#gardenia grant

[elienna-and-co]

My characters by their Stardew Valley (Ridgeside Village included) spouses of choice

Elienna: Her canon love interest is the cozy anxiety doctor with kitschy decor in his room, and oh look here, Stardew Valley also has a cozy anxiety doctor with kitschy decor in his room! Doctor Harvey it is!

Blackbird: Doesn't have a canon love interest, but as a Very Angry Halfling (TM), she probably befriends Shane relatively quickly. Whether they actually fall in love, not sure, but their energies are similar enough that they actually like each other!

Francis: He definitely enjoys the flirty competition with Jeric over whose farm is better.

Hannelore: Anyone with an extremely geeky interest who will not shut up about it. In base game, most likely Emily, because blue hair, but I could also see her going for Maru or Sebastian or Abigail or Sam or Kenneth or Philip or...

Flick: Oh I think we're going to have a fight over Emily, seeing as how in Abomination Vaults Flick has a huge crush on Wrin the cute astrology shopkeeper, but then they went on a date that Wrin didn't know was a date, and now Flick is too embarrassed for anything else romantic.

Soleil: They encounter Alissa singing in the Liden family orchard and tell her "your voice is magical" and they are just as enchanted by her as everyone else is enchanted by them.

Gardenia: She takes Alex from Haley just because she can. She's kind of like Jolene that way. I don't think she even likes Alex all that much. She doesn't like anyone other than herself that much.

[citizenscreen]

Neil Simon's “The Prisoner of Second Avenue", starring Peter Falk, Lee Grant, and Vincent Gardenia, opened at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on Broadway #OnThisDay in 1971. Directed by Mike Nichols.

[depresssant]

hades!reader x persephone!geto

also, geto has purple eyes in this bc he originally has purple eyes in the manga.

i love my glorious wife sm 😫

⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤

you liked to think that you had some semblance of control over some aspects of your life.

you were a goddess⏤ruler of the underworld, at that, but sometimes, frustration crept up into your mind and heart like a constricting snake. it made you want to scream, and tear, and blow everything to bits because this wasn't the life you picked for yourself. what? to be overworked to the bone and taken for granted? shit, you felt like the corporate lawyer for olympus, always cleaning up their messes and doing all the dirty work that they didn't want to do.

so, it was frustrating.

you were tired, and done with everything, and just always angry, but this?

this topped it all.

you didn't even bother to glance at the man standing before you. your hand held your pen so tightly it snapped in half. you wanted to yell. you wanted to scream. you wanted to run away. however, that wasn't you.

tossing the shattered pen pieces to the side and making it vanish into thin air, you gave your husband your signature shit-eating grin and leaned back in your office chair. "so what is this? an audience or a little preview of your next play?"

geto suguru titled his head with an expression on his face that you really couldn't decipher. "i assumed you would be a little more eager to see me after being taken from you. i was gone for six straight months."

the mere sight of him pissed you off.

"what can i say, princess? i'm a busy woman. my entire schedule is packed to the brim for ruling over a bunch of⏤you know, dead people⏤so i'm sorry if i cant drop by to say hi. i don't have time for such silly matters."

"it's strange, really." he took a step forward, and there was some strange tone in his voice. you never were good with emotions. "i was gone for six months. kidnapped. my mother took me back so easily it was almost as if... you orchestrated it all."

"..."

"tell me the truth, [name]. it was you who ordered my kidnapping, right?"

"you're... RIGHT! tada! congratulations!" using your magic, you made little bursts of fire combust into ember-like sparkles that imitated confetti. seriously, it took him that long? all this waiting for him to get the hint was finally kicking in! "i hate it break it to you, but you're not bonnie, and i'm not clyde. honestly, i was waiting for you to get the hint. i mean, come on! a god like you doesn't belong in a place like this. all booring and draaab, am i right?"

geto only gazed at you blankly as you rambled off and paced all about the office. there was a vase full of fresh gardenias right on your desk, but it was strange. you weren't the type of person to have flowers in your office. the strong smell of sweet cologne filled the air, and that jacket draped on your chair wasn't yours. no, geto had gone through your plain closet before, and he had never seen a beige jacket like that. 

"who did you have in here?"

you paused mid-word and chuckled. "you sound a little on edge. a friend of mines came over. why? oh, wait! are you jealous, princess? don't worry⏤"

"no. no, i am not."

huh?

the man walked over to the flower vase and grabbed one of the gardenias, just to crush it with his hand. a tight-lipped smile painted his lips, but his eyes darkened. the temperature seemed to have dropped, and the air just changed.

darkly.

"you can have as many lovers as you want. i'll just kill each and every one of them." his tone was low. threatening. "you can torment me as much as you want, i'll still be here."

"i'm sorry? i'm not following?"

"nanami. that's his name, right?"'

okay. why was he was acting strangely. you expected the kidnapping to piss him off, but it wasn't to this extent. and why was he bringing up your friend? he thought you were having an affair. well, he wasn't wrong.

your grin dropped, and you moved to light a new cigarette.

"you'll kill my lovers?"

"so you are having an affair!"

"what about it?"

geto's eyes narrowed, and he tossed the vase across the room. "we're married!"

"you think i want to be married to you? if i could, i would've divorced you straight to tartarus by now! yes! i orchestrated your kidnapping to make zeus realize i don't give a shit about you! i would give up my immortality before even starting to think of you as my real husband!"

catching the vase, you placed it back on your desk. damn it, you had enough of this. he was wasting all of your free time by throwing this little tantrum! why did he care about your business? this marriage was nothing but a business arrangement from zeus himself! his mother didn't want him married to you as much as you didn't want to be married to him. it was her idea to kidnap him, anyways. all your life, you had no control over the decisions made regarding you, so you didn't want to let geto suguru become another example.

and why was he bothered about all of this?

he hated you.

... right?

you turned back to look at geto with a sigh, but he cut you off the second you opened your mouth to speak.

"do you want to know what future the fates offered me?"

"geto, look⏤"

before you could react, he shoved you down to the floor and caged you in between his hands. there was wild look in his lavender-colored eyes, but you didn't push him away. you couldn't.

"the fates offered me the perfect future... with you!" your husband whispered in your ear. "all i have to do is get rid of anybody that will threaten it."

"suguru, i love you. you know that. please, this is⏤"

the man chuckled and shook his head. his hand moved to caress your cheek and, well, your lower lip. "don't try to sell me your smoke and mirrors. i know you're bound by divine contract."

his voice felt like iron bars caging you on the spot.

"you can't use your powers on me without the intention of good, and you have to stay with me forever. what's with the look on your face? you thought i was just some dumb himbo that was unaware of everything?"

"..."

"but that future the fates showed me? it's perfect. you and i will never be apart. all i have to do is just take care of a few things. starting with that nanami of yours."

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Ann Sothern (A Letter to 3 Wives, The Blue Gardenia)_ Another unsung comedienne of the 30s and 40s, not enough people know about Ann Sothern. She was, along with her bestie Lucille Ball, originally a Goldwyn gal, but was soon a featured star in pictures. She even headlined a series of films, the Maisie movies. And though she was known for her comedies, but I fell in love with her after her dramatic role in A Letter to 3 Wives. I also absolutely love her in the noir murder mystery The Blue Gardenia. She was absolutely stunning, and I am always excited to find a movie of hers to watch. She's high on my list of "Why don't more people talk about her?" actresses

Ruth Hussey (The Philadelphia Story)— I would ditch Cary Grant, James Stewart AND Katherine Hepburn to marry Liz in the Philadelphia Story

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut]

Ann Sothern:

She was so beautiful and had great comedic timing!

Ruth Hussey:

[the-marigold-reception]

Hi! I was wondering if you could do Mordecai writing a love letter confessing his feelings to his love interest. I believe he wouldn’t be as poetic as Rocky, but since he is so into reading and talking with big words I do think it would be a little dramatic letter. Just a paroxysm of everything he may feel.

If you don’t like that idea, how about him as a secret admirer? (As you may have noticed, I am quite a big fan of love letters, lmao). How he would struggle to leave his letters without being seen and the way he would try to get his crush to say anything about it while not looking suspiciously involved.

Thank you very much. Your page is my favourite, so I hope you don’t mind taking one of my ideas.

To Whom It May Concern,

I have admired you for some time now, and I must confess my feelings. Your presence captivates me, and I find myself thinking of you incessantly. I harbor a deep affection for you that cannot remain unspoken any longer.

Yours Truly,

A Secret Admirer

It takes him a while to actually place the letter somewhere you’ll find it

He’s so nervous to be this vulnerable about his emotions

When he finally posts the letter into your letterbox, in the dead of night, fully decked out in black so no one- not even you would be unable to spot him

The next night he’ll come back and see the letter is gone- now he knows the waiting game is afoot

He won’t have to ask you if you’ve received any weird mail because you’ll come straight to him

(He’s very happy that you depend on him for help with simple things)

“Mordecai! I got this letter and I realllllly want to know who it is- can you help me draw up a systematic chart of likely to unlikely?”

The strong urge to tell you it’s him starts there

But he is flattered when you write his name down first out of anyone-

If you don’t figure it out after the first letter, he’ll send you another

To Whom It May Concern

It is with a trembling hand and an eager heart that I pen these words to you. The world around us is a tempest of change and noise, yet in your presence, I find a sanctuary of calm. The bustle of the city, the clamor of the jazz bands, all fade into a distant murmur when I am with you. It is as if time itself pauses, granting us a stolen moment of eternity.

How I wish I could express these feelings openly, but alas, the constraints of our world bind me to the shadows.

Yet, let this letter serve as a beacon of my affection, a silent testimony to the depths of my devotion. Until the day we can walk freely under the sun, I shall remain, faithfully and fervently,

Yours, in silence and in longing.

He’s a bit worried about what your reaction will be when you figure out it’s him

If you figure out it’s him-

You definitely know

You snuck into his office and checked the penmanship, the speech pattern was the same as Mordecai’s and he’d started to get increasingly nervous around you

One day a letter is slid under Mordecai’s office door whilst he’s working

To my Longing Admirer

Your letter found its way to my heart as surely as a sunbeam pierces through the morning mist. Your words, so tender and earnest, have stirred within me a curiosity and a longing I can scarcely describe.

It is with a blend of trepidation and exhilaration that I respond to your heartfelt confession. The sentiments you have shared resonate deeply with my own unspoken dreams and desires. Though the world may impose its boundaries upon us, I find myself yearning to transcend them, if only for a moment.

Might we dare to meet, and allow our hearts the luxury of true connection? If it pleases you, let us rendezvous at the Serendipity Tearoom on the corner of Elm and Rose, this Saturday at three o'clock. There, amidst the soft murmur of whispered secrets and the delicate clink of teacups, we may find solace in each other's company.

I shall be the one with a single gardenia, tucked gently in the folds of my dress. Until then, I remain,

Yours in hopeful anticipation,

An Enchanted Soul

[should I do a Part 2?]

[famwhy]

Midnight Gardenias

Tangerine X Reader

Word Count: 3,439

Warnings: cussing, blood, little bit of gore (not too much detail), alcohol

This fic was inspired by the amazing @aeaean--bliss and their fic maybe. Please go check it out if you haven't already - it's a really good read, I promise 🙏

Weeks.

It had been weeks since he last texted. Weeks since he asked where you were. Weeks since you've had any form of contact with him.

Stupid. That's what it was. All of it. It was all so stupid.

Sure, you did kind of tell him to leave but that didn't mean you wanted him to leave your life. Granted, he wasn't a mind-reader but still. He should've used common sense to gauge as much.

Now that he was gone, ironically enough, you were just constantly being tortured with thoughts of him, him, him. Just him.

When you went to the ice cream parlour the other day, a man behind the counter had a tash and you couldn't help but think that Tan's was a hundred times better. Similarly, when you heard a hint of a British accent that sounded more Northern, you compared it to the Brit you knew's accent - quite obviously preferring it over the random man. 

Hell, you couldn't even watch a West Ham game without thinking of him and his stupid socks with the logo printed onto them. West Ham was supposed to be your favourite football team, not something that reminded you of him!

And it was so dumb - it was just so dumb - that you were probably the only one suffering; that your feelings were probably left unreciprocated. It hurt so much. It felt like a giant claw ripped through your flesh to grab at your heart and dig its sharp teeth into it, all-the-while Tan stood there, watching with a scoff of derision, mocking you for falling in love with him like the little shit he was.

Frustration couldn't even begin to describe what you felt towards your whole situation. 

"Dammit, what was I gonna do again?"

Ah, that's right, you were about to watch The Mandalorian.

God, you wished you had a man like Mando. A caring guy who was sort of stand-offish but not to a degree where he was a complete jerk; more so to the perfect degree of optimum mysterious-ness any girl would want in a guy. And the fact that he was a good dad added like, a hundred more attractive points to his list of desirable traits.

But nooo, you just had to get a guy who was so in over his head with every action he did, it was atrocious.

A continuous 'beep!' coming from your fridge had your foggy eyes clear up and scan through the open capsule for what you originally wished to source out. Unfortunately, it was almost completely empty. How wonderful.

"When will life ever go my way?"

With a swing of your arm, you slammed the door shut.

Now, you wished you could say that you saw it coming and were able to move out of the way just in time but— that would just be a lie. It had all happened way too fast.

The wobbling of the fridge as the door shut; the container at the top abruptly being thrown off balance; and the sharp spike of pain that erupted from the top of your scalp.

"Argh! Shit!"

That hurt like a bitch.

As your hand slowly rose up to rub against your poor head, a small 'ding!' came from your phone.

Seemed as though something wanted your attention.

Jerk r u home rn? 12:35 p.m.

What's this? Did someone decide they were suddenly on speaking terms with you again?

The thought had you rolling your eyes.

Jerk Y/N, i don't have time for games 12:37 p.m.

Ha, this was coming from the same guy who just loved to play games with your mind when it came to his feelings.

Just who the hell did he think he was? Going AWOL on you for a couple of weeks just to hit you up with a text at twelve-thirty in the night asking if you were home; as though he didn't just torture you with thoughts on whether or not you messed everything up and caused him to leave you for good; as though he wasn't causing you to lose your fucking mind trying to decipher what the fuck he meant whenever he parted his lips to say something just to not say anything at all; as though he wasn't the only thing on your mind since you first met all that time ago.

Ridiculous. His audacity was utterly ridiculous.

Well... from the looks of things, it seemed like he wasn't going to send another text.

Good riddance.

Him and his pride could go fuck themselves.

Jerk love, please, i need you 12:41 p.m.

He left you alone for weeks without any form of contact, weeks without any sort of apology.

He stepped all over you like a fucking doormat; left your body aching from head-to-toe from the constant rejection; had your eyes bulging out from how desperately you didn't want to give him your tears.

You should hate him.

So then, why...?

...why was it that you found your fingers gliding across the screen as soon as you registered that last text in your head?

He needed you.

He'd never said that before.

Maybe...

Maybe you could—?

You yh, i'm home 12:41 p.m.

No response, just a simple 'read' underneath - of course. Why did you even let yourself hope for anything more?

No sort of elaboration, nothing. Just left you in the dark with no explanation whatsoever for why he asked that question.

Weeks of not talking or contacting you at all and then he just hit you with that. He was probably on his way to freeload off of you right now.

Pathetic. Not just him, but you too. How could you let him bounce off of you like that? He was a fucking leech and you just let him drain you dry.

You almost didn't notice when there was a knock at your door - whoever it was could wait—

—except, no, apparently they couldn't - for, not long after, the knocks turned into several slams done in rapid succession. Those, paired with the migraine you were starting to get for trying to decipher the indecipherable, made for a killer ache inside your head; one that was really starting to grind your gears.

The knocking continued.

"Fucking— I'm coming, alright?!"

You grumbled under your breath, bitter feelings for the man you loved seeping into your current mood; ready to be unfairly unleashed onto the poor individual stood at your door.

"What the fuck do you...?" You trailed off, one hand against the handle of your now-open door, one hand losing its grip on your hip to flop by your side as you gazed on in astonishment.

There, stood before you, was Tangerine. Though, that wasn't what surprised you.

No, instead, what surprised you was the darker patch of blue on his waistcoat and the crimson seeping through his white undershirt, staining it and causing it to look grossly soggy. 

He was hurt.

"Holy shit! You're bleeding."

"Is that so? I didn't fucking notice."

He hissed the sentence out, venom coating his tongue and frustration written clear on his visage - directed straight at you as though you were the one in the wrong here. The fucking audacity.

You parted open your mouth, ready to yell at him through unfiltered lips; burning with bottled up rage that was ready to spill over like a witch's wicked brew in a cauldron when— 

"Argh! Fuck me!"

His knees started to buckle and his legs nearly gave out as he winced, buckling over with both muscular arms wrapping around his gut. The sight was foreign to your eyes. You had never seen him so weak.

"Holy shit," you cussed again, moving to aid him back up.

Of course, him being the stubborn little shit he was, he damn near pushed you away as soon as you offered up help. Luckily, he lost too much blood for the push to actually do anything. 

...was it appropriate to call that lucky?

While you would have loved to ponder your fucked up morality further, the sticky substance that soaked through your fingertips seemed to call for your attention with a higher priority.

"Holy shit—" the cold substance ran down your arm, "—what the fuck? I should call the ambulance at least."

"No."

His voice was stern and abrupt; callous and uncaring. His brows had furrowed so deeply and his expression became near-deadly. He had never looked at you with such animosity before. It caused a pang of pain to shoot through your heart.

Just how much did you not know about this man?

"Argh! Fuckin' 'ell!"

He winced, eyes screwing shut and expression loosening up into one you would describe as more vulnerable than before.

Vulnerable was something you were around him, not the other way around. It felt strange. It felt wrong.

"You gonna let me in or have me fuckin' bleed out 'ere, love?"

"Shit."

Similarly to how he aided you back when you last saw each other - you looped one of his arms around your neck, the cold metal of his rings sending familiar, pleasant shivers down your spine, and helped carry him inside by shifting a majority of his weight onto you. It was almost a little funny how the role reversal came into play. If you were delusional, you might have even called it fate.

Lucky you weren't delusional.

"Jesus-fuckin'-christ," he cussed, anger as prevalent as ever while you slowly laid him down on the soft, plush couch, "can't believe that fucking bastard got me."

The blood was still seeping through his wound, not quite gushing out but certainly leaving an impression on your poor couch.

The wound was huge and utterly ugly. For a moment, you wondered what it would feel like if you had obtained it.

Your heartbeat picked up its pace. Perhaps you shouldn't have imagined that.

"What the fuck? What the fuck?!"

His pained expression wasn't making things any better— just what on Earth did he get himself into?!

"Holy shit! I should call Lemon at least, right?!"

"He's busy."

"He's busy?!" You stared at him, utterly bewildered, "what on earth could he be doing that stops him from helping out his injured brother?!"

He didn't respond, only choosing to grunt as he shifted in his seat.

It was stupid - utterly stupid - that he thought it was perfectly fine to pull up to your house in the middle of the night, crimson seeping out his stomach like a luscious waterfall only seen in fantasy movies, knock on your door, and stumble into your house while denying you the right to call the ambulance - the very organisation that was made to deal with these types of messes!

"Tan, do you know how fucked up this is?!"

He didn't respond again. Whether or not it was on purpose, you were unsure of. That wound was probably hindering his ability to speak but, knowing him, he also probably didn't wish to either.

"Fuck. Okay, okay—" you took in a deep breath through your nose, "—okay. Lemme just..."

Your knees thudded against the ground and your hands reached out, fingertips curling around his now-red, linen shirt.

"How did you even get so hurt in the first place?"

It had been an off-handed comment, whispered as such. You weren't expecting an answer so - when his hand shot to your own and clenched it with such strength, you had gasped and winced - to say that you were surprised would be an understatement.

His grip loosened not long after and your eyes trailed from his wound to his face, making contact with the softened hues that were almost laced in... desperation?

"Love, no."

At first, you thought he was talking about treating his wound - but that didn't make sense. If he didn't want you to treat his wound - to help him - he wouldn't have come to your house in the first place.

No, he must've been talking about your question. Of course he wouldn't want you to know how it happened. What did you expect?

"Fine," you lamented, "I won't pry. Just... let me help you."

He paused for a moment, as if letting the thought load, before ultimately letting go of your hand and leaning back - another wince making its way onto his face.

You took that as a sign to lift his shirt - and boy was it a sight to see.

Luckily, there didn't seem to be any green so it was most likely not infected, meaning he still had a shot to live. The wound was large but you were no medical expert, you had no clue whether or not he could die from it and, quite frankly, you didn't wish to find out.

"What's the ma'er, love? Can't handle a bi' of blood?"

How he had the capacity to be his snarky self while this injured was beyond you.

"No, I've just never seen such..." you trailed off, searching for the word, "...copious amounts of it."

"Ya get used to it after awhile."

Ha, so this wasn't new, was it? Made sense, you were freaking out more than he was and he was the one with the excruciating wound.

"How do I...? How do I treat it?"

He rose a brow. "You don't know how to treat a wound?"

"Hey, I got a degree in law, not medicine."

He grunted, shifting up a little. "D'you have a first-aid kit on ya?"

"Never had the need for one. I have bandages though?"

"No use if the wound i'n't clean." He sighed. "What about alcohol?"

You rose a skeptical brow.

"Not for me— well, it is for me but not in the way you think." He then gave you a pointed look. "I know you have alcohol on ya, you've always 'ad a problem with it."

Perhaps the timing was inappropriate but, you could feel your stomach flutter at the prospect that he remembered such a trait about you.

"Yeah, I've got some in the kitchen."

He nodded and you pushed yourself back onto your feet, gaze trained onto the entrance of your kitchen. 

"Stay here."

"Yeah, well, I'm not fuckin' goin' anywhere, am I?"

"Really? Because with how you've been gone for the past few weeks, I'm inclined to believe that - even with a wound like that - you would get up and leave as soon as I turn my back on you."

His jaw stiffened and you could see it; you could see the urge to talk resting on his tongue. But - like always - he refrained from saying another word.

How disappointing. But then again, not unexpected.

You trudged to the kitchen, bare feet making contact with the cold ground as you stepped upon the white tiles that had slowly gone grey as the years went by, monotonous just like your life once was before you had the pleasure of meeting Tan. You couldn't exactly say you wished to go back to it.

Every day you would wake up, get ready, go to work, go home, then go out. Each time looking for a new guy to latch onto. The colours of your world back then were different to now, you couldn't say they were more vibrant or any less dazzling but you could say they were different. Back when you weren't hung up on a guy who had the balls to show up to your door at midnight with a huge, gaping wound in his stomach.

You tugged yourself away from your thoughts to retrieve the large, glass bottle resting at your top cabinet; fingers lacing around the rim with a certain level of experience only seen in an alcoholic. Many would describe you as one. You would too.

"Alright," you spoke, making your way back towards the male, "I've got it. Now what?"

"What d'you think? Pour it over the wound."

You could go without the snark.

With a roll of your eyes and a small huff, you crouched back down beside him, slowly lifting his shirt and dark waistcoat to once more observe the injury. That thing was really horrible to look at.

As you took the sight in again, his gaze trailed to your phone, still open with the texts you exchanged displayed clearly on the screen, and he rose a brow.

"'Jerk'? You havin' a laugh, love?"

"Yeah. And it's a damn good one too."

He just rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious, Tan. You left me hanging for weeks - almost a month - and then you come knocking on my door at midnight with blood all over you? What the fuck do you want from me?"

"Nothin', I don't—" he winced and let out a grunt as you poured the liquid onto the hole, "—don't want nothin'."

You didn't believe him. Not for a second.

"Really?"

"Look, dahlin', I really don't wanna do this right now."

"Too bad—" you gave him a pointed look, "—because we're doing this. Right here. Right now."

"I just said I don't wanna fuckin' do this."

"Yeah? And I don't give a fuck what you want right now."

"Love— argh! Fuck!— please."

"No, I—"

"Fuckin' 'ell," he cut you off, venom practically hissed through gritted teeth, "are you deaf or some'n? Just close your bloody mouth."

The room fell into dead silence. Not a word was spoken, not a chirp in the air - just the incessant ticking sounds of your clock echoing in the background, reminding you that - though you were going through the most frustrating thing right now - time still moved regardless. No one cared. 

Once again, like the street lamps had back when you were in his car, your lights coated him in that warm blanket of orange. You just wanted to scream at them for being so misleading, for trying to trick your mind into thinking this man was anything but cold and ruthless.

Ha, you were going mad. Wanting to yell at an inanimate object? As if.

You stood abruptly, walking over to a nearby shelf to slide open another cabinet with a roll of gauze inside before silently returning to the couch - sight set on covering his wound. You may have just had an argument, but you were no monster.

Then, he spoke again.

"You changed up the house a bit since I last came."

'Oh, is that so?' you wanted to say, 'who gives a fuck?'

His attempt at a conversation was pathetic. He was pathetic.

'You're pathetic.' you longed to tell him.

But instead, you opted to muttering, albeit a little bitterly, "wanted to spruce the place up a little."

'Anything to distract me from you.'

​​​​​"It's nice." He hummed before going silent.

Your nails then dug into the edge of the gauze, pulling and prodding at it until a corner gave way before you were able to further force it apart.

"Sit up. Away from the armrest." You muttered.

He did so without question or objection.

You then reached around his body - both arms mere centimetres away from embracing his abdomen; breath fanning against his toned chest and nose barely grazing his skin - before sticking the gauze onto his back and winding it around to his front.

"Ya go'a do it a li'le harder than that, love."

You frowned before tugging, with way more force than necessary, and adding, "this hard enough for ya?"

His wince made way for a small, fleeting feeling of satisfaction to blossom in your chest. A small bit of revenge for the acres of pain he had caused you these past couple of weeks.

Served him right.

You didn't say a word when you were done, didn't even give a snide look that would blatantly tell him what you were thinking. Just pulled away, one hand clenching tightly around the gauze, one hand reaching out for your phone.

He only spoke again when you reached the door frame, hand placed on it in the same position as his once was, back facing him and eyes trained on your staircase.

"For what it's worth, love, I really am sorry."

Yeah. You were too.

[helps-the-writing-brain-go]

More Imaginary Captain Marvel AU bits

Billy jumps off the Magic Train (the title in proper caps, because little Billy knew important things, wonderful things were always thought of as such), barely wobbling as he made it over the large gap between the gleaming chrome beast and the dirty, crumbling platform of the station.

The train hisses, sputtering steam that seemed to tousle Billy's hair, making the boy giggle. (In truth, the Train looked like a modern thing and hence should have no steam, but really, who was there to judge aside from a delighted little boy what a Magic Train desired to do?)

Billy turns on heel, the warm, bright light that had since made its home in his chest smoothening the movement, almost-there warm, phantom hands bracing at his shoulders before letting go. Billy grins even wider before waving the Train off to wherever it was that Magic Trains went when they weren't ferrying little boys to and fro from Wizards to the Mundane World.

"Bye! Bye-bye! Thank you for carrying me Mr. Train!" He shouts and the train whistles loudly in farewell (even despite it having no whistle), and races off, sparks of all colours of the rainbow shooting off the rails, leaving the scent of ozone and the ground right after rainfall.

Billy keeps waving until the train is out of sight, then leaves the platform himself, his tiny body shooting off like an arrow, years of familiarity guiding his steps.

The low light sifting through the holes in the roof after the Train had gone had let Billy know all he needed to. It was getting dark, and even little boys who'd been granted an Amazing Thing should know better than to be out in the open after dark.

He makes to turn a corner, (that street is always dark, the streetlights near it never having been fixed, but Billy knows it, so he's not that scared of it-), but hears his Papa's voice whisper:

'Not that way today, Champ.'

And Billy listens, hand fisting over his heart and the pulsing, warm glow that shone ever brighter.

His Papa nudges him a little more as he goes and he makes it home in good time, and even better yet, had the wonderful fortune of passing by a generous baker, who, having not sold a few baked odds and ends left at the end of the day and who had been surprisingly full himself, had taken one look at little Billy crossing the street and happily gifted them to him instead. (Somewhere in the back of his mind, the scent of bread intertwines itself with other comforting smelling things like Ms. Polly's gardenia perfume, the down of feather boas, inks and papers and burning sands-)

Billy, having arrived, carefully unlocks the door to his apartment, shoving hard to make sure it is in place and locked before he putters over to the corner of the tiny room that served as the kitchen.

His Mama is the one that comes out to help this time. He can't hear her, but he can feel her warm prescence at his back, her arms over his as she plates his bread all pretty and radiates such a feeling of pride at him for managing to keep everything so clean despite his circumstances that Billy's face is nearly all the way pink, flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and pride. (Other bits and pieces cheer him on too, someone laughing gaily and complementing his fine manners, another brief sensation of a person petting his head for a job well done and-)

Billy washes up, then sits at the table with the lone chair he'd salvaged and fixed from the building one over's trash, with mismatched legs and lets himself revel in the warm feeling, like hugs inside and out as he eats, his mind and body filling with something even more wonderful than food.

He knows, kind of, that these aren't really people, aren't really his parents, but at the same time they aren't not people and his parents. Or so Billy understood from what the agitated Wizard had tried to tell him.

Billy knows now that when the Wizard had tried to give him Powers, he'd meant for him to be a Hero, a Protector of Magic and its Balance and of the Rock of Eternity itself. He'd seen the comic peeking out of Billy's bag and been confident in how the Powers of Shazam would take shape in the little boy. Unfortunately, the comic had been more a gift and Billy's idea of heroes, nebulous as it was, came from his father's words about kindness and goodness and from the dozens of bits of kindness offered to him from people around him that had shaped him and let him live till today. Billy idolized heroes like Superman and Batman and Wonder Woman, but in his heart of hearts, heroes had meant something entirely different.

So when Billy had said Shazam's name...it hadn't been Billy, stylized as a Hero version of himself that had emerged, but a Hero born of all the other people, experiences and kindness he had ever been exposed to. Captain Marvel was someone wholly Billy and yet not. Built from his memories, from his experiences and Heart, based off his form yes, but also from the amalgamation of the other people who Billy had thought of as true heroes.

On the one hand, Tawky Tawny, who had spawned in at the Wizard's palpable confusion and almost-distress, had commented that Billy would be far safer with the Captain quite far removed from who Billy truly was, but was also shot down by the Wizard's own assertation that with Him not being entirely based on Billy's good heart as Shazam had picked, meant that he could be unpredictable, that he might turn as-

Well, Billy hadn't quite heard the last bit as the Wizard disappeared in a shower of sparks, leaving his funny robes and hat behind. Tawky had looked terrible sad for a single, deep moment, before covering it up and ushering Billy away back to the train.

"What's done is done." he had said and mentioned that in place of the Wizard, Tawny would help watch over Billy and the strange Captain that had been borne from him.

[deltablitz]

↷ 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 - [Pokémon x Reader]

↳ Before Requesting;

     Please note the following;

Please don’t request NSFW (smut, lemons, limes, etc.) of any kind, thank you.

 I write these in my free time, so I apologize for any sort of delay when releasing any content.

Please specify if you want an imagine / headcanons / one-shot (or more).

Don’t be afraid to mention another character / request for another character that’s not on the list. Keep in mind I only write for Pokémon people!

I mostly write for in-game characters, but feel free to request any characters from the anime!

I do not own Pokémon nor any of the characters by any means. All rights go towards Nintendo, Creatures, Game Freak & Satoshi Tajiri- as well as their amazing teams that brought us Pokémon!

↳ Characters I Write For;

     KANTO; Gary, Blue, Red, Ash, Misty, Brock, James, Jessie, Lance, Erika, Koga, & Sabrina

    JOHTO; Silver, Falkner, Clair, & Will

     HOENN; Brendan, May, Roxanne, Brawly, Flannery, Winona, Wallace, Steven Stone & Wally

     SINNOH; Lucas, Dawn, Barry, Gardenia, Fantina, Volkner, Cynthia, Mars, Jupiter & Saturn

     HISUI; Akari, Rei, Cyllene, Laventon, Kamado, Adaman, Arezu, Mai, Melli, Irida, Palina, Ingo, Volo & Cogita

     UNOVA; Hilbert, Hilda, Nate, Rosa, Cheren, Bianca, N, Hugh, Cilan, Chili, Cress, Lenora, Elesa, Skyla, Drayden, Iris, Marlon, Grimsley, Alder, Ingo & Emmet

     KALOS; Calem, Serena, Alain, Shauna, Tierno, Trevor, Viola, Grant, Korrina, Clemont, Valerie, Olympia, Siebold, Malva, Diantha, Sycamore & Alexa

     ALOLA; Elio, Selene, Hau, Lillie, Gladion, Kukui, Burnet, Lana, Kiawe, Mallow, Olivia, Kahili, Guzma, Nanu & Lusamine

     GALAR; Victor, Gloria, Hop, Bede, Leon, Sonia, Milo, Nessa, Kabu, Oleana, Marnie, Piers, Bea, Allister, Gordie, Melony, Raihan, Peony, Klara & Avery

     PALDEA; Florian, Juliana, Nemona, Arven, Atticus, Brassius, Eri, Giacomo, Grusha, Iono, Jacq, Katy, Larry, Mela, Ortega, Penny, Sada, Turo, Ryme & Tulip

↷ What I Write

     Forms Of Writing; Imagines, Textfic, Crack, One-Shots, Headcanons, & Songfics

     Relationships; Romantic ( s/o, crush, etc. ), Platonic ( friend, family member, rival, enemy, etc.)

     Genres / Types; Fluff, Angst, Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Rivalry, Character x Reader x Character, Jealousy, Isekai, Forbidden Love, Crossover, Darkfic, Alternate Universes, Unrequited Love, & Hurt/Comfort

          ↳Note; Other types of genre may be unlisted.

↳ Work(s);

     KANTO; None Yet

     JOHTO; None Yet

     HOENN; None Yet

     SINNOH; None Yet

     HISUI; None Yet

     UNOVA; None Yet

     KALOS; None Yet

     ALOLA; None Yet

     GALAR; None Yet

     PALDEA; None Yet

↷ ‘ ‘ Now get on out there, trainer! ’ ’

[pakhnokh]

What's gentians mean?

It's a type of flower according to MDZS novel, it's the flowers that bloom where the house that used to belong to Lan Wangji's mother stands. From the novel: "It was a secluded little cottage within some hidden corner of the Cloud Recesses. The Lan Sect’s residence was inside of the mountains. In its bounds, pines grew endlessly. Most of the plants were trees and grasses. It wasn’t that there were no flowers, but that the flowers were mostly pure, elegant varieties like magnolia, gardenia, and white chrysanthemum, and even then only as rare, decorative glimpses. Yet, the area before this house was filled with purple gentians. The buds were small while the color was brilliant, gaining the love of whoever passed. Under the light, it seemed to glow softly, as beautiful as a dream, an illusion." In "House of Gentians", Wei Wuxian agreed to marry Lan Wangji, and Lan Wangji does exactly what he wanted to do, "hide him and shelter him", by letting him live in the house that belonged to his mother. By doing this he does what his father did to his mother, by letting her live in that house and never go out - she committed a crime just like WWX but he was able to grant her life but take away her freedom.

[lilyoffandoms]

My March Challenge Masterlist

So my February challenge is almost done (one more to finish if Tyril’s face decides to cooperate) and I am obsessed (putting it mildly) with flowers and the language of flowers so watch me give all the flowers to all the characters for this month @choicesmonthlychallenge haha

Elam (TCH) for me

Daisy: purity, innocence

Goldenrod: good luck, pioneering spirit

Violet: modesty, strength, gracefulness

Spring Beauties: ephemeral nature, new beginnings

Ivy: everlasting life, devotion, loyalty

Sean (ES) for @3rdstreetfrank

Forget-Me-Nots: true love memories

Mal x Daenarya (Blades) for storyofmychoices

Baby’s Breath: everlasting love

Lancelot du Lac (Guinevere)

Sweet William: gallantry

Zoey Day (MOTY) requested by @inlocusmads

Orange Zinnias: success, drive, & family bonds

Aster Nightbloom (Blades) for @dutifullynuttywitch

Ivy: endurance, faithfulness

Speedwell: travel, kindness, & loyalty

Aster: trusting

Calla Lily: magnificence (as a nod to Mr. Magnificent)

Trystan Thorne (CoP)

Gardenia: secret love

Gabriel Rose (CoP)

Black-Eyed Susan: justice

Aerin Valleros (Blades)

Zinnias: Lasting affection

Coreopsis: growth

Bachelor’s Button: hope & resilience

Gerbera: loyal love

Snapdragon: deception

Crocosmia lucifer: wicked playfulness

Rams Erndheart (TE)

Inspired by this edit

Ava Cunningham (ILITW)

Snapdragon: magic, truth-telling, & broken curse

Nyx & Luna Rose (Blades) for @storyofmychoices

Angel Trumpets: creativity/inspiration, honor granted to a higher being/power

Devil’s Trumpets: power and caution

Wind (LOA) for @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

Blackthorne: fate, protection, hope against adversity

Gabriel Adalhard (ID) for @aria-ashryver

Marigold: warmth, cheerfulness

Cosmos: stubbornness, determination, harmony, joy, peace, & resilience

Clem Hawthorne & Nolia Julivert (TPS)

Clematis: wisdom, travel, & determination

Magnolia: nobility, perseverance, & dignity

Adan McIntyre (AME)

Sunflower: loyalty & abundance

Poppy: peace & hopeful future

Lily of the Valley: happiness, luck, & love

[elienna-and-co]

"if I think of myself as Lady Grant, with all of her vanity and vindictiveness"

Because Soleil is neither vain nor vindictive, nope, definitely not

[yutopia-eleftheria]

Favorite Pokémon Trainer of Each Type Meme

When I went looking for some Pokémon Memes, I always find stuff like "Favorite Pokémon of Each Type", but never "Favorite Pokémon TRAINER of Each Type", so I decided to change one and turn it into that because trainers also deserves to shine

(And I think we all have a favorite Pokémon Trainer of a certain type, don't we ?)

Normal : Larry Okuba

I can't really explain why but I like this guy. He is so formal yet so funny at the same time.

Shoothout to Aloé Lenora, because she is highly underrated and I almost put her in here.

Other trainers ranked :

2. Aloé Lenora

3. Althéo Ilima

4. Tcheren

5. Norman Mitsuko Senri

6. Blanche Whitney

Grass : Barbara Mallow

I found her to be so cute and kind. Even though she is a Trial Captain, she is still a Trainer after all, so she counts ! ♥

Other trainers ranked :

2. Érika

3. Rachid Cilan Cress

4. Flo Gardenia

5. Colza Brassius

6. Percy Milo

7. Amaro Ramos

Fire : Meloco Braseco

She is way too badass ! Her entire design is *chef's kiss* ♥ Honestly though there are a lot of cool Fire Type Trainers so it was really hard to choose. I'm sorry Kabu :,(

Other trainers ranked :

2. Kabu Arwen

3. Adriane Flannery

4. Malva Pachira

5. Rubépin Crispin

6. Armando Cilan Cress

7. Kiawe

8. Max Archie

9. Adrien Flint

10. Auguste Blaine

Water : Marc Wallace

This man is too sassy for us not gonna lie xD !

2. Donna Nessa

3. Narcisse Siebold

4. Marlon Amana

5. Noa Cilan Cress

6. Ondine Misty

7. Arthur Maxie

8. Néphie Lana

9. Juan Adan

10. Lovis Wake

11. Kombu Marisco

Electric : Inézia Elesa

She is such a wonderful woman. I pretty much immeditely fell in love with her. One of my Waifus not gonna lie ♥

Other trainers ranked :

2. Mashynn Iono

3. Tanguy Volkner

4. Lem Bonnie Clemont

5. Chris Sophocles

6. Voltère Watson

7. Major Bob

Bug : Éra Katy

All the Bug Type Trainers are pretty much in the same Tier for me, but I still like Éra slightly more than the others.

Other trainers ranked :

2. Aaron Ryo

3. Hector Bugsy

4. Artie Burgh

5. Violette Panji

6. Guzma

Flying : Alizée Winona

In all honesty, I love all of the Flying type Trainers. They're all so cool in my opinion and it was one of the hardest choices to make.

Other trainers ranked :

2. Carolina Skyla

3. Albert Falkner

4. Kahili

5. Larry Okuba (Elite 4 Alternate Team)

Fighting : Élige Dendra

Mah gurl alright ! I love Élige with all my heart ! ♥ I wish I could have had a Sports teacher like her OMG ♥ Also Girl supremacy among Fighting type trainers ! ♀♥♀

2. Faïza Bea

3. Cornélia Korrina

4. Nèflie Éri

5. Mustar Honey

6. Bastien Brawly

7. Mélina May-Lin

8. Aldo Bruno

9. Pectorius Hala

10. Kunz Marshal

11. Chuck Shijima

Ground : Cayenn Rika

I'm pretty "meh" about the Ground type trainers, but Cayenn : That's my Elite 4 ! My Ground type gal ! I love her with all of my heart ! ♥

Other trainers ranked :

2. Paulie Hapu

3. Bertha Terry

4. Giovanni Sakaki

5. Bardane Clay

Rock : Alyxia Olivia

It was a hard choice because Roxanne was up there too. They are definitely the best Rock type Trainer Girls out there ♥

Other trainers ranked :

2. Roxanne Tsutsuji

3. Thaïm Rytima

4. Chaz Gordie

5. Lino Grant

6. Pierrick Roark

7. Pierre Brock

Ice : Olga Lorelei

As much as I love Zhu, Lona, or even Grusha and Sina...and Glacia OMG they're so many !!!... Anyways... the OG Ice Type Trainer that is Olga Lorelei will always hold a special place in my heart, especially with her Let's Go redesign ♥

Other trainers ranked :

2. Zhu Brycen

3. Sina

4. Lona Gordie Melony

5. Grusha Nievecima

6. Glacia Prim

7. Gladys Candice

8. Garrett Gaeric

9. Urup Wulfric

10. Frédo Pryce

11. Lilien Zinzolin

Poison : Ério Atticus

If only Mimosa Miriam was a Poison Type as I thought she was at first, she would have absolutely DOMINATED them ! But no she doesn't have a specific type lol. Most of them are ninjas and are therefore pretty cool, but I have to choose Ério because : Handsome guy behinf the mask ♥

Other trainers ranked :

2. Sophora Klara

3. Strykna Roxie

4. Jeannine Kyô Anzu

5. Koga Kyô Anzu

Psychic : Morgane Sabrina

The very first Psychic Type Trainer and Gym Leader is the best one ! She has an amazing backstory and design ! (Except for HeartGold and SoulSilver because they destroyed her...) She is still the best nonetheless !

Other trainers ranked :

2. Saturnin Avery

3. Tully Labiosa

4. Clément Will

5. Lucio Goyô

6. Percila Caitlin

7. Lévy & Tatia

8. Astéra Olympia

9. Dexio

10. Saubohne Faba

11. Travis Bede (before becoming a Gym Leader)

Ghost : Alistair

I mean who doesn't like this little boy ? He is so cute and yet can be so terrifying at the same time. By far one of the best Ghost Type Trainers ever made !

Other trainers ranked :

2. Mortimer Matsuba

3. Spectra Phoebe

4. Laïm Rytima

5. Margie Acerola

6. Kiméra Fantina

7. Anis Shauntal

8. Agatha Kikuko

Dragon : Amaryllis Zinnia

Everything in her is pure awesomness ! From her design to her purpose and her destiny, she is just too incredible ! Note that Iris was still close to her as she has one of the best glow-ups in the entire franchise.

Other trainers ranked :

2. Iris Landon

3. Peter Lance

4. Sandra Clair

5. Roy Raihan

6. Hassa Girasol

7. Dracéna

8. Solane Ryuki

9. Watson Drayden

10. Irido Drayton

11. Drake Aragon

Steel : Shehroz Peony Rose

I think you pretty much know it at this point. He is my favourite character in Galar and one of my absolute favorite characters of the franchise ! I don't care what people say, this is my opinion and I'll stick by it.

Other trainers ranked :

2. Pierre Rochard

3. Nikolaï Akuroma

4. Jasmine Mikan

5. Dhilan Peony Rose

6. Popi Llavesol

7. Nérine Amarys

8. Thyméo Wilkström

9. Charles Byron Roark

10. Molène Mullain

Dark : Rosemary Piers

Our punk girl that turns out to be an absolute cinnamon roll is in this OMG ! Not gonna lie this runs in the family : her brother Peterson is also insanely cool. But some people managed to made their way in between them...

Other trainers ranked :

2. Pieris Grimsley

3. Marion Karen

4. Peterson Piers

5. Giacomo Brôme

6. Damien Sidney

7. Dahn Nanu

Fairy : Valériane

Fairy type happens to be the most recent type added (*kof kof* DLC *kof kof* ?...) But when you come to think about it, it's been already 10 years since X & Y came out and since Fairy was first introduced ! Time flies ! And to this day, I still think that our very first Fairy Type Trainer, Johtonian now Kalosian as well, Valériane, is still on the spotlight.

Other trainers ranked :

2. Taro Lacey Elesa

3. Oléa Mine

4. Travis "Tracie" Bede

5. Sally Opal (when young she is easily above both Travis and Oléa)

6. Ortiga Mejadoha

What about you people ? Who is your favorite trainer for each type ? Let me know ; I'm curious.

[pkmn-go-to-the-polls]

ive had some people ask me when x character is gonna be showing up SO i decided made a list of all the remaining matchups and when they're scheduled to be posted!! all of these are in this blog's queue right now --

April 24:

ryme vs lucian vs georgia vs professor elm

mallow vs saguaro vs kabu vs marley vs roy

mela vs grant vs lisia vs emerald

olympia vs bianca vs chrysa vs molayne

April 25:

charon vs agatha vs raihan vs tyme vs zisu

blaine vs trevor vs arven vs nanu

cheryl vs ritchie vs steven vs serena vs scott

shelly vs sordward & shielbert vs tucker vs professor kukui

April 26:

candice vs sonia vs eri vs quillon

crasher wake vs leaf vs bugsy vs hop

elio vs lt surge vs volo vs opal

wikstrom vs iscan vs professor cerise vs katy

April 27:

chili vs marnie vs danika vs sidney

greta vs adaman vs lucas vs allister

selene vs flint vs cynthia vs gaeric

elaine vs byron vs liko vs wulfric

April 28:

bede vs juliana vs fantina vs stephan

faba vs roark vs may vs professor turo

lian vs noland vs matori vs siebold

dendra vs sorrel vs cheren vs alexa vs kamado

April 29:

kris vs bea vs sophocles vs nate

chase vs professor sada vs flannery vs peonia

winona vs drake vs barry vs AZ

volkner vs jasmine vs cogita vs salvatore

April 30:

miriam vs matt vs piers vs professor laventon vs gardenia

clay vs alain vs thorton vs glacia vs max

brycen vs ren vs green vs ethan

ortega vs palina vs samson oak vs morty

(end of round one)

[lycheeteeni]

⏳Precious Time 🕰️

I've encountered Time,

She never halted for a moment,

And I couldn't impede her pace.

She flowed like a gentle breeze,

Unyielding, endlessly straight,

Gleaming and sparkling,

As resplendent as a gardenia.

Her eyes like cinnamon, lips rose-hued,

Hair cascading in champagne waves,

Strands of gold adorned with pearls,

She stirred envy within me,

Her beauty fated to outlast mine,

A competition I couldn't win.

She would enchant every man I desired,

Determine his destiny,

Teasing me with seeming ease,

Graceful, kind, carefree,

As wise as my mother.

I brace myself for her arrival,

Longing for her departure.

"I plead, I'm at your mercy,

grant me victory just this once."

She responds, "My dear love,

Your struggle is in vain,

For you are my treasure,

A ruby in the rough,

My beloved keepsake,

Precious and rare,

Bringing boundless joy and happiness,

A divine gift,

The very essence of my radiance."

JI

11-24-20

[twilightzonecloseup]

1.03a Healer

Director: Sigmund Neufeld Jr.

Writer: Alan Brennert (credited under the name “Michael Bryant”)

Cinematographer: Bradford May

Opening narration: 

“Ah, Jackie, Jackie, you're a small-timer. A roof crawler, a poke pincher, a nickel and dime drifter with salt in your dreams and ashes in your pocket. Don't cut that wire...Jackie, don't open that window. You won't be able to jimmy yourself out as easily as you got in. That's not the big score in there. It's the Twilight Zone.”

Summary:

Jackie Thompson (Eric Bogosian) is busy at work burglarizing a museum. In an exhibit of objects on loan from El Museo Nacional de Arqueología in Mexico City,* Jackie finds a gleaming crystal. Jackie accidentally trips the alarm when opens the case for the crystal and is chased by a guard. Jackie is shot, but escapes. Hiding in an alley outside of the museum, Jackie clutches the crystal, which begins to glow. Suddenly, his wound is healed.

Later at his apartment building, Jackie’s friend and neighbor, Harry (Vincent Gardenia) has dropped dead. Jackie quickly runs to retrieve the crystal and uses it to bring Harry back to life. When Harry wakes up, he tells Jackie about his near-death experience and the two begin to hatch plans for this new-found power.

Skipping ahead, Jackie, now going by “Brother John,” and Harry have started a thriving televised faith-healing operation. Backstage, it’s clear that Harry’s mind is solely focused on growing the business, while Jackie/John is interested in helping as many people as possible. 

Here enters Duende (Joaquín Martínez), who requests that Jackie return what was stolen, explaining that it is an important object for his people** and it was only temporarily on loan to the museum. Jackie is at first amenable, but Harry shuts it down. Duende warns Jackie that this refusal was a turning point.

Back at their new mansion, Jackie and Harry get an unexpected visit from a crime boss, Joseph Ribello (Robert Costanzo). Jackie once worked under Ribello, who was a cruel employer. Now, Ribello has learned that he has lung cancer and he’s come to Jackie to ask for healing. Jackie makes Ribello grovel and asks for two million dollars payment. But, when Jackie goes to heal Ribello, the crystal doesn’t light up. Nothing happens.

Jackie and Harry leave for their TV broadcast, but Jackie is panicking that the crystal isn’t working. Harry collects someone from the line of people waiting to be healed, a deaf child. It’s now five minutes to air time, but the crystal has gone totally dark. 

Once again Duende appears backstage and explains to an angry Jackie that the healing only works permanently if the intentions of the user are unselfish—this was the turning point Duende referenced earlier. 

Jackie’s gunshot wound reappears. Jackie runs to find Harry and asks him to use the crystal on him, but Harry is too far gone. Harry plans on letting Jackie die and keeping their earnings for himself. 

Jackie collapses, but he’s been followed by the deaf child. The child heals Jackie using the crystal. And, now that he has learned his lesson, Jackie is able to grant the child hearing. Jackie returns the crystal to Duende and walks away from the theatre with a new lease on life.

Closing narration:

"Now, he is John—no longer Jackie. Perhaps not Brother John, brother to all men, but at least fit to walk among men who care. Because caring is part of the secret, the secret we all learn, that the heart cannot heal what the eye cannot see. Not even, in the Twilight Zone."

✨Support✨

*It isn’t spoken in the episode that the artifact came from a museum in Mexico City, it’s visible on a sign in the establishing shot of the exhibit. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the artifact is specifically from the area of CDMX. 

**When Duende is talking to Jackie here, he does not specify who precisely his people are. I bring this up to point out the awkward indigenous stereotypes at work in this episode. Duende is not a full-fledged character in this episode and his appearances and disappearances are presented as if they are vaguely mystical.

More about Healer:

I’m disappointed to say this so early on in my review of this series, but Healer is the first proper dud of TZ ‘85. There are worse episodes later on, but this one just doesn’t match the quality of the previous stories.

Reportedly, Alan Brennert, the writer of Healer, is in agreement with me. Brennert reworked the story for a prose short story later. I hope I can get my hands on a copy to maybe get some insight into what specific faults Brennert found in this story. Brennert places some blame on the segment’s director, Sigmund Neufeld Jr. Seeing that this is Neufeld’s only episode of the series, Brennert likely wasn’t alone in his dissatisfaction.

Healer is somehow underbaked and overdone at the same time. A cat burglar with a heart of gold, his father figure with a two-bit mindset, a particularly unkind mob boss being forced to face his own mortality are all potentially interesting archetypes to weave into a story about a stolen object with supernatural powers—but all this gels into nothing much at all. The undoubtedly talented cast is doing the best with what they are given, but there’s just not enough time given to explore anything fully. Robert Costanzo’s mob boss only has one scene! The characters never properly transcend their typage, even though, in the case of Bogosian’s Jackie, that transcendence is key for the story—as it’s told here at least.

That said, the story additionally dabbles in stereotypes of mystical indigenous people. In a different take on this story, there could be potential for some kind of conversation about cultural appropriation vs. appreciation. However, in this form, there is no attempt to address, avert, or subvert the insulting mysticizing of indigenous people and cultures.

Taken all together, the moral fable element of Healer is too shallow and polluted by stereotypes. This episode is the first indication—there’s more to come unfortunately—that TZ ‘85 doesn’t consistently reflect a progressive humane worldview for its time—something that was a fundamental aspect of TZ ‘59. (I’ll reflect more on this aspect later, as it’s a major factor in Harlan Ellison’s exit from the show.) The opening to this episode has a very direct analogue in the original series in A Nice Place to Visit (1.28). The rest of the story however, has a lot of Prime Mover (2.21) in it and touches of A Kind of a Stopwatch (5.04).

[readercognito]

Palladium x Reader

A Mortal Trial Chapter 1

(credit for image is ChinetsuAnI on Deviantart)

Masterlist

It was a wintry December evening, all the leaves had gone from the trees. Replaced with glistening piles of snow. The air was crisp, but not as cold as a snowy December could be…

Athos Palladium was always a bit melancholy around this time of year, his connection to nature always felt muted around the winter and fall seasons. But still he had to come to Gardenia and admire the unique shifts in seasons. Though that wasn’t the only reason he was in Gardenia. He had made a few friends here in this nearly magicless realm. He had been invited to a celebration by Todd, one of his oldest friends here. It was for bringing in the new year? Or something along those lines, Todd hadn’t really gone into detail when Athos was invited. All he had really said was “It’s when we celebrate the old year and welcome the new one in. You’re supposed to create resolutions for what you’re going to do in the new year, but most people use it as an excuse to get completely hammered.” Athos chose not to question it any further. Afterall it had been a while since he had left Alfea, or had a break in general so a day off to fill his falling social meter wasn’t unwanted.

Athos walked along the snowy sidewalk until he reached a brightly lit cottage-style home with a red roof. Walking up to the forest green wooden door he gave it a knock. A black haired woman opened the door with a blinding smile, it was Erika. Todds’ wife.

“Athos! How are you? I’m so glad you could come!” Erika said, bringing in Athos for a brief but tight hug.

Athos returned the hug a little stiffly, he still wasn’t used to how friendly Erika was. Granted he had only recently told both Todd and Erika that he wasn’t really a human. It was so odd to him that Erika and Todd treated him no differently. Taking it perfectly in stride, it made Athos a tad nervous just waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

Erika quickly ushered Athos inside, taking his coat and putting it in their closet. As he made his way into the living room he was met with a swath of new and mostly strange faces. Todd emerging from the small crowd, capturing Athos in yet another enthusiastic hug.

“Athos! How are ya?” Todd greeted brightly.

“I’m doing rather well-” But before he could say anything else Todd interrupted him again.

“That’s great! Why don’t you come and meet a few friends of mine. I think you’ll like ‘em!” Todd said, dragging him towards a group of people that seemed vaguely familiar.

After many new greetings and introductions to various members of Todd and Erika’s ever growing friend group. Athos was finally able to get away from all the hustle and bustle of the New Year’s party. Though he did enjoy socializing, the booze was making Todd, and his many friends, a bit unbearable. Making his way into the little porch in their backyard. He was looking at the rising moon, when he heard the same glass door open again. Choosing to ignore the slight tap of footsteps until he heard a voice.

“So, not a fan of parties?” A gentle feminine voice spoke up from behind him.

Athos turned around and paused for a moment, as his eyes landed on the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. The chilling moonlight glancing off of her hair, giving her a halo. Her eyes sparkled with the stars, but held a deep thoughtfulness. Everything about her was so like and yet alien to Gardenia.

“Not much of a talker huh?” She said again, this time a teasing grin wrinkling her brow and lifting a corner of her mouth.

“I can when I want to be.” Athos said, a playful smirk of his own crossing his lips. “Though the party chatter was becoming a bit overwhelming, I must admit.” Answering her first question with a bit of exhaustion at his friend’s antics.

“I totally get that, kinda why I stepped out here. Less good natured friend meddling. And bad drunken singing…” She then draped herself on one of the cozy outdoor plush benches that were gathered around a gas fire pit. Wincing as a shrill cry of “it’s raining men” made its way through the glass door.

Athos set himself down beside her, not really wanting to be far from this woman for some reason.

“I understand exactly what you mean…” Said Athos in an exaggerated voice of exasperation.

And with that a night of joyful and meaningful conversation commenced. Athos and the mystery woman talked well into the night, their lives, their hopes and dreams, past loves and old childhood mistakes and memories. That was until the party ended and both Athos and the woman were being ushered out the door, the woman then rushing on her own when she remembered she had an important work assignment due somewhat early tomorrow. 

Jane had had a very normal life before that new year's eve… But everything has gone weird since then. It was like everything that she wanted just happened! Like just this morning she had wanted to talk with her boyfriend overseas who had been too busy to talk to her for over a month had mysteriously video called her. They had naturally broken up over mutual loss of feelings, which was something she had wanted to do for a while now. But that wasn’t the weird part, it was how… she had just been at her computer and thinking about calling him, and bam! There he was right in front of her on skype. It was like… Magic or something…

But that hadn’t really alarmed her, she just brushed it off as a misclick or something. But she couldn’t really ignore what had happened nearly three minutes after that.

She had been getting ready for work and wanted a coffee, but she hadn’t started the pot. But just as she wished aloud “I wish a cup of coffee would just be right there on the counter.” There a fresh steaming cup of jo sat. That one hadn’t been as easy to ignore… But she had, having little things like this pop up throughout the day. After accidentally wishing a cop away who was in the middle of giving her a parking ticket she had enough. She called up Emily,

“What do you mean you have magic? I thought you had to be a fairy or something like that…” Emily said her voice crackling over the phone.

“Yeah well I’m not a fairy or anything, I don’t know what’s happening! Everything I wish for is coming true and I don’t know how to stop it!” Jane said exasperatedly.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing, I would think it’s a wish come true! eh… pardon the pun…” Emily said.

Jane groaned “Ugh, I just wish you were here so I- OH COME ON!” 

Emily stood there blinking bewilderedly in her kitchen.

“Do you see how this could be a problem!?” Jane exclaimed, waving her arms in Emily’s direction.

Emily ‘hmm’d “Yeah I can see how this can get out of hand… When did this start happening?” She asked, oddly calm about being magically transported into Jane’s kitchen.

“Just this morning, and I didn’t do anything outside of what I normally do… well except for all this magic stuff!” said Jane.

“You mean outside of the party I dragged to you last night?” Emily said. 

“That must be it! Something must have happened to me at the party! Maybe I was cursed or something!” Exclaimed Jane, jumping up from her chair at last a clue!

“Did you talk to anyone? Erika and Todd have some strange friends…” Emily said.

“Emily, come on. It’s me we're talking about here, I didn’t talk to anyone! Well…” Jane said trailing off.

Emily had that glint in her eye, much like a cat who had just trapped a mouse. “Except for that dreamy mysterious guy with blonde hair that you didn’t even get the name of.~” Said Emily.

“Yeah… Could it be him? But it’s not like I heard him cast a spell or anything… We just… talked.” Jane said, Emily smirking at the almost lovestruck tone in her voice when recalling the wonderful night.

“Ha! You’re totally smitten!” Emily laughed, having to catch herself on the kitchen counter as her mirth made her nearly topple over. 

Jane glared at her friend's mirth, as warmth started to rise in her face. She slapped Emily’s arm “Stop it! I didn’t even get his name!” She said a little frustrated and remorseful. It wasn’t that she fully regretted not asking for his name, it just wasn’t the right time. She had a boyfriend, and she had kinda crashed into the mystery mans’ alone time… But they had seemed to hit it off, and she wouldn’t mind meeting him again. But she hadn’t really done or said anything that would have caused him to curse her or something… Right?