#and not only was it awesome but like....i got to TOUCH a GIANT DEEP SEA ISOPOD

[covenofthearticulate]

not to keep projecting but lmfao i could DEFINITELY see armand developing a hyperfixation on marine creatures

[foster-the-moths]

u have some awesome dreams . give me them👁️ njkhdcjd actually tho of the three i remember u sharing it's interestign that all three involved you being some sort of whimsical creature (i'm counting altsar as a whimsical little beast he's very silly and fun to m e)

WOOO YEAH i love talking about my dreams they are so Strange um putting all of these under the readmore bc. they are so fucked up sometimes SJFLDJFLJSJF these ones are more horror oriented bc those are some of my favorite ones. i am just listing 4 for now, because this post got very long. i can post more of them later maybe. i have a LOT more but these are just semi-recent ones i can access easily.

warning for descriptions of body horror, gore, injury, death, and parasites (big maggot) and images of body horror and parasites.

1: had a dream a was a little victorian boy (like 3 or something) on vacation with my family and we were on a train but oops!!! we got on the demon train by accident. the conductor surgically removed all of the skin off my face, taxidermied it, sewed it back on, and then sent me to a shadow mirror realm for 18 years. i got back to the Real realm and it turns out it had only been 3 years for my family; but they had still all been distorted beyond recognition and made into worse versions of themselves. my father had turned into a weird goat man, my mother resembled a deep sea fish, and i couldn't remember what happened to my sister or brother. they also didn't recognize me because i had aged 18 years. the rest of the dream was me trying to reverse their transformations.

2: had another one in which i was trapped in an extra-dimensional liminal space that changed and grew as i explored it. It had video game physics which is always fun. when i walked there was view-bobbing and my hands were always visible in front of me, like a first person shooter. i could also sprint jump and b-hop and side sprint and stuff like that. there were also small creatures that latched onto me and tried to kill me, but my hands were extremely lethal (they caused instant burning pain to whatever they touched, and if i pressed my hands against a living thing it would 'melt') so i was able to fend them off. this meant i was basically unbeatable, but could still be hurt.

^this is vaguely what i looked like. i could only see my hands but i'm pretty sure the rest of me wasn't 100% human. i'll draw something better later maybe.

3. a more tame one i had recently was i got trapped in a fantasy video game by accident and ended up in a village that used pinecones as currency. so i had to grow pine trees. and then this other guy started growing saplings on MY farm plot and i was PISSED. he showed me his farming techniques though so i let him stay. time passed very quickly, each hour was a new season, so four hours was a 'year'. i did not realize the implications of this until about two weeks (about 80 'years') had passed. the npc villagers started aging and disappearing and the guy who i planted trees with turned to face me and his face was rotting away. he told me i took too long.

4. less tame one. I had a giant maggot parasite that replaced all of my organs and it tried to control me via telepathic mind battle?? but. i won the telepathic mind battle. so now i WAS the maggot. and i was piloting my own body with weird nerve things and instead of organs there was just a giant maggot in my abdomen but i WAS the maggot and i could feel myself inside of myself. it was like if you could feel your organs against the inside of your skin. incredibly unpleasant sensation. i had to hide the fact that i was a maggot because usually the maggot wins the psychic mind battle and kills people so if my doctors found out i had a maggot parasite in me they would kill me.

^diagram of parasite in the body. the red is the 'nerves' used to control the body. the brain of the host and parasite become merged, which is how i 'became' the maggot. the maggot could also like. climb up the throat and peek its head out of the host's mouth to maul people with its fangs.

[giorno-plays-piano]

I LIVE for your exophilia Bucky and Steve fics, Drider/spider Bucky is my LIFE, if you could do centaur, naga or mermaid, please. I just love this so much!

Okay, it was supposed to be a short request, but it had somehow evolved into a oneshot. Thank you for this awesome idea!

Blood in the water

Pairing: merman!Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: yandere, obsession, attempted kidnapping, non-grapic depiction of violence.

Words: 2125.

_________________

You had never truly believed in the existence of fantastic creatures despite all those rumors about mermaids living in the Triskelion sea. Sure, at some point people thought they shared the Earth with centaurs, sirens, griffons, and all those divine beasts, but you lived in the era of rapid scientific progress, Internet, and space-based technologies. No one in the right state of mind believed in fairies and unicorns.

However, you did like this little town: there was something charming in its narrow streets and a hundred years old buildings, lovely hydrangeas in flowerpots standing outside of the houses and small family cafes here and there. It was a nice place to have a vacation, especially after a crazy year in a big city where streets were always full of people, regardless of time.

You rented a nice little cottage close to the seashore for a month and were now enjoying your morning coffee, sitting on a wide wooden windowsill. The sun was barely up, and you smiled, wrapping a blanket around your bare shoulders. It was such a beautiful morning when the sky was a lovely shade of pink, the sea so unusually quiet. There definitely was something magical in it.

Watching the sea with your window open, you inhaled its smell deeply, closing your eyes. When you opened them in a second, you suddenly saw something glowing far away from you, on a small rock surrounded by water. Your eyes grew wide - it was not something, it was someone. It was a living being. You just saw its enormously huge scaly tail when the creature slipped back into the sea as if it knew you were watching it.

Oh dear.

You immediately left your half-emptied cup on the windowsill and jumped down, hurrying to the door while keeping the blanket wrapped around your shoulders. What was that? How huge was that fish? What could it even be? All those questions were making you speed up, and you rushed to the small pier right next to your cottage, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious creature again.

But once you were standing on the wooden boards barefoot, shivering from the sudden cool sea breeze, the waters were quiet just like before, not a sound coming from that direction. The creature had disappeared as fast as it emerged, and you were staring at the dark waters again, thinking of whether you saw that enormous fish at all or was it some trick of the light. Maybe you really watched too many fantasy movies on Netflix yesterday. Smiling at the though, you fixed the blanket, covering yourself some more, and inhaled the cool morning air deeply. Whether or not there was a huge fish, it wasn’t really important. You didn’t know how to swim anyway and wouldn’t get into the water far.

When you went to the town to have lunch, you did ask the elderly lady serving customers whether there was some peculiar type of marine animal living in the waters of Triskelion sea, but she just smiled at you and asked you not to come too close to the shore at night.

“It’s not good you live so far from the town,” she said quickly before moving to the other table, gathering empty dishes.

Did she mean it was unsafe to be out of the house at night? Was there like a gang gathering close to the sea or something? You nervously nodded to her, growing a bit concerned. Your landlord didn’t tell you anything about that.

Well, in case of emergency you could barricade the door and call 911. The phone worked perfectly, you thought while walking the streets, buying nice little souvenirs for your friends and colleagues. You actually bought a baseball bat just in case.

Hurrying home before it got dark, you clenched the big bag with a takeout. You asked the girl behind the counter about being on the shore at night, and she confirmed it wasn’t wise. Unfortunately, she didn’t specify, and you thought that speaking of that gang aloud wasn’t appropriate. The girl was probably scared.

Damn, and there you thought it was a perfect quiet place, ideal for a lonely young woman. Was it really better to leave before you got into any real trouble?

Locking the door and closing the windows, you huffed, irritated neither the agency nor your landlord mentioned this to you. It was unfair and even illegal to do business like that. Thinking whether to call your friends to ask for an advice, you sat in the kitchen, unpacking the amazing carbonara that was still warm and smelled heavenly. Well, it least the cafes here were absolutely awesome.

Once you finished your meal and were drinking tea with milk, still sitting in the kitchen - now you were a little afraid of sitting on the windowsill with an open window where anyone could see you - you suddenly heard some noise from the outside. It was a loud sound of fins crushing the water surface. Was it that odd giant fish again? Still, you were aware of danger of being outside late in the evening, so you simply stayed inside the house.

But then you heard someone screaming.

“Please, help!” The voice was pleading, and you stood up quickly, grabbing your bat. “HELP!”

The next moment you were running to the sea shore with a life preserver in one hand and a bat in the other. Someone was drowning in the sea, and you couldn’t fucking swim. Blood rushed to your head when you saw a man tangled in a large fishing net attached to the pierce, and you immediately run to him, dropping to your knees.

“Please! I can’t-” He was fighting the ties binding him, almost screaming in hysterics when you approached him. “I can’t breathe! HELP!”

In complete darkness when the only source of light was the moon shining high up into the sky, you were struggling to see how the man literally wrapped in the net, striking about in the water like a stranded fish. When you got close, throwing your hands to the stranger, he jumped at you right away, leaning closer and trying to climb to the pier. He almost made you fall into the water, but you managed to grab wooden pole with one hand and stand on your knees.

“I’m here! Wait, wait!” You were hurriedly grasping the net, seeing literally nothing in the dark. “I’ll help!”

You could hear the stranger crying, his huge figure shaking terribly, and rushed to tug on the ties, desperately trying to untangle him. You spent a few minutes like that before you had finally freed him, pulling the net up and throwing it on a wooden boards - it was so big you could literally cover the whole pier with it. How did it end up here?

Deadly tired from all the pulling, you gave the stranger your hand again to drag him to the pier, but suddenly he moved away from your arm. He was neither crying not screaming anymore, strangely silent, and you stared at his handsome face, still red from tears. How come? He was able to swim, wasn’t he? Breathing hard from all the struggle, you blinked, wiping the sweat from your forehead.

“Thank you,” the man finally said, coming closer again, and you realized there was something huge in the water right beneath him - you saw an enormous scale tail gleaming in the sea when the moonlight illuminated the waters.

It wasn’t some fish. It was the man’s tail. You saw the scales covering his hips when he got up, getting on the pier where you sat. Instinctively, you crawled back, both charmed and horrified with what you were seeing.

Dear god, he was a merman.

While you stared at him, opening your mouth as if it were you who was suffocating, the man smiled widely, watching you gawk at him. He wasn’t concerned at all, flashing his tail carelessly. “Thank you for saving me, human woman. You are truly fearless.”

Well, you weren’t so sure anymore, gazing at the unbearably handsome merman whose voice was so deep and silky it could drive any girl crazy. You were still scared of him though, knowing little whether he wanted to thank or hurt you - you even read some tales where mermaids were eager to eat sailors if they stumbled upon them in the sea.

But he looked so magnificent. His clear blue eyes were shining bright in the darkness, cheeks a lovely shade of pink, hair like a pure gold in the moonlight. His shoulders were wide, and you could see he was athletically built with his tufty, solid arms. Besides, how could a man with a smile as kind as his be a threat to you, the one who had saved him from the net? Reluctantly at first, you slowly got closer to him, watching his cheerful face. He was happy you weren’t afraid of him.

“What is your name?” He asked, suddenly getting closer so you ended up nose to nose with him.

The merman smelled like salt and seaweed, and when he wrapped his long fingers around your wrist, you whispered nervously, “Y/N.”

“I am Steven.” He grinned at you, rubbing the tip of your nose with his wet one. “I will be forever in your debt.”

“B-but how did you end up in the net? I’ve never heard of people fishing here.” You mumbled, your face flooding with embarrassment at being so close to the handsome stranger.

“Oh, they don’t fish. They try to catch us, the merfolk.”

His gaze turned sad as he touched your cheek with his nose and backed away, getting into water again while you crawled closer to him. So, that was it. That’s why they didn’t want you on the shore late in the evening - they were starting the mermaids hunt. God, how could they? Why did they try to harm these gorgeous creatures, unmistakably as intelligent as people were?

You felt sorry for the man, bending over to him as he stared into your face, still smiling. Gently cupping your cheeks with his wet palms, he rose up to give you a quick peck on the lips, apparently, having very little shame to do it to someone he only met a couple of minutes ago. Feeling terribly embarrassed, you thought that maybe it was merfolk’s way to thank someone and just nodded.

“Are you going to be okay, Steven?” You asked him, barely realizing you were leaning closer and closer to him while he kept getting down in the water.

“Yes.” He answered barely audible, kissing you again while gently touching your hair. “Come closer, love.”

You went even deeper, enchanted by his lovely voice.

“Closer.”

You didn’t realize the merman was luring you into the water until he pulled your face down, and your head ended up in the sea. As you opened your mouth, the water rushed inside it, and you were quickly becoming suffocated. But was scaring you more than drowning was the face of the most handsome man you had ever seen - the sclera became dark, making his eyes looking extraterrestrial, frightening. The next second you saw Steve opening his toothy mouth, and the world turned pitch black.

The pain shooting through your neck made you scream, gulping down salty sea water, and you fell down from the pier completely. You couldn’t breathe, kicking and fighting and struggling in merman’s arms until he let go of you, and you immediately grabbed the life preserver that fell into the water along with you. Keeping kicking furiously to keep Steve away, you clenched the wooden pole.

You didn’t know how you managed to pull up, getting back to the pier while merman was hissing something behind your back, trying to get closer to you. Despite you had no strength left, you were crawling to the shore on your knees, crying from the pain - blood was still seeping from your neck.

“You can’t get away from me!” Steve grinned wickedly, shouting to you. “I’ve marked you, love! You won’t have a mate other than me!”

Deaf to his shouts, you kept crawling until you felt the ground beneath your palms.

What did you know about the merfolk living in the Triskelion sea? Why didn’t you think it was them who were hunting people, luring innocent souls into the water with their pleas and crying? Of course, you didn’t know it was the mating season, and the mark Steve left on your neck would never fade away, scarring your gentle skin.

Why didn’t you leave the town, knowing you were in danger? Now you were bound to him, the cold, merciless creature who would stop at nothing to have you.

_______________________

Tags: @finleyjayne @alexakeyloveloki   ​@helenaeisenhower @villanellevi @hurricanerin ​@void-hoechlin @abyssaint @heeeyitskay @chris-evans-indian-fanfic @navegandoaciegas @rosalynshields @brattycherubwrites @sllooney @angrythingstarlight @lovelydarkdaydream @soleil-dor @lookiamtrying @buckysbunny

[yandere-sins]

18 with sea monster Levi from the supernatural prompts list (if your still doing it)

I am really glad you guys enjoy these prompts so much :3 And I get to regularly write for Obey Me too, that makes me quite happy ^.^ Please enjoy!

“Don’t worry, the water is much less scary once you dive in.”

»»————-———— ♡ ————————-««  

No one could blame you for the fear you felt as you woke up from your uncomfortable slumber. Coldness and wetness only added to your discomfort, as did the pounding in your head and the dry throat you were experiencing. You remembered the last thing you did before passing out, sitting at home, drinking the new herbal tea you bought from a fisher offering it to you.

You weren’t usually someone who gave money away easily, but the man looked so poor and shabby, you thought he must have done everything he could to collect the herbs and make his wares that he offered next to the even less appetizing fish that he sold. You quickly exchanged money for a bag for his tea, but when you arrived home, you didn’t feel right with throwing it away. After all, it was only a herbal tea and just one bag at that. It might not have been your usual go-to, but you prepared it for yourself and sipped away happily on it as you read your book.

After that... was only darkness.

Like a hole in your brain, the memory slipped from you of what happened, but there were other dire matters to attend to now. Wherever you were now, it wasn’t your cozy home, nor any place in the village which you knew like the back of your hand. It was awfully dark here too, the only company you had was the faint sound of dripping of water.

With your hands outstretched, you guided yourself through the darkness by keeping to the wall closest to you. Even though it made you shiver, you tried to ignore the things you were touching. It could have been moss or similar things, you just hoped it wasn’t anything like mold, considering how damp the place was. Occasionally, you’d hit your head by a low hanging ceiling, and it made an impression on you that this wasn’t any kind of housing, but instead a dark cave. But what were you doing in a cave?

For a long time, there were no answers to be found. You weren’t sure if you were doing yourself a favor following the only path you could find and pursue, but when a crack in the wall in the distance came into view, you were never happier to see it was illuminated. If only darkness had continued to be on your way, it might have driven you mad the longer you stayed in it.

The squeeze was tight, but not impossible. Taking a deep breath, you reveled in some wind that came through an opening in the ceiling, together with what seemed to be rays of the sun. They reflected in multiple spots in the cavern, especially the water surface of a pond, which took up almost half of the grotto.

Though you approached with hesitation, once you stood in front of the water, you were eager to kneel down and wash your hands. The feeling alone, of being clean again, made a tremendous amount for your mental health. With a splash in your face, you finally felt like you could take rational thoughts again, not just being driven by your feelings and survival instincts like when you woke up.

You stood up, ready to think about a way to get out of wherever you were when your eyes fell back into the water again. Strange, you thought to yourself. Isn’t it supposed to be calm?

Before you could even approach it again, you were greeted by scales breaking through the surface, a body like a tail winding in and out of it. It was so big, you couldn’t think of a creature that would explain its mass, despite thinking to yourself it almost looked like a sea serpent. Those were, of course, only myth, but you were clueless about what else would be an option.

Gasping in shock, you stumbled back, unfortunately tripping over a stone on the ground that brought you to a tumble. Falling to the ground, you felt the shock of hitting the cold ground, your body complaining about your clumsiness, as a loud sound caught your attention.

A head that you could only describe as one of a moray, but as big as a dragon's finally broke out of the water. Its orange eyes must have had your size, and they focused on you eerily. Before you knew it, you had stumbled to your feet, ready to bolt back to the darkness, which now seemed much more welcoming than ever before.

But before you reached the gap, a strangely familiar voice echoed through the whole cave, and you turned your head to the only possible thing that could have used it — the sea monster.

“You are finally awake,” it noted the obvious, and you were so sure that you knew the voice from somewhere, despite the distortion that laid over it. When the monster talked, it showed a couple of terrifying sharp teeth, and it scared you even more, despite feeling intrigued to find out the mystery.

Lucky for you, your body was wiser than to stay, slipping you through the crack that would bring some space between you and the giant monster, even though you could still watch it from behind there. “Aw, that’s no fun,” it complained, and you watched in awe as its body began to glow in a bright, purple light. It was so flashing, you had to look away for a moment as it illuminated even the dark corridor behind you.

But when you finally managed to look back again, the monster was gone, and your curiosity was picked by its sudden disappearance. Sticking your head back out into the cave, you slipped halfway through the crack in the hope of finding out where it was. Perhaps it had lost interest and just gone somewhere else? Had it been real or just your imagination? What the hell kind of herbs had you consumed to even think this thing up--

“Boo!”

The way your body was stuck in the gap still made it very painful as you jumped in surprise, a wet hand gripping for your wrist as you tried to get back into the dark safety. “What?! W-Who?!” you tried to ask the face you were looking at as a man jumped out in front of you. “Come on out, I’ve been so eager to have you over.”

“Have me- woah?!”

Surprised by how strong a simple tug coming from the man was, you got torn out of your hiding spot, landing ungently on your knees before him. “Where is this even? Who are you?!” your voice grew louder and louder as he pulled you up and to your horror, towards the water, which was a place you absolutely did not want to follow him.

“What do you mean ‘where is this’?! Home, of course, you Idiot!”

“That...” your brain needed a second to register his words before you could properly answer him, your head shaking quickly as you tried to pry him off. “T-That’s not my home at all! And who are you?!”

Finally, he stopped, rolling his eyes. “You’re no fun at all. Do you know how long I have been watching over you and your little village? Shouldn’t you be a bit more grateful towards your super awesome deity?”

At least, you finally felt able to hold a conversation with him, though you shivered under his cold touch and strange words. “I... I don’t understand...” you admitted, and you could see his shoulders sink in disappointment.

“Ah, how unfair... All my brothers always get recognition for their doings, but I am always stuck with the ungrateful little fisher villages...” You were relieved when he finally let go of you, in between his mumbles. It wasn’t even as if he was talking to you anymore, much more so to himself. “They don’t even know how lucky they are that I bring the fish to them... I do everything...”

Slowly, you began to back up, ready to make a run for it again and hide in the shadows, when his head suddenly snapped up again, eyes piercing through you coldly. Only now you realized they were as sharp and orange as that of the sea monster, and a bad thought came up in the back of your mind, but you banished it quickly.

“Hey, you,” he called out to you, and you gave him a nervous glance and bit your lip. “You’re the child of the major, right?”

At this, you stopped, looking at him with confusion in your expression. “How would you know?” you asked him with almost naive curiosity.

“Listen to me, I told you I’ve been watching you for a long time. You were promised to me by your father if I kept the fish coming and your boats safe.”

“That’s... That’s impossible!” you managed to gasp. “I never heard anything about that.”

“It doesn’t matter, you are here now.” He turned sideways to point at the water behind him. “It’s not like your tiny, human lungs can get you out of here. You are mine now.”

Though you felt a sting in your heart, doubting your own family over a stranger’s words. Could you have been set up? Were you really promised to this... person... creature... whatever he was? But even so, shouldn’t you have a say in this?

“I will find another way... I definitely won’t stay here, and I absolutely don’t belong to you!”

His mouth opened in surprise about your refusal, watching you as you darted back to the gap, disappearing in the shadows. You heard him shout after you, his voice carried by the hollow cave, “There’s no other way out.”

There had to be. There must be.

You sprinted the way back that you had come from, earing a few more bumps in the head from not seeing the ceiling. But when the smaller cave opened up again, you couldn’t find any wind telling you about another way out, nor did you anticipate to only find another body of water, this time, in a pool maybe as big as your body was. It was so pitch black, you couldn’t make out if this was only a hole in the ground or another way to get out, but you began to panic when you heard tapping steps behind you.

“Come on, don’t be such a killjoy. I am sure we can have fun together once we get used to each other! It’s not like I want to hang out with you, but it’s better than watching fish all day. Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

You didn’t see him, but it was almost as if you felt his presence as he reached your cave. And after an initial blink he made, you knew he could see you too, judging by how his eyes glowed in the dark as the only thing there was. “Found you!” he chuckled, clearly happy about his victory as if you were two children playing.

It was only then that you were ready to throw hands if you had to. Perhaps you’d just chase him back and forth, but you did not want to stay in his proximity like a trapped mouse. But when you decided to storm forward, you felt something eerily, slimy and wet around your right ankle, gaining your attention. A long tentacle - or perhaps, the end of a tail, it was hard to make out - wrapped around your leg tightly, glowing purple, but not enough to actually illuminate the room.

It did one tug to try, before you were swept off your feet with a scream, pulled towards the man-big hole filled with water. “New game,” he announced. “You want to get out here so badly, we will see how long you can hold your breath first, okay? If you win, you get to swim away. But if I win, you stay.”

“N-No!” you disagreed, but you were already soaked up to your chest in the water, clawing at the unforgiving stone ground as the man approached, leaning down to you. “Don’t worry, the water is much less scary once you dive in.” 

He watched you disappear, leaving only bubbles behind as he simply pulled you back to the main area with his tail coming from his back. This water path was merely a connection to the main pool, his home, but it would be enough for your human lungs to not want to get back into the wet yet again.

Going back to the grotto slowly, knowing you were occupied below the water at the moment anyway, he thought how terrible tiresome and unnecessary your struggles were. So what if he had turned himself into an old fisher, giving you herbs that would knock you out for a while? And so what he did all of it just for his own pleasure? Being a sea monster was hard. He deserved a human of his own for a change since he did so much for them in return.

“Hey, let's play something different now, okay?” he demanded, poking you with the tip of his big toe, as you held on to the edge, panting. You were shivering, terrified both by your deep-sea dive, as well as all that happened around you and the sea monster, clad in a man's skin, as you coughed up water while climbing back onto solid ground slowly.

“I’ll teach you to say my name in all languages I know, alright? Listen well, I don’t want to repeat myself!”

All you could do was watch as he began to say his name over and over in languages you shouldn’t be able to understand even. Tears formed in your eyes as you looked down to your ankle, still wrapped by the tentacle, and you imagined what would happen when you couldn’t keep up with his definition of fun.

At the same time, only his voice kept ringing in your head, over and over.

Leviathan, Leviathan, Leviathan.

You were already his.

[batfamtv]

kaiju shifter au

kaiju shifter au; godzilla and the other kaijus can shift into humans

Since no one is writing it, i’m going to lol

Tw: kaijus, BFG (big freaking godzilla)

Imagine godzilla and the other kaijus being able to shift into humans

There’s got to be a time when i can map out some pseudoarchaeology about an ancient race of shifters, who can shift back and forth from being human to predators

Like, the group of modern humans, the ones who can’t shift, is due to some group of people who decided to move away from hollow earth and eventually found their way up to the surface (see founder effect)

While the rest of the shifters in hollow earth do not see the point of shifting back, and are now incapable of shifting back to human form; that or some shifter was born unable to become human and reproductive fitness is higher when one is a kaiju (being in human form is more dangerous and is not being selected for after generations)

Anyway after years and years of evolution, we are in the monsterverse

And godzilla and the other kaijus have re-discovered, or rather, independently evolved being able to shift back into humans

Godzilla would be so handsome im gonna cry lmao

Imagine you’re just some villager living by the ocean, so connected to it that you already knew how to swim long before you could talk

And one day you see these huge spikes far far away, almost to the horizon

Not scared at all, you decided to go out for a swim anyway--you didn’t approach it--but you didn’t get out of the water either

So you’re there, just floating away, enjoying the sound of the waves crashing, the saltiness of the water, the heat of the sun

And later this dude just bumped into you out of nowhere

“...” you didnt freak out, just looked at him

“Hi” you say

He stares back and says hi back

And that’s how you met Gojira

He hadnt expected you to just gesture towards the shore, where you see your parents outside your cottage, preparing your lunch

“Let’s go, it’s almost lunchtime”

Gojira, almost hesitantly, asks you what you eat--poor guy doesn’t know what these...humans? (that’s what they are right? Tiny, puny humans)...eat

He only eats food he finds in the waters

You just shrugged “i dunno, fish maybe? We’ve been trying to find female crabs recently, but to no luck”

Gojira just nods as he processed what you said, thankfully you guys were eating the same things he does

He said “you can go on ahead, i’ll catch up” and dives into the water underneath you

Confused but hungry, you took his word for it and swam to the shore, letting your parents know that you met this guy called gojira, he said he’ll catch up

Your parents are a little wary, they dont know anyone with that name, but they were also unbelievably kind and generous

And it didnt hurt when gojira emerged from the sea a couple of minutes later, carrying an armful of crabs

Female crabs! You took some from gojira, trying not to get pinched by the crabs’ big claws

You all had an awesome lunch! And your parents are really amused by this gojira kid you met, just a quiet kid who really enjoys cooked crab meat

He has never eaten cooked crab meat before, it was one of the best things he’s ever tasted!

After lunch you asked gojira to come with you back into the waters, this time you wanted to get hunt for some pearls maybe or even just clean out the ocean a little

You see lots of plastics being drifted deep into the waters, and you hated it

When you were so far away from the shore, in open waters, he shifted back into a kaiju! You were shocked at first but then fascination became the more dominant feeling

You touch his big face, scaly! And you go for long swims!

When you get tired you just get on top of gojira’s back, or even on top of his head, and he just breaches the water so you can breathe!

gojira he comes by from time to time! He always brings food and your parents love him for it!

You become really close to him, becoming best friends!

Until maybe like one day, you see these people, foreigners, come to your little village by the sea

You didnt know they were there until you saw your parents’ waving at you from the shore, gesturing for you to come ashore

You do and they introduce you to this group of scientists

They said they came here because there have been eyewitness accounts of a giant “marine organism”

And based on their radiological maps, there has been a huge surge of radiation in this area

When you approached the scientists, the thing on their hands started beeping rapidly

They all looked at you confused

Asking you why you were radioactive? And you shrugged, you said you’re fine, you havent been exposed to any radioactive materials

“Except gojira, i think” you said

And the scientists lost their freakin marbles

Like what??? You talk to godzilla?? Gojira??

And you were lke yea? We go out for a swim almost everyday!

That’s how dr serizawa and monarch came to find a villager who has a bond with gojira

A radioactive human under the kaiju’s protection

pls... i love binggg. monsters.

send me a message! (barry allen voice) i need friends

[bonesthebeloved]

It’s a fine (taped) line

Summary: In which Roman isn't doing well after the events of SVS Redux and Remus finds him in their room next to a bunchof balled up tape that had separated them for years and years. Characters: Roman and Remus (Janus mention)

Triggers/ Squicks: crying/ breakdown. Mention of weapons and (mild)violence, intrusive thoughts, sea monster, swimming in natural water, eyes. (if I missed anything/ you’d like me to tag anything let me know.)

Words:2881 (I didn’t spell check this. We die like men.)

He was afraid

It hadn't been quite as long as he'd liked since the last time he'd been afraid like this. Not even a full week.

Afraid like a shiver that ran deep until you were sure you could hear your skeleton rattle. Afraid like laboured quite breathing and wide eyes staring into unseeing darkness and even more unseeing void.

Afraid like standing on the plank with a sword poking in your back and hungry sharks beneath you.

Afraid like he was now, standing in a well lit room accompanied by two other sides and Thomas himself. In the middle of the day with the doors safely locked and his Katana at his side.

He shouldn't be afraid.

Uncertain. Angry, yes. Maybe even hurt. But afraid should not apply to this situation. After all there was no threat.

Yet he felt it. And he knew his voice would be shaking even before he'd opened his mouth to speak. And he knew his hands would be shaking even before he lifted them to cover his mouth. And he knew that and he knew that and he knew-

He didn't know anything anymore.

"You are!" came a shout. Almost sounding desperate enough to be genuine . Almost sounding certain enough to be true.

But Roman was afraid. And he was shaking when he looked over for confirmation to the side that had cracked his trust beyond repair because how else would he know if it really was genuine and certain enough. How else would he-

He'd never have guessed that a single nod would be the thing that would shatter the cracked funhouse mirror. Never would've guessed that the only thing standing between him and the hungry sharks below would be the incline of a head. The confirmation of a lie.

So he sunk out with a last scoff at their hosts expression. Seeing the tiniest of cracks forming would've concerned him to no end if he himself wasn't completely shattered at that moment.

And when he popped into his room he looked at where he was standing. The edge of the plank. Toes nearly touching the line of white tape seperating the two sides of the room. One messy, clothes on piles and crumpled up paper all over the floor. Bed unmade and in need of a change of sheets. Curtains still drawn and houseplants dying.

The other half belonged to Remus.

And there, on the edge of the plank, with noise coming from the bathroom attached to their room and Remus his pet rat squeaking happily while running around the bed, Roman bowed down and, getting a good grip on an edge of it, ripped the tape away from the floor, shattering the imaginary barrier and the line he'd set for himself.

When he had taken of all the tape, all of it a sticky, bawled up mess on the floor now, he dropped to his knees, slowly lowering his head to the floor aswell and leaning it against the carpet, closing his eyes.

And he cried. Not dramatic and loud wailing like would be expected. No, his crying was quiet. Almost deadly so as the tears dropped down his face and onto the carpet. As he gripped his hair to stop himself from hitting the floor. And he pulled his hair to stop himself from pouncing his fist on it.

And when the bathroom door opened he stopped, still pulling and still silent and facing away from whoever had just walked in.

The side stopped in their tracks too. Still by the bathroom. Hand probably still on the door handle, hair probably still wet, eyes probably trying to communicate with their brain about what it is their seeing.

Because Remus had walked in on his brother on the floor which was devoid of tape. The tape of which he’d tried to convince his brother was the spot an invisible lazer beam would kill the first person that walked over it.

Because Remus had walked in on his brother while he was crying.

Because Roman never cried infront of him. Not since they had been kids and they’d learned to hate eachother once drawings of nightterrors and bloody zombies became ‘bad’ instead of just ‘creative’.

Because Remus was hurrying over to his brother now, falling onto his knees with a loud smack and feeling the carpetburn set in already as he shuffled closer, a hand outstretched as both a warning and a question.

When Roman shrugged his shoulder away from the hand close to it Remus nodded silently and let it drop to his side. No touching then. Alright.

“That bad huh?” He grimaced at the words. Too loud in the now deadly quiet room.

Roman simply let a hollow laugh echoe through it and Remus swore they’d never had an echoe before but then again their room changed all the time.

Like how the glow in the dark stars had changed into swirling galaxy above his bed and how Roman tore down his posters every month to rearange them.

Like how the white tape that had been there for years was now suddenly gone.

“Wanna talk about it?”

A short silence that stretched out just long enough for Remus to take another breath to offer to distract his brother instead when suddenly:

“I’m not his hero anymore.”

Remus saw it now, the outlines of the shattered mirror his brother had become.

He didn't like it one bit.

"I'm sure that's just good ol' Double D's messing with your head of course your his he-" "Janus."

Remus was silent then, slowly sinking down to sit infront of his brother, careful not to cross the now nonexistent line theyd set for themselves so long ago.

"Pardon?"

"He's called Janus. He told us so you don't have to act like you don't know his name anymore Rem. He told us. The fucker told us."

"That's... Good right?"

Roman laughed, the sound hollow and joyless, before muttering the most quiet 'yeah right' and letting his head drop again, still sitting in the middle of the room that used to be seen as two. The room that now lacked the devider.

"He called me evil." And there it was. The issue that Roman was struggling with the most, laid out in the open raw and ugly in the dim light of the room.

"Did he now? What'd he say exactly. Because, if I know one thing, it's that Dee only says shit like that as a joke or when something seriously messed up was said to him and I'm assuming the later didn't happen so-"

"I laughed at his name." Roman said numbly, the monotone voice nearly as terrifying as the one full of pain from just seconds ago.

"Well of course you did! It's a stupid name! It sounds like he's a middle school libr-" "Librarian yeah. I said the same thing."

Remus opened his mouth to speak again, to return to his way of comforting his brother which was distraction by blatant mockery.

But then...

"And that's the problem Re. That's the whole damn problem."

"What is?"

"He called me evil Re."

"I mean yeah you've told me already what you hit your head or some-"

"He compared me to you."

Ah.

Right.

That.

'Well fuck you too Ro!' Remus said. Only he didn't say that because what kind of a brother would he be.

Because Roman, after all these years, still didn't get it. Still thought of him as evil and himself as good. Still stuck in the black and white, the good and evil narrative that they were taught since they were able to count to two.

And oh Remus wanted to slap his brother for that. Wanted to give him a good shake and ask him who the hell he thought he was.

But Roman was crying at the thought of being compared to him.

And while that idea made him sick to his stomach, Roman was still crying. And he was still his brother, even if it ment being hated so viscously that the mere thought of being like him caused a breakdown this severe.

Even if his own brother seemed to want him gone.

"Then he's even dumber then his name Ro."

Roman looked up at that, snot and tears mixing under his nose and on his hand as he wiped it away. Looking pathetic as ever but the little spark of hope the sentence had created was present. And that's all he needed.

"Have you seen yourself? Of course you're not evil! You're basically prince charming except gayer! Ha! Can you even imagine an evil Prince Eric? Of course you can't because it's ridiculous!"

A huff of air from Romans nose then. And it wasn't quite a laugh sure. But it was a start. And Remus could work with just a start.

What he couldn't work with though, was no response beside just that puff of air. The silence in the room seeming to press down on him. Threatening to squish him flat like a pancake. Squashing him so hard that his eyeballs popped out and-

Right. Sad brother. Focus Remus focus.

"Hey I've got an idea."

-

Twenty minutes later and they stood in the imagination, his brothers eyes still red rimmed and he himself repressing the urge to make a comment about how it matched his colour scheme and how he should really put some blood splatters here and there for another pop of colour.

"Why are we here again?" Roman said into the cold misty evening. Slowly feeling his shoes soak up the water, his socks getting a bit wet.

"To scream." Remus said, gesturing towards the giant lake infront of them. The fog hanging low over it giving it both a mythical and horror movie esque feeling. Though with Romans current mood, horror movie was probably more likely.

"... To scream?"

"Yeah! I saw a man do that in a movie once after his daughter got killed by a man with a butchers knife. It looked awesome there was blood all over the kitchen walls and her head was-" "Don't spoil the movie for me Rem."

'Don't spoil it for me' had become Roman’s go to way of nicely telling his brother to shut the fuck up. Remus saw right through it of course. His brother would never watch slasher films after all. They made him have nightmares. But he appreciated the vague form of effort none the less.

"Just scream at the damn lake Ro. I didn't take you out here just so you could complain."

Roman looked at him weirdly, though decided that 'fuck it' seemed to be the mood he was going for today, stepped forward towards the edge of the lake, and screamed at the top of his lungs.

His voice broke several times while he did so. The scream sounding more and more choked up the longer it went on for, so much so that Remus started to wonder if his brother was losing his voice when he finslly fell silent and the quiet came back to press down on them.

Remus came to stand next to his brother, looking at him, at the tears streaming down his face and at how his eyebrows seemed to be trying to recreate the Nike symbol.

At how he was slightly shaking and standing just a smudge too close to the water.

At how his expression changed from pained to surprised to shocked when Remus pushed him into the ice cold lake.

At how this might be how he made his brother atleast a bit happy again. After a while of cursing and splashing around he got used to it, standing till his waist in the water and looking at his brother until finally he too jumped in, water splashing everywhere as he did so.

Roman snapped his fingers, the both of them now in diving suits rather than their normal outfits.

He ignored Remus his complains about how he'd rather swim naked as he came up to him and dunked his head under the water again. A fight breaking lose that had water splashing everywhere and curious woodland creatures come out of the woods to watch the two rulers of their kingdom seemingly get along for once.

Remus noticed how, after a minute or so, the deer suddenly fled. Not thinking much of it as he summoned a huge water gun and blasted it straight into Romans face.

Roman noticed, a moment later, how all the rabbits and squirrels and mice and rats fled aswell. Looking around for a moment but getting distracted when Remus summoned Poseidon trident to make a wave.

The twins both noticed how the birds also fled when the water began to ripple in a way that wasn't caused by them. How the water underneath them suddenly got darker as a huge shadow swam circles in the lake.

The both looked at eachother with wide eyes as they swam to the edge, summoning their respective weapons.

"Remus?"

"Hm?"

"Did you maybe forget to mention something when we came here?"

"I-... Mightve forgotten about me trying to recreate the log Ness monster yes."

"Wait, you made Nessy?!"

As if on queue, the giant seacreature emerged from the surface, scales glittering as the sunlight hit them. Green and blue and purple making for quite a beautiful image weren't it for the razor sharp teeth and monstrous features that came along with it.

"This is one hell of a way to distract me Rem." Roman said, rolling his shoulders as he held out his sword.

"... You're welcome?" Remus said, eyes flicking from the rip off Nessy to his brother and back as the monster growled and came closer.

"Alright then. Let's do this." Roman said, voice low and dangerous, bending his knees slightly as if preparing to dash away.

"Let's kick some ass!" Remus said. Surprised but not put off by this new development in his plans to cheer up his brother. If screaming at a lake would always lead him to a monster fight then he'd have to do this more often!

-

They set foot in their room four hours later. Both of them completely soaked, Roman wearing a small satisfied smile while Remus just looked grumpy.

They both flopped down on their respective beds, Remus his rat looking up in shock before quickly darting over to go and Greet its owner who just huffed and reluctantly petted the thing.

"That was fun." Roman said into the now quiet air.

"For you maybe! I had to watch how you 'calmed down' Nessy instead of taking part in the bloody fight I'd been hoping for!"

"Nessy did nothing to us she didn't deserve to get hurt."

"She nearly bit my arm off!!"

"Yeah? Well that's your fault for trying to poke her with your mace."

A strangely comfortable silence fell over the room then. And Remus began to slowly realise something. The realisation not quite there yet but almost.

Almost.

"... Thank you Rem. That was... Nice."

Ah. He got it now.

"Yeah well, at least I don't have to watch you cry on the floor anymore hm dipshit?"

"With how things are going, I think you'll see that more often than not. Asshat."

They both laughed, quiet and only partly sarcastic.

And Remus smiled into the quite. Pulling his legs up so his brother wouldn't see it.

"Hey Ro?"

"Hmm? You're not evil okay? He just said that cuz you hurt him a bit."

"Hmm. I should apoligise shouldn't I?"

Remus smiled again at that. Sitting up after he realised that he didn't mind his brother seeing him happy. Enjoyed it even.

"Oh I'm sure he'll show up at the door with a basket of fruit and a heartfelt letter next thing in the morning." Roman sat up too then. A small, unsure smile on his face.

And Remus realised he didn't mind seing his brother happy, either.

Enjoyed it even.

"And if you want. I can punch a little sense into him if he doesn't, and we'll go and look for another lake to scream at, how bout that."

"That'd be nice Rem."

And then Roman did something neither of them had done in a very long time.

He got up from the bed, brushing off his wrinkled clothes and, one step at a time, inched closer to the now non-existent barrier.

"Ro what are you-"

And then Roman was infront of him. On his side. Leaning over him slightly with his arms outstretched the tiniest bit.

"You're not evil either Rem. You never were."

Remus hadn't hugged his brother in over ten years.

But now here Roman was, carefully wrapping his arms around him after getting a nod of approval. Carefully tightening them and laying his head on his brothers shoulder. Squeezing him a little bit as Remus returned the hug hesitantly.

And nothing had been resolved. Nothing had been talked out or solved and things might only get worse before they get better but they were hugging and that was something at least.

And they'd been living in the same room for as long as they'd existed. Always there, always together.

And yet...

"I missed you Roman."

"I missed you too, brother."

-

This has been in my drafts for month I hope it's alright-ish at least.

-

-

Tags: @purp-man @sapphire-knight @ragingdumpsterfiremess @chronophobica @lance-alt @mylifeisadeceit @itriedandimtired 

[mythologyfolklore]

Ares and Athena through the years - Ch. 16

Chapter Sixteen: Meanwhile ... 

.

When Ares had chosen to leave for a world journey, Aphrodite and his children had tearfully said goodbye.

Hephaistos had been there too, although he given his older brother a warm grip of the hand, rather than shedding tears.

The rest of his family had also come to say goodbye.

“Take care of yourself”, Artemis had said, while giving him a firm hug.

Ares had laughed: “I'll do my best.”

“Don't get caught by giants and locked in a jar”, Hermes had grinned.

“Oh shut up, squirt!”, the war god had snorted and lightly slapped the Messenger's shoulder.

Hera had given her son an awkward hug; after the Trojan War things were more tense between them than usual.

Zeus had been more affectionate, giving his son a firm embrace and a kiss to the forehead (an extremely rare gesture of fatherly love from the King of the Gods).

“I suppose you will be gone for a few Olympian decades?”

“Yes, father. Seeing the world and getting to know new people takes a while.”

“Goodbye then, my son. Take care of yourself, as Artemis said. Don't forget to write. We want to know how you are doing and how it is, where you're staying.”

“Unless the place I get to doesn't have a writing system, sure!”

With that, Ares had spurred on his horses and left Olympos.

First he had gone to Thrace to say goodbye to his twin and his friends.

Enyo had tearfully begged him to stay or at least take her along, same as Eris.

But Ares had insisted, that he needed some alone time (although it had hurt him to leave his twin behind).

“I need someone to do my duties”, he had told her. “You're the only one who can, Enyo. Your domain is the same as mine. You guys just take care of my home, okay?”

Then he had left.

.

At first he toured around Hellas. It couldn't hurt to see what was going on and maybe check how the survivors of the Trojan War were doing.

Many of the Trojan women had died or worse, were living a miserable life as concubines.

Aineias, the son of Aphrodite, had gathered a few survivors and was now sailing the seas.

To his great delight, most of the Achaeans had met a bitter end: Agamemnon had been killed by his wife and her lover, Ajax the Lesser was dead, so were many others. And the best thing was, that his old enemy Diomedes had gone through some shit, only to come home to a nasty surprise.

Now the hero who had once wounded him and Aphrodite, was wandering the lands and seas in search of a place to live.

Ares couldn't resist the temptation and descended onto the earth.

.

Diomedes was done with everything.

He had almost drowned in a massive thunderstorm, then been washed ashore on the coast of Libya, only to nearly be sacrificed to Ares. Then he had landed in Attica, where the local king had mistaken him and his crew for pirates and had attacked them. And when he had finally come home to Argos, he had found his wife not only unfaithful to him, but also ready to kill him.

Now he had nowhere to go.

This moment he was walking through a forest, when he spotted a small river. Tired from the long march, he sat down, let his feet dangle in the water and sighed contentedly at the sensation.

“Feels nice, doesn't it?”

He jumped at the sound of the voice and hastily grabbed his spear.

But it was just a little girl sitting on a branch of a nearby tree, dangling a leg.

Except it wasn't.

Diomedes still had his enhanced sight and knew a god, when he saw one.

The girl twirled her auburn hair and eyed him with twisted curiosity.

“You look like life wasn't kind to you, sir”, she noted.

He shrugged. “Is life kind to anyone?”

“To some”, she replied. “You look like someone glorious. A hero. Isn't that a kindness of life?”

“I'm not so certain anymore.”

The child giggled.

“You seem pretty happy”, he remarked.

“Likely happier than you”, the other teased. “Then again, heroes almost never get to live happily ever after, huh?”

Diomedes resisted the temptation to roll his eyes.

“Your disguise isn't very subtle, Lord Ares Polydakros¹.”

The other snickered and leapt off the branch. When his feet touched the ground, he had turned from a little girl to what was basically a human form of his divine shape.

It made the Argive shudder. He almost averted his eyes, but managed to steel his nerves and hold the other's burning gaze (though his body refused to stop trembling).

“So Glaukópis² let you keep your enhanced sight”, Ares noted. “Interesting. Not that it's of much use to you now.”

“Have you come to gloat?”

“Yes, actually. After your stunt back at Ilion³, it is really satisfying to see you this humbled. And I don't even need to have revenge, because Aphrodite already had hers. Betrayal is a nasty thing, isn't it?”

The god's grin was twisted and way too broad. Obviously he was revelling in the other's discomfort and misfortune.

Diomedes refused to dignify the god's remark anyhow.

“But don't feel bad”, Ares chuckled, “It could be much worse. Most of the Achaeans drowned, Agamemnon was murdered and that psychopathic brat Neoptolemos was slain by Apollon's priests for some blasphemy a few days ago. Also, Menélaos, my half-sister Helene and Odysseus are all stuck far away from home. Compared to that, you got off easy!”

His smirk vanished. “You should be grateful, son of Tydeus. Considering the shit ton of murder attempts you escaped, you're actually really, really lucky.”

Diomedes bit his lip.

So he isn't going to kill me, then.

“No”, Ares answered his thought. “I'm not.”

Diomedes took a deep breath and forced himself to stop trembling, before putting his spear down.

“You can't blame me for being afraid of you”, he told the god bluntly.

The Man-Slayer laughed: “I don't. Only a fool wouldn't fear war.”

“What do you want then – apart from gloating, obviously.”

“Give you a piece of my mind”, the war god replied bluntly. “Remember how my granddaughter Kallirhoë saved you from being sacrificed to me by my son? You could at least have thanked her.”

Diomedes blinked in confusion. “But I left her a letter?”

“Kallirhoë couldn't read, Diomedes.”

Oh. Oh shit.

“The Libyans don't have a writing system”, Ares explained, “And even if they did, she was mentally disabled. It would have been extremely hard for her to learn how to read, if at all. Not that it matters now; she's dead. Hanged herself, because you broke her heart.”

Shit times two.

“Of course killing you sounds tempting”, the god went on. “But luckily for you, my family has other plans for you. Don't think Athena has forgot you. After all, you and Odysseus have always been her favourites. So before I leave, one last piece of advice: take the next ship to Italy, find the last surviving Trojans, lead by Aphrodite's son Aineias and return the Palladion to them. Only then will your misfortune end, for even though you had Athena's approval, that doesn't change the fact that you robbed it.”

For a few seconds Diomedes considered, if this was a trap. But it sounded logical enough, so he memorised it anyways.

Ares stood up and unfolded a pair of huge red wings. Then he took to the air and was gone, leaving behind only a single red feather.

Diomedes knew better than to consider this a sign of goodwill.

.

Ares, having gained just a bit of closure, continued his tour.

He had seen what he had wanted to see. Now it was time to leave Hellas and explore the rest of the world.

He hadn't been to Aigyptos in quite a while. He had a few friends there, who would be delighted to see him.

.

“ARES! EYYY!”, Sekhmet roared in delight.

“EYYY, SEKHMET! SO GOOD TO SEE YA!”, Ares yelled back and they engulfed each other in a bone-crushing hug.

“IT'S BEEN SO LONG, MOTHERFUCKER! HOW ARE YOU DOING?”

“DOIN' GREAT, YOU BOSS ASS BITCH! AND YOU?”

“GREAT! THE OTHERS ARE TOO!”

“AWESOME!”

A dignified cough interrupted them.

“Can you two please stop yelling?”, Thoth asked. “It's headache-inducing. Apart from that, welcome, Ares. What brings you here?”

“I'm travelling the world!”, Ares beamed at the ibis-headed god. “Just started my journey and I wanted to see old friends, before I discover the rest. My presence won't be needed in the next centuries, so why not get away from it all and do something new?”

“That's fair”, Thoth agreed. “Sadly, none of us can leave Ta Meri⁴ right now; the earthly world is quite a mess.”

Ares frowned: “Yeah, back in Europa too.”

.

---

.

1) Polydakros: "Of Many Tears/Of Much Weeping", an epithet of Ares, referring to the woe and grief, which war brings. 2) Glaukópis: "Bright-Eyed/Owl-Eyed", an epithet of Athena, because of her bright eyes, which depending on the source are either grey or blue (in my version they're blue). 3) Ilion = Troy 4) Ta Meri: "Beloved Land", one of the ancient Egyptian terms for ... well, ancient Egypt, as the word Egypt is Greek in origin. The Egyptians also called their country Kemet, "Black (Land)", referring to the fertile soil along the river Nile, which was very dark because of the yearly inundations. The desert parts of Egypt were referred to as "Ta Desheret", which means "Red Land" and was the domain of the goddess Sekhmet and the god Set (and some other deities associated with the desert.

[kimmietea]

A Right of Passage (Joe Mazzello x Reader)

Summary: Joe and Reader show their nephew Nate, Jurassic Park for the first time. 

Warnings: None. Just fluffy goodness and maybe a bit sappy at parts.

A/N: Could be a continuation of Old Jokes but can also be read alone. Please don’t be shy. Let me if you like it or don't. If there is anything you’d like to see let me know.

********

“Lynn come on! What 9 year old boy hasn’t seen Jurassic Park?” You tried to reason with your over protective sister. Your nephew Nathan was having a sleepover at you and Joe’s place so your sister and brother-in-law could have a date night. The 3 of you had ordered pizza, popped some popcorn and built an awesome blanket fort in front of the T.V. ready for a night of movies and fun. You had the idea to show Nate Jurassic Park after your sister had already dropped him off so now you were doing your best to convince her over the phone.

“What if he has nightmares?” She worried. You looked over to Joe and Nate who were on their knees on couch peeking at you from under the back sheet of the fort, hopeful looks on their faces and their fingers crossed.

“If he has nightmares, he has nightmares. He’ll live. Plus he’s sleeping here so you won’t even have to deal with them.” Nate nodded excitedly in agreement.

“Oh I don’t know.” You could tell she was biting her nails.

“For the love of god just let him watch it!” You heard Scott tell your sister from the other side of the phone.

“Would you listen to your husband.” You laughed. “It’s a right of passage Lynn, every kid has to go through this.” She sighed.

“You’ll have Joe explain everything as it’s happening so he won’t be as scared? Like how they filmed it and it’s not real.”

“Yeah of course.” You lied. You and Joe had talked about it before and you decided not to tell Nate that Joe was actually the little boy in the movie, that way you guys would get his true feelings on the movie.

“Fine.”

“Really?!” You asked excitedly and spun around to look over at the boys who now had giant smiles on their faces and were gripping the back of the couch.

“Yeah i guess so. But if he gets too scared please tell me you’ll shut it off and if he does have nightmares and you need me to come get him please call me.” She stressed.

“Absolutely! But I promise he’ll be fine.”

“Ok, just text me when it’s over and keep me updated on how he is after it.” You agreed and said your goodbyes.

“She said yes!” You yelled. Joe and Nate yelled in excitement and jumped up and down on the couch almost knocking down the fort.

*******

“Ok so Jurassic Park is about a theme park, kinda like Sea World but with dinosaurs, and they get out.” You gave a brief description getting comfortable on the couch with Nate sitting in between you and Joe. Nated nodded almost shaking in his seat with excitement.

“I know you’re excited bud, but in all seriousness, it could be a bit scary and if you do get scared and want us to shut it off you have to tell us, ok? We won’t be mad, we just want you to have a good time and be comfortable here.” Joe explained.

“I promise Uncle Joe, but i'm gonna be okay, Im 9 nine now.” Joe laughed.

“I know buddy, you’re gonna do great.” He said ruffling his hair and staring the movie.

*******

Everything was going great, you had all eaten your pizza and were now slowly munching on some popcorn. Nate was super into the movie, which of course made you very excited. It was one of your favorites way before you met Joe.

The part where Dr. Grant and Ellie see the brachiosaurus for the first time was coming up and the look of awe on Nate's face was better than you could have hoped for.

“Woah” he said quietly as the camera panned over the massive dinosaur. You smiled and glanced over to Joe who wore a proud grin on his face.

********

“That is one big pile of shit.” Ian said on the movie and Nate let out a hearty laugh.

“Gross!” He laughed shaking his head. But his smile didn’t last long. A look of complete disgust and horror crossed his face as Ellie was elbow deep in the pile.

“Oh god! Gross! Ellie noo!” He yelled. Joe laughed at his reaction, tossing some popcorn at him.

********

The part you were most worried about Nate being scared of was approaching quickly. You watched Tim climb over the seats to look out the back window of the car with the binoculars.

“Cool” Nate said seconds before Tim did. You looked over to Joe and you two shared a smile. Nate was so into the movie that he was now sitting at the very edge of his spot on the couch, blanket wrapped around him.

The classic water ripples shot comes on and Nate pulls the blanket up under his chin, eyes unblinking and never leaving the screen. Joe placed his arm over the back of the couch and Nate sat all the way back. As the scene progressed your eyes kept darting between the screen and your nephew. You noticed that Nate had absent mindedly inched his way closer to Joe. By the time Tim notices the goat is missing Nate was tucked up under Joe’s arm, pressed into his side. Joe moved his arm from the couch to around Nate’s shoulders knowing what was about to happen.

The goat leg hits the roof and you see the T-Rex’s claw over the fence. Slowly the camera pans up and you see it, the T-Rex, eating what's left of the goat. You glance down at Nate who was now pressed so far into Joe’s side and the back of the couch you thought he might end up behind Joe. But his eyes never left the screen. Gennaro runs from the car and into the bathroom.

“Bad idea” Nate whispers to himself. The lines in the fence start to snap and it falls. The T-Rex bites though the loose wires and steps out of the inclosure. It lets out a roar and Nate’s eyes widen and he grabs Joe’s arm pulling it so it now wraps over his shoulder and across his chest, almost like a seat belt. Joe gives him a pat on the chest with his hand, silently telling his okay. Tim is now yelling at Lex to turn off the flashlight when the T-Rex bursts through the sunroof. Nate jumps a little and grips onto Joe’s arm that’s still wrapped across him.

He watches the full scene, eyes never leaving the screen or letting go of Joe’s arm. He lets out a little squeak when Gennaro is eaten. You finally see him blink a few times a let out a deep breath as Dr. Grant approaches the tree Tim was in. Nate didn’t release his grip on Joe’s arm until after the car chase when Ian says “Think they’ll have that on the tour?”. Joe went to move his arm back to the couch but Nate grabbed it quickly, keeping him in place.

Joe looked up at you with a dopey grin on his face. You knew that little move meant so much to him. He was always worried that Nate only saw him as a buddy not as a real Uncle since the 2 of you weren't married. A thought one of Scotts relatives put in his head a few years ago. You reached over Nate to brush your hand across Joe’s cheek, he smiled and leaned into your touch, placing a kiss on your palm before you pulled it away.

When you look back at the screen you saw Dr. Grant and the kids safe in the tree. Tim tells his joke and Nate looks up at you.

“That’s that joke you taught me!” You laughed and nodded.

“Yeah bud, that’s where I got it from.”

*******

The movie has about 20 minutes left when Tim, Lex and Dr. Grant approach the electric fence. He still hadn’t moved from his safe spot nestled next to Joe. He laughs when Dr. Grant pretends to get electrocuted by the fence. His face drops a little when you hear a roar in the distance, his arms that were relaxed at his sides, move to hold onto Joe’s arm again. They start to climb the fence and Ellie is looking for the breaker. She finds the box as the others reach the top of the fence, the music building. You look down at Nate and his eyes are wide, taking in every little thing on the screen.

Ellie pumps up the power, pushes the green button and an alarm blares scaring Tim and Nate who jumps a little in his Uncle’s arms and gasps when Time drops a rung down the fence. Ellie slowly starts to push the red buttons, turning the breaker back on. Lex and Dr. Grant start to encourage Tim to jump from the fence before the electricity gets turned back on. Nate schoches up the couch little by little, back to his spot on the edge. As he moved forward Joe’s arm retreated back to Nate’s shoulder.

Dr. Grant says he’s going to come up to get him when Tim starts counting to 3, ready to jump on 3.

“1” Ellie hits the button for the T-Rex paddock. As Tim counts 2 Ellie hits the button for the Perimeter Fence, there is a zap and some sparks as Tim gets shocked and is flung backwards off the fence and into Dr. Grants arms.

“NO!” Nate yells and flys off the couch landing on his knees in front of the tv, desperately trying to get closer. You were shocked by his reaction and it melts your heart. You put your hand over your chest and looked to Joe. His hand was over his mouth just as shocked as you were.

“Am I that good?” He whispered to you.

“You WERE that good.” You joked back. He gasped in moked offence and crossed his arms over his chest. You nudged him playfully and he smiled back at you with a wink. You hear Dr. Grant tell Lex he’s not breathing.

“No no no.” Nate says in a hushed voice shaking his head. Ellie says we’re back in business as a Raptor jumps from behind her. Nate yells in surprise and springs back to his spot on the couch, next with Joe and grabs his arm to put it back across him. Mr. Arnold’s arm falls over Ellie’s shoulder and he makes a grossed out face. Robert Is focusing on the Raptor in front of him, getting his gun ready and holding it up to aim.

“They attach from the sides.” Nate says more to himself than to the 2 of you. Remembering what Dr. Grant says to the boy at the start of the movie. The iconic “Clever Girl” line is spoken and he’s gone. Dr. Grant is giving Tim CPR and Nate is gripping Joe’s arm so tightly that his little, knuckles were turning white.

“Come on, come on.” He whispers. It was clear he was enjoying the movie and it made you so happy. You remember when your sister told you she was pregnant and all you could think about was this. Spending time with your nephew and showing him all your favorite things. You were so thankful for him.

Dr. Grant gives Tim a few breaths before he starts coughing and sits up. Nate let out a sigh and relaxed his grip on Joe.

“Thank god.”

*********

The rest of the movie goes on and Nate remains in his spot and says nothing. As the credits start to roll you and Joe look down at him.

“So, how did you like it?” You ask. He jumped up and stood on the couch.

“That was amazing!” He yelled. “Oh man that was so good! I can’t wait to tell Alex and David that I got to see Jurassic Park and they didn’t. Oh they are gonna be so jealous.” You both laughed and Nate sat back down.

“Why can’t they see it?” Joe asked.

“Their parents said they are too young and it’s too scary. Too bad they don’t have an awesome Aunt and Uncle that show them cool stuff.” You and Joe share a small High five over Nate’s head. Suddenly Nate’s face lights up and he’s off the couch again, standing in front of the two of you.

“I want to be Tim Murphy for Halloween.” He states with his hands on his hips and a quick nod of his head. You hear Joe take a shuddering breath as he turns to look at you. His eyes are a little glassy with tears and he’s biting at his lip. You chuckle and shake your head.

“It’s only February Nate.” You laugh and pick up the remote and start to rewind the movie back to the beginning but pausing it as they are all getting into the cars and Tim tells Dr. Grant that he read his book. The entire screen now a 9 year old Joe.

Joe gets up and stands next to the T.V. so he’s side by side with his younger self.

“Do you know who this is Nate?”He asks. Nate looks confused.

“It’s Tim Murphy.” He says. Joe covers his face with his hands. Should have expected that one. You laugh and decide to capture this moment and pull out your phone to record.

“Right. But do you recognise him at all?” Nate looks at the tv and tilts his head. After a few seconds he says.

“Nope.” Joe sighs.

“It’s me! I’m Tim Murphy. I mean I played him. When I was your age, that’s me!” He stressed and gestured to the T.V. Nate walked up and squinted at the T.V. then back to his Uncle and back and forth a few times, not really believing what he was hearing. His eyes grew wide and he stepped back from the T.V.

“Holy shit!” He exclaimed.

“NATHAN!” You yelled shocked, trying to hide your laugh. Joe did nothing to hide his laugh.

“Sorry Aunt Y/N.” His shoulders slumped slightly but not for too long.

“I can’t believe that my Uncle is Tim Murphy! Alex and David are never gonna believe this. I have the coolest Uncle ever!” He yelled and launched himself at Joe, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. Joe grunted as Nate basicly head butted him in the stomach and he wrapped his arms around him and held him close. That's where you ended the video and sent it off to your sister with a text saying how he loved the movie and was fine.

********

After a few more movies, some ice cream and a pillow fight, it was time for bed. Nate insisted that Joe be the one to tuck him in. So you said goodnight, hugged and kissed him before he climbed up on Joe’s back and they headed off to the guest room that Nate claimed as his own room. You cleaned up the fort and the mess in the living room before heading off to bed yourself. You climbed in just as Joe came strutting into the room with a smug smile on his face.

“Oh my stars! Is that THE Joe Mazzello? Actor extraordinaire, Tim Murphy from award winning Jurassic Park!” You gasped and for some reason used a bad southern accent.

“Hey just because i'm the cool one now doesn't mean you have to be jealous. I'm sure he still loves you.” He said as he changed into some pajama pants and a white t-shirt.

“Excuse me!”

“It’s okay, love. I'm not going to gloat about it just because he likes me better.” He snuggled down into the covers. You gaped down at him trying your best not to laugh.

“Alight Uncle of the year, you get to wake up early tomorrow and make your nephew breakfast.” You said matter of factly and rolled over in bed, your back to Joe. He moved closer and threw his arm over you and pulled you closer to him.

“You say it like it’s a punishment.” He mumbles into you neck. “I think of it as practice for when I get to get up early and make breakfast for our kids and my beautiful wife.” You smiled to yourself and leaned back into him.

"Love you" You whispered.

"Love you, goodnight."

********

The flash of light and massive boom woke you up. The rain pounded against the window. You groaned and rolled over, snuggling into Joe.

“Stupid rain.” You muttered. Joe moaned in agreement. Another flash of lightning lit up the room and a loud crack of thunder shook the windows. Joe’s eyes shot open and his entire body jumped.

“Christ, that one got me.” He laughed, trembling slightly like after a good jump scare in a horror movie. You laughed and opened your mouth to tell him to grow a pair when you caught sight of your bedroom door slowly opening. Nate stood there with the dinosaur stuffed animal Joe got him for his 5th birthday.

"You ok?" You ask gently. Joe rolled over to see him.

"Did you have a nightmare pal?" He asked. Nate shook his head.

"No I didn't. The thunder woke me up but the storm made me think of the T-Rex breaking out and…" he trailed off, looking down at his feet. He had scared himself.

"Nate could you do me a big favor?" Joe asked. Nate looked up at him and nodded. "Well that big thunder just scared me and I'd feel a lot better if you slept here with us."

A smile stretched across his face and he raced over to the bed, jumping up and snuggling in between the two of you.

"It's a good thing you came in here, Uncle Joe was really scared." You said brushing Nate's hair back, off his face.

"Really?" He asked quietly turning his head slightly to look at Joe.

"Yeah! You heard that right? My heart almost jumped out of my chest. But now you're here and I feel much safer." Joe said snuggling into Nate as if he was a teddy bear. Joe gave you a look and you took the hint and did the same on his other side. Nate sighed contently and wrapped his arms around both of you.

"I love you guys."

[merinnan]

Nevermore - Part 7

“Marshal Lan.” Lan Xichen greeted his uncle with a salute, before quickly but futilely trying to push his hair away as the wind from the chopper blades whipping it into his face.

“Xichen.” Lan Qiren cracked the barest of smiles. “How are you? I trust the flight was good?”

“I’m well, thank you.” He ignored the way Wen Qionglin’s eyes widened slightly at that claim after his reaction to seeing certain buildings, and instead gave both men a reassuring smile. “It’s good to be returning. The flight was as expected.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Anything else Lan Qiren might have added was cut off by the sound of an alarm coming from his watch, which he silenced with a tap and a sigh. “I’m afraid I have a meeting in a few minutes. Wen Qionglin will show you around and introduce you to people, but I hope you will join me tonight for dinner.” He turned to his attaché. “Tell Jingyi to join us as well.”

“Of course, Shufu,” Lan Xichen said with a bow, even as Wen Qionglin murmured, “Yes, Marshal.”

As the marshal strode away, his last comment finally registered with Lan Xichen, who blinked and looked at Wen Qionglin. “Did I hear that correctly? Jingyi is here? Lan Jingyi?”

His cousin was old enough to be part of the PPDC now? His memories of the boy were of a young teenager glued to videogames. Granted, that was five years ago now…or was it six? Either way, the thought of A-Yi being an adult now came as something of a shock.

“Oh. Yes.” Wen Qionglin nodded as he led Lan Xichen away from the landing pad. “Ranger Lan Jingyi. Would you like to meet him first?”

“Ranger?” Lan Xichen shook his head in bemusement, then quickly changed it to a nod. “Ah, yes, please.”

He followed the tall young man over to the building at the edge of the landing pad, his eyes taking in the lines and construction, so much like the same building at Hong Kong’s Shatterdome, and Tokyo’s. As he and Wen Qionglin went inside and stepped into the elevator, he wondered if a tour was all that necessary – Shatterdome construction was fairly universal, after all. He could navigate Hong Kong’s Shatterdome blindfolded, so he was sure he’d have no problem with Shanghai’s.

And that, he hoped, would not be a problem in and of itself. The whole point of coming back to active duty at Shanghai was precisely because it wasn’t Hong Kong. Because while the city might be where he’d lost his old partners, the Shatterdome here didn’t hold the same memories of his old partners that the one in Hong Kong did. That was the theory, at least.

These thoughts kept him occupied as the elevator travelled down, and once the doors open he stepped out without a second thought, dragging his suitcase behind him and automatically turning down the corridor towards where, in Hong Kong, his quarters would have been. A light touch on his arm startled him out of his thoughts, and he turned to Wen Qionglin with an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry. Old habits,” he said by way of explanation.

“It’s fine,” the younger man assured him. “I was going to have someone take your bags to your quarters while we find Lan Jingyi, but I could always show you your quarters first if you’d prefer.”

He thought about it. It was so so tempting so say yes, to take his bags to his new quarters, and then to just…stay there. To beg off having the tour and the introductions just now, to claim that he wanted to unpack, to settle in, to rest. To stay safely shut in his new space, the way he’d been in his old space just a few hours before. He’d rarely gone out into the wider Cloud Recesses facility, and this tour would, inevitably, cause him to be around more people at one time than he had been in years. It was frightening, in a way, to think of being around people again.

But if he hid now, he wasn’t sure how much effort it would take him to stop.

“No,” he said finally, and smiled. “As I said, it was just old habits. Let’s go find Jingyi.”

~~~

Stepping into the main central area of the Shatterdome took Lan Xichen’s breath away at first, his throat closing up as he looked around the massive space that was at once new to him and so painfully familiar. He looked up at the LOCCENT mezzanine, focusing on that nerve centre so far above where he stood on the ground, and took a couple of deep breaths before returning to scan the rest of the space with its jaeger bays and Scramble Alley, the deployment ramp down to the Shatterdome’s sea doors.

As he knew it would be, the place swarmed with people and the buzz of voices and activity. Three of the six jaeger bays stood open, the giant robots standing silently inside while people bustled around their feet and across the catwalks that gave technicians access to any part of the machines they needed to get to. Even from where he stood with Wen Qionglin at one of the entrance doors, Lan Xichen could see visible damage to two of the jaegers – the one painted with white and blue clouds was missing an arm and he could see welding sparks lighting up spots on its torso, while the darker one decorated with a giant red sun had repair crews crawling all over its legs. When he looked at the third bay, he wasn’t sure if he was more relieved or disappointed to see that the jaeger there wasn’t his Purple Lightning, but instead another unfamiliar jaeger, this one patterned with black and white snowflakes.

Wen Qionglin followed his gaze. “Frost Flower,” the young man identified. “Our only combat-ready jaeger until you have a co-pilot. The other two are Silent Storm and Eternal Sun. They dealt with a kaiju near Okinawa a few weeks ago.”

“And it was awesome!” another voice chimes in. “Hi, Xichen-ge! Hi, Ning-ge!”

Lan Xichen turned to look down at a familiar face grinning up at him, then looked down a little more to see that Lan Jingyi was standing there on crutches. Beside Lan Jingyi was another boy who looked about the same age – surely the pair of them couldn’t be more than eighteen or nineteen – and who also looked vaguely familiar. The second boy just eyed Lan Jingyi’s enthusiasm and shook his head slightly, before giving a polite bow.

“Hello, Lan-qianbei,” he said. “Hello, Ning-ge.”

“Sizhui. Jingyi.” Wen Qionglin, apparently who the pair meant by ‘Ning-ge’, gave both boys a smile. Lan Xichen looked from one to the other, and also offered them a smile.

“Hello, Jingyi. And Sizhui, was it?”

“Wen Sizhui,” the boy introduced himself.

“Don’t tell me you don’t remember him, Xichen-ge?!” Lan Jingyi waved one crutch in indignation. “A-Yuan and I have been best friends for years!”

Ah. Lan Xichen blinked, and then gave them another smile. “A-Yuan, yes, I remember that name. Although I don’t think I ever got a proper look at your face, since the pair of you were always glued to a screen while Jingyi shouted insults at whoever your opponents at the time were.”

“He still does, although now it’s inside my head instead of at a screen,” Wen Sizhui replied.

“A-Yuan!” Lan Jingyi gasped, his eyes going wide in mock betrayal. “How could you! I mean, it’s true, but how could you say that!”

Lan Xichen couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at Lan Jingyi’s antics. His cousin might have got a few years older, but his personality certainly hadn’t changed a bit.

“Wen Sizhui?” he said, breaking off the banter. “Any relation between the two of you?” He indicated Wen Sizhui and Wen Qionglin both.

“Cousins,” Wen Qionglin confirmed, and Wen Sizhui nodded.

“Like you and me, Xichen-ge,” Lan Jingyi added cheerfully.

“Speaking of you, Jingyi, what happened to you?” Lan Xichen eyes the crutches that his younger cousin was using.

“I broke it!” This response sounded entirely too pleased, and, judging from the soft sigh Wen Sizhui gave, he wasn’t the only one who thought so. “When we fought Skullsnout and he got behind us and smacked through the CONN-pod because those dumbasses in Eternal Sun…”

“A-Yi,” Wen Sizhui said reproachfully.

“Ah, sorry, A-Yuan, I know they’re your cousins as well, but you don’t like them any more than I do, and if they’d been watching our back instead of holding back to try to make some glorious rescue…”

“A-Yi.”

“Fine, fine.” Lan Jingyi subsided to some muttered grumbling that sounded vaguely insulting from the way he glared at Eternal Sun, then he looked back at Lan Xichen. “Anyway, that’s how I broke it, and it was such an awesome fight, Xichen-ge!”

“It was our first real one,” Wen Sizhui explained. “Which is why he’s so excited about it.”

“I’m glad a broken leg was the worst thing you came out with, then,” Lan Xichen tells them both seriously. “It can get a lot worse than that, so make sure you always pay attention, even if you are supposed to have backup with you.”

“We will,” Lan Jingyi assured him, while Wen Sizhui nodded agreement.

“If you’ll excuse us,” Wen Sizhui added, “A-Yi is supposed to be going to the infirmary to get his leg checked on. It was a pleasure to meet you again, Lan-qianbei.”

“You as well, Sizhui. And you, Jingyi.” Lan Xichen gives both boys a nod as Lan Jingyi hops over to the door, Wen Sizhui by his side and watching him carefully as though he expected his friend to knock into the wall or fall over. He smiled watching them go, shaking his head slightly. Meeting the pair had definitely set him more at east, and he turned back to Wen Qionglin. “So who’s next?”

Wen Qionglin gestures over to Frost Flower. “Xiao Xingchen and Song Zichen generally personally check in with their J-tech team at about this time of day. Then we’ll see if Wen Chao and Wen Xu are with their team.” His smile gets a little strained at mentioning the second pair of names.

“More cousins of yours, from what Jingyi said?”

“Unfortunately.” Wen Qionglin sighed. “You’ll see. But let’s go see Frost Flower first.” He gestured towards the jaeger in question, and the pair headed off towards it.

AO3

Nevermore Masterlist

[thinkingaboutyoungroyals]

You should write a sequel to the hoodie fic like Cyrus wearing it to the game and them getting together at the end. Please I need it in my life.

I’ve had this planned for so long and I finally got to write it!

So sorry it was super duper late!

(Also, if you haven’t read my “Hoodie” fic, you can find it here!)

He could feel eyes staring at him as he made his way up the bleachers behind Buffy and Andi. He supposed he stood out with the giant light blue hoodie wrapped around him, the hem practically hanging above his knees. 

But, it wasn’t like he could take it off (nor did he want to because it was warm and it was still so terribly cold). He kind of sort of promised T.J. that he would wear it to his game. And Cyrus wasn’t one for breaking promises.

“Why do they have to stare?” he mumbled as they settled into seats, right in the middle.

He consciously pulled at the sleeves of the hoodie, bringing them over his wrists. The sign he made was tucked in between his legs.

“Because you’re wearing a Jefferson basketball team hoodie and unless you’re on the team, you know what means,” Andi stated, playfully elbowing him on the side.

Cyrus scrunched his nose at her. “And what if I’m simply borrowing it from a good friend of mine who’s on the team?”

Buffy snorted as she tossed a piece of popcorn into her mouth. “Friend. Right.”

“We’re just friends,” Cyrus mumbled, even as he took a subtle whiff of the scent emanating from the hood.

T.J.’s scent was like a mix of citrus and honey. Very refreshing.

Andi pointed a few bleachers down. “I think you’re supposed to sit over there.”

Cyrus furrowed his brows in confusion. “Why?”

“Cause that’s where all the basketball girlfriends sit,” answered Buffy, cheekily. “See? They’re all wearing the hoodies.”

Indeed, further down was a group of five girls wearing the same light blue hoodie, each holding a sign.

Heat pooled to his cheeks. His friends were being ridiculous. He was NOT a basketball girlfriend! 

For one, he was a boy! For two, he and T.J. weren’t dating!

Before he could re-iterate these facts, the gym doors opened and the crowd went wild. Jefferson Middle School’s basketball team finally entered the gym, jogging to their spot while waving at the crowd.

Cyrus’ sharp eyes spotted T.J. The blonde was scanning the bleachers and when their gazes met, Cyrus waved. The other boy waved back, smiling widely. Cyrus pointed at his hoodie and gave him a thumbs up. T.J. responded with two thumbs up and, to his shock, a flying kiss.

The blush moved to his ears, now.

“Awww, silent communication,” Andi cooed. “So cute.”

“Guys, stop, that didn’t mean anything,” he weakly responded, even as his chest twitched at the thought.

By now, T.J.’s teammates had steered him away from the bleachers as they began to warm up.

“We don’t know why you’re fighting it so much, Cy,” Buffy commented, eating more popcorn as she watched the players with a critical eye. “You’re both clearly into each other. Why not just ask him out?”

“I don’t know if he,” Cyrus lowered his voice. “Likes boys.”

“He likes you,” Andi said, pointedly. “That’s something.”

Cyrus bit his lip. He was aware that he and T.J.’s banters were sometimes borderline flirting. And it was fun and it made his heart go all crazy. But, he didn’t know how T.J. felt about him. Did he like him back? Could they potentially go out on a date and be… boyfriends?

These were some of the questions that kept Cyrus up at night.

The game began so he pushed his thoughts away and concentrated. He raised his sign up high, cheering and calling out T.J.’s name whenever the Captain had the ball.

The blonde always played well but he seemed to be giving it his all in this particular game. He shot basket after basket, never ceasing. Every time the other team got ahead, T.J. played harder to keep up and surpass them. He was just a blue blur, weaving through the other team’s sea of red. The Jefferson side never settled down.

Finally, it was the last quarter. The teams were neck-to-neck. T.J. had a free throw. If he got this, Jefferson would win.

Andi had her hands wrapped around Buffy’s arm, who was biting her nails. Cyrus’ sign had been abandoned as his fists nervously clutched the front of his hoodie.

Out on the court, T.J. dribbled the ball a few times, looked up at the net, and took a deep breath. Then, he took a shot.

The ball flew towards the net, spun around the ring once, before falling in.

The buzzer went off. The crowd went wild.

Cyrus and his friends jumped up from their seats, screaming and hugging each other.

They won!!!

Excitedly, they made their way down the bleachers to congratulate the team.

Cyrus immediately found T.J. and ran up to him. “You won!!! Congratulations!!!”

“Thanks, Underdog!!!” The Captain was beaming, even as his face and hair dripped with sweat.

“I’d hug you but, uh…” Cyrus gestured towards him and T.J. laughed.

“It’s fine, I wouldn’t hug me in this state, either.”

“I’ll give you a giant one right after!” he compromised.

T.J.’s face softened. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

T.J. ran a hand throuhg his hair, messing it up even more. Cyrus resisted the urge to touch it.

“Hey, so, actually, uh…” T.J. seemed nervous. “I made a promise to myself.”

Cyrus tilted his head to side, confused and curious.

“I told myself that if we win today’s game…” T.J. visibly swallowed. “I’d ask you out.”

Cyrus’ eyes widened, his heart suddenly racing.

Was this really happening? Or did he imagine that? Did T.J. really say what he thought he said?

“And since we won the game… and you’re wearing my hoodie… and you look really cute right now…”

Cyrus was sure he looked like a tomato right at that moment.

“…it’s the perfect time.” 

Looking shy but determined, T.J. took a step closer to him.

Cyrus swallowed but stayed rooted on his spot. Around them, celebrations were happening and the crowd was beginning to disperse, but it felt like they were in their own little bubble.

“So… will you… go out with me?” T.J. asked in a soft voice.

Even though he knew it was coming, Cyrus still couldn’t stop the gasp from leaving his lips.

He was sure he was dreaming but why did he feel wide awake?

He must have stared for too long because T.J.’s face fell. “I… I mean… You don’t have to go out with me… Um… I… Uh… Y-You can forget about-.”

“No!” Cyrus blurted out. His feet moved on their own, taking a few steps towards T.J. until they were only a hand’s length away. “I… I mean… Yes! Yes, I’d love to go out with you!”

T.J.’s solemn gaze lit up. “Really? You mean that?”

Cyrus nodded, his lips twitching into a smile. “Yes. Yes, I definitely mean that.”

“Great! I mean, awesome!”

T.J. looked over the moon with joy and he didn’t seem to know exactly what to do with his hands. Finally, he reached out to take Cyrus’ hands, gently rubbing the top with his thumbs.

“I’ll… uh… go get changed… and… maybe we can… go to The Spoon together?” he asked, nervously.

His heart fluttering, Cyrus nodded. “Can I keep your hoodie for a little longer?” he asked, shyly.

Grinning T.J. nodded. “It’s yours.”

With one last squeeze of his hands, the blonde let go and excused himself so he could get changed.

“For our date,” he winked before jogging off.

Meanwhile, Cyrus watched him go, fingers playing with the hem of the hoodie’s sleeves as his heart continued to flutter and soar.

Two figures sidled up on either side of him.

“So…how are you feeling?” Andi asked.

Cyrus sighed dreamily. “Warm.”

[yiwns]

ANNABETH'S SURPRISE

Fandom: Percy Jackson / PJO

Pairing: Percy Jackson x Annabeth Chase // PERCABETH

Word Count: 2.1k

Genre: Fluff

You can send requests here!

-

"So, what's the surprise, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth asked Percy as they strolled along the beach. It was Annabeth's birthday and Percy wanted to surprise her by taking her to her Poseidon's castle. "Oh you'll see," Percy smirked. "Seaweed Brain, you know I don't like surprises right? And besides, I'll probably even guess what it is," Annabeth said.

Percy groaned like a child. "See this is why I can never surprise you!" He waved he's arms dramatically in the air. Annabeth giggled at her boyfriend's childishness. "Okay okay, I'll try not to guess it okay?" Annabeth promised. "Pinky promise?" Percy held out his pinky like a five year old. "Yes, pinky promise," Annabeth giggled and link their pinkies together.

Percy took her hand and they stroll along Camp Half Blood's beautiful beach. The sun was starting to rise. The sunlight shone on the ocean, the ocean twinkled and dolphins even jumped out and did a few flips in front of the couple. The sky turned a soft lilac and blue colour. Even Annabeth couldn't help but stare in awe.

"This way, my princess," Percy led towards the ocean. "So I did some calculations-"

"Wait? Since when do you do calculations?" Annabeth cut him off. "Anyways," Percy rolled his eyes. "I did some calculations," he emphasised the word 'calculations'. "And that I can make you breath underwater," He grinned. "Well, surprise me," Annabeth crossed her arms and waited. Percy grinned and leaned in. Their lips touch and the dolphins were clapping in the background.

They parted for breath. "That was sweet and all but what was that for?" Annabeth placed her arms around his shoulders. "You'll see," he wiggled his arm around her waist. They were now standing about the sea, thanks to Percy. He slowly lowered them down into the ocean. Annabeth looked around her, she was surrounded in water and she was breathing.

"Wow," She breathed out. Percy was grinning like an idiot. "Cmon," He took her by the hand. As they swam, many sea creatures passed by them. And of course they were whispering to Percy. "That's his majesty's son."

"Lord Percy!"

"Who's the girl beside him?"

"She looks beautiful."

Soon, they were floating at the edge of a underwater gap. Percy whistled and soon two hippocampus swam towards him. They were beautiful. Their skin shone like the galaxy underwater. If you don't know what they are, from the waist up they have a horse as a head and horse hooves, from the waist down, they have a fish tail and flippers.

Both of them each rode one hippocampus. Soon they were in front a huge arch. Inside, they're were sea and ocean nymphs everywhere. Even mermaids and mermen. Annabeth couldn't decide if she was amazed by the creatures or the architecture of the kingdom.

"Hey Dad!" Percy greeted his father, Poseidon who was siting on his throne of seashells and coral. "Percy my son!" Poseidon bellowed as he gave Percy a very big hug. "And Annabeth, good to see again," He smiled at Annabeth. "Good to see you too, my lord," Annabeth, being the mature one bowed.

"Percy told me his plans on everything, and happy birthday Annabeth, this is gift to you, just don't let your mother find out," Poseidon said. Poseidon snapped his finger and a nereid came holding a tray. On top the tray was two glass bottle filled with sparkling blue and green liquid. "A... potion?" Annabeth picked one of the bottle up.

"One for you and one for my son," Poseidon said. "Cool, what does it do?" Percy asks inspecting the bottle. "Why don't you drink and find out?" Poseidon grinned. Percy and Annabeth hesitated but drank it, what could go wrong right?

Percy and Annabeth gulped down the liquid. They started to glow, like really bright, almost as bright as Apollo but I'm not allowed to say that. The glowing died down. "I don't feel any different," Annabeth mumbled. Poseidon snapped his fingers and two mermen came with a body size mirror.

"WOAH!" Percy grinned. They couldn't believe what they saw in their reflection. "W-We're mermaids!" Annabeth said. "Merman!" Percy corrected her. Percy was shirtless but from the waist down, he had ocean green fish tail that sparkles in the light. Annabeth hair was in a half braid which was decorated with pearls and seashells, she had a white crop top that was decorated with pearls. From waist down, she had a coral pink fish tail.

"Oh my gods, this is awesome!" Annabeth swam in circles. Their weapons hung on a belt made of seaweed around their waist. "Thank you, Lord Poseidon," Annabeth bowed. Percy was still busy doing flips and giggling like a kid. Poseidon chuckled at them.

"Go and have fun, explore!" Poseidon sent them. For the entire day, the happy couple swam around, amazed by the underwater life. They returned back to the palace when the ocean turned dark, meaning it was night time. Poseidon was busy signing papers, obviously papers sent from Zeus.

"Ah, welcome back!" Poseidon greeted them back. "Had fun?" He asked. "A lot," Annabeth answered. Percy was still acting like a child. "So, how do we turn back into human?" Percy asked. "Why that's simple, I just... um... I... um," Poseidon stopped and thought for awhile. "I actually, don't know." He admitted. "What!?" Annabeth asked in shock. "I never turned anyone into mermaids before," he added. "T-Then, how?" Percy stutter.

"Well I thought it was a good idea," Poseidon stopped when a ocean nymph came and whispered something into his ear. Both of them had a brief discussion. "Great news! Kyla here," Poseidon gestured towards the ocean nymph, "knows how to turn you back into human!"

"How?" Annabeth raised a brow. "Well, there's this ancient cave near shore, there this magical wishing pearl. People say if you touch it and say you're wish it would come true," Kyla explained. "Then lets goooo," Percy started to swim but Annabeth caught him by the fin. "Hold up, Seaweed Brain." She said. "What's the catch?" Annabeth raised a brow.

"Well, it is near shore but it's deep down, like under shore. Around the midnight zone," Kyla said nervously. "Can we go now?" Percy asked getting impatient. "Percy, the midnight zone is very dangerous," Annabeth told him. "Have you seen me with danger? Demigods are a magnet for danger!" He waved his arms around. "True, but the midnight zone has less oxygen and the pressure is really high. It could burst out lungs, even if we're mermaids, because we're not real mermaids, we're still half mortal," Annabeth explained. "But I can breath underwater," Percy stated. "And I can't," Annabeth pointed out.

"And that is where I come in," Poseidon said. He gave them both a seashell necklace with four stripes on it. "When you are about to enter the midnight zone, put these on. It would let you stay there long enough for you to get to the pearl. But once you turn back to human, you need to get out of there as fast as you can. In mermaid form, you can last longer than human and might only used one bar and that means you have three bars left when you are in human form before your lungs burn," Poseidon explained. "Now be safe, and don't get killed on the way down," Poseidon patted Percy's head. Percy gave Poseidon a hug and said their goodbyes. Percy took Annabeth's hand started to swim back to shore.

When they were almost near shore, they stopped and look down. "Ready, Wise Girl?" Percy asks. "Ready," Annabeth answered. Both of them put on the necklace and the four stripes started to glow as they descended into the midnight zone. Many giant creatures such as squid and sharks passed by them. They didn't want to mess with them, I mean who would want too? He's the son of Poseidon, their king. But they did had to kill a few squids who were rebellious against Poseidon.

They soon found a cave. It was attached to the shore line, the entrance was covered with seaweed, but there was faint glow coming from the inside. They swam towards it. But Annabeth pulled Percy towards a rock and hid behind it. "What is it-" Annabeth cut Percy off by putting her index finger to her lips. "Listen," she whispered. Percy ears perked up as he heard movement and low growling near the cave. Both of them peeked up from the rock. Huge tentacles surrounded the cave. "It's a kraken!" Percy exclaimed. "Shhh!" Annabeth shushed him. The kraken red eyes glowed in the dark, its tentacles making a swishing sound as it moved. "What are we gonna do?" Percy asked. Annabeth thought for awhile. "We need to distract it," Annabeth said. "How?" Percy asked. "We need to get passed this tentacles," Annabeth said. "They are huge! It's like fighting an underwater Hydra just that the tentacle doesn't grow back but it's bigger and longer," Percy groaned.

Annabeth thought for awhile. "I got it!" A tiny lightbulb sparked from her head. "We can swim fast, even though the tentacles is huge it can't move that fast cause of its weight. If we swim fast enough and different direction, we could confused it and the tentacles would very tangled," Annabeth said. Percy nodded.

"1,2,3 go!" Annabeth said. Percy and Annabeth charged at the kraken. Swimming fast and around it. It was annoyed by them but also confused. "HEY SQUID FACE!" Percy called him multiple names. Soon, the tentacles were all tangled and the kraken was struggling to get it out. "Now!" Percy said. They swam inside the cave, brushing past the seaweed entrance.

"Woah," Percy looked around the cave. "This Place looked like someone lived here," He said. "Percy! In here!" Annabeth called him. Percy Swann towards Annabeth. A huge pearl sat on table of coral, it was glowing a coral pink light. "Ready?" Annabeth asked her boyfriend, he nodded. Both of them put their hands on the pearl and closed their eyes. "I wish to be human again," They both said in unison. Both of them started to glow for a moment. The glowing died down and they opened their eyes. "We're human again!" Annabeth gasped. They were back in their camp attire.

Just in time, they heard a beeping sound. A bar from the seashell was gone, three more left. "Cmon, we have to-"

"Wise Girl look out!"

"Huh- AAAAH! PERCY!" Annabeth screamed. A tentacle had sneaked in and wrapped itself around Annabeth's waist and pulled her out. "AAAAAHHHH!" She yelled. "WISE GIRL!" Percy swam after her. The kraken had untangled itself. It roared at Percy. Annabeth was hanging off the tentacle, squirming to get out but the grip only got tighter. Annabeth grunted in pain.

Percy whipped out Riptide. "LET HER GO YOU SQUID FACE!" He yelled at it. The kraken roared at him and charged it tentacles at it. Percy dodge most of it. He sliced of one. The kraken roared in pain. Usually, squid can regenerate their tentacles but it takes time, and this kraken doesn't have time before Percy turns it into calamari. Percy stabbed at the kraken as it charged at Percy. "HANG ON WISE GIRL!" Percy said. He charged towards the tentacle holding Annabeth and sliced it off. Annabeth untangled herself, Percy swam towards her and wrapped his arms around her.

Annabeth felt dizzy, she realised her seashell had only one and a half bar left. Before she could say anything, she passed out in Percy arms due to the lac of oxygen. Percy panicked for awhile then realised why she had passed out. The kraken had swam back into its hiding place to regenerate its tentacles. Percy swam upwards to the light.

"Hah!" Percy's head popped up from the water. He dragged Annabeth towards the sand, Percy kissed her a few times which he considers CPR. A few minutes later, Annabeth started to cough out water. "Hey there Wise Girl," Percy grinned at her. "Hey, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth kissed Percy. Right now, it was night time. The stars were shining brightly.

"So how did you like your birthday present?" Percy asked his girlfriend. They were lying on the sand, not caring if they had sand on their backs or hair. "It was, unexpected I have to admit. I did expect you taking me to Poseidon's castle but not the mermaid part," Annabeth admitted. "So, did I surprise you?" Percy asked. Annabeth laughed. "Yes, yes you did," She kissed him one more. She snuggled up to him as both of them admired the beautiful night sky above.

This was truly an amazing birthday experience that Annabeth will never forget.

[ick25]

Rockman.EXE Episode 41 Review.

The cutest and funniest episode of Rockman.EXE I’ve seen so far!

“Good” is a relative term.

We open the episode with some shots of Densan city under a thunder storm. A lightning bolt hits a building causing a black out, and for some reason the lightning bolt also appears in the cyber world shocking a strange glass case with what looks like a cat inside. The cat escapes and somehow appears as a giant in the real world, covering the whole city with it’s shadow.

After the title card, we see a dog happily munching on a bone when something strange walks by causing it to drop the bone in shock.

The strange creature stops in front of Netto’s house where we see our blue bandana boy enjoying some curry his useless mom brought him along with some tea while Midorikawa talks in the news about the weird cat shadow seen last night.

Netto finishes his meal, but notices that the tea is missing.

What is wrong with this woman? In what universe is that normal?! (oh, right, anime, and maybe Charlie Brown)

Netto is understandibly confused about seeing Rush in the real world, he even touches him to see if he is a hologram.

He is not. I doubt Rush has hair, so I guess his head must feel pretty smooth.

Right after this, Netto receives a phone call from Meiru-chan telling him that she can’t find Rush. Netto tells her that Rush is drinking tea at his house, they are both confused about this so they think their Navis might know what is going on. 

Netto runs to his room to talk to Rockman, but...

I got to be honest, the first time I saw this I was actually expecting to see Rockman on Netto’s bed or something, but that already happened in the manga, and it was freaking hilarious! XD

                                                                                            <----------------------------

Also, Netto’s mom was called out for being so calm in weird situations.

                                                                                                            <---------------

Anyway, instead, Netto and Meiru get this.

So cute! :3

Both Rock and Roll have become cat navis. Their confused netops ask them why they look like that, but nya-ther of them know the cause.

According to Japan, cats say “Nya” instead of “Meow”. The more you know.

Inmediately after, Netto receives calls from Dekao, Yaito and Tohru at the same time, their Navis have also been turned into cats.

Iceman is playing with Gutsman tail during this scene. X3

Not only our heroes, but according to Midorikawa, the whole net has been affected, Navis and viruses everywhere have turn into cats for some unknowen reason.

LOL, Higure’s face.

Like we need a reminder that CGI is inmune to these kinds of things. But if that’s the case, then how come she was under the control of a virus in episode 27?

Netto and friends are wondering whats going on, luckily for them, Netto’s dad appears out of nowhere to give them the answer.

“Where the hell have you been?!”

“Doing computer stuff in the Bahamas, nothing out of the ordinary”

Seriously, nobody asks about the tan! O-O

Netto’s new tanned dad tells them that the cause of everything is a new computer virus that escaped a research lab last night. The virus is called the “Neko Virus”, which means “Cat virus”, and it has the ability to transform Navis and other viruses into cats.

Netto asks about Rush appearing in the real world as well, but amazingly enough, his dad has no clue and doesn’t think it’s related to the Neko virus. After taking another look at his adorable new cat navi, Netto asks if there is a way to change them back.

At least somebody finds her useful.

We cut to the Net Agents ready to jump into action.

But somehow they didn’t realize that their Navis were also affected by the Neko virus. The worst part is that Sharkman is still a fish.

Not the kind of catfish you’d expect to see in the internet-nya? :3

After a pointless scene of Netto’s useless mom serving them lunch, and Rush trying to seem charming, we see the Navis thinking in the cyberworld until something suddenly happens to Iceman.

Yuichiro tells them that if they don’t get a vaccine soon, the Navis will permanently become cats and that the speed of the transformation depends on the size of the Navi. The vaccine might not be ready on time, so their only hope is to find and capture the Neko Virus. 

In the next scene we see the five Navis walking around an empty Internet City trying to find the virus.

That’s a brilliant plan, Rockman. Also, wasn’t Iceman’s body transformed in the last scene? And where is his tail? Just how consistent is the animation for this episode?

They even look for the Neko virus at a ball shop, yes, a “Ball” shop, just so we can get this scene where one of the balls fall out forcing the Navis, except for Iceman, to fight their feline instincs of playing with it.

I’m all for the Rockman butt shots, but do we have to see Gutsman’s butt too? And there is a coloring mistake in the fourth panel which answers my question of the animation quality for this episode.

The Navis keep searching knowing that they can now relate to the Neko virus, they deduced that the virus is taking a nap, since cats love to take naps, and the best place for that is the park.

They arrive at Internet city’s park where they find the Neko virus sleeping and they try to ambush it, but the virus wakes up and scratches Gutsman out of its way.

Gutsman gets angry and tries to attack the Neko virus, but ends up getting his claws stuck.

Now, lets forget for a moment that Battle chips are not allowed in Internet City and just enjoy this next scene.

Rockman gives chase to the Neko virus, Netto sends him a Mini Bomb, but since the bomb is round you can guess where this is going.

“Iceman got to play with a ball, it was my turn!”

Netto then sends a Sword, but for some reason it won’t appear, so Rockman tries to attack the Neko virus with his claws, but he misses and gets scratched instead.

Neko virus uses fury swipes, its a critical hit.

The Neko virus dissapears after this, and a huge tremor happens in the real world where Netto and the others discover that the virus has materialized in Akihara.

CATZILLA!!!

After commercials, Netto and the others are out on the street trying to figure out what the heck is going on.

There are two things wrong with this. One, Netto already checked earlier that Rush isn’t a hologram, and two, if Rush isn’t affected by the Neko virus because he is a dog, then why are other animal type viruses and Navis affected by it? Sounds like the Neko virus is racist against dogs.

As they keep staring at Nekozilla, Tohru discovers that Iceman has fully become a cat.

At least Icecat hasn’t lost his freezing powers- nya :3

Netto fears that Rockman will have the same fate and runs to capture the Neko virus by himself.

Sea lion? I wouldn’t be mad, I would be confused.

The Neko virus gives chase to Netto.

At least one of his parents worries about him.

Netto lures the Neko virus into a street between two large buildings and this happens.

.....

The giant Neko virus struggling causes debris to fall on Netto, but Rush saves him in the last second. But before a second block of concrete from the building falls on them, Yuichiro figured out why the Neko virus grew so big and creates a lightning bolt with his computer to hit Rush. For real.

“By the power of science! I summon a thunder storm!”

This is where the episode passes from cute and funny to ridiculous. 

Acording to Yuhichiro the lightning bolt at the begining of the episode was what caused the Neko Virus to become a giant in the real world. Now, with his super scientific power and a really awesome computer, he creates a lightning bolt to make Rush become a giant as well, saving Netto from the falling debris.

Rush becomes a giant and fights the Neko virus, but I’m not gonna waste time taking sceen shots because the “battle” was also a waste of time, it’s like watching Snoopy trying to be epic and failing.

Anyway, the Neko virus starts beating the crap out of Rush until he summons a hole underneath it.

Long live the king-nya :3

The hole sends the Neko virus back to cyberworld where Rockman and the others can finally catch him.

Unfortunately they’ve gone too deep into the transformation to remember what they were suppoused to do.

After Gutsman and Glyde’s bodies change, which disproves what Dr. Hikari said about the transformation depending on the size of the Navi, the Neko virus starts to walk away. 

Netto checks his chips to see what he can do to prevent the Neko virus from escaping again and has an idea.

Netto uses the Ratton virus chip to make Rockman and the others happily chase it around. Also note that Gutsman and Glyde’s bodies aren’t different, once again the art department got lazy.

The Ratton virus dissapears near the Neko virus and Netto fools the Navis into attacking it.

Looks like Rockman snaps out of it, because inmediately after, Netto activates the Elec Brother Style and we get this Nya style change sequence. :3

Why can’t they put this amount of effort in the other scenes? I guess that’s too much to ask because the Neko virus tries to get away from the normal looking Rockman, but Elec Brother Rockman stops it by using one of Roll-nya’s candy hearts.

Rockman uses his electrical attack and defeats the Neko virus, and gets the cat girl. Nya! :3

Thats a nice detail how the electric attack looks like a cat.

And the episode ends with Rockman narrating everything that happend afterwards.

Tell me about it, Rock.

What do I think?

This was a fun episode to watch, and even if you want to pretend that this isn’t canon, it is because Rush can now travel between the cyberworld and the real world as he pleases, giving me another reason to hate this character.

As you may already know from my review of episode 24, I talked about why I dislike Rush. At first he is just a pet for Roll that appeared once in a while to help the Navis with something by using his holes, in this episode the writers decided to give him a “personality”, but all they did was make him a japanese Snoopy, and giving him the ability to travel between worlds was pushing it too far. Many fans, including myself, would love to see Rockman and Netto in the same space together, because we know that since Netto is a human and Rockman is a computer program that can only exist in the cyberworld it isn’t possible, so having seen an opportunity for this to happen and giving it to a minor character feels like the anime was trolling us. >:C

Japan seems to have a thing for cat like characters or just cat girls in their animes, so there was bound to be an episode featuring that in any way that they could posibly think of.

In case you were wondering, no, there was no scene showing Blues as a cat, even though there is no way Enzan could prevent that from happening, he is just too cool to appear in a funny episode.

[aromanticfriendly]

Pacific Rim (2013) - Movie

Action/Sci-Fi. Giant alien monsters from the seas VS giant robots piloted by humans. End of the world. Teamwork. Drift compatibility.

Some spoilers below about the characters and the relationships in the movie.

The characters

Raleigh Becket is the male lead. Late 20s. He quit the Jaeger task force 5 years ago and is still damaged from his last battle. He gets recruited back since he is the only experienced pilot available for one of the four robots left to defend humankind. At first, he seems like the stereotypical white alpha male hero, but he’s really not, and I was surprised by how much I liked him. There is a certain quietness to him that is refreshing, and he’s very supportive of Mako.

Mako Mori is the female lead. Early 20s. Japanese. Working in STEM. Her introduction is incredibly cool, and she is all around amazing, especially for an Asian character. I was particularly taken by her ambition and her determination, and while she is bold, she is also humble. I also loved how they incorporated her Asian background in her character, not by her speaking in Japanese, but with what she would say or how she would act. The line “It’s not obedience, Mr. Becket. It’s respect.” was especially powerful.

There is also Stacker Pentecost, the leader of the Jaeger program and Mako’s mentor/father figure. Two scientists I didn’t care much about. And the other pilots, one team from Australia, one from Russia, and one from China. The international feel of the movie was great, but it’s a shame the least interesting team got the most screentime. Mako is also pretty much the only speaking female character of the movie.

The relationships

Now, let’s talk about my favourite concept of the movie: drift compatibility. It’s not about feelings really, it’s about connection and how naturally in tune you are with someone else.

So, to pilot a Jaeger (giant robot), you need to meld your mind with the body of the robot. However, the mental load is too much to bear for one single person, which means that multiple people, usually two, have to connect their minds before melding with the robot. The drift is the empty space where the minds meet, and drift compatibility refers to the strength of the mental bond between the people involved. The stronger the bond, the better they control the robot, and the better they fight.

The first part of the movie is about finding Raleigh a co-pilot. Him and Mako are found to be drift compatible. Whether or not their relationship is portrayed as romantic is debatable. I think it’s fair to say that there is nothing explicitly romantic between them. In any case, it’s not the point of the movie. My favourite part of their relationship is how much he champions for her to become his co-pilot once he discovers how strong their connection is. I also liked how much of a silent companionship they had. They had a deep understanding of each other and were simply comfortable to be together.

The other major relationship is the one between Mako and Stacker Pentecost. I won’t get too much into it, but it was nice to see an adoptive family consisting of a black father and an asian daughter.

My rating on the arrow scale (from 0 to 5) 4 arrows – very aromantic-friendly

My first thought when I finished this movie was they did not kiss. I absolutely expected them to kiss even though there wasn’t really any lead up to it. It just happens so often, especially with action movies, that the hero is rewarded with a random kiss, that I thought this would go the same way. And I was so happy when they did the forehead touch instead. It’s honestly hard to like action movies and identify with female characters because they usually end up being disappointing. Well, not here! This ending was perfect. And I think that the fact alone that they don’t kiss singles it out as a unique movie.

The aromantic-friendliness of the movie doesn’t just come from a lack of kissing though. It comes from the general lack of importance put on romance, and the emphasis on drift compatibility. The movie also portrays a lot of different types of relationships, and all are shown as equal. Mako and Raleigh are friends. Mako and Stacker Pentecost are mentor-mentee/adoptive family. The Australians are father and son. The Russians are a couple. The Chinese are siblings.

The reason I don’t give this movie a perfect score is my take on the platonic vs romantic portrayal of Mako/Raleigh. I’m annoyed that it can be read as romantic, and that, in my opinion, it was made purposely so. The movie uses tropes that are used to set up a romantic relationship from their first meeting to the combat banter. Which doesn’t mean that their moments were romantic as I, for one, see most of their interactions as Mako being intrigued by her study subject/hero, but I think they left the door open for it to be made romantic. After that, it’s like the movie decided to portray them solely as platonic (except for that one moment when Mako is smiling because she thinks Raleigh came back to talk to her, and that moment felt so out of place). It doesn’t help to distinguish between platonic and romantic as the movie has the super cheesy dialogue most action movies have. And I realize that something that might be romantic for someone might be platonic for someone else and inversely, but I just wish we could’ve had a movie that I feel is consistent in its portrayal instead of one that tried to have it both ways.

At its core though, the movie gets points because drift compatibility is the only thing that matters, and the ending explicitly allows us to read their relationship as platonic, which is unfortunately rare.

Do I read any of the characters as aromantic? Honestly, not really. But there is absolutely nothing that would prevent a reading as such because none of them has a romantic relationship. I just don’t feel like any of them has been sufficiently fleshed out on a personal level to be able to say they are, and I personally like my headcanons to have some substance. Raleigh would be the one I’d say is the closest, as he’s been a loner for 5 years, and before that only seemed to be into Kaiju fighting alongside his bro, but then again, we haven’t seen a lot of his past.

I would recommend this movie to people who - Like giant robots. Each of them has a badass name and unique fighting style. The production value is great, the music is epic, and the experience is immersive. - Want good Asian representation. Mako Mori is awesome. - Like the concept of drift compatibility.

Agree/Disagree?

[my-heart-in-his-teeth]

The Devil You Know: Part One (of 4)

Summary: A follow up to Mischief and the Maiden , Loki interferes with Elaina in the best ways. Contains both silliness and smut, consider yourself warned on both counts.

Author’s Note:  I’m tagging those who took the time to write kind comments on my last work because they were awesome enough to do so and that’s what really encouraged me to write this one. I would’ve responded to each of them, but I can’t do so as THIS blog and it seems weird to do so as my completely unrelated main blog. Anyway, thank you!!

Should Tumblr Implode: I’m also here at : https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_heart_in_his_teeth/works

The party droned on for what felt like days.

Her tolerance for this amount of people had peaked and fallen so long ago that she couldn’t even remember when she began feeling plastic, nodding and smiling her way through conversations she couldn’t care less about with people she barely knew. Every time she escaped from one cluster of people, she was shepherded into another.

She had gotten comfortable with being uncomfortable in crowds, but this one was wearing her thin. The men all a matching set in tailcoats and ties, slicked back hair and martinis while the women shimmered in sequined dresses, jewels sparkling off their arms and spilling down their necks in long strings- even glittering from the feather adornments in their bobbed hair.

She was suddenly very aware of how underdressed she was. Glancing down at her faded black lounge pants and thin t-shirt which was altered so that it was missing the sleeves and open at the sides, allowing a view of her lace bralette beneath it, she crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously and backed away, almost bumping into an enormous champagne fountain.

“Jesus!” She gasped, looking up at the towering monstrosity flowing the fizzy drink down from a giant bottle a couple of hundred glasses up. The opulence of the people mirrored the endless ballroom they were in; so much gold on the white clothed tables and the sconces, while giant crystal chandeliers twinkled from above. She felt like an extra in The Great Gatsby.

Or The Shining.

Honestly, she didn’t care which as long as she could find the exit to the place. She excused herself awkwardly, dodging protesting arms and walking with purpose toward the other side of the vast room where she hoped the door was. Finally, she spotted a large archway above the growing sea of people, but her relief was short lived when she saw another lavish hall beyond it.

Her frustration fueled her and she pushed on. At last she saw a great, gilded double door at the top of an impossibly grand staircase. She walked faster, no longer caring how frantic she looked. She would make her apologies to...whoever tomorrow. Why couldn’t she remember whose party this was? And why had she agreed to come? She could figure that out tomorrow as well, for now all she cared about was the freedom just a hundred stairs away.

A hand lightly touched her shoulder and she glanced behind her to see the gentle, smiling face of Patrick Stewart. Suddenly it hit her, it was HIS party. She couldn’t have said no to Patrick Stewart, of course. Seeing that he was wearing his Star Trek uniform made her regret her outfit even more.

“Elaina! “ He said in his lovely British voice. “I’m so happy you were able to come. You did bring the artifact of course. I thought we could pass it around while you give the eulogy.”

She hadn’t remembered any artifact and had somehow not realized she was meant to give a eulogy or even who it was for. “ I....” she stammered. “I just need to get it from my car. She lied. She lied to PStew! But she urgently needed to be outside. Being outside would surely clear her head.

“Excellent!” He held her hand. His skin was very soft. “I cannot wait to hear of how you acquired this one. It is simply fascinating to me how you have been able to find all of these wonderful treasures. You must truly have a gift”

“Oh, I’m just very lucky.” She clasped her hand over his and wished she could remember how their friendship came to be, but her brain seemed to be shrinking into confusion by the second and she could only hope that no one noticed.

She knew she had to pretend everything was fine until she could figure this out, but she hoped he would understand if she ended up running away into the night screaming instead of giving a speech she hadn’t prepared to a crowd of what had to be hundreds of people. “You’ll just have to excuse me, while I pop outside to get it...”

“Of course!” He beamed. “Ah, but first I would love to introduce you to some friends of mine.” He nodded over her shoulder and she turned to see Benedict Cumberbatch walking up to them, a meek Martin Freeman on his arm looking adoringly up at his face.

A brief, but fierce, battle waged inside her before she firmly but politely said no and excused herself again. If she delved into whatever that was about, she knew she would never leave. She continued up the stairs that seemed to increase in number the closer she got to the top, running now, she pushed herself faster until finally she pushed the heavy door open and bolted outside, not stopping until she got to the street.

The cool night air felt good on her skin and now she focused on getting home. She didn’t remember if she’d brought her car. Wait...that’s right, she didn’t even OWN a car. Ahead, she saw a bus stop. Good enough. After sitting on the bench for a second, she realized that she had no clue where she was. Was it New York? It felt too foreign. She traveled so often now it was hard to keep up. Hopefully the bus driver could help her.

As soon as she had that thought she saw headlights in the distance. They were moving strangely, instead of steady and straight they sort of hopped. The reason for that was revealed when the thing came into view. It was a Catbus. It’s eyes were the headlights and when it stopped, the orange furry doors opened to reveal the soft seats inside of its body.

Elaina hesitated and the cat’s Cheshire smiling face turned towards her. She knew her Ghibli and that this bus could take her anywhere, but she thought better of it. “Uh, that’s okay. Nevermind. ” She told it. “I think I'll walk.” The Catbus meowed indifferently and continued on its way.

“Well now that,” A velvet voice spoke from beside her. “Was truly...special.”

She looked up at the figure that had stepped into view beside her. Pale and perfect with dark hair combed back and curling up slightly just above his shoulders. His eyebrows were raised toward the direction of the Catbus.

“I know someone who travels by cat- albeit in a comparatively mundane fashion.... ” He trailed off, then turned to her with a warm smile that reached his eyes and crinkled them at the corners. “Hello, Elaina.”

“Loki.” She said softly. Recognition was like a balm for her troubled head, soothing her back to her senses and lifting her heart in an instant.

She wanted to ask him if he was really there and not just another part of her yearning, stress- drunk subconscious, but she’d asked him that often enough over the years to know that he would never give her a straight answer. Even if he did, she could never really believe it.

“You know,” her own smile spread across her face. “When you said I’d dream about you, I thought the dreams would be more....”

“Enjoyable?” He turned to the grim, gray, building she’d just fled. It had not a single window and was so tall that the top of it disappeared into the night clouds. “But, come now.” He waved his hand toward it and the city street they stood on and shook his head. “You know this is not me.”

“No.” She sighed. “This is the sort of thing my asshole brain comes up with.”

“Well then, let’s slip into someplace a bit more comfortable.”

With that he took her by the shoulders and spun her around to face a couple of matching red, plush couches divided by a black lacquered coffee table inlaid with mother of pearl garden scene. A beautiful Persian rug sat on top of the hardwood floors of the seating area and photographs in various sized frames tastefully covered deep blue walls, dimly lit by the lights that ran along the ceiling.

I guess it doesn’t get much more comfortable than my own house, she thought. She had taken care to fill her home with things that had a story or meaning that was in some way personal to her so that whenever she returned to it after a long journey she would be wrapped in the stable familiarity of it all. Her home was very much her sanctuary.

“This wasn’t here before.” Loki was peering at the Klimt painting above the fireplace. “Who are these people?”

It was an unusual sight- he clad in a black high collared shirt, open at the neck in the shape of a V and over that a strange sort of jacket made of interwoven black leather and green cloth that reached down to his boots. Though not wearing a crown, he still looked every bit a mythological prince standing so casually in her in her living room.

“Umm, well I’m not sure actually.” She wondered if it had registered to him that it had been two years since he was last here. “It was painted about a hundred years before I was born. The image has very much has resonated with me lately. I even have this weird connection to the artist.”

“I see. And what “weird” connection do you have to a presumably dead artist?”

“Oh, I found an old portfolio of his sketches hidden in the pages of this coffee big table art book that my grandmother had.” She studied his profile carefully as she spoke looking for any reaction. “I mean, they were stamped with his signature and everything. It was a nearly impossible find, but quickly authenticated. “

His lips twitched upwards and he kept his eyes on the painting. “Hmm. How lucky.”

“Uh-huh. I’ve come into quite a bit of such “luck” over the last few years. ...since meeting you actually.” She added pointedly. “You know, I’ll buy a doll at a flea market in France that will turn out to be an antique Bisque or I’ll find a used book from a tiny shop in Italy that ends being a first edition Yeats- things like that.”

“Those things sound like they are probably very valuable to Midgardians.” He shrugged. “One should hope you were able to find some use for them.””

She clasped her hands in front of her and smiled knowingly at the floor. “And to think some guys just buy a girl flowers.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about. This painting,” he said, changing the subject. “What about it so captured your attention, I wonder?”

“Well, it’s called ’Love’- did...did you just roll your eyes?”

His mouth smoothed out of its grin quickly. “Not at all.”

Each time he’d come to her, no matter how much time had passed, there wasn’t the awkwardness that often happens when lovers meet again. No pretending to be indifferent to their own feelings, no worrying how they might seem to each other or wondering where things might go this time. Everything seemed just as it had been that first night together, in a cabin that wasn’t really a cabin in a realm far, far away. For her part, she had no delusions about what may come of the time they spent together, she was just glad for it.

She paused to contemplate the couple frozen in the painting, forever locked in an embrace that would outlive them. The woman’s hand gripped at the man, her head upturned, eyes closed in anticipation of a kiss that would never come. Or perhaps the kiss was done and the embrace was at its end.

The man’s eyes were closed as well, but she thought he had a melancholy look to him. It seemed he could either be coming or going from her. There seemed to be a silent battle raging within each of them while a host of spirits looked on, perhaps amused at their fate.

“Does she love him?” He asked, circling behind her.

“Yes, that I’m certain of.”

“And do you think that wise?” His mouth was at her ear.

Without hesitation she answered. “No.”

His hand wrapped over hers and he led her to one of the couches, pulling her down into his lap as he sat. She could smell the leather of his clothes and beneath that the familiar heady scent of his skin. “Correct.” His fingers traced down her jawline stopping at her chin. “Sentimentality often leads to foolish choices.”

His eyes rested on her lips thoughtfully for a moment before he deftly took her face in his hands and kissed her, his mouth cool on hers. Her eyes fluttered shut and her hand wrapped around the nape of his neck, fingers disappearing into the softness of his hair.

For a blissful moment there was nothing else in the world but that kiss, then he gently pulled back, gazing at her with contented green eyes. “You have been in love, Elaina.” His elbow folded on the back of the couch, his curled fist providing a rest for his head. “I needn’t warn you of that gnawing thing within your heart that has you so vexed.”

She felt her cheeks redden. It didn’t surprise her that he knew of her life, she sometimes comforted herself with the idea that he was maybe looking in at her from his castle in a magical floating city, but other times she rather hoped he wasn’t. Like the last year.

“We don’t get to choose about falling in love. It just happens.” She could hear the regret in her own voice and hated it. “At least that’s how it is for we Midgardians.”

“It’s all about control, my dear.” His hand rested on her hip. “There’s always something you can control even within the uncontrollable. If you feel an overpowering emotion, you can channel that power into something more...beneficial.”

“Such as?”

“Anything. A more personal passion. Art. Music. Jogging? Is that what it’s called? When you run pointlessly long and slow to get to nowhere? The point is that you can bask in the pleasurable aspect of the feeling, but assign the power of the chaos such a strong emotion creates to something else.” He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “That way your mind can remain clear and no one unworthy will have power over you.”

She clasped his hand against her cheek and closed her eyes. There had been a man she had loved who was everything she wasn’t. Gregarious, charming, and successful, he just always seemed to have it together with never a hair out of place. Even his condo was constantly immaculate. He also was painfully gorgeous. And he actually loved her. Until he inexplicably didn’t.

She winced at the memory.

“I think you over- estimate my worth.” She said quietly.

He clicked his tongue and looked almost offended. “I do no such thing.” He said sharply. “You would do well to remember that. Tell me, who is this man would make you feel beneath him- you who has known the touch and favor of a god?”

“I don’t-I know I’m not beneath him...” she was flustered and now embarrassed. Having been the lover of the God of Mischief was one hell of a confidence boost, but she was never going to have the conceit that might have earned her. She doubted Loki could understand what it was like to be set aside by someone you cherished, to have to question what about you had made them decide you were not what they wanted.

“Perhaps,” he half smiled and traced his fingers over the patterns of lace on the sides of her bralette “You need a reminder.”

She held her breath, remembering every bit of what his masterful touch could do to her. There was a playful spark in his eyes for a just a moment before he kissed her again, this time firmly but briefly, then brought her hand to his lips and planted a kiss there as well.

“Soon.” He said with a wink and before she could question what he meant his face had dissolved into an unpleasant glow of light.

~~~

@roonyxx @carydorse @quoting-shakespeare-to-ducks @starscreamloki  @glitt3rgaz3 @annievvv7 @holykryptonitekitten @silver-tongue-trickster

[thetygre]

30 Day Monster Challenge - Day #20: Favorite Song/Musical Monster

1.       The Phantom of the Paradise

Phantom of the Opera has spawned plenty of spin-offs and parodies, but none are weirder and cooler than The Phantom of the Paradise. Born in that stage-musical wasteland between the sinking of Hello Dolly and the rise of Lloyd Webber, Phantom of the Paradise was a bizarre rock-opera that was a mixture between the Phantom of the Opera, Faust, and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Our Phantom this time around is named Winslow; he didn’t start off deformed, but got that way through prison experiments and a record press accident. Winslow just looks and sounds awesome; his teeth are made of iron, and he talks through a voicebox that sounds like a ghost screaming through a CB radio. The entire movie has a bird theme to its characters, so Winslow’s helmet winds up looking like a hawk. In fact, a lot of people probably only know about this musical through the comparison between Winslow and Griffith from Berserk. It doesn’t help that their stories are kind of similar; locked in prison, mutilated, deal with the forces of evil. It’s probably just a coincidence, but I’m not gonna’ lie and say it wouldn’t be a cool reference if it wasn’t. Still, people should give this movie a chance on its own merits, just because of what campy fun it is.

2.       Lilith Immaculate

Cradle of Filth is a symphonic black metal band with a distinct gothic horror bent to their albums. They’ve done several concept albums, including one based around Gille de Rais and another on Elizabeth Bathory, but Darkly Darkly Venus Aversa was an original story. At the center of the album’s story is the monstrous goddess Lilith, trapped by the Knights Templar during the crusades and now possessing a girl sent to a nunnery. It’s all so incredibly gothic; sins of the past, sexual frustration, religious oppression, graveyards, doomed love.

I might not be the best judge of character, but Lilith here hits the nail with the hammer as far as gothic monsters go, reminding me a little of The Great God Pan or Gormenghast. Part of Lilith’s appeal is that, for all intents and purposes, she wins; the album ends with her former lover realizing that he has unleashed something he could never control, and now the world is doomed. Lilith heralds the dawning of a darker age, the antithesis of everything Victorian values holds dear. You can’t help but cheer for her as she readies to make war on the world.

3.       Stanton Cree

Ghoultown is a gothabilly band, which means that it’s like rockabilly but with some Southern rock and it’s about ghosts and vampires and werewolves. Needless to say, they’re pretty great. Their best known song is probably Drink with the Living Dead, which tells the story of a cowboy forced into a drinking match with an undead gunslinger. The ghoul, Stanton Cree, shot a man for his beer and can’t rest until someone beats him in either drinks him under the table or beats him in a duel.

I love ‘Weird West’ songs, and Ghoultown is the epitome of that. Stanton Cree has gone insane from eternal life and is determined to find somebody to beat him, but he won’t go easy on his opponent. It’s the kind of story that belongs in Deadlands or some other cowboy horror setting. It lacks the morality tale aspect of Ghost Riders, but that’s a deliberate decision to emphasize just how bizarre the story is. It’s a perfect mood piece for a dark night out on the Wastes.

4.       The Erlking

Schubert’s Erlking is an old-fashioned fairy, the dangerous and wild kind that need to be feared. As a father rides through the forest at night, his son sees the Elf King trying to seduce him to come away with him. It’s always nice to be reminded that fairies and elves aren’t nice, that they can be as dangerous as any monster or demon. But it needs to be done with a certain degree of subtlety, at least for a while, a delicate touch before the other shoe drops.

The Erlking is of course also a metaphor for death, and the father believe his son is only hallucinating as he dies in his father’s arms. It reminds me of the old medieval stories about how Fairyland was sometimes just a trap made by Hell, or how fairies would appear in afterlife narratives for children. Whether death, fairy, hallucination, or all three, the Erlking is still a chilling figure.

5.       The Phantom of the Opera

I don’t claim to be in the Phandom, I only have a surface knowledge of it, but I feel like the Phantom is still an important monster/horror icon, even before becoming a musical star. The Phantom’s story, even from the beginning, has been about toxic people and learning to grow up. Born deformed, the Phantom embittered himself against the world, becoming a genius at music, engineering, and just about everything else, but a child socially. The lesson he learns is about putting another person’s wants and needs before your own, and that’s still a vital lesson that is incredibly painful to learn. Naturally, I don’t care about that; I just enjoy making fun of Love Never Dies and deciding which Phantom is the best based on grodiness of deformity. Obviously, that’s up to objective taste, but it’s Ramin Karimloo. Karimloo has the most extreme deformities, and is prone to fits of ACTING, so Karimloo takes top spot for musical Phantom. The best non-Musical Phantom is, of course, Lon Chaney, followed by Charles Dance, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. Again I’m… I totally don’t care about this musical. I swear.

6.       Mefistofele

I would argue that Boito’s Mephistopheles is the definitive version of the character, even more than Goethe’s. If nothing else, Boito’s Mefistofele defined the look of Mephistopheles, casting him in his famous red cavalier’s outfit. Mephistopheles here is also much more analogous to the Devil than his own separate entity here, since the opera begins with Mephistopheles challenging God to a bet over Faust’s soul. While Mefistofele might not be where the devil started enjoying his work, it’s definitely a far cry from Marlowe’s Mephistopheles urging Faust not to give up Heaven.

Still, despite the loss of complexity, Boito’s Mephistopheles is more personable, more charming, even a bit more human. There are situations he can’t control, and his relationship with Heaven is more casual. In the end, when Faust repents, you get the feeling that Boito’s Mephistopheles was enjoying the ride, and is almost as upset about not being able to have fun anymore as he is about losing his bet with God.

7.       The Water God

Anything by Dethklok kind of feels like cheating, since they were explicitly made to be a parody band of death metal. At the same time, though, I’m not going to sit here and pretend that the entire underwater setting where sea monsters have race wars with mermaids isn’t the dopest shit. And then one of these sea monsters finds a deep sea oracle and they turn into some dark ocean god and it’s all so freaking cool. It is unnecessarily cool for a joke band meant to shill for an Adult Swim show. But the entire epic of the water god here is genuinely more compelling to me than a decent chunk of the fantasy characters I have read about. Maybe I need to read better fantasy stories, or maybe everyone else just needs to get with the program and starting writing Metal epics about killer tritons.

8.       Ghost Riders in the Sky

Now this is the original Weird West song. Demon bulls, undead cowboys, nightmare horses; this song has got it all. And of course, this all goes without saying about how the song is also the unofficial theme song for Ghost Rider, one of my favorite superheroes. The song has that same ‘weird tale’ feel that Drink with the Living Dead has, which is probably because it’s based on an actual Texas folk tale. The image of a special Hell for cowboys is interesting, but I’m more fascinated by the prospect that Satan has livestock. Are all the Devil’s farm animals Metal like his steer? What about his chickens? Does Satan live on a giant dude ranch? Now I want some kind of Western/dark fantasy story where the Devil is a cattle baron all dressed in black and red.

9.       Red

All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 was… God, I’m really putting this on the same list as Mefistofele good lord, but All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 was, well All Dogs go to Heaven 2. I mean it wasn’t the worst direct-to-video cartoon sequel of anything ever, it kind of just drifts there around the middle, but like many DTV cartoon sequels it has, unfortunately, a really great villain with a really great villain song. Designated antagonist Red is a demonic cat who’s after the angel Gabriel’s horn. His design is actually pretty good, and I appreciate the implication that if all dogs are heavenly, then all cats are therefore demonic minions. This is of course a known truth to anybody who has ever had to clean a litterbox, but it’s always nice to be reassured.

However, that alone would not let Red make the list; it takes more than being the redeeming feature of a DTV cartoon sequel to get here. What clenches it is Red’s pedigree; Red is voiced by Broadway musical veteran George Hearn, who has been in everything from Camelot to Wicked, but is most famous for being Sweeney Todd during the musical’s performance in 1970, and stayed with the production through its national tour and its Emmy-winning TV performance. In short, this man was the definitive Sweeney Todd, at least until Johnny Depp. All Dogs 2 even acknowledges it by having an entire sequence set in a demonic barber shop and theater. And I’m just a sucker for that kind of reference, so the evil red cat edges his way in.

10.   The Beast of Pirate’s Bay

There are plenty of Voltaire songs I could have picked, but it figures I would pick the one about a sea monster. A variety of leviathans are conjured up to describe the Beast, without any actual answers given. It figures that like any good tall tale, the Beast changes from teller to teller. The truth is, though, that I find this to be one of Voltaire’s more sympathetic songs, and I can’t help but identify with the ending. Once upon a time there was a little me who loved sea life more than anything else too. The song takes a lower spot because of the actual nature of the monster, but the feeling still shines through.

[rainbowbarnacle]

GNARLY BODYHORROR AWESOME DREAM HOLY CRAP

Okay so on earth the apocalypse is happening, and everyone’s kind of squared away in our own separate corporations, and each of them has their own idea about how they’ll fix everything, but then they always turn around and end up killing people or going all corrupt and it turns out they were in it for incredibly evil reasons after all--

All except for the one we’re all in, we haven’t killed anyone yet and all the other ones keep trying to stop us from getting supplies or finding a better base or retrieving captured friends, and finally after the very last group turns and backstabs the crap out of us, our organization dissolves and we all end up prisoners

And then the dream shrinks down to the story of Ryan Styles (I never knew his real name but that’s the face and body he wore so Ryan he’ll be) who used to be in our group but got captured and now he’s Altered, (and here comes the weird body horror stuff) all hollowed out and tubes everywhere and then they install these little fish so that they kind of swim in and out of him constantly all the time, and they develop a symbiotic relationship, and it’s not long before he can’t breathe air anymore and he’s starting to grow really fond of his little fish and by the time he’s adapted to all this he starts saying he’s only six months old because he was only really Born after they did all this to him

And once he’s fully acclimated they hook him up to a deep sea bus and start having him ship things to different bases under the water, and it turns out that for all things are Royally Screwed up on land, it can’t begin to compare to the weird stuff under the ocean at benthic level, man, there’s giant monsters and isopod people and enormous shark creatures that are all bogged up with radiation and have glowy spots and lots of eyes, and it’s Ryan’s job to stay alive and deliver his packages 

And he has Newbie At The Job jitters and decides that for all he is a beautiful new being with fish swimming in him, he can’t do this new thing they want him to do and his bus gets all busted up and chewed on and he ends up disconnecting himself hoping for a quick death because he certainly doesn’t want to get eaten alive by a cloud of mobile mostly-sentient bone eating snot worms 

but then he runs into another deep sea bus driver who’s been doing this for years, (we’ll name hiiiim... Jerry) and Jerry manages to hook his bus up to Ryan’s and unhook himself so he can somehow hook Ryan up to where he was while installing himself in the little emergency medical pod, and eventually Ryan wakes up and the two of them become really amazing friends and Jerry teaches him everything about deep sea bus-ing while they take turns being installed up front

And eventually Ryan gets another deep sea bus to drive and becomes really good at it, and by now all his little swimmy body fish friends have names and his gear is a lot more high tech than it was when he was first installed and he and Jerry keep in touch and things are awesome

and then I turn to Luka and say breathlessly AU WHERE LU AND GALLEY DRIVE THE DEEP SEA BUS TOGETHER

And suddenly I’m Lu and Ryankidi GalGal is in trouble again, trying to obtain emergency fuel from a recent whale fall while also running like mad from this enormous sharky manta ray thing roughly the size of a small house and Lu ends up snatching him away from being sharky manta ray’s breakfast and hooks him up in her bus (which she was driving on manual--no swimmy body fish friends for Lu, she’s on a Schedule) and I’m just starting to wake up when Lu gets Ryankidi all settled in and he’s sleeping and she’s still chattering away at him like he can hear her.

And then I rushed over to Luka’s and typed all this out because WOW

In conclusion: SWIMMY BODY FISH FRIENDS YAY