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itbe-jess · 3 years

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Masklophobia: Chapter 6

Karl's Paradise- 02x04: My Webby Valentine

Now onto the 4th episode of the 2nd season. It's a... ...god damn Valentine's Day special. As you can tell by the title. Anyways, let's dive right in, shall we?

The episode begins with that hillbilly lizard, who's at the start of every episode, taking a nap by the "Welcome to the Paradise" sign. He then awakens, yawns, then a cartoon bee flew into his mouth. He choked for a while, then eventually spat it out. Next, the show pans to the Paradise town, festive in Valentine's Day decorations. We witness a lot of heteronormativity coming from the stock puppet characters. After that, we cut to the Paradise Critters.

More random puppet characters are fishing by the lake, when Fins popped up, holding a bouquet of roses, saying "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! *Chuckles*" The fisher puppets come to take a closer look at the roses, and sniff them, but then water had sprayed out. She laughed, then presented them with real roses as a "No hard feelings" apology.

Cut to Junior; He was in school, where his classmates were having a card exchange. A female student (named Shirley) was two seats away from him. Shirley was a dog puppet, with pigtail like ears, and she appeared to be checking Junior out. Ughhhh, forced romance on eight year-olds. She stared at Junior as she watched him sort through his box of cards, just carelessly shuffling and making himself a mess. The mammoth stopped as he picked something up: Chocolate candies with a card attached. Shirley seemed to be fullfilled, implying that it came from her. Unfortunately, Junior crumbled up the card, tossed it aside, then ate the candies. Shirley was left heartbroken. "Boys..."

We then now cut to the Happy Belly Diner. Yum-Yum was placing a bunch of Valentines Day treats, including a punch bowl, on the counter. Barkstone and Saxxo stared in awe. Mama LongLegs was in the background, hovering over a bowl of soup. Back to Yum-Yum, she said that King Karl had chosen her to be the caterer for this year's Valentine's Day ballroom party. She let Saxxo have a sample of one of them. After trying one, he commented with glee.

"Mmm, mmm mmm! This some hearty, heart filled goodness right here, Yums! Although... Maybe ah should try another batch-"

"Don't you dare, honey! These are for the Lovers Ball! But... ...if you're still hungry, I whipped you up a special Valentine gift."

Yum-Yum presented Saxxo with a small gift box. Inside the box were Valentine's Day sugar cookies, shaped like hearts.

"Aw, mama, this awfully SWEET of you. Wish ah had the time to make you somethin'."

"No need for that. Just keep up with them soothin', jim-dandy melodies."

"Oh! Perhaps ah can treat you to a personal, live performance. You gonna dig this tune! Ah wrote it specially for the Lovers Ball!"

"Interesting. Do you have a name for it?" Asked Barkstone.

"Yes indeedy, man! It's called 'Gonna Take Super Sticky Glue To Keep Me Close To You!'"

While Saxxo played some smooth jazz on his saxophone, the next segment transitioned. It was a beautiful, pencil drawn animation, with a harp score, about a cupid helping a sad, lonely boy cheer up by hooking him up with a girl. ... Apparently, romance is the key to find happiness. Good animation. Bad message.

We're back to the Happy Belly Diner scene, except it's filmed from the outside, with Van Goose coming up. Before she enters the diner, she ran into Mama LongLegs coming out.

"Hahppy Vahlentine's day, Meess LahngLegs!"

"Ohhhh, *Stomps foot down* bah humbug!"

The spider storms away angrily, leaving Van Goose confused. As she entered, Saxxo stops and greets the bird.

"Ees eet just me, or ees LahngLegs up een seex ahrms?"

"Mm. It ain't just you, babeh. She has been quiet around this room, sittin' all by herself while lookin' so gloom." Said Saxxo.

"I'll say. She ordered herself some soup, and told me to hold the fly." Said Yum-Yum.

"Fortunately, there is a basis behind this tale. The poor lady arachnid is faced with another lonely episode on the most romantic day of the year! The day where she once believed she had a chance to find the love she's been yearning for, but now accepted the fact that it would just turn out the same dull way as always. Well, it's not her fault for being so unattractive." Said Barkstone.

Saxxo and Yum-Yum both smacked the blue dog for that last statement. The four fell into a discussion on how they wanted to cheer Mama LongLegs up. Barkstone suggested that they let her be. Yum-Yum suggested that they find a man for her, who won't be repulsed by her looks. (Maybe a literal blind date) Saxxo suggested they each give her a gift to make her feel better. Suddenly, a lightbulb appeared over Van Goose's head, indicating that she had an idea.

We pan to the outside of LongLegs's cottage, then inside of her cottage, where we find her knitting webs. She made herself a sweater, complained about how ugly it looked, then dealt with the fact that she might as well wear an ugly sweater, since she would never catch true love anyways. The doorbell rang. LongLegs threw her sweater on the floor, then marched angrily to answer the door.

"Can't a lady go through an emotional state in peace?!"

Nobody was there. Well, something was there. On her doorstep, there was a basket, which contents were a bouquet of flowers, a heart shaped box, and an envelope sealed off with a heart sticker. She took the basket inside. The flowers were an assortment of different colors and varieties, and smelled like a breezy garden. Inside the box were chocolate covered grasshoppers. They looked yummy, and tasted like they came from an expensive candy store. The letter was a romantic poem.

"Each passing day and each passing night, I wish I could keep you in my sight. With your stellar talent, I knew you had broke the mold. All six arms of yours I wish to hold. Let's reprise Miss Muffet, add in a little twist. Whereas instead of running away, it ends with a kiss. You are the spice providing the flavor. I'd like to meet you sometime later. With love... ...your secret admirer."

Mama LongLegs was so delighted, she began to break into song. I am not gonna recite it for you. It's pretty forgettable. Anyways, it was about her wondering what her secret admirer is like. Is he tall, short, fair, or dark? Is he slender, or a brawny champ? Is he an elegant duke, or a wild bad boy? Throughout the song, we are taken into her cartoon visualizations. She imagined her man to be another spider of some sort. Marvel Comics' Spider-Man was deemed the "brawny champ" of the song.

"I don't know what he is, or what he looks like. All I know is that I finally found someone who admires me deeply. Wait, 'I'd like to meet you sometime later.' *Happily squeals* Ohhh boy! Ohhh girl! I betcha he'll be there at the Lovers Ball! Oh, but what shall I wear? I can't be seen in this old thing on a special night like this! How's my breath?! My hair is way too uptight!"

Meanwhile, watching from the window outside;

"'I'd like to meet you sahmetime lahtair?' ees zat whaht we wahnted hare to believe?!" Van Goose snapped.

"I'm sorry, babeh. Ah was runnin' low on time to tell a rhyme, so ah improvised. Is that a crime?" Saxxo replied.

"What if we just tell her that the Lovers Ball is probably not the time her secret admirer had in mind?" Asked Yum-Yum.

"Because zen she'd question us on how we knew zat hare secret ahdmeerair wahnted to meet hare sahmetime lahtair. eet just gives eet ahll ahway."

"You have a good point. What do we do now?"

Unfortunately for Barkstone, he had plans.

"I'd love to help you untangle out of this WEB, but I have to get ready for the Lovers Ball tonight. I have a date with a purebred Maltese!"

The magician dog disappeared in a puff of smoke. The three other Critters coughed, and started fanning away the smoke.

"Why, I don't believe him! There's only five hours away till the ball, and he just gave us the bum's rush! Boy am I surprised he managed to land himself a date."

Yum-Yum's complaint gave Van Goose a new idea.

"I sink I cahme up weeth a new nahtion!"

"Sink is right. We sure sunk."

"No, Saxxo, no! Sink! Sink! Idea! I mean I've gaht a new plahn!"

"New plan? Well, why didn't ya say so? Lay it on us!"

"You see: LahngLegs ees hahpeeng fahr hare secret ahdmeerair to be ze perfect mahn, right? Hut whaht eef we try to cahnveence hare zat he's naht whaht she'd expect?"

Yum-Yum and Saxxo liked the plan, and they slapped both of Van Goose's wings a high-five. We cut to the next skit, where it's a humorous cartoon that tells the tale about animals "expressing their love" in different ways than humans. I'm pretty sure that's what animals do before they mate. Of course, kid shows shouldn't let kiddies know that the animals fuck.

Now we're down to the LabRat segment. Same opening with the eerie enterance and organ music, blah blah blah. Pan to LabRat. It appears he is working on one of those chemical setups. I don't know science, sorry. All the chemicals are then transferred into this cologne bottle, then the rat seals it. Eger appears, and he has a potted flower on his head for no reason.

"Hello, master!"

"Why hi, Eger. How has- Eger, you have a potted flower on your head."

"Ohhhhh, that's funny! So do I! Anyways; Happy Valentine's Day, master!"

Eger gives LabRat a Valentine card, where it said "You blinded me with science."

"Awwwwww, Eger, you shouldn't have. Really."

"So, what did you get me?"

LabRat panicked for a moment, and searched around his labcoat to find something. He then pointed to a fake distraction so that Eger would turn his head. LabRat grabbed the potted flower, and gave it to him.

"It's lovely! Now I have a match for the one on my head! So, what have you been cooking up, master?"

"Oh, it's a device that will put an end to all loneliness."

"An ever-lasting pet rock?"

"No! Even better! *Turns the bottle around to reveal the labled name* A love potion!"

"Love potion? Love potion, master?"

"Yes, love potion! By just applying a small dose of this highly concentrated pheromone, the scent will lure in the love of your life!"

"Master, I don't think it's a good idea to force love on someone like that. Love takes time."

"Love takes forever. (Or in my highschool case, love takes never)"

"But master, it doesn't sound right! Love is too precious to mess with! A girl has a life of her own, you know? Why not just use the basic steps to winning the female species?"

Damn, this is probably the only time Eger had some decent sense. Also, I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear the term "female species." Eger then brought out a presentation board with all the steps.

"Try being nice to her, like she were a person like you. Talk to each other to find out what you like in one another. Give her some pretty flowers. Then that's it! You don't need no stinkin' love potion."

"You have pointed out some very good details, Eger. But with my pride, the heck with it! I need a date to the Lovers Ball!"

Dismissing Eger's advice, LabRat told his assistant to stand by the door. He dabbed himself with the love potion, only at his arms and behind one of his ears. Then he told Eger to release the test subjects. Eger opened the door, to let in a couple of female puppet characters. If they were standing outside of the cellar this whole time, how come we didn't see them in the segment's intro? LabRat freshened his breath with breath spray and he put on a bowtie.

One of them approached the rat. Instead of giving him affection, she slapped him across the face. Another one came over, and stomped on his foot. The third one pushed him over. Finally, they all joined together for a good rat beating. Can't say he didn't deserve it. When they were done, the ladies exited the cellar in disgust. We pan to LabRat lying belly down on the floor. Eger hovered over him. When LabRat asked Eger to help him up, he just hit him on the snout.

"Bad master!"

Eger left to join the ladies, leaving LabRat alone in his lab. Groaning in pain, the rat picked himself up, using the nearby counter for support.

"Ya know, I've truly learned something from all of this."

You may think he has learned his lesson on not to probe a woman's feelings, but no, he decided to relabel his new invention as "hate potion."

The last animated skit of the episode, we watch yet another lovely animation (stop motion) about candy hearts forming the word "Valentine," then into a beating heart. We then transition to the night scene, outside of the Lovers Ball. Pan to inside, everyone is having a ball. Dancing with their partners, eating, drinking punch. Saxxo was performing on stage. Slouch was the security, but currently sleeping on the job.

Barkstone was wearing a black tuxedo, Yum-Yum wore a skirt and some jewerly, Saxxo wore a sequin suit, Van Goose wore a white tuxedo top, and Mama LongLegs had a red dress, pearl necklace, and her hair tied in a ponytail. Speaking of Mama LongLegs, she was sitting at a table for two, all by herself. Van Goose was at the buffet table, getting herself some punch, while watching the poor spider await for her Prince Charming. A pig puppet approached her table.

"Is this seat taken, ma'am?"

"Yes!"

"By who?"

"My dreamboat, that's who!"

"Where is he?"

"He'll be here, eventually!"

"Has he arrived yet?"

"No, but he will!"

"Mind if I warm up this chair for him while you wait?"

"TO THE MOON, PORKCHOPS!"

Mama LongLegs raised her voice, causing the pig to scurry. Van Goose went over to Yum-Yum, who brought over another tray of hors d'oeuvres, and told her to act now. The bear came up to LongLegs' table, helping herself to a seat. LongLegs was confused at first, because she was expecting a man.

"Hey, LongLegs. How have you been, hun?"

"Ahhh, I've been doing fabulous now that I've found love on this day to celebrate! Heeheehee. Now please get out of that chair before he gets here and thinks I gave his seat away."

"Oh, you met someone? I'm very happy for you! What's this fella like?"

"Well, we didn't exactly met, but we're expecting to meet here, at the Lovers Ball. He implied it in the letter he sent me. *Gives letter to Yum-Yum* Along with some chocolate covered grasshoppers and fragrant flowers. Now, may you pardon yourself-"

"*Pretends to read note* Oh my goodness. Uh-uh, oh my goodness. Tsk tsk tsk."

"What is it?"

"Hun, I think I recognize this handwriting. I don't know his name in particular, but I do know who this came from. This dude dropped by the Happy Belly Diner a few weeks back. Gracious, I've never seen such a messy eater in my life. He slurps his stew, shoves his entire plate clean in one bite, and digs his face, literally, into his dessert. Talk about animal manners. Messy, messy, messy."

"Ooooooohhh, sounds like he has the appetite of a real predator! I like that in guys."

Well, that failed nicely. After being politely asked to move from the chair one last time, Yum-Yum excused herself. She then broke the news to Van Goose, on how LongLegs was excited to know that there's someone who eats more disgustingly than her. Van Goose decided to ask Saxxo next. Meanwhile, Yum-Yum found a sad, lonely old man. ...dog. Drowning his sorrows in punch.

"You seem under the weather there, Barkstone."

"Well don't rain on my parade."

"Had trouble with your date?"

"Like that's any of your business!"

"Okay-"

"She left me for this feeble, puny little Chihuahua. I'll never understand women."

Elsewhere, Saxxo was playing the tune he showed us earlier in the episode. Suddenly, Van Goose called him from behind the red curtains. The show still had to go on, so Saxxo put someone else in his place. A rabbit puppet that played the spoons. Saxxo went behind the red curtains, then came out covered in roller bandages, and walked with a cane. King Karl witnessed the whole affair, which got him to be suspicious. The tiger limped as fast as he could to Mama LongLegs.

"Oh jeez, Saxxo! What happened to you?!"

"That fella... Your secret admirer... Earlier that day, Ah was just all cool, playin' mah music to go, when ah bumped into HIM! He a bad dude! I'm not talkin' bout the good kind of bad!"

"HE did this to you?"

"Uh-huh. I wanted to pass by, and forget the whole thang ever happened, but this man got issues! He battered me to a pulp, and was well aware that ah was uncapable of defending myself. Look at dis body and say otherwise!"

"Golly! He must be such a strong, sturdy hunk! (I think I'm in love!)"

"What about me?!"

"Well, you did bump into him without saying 'excuse me.'"

That plan backfired as well. The only option left was to tell Mama LongLegs the truth. Before Van Goose got to say anything to LongLegs, Barkstone made a dramatic entrance with a puff of smoke. He was now sitting in that chair, wearing a ridiculous spider costume, and a false mustace.

"Sorry I'm late, madam! My limo needed repair. Might I introduce myself: I am John George Henry Lewis Raphael III! Owner of the largest oil company in the Paradise, and The First National Kidney Donor Bank!"

Van Goose tugged Barkstone by his false mustace and whispered into his ear.

"Bahrkstahne, whaht ahre you doing?"

"Helping out, of course. You owe me big time in this, by the way."

The dog continued to chat with LongLegs. You couldn't tell by her face, but her tone showed that she wasn't falling for it. ...and ready to kill.

"My, you sure are lovely on this fine night! Did anyone ever tell you that you look better in the dark lighting?"

"Barkstone... ...what is this?"

King Karl appeared and asked "Yes, what is this," but in a lighthearted manner. After Van Goose painfully tore off the false mustace from Barkstone's face, she explained everything. Since LongLegs' bad mood and losing hope in Valentine's Day, Van Goose decided to make up a fake admirer so that LongLegs knows that she is loved. Barkstone provided the flowers (magically), Yum-Yum made the chocolate covered grasshoppers, and Saxxo wrote the poem. Van Goose guided them.

She also explained that they never intented to have this secret admirer meet Mama LongLegs, but had no choice because Saxxo got carried away in the rhymes. King Karl lectured the four Critters. He told them that it's never okay to fool somebody's feelings, and quotes that love is too delicate to mess with. There are many alternatives to making your friends happy, especially on Valentine's Day. Van Goose timidly stepped up to Mama LongLegs, and apologized for all that has happened.

"We're ahll equally sahrry, LahngLegs. We just wahnted to mahke you hahppy, ahnd breeng your speerit een Vahlentine's Day bahck, because we cahre fahr you. We nevair meant to breeng such hahrm."

Mama LongLegs hesitated for a moment.

"As much as I want to be mad at you, it's just impossible knowing I have friends who love me so much. I guess the best Valentine a woman can ever have is her own friends."

Van Goose and Mama LongLegs hugged things out. The others joined in too, even Barkstone, only because the moment was too heartwarming to ignore. Before the episode ends for good, and the credits roll, it's Paradise Fun-Time, which Van Goose shows us how to make crafty Valentine's Day cards. Seems more relevant than any of the hacks from 5-Minute Crafts. Catch you later, loves!

#The Banana Splits Movie #remake #horror #Masklophobia #original characters

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vicepoems-blog · 6 years

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A collection of poems by a space alien named Abby

A twig lies in a sea of leaves Surrounded by the others Some cling the whole year round, to trees O’er fallen twigs, they hover Fallen down, ground leaves dye brown- no wind to carry lovers. Breeze blew by and knocked her off the branch, now sits here, smothered By mud, dust, sticks, rain drops, soft licks- as beaks pull back the covers. Digging through dead to search for life, to keep the wings a-flutter Twigs lack a comfort nest to rest when nature brings on thunder. ——————— Spinning downward Whirlpool drowning Bitter breezes Trees are frowning

Clocks tick faster Pressures mounting Pale as plaster Heart beats, bouncing

Flashing forward Day dreams bounding Where thoughts are bright With more profound things No present, past Sustain resounding Wood turns to ash Mind stuck in lounging Feeble attempts to accept surroundings Sweet struggles shift soul into higher grounding.

———————

Feather blowing in the wind Drifted close, a breeze-blown friend Felt you as my fingers bent Softness surrounding a slightly snapped stem I wake up cold, dreams of a gem Made up a mold, filled in split ends Carefree energy holds sweet things, as friends Strive to brush off, with clashing intent. Aiming to find, though passing of time Strength to overcome this misalignment Try to find reason, but can’t compile this Classic diversion of defiant Values envisioned, blind-state of content Drown in feelings sparked through wine and Sell them off as cheap consignment Try not to let drive fall behind, then Wake up to find how far the time’s bent Words allow to redefine, vent Sorting through jumbled letters, intertwining when Stacking rows and columns of rhymes, hence Attempts to make sense through unproved science From afar, I’ll hold you in the highest A cloud above the desert’s dryness.

———————

(When I don’t feel like writing, sometimes I make puzzles. The following poem is a mashup of several that seemed to fit together.) Cycles continue, much like the seasons Reflecting through fall, letting go when the leaves bend Unlike springtime sun, spreading soil to plant seeds in Trying not to give in- to feelings short of reason. Leaves trickle to the ground from the treetop, so tall Hanging from a limb, fearing the fall Exhales turn to mist as I gaze all the stars Perched high and pretty but they’re still so far. Not much of a singer- Though rhymes form through fingers No matter how loud, soft notes often linger Drawn out, sustained; though the spark's released like lightening As water retreats, tsunami wave's heightening. That which lifts you up Can also bring you down But which feelings should you trust When the sun comes back around?

——————— Flower moon envy as May nears its end Full- Glowing green grass, feelings break, begin to bend Filling up the night sky- hypnotizing sphere Glares down with a cross-eye, though it’s up I peer

Wind breaks the silence- an unknown car creeps by Try to be compliant, try to let go, though with night Comes unwanted feedback from the corners of the mind Ideas from tiny seed sacks grew too big- no longer mine

Sky so bright with moonlight- Cannot hide it from the blind Perhaps I hold on too tight- With no reason to the rhyme This will dissolve one day- As the moon, it wanes Hoping to forget the times love was confused for pain

Cycles continue- much like the seasons Reflecting through fall, letting go when the leaves bend Warm springtime sunlight, spreading soil to plant seeds in Trying not to give in- to feelings short of reason.

———————

Rays shine onto your skin Comforting bliss Feeling lingers through the evening Hovering mist The next day wake Sensations replaced By a stinging cold chill Warm in the face That which lifts you up Can also bring you down Which feelings can be trusted When the sun comes back around? ——————— Time goes by so slowly, that time can do so much Light travels so quickly, stars fades within my clutch Pleasure blocked by pain Words dumbed down to bluffs Ever hiding ‘neath the surface Run out of feelings I can trust.

———————

Lingering in space comprehending the flying of time The stars within night’s blackness gleam like silver on a dime Lying under covers, confined- Am I the one committing the crime? Why hide trapped in space, when I could break free flying? Later perched on the rooftop alone, nothing to prove, only nature’s soft tone Sentimental space cadet searching for home- hair dancing through soft winds blown Sitting lonely in silence, patience, compliance- mind journeys through skies like a dove Searching for guidance amidst the horizons, hoping fear will not keep her from love.

——————— Problem, solution, climax, revolution Confusion, illusion, psychosis, delusion Impairment, improvement, resolution As seasons spin round like a lazy susan.

———————

Of the lovely letters that make up the words Like feathers make up the wings of a bird A good man told me these beautiful things The flow of the sentences made my heart ring “It was no pleasant accident Going over the facts again In my head, writing like I have a sack of pens No happy coincidence, more like synchronism Collective consciousness shines; light beams from a prism Our lives defined by choices executed Relationships of love or others ill suited The prism reflected through eternity & fate Life holds surprises like flowers to a vase. One of these days you’ll be something great But first you must open the eyes on your face.”

———————

Some fade away Into the dark, they go Toward their own light Surrender to their own flow Not all paths coincide But I’m happy to have seen The light in your eyes Hope you know how much it means. Wishing you well on your journeys And accept this here divide We’ll meet somewhere in the middle When the tide isn’t so high. Perhaps during a full moon Within glee our gloom Reconnect once we’ve slept it off Once we’re back in tune.

———————

A seed not meant to be planted in the ocean But sprouted anyway, leaking toxic notions Molecules multiplied, infesting as erosion Rippled- butterfly effecting- cold water encrosion. Never meant to happen Though thought maybe it’d make sense To drop the seed into what gives it life Not knowing the expense Too much, too little, split-end bow to a fiddle In attempt to build one up, one succeeds to belittle.

———————

The earth spirals Through one universe, of many Just a drop into the ocean To a millionaire, a penny Two strange combinations Of stardust combine Weaving webs of fate together All threads intertwined Shifting the energy Surrounding the subconscious Thus aligning fates awaiting No need to be so cautious.

———————

I fell through a haze Of polluted vapor Landed in a daze Of cursive on paper Slid down a rainbow, as prisms bent light, Led by a breeze, concealed from plain sight. Leaves trickle to the ground from the treetop, so tall Hanging from a limb, fearing the fall Exhales turn to mist as I gaze all the stars Perched high and pretty, but they’re still so far.

———————

Nights spent in silence Staring through glass A fish-eye lens view; Distorted mask All things unmoving Not living, just still Monotonous existence In attempt to refill. A knock on my door Creating vibrations; Stir up a breeze In my imagination. Numbness ceased; Then turned back- Hesitation As I started to see ‘Tis mere infatuation.

———————

Although I feel a failure Only hope to succeed All the times pushed over I got up off my knees Yearning to feel enlightened But must water the seed To grow from a mere speck in soil Into a Redwood tree. Although I’ve been mistaken I try to try my best ‘Cause after blind risks taken I accept past regrets; Stepping stones to evolve Tree limbs grown to climb As the world quickly revolves ‘Round its axis like a vine. Although I’m still a lonesome Girl within a home A recluse with my piano Used to being alone No room for late night phone calls Or knockings on my door Refuse slip or fall Into traps- No more. And although sometimes I cry, Listen to music til I hear- Laugh away my tears And let the sorrow die. Although I still look back On what could have been I know I am still young And wise deep down within. Although life’s in the process And I fear what’s coming next, All around I look for kindness That’s when I feel my best.

——————— Can’t shake it off Try to walk a straight line Taking utmost care The burrs still bind Needle of a pine Let our true colors shine But all that you saw Was a thorn left behind Thought the perfect combination Of stardust combined The universe had Shown its signs But stars realign as You discard your kindness Search for your new Highness And push me aside.

———————

Dandelion fluff floats in the wind Bouncing off obstacles thick and thin Sticking around in puddles, on bark Then the sun evaporates or erosion sparks

Pushing the fluff on with the rhythm Of life, the torus, ohms, prisms It’s all a part of something intertwined Like a ware to the silver; needle to the pine.

The cycle flows on, the fluff comes to a halt Intentional, like the laws of Gestalt? Is it at a standstill for all time, or will life Come out of this fluff like the stars in the night?

The seed is attached to the wings of this thing That carry it far as if on pogo springs It drops onto the grass Sits for a little And sighs when the time passes without a dribble

Of water to push it into the soil Now at a standstill, seed yearns to uncoil Sprout the roots deep into the earth Serve the purpose for which its mother had birthed

———————

Flower in a vase Sits by the window Sunshine to gaze Lounging in limbo

Soft, colorful- to the eyes, appealing Delicate, thoughtful, petals gently peeling Down the stem- day by day- wilting and jaded Drying up- life source evaporated

No soil to expand roots into the earth Rock ceiling, glass bottom, what is it worth? Forgotten, downtrodden, trapped- caught in- can’t blossom Temporary eye candy- since the store it was bought in

Displayed the beauty, marked it cheap, providing extra bonus seeds Flower in a vase, nothing more to see But a dry stem and some fallen leaves.

———————

Mind tells me I’m tired Due to my lack of sleep My chest has been on fire Since I got up to eat As breakfast settles in I merge onto the highway Just half an hour late Lounged in bed to make the dreams stay I step into the class To take notes with my mind Making note of face expressions Others often turn a blind Cheek- Like they aren’t there For it’s common occurrence To focus on the teachings Rather than the ones a'learnin’ I gather up my bags And I head straight for the door Thinking for a second, that the class was just a bore Although I know its purpose, and what teachings are for I suddenly remember, to this day, there’s so much more. I stroll out to the side walk As I wave a friend so-long Until next time, do yours, I mine, And find where we belong. Now speeding down the road With some music and caffeine I suddenly remember That I had the strangest dream. What it was, I don’t recall But it made no sense at all If only I’d remember Before I walked out of the hall The path we take to re-awake To glide out of the realms Which guide from subconscious Peaceful to overwhelmed. Walking up the driveway I miss a couple beats My skirt just blows up with the wind While cars pass on the street. Taking note I shouldn’t mind For nothing could’ve changed The instant that had just flown by One moment, no exchange. I laugh it off, take off my socks, and sit down for a minute I think of you, energy blue, your head, what thoughts are in it? Distract my mind, step into time, this time within the present Realize I’m no longer tired; the moon is waxing crescent. The day has been repetitive, yet everyday is new Each and every day on earth creates a better you Negative and positive effect our everyday But the way in which with cope with both speaks all there is to say.

———————

Memories Consequences Hopping through Barbed wire fences All alone, forever will I long for someone here to fill The gap within this lonesome space Have reason to fill an empty vase Never going to settle For a broken loop pedal Or unspoken words Evaporating from a kettle Repeating back all that was left in the past- The roads that led to this place on the map Grateful for this life beyond what I conceive I dream of the day one will share it with me.

———————

Water rushes, violent currents Collects stems, leaves, chaos divergent Dreaming of times, amidst the verdant Open fields- Divine permanence. Focus, though undeniably nervous Forgetting all reasons to serve the purpose Crashing like current waves seen on the surface No more room to misinterpret. As so above, ever so below Underneath is where roots start to grow The surface crumbles- Aligned dominos Spiraling up- Arpeggios Sadness lingers, rhymes form through fingers Pianissimo- Soft notes often linger The fight inside strikes out like lightening Retreats on the surface; tsunami wave heightening. Eyes leak- Letting them flow, ‘cause I can Tears rolling down- catching them in my hand Feeling them land, running down from my fingers Too wet to play keys, I let the sustain linger I knock one time, two, but no knob on the door Sometimes it feels nice to lie on the floor No sense in sitting in soft, cushioned seats Discomfort distracts as the flashbacks retreat.

———————

A door opens from behind I hear it, but must keep Walking my feet forward Afraid to miss a beat. Should I turn around? Ignore the sound? Drown it out- unclaimed lost and found? It calls me back, yet on I walk Foot scrapes by an unseen rock I trip, I fall, then turn on back ‘Though the unknown lies beyond black Shadows creeping through the creak Instinct overrides fear- yet cannot speak. Will the black shadowed mystery lead to a light? In our own universe, we’ll take off in flight. You could be my string, but I am the kite Striving to soar- Though scared of the height Above clouds is where sun shines the brightest Where the moon hypnotizes The stars shine, ignited Turned me on like a light switch Heart’s being guided Intuition ignited Why must I fight it? ——————— Flowers in the spring Hang from trees where birds sing Their whistling songs ring Like a guitar with twelve strings. The petals white and soft Wind blows, stems sneeze them off They cover the driveway In a perfect world, the trees could hold on To their leaves; all that’s gone But cold air breaks the bond The leaves must move along. Much can be learned from the nature of the petals Letting go of the bass only allows treble To sing with ambience- glockenspiel metals Melodies must reach their peak long before they settle. The flowers turn to soil and the water turns to rain To pour down on the garden, rebirth’s infinite change No allotted range, no bird feeders hang- Tossing seeds onto the ground; no limits or restraint. ———————

Life blossoms Along with the trees As summer approaches Sweet humming of bees So much to let go So much to take in So much to remember Memories set in Surrounded by love And new found joy Spiraling up Like a hula hoop toy Sipping tea from a cup As we sit in the grass Sweet emotions erupt Like a volcanic mass ——————— You know what it feels like to Be an option lacking chance? But I’m not being lied to ‘Cause we both know where I stand I hopped onto the back burner You fiddled with you pants Perhaps I’m a slow learner Never fit your puzzled plans Improvised, laid out by the thought process of your dick Melting me a little bit; it also makes me sick Running ‘round through sacred squares- still I’m here, yet you lack Respect to ever turn around and see who’s looking back Burner holding heat- You lie, asleep Furthest from fresh meat, though when bored, you make that leap Regardless of your mind games and seldom-proclaimed conceit We both know I’m that shiny thing you never wished to keep.

———————

Erasing drawn lines, I step back in time, imaginary lenses

In attempt to commence contrasting life paths, land beyond the fences Throughout time, the reasons and rhymes thought up to numb our senses Fall through the mind while seasons and time fly like the light, while prisms bend it It’s sad as can be how the earth and the seeds live on, yet so pretentious Going about the day like we’ll get another, yet you’ll never know just when it Will all go black, like wings of a bat- never cherish a moment to mend it. Feeding the fire that taints our spirit Search for an answer as though we’re near it Feeling the chaos before we can hear it Take in reflections- staring into mirror bits Spread on the ground as vibrations, sounds Travel on through; collectively resound Down they crash, reform to the sea Waves of music caress the weak As the strong let go and minds wander free United by projected energies.

———————

#original poetry #poetry #poet #rhymes #writing #original writing

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legault · 6 years

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Finding Home in the Strangest Places (Legault/Heath)

Ok, so I finally finished my @nagamas gift, for the prompt “ "heath/legault domestic au where they buy their first house." My giftee is anonymous, but whoever you are, I hope that you like this, and I apologize for the wait!

I have more thoughts about this AU, but in the interest of not wasting space, they’re in the end notes on AO3.

Ok, I think that’s all, so here’s the actual fic (which you can also read on AO3 if that makes your life easier!)

“If I could go back in time and tell the past me that someday I’d be house-hunting in the frozen wasteland of North Dakota,” Legault remarks as they drive into Minot. “I would have laughed in my own face.”

“Well, if I had told my past self that I’d be buying a house with a wanted criminal, I’d have laughed in my own face.” Heath shoots back, eyes not leaving the road. “Actually,” He adds, “I probably wouldn’t have even laughed. I would have just gotten very confused, and a little concerned.”

“Touche.” Legault says, peering out the window at the lines of fast food restaurants and outlet stores.

“This isn’t the nice part of town, by the way.” Heath says.

“I wasn’t saying anything.” Legault says defensively. “But since you mentioned it, thank God for that. North Dakota is a big enough change from city life without moving into outlet mall hell.”

The line of shops begins to thin and give way to the edges of neighborhoods as they pass by a sign saying “Why not Minot?”

“That’s always a good sign.” Legault says, pointing out the sign. “When the town can’t come up with any reason to go to Minot, so they just ask ‘Why not?’ and hope that nobody thinks too hard about it.”

“I think it’s more because it rhymes.” Heath replies. “Most people who don’t know better try to pronounce it the French way, like it rhymes with pinot. But North Dakotans love taking words from other languages and butchering the pronunciation, so Minot actually rhymes with ‘why not.’ To be fair, I don’t think that Minot has a flourishing tourism industry though.”

"I can imagine.” Legault says, looking out the window as they pass the university, which appears to be the centerpiece of the town.

“Legault.” Heath says after a few moments. “Are you sure you want to do this? Move here, I mean?”

“Yes.” Legault answers immediately, voice sure. “I mean, yes, I’m absolutely terrified that I’m going to freeze when winter comes and it’s -10 for weeks. And I’ll find it a little strange that there are no tall buildings, and I do find it disorienting to see so much sky and land with no people between towns.”

“You’re not really proving your point that you’re excited to be doing this.”

“I’m not. I’m terrified, to be honest.” Legault sounds flippant, but by now Heath can pick out what flavor of flippant means that Legault is nervous and trying to hide that it is, in fact, a big deal. “I’m already freaking out and we’re not even moving here yet, just house-hunting. But I’ve done a lot of things that terrify me, and at the very least I’m excited to be doing terrifying things with you.”

“Ok.” Heath says, satisfied. “I just wanted to make sure. Nothing’s done yet, we could still go back to New York. Or try somewhere else, like Colorado.”

“Nino would be thrilled. Ever since she’s started college in Boulder, she’s been lobbying for us to move there.” Legault’s voice fills with fondness at the thought of his...adoptive niece. “I told her that Colorado is much too hip for old men like us.”

Heath laughs at that, and it’s a sound that Legault never gets tired of. Heath laughs more and more now, but when they first met he was very serious, and so guarded that it took months before he’d do more than just crack a smile, no matter how Legault flirted and joked.

“Right, 27 and 29. We’re ancient.” Heath deadpans.

“At this point I’m practically 30, and everyone knows that’s the beginning of the end. I found two gray hairs last week.”

“Colorado is nice, I’ll admit.” Legault continues. “That was one of my favorite places from our road trip way back when. But I think it’s good for Nino to have her own space.”

“She can always come visit.” Heath adds. “Flights from North Dakota are usually painfully expensive, but there are decent flights between Denver and Bismarck.”

“She can come in the dead of winter so she can suffer alongside her beloved uncles.”

“You mean one beloved uncle and one melodramatic uncle.” Heath says.

“Semantics.” Legault replies, waving his hand dismissively.

They stop for lunch at a diner on Main Street, which is charming in a quaint sort of way. Heath orders some sort of overcomplicated sandwich and Legault orders coffee and eggs, enjoying the way that Heath’s face lights up when he sees that they serve kuchen.

“What even is kuchen?” Legault asks, most likely butchering the pronunciation terribly.

“It’s kind of like a pie filled with custard? I’m not sure exactly how to describe it.” Heath says. “I do know that it’s German and delicious, which is what’s really important anyway. My grandmother used to make it whenever we went to visit her.”

“I didn’t think you liked sweets all that much.”

“I don’t.” Heath admits. “But kuchen brings back good memories.”

“Do you know how to cook it?” Legault asks.

“You know, I have a family recipe.” Heath says. “But it makes about 40 kuchens, and I don’t know what we’d do with 40 kuchens, so I’ve never tried it.”

When the waitress comes back, Legault asks her all about kuchen, listening raptly as she gushes about how kuchen is something he has to try since he’s not from around here. Legault asks about her favorite flavors of kuchen and then ignores her answer, ordering a piece of all four different flavors. Heath rolls his eyes, but he can’t hide his excitement when they all come out to the table.

Legault takes a bite of the strawberry-rhubarb slice, not sure what to expect.

“It’s good.” He declares. “I’m not a big dessert person, but I like it.”

“Here,” Heath says, pushing another plate towards him. “Try this one. It’s peach and cheese.”

The kuchen is good, even if it’s not something Legault would seek out to eat. He’s not a huge fan of sweets either, but he and Heath taste all four flavors, and ultimately declare strawberry-rhubarb to be the best.

“You know.” Legault says, wiping crumbs off his mouth. “I think a little bit of your accent is coming out since we’ve left New York.”

“Really? People here don’t think I have that much of an accent of any kind.”

“Well, maybe not a strong one. But I can hear it when you say words with Os, like Dakota.” Legault explains. “It’s cute. I like seeing you here, on your home turf.”

“Technically I’m from Bismarck, which we passed about two hours ago.” Heath corrects him. “Minot and Bismarck have a similar feeling, but I wouldn’t want to live in Bismarck again. It would feel too much like going back in time, but it’d be strange without my parents. Plus, I’m sure I would run into people from my high school, and that’s awkward enough without tacking on the fact that I’m a deserter moving back to a place where people revere the military.”

“Then we’ll just have to stay away from introducing ourselves as a deserter and a criminal when we’re trying to make new friends.” Legault says, glancing around to make sure the waitress isn’t in earshot.

Heath smiles. “You make it sound so simple.”

“I like to pretend things are simple.” Legault says. “Then when they are, I can pat myself on the back for my life philosophy. And when they’re not, I don’t waste energy worrying about them beforehand.”

“I’m not sure if that’s incredibly wise or incredibly stupid.”

“Probably both.” Legault admits. “But it got me here, so I must have done something right.”

They finally go to see the house, which is in a neighborhood a few blocks across the street from the university. None of the houses look particularly posh; in fact, a lot of them look a little bit run down. But they have kids toys in the yards, and twee decorations on the windows, and to a born-and-bred city slicker like Legault, seeing so many houses in one place is always a bit of a treat.

Heath has made a list of about five houses having showings on the weekend that they’re in the area, but they only made a specific appointment to see one of the houses. It’s nothing special, but it’s in their price range and has all of the things they wanted, and besides, Heath had taken an instant and irrational fondness to it. Considering Legault was the one in their relationship that tends towards irrational fondness towards random things, be it houses, shiny things, or people, the fact that the house “spoke to” Heath was not something they planned to ignore.

The real estate agent is a middle aged white lady named Deborah, who looks like a very typical North Dakotan. She has a slight accent and ends all of their phone calls with “Mmm, bye,” something that Heath hadn’t even noticed but Legault found charming. She isn’t rude about it, but obviously is a bit confused about the fact that the prospective buyers are two adult men.

“How did you two meet?” She asks them as they walk into the house. It’s a question that straight people love to ask, because it’s a fantastic way to pry without being too direct.

They’ve had many conversations about how to answer questions like this. Besides the fact that they’re a queer couple about to move to a fairly conservative area, neither of their pasts is something that it would be a good idea to share with strangers.

Heath, born and raised in this community, is much warier than Legault about these things. Legault is happy to lie about almost anything, but has never particularly felt the need to hide himself and his partners, regardless of their gender. It had taken several serious conversations before he was able to begin to empathize with the fact that some people did not have the luxury of a more blase attitude, and Heath’s reticence to be open did not stem from shame, but fear and caution. Even in this day and age, living as a couple would draw scrutiny and microaggressions, at the very least.

So they compromised. When talking to strangers, they agreed to be vague about their relationship, saying only that they had met as college roommates (a lie that Legault enjoyed, since neither had ever gone to college) and lived together ever since. And if they began to make friends, they would feel out the situation, with the intention of eventually letting down their guard about the nature of their relationship around a group of trusted friends.

It wasn’t a perfect situation, but knowing how to handle it made things a lot easier. And this way, they would never have a repeat of the situation where a friend of Nino’s asked who Heath was to Legault and Heath responded, “cousin” just as Legault said “lover.”

“We met in college.” Legault tells Deborah. “At NYU.”

“You’re from New York City?” She exclaims. “Well, what brings you all the way out here?”

“I grew up in Bismarck.” Heath says, accent thickening slightly. “I wanted to move back to be near my family.”

“Oh, my sister lives in Bismarck! I was there just last week for my niece’s third birthday party.” She continues to chat about her family, distracted enough that blessedly, she forgets to ask why Legault, who is obviously not from around here, came along.

“Anyway, I’ll let you two have a look around.” She says, finally realizing she’s strayed off topic. “Let me know if you have any questions.”

They walk around the house, somewhat unsure of just what they should be looking for. In New York, apartment hunting was never a problem. Legault lived in a comfortable but discreet apartment, and Heath had lived in a tiny but cheap apartment in Jersey city with two roommates and a dog. Eventually, Heath moved in with Legault and that was that.

The house is not huge, but it’s a decent size, with a nice kitchen and a connected living room. There’s no formal dining room, but there’s room for a dining table in the kitchen. Down the hallway, there are two bedrooms and one bathroom. Downstairs is a basement that consists of a single room with a door that opens out onto the small backyard. The front door opens onto a small porch with a rocking chair that the previous owner presumably left behind. Next to the house is a small garage that would fit only a smaller car, but that’s fine Hyperion’s not that large anyway.

They do one full walkthrough of the house without saying anything, until Heath asks, “Well, what do you think?”

“Honestly,” Legault replies. “I have no idea.”

“We’re not very good at this, are we?” Heath says, with a wry smile.

“Maybe we should try the whole ‘walking through the house’ thing again.” Legault says.

They start in the kitchen this time, and try to actually think about what it would be like to live there. Neither are all that into cooking, but they look at the oven and, more importantly, the microwave, and declare it to be more than adequate.

As for the living room, it’s fine. Or at least Legault thinks it’s fine. He has a hard time picturing his furniture in this house because his furniture has always been apartment furniture. Finally, he stops trying to mentally force his couch into the empty space below the largest window and his mind jumps instead to an image of Heath lying on the couch, reading a book. Suddenly, the entire image, couch and Heath and all, seems to appear inside the house, and it works.

If he makes sure to include Heath in all his mental pictures of how this house might look with their stuff in it, he can start to see how this house could really become theirs.

“What do you think?” Legault asks Heath.

“Let’s go look at the bedroom.” Heath says, face hard to read.

They look at the largest bedroom first, because it’s the only one that would fit their almost unreasonably large bed. Back when Legault’s life of crime was at its peak, he had impulse bought a ridiculously expensive bed, and even though his situation, financial and otherwise, had radically shifted since then, the bed remained one of the best purchases he’d ever made.

“We could put the bed here.” Heath says, gesturing to the wall furthest from the door. “And then we’d still have room for a dresser, which we’ll need because of all your clothes.”

“What about your clothes?”

“My clothes would all fit in this very reasonably sized closet.” Heath says. “Yours would not.”

“Fair point.” Legault concedes. Another holdover from the days when he was much wealthier due to his illegal activities with the Black Fang is the rather large wardrobe he’s amassed.

“And then this bedroom can be your office.” Heath says, already moving into the smaller bedroom next door. “We could put a daybed in here too.”

When they’d first started talking about potentially buying a house together, they’d each made a list of things that they wanted in a house. One of the things that Legault had realized that he wanted was an office, partially because he mostly worked online from home, and partially because the idea of having an office felt very official and fun.

Heath had no problem with the idea of Legault having an office space, but suggested that if they had an extra room anyway, that they put a daybed in it. They slept together most night, but every so often Heath (and on the rare occasion, Legault) just wanted to sleep alone, entirely in his own space. Eventually, Legault had stopped viewing it as a sign that Heath was upset with him, and they’d agreed that it was fine for either one to want to sleep alone, but the person who wanted to sleep alone had to take the couch rather than kick the other person out of the bed. Having a daybed had been Heath’s idea, probably because he slept on the couch more often, and the couch, while comfortable for sitting, was just too short for him to fit on completely comfortably.

“I like it.” Legault agrees. “I see a desk here.” He gestures to the area with the most light from the window. “A daybed here.” Another gesture. “And maybe a lifesize bison statue here.”

Heath looks at him, torn between bemused and concerned. Ever since their original road trip around America, which was also when they began their relationship in earnest, Legault had become fascinated with the bison they’d seen while driving through Wyoming and North and South Dakota.

Legault gives Heath a look that usually means he’s about to poke at Heath until he gets a reaction. “You’re not laughing at that.”

“That’s because I know you’re not joking.”

“Of course I’m not. We’re moving to North Dakota, I fully intend to decorate this house using bison as the unifying theme.”

“Legault,” Heath starts, then pauses, giving up on whatever it was he was planing to say. “You know how big bison are, right? Maybe we can at least go for a scale model.”

“Hmmm, that’s a fair point. Do you even think that they make life-size bison statues?” Legault muses.

“Probably.” Heath says. “But I don’t think any of them are for normal homes. Besides, I think we would confuse the neighbors.”

“Right, and we agreed that we would try to avoid scandalizing the neighbors if possible, at least for a little while.” Legault sighs in mock defeat. “Fine. I guess I’ll think about alternatives. Like a bison mural. Or a large decorative tapestry.”

Heath’s face looks caught between a laugh and a grimace. “We’ll see.”

After that, everything in the house seems to fall into place. There’s room in the living room for Legault’s favorite chair, and the basement is the perfect space for Heath to set up his woodworking materials. The garage seems practically made for Hyperion, Heath’s beloved vintage car, with enough room left over to store the various gadgets he uses to work on her. The visions of their furniture in the house, their life in the house, grow clearer and clearer in Legault’s mind.

“How do you feel about it?” Legault asks again, after they’ve done their second walk-through.

“It feels...” Heath pauses, searching for words. “It’s not all that pretty, or particularly special. But it feels right.”

Legault looks at him, surprised at such a strong endorsement, especially one based entirely on vibes.

“What I mean is,” Heath continues, confusing Legault’s look for confusion. “Some things seems like they might not be a great idea on paper, but when you do them, you feel like you’re in the right place in the universe. Do you ever feel that way?”

“Sometimes.” Legault says, memories of watching a meteor shower with Heath in the absolute middle of nowhere, Idaho, popping into his head.

“Well, I feel that way when I’m out on Hyperion. Or when I was up in the air, even though everything else about the air force felt wrong.” Heath says, caught up in memories too. “Or when I’m with you.”

Heath is rarely forthright about his feelings, at least vocally, but when he is, he says it in such a matter of fact way, like it’s just a simple fact of the universe. It’s happened several times, but each time Legault feels like he’s been sucker punched in the heart. But in a good way.

Deborah, or Real Estate Lady, as Legault has been calling her in his head, is probably hovering somewhere, maybe in her car outside, so Legault keeps his emotions in check, but he can’t help moving over to stand behind Heath, take his hand, lace their fingers together, and squeeze.

“It feels right to me to.” Legault says. “To be here in this house. And to be here in this house with you.”

“Even if this is a frozen wasteland for half of the year.” Legault adds, unable to help himself.

Heath squeezes his hand back. “Nothing a few bison tapestries can’t fix.”

They tell Real Estate Lady that they want the house. She’s absolutely thrilled, and says that she’ll bring the paperwork over the next day.

Even though they haven’t really done all that much, they’re both quite tired, so they grab takeout Thai food and head to a hotel. At the hotel, they immediately go to bed, Heath turning on some home improvement show or another, his version of mindless tv.

As soon as he’s laying down beside Heath, Legault realizes that he’s finally releasing a breath that he’s been holding all day. He knows that he’s spoiled in this aspect, but back in New York he’s not used to having to watch himself, to hold himself back from touching Heath for fear of attracting attention. Minot though, is not his home turf, and all day he’s been watching himself, to make sure he doesn’t do anything that would bring back Heath’s anxieties that stemmed from growing up bisexual in North Dakota. But it’s worn him down. Legault and Heath aren’t even all that physically affectionate in public in general, but the fact that it’s forbidden now makes Legault’s fingers itch.

But here, in the hotel, there are no such rules, and once they have a house here, there will be no such rules either, and thank God. Legault’s younger self might have thought him boring, but Legault cannot think of feeling more content than at this moment, pressed up against Heath’s side, fingers lazily running up and down Heath’s arms, playing with his fingers to make up for the fact that they’ve been neglected all day, occasionally pressing a lazy kiss to Heath’s palm or shoulder or cheek.

“Legault,” Heath says, sounding significantly more worried and less blissful than Legault feels.

“Mmm.”

“What are we doing?” Legault can feel Heath’s worry by the tension in the arm that’s around his shoulder. “I mean, are we crazy to move out here? Buy a house?”

“Probably,” Legault says. “But not in a bad way, necessarily. It’s an adventure.”

“Not most people’s idea of adventure.” Heath says. “What if North Dakota really is as bad as people say it is, worse than I remember as a kid? What are we going to do with our free time? You’ve had such an eventful life, how are you going to be happy here?”

Legault waits as Heath trails off before turning and kissing him deeply. It’s not that he’s trying to prevent having a conversation, but he learned early on in their relationship that Heath likes kissing. A lot. And more than that, the combination of endorphins and the intense physical proof that someone is there and cares about him relaxes him, helps him acknowledge his worries without letting them control him.

Back when they had just gotten together, they could spend hours just kissing, without it having to lead anywhere, because it made Heath happy and soothed his unspoken anxieties that he was just a fling. And Legault certainly wasn’t complaining, especially given that Heath kissed with his whole being and tended to hold on tightly to Legault’s hands, or neck, or hips, or anywhere else within reach, grasping on like he was afraid to let him go even an inch away. Legault always has had a bit of a thing for Heath’s hands anyway, so feeling all the emotion expressed through those hands on his skin...it’s not something he’s going to get tired of anytime soon.

So sometimes when Heath is worried or stressed, or they’re talking about serious things, they kiss. For most couples, it would be a diversion tactic, a way to avoid the issue at hand, but for them it’s a way to have better conversations afterwards. It brings Heath back to earth, grounds him in his own body so he can face whatever challenges or feelings there are to be faced.

So Legault kisses him until he feels the tension start to seep out of Heath’s body, and Heath’s grasp on his shoulders begins to feel firm rather than desperate.

Legault pulls back, looking Heath in the eye. “Here’s what we’re going to do.” And then kisses him once more, for good measure, before continuing.

“You’re going to find a job here, probably as a mechanic because according to you, people here love their cars but forget how to drive in the snow every winter. I’ll keep working online, and if I get bored, I’ll volunteer at the library or drive an Uber.” Heath laughs at that, and Legault can feel the laugh in his body. “When it’s not too cold, you’ll ride your motorcycle on the open roads outside of town, where there’s nothing between you and the sky, and maybe if the weather’s nice I’ll join you on mine. And in the winter when we have to hole up inside, you can set up a wood shop in the basement and I’ll paint and learn how to bake kuchen. If I get really bored, I’ll take up knitting and make you and Nino scarves in the ugliest colors I can find.”

“I’ll become a North Dakota State University fan because their mascot is the bison, and on the weekends we can watch the hockey games. I saw on a sign that Minot’s hockey team’s mascot is the Minotauros, which is either the greatest or stupidest mascot name I’ve ever heard of. I mean, it’s clever that it has Minot in the name, but they could be called the Minotaurs and it would still work.”

“Somehow we’ll find the five other queer people in this part of North Dakota and maybe we’ll actually make some friends, albeit friends who we don’t tell about our pasts. In the spring we can take road trips around the state, because the first time we came here I was so freaked out by so much sky that I think I missed all the sights. Maybe we can go down to Bismarck and visit the relatives that you don’t hate. And we’ll take some space to breathe, because I love New York, but it’s hard to breathe there, and we can spend some time working on our hobbies and dreams. Maybe we can get you a pilot’s license so you can fly again, and I...well, maybe I’ll figure out what my dreams actually are.”

“The point is we’ll just live, the way we’ve been living in New York. It won’t be perfect, but we’ll work it out, and if we don’t like it, we can always move to Colorado to scare anybody Nino dates in college. Or if you really are having second thoughts, we can tell the realtor that we need more time and go back to New York and regroup. I’ll admit, as much as I complain about North Dakota being a wintry wasteland, I’m actually kind of excited about coming here. But what’s more important than being here is being with you, so if you want to go back to New York, that’s ok too.”

Legault runs out of steam here, feeling suddenly winded at the realization that he actually is excited to come here, to buy a house and build a life with Heath, in a place with less noise to hide behind.

“Heh,” Heath smiles at him, looking a little hesitant, but much more relaxed than before. “Life sure has a way of turning out in the way you least expected, doesn’t it?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean,” Heath says, taking Legault’s hand and squeezing it. “I’m still nervous, but I’m even more excited to close on this house and start living that life you just described, even though it’s not a life I ever imagined having.”

They go to sign the papers tomorrow, and Deborah is incredibly helpful at guiding them through the mounds of forms that never seem to end.

“I could be signing away my soul and I’d never know it.” Legault jokes.

“Don’t worry,” Deborah tells him, winking. “I only give those forms to buyers I don’t like.”

Finally, they’re done, and even though they still have the challenge of moving all their stuff halfway across the country, having the forms signed and the keys in their hand makes it all feel much more real.

“Congratulations, you just bought a home!” Deborah tells them. “I’ll stay in touch, so if you have any problems or questions, or if you just need a friend in town, give me a call.”

“Thank you, we will.” Heath tells her, already thinking about how he’s going to set up the garage.

Deborah looks like she’s about to leave, but before she turns away, she adds, “And if you ever make it down to Bismarck, let me know. I’ll make sure my sister and her girlfriend give you a warm welcome.”

“Thank you, we-” Heath starts, words sputtering off as he processes what she just said.

Legault takes his hand and Deborah doesn’t bat an eye. “Thank you Deborah, we certainly will.” He says, and she smiles and waves.

“Look at that.” Heath says. “Maybe there are more than five queer people in the state of North Dakota after all.”

“I should hope so.” Legault says. “But more importantly, we just bought a house.”

“So we did.”

“And in case you ever doubted that I love you, I want you to know that I am moving to North Dakota for you.” Legault tells him. “And that’s something that I bet a lot of people wouldn’t do.”

“I don’t doubt that you love me,” Heath says. “You tell me that all the time.”

“Hey,” Legault pouts. “You’re not reading the script here. Now you’re supposed to thank me for being such a wonderful partner and tell me what you’d do for me to prove your love.”

“I didn’t think we were still in the ‘prove your love’ state of our relationship.” Heath says, smiling. “But if it makes you happy, I love you enough that I’m going to let you decorate our lovely new house with as many tacky bison decoration as you want.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.” Legault tells Heath as they walk through the doorway of their house.couch

#fire emblem #fe7 #Rekka no Ken #nagamas #Fire emblem blazing sword #legault/heath #heath #legault #my fic #good lord this is longer than i meant i'm sorry #if anyone is wondering why the hell they're going to North Dakota it's bc that's where i live now #i don't live in minot but i went there with my best friend a few weeks ago #and after a rough time going home for the holidays i was feeling pretty damn fond of north dakota #frozen wasteland though it might be

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magic5ball · 3 years

Text

Nature Trail to Hell Arc IV: Megamart of Darkness (3)

Chapter 3: … And Put Up a Megamart

It was like Christmas day all over again! For the first time in my ten year existence, someone had screwed up that wasn’t me! I never even realized this could be a possibility up to that point. And you bet your toenails I absolutely reveled in it.

At first they were honking like mad, protesting how I might work for Wegmart or somesuch (it had happened before, apparently). But all ol’ Bokrug had to do was give them a glare and they shut up good. I could understand why, though. For the Elves, apologizing is a fancy affair, with them all lining up in front of me, each kissing my swollen kneecap one at a time while I towered above them, laughing. I would have settled for a plain old “I’m sorry.”, but you know what they say, Elves will be Elves.

One hour of kneecap smooches later, Birthday Boy stood in front of me, surprisingly dignified in his stupid hat. The rest of his flock (drove? Pack? It really is hard to decide what to call a group of these guys) formed a half-circle behind him, like his own personal orchestra (though geek choir would be more appropriate).

“Come now, o’ vagrant” he said, lifting out a wing for me “We must journey to the outskirts of the cursed lands so that you may know the direness of our situation.”

He pointed to the forest. I groaned, not exactly in the mood for walking.

“Fear not. We have procured some edibles to sustain us on are strenuous trek.”

An Elf wandered up to me, carrying the so called ‘blessed sustenance’ in their beak.

“Within this bag is the blessed manna bread, which will sate your hunger for your entire journey, as well as the meat of sacred to give you unspeakable strength, should the situation require it.”

All I saw was a half-eaten bag of beef jerky with a stale doughnut hole inside.

“The Blessings of Bokrug be with you!” the Elves honked, their half circle shifting into a path straight to the woods.

Birthday Boy didn’t start explaining until we reached the trees, a trial in and of itself. See, if it wasn’t cringe-inducing enough he had to explain everything to me in that dated voice of his, no, he just had to make everything rhyme!

“Long ago in the Days of yore,” he began, “’Twas blessed land where we bore-our young, who pooped as they pleased in pristine ponds ‘til they turned algae green. It was this algae that we ate, from hours seven ‘til eight, when wily hours twist the day to darkness. And those who’d venture on yonder path, fed us wholesome grain, or faced our wrath, like the bull thistles blooming on a summer’s day.”

Somehow, he managed to keep his honker running the. Whole. Way. There. By the time we got to our destination, I knew more about LARP geese history than about my own family.

But where was there, you might be asking? Well, as Birthday Boy would say-

“’Till one day we encroached the wrath of wastrels longst strayeth from good path. Who sought paradise’s golden fruit as their own. We lost, o terrible tragedy, yet followed somber reality, as our greatest ally betrayed us, and the great pond of yore became asphalt.”

For those reading this who can’t quite get Birthday Boy’s pretentious picture, we had arrived at a parking lot. Now, even young me had seen a fair number of lots in his time, but never one this big. It stretched over the horizon, a never-ending desert of streetlights and maybe some handicapped spaces. (Which, if we kept walking any longer, I was probably gonna need.)

“Go forth child, and understand, who tooketh away our promised land.”

As we walked across the parking lot, I couldn’t help but notice Birthday Boy waddled a bit behind me now. Something was coming up at the edge of my vision. At first I thought it was just a mirage, seeing all the heat radiating off the asphalt, but as we got closer, it became too big to be fake. Not tall in the usual way, though: heightwise it was only about three stories tall. But widthwise, well…

The darn thing seemed to go on forever.

What stood before us on that sweltering summer day was a giant rectangle painted so white it practically blinded me, its’ only other features being a sliding door, above which was a set of bold red letters, each the size of my house, proudly announcing the store’s name: a name I knew well from years of being stuck in a dressing room as my Mom forced me to try on just one more sweater before winter set in:

WEGMART

Birthday Boy spoke, his voice now as hushed as a goose voice could be (which was still subtle as a sack of sledgehammers). “Now we tread carefully with fear. If you are caught, I cannot help you here.”

Conveniently enough (though it shouldn’t have been that surprising, considering where we were) two rows of cars formed a path to the place, like guards lining the world’s blackest red carpet. In other words, the perfect place for a goose to hide under. Walking down this path (only half obeying Birthday Boy’s instructions: I tread carefully, but I’m a Tostig and if you know Tostigs, we never tread with fear, at least not when we can help it) I found it kinda weird how this place made out to be this evil fortress of ultimate horrific doom didn’t have so much as a security camera to keep me out. The only thing between me and those automatic sliding doors was some wrinkly old guy wearing a blue traffic safety vest: the Wegmart Greeter Guy. For those not in the know, the Greeter Guy is this shtick Wegmart does where they employ some old guy who’ll work for pennies so visiting shoppers can be reminded of their own mortality. Something seemed a bit… off about this one, though. There was a broad grin on his face, too broad for a man his age; right hand raised in a perpetual wave at nothing. Seemed fake, though I figured this was yet another one of those byproducts of the high cost of low price or whatever they were saying on the news.

I couldn’t step one foot past him before I hit something. Hard. I’d say it was like glass, on account of it being completely invisible, but really, it was more like hitting a steel wall that also gave you the worst case of static shock in the universe. Of course, young me being young me, this didn’t register until he’d waltzed into that deathtrap so many times he couldn’t feel his limbs. Heck, it wouldn’t surprise me the only reason I didn’t try to enter Wegmart a few more times was because by the last time, I was so zapped outta my head I stumbled into the cars by complete accident, giving the one Birthday Boy was under a static snap so strong it exploded in a ball of fire.

“Fool!” honked the goose “Do you not realized that your knaveous action could very well have delivered me to a premature encounter with dread mortis?!”

I did not. And if it weren’t the fact he was explaining the situation to me, I don’t even think I would have cared that much. All I wanted was to go home, play video games, and spend the rest of the summer sleeping this crazy adventure off.

Fortunately, (or unfortunately depending on your tolerance for Shakespeare) Birthday Boy was fast regaining his composure.

“As you can see, they’ve torn asunder Holy Mountain. Sacred stream has become drinking fountain. A wicked grinning barrier they have erected. So long it stands, from elfin magic they are protected.”

“So… you mean to tell me that the greeter guy is some kind of magic energy shield thingy stopping you guys from getting your home back?”

“Your answer ‘tis acute. Now we must be astute.”

I saw a little black object flying in the sky. On account of the bright sun, I couldn’t see it clearly, but it freaked the everloving feathers off of Birthday Boy.

“Flee!” he honked, waddle-flying for the woods. “Every elf now for himself!”

Something shot out from the thing: a little foam dart, not unlike the kinds I had in my toy aero guns (or had, until I discovered real ammo.) It landed inches from my foot. A second later, it did something no foam dart should do: it started dissolving the ground with a hiss. As if on cue, the sky around me started to darken. Looking up, I could now see the mysterious black object was a toy RC helicopter.

Thousands of them, all armed with those same dissolving darts.

“We must escape now!” Honked Birthday Boy “Those curs wield the dread power of Shampow! A power you could not hope to understand, one long forbidden from the clutches of man!”

“Yeah, I get the idea!” I cried as we ran all the way back to the stock pond.

We didn’t reach there ‘til sundown. When we did, Bokrug was first to speak to me.

“I trust you know the direness of the situation?”

“Well, yeah. But I still don’t see how I fit into all this. You guys look pretty powerful on your own.”

“While we have had some success in hit and run missions-“ He gestured a wing towards the shopping carts and tiki torches wielded by his brethren “-We have lossed far more than we have gained. Only by penetrating the heart of darkness, and seizing the blessed water that once flowed through our LARPing grounds might we hope to end the conflict once and for all.” He said to me. “As you witnessed, our sacred LARPing grounds have been overtaken by the evil known as Wegmart. Using the limitless power of the Greeter Guy, they have erected a massive magic-proof barrier we cannot cross.”

“And how do I fit into this?”

“There is but one thing that can pierce Wegmart’s barrier: An artifact of a bygone age known as the Baldwin 60000. But in order to steal this artifact, we must first animate it with a mysterious artifact known as gold dust.”

“Still not seeing how I fit in.”

“Gold dust, however, is an incredibly rare thing. The only satchel known to exist was only ever possessed by the man who founded this great land: A man named William Penn! Technically, he acquired it from the natives… Among other things, but that is a story for another time.”

“And where the heck do you get gold dust?”

“You shall find it in the pockets of the great man himself as he surveys his city!”

“Hold on! So you’d want me to climb to the top of City Hall, and pickpocket a national hero when you have a thousand little goose friends who can FLY?! How does this make any sense?!”

Said thousand little friends glared at me.

“I would suggest referring to them as ‘Elves’.” Bokrug whisper-honked. “In honesty, I find the distinction quite trivial myself, but it is a touchy subject for them. But! You are correct: that is indeed the most logical path, but as it would happen, city hall is covered in spikes. Birdproof spikes. Seeing as you are partially human, I have faith you just might be immune.”

“Huh! I always figured those spikes were leftovers from William Penn’s rebellious phase!”

“As truth would have it, they were made to keep away those who would sully Penn’s temple of tolerance.” Bokrug and his brood turned to face me. “So, Watterson Tostig, I must humbly ask of you: Are you up to the task? Will you help us?”

I thought long and hard at that- maybe longer and harder than I’d ever thought in my LIFE up to that point. F-Bomb had warned me birds were a bunch of sellouts, giving up their form so they could live on the surface. But they had problems, BIG problems. And, well, maybe I’d run away from things a bit too much that summer, sappy as it might sound. Maybe it was time to lend a hand to guys who didn’t have any, even if they weren’t real dinosaurs.

“Alright,” I nodded. “I’ll do it.”

Bokrug bowed his head. “Thank you, Watterson Tostig.”

On cue, a trench-coated man emerged from the woods, pushing a shopping cart with a pair of fire extinguishers strapped to the back of it. It took me a moment to realize the ‘guy’ was just four geese stacked on top of one another, like in those old cartoons.

“Our envoy shall take you to as far as City Hall. After that, may your Lord’s grace be with you.”

But before I got in the shopping cart, there was one last question I had to ask:

“Say Bokrug, why’d you have your little friend take me to a death trap to explain the situation when you did it yourself just fine?”

The bandit-masked goose shrugged. “You seemed to me a visual learner.”

I rolled my eyes. This guy was starting to sound like my teachers!

#My writing #Nature Trail To Hell #bokrug #geese #grocery store #parking lot #shopping cart #gold dust

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bahannah01writes · 7 years

Text

Bring Me A Dream (Pt. 5)

Summary: You’re still at the park and for some reason Mark feels like quizzing you, good luck!

Little shorter, but that’s okay! Honestly, full on fluff and whatnot, hopefully you will all enjoy! Also, I edited this late at night and may have missed a few things, but tomorrow I’ll relook over it and what not! Just wanna get this up for yall ;3

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Check out the masterlist is here :)

Tags: @kourt-kay @boots-jpg @bananakid42 @mtttme @let-it-go-and-live-again if you want to be on the tagged list, just message me and it shall be done!

Enjoy!

“Look chickadee, it’s you!” Mark exclaims as he points to a little gray bird with a primarily black head of feathers aside from a single white stripe from its beak to the side of its head. Its feathery form bounces about in the tree- slightly jittery but overall it seems to be relaxed as it takes its time just exploring the tree around it. Whether or not Mark meant to be teasing or playful, you smile cheerfully and watch the tiny ball of feathers with adoration.

“Mark, that is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen,” You begin a light giggle on your lips, “how on earth am I that adorable little bird?” You’ve seen chickadees before, but you always seem to forget just how precious they are. Your current beaked buddy looks to be the size of your palm, if not smaller.

Although you aren’t looking, Mark rolls his eyes playfully as a crooked smile slides onto his expression, “I swear you make me be cheesy,” he shakes his head and turns to look at you, “You’re that ‘adorable little bird’ because you’re one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.” Yet, the raven-haired lad also feels the need to add a quick quip to counter the cheesiness of his previous statement, “Plus, I’ve gotta say, you have a bit of a bird brain.”

Your head whips over to look at his with eyes wide and brows knitted together, “I do not!” You protest, your lips shifting into a proud smirk, “I think I’m quite smart!��

Mark raises a teasing brow, “You sure about that?”

A slightly shocked gasp leaves your lungs and you can’t help the hint of laughter that escapes you- you give him a friendly shove after shaking your head. “You asshole! Yes, I am positive!”

He hums in thought and strokes his stubble, “You’ll have to prove it…” Mark trails off as he tries to think of a way to ‘test’ you, the moment you see a shit-eating grin cross his face you realize he’s found his solution. “I’m going to give you a test on the most important subject ever, can you guess what it is?” The way his eyebrows wiggle in anticipation gave you a rather good idea of what this ‘subject’ may be.

“Is it you?”

“No! Ha I- Oh wait,” Not expecting you to get it, he chuckles sheepishly, “Actually, yes, that is the topic.” A light rouge dusts his cheeks in response to this ounce of embarrassment, you simply proceed to laugh at his silly blunder, “Oh shut up,” it is now his turn to return a friendly shove in your direction, which almost ceases your laughter. A bubble of joyous giggles escaping every now and again. “Are you ready for your test, chickadee?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be, Markimoo!” You exclaim, being a Dream Maker does have some benefits like being able to access vague memories- though this would still be far easier if he would be asleep and you would be in your true Dream Maker state; a time in which you could assess his memories in depth. Nonetheless, you believe you’ll do fairly well in this test of his. You watch as he prepares the questions in his mind, his lips purse as he tries to think of question, the hand resting on your arm subconsciously traces circles into your skin. Ever since that most delightful chase and him carrying you for about half way across the park, in a rather uncomfortable manner as well, the two of you stopped at a charming park bench under a shady tree. Though, eventually, you’ll return to your previous settlement. For now; however, this bench is just perfect.

“Okay, we’ll start off easy. What’s my whole name?” The tiny circles stop and instead his eyes land on yours.

“Mark Edward Fischbach, simple.” You shrug, leaning into him further, “What else you got?”

He chuckles and tells you what else he has, “And where did I live before L.A?”

“Cincinnati, Ohio,” Albeit, your answers may roll a far bit too fast off your tongue, but as you assume, his fans could have probably answered quicker than you just did. Mark nods and mumbles something about doing a good job.

“What did I do in high school? Like, ‘club’ wise?” Mark inquires, and while for a moment you weren’t exactly sure what he meant, you soon come to the realization.

“Oh! You were in marching band! Trumpet, right?” A bright smile crosses your lips, which Mark returns along with a light laugh.

“Right,” He assures, and in deciding to throw you a wild ball- he asks a most obscure question, “What was my high school nickname?”

Your brows knit together as you scan over your mental files for the answer. Whatever it may be, obviously hadn’t been impactful in his life and would be a trivial little fact about himself. “Can I get a hint?” If you can at least have some tidbits of information around the nickname, it may bring up some memories and lead you to the answer.

You hear him give out an audible and exaggerated sigh, “I guess so.” He ponders quietly for a moment as you try to hold back a giggle from his reaction, “People started calling me it because of a glitter incident.”

A glitter incident? Glitter is that bothersome and sparkly infestation of colors, isn’t it? Most commonly used in crafts and is noted for its persistence, no matter how hard you try- you can never get rid of that sparkling parasite. A name pops into your heard and you begin to wonder. Maybe that’s it… “Does it rhyme?”

“It does.”

“Was it Markle Sparkle?” You ask, unable to withhold a laugh or two due to the silliness of the nickname- if that is what it was.

“It was!” He exclaims with his own laughter following, “I was ol’ Markle Sparkle because someone threw glitter all over me.”

Your laughter only increases as you shake your head, “Oh God, I kind of want you to be Markle Sparkle again,” you say along with a devious, but playful, smirk spreads on your lips.

Mark shakes his head and pokes your nose as if scolding you for such a thought, “No, he is not making a comeback! Glitter is like the herpes of crafting, I don’t want it in my house,” his boisterous laughter only gets louder and you’re reminded that indeed, you can still hear it from miles away if you want to.

“Better watch out then, Markimoo!”

“Says the girl who hardly knows Los Angeles well enough to find a craft store,” He quips with a cocky slanted smile and you blink before proceeding to shake your head again.

“Alright, you got me there. I can admit when I’m defeated,” You admit and while you’re about to add on, he starts to talk instead.

“Y’know, while Markle Sparkle won’t be coming back, I actually do have a few other personas who’ve come back lately,” He looks toward you and sees the swirling confusion in your eyes, “Do you know what I mean?”

While feeling as though you may have an inkling as to what he’s talking about, you’re still uncertain and in case it may somehow relate that beast, you figure letting him explain may be best. So, you offer a nervous chuckle and shake your head, “Not exactly?”

The glimmer of excitement that lights up in his brown hues tell you that he doesn’t mind explaining at all. In fact, he’s rather excited and enthusiastic as he begins to talk about this concept of having personas separate from yourself- like a version of yourself in a different reality or universe per se. “So, for a long time on my YouTube channel, my fanbase and I have made these alternate versions of myself. And for a while, they were around every now and again, but now, I’ve really brought them back and they’re becoming something much more than before. It’s always so much fun to make videos as these egos and see all the ideas my fans have about them. It’s the best,” He explains, the smile never leaving his face and the light never leaving his eyes. In return, you gain some of that light as your heart fills with joy from watching him shine while talking about this passion of his.

“It sounds fun!” You beam, “What are these egos? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Mark chuckles and shrugs, “Why would I mind?” He sighs happily and starts to name off his most popular egos, “There’s the two ‘main’ egos: Darkiplier and Wilford Warfstache. Then there’s a few others like Googleplier, the Host, Bim Trimmer, Ed Edgar, Dr. Iplier, and the Silver Shepard. There’s a few more, but those are the main ones.”

You awe at the idea and begin to ponder to yourself how these alters came to be and you can’t help but admire the creativity of both Mark and his fanbase, “There’s so many…” And because of a curious thought, you laugh and look up at the sweetheart, “Out of your egos, which do you think would like me?”

It’s a simple question but it hard Mark repeating that lovely yet loud laugh of his along with a faint, but visible, blush on his cheeks. With his free hand, he scratches the back of his neck and thinks over your question, “For your own sake, I wouldn’t say Dark or Wilford- maybe even Google. I think Bim Trimmer would like you a lot- probably find you cute,” he quickly offers a cheeky wink, “-though, you might have to compete with Matthias.”

Laughing, the two of lean in closer to one another, “Is this yet another person I have to meet?”

“Definitely.”

“Marvelous!” You decide to shift and simply move to rest your head on his lap, his fingers soon find your hair and begin to mindlessly play with your locks, “So, why not Dark or Wilford?”

Mark can’t help but shake his head, “Because they aren’t as nice as I am,” he looks up to the clouds and continues speaking, “Dark is practically everything I’m not. He’s manipulative, deceptive, and emotionless. So, if he liked you, it may mean good things for you. While with Wilford, he’s just insane,” he chuckles, “loves to kill and doesn’t see anything wrong with it all while being as bubbly and odd as a wacky reporter. With either ego, you wouldn’t be well off. Which is why it’s a good thing they’re just fictional.”

For some reason, you an interest in these egos and make a mental note to ask him more about them later on.

“Jack has one too,” Mark interrupts your thoughts though your eyes light up as you look up at him.

“Really? Oh we can call him later, right? I’d love to hear about his, as well!” You chime, already wondering about the possibilities of what his egos may include.

“Course! And until we can, you can always Skype or text him if you want- Signe too.” Mark points out and your love for your Danish friend rekindles and a new excitement bubbles up in your mind at the hope of talking to her soon.

“Absolutely! I’ve missed them so much.”

“More than me?”

You roll yours eyes and smile up at the doof above you, “Hardly, you goofball.”

“Good, otherwise I wouldn’t buy you anymore slushees.” How dare he! Threatening so significant in your life? What gives himi the right to take away your frozen splendor? Obviously, he sees the shock on your face and bursts into laughter, “Why do you look so offended?”

“Because it’s my chilled haven!” You explain, trying to hold back the smile on your lips and act serious.

“I swear, you’re the most passionate person about slushees that I’ve ever met,” Mark raises his brows, amazed by your love for slushees. If you love him half as much as you love those slushees, he thinks that you’d be going all ‘Yandere-chan’ on his ass.

“Says the guy who almost instantly asked me to cook for him when I came back after months of being away,” You watch as Mark opens his mouth to try and defend himself but then closes it realizing you caught him in a corner, eyes hiding from your own, he chuckles lowly at his own love for very specific food- mainly being anything cooked by you. “Truce?”

“Truce.”

Everything is just about packed up into the car as the sun begin to sets on this Californian day. The orange sky mixes in with the clouds to create floating, fluffy forms along the skyline, the rays of the sun give their last effort and shine brightly as they descend, causing trees and bushes to become a silhouette against the plains. Sunsets were something you always found yourself missing when you were back home, as there are no sunsets or sunrises. There are only changes of the blue in the sky- though every now and again the yellow light beams through the clouds and casts in a beautiful and soft light into your world. But here, in the realm of Dreamers, a sunrise or sunset surpasses those short moments in your world every time.

Mark catches you in your daze and the corners of his lips turn up into a gentle smile, adoring the way you seem to lose yourself in the beauty of nature. Ever since you came into his life, you seemed to do that. And to be completely honest, he finds it unbelievably cute. To be so intuned with nature and being able to take time to simply watch it, he admires that about you. YouTube has made it a bit harder to do that, yet with you, he remembers how to. He may never say it, but Mark’s thankful for that.

A breath passes his lips as he approaches you and rests his hands on the trunk of his car as he leans against, shifting his weight onto his right leg. “Y’know, it’s almost as radiant as yourself.”

The little giggle that escapes you warms his heart, the way your face lights up with both embarrassment and pure happiness only adds to that. No matter how cheesy his lines may be, you always laugh- whether it’s because they’re good or just goofy, he isn’t quite sure, though he thinks it may be the latter. “Back at it with the pick-up lines, huh?”

“What can I say? I’m just that smooth.”

“You mean you’re just that dorky.”

“Eh, tomato, tomato, amiright? Besides, you like them.”

“Regretfully, I do like a few.”

“And that’s why they’re worth it, if I can have you laugh and like at least a few of them, my mission will be complete,” Mark admits, which earns him a swift kiss on the cheek, rendering him speechless for a moment due to being overjoyed.

“I think it’s already complete, Markimoo.” He looks over and while you’re still facing the sunset, you sneak a glance from the corner of your eye and for he sees such felicity in those spectacular orbs of yours. Mark wraps an arm around you and pulls you closer to him, which to happily oblige by, and then places a sweet kiss atop your head.

“Maybe the first part, but I’ve still got a lot in store for you, chickadee. Just you wait.”

#markiplier x reader #mark fischbach x reader #markiplier fanfiction #markiplier imagines #bmd #bahannah01

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katygoestoeurope · 7 years

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Day 16—September 15

The bed at this place was incredible. It’s GIANT. I can be sprawled out and taylor can be too and we’re barely touching. We got up around 9:30 and came out to breakfast on the living room table. A beautiful set up with cereal, fruit, yogurt, toast, and espresso all served in her husbands beautiful glass art. (Did I mention that she’s an artist too? She does intricate mosaics and they are absolutely stunning). And taylor and I couldn’t get over how sweet our host was to set all this up, it was fantastic. She just asked that we don’t post anything about the breakfast on Airbnb because apparently in Italy you can rent out a room but you can’t provide any services so she could get fined and shut down. We ate and Kimmie joined us and 2 cups of espresso later I was beyond pumped to start the day. Kinda cool to say my first time trying espresso was in Venice :p We decided to get lost in Venice which, we learned, is not only simple to do but impossible NOT to do. We walked around for 9 and a half hours and, no exaggeration, only sat down or stopped really for 45 minutes of that. The day is a blur of beautiful streets and stairs crossing canals. The streets had no rhyme to them and some would end abruptly or get incredibly narrow for a short while. Sometimes it felt as though we were lost in a labyrinth only to emerge onto a Main Street filed with tourists. The only down side was that there were so many people in parts that we felt a little like cattle being herded and the locals are very impatient, pushing themselves through the crowded streets. There were a few things I definitely wanted to see so we sporadically used google maps to head in the right direction. Taylor said she had thought if we wandered enough we would bump into everything but that was so far from the case. Small as it may be, getting around can turn you in circles so fast and we got lost a few times even with the assistance of google maps. Here is a list of highlights from today:

- We got pizza and it was quite possibly my favorite ever. One bite into that crust and I knew that American pizza will never taste the same. Just being aware of the fact that such a level of deliciousness is possible, I’m spoiled forever. It’s the crust. The dough they use is magnifico! - Trying to find the grand canal we basically gave up using a map and I saw a bridge that I was drawn to. We went over the bridge and found the view I’d been looking for. The grand canal was indeed, pretty grand. There were a few women with their canvases set up painting the view, their talent so obvious. - We passed a woman playing an instrument that I’d never seen. It looked almost like a kind of harp laying down but she used a combination of finger picking and rubber hammer instruments to play if. She was playing a song that I love and we stopped and watched her in awe for a few minutes before giving her a tip. - I fell in love with a purse. It was small, leather, deep teal, said “made in Italy” and was only €20. (I didn’t get it because I thought we’d end up passing that store again, which we didn’t, but I’m still glad I didn’t get it. The next day our host informed us that a lot of Chinese people come and have shops in Venice where they sell knock off versions of things that are made in china but are stamped with “made it Italy” so people buy them. They have giant factories I guess just 30 minutes away and none of it is made here. Good to know!) - There were a lot of gondolas and without even paying for it, we got to hear their music a few times as they passed under a remote bridge down a random street. One time there was this woman playing the accordion and i just fell in love with the song she played. She looked like Lorena McKennit and had the same whimsical music trance aura about her. - Walking around they have men outside restaurants trying to recruit people to come eat there. One young man after greeting us with a “buena cera” asked us to come inside. We politely declined and he yelled to us “maybe at least come back and talk to me?” With a charming smile haha Italian men really are flirts - We were on a mission to find st marks (Marco) basilicas and wow did that prove to be a struggle haha never thought it was possible to take so long to walk 0.2 miles! But then all the sudden we turned a corner and bam we were there! This wide open space, the plazza, and the basilica front and center! Such a gigantic and elaborately decorated building it was difficult to grasp. There were pigeons everywhere and the children chasing them warmed my heart. I wish I was about 20 years younger–an age when that still is socially acceptable. Still I was tempted. - The pigeons deserve their own bullet point. I felt like I hadn’t looked at the basilica enough so we went back but the pigeons stole the show. People were feeding them and they’d land all over them and eat out of their hands. I instantly wanted to do the same but we didn’t have any food. Taylor said to just hold my hand out and trick them. I didn’t think this would work but I did it anyway and it worked!!!! I made a pigeon friend and I was so happy. I even got taylor to do it too :p - Learning our lesson from Ljubljana we bought umbrellas before the rain and they came in handy as we could still roam the streets while other sought the dryness under awnings. We also wore samples which I’m sure looked bizarre with the umbrella- “they were prepare enough to bring an umbrella but not closed shoes??”–but it ended up being perfect. Besides, our other shoes are still soaked from the rain we got caught in all day 3 days ago. - We stumbled on this art exhibit that had a few displays outside, one of which was a life size woman in a swim suit and cap that looked like she was sitting on the edge of a pool. It looked so realistic that I half expected it to move, and the close I go the more real she looked. The recent rain made it look even more realistic, and the wisps of hair blowing in the wind were tripping me out. I’m in awe of that talent. How does someone do that?! As I got close to take a look taylor went “AH!” Like trying to scare me and everyone around laughed haha I guess pranking is a universal language too! - This one shop looked like a promising chocolate shop so side stepped into it and pulled taylor in with me. We were enthusiastically greeted and promptly given about 4 different samples of candy. One was dark chocolate covered orange peel, then dark chocolate covered almond, a hard candy with melon liquor, and the absolute best lemon cookie I've had in my life. It was like god himself made that cookie. It had this tiny cream center and I had to really talk myself out of buying a box. But the €8.50 price tag was enough of a deterrent. - Not sure what it is about this town but they had soooo many mascaraed shops with hand painted paper mache masks, wall hangings, ornaments, you name it. They were elaborate and intricate and expensive but we had fun gawking over them! - Taylor was dragging big time when we were heading back, asking me how I was still going so strong. We decided we needed to stop for food and looked at about 10 different places before deciding on one. We chose it for its prices and learned we shouldn’t do that anymore. The ambiance was, well, pretty bad and the service was subpar. Compared to the place we had passed this one wasn’t nearly as enjoyable to sit in. The food was stellar though, oh wow. The best pesto I’ve ever had in my life. It tasted/smelled like they went out back and had picked fresh pesto right before cooking it–wouldn’t at all surprise me to hear this was the case. But taylor and I vowed not to cheap out anymore because in the grand scheme it’s only a few euro difference and the ambiance is pretty memorable.

Around 9:00 we got back on the water taxi and headed back to Murano and it was nice to have a few hours to decompress. All that walking caught up to us and just laying in bed was incredible. We ate leftover pizza and went to bed. Eating carbs all day, I think we’re doing this Italy thing right :p

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