to be able to sleep well tonight.
I was standing in the middle of Derek’s family home, the only light coming from the moon peeking through the clouds. It was a cold night, and the low temperature was seeping into my bones. My whole body ached and the air smelled of soot. I felt uneasy standing there. Now knowing its history, my heart clenched tightly. I could only imagine the pain that had ensued in what I presumed was an agonizingly slow death. The tears that escaped from my eyes burned into my skin, and my ears rang with an unknown high pitch. I kneeled on the floor, and attempt to catch m breath.
“It hurts doesn’t it?” I stood up, the unknown voice startling me. “The smell is the worst part.”
“Aunt Kate.”
“The screams weren’t that bad,” she chuckled. “They died down quickly. There’s so much screaming you can do when smoke fills your lungs.”
“Stop,” I sobbed. “Please.”
“I can just imagine them thinking it was a normal afternoon, and then the fire starts. You know, wooden houses are a very good catalyst to speed up a fire.”
“Stop.”
“(Y/N), come on.” Kate was grinning, a sinister smile that would have anyone shivering. “It’s only a matter of time before you do something similar. You and I have always been the most alike — centered, strong, morally grey. It’s in your blood, baby girl. At first, you’re gonna believe you’re on their side, but soon you’ll see that they’re all bad. Sooner or later they all spill innocent blood. It’s better to get them when they’re fresh, it’s so much easier”
“How can you talk like that? These are people’s lives you are talking about.”
“It’s different, sweetheart. They’re not normal, they’re a living abomination,” she rationalized. “This is all a game of power. We can’t allow them to have the upper hand. If we let that happen, they’ll overtake us, and there is a natural order to things.”
“Is that why you murdered a whole family of innocent beings? The family of a kid you tricked to fall for you, leaving him alone to suffer!” I yelled, the loudness hurting my throat. “You tricked Derek and used him to end his line. Why?”
“A pack is only as strong as its number. The bigger they are, the stronger they are. I was just doing my job,” she grinned. “Just like you did.”
“What are you talking about? I would never do something as heartless as you have.”
“Are you sure, honey? Why don’t you walk through that door and say that again.”
I stared at her like a deer stuck in headlights. My body shook as I slowly made my way to the dark front door of the house. Her eyes burned into every step I took, the sinus eerie grin still prominent on her face. With every step, her stare edging me on forward. There was a scene to unfold behind that door, and she was eager for me to see it.
I stretched my hand towards the doorknob but flinched when I felt the burning temperature it held. Kate said nothing as she encouraged me to open the door, daring me to face whatever I had to with just her gaze. I braced myself for the feeling and clasped my hand around the knob, turning it to reveal whatever it was that she wanted me to see.
The scene in front of me was heartbreaking. We now stood in front of Derek’s apartment complex, his loft lit aflame. The smell of ash was more prominent and the heat was almost unbearable. I tried to run into the building, the need to help any survivors growing in me. But Kate held me back, a painful grip holding onto my arm.
“Let me go!” I yelled through tears. “I need to save my friends.”
“Darling, don’t you get it?” She chuckled. “They’re all gone. All thanks to you. Look at your hands, honey.”
I did as she told, and my breath hitched in my throat when I did. My clothes were drenched in blood, and in my hands, I carried a bloody knife and a lighter. “No, I would never do this.”
“You already did.” She pointed forward, fixing my sight on the bodies that laid on the floor of the lot. “And some of them were innocent, too. But in war, there are always casualties. I mean, your cousin sided with them, and look how she ended up.”
I walked around the bodies, trying to find a sign of life in any of them as a flood of tears streamed out of my ducts.
Scott.
Stiles.
Lydia.
Isaac.
Allison.
Even Boyd and Erica were there.
But I didn’t see one important person. “Where’s Derek?” My voice croaked, barely the volume of a whisper.
“Who do you think is inside the building? It’s a fitting end for him. Dying in the way he shucked have years ago,” she laughed maniacally. “At least he’ll relate to his family when he gets to the other side.
“NO!” Once again I tried to run into the building, needing to risk my ice to save his. But she stopped name in my tracks once more, her grip tightening. “Let me go, please. Just let me go, I have to save him.”
“Honey, he’s already gone,” she scoffed. “Don’t you get it, sweetheart? There are only two ways this will end — it’s either you or them. And the sooner you accept it, the easier it will be; you are just like me.”
Tag List: @hellowinterlane​ @lokisgoddesofpower​ @mersuperwholocked-lowlife @malar-region @sunshine-flower
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sexymen-laboratory · 3 years
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WTF is this????
First of all, read description of blog <3
So I though to myself, hey what if I did that?? Ppl have made human bill cypher and Tony the Talking Clock before, so why not I try? But like, take it seriously and not actually humans, more just anthropomorphised.
Hi, I'm Zango [They/Them], and I am very bored. I got a list of rules and characters for this challenge I gave myself; here they are.
Characteristics I CAN allow
Objects with limbs, e.g. Bill Cypher, Lollipop, Cagney
Quadrupedal animals such as MLP characters
Capes with hands, e.g. Green Mage and Magolor
Blobby/Orb characters, e.g. kirby
Characters that despite being humanoid are so crudely drawn/modeled that they make no sense, e.g. Mouse fitzgerald and Little King John
Bugs with NO legs, e.g. Queen Sectonia, Taranza
Characters missing most limbs, e.g. Gaster, MadCom characters
Characteristics I CAN'T allow
Humanoid but non-human characters, e.g. Rouxls Kaard, Sans
Low-poly humanoids, e.g. Herobrine, William Afton
Podcast/book characters unless provided with an obviously non-humanoid design.
Bipedal animal characters, e.g. madagascar characters
Bipedal bugs either, e.g. Hopper and Hornet
Humanoid robots, e.g. transformers
Cookies, e.g. Cookie Run Cookies
Shadow creatures, e.g. Shadow Dan, Snatcher
Narrators or walls of text with no physical description
Character List
Archibald Asparagus (Veggie Tales) ✓
Ashfur (Warrior Cats) ✓
Auditor (Madness Combat) ✓
Audrey II (Little Shop of Horrors)
Bill Cypher (Gravity Falls)
Cagney Carnation (Cuphead)
Count Bleck (Super Paper Mario)
Dimple (Mob Psycho)
Four (BFB)
Glados (Portal)
Greely (Animal Jam)
Green Mage (Everhood)
Invisible Man (Hotel Transylvania)
Juan Carlos Bodoque (31 Minutos)
Judgement Boy (Gregory Horror Show)
King Boo (Super Mario Bros.)
Lightning McQueen (Cars)
Little King John (RatBoy Genius)
Lollipop (BFDI/BFB)
Magolor (Kirby's Return to Dreamland)
Mapleshade (Warrior Cats)
Marx (Kirby Super Star)
Master Shake (Aqua Teen Hunger Force)
Meta Knight (Kirby)
Mortikiy Robinson (LPS: A Life of Revenge)
Mouse Fitzgerald (12 oz mouse)
Mr. Peanut (Planters Commercials)
Nick Shift (Cars)
Ozvaldo von Hrafnavines (Genshin Impact)
P03 (Inscryption)
PAL (The Mitchells vs The Machines)
Princess Luna (MLP)
Queen Sectonia (Kirby Triple Deluxe)
Rectangular businessman (12 oz mouse)
Sauron (Lord of the Rings)
Scar (Lion King)
Scourge (Warrior Cats)
Sketchbook (DHMIS)
Sol (Warrior Cats)
Starlight Glimmer (MLP)
Tamatoa (Moana)
Taranza (Kirby Triple Deluxe)
The Boss (JS&B)
The Imposter/Crewmate (Among Us)
Tony the Talking Clock (DHMIS)
Tricky the Clown (Madness Combat) might not do this one
Two (TPOT/BFB)
W.D. Gaster (Undertale)
Wallace Street (Mii Plaza)
Wheatley (Portal 2)
Yung Venuz (Nuclear Throne, Technically not on the list)
If u wana add a character, send an ask with the name and source, I may or may not add them
If u wana remove a character for whatever reason, send an ask with the name, source, and reason
Despite the name of this blog, this is more like a design crafting blog than a 'sexy character' blog. Feel free to submit characters that aren't on the sexyman list. I don't plan on actually sexualizing any of the characters here.
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morizoras-cave · 4 years
Text
Action (Request)
James McAvoy x teen!co-star!reader
Genre: slight angst, fluff
Request Description: okay cool! i've got a request, then: a teen!co-star!reader x james mcavoy where she gets an injury and tries to play it off as if she's fine and james notices and makes sure she gets proper medical attention and comforts her but scolds her about keeping it a secret if that makes sense. thank you!
Warnings: reader gets physically hurt, language, slight insecurity (ish)
(A/N): okay so, i didnt make a fic yesterday and i feel slightly bad, but its cool hahaha. im going home from vacation tomorrow, so ill have a little bit more time
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“You don’t know anything!” you trembled, full of emotion. You braced yourself. You were currently filming the scene that you had rehearsed for weeks. Your character was going to be chased down by James’ character, in an attempt to fix their broken familial relationship. It was intense and difficult to shoot.
“Then tell me!” James was just as full of emotion, frustration and desperation painted on his face . He was bracing himself too, you could tell. You shook your head, just as scripted, and when James stepped towards you, you flinched back. “Tell me.”
That was your cue. You grabbed the windowsill of the open window, smoothly swinging out and landing several meters down. James looked out at you from it, and there was a moment where you stared at each other, before you dashed away, and he scrambled to get down the stairs. 
You were already running down the street, panting. Why did your director have to be so realistic? It would pay off. You hoped. 
The door to the house swung open violently and you saw James’ form exit, already sprinting towards you. Dozens of cameras were catching the entire scene.
James was much taller than you, legs and stamina allowing him to catch up quickly. 
“Shit,” you mumbled, looking around desperately. You quickly found the junkyard you were supposed to enter, constructed solely for the movie. You jumped over a white fence, entering the property of another person, to shortcut to the yard. James was right behind you. 
You continued into the junkyard, where you did several more stunts, jumping up and over things, squeezing in between narrow rows of trash. It was going very well, right up until the point where you had to jump from one heap of trash to another. 
You hesitated, both because it was scripted, but also because it was a terrifyingly large jump. I mean, you’d practiced it a ton, so you’d be able to do it, right?
You looked back and saw James there. He gave you a warning look, and you angled your head in response. Then you turned away and ran, jumping over the massive gap. 
You knew right away you wouldn’t make it. The trash gave away under you, sabotaging your jump. Flying through the air, you tried desperately to grasp the edge, so you wouldn’t fall. You almost did it, grabbing an old boot from the pile, when the boot lodged itself out of its position, breaking off your only hold on the pile.
You fell to the ground with a terrifying scream. The dust rose as you hit the earthy floor. 
The crew immediately stopped and several people came to your aid. James ran up to you, face strewn into concern and horror. He grabbed your shoulder and looked you in the eyes. 
“Y/n! Are you okay? That was quite a fall,” he said. You shook your head dismissively. 
God, that was so embarrassing. You had practiced it for weeks, and still managed to fail and waste all of these peoples time! 
“I’m good, it didn’t hurt that much,” you lied. Oh boy, it hurt. Your shoulder and arms hurt and most terrifyingly, your head hurt. But you had already wasted the crew’s time, you couldn’t postpone this by being whiney. 
“You sure?” James asked, seemingly not convinced. You gave him a smile, hoping it didn’t look too strained, as it fought through the needle-like, pulsing pain all over your body. 
The director asked if you could do it again and you agreed. You did the stunt right on the second take, and although it hurt like a bitch trying to do all of it after your fall, it was worth it. 
After the scene was short several times (to your anguish), the day was wrapped up and every started getting out of their costumes and getting ready to go home. 
You and James had gotten into the habit of walking back to the hotel together, and chatting along the way, so you grabbed your things and met him by the entrance. 
“Man, that was a hard scene, don’t you think?” James asked and you just hummed, arm wrapped around your stomach in order to cease the pain. “That was quite a fall you took there.” 
“Yeah..” you mumbled, stopping when something wet touched your face. Your brows furrowed and you touched your upper lip. Search your fingers you saw blood, and realized you were having a nose bleed. “Uh-”
“Alright, that’s it,” James said, turning your attention back to him. He looked fed up and, an emotion that was unfamiliar on his features, scared. “I’m driving you to the hospital.” 
“What? No- no!”
“Yes!” he said and without another word, he picked you up, making you groan in embarrassment. 
“James, this is so unnecessary, it’s just a little nosebleed!” you complained, thrashing in his arms, but quickly stopping once you felt how much that hurt. Instead, you tried to stay as still as possible in a comfortable position.
“It’s not, Y/n. You’ve been squirmin’ in pain all day, I can tell,” he said. You knew he’d figured you out, and while you still didn’t think it was worth a hospital visit, you knew you couldn’t argue with James. 
“All right, all right! I’ll go to the hospital, but only if you put me down!” You reasoned. James stopped, considering it for a moment, before lowering you to where you could stand for yourself. Again, the movement hurt you terribly, but you put on a brave face. 
James hitched you and him a taxi, and headed to the hospital as fast as possible in the constant traffic. You sat uncomfortably, holding your stomach and biting your lip to prevent yourself from groaning. 
“Fuck,” you whispered and gritted your teeth. James looked at you broodingly. 
“You shouldn’t hide stuff like that,” he said. You looked up and met his eyes. A sighed escaped your lips. “I’m very disappointed in you for hiding it. You’re obviously in pain, N/n.” 
“I know. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to waste everyone’s time.”
“Right, well, next time just waste their fuckin’ time! You realize you could be seriously hurt, right?” James’ voice only portrayed anger, but you could see on his face, clearly, concern and worry. The cars honked distantly outside the car. You said nothing. 
“I fucking mean it, Y/n. You can’t do this shit. Tell me that next time you’ll just say if you’re hurt,” James grabbed your hand and looked at you seriously, “Tell me.” 
A strange deja vu occurred, as your life somewhat resembled the movie. Then you looked at him and nodded, “All right. I promise.” 
James didn’t let go of your hand on the way to the hospital, squeezing it whenever you trembled in pain. When you did get in, he made an embarrassingly big deal out of it, demanding that you get checked out immediately. 
Relatively quickly (probably out of fear for the insane Scottish man you’d arrived with) you were looked at, and it turns out the fall had been quite serious, You’d fractured your arm and dislocated your shoulder. The doctor said you were lucky you hadn’t gotten any trauma to the head. 
When James was finally allowed in your room, you knew he’d gotten the news, because he had the biggest ‘I told you so’ look on his face. He gave you yet another lecture, but mostly he just hugged you and confessed how worried you’d made him. You apologized profusely, of course, because it was an absolute crime to worry such a sweet person. 
The incident had definitely made James more paranoid for the rest of the shooting, asking you each time you’d done a stunt if you were okay. You found it sweet though, and nice that he cared for you. Which he did, because you were like a sister to him, and it was over his dead body he would let you hide your pain from him.
___________________________
Tag List:
@hera-the-writer @marvel-madness @40srogcrs @whatthefuckimbisexual @ireadfanficforfun @snarky--starky @garbage-potato @eviemarvel​
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phoenixyfriend · 3 years
Text
Madara and Obito... In SPACE
So the preface to this mess: I don’t know jackshit about Star Wars, so a lot of this went through friends who do know Star Wars (the primary of which does not have a tumblr).
(I have watched Episodes 7&8, and Rogue One. Of the first six movies, I remember watching maybe an hour total. I have not seen more than snatches of Clone Wars. Beyond that, nothing but fic.)
Anyway! Let’s go:
As y’all probably know by now, my favorite form of crossover is what I call “intrusive,” so... I'm enjoying the mental concept of "dump Madara on Coruscant and watch him go." (Prequels, probably.)
Does Madara know what's going on? No. Can he understand a word that's being said? No! Is he going to fight the first person to aim a weapon at him, and every person after that? Yes.
Is Madara fighting fit?
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Nnnnnnnnnnnnnno, not really, he’s old as balls. This is "I was on cave life support but I'm getting back up to kick ass out of pure spite" Madara.
[Image description: A screenshot of a panel of the Naruto Manga. Uchiha Madara is old and visibly ‘decrepit,’ with spiky white hair and an amorphous black robe. He is sitting on a pale throne, and there is a scythe visible to the side. He has a speech bubble saying “I am... a ghost of the Uchiha.” End Description]
Two wrinkly old guys, staring each other down: There ain't enough room in this universe for the two of us. [Palpatine and Madara start fighting to the death]
Congrats, Palpatine! Your ass is getting kicked by a geriatric malcontent who doesn't speak any language you've ever heard or feel like literally anything in the Force. You may have Sith lightning, but do you have decades of frontline experiences and over half a century of cave-dwelling bitterness?
Both of them, simultaneously, in completely different languages: Get off my lawn, whipper-snapper.
Palpatine: Behold my mastery of the Dark Side, Foolish old man! Palpatine: [shoots lightning] Madara: Oh hey, you're like the seventeenth most dangerous person who can shoot lightning I've fought. Telekinesis? Fought that. Combat precognition? Fought that, have that, and let me tell you hwat, it doesn't help if you're opponent is just that much faster than you.
Now, I’ll take a step back and acknowledge that several people advised me that Palpatine would stand a chance against Madara, likely even win, if Madara just got hacked off of his life support and is down to one eye.
But. I want a shitpost, and also to clown on Palpatine, so Madara wins easily.
Madara also deserves to be clowned on, but the entire situation is clowning on him because he’s not in his cave anymore, and he really wants to go back to his Gedou Mazou statue.
Maybe Madara and Palpatine go Old Man Fight and then Obito just pulls a Ninja Move and kills Palpatine that way. Madara was ranting and Obito just. Ninjas behind Palpatine and slits his throat like “okay, you’re obviously evil so like... bye.”
(I just love causing "Wait what" reactions in characters that are used to having total control. Like. Have you read "Unexpected Guests"? The Bleach fic? Everything that happens in Hueco Mundo and after. That energy. I want that energy.)
Madara waves his scythe around like a cane. Obito just trails after like “Gramps, no” because it’s still pre-Sanbi, so he’s Mostly Innocent (you know, on the scale of how fucked up Obito is as a person), and just wants Madara to like. Stop.
Palpatine dies but nobody's sure what to charge Madara with since he did kind of expose a Sith? And Palpatine attacked first for [handwave] reasons?
Jedi: Well sir, in lieu of charging you with assassination of the emperor, we have decided to ask you politely to return to the elderly person's retirement home from whence you came. Please leave immediately. You are frightening the senate. Madara: [incomprehensible raving] Jedi: Yes yes, very interesting. Jedi, whispering: Does anyone know his caretaker???
Obito looks increasingly put-upon as events progress. You need Obito there to... well, not translate. Nobody can translate. But to at least poke Madara into being Slightly Less Homicidal.
Anakin seems sad about his friend dying and being evil so Obito challenges him to a spar. Madara and Obito get pulled into the Jedi Temple to help train Padawans? My first thought was "they wouldn't trust someone so obviously Weird, Crazy, and Incomprehensible around the younglings" and my second thought was "well they let Yoda do it and he's all those things so I mean? YEAH."
What if they put Madara in the bacta tank and he just freshened up like a daisy because of hand-wave Hashirama cell reasons (Blame Sir Tiddyface).
From “Decrepit and Reliant on Cave Tube Life Support” to “Will Call Down Meteors With Ease”
How many eyes does he have? Whatever’s funniest. Let’s say one Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and one Rinnegan, for maximum chaos.
Would "half my body is missing" Obito freak out if Bacta regrew his eye? Can bacta regrow something like that? When characters lose limbs they usually just get cybernetic replacements, but  the person I spoke with said that apparently they saw somewhere that that kind of thing can grow back it just takes a really long time.
I want to imagine bacta would help Obito with the Zetsu integration.
Anyway! Yes. Have Madara help train people despite being... Madara about it. You know... kind of a dick.
(I’d put example gifs but I don’t feel up to it. Y’all know what Madara’s “weakness disgusts me” ass is like.)
Obito had to get his "these fools could never make me sweat" sass from somewhere, after all.
Do you think Obito could fight the baby Jedi that are around his age while recovering? I have no idea what their skill level is at fourteen, but I want to imagine Obito sparring the Padawans.
Obito + Zetsu + Bacta = he still needs physical therapy but he can spar again!
Madara is delighted to have a baby ninja to bully. He's too old to not bully baby ninjas, and Obito is the only baby ninja. TBH Madara just makes Obito his assistant teacher.
Obito: What are we even doing here and how do we get home? Madara: I'm still working on that. Obito: But I want to go home and see Rin and Kakashi! Madara, who was like two days away from triggering the Sanbi plan: I'm working on it.
Something sticking in my mind rn is Ahsoka&Obito, since Obito is still Baby.
I think Obito would be excited to have someone his age that thought he was Cool and Talented for being able to do Chakra Things instead of writing him off as "the dead-last." Like, Rin is friends with him, but she doesn't look up to him as someone more/differently talented.  He'd be excited to get to be "The Mysterious Cool Big Bro" for once.
I feel I also just like the idea of Anakin not knowing what to do with someone Several Years Younger that is also. Ninja Skill.
Miscellaneous thoughts:
Madara is a grouchy old man even AFTER he gets effectively de-aged via bacta dunk, for the record. He's back in his prime and the Jedi have no idea how. They're all concerned about tiddyface*. (When are people not concerned about Sir Tiddyface, really.) The mokuton is a problem.
*Sir Tiddyface is that random Hashirama face that Madara had growing out of his pecs for like... convoluted bullshit reasons.
(Madara doesn't have mokuton, but he has enough Hashirama cells that it interacted very, VERY weirdly with the bacta.)
Obito spends the intervening weeks trying to learn the local language. He's very eager. Not particularly fast. Still doing it though!
I want Obito juggling kunai as physical therapy while he's waiting for Mads to get out of the bacta tank and just gains himself the adoration of a gaggle of small baby Jedi children.
Madara comes out of the bacta tank looking like he did in his prime (which I mentioned earlier but whatever), and it absolutely incites a yelling match of an argument that draws way too much attention.
Someone tries to teach Obito how to access the Force, just to see what happens. He almost turns into a statue because the philosophy behind Force meditation is only a few steps away from Sage Mode Meditation.
Anyway, Madara smacks him with a stick like Fukasaku to make sure Obito doesn't turn into stone.
Madara grumps about the lack of paper and brushes and ink. Bitches about it until someone hits up an antique store or something to get them for him. The day before he and Obito are dispatched on a mission with someone, probably Anakin for plot reasons, Madara very publicly seals things into a scroll and then tells them that no, they can't learn it, because the Force isn't chakra so fuuinjutsu won't work for them, so There.
Obito practices some Teen Rebellion (tm) and like, tries to teach the Padawan friends he's made how to do Chakra Things... but he's so bad at explaining things that nobody can get it to work even if it were possible.
In Obito's defense, language barriers. Not in Obito's defense, he's just really bad at words sometimes.
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bagelbright-tok · 3 years
Text
Reflection
Jotaro (3) x Fem!Reader
[FINISHED FIC]
Warning(s): Violence, descriptions of life threatening injuries, descriptions of blood, life threatening experience, trauma, descriptions of pure anguish, five stages of grief, depression, angst, poor writing, I did not double-check or reread anything.
Word Count: 1946
__
I’m Sorry.
__
It'd already been several hours since Polnareff burst out of the bathroom, panicking about an enemy attack. The enemy being the man with two right hands. The man who had slaughtered Polnareff's sister. It was understandable that he wanted to go off on his own to hunt down the monster, but it wasn't smart.
Not smart at all. In the hotel, in Jotaro's and your shared room, you expressed your worry.
"I'm so nervous. I've never been so full of anxiety." You say quietly, plopping on the bed. "I'm sure he can fend for himself, but not even he knew what the enemy's ability is."
"You need to stop worrying. It's his problem. He's the one who decided to go off on his own." Jotaro said calmly, in his usual monotone voice. He removed his hat, placing it on the nightstand. "He even said when we met him that he was coming with us to get revenge for his sister."
You sigh, finally laying down on the edge of the bed, "You're right. I guess I just get attached too quick," You admit with defeat, "I'll miss him. He was like the… the comedy break in this depressing trip."
"Hm." Jotaro agreed, removing his jacket and setting it wherever he could.
Jotaro got in bed and finally you decided to place yourself in a more comfortable position on said bed. 
____ You'd been dating Jotaro for about two years now. You've had your Stand, Knight's Cups, since you had been born. It was more of a defensive than offensive, but could do damage if used correctly.
Knight's Cups could create barriers. These barriers were usually cloudy but mostly clear. You could create as many as you wanted, but the more you created the more energy you used. The same applied to size. You could make a barrier around the entirety of the world, but that would kill you before you were a quarters way done. You tend to stick to singular barriers to protect yourself or singular barriers around the enemy to capture them in a way. In some cases, you could shrink the barrier with someone inside. This would obviously crush them to death. You had no limit as to how small you could make your barriers. As with most Stands, there was the downside. Your Stand was the barrier. If the barriers were actually penetrated or cracked, it would seriously harm you.
___
The next day, likely around lunch time. You, Jotaro, Joseph, Kakyoin, and Avdol were all sitting around the table, an extra seat bothering every single one of you. It was empty. It shouldn't be an extra seat. It should be occupied by the silver haired Frenchman. Avdol was most bothered by it. It was obvious in his silence and disturbed facial expressions.
Eventually, Avdol stood, "Excuse me, I need some air." He casually left the table and went outside.
After five minutes, you spoke, "He didn't just go out to get some air, did he?" You look up and around the table.
They all shook their heads. The somber mood turned tense as everyone stood up at once and rushed out of the building. Without another word spoken, everyone split up. Jotaro went one way, Joseph went another, Kakyoin took a different route, and you went running where your gut told you to go. Eventually, you felt relieved to see Avdol's familiar red robes in the distance. You caught up with him, and became happier when you saw him tackle Polnareff. Concern quickly took over though when you saw a bullet fly by, nearly missing Polnareff.
You jumped in front of them, using Knight's Cup to create a barrier just to cover you, Avdol, and Polnareff. A bang rang out, and you felt a small throbbing pain in your stomach. It felt like someone grabbed a piece of your skin and ripped it out. But nothing had actually hit you. You focus on the cloudy figure in front of you. A cowboy with a gun. He shot at your barrier, which really did nothing but pain you.
"Does this guy even have a Stand? He's shooting a gun-" You were confused until Polnareff interrupted,
"That is his Stand!" Polnareff got up and dusted himself off.
Avdol did the same. "Lower the barrier, [Y/N]. All three of us can take him on." Avdol began to summon his Stand.
Polnareff already had Silver Chariot out. You nod, and as you were about to remove the barrier, you felt a great pain in your backside. It was different than having your barrier hit. Something was physically stabbing your backside. You groaned as your body reacted by arching. Your barrier went down.
"[Y/N]!" Both Avdol and Polnareff yelled at once. They tried to rush to you, but another bang rang out.
Everyone was caught off guard. Avdol was shot in the head. He collapsed in front of Polnareff and beside you. You tried to remain standing as the sharp object within you was removed.
"Avdol!" Polnareff yelled out, now focusing his attention on Avdol. 
You tried to attack the cowboy with a barrier, but a bullet can move faster than you. You felt the horrendous pain of a bullet entering your chest and nearly piercing your heart. The blood spilling from your back had already soaked you in its warmth. It only got warmer when your chest began to bleed as well. You couldn't stay up anymore. You fell backward, now spilling blood in the dry sand of Calcutta. The sand easily soaked it all up.
"No! [Y/N]!" Polnareff was now knelt between you and Avdol.
"Polnareff! Avdol! [Y/N]!" Kakyoin had come running. Everything happened so fast. 
Kakyoin had arrived just as Avdol and you were shot. He could do nothing. Neither could Polnareff. In just one minute, two people had died. At least, that is what was believed.
__
You couldn't protect Avdol, you only hoped for the best. But you knew you couldn't beat a bullet. Your barrier had gone down and so when you saw where Hol Horse was aiming, you put a half barrier over your heart. You couldn't protect whatever damage Hanged Man had done. If you'd known Avdol was going to get shot at, you would have put a barrier around him.
Right now, your only chance of survival was not bleeding out. Unfortunately, Polnareff and Kakyoin didn’t realize you were still alive. They ended up driving off, away from Hol Horse but being chased by J. Geil. Little had you known, you would be rotting next to Avdol’s dead corpse. Soon, hope for survival diminished. You were slowly slipping. You didn’t know how you lasted as long as you did. As things began to fuzz between reality and the great beyond, you heard the commotion of people surround you and Avdol. You could hear Joseph and Jotaro speaking.
“A-Avdol..? [Y-Y/N]..?” It was a shell shock for the old man. He groaned in distress as he looked at his friends’ dead bodies.
Jotaro was most upset. He was staring right at his girlfriend’s corpse. Blood spilled from your back and your chest. He staggered.
“J-Jotaro… You shouldn’t have to see her like this..” Joseph looked over at his grandson with pity and sorrow.
“[Y/N].” Jotaro’s usual tone was dry, almost cracking under the wave of emotions that crashed into him, toppling his strong form.
The teen’s eyes were wide, full of horror, shock, and pure sadness. She couldn’t be dead. They were just eating an hour ago. She wasn’t dead. Jotaro took a step forward, falling to his knees in front of her lifeless body. Who had done this? If he were to find out, he’d give them Hell, and then some. He gritted his teeth. Why did this have to happen? To him? To her? To [Y/N]? Couldn’t he do something? Anything?! He had one of the most powerful Stands and yet all he could do was remain still and allow the depression to roll in. How could he further this journey to save a woman he loved when he would lose another lady he loved? How would he cope? He would just have to. Do what he did best. Bottle up his emotions.
But- there was something. Something his Stand’s hearing could pick up. He was shocked now. Less negative, more positively. Was it shallow breathing? A very faint heartbeat? Yes.
“Jotaro-” Joseph tried to comfort the teen, but Jotaro wasn’t having it.
“Shut it, old man.” Jotaro swung his hand up to Joseph, signaling for him to shut up. “I hear something.”
“Jotaro, I know it can be hard, I have experienced this before, but-”
“Shut up!” Jotaro yelled, “I think- I think [Y/N]’s alive.”
“What? Jotaro are you sure?” Joseph was shocked, but was doubtful. It could be denial, or perhaps Jotaro finally lost his marbles.
“Yes. I can hear her.” Jotaro quickly responded, shuffling back to his feet and scrambling to you. “[Y/N]. [Y/N]!” He took hold of your limp form and began to shake you a bit, slightly waking you.
You groaned out of reaction to the sudden movement. You still remained relatively unconscious. Jotaro was suddenly relieved. He sighed, almost chuckling out of happiness.
“A-- Avdo-l…” You slur out, barely able to really think.
“Is Avdol alive too?” Joseph was curious as he went over to his friend’s body.
Jotaro could only hear your life. Avdol was dead. Jotaro shook his head, relieved his love was alive, but sad his friend was dead. Right then and there, they had to figure out what to do. As immoral as it may be, you alive was more important than their already dead friend. But, they agreed that Jotaro would take you to treat your wounds while Joseph would bear the burden of having to give his fallen friend a shotty funeral.
***
You would awaken, alive, not necessarily well, but alive. You quickly shot up from your laid down position, immediately regretting it as pain soared from your back to your entire body. You suck on your teeth and groan, instantly falling back down onto the ground you were laying on. Jotaro was there, waiting for you to return to the world. The black haired teen quickly ran to your side, making sure you were okay.
“Are you okay? What happened?” He began to question you, still worried.
“I- Ugh- I’m fine, Jojo. Polnareff got attacked, me and Avdol-” At the mention of his name, you turned your head around to see if he was also there, “Where is Avdol? Is he okay? He got shot. Jotaro, Avdol got shot! Is he-!?” You began to panic quickly, almost breaking into a sob just remembering the scene.
Jotaro’s shaking of his head interrupted you. It left you speechless. A singular silent gesture left you gasping for words. You moved back to sitting up. You grabbed Jotaro and pulled him into a hug. Jotaro was surprised and fell into it, unsure of how to react. You grabbed at his back, getting a grip into his black jacket, basically clawing into his backside. You choked on the sobs that hiked through your throat. For a moment, Jotaro just let you break into him. Though the edgy teen did realize that maybe hugging back would be good. Cautiously and slowly, he wrapped his arms around you, hugging you back for comfort. He didn’t apply too much pressure due to the stab wound on your back and the small bullet wound in your chest.
Jotaro could really only utter two words for you; “I’m sorry.”
___
E N D
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What's the public general opinion about this?
I know they have mixed opinions, but what are the bad ones saying?
Is it like I suggested that can be implied? That All Might is a heartless man that kept smiling like nothing ever happened after his real son dissappear?
You know, the son that it is actually his, because Tenko is not an orphan (I feel the need to mark that), Tenko, even if he was abused he still had a family. Something that All Might and Inko decided to overlook when they present him like theirs in the heroes gala and when they were spending time with him instead of their really small child...
Their small child who was left to be completely raised for a Nanny but who still needed his REAL parents.
And was practically insolated of every family interaction outside and inside the family.
Man, when I planted like this... it does seem to paint the Yagis like unbelievable horrible parents.
Well, not like it is not true in the end.
The reporters would KILL for a story like this, right?
Everything's very hush hush and not enough of what Izuku said to All Might got caught on air, so people know the attacker sees All Might as personally responsible for how he got there, but most of the 'son' and 'he was a father' came across very well.
There's THEORIES of course that it's a 'love child' because obviously nobody knew that All Might was married, and when reporters look into it they find out that he had a son that went missing a couple years ago that matches the physical description and suspected age of the attacker so reporters start circulating that it's All Might's lost child coming back to kill him.
People are more interested in how All Might's child could become so warped rather than all the drama around it. People, are of course suggesting that he was abusive (which I mean...), some are saying that it was a revenge tactic from the enemy he was fighting (which they're right it was) or that it isn't even actually 'Yagi Izuku' and is instead a clone or a friend who got twisted after Izuku went missing and got turned towards villainy.
The people closest to the Yagi's and people who KNEW Izuku and saw the live news and KNEW right away who the knife wielding teen was aren't saying anything either; some because they're just so glad he's alive and had already unfortunately foreseen something like this happening or others who don't want anybody to know about what happened all those years. You can guess who's who.
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rexsjaigeyes · 3 years
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Hello, beautiful Divs! Congratulations on 1900!!! You deserve them all and more. Seriously, you're one of the nicest humans on this site, and I'm so happy to call you my friend.
As for my physical description: I'm on the tall side(5'7), long red hair, glasses, curvy(I got some big ol' hips), and I have one hand!! I'm sure you knew most of this but yeah 😌
I dress mostly in black, and I'd call my style casual goth with a mix of pinks and greens sometimes.
I like a guy(or girl! I'm bi af) whose maybe a little older than me(I'm 26), who's experienced, responsible, and level headed. I also tend to gravitate towards introverts because I'm an extrovert, myself.
Again, congratulations my beloved!! I'm so happy for you! 💘💖
Kendra my beloved, you are always so sweet to me tysm 🥺💕 ily bestie!! Now I could see this pairing very clearly in my mind, but apologies if I have trouble describing it well lmao
I ship you with Wolffe!
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Wolffe is exactly the type of partner you are looking for. He’s responsible, level-headed, and experienced in many things — not just battle. You can always count on him for anything, and he’s always there to protect you or support you in whatever way you need him to. He’s loyal and trustworthy, so you feel safe in your relationship with him.
He doesn’t like labeling himself as an introvert, but he is. Deep down, he knows that fact, but he hates it about himself. Obviously he can handle being in charge, giving orders, and talking to his brothers when necessary. But in social situations, he feels clueless. That’s why he likes being with you if possible, because you help him get out of his shell a little bit. And even when he’s being a big grump around others, you always get him to crack a smile somehow.
He likes the person he is when he’s around you. You make his heart beat faster, and he feels like a lovesick teen when he’s with you. But even with the butterflies in his stomach, he still knows how to rock your world.
Together, you two are the cutest (and hottest) couple. Your casual goth style fits well with his intimidating appearance, and he personally loves your fashion sense. You’re perfect in his eyes, and he adores you more than you realize.
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aikrus · 4 years
Text
Another Day, Another Life (Tenya Iida x Villain!Reader)
Fandom: Bnha / Mha  Warnings: Angst, amnesia, swearing, weed, coping with death, hallucinations  Words: 3,456 Requested by: No one, but requests are open!  Request/ Description: Casualties are expected in a war, but when a child dies no one is ready. No one knows how to react. The death of a teen can tear people apart, it can rip people into shreds to never be put together again, but is it better or worse if they’re not actually dead?
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          Toga was far from an ideal friend. She was clingy and rude, she talked too much and she cared primarily about herself. She was weird and difficult to get understand, and you never really knew where she stood. She wasn’t perfect, but having her was a blessing in disguise. 
“Y/n, we’re heading out, are you ready?” While she wasn’t perfect, she was pretty close to it. Himiko had a strange way with words, and she could always make the world feel smaller than it was. Her voice was like warm honey on a spoon; hazy caramel color and sweet, perfect for recovery.
“I’m ready, thanks for grabbing me,” Y/n wasn’t close to anyone. It was hard to get attached when the overwhelming threat of having friends ripped away from her grasp constantly loomed over her. She kept her distance, but it was hard not to get sucked into being friends with the blonde.
“Of course!” Her bright smile feels like it should be un-nerving, it holds malice and hatred, it’s the smile of a girl who has been rejected her entire life- but it almost makes others smile back. And so, Y/n’s face was covered with the rare grin; which had become scarce. 
“It really isn’t that big a deal, but Shigarki is getting trigger-happy. We should hurry, I’m pretty sure Dabi will set his hands on fire if we don’t leave soon!” Her voice dripped sugar, and Y/n found herself hurrying. She put her phone into her side pocket, and she secured her outfit. 
The pair walked out of Y/n’s assigned room, and they made their way to the group scattered around the bar. “I thought you all were ready? Let’s get a move on!” Y/n said, there was an unusual lightness to her tone.
The group had started to pass through the given portals Kurogiri had made for them, and one by one they stepped through. In the end, only Dabi and Y/n were left standing with the tall void-like man. 
“Hey,” the gruff man had grabbed a hold of Y/n’s y/s/c arm, and he had lightly pulled it back.
“What’s the deal, Dabi?” She asked, not rudely, but he could tell she didn’t appreciate the physical contact. They were far from close. When Y/n woke up, Dabi could tell something was off about her. Not wrong necessarily, she just had a very unique vibe that he felt was oddly familiar. 
“It’s just...” he sighed and shook his head, “Nevermind. It doesn’t matter.” 
Whatever it was that Dabi was going to tell her obviously didn’t matter that much, so she shook it off and went through the portal. 
“You feel it too, don’t you?” Kurogiri looked him in the eyes with a knowing gleam in his eyes.
Dabi nodded and walked through the portal- it would be cruel to tell her- he decided as soon as he saw her laughing with Toga. She has no memory of it, and she just recently started to act like herself again, why would I ruin that for her?
Amnesia was a tricky situation for anyone to deal with. It was dangerous to the person suffering from it, due to how trusting and gullible they become- but it is significantly worse for those of them who have their memories of the victim intact.
Dabi was one of those lucky people- so is the majority of the other people on the team. They can all think back to at least one memory of the spunky girl they have grown to care for. She was always so strong, yet somehow she was always overshadowed by her over-zealous classmates. Those stars that tried to outshine her magnificence- Dabi could only hope they would burn out soon.
He had been one of the first to meet the girl, and boy was she hard to forget. If her physical appearance didn’t grab his attention- her striking y/e/c eyes and flawless y/h/c hair- her quirk definitely did. 
GateKeeper was a well-known up-and-coming hero and student at UA’s school for future hero’s, she was the receiver of the most interning opportunities, and she was respected by almost everyone. Named after her quirk, GateKeeper- or rather, Y/N, is able to access the gates between different planes. 
She can visit the gates of hell, she can see the holy light of heaven, she can see the Mormon’s different kingdoms and the fields of Aaru. She can walk along the banks of river Styx with those about to be reincarnated. 
She can see spirits or those who have passed, and she can comfort those who have lost love ones. With this power, she has been given the ability to have the power of those who have died where she is standing. She can call on the remaining spirits to help her, and she has the power to reap souls. 
Dabi had spent countless hours thinking about the girl who froze him in place- she showed him his worst fear and didn’t bat an eye. She was fierce and protective of all the other students, she stood in front of them and, with her small undead army of soldiers who could never move on, defended them till her last breath. If only she had died.
The fight hadn't lasted long, the pros took out most of the b-tier criminals, and the students were fighting here and there. With All-might out of the picture, it was anyone's guess how the fight would go.
Who would have thought that a single girl who wipe the floor with them? Ahh yes, in a flash of light she managed to subdue the vast majority of the villains, if only she hadn’t lost consciousness- then maybe she wouldn’t have been snatched away so easily. 
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It was hard to believe that Iida would skip school. For the first handful of days after the attack, he dragged himself to his classes- half-conscious and unwilling to be aware of his surroundings.
Eventually having to push himself to get out of his bed- let alone go to school- grew too much for him. He settled with walking to the canteen when everyone else was out to get food before going back to his room. 
He was never one for dramatics, but Iida knew there was nothing he could do. He had failed her, the love of his life slipped through his fingers- never to be seen again.
Day after day he listened to a voicemail left months before the incident- he was never happier for his phone to be dead than when he knew he could hear her talk to him again. 
And while Iida had his outlet for his sadness, his classmates were going more and more concerned with every passing minute. 
Midoriya would double take when he heard her voice through his wall, and, silently, he would press his ear against it just so he could make-believe she was still with them.
“Hey, Tenya! I guess you’re busy huh? Haha! It’s so weird to talk to your voicemail- I’ve never had to before. Well, I miss you! Remember that just because it’s Christmas and I’m not with you doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to celebrate with your other friends!
I just want to remind you how much I love you! You are such a great boyfriend, and I’m glad that you’re mine. I was planing on FaceTiming you while we have Christmas dinner, but since I can’t I guess this will have to do~
Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight
We're happy tonight
Walking in a winter wonderland
Gone away is the bluebird
Here to stay is a new bird
To sing a love song
While we stroll along
Walking in a winter wonderland
In the meadow, we can build a snowman
We'll pretend that he is Parson Brown
He'll say, are you married?
We'll say, no man
But you can do the job when you're in town
Later on, we'll conspire
As we dream by the fire
To face unafraid
The plans that we've made,
Walking in a winter wonderland”
She cleared her throat and laughed a little, “That was really awkward, but I hope you’ll accept my mini Christmas gift! I’ll wait to open the one you got me until I’m with you again. I love you Tenya, merry Christmas!”
Once again, the shrill ring of an ended voicemail echoed through his room. Wiping away a stray tear- Iida sat down at his desk.
Everything had been going so perfect, everything was going exactly to plan. His brother had been in recovery, they had been going smoothly, classes had finally declared winter-break, and then... everything fell apart. The storm had been brewing, and brewing, and then it came- and then it destroyed everything in its wake. 
It’s hard to accept a loss that you didn’t see happen. He didn’t get the goodbye, or the I’ll never let go. There was no body to hold on to, no one in the casket which was lowered to the ground. Nothing to show that his lover was gone- only the empty dorm room and phone number that gave no answer. 
The school had opened it’s doors during winter break for all the students and parents to come. Some of her closest friends only ever saw her in the hallow walls of UA, and now they didn’t have the chance to see her anywhere else.
There was really no good way to deal with it. ‘It’. Iida despised that word now- ‘it’ was the only way people described the death of his girlfriend. As if death was a taboo word, ‘it’ was all people talked about and yet their words meant nothing. 
Tenya was doing his best- fighting every single fucking day at a time. He hated what he had turned into. He hated the state of being that he devolved to be. Every trait she adored about her boyfriend diapered.  Failing to go to class and snapping at those that came close enough to bother him. He had always gotten cold when faced with misery, resolved and retreated in himself- he had never seen himself as someone who would take up smoking to feel better.
Weed always seemed so far beneath him, it felt like something nothings did to feel better about themselves instead of working hard at bettering themselves, but now even Denki wasn’t eager to help him. Last time he visited the blonds room Kaminari rejected him, saying that he wasn’t getting high in the right way and that he was worried Iida would become a drug abuser with how things were turning up. 
Tenya hated himself more that night. He hated himself and he hated everyone else. He hated Uraraka, who coped with baking Y/n’s favorite cookies and eating them to the movie they would watch during their own girl’s night. 
He hated Momo too, she still got straight A’s and seemed to be just fine- pretending like we didn’t hear her obnoxious sobs at two am. He hated Mina too- she had no place wearing Y/n’s hoodie to school everyday. It was a shitty thing to do. 
He’s pissed at Deku as well- Midoriya the hypocrite. Knocks on his door every day with his missed classwork and with his judgement, pressuring him to leave his room. Everyone knows his grade’s have gone down since her death so who is he to talk about attending class. 
He hates Bakugo, who only ever yelled at her even when she joked around with him- who’s words she laughed at but really made her drown in her insecurities when she was suppose to be secure in her boyfriends arms. Fuck Bakugo, for glaring at her empty seat next to him like he didn’t openly mock her when she got a grade lower than him. Fuck him for screaming at 3am and breaking the school punching bags. Fuck him for feeling bad after hurting her. Fuck him for being her friend. Fuck him for giving a shit. Fuck everyone.
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Aizawa sighed once he sat at his desk. Classes would start in half and hour and he was still crying. His silent tears burned down his cheek and all he could fell was the raw aching in his throat and the headache that felt like it was killing him slowly. 
He saw it then. In that classroom starring at her desk, he can see it happening. 
The cold breeze had moved his hair into his face, giving the villain a second outside of his hold. One second- yet it was long enough for him to disappear into the ground. 
“Dammit,” he hissed, looking around him. 
He heared Mic’s screech at a crowed of them on his left, and the majority of his students stood tall on his right. Everything was chaotic, but a Nomu appeared from the forest line everything exploded. 
He felt a familiar chill crawl over his skin, signifying Y/n using one of her ultimate moves ‘Fallen Heros’. AS what looked like hundreds of dead warriors of different generation’s rose from the ground- some in modern military uniform and others in ancient armor- and surrounded the giant Nomu. 
More appeared- in uniquely them outfits. They were the dead pro-heroes, the ones who passed during a fight they’ll never get to finish. The ones who either dine at Valhalla or will never be at peace after failing. 
A woman with black hair flew as she fought- with more ease than the others that were in spirit form. It was safe to assume that this was her quirk. The other that sent momentary shock waves through the gathering was Sir Nighteye, who waisited no time wiping out the waves of villains. 
Aizawa took notice of Y/n’s body floating in mid-air. The cost of her quirk- she had to keep note of all those she called upon. If one of the fallen are out of her sight for too long her body replicates what the dead’s went through, and she would eventually die from the injury. 
The dead soldiers ended the battle very suddenly, and, as their spirits returned to the afterlife, a large explosion of dust swallowed the crowed. 
Once they could all see, and the hectic environment calmed, Iida’s voice cut through the air. He was screaming as loud as he could, frantically running around the field of people. 
“Y/n!” He had shouted, his voice becoming horse. “Y/n!” Everyone became deathly pale and still as the horror of realization came upon them. She was gone. 
“Y/l/n?” Aizawa had shouted, starting the shove peoples shoulders to get to where she was. 
“Y/l/n now is NOT the time to play games!” He had hopefully prayed. His face fell along with his voice as he made it to where she had been floating. A scorched square of land had taken her place. 
His mind tried to go back and see the rose dead she had summoned, he looked frantically for a scorched soldiers face, but he couldn't find one. Even then it wasn’t hard to guess at what had happened.
No one near her had heard her screams, but with the noise coming from everyone in the dust storm, it would be unlikely that they would have been heard whether she screamed or not. 
He was right there. He saw her. He was less than three yards away. How did he let this happen?
He remembers looking around for a corpse of a soldier, but he wondered if, with Y/n dead, they would be able to live anyway. 
He pinched the bridge of his noes, wiping away the pools of tears from his stinging eyes. Rubbing them with his palm, his vision blurs when he looks up. Yet, even with the lines blurring, what he sees is unmistakable.
“Y/n?” He asked, seeing her figure sit on the top of her desk. 
“Calling a student by their first name,” she teased lightly, “how unprofessional,”
“Are you...” he stopped and starred at her, “Are you really here? Is this a part of your quirk?” 
“C’mon Eraserhead, like I would know. If you’re right then you’re right. If you’re wrong then I’m just a fixation of your brain and I wouldn’t know it,” She tried to reason, hopping off of her desk. 
“Damn... you’re right. I’m going batshit crazy,” he sighed, closing his eyes again.
“So,” Y/n smirked, walking up to his desk and bending over, placing her hands on her locked knees, “Wanna talk about why you’re fantasizing about your dead, female, super fucking hot, student?”
He groaned out annoyed and clawed at his eyes, “Why the fuck is that happening? I hate that, I hate this, cut this shit out!” He shouted, pushing his hand into his covered corneas. 
“What shit out?” Hizashi asked, stepping into his classroom.
“Nothing Mic, just overthinking,” he responded, slamming his eyes open looking for his student. 
“Alright Shouta, just remember that I’m across the hall if you ever need to talk,” 
Sighing once he noticed Y/n had vanished, he wondered if this was confirmation that he was hallucinating. Needless to say, Y/n definitely responded to her situation exactly how he would expect her to when she figured out her action’s had no consequence- like a little shit who needs to be put into detention. 
God, even thinking that last sentence made Aizawa feel dirty. He’ll definitely need to scrub his skin red after that. 
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Breakfasts in the mornings have changed a lot since school opened back up. Y/n was always made a plate of food and a drink every morning, it varied in who made it every couple days. No one vocalized what the food at her usual spot on the couch meant, but it was an unspoken rule that it would stay undisturbed. 
No one was entirely sure who cleaned it up when they were in class. They were pretty sure it wasn’t Iida, the seat was clear even when he was in class with them. 
Everyone missed her voice in the mornings. Whether she was complaining about late nights (to which Denki or Mina would yell get some in her direction after) or she was cracking jokes to help wake everyone up, her voice still rung in the air leaving a hole of silence where it once was. 
People’s sentences often drifted off half way through as their eyes caught themselves on her corner seat, where she once curled up into half a ball as she placed her plate of breakfast on top of a throw pillow. 
As people would shuffle off to class, everyone would throw a look over their shoulder and give a moment of their time to the friend they would never get to see again. 
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Taking one more look at the lock-screen of a phone she couldn’t unlock, she wondered who it was on her screen. A boy with strikingly unique features had white ice cream smeared from his noes down to his lips, and a small smirk was percent on his face. Lights from a Ferris Wheel and fairy lights lit up the dark night sky behind him, and what looked like her knuckles were in front of the camera, showing their interlocked fingers. 
It was a cute photo, but it was so foreign to her it made Y/n wonder if the phone was even hers. She sighed after staring at the keypad, asking for her password. The face id had been disabled after it shut off, and all she could do was hope she would remember what is was.
“You okay?” Toga asked, placing a hand on Y/n’s shoulder. 
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she responded, taking in the forest clearing Toga had taken her off to, splitting off from the rest of the group. “What are we doing here Himiko?”
“The other members want to know how much control you still have over your quirk. They thought I would be the best person for you t be around when we do this,” She explained, a soft smile on her face as she explained. 
“Huh,” Y/n had a few thoughts running around in her mind, “Shigiraki didn’t want you to tell me did he?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?” She teased, a wide smile on her face.
“I dunno... it felt like someone whispered it in my ear, if that makes sense?” 
“Who knows, that could be one of the parts of your quirk,”
“What exactly is my quirk?” She asked, glaring at one of the birds near them who had grown to be too loud. 
“It’s kinda hard to explain. The easiest way that I know how to explain it is that you’ve got a strong connection to the dead. You can talk to them, visit them I think, and most importantly you can summon them to fight for you,”
“Fight for me?” Y/n echoed. She wasn’t quiet sure why, but that phrasing felt weird... it almost felt off... 
“Yup!” Himiko cheered, bouncing slightly. 
“Alright,” Y/n sighed, shaking her arms, “Let’s give this shit a try,” she declared, moving her arms slowly from beneath her hips, struggling to get them above her waist.
In front of her, a muddy figure rose from the ground, it’s shoulders cracking as it took a deep breath of clean, fresh, air.
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songs on taylor swift’s LOVER (2019), a concept album about eliot waugh and quentin coldwater from SYFY’s the magicians, rated by how much they are about eliot waugh and quentin coldwater from SYFY’s the magicians
i forgot that you existed - lmao these dummies will never be over each other. bumped a bit because it would be good on the soundtrack for the fic i still kinda want someone to write where eliot gets brainwashed by the dark king who for god’s sake is not trying to bring back to life his beloved who died because of homophobia and gets catfished by his dead brother but is just a supernatural evil despot manipulating eliot’s pain and erasing his memories of quentin only to be defeated of course by the power of true love. weak showing to start but things quickly improve. 2/10
cruel summer - this is a song about being out of your mind with horniness for someone you would rather die than admit you’ve caught feelings for, which is.... VERY queliot. love eliot watching quentin at a hotel vending machine at night and insisting to himself, “i’m not dying.” good for a non-beast AU where quentin dates alice and eliot dates some non-possessed normie boy and they both get dumped finals week and get obliteratingly drunk in the physical kids’ cottage as bros and hook up and wake up like “LOL haha rebound sex” and then it happens again and they’re like, sure, you know, why not, you’re heartbroken, i’m heartbroken, let’s help each other forget about it by fucking like rabbits, except of course by august eliot is drunk in the back of the car crying like a baby coming home from the bar because he is not fine about all the times he has told quentin it’s fine. ALTERNATELY this is actually just quentin in the mosaic timeline after they hook up and he wakes up in the morning totally ready to talk about how they’re dating now and eliot is like LET’S NOT OVERTHINK THINGS and quentin’s like, haha yeah ok! and they keep having mindblowing outdoor sex but like as bros and quentin regrets every waking moment agreeing to pretend not to overthink things with his best friend who is amazing in bed and who also he is definitely falling in love with. “breakable heaven” is a good description of the mosaic timeline, because many pieces and because it broke by never happening. bonus point because “i love you, ain’t that the worse thing you ever heard?” is SO eliot and also SO quentin in related but distinct ways. 8/10
lover - UGH!!!! SO QUELIOT!!!! “have i known you twenty seconds or twenty years” vs. “i bond fast, time is an illusion.” “can i go where you go” for two people who have been thrown together and torn apart so many times is wildly romantic. “my heart’s been borrowed and your heart’s been blue” = i dated a possessed guy and then became a possessed guy and you are chronically depressed. “you’ll save all your dirtiest jokes for me” is all about eliot’s smirks. i ALREADY have feelings about taylor swift, a human being who spent most of her adult life ruled by the lingering wounds of having been uncool in eighth grade, putting in her big sweet love song the line, “and at every table i’ll save you a seat,” but i have SO MANY MORE feelings when i apply that to quentin coldwater, who ate lunch in the bathroom on days that julia was absent because of the horror of finding somewhere to sit in the high school cafeteria. 9/10
the man - margo says she hates this song because it’s white feminism but whenever she gets drunk at karaoke she makes quentin sing it with her. he always flips his hair on “i’d be just like leo in st tropez,” because he is the only other person besides taylor swift in america uncool enough to think that’s still a reference that conjures up associations of a sexy awesome playboy. 3/10
the archer - FUCKING!!!!!!!!!!! GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is... ok. ok. i’m calm. this is the eliot song of all time. “i’m ready for combat / i say i don’t want that / but what if i do” is about eliot’s reactivity and his fear that on some level he wants to blow everything up more than he wants to be loved. we don’t know what started the fight we see in the mosaic timeline but what we glimpse is very “cruelty wins in the movies”: this impulse to win by pushing the other person away to avoid your own vulnerability. “i’ve got a hundred thrown out speeches i almost said to you” is eliot unpossessed after quentin is alive but before he and alice have broken up thinking about all the apologetic true love confessions he made charlton watch him rehearse. “i search for your dark side / but what if i’m alright right right right here” is about refusing to believe in good things because they are so threatening when your formative experiences of love and family were so unsafe. “i cut off my nose just to spite my face / and i hate my reflection for years and years” is, quite literally, just the exact plot of 4x05. “i wake in the night / i pace like a ghost / the room is on fire / invisible smoke” is more A+ abandonment issues content, and i can’t even TALK about “all of my heroes die all alone” in the context of eliot waugh who FULLY has on MANY occasions raised a toast to living fast dying young and leaving a beautiful corpse and has never himself been wholly sure exactly how much he was kidding. “all the king’s horses and all the king’s men / couldn’t put me together again / cuz all of my enemies started out friends” is first of all a very funny thing for a former high king of fillory to say, and second upsetting because MOSAIC, PIECES, MINOR MENDINGS, ELIOT SEES HIMSELF AS A BROKEN THING, and third devastating because of how much of the Trauma Chalkboard involves times eliot has betrayed other people. ok FINE we can start talking about the refrains now, even though they CAUSE ME THE MOST PAIN. “help me hold on to you” is the subtext of every post-4x13 queliot fic for the very good reason that it’s the most vulnerable and beautiful and real thing eliot could ever say. “i’ve been the archer / i’ve been the prey” is again about eliot as a person full of regret for all the ways he has lashed out in his life against people other than the ones who wounded him so deeply. “screaming who could ever leave me darling / but who could stay” is sooooo eliot, with the drama and affect of it all (“darling!”), and the performed belief in his own excellence combined with his deep insecurity. “they see right through me” is about how he’s secretly afraid everyone can smell on him that he grew up on a farm in indiana, “can you see right through me” is about both fearing and hoping that quentin will see all of him, “i see right through me” is about how hard he’s lied to himself about wanting love. the best song in the world probably. 20/10.
i think he knows - my favorite thing about adult taylor swift referencing anything about adolescence is that taylor swift had a totally deranged abnormal adolescence because she spent the whole thing first trying to be famous and then actually being outrageously famous. so i love it when she says “it’s like i’m 17 nobody understands,” because when she was actually 17 she was dating a jonas brother for like 3 months and then writing break-up songs that made it sound like she was never that into it, so it’s like this idea of being 17 and hormonal in some kind of normal context where you actually are thinking about sex all day instead of meeting with your branding team. this is a fun idea to extrapolate to eliot & quentin, who were both miserable at 17 and never got the experience of devoting your brain full-time to all-consuming horniness for the first person to ever give you an orgasm, but who can now experience that with each other. also “his hands around a cold glass make me wanna know that body like it’s mine” is a queliot line because of my very strong personal headcanon that eliot is obsessed with quentin’s hands. 6/10
miss americana and the heartbreak prince - see above re: tswift & teenhood. "when i was 16 / lost in a film scene” is even better because actual teen taylor swift spent many hours of her life literally acting out on film these like pathologically normative high school scenarios that she never lived because she dropped out after ninth grade, and because this song is all about like, image vs reality but is also itself a fantasy? fucked up and weird, i love it. taylor swift spent so many years portraying her specific teen shame as being about her deep dweebery and i think it’s really funny that in this song she is still an outcast but now it is because she is like, too sexy and misbehaving, both through the line “they whisper in the hallways she’s a bad bad girl” and by setting it to basically a lana del rey track. i feel like this is a very eliot move, to rewrite your own history of exclusion as more glamorous and flattering than it was, to portray yourself as like this debauched rebel instead of a sad gay kid in a homophobic environment. eliot obviously was never enamored with this kind of stock teen americana imagery the way taylor was, but i think he has that same tension of deeply resenting one image while being very drawn to another one. extra point because “heartbreak prince” is such a hilarious and amazing way to describe quentin. 7/10
paper rings - good song for a very chill no-beast AU. “i like fancy things but i’d marry you with paper rings” is very eliot. it’s cute to imagine eliot reading all of the books besides quentin’s bed not because he likes them but because he wants to get to know quentin better. “i want your dreary mondays” is a nice thing for either of these dudes to hear. 5/10
cornelia street - all songs about being overwhelmed and terrified by love are about eliot waugh!!!!! especially songs where someone does something casually that is clearly not casual at all. it rules that both of the key metaphors in the verses are extremely quentin images: fresh page on the desk / card sharks playing games. stories and magic! thinking about eliot and quentin barefoot in a kitchen together makes me want to cry, for normal reasons. 8/10
death by a thousand cuts - i have to be honest, for a long time i thought it sucked that the best song on this album was actually not about queliot, but then i saw the light and realized that this is a song about how totally incomprehensible it is that you’re supposed to just move on with your life when someone you loved absolutely is no longer yours, so ACTUALLY, this song is totally about quentin after the mosaic! “i ask the traffic lights if it’ll be alright / they say i don’t know.” trying to be normal while secretly dying inside. “i look through the windows of this love, even though we boarded them up / chandelier’s still flickering here” = i said it was chill when you compartmentalized our 50 years as soulmates as something that happened to other people but actually the me i am right now wants you real bad! “what once was ours is no one’s now” because it happened in an alternate timeline that never existed. “you said it was a great love / one for the ages / but if the story’s over / why am i still writing pages” = you said it was kind of beautiful but also that wasn’t really me but if so then why do i want to bone you so bad. gets even more fucked up if you extend it properly into season 4. MY HEART MY HIPS MY BODY MY LOVE / TRYING TO FIND A PART OF ME THAT YOU DIDN’T TOUCH: a line i can only ever type in all-caps and about which i can say nothing because it is perfect. “gave up on me like i was a bad drug” is also very quentin reflecting bitterly on eliot. saying goodbye to your possessed ex is death by a thousand cuts because that’s how many times the monster sockpuppeting his body is going to randomly show up in your apartment covered in blood. the morning comes and you’re not my baby, because you have been possessed. flashbacks waking me up because i have PTSD now from watching your body murder like 80 people.  8/10
london boy - lmao. no 0/10
soon you’ll get better - I Feel Weird Jokingly Assigning A Rating To Taylor Swift’s Very Sad Song About How Taylor Swift’s Actual Mom Has Actual Cancer Based On How Much It Relates To A Fictional Couple In Which One Person Has A Parent Who Dies Of Cancer So I’m Going To Rate This Not Applicable. N/A. great song tho
false god - jesus, does she really go london boy / soon you’ll get better / false god? her sequencing is so deranged. anyway i know i was JUST talking about my interest in fic where quentin and eliot get together but don’t necessarily talk out every single one of their 800 issues in the timespan covered by the story, but this song about make-up sex is still not very queliot to me, possibly because i cannot get past the dorkiness of taylor swift calling herself new york city. “you can't talk to me when I'm like this / daring you to leave me just so I can try and scare you” is pretty good though. “if you want to live your life live it here...” damn eliot waugh and taylor swift really are like the same person on the level of psychological architecture. i know i keep saying it but it keeps freaking me out. 4/10
you should calm down - eliot unfollowed jonathan van ness on twitter after the video for this came out. he unfollowed antoni too but then refollowed him because he’s hot.  -1000000/10.
afterglow - so THIS song about fighting actually DOES have very queliot vibes. and it’s funny, because i keep talking about eliot’s fear of lashing out and hurtfully pushing away people he loves, and i think he does have that impulse (”if you want to live your life live it here...” what did you MEAN eliot), and i also think he’s SUPER afraid of that within himself, partly because of how the dynamics of his childhood make anger and conflict really fraught for him... but actually the character we more often see being a huge dick because of his own issues is, in fact, quentin, and that is who this song about. we all know i am obsessed with the scene where quentin comes sheepishly back to alice apologizing for being an asshole because it’s so vulnerable and honest and such a powerful moment of growth for him... as robbed as i feel of like tearfully joyful queliot reunions i also feel robbed that we never got to see quentin and eliot have a moment like that together! 7/10
me! - absolutely not. -30/10
it’s nice to have a friend - i like this song but the way taylor talks about it always makes me kind of sad, because she draws this equivalence between being excited about a friend as a kid and being excited about romance as an adult that really does make it sound like she thinks in adulthood romance takes over a place that friendship used to occupy, instead of co-existing with it... but she’s also talked a lot about the importance of finding who her real friends are so idk maybe i’m being too hard on her and also oversensitive because of certain plot developments. “call my bluff / call you babe” is cute. card sharks! pet names! 5/10
daylight - R U KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE QUELIOT ANTHEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! two people who have been hurt and hurt others, who have spent a long time running away from their own hearts, who have been confused about what they want... “i wounded the good and i trusted the wicked / clearing the air i breathed in the smoke” about every mistake and regret and fuck-up... “maybe you ran with the wolves and refused to settle down / maybe i’ve stormed out of every single room in this town”... the trauma chalkboard, the fight outside the hedge bar... the people you become to try to erase the person you’re afraid you are... and then! “throw out our cloaks and our daggers because it’s morning now / it’s brighter now”... to find peace in the person you never need to hide yourself from... the transformative power of letting yourself be seen... “i can still see it all in my mind / all of you all of me intertwined”... i can still remember this other life that never happened which matters not because it’s where i fell in love with you but because it’s where i revealed my whole self and learned that whole self could be loved.... and of course above all most crucially, “i once believed love would be burning red / but it’s golden / like daylight”... the very beautiful story the magicians accidentally almost told was a story about letting go of the narratives you’ve been taught to want and realizing that as much as real life and hard and scary it is also lovelier than any of those wan old stories... “i wanna be defined by the things that i love, not the things that i hate, or the things that i’m afraid of”... please!!!!!!! 100000000000000/10
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fvckyouimaprophet · 4 years
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FanFic asks! F, G, H, I, K, M, O, P, R, S, T, W, X, and Y!
omg, ash! ily! you always send me so many, and i appreciate it so much. since this is dreadfully long, though, i’m gonna put it under a read-more.
F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.
I shared one already here. But I’ll share another, ha.
He followed them through the kitchen and past the study until he saw two silhouettes in the balcony. They were speaking at no louder than a whisper, but Harry and his mother stood a foot apart, their faces barely lit by the embers of their cigarettes.
“I’m worried that it’ll be more difficult than either of us can imagine.” Harry’s voice was low enough that Draco had to strain to hear. His heart felt tight in his chest as he took shallow breaths, afraid that anything too deep might give him away to them.
“Whatever it is, he can take it.” Narcissa stretched her arm out and tapped the cigarette holder, ashes falling beyond the balcony to the grounds beneath.
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
“How?”
“Because he has to. He has no other choice.” His mother’s typically stiff posture wavered, and Harry lifted his hand, moving carefully and slowly until it was on top of Narcissa’s, both of them clutching the balcony rail.
“I’ll take care of him.”
“I know.”
- - -
I really enjoy writing Harry and Narcissa, both strangers who have taken leaps of faith to trust one another, tied together by their love for Draco.
Generally, I find Narcissa difficult to write. She’s formal and stiff, and the way she shows affection isn’t straightforward. But you do her a diservice if you don’t acknowledge that beneath the straight face and put-upon manners, she has the capacity to love deeply and fiercly.
G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?
I answered that here.
I: Do you have a guilty pleasure in fic (reading or writing)?
Nah. I’m less of a reader than a writer of fic, but I’m actually pretty open about it. Obviously, not with everyone, but I think I’ve been more open than most with it since high school. My parents found out when I was like 16, and after they just kinda shrugged it off, I stopped being secretive about it, lol.
K: What’s the angstiest idea you’ve ever come up with?
God, as a teen, all I did was write angst. Most of it was pretty offensive in retrospect, so let’s go down that memory lane. 
I had the fic where Blaine and Sebastian get kidnapped and drugged, and Blaine thinks he and Sebastian fall in love over the course of months, but he finds out (once he’s rescued) that Sebastian was dead the whole time.
There’s the Niff fic with early-onset Alzheimer's, which is just about as tasteful as you’re imagining.
One of my first 10 fics was a Draco/Blaise fic in which they're in an emotionally (and physically I think?) abusive relationship in which Blaise uses Draco for sex.
There are at least 10 other fics that were illness-based, involved kidnapping, use the "it was all in [character a’s] head” trope, or feature major character death.
And then there are the additional 10+ fics that are just break-up or post-break-up fics.
M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?
I have a multichap Cheryl/Toni (Riverdale) fake dating AU that will eventually come to fruition—I hope. 
Essentially, there’s a yearly exclusive senior soiree across all sororities, and although Cheryl gets invited, the rules have been changed to be couples only. She’s furious because 
She’s been hooking up with a few women. The one she jives with the most is Toni, but they’re not exactly close friends. They start fake dating, but the woman organizing the event doesn’t believe them and is threatening to revoke Cheryl’s invitation.
As a response, Cheryl decides that they have to spend way more time together to make it realistic. They both complain that it’s interfering with their lives, but after Cheryl catches Toni at a club with another woman, she realizes that she’s oddly jealous (although she disguises it under the guise of being angry that Toni almost blew their cover).
By the time the event comes around, they’ve genuinely fallen in love, but because they’re both stubborn, they try to go back to how they were after it’s over. They’re both miserable with it and eventually admit their feelings.
O: How do you begin a story–with the plot, or the characters?
I answered that here.
P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?)
I answered that here.
R: Are there any writers (fanfic or otherwise) you consider an influence?
Tony Kushner and Oscar Wilde. I aspire to their level of banter. Also, with Kushner, he’s really great at dropping you in the middle of a relationship (romantic or platonic) and just having you feel the weight of everything that came before you. Just one line, and I’m unraveling. I want to be able to do that.
Otherwise, it kinda changes with the times. When I was younger, it was more lyrical authors. I’m more dialogue-driven now, so it’s occasionally playwrights, but mostly it’s something that’s concise yet still emotional/descriptive.
I don’t think I emulate it at all with fic, but The Great Gatsby is the platonic ideal of writing for me. It’s evocative (the scene with the curtains wafting while Daisy and Jordan smoke opium puts me in a trance!), subtle and intentional (the queer subtext in the elevator scene), and it doesn’t ever linger in a moment for too long.
S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?
I answered that here.
T: Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?
I answered that here (in great depth, lol).
W: Do you like more general prompts or more specific ones?
Hmm, I enjoy a good mix of both. I always end up getting more into specific prompts than I think I will, and it allows me to write stuff I likely wouldn’t otherwise. But I enjoy the freedom that comes with a prompt that’s just like “Wolfstar coffee shop AU”.
That said, when it is specific, I don’t really want to be told what the begnining, middle, and end of my fic should be. I’m cool with a specific set-up, but unless I ever did a giveaway, I want the room to make my own choices within it.
X: A character you enjoy making suffer.
I like a lot of asshole men (Draco from Harry Potter, Sebastian from Glee, Connor from HTGAWM, etc). I feel like I make them suffer a lot, which is partially because they deserve it because they can be selfish, callous, and even occasionally cruel (also, Draco was a wizard Nazi, basically). But it’s also because I really enjoy seeing closed-off characters pushed into situations where they have to confront their emotions and are essentially forced into vulnerability. 
All that said, while I’ve stayed away from angst lately, Sirius and Remus lend themselves so easily to heartache.
Y: A character you want to protect.
All women—whoops. Most female characters are treated awfully by fandom, and I just want to see them happy. Especially if I’m writing something sapphic, those communities are already so much smaller within most fandoms, so I’d rather just focus on their joy. For example, Luna/Ginny is a relatively popular sapphic HP fic, but it has only 2,035 works on AO3, whereas Wolfstar has 18,646, and Drarry has a whopping 42,158.
And while there are popular fics (for example, Clexa has 11,884, Swan Queen has 12,709, and Supercorp has has 13,708 works on AO3), those are few and far between.) 
Even looking from it as a whole, there are 3,194,665 m/m works and 563,043 w/w fics. Nearly six times the amount!! It's just a bummer.
Anyway, this turned into a rant about something that’s so not the question.
Also, when I wrote Coliver a lot, the answer was Oliver.
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letterboxd · 4 years
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Lady Sex Pirate.
Rising star Beanie Feldstein, author Caitlin Moran and producer Alison Owen talk about bringing Moran’s semi-autobiographical novel How to Build a Girl to the screen. The coming-of-age comedy, set amidst the early-90s Britpop scene, landed virtually at IFC Films this month.
In How to Build a Girl, Beanie Feldstein (Lady Bird, Booksmart) plays Johanna Morrigan, a working-class teen from Wolverhampton confident that she’s destined for greater things. Johanna blags her way into a job as a music critic, gives herself the pseudonym ‘Dolly Wilde’, and has a quick rise to infamy by finding ever more creative ways to trash the music and musicians she’s reviewing.
Johanna hits the ropes when her monstrous alter ego causes problems at work and pain for her family. One cringeworthy moment sees her slinging insults at her parents and beloved brother, like “See how you manage without me, Ringo, Ringo and Ringo. F—k you all.”
Directed by Coky Giedroyc and also starring Paddy Considine, Chris O’Dowd, Emma Thompson and some “good Alfie Allen representation”, How to Build a Girl is really Beanie Feldstein’s show. She carries the sex-positive portrait of an ambitious young woman in the early-90s London music scene; a time before social media, when all-powerful British music magazines could anoint legends or kill a career with a single one-paragraph review.
As a statement on cultural criticism, writes Gavin on Letterboxd, How To Build a Girl “takes a crop of the media’s most hated contributors—critics—and then chisels away at them with maniacal and sometimes savage satire”. Johanna’s attempts to break into the media boys’ club, CinemaBabel writes, “is sure to resonate with many young women [who] have found themselves with the attention from those they’ve craved, especially men, only to find themselves hollower and [more] alone than they ever were at their lowest point”. Siobhan agrees, writing that the film is “perfect for girls who spent their years dreaming about getting out of the suburbs for something bigger and better”.
As is the way with adaptations, some aspects of the novel get short shrift in the film (Johanna’s home life, the collateral damage she leaves in her wake). For some, there’s also an ick-factor in seeing a sixteen-year-old shagging older blokes in the current #MeToo context, but that is part of the point Caitlin Moran is making. The film is set in 1993—long before #TimesUp—and Johanna’s workmates are intended to come off as “a bunch of creeps”.
At the film’s TIFF premiere last year, Letterboxd’s editor-in-chief Gemma Gracewood met up with the creative team for a chat about bringing the novel—the first in a trilogy about Johanna Morrigan’s adventures in music and love—to life.
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Beanie Feldstein as Johanna Morrigan as Dolly Wilde, with her rock critic colleagues.
There’s so much love for Booksmart and Lady Bird on Letterboxd. What will fans of those films enjoy about How to Build a Girl? Beanie Feldstein: Oh, it’s such a beautiful coming-of-age story about a girl that’s never had that story told before. Obviously it’s loosely based on Caitlin’s life and she is literally my feminist hero! I mean, she’s like my aunt or sister at this point but I still shake around her because I just love her so much.
Truly, the way she extends a hand out to young women and says “I’ve got you and I’ve been there and you can own your experience, whatever that experience may be, and that is beautiful” is so special. It was the biggest honor of my life, and the biggest challenge too. Because I’m not from Wolverhampton, England, and I’ve never, you know, walked out in a bikini made of trash bags before!
It’s really the most beautiful coming-of-age story. So much heart, so much humor, and really touching at moments in a way that I think is unexpected. And it’s really sort of three different movies in one: you have the beautiful family story, you have all the boys at the magazine workplace, and then you have John Kite [played by Alfie Allen], and it just sweeps you off your feet as an audience member.
You are making films that so many girls get to experience as part of their own coming of age. What films did you love, growing up? BF: I grew up obsessed with Funny Girl. Fanny Brice is my idol! But there’s so many that I cherish. Bridesmaids, my senior year of high school, was, like, the best movie ever. It was the most memorable theater-going experience of my life. But what I love about How to Build a Girl is that I’ve done so many films about friendship, which I love and cherish and is so important to me, but I feel like it was really interesting to explore what happens when a girl doesn’t have friends at that time in her life. I feel like that’s also a very important story, because not everyone has those people. Not everyone’s lucky enough to find their Lady Bird or their Amy, and so it was very special for me—and also very scary, I’m out here alone!
If there’s to be a film trilogy, are you in? BF: Of course! I mean, she’s my girl! I feel so protective of Johanna and I love her so much.
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Caitlin Moran with Beanie Feldstein (left) at the ‘How to Build a Girl’ red carpet at TIFF 2019.
It’s so powerful to see the sex-positivity in How To Build a Girl. It feels like we’re finally getting a run of films that show young, female sexuality in a positive light, rather than as a force of darkness. Caitlin Moran: Well that was the key thing! I just felt that every film that I’d watched that was about female sexuality was like, the women would be punished for it. Like, you either get bummed over some bins or you just regret it or it just becomes very sour. I just wanted to see a girl who’s in control of her sexuality, who’s curious, who wants to go out and have sex adventures. She’s a ‘lady sex pirate’, that’s her whole thing. She just wants to go out and have adventures and gather her memories. Beanie looks incredible in this. You’ve never seen a girl that looks like Beanie, wearing her clothes and owning her sexuality and owning her physicality. It’s joyful in every single way. It makes my heart sing.
The soundtrack is soaked in 90s bangers. Did the songs make it to the soundtrack because you insisted they be in there? Did you personally ask the artists for their permission? CM: Oh, absolutely. We wrote the whole script with all the music cues in it and 90 percent of those are in [the film]. It’s set in 1993 in London, so it’s an incredibly exciting time for rock’n’roll. We’ve got Elastica in there, we’ve got Happy Mondays, Primal Scream, Manic Street Preachers—this big rush of music.
And then John Kite is a singer-songwriter, and a very talented one. And we were like, “Oh my god, we’re going to have to get songs for him to sing!” And so I rang my friend Guy Garvey from Elbow and said, “Could you write us a song?” And he wrote us a song called ‘Day-Making Girl’, which, on his first day on set, Alfie had to sing a capella to a thousand people and absolutely nailed it in one. So it turns out Lily Allen isn’t the only rock star in that family. He sings like an angel!
You’ve written newspaper columns, books of essays, novels, and now your first screenplay (with John Niven). Which screenwriters’ work have you loved through the years? CM: Oh my gosh. Who do I really love? If you read the scripts of Bruce Robinson, who did Withnail and I, and How to get Ahead in Advertising, those scripts read beautifully. If you actually read them as scripts, all the description is there, he describes the sky looking the color of burnt sugar, and that’s someone who’s really enjoying writing and you feel that vivacity come through on the page and in the character of Withnail, so I love Bruce Robinson’s scripts.
More recently, who do I love? Juno was my favorite film of the last ten years—just the way that that story was told just made me incredibly happy. I just love Diablo Cody so much. When you read her stuff you feel her heart, sometimes her groin! And her massively exploding soul! So that’s what I’m always looking for. I just want to see things on screen that look real, that someone went, “I’m going to have to write this or bust.” I hate films that look like someone went, “Oh, we’d better make a film that looks like a film.” I want people to have sat down and done a list of things where they’re like, “What would I like to see on screen that I’ve never seen before?”
And that’s what we tried to do with How to Build a Girl. When I was writing the book, it was just a list of things that I’d never heard anybody talk about with girls. At the time that was, like, masturbation, sexual experimentation, optimism, confidence, being working class and making your way up from scratch. Finding a rock star that isn’t a clichéd druggy rock star. He’s actually a good, working-class boy who becomes a great friend. I’ve never seen that. Usually if a rock star character turns up in a film or a book, they’re going to be a bad ’un. And in our John Kite, he’s just a good boy and a friend. So yeah, I just ticked everything off both with the book and the film: “Yeah, we’ve done all these things.”
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Producer Alison Owen.
What was the moment you knew you had to option Caitlin’s novel? Alison Owen: When I read her first book [of essays], which was How to Be a Woman, for me it was like the freaking Bible or something. Caitlin’s writing is every argument I’ve ever had with anyone at dinner or at a party. I thought, ‘If I just carry this book around with me the whole time, every time I have a row with someone about feminism I can pull it out and I can just quote it to them and I’ll have the answers.’ She’s much more articulate and intelligent than me!
But of course How to Be a Woman was quite tricky as a conversion into a film or a television series as it’s more of a how-to manual than it is a story. So I was really excited about How to Build a Girl because there’s a real story there. It’s got a spine and a shape that you can make into a movie. So I was like, yes, that’s the one we’re going to do.
The moment I read How to Build a Girl, I wanted to option it, but that was already optioned. And then by the time her second one came out [How To Be Famous], the option on that first one had lapsed, and so I scooped in and optioned all of them.
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Laurie Kynaston (as Krissie Morrigan) and Beanie Feldstein (as Johanna Morrigan) read Laurie’s zine, featuring cover star Alfie Allen (as 90s heartthrob John Kite).
Did you always imagine the very Californian Beanie Feldstein as the one to play this teenager from Wolverhampton? AO: Well that was crazy. Obviously, we assumed we would be on a kind of street search, because we knew we weren’t going to find a ‘name’ to play a sixteen-year-old girl from Wolverhampton. Shaheen Baig, our casting director, was doing workshops and street casting and open casting and casting calls and this was all going on and we kept finding really good people, but nobody that would hold a movie for 100 minutes.
And then, I am on the board of the Savannah Film Festival. I went to Savannah and there was an early screening of Lady Bird, and the second I came out of that cinema I called Coky and I was like, “I found Johanna!” And she was like “What do you mean? We’re trying to cast a sixteen-year-old from Wolverhampton! You’re trying to cast a 25-year-old girl from California? What are you talking about?!” I said, “Just wait till you see it. She’s Johanna.”
We got Beanie to Skype with Coky, and Coky was bowled away straight away. She really just has all the qualities of Johanna. That kind of boundless joy and optimism and wonder that you need from that character. She’s got to be quite horrible, so you need someone who is innately likeable so that you don’t go off her at that point. You’ve got to keep hold of that washing line all through that movie.
How to Build a Girl is all about a young woman discovering who she is, both professionally and personally. With your abundant screen credits, what advice do you have for young women wanting to step up into producing? AO: I think just believe in yourself and be tenacious. You know, it’s such a young industry. That’s what I always say when I speak to students or young people and they’re like, “How do I ever get to do what you do?” I’m like, “You’re much better placed to do it than I am! I’m 58! Nobody wants me anymore!” You guys, you know what you’re watching and what all your friends are watching and the things that are going to turn you on. Believe in those, because that’s what’s going to sell. It’s a market.
Related content
Teenage Wasteland: A Comprehensive List of Coming-of-Age Films
Vanessa’s Bumper List of Films Directed by Women
The Official Letterboxd Top 100 Films Directed by Women
‘How to Build a Girl’ is available in the US now via IFC Films.
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recklessrex · 4 years
Note
216 - Macavity & Chaos Twins
First of all trigger warning: violence, abuse, injury, blood, child abuse
This story involves descriptions and discussions of violence. I wouldn't call it super graphic, but it's enough for me to caution those with triggers. Blood and injuries are mentioned, but not in detail. An adult causes mild physical injury to a minor. If any of these things are potential triggers for you, you may want to skip this one.
Sorry it's quite a bit longer than I'd intended. I'd put it under a cut but I'm stuck using mobile and it won't let me. Just rapid scroll if you'd like to skip.
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Okay so if you're still reading
This takes place some years before the current timeline, when Mungo and Teazer are in their early to mid teens. Bomba is in her early 20s, Demeter hasn't met her or Macavity yet (which is why she doesn't appear in this story), and my OC, Sullivan, has known him for about 5 or so years.
(Note: "mot" = "adult or teenage woman" A word I first saw in a fantasy novel, I use it where many other Cats writers might use the word "queen." Just a personal preference of mine. I find it less awkward, plus I think it's neat that it's "tom" backwards)
Beware: Long Fic
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“You know how you can smack something to get it to work? I wish I can do that to people.”
Macavity eyed the two kits chattering away before him as he lounged in his favorite chair. He wasn't sure what to make of them, or their little presentation. He was torn between annoyance and amusement.
They were certainly bold, he had to give them that. They couldn't have been more than 15 or so, the girl perhaps even a bit younger. Two nameless, no-account brats with, as far as Mac could tell, no existing connection to his gang whatsoever.
Yet here they were, stood fearlessly in the middle of his lounge, explaining to the most feared gang leader in the Junkyard how they wanted in on a heist they had no business even knowing about. Mac was sorely tempted to be impressed just by the sheer figurative balls of these two, but he'd wait and see how this went.
At Mac's side, seated on the ottoman that went with his chair, his chief "henchrat," Sullivan, grimaced under his elaborate Rat-mask. Sully had little patience for these young intruders or their antics. He just wanted the little punks gone, so they could get back to business. But Mac had so far said nothing, and so Sullivan would say nothing. As long as Mac wanted to hear them out, they could speak. But they'd better hurry it up…
Several other Cats in the gang, mostly in Rat-masks like Sullivan's, were scattered around the room, some seated around a table covered in maps and other papers, others stood against the walls or lounging in other pieces of furniture strewn about the room. Some listened to the intruders' speech with mild interest, some glared, others quietly mocked or rolled their eyes at the duo, or muttered to each other. All kept an eye on Macavity, and on Sullivan. If their boss and their captain were fine with these two idiots trespassing on their turf for now, then the rest of the gang was fine with it too. But the moment either on them gave the signal, the little brats would be outta there, and probably more than a little worse for the wear.
A large Rat-masked Cat called "Hoover" leaned his back against the door with his arms crossed. He glowered menacingly at the talkative teens' backs. He wasn't sure how they got in, but if the nosy punks tried to escape while the boss still wanted them here, they weren't getting out through Hoover.
A Cat that was not in a Rat-mask leaned against the back of Mac's chair on the opposite side of Sullivan, occasionally reaching down to stroke the fur of his head, chest, or shoulders. She was the newest mot in the gang, a tall curvy young bombshell with the boldest, most beautiful red fur Mac had ever seen. Her name was Bombalurina, but Sullivan called her "Bombalicious." Mac called her what most people called her: "Bomba."
Bomba wasn't sure where she'd seen the girl of the pair before, but she was quite certain she had. She watched the girl with keen interest, but tried to keep her expression something close to boredom. She didn't want to arouse anyone's suspicions til she was sure what she was dealing with.
Normally only "the rats" and a few other people relevant to a particular job were allowed in the lounge while plans were going on, but Mac… sort of knew Bomba… sort of. He remembered her from when they were kits, though they never interacted much since he was 8 years older than her, but she used to play with his kit brother sometimes. Even though his brother had been a couple years younger than her, she still let him hang out with her and her friends, and Mac had once caught her scolding some girls more her age for picking on the younger boy.
Mac remembered Bomba's kindness to his baby brother, and found himself trusting her, despite the insistence from at least one of the other mots and a few of the rats that she must be a spy. As far as he knew, Bomba had not been living with the Jellicles for at least a couple years now. He wondered if she even remembered him from her youth.
When she'd first arrived, he'd asked Sullivan what he thought. His short, stout friend had shrugged and said he'd keep an eye on her, but that she didn't come across to him as having an agenda. Mac trusted Sully's opinion.
"And that's why we like to respectfully ask you to include our services in your upcoming endeavors," concluded the boy, using words Mac would never have guess were in his vocabulary. He hadn't seemed like the brightest bulb. Neither of them had, but the boy especially gave off major airhead vibes. Macavity raised an eyebrow, maybe there was more to them then he'd realized.
Then again, maybe the dumb kit had just memorized the line.
"And what exactly do I get out of this?" he drawled in his deep, silky, menacing voice.
"Uhhh…" said the boy, looking worried for the first time, though Mac wasn't sure if it was because of the question or just Mac's tone.
"You've told me why you want in, but why should I want you in?" Mac elaborated. He was starting to lose his patience. Surely some advantage to the gang had been part of their plan? Surely they hadn't taken such a huge risk by invading his heist meeting just to tell him why they feel they have a right to take part? Surely they didn't think he gave a shit about where some no-account kitten gang had drawn their turf line against other no-account kitten gangs? Surely they weren't that stupid?
"Right," started the boy, "well you see, uh…"
"You see," the girl took over, indicating herself and her companion with a couple jerks of her thumb, "we're a notorious couple of cats!" The boy, recovered from his brief bout of nerves, nodded sagely.
"Yeah, that's right!" he piped proudly. "Notorious!"
Mac raised an eyebrow and looked down at Sully. His loyal friend looked up at him. Mac couldn't really see Sully's eyebrows through the mask, but he knew Sully was as amused as he was. Or, well, maybe "amused" wasn't the right word…
"You, uh.." Sully said to the pair, fighting back a dry chuckle that wanted to rise from the back of his throat, "you do know what 'notorious' means, right?"
"Uhhh…" the teens chorused, looking at each other.
"Well known," explained Sullivan, not waiting for them to come up with an answer. "Famous. Renowned in dis-reputation."
"Oh yea we know that," claimed the boy, nodding.
"Yeah!" echoed the girl.
"Really?" asked Sullivan flatly, crossing his arms over his husky chest.
"Oh yeah! Sure we do!" exclaimed the girl.
"Pfft of course," said the boy, posing arrogantly.
"Pfft," echoed the girl, making a show of rolling her eyes.
"Then why have I never heard of you?" Mac asked slowly, dropping an extra degree of ice and menace into the words. He liked watching them squirm. At his side, Sullivan smirked.
"Well uh.." stammered the boy, "erm…"
"Ahh well, uh, you see, uh…" tried the girl.
Macavity grinned wickedly, allowing the expression to serve as an implied threat. The pair squirmed more. The boy gaped, wide-eyed, at the crime boss. He tried to speak, but couldn't make a sound. He looked rather entertainingly like a fish, repeatedly opening his mouth to start speaking and then closing it again. The girl, meanwhile, blinked, shook her head, and cleared her throat.
"Ahem, well, I suppose we aren't notorious enough to reach the ears of such an illustrious Cat as yourself," she said, trying some flattery, "but we're a damn good team."
The boy snapped out of his fish-trance to nod proudly and seriously.
"We can do all manner of things for ya!" he announced.
"Like what?" Mac asked. He was getting bored.
"Like everything!" the boy boasted.
"We're the sneakiest sneak thieves," the girl elaborated.
"And burglars!" added the boy, who obviously couldn't be prouder of this fact.
"And acrobats!" the girl practically sang. She did a cartwheel as demonstration. Mac wasn't sure how she thought cartwheels would be of service to him, but at least he was slightly less bored.
"And Teazer 'ere can pick a lock like nobody's business!" The boy jerked a thumb at his companion.
"And Mungo can creep quieter than a Mouse!" added the girl, who was apparently called Teazer. "And so can I o' course, Mungo's just even quieter."
Bomba's ears had perked up at the name Teazer. Hadn't she known someone named Teazer as a kit? She was more sure than ever that she knew this rambunctious girl, but she couldn't place where…
"And we're tougher than we look," continued the boy, apparently called Mungo.
"Yeah, especially together," Teazer agreed, puffing herself up to try and look intimidating. It wasn't very effective. "Nobody crosses us."
"Yeah nobody," echoed Mungo. They seemed to echo each other a lot.
When they were finished, Macavity sat silent, regarding them. Sullivan watched his boss and waited. The gang watched Macavity, and Sullivan, and waited.
Bomba watched the duo as they resisted the urge to start squirming again under the silence. She vaguely remembered a much younger kit in her tribe, at least 6 or 7 years younger, that was called "Teazer." But that kit had been a boy. It must have been a different Teazer. She remembered it had been short for something…
Finally, after a full minute of silence, Macavity spoke.
"I have many other Cat's that can do all of these things." he said slowly. "What makes you special?"
"Can any of em do it all at once?" Teazer retorted immediately. Mungo looked worried though, glancing around the room at all the masked criminals that were surrounding him as though seeing them for the first time.
"Probably," answered Mac. It was a lie, but he suspected the kits were exaggerating too, and besides, he wanted to see how they reacted. "What else ya got?"
The girl hesitated, but didn't squirm. Her eyes darted to her sides, and Mac knew she was resisting the urge to glance nervously around the room like her friend. The boy pulled his attention away from the sneering, glaring thugs and addressed Macavity again.
"Look you need us," he said plainly.
"Yes, so you say," Mac drawled, "but why?"
No answer. The kits exchanged glances.
"You've yet to explain this to me." Mac layed the ice on thick, but the kits didn't squirm.
"Well?" demanded Sullivan. "You heard him! Either come up with a decent answer, or get lost! Quit wasting our time!"
"We can go anywhere," Teazer said suddenly, her voice calm and confident. The boy nodded quietly at her side. "We can get into anywhere," she went on, "and I do mean anywhere."
"Don't matter where," Mungo continued, his voice as calm and serious as his friend's. "Don't matter the security. If we want in, we find a way in. No one and nothin' can stop us."
They were both suddenly in serious business mode. No squirming, no nerves, no arrogant posturing, no showing off or silly antics, just two very serious kits, staring him dead in the eye, perfectly calm. Macavity suspected this was more than a boast, and it would make them quite valuable if it were true. But he was no fool. He would make them prove it.
"And you expect me to believe that?" he drawled.
"We got in 'ere, didn't we?" Teazer said, still calmly, but with a touch of teenage attitude, staring at him sassily as if challenging him to argue. Mungo raised an eyebrow and smirked, but said nothing. Neither of them broke eye contact.
Sullivan looked up at Mac. He waited. The gang waited. Bomba waited. The kits waited. Seconds ticked by. Sullivan, and only Sullivan, saw the smirk fighting to take form on his friend's face.
Finally Macavity, the most feared gang leader in the Junkyard, chuckled a low chuckle that rose into full hearty laughter. Sullivan joined him, chuckling his own nasally chuckle, then wheezing in laughter. They were finished before the rest of the gang were recovered enough from the shock and surprise to join in. Most of them didn't get the joke anyway, didn't understand what was so amusing about these punks to their fearsome boss and his fearless second-in-command.
"You're in," Macavity told the kits, who had started to squirm slightly again when he'd started laughing. He couldn't fault them that, he had a very intimidating laugh, even when it was genuine.
Now they grinned wide, and launched into speeches of gratitude, promising he wouldn't regret it and so on and so forth. The much of rest of the gang murmured to each other, unsure of how they felt about this new addition, except Hoover, who stood silently by the door, and Bomba, who was still contemplating where she'd seen this kit before, and of course Sullivan, who wrinkled his nose at the talkative little brats but said nothing, waiting for his boss.
Mac said no more, but waved a signal to Sullivan. No one else looking would have known what the signal meant, but he knew it was his cue to take back control of the room.
"Shut up!" said Sully, standing up and stepping forward. Everyone shut up. Mac's chief henchrat may have been the shortest guy in the room, but his bulk, his mask, and his crisp, commanding voice made up for what his height lacked in intimidation. He pointed a clawed finger at the two grinning kits.
"You're in, but you ain't big fish yet. You're at the bottom of the tank, eating algae off the dirt and gravel. That's your place. Don't forget it." He paused for a second to let that sink in. They nodded their understanding.
"Now sit down and shut up!" Sullivan finished, "You've wasted enough of our time."
"Do we get a cool mask like yours?" one of them asked as Sullivan returned to his seat.
"No! Sit down!" he shouted, gesturing angrily at them with one meaty arm. Mac chuckled at his irritated friend and rested a hand on his shoulder.
Still grinning, the kits tried to find seats on the nearby sofa but found it was suddenly full, the thugs that were seated in it stretching out and spreading their legs until there was no room. Looking around they saw similar things happening around the room. Single, unoccupied chairs were now taken up by people that had previously been standing. Only Hoover remained standing, still guarding the door. The runts were no skin off his nose. As long as they stayed out of his way.
Undaunted by the lack of seats, the duo found a spot close to the table where they would be unlikely to be stepped on and obediently sat down on the floor. They smiled up at Sullivan, who nodded his approval. At least they could follow instruction.
Meanwhile Bomba was too distracted trying to remember where she knew Teazer from to sit down at first, though she did plant her rear on the arm of the Mac's chair when he gave her thigh an encouraging tug. The brat couldn't be the little boy named Teazer from her old tribe, unless… nah she would have needed surgery, and she looked way too young for that. How would she even afford it? No it couldn't be. Bomba gave up, crossed her legs, and leaned against Mac, wrapping her arms around his maned head and running a hand along his collar bones.
The gang didn't settle so easily. A few of the higher players tried to stay focused on their planning, but the majority the gang (minus the somber Hoover, the now contented Bomba, and the annoyed but faithful Sullivan) gradually broke back into murmurs amongst each other. They apparently had already forgotten their captain's anger, or had mistaken it as being for the new brats only. The brats in question, meanwhile, weren't paying attention at all, not that there was much to pay attention to with the state the room was in. They were playing some kind of game where they pretended to slap each other's hands, but didn't make any noise.
Sully itched to get them all back on track, but, as always, he stoically waited for Mac. Sometimes his boss liked letting a room run out of control. He found it entertaining, in certain mood. But a glance up at his old friend told him he was not amused. Even sat in the loving arms of the hottest mot in the gang, he had clearly fallen into a considerably bad mood. Ignoring Bomba completely, he glowered darkly at his very, very distracted gang. But still he said nothing, made no signal.
Sully hesitated, then laid a comforting hand on his friend's knee. Mac looked down at him, his face unreadable, then looked back out at the room again. Sully followed his gaze, keeping his hand on his knee. He waited.
Finally Mac sighed. He lifted arm to rest his elbow on the arm of the chair not occupied by Bomba's very fine rear end, and let his head rest against his fist. His glower softened.
“You know how you can smack something to get it to work?" he said.
"Yeah?"
"I wish I could do that with people.”
When Sully didn't reply, Mac looked down to see his loyal masked confidant staring up at him. Half his expression was obscured by the Rat-mask, but Mac could see the straight, seemingly unamused line his mouth was making, as well as the tiny almost undetectable little twitch in one corner of his mouth.
"What?" he asked, fighting a smirk of his own.
"Boss," Sullivan said flatly.
"What?"
"Boss."
"What?!" Mac couldn't hold this in much longer.
"You do that all the time!"
Mac threw back his head and howled with laughter, and Sullivan doubled over laughing as well. Neither quite knew what it was about this they found funny, but they couldn't help it. They laughed together, Sully wheezing and snickering alongside Mac's deep rolling chuckle. The rest of the gang fell silent, then some of them nervously tried to chuckle along to a joke they didn't understand.
"Shut up!" Mac roared and jumped to his feet, nearly knocking poor Bomba off the arm of the chair. Sullivan swallowed his laughter, put on his best stony face, and stood just behind Mac at his right side. His place.
Everyone stared at Mac, who glared and showed his teeth, a growl rumbling deep in his throat. His hackles were raised, making his red mane stand up like a fiery halo around his head. Suddenly he swung his right arm out in a wide arc, over an unflinching Sullivan's head, to strike the face of an unmasked Cat at the table with the back off his hand. The Cat, a safecracker they were outsourcing for this gig, tumbled backwards off the bench. Bomba, new enough to be shocked and surprised at this outburst, got up from the chair and quickly put it between her and Macavity.
The furious ginger tom then charged to the other side of the table, where the masked Cats that sat there and nearby shrank away, putting their hands up defensively and shaking their heads to ask for mercy. Finding their body language suitably submissive, Mac turned away from the table to take in the rest of the room. Near his feet were the new brats, staring at the floor and trying to make themselves as small as possible. They had shifted a bit away from the table, and the boy, Mungo, had placed himself between Teazer and Macavity. He briefly glanced up at Macavity, then snapped his eyes back to the floor.
On the sofa across the room two masked thugs looked at each other, then back at Macavity with frowns and narrowed eyes.
That would not do.
Macavity snarled and swiftly crossed the room to the sofa, giving Mungo a sharp kick in the stomach along the way. He took his claws out and swatted one thug across the mouth, where his mask didn't protect him, and with the claws of his other hand, slashed the other thug from shoulder to sternum. Both cried out. Mac let out a bellowing growl to silence them. The thugs cowered, whimpering and holding their wounds. A third thug seated on the sofa turned his head away and lowered his gaze to the floor. Suitably submissive.
At the door, Hoover was watching this unfold, seemingly unbothered, staring unblinkingly from beneath his mask. Macavity turned and spotted him, and in three steps he was upon him. He grabbed the much larger tom by the side of the neck, using just enough claw make it smart, and dragged his head down level with his own, snarling and baring his clenched teeth.
"Sssitt" ordered Macavity in a low, soft voice that promised pain it if not heeded.
Hoover obediently lowered to the floor. Sitting crosslegged with his back against the door, he broke eye contact by turning his head slightly and staring at his boss's left knee. Suitably submissive. Macavity let Hoover go.
Sullivan had watched it all impassively, but when Mac had gone after Hoover, who was never a problem, he had shifted slightly on his feet, fighting his discomfort.
It's good for show, he told himself. Biggest tom in the room. Reinforces his dominance with the whole gang. He knows Hoover would submit easily. The others don't necessarily know that. It's good for show.
He allowed himself a tiny sigh of relief when his boss had let the big tom go. If Mac had held on to him for much longer he would have had to try to gently remind him to chill the fuck out, without undermining his authority.
Unfortunately, Macavity had turned around in time, and was familiar enough with his chief henchrat's body language, to see his reaction. He growled and glowered and bared his teeth. Sully didn't flinch, but sent a pleading message with his eyes.
Easy, boss. It's enough. Please calm down.
Only Mac was looking at Sully. Only Mac saw the troubled, almost sad look in his eyes. Neither of them were telepaths, and so Mac couldn't know exactly what Sully was trying to tell him, but he knew that look. It was the look Sully always wore when Mac's temper flared hotter than was safe for either of them. It was a look that Mac associated with a calm, comforting voice.
"It's okay," his friend would tell him, "it's alright. Take it easy, you're alright."
Though Sully was silent now, Mac could hear those soft, soothing words in the back of his mind when he looked in his friend's eyes.
It was a look Mac associated with the gentle weight of an understanding hand on his shoulder, or his arm, or his knee. It was a look that made him feel strange, unfamiliar, but not unpleasant things. It was a look that awakened a protective instinct in him, though he was only mildly aware that it was himself he was protecting his best friend from.
It was a look that calmed Macavity's heart.
It was not a look of fear, nor was it truly one of submission.
But it was suitably submissive. For his purposes. He told himself that as his glower softened, his lips curled back down to cover his teeth, and his bristling mane smoothed back into it's normal wild shaggy state.
In truth it wasn't submissive at all. Macavity had been soothed. With one gentle look, the most feared gang leader in the Junkyard had been subdued.
The whole exchange, from growling at Sully to silent plea to dampening fury, had taken no more than five seconds. No one else in the gang had noticed. They were too busy not making eye contact. Mungo was doubled over on the floor, holding his stomach and trying not to make noise, while Teazer knelt beside him, her arms wrapped around his shoulders protectively, her head layed against his back. Only Sullivan was looking at Mac, and no one was looking at Sullivan.
Except Bomba. She was watching anxiously from behind Mac's chair. She had seen her new lover lock eyes with the obnoxious little fatass that was in charge of the rat squad. Had seen his rage melt away like nothing. Now she looked from Sullivan to Macavity and back again, trying to make sense of what she'd just witnessed.
Macavity sneered his annoyance at her, but did not bare his teeth. She offered him a small nervous smile, just trying to stay on his good side. He did not return it. His temper was under control, but his mood had not improved. He stalked silently back to his chair, giving Sullivan the tiniest of nods on his way. Sullivan knew his cue.
"Alright listen up!" shouted the rat captain, looking around the room at the nervous eyes that looked up at him. "No more chit-chat! No more bullshit! Let's get back to business!"
Sullivan didn't look at Macavity as he passed him, and Macavity didn't look at him either. He silently glided by and flopped hard into his chair. Bomba, to her credit, didn't flinch or back away at his approach, but she didn't come around to sit on the arm again. Nor did he encourage her to. Instead, she leaned one arm against the back of the chair with as much an air of nonchalance as she could muster.
A minute ago, literally one minute, he would have been annoyed and probably offended at her behavior, but in this moment he admired and respected her for it. Macavity's thoughts tended to run like that, all over the place. Increasingly so, these days.
Despite Sullivan's firm orders, it was only when the boss was seated again that the room cautiously started reorganizing itself. The safecracker was helped to his feet by a masked Cat, and returned to his place on the bench. Teazer quietly helped Mungo sit up and the two sat in silence as other Cats nearby returned to the table and started ruffling through papers. Hoover, already where he was supposed to be, didn't move.
"You two," Sullivan pointed a claw at the two bleeding thugs on the sofa, "get yourselves cleaned up, you're bleeding all over the upholstery!"
They didn't need to be told twice. They scrambled from the sofa and made for the door, finding it blocked by Hoover.
"Let 'em out." ordered Sullivan.
Hoover stood, opened the door, and slammed it closed again after they had exited, nearly catching one of them by the tail. Then he crossed his arms and leaned against the door once more. Macavity glared a warning from his chair, and Hoover silently slid his back down the door until he was again seated crosslegged on the floor.
"Everyone else, get focused!" Sullivan continued. "And stay focused! No more games! We have work to do!"
Sullivan looked around the room, and, satisfied they all would behave themselves for now, returned to his own seat at his boss's side. From his chair, Mac quietly and gently reached out to stroke the short, sweaty, taupe-grey fur on the back of Sully's neck with his fingers. Sully's shoulders relaxed. He leaned into the touch.
"There's other ways to get shit to work you know," he muttered softly. Mac took his hand away. Sully looked up at him.
"And smacking it might not do anything but break it."
Mac said nothing. His attention seemed to be on the Cats at the table, who were discussing a blueprint. Sully sighed and patted Mac's arm, which was now resting on the arm of the chair.
"But you do you, boss..."
"Hnm," grunted Mac.
"… just…"
Mac's head didn't move, but his eyes flicked down to regard his loyal companion, his expression blank, silently granting him permission to say whatever he was hesitating to say.
It's okay, Mac tried to tell him with his eyes, I won't get mad.
But still Sully hesitated, finally he sighed again and said "We can talk about this later."
Sully had wanted to tell his boss that he thought he should reign it back a bit, for his own good as well as the good of the gang. But this wasn't the time or the place. Anything that could be taken as arguing with him, including questioning his methods, should be done in private. Undermining him in front of everyone, right after they had just gotten the room under control again, was a very bad idea. He didn't know how Mac would respond to it, but more importantly, he did know how the gang would take it, and Sully reckoned it wouldn't go well in the long run. Just not a good idea.
So he waved it off until later, when they could talk in private. He patted Mac's wrist again, letting his hand rest there a moment before taking it away, and turned his attention back to the discussion over the blueprint.
Bomba, the only Cat within earshot of their conversation, watched the two is them with interest. She had no idea what to make of these two, or their strange relationship.
Well, she thought, at least the tall one's hot.
From the door, Hoover had seen the quick gentle touches between the boss and the captain. He paid it no mind. He knew the two were close, that it wasn't like that, and that it wouldn't matter even if it was. He also knew better than to assume a little bit of sentiment (or even intimacy) made either of them weaker somehow.
And it wasn't any of his business anyway.
On the floor near the table, Mungo and Teazer tried to focus on the discussion, but it was difficult seeing how they couldn't really see the papers being discussed. Not to mention Mungo's very sore abdomen, and the fact that they suddenly had a lot to think about. They each wondered to themselves, had they gotten in over their heads?
Sullivan listened to gang discuss routes and patrols, the safecracker piping with helpful information such as how much time he'd need and so on. Tension had crept back up into Sully's back and shoulders. He didn't like jobs like this. He didn't like outsourcing. He didn't like new faces. And he especially didn't like when his boss was in a mood. He knew (or rather he hoped) Mac would never hurt him, not even in a mood like this. But it wasn't all about his own personal safety. He just didn't like his friend's dark moods. Not one bit.
Brooding, frowning, jaw clenched, sweating under his stupid mask, and trying his hardest to stay focused (set a good example, dammit, he thought to himself) Sullivan leaned against Mac's chair. He felt Mac's fingers lightly stroke the back of his neck yet again. They lingered there, just for a moment, just enough to relieve some of his tension, then returned to the arm of the chair.
Sully shifted so that his elbow brushed his friend's leg, letting it rest there a moment, as a return gesture of affection. Then both returned their attention to the business at hand, both in an ever-so-slightly better mood.
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MAY PICKS!
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WELCOME BACK TO ANOTHER MONTH OF TV/MOVIE WATCHING! 
Does it feel like it was just April or that it can’t even be May and yet it is coming to an end? I get it. Quarantine is doing weird things to my head and I can’t believe how far in the year it’s been. Looking back on my picks for this month I noticed that I have seemed to escape the world through historical period shows or movies. But that isn’t the entire bulk of the month (just half of it). Without further ado, here we go!
As always..spoilers....
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THE HALF OF IT
This Netflix original movie was an early watch for me during this month and it came at the right time. I was looking for a movie, rather than a TV show, and something that was contemporary and not overly serious (although, there are serious themes in this film). As it repeatedly says, “it’s not a romance” yet it has that YA/teen romance feel. (Yes, I used YA/teen in the same description.) I really loved the Elle Chu and Paul Munsky friendship. While watching the trailer, I could tell this film would be highlighting a healthy friendship as its focal point and how your other half doesn’t have to be a romantic soulmate. A lot of times, these kinds of stories can seem very repetitive, but with the new plot of Elle and Paul in love with the same girl we encounter a new kind of obstacle. I think the resolution was pretty solid for both plot lines and I liked the train scene at the end. Certain shots felt long at times. There were lots of pauses, which I didn’t 100% like. Also, the awkwardness could feel pretty cringey. Overall, it is definitely worth the watch. I liked it and would watch it again. Paul might be one of my heartthrobs of 2020. I’m always a sucker for a sweet jock with a heart of gold. 
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THE OFFICE LADIES
Yes, I know I’m late to the show as this podcast started last year, but better late than never and what better time than quarantine. Plus, I don’t have to wait each week for a new episode (even though know I’m catching up, so eventually...) At first, I was worried when I would have time because of not spending as much time in the car for commuting, but I found it’s really soothing to listen to as I’m cleaning. It feels like I’m in the room with Angela and Jenna and we’re all BFFs. I love how they’re best friends in real life and how close they are. They give the trivia you really can only get from two people who were on the show. They also have several guest stars from actors on the show to writers, directors and producers. One of my most recent listens had Creed Bratton in the studio with them and they talked about the Halloween episode. It was great. Listening to their podcast is really making me want to rewatch the series for the 100th time. As an uber fan, I already get all of their references, but with the new Easter eggs I can’t wait to go back and see them.   
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STAR WARS RISE OF SKYWALKER
Not just in honor of May the 4th, but to finish up the Star Wars watch through that I was taking with my sister. I hadn’t seen it yet and while not a die heart fan, I still wanted to see the conclusion. I liked the Force Awakens a lot, but felt eh about Last Jedi. In ways this one kind of felt like a stand alone. It had a different vibe compared to the previous two. After watching I heard there was a different director for all three movies, so that makes sense-I guess. (It’s weird they wouldn’t have kept at least one to do two of them.) It also had a kind of fan fiction feel. SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! Bringing Palpatine back reminded me of Lord Voldemort having a kid in Cursed Child. BACK FROM SPOILERS! I’m happy that Rey’s parentage/lineage was revealed because it was such a major point in this series. I loved the Rey/Finn/Poe relationship. It was great to see them in the same story line and reminded me of the original three: Luke/Han/Leia. Leia :( It was so sad, but I always knew it had to happen, due to Carrie Fischer. It didn’t make it any easier to watch. MORE SPOILERSSSSS! I knew Kylo would turn back. It was nice to see that his mom was able to spark that. I did like his fight scene. I just didn’t love the connection him and Rey have/had. LOVED the ending. I’m cool with her taking the Skywalker name and the suns shot with the force them at the end had me screaming. 
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OPHELIA
From one Daisy Ridley film to another. This movie just recently got added to my list when I was channel surfing. I vaguely remembered it being advertised, but it felt like a while ago. I’m a sucker for a re-telling, so I was immediately intrigued to watch it. This film was adapted from a novel by the same name. It follows Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet and gives her more of a story and character development. If you are familiar with the original, you know that Ophelia is only briefly mentioned and her character’s motives are really driven by her love for Hamlet. Even her famous death scene is very ambiguous. When this film begins, a voice-over narration by Ridley immediately brings us to her death scene and tells the audience “that there is more to the story than we think we know.” I really loved the twist and re-invention of this story through her point of view. I think Daisy Ridley was fantastic in the role. I haven’t seen her in a lot of other things, so it was great to see her here in a completely different role from Star Wars. The re-telling is very creative and very feminist. You get to see how Hamlet and Ophelia meet and then see him off to school. With this addition you can really get behind this relationship and see the mutual attraction and feelings between them. When relating back to the original, I like how they cut out scenes that Ophelia was not physically apart of and instead rely the events that happened. (Specifically with Polonius’ death.) I also enjoyed the new perspective of scenes. You really can tell that Ophelia is not mad, but it is the mask she must put on to survive. The ‘get thee to a nunnery’ scene takes on a whole different meaning now. There’s also a lot echoes to other Shakespearean plays and tropes which were fun to explore. Whether you’re a Shakespeare/Hamlet fan or not, I would definitely check this one out if you’re a fan of the time period, re-tellings or a strong female lead.   
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MEDICI THE MAGNIFICENT SEASON 3
I literally just finished this show this afternoon and I couldn’t wait to write about it. (Sorry if this post is pretty long, but that just shows you that you need to watch it.) I was very excited for the third and final season of Medici because I enjoyed season 2, so much. While this one might have taken me a little longer to watch, it was still a good time and I’m sad it’s over. 
Watching this season I was super impressed by Daniel Sharman’s acting. He has great range as he goes from a young Lorenzo in season 2 to an adult and father and then an elderly man. I think he was convincing throughout each stage and I’m happy they kept the same actor. His make-up to help him age looked a lot more natural, compared to Richard Madden’s, in my opinion. I feel on shows like this it’s often hard seeing a jump in time (it helps with seeing the kids grow up), so when Lorenzo starts to get sick/age I at first, was like whoa, but then it was further explained (by inheriting his father’s illness, etc.) 
Compared to season 2, I definitely liked the previous more. I not only enjoyed watching the more idealistic Lorenzo, but also plot-wise. In season 2 the Pazzi are the main antagonist/objective. Here in season 3 there were several obstacles/antagonists: The Pope, Riario, and Savonarola. Every time we thought there was a moment of peace...nope. Now, I get this is based on history and we need drama so you can only change so much, but I missed the Medici being at the top and being respected. I also know we covered A LOT of time. (I guess that shows you how connected I felt with them and the show.) 
All of the history Easter Eggs were cool. Obviously, the Renaissance was extremely relevant, but it was cool seeing the big names like Botticelli (especially with his painting at the end, which I recognized), Da Vinci, and Michelangelo. I can’t get over how many of these famous painters were recognized by the Medici family. It just shows you how important and influential they were. Also, when Nico revealed his last name as Machiavelli. JAW DROP! This show has continually brought me back to researching (and mainly using Wikipedia). The writing at the end was accurate to what I found. Wish we had another season with the legacy to see it continue. I’m surprised I got teary eyed at the end. 
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WORLD ON FIRE
It may be listed last once again, this month, but it is definitely not least. The show may have finished its season a few weeks ago, but I still have two episodes left on my DVR. The last one I watched was when they were in Dunkirk and that was an intense time. I knew it was going to be, but it still didn’t prepare me. In this episode, we see many characters FINALLY meet up and join each other’s plot lines. I think that was one of my favorite parts of the episode/series. Some already knew each other, while others were meeting for the first time. While I am excited to see how it all turns out, I’m also not ready to say good-bye. Right now, I saw a potential for a season 2, but not sure if that was a fan made article or not. I’m hoping all of my favorite characters survive and get what can be considered a happier ending than what they are currently experiencing. I also hope we don’t end on too much of a cliffhanger. Either way, I’m happy I checked this show out. 
RE-WATCHING
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iZOMBIE
Currently I’m in the beginning of the second season. Sometime last month I felt the pull to start re-watching this show. It’s one that I have tried once or twice to watch again from the beginning, but now that it’s been finished for almost a year, it felt like time. It was a great decision, although right now there’s some character plots that are frustrating me and that I forgot about. But there’s some great brains that Liv has experienced and it was great seeing Lowell again (for as short-lived as it was). I’m excited to continue re-watching. 
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I DIDN’T DO IT
The re-watch for I Didn’t Do It basically began when it hit Disney Plus a few months ago. I just recently made it to season 2, which I remember enjoying more than season 1. One reason for this was because they get rid of the flashback format for each episode. I’m really early on, like episode 4, so I still have many more to go. Once I finish it I don’t know if I’ll explore a new Disney Plus show or watch another that I’ve seen before. 
I also have a few things on DVR that I’m still finishing up. I haven’t watched the finale of Batwoman yet and I know it’s going to be weird now that Ruby Rose has left the show. I just finished the Flash and felt blah about the whole season, so I’m unsure if I’ll watch next season. But I am enjoying Stargirl. You can find my thoughts on the first episode here. I’m excited to see the rest of the season. 
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