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mythrae · 11 months

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You asked for some prompts or oneshot requests! Maybe one of the companions confessing their feelings for Tav/Durge/reader (whatever you want)? Or their reactions as they are too late to stop Kagha from sealing off the Grove?

hehehe I’m gonna do both but do the first one first because I have the perfect idea

this was originally going to be short but here I am nearly 2k words later (probably because I was listening to this a lot while writing)

written for my oc Taversia, set at the end of Act One

“I can’t believe Mystra actually expects Gale to just sacrifice himself like that.” Shadowheart said, “Seems like a waste of a fine mind.”

“Agreed, he’s definitely smarter than all of us.” Taversia replied aloud, yet her mind continued to drone on and on.

And kinder, and funnier, and more handsome, and ever more so charming…

She could feel how heavy the air was around camp that evening. Elminster had just left after delivering his distressing message — if Taversia and her party are to defeat the Absolute, Gale must obey Mystra’s commands to use the orb she had placed in his chest. By doing so, he would be releasing a large amount of Netherese magic, in turn, leading to the wizard losing his life.

But, he would also be gaining the forgiveness of his goddess.

“Bah - perhaps he’d find forgiveness in a fiery death.” Lae’zel pondered, “But I can’t help but wonder why he’d want it at all.”

Taversia’s gaze lingered over his way as he stood stoically in front of his tent. “I’m not sure… I hope he’s all right, either way.”

“You should go check on him, Tav.” Shadowheart said, playfulling elbowing her companion’s side, “You’re the closest to him out of everyone in camp, after all.”

The fighter let out a huff. “What do you mean by that?” She replied, raising an eyebrow at the cleric.

“Well,” she shared a glance at the githyanki woman with them, “we’ve all seen the way he looks at you. I’m surprised the wizard has yet to make his move.”

“You must be too thick-skulled to not see it.” Lae’zel added, crossing her arms over her chest. “Chk. Seems you’ve taken so many blows to the head that common sense has been knocked out of you.”

“You really think he…?” Taversia couldn’t hide the flush creeping over her cheeks.

“Seems like his feelings towards you are mutual, then?” Shadowheart gave her a knowing grin.

“... is it that obvious?”

“Most definitely.”

“Oh, Nine Hells below…”

Taversia looked down to the ground, hoping it would help tame the fever that was ripping through her body. She definitely had feelings for him, but she thought she had done her best at keeping her infatuation discrete. As the tactician of the group, she felt it was inappropriate to have any amorous interactions with her party members. Their ultimate goal was to get rid of the tadpoles writing in their brains, and they should not be distracted by silly things such as romance.

She had the same mindset when it came to the other members of the Flaming Fists, when she had served for all those years. Many of her comrades had offered their hand to her, and she had always refused each time.

In fact, she has never had a romantic partner. She had just never found someone she thought she could get along with.

But then came Gale. He was so different from any other man she had met. Eloquent, educated, and effortlessly ebullient. He completely bewitched her the first day off the Nautiloid, after she had pulled him out of the portal. Not only was he good-looking, but he quickly proved to be a worthy ally in their party. At first, she was worried they would butt heads along their journey, for it was uncommon for a stone-cold fighter and a powerful wizard to be fighting side by side.

But as they say, opposites do attract.

“Maybe you can talk some sense into him to prevent him from killing himself for his Mystra’s sake.” The githyanki woman hissed, “Although considering the amount of sense left in your head, I don’t see you being very successful.”

“We’ll see about that.” Shadowheart chuckled. “Maybe their combined sense can make up for the tadpoles scrambling their brains.”

Taversia rolled her eyes as she silently walked away from her companions, her closest friends in the party. She was thankful for their camaraderie, but she was not used to their deliberate teasing.

As she approached Gale’s tent, she could see that despite Mystra’s charge, he seemed rather… normal. If he was feeling any sort of distress from her commands, he definitely didn’t want to show it. He was reading one of his many books, without a single care in the world.

But as she got closer to him, she met his gaze. She could see hints of darkness in his eyes. He wasn’t taking the news well.

“Ah, Taversia. Always a delight to speak to you. What can I do for you?” He smiled as he closed his book.

“Don’t worry about me, Gale, please.” She answered, holding a hand up to her chest, “How are you holding up?”

“Well, an audience with Elminster is never less than memorable.” He replied, shrugging his shoulders haphazardly. “I’d have hoped to introduce you to him in less dire circumstances, but those are hard to come by these days.”

“Very true. But I will say, I’d always imagined Elminster to be more… imposing.”

“Ah, the doddering act is merely an illusion, one he’s most adept at maintaining.” Gale explained, “Elminster is the most formidable wizard in the realms, perhaps in all of existence. For Mystra to have sent him…”

He paused, his eyes trailing towards the cover of the book he was holding.

“The severity of her bidding could not be clearer. Or weigh more heavily on me.”

Gale’s mask was quickly beginning to slip.

Taversia nodded towards the open flap behind him. “Would you like to speak inside your tent?” Taversia suggested, “Just for a bit more privacy?”

The wizard nodded, “Sounds like a fine idea to me.”

She followed close behind him, making sure to close the tent flap as she sat across from him. Gale settled in, leaning back on a few plush pillows stacked to the side. Taversia had to move a few tomes to give herself some space to sit, gently stacking them on top of each other by her side.

“You know, time seems so infinite when you are young…” He began, “a month is an age, a year is a lifetime… it is a strange feeling, to realize how little of it one might have left.”

Taversia cocked her head as she raised a single brow. “You’re seriously considering doing what Elminster said?”

“Of course – he offered the clearest solution to our problems.” Gale replied, “All I have to do is find the right place and time, close my eyes, and let go…”

He rested his hand over his orb as it radiated with Netherese energy. The purple glow traveled from his chest, up the side of his neck, ending under his left eye. It only shined for a moment before it disappeared once more.

Even now, Taversia couldn’t help but think how beautiful he was.

“Then the slate will be clean, wrongs will be righted, the Absolute will be gone…”

He paused, the weight of his words hanging on the tip of his tongue.

“... and I along with it.”

She was silent. She didn’t know how to respond.

Although he was older than her, he had so much of his life left to live. So many worldly things for him to enjoy. So many more adventures that he could take part in. If she was in his boots, there would be no way she would have taken Mystra’s charge. There had always been another way to solve her problems before, so there surely was another solution now.

And selfishly, she wanted to share those experiences with him.

“No.” Taversia blurted, “There’s surely another way. There has to be.”

“If there was, I’m sure the goddess of magic and the greatest wizard who ever lived would have identified it, but alas… only one solution is offered.” Gale threw his hands up in the air, as if there was nothing he could do.

“You’re not fucking blowing yourself up, Gale.” She felt her voice getting louder at the wizard as her eyes began to wet themselves with tears, “I won’t let you.”

“Let’s save such certainty for the moment such a decis–”

She couldn’t bear to hear any more of it.

Before Gale could finish his thought, Taversia grabbed his arms and pulled him close, her arms wrapping themselves around his body. Her hold on him was tight as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. She caught a whiff that smelled of old books, like the ones that her guardians used to read to her when she was a young girl. It was a comforting feeling, feeling her skin on his own, as her tears finally spilled and trailed down the wizard’s collar.

“Please, Gale…” She whispers, “I want you to live.”

At first, he hesitated. His body felt stiff, as if he was in disbelief. As if he couldn’t trust her. As if the words she had just confessed to him were a lie.

But then, she feels his body melt in her embrace. His body relaxed as she felt the sensation of his strong arms enveloping her, pulling her even closer to his chest. One of his hands rested at the nape of her neck, as his head leaned to rest against her own. He sighed deeply, a low hmmm rumbling through her body like a shiver on a cold winter’s night.

“And here I thought my feelings wouldn’t be reciprocated.” He whispered.

Taversia slowly pulled her face from his neck, realizing how close their lips were as they held each other. “You… really?”

“You mean to tell me you haven’t caught on yet?” He chuckled softly, his hand sliding to cradle her face. “You, my dear, are more naive than I thought.”

“Naive? No, I just… well…” She trailed off, looking away as she felt her cheeks turning red.

Gale’s grip on her jaw tightened, turning her head to face him directly. Their noses were nearly brushing.

“Let me show you.”

As he pressed his lips to hers for the first time, Taversia nearly felt as if he had struck her with a lightning bolt. Warm, electric, full of energy. It took her by surprise as his lips moved against hers, the passion causing his orb to glow feverently.

But he was also gentle, oh so gentle, as if she was a fragile ornament that would shatter if not handled carefully. When she kissed him back, it felt as if he was almost cradling her lips in his own. It made her feel cherished, reverent, even.

Gods above, no one has ever kissed her like this before. Every other person she had kissed was so rough, so hungry, hoping to get one thing out of whatever situation she had found herself in.

Gale’s kiss was sweet, tender, dare she thought, loving.

As he regrettably pulled away from their kiss, she could see that his eyes were no longer haunted with darkness. She could see a spark glimmering once more, as if she had brought him back to life once more.

“I hope you know how I feel for you, Taversia.” He smiled, pressing his forehead against hers. “How you might just give me a reason to live.”

#mythrae writes #bearhugsandshrugs #oc: taversia #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 tav #bg3 gale #gale of waterdeep #gale x tav #gale romance #gale dekarios #baldur's gate 3 spoilers #I am a gale dekarios lover #and I am PROUD!!!#bg3 fanfiction #bg3 fanfic

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agent-carvour · 8 months

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No, I think it would be significantly funnier if I did get it wrong. I just want to know the details before I pass out

Ok ok

The US and the UK are allies, which means we are supposed to work together. Usually, there's some communication between our agencies to make sure we don't disrupt each other's missions, but like I said, there was some miscommunication, and as you have probably guessed, exactly that happened. Curt and I were sent after the same target and ended up just getting into each other's way. We had no idea what was going on, and this made the originally quite simple mission much more complicated. It led to both of us failing to get what we were after on our first try. On the second try, a similar thing happened, the whole thing became much messier than necessary, and as we kept running into each other, we developed kind of a rivalry. Or, let's be honest, it was our way of flirting. And we might have gotten a little distracted... We ended up in trouble and had to work together to get out of it. Only then did we find out that we had been on the same team all along.

After that whole mess, we stayed in contact and kept helping each other out. Of course, we were never official partners. After all, we weren't working for the same agency - not even the same country. But our superiors knew that we worked well together, so they didn't mind putting us on missions together. Obviously, we didn't mind either.

#{so sorry I couldn't finish writing this sooner but a work thing got in the way}#owen answers #hatchetblr #hatchetfield rp #anon

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narukoibito · 2 years

Text

Unravel Me - Chapter 6

Chapter Summary: Harry finds his footing.

Note: This chapter is dedicated to all of you who kept reaching out, leaving comments, liking related posts, and letting me know you were still interested in this story even after all this time. I have no words for how touched I am. All of your words and encouragement made a difference.

I intend on finishing this story, I just can't promise by when, but what I had planned to write continues to grow and mature in what I believe and hope is a better story than what I had originally planned. Thank you all for sticking with me!

FF.net | AO3

“No, no, not like that.” The Muggle instructor interrupted Harry and Hermione mid-waltz. Their inharmonious movements made their shared haggard look all the funnier.

“As if you were any better,” Harry shot at Ron and Ginny, who were sniggering in the corner.

“Oh? Who’s the one still practicing?” Ron gloated. The instructor had decided to pull Harry and Hermione aside when they both still couldn’t get the movements right.

Harry’s classic sullen look only made Ginny laugh harder.

Their eyes caught, his sullen look shifting to something else. She bit her lip as a low heat stirred in her. She subconsciously smoothed a hand over her skirt. He followed the movement, his gaze ghosting over her body and making her skin tingle as if he were touching her. As he had last night when she had stopped by, late in the sheath of night.

“Harry!” Hermione warned just as Harry nearly led them into the boxy Muggle music device with the strange giant bug eyes.

“Careful, that’s my future wife!”

“Stop distracting us,” Hermione scolded, even though she seemed pleased.

Harry flushed deeply and seemed keen on looking anywhere but Ginny. She smiled, that initial heat melting into warm affection.

“Perhaps you should start here,” the instructor said, directing them further away from the machinery. “Let’s try a different song.” She fiddled with the device, and soon a new cheerful and theatrical stringed melody filled the space.

Ron and Ginny continued to watch in amusement as the other two tried once again to master the proper steps. Ginny leaned back against the wall, the sunlight filtering through the large studio windows warming her almost as much as seeing Harry and Hermione stumble through the dance another time. It was nice seeing him like this, normal and carefree, that weight on his shoulders lifted, even if it was only for a moment.

“You’ve been home a lot.”

She startled at Ron’s voice, her heart skipping a beat. She reluctantly slid her eyes away from Harry and Hermione to her brother. Ron held himself a little awkwardly, but there wasn’t anything in his posture that seemed to indicate that he might know of the few extra, private trips she had made recently.

“Is that a problem?”

“You know that’s not what I meant,” he bristled. “Merlin knows you’ve pulled Hermione out of a planning frenzy more than a few times. It’s just…You’ve attended more Burrow dinners recently than all of last year.”

“I was busy.”

“Busier than being a starter?”

“Yes, busy training my arse off,” she snapped, wrapping her arms around her chest. She didn’t appreciate the reminder of last year, of feeling alone and lost in Holyhead. All she had was training, of constantly getting back on her broom, tossing Quaffles until her fingers bled.

“I suppose,” he said slowly.

Ginny’s stomach churned. An unfortunate side effect of avoiding weekends with Dean had also meant missing her family. But it hadn’t been all Dean. After her parents had helped get her settled into her small flat and left, she had stood in her empty room, lost. She had tried to distract herself with unpacking, the buzzing under her skin crescendoing until the next thing she knew, she was sitting at her desk with a quill in her hand, a dark circle of ink swelling on the blank parchment.

Ginny had bolted, her legs carrying her directly to the training field. It had been easier to beg off and spend her weekend on the pitch, driving herself to exhaustion so as not to give her a chance to face the cacophony of feelings storming in her.

But being home watching Mum forget what she was doing, probably unaware of how her gaze fell on the family clock, seemed even more unbearable.

“Hey,” Ron said, a frown furrowing his brow. “No one’s bothering you on the team, are they?”

She blinked. “No. Why?”

He shrugged, turning to peer out of the window. His ears started to redden. “Nothing. That’s good.”

“I can handle myself, Ron.” She wasn’t sure whether her annoyance or affection was winning out.

Ron huffed, giving her a look. “Your contract must have some stipulation about hexing people.”

“You say that like I’d get caught.” Ginny dug her elbow into his rib.

“Oi!”

“Play nice you two,” Hermione called from across the room. Harry and Ginny’s eyes met once again, his face bright and amused by their antics.

Ron righted himself while Ginny stuck her tongue out at him. “I almost forgot how annoying you can be.”

“And you’re a bundle of joy.”

“Annoying,” he reiterated. “So annoying. One-of-a-kind annoying.” He rubbed his nose, looking away. “The kind that people notice when it’s missing…”

Grief sharply tugged at her. She knew immediately where his thoughts had drifted. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, tightening momentarily. She leaned into his side, the physical contact more comforting than any words.

“I reckon there are some perks to having you around. Hermione making cottage pie, for instance.”

Ginny snorted, remembering how excited he had been at dinner last night.

“And it helps with Harry.”

Her stomach flipped.

“Oh?” She glanced at Ron out of the corner of her eye, but his expression appeared guileless.

“Yeah, you give him some company.”

“I’m here to babysit Harry?” She resisted the urge to pull away, irritated on Harry’s behalf.

Ron rolled his eyes. “Don’t be daft. It just helps, you know. Since I left the Aurors and the engagement, Harry can’t – he hasn’t…” Ron shrugged. “We try to include him in everything, but he can be so stubborn sometimes, thinking he’s in the way. He’s less of a stubborn git when you’re around.”

“Hmm,” Ginny said, her throat tight. She wasn’t sure how to take that, whether or not to let herself think those traitorous thoughts that were, admittedly, cropping up more and more, despite her best efforts.

He had suggested dinner last time. He was more willing to come out when she was around.

It was just really good sex, she reminded herself forcefully. It didn’t mean anything.

Except that it was getting harder and harder to remember that.

Ginny swallowed hard as she refocused on Harry and Hermione dancing. He had looked so worn down when she arrived last night, she’d almost changed her mind. But there had been something in his expression when he saw her, something more than relief, something that had made her insides quiver. But then he had pulled her close, drawing her into a kiss that obliterated all thoughts.

She frowned now, taking note of the dark circles under his eyes that were often obscured by his glasses. He had fallen asleep almost instantly after they’d finished. The rare peaceful look on his face in the near dark had made her weak. Lying beside him in the sheets, their limbs still tangled together, she let herself pretend that maybe she belonged there until the slow rumbling of day began to trickle into the room before she finally slipped away.

“He looks worse than usual, doesn’t he?”

Ron nodded. “He’s exhibiting all the telltale signs.”

“Of what?”

“One of those cases.”

Before Ginny was able to ask, the song ended dramatically. The instructor clapped brightly, even though her smile was a little strained.

“A bit more practice and I’m sure you will get the hang of it,” she assured Harry before turning to Hermione. “I do believe we should use the rest of the time to practice the main dance?”

“Oh yes, you don’t mind, do you, Harry?” Hermione asked.

“Not at all,” Harry said, looking relieved to be free from the instructor’s attention.

Ron surprised Hermione from behind, spinning her into his arms. She looked alarmed but immediately relaxed into his embrace, pink dusting over her cheeks.

“While we work on the first dance, you may practice in the meantime,” the instructor advised Harry.

Harry made a face at her retreating back.

“You really seem to hate this,” Ginny observed.

“I don’t dance,” he said, that sullen look returning to his face.

“I don’t know, you weren’t so bad at Bill’s wedding,” she said without thinking. Immediately, she fought the urge to blush at Harry’s surprised expression. “Or I’m sorry, is it just cousin Barney who knows how to dance?”

Harry laughed, making her shiver from head to toe. Even after all this time, it still surprised her a little when she made him laugh. She hadn’t realized how much she missed being able to talk to him like this.

“Come now, youngest Seeker of the century, Dark Wizard vanquisher, Potions professor sasser”–Harry snorted–“defeated by a waltz?”

He shook his head, still smiling.

The music started playing again, this time something slow and sweet. Across the room, Ron and Hermione were being gently guided through new dance moves.

“Come on, what have you got to lose?” She would hate it if he spent Ron and Hermione’s wedding brooding.

“I don’t know,” Harry said softly, even as he stepped closer. She wasn’t sure if it was because he had been shorter before, Polyjuiced to be nearly her height, but her pulse jumped as she looked up at him.

“Think of it as flying. Think of your partner like your broom – lead and I’ll follow,” she blurted, and oh Merlin, why did his proximity and height make her nervous enough to babble?

Harry’s cheeks flushed slightly, and of course he picked up on the innuendo, but he seemed to take her words seriously. “Trust my partner.”

“That’s right,” she soldiered on, refusing to show her embarrassment. “Follow your instincts. The music is the rhythm of a Quidditch game. Pick a target and head there, avoid the other dancers, like Bludgers.”

“Right, well…” He coughed. “Would you be my Firebolt?”

He raised a hand out to her, grinning while Ginny laughed. Despite the flutter in her chest, slipping her hand into his felt like the most natural thing in the world.

She shivered slightly when his hand wrapped around her waist, where she could feel the warmth of him through the cotton material of her dress.

Why did this feel so much more intimate than when they were touching skin to skin?

“Try listening to the music,” she said, trying to distract herself from how she could smell something woodsy that inexplicably reminded her of Potions class, mixed with soap – soap that she had used in his shower. Great, good job, Ginny. Excellent.

Harry nodded, seeming to struggle with concentration himself. “Like a Quidditch game.”

She smiled at him, humoring her. “That’s right.”

“Lead and trust you’ll follow,” he seemed to say to himself.

They began to move together, his foot forward, her foot back, her foot forward while his went back to the rhythm. It started stilted, a tenuous rhythm between them in the uncertainty of their steps.

One-two-three, one-two-three… she counted along to the beat until the numbers drifted away as they fell in step with the music, his hand on her waist guiding them past other invisible dancers.

“Not bad, Potter,” she murmured as he led them to the other side of the room. “I thought you couldn’t dance.”

“I can’t,” he said, his voice rumbling in her ear, somehow sounding deeper. She could hear his self-deprecating smile.

“Don’t let the Prophet find out. I’m sure it’s hard enough keeping the witches and wizards away already,” she joked, not at all nettled by the image she painted.

He didn’t immediately respond. Her stomach clenched when he continued not to speak. Had he sensed her underlying jealousy? Was he going to remind her that, whatever the physical attraction (because he couldn’t deny it now, could he?), they were just friends?

His grip around her waist tightened.

“Maybe I didn’t have the right broom.” He seemed to search her eyes for something.

Her chest gave a painful squeeze. He couldn’t mean…

She stumbled over her own foot, but Harry grabbed hold of her before she could fall. Her heart hammered in her chest. Their eyes met, and suddenly she was transported to last night, when he paused, his breath ghosted over her skin, before he leaned in, his lips brushing against her cheeks, jaw, neck, down to her collarbone as he—

“Ginny? Are you okay?” Harry asked, his green eyes flashing with concern.

“Sorry,” she said, a giggle spilling from her lips without her control. She brushed away hair from her face, hating that she could feel the heat against her fingers. “So much for being the right broom.”

“I don’t know, still the best one so far.” Despite his joke, there was something a little vulnerable in his smile that made her chest ache.

“Splinters and all?”

Harry chuckled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

They smiled at each other, and though everything should have been awkward, it wasn’t.

He hesitated a moment before offering his hand again. “Try again?”

“Yeah,” she said.

They began dancing again, this time quietly. Ginny was more than a little lost in her thoughts, a part of her still not having recovered from his words. Had he meant it the way she was thinking?

Was it his way of trying to preserve their friendship or was it something more?

Harry’s soft voice pulled her from her thoughts.

“When do you think you’ll be back next?” He tensed, looking as if he hadn’t intended to say that. “Er, if you want to tell me.”

“Need another pick-me-up?” Ginny tried to joke, because that’s all they were doing for each other. Right? Right.

Harry’s step faltered. “That’s not — I just meant—”

She took mercy on him. “With the season starting soon, this may be my last trip for a while.”

He cast his eyes downward, focused on fixing his foot movement. “Oh?”

“Gwenog banned us from traveling until after the first game.” She felt her stomach twist at the reminder. Truthfully, she shouldn’t even have come, but the dancing lessons had meant a lot to Hermione. Plus, if she were honest, she had wanted a reprieve from all the pressure after the latest articles speculating on the Harpies’ decision to gamble on a rookie.

“That’s right, your first game!” Harry beamed at her, looking awed in a way that made her flush with pride. “Against the Tornados.”

“You know?” Was it silly to feel so pleased that he was following her games, even if maybe it was just him being a general Quidditch fan?

“You’ll be brilliant. You are brilliant,” he said. “If you don’t believe me, believe George. He’s started a betting pool for how many points you’ll score.”

Ginny grinned. “I believe you.”

“My first game, I was so nervous. Couldn’t eat a thing,” Harry reminisced. “Seamus kept piling on ketchup over morning sausages, and the sight just made me sick to my stomach.”

Ginny laughed, feeling the knot inside her loosen.

“Must be nothing compared to going professional.” Something in his expression made her feel strangely exposed.

She let out a deep breath, then admitted something she hadn’t told anyone else: “Can I say that I am absolutely ready and simultaneously may throw up?”

“If anyone can do it, it’s you. You single handedly won us the Quidditch Cup. I had let everyone down, I had let you down,” he said, shaking his head.

“You turned out to be right,” she reminded him, that fierce desire to defend him resurfacing. “Malfoy was a Death Eater.”

“Yes, well…” Harry said, “I still couldn’t stand that I had jeopardized the game. But against all odds, you did it. You caught the Snitch.”

The way he was looking at her made it hard to breathe.

The memories swirled in her mind, that unyielding determination to win. Rallying the team, coaching the Chasers, flying past Cho. Her entire body so keenly aware of the instant Harry had stepped into the common room, his stunned expression – the way his eyes had sought hers.

I won that game for you, she had never told him, but something shifted in his eyes, as if he seemed to hear her now.

“Anything is possible if you have enough nerve,” Harry said, sounding strangely winded.

Something beat wildly in her chest at the familiar words, something dangerously like hope.

Had she forgotten that herself?

“That’s right,” she said, unable to look away.

His eyes darted over her shoulder, to where Ron and Hermione were, then back to her. “After your game, can I take you out to celebrate?”

“That confident I’ll win?”

“Yes,” Harry said. “What do you say?”

His eyes were unusually bright and vulnerable, as if he were leaping off a cliff and looking back to see if she’d jump too. It was hard to think, let alone remember all the ways that what reflected in those eyes was nothing but friendship. Harry wouldn’t ask her out of guilt or misplaced gallantry, would he? Could she really be enough for him?

Don’t risk it, an icy voice hissed inside her.

But she could hardly feel the cold in Harry’s arms. Reckless hope blazed through her.

Fuck if Ginny Weasley didn’t have more than enough nerve.

“I guess I’ll just have to win,” Ginny said, her voice confident despite her feeling dizzy with the ramifications of jumping.

Something flashed in his eyes (relief? guilt?) only for a devastating smile to break over his face. She found herself grinning to match him, wanting nothing more than to pull him down to her lips—her brother, Hermione, the game be damned. Anything to make him keep looking that way.

“You’ll pummel the Tornados.”

She laughed, unburdened and warm like the sunlight streaming over them. “Something to look forward to.”

Harry felt like he must have drunk a vat of Felix Felicis, which was all the more surprising given his mental and physical state not twenty-four hours prior, poring endlessly over notes and clues. Preparing himself for another night of tossing and turning before Ginny had showed up at his door. And then pulling her close, desperate for her touch, not letting her go even as they slowly divested themselves of clothing, falling back onto his bed in the dark, everything fading into blissful oblivion, before waking up alone to find Ron, Hermione, and Ginny ready for their scheduled dance lesson, Ginny looking as if they hadn’t had mind-blowing sex several hours prior.

And now, now –

Ginny had said yes. Yes.

Well, contingent upon her winning the game (why oh why did he do that?), but this was Ginny, so there was a very good chance.

His chest swelled with anticipation, feeling like it could burst. He glanced at Ginny out of the corner of his eye, as if that would dispel the pressure. Clearly, he wasn’t subtle because her lips quirked up.

“Careful,” Hermione said, catching him just as he was about to careen into a waste bin. She gave him an odd look.

“Thanks.” He tried to school what must be a ridiculous expression on his face.

“I reckon you can give the dancing a rest now, mate,” Ron guffawed.

“Nargles in the way?” Ginny asked, her eyes glinting. Harry was more than fine with that.

“Must be it,” Harry said, unable to stop the grin on his face.

Hermione hushed them, gesturing toward their destination. “Don’t forget that this is a Muggle pub.”

“After you, my future wife,” Ron said grandly, bowing as he held the pub door open for Hermione. She shook her head at him but looked pleased all the same.

It was a cozy pub that looked like it hadn’t changed in decades, with low ceilings and dated furnishings. Its likeness to the Leaky Cauldron made Harry feel right at home despite the television displaying a rugby game. Several patrons seated at the counter groaned in unison when someone missed a penalty kick.

“Is that a telly-vision?” Ron asked, pointing.

Hermione shared a wry smile with Harry before answering. “Yes, Ron, but it’s tele-vision, not telly-vision. Or just a telly.”

“Dad would love this, wouldn’t he?” said Ginny, entranced. Harry’s stomach did a little flip, wondering if maybe he should take her to other Muggle destinations. Like on a date.

Harry really had to stop staring before Ron noticed.

“He’d go mad for it,” Ron confirmed, pulling out Hermione’s chair for her.

Hermione smiled at Ron as she sat. “We ought to bring him sometime.”

“What sport is that?” Ginny asked, sitting down. Harry took the seat beside her.

“Rugby,” Hermione confirmed.

“Just one ball?” Ron asked, squinting. “That sounds way too simple.”

One of the teams scored, and the onlookers cheered.

Ron shook his head affectionately. “Muggles.”

“Say what you will, but I wouldn’t mind Quidditch being broadcasted on one of those things,” Ginny said, scanning the menu.

“That’s right! Your game,” Ron said. “You’ve got extra tickets, don’t you?”

Harry’s heart stumbled in his chest. Tickets. He didn’t have tickets!

He had been planning on buying them, but then the Cranleigh case had landed on his desk. How was he going to celebrate her win if he wasn’t allowed in the stadium? The image rushed into his mind – him at the gates, locked out of the stadium, and Ginny deciding to celebrate with ticket-wielding wizards who had had the foresight to buy season passes.

“Just the few they gave us for friends and family,” Ginny said. Was it just Harry’s imagination or did her gaze linger on him a beat longer than necessary? “But a teammate had secured a bunch of spares for family visiting from America, but something came up and can’t come anymore.”

“What rotten luck,” Ron said gleefully. Hermione frowned at him. “What? Why let those tickets go to waste, am I right?” He turned to Harry for support.

“Yeah,” Harry agreed, hopefully not too eagerly.

“Do you want to come?” Ginny asked him, something careful in her voice.

“Yes, of course,” Harry said instantly. His cheeks heated at his earnestness. “That is, if you want me to.”

“Yes, I have enough for everybody,” Ginny said, smiling softly at him. The urge to pull her close surged in him.

“I’ll be there,” he reaffirmed stupidly.

“Ah-ha!” Ron said, making Harry jump in his seat. “I knew it. Next time we want to drag Harry away from work, we get him Quidditch tickets.”

“I’ll take it,” Hermione said, her eyes shining as she smiled at Harry.

Harry snorted, lifting the menu to hide his face until his flush subsided. “What’s good here?”

“They’re supposed to make a very good Scotch egg here, so how about starting with a few of those?” Hermione suggested.

“Sounds good to me,” Ginny said.

“Don’t forget the pints,” Ron said. “I was promised pints. You promised me pints, Hermione.”

Fifteen minutes and one explanation of Muggle darts later (“but what’s the point if they don’t explode every once in a while?” Ron had asked), Harry bit into his scotch egg, halved and slightly runny, with a generous smear of onion chutney. Hermione was right; it was very good.

“Say, Ginny,” said Ron, who had finished both halves of his scotch egg and was beginning to eye Hermione’s plate.

Ginny automatically shielded her plate with her free hand. “Not a chance.”

Ron huffed in indignation. “I was only going to ask when is your Portkey.”

Harry’s fork stopped briefly in midair as he glanced at her.

“In a few hours,” she said, checking the clock on the wall. Only a few more hours before he wouldn’t get to see her for over a month.

“What do you say to a friendly game of Quidditch after this?” Ron asked.

Harry perked up instantly, even as Hermione groaned.

“Only if Hermione wants to,” Ginny said fairly.

Harry and Ron turned to Hermione, faces eager. With his promotion and the Cranleigh case, he hadn’t had the chance to fly in ages.

“I’ll be on your team,” Ginny told Hermione. “You’ll barely have to touch the Quaffle.”

Hermione’s gaze slid from Ron’s face to Harry’s, neither of them deterred by facing a professional player if it meant a scrimmage.

“Fine,” Hermione said finally, and Ron openly whooped. She shook her head at him fondly. “Finish your pint,” she said, slicing her remaining egg and depositing half onto Ron’s plate. “You’ve got twenty minutes before happy hour ends if you want another round.”

Ron stared at his plate with open wonder. “See, this is why I’m marrying you,” he said, turning to gaze at Hermione in a way that made Harry terribly aware that he was single. Hermione blushed and tried to conceal her smile.

Harry picked up his pint at the same time that Ginny reached for hers. She rolled her eyes at him over her drink, and he grinned back at her before taking a long draught.

“I see why you like me around,” Ginny said to Ron. She leaned closer to Harry conspiratorially. Her arm pressed against his, sending goosebumps up his arm. “Making poor Harry suffer in his singledom all alone.”

“Beats the bickering and unbearable sexual tension.” Harry snorted. Ginny turned her head into his shoulder and laughed. He felt warm and light inside, almost like he could float away any second. “Aside from constantly trying not to die, the majority of my time was spent in a ‘will they, won’t they’ conundrum.”

“You needed something to take your mind off of Trelawney’s constant death predictions,” Ron said.

Harry lifted his hands in defense. “Without you both, they may all have come true.”

They all dissolved into laughter as they recounted their Hogwart days. Harry couldn’t remember the last time he felt this way. Their table was cozy and comfortable, the atmosphere bolstered by a recently lit fireplace. He was suddenly overcome with nostalgia, the pub and company reminding him of the Gryffindor common room, and those days they’d come back from Quidditch practice, laughing and bantering with Hermione, who had been working on homework. He glanced down at Ginny, the coppers and gold of her red hair glowing in the firelight and lovely face bright with cheer, not unlike the ways he had watched her then, his chest warm with emotion and yearning.

She seemed to sense his gaze and looked up at him, a shimmer of something unnameable in her eyes.

“Should we get more drinks?” Ron asked.

“Hm?” Harry turned his attention to his best mate. A familiar fear flashed through him. What would Ron think if he really didgo on a date with Ginny?

Merlin, forget a date – what about all the activities they’d already done? The events of last night flashed through his mind, Ginny rolling on top of him on his bed, reaching down to unbuckle his belt.

Harry stood up so quickly his chair scraped against the floor. He felt his face turn hot when they all looked at him in surprise. “I’ll get them. Drinks, I’ll get the drinks.”

“I’ll help,” Hermione offered.

She and Harry confirmed everyone’s orders before weaving through the crowd toward the bar. Harry leisurely scanned the rest of the pub as they waited for the bartender. It was much busier than when they had arrived, many groups and couples enjoying a weekend night out. He found himself watching a family with two small children, the toddler seeming very keen on pointing out the big dog outside to his dad’s, even as the parents tried to tend to their fussy baby. The parents had that look of exhaustion accompanying most parents with young children, but the dad turned to his son, grinning and ruffling his hair.

“Harry?”

The bartender and Hermione were looking at him. “Sorry?”

“Did I get everything?” Hermione listed off the drinks and food order clearly the second time.

“Yes, that’s right,” Harry said. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

When the bartender left to fill their order, Hermione peered up at him. “Everything all right, Harry?” Her eyes slid from him to the family he had been watching.

“Yes, fine,” he said, embarrassed to have been caught staring.

“How are things going with the Cranleigh case?” she asked, something soft and knowing in her voice.

Harry shook his head, his chest tight. Three wizarding families had suddenly vanished within the span of two months in the parish of Cranleigh, where recently more Wizarding folk had decided to live amongst Muggles. Rumors were floating around that maybe this was a resurgence of old Pureblood prejudices, from people who weren’t so keen on the latest push for more Wizard–Muggle relations.

He didn’t have to look at the photo he carried in his wallet, the one of the third family he received a week ago. He had already memorized it from all his staring, the endless loop of the Bakers, the youngest family to go missing. Mrs. Baker cradled her newborn, her husband’s arm secure around her shoulder, the two of them oscillating between waving and smiling down at their daughter.

“Maybe after Ginny’s gone, you can share some of those notes of yours,” Hermione said. He could tell she knew he was in a rut, having fixated on the clues by himself long enough to know he wasn’t getting much further on his own.

Harry smiled, gratitude tugging at him. “That sounds great, thanks.”

“You know,” she said tentatively. “I know this case is really important to you and you’ve been so busy with work, but have you…have you given any more thought to dating again?”

“Er,” said Harry, resisting the strong urge to glance over in Ginny’s direction. “Yeah, maybe.”

Hermione beamed at him, positively ecstatic. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Do you have someone in mind? Is she someone we know? Is there any way we could help? If it’s that new girl in the Improper Use of Magic Office, you know, the one helping with the Cranleigh case, I could put in a good word for you, you know I would.”

“Er,” said Harry.

“Or,” Hermione said, her eyes suddenly shining with tears. “Or…is he someone we know? Because that would be perfectly fine with us too, you know. The magical world is surprisingly forward-thinking when it comes to—"

“No, I—the, no, no she’s definitely a she,” Harry sputtered. “But thank you,” he added, feeling oddly moved.

“So who–”

“It’s just a thought. And probably nothing to act on until after the case,” he rushed on, grabbing hold of a reason to evade her questioning. After all (and this time his eyes nearly watered under the immense effort not to look at Ginny), nothing would happen until after her game. Hopefully, the case will be resolved by then.

Hermione squinted at him, but the bartender returned, saving Harry from having to answer anything else. They took the drinks and made their way back to the table, where Ron and Ginny were flicking small wads of paper at one another, clearly trying to see who could hit the other more.

Ginny smiled at Harry when he handed her drink to her. Her fingers brushed against his, sending sparks through him.

Harry’s heart skipped a beat when he noticed Ron looking at him funny. “What?”

“I really thought you’d be more…” Ron waved his hand flippantly. “Wound up, with everything going on at work.”

“I have more than work,” Harry said. Apparently not very convincingly because Ron and Hermione share a look.

“Anyway, you look good,” Ron said finally. Hermione nodded, smiling brightly at Harry.

“Thanks?”

“Don’t get me wrong. You still look pretty knackered, but much better than usual,” Ron continued cheerfully.

“It must be the Quidditch,” Ginny said, her eyes gleaming with mischief over the rim of her glass. Under the table, her knee lightly pressed against his.

“Yes,” Harry said, struggling and failing to contain the way his lips curved up, the warmth of her presence radiating through him from where they touched. “That must be it.”

“Blimey, say something and we’ll play more often,” Ron said. “Next time we can get George and Bill.”

As Ron continued making future Quidditch plans, Harry pressed back against Ginny’s knee, a bittersweet mixture of contentment, longing, and anticipation flaring through him. He closed his eyes, savoring the assuring pressure of her touch, the comforting noise of the pub, Ron’s enthusiastic chatter and Hermione’s indulgent responses, and the delicate promise that hung in the air for the next time he would see her.

#unravel me #chapter 6 #thank you so so much for sticking with me #harry/ginny #hinny #harry potter #ginny weasley #ron weasley #hermione granger #omg it's finally done #i have so so many iterations of these scenes #but they just didn't work until the 6th draft #not sure if it was so hard because hah there's no smut #i am feeling some anxiety because it's been so long and this chapter feels different from the previous ones #ahhhh hope you still enjoy #i wrote a thing

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jonnnysuh · 3 years

Text

Dating Yugyeom would include

Dating GOT7 would include | SERIES

Just based off my observations/my perception of him. Obviously I have no idea what dating him would be like but thought it would be fun to do. This is more playful than romantic bc what is romance???

Literally never shutting the fuck up

Having meaningless fights about little things and then going back to normal

Having your own language that makes no sense to everyone else

Laughing til your stomachs hurt and trying to recreate what just happened but laughing again

Roasting each other as a sign of affection

Too many nicknames that have weird origin stories that y’all can’t remember

Both needing to get your ways so you’ll pout until one of you budges

He is such a simp tho

Mocking each other after someone says absolutely anything

Dance battles

saying “YOOOOOOOU” like soulja boi

Resting his chin on your head

BOYBOYBOYBOY ((((you kno like when they yell like a siren)))

“WHY ARE YOU YELLING” “IM JUST HAPPY”

Having to make the hard decisions for him

Not being able to complete a task bc you’re both so annoyingly distracting

Something that should take 30 minutes to finish takes 3 hours instead

Both being confused all the time so you discuss how things should be done and then fight over it

he’ll purposely hide things to make it hard for you

Holding things over your head bc he wants to watch you jump

“You’re a bully” “you’re a bully too” “ya but it’s only okay if I do it”

Saying the same shit at the same time and hitting each other in excitement

He’s funnier than you but you won’t admit it

SENDING VOICE NOTES INSTEAD OF TEXTING AND YALL HAVE SHORT ATTENTION SPANS SO SOMETIMES IF YOU DONT REPLY IN A FEW MINS YOU FORGET WHAT YOURE SUPPOSED TO SAY SO YOU START A NEW CONVERSATION

He has a meme folder and has a meme for every occasion

Bro he’ll MAKE memes using pictures of you

If he doesn’t reply within a few seconds it’s bc he’s trying to find the perfect meme or making one

A never ending game of iMessage connect 4

How he’d annoy you:

Rock Paper Scissors to get out of doing something but even if he loses he’ll refuse for a bit and then do it

Acting shocked even though he knew something you didn’t

acting like he’s listening but really he’s doing something else

making you call him oppa or he’s not listening

Laying on his shoulder during long car rides

He makes a big deal about your birthday and will plan everything to a t

He sucks at surprises though bc you he tells you everything

it’s always either by accident like he slips it in

OR you’re like “tell me” “no” “fine” “OKAY I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE WE’RE GOING ON A TRIP TO PARIS”

Gossiping with him and he hates all the people you hate and then will also bring up something he heard about them

he would tour new places with you on facetime and bother everyone in the process

the facetime photos you guys take are so frightening and confusing to look back on bc there’s so much movement and emotion on your faces

buying you dessert/pastries when you’re sad

LITERALLY LAUGHING FESTS BEFORE BED

IT’S ALWAYS STUPID BRO

BUT Y'ALL WILL CRY LAUGHING TOGETHER EVERY SINGLE TIME

Y'ALL JUST SAY THE STUPIDEST SHIT

“YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS” SHOVING THE PHONE IN THEIR FACE AND IT’S THE DUMBEST FUCKING VIDEO IN THE UNIVERSE BUT WHY ARE YOU BOTH DYING

Every single one of the boys know he’s whipped and he’s embarrassed but also you’re his person so who wins now

he’s literally so thoughtful

he knows all your favourite songs and makes a playlist

flowers and flowers and flowers

he’ll drop anything he can to be with you

will remember your childhood stories better than you

can finish your sentences

messages you every time you post a new picture

“hey this thing made me think of you” text

gets you guys matching chain bracelets/rings

finishes the food you can’t

doing tiktok dances but not posting them bc you’re both embarrassing

but he will start the video literally ANYWHERE.

on the plane? in the parking lot? at a restaurant?

His hand is always on you especially when you’re walking through a crowd

having to ask him to slow down bc you have short legs

Tippytoing to kiss him

innocent flirting that turns dirty really quick

he definitely likes being small spoon

he talks in his sleep

he has the most irrational fears in the world

“THAT TEXTURE IS SOOOO UGLY I CAN’T LOOK AT IT PLEASEEE”

doing something cute and HE’S JUST SO EASILY LIKE “I LOVE YOU”

always wants to slow dance with you to any song just so he can hold you and lead

he’ll whisper in your ear just to get you hot like fuck offffffffff

his skincare routine takes soo long to do he’ll be in the washroom for 30 minutes

“You’re such a kid”

“Are you a baby?” “YA YOUR BABY”

One of you will start singing and the other joins in but the boys are like shut the fuck uppppp

I feel like he’d like to play wrestle bc this man chooses violence every single time

he can do a perfect impression of you

both of you will up the cheesiness when u notice that it’s making everyone else cringe just to make them cringe more

be prepared to kill the spiders

also be prepared to watch scary movies with the lights on bc he is spooked!

Always saying “woooow” sarcastically when someone does something unimpressive

he is an attention whore so when you’re ignoring him he will do cartwheels🤸🏻‍♀️ and try to be funny

making him blush is so easy it’s like a superpower he just gets flustered

Making a bad decision and saying “yolo ✌️😗”

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gingerbreadmonsters · 2 years

Note

10, 17, 21 for the writing questions? hehe

hello sweet rainy!! your wish is my command 💫

10. How would you describe your writing process?

a total mess lmao

uhhh... generally i come up with the concept first, or at least a scene that i think would be cool, write that first, and then build the rest of it as i go. a HUGE proportion of my writing is inspired by music or songs as well, so i'll loop that as i'm writing - i find it difficult to write without music playing at this point!

generally i make the plot up as i go, based on what i think would be fun and/or realistic! for instance, the initial concept of thy fair imperfect shade was literally just "elliott has a sexy dream about sunshine and doesn't know what to do about it" - his whole morality crisis, plus the twist with sunshine at the end, were all invented during the process rather than mapped out beforehand. storyboarding or similar never works for me, seeing as i just end up going off the rails and writing something totally different depending on whatever flavour of brainrot i have that day :)

take one small paradox - i tried to plan that one and it went wrong almost immediately! fun fact: there was never meant to be a statue at all, and it certainly wasn't meant to feature so prominently. the original concept was a conversation between academy president lasko and locked-up vindemiator, where lasko would basically pull a bond villain and monologue about how lovely freelancer is, gloating about how he's going to basically indoctrinate them and there's nothing that poor vindemiator can do.......

unfortunately for supervillain-lasko, i got distracted while i wrote the opening scene, so he didn't actually get to say anything at all! the final line is a nod to that first idea, with vindemiator trapped underneath the academy, mourning a life that could have been but not knowing why.

"and underneath the academy, for no reason at all, an incubus begins to cry."

17. Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?

to tell you the truth, i don't know if i hope they do or i hope they don't!! i don't go out very much at all irl, and i find it really difficult to talk to new people, so a lot of my writing comes out of feelings of loneliness or isolation that i don't know are always obvious if you're not looking for them.

that being said, i think i put a lot of myself into my writing, especially the ways i see the world and think about love and friendships and connections between people, so i like to think that we're all on the same page, so to speak.

um, if you wanted something unexpected.... virtually everything i write is about being in love and all those sorts of feelings, so maybe you might be surprised that i've never been in a relationship before...? like seriously, i've never even kissed anyone before (don't you just love being socially anxious and also queer?), so literally every time i write about that, i'm totally making it up lmao

21. What other medium do you think your story would work well as? (film, webcomic, animated series?)

i would LOVE to turn some of my fics into short films, particularly the ones where i have a really strong attachment to the aesthetic or i think the image is really clear and would be fun to see unfold on screen. plus, i'm much funnier irl than i am when i'm writing, so being able to add all of those extra visual bits and pieces, as well as dialogue that doesn't translate well to writing, would be really fun! wonderland, rebel flesh, take a sip, thy fair imperfect shade, body contact, knock knock!, can't help but see, hold on tight...

this might be totally wrong, but i'd love to turn something like knock knock! into a script, at least the bits with gavin and guy and fl in - if anyone's taken drama gcse, it would be the sort of thing that you'd do for the live performance bit of the exam! god, as i was writing it i just wanted to BE there in the scene, and i had such a clear picture of the whole thing. tbh, i write the scenes i want to see - clearly the inner drama student in me is still going strong!

(this is unrelated, but if i had any drawing talent whatsoever then i would ABSOLUTELY draw the statue from one small paradox - i have a really strong idea of what it looks like in my head, and i just love the bittersweetness of that one - all that about turning love into stone. i did my best to describe it, but some things are better to see than to read, you know? @delllonggone mentioned it and now it won't get out of my head..... 🤯🤯)

#ooh a game!#ginger speaks to lovely blogs #redacted asmr #thank you for your ask!!#i would LOVE to act out something like knock knock!#i think it's because secretly i want to BE gavin #plus i love making people laugh so i would want to be able to put the humour back in yk???#like.... when i'm writing it then it's funny to ME because i know the timing and inflection and references and visual cues #but that doesn't always come across to YOU #so i think a lot of my humour falls a little flat online - i would like to demonstrate that i am much funnier in person lmao

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writingdumpsite · 4 years

Text

That’s because she’s shy (g.w.)

Summary: George Weasley doesn’t think you fancy him and decides to prove his point. What he doesn’t see coming is your reaction.

pairing: George Weasley x fem!Reader

words: 3k

A/N: just something I wrote these last days inspired by some lines from one of my favourite films. yes, a couple of days ago I rewatched Pride and Prejudice for the millionth time and the scene where Darcy proposes to Lizzie hit as hard as usual.

“Oh c’mon George! Can you please stop looking at her and listen to what I’m trying to tell you?” Fred groaned once he’s seen his twin brother staring at her, yet again. But George couldn’t help but stare at the entrance of the Great Hall. To be completely honest, he thought she was one of the most beautiful girls he’s ever met. She was talking to Hermione, too focused on her to sense his piercing eyes on her figure. Her soft features seemed even softer thanks to the light that invaded the Great Hall. Her eyes were shining while discussing animatedly with Hermione. George supposed it was something rather interesting. At some point – he couldn’t tell when, though – she has even started gesticulating.

A loud smack on the back of his head brought George back to reality. When he turned his head towards a smirking Fred he felt his cheeks reddening. Fred was not the only one smirking but Harry, Ron and Lee were there, too. The knowing looks were enough for George to be sure he wasn’t getting away with some lame excuse. But he stayed silent, not exactly knowing what to say to his friends. And now that he thought it through, what was he supposed to say? That he fancied Y/N? That seemed pretty obvious. Harry and Ron chuckled but decided not to torment him any further. Instead, they excused themselves and went to their next class.

The silence made him feel uncomfortable but he didn't want to speak first. George sighed in relief when Lee finally decided to open his mouth. “Don’t you think it’s time to say something to that poor soul?” The boy shook his head “I don’t think she fancies me. I mean, we’ve known each other for years. All I've been doing for months now is flirt with her any chance I get.”

“Are you sure you’re flirting? Eye contact and light touches here and there aren’t enough sometimes” Lee nodded at Fred’s words. And deep down George knew his twin was right, that he should tell you instead of subtly flirting once or twice a week. It’s not that difficult. Once you find her alone, you take her somewhere more private and shoot your shot. The plan in his head, though simple, seemed rather effective.

But she was so out of his league, even for the most famous prankster of the entire school. So smart, genuine and kind that nobody was worth her undivided attention. Her grades were stellar and the hobbies she had were unparalleled and far from George’s. She was an artist. In her free time, she was always doing something creative, like reading, playing an instrument or knitting. He knew that because he has been bothering Hermione to get to know pretty much anything he could on her .

He didn't notice the girl turning her head towards the boys at the Gryffindor table. Y/N is quick to catch George's eyes and shoot him a gracious smile. Oh c’mon you idiot, do something. She’s flirting, she’s definitely flirting is all is repeating to himself. But before he could wave at her, she starts to approach the boys at the table, Hermione right behind her.

“Hello boys” she greeted them with the same smile she shot George a minute ago. With that, the idea of her flirting with him faded together with his hope of being his type. Again.

He didn’t pay attention to the greetings she received and avoided the conversation she started with Fred and Lee. Until she said the word “cracker”. His eyes shot up to the girl in time to catch the remaining of the discourse. “My cousin sent me some crackers after I told him about the situation with the Umbridge. They’re nothing like yours, of course, but I reckon the pink toad knows nothing about how these muggle ones work.” The conversation went on for a couple of minutes. She told them how to use them and George found himself mesmerized by the girl’s knowledge on the topic. “I’m not a fan of crackers and I'm not going to use them so if you ever needed them, let me know. I’ll be more than happy to get rid of them.”

She was out of sight when Fred cleared his throat and announced to his twin that if he didn’t ask her out soon, he would. George laughed at that but knew that he needed to end his agony. He spent all day pondering the options on the matter but they seemed so stupid the more he went through them.

It was at dinner that Ron suggested something interesting. “You could always try and make her jealous. You know, you could pretend to date some random girl and see her reaction”. At first, George thought it was a bad idea. He would have to convince someone to pretend to date him. But he also thought that, if the plan worked, Y/N would make a move on him, tell him that she's always fancied him. And they’d finally be together. But if that didn’t happen, if she didn’t show interest at all, that would hurt him even more. Yet, the more he considered the plan, the more he convinced himself that was the right thing to do. So the next day he asked his good friend Alicia to fake-date in front of Y/N next Monday at breakfast.

George needed to get a reaction from the girl. He wanted to know if what he felt for Y/N was unrequited ad he had to give up and forget her, or if she fancied him as well.

What he wasn’t aware of was that Y/N has fancied George for a while. Yet, if he looked for proof, he wouldn’t find any. She was pretty good at disguising her feelings as kind gestures, such as smiling or waving. She sometimes would try and speak to him alone, laugh at his jokes or ask questions if she was chatty that day. And that wasn’t flirting, was it? Plus, everyone knew she was always the quiet one who didn't mean to sound flirtatious. She was aware that she was shy and not good at showing affection to her loved ones. So, she never considered she was acting like a flirt. She was sure she was being rather subtle with her pining but she was wrong, of course. On that day, Hermione explained what she knew about flirting and dating. She resolved, what Y/N was doing was flirting, even if almost non-existent. After that, it didn’t take long for the bright witch to learn what Y/N felt for George Weasley. And that lead to hours of telling her to confess, to make a move, to make it crystal clear that she fancied the prankster. Otherwise, someone else would find a way to his heart.

The process lasted less than imagined. Only a couple of days of distracted expressions and head in the clouds. It also coincided with the weekend and Y/N was not planning on crying her eyes out because of a boy. So, she postponed the whole “profess-your-feelings-to-George” idea to Monday. She was sure that having time to let everything sink in would be good.

All weekend Y/N expected second thoughts or any other impediment to happen. But on Monday morning, there was nothing that could prevent her from her original plans. So, nervously, she got changed and mentally prepared herself to face George.

“So, are you going to do it?” asked Hermione as soon as Y/N met her in the Great Hall. “If it’s of any help, Ron and Harry told me George has been talking non-stop about you for weeks. I'm pretty sure he likes you.” Y/N smiled and tried to stay calm, but everything inside her was screaming. “I’m not sure I’m ready but I'm doing it anyway.” she stated. Then, she took a big breath a continued on a funnier note. “And if it goes wrong I’ll drown myself in the huge pile of homework we have to do”. Hermione laughed and then patted her shoulder to show her support. “I’ll be here in case you need me”. Y/N ’s face softened at her friend's words. After taking another big breath, she stepped into the crowded Great Hall.

Her eyes meticulously scanned all the faces in search of George but it seemed like he wasn’t there.That’s odd, he’s never late for breakfast she thought. Fred was already there, surrounded by everyone she could think of, except for the one she was looking for. Maybe it was a sign. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Maybe some kind of guardian angel was trying to send the message that it was not a good day to profess her feelings.

She went back to reality when someone lightly bumped into her shoulder. Y/N ’s eyes, until that moment, fixed on the Gryffindor table, landed on the couple who passed her. They were holding hands and Y/N couldn’t help herself imagining what holding hands would be like with George. But she didn’t have the time to indulge too much in the thought because something ginger caught her eyes. The “something” turned out to be George’s hair.

All she wanted to do was to divert her gaze, forget what she was going to do that morning. But her eyes seemed glued to the scene unfolding in front of her and incapable of focusing on anything else. The couple was now standing mere feet away from her and George was leaning in, as if he wanted to kiss the girl. In the end it was a simple kiss on her forehead but the act itself was enough for her. Y/N felt her heart sinking and before she could do anything to prevent it, tears formed in her eyes. And the more she saw, the more she wanted to slap herself. How could she be so naïve and mistake some kind gestures for interest? George was being so nice to her because it was in his nature and because she hung with his little brother’s friends a lot. How could she not see it?

She was so focused on the scene in front of her. So much that she didn’t notice the tears starting to stream down her face or George’s head turning towards her. But she wasn’t going to show him any of her feelings, so she turned around and run out of the Great Hall as fast as she could. Her run came to an end when something – or rather, someone – pulled her robes and made her turn around. Hermione was now standing in front of her, a sad expression on her face, and Y/N knew that her friend knew. She still wanted to say something, anything to try and justify her run but couldn’t. Instead, she felt her cheeks turning even redder and new tears forming. She had no idea how it happened but a moment later, she felt Hermione's arm around her. And as her head fell on her shoulder, she started sobbing.

Where did it go wrong? Were they happy tears or sad tears? You idiot, obviously they were not happy tears. George couldn’t shake Y/N ’s tear-stained face out of his mind. He wasn’t expecting this reaction. He didn’t do anything completely wrong, either. He didn’t snog Alicia or proposed to her in front of Y/N , he simply kissed her forehead. That meant nothing, either for him or for Alicia. He did what he did to prove his point that Y/N didn’t fancy him. To get a reaction, to see what she felt. He was so sure she would understand that and make a move, it didn’t matter if good or bad.

“So, how did it go?” asked Ron when George took a seat next to him. Across from him, Fred and Lee stopped planning their next prank and turned their head to hear George. He was still studying Y/N ’s reaction, pondering words as not to sound more confused than he already was. “I didn't think I'd made her cry” blurted out the boy, pouring himself a goblet of juice. But before anyone could make any type of comments he added “I’m not sure if that was the reaction I was looking for, though”. “Well, now you’ll understand if she fancies you or not” stated calmly Ron “And decide whether what you’ve been doing for months was flirting or pining” added a smirking Fred.

“Excuse me?” Hermione’s voice snapped behind George. The boy went white as he realised Hermione has been there long enough to find out about the plan. One by one, the other boys decided it was best to return to their breakfasts. That left George to deal with the girl alone. He could see she was fuming so thought it best to stare at her, letting her rant about how stupid the whole idea was. “How could you do that to her? She’s a sobbing mess because you didn’t have the guts to confess your feelings. Among all the options you had, you chose to risk hurting her to not deal with your heart being broken. I wonder why she fancies you. Yes, she should have admitted her feelings for you as well, but she didn’t do something like this just to get a reaction.” The whole situation, Hermione lecturing him, made George feel like a young boy again. Always trying to defend himself when accused of something. But at that times, it never mattered whether it was his fault or not. This clearly wasn’t the case.

“I didn’t know what to do. I panicked because she’s so out of my league. And I didn’t want to make a fool of myself in case she wasn’t interested.” he tried to resonate with Hermione, wording out loud the thoughts that have been floating in his mind for weeks. But the moment he spoke, he came to the conclusion that the whole plan was stupid. “Plus, it seemed like she was completely indifferent to me and my flirting” that was his last resort. Blaming her for not noticing all along only angered Hermione more. “That’s because she’s shy. Y/N hardly shows her true feelings for me. We’ve been friends for years now and I have seen her cry only once when she got bad news from home." An uncomfortable silence fell and George could see Hermione pondering her next words. "Also, if it is of any consolation, a couple of day ago I found out she likes you.” George stayed silent, letting Hermione’s words sink in his brain. “I really fucked up” was all he admitted before getting up and running out of the Great Hall to find Y/N .

“There you are. Ron thought you might be here but I wasn’t sure I should listen to his suggestions this time.” George has been looking all day for the girl, but it seemed impossible. She always managed to find alternative ways to go to class to avoid him but they both knew she couldn’t hide forever. When she didn’t show up for dinner, Ron hinted at Y/N ’s favourite spot. And there they were, right outside one of the greenhouses.

Y/N didn’t have the strength to find an excuse to sneak away. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically after hiding from him all day. At this point, whatever he needed to tell her, she was ready. “What do you need?” she sounded tired and even a little unpolite but she didn’t care. She forced herself to look up at George’s face. Sparkling eyes and a loving smile looking at her. George

“I’d like to apologize for how I behaved this morning. Alicia and I are not dating, we’re just friends. I actually asked her to help me. That scene this morning was supposed to get some kind of reaction out of you, I never wanted to hurt your feelings.” he stopped to catch his breath. He’d never admit it to anyone but he has been rehearsing this whole speech all day so that he wouldn’t make mistakes. Y/N smiled and nodded weakly, encouraging him to continue. “The thing is that I like you, a lot. And I've tried so hard to make it obvious but it didn’t work. I know I am out of your league. I mean, you’re gorgeous, kind, talented and smart, but I’d be honoured if you’d go out with me”. He couldn’t believe he said that. It was a piece of cake, why didn’t he do it sooner? Silence fell between the two, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. George knew Y/N was thinking it through. He didn’t want to pressure her further and so turned around and mentally prayed that everything would turn out fine.

“You know, it hurt. A lot. Today I wanted to tell you the very same thing you told me. But what hurt wasn’t the act itself but the fact that I thought I was late to tell you that I liked you.” George turned to face the girl, who was now smiling. “All day, I've wanted to slap myself because of that. It seemed like, the only time I decide to speak clearly about my feelings and overcome my shyness, I get there late. So, it’s me who’d be honoured to go out with you” her smile was wider now. And though it was dark outside, George saw her cheeks turn red. “Friday night it is then. It’s a date.” it was difficult to contain the happiness now. Before he could stop himself, he felt his arms wrap around Y/N’s figure in a tight hug. The girl grinned and reciprocated. “It’s a date, then” she confirmed and lost herself in George’s arms.

#writing #george weasley #george weasley x you #george weasley x reader #george weasley oneshot #harry potter

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cookie-run-kingdom-story · 2 years

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The Wizard Archive: Conjurer’s Cookbook

Cinnamon Cookie: Salutations, Wizard Cookie! How’ve you been? Wanna see a new trick I’ve learned? Wizard Cookie: ...Yes, yes. Hello, Cinnamon Cookie. I’m sorry if I seem a bit distracted, but I’ve lost my Candy Wand! Cinnamon Cookie: Did you make it disappear!? If you did, that’s a neat trick! Or maybe you just misplaced it? Wizard Cookie: Impossible! It’s always by my side, even when I sleep. Something is definitely amiss…

Prophet Cookie: It seems that fate has brought me before you. Wizard Cookie: Prophet Cookie!? What brings you here? Prophet Cookie: Fear not, my Crystal Ball has never failed to reveal the truth. Crystal Ball, show us the strings of Fate! Prophet Cookie: The flow of magic is calling to you… Hmm, this means? Wizard Cookie, we must go to the City of Wizards! Cinnamon Cookie: The City of Wizards? All of the sudden? Why… how? Wizard Cookie: Are you quite sure, Prophet Cookie? It seems… a bit suspicious. Prophet Cookie: Fate will guide me straight to your missing Wand! Come now, off we go! Wizard Cookie: I wonder if Prophet Cookie is right…. Cinnamon Cookie: I guess we should follow…?

Prophet Cookie: This is it… The location revealed by the Crystal Ball. Cinnamon Cookie: This isn’t our first time in the City of Wizards, but I never knew something like this was here! Wizard Cookie: Fascinating… How could I miss such a large structure? And it’s a gigantic library, too! Cinnamon Cookie: Is Wizard Cookie’s Candy Wand really here? The library doesn’t look magical at all. Prophet Cookie: Trust in Fate. My prophecies are always true. Wizard Cookie: If this is a wizarding library, there’s no telling what’s inside… Let’s go find out!

Prophet Cookie: How ominously dark. I can barely see anything. Wizard Cookie: Look at all these bookshelves… They reach as tall as the ceiling! But where’s my Candy Wand…? Wizard Cookie: What was that!? I thought I just heard a noise…! Wizard Cookie: *ACK!* That book is moving on its own!? Is this some foolish enchantment? Cinnamon Cookie: It’s trying to get out of the bookshelf! Prophet Cookie: Wh- Wha- What if a monster comes out from it!? Cinnamon Cookie: Look, look! It feel onto the floor. Prophet Cookie, what kind of book is it? Prophet Cookie: (Why’d it fall right in front of my feet...) Ahem, ahem! Let’s see here… The book is titled…

Cinnamon Cookie: I like how “Conjurer’s Cookbook” sounds! The Wizards must have liked good food, just like us Cookies! Wizard Cookie: The Tome… It seems to have a message for us... Wizard Cookie: Maybe the Tome knows where the Candy Wand is! Prophet Cookie: It may be wise to dismiss it… Such magical Tomes are not to be trifled with… Prophet Cookie: The Crystal Ball speaks… Only misfortune will fall upon us if this Tome is opened! Cinnamon Cookie: I’d rather trust a moving, magical Tome than some boring Crystal Ball… Wizard Cookie: I agree… Cinnamon Cookie: But how do we open it? Wizard Cookie: Let’s look for a way to break these Seals! Prophet Cookie: You two… You’ve yet to learn about the true intricacies of the world...

Wizard Cookie: Let’s keep up the effort… Almost all of the Seals are broken! Prophet Cookie: It seems that it is I who found the most spells to break the Seals. Fortune smiles upon me. Prophet Cookie: WHAT!? My… MY BEARD! Wizard Cookie: AHAHAHA! Look! Prophet Cookie’s beard has gone missing! Cinnamon Cookie: So that’s what you look like without your beard! Prophet Cookie: This… this is preposterous! Without my beard, I’m… I’m…! Cinnamon Cookie: Want me to conjure up a beard for you? *POOF* There ya go, a brand new beard!

Prophet Cookie: What have you done! This “beard” is ridiculous…! Cinnamon Cookie: Hehe, looks better than the original. Maybe I could make it funnier! Prophet Cookie: No, no! This will do just… fine for the moment! Prophet Cookie: I have no choice but to live with this mockery of a beard for now... Wizard Cookie: But why did Prophet Cookie’s beard disappear like that? Cinnamon Cookie: Maybe all that big talk about fortune and wisdom backfired on you? Prophet Cookie: Ahem, AHEM! Let us continue our search and break the Seals on the Tome, shall we?

Prophet Cookie: At last! The Tome’s Seals are finally broken. Wizard Cookie: Let’s hurry and look inside! Wizard Cookie: Huh? What’s this? It’s really just a simple cookbook. Nothing about the Candy Wand… Cinnamon Cookie: Wow, look at all the pictures… They seem so delicious and tasty! Let’s try reading one of the recipes. Cinnamon Cookie: Ahem… “To conjure the perfect meal, one simply requires…” Cinnamon Cookie: YIKES! Th-th-the Tome… it’s beginning to glow!? Wizard Cookie: Noooo! NO NO! It’s dragging us in!

Prophet Cookie: W… Where… Where are we? Cinnamon Cookie: Trees…? Very tall trees… Are we in some sort of grove? Wizard Cookie: No, these aren’t trees… They’re vegetables! We’re in a magical garden! Wizard Cookie: The Tome started to glow and we were dragged into it only to find… ourselves… That’s it! We’re INSIDE the Tome! ???: Reveal your identities, at once. You are not permitted to be here. Prophet Cookie: That voice…!? Cinnamon Cookie: Hello there! Are you the caretaker of this magical garden?

Blueberry Pie Cookie: ...I am Blueberry Pie Cookie. Blueberry Pie Cookie: I am investigating the cause of this Tome suddenly springing to life of its own accord. Blueberry Pie Cookie: And it was properly Sealed… How did you manage to enter? Wizard Cookie: We broke all of the Seals, each and every one. We’re looking for my missing Candy Wand! Blueberry Pie Cookie: A Candy Wand? Missing, you say? Wizard Cookie: Prophet Cookie said the answer was here. This Tome… there’s something about it! Blueberry Pie Cookie: I see… I have speculated a reason for this particular Tome’s disturbance. Blueberry Pie Cookie: It may have swallowed an enchanted artifact to satiate its craving for magic. Blueberry Pie Cookie: (Lost in deep thought...) This… this may be another element of the curse... Wizard Cookie: A curse? Blueberry Pie Cookie: I will accompany you on this journey. You will need my help as I am the foremost expert about the Archives. Cinnamon Cookie: Hooray! A new adventure, hehe! Let’s get to it! Prophet Cookie: But… let us not forget that my beard is also missing...

Blueberry Pie Cookie: Do. Not. Touch. Anything. There is no telling what curses or enchantments may be triggered. Cinnamon Cookie: Look at the size of these mushrooms! Wizard Cookie, you should use one of these as an umbrella, hehe! Wizard Cookie: What!? Blueberry Pie Cookie: If there is time for chatter, it will certainly be better spent on searching for the Candy Wand. Cinnamon Cookie: Hey, this plant here looks normal enough? Blueberry Pie Cookie: No, you must not touch it! It’s a mandrake! Cinnamon Cookie: Voila, hehe! I’ve already yanked it out! Blueberry Pie Cookie: Everyone, get behind me. Now! I shall handle this…! Cinnamon Cookie: WOW, amazing! Something came out of that tome! Are you a magician too? Wizard Cookie: That wasn’t some magic trick… That was a magic spell, a very powerful one... Wizard Cookie: What is the nature of that tome!? Is that the only spell it can perform? Blueberry Pie Cookie: Do not pry into matters that you cannot even begin to fathom... Blueberry Pie Cookie: Just know that the strongest of magic always comes at a great price... Blueberry Pie Cookie: Enough dawdling. Let us continue our search. Come along now. Prophet Cookie: My beard… Can we also look for my beard…?

Wizard Cookie: What a fancy dining hall...! Cinnamon Cookie: Is that grape juice? It looks so refreshing! Blueberry Pie Cookie: Restrain yourself. You may slip and fall into the glass. Cinnamon Cookie: What gigantic roast! A little nibble should be harmless. Blueberry Pie Cookie: Restrain yourself. You may become stuck to its sticky sauce. Prophet Cookie: Wait! Is that my beard!? Prophet Cookie: Oh… It was just a fruit leaf... Prophet Cookie: Oh, is that!? At last! I’ve found my beard...! Prophet Cookie: Oh… It was merely a napkin... Wizard Cookie: Where is my Candy Wand? It should be easy to spot due to its length. Blueberry Pie Cookie: I have spotted a collection of elongated objects beyond this plate. We should search there. Wizard Cookie: Look! In the basket of sweets… It’s my Candy Wand! Cinnamon Cookie: Congratulations, Wizard Cookie! Prophet Cookie: But what about my beard… Have any of you seen my beard? I must find my beard. Blueberry Pie Cookie: I have found this over there. A strange, crusty substance. Is this your so-called “beard?” Prophet Cookie: Oh, Fortune’s favor! My beard has returned…! I am invincible once more! Prophet Cookie: I see it… I can see the future again! Our leave of the city is imminent. Cinnamon Cookie: Obviously... Blueberry Pie Cookie: Our business is concluded. Let us leave at once.

Blueberry Pie Cookie: The Tome has been returned to its rightful position. Wizard Cookie: Thanks, Blueberry Pie Cookie! Prophet Cookie: All has been returned to order. It is time to take our leave. Cinnamon Cookie: Hmmm? Is it just me… or did that thing start moving around again?

Wizard Cookie: How…!? The Tome is on a rampage…! It’s much more intense than before! Blueberry Pie Cookie: Recovering the Candy Wand seems to have angered it. Blueberry Pie Cookie: We must draw a Magic Circle to completely pacify the Tome…! Cinnamon Cookie: Prophet Cookie, do something! How do we draw the Magic Circle!? Prophet Cookie: W-w-wait a moment! Oh, Crystal Ball… Tell us the secret to- Prophet Cookie: GAH! The Tome is out of control! Run for your lives...! Blueberry Pie Cookie: We must retreat! Make haste! Cinnamon Cookie: That’s one scary magical Tome… Who knew that Cooking was so scary? Wizard Cookie: Wait, look at that! Looks like it can’t step into the moonlight… Cinnamon Cookie: Something’s happening! Is that… a border of the Magic Circle? Blueberry Pie Cookie: We have found our answer. We must harness moonlight to pacify this nuisance. Blueberry Pie Cookie: I shall hold it at bay for now while you complete the Circle with moonlight. Be swift!

Wizard Cookie: Drawing with moonlight is more difficult than I imagined. Prophet Cookie: Indeed. I wonder what the Magic Circle resembles when completed? Cinnamon Cookie: Hey, hey! This looks a bit like a bone, doesn’t it? Wizard Cookie: And this part looks like a fork! Blueberry Pie Cookie: Is that the shape of the Magic Circle required to pacify the Tome? Blueberry Pie Cookie: Recall the pattern you saw inside the Tome and complete it with haste! Cinnamon Cookie: OK, got it! Draw it with roasted meat in mind!

Prophet Cookie: The Magic Circle is complete! Wizard Cookie: And it’s beginning to glow! Blueberry Pie Cookie: This tempest ends now! Blueberry Pie Cookie: Well done… Our work here is complete.

Cinnamon Cookie: It’s time for us to get going! Quite a lot has happened. Wizard Cookie: Yes, who knew that a visit to the archives would result in one giant adventure! Wizard Cookie: Thank you, Blueberry Pie Cookie. I never would have found my Candy Wand without your help. Prophet Cookie: And you have my gratitude, too. In return, I will look into your future! Cinnamon Cookie: Let me guess... Some prophecy or riddle about cleaning up the Archives... Blueberry Pie Cookie: No, your divination is not required. Please take care of your beard. Wizard Cookie: We’ll come visit again! I’d like to take a closer look at all the books! Prophet Cookie: Alas, goodbyes are most difficult… Cinnamon Cookie: Hey, Blueberry Pie Cookie! Why don’t you come with us? There’s lots of things to see out there! Blueberry Pie Cookie: No, this is where we must part. Blueberry Pie Cookie: I am the Keeper of the Archives. I must remain here.

#blueberry pie cookie #cinnamon cookie #wizard cookie #prophet cookie #cookie run #cr dialogue

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2centsoframblings · 3 years

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Two cents of ramblings on: “Otome Game no Hametsu Flag Shika Nai Akuyaku Reijō ni Tensei Shite Shimatta…”/“HameFura” (Anime) - Season 1...

...and why I recommend it.

GENERAL DATA

Title: Otome GAME no Hametsu FLAG Shika Nai Akuyaku Reijō ni Tensei Shite Shimatta… (乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった… “My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!”)

Known as: HameFura (はめふら)

Media: Anime television series

Adaptation of: “Otome GAME no Hametsu FLAG Shika Nai Akuyaku Reijō ni Tensei Shite Shimatta…” (乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった… “My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!”) shōjo light novel by Satoru Yamaguchi Satoru and illustrated by Hidaka Nami.

Genre: Isekai, Reverse harem, Romantic comedy

Directed by: Inoue Keisuke

Written by: Shimizu Megumi

Studio: Silver Link

Original run: April 5, 2020 – June 21, 2020

Episodes: 12

WARNINGS: Bullying and mistreatment of children

The plot in short: A girl dies and find herself reincarnated into Catarina Claes, the villainess of an Otome Game, “Fortune Lover”, when the latter was a child. Aware that all the routes of the game would lead to her being either exiled or killed she desperately tries to adopt countermeasures to avoid her flags of doom.

HOW DID I STUMBLE INTO IT

I was searching a funny anime to watch during summer and this one caught my eyes, probably also due to how I saw the cute Nendo of Catarina so it felt kind of familiar...

THINGS YOU MIGHT WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE TACKLING THIS

If you’re not familiar with the terms an otome game (乙女ゲーム “maiden game”) is a video game in which the main goal is to develop a romantic relationship between the female player character and one of several male characters.

Isekai (異世界 "different world"), is a Japanese genre of portal fantasy that revolve around a person or people who are transported to and have to survive in another world, such as a fantasy world, virtual world, another planet, future/past time, or parallel universe.

MY TWO CENTS ON IT

THE SHORT VERSION… or what I can tell you about this while trying to keep spoilers at the very bare minimum.

Opening & ending: The anime uses as opening “Otome no Route wa Hitotsu Janai!” (乙女のルートはひとつじゃない！ ‘There's More Than Just One Route For a Maiden!’) by Angela and, as ending “Bad End” by Aoi Shōta. The opening is just cute, simple and well match the music and introduces the characters with nice transition effects to show Katarina and the other characters as child and as adults. Maybe it’s not a perfect work of art but it’s well structured and definitely enjoyable so I liked it! The ending isn’t bad but it’s nothing special either, just made by still images of the characters. Honestly I found it unimpressive.

The plot: The struggles of Catarina to avoid her doom are extremely fun to follow! The story is basically split in two, her childhood, which is kind of a prequel to the “Fortune Lover” game and then her teenager years which basically cover the “Fortune Lover” plot. The plot is easy to follow and not that deep but this doesn’t stop you from enjoying the comedy of it.

The characters: The introduction to all the characters is gradual and, while they all are meant to be the stereotypical characters of an otome game… in the end they came out as much funnier and different than just that. They’re all likable and fun.

The visual: The story aims at being very pretty visually, the colours are bright and the background well cared for, even if deliberately a bit vague. The characters’ expression can be pretty fun and chibi-like. If you want the character design is a bit simple but it works well for the story.

The musical background: It’s actually rather nice! Nothing over the top but still enjoyable and fitting the mood.

Overall: It’s a light and fun anime to watch! It will offer you amusement and distraction.

THE LONG VERSION… or what I loved and hated about this with, of course, TONS OF SPOILERS.

So I quite liked the premise of this story in which our main character find herself reincarnated into the villainess and how she has to try to find a way to avoid her doom.

I loved how they depicted how her mind work in a way which reminded me of the movie “Inside out”, in short by having 5 chibi Catarina, each with a different character. We’ve chairmain Catarina, happy Catarina, studious Catarina, fearless Catarina and spineless Catarina and they all discuss among them Catarina’s situation and what they plan to do.

But a big part of what I enjoyed is how they handled the concept of Otome games.

From Catarina’s perspective she’s in an Otome game in which the main character and heroine is Maria, which, in real life, would be a stand in for the player.

But from us viewers’ perspective, it’s Catarina the one who’s the main character, which the game subtly hints as we’ll never learn the name of the person she was before. We’re meant to identify with Catarina, not with Maria and, as Catarina, we play “Fortune Lovers”.

And, by this premise, Catarina and her actions and the effects her actions have make the game more ‘realistic’ in a way.

Both Catarina and Maria are two very good girls, but while Maria is beautiful and has light magic despite being a peasant and a sad backstory and is probably constructed to be a Mary Sue, Catarina has plenty of flaws.

She’s lazy, she’s a glutton, she doesn’t know proper etiquette, despite being a noble she has extremely poor magic, she’s not particularly pretty (often she jokes her face is pretty scary) and so on. Likely this is a jab to how some people play otome games because in real life charming boys don’t just drop at their feet because they’re far from perfect.

However Catarina has her own strengths as well. As said before she’s kind, she’s brave, she’s straightforward and she tries her best and are those strengths what helps her to go through the various ‘events’ of the game in the right manner. Catarina feels she’s stealing them from other characters (mostly the protagonist) but, in truth, since SHE is the main character in this story, she’s just correctly triggering them.

Being Maria is a very hard to obtain goal, but we can all be Catarina (actually Catarina is sometimes so dense we might even lull ourselves into thinking it would be easy to be better than her) so what Catarina does and obtain seems a possible goal.

And there’s another thing this story makes that makes it sounds more ‘realistic’ than “Fortune Lovers”.

In “Fortune Lovers” the protagonist is meant to trigger the events when they’re teenagers. In a short amount of time, by doing some right choices, she radically changes a conquerable character and wins his love. This is a very power fantasy but one extremely unrealistic because it’s not so easy to change people.

Catarina instead triggers those events when the conquerable characters are children and reinforces their changes through the years until they become teenagers and enter the magic academy.

So it’s perfectly reasonable the conquerable characters changed into different people since they had years to do so, and it works they’re so attached to her since she triggered those changes and spent years to positively enforcing them.

Keith has plenty of memories of Catarina supporting him, Geordo spent years with her, learning to know her and growing fond of her, Alan was constantly positively reinforced so that he could accept that he and his brother have different strength and neither was inferior to the other and Nicol could appreciate how good she was to his sister and to him for years.

This builds a strong foundation to their changes and their feelings, way stronger than if they just met her and she made few nice things to them.

Sure, the idea she basically conquered EVERYONE, even the characters that were meant to be love rivals like Mary, when she was still a child, is also unrealistic but the idea behind it is more ‘real’ because plays on real dynamics that can happen with an appropriate amount of time and effort.

Who’s meant to identify in Catarina isn’t, after all, an eight year old but teenagers, and the message is if they’ll work like she did, in time they’ll conquer their love interest. It won’t happen overnight as the game “Fortune Lovers” let its players believe, but with years of work. They would just start later compared to Catarina, which is a nice message.

And while conquering Sirius Dieke/Raphael Walt is the one HARD victory that’s not gained through years of hard work (conquering Maria was pretty easy, all she needed was someone to notice her which is an interesting way to paint the heroine of an otome game who, effectively, easily fall in love with one of the conquerable characters) but just two years spent together, the good part is she didn’t cause him to fall in love with her but that she wins him over by offering him friendship and kindness.

Catarina: That’s what happened? And that’s why you’re in such pain… Sirius/Raphael: You hypocrite! Do you think you can save me like you did all those others, Good Saint Catarina Claes-sama?! Maria: If this goes any further, we’re all in danger! Gerdo: Catarina! Keith: Nee-san! Catarina: I’ll be fine. I know I can’t save you. I’m not the heroine here, after all. I’m just the villainess, here to play the heroine’s rival. Of course I can’t save anyone. I can’t save you from your suffering but I can stay by your side. Just like they all did for me, I can stay by your side, hear you out when you’re sad or hurt, and not leave you until you’re feeling better. Mother: What’s wrong? Sitting out here crying won’t make it stop hurting. I’ll stay here with you. I won’t leave you until you’re feeling better. Catarina/Mother: So don’t cry all alone, Raphael.

And this brings home another theme, everyone needs friendship and kindness, along with how there’s not an easy way to fix people, to save them. Catarina doesn’t go to him saying she’ll save him, just that she’ll basically offer him her friendship… and that’s what give Raphael the motivation to save himself. Because he’s supported by Catarina, he remembers the truth, that he was supported by the person he loved, his mother, who didn’t ask him to avenge her but to live and be happy…

Mother: Raphael… Please… live. Live… and be happy. I love you.

…and so he fights against the dark magic user who was possessing him and manipulating his memories. And, if we want, in this case Catarina is the trigger, but there was one person who had loved him for years and that was his mother.

However, even if one doesn’t care about the message, this story is great just for the light fun it allows you to have. Catarina’s reactions, often over the top as well as her schemes to avoid triggering doom flags are so very fun!

I love all the cute, chibi expressions she has, just watching her it’s fun!

And I love how the story ends with a ‘friendship ending’ of some sort, at least from Catarina’s perception because, in truth it should be a ‘reverse harem ending’ because everyone loves Catarina but, since she’s unaware of it and sees them all as friends, it works well as ‘friendship ending’.

On a fun note the anime kind of messes up a little as, once Raphael joins the Department of Magic we see walking behind him Rufus Brode/Sora Smith, the scene implying Rufus is already in it… but he’ll only join it in the second season… though maybe by the time they animated this series they had no idea they would make a second season so his cameo is just a nice bonus for who’s familiar with the following events in the novels.

I also likes Catarina’s final words.

Catarina: When I was reincarnated as a villainess in an otome game where all routes led to my doom, I spent my days complaining about how my luck couldn’t be any worse. But now, I can say loudly and proudly… that I, Catarina Claes, am truly blessed to have met all these wonderful people. I have no idea what’s going to happen from now on. A new season that wasn’t in the game’s script is about to begin!

Catarina avoided all her doom flags because she adopted a very active approach… and the wonderful people she met became wonderful because she was a positive influence to them (as in the game they were beautiful but, surely, not that nice as characters, except with the heroine).

So yeah “HameFura” is a definitely enjoyable anime, not too deep or heavy but with plenty of fun and cute moments, something that gifts you with pleasurable time, so it’s definitely something I recommend!

And now let's end this with an AMV about this series I recommend watching Electropop

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#Otome Game no Hametsu Flag Shika Nai Akuyaku Reijō ni Tensei Shite Shimatta #HameFura #My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!#Silver Link #Isekai #Reverse Harem #Romantic Comedy #Anime television series #Shoujo #Recommended #2020

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pluviophile-bookworm · 3 years

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High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Rewatch pt.3

Ok, full disclosure: I should not be doing this right now. But I've been thinking about it since yesterday and, well, I reckon I can go over 1x4 and 5, and then move on to my actual work. So here we are. I'm really, really excited for these two, so without further ado, I'll dive right into:

1x4: It's hard to believe that I couldn't see... the majority of what happens in this episode when I first watched it

Why is Nini such a pro at making a scene with whoever her current boyfriend is in the middle of a public place? I mean, I get it that she's upset about EJ going through her phone — who wouldn't be — but maybe - and this is just a friendly suggestion — she could try and discuss that in private, not start a shouting match within view of all their classmates. Just saying.

'Ricky would never steal my phone' — well, perhaps not, but he's not quite above deleting stuff from it, either... I wonder if whoever is writing this show knows that there are many other ways to make a relationship unhealthy... it's not funny anymore. Just repetitive.

Ahhh Natalie and her emotional support hamster! At least there's one good thing about this scene.

Sure, Ricky, blame Big Red for the fact that you misplace your stuff... a very nice best friend he's got, indeed.

Gosh, everything is so awkward and there is just so much tension all over the place — Ricky's parents, then EJ and Nini, and then Carlos just being oblivious to the fact that they just broke up... you know, that last part just made me laugh. And then Ricky's reaction to his parents legally separating just broke my heart. That boy's been through too much.

Big Red being completely clueless about theatre terms is super funny and endearing, but let me just put myself in his shoes for a sec. He's followed his best friend into a badly thought-out scheme to get back together with his ex, got dragged into joining the crew, and is now expected to know what everything is. I would not put up with that... ok, who are we kidding, I'm a massive pushover and would put up with anything, but my point is... he shouldn't have to. At least people are doing the bare minimum to help him learn and nobody's laughed at him for not knowing. That's the good thing about this crew.

Ok, so I have posted about my thoughts of their take on What I've Been Looking For before, back when the episode was brand new, so I won't go into detail about that. In short, I think they've got the arrangement all wrong considering that it is a plot point in the original movie, but... the execution is funny. The scene is about Nini and EJ's post-breakup tension and it shows. I just kind of wish now Miss Jenn had pulled Nini out and put Gina in, even just for this rehearsal — and I might or might not be saying this as a Portwell shipper.

Miss Jenn is done with the students' personal drama and honestly, I'm right behind her. These kids are being completely unprofessional — and well, I realise that we can't expect them to be professional at this stage, but... they could at least try to concentrate on rehearsal and not their personal lives for a second.

Ricky hugging a cushion is my spirit animal. That's it, that's the comment.

Ahhh the tension between EJ and Gina though... 'around here seniors don't follow sophomores' — well, we'll see how it goes, Mr. Senior.

What gives Nini the right to shout at strangers about their relationship? I am honestly so frustrated with her these days. Wonder why I never was during season 1. The reasons are all there.

'He loves you' — yeah, like a little sister, he does. Also, Ash is so precious, always trying to see the good in other people. EJ 1.0 is so lucky he had her as an example.

Ok, I'm not going to go into what an amazing best friend Big Red is because we all know that (plus I'm saving it for a certain scene in 1x5), but this must be so hard for him. I mean, he's trying his absolute best to help Ricky feel better and distract him from his problems, and Ricky is turning everything down. I mean, I guess I understand where he's coming from too, but I'm unable to look at things through the lead-centric lens alone anymore. I'm more aware of non-lead characters now (some more so than others) and this is putting a whole new spin on my perception of everything that happens.

I've got no idea how Big Red can sleep with all this noise, though. I could never. But to each their own.

'perfect on paper' — that's EJ 1.0 to a T. I've got to give Nini that.

Ricky wearing the pride t-shirt... we love to see it.

See, this is why I keep forgetting why I ever shipped Rini and then remembering again... their chemistry is just so on-again-off-again, and here it's definitely present, but I just need a couple with consistent chemistry, you know. Hey, isn't that kind of what All I Want is about? Kind of. I don't know. I've been unable to listen to that song ever since it got big irl. I have this... problem with media that becomes popular and mainstream... I mean, I never hold a grudge against things just for being popular, but I just... relate to underrated stuff much easier. Not because it's underrated, but it just so happens that nearly everything I like and relate to is underrated in some capacity. Even HSMTMTS itself — it's practically unheard of here in Bulgaria, so I would not have found it if I hadn't been looking for it specifically. Ok, this comment got derailed several times. I guess I'll just stop here and move right on to 1x5 at this point.

1x5: A bedazzled tablecloth, a perfectly balanced unicycle and bad reception at the barn... not the perfect ingredients, but they can still... Work This Out

'Miss Jenn says that's a life in the arts... well, that and almost constant unemployment' — alright, I know this line is not supposed to be funny, and that it's a painful reality for a lot of people, but... maybe it's the delivery. I just laugh every time.

See, this is what I mean when I say I want to see consistent chemistry — Seblos have it. I mean, I really don't want to jinx things, but... they do.

Big Red seems to be in a more... outspoken mood today, I guess you could say. Too bad Ricky is still shutting everything he says down. Seriously, Big Red and Seb should start a club for people who try their best to be there for their loved ones and still keep being shushed.

I might be super frustrated with nearly everything Nini says and does (can somebody please tell me why that is?), but... flushing her dress down the toilet? Major mood.

Listen, I love Miss Jenn and that she's close to her students, but... emerging from a toilet cubicle and inviting herself to Kourtney and Nini's girls' night was... Will Shuester level of questionable.

Ricky being the mature one about his parents separation is... I mean, it's admirable, but how did he move past the impending depression of last episode and towards being the one who tells his dad to get up and move on? Well, I mean, good for him. But I think the issue is far from buried yet.

'Friend of the year'? Ricky? I don't think so. First of all, if he were, he'd know that Big Red does not have two left feet. Wasn't it you, Ricky, who was stumbling over the steps in HSM a couple of weeks ago? You're one to talk. Plus Big Red's been listening and trying to help while you've just been spouting off about your personal problems for... how long has it been now? I get it, Ricky has issues that he needs to work through, but he's almost legally blind in both eyes when it comes to Big Red.

Ok, but Ricky is the epitome of 'cannot solve his own problems but has a suggestion on how everybody else should solve theirs' in this episode. Maybe take a step back and listen to your own advice?

'My parents think I'm bonding with the livestock' — I've got no idea why I find this line so funny, but I do. And I've got so much love for this entire scene. Carlos' reaction to Seb's response to his invitation is just... the most adorable thing ever! My heart might just burst. Especially given what we're about to go through tomorrow in 2x10... I am. Not. Ready.

The entire karaoke scene just reminds me of... pretty much every extended family reunion on my mum's side. Her cousins love karaoke and are also completely tone-deaf. I love it that they're able to have fun with it, but my ears are still recovering from my great aunt's birthday party two years ago.

'When did you become Nini?' — Why does Mr. Mazzara know so much about his students' dating lives? I mean, Miss Jenn does, too, but he doesn't strike me as someone as invested in them as her. Idk, it just struck me as kind of weird.

'I didn't agree to photos' — please, EJ, I'm sure you'll want memories from your first fake-dating gig with Gina... once you're no longer fake-dating, you know. Boy, these two are going to have stories to tell to their grandchildren.

I've said some stuff about Nini, but... 'a bedazzled tablecloth' is the funniest description I've heard for Gina's homecoming dress.

'Maybe it's not actually about you at all.' Yeah, you tell him, Reddy! Ricky needs to get over himself.

The way Big Red sniffs out the drama, though... I was not-so-randomly reminded of that moment in 2x9 where Seb was like Carlos. and Big Red was like, 'Are you guys fighting?'...

Big Red doing a comedic lip-reading of Gina and EJ's dramatic scene is absolutely hilarious. I might or might not have sold my heart and soul to him after seeing that scene for the first time. But I just remembered how he said earlier that maybe he can't read lips and that just makes this 100% funnier — he was basically like a child who can't read yet making up a story based on the pictures in a book, and I mean it in the best way possible. He's a theatre dark horse, this one, and they should all be intimidated — or inspired, whatever they choose — by his hidden talents. Gosh, I love this guy. But can you blame me?

'You think I'm actually going to confide in you?' — Absolutely. You can't bully someone from your position of authority over them and then act like you're their friend. I do know now that Mr. Mazzara has hidden depths, but he had no right to be as rude to Carlos as he was in 1x3. He was right about one thing, though — Carlos doesn't need a dance partner to dance.

Ricky saying he was going to apologise to Gina and counting that as an apology is giving me major TJ/ Buffy flashbacks. I wonder why that is... * sarcasm *

Nini feeling like a fraud makes me actually sympathise with her for a second. But I feel like Nini's flaw of defining herself through boys and Ricky in particular has been addressed one time too many now, since it was first addressed here in this episode. If they make her and Ricky get back together again in season 2, I will riot. [side note: I feel like the Born to Be Brave scene says a lot about both Rini and Seblos as couples. Nini and Carlos both feel, in the moments leading up to the song, like they are incomplete without their partners. Ricky, too, has built his personality entirely around Nini at that time (and is still not completely over that in s2). And then the song comes in to remind them that they don't need a partner to be happy. I'm just thinking of Big Red's 'perfectly balanced unicycle' comment from the promotional materials, and of how he and Ashlyn, even when they're dating in s2, are never portrayed as being incomplete without each other. I guess there's a reason why they're the Beta Couple of the show — their relationship drama is nearly non-existent, and when it does exist, it's just caused by them caring too much about each other. Every other couple on the show should learn from them.]

Everybody supporting Carlos during the Born to Be Brave number just warms my heart so much... I am actually crying real tears. And then the end, when Seb finally shows up, right in time for the slow dance... I have a lot of feelings about this scene.

Seblos' dialogue here still kind of makes me cringe a little... but like, in a good way.

Yikes... Miss Jenn's getting into trouble... I mean, it was bound to happen sooner or later. But she's lucky she's had enough time with her students for them to love her enough to fight for her. Still, this is a topic for another episode, and so I won't expand on it in this post.

Well, that's it. That was 1x4 and 5. Those were pretty much my favourite episodes when season 1 was airing. And I can definitely see why, even if my views on some things have changed due to stuff that happens later. But, as I constantly say, that's what rewatches are for. In other words, 'once more, with feeling this time' as my choir director used to say.

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts: the rewatch #nini salazar-roberts #ricky bowen #gina porter #ej caswell #ashlyn caswell #ashlyn moon caswell #big red redonovich #carlos rodriguez #seb matthew smith #kourtney greene #hsmtmts miss jenn #hsmtmts mr mazzara #rini #seblos #redlyn #portwell #jnk

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taiblogcomics · 3 years

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I Can’t Pet Force You To Read This One, But...

Hey there, high school crushes. Well, it's finally here. Can you believe it? Yes, counting from the original Xanga site (which, yes, still counts. It's like our own Golden Age publication or apocryphia), this is our 10th anniversary of reviewing comics. That's fantastic. I'm excited, can't you tell? I can tell, since I'm writing this preamble a good two months before the actual anniverary~

So, last year we reviewed the absolute pile of dreck that is Heroes in Crisis. And while that was worth ripping into, I'd rather not spend the 10th anniversary hating on something. I'd like to do something actually meaningful to me. I've teased about this one for many years, probably for as long as I've been doing this blog, and I think it's time we stopped pussyfooting around and reviewed some Garfield. But not just any Garfield. It's finally time, my friends. This... is Garfield's Pet Force.

I dunno how many people will remember this one. Maybe you recall the direct-to-DVD movie adaptation from 2009, or at least advertising for it. I never saw it, but apparently it differs a bit. They also appeared a few times in those Garfield comics from back in the day. We even reviewed a couple (some were on the Xanga blog). But what we're looking at here are the original novellas published between 1997 and 1999. So yeah, these really are from my childhood. And since I've long espoused that Garfield was always funnier 20 years ago, this must be actual premium Garfield content, yeah? By golly, I hope so, because we got five whole books here today. So we should probably get into them~

Book 1: The Outrageous Origin

This is a classic sort of superhero cover. Standard team shot of poses, and that's fine for a first volume. In fact, that's great. Later editions of this would replace the lightning-filled gradient background with a pure white one, but I have this original version. We'll get to specifics about these characters in the meat of the story, but let's talk about the costumes for a bit. Very classic early-'90s sort of look, before the Dark Age kicked in. Reminds me a lot of Jim Lee's X-Men designs, actually. Making all your characters visually distinct is important in a team book. The heavy lean into secondary colours is unusual for heroic characters, but not unwelcome.

So we actually start with a cold open in the superhero universe. This is pretty much to introduce us to the characters as soon as possible, and thus I'll do the same for you here.

*Garzooka, team leader, super strong, has a razor-sharp claw, and can shoot radioactive hairballs from his mouth. That's... at least a unique power, I don't think anyone on the Justice League can do that~ *Odious, the dumb muscle with the accent on the "dumb". Possibly even stronger than Garzooka, and possessing a "super-stretchy stun tongue", an elastic tongue that can scramble the minds of whoever it adheres to. *Starlena, the team girl. She can fly, and she has a siren song that can put those who hear it into a hypnotic trance. Garzooka is the only one immune to its effects, for reasons that are never explained. *Abnermal, the kid-appeal character. He has ice powers, forcefields, and an ill-defined "pester power" that means he can annoy people on a greater scale than normal folks. It's pretty much only used for comic relief, but that could be a brilliant power in the right hands. *Compooky, the brains of the operation. Other than flight, his powers are limited to super intelligence, which means he's usually the exposition guy. There's probably a reason they left him out of the movie adaptation~

You got all that? Don't worry, we'll introduce you again later in the book. What actually happens in the intro chapter isn't really important, it's just setting up the universe. In fact, it's all taking place within Pet Force #99, a comic just enjoyed by Nermal. Yes, we quickly cut over to the main Garfield universe ("our universe", the narrator calls it), where Pet Force is just a comic book. The Garfield gang is all outside, enjoying a cookout prepared by Jon Arbuckle. Nermal is extremely enthused by his comic book, and brags about how he has all 98 previous issues sealed and polybagged, and this one will soon join them. Sorry, Nermal, this came out in 1997, the speculator boom already went bust~

Garfield dismisses comic books as stupid because you can't eat them or use them as a blanket, and declares that none of the stuff that happens in the comic could possibly happen in real life. Uh oh, irony! Because these things can happen, and do! It's a parallel universe, baby! This might be one of my earliest introductions to a "parallel worlds" concept. Much like Earths 1 and 2 in pre-Crisis DC, the events of the comic are essentially the real life adventures of their super-powered counterparts in another dimension. Most of the action in these stories will take place there~

So here's the setup: Vetvix (the parallel equivalent to Liz the veternarian) is an evil sorceress and scientist, who essentially wants to experiment on animals in peace, and possibly subjugate the universe while she's at it. You could argue that Liz is an odd choice for villain, since our universe's Liz isn't particularly evil. But then, our universe's Garfield isn't particularly heroic either. She operates out of a deadly space station called the Orbiting Clinic of Chaos, and at present she's waiting for the arrival of her henchman, Space Pie-Rat, who is a six-foot-tall anthropomorphic rat dressed in stereotypical pirate getup. Vetvix has just finished inventing a levitation ray, and she'd like Pie-Rat to go out and use it to steal all the food in the universe. Vetvix doesn't think small, is what I'm saying.

The counter to Vetvix is Emperor Jon, ruler of the planet Polyester. He's kind and benevolent, even if he's a little dippy and his fashion sense atrocious. Having gotten wind of Vetvix's latest plan, he contacts Pet Force in their ship, the Lightspeed Lasagna. Upon learning the problem, Pet Force gives chase to Pie-Rat. They eventually corner him on some desolate planet, landing and entering an abandoned factory. Unfortunately, they're not safe amongst the dangerous machinery, because this turns out to be a trap. Vetvix has been busy as hell, because she's also invented a metal that's impervious to their powers. And that's not all, because she's also basically invented the Phantom Zone, where she traps Pet Force forever. It specifically mentions it doesn’t kill them, because it wouldn't be kosher to murder the heroes in a Garfield book~

The Lightspeed Lasagna has both onboard cameras connected to the heroes' belts as well as automatic return protocols, so within two days, Emperor Jon knows exactly what's happened to Pet Force. He needs help, so he calls upon his most trusted and powerful advisor: Binky the Sorceror. Binky's just as loud and obnoxious as in the main universe, but he's also a powerful magician. He conjures up a spell for Emperor Jon that lets him pierce the veil between universes. It's basically Equestria Girls rules: parallel universes have similar characters between them. So to replace Pet Force, they need the nearest genetic equivalents from another universe. And that's the versions of Garfield, Odie, Arlene, Nermal, and Pooky that we know and love~

Back in the main universe, it's another day entirely. Another cookout is taking place, and Nermal has received his special anniversary issue of Pet Force #100. The cover's really special, dripping with '90s cover gimmicks like glow-in-the-dark and embossing. A rarely used one, though, was "portal to another universe". That was pretty expensive to print, so you won't find many comics like Nermal's. Maybe he had something there with the collecting after all. The cover glows, and while Jon is distracted by the grill, Garfield and Friends disappear~

They reappear in Emperor Jon's wood-paneled throne room, now transformed into Pet Force. Emperor Jon and Sorceror Binky try to explain the situation, but Garfield--now Garzooka--is disbelieving of the whole thing. In fact, even the idea that Jon can now hear him talk absolutely floors him. Since he's about to deliver the exposition for everyone, can we talk about Compooky for a minute? This spell has just granted sapience to Garfield's teddy bear. I don't expect deep philosophy from a children's novella, but the ramifications of this are really under-explored. Like, never mind the whole idea of a teddy bear having the same genetic makeup as an alternate universe equivalent. He goes from inanimate object to fully conscious being, and he just rolls with it.

Anyways, once everybody gets caught up on what's going on and accepts the new reality, a training montage ensues so the group can all learn to use their powers without killing each other. Once at least reasonably trained, the reborn Pet Force is sent out to stop Pie-Rat. He's gotten sloppy in the times with Pet Force dead, so they track him down easily. After a brief scuffle where Garzooka takes his eyepatch, Pie-Rat flees in his ship. They follow Pie-Rat back to the Orbital Clinic of Chaos, but they can't go in the front. That led the original Pet Force into a trap. Finding an unguarded maintenance hatch--standard on any big space station--they enter Vetvix's lair for a final confrontation!

After dealing with the Waiting Room of Doom, which slowly fills with outdated magazines, they enter Vetvix's inner sanctum. Frustrated with Pie-Rat's failure, she uses her magic to turn him into an ordinary mouse. Vetvix then attempts to use her same weapon on this new Pet Force, but thanks to story contrivance, it only works on beings born in this universe. As other dimensional visitors already, they can't be banished to another dimension. She then pulls a Dr. Claw and runs off cursing Pet Force's name while her base self-destructs. Vetvix is a very "discard and draw" sort of villain, it seems. Pet Force, of course, makes a harrowing escape just in the nick of time.

Returning to Emperor Jon, they vow to be ready to return whenever they're called on, since evil never stays dormant for long. Odious even gifts Emperor Jon with the mouse-ified Pie-Rat as proof of their victory. Well, I'm glad they remember that, so they didn't accidentally murder a major villain in their first superhero outing. They're returned to their own universe, and the time differential between them places them back with Jon having not had time to even look up from the grill. Garfield begins to doubt the adventure even happened--until that night, when he finds Pie-Rat's eyepatch still on his person. Ah, definitive proof of... eyepatches, I guess~

Book 2: Pie-Rat's Revenge!

You have to wonder where, in a space-faring superhero setting, Pie-Rat got the inspiration for his classic pirate motif. It's a little incongruous is all I'm saying. And hey, remember when I said earlier that Garzooka's purple-and-green colour scheme was odd for a hero? Well, here he is as a villain! That'll catch your eye. This would be a terrific comic cover, which is what you want in a series like this.

The book opens with a brief recap of the previous story's events, then moves into the new plot. See, Emperor Jon has opted to keep the polymorphed Pie-Rat as his pet. How very Ron Weasley of him. That's pretty apt, actually, because similarly Pie-Rat has maintained his intelligence in his new mousey form. Pie-Rat gets sick of being Emperor Jon's pet and plans a daring escape, exploiting the emperor's dimwitted and loving personality against him. Pie-Rat jams the lock with a food pellet and makes his escape that night.

Once free from his cage, he encounters Binky's cauldron, still left in the throne room from when the sorceror summoned Pet Force from Garfield's universe. Figuring he has nothing to lose, Pie-Rat jumps in the leftover brew. Suddenly he finds himself growing. He returns to his original anthropomorphic state--but with a twist. He's now twice his original height, a staggering twelve feet tall. He scoops up the rest of the remaining potion for later, and sneaks out of the palace as best as a 12-foot rat can sneak. Desiring revenge on both his former employer and his longtime foes, he steals Pet Force's ship and makes his escape from the planet, headed for Vetvix's newest base.

After his guards help Emperor Jon put the pieces of the problem together, they decide they must once again call upon the powers of Pet Force to recover their missing vehicle and stop the newly embiggened Pie-Rat. Fortunately, Garfield and friends have been watching movies all weekend, so Jon doesn't notice when his pets disappear from the living room in a bright flash. Of course, once returned to the alternate universe and the situation explained, they still have a problem: how do they give chase to Pie-Rat when he's got their ship?

And speaking of Pie-Rat in their ship, he's followed the trail of a mysterious energy output, and it's led him right to Vetvix's new base, the Menacing Moon of Mayhem. See, this is why you don't blow up your base: the backup base is never as good. if it was, it wouldn't be the backup. Given that it's such a shoddy base, Pie-Rat is easily able to get inside and get close to Vetvix. She's expecting a technological attack, so she's unprepared when he pulls out that vial of magic potion and sprinkles her with it. And naturally, the potion that made him grow 12 feet tall makes Vetvix shrink to 5 inches. It's magic, we don't have to explain it!

Pie-Rat takes the magic crystal that Vetvix uses to fuel her powers, which of course didn't shrink because magic is just bullshit. See previous paragraph's last sentence. And while Pie-Rat takes over the base and begins plotting a further revenge against Pet Force, we cut over to them. They're at Sorceror Binky's own castle, and it's clear he's a bit of a hoarder. This is to their advantage, though, as they eventually piece together a working spaceship out of old car parts and other things, all patched together between Compooky's know-how and Binky's magic. This seems like the sort of book where I could use that "it's magic" quote every other paragraph. But craft a new--if small--ship they do, and speed off in the newly christened Planetary Pizza.

The rickety little ship does eventually find its way to Pie-Rat's base, saving him the trouble of being proactive as a villain. The magic thing keeps happening, and Pie-Rat basically becomes Discord for a bit while he fights them, doing things like turning Starlena's siren song into actual living music notes. One by one, the members of Pet Force are taken out, with only Garzooka is left. He and Pie-Rat struggle, while Pie-Rat tries to aim the magic crystal at Garzooka. Garzooka uses his claw to rip the crystal from Pie-Rat and defeat him.

Unfortunately, here's where the cover comes in. It seems the moments Pie-Rat was focusing the crystal during the struggle affected Garzooka's mind. He puts the crystal around his own neck. which turns him evil. He helps Pie-Rat to his feet, and the pair escape in the Lightspeed Lasagna. While Pet Force pursues them in their ramshackle ship, the new criminal duo strikes the storage planet of Deli to steal their food. Pet Force manages to catch up as the villains celebrate their spoils, and use a magic blast from the systems Binky installed to short out the Lightspeed Lasagna. This enables them to dock with the ship and climb aboard for a contfrontation.

The group fights, and once again the bearer of a bullshit magic crystal subdues the heroes easily. Annoyed now, Garzooka takes hold of Starlena and prepares to kill her or something. She taps into the one thing she has left: she's not fighting just Garzooka, but Garfield in his body. She drops some heavy put-downs, which resonate with Garfield, and he hesitates long enough for her to cut the crystal off him. The crystal hits the floor and shatters, undoing its evil magics on Garzooka's mind as well as on all his teammates. With Pet Force reunited, Pie-Rat is easily subdued and locked up.

The group waits for the ship to power back up, then speed off to apologise to the planet Deli. Following that, they head back towards Vetvix's moonbase. That night, though, the magic that was making Pie-Rat 12 feet tall wears off, and he escapes from his cell. He steals the remaining shards of the crystal, climbs into the Planetary Pizza, and makes a getaway. As a bonus, he also repeats the power-down spell against the bigger ship, giving him ample time to escape. And he's not the only one. Over on the Menacing Moon of Mayhem, Vetvix also returns to her proper size, and abandons this base as well. And when Pet Force fails to find her, they simply return to their own universe, ready to be called on once again in the future~

Book 3: K-Niner: Dog of Doom!

Another very basic comic book-style cover. K-Niner is a much more typical villain in style. This one's actually a wrap-around, and features the rest of Pet Force reacting to K-Niner on the back cover. Which is good because, other than the first cover, the covers all have a heavy Garzooka focus. Which makes sense for a book series, I suppose, you wanna assure the kiddos that Garfield's gonna be in the book. But as a comic book series, this would be a bad look for a team book~

So after our standard introduction and recap, we start off with Vetvix in yet another new base, the Floating Fortress of Fear. I'm sure it's very intimidating, if she can keep hold of it for more than a single book. She's picking up from the epilogue and putting the last touches on K-Niner, mostly enhancing his intelligence. Now, you look at the cover and tell me what kind of voice you'd expect. Some sort of German or Austrian accent, like the doberman on Road Rovers? Does anyone remember Road Rovers~? Anyways, but no: he speaks with a posh British accent. You know, the "I say, good chaps, looks like we're in a bit of a sticky wicket, eh wot?" type. Trust me, you can tell. But just because he sounds refined doesn't mean he's not evil.

I also love that after the initial "trapped them in the Phantom Zone" bit, the villains just go whole ham. K-Niner here demonstrates that he is indeed evil by threatening to rip out Vetvix's throat. Let your villains be villainous is all I'm saying. She's pleased he's so vicious, but feels he needs to learn his place as well. She force-chokes him until he complies. She then gives him his assignment: she thinks dogs should be liberated. The Boy Mayor of Second Life would approve, and so does K-Niner. Turning pets on their masters is just his style.

K-Niner takes a portable evolution gun, and immediately sets off. He begins on the planet Kennel. Isn't it neat how every planet is named after an English word that describes its function? K-Niner quickly takes over the dog population and turns them against their masters, because boosting their intelligence also makes them evil, of course. They use enslavement collars on their former owners, and within a few days, the dogs now run the planet. We cut over to Emperor Jon on Polyester, where a man has crash-landed a ship. He's an escapee from Kennel, and he's here to report the events so we can get the plot moving and once more summon Pet Force!

And summoned once more they are, Garfield and Friends once more conveniently disappearing in a split second while Jon's back is turned (this time they're outside playing volleyball). And once back in the parallel universe, Emperor Jon fills them all in on K-Niner's dastardly doings. Garzooka, naturally, takes great offense to dogs being in charge, and takes his duties as a hero completely seriously for once. Pet Force takes off for a confrontation with K-Niner in the Lightspeed Lasagna. And speaking of Pet Force's ships...

The Planetary Pizza, piloted by Pie-Rat, plants its pads down on polar planet Glacia. Pie-Rat is here seeking a way to restore his magic crystal and regain his mighty magic powers. He's sought out the home of a legendary evil wizard, who's known by the name of... Barfo. I see why Barfo keeps his location a secret. But anyway, Barfo is the one who made the crystal, so naturally Pie-Rat reasons he can restore it as well. Suprisingly once on Glacia, Barfo's evil lair is pretty easy to find. His manservant, Hobart the Gnome, brings Pie-Rat before the wizard, and within moments the crystal is restored! Pie-Rat turns to thank Hobart, but Hobart suddenly turns into Vetvix!

Yes, Vetvix knew all along that Pie-Rat's quest would lead him here. And as she was once Barfo's student in the ways of evil magic, she knew she could get the old coot to go along with her plan. Barfo returns the crystal to Vetvix, restoring her powers. And so Pie-Rat, a recurring villain in three whole books, is unceremoniously done away with, as Vetvix teleports him inside an asteroid, trapping him in solid rock. Even if the asteroid were hollow or he displaced the interior when he teleported in, no doubt he'll suffocate within moments. That's pretty harsh.

With that over, we rejoin Pet Force as they approach Kennel. K-Niner's battle cruiser spots them incoming, and shoots the ship down, even in spite of Abnermal's forcefields. Pet Force bail out of the ship, and Abnermal uses his powers to make snow to cushion their fall. Upon landing, a contingent of mutant animals attack. The mooks aren't much, but K-Niner himself puts up an impressive fight. However, one of the mooks pulls a gun and points it at Compooky. This is why Compooky usually stays aboard the ship, but that wasn't an option. Rather than let their friend get hurt, Pet Force surrenders.

Pet Force is held prisoner separately from Compooky, with both the cell's technology making it freeze-proof and threats of "don't break out, or we'll shoot your compatriot". Their imprisonment is not long, though, as suddenly the power goes out. Pet Force takes advantage of the situation and make their escape, quickly running into Compooky. K-Niner didn't think the hyper-intelligent teddy bear needed a high security cell, and just locked him in the basement. It was easy for him to then break out and shut down the local power grid. This also has the side effect of turning off the control collars the humans were wearing. How convenient!

With control of the planet now tilted in their favour, Pet Force now has time to both fix their ship and reverse the polarity of the brain-boosting weapons, turning the dog population of Kennel back to their normal selves. Though the experience did change the pet owners of Kennel. Having experienced life in their pets' shoes (so to speak) for a bit, they've resolved to treat their canine companions a bit more equally. More being allowed on the furniture, less stupid tricks for treats. Still, Pet Force can't stay long, and they head off in pursuit of K-Niner's battle cruiser. This is why most superheroes don't have spaceships (Jedis don't count): if your enemy also has one, they can flee way more easily than on foot.

Not willing to let another place go to the dogs, as it were, Pet Force catches up with K-Niner. With his previous success, Vetvix has stepped up the timetable and sent him after Polyester right away. Emperor Jon is in danger! They enter the planet's atmosphere, and are attacked by fighter craft. They fend them off, but their weapons system is damaged in the fight, so they can't simply use the reverse brain-rays and solve it quickly. The team splits up instead: Garzooka and Abnermal will go after K-Niner, while the other three will find the planet's power source and knock out the collars, since that worked so well the last time.

The two heroes quickly make short work of K-Niner's guards, and then turn the battle to deal with the Dog of Doom himself. While the struggle goes on, the rest of Pet Force reach the planet's power grid. Using a clever tactic, Compooky overloads the power and causes and electrical storm that simultaneously undoes the brain-boosting effect and shorts out the enslavement collars. There's only a few pages left, after all, and we have to wrap this up. K-Niner is reverted back into an ordinary dog, and the emperor is reverted to an ordinary non-enslaved person. The day is saved!

And now once again, Pet Force prepares to return to their own universe. However... when the spell clears, the five heroes are still standing there. Something is blocking the passage between dimensions, and Pet Force is trapped. And while Pet Force's adventures have taken place between mere moments in their own universe, they have always returned quickly enough that Jon didn't notice a thing. But this time, as Jon retrieves the volleyball and turns around to his pets, he's surprised to find they've all vanished into thin air...

Book 4: Menace of the Mutanator

This one's very striking because of its more painted look compared to the heavy black outlines the rest of the covers have. Does this one count as having the whole team on the cover? Because, spoilers, that's what the Mutanator is: the rest of Pet Force mashed up into a villain. Again, though, that's definitely a striking image that'd draw in readers to a comic cover. In fact, while Garzooka may be over-used as a cover focus, several of these also show him imperiled in some way, and that's nice for character stuff. That helps balace it a bit~

I wanna say, before we start, that I'm impressed by the continuity for the series as a whole. They could've just written each story as a standalone, but for a series of 100-page children's novellas starring Garfield characters as superheroes, things happen in these books. Like, maybe not sweeping status quo changes, but events affect the plot of each next book down the line. And that's where we pick up! Right where the last book left off, with Pet Force now stuck in the alternate universe, unable to return home to Jon. But if they can't go home to Jon, well, maybe then events will conspire to bring Jon to them~

Yep, because Jon happens to wander into the room where they keep the copy of Pet Force #100 that acts as a portal to their universe, he gets transported into the Pet Force universe. And since Emperor Jon is still an extant entity, there's just two Jons now. Jon, of course, is a bit freaked out, and it takes several pages to explain the whole deal to him, and also have a showcase of all their powers to pad out the book some more. Eventually, they decide to call in Sorceror Binky to examine the problem. When he has a go of it, a sudden tornado emerges from the cauldron and whisks away Pet Force--save for Garzooka, whose prodigious strength keeps him anchored.

Garzooka heads out in the Lightspeed Lasagna to track Pet Force's signature, glad to get away from a double trouble Jon. And while he's searching, the scene cuts to Vetvix's Floating Fortress of Fear. Hey, one of her bases actually lasted more than one book! This is where Pet Force has been transported to, once more in a power-proof cell. Vetvix monologues to the heroes, as she is wont to do, explaining that she's the one who cast the spell to keep them from returning home. And further, she's brought them here to mutate them into her servants.

While Emperor Jon exposits about his backstory (turns out he is not of royal blood, and has about as much legitimate claim to the throne as you or I do), the search continues. Sorceror Binky detects Pet Force, giving them all a view of what happens next. The trapped members of Pet Force are literally broken apart and reassembled: Odious' body, Compooky's brain inserted into the chest, Abnermal's hands, and Starlena's head. She christens this beast "Mutanator", and it is soullessly obedient. I also wanna say, Mutanator's kind of a non-binary icon, aren't they? (The comic uses "it", but it was 1998 and alternative pronouns weren't really a thing yet.) Muscular, masculine body, but confident enough to still wear lipstick. It's a look, is all I'm saying~

Mutanator continues to possess the combined powers of Pet Force as well. Vetvix sends them to attack the planet Armory to gear up before attempting to conquer Polyester. And meanwhile, thanks to the convenience of being able to scan all of Compooky's memories now that his brain is part of Mutanator, Vetvix has the perfect trap to spring on Garzooka--or should she say Garfield. Yes, she really knows the whole origin for Pet Force now, and now she knows all Garfield's weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and probably blood type and other dating profile stats~

Thus, when Garzooka receives the coordinates from Emperor Jon and arrives at the Floating Fortress, he finds himself menaced by giant spiders. Vetvix couldn't think of a way to get Mondays to attack him, so the Giant Spider Invasion will do. Spiders are apparently very formiddable foes, Garzooka's personal fears aside. They can swat gamma hairballs out of the air, they can construct webs as quickly as certain Marvel heroes, and their hairy exoskeletons are resistant to both claw and strength. But despite his fear and Abnermal's running commentary, Garzooka manages to trounce the spiders with a carefully applied flame--taking Vetvix's blueprints with them.

Garzooka heads out once again to track down the Mutanator, leaving his less-than-all-together friends in the safety of their forcefield prison. While he's off, we return to the perspective of his target. Using their combined powers, the Mutanator swiftly conquers the planet Armory and sets their sights on Polyester next. It's not a bad plan, honestly. With the stockpile from Armory, not only will the Mutanator be more powerful, Polyester won't be able to use the planet for backup. Fortunately for the two Jons, though, Garzooka intercepts the Mutanator before they can leave Armory.

The fight's actually pretty good. Very back and forth. But even despite Garzooka's great strength, the Mutanator wins in the end. Thankfully, Vetvix puts her conquest of Polyester on hold to take the time to retrieve Garzooka and add his power to the Mutanator. This, of course will be her undoing--in a completely ridiculous way, of course. For back in the palace, our universe's Jon is watching Pet Force's struggles with the scrying cauldron. And he leans in a bit too close. Sowhile Vetvix is prepping the machine to divide Garzooka's body like she did the rest of Pet Force, Jon suddenly tumbles through the dimensional warp caused by the cauldron and lands on Vetvix, which causes her to put the machine in reverse. A real Jonnus ex cauldrona there, eh?

The Mutanator disappears, their existance as a unique being wiped out as their pieces return to their proper Pet Force owners. With Pet Force reassembled, Garzooka takes out Vetvix with one of his gamma-radiated hairballs while she's distracted by Jon. Pet Force decides that the vile veternarian should have a taste of her own medicine, and stick her in the body-splicing machine with some of her guards. This divides them all up and mixes them into bizarre combinations. It also has the side effect of disabling Vetvix's magic, so they can return to their own universe now.

The book wraps up here. Pet Force first returns to Armory to both return the stolen weapons and also make repairs on the buildings that were damaged in Garzooka's fight with the Mutanator. That's the sort of thing I'd like to see in more superhero stories in general. The two Jons part ways, with the Emperor believing the other Jon's heroism to have been deliberate. And thus are Garfield and friends returned home. And just like the end of their first adventure, where Garfield couldn't be sure if it really happened, so too is Jon's memory fading. Had he really witnessed all that? Only his pets know for sure--and in this universe, they can't talk~

Book 5: Attack of the Lethal Lizards

This one's another wrap-around, showing the rest of Pet Force engaging the remaining Lethal Lizards on the back cover. This is one advantage books have over comics: a front and back cover you can use for your story-telling. The Lizard designs are pretty good for a villain group too. Like Pet Force, they don't adhere to a particular theme, but they do look good individually. Garzooka roasting a hot dog on a stick might be a bit too comedic for a superhero story, though. It sets the tone wrong. How "lethal" can they possibly be if Garzooka is out here roasting hot dogs in the middle of battle?

So here we go, last book. After the usual recap, we open with Jon explaining to Garfield and friends his latest plans: they're going to WackyWorld, a theme park dedicated to Jon's favourite cartoon, The Wackies. Both Garfield and Nermal think the show is lame, and if those two agree on something, you know it must be so. In less lame universes, however, trouble is once more a-brewing. So it turns out Vetvix's Floating Fortress of Fear has been orbiting the swamp planet Reptilius this whole time. And her various experiments in the last two books have been radiating the planet in magical energy...

From that magical power, three reptiles find themselves uplifted in intelligence and granted fantastic powers. Please say hello to our three main villains for this book: Snake, an enormous snake (the only one without an anthro design) with stretching powers; Chameleon, who can shapeshift; and Dragon, a komodo dragon with fire breath and the bad attitude to match. While Snake and Chameleon figure out their powers, Dragon declares himself the leader as he's clearly the smartest, strongest, and most powerful. They name themselves the Lethal Lizards and start plotting how to rule the planet.

After that exciting intro, though, the book kind of slows down. First we get a whole chapter of Emperor Jon also deciding to go on vacation, to planet Funlandia. With Vetvix out of commission for a while, there's no better time. In short, he's out of the castle and Sorceror Binky is in charge. This is followed by a chapter of Jon and his pets at WackyWorld. It's certainly an accommodating amusement park to allow pets on its grounds. Garfield at least gets along with the food, but if you know anything about amusement park food prices, the amount Garfield eats will make your wallet weep. Jon takes his mind off it by dragging the pets along to a ride. Surely they have to be under the height restriction~

Fortunately, we get back to the actual stars of this book, and we see a bit more of their dynamic. Snake is the sort who sucks up to whoever's calling themselves "Boss" at the moment. Dragon is power-hungry, and it's clear he'll sell out his allies at the drop of a hat. Chameleon is Starscream. Anyway, they trek through the jungles of Reptilius until they find a downed spaceship. Reviewing the logs reveals it was a scout ship from Vetvix, and they also learn of Vetvix and her mission. However, they don't know where Emperor Jon lives, so they crowd into the the newly christened Rapacious Reptile and set course for the stars.

The first planet they come across is a world called Klod. Quickly the Lethal Lizards beat up the populace and find the local government. Chameleon shapeshifts into a dignitary, pretending to be an advance entourage for Emperor Jon, schmoozing with the governor until he learns both what Jon looks like and the name of his planet. With this information secure, Chameleon nips out suddenly, and the trio sets forth towards Polyester. Governer Klutz calls up the palace as soon as the reptiles depart, and reports the incident to Sorceror Binky.

Binky wastes no time, and he dials up Pet Force. Since all five are in one place, he's able to pull them through even without them being near the gateway through issue #100's cover. Convenient! Pet Force, however, does waste time, as a lengthy comedy scene eats up several pages before we just get on with it. Eventually, the situation is conveyed, and they figure it's safer to keep Emperor Jon on Funlandia for the time being. Compooky stays behind to help plan some strategies, while the rest of Pet Force boards the Lightspeed Lasagna to intercept the Lethal Lizards before they even arrive.

Pet Force spends the next few minutes both scanning for incoming ships and bickering with each other, so I'm very glad when the Rapacious Reptile appears on their detectors before too long. Dragon threatens the ship, telling them to move or he'll knock them aside. It's a spaceship, dude, you can move in three dimensions. The ships trade shots, and while Chameleon's piloting is actually pretty good due to his independently-rotating eyeballs, eventually both ships crash land on whatever planet is nearby.

Both ships crash right next to each other, which is improbable but less ridiculous than some of the contrivances in these books, so I'm okay with it. Now you'd think what with the enemies being reptiles and Abnermal having freezing powers that this battle would be over really easily, but no. In fact, Garzooka and Dragon are pretty evenly matched. Snake turns out to be immune to Starlena's siren song because snakes don't have external ears. See, now there's a contrivance I find a bit weird. Snake swallows Abnermal whole, and Chameleon and Odious get literally tongue-tied. The Lethal Lizards actually live up to their name pretty well.

As the fight continues, half of both sides are laid out when Compooky comes rushing up, saying he has an urgent message from the emperor. And that's when he sucker-punches the team. It was actually Chameleon in disguise, having gotten knocked away when he and Odious separated. So yeah, round one goes to the Lizards, and they make their escape first. Pet Force regroups, and they give chase. The Lizards have enough head start to really lay siege to Polyester before Pet Force arrives, though. They even get access to the palace using Chameleon's shapeshifting, leading to Sorceror Binky letting slip the real location of the emperor just as Pet Force arrives.

Another fight ensues--see, now it's really a superhero story--and the Lizards leave again 2 and 0. This time Snake uses his venomous fangs to attack Starlena. This leads to the weirdest contrivance yet. Maybe not the worst, but definitely the weirdest. They have only minutes to save Starlena. So how do they do it? Well, they notice that Odious drools quite a lot. It's very "fluid output". So they have Binky magically reverse Odious' drooling, so that he has "fluid input" on his tongue instead. It becomes a big suction sponge and sucks the poison out of Starlena. They then restore the drooling, and he just harmlessly drools out the poison. What.

With their teammate saved, Pet Force pursues the Lethal Lizards to Funlandia. They get there just in time to rescue Emperor Jon from their clutches, with Garzooka and Odious combining their strength to literally rip a kiddie ride out of the ground. Starlena corners Chameleon in a hall of mirrors, turning his own trick against him. Snake is undone by Odious' strength. And Garzooka fights Dragon to a standstill, finally trapping all three on a roller coaster still operating. When the ride comes to an end, Abnermal freezes them all until the authorities can retrieve them.

Naturally, Emperor Jon thinks it's all part of the show (because Jon is dimwitted in any universe). The Lizards are sent to a lizard-proof prison (seriously, it specifies this), and Pet Force returns to their own universe. As usual, Jon didn't notice his pets go missing during the dark amusement park ride. The book concludes on an ominous note, however, as the ship carrying the Lethal Lizards makes its jump to lightspeed just as it passes the Floating Fortress of Fear. The shockwave knocks over some debris that reactivates the combining machine, restoring Vetvix to her full evil might once more!

The end!

No, really. Those five books are all there was. I hear it may have continued into the comics, but I don’t know how accurate that is. I didn’t really look into it.

But boy, what a ride, huh? Let’s dissect the books one at a time, since it only seems fair to take them as individual stories.

The Outrageous Origin: It’s a fairly basic origin story, I’d say. It kind of has to be. I guess my main gripe is that, like Rita Repulsa’s entire run on Power Rangers, the heroes never fight the main villain directly. In fact, there’s barely even an evil plot in this one. You have henchmen and some traps, and that’s about it for the menace.

Pie-Rat’s Revenge: A cautionary tale about why you treat your minions with respect. This one’s pretty good, but the events depicted on the cover make up such a small part of the book. Wouldn’t it have been more fun if Garzooka was turned at the beginning of the story? Book 4 would at least do the reverse of that, so it’s not a major complaint~

K-Niner, Dog of Doom: I think this one’s about as middle of the road as you can get. What a coincidence that it’s also the middle of the series! Like I said in the recap portion, it’s a shame that Pie-Rat’s story ended here. This one definitely feels more “villain of the week” than most.

Menace of the Mutanator: This one might be the best book in the series. Garzooka, alone, battling against the best parts of his team? That’s gripping stuff. I guess the main problem is that the Mutanator isn’t really a character in and of themselves. Like, K-Niner, he may have been a generic rent-a-villain type, but he had a personality. Mutanator is little more than an extention of Vetvix’s will.

Attack of the Lethal Lizards: I’m a bit split on this one. The bits with the titular Lizards are great. They steal the show! But the parts where it focuses on either Jon kind of drag, and Pet Force is a bit too jokey here. Like, I get the point is that they’ve relaxed into their roles now, and there’s not much point of doing it as a Garfield story if they don’t actually use the character personalities, but... I dunno. It’s good, but it could have been better~

And that’s it! Like, I dunno how to wrap this up. Pet Force was neither my first exposure to superheroes nor my first introduction to the Garfield brand (you can thank Saturday morning cartoons for both of those). But for some reason, maybe just the absurdly goofy premise, it always kinda stuck with me. And I think that’s a good enough reason to make it my 10th anniversary review, don’t you~?

#books #reviews #Garfield #Pet Force #Garfield's Pet Force #Taiblog

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thedevilsfamiliar · 4 years

Note

In the third movie of bnha, I think the traitor is going to be revealed. In the original three musketeers story, one of the musketeers finds out his wife is alive and also evil. If Horikoshi stays with his love of parallels like for star wars and superheroes, he's going to stick to the main plot points of the three musketeers. So the traitor will be reviled and it's going to be someone close to tododekubaku. My money is on izuku.

⚠️ Manga Spoilers ⚠️

Despite Horikoshi saying that he forgot all about the traitor theory- I am betting fully that he’s now trying to incorporate it because we as a fandom are so god damn insistent 😂

I’ve seen so many theories revolving around who could the traitor possibly be- from Kaminari, to Kirishima, to Midoriya (by accident thanks to the AFO theory), to Todoroki, to Uraraka, and to Aoyoma.

I love the traitor!Denki theory because of his code name, given by the fandom, as The Distraction. He’s also done so many sketch things in the manga that point to it (which hurts since he’s one of my favorites. Emotional support dumbass)

The traitor!Kirishima theory, I believe, revolves around them(the villains) threatening his friends/family? I admittedly have only seen a few posts about it.

Listen- I love villain!deku. I do. I’d love that plot twist of him saying that he’s gonna be the worlds greatest villain. But I also love my sweet bun and desperately hope it isn’t him. Though nothing would be funnier than Inko telling Hisashi all about Izuku’s endeavors and Hisashi (AFO) being like “this is nice”. We really did pick the shittiest person in the anime to be Izuku’s dad huh.

I want to see Todoroki go absolutely batshit feral, okay? He deserves it. He deserves to go dramatic like his older brother. I would condone villain!todoroki. Fuuuuck can you imagine them revealing him as the traitor and it turning out that he and Dabi planned the entire reveal? That depending on how the people would react they’d stop or continue.

I love traitor!Uraraka because of her original goal being to be a hero for money- however due to recent events I can see that she’s trying to be a genuine hero. Deku is her inspiration- which I find admirable. If she is a traitor- this current arc has shown her what heroes go through and might even make her switch sides.

I’m not fully sure where the traitor!aoyoma theory came from but I do know it’s a thing? I don’t really have much opinions on it- but I did see a good theory post where Aoyoma knows who the traitor is and was trying to tell Deku.

#traitor theory #bnha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #mha #traitor Deku #ua traitor denki kaminari #ua traitor eijirou kirishima #ua traitor izuku midoirya #traitor uraraka #traitor Aoyoma #traitor kirishima #traitor kaminari #traitor Shoto Todoroki #spoilers #manga spoilers #bnha spoilers

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dragonologist-phd · 4 years

Text

OC Interview

I was tagged by @risualto a while back for this!! I decided to use Desta, of course!

And I’ll tag @rannadylin @lunarowena @serenbach86 @haileyoc if y’all wanna do it!

Pick three companions who know your OC/muse well. Answer the questions from at least one of their companions’ points of view. Name the three companions who will be answering here:

Siobhan- Kind Wayfarer mentor

Aloth- love interest

Tekehu- best friend

Are they ready to be candid with their responses? Don’t worry, this is totally private. Desta will never read it.

1. First Impressions. What was the first impression you had of Desta?

Siobhan: “She was a young thing, fresh on the road- you could tell because she didn’t know the first thing about handling a weapon. But she looked up at me with these big pleading eyes and I couldn’t turn her away. Plus she nearly got eaten by a drake and didn’t let that scare her off, so I at least knew she had some guts. So I took her under my wing and began showing her the ropes of the paladins.”

Aloth: “She helped me out of a rather unpleasant situation with some fellows in Gilded Vale. And I was grateful, of course. But aside from that I didn’t know what to make of her. She was a heavily armed stranger who appeared out of nowhere and was rambling about visions...despite being glad for a friendly face, I was still a bit wary. Luckily our relationship only improved from there.”

Tekehu: “I was quite enchanted to meet another one of the gods’ chosen! She probably wouldn’t appreciate my wording it that way, but that’s the truth. Not to say I didn’t also appreciate that she was an interesting, well-traveled newcomer with a refreshing irreverence for authority. I was quite enticed by the idea of getting to knew her better-“

Aloth: *frowns disapprovingly*

Tekehu: “-as a friend, seeing as it was soon clear that was all she desired between us.”

2. Desta walks into a bar. No, it’s not a joke - what does she order? If you give her a credit for the jukebox, what kind of music would she put on?

Siobhan: "Ha, you wouldn’t think it, but that girl has an iron stomach! Still, she’d probably stick to something lighter, and some upbeat music to go with it.”

Aloth: “She’s not a heavy drinker- she prefers sweet drinks, or perhaps a cider. And she likes dancing music, despite not being much of a dancer herself.”

Tekehu: "If this bar is in the Deadfire, there’s a pineapple drink I introduced her to that she quite enjoyed! As for music, she appreciates a good beat!”

3. How does Desta spend a day off from work?

Siobhan: "She’d still be off getting into trouble somewhere- that’s her idea of relaxing, which is probably why she fit in so well with the Wayfarers. We’re all a little bit like that.”

Aloth: "You’d probably find her out in her garden, if she’s at Caed Nua. When she doesn’t have that to distract her, however, she can’t stand days off. She usually ends up either exploring or helping people out with odd jobs, which are both technically still her job description.”

Tekehu: "Finding more work to do! I try to get her to relax more- I even offered to pay for a day at the Luminous Bathhouse. She simply has a restless soul.“

4. What silly superstitions or funny traditions does she observe?

Siobhan: "Nothing funnier than the other paladins. Most of us had good luck charms and things like that we carry around- Desta liked to make her own, these little flower chains that she would weave together. Not sure if she learned it from someone else or if it’s a Desta original.”

Aloth: "She still makes those flower charms! She also likes to make special meals for every new year that she says are good luck, which isn’t that strange- we do something not dissimilar in Aedyr. It’s simply that the food she makes involves a certain dish with beans that is...not very good. But please don’t tell her I said that. I don’t think she believes much in luck, but she seems to enjoy the cooking.”

Tekehu: “I taught her a few Deadfire traditions in our time together- she likes hearing about them, although I doubt she keeps up with any of them now.”

5. What does Desta wear to bed? And just how do you know that?

Siobhan: “When you’re on long journeys and sleeping in tents, you get to know what people wear to bed. Desta usually just fell asleep in whatever she happened to be wearing under her armor that day.”

Aloth: "When we travel, she can fall asleep in any position and in any clothing. When we’re not traveling- which is rare- she’s rather fond of roomy, comfortable clothing. (Modern AU: She has a collection of old sweatshirts, all at least one size too large, that she loves sleeping in.”

Tekehu: "I rarely see her out of some form of practical clothing, so I can only assume that is what she sleeps in. Ship life doesn’t offer much privacy, and yet I’ve never seen her in specific sleepwear of any kind. Also, our friend Aloth neglected to answer the second part of the question.”

Aloth: *flushes* “Well, I should think it goes without saying. We do not all have the need to be so...flagrant about our sleeping arrangements.”

6. Your favorite memory of Desta?

Siobhan: "I still remember the first time she managed to summon paladin flames through her weapon. You should have seen her face- I think she actually scared herself! But after the initial shock she was so excited...it was rather sweet, really.”

Aloth: “Well, there’s quite a few. It’s difficult to narrow it down. If I had to choose...I believe it would the first time I told her I loved her. And that was a private conversation, so that is all I will say on the matter.”

Tekehu: "We had many good adventures, but finding Ukaizo- that was a moment that cannot be outdone. And I never would have been there if not for Desta.”

7. A time you very nearly almost kissed Desta?

Siobhan: “Uh, no.”

Aloth: “Oh. Well, I suppose there were a few times before I actually did that I wanted to. One that sticks in my mind is before I left Caed Nua all those years ago...I knew by then how I felt for her, but I couldn’t do that to her right before I had to leave.”

Tekehu: “I admit, there have been occasions where the thought crossed my mind! She is a lovely woman, and very kind- our first trip to the Gullet, she was very comforting, and for a moment-”

Aloth: *disapproving frown intensifies*

Tekehu: “-I did nothing at all and we remained fast friends. I say, my companion here appears to coming down with some sort of affliction.”

8. Vacation time! Where do you take Desta for some R&R?

Siobhan: "Anywhere exciting! I heard tale of a nearby mountain cave being guarded by a dragon, I’m sure she’d love that!”

Aloth: “That sounds neither restful nor relaxing.”

Siobhan: “It is for us!”

Aloth: “That...explains quite a bit. In that vein, it’s difficult to imagine somewhere new she hasn’t been yet. It might be nice to take her to Aedyr. Perhaps not to meet my family- I’m not quite that comfortable with them yet- but there is some lovely scenery I could show her,”

Tekehu: "There are some lovely island we could visit, if she can stand the extra sailing time. But they are shores that haven’t seen explorers in many years, and I believe she would enjoy the experience!“

9. Desta’s sense of humor -is it dry, immature, sarcastic, self-deprecating, physical, witty, dark, or…?

Siobhan: "She was always an excitable girl- she finds just about anything funny. All in a very sweet way thought, she’s not prone to sarcasm or mockery.”

Aloth: "Desta appreciates puns. Originally I did not share that appreciation, but...I admit, her sense of humor has rubbed off on me, just a bit. Normally I would call it silly, but she has a talent for making me laugh no matter what mood I’m in.”

Tekehu: "Ah, yes, her puns are wonderful! She’s simply an entertaining person to be around- she tells hilarious stories!”

#thanks for the tag!#this was really fun!#ch: desta

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mirandalinotto · 4 years

Note

1, 3, 6 & 11 for the end of the year review meme :)

1. Favorite fictional characters this year

Zelda Spellman is one of my all-time favorites. I don’t think I’ve ever seen or read a character that I felt so passionately about. I feel like I understand her, and Miranda Otto’s choices when playing her, on a level that I don’t usually experience when I watch tv shows.

3. Favorite TV shows to watch this year

Schitt’s Creek is my comfort show. When I first started watching it, I didn’t enjoy it very much, because I thought that those rich people were so entirely unrelatable, I couldn’t possibly relate to them, but then as the series went on, and the characters grew, I absolutely fell in love with them!

I also really enjoyed The Flight Attendant---more than I expected to! It was a pretty dark show, but I don’t remember the last time I was so invested in a show as it aired (except for CAOS, of course!)

6. Favorite movies of the year

I’m not a big movie watcher these days. I have a very short attention span. My mom is always trying to get me to watch more movies with her, but I find myself easily distracted and often bored during them.

Just last night I watched Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which was not at all what I expected it to be, and thus my mind wandered a lot. I could tell it was meant to be a play, not a movie, and I was disappointed that Viola Davis didn’t have more scenes.

The last movie I saw at an actual theater was Downhill (2020), which I saw on Valentine’s Day all by myself right before the world went to hell in a handbasket. I really liked it, even though it was another one that wasn’t what I expected it to be. I thought it would be a lot funnier, what with Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus center stage, but the true comedienne of the movie was absolutely Miranda Otto.

Final Answer: Downhill. But that’s mostly because of covid-19 decimating the film industry.

11. Biggest squee moments of the year (For ye youths who no longer use such awesome terminology, that means the fandom moments that made your heart cry out in overwhelming joy. Can y’all believe that “squee” didn’t quite stand the test of time??)

I cried actual tears when Zelda Spellman was confirmed sapphic. I know everyone originally wanted Madam Spellman to happen, but I can’t even describe how overjoyed I was that we were given an interracial sapphic ship. I also can’t describe how excited I was when Skye P. Marshall came out to her fans as bisexual. Knowing that Mambo Marie, a sapphic character, was actually played by a bisexual woman, was definitely the biggest “squee” moment I’ve had in the fandom.

Thank you so much for asking! This was really fun to do <3

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gloomverse-theories · 4 years

Note

Wouldn’t it be funny if Harold's real magic was weather based? Those so called "weather gods", that’s just Harold being upset and unconsciously affecting the environment around him.

A likely possibility! Let’s look for evidence, shall we?

Petunia mentions that Wallis is very scared of storms, but Harold is not, in fact he was “protecting Wallis from the storm”. He IS too young to have any kind of magic, but since magic is based on your interests, it’s a point in favor.

There’s also a recurring theory that Petunia was stratoversian but emigrated to gloomverse, certainly for not having the right kind of magic. The hair and eyes color of Petunia and her kids matches those of actual stratoversians....

Now let’s take a look at the “Hereafter” chapter ~

Kid!Harold was the one to tell Rylie about the clouds that will “bring [her] where ever [she] wants to go”.

Not too long after, we meet dream!Harold and dream!Wallis....

Harold has his original hair and eye color, so we can presume he has his “true” magic. And what is he doing? Flying! On a giant lollipop, sure, but the point still stand.

However, Wallis mentions that walking on clouds is “something that magicians like [them] shouldn’t be able to do”. Is he only talking about himself and Rylie? Or does he include Harold in this sentence? It’s unclear....

How about the weather?

This moment is even funnier if Harold IS the weather god responsible for this

But Harold isn’t particularly upset here, or at least not more than usual. He might even have been in a better mood before it started raining, so I don’t think he caused this rain. It can just be natural rain.

(Panel from the bonus chapter)

Here, it’s a different story.... He was already upset for many reasons, and it started raining as he was having a meltdown. The rain stops after a little while, once he’s feeling better.

When this rain happens, Harold is in the hospital, but too afraid to come visit Rylie. He’s sad, he’s upset, and we see him right after trying to contact the Dark Overlord to held them accountable and get some answers. The rain also chases away the demonstrators, that had made him uncomfortable.

A little more than uncomfortable even.

It didn’t rain right after because the Lemon kids were quick to distract him. The storm didn’t have the time to build up.

There are some moments were Harold is visibly upset, like during the Battle Between Brothers, and yet the sky is blue.

But you can write this off as it being too quick to manifest anything, since others (like Wallis, Hobo or the Lemon kids) distract him from his feelings. And there’s still this “risk” that Lemon kid talked about, and that is likely linked to his emotional state.

But one question remains :

Why would Amadeus give his son a fake hat? Harold obviously has magic potential if he can unconsciously change the weather, and Amadeus managed to find Rylie’s true hat before her, so why didn’t he find Harold’s? Weather magic is not that dangerous, he would have no reason to keep it away for safety. Especially not at this price.

#gloomverse #gloomversetheories #gloomverse theories #theory #theories #mod green #harold #the weather gods

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welllpthisishappening · 5 years

Note

Here’s a distraction for you: it’s Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, and it’s being played on Garden ice. It’s Roland’s Flyers vs Matt’s Rangers. Who would win? What would the group chat look like going into that game?

B! My darling! You are, first of all, an absolute delight and, second of all, possibly a soothsayer because I wrote this. Like, a year ago. It’s only the first-round, but it does include some next-gen nonsense, Matt and Roland being on ice-bros and Henry being less-than-responsible. Seriously, Henry is not an adult presence when he’s partaking in the aforementioned nonsense.

Sorry in advance if the cut fails on mobile, mobile users.

----

“Are you watching this?”

Emma hummed, not taking her eyes away from the ice. “The game?”

“Nuh uh,” Killian muttered. “Whatever is happening over there.”

“You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“With our kid.”

“Once more.”

Killian chuckled, slinging his arm over Emma’s shoulder and resting his cheek against her hair. She still hadn’t moved away from the window, clicking her teeth every other shift because every other shift seemed more nerve-wracking than the last. He supposed that was the nature of playoff hockey – especially playoff hockey where one kid was playing another kid who wasn’t, technically, theirs, but had more or less grown up in their house as well.

And Roland had texted both Killian and Robin that morning demanding that they didn’t make any weird bets.

Matt and I have got that covered anyway.

Killian didn’t bother asking what the bet was. He was certain it was ridiculous. Although––

“Honestly, are you not concerned about this?” he asked, working another vaguely frustrated sound out of Emma because one of the wingers on Matt’s line had just missed the net wide right.

“Does that kid not understand how angles work?”

“You realize calling him a kid does take away from the insult of it?”

“I’m not trying to be insulting,” Emma sighed, but that was a lie and it really had been a fairly pitiful shot. Will laughed somewhere a few feet away. Peggy might have cackled. And Killian was going to dislocate his neck trying to watch the one kid on the ice and the other kid doing…whatever. “Ok, I mean, not super insulting,” Emma corrected, throwing both hands in the air when the Rangers iced it. “Just, you know…insulting enough. Because we really should have scored there.”

“That’s one,” Peggy mumbled. “C’mon, c’mon, you’ve got to—“

“—I know,” Lizzie hissed, cutting her off with a glare that probably affected the ice underneath them. Roland had the puck again.

Killian wished the game was over.

Because the series could end in just under two periods and it had been far more stressful than Killian expected it to be. He’d expected it to be vaguely awful.

Will had cursed for several minutes straight when the regular-season ended and they all did the appropriate math, Robin looking like he was in actual pain when he’d been forced to acknowledge it on TV. Emma kept doing that thing with her teeth. Regina hadn’t sat down in days, Killian was certain.

He was less certain of what Lizzie and Peggy were doing in the far corner of the suite.

Although, he had a few suspicions.

“I know,” Lizzie repeated, the letters starting to slur together. “God, I think my throat is burning.”

She scrunched her nose, far too Elsa to be entirely comforting, and maybe Killian should have been worried about the state of his eyes before he started worrying about his neck. It sort of felt like they were going to fall out of his face.

He’d been right.

“We’re all a bunch of degenerates,” Killian muttered, pressing a kiss to Emma’s hair.

She kicked at the glass in front of them, a string of mumbled curses that deserved several other kisses. “Passes to sticks,” she growled, bobbing on the balls of her feet. It made it difficult to keep his around her shoulders. “Wait, did you just say something to me?”

“Degenerates,” he repeated, eyes flickering towards a suddenly flushed Peggy. She opened her mouth, only to close it just as quickly, tugging her lips behind her teeth as she swatted at Lizzie’s shoulders. “Should we get you on the ice, you think, love?”

“I mean…I’d be better than whatever this guy is doing.”

“Undoubtedly.”

Killian kissed Emma’s hair again, a quick squeeze of her shoulder. She didn’t really notice – far too preoccupied with the boarding call that even Regina, in head to toe orange, had to agree was a soft whistle. Will was doing a fairly pitiful job of not laughing uproariously while Chris provided Henry a play-by-play over FaceTime.

And Killian probably should have noticed it all before. The signs were all there – color-stained cheeks and slightly glazed eyes, wobbling just a bit even while they were sitting down.

Margaret Jones and Elizabeth Vankald-Jones were incredibly and exceedingly drunk. Just a few minutes into the second period.

“Oh, don’t make that face,” Peggy groaned as soon as Killian stopped in front of her outstretched feet. “I can’t—I absolutely cannot deal with that face right now.”

Killian arched an eyebrow. “What face?”

“Oh my God, or that voice either. Don’t captain me now, Dad. It’s not—“

“—You’re doing the face now, Uncle Killian,” Lizzie interrupted, and none of the syllables sounded particularly well pronounced.

“Yuh huh,” Killian said. He crossed his arms, rocking back on his feet and both Lizzie and Peggy groaned at the move. “Was that too much?”

Peggy appeared be growling. “You think you’re way funnier than you actually are, you know that?”

“Whose idea was this originally?”

“You honestly would not believe me if I told you.”

Killian’s other eyebrow moved. “Well now you’ve piqued my interest, little love—“

“—Dad, seriously, I am way too—“

“—Drunk?”

“Plastered,” Lizzie corrected before immediately dissolving into hysterics. “Did we kill off the penalty?”

“You don’t not get to claim our penalty kill as yours, Elizabeth,” Chris yelled, one hand gripping his phone and the other thrown into the air when the Rangers, presumably, did in fact kill off the penalty. Henry shouted something at him. “Jeez, relax. You aren’t actually moving, you can’t get whiplash, old man.”

Lizzie’s laugh got louder. And Killian hadn’t had to ground any of his kids in quite some time, but his gaze held steady on Peggy, years of experience and knowledge of her very obvious tells.

She bit her lip. Like Emma.

“Did we kill off the penalty?” she asked. He nodded.

“I don’t think they even got a shot off.”

Peggy beamed. “You know what that means!” She moved her arms again, no rhyme or reason to the pattern she kept hitting Lizzie with. It earned her another pointed glare, all narrowed eyes and thin lips and Killian wasn’t entirely sure what to do with the incredibly drunk daughter in front of him.

He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen his daughter that drunk.

“Shut up,” Lizzie mumbled. “I know the rules.”

He really should have been more concerned about his eyes. “How many rules are there, exactly?”

“Dad,” Peggy sighed. “C’mon, who do you think we are?”

“People with drinking game rules, apparently.”

“Ok, that makes it sound way worse than it is.”

“Stand up then.”

“No thanks.”

He chuckled, dropping onto the few inches of space next to her and he wasn’t all that surprised when she slung her legs over his. “God, you smell like a barrel of rum,” Killian muttered, letting her burrow into his side. “The room start spinning yet?”

“I haven’t stood up yet,” Peggy pointed out. “And you’re wasting time, LIzzie.”

Lizzie stuck her tongue out, before taking a rather large gulp of whatever it was she was drinking. “Shit, it’s honestly getting worse. Ah, damn, that’s—“

“Strangely enough, I’m not going to tell your parents on you,” Killian grinned. “I think the hangover both of you are racing towards will be punishment enough.”

“Generous.”

“What are you drinking?”

Lizzie gagged and Peggy laughed, head pressed into Killian’s shoulder with her hair threatening to, somehow, find its way towards his mouth. “Those were part of the original rules,” she explained. “We didn’t get to pick.”

“Seriously, who came up with these rules?”

“Demons.”

“With a horrible sense of humor,” Lizzie added. She shivered again, running a hand over her face when she pulled herself towards the edge of the chair she’d more or less been slumped in. “I can’t believe they didn’t even get a shot off. Who’s in charge of that power play?”

“You know,” Chris yelled, “between you and Mom, I don’t know who has more opinions.”

“It’s definitely Gina,” Peggy mumbled into Killian’s shirt. She groaned when he laughed.

Chris hummed. “Oh, yeah, yeah, that’s true. Hey, hey—wait, things are happening!”

Peggy barely lifted her head, Killian’s hand moving up and down her spine out of habit and those same years from earlier. She’d curled into a rather impressive ball in the last few minutes, arm wrapped tight around his middle and knees threatening to do some rather serious damage to his stomach, but he didn’t tell her to move. He shifted slightly instead, moving further into the minimal amount of cushioning on the couch and let the smile settle on his face with practiced ease, eyes flickering towards Emma.

She bit her lip.

“Toph, if you’re going to make sweeping announcements, you’ve got to actually update them,” Peggy grumbled.

He winked. “That kid that Mom hates got his angles right this time. And—“

“—And?”

“Wow, you are an impatient drunk. I didn’t realize that until this very moment. Good to know.”

Lizzie made a noise – not quite a laugh, but something closer to a scoff that was also, somehow, less dignified than that – and Killian could only just make out the look on Henry’s FaceTime face. “Matt got the assist,” Henry said. “So. Go on, try not to die.”

“That’s getting a little macabre, don’t you think?” Chris asked. “They’re not going to die.”

Will clicked his tongue. “I think the jury’s still out on that. Look at your sister’s face.”

Peggy flipped him off. And Lizzie took another drink. It really did smell like a considerable amount of rum. “Was that the right amount?”

“I have no idea,” Lizzie shrugged. “Most everything has stopped meaning much at this point.”

“Is that a sign?”

“Of?”

“How incredibly drunk we are and also that I’m winning. Collectively.”

Lizzie blinked. “Collectively?”

“Me and my team. Because I get to claim the Rangers as mine. Which you don’t.”

“I really don’t think that’s fair at all.”

“Change allegiances then,” Peggy said, nodding towards Lizzie’s bright orange and even more ridiculous hat. She groaned again. “Oh God, moving was a mistake. Is the game over yet?”

Killian chuckled lightly, tugging her closer to his side as he tried to figure out what, exactly, the rules of this game were. “Not quite yet, little love. You want some water?”

“Not allowed,” Chris mumbled.

“What?”

“Maybe we should revisit the macabre,” Will added.

“It’s super serious business, Uncle Killian,” Lizzie said, sitting up a bit straighter and yanking her bright-orange hat further down her ears. “Chris, Chris, is Rol back on the ice?”

He nodded, the threat of a smile tugging at his lips and Killian briefly wondered why he wasn’t part of the game. He had more suspicions.

“Back on the ice and oh—“

“Christopher!”

“Ok, relax, relax, relax. He hit someone. That’s something on your list, isn’t it?”

“God damn.”

“How long is this list?” Will asked, wincing when something else happened on the ice. “Also, Dr. J just took another shot. Shots for shots?”

Peggy shook her head. And got hair in Killian’s mouth. It was honestly a marvel how often that happened. Still. “Shots for goals,” she said archly. “And only goals. That was the agreement.”

Emma tilted her head at that bit of information. “You’re keeping secrets, babe.”

“Nah.”

“You want to try that again?”

“I mean…not really?”

“What were the other rules?”

Peggy exhaled, a huff of air against Killian’s neck that made him blink a bit more than usual, Lizzie flopping back with all the drama of someone who’d lost most of her center of gravity in the last few minutes. “Ok,” Lizzie said. “The start is pretty basic. Pegs was right. Shots for goals. Two shots for a fight. A drink for an assist. Another drink for—shit, I can’t remember.”

“Look who gets mouthy when they’re drunk,” Chris laughed, grabbing the list off the table. Henry complained about the phone again.

“Can’t you watch this on TV?” Killian asked.

Henry made a face. “I’m watching the game on TV. It’s the rest of it that I’m interested in.”

“That so?”

“Don’t ask questions you don’t actually want the answer to.”

Killian hummed, several brand-new suspicions simmering in the back corner of his brain. “A drink for a hit?”

“Yup,” Chris nodded. “And it does actually start to get complicated. We took this very seriously.”

“Told you,” Lizzie muttered. Her eyes were starting to flutter shut, waving down Will so she had something solid to lean against when the chair proved unreliable.

“What’s the rest of the rules?” Emma asked, finally pulling her attention fully away from the ice. It was a TV timeout.

And, really, the rest of the rules were fairly absurd.

There were Rangers specific ones that only Lizzie had to do and Flyers specific ones that only Peggy had to do and power play things that, if they actually happened, would probably lead to alcohol poisoning right there in the team suite at Madison Square Garden.

The whole thing was hand-written, the letters getting smaller the longer the list became, with more than a few words crossed out and underlined and Killian wasn’t sure there was a single piece of paper in the history of modern humanity that had more exclamation points on it. To their credit, however, if that was even the right word, Peggy and Lizzie seemed determined to follow every rule to the letter.

“It’s a matter of pride, Dad,” Peggy slurred, ten minutes left in the third period of a tie game.

“Sure it is, Pegs. What do you win?”

“Did you miss the pride part?”

“You’re honestly playing each other for pride?”

“And bragging rights,” Lizzie amended. It was difficult to hear her though, face pressed into Chris’ leg. She’d demanded he move towards her halfway through the second intermission, explaining that Will kept fidgeting too much and Chris had been summoned into service on the goddamn floor. He was rubbing circles into her temples.

Will kept taking pictures – probably to send to Liam. Or, at least, show Roland after the game.

“Maybe we did raise a bunch of degenerates,” Emma laughed, back on the sofa with Killian and Peggy. They’d moved that as well, an executive decision Killian claimed was well within his professional rights and—“He wants to watch the game too,” Peggy said.

He did.

But she also wouldn’t let him move.

It was a compromise. Of the exceptionally intoxicated variety.

“Are we winning yet?” Peggy asked, Emma shaking her head before she’d even finished the question.

“This is looking a little overtime, honestly.” The groan that moved across the suite was immediate and decidedly loud, several curses that absolutely were not English shouted into a variety of FaceTime phone calls. “Ok, that is not a jinx,” Emma said, glancing imploringly at Killian. “It’s not!”

“Of course not, love,” he promised.

“You’re no help at all. And—“

She cut herself off, head snapping up and for as loud as they’d all been loud two seconds earlier, they were just as quiet then, eyes wide and breath baited and—

“Shoot!”

Roland didn’t shoot. He passed, a clear lane across the crease that would probably make SportsCenter, it was that good, and Killian’s gasp was equal parts reaction to that and Peggy’s elbow colliding with his ribs.

“God damn, shit, fu—“ she grumbled, the light going off behind the net and the suite was a strange mix of happiness and frustration and alcohol.

So much alcohol.

Lizzie jumped up, arms in the air and for half a second it looked like she was going to be able to stay upright. But then she wobbled slightly, blinking far quicker than any human with a normal blood-alcohol level should, reaching back blindly for Chris.

He had to wrap his entire arm around her waist to keep her on her feet.

“You got to breathe, kid,” he muttered.

“I’m so much older than you, it’s not even funny.”

“Ah, but I’ve never been this irresponsible.”

“Liar.”

“C’mon, my parents are here.”

She laughed softly, turning into his chest. “I think this means I won, though.”

“Does it?” Killian asked, Peggy making a noise that was not entirely coherent. “What do you have to do?”

“Not until the final buzzer,” Peggy said. “We could come back and tie.”

“And if we don’t?”

“I’m going to tell MD about your lack of confidence, Dad.”

“I’m mostly concerned about your liver now.”

She scoffed, the sound turning into a moan rather quickly. “If Rol scored the game-winner, then I had to drink for the entirety of the handshake line. And, you know, vice versa if MD scored the game-winner. But Rol didn’t actually score, so I don’t think it should count.”

“It’s close enough,” Lizzie objected. The Flyers goalie made another save.

Peggy shook her head. “Something about horseshoes.”

“Ah, that was funny.”

“Hysterical. I’ll tell you what, I’ll drink the entire time Rol and Matt shake hands.”

Lizzie considered that for a moment, lips twisted and nose scrunched again. She nodded. “Yeah, ok.”

The Flyers won – a one-goal victory that didn’t come directly from Roland Lockley’s stick, but most of the New York and Philadelphia media would probably lead with that pass through the crease. They likely would not lead with the rather elongated groan that it elicited from Peggy.

That would have been weird.

She took a deep breath when Chris poured her a fresh drink, scowling at the glass as soon as her fingers wrapped around it. “Alright,” she said, shaking her whole body like she was psyching herself up. The teams had started lining up. “Is Henry still watching?”

Killian hadn’t expected that. Emma tilted her head. “Is he supposed to be?” she asked.

Peggy ignored her. So did Lizzie. And Chris. And, perhaps most importantly, Henry. He saluted towards Peggy instead. “10-4, kid. They’re coming up in, three, two, one—“

“—Drink,” Chris shouted.

Peggy squeezed her eyes closed, tilting her head back and she couldn’t seem to stop moving. She kept shifting her weight, rocking back and forth and bouncing up and down and drinking. And drinking. And drinking.

She mumbled something into her glass, completely unintelligible while she tried to make sure the rum or whatever didn’t fall down her chin. Henry shook his head.

“They’re handshaking,” he said, as if that explained it. It kind of did.

And the New York and Philadelphia media may have found its sidebar. Because Matt Jones and Roland Locksley, NHL legacy and stars in their own right, with equally impressive first-round playoff series performances, had slowed down the handshake line to a standstill – while they did their own handshake.

Lizzie grinned. “We totally won.”

Peggy, somehow, drank angrier. And Killian absolutely understood who came up with the idea.

Matt and I have got that covered anyway.

“Degenerates,” Emma repeated, a note of awe in her voice that probably wasn’t appropriate for the situation. Lizzie’s smile widened. “Did they write the rules too?”

“They helped,” Lizzie said. “And got to pick the drinks. Henry’s the final judge though.”

“Of?”

“Who was worse at holding their liquor,” Henry explained. “You can stop now, Pegs.”

“Shit,” Peggy groaned, dragging the back of her hand over her mouth. Her knees buckled slightly. “I’m going to kill, MD. I hope he gets absolutely destroyed in the tabs for that nonsense.”

“They’ll probably rip him apart on TSN,” Chris shrugged. “TSN hates fun things.”

“That was not fun.”

“Maybe for you. Also, you agreed to this P.”

“I’m staying with you later.”

Chris groaned, but he moved towards Peggy anyway, letting her rest most of her weight against his side. “Let’s find you some water now, huh? Then we’ll critique Matt’s obvious lack of respect for the game.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan.” She glanced back at the phone that had, somehow, found its way into Will’s hand. Henry smiled at her. “Did I honestly lose?”

“Can you stand up without Toph holding you? Or your dad?”

“Probably not.”

“Well then…”

“Oh shut up.”

“That’s the sore loser we all know and love.”

“I’m going to kill, MD.”

“I’ve got no doubt,” Henry laughed. “Let me know how that goes, ok?”

Peggy nodded. Or tried. She mostly just wobbled against Chris. And she didn’t really kill Matt after, far too busy doing her best to keep her eyes open because Lizzie may have won, but she was incredibly drunk as well, stumbling into Roland’s chest with a distinct lack of grace.

“Did we win?” he asked, mostly into her hair. She made a noise that was probably an agreement. “Never doubted you once, babe.”

Matt groaned. “For real, Mar?”

She kicked him. Or tried. Again. She was having quite a bit of difficulty keeping her balance.

“It’s your own fault,” Killian said, moving towards Peggy on instinct. She borrowed her face against his arm. “Who decided on the handshake thing?”

The tips of Matt’s ears went red. And Roland’s eyes widened. “Did people notice that?”

“How could they not? It took you guys twenty-six years to get down the line.”

“It’s not something that can be rushed, Hook,” Roland said. “It’s—“

“—Super serious business,” Peggy and Lizzie said in tandem.

“Well. I mean…it is.”

“Yuh huh,” Killian muttered, one arm around Peggy and the other twisted back towards Emma. She squeezed his hand. And he expected the next few words out of her mouth, but they made him smile anyway, a hint of old in a day that had been kind of new and a little nerve-wracking and maybe the Rangers would get out of the first round next season.

“Why don’t you come home with us, babe?” Emma asked, free hand brushing over the side of Peggy’s face.

She didn’t answer, just half-nodded and let Killian direct her back towards the car waiting outside the players entrance. She fell asleep twenty blocks before they got home, her head on his shoulder and an elbow dangerously close to what might have been his spleen.

#cs ff #captain swan ff #captain swan #blue line one shots #blue line rambles #don't ask me when this is in the timeline #i have no idea #it was mostly just a reason to get matt and rol to have their own handshake during the handshake line #optomisticgirl #laura rambles

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