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lovelytonys · 5 years

Text

100 great things about megamind

basically i just watched megamind and wrote down everything that made me go “hey that’s good”

1. The opening monologue slaps I literally do not care about your “cliches” it’s GOOD

2. “8 days old and still living with my parents...pathetic right?”

3. The idea that Megamind is inherently good since his origin story should have been his dad saying he’s destined for “greatness” but the greatness got cut off uwu

4. Literally just the fact that Megamind was about to go to the Rich Nice House and his destiny changed at the last second,,,everything about this movie makes it a cinematic masterpiece

5. “A baby! How thoughtful!” “yes yes I saw it and thought of you”

6. “While they were learning the itsy bitsy spider I was learning how to dehydrate objects and rehydrate them at will”

7. When you hear the Bad to the Bone guitar riff kick in,,,,,,heck yeah babey!!

8. J.K Simmons is here! yeah!

9. Will Ferrell’s voice acting is literally SO darn good like even just from the beginning,,, the funny affectation of whatever kind of accent that is,,,,,the expressiveness of literally everything he says,,,,,I’m not actively a fan of Will Ferrell or anything but he just did a good job ok

10. “His heart is an ocean inside a bigger ocean”

11. Idk why but I just love the phrase “you fantastic fish you”

12. Metro Man is such a fun character. Like. A hero who shouldn’t be a hero, but he just….is one? Someone who’s idol-worshipped and, despite his grandeur, doesn’t exactly deserve it?

13. MEGAMIND’S CHARACTER DESIGN IS LITERALLY SO GOOD like the vivid colors of his skin and eyes? His COSTUME? His hilarious proportions, between the giant head and the skinny & scrawny everything else? Superb, you funky little alien

14. All dialogue between Megamind and Minion is god tier by default

15. The twist on “damsel in distress” where yeah the girl gets kidnapped but she is so not distressed and has the intellectual power in the situation as she roasts Megamind at every turn and he can’t combat anything she says

16. “Oh potato tomato potato tomato”

17. “I’m shaking in my BABY SEAL LEATHER BOOTS”

18. THE ENTIRE EXCHANGE BETWEEN MEGAMIND AND METRO MAN ABOUT JUSTICE AND REVENGE AND THE MICROWAVE OF EVIL AND WARRANTIES

19. “Can someone stamp my frequent kidnapping card” “You of all people know that we discontinued that”

20. The way this movie manages to SO effectively establish character while diving right into the action and keeping with a fun, fast pace? The world & characters are set up incredibly well AND the start of the journey/ “break into the new world” hits at a brisk 20 minutes? Lovely work, Dreamworks

21. When Highway to Hell kicks in with the lasers and Megamind dancing at the police,,,,,this is nothing short of priceless

22. “Imagine the most horrible terrifying evil thing you could possibly think of and multiply it…..BY SIX”

23. When you’re a supervillain who takes over the city and you say “let’s just have fun with this” to the citizens

24. *whispering behind the door* “now slam the door really hard!” *snickering like a 12 year old girl* “move they can still see you”

25. “Did you think this day would come?” “No, no not in a million years, not ever...I mean yes”

26. “That’s called a window, sir. All the kids are looking through them”

27. Crazy Train is SUCH a nice touch, the fade into Alone Again Naturally is great. The use of music in this movie is absolutely A+, MEGAMIND DID IT FIRST AND GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY AIN’T SPECIAL (jk gotg you’re so special ily)

28. The images of Megamind’s destruction & deterioration of the city are so creative and funny

29. *to a desk toy bird* “What’s your vacuum like?”

30. “GOING OFF THE RAILS ON A CRAZY TRAIN SIR”

31. Haven’t yet mentioned how lovely the animation of Megamind’s face is! Every single frame, he’s so expressive

32. Mispronunciation of words like “school”, “Metro City”, and “melancholy”

33. This voice cast in general is so good like it’s not just big names phoning it in for an animated movie, they’re fully into it

34. Real Bernard doesn’t get much screen time but he’s hilarious

35. “Typhoon Cheese”, whatever that was gonna be

36. The juxtaposition in body language & facial expression between Real Bernard and Megamind Bernard,,,,,actually just the way Megamind’s physicality is transferred to the other characters he disguises himself as. Great stuff

37. Megamind’s off-the-walls high energy is so fun and electric

38. “This is a bad idea” “yes, a good idea for the greater good of bad” “maybe it seems good from your bad perception but from a good perception it’s just plain bad” “oh you don’t know what’s good for bad”

39. Ollo? Oh, hello

40. “I’m just yelling at my…..mother’s urn”

41. Megamind and Minion just saying “code” before things that aren’t in code. This movie is so good with its running gags, they don’t feel like “oh haha they used that joke again!” they feel like inside jokes between the characters I love it

42. Megamind fighting himself as Bernard while complimenting himself, COMEDY GOLD

43. The various occurrences of random life-altering things happening on a whim to the wrong people, like Hal getting the superpowers and earlier Metro Man being molded into a hero and Megamind landing in prison as a baby

44. The forget me stick

45. Space Dad and Space Stepmom

46. Every character Megamind inhabits always retains Megamind’s eyes

47. MR BLUE SKY PLAYING OVER HAL’S DISASTROUS TRAINING SEQUENCE AND THE FALLING IN LOVE SEQUENCE THAT INCLUDES DONKEY KONG AND MEGAMIND WEIRDLY TEXTING ON A FLIP PHONE (gotgv2 who? Don’t know her)

48. Roxanne’s positive influence making Megamind genuinely want to make the city better uwu

49. ROXANNE AND METRO MAN WERE NEVER A COUPLE! Lovely trope subversion

50. Tropes in this movie in general are so fun. This isn’t some uninspired genre parody. They don’t just subvert tropes in the exact way that you’d expect. I feel like the way that this movie plays with the superhero genre often feels unique and creative

51. Bernard’s character design kind of slaps tbh. The turtleneck, the hair, the glasses, all very nice

52. When Hal calls Roxanne “a really good looking one I’ve got my eye on” like she’s meat or something as opposed to Megamind valuing her personality…..makes ya think u know

53. T h e b l a c k m a m b a a a a a

54. “Maybe I don’t want to be the bad guy anymore!” and Megamind & Minion’s subsequent falling out that served as a precursor to the disastrous date with Roxanne- it happens pretty much exactly halfway through the movie. Some people look down upon following structure to a T, but sometimes it’s satisfying when a movie perfectly follows structure and this movie’s structure is flawless

55. “Good luck on your date” “I will” “That doesn’t even make any sense” “I know”

56. Right after fighting w Minion when Megamind looks in a cracked mirror and frowns at his reflection but then changes into someone else, into Bernard, and then smiles? THE CINNAMON TOGROPHY, THE STORYTELLING

57. When Hal is just an incel whose feeling of entitlement is framed as disgusting and he’s not supposed to be sympathetic and Roxanne’s rejection of him is not framed as evil but rather completely justified? VERY epic of them, this movie would have SMASHED the pop culture scene if it came out today

58. The GRAVITY of the part when Roxanne accidentally reveals Megamind in the restaurant is so powerful that I can STILL barely watch it even though I’ve seen it so many times

59. The part that immediately follows where Roxanne shuts down Megamind is SO well done. Roxanne is giving out some harsh words to our dear protagonist, but she is not framed as the bad guy. The great thing about this scene is that they let Roxanne call out Megamind on how he’s been a jerk and she gets to be RIGHT. How very cash money of them! The emotion here isn’t anger at Roxanne because she’s ~being mean~ to Megamind. It’s a sting over the fact that she’s right, and the heartbreak over the dramatic irony of us knowing that Megamind is becoming a better person and Roxanne having no idea. Now Megamind is left with a decision that will show who he truly is on the inside: he could either retreat back into safe, evil ways for the rest of time because it’s easier to be bad because then no one expects anything from him and rejection is easier to handle, or he could ultimately choose to grow from this and recognize how he was wrong and how he has to change. The execution of this midpoint is exemplary.

60. “Do you really think I’d ever be with you?” “....no” the delivery of those lines is so good

61. “You were right! I was….less right!”

62. The Black Mamba is a god tier costume and the fact that it has its own theme song in the score makes it at least 6x better

63. WHEN BACK IN BLACK KICKS IN YEAAAHHHH (Iron Man who? Don’t know her) (Iron Man was already out at this point but how fun is it that this movie used TWO iconic mcu songs)

64. Megamind in the giant suit playing with cars

65. Hal SUCKS I love how much the movie wants you to hate him

66. The difference between Megamind and Hal/Titan/Tighten is so interesting to watch. How Megamind is the self-proclaimed “bad guy” but he’s not even out to do serious damage & it’s just a game to him, while Hal is out for blood but was created to be a hero

67. “Now it’s time for witty banter” “AAAAAAAAA” “I’m not really sure where to go with that”

68. “I’M CALLING A TIME OUT”

69. Twisting the Kryptonite trope by having Metro Man make up the copper weakness

70. “Does he have a hideout? A cave? A solitary fortress?” lol I understood that reference

71. “OW! MY GIANT BLUE HEAD!”

72. Metro Man’s confession scene is so good. Really, how often do you get a hero who feels that he was forced into being a hero? That’s usually a villain trope. Does the hero ever realize he doesn’t want to be a hero….and actually quit FOR GOOD? Again, the trope subversion is awesome

73. “I have eyes that can see right through leaaaaaaaad” that’s my favorite song

74. “You left the city to HIM! No offense” “no I’m with you”

75. “There’s a yin for every yang. If there’s bad, good will rise up against it.”

76. “I say we just go all GANGSTA on him” ms tina fey i would die for you

77. Megamind turns himself in to the police, the fact that he willingly submits himself to the punishment of being a villain at this point is a lovely and stirring way of showing the sense of justice he has deep down and showing his character development

78. When Roxanne gives Megamind a desperate & compassionate pep talk over live tv no matter what it means for her reputation :*))

79. When Megamind has 88 life sentences

80. “I. Am. Sorry!” *dramatically slides down door*

81. Megamind’s heartfelt and regretful admission of all his mistakes that brings his character arc to a head? Lovely

82. “Good luck” “WE’RE GONNA D I E! Hahahaha!”

83. “There is no Easter bunny, there is no tooth fairy, and there is no queen of England.”

84. MEGAMIND’S EPIC ENTRANCE BY COMING OUT OF HIS OWN MOUTH

85. “Oh you’re a villain alright. Just not a super one.” “Oh yeah? What’s the difference?”

86. P R E S E N T A T I O N

87. METRO MAN THUNDER CALVES

88. Again with the green eyes continuity! Love that!

89. “Going somewhere? Besides jail?” *flies in a fancy pose*

90. When Megamind is ready to let everyone think Metro Man is back but Roxanne wants to see the real hero :*))

91. “This is the last time you make a fool out of me!” “I made you a hero, you did the fool thing all by yourself” SICK BURN

92. “There’s a benefit to losing. You get to learn from your mistakes”

93. WHEN THE DEHYDRATION GUN COMES IN CLUTCH

94. Minion being a drama queen lol comedy peaked in 2010

95. Minion’s Little Face

96. “GET BACK YOU SAVAGES” “Sorry he’s just not used to positive feedback!”

97. “Destiny is not the path given to us but the path we choose for ourselves”

98. When Megamind gets to parallel Metro Man’s entrance from the beginning of the movie and everyone cheers for him :*)) and he adds his own fun little twist by making a villain joke

99. “Megamind, defender of Metro City” “you know? I like the sound of that!”

100. Name a better villain to hero story. YOU CANNOT. Cinematic excellence. I am never disappointed.

#I DO NOT DESERVE RIGHTS #lovelytonys personal thought

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three-houses-text-files · 5 years

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leonie/lorenz

c-a support + paired ending

Leonie: Hey, Lorenz. Got a minute? Lorenz: Certainly. I trust you're well? Le: Doing great! I found a load of old weapons. Just got done hauling them out of storage. Lo: Old weapons, you say? If there are any interesting swords in there, I would love to see them. Le: They might only be good for training, but with a little care, who knows? Here, have some oil. Lo: And…why exactly are you giving this to me? Le: Like I said, they need a little care. With a bit of maintenance, some of these will really shine! Lo: Yes, I heard you. So why did you give me the oil? Le: It's for polishing, Lorenz. Don't tell me you've never polished a weapon before. Lo: That is hardly a task befitting someone of my station. Lo: If you had an exquisite blade, something of real historical significance to complement my noble heritage, that would be another matter. Le: In that case, appraise while you polish. You're bound to find something good, working through these. Lo: This seems as fine an occasion as any to air my grievances. Lo: I am a highborn noble. As such, it is my sworn duty to protect the commonfolk. I have no time for trivialities. Lo: What's more, you seem to be under the misapprehension that you can order me about. Please think carefully about how you speak to me. Le: I'm not ordering you around. And I'm not talking to you as a noble either. Le: I'm asking you to help me with this. As a friend. Lo: I am your friend, but I am also a noble. Those two qualities are not mutually exclusive. Le: Oh, good! Let's get to it, then, buddy! Lo: Nnngh...

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b (i?)

Lo: Hello, Leonie. Busy as usual, I see. Le: Yep! Lots to do. Not like you fancy nobles. Le: Hey, can't you see all this stuff I'm carrying? Come on, move over already. Lo: Alas, I cannot comply with your request. Le: Can't even ask a noble to take a step to the side, huh? That's a joke, right? You're kidding? Lo: You've injured your foot. I could tell immediately by the way you are favoring it. Le: What?! Lo: Heavy lifting will only worsen the injury. Please, permit me to examine it. Le: Hey, cut that out! Isn't that improper or something, bowing to a commoner? Lo: I am not bowing to you. I am tending your wound. Le: That's not what it'll look like. Hey, it's fine! Leave it! Lo: Easing the burdens of the commonfolk is a natural obligation of the nobility. Now, hold still and keep quiet for a moment, if you would be so kind. Le: That's a real pretty way to talk about sitting around in castles doing nothing. Le: Let me tell you, everyone in my village is so grateful to be taxed up to the eyeballs for the privilege of—ow! Lo: It's quite swollen. And you're feverish! Fortunately, I do have an ointment here that should be of use. Le: What, you just carry that stuff around with you? Lo: Certainly. It won't do to be unprepared if I happen across someone in need. Le: I don't get you, Lorenz. Lo: It seems I've neglected to pack bandages. I'm afraid this handkerchief will have to suffice. Le: What? That fancy thing? Bit of a waste, isn't it? Le: Hey, no thanks! I don't need some noble's pity! Lo: What about the help of a friend? Lo: I am as much that as I am a noble, if you recall. Le: More of your weird logic... Lo: There, that should ease the pain. And since you are recovering, allow me to carry this burden for you as well. There we are. Now, farewell. Le: I really don't understand that guy. Le: Oh, no—I completely forgot to thank him!

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b (ii?)

Le: Hey. Got a minute? Lo: Ah, Leonie. Are we to sharpen swords again? Le: No, I came to give you this handkerchief back. Sorry, I know I held onto it for a while. Lo: ... Le: You lent me this. Remember? Lo: I recall giving it to you. Lo: It is a noble's duty to give to the commonfolk. In return, the commoner need only pay respect. Le: That's nice. You left out the part where the nobles take all the stuff the regular folks make. Lo: Yes, the commonfolk give the fruits of their labor— willingly I might add—as a token of that respect. Lo: The head of Sauin Village offers his tribute in exactly that spirit, you know. Le: Sauin? That's...my village. You knew? Lo: Of course. We granted exclusive hunting rights to Sauin, and forbade outsiders from poaching. Lo: In fact, when we received complaints about just that, we hired mercenaries to deal with the issue. Le: So that's what brought Jeralt... Lo: Hm? What was that? Le: Nothing. Look, just take the handkerchief. I'm returning something I borrowed from a friend. Lo: Very well. As your friend, I will accept it. Le: You know, I really wish you wouldn't think of nobles as always giving and commoners as only receiving. Le: Friends help each other, without thinking about status. And that help goes both ways. Lo: Quite so. And when I require the aid of a friend, I assure you I will happily recognize it. Lo: But only with friends. In the main, I must continue to refuse assistance from the commonfolk. Lo: For a noble to accept would be disgraceful! Haha! Le: Huh. I always thought he was just stuck-up. Le: Turns out, he just has this grand idea of nobility he's trying to live up to... Le: Oh no! I didn't even give him the handkerchief!

——————————————————————————————

Lo: It's only a scratch, Leonie. I'm all right. Le: One mistake like that in battle and you're done. This is your weapon hand, isn't it? Let me stop the blood. Lo: Apologies for the trouble. Le: No trouble. And no apologies. "Thanks" is what you say when a friend helps you out. Le: Ah, darn... Lo: What's wrong? Le: I need a bandage to stop the bleeding, but this is all I've got. Lo: My handkerchief. Le: I was only carrying it around to give back to you, anyway. Mind if I use it for this? Lo: Very well. I suppose that's fitting, in a way. Le: I guess so. Not that I'm happy you're bleeding. Le: I am glad you'll accept it though. In the past, you might have refused it. Lo: Yes. I might have made it an issue of commoners giving aid to the nobility, or some such. Le: I didn't understand why you were so strict about it, but I think I kind of get it now. Le: You know, if every noble were like you, the world would be a better place. Lo: Perhaps. But you were right. Many great deeds are accomplished by friends working together. Lo: Especially when those friends are as capable as you. Le: Me? Lo: I hope this is not the first time I have told you this, Leonie, but you are an exceptional individual. Lo: By insisting on matters of status in dealing with you, I have done you a terrible disservice. Lo: For that, please accept my apology. Let us promise to look out for one another, as friends, from now on. Le: No need for vows. That's how I've always seen it. Le: You weren't wrong about nobles and commoners each having their own roles. Le: But the important thing is we help each other. Lo: That is precisely what being friends with you has helped me to understand. Lo: In fact, I've...begun somewhat to think of you as rather something more. Le: Huh? Sorry, what did you say? Lo: I said, I hope we'll always give each other support!

——————————————————————————————

paired ending

As the new head of House Gloucester, Lorenz first worked to restore his own territory, and then expanded his vision to include reforms for all Fódlan. At the height of his storied political career, he announced his marriage to Leonie, who had become a renowned mercenary. The choice came as a shock to the public, who could not see what the pair had in common, but those who knew them well saw it as inevitable due to the strength of the bond they had forged in the war. As a ruling couple, they used their varying talents to usher in a new age of prosperity and carve their names into history.

#fire emblem three houses spoilers #fe16 spoilers #fe3h spoilers #leonie x lorenz #lorenz x leonie

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nightingaleandtheredredrose · 5 years

Text

Search for a Cookbook

Word Count: 5,628

Fandom: Ozmafia!!

Characters: Lynette, Silas, Manboy, Alfani, Hansel, Gretel, Scarlet, Caramia, Kyrie, Axel, Soh, and OTHERS????

Trigger Warnings: None

A/N: (PLEASE READ THIS A/N BEFORE READING THE STORY) This is just a fun, lighthearted fic that I wrote of my two babies so I could better imagine how they would interact with people around town! Also, just a heads up, this is a draft that I’ve kept for a couple of months now, so;;; um;;; The OCs/OC blogs I mention might not be as active as they were before;;; Or they’re just straight out dead;; And to those of you who know what it is, I mentioned the Carroll Famiglia like once for a small joke, but I’m not sure if that project was discarded, so please forgive any mistakes I make. Oh! This also goes for the OCs I included in this story! I tried to write in a good amount of other people’s Ozmafia OCs who would be, more or less, related to the plot. Unfortunately I couldn’t include everyone (b/c I also wanted to make sure each OC had more than one speaking line), so I’m really, really sorry to anyone I left out (T-T) And for those people whose OCs I did include, please forgive me if I accidentally made them OOC;; Since this author’s note has gone on for so long, I’ll give credit to these characters at the end! (^-^) NOW ON WITH THE SHOW!

Upon hearing the tinkle of a small bell and the creak of the door swinging open, Lynette looked up from the register to see who had just walked in. She beamed, delighted to see a familiar face. “Manboy! Nice to see you!” she exclaimed.

Before Manboy could reply, Lynette heard a giggle and the mess of blonde locks that had followed Manboy through the door finally popped up from behind him. “Hello, Lynette~” sang Alfani, cheerily waving at the now less enthused store owner.

“And… you brought Alfani… Wonderful…” The girl couldn’t help but let some of her uneasiness show. It wasn’t as if she hated Alfani, but rather she worried over how he spoke while he was outside of the salon. He had little to no filter, so the possibility of him accidentally letting an innuendo slip through his lips was too high. It didn’t help that the children’s storytime was starting in a few minutes either. Lynette especially didn’t want Alfani to recount any bondage experiences he’d had during The Lion and the Mouse, especially with that many innocent eyes and ears gathered into one room.

Silas wasn’t very fond of Alfani either. Alfani was too grabby, and Silas hated being touched. Thankfully, he was still in the back storeroom searching for the puppet dolls that were going to be used for storytime, but it would only be a matter of time until he came out.

While Lynette weighed the pros against the cons of locking her employee in the storeroom until this storm had passed, Manboy cleared his throat to get her attention. “Good morning, Lynette. I’m sorry to bother you, but I am in need of your services today,” he explained with a slight bow of his head.

Lynette tensed up at this. Her services? This early in the day? But she normally carried out her murders late at night to avoid suspicion.

Seeing her smile falter, Manboy was quick to correct himself. “Ah! Please forgive me, Lynette! I didn’t mean those kind of services. I just came to purchase a book from your store for a… client of mine.”

The smile that had almost slipped off of Lynette’s face reappeared again, topped off with a playfully raised eyebrow. After handing a purchased book to a waiting customer, she leaned across the counter and said, “Oh? A client you say? That was, ah, quite a pause there, Manboy. Sure you’re not hiding something?”

Manboy’s face flushed at the suggestion. Before he could respond, Alfani laughed and threw his arms around him. “My dear Manboy is gonna get a present for his secret sweetheart! Isn’t that cute? Hey, do you wanna know who they are, Lynette? It’s-”

“Al!” Manboy exclaimed before clapping a hand over Alfani’s mouth. “I’m sure Lynette already has her hands full running her bookstore, so we mustn’t take up any more time than necessary.”

Lynette pouted. Darn. She was always down for some juicy love gossip. But no matter. She’ll let it slide this one time for the sake of Manboy’s dignity. “So what’s the book called? I can go check if we have it in stock once you tell me,” she told Manboy, handling another customer’s purchase as she did so.

“I believe it was called Cooking 101. It had a hundred and one recipes, so it piqued my client’s interest, but they just couldn’t get their hands on it due to their busy schedule. They intended to try some of the recipes out for an event that was coming up as well as just around the household.”

Lynette hummed in thought as she handed the customer their stack of books along with their change. “Now that I think about it, we did have a cookbook on display a couple of weeks ago. I’m guessing your lov- I mean- your client must have seen it while passing by one of our windows?”

Manboy managed a small smile. “They did admit that they saw it on the way to the salon, yes.”

“If you two are talking about Cooking 101, then sorry, but we ran out.”

Everyone looked up to see where the voice had come from. Alfani let out a small gasp and ran over to the newcomer. “Silas! So you were here! Give me a hu- Ow~!”

Silas kept Alfani at a distance by pressing his hand against his face, keeping that one arm extended to fight against the flailing limbs that desperately stretched out to reach him. “No way in hell,” seethed Silas.

Alfani let out a disappointed groan. “Geez, Silas. There’s no need to hold back, y’know. Just throw me to the ground like you usually do!” “There are children around, so I’ll have to refuse.”

“What, seriously? I thought we still had some at the back,” Lynette inquired.

“Miss Lynette, I can’t even tell what we have at the back anymore. It’s such a mess in the storeroom that I only managed to procure the beheaded lion and the dusty mouse.” Silas fished the headless lion puppet out of his apron pocket and tossed it to Lynette.

She in turn forlornly gazed at the poor doll, caressing the bit of stuffing that was sticking out of its now stump of a head. “Poor Mr Caramia. What’s the Oz famiglia gonna do without you now?” murmured Lynette.

“Are you sure? Can you… check again?” Manboy asked, a hint of desperation in his voice as he did so.

Silas looked at Manboy for a few moments before sighing, using his unoccupied hand to rub the back of his neck. He began to feel bad for him. “I’m sorry, Mr Manboy, but that was a bestseller of ours. It was especially popular among those in the mafia. Considering all of that, we more than likely have none left in sto-”

Struck by an idea, Lynette suddenly smacked her fist against an open palm. “That’s it! We’ll just ask those people to give us their copy! Easy peasy! We’ll reimburse them and everything! It’s just a book after all!” she declared.

Already tired from the very thought of exercise, Silas grimaced. “Wait, Miss Lynette-”

It was too late; she was on a roll. She hastily stuffed her apron under the counter and grabbed her dark blue hood, slipping it on as she ran towards the door. She gestured for Silas to follow her as she ran in place at the doorway. “C’mon, Silas. You’re coming with me. Give Manboy the keys to the store too; he’s gonna be in charge today.”

Silas hesitated for a moment but then decided it would be best not to say anything. An argument with Lynette would never end, after all.

Instead, he nodded and tossed his keys to Manboy before following after Lynette.

Manboy just barely caught the keys and shot a panicked look at the escaping shop workers. “Wait! Lynette! I can’t possibly-!”

“Sure you can! I believe in you, Manboy!” encouraged Lynette as she gave him an overly enthusiastic thumbs up.

“No, it’s not an issue with my self esteem that I’m referring to!”

“Oh! Then don’t worry about the fact that it’s a Sunday. Sales tend to dwindle towards the end of the day, so feel free to lock up early. You could just read the book on the counter to the kids since the puppets just kind of, y’know, died. I’m super sorry for having you do this on your day off, but I promise to have that book you want before today ends, okay? Byyeeee~”

“But still-!”

And before he knew it, the pair had run off to who knows where. Manboy sighed and rubbed at his temples. That Lynette… As flighty as ever. If he didn’t know any better he would’ve thought she was just doing this as an excuse to skip work.

Well… No, that was probably one of the reasons she took up his request. He shouldn’t get ahead of himself. But Lynette was also just too selfless for her own good. The fact that she set a solid deadline for the book retrieval was proof enough. Although there was still one more thing that was bothering him.

“How did she figure out that today was my day off?” Manboy wondered aloud.

“Hey, Manboy! Look at this!” Alfani was holding up the book Silas had left on the counter. He had opened it up to the page where the lion lay entangled in the hunter’s net, Alfani’s eyes shining just a tad too brightly for such a scene. “I could be the lion instead! All we need is a net!”

“... Thank you, Al, but for the children’s sake I think we should stick to just reading them the story from the book.”

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1st Stop: Grimm famiglia

Peering out from behind her older brother, Gretel narrowed her eyes at the people who were browsing the bookshelves in the study. “How the hell did they get in here? Hey, Hansel, don’t tell me you let them in again,” she darkly murmured.

Hansel turned his head to look back at her and sheepishly smiled. “Aahh… No, not this time, Gretel. I actually don’t know how they got in unless…” He let out a startled exclamation and snapped his fingers as if he had just realized something. “I got it! There’s an age old tunnel beneath the estate, and they crawled in through that!”

“Actually, I just let them in. They asked me if they could buy back one of Scarlet’s books,” explained Florentia, leaning against a wall near the door.

Gretel’s glower became worse. “And you let them in for such a flimsy reason?”

“Well… But they asked politely? They won’t do us any harm as far as I’m concerned.”

Overhearing their conversation, Lynette paused mid search to do a little fist pump. “Yeah, we asked politely! Ain’t that right, Silas?”

“Kindness rules,” Silas chimed in with a deadpan voice.

“Shut up you annoying little bird and you overgrown broccoli head, and find your damn book before I egg your pathetic excuse of a store with my grenades.”

“...Sorry, Miss Gretel.”

“Sorry, ma’am.” And they resumed their search in a more frenzied manner.

Once this pair was dealt with, Gretel again confronted Florentia. “‘They won’t do us any harm’? How can you be so sure? That annoying bird just reeks of disaster (Lynette flinched when she heard this but continued to look through the books). Spending all that time around that cat lady’s place really dulled your senses.”

Instead of getting mad, Florentia’s expression brightened as she came to remember something. “Oh! That’s right! I need to go visit her estate before the day ends. Hmmm, maybe I’ll pick up the others on the way back-”

“Tch. She already stopped listening to me,” Gretel muttered before retreating behind Hansel’s back once more.

Her brother waved farewell to Florentia as she rushed to leave. “See ya, Florentia! I’ll tell Scarlet that you and the others will be late for dinner tonight!”

Florentia smiled and waved back. “That would be great! Thank you, Hansel!”

“Don’t get yourself killed due to your airheadedness.” “Pffft! I doubt I will, but I’ll keep that in mind, Gretel!”

“Hey, Miss Florentia!” Before she could turn the doorknob, Lynette had called out to her which caused her to look back.

“Yes, what is it, Lynette?” she asked.

Lynette gave her a playful wink and said, “Don’t have too much fun over there with Miss Pashet, okay?”

Florentia responded with a small laugh and a wink in return. “Don’t worry. I have this all under control~” And with that last remark, she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Silas and Lynette attempted to continue scouring the shelves but stopped when they heard the door opening. The person who had just walked in pushed back his red hood, sighed, and began with, “Hansel. Gretel. I just saw Florentia run by me and-” Scarlet stopped when he noticed that they had visitors. “Ah…”

Silas and Lynette awkwardly waved at the stunned caporegime. “Hey, Mr Scarlet,” Lynette greeted. Silas gave him a small nod.

“Thanks for letting us into your home, Mr Scarlet.”

Scarlet pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t get paid enough to deal with this. “Hansel, did you let them in again?” he asked.

“Eeehhh? First Gretel and now you? Geez~ It’s like none of you trust me,” Hansel said with a huff. He then folded his arms across his chest and turned away pouting.

Although Scarlet felt the need to bring up the other time Hansel allowed these two into the estate (which ended… badly…), he decided to let this go. “I’m sorry, Hansel. You know I didn’t mean it like that. I just…” Seeing that Hansel wasn’t going to turn around anytime soon, Scarlet gave up and spoke to Lynette. “Then if it wasn’t Hansel, was it Florentia?”

Lynette nodded and fidgeted with the ribbons on her arms. “Ah, yes! It was Florentia. She let us in so we can… Umm…” The longer she gazed at Scarlet, the more she remembered how he unknowingly rejected her confession months ago. She blushed in embarrassment and quickly turned her head to clear her throat. “SILAS. WHAT ARE WE HERE FOR AGAIN?”

Silas looked up from his place on the floor to answer. “Do you happen to have the Cooking 101 book, Mr Scarlet? We want to buy it back from you, so we could spice up Mr Manboy’s love life.”

‘Don’t be that honest!’ Lynette mentally reprimanded but forced herself not to say aloud. Instead she let the smile that was already on her face grow uncomfortably wider. Through gritted teeth, Lynette said, “That’s… right!”

“Cooking 101? Hey, Hansel, wasn’t that the book we blew up in our little experiment last week?” Gretel asked, causing Hansel to snap his fingers a second time.

“Ah! That’s right! The one with the weird cover! We used it as fuel for the fire...eheheheh, sorry, Scarlet.”

Upon hearing this news, Silas and Lynette made their way to the door. Time to search somewhere else.

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2nd Stop: Oz famiglia

They were at a standoff. Granted, it was four against one (so it was a pretty pathetic scene) , but it was a standoff nevertheless.

Caramia stood on one side of the dining table while everyone else stood on the other. He protectively held his cookbook to his chest and gave his opposition a shaky smile. “Ca-Can we calm down just for a minute here?”

Despite his words, Silas and Lynette already had their hands up in the form of an odd battle stance, ready to grab the hardcover from his arms. There was a dangerous glint in Lynette’s eyes as she replied, “Not an option, Mr Caramia. I just spent two hours searching for a book that had already been blown up, so I don’t want to waste anymore time than I have to! Give it up already! … Please.”

Kyrie stood a couple ways off from this scene with his arms folded against his chest. He scoffed. “Just stop being the shitty idiot lion that you are and hand over that book of yours. It’s not as if your meals have become any less inedible because of it. Honestly-” His gaze darkened as he raised his head, a fist poised under his chin. “You’re acting like a pitiful orphan going to get their precious toy snatched by a gang of older children who are just waiting to beat you senseless. For amusement of course.”

“You could have just said I was acting childish! Ah, geez, why did you have to make it that dark, Kyrie?”

Kyrie huffed and turned to leave the room. “I’m terribly sorry; did I hear something? The cries of the pitiful orphan simply do not reach my ears~” And then he was gone.

Caramia sighed. “Well, I didn’t expect Kyrie to help me in the first place. But Axel! At least you’re on my side, right?”

The caporegime hesitated for a moment. He was debating between pointing out that fact that he was obviously standing on the side opposite to his don or staying quiet and obediently joining Caramia. His sweets were at stake here; Axel couldn’t afford another ban on his life source. Eventually, he decided to just let him down easy, also not finding it in his heart to lie to him. “Boss. As much as I hate to say it… Kyrie is ri-rig-righ-” Axel coughed. “You’re acting like a child. I’m sorry, but it’s true.”

Everybody could see Caramia’s heart breaking before their eyes. He stumbled a few steps back, clutching at his chest with an unoccupied hand. This… Is this what betrayal felt like? His own men turning against him? With a hollow voice, Caramia asked, “Axel… How could you?” Then he gritted his teeth. “Why don’t any of you understand? This has become more than a book to me. It’s opened my eyes to new cuisines, it’s helped me perfect my old recipes-”

“What’s… going on here?” a voice called out from the kitchen entrance. Running a hand through her long blue hair in an effort to smooth it down, Nana stood in the open doorway with a flustered expression. Kyrie had told her that there was something she had to take care of in the kitchen; he implied that it was urgent so she ran all the way there, but she was honestly unsure on what to make of the scene before her.

Lynette grinned. “Perfect timing, Miss Nana! Help us wrangle the book from your fiancé’s hands!” she said.

“‘Wrangle the book’? But why-?”

Caramia smiled as well. “Good afternoon, Amore mio. Will you please call them off? You know how much this book means to me, right?”

“Huh?! Ah, yes, but-”

This then prompted Lynette to turn an accusatory finger on Caramia. Deep down she knew that this was the time to stop, but she unknowingly got swept up in the rush of this senseless argument. “But does that book mean more to you than the very love of your life?!” Lynette placed a hand to the side of her mouth and spoke in a loud whisper. “Miss Nana! This is your chance! Try to convince him to let go of the book by using your charms!”

Nana was at a bypass. On one hand, she wanted to take her lover’s side. She loved Caramia after all, and all this fuss over a simple book just wasn’t worth it. On the other hand, though, Nana had become curious. How exactly did she measure up to that book?

Her curiosity won out in the end, and she stepped forward. Nana fiddled with her earrings as she asked, “Caramia… Please forgive me if it’s rude to ask, but how much does that book mean to you? I’m sure you may have had many wonderful memories with it, but…” She meant to continue, but her voice faltered, and her gaze slowly lowered to the ground in shame. Nana couldn’t do it; she couldn’t bring herself to guilt trip Caramia.

She let out a small gasp when she felt someone’s fingers interlace with her own. Caramia had set the book onto the table and walked over to Nana in order to grasp her hands in his. He gave her a gentle smile. “Nana, you know you mean more to me than Cooking 101. It’s just a… silly… little… book.” He coughed before continuing, almost as if it had physically hurt him to admit that. “You mean the world to me, Nana. Please don’t ever forget that.”

With tears brimming in her eyes, Nana responded with a choked up, “Caramia-!”

“Now’s the time, Silas! Let’s grab the book while he’s distracted!”

“NO, WAIT! KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF THAT BOOK!”

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3rd Stop: Falada

Silas and Lynette sat at a table in the Falada café. Lynette had her head in her hands while Silas angrily munched on his fifth salad.

“I’m… really sorry that I made you go after Mr Caramia alone,” Lynette began.

Silas shoved another forkful of lettuce into his mouth. “Don’t bother mentioning it.”

Lynette winced at his cold tone of voice. Yikes. She had really messed up this time. She had initially meant to snatch the book as well, but Silas had been the first to reach it. Unfortunately, this prompted Caramia to pounce on him like, well, a lion on meat, which ended in a few bruises and a dejected Silas and Lynette being shown the door. She sighed. “I’m sorry for being such an awful person, Silas. I know I should’ve stopped before things got out of hand.”

All she was met with in response was some miffed chewing noises. “Gah… How do I make it up to you, Silas? Do you want me to throw you an apology party or something?”

“Do we even have enough money for that?”

“I-I’ll take out a loan? That’s a thing, right?”

Their table shook when Liesl suddenly dropped a heavy book onto it, causing the pair to jump in their seats. Liesl brushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and sighed. “Here you go! Cooking 1001! You would not believe the stack of cookbooks and recipe sheets I had to go through in order to-”

“Wait. Cooking 1001? I’m sorry, Liesl, but we were looking for Cooking 101,” corrected Lynette.

Silas poked at the side of the thicc hardcover with the other end of his fork, marveling at how many pages there were. “There are 1001 recipes in here?” he muttered. “Who could possibly have that much free time?”

Liesl gave Silas a weary smile as she took back her book. “Apparently I do since I wasted a good thirty minutes trying to find the wrong book.”

“Been there,” Lynette remarked.

Liesl let out a little grunt as she readjusted the book in her arms. “Well, if it’s Cooking 101 you’re looking for, I would suggest the Stivali estate. I think I lent it to… Bercy? The cat boy with the earmuffs?”

Silas and Lynette nodded. Of course they remembered who Bercy was; they had placed bets on him when they first met him. They debated on what Bercy could possibly be hiding under his seemingly useless earmuffs. They still hadn’t figured it out yet, but Silas guessed that he was hiding a skin condition. Lynette, on the other hand, theorized that Bercy had a secret set of human ears in addition to his cat ones and that he wore earmuffs to save himself from embarrassment.

“Yes, I lent it to him for the day. You could go pick it up from him, and pay me back when you two return with my book.”

Lynette quickly rose from her seat, throwing her chair back with a clatter. “Well what are we waiting for?! We need to get over there before the sun starts setting! C’mon, Silas!”

Silas shot Lynette a worried look as he also stood up. “Miss Lynette? Aren’t you also going to eat? We’ve been running around since morning, remember?”

“There’s no time to eat! Let’s go! Bye, Liesl! Thanks for everything!”

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4th Stop: Stivali/Boots famiglia

As the pair approached the castle-like estate, they heard a violent rustling sound coming from above which startled some birds out of a tree. Both of them tensed, bracing themselves for an attack.

Seeing a flash of brown and green hurtle towards the ground, Silas warned Lynette to watch out. Lynette did so and quickly backed away from the tree, her fingers already wrapped around the handles of her daggers within her sheaths. She was aware of the Sunday Compromise, but she had no idea what she was dealing with. It was best to err on the side of caution just for now.

The cat lady who had just dropped in (ha) stood up from her landing position. The large bell in her hair jingled as she moved to draw her sword with narrowed eyes. “You there! Both of you! State your names, famiglia affiliations, and business before I cut you down!” she declared.

Lynette grinned and Silas relaxed. Oh, it was just Hazel.

“Oh, c’mon, Hazel! You remember us! It’s Lynette and Silas from the bookstore!” Lynette chirped.

Silas gazed at the sword tip that was pointed at them with a bored look in his eyes. “You really shouldn’t be waving that thing around, Miss Hazel. The Sunday Compromise is in effect today.” ‘Plus it’s not as if you can actually kill us.’ was what he wanted to add, but it sounded too much like a challenge that Hazel would be more than willing to take.

This seemed to break her composure a bit. Hazel became red in the face and growled in frustration, resheathing her sword. “Fi-Fine. It doesn’t matter anyway. I could still beat you two in unarm- Wait, hey! You still haven’t given me your business, you spies!” she shouted, peeved that they had almost led her off topic.

Lynette raised her open palms in self defense. “We just came to pick up the cookbook Liesl lent to Bercy.”

Hazel shook her head. “No can do. Only the don can allow non-famiglia members into the estate. We put up pretty strict security measures to protect against intruders like you two.”

Despite how harsh Hazel’s tone had become, Lynette couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the implication that Pashet was out. “Oh? And where exactly is Miss Pashet right now? Out of the estate, I presume?” she teasingly asked, already having a good idea where the don could possibly be.

The blush on Hazel’s face deepened as she became even more flustered. “Tha-That’s none of your business! The don’s whereabouts are highly classified informa-”

“Perhaps Miss Pashet is having an enjoyable time in town. Pulled along by a certain Grimm famiglia member, I presume?” suggested Silas.

“Mrow!! You two really are spies! Both of you better leave Stivali territory before I run you off myself!”

Watching Hazel getting ready to charge, Lynette urgently tugged at Silas’ sleeve. “Hey, did we buy any bread from Falada while we were there? That would be real handy right now,” she whispered.

Silas stared at her straight in the eyes. “You saw me eat five servings of salad, did you not?”

The two exchanged panicked glances before reaching a silent agreement, nodding, and making a break for it.

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5th Stop: Soh’s Food Stall

“And then we tried going over to the Adelheids, but Miss Heidi told us to go away too! Then Silas recommended we try the- the- What’s the name of that other famiglia? Y’know, the song famiglia?” asked Lynette.

“Are you referring to the Carroll famiglia, Miss Lynette?”

“Yeah, fa la la la la. Deck the halls. The Carol famiglia.”

“It’s a different type of carroll, Miss Lynette. With two r’s and two l’s,” corrected Silas.

“What, seriously? Well anyway, we decided against going there in the end. I didn’t think any of them would’ve bought that book in the first place. Some of them give me a bad vibe for some reason too,” explained Lynette with a shudder.

Silas and Lynette now sat at a table next to Soh’s food stall. The sun was already beginning to set, so Soh was in the process of packing up shop as he listened to their story. Lillian was also there, sitting across from them as she gave them a sour look over her cup of coffee. “Why did you even try to ask Miss Heidi to give you anything? All she gives us is work and cheap silverware to defend ourselves,” she bitterly remarked.

Well that explained why Lynette had often seen Lillian tote around things like forks while walking around town. Lynette had just assumed it was a cleanliness issue, like the forks at restaurants being too filthy to eat with.

Soh walked over to their table with his hands clasped behind his back. “Uwah, that sounds tough, Lyn-Lyn. So you were both running all over town just to find the book for Boy-Boy, huh?”

“Mmmm… But in the end we couldn’t find a single copy.” Lynette sighed. “Maybe I could ask some of the townspeople if they have the book? But where would I even start?”

Lillian furrowed her brow in concern as she watched Lynette’s face fall. “Why did you even take up the offer in the first place? Aren’t you already plenty busy with your bookstore?” she asked.

“Y’know how bad I am at turning down favors. It was also Manboy who had asked me for something. He doesn’t deserve any more disappointment. And the bookstore’s doing fine without us. Manboy’s watching over everything.”

Silas took a sip of his tea. “With Mr Alfani,” he added.

“Oh… yeah… him too…”

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed that was spent worrying about the bookstore’s reputation. Hopefully it would still be family friendly when they got back.

Soh broke the silence by cheerily announcing, “Well, anyway, I have a little surprise for you, Lyn-Lyn!”

“What is it?”

“Eheheh, you’ll have to guess-!”

Throwing her chair back with a clatter, Lynette growled, “DAMMIT, SOH, I HAVE BEEN TO HELL AND BACK-”

“Ah!! I get it, I get it! I’ll just show it you then, so calm down!”

With a grin, Soh brought out Cooking 101 from behind his back. “Ta-dah! Here, you can give my copy of the book to Boy-Bo- Whoa!” Lynette tackled Soh with a hug mid sentence.

Having underwent a sudden change of heart, she sobbed, “Thank you, Soh! Thank you so much!”

As Soh laughed and tried to politely wriggle out of Lynette’s iron grip, Silas nonchalantly leaned across the table to whisper to Lillian. “Kind of wish you were in Miss Lynette’s position over there, right, Miss Lillian?” he murmured, fully aware of Lillian’s crush on Soh.

Although she felt the urge to punch Silas for even suggesting such things, Lillian too had information she could use to her advantage. She raised her cup to her lips and cooly replied, “O-Oh? From your point of view, I would have thought being in Soh’s position would seem more favorable. Being that close to Lynette, I mean.”

Silas maintained his usual neutral expression but couldn’t help the sudden burning at the tips of his ears. “Touché.”

They drank their beverages in mutual embarrassment.

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Final Stop: The Bird’s Bookshelf

By the time Silas and Lynette returned to their bookstore it was already nighttime. Thankfully they had enough time to stop by a gift-wrapper on the way there and handed the prettily decorated bag to Manboy.

He took it from them, his mouth slightly agape as he pulled Cooking 101 out of the tissue paper. “You actually found a copy…” he said in disbelief, causing Lynette to grin.

“Was there any doubt?” she replied.

“Yea. A bit :/”

“Ah, no, of course not, Lynette. Thank you both for getting this for me.”

While Manboy bowed to show his appreciation, Silas glanced over the man’s shoulder, trying to peer through the windows of the seemingly empty bookstore. “Where did Mr Alfani go? Gone with the wind?” he queried.

“He got bored soon after you two left. Don’t worry; he didn’t cause too much trouble in your store.”

Lynette sighed in relief. “Thank goodne-” She tried taking a few steps forward but ended up stumbling instead. Huh? Why was she suddenly dizzy? She heard Manboy call out her name in worry, and she responded with a shaky nod as she tried to regain her balance. “Yeah- yeah- I’m fine. I ju-” Lynette lost consciousness mid-sentence. Silas barely managed to catch her before her face met the pavement below. He didn’t have the quickest of reflexes, but the way Lynette ran around all day while also skipping meals made him guess that this was going to happen eventually.

After he had hoisted Lynette onto his back, Silas bowed to Manboy. “Thank you for watching over our store, Mr Manboy. Good luck with your gift giving.”

Manboy hummed in thought as a response, smiling at the scene before him.

“What is it? Did you need something else?”

“Ah, no!” Manboy then smiled. “It appears you’ve become kinder, Silas. Back when you used to work at the sal-” Silas’ eyes widened. Images of looming shadows and bruising hands came to mind, causing him to cut Manboy off.

“Please don’t ever bring that up. Not around here. Not ever.”

Although he was taken aback by Silas’ outburst, Manboy noted the pain that entered his eyes the moment he began to talk about the salon. He felt ashamed for even mentioning it. Of course that was a sensitive topic for him. “I’m sorry, Silas. Please have a good rest of your evening.”

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Silas felt Lynette stir as he walked across the bookstore.

Her eyes opened halfway, and her voice was small as she called Silas’ name. “Yes?” he responded, stopping in place.

“Did I… do something good today? I felt like I was more of a nuisance than anything else,” she asked.

Silas moved to pat her head but decided against it. If he let her go, she’ll fall too. Instead, he settled for a light bump of the side of his head against the one that laid upon his shoulder. “You always are a nuisance. But you made Mr Manboy happy, so there’s that,” he replied.

Lynette hummed contently and more tightly wrapped her arms around Silas, startling him. “That’s good… that’s good… Thanks for everything, Silas. Especially when it comes to putting up with me.”

He tried to ignore the sudden racing of his heart as he answered back, “I’ve gotten used to it, Miss Lynette. Don’t worry too much about me.”

A/N: All canon characters belong to Poni-Pachet! I’m not going to @ the creators of the OCs I used b/c I don’t want to bother all of them, but I will of course still mention their usernames! Florentia belongs to yukinonshi (OC blog is grimm-casablanca), Nana belongs to lavendel080 (OC blog is marchenland), Liesl belongs to meilc, Hazel belongs to minoux (OC blog is house-of-fables), and Lillian belongs to quirkless-wonders (OC blog is bearwiththe-goldenheart)! Lynette and Silas belong to me! Thank you all for making such wonderful OCs; it was really fun trying to write for them! Thanks to anyone who read this whole mess as well! Y’all are the real MVPs today! (*≧∀≦*)

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