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skyeofloxlay · 4 years

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Duskwood - thoughts, observations and summaries - Part 1.

It is likely that there are already people who did this, but I would like to point out some things that I ended up putting aside as the episodes went on, but that I realized when I was reading the prints I took or even when I was playing for hundredth time. Unfortunately I'm not going to put the prints here as they are not in English, so it doesn't help much. And maybe, most of the things I write are obvious, or that everyone already knows, but I would like to write something to have some of my thoughts on some. (or just to have a summary for when chapter 8 comes and I get lost)

(again sorry if it have English errors or something is confusing, English is not my first language @_@)

WARNING: This post will talk about Duskwood events, so you better play before you read! Also, this post is really big, so you might end up getting bored. YOU'VE BEEN ADVISED

1 - Thomas received our number on the second day of Hannah's disappearance, where he himself said he received the night. He immediately spoke to all his friends about the number and then they were arguing for a long time, until finally after thinking hard, the next day, Thomas decides to contact the MC (And of course, there is the fact that the message is gone.)

2 - Thomas tells us that he tried to call Hannah when he received the MC number, someone answered the call, but nobody said anything.

3 - Thomas has a brother, and that is something I always forget. I suppose he is a younger brother? Maybe someone who's not old enough to drive or idk.

4 - Richy tries to fit in with the MC, which is apparently an unusual behavior, since Cleo was incredulous at what he was doing.

5 - Jake acted very cold the first time we talked to him. But I don't remember exactly when it changed ... I think I should see it on the prints and mention it later.

6 - Jake probably follows the philosophy "The ends justify the means", since he does anything, no matter the consequence, as long as he gets to where he wants to go. (In fact, he literally says that the ends justify the means xD)

7 - We have to hack Hannah's cloud because Jake can't do everything, and he says he's busy following other clues, but what are those? I don't remember him commenting on what clues he's following, well maybe I'll find out by looking at the prints of future chapters.

8 - Jake says that we should decrypt the cloud, and clearly decrypting is not a candy crush game with cubes, but I would say that in "real life" (as much as I have researched about decryption, I didn’t find anything that could help me a lot to understand how it works) you use some program that Jake sent you, you take encrypted files that have several strange letters and put them in this program, which happens to be a little slow, so to pass the time you decide to play Candy Crush. Which is why it takes so long before you can send an unencrypted file to Jake.

9 - Cleo adds us before going to work.

10 - Thomas comes back some time later, I would say it could be half an hour after he sent the message saying he had to get his brother.

11 - On the day of Hannah's disappearance, Jake put all of her friends in a group and talked about the situation. By the time Jake did that, Thomas was on his cell phone, so he saw it right away.

12 - We know that Jake somehow witnessed the kidnapping, but how? How did he see if he didn't even meet Hannah in person?

13 - Richy's house is 5 minutes from Hannah's.

14 - Cleo and Richy have a conversation that we can read. And Cleo asked Richy where all the sympathy had come from (probably about him wanting to put the MC in the group) Apparently before he didn't want Thomas to contact the number.

15 - Richy assumes that Hannah has had enough time to write a single message. If we put him as one of the suspects, as he is being at the moment, then was it he who gave Hannah the chance to send a message? Or was it Richy who sent it from Hannah's cell phone? But…. I don't know ... none of those things really make sense.

Unless Hannah managed to get her cell phone while Richy was away, and then sent the message, Richy soon afterwards arrives and sees what Hannah has done, takes her cell phone and deletes the message. (And answer the phone, but say nothing)

(Or we can also assume that it was Jake who sent our number on Hannah's cell phone ... but that doesn't fit much for some things in the future, I'll explain later)

16 - Richy thinks that inevitably, if the MC is guilty it will end up escaping something.

17 - We were able to decrypt the first photo, that if I'm right, we are decrypting newer photos to older ones? But that is not a very important detail, I think. We sent the photo to Jake and he asks if we had found this photo in Hannah's cloud. But why? Isn't it obvious that it was from Hannah's cloud? Wasn't that just our only job? Decrypt and send whatever you can to Jake ??? If we say we don't know what exactly to look for, Jake says he doesn't know either. So we're kind of literally in the dark! We have no idea what we have to find and neither does he know. But he says that it is still for us to continue to send what we find, because something can be more relevant if we look in more detail.

(Okay, the next one isn't so much what I thought, but the conversation between Jake and MC, because I love the interactions that it is possible to do with Jake and I couldn't leave it out. * ^ _ ^ *)

18 - Jake wishes us good luck, but now (I think only for premium) you can say you want to talk to him. Jake then looks confused and asks what we wanted to talk about, and we can say we want to talk about him. He seems to be even more confused about why we want to talk about him. I don't remember the other options or if he says the same thing it doesn't matter what we answer, but if we say that we find him interesting he says that "You know I'm not going to tell you anything about me, right?" (Sure, of course Jake, for sure everyone believes that) if we keep insisting, he ends up giving in and says that we can ask only one question. We can ask: I think between his hair color, if he lives in the city or country, or what programs does he use to hack?

His hair color is black, if I'm not mistaken he says he lives in the city and the last question I don't know the answer to.

He asks why we wanted to know (in the case of hair, I don't know about the others, but he probably asks the same thing). I think that regardless of what we answer, he says he doesn't believe in what he just did, because he shouldn't say anything about himself. (That is, this is where we can start to make Jake's walls start to fall and we can get closer to him :) ) He also says that hiding his identity is essential and asks if we are happy now. If we say yes and talk to ask a question, he gets more confused and says "You didn't want to talk to me, did you?" Regardless of what we talk about, he asks us how the weather is. We can say between: What a boring question / It's raining / Very well, I would say. (I think those were the questions).

He then admits that it was not the most interesting topic, but we can say that it remains interesting nonetheless. He so says he hasn't had a conversation in a long time... (oh, I feel you Jake, I don't know how to talk to people either, but look, you're talking to me :) even though you don't really exist ;_;) He then asks if we were stuck on an island, what would we most like to have. I said that I would like to have books, and he says "hmm" (but if I'm not mistaken he says that for everything we answer) we can ask him what he would like to have, and he says he would choose his computer, but then he tells us to forget what he said and says he has more to do, and asks if everything was clear now.

19 - We can ask him if he doesn't ask himself who we are. And this point I find interesting. He says "You play a key role in all this mess. Why do you suddenly appear in such mysterious circumstances? What do you really have to do with all of this? Obviously, I wonder who you are. I already told you something about me again ... I'm going to have to go now. Otherwise, I will end up saying my name or worse. " This means that he would not have been the one who sent our number by Hannah's cell phone because he doesn't know who the MC is. There is less that he is lying very well, but I think not.

20 - Thomas asks if we have time to talk to him, and then says that in a way MC is one of them now. So he says he will put pictures of Hannah on his profile so that we can try to remember her in some way.

21 - Did we find a picture of a bridge? That's probably in the forest?

22 - Jessy then contacts us saying that she wants to get to know us better? Is it just me who found this strange and uncomfortable?

23 - Even though she never spoke to us and left the group, she says that MC is part of the group now. And she decides to talk to us in the middle of her work.

24 - We found out that Jessy works with Richy.

25 - She keeps trying to get to know MC more, which made me very uncomfortable because I really didn't want to talk to her and even then she kept talking to MC.

26 - So we got to see one more conversation, but this time it's between Thomas and Cleo, where Thomas says that he put some pictures for the MC to see, and said that it seemed strange, and said that there was nothing strange about the MC's behavior. So Cleo tells Thomas that then he cannot draw a conclusion about what role we (MC) play. Thomas then said goodbye and they went offline.

27 - Jessy talks to the MC again, nothing interesting that is worth mentioning.

28 - We found a photo of a cat in Hannah's cloud

29 - Thomas sends a message again, now asking if we recognize Hannah, replying that we really don't know her, he says "oh, yeah, it's okay" and goes offline.

30 - Jake answers us and we start talking about our findings. He says he will try to extract information from the photos.

31 - He asks for time to be able to analyze it and says he has an advantage for us, and sends a cell phone number. He says the police are very focused on Thomas and that we should be focusing on someone else. If we ask why we should do this, he replies, "As I said before, you piqued my interest. That's all you need to know at the moment." Then he tells us to add the number. And as soon as we added it, we found out the number was from Dan.

32 - Dan gets worried and says several no, and asks who sent us after him. You can choose from a few people to say who sent you there, but I think regardless of who you choose, he will say the same: "What? Fuck it. I don't care. Damn them. And you leave me alone." And then it goes offline.

33 - If you choose Jessy, he will ask her why she gave his number to the MC, and she says that she didn't, so he says that the MC is lying and that someone gave his number. Jessy also says that if he wants people to stop seeing him as a suspect, he just has to stop acting like one.

34 - We got a call. Someone threatening us.

35 - We contacted Jake and talked about what happened. Jake asks what the kidnapper said, and we can say "That I should stay out of other people's business." Jake asks what he looked like, and we can say he looked like a maniac.

36 - If we say that we had better follow the kidnapper's advice, Jake says that we shouldn't do that, and that there was nothing to worry about. And that we could consider that connection as something positive, because that meant the kidnapper was coming out of hiding, and that would make him vulnerable. And that he is probably concerned about the MC being in the investigation. Jake also says that we are a drag on the kidnapper, and that the MC can't trust anyone in the group. He also said that he was right about the MC and that we are going to save Hannah.

37 - Jessy calls us and other people in the group saying they found a body. She creates a group and adds us, Dan, Cleo and Richy.

38 - Jessy and Cleo argue.

39 - Cleo says she will tell Lilly about the body.

40 - And then in a way we kind of obliged to tell Thomas about the body.

41 - When we talk about the body found, Thomas immediately goes offline.

42 - We tell the group this.

43 - If we tell the group that we should have waited to tell Thomas, Richy says that MC would not say that if knew how much gossip is spreading around the city.

44 - Dan asks us what we think about Thomas's suspicious actions.

45 - Richy asks what we do now and Cleo replies that the only way was to wait.

46 - Everyone goes offline and after a while Jake sends a message saying that he has something new, that a corpse had been found. But he was talking about the same corpse that we discovered by the group, that is, we had important information even before him.

47 - He is impressed with how we got the information before him and how MC already seems to be part of the group.

48 - Then he asks if we got the picture of the cat in Hannah's cloud. (again, isn't that obvious??? This is our mission! Decrypt Hannah's cloud photos and files !!! Why do you keep asking that Jake ??)

49 - If we ask if there is something wrong to Jake, he just replies "Never mind. It's okay." And then it goes offline.

50 - We decrypt what appears to be a medical prescription, but which is in a terrible resolution. Jake says he will try to fix the image better and goes offline.

51 - Jessy says that Cleo invaded the junkyard

52 - Jessy says that the MC should make Cleo tell Richy what she did.

53 - Cleo says he needs to talk to us. She says she can tell us a little bit about Hannah.

54 - If we ask if Hannah has siblings, Cleo replies that Lilly is her younger sister, and asks if we didn't know that until now. If we say, "I meant besides Lilly". Cleo replies that Lilly is Hannah's only sibling.

55 - If we ask Cleo if it was possible that Hannah simply ran away, Cleo replies that there was no reason for her to do that since Hannah's life was starting to go well. She had a great family, an amazing boyfriend and was happy with her career.

56 - If we say that maybe things were happening that she didn't know, Cleo replies that she knows that everyone has secrets, but having such a terrible secret and having to escape Duskwood without a trace, she would know that. She also comments on the fact that the Hacker saw the hijacking.

57 - If we ask Cleo if she thinks the kidnapper could be someone in the group, she says she doesn't believe it is anyone of them.

58 - When asked if Hannah had any enemies, Cleo replies that she was not sure, and that everyone loved Hannah.

59 - At that moment we can question Cleo or not for the invasion of the junkyard. If we don't say anything, she just says that she has to do some things and that she can't sit and wait.

60 - If we ask her plan, she says she'll ask for downtown and maybe know if someone found Hannah before she disappeared. She spoke the names of three of the biggest gossips in the city: Mrs. Walter, owner of the hotel. Mrs. Sully, the queen of gossip and Phil Hawkins, owner of Aurora bar.

61 - She says the bar hasn't opened yet, but we can suggest to Cleo who she should talk to first. And then she says she'll talk to us later.

62 - We found a picture of Hannah apparently in the forest.

63 - We see a conversation between Richy and Jessy.

64 - Richy is talking about something Jessy said to us. He says that Jessy should be more careful with the MC and then says that Jessy should know something about the MC, but then he needs to stop by the office and not talk about what it was.

65 - Jake, who was reading the messages between Richy and Jessy, is annoyed that Richy didn't say what he wanted to say.

66 - We asked him if he was reading the messages, and he says yes, because you never know where you can find the next piece of the puzzle. If we ask him if he always reads other people's messages, he replies that only the most interesting ones and asks us if the MC was judging him.

67 - If we say that we are judging him a little, he says that the MC was also reading their messages. We can answer that we are doing this because he told us to do this. So he says we're only doing this so that we can find Hannah.

68 - Jake asks ask us what we think Richy and Jessy are talking about us. If we say we have no idea, Jake responds with "Really? Not even a hunch?" so we can say that we’ve never talked to Richy before, and Jake thinks that’s strange. Jake assumes that Richy would tell Jessy why he doesn't trust MC. We can then answer "Don't trust anyone. It's your words, not mine." and "Do you trust me?", Jake answers the question with "Would I have given you access to Hannah's cloud if I didn't?" We can then tell Jake that he doesn't even know us that well, and he says "Maybe Jessy wasn't the only person who felt an immediate connection with you"

If we ask "Is that a compliment?" Jake says yes, and he would talk to us later.

69 - Cleo sends a message saying that she arrived at the hotel, but that Mrs. Walter was not at the reception. Cleo then says that Lilly used to work at the Hotel reception before, but apparently she doesn't work there anymore. Cleo then comments that Alfie, Mrs. Walter's son, is playing in a mud puddle in front of the hotel. We told Cleo that she should talk to Alfie, and after a while she comes back saying that he had called her "Friend of the dead girl" and then Cleo replies that Hannah was not yet dead and asked him who was saying these terrible things. Alfie then says that he saw Hannah being taken by the Man without a face.

If we say that he probably saw a man in a mask, Cleo replies that there is a legend in Duskwood about a "Man without a face" and that we should ask Jessy about it because she likes legends, and then in the meantime Cleo would talk to Mrs. Sully.

70 - We asked Jessy about the legend of the mwaf, and also commented that Alfie had seen Hannah being taken by him to the forest.

71 - We found out that Jessy was once Alfie's Nanny. And she says that he may well have invented it, since he has mental problems.

72 - Jessy creates a group about the Duskwood legends and puts Richy together, since he was born in Duskwood and could talk more about the legend than she did. But since Richy was working, they had to leave that for later.

73 - Cleo sends us a message saying she talked to Mrs. Sully, who says she saw Hannah coming out of the pharmacy and that she looked very worried, and then she sat on the patio of the Rainbow Café.

74 - We asked Cleo what Hannah had bought at the pharmacy, but she doesn't know. So she says that she will try to do something and that in the meantime we should try to find out more about the "mwaf".

75 - We talked to Richy and Jessy about Alfie and the mwaf.

76 - Jessy tells the legend of the mwaf. She says the legend is older than Duskwood, they say he lives inside the forest and at night he walks through the dark streets of the city. He marks the door of the greatest sins with a sign from the crow, and then on the night of the first new moon each year, he returns the marked houses and takes all the people from that house, whether guilty or not. No one knows exactly what he does with these people, but supposedly he takes them into the forest and these people never come back.

77 - We can then assume that the kidnapper is trying to copy the legend.

78 - Cleo sends us a message again, telling us a story that Lilly told her about Alfie.

79 - Cleo said it happened last year, in the fall. One of the guests complained to Lilly about a bad smell in his room, Lilly went to the room, but felt nothing, so she gave the guest another room. When she returned to the room she noticed the smell, but could not find where it came from, she then spoke to Mrs. Walter who spoke with the janitor Old Gray. After he cleaned it, Lilly, as she was curious to know what had given off that stench, goes to the trash and saw that Alfie's canary (Mr. Featherly) was dead and with a crushed beak and broken wings.

80 - Apparently Alfie killed the canary.

81 - We then see a conversation between Dan and Lilly. He was commenting that he was sure that the body found was not Hannah's. Lilly then asks Dan if he could come here (probably to her house), and Dan agrees.

Well, I think I better stop here, because I already wrote a lot and there is still a lot to write. To tell you the truth, I don't even know where I am in the story, I don't know if it's still chapter 1, or it's already 2 or maybe 3. But anyway, that's it. I will continue to write my observations / thoughts / summaries of the story when I have time and motivation. At the moment I want to see if I can draw something with Jake x MC and maybe write some theories that are in my head.

I hope that what I have written can help you in some way, or just remember what was going on at the beginning of the game. (Or maybe all of this is useless and it was really boring, so I'm sorry ;_;) See you later :)

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themurphyzone · 4 years

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PatB Oneshot: A Whole New Life for You and Me

For the air mice nyoom’s server Secret Santa for @deez-art! Decided to gift them a fic for the wonderful Brainladdin AU cause it’s so pure and I live for found family. I decided to go with the happy ending for the movie, cause Genie’s reaction upon being freed melts me every time.

@nuttersincorporated came up with the fun idea of Wakko calling Brainladdin ‘Dad’ and Brainladdin denying it every time. I thought it was cute XD

Summary: The evil Snowballjafar has been defeated, but there's still some loose ends that need to be wrapped up. And really, there are way too many emotions going on here for Brainladdin's comfort.

AO3 Link (No FFN post cause AO3 has easier x-over system).

No power, however grandiose and terrifying, could go unchecked by the laws of the universe. Snowballjafar had forgotten there were unseen forces far greater than himself, even with phenomenal cosmic power at his fingertips.

The price to pay? Itty bitty living space inside a cramped magical lamp.

Brainladdin stared down at the black lamp that now contained his former friend turned enemy. While part of him would always remember Snowballjafar as a fellow young orphan on the streets, he also knew that this fate was karma for all of the hamster’s cruelty.

Jaspinky wouldn’t be forced into a union he didn’t want. Yakko wouldn’t be forced to hurt the people he’d come to regard as his younger siblings. Wakko and Dot wouldn’t be forced to live in an ACMEbah under Snowballjafar’s iron command.

ACMEbah was restored. Everyone was safe.

Brainladdin gave the lamp to Yakko, now back to his normal self, or as normal as could be for a wisecracking genie with a penchant for cartoonish humor.

“Allow me,” Yakko said, winking at Wakko and Dot as he zipped towards the palace balcony that overlooked the city. The kids eagerly scrambled over to the balcony to watch the proceedings.

In a flash of light, Yakko now wore a backwards blue cap, Wakko sported some strange armor that covered his chest and face, and Dot had a pink helmet with her trademark yellow flower painted on the side. Wakko and Dot grinned up at Yakko with adoring expressions, hanging off the balcony a little too eagerly for Brainladdin’s peace of mind.

“Wakko! Get off that railing at once!” Brainladdin shouted.

“Yes, Pops,” Wakko said in the universal ‘exasperated teen’ tone, which Brain suspected he’d picked up from Yakko. But Wakko planted his two feet on safe ground anyway, settling for standing on his tiptoes instead.

“I’m not—oh forget it,” Brainladdin sighed. It wasn’t worth arguing about, and he’d rather just take the defeat now instead of prolonging it.

Jaspinky giggled, his jewelry swaying gently with every movement. His blue eyes sparkled once again, a much welcomed change from the abject terror he had experienced while drowning in the sand-filled hourglass. And really, he looked much better in blue and gold than seductive red.

It was an objective fact.

Yakko held the lamp in his left arm, then wound it so fast that it resembled a blue whirlwind. “This is it, folks! The real teeth-clenching, nailbiting, game-winning swing of whatever century we’re in!”

Another magical burst, and Brainladdin found himself holding a tiny triangular flag emblazoned with Dot’s flower. Jaspinky screamed in glee, waving a giant pointing foam finger that now covered his right hand. Brainladdin rolled his eyes, but held the flag as high as he could in a silent show of support.

Dot readied her large mallet as Wakko crouched behind her, punching his fist into the palm of his hand. Yakko zipped to the other side of the balcony, then hurled the lamp towards Dot with all his might.

THWACK!

Dot’s mallet connected with the lamp and sent it soaring high into the blue sky and far beyond the walls of ACMEbah, straight into the heart of the vast desert.

“THAT’S FOR JASPINKY, MY BROTHERS, AND BRAINLADDIN CAUSE I FEEL LIKE BEING GENEROUS, YOU STUPID HAMSTER!” Dot screamed as she dashed around the balcony at high speeds, high-fiving Jaspinky’s foam finger as she passed him.

“And it’s outta here, thanks to my new sister sib! What a swing!” Yakko ruffled Dot’s hair as she threw herself at Wakko, knocking him down from his crouched position. The two laughed and embraced, laughing in joy and relief that their ordeal was really over. The duo began an odd victory dance that involved a lot of stomping both of them and rude hand gestures to the horizon on Dot’s part. “He’s looking at uhhhhhhhh…about a ten thousand year sentence in the Cave of Wonders. Without parole or bail, unless some poor shmuck decides to release him in a cashgrab sequel. But that’s a problem for another time.”

Brainladdin allowed himself a tiny smile. And Jaspinky smiled that bright, silly smile that always seemed to make Brainladdin’s chest flutter swiftly and strange, but not in a wholly unpleasant way either.

To think this entire business had started out as a way to ascend to the throne of ACMEbah. Leave poverty behind him. Get Wakko some actual food and not worry about amputated limbs courtesy of angry shopkeepers.

He hadn’t counted on falling head over heels for Jaspinky’s gentle spirit. Who wanted to marry for love and not for power or fame or wealth. Nor had he counted on striking up a genuine friendship with a powerful magical being, who had wishes of his own yet was bound to the desires of his master.

Wakko lived by the rules of the street rat like Brainladdin, but he’d found a kinship with others willing to show him the affection Brainladdin couldn’t offer him.

Dot could finally be a child, a rather clever and self-sufficient one, and now she had brothers who would watch her back from this point on.

And Brainladdin found himself back to square one. There were other methods to take over ACMEbah, but he couldn’t continue perpetrating this lie.

Jaspinky deserved someone better than him. Wakko should be taken care of by people who would provide for every physical need and show him the love he deserved. He didn’t get along with Dot, but she was protective of Jaspinky, and it was by far her most admirable trait.

Most importantly, this quest would’ve been doomed to fail from the beginning if it hadn’t been for Yakko, who supported the endeavor in his snarky, playful way, entertained with his magic, and didn’t seem to begrudge Brainladdin for not keeping his promise when he’d been blinded by power.

Really, Yakko never should’ve been locked away from the world, only to come out when someone wanted to use him.

“Pondering again, Brainladdin?” Jaspinky asked. He took off the foam finger and set it down gently, then carefully pried the flag out of Brainladdin’s hands. His fingers were warm and gentle, much like how they’d held hands on that whimsical carpet ride just a few starlit nights ago.

“Yes,” Brainladdin said softly. He swallowed the lump in his throat, then took Jaspinky’s hands in his and tried not to think about how this would be the last time he might ever see him. “And I’m sorry I lied to you about being a prince.”

Jaspinky teared up, his impossibly blue eyes reflecting the sky above. “It’s okay. I know why you did,” he whispered, like the lie was easy to forgive, just like that.

A street rat couldn’t hope to change a centuries-old law. Street rats had no power, no connections, no respect. And the Sultan-CEO wouldn’t approve of any match but the ones she selected for Jaspinky, regardless of his wishes.

“I suppose this is goodbye.” Brainladdin squeezed Jaspinky’s hands, just to prolong releasing his hands for a little longer.

“It’s not fair,” Jaspinky whimpered. “I love you.”

Brainladdin had seen those words float around in every step, every touch, every look from Jaspinky. But to hear it spoken out loud…

Well, it seemed he would be yearning for much more than power once he returned to the street.

A few teardrops splashed down from above. Yakko sniffed into a handkerchief, and Wakko and Dot stopped dancing, the reality of the situation sinking in, judging from their crestfallen expressions.

“Sorry. Never been this invested in a love story before,” Yakko said, poofing the handkerchief away as he drifted down next to Brainladdin. “But ya still got one wish left. Might as well use it. Just say the word and it’s riches, elephants, an entourage, and the whole prince shebang.”

Even after I went back on my promise to set you free? Brainladdin wanted to ask, but the words caught in his throat. You still want to offer me a chance to be with Jaspinky?

“Eh, what’s an eternity of servitude to love?” Yakko stretched casually, as if he could read Brainladdin’s thoughts. He bumped noses with Jaspinky, who smiled despite his tears. “You only come across someone like Jaspinky…well, never actually. Then again, trying to score a date can be pretty hard when you’re stuck in a lamp.”

Brainladdin cupped Jaspinky’s cheek in the palm of his hand. He wouldn’t feel his warm, luxurious fur ever again.

“Jaspinky…while I-I reciprocate your affections, I can’t fabricate an entire persona to make you…you know.” Brainladdin looked down, unable to meet Jaspinky’s tearful gaze.

“Um…” Jaspinky just sounded confused.

“He stinks at admitting he loves you even though it’s completely obvious cause he actually wants you to be happy unlike all those other rotten, no-good, stuck-up jerkwad princes!” Dot shouted.

He could’ve done without the insult, but he nodded his thanks to Dot for the translation to Jaspinky terms.

“I understand, Brainladdin,” Jaspinky murmured. He kissed the back of Brainladdin’s hand, soft lips pressing against the calloused skin. Brainladdin allowed a moment for the kiss to settle, then pulled away to take care of one last piece of business.

“Yakko, I wish for your freedom,” Brainladdin declared.

This was his chance to set things right. So that Yakko would have his freedom, never be forced to serve a cruel master again, and fully become the loving, questionably responsible brother he was meant to be.

“Right away! Vipers, monkeys, gold, coming right-” Yakko said, dusting off his gloves and cracking his knuckles. He raised his arms, then paused in surprise, the final wish not quite registering yet. “-wait, what?”

Brainladdin held the lamp up to Yakko. The forever-teenager’s powers would be his own, never subject to anyone’s whims again.

“Yakko, you’re free.”

Blue smoke poured out of the lamp as it rose out of Brainladdin’s hands, swirling around Yakko’s body as he looked on, completely speechless for probably the first time in millennia. His eyebrows drew up in shock, his arms making odd, meaningless motions as if he didn’t know what to do with his own body. Bolts of cosmic, ancient magic weaved around Yakko in indescribable colors, sparking clouds of massive energy that had never been witnessed before or ever again.

Jaspinky rested his jaw on top of Brainladdin’s head, not caring if he squished his fez. Wakko’s tongue lolled out happily, and Dot bounced up and down in sheer amazement before catching herself and settling for a joyful grin. Together they watched the golden shackles around Yakko’s wrists break and vanish into a cloud of magical sparkles.

Yakko stared at his own bare wrists, rubbing them and feeling the fur beneath his bonds, probably for the first time in his long life. He turned them in every possible direction, his mouth making movements that were heavily reminiscent of a fish out of water.

“I’m free?” Yakko asked in disbelief. He gingerly picked up his lamp by the handle, tapping it a few times in case it had any power left. But the lamp had lost its golden sheen, its exterior now a dull brown. Yakko’s chest heaved up and down rapidly. “I’m free.”

His voice was tiny, not at all full of confidence and bravado as Brainladdin had admittedly grown fond of throughout this whole ordeal.

Then he cleared his throat, thrusting the depowered lamp into Brainladdin’s arms and startling Jaspinky enough that his arms slipped off Brainladdin’s head. Jaspinky laughed it off, and Brainladdin nudged him with his foot.

“Quick! Wish for something outrageous! Wish for denial!” Yakko begged as he covered his eyes, turning away from Brainladdin. “That’s it! Denial!”

Brainladdin shrugged, but obliged anyway. “I wish for denial?”

“Psych! Like you really need me for something you’ve already got!” Yakko shouted in Brainladdin’s face, giggling uncontrollably.

Brainladdin sighed and pushed Yakko’s face away from his, but Yakko’s glee was absolutely infectious, and even he couldn’t help but smile as Yakko bounced off pillars and roofs and the ground below, reveling in his newfound freedom. Whatever Yakko planned to do, Brainladdin had no doubts that the genie would use his liberation from the lamp well.

“I’mfreeI’mfreeI’mfree—I’M FREE!” Yakko chanted the mantra over and over. He lifted Wakko and Dot onto his shoulders and nuzzled their noses, and they returned the gesture with huge smiles. Wakko leaned a little too far over for comfort as the trio celebrated in midair, but it seemed that Yakko’s magic allowed him to stay on without worrying about the laws of physics.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to see the world! You know how boring lamp interiors are? It’s good that you don’t, cause you’ll be bored if I answered that!” Yakko exclaimed as he conjured a long, blue slide that allowed Wakko and Dot to safely return to the balcony in style. Then he broke out an enormous suitcase, packing clothes, toys, and other items with a ridiculous amount of arms.

So Yakko planned to leave too. But Brainladdin tried to hang onto the joy of Yakko’s freedom for a little longer, trying not to linger on how his life always consisted of saying goodbye to anyone he met that he’d grown to…tolerate.

“Well, off to see the sights! Tahiti, China, the Galapagos, Pennsylvania, Switzer-“

Yakko paused and looked down, a bag of apples in one hand and a potted cactus in another. His mouth opened in surprise. He was watching Brainladdin.

Then Brainladdin’s vision blurred. He wiped his eyes, and his fingers came away damp. No one else had commented yet, though Jaspinky’s hand was on the small of his back, but Brainladdin said nothing. Best to ingrain the memory of Jaspinky’s soft touch in his mind while he had the chance.

Yakko wiped away a few tears of his own, his form shrinking until he was just a head taller than Wakko.

“Poit. I’ll let you have a moment,” Jaspinky whispered. Brainladdin only registered his words just as the gentle pressure vanished from his back. Dot knelt, taking Jaspinky in her cupped hands. She was silent, only giving Yakko an odd look before retreating into the palace for her own private conversation with the princess, leaving Wakko and Brainladdin alone with Yakko.

A case of déjà vu swept through Brainladdin. He and Wakko alone in the Cave of Wonders. Wakko bouncing along to a bombastic musical number, where he could have a fun childhood experience that ACMEbah refused to grant. Yakko’s excitement over simply talking to living beings.

At first, Yakko was just a means to an end. He was powerful, and it wasn’t difficult to work within the boundaries of his genie limitations. Maybe he could’ve took things more seriously, maybe he could’ve stopped jabbering for just a few seconds so Brainladdin could get a word or two in. Although Yakko had been trapped within a role, he still made everyone smile, he was protective, and he was kind.

“Hey.” Yakko tapped Brainladdin’s forehead. “You really oughta stop that brooding habit of yours.”

“I don’t brood. I ponder,” Brainladdin shot back, ridding himself of the watery veil in his eyes. Yakko provided him with a handkerchief, and Brainladdin blew his nose. The item poofed away. “Thanks, Yakko. For everything, and not just for convenient items you can create without obeying the laws of physics and other scientific fields.”

“Are you really gonna see the world?” Wakko asked, his eyes shining with wonder.

Wakko had expressed a desire to see the world many times before, but only so he could earn enough money to help Brainladdin put bread on the table. One of Brainladdin’s regrets about this elaborate plan falling through, really. Nobody, especially a child, should ever have to worry about rationing one loaf of bread and an apple to last a week.

Here was a prime opportunity for Wakko to experience the world without financial woes dragging him down from truly enjoying it, since Yakko could just create money and food as needed and serve as a somewhat responsible guardian for him.

Brainladdin didn’t ask though, but only because he didn’t know how to broach the topic. Wakko would never follow his own dream if he was constantly worried for Brainladdin, and it didn’t feel quite right to request something of Yakko so soon after his new freedom.

Yakko nodded, wiping away a stray tear from his cheek. “Well, more than what I’m seeing right now, anyway. And really, it’s no problem-o. At least you guys aren’t boring. Can’t say the same about all the other masters I’ve had.”

“I’m gonna miss you,” Wakko admitted. He held up his arms, and Yakko scooped him up in an enormous hug. Wakko flopped like a sack of potatoes, nuzzling into Yakko’s fur.

“Heh, you too, kid,” Yakko murmured. “Boy, have you been filling up on the palace’s sweetcakes or something since we started this whole thing?”

It wasn’t healthy sustenance by any means, but if Wakko was truly putting on weight, then Brainladdin saw no reason to complain.

Yakko shifted his brother so that he was secure in one arm, then set his other hand on the ground next to Brainladdin, who stepped into the offered palm. Yakko set Brainladdin on his shoulder, a gentle brush of magic preventing any accidental falls.

“Yakko…” Brainladdin could barely look him in the eye. “Though your antics could be somewhat over the top, you go about them with a certain degree of charm. And I suppose…I’ll miss you as well.”

“Awww, only somewhat over the top? Looks like I gotta up my game.” Yakko cracked a grin. Then he pushed his nose against Brainladdin’s, and while it was an odd feeling to be nuzzled on the nose, he didn’t push Yakko away either.

Wakko made an angry noise in the back of his throat.

Brainladdin shrugged. His dignity had been torn to shreds anyway. “I can learn to tolerate one more.”

And Wakko immediately closed the distance, his knee digging into Yakko’s smoky tail and somehow making him go ‘oomph’ even though there shouldn’t have been anything with substance there. Wakko’s nuzzle was somewhat rougher than Yakko’s, but it wasn’t anything Brainladdin couldn’t handle.

And this was long overdue, Brainladdin thought as he patted Wakko’s cheek. Had he ever done this while Wakko was awake and conscious to feel it? He wasn’t sure, but as Jaspinky taught him…it wasn’t too late to start.

“Who cares what anyone says? You guys are always gonna be royalty to me,” Yakko declared.

Wakko closed his eyes and almost melted right there, and Yakko had to set him down carefully since the kid’s body composition seemed to be made out of shifting sand with all the physical contact. Brainladdin carefully climbed down Yakko’s arm and tried not to tear up again at his words.

Just as Brainladdin’s feet touched the ground, there was a furious scream from the door on the far side of the room.

“The Sultan-CEO is just…AHHHHHHH!” Dot shouted as she stomped across the tiled floor and slumped against the balcony railing, her head smacking against the metal bars. Her brothers threw their arms around her instantly, and her ire diminished, though she was still wracked with tension.

Jaspinky trailed behind her, his shoulders and tail drooping, the golden band around his tail making sad tap-tap-tap noises.

Shoot. He was still crying.

“I’m sorry, Brainladdin.” Jaspinky twisted his tail between his hands. “Sultan-CEO-Mom’s still awfully mad. Some dictator from the kingdom of Dunlikus was supposed to meet with her but got caught in a whirlywind from Snowballjafar’s evil magic. She wouldn’t listen to us. But…Dot tried to convince her about you. She really did.”

“I believe you, Jaspinky,” Brainladdin quietly said as he patted Jaspinky’s back. Jaspinky sniffed once, twice, then intertwined his tail with Brainladdin’s. While Brainladdin’s tail was crooked and stiff from the amount of times he’d been roughly grabbed while stealing, Jaspinky’s was smooth and unblemished. “Did she say anything to Dot in particular?”

It was rather interesting to watch Jaspinky’s tail flow with every unrestrained emotion. Yet it also served as a reminder of their very different social statuses.

Jaspinky nodded sadly. “She said Dot doesn’t have any good ideas cause she’s just a kid who doesn’t know how the real world works. But then…neither of us have really seen the world outside the palace. The magic carpet ride was my first time, and it really was a magical wonderful memory I’ll treasure forever. But Dot-well, how do we know how the world works if we’re stuck here?”

For all his oddities, Jaspinky could ask the most profound questions.

“You won’t.”

But Jaspinky couldn’t live in the city either. Brainladdin didn’t want Jaspinky’s kindred spirit snuffed out by the cynicism and roughness of the streets.

Jaspinky winced, hurt shining in his blue eyes. Realizing his reply came out blunter than he intended, Brainladdin rubbed a circle into Jaspinky’s hand in a silent apology. Jaspinky lifted Brainladdin’s fez and planted a kiss on top of his head, then made a show of adjusting the fez.

Brainladdin took Jaspinky by the hand and led him to the siblings. He wondered how exactly he’d come to have more physical contact in the past day than what he’d given and received in years. Truth be told, it was a terrifying yet exhilarating change. But it would also be tinged with bittersweet.

After Jaspinky, he doubted he’d be able to ever touch anyone like this ever again.

“It’s okay-“ Yakko tried, hands held out to placate Dot.

“No, it’s not!”

Wakko was silent, but he was the first to spot Brainladdin and Jaspinky joining them. He gently turned Dot so that she was no longer glaring daggers into the buildings of ACMEbah. The fur around her eyes was damp with tears.

Jaspinky climbed up the skirt of Dot’s pink and white dress and perched on her shoulder, humming comfort into her ear. Dot stroked his head with her finger, and his foot kicked rapidly. She gave a tiny laugh.

Which was excellent, because Brainladdin was rather weary of all the crying. “Jaspinky explained what happened with the Sultan-CEO,” he said. “Though it didn’t have the results you wanted, we’d like to commend your effort regardless.”

“What Brainladdin said!” Jaspinky chirped. “Remember that mean ol’ Chance O’ Ler from Turkey? He was so scared of Sultan-CEO-Mom that his pants changed colors! But you didn’t even flinch in front of her!”

“Hey, how come nobody invited me to witness all this?” Yakko pouted, holding up a dramatic Greek mask with an exaggerated frown. “I would’ve drawn pictures of that moment, you know! I’m getting really good with my sketches!”

He snapped his fingers, and five large scrolls materialized, each containing a drawing of everyone in their group. Brainladdin thought it was a surprisingly accurate representation of himself…

…except his hands resembled a lump with misshapen sausages for fingers attached.

It was the most glaring flaw in all the other scrolls too.

“Are those chain-link sausages?” Wakko asked, pointing to his own sketch. Brainladdin was just glad he wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“I like them!” Jaspinky said, wiggling his own fingers.

“It was mostly proportionate. But the hands leave a lot to be desired,” Brainladdin added.

Dot only covered her mouth and ducked her head.

Yakko shrugged, the scrolls disappearing. “Private tutors and art references are hard to come by when you’re stuck in a lamp.”

Then Dot burst into laughter, Jaspinky chortling alongside her as her shoulders rapidly bounced up and down. She lightly struck the railing with her fist multiple times. There were tears again, but they came from joy rather than sadness.

“Those—ha! I can’t—Yakko, you really captured my good side…but oh my gosh-“ Dot could barely speak between breaths, a huge smile breaking out on her face.

Yakko winked at her. “Figured that would snap you outta it.”

Dot just hugged him back, and Yakko let out another ‘oomph’ as tiny yet strong arms encircled him. “Geez, what do you mice feed these kids?” he wheezed.

Jaspinky stood up, dusting his clothes off and trying a small test jump. “Zort! Brainladdin, catch me!”

A mass of fur, clothing, and narf crashed into Brainladdin, knocking him to the ground with no chance to prepare. He spat out a tassel from Jaspinky’s sleeve. The princess was way too cheerful about his impromptu belly flop.

Then Jaspinky sprang back up, helping Brainladdin to his feet as well. “Dot, I’m really happy to be your friend,” Jaspinky said. “But if Yakko doesn’t mind, I think it would be amazingly fun and wonderful if you could see the world for yourself.”

“Course I don’t mind!” Yakko exclaimed as he threw Dot into the air and caught her. “I’ll have to redo my travel itinerary, but it’ll be more fun that way! If I put Tahiti before Pennsylvania, we can go snorkeling with dolphins on a nice sunny Friday, no hold on a sec, China should be first cause it’s been way too long since I’ve had dumplings, and Greece can-“

“YAKKO, HOLD ON A SEC!” Dot shouted just as Yakko prepared to throw her again. She dangled somewhat precariously next to Yakko’s legs, but she didn’t seem to mind her position all that much.

It surprised Brainladdin that Yakko was willing to accept a new responsibility so readily, and he caught the wistful look on Wakko’s face when Yakko happily declared he’d love company on his trip, but he knew Wakko wouldn’t accept. From Dot’s forlorn expression as she glanced at Jaspinky, she wouldn’t take her chance either.

ACMEbah had a way of robbing everyone of a happy childhood. It appeared sadly common to every social class.

“I don’t take orders from anyone, not even princesses,” Dot growled. “And I’m not leaving you to the tender mercies of the Sultan-CEO or anyone who just wants a pretty face with money, Jaspinky.”

But Jaspinky shook his head. “You won’t have to worry about me though. Cause I’ll live in the city with Brainladdin and Wakko. So I won’t be alone!”

What? That is possibly the least reassuring thing you could’ve said right now, idiot!

Dot’s expression turned stormy. She was thinking along the same lines too.

“Did-did I say something wrong?” Jaspinky’s ears drooped. “I can do some good in the city. I-I never knew things were so bad. And I wanna help.”

“Put that fluff between your ears to use and think, Jaspinky!” Brainladdin snapped. Jaspinky’s mouth quivered. Brainladdin took a deep breath, mentally counting to ten before clasping Jaspinky’s hands between his own. “I…I’m sorry. For my outburst. But remind yourself of our first meeting in the marketplace. You meant well when you took the apple off the fruit stand and gave it to Wakko, but you barely understood the concepts of money and payment, and you completely froze when the shopkeeper barbarically tried to chop off your hand.”

“You saved me though,” Jaspinky said.

“Yes, but if the shopkeeper had been faster with his sword? If I was too far to help you? And your lack of a disguise was another issue. You waltzed into the marketplace with all your finery and no protection. Someone would notice eventually. The best case scenario? Your clothes and jewelry would’ve been stolen, but that’s all. And if someone chose to kidnap you for ransom or worse, the palace and royal guards would’ve been in an uproar. If that hypothetical situation came to pass, guess which group would be suspected first.”

“N-no,” Jaspinky whimpered. “I-I didn’t mean-“

“I know why you did though. You weren’t malicious, just naïve. There’s nothing to apologize for or forgive.” Brainladdin pulled Jaspinky’s head down until their cheeks touched. Jaspinky’s fur was a different sort of warm, not blistering hot like the desert sun, but more of a soft ray of light.

The princess had walked among the commoners for the same reason Brainladdin had disguised himself as a prince. Because he’d felt trapped by a societal role and just wanted to be free.

“Brainladdin?” Jaspinky’s voice was oddly distant.

“If you leave the safety of the palace—if they realize you’ve taken the lifestyle of a common street rat—they’ll hate you. Nobody will see you. But you’ll be blamed. For things you didn’t do…or just for trying to survive. And you’ll lose your good heart, Jaspinky. I can’t even protect Wakko from the consequences. But he’s already figured out some of it. So please…don’t…l-leave…”

Don’t leave the palace…don’t leave me…

Wakko’s hand rested against Brainladdin’s back. The child was always too generous for his own good. It was a quality that Brainladdin couldn’t bring himself to force Wakko to lose, as much as it was a detriment to his survival.

Brainladdin’s vision blurred, and he felt water leak out of his eyes against his will. He was going to die of dehydration at this rate. Jaspinky nuzzled his cheek, humming a meaningless tune into his ear.

The magic carpet ride had been one of the most awe-inspiring experiences of his life. Soft fabric beneath them, close quarters necessitating physical contact, a navy starlit sky above. Being weightless, being free from the worry of scavenging for scraps or taking over ACMEbah, being able to see the wonder in Jaspinky’s eyes as he touched a cloud for the first time…

They weren’t Brainladdin the street rat and Princess Jaspinky in the sky. No, there were no statuses to worry about, no pressures to conform to.

Jaspinky petting a wild horse as it galloped across the land. The stars twinkling in Jaspinky’s eyes. His excitement when he experienced something he’d never seen or done before.

Yet it would be nothing more than a wistful memory.

“They’re still trapped, you know. There’s gotta be something we can do,” a quiet voice said.

Wakko.

“Jaspinky. Brainladdin. You guys really love each other, don’t you?” Dot asked.

Brainladdin wiped his tears on his vest, not caring that it was one of the few pieces of clothing he owned. He looked up at Dot, who was seated on Yakko’s shoulders.

She’d been nothing more than an irritating obstacle when he tried to woo Jaspinky. But if it weren’t for her presence, Jaspinky likely would’ve been married to someone he didn’t love.

He really couldn’t fault her for hating the made-up Prince Brainli.

“He’s my world,” Brainladdin whispered, his voice barely audible, even to himself. He gave Jaspinky a tiny nuzzle, and Jaspinky’s tail intertwined with his own once again.

“And mine too,” Jaspinky agreed.

Dot watched them for just a moment longer. Then her back straightened, her head tilting proudly. Her foot tapped against Yakko’s chest.

“As someone who’s secretly observed the Sultan-CEO’s political meetings and learned the do’s and don’ts of palace business, I’m the most qualified one here for the position of temporary Sultan-CEO,” she declared. “Yakko. A scroll and quill, if you please.”

Yakko grinned, and the requested items appeared. “Your wish is my command.”

“Thank you,” Dot said with a firm nod.

Brainladdin glanced at Jaspinky and Wakko, but they seemed just as confused as he was. He wasn’t sure if one could just declare themselves Sultan-CEO. That wasn’t really how it worked.

“I, acting Sultan-CEO Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the Third, also known as Dot, hereby decree that the Royal Marriage Law of 1175 is null and void, and from this day forth, the princess of ACMEbah shall marry whoever they deem worthy.”

The quill jotted Dot’s decree word for word on the scroll, every letter emblazoned with a golden shine.

“Now for the seal of approval!” Dot shouted.

Another flash of magic transformed Wakko into a black and white seal, the scroll was brought down to his nose level, and he gave the paper a large, slobbery lick. Then he clapped, his flippers beating together as Yakko tossed several fish fillets into his mouth.

Then the scroll disappeared, and Wakko transformed back, white bits of fish still coating his mouth.

“This new decree is non-negotiable and binding,” Yakko said. “And I’ve also taken the liberty of framing, enlarging, and sticking it in a palace hallway our dear power-hungry Sultan-CEO frequents. She won’t be able to remove it no matter how hard she tries.”

As if on cue, there was a distant horrified scream that practically blew one of the domed roofs of the palace off.

What just happened? She can really do that?

Jaspinky squealed in glee, right next to Brainladdin’s ear. He barely had time to rub the sensitive hairs before Jaspinky lifted him into the air and spun him around so fast that he saw more stars than the sun in broad daylight. And they were absolutely beautiful.

“I choose you, Brainladdin!” Jaspinky exclaimed. His laughter was like a melody, Brainladdin losing himself in the music, and he was probably grinning like a fool too but he no longer cared about that because he could be with Jaspinky, and there was an entire world for them and them alone!

Brainladdin clung to Jaspinky’s shoulders, steadying himself as Jaspinky set him down again. He brushed Pinky’s jewelry out of the way, and Jaspinky pressed his forehead against his own.

“Call me Brain,” Brainladdin murmured, and he held Jaspinky close.

They were no longer trapped. They were free. They could be together.

His heart quickened, and it was an exhilarating feeling indeed.

“Alright, everyone into the group hug!” Yakko shouted, and a giant hand scooped them up. Brainladdin was instantly sandwiched between Jaspinky and Wakko, Dot squeezing herself into the crook of Yakko’s arm on Jaspinky’s opposite side. It was getting hard to breathe, but he couldn’t tell if that was from the force of Yakko’s hug or a side effect of the emotionally charged atmosphere. “Now that we’re all done baring our souls.”

“Thank you, Dot!” Jaspinky exclaimed, hugging the girl’s cheek. “Thankyousomuch! And now that I’ve got Brainladdin staying with me, you should go with Yakko! No ifs or buts, young lady!”

Dot smirked. “You just wanna get rid of me so you can do stuff with Brainladdin.” There was something sneaky in her voice that Brainladdin heavily disliked. “But I’ll gladly take this vacation.”

“I could never get rid of you, Dot! You’re my best handmaiden!” Jaspinky protested.

“Simmer, Jaspinky,” Brainladdin said, and the princess relaxed. “She’s only teasing. That being said, I highly detest her tone.”

He gave Dot a pointed glare, and she casually placed her elbow against Yakko’s arm. “You’re not a complete jerk, but if I were as bigheaded as you, I’d avoid most of the rooms on the southern side. I still haven’t disabled the booby trapped perfume bottles that spray catfish guts yet. You’ll be mostly safe on the east side though.”

“And you’re not a complete brat. Just an annoyingly clever one,” he muttered.

Dot looked all too pleased with herself.

At least he’d finally confirmed who rigged that perfume bottle on his second night as Prince Brainli in the palace.

“Perfect!” Yakko exclaimed, and confetti showered down on everyone. “So any particular places in mind? A change of scenery would do you some good!”

“Burbank. Machu Picchu. Rome,” Dot said. “I’ll come up with more later. You got any ideas, Wakko?”

Wakko shook his head, only staring at the ground far below them.

“Wakko? Wakster? Wakaroo?” Yakko frowned, gently shaking Wakko, who only went limp. “C’mon, we know you’ve got places you wanna visit. Mostly for the exotic food, right?”

“Sorry. I’d love to go, but-“ Wakko’s face fell.

This wasn’t like before, where Brainladdin refused to let Wakko venture outside ACMEbah. Now neither of them would be alone in this world.

“Look at me, Wakko.” Brainladdin held onto one of Wakko’s fingers with both hands, and the boy obeyed. “As the soon-to-be ruler of ACMEbah, I will be living in the palace with Jaspinky. There’s no more need for concern. And you have a somewhat responsible brother and an irritatingly capable sister who will always have your back. Your new objective is to explore the world for yourself, and if you try to send money back or work yourself to the bone, I shall have to ground you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Wakko snatched him up for an enormous hug. Brainladdin gasped for air, fairly certain one lung was punctured and his left kidney had been knocked out of place from the tight squeeze.

“Oxygen!” he wheezed. Wakko relented and returned him to Jaspinky, who was more of a white and blue blur than a mouse right now.

“Faboo, Dad!” Wakko exclaimed, much to Yakko and Dot’s joy.

“Yes, faboo indeed,” Brainladdin muttered, a dizzy spell from the lack of oxygen overtaking him. He slumped against Jaspinky. “I expect a letter every night, Wakko.”

If Wakko replied, his voice was lost in Yakko and Dot’s chatter over their travel plans. Brainladdin and Jaspinky were deposited on the balcony, Brainladdin finally recovering his vision so he could see the siblings off.

“Bye-bye! Bring back souvenirs! Troz!” Jaspinky shouted, his jewelry jingling as he waved goodbye to the siblings.

“Farewell for now,” Brainladdin said, crossing his arms over his chest. Best to act like he was ruling ACMEbah after all. He tried not to squeeze too tightly, if only to stop the slight ache in his chest from all this emotional nonsense.

“You heard them! Let’s blow this popsicle stand!” Yakko shouted, and he shot into the sky like a firework with Wakko and Dot in his arms. The two screamed in delight, their laughter echoing off the buildings of ACMEbah. “Let’s give the lovebirds some space!”

“We’re history!” Dot yelled.

“We’re mythology!” Wakko added.

“I DON’T CARE WHAT WE ARE! WE’RE FREE!”

In a shower of magic, they shot across the sky and were gone, off to tour the world to celebrate their new lives.

Jaspinky waved to the sky for a moment longer, then turned to Brainladdin, that stupid, silly, wonderful smile on his face. “I’ve got sweetcakes and tea in the kitchen. Do you want any?”

Brainladdin rolled his eyes. “Don’t ask stupid questions, Jaspinky.”

They headed to the kitchen, walking hand-in-hand, never to be separated again.

o-o-o-o-o

Colorful fireworks burst around them, lighting up the night sky in flares of red and green and blue. The stars shone from above, the earth and all its worries far beneath them. A breeze tugged them along, the magic carpet pulling this way and that with no clear destination in mind. But they didn’t need one.

Whichever way the winds blow, as they say.

“Look, Brainladdin! Another letter!” Jaspinky pointed to a paper drifting towards them, protected by a cloud of Yakko’s magic. He leaned over the side in his excitement to grab it out of the air. Brainladdin kept hold of Jaspinky’s tail just in case, though the magic carpet was sentient enough to lift that side up to prevent accidental falls. The letter floated into Pinky’s hand, and he scrambled back to Brainladdin, showing off the letter proudly. “It’s a J! Wakko’s very good with oregano. I wish he’d teach me!”

He really should’ve been more clear with his expectations for Wakko.

“That’s a Y, Jaspinky. And oregano is a spice. This is the paper craft known as origami.” Brainladdin tucked the Y inside the folds of his royal robe for safekeeping. It would go nicely with the W and D that were already on his nightstand.

“Oh. Well then, it’s a very nice Y!”

“Yes, it’s constructed well.”

Another firework flared, and Jaspinky oohed and awwed at the wondrous sight, his eyes ever an innocent, pretty blue. He’d picked a new outfit for tonight: a purple crop top with matching pants and headband, a see through, puffy material that framed his bare shoulders wonderfully, and golden earrings.

The fireworks paled in comparison.

Jaspinky gasped in awe. “Look, Brainladdin! A shooting star! What’d you wish for?”

Brainladdin glanced at the canopy above, where a meteor shower zipped through the upper atmosphere. “You first.”

“Narf! Alright. I wished for a world where we can all be happy! Your turn!”

Sentimental, yet thoughtful. Of course.

“I wish…for our lives to be fulfilling.”

Jaspinky smiled. “Looks like our wishes came true then.”

“An astute observation,” Brainladdin said.

Jaspinky kissed him, and warmth flooded through Brainladdin’s body. They soared into the starry horizon, the full moon shining from afar. A new world awaited them.

AN: This…uh…this is way longer than I intended it to be. I hope you enjoyed this story. This is my first time writing the Warner siblings, so I combined some of the posts Deez-art made about this AU for my characterization of them. I apologize if they were out of character, but I did have fun with them. Especially Dot. For some reason her dialogue is just fun to write.

Also, Brain angsts too easily. That’s why this story is almost 7000 words.

Some of the dialogue comes directly from the 1992 Aladdin movie.

I HAVE LISTENED TO A WHOLE NEW WORLD HOW MANY TIMES FOR THIS STORY. THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME I’VE DONE THIS EITHER. I NEED NEW LOVE SONGS.

As for why this story is published on AO3 instead of FFN, it’s just easier to tag this sort of thing there.

#pinky and the brain #brinky #brainladdin au #patb fanfiction

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the-writing-dump-bin · 5 years

Note

your writing is so good omg I wish I could write like that XD If it's okay, could I please ask for some nsfw Captain Burns x reader? She works with him and maybe he overheard her saying to her friends that she constantly thinks about him spanking her and she's always resisting the urge to call him daddy? And she's like half his age lol thanks so much!💖

Oh, come now lol. I would say it’s average (^.^) Thank you for your request! This is the first time for me to write for this character and I had to look up more about him (bringing spoilers; luckily I am okay with spoilers lol). I hope this was okay and that you enjoy it!

NSFW 18+ Captain Leonard Burns x FemReader

"If I tell you something...do you promise not to tell anyone?" You said into the phone. Sitting in your room at the station, you called up your best friend. The day had been a little tense. You had been working closely with Captain Burns all day and it was driving you crazy, since you had the most ridiculous crush on the sliver fox.

"Of course." Your friend said. "You can trust anything with me."

Taking a deep breath, you told her about all the dirty thoughts you had and have been having of your captain. "It's getting bad, (friends name). While on patrol with him today, all I kept thinking about was him taking me into an alley way and just fuck me against a wall. Those strong hands slapping against my ass." An aroused groan left your mouth as the thoughts came creeping back in. "Seriously, I probably almost called him 'daddy' a few times before I had to stop myself."

You could hear your friend gasp on the other end. "Your captain?! That's wild, Y/N! I could see where you are coming from though, I've seen him. I would call him 'daddy', too!"

Leonard Burns stood frozen at your door, shock running through his body as he overheard you talking to your friend on the phone. Your door wasn't closed all the way and while he was passing by, he heard you speak his name and how you wanted him to take you.

He felt his cheeks heat up while he stood quietly, listening to all the dirty things you wanted him to do to you. Burns was a reserved man, not caring to show emotion as he thought it to be a sign of weakness, but the way you were talking was getting him a little flustered.

If he was honest with himself, maybe he was feeling the tiniest bit of emotion towards you. He had been subconsciously favouring you lately. You had been showing promise within his company and he called upon you to do errands and join him in patrols and dealing with Infernos. You were pretty, of course, but there was no way he would do anything. It would seem against his nature to go after someone like you. Unless...

No... He thought to himself. You were just young, he was much more older than you. But listening to your confession made his mind wander back to you. Is that what you really thought of him? Was this just some kind of school girl crush that you felt towards your superior?

He heard you say goodbye to your friend and hang up your phone. Biting his tongue, he backed up and walked down the hall, away from your room. He needed time to be alone and distract himself from what he just listened to.

Later that night, you were in the kitchen of the compound making dinner for yourself. Happily humming in the empty room, you didn't hear your captain enter, almost crashing into him when you turned around and spilled a bit of ingredients on the floor. "Oh! I'm sorry, sir, I didn't see you there." Setting down the tray, you grabbed a dish towel and went to clean up your mess. "I thought you had left with the others; thinking I was the only one left here."

Before hearing the words that came out of your mouth earlier, he wouldn't have batted an eye at you calling him "sir". But now, hearing that made his blood rush and his nerves tingle. How dare you make him feel like this. "I decided to stay." He said, bending down to your level, grabbing the dish towel and looking you deep in the eyes. "Let me get that for you."

You blushed and handed him the towel, slowly standing up again. "Th-Thank you, sir."

Stop calling me that. Every thing you did was pulling him more into a dark place in his mind. He sat in his office the rest of the afternoon thinking about you. To be honest, it had been a while since he was actually together with someone. At his age, he wasn't really looking for any kind of companionship, but maybe he could have something more...on the side. Someone to go to when he was feeling like this without the commitment of developing feelings for them.

Burns toyed with the situation, thinking about what he should do. Maybe he was reading too much into it. On one hand, you could just have been gushing with your friend about a foolish crush and you actually didn't want to do those things with him. On the other, if he moved in to find out, you would both get what you want. He decided to take a chance and try and get a confirmation out of you. "Do you want some help preparing dinner? Since it's just us, we could eat together."

It felt like your heart was in your throat. Burns? Dinner? With me?! "Erm... S-Sure... But I'm not that great a cook, I was just going to make something simple."

He smiled, showing a bit of his white teeth. "I'm sure whatever you make will be just fine." He turned to move to the sink to wash his hands, but not without ghosting his hand across your lower back.

You froze. What was that just now? A smile and a touch. This was completely something different from Captain Burns' usual scowl and distance. It was nice, seeing him like this, but it also brought back the dirty thoughts you've been having about him. Nervously, you smile back, tucking your hair behind your ear before returning to cook. A heated sensation started to form between your legs as you thought about him and how he could make you feel. Taking a deep breath, you let out a long exhale as you tried to calm your urges.

Burns noticed. He watched you from the corner of his left eye try and steel yourself while being so close to him. Moving slightly behind you, Burns placed his hands on your hips gently and pushed you a side with ease. When he saw your reddened face, he smirked again and simply said "You're in the way of the drawer I need. Why don't you set the table?"

"O-Okay..." Seriously, what was going on? Burns never gave you this much attention, but who are you to complain? You yearned for more of it...then...

Like a flash, you where bent over the table, wrists pinned to the table's surface by two large hands gripping tightly. "S-Sir?!"

"Don't call me 'sir'." Burns growled from behind. Bending down over you, he whispered in your ear. "I heard you earlier, when you were in your room talking. I heard what you wanted me to do to you." A hand released your wrist and traveled down your side, stopping on your rear and caressed a cheek with his whole palm. "I heard you say how much you wanted me to spank you. You're a naughty girl, wanting something so rough from me. I am your superior. You shouldn't be thinking about me like this."

Your heart pounded in your chest. Being bent like this, you could feel Burns press against your ass, something hard forming between his legs. You couldn't believe he heard you tell your friend about your desires, being extremely embarrassed. He was right, you shouldn't be thinking of him this way, but with the position that you're in, you couldn't help but think about it. With a daring move, you moved your hips, grinding into his growing erection, making a pleasured groan emit from his mouth. "If I can't call you 'sir', then what do I call you? Captain?"

Moving your hair behind your ear, he whispered again, only this time with obvious intentions. "You can call me, Daddy." A moan escaped as electricity was sent through your body, your pants and underwear pulled down hastily over your ass and down to the floor. A hard slap across your skin made you yelp in surprise at how forceful it was. He kept going, creating a redness. "This is what you wanted, wasn't it? To be spanked like this?"

Oh, it was. You had imagined his slaps would be rough, feeling it in real life was something next level. Peering over your shoulder, you gave him an euphoric look, mouth hanging open with pleasure. "I've been a bad girl, daddy." You huff. "I need to be punished."

"You'll be punished, alright. Punished for thinking of me they way you have been. Punished for making me feel this way." Burns spun you around, laying you on your back on the table with your hips at the edge. Unzipping his pants, he sprung free and went to work immediately, thrusting in and out of you feverishly. "Look what you're making me do, Y/N!"

High pitched moans and whimpers could be heard from you as your captain pounded into you. When it was just you alone, you would think of the toys you would use on yourself as him. But the toy was nothing like what your were experiencing right now. "Mmmm...! Oh, daddy, you feel so good. Fuck me harder...deeper..."

Burns huffed. Back in his prime, he could go a while without losing his breath, having aged and neglecting his primal needs for a while, it was hard to keep up. But damn, were you ever making him feel young again. Maybe he couldn't go harder, but he certainly could go deeper, hitting you in the right spot to pull your orgasm to it's top.

You shouted through it, walls tight and pulsing around him as he kept going to bring his own release. Just before spilling into you, he pulled out and aimed at your stomach, pumping himself and exploding his seed all over your skin.

Spent, Burns backed up and grabbed a towel, wiping himself clean before tossing it to you to do the same. He watched you slide off the table, legs shaking as you tried to regain your composure. Pulling up your pants, you glanced at your captain. Your dreams basically came true with what you two just did, but you weren't sure what he was thinking; an unreadable expression on his face. "Th-That was..."

"Fun." Burns finished, looking at you with a tiny hint of lust. "I trust I don't need to tell you to keep this quiet, hm? If you want more of this, then you can't breathe a word about this..." He walked up to you and held your chin, looking you sternly in the eyes. "Not even to your friends."

There was going to be more? You couldn't help but smile. "Of course." You nodded. "I wouldn't want to upset my Daddy."

#request #leonard burns #captain burns #fire force #enn enn no shouboutai #my writing #my fic #writing #fanfiction #fanfic #n*sf*w #read more

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copperbadge · 5 years

Text

drgaellon replied to your post “For All Your Flower Shop AUs”

In the US, Medicare maintains a comprehensive database of all hospitals called Hospital Compare. You can search within a radius of a city/town or zip code. https://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/search.html

SWEET. I’ve passed it along!

knottahooker replied to your photo “THEY’RE BACK. [Description: a photograph of a bag of Trader Joe’s...”

What does that even taste like? Sage and onions?

Sage and turkey boullion, honestly. It’s a bit like eating soup mix. :D

elsajeni replied to your post “!!!! I had one of those little cat-shaped cushions with the printed-on...”

You can still get those occasionally! When I worked in a fabric store, we got them regularly as part of our seasonal/holiday collections. Unfortunately they'd be stocked in with the regular by-the-yard fabric for that holiday, so hard to spot unless you checked every bolt. That said, I never saw one as cute as those cats.

Oh nice! I look every time I’m in the fabric section of the craft store but I never see any. I’ll persevere!

eimearkuopio replied to your photoset “I finally got a chance to frame this gorgeous Umbreon art print by...”

I love the be good shelf

I do too! It’s not something I trained them to do, it just started happening -- the shelf is actually a shoe rack, and I noticed that whenever she heard me take my keys off the hook by the door, Dearborn would come running to jump up on top of the rack. So I started rewarding her with goodbye pets and telling her to be good, and soon Polk joined in to get one last cheek skritch before I left for the day. I love that they like to come say goodbye to me. Now all I have to do is jangle my keys and at least one, usually both, will come barrelling down the hallway to say goodbye.

noriannbraindripshere replied to your photoset “I finally got a chance to frame this gorgeous Umbreon art print by...”

The black spot on her lips makes her look so dubious about it XD

Dearborn has Resting Skeptical Face. She looks dubious about life in general, most of the time :D It was even funnier when she was a tiny kitten.

col1999 replied to your post “omg i can't believe i forgot to ask you about this, but i gotta know...”

Speaking of Hallmark, have you seen there's a Hallmark Monopoly now? (Sorry if someone already pointed it out. I only heard today.)

AHAHAHAH I’m not surprised, in the 90s Hallmark stores always were the ones that sold the weird customized monopoly boards. Oh god, I might have to get one for my parents.

speedgeek replied to your post “omg i can't believe i forgot to ask you about this, but i gotta know...”

I'm a little disappointed a Hallmark convention is being held somewhere other than Kansas City at Crown Center, owned by Hallmark, right by Hallmark's HQ, with several Hallmark attractions near by. Sure, it's a bit more Hallmark general than Hallmark Movie Channel, but it'd still offer more Hallmark-ness than New Jersey.

It does seem like it would be more fitting, but since it’s an independent convention and Hallmark isn’t involved, I imagine it was way less expensive to get a couple of convention rooms at a random hotel in Jersey :D I’m sure if it goes well, they’ll have a look at moving to KC when they have the size to support it. (Also so much good KC bbq! I would go to a Hallmark Christmas Convention in KC.)

alsobarebear replied to your photo “GUYS Guys WAIT FOR IT IT'S AZIRAPHALE AND PROWLY (Thanks...”

I'm not even going to try to add to the puns. But I AM curious if the mug is difficult to drink out of? It looks awkward to hold. But also AMAZING and I want one!

That was actually something I was curious about it too when a friend bought one -- drinking out of it is fine, but I was like, how is it to hold? But actually it’s pretty easy. You can pinch your hand around the wings, there are natural interior curves to rest your fingers in, or you can rest the “roots” of the wings on the webbing between thumb and forefinger while holding the mug itself (which I do because I don’t drink hot beverages out of it).

#reply all #alsobarebear #speedgeek #col1999 #dragellon #eimearkuopio #noriannbraindripshere #elsajeni #knottahooker

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askfriskandcompany · 5 years

Note

I beg you to keep us updated on the actions of the Hyrule DnD campaign

I had planned on writing up little “here’s what happened in the session” things after each session but I’m woefully behind on that. It’s a lot of work. XD;;;

I do have summaries of half of the individual session-zero sessions that each of the players did on their own as a way to explain how they each got to Kakariko Village at the same time.

Big long story under the cut!

-TQ

Our story begins in Hyrule Castle Town where the Zora bard Epos is researching ancient songs of power. He is approached by the hylian archeologist Shadwynn, who asks if he would be interested in an expedition into the Lost Woods to find the fabled Ocarina of Time said to be housed within. He of course jumps at the chance.

Along the way he notices a shady individual named Brand who most likely was waiting in the bushes for an opportunity to rob the group of archeologists in the night. Epos let the guy off with a warning.

Upon reaching the edge of the woods, the party was suddenly set upon by what appeared to be a gigantic roc of some kind wearing a thick protective mask on its face (it’s the Helmaroc King). It picked up a guy named Jerry who unfortunately died from fall damage shortly after. But due to the brave (or foolish) actions of Epos, no others were killed that day. Shadwynn had been pinned under the bird’s talons when Epos fired an arrow at the bird’s face. The arrow was easily deflected by the bird’s stony mask, but it got the bird’s attention. It swooped for him but after deftly dodging out of the way, he cast Dissonant Whispers which didn’t harm the bird much, but Did cause it to flee directly into the Lost Woods where it became very very lost.

—————-

Meanwhile, the Deku Scrub Xavier began to prepare for his journey as a merchant. On his way to meet with the Deku Tree, he witnessed the very same bird fly erratically through the mist, confused and upset. It got a little too close to the Deku Tree’s grove, but was repelled by arrows from a group of Korok Rangers. It then flew to parts unknown, thoroughly frustrated by its experience today.

Xavier then had a friendly chat with the Deku Tree who informed him that A) That was a Helmaroc King, and B) He’d learned that Impa had been reborn in Kakariko Village not so long ago, which meant the hero, Princess, and Ganon, would soon appear too. “It seems you are to live in interesting times” the tree said.He asked Xavier to be kind and helpful to the hero if he found them, and wished him luck in his ambitions.

Before leaving, Xavier bought a magical map from a Korok Cartographer named Bobo.

Along his travels towards Kakariko Village, Xavier was accosted by many wild horses who typically assumed he was an edible bush until realizing he was not and getting spooked. This caused him to develop a healthy fear of the big hoofed beasts. Much to his dismay he learned that these creatures were a popular mount for hylians.

Xavier was met with a lot of suspicion from the villagers of Kakariko Village, however they could find no fault in him and allowed him to peddle his wares. His first sale was made to Impa (except he didn’t realize it was her at the time) who immediately took interest in the wind-pushing powers of the Deku Leaf. She excitedly bought one to prank her brother with.

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

Meanwhile, back at the edge of the Lost Woods a few days prior, Epos the Zora Bard received a lot of praise from the archeologists for his courageous action. After an awkward funeral for the unfortunate Jerry, he and the rest of the expedition headed into a tunnel that had been dug by some hired gorons previously to reach an underground river system below the Lost Woods. The idea was, the thing that causes one to get lost in the woods is the enchanted mists. Well, the mist doesn’t exist underwater and underground, so maybe this Zora could find a secret route under the forest that would take them where they needed to go.

Epos then took a dive, swimming through murky waters, looking for a place that rose up to the surface. He eventually surfaced somewhere in the middle of the woods, where he quickly discovered the ancient and overgrown Forest Temple of old. On his way in, he was stalked by a mysterious childlike voice which seemed to be purposely trying to spook him. It didn't work and he pressed forward until the voice opened communication with him.

This turned out to be Skull Kid, as in the very same one who was good friends with the Hero of Time, and helped many heroes who would follow afterwards. It seemed that he'd taken up residence in the Forest Temple, in order to keep watch over the Hero of Time's grave, where the ocarina of time rested with him. He explained that he felt that his old friend would not want someone to take the ocarina unless they really needed it, and asked that Epos not tell others about its location. It was, after all, quite well guarded in the Lost Woods with Skull Kid keeping an eye on it. Epos agreed and returned to the archeologists, lying about having found nothing. The archeologists accepted his word at face value because he'd endeared himself to them after his bravery against the Helmaroc King.

Epos then returned to castle town with them, only gaining 100 rupees from the group selling some of the dropped Helmaroc King feathers.But this would not be the last time he would have reason to go to the Lost Woods.

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

Elsewhere, a young rito, Rasieli (pronounced rah-SEE-lee), takes his first awkward flight out of the nest. After saying goodbye to his mom and receiving a handmade scarf from her, he took to the skies full of grand ideas of adventure and heroes. The boy had an adventurous heart and wanted to see the world.

Then, as in from nowhere, he got accosted by the very same Helmaroc King who had harassed the other fated adventurers. He would most certainly have been gobbled up if not for the fact that he was able to speak to birds, being a bird himself. "Please don't eat me!" he pleaded. And the Helmaroc King understood. The Helmaroc King asked "Do you taste good?" and Rasieli of course said "No! No! I'm all stringy and boney! Not tasty at all!" which frustrated the Helmaroc King. It then complained loudly about how little there was to eat in this place, and how rude it was to be called all the way over here and not be given anything good to eat. Rasieli, taking note of the fact that apparently this creature had been called by someone, then offered his rations, hoping to satiate the creature. It gobbled up all of his rations, quite greedily. It also shook him hard enough that he dropped a glass bottle and a boomerang as well as any other morsels left on his person.

Unbeknownst to them, the boomerang fell on the head of a moblin who had cornered a very frightened Brand the Thief. This would eventually lead to Brand attributing this very lucky event to divine intervention, and subsequently changing his ways.

Meanwhile Rasieli eventually got free of the great bird, and thanks to the intervention of a flock of loftwings who were all chanting "Stop bullying him!", Rasieli was able to hide and escape certain death.The next day, Rasieli decided to proceed on foot in order to avoid running into the Helmaroc King again.

Along the way he met a fruit salesman, named John Nanner, who had a bunch of mighty bannanas, as well as some hearty durians that he REALLY wanted to get rid of on account of their horrible smell. Despite the smell, he assured that they were very healthy for you and the taste could be improved if cooked with other ingredients. Rasieli bought the discounted durians, but right afterwards a teenage yiga clan bandit decided to try to rob the salesman of his bananas. Being young and full of justice, Rasieli decided to try and fight off the yiga clan guy, but the teen bandit's tricks and deadly blade proved to be more than he bargained for. Luckily, he was able to escape to safety with the salesman in tow because Mr. Nanner tossed out some bananas into the yiga boy's line of sight, which distracted him because yiga be like that.

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

The rest will be TO BE CONTINUED for now because it takes a long time to write these. XD;;;;

-TQ

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bards-witcher · 5 years

Note

What if someone wrote a story for OhmToonz based around the song I know I’m a wolf by Young Heretics? Like Cartoonz would be the ‘wolf’ and Ohm would be the ‘rabbit’.

Okay so I listened to the song and read through people’s comments and there are some dark theories with the song which I decided to play on a bit XD.

Listen to the song here.

Warning: There is abuse/death in this so please don’t read it if it’s not your thing.

Also, I don’t want to offend anyone with how I potentially treated issues in this fic, if I have grossly misrepresented something please tell me so I can fix it :)

[Ohm POV]

It was Tuesday evening, and like most evenings he had nothing special going on, so like normal he was lounging across his couch and trying to pay attention to the show playing on his TV, however, he’d long since lost attention in it and the plot was now far beyond his understanding.

As he was watching who he thinks is the suspect be interrogated, he hears a knock on the door, somewhat thankful for the distraction as he gets up off his couch to open his door.

He was expecting any one of friends to potentially drop by, maybe a neighbor asking if he had any eggs or sugar, but what he didn’t expect was to be looking up at his ex-boyfriend Luke, the same boyfriend who hadn’t hesitated to slap him around when he didn’t get what he wanted.

A spike of fear ran through him and immediately he tried to shut the door, only for Luke to step his foot in the way, keeping the door open no matter how hard he pushed against it in an effort to close it.

“I know I’m probably the last person you wanna see Ryan, but please can we just talk for a minute? I know I’ve been an asshole, and a bastard and every foul name under the sun but please can we just talk? I won’t try to come in I swear”

With a sigh he stopped his efforts in trying to shut the door, instead opening it slightly so that he could peer out, but that he could still somewhat shut the door if he had to, the hand behind the door pulling out his phone and putting 911 on speed dial just in case.

“Say what you want to say and leave, I want nothing to do with you” It hadn’t even been a minute and he could already feel tears burning behind his eyes, and it took all of his willpower not to let them fall.

“I want you back Ryan, I love-“

He couldn’t help his scoff as he tried to shut the door once again “You’ve got to be kidding me, Luke, did you honestly think I’d give you a second chance after what you did to me?”

“I know, I did the worst thing imaginable, and I hate myself for it more and more every day. There are no words to tell you how sorry I am for treatin’ you like that, but I’m better now, I-”

“Luke I want you to-“

“No please, just listen. Since you left me I’ve been a complete wreck, half the time I couldn’t bear to get up off the couch…”

“Oh, woe is you-”

“…But I realized how something was not…right with me. So, I sought help, I’m seeing a therapist, and I’ve got a stable job at a car shop, all that’s missing is you, Ryan.”

“You punched me in the face Luke, and for what? Because I didn’t clear your dishes?”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I had no idea what was goin’ through my mind, it was so so wrong of me to even think of layin’ a hand on you like that-“

“You broke my nose, Luke!” He tried not to let the visible wince from Luke affect his standing in the matter.

“Look, I’m not sayin’ we pick up where we left off or anything, but please, just give me a chance, the smallest chance you can so I can prove to you I’m different, that I’ve changed”

He let out a sigh as he rubbed at his eyes “Luke-“

“Please. Please, Ryan. Please, I know you still have feelings for me, just as I do for you, give me a chance to make things right, I’m beggin’ you”

Despite the part of his brain telling him to shut the door for good, to literally and figuratively close the door on this part of his life, he couldn’t deny the older man’s words. Despite his best efforts to put all of his anger and hatred towards the other man, he still loved him, still wishes he could wake up to version of Luke that had placed gentle kisses across his face to wake him up, and who’d be at his beck and call after a particularly stressful day of work.

He looked up at the taller man, trying to find any hint of a lie or malice, but all he found were the pleas of a desperate man, begging for anything he had to offer.

“One chance, you get one chance, or I’m gone. You so much as flick a finger at me then we’re done, for good, understood?”

He could see the relief wash over the man’s face and he allowed himself to feel the smallest spark of hope light up in his chest before they said their goodbyes, shutting the door behind him he fell to the floor questioning whether his choice was the right one.

**********

Things were tense at first, the first few times they met up he always made sure to have a friend with him and always made sure they were in a public place, just in case things were to go south, not that he expected Luke to be dumb enough to actually attack him in public.

Eventually, though, he gradually became more comfortable being around the older man, a few months after Luke had first turned up at his door and he was now inviting him over for dinner and to play some games, something that had been the norm for them back when things were good between them.

He feels some trepidation, in the beginning, making sure to tread carefully and to be aware should the older man's mood change at an instant, but no such change came. Instead, he found himself relaxing against the man next to him as the night wore on, laughing in a way he hadn’t for a very long time and genuinely having fun.

He allowed that little feeling of hope to grow when Luke offered to wash up the dishes, cleaning the kitchen as well, before saying his farewells. They were teenagers almost, standing shyly in his doorway as they determined what to say or do next, and he was slightly endeared by a blushing Luke who was trying to get out just how much he enjoyed tonight.

He leaned up to kiss the man’s cheek, noticing his blush get redder before they finally left each other for the night.

**********

Over the next couple of months, Luke started coming around to his more and more often, and it’s almost like the first time they were together, Luke devoted and willing to do anything and everything he could for him.

So, caught up in their ever-changing relationship that he paid no mind to the increasing pile of Lukes’ belongings making their way into his apartment, instead letting out a fond sigh before finding a place to put the item with the multitude of others.

Tonight, he and Luke are cuddled up together on the couch watching some show Brock had recommended to him, when in the corner of his eye he notices Luke swiping through his phone and tapping out a message, not long after the older man pried himself away from him as he made his way towards the door.

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll be back in about an hour, ‘kay”

“Luke, this is my only night off this week, you agreed to spend the night with me so unless it’s some kind of emergency-“

“I said it’s none of your business Ryan, so leave it” Just as Luke turned to leave he got up off the couch and ran after him.

“No, you don’t get to just leave without an explanation, so tell me what the hell is going on Luke”

Before he could blink he felt Luke slap him across the face, his face already burning hot from the impact as tears began to brim his eyes, all he could do was stare at the older man in shock before Luke seemed to come to his senses, apology quick on his lips.

“Ryan, I’m sor-“

“Get out”

“Ryan, please, I’m sorry I didn’t mean-“

“Get the fuck out now or I’m calling the police”

“Ryan, c’mon…“

He didn’t listen to what Luke had to say, instead turning his back on him as he headed towards the couch where his phone now lay, planning on going through with his threat, at least that was until strong arms wrap around him.

“Let go of me, Luke! I want you gone; I want you out. I never should’ve given you another chance” He only felt the arms around him get tighter, but with a well-aimed kick he was able to break free, quickly grabbing his phone before running towards his bedroom where he could lock himself inside.

However, just as he was closing the door, Luke came barrelling through it, a murderous look on his face as he wrestled the phone out of his hand and threw it across the room. He felt pure terror as he saw Luke stalk towards him, unable to stop the tears now streaming down his face as he begged Luke to leave.

Instead he felt a gentle hand come to rest on his cheek, thumb swiping along his cheek in an effort to get rid of some of the tears that had spilled, but he wanted to throw up, to smack the hand away, but it was his fear of the man in front of him that prevented him from doing so.

His breath got caught in his throat for a moment when said hand moved down the side of his face to rest against the bottom of his neck, and this time he did react, breaking himself away from the touch as he tried to move across to the other side of the room.

“Why couldn’t you be good Ryan? Why do you have to ask so many questions when it’s none of your business?”

“Luke, please…go, I don’t-“

He stopped when once again Luke stormed towards him, grabbing a hold of his neck and he clawed at the tight grip around it as he tried to breathe whatever air could.

“Why couldn’t you be happy? We were happy, weren’t we? I’ve tried so hard to be good for you but no matter what I do you always berate and snap at me”

He tried clawing, kicking anything he could to try and break the other man’s hold, but nothing worked, he could only plea on deaf ears as black spots started to appear across his vision.

“I love you so much Ryan, why can’t you see that? I’d do anything for you…”

He couldn’t hear the rest of what Luke wanted to say, a ringing in his hears getting louder as the darkness started to invade his vision, with the last of his energy he tried to scratch at the hand around his throat but still Luke took no notice of his peril, tears falling out of his eyes as he prayed for the wellbeing of his friends and family until there was no more breath to be had.

“..do you even love me Ry?” Luke looked at the man in front of him, failing to notice his limp frame and glazed over eyes as he shook him slightly, letting the man go so he could speak, only to watch in horror as he saw the smaller man's body crumple to the floor in front of him.

“Ryan? Nonononono, please no, you can’t-“ He collapsed onto the floor, moving the body so that he could try and attempt CPR, but it wasn’t too long before he realized that he was too late, the sight of the purple bruising around Ryan’s’ neck almost causing him to throw up. “Ryan, please. I’m so sorry, I love you, please don’t be dead. RYAN!”

He could only rest his head against the younger man’s chest as tears spilled out of him, pleading for Ryan to come back, but there was no answer, the only sound being his cries and apologies for the man he loved falling on deaf ears.

#ohmtoonz #ohmwrecker #cartoonz #abuse tw #death tw #yeah this is pretty dark and angsty

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i-eat-bread-and-cry-on-the-floor · 5 years

Text

1. Would you have sex with the last person you text messaged? NO.

2. You talked to an ex today, correct? Nope.

3. Have you taken someones virginity? No.

4. Is trust a big issue for you? yEp

5. Did you hang out with the person you like recently? At school, yes.

6. What are you excited for? Panther Cup! (on the last day before winter break, my school does a competitive field day called the Panther Cup. Go team yellow! :D) And going to NY during winter break.

7. What happened tonight? I pretended to study for my physics exam.

8. Do you think it’s disgusting when girls get really wasted? No, as long as they’re safe.

9. Is confidence cute? Hell yeah, unless it’s arrogance.

10. What is the last beverage you had? Starbucks Thingy (idk how to spell)

11. How many people of the opposite sex do you fully trust? Trust no one.

12. Do you own a pair of skinny jeans? Yee.

13. What are you gonna do Saturday night? Hopefully have a sleepover because that’s the first day of winter break!

14. What are you going to spend money on next? Can’t spend what I don’t have \_( ; . ; )_/

15. Are you going out with the last person you kissed? No.

16. Do you think you’ll change in the next 3 months? Yeah.

17. Who do you feel most comfortable talking to about anything? rgeyuwiksjfh no.

18. The last time you felt broken? Yes.

19. Have you had sex today? No, I haven’t had sex ever.

20. Are you starting to realize anything? Mhm, I should have studied a lot more.

21. Are you in a good mood? Not in a bad mood so :)

22. Would you ever want to swim with sharks? YES! I’ve done it before but the water was pretty foggy.

23. Are your eyes the same color as your dad’s? Yep! Blue eye gang wya?

24. What do you want right this second? Watch Nerve / Learn the choreography to Carrying the Banner / Go on my roof and look at the sky / Sleep.

25. What would you say if the person you love/like kissed another person? Do whatever you want, m8! I don’t control what you do, you can make your own choices.

26. Is your current hair color your natural hair color? Yep, boring old blonde.

27. Would you be able to date someone who doesn’t make you laugh? Nope.

28. What was the last thing that made you laugh? Yesterday I hung out with my friend Sam and he accidentally sang the lyric (of Santa Fe from Newsies) “Santa Fe, *where I stay*” instead of “my old friend” bc he didn’t know it and I- HHHHHH I’m having a nice conversation with my friend now and they make me so happy:))

29. Do you really, truly miss someone right now? Barack Obama.

30. Does everyone deserve a second chance? And a third! Unless you did like genocide or something.

31. Honestly, do you hate the last boy you were talking to? Not at all!

32. Does the person you have feelings for right now, know you do? Mhm.

33. Are you one of those people who never drinks soda? I love soda!

34. Listening to? My broken fan that keeps making funny sounds.

35. Do you ever write in pencil anymore? Sometimes, when required.

36. Do you know where the last person you kissed is? Kinda? My first (and second and third) kisses were all from truth or dare games so I really haven’t had an actual first kiss? But yeah, shoutout to my three best friends...

37. Do you believe in love at first sight? Bleh, no.

38. Who did you last call? My friend who did not answer.

39. Who was the last person you danced with? Myself to “In The Heights” yesterday.

40. Why did you kiss the last person you kissed? I don’t turn down dares.

41. When was the last time you ate a cupcake? Uhhh, November?

42. Did you hug/kiss one of your parents today? My dad gave me a hug before he went to see a football game :)

43. Ever embarrass yourself in front of a crush? Not just a crush. My friends, best friends, parents, teachers, classmates, family, I’m an embarrassment.

44. Do you tan in the nude? I don’t do anything in the nude besides shower and that’s a given.

45. If you could, would you take back your last kiss? No cause it was a Truth or Dare game. To me, those don’t mean anything.

46. Did you talk to someone until you fell asleep last night? I mean I said goodbye when I realized I was too tired to stay up anymore so kinda?

47. Who was the last person to call you? My mate, Cait, yesterday while I made dinosaur oatmeal :)

48. Do you sing in the shower? Is that even a question? I HAVE FULL ON CONCERTS!!

49. Do you dance in the car? Not really, but I sing a LOT.

50. Ever used a bow and arrow? Yep! At camp.

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? School pics, September.

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy? MUSICALS ARE FREAKING GREAT!!

53. Is Christmas stressful? Yeah kinda.

54. Ever eat a pierogi? Ngl, had to look up what it was and no.

55. Favorite type of fruit pie? Apple!

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? Broadway performer and still do but more realistically, a performer at Universal Studios or Disney.

57. Do you believe in ghosts? Yes!

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? Yes! It’s so strange but cool.

59. Take a vitamin daily? Melatonin when I can’t fall asleep but luckily I don’t need it much anymore!

60. Wear slippers? Nope. :/ Though I’d love to!

61. Wear a bath robe? No, but also would love to.

62. What do you wear to bed? Light sweatpants and a T-shirt

63. First concert? The fresh beat band. It started raining but they just kept singing so-

64. Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? TTTTTTARGETTT

65. Nike or Adidas? flip flops

66. Cheetos Or Fritos? Cheetos!

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? never had either

68. Favorite Taylor Swift song? Haven’t really listened to her recent stuff but all her old music slaps.

69. Ever take dance lessons? YES! Tap, Hip-Hop, and currently ballet.

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing? ??? I don’t care??? They can do whatever they want???

71. Can you curl your tongue? Yes!

72. Ever won a spelling bee? Never got in one!

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy? Can’t remember but probably.

74. What is your favorite book? Right now? I’m not big on reading tbh.

75. Do you study better with or without music? Bold of you to assume I study. I usually like silence but I love music for anything else.

76. Regularly burn incense? I never have.

77. Ever been in love? Anyone who’s heard me speak one word of Ben Cook knows the answer is yes. (He’s so talented!!!)

78. Who would you like to see in concert? Anything broadway really.

79. What was the last concert you saw? I forget XD

80. Hot tea or cold tea? Hot.

81. Tea or coffee? Tea! I’m a singer XD

82. Favorite type of cookie? Anything homemade at 3am.

83. Can you swim well? I can swim

84. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose? Not for long

85. Are you patient? Sometimes.

86. DJ or band, at a wedding? I’d like to play one (1) soundtrack manned by ME and ME only. (linked)

87. Ever won a contest? A basket of books by raffle in the first grade.

88. Ever have plastic surgery? No.

89. Which are better black or green olives? Black.

90. Opinions on sex before marriage? Do whatever you want.

91. Best room for a fireplace? On the top floor balcony in winter with hot cocoa/tea and a light snow.

92. Do you want to get married? Fucking NO.

#questions!#get to know me

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wofuru · 6 years

Text

Voltron s8 (long post sorry)

So ... voltron has come to an end (unless there are more surprises coming). And I will say right of the bat that I am devastated.

I know this is 'only' a tv show, but let me explain some things to get you on the same line. I started a little late on the VLD train thinking it was only a mecha anime show at first and then I saw the character designs. Shiro caught my attention right away and Keith as well. And then watched season 1. That moment when Keith finds Shiro and turns his head, his expression at seeing the only person he loves and that have been there for him being alive after all... I fell in love with their relationship. I thought ‘huh oh ... I think I got a pairing I will be shipping XD’ and tough myself as silly.

And then as the episodes went on, the more we got to see a beautiful, respectful relationship between two men that are equals. Yes Shiro is technically his superior according to ranks at the garrison, but he treat him and all the other paladins as equals. He is their leader, but most of all their friends. Shiro/Keith relationship evolves through the serie, but have always been on the basis that they love each other so so much, but do not stop the other from taking risks, they trust in each other strenghts while they still worry for each other. They keep saving each other in so many ways that are shown to us through the series.

Sheith vs gays representation in stories/series

Sheith has been since the beginning something more than any of us, more then what anyone could have expected. They represent something we haven’t seen before. And this is a m/m couple relationship that is pure, non-toxic and natural, not forced. And also not between background characters. Yes we have been having as the LGBTQ2+ community more representations in the last few years in different shows. while females couple were more rarely seen at the beginning, they were there as a beautiful and cherished relationship and treated as normal (unless it falls under the stereotype that it’s hawt because its 2 girls having sex in the mind of classical straight guy characters representation). But with m/m relationship, we have been shown as either toxic relationship in which one or both partners cheat with sleeping with someone else or are blatantly sleeping around with just everyone (cheating or as an open relationship sort of). Every gay couple shown as kinky stereotyped relationship that are together only to have sex all the time and nothing else. IN the rare cases that it is not the situation we see, instead we get a character that we learn is gay after a while and mentions having someone in their life that we either never see or are simply a nobody OR someone super stereotyped like a girly boy or drag queen (in which there is nothing wrong with being at all, but they are used as a moquery to being gay in these cases which IS disrespectful). Sheith is the 1st relationship that are neither these. Both are important characters, both are strong characters and none girly to have like a “Who’s the girl in the couple” vibe. They are equals, have a healthy and interesting relationship. Every interactions they have are natural and transpire sensibilities that as men we are still told or shamed everyday if we dare show or talk about.

AND take into account that not only adults watch the show. Kids of all age love those characters for WHO THEY ARE and learn that it is alright to love people around them, to show them. That it is not wrong to be two boys and love each other so so much, to show your affection towards the other.

Shiro is also a man that was sick and lived with it knowing he had little time left. He got abducted, abused in so many ways. Lost an arm and still continues to love and care about people. He still continues to fight to what is right, despite his ptsd, despite all.

Characters in the season

What Season 8 did (and 7 as well to a certain extent) is show us that it doesn’t matter how hard you fight, how hard you care, you’ll get everything get ripped from your hands. Life won’t be kind to you ever. Shiro lost the black lion for no real reason, just an excuse to have Keith become the main character. But moreover got shoved on the side in a corner to be seen once in a while so we in the fandom would not rant too much about him barely existing anymore as a character. In s8 they have stripped him of every character traits he had to make him become the basic space ship AI character type that speaks to only to explain what the audience and the other characters needs to be explained to let the story move on. He does not even get to be the one leading the meetings and building the strategy. Every occasion they had, he was put on the back up line to let Voltron pass forward. He became a plastic character with no personality.

As for Keith... Keith got every dialogue Shiro would have normally have, even the phrasing of how he speaks is not reminiscence of himself, but the same as Shiro speaks, his words, attitude, everything. So his personality was thrown out the window. The goal of the series had been for him to evolve from the right arm character to a leader (which does not stand right with me for other reasons I will speak in another post maybe in the future), but that is understandable. But for that, he didn’t have to become someone else. Being a leader can be done different ways. Yes Shiro was and is a big influence in his life, but they are two different persons. Why they are so strong together is because they complete one another. Keith could have picked on some things from Shiro, but make it is own that is what I mostly want to say. To see him preside the meetings at the garrison, make the strategy, tell people what to do inside the Atlas, not just the Voltron team is simply bad, both for him and for Shiro’s character. This is completely OOC in many ways and also put Shiro in the corner as non existant, especially since we see in the room with them sitting and saying nothing.

I have been speaking mostly of Sheith, but the other paladins also lost all their flavors in this season to become 1 dimensional. Hunk is the cook that cares, Pidge the genius geek and Lance ... the worried boyfriend, Allura the character that wants to save everyone herself alone and will stop at nothing to do so. All the side characters of the series were on point, but none of the main cast characters were. Every paladins became those plot exposition devices to explain what was going on because it became so condensed with concepts and ideas that were interesting yes, but there is such a thing a too many things happening. And with all those things they have sacrificed what the people loved the most about the series and it was the characters and their story. The season was about mechas fighting mechas so the universe would not explode too much or will come back.

Wrapping everything up

Through the series we met a lot of different people, planets and all. We even got the AUs that were confirmed and given in a way to the fandom to validate that all the content fans have been doing were considered as possible because of the infinite quantity of realities in which the characters could have had different lives. This was truly a beautiful gift to everyone, to every crack ships even.

Now in season 8 we see all those aspects being reduced to shreds. The paladins of old are shown, but disappear forever. The olkari gets destroy and we never hear from them again, all the realities get destroyed expect the one we are following which makes it so that ONLY this one is the real one starting from there. Putting the fans to realize that however this ends in the next minutes of the show, this will be the only possibility the story will end, so you better put your seat belt on, because if your ship doesn’t happen, then no hope for you.

Pairings and couples

Allura and Lance became a couple through this season after a well evolving relationship through the season, but at the end Allura sacrifice herself, with the team not really trying to stop her, except Lance. Which does not make sense since they do not even react that much until she says her goodbyes to everyone. So they kill one of the pairing right here and there saying that Lance will always think of her and remember her. He gets marks just to remember him more. But there is no chance of redemption, Allura is dead, becoming cosmic dust in the skies.

Punk didn’t happen, but this is something we could have anticipated. Since they do not seem to be with someone else, this at least gives lenience to an open ending game for them.

And now Sheith ... at the very end, they have decided that Keith would go back to the Galras and try to make them evolve in a better society, which is interesting BUT. As we see in the 1 year later skip, they do not seem to have been in contact with him at all because they were asking news on how things were going with the Galras. And Shiro is the one asking so it means that they haven’t both been in contact in a long while. Then comes the epilogue in which we see Keith continue to travel the galaxies helping people in his separate way and Shiro ... gets married to a nobody that we never saw before s8 (unless maybe in the background once in s7 I hear). They made the guy speak a few lines during this season and these moments always seemed forced implanted so we would know who he is sort of. The whole s8 (and even 7 to a certain extent), Keith and Shiro never interacts. Like at all. They become complete strangers. Keith is seen behind Shiro at the marriage seen like a posted image half hidden. Which does not make sense and is simply insulting to the fans. If they were not romantically involved, they were if anything at least best friends, there were their everything. And Keith telling Shiro he loved him was never addressed, the whole black paladins episode either. They never talked about it on screen and if it was behind the scene ... it made Shiro stop talking with Keith entirely ? Which he would simply never do and Keith would never abandon Shiro either. We have seen him run the universe times and times again to help him, save him, be there for him. To have Shiro simply leave (and become a HOUSE WIFE no less) is worse then killing the ship, it is an insult to every gay out there. This tells us all that it is ok to be gay, but choose someone that nobody will care so it does not make waves, that when you do, leave to live the discreet life and abandon your dreams and your personality. That basically you need to lose yourself, to hide, to be afraid. That if you tell someone you love that you love them (especially between guys), you will lose them, that they will never speak to you again.

And THAT is the problem. Yes I am sad my ship didn’t become canon on screen, but if they had made an open ending, it would have been just fine. Have Shiro arrive when Keith leaves for the galras saying ‘hey Keith, we need to talk’ or just leave with them. Anything, but not this. But aside from just my ship, don’t just coward behind because you are afraid to show a main m/m couple show on screen. Sheith is the most beautiful gay representation in American history and instead, DW decided (not Lauren and Dos, I mean above them who made these decisions) litterally piss on our face and throw a bone at usby marrying Shiro to a guy to say hey you got your representation and we are the first animated show to have a gay marriage seen... but it does not count DW. The guy is a nobody cares about, this is just throwing gays under the rug, again.

Modified scenes

With everything that have been digged out by now after s8 dropped, we now know that this ending was NOT the one the creators did and wanted. They wanted to most likely make Sheith cannon, and I am pretty sure this wedding sequence was suppose to be Keith and Shiro due to a post Lauren made not so long ago about what seemed to be it showing a black and a red hearts which has been the representation logos the fans have been using for Sheith since the beginning. I also found this last scene when the lions leaves slightly off. The moment we see Shiro and Keith one behind the other (which is gorgeous), Shiro seemed weird and I realized why by seeing someone talk about it on twitter. Shiro is missing his left arm at that moment and shoulder making him look was thinner. Which look like he was there maybe with his hand on Keith’s shoulder like on the drawing Lauren gave us the day before the season aired. We know that Ezor was supposed to be dead, but they brought her back after all with another VA which means they did this change very last second and couldn’t get the VA to join perhaps. They added scenes with this couple maybe to purchase our silence into the lgbtq2+ community representation, so we would have 2 couples and shouldn’t whine about it. But ... by doing this and sacrificing maybe scene Shiro and Keith had during this season to have none at all is again just an insult to the fans of the serie. S8 was bad from beginning to end. Some elements were fine, but 90% not. This is an insult to the fandom, to the dedicated fans and also to the crew who worked on the show for so long.

.... with all that said, since we know now that LM/DS didn’t have this ending in mind, this means the S8 ending (at least the epilogue) is actually not canon. Yes it was aired, but it was made by people who took the final result, basically sabotaged/vandalized it and gave it to people to see. Sheith is canon and this is not fine that it ends this way. I do pray they will hear us all and make things right. Give us the real footage of this season, release it to us and even better remove the season we have on netflix now and put the real one. This is something they can do, they have the real footings. And some series have done this before by removing episodes that ended up being racist and disrespectful. Making things right would prove they care about the fans of the show and the people that were there to support them and also the crew who worked so hard and made so much efforts and put their soul into their work.

I’ll still be posting Sheith arts and fic. This relationship have moved me like nothing ever did in my life (and I am 32) and made me get back on my feet from a very dark place. I am like Shiro, I have ptsd due to events that happened in my life that were done to me. I was judged all my life and worked hard to be where I am today. I am disabled in some ways and also come from an abusive family where I was raised to be a slave. Seeing a show like voltron, a character like Shiro made me see what I was and the wounds I had that I was walking on all those years. Because of him I finally got the courage to get to see doctors and specialists to heal all those wounds so they would become scars. And I know I am not the only one. Voltron was the best thing that happened to me in many ways and to see it destroy so many lives now (because this is what this season has done) is the saddest thing. I am scared to see kids when scars from this and I know this is already happening. And adults will have to.

Send your love to the animators and VAs and LM/DS for all their work and let’s hope we can fix this somehow or help them do it.

#shiro #keith #sheith #vld #voltron #voltron legendary defender #vld s8 spoilers #voltron s8 #vld s8 #these are my opinions #I'm a train wreck right now

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zootopianlovers · 6 years

Text

A cafe night

Heya Everyone ! well I wanted to surprise @nekomimiranger so I asked to some friends to help me by letting me use their zoosonas and do a very funny and nice story :) ( @soranii314 , @odd-the-motoring-fox, @nexijay & @laverne-wildhopps ). Thanks to @laverne-wildhopps for helping me editing all the mistakes ... that were a loooooot xD and to everyone to stand my crazy idea. to @nekomimiranger I love you babe, I hope you enjoy your surprise, you’re he light of my life and I’ll always be there for you <3

anyways is cheesy, funny and little spicy .. so if you don’t want to read... this is your chance...

...

....

CHANCE LOST !!! So we staaaart !

“Today is the day!” Cass thought when she woke up.

She had been thinking about this opportunity since the day she had received a call from his work place, when they told her that they were very happy for the twenty three year old snow leopard turning four years of work in the kindergarten school where he worked at. He loved to work with little ones ever since he was in college and he started a trainee part time job in a local kindergarten in Outback Island. She was trying to think a way to celebrate this good news because she had returned from covering her work hours at her job, when she thought of an ingenious idea!. She knew Andy is a very forgetful person, so he wouldn’t remember this due to all his work. So that is when the mission “Surprise coffee” was decided of!

She noticed her very handsome and sexy snow leopard, who was sleeping next to her, waking up.

“Good morning, sweetie.” He said, still a little sleepy and trying to kiss his fiancé.

“Good morning, handsome. How did you… No… No.. No.. ! Remember that I have terrible breath in the morning?” She said sheepishly before he could kiss her on the lips.

“It’s worth to die for.” He grinned.

“Nothing is worth to die for I want my future husband to live” She joked, giggling.

They chuckled, she took a mint pill and finally kissed him. They got up from bed and prepared for the day. Cass smiled to herself, remembering the four days of vacation ahead of her. She went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her beloved, while he was taking a shower. She found this the innate moment to call her close friends Chase and Gloria.

“Hello?” Gloria giggled in the background, before she turned to the phone making Cass smirk knowingly, that Chase was teasing her again.

“Hi Gloria! Sorry for calling this early but hey. Remember you wanted to meet up to collect some tickets, for your vacation in Pawaii, at the airport? I wanted to talk about something there. Important. You think you can be there earlier?”

“Yes, of course. Chase and I will meet you there. ASAP. We will leave in an hour.”

“Sounds perfect! And before hanging up, I wanted to ask you, do you have some time this evening?”

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Chase spotted the lovely ocelot wearing a pink dress pulling Gloria through the crowd to get to her. When they finally met, they greeted each other and proceeded to get the tickets for the couple as promised, all the while Cass explaining her idea to her friends. She also asked them to keep the idea a surprise for Andy, knowing his nature to forget important dates, this being his own achievement at his own work place. She laughed as told how she played along this morning with the snow leopard, letting him assume that it was but a normal day. This kindergarten so happened to be the one where the infamous Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde brought their kits down, to Andy’s kindergarten - due to the good mannerisms and the wonderful way he taught the kits. Cass had also invited two other close friends - a couple, Su and Jay - down to the The Jungle, a cafe located in suburbs of The Downtown. Everyone had all agreed to meet up there by the set time Cass had provided.

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It was 4pm, and just as his lovely ocelot had asked him to, he stood in the designated spot she had asked. They were to get some lunch together. A few minutes later, in the distance, he could make out Cass’s car.

She usually doesn’t take the car… unless… His thinking was interrupted by Cass yelling his name, her head outside her car window, as she parked her car.

In that moment Cass jumped out of the vehicle, waving and running towards him, congratulating him for his great work.

“I thought you had forgotten about it.” Andy said surprised and happy that she had remember.

“I couldn’t forget such an important day, hun. I felt you would. Seeing as how you were mumbling to yourself all morning about your work. If it wasn’t for Principal Marsy you wouldn’t have remembered at all.” She chuckled.

“Well, you know me!”

“Of course I know you. You are my future husband.

“I hope I do that job correctly”

“ You already do.” She gave a reassuring smile.

They quickly finished their lunch, much to Andy’s dismay who wished to have a bit of dessert before leaving, walked to their car and gave each other a passionate kiss, before driving out to where Cass had planned the surprise, unknown to Andy still. Funnily enough, Andy didn’t know is that after that meal, they would go on a very funny date, one that everyone would remember.

An hour and a half later, they arrived at The Jungle. Cass gave a sigh of relief. Just in time...

Cass leapt out of the car in a flash, which again, astonished Andy, making him suspicious of her behavior because she wasn’t someone to be overly hyped about coffee, unlike some people Andy knew. So, this meant that there was more to this.

When he entered the cafe, and spotted Cass, he noticed the happy smiles of his friends, all waiting to congratulate him on a job well done! As he approached them, each one shook his hand or gave him a hug as they greeted and welcomed him to sit their table. A delicious apple pie sat atop the counter, making Andy’s mouth water. His favorite dessert! He smirked at Cass, seeing a huge grin on her face, as realization dawned on him.

Jay, the hazel-eyed arctic wolf, asked Andy in a cheerful tone, “Congrats, man. You’re doing pretty well. We’re all so proud of you. So How is to live finally together and being engaged?” He gave a playful nudge with his elbow.

”I wouldn’t ask for more. It’s awesome to cuddle and see movies with someone.” Andy replied, smiling at his sweet ocelot, who was talking animatedly with the other girls.

“Yes, but he doesn’t like horror movies.” Cass faked annoyance and then smiled.

“What? No!” Su, the small white bunny, wearing a black hijab, exclaimed, turning her attention to them.

“Don’t worry. No ghost is gonna come get you when you have a fierce girlfriend as Cass.” Jay teased him, putting one paw on his shoulder.

As they all sat down, a waitress, a black panther, came with a menu to jot down their orders. She wore a normal cafeteria dress. A problem arose when the waitress, as she took the orders, behaved in a very flirtatious manner with Chase, Gloria’s boyfriend. Once she left to get the drinks for all of them, the girls tried calming the light brown bunny down, as she ranted about the waitress trying to steal her fox. As they tried speaking to her, the green-eyed panther had returned with their drinks.

“So. One glass of water, a hot chocolate, two sodas and two beers. One for the handsome fox right there, right?” She winked at him, and that’s when the arctic fox stood up angrily, startling the waitress and those around him.

“I’m sorry, but I am not interested. Could you please stop flirting with me? It’s making my girlfriend, as well as me, very uncomfortable. So, I would recommend you to stop if you know what is good for you.” He spoke in an serious tone, glaring at the waitress.

The waitress made an angry face, as if she was not used to be turned down. She huffed as she turned around and left them alone. When Chase faced back, Gloria jumped at him and kissed him on the lips.They all cheered and made a toast for that act of love and of course, to Andy.

The night was almost over. They all sat merrily, talking about future plans. They all wanted to get married and have little balls of fur running around. They all made a promise, that when the time came, they would take all of them together on wonderful adventures. Chase talked about the Pawaii vacation that he and Gloria were planning. Su and Jay talked about how they wanted to move to bigger house.

They finished their respective drinks soon and started to say their goodbyes, promising to do this more often, maybe going to a theme park next or just a meet up at someone’s house. The first ones to leave where Chase and Gloria in their Alpha Guilia, which amazed everyone with its beauty.

Su and Jay decided to leave as well, waving at them as they walked away, leaving Cass and Andy alone behind the shop, in the parking lot.

“Did you liked your surprise, babe?”

“Very much, mi amor. Thank you.” Andy held Cass’s face with his paw and went down to give her a tender kiss. Both smiled as they broke the kiss and entered their car.

When Andy started the engine, Cass turned around to him and said, “You know.. There might be another surprise for you.” She winked and smiled devilishly at him.

“Oh? Something I should be scared of?”

“You know me sweetheart. Usually, of course. But this time, we need to lose some clothing.

“Let’s go home then!” Andy said, as he started to drive a little faster when he knew what extra little surprise was waiting for him.

Cass chuckled, and glared playfully at that cute and handsome snow leopard, who happened to be the love of her life, with great expectations for that night.

The End…? ;)

~Cass

#Mi puchurrumin #te amo #<3 #zoosona #zootopia

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whumpstation · 6 years

Text

Whumptober Day 3 - Insomnia

So this is number 2 for the night. this one kind of got away from me, especially the beginning part, but oh well. XD Insomnia is one of my favorite things to write, probably because I suffer from it so often that it feels good to torture my favorite characters with it. Once again, only proofed once, so any mistakes are mine and will be fixed later. I hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think! I love reading comments!

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

Whumptober Day 3 - Insomnia

Series: Stargate Atlantis

Words: 2037

ETA: ~ 2 hours

He couldn’t breathe! The water…it was rising to fast. He was going to drown! He thought he might’ve had a chance; that they would’ve gotten to him in time, but he had to admit to himself that he was indeed wrong this time. Help wasn’t coming, and Rodney McKay really hated being wrong. However, he hated dying even more than being wrong. It was pretty close between the two if he was honest with himself – dying and being wrong. It flipped back and forth from day to day, but right now dying was absolutely number one on his ‘I hate this’ list. What’s worse was that he was going to die alone. Alone, in the dark, underwater – cold, numb and scared out of his mind. He wished he could at least have someone to talk to before he drowned. It wouldn’t have saved him, but it would’ve given him some comfort to have a friendly voice to send him to oblivion.

The water was almost to his nose, and he knew that any second it would submerge him completely. He couldn’t help but panic, breathing through his nose as fast and as deeply as he could. It was nonsensical, but he couldn’t help but take in the last precious seconds of air. Then the water engulfed him in its cold embrace and he went from panic to complete freak out in 1.2 seconds. He thrashed as he held his breath and tried desperately to find a way out of the jumper, even though he knew it was hopeless. He couldn’t make it to the surface with what little air was in his lungs, and even if he could, he would have no time to decompress on the way up, and he would die from the Benz before he even made it to the surface.

It was probably only seconds, but it felt like an eternity later when he felt his lungs begin to burn and strain against his chest. Begging him for oxygen; begging him to breathe! He tried his best to convince them that that was a VERY bad idea, but they eventually overrode him, and he took an involuntary breath in – instantly choking on the water that now flooded his lungs. That started a vicious cycle of trying to expel the water, only for more to flood back in. It was torture in as true a sense of the word could mean, and Rodney soon felt himself slipping away.

His final thoughts were of his colleagues, his team, his friends, and his sister. How he wished he could’ve said goodbye. Could’ve told them how much they actually meant to him. How much he enjoyed their companionship, friendship and love. An eerie kind of peace swelled through Rodney for a moment and he clung to it for as long as he could, before his body made one more ditch effort to try to survive. He thrashed once more in the thick water, but eventually everything just faded away.

Rodney bolted up in his chair with a strangled gasp. He had to grip the table before him to keep from falling to the floor. His breathing was harsh and much too quick to be considered normal, and he would hate to have Carson see him right now. The genius shivered as he locked his eyes on the far wall of his lab in Atlantis and did the breathing exercises that helped him so well in times of stress.

‘It’s okay. You’re not underwater. You didn’t drown. John and Radek saved you. Stop being stupid! You’re fine.’ Rodney mentally berated himself as he slowly but surely got his breathing under control. This was getting ridiculous. It had been week since the jumper incident, and yet he was still having these nightmares every time he closed his eyes. He knew he should go talk to someone, tell someone, but he was figured he could just as well just work himself into a coma and accomplish almost the same thing. He was fairly certain the nightmares would stop – eventually – and then he could just get on with his life. However, the nightmares where getting worse every night. He was so tired from only being able to sleep a few minutes here and there that it was beginning to show. He couldn’t survive on catnaps; he knew it and he knew that his friends knew it.

He was so caught up in his musings that he didn’t hear the door swish open and footsteps make their way over to his side. Only when he felt a hand on his shoulder did he notice that someone was there, and quite violently at that. Rodney gasped, and spun his head around to see how was there, only to be overtaken by a head rush of massive proportions and sway dangerously on his work chair. He was certain he would’ve fallen had the person with him not had such good grip on him. After the room stopped spinning, Rodney opened his eyes and came face to face with a very concerned Colonel John Sheppard.

“McKay? Are you alright there, buddy?” John asked almost hesitantly, as he looked McKay up and down a few times. Man, he looked like crap. The bags under his eyes would be considered carryon at this point, and he looked like he hadn’t had a good meal in ages. John had been concerned before, what with McKay virtually disappearing after being released from the infirmary a few days ago. He tried to corner the man several times, but McKay always seemed to have a knack for avoiding him when he wanted to. John decided here and now though, by whatever means necessary, he would get his Rodney McKay back.

Rodney stared blankly at John for a minute longer than he probably should have. His brain sluggish in trying to understand the question it was being asked, and why John was even there in the first place. The military man avoided the labs whenever he could. It made no sense why he would come down on his own, unless something was wrong. Oh! Something was wrong! Maybe the city was under attack, or sinking! He had to help! McKay tried to get to his feet, only to have them fold like partially set jello beneath him. Once again he found himself being supported by the Air Force Colonel, and set back on his seat.

“Whoa there McKay! Take it easy. Where do you think you’re going in such a rush?” John asked as he looked critically into Rodney’s eyes.

“The…the city. Have…to help,” Rodney croaked out as he shook his head to clear the fog that had suddenly settled there. He couldn’t lose it now, the city, the expedition needed him.

John looked confused. “The city? The city’s fine, buddy, for once. Nothing needs fixing or saving at the moment. We’re all good – well, maybe not all of us. When was the last time you slept?”

McKay was instantly on alert and he tried to sit up a little taller in his seat to appear more put together than he felt. “Just woke up. I’m fine.”

John looked unconvinced to say the least. “Yeah, I mean actual sleep, not passed out at your laptop for 10 minutes.” John sighed and began to rub the back of McKay’s neck. “Look buddy, I’ll be honest. You look like shit, and we’re all worried about you. How about we take a trip to your quarters and see what we can do about that, yeah?” John said as he started to peel Rodney off his chair. He had to take most of the scientist’s weight, but he was prepared for such an outcome. The man was beyond exhausted, which was no surprise after almost a week’s worth of insomnia.

As they began to make their way out of the lab, Rodney shook his head slightly and tried to stop his team leader from dragging his butt to bed. He knew he needed to sleep, but he just couldn’t. He couldn’t face those nightmares again. Not so soon after just having one. John shushed him though and kept them moving. “It’s alright, Rodney. I promise, it’s all okay. Just a few more feet….or meters…whatever you Canadians use.” John said at a light attempt at humor, but it seemed to go right over his genius’ head, which was disconcerting to say the least.

When they finally made it to Rodney’s room, the scientist went from near ragdoll, to the immovable object. He somehow found an untapped reserve of strength neither knew he had, and he stood just inside the door, staring at his bed as if he was the nastiest, meanest wraith he had ever seen. He shook his head violently as he tried to back out of the room, but John was there to stop him and coax him forward. “Hey. Rodney! Easy buddy. I’m not going to leave, okay? I’m going to be right here the whole time, but you seriously need some sleep. Come on, one foot after the other,” Sheppard coaxed as he gently pushed Rodney towards the bed.

As they neared the bed, Rodney suddenly turned to face John and dug his trembling hands into John’s shirt. He shook his head, and the broken, scared look on his face when he looked up at his leader broke John’s heart into a million tiny pieces. “Please John…please! I…I can’t do this. Please. Let me go back to my lab. I swear, I’m fine. Please, John…please…please…” Rodney begged and sobbed into John’s chest as the pent up fear and exhaustion hit him like a Mack truck.

John’s resolved redoubled as he held the sobbing genius in his arms, rocking him back and forth as he slowly lowered them both onto the bed. They went from sitting to lying down over the next few minutes, and by the time John was tangled in the sobbing mess that was Rodney McKay; he had somehow managed to get both their boots and McKay’s jacket off.

John continued to hold Rodney to his chest; allowing the man to cry to his heart’s content. John knew eventually Rodney would cry himself out, but he just hoped that it would be enough to allow the man more than a few fleeting moments of rest. He continued to rub Rodney’s back slowly, as he shushed him kindly, “I’m right here. You’re safe. Just go to sleep, buddy. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

He wasn’t sure how long this went on, but John sighed in relief as he felt Rodney relax completely onto his chest; his hands no longer gripping him tightly and his breathing evening out. He dared a look and met utterly exhausted eyes staring up at him. “John…” the scientist whispered hoarsely, “Please…don’t go.”

John couldn’t help himself. He wanted so much to comfort his friend that he didn’t think twice when he gently laid a small peck on the man’s forehead and held him a little bit tighter. “You got it buddy. Anything you want. I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe, and nothing; not wraith or water will hurt you as long as I’m around. Just close your eyes buddy. I’ll make sure the nightmares keep their distance. Just get some sleep.”

McKay held his breath for a moment before exhaling deeply and completely going lax in John’s arms. He knew it was over. He couldn’t fight this anymore. A week of stress induced insomnia was coming to an end, and he had to say, he actually didn’t mind. As long as John was there, it seemed like an okay idea to maybe try this sleeping thing again. He yawned long and hard as his eyes closed and refused to open, no matter how much he tried. He could still feel John rubbing his back, and it was soothing. He wanted so much to tell John how much he appreciated his friendship and what he was doing for him now and on so many missions in the past, but he just felt so fuzzy all of a sudden, and before he was even aware of it, he was finally and truly asleep.

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rogue-of-broken-time · 6 years

Note

Hey, I hope you’re feeling okay. And for the theory thing, what’s your favorite theory? And what are your favorite headcanons about Marvin? I’m kind of curious to see what you think of him.

I’m… pretty tired, but this is making me feel a bit better. :)

And my headcanons for my boy Marv? LET’S GO:

–He can absolutely turn himself into a white cat whenever he wants, and as a result he has some cat-like behavior in his human form (ie. pushing things off of tabletops if he can’t resist the urge, batting his hands at dangling things, getting a little too excited by laser pointers, hissing at the other egos if they’re fighting)

–As far as his magic, it’s something he has a hard time commanding sometimes; he has to focus a lot for it to have his full desired effect (or be careless and/or angry enough for it to just well up without him noticing, like when he threw fire in his Power Hour)

–He’s pretty hesitant to use his power unless he absolutely has to ever since Anti came around (he doesn’t want to flaunt how strong it actually can be and become his next target)

–He’s not incredibly confident in his ability either unless he’s in the right situation/frame of mind where he’s the leader

–Ever since the start of the Egopocalypse, his power has fluctuated, and he’s not quite as strong/consistent as he was before, and he isn’t sure why

–Along with Chase trying to boost his confidence, Jackie brings him out on missions where he can practice his magic on the bad guys without fear (but he still hesitates because he’s afraid of hurting someone)

–Even though Schneeplestein stitched together Jack after the events of SAY GOODBYE, I like to think that after Jack was stitched up and stabilized by the doctor, Marvin used his magic to heal the wound fully, which is why Jack doesn’t have a big red scar on his neck

–If Jackie goes out on missions solo and comes back with injuries, Marvin heals him before Henrik has the chance to freak out xD

–Texting style is the most well-punctuated and grammatically correct of the egos, besides JJ

–Overall, a nice, sometimes-salty guy once you get to know him, he really comes out of his shell around the other egos because they make him feel like a normal person in the family instead of a bit of an oddball like he would appear to be to most people :D

#ego hc #marvin the magnificent #answered #illyriashade56

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jitterbugjive · 7 years

Note

8') Don't tell me they killed the cute sheep-pon lawyer boy. Is he heir oc? Hasnt Spinel suffered enough?

It’s in an alternate universe where Randy and Spinel are older and because Spinel chose Vior over Randy, the sheepony left heartbroken. bit over 10 years later, Spinel finds Randy in a hospital because his liver’s bad from too much drinking, so the unicorn throws a bunch of money at the hospital to get him the best surgical equipment and a not so legally obtained new liver. Turns out Vior and Spinel had a fight 3 years prior and hadn’t been in contact since, and later it’s revealed they’d gotten married and never had a divorce or anything. Spinel more or less forced Randy to be back in his life because ‘you owe me your life’, his desperate attempt to find someone to give his life some kind of meaning (Spinel at that point is much like Bojak Horseman.) He’ll get on drugs, have wild parties, pass out in an alleyway, generally 0 self care and 0 shits given as he’s constantly borderline suicidal

Anyway over time he and Randy re-connect and start to form something special between them, but circumstances with his job and Randy getting pulled in to it causes Spinel so much distress that he feels the world would be better off without him, so he disappears one day with a vague, alarming note. Everyone starts searching for Spinel, and someone calls Vior to ask him to come back and take care of the mess Spinel had made. Spinel starts making calls to those he knows to say final goodbyes, clearly on drugs, but when he calls his business to talk to his secretary, Vior answers instead and it gives him a shock that throws him way off. He hangs up on Vior. He then calls Whistle, not knowing Randy was there with him, and Randy answering gives him another shock which encourages him to talk a bit more, and with Whistle’s advice on what to say, Randy’s able to calm him down enough to admit he needs help, and spinel agrees to call Vior to come get him since he has wings. Vior finds Spinel just on time, overdosed on multiple drugs, and has him taken care of.

This of course leads to conflict as Randy thinks once again Spinel would have Vior over him, but he’s so down on himself that he things it’s better than way and he should just leave. But, Spinel meanwhile, AND Vior both express they want Randy back in their lives and that they are in an open relationship of sorts, they both want to make up the harm they’d done to him in the past. But Randy’s having none of it, insisting it’s wrong and that they’re both better off without him.

Vior then attempts to help Spinel with Polished Dreams by confronting a rather dangerous pony who’s more or less sponsoring his business. Vior made the mistake of making a legal threat to someone VERY powerful in the underground, and they had Vior shot down from the sky as he was flying home.

(Holy shit I’m trying to summarize as best I can and it’s still not remotely the whole story at all, this is also the universe where Blank exists and was manipulating Spinel for a time, and later murdered a Jewel)

Anyway, Spinel is of course alarmed with Vior doesn’t come home, and asks Randy to help him search for him.They eventually find him in the forest near the mountain, missing an entire wing with the other so severely damaged it couldn’t be saved. So Vior wakes up in the hospital no longer having wings any more, and Spinel and Randy stay by his side. But Randy, see, he’s been starting to feel and act sickly, weak, shaking, in pain. Spinel becomes incredibly paranoid, knowing something is wrong but not what because Randy won’t tell him, and he has this sense of dread that he could lose him or Vior at any moment. He tries to talk to Randy again, admitting things with Vior don’t feel the same any more and probably never will, and how much he wanted Randy to be a part of his life, wanted them to be together, but Randy rejects him VERY harshly, slipping out that he’s not worth it because ‘he’s dying’.

JitterbugJive-Today at 2:34 AM

Spinel sniffled, his hooves shaking. "I fucking love him, I swear I do, I'm relieved he's back but at the same time I just-- it was too long and too soon all at once and I still hate him for leaving and we-- you and I-" He looked at Randy with fear in his eyes, ".... there was something there, wasn't there? Is it all gone now...? Is it over...?"

SirDoodTheo-Today at 2:36 AM

Randy looked.. really scared. He held Spinel's hooves tightly, before looking down at the floor. "..... I.. Spinel w- we.. we can't... I c- can't-.." His breath caught in his throat, and he felt like he was practically shaking. "..... i- it's.. t- too late... isn't i- it?"

JitterbugJive-Today at 2:39 AM

His ears pinned back again, Randy's words making his chest tighten in agony. "I don't feel any different...." Spinel said in a voice that was so soft it was almost a whisper. "And I don't want to..."

SirDoodTheo-Today at 2:41 AM

"Sp- Spinel n- no!" He stood up, his forelegs hugging himself as he looked over at Vior's room, and then at the unicorn. "Th- This.. this is wr- wrong! W- We.... we had our ch- chance... a- and it d- didn't work! Y- You're.. you're with him now a- and it's... this isn't right......" He looked completely devastated.. as if he couldn't believe his own words coming out of his mouth. He rubbed his own shoulders, his body still practically trembling as he turned to look away. ".... I'm... n- not going to be around f- for long anyways..... y- you don't w- want this.."

JitterbugJive-Today at 2:49 AM

Spinel started breathing heavier, with an expression that melted in to something Randy had never seen on him before. Utter heartbreak and horror, and that was only at when the ram said 'we had our chance'. It only grew heavier from there, and he was about to protest with everything he had that it wasn't wrong, that it didn't matter but before he could.... Now confusion was added on top of the heartbreak and horror, and he felt his mouth go dry. ".... wh....what....?"

Two huge shocks in a row for Spinel, who’s now both heartbroken and terrified. He asks Randy what he means and Randy explains that he feels off, very sick, that he can tell whatever it is, he’s dying. Spinel asks him why he hasn’t gone to a doctor and the ram rejects the notion because he felt there’s no point and he’s just better off gone. And as Spinel is panicking (he breaks a bathroom mirror) Randy suddenly collapses and starts having trouble breathing.

Spinel of course rushes him to hospital staff, who reveal Randy’s body is rejecting the implanted liver because it’s not a hybrid liver. Randy would need a hybrid of the same blood type, and considering he’s a genetic impossibility the chances of finding someone is near non-existent.

Now see, how we RP is that sometimes we’ll roll on certain factors. And Theo, that asshole, WAS BASICALLY ROLLING ON RANDY’S LIFE, PIECE BY PIECE. And he got a 3 out of 20 when it came to the initial roll to see how bad off he was. Then he rolled on shit like if there’s a donor, and I’m just over here screaming my head off because I had so much planned for this Randy and I don’t want him to die and I feel super connected to Spinel so I wind up feeling a lot of what he’s feeling as its happening.

Just

Just look how awful this bastard is:

JitterbugJive-Today at 3:57 AM

i'm over here like "plz live so i can throw thing at you"

SirDoodTheo-Today at 3:57 AM

ahaha

!roll d20

RPBotBOT-Today at 3:58 AM

@SirDoodTheo rolled 3.

SirDoodTheo-Today at 3:58 AM

PFFT

JitterbugJive-Today at 3:58 AM

SCREAMS

SirDoodTheo-Today at 3:58 AM

oh man

JitterbugJive-Today at 4:00 AM

IF HE DIES I SWEAR TO GOD THERE WILL BE A FUCKING QUEST TO TARTARUS

SirDoodTheo-Today at 4:00 AM

Guess we're gonna hafta find ouuuut

it's not gonna be good whatever it is

JitterbugJive-Today at 4:01 AM

-SCREEEEEEEEEEEECH-

SirDoodTheo-Today at 4:01 AM

Man I was just gonna be like

"Oh well if it's fine"

"I'll just say he had like.. a panic attack"

-rolls a 3-......"WELP OKAY THEN"

JitterbugJive-Today at 4:02 AM

if it's a shit liver spinel's gonna murder bluebelle

SirDoodTheo-Today at 4:48 AM

!roll d20

RPBotBOT-Today at 4:48 AM

@SirDoodTheo rolled 17.

SirDoodTheo-Today at 4:49 AM

Hey there we go some good news!

JitterbugJive-Today at 4:50 AM

good news is: There's a hybrid out there that matches

bad news: they still alive and kickin'

SirDoodTheo-Today at 4:52 AM

lmao ohno I was just rolling on if Randy would survive the surgery to remove the liver inside him right now

I haven't rolled on the donor yet:3

JitterbugJive-Today at 4:52 AM

you'd need a hell of a roll for that fuuuck

SirDoodTheo-Today at 4:52 AM

!roll d20

RPBotBOT-Today at 4:52 AM

@SirDoodTheo rolled 17.

SirDoodTheo-Today at 4:52 AM

Okay dokie soooooo

Matching liver

SirDoodTheo-Today at 4:53 AM

but the pony who has it is alive but they're close to death themselves

just a matter of convincing them to give up their own liver

JitterbugJive-Today at 4:53 AM

shrieeek

Aaaand since this post is fucking long enough anyway, have some art from Worst Universe (yeah we call it that for a reason)

Oh did I mention this is the universe where Spinel’s drug use triggers a disease in his horn that causes him to constantly expel magic unless medicated, without his magic energy replenishing, so ultimately if it keeps going it’ll cause horn necrosis and eventually make him lose all his magic and magical antibodies.

This image here is what he would have looked like if it got to its worst state (Which it hasn’t, thus far it’s been kept on top of and rolls have been good... now it’s all about convincing the head researcher of the disease to go back to researching it and giving the funding needed for it)

THIS UNIVERSE SUCKS OKAY?

#rp #worst universe #spinel #randy #vior #rp snippet #animedley

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lenfaz · 7 years

Text

Time Upon Once, ch. 8 (8/?)

Summary: Killian Jones is a bailbonds man, living in Boston and doing his own thing. But on his 29th birthday, a kid knocks on his door and claims to be his son. What happens when Killian is forced to face his past along with a mystery prophecy about his own purpose in life?

Rating: M (eventually)

A huge thank you to @tnlph @businesscasualprincess and @blessed-but-distressed for beta duties and @shady-swan-jones for the banner!

Tagging a few people that showed interest in this story: @lk0622@nowforruin@sambethe@xemmaloveskillianx @l-e-x-a-xd @profoundlyfadedprincess @once-uponacaptain@icecubelotr44 @poetic-justice-96 @allietumbles @el-kelpo @jennjenn615 @leiandcharles (want to be tagged? let me know and I’ll do it)

on Tumblr: I II III IV V VI VII

ao3 ff.net

Chapter VIII

It had been two weeks. Two gruesome weeks of picking up the slack in the Sheriff’s Station of a town he had barely any familiarity with, of drinking himself almost to a stupor every night at The Rabbit Hole, and nursing hangovers in the mornings.

Two weeks of seeing Henry’s sad eyes and lack of a smile, the boy shutting him and everyone out. Of running into Regina and simply averting his eyes, determined not to play whatever game she was after.

Two weeks in which every day he contemplated how easy it would be to just pack his meager belongings and simply leave. Two weeks in which the only things that stopped him were Henry’s grieving stare and Mary Margaret’s heartbroken eyes.

Killian sighed, running a hand through his hair as he entered Gold’s shop. He couldn’t understand why the man had called him in the first place, and the hideous stench coming from whatever he was doing was making it almost impossible for Killian to think straight. What in the bloody hell was the man doing with lanolin and sheep wool in the twenty-first century?

But he soon sobered his wandering thoughts as Gold spoke.

“I just wanted to, uhm, express my condolences, really. The Sheriff was a good man.” He pointed to Killian’s belt where his badge was clipped. “You’re still wearing the Deputy’s badge. Well, he’s been gone two weeks now, and I believe that after two weeks of acting as Sheriff, the job becomes yours. You’ll have to wear the real badge.”

Graham was a good man. Far better than Killian would ever be, and no matter what a local ordinance would say, he’d never be able to properly fill those shoes. He knew he had to eventually. To take the badge that had been sitting over on the desk at the Sheriff’s office in the station and clip it to his belt. But he wasn’t ready. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be ready.

“Aye, I guess. I’m just not in a hurry. If that is all that there was, I better head back to the station.”

“I have his things.” Gold walked over to a small carton box that was sitting on the counter. “The Sheriff rented an apartment that I own. Another reason for my call, really. I wanted to offer you a keepsake.”

As if he needed more keepsakes from people he’d cared about one way or another, only for them to be lost to him. He’d kept the baby blanket he was found by the side of the road. He’d held onto a few possessions from the Joneses, the ones he’d managed to grab before he was taken and screwed out of his inheritance by a crooked social worker and unscrupulous foster parents. He carried Brennan Jones’s old flask in his jacket pocket, close to his heart. He had hold on to Isobel’s engagement ring for years, dreaming of giving it to Emma when the time was right. Bloody hell, he still drove Emma’s car, a decade later.

“I don’t need anything.” He took a few steps back, as if the physical distance would make the pain lessen.

“As you wish. Well, give them to Mayor Mills. Seems like she was the closest thing he had to family.”

“You’re free to do it, Mr. Gold, but I am not sure it’s the best idea.” Regina and Graham hadn’t ended on good terms and while they had been something, Killian somehow knew Graham wouldn’t want his things to reach the Mayor.

“Look, I feel that all of this stuff is headed for the trash bin – you really should take something. Look – his jacket.”

The thought alone made Killian nauseous. “Brown doesn’t suit me.”

“Well, here. Your boy might like these, don’t you think? You could play together.” He held up a pair of walkie talkies, a hopeful expression of his face. Killian wondered - perhaps for the umpteenth time since he’d arrived into town - what Gold was scheming behind his polite facade. Because he didn’t buy for one second there wasn’t something in this for him in the long run.

“I don’t-”

“No, please. They… They grow up so fast.” He handed Killian the walkie talkies and he took them, eager to leave the place once and for all. “You enjoy these with your boy. Your time together is precious, you know? That’s the thing about children – before you know it, you lose them.” Well, that was cheerful. Killian thought as he tilted his head in a quick goodbye and left the shop, feeling more troubled than when he’d entered. He felt the need to find Henry and check on the lad, to see if his belief and optimism could bring him out of the funk he was in. Although Henry hadn’t been the same lately, Killian figured it was worth a shot.

/-/

Killian found Henry at his castle, the image of the boy sitting there so much like that first day he’d spent in town. He held the two walkie talkies tightly in one of his hands as he climbed the structure and sat next to him.

“I brought you something.” Henry didn’t look at him, his eyes lost in the view in front of him. “Perhaps we can use them for Operation Cobra?” Killian hated the way he sounded, so falsely cheerful, as if life could go on as if nothing had happened, as if tragedy hadn’t just struck Henry - and him - again.

“Thanks.” Henry’s voice sounded small and lost, and Killian’s heart broke in two.

“You’ve been ducking me for weeks, lad. Care to tell me why?”

“I think we should stop Cobra stuff for a while. You don’t play with the curse. Look what happened to Graham.”

“Henry,” Killian started, his hand aching to reach over for his son’s. “They did an autopsy. He died of natural causes.” Gods knew he wanted something to be found, anything that wouldn’t reduce Graham’s death to a triviality that couldn’t have been avoided. He wanted a secret, an almost imperceptibly poison. Heck, he would have taken the idea of an Evil Queen crushing his heart if that meant there was something that could explain it, if there was someone to blame for losing a decent man in such a futile way. But as much as Henry wanted to believe, life wasn’t a fairytale and there wasn’t a big bad villain responsible for the evils in the world.

Sometimes life sucked. Plain and simple.

“Whatever.” Henry shrugged and turned to face him. “You don’t believe – good. That should keep you from messing with it. And getting killed.”

His eyes bore into Killian’s with such fear that it almost made him lean back. Henry was scared of losing him to this fantasy. Or maybe he was just scared of losing him.

“You’re worried about me, lad?” he asked softly, trying to convey hope and understanding in his voice, even if he was a little short on hope these days - or in his life in general.

“She killed Graham because he was good – and you’re good.”

“Henry.” Killian wasn’t sure what was more troubling: Henry’s fear for him, or the fact he considered his mother capable of murder.

“Good loses – good always loses.” He sounded discouraged, disheartened, his little shoulders sagging as he averted his gaze to the horizon. “Because good has to play fair – evil doesn’t. She’s evil. This is probably best.” He thrust the walkie talkie back into Killian’s hand. “I don’t want to upset her anymore.” He grabbed his backpack from his side, stood up and left. Killian sat there for a while, letting the soft breeze mess with his hair, trying to avoid the tears that threatened to escape his eyes. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was never meant to be like this.

He gave Henry away so the lad could have a better chance than he did, so he could be raised and loved in a family. And today, only a few years older than Killian had been when it happened to him, his son was mourning the loss of the closest thing he had to a father.

/-/

Killian drove back to the station, placing a steaming cup of coffee from Granny’s next to the station keys on his desk. He picked the sheriff’s badge, the one that had been staring back at him for the past two weeks. Killian supposed that it made sense that he took on the job now, although there was this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he’d never be able to fill those shoes.

His hand curled around the badge and he reached to open the clasp with his fingers.

“That’s not for you.” He turned around to find Regina standing by the entrance, smirking knowingly at him.

“It’s been two weeks – promotion’s automatic.” He cleared his throat, working very hard to sound secure and yet knowing he was coming short of that.

“Unless the Mayor appoints someone else within the time period, which I’m doing today.” There was the distinct sound of her heels clicking against the floor as she walked towards him, her hands buried on the pockets of her gray coat.

Killian clenched his jaw and tilted his head to the side. “Who is it?”

“After due reflection – Sidney Glass.”

“From the newspaper? What experience does he have?” He knew the words were a mistake the moment they left his mouth, Regina’s mouth curving into a tight smile.

“He’s covered the Sheriff’s Office for as long as anyone can remember.” She gave Killian a once over. “Besides, what makes you think you are qualified?”

“I’ve worked in a branch associated with law enforcement for the past decade.” He shifted his stance, standing a straighter. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Graham was a good man, Mr. Jones. He made this town safe, and forgive me for saying it, but you have not earned the right to wear his badge.”

He knew that. Killian knew that he had no right to wear Graham’s badge or to even think of claiming the place the other man had held in the town. But Sidney Glass was not the answer. Killian was aware of what it meant for the station in the long run.

“Aye. I am aware that you’re grieving, Madam Mayor and I am sorry for your loss.” He watched as her mask fell and for a second she seemed small and lost, but she quickly recovered. “But Graham picked me to be Deputy, he wanted me to take over if something happened,” Killian said, trying very hard not to engage in a fight with Regina, but not willing to give up just yet.

“And he was wrong.” Regina took the badge from his hand. “You’re fired, Mr. Jones.”

/-/

Killian knew he wasn’t making the best impression as Mary Margaret walked into the loft to find punk music blasting from the stereo, a half empty glass of rum on the sideboard and him perched on a stool, his hands on the toaster as he was finishing with it.

“I fixed the toaster,” he provided by way of greeting and he could feel more than see Mary Margaret’s quirked eyebrow.

“I didn’t even know it was broken,” she supplied politely, as she crossed the room and turned off the music.

“It was making a sound.” Killian tilted his head apologetically.

Mary Margaret dropped her bags on the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

“I needed to get my hands on something,” He sighed as he put the toaster back in place. “Regina fired me. She’s putting someone she can control as Sheriff.” Killian ran a hand through his hair. “That’s my job.”

Mary Margaret’s mouth twisted in a surprised expression and she moved to take the groceries out of the bag. “I’ve never heard you so passionate about it before, Killian.”

“I know,” he admitted, letting her have a little peak of the things he kept behind his mask. “I know I wasn’t that interested to begin with, but I want it back.”

Mary Margaret worried her lip with her teeth. “There must be a reason.”

Gods, the way she could read him was scary. It should be scary, but Killian felt one more time that need to simply tell her the truth, to let her see him for who he was and make her own choices. It was funny how long it had taken for real friendship to find a way in his life. “There’s always a reason.”

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation, and Killian stopped fidgeting with the toaster and went to answer. He frowned at the sight of Mr. Gold standing in front of him.

“Good evening, Mr. Jones. Sorry for the intrusion.” Gold balanced back and forth on his feet, leaning heavily on his cane. “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.” Killian noticed the massive binder Gold had under his arm and he turned to give Mary Margaret a confused look.

“I’ll let you two talk,” she said after a beat, climbing the stairs towards the upper floor and Killian’s room. He wasn’t sure he was relieved she wouldn’t be subjected to whatever Gold wanted, or troubled that he had to face the man by himself after the day he’d had.

“Come in.” Killian moved to the side and motioned Gold to come into the apartment, closing the door after the man.

“I heard what happened. Such an injustice,” Gold offered, still holding the binder under his arm as he moved near the table.

“What’s done is done, is what me mum used to say.” Killian gave him the fakest smile he could plaster on his face.

“A true fighter, I see.” He didn’t miss the hint of contempt in Gold’s voice. It was so easy for men like him to belittle others.

“She’s the Mayor, Gold, and I’m... well, I’m no one.” Killian shrugged. He’d decided long time ago that he didn’t give a damn what others thought of him - Liam had taught him that at an early age - especially not men that liked to play puppeteer with the lives of innocent bystanders in order to get their own way.

“Mr. Jones, two people with a common goal can accomplish many things. Two people with a common enemy can accomplish even more. How would you like a benefactor?”

Bullseye. He knew Gold had a hidden agenda. He had to, men like him never did anything out of the goodness of their hearts. Men like him didn't have goodness in their hearts. But Killian was willing to see how this was going to play out, especially if he could stay one step ahead of the game.

“Benefactor?”

“You mind?” Gold gestured at the table and Killian briefly nodded, waiting for the man to place the binder over the table and take a sit before he sat as well. Gold opened the binder, shuffling through the pages. “You know, it really is quite shocking how few people study the town charter.”

“The town charter?” So far, Killian wasn’t impressed.

“Well, it’s quite comprehensive. And the Mayor’s authority? Well, maybe she’s not quite as powerful as she seems.”

Oh, see, that was interesting. /-/

He could lie and say he wasn’t one for dramatic entrances, but Killian had always enjoyed a little flair for dramatics - according to Emma, anyway. It had been a nice way to counterbalance the tedious parts of his job, the ability to saunter over to a skip and deliver the perfect punchline just as he slapped the cuffs on.

“Please welcome your new Sheriff!” Regina exclaimed with a proud smile on her face, her fingers just about to pin the Sheriff’s badge into Sidney’s chest. That was the moment when Killian went in.

“Now, hang on a second.” He had a smirk plastered on his face as he strolled into the Mayor’s office.

“Oh, Mr. Jones, this is not appropriate,” Regina said in a condescending tone, not giving up an inch on the smile on her face.

“The only thing not appropriate is this ceremony, Madam Mayor.” He tilted his head to the side, his footsteps secure as he stood in front of her. “You do not have the power to appoint him.”

There was a flicker of something dark passing behind her eyes before she collected herself. Regina Mills didn’t like to be challenged. “The town charter clearly states the Mayor shall appoint-”

“A candidate.” And she clearly didn’t like to be interrupted, but Killian Jones had always had problems with authority figures. He wasn’t going to start behaving now, not when there was so much at stake. “You have the authority to appoint a candidate. It calls for an election.”

“The term ‘candidate’ is applied loosely.” Regina waved her hand, trying to divert the conversation to her own ends. It might work with the town residents that didn’t seem too keen to oppose her vision, but he liked to think he’d battled people tougher than Regina Mills in his life.

“No, it’s not. It requires a vote,” he countered, as he saw that same darkness creeping back into her expression. “I’m running, Madam Mayor.”

“Fine,” she said dismissively, as if this was nothing but a nuisance and a waste of time. “So is Sidney.”

“I am?” The man spoke from the first time and if looks could inflict pain, he’d have been on the floor from the one he got from Regina. “I mean, I am,” he professed with a little more determination, and it only cemented Killian’s belief that he was only going to be Regina’s puppet if he was elected Sheriff.

“With my full support. I guess we’ll all learn a little something about the will of the people.” Regina smirked, as if she’d already won.

It was a long shot, but he had to try. If nothing else, for the peace of mind that he’d tried everything humanly possible to prevent it.

“I guess we will.”

/-/

Killian found Henry sitting at a booth in Granny’s and quickly made his way to him. He sat next to Henry, but the boy didn’t pay him much attention.

“How was school?”

“Okay,” Henry shrugged, his eyes focused on the newspaper he was holding in his hands. That caught Killian’s attention as he noticed the way the boy's shoulders were slumped in defeat.

“Anything interesting in the local news?” He asked nonchalantly, trying to get Henry to look at him.

“Sidney wrote it,” Henry said as he flipped the paper over and presented Killian with the upper part of the front page. The blood drained from his face and he felt dizzy at the sight of his most recent mugshot with the title “Jailbird. Killian Jones served time for theft, missed own son’s birth.”

“Is it a lie?” Henry asked looking eagerly at him.

Killian had vowed that he wouldn’t lie to his son. He deserved the truth and Killian just wished the lad had been a few years older when he learnt about it. He shook his head and sighed, giving his son a self-deprecating smile.

“You were in jail when I was born?”

“Aye,” he admitted in defeat. “Those records were supposed to be sealed.” Killian had worked hard to have them sealed, even if he’d served time at a regular prison and not juvie due to his recent 18th birthday, he’d been able to plead with the judge about the status of his case and the stigma that a sentence like his could have on his future. He wasn’t sure if it was his natural charm, or if he had simply inspired pity, but the judge had agreed to seal the records and Killian had moved on, working hard to build a life of his own.

“Did my birth mom know?”

“She must have, because that’s where I found out she was pregnant with you.” Killian said, drifting away to one of the most painful memories in his life.

He had been locked up for a little over five months when the brown manila envelope arrived, a stack of papers inside... and her letter. It was a short letter, attached to the adoption papers, in which Emma pleaded with him to give their unborn child the best chance they could. It was the first time she’d made contact since he’d landed in jail and he wondered - not for the first time - what lies Neal and August might have fed her that she hadn’t shown up to see him. While a part of him wanted to be mad at her, blame her for not believing in him instead of what she might have been told, Killian knew Emma better than she knew herself. He knew how skittish and hesitant to trust others she’d been her entire life, a by-product of the abuse and neglect she’d suffered at the hands of a system that was supposed to take care of her. He knew he had torn down her walls and that she’d fallen for him as much as he had fallen for her. But he also knew that in this situation, and without him being able to talk to her - his attempts at contact were futile as she didn’t have a cellphone or an address to be reached at - she would revert to what she knew best: Look out for herself and avoid getting hurt.

And he couldn’t resent her for it. He wouldn’t. As much as he’d like to plead with her to hold on for a few more months and wait for him, to bet on them, on a chance to be a family, Killian knew it was too much to ask for a just-turned-eighteen year old high school dropout that lived on the streets.

A tear ran down his cheek as he signed the consent for the adoption, wishing things could be different. But he made a promise to himself in that moment. He was going to find Emma when he got out, and he was going to explain everything to her, begging for a chance to start over.

The only problem was, he’d never been able to find her.

“Is that why you consented to the adoption?” Henry’s question brought him back to the present and he turned to find his son looking at him with almost a desperate plea in his eyes.

He nodded, not trusting his voice not to betray him. “Are you scarred for life?” He finally asked, wanting with everything in him to know that he hadn’t ruined his son’s life even more than before.

“Not by this.” Killian smiled at Henry’s sarcastic barb that reminded him so much of Emma.

“Let’s burn this thing to ashes and find somewhere better for our information. Like the internet, for example.”

Henry didn’t quite smile at his attempt to lighten up the mood. “This is what I’ve been trying to tell you – good can’t beat evil, because good doesn’t do this kind of thing. My mom plays dirty – that’s why you can’t beat her. Ever.”

The fact that he was being put in the ‘good’ column tugged at his heart, and he desperately wanted to be worthy of that. “Gold said he’s going to help.”

“Mr. Gold? He’s even worse than she is. You already owe him one favor. You don’t want to owe him anymore. Don’t do this.” Henry seemed genuinely scared and Killian wanted nothing more than to pull him into his arms and take him away for good. But he couldn’t, so he had to settle for putting the boy’s fears at ease.

“Henry, evil can only beat good if good cannot see the dirty coming. Lucky for you, I’ve known a few evildoers in my time to know how to play it. Trust me, lad.” He smirked, his hand resting on Henry’s shoulder. “It’s not about playing dirty. It’s about staying two steps ahead of the game.”

/-/

Killian barged into Regina’s office brandishing the newspaper. “Those records were sealed by court order.” He placed the paper over her desk and gave her a furious look. “I don’t know how you got it, but that’s abuse of power, and it’s illegal.”

“I’m sorry. You didn’t want people to know you were playing cards with other jail mates whilst the poor woman you impregnated was giving birth?”

He clenched his jaw, tilting his head and willing himself not to fall for the barb she was throwing at him. “I don’t bloody care what people know, but this hurts Henry.”

“He would’ve learned eventually.” Regina glanced over at him as she closed her bag. “We all lose our heroes at some point.”

She started walking away, but Killian wasn’t ready to let this go. “He doesn’t need to lose anything more. He’s depressed, Madam Mayor. He doesn’t have any… Any hope. Don’t you see that?” he pleaded, trying to appeal to Regina’s love for her son. He could understand why she wanted to drag him down into the mud, but for the life of him, he couldn’t understand why she was so careless with her son’s feelings.

“He’s fine.” She waved her hand dismissively at him, as if he were a subject that was annoying her. She shut off the lights of her foyer and waited for him to exit before closing the door.

“He’s not fine.” He turned around to face her, unwilling to let her go until she could see what she was doing. “He’s watching his adoptive mother wage an illegal smear campaign against his birth father. Don’t you find that upsetting?” He tilted his head, his voice cracking slightly at his words. “He just lost Graham, Regina. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that man was the closest thing he ever had to a father. Does he need to go through this?”

“I’m just letting him see the truth,” Regina countered, with a smug smile. “And as for the legality – I did nothing wrong.” She blatantly ignored Killian’s cocked eyebrow. “But you and Sidney will have a chance to get into all that at the debate.”

“A debate?” He almost choked on the words. As if he needed a bloody debate to have more of his past being dredged up before the citizens of Storybrooke.

“Yes, Mr. Jones, there’s a debate. You and Sidney can talk all about your jail experiences, as well as your new benefactor.” She cocked an eyebrow at him, her red lips curved into a knowingly smile as she walked to open the door. “He’s a snake, Jones. I’d be careful if I were yo-”

The rest of her words died as she opened the door and the explosion set off, deafening everything else. The force of the blast threw both Regina and Killian back, and when he lifted his head, he could see the flames licking the room and coming their way. When he turned around to urge Regina to get out, he could see her ankle trapped underneath the debris.

“I can’t move! Help me!” she shrieked.

Killian didn’t hesitate, reaching first to free her ankle from the debris and jumping through the flames to get ahold of the nearest fire extinguisher. Once he’d weakened the fire a little bit, he lifted Regina in his arms, urging her to hold tight as he hurried them outside the building.

The fire truck had arrived, and a few people had gathered as Killian tried to gently place Regina on the ground, but a coughing fit had him drop her with a little more force than intended.

“Oh, ow, ow! My ankle! Set me down gently!” Even when injured and when she should show at least a bit of gratitude at being rescued, Regina managed to find a way to belittle him.

“I’m sorry if my manners whilst saving your life are not meeting your standards, Your Majesty.” Her eyes widened comically for a second and Killian realized the unintentional barb he’d made with his comment.

But soon Regina was back at being her regal self and scoffed at him. “The firemen are here. It’s not like we were really in danger.”

“By all means, then next time I’ll let them fight for the honor of rescuing you.” He turned away, running a hand through his hair, frustrated by this whole ordeal. “Actually, next time I’ll do the same thing, because she might not have been with me for decades, but me mum taught me to be a decent human being.” He tilted his head to Regina’s dumbfounded expression and chose to walk away, as he knew nothing good would come from talking to the woman in this state. Real danger or not, it had been a nerve-wracking ordeal for the both of them.

Killian spotted Henry talking to one of the firemen. The lad broke into a smile when he saw him. “Is it true that you rescued my mom?”

He simply waved his hand dismissively, whilst Regina tried her best to downplay the incident, anything to prevent a shift in popular opinion in Killian’s favor. But he wasn’t that worried about how Sidney was going to skew the story, not when the rest of the town was talking about him being a hero and organizing campaign posters. Not when Henry was beaming at him as he used to do - in the way Emma used to beam at him.

“This is how good wins, lad,” he said as he ruffled his son’s hair, a soft smile on his lips.

The same smile that faded the moment Killian spotted something that looked eerily familiar in between the debris. Something he’d seen not too long ago, in Gold’s shop.

/-/

Gold was still wiping something from his hands with a rag when Killian entered the shop, and that only fueled his conviction that he’d been involved in whatever happened at the Town Hall. Killian grabbed the fabric he’d stealthily retrieved from the fire site and toyed with it in his hands.

Gold took a look at him and gave him an eerie smile. “Lots of visitors today.”

“I know you set the fire, Gold.” Killian took a few steps and set the incriminating piece of fabric on the counter.

The pawn shop owner didn’t even flinch at the accusation. “I’ve been here all day, Mr. Jones. How could I have possibly been involved in what happened at Town Hall?”

“This fabric was found on the site. Surprisingly, it smells rather like the sheep oil you were using a few mornings ago.” He made tsk sound with his mouth and tilted his head to the side. “And it’s flammable.”

Gold took a few steps further into the shop, standing at the other side of the counter. “Are you sure? There’s some construction work on at City Hall at the moment. There’s lots of flammable solvents used in construction.”

Killian wasn’t in the mood to play hide and seek with the local pawn shop owner slash powerful man in town. He decided to cut to the chase. “Why did you do it?”

“If I did it,” the other man said and Killian rolled his eyes at his antics. “If I did it, that would be because you cannot win without something big. Something like, uh… Oh, I don’t know. Being the hero in a fire?” He waved his hand about with a dramatic flourish.

Killian shook his head slightly. He really despised men like Gold. “And, let me guess. You have eyes and ears in this town that would let you know if I was in the right place at the right time?”

“Or maybe I’m just intuitive - were I involved.”

“You counted on me not being able to leave Regina behind.”

“Not the type.”

“I’m not doing this, Gold.” Killian stated resolutely, not willing to be a pawn in someone else’s power play.

“This is the price of election, Mr. Jones,” Gold shrugged with the calm of a man used to having his way.

“This is not a price I’m willing to pay. Find someone else to be your posterboy for your war against the Mayor.” Killian turned and made his way towards the door, Gold’s voice reaching him just as his hand was on the knob.

“Go ahead – expose me. But if you do, just think about what you’ll be exposing and what you’ll be walking away from. And who you might be disappointing.”

Killian smirked, looked at Gold over his shoulder. “Nice try, Mr. Gold. But trust me, I wouldn’t be disappointing the son that begged me not to get involved with you in the first place.”

/-/

Killian paced restlessly backstage, waiting for the debate to start. If it could be called a debate. It was more an opportunity for each candidate to give a short presentation, and then the people would cast their votes. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was nervous. He couldn’t recall the last time he was nervous over something as silly as this.

He couldn’t recall the last time he’d given a crap about what people thought of him.

Mary Margaret approached him and thrusted a piece of paper and a bottle of water on his hands, giving him a comforting smile.

He smiled in return, exhaling deeply as he voiced his thoughts to her. “I’m not going to win.”

She tilted her head in confusion and reached up to straighten his black tie and the collar of his white button down. Her hands smoothed the lapels of his black leather jacket. “What are you talking about? Everyone’s talking about what you did in the fire.” The fire, aye. The one he’d decided not to use to his advantage.

“Henry is right, I can’t beat Regina at this. Not the way she fights. My reputation - such as it is - it’s going to get bloody destroyed as soon as I get behind that podium.”

“Killian.” She gave him that look Killian was fast becoming very used to. The one in which she was reading all the things he kept hidden from the world and silently chastising him for lying to her. “This has never been about Regina.”

He averted his gaze for a brief second as he pondered her words. “Of course it isn’t. It’s about Henry,” he admitted.

“You want to win this to show him that good can actually win fighting fair and that is a wonderful thing, Killian. But what about you?” She smiled encouragingly at him. “Why do you want to win the election for yourself?”

Because I’d have nothing to offer him if I didn’t.

“If I’m not the savior, or his mother’s hero, if I’m not even his father figure - Graham was - then what am I to him? What part do I have in his life? I’m nothing but the man who sired him and wasn’t even around when he was born. I was in jail, Mary Margaret. Emma had to go through it all without me.” Killian’s voice broke at the last part, allowing himself to voice his deepest fears. “If all I do is disappoint him in every role he casts me in his life, then what is left?”

“You, Killian.” Mary Margaret was giving him a resolute stare. “The man that drove his son from Boston to Storybrooke and stayed around after to make sure he was going to be okay. The man that is still here, trying, regardless of everything Regina is throwing at him. It’s not always about winning, Killian. It’s about trying.”

She was right, as usual. Killian took a deep breath. “There it is.”

“There it is.”

He dropped a soft kiss on her forehead. “Thank you, darling.”

“You’re welcome.” She beamed at him, a soft pat on his shoulder as she sent him on his merry way, off towards the stage.

/-/

Killian sat there, trying hard to control the way his knee was bouncing up and down as Sidney delivered his speech about reflecting the best qualities for Storybrooke: honesty, neighborliness, and strength. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Regina nodding and almost mouthing the words, one by one. He resisted the need to roll his eyes and scoff at the blatant ventriloquist act in front of him.

He was called upon the podium. Killian’s eyes connected briefly with Henry, who smiled in encouragement, before facing the sea of unfamiliar faces.

“I’m Killian Jones. You might recognize me from my mugshot on the front page of the paper yesterday,” he started, hoping a little self-deprecating humor was going to lighten the mood. But this was a tough crowd and he knew it. His eyes scanned the audience and he spotted Gold smirking at him.

Killian was tired of men like Gold. He was tired of men like him winning, pulling the strings of his life. But not anymore. If he was going to do something today, he was going to be the kind of man he wanted to be. The kind of man Henry could be proud of. He cleared his throat as he tried to find the words for his speech. Suddenly, he remember his brother Liam’s words the first time he had to give a speech at elementary school.

You can do it little brother, I have faith in you.

“Yes, I have had a troubled past, but as my brother used to say ‘Start in the way you want to finish, Killian’. I’m just starting my life here… and if I can dare hope that you’d embrace me as your Sheriff, I cannot start with a lie. You think I’m a hero because I rescued the Mayor from a fire. But the fire was a setup.” He heard the gasps in the audience and he forced himself to go on. It was all or nothing. “Mr. Gold agreed to support me in this race, but I didn’t know that that meant he was going to set a fire. I don’t have definitive evidence, but I’m sure this was the case. I cannot, in good conscience, let you think otherwise even if it might help me win this race. That is not the Sheriff I want to be.” His eyes looked for Henry. “That is not the man I want to be.”

Gold stood up the moment he finished the speech and walked away, his cane hitting the floor the only sound on the room. Killian sighed before he nodded briefly and left the stage.

He needed a drink. Or five.

/-/

Killian downed the first glass on two gulps under the amused scrutiny of Ruby.

“Another?”

“Hell, yes. And keep them coming, lass.”

Ruby was pouring him the second one when the doorbell jingled and Henry entered the place. He took a seat next to Killian and silently pulled a walkie talkie out of his backpack and handed it to him.

“What’s this for?” Killian hand held onto the device.

“You stood up to Gold. That was cool.”

“It was the right thing to do, lad. He did something illegal. And, I seem to recall you told me not to work with him.” Killian bopped Henry’s nose and he smiled brightly at him. Even if he lost today, his son’s smile was worth everything he’d done.

“That’s what heroes do – expose stuff like that.” Ruby came back with a glass of milk and Henry waited until she left to continue speaking in a whisper. “I shouldn’t have given up on Operation Cobra.” There was a newfound hope in him and whilst Killian wasn’t exactly keen on getting back into fairytale conspiracies, he was bloody happy to see a little bit of the old Henry back.

There was another jingle of the doorbell and Regina walked in with Sidney behind her. “I thought I might find you here. With a drink. And my son.”

Killian decided to ignore the barb in Regina’s voice and addressed Sidney directly. “Here to card me, officer?”

“Well, not at all. In fact, I think I’ll join you.” Sidney said in an amicable tone and Killian raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Here? I don’t know. I thought they were setting up a back room for the victory party.”

Sidney shrugged with a small, uncomfortable, smile on his lips. “Oh, well, you’ll have to tell me what that’s like.”

What?

Killian’s eyes darted to Regina. The Mayor was holding the Sheriff insignia in her hands. She averted her gaze and her mouth tilted in a small pout. “Congratulations …Sheriff Jones.” Regina placed the badge on the counter. “It was a very close vote, but people really seem to like the idea of a Sheriff brave enough to stand up to Mr. Gold.”

“Are you joking?” It was all Killian could ask as more people started to pour into Granny’s.

“She doesn’t joke.” Sidney clarified and Killian nodded.

“Of course she doesn’t.” He should have known that, but Kilian was still amazed and his eyes looked for Henry. He was giving him a beaming smile, only to be matched by Mary Margaret’s looking at them from a safe distance.

“You didn’t pick a great friend in Gold, Mr. Jones, but he does make a superlative enemy.” Regina interrupted his thoughts, her smile carrying a hint of danger in it. “Enjoy that.”

/-/

Things felt different when he entered the station the next morning, carrying his meager possessions back. It wasn’t more than a notepad and a mug, but Mary Margaret had insisted he needed his own mug in the station as she gifted it to him that same morning. He sighed, his eyes scanning the place before he froze on the spot at the sight of Graham’s jacket, still hanging on the coat rack.

“The Sheriff’s jacket – I thought you might want it after all.” Gold walked in and Killian wondered for a brief moment if he could simply arrest the man for breaking and entering.

“What do you want, Gold?” Killian spat, clenching his jaw and reaching for his weapon.

“It was a great act, don’t you think? Political theatre in an actual theatre.” Gold must have noticed his disbelieving stare because he gave Killian a smug smirk. “I knew no one was going to vote for you unless we gave you some kind of extraordinary quality, and I’m afraid saving old Regina’s arse from the fire just wasn’t going to do that. We had to give you a higher form of bravery. They had to see you defy me – and they did.”

Killian wasn’t buying it. He couldn’t sense any outright lies from the other man, but he knew his kind. He simply shrugged nonchalantly. “You’re claiming you planned it?”

“Everyone’s afraid of Regina, but they’re more afraid of me. By standing up to me, you won them over. It was the only way.”

“Men like you always feel the need to pull the strings. Or feel that you pull the strings of other people’s lives, regardless of the outcome.” Killian pointed out, not willing to fall into the man’s recount of the tale.

Gold simply shrugged and headed to the exit. “Be that as it may, Mr. Jones, you still owe me a favor. I know that can be a bad feeling – owing someone. And now that you’re Sheriff -”

“I’d be careful in ending that sentence, Mr. Gold, unless you want me to press charges for attempting to coerce or otherwise corrupt a law enforcer.” Killian looked defiantly at the other man. Whatever pull Gold had in this town, he wasn’t going to let himself be dragged under by it. He hadn’t freed the Sheriff’s Station from Regina’s influence only to have it fall under Gold’s. “Also, it’s Sheriff Jones. Goodbye, Gold.”

Gold smiled at him, nodding his head. “Goodbye, Sheriff.”

He knew he’d made a strong enemy in Gold, but as his fingers brushed the Sheriff’s badge that was now clipped to his belt, he couldn’t care less.

Good had won. At least for the day.

#cs ff #lenfaz fics #time upon once #captain swan #canon divergence

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