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kawaiijohn · 3 years

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Rewind, Rinse, Repeat Chapter 1

For Invisobang Minibang 2021

Ao3 Link

Chapters: 3 finished, 12 total Rating: T+ Warnings: Major and Minor Character Death- all temporary, Implied Child Abuse/Neglect, Strong Language, Mild Body Horror, Mild Injury. Other warnings listed by chapter Characters: Clockwork, Danny Fenton, Pariah Dark, Levi | Leviathan (OC), Mal (OC), Observants, Mentions of other characters Ships: Lost Time, Dark Ages, CW & OC child, CW & Levi | Leviathan (OC) Genre/Tropes: Human AU, Magic AU, Found Family, Character Origin, Hurt/Comfort, Original Magic System and Lore Additional Tags: Existentialism & Existential Angst, Memory Loss & Amnesia, Corruption, Clockwork Centric, They/Them Pronouns for Clockwork, The Fenton's A+ Parenting, Obersvant Bashing

Summary

“Clockwork can I ask you something? How did you become a ghost?”

The tale surrounding the mystery of Clockwork's existence; a world where magic is common and ghosts are not. A world where one lonely, average mage tries with all their might to save what means most to them. A world where things need to be remade into something better.

Shout out to my betas @bibliophilea and @moonlights-shadow-warrior for keeping me sane, @13thdoodle for letting me use their OC, Levi, @dailudannos and @sailor-toni for providing art for later chapters, and all the folks over at @invisobang for being awesome!!!!

Chapter One below the Cut. The rest is available on my Ao3 account because tumblr linking/posting is hella broken.

Chapter 1: An Inquiry

“Hey, Clockwork? Can I ask you something?”

Clockwork looks over from the mirror they were watching intently. “You already have, Daniel,” they reply, offering the other a smirk.

“Oh, ha ha. You've never said that to me before.” The reply is filled to the brim with sarcasm, as per usual. Danny rolls his eyes, but a small smile gracing his lips betrays the fact he isn't annoyed in the least. “Seriously, though. It’s something that's been on my mind like... every day for the last two weeks!!" He raises his hands towards the sky, flopping back in the air dramatically. "But... it's kinda, y'know. Personal-” Danny trails off, slightly embarrassed.

Of course. Clockwork finds themself smiling fondly- Danny thought he’d said something he shouldn't have- an inquiry that could make his guardian upset (as if it's even possible to upset Clockwork like that). A question is a question, and this is a worrying habit of his that the Time Master is trying to help break, even if it's still somewhat endearing to them.

“I uh, I mean... it’s personal about- to you, not to me. That’s what I meant!!” Danny continued.

Clockwork stares at him, unblinking. An idea (or thousands) of what he may ask flashes through their mind’s eye. With a single, calming pulse to their Core, Clockwork pushes the involuntary slideshow of timelines aside as if they're no more than curtains. They need to focus on the window in front of them; the here and now, not the temporal drapery.

It's a habit they are trying to overcome for Daniel’s sake. To ensure their ward's growth, they need to stop peering into the near future as often- not discourage his asking of questions. After all, what is a child if not but a well of endless curiosity? Cutting Danny off is also sure to disallow the development of any trust or patience Clockwork needs to build within their young ward. They wouldn’t receive either of those things if they assume what he wanted to ask.

It's common decency to not assume, lest it ‘make an ass out of you and me’, according to Daniel.

It is going to be a tough habit to break, but by the (other) Ancients, they're trying their best. Their ward deserves the infinitesimal choices all other children have when asking things of their guardians, so even if they do glimpse to the future, they will not mention it to him. Clockwork refuses and will continue to refuse to take their ward’s agency away; to not have a choice in things is a fate worse than fading.

The boy has been quiet, stuck deep within his own thoughts even after an impressive five minutes and thirty-seven and a half seconds of silence (uncharacteristic of the boy, Clockwork notes).

Now that just won't do- he must have lost his train of thought. Clockwork gestures at the ghost boy, motioning for him to continue. It works- Danny adverting his eyes and clearing his throat, "Well, it’s just like- you know so much about me- like, how I died, the whole Ghost Zone Prince business, that entire disaster doomed timeline with Dan... I just keep thinking- no- realizing, that I barely know anything about you!!” He throws his arms up in thinly veiled frustration.

Clockwork smirks. “You had another question, did you not?” They place a hand along the edge of the closest Temporal Mirror, turning to face the mirror- still halfway facing Danny. They can see his inner debate clearly written on the boy's face- the mirror reflecting as if it were an ordinary object (for now). They turn towards it fully and watch Daniel's reaction from behind them, acting as if they aren't finding joy in their ward's hesitation. It's always adorable when he tries not to offend Clockwork. "I may be able to work with time, but that doesn't mean I wish to float here waiting for an answer all day."

Danny blinks a few times, rolling his eyes again in response. Clockwork is certain that if they weren’t secured to his skull by human musculature they’d fall out and roll away. “Well, I’m sorry for trying not to be rude and like, asking outright... but since it’s you I have to always be super direct!! Jeeze you’re frustrating sometimes!” He floats towards his mentor, crossing his arms.

Danny often forgets Clockwork isn't easily upset over trivial things such as questions. Most questions are about things they already know the answers to, anyways. And the few things that they don’t know when asked, they figure out soon after. Such is the duty of the Master of Time- to be a step ahead of everyone and everything else always. Besides, in most timelines (68.3% of them, to round up) the question Daniel wishes to ask is along the lines of ‘What was your past like?’ Another small fraction (a little under 20%) the question is ‘How did you get so strong?’ . And even in the remaining timelines, the question would be along the lines of ‘How do your time powers work?’

They are each things Clockwork expects Daniel to ask them at some point or other, as it were. There isn’t really anything Daniel can ask that could be too shockin-

“Clockwork, I was wondering… how exactly did you become a ghost?”

They... did not see that coming… in any of the timelines they’d glimpsed. Clockwork stills for only a fraction of a moment, but it’s long enough for Danny to flinch, feeling as if he’s crossed a line. They hear more than see Daniel shrinking in on himself as they look off into nothing, buried memories waking slowly in their mind.

Clockwork is brought from their introspection by a mumbled curse. “Shit! I mean... uh crap??" They just stare at Danny as they are brought back to the present. "Never mind just... sorry for asking... Oh man! Did I offend you somehow? Ancients dammit, this is what I was worried about!!” They watch him curiously, soft whirring coming from their ward's anxious core. “We can just forget about it if-” Daniel’s hands wring together nervously, shoulders tense with worry and face full of guilt.

Right- facial expressions are also important for a young ghost's emotional communication and development. Sometimes the Time Master wonders if their isolation in Long Now affected their social behavior (it did). Their face is carefully blank most times, so they set to fix it- they offer a small grin, hand coming to rest on Daniel’s shoulder. “It is more than fine, Daniel. You asked if you could ask a question- which is in fact, two questions, I should note- but I gave you consent to ask it of me.” They squeeze his shoulder to placate the worry.

“It’s about time I told you this story, as it were. I just did not foresee it being told at this very moment." Clockwork floats slowly, turning away from their Mirrors. "Come along- it’s best we sit for this. I’ll have one of your friends bring us some tea.”

Danny floats after his mentor, looking around the room the two normally use to study history of the Realms. “So, uh… is it a long story or...?”

“Oh, it is very long, indeed.” They fly through an ornate door and over to their favored 'chair'- a stack of comfortable cushions in violets and blues, both impossibly cool and warm at the same time. They recall Daniel discovering the room, eyes full of wonder and posture relaxed. Clockwork chuckles- the first time their boy had wandered in here he'd decided to take a running dive into the pile, jumping up in surprise when it was cold as ice, yet warm as fresh laundry. The expression on their ward’s face is one of their fondest memories; a happy moment amongst all the tedium of watching time.

“It may take a while to tell this tale proper. But, it is a story that ought to be told.” Daniel makes himself comfortable on his chair of choice- an unholy combination of 'borrowed' pillows and what appears to be a more modern gaming chair- complete with an obnoxiously bright green-black color scheme. Clockwork has to hide another smile as Danny wiggles himself deep into the pile. “So, Daniel- what do you know of the phrase ‘Totems of Power’?”

“I thought I was getting a story, not a pop quiz! Unfair!!” His disdain for schooling makes Clockwork laugh fondly before the boy continues. “But they’re like… hmm how do I explain this? Well, there’s the universe right? Like every timeline and every result of every timeline all at the same time kind of ties into the main universe thingy- but there's still a main timeline, and that's kinda like... Main Street, and the other possible timelines are uh... like side streets with dead ends? But there's other forces that like, aren't time and… uhhh...”

He hums, crossing his arms deep in thought. Clockwork takes the time to purr-sing-hum at one of the many blobs floating in and out of their lair; Daniel had asked them to keep some around as pets and the Time Master was happy to oblige. They were unable to deny something so beneficial to the young Prince, after all. The one deemed ‘Mr. Pants’ by one of Daniel’s friends answers their call. Clockwork buzzes to it a quiet request- ‘bring Daniel's favorite tea and mugs for two, please.’ The little thing chirrups and zips off through the walls- eager to serve the Lair’s owner and be (potentially) rewarded with pats (from Daniel).

The Time Master brings their undivided attention back toward a grumbling ghost boy, lost in thought. “Daniel if you need to ask for help I’m glad to-”

Danny snaps his fingers, coming to a realization before his mentor can finish. “I got it!! The best way to explain it is ‘The Universe needs to run smoothly, so there’s certain forces- like Time or Space- that are upheld by a powerful entity, like a person or like… the avatar of that concept? Yeah, something like that, but they ensure the aspect they represent is properly cared for so the universe doesn’t completely like, die.’” Danny nods to himself. "It's why you stepped in to stop Dan, to make sure the world didn't end like that."

“That is correct- it is my job to ensure this universe of ghosts and reality doesn't crumble prematurely. Now, do you have a recollection of any other Totems you may have encountered?”

“Well, yeah! We call them ‘Ancients’, though- so like… Pandora is the one for war and history, and Nocturn is for like… dreams? The Void or something, maybe? And then there’s old man Pariah who isn’t one, but he said there’s a Leadership Ancient somewhere, and then-” Danny pauses, blinking at Clockwork in realization. “Wait, you asked that for a reason, didn’t you?”

“That I did. Becoming the Totem, or Ancient of Time is where this story starts.” Clockwork hums, seeing Mr. Pants fly back towards the two- nearly spilling scalding tea all over the ground. “Now then. We have drinks. We are sitting comfortably. I believe it’s time I spin my tale for you.” They take a sip, closing their eyes in bliss.

They open them once more and see Daniel sitting, eyes full of stars and eager- Eager to hear, eager to fire off a question a minute. It makes a chuckle bubble up in their throat, to see their favorite person so excited to learn.

“Once upon a time, there was a human; average in most ways, a simple person living a simple life. They would get up in the morning, perform their daily tasks, and go to sleep at night. Day in, and day out- a boring, but fulfilling existence.

“However, where this story differs from what we recognize as reality, is that in this realm, humans who could control magic were the norm. Think as if it were like one of those fantasy games you and Tucker play together- mages, healers… all of those and more were commonplace when I was alive. Yes, humans can wield magic now, but it is nowhere near as frequent as they could in our tale.”

They pause, seeing that Danny was about to interrupt. “Wait wait- this realm? Like- this is a completely different reality?? And people can wield magic now??? Are you messing with me? Like… I thought it was all just-” The boy stops, his train of thought drifting off the tracks as it tends to now and then.

“Yes, first, this is a completely different realm from either the Mortal Plane or the Ghost Zone. Second, Daniel- tell me... have you not noticed the magic of those you have encountered? Blood blossoms… a reality warping gauntlet? The existence that is ‘Freakshow’ in general should be a red flag, seeing as his talents were… strangely non-ghostly in origin. Not to mention objects such as the Infi-map...”

“Man, I wish I could forget about Freakshow… who mind controls ghosts??? He was the worst!” Their young ward crossed his arms and grumbles.

“If you’re done sulking about your past misadventures and former foes, I was in the middle of telling a story, if I recall correctly. One you asked I tell you…” Clockwork simply stares, unblinking as steam wafts from their slowly cooling tea.

All is well, they knew Danny would only take approximately 4.85 seconds to snap his attention back to their story. Clockwork sips their tea, waiting.

Danny snaps out of his thoughts only a millisecond off of Clockwork's prediction. “Sorry... it’s just super weird to think that magic actually… still exists? Like ghosts are real and all but magic being a thing feels a bit far fetched, don’t ya think?” He pouts, brow furrowed.

The Master of Time finally closes their eyes, removing the hood from their head. White hair floats gracefully behind them, settling just past their shoulders. Clockwork opens their eyes again- a serious, yet warm expression directed at their ward. “Magic is simply defined as reality altering acts using both energy and the willpower of a sentient being, if that helps.” Another sip. Mr. Pants made a wonderful batch of tea, as always. They smile wider when they notice Danny’s expression- the boy has never seen them without a hood, and they know doing this will (in 99.78% of all possible timelines) convince the boy to take what they said seriously. ”Just as ghosts can be defined as ‘ectoplasm given form and consciousness’, forces beyond humanity and the physical realm can be explained with scientific terminology if you know where to look.”

“So like... what all did magic have to do with this ‘simple human’ version of you? Did you ever have the power to shoot lightning?? Could I shoot lightning if I tried? Like were you some sorta time wizard? Is that why you’re all… timey-wimey and powerful?” Danny wiggles his fingers with a look of confusion on his face.

Clockwork always finds their Core warming when their boy acts his age. He's abnormally prone to shoulder the destiny of the world on himself and often forgets he's just a kid. “You could continue asking questions one at a time, or you could allow me to tell my story. The choice is yours, Daniel.” They smirk, watching as Danny purses his lips, his steady flow of questions stopping short. The best answer. “Perfect- all is as I thought it would be.”

They close their eyes and reminisce as they continue. “Now- to answer your last question… Yes. You could say magic is how I came to be the Master of Time in both the Infinite Realms and the mortal plane, but there is much more to the story than that. Other players, situations, and pure circumstances. The universe in its infinite chances and possibilities brought myself, as well as many others to the situations they face here and now.” Clockwork pauses, taking the moment to stare straight through Danny’s soul. “Even yourself.”

The boy shudders, an appropriate response. “Wait... me? Did you… do something in the past to like… a past version of someone we know?? Can that even happen???” Danny is already enraptured by the story, eyes twinkling as his mentor opens up about themself. The boy is obviously thinking about everything that has happened, everything that could possibly have happened, and everything that Clockwork could possibly drop on him.

They feel Daniel cautiously tug on loose strands of time to see if he could possibly scope out what is about to be said, quickly failing to do much else beside give himself a small headache. “Time stuff is still really confusing, Clockwork…”

“You could say that. You could even say that trying to mess with time in the inner sanctum of Long Now is the most confusing ‘time stuff’ one could do if they were not myself.” They grin- a Temporal Mirror appearing behind them with a thought.

“What’s the mirror for?” Danny catches sight of himself and looks away, embarrassed that he’s been literally glowing with power after trying to do something so simple with his developing powers. The glow is something he’s been working on suppressing recently. After all, it would be a shame if other ghosts could see the boy powering up by aura alone.

The Master of Time smirks, bringing tea to their lips again. “I thought it would be fun to attempt braiding my hair and doing my makeup for once. It has been an awfully long time since I’ve done either.”

They stare at Danny who just bursts into laughter. “Did you just use sarcasm??? Man, I didn’t know you could lighten up, Clockwork!” The boy laughs harder, sinking deeper into his nest of pillows. After a few minutes he was finally wiping tears from his eyes. “But no. Seriously… what’s the mirror for??”

“Why, what they are always for, Daniel- seeing through time and space.” Clockwork waves their hand. The mirrors show an image of a human with dark hair and burgundy eyes. They have a large, hooked nose and medium brown skin- and Danny finds himself having a hard time guessing their gender. The human sits at a desk, paused in time with the delicate gears of a clock sprawled along the desk surface, tools in hand.

Behind Clockwork, the image changes, showing the human living through an average day- images play in small spurts, never showing the whole story. “Do you understand what’s being seen?” The young boy nods, grabbing Mr. Pants out of the air as the blob drifts between the two. Good, he will probably need the companionship, especially towards the end.

This isn’t the easiest story to tell, nor is it easy to listen to, but with a sip of their tea, Clockwork continues.

#danny phantom #invisobang #invisobang 2021 #dp #phanfic #art #my fic #RRR #dantes vibe corner

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sincerelyella · 3 years

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Darlin’ (Ethan x f!MC)

Book: Open Heart (AU)

Pairings: Ethan x MC (Ella)

Song Inspiration: Darlin’ by The Beach Boys

Characters belong to Pixelberry; MC Ella Dela Cruz belongs to me

A/N: It’s my darling @aestheticartsx‘s birthday, and I know you didn’t want a big fuss or anything, but you’re an amazing person and friend. You support everyone and you have the biggest heart. I wanted to write this little fluff piece just for you ❤️ love you tons!

Warnings: Just pure fluff

The moodboard of Ethan and Ella was made by the birthday girl and I want to thank her for all her beautiful aesthetics

PSA -> today is not her birthday, I am just moving over all my writing from my old blog.

Words: 1592

Ethan Ramsey had an earworm. He found himself going about his day, seeing his patients and humming a melody that had popped into his head since he opened his eyes this morning. As he approached the nurses at the nurse’s station singing under his breath, Danny reached out to take the charts in Ethan’s arms.

“Hey, Doc,” he furrowed his brows as he stared up at him. “Are you … singing?”

Distracted, Ethan shook his head. “No, I don’t sing.”

Danny chuckled as he turned back to stare at the computer screen. “Sounds like you are,” he mumbled.

Don’t know if words can say, But darlin’ I’ll find a way

To let you know what you meant to me, Guess it was meant to be

Ethan stared up at the assignment board, skimming all the names until his eyes stopped on Ella’s. “Danny,” he called out as he made a mental note as to which room’s Ella was rounding on that day. “Can you page Dr. Dela Cruz for me, please? I’ll be in my office.”

“Doing it now.”

Ella was in a bad mood this morning, and he could only assume it was because of that time of the month. However, he knew better than to bring that up in conversation, so he just left her alone and let her do her rounds. Ethan wandered down the hall to his office and unlocked it quickly. He tossed his key onto the desk and let out a long sigh as he sank into his leather chair.

Ethan nodded his head in time with his humming, not even realizing the corners of his mouth had curved up. He thought he would never be vulnerable with someone; he had been careful in that aspect. The trauma and abandonment he felt when his mother left was something that he always thought about; it was the entire reason why he kept people at a distance. The only person he let in was Dr. Banerji, and even then, he still retained some things to himself. Ethan absentmindedly reached into his lab coat’s front pocket and wrapped his fingers around a small box. He slowly ran his thumb over the top of the soft velvet, and his smile grew. He had bought the 4-carat diamond ring months ago, and every time he thought it was a good time to bring up their future, something would distract him. This morning he was already distracted by the song he kept humming, and the fact that Ella was snippy with him didn’t help matters.

“Hey,” Ella stood at the doorway with her arms folded across her chest. “You paged me?”

“Oh,” Ethan stood and walked around his desk to greet her. “Are you okay? You were a little-”

“Bitchy, I know,” she sighed and buried her face into Ethan’s chest. “I’m sorry, I was running late-”

“As usual,” he murmured into her hair as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He tugged her fully into the room and shut the door behind her.

“Mmhmm, I was running late and …” she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Ethan’s heart suddenly skipped, and he felt a tightness in his chest. It was an overwhelming feeling of dread that washed over him within seconds.

“I was running late and … I’m actually late,” she finished, her voice barely a whisper.

Ethan tilted his head and stared down at her. He was mentally prepared to hear the worst news – someone died, she was ending their relationship …

“Ethan?”

He shook his head to clear it. “Uh, you're … late? As in-”

“As in … I’m pregnant,” the tears began to roll down her face, and Ethan’s eyes widened. “I was stressed out this morning, we never talked about our future, I don’t even know if you want kids-” her voice hitched, and she began to cry harder. “I’m so sorry.”

Oh darlin’, I dream about you often my pretty darlin’

I love the way you soften my life with your love, Your precious love

“Ethan, are you listening? Are you singing?”

“I-I’m not … I don’t sing,” he grabbed Ella’s hand and led her to the couch in the corner of his office. He gestured for her to sit, and he got on both knees in front of her. “I know we never spoke of the future, Ella. I’m sorry about that, I … you know I’m not a man of many words. Fancy words are-”

“Not your thing, I know,” she finished for him as she chuckled.

“They’re not, I can’t give you magical words that sweep you off your feet. It’ll be so awkward.”

Ella nodded.

“Truth be told, I never saw myself with a family,” he stared into her eyes. ��That all changed when we began our relationship.”

“So, then that means-”

“That means that I’m so happy,” he cupped her face in his large hands. “I’m thrilled, and I don’t want you to cry over this, okay? I love you.”

She flashed a watery smile. “I love you too."

2 am

Ethan lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling fan, willing himself to go to sleep. Ella had already passed out at 8 pm after a large dinner of pad thai noodles, four spring rolls, six pork and chive dumplings, and half of his spicy drunken noodles. He lay in the dark going over the day’s events – was going to be a dad – with the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

I was living like half a man, Then I couldn’t love, but now I can

You pick me up when I’m feeling sad, More soul than I ever had

He frowned. What blasted song was this? He had been accused of singing twice today, and he got strange looks from all the nurses. He turned to grab his phone on the nightstand and quickly googled the lyrics that kept running through his mind. His eyes widened when he realized what song it was. Darlin’ by The Beach Boys was a song his dad regularly played while he was a child. He remembered his parents laughing and happy together when that song was on - which was all the time. Automatically, he turned to look at Ella, who was peacefully snoring on the other side of the bed. It’s a sign.

Ethan quickly stood and quietly tiptoed to the other side of the room, where he hung his lab coat. He reached into the front pocket, took out the small velvet box, and opened it. The diamond shone like a bright star in the dark sky, and he couldn’t help but get nervous as he studied it. He picked it up out of its cushion and admired the studded in small diamonds around the circumference of the ring. Ella was a simple girl that didn’t like too much flash, plus he didn’t want her losing the diamond in a pair of gloves at work. Ethan shut the velvet box, and it made a loud snapping sound. He cringed, held his breath, and closed his eyes while Ella grunted and turned over in bed. Once the coast was clear, Ethan tiptoed to her sleeping form and slowly slipped the ring onto her third finger on her left hand. He stared down at the ring as the diamond seemed to wink at him in the moonlight; he resisted the urge to take it off. This was a stupid idea, he admonished. The worst proposal of all proposals! He scowled at the ring, then tiptoed back to his side of the bed. We’ll see what happens in the morning.

9 am

A loud squeal startled Ethan awake as he sat up quickly and noticed Ella wasn’t in bed.

"Ella? What’s wrong?” His early morning shenanigans were forgotten in his sleepy haze. Ethan saw her come into the bedroom with his large shirt on and widened eyes. “What?”

She held up her left hand, the diamond shining brightly in the morning sun that was streaking into the bedroom. “Did you do this?”

“That … depends.”

“On?”

“On whether you want it or not,” he chuckled nervously as he studied her shocked face.

“Ethan,” she walked around to his side of the bed and sat on the edge. “I’m not sure how you got a ring on such short notice, but … you don’t have to do this just because I’m pregnant.”

“Wait. What?” Ethan shook his head. “No, I’ve had that ring for a while. I have been meaning to propose, I just … always got distracted.”

“You … so you really-”

“Yes, really.”

“Ask me.” Ella’s grin grew wider as she tried to hide her giggle.

“Ella Vivenne Dela Cruz, will you marry me?”

“Wow, Ethan … this is all so sudden,” she sucked her lips between her teeth to stifle her laugh.

“Unfunny,” his deadpan glare made her roll her eyes.

“Yes!” She lunged towards him and straddled his hips.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“We’re celebrating,” Ella bit her lip as she took her shirt off. “It’s not like I can get more pregnant.”

Oh darlin’, I dream you often my pretty darlin’

I love the way soften my life with your love, Your precious love

#Darlin #Ethan Ramsey #Ethan x MC #Ethan x Ella #open heart #open heart fandom #open heart au #open heart fanfic #open heart fanfiction #happy birthday Preet #OH #OH AU #OH fanfic #OH fanfiction #OH fandom

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rhys-writes-sometimes · 4 years

Text

Music Worth Making Part 3: I Got The Music

Requested: sort of?

Warnings: death, mentions of child abuse, painful memories, more bad writing

Series Summery: When the reader’s life is ripped away from them, they’re distraught. But with her two best friends and three certain ghosts, maybe the afterlife isn’t so bad after all.

Chapter Summery: After landing back in Rose’s studio, you remember her and her kindness. The boys find you and try to comfort you. Julie finds out that she can still see you.

Words: 2176

A/N: Sorry, I really suck at writing summaries. Also, this chapter is sort of divided into two parts, so the next part will be a sort of part 2 to this chapter. I'm not super happy with the ending of this chapter, but oh well. Also, the reader’s memories are italicized in this chapter

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4 | Masterlist

______________________________________________________

You were falling, falling through nothing and everything at the same time. You screamed, but the sound died as soon as it left your mouth. There was nothing around you but blackness, the void surrounding you threatening to swallow you whole if it hadn’t already.

And just as soon as it had begun, it stopped.

You landed with a thud on the familiar floor of Julie’s studio. Grimacing with the pain of landing on a hard floor and the memories made here, you slowly sat up. Tears threatened to spill over as you remembered how things were before Rose died.

-----

“Come on in,” Julie said, setting down her backpack by the door. You hesitated before setting yours down as well. You had just moved to Los Angeles from Maine, so you didn’t have many friends yet. In fact, Julie and her best friend, Flynn, were your only friends.

“Do you want anything to eat?” Julie asked, opening the fridge and pulling out a snack.

“Oh, no thank you, I’m fine.” You smiled at the girl.

“Mija, who’s this?” A woman, who you judged to be Julie’s mother, walked into the kitchen.

“Oh, mom, this is Olivia. She’s new,” Julie said, gesturing to you. You blushed slightly and went to shake the woman’s hand.

“Hi, I’m Rose, Julie’s mom.”

“I’m Olivia. I- I hope it’s okay that I came over…”

“Of course! We love when Julie’s friends come over!” The woman smiled at you, kindness warming her eyes. You smiled genuinely for the first time in a long time.

-----

A few months later, you were seated at the piano in Rose’s studio, running your fingers over the keys admirably.

“Oh, do you play?” the woman asked, walking in to check on you, Julie, and Flynn, who were doing their homework over on the couch.

“Oh! Oh, no, I don’t.” You found yourself stepping away from the piano as Rose walked over to it.

“Would you like to learn how?”

Your eyes widened as you nodded yes. Rose laughed slightly and waved you back over. Hesitantly, you sat down next to the woman.

She placed her hands on top of yours, guiding your fingers in playing your first ever piano piece. The melody was hauntingly beautiful. You held your breath as she helped you play, not wanting to disturb the magic that was clearly there. Even the birds had stopped singing to listen.

She pulled her hands away as the last note echoed around the room. You looked at her with wide eyes.

“Help me play it again.”

She laughed. Getting up from the piano bench, she walked over to a box filled with paper. Pulling a piece out, she handed it to you.

“Here’s the sheet music for it, so you can play it anytime.” She smiled at you, but frowned slightly as you stared at the paper. “Do you know how to read sheet music?”

You looked at her and nodded, your eyes still wide. “This…. This is handwritten,” you started, gesturing to the piece of paper you held in your hands. “Did you write it?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Wow,” you breathed, even more in awe of the woman then you were before. “I’m gonna practice it every day that I can so I never forget it!”

The woman chuckled. “You’re already a natural. You’ll have it perfected in no time.”

You blushed slightly as she walked out of the studio.

-----

Over the next few months, you grew even closer to the Molina family, hanging out at their house and in the studio everyday. Sometimes you even brought Danny with you, and on those nights you slept over at their house.

Danny and Carlos had become best friends, just as you, Julie, and Flynn had. They had become a family to you.

Which made you more nervous to tell them that you were non-binary.

You started off telling just Julie and Flynn, one day after school. You were shaking with nerves, and nothing they could say would help calm you down.

Eventually, you just said it.

They stared at you for a minute, in which your mind didn’t hesitate to remind you that they probably hated you now and you were going to lose your best friends. But after that second, they both hugged you tightly.

“Y/N, we’re so happy for you!!” Flynn said. Your face broke into a huge smile hearing her say your name for the first time.

“Thanks guys,” was all you could manage to get out, too happy to speak.

“Do you wanna tell my parents, or do you not want them to know yet, or do you want me to tell them?” Julie asked. Your nerves rose again at the thought of telling her parents, even though you knew they would be accepting.

“Could- could you tell them? I’d like to be there, though.”

Julie smiled again as she grabbed your hand and pulled you off her bed.

“Hey!” you complained, laughing slightly. You grabbed onto Flynn’s hand, pulling her with you.

“Mom, Dad,” Julie said, slightly out of breath after running down the stairs. “This is Y/N, and they use they/them pronouns.” She gestured to you.

“We’re so proud of you, mija!” Rose said, pulling you into a hug. Ray was standing right behind her, his arms open for a hug as well. You fell into him, crying from happiness.

“Thank- thank you all.” You felt as though you might burst from the love and happiness that was in the room at that moment.

-----

You rode that high for months. All the way up until Rose died.

You remembered that vividly, as well. The sirens, wailing and flashing, squeezing your eyes shut and covering your ears to try to block out the light and sound of everything going on around you. The shocking realization that Rose was gone.

You shuddered, tears streaming down your face as you tried to push the thoughts of her death away. Then it hit you: you were gone, too. Dead. Killed by a strange man in a black coat.

You were so caught up in your own thoughts that you didn’t realize the three boys that had come into the studio.

“Hey, are you okay?” one of the boys asked, causing you to jump.

“Oh, oh, um, yeah! I’m fine,” you said, slipping back into yourself and giving them your sweet smile again.

“Well, okay, um, cause we saw you crying and just wanted to make sure-” the one with the beanie, Luke started. Then he frowned. “Wait, you can- you can see and hear us?”

You nodded, trying your hardest to keep the smile on your face.

“But… but how?”

You couldn’t take it anymore. You broke down sobbing, sliding your back against the wall until you were curled up on the floor, your body passing through a table.

“Whoa, how’d you do that? How’d they do that? It’s almost like they’re- oh.” Reggie grew quiet as the realization that you were a ghost hit him.

Luke walked over to you and put a hand on your arm, causing you to flinch away.

“Oh, uh, sorry,” he said awkwardly, pulling his hand back. You shook your head slightly, trying to compose yourself.

“It- it’s okay,” you said, hiccuping slightly. “I just don’t like people touching me sometimes.”

The boy nodded. You pushed yourself up into a sitting position, whiping away your tears.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Alex asked you. You shook your head, thankful for the boy's presence, but dreading the question that you knew one of them would ask.

Luke stood up and offered you a hand. You flinched again, remembering what had happened the last time someone had helped you up, but took it shakily.

You hadn’t noticed it before, but there was a strange melody playing in the back of your head. You brushed it off, however. You always had a song stuck in your head.

“So, uh, how’d you die?” Reggie asked. The other boys glared at him. “What? I’m just curious.”

“It...it’s alright, Reggie,” you said, sighing. “I- I fell into a puddle, and this man helped me up, and then he…” you trailed off, looking over at Reggie. “He stabbed me.”

“Oh,” he said quietly. You felt Luke’s gaze on you, and turned to look at him, suddenly very aware that he had not taken his hand out of yours after he helped you up.

“Agh!” You cried out as pain coursed through your ankle, gripping Luke’s hand tighter.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice laced with worry.

“Oh, it’s nothing, I just twisted my ankle falling into the puddle.” You felt your face heating up as you realized how close you were to Luke; almost falling had brought you almost face to face with him.

It seemed like he realized it too, because he cleared his throat and stepped away, letting go of your hand.

“Hey guys,” Julie said, walking into the studio, but stopping when she saw you. “Y/N? I thought you had to take Danny home.”

Your eyes widened as tears threatened to spill yet again. “I-”

“It’s okay, Y/N.” Luke said, stepping up to you again.

“No, no it’s not! I need to be there for him, I need to protect him…”

“Oh, hey, it’s okay, I didn’t mean to-'' Julie cut herself off. She started walking towards you, opening her arms for a hug. You opened your arms as well, put instead of a hug, all you got was a weird feeling as she passed right through you.

“What the…” Her eyes widened as she turned to face you. “You’re… you’re dead? But how? I just saw you like, half an hour ago…”

“They were stabbed.” Alex spoke up. Julie looked at you for confirmation, tears welling up in her eyes. You nodded.

“Julie, please…” You walked over to your first friend in Los Angeles and let your hands hover over hers. “Please take care of Danny for me. Bring him here. Kidnap him, if you have to. Just don’t let him live with them.”

Julie nodded. “I- I’ll go get him right now,” she said, already heading for the doors. You smiled, at her, silently thanking her as she headed out into the rain.

“So, uh, we didn’t get a chance to talk much earlier,” Luke commented, walking over to the couch. “What do you do for fun?”

“Um, I usually read, or draw, or listen to music,” you said somewhat awkwardly. You didn’t list the one that you loved most, but could never do. Sing. “My parents wouldn’t let me do that often, though.”

Luke frowned. “Why not?”

“Well, most of the time I didn’t even have time to. I had to cook dinner, clean, help Danny with his homework, do my homework…”

You moved into a chair, sitting with perfect posture and your legs crossed.

“This isn’t a job interview, Y/N,” Luke said with a slight laugh. “You can relax.”

You laughed at yourself. “Sorry, it’s just how I was conditioned to sit.” Your face froze as you realized you had said too much.

“What do you mean, conditioned?”

You shook your head. “I’m really not supposed to talk about it.”

“Why not? You’re dead. Your parents rules don’t apply anymore.”

Your lip quirked upward in a sort of small smile. He was right, your parents couldn’t hurt you anymore. You twisted in the chair so that your legs were draping over the armrest. Reggie sat on the floor near Luke, leaning against the couch. Alex stood behind the couch.

“No they don’t, but I still don’t want to talk about it.”

Luke shrugged. “Fair enough.”

“What about you?” you asked, playing with your hair. “What do you do for fun?”

“Write, mostly.”

That was intriguing. “Write what?”

“Music.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Tell you about… how we write music?”

“Yeah! I wanna hear what it’s like.”

“Well, uh, okay then.”

-----

The sun beat down on the pavement outside of the studio.

“Oh, hey Danny,” you heard Flynn say. Julie had told her to come over after she asked about you. She didn’t want to tell Flynn in public that their best friend had died.

You were growing nervous. How would she react? What would she say? Would you still be able to talk, with Julie telling her everything you said? What-

You were cut off from your thoughts as Flynn walked into the studio.

“Oh, hey Y/N! Are you okay? You weren’t in school today, and you didn’t text me all weekend.”

You gaped at her.

“What? Is there something wrong with my outfit?” she asked with a slight laugh.

“You...you can see me,” you said in shock.

She looked confused. “Of course I can see you. Why wouldn’t I- wait…” She walked over to you, an idea in her head. She tried to hold your hand, only for it to fall through. She backed away from you slightly, her worst fears confirmed. “You’re…… a ghost.”

Taglist: @sunsetcurvej @ifilwtmfc @xplrreylo @phantompogues @caitsymichelle13

#x reader #jatp x reader #julie and the phantoms x reader #fanfiction #rhys writes somestimes #luke x reader #luke patterson x reader #music worth making series

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green-blue-heller · 4 years

Note

Hi!! How about a one shot with first person narrative, with Jensen thinking about the video posted yesterday by Darius (jealousy?) And also the video posted by Misha (butterflies in the stomach!)? Write this story, please! 😁

Ohhh! Thanks for being so patient while waiting for this! I absolutely loved writing it. Though, as I told you, I did struggle a little because first person isn’t my strong suit, but I love a good challenge!

Hope you love it.

Because it is Cockles RPF, I put it under the break. :)

******

Title: Green with Jealousy (Read on AO3)

Cockles RPF

Words: 2174

I hadn’t meant to slam my phone down as hard as I did, and when Danneel looked up at me from across the room, one eyebrow raised, I gave a sheepish smile.

“Sorry.” My voice was low as I muttered, trying to keep my annoyance from my wife. But she knew me all too well.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her expression go soft as she put down the security monitor she had been using to keep an eye on Arrow and J.J. as they played in the twins’ room. Guilt consumed me as I watched her make her way over.

The last thing I wanted to do was let her know how stupid I was acting, but she knew me too long for me to be able to hide anything from her. That was why I didn’t even try anymore.

“What’s wrong, Jensen?” She wrapped her arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder.

I grunted, not sure how to answer her. The truth was, I wasn’t even sure what exactly it was that was bothering me. There was no reason for it. It was just this feeling that I couldn’t put a name to, that slowly started to wrap itself tight in my chest.

Or, rather, a feeling I didn’t want to put a name to.

But when I didn’t say anything, Danni turned her head and softly kissed my cheek. I closed my eyes and leaned into her touch.

And fell for her trap.

I was distracted, only for a moment, but it was enough for her to reach out and swipe my phone from the countertop.

“Danni.” I hadn’t meant for it to come out in a low growl, but it just made her chuckle as she put in my pin and unlocked my phone.

And I was helpless to do anything other than hang my head, as I knew what she was

going to find.

It only took a few seconds before the sound of Misha’s voice hit me like a freight train. It immediately sent shivers down my spine as I recalled what it was like to have him next to me, whispering in my ear.

“Aw, love.” Her voice was so soft, I almost didn’t even hear her speak. But I felt the love she had for me as she wrapped her arm around me again and kissed the top of my head, as she continued to watch the video. “I know you miss him,” she continued, trying to tame the beast she knew I could be whenever I was reminded how I was missing the other piece of my heart, “but you’ll see him soon.”

I nod, not trusting my voice as I ran a hand over my bearded cheek.

Shit. She thinks this is just because I miss him. Not that I don’t. Because of fucking course I miss him. He should be here, enjoying the snowy Colorado weather, curled up on the couch while the fire is going.

Even with three kids, the place felt too empty without Misha, Vicki, and the kids. We were supposed to be enjoying ourselves before I left for Toronto in a few weeks to film for The Boys. But, of course, something happened that canceled those plans.

Not that I could blame Misha that his doctor scheduled his hip replacement surgery the week before they were supposed to come to Colorado. It just meant that I was going to have to head out to California instead. Sure, it sucked that we couldn’t get the entire family together like we planned, and we would only get a weekend together, but I knew I should be grateful for whatever time I was able to spend with Misha.

Even if it was while he was hopped up on pain killers and wasn’t allowed to do any strenuous activities.

I bite back a grin as thoughts and schemes of what we could get away with began to trickle in my head.

But then I pick up the sound of Darius’ voice from the video Danni is still playing and I let out a scowl. It isn’t that I don’t like Darius, it’s just that I can’t help worry about how much Misha likes Darius.

Danni clears her throat and I cast a glance over to her, only to see her quirk an eyebrow at me.

I can’t even muster a guilty grin because I didn’t want to think about the jealousy that consumed me every time I thought about Misha and Darius together.

Even if they haven’t been together in almost twenty years.

But I did feel guily, and embarrassed at having been caught. It was something I needed to work on, and I knew that. This whole jealousy thing.

Misha hated it. He felt like it meant I didn’t trust him, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I just hated the thought of him wanting to kiss or be with someone else, even if it was just a joke and not real.

More than once it caused an issue at a convention. Most of our former cast mates knew about our relationship, and were understanding that there were boundaries. But I still felt like an asshole sometimes when I let it consume me.

But Darius was different. He knew Misha - not to mention he knew Misha. He was the first person he’d been with, ever. So of course the fact they were still close was going to stir up some unwanted emotions in me, despite the fact that I had never been prone to jealousy before I had me Misha.

But his relationship with Darius wasn’t something I could compete with.

Not that it was a competition.

With a sigh, I grabbed Danni and drew her close.

As I buried my face in her neck and inhales the sweet scent of freshly cut flowers, I felt myself finally begin to relax.

A few hours later, as I was getting ready to give Zepp a bath, I felt the familiar warmth of Danneel’s hand on the back of my neck. I leaned back into her touch and moved my head to kiss her palm as I flashed her a smile.

“Hey, baby. I thought you were still finishing up with Arrow? Is she almost ready for bathtime?”

“Almost. But that’s not why I’m in here.”

The wicked grin she was giving me churned my insides. “Oh, yeah?” I asked as I wiggled my brow at her.

She let out a giggle and held my phone out to me.

“Mama! Mama! Watch.” Zepp pulled Danni’s attention away from me for a moment and she gave him a soft smile.

“Hold on a second, baby. I’m going to take over for Daddy, so you can show Mama whateer you want, in just a minute, okay?”

I let out a sigh, as I love watching the way Danni is with the kids. It makes me melt every time I remember they’re mine, and that I’m lucky enough to be theirs.

But then I realize what she said and give her a questioning look.

“Why are you doing bath time tonight? It’s my turn.” I love having these little moments with the kids, things I missed a lot of while I had been filming Supernatural.

Not that I would trade any of that for anything.

But I was lucky enough to be able to have both. To have it all.

Though I could admit I liked living this quiet life in the mountains with just the wife, boyfriend, and our kids all trying to bring the house down around us.

I knew I wasn’t SuperDad, like Dee was SuperMom, but I wasn’t that bad that she’d need to come in and take over bathing the kids from me.

But she just gave me a wink as she motioned again for me to take my phone from her.

Confused, I grabbed the towel and dried off my hands before taking the phone from her.

“Why don’t you go into the bedroom and see what I have pulled up, while I take over here, cowboy?”

My heart skipped a beat as I nodded and leaned in to give Zepplin a kiss before I placed a quick kiss on Dee’s cheek and made a beeline for the bedroom.

When I had the door closed, I leaned against it for a moment and closed my eyes. I had no idea what to expect, but the anticipation was killing me.

And I didn’t want to lose that high, so I clutched it tight against my chest for a moment. But I knew I had precious little time to myself before one of the girls realized I was set free from daddy duty, and set out to find me.

Unsure of what I was going to find when I opened my phone, I reached back and slid the lock on the door into place. She hadn’t given me any warnings that it wasn’t child-friendly, but I didn’t want to take the risk.

I opened my eyes and walked over to the bed and sat down.

As I let out a breath, I steeled myself as I brought the phone up and swiped up to allow it open.

There was a video on my screen, waiting for me to press play.

When i did, music began to play and I could see a woman kneading some dough. I sat there for a few moments, wondering what it was I was watching, or why Danni felt like I needed to see it at that moment.

But within a few seconds, I saw the camera move up and reveal Liz, Misha’s sister. I knew she could sing and had heard her, Misha, and their dad sing on more than one occasion, but I had been caught so off guard, I hadn’t been able to place her voice at first.

Then another voice hit my ears and tears immediately stung my eyes.

It was a voice I would know anywhere.

There was my Mish, leaning against the kitchen counter with his sister, singing to the dough they had been making, like a bunch of goofs.

My heart stuttered and I felt butterflies in my stomach as I watched him belt out the song. It made me miss him even more, and wish the weekend would hurry up and come already so I could get back to Los Angeles and see him, Vicki, and the kids.

As he squeaked out a high note, I let out a strangled laugh and wiped the tears from my cheeks.

I played the video again, and saw the beginnings, where Dee had fast forwarded so I didn’t know what I was watching, and let out a snort at how only they would spend all day making something, even after several failed attempts when he could have just gone to the bakery a couple of miles away and gotten his pastries within a half hour.

But that was why I loved him.

He liked making things with his own hands.

If he didn’t have some part in building or shaping something, it didn’t feel as real to him. It was why he built his own house, and even most of the furniture - although, throughout the years, Vicki had managed to replace about a third of it.

But even me. Misha shaped who I had become. He built up my confidence and chipped away at the self-doubt I had. Made me believe in who I was and that I was worthy of everything I had, of everything I wanted.

Mish was the one who made me believe I deserved it.

I looked up as I heard the lock click, and smiled as Danni walked through the door.

“Hey, sweetheart,” I whispered.

“Hi.” She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed.

When she pulled back, she reached out and wiped the tears that stained my cheeks.

A sob threatened to break free from my chest, but I held it tight. I didn’t want her to see how much I was hurting. To see how much I missed Misha.

But she never missed a thing.

“Call him,” she whispered as she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my lips.

I shook my head. “Naw. It can wait.” I put my head down, but she hooked her finger under my chin and brought my face back up and stared into my eyes.

I swore that woman could see my soul, and it made me shiver.

“I know it can. But you don’t have to suffer for me, Jensen. Call your man, and tell him you love him. That you miss him. There’s no reason to deny yourself that.”

She cast me a knowing smile as she got up to leave the room again.

I gave her a grin as I thought about the sound of Misha singing in that video, and the butterflies returned as I picked my phone back up to dial his number.

*******

Taglist: @dolphindiluna @astral-from-the-pit-of-despair @kristina710

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girlonastring · 5 years

Text

List of Future H50 Fic

1) Graceless:

Danny loses visitation/rights until the reassessment of his job adjourns; after discovering Rachel is moving with Stan to Hawaii, he transfers to HPD. No one there knows about Grace (until he knows his fate, talking about her is too painful), not even after joining Five-0.

Until one day, he hears that precious voice say ‘Danno’ and he turns to the best sight in the world: his baby girl.

The bulk of the story will be of that scene, and the events that follow. It’ll have angst, drama, family moments - and pre-Mcdanno. Depending on how long it goes, they may even be starting a relationship. But they are definitely end game.

2) Any Man of Mine:

A combination of Steve things like the song, or the opposite to it. I still haven’t quite worked out all the details for that, but it’s what I’m aiming for. Will start off with a memory of Danny singing along to the song with Grace, and later will have her bringing up the similarities of their song and Steve to Danno, and bonding over that.

It’ll be pre-Mcdanno, but also that lovely trope where they’ve basically been dating for forever, but only one of them really notices it. Which will be Danny! Also, a 5+1 because I LOVE that!

3) Undercover WitSec:

This one is pure indulgence for me. I love the idea of Danny having been undercover when he worked back in Jersey, so in this he’ll have been undercover (thinking maybe with the mob?? Still deciding) and gotten close with a kid (placing this before!Grace, but still with Rachel) and when all is said and done, the kid (an OFC, because I can) is put in witness protection.

Shoot forward however many years, and he’s in Hawaii, and the only ones who know about this girl are Rachel (because she’s a big reason why he wanted a kid) and Grace (honorary big sister no one knows about; why she knows exactly I don’t know?? Haven’t figured that out yet) so when this girl shows up, calling Danny something no one understands in Italian cue the shocked reactions!

The reason she was in witsec is ‘dead’ so she’s back and it’s getting their lives resettled, have some nice pre-Mcdanno going on, then low and behold, the reason is not really dead and we have some action. Ends in established Mcdanno!

4) Serial Revenge:

Thought this one up at work yesterday and I am P U M P E D for it! Still figuring out a lot of the details, so this overview will be even shorter.

Danny is friends with this kid when he’s young, who seems so normal, but one day it’s discovered his parents are dead. Not only dead, but murdered. He has his suspicions about it, but nothing is ever tied together and so the kid (who something is obviously not right about - still figuring out that detail!) is sent to a mental hospital (foster care from there?? Don’t know yet!)

Flash forward and we’re in Hawaii, and there are killing happening that Five-0 dont’ know about until somehow, there’s a Danny connection and HPD calls them in.

Grace is sent away for safety, Danny is living with Steve for the same reason, bodies keep showing up, and it’s a race to figure out who it is, then to prove it AND stop him.

Killer winds up dead in the end, we get Mcdanno happening, and I am so very ready for this fic!

5) Dolled Up Steve:

Steve watching Grace at his house while Danny has to go do - something, and they play tea party and dolls and hey, dress up for the tea party! And when Danny comes back to find Grace doing Steve’s nails, look of intense concentration while she jabs away, and Steve is looking at her like she’s his whole world? So fond and full of love? That is Danny’s ‘oh shit I’m in love with this dumbass moment’.

I have a feeling this will jump from Danny POV, to Steve POV, back to Danny POV.

6) Sunshine & Whiskey:

Follows along with the lyrics that I chose a while back, and most likely will wind up a PWP. Maybe get some lime, maybe get some lemon. Just waiting on it to let me know what we’re doin’!

7) I've Got You Under My Skin:

The sap for this one! Established relationship, living together, and during a tender moment when they’re swaying in the living room/kitchen (haven’t decided;;) along to Frank Sinatra, someone proposes. <3 Then! Another chapter of them slow dancing to the same song at their wedding. <33

8) Pour Some Sugar:

So Danny in a private moment of Rachel’s bachelorette party did a strip routine for her and at a party Kono and Malia find out about it and it turns into him doing a very funny, extra snippet for Kono’s bachelorette party which he then gets to join. No one figures this out until Kono makes a comment about a tattoo that Danny has that’s not exactly public friendly, followed by Danny saying something about bachelorette parties getting crazy.

So Steve and Chin wind up finding out, which of course leads to Steve getting to see the routine in his own private moment, but made different so it’s just for him. And yes, there will be an explanation to why Danny knows how to do a strip routine, lol

9) Pictures Worth:

So Danny overhears Kono and Malia talking about tasteful pictures being done for a wedding gift and tells them “hey, that can be done” And he pulls them aside and shows them photos he took of a high school ex that she had done as a wedding gift for her wife, and “see, tasteful, just do it like that”

They discuss it and he helps them find someone on the island who will do it and be discreet/comfortable. What he doesn’t share is that before he took the ones of his ex, he did practice shots of himself so that he could be sure the gift turned out perfect. No one else knows this - not even Rachel.

I don’t know how Steve and Chin will find out (or why they have to, but I apparently like to involve the team in this set up *shrugs*) and Steve finds out about his private shoot and there’s Mcdanno goodness!

10) Too Close:

Old friends of Danny’s come to the island for a visit, and one night when they’ve had a bit to drink he admits that Too Close by Next makes him think of Steve, talking about the hot and bothered aspect of it - he’s quite smashed at this point. At a party for the old friends to meet the new, Kono and the girl friend (or the girl friend and the guy friend {they’re married!}) are talking about how clueless Steve and Danny are and how they need to get together already etc

Later they’ve had enough and the friend mentions the song mention so Kono sets it as Steve’s tone on Danny’s phone and ‘loses’ the phone so Steve has to call. The rest of the story is dealin’ with the aftermath of that and of course the Mcdanno!

11) It Wasn’t Me:

Danny and maybe Rachel having a normal day when all of a sudden their little angel goes through singing the chorus of the aforementioned song and just flipping their shit.

After finding out that they have Uncle Matty to thank because he thought Gracie was asleep but she wasn’t and having to explain that it wasn’t an appropriate song for her to be singing and something about “Cheating is wrong” so that when Grace finds out about Rachel and Stan and later Danny and Rachel (possibly) its just “so you two are hypocrites” or something.

Essentially I just want that initial freak out, and definitely will be finding some way to put Mcdanno in it!

12) DILF:

So Steve is Grace’s teacher and she overhears him saying that Danny is a DILF and later she asks her dad what that means and the choking on a drink and going bright red and trying to figure out what the heck to do with that, how to answer. The rest is yet to be determined, but of course it will be Mcdanno!

13) Love Bug:

YOU GUYS. I forgot about this one! This is what the title says: people of Hawaii are being bitten by a love bug, and the team is on the case to find out what the heck is going on! The effects can get more dangerous the longer there is no cure, so of course Steve is bitten. Not only that, but he just can’t seem to keep his hands or eyes off of Danny! There’s intrigue, case solving, and awkward I-couldn’t-keep-my-hands-off-you avoidance that all ends in lovely Mcdanno <3

14) Sleepy Prompt #20

“I think your hair is cute when you wake up, if only you could see it the way I did.”

15) Smut Prompt #57

“If we get caught I’m blaming you.”

16) Smut Prompt #59

“Wow, I didn’t realize you were that...flexible.”

17) Whumptober Prompt #7

Isolation

18) Whumptober Prompt #8

Stab Wound

19) Whumptober Prompt #9

Shackled

20) Whumptober Prompt #10

Unconscious

21) Whumptober Prompt #11

Stitches (continuation of day 3)

22) Whumptober Prompt #12

Don’t Move

23) Whumptober Prompt #13

Adrenaline

24) Whumptober Prompt #16

Pinned Down

25) Whumptober Prompt #18

Wake Up

26) Whumptober Prompt #19

Asphyxiation

27) Whumptober Prompt #20

Trembling

28) Whumptober Prompt #21

Laced Drink

29) Whumptober Prompt #23

Bleeding Out

30) Whumptober Prompt #24

Secret Injury

31) Whumptober Prompt #26

Abandoned

32) Whumptober Prompt #27

Ransom (continuation of day 26)

33) Whumptober Prompt #28

Beaten

34) Whumptober Prompt #29

Numb (continuation of day 28)

35) Whumptober Prompt #30

Recovery (continuation of day 12)

36) Whumptober Prompt #31

Embrace

37) Sleepy Prompt #34

“Will you carry me to bed?”

38) 5+1 Mistletoe

Basically the 5 kisses Steve shared under the mistletoe that were platonic and the one that meant the most. Gotta find my notes for this!

39) A.D.I.D.A.S.

A 5+1 esque fic of smut scenes!

So there are the ideas so far! A few have been mentioned in previous posts, I just don’t know how to link them in this one. They will be coming out in no particular order, and it will take one time because I will wind up writing multiple ones at once. It’s just a matter of which one is speaking louder to me!

I hope someone else is excited for this with me, and please, feel free to talk to me about any of them! Honestly I am so pumped to write them all, I can’t wait to get them all started! :D

Edit: July 19, 2019 August 21, 2020

#hawaii 5 0 fanfiction #mcdanno #writing #hawaii five 0 fanfiction #danny williams #steve mcgarrett #my ideas #which will become a reality!#so pumped!!#fic list #mcdanno fic list #my to do list

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goliath-de-senfina-sango · 5 years

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Ex Choir Kid Beats up Ex Chorus Kids, It Isn't the Swimsuit Edition, Teen Tries to Angst Rudely in front of Rude Friends, Worrying Changes Happening With Your Body and Mind are Completely (un)Natural, Robot Attacks Teens in Zoo

Danny didn’t have anything against chorus kids, heck he was one in middle school, but this was downright ridiculous. He and Tucker had been in the lab, working on actually building the hoverboard that they had planned on building before The Accident. Danny had the Gravity Inverter™ already built, and they had just decided on modelling it after surf boards instead of skateboards. “It offers more room to maneuver, and between Sam, Jazz, and Mom last summer, I’ve gotten pretty good at surfing.”

“I am a wonderful teacher, yes. And in return for those lessons, your parents agreed to help me with converting your lawn from grass to moss." Sam smirked from where she was doing… something on her laptop - the newest brandname laptop that made Tucker drool even though he could almost certainly build a better one.

"I know I'm going to regret asking this but: Why?" A glance up showed that Tucker had the soldering iron in the air just over the circuitry of the board and was staring at Sam. Danny contemplated telling Tucker to put on gloves or let him realize his mistake as the heat got to him.

"Because moss is a much better oxygenator, it doesn't grow tall enough that any mowing need be done, it can grow easily in the low nutrient soil most yards have, and it looks cool as hell." Sam paused in her typing and Danny and Tucker blinked slowly at her. “I helped with turning the grass in my lawn to moss.”

“So, like, are you gonna just do our lawn or are you gonna convince the school to do it or something? Maybe a botony club?”

“That sounds like a great idea, Danny! But I’ve got other ideas for now.” Sam grinned, looking at Tucker, who still hadn’t noticed his own lack of gloves. Danny was getting worried about nerve damage now. “How’s the car design going?”

“I’ve been working on it, and I was actually gonna have Danny take a look after we’re done with this. Still, I think it should be pretty easy to do with the right resources. Still, I think we need to develop better transparent solar panels for it to work.” Danny reached for another tool, opening his mouth to mention that his family already had those developed and capable of 50% efficiency, and instead groaned when his lungs went icy cold. Turning to the portal, Danny picked up a new Fenton Rifle™ and took aim. The air near the portal rippled and flashed with green sparks which tore the air asunder into a swirling pane of light. Twelve ghosts, all singing off key and out of harmony, flew from the portal, and it snapped closed as soon as the last pair were out. Quickly fed up with the noise they were making, Tucker took aim with his Wrist Ray ™ and demanded “QUIET!”

One of the ghosts took exception to that and talons dragged across Tucker’s back, flinging him onto the floor. Danny snarled and pulled the trigger on the rifle, striking one of the ghosts hard in the chest and burning a hole deep enough that Danny could see a pulsating ball of toxic green. The ghost stared at him, shocked, and melted into a puddle on the ground. Before Danny could swing the rifle around to take out the rest, a claw slammed into his arm and sent him tumbling into the table. The ghosts evacuated the lab, fleeing the angry teen and his gun while Tucker slowly stood up. Danny rushed over, hand hovering an inch from Tucker. “Are you ok? That looked like it hurt. It also looks like it’s bleeding.”

“Yeah, it hurt plenty. Is it deep?”

“No, I think the bleeding is just immediate bu-”

“Sam, can you get the first aid kit? We can bandage this right?” Tucker tugged on his sweater and Danny phased it off for him. “You go, we’ll catch up.”

Danny took a deep breath and concentrated, filled and surrounded by void faster than ever before and rising off the ground. “Call me, I’ll text you where I am when you can catch up.” And off he flew, immaterial and weightless, the world unfolding until all he could see was the brilliant viridian streaked void and those idiots who thought they could get away with hurting his best friend. The first one he caught up to dodged his rifle fire, another coming up and slamming a brick into his head. Danny whipped around with a growl and shot that one in the center, not watching as it crumbled into a pile of goo. “ You’re next!”

Tucker and Sam skateboarded their way to him around halfway through the ghosts, using the thermos to catch them instead of letting Danny tear them apart. Something he was surely going to appreciate when he wasn’t as furious as he was right now. Unfortunately, upon getting the last pair near a warehouse on the docks of the river, the Trio found yet another rip in the air, an odd shifting thing that refused to stay as one shape for Tucker and Sam to see. Helpfully, Danny supplied, “It’s a tesseract. That’s fucking amazing to see, it’s so cool.”

And because Danny had the sheer gall to be impressed by geometry the universe punished his nerdiness by shoving a ghost out of the portal, ethereal form twisting between sizes and shapes before cubic chunks of green settled as a blue skinned man in denim overalls. Bright red eyes blinked out at the teens and they sighed. Sam nearly had time to say hi when the ghost lifted his hands over his head, wiggling his fingers and shouted at them. “BEWARE!”

“Ok,” Tucker said as he fired his ectopistol at the ghost, blasting him back a bit. Tucker stumbled onto his face when a glowing box smacked him in the back of the head and groaned. “This is stupid.” Sam fired her own wrist ray and it knocked boxy right into Danny’s line of fire while another box hit her legs and tripped her up.

Danny pressed the barrel of his rifle against the Box ghost’s chest, focusing his anger into the gun and pulled the trigger. “ B E W A R E .” Hot ectoplasma tore through the Box Ghost’s chest and burned a hole on the wall behind him. Danny flew down to his friends to check on them, and sucked on his teeth when he saw the way they were looking at him. “What?”

“Danny, I dunno how you did that to your voice, but when Halloween comes around you need to be able to do it again.” Tucker let Sam help him up and pulled out the thermos, aiming it at the mess on the walls. “Seal for delivery.” The green goop flew toward the thermos and soon was gone. Danny dropped to the ground and flipped onto his back.

“Seal, aquatic mammal in the arctic. It uh, barks?” Danny looked hopeful. Sam looked less so.

“Sorry brain boy, that is yet another wrong answer.”

“Hey, I’m an Astrophysist, mechanical engineer and artist, not a biologist.” Danny grumbled. “Speaking of biology, how you doin Tuck?”

Tucker spun the Fenton Thermos ™ on his finger like a basketball. “I’m feelin a bit sore still but I’ll be way better once we all get home. There’s still an hour before curfew and that’s all we need to study, right?” Danny offered a thumbs up and Sam shrugged.

Then the thermos fell from Tucker’s finger right on the release button and all their hard work filled the warehouse before getting away again.

“Tucker.”

“Yes, Sam?”

“When you’re feeling better I’m going to hurt you.”

“Right.”

Considering it took them over two and a half hours to find and catch a third of the ghosts released by Tuck's blunder, everyone got home at around midnight, leaving no study time for Danny. The Box Ghost, apparently, was stronger than they expected, because he was fully formed as soon as the ectoplasm left the thermos. Running a highly demanding brain and body on only five hours of sleep was Not a fun endeavor. Danny inhaled his breakfast, and if an upward glance was anything to go by spiked the electric bill with his secondary eating.

Jazz decided to be gratingly cheery anyway, like she always was. “Mom! I just got the news from Genius magazine!” Jazz was holding up a cover of said magazine and Danny rolled his eyes. “You’re gonna be on the cover!”

“Genius Magazine?” Dad grabbed up the magazine and stared at it for a moment before a low and potentially upset tone carried out, “is it the swimsuit issue?”

“Dad, please ,” Jazz rolled her eyes and narrowed them. “this magazine is for, by and about women geniuses!”

“Firstly,” Danny said, holding up his spoon. “Is Dr. Saturday in it?”

“…No.”

“Then they missed a genius.” Danny felt his face twist up. “Secondly, I’m trying to eat and you bring up Mom being in the swimsuit issue of a falsely named magazine?”

Jazz ripped the magazine from Dad’s hand and groaned in frustration, her page flipping now the slamming of book covers. “I signed Mom up so that the world can see that she’s a genius and not a ghost hunting freak!” Danny winced, rubbing his neck. Sounded like Jazz heard as much of it as he did. Unsurprising, kids were assholes.

“They’re not ghost hunting freaks,” Danny said with only a touch of offense in his tone. “They’re Ectologists, contracted regularly by the government. They’re also right about ghosts being real.” Jazz opened her mouth to challenge that claim but even groggy and under fueled Danny’s brain was quick. “Just check the back of the school for proof.” Quick but filterless.

“Well sweetie,” Mom said before Jazz could counter that it was a gas explosion like Tucker had fed to the school, “if I’m going to be on a cover - which you should ask me for permission for before you go doing it - then I want Jack right there with me.” Mom pulled Dad’s bulk to her, impossibly, in a hug. “We’re a team after all!”

The man in question beamed and pulled out… something. Danny didn’t have the brain power to analyze tech at the moment. “That’s right! Together we built the Ghost Gabber™! It translates the odd noises that a ghost makes, dissonant whispering sounds and all, into language that you and I can understand!”

“In what language?” Danny frowned. “If you’re gonna sell this - which please don’t this is ridiculous - then it should be in like, all languages you’re gonna sell to right?”

“Mandarin, Spanish, English, Hindi and Arabic so far,” Mom supplied. Danny nodded and slurped down the last of the milk in his bowl. “It’ll work for any language when it’s done!”

Danny stared at the thing and narrowed his eyes. “Boo.”

“I am a ghost,” the thing rattled off back to him. Which, well, fuck. That’s what I was thinking at least.

“It’s busted, responded to human speech. Or you guys have the worst humor and that’s preprogrammed.” Danny grabbed his lunch and headed to the door. “Love you byyye!”

School was as mind numbing as ever, the damage from the ‘gas explosion’ doing nothing to stop classes apparently. Which meant that Falluca's test on biology was still a go. Yay. Brain sluggish from last night's hunting and lacking on biology knowledge to begin with, Danny was unsurprised yet pissy when he was handed back a D.

Taking their lunches into the library, the Trio ate quickly, everyone still feeling yesterday's activities. Soon as he was out of food to shovel in his mouth Danny was glaring at his test again. "I can't have a D on a test! I’m a Fenton!”

“The American Public education system is a relic and fails to accurately quantify intelligence.” Danny stared blankly at Tucker, who shrugged. “Sam’s activism rubs off when she’s right.”

“If I come home with a D my mom’s gonna put me through martial arts training and have Dad give me lessons on whatever it is I failed on.” Danny waved his paper aggressively. “My Dad teaching me biology guys, it’s horrible!”

“Well since you need to boost that grade I have an extra credit idea for you,” Sam said at one of the computers. Danny turned to look at her screen and furrowed his brow.

“A purple backed gorilla? Why is it’s back purple? That’s not a naturally occurring pigment in mammals.” Danny turned to Tucker. “Right?”

“While I’m the last person you should defer to for knowledge on organic coding, you’re right. I can only think of birds and uh butterflies? Those can be purple. Rarely though.”

“Extremely rare, only two males left. Which is why you’re going to write a report studying it on why it deserves to be set free!” Sam beamed at him with that smile she used when she wanted something out of him. The air around her shimmered with impressions of green and purple, like a mist that clung just above her skin. It didn’t seem to be hurting her, so Danny didn’t bother mentioning it beyond pulling out his journal to take a note in.

“I don’t have time for extra credit, or your agendas, Sam.” Danny groaned. “Gotta find those extra ghosts before they manage to hurt someone.”

“Actually,” Tucker cut in, holding up his PDA. “You do have time. You just need to manage it better. Which is why I’ve elected myself to be your time manager. Least I can do after Sam let all those ghosts out.” Sam glared, that meowing turning to a low growl, and Danny tugged on his jacket.

“I dunno…” Could Tucker be trusted to manage even his own time, let alone Danny’s?

“It’ll be my job to manage your schedule so that you can do your schoolwork and catch that Box Ghost dumbass that Sam let out.”

“You do remember that I can turn outrun you right?” Sam’s glare intensified, and Tucker swallowed. “I can kick your ass faster than you can move it, Foley.”

“Remember what happened when I let you manage the thermos, Tucker?” Danny arched a brow, crossing his arms.

“I’ve already set a reminder,” the geek held up his PDA which flashed with bright green letters. “Don’t let Tucker handle the Thermos.”

“What the hell?” Danny sighed. “I guess we can do a trial run.”

“Sweet! I’ve also scheduled some time for us to go check out that gorilla once classes are over.”

“Before I even said yes to doing a report on it, yay. Aren’t you just the best?” Danny jabbed Tucker lightly in the arm and frowned when Tucker winced. “How’s the shoulder?”

Tucker shrugged. “It’s getting better. Told Mom I fell off my skateboard trying to do a trick and she helped me change my bandages. It should be fine in a couple days.”

Danny sighed, pulling his hood over his head. “I shouldn’t have opened that portal. Then you guys wouldn’t have gotten hurt like this.” Danny zipped up his hoodie, shivering. “Stars guys, I’m so sorry .”

“Said the guy who I pressured into the portal,” Sam countered.

“To the guy who coulda said enough is enough and stopped you,” Tucker added, ruining Danny’s angsty bad times. He had negativity to feel dangit!

“You guys are dumb.” Danny pulled the two into a tight hug. “Thanks. I dunno what I’d do without you.”

“Probably finish dying, let’s be real.” Tucker earned the punch he got from Sam, he really did.

The bell rang, and the Trio sighed. “Well shit. Time to go back and do all that school stuff.” Danny pulled away and grabbed up his bag. It was one of the few classes he had without Sam and Tuck next. “See you guys later.” A few goodbyes later and everyone left to zone out in class and contemplate what that day in the lab had really meant for them.

While Sam was taking in all the key points of the lesson, she was also noting that she knew this part of history like the back of her hand. The majority of Sam’s attention was on a comment the blond meathead had made. Just as they got to class, Dash had shoved Danny into some lockers, and when Sam told him off for it he called her a witch girl for hanging out with the ghost freak. As much it made Sam want to castrate the idiot with a heated rusty knife, it also made her think. If ghosts were real - something she tried not to think too hard about because the realization of how big that was felt like too much to even begin processing - then why not magick? Tucking away the mental note to do some research on magick later, Sam let her mind wander through all the different things she could probably do for the world with magick.

Once Sam found Tucker and Danny at the exit, she draped her arms over both boys’ shoulders and kept walking. They caught up to pace quickly enough. “So, the zoo first or looking for Ghostly Chorus first?”

“Ghosts first,” Danny said after a few minutes of contemplation. “If we catch em right away we can get to the zoo and spend more time fully focused on it.” It took them a trip home each to grab their scooters, then two hours of searching four different neighborhoods before the group actually found the four remaining Choir Ghosts. Danny felt a deep rage fill the core of his being when he saw them, the fools that dared to hurt his friends and took aim with his rifle to announce that he’d found them. A pulled trigger and there were only three ghosts left. One of the ghosts turned to fly at him, swiping a claw that grazed his cheek and knocked him back in the air. Tucker fired off a shot, missing both the chorus ghost and Danny by just an inch, and being knocked tumbling off his skateboard for his trouble. “ You’re going to regret that . ”

Sam landed a shot on the ghost that knocked Tucker off his board and did a kick flip to avoid one trying to get the drop on her. The ghosts prioritized Danny as the biggest threat, two of them swinging at him from either side. Danny raised his weapons on either side and was knocked down by the third one into Tucker. A growl built itself up from Danny’s chest and he turned both his rifle and wrist ray to the sky. One of the ghosts dodged the wrist ray, knocking the other into the path of the rifle shot. Sam took out the one that had dodged Danny just before the last one appeared in front of her. It dove under the ground and Sam saw green as Tucker’s wrist ray rammed into her shoulder. “SAM!”

Tucker rushed over to Sam and Danny zoomed through the air, driving his fist through the ghost’s chest and grabbing onto that ball of emerald light. He snarled in it’s face. “Should’ve let him take you out. It would’ve been less painful.” The ghost tried to get away, but Danny held firm and squeezed harder and harder until the ball of power, of connection of self of discordant songs and burning wood cracked in his hand and ectoplasm dissolved into a pile of goop on the asphalt.

Turning back to Sam and Tucker, Danny was greeted by horrified faces on his best friends in the world, and immediately lowered himself to the ground. The void left him, an empty space in his chest as Danny ran over to Sam and Tucker, kneeling to check Sam’s shoulder. “Are you ok?”

Sam took a long moment befor eshe seemed to even hear what he’d said. “I mean I uh I might need some burn cream and my shoulder isn’t exactly having the best night ever, but I’ll be fine. It doesn’t exactly hurt as much as it probably hurt the ghosts.”

“Y-yeah, that’s probably it.” Tucker helped her to her feet and dusted himself off. “Everybody still feeling up for the zoo? We gotta grab that extra credit.”

Danny stared down at his hand, flexing his fingers and shuddering at the icy chill around them. He’d taken out minor ghosts before, sure, but never as brutally as he did that one and the Box Ghost. What happened to me? “Alright. The zoo.” Danny slid back into the void, easier at night when he had the stars to look up to and reach for, and rose up off the ground while Tucker and Sam grabbed their boards. And as they headed to the Zoo, Danny couldn’t help but think to himself. I wouldn’t do that to a person, would I? All I had to do was catch it in the thermos and it’d have been dealt with. Stars. Danny shook his head, trying to force himself away from thoughts of what kind of horror he’d’ve seen on Tucker and Sam’s faces if that had been a human who’d taken a swing at them.

Sam looked out from the observation deck binoculars at Sampson, taking her turn on gorilla watch. “He’s so beautiful, so intelligent, so majestic!” Watching the gorilla pace in his cage Sam was sure he would be infinitely happier in the wild.

“What we’ve learned thus far, Sam is that gorillas like to scratch their butts.” Danny yawned, turning to Tucker. “How long have we taken to learn that?”

“Five hours.” Tucker yawned, sitting on the floor.

“Time flies when you’re majestically scratching your butt.”

“C’mon guys, we could learn something about Sampson no one else has!” A thought occurred and Sam turned to Danny. “You should try commun- oh. Wow.” The boys were on the floor, both clearly conked out from the lack of sleep last night. And Danny rolled over to cuddle Tucker in his sleep, which Sam felt was sickeningly cute. “Fine, I’ll do it myself… in the meantime…” Sam took a picture of the boys, chuckling. “To the scrapbook it goes for when these idiots finally get a clue.”

By the time she got to the gorilla enclosure, she heard a loud roar from elsewhere in the zoo. Presuming it was just a tiger or two waking up, Sam looked into the cage to see Sampson pulling on the bars of the door to his cage. “You poor creature, stuck in here when you should be in the jungle.” Sampson saw Sam standing there and pulled even harder on the door, howling at her and staring desperately. “…You want out?”

Sam decided to use her own Dumbass Teenager Action of the month and blame it on her own sleep deprivation. She also blamed it on the control panel having an easy to get to, easy to use Open Cage button. If she could get away with it, she was going to have a talk with whoever ran security.

Sampson practically flew out of his cage and Sam followed after him. She stopped, shock freezing her muscles up as Sampson tackled to the ground a… “Is that a fucking robot?”

The man made of steel and wearing black leather and a shoulder pad kicked Sampson off and Sam found herself caught between rolling her eyes at the Mohawk and goatee made of green fire and backing away from the glowing ghost robot.

Sampson charged again immediately after being thrown, knocking the robot to the ground and rolling onto his back. Sam felt herself laugh as the robot was tossed around by Sampson’s feet but it all felt so unreal. Is this what my life has come to?

Sampson was blinded by goo and Sam felt it time to act. She raised her Wrist Ray™ and fired, narrowly missing the ghost robot, who glared in her direction and fired off a shot of his own. It caught her in the gut, sending Sam backward and the ghost snorted. “Damn wench. You and this gorilla pest are in my way. Thought I’d gotten the last one with me.” Speaking of, Sampson got the gunk out of his eyes and charged the hunter again, though the ghost dodged out of the way, phasing through a backhanded swing.

“So you’re the one who went around poaching the furs of purple-backed gorillas? This is your fault? ” Sam felt her blood boil and fired off another shot with her wrist ray, cracking the shoulder pad of the armor. “They’re going to go extinct because of you!”

“All the more reason to get the last ones in my home. Unfortunately, you can put several bullets into something and it can still eat you before it realizes it’s supposed to be dead.” The robot looked down at his shoulder, which gave off little sparks, and he turned to Sam, raising his arm cannon. “Let’s see how well you can replicate that, shall we?”

Before the ghost could fire his cannon at Sam, Sampson grabbed him up from behind and tossed the ghost hard. Sam recognized that she wasn’t going to be able to handle this one on her own, and ran to the observation deck to get to Danny and Tucker. “GUYS, GUYS WAKE UP!” She grabbed onto the ladder and started climbing when an explosion rocked the tower and she nearly lost her grip. The town began to lean and Sam heard herself screaming before she even felt it. The tower began to tilt her way and Sam looked down to see a hole blown in the base of the tower.

Danny heard screaming, but it was far away and likely unimportant and he had dreams to have, stars to see and hear and cradle in his hands and wrap his entire self within and around. There was so much for them to show him, so much to give him and all he need do is reach out and - the ground shook, thunder booming in his sensitive ears and Danny clung tighter to Tucker for a moment, his eyes flying open. “TUCK Tucker wake up!” Danny shook his friend and reached for that silvery darkness that filled him and wove around him. “Fuck fuck fuck, ok, I have an idea, get up, be ready!”

Danny flew through the glass - either physically or intangibly he didn’t know right now - and turned to look at the tower. There was… a hole in it. And Sam was on the tower, screaming. And they needed him. “It worked for Agatha, it can work for me.” Danny held out his hands and closed his eyes. He searched within, reaching deeper and deeper for that light, the wispy shadows that surrounded the world and held it in place around her star and kept the universe from falling apart. He reached and reached and shadows, whips of darkness even he could not fully see were grasped and pulled out of him. His eyes opened, and Danny wrapped his very self around the tower, gravity’s hold snatched away but for the longest of seconds. The tower no longer fell for there was no down for it to fall into, merely the void for it to rest within. Nothing, less than nothing, empty space filled the spaces between everything and all was still.

And then he c r a c k e d .

Tucker caught Danny and Sam looked around the zoo in awe and horror. Sampson had been blasted back into his cage, the tower was on its side, and Danny looked like he was fading fast. “Tucker, the thermos!” He pulled it out of his backpack and handed it to Sam. She looked inside and saw the sloshing ectoplasm they’d cleaned off the streets when they tore up the ghosts earlier. She grabbed onto Danny and held his mouth open, pouring the ectoplasm even as his form flickered between ghost and human.

“Sam, what the hell?” Sam realized her hand was shaking when she saw the green fluid drip down the sides of Danny’s face and Tucker grabbed the thermos to steady it. Danny drank down the ectoplasm and his body stabilized in ghost form. Once the thermos was empty, Tucker set it down and they watched as Danny glitched between forms one last time before his back arched and those blindingly bright rings appeared, transforming him back into Danny Fenton. “What the fuck happened?”

“A ghost robot appeared and tried to kill us.” Sam stood up and grabbed her board. “Who’s carrying Danny?”

“My hands are steady so I think that’s gonna be me. Think you can carry my board? I don’t wanna try that while I’ve got him on my back.” Tucker maneuvered Danny onto his back with arms looped around his shoulders, and stood up slowly and carefully. Sam grabbed his board and they headed for the exit together and from there to Fenton Works.

#Danny Fenton #Tucker Foley #Sam Manson #Danny Phantom #Box Ghsot #Jazz Fenton #Maddie Fenton #Jack Fenton #Skulker #Fanfiction #Phanfiction #fanPhiction #Fanfic #FanPhic #Phanfic #PhanPhiction #PhanPhic #MCS #Rexy Writes

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clown-bait · 6 years

Text

Paranormal Journeys (Monster Roommate AU) Pt 9

WOW IM SORRY that took way too long to get out mostly because of work and trips and costume making Ive been so busy I've had barely any time to write. But anyway here it is the big reveal. Hope you enjoy all the violence.

Ch 16 Reunion

Leech continued to sing her song despite the look of annoyance from her captors and the run of her black syrupy blood falling from her nose into her mouth. The taste of it was revolting but she wanted them to know what was to come. They wont even get a chance to float now because there wasn't going to be anything left.

“Will someone please shut her up she's been singing ever since we cut off her finger.” Chris groaned and nosferatu flashed her moonlike eyes in his direction.

“Why don't you step a little closer and try yourself Chris!”

The group turned at Leech’s sudden mood change she seemed less playful and suddenly way more dangerous than her captors originally thought. Chris glared at Danielle who was rubbing Zander’s back as if she had done nothing wrong. The ghost hunter turned away from the scene. He hated this woman more than he disliked the fang filled chatter box bleeding on the wood floor. Leech flashed her teeth at him again and a too wide for comfort grin slowly grew on her face

“Psst let me go and I’ll promise I’ll leave you alive for awhile. Its her I want.”

“Is it me or did she suddenly get way more creepy?” the ghost hunter squinted.

“Well you did cut off her finger dude.” Zander grumbled.

“How long do you think it'll take before that thing shows up?” Rick asked wearily

“Is that a hint of fear I smell Ricky? Don't want that he likes fear.” Leech lolled her head to the side the loss of the ichor from her finger stump starting to make her delirious. Or maybe it was the hunger slowly rising from her belly. Either way her calm antagonistic composure was melting away into something much more dangerous.

“Shut up seriously!” Chris hissed at her as Ricks’ face turned to that of worry.

“But its not Penny you have to worry about, the only way he’ll be tasting you on my tongue after I get out of these chains.” the vampire flicked the long muscle out of her fang filled mouth like a snake dragging it over her lips in mock seduction.

“She’s got a point you cant show any fear.” Danielle said from her seat on a barrel.

“Rick bro you really got to get a hold of yourself that thing is dangerous and we can only stop it if we work together.” Zander placed his hand on his team mates shoulder while Chris glared at the woman behind him.

“He cant help it dude he's only human. Hell even I’ve been freaked out ever since I had that weird dream! And since when are we taking orders from her anyway”

“Oh! I smell a soap opera looks like I'm getting dinner and a show tonight!” Leech smirked and sat up criss-crossed with mock interest.

“Don’t you talk about Danni like that bro!”

“Oh we have nicknames for our one night stands now?”

“Chris what the fuck is your problem with the women I date? Why can’t you just back off dude?”

“Well well you found someones leg to hump Daneille? How interesting!” the vampire mused.

“Shut up Leech”

The nosferatu winked and continued to lazily smile at the group that was quickly coming apart. She could honestly care less about her food’s love triangle unfolding before her. Just as things were starting to heat up a knock came at the door of the barn the group went silent and the vampires long ears twitched upward.

Zander cautiously opened the door while rick picked up an old rifle taking aim just in case. A man stood alone in the snow in the dark winter night. He reeked of the sewer.

————————-

“So you found her what do you plan on doing now”

“Do you really want to ask that Mikey?”

“You-no you can’t!”

“Are you forgetting who I am human?”

“Please let me reason with them at least they’re innocent in this!”

“I’m already allowing you to live sheep boy, they took something from me, they will pay.”

“Just one chance clown please.”

The clowns frowned for a moment then its scowl began to soften into concentration. Mike stared at it as it eerily drooled and clicked low in its throat. Pennywise suddenly smiled and his eyes began to glow. Mike knew it couldn't be trusted it looked too excited, too hungry. it was planning something.

“I will allow you to try.” Penny’s nefarious grin grew. “Yes no harm will come to your fellow humans!” he let out a sickening chuckle towards the end.

“Why do I not believe you”

“Aww whats the matter Mikey? Don't trust your old friend Pennywise? We've been through so much together!”

“Its because of what we've been through I don't trust you.”

The clown let out a musical laugh.

“Try try try sheep boy all I want is to free my mate! Cross my heart and hope to die! Hahahahahahaha!”

“If only you would…” Mike grumbled “Im going to warn them, collect the girl and go.” he said turning his back to the creature for the first time. He could feel its hungry glowing eyes staring him down with pure hate as he walked away from his mortal enemy. Mike could at least try to get everyone out of this alive… even Pennywise much to his own self hatred at the thought. He needed the clown awake and happy and that wasn't going to happen unless they got the girl back. He had little choice but to try to reason with her captors for their own sake maybe if he was fast enough he could save everyone. Even with IT’s reassurance he knew the clown was up to something and mike had a feeling he only had minutes to stop it.

————————-

Leech shifted in her restraints as her captors went to answer the door. If it was penny he was walking into a trap and it was all because of her. She took the opportunity to try to pick the lock on the shackles around her wrists with her claws but gave up when she realized she had no idea what she was doing.

The man at the door continued to beg and plead with the group to leave saying they were all in terrible danger. Leech twisted in her shackles again. Penny was here. She could feel her own skin rubbing raw from the pathetic attempt to escape. The nosferatu shut her eyes and let out a long exhale. Instead choosing to try to determine who the lone stranger was. His voice was quite familiar and his scent was of dust old paper and a faint hint of smoke. The librarian? What was he doing here?

The vampire’s question went unanswered when she heard a click and felt a release of pressure from the taught chain attaching her to the wall and the shackles on her wrists. Her eyes flew open wide and feral and she began to chuckle. her laughter grew louder and louder as she got to her feet and metal crashed to the wood floor. A pair of yellow eyes faded into darkness behind her. Leech’s laughter started to grow manic as she cackled into the ceiling and her claws and fangs grew long and sharp. Mike stepped back in surprise at the sight before him taking note of the faint yellow glow of the two orbs in the darkness next to her. Leech began to full on scream laugh before snapping her head forward and lunging full speed straight at Danielle who was scrambling back behind the barrel she had only moments ago been sitting on.

“SHIT SHIT SHIT SHES LOOSE?! WHO THE FUCK WAS WATCHING HER?” the she-wolf screamed as leech leaped into the rafters above slashing out lanterns and blanketing the room in darkness save for a few flash lights held by Rick and Zander.

“wWhatever you do, DO NOT lose sight of her!”

Rick’s flashlight began to shake as he shined it on Zander who shot him and a terrified looking Chris a puzzled look. Two white gloves came out of the darkness and came to rest on the ghost hunters shoulders.

“Little Zander Mcpherson. My my my its been a looooonngg time hasn't it? Why I remember last we met you were but a little insignificant snack! Had to find something much bigger and much tastier than you.” a sing song voice rang out in the darkness Zander twisted around in the clowns grip to stare at it in both rage and horror.

“N-no no way bro don't you dare talk about my sister.”

“Tasty tasty little girl she was, you should have seen her face when I took it off.”

The clown chuckled to himself and backed away into the dark his voice becoming more distant

“Why don't I show you! How about a little family reunion!”

A young girl maybe 12 or 13 years old walked out of the dark her face horribly disfigured as if she had been mauled by a mad dog. Bits of flesh hung off her skull and a chunk of her cheek flapped free just below her missing eyes. Zander began to sob.

As the clown created a beautiful distraction a pale grey spindly form dropped from the barn rafters in front of Danielle. Who shined a lantern in the direction of the creature she could just barely make out the claws and long sharp teeth but her eerie reflective eyes lit up in the dim lamplight like a wild fox in the dark.

Leech began a horrific cackle as she approached her captor stalking towards her theatrically twitching her claws here and there in restraint.

“Ya wanna know what real torture is like Danielle? Ya wanna know how the professionals do it?”

The werewolf scrambled back with as much strength as she could muster but a taloned foot stabbed into her calf and yanked her back as the nosferatu slammed her claws into the wood floor by her face caging the she wolf in.

“Down below they don't just tear out your guts like savage beasts. Down there they do it my way dog. They go for what hurts. You ever have your nerves severed just so? Your tendons plucked at like guitar strings?” leech cooed at the girl trying to get away but each time she moved the talon in her leg pushed in deeper causing the alpha werewolf to howl in agony. “You know they played stairway to heaven on my right arm while I was down there? I gotta give those boys props they do good work, and after a few days being torn apart and stitched back together I got to try a little myself.” the vampire seemed to be swallowing something back as if teetering on the line of control. A little too far one direction and she’d be sure to fall into total beastial insanity. The other inhabitants in the room seemed to pause their scuffle and listen in on the exchange, even Pennywise cocked an eyebrow in her direction when he heard the cry of pain from the she-wolfs lips. Leech dug her foot talons in once more wiggling them a bit to add extra insult to injury. She caught the she-wolf’s arm and began to gently stretch it out positioning the razor tips her claws over Danielle’s writs pin pricking the skin just so. “First you slice open the skin and peel it back.” the vampire ghosted the long pointed talon of her hand down the werewolf’s forearm. “Then I’d get to play a little tune.” she placed her claws back into position lightly fingering out guitar chords over the sensitive soft under-skin of the girls wrist. Danielle struggled and squirmed earning her a dissatisfied hiss from the creature holding her down. Leech grabbed the wolf’s face and dragged her fangs across the skin of her ear. “Don't you dare move now unless you want me to do it for real. Oh, and don't. Fucking. Scream.”

As Danielle let out a terrified shriek, Leech screamed back in her face just before something cold and metal pushed against the side of her head and fired. Rick stood shaking holding the old smoking rifle as the vampire dropped limp to the floor with a horrible thud that made Pennywise quickly shift back to his preferred form and roar in agony. His charge ended as soon as it began when his mate began to float up the ichor leaking from her face reversed its direction and a bullet was caught in her fangs. As she drifted upright her head snapped to the side at Rick eyes abnormally wide glowing sickly yellow while her face remained horrible and skeletal. Too many teeth began to split at the wound in her cheek. When she shrieked it was unlike anything anyone had heard before. Her voice sounded like fifty beings at once all screaming over each other and it was very clear that the creature known as Leech was no longer present in the room. She lunged at rick with horrible unpredictable speed latching her long sharp fangs into the man’s neck and began to suck with an unrivaled hunger, the wound in her head slowly closing its self with each greedy gulp.

Pennywise watched with almost amazement as if he had just made a life changing discovery and his mind had been completely blown. mike called out to him from a nearby window breaking the creature from its awestruck state.

“WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING CLOWN?” the librarian shouted.

“I-I created something. For the first time.” he stuttered a bit still wide eyed and slightly quiet.

“Her? You created her?!” Mike asked frantically as he turned away from the horrifying scene of people he had just spoken to being ran through a living paper shredder.

“No.” Pennywise replied quietly “Not her…..them.”

“What the hell does that mean?!”

When the clown didn't answer Mike tried another question. “I thought you said no harm will come to them!” he shouted finally getting the clown’s attention.

“No harm will come from me Mikey, Leechie on the other hand isn't part of our little deal.” he grinned as a woman’s horrified screaming was being mixed with the sound of wet tearing and crunching bones.

“You sick bastard both of you!” the librarian turned his back to the window “Is she like you are there more of you?”

“Why are you still here?” the clown growled refusing to answer Mike’s question. Pennywise pushed off the wall and made his way into the bloody massacre picking up the loose chain still attached to the shackle on Leech’s neck. He gave it a harsh yank back as she began to descend upon a mortified sobbing Chris and Leech clattered to the floor backwards in a mess of razor tipped limbs. The vampires claws came up to her neck and scratched frantically at the shackle earning her another hard pull backwards till she was on her knees near the clowns feet. Penny quickly pushed her to the ground roaring so loud his face began to split and the walls creaked from the vibrations. The two began a screaming match of terrifying proportions until the struggling possessed creature below the clown calmed in the shining light now emerging from Pennywise’s throat. His grip on her chain grew slack moving to caress her shoulders and hold her in his arms as the yellow lights in her eyes began to dim. He gently placed a hand on her abdomen while creating a trill like churr in his throat until finally the lights in his mate’s eyes sunk down till nothing was left but dazed glossy blues. Leech mumbled something about kidneys as she slowly came back to reality, a theatrical voice she knew well brought her back to full consciousness.

“Its time to wake up little hunter.” he said as he pushed his nose and lips onto her temples.

“Snuggle muffin?” Leech shut her weary eyes tight and purred as Penny’s own eyes flew open dropping his mate immediately.

“PEACHY! Not in font of the food!” he snarled gesturing to Mike who had braced himself against the window pane both in nausea and laughter.

The vampire grinned wide and raised her eyebrows at him. Penny looked furious.

“Once again I get you out of trouble and this is the thanks I get?” he snarled pulling the chain and bringing the exhausted Leech up to his fangs.

“I got shot in the face and lost a finger for you I think were even.” she grinned at him unable to turn the relentless taunting off.

“Only because you never listen.” the clown grumbled

“Looks like someones a little tense hmmm Ruffle Wuffles?” Leech teased him boop-ing the eldritch horror right on the nose as Penny winced at the pet name.

“I shouldn't have saved you.”

“Like you would have lasted more than a week without me.” the vampire wheezed. Pennywise pulled on her chain again holding her inches away from his face.

“Little brat!” he snarled hot puffs of air washed over Leech’s face.

“Your little brat.” she whispered into his lips as her claws tangled into her clowns hair. Their lips reunited with fresh heated tension the clown letting out a soft groan into her mouth half in annoyance half in secret relief.

“well thats a sound ill never be able to un-hear”

Penny and Leech’s lips separated abruptly and leech glared at the librarian now standing in the doorway trying to light a hanging lantern to survey the damage. He knew the others were dead what he didn't not know was they offending team of ghost hunters were just piles of uneaten shredded flesh laying all around him.

“I wouldn't if I were you Mikey.”

“Unless you can stomach leftover hamburger.” Leech added with a chuckle and turned to her mate “Hey by the way I have like no memory of half that fight what the hells been going on?

“I also demand answers!” Mike yelled as he regained his composure the door slammed behind him locking from the outside. Pennywise placed his confused mate on the ground and a menacing grin grew across his face. “What are you doing let me out we had a deal!” Mike shouted tugging at the door.

“Hush Mikey I’ve changed my mind. Besides the other one got away and its rude to take someones meal before they're finished.” the clown was right Chris was nowhere to be seen even in the darkness of the barn.

“You bastard!” Mike hissed

“Just providing for my family Mikey. What kind of father would I be if I didn't bring my mate fresh meat for our growing brood?” Pennywise grinned beginning to step out of the light when a voice broke his assault. His favorite voice. Only this time he was in deep deep trouble.

“EXCUSE ME WHAT?!”

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I think someones sleeping on the couch again tonight.

#pennywise #pennywise fanfiction #pennywise x oc #it fanfiction #mike hanlon #losers club #monster roommate au #nosferatu oc #vampire oc #slasher fanfiction #horror fanfiction

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loveinthewriteway · 8 years

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I'm Gonna Marry Her Anyway (Chapter 14: Denial)

Other chapters | 1DFF Maraming salamat - thank you very much Lumpia - Filipino egg roll, bomb as fuuuu Anak - term of endearment for a child Ano - what Matakow - greedy, usually teasing when someone wants food too much Tito - uncle (doesn’t have to be by blood, usually referred to an older man out of respect) Mahal na mahal kita - I love you very much Sisig - Filipino dish, usually pork based (also, bomb as fuuuuu) Bakla - gay --- I wasn’t expecting to see Zayn so soon after I cut things off. It was the Sunday after we went to LACMA together. He kept his promise with attending a Catholic mass, specifically, at the church where I sing for every week. I didn’t see him until, well, he was walking out the doors. My heart sunk. But what was I expecting, him to approach me? I hate that I doubted every song I sang that day, wondering if I impressed him at all. Since then, we haven’t talked. Or communicated at all - no texts, calls, e-mails. Nothing. It’s been hard, to say the least. Focusing on school has been the best option for me to move forward. Some people would think that all this shit happening to me is terrible timing since it was the time of my midterm exams, but I found it to be perfect. Dedicating more of my time into studying distracted me from this nonsense. It also made me realize how much work heavily affected my study habits. Although it took more effort and it was significantly more difficult, I managed to catch up in my classes and do well in my midterms. If I keep this up, I should be back to “Straight A Student Mary” on the Dean’s List. Surprisingly, Harry is one of the biggest contributions to me doing well in school. We still haven’t really talked about what we are exactly, but that hasn’t stopped him from coming around. He quizzed me with flash cards, gave me back rubs during my study breaks, and snuck kisses when my dad and lola weren’t looking. (No, we haven’t gone past kissing - not since he rejected me last time. But whatever, it’s not like Harry has really tried or anything… Yes, I’m bitter. Yes, I know I shouldn’t be. Let me be petty, please.) It almost feels like he lives with me since he’s here all the time. My dad doesn’t complain, especially since Harry helps clean the house and water lola’s garden. It’s pretty cute, actually. What I really like is how he just knew when I needed to focus. He never tried talking to me or distracting me - hell, Harry kindly told Tatay that I was busy studying when he was about to nag me about laundry. Somehow, my dad didn’t kick him out of the house like Uncle Phil with Jazz in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Styles charm, I guess. When I would be studying, Harry usually tried to read one of my textbooks - but that usually never lasted very long. Some things really never change: his short attention span, constant curiosity, unwavering optimism, selflessness. However, there are many things that I never noticed before when we were younger. The way his eyes are trained on me every time we talk, how often he pinches his bottom lip absentmindedly, the distinct smile on his face - only when he sees me. I’ve grown to love how he always rests his chin on top of my head when he holds me, and how his body is always warm. All right, I’ll admit… Harry is my favorite distraction. “Hello? Mary, are you not listening to me again?” I blink, realizing that I’ve spaced out for the majority of my phone call with my best friend. Oops. “Um. No. I’m listening, Niall.” “Hm, okay. So what do you think I should do? Give her my number or nah?” “Nah. You deserve better,” I easily reply, putting my phone on speaker so I can start picking my outfit for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night. When Niall lets out an obnoxiously loud sigh of frustration, I’m grateful I put the phone down since it probably would’ve damaged my hearing. “I fucking knew you weren’t listening. I was talking about work, you asshole!” I can’t help but snicker. “Okay okay, sorry! I’m just… there’s a lot on my mind.” Niall quickly snaps, “Yeah, there was a lot on mine too. But you wouldn’t know because your ass wasn’t listening!” Before I can ask him to repeat everything he said (contrary to what he thinks, I actually do care), his tone softens, “Thinking about Zayn?” I drop my sweater, caught off guard. Quickly recovering, I bring the phone back to my ear and hiss, “Again, Niall. I don’t want to talk about him.” “Mary, you’ve been leaving me in the dark for weeks. All I’ve gathered - on my own, mind you - is that Zayn is in love with you and not Perrie. But he’s gonna marry her anyway.” I’m ready to hang up, but my friend knows better when he hastily stops me, “Mary, wait! Sorry. It’s just… it’s hard working here without you.” This makes me quietly sigh. “How is it going? Their wedding?” “It’s… it’s going.” Niall is quiet for a couple beats, and I can already picture him frustratedly tugging on his hair. “Perrie hasn’t been meeting her deadlines. I’ve been trying to turn to Zayn instead but…” “Please don’t.” My mouth moves on its own, even though part of me wants to know how he’s doing. Thankfully Niall obeys, instead talking more about how my old co-workers miss me and how much of a twat Lydia is. Although I’m listening a little more intently than earlier, the thought of Zayn has me reconsidering what - more like, who - my favorite distraction really is. *** I almost drool at the sight of my plate full of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes ham, and lumpia. There was definitely more food to choose from, but there wasn’t enough room on my plate. I deserve this, okay? I busted my ass studying for midterms, and I’m confident in all of them. Treat. Yo. Self. My mouth is already open, ready for my spoon full of heavenly goodness, but Tatay elbows me. It all falls back into my plate, and I don’t bother hiding my look of shock and annoyance. He doesn’t seem to notice, or chooses to disregard it (probably the latter), when he mutters, “Anak. Lead the… um…” “Tay. We already prayed. Please let me eat.” “No no… ano… everyone says what they want to thank?” I try to not face palm. When was Tatay so sentimental? He really wants to do that thing where people say what they’re grateful for? “Can we at least eat while people are talking?” “Yes yes, you’re so matakaw!” I ignore my dad’s jab, because hey, he’s not wrong. But listen, the last thing I ate was a bagel this morning because I was busy helping cook dinner. And I don’t know whose bright idea it was to have Harry lead the prayer, because he may as well have lead an entire hour of mass. I clear my throat and use my spoon to tap my glass, gathering everyone’s attention. “Hi everyone! Thank you all for joining us, I hope you’re enjoying the food!” Although my tone is sugary sweet and fake as hell, my family easily buys it and claps. A lot more people came than I expected, which meant that greeting everyone took twice as long. Although I definitely don’t know everyone by name, it’s a Filipino requirement to hug and bless (we take an elder’s hand and place it on our forehead as a sign of respect) everyone. Again, more reasons as to why I’m so damn hungry! “While we’re all eating, let’s go around and say what we’re grateful for,” I “excitedly” clap my hands, and gesture towards my dad, “Tay, how about you start?” He throws me a tossed look, but I simply smile and rub his shoulder. He coughs and is quiet for a moment before beginning, “I’m -” I interrupt and encourage him to stand up, because I’m petty. Tatay purses his lips at me but obliges anyway. “I’m grateful for many things. The roof over our head, my job, this food, and all of you. But I do want to say…” My dad turns to me, the corners of his mouth slightly quirked (this definitely surprises me because I’ve been a little shit to him). “Mary. Anak, thank you for everything you’ve done for this family. You work so hard in your studies, but… you always put family first. Thank you.” When everyone in the dining room starts clapping again, I feel like Tatay just won an Oscar and thanked me in his acceptance speech. Ever since I left my job, my dad and I have been the closest - ever since my mom died. We may express ourselves in different ways, or not at all, but hearing something like this from him truly uplifts my spirit. I try to hide my teary eyes (unfortunately, I can’t blame my emotional and simpy self on my period because it ended last week), but this is unsuccessful when Harry places his hand on my bare thigh. “It’s true, you know,” Harry whispers next to me when Tita Alma starts speaking. My face heats up, along with the spot he touches. Because everyone in my family is extra and truly do sound like they’re presenting an Oscar acceptance speech, I have time to indulge in the food I helped cook. Hell, I’m sure I have time to get seconds and dessert since Harry’s ass is probably gonna take a million years. When it’s his turn, unfortunately he murmurs to me before standing up, “Mary, you’re staying for mine, right?” “I… um…” I trail off, but then I see his wide, hopeful eyes and pouting lips. Yeah, I’m done for. “Yes. Of course.” He beams before clearing his throat. “Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Maraming salamat to all of you, especially Tito Danny for welcoming us to his home.” Here I was thinking I was special when my dad grinned at me, but nope. Tatay is giving Harry a close mouthed smile (which shouldn’t make me feel immaturely jealous, but it does). Harry runs his hands through his hair, something he does when he’s nervous. It’s strange though, he’s usually a natural when talking to a big group - especially our family. Then he nods at Tito Boy, who abruptly leaves the dining room. Maybe he’s going to finally grab the alcohol… yasss. “Um… I also want to thank your daughter, Tito Danny.” My brows furrow, because hello, I’m right here. Just say my name. “I know we… we talk already but. I just want to make sure this is okay, one last time.” My head whips towards my dad, who is already nodding. What is going on? “Harry, what are-” “Wait,” Harry cuts me off, earning a glare from me in response. He easily sends me a knowing smile, seemingly not as intimidated by me as he used to be. “I want to say that thank you to you too, Mary. Being with you has made me the happiest I have ever been.” My eyes widen, definitely not expecting this. “You’re one of a kind. You are hardworking, and…” he trails off, scratching the back of his head, “ano ambisyoso in English?” “Ambitious!” Tita Alma exclaims, sounding like she’s on the verge of tears for some reason. “Ambitious,” Harry affirms, turning towards me and brushing some of my hair off of my face. “You inspire me, and help me be better. You changed my life, and I want to be with you for a long time…” My head tilts in confusion, not entirely sure where this is coming from. Still, I think more about how Harry’s English has has improved impressively. However, once Tito Boy finally returns to the dining room holding a Scrabble board, my jaw drops to the ground once I read the letters. WILL U MARRY ME I barely have time to process this, because before I know it, Harry is on one knee in front of me. The Scrabble board replaces my empty plate in front of my seat. My family is loud with cheers and whistles, but all I can focus on is him. Harry Melchor Styles. The boy who was always by my side when we grew up in the Philippines. The boy who killed cockroaches for me, even though I found out that they were his biggest fear and he never wanted to tell me. The boy who chose easy hiding places during Hide-and-Seek so I can win. The boy who swore to protect me at all costs, and still hasn’t broken his promise. The man with a soprano singing voice and happy-go-lucky personality that perfectly complements my alto vocals and strict planning mindset. The man who is always smiling and has the most sincere heart. The man who puts everyone before himself, except now - when he wants me to be his. “Please be my wife, Mary Bandong,” Harry finally says after I stare at the board in awe. I don’t realize tears are rolling down my cheeks until he reaches over to wipe them. “If you say yes, I will be the most supportive and loyal partner. If you say yes, I will try to make you as happy as you make me - because you deserve it.” I’m breathless. “If you say yes, I’ll… I’ll be the luckiest man on the planet,” he breathes, his eyes glistening in tears too. “Mahal na mahal kita, Mary.” The room finally falls quiet, and everything is still - my heart, my mind, the entire world. If only time worked that way. What I need is everything to legitimately be still. There is too much happening right now, and my mind can’t properly process what’s going on. But knowing my family… any answer that isn’t an enthusiastic “Yes!” is equivalent to no. I owe it to Harry to save face. I ignore the tug at my heartstrings, and do what I know is right during this time. My body has been frozen for what seems like hours. Finally, my eyes divert away from Harry’s hopeful ones and towards the bag of Scrabble letters next to the board. My hand shakes a bit when I reach over to grab and hastily dig through it. Once I find the three letters I’m looking for, I place them onto the board underneath his proposal that took up the entire middle row. I DO I only have a second to let out the breath of air I’ve been holding, because I’m instantly brought to my feet and pulled into Harry’s tight embrace. My entire house is roaring in excitement, but it feels like it’s only Harry and me right now. He pulls away just a bit, his eyes drinking me in entirely. My heart skips a beat when Harry wears that smile he only has when he’s looking at me. He shyly closes the gap between us, and I’m grateful he did. Not necessarily because I want to though… while that is true to an extent, I’m mostly glad that our kiss prevented him from seeing that my tears that differ from his own of joy. My tears were from sadness and guilt. *** What better way to solve my problems than with alcohol? Regardless, I didn’t have much of a choice. If there’s anything you need to know about the Bandong family (by the way, this isn’t limited to blood relatives, oh no - this includes my cousins’ cousins, in-laws, neighbors, babysitters, dentists, behind-the-wheel DMV instructors…), we know how to get down. (Or, what is the new term kids use nowadays? Get lit? Turn the fuck up? Whatever.) Filipinos are a perfect example of the whole “get you a girl who can do both” (more like, get you a person who can do both - to be more gender inclusive). By day: We are known to be very hard workers, pursuing careers in competitive fields (read: medical), and excelling in academics. By night: We are known to start drinking as early as 4 PM, taking shots of Grey Goose like water, drunkenly singing karaoke (no matter how drunk, we’ll always have great singing voices somehow), and dancing to “Achy Breaky Heart” for half an hour straight. It’s pretty much a double whammy today - Thanksgiving and celebrating that dear ol’ Danny’s daughter, Mary, is finally getting married. To the ever so perfect Harry, her childhood friend. More like a triple whammy, because we’re also celebrating that this means Harry will be a legal US citizen once we’re married. I swore to take a shot or two because I was ready to slip into a food coma after all that turkey. But… one shot became three. And then ten. Or something. I don’t know, I’m at the point of being so far gone that I am in 100% denial that I’m drunk. By the way, I’m not drunk. I’m just closing my eyes to say a prayer. Thank you Lord for my family, sisig, and tequila. “Are you sayin’ ‘nother prayer, Mary?” I hear Niall mumble against my shoulder. Oh yeah, because Filipinos “are lit as fuck” (direct quote by Niall), my friend tends to crash my family parties often. I don’t mind, and my family doesn’t seem to mind either since Niall hooks it up with a shitload of beer. (Tatay also still thinks that Niall is bakla, so he’s not a threat.) “Mmmmhm…” “That’s like, your thirteenth one.” I snort, opening my eyes just to roll them. “Niall, please. Do you know how many times you have to say the ‘Hail Mary’ prayer during the rosary? There’s no limit with prayers, excuse you.” He scoffs and adjusts his body so he’s laying completely on this small couch, his legs resting on my lap. I’m definitely not drunk, but I’m regretting that last shot I just took. My head is starting to spin, and Shrek on the TV screen is looking even more ugly than he’s supposed to look. I grumble, squinting my eyes so my vision can somewhat adjust. “Why the… why the fuck are we watching Shrek?” “Dunno. Are there any Thanksgiving movies?” “Ugh. Don’t know. Maybe like, Charlie Brown?” Niall thoughtfully strokes his chin and asks, “Isn’t that… isn’t that a dance move in the ‘Cha Cha Slide?’ I never know what to do in that part.” This was said genuinely and not as a joke, which makes me laugh so hard that he falls off the couch. “That’s what you first think of? The motherfucking ‘Cha Cha Slide?!’ Not the boy with Snoopy?” I’m shrieking at him through my laughter, which I immediately stop once I realize how strikingly similar it is to all of my titas. My God, am I becoming one of them? Yikes. The Shrek scene playing right now is when Lord Farquaad is interrogating the Gingerbread Man, which honestly isn’t even that funny, but for some reason I can’t stop laughing. Lord Farquaad is taunting the Gingerbread Man with his broken off legs, “Run, run, run as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” When the Gingerbread Man squeals in his shrill voice, “You’re a monster!” and the “No, not the buttons!” I pretty much lose it. I’m crying tears of laughter, not even caring that my makeup is probably ruined at this point. Niall doesn’t seem to think it’s as hilarious, probably because I still haven’t helped him off the floor. I look around, trying to find someone to laugh with because this isn’t that fun alone. No matter how drunk I am. Wait, I’m not drunk. Anyways. Even though I spot Harry not too far away, he’s just not the person I want to talk to right now. In fact, the person I want to talk to isn’t even here. And I haven’t talked to him in, well, months. I think. I might regret this but… come on, it’s the Gingerbread Man. I unlock my phone and scroll to the bottom of my contact list, pressing call without a second thought. “Mary?” I’m definitely not expecting him to answer so damn quickly, so I gasp in surprise. I clear my throat, remembering my mission here. “Ahem. D-do you know… the Muffin Man?” His hearty laugh makes me smile really big, but I hastily recover into concentration. My purpose is important here. “Did you mean to call me, Mary?” I nod. “Hello?” Oh wait, he can’t see me. That makes me sad. “What makes you sad?” Oops, I think I’m thinking out loud. “That you can’t see me.” And I’m talking without a filter, I guess. He lets out a deep sigh, and I can imagine him running his hands through his messy hair in frustration. Maybe I shouldn’t have called. “No no… I’m glad you did.” Maybe I am drunk. I don’t even know what I’m thinking or what I’m actually saying. “Are you okay -” “Zayn!” I cut him off, because again, I can’t lose sight of my mission. “I asked you a question… Do you know the Muffin Man?!” It’s quiet for a couple beats, and I almost think he hangs up. Damn, mission failed. “The Muffin Man?” He repeats in the same tone as Lord Farquaad in the scene of Shrek. I manage to stifle my ugly tita cackling with quiet giggles, which Zayn seems to echo through the phone. “The Muffin Man,” I affirm with a nod, even though his ass can’t see me. “Yes, I know the Muffin Man… who lives down on Drury Lane?” Zayn is playing along so perfectly, I think I start crying again. “Well, she’s married to the Muffin Man…” “The Muffin Man?!” I shout, not giving a shit if I sound delusional, “The Muffin Man!!!” At this point, I’m not even disguising my unattractive laughter and hysterics anymore. I haven’t heard Zayn laugh this hard before, and I’m pretty sure it’s his first time hearing me too. We take a couple moments to catch our breath. “I wish you were here,” I whisper, sadness overwhelming me all of the sudden. My head is pounding again, and my lips begin to quiver. Simply put, I’m a hot ass mess who went from laughing at Shrek to sobbing over my complicating love life. Zayn finally says in a low voice, “I can be, if you want.” That’s when I finally realize that that’s all I’ve wanted this entire time. --- Hiiii friends, it’s definitely 3 AM here but I wanted to post this before I left for my retreat this weekend!!! Sorry this is shitty sigh. Wow, what a pleasant surprise to have received some new reviews for this despite not updating for awhile??? I thought this fic was long forgotten so yay welcome :) I’m going to try my absolute best to keep working on this, it’s just hard juggling more than one fic ah how do y’all do it? You may recognize the Gingerbread drabble from awhile back! I decided to alter it so it fit Thanksgiving instead because it fit the chapter well, and I’m honestly pretty proud of it. So why not make it canon, eh? Anywho! For the first time ever, one of my fics was featured ahhhh!!! I would appreciate if you read my author’s note at the end of this chapter of Here :) And this story if particular got nominated for Best Love Triangle in the Rooftop Awards O M G honestly I’m shook?! Please vote for your faves here, hopefully this fic is one of them :’) Last day to vote is today!!! Please tell me what you think of: -Harry’s Scrabble proposal, and Mary & Harry’s relationship overall -Mary’s bond with her family, specifically her dad -the Charlie Brown part in the Cha Cha Slide (not but really, what do y’all do??? I just stand there, confused lmao) -Mary being a hot ass mess over Shrek LMAO I still don’t know how I thought of that, bye -favorite line, favorite scene, predictions, anythaaaanggGggGg Aiiiiight I’m tired. Love y’all, thanks for reading :) - Angel P.S. Yes, I changed Harry’s middle name to a Filipino name. I’ve expressed this on Tumblr before, but I honestly regret not using another Filipino face claim for Harry’s character. This was written back in 2013 and I was ignorant of the opportunity to have proper Filipino representation, so I sincerely apologize.

#lmao wow #4 am #it's 4 fucking am #but listen i was determined to finish thi before i left and ifucking did yo #but now i'm tired djfksjfkdjfd #pls read this i would greatly appreciate it #it would be awesome to come back from my retreat with reviews maybe?? :))))#ok i sleepy bai bai #igmha #1dff #one direction fanfiction #one direction #harry styles #zayn malik #niall horan #woc fic #1d woc #harry styles woc fic #zayn malik woc fic

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justjessame · 4 years

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Diamonds Are A Boy’s Best Friend Chapter 4

I went to breakfast and could have cut the tension with a knife at the table. Tempted to grab some juice and head back to my room, Lily shot me a look that clearly asked me to stay. Damn it. I grabbed a slice of toast and a glass of juice and sat down.

“Is that today’s paper?” I asked, seeing it lying untouched by my father’s plate. He gave me a curt nod and I asked if I could have a look.

“Sure, at least one woman under this roof is educated.” He grunted and I shot an apologetic look at Lily. “At least one woman shows the proper loyalty.” What had I walked into?

I decided my presence was enough, and opened the paper. A man was missing. Some sort of Union leader. I read the article and wondered why I felt a chill. Perhaps the air was too high. I went through the rest of the paper, waiting out my father, or Lily so the other would have a reprieve. Lily and I won the wait.

“Have a good day, Liz.” He offered, kissing my temple. “I have business all day, I’ll see you at dinner.” Not a word spoken to Lily, not that she seemed to care.

We waited until we heard the door shut behind him. The sound of a car leaving the driveway. And I chanced a real look at her. “Do I want to know?” I asked, taking a sip of juice.

“He’s jealous.” She replied as though it answered everything. When I waited, she finally went on. “He suspects I’m being unfaithful.”

I didn’t ask the obvious. Was she? I didn’t want to know. It was her secret. “I won’t ask, I won’t. Just be careful.” I held her gaze. “You know who he is.”

“Yeah.” She agreed, finally taking up her spoon to eat the grapefruit half she allowed herself.

Lily’s dog is dead. I heard the shot and came running. I felt the bile rise up in my throat, seeing the gun in my father’s hand, his taunt reply that he was trying to have a phone conversation, as though that were an excuse enough to kill an animal. An animal that was simply behaving as a dog does. I glared at his retreating back, and then rushed to find one of his employees to get rid of the corpse. And another to clean the patio free of blood.

I took Lily in my arms, and shushed her. “I told you.” I said, rocking her as she let the shock of her husband shooting her dog dead in front of her roll through her. “I told you to be wary of him. You have to be careful. Make peace with him.” I was whispering, only she and I could hear one another. “Please, Lily, do it.”

I felt her nod of assent and let out a sigh of relief. I wasn’t entirely sure that she and I were friends, but she was all I had.

Lunch at the hotel. I felt the urge to scream at the thought of it, but if I said no, it would look strange. Maybe this time my luck would come to me, and I wouldn’t see him. That he would be busy with his wife or family or the running of his hotel and I’d be left to my own devices.

Instead, I met her. His wife. And his daughter. It was an accident, meeting them, with him standing there. I’d taken a turn that wasn’t the right path, clearly, as I ended up in a room that was clearly being put together for a lavish Bat Mitzvah. He was standing at the foot of a staircase, singing silly to a young girl walking down. And I’d started to leave, but she saw me.

“Hello?” Her accent was heavy, but I knew who she was from New Year’s. “Hello, can we help you?”

Damn it. I felt his eyes and turned around with a smile. “So sorry, I think I got a bit turned around.” My hand was still on the doorknob, and I was tempted to dart out. “I was looking for-”

“Powder room?” She offered graciously. I gave a small nod. “Aren’t you-”

“Elizabeth Diamond,” Ike offered. “Ben’s daughter.” Great, thanks for that.

She walked to me, elegant and tall. Much taller than me, but then again, most people were. “It’s so nice to meet you,” she took my hand and I felt a rush of absolute shame at having flirted with her husband. “I’m Vera Evans,” she waved a hand toward the lovely young woman still on the stairs. “Our daughter, Lauren.”

Lauren opened her mouth to say something, but I saw Ike shake his head. “Hello, Miss Diamond.” She offered instead, earning her father’s smile.

“It’s lovely to meet you both, but-” I glanced at the door.

“Of course, how thoughtless of me.” Vera took my arm in hers and walked me to the nearest ladies’ room. “Here it is, Miss Diamond.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Evans.” I said, opening the door.

“Vera, I insist.” She said, and I smiled at her.

“Liz.” And then the door shut between us and I let out a huge held breath. Torture, every single visit here.

I was going to explode if my presence was requested at the Miramar one more time. I swore it. I couldn’t stand seeing him. Those dimples and eyes. His hair. Those suits. His scent. The heat of him. Only to see his wife and family around him. It was torture. Pure and simple. And I wouldn’t inflict it on myself again.

And then my father insisted. Again. I glared at him, but realized that he mostly wanted me out of the house. “Why the Miramar, there must be other places I could go for the evening?” I countered, but he stared at me for a beat, then gave me his answer.

“I’m a silent partner, Liz, so you’re safe there.” Damn it. “Go, have dinner, have a few drinks. Dance. Be young.” I saw him glance at Lily and realized I needed to go. “Tell Ike it’s on my tab.”

I nodded and went upstairs and got ready. Lily came in to give me her approval, and then hugging her and reminding her to make peace, I left.

It was night. And I hoped that after a long day of work, Ike would be in his apartment with his family. That I would be left to myself. I had dinner at a great table, the waitstaff having been told of my tipping habits.

“Was it not the right amount?” I asked the waiter, who smiled reassuringly at me. “It was too much, wasn’t it?”

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” He offered with a wink and I laughed.

Dinner was wonderful, but I wished I’d brought a book. And then someone sat in the empty chair to my right and I sighed. Of course. “Ike.” I greeted, staring at my plate and contemplating another drink.

“That’s not your usual polite greeting, Liz.” He offered, and I knew he was smiling. The perfect host. Always.

“How’s Vera? And Lauren? And Stevie?” I rattled off his responsibilities as though a mantra and reminder for why he shouldn’t be sitting at my table.

“You forgot Danny.” He chuckled, and my head lifted so I could meet his twinkling eyes. “Didn’t know you’d met Stevie.”

“Yes, he brought drinks to Lily and me when-” I stopped a flash of blush hitting me. “So your family? They’re well?”

“Peachy.” He replied smiling at me. “You?”

“Wonderful.” I took a sip of my wine. “I’m sure you need to mingle.” I was dismissing him, no doubt about that.

“Already did.” He looked so at ease in the seat next to me, careless even. “Guess you missed it as you studied your salad.”

I bit my lip and saw his eyes land on the movement. “Suppose I did.” Another sip of wine. “I should move to the bar.”

“The bar?” He stood when I stood, holding my chair and handing me my purse. “Liz, are you a drinker?”

I shook my head. “I’ve been asked to spend some time away from my father’s house tonight. He and Lily-” I stopped again. It didn’t bear mentioning. “I should,” I opened my purse to grab money for the check, but he stopped me.

“It’s on Ben.” He replied, but I still tossed down the money. “You’re spoiling my staff, Liz.”

“I’m rewarding good service, Ike.” I retorted, then I moved toward the bar that he’d shown me on my first visit.

I’d barely sat down at a high top table, when he was next to me. “Does every guest warrant such personalized attention or am I special?” I knew that my father was a partner, not a legal one, I’d bet my life, but this was ridiculous.

“Maybe I just think you’re worth the extra attention, Liz.” he offered, taking his seat and gesturing for a waiter. “Scotch.”

“Martini, dry, no olive.” I ordered, and noticed his raised eyebrow. “I love martinis, but I hate olives.”

“I’ll make note of that.” He smiled again, and then he took a cigar from his pocket and lit it, his wedding band catching the lights.

“You should go.” I offered, turning to look at the holes showing swimming women. “You do have other responsibilities.”

“You keep reminding me of that, Liz.” I glanced at him and saw him smirking. “Why?”

“Ike Evans, have you never heard the saying ‘play with fire and you get burned’?” He nodded. “I’m like hellfire to you, touch me and we’ll both get consumed.”

“Promises, promises.” He muttered, but he stood and took his scotch away.

My skin felt fevered, and he hadn’t touched me. I touched the cool glass of my drink and sighed in relief. At least something was cool.

Every time I saw Ike, it was the same. Flirt. Warn. One of us would walk away. Yet, like moths, we’d come back, the light and warmth too tempting to deny.

I had to wonder. When would one of us break? And what would that lead to?

#magic city #Ike evans x ofc #ben diamond's daughter #alternate universe #eventual smut #mutual pining

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cinephiled-com · 5 years

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New Post has been published on Cinephiled

New Post has been published on http://www.cinephiled.com/interview-directors-powerful-doc-linda-ronstadt-sound-voice/

Interview: Directors of the Powerful Doc ‘Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice’

Since bursting onto the music scene in 1967, Linda Ronstadt has been an icon for more than half a century. Her extraordinary vocal range created iconic songs across rock, pop, country, folk ballads, American standards, classic Mexican music, and soul. As the most popular female recording artist of the 1970s, Ronstadt filled huge arenas and produced an astounding 11 Platinum albums. Ronstadt was the first artist to top the Pop, Country, and R&B charts at the same time. She won 10 Grammy Awards on 26 nominations and attained a level of stardom the Tucson native never could have imagined.

In Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, Ronstadt guides us through her early years of singing Mexican canciones with her family, her folk days with the Stone Poneys, and her reign as the Queen of Rock throughout the 70s and early 80s. She was a pioneer for women in the male-dominated music industry and a passionate advocate for human rights. Even more attention was heaped upon her when she had a long-term and high-profile romance with California Governor Jerry Brown. In recent years, her incredible voice has been lost to Parkinson’s disease, something she accepts with a dignity and grace that is inspiring, but her music and influence remain as timeless as ever. With incredible performance footage and heartwarming appearances by friends and collaborators such as Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, and Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice celebrates an artist whose desire to share the music she loved made generations of fans fall in love with her.

It was a thrill for me to sit down with the award-winning directors of this film, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (The Times of Harvey Milk, Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, The Celluloid Closet) and producer James Keach (Walk the Line, Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me, David Crosby: Remember My Name) to discuss this deeply moving and joyously entertaining film.

Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman

Danny Miller: Your previous documentaries are legendary. Did you feel this film was a natural progression from the kinds of things you were doing?

Jeffrey Friedman: I think so. This is ultimately a story about a woman’s empowerment, and that’s thematically not very far from other themes that we’ve taken on.

Did it take a while to earn Linda Ronstadt’s trust before she agreed to do the film?

Oh God, yes. It took about a year to convince her to let us do it!

Yeah, she doesn’t seem like someone who would necessarily be down for a film about herself.

Rob Epstein: Fortunately, she had just seen my film The Times of Harvey Milk and really liked it, so the timing of that was fortuitous. But as Jeffrey said, she was very reluctant and it took a long time to get her to come around. She basically told us that she thought we were deluded and that nobody would want to see the film and if they did, they’d be bored to tears.

Oh, Linda, Linda. That’s totally insane!

Jeffrey Friedman: But after a while, a couple of things conspired helped her to change her mind. The people who were still working with her were rooting for us — her longtime assistant and good friend Janet Stark and her manager John Boylan were encouraging us behind the scenes to keep going. We told Linda that we wanted to use her wonderful book as source material but we wanted to amplify it by having an audience actually experience the music that’s only described in the book. She finally started to allow herself to imagine that.

Did she have any ground rules about what she didn’t want you to put in the film?

Rob Epstein: Linda is a very private person and she didn’t want us to get into her personal relationships which we totally understood.

With the exception of Jerry Brown?

Jeffrey Friedman: Yes, well, that’s in her book and anything she talked about in the book was fair game. Linda and Governor Brown are still friends.

Rob Epstein: We really just wanted to help make her musical journey come alive in the film. But she also said she wouldn’t be interviewed for the film.

Are you saying that all of her voiceovers in the film are taken from other interviews?

We did use dozens of different sources but in the end she finally agreed to sit down for an interview.

Jeffrey Friedman: But that one was only an audio interview, we didn’t film it.

And yet she does appear on camera at the end of the film, and it’s such a beautiful, poignant scene. Was it always the plan that we wouldn’t see her until the end?

Rob Epstein: It was always our intention to somehow bring it to the present tense. We were very frank with her about that, we told her that the audience would want to see her today. We talked about the possibility of having her come into a recording studio and read passages from her book but she thought that was just too artificial. And then all of a sudden, she had this trip planned to Mexico with her family and she invited us. But that happened way at the end.

Jeffrey Friedman: By that time we had interviewed so many people that she was very close to and they were like her spies telling her everything that happened — they all assured her that we were doing a very respectful portrait.

I found the entire film so incredibly moving. I could tell you that I cried at points but it’s more like tears were pouring down my face during every single song. I can’t even fully understand why it affected me so much. Something about the purity of her voice and the purityof her relationship to her music and the way she navigated through her superstardom without ever getting sucked into the negative aspects of that.

Rob Epstein: I think it was surprising to all of us how humble she is and self-deprecating. She never had much interest in being a celebrity and she managed to maintain her authentic personhood throughout all of the different iterations of her fame and career. She certainly never tried to create any persona around “Linda Ronstadt,” she was always just herself, the same person that she is to this day.

Jeffrey Friedman: Yeah, she’s very real, no bullshit. I think that’s part of what makes watching her sing so touching, because it’s really just her and the music coming through her. It was never about showmanship or flash and dazzle, just an authentic artistic expression. I think that’s why audiences have responded to her with such enthusiasm and emotion throughout her career.

James Keach

James Keach: But I’m not sure she was never “sucked into” the fame part, I think she was sucked into it many times. The difference was that she always pushed back. She would get pulled into things like those big arena concerts and then come realize that it wasn’t what she wanted to do. But I would speculate that your emotional reaction to the film might also be because those were better days for a lot of us in many ways. I feel like they were better days in my life, a lot more simple and fun! They were certainly the best days of my life in terms of music. I also tear up now when I hear Linda sing and some of the other performers from back then because it brings back that different part of my life even though so much time has gone by. I find it very touching.

Right. And yet Linda herself was going through a lot of insecurities at the time and trying to figure out what she wanted. I remember going to see her in The Pirates of Penzance on Broadway in the 1980s and wondering how they “let” one of the most famous singers in the country do that. I so admired her determination to branch out in areas that were hardly as lucrative as what she could’ve kept doing for the rest of her life.

Rob Epstein: There was an article I read about her from that time where she was speculating on whether she would ever be happy. The truth is she just wanted to sing. For her it wasn’t about being a huge rock star or the girlfriend of George Lucas or Jerry Brown, she just wanted to be in the living room with her friends singing. But she also knew there were dues she had to pay in order to be Linda Ronstadt.

I love all the interviews in the film. Was it challenging to get all of those amazing, busy people to be in the film?

Jeffrey Friedman: Well, Linda is very loved so it wasn’t that hard to get people to say yes. And James was a great producer along with his partner Michele Farinola, and they just never gave up until we got all the people we wanted.

I was especially glad to see Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton in the film, their collaborations with Linda were pure magic.

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Did you consider getting Jerry Brown to appear in the film?

James Keach: I think he would have done it but Linda resisted, she didn’t want him to be interviewed even though they are very close friends today. She was a little nervous about all of the people, to be honest, because she didn’t want people to feel obligated to do it and say nice things about her. She’s so humble she didn’t think anyone would be interested in a film about her life and career.

Jeffrey Friedman: She knows that there are young people who have never heard of her, which is kind of astonishing. That was one of the reasons we wanted to make the film, to make sure that her legacy wasn’t lost. But she’s not someone who lives in the past and just thinks about her own career. She listens to all types of music.

Rob Epstein: Yeah, she was just telling us the other day about some Korean pop group that she wanted us to check out, that’s what she’s interested in right now.

Was it hard to figure out how to navigate through the topic of her Parkinson’s disease?

Jeffrey Friedman: She definitely didn’t want to be seen only through that lens, but on the other hand, she’s been very upfront and open about her current condition.

I think the loss of her voice is one of the great tragedies of our lifetime. I felt the same way when Julie Andrews lost hers. Do you think it’s painful for Linda to listen to her own old songs from when her voice was so powerful?

Rob Epstein: No, I don’t think so, she does listen to herself when she needs to, certainly in the context of putting this film together. She has always been very careful about making sure that the sound was just right. One of her big concerns with the film was that somehow we might include a bad performance but honestly, we never found one in all of our research!

Getting to hear her sing at the end was so exquisite even though she says that wasn’t really singing. How did that come about?

James Keach: That was when we went with her to Mexico. We wanted to go to her grandfather’s hometown and at one point we were having lunch at this little mom and pop place on the way down there. Some of her family members started playing music for everybody. Jackson Browne was there and he started singing and then I could hear Linda humming and she started singing along with the rest of them. I was sitting next to her and I thought, wow, that’s really good and I said, “Linda, I thought you said you couldn’t sing, I think it sounds great!” The next day at lunch she said that when we interviewed her that night she would try it again but nobody else could be in the room in case she screwed up. So she did it, and talk about tears! Everyone was crying and we couldn’t believe she was doing it because she had stopped singing years ago. We all just choked up.

It is so inspiring to see how she is dealing with the challenges of her disease without a shred of self-pity. It’s really made me look at certain things in my own life in new ways.

Rob Epstein: She sees it as just a circumstance of her life and she’s adjusted accordingly. She’s still completely engaged with the world.

youtube

Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice is currently playing in various cities around the country.

#James Keach #Jeffrey Friedman #Linda Ronstadt #Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice #Rob Epstein #Interviews #What's Hot

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lit-works · 6 years

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Heroes For Hire: The Gang Wars trilogy

Book 1: After Midnight

Chapter 10: Washington Square

The arch was located in the center of Washington Square Park. The small, rectangular park sat near the heart of Greenwich village and the home of Doctor Strange. The arch itself stood at 86 feet tall, and was 30 feet across. It was constructed from nearly 700 tons of white marble.

It had become a foggy, cold night in Washington Square park. Ahead of Luke Cage and Iron Fist in the gloom of night sat the arch. By the wooden scaffolding running up one side, it looked as if the structure was in the process of being renovated.

Embracing warmly, two young lovers sat upon a stone bench beneath the glistening light of a street lamp. Not far away, a bell tolled the hour-- midnight.

Danny Rand had donned his vigilante costume, donning the apparel of The Immortal Iron Fist. His costume was essentially a jumpsuit, but of soft velvet-like material. It was black in color with single gold stripes running up both sides, and emblazoned in gold upon the chest was the symbol of Shao-L’ao the Undying. A great mystical dragon, and the source of the great power of the Iron Fist. The very same symbol had become permanently singed i to the flesh of Danny Rand’s very chest the day he became chosen as the new Iron Fist. Like his previous costumes his newer suit sported a very high collar of gold, and over the top half of his head he wore a golden sash, with holes for his eyes cut into it. Forgoing comfort for appearance Danny wore a simple pair of yellow High-Top Nike Jordans Air Max 1’s. The kind of shoes you could pump more air into with a button on the tongue, and Danny kept them thoroughly inflated for pressure resistance.

“Isn't that so sweet.” Danny audibly sighed and pointed out the young lovebirds in the park.

“Yeah, and i could be at home getting me some of that from Jessica. Instead I’m out here with you, looking for goons.” Luke replied.

“I know! Isn't this great??!!” Danny asked, visibly excited by the prospect of a fight.

As the two of them looked over the park for any suspicious behavior, a figure moved from the shadows to stand boldly beneath the Arch. The figure wore a long coat and a fedora. From the distance it was hard to tell, but had he not just seen him back at the roaring 20s, Luke could've sworn the figure looked like Hammerhead.

Suddenly, the air crackled with electricity and the pungent odor of sulphur and four more human shapes seemed to appear out of nowhere to stand beneath the arch. They immediately surrounded the figure in the long coat.

Beneath the Arch Man Mountain Marko of the Silvermane branch of the Maggia family had been standing at the ready. He wore a long coat and fedora, as he was the only one with a stature similar to Hammerhead’s. When Hammerhead had received the note from Mister Fear, he had hired Man Mountain to pose as him and attend the parley. The sepia glow of streetlights refracted through the dense fog and gave the small tunnel an eerie luminescence. Shortly after the nearby clock tower tolled the twelfth hour he figured that perhaps this Mister Fear had gotten a little scared himself. So, since it didn't seem there would be a meeting he prepared to leave. Bit as soon as he stepped away from The wall beneath the Arch a strange blue electricity began to crackle in the fog around him. In flashes of blue light strange figures appeared around him and circled him quickly.

Marco could see the malignant intent in the eyes of these figures. As they circled him one of the mysterious arrivals let out a horrifying peal of laughter and loped at him. This horrific being appeared to be a Scarecrow, like one had been stolen from a farm upstate. The scarecrow man wore a blood-stained burlap sack over his head, crazed eyes twitching about behind torn holes. It's green and black flannel and black pants were also torn and splattered with blood. Strangely enough straw stuck out from the sleeves of his flannel and leg of his pants, going into his white gloves and black boots. In those white gloves was gripped the wooden handle of a rusted pitchfork, its needle-point tines pointing at Marco’s stomach.

However, the Scarecrow was only one of the frightening apparitions to have leapt out of the fog at him. To the right of Marco stood a woman, who had also come with the strange electricity. Her long black hair and dark eyes seemed to fade into the partial darkness around her, as well as the black leather outfit she wore, that revealed much skin. It seemed simply a pair of leather pants with 2 straps that wound up and over her shoulders and around her torso to only partially cover her breasts. The terrifying thing about this woman was that she was levitating, and not only that but appeared to be entangled in bright gold thread that billowed and waved, coming out of her very own back like the skeins of thread were hair.

The other two mysterious attackers completed the circle around Marco, and were exactly identical to each other. Their bodies were obscured by heavy and baggy black cloaks. Both of their faces looked out from under hoods with faces painted like skulls.

In an instant Marco realized that there had indeed been an ambush planned to take out Hammerhead. But Hammerhead had been smart and seen it coming. Hammerhead’s fortune was not Marco’s. Scared witless by the strange group attacking him he withdrew a tommy gun from where he had been holding it hidden beneath his coat. It was Hammerhead’s personal Tommy, and was intended to send a message. Marco lifted the gun and opened fire, holding down the trigger and attempting to hose down the enemies with gunfire. He spun on his heels, spraying lead wildly in a circle.

The muzzle flash from the Tommy gun light up in the night. The two lovers sitting on the stone bench nearby screamed in fear of the sound of the gunshots, but only cowered in fear in each other's arms. Iron Fist leapt backwards and took cover behind a stone statue, looking around the corner to the Arch. Luke assessed the situation, realizing the couple was in grave danger. The man in the coat was shooting everywhere, ricochet alone could claim them as casualties. They did not deserve to die, and so Luke acted. Luke also leapt, but he into the way of stray bullets that could have taken the life of the couple. The bullets hit his impenetrable skin and fell harmlessly to the ground, he stood in front of the couple facing them and trying to make as much of a shield of himself as he could. “Nice night, ain't it guys?” Luke asked the couple. Then, he turned his head to see what had become of his best friend. Once he noticed Iron Fist safe behind the small statue he locked eyes with the man and gave him a nod of affirmation.

On the opposite side of the Washington Square Arch two costumed men had been standing in hiding. One was in a full mechanical power-suit, painted green and bared a cybernetic stinger proportionate to the wearer's body. This was Mac Gargan, better known as the supervillain The Scorpion. He had received his powers, nickname, and power-suit from a procedure designed to endow the human subject with the adapted powers of an animal, which was chosen as a Scorpion to be the perfect predator against Mac Gargan’s original prey Spider-Man. The Scorpion had been hired with a partner by Hammerhead to defend Man Mountain Marco and kill whoever staged the attack.

That partner was The Eel, or Edward Lavell. He had been just another good for Hammerhead before he acquired the special suit of a supervillain of his name whom had been slain by the Gladiator. The suit gave him super-powers akin to the abilities of the animal. With it he could produce electricity, as well as direct it and resist it. It also armored him slightly and gave him an enhanced radar sense. Given that he had already been under the employ of Hammerhead he had been asked personally by the boss to take these assassins out.

When Marco opened fire The Scorpion and Eel hid to avoid being shot, but kept a watchful eye on the events, waiting for their chance to strike with the element of surprise.

In the late 1600s the lot that was now the Washington Square Park had once served as a burial ground to beggars and the anonymous dead. Later in the 1700s it became a popular dueling grounds and a venue of public executions. Several of the gallows trees still stand. Hundreds of corpses laid moldering beneath the soil.

Atop the scaffolding that ran up the side of the renovated arch a tall ominous figure stood, in a thick black cloak. In one hand it shook a velvet bag of assorted animal bones while the other hand spilled blood from a vial into various patterns on the ground beside the scaffolding, chanting in creole all the while. He was using voodoo black magic, more specifically Necromancy, his specialty. Having studied the stolen book, ‘A Madman’s Mutterings’ this stranger's own powerful magical abilities had been enhanced even further. Feeling the magic take hold and the power flowing through his veins he transferred energy into the earth of the park. Into the empty shells of former humans lying restlessly beneath the dirt. In his mother tongue he summoned the forgotten dead to come forth and conquer, come forth and kill. Heeding the call of Black Talon those who had been in an eternal slumber began to stir…

Screaming long and loud as he finished his full circle, Marco suddenly had his Tommy Gun torn from his hands by the powerful swing of the Scarecrow’s pitchfork. Reaching into his coat again Marco withdrew a knife and thrusted it blade over hilt at the scarecrow. Contorting his back so that he literally bent over backwards the scarecrow dodged the knife and then planted one hand down to finish a full back handspring, free hand still clutching the pitchfork. Scarecrow laughed vilely once again.

“Let's keep that coat closed shall we?” the strange woman attacker beneath the arch shouted.

With a flick of her hands Marco’s coat seemed to be fusing completely closed around. Fabric weaving together and making it a seamless garment more akin to a straight-jacket with his arms trapped inside. Frantically straining at his coat his screams became muffled as the fabric of his coat now began to cover his mouth and nose smothering him. The length of the coattail then tightened around his legs, slamming his knees together in a loud crack as Marco fell to the ground in a cocoon of killing fabric. His screams became quieter as he lost his breath, squirming at their feet.

The Scarecrows maniacal laughter was interrupted this time when the Scorpion’s massive prehensile-robotic tail swung into the chest of the woman attacker and slammed her bodily into the wall of the inner Arch. Her eyes glazed as all the wind was knocked from her lungs in a gusting exhale. She had felt at least a single rib snap in the blow. “Let him go, bitch!!” The Scorpion screamed at the woman, keeping her pinned against the wall with his tail.

In the secondary ambush the two men with the skeletal face-paint had been positioned low to the ground to avert Marco’s gunfire and saw The Scorpion and Eel charging.

Both of them simultaneously reaches inro their own cloaks and withdrew what appeared to be eggs, but when they struck the wall and ground before The Eel the burst to spread a highly corrosive acid stopping the eel short. With his momentum the Eel had to jump over the acid and nearly fell in the landing. Taking advantage of the Eel’s misstep the Scarecrow moved to gore the Eel with his pitchfork. But suddenly Iron Fist launched directly into the Scarecrow’s back with a flying spin-kick that landed squarely between his shoulders. The scarecrow sprawled in a heap face first onto the ground.

Shortly after Luke had watched Iron Fist going running into combat he turned to see what had unfolded. He was encountered and surprised by a Skeleton. In the twilight night he thought it was a trick. Perhaps an illusion from a projector like he had seen once on Scooby Doo. But as the skeleton walked there was the sound of bone on asphalt. A shaft of streetlight collided on the skull to reveal a dusty lump of what used to be eye. It was a skeleton, just as tall as the one's Biology teachers held in classrooms but moved as smoothly as a well-conditioned athlete. It's head swivelled as if surveying the scene with its coal black socket and hearing with just the ghost of it's ears. Luke shifted his weight to his back foot and the loose gravel crunched beneath his loafer. The skinless arm of the skeleton pointed in his direction and its teeth gnashed as it hastened its stride towards Luke. When Luke looked around again he saw that the skeleton was one of many closing in on the arch and his locatio. In uncoordinated fashion. “Get up! Stay Close!” Luke commanded of the couple who whimpered but shuffled behind him quickly.

At least 80 Skeleton had exhumed themselves from beneath the grass of the park, turning the well-manicured grass into a field of holes and churned earth. The mass of them blocked the path between Luke and Iron Fist. As the pointing Skeleton reached Luke, Luke brought his large fist down on the Skeleton’s skull shattering it into fragments and sending the lot of bones clattering to the ground. Another approaching from the side was broken apart by Luke's forearm smashing its ribcage into powder. “I'll try to make you a path out of here! Be careful!” Luke shouted to the two innocent lovers behind him.

The two face-painted men jumped up from their prone position. Shortly after acquiring the Eel costume, Edward Lavell had first tasted defeat at the hands of Power Man and Iron Fist when he had been attempting to break his employer Hammerhead from behind bars. The moment he saw Iron Fist he became furious and shot a direct blast of electricity towards Iron Fist. In an instant Iron Fist narrowly dodged the blast by leaping into a roll to the side of the tunnel where Scarecrow had first appeared. The Eel was preparing Another electrical attack when the scarecrow leapt up from where he had been knocked to the ground and continued his attack on the Eel.

Iron Fist saw the nearly unconscious woman pinned to the wall by The Scorpion and moved to her aid, as he believed the scorpion would kill her. As he charged at them he lifted his hand and channeled his chi into his hand to make the Iron Fist, transforming his hand into a weapon of immeasurable strength and power. Once he was close he jumped up and kicked off of the wall, bringing the Iron Fist directly i to The Scorpions solar plexus and pummeling him into the ground with concussive force. As he slammed into the earth the Scorpion released his tails hold on the woman who slid down the wall behind Iron Fist. Scorpion fell immediately and completely unconscious. In a show of power he then held up his mystically glowing fist before him and at the two Face-painted villains.

Hundreds upon hundreds of bones and piles of its dust lay mounded across the park where Luke Cage obliterated each Skeleton that approached him or his charges. The couple had been made a clear path to the edge of the park where they were able to escape harm's way. They scaled the fence and ran into the night towards their homes at the behest of Luke Cage, their savior. His suit now caked in bone meal Luke plowed through the remaining skeletons that blocked him from the arch. Arms cutting them down, feet crushing bone and splintering teeth. Steadily taking them all down he made his way to the Arch.

The Eel looked into the Scarecrow's eyes before he prepared an electrical attack to launch at it. But, as he looked into the scarecrows eyes it lifted a hand and blew a strange black and violet powder into his face. The eel began hacking and coughing, stumbling back towards the wall. His vision was becoming blurry, and the sounds of struggle between Iron Fist and the two face-painted men echoed off the marble. When the scarecrow laughed his wicked laugh it became the only thing he could hear, at a deafening volume. He looked at the scarecrow whose features seemed horribly distorted and terrifying to look at. The powder had been a specially concocted formula that targeted the adrenal glands of all affected living things it was administered to, causing sensory overload and triggering a panic attack in its victims. The Eel felt a tingling in his hands and feet that quickly became a numbness as his heart began to race. Dizziness brought him to his knees as he began to scream in fear of impending doom, screaming so hard his chest hurt and he struggled to breath. The scarecrow slowly walked towards the kneeling Eel and picked up his Pitchfork as he approached.

Iron Fist adeptly dueled the two face-painted assassins who were now both wielding knives. He parried their blows with strikes to their wrists and always stepped toward them pushing them back towards the wall, kicking their legs. His still glowing fist disarming them as he implemented it to break the blades of their knives by punching it as they swung them at him.

The Scarecrow spun his pitchfork and then aimed a blow to disembowel the Eel. As he brought it back he laughed, but when he went for the thrust he was brought short and accidentally slipped losing his grip on the pitchfork. He looked over his shoulder to see Luke Cage had grabbed the very end of the pitchfork. With his other hand he clobbered the scarecrow on his head and knocked him to the ground out cold.

Iron Fist then used the Iron Fist to punch one of the face-painted who flew backwards and smacked the back of his skull into the face of his partner, whose head swung back hitting the wall and then headbutting the back if his partner's head again. Heavily concussed both men were rendered unconscious.

The brawl seemingly over Iron Fist and Luke Cage approached each other and gave a celebratory fist bump. Both men just smiled at each other as they tried to catch their breath, weary from battle. Remembering the injured woman Iron Fist ran over to where she had been when he freed her from the Scorpion's pincer. As he walked towards her he could feel a charge in the air. “No! They're going!” Luke shouted.

“What?” Danny asked confused as he then watched a bluish flash of light claim the woman and all her associates and vanish. The woman, the scarecrow, and two men in paint were gone. Disappeared in the all-too-familiar lightning with the smell of sulphur. Had they been in the open and within view they would have seen a flash of light from the top of the arch as well. Luke and Iron Fist still stood beneath the arch, they ripped apart the cocoon of clothing to reveal a scared but still alive and coherent Marco. He had never been happier to see a pair of superheroes in his life. They began to ask Marco some questions in exchange for saving his lives as the sound of an approaching car carried on the nights air. Luke had called Misty Knight to spread the word of what had happened and their new prime suspects.

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