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#people seem to like beetles lol
claypigeonpottery · 1 year
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cerealmonster15 · 2 years
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idk if i’d like to see a married wilhuff tarkin as a billion times divorced, mysterious black widower who probably killed all his late spouses himself, or just like. in happy gay love and marriage with any of his coworkers, really, but especially either krennic or vader.
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marimbles · 3 months
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happy holidays @0ellestrid0! I was your secret santa for @mlsecretsanta 💜
I don’t know much about solarpunk but I was intrigued by the concept and wanted to give it a shot! hopefully this is ok. random silly solarpunk AU ideas under the cut hehe
since solarpunk is about solar power and green/eco-friendly societal structure, I figured plants would be central to an ML solarpunk AU. it’s cool to imagine a version of Paris with lots of green areas and clever, space-saving, clean-energy solutions. I like the idea of the dupain-chengs having their own greenhouse where they grow ingredients for use in the bakery. And I wanted marinette to have her own greenhouse too where she grows plants that she uses as fibers and dyes for making clothes! So that’s what I drew here. Chat Noir likes to help marinette in her garden and he nerds out about the plants which she thinks is very cute:)
The plant in the middle is associated with ladybug and chat noir. I love sun/moon symbolism and that seemed to fit a solarpunk AU really well so I ran with it haha. in this AU I thought tikki could be a spotted sun beetle and plagg could be a black moon cat (or panther?). sun beetles would be associated with the sundrop plant (first image), and moon cats would be associated with moonflowers (second image). chat noir’s tattoo is a moonflower and in my mind ladybug would have a matching one that’s a sundrop.
The moonflower is inspired by the actual plant of the same name, which blooms only at night, except I wanted to also make it bioluminescent bc that’s cool lol. (I’ve been playing lots of tears of the kingdom and I always love the blue nightshades and silent princesses that glow blue in the dark!) irl moonflowers are actually a type of morning glory, which typically bloom in the morning in full sunlight and then close up at night. so in this AU the sundrop is the corresponding plant (since “sunflower” is already taken, haha) and it would also glow, but only during the day when it’s blooming.
I thought maybe sundrops and moonflowers could have magical effects and marinette is experimenting to discover them. maybe there’s stuff about them in the grimoire and she’s trying to unlock special powers for her and chat noir. maybe those effects and the symbolism of the plants could help her understand more about her and chat’s roles and abilities and potential and even help her discover the key to defeating hawkmoth…hmm… (I really haven’t thought too deeply about it lol I just like glowing plants)
As for their outfits…I was just trying to make them look sort of “punk”-y 😂 I feel like in all the punk AUs like steampunk, cyberpunk, etc, people are always wearing goggles and boots and aprons and vests and stuff with pockets and zippers and arm braces. So. I made a vague attempt fjdkkd
anyway thanks for humoring me with my rambling lol I hope you enjoy and that you had a good holiday!
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mejcinta · 6 months
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Helaena's Displeasure and Forcefully Taking Attention (A Body Language Study).
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Love, love, LOVE Phia's acting here. In the first picture, you can subtly see the confusion in Helaena's soft gaze the second she walks in ("Have you seen Dyana? She's supposed to dress the children..." *pauses*) and then the shock and outrage that dawns on her in the second picture, when she puts together what Aegon had done.
Her eyes are wider (notice you see more of the whites of her eyes in the second pic) and her lips are pressed into a tight, tense line as she freezes. She was displeased and shocked (the incident happened in their room!), but somewhat resigned. This is because she makes no drastic show with her body. Also, we never see her face when Alicent hugs her, although it is apparent that Aegon is staring at her while their mother comforts her.
Note that Helaena doesn't flinch from Alicent's touch this time, like she usually does. She actually *wants* the comfort this time. She must be pretty hurt.
Meanwhile, Aegon was just as stunned as Helaena when she walked in on him (his mouth fell agape, his fixed gaze on Alicent abruptly breaking to blink in surprise when Helaena appeared offscreen).
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Notice how he stared back at her, fiddling (nervously) with the sheets covering his manhood out of embarrassment, when Alicent basically confirmed to Helaena what she feared had happened.
While Aegon was indifferent with Alicent and her justified lecture, he is clearly not happy with himself at what his actions has done to Helaena.
Because he cares? Who knows. But even being the mess of a husband he is, it seems that he acknowledges his wife is blameless, spotless and innocent in every way. She's done nothing but be the dutiful wife, the dutiful mother... yet he's caused her pain and continues to do so.
Aegon could be grappling here with why he never seems to get anything right. Why he never seems to please anyone. Why he only hurts and disappoints. Why he's insufficient.
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Later at dinner, he gifts Helaena a beetle. A poor attempt at apologizing, yes, but it is all he knows, it seems, of Helaena's taste. And his characterisation so far (using ep 6 as reference for his bravado and boastfulness) is shown not to be conversant with the concept of admitting failure or defeat verbally.
Helaena plays with the beetle before dinner begins and even shows it off to Otto while they chat.
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She inspects the gift in the background when Aegon teases Jace, glimpses at him and takes a swig of her wine, giggling subtly at Aegon's sex joke. Does she find this truly funny? Is the wine loosening her up? Or is this a sarcastic/knowing laugh given what happened earlier? Who knows.
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The matter, however, seemed to have been turning in her mind. Because shortly after when she is seen thoughtfully stroking Aegon's beetle, she suddenly stands up to make the provoking toast:
"I would like to toast Baela and Rhaena. They'll be married soon. It isn't so bad...mostly he just ignores you. Except sometimes when he's drunk."
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She must have been pondering the incident with Aegon and Alicent earlier and reliving the feelings she experienced. Her outrage, disappointment, discontent and hurt finally found an outlet in that toast.
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The sigh she heaves out before sitting back down indicates that she had wanted to get things out of her chest and that speaking up had offered her some relief, even if it came at Aegon's expense lol (I think she was happy to embarrass him, personally. And she is justified).
Generally, my conclusion from this analysis of Helaena's body language is that:
1. She was pretty upset with Aegon's actions, 'ashamed' as Alicent implied earlier to Aegon.
2. Her spontaneous roast of him at the dinner, the sudden nature in which she jumped up, shows that she had in fact been brooding over the incident and was quite angry with him.
3. However, her laughter at Aegon's jokes imply that her sexual encounters with Aegon aren't forced like people want to believe. She isn't nervous beside him. In fact I'd argue Aegon is more wary of her than she could ever be of him.
4. Her understanding of sex is warped but it is clear she has her expectations and desires. That's why she jibes at Aegon's alcohol addiction. Perhaps she wishes they would bond sexually without alcohol being a necessity. Perhaps she wishes he didn't ignore her.
Her dull tone when she says "It isn't so bad mostly he just ignores you" shows that she's sad about that part of her marriage.
And when Jace gives Helaena attention in the form of asking for a dance she readily seizes the moment. Not because she likes him (this is Baela's betrothed and she clearly respects that), but because she desires to be showered with attention and if Aegon won't give it she'll take it from someone else while forcing Aegon to give HER attention.
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Aegon struggles watching Jace dance with Helaena, and he clutches Helaena's beetle... mirroring her action of stroking it.
Again, Aegon is not the kind of man to admit defeat, so he seethes instead in silence as she dances.
In Tom Glynn Carney's words Aegon didn't want Jace to win by gaining a reaction from him.
So Helaena dances to her content, fanning Aegon's anger and jealousy while also gaining HIS attention and punishing him for how he wronged her earlier.
As Alicent well put it:
"Think of the shame on your wife..."
By accepting Jace's hand, Helaena consciously or unconsciously made Aegon experience the shame she went through earlier after his cowardly action.
In a way, this whole scene is a display of power play and the rift between man and wife. Much like Alicent requesting Rhaenyra take her infant up to her chambers was a challenge of power between rivals.
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slasher-catcher · 1 year
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Spider Rings - Ch.1
Art the Clown x Reader
(Originally posted on AO3 by Frothy-Frowns -- relax, that’s my NotSFW username, I’m not ripping someone else’s work, lol)
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Summary: In cute, playful banter, you accidentally marry a strange monochromatic clown with cold eyes. Congrats! Best of luck to you on your honeymoon~
First chapter is SFW. The next one is NSFW and has two versions for either genitalia, depending on the reader’s preference. Absolutely NO minors, please.
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18 Pages/ 8,561 Words ... so, uh, a pretty lengthy read.
Warnings: ... none in this chapter really, other than Art being Art. So like.. mild stalking? General creepy vibes? Some good ol’ fluff. Accidental marriage. Maybe hinted unhealthy obsession. Swearing. This closely follows the beginning of Terrifier.
I completely threw away the whole bathroom scene because that man will NOT be getting any ass if he’s been rolling around like a dung beetle. We have SOME standards, damn. (Reader’s description isn’t enclosed, but I sorta wrote this with them being plus sized in mind, so do with that information what you will. Also Reader uses they/them pronouns.)
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“I think I just twisted my ankle!” 
“Dawn, really?” Tara laughed in exasperation, propping the stumbling scarecrow girl up on her left, tucking her shoulder underneath her arm for support. Reader took to her right, snickering along with their drunken giggling. The little group had just left a rather rowdy Halloween party just down the street, slowly making their way towards Dawn’s car parked to the curb, a ways further than the line of cars of the fellow partygoers. 
The outing sure was… something, as far as Reader could say. Parties weren’t particularly their scene, but Dawn was pretty persistent when she wanted to be (which was often, unfortunately), and Tara may or may not have bribed them with the promise of Halloween treats that were sure to be there. Reader could still taste the sweet icing of the orange and black cupcakes on their tongue. The sugary confection was certainly more welcoming than the aftertaste of a poorly made candy corn jell-o shot, anyhow. 
The feverish night seemed to slowly simmer down to a chilly crawl the further the trio walked into the night, their chatter and clicking steps being the only sound in the hushed dark. Streetlights overhead lit the stretch of asphalt, concrete and their hair a mix of blinding white and cold orange, making their wriggling shadows seem a lot taller than what they really were. “Maybe ya wouldn’t have twisted it if you hadn’t gotten on top of that table,” Reader sighed, shaking their head and readjusting Dawn’s weight on their side. Dawn only shrugged her shoulders in dismissal, blonde hair bouncing with the movement. “And dance with clearance-isle Gru and his cluster-fuck of minions on the floor?? Hard pass, babe.”
Tara groaned in mock irritation, rolling her eyes.The print of her ribcage-designed top flashed a smidge in the cool lights every time she twisted a certain way. “Thanks a lot, by the way.”
“For what?” Dawn laughed.
  “For promising you weren’t gonna get shit faced tonight.”
The girl pulled an innocent face that neither Reader nor Tara believed. “Guys kept buying me drinks. I can’t help it if people find me interesting!” “Yeah, it was definitely your mind that they were after,” Reader snarked sarcastically, earning them a swift pinch on their shoulder before Dawn fully pulled her arm off of them, retrieving her phone from her patchwork pockets. Tara easily caught sight of the cell phone’s glow and twisted her head, trying to sneak a better peek. “Who’re you texting?” Dawn raised her nose high into the air and tucked the screen against her shoulder, hiding it away from her prying eyes. “None of your business!”
Reader’s eyebrow raised as Tara pulled away from under Dawn’s arm, leaving her to fully walk without both of their support. “You gave that asshole your number, didn’t you?” Tara asked accusingly, nearly scoffing in disbelief. In hindsight, she really shouldn’t be so surprised. This was Dawn they were talking about. The girl has zero restraint for most everything that comes her way.  
Dawn wagged a finger in her face back and forth mockingly. “Oh my god, you’re SO jealous.”
“Of what? That kid was talking to like, five other girls!” 
Reader rolled their eyes and gave their head another shake. They could hardly believe that anyone would want to give their number to the meatheaded viking guy that kept purposely spilling his sticky, watered down witches brew punch on nearly all the girls at the party for a chance to chat, but Dawn was just a different breed, they reckoned. It wasn’t too long until they finally reached their designated curb, slowing down their pace when the car came into view.
“Oh, stop being such a bitch, just get in the car.” Dawn scooted past the both of them to round the vehicle, only to be stopped mid stride by Tara taking hold of her wrist. “Oh, you are not driving.” 
Dawn dangled her car keys in her hand, letting them clink and clack, as if the gesture alone proved her sobriety. “I’m fine.” Tara wasn’t having any of it. The girl herself had thrown back the odd drink or three too, but at least she could walk a decently straight line without any assistance. Well… not much, anyway. Although, those Jekyll & Gins were beginning to talk back to her.
Nevertheless, she held her hand out to Dawn expectantly. “Give me the keys,” she demanded. 
Reader nudged past them to lean against the side of the car, arms folded across their chest as they watched the two throw a minor fight over the keys, patiently waiting for them to finish. The ends of their long, billowy black sleeves fluttered from the chilly breeze that flew past. Their fingers tippy-tapped against their arms, tongue idly prodding at the little extensions they stuck onto their canines. In all honesty they were pretty impressed that the fangs had stayed intact all throughout the night – they were certain when they were sticking them on that they would pop right off in the middle of the party. Hooray for little victories! While the little group hovered around the car, across the way were a man dressed from head to toe in a clown costume, trudging along. The steps he took in his rather large black shoes padded louder the closer he walked towards them. The black trash bag that was slung over his back crinkled when his gloved grip tightened around it. After what felt like an hour – but what was definitely only a few heavy seconds – Dawn finally caved, letting Tara take the keys from her hand and slumping back into the cool metal of the car. Reader frowned in disapproval, arms crossing a little tighter against their chest when Tara gave a little stumble of her own. “Really don’t think that’s such a good idea either, girly. You smell pretty flammable yourself.” “Then why don't you drive us, Reader?” Dawn released a long, drawn out groan, beginning to lean her weight more and more on the hood of her car. It seemed like all those poison apple martinis were finally dragging her down into a full stupor. Oh boy. They sighed and scratched awkwardly at the back of their neck, fingers catching on the black lace, jeweled choker wrapped snugly around it. They sure did hope they didn’t accidentally rub off the two little fang bite marks they dotted right above it with red marker. “You already know I can’t drive. Besides, my place is nearby. Can’t very well drive you home and make it back, D.” 
 The blonde scarecrow only gave an unintelligible drunken grumble under her breath at that. 
Tara groaned and stuffed the keys into her pocket. “Yeah you’re right, Reads. I’m fucking lit. But if I get something to eat, I can drive us, okay?”
Footsteps stopped more than a few meters away from the trio, crunching leaves silencing. The clown paused when their squabbling finally reached his ears, snapping him out of the set daze he had been in. With a frown he watched them from the shadows, as silent as the night around them. Pitch black eyes studied the three persons closely, as if memorizing their images for later.
“Did you say food?? Is there even a place that’s open late?” Dawn sat up a little from her perch on the hood, a light cringe stretched across her face. Reader nodded, sticking their thumb out and pointing it in one direction. “Well there’s a pizza place just ‘round here. Could give that a go, yeah? I can stay with you guys a tick longer until you get your bearings.” 
Tara gave a short nod at the suggestion. “Yeah, that’ll work fine. Come on D, let’s-”
“Okayokayokay. Just give me… one minute.” Dawn mumbled, holding up a hand as her eyes fell closed. Reader hummed with a little concern, biting their lip until just a little fang poked out over their black painted lips. As aggravating and nerve-wracking as Dawn could be, they certainly didn’t take much pleasure in seeing her aching like this. “Fuck me,” Tara groaned, throwing her head back in annoyance, black hair spilling across her face. “Like, one minute, for real.” Dawn pleaded softly before falling silent, needing a moment.  
The skeleton gave a sigh, shifting her weight until she stood comfortable enough to wait ‘one minute’ out. Her eyes began wandering around to take in the not-so-interesting scenery before they caught sight of someone in the shadows. Her brows furrowed as she stared at the tall, thin clown standing stock still, a rotten toothed grin stretched across his face and accented with heavy black grease paint as he stared right back at her. A chill shot down her spine.
“Take all the time you need, it’s okay.” Reader pulled their cross body bag a little closer, digging into it until they retrieved an unopened bottle of water and of ibuprofen, handing both it and the pills over to Dawn. The scarecrow didn’t hesitate to toss the medicine into her mouth and wash it down with heavy gulps of water, nodding a silent thank you towards them.
The vampire raised an eyebrow, snorting in amusement. “Y’know, I could have just handed you a couple of fentanyl and you took them without even looking at them. For shame, Dawn. For shame.” The water bottle crunched loudly as Dawn drained it empty, gasping when she finally pulled it away from her lips. “At this point I’m willing to suck twelve dicks if it meant my head would stop spinning.” Reader choked, barking out a surprised laugh. “Jesus christ you’re a hazard to society! Your mother must be proud.”
Dawn grinned, tossing the plastic bottle into her car carelessly. “Who do ya think taught me, Reads?”
And just like that, Reader’s laugh turned into a thread of strained wheezes, leaving them to clutch their stomach.
Neither friend noticed Tara’s stiff stance as she continued to lock eyes with the clown nervously. Her shoulders fully tensed up when the clown’s dark eyes released their grip onto Tara and darted swiftly over to land on Reader as soon as they began laughing at whatever they and Dawn were talking about.. A bead of sweat began to form on her brow from her rising anxiety. Just what was this guy's damage? “.. D. D, Reads, look.”
Prompted by her urgent hissing, they both turned their heads towards where she was staring. 
“Holy. Shit.” Dawn began laughing at the stranger in the shadows. Reader blinked, taken quite aback when their gaze fell onto the man in the shadows of the buildings, who already had such a piercing stare settled onto them. Not a shred of light seemed to reflect in his gaze. 
Did.. did he recognize them from somewhere?? He couldn’t have been at the party they just left, he was coming from the wrong direction. That, and Reader was pretty sure that they’d remember a unique face like his. The sharp, protruded cheekbones with an equally sharp chin that jutted out, a large hooked nose with a little black dot on the tip and heavy makeup lined around his eyes and mouth sure did stand out, even in the dark. They could tell that he certainly put a lot of work into his costume, and it definitely showed. 
They raised a hand and gave a polite little wave, their sleeve swaying with the movement. “Uh, hey there! Lovely night, isn’t it?” 
“Reader!!” Tara hissed and grabbed their waving wrist, tugging them back and making them give a little squeak in surprise. “That is not funny. I’m about to scream.” 
 Reader turned to look at Tara, face twisted in confusion as they rubbed at their wrist. “I.. I wasn’t jok-” 
“Heeeey, handsome!!” Dawn called out, waving widely to him, laughing loudly. “My friend wants your number!” “Dawn, cut it out,” Tara grimaced, looking back and forth between her heckling friend and the menacing stranger. “I’m gonna fucking kill you.”
Dawn disregarded her friend’s demand, always looking for a way to further stir the pot of trouble. “Come buy us dinner!!”
As the two quarreled, never did the clown’s piercing stare leave their vampire-dressed friend. A little trickle of worry began filling Reader when they realized that he never blinked once. Their hands slowly closed into one another, twisting with concern. Aw man, was he needing something? He seemed so unnaturally still. They took a short step towards him, tilting their head to the side. “Hey, um.. do you need help with something? Is it … your bag? I could help carr-” “Oh my god you guys, stop!” Tara’s breath got momentarily caught in her throat when Reader took a step closer towards that.. thing. Her hand shot out to once again grapple their friend and yank them closer, keeping her hand around their wrist. “Just shut the fuck up.” Their eyebrow twitched in annoyance with their friend, yanking their wrist out of her grip with a silent huff. Heaven forbid they manage to get one word in without her interrupting. “T, please. I was just saying hello. That’s not a crime.” “Maybe he’ll drive us home,” Dawn snarked at Tara, swiping the keys from her to dangle in front of her face. 
“Seriously you guys, I wanna leave. Now.” Tara deliberately looked away from the stranger, not being able to handle those ice cold eyes peering at them from the dark. Of a clown, of all things, a fucking clown. They gained some weird creeping Peeping Tom and he just HAD to be a clown.  
Reader pinched their brow in frustration before calling out to the lingering clown once again. “I’m sorry for my friends, sir, we…” When they had glanced back towards where he had been located, the shadows were bare. Their face creased with confusion and gave the whole street a quick look around, frowning lightly. “... where did he go??”
At their ominous words, Tara whipped back and glanced around as they had, feeling her anxiety increase tenfold. A sticky ball of dread began growing inside Tara’s belly, forcing her to nudge Dawn awake from her slouched, lethargic fog.  “Let’s go. Come on, let’s just go.” She tugged her off the car’s hood, pulling her along. Reader trudged along right behind them, arms beginning to hug around their center. The encounter succeeded in throwing them off their kilter a bit. The guy hadn’t even said a word and the girls had treated him so awkwardly. Oh, they could already tell that this will eat away at them for at least the next few nights.
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The large, brightly glowing sign that read PIZZA, WINES & LIQUOR buzzed over the pizza shop with a hum. Inside the shop, rock music accompanied both Tara and Reader as they sat together in one of the few booths provided in the small closure. Reader lightly swung their feet, keeping themself occupied by sipping on the drinks that were provided and carefully folding the napkins they plucked out of the table's dispenser. They hummed along with the overhead guitar solo as they slowly created a little origami creature. 
Tara leaned against the pale bricked wall of the inner booth, thumb sliding across her screen every couple of seconds. She was going through the reel of selfies that were taken at the party, many of the three friends laughing along and having fun. 
"Oh yeah? You dressed up?" At the main counter, the owner stood with a telephone pressed to the side of his face, rapping his knuckles against the counter as he spoke. "Oh, you sick fuck… where am I gonna go, back to my wife?" He replied as if whatever notion the person on the receiver had said was incredulous. 
Tara’s eyes pulled away from her screen and glanced over her shoulder at the pizza man, unimpressed with the one sided conversation. Out of curiosity she looked back at Reader to see if they too were listening in, but they seemed to be completely into their own little world. 
The man's chatter went on and Tara decided to sink herself back into the photo reel, until a brightly flashing red battery icon took over the screen, before it completely turned black. Her tired face reflected back at her. "Great." 
Almost as if summoned by the dying battery, Dawn’s heels clacked loudly on the tiled floor as she made her way back from the bathrooms, the toilet still running loudly in her wake. The restaurant phone began to ring once again in the background as she slid into the empty side of the booth, groaning in relief. 
"That was the longest piss I have ever taken." 
Tara placed her phone back into her pocket, sarcasm dripping off her reply. "Thank you for sharing that." 
Reader snickered under their breath, fangs poking out from their lip as a smile tugged on the corners of their mouth. "Charming as always, D." 
Dawn made a face at them before pulling her own phone out, scrolling through her notifications. "This guy wants me to meet him at his apartment right now." 
"What a shocker," Tara replied easily, taking a peek across the table at her phone, as if to read the message herself. 
Reader glanced up from their napkin, giving Dawn a raised eyebrow before returning to their folding and creasing. "Are you gonna do it?" 
The scarecrow shrugged, a mischievous smirk pulling at her lips. "I told him I would." 
That made Tara’s eyes snap back to their friend. "What??" 
Dawn pulled up from her phone with a roll of her eyes. Jesus, sometimes Tara’s nagging really grinded on her nerves. “I’m kidding. I have a little more self respect than that.” 
“If only you had a brain.” The skeleton replied, side eyeing their friend with a smirk, folding her thin arms and propping them on the table. Dawn sent a snarky face at her in response. “I’ve been wanting to use that one all night.”
“Congratulations,” she sneered saucily before tucking back into her phone screen. Just as the word had left her mouth, the door of the shop was tugged open with a clatter, doorbell tolling with a ding of the new arrival. The monochromatic clown that they had unofficially met in the street pulled his way through the door, trash bag sitting heavily over his back. 
Neither the scarecrow nor the vampire looked up, too preoccupied with their activities to take notice, but the skeleton sure did. The bell caught her ear and had her looking over, only to feel her heart drop hard at the sight of the clown. Her chest began hurting with rising anxiety when she saw that his seemingly soulless eyes instantly targeted and locked onto Reader as he made his way to the booth parallel to their own. He stuffed the trash bag in first, pushing it against the wall and sliding in after it. His gloved hands folded together and were placed onto the table before him, settling into a comfy position. His gaze never faltered. 
Tara took a slow, shuddery breath before nudging Reader’s side. “R.. Reader…”
 Reader’s eyebrow twitched, a little stamp of tongue sticking out from between their lips in concentration. After making one final crease, Reader finally sat back against their seat in triumph, lifting the folded napkin up off the table. In their hands sat a little bat, its wings stretched out wide. “Look! It’s a little baby! A stinky sky puppy!” They grinned, little fangs flashing. They turned towards Tara, holding the creation out in front of her. “Tadaa!” 
Tara shook her head, lazily swatting the napkin off their palm before taking their shoulder into her hand, pulling them closer to her. She tucked her face low, whispering into their ear. “That guy is back.” 
Reader blinked, frowning when she had slapped the origami creature out of their hand. Rude. 
It took a second longer for her words to register in their brain. “..Guy??” Prompted now, their head swiveled to the left and gave a surprised little jolt when the previously empty booth beside them was now preoccupied by the mystery man from the shadows. A shiver rolled down their back. Had he been staring at them the whole time? 
.. They found it a little concerning that they found that a little exciting.
The bat had smacked into Dawn, making her sputter and swat it away from her, looking up to make a comment on it, but paused when she noticed that both Tara and Reader were looking off to the side. She followed their gaze, and laughed. “Look, it’s your boyfriend~” She winked at the vampire before returning to her phone. 
Reader’s cheeks warmed a little at the teasing, but otherwise hadn’t looked away. They seemed to have entered a staring contest with the clown man. The rock music overhead still strummed along as their eyes stayed locked. They could already feel their own eyes beginning to sting. How could he go this long without blinking?? Honestly they were beginning to feel pretty impressed. Reader’s ears twitched as the sound of the shop owner’s voice sounded in the background, him talking to a new caller. “I told you this a week ago.” He spoke, tone irritable. “We’ll go to your mother’s…. I don’t know, six weeks from now.” 
The clown didn’t seem to notice anything else in his environment, fully focused on the vampire sitting across from him. Slowly, his head tilted to the side, gaze never breaking. Almost instantly, Reader did the same, head slowly tilting to the side, mirroring the stranger. Something about the exchange felt so … intimate. In a way that Reader could neither comprehend nor explain. A smile broke across their face. 
The clown stayed absolutely stationary, but Reader didn’t miss the way the black corner of his mouth twitched upward. 
The pizza man seemed to have finally taken notice of his newest customer and tugged the phone away from his face. “Ey I’ll be right with ya, buddy!” Not a second later he was mumbling back into the receiver, scoffing under his breath. “You gotta see the shape of this fuckin’ guy that just walked in.”
If the stranger had heard any of the man’s words, he didn’t give any indication that he had. He stayed, frozen in time, as still as a professional New Yorker statue performer. Which is why it made Reader jolt again in surprise when suddenly he sat rod straight in his seat, shoulders pulling back and flashing a bright grin at Reader. Were his teeth that red before?
The goofy face and the absurdity of the situation had Reader finally snapping. Their face cracked into a wide grin, fangs flashing brightly as they released a sudden burst of laughter, lifting a hand up to cover their teeth. The clown’s head tilted again, their odd reaction seeming to catch him off guard. His grin faltered for a moment, eyes searching the giggling vampire trying desperately to muffle their noise. Slowly, his red and black toothed grin stretched even wider, dark eyes crinkling as an actual authentic smile took over his face. Oh, he liked that reaction… he liked that a lot.
Tara had been keeping her eye set on the stranger as well, not trusting anything about him. Something was off about him, she just knew it. Reader’s sudden outburst of giggles made her damn near leap out of her skin in surprise, snapping to look their way. Did they not see it too? Even with the way he’s been just oogling them?? 
She dropped her hand back onto their shoulder, swiftly pulling them back to facing her. She lowered her head to them, aggravation etched heavily in both her expression and voice as she hissed to them. “Reads, stop it. He’s fucking creepy. You’re only making it worse!” 
The vampire only shook their head in dismissal, waving her off with a lighthearted smile. “Oh it’s fine, T. He’s just playing around.” 
“It’s creepy.” She repeated, not relenting.
“I think it’s pretty charming, really. Look!” When they both turned to look at the clown again, his position changed once again. His elbows were planted into his table, gloved hands had their fingers laced together for his pointed chin to settle right on top of them, smiling brightly at Reader as if he had been waiting for them to look at him again. Their pleased reaction made his grin widen just that much. Reader returned the toothy smile, cheeks warming under the heavy attention. It wasn’t something they were used to, and in most circumstances made them uncomfortable, but the way the monochromatic stranger looked at them so warmly had their chest doing.. something. Something they couldn’t quite put their finger on, but it sure did feel fluttery. Exciting. They easily fell back into another eye lock with the stranger, enjoying the silly faces he pulled, and the rather cute toothy smile. 
Tara gulped silently, painted lips twitching into a harder frown. Something was wrong about this. He was wrong. Everything about him was wrong. She didn’t like how his eyes bore so deeply into Reader. She shook her head, short black hair gently fluttering along with the movement. Reader’s second burst of giggling after the clown made yet another weird face – this time, he lifted a knuckle up to his large hooked nose and gave it a little cranking motion, sticking his nasty tongue out, face scrunched – made her shudder, arms wrapping around her middle. 
Almost miraculously, The scarecrow finally pulled her nose out from her phone screen again. Her brow furrowed as she took in Tara’s tense posture. “Are you okay?” She received no answer, and turned her head to follow their gaze to, surprise surprise, see that the clown was still upsetting her. Reader seemed fine enough, so why couldn’t she be?
Tara slowly pulled her eyes off of him to finally look back at her friend across the table, gaze hard. “I think we should get our food to go.” 
“Why?” Dawn frowned back, not at all pleased with the idea of leaving after they’ve just got settled down. She followed the skeleton’s stiff gaze as it flicked back across Reader and landed on the clown man once again.  “Him?” 
As far as Dawn could see, the guy was just a fucked up looking weirdo. Reader seemed into it enough, so what was the deal? She didn’t want to get up just because some ugly guy had the hots for their friend. She knew Tara could be a little protective of them – and her, on occasion – but jesus, sometimes too far was too far. 
“Seriously, I wanna leave.” 
An annoyance dripped off Dawn as she yanked her phone off the table and pulled out from the booth. “Jesus christ.” 
Tara’s heart dropped again that night, feeling a cold sweat forming as Dawn made her way to the clown. “D, stop.” 
She took no heed of Tara’s empty words as she stood in front of the guy. Despite her being literally right there in front of him, he seemed completely zeroed in on Reader, eyes not wavering for a millisecond off of them. God, this freak had it bad, huh. “Um, excuse me. Excuse me.” Dawn batted his arm. It was like she was just a gust of wind, because he didn’t acknowledge her existence. Or anything, for that matter, outside of Reader.
Reader blinked when Dawn scooted herself in front of the clown, brow raised in curiosity. What was she planning to do? They certainly hoped that she wasn’t planning to bully or embarrass him, as she was pretty known to do every so often. It’s not like he was doing anything wrong, so what was the problem?
The man didn’t seem to see a problem. Hell, his dark gaze stayed absolutely locked onto them, even with Dawn lowering her hand to hover right in his face and beginning to snap loudly not two inches away from his face. He didn’t even blink, painted lips tilted upward and eyes lidded lightly as he stared deep into their soul. It… made a shiver crawl down their body, though definitely not an unwelcome one. They swallowed, feeling the air between them become more and more intimate the longer his lidded eyes glued to them. Hoh boy. 
“Can I get a picture with you??” Dawn persisted, head tilting until it completely covered his eye’s path, golden hair falling from her shoulders and down in a curtain, further blocking his way. Reader suddenly took in a breath of air, not realizing that they had been holding it for the majority of their locked gazes. Had their heart been pounding in their chest this whole time?? Slowly they placed a hand over their chest, as if to steady the beating muscle.
Dawn’s light irritation grew when the clown’s gaze seemed to stare right through her, as if she were just air. You’ve got to be fucking kidding. 
“Dawn, come on.” Tara urged, hugging herself tighter.
“Shut up.” She waved her off like a pesky fly, trying to grab the clown’s attention again. “Hello? Helloooo??” She blinked in annoyance. Finally she reached out and grasped his closest arm, lifting it out of the way and dropping it over the back of his booth seat. “Okay, I’m gonna take that as a ‘yes.’” She surged forward, plopping herself right onto his thigh, moving to press her faux straw covered chest against his, making herself comfortable. Reader blinked in surprise at Dawn’s sudden invasion. They frowned at her, suddenly feeling heavily shameful at her intrusion of his personal space, as if they made her do it. “Jesus, Dawn! Sir I-I’m sorry, she’s..” Their words tapered off when his deep, dark eyes once again met theirs when Dawn took her seat on him, moving out of the way. They became flustered once again. Even with their rambunctious, personal-bubble-popping friend making herself cozy on his lap, his attention never faltered, never waned, never blinked. Reader felt their face beginning to heat up once again. Why did that make them feel so warm??
The scarecrow wiggled, making herself comfortable and preparing him for their photo shoot. She reached up and began tugging on the little black hat that sat on top of his head, purposely pulling until the string that held it in place around his head snapped against his face, hat dropping from her hold and tumbling to the floor. The pop from the string seemed to finally, finally break him of his concentrated gaze, slowly turning to look at the blonde who invaded his personal space. The lidded, pleased stare from before fell into something cold and unreadable, mouth falling flat. Tara shuddered at how quick his expression fell. 
“Uh, oh.” Dawn reached a hand up, tapping a finger on the tip of his hooked nose, right on the little black dot that sat there. “Sorry.” She batted her golden lashes at him innocently, not at all registering the cold, unimpressed glare he laid on her as she bent over, swiping the little hat off of the tiled floor and setting it right back onto his head. His head slowly lowered, glare seeming to get icier when she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and arch her chest up, pressing it right against his own as she posed. Her arm stretched out with her phone in hand, clicking as she began taking pictures with him. Her hair effectively covered half of his face, sticking to the white and black makeup.
Tara couldn’t believe Dawn, shaking her head in disapproval, hand reaching up to rub at her neck anxiously. Of course the outgoing brat would pull some shit like this, just to rub Tara’s fears and concerns right in her face. It was times like these that seriously made her question their friendship. 
Dawn pulled away from the camera to look back over to the clown, suddenly snatching his chin in her hand, squishing his prominent cheeks inward until his black painted lips puckered outward. Pleased, she turned back to the screen and puckered her own lips into a duck face, pressing the side of her face against his and taking two more pictures with him. He stared coldly into the camera. When the scarecrow decided that she’s had enough, she released his chin from her grasp, a fake smile flashing as she tapped his nose once again. “Thanks.” 
She pulled herself out of his lap without another word, returning to their booth. The man stayed frozen in the spot she maneuvered him in, arm still slung over the back of the booth, frown prominent. Reader frowned with concern. They knew Dawn could be a bit much, especially to people who weren’t already used to her antics. They hoped that the stranger wasn’t too upset with her forwardness. 
Tara fixed Dawn with an icy glare when she slid back into her seat. “What the hell is wrong with you??” 
Dawn grinned, already beginning to post the pictures onto her media. Her followers will definitely get a kick out of this weirdo. “What, didya think he was gonna hack me up into little pieces or something?” She scoffed, as if the very notion was ridiculous, thumbs tapping away. 
Reader sighed, raising a hand to rub their nose bridge. “D, really. Silence doesn't equal consent. You shouldn’t have done that, and you know it.” She rolled her eyes and sent a short sneer Reader’s way before burying back into her Instagram. “Not you too, now. Relax, it’s not like I fucked your little boyfriend or whatever.” 
Both Tara and they cringed and Dawn’s crude words. Jesus, she really had a way to make people uncomfortable.
By the time the pizza man had hung up on his call and made his way over to the clown, the mystery man had shifted back to his previous objective of fixing Reader with a rather smoldering stare, hands clasped together again and settled on the table. “What can I get for ya, buddy?” 
To nobody’s surprise, the clown didn’t answer or even acknowledge the shop keep, only keeping his eyes locked on Reader. They tilted their head once again, feeling warm under his gaze. Was it getting a little hot in here?? It was beginning to feel so bizarre, how his eyes could go from iceberg cold to blazing warm with just a mere glance.
The pizza man’s patience seemed to already be thinned by the previous calls, making his tone snap a little when he pressed further. “Hey. Hello?? If you don’t order anything, you’re gonna have to leave.” 
“You already have eight liiiikes~” Dawn tapped her phone screen with her nail, making a light clack, clack noise as she called over to the clown in a singsong voice. Her comments were already beginning to flood, asking about the creep. 
“Can you hear me in there?” The man pressed further, lowering himself until his face was eye to eye with the clown, trying to grasp his attention like Dawn had. But just like he had the scarecrow, his dark eyes zeroed right past the shop keep, as if locked into tunnel vision and Reader was the only focus. They shifted a little in their seat, biting their lip and studying the clown. Seconds later, the pizza man gave up, standing up straight and dropping his hands in exasperation. “Oh god, it’s gonna be a long night,” he grumbled, walking back into the kitchen. 
Reader’s eyes trailed after the shop keep as he walked off, before flicking back to the clown. They fumbled with their fingers a little, brows furrowed in concern. The poor guy must be so uncomfortable now, making them feel for him. They shuffled in their seat again, as if working themself up to talk to him. Finally, they found their nerves and opened their black painted lips. “Hey, um.. are you alright? Dawn can delete those pictures, if they make you uncomfortable. I’m sorry about all that.” 
“Tch, like hell I will,” the girl injected, scoffing. She tossed her hair over her shoulder with a flick of her head, not bothering to pull up from her cellphone. “Everyone’s eating this shit up.” Reader’s eyebrow twitched in mild irritation, fingers tapping hard on the table before them in an attempt to relax themself. Maybe if their fingers wiggled around, they’d lose the sudden urge to wrap them around her throat.
The clown’s head tilted slightly to the side, eyes boring into theirs for a moment or two longer, before suddenly sliding out of his booth, standing up tall. They leaned back slightly, taken aback. They didn’t expect him to be so tall. Tara tensed beside them as they both watched the man approach one of the other empty booths. The table still had paper plates with crumbs and pizza crusts on it. In the middle lay a small pile of money, a dollar bill and coins for a tip. The clown looked over his shoulder at Reader and back at the table, as if making sure that they were watching him. And watch him they did, both confusion and curiosity painting their face. 
His dirty fingertips that were uncovered by the rest of his gloves reached down, pinchin the quarter off the table, and lifted it up. The overhead lights caught on its face, making the coin shine a little as he held it up for them to see. He then made a show of turning on his heel until they were facing his back, taking a knee in front of the toy capsule vending machine slots that sat right next to the entrance to the little shop. Reader leaned to the side, trying to see what he was doing. Tara only shook her head, squeezing her thin arms around herself as if for protection, sinking lower into the booth seat. 
The sound of the quarter slotting into the machine and the loud cranking of the knob made their eyebrows raise higher. Was he getting himself a toy?? 
The clown took a moment to crack open the capsule, plucking the item out of its container, before swiftly pulling himself up from the tiled floor. With a giddy smile, he nearly skipped his way back over to the trio’s booth before once again taking a knee, kneeling in front of Reader. Tara pressed herself against the pale brick wall in agitation. The man’s movements caught Dawn’s attention and she looked up from her screen, wanting to see what would happen next. 
He raised the toy up for Reader to see, other hand waving at it in a silent ‘tadaa!’ Between his index and thumb fingers rested a little ring, metal with two hearts stuck side by side. He grinned expectantly at Reader, gesturing to the ring.
Reader leaned further back into their booth seat, blinking in surprise. Was.. was this for them?? Oh, that was rather cute. Their face began warming again as their eyes flickered between the ring and the clown’s face, lips parted in silent question. From across the table Dawn snickered, not believing what she was seeing. “Aww.” 
“I-is that for me?” They asked shyly, lips beginning to quirk upward. 
The clown nodded gleefully, showing off the ring once more, before holding up a finger in a ‘hold on’ gesture. Before they knew it, the mysterious man was reaching out and taking their hand in his, making Reader’s breath catch in their throat. 
Tara’s shoulders lifted up, putting her own hands on top of the table’s surface. “What are you doing??”
  The clown paid no mind to her as he lifted up Reader’s hand with care. Another shiver ran down their spine when they realized just how much bigger his hand was compared to their own. Slowly, the clown slid the double hearted ring onto their ring finger, until it finally rested at the base of their digit. He held their hands a moment longer, as if admiring the metal adjourning their finger, rubbing his large thumb over it. With flourish he released their hand and waved his own around it, as if showcasing the little thing with pride. His head tilted to the side, smiling almost bashfully as his hands came down to clasp over his chest in adoration, eyes lidding. 
Reader’s face burned hot through the whole transaction, mouth fallen open. Oh, oh that was just precious. A bright, toothy smile stretched across their heated face, lifting their other hand to cover over their mouth, bashful. “Oh, oh my. This is so sudden. I do!” They giggled, eager to play along with the silly, silly man. Their words had him shimmying his shoulders almost shyly, red teeth glinting brightly under the lights. 
Suddenly Reader’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh, just a sec!”
They pulled their cross body bag up into their lap, sticking their tongue out as they dug around for what they were looking for. The clown watched curiously, hands still pressed to his chest in endearment. Once they finally caught hold of what they were searching for, they smiled wider, pulling it out and holding it up for him to observe.
In their hold was a little plastic spider ring, one that they had collected off of the cupcakes they scarfed down at the party. They loved it when the treats had little garnish toys and picks, especially when they were silly little rings. Apparently holding onto the thing was a good decision, because the way the clown’s dark eyes lit up at the sight of it had their chest feeling that certain little fluttery warmth from before.
“Reads-” Tara began nervously from beside them, not liking this one bit. It was bad enough that the creep came over to initiate the act, but they didn’t have to encourage him! Reader paid her no mind as they carefully took hold of the clown’s hand, much like he had theirs. With a soft smile, they slid the ring onto his much larger finger. They couldn’t push it up very far, what with the rest of his glove stopping them, but it was on nonetheless. “See? Now we match!” 
Dawn was pressing her hands over her mouth, trying desperately to stifle her loud laughter and the absurd act that was taking place in front of her. The clown slowly retracted his hand to hold it up to his face, expression soft as he turned his hand in different angles, admiring the little plastic spider as if it were a three carat diamond ring. 
Reader smiled, pleased with the soft expression of happiness he held. “I know it’s not as fancy as mine, but I hope it’ll suffice?”
Their words seemed to snap the stranger out of his haze, blinking for the first time that night as he’s brought back from whatever he had been thinking. With flourish, he took hold of their hand once more, lowering himself further to press a kiss to their ring. Tara felt like she was about to be sick as the clown pressed kiss upon kiss on the little metal hearts, moving onto pressing his lips to their much smaller knuckles.
The vampire choked, sputtering at the sweet little kisses. Oh my god, oh my god that’s so cute??! Their face burned an entirely new shade of red and they began giggling in both bashfulness and disbelief, laughing harder when the clown began kissing up their hand and slowly making his way up their arm. 
He never ceased and didn’t seem like he would, lacing his fingers with theirs and trailing his lips up their sleeved arm to their shoulder, trying not to smile too hard as he did so. Their laughter cracked into a gasp at the feeling of his lips landing on their uncovered collar bone, lips leaving a black smudge in his wake. Oh shit, oh fuck, when did it get so damn HOT in here???
“Hey, you can’t-!” Tara sat up straight, wrapping her hands around Reader’s arm closest to her and yanking them towards her, pulling them away from his creepy attacks. They gave a surprised yelp at the sudden interruption, whipping back to look at Tara. The clown’s curved eyebrows shot up high when they were pulled away from his grasp, parted lips suddenly pulling into a snarl. He slowly pulled up from his knees and stood ramrod straight, staring over Reader’s head at Tara, fixing her with the chilliest, most hateful glare she had ever been given. Her eyes widened in fear. 
“Oh shit??” Dawn choked, fumbling with her phone in her hands, quickly swiping until her camera was pulled up. If any drama was going to go down, she’d be damned if she didn’t record it! 
“Ey, what seems to be the problem ov-” The pizza man returned, hands holding paper plates of large slices of pizza. The clown’s threatening, towering stance and nasty bearing teeth had him pausing. “Oh hell no, I don’t think so, pal!” 
The shopkeeper plopped the plates onto the booth table behind them before gripping onto the clown, grabbing fistfulls of the back of his black and white costume and forcefully shoving him towards the front of the restaurant. “Fuckin’ FREAK! Get outta here!”
The trio all watched, wide eyed as the much shorter man shoved the clown out of the door, bell dinging as the clown stumbled into the street, whipping around in anger. The man quickly stepped back to snatch up the black trash bag that had sat in the booth, tossing it out with the clown. “Take your shit and don’t come back!”
Tara felt immensely better without having the creep hovering around them, but Reader stared through the glass door at their silly clown, hands clutching onto the front of their chest. What had happened?? They just looked away for a moment, what could the clown have possibly done to warrant such a forced leave?? They were just playing around, that wasn’t bad, was it? Their shoulders fell, unsure of what to even think. 
The clown stood fuming, fists clenched tightly into balls at his side. His head snapped back to glare through the glass, but fell short when Reader’s crestfallen face caught his eye. His shoulders and hands slowly released their tension as he met their searching eyes. 
Slowly he lifted both of his gloved hands up, pressing them against the cool glass and leaned his face in. Reader watched, brows beginning to knit together, lips parting. Just what was he planning to do? He couldn’t come back in.
Reader’s mental question was quickly answered as the clown’s tongue fell out of his opened maw, and slowly dragged it up the glass, hot breath fogging around the muscle’s path. His wide eyes stayed locked onto theirs the whole time, pulling back only to repeat, running his tongue slowly up the glass. 
Their jaw fell completely open, face feeling so hot that the color was surely spreading to their ears and down their chest. Not once did they look away. They couldn’t. Not with how heavy his gaze had gotten. Not with the way his chest seemed to heave up and down as he breathed heavily. Not with the way his fingers gripped hard against the glass, as if struggling hard not to just rip the thing open to enter again. Not with the way he licked the glass like he wanted to do it to them.
They swallowed thickly, lifting their hand up to attempt to cover their flustered face, but it was much too late. The clown’s mouth twisted into a hungry grin. He already saw it. 
And boy did he seem to like it.
“I said GET! GET OUTTA HERE!!” The man whipped back around when he noticed the trio still staring at the door. The man’s face grew a ruddy color as he grew angry. “I’ll call the police, freak!” 
Slowly, oh so slowly, the clown removed his fingertips from the glass, pulling himself away from the door. He momentarily broke eye contact to haul the hefty black bag over his shoulders. When he looked back at Reader, he gave a toothy smirk and a saucy wink, fingers wiggling in a wave goodbye as he slowly left their eyesight.
“... Holy shit,” The scarecrow bursted out laughing, smacking the table. “Oh my GOD, that guy was obviously turned on by you!” 
Tara finally sat up properly in the booth for the first time in what felt like hours, releasing a long breath and glaring heatedly at Dawn. “You’re fucking sick, you know that? That was insane. Insane! Right, Reads?” 
Reader didn’t reply, staring at the wet strip on the door. They rubbed their cheeks bashfully, looking off to the side. Wow, what a night.
“You three okay?” The pizza man grabbed the paper plates from the other table, placing them in front of the trio. Dawn wasn’t hesitant to swipe her plate, beginning to fold her piece. “Oh, he’s harmless.” 
Tara paused, but eventually gave a short nod, beginning to pick at her pizza’s toppings. 
The man placed his hands on his hips, looking down at the vampire. “You okay?” 
Reader fingered the little double hearted ring that still sat on their finger, nodding absentmindedly. That seemed to please the man well enough as he patted the back of their booth comfortingly. “Don’t worry ‘bout him, he won’t be comin’ back. I’ll make sure of that.” 
The vampire hummed emptily at his words, not really feeling much comfort from them. They.. they really liked the silly clown guy. It was a shame that they couldn’t get to know him a little better. Now they’d probably never see him again. That thought alone had them sighing silently, propping their head up in their hand, leaning on the table disheartenedly. Tara side eyed them curiously, picking off bits of her slices and chewing them.
                                   ●・○・●・○・● ●・○・●・○・●
“And you’re sure you’ll be fine heading back by yourself?” Tara asked persistently, giving Reader a searching look, as if looking for any reason to walk them home. Lord knows they didn’t need another Halloween freak tailing after them like a lovesick dog. 
Reader laughed quietly, patting her arm reassuringly. “Yes, mom. Seriously, I’m solid. My place is just a block away. You should worry about getting home yourselves.” 
Dawn tucked her phone back into her patchwork pocket, stretching her arms high above her arms. “We’ll be fiiiiine. We’ll even text ya when we get there.” “That might be a little tough, considering my phone died a couple minutes ago,” they winced, smiling strainely. “I’ll put it on charge when I get home. G’night, guys!” 
“See ya, babes.” Tara and Dawn parted, beginning their trek back to their ride. Reader let out a tired sigh and turned the opposite direction, walking down the sidewalk. The walk back wasn’t very difficult, but it did sting a bit from being in their pinching shoes all night. A bad decision on their end, really.
They climbed the steps to their apartment and paused at the door, sliding their hand into their bag to fish for their keys. They blinked in surprise when their fingers clacked against something.. rectangular?? 
Curiously, they grabbed hold of the thing and pulled it out, baffled.
  When the hell did a VHS tape end up in their bag??
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The next chapter(s) are still being worked on. I’m unsure when they’ll finally be finished, but just know that they ARE being worked on. I’m just trying to make it a nice, long read. I haven’t seen Terrifier 2, so if I write something in the next chapter that seems off with the new info, that’s why. I’m too short on muns right now from moving into my new apartment to go see the movie. (And boy lemme tell you just how SAD I am about it ;;;; )
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ofbluesandyellows · 5 months
Text
Black Cat's Curse - TASM! Fem! Reader
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Summary: Peter Parker has been cursed, crossing paths with the oh so feared black cat isn't exactly in his itinerary, and no, we are not talking about or favorite lady, Felicia. On Halloween night his bad luck has prodded him to the solution he didn't know he was looking for.
Word count: 6,537
Warnings: cursing, witchcraft (lol idk)
a/n: Hi! I'm back with a lil Halloween story for you, this one fully came to me last week. It isn't anything crazy but I do hope you enjoy it. Happy Halloween y'all. I adopted a black cat recently so maybe that's where the inspo came from. Bye :)
“What do you mean you can’t do anything?” Spider-Man was about to drop to his knees, to beg. And he never begged for anything in his life, other than bringing Ben back to life.
“Ow Spider.” Her finger with a long perfectly manicured nail traced his spandex covered clavicle. “Yes, they call me Black Cat but it doesn’t mean I know how to undo your bad luck. That’s on you and the poor black kitty you crossed paths with.”
“But whenever I get unlucky it’s always because of you, how come this is different?”
“Hey, don’t come to me with that bullshit, that’s just how things are, you should’ve known better. You’re on your own Spider.”
Peter closed his eyes, not that Cat could see him but he needed a second not to throw a punch at her, he knew she’d dodged with ease but he didn’t want to risk it. Exhaling he was about to humiliate himself once more, turning around Cat was long gone.
“Mother fuck-“ a splash of what he knew was bird poo painted the red spandex of his forearm with sickly yellowy-white. “Seriously?” Arms up in the air, no one to reply back.
Peter Parker wasn’t a big fan of Halloween growing up, he always went for the uncool type of costumes, he clearly remembered asking aunt May to buy him a white wig so he could dress up as Albert Einstein when he was about eleven. Uncle Ben ended up buying him white color spray and a fake mustache so they could DIY the look. Knitted burgundy vest, faux wrinkles on his face and the already perfect bushy brows made Peter the happiest kid in the block.
He was beyond ecstatic with the way his costume turned out, adults praised him and aunt May for the effort when he went trick or treating but the real menace were kids’ nasty words and funny remarks about him. After that he either went with a boring costume, he preferred to fit in, or at least try rather than be laughed at. 
It was obvious that the teasing continued up until college, but college was bearable compared to what he had gone through since he became Spider-Man.
Peter hadn’t been in need of a costume for years now, that was the main reason why he liked Halloween now, he could walk around as a civilian in his actual suit, no one batted an eye in his direction during this day.
Flash Halloween party was crazy loud, Peter didn’t know these many people were friends with Flash.
“Hey Spider-Man!” His heart skipped a beat, but Flash was smiling at him. “Peter, you made it!” 
Peter took the mask off, he thought this would be funny, wearing his actual suit was comfortable but now he was regretting it, he had several mini heart attacks whenever called him by his alias. He felt sweat dripping from his back. Yeah he would need to wash the suit.
“Of course man! I promised, right?” he laughed trying to disguise the panic.
Flash was wearing a Beetle juice costume, a pretty epic one if Peter could have an opinion on it. 
“I see you went all in with the costume huh?” He snatched the mask off Peter’s hand. “Nah this isn’t as good as the original.” Flash laughed.
With cherry colored cheeks Peter chuckled. “Yeah, I bought it at Walmart. Everyone seems to love the guy so I just thought why not?” 
“I’ve seen worse Parker, like the guy dressed as Alex Turner? Pfff lazy.”
“Really? I haven’t seen him. Don’t tell me it’s Harry the one dressed like that.” Peter said amused.
“Almost, but no. Harry hasn’t shown up yet, bet he found some expensive costume made suit and will pull off a ‘I’m Leonardo DiCaprio in Wolf of Wall Street.””
Both boys rolled their eyes. “Wouldn’t be surprised.” 
Suddenly Peter felt cold dripping from his back. 
“Hey dickhead, watch where you are going.” Flash was the first to talk, pushing a drunk David Bowie out the way.
Peter was in shock, how come he didn’t notice, why were his senses not alerting him of the guy at his back.
The smell of sweet fruity punch and vodka lingered on his nose. 
“Shit Pete, do you want to change?” 
Peter shook his head, lipped smile on. “No, don’t worry I’m good. Just going to grab a beer.”
“Ok, if you need something just look for me, okay?” 
“Sure, thanks Flash. Cool party by the way.”
Flash grinned. “Thanks Parker! See ya around.”
The lights were kaleidoscopic, New Wave music playing, it was a lot and now his suit was wet and cold and there were pretty girls around, and he couldn’t concentrate in one thing. 
Fuck me.
Tuning around as he dodged a group of girls dressed as fairies he clocked eyes with a witch. She was sitting on the couch with other people, Peter wasn’t sure if she was with them or not but the staring sent shivers down his spine. 
She gave him a lipped smile, one he tried to emulate, not succeeding because she dropped her expression. The next thing he knew it was that she disappeared. 
He shook his body to try and get rid of the odd feeling. Finding a beer was easy, what wasn’t easy was held in the need to puke when the warm and obviously outdated beer’s taste hit his tongue. 
Peter sighed, he was tired of this, it hadn’t even been a week with this black cat curse and he was already done, no fight with Electro nor Vulture had done him this wrong. Sloped shoulders and a bitter taste he was ready to go home. 
Exiting the loud house in Brooklyn, Peter’s eyes found the sparkly ones of a witch. 
A new wave of shivers appeared as Season of the Witch played at his back. Spooky as shit.
“Okay, this is worrying me.” He mumbled.
The girl approached him in two long steps. 
“Hello,” you smiled, showing him your pearly white teeth. 
“Um hi?” 
“Sorry to bother you, I saw you in there and if you don’t mind me saying this… you look like shit.” The apple of your cheeks tinted pink. 
Peter scoffed. “Yeah? Well, I didn’t need to hear it because I do indeed feel like shit, so if you excuse me,”
He took a step to the right to make his escape, but you took the exact same side as he did.
Peter scowled.
“I—I don’t want to sound crazy but you do have like a bad aura around you, you know? Like a dark cloud following you, and… okay yeah I’m going to say this with the risk of sounding like an insane person but I promise you I am not—“
Taking a cautious step closer, you were too close for Peter’s liking. On your tiptoes you angled yourself to reach his ear.
“You are cursed.” 
Peter felt his body freeze, his eyes went wide just as goosebumps formed on his skin.
“You… how did you know?” Peter stumbled back a little. 
“As I said, I can see it.” You took a jump back. Your face went back to a soft smirk. “Need help with it?”
Peter looked around, the streets were busy still, it wasn’t even midnight yet.
“You know how to revert it?” 
“Sure thing. It’s a simple spell.” 
“Can you do it now, like chant it or whatever.” 
You scoffed. “Hell no! It’s a bit more complicated than that,” balancing on the balls of your heels you stared at him. Peter was mulling with the possibilities. You were weird as fuck. But he didn’t feel the Peter tingle as it was. He only felt wary. 
You had this cute smile and very bright eyes. If Black Cat couldn’t do anything to help him, why not take his chances and accept the help of an actual witch.
“Are you like a real witch?” He squinted. 
“Yeah.” 
“Fine. What do we need to do?” 
You grinned, joyous. 
“Follow me Peter Parker.” 
Shrugging, you said: “Flash told me.”
“You know Flash?” Well, that was news to him. He never expected him of all people to be close with a witch.
You seemed offended. “Um yes? We take bioengineering together.” 
Peter almost choked on his own saliva. “You go to Empire?”
“Yes, I’ve seen you around, you’re friends with that rich kid that always looks at the rest of us as if we were dirt under his shoe.” 
You couldn’t help but laugh when Peter scrunched his nose. “That sounds like Harry.” 
“Osborn is not always nice to everyone.” 
Peter knew that but Harry wasn’t a bad person he just hadn’t been given the attention he deserved.
“So bioengineering, huh? You’re pretty smart I assume.”
“It helps with the witchcraft thing, believe it or not.” 
Peter could see why. He grabbed his mask a little tighter.
“Oh.” 
Peter heard you say, a second later a car passed by full gas, the puddle of dirty water splashed wetting his legs. 
“You could’ve warned me, you know?” shaking his legs only made the water go down into his converses, wetting his socks. He needed to come up with a water repellent suit.
“Right, sorry. Never seen such a curse before. The grayish hue around you goes purple whenever something is about to happen. It’s kinda awesome.” You grinned.
Why was this woman always so cheery? Peter sighed and continued walking.
“Do you have a name or should I just call you Witch?” 
You chuckled. “I do have a name but Witch is way more fun. And it’s Halloween, it fits.” 
Peter grimaced. What a time to be cursed.
Both hopped on a bus after walking three blocks.
“Are you hungry Peter Parker?” 
His stomach felt like growling. “I could eat.”
“Nice, I’ll order some pizza. It should be there when we arrive.” 
Peter saw you texting. He noticed for once your whole attire. Pointy hat with purple ribbons and tulle decorating it. You had glitter smeared on your cheeks and eyelids. The dress was black tulle as well with a sparkling touch, he wasn’t sure what it was. The tights had black and purple stripes with a nice pair of black Dr Martens. It was like a modern version of the classic Witch costume he’d seen in movies. 
It suited you, what it didn’t match was your always happy features. Peter wondered if you were in fact a witch or just pretended to be one for the sake of the holiday.
“Do you like mushrooms?” You found him staring. Your cheeks went a tone deeper in red.
Peter panicked and looked out the window, far away from you. “They’re fine.”
“Good, I ordered half pepperoni and half mushrooms.” 
Humming, you, witchy girl unlocked, your phone and started to play…
“Sudoku? Really Witch?” Peter grinned, this was so odd to him.
“I like it, it keeps me on my toes.” you giggled.
Unintendedly, Peter kept an eye on the game, finger pointing to one square and mumbled “there has to be a nine.”
The grid sheet sparkled after you pressed the 9 in. “Nice one, Peter Parker.” 
“Just call me Peter.” 
Your eyes locked on his. “But Peter Parker sounds more interesting.” You nudged him, making him laugh. 
“You’re so weird.”
“Thanks.”
•••
Peter sat in the living room. The apartment was simple, it didn’t even feel witchy at all. It smelled fresh and there was some kind of lavender sent around.
“What? Disappointed?” You laughed at his face.
“A little, yes.”
“It’s 2023 Peter Parker. I don’t have cauldrons and a crystal ball.” Your witch hat rested comically on the kitchen counter.
“So what kind of witch are you, then?” Peter spoke with a mouthful, the pizza was incredibly tasty.
“I’m not one kind, I just do what I want to do.” 
Peter nodded. 
“Careful with the—“ 
Peter’s slice of pizza fell on his converses. He thought he’d been clever by not using his spandex lined boots.
“Shit.”
“I tried to tell you.”
He peeled the slice from his black chucks. “Can I get another slice?” 
You pushed the box his way. 
“How did you get cursed?” You asked, nibbling on your lip, the pizza resting on a plate on your lap, untouched.
“Crossed the path of a black cat.” He grunted. “Sounds stupid but it’s what happened.”
“Been there. I’ll fix it, it shouldn’t be hard” 
Peter straightened. “How long is it going to take?” 
You stared at him. Peter could almost see the nuts turning in your brain.
“A few hours, I suppose.” 
“Is it going to hurt?”
“Maybe?”
Peter had multidimensional war flashbacks from Doctor Strange, and the other Peters. Yeah he wasn’t in. “Well, now that I’ve had time to think about it I remember why I don’t do witchcraft. You need to find another way. I’ve had my fair share of that and it was quite the hustle so no Miss Witch I think I’m good.” He gave you a lipped smile.
“Okay… um why don’t you tell me about it, I assure you this is completely different and safe.”
“I’m not legally allowed to talk about it, so…” He shrugged. “Also you said it can hurt. I’m not down for that."
“Ugh fine, Peter Parker, but if you go, the curse won’t go away, you’ll have to live with it.”
Peter looked down, considering all that had happened maybe you were right, it’s not like he hadn’t suffered enough to handle a little magic.
“Fine.”
You got up in a jump, disappearing inside a room. Peter heard rattling and the closing of drawers. He wasn’t sure what to expect so he tried to not think about it. 
After another two slices of what he considered a perfect pizza, Peter put the plate down on the coffee table. The table cracked in two as if some almighty froze had cut it in two with a really sharp invisible blade.
“How the fuck?” He squealed, holding both sides of his face with his hands. This was nonsense. He didn’t even put force. 
“What happened?” You appeared behind him. “Oh… well I needed a new coffee table anyway.” 
You went away humming again. 
“Insane… she is insane.” Mumbling Peter crossed his arms, trying to not touch or breathe too hard, anything could create a domino effect and make the building collapse or something worse. He could die if he forgot how to breathe!
He guessed that wasn’t possible but he was not going to risk it.
The skin on his back felt sticky but he didn’t dare to move. After a moment you cleared your throat to announce yourself.
“So Peter Parker, I’m going to ask you a few questions…. It's protocol only.” 
Sitting down at his feet, you flipped a few pages, grabbed a pink sparkly gel pen and wrote down in pretty cursive calligraphy. 
Peter Parker. 
Cursed by crossing paths with a black cat :(
“You do this often or-“ he asked.
“Nah, but it’s nice to document these things, who knows when I will need the information.” You beamed, clearly excited by the whole situation.
“Sure,”
“So, have you been cursed before?” blinking, you waited for a response.
Peter wasn’t sure if his Spider-Man issues were a curse, sometimes it felt like that to be honest.
“Not that I’ve been aware of.” He leaned back on the couch. 
“Have you killed people in the past?”
His face contorted, now that was a hard question.
“It’s… um not voluntarily… I mean no, of course no” he let out a pretty fake laugh. “But I saw my uncle die and my��� my girlfriend too.” 
Your face dropped. “Sorry about that.”
He half shrugged, looking the other way, he was not going to cry in front of a witch, this was humiliation enough.
“Er, next question. Do you have allergies?” 
“No.”
“Experienced dizziness, or a rush of adrenaline in the past forty-eight hours?” 
Peter squinted, these were very specific questions. “ Yeah, but what does that have to do with the curse?”
You shrugged. “See if there are side effects.” 
“The adrenaline thing isn’t for the curse… I have a stressful job.”
“That responds the next question… so how long has it been since you got cursed?” your head rested on your palm, you reminded him of that one therapist aunt May forced him to go see a few years ago.
“Three days, maybe four.” 
“Hmmm, interesting.” 
“Why?”
“Hmm? Oh well, cats don’t just go out crossing people’s paths like that. Most times they have a reason. Have you wronged a cat in your life?” your knee going up and down nonstop, Peter noticed the nervous thick. He had several.
Felicia could count as a cat but she had wronged him more than he had her.
“No.” He scoffed. 
“Ok, didn’t want to offend you.”
Peter let out a breathy laugh, this was the craziest shit that he had experienced and he had gone through a lot of fucked up shit in his life.
“Please come with me.” 
You stood up with a graceful jump. Dress puffing with air. Peter stared at your hand extended to him. The moment he took it there was this tingly feeling that crossed his whole body. 
You grinned. He glared.
The room you got in was pitch black, a breeze came from somewhere, it smelled like incense. With the snap of your fingers a yellow hue covered the room which was not more than 80 square feet, seemed to be a closet.
Three candles were floating, Harry Potter style. His hand went over the flame no wire attached to them.
“Am I hallucinating already?” He said. Hand now going under the candle he was in awe.
“Nope, we haven’t started yet.” You chuckled. “And those are totally real. It’s a very easy spell.” You said proudly.
“Cool,”
“Sit on the floor.” You demanded, Peter obeyed.
With a bright pink dust, you painted a circle and a bunch of indecipherable symbols that Peter preferred not to know what they meant. Instead he focused on you; your smooth hands tracing patterns as if it was second nature. Your lips were tuned slightly upwards, it was obvious how this made you feel. Peter felt his own lips curving. 
Hmm… he frowned, that was not right. But his mind was taking over, your long lashes with specs of glitter resting on them. Hair, shiny and soft looking. Peter kind of wanted to brush it to the side with his fingers. Shaking his head he couldn’t be thinking such things, he didn’t even know your name. And you were a witch!
And you are a fucking Spider-Man, chill the fuck out Parker.
Great! He was going insane now.
Snapping your fingers, music started to sound. 
“Is that Fiona Apple?” Peter asked, throwing her a quick glance,
“Yes! She gives off the right vibe for this.” Your sly smirk made Peter’s stomach flip.
Oh no.
Squaring down, to be on eye level with him, he caught the very faint scent of cherry. 
“I’m going to give you tea, It’s going to make you a little dizzy and jittery.” Extending your palm, you showed him two little rocks. 
“What’s that for?” Peter took them either way. 
Your index finger pointed to a clear looking crystal. “That’s clear quartz, it clears the mind, attracts positivity and repels negativity. The orange one it’s citrine for positive mood, clarity and focus.” 
His chocolate eyes never left yours, for the first time the whole night your smile quivered. You needed to gain some distance. You stood up quickly.
“Whatever happens, don’t let them go. And you have to have them around until the next new moon. Understood?”
Peter sighed, whatever helps him get over this. “Got it.”
You opened a book with a crimson hard cover. A sage green cup rested on the wooden table in front of you. Your back facing Peter, he let the little crystals roll on his palm as he heard Fiona Apple’s voice mixing with the cooing spell you were casting. Words he had never heard got whispered inside the cup, the energy in the room changed in a second, the yellow hue became brighter. 
Peter’s body shivered when you went back kneeling before him.
“Drink this, you have to close your eyes and don’t open them until I say so, okay Peter Parker?”
Peter nodded, gulping as he took the cup. It was warm to the touch. The liquid inside looked like any other tea aunt May had made him before, a little cloudy but it had a nice smell.
“I added a little honey and it’s spearmint flavored.” You chirped. 
“How many times have you said you have done this?” Peter was really curious, it came pretty natural to you. 
“Oh this is the first time, but I’m sure it’ll go almost perfect.” 
“Jesus, that’s just what one would like to hear in these situations.”
“Come on Peter Parker, this is fun!” 
“Cheers, I guess.” 
Peter drank the whole thing in one go and the taste was surprisingly good.
He sat there waiting for something to feel different but nothing changed. 
“How you feeling?” You asked, looking him in the eye.
“Should I be feeling weird?” he replied, trying to pay attention to his body. Everything was the same. He opened his eyes.
“Shit, you are supposed to be experiencing something by now. And you drank the whole thing,” you stomped your foot on the floor. “I did everything the book said.” 
Quickly, you went back to the book to check the spell as if it was a recipe. 
“Sorry to disappoint.” Peter sighed. “Hey um, this is going to sound weird, but, would you like to… I don’t know, like go for coffee one of these days?” your eyes went wide, big as saucers hearing him ask. “Or not… I mean I was just suggesting.”
“Don’t move Peter Parker.” You squinted, Peter felt something on his arm. 
“You opened your eyes!” She squealed. 
A spider, the same spider that bit him years ago was walking up his arm, then there was another and another, all of them crawling upwards.
“Holy fucking shit.” Horror stained his voice. But Peter couldn’t move. He didn’t know if he was able to feel his body.
“You are Spider-Man for fucks sake keep it together” you cried. “Told you to keep them closed."
In a swift move you grabbed a few vials filled with dust in different colors. Peter was wide eyed, gawking, unmoving about to have a heart attack.
“I can’t move, help!” his voice high pitched. 
“Shut up Peter Parker, I’m trying to think!” 
A marble mortar plopped on the table, a mix of colors and sparks flashed across your face. 
“Sorry for what’s next but you can’t move and I’m not in position to kill our city’s hero.”
Grabbing the dust on the mortar, you put the bright blue dust on your lips as you fell on your knees in front of Peter. Careful not to ruin the pentagram.
Leaning forward you said,
“The spider you see is just in your mind, you are hallucinating for real this time, that’s why i told you to not open your eyes. Wish things were different but this is it, Peter Parker.”
“What?” 
“Good luck.”
You clashed your lips with his. In a second Peter felt his whole body tingle, like he was having a serious case of pins and needles. Involuntarily his palm went up to rest on your cheek. Warm and soft. Cherry scent, and blueberry taste. His eyes fluttered shut as he kissed you, the crazy girl he met a few hours ago at the halloween party.
A sharp turn. Just like when you twirl in one spot until you feel the whole room shake and you are in that state of happy dizziness. Peter felt like that and he kind of enjoyed it. 
When the motion stopped fully he opened his eyes. Blinking he reincorporated, he didn’t know he had been lying down this whole time. 
Spider-Man’s spandex suit still plastered on his torso just that the room was not the tiny room he had been in. 
“Peter?” 
“Aunt May?” 
“Breakfast is ready!” 
Peter rested on his elbows, he was in his room in Queens. He was in Brooklyn just a second ago. And, why was he even here? His apartment was in Manhattan. 
Shaking his head he peeled the tight suit off, his body complained, a common thing by now. Taking a quick shower he saw the water run down the drain, little hints of bright blue in them. He shook his head, migraine settling behind his eyes.
“I had no idea you were staying the weekend Peter, you always let me know.” May dried her hands in the kitchen cloth as she looked at him with fond eyes. “You scared the hell living out of me last night when I heard you in your room.”
Peter frowned, he didn’t remember how he got in, he wasn’t even sure what happened after he saw Flash at the party. Late that night he found two shiny bits of crystal on his bed. His mind screamed at him to keep them near.
Until the new moon, right?
Glimpses of what felt like dreams were trying to tell him something, most days Peter woke up with the feeling that he had forgotten something but he pushed it aside, there wasn’t much time to think of Peter problems when there were Spider-Man real problems. 
It took him six days to notice his bad luck had disappeared, he felt lighter than ever, he even got a rise at his job which was hard to believe. Cat hadn’t been involved in trouble and Peter didn’t need patching or stitches for the week, he was doing amazing.
One night during patrol. He was sitting on a building in Brooklyn, there had been a fire two blocks down, no one had been injured so Peter left the scene before the police arrived. Now his legs hung on the edge of the six story building. Phone in hand. Flash posted the party’s photos, he laughed at one where a group of guys dressed as the one and only Pitbull were carrying Flash as he threw pumpkins shaped confetti in the air. Flash knew how to have a good time, Pete gave him that. 
The next photo was one where he could see himself at the back, he barely noticed it was him, the spandex gave him away. But what caught his attention was the pointy hat, purple ribbons floating. His heart increased its pace. 
•••
Flash was doing some drills at Empire’s gym. Sweaty and all, he greeted Peter with a hug and a laugh.
“Pete, you left too early the other day!” 
Peter’s cheek went warm. “Sorry, yeah I wasn’t feeling well.”
“No problem. You want to play? For the good ol’ days.” Flash chuckled.
Peter remembered high school as if it was yesterday.
“I have class in like twenty minutes, but next time. I was just wondering if you knew the name of this girl I met at your party.”
Flash smirked, nudging Peter on the ribs. “I see why you weren’t feeling well huh? Parker.” 
Peter scratched his neck, this was so awkward, he didn’t even know the girl.
“What she looked like?” 
Peter’s image of you was very vague, he remembered the costume, but nothing else really.
“You have an idea how many girls dressed like that were at the party? I need more intel Parker.” 
Peter closed his eyes for a second. “She- um she said you were taking bioengineering together,” 
Flash huffed, making the basketball bounce. “I’m not taking bioengineering, Peter. Don’t think girls take that class anyway… trust me I’d remember.” He winked.
“Really? Because she was very sure of it.” He laughed, out of pure agony.
Have you been like a dream or something?
“I think someone made you look like a fool Pete. But there’s always more girls.”
“Right, no, you’re right. Um, I’m going to get going. See you later man.”
“Take care Parker!” 
Making his way back home, Peter kicked a can with all the force he managed, it landed inside a trash can. He blinked, shit that was quite lucky. He felt not so lucky when there was no space in the subway to even move your legs, at least it was warm in there, the November wind was getting tougher by the day. Headphones on, he put the music in shuffle. 
In starlit night I saw you
So cruel you kissed me
your lips a magic world
Leaning on the cold metallic tube in front of the doors, he sighed looking at his converse. He needed to give them a wash, those ketchup stains were not making it look any better. His fingers went to his eyes, scratching the corners of them, he could sleep right there if he was sure no one would steal his phone but instead he concentrated on his surroundings. Phone screens shining, Instagram posts passing rapidly, text messages getting deleted and retyped, sudoku grid…
Sudoku grid?
His stomach churned. He had these images like photos archived in his brain. He remembered the sudoku grid, the number 9 for some reason, mushrooms, pink dust, floating candles, a green mug, and a smile. That smile had haunted his dreams for days now.
The owner of the phone had a bright yellow coat. Peter froze just creepily staring at the person.
Next stop was a commotion, people going out, some more coming in. Peter lost yellow coat for a moment only to see it going out with the sea of people.
“Hey!" he shouted. Desperation in his voice. “Yellow coat!” 
Only feet away now, he saw the person go up the stairs. His heart hammering against his ribcage, what was this, why was he so anxious for the person to turn?
Crossing a busy street, he took his earphones off, seeing for one last time yellow coat get into a taxi, mixing in the traffic. 
Peter sometimes really thought he was the most intelligent person in the world. He decided to follow the taxi, this time in Spider-Man clothes. Web shooters full and ready, cold wind wasn’t even a bother, he had perfected the suit to be warmer on winter days. 
Swinging up to Brooklyn’s bridge had been easy, the problem being on which of all the taxis he saw was yellow coat in. 
Running and shooting webs caused lots of honking and almost made a man crash his car thanks to the little kid trying to come off the window to say hello to him.
“Sorry!” He apologized, as he flew by. 
Last taxi entering Brooklyn was his only chance, this better be it. As he plopped as softly as he could on the roof of the car, he bent over to take a peek on the backseat windows. 
He grinned under the mask. Knocking on the window he saw shiny hair flick, and sparkly eyes connected with his white buggy ones. Waving a hand at you, your eyes went wide. In a flash everything came back to him.
The curse, how you feed him and basically cured his bad luck with a blueberry flavored kiss.
Stealing his heart with that, it was absurd yet magical, Peter wasn’t surprised no more with what happened in his daily life.
“Roll the window down?” He made the motion for you to do so.
For a brief second Peter thought you were not doing it, but you did, wind made your hair dance and oh Peter’s heart shivered with joy.
“Witch!” He greeted, still looking at you upside down.
“Peter Pa- Spider-Man!” you smiled, in awe.
The taxi driver rolled his window down too. “Dickhead, get the fuck down of my car!” 
“Just drop me in the next block.” You said, throwing the man some money.
Peter jumped off the car just as the taxi slowed down. 
“Freaks!” The man shouted at them, his middle finger sticking out the window as his goodbye.
“Thank you kind sir!” Peter saluted him.
You snorted by his side. Pivoting on his heels, it took him a second to take it all in. 
“You disappeared,”
“I didn’t disappear, I helped you get home Peter Parker.” You grinned. Oh that smile, Peter wanted to squeeze your cheeks.
“Um, no, that’s not what happened. I was lying in your room, and then you kissed me and then I woke up at my aunt’s? For a moment I thought I was losing my mind.”
You were staring at him amused. “It was fun, right? I know I had a lot of fun that night.” 
“Don't be mean.” Peter’s hand flew to his chest, as if he had been hurt for real. “I even asked Flash about you, and you lied, you never went to Empire.” Hands flying in the air, as he spoke.
“First of all. I do go to Empire, Flash is just not a very observant person.”
“Right, so tell me why you did all this?”
"I had to fix it okay!” Your eyes locked on your shoes. 
“Spider-Man hi!!” A group of teenagers waved their hands at them on the other side of the street.
“Hello, guys!” He had to be kind to the fans, being the beloved neighborhood hero wasn’t an easy task after all. “Have a good day.”
“You are the shit bro!” One of them shouted back.
“Do you mind if we talk somewhere more private?” Peter said through gritted teeth.
You bit the inside of your cheek to not laugh. “Ok.”
Peter took the opportunity to grab you by the waist, in a fast and smooth motion he was flying through Brooklyn.
“This is not what I had in mind.” You squealed against his spandex covered neck, he felt your breath hot on his skin. 
“Oh you owe me, this is the least you can do for me Witch.” 
Peter wowed as they moved between buildings. Landing on the roof of an old cinema. The neon lights casting pretty shadows against your face and the suit’s texture became alive. He took the mask off to reveal the sweetest of smiles. Cheeks rosy.
“What can we do about this?” He asked, arms spread wide, he was falling for someone who he barely knew.
You hid your hands inside your coat, wind biting on your skin harshly. 
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
Peter sighed. “How was it supposed to go? You said you had to fix it, what do you mean by that?”
Why were Peter’s eyes so pretty, his face was a mix of pain and hope, your stomach felt funny again. It had been like that since you first saw him. A month ago.
A blue moon was something you always enjoyed. Making moon water, charging crystals, manifesting and writing spells. 
But Orion, your black cat had been angsty for days now, he always was like that during full moons. He destroyed your quilt, the one to knit together with so much effort. So you let him out.
“Get out! If you could, I’d make you fix this to make me happy!” The window closed with a thud and poor Orion blended in with the night.
After trying to fix it but failing with the quilt you felt guilty. Orion was simply trying to let that energy out, and you took it against the poor thing. After much thinking you decided to go out looking for him. Orion’s name got pronounced several times until you saw him crossing the street a little ahead of you, it was three in the morning. Cars weren’t even passing, the world was still, sirens and honks chimed far away. 
Orion locked eyes with you for a moment. And you knew this was a bit of a dare to him, squatting down you tried to prod the cat to go to you, but Orion only sat in the middle of the sidewalk, liking his paw almost making fun of you. One step closer was what set him off running again. Just in time for Spider-Man to pass walking; half mask up munching on what seemed to be a burrito, mustard on the corner of his mouth, he came to a halt when the cat crossed his path. You saw Spider-Man gulp. 
A moment later his burrito fell flat on the pavement. You knew what this was about, you shut your eyes, cursing Orion under your breath, when you opened them Spider-Man was gone. 
“So you knew I was Spider-Man all along?” Peter scoffed. “You are full of secrets witch.”
“I knew I even said it to you when you were freaking out. Half of the spell had to do with me doing the ritual and half of it was you believing it would work, you still opened those damn pretty eyes.”
Peter kicked a tiny rock off the roof. “So you think I have pretty eyes?” he heard you laugh. 
“You do Peter Parker.”
He blushed deeper. “ So what I felt when you… kissed me was just part of the spell?” 
The disappointment in his voice made your heart jump. “It wasn’t about feelings, Peter Parker, it was just a spell to fix your bad luck. Whatever you felt, that’s on you.”
“Hmm,” he took a step closer, scratching his neck. “I was being serious when I asked you out for coffee.”
“I know.”
Peter smirked. “You like making me suffer, I see how it is.” He laughed, making a full twirl.
The grin on your lips couldn’t be held. “It’s funny to see you all embarrassed.” 
“Jesus… okay so, coffee this Saturday?” His ears were bright red.
“Sounds good to me.” 
“Great.” Another step closer. “Don’t bring your cat, I beg.” 
“I won’t.” 
“Good, because I’m feeling pretty lucky as it is.” His lips ghosted over yours.
On your tiptoes you connected your lips with his cold but soft ones. Both smiling and chuckling. 
“This is even better than the last one.”
“Yeah because you were freaking out about spiders, Spider-Man.” you mumbled, Peter brushed the hairs that floated in your face, he needed a clear path.
“I think I prefer it when you call me Peter Parker.”
Peter kissed the tip of your nose, and you finally let him know your name. He beamed as he repeated it.
“That sounds about right.”
A meow was heard and Peter groaned, forehead connection to yours.
“He won’t do it again. I promise, it was just a blue moon thing.”
You saw his eyes traveling all over your face. “I think I can get used to getting cursed.”
Orion meowed again, rubbing its little black fur against Peter’s leg. 
“Hey pal.” Peter said, patting the cat sweetly.
You snorted. “You’re weird Peter Parker.”
“Thank you.” 
Maybe after all Orion did something that made you happier than a badly knitted quilt.  
Peter found the whole term of black cat curse drastically different, they weren’t about bad luck after all. 
59 notes · View notes
itsscromp · 8 months
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Jaime Reyes/blue beetle x reader platonic
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Welcome to another blue beetle fic, It's closer and closer by the minute. Even though I have to wait an extra month as it doesn't release in Australia until September lol. But for this fic, if anyone has seen Homecoming, you'll get the idea ;) word count:849
Jaime, Your best friend, The freaking Blue Beetle !!!, holy shit. When you first found out he was Blue beetle when he rescued you from coyote, You had to calm yourself and not go full nerd. He did just save you, But once you recovered and went back to school.
"Jaime, we gotta talk" You had to whisper so that people didn't know he was Blue beetle.
"y/n I know but please not right here"
"I know I know but..." He was right you had to keep quiet but you had a million questions and zero answers.
During different points of the day you asked a question relating to blue beetle.
"Can you summon an army of beetles ??"
"No"
"Is the amour titanium or something ??"
"No, it's extra terrestrial"
"Ok ok... Is the suit fart proof ??"
"What kind of question is that ??"
After school Jaime decided to show you the powers of blue beetle
"Ok Y/n, follow me. I'll show my powers. Just please no more questions"
"Alright alright."
Jaime then brought Y/n to a rural area just near the edge of El Paso to make sure no one see's his identity.
"Ok before I show you my powers. There's one thing you gotta see."
He turned around and lifted his shirt
"What are you do.. OH MY GOD !!"
His back revealing the scarab, wedged right into his back. No surgery seems to be getting that off anytime soon
"I know, it took me a while to come to terms with it as well"
Their was silence for a bit.
"Look I trust y/n ok, they won't reveal my identity ok ??"
"Uhhh, who are you talking too ??"
Jaime sighed, It looked like he was talking to himself.
"Its the scarab, I don't know how but it seems I can only hear it and talk to it"
"That's freaky but awesome."
"It is, but It's like almost being nagged by Mom."
Quiet again
"Look scarab just trust y/n ok ??"
It would take some getting used too to see Jaime talk to scarab.
"Anyway, Now my powers, with them, I can be able to summon anything just by thinking to scarab what I want."
"Wow, that's so cool !!" Y/n was smiling wide.
"Alright, so the first thing... the armour. Originally I could only do it when I was in danger. But I figured out how to summon it at will."
Then Jaime stood there, shutting his eyes. Withing seconds. the blue beetle armour started to take over him, the pincers popping out, his face then turning into a mask, his eyes glowing yellow.
"Pretty cool right ??"
"Oh my... HOLY SHIT !!!" you were bouncing from pure excitment.
"That was awesome !!"
Jaime couldn't help but smile under the mask from your excitement.
"You ain't seen nothing yet amigo."
*queue sword*
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"Final fantasy fan I see."
"What the buster sword is a classic."
"OK what else can you do ??"
Jaime then summoned arm cannons, his hands melting and reshaping into cannons.
"Hell yeah !!, these bad boys are my favourite"
"Woah !!, ok uuh, test it on that boulder"
"Say no more"
Jaime then aimed at the boulder and with one blast the boulder was completely destroyed. But as Y/n was still in awe from it they didn't see a big chunk of the boulder falling to your direction.
"Jaime the boulder, it's gonna crush y/n !!" The Scarab warned him, Jaime quickly then pushed Y/n out of the way and caught the boulder with his bare hands, Struggling for a bit before tossing it away from harms reach.
"Are you ok y/n ??"
"Holy... You. Have. SUPER STRENGTH !!!!!"
Jaime started smiling again before the mask disintegrated revealing his face again.
"That is the power of the blue beetle y/n"
"This is awesome !!"
"But y/n look, real talk here buddy. While yes this is awesome to see, you can't go telling anyone about this, not even your dad or my family. Only you know about this." He took your hand and squeezed it, in a way of seriousness. "Can you promise to keep this secret for me ok ??"
Your smile faded slightly knowing the seriousness of the cause, You squeezed his hand back. "I promise Jaime, I promise."
"Thank you y/n" He smiled and hugged you tightly. "Your a great friend you know that ??"
"Can say the same to you" You smiled as you hugged him back
Jaime saw the sun setting before realizing he's been out all afternoon.
"Oh mierda, I gotta get home before mom kills me, I'll see you at school tomorrow ok y/n ??"
"Shoot I should get home too" You saw a bus stop and had some money, so you then went to the stop.
"See you tomorrow Jaime !!!"
Jaime waved goodbye before grabbing his backpack and activating flight mode, zooming back home.
You smiled as soon as you saw him fly off, Your best friend was a superhero. A freaking superhero. El Paso was in safe hands with Blue Beetle.
Taglist:@callofdudes
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So, there's many of you now. I know we're in the How Sweet It Is Not To Know Follower Counts website and I do cherish that, but still, more people than ever in my life clicked a button that in some capacity says "I care what this dork has to tell me" and I want to acknowledge and celebrate that - especially now that this growth seems to have settled into its rhythm.
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Spot when @identifying-cars-in-posts reblogged my pinned, lol.
So, for my 100th post, I felt like celebrating our love for reaching round numbers. And little in the automotive world represents it more iconically than what reigned supreme above all cars in the 1980s.
Porsche started out as an engineering firm, whose most notable contract was what would become known as the Volkswagen Beetle (and boy what a story that is). The first car of its own was the 356 seen below - a sporty body laid over Beetle underpinnings and thus still mostly made by Volkswagen. But by God, they were going to run with that recipe and perfect it 'til the sun burst.
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Meanwhile, in England, a chap called Colin Chapman decides the next of his company's track cars will actually be drivable on the street, to need no trailer to go race. Thus the Lotus Seven is born and sold in kit, which avoids high taxes on the exporting of cars to the US (but those taxes would have remained had they been sold with assembly manuals… so they were sold with disassembly manuals for you to read backwards. No, seriously.).
The Porsche 356 kept getting less and less Volkswagen and more and more Porsche until in 1964, the year of the Beatles, the year of the Stones, the stone-age Beetle was left behind for good with the Porsche 911 (seen below), a blank-canvas take on the same recipe of an air-cooled rear boxer engine powering the rear wheels of a squished-Beetle-shaped sportscar. 'Twas good.
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In 1973, Lotus was doing pretty well for itself. The Seven's whole 2500 sales had carried it through producing a number of other models, and a few were even in production concurrently - a lineup! Exciting stuff! Well, that and an F1 team so successful its Wikipedia page features the section "Domination in the 60s and '70s". The exciting opportunity to move upmarket, with bigger models with AC and automatics and all that bougie shit, pushed them to move away from the image of scruffy old kit car makers, ceding the Seven's production to the last two dealers that sold it, main one being Caterham Cars.
The 911 headed into the 80s old enough to drive, and Porsche's plans considered it at the end of the line, with staff already mourning it. But then the yankee at his third week as CEO saw those plans (which to Germans are basically scripture), said "to hell with that" and extended that line off the chart. Literally. He went to the lead engineer's office and physically took a marker at a development chart. They all secretly liked that.
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Still, it was clear the game was changing - intercoolers, all wheel drive, active suspension... how hard could the 911 layout go if it didn't stick to its simple air-cooled roots? Well, Porsche resolved to find out by filling it with the cusp of automotive advancements and then some. And I do mean filling - a chassis that didn't even need space for a radiator was suddenly tasked with storing it, two turbos, two intercoolers, and a good half dozen oil pumps.
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Yeah good luck with that, buddy. Oh, and materials? The body was kevlar, the frame was aluminium, the floor was Nomex (ever even heard of Nomex???), the wheels were magnesium and the spokes were hollow!!!! You could blow into the spokes!!! And don't get me started on the technology! Variable height, an all-wheel-drive system that distributed torque at will, electronics galore... As you may be able to guess, development was… complex.
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At one point a test driver was doing 180km/h (112mph) to go get the car un-on-fire-d, and that's just one of the plenty horror stories. Hell, work started in 1983 to create a car for Group B and took so long that when said rally series died in 1986, production was just starting. Not that development would stop at the start of production, either - the first cars just got updated when the owners took them in for their service. (Can't blame them, I fix wording in weeks-old posts...) But however long it took, the resulting Porsche 959 answered the originating question "How hard can this chassis go?" with a resounding "Hard and then some".
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It was comfortable and refined enough to be driven every day, but so capable it extended the limits of the concept of production car. Put it this way: it reached car people's favorite round number, 100km/h (to yankee doodles, 60mph) in 3.6 seconds. The second fastest production car did so in 4.6. That's one second of margin in a race that ends in five. Oh, and if you want to put it another way: the 959 was the first production car to ever surpass 300km/h, let alone come 1 shy of the mythical 200mph (322km/h).
Meanwhile, the handful of chaps at Caterham was still producing the Caterham Seven. It's the Lotus Seven (specifically the third revision, from 1968), but I guess in '83 the engine changed. We were saying?
They couldn't sell the 959 stateside for lack of crash test data, and America's ban on importing foreign cars under 25 years of age had no exception. That is, until Bill Gates wanted a 959 so bad he spent 13 years getting an exception passed. That's how hot this car is.
And yet, this record-breaking, boundary-pushing, master-of-all-trades hypercar sits atop the 80s automotive landscape engulfed in shadow. But how? Why? Because it failed to contend with the greatest automotive headache: humans. It was planted, practical, reliable, predictable - docile, domesticated, amicable. Perfect. But these are not meant to be cars, they're meant to be posters. And you don't get posters of what is perfect, but of what excites you. And what excites us is the visceral, the raw, the uncompromising - the wild, the feral, the dangerous. And, of course, reaching round numbers. What excites us is a lot more like the first production car to break 200mph, the Ferrari F40.
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Remember how the 959 was being developed for Group B racing and then the series died? Well, Ferrari got screwed over too, with the 288 GTO Evoluzione they were developing (seen here to the right of the base 288 GTO) suddenly having no reason to be.
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The lead engineer then asked Enzo Ferrari to let him turn that weekend project (literally, they couldn't spend work week time on it) into a road car to celebrate their 40 years. Enzo, nearing the end of his days, thought "Ah, what the hell, let's leave with a bang", so they set off to build what would become the anti-959. Not anti as in response, but as in antithesis. Where the 959 was an attempt to modernize the noisy, unrefined, old-school 911 -to make a supercar "tested for everyday usability to the most strenuous standards", by Porsche's words- the F40 was a reaction to, per Ferrari's words, "customers saying Ferraris were becoming too plush and comfortable": "nothing but sheer performance. Not a laboratory for the future, as the 959 is. Not Star Wars."
To exemplify: left is the 959 - note the leather and electric seats, right is the F40, note the string you open the door with.
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The F40 was noisy, crashy, torrid, and the turbo lag painstakingly smoothed out in the 959 here kicked you in the back like a locked door. It would rip your head off the moment it sensed you didn't know what you were doing. But it was more exciting - to look at, to hear, to drive. And that's what won people over - including the buyers, which were near four times as many as Porsche's despite the price tag being double.
Had the 959 lost then? Well, not quite. Enter the 959 S. Doing away with much of the 959's luxuries, like adjustable suspension, electric windows, AC, central locking, and even backsea- wait, the 959 had BACKSEATS???? Holy FUCK why does no one talk about that??? Take the family on a trip to 300kphville! I was saying. They schlapped some bigger turbos on too and power went from 444hp right past the F40's 470hp to a healthy 508, that propelled it over what any roadgoing F40 ever managed at 211mph, or 339km/h. Presumably for bragging rights.
And I want to stress, these were titans clashing here. This was leagues beyond what other production cars could even comprehend. Again, the 959 hit 100km/h in 3.6 seconds. The F40 held a record by taking less than 16 seconds to go from 0 to 160km/h(100mph) and back to 0. This was witnessing superhumans fighting through the clouds.
And then in 1992, the two chaps that 'developed' Caterhams (i.e. banged new ones together in the shed) told the chap they worked for "Hey, let's make one that's really barebones and fast", rang up their ol' mate (and ex-F1 racer) Jonathan Palmer to ask to lend a hand, and bought some of the 250hp engine that powered the Vauxhall (British for Opel) Cavalier GSi in the British Touring Car Championship.
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Thus, the Caterham Seven Jonathan Palmer Evolution - a raw, uncomfortable, uncompromising beast that went fast as all fuck. Now, if you don't know Sevens you may think "Ah, so just like the F40, what with its handcrank windows and the string to open the doorlatch and all". And to illustrate how far off that is: in the Seven the windows were sown on and you latched the door yourself with a button.
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And that's the standard version which had windows and doors. The JPE didn't.
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The JPE had a carbon tub you were meant to call a seat, the controls, a rev counter and a tach that didn't even bother with speed under 30mph, and fuck you. And this one is not even as barebones as it gets: this one is painted.
So while the F40 went from 1,250kg (2760lb) to 1370kg (3020lb) when adjusted to comply with US regulations and the 959 went from 1450kg (3200lb) to the lightweight S version's 1350kg (2975lb), the Seven JPE weighed 1170. As in 1170lb. 530kg. Read that again if you need to, but it had about half the power of those two and considerably less than half the car to move. And so, in January 1993, this thing -this '50s coffin with a Vauxhall engine banged together by one guy in a shed- took the Guinness World Record for fastest car to 100km/h with a time of 3.46 seconds - and the 0-160km/h-0 record with 13.1 seconds. Close your eyes and picture that.
Yet the Seven JPE is hardly known to anyone but the most hardcore of enthusiasts, and owned by barely four dozens of 'em. So did it, perhaps, ultimately lose? Not at all. In fact, none of these cars did.
Every 959 cost Porsche twice what they sold it for, but the project proved the 911's layout could stand the test of time, and its development gave Porsche technologies it gradually infused into the 911 keeping it relevant, competitive, and most importantly alive to this day.
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And I think we can safely say that when Enzo Ferrari died in 1988, a year after the F40's launch, his wish to leave with a bang was perfectly fulfilled - so much so that the F40 is commonly regarded as the peak of his legacy.
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And the JPE was simply the greatest Seven ever - the most raw, thrilling, pure automotive experience the streets had ever witnessed. If driving a fast car was like biking down a hill, the Seven JPE was skydiving. Hell, it was the cover car of éX-Driver, an anime about a team using old-school sportscars to rescue haywire autonomous vehicles!
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Not that culturally relevant but MAN was it cool as a kid. I need to hang those damn posters one of these days. I was saying.
These are three success stories in three radically different ways. Because, as much as I've made this post all about the numbers, sometimes it's not about that. Sometimes it's about making a show, leaving a mark, being spectacular. Sometimes it's about pushing yourself to achievements you can take pride and inspiration from. Sometimes it's simply about having fun seeing just how far you can really go. Sometimes it's about deciding what you want to be and make a new favorite version of yourself, that is the best it can be at what you care the most about. And for some that may result in less popularity or success or impact or legacy than others, but those are just some of the things you can work towards. It can be okay to just work towards having a blast. Hell, those madmen at Caterham used to stay after work to build themselves track cars, race them the next day and put ‘em back in the workshop after racing them, and the company survived to this day. Because, yes, they're still around - and their new lineup topper gets to 100 in 2.8. Windshield still optional. Well, at least there's headrests now. And a wider version, for the concrete possibility that you physically don't fit.
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Never change, Caterham, because you certainly never have.
Links in blue are posts of mine explaining the words in question - if you liked this post, you might like those!
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maoam · 2 years
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..I don’t care much for merchandise as a ship proof because merchandise people do that for ships in general, their intention is to make as much money as possible. Look at snk merchandise, they usually make sure to put Levi with Eren, Erwin and Hange all because those are the most popular snk ships in Japan. After that is Eren with Mikasa. Often Eren and Mikasa are put with Levi instead of Armin as a group regardless of how little sense it makes, simply because Levi is more popular than Armin. And I can see whenever a merchandise is pandering to Eren/Levi shippers, because it has been the most popular ship in snk for as long as I can remember. It’s easy money for them. Shippers are satisfied with little. Just put something little suggestive which isn’t canon anyway and shippers go crazy.
Same way there is Naruto merchandise for ships, and different shippers use it as proof lol. What matters is what Kishi writes. And Kishi’s art for Naruto and Sasuke is better than anything the merchandise folks could put up because it’s canon.
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The ever favorite. The 2018 kabuki illustration honestly looks better than any “fancy clothing” merchandise of them I’ve seen. Just for the gorgeous fabric alone. And they actually look like themselves unlike in many merchandise.
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What can I say, everyone loves this one. He just decided “Oh Naruto and Sasuke are going through individual changes at this point of the story before reuniting dramatically. How about I give them some boyfriend necklaces.” Naruto looks so smug and Sasuke is just serene. They wear them so proudly.
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Don’t tell me this doesn’t look suggestive. And “Those feelings... those wishes... have without fail... make it our fate to meet once again.” We get it Kishi, they want to... get busy.
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So here we have Sakura wetting herself, and Sasuke who according to SS is so crazy about her is completely ignoring her while looking at Naruto with such suggestive gesture with the bottle. Sasuke looks frustrated even. While Naruto doesn’t seem to notice because he’s focused on the battle of the beetles he named Naruto and Sasuke. LOL.
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Well Kishimoto has mentioned how much he cares about the angles and how things look when drawing, and we can see it here. It’s not like Sasuke’s head is placed very strategically... Are you trying to tell us something Kishi? 😐
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The tits... are out. This is just a romance novel cover.
And there’s so much more. But this stuff... very not heterosexual.
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yazzydream · 7 months
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Speculating What the 16-Registered Special Grade Curses Are
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Geto mentions that there are 16-Registered Special Grade Curses, but we only ever got to see four! In all of Jujutsu Kaisen!! I want to know what they are at least, so here's a few speculations.
First, the ones we know.
Tamamo-no-Mae Incarnate, an Imaginary Vengeful Spirit based off of Tamamo-no-Mae.
Ah, a quick explanation of Imaginary Vengeful Sprits: They're Curses built off the cumulative fear humans share over a specific figure, like a famous yokai or ghost story. Kuchisake-onna is one... But so is Sukuna. Ryomen Sukuna is the "Imaginary Demon" with two faces and four arms, but he was actually a human who existed. So, I guess this means he was changed due to people's fears of him? This kind of makes sense when you consider that the Three Great Families are also decedents of the Three Great Vengeful Spirits. I mean... those are Curses too. Actually, we can probably count all of them as among the 16-Registered Special Grades now that I think about it.
Wow, what a fruitful tangent. Let's get back to it, shall we?
1. The legend of Tamamo-no-Mae is that she was a fox spirit under the guise of a courtesan under Emperor Konoe (who reigned from 1142-1155, Heian period). The same beautiful fox spirit who led to numerous rulers getting seduced into being terrible rulers throughout history. Because of course she was.
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2. The Smallpox hag is a Disease Curse. Kenjaku lied about it being a deity, (src: Vol. 20 extra) but I assume it's still a Special Grade since it can use Domain Expansion. Disease Curses are born from the fear of a disease such as the plague. The way Akutami depicts something on it's stomach like it's distended is notable. I did find Sopona, the god of smallpox in the Yoruba religion, which might've been used as a reference point.
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3. Kurourushi was a Registered Special Grade from Kenjaku's (I suppose Geto's?) collection of Curse Spirits he released for the Culling Game. A cockroach curse... At this point, I think it's safe to call it a Devil from Chainsaw Man.
I actually suffered through researching cockroaches a little for this list to see if anything caught my eye. It wasn't worth it. lol. There is a neat article about cockroaches in pop culture you can read to your heart's content if you like. Obviously, swarms of cockroaches attacking people are a common enough trope. Honestly, I'm also reminded of the beetles from The Mummy, only more disgusting.
It's definitely totally irrelevant, but Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, which is listed on that page, is about a man who turned into a giant beetle-like creature (usually thought to be a roach). I only bring it up because Mahito briefly discusses it in the first light novel.
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4. An Asian God Curse not from Japan. Maybe Genesha, but more probably Kangetian, the Japanese equivalent. Kangetian has both positive and negative reception in Japan and has some Curse-like descriptions. Whereas Genesha seems like a benevolent figure... But Genesha is the one consistently depicted as pink with four arms... Y'know what, Curses are an amalgamation of human negativity anyway, I shouldn't stress about it.
From the Kangetian wiki article:
the Buddhist Vinayaka was (at least at first) negatively portrayed as the creator of obstacles and the leader of a class of malignant demons who obstructed Buddhist practice called vinayakas [...]
And there's this:
On the other hand, he is considered to be still bound by base passions and desires (kleshas) and thus is sometimes also regarded as a rather volatile, demanding god who is quick to punish those who have offended him.
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The ones that are most likely part of the registered Curses.
The Three Great Vengeful Spirits, ancestors of the Three Great Families. There's no way they're actually around anymore, but this is just about being a "registered" Special Grade, so they had to have counted, right?
I'll try to be brief here, because somehow, this post has already ended up three times longer than I'd intended. (*edit: It did not end up brief.)
5. Sugawara no Michizane came from a middle-class family of scholars. He was considered a child prodigy, a genius, and held the second highest rank in the imperial court, right under the emperor. As you can imagine, he was the target of jealousy from other aristocrats. He was falsely accused of trying to abolish the emperor and died two years later in exile. (His greatest rivals were the Fujiwara btw, which is ironic considering what Uro thought Yuta was.)
After he died, everyone thought his enemies would continue to dominate the court. AND YET, a whole lot of them started to up and die from "accidents," illnesses, etc. ALSO, lightning repeatedly struck the imperial court and even more of his enemies died. The imperial city experienced weeks of rainstorms and floods. Anyway, everyone decided they needed to pacify what was clearly Michizane's vengeful spirit, built him a temple, and deified him as Tenjin. (Like "Raijin," god of thunder. Lol.)
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6. Taira no Masakado was a samurai who's notable for leading the first recorded rebellion against the imperial court in Kyoto. Masakado worked for a powerful noble in the capital but returned to the east after his father's death. He ended up as a kind of "hero of the people" and declared himself the "new emperor" with half of Japan's land. Which, uh, obviously wouldn't fly with the imperial court. He died two months later in battle and his head was sent to Kyoto and displayed for the people to see.
But there were some strange rumors about that head... Its eyes stayed opened for months... You could hear it grinding its teeth at night... Most bizarrely, legend says the head flew back east to look for its body. Specifically, to the head mound in what would become one of the most expensive pieces of land in Tokyo's financial district.
Anyone who tries taking down the mound is faced with bad luck (including death), so it's well maintained to this day.
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7. Emperor Sutoku was a puppet emperor from the age of 3 to 22; under the control of his father. After he was forced to abdicate, failed a rebellion, and forced into exile, he became a monk. Devoting himself to Buddhism, he copied scriptures and asked the court to have them sent to a temple in Kyoto, but the court sent them back claiming they were cursed. (Yeah, I know.)
Sutoku swore to become a yokai to avenge his grudge. After that, he never cut his hair or nails again. By the time he died, he looked like a demon.
Everything from the subsequent fall in fortune of the Imperial court, the rise of the samurai powers, droughts and internal unrests were blamed on his haunting.
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(I found this neat series of articles about each of the Three Vengeful Spirits after typing this out, which go into them a little more: Taira no Masakado, Emperor Sutoko, Sugawara no Michizane)
8. Ryomen Sukuna needs no introduction. I will add this quote, though.
Q: It's mentioned that Sukuna was a human who actually existed, but was he a curse user when he was alive?  Akutami: You could say he was a curse user, but I think he was closer to a natural disaster.
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9. Rika-chan was definitely a Special Grade. And once she was discovered, she had to have been registered as the "Queen of Curses." The question is whether Geto counted her among the 16?
Tangentially, these are my own thoughts, but human Rika... Well, reading her character profile from Volume 0 and seeing her looks-- her long dark hair, the mole on her face-- reminds me of another certain malevolent curse-like girl: The eponymous Tomie from Tomie by Junji Ito. And considering we get an Uzumaki reference later in Volume 0, I don't think it's entirely a coincidence.
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That's 9 out of the 16, so actually, we knew more of the Registered Special Curses then I thought. (Speculative though it may be?)
Finally, onto the reason I made this post in the first place.
☆ Because I was one of those children that ate up supernatural mysteries and fairytales, I really liked the legend of Yuki-onna. Something about the imagery... A beautiful woman in the mountain snow leading men to their deaths... Is super poetic. Lol.
☆ Sadako from Ring. She's so ubiquitous by this point, how could there not be an Imaginary Cursed Spirit based off her? The first Ring movie came out in 2001, and before that it was a novel series. Quick summary, this should be familiar to you: Sadako is a ghost who made a cursed video tape. Whoever watches the tape will die in seven days.
Notably, Sadako is a mix of two ghosts, Oiwa and Okiku. There's also Kayako from The Grudge. I can see all of them mixing together into a Special Grade.
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☆ Since Mahito mentioned the nine-tailed fox (kyuubi), it would feel remiss not to mention it. Different from Tamamo-no-Mae, this one takes the more animalistic form.
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☆ Genuinely terrifying would be an atomic bomb Curse. It would look balding and gaunt... It would have radiation related powers. It would be awful.
☆ I know the Darkness Devil is a thing in Chainsaw, but considering "the dark" is one of the most fundamental fears of the human race, I'm going to say that makes sense.
☆ A "white devil"/gaijin Edo period era Curse that stems from Japan's xenophobia, especially at the time. I imagine a lot of like, Christian imagery with it. Think Eva. Lol.
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A few more...
Not even Kuchisake-onna was a Special Grade... It could do Simple Domain though, so it was probably a Grade 1 Curse at least. Here are a few more ideas that could be, at least, Grade 1 in my book.
★ Kisaragi Station is just my love for that urban legend. Hey, if oceans, forests, and volcanoes can become Curses, then so can imaginary train stations! Trains are also the way so much of travel is done in Japan, I legit think this could be a possible Curse. Kisaragi Station originated from a 2ch post in 2004. A woman asks 2ch for advice when the train she usually takes home doesn't stop... until it reaches "Kisaragi Station," anyway. There was a Mob Psycho OVA with a similar idea, where Reigan was basically trapped in a Domain, now that I think of it. Hahaha.
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★ Hanako-san of the Toilet was also mentioned by Mahito. And frankly, not just in Japan, but around the world, the bathroom is a place of hauntings. Here's a really great video that talks about the fear of bathrooms in media that I recommend. And here's a post I wrote a few years ago about an episode of Shin-chan that made me apprehensive of dark bathrooms as a child. Lol.
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Ideas for Curses from other countries
Like Kangetian, here are a few foreign figures too. I tried to keep in mind they should be of things people felt genuine fear or hatred towards. Obviously, each culture has a great many folklore and urban legends, so I'm only listing famous ones I personally knew of.
Jack the Ripper was a real-life English serial killer, but he's risen up into something of a mythical status. There are so many fictitious takes on him, in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen I'd be shocked if he hadn't become an Imaginary Cursed Spirit.
Baba Yaga, a Slavic cannibalistic witchy figure whose preference was children. Though this story is German, think the witch from "Hansel and Gretel." There were a lot of time periods of famine in that region of the world, so I can see starvation, the desperation to eat something, leading to that widespread grotesque fear.
Bloody Mary, I think of her as American, but there's rumors that she's based off of a European woman. I'm reading the wikipedia article right now, and boy is the ritual a lot more complicated and meaningful than it actually is. Basically, you just say "Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary"; repeating her name three times, in front of a bathroom mirror and she appears. Uh, I don't think there was a reason for it. It was just spooky thing to do. Speaking of reasons to be scared of dark bathrooms... I remember trying to call out to Bloody Mary as a child at a friend's house. I cannot for the life of me remember if I chickened out or not. Probably.
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La Llorona, "the Weeping Woman," of Mexican origin. She haunts areas around bodies of water looking for her children, who she drowned in life during a jealous rage when she discovered her husband cheating on her... Another female phantasm. I suppose, women are so often wronged in life, it's easy to imagine them haunting us after death. As a Curse, I can see her springing up mostly due to the guilty feelings of men who have cheated.
Why did I do this to myself? As soon as I started writing up Tamamo-no-Mae I went on a tangent (as you can see) and I spiraled. OTL Whatever, I like myths and lore and it was fun even if this ended up... so much longer than I'd expected.
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dreamsb0u · 10 months
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Ok so, I have another AU idea that I may or may not persue 
Imagine the bad guys but in og Dreamtale
NM accidentally falls asleep while reading and Dream is in the village doing labour for the residents so no one notices when this little skeleton kid creeps up to the tree and starts counting the beetles on it, Nightmare wakes up and is- understandably- a little freaked out and demands to know Killer’s intentions. Killer points out the beetles like it’s the most obvious answer ever and Nightmare just stares at him until they begin to talk and eventually Killer declares himself as Nightmare’s friend- so yay! Nightmare now has his first ever friend!
One day, Killer drags over a kid and his brother who are starving and injured and asks Nightmare to help them- Nightmare manages to heal them and Dream comes back, sees their condition and sneakily steals some food from the villagers (he is not a perfect angel). The kids talk after this and now Nightmare has another person (aside from Dream) willing to die for him.
Killer one day, along with Horror- drags up a kid who is very vocally NOT HAPPY with Killer and Nightmare is a bit scared of this kid who seems to be pretty angry and violent. Killer says that since Nightmare knows half of the gang he has to know the other half. Nightmare is a bit confused because there is not half of other people which Killer is dragging with him and asks about it. Killer says that the other member isn't allowed to come at the moment and Nightmare is introduced to Dust who is startlingly apathetic towards him.
It's been a few weeks since Nightmare's met Killer at this point and he isn't surprised to see Killer dragging up another kid at this point. This one seems to be very hesitant and talking to Killer about 'getting in trouble' or something. Dream is also here and he greets the two with Nightmare following after him. Cross is way too uptight with the twins even as they insist that (s)he doesn't need to use formalities. XGaster in this AU has drilled it into Cross's head that (s)he needs to treat the guardians with utmost respect. This eventually makes their meetings very awkward and Killer tells Cross to 'calm the fuck down' to which both Dream and Nightmare blank because where are these kids learning swear words? (Ignoring blatant hypocrisy here).
One day Killer runs up to Nightmare with a wooden sword and the rest of the gang and before Nightmare can react- Killer shoves the sword into his hands and demands he spars with Killer to prove he is strong enough to be part of ‘the gang’.
Killer is fast and confident but Nightmare has years of experience with fighting from protecting the tree so he quickly knocks Killer flat on his (non existent) ass and Killer, obviously, is a little butthurt (lol) but quickly gets over it and basically adopts Nightmare into their group.
Killer extends the offer to Dream after he is beaten by him too but Dream refuses, saying that he doesn't have the time. No one takes this to heart and boom shakalaka now Nightmare has some besties lets fucking goooooo
In this au, Nightmare doesn't get completely corrupted as a result of the apples- instead he's stopped by Dream and the gang from consuming more than 4 apples considering the fastest time anyone's eaten an apple in is like 30 seconds meaning that he'd have to eat at the speed of light to devour that shit quick enough. This results in Nightmare staying Nightmare but because of the apples- he has a vengeful spirit following him around and having short bursts of possession. This causes an immense amount of stress and Nightmare begins to get chronic pain from the weight the excess of the apples has on his bones.
The story basically follows a group of kids who have intense issues and a taste for pranks. There is a lot of shenanigans and hijinks.
Tldr; Nightmare becomes friends with the gang in his own AU where they're all children. they manage to stop him from eating all the apples and it follows their tomfoolery in the universe.
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theminecraftbee · 2 years
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i also have a side theory that elytra being codified as bird wings may have some influence from the dsmp fandom. cant really prove it but i noticed that nowerdays i see a LOT of frequent flyers given bird wings by artists that started off coming from the philza angle. wouldnt surprise me if some of those artists migrated to hermitcraft, saw bird grian and went "hell yeah, another bird guy!"
see that can't be the ORIGINAL root cause, because grian definitely already had pretty heavy fanon wings before the dsmp fans came in. (actually i remember hermitcraft fans jokingly complaining that dsmp fans didn't draw their characters non-human enough back in the earlier days, lol, though that was mostly about sam.) it probably can't even be a particularly early root cause because the stronger dsmp influence i don't think started coming in until late 2020/early 2021 (i know that's when i jumped at least and that was around the peak of hermit!tommy stuff). the big WAVES of dsmp fans who left the hermitcraft fandom for dsmp was also like, mid 2021 i think, around season 8? and by then grian already DEFINITELY had wings.
however i think you may have a point about the philza thing? because philza got VERY bird-wing and had less of a bird association than grian, and i definitely see way fewer insect wings than i personally think i should given that elytra is the word for a part of beetle shell that goes over the wings, if i remember right. then again, most artists just... seem to like drawing bird wings more than insect wings, so that may be it?
anyway elytra being bird wings could be philza influence and dsmp influence a bit i definitely don't see them as like, the plain elytra much anymore either. but also i think people just like drawing bird wings. idk its worth looking into.
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hello-sputnik · 3 months
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Biggest changes I would make to wof arc "1"
Pt 2 - History + Evolution I guess (mainly evolution)
(once again haven't read arc 1 in years)
So 1st things first history is not the same as in the books. I don't really like how the scorching was set up, I first headcanoned it to have nothing really to do with humans or dragons to an extent. Rather it was a meteor. ┐⁠(⁠´⁠ー⁠`⁠)⁠┌
I also really like the Icewing invasion theory, and I thought it would be fun if that had something to do with the scorching, or was a reaction to it or whatever.
Also I'm not averse to human empires, but they probably won't be a major plot line for the dragons, probably. Like maybe dragon-human war & then meteor happens and the dragons come out on top? Idk. (Will reblog post when I figure it out tho)
Evolution below cut 👇
Sea - land
Land - Ice | Fire | Venom
Ice - Night
Venom - Mud | Dew (Beetle)
Fire - Sky | Sand
Dew - Rain | Leaf | Silk
Silk + night - root (hive)
(Yes I changed the name of hivewings & beetle wings, because the rest of the names have nature not animal vibes so beetle doesn't fit, and I wanted to use hive to refer to both Hivewings and Silkwings for symbolism. (To be explained later))
So to start we have seawings, or an early ancestor. They are amphibious, and are regularly on and off land. That's gonna change and so we get a more land based species. Also this seawing ancestor has electrical shock abilities, they will lose it, but the landwings won't.
Anyway onto land, we get 3 different evolutions. 1 species loses electricity, other 2 dragon species start using electricity & gas to start fires (Early ice + fire). Now hold on a minute why is ice here? Well if you didn't know you can make freezing fire:
youtube
Anyway Ice doesn't evolve ice breath right away, only after they split between pole and pyrrhia. The Icewings who stay on pyrrhia become nightwings. (Mainly because I wanted Icewings and Nightwings to be the 2 dragons that have feathers. Icewings because it's cold & Nightwings for relative silence sorta like owls.)
The other dragon species fire, just has normal electricity generated fire. That species eventually evolved into sandwings & skywings. Though it takes a bit longer then night v ice because sky & sand are separated for a while. Sand also evolves tail venom because???
The last dragon group are venom dragons, & they evolved... venom, or in the mudwings convergent evolution kinda case flammable liquid that needs to already be warm to ignite. The other, Dewwings, developed venom.
Ok so the Icewing invasion kicks in and Dewwings have to flee, the ones left behind become rainwings, the ones that leave become Silk & Leafwings. (The ecology of pantala is very different -dangerous- & I'm leaning into leafspeak heavily.) Leafwings settled on the interior of pantalla (because leafspeak) while the Silkwings settled on the exterior and the islands between the 2 continents. Anyways I've known I wanted rainwings to be related to Leafwings because rainwings use the sun to recharge, like leaves!
Finally we get Hive aka Rootwings. They aren't really a separate species from Silkwings but are fairly noticably different. I don't want to call them a subspecies that seems to different but I also don't want to call them a breed that has icky connotations for a sentient race. Anyway Rootwings are the result of not just clearsight but a bunch of Nightwing refugees as well. So clearsight is not starting a species nor is she having like 1,000,000 babies.
Alright so a few people might be thinking, all these dragon species seem so unrelated, how would hybrids exist?
Gods + mortals + love + animus magic, obvs lol! Which will be the next post 👐.
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hermesserpent-stuff · 10 months
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Tobacco Beetle AU
This is background for the main hero, her friends, and potential future friends. Villains will have to be a separate post because this is already very very long.
Yay spidersona world building!!
Where:
This takes place in Richsten, a southern city with a port in Virginia. The city is not big, nor does it really matter to most people. New York is where most of the superheroes are, like the Avengers, and where many of the major crime organizations, like Hydra, put their focus. Not many look to Richsten. And that suits people in the city just fine. 
The city once was a hub for tobacco markets and things like cigarette rolling, with tobacco fields still lying just outside of the city. The smell of tobacco still fills the city, with its lingering smell reminding of the past that still touches the city. The movements of those markets out of the city and the slow movement away of the rolling factories has led to a slow decline of the city, leaving it poorer than it once was. 
Its age also leaves it haunted, full of ghosts. Just like the smell of tobacco, spirits linger throughout the city, reminders of the past that touch everything. 
Many villains are based off of TSSM’s versions with some changes cause spidersona au lol
Martha Anne Taylor
Name: Martha Anne Taylor
CB Radio handle: Ginger Snap
Aka: The Dynamic Tobacco Beetle “Baccy”
Powers: Climbing walls, super strength, enhanced senses, immunity to certain toxins, can digest less nutritious food (like rotten food) with no problem, good at riding horses
Toolkit: rope shooters; designed after books she found in the library on grappling hooks. Shes not a brilliant scientist or engineer, but she can copy and twist. And she does her best. But they are not always operational to the highest standard. A lot of the times, she just jumps and climbs it it seems like she can get where she needs to without swinging
ginger cinnamon molasses cookies to offer villains. 
Brown leather armor, made by her own hand from bits of leather she has hoarded over the years from the stable her grandfather runs.
Weakness: Cold!! She gets slower and slower as she gets colder. at 39.2 Fahrenheit (4 °C) she passes out. she learns to layer pretty fast. 
Homemade Biscuits and iced sweet tea. Offer those and she'll be distracted enough for you to go commit crimes
Age: 16ish
Height: 5 foot
Backstory: Martha has been living with her maternal grandparents since forever. The rest of her family has been chipped away over the years. Her mom died at childbirth, her dad died in a hurricane with her paternal grandparents when she was three. 
She is a horse loving history nerd who might be just slightly too obsessed with the American Revolution. And with history in general. She knows so much about the history of the city and feels like it is a part of her bones.
She ends up at an exposé for Agrioscorp (oscorp of this world). They were developing pesticides to use against crop pests. Martha is there for a school project about crops and then she is bitten by a tobacco beetle (Lasioderma serricorne) that the pesticide was supposed to murder, but instead altered its genes and made it able to give powers through a bite. It gets one bite and dies. She doesnt know what to do with the powers at first. Shes never really thought shed do much, content to grow up like her grandparents and take over their carriage business when she is old enough too. She’s not even really planning on college. She's not dumb, or unmotivated, just content with her lot in life. And then, two weeks after finding out she has powers, her Grandmother takes her on a surprise trip to New York to see the museums there. And then they end up in an attack. Some robbers. Human. Desperate. Her grandmother keeps her pushed back, unable to do anything. Some heroes burst in and the robbers, startled and scared of what is going to happen to them start firing wildly. Those the robber who shot her grandmother is felled by friendly fire and the other robbers are taken up by the cops and heroes.
Martha decides to become a hero. She doesnt want people to die like her grandmother had. But she also doesnt want to inspire fear. She grew up watching too much A-team, Red Dawn and Smokey and the Bandit to feel like police and government are the only paths to justice. So she suits up and heads out. She figures out how to fight, but more importantly to her, she figures out how to talk. To coax and to listen. She wears her opponents down until they are willing to talk and then she hauls them off to fill them with food at local bbq and breakfast places. She hoards all of her allowance to afford this. And some of those local business band together to create a small fund and find jobs willing to hire ex-cons. She listens to what the criminals have to say, their stories and their troubles, and tries to get them to places willing to help. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. A lot of people think that she’s just being taken advantage of. And she's fine with that. Life is hard enough without her adding to it. Some people just need a little mercy and grace. 
And so her career begins!
Main friends
Name: Gwynn Stacy
CB Radio handle: Glasses
Aka: Not a villain. Or hero.
Powers: Does being a wizz at science count? Lol. Also super strong death glares. His peers fear them.
Toolkit: Science.
Age: 16 almost 17
Height: 5’ 4”
Weakness: Wants to rise from his current life. He is willing to erase his accent and save his time 
Backstory: Born and raised in Richsten. He wants to leave and/or get a job in chemistry or bioscience. He is taking all the AP’s he can and is planning to go to college. He prefers to stick to the rules and often is the one to encourage people to get calmer. He sort of is against taking Ella all over town against her father’s wishes. Often over ruled and follows along to try to keep things from getting worse.
His dad is Captain Stacy of the police force. His dad wants him to be able do whatever he wants in life.
Name: Ella Osborn
CB Radio handle: Kelpie
Aka: Not a villain. Or hero.
Powers: Good at communing with the dead. 
Toolkit: Lots of free time. Lots of knowledge of myths, legends and ghost.
Age: 17
Height:5’ 4” 
Weakness: Physically very weak and sickly. Not able to walk very far without needing to sit. She uses mobility devices like wheelchairs and a cane (depending on the day) inside her home. Norman Osborn does not want her to leave the home most of the time, so often she does not have these aids outide of the house. Bruises very easily.
Easily possessed. But the ghosts cant do much other than talk before she passes out and they are expelled. 
Backstory: Ella was born sickly. Often her stomach does not take in all the nutrients and calories of food. And so she stays relatively weak. She is forced to be homeschooled, but not by her parents. She has tutors and often is ignored by her mother and father. She was lonely till a chance meeting with martha (before martha had powers). Martha starts helping her sneak out and hauls her around the city.
She loves myths and the supernatural and has dedicated much of her time to learning about them. She becomes the go to expert on ghosts in the group once Martha and Quentin realize just how haunted the city is.
She would say Martha is her best best friend. 
Quentin is her best friend: yelled at her dad on her behalf.
Gwynn is her friend.
Name: Quentin Mason nee Beck 
CB Radio handle: Dreamer
Aka: Mysterium (this worlds mysterio)
Powers: None. Though ghosts like him. And so do most stray cats.
Toolkit: Drones!! And smoke and holograms.
Weakness: Drama. He will sacrifice a surefire way to win if another method would look cooler or would be more dramatic.
Age: 16
Height: 5’ 9”
Backstory: Quentin is from New York originally and loved the big city and really wanted to end up on the stage or in movie making. He loves the theater. He never wanted to leave New York. his mom left his dad when he was 5 and his dad died when he was 11. He was left with Phineas Mason (tinkerer) due to the man being life time friends with his dad. Phineas makes weapons for the underground and Quentin learned a lot of his coding and building knowledge from him or by working on his gear. He loves Phineas but they get into fights at times. One of the biggest fights was Phineas’ decision to move them away from New York. That argument meant a long bout of silent treatment leading up to the move. But eventually, Quentin came around, understanding that there were too many heroes in New York for them to safely stay and continue to not be on the radar. And he doesnt love the idea of Phineas being killed or taken from him.
He ends up at the same high school as Martha and he feels like a fish out of water. They become friends as she helps him adjust and he starts to appreciate the city. He makes her a CB radio because she does not have a cell phone. He also becomes friends with Gywnn and Ella. He gets into a loud fight publicly against Norman Osborn for trying to keep Ella inside all the time. He is not allowed to visit. 
He ends up becoming a super villain, not out of any real anger or anything, but because he feels like the city needs one. It has a hero, doesnt it? Heroes need villains. 
He becomes friends with Baccy after his first defeat when he is dragged to a BBQ place: Woofsters. He helps her fight other villains when he feels like she needs it. He claims its to keep the name of the number one villain of the city. But he actually does it because he is besties with her and kinda doesnt want her to die.
Potential future friends!:
Name: Jackson 'Montana' Brice
Aka: tbd but leaning towards Tremors. 
Powers: None. But he is super willful. 
Toolkit: Makes his own shocker costume using a vague knowledge of mechanic from having to fix cars and guns growing up. It is a very very cobbled together piece of tech
Age: 19
Height: 5’ 6”
Weakness: always hungry and is a bit on the weaker side than is healthy for his age. He also will do anything for his kids. Whatever sacrifice or thing that must be done he will do.
Backstory: Raised in the Brice family, a family of mercs who travel about and take jobs. Threatening and offing people. But mostly threatening. They have a right of passage to adulthood and being allowed to take jobs alone, typically taken at the age of 18. He did it at 15. And survived it. Before this point, he traveled the country and world with his dad. 
At 15 he enters the world alone with some lingering support from his family. At 17 he takes in a 16 year old Ox. The kid is bigger than him, but had been stuck in fight rings. He settles down in Richsten to provide some stability and let Ox get schooling. He ends up taking in a 14-year-old Dan who has been left on the streets. 
Montana feels responsible for these two like a father. Or older brother. Depends on the moment. They all work together as enforcers, taking on jobs for the big man. But he also does extra work, security for concerts, odd jobs around town, anything to get a little more money. And he skips meals when his kids arent around to save more. He keeps them afloat by the skin of his teeth and pure stubbornness.
He becomes friends with Quentin when Quentin cuts him a deal to fix a calculator for cheaper. He and Quentin like similar music and Montana helps him get into shows that Montana is security for. Quentin is happy to give more deals and over time its friendship. Close friendship.
And so when he ripped apart an RC car to get a lot of the components for his villain persona and it glitches after the first few times out, he comes to quentin. Who helps make it better after extracting a promise. No killing. And Montana is happy to agree.
Name: Ox Brice
Aka: tbd but Ox??? maybe
Powers: none. But is a good fighter
Toolkit: really good at just powering through pain. Good at watching and reading people.
Age: 18
Height: 5’ 11”
Weakness: His family.
Backstory: Ox was abandoned young at an orphanage. An orphanage that kept the lights on by selling kids to fight rings. He was not well-loved by the staff and so when he was old enough to throw a punch he was sold. He learned quickly to keep his head down and mouth shut. He meets Montana when he is 16 when Montana is breaking up the ring on his own to get some other persons lost son. And he sees his chance and he helps Montana destroy the ring. Montana offers him a family. And Ox takes the chance presented to him.
Name: Dan Brice
CB Radio handle: Silver Tongued Devil
Aka: tbd maybe bullet…. idk
Powers: none. But!! Quick study and hyper good memory. This works both for and against him
Toolkit: mixed fighter. Spent a lot of time figuring out any fighting style he saw. Also good at info gathering
Age: 16
Height: 5 foot
Weakness: easy to egg into having a fight. Especially if the other Enforcers are insulted. 
Backstory: he grew up in a house with three other kids and a mom that didn't want him. His dad was a trucker and would let him ride along during summers. He loved those long hauls that took him away from angry slaps and digging words. He spent most of the rest of the time out of the house, learning as many different fight styles that he can to keep himself safe at school at the very least.
That all ends when his father is killed in a supervillain attack while trucking when Dan is 14. His mom packs him into a car and drops him in the middle of Richsten, telling him that he reminds her too much of his father and that she cannot stand for him to stay in her house. And he wanders the streets for a little bit until Montana finds him fighting off some guy tring to steal the little bit of money he has.
Starts talking to Martha and friends over cb radio for homework help and eventually becomes friends with them at school.
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Text
One more list of backround character palisman choices
Some spoilers for season 3
Pairing palisman to witches has been one of my favorite things to do in The Owl House fandom. I have done about 3 lists so far.  A “first guess list” I did pre-Hunting Palisman (Amity and Mary the sheep horned abmination student were the only ones I got right). Then a list involving the palisman that did not go home with witches in “Hunting Palisman”. My third list was one I did for all the adult characters, based on their personalities and headcannons some of their actor’s had given. Well in honor of Stringbean hatching I want to make a fourth list for all the teenager’s/young adults whom we have not yet seen with palisman.
Amber’s palisman: A fruit bat. I have seen some people in the fandom nickname the youngest of the bard trio “baby bat” due to her ears, fangs, and wings. I love this, so I want to keep that little theme going with her palisman also being a bat. I piked a fruit bat just because I think their little fox-like faces are cute
Derwin’s palisman: A Newt, possibly a firebelly newt for its cool look and rebel sounding name. So I really want the the original 4 BATT’s to all have a different type of animal palisman. Raine’s voice actor already said Raine would have a penguin (a bird), Katya has a herculean beetle (an insect), and above I said Amber would get a fruit bat ( a mammal). Then that means that Derwin should get either a reptile or an amphibian. I am going to reference Amphibia here: I headcannon Derwin as being most intelligent of his trio (Katya being the caring one, and Amber being the brave one) because he wears glasses and his name is super similar/derived from that of a famous scientist.  And in Amphibia the newts were the scholarly race
Blight Twins. Okay so originally I wanted all three of the blight siblings to have cats, with Emira having a black cat and Edric having either a gray one or a tabby. Then that turned into Emira still having a cat but Edric instead having a small dog. But earlier today I saw the tweet that said the writers wanted to give the twins a butterfly and a moth. Which is funny because in my adult witch list I said that if the little brown rat was not Alador’s paliman, then he should have a lunar moth palisman. Now I am just imagining ghost with a gaggle of bugs, rodent’s, and Stringbean, who’s default form is a snake... All animals cats usually try and hunt/catch, but these ones are her family. lol.
Moving on, the person said that the reason we haven’t seen the twins with the two bugs is that they crew cold not decide which twin should get the moth and which twin should get the butterfly. Well choosing to believe them, I can decide: Emira gets the moth. Edric gets the butterfly. Now let’s talk breeds.
Emira Blight: A prometheus moth. It took approximately 5-10 seconds for me to pick this breed of moth for Emira. Prometheus moth’s are brown feathered moths with eye like images painted on to the back of their wings. Emira is such a watchful person. She does so much to try and take care of Ed and Amity. In season 2 she honestly seemed like the closest thing her siblings had to an involved parent. I think it would really cool if she got a prometheus moth that literally had eyes on the back of its wings, and it either followed just behind her or sat on her scalp, and was treated like Emira having eyes in the back of her head.
Edric Blight: A red spotted purple butterfly. They are actually blue with black edges and orange spots. They look kinda like blue Monarch butterflies. In contrast to his sister, just looking through butterfly breeds on google to find him one did nothing but overwhelm me. So to try and cut it down I decided I wanted to give him a blue butterfly, since he has blue magic. There are like 50+ types of blue butterflies, but I found the red spotted purple butterfly petty high on the list and picked it. It has three colors to its wings, just like Ed has three track colors on his school uniform. 2 of its colors even match 2 of Ed’ tracks. So a red spotted purple butterfly is Edric’s butterfly.
Matt Tholomule: a white Rat. So a rat was my original pick for him just because after 1x09 the fandom kept referring to him as “the construction rat”. Now that we have seen more of his skills and personality, the animal just continues to suit him more. Rat’s are, sneaky, good at building, really smart (seriously rats are actually incredibly smart rodents.) and fast little creatures. I say with all the love in the world that  Matt is a rat gremlin. Originally I was going to pick out a breed of rat that was black or dark grey to match Matt’s color scheme better... Then I realized that that would look similar to Micky Mouse. No. Adrian Graye, who was written as a vessel for the creators to express their disgust/frustration for Disney’s producers, is the only character who a Micky Mouse palisman works with. Give Matt a white rat that looks nothing like Micky.
Steve: Hedgehog palisman for Steve. He was on my last list, where I suggested a scorpion palisman. I have since been unsatisfied with that choice and want to change it to a hedgehog (I will give all the Tholomule’s rodent’s). I looked at its meanings and a hedgehog is literally perfect for Steve. A hedgehog is a tough little creature but also non aggressive, so is Steve. Totem wise they are seen as vessels for positivity, and Steve likes to cheer for people. But also a creature who likes peaceful outings. Europeans view them as representations of victory over evil forces, which can be represented with Steve choosing to walk away from the Emperor’s coven when he no longer believed in The Emperor’s rule.
Vee Noceda: A mocking bird. Oh y’all thought I wouldn’t include Luz’s siblings on this list? No chance. I have seen more fan art on Tumblr of Vee with Stringbean than Luz. So many people have been commenting about how the egg hatched into a mythical creature that is so similar to a basilisk, and how flattered Vee will feel when she meets her sister’s new pet. Guys Stringbean is Luz’s. Vee needs her own palisman. I did want to give her something that could learn to mimic other creatures similar to how Vee does. I also thought about birds, because Vee mentions playing with Masha and a flock of birds at camp in one of her letters to Camila. Put both of those concepts together and you get Vee with a little mocking bird palisman.
King Clawthorne: A bunny. He can have one too, once he gets old enough to take care of it. I am sticking with my first idea that once King becomes old enough to outgrow Francois he gets himself a bunny palisman to be his little buddy instead.
The Collector: A multicolored parrot. Yeah if King was going to be on this list then his new baby brother had to be next. Anyone who has watched 3x02 can see how at his core the collector is just a lonely little kid who is afraid of being alone. If you know about Parrots you know that they are long living birds who develop close bonds with their owners to the point where they want to be by their side always. A parrot could spend all day every day playing with the Collector and they would both love it.
Hunter: Well of course the first thing I want to know is if, since he has flapjack’s spirit, can he carve a new palisman body for Flap and put him into it. In “Hunting Palisman’s” Hunter said he wished he could chose his life for himself, and that bonded him to Flapjack. Well in “Thanks to Them” almost everything he said he would like to do with his life involved palisman. He still needs one and there is no room left in the show for him to mourn Flapjack and get to a point where it is believable that he would be ready to get/make a new palisman.
But let’s say that either A.) It is possible for Hunter to carve Flapjack a new body and he carves something other than a cardinal, deciding that both he and Flapjack should have knew looks for their new lives. Or B.) the Owl house gets spin off material and somewhere down the road we get a comic of Hunter going through the process of mourning Flapjack, and coming to terms with what happened. Then eventually getting to a stage where carving a new palisman wouldn't be to painful. I have seen a lot of people suggest a wolf. That good, but I want to suggest on final tribute to his fallen friend’s old forum. A black/dark brown wolf with red feathered wings. Palisman do not have to look exactly like the animals they are based off, and so far canine palisman haven’t. The green skinned fang kid has a unisus wolf, and Jarbo has a unicorn dog. So why should Hunter carve a plain old wolf when he could do a black and red Pegasus wolf?
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