#anyways. presents him to everyone like simba

[weldfists]

Finally had the chance to flesh out the Odyssey Sett concept I have hehe. lil more info abt his design under the cut

Included the holo-fluff to keep his usual silhouette vaguely the same in comparison to his in-game model! I thought his back was kinda of missing something anyways so this was the solution.

The collar/device around his neck is quite a lot of things; it's mainly used to keep pit fighters... compliant. It's a lovely piece of demaxian tech that's a shock collar, a tracking device, and some third awful thing that will probably be the death of you (easily avoidable as long as you try to not take it off!).

Blue and orange accents glow. Very important.

And finally, some holo-fabric for the dangely bits on his hips, still trying to mirror a lil bit of his coat compared to his in-game model.

lil bonus doodle too, from here

[1-victoria-1]

Alastor x Child!Doe! Reader

A/n: the reader in this one will be a female and will be around the age of 4-6. I will also try to write a fic for the male audience, enjoy!

If only your innocent little mind knew how shocked, confused and concerned Charlie, the princess of hell was when she saw you, a child who has freshly arrived to hell and came to her tugging her pants and asking in an innocent voice "miss, can you tell me where i am?".

And oh her grandfather how her heart hurt when you looked at her and those little doe ears on top of your head twitched slightly as you tilted your little head at her, of course she couldn't just leave you here! So she took you with her to her hotel and as she literally flew in through the door of the hotel while holding you like a treasure that she has been trying to find for so long and yelling with excitement, "this little cutie is staying with us from now on!" And held you up like simba for everyone to see you and you just innocently looked at them and still confused on where you were and where your mama was.

Charlie then sat you down on one of the red couches in the hotel lobby when Vaggie told her that she should calm down and let you down.

She of course forgot to ask you for your name so she thought it would be good to start off with an introduction! "Alright sweetie! Let me introduce myself and the others to you! Im charlie, this lady next to me is Vaggie, my girlfriend! Then over there is Angel dust and his our first resident at the hotel, then there's Husk, our wonderful bartender! Sir. Pentious our second resident! And nifty she keeps everything clean here and-!"

She was about to introduce the red deer demon when she noticed he wasn't present in the lobby which meant he either was in his radio tower or in cannibal town but she didn't need long when he popped up.

"Charlie dear, i heard that you're introducing us to a new resident at the hotel, who might it be dear?"

Alastor asked as he looked at Charlie with his usual toothy smile, and your first impression about him was that he was red, like a strawberry! And you loved strawberries!

"Alastor! Right on time, i was introducing us to-! Eh i forgot to ask her name, but anyways i was introducing us to our new resident at the hotel! Darling what might be your name?"

Charlie asked you as she kneeled down in front of you as you sat on the couch and started at the deer demon and then looked at Charlie again. "[Y/n]" you said that innocently and squeaked happily, you really were an innocent little fellow.

'a child..'was the first thing Alastor thought, a child in hell was rare, except for the hellborn children of course, a sinner child was rare and this one looked small and from her look she didn't know where she was or what was happening, and she looked like a doe, maybe it was the reason eht he felt such a pang in his sadistic heart when he saw you, you were a doe, a fawn, his deer parent instincts kicked in.

He walked up to you and looked down at you and you looked at him and he just chuckled through his static voice, "oh what a little darling you are, aren't you? Can you perhaps tell us what you remember as last before you came here?" He asked as he looked at you and you twitched with your doe ears slightly and though and then answered.

"well i remember that papa was mad about something and then told me to take some kind of pills which made me feel dizzy and funny!" I said that and looked at the red man in front of me, and that's when the spider spoke, angel dust was it.

"toots her father drugged her with overdoses, what a filthy man." The spider said that and that's when Charlie literally froze up and Alastor himself felt like slaughtering that pitiful excuse of a father with a slow and painful death and then broadcasting his screams in his radio broadcast, and Charlie's reaction wasn't good either, she was all about second chances and redemption but that filthy human being didnt deserves any of it.

Looks like that was the reason why you were in hell, your father killed you with drugs but heaven saw it as if you had taken them willingly, which actually made Alastor and Charlie more furious, you were a child, and a child had nothing to do in hell!

"don't worry sweetie! Big sister Charlie will take great care of you as well as everyone in this hotel! As we are one big family here!" She said that as she calmed down her anger and picked you up and you giggled, you had a big sister now!

_________________________________________

And from that day on you started to live in the hotel while also being taken care of, Angel of course had to put his sex jokes away whenever you were around otherwise he would get threatening looks from Vaggie and Alastor.

Surprisingly and what no one expected was that you warmed up to Alastor quite quickly, you literally were like glued to him, at first he didn't really approve of it but then he also warned up to you and now you were like a father daughter duo!

You would always accompany him where he went but only in the hotel as he didn't want his innocent little doe daughter to get bad influence from hell and also he didn't want you to get hurt.

He would let you in his radio tower and you would either sit in his lap and draw something with crayons on a paper or color something or sometimes just listen to what your now new papa was doing, well except for times when he did gruesome things, he will always either get you to take your nap time or just leave you with Husk where you would get your favorite juice and usually also draw something of just color things in your coloring book and the show it to alastor afterwards.

He of course has taken you to meet Rosie after all she was your auntie now and it wouldn't be polite not to have you meet her and oh my stars she was just beaming when alastor introduced you both, she was an auntie now to Alastor's (literal) spawn of a daughter, and now she got a little lady to give cute little dresses and skirts! She even got you a mini version of Alastor's outfit and even a self-made little cane! Oh how adorable you looked!

Vaggie was very skeptical of this (and she still is) because well Alastor is the radio demon after all and well she just doesn't trust him and how is she supposed to trust him with a kid!

But even if some (almost all of the hotel staff) were skeptical and also afraid that your innocence might change. Alastor was still a great father, he does your hair even if it comes out sloppy at times but he's proud of his doing and sure his mother would be as well, speaking of his mother, she would have loved you as all the food that Alastor cooks you are receipts of his mother! And lets not forget that he tells you stories of her and how great she was, after all he does want you to admire his mother like he does!

He totally cuddles with you, you can't change my mind.

You are now one of his weaknesses now for sure.

At the meeting with heaven, Charlie didn't only present as a possible sinner for redemption, Angel dust and Sir Pentious, she also showed you, but she also wanted that to be as a show of how unfair heaven is, sending a little child down to hell when they have done absolutely nothing wrong and were drugged to death by their father!

Emily of course being the sweetest being ever was shocked and of course started to doubt heaven only more, and when the talk of extermination came, she was furious, like furious furious, like who is in the right mind to kill souls and at that even innocent children! That's just absurd!

A sweet one was when adam revealed Vaggie's identity and Charlie came back to hell with Vaggie and she was sad, you, their little sunshine, was there to cheer Vaggie up, she was your big sister as well! And the. You went to Charlie with auntie Rosie, and then everything was alright again and you were a happy bubbly mess to your father who was scratching you begging your doe ears, you were just the sweetest.

________________________________________

A/n: that's it for now dear reader, i hope you enjoy this little fic! Should i perhaps make a part two of this? Or maybe a full mini series?Have a wonderful day and stay healthy!

[intothetlkverse]

Decided to challenge myself by drawing every single TLK character out there, up until this point in time, and post it here. You can see the finished project on my main account, though I figured to post it on my tumblr just show I could proudly show off my work and a few of my head canons.

Here's all the rodents, plus lagomorphs, across TLG/K:

First are the jerboas; Tupp/Thupi(body-Nyanja) the lesser Egyptian jerboa from "Journey of Memories" and Jerboa/Impuku(rodent-Zulu) the long-eared jerboa from "The Call of the Drongo". Right between them is a springhare we see from the TLK book "A Wild Night Out". In the book where Simba and Nala sneak out at night to explore and find an aardvark, a porcupine, and a springhare before heading back home. This discovery has unfortunately made me have to do back and retroactively add some more characters, though at least it is nice to get some animals in proper TLK style for a change, though I kinda feel a bit sheepish for not realizing that TLK has done springhares before I did my revamped beavers into them. Anyways, meet Bazara(spring-Hausa).

Next are the mice, including the first one we see in TLK, the striped grass mouse Scar plays with I've named Eku(mouse-Yoruba), Nobi/Inabi(grapes-Hausa) the spiny mouse from "Good Mousekeeping" who is an albino African spiny mouse who gets bullies by a trio of elephants before he learns to stick up for himself, and lastly the female four-striped grass mouse we see also in "The Call of the Drongo" I've decided to name Lishe(nutrition). Not much to say about them, though my headcanon is that Eku is actually one of Zazu's partners, having gotten close to him during Zazu's rib cage imprisonment, and kept him informed about current events while also trying to help him escape by gnawing on the bones time to time.

Following with TLG rodents, which make up the majority of this list, we have Tafu/Tafiya(journey) the scaley-tailed flying squirrel from "The Accidental Avalanche". As far as gliding rodents go, I really like his simplistic design and kept it pretty much the same. Additionally for flying squirrels we have Piper/Pyp(pipe-Afrikkans) from "Saskatchewan Catch", a flying squirrel who gets help from Timon and Pumbaa to find herself a mate in exchange for some hard-to-reach tree beetles, though ditch them on their deal once she finds her mate. Not much to say about her story wise, though design-wise I did think the purply-grey colors were alright, though no lipstick, scarves, or updos that make Pricilla Presley weep in envy, though I can justify the beauty-mark.

Also for squirrels we have the the Teds, Ithendi(heel-Xhosa) and Kitendo(act), now a pair of ground squirrels, which just look like prairie dogs to me, from "You Ghana Join the Club". These brothers and their family decided to hog the resources of a certain area in the Oasis, though thankfully and rather painfully got their comeuppance by peeving off one of the local lions. Again, not much to say, though I think I did a good job of sneaking in some pink and blue elements into their designs, though I had to do quite a bit of redesigning, since the first draft came out looking like evil Care Bears.

Next are the porcupines, all pains in the neck with all their individually drawn quills, where we have the African-crested present with Mama Binturong-now-Civet's lackey Smun/Sumai(high). At some point in time the Forest was a pleasant place, where the inhabitants freely interacted with each other and freely shared the resources around, even inviting new folks to live in the community. However one of them, a malicious civet, took advantage of everyone's naivete and generosity, instead hogging all the resources including their precious medicinal tuliza, and threatening anyone who tried to get in her way, as well as making the price to get even just a blossom of tuliza unobtainable at worse and back-breaking at minimum. Sumai and his prickle were unfortunately casualties in this that only worsened the problem. They were so young when they lost their parents to an easily preventable disease that could've been stopped with the tuliza, but they were denied it and ended losing their lives, and leaving their children alone and vulnerable. Acting as the doting 'mama' figure, she took in the orphaned porcupines, acting as the poor doctor who was unable to save their parents due to everyone wanting the tuliza and taking it from her, leaving none for her to give to save them. Over time she successfully convinced them that the other inhabitants of the forest were to blame, wanting to hog all the tuliza for themselves and did not care about trampling over or taking out others to achieve that. Slowly she grew her army of porcupines, heavily dependent on her and unable to realize the harm she had caused, to neither them or their communities, by controlling the flow of tuliza, so caught up in their devotion and false belief of misplaced blame. By the time they return back to the forest after failing to get revenge on Bunga, they find that the forest has flourished in their time away, the tuliza and resourced are now being shared and cultivated as originally, and to boot the inhabitants have grown more of a spine. Mama Civet has grown frail and ill with age and a few porcupines were injured during the fight. The forest inhabitants are still resentful, but merciful enough to allow them to remain in their old area and use what they are given to recover, but they will now be required to work for the community and their tuliza, and the second they step out of line, they're out. Over time some of the other porcupines begin to see the community for how it truly was and begin to question how they were raised and acted before, whole Sumai remains almost fanatically devoted and serving to his ailing, crippled foster mother, now refusing to even get up and demanding quantities of food and tuliza served right to her, succumbing to sloth and addiction. Sumai can only painfully watch as she slowly keeps on digging a hole she can't climb out of, while his brethren try to help him move on.

So yeah, decided to give Smun's prickle a backstory with orphans, dependency, abuse, and addiction. I imagine tuliza, while it does seem to have calming/pain-relieving aspects, too much or condensed quantities can be addicting, though I believe by the time Bunga meets Mama for the first time and he finds her hogging all the tuliza, the effects have mostly worn out and she needs a higher, more concentrated dose to feel the effects, hence why she stole Makini's tuliza, hoping it was a more stronger version... I think I need to stop watching MLP's Breaking Bad/Poison Joke.

Back in the Pridelands we have Male Porcupine/Nungu(porcupine) and his sons; the Porcupine Brothers; Chembe(quill) and Sindano(needle). Nungu is a single dad of two that tries really hard to raise his sons up right, though between a certain honey badger bouncing him like a ball, being chased by curious giraffe calves, and having fruit dropped on him, the poor guy just needs a break.

From "Prickly Problems" we have Spike/Karu(spike), a porcupine that accidently spikes Simba, only to regret it after he realizes that the cub meant him no harm. Fortunately Simba does recover and they do make up in the end, though I personally don't like how he looks like a North American porcupine in the book.

Last of the porcupines is Zungura(poke), featured in, but never mentioned by name in the TLK book "A Wild Night Out", where she does meet Simba and Nala when Simba accidently steps on one of her shed quills. I find it a bit coincidental that I put her next to a porcupine that actively stuck Simba with quills, though thankfully African-crested porcupines are smooth quills instead of barbed like the North American variants, so while still extremely painful to get stuck, are much easier to pull out. I know this from experience, though I will say this, African-crested porcupines are like big guinea pigs. Give them something like a nut of piece of sweet potato and they will hunker down, grab the food, and start munching on it, they are so adorable.

Next is the pika we see at the Tree of Life that Mama Binturong/Civet bullies after they try to give her some tuliza. His name is Ponya(heal) and he often helps Nirmala by finding and gathering supplies for her, as does the rest of his group. So while doing research for this, I incidentally discovered that the pika, which I originally thought was a rodent, is actually a lagomorph, aka related to rabbits/hares, who are also not rodents. But come on, we kind of do associate them with these smaller critters, so this sheet is now rodents + lagomorphs. I did reuse the model from the last time I made him, though I also added the little mouthful of grass you see pikas with. Seriously, if you're having a bad day, look up 'pikas with flowers', it so sweet, you'll feel better. I have them here in Colorado, and while I don't see them all that often, I sure am glad I do have them here, though I did learn while drawing them that apparently there are some in Asia too, so that's neat.

So starting off with the hares we have the TLG ones, including the young female hare/Sungura(hare/rabbit) who is a scrub hare, and the red rock hares with Masikio(ears) and his sister Sikiliza(listen). And lastly... the ones from the Timon and Pumbaa Show... the three-fingered jackalope/Gaidi(bandit) who is now a scrub hare.... and horrifying Rabbit/Hofu(fear), and neutered as much as possible from their show counterparts and for good reason, please trust me on this. Best I can say is that I did y'all a favor by turning mister nightmare away from y'all.

[miss-bvnny]

Yet another fan tweaks up TLK 2 and TLG: Todd Howard Expansion Pack

PART DEUX part 2 let's do this boys

Alright, so picking up where we left off, Kopa has been living in the Oasis for a bit while he heals mentally from Zira almost killing him. Zira and her blood children Nuka (Son of Scar and Zira) Vitani (Son of Zira and Mpendwa), and Kovu (Son of Jibu and an unknown male) were banished to the outlands with a third of the lionesses from Simba's pride who insisted on following Zira. Got it? Good. Let's keep moving:

Time has passed, and Simba and Nala are in NO rush to reinstate Kopa as the future king. He still has no wish to become the crown prince once again, as the thought is still...perilous to him. He's not sure about it, and....quite frankly, it makes him uncomfortable to think about. Simba and Nala understand, and do not force anything on him. Yes, the lack of an heir IS concerning, but...they know an answer will come with time. Nala remembers the way Scar used to pressure Zira and the other lionesses to find him an heir. She doesn't want the same pressure on her son. Simba agrees. But hey, sometimes we find an answer without meaning to.

Things are tense for a while, as Zira and her followers constantly sneak into the Pridelands to steal food and water whenever they need to. Simba enforces more rules and punishments for anyone caught trespassing, not being afraid to get harsh if he needs to. Zira is a persistent threat, and he's going to deal with her as such. It takes a while for things to calm down, and even then Simba and Nala are both restless (YES both of them because Nala being so passive in TLK 2 pisses me off, especially if you think about it in context to the story I'M trying to present). Regardless...things eventually calm down. Simba and Nala try for...another cub, about when Kopa would have been Simba's age, when he left the pridelands as a cub. THIS cub will one day be the crown ruler of the Pridelands, and they're going to be SURE to protect this one and keep her safe. Safe especially from the outlands and the outsiders. Kopa returns once or twice to see his parents and congratulate them on the new addition to the family. YEAH I see he was there when Kiara was born (Just like how Nuka and Vitani snuck across the border to watch the ceremony and report to Zira about it later. actually this is a good time to mention I consider all the deleted TLK 2 scenes totally canon, before going forwards). Kopa continues to visit, and loves his little sister as she grows up. We can just...say Kopa wasn't visiting the day she and Kovu met when she was older. Zira sees this as a chance to use Kovu as a pivotal figure to get her final revenge on Simba, standard TLK 2 stuff, you know how it goes. So anyway, even though Kopa has no desires to be the crown prince again, he IS thinking about moving back home. When word reaches him about the fire and Kiara almost getting hurt, his urgency to return is quickened. He makes the journey alone, and returns just in time for the final battle against the outlanders in the rain. He joins in, there's a sort of comical POTC 3 bit where he and Kovu catch up after all this time, and he sees Kovu and Kiara are in love, and ultimately they win when Zira refuses to let go of Scar and kills herself out of spite. Vitani and the other outlanders rejoin Simba and his pride, seeing the error of their ways following after Zira. They all vow to do their part in the pride and respecting the circle of life, everyone getting happier and healthier as they acclimatize to Prideland ways.

Not long after this, Simba and Nala are going on another moonlight hunt, when they hear a cub crying out in the night. They go to investigate, and see a lone newborn lion is all by himself. He smells neither of the outlands OR the pridelands, and they're unsure of who this little one is, or where he came from. But...it's a cub, and they can't just leave him behind. Simba and Nala adopt him as their own son, and name him Kiongozi (Or...just Kion for short).

Now...the lion guard (The actual team, I mean) is not really a thing in this rewrite. Vitani and her ''lion guard'' biker gang lesbians are instated simply because Vitani and her team want to express thanks to Simba by looking out for trouble, and to make sure Zira's not still somehow prowling around near the borders and waiting for a chance to strike. Like...YEAH if they saw an animal in trouble, they'd probably help, but they don't exist to stop predators from eating other animals because that's stupid. They don't overstep their boundaries when it coms to policing other animals in the pridelands, they just...want to make sure Zira's not around. Plus, I'd be lying if I said Vitani wasn't also secretly checking to see if Nuka was anywhere. She's having a hard time getting over him. Luckily, she befriends Kopa and he sympathizes with her, as..he's still got a lot of stuff from the past he's dealing with inside.

So, with Kiara as the future queen, Kovu as her consort, and Kopa acting as an advisor to his sister, there's...nothing much for Kion to do.

Kion is....kiiind of a little brat lmao. He thinks he's got a right to boss Pridelanders around because he's a member of the royal family, and often plays ''Lion Guard'' with his group of animal friends. He's basically trying to copy Vitani, but going about it in the wrong way by getting involved with the affairs of other animals and being a little know it all telling them what to do. He's...gotten in trouble several times, and Simba is TRYING to teach him that's not how a prince behaves. He understands Kion's hunger, but..there's a difference between a fair ruler and someone who bullies others for power. it takes Kion a while to understand this, but he DOES try, even if he gets it wrong a few times.

AAAAND that's....PRETTY MUCH it???? Really this was more about fixing continuity errors, making Kopa and Kion fit in a bit more seamlessly, stuff like that. IDK, lemme hear yuour thoughts if you got em.

[wallyaxiom]

𝚆𝙰𝙻𝚃𝙼𝙴𝙼𝙴: 𝙵𝙰𝚅𝙾𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙴 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚂𝙾𝙼𝙴𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙴𝙻𝚂𝙴 𝙿𝙻𝙰𝚈𝚂

hey besties it’s me coming to do the waltmeme thing. I couldn’t just pick one character to call my favorite. it also felt unfair to do that as well when there’s so many amazing characters here. so grab a snack, put on your favorite tangled song in my honor and buckle up as i go through the list of my fave characters here at walt each person plays. present gen only. sorry to my next gen faves. maybe one day i’ll write a list for you. or not. i’ll keep you on your toes. 

𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 𝕛𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕣

cassandra is a character i love so much. tangled is a movie that means everything to me. kiara is the person who understands my tangled feels. the way you play cassandra...like how you said i have a grasp on reagan, you have such a perfect grasp on who cassandra is as a character. her voice is so clear. you understand who the character is and have transformed her into something more than what was given in the bio i wrote and also in the show that’s used for inspo. she’s a spectacular character and i love her so much. it’s an honor to be one half of elssandra but also cassunzel. she’s such an amazing character. you should be so proud of what you’ve brought to life, kiara.

𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕞𝕔𝕢𝕦𝕖𝕖𝕟

listen i told you every day how much i love monty. i literally scream it to you in your living room sometimes. i’ve seen every iteration of monty but i think this one is my favorite. i didn’t even know lightning’s real name was montgomery that was all you. so much of yourself is in monty. it reminds me of myself with wally and i think that’s the biggest reason why i love monty is because he’s bits and pieces of you and i love you very much. as much as i love cocky era lightning i love dad lightning even more. i wish i had a dad like him i’m not gonna lie but we’re not gonna unpack that on the man lmfao. i’m glad i’m more enveloped in his story now because he’s such a good character dude. like such a good written and played character. he’s second in my heart to sulley but is inching closer to number one by the day. 

𝕗𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕤𝕔𝕠 𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕝𝕚

fran !!! my bestie !!! my fave !!! i would die for them !!! like bee, i love talking to you about fran and all the tomfoolery they get into. you’ve played them for so long and each time you transform them into something better than the last. they age like a fine wine. in the past almost two years i’ve been able to be part of their story more & i’m so happy for that opportunity. you’ve put so much love, care and devotion into fran. you’ve added so much to their story. like they’re so fleshed out, how does your beautiful brain come up with all this backstory ??? lemme know i need some of those brain cells. they’re amazing. you’re amazing. i want fran to buy me and island and make me pasta but i’ll just them do that for caspian the favorite child. 

𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕓𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕨

hands down i had to put orion my future father in law. i’ve had the honor of watching you develop orion into something incredible over these past six years. ( holy cow !!! six ??? insane. ily ). he was a big bad, misunderstood boy and you’ve humanized orion. you’ve brought life into him and created such a beautifully crafted character. he has a heart now. perhaps a tiny one but it’s there. the backstory you’ve created for him and the future he has - all stunning and wonderful. i love this man. he deserves so much after the shit he’s been through. i’ve had the privilege of being in his orbit for a bit when i played logan. I still get to watch him and enjoy the light chaos he brings. i’m ready for the new era of casino owner orion and what trouble he’ll bring now. 

𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕘𝕘𝕪 𝕣𝕠𝕘𝕖𝕣𝕤

the boy !!! the legend !!! i love shaggy so much. first of all, the future you planned for him. how dare you ?? do you like to see me cry ?? is that it ??? i’m glad he hit his happy arc now because WOW. pain. shaggy is just a nice guy, man. he’s so nice to everyone he meets. i want to be friends with shaggy and scoob. i love mystery inc. i can’t imagine anyone else playing shaggy but you. to me, you are him. he’s the heart of the group. it’s not mystery inc without him. therefore, you’re the heart also. it’s not the same without you. 

𝕤𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕖 𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕘𝕦𝕖

i could easily write an essay about how i love all your characters and how you play them all so well but i had to give this spot to sadie. the teagues are my og loves. every time i see sadie the part of my brain where logan resides lights up. she’s such a good character. she’s a little devil and it’s exactly what we need. we need someone to stir up the pot and throw eggs at kids. sadie is a product of her environment. she’s so tough and had to be so young. no one her age should have to grow up so fast the way she did. i would like to wrap sadie in a blanket give her some coco with bat marshmallows and tell her to take a break. hug her. maybe give her some therapy to. i love her. you’ve brought her to life in such an amazing way. i hope her brothers join her soon so we can have that sibling goodness. 

𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕒 𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕥𝕒

i was tempted to put ian here because ian lightfoot is joel and we already know how much i love al and wendy but i decided to show the og love so i put nala. from the get go you knew who nala was going to be and where you wanted to go with her. you always bring so much to your characters. you develop them in ways that amazes me each time. go bestie go you’re so talented. i love how devoted she. how fierce she is but also the vulnerability you bring to her. she was thrown into a world at a young age fighting a war she wasn’t meant to and THAT’S a lot on someone. and we see that. i love the way you play her and i’m so happy you decided to take her up. sorry you have to deal with simba tho. pour one out. 

𝕘𝕖𝕠𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕩𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕙

everyone and their grandmother knows the oliver and co cast means everything to me. i’m so glad that you decided to join them ! you’re a wonderful addition. i love miss george. she’s fabulous in every sense of the word. sharpay evans is shaking in her lil boots. i just love divas. i love them. i am one. she’s perfect. and we know that’s not easy for her. i know your beautiful mind works wonders so i know there’s a lot of growing that georgette will be going through in the future and i’m excited for it. prayer circle for a jenny and oliver. 

𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕓𝕚𝕟𝕩

when you auditioned for thackery you already had an idea of where you wanted to take him and how you wanted to add to his character while staying true to the bio. that is the kind of stuff i like to see. this man has seen some shit and also has been through some shit. i do hope one day his soul can be at ease. he needs a long cat nap. you care a lot for thackery and it’s lovely to see. he may be a hamilton hoe but we have to respect the drip & love him for it anyways. 

𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕪 𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕪𝕖𝕒𝕣

timmy boy deserves a hug. a hug and a nice space movie to take the edge off. you always put so much of your heart and yourself into your characters. you care so much for them and that’s evident in buzz. he’s goofy, he’s cool and he’s just so wonderful. i’m excited to see where buzz will go from here and how he’ll develop over time. i’m hoping some happiness. maybe some resolution with woodrow just to spice things up. that metal arm is still cool too. 

𝕕𝕒𝕡𝕙𝕟𝕖 𝕓𝕝𝕒𝕜𝕖

hey bestie !!! wow !!! daphne ??? gives me so much pain. I am so glad to be going on this angst journey of mystery inc and fred/daph with you. your love for her and the gang makes my heart so happy. i will happily spend hours talking about them and sending tiktoks to each other that remind us of them. you went beyond the assignment. you were just born to play daphne. you write her so well and understand her past the bio, past the inspirations of the live actions and mystery inc. you get her. you see her. she’s in good hands. i’m ready for all the pain she’s about to cause me. 

𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕡𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖

i love penelope. i really do. i am penelope’s number one stan. it was discussed before but it’s so easy to play miss piggy as unlikeable since she is such a brash character but you bring so much light and love to penny. it’s hard not to be in love with her and want her to succeed in everything she does. she’s the miss piggy we all grew up with but she’s also special because you’ve added your own personal touches to her. she’s an amazing character. i would punch anyone who’s wronged penelope. i’m excited for the layers to start peeling back and we see more of penny - especially her badass ways. i just love the way you play her and i love penelope hainline okay. i lovoe divas as stated above what can i say. 

𝕒𝕦𝕣𝕠𝕣𝕒 𝕔𝕒𝕡𝕦𝕝𝕖𝕥

ANNIE !!!! WOW AURORA ??? genuinely she is the love of my life. I love her so, so much. she’s so sweet and wonderful and deserve to be tucked in ??? read a bed time story ??? and not be cursed ??? why’d i do that. she deserves the world and so do you. in the short amount of time you’ve had her you’ve added so much depth to her story. which is not always easy the first few months you have a character but you’ve put in a lot of love into aurora already. you understood the assignment and & went beyond.  i’m so excited to see where she goes on her journey and what will happen when he hopefully get a maleficent one day. also is it an aurora shoutout without me saying philip loves her ??? bc he does. 

[eileen-crys]

Ok I know this post is long and going to trigger some people, I hate dramas as almost everyone in this fandom but I'm honestly exhausted of finding a**holes around and I can't keep pretending nothing happens. I'm a polite person and I don't like to make names and point my finger at people, so let's keep this a general discourse.

So this happened between yesterday evening and this morning, I've posted this photo on my instagram stories this morning.

As I've already mentioned before, there's a bunch of people who hate Veronica Deacon (mind: this is not a simple "dislike her" for personal reasons/vibes, here's literally a movement of hate and canceling) and are adamant in spreading their hate towards her, intoxicating posts where she's mentioned or John's family role is mentioned, canceling her whenever there's a confirmed pic of her ("that's not her! That's *imaginary person never heard about*") mocking people for even liking her, let alone who enjoy John and Veronica together (I've been personally harassed on Facebook by some of these people) behaving very childishly despite their older age (also using the "I'm old so I know better" card to prove their points) and believing in absurd made-up "theories" on Wattpad that twist interviews, real facts and actually try to warp reality mostly with the function of "making Deac*ry real in real life". (Censoring the ships name just to not disturb sane shippers as I had already said once) For them every reliable source, included words by the direct interested, are lies to cover up these relationships. They use songs to "prove facts" when nothing is confirmed, pretending to be woke or smth I don't know really. Some time ago some idiot even told around that Veronica isn't the mother of John's kids, she used to abuse him and other stuff coming out of nowhere, but honestly that's an old discourse that thank the gods has been closed (because honestly even the dumbest people could sniff that it was all made up). ((They also hate Jim Hutton because of the same reasons, if you were asking.)) ((I feel so bad for responsible shippers that have these idiots on their boat, guys get rid of em plss))

This leads me back to this fanfic I found and that line that has been added in a petty way after deleting that comment.

You know I'm the last person who would say "stop writing fanfics about real people", we're a fandom that deals with real people and real or fanmade relationships, that's not remotely the issue here. It's not even the plot that as much basic it is it's quite common and I've read every kind of version of it with basically any ship in this fandom (tho Veronica is the most common one to fall in this trope, followed maybe by Chrissie) and that's kinda okay, I'm not here to judge anyone for that, write what u want, there are lots of well written fics with the same plot.

The issue here is the existence of that statement, "Veronica is a real cold hearted manipulative person". It implies that the author actually believes what they wrote is real. And what they wrote is a Veronica that's and absolute bastard with no reason to be it, she's just evil because yes, gets pregnant on purpose to stay with John, sends him away from Fred and enjoys seeing John being absolutely crushed after he had to leave fred like idk some kind of Scar who enjoys watching Simba running away after Mufasa's death. Because she's evil ok? That should be even ok (not really but you got the point???) if the author wrote that just as a dramatic angsty story with a boring villain, but the addition of that line is the issue here, the author feels like that woman is seriously like that. I honestly struggle to believe anyone could be so serious about this but yes there are people who are and try to spread their hate like this, towards a person they don't even know and has done nothing against them to "deserve" to be hated.

When I posted that pic in my stories today I had numerous people writing me that they couldn't believe someone would seriously hate Veronica to the point of doing this, that's why I'm making this post. There are lots of ppl who have no idea of this issue of the fandom that's more serious than it seems, it has to be put under the sunlight.

You don't have to love Queen's real relationships if you prefer fanmade ones, but please at least respect them. Respect Queen's wives and husband, they are real people. Respect Queen's real lives even if they made questionable things and mistakes. You can't fix them anyway and you're not entitled to change what happened in the past. Please be aware of the sources you get informations from, use reliable sources and believe them, keep songs as they are: poetry, be aware that what you find/create in fanfictions (and some fanarts) is not real. Respect creators that draw/write ships that aren't your faves.

And please ignore these idiots who claim to ""know the truth"" about Queen's private lives. They feel empowered by their age and by the doubts and misteries around some aspects of Queen's lives and they won't change their minds if you present them facts. Shut them off with an "ok" and ignore them. Thanks for reading until now, I hope this has been somehow helpful.

[swansstuff]

So uh, I've been thinking about a hypothetical Trucy Wright: Act Attorney and here is the very poorly written outline for it because yeah. No spoilers except the Apollo Trucy thing. Tw death, murder, blood and grieving so yeah.

Trucy's first case is literally her first ever case. This is a flashback case. We follow her as she wakes up, slightly stressed about today, Phoenix gives her cereal and a pep talk and a cryptic message. Trucy asks where Papa is, it is Miles, they are married. Phoenix is cryptic about that too. He stays behind as he "has to buy groceries" so Trucy heads into the office. Apollo greets her, it's clear they know they're siblings, and he hands her a case. Miles is prosecuting. She is fucking terrified. She goes to the crime scene, Gumshoe is the detective and he's educating his teenage sons, constant confusion of who's who, because they are twins and they look very like Gumshoe, it'll be kinda funny. Its a simple investigation. During the investigation, the player can check Trucy's profile and the profile system shows character's middle names now. We get some gems such as Klavier Hyacintha Gavin later on, the reasoning behind this is coz Trucy is nosy. The important one here is Trucy Mia Wright. She says something about how she chose her own middle name when Phoenix adopted her and she chose Mia after learning about her. Yada yada. Trucy wins the case. Edgeworth is very proud, Phoenix is in the gallery and there's a flash of him crying proud tears, Apollo hugs her afterwards, Athena congrats her.

Next case, flash forward three years later, we do not see Phoenix and nobody really mentions him. Thats because he's fucking dead but we don't know that yet. This case is a Fey case, we meet Maya who is married to Franziska and they're technically on honeymoon in Kurain and Pearl becomes the Maya to Trucy's Phoenix. Its another fey murder case. There are a few mentions of Trucy's admiration of Mia, mainly just a mirror of a few lines she's said and a conversation where her and Maya talk about her, Trucy says she would have loved to meet her and Maya explains how her spirit has been dormant for ages now and how she assumes she's moved on.

"If you want I can try and channel-"

"No no no no NO. Its ok!"

This is our first hint that Phoenix is no longer with us, but we don't know until later thats what she means. Sebastian is the prosecutor, the player finds out that Miles is taking a break from prosecuting work, Trucy already knew of course, and Sebastian is dubbed Chief until he comes back, Fran says

"It would've been me were I not on my literal honeymoon right now." We are not told why yet, but it is because of Phoenix. Kay Faraday is the detective, somebody murders someone and frames Maya, no-one is shocked by this. We also get an update on Iris, she's thriving. She wins yada yada.

Next case, a couple of months later, Trucy gets a call from a friend that the player can't identify at first. Its Katrielle Layton. She needs Trucy's legal knowledge because someone is sueing her detective agency because have you seen how they practice. This, of course, turns to murder and we get another surprise when we meet the prosecutor. Who probably has a licence to practise law in England? Simon Blackquill, he is British ok. Yeah, Trucy wins with Kat's help, we meet Ernest and Sherl and Alfendi and Flora if we have time. I miss them. Trucy and Kat have a conversation that cryptically addresses their fathers and their "whereabouts" and living up to their legacy. We see Trucy cry, but only a similar flash to AJ:AA and we do not know why. Yet.

Next case, flashback case. Trucy is the assistant on this case but we still play as her, even in the court sections since Phoenix is prepping her for the bar and getting her to give him the answers. The bar exam is only in three days. Klavier is prosecuting. The case somehow relates to Kristoph and there's the whole mirror dynamic thing of when Phoenix lost his badge. Kristoph is dead by now, but the whole thing is there was a plot inside prison to make Phoenix pay for putting a bunch of them in, Kristoph was the assumed ring leader until he died and the cops now dont know who's running it. Somebody (Godot? That would hurt big time) was their inside man, sent to figure that out, so when whoever it was turned up dead, the whole thing got exposed. We get a bit of a Mia moment in the trial where Trucy tells Phoenix to flip over the receipt (thats evidence for some reason). Phoenix says "I feel like that shouldn't be the second time someone has said that to me". The killer is found, by Phoenix, and put into isolation, as have most of the other participants. We then see Trucy get her badge. They have a conversation and Trucy says Phoenix basically forgot about it for a couple of months. The case closes with a foreboding "and I forgot about it too, until..."

Next case. Phoenix is fucking murdered. Trucy gets a phone call late at night, she hears laboured breathing on the other end and a "don't forget I love you" from Phoenix. Trucy pulls a simba and goes "dad? Dad?!!" And the line goes dead. The player is presented with a choice of who to call. They have two phone calls. Who they choose first makes no difference, but the second time they are forced to choose Ema who will trace Phoenix's phone call. They could call Apollo and he would comfort her, Miles would panic, Maya would say he was just messing around, Athena would sense her distress and say she's coming over etc. You could attempt to call Phoenix back but he would not answer and you would be allowed to call someone else. Ema then traces the phone call and we follow Trucy to the crime scene. We get a truly haunting cutscene where everything kinda goes blurry except Phoenix's face and the blood. Trucy doesn't cry. She stands there in shock. The WAA is there in various states of shock and upset. Return of grieving Apollo I guess. Miles turns up and the look on his face is haunting. Trucy and him make eye contact and they share the thought of something has to be done. And then. "The bar association took me off the case and Papa too, they said we were too close to it. As a result, we never found out who did it... Until now." And we see a determined Trucy face. We jump forward to where we last saw Trucy, she and Pearl are coming back from England and its a bit more cheery. Trucy sends Pearl on a train back to Kurain and heads on home. She enters the house and we see Miles pouring over Phoenix's case. He jumps up and runs towards her.

"Trucy! I think I have a lead, I-"

"Papa, you're tired, go to bed." (Or better dialogue along those lines)

Its clear he's been doing this sort of thing a lot.

"But I do! At least...I think I do..."

He trails off and rests his head in his hands.

"Do I? Or am I just a mess?"

Trucy gives him a sad smile.

"C'mon let's go to bed."

Miles returns the sad smile and fades out like all ace attorney characters do. The player is given the option to look around. There's probably some emotional dialogue and bits that give clues to how she and Miles have been fairing the past 3 years. Answer is, not very well. Examine the pile of papers on the table. Trucy will take a look and then realise her papa may have actually been onto something. Its a diagram of which prisoners knew each other, with an arrow from each leading to a defense attorney we have never met. Trucy is confused, but she calls for Miles anyway. He comes back downstairs and Trucy asks him about this lead he found.

"Well I realised all those prisoners would know this defense attorney (insert name?)"

"Why? And why would they be suspicious?'

"They (pronouns?) Were always the defense attorney who would take on the cases of those Wright had already accused. They gained a reputation of being the doomed defense attorney."

"So... They knew all the prisoners in the plot and they had a grudge against daddy... Papa I think you're onto something!"

And the case continues, since we already know who's been accused, it plays out more like an investigations game, Trucy has to prove it, with Miles' help of course, literally every other character we know and love plays a part in making sure this guy gets a guilty verdict. There is still a courtroom bit and a moment when all is looking dark, Trucy literally has a full on breakdown as the Judge threatens to remove her from the case again. Miles is by her side, they're both technically prosecution here i guess. Miles, however, is too deep in his own mental breakdown to help. Everyone else is in the gallery besides Pearl. Pearl channels Phoenix as a last hope sort of thing. Phoenix comforts her and tells her to keep fighting, he touches her badge and probably says some sort of bullshit about it. The Judge is about to bang the gavel when Trucy and Phoenix object at the same time. Miles looks up and realises whats going on and he objects too, a little later. The battle goes on until it finishes and the other attorney has a breakdown that steals little bits from every other murderer Phoenix has put behind bars.This is the one time seeing the word guilty on your screen feels good. There's a whole heartwarming celebration at the end, Phoenix sticks around for a little bit and everyone gets a bit of closure. Its assumed he's gone since Pearl passes out and Trucy dips out for a sec. She's away from the festivities, staring at the badge in her hand and we see someone coming up behind her. Maya is channelling Phoenix now. He gives Trucy a hug and utters the words "the only time a lawyer can cry is when its all over and, Trucy darling, my light, its over." Echoing both Diego and Mia.

And the screen fades to black with a final hug between father and daughter.

:)

[popculturebuffet]

House of Mouse review: “The Three Caballeros” or State of Your Outfit Donald

The Ride of the Three Caballeros continues, and with reviewed paid for up until legend, we’re fueled up and ready to ride on for some time now. This admittedly has taken a bit longer than I like to get back on the ride, due to a  number of reasons, but i’m back on the ride and these next two were both a pleasure to get to and cover a show that was LONG overdue to show up here: It’s the House of Mouse! For those of you who haven’t heard of it House of Mouse was a Disney show in 2000 that ran on it’s one Saturday morning block, the follow up to the Disney afternoon. It also holds a close place in my heart as these are the versions of Mickey and Co I grew up with, as I had Disney Channel as a kid and they reaired it a LOT, so the show is sorta soaked into my DNA, and is likely the reason why I like Donald and Goofy so much, as their shorts here and their personalities outside them really drew me in. I’ll still be objective mind, but the show means a lot to me and i’m not going to hide that. 

The show has a really amazing setup: Mickey and Co run a club for Disney characters. While no tv characters showed up, anyone who had been in the movies was fair game, and everyone from Hades to both forms of Simba somehow to the horned freaking king showed up. The only exceptions were as I said Tv characters, though Pepper Ann makes a cameo in the pilot, and the Pixar characters.. which is more fair than you think. Keep in mind at the time of this series, there were only three Pixar Movies: Toy Story, a Bug’s LIfe and Toy Story 2, which came out the same year as house of mouse. Not only that Pixar wasn’t owned by Disney at the time, so there was likely a fear they could loose the rights to use the characters at some point and thus didn’t want to chance it.  But yeah this setting is used for great jokes, it’s the source of the “No one does X like gaston!” meme and it’s funny every time they do that gag. Though the main stars of the show are still mickey and co with each having a fitting position in the club’s hierachy: MIckey and Donald, being equal stars, co-own the club, though Donald sometimes feels overshadowed. Mickey, with his people skills and cheer is the MC and host. Donald, given his jack of all trades nature and butt monkey status, is guest services, in charge of taking care of the club’s featured guests and naturally having it backfire, as well as sometimes envying Mickey’s spot and trying to take it over. Minnie, being level headed, keeps things running, planning the show and managing finaces as well as calming Mickey when he gets panicky. Daisy runs guest services while trying to break out on her own and is somewhat of a ditz in this series, though not overly dumb or incompetent, just a bit of an air head is all, and her sweet bubbly nature makes her very likeable. That and outside the shorts at least, she’s very nice to Donald here and their realtionship is very sweet, hence it being one of the four versions of it I like.  Goofy is head waiter, which fits him because.. I dunno they needed one. But he does the job well even if he naturally screws up a bunch because Goofy. Pluto is also around as a personal assitant because eh why not.  But what really stood out abotu the show to me, even more so as an adult, was  the supporting cast. As a kid, I was introduced to a lot of the disney side characters i’d never heard of before, all of whom get a decent amount of screen time over the series, while as an adult, I find it heartwarming they brought these characters back and fleshed them out after not being used on screen for so long, with one big exception that was still nice of them to use and helps bridge the generation gap. 

The rest of the HOM crew consisted of Hoarce, Mickey’s friend who was used a lot early on and who works as the club’s engineer and handyman, Clarabelle, also often forgotten but thoroughly defined here as a loveable gossip and acted wonderfully by the incomparable April Winchell. I credit this show for making me love both characters especially Clarabelle and wanting to see them more. 

We also have Gus, a far more obscure on screen character. Gus is Donald’s Cousin, and as of this writing is the ONLY one of Donald’s three majorly used Cousins to have not shown up in the Ducktales reboot. Gus is also the only one whose not a comics original, to my shock, instead showing up in the short “Donald’s Cousin Gus”, communicating only through honks and eating all of Donald’s food. He was naturally adapted for the comics, where while still having a huge appetite became more bossed with being a lazy while working with Grandma Duck, his and Donald’s Grandma. He’s so different between mediums I genuinely forgot he was in this show and didn’t realize he and the chef from this show were the same person. Still it’s nice to see him and hopefully he’ll make the reboot before it ends.  Finally rounding out the supporitng cast we have Huey Dewey and Louie, who mostly show up as the quackstreet boys to dance and are kind of inbetween their classic designs and their quack pack versions: They have the hair from quack pack, but seem more like their 12-13, a bit older than standard, but sitll not as old as they are in Quack Pack. They also don’t talk which is a vast improvement over Quack Pack. And finally, and more prominently, we have Max, who as I said bridges the gap between generations and I think was an amazing inclusion. He not only gave younger viewers like me a character they knew better, but allowed the character’s story to continue a bit, clearly taking place after xtreme but having him actually go on a date with Roxanne. Thank you House of Mouse Writers. your doing Golb’s work.  Antagonist wise we have Pete, as usual trying to muck things up and presumibly flush with post divorce cash. He’s the club landlord, and wants Mickey out for reasons that are never explained, but as long as the show goes on and Mickey pays rent on time, the show goes on. Being Pete, he naturally tries to sabotage things. It’s a good device. The other is Mortimer, probably the series deepest cut alongside Gus as he only shwoed up in one short but the series easily made him one of my faviorites: A Sleazy asshole who tries to pick up on Minnie (who thankfully this go round is not at all receiptve), tries to get on the card, and constnatly says Ha-Cha-Cha. Maurice LaMarche, this show had a REALLY talented voice cast can you tell?, really owned the character and has been his voice since and really took him from a one dimensional douche to a LOVEABLE asshole. 

Granted most of this.. really isn’t relevant as only the main cast show up, but it’s an aspect of the show I like so I went into it anyway. Plus i’ll defintely be coverng the show again so this saves me time for later.  Back on point though, the show’s format was a problem of the week, ranging from guest troubles to pete shenigans to internal strife in the club to just general sitcom shenanigans, going on at the club, with shorts inserted in from a previous Mickey Show, Mickey MouseWorks. MouseWorks was a short lived, pun intended, show that didn’t do so good, so they had a bunch of these shorts sitting around including some that never aired on the show, and thus inserted them as cartoons being played for the club patrons. It was a great device and the shorts, while varying in quality , are mostly pretty good and were the first Disney Shorts I saw. It was a good format, allowing the main stories to have plenty of time, but not have to overpad them or anything and with so many shorts on hand they could simply write the story to be as long as they needed and then insert however many shorts were needed. It worked well. 

So yeah as you can tell I truly love this show and it introduced a lot of stuff to me. And naturally.. that includes the Three Caballeros here, with their song here being stuck in my head for years and this being the first time they’d shown up in decades... which is ironically how long it took for me to see their movie but regardless. The boys were back, and you can see how the show did with them, under the cut. 

Something to note, No Disney Plus this time.. because BAFFLINGNLY the show is not on there, despite no rights issues holding it up I’m aware of, and the show having every other mouse and duck related animated series on there. I know, I’ve talked about this before, even in this very retrospective.. but I keep bringing it up because it’s something you easily forget about. Something that may slip away. But don’t let it. Let them know, and get our shows on there already. Christ.  Anyways, due to the show’s format of sliding the shorts in, and to make thing easier on me for house of mouse reviews i’m simply going to do the shorts first, then the main plot. Good? Good. 

This one only had two, though it varied on how many they used, and some were just super short shorts anyway, so it all balances out and as I said, i’ts better they just told as much story as was there than tried to rush it. So without further adue...

Donald’s Fish Fry: Poor Poor Humphrey  Yeah I didn’t like this one. The premise is using the old character Humphrey the Bear.. only here instead of being the antagonist the ranger present basically bullies the poor bear, while the other bears constnatly get more fish than him when it’s their registered time to fish. It’s just agrvating.. and when the poor boy finally GETS a fish, Donald snatches it.  Donald isn’t unsympathetic here, he found the fish fairly.. but it’s hard to tell who we’re supposed to root for here. Humphrey, who just wants what’s his, or Donald whose oblivious but technically in the wrong. This kind of slapstick just.. dosen’t work as well with both sides being sympathetic. It can work with say bugs and daffy, because both are equal, but there’s clearly an antagonistc force in elmer fudd. But this type of shenanigan just dosen’t work when neither side deserves the punishment, and Humphrey did nothing wrong. I felt like this for supporting him the whole time. 

And it ends with the ranger getting the fish. Because he wasn’t unlikeable enough clearly. Though Humphrey does get some beans so yay? Also the house segment after has Ranger Dickhead stealing Humphrey’s dinner, which given he’s at the club he CLEARLY paid for because it’s too fatty. Fuck you dude. I hope Goofy threw you out for that one. Just not a fun sit. I’ve seen this kind of shenanigan done better, in disney classic shorts even. I’ve seen Don as the villian better, See Trick or Treat for a good example> There’s just.. nothing here and it goes on forever. This is a good chunk of the episode! Lordy! Just a genuinely bad short. Thankfully the next one while not as word inducing is also not as headache inducing How to Be Smart: Now THESE were my faviorites as a kid. I loved goofy, so shorts about him were no brainer but even now.. these are still funny. Basically a narrator would follow Goofy around while he tries to learn how to do something, in this case how to get smarter after loosing on a gameshow .. and owing the show three milion dollars. There’s not much ot go into, it’s basically a series of jokes about Goofy going to school from elementary to college and learning his way up while Dealing with Ludvig’s bratty nephew and his own stupidity. It’s a funny short and really well done and these are easily some of the show’s best shorts and this is no exception. Unlike  the Humphrey short, where this essentially happened. 

My soul and I gladly enjoyed How to Be Smart. Dare to NOT be stupid and check this short out. 

The Wraparound: And I”m Donald Duck! As for the main segment it’s pretty good. We open with Mickey hyping up tonight’s act, which is naturally the Three Caballeros! But trouble sets in as Donald, while proud at first, is rightfully annoyed that a man on the street segment shows NO ONE remembers he was in the group. Including his best friend goofy. Only Pumba does, somehow. I dunno maybe he dated Panchito once before meating timon. Point is Donald dosen’t take this well, even if we get a nice moment of Daisy swooning over the fact.. even if being  HOM Daisy, she can’t get the name right. But given i’ve had trouble spelling it right, I’m one to talk. 

So being Donald he overreacts, which I like as.. well it’s Donald. Of course when given a very resonable reason to get upset he takes it a step too far. In this case he’s gotten an army of lawers, refuses to speak to mickey and has put ... THIS on. I showed it at the top of the page but.. well it bears repeating. 

It’s like every bad thing about the early 2000′s, from the douchey shades, to the rings, to the golden knuckles, to the hat that looks like a penis, to the no donald logo. There should be all the donalds, ALL OF THEM. He also has an army of lawyers, and naturally resorts to hot doggin and grandstanding: Signing autographs during the show, putting a giant poster of himself up. It works okay, as it makes him unsympathetic for the next part to work and is really funny which is the point. Even if again he looks like the feces that’s produced when shame eats too much stupidity. 

Instead of just getting Dale Gribble in there, Mickey is at a loss for a solution till the boys show up and.. it’s a mixed bag. Carlos  Alazraqui is excellent as Panchito, slipping into the roll well. Unlike last time the character showed up, they did NOT get a mexican actor, but Carols is still Latino, so it’s still better than what they did for Jose, and still big of them to actually bother to get a Latino actor to play a latino role.  Jose on the other hand.. is played, and not very good, by Rob Paulson. And before anyone throws stuff at me, I love Rob. I will  be gushing about him when I get around to reviewing the animaniacs reboot. He’s a god among voice actors and I love him. But his voice, at least in this ep dosen’t really .. FIT Jose, and he dosen’t really match the characters energy which is VERY weird given Animaniacs was right before this. The guy can DO energy and it’s one of his best talents. He STILL can as evidenced by both TMNT 2012 and the Animaniacs revival. It’s just not one of his better performances. I love the guy but even gods have off days.  And of course there’s the bigger issue of the very white Rob shouldn’t be playing the very Brazilian Jose. Not matching nationatlies is one thing, it sucks, but The Three Cablleros had a much bigger budget than HOM likely did. HOWEVER, it couldn’t of been that hard to find two latino voice actors in 2000, especially when you found at least one. I get this wasn’t as big a thing but when the 1940′s did better than you, you know you screwed up. 

But it probably dosen’t help the two.. barely do anything. Despite the episode being named after them, they only show up towards the end and just sorta say hi to mickey, get cool entrances, and then seeing Donald being a dick and Mickeya sking for their help, humble him with their musical number.  And the Musical Number IS really good, it’s been in my head for years and is just as catchy as the classic “Three Cabllero’s Song”.. why they didn’t sing that I don’t know, but this original one, a light knockoff of la bamba is still really fun and bouncy and the gags are good. It’s a really good climax and Donald deserves his punishment.  The only really issue is the ending, as.. no one leaned anything. No one acknowledges how forgotten Donald felt, Mickey dosen’t seem to get the issue as his “promoting Donald” at the end to make sure he’s not forgotten.. just has a bunch of jabs at his expense, and Donald dosen’t apologize..t hougH daisy is really sweet to him so we got some Donsy at least. It’s just a weak ending to an otherwise excellent wraparound.  Final Thoughts: This one was.. okay. Shorts aside, i’ve said my peace about them, the wraparound is a lot of fun, as is the musical number, even if the “artist formerly known as” joke was played out even in 2000. I mean yeas Prince changing his name to a symbol was insane, I get that.. but by then everyone had clowned on that decision and given he did so in a bizarre act of defiance towards his label, at a time where we now know how scummy record labels can be, it hasn’t aged well. It’s just the weak climax, song not included, really drags things down. The Cabs are just.. a cameo in their own damn episode, even with the full musical number and could’ve been around more. They don’t get to show off personalities or really do anything but teach Donald a lesson and are basically one indivdiual here. It sticks out even more because Rosa had both be utterly distinct and showed the utmost care while here.. their just sorta tossed in so they could have Donald be a primadona.. which itself is funny but on the whole this episode was just.. disappointing to revisit. It was disheartening to learn one of my favorite episodes as a kid wasn’t that good. It is worth checking out if you like Donald or the cabs, provided you skip the first short. Trust me, trust me, but is far from the best the house of mouse has to offer and hopefully the next one will show that.  Next time when the Ride continues, my gig at the house of mouse gets held over another night as Jose teaches Goofy manners and Panchito helps deprogram him from that. Before that I hope to get to the next chapter of life and times and some other stuff i’ve had hanging, including the next loud house and the next part of the tomtropsective, as well as some new things that have come up like said review of the animaniacs reboot and a review of Adventure Time: Distant Lands, Obsidan. Until then if you liked this review, please check out my other pages for more, follow me to see them, and if you’d like to comission your own, just hit me up in my ask box for my discord or personal message me here on tumblr. Until then, ther’es always another rainbow. I’m out. 

[kingofthewilderwest]

How do u feel about Mabel

I have an unending sense of adoration for what Mabel contributes to Gravity Falls. Technically, Mabel isn’t a favorite of mine – I don’t think of her or relate to her as much as others like Stan, Ford, Dipper, or Fiddleford. However, my appreciation for her is endless.

Gravity Falls couldn’t exist without Mabel. The story’s heart would be crippled. Mabel’s energy and charm provides a unique personality to the show through her unique personality. The show wouldn’t have the same vibe without her ridiculousness! Plus, GF is a story of familial love. And Mabel, as half of the younger Pines twins duo, is essential to giving us the feels of what it means to be in a loving but emotionally complicated family. They couldn’t have picked a better personality to interact with Dipper and Stan for the narrative’s central trio. The combination of Mabel’s vivacity, Stan’s gruffness, and Dipper’s paranoia… is what sells us on this cast. (With Bill, Soos, Wendy, Ford, Pacifica, Gideon, etc. making great additions.)

That’s already enough to celebrate Mabel, but I can’t say this enough: Mabel is the fulfillment of my greatest wish for women characters:

Let women be weird.

The Limited Scope of Female Personalities in Media

All genders get roped into stereotypical personalities in media, but I feel like women especially get reduced. I struggle relating to and loving fictional women… because they feel like the same restrictive subset of personalities I’ve seen reiterated again and again and again and again and again. 

There’s the rude, prissy, popular rich girl. 

There’s that easygoing cool tomboy. 

There’s the hot, edgy, serious, sexy, COOL, highly skilled badass action woman who is the most hardcore of the main cast, hides a sense of internal empathy and compassion, but warms up from her coldness when she meets the main character lead… and then probably goes and kisses him once he, despite being a rookie, magically manages to best her years of hard training.

*ka-sigh*

Even when a fictional woman doesn’t hit something that cringeworthily stereotypical, she still feels… bland. Fictional characters can be enjoyable exaggerations of personality traits – we have the opportunity to create as weird, ridiculous, or diverse of individuals as we possibly can. And yet usually women aren’t written to be as wild or diverse in their personalities as men. The ladies will probably look standardly pretty, act standardly reasonable, act standardly feminine, and make standard choices. Women characters in a cast often feel the least distinct to me. I’m probably not going to find quirks in my ladies or something that sets them apart from the crowd. Let’s be real: media depicts women according to societal expectation. Women in media are reduced to a washed-out, generic fantasy that doesn’t relate anything to how women feel, nor does it try hard to relate to what women feel.

The writing doesn’t understand women. And I can feel it.

When a bland, stale action woman goes on screen in her hot sexy tight pants, is her presentation supposed to be female empowerment (she’s fighting [gasp!])? Or is it another quick, uninspired shortcut without thinking through what her humanity is? “She fights, she’s a ‘good’ female role model, that’s good enough.” Still caters to the male gaze, still caters to male fantasy for what an attractive woman is like, still doesn’t think through her psychology, still presents media’s “desire” for what women “should” be like.

We drastically need to improve how women are written.

You know what my women friends are like? Women are loud and unashamed belchers. Women crack terrible puns about the French Revolution while everyone boos. Women dress up their stuffed animal cats in goggles and a lab coat. Women geek out over how cute worms are. Women want to kill the opposing team in sports competitions. Women eat food off the floor. Women spend sleepovers watching chick flicks and musicals. Women shriek screamo songs at the top of their lungs, getting maybe a third of the lyrics right, racing through the night in their car twenty miles over the speed limit. Women spend thirty five minutes trying to get the perfect selfie because their hair finally fucking cooperated. Women repeatedly text their friends photos of them flipping the bird making derp faces. Women play beer pong until they’re drunk. Women do unnecessarily complicated mathematics calculations to prove their point in fandom. Women stay up all night screaming murder at first person shooter video games. Women play shitty pop song covers on their tubas. Women spend an hour and a half dyeing their hair pink in the sink (and dye the entire bathroom pink in the process). Women debate the finer points of Immanuel Kant with one another. Women demand their friends dish the details when they hear someone has a new significant other. Women binge watch anime eating frozen dinners heated from the microwave while sobbing out their mascara. Women get crushes on Simba or Kovu from The Lion King. Women work out at gyms because they want to get RIPPED. Women. Are. Diverse. And. Delightfully. QUIRKY.

I know I ranted a long time about it, but the point is to show the difference between what women are (personable and peculiar)… versus the stale bread, watered-down crap we get in the movies.

So this. This is why I will never quit raving about Mabel.

Mabel finally lets us see an ACTUAL GIRL as ACTUAL GIRLS act: she’s delightfully, realistically, over-exaggeratedly, charmingly, unforgettably WEIRD.

Instead of trying to write a “girl” first and getting tied up in the tropes and gender biases, Gravity Falls writes a character who happens to be a girl with some girl traits.

What Makes Mabel Different

Instead of writing some standard bland stereotyping “oh this feels vaguely feminine and attractive” excuse-for-a-cardboard-cutout-of-a-woman… Mabel is given real love, real personality, real demonstration of what women are. After all these years of me suffering in theatres thinking, “Oh look, it’s the same uninspired sexy badass action woman stereotype,” I can finally find a character who’s not what media pretends women should be like. I see a character who the writers actually thought about her personality for!

Gravity Falls allows a woman character to do things I almost never see of women characters.

For starters: Mabel’s gross. She finds leftover tacos in the backseat of the car and decides it’s a perfect snack. She sticks her head into a dusty barrel and laughs when caterpillars crawl over her face. She makes fart sounds and laughs at those fart sounds. She lets a statue pick her nose. She shoves food into her mouth voraciously. She’s animated with wild, ridiculous, non-flattering facial expressions. Gravity Falls allows Mabel to be gross.

This is already amazing to me. Cartoons are a little better than live action movies, where the latter can’t let a woman look imperfect when she’s crying or fighting villains. But cartoons often have limitations for how women are shown, too. It’s refreshing to see a girl who is gross.

And I don’t know about you, but I’d be hard-pressed to name even three other contemporary Western women characters who’re allowed to be girly AND gross. Mabel Pines. Princess Fiona. The list ends there for me? Sometimes I’ll see girls in media dressed with “unruly” appearances – their hair is SLIGHTLY frazzled and they wear glasses (gasp) – but that’s not real grossness, and it’s especially not grossness combined with girliness.

Gravity Falls isn’t afraid to make Mabel both gross and “girly”, and that’s special.

Next, Mabel’s girliness feels authentic. By “girliness” I mean Mabel taking actions according to Western societal gender norms for ciswomen. I don’t mean that’s how girls have to innately be. I hate the idea that people “should” behave according to gender roles and encourage us all to express our individuality. Anyway. Yes, most women in media have girliness to them… but nothing prepared me to seeing a twelve year old girl act like the twelve year old girls I knew.

Mabel loves bright colors, rainbows, unicorns, cute boys, formal dances, boy bands, and looking cute. These are girly traits and girly interests. But the way they show Mabel, Candy, and Grenda bonding over boy talk at a sleepover? That ridiculous, unrestrained screaming, combined with the mischievous grins, is exactly the sort of stuff I grew up with. It’s not just “oh we wrote a girl who likes pink and makeup who gets catty about crushes” – it’s “oh, we wrote a girl who enjoys her girly side like a twelve year old would!”

Gravity Falls allows Mabel to live according to some elements of the gender norm. The show doesn’t tote the idea that people live without gender influence, that people live in a vacuum of culture. It shows people in society often live by some pattern of gender roles. But, the show doesn’t make Mabel be that norm or preach she should be that norm. Honestly, I don’t see many shows try to strike this balance: willing to give characters gender role interests, while still respecting that everyone is unique and doesn’t need to live by those roles. Either the shows completely drop gender roles (which can be refreshing and help us overcome our biases) or they stick too close to assumptions that your gender = your brain, which is backwards thinking.

GF doesn’t lazily pin a character with girly traits because “that’s what women are.” It doesn’t stop at some assumptive “She wears pretty boots.” It understands Mabel’s psychology, lets her express that girliness unrestrained, provides her screen time to live this (!!! screen time to girl time in an all-gender-demographic-show!!!), and allows her to intersect that girliness with her grossness and her weirdness.

Next, Mabel is allowed to be confident and bold. Society isn’t good with women being bold and outspoken yet. Women often get criticized for being bossy, bitchy, obnoxious, etc. when they speak their minds and act with the confidence that men are “allowed” to have in their daily lives. And yet Mabel can be an outspoken and unrestrained character.

It works well for her age, too! 

Last, Mabel is weird. Mabel has quirks. I’ve said this three hundred times and I’ll say it three hundred more, but Mabel being weird is a delight. It’s not often that women are allowed to be the ridiculous comedic side in children’s / family animation. (Yay Ruffnut for also fulfilling this role.) 

Mabel is unrestricted, allowed to be a wild dork on screen. She’ll eat tubes of toothpaste because they’re sparkly, make “Mabel juice” with plastic dinosaurs in the pitchers, dress pigs in costume, knit scratch-and-sniff sweaters, slap stickers on her uncle’s nose, scream for a minute straight before coughing up glitter, dream up the centaurtaur, and more. 

But it’s not just that. It’s her mindset. Mabel’s excitement for things – down to an eight legged cow having “more limbs for hugging” – is a perspective I essentially never see in stories. She’s got a way of looking at the world like no one else I know. It’s a wild, bizarre perspective… but that’s what makes her so good and human. 

Mabel has a “What the heck?” vibe from her, whether it’s her interests, her thought processes, or her choices.

And frankly, that’s so much more relatable, personable, and beautiful to me… than almost any other woman I see on screen in media. When I see Mabel, I can remember what I was like as a kid.

Although I’m non-binary, I didn’t grow up knowing about non-cis gender. I grew up more or less thinking of myself as a little girl. Many of my childhood experiences were with little girls. So, when I look at old photographs of myself, I see someone with unrestrained energy, joy, and weirdness - just like Mabel.

That is what kids are like, guys! That is what kids are like!

Not this weird restricted stereotype on television I see! But THIS.

So yeah. 

Even just from the topic “What does Mabel bring to women’s representation in media,” Mabel is a shooting star. She’s a success. I love it. It’s freeing, exciting, and refreshing to me, being able to see a woman character given this loving treatment. I’m passionate about women being represented well in media, and not in the sense of falsely-portrayed empowerment. Mabel is the glorious three-dimensional, unique, bizarre, memorable type of girl I want!

She’s worth celebrating for all her personality traits, too: her creativity, her energy, her lightheartedness, her love for her family. But that’s content for another essay.

In short: bless Mabel Pines. Bless, bless, bless Mabel Pines.

This is a damn great character.

[lemonietrinket]

Ethereal Eyes ||| Yeosang x Reader

Summary: Thinking of the perfect Christmas present isn’t easy, and for Yeosang, he wants everything to be perfect for his girl. It’s a shame ideas don’t seem to be coming to him... Genre: Fluff, teensy bit of angst, mostly fluff tho, some comedy! Warning(s): None, unless you hate angst or something, but it’s really really small, a tiny insecurity, nothing to worry about Word Count: 1748 Theme Song: Days Gone By - Day6 AN: December 7th & 8th prompt combined - Christmas present shopping and Christmas present wrapping (credit @songi-writes). I cannot think of a title for this one so my apologies. I may change it later oop—also Days Gone By is also the song that plays as the fic fades out all cinematically and as the writer you can’t tell me otherwise haHA!

~~~

Bundles of bouncing fluff bounding around ‘snowy’ pens, chirrups and twitters echoing over crackled Christmas songs, the swathes of smiling people laughing with the children as they picked out a best friend for their growing years.

Yeosang felt out of place, on his own, leaning over a fence, fingers reaching down to a tawny rabbit with a lopsided ear to gently rub his tiny head.

He was just waiting for you, after splitting up to cover as much ground as possible to get all the presents you needed. Neither of you had wanted to, he desperately just wanted to hold your hand, but if you’d gone round together it would have taken twice as long, and eaten into his schedule and you would never allow that—even if he was much more lenient when it came to it.

He still wasn’t sure what to get you for Christmas. He’d got everyone’s gifts besides yours. He hadn’t panicked before, but now it was starting to seep in.

Just as the little rabbit hopped away, his phone rang.

Confused, he picked it up, and then instantly yanked his head away from the phone, the shouts of the dorm over the receiver ringing in his ears.

There was a few calls demanding quiet and hissed hushes until eventually Seonghwa’s voice echoed over the line. “Yeosang?”

“Hyung, hi, is everything ok?” he replied sheepishly, eyes scanning the room for any inquisitive—or worse: irritated—faces looking at him accusatively. He found only one, and after nodding an apology, the lady indignantly turned away. She scoffed, but it allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief. 

“Oh, yes, everything is just fine. Nothing out of the normal.”

“Hyung, how do you even...” he searched for the right words, “cope...? W-with all of that?” He was so glad he’d moved out.

“What, the members?” There was a chuckle, interrupted by another yell. It sounded like San. God alone knows over what. “To be honest, I have no idea.”

Confused, but unsurprised, Yeosang opted to change the subject. “Seonghwa-hyung, can I help you at all?”

“Ah, yes, Hongjoong-ah wanted to know what Y/N likes. For her Christmas present.”

“Oh, has he not bought one yet? I thought he said he had?” he asked, looking back to the rabbits hopping around their little arena. He felt guilty for even asking that. It wasn’t like he’d bought her one yet either, and he was her boyfriend. Did that make him a bad partner?

“Truth is, none of us have. He just wanted to know so we could organise a group-present, something big perhaps,” Seonghwa sighed, “I told him it was a bad idea, that he’ll never get everyone to agree, not with an entire Yunho and San—and between you and me, a whole Hongjoong—in the house, but he wouldn’t listen. Anyway, maybe a few ideas would help?”

“Oh, yes of course, well, my girlfriend, she is quite—”

At that moment, there was a knock from the outside of the nearby window. His head flicked up, hoping it was the person he wanted to see.

As his eyes met yours, he immediately stood up, struggling to contain his happiness.

“Sorry, hyung, she’s right outside right now, so I’ve got to go, talk later!”

He heard Seonghwa begin to protest calmly in the way he always did when someone was inevitably about to do something he didn’t approve of, like chase a drone or play The Floor is Lava, but it did nothing, much like always, since Yeosang ended the call and dropped his phone back in his pocket without a second thought.

He didn’t hesitate, heading out of the door without a single glance over his shoulder, running over and very nearly knocking heads with you by how close he was when he came to a stop.

“Hey sweetheart,” you greeted, shifting your cacophony of shopping bags further up your arm.

He threw his hands into yours, bringing your fingers to his lips to shower them with kisses, as his beautiful eyes stared into yours relentlessly. “Hi,” he whispered sweetly.

“Have you got everything you need?” you asked with a giggle, trying to retain his gaze, but giving in to let your eyes drop to your hands.  You prayed that his answer would be a yes, you just wanted to go home and hide from the world with him under a blanket.

He hummed in thought, before nodding. “I think so.”

“Yay!” you cheered quietly, placing a kiss on his hand before pulling him by it, leading him towards the train station. Your eyes passed the window of cute animals, getting caught on the sight of a small girl holding a puppy above her head as if it was Simba.  You couldn’t help but smile, but it also sparked a thought in your own head. 

Yeosang had just come from there.

Was he buying you a...?

You couldn’t stop yourself from prying. You were an adult! You were allowed to avoid surprises now and ask about your presents, right? “Hey,” you swung his hand at your side to get his attention (as if you didn’t already have it—let’s face it he’d been captured by your face again so he was already staring right at you), “why were you in a pet store?”

He paused, unsure of an answer himself. “Uh...”

“Last time I checked, we don’t have a pet...” You added ‘yet’ in your head.

“No, we do not,” he agreed.

“Were you buying one? For someone?” you added quickly.

He sighed, shaking his head. “No, I was just waiting for you, and didn’t know where to go so I went in there. It was warm. And the animals are kind of cute.”

“Oh, I see...!”

You let your head fall, trying to hide your disappointment.

Your optimistic side wanted to believe that that’s what someone who was buying you a pet would say. But you could hear the genuine undertones in his voice.

Oh well, the present he would give you would surely be amazing anyway.

He watched your face fall and instantly regretted his words, even though he wasn’t sure what it was that he’d said that had hurt you, or if it was what he said at all.

What had he done?

.

.

.

Back home, and sat up the dining table, surrounded by a multitude of slates of red and silver and gold, shimmering in the already-dimming sunlight, Yeosang was pouting.

He wouldn’t call himself a perfectionist, but he liked things to be well done and neat. And his wrapping, in his eyes, was not going well.

The thing was, it wasn’t half-bad at all, but he’d looked at your wrapping one too many times, with your precision and calligraphic handwriting, and couldn’t look at his slightly rustically wrapped presents with the same appreciative eye.

You’d noticed his puffed out cheeks and smiled reassuringly. “Sweetheart, your wrapping is fine! Don’t worry about it.”

“Yeah, but...”

“No buts!” you asserted. “You aren’t comparing your wrapping to mine, right?”

He shrugged, ears bleary. “I know I shouldn’t, I just... wish I could do what you do.”

“Honey,” you sighed pleadingly, hand reaching across the table to hold his, “I run a craft business that you don’t have time to help out in, it’s no surprise that your wrapping lacks the professional finesse,” you explained, hastily continuing, “but that doesn’t mean it’s bad! It means yours looks like you meant it, and took some time to do it. Mine just looks like I mixed up my friends with my clients!” You laughed, picking at one of the corners of the jewellery box you’d finished covering. “I should really make mine look more like yours, if I want to look genuine.”

He exhaled in a chuckle. “Sure, I guess.”

Not convinced, you continued, “Also, I wish that I could do the things you do—sing, dance, model, act, stare into people’s souls and make them spill everything they know because your eyes are so deep... but how useful would sharing the same skill set be?”

You’d made a good point, one of which he couldn’t disagree with. 

“Please don’t compare yourself to others, Yeosangie,” you pleaded softly, “you’re of a completely different level to everyone else—”

He tried to interject but you shushed him, pressing a finger to his parted lips.

“—and so comparing you to another would be like comparing a star to a campfire. Gosh, you’re so damn beautiful, Yeosang, as an entire being. And I know you can’t see it but I wish you could, I’d do anything for you to see yourself through those ethereal eyes of yours as you see everyone else.”

Your words had moved him, and he felt his heart sink and rise over and over, as if caught in the crests of a turbulent sea. He blinked, speechless and taking a deep breath, worked up the courage to look down at his handiwork.

Perhaps it wasn’t so bad after all.

“You ready to carry on?” you enquired.

Your answer was a smile, and the request for the roll of sellotape. 

Cheering internally, you grinned back, passing him the tape and booping him on the nose as he leant across the table to meet you halfway.

“Yah, that’s my little bunny,” you cooed, deliberately being corny just to elicit a reaction.

And his grimace was exactly what you were after, sending you into a fit of giggles. “Hey, I’m not that bad!” you resisted, words rushed as you struggled to keep another burst of laughter at bay. 

It was that moment though that sparked his brain into gear, bequeathing him with the perfect idea for your Christmas gift.

How had he not thought of this before?

Admittedly it would be a little bit expensive, yes, but with some help from the guys still stuck at the dorm sharing their rooms the losers hehe it could quite easily become a reality.

And it would also help them out in the predicament in trying to work out what to get his girlfriend for Christmas.  Two birds, one stone. 

Genius Kang Yeosang.

“Yeosangie?”  You had your head tilted to match his own, which he’d knocked to the side subconsciously as he thought.

“Yes, love?”

“You ok there? You... really zoned out then.”

“Ah,” he nodded vigorously, “yes! Everything is... perfect! Let’s get these presents wrapped.”

It only occurred to him then, the question of how he was supposed to be able to wrap up a rabbit hutch.

~~~

AN: Welp this turned out longer than expected again. Yeosang is working his way up my bias list—slowly, gradually, but up nonetheless—and it’s slightly scary. 

Masterlist

(edited 22/01/2020)

[niennavalier]

So I’m sure no one cares but

I’ve recently discovered genderbent Frozen covers and animatics and honestly I love these? Like, a lot? 

(Rambly thoughts under the cut, because I got invested in talking about Disney movies and ways they write characters and generalizing stuff, despite writing this all on a whim and doing not much research but hey, that’s what this blog is for. Random thoughts about movies and stories and Youtube comments)

I mean, I’ll admit that I’ve never been a big fan of Frozen - nothing against the story (cause it is good and for all I will criticize Disney for not generally being particularly uh...keen on taking any risks, I do appreciate the way they do break the mold here) or the music (it sounds like a Broadway musical, hell yeah) - but tbh Let it Go far overstayed its welcome and yes, I’m glad kids enjoyed the movie, but we heard it nonstop for way longer than we should have. The song honestly never felt like it went away for, what like, 2 years? I can listen to songs on endless loops, and this was still too much for me. Granted, I never hated it (my brother did, possibly still does, so I didn’t mind listening to it for the sole purpose of tormenting him) but still. It sorta turned me off from the franchise. I didn’t need to hear it every time I walked into a store.

And I’ll also admit to never being big on genderbending. Nothing against people who enjoy it, but it’s never been my thing, and the few fics I’ve read with it never felt like it used the swap for any sort of message or to explore anything particularly interesting. Which I would’ve preferred, because otherwise, I didn’t see the reason for the swap, personally. (and to be fair, I turned off of this pretty quickly, so I’m sure there are good ones out there, but it’s really just never been something I’m big on)

But like...okay. There is this animatic for Show Yourself, but with the audio dropped into the male vocal range and I love it so much. It’s wonderful and adorable (and the song is legitimately very good, so I’ve seen that part, despite never having actually watched Frozen 2). And also a handful of actual covers, which are absolutely amazing. And now I’ve found the same sort of thing with Let it Go (which I’m now okay with - I guess it just takes 7 years for me to get over the oversaturation of that song in society) and like holy shit, friends. Big fan.

Scrolling through the comments also gets all the “can we please get a Disney Prince movie” thoughts and hey, I’m so on board with this. I know, there are movies with princes (Aladdin, Hercules, Lion King, etc), but it’s less that plain fact of having a prince, and more of the arc for the character? Basically, I wanna destroy the trend of having male-oriented movies be more action-adventure-y. Let boys be soft and have feelings, that’s all I ask. Make that the character arc, have your main character be male and need to discover himself, all of the fears and insecurities included, I am begging you. 

(Sidenote because I did see some other interesting mentions: I haven’t seen Hunchback, back from what I’m aware of with that movie, that one probably fits closer to what I’m talking about. Also Treasure Planet, because honestly, that really is exactly the kind of arc that I’m talking about, and there’s a reason I love that movie with all my heart, it’s amazing, and go watch it if you haven’t. But like, it’s a coming of age story with some good ol’ found family and no romance! And while Jim is really smart and has some bad-ass moments, I love when we get insight into his emotional state. But I could gush about this movie forever, moving on. The one thing about these is not the lack of royalty (for me), but just...box office? I don’t know the circumstances for Hunchback, except that the numbers apparently aren’t great, and to my knowledge, someone over at Disney just didn’t want Treasure Planet to do great, and this goes to show what marketing does. Apparently, they did the same to Emperor’s New Groove, which isn’t entirely relevant, but my point is, whoever did this to these movies, screw you, they’re wonderful)

(Apologies for the tangent)

Anyway, I’m not saying remake Frozen, but doing the genderbend works really well here, I think? Obviously, I love that Elsa’s arc is entirely her own, and stories about opening up to family and accepting yourself have messages that everyone needs to hear, regardless of any barrier. So this isn’t a criticism, just a thought. Because (granted, I’m not doing research to write this, and I’m admittedly not 100% caught up on Disney movies) it feels to me like female characters do tend to have the more emotional arcs. Talking Disney Renaissance, this feels true in the female-lead movies, especially if you compare to the respective princes. In male-lead movies, it’s not entirely true, and I’m not calling the characters flat or emotionless, but that’s not the main thing going on in the movie. (ie, Simba has his reservations about returning and so he talks to Mufasa, and that’s a big scene and its important, but it feels more like it’s just a step to ultimately taking down Scar - tbh, compare the screentimes there). Again, the Renaissance movies are fantastic and I love them, but I just want to make some comparisons. And I don’t want to delve too deep into the more recent ones, because I haven’t seen them all, but the focus seems much more on the strong, independent female-lead (again, not a criticism because we can always do with more strong ladies who don’t need no man - I am just saying). 

But anyway. Frozen. I like the idea of keeping Anna as herself, because the Hans twist and more slow-burn-y development with Kristoff is good - that accomplishes the idea of breaking down tropes. But Elsa as a male character is really interesting to me? Having an arc that centers on fear that’s born of isolation, and ends with self-acceptance and familial love, is something that I don’t recall seeing in male characters very often (not never, but not often)? But I can think of tons of male characters who appear confident and charismatic, even if that’s in their own way, and then even if we do peel back to find trauma and pain, I can think of more instances of it presenting as bitterness or anger rather than genuine fear (or at the very least, we as the audience don’t quite see that fear). I want to see a male character who was forced to repress who they are and has real fear as to who their true self is. I want this character to discover who that is and have a hard time coming to grips with it, and all that stuff because I honestly just really like writing a lot of self-deprecation. Won’t deny that. And then pairing that with magic is also just interesting IMO. I don’t know how magic tends to fall with regard to this sort of thing, but just the fact that it’s inborn and different (akin to D&D sorcery), rather than learned and understood (like D&D wizardry, or even HP wizards), is an interesting thought to me? Maybe because the “strange and different” type of magic reminds me more of the general conception of witches (or...the Salem Witch Trials) which is also more female-leaning, but I won’t stand by that super strongly, because it’s not something I’ve looked into all that much. But it means, to me, that it would be an interesting way to sorta...turn the tables in the way magic gets used.

Point being: I just think this would be a really solid message. That bravery doesn’t have to be saving the world or killing the dragon or even the self-sacrifice story that’s become more prominent in stories now. It can also come from battling your own demons and opening up to people to ask for help. Which is obviously something everyone needs to learn, but if we’re gonna fight the submissive female character trope with some badass heroines, then I say we also do the same thing in reverse for our male characters. Just a thought

[sceptilemasterr]

Catalysts Play Open Heart: Chapter 7

Summary: Varyyn brings firewhisky for everyone, siblings (and siblings-in-law) argue into eternity, and Jake accidentally starts a discussion about couple names. And as usual, chaos and hilarity ensues...

Previous Chapter: Link

Note: The things in bold are scenes from the actual Choices chapter. Ian (x Estela) and Alyssa (x Jake) are my twin Endless Summer MCs.

Warnings: Alcohol use, swearing.

“Heyoooooooooooooo! Guess what time it is?!” shouted Craig suddenly as everyone was finishing up their dinner that evening.

Sean raised an eyebrow as he looked up from his plate. “‘Delayed-reaction dinner time?’” he asked.

“Nah, man, I already did that one yesterday! This time around, it’s time to continue the Heart Home Drinking Game!”

An awkward silence followed this statement, broken only by the sounds of crickets from outside the dining area. “...Uh, sorry, what’s ‘Heart Home?’” asked Grace finally, after a long pause.

“What? Y’know, the hospital story thing we’ve been doin’ for a while!” said Craig. “Where we drink when different stuff happens?”

“You mean Open Heart?” snarked Zahra, smacking him over the head with a rolled-up newspaper she’d produced from somewhere. “Which sounds nothing like ‘Heart Home,’ by the way.”

“Hey, Z, gimme some credit! At least they both have ‘Heart’ in them!”

“I would be quite happy to continue,” said Varyyn. “Diego was kind enough to inform me of the events that took place during the chapter that I missed. I promise, I will not sleep through the next one.”

“I should hope not,” snarked Jake. “Seein’ as you slept pretty much all day.”

“Hey, it wasn’t all day,” interjected Diego. “...Pilot Man.”

“Hang on, did you just give me a nickname?” asked Jake.

“Uh… maybe?” said Diego.

Jake laughed. “No worries, Underdog, I’m actually impressed! But you’re definitely gonna need some training before you’re as good as me.”

Beside him, Alyssa rolled her eyes. “Oh, please.”

Michelle shrugged. “Well, I’m up for continuing,” she said, picking up her empty plate and carrying it over to the kitchen. “Once we’re all done eating, want to meet back in the lobby?”

Estela paused at the counter, where she was in the middle of scooping two gigantic second helpings of Raj’s casserole onto plates for herself and Ian. “Might be a while yet,” she told the group.

“Okay, how in the hell…?” asked Zahra, shaking her head incredulously. “Where does all that food go?!”

Some time later, once everyone (including Estela and Ian) had finished dinner, all of the Catalysts and Varyyn had found their seats in the lobby, arranged as usual around the projector set-up. Zahra hooked up a few wires to Quinn’s phone, then stepped back to admire her handiwork as the phone’s home screen projected onto the sheet they were using as a backdrop. “Let’s get this thing star-ted!” yelled Raj excitedly.

“To be honest, I am curious to find out about Dr. Ramsey’s secret,” admitted Grace. “I wonder who Patient X is?”

“I swear if it’s an X-Man, I will literally dance around this entire room,” said Diego. “Let’s do this!”

Alyssa smiled and shook her head at Diego’s enthusiasm. “Somehow I doubt this is a stealth X-Men crossover, but hey, points for trying,” she said. “Oh! Jake, while you’re up, d’you mind grabbing-”

“Been there, done that,” said Jake with a smile, bringing over a glass of wine for his wife as he sat down with his own glass of whiskey in hand.

“How did you know I had a taste for wine today?”

Jake shrugged. “Good guess?”

“Oh! That reminds me,” said Varyyn suddenly, producing a set of goblets from… somewhere, all filled with a strange blue drink with a small flame burning on top of it. “After my last visit to Elyys’tel, I brought some firewhisky for you all! Seraxa mentioned how popular it was at our last festival…”

“Oh, hell yeah! Varyyn’s the best!” shouted Craig, eagerly grabbing one of the goblets.

“Wait, this stuff is actually called ‘firewhisky?’” asked Diego.

“...Yes, why?”

“Oh. My. God. I am literally halfway to Hogwarts right now!” Diego exclaimed. 

“I do not understand.”

Diego frowned, before realization dawned on his face. “Oh, right, we only saw the movies! There’s a drink that’s actually called ‘firewhisky’ in the Harry Potter books,” he explained. “This is so awesome!”

“...I see,” Varyyn deadpanned, clearly not understanding why Diego was so excited.

Craig reached out and took the goblet Varyyn offered, nearly spilling it on himself in the process. “Whoa! It’s hot!”

“Did you somehow miss the huge freakin’ FLAME on top?!” asked Zahra.

“I thought it was fake!”

“What.”

“Anyway,” said Quinn as she accepted her own firewhisky goblet, “Does anyone want to toast before we start the chapter?”

There was a brief awkward silence, before finally Estela - of all people - stood up, firewhisky glass in hand. “Why not, I’ll do one,” she said, much to everyone’s astonishment. “Look. When I planned to go to La Huerta way back when, to get revenge on Rourke… I never thought I’d meet my future family. And I’m not just talking about my actual family, either,” she added with a smile, glancing pointedly at Ian, Alyssa, Jake, Aleister, and Grace in turn. “The things we’ve gone through, the adventures we’ve had, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Even if we’re just playing a phone game rather than saving the world. So…” She paused for a moment, thinking of the right way to end her impromptu speech. “If I ever miss one of these reunions, you can safely assume I’m dead.” She shrugged, looking around at everyone awkwardly. “Uh… so… toast?”

“TOAST!” cheered Ian, standing up to clink his goblet against hers. Raj soon joined him, and one by one, the other Catalysts (aside from Estela herself) and Varyyn all did the same.

Finally, when everyone had toasted her, she sat back down, her face redder than anyone had ever seen it (despite the fact that she hadn’t actually drank any firewhisky). Ian wrapped an arm around her shoulders and smiled reassuringly. “I’m impressed,” he said softly. “That was great!”

“I have no idea why I did that,” Estela admitted.

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?”

“Wow,” whistled Alyssa. “Estela should do all of the group speeches from now on!”

“Absolutely not,” Estela said, adding one of her famous death glares for good measure.

“Alright, alright. Why don’t we just start the story, then?” Sean suggested, before Alyssa could say anything in response.

“Thank you, Sean,” said Estela gratefully.

“To be honest, I forgot we were even doing a story ‘til you reminded me,” admitted Craig.

Zahra stared at him incredulously. “Craig… you were the one who wanted to start this chapter in the first place.”

“Uh… oh, yeah. I forgot that too.”

Zahra sighed dramatically and shook her head. “Ugh. Michelle, let’s just start already.”

Michelle suppressed a smile as she picked up Quinn’s phone and opened the Choices app. “Alright, we all heard Zahra, let’s get this started,” she said as she waited for everyone else to calm down. Once the group of unruly Catalysts were all paying attention, she selected Open Heart and began Chapter 7.

Open Heart: Chapter 7

Patient X

“The mystery… REVEALED!” declared Diego in an overly-dramatic voice.

“I like the mellow music!” Quinn commented. “Definitely better than the creepy music from the last chapter’s intro.”

Elijah: Uh… Michelle? Is it just me, or is the ground shaking?

“Earthquake?” asked Raj.

“Doesn’t this story take place in Boston?” asked Grace. “I don’t think there are any fault lines there…”

“Maybe it’s a stealth earthquake!” suggested Craig.

Everyone stared at him. “I… just…” stammered Zahra as she struggled to find the right words. “You know what?” she admitted finally. “I’ve got nothing.”

“Dude, I think you broke Zahra,” said Raj.

“What’d I say?” asked Craig, as the rest of the group broke into laughter.

Michelle sighed and shook her head incredulously. “You know what,” she said finally, “let’s just continue before we all confuse ourselves further.”

MC!Michelle: Does Boston get earthquakes?

Everyone broke down laughing once again. “Drink, y’all!” shouted Jake in between bursts of laughter.

“Wait, does that count? Michelle wasn’t the one who said it,” Diego pointed out.

Craig swallowed loudly and looked around, a guilty look on his face. “Uh… um… he said ‘drink, y’all,’ so I drank, y’all,” he said.

Everyone looked at Michelle, who shrugged. “Drink if you want to,” she said finally.

“Guess there’s your answer, Drax,” said Jake, taking a sip of his own drink.

...Where a herd of interns is stampeding right toward you!

“...‘Herd?’” asked Michelle. “Really?”

“Must be a lot of interns if they can ‘stampede,’” said Alyssa.

“Stay away from the stampede, Simba! Otherwise your father will die!” Everyone turned to stare at the person who said this: Varyyn, of all people. He looked around at the others. “...What is it?”

“Did you just make a Lion King reference?” asked Raj. “Nice one, dude!”

Diego beamed as he wrapped an arm around his husband’s shoulders. “Varyyn… I am so proud of you!”

“I had a truly great teacher,” Varyyn responded, before kissing Diego and making his face turn beet-red.

“That… was… ADORABLE,” said Quinn. “Who knew movie references could be so romantic?”

MC!Michelle: What do I do?

“Uh, guys? I know ‘Variego’ is always super cute and all, but we have a choice to make,” Michelle reminded the group.

Quinn pouted when she noticed the screen. “Aww, you went ahead without us? Why can’t you learn to appreciate true love?” She gestured to Diego and Varyyn as she said this.

Michelle smiled in spite of herself. “Never change, Quinn. Sorry I went ahead. For what it’s worth, Diego and Varyyn will still be here after we’re done, but this phone won’t be stuck ‘in the future’ forever…. ”

“I mean, it will stay until Ian and I pull it back to the present,” answered Alyssa with a shrug. “There’s no actual time limit.”

“Oh… uh...” said Michelle.

“C’mon, ‘Lyss, how was she supposed to know that? We never told her how it works!” said Ian. Michelle glanced at him with a grateful smile.

“Hey!” Alyssa protested. “I did tell her that!” Michelle looked back at Alyssa, frowning.

“What? When?!” asked Ian, as Michelle looked back at him.

“ ...Just now.” Michelle rolled her eyes at Alyssa’s weak excuse.

“That doesn’t count!” argued Ian, as Michelle looked at him again.

The twins continued to argue, Michelle glancing back and forth between them as if she were watching a tennis match, until finally Sean stood up and got between them. “Alright, enough, you two,” he said firmly. “You’re gonna make Michelle dizzy.”

Ian and Alyssa looked at each other sheepishly, then settled back down in their respective seats. “Uh… yeah. Sorry,” said Alyssa.

“Same here, sorry guys,” said Ian.

Craig frowned. “Aww, but I was watching that!” he complained, a bag of popcorn in his hands.

Zahra looked over at him. “Where the hell did you get that popcorn, and can I have some?”

“Sorry, Z… can’t tell ya, it’s a secret! But here,” said Craig, passing the bag to her.

Aleister cleared his throat loudly. “Ahem. As fascinating as this conversation about nothing has been, must I remind everyone that we have a choice to vote upon?” he asked, gesturing to the choice still showing on the screen.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot we were even playing the game,” commented Raj. “What were the choices, again?”

“‘Run ahead of the herd,’ or ‘Get out of the way,’” read Grace.

“I still can’t get over the word ‘herd,’” said Michelle with a laugh.

“And I have had ‘Hakuna Matata’ stuck in my head since Varyyn brought up Lion King,’” said Diego. “Not that that’s a bad thing, though!” he added quickly before Varyyn could start apologizing.

Estela shrugged. “There are worse songs to have stuck in your head,” she agreed.

“It’s a small world after-” Alyssa started to sing, before Jake clamped a hand over her mouth. Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief.

“No, no! Anything but that!” quoted Diego in Scar’s voice.

“Yo, dudes, I just got the best idea! Let’s watch Lion King after this is done, huh?” suggested Raj.

“Heck yes!” exclaimed Diego.

“Seconded,” said Estela, as everyone (except Ian) stared at her in surprise. “...What? It’s a good movie!”

“Can’t argue with that,” conceded Sean.

“I did particularly enjoy that film,” said Varyyn. “Thank you, Diego, for showing it to me. I would quite enjoy a second viewing.”

Diego grinned broadly and clapped his hands together. “Awesome! That settles it, we’re watching Lion King before we go home!”

Aleister let out a dramatic sigh. “Heavens, are we ever going to stay on topic and actually vote?! Or are we going to discuss Disney films for all eternity?”

Diego shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind that, actually…”

“Of course you wouldn’t,” snarked Jake. “And thanks for remindin’ us, Slytherin. I say… get outta the way. Who else?”

The group looked around at each other as Ian, Estela, Aleister, Diego, and Quinn raised their hands. Michelle counted the raised hands out loud. “Looks like ‘run ahead’ wins!” she exclaimed, selecting the option in question.

Elijah quickly wheels himself after you!

“Do a wheelie!” shouted Craig.

“You are aware he cannot actually hear you?” asked Aleister.

“Chyeah, so?”

Aleister shook his head and sighed as the story continued.

You notice Jackie’s fallen silent. You search the list for her name and find she’s dropped down to…

“Eleven?!” Zahra blurted out.

Jackie: ...Eleven? Really?

Michelle started laughing uncontrollably, and soon everyone joined in. “Oh my God, Zahra… that was… I was right, you literally are Jackie!”

Zahra scowled at Michelle, until she could no longer keep a straight face and broke into a smile. “Alright, you’re not wrong,” she admitted. “There are worse characters to be compared to.”

“I think I’ve figured it out,” said Quinn suddenly. “There are two types of people in our group: the ones who are invested in the story, and the ones who are invested but in denial!”

Aleister opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it again as Quinn gave him a knowing look. “You are… erm… not wrong,” he admitted finally. Beside him, Grace giggled.

“Okay, but seriously,” said Zahra. “How the hell is Jackie at eleven?! Isn’t she, like, freakin’ awesome?”

Sean shrugged. “Guess we’ll have to keep going to find out,” he said.

“Eh, fair enough.”

And right above her is…

Sienna: Number ten! Nice work, Michelle!

MC!Michelle: I’m number ten?

Zahra shrugged dramatically. “If I’ve gotta be beaten, at least it was you, Michelle,” she said.

“What can I say? I’m just awesome like that,” laughed Michelle. Then she glanced back at the choice on the screen. “So, anyone wanna vote, or…?”

“C’mon, Meech, say it from the heart!” said Raj. “What do you think?”

“Pardon me,” interjected Aleister, “but I believe we should all be voting on this-”

“Nah, Raj has a great idea,” Sean said. “Michelle, go ahead.”

Aleister scowled as Michelle took a moment to think. “Hmm… well, I am feeling pretty confident, so let’s do this!” she declared finally, as she selected the “Watch out, I’m coming for the crown!” option.

“Yo, Meech, it’s only fair that you actually say it if ya made Z do it,” Craig said suddenly.

“What?!” asked Michelle, astonished. “You can’t be serious.”

“You heard the man,” said Zahra with a smirk. “Say the line!”

“Say it! Say it! Say it!” chanted Craig and Raj simultaneously, with Alyssa joining in moments later. Jake shot her an annoyed look, due to the fact that she was chanting directly into his ear. Ian shook his head and smiled, with Estela sighing and trying to suppress a smile of her own.

Michelle blushed. “Alright, fine,” she said finally, as Craig, Raj, and Alyssa cheered. “Watch out, I’m coming for the crown!”

“Hell yeah!” cheered Craig.

As you cross the room, you overhear Aurora in line, surrounded by her usual gaggle of sycophants.

“Hold up, isn’t she a doctor, not a vet?” asked Craig randomly.

“Uh… yes?” said Michelle. “But what does that have to do with anything?”

“Why is she surrounded by sick elephants if she’s not a vet?”

Everyone stared at him, completely at a loss for words, as Michelle facepalmed. “What? I don’t get it,” said Craig.

“Never mind,” said Jake finally. “Let’s just keep goin’.”

Jackie: How is she still number one in the rankings?

“I’m asking the same question, ‘cuz that’s bullshit,” said Zahra.

“Well, of course you are,” Alyssa pointed out. “You’re literally Jackie, we already decided that!”

Zahra opened her mouth to snark back at her, but stopped before she could say anything and smiled. “You’re not wrong,” she admitted finally.

“...So are you gonna say the line, then?” asked Diego.

Zahra sighed and rolled her eyes. “Alright, fine,” she conceded. “How is she still number one in the rankings?”

Diego cheered as Michelle continued on with the story.

MC!Michelle: I think…

“Vote, y’all!” said Jake. Everyone stared at him. “...What?”

“That’s not your line!” said Craig. “It’s ‘drink, y’all,’ not ‘vote, y’all!’”

Jake shrugged. “Dunno, it was just habit, I guess.”

“Craig, do me a favor and never say the word ‘y’all’ again,” said Zahra.

“Aww… but he says it all the time!” Craig protested, pointing at Jake.

“Yeah, but he has an accent and you don’t.”

Aleister cleared his throat to interrupt them before the couple could keep bickering for all eternity. “If you’re quite done, I must admit that Jacob is correct. We do indeed have a vote to perform,” he said, gesturing to the screen displaying the choices.

Alyssa whistled. “Wow, Aleister saying you were right. That’s a first,” she said to her husband.

“Definitely somethin’ you don’t see every day,” agreed Jake. “Guess he can be humble.”

“Hmph,” hmphed Aleister. “What, pray tell, is so unusual about admitting when one has made a valid point?”

“Easy, Slytherin, that was a compliment!”

Aleister stammered confusedly as the rest of the group laughed. Then, Grace stood up. “Okay, we’ve got a choice ahead,” she announced. “Let’s start voting!”

“Yeah, before we get sidetracked discussing Disney movies again,” snarked Michelle. “Go ahead, Grace.”

“Okay! So, who thinks Dr. Ramsey favors Aurora?” she asked. Diego, Varyyn, Estela, and Ian raised their hands. Grace counted silently. “And who thinks it’s Chief Emery who’s rigging the competition?” This time Aleister raised his hand, along with Jake, Zahra, and Michelle. “...And finally, who thinks she’s actually just that good?” Grace herself raised her hand this time, along with Quinn, Sean, Alyssa, Craig, and Raj. “Okay then! Guess ‘She’s just that good’ wins this time!”

Michelle smiled. “Thanks, Grace,” she said as she chose the option in question.

Sienna: I think we just need to make better impressions on Dr. Ramsey. I mean… does he even know who we are?

Jackie: He knows who Michelle is.

“OH MY GOD THE CHARACTERS ARE ALIVE!! HE KNOWS WHO YOU ARE, MICHELLE!” shouted Raj randomly.

“C’mon, dude, pretty sure he’s talkin’ about the character Michelle,” snarked Jake.

“Man, but can you imagine if he really did somehow knew who we were?” asked Raj. “Like, knew we were all playing this game, outside the screen? How trippy would that be?!”

“I don’t think that’s what that means--” Michelle started to say.

“Like, what if he suddenly said, ‘Hello, Catalysts. I know who you are,’” continued Raj, using a ridiculously deep voice for Dr. Ramsey’s ‘lines.’

“Okay, but, like, how would that even be possible?” asked Zahra.

“I dunno, man, what isn’t possible? Ya know?”

Zahra stared at him for a moment. “I… why did that somehow make sense, and make no sense at the same time?”

“That’s what I call the Raj Effect!” said Raj with a huge grin on his face.

MC!Michelle: I saw a chart of his. The name on it was ‘Patient X.’ He was really distracted by it.

“To be fair, I’d be distracted too if I found out the X-Men were in the building where I worked,” said Diego.

“That joke is seriously getting old,” groaned Alyssa.

“Who said it was a joke?” asked Diego innocently. “It could happen! Let me hope, okay?”

MC!Michelle: Hey, Jackie! Wait up!

Jackie: Yeah?

MC!Michelle: Listen…

“Alright, another voting round!” said Craig. “Who picks what?”

“Wait a moment, that is not how you-” Aleister started to say, before he was drowned out by everyone predictably shouting their vote at once. He sighed and shook his head.

“Uhh, sorry, I missed the count,” Craig said. “Everybody say your vote again?”

Everyone immediately began shouting and arguing with each other over their votes, creating a din of incomprehensible noise. Zahra shoved Craig in the shoulder, hard. “You dumbass!” she shouted into his ear, struggling to be heard over the noise. “This is stupid! Just tell everyone to raise their hands like a normal vote!”

“...Oh,” said Craig. “Yeah.”

“Everyone, SHUT THE HELL UP!” yelled Zahra. Thankfully, everyone immediately did so. “You’re welcome, Craig.”

“Thanks, Z. Okay, uh… raise your hands if you wanna vote?”

After some brief confusion, everyone raised their hands at once. Aleister and Zahra both facepalmed. Zahra sighed dramatically. “Whatever, let me show you how it’s done,” she said. “Alright people, put your hands down. Now. If you like ‘Are you mad at me,’ raise your hands.” Zahra herself raised her hand, along with Michelle, Estela, Jake, Alyssa, and Aleister. “Okay, now raise your hands for ‘I’m sorry.’” This time, Ian, Sean, Grace, Quinn, Craig, Diego, Varyyn, and Raj raised their hands. Zahra quickly counted up the hands. “There ya go. ‘Sorry’ wins.”

Craig stared at her, mouth hanging open. “Whooooooaaahhhh,” he said.

Zahra gave him a look. “What the hell have you been doing the last hundred times we took a vote?” she asked. “Were you paying attention at all?”

“Nope!”

Zahra rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised?”

MC!Michelle: So you’re saying… I’m a distraction?

Jackie: ...Yeah.

“Sounds familiar,” said Ian, glancing meaningfully at Estela.

She smiled back at her husband. “You know, you can be very… distracting,” she said with a sly wink.

“Can you blame me? Have you looked in a mirror lately?” he asked.

Estela blushed. “Well,” she said softly, “I think-”

She was rudely interrupted by Alyssa chucking a pillow at the two of them, which Estela reflexively caught without even looking. “Oh, get a room, you two,” Alyssa complained.

“The hypocrisy here is utterly astounding,” commented Aleister, glancing meaningfully at Alyssa, who was sitting in Jake’s lap with her arms around his shoulders.

“English, Malfoy,” said Jake.

“Do you honestly mean to say you don’t even know what ‘hypocrisy’ means-”

Grace laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Al,” she said.

“Er, right. My apologies.”

“Uh, sorry, but… can we, maybe, continue the story?” asked Quinn hesitantly. “We’re getting a little off-topic.”

“As usual,” laughed Sean.

Michelle shrugged. “Quinn’s got a point,” she admitted. “We do have a lot more story to get through, after all.”

“To be quite honest, I had forgotten we were even reading a story at all,” admitted Varyyn sheepishly.

Diego pulled his husband close. “Don’t worry about it. The twins can be pretty distracting sometimes.”

“Excuse me, what was that?!” demanded Alyssa.

“Oh, look at that, the chapter’s continuing!” said Diego suddenly. Nothing happened. “OH, LOOK AT THAT, THE CHAPTER’S CONTINUING!” he repeated louder, as Michelle took the hint this time and started actually continuing the chapter.

After rounds, you check in on one of your newest patients. He’s sitting in bed strumming poorly on a ukulele, singing quietly.

“Damn. I like this guy already,” said Jake.

“After one line of description? That’s impressive,” snarked Zahra.

“Two lines, actually,” corrected Jake.

MC!Michelle: Well, Remy, that depends on what your lungs have to say.

“Lungs can TALK?!” shouted Craig in astonishment.

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Not literally!”

“...Oh. Wait, then what do you use those doctor thingies for?”

“What ‘doctor thingies?’” she asked.

“Y’know, those things where you put them in your ears and then listen to lungs or whatever?” asked Craig, miming a stethoscope.

“...You mean a stethoscope?” asked Zahra. “‘Cuz I’m pretty sure nobody calls those ‘doctor thingies.’”

“I mean, to be fair, Craig calls them that,” Raj pointed out.

Zahra shrugged. “You’re not wrong,” she admitted reluctantly.

“Can we just make the official name ‘doctor thingies’ from now on?” asked Diego. “It’s a lot more fun to say!”

“No,” said Michelle, as Diego pouted.

“Hey, man, I like your idea better,” Raj reassured Diego. “Makes more sense, too.”

“Wait, wait, hold up,” said Craig. “So, if the lungs don’t actually talk to you, what do you use those things for?”

Everyone else sighed as Michelle facepalmed dramatically. “We listen to the lungs,” she explained through her frustration. “They make noises. But they don’t actually talk to us, dumbass!”

“Wait, but if-”

“I’m officially done with this conversation,” Michelle declared, continuing on to the next scene before Craig could ask any more questions.

Stethoscope: Check Remy’s breathing.

“‘Doctor thingy: Check Remy’s breathing,’” announced Diego in the same tone of voice Michelle used for the one-option choices.

In spite of herself, Michelle cracked a small smile. “I admit, that was a pretty good impression,” she said.

“Oh, and: Drink, y’all!” announced Jake, taking a big swig of firewhisky.

“It’s been a while since we saw one of those,” Quinn observed, sipping from her own glass. “But it was pretty great timing!”

“True that!” agreed Raj.

Remy: Do you surf, doc?

MC!Michelle: Me? Surf?

“Surfing? Hell yeah,” said Craig.

“Dude, have you ever actually gone surfing?” asked Zahra skeptically.

“Well, uh, no,” Craig admitted. “But I’ve played a few surfing video games!”

“That… does not count.”

“Actually,” interrupted Quinn hesitantly, “I’ve gone surfing once. It was scary, but fun!”

Silence followed this statement. “Wait… seriously?” asked Raj, after a long, awkward pause.

“Well, yeah,” Quinn admitted. “My dad took me once when I was in high school. Back before… uh, you know.”

“Whoa!” exclaimed Raj excitedly. “That is freakin’ awesome! You gotta teach us all, huh?”

“I… uh, don’t really know about that,” said Quinn with an embarrassed laugh. “Maybe!”

“Personally, I’d love a surfing lesson from you,” Michelle said quietly. “I never had the time, but I’ve always wanted to learn!”

Quinn blushed. “Well, uh… I guess… sure,” she said finally.

Michelle’s face lit up with excitement. “That would be incredible. After we’re done with this, let’s pick a time while we’re still on La Huerta and do it, okay?”

“I’d love to!”

“Thanks, Quinn. You’re the best!”

“Are we done?” asked Alyssa suddenly, reminding Michelle and Quinn that the others were still there, waiting to continue the story.

“Oh!” said Michelle. “Uh, right. I kinda forgot about the story.”

“Lame excuse alert!” exclaimed Jake.

“Alright! Alright,” said Michelle. “I remembered it now, obviously. Time to continue.”

“Uh, I think there’s a vote to be had,” Grace reminded everyone.

Surprised, Michelle glanced back at the screen, where, indeed, a choice was displayed. “”Huh. You’re not wrong,” she admitted. “Who wants to take the vote this time?”

“I’ll do it!” said Diego, jumping out of his seat in excitement. “Okay, who loves surfing?” Varyyn shot his hand up immediately, followed by Quinn, Craig, Jake, Alyssa, and Sean. “Whoa. Okay. Who’s ‘always wanted to try?’” Diego himself raised his hand, with Estela, Raj, Michelle, and Zahra raising their hands. “And finally?” For ‘Not really my thing,’ Ian, Aleister, and Grace raised their hands. Diego quickly counted the results in his head. “Well, looks like ‘I love surfing’ wins!” he declared.

“Fair enough,” said Michelle, going ahead and selecting the ‘I love surfing!’ choice. “Nice job, Diego, by the way.”

“Thanks!”

Remy: It’s the best feeling there is. Just you and the ocean. No worries, no problems.

“It means no worries, for the rest of your dayyyyyyyys…,” Diego sang randomly. “Hakuna Matata!”

“Remy is secretly Pumbaa confirmed,” joked Ian. “Plot twist!”

“Like I said: what isn’t possible, right?” said Raj.

“Can we please stay focused?!” demanded Michelle. “For once?”

“Sorry,” said Diego as he immediately stopped singing, pouting as he did so.

“I enjoyed your singing, Diego,” Varyyn reassured his husband, laying a hand on his thigh.

Remy: You’re wound tighter than my ukulele strings. What’s on your mind?

“This chapter’s seriously bringin’ the votes,” observed Jake. “Twice in one conversation!”

“I mean, the work problems are obviously most pressing at the moment,” said Aleister. “However, a case could certainly be made for the situation being none of the patient’s business. After all, this is a professional setting.”

“Lighten up, Aleister,” said Alyssa. “The friend problems are important too!”

“Don’t be absurd-”

“I VOTE ‘WORK PROBLEMS!!’” shouted Craig out of nowhere.

Everyone stared at him. “Uh… we weren’t actually voting yet…” observed Grace awkwardly. “Though, I agree with you and Aleister. Work problems are probably more important?”

“Agreed,” said Michelle. “Though, I guess we’re voting anyway now. Who else?” Ian and Sean both raised their hands, along with Craig, Aleister and Grace from earlier.

“How about the friend problems?” asked Quinn. She raised her hand, along with Diego, Raj, and Sean.

“Wait, that counted? Who’s officially taking the votes now?” asked Zahra.

Michelle shrugged. “Beats me.”

Zahra let out a resigned sigh. “Fine, whatever, I’ll do it,” she said. “Who says it’s none of this guy’s business?” She raised her hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, Estela, Alyssa, Jake, and Varyyn did the same.

“Boom! ‘Work problems’ wins! Hell yeah!” Craig exclaimed.

Zahra mentally counted the votes, then shrugged. “You’re right for once,” she told him.

“Yeah! ...Wait, ‘for once?’”

Zahra shot a sidelong glance at Craig. “You heard me.”

The two of them started bickering once again as Michelle selected the ‘Work problems’ option.

Remy: What does worrying about that stuff change? Nothing I can do about it, right?

“Okay, I love this guy,” said Raj. “Officially.”

“Not as much as this chapter loves choices,” observed Diego. “Another one already?”

“Damn, we shoulda made ‘choices’ a drinking rule,” Jake said. “How was I supposed to know?”

“Maybe because the app is literally called ‘Choices,’“ said Alyssa snarkily.

“Well? Shall we vote once more?” suggested Aleister.

“Let go of your fears,” Estela declared to the group. “The clear answer. In anything, fears hold you back.”

“Well said, Estela,” said Varyyn. “I agree.”

“May I presume that is two votes for ‘Let go of your fears?’” asked Aleister, glancing from Estela to Varyyn and back again. “Though I personally believe the more prudent choice is to, erm, ‘stay out of the water’ as it were.”

“You would say that,” snarked Estela.

“What, precisely, are you implying?!” Aleister demanded.

“She’s right, you know,” argued Ian. “If you just keep avoiding your fears, they’ll eventually catch up to you sooner or later.”

“That is a huge bunch of bullshit,” said Alyssa.

“After everything we’ve all seen? After everything we’ve been through? You’re still saying that?” asked Estela.

“Yeah, so what?” asked Alyssa.

“Alyssa does present a solid point-”

As the two pairs of siblings/siblings-in-law continued to argue, Raj leaned over toward Craig. “Want some more popcorn?” he whispered conspiratorially.

“Thanks, dude!” said Craig, taking the popcorn and eagerly popping a handful into his mouth. “The ‘Sibling Argument Channel’ is the best channel!”

“So that’s where you’re getting that popcorn from…” muttered Zahra, scooping some popcorn out of the bucket and into her own mouth.

Michelle glanced between the three popcorn-eaters, and the four arguing siblings, and sighed. “Guess we’re not going to be voting on this choice in a hurry, then,” she observed.

* * *

“...You agree, right, Jake?” asked Alyssa suddenly, in the midst of a heated discussion.

Jake shook his head. “I ain’t gettin’ into this one, Princess,” he protested. 

“What?! That’s illegal! You have to agree with me, you’re my husband!” Alyssa shouted.

“That ain’t a law!”

* * *

The massive bucket of popcorn started to be shared among more people, as Quinn, Diego, Varyyn, Michelle, and Grace joined in with the ‘audience.’ “Whoa. Good thing I made so much popcorn,” Raj said.

* * *

“But if you avoid a fear, it’s still there,” Estela continued. “You haven’t conquered it. Or overcome it.”

“True enough, but ‘conquering’ a fear in and of itself means nothing,” argued Aleister. “It is one’s logical response to a fear that is most important; in this case, avoidance is a sensible reaction.”

“But you can’t really say that,” protested Ian. “You haven’t really surpassed the fear, then!”

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve already avoided it!” argued Alyssa.

* * *

Diego started randomly whistling the Imperial March. Sean headed into the kitchen to get some food. Craig, Zahra, and Raj continued eating popcorn. Quinn fell asleep. Varyyn snuggled closer to Diego. Jake sighed and took a long sip of firewhisky. Grace pulled out a book from… somewhere… and began to read. Michelle started tapping her foot impatiently as she glared at the still-arguing siblings.

* * *

“...Estela’s right, though, because once you’ve made a decision, you’re essentially stuck with it,” said Ian.

“Don’t be stupid. What, is there a law against changing your mind?” argued Alyssa. “Besides-”

“-Overcoming fear is the only way to best it,” interrupted Estela. “It will still catch up to you eventually, either way.”

“That’s an absurd, and quite frankly short-sighted, way of looking at this situation,” said Aleister. “For example, when facing an abstract sort of threat such as-”

“Oh, shut it!” shouted Alyssa. “You’re blabbing on too long!”

“Heavens, you do realize I am on your side in this discussion, correct?”

“Are you playing mind games with me?!”

“What? I- No!”

“Nice try, Aleister, but I’m on to you…”

“Excuse me, but exactly what are you talking about?”

“I know what you’re trying to do, and it won’t work!”

While Aleister and Alyssa continued to argue, Estela and Ian looked at each other. “...What just happened?” asked Ian, utterly confused.

“I have no idea,” said Estela.

* * *

“OOOOOOOOH! PLOT TWIST!” shouted Raj. “Craig, you owe me five bucks.”

“Aww, man,” groaned Craig, reluctantly handing Raj the money.

Quinn yawned and stretched out her arms. “Have we continued the story yet?” she asked, half-asleep.

“No, and at this rate, probably never,” said Michelle. “They’ve started arguing with themselves now. Or, at least, Aleister and Alyssa have.”

“Who cares? It’s freakin’ hilarious!” said Craig, eating some more popcorn. “I think everybody forgot which side they’re on.”

“You would forget which side you were on in the first five seconds,” snarked Zahra.

“No I wouldn’t!” Craig protested. “...Wait. Am I in their argument?” Zahra facepalmed as the others all laughed.

* * *

“You can’t possibly be implying that morality is determined relative to the individual’s own thoughts!” shouted Aleister.

“I mean, if you think you’re doing a good thing, isn’t your heart in the right place? Isn’t that what matters?” Alyssa argued back.

“Well, from one particular perspective, certainly,” Aleister conceded. “However, if you were to consider that one might be approaching the issue from outside the argument as it stands, it is possible that one may be required to understand the relative morality of any given action. After all, in any one specific scenario…”

* * *

“This is taking FOREVER,” complained Ian, as he and Estela joined the others and started eating some popcorn.

“How did this even happen?” asked Estela to no one in particular.

“I mean, it’s pretty normal at this point,” Diego commented. “Though, usually, you two stay in it a lot longer.”

Estela glanced at her husband, and they both shrugged. “When in Rome…” she muttered, scooping out a handful of popcorn and popping most of it into her mouth.

* * *

“OKAY, MY PATIENCE IS UP!” shouted Michelle suddenly. “ARE YOU DONE YET OR NOT?!”

“Whoa, Prissy Peacock, calm down-” Jake started to say.

“We have been sitting here for THREE HOURS!” Michelle continued. “All because of one ridiculous argument that Estela and Ian aren’t even part of anymore!”

Aleister started stammering as he looked around and realized that yes, indeed, Estela and Ian had long ago removed themselves from the earlier discussion. “Ah, well, you see-”

“Uh, so, this is awkward,” Alyssa observed.

“No kidding, ‘Lyss,” snarked Ian.

He looked at his wife, and the two of them exchanged a sympathetic glance. “Siblings,” Estela and Ian sighed in unison.

“We gonna vote already, or not?” asked Jake.

Zahra shrugged. “Meh. About time.”

“Alright, dudes, dudettes, and doodlejumps! How ‘bout I do this thing?” said Raj. “Mainly ‘cuz otherwise we’ll be here all day again…” Everyone, including Alyssa, Aleister, Estela, and Ian, laughed at that statement.

“Finally!” exclaimed Michelle, with a huge sigh of relief. “You know, to be completely honest, I’ve totally forgotten what the original argument even was…”

“Can’t have been that important, then, can it?” Jake pointed out. “Let’s just keep the story goin’, I say.”

Everyone looked back at the screen, which had gone dark. Michelle picked up the phone and turned it back on, revealing the choice that had sparked the argument in the first place. “Ah! That was what we were discussing!” exclaimed Aleister suddenly. “Truly, we can all agree that the most prudent course of action in such a situation is to-”

He was interrupted by Michelle clamping a hand over his mouth. “No. We are not doing that again,” said Michelle sternly. “Let’s just vote normally, like all the other choices, okay? No more forever arguments!” Everyone murmured their agreement, including Aleister eventually. “Great. So, who votes for ‘stay out of the water?’” Aleister raised his hand immediately, along with Alyssa, Grace, Quinn, and Diego. “And ‘let go of your fears?’” Estela and Ian’s hands shot up, joined by Jake, Sean, Zahra, Craig, Varyyn, Raj, and Michelle herself. Michelle sighed dramatically and selected the ‘let go of your fears’ option. “There. Was that so hard?” she asked.

“Aww, but you can’t eat popcorn to watch a regular ol’ vote,” Raj complained. “Wait! What am I saying? There’s always a reason to eat popcorn!” He emphasized this statement by taking a huge scoop of popcorn from the bucket and putting it into his mouth.

Remy: You can’t let fear of the future ruin the present. That’s like, time travel.

“TIME TRAVEL!” announced Diego in a perfect imitation of Hulk’s voice from Endgame. There was an awkward silence. “...What? Couldn’t resist.”

Remy’s Leg: Examine it.

“Drink, y’all!” said Jake excitedly, taking a huge gulp of his firewhisky as everyone else followed suit. “Man, there haven’t been enough chances to say that this chapter.”

“Yet, anyway,” commented Sean. “You’ll get your chance, I’m sure.”

“Love the way you think, Cap,” Jake said, raising a glass in Sean’s general direction. “Here’s hopin’ you’re right.”

Bryce: Hey there. How’s your day been?

“Bryce is back!” squealed Quinn. “Yay!”

“Amen to that,” agreed Diego. “More Bryce is always a win. I hope there’s another diamond choice with him!”

MC!Michelle: Look! I think Dr. Ramsey’s going to see Patient X!

Bryce: Patient X? Is that one of Elijah’s comic books?

“Elijah is Diego confirmed,” snarked Zahra.

“Hey, I like Elijah! That’s a compliment!” said Diego.

“Never said it wasn’t,” Zahra replied with a smirk.

“Whoa now, is the ice queen finally defrosting?!” asked Jake. “Might be a sign of the apocalypse!” Without even looking Jake’s way, Zahra flipped him off in response. “Welp. Never mind. She’s back to normal.”

MC!Michelle: Quick! Pretend we’re…

“‘Fighting!’” declared Alyssa. “Bring on the drama!”

“Or, y’know, we could not do that,” said Sean.

“For what it’s worth, my vote goes with Sean’s,” said Michelle. “We’re trying not to draw attention to ourselves, remember?”

“Hmm, that’s true,” admitted Alyssa.

“Exactly,” said Grace. “I vote ‘consulting.’ Who else agrees?”

“Aww, but ‘fighting’ would probably be a lot funnier,” said Diego. “That one gets my vote for sure!”

“Heh, he’s got a point,” Zahra acknowledged. 

“What’s ‘consulting’ mean again?” asked Craig. Zahra ignored him.

Everyone started murmuring their agreement with one choice or the other. As things continued, the conversation grew louder and louder. “Yo, dudes, mind if I do this one?” asked Raj finally. No one objected. “Cool! So, uh, who likes ‘consulting?’” Sean, Michelle, Alyssa, Ian, Estela, and Quinn raised their hands. “Alright, how about ‘fighting?’” Everyone else, except Raj himself for some reason, raised their hands. Raj quickly counted the votes. “13-12, looks like ‘fighting’ wins,” Raj observed.

“Hang on a sec,” said Zahra suddenly. “Raj, you didn’t vote!”

Raj seemed to ponder this for a moment. “Huh,” he said finally. “Guess I didn’t. Oh well!”

“What the hell do you mean, ‘oh well?!’” demanded Zahra. “You have to pick something!”

“Nah, I’m good,” said Raj. “‘Sides, if I picked ‘consulting,’ we’d be stuck in a tie forever, so it’s probably best if I don’t vote.”

Zahra crossed her arms and scowled. “Fine. But what if you picked ‘fighting?’” she asked.

Raj shrugged. “I wouldn’t pick ‘fighting,’” he said simply.

“What? C’mon, man, you gotta vote,” Craig argued.

“Exactly!” agreed Zahra. “You’re too passive, Raj. If it were me, I’d…” Zahra’s voice trailed off as she remembered that her own choice was winning already. “Actually, y’know what, never mind. I’m good.”

“What d’you mean, Z?! He still didn’t vote!”

“Craig. Our choice is winning anyway, remember?”

“Oh. Right. I, uh… knew that!”

Zahra rolled her eyes. “Whatever works for you, dudes!” laughed Raj, as Michelle went ahead and selected the next choice.

MC!Michelle: I refuse! I won’t let you take my patient’s brain, Dr. Lahela!

Everyone burst out laughing. “Alright, that was pretty great,” Michelle admitted.

“What, does she think she’s treating a zombie or something?” asked Raj.

“Too funny,” laughed Sean. “Great choice, everyone. This was worth it already!”

Bryce just busts out laughing.

MC!Michelle: You are so bad at this.

“Bryce would agree with us, apparently,” Diego observed.

“I was hopin’ for a funny improvised fight, and I was not disappointed!” laughed Jake.

“And this is why I’m studying medicine, and not comedy,” joked Michelle. “I’m almost as bad at improv as my character here.”

“Hey, does that count as a drink?” asked Craig, suddenly perking up. “Since Michelle’s acting like her character? Or… other way around? Or something?”

Jake shrugged. “Sure, it’s been a while anyway,” he said. “Drink, y’all!”

As most everyone took a sip from their respective drinks of choice, Aleister huffed. “As humorous as I admit the scene was,” he said, “we are absolutely going to get caught by Dr. Ramsey now. I thought the entire objective of the scene was to avoid such an outcome, no?”

“Somebody’s gettin’ invested again, huh, Malfoy?” asked Jake.

“I… erm… just…”

“Aleister does have a point, though,” Grace interjected. “The other choice might have been the better one if we didn’t want to get caught…”

“Yeah, but this one was funnier, I bet,” Jake argued.

“Either way,” said Michelle as she clicked forward, “we’ll find out in a second….”

You check if Ethan noticed you, but he’s already continuing on his way.

“See?” asked Michelle with a smirk. “Told you so.”

“I- but- how in the- what?!” stammered Aleister. “This is simply illogical!”

“Guess Dr. Ramsey was just that distracted by Patient X,” suggested Quinn. “This must be really important to him if he didn’t notice that argument!”

“Of course it’s important to him, he’s getting to treat an actual-” Ian started to say.

“I swear, if you say the words ‘mutant’ or ‘X-Men’ one more time…” Alyssa warned, interrupting her brother. “Same for you, Diego,” she added as she chucked the empty bucket of popcorn at Ian’s head.

Before the bucket could hit Ian, Estela reflexively reached out and smacked it out of the way, only for the bucket to accidentally land on Aleister’s head instead. “I will never not be impressed by that,” Ian remarked. “Thanks for the save.”

“That… was not on purpose,” Estela quickly assured the group, as a very annoyed Aleister yanked the bucket off of his head.

“No one say a word,” said Aleister, glaring at the rest of the group as they all struggled to contain their laughter at Aleister’s newly-spiky hair, coated in popcorn grease. “I am quite aware how ridiculous I must look, thank you very much.”

“Actually, it’s not a bad look, in my opinion,” Grace commented softly. Aleister’s face swiftly turned several shades of red.

“Should we… uh, keep going?” asked Sean, before anyone could accidentally start laughing at Aleister’s bizarre new hairstyle.

“Yes, please do,” said Aleister, visibly relieved as Michelle clicked through.

Zaid and Ines are coming down the hallway towards you!

“Great, out of the frying pan, and into the fire,” said Sean.

“Did I miss something? What fire?” asked Varyyn.

Diego laughed and shook his head. “It’s an expression, Varyyn. It means… uh, like… actually, I have no idea how to explain it.”

“Huh?” asked an even-more-confused Varyyn.

“Never mind.”

MC!Michelle: Crap. They’re totally gonna stop me to ask about my patients! Unless…

Bryce: I don’t like where that ‘unless’ is going…

MC!Michelle: Unless you distract them!

“Wow. This oughta be good,” said Jake.

“Seriously, talk about being put on the spot!” Quinn said, giggling. “I wonder what Bryce will do?”

“Not gonna lie, this is the most dramatic walk down a hospital hallway I’ve ever seen,” commented Michelle. “And I kinda sense another choice coming on?”

“What if Bryce did interpretive dance?” asked Craig. Everyone stared at him. “What? That sounds pretty distracting to me, anyway!”

Zahra sighed. “Can’t believe I’m saying this… but for once, Craig’s not wrong. If someone randomly started doing interpretive dance, of all things, I’d be pretty distracted.”

“Yes!” Craig crowed triumphantly, pumping a fist in the air. “Z said I was right! That’s twice in one day!”

“I said you weren’t wrong,” Zahra clarified.

“Same difference. Raj, time to pay up, dude!”

Raj frowned. “Aww, man. Fair is fair, though.” He leaned over and passed Craig a $10 bill.

“Some things never change,” Michelle said with a smile. “And by ‘some things,’ I mean you two.”

Raj shrugged. “What can I say? Nobody can take the ‘Raj-ness’ out of me!”

Bryce: And how am I supposed to do that?

MC!Michelle: You should...

“Flirt!” shouted Quinn excitedly. “Come on, Michelle!”

“Oh, I agree with you, for sure. But we should probably make this official. What does everyone else think?” Michelle asked, turning to address the entire group.

“I say we annoy them and get it over with,” said Zahra.

“Predictable,” snarked Jake. “I say ‘flirt with them.’ Who else?”

Literally everyone except for Zahra raised their hands immediately. Zahra looked around at the group and scowled. “Oh, come on. Seriously?”

“Why do you hate flirting?” asked Alyssa.

“I don’t hate flirting. I just… strongly dislike… flirting.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Well!” exclaimed Quinn suddenly. “I think we’ve got our votes! Let’s try the ‘flirt’ option, Michelle!” Before Zahra could continue protesting, Michelle obliged, with cheers from the rest of the group.

Bryce swaggers up to Ines and Zaid. He leans near Ines, pressing a muscled arm against the wall. He tosses his head a little.

Bryce: Hey.

“I’m getting some serious Spider-Verse vibes from this. Love it,” said Diego.

“I have no idea what you’re referencing, but either way, this scene is… wow,” commented Quinn. “Wish I was Ines right now!”

“Agreed,” agreed Sean. “Definitely effective.”

“Why don’t you ever do that, Top Gun?” Alyssa asked her husband.

“What, me? You never asked!”

“Do I need to ask?!”

“...Yeah. I ain’t a mind reader!”

Michelle sighed. “Why does everything turn into an argument between someone or other?” she said aloud to no one in particular. “Every time! I swear….”

Dr. Zaid: Listen here, Point Break. If you don’t mind, we’re--

“Second Marvel reference today!” shouted Diego, leaping out of his chair in excitement. “He called him ‘Point Break!’ Just like Iron Man calls Thor-”

“I said no more Marvel references!” objected Alyssa, thrusting out a hand and freezing Diego in time, before releasing him a second later to fall back into his chair.

“Hey, no fair,” Diego protested. “You said ‘no X-Men references!’ Nothing about Avengers references!”

Alyssa looked at Jake, who simply shrugged. “He ain’t wrong,” Jake admitted.

“Whose side are you on?!” she demanded, before turning back to Diego. “Fine. From now on, no more MARVEL references of any kind!”

“Aww,” frowned Diego as Michelle continued the story in the background.

You round the corner around the new hospital wing… and come face-to-face with Ethan. He glares down at you.

“Wow. Fail,” said Alyssa.

“All that stealth for nothing,” Estela said. “This game doesn’t seem to give much weight to our choices.”

“True, but that’s part of the fun, I think!” argued Quinn. “Imagine having to be constantly concerned with losing or gaining points with different characters! That would be so stressful.”

“Pfft. Like that would ever happen,” snarked Zahra.

“You know, I’m pretty sure we’re screwed, no matter what happens,” observed Michelle. “This whole ‘following Dr. Ramsey’ thing was a bad idea. But the game railroaded us into it anyway.”

“But how else are we gonna discover the secret?” asked Diego. “I mean, we’ve gotta find out if Patient X is really a…” His voice trailed off immediately when he noticed Alyssa glaring daggers at him. “...person with superpowers?” he finished lamely.

“Uh, not to break up this argument, but also totally to break up this argument; we have another choice to vote on,” said Michelle, having clicked through the next few dialogue boxes. Everyone looked up at the screen to see that there was, indeed, another choice to be made. “Personally, I say ‘I wanted to see how you’re doing.’ Lying to an attending is a bad idea waiting to happen. Trust me.”

‘Of course I trust you,” said Quinn.

Zahra hesitated for a moment, then shrugged and raised her hand. “Meh. You know more about this kinda stuff than I do, I’ll admit,” she said. “If there’s ever a computer hacker story in this app, though….”

“Wait, is there a computer hacker story in this app?!” asked Craig suddenly, pulling out his own phone and (presumably) downloading his own Choices app. “Hang on, is there a sports story?”

“No, and no, as far as I can tell,” said Michelle.

“Aww. Well, I’m gonna find one anyway!”

“Good luck with that,” sighed Michelle, as Craig became engrossed in his phone. “Meanwhile, uh… who else votes ‘I wanted to ask how you’re doing?’”

Michelle herself raised her hand, along with Quinn, Zahra, Ian, Sean, Aleister, Grace, Diego, Varyyn, and Raj. “Welp, that answers that question,” said Sean.

“Whoa, hang on, dude, I didn’t get to vote yet!” protested Craig. “I vote the other thing!”

“Craig, you’re way outnumbered,” Zahra pointed out. “We’ve already got a huge majority.”

“You’re just sayin’ that to make me give up!”

“I- just- what?!”

“I am quite confused,” said Varyyn.

“You and me both,” Diego reassured him. “But I think we have our vote.”

Aleister paused, swiftly counting up the votes in his head. “And our final result is 10-3, in favor of “ask how you’re doing,” he announced.

“See? Told you so,” said Diego.

“Yeah, but if he’d counted my vote, it would’ve said ‘10-4’ and made the cop number!” said Craig.

Aleister shook his head in exasperation. “Craig, you do realize you were included in the three votes for ‘You’re being paranoid,’ correct?”

Craig’s eyes widened in surprise. “Whoaaaaaaa… you can see the future?!” he gasped. “You knew what I was gonna vote?! That’s super freakin’ awesome!”

Aleister opened and closed his mouth a few times, as though trying to find words of protest, but nothing came out. Finally, he let out a dramatic sigh. “Very well. If you so insist, feel free to believe I am gifted with prescient abilities. Now, can we please continue the story?”

“This. Explains. Everything,” Craig said to no one in particular, as Michelle ignored him completely and selected the choice in question.

Dr. Ramsey: I’ll be fine once I get a coffee.

“Story of my life, right there,” said Zahra.

Dr. Ramsey: The machine in my office is broken, and you know I don’t drink the dishwater from the cafeteria.

“Like I said before: this is way too accurate,” said Michelle. “Hospital cafeteria coffee is… well, ‘dishwater’ is almost being too nice.”

“Gross,” commented Zahra, miming vomiting. “Thank God we invested in only the best coffeemakers… right, Craig?”

“Huh?” asked Craig, still staring at Aleister in astonishment at his supposed ability to tell the future. “Uh… coffee’s coffee, I don’t care.”

“Oh, never mind, you ingrate.”

“Thanks! ...I think?”

Dr. Ramsey: There’s a cafe a few blocks away I don’t hate.

MC!Michelle: Wow. A ringing endorsement. They should hang that on the wall.

“Whoa, Dr. Ramsey likes something?! Plot twist!” exclaimed Craig. “Call the press! Alert the media! Tell the news!”

“That was incredibly redundant,” muttered Aleister.

“Dude. Aleister. Y’know what’s redundant?” asked Raj.

“No, what?”

Raj paused for several seconds for dramatic effect. “...Redundancy!” he said finally.

“I… how in the… how on Earth?!” sputtered Aleister.

“Technically, he isn’t wrong,” Grace pointed out.

“Certainly, you aren’t incorrect, as such,” Aleister admitted. “Yet, in any case, that statement has no true value as a statement, since it is itself redundant.”

“Well, yeah, that’s the point, dude!” said Raj. “C’mon, you get it?”

“I most certainly do not ‘get it!’ What are you even-”

“Oh no, I ‘accidentally’ clicked ahead in the story,” deadpanned Michelle before the conversation could get any more out of hand.

Dr. Ramsey: They take pride in their work. I respect that. You should swing by.

MC!Michelle: Are you saying I can tag along?

Dr. Ramsey: I’m saying, “you should swing by.” But I won’t stop you if you decide to follow me there, too…

What do you do?

“Still feels a little bit weird that he’s a romance option, not gonna lie,” said Michelle. “Though I do kinda like his attitude in this scene.” She turned back toward the group. “I dunno. What do you all think?”

“I kind of want to, but at the same time, there might be a Rafael or Bryce or Jackie scene later…” Quinn said. “Aww, I wish we could know ahead of time what all the diamond scenes were!”

“To the Google-mobile!” proclaimed Diego dramatically, followed by him making the Batman logo noise as he pulled out his phone. A few moments of typing later, his face fell. “They don’t have anything past chapter 2!! I found a walkthrough and everything!”

“Are you certain?” asked Varyyn, looking over Diego’s shoulder at the screen. “Perhaps it is simply not complete yet?”

“It’s probably ‘cuz we’re technically reading chapters from the future, remember?” suggested Jake. “When the twins did their magic time shit on Quinn’s phone?”

“Oh yeah, you’re right!” said Diego. “Hey, Quinn, can I borrow your phone for a sec?”

Quinn reached for her phone, but Michelle lifted it out of her reach. “C’mon, Quinn. No fair cheating!”

“Aww, come on, Michelle!” Quinn made her best pouting face.

Michelle smiled and shook her head. “Nice try, Quinn, but I’m not nearly as weak to that as Ian is.” Ian gave her a look. “Uh, no offense, Ian, but Estela’s face leaves you weak every time.”

“I have to admit, you aren’t wrong,” Ian admitted, and Estela laughed and pulled her husband in tighter.

“You are all aware that we have repeatedly offered to purchase each and every diamond scene in this book, correct?” asked Aleister.

“WE KNOW,” everyone except Aleister and Grace said in unison.

“Guess it comes down to a vote, then,” said Jake. “Though I gotta say, Little Mermaid’s got a point. We don’t know what the other diamond scene’ll be; maybe we should save our money.”

“Dr. Ramsey’s pretty cool, but still,” admitted Sean. “Alright. Who wants to join Ethan for coffee?” Diego raised his hand, along with Varyyn and Sean himself. Quinn hesitantly raised her hand, but then changed her mind and put it back down. “Looks like we’ve got our vote. By the way, it is seriously weird calling him ‘Ethan.’”

“Heh. Yeah,” said Zahra.

“Here’s hoping the next diamond scene is a good one!” commented Michelle, as she selected the ‘Get back to work’ choice.

You’re heading to the locker room at the end of your shift, when…

Rafael: Hey! Michelle!

“I KNEW IT!” squealed Quinn excitedly. “I knew he’d be in this chapter!”

“Whoa, somebody’s excited,” said Michelle. Then she smiled. “To be fair, I like him too.”

“Seconded!” agreed Diego. “Wait… I mean, ‘thirded?’ Is that a word?”

“It is now, Diego,” stated Varyyn. “You have just made it so.”

Diego smiled at his husband. “You are the best. Supportive, caring, and knows when to make Star Trek references?!”

“That was a reference?”

Diego sighed. “We are officially adding The Next Generation to our to-watch list,” he declared. “Trust me, you’re gonna love it.”

Zahra rolled her eyes. “Of course you have a ‘to-watch’ list.”

“What, you don’t?”

Rafael: I was hoping I would run into you again.

MC!Michelle: Rafael!

“ME TOO!” shouted Quinn, Alyssa, Sean, Diego, Varyyn, Michelle, Jake, and Zahra simultaneously.

“Whoa. Uh… guess we have our vote,” said Craig.

“That was impressive,” Raj commented. “Fastest. Vote. EVER.”

“True,” admitted Aleister as he mentally counted the people who supported the ‘me too’ choice. “Eight to six. Majority rules, in this case.”

“Actually, it’s probably even higher,” said Sean. “What if some people who didn’t yell still wanted to vote for Rafael?”

“Either way, the outcome is the same. Michelle, shall you do the honors?”

“I would love to,” Michelle responded, doing a mock-bow before selecting the option chosen.

Rafael: Good news?

MC!Michelle: Biopsy shows his panniculitis is just related to his infection. Should clear up soon… but… Oh no.

“Bunch of sciency words followed by an ‘oh no.’ That doesn’t sound good,” observed Raj.

Michelle frowned. “Actually, those ‘sciency words’ don’t sound that bad, all things considered,” she observed. “The biopsy is just the kind of test we ordered, and the panniculitis is inflammation of skin fat… though, hm, that can be caused by some serious conditions.”

“So, wait, is there a problem or not?” asked an annoyed Estela. “Michelle, you’re not making sense.”

“Sorry! I’m doing the best I can,” Michelle said. “They haven’t given us enough information; it would depend on the results my character’s reading. Maybe we’ll find out soon?”

“She’s got a point. I’m as clueless as she is without more info,” Ian admitted. “Well? Should we keep going?”

“Sure. Let’s get to the bottom of this!” declared Michelle as she clicked further into the chapter.

MC!Michelle: He has genetic markers for distal muscular dystrophy. It’s late onset, but one day, years from now, he’ll lose the ability to walk. Surfing’s his life. This will devastate him. And it’s all because I was curious about something he didn’t care about.

“Oh no!” exclaimed Quinn. “That’s awful!”

“So that’s why…” muttered Michelle to no one in particular. “Kind of unfair, though… they really should’ve let me see the results, or the genetic testing at least?”

Grace shrugged. “To be fair, it’s a phone game, not a medical chart. Still… no wonder your character is upset!”

“I’m upset for real, too,” Michelle commented. “What a rough decision.”

“Hey, does that mean we can drink?” said Craig to no one in particular, raising his glass. “It’s been a while!”

Michelle stared at him for several seconds. “Is THAT all you care about?!” she said finally.

“Uh… yes?”

She sighed, then shook her head. “Fine. Jake?”

Jake shrugged. “Eh, why not. Drink, y’all!” he said as he took a sip from his own drink.

“By the way, what’s ‘distal muscular… thingy?’” asked Craig. Michelle simply facepalmed before continuing on with the story, not giving him any kind of response.

Remy: Hey, doc. We all set? Can I get outta here?

MC!Michelle: (What do I do?)

“Wow. This is, like, a legit question,” said Alyssa.

“Indeed, it does present a significant moral quandary,” Aleister observed.

As everyone pondered the implications of this choice, they gradually all started looking to Michelle to take the lead. “Look,” Michelle admitted finally, once she noticed everyone looking at her. “This is the kind of moral question they’d ask us in class, and I’m not sure I even know the answer! There isn’t supposed to be a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ to these kind of questions, anyway.”

“But then, how do you know?” asked Jake. “There’s gotta be some kinda rule to follow, or something, right?”

Michelle shrugged. “We’re taught the basic ethical principles of medicine, and when to apply them. In this case, that’s ‘autonomy,’” she explained.

“‘Auto-what?’” asked Craig. “What do cars have to do with anything?” At a look from Zahra, he stopped talking. “Oh. Serious conversation. Sorry.”

“Basically, it’s the idea that patients have the right to decide for themselves what treatments they want, while being completely informed of all the risks and benefits,” Michelle continued.

“Guess that’s pretty clear, then,” said Sean. “He has the right to know, so we should tell him.”

“It’s not so simple, though you’ve got a good point,” said Michelle. “A patient also has the right not to know, if they wouldn’t want to hear it. Like, sometimes a patient going in for treatment and getting tests might say, ‘Doc, if it’s cancer, I don’t want to hear it. I’d hate to have that hanging over my head.’ You know?”

Quinn nodded sympathetically. “I can understand that temptation. Sometimes I thought it all would have been easier if I just never found out about my diagnosis. Sure, my life would’ve been short, but at least I could enjoy it.”

“Aww, but then we wouldn’t have found a magic space crystal to heal you!” said Raj.

“Which is still a bizarre sentence, by the way,” put in Zahra. “Just pointing that out.”

Everyone laughed. “We’re all glad you’re here, Quinn,” said Michelle. “It just wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“Aww, you guys…” said Quinn, smiling at all of them. “I wouldn’t trade you all for the world.”

Michelle smiled at her. “Quinn, you’re the best.”

Quinn and Michelle gazed at one another, smiling warmly, for several seconds, before being interrupted by a loud sneeze from Raj. There was an awkward pause, and Quinn blushed and looked away.

“...Bless you,” said Michelle finally.

“So, uh… are we gonna vote, or what?” asked Alyssa. “What does everyone think?”

“It really is an interesting question…” commented Grace. “Though I have to wonder, what would you do, Michelle? If this happened in reality?”

Michelle looked at Grace in surprise. “What, like… as a doctor?”

“Well… yeah…”

“Huh. Y’know, honestly, I’d probably take a third option and ask him first if he wanted to be told about the results, and then tell him if he said yes, but… well, that isn’t an option. Guess if I had to pick one, it’s probably better to tell him. Like I said earlier, patients have a right to know.”

“Huh. Well said!”

“As goofy and funny as some of these choices have been, I really like that this one makes us think,” said Sean. “Personally, I’d agree with you, Michelle.”

“Yeah, talk about a great conversation starter! I’m definitely saving this one,” said Diego.

“You know, Diego,” said Varyyn, “in Elyys’tel, we Vaanti have a saying: ‘Whether you face the storm or look away, it will strike you all the same; so face the storm and you will be better prepared to weather it.’”

“That was… conveniently fitting for this situation,” snarked Zahra.

“Not to mention super wise,” said Ian. “Well said, Varyyn!”

“Thank you, my friend.”

Aleister loudly cleared his throat. “If we are quite done discussing, shall we vote on our selection?” he asked the group. “I, for one, concur with Grace and Michelle. Remy ought to be properly informed of his circumstances.”

“Oh my God!” shouted Diego suddenly.

“What’s wrong?!” asked Ian.

“I just realized…” Diego admitted. “The patient’s name is ‘Remy,’ and I haven’t made a single Ratatouille reference yet!”

“What, is that all?” asked Alyssa.

“This is serious! I have failed as a movie referencer.” Diego shook his head, laughing. “I think I might be defective.”

“I doubt that is nearly as important as-” Aleister started to say.

“I SAY DON’T TELL HIM!” shouted Craig, interrupting the random discussion about Ratatouille. Everyone stared at him. “What? Aren’t we voting?”

Jake shrugged. “Guess we are now,” he said. “And I agree, by the way. This guy doesn’t need that hangin’ over his head.” He looked around at the group for a moment. “Who else?” After a moment’s hesitation, Craig raised his hand, along with Raj and Diego. “What, that’s all?”

“Honestly, I kinda agree with you, Jake, but Craig is being annoying so I’m intentionally voting against him,” said Zahra.

“...” ellipsed Jake in confusion. “Y’know what? I’ve got nothin’ for that. Seriously.”

“Well, I have no idea what to pick, so I’m going with the med student,” said Alyssa, gesturing to Michelle. “She probably knows what she’s talking about.”

Michelle laughed. “Alyssa, it’s just a game, it’s nothing to worry about! Besides, like I said earlier, this doesn’t really have a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer-”

“So Jake’s wrong, right?” interrupted Alyssa.

Michelle stared at her for several seconds in pure astonishment. Finally, she sighed. “If that’s somehow what you heard, then… sure.”

“Alright, and who votes to tell the guy?” asked Jake, over Alyssa’s silent cheers to herself for her ‘victory.’ Michelle, Varyyn, Grace, Aleister, Zahra, Sean, Quinn, Alyssa, Ian, and Estela all raised their hands.

“That’s a clear win if I’ve ever seen one,” said Michelle. “Alright, here we go!” Before anyone else could add any more random comments, she selected the ‘Tell Remy the truth’ choice.

Remy: What? Did that genetic thing come back? Do I have Alpha… something?

“That sounds like something I would say,” admitted Craig. “Glad I’m not the only one who has no idea what the hell all those sciency words mean.”

Zahra smacked him. “Craig, this scene is serious.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

MC!Michelle: Remy, you have the genetic markers for distal muscular dystrophy. You don’t have it now, but you’re likely to develop it, probably in your forties.

Remy: But what… what is it?

MC!Michelle: It’s a disease that atrophies the muscle fibers, starting with your hands and feet.

“Damn, that sucks,” said Jake. “What a thing to have to deal with. Especially for a guy like Remy.”

Michelle sighed. “That’s the sad reality,” she said. “Even keeping the news from him wouldn’t change what’s going to happen to him. The only choice left is to let him decide for himself what he wants to do about it.”

“But talk about a tough choice!” said Sean. “It’s this guy’s whole life ahead of him we’re talking about.”

“Well,” said Michelle matter-of-factly, “nobody said being a doctor was easy. If it was, everyone would do it.”

There was a brief silence as everyone pondered this statement, before Michelle finally continued on with the story.

Rafael: How about I help you take your mind off this?

MC!Michelle: How?

Rafael: We’re both off-duty. Why don’t you let me buy you some dinner? I am a local, after all. I can take you somewhere you haven’t been before.

MC!Michelle: You mean, the tour of Boston continues?

Rafael: For as long as you want it to.

What do you do?

“Talk about the best way to ‘take our minds off this,’” said Quinn once the diamond choice appeared. “Yes please!”

“Do it,” said Diego in a perfect impression of Palpatine from Revenge of the Sith.

“I’m up for it,” agreed Sean. “We haven’t used our diamond choice yet, anyway.”

“Okay, I’m going for it!” said Michelle, buying the choice to go out with Rafael.

Rafael: Fancy? Cool? I don’t think anyone’s ever used those words about me.

“Bullshit,” said Alyssa the moment the words appeared on the screen, drawing everyone’s laughter.

“Yeah, I can’t imagine Rafael ever being anything other than ‘cool’ and ‘fancy,’” Diego commented.

“Agreed,” said Quinn. “I mean, how could he not?”

Rafael: So what are you feeling? I can give you good recommendations for everything.

MC!Michelle: I’m craving…

“Welp. Now I’m just hungry,” said Diego.

“I am unfamiliar with these types of food,” said Varyyn, looking at the options available. “What do you suggest?”

Diego shrugged. “To be honest? I could go for all three right now,” he admitted. “Sorry, I know I’m indecisive!”

“It is okay, Diego,” said Varyyn with a reassuring smile.

“Dunno about the rest of y’all, but I’m voting for Caribbean food,” said Jake. “That stuff’s delicious.”

“Honestly, it all sounds amazing,” said Alyssa. “And this choice is making me hungry…”

“I’d be happy to whip something up for everyone!” said Raj. “Dinner Round 2, anyone?”

“Ooh, yes please!” exclaimed Quinn.

“At this rate, we’ll never finish this chapter…” muttered Zahra. “Michelle, just pick something already.”

Michelle gave her a look. “Don’t you think we should vote first? This has nothing to do with medical-”

“We’ll literally be here all night otherwise. Just do it!”

Michelle looked around at the others, who all just sort of muttered a bit and shrugged. “Well, if no one else minds, then… I’m going with Indian food.”

“Awesome!” said Raj excitedly. “I’ve got some great recipes for you dudes…”

“Raj, I was talking about the choice, not our actual meal!” said Michelle. “Er, wait, not like that. Your cooking is awesome, I love it, but we should finish this first and-”

Raj broke into a huge grin. “I know what you meant, I was just messin’ with you. But I’ll still whip up some food after this if everyone still wants some!” A chorus of ‘yes’s’ followed this suggestion. “Hah, you’re all the best.”

“Okay, well, now that that’s settled,” said Michelle. “Let’s just keep going.”

MC!Michelle: How many people do you know around here?

Rafael: A lot, I guess. I’ve been coming here my whole life, plus a bunch of the people who eat here live around my neighborhood.

MC!Michelle: That sounds…

“Exhausting, for sure,” said Zahra the moment the choice appeared. “Seriously.”

“What are you talking about?!” asked Craig. “It would be like an endless party all the time! How is that ‘exhausting?’”

Zahra rolled her eyes. “Speak for yourself.”

Raj smiled. “Well, my vote goes for ‘comforting.’ It sounds a lot like how things were back where I grew up. Everybody around always knew each other; it was great!”

“Or like Elyys’tel,” put in Varyyn. “All of the village is one great community. It is truly a blessing; like the branches of a tree, each one of us makes up something greater.”

Jake shrugged. “For sure, it’s nice and all,” he admitted, “but sometimes you just wanna be able to be left alone, ya know? It is nice to kick back and relax by myself every once in a while. Raven’s right, it definitely gets exhausting bein’ around other people all the time.”

“What, you’re saying I’m exhausting to be around?!” asked Alyssa.

At the sight of his wife’s expression, Jake put his hands up in protest. “Wait, what? Naw, not you, Princess, I’m talkin’ about these others--” He immediately stopped when he noticed everyone else’s death glares. “Uhh… I’m just gonna stop talkin’ now before I dig myself deeper.”

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best,” teased Alyssa with a smirk.

“Okay, okay, let’s vote already,” said Michelle. “This is getting nowhere. Again. Who votes for ‘comforting?’” She herself raised her hand, along with Raj, Craig, Alyssa, Varyyn, Diego, Quinn, and Sean. “And ‘exhausting?’” This time Zahra and Jake raised their hands, as did Aleister and, surprisingly, Grace. Michelle mentally counted up the votes, then frowned. “Hang on, you two didn’t vote!” she said, pointing at Estela and Ian.

The two of them shared a look. “We vote ‘neither,’” Estela declared.

“What?! That’s not one of the choices!” shouted Craig. “...Wait, is that one of the choices?”

“The choices are literally right there on the screen,” snarked Zahra.

“Oh. Right.”

“It’s like Jake said,” Estela explained. “Having everyone around is nice, but it can be exhausting at times.”

“A balance of both is the best option,” Ian agreed.

“But that isn’t an option!” protested Alyssa. “Aren’t you supposed to be the smart twin, Ian?” She chucked a pillow at his face, which Estela reflexively blocked without thinking. “Ugh, Estela, stop doing that!”

“Seriously? Our side will win anyway! What are you complaining about?” asked Michelle.

“Huh?” asked Alyssa in surprise, pausing for a moment to think about the votes. “Oh yeah.”

“Well, that was… a thing,” Sean commented. “Either way, we’ve got our answer.”

Michelle picked Quinn’s time-displaced phone back up and selected the choice.

MC!Michelle: This is exactly what I needed after today.

Rafael: I’m a strong believer in comfort food. So what about you?

MC!Michelle: Me?

Rafael: Do you prefer community or your own space?

MC!Michelle: …

“WHAT?!” exclaimed nearly the entire group when the choices appeared, as Ian and Estela silently exchanged amused glances.

“Okay, this game is actually trolling us now,” said Craig.

Raj laughed. “This is pretty funny, you’ve gotta admit. Also, I have to say, I really like Rafael.”

“Don’t we all?” asked Quinn with a smile.

“So did they seriously just repeat the exact same choice, but now with the cop-out third option that Dragon Hero came up with?”

“...‘Dragon Hero?’” asked Sean quizzically.

Jake shrugged sheepishly. “Well… y’know…” he started to explain. “Dragon Rage… Hero Boy…” he said as he gestured to Estela and Ian respectively. ��Put ‘em together, you get…” -he clapped his hands together- “Dragon Hero.” At the subsequent silence, he awkwardly looked away from the others. “Well, it made more sense in my head. Guess not all my nicknames can be winners-”

He was interrupted by a high-pitched excited squeal from Quinn. “Jake’s making his own couple names now! That is ADORABLE!”

“Ow, my ears,” complained Zahra.

“Ooh, what’s ours?” asked Alyssa excitedly.

“Princess, I’m not-”

“‘Wolf Princess!’” suggested Diego. “Or ‘Princess Wolf.’ Uh, actually, I like the first one best,” he added after a moment’s thought.

“Do us! Do us! Do us!” chanted Craig.

“Please don’t,” said Zahra.

“What would ours be?” asked Grace.

“Oh, not you too!” said Aleister. “This is an absurd waste of time.”

“I’ve got one for Varyyn and I!” shouted Diego. “…‘Elf Dog!’”

At the sheer fail of Diego’s suggestion, the entire room went silent. There was a long, awkward pause. “Dude… maybe… stick to ‘Variego,’” Raj said as nicely as possible.

Diego frowned, but after a few seconds of thinking, his expression quickly brightened again. “That’s okay! Nothing could beat ‘Variego’ to begin with!” he exclaimed.

“Indeed,” said Varyyn with a smile, wrapping an arm around his husband’s shoulders. “I am quite content to simply continue allowing Jake to keep making a fool of himself with his nicknames, after all.”

“Yeah, exactly, the nicknames are my thing,” agreed Jake, before Varyyn’s sentence caught up with him. “Wait, what d’you mean by ‘make a fool of himself?!’”

“Does it matter?” asked Michelle, who was becoming increasingly annoyed by the others’ inability to focus on the story.

“Yeah, we have a choice to vote on!” agreed Quinn.

“Yes, thank you,” said Jake. “Little MerMaybelline knows what’s up!”

“Wow, he just did it again,” said Ian.

“Wait, what?” asked Michelle.

“Ah, y’know… Little Mermaid… Maybelline…” Jake explained, gesturing to Quinn and Michelle respectively. “Again, it sounded better in my head.”

“Wait, but… we’re not… we don’t…” stammered Quinn.

“I don’t… what are… it’s not…” Michelle said at the same time.

Diego raised an eyebrow as he leaned over toward Ian and Estela. “Wow, and here I thought you two were obvious,” he commented to the two of them.

“Just kiss already,” smirked Alyssa as Michelle and Quinn continued to awkwardly make excuses.

Michelle looked down at the phone in her hand and pressed the ‘I like a balance’ option. “OH LOOK, I ACCIDENTALLY PRESSED A CHOICE, TIME TO GET BACK TO THE STORY,” she said in the loudest monotone imaginable, and after a few moments of Michelle persisting in reading the story regardless of the others, everyone finally stopped talking about her and Quinn’s ‘secret’ and by secret I mean totally obvious relationship.

MC!Michelle: I’m really happy I ran into you tonight.

He steps close to you.

Rafael: I guess I should say goodnight then.

His voice is soft, his gaze intense.

MC!Michelle: (What do I do?)

“Is this even a question?” asked Sean.

“No. No, it’s not,” agreed Quinn.

“Kiss him!” said Diego and Alyssa at the same time.

Michelle laughed before immediately selecting the ‘Kiss him’ option, ignoring Aleister’s inevitable protests about the lack of a vote.

MC!Michelle: I’ve always wondered what it would be like to kiss Superman.

Rafael: I really don’t get why people keep calling me that. I’m just a regular guy.

MC!Michelle: That’s exactly what Clark Kent would say.

“The next diamond scene with him better involve taking you flying,” Diego said to Michelle. “Whoa, hang on: what if Patient X is actually Batman? And he’s trying to hide his identity?”

“Hey, we’ve already been over this! No more Marvel references!” said an annoyed Alyssa.

Ian laughed. “Superman and Batman are DC, ‘Lyss,” he informed her.

“Oh, whatever!”

“It’s like they say: All’s fair in love, war, and superhero references,” said Raj.

“That is most certainly not an accurate quote whatsoever,” stated Aleister. “The correct version of the quote in question is-”

“Who freakin’ cares, Malfoy?” asked Jake, as Michelle ignored their random discussion and continued the story.

MC!Michelle: Jackie? Elijah’s putting on Battlestar Galactica. You wanna join?

She looks up from her desk, where she’s got three textbooks open.

Jackie: No thanks. I’m studying.

She gets up to close her door.

MC!Michelle: …

“This story has the best references,” said Diego.

“Also, Zahra would totally shut the door in someone’s face like that,” laughed Craig. “Actually, she really did do that once.”

“The hell? It was way more than once,” argued Zahra. “Also, the proper response to this situation is to leave me… er, Jackie… the hell alone, so I’m voting ‘good call.’”

“Good point,” nodded Sean, remembering all the way back to their first trip to La Huerta, and how everyone quickly learned the importance of leaving Zahra alone when she was busy. “Yeah, I vote ‘good call’ too. Anyone else?”

One by one, every single person present voiced their agreement. Zahra smirked. “You’re all damn right,” she said. “Michelle? Do your thing.”

“Oh, and Zahra was actin’ like Jackie, so: Drink, y’all!” proclaimed Jake, raising his glass triumphantly in the air.

“Finally!” cheered Craig as Michelle selected the ‘Good call’ choice.

Sienna: I asked Danny.

Elijah: Oh, you asked Danny, huh? You two seem friendly.

Sienna: We are friendly! What’s wrong with friendly?

“I ship it,” smiled Quinn.

“Same here,” agreed Diego, “but the real question is… ‘Danienna’ or ‘Sienny?’”

“Heavens, we are not returning to this utterly absurd topic,” declared Aleister.

“Thank God,” muttered Zahra.

Sienna: Anyway, he looked at me like he thought I was having an aneurysm. Then he said it sounded like someone was hazing me.

MC!Michelle: …

“Dunno if Ramsey is trolling us, but this game definitely is,” said Craig. “Or maybe it’s both! Troll-ception!”

“Dude, that meme was old five years ago,” said Zahra.

“Which means it’s retro, right?”

“I… just… what?!”

“Or maybe Ramsey was just trolling Diego this whole time with the X-Men references,” joked Raj.

“Well,” said Grace, “I doubt they would put so much emphasis on Patient X in the story if it went nowhere…”

“You present a fair point,” agreed Aleister.

“Man, but if it turned out Ramsey was just messing with everyone this whole time, how hilarious would that be?” said Alyssa. “Best twist ever.”

“You know what? I can kinda see that, actually,” admitted Sean. “But then again…”

Zahra scowled. “I swear, if this whole Patient X mystery actually is just a giant freakin’ troll…”

Aleister sighed. “If we are all quite done, let us actually vote on this choice, then.”

After a quick round of voting, ‘You don’t think Ramsey was trolling me’ won, with Craig, Raj, Alyssa, Jake, Sean, Quinn, Michelle, Diego, Varyyn, and Zahra all voting in favor.

MC!Michelle: How are you feeling, Remy?

Remy: Like an ass. I’m sorry for what I said last night.

“Wow,” said Diego. “That was really mature of him.”

“Okay, but I am for sure adding ‘Like an ass’ to my list of things to say,” said Craig.

“Of course you are,” snarked Zahra.

Remy: Here, I want you to have this.

He holds out his painted ukelele.

MC!Michelle: Oh, Remy. I can’t take this…

Remy: It was, like, five bucks.

“What, really?” asked Diego in astonishment. “But… he shouldn’t! How will he play music now?”

“Not to mention, generally we’re not supposed to take gifts from patients in the first place,” said Michelle. “Though that really only applies to expensive things; if it was five bucks, it should be okay.”

“Guess he’s just a really nice guy,” Sean said.

“The ukelele might have been five bucks, but he painted it himself, didn’t he? Art is priceless,” said Quinn.

“For everything else, there’s MasterCard!” Craig shouted randomly. Everyone ignored him.

[REMY’S UKELELE: Accept it.]

“About time we got another one of these!” said Raj when the one-option choice appeared. “This chapter’s been holding out on us.”

“For sure,” agreed Craig, picking up his drink expectantly.

Everyone looked at Jake, who looked back at the group for several moments, not saying anything. Then he broke into a huge grin. “Drink, y’all!”

“Alright, that was just cruel,” said Alyssa, finally taking a drink from her glass.

“Gotta change it up once in a while,” Jake said with a shrug.

You peer around the corridor, still under construction.

MC!Michelle: (I followed Dr. Ramsey here yesterday… and last week, I saw him here too.)

Elijah: There’s no record of anyone by that name in any room in the hospital.

“Did we seriously just have a flashback to this exact chapter?” asked Michelle, staring down at the phone in confusion. “...Why?”

“In case we all suddenly got short-term memory loss?” suggested Craig.

“I mean, it could happen,” said Raj.

You creep through the unfinished corridor, careful not to make a noise. You pass dark patient rooms and offices, all nearly complete.

MC!Michelle: (Okay, maybe I’m grasping at straws here.)

MC!Michelle: (What do I do?)

“This is a really bad idea,” said Michelle when the choices appeared. “We should turn back.”

“Aw, come on,” complained Jake. “This was just gettin’ good!”

“Don’t you wanna find out who Patient X is?” asked Diego. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“Somewhere behind my sense of ‘I’d rather not get fired,’” snarked Michelle.

“Michelle does make a good point,” said Grace. “We wouldn’t want to risk getting caught!”

“Indeed, ‘turn back’ is the most prudent course of action at this time,” agreed Aleister.

“You people are boring,” said Zahra.

Sean shook his head. “They’re just being cautious. I’d probably do the same thing if this were real life.”

“But it’s not real life!” said Jake.

“WE KNOW,” Michelle said.

“We should press on,” said Varyyn. “The answers await us!”

“Alright, then, let’s solve this the usual way,” suggested Michelle.

“WITH AN ARM WRESTLING MATCH!” shouted Craig.

Zahra facepalmed. “What? No!” said Michelle. “When have we ever decided on a choice by arm wrestling?”

“Me and Sean used to do that all the time in college!” explained Craig.

“Okay, and that’s relevant how?” asked Zahra.

Sean sighed. “Let’s just vote normally,” he said, as Craig pouted in the background. “Who votes ‘Keep going?’” Jake, Diego, Varyyn, Zahra, Craig, and Alyssa raised their hands. “Okay, and ‘Turn back?’” 

Sean himself voted for this choice, as did Michelle, Quinn, Ian, Grace, Aleister, Raj, and to everyone’s surprise, Estela. “What?!” shouted Alyssa in astonishment. “Estela, you should be on our side!”

“I’m on no one’s side,” said Estela. “Besides, this shouldn’t be surprising. I’ve always been cautious. And anyway, I trust Michelle’s judgement.”

“This is so not fair,” Alyssa complained.

“Well, either way, ‘Turn back’ wins,” observed Michelle, selecting the choice.

You’re about to turn back when you notice a warm glow ahead… The lights are on in one of the new patient rooms. You creep toward the room and peer through the window blinds.

“Well, that whole choice was completely pointless,” Michelle remarked.

Someone is in the bed, immobile. You move closer, trying to make out their face.

Dr. Banerji: …

“Wait, what?!” the whole group shouted almost in unison (with a “Heavens!” instead in Aleister’s case).

“Oh my god,” said Michelle. “This explains a lot, actually!”

“Yeah, no wonder Dr. Ramsey was so evasive about this!” said Quinn. “This can’t be easy for him. For either of them, really.”

“But what’s going to happen to Dr. Banerji?” asked Raj. “Is he gonna be okay?”

“Let’s keep going!” said Diego. “We’ve gotta find out!”

“Alright,” agreed Michelle, continuing onward.

It’s unmistakably him. His eyes barely stay open, and his chest moves up and down in shallow bursts. Beside him, head in his hands, is…

Dr. Ramsey: …

Ethan glances up, his eyes locking onto yours through the glass.

“Dun dun DUN,” said Diego.

“Oh no,” said Michelle.

MC!Michelle: Oh no…

Everyone laughed when the words appeared. “Well, that’s worth another drink,” said Jake, followed by a delayed “...y’all,” a few seconds later.

“See? I told you we should’ve turned back,” said Michelle.

“Except that we DID turn back, and the game made us keep going anyway, so what difference did it make?” asked Diego. “Besides, at least now we know who Patient X is!”

Dr. Ramsey: Michelle, you cannot tell anyone what you’ve seen here. Do you understand?

MC!Michelle: …

“Wow. That was unexpected,” said Quinn. “I thought he would yell at us!”

“Okay, but we’re definitely just being mature and saying ‘I understand,’ right?” Michelle asked the group. “I don’t think Dr. Ramsey will appreciate lame excuses.”

“Yeah, good point,” admitted Zahra, as most of the others nodded in agreement.

“Wait, but if we say we didn’t see anything, then he can’t get mad at us, right?” asked Craig.

“Only if he actually believes us, which… yeah, I don’t see that happening,” said Sean. “Dr. Ramsey’s too smart for that.”

“Oh. So are we still voting, though?”

In response, Michelle just went ahead and chose the ‘I understand’ option.

Dr. Ramsey: He’s dying. Dr. Banerji is dying.

You’ve discovered the case that’s haunting Ethan! Can you help him save his mentor’s life? Keep playing to find out!

“OH, COME ON!!” Estela shouted when the chapter ended, leaping to her feet to the bewildered stares of everyone else (except Ian, who simply looked at her with an amused smile instead).

There was a long, awkward silence as she looked around at the others, before silently sitting down again and looking away. “Wow, she really got into this thing, huh?” asked Jake. “Who woulda thought?”

“Man, why wasn’t I filming that?” complained Craig. Estela shot him one of her famous death glares. “Uh, on second thought, that’s probably a good thing.”

“I cannot truly blame Estela for being invested in this story,” said Aleister. “It is reasonably well-written, with interesting characters. Surprising for a simple mobile application.”

“Dude, nobody calls them ‘mobile applications’ anymore,” said Raj.

“Guess he just did,” Diego pointed out.

“Well, I don’t know about all of you,” said Michelle, “but I’d be down for another chapter. After a quick snack break, because that chapter made me hungry again. Anyone else?”

“Ooh! How about I make dessert for everyone!” offered Quinn, to resounding approval from the others. “Want to help out, Michelle?”

“Sure, I’d love to,” Michelle answered with a smile, taking Quinn’s hand and letting her lead her out toward the kitchen. “Just don’t get any flour on my clothes again like last time. It took forever to clean up!”

“Well, I did tell you to wear an apron…” Quinn giggled.

Zahra stood up from her chair. “Meanwhile, I’m grabbing some more booze,” she declared, heading in the direction of the wine cellar. “Craig, you’re coming with me.”

“What? Why?”

“Wrong answer,” said Zahra. “No booze for you, then.”

“Wait, I mean: ‘Yep, Zahra.’”

Zahra smirked triumphantly as Craig pushed himself out of his chair and followed after her. “That’s better.”

“Alright, well, I’m taking a nap,” said Raj. “Somebody wake me up when we’re starting the next one.” With that, he simply laid back in his chair and instantly fell asleep, already snoring not two minutes later.

“Wow. Teach me your ways, Raj!” said Diego. “That was impressive.”

“Hey Sean, pass me that time phone, would you?” asked Alyssa, pointing to Quinn’s phone, which Sean was currently closest to. “I wanna see if there are any future movies on there.”

“Sure, Alyssa-”

“No,” Ian cut in, a stern expression on his face. “Using it to play a phone game was irresponsible enough as it is. We are not using this any further to watch movies.”

“You are such a buzzkill,” groaned Alyssa, as Sean shrugged and set the phone back down.

“Hey, you’ll thank me when the entire space-time continuum doesn’t collapse into oblivion.”

“Ian is being quite prudent in this particular situation,” said Aleister. “Indeed, I do agree that the initial use of your powers was far too dangerous and reckless for-”

“OH COME ON, YOU TOO?!” shouted Alyssa.

As Alyssa and Aleister began arguing once again, Estela turned to her husband. “Somehow, I’m hungry again,” she admitted. “Mind coming with me to grab some food? I hope there’s still some of Raj’s hot sauce left.”

“Sure, why not,” Ian agreed, standing up and taking her hand.

“Hey, Dragon Rage!” shouted Jake as the two of them started to head to the kitchen. “Did you want your firewhisky?”

“Huh? Oh, uh… not really,” Estela said as she realized she still hadn’t touched her drink from Varyyn. “Knock yourself out.”

“Not literally,” warned Alyssa as Jake happily picked up Estela’s goblet.

“Truly a shame, Estela,” said Varyyn. “This drink is quite delicious and-”

He was interrupted by a sudden boom coming from the front doors. “What the hell was that?!” asked Jake, immediately dropping into a (slightly-unsteady) fighting stance.

Diego simply sighed and shook his head. “Oh, no, not again,” he groaned, as he and the others got ready to go investigate the noise….

* * *

Next Chapter: Link

Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @marmolady

[kiwisfics]

Voltron Pets

A/N - Headcanons for the characters with pets

X

Shiro

⦁ Shiro, likes dogs. ⦁ Big dogs. ⦁ Very big dogs. ⦁ Simba is the biggest Great Dane any of the team has ever seen, including in videos. ⦁ He could very likely crush any of them. ⦁ Pidge is. ⦁ Very cautious. ⦁ But Simba is very gentle with everyone. ⦁ He likes to take people’s hands gently in his mouth and lead them to the jar of dog treats that Shiro keeps on the counter by the stove. ⦁ But Shiro doesn’t just like big dogs. ⦁ He also like teeny tiny dogs. ⦁ And so enters Pip. ⦁ Pip is a Pomeranian. ⦁ Simba is Pip’s bodyguard. ⦁ There’s no seeing one dog without the other close behind, or, more likely, seeing Simba and realizing that Pip is hiding under him when she happily yips at you. ⦁ Simba always gives his treat to Pip if you don’t give her one first. ⦁ Chivalry isn’t dead. ⦁ Apart from his dogs, Shiro also has an old cat who’s missing one of his front legs. ⦁ The cat hated him at first so he named him Grumpy. ⦁ Eventually the two find a compromise though. ⦁ Compromise, as in, Shiro feeds Grumpy until Grumpy finally trusts him. ⦁ More often than not, Grumpy is now seen hanging around Shiro’s neck. ⦁ Shiro’s favorite part of the day is falling into bed and having his pets each curl up in their designated spots. ⦁ Pip - On his Chest ⦁ Simba - Over his legs ⦁ Grumpy - Behind his head.

Keith

⦁ Boy is an animal magnet. ⦁ No one knows why, but he attracts at least one animal every time he leaves his place. ⦁ Which means, lots of pets and most of which he has no idea where they came from. ⦁ “Hey Keith, is that a new cat?” ⦁ “Her name is Starburst and she likes candy wrappers.” ⦁ “Where’d she come from, though?” ⦁ “…Outside.” ⦁ “Of course.” ⦁ He doesn’t spoil his pets as much as any of the others, not with stuff at least. ⦁ His pets are all adored though. ⦁ They’re all chipped the moment they decide to stick around because Keith can’t bare the thought of losing any of them. ⦁ All of his pets are suspiciously well behaved. ⦁ Like, even the cats hear Keith say “sit” and they plop down. ⦁ Everyone thinks Keith can communicate with them and even if he assures them it’s not true, ten minutes later he’ll ask a dog (the oldest, Gandolf) to help him clean up the dog toys and he does. ⦁ So either Keith can talk to animals or he’s a witch. ⦁ Again, another ongoing joke. ⦁ All of the pets are named after food and movie/book/comic characters. ⦁ No one is surprised anymore, but they also have no idea how he keeps all the names straight. ⦁ Keith is literally the only person able to keep all his pets’ names straight and everyone else just has to guess fifty percent of the time. ⦁ “That’s not Toast, that’s Cinnamon.” ⦁ “How?” ⦁ He loves his pets a lot and never really pays any mind to comments about having “too many.” ⦁ He keeps them all healthy and happy and that’s all that matters to him. ⦁ Don’t tell anyone, but he attracts them by keeping catnip and dog treats in his pockets. ⦁ No one needs to know that though.

Lance

⦁ Exact opposite of an animal magnet. ⦁ It’s not that they don’t like him, because he is a good person and they can tell. ⦁ They just don’t respect him enough to listen when he tells them not to run off. ⦁ Because any cats he tries to keep scale the fence and any dogs will dig their way out of the yard, he ends up with some pets less likely to run off (normally to join Keith’s hoard). ⦁ First, he ends up with a cockatiel named Casanova. ⦁ Casanova adores Lance. ⦁ But, not as much as he adores women. ⦁ This bird will straight up flirt with any woman that enters his line of sight. ⦁ Allura and Pidge are one hundred percent sure that it’s Lance’s fault, but he didn’t do it! ⦁ The bird was like that when he got him! ⦁ He swears! ⦁ Casanova doesn’t just flirt with human women though! ⦁ He flirts with any girl animal too. ⦁ So, when Lance finally caves and decides to try his hand at keeping a dog and he adopts Annie the dachshund, Casanova is ecstatic! ⦁ Annie and Casanova become quick friends and Lance swears that Casanova is the only reason Annie doesn’t run off. ⦁ He’s not, Annie loves Lance. ⦁ Lance also gets a few fish. ⦁ A betta and some of the more flashy looking ones. ⦁ He names them all after sushi types. ⦁ Casanova like to steal the fish food from the top of the water if Lance forgets to close it after he feeds the fish. ⦁ Casanova also likes to get into Annie’s treats and throw them to her. ⦁ Casanova is a fiend.

Hunk

⦁ He has a huge saint bernard/husky mix named Sugar and a tiny calico cat named Spice. ⦁ Everyone is lowkey terrified of Sugar when they first see her, but the moment she sees them her face just lights up! ⦁ Sugar loves people! ⦁ She’s made slightly scarier by a rough scar across her left eye, but it’s hardly visible once you get used to her presence. ⦁ Everyone quickly realizes that she’s as much of an angel as her owner is. ⦁ There’s a inside joke that Hunk and Sugar are twins. ⦁ When they both get excited at the same time, everyone swears they can hardly tell the difference. ⦁ Spice is a fairly shy cat, but she sticks to Sugar’s side. ⦁ Even though Spice is a sweet cat, people frequently think the opposite on account of the glare she seems to give them when first meeting Sugar. ⦁ Spice is older than Sugar and mothers her despite the size difference. ⦁ Both Sugar and Spice are rescued animals! ⦁ Spice was a street cat before Hunk started feeding her. ⦁ After she slipped into the house without him noticing and he woke to glowing eyes staring at him, he took her to the vet and got all of the necessities needed to give her a life of luxury. ⦁ Sugar was a sickly pup in a pound when Hunk adopted her. ⦁ Her picture was in a paper he just briefly saw and she was scheduled for being put to sleep. ⦁ That was absolutely not happening! ⦁ Sugar thinks that she’s a lap dog and frequently jumps on Hunk’s lap. ⦁ That’s all well and good, the problem arises when she jumps on the laps of people visiting. ⦁ That’s a lot of dog! ⦁ Spice likes to curl up on Hunk’s stomach and abandons her fancy bed the moment the opportunity presents itself. ⦁ Both of Hunk’s pets are spoiled. ⦁ He makes them homemade food. ⦁ They get treats for being cute. ⦁ They probably have their own bank accounts.   ⦁ They’re living a better life than me.

Pidge

⦁ She loves fluffy animals. ⦁ Big, small, doesn’t matter. ⦁ She wants pets soft enough to use as pillows. ⦁ Not that she uses them as pillows, but she just really loves fluffy animals, alright? ⦁ She has a trio of bunnies, June, July, and August, who behave more like dogs than bunnies. ⦁ They behave like dogs because Darcy, Pidge’s chow-mix, took in the little buns when their mother got attacked by a neighborhood stray. ⦁ Darcy had lost a few of her own pups before this incident and Pidge awoke one day to find that two babies had turned to five. ⦁ Darcy is very protective of her family, and that includes Pidge. ⦁ She may seem like a sweetheart, but she won’t stand for anything happening to her person or her babies. ⦁ In the spirit of keeping all the babies name’s matching, the pups are named April and May. ⦁ As the babies get older, momma Darcy and Pidge have to make sure the puppies don’t get too rough with the bunnies. ⦁ Fortunately, the pups father was a fairly small mutt, and they take after him. ⦁ (Their father probably stuck around until Keith came for a visit and then followed him home.) ⦁ (You’re not fooling her, Keith, she knows you carry dog treats.) ⦁ (If you try to take any more of her dogs she’s going to rat you out.) ⦁ Pidge is the kind of person who takes in any injured animal she comes across too, but they tend to be wild birds, so they get released as soon as they’re better. ⦁ She has an army of crows. ⦁ The only animals Keith won’t even try to bribe love out of.

Allura

⦁ She has her mice, a white cat named Boo, and two white budgies named Bippity and Boppity. ⦁ Bippity, Boppity, and Boo were a package deal. ⦁ Their owner couldn’t care for them anymore and Allura quickly took the opportunity to add the three to her home. ⦁ Boo was raised indoors and, despite her fears, has adapted to being a perch for the birds and a moving playground for the mice. ⦁ Bippity and Boppity will repeat “pretty bird, pretty bird,” every morning until Allura acknowledges them. ⦁ The birds enjoy sitting in Allura’s hair too! ⦁ Boppity likes to tease Boo. ⦁ She also likes to tease anyone new who enters the house. ⦁ She has pooped in Lance’s hair and no one will let him forget. ⦁ He’s entirely sure that the bird has a vendetta against him. ⦁ Meanwhile, Bippity is a sweetheart to absolutely anyone! ⦁ If anyone whistles her a tune, she repeats it in kind, adding in little hops and head bobs. ⦁ Any first meeting with Bippity is filled with “kiss, kiss"es and "muah"s. ⦁ Boo frequently grooms the mice and curls around them when she finds them sleeping. ⦁ Most of the time, the mice sleep in Boo’s fur, however, so she never has to search for them. ⦁ Her pets are moderately spoiled. ⦁ Bippity and Boppity have an extra large bird cage, segmented and placed so one side is covered and shaded and the other is directly by a window. ⦁ Boo has a high quality cat bed, the best food and treats recommended by vets, a fancy litter box, and a large cat tree directly in front of a window. ⦁ All of the animals have more toys than they know what to do with. ⦁ Frequently, Allura will curl up on the sofa beside the bird cage after a long day and Boo and her mice will join for a family nap.

Coran

⦁ Of course he has a schnauzer. ⦁ That’s canon by now, right? ⦁ ANYWAY. ⦁ Sir. Bruce is a fairly old dog that Coran was gifted by the team. ⦁ He adores Bruce with everything he has. ⦁ Everyone assumes that Coran can speak to animals too. ⦁ Not all animals, like they assume with Keith, but his pets in particular. ⦁ After Coran discovers the joy of having a dog, he’s obsessed with them. ⦁ He ends up with five dogs. ⦁ The first dog he adopts himself is a tiny Yorkie pup named Patty. ⦁ Then come Scottie and Sarah the Beagles. ⦁ Finally, he adopts another schnauzer named Patricia. ⦁ (He doesn’t understand why everyone loses it when he yells “Patricia!”) ⦁ Patricia is a troublemaker, but she’s incidentally also the one with the best puppy-dog eyes. ⦁ Scottie trips over his ears all the time, so Coran uses hair ties to keep his ears up. ⦁ Patty is always tripping Bruce by getting in front of him, and, as the runt of both her famly and her litter, he doesn’t see her when he’s in a hurry. ⦁ Sir. Bruce and Patty are the best of friends, though. ⦁ Sarah is the the angel of the group. ⦁ No one ever hears her bark or growl, and she never makes a mess. ⦁ That is, that visitors see. ⦁ She will look Coran straight in the eyes and knock over the water bowls. ⦁ Yes, plural. ⦁ She loves knocking over the water bowls and Coran does not know why. ⦁ He loves his dogs too much to stay angry for too long.

Lotor

⦁ This man is extra. ⦁ He couldn’t settle for simple house pets, oh no, this man had to get a horse. ⦁ His horse loves him so much though. ⦁ Obsidian is a pure black Friesian horse. ⦁ Everyone thinks she’s gorgeous (because she is) but they love her even more because she’s an absolute sweetheart. ⦁ God help anyone who tries to ride her though. ⦁ No one has and no one will. ⦁ Lotor doesn’t see the point in riding a horse, so she’s just a really big pet. ⦁ He’d probably let her in his house if he could, to be honest. ⦁ Because Lotor is Extra, he also has two purebred cats. ⦁ An Abyssinian cat and a Bengal. ⦁ Both of the cats are spoiled rotten. ⦁ They’re absolute drama queens and no one can even lightly brush against them by accident without the cats acting like they were attacked. ⦁ Even Lotor gets this treatment. ⦁ He’s not quite a cat dad, but he’s toeing the line. ⦁ There is video evidence of Lotor baby talking the cats and it’s being held as blackmail material.

Matt

⦁ BIRDS. ⦁ He loves birds. ⦁ Going into his house is like going into a bird house in a zoo. ⦁ He has five finches. ⦁ He takes inspiration from the names Pidge gives her pets and names the finches after the days of the week. ⦁ But he doesn’t stop there. ⦁ He gets a parakeet - Keaton - and an African gray parrot - Sunshine. ⦁ Every time someone new enters his house he holds out his arms and six birds land on them. ⦁ Sunshine lands on his head. ⦁ I feel like, after awhile he decides to get a more furry pet and settles on getting a pair of chinchillas. ⦁ They’re too cute for anyone to resist, so anyone who would avoid his place for fear of getting pooped on by the birds (Lance) bypasses the fear to see the precious balls of pure fluff. ⦁ He names them Pom and Poof. ⦁ He has perches everywhere in his house, it’s actually ridiculous. ⦁ Honestly, the definition of a pet parent. ⦁ He calls the birds and chinchillas his kids and refers to himself as their dad. ⦁ Did you know birds could be spoiled? ⦁ They can and Matt sets a standard for spoiling every animal. ⦁ Sunshine is a toublemaker and everyone knows it except Matt. ⦁ And, yes, Sunshine poops on Lance the first time he stays in the house for over ten minutes. ⦁ His fears were valid.

[madamrogersstorytelling]

You — 1: On Your Left

Ben Barnes/Reader

The first part of this new series for Ben! When I wrote this, it turned out that Y/N’s not going home like the summary said, so I had to change it a bit. I had written too much to change the chapter anymore. And partly I didn’t even want to, I think this works just fine too. So, the summary has been edited. Like I said in an ask a few days ago, this is based on a moment I had by stoplights a few days before Christmas, but only loosely. Nothing happened, I never saw the young man again - and he looked very different from Ben, probably thankfully. I used artistic freedom to play a little. This was a funny thing to write, and I hope you enjoy and want to stay to read the rest of it! Thank you for reading!

Words: 2226

It wasn’t up to you. If you could’ve had the last word, you would’ve chosen any other day than this one. Or, if you had another chance, you would’ve possibly refused. It was Monday, the streets were full even when it was hardly even noon and the snow covering the ground wasn’t nice and beautiful anymore; it was mean and treacherous, hiding ice under it. This ice had almost made you slip at least five times in a kilometer.

But it wasn’t up to you. Besides, you had nothing to do during the day; it was one of the lonely ones, so of course you had said yes.

Of course? What was that so called ‘of course’ anyway? Was it surrender, a pair of words said with true happiness or just… plain and meaningless? Whatever it was, it made you question the reasons behind it. You hadn’t seen them in a year and now they were coming to the city; two of your friends. Why were they in the city anyway?

They had said it. Yes, they had. But every time you thought of that conversation you had had with them, during which you had set the date for meeting each other, you just couldn’t remember it. It was maybe a bit rude, but your mind just couldn’t handle a big box of information at the same time, especially not during this time of the year.

It was Christmas soon. And Christmas, the rush hours, presents and food and that awful fuss about everything – even something so small as how your car was parked (you never knew when the uncle of your third cousin was going to slam his own SUV against it) – made your head spin and the only thing you wanted was to escape to Middle Earth for the holidays. No fuss, no running, no screaming about how the food looked wrong or how little David had forgotten his favorite toy at home and now everyone’s Christmas was ruined. You’d have cozy home time with the hobbits; eat as many breakfasts as you’d want to, you wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

That’s life.

You liked the family part. But if you said you liked all about Christmas, you lied; if you were Pinocchio, your nose would be about a meter long now. You didn’t like everything about Christmas.

Even less when you finally made it to the safety of a mall, away from that disastrous snow outside, and got pushed and poked no matter where you turned to. Everyone seemed to be so busy that they were running from place A to B like scared horses, and you who just tried to kill some time before seeing people you didn’t even know how to talk with anymore, got ran over. You felt like Simba in that scene of The Lion King. You hoped from the bottoms of your heart that Mufasa wasn’t coming to save you and going to die this time.

Since you had agreed on shopping with your two friends, you just walked through the mall, ordered a smoothie from a small booth and sat down to drink it. Diving in the perfect mixture of strawberries, apples and oranges with a hint of pineapple, all that accompanied by ice, you could finally breathe. Curled up on your very own little corner, you watched how people rushed around the mall like ants. You even peeked over the railing down to the other floor to see a lot similar chaos going on down there.

The calmness of your corner gave you some time for yourself, and you used that time well: refusing to think about everything else and not about your friends and this busy time of the year. It didn’t leave much to think of; your mind had been so full of both of those things for the past few days that you doubted your skills of thinking about anything else. Shaking those thoughts from your head was a lot harder than you could’ve expected.

So, you decided to focus on your smoothie. Sucking on the straw so hard your cheeks hollowed, you looked down at the cup. Strawberries made the smoothie red and crushed ice went straight to your head. You welcomed it happily; it was pleasant to feel something cold going to your head after headless running and being the victim of so many pushes. There was probably going to be a few bruises on your upper arms.

You dropped the cup in the trash, thanked the girls behind the booth and started to make it towards the doors. But in the middle of walking you decided to turn around. You had no idea why; maybe it was that unpleasant, suspicious group of young men close to the other door or maybe just the knowledge of the amount of people outside. You chose the door you hadn’t used in ages; you had been at the mall a few times every once in a while and always used the door where you were at first heading to. But not this time; now you chose the other door. It got you to the other end of the street, and it indeed was much quieter.

You got hit by the smell of an old cigarette and giggling of a few school girls who walked past you when you looked around, but they weren’t enough to bother you. Not now that after a few meters you didn’t even smell the cigarette anymore and there was enough room for you to breathe properly. Probably for the last time in a few hours.

Now you remembered why you had forgotten the reason your friends were in town. You were so focused on getting enough breaths in that you were momentarily deaf.

Some people just had that effect on you. Some people just had that kind of energy. You were a bit stressed out because of that; you knew something was going to happen anyway. And still – mentally banging your head against the wall – you were doing this.

What the f-word were you thinking?

“Dad, it’s Christmas soon! You cannot say that!” a young girl, probably heading home from school, whined on the phone as she walked past you. She looked like she was talking about something very important, and you followed her with your eyes, smiling warmly.

You wished you could be a child once again. Christmas was something exciting and wonderful, something you looked forward to for months in advance. Now it was just… It didn’t feel the same, not at all. And it was the saddest part of all this.

Without noticing it yourself, you had stopped to look at the girl. You didn’t actually even see her anymore; you saw your thoughts and memories like a film in front of your eyes. All those family Christmases, the laughter and happiness, the presents you got that made you feel you were the happiest little girl on the planet, delicious food, snowflakes dancing behind the window, you heard the songs, cars outside, doorbell ringing…

You shook your head to get out of the bubble. The snow on the streets made the world seem a lot brighter in your focused eyes and you sniffed in the winter air. You could see the people on the other end of the street, by the stoplights there. You could’ve been one of them, disappearing into the crowd and never really been noticed by anyone. You could go where you were going without having to think, just following the people ahead of you, occasionally walking past one or two. You could be a part of the zombie herd.

But here, on your end, it was so quiet that every step you took sounded like a bang. They cracked a little on the snow as you walked towards the stoplights to get to the other side of the street. Then you could turn to the right and just head to where you were going to go to without having to worry about other people for a few more meters.

You walked to the corner, just by the lights and your gaze landed on the red light that told you it wasn’t your turn just yet. Listening to the beeping noise the lights made, you let your gaze drop down and land somewhere on the other side in front of you; a jewellery shop, an underground pub for gaming, a little alleyway, bus stops and…

He was standing on the other corner, by the lamp-post on your left. There was precisely five or six meters between you and him, and he was looking at the other side just like you were. Only that when you turned to see him, he had turned to see you only a second ago.

He had dark eyes and his hair was almost as dark; it was a bit out of place now in the wind, lifting itself up on top of his head. He was handsome, but not in the way people would describe handsomeness. His features were more beautiful; he looked like one of those sculptures in the museums and books about the history of art. He was so pure. Pure in the way that made you want to just look at him without any purpose of being impolite. Everything in him was beautiful. His black coat and a woolen scarf covering his neck, that stubble he had ignored for a few days, his eyes that joined in the smile he gave you.

You found yourself smiling back. It made his gaze drop down on the snow until it rose back to you. His cheeks were a little red now and you found yourself feeling a little sorry for him being cold. But he didn’t try to pull the collars up or readjust his scarf; he just sucked on his lips and let himself smile to you. His gaze kept wandering away from you and back until it stayed on you, cheeks still red. It stayed for a long while.

And you couldn’t look away from him.

You felt this unfamiliar but yet somehow so familiar and safe warmth flowing from your head all the way down to your toes. Something jumped under your heart. You almost put your hand over your heart; the calmness of his presence, how his eyes were keeping you here on this very spot, on this very moment… It wasn’t distressing at all. Usually you felt anxious when someone looked at you, but not when he did it. He calmed your noisy brain down.

There was something in him. He was something solid to lean against, even if it happened just mentally. And with the way he kept looking at you with that small, friendly smile on his lips, you could almost tell he felt the same.

It wasn’t love, no. Life’s not a romantic movie. But life is full of moments like this, moments that stay, lingering in your mind for a long time and make you wonder why.

They always say you meet some people just to hear something from them. They come to teach or tell you something and then they leave. The light turned to green and the beeping changed into this almost imperative sound, and you started to walk at the same time with him.

He looked at you when he walked. You turned to the right, but he turned to the left and at the same time turned his head. The last look he gave you was like a goodbye without words. Then he hid his bare hands in the pockets of his black coat and walked away.

You didn’t remember did you smile to him once more or just looked at him, but you didn’t look over your shoulder. The moment was too pretty to be ruined. But what if he was looking over his own shoulder? What if you missed the very last gaze because you refused to do it like in movies?

You didn’t look.

Your gaze got stuck on a cute little chalkboard by a door that told you that you were permitted to come in and admire. The door lead to a flower shop you were sure you had never seen before. It had moss and plants behind the window, a very living-like squirrel statue in the middle of it. You saw a woman walking there with a big vase full of white tulips.

You had just gotten the idea of going inside, but your phone binged with a message.

Will be there in fifteen!

That was just... Why now?

You had just enough time to go to the bookstore you had given yourself a permission to go to. With a sad look you sighed at the door and almost ran to the next stoplights.

When you came back, after finding nothing from the bookstore, to meet your friends at a café, you found yourself looking for the man. You took the busy stoplights this time, since they were closer, but you hated yourself a little for that.

You were possibly missing your chance. Did you want to see him again? If so, then why? To thank him, to talk to him? Just to look at him for a moment, to reminisce the earlier?

There had been something in that moment. Something you knew you weren’t going to forget.

****

Tag List: @padfootagain @billyrvsso @jennareedus @mamaraptor @suchatinyinfinity @delicatelilyflower @whostheblondegirl @something-tofightfor @accio-rogers @19mrs-rogers18

[doc-hudson]

Meeting... at the Board Meeting

Alternative title: "Doc Hudson gets ‘ok boomer’ed and accidentally organizes a double date”

Date: 8 January, 2023

Doc Hudson:

Now, Paul had never been one to deal with politics (not even during his time as Radiator Springs’ Mayor), but this whole thing struck him as specially ridiculous.

A woman had been attacked a couple of nights ago, the Board had done absolutely nothing to help her (or anyone for that matter: the one person that had decided to do something had been a civilian) and now wanted to have a whole movie production roam around Swynlake as if it that hadn’t just happened.

They couldn’t look out for their own! How would they ever be able to house an entire Hollywood production without incident (see: lawsuits)?!

It was ridiculous! So much so that Paul had felt the need to actually sit down and debate with the Board about it-

-buuut as soon as he’d seen Simba sitting on the table his combative spirit had faded away and he’d decided to, instead, help himself to some coffee.

Buuut one Nick Wilde was right by the damn thing and he didn’t have the mental fortitude to deal with that right now, either.

So, ever the fearless man, Paul Leonard Hudson decided to backtrack and try to get lost in the crowd.

-

Nick Wilde

Of course Nick was by the coffee table. When in doubt, go for coffee especially when it's free. There was plenty of people circling, plenty of upset around, but it didn't really touch Nick in this moment.

Sure, the attack on the girl was sad, but she wasn't someone Nick knew personally so eh didn't care that much. These things happened. For all the complaints, Swynlake was a lot safer than many of the places he'd lived so he didn't really get what all the fuss was about. On the flip side, Al was over the moon about this movie idea and what it could mean, and that energy was infectious.

He was more concerned about Isaac, but he was holding up fine so far so Nick didn't feel the need to do anything. He was fine. They'd check in later anyway.

A much more entertaining possibility presented itself when he caught sight of Len. Especially when the man immediately turned tail and walked the other way.

"Aw, you aren't avoiding me are you? That hurts my feelings."

-

Doc Hudson

Fuck.

Ok, so...this was a thing that was happening, whether Paul wanted it or not; So he turned into the voice’s direction, pretending to be surprised by the caller.

“Why, if it isn’t the infamous Nick Wilde” the very same man whose gaze he’d spent all the Christmas dinner avoiding “fancy seein’ you here. Felt like sharin’ your opinions about the whole movie thing or are you here just for the free coffee?”

-

Nick Wilde

"In the flesh. I'd hate to deny the people what they want," Nick winked.

Now, they had met once before after that initial first meeting, which had been much more fun for Nick than for the other man he was fairly certain. But nothing saying he couldn't have a little more fun after all. He'd been very good so far.

"I mean, the free coffee is hard to resist. But it's interesting hearing what everyone has to say. Penny Forester is a big name to be coming to a little old town like ours after all."

-

Doc Hudson

The wink almost made Paul wince. Almost.

The last time he’d felt this way had probably been back when the pain-the-ass that was Lightning McQueen had tried the Kachow thing on him to try and shut him up but had, instead, made Paul cringe so hard that his immortal soul had almost abandoned his body out of pure cringe.

This kids were going to be end of him.

“The name doesn’t ring any bells for me” he shrugged as he moved closer to the other man in a somewhat defeated way “she a big deal? I can’t see how a movie about pigeons could ever be funded if not for the lead bein’ specially good”

-

Nick Wilde

"Yeah, you're probably a little old for her stuff." This was funny to Nick specifically because he could guarantee he was older than the other man. But more on that later.

Genre and intended age had never mattered to Nick when he watched movies. He liked to see what was new and popular, and he had a soft spot for anything involving Magicks. He also liked to watch the weird and obscure when he could get his hands on it.

Mostly, he liked movies.

"But, she made history by being the first open Magick to lead a family-friendly film with the Bolt franchise. This movie is probably gonna keep using those skills, but it's looking like this is also her attempt to start finding herself as an adult actress. I can see why she'd want to work someone that's known for being Magick friendly."

-

Doc Hudson

Paul stared at Nick, blankly.

They hadn’t reached that particular moment on their...relationship when one would sit a person down and rant about their own Magick abilities or lack thereof, and his own nature as a Gifted prevented him from being able to perceive whether Nick was a Mundus or something else-

-so he had to think things twice when speaking to Nick. Mostly.

“Took ‘em folks at Hollywood long fuckin’ enough” he finally said, nose scrunched at the idea “but I’m still not interested. Takes helluva lot more that usin’ my people as an incentive to make me want to watch a movie, let alone for it to be a decent one, you know?”

Ah, yes, let the bitterness begin.

-

Nick Wilde

The thing was, Nick never hid that he was a Magick. It was just the particular flavor that was the secret. The handy thing about Gifted being such a flexible category was that he could get away with saying he was a Gifted illusionist and most people didn't look too much farther.

But it appeared his friend-o Len was a Magick as well. The particular type would be interesting.

"Sure, we could all spit at the moon and wish that people got their heads out of their asses faster. Doesn't change that Penny was the first," he said cheerfully.

As if he'd never done exactly that. ha.

"I, however, don't have your standards or your scruples. I've watched plenty of shitty movies cause they have Magicks in it. Although some of the ones on the Indie scene these days are pretty good even with their low budget since it's not like they had to build as much of an effects budget in. But this one seems like it'll be fun."

-

Doc Hudson

“ ‘s not the kid’s fault, don’t get me wrong” Paul said, rolling his eyes all the while “good for her. I’m just not to keen on havin’ a Media Empire danglin’ the bare minimum in front of my face and pretendin’ that’s so new, inclusive and wonderful that I oughta hand ‘em my money or else be called a bad ally or whatever”

He’d been spoiled far too much, too early, by the Magick Grand Prix, he figured: even during the 80’s and 90’s that had been considerably more progressive that whatever the fuck Sidney was doing. But had they received any recognition for it? No.

“ ‘sides, I don’t think the Town’s the best possible filmin’ location right now. You heard about that one girl that got attacked during New Years?”

-

Nick Wilde

Nick couldn't help it - he laughed at that.

"Wow, someone does think they're important. Not sure if I should 'okay hipster' that or 'okay boomer' it. Did you know you're allowed to just not like stuff? It's okay I promise."

Maybe it helped that Nick had spent so much of the last couple decades outside of English speaking countries. What Hollywood did was important and impactful, but it wasn't the only thing. Americans just usually thought of it as the only thing because it was all they saw, whereas for a lot of the world it was just one more thing. An exciting thing, sure. But just a part.

"Yeah, sure, I heard about it. Sympathies to the girl, of course. But animal attacks happen. They're pretty infrequent in Swynlake, but not unheard of." He shrugged.

-

Doc Hudson

Paul opened his mouth, ready to defend himself.

...but found that there was no coming back from Nick’s words.

Fucking...kids this days and their memes.

Wasn't that one meme too old to be valid, anyways!?

Whatever, Doc didn’t feel having that discussion.

“I dunno ‘bout that” he said, after fake-coughing his previous discomfort away “I don’t think the girl’s to blame for that one. Sure, shit happens and that sucks, but I think there should be a...you know, more solid way to navigate through this kinda situations? I mean, she's pretty darn lucky that the animal that attacked didn't have rabies. Shit like this has the potential to get very ugly, very fast”

He shrugged.

“I think we should focus more on that ‘nstead of a movie”

-

Nick Wilde

"I didn't say she was to blame. I said these things happen." Why did humans always think they could control the natural world and the events with in it? Here of all places, nature's unpredictability should be something people anticipated and accepted.

Death is only the end if you assume the story is about you, etc. etc.

"I don't see it as an either/or thing. The Sheriff's department and the police are looking into the animal attack. The Board are evaluating proposals brought to the town, including one about the movie, and they're looking to hear out people's concerns. If the Board didn't care what the town had to say about it, they could have voted and just announced it without bringing this up at the meeting."

"Besides, what do you think they should be doing? What's your proposal for focusing on it?"

-

Doc Hudson

“You didn’t. But I’ve heard folks heavily implyin’ just that” he wasn’t naming any names but some people’s arguments were a second away from outright victim blaming the poor girl that had merely been walking home from a town-wide party and-

-fuck, had things been any different that could have been Evangeline. Hell, even King. Or Luca.

(But Evangeline was the one that came to mind -maybe because they’d met at night, not far that very same place and, as such, was the one that he figured was the most at risk and was too kind, too inocent, to even see it as potentially dangerous).

“It’s as if things existed only within a “a Magick did it” and a “well, it’s her fault for not bein’ careful” duality, and that’s what I don’t like” Paul said “And I dunno. I vaguely recall the Mayor sayin’ something ‘bout stickin’ to paths and not travelling alone late, but… where was the police durin' that whole ordeal, anyways? Were all the cops at the Acorn Drop? Like, wasn’t there even a single lone soul doin’ patrol?”

It just didn’t feel right.

“But I dunno. What would you propose, tiger?”

-

Nick Wilde

Oh sure, some people had been implying. But those were the ones desperate for the movie. Just like the ones against the movie were implying that the people who didn't prioritize the attack were monsters.

It's what happened when there were sides. The one that wasn't yours quickly became villains. He didn't take either one seriously until there was a weapon in hand or a law being pushed.

"You're forgetting the third 'we're living next to a magical forest and accidents happen' side who keeps getting talked over by everyone involved or getting called too callous. Sticking to the paths and not traveling alone is decent advice for people who are worried, whether or not that changes it. As for the lat point, I think that's a question for the Sheriff. I do my best not to pay cops too much attention."

Luckily, the department in town was pretty small, but that didn't change Nick's feeling about cops. He'd never had a good interaction with them and he didn't see that changing any time soon. It was an effective tool for this argument though.

But he did waggle his finger at Doc's question. "Nah ah, I'm not the one bitching, so I'm not the one who has to come up with the change."

-

Doc Hudson

*I do my best not to pay cops too much attention.*

Paul shouldn’t smile at that. He really shouldn’t.

But he did, because...yeah, that sounded just like something Nick Wilde would say and shouldn’t be something he encouraged but… well, he kind of was doing just that.

“Why, I didn’t know all the Town’s decisions now depended on my bitchin’! Lucky me” he shot back, still with a smile “ok, my first decree as de-facto old fart in charge shall be the implementation o’ extra-casual Friday, also, 2x1 snow cones durin' Thursdays. How ‘bout that?"

-

Nick Wilde

Ah, the return of the man's sense of humor! Nice to see it, it was welcome to stay for as long as it liked.

"So far, I'm not hearing anything I disagree with. I'd love to wear pajamas to work on Fridays and its hard to argue with a good snow cone. I'm seeing a good platform here oh benevolent ruler."

-

Doc Hudson

“Flattery will get you anywhere, Nick Wilde” Paul joked back, now considerably less tense than moments before “You’d make a good vice-president, I’ll keep that in mind”

Oh, that kind of reminded him…

“Speaking of, I heard your boyfriend ’s on the Board, that right?” he asked, partly out of legit curiosity, and partly to silently show the other that his previous trick wouldn’t take him far this time.

Not that he’d cared in any way, but getting that out of the way was the best way to go.

-

Nick Wilde

"Wow, I am honored. I swear to make you always appear less ridiculous than you are by being more ridiculous and meme-able."

The abrupt transition did have him grinning. He'd been wondering when that would come up, especially with Seamus calling him 'a right bastard' when they'd discussed this last. It was nice to know a plan worked out.

"I'll give you three guesses who."

-

Doc Hudson

“I’m sure The Spill would love that. You’ll be the pretty face and I’ll be, if not the brains, the perpetually unhappy old man that keeps people on the edge of their seats -we’ll get shit done” or, at least, they’d put enough of a show that people would ignore it and favour of whatever shenanigan Nick decided to cause.

...huh, so that was the real potential of the Bread and Circuses. Who would have known?! Well, maybe Triton had a point there.

Anyways-

“That’s easy, specially when Simba’s happily married” he continued to joke, now looking at the Board’s (and some kids taking photos) general direction “Isaac, the newly appointed one. Ol’ MacTunnag mentioned in passin’ that you started datin’ a second ago”

-

Nick Wilde

Nick nodded in acknowledgement of the correct guess. (To be fair, once it had already been narrowed down to 'boyfriend' instead of 'partner' that left a pretty limited pool to draw from in terms of guesses so it hadn't been hard. He'd just wanted the other man to work for it a little more.)

"Nice to know that you two were talking about me. But hey, it means your playing field is free and clear after all.

-

Doc Hudson

“Why, of course. What else are we supposed to do, if not talk about you while you’re away? -could you be a peach an’ hand me a cuppa joe? thank you dearly” he continued, know cup on hand “yeah, your name was inevitable, tiger, ol’ timer and me shared all kinda wonderful stories ‘bout you”

Except not really. There had been a lot of screaming and he’d weaponized a wooden spool, but he wasn’t about to say that.

“Spent Christmas with him? I was surprised by your absence at MacTunnag’s”

-

Nick Wilde

"Really, I don't know, I am the most fascinating topic of conversation." He poured coffee for Doc and refilled his own at the same time. It wasn't exactly the same careless grace he'd displayed in the kitchen, more human in his movements now that he was around the crowd.

Nick wasn't worried about the stories that were shared either, if any had been. If there was one thing Nick and Seamus could trust the other with, it was their secrets.

"I stopped briefly by Isaac's on Christmas, but he was doing the family thing for the most part. I spent the majority of the day with Seamus. We must have just missed each other."

-

Doc Hudson

“The highlight o’ our days, of course” Paul said before taking a sip of his cold-ish but-free-so-what-the-hell coffee “otherwise we would only have old folk shit to talk ‘bout. He’d probably complain ‘bout the economy and I’d go on and on ‘bout my achin’ bones, you make for a wonderful change of pace, sunshine”

...and...he kind of did, amusingly enough.

Sure, he’d caused some serious shenanigans (TM) last time, but Doc had been the one to blame for...well, not asking further questions about the whole thing and had been the one to throw the first figurative (but also literal) punch, so…

“I think so, a shame, that” he paused for a second, contemplating his next words “you missed the aftermatch o’ that little game o’ yours. It was a beautiful sight to see, you know? We laughed, cried, sang a romantic duet then discussed how the true Christmas spirit was the friends we’ve met along the way. Lifechangin' shit”

-

Nick Wilde

"Really, that's too tragic to think about. I'm going to have to assign you two excursions just so you'll have some new experiences to brighten your day. I'm sure there's a cute horse and buggy ride around that would remind you two of the good old days."

Nick hadn't seen the immediate results of it with the both of them, but he'd seen the impressive head wound Seamus had come back with and the lightness to his step which was enough. It wouldn't save Doc from teasing, but it would save him from anything much worse.

"I got to hear about it later, don't you worry."

-

Doc Hudson

“Yipee” Doc deadpanned at the idea of the horse and buggy ride (which was made extra-unbearable by virtue of the possibility of MacTunnag being there and once again going on and on about horses, his Colorado days or what-have-you) “can’t wait”

A beat.

“Let’s make it a double date, what ‘bout that?”

If Nick Wilde, magnificent bastard that he was, felt like causing that specific brand of trouble then they might as well drag him along for the ride, right?

-

Nick Wilde

If Doc thought that was going to be a threatening statement, he had entirely misjudged the situation. Or his willingness to put Seamus in ridiculous situations.

"That sounds like fun! Isaac and Seamus are great friends, so it'll be some good bonding time."

Not that he actually knew about any horse and buggy rides in the area, but there were stables so there had to be something. He would find something just to continue the bit because there was such a hilarious opportunity.

"Have you talked with Isaac yet?"

-

Doc Hudson

Well, joke was on Nick: Paul intended of making the most of the situation, if it ever came to be (because while he was sure there were horses around and surely someone, somewhere had a buggy to entertain tourist with...well, he hadn’t seen that kind of thing around just yet. Maybe it was a seasonal thing).

Hell, chances were that Seamus would be into the idea, too -the gremlin of a man surely would relish the opportunity to (try and) make Nick uncomfortable.

Poor Isaac, though, he seemed like too good of a guy to be caught on the crossfire of that.

Oh, well, c’est la vie.

“Not quite yet. I’ve heard pretty nice things ‘bout him, though”

-

Nick Wilde

Paul's mistake was in thinking that it would be a situation of Seamus vs. Nick. They might not have dated, but they had been partners for a very long time. There was very little either of them could do to make the other uncomfortable.

He'd have to give Isaac the heads up, but he had a feeling the man would agree out of his eternal sense of optimism and his willingness to be friendly.

It looked like Nick was going to need to find a horse and buggy ride for four.

"You should be sure to do that. He's a friendly guy, and there's a reason he ran for Board and not me. Plus if we're going to be spending all this time together, you don't want to be the only strangers.

-

Doc Hudson

Absolutely.

Paul’s main mistake was that he expected Seamus to take his side on this whole thing, if only for the sake of chaos and the chance of getting back at Nick after the previous incident.

That was a common problem of his: Paul Leonard Hudson threw himself into situations, felt things too much, too deeply even when he barely knew shit about them; Getting the best and the worst of him was relatively easy and spite had become his fuel a long, long time ago, so much so that turning back, that slowing down or changing was no longer an option.

It had never been. That probably would never change -he’d remain the same idiot from decades ago, paler and broken, but the same idiot nonetheless.

“I’m a stranger” he said, matter-of-factly “we may banter helluva lot, but I’m still a stranger to y’all, sunshine. 's only natural”

That was said with a smile, even if the knowledge of it hurt, when the task of carving himself a small niche on other’s lives seemed so daunting, specially when it came to the pair that seemed to have known each other for a such good while.

-

Nick Wilde

Whereas for Nick, living in this town was the first time he'd been known in a long time. Normally, he did his best to slide chameleon-like into any situation, charm whoever would best serve him, collect the stories of the people around, and then slide out again. Everyone thought they knew him, but no one really did, and that was on purpose. He had connections more than he had friends.

But here in Swynlake, things had changed. It had started with Seamus and Riley, grounding him and tying him to this moment and this place in a way that was inescapable. But it had already spread to include the Lightfoots, and now Isaac, and there was every threat it would keep spreading farther.

So in this moment, he was known in a way that was more important than he could ever say. But it didn't mean he'd forgotten what it was to be the outsider.

Nick clapped his hand on Doc's shoulder. "Nonsense. We've had coffee together twice. At this point you're at least up to the level of acquaintance. Buy me dinner and we'll be the best of friends in no time." He winked to lighten the statement.

"Ah, and Isaac is pretty open about his color magic, but it is a form of empathy so if that's an issue, give him a head's up. He can suppress it when he needs to, but this is your fair warning."

-

Doc Hudson

With all due respect-

-why was Nick touching him? What made him think that was acceptable?

Paul had just admitted to being a stranger, not only to him personally, but to Isaac and...hell, to MacTunnag, too. He was the odd-one-out on this continued comedy of errors and unknowns and was well aware of his part as such -was sure he'd eventually grow to find that comfortable enough, given enough time.

“Acquaintance, it ‘s” he echoed, purposely avoiding the olive branch Nick had just offered “ ‘m fine with that”

There was no use wishing for complicated things, not when he had nothing of real worth to offer them (and, hell, Nick was perfectly capable of stopping him dead on his tracks or flustering him away from actual debate without the need of knowing shit about him, there was no way in hell he’d let the other know that he was the kind of loser that had some comments coming, that hadn’t earned the kind of respect he usually demanded, that didn’t have any business talking big).

If things remained respectfully distant, well, there would be no need to go through anything too inconvenient: they could always remain vitriolic buds, banter a little here and there and know nothing about the other in the end, save both of them the effort as they put a show for everyone else to laugh at.

“Hjm, note taken. Jessica mentioned he’s a Magick but didn’t say what was special ‘bout him” he shrugged “I’ll try to behave, I guess”

For Isaac’s sake, even when he’d kind of dragged him into the chaos of this all without thinking about it twice.

[smokeybrandreviews]

Dog Whistle

There’s been an influx of cast turnovers in animated shows lately over race. Apparently, characters portrayed as people of color who are voiced by white actors, are quitting in droves and i find this sh*t to be ridiculous. Jenny Slate pulled out of Big Mouth where she portrays the biracial Missy. Miss is half black and half white, both are accepts aspects of who she is. Slate is white. Why can’t Slate voice this character but the SJW rules pr whatever? Kristen Bell is in the exact same position, though, she has her own, purple colored problems. Ma’s heart is in the right place but she seems to be going about it in the worst way lately. The creator of Bojack Horseman even refereed to his casting of Alison Brie as the Vietnamese, Diane Ngyuen. That’s bonkers to me! Brie was exceptional in that role and Diane is one of the best characters on the entire show. So much of that passion and humanity was imbued by Brie’s performance but, because some thumb-sucking, armchair activists, are upset that the Asian-coded cartoon they watch has a white woman voicing them, it’s a problem? Get the f*ck out of here.

Look, casting white voice actors for non-white parts, isn't racist. It's not. Stop it. You're not seeing them onscreen, just hearing them. This is not the same thing as whitewashing a character on film where everyone can actually connect a real face to events. This is not the same as blackface. This ain’t a mistral show. This ain’t Emma Stone in Aloha or Jenette Goldstein in Aliens or Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell. That last one, i'm not even sure is a big deal to begin with anyway. Sure, i think it’s f*cked up Johansson is the Major in the eyes of the US. You know who doesn’t? The director of the anime. The people of Japan. They don’t care. They laugh at all of this PC bullsh*t. They were just happen that Johansson, an actor of renown, got to portray the role. If the people who created the property are okay with the change, why are we so goddamn upset? It’s stupid. It’s even more absurd to me when all you’re using is the actor’s voice. The quality, cadence, and detail of the voice are what take precedent. The character being voiced ain't even real, man. Sure, it's cute to have a black person portray a black coded character, but it shouldn't be a goddamn requirement. It shouldn’t be a point of controversy. The character you created has a very, specific identity; One that you, as the master craftsman of this entire universe, forge. That includes what they sound like. Why the f*ck should you have to alter your vision just because it’s not “socially acceptable?”

If you are worth your weight as an artist, as a creator, you wouldn't compromise your vision over something so goddamn trivial. I am a creator. I write and draw. I build worlds. Hopefully, in the next few years, i can share some of them with you all. That said, If I have to choose between Cardi B giving my ethnic coded, femme fatale character life, over Scarlett Johansson because some wuss sees that as problematic casting, then I'm about to be real problematic. Scarlett has one of the greatest voices in the entire history of Hollywood. There's no way I don’t jump at that opportunity. Plus, she’s a consummate professional. Her talent outstrips a great many other options, Cardi B being one of them. I’m not about to crippled the essence of my character just because you think the actor chosen to portray them, has to match the skin tone with which i literally chose to color them. That’s how unstable the grounds for this argument are. It’s literally based on artistic discretion. If i decided to color my Femme Fatale white instead of black, on a him, technically there wouldn’t be a problem. For you. But i would have betrayed everything i put into her by doing that. Scarlett’s voice would have been a part of who she is. It would have been the striking quality you remember most about her. Maybe her dope appearance but definitely them sultry vocals, too. That’s how animation works.

Where are the pitchforks for Grey DeLisle portraying Azula; An Asian coded, very possibly Japanese inspired, character from Avatar? That entire f*cking show is held in the highest regard for it’s diversity but, by these ridiculous new rules and outrage triggers, it would technically be the most problematic show on television because of all the whitewashing. I love Avatar. Just finished watching the entire f*cking show for the third time, last week. It’s spectacular. Great characters, dope lore, unique vision. It’s near perfect television. I hate the fact people call it anime, it’s not, but other than that, outstanding. Not one white person in sight, but a ton of them heard. Where is the ire for Aang and his misadventures? Why not go the other way? Phil LaMarr has voiced a ton of characters in his long ass career, one of them Samurai Jack. Phil LaMarr is not a Samurai. He is not of Japanese descent. He’s as v\black as i am. Why has no one canceled him for his audacity in portraying what can only be described as  a character with the basest of Asian characteristics? Hell, how is the Samurai Jack character, not offensive unto itself? Because they’re f*cking cartoons.

If we, as a society, have decided to tumble down this stupid f*cking rabbit hole, where does it end? Why is no one upset that Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick, both white boys, voiced Simba in the Lion King? That entire movie takes place in Africa. Those two cats are decidedly not African. What about Mulan? That Ming-Na Wen casting was inspired but what about Mushu? I man, the name Mushu is a problem for another day but guess who ain’t Chinese? Eddie f*cking Murphy! No one is out here coming for his career over that sh*t, whatever is left of it anyway. I’ll do you one better. F*cking Trap Jaw from He-Man. That motherf*cker is a blue cyborg with a green, necrotic, face. Who gets to portray that character? Is it anyone because he’s a Frankenstein monster or is it because he’s more fantastical than, say, Kidagakesh? What about Bonnibel Bubblegum, Jake the Dog, Marceline Abadeer, B-Mo, or Lumpy Space Princess? What about Panthro from Thundercats or Jazz and Blaster from Transformers? Who gets to voice Piccolo from Dragon Ball? Freezer? Cell? Buu? Yoruichi from BLEACH? Mirko from HeroAca? Any localization roles from all goddamn anime, ever?? Does it actually f*cking matter who voices any character, ever? F*cking no! The only thing that matters is the voice actually fits the character, regardless of their skin color. I can definitely keep going but i think my point is made. This sh*t is stupid. Getting upset over actual f*cking cartoons, drawings created by a person with a singular vision, is the dumbest sh*t i have ever heard in my entire life. Appreciate the art. Immerse within the journey presented by the guiding narrative. Stop getting tied up in your irrelevant opinion and performative indignation. Let creators, create, free from your superficial concern, fickle ass expectation, and transparent, agenda driven, dog whistles. Just enjoy the ride.