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miriamundertale · 6 months

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Yoshiru Konogi, the Hornybait writer who Fucking Gets it

thats right its time to get into henjotown

Due to the nature of my job working night shift at a hotel, I’ll often wind up going through the mangadex source on tachiyomi and just, peek at covers and titles (if i’m really feeling frisky, maybe the blurb written with it as well) to try and find something that loos like it’s going to be bad in an attempt to find something that’s at worst funny shlock or at best life changing (looking at you call of the night). About a year ago I stumbled across Shingeki no Eroko-san, (which i’m going to be shortening to Eroko from here out, partially for brevity and partially to get the aot heeby jeebies out of my system) a uh, very weird manga to put it mildly. to summarize its’ premise better than anilist does, Eroko is about a woman in her late 20’s, terminally online and very pathetically into high school boys, getting into a relationship with a high school boy.

by no means is it standout in writing, artistic quality, or really anything specific, except for the actual focus of the manga. while hearing the basic idea, you probably thought about 50000 other manga with if not the same then very similar premises, except while the focus of most of those is on the male lead, and framing it as his wish fulfillment, its very clear from the ground up the focus is entirely on Eruko (yes, that’s her name, yes that is the bit in the title too, they do not retire this bit) and her TEXTUALLY pathetic need to get dicked down by a highschooler. the wish being fulfilled is not a high school boy getting a weird horny older gf, its being a weird pervert online who posts constantly about smelling highschool boy pit getting everything you crave in life and having gay couples come and support you because your fight is like theirs. it is, unequivocally, shlock. it’s what I came here for. I think after reading all of her non doujin work (I did not feel like paying a translator to get a bunch of lucky star side character doujins translated and i think reading an AI translated version is arguably a worse experience than skimming it without reading) its probably the second most shining example of weird and fun garbage I’ve ever read.

anyways were ignoring Eroko for a bit and going straight to the series it span off of, and is arguably worse than, Henjo.

Hen na Joshi Kousei Amaguri Senko (2012-Present)

Henjo (Hen na Joshi Kousei Amaguri Senko), once again, is a very simple premise, this time leaning much more into the classic format by having the main heterosexual tension be a man in his mid 20’s and a 17, later freshly 18 year old high school girl. while the start is pretty evenly set as a general comedy with a bit of focus on the main girl being a weirdo, it very quickly sets the tone to be much more even-sided in its focus. rather than being entirely dedicated towards being wish fulfillment shlock for older men into high school girls, Henjo would much rather let both the men in their 20’s who are kinda cringe and weird but in a harmless way and the weirdo high school girls who think they could absolutely pull so good theyd make a college graduate commit statutory rape for them.

In other words, Henjo is hornybait schlock with express focus on maintaining intrest in both male and female weirdos, and thus elevates itself from the majority of the crowd. There is never a moment where it exists as a purely the male lead being sexually weird towards the female lead, any time where he’s acting like a weirdo sexually is immediately countered by overescalation by the female lead. romantic tension is not driven through misunderstanding of the advances of a character or misunderstanding something said by another, instead almost entirely being driven by the two constantly escalating weirdo horny shit at each other while both being unable to handle it being dished out to them.

Why not check out some of her other works on the way to Eroko? maybe this pattern of female focused ecchi (im not sure if this is the correct words for it, multiple things classify both Henjo and Eroko as seinen but it feels a lot more like ecchi comedy to me) isnt an actual trend and only exists due to Henjo and Eroko sharing the same universe.

SE (2013-2015)

while younger than Henjo in creation, SE felt like a good place to start. it both wouldn’t have the growing pains of a recently published author still finding her stride, and would be a good template of a finished story by Konogi. It features a similar setup to Henjo insofar as the main character being into a girl whos very weird, and inexplicably winding up working at the same job as her. The differences, aside from the obvious in setting and character design, is the main girl being arguably more deranged, the setting being an office (specifically, an office designing a Smart Fleshlight) rather than general handyman work, and the main boy being much more of a self insert style character. I think while Eroko is definitely for the failwoman audience, and Henjo is a lot more balanced, SE focuses a lot more on being for the guys who are into high schoolers but makes the high school girl incredibly weird to kinda balance things out. yeah, a lotta guys are weird and horny for high school girls, but not a lot would go for the kinda girl who begs her employees to surveil on the main character due to her fetishistic obsession with him. SE really does deliver on a lot of the same charms as Konogi’s other works, though it has a really lackluster ending and one uhhh… Interesting plot development.

yeah...

Now, before i get to the ending, i do want to talk about the MS subplot, because i think it’s a uhh, weird tonal choice? its a moment of complete and utter whiplash where they reveal that the main girl had to go to the hospital due to her MS progressing worse. the jokey romcom vibes about working in developing The Smart Fleshlight are killed dead on a level almost equal to the power of Loss, only barely surviving due to the next reveal being the main girls utterly insane shrine to the main boy and begging one of her subordinates to take a video of the mainboy masturbating or snap a picture of his cock. while the inclusion is weird and feels out of nowhere, Konogi does a solid job somehow not having everything weighed down by the death sentence given to one of the MCs, through the masterful maneuver of just ignoring it and forgetting it happened.

The Ending of SE, is honestly, the weakest part. which says a lot in a manga that has the main girl have MS for literally no reason. they eventually reveal the finished Smartlight, main boy is the person presenting, he gets a boner and it makes the presentation go viral. everyone goes wild for the Smart Fleshlight and we get a timeskip, ending on seeing the main duo happily married and main girl pretty obviously playing a more subservient part in the company now that she is a Housewife.

This sucks.

I really think the dilution of a character whos described as insanely smart, eccentric, and passionate to the housewife of the known less competent man is such lame shit and is almost antithetical to a lot of the stuff that Konogi does. With as weak as her overall story writing can be sometimes, she’s excelled at making a characters traits obvious and something that will not be changed without reason, and her viewing marriage as something to change someone to that degree really is a shame.

Well, I sure hope this isnt foreshadowing for her first work!

Comic☆Studio (2010-2012)

Comic☆Studio starts in the Konogi special, aka a chance encounter with a twist at a new job, but this time is set as a wannabe mangaka doing assistant work for a mangaka working on a generic popular Shonen manga (maybe its a reference to something specific, but I’ve graduated high school so I don’t really read Shonen) as a moderate change of pace. The big differences with Comic☆Studio over SE or anything in the Henjoverse is that the main females design leans far more into loli designs while also avoiding anything with the High school girl/College age man dynamic. Really I think the power imbalance here is the most fascinating opening that Konogi has done. while her other works are very standard with a light mixup in the fact that the main protagonist is subservient in their job to the love interest, Comic☆Studio has things fairly different. Comicman is also subservient to his love interest at work, except the manga expressly leans on it in multiple ways to establish the two’s relationship. he is by all means set up as a perfect malewife for the main girl, with multiple moments dedicated to expressing how helpful of a cook he is, how nice it is to have him help her with her schedule. moreover, none of it feels expressly infantilizing or like he’s pitying her. he’s taking on a more active and “in charge” role between the two but its very clear that she’s the one with more control than him, and in a way its very refreshing.

Comic☆Studio, like SE, also has sex happen! very shocking, but while SE uses it as the assumed culmination of a relationship and drops it out of really nowhere, Comic☆Studio does some work on establishing some real eroticism.

these panels contain the most erotic framing i've seen from her.

I was honestly taken aback by how much more the actual lewd elements of her work were actually lewd. I read SE‘s sex scene with the interest of eating a saltine, and henjoverse stuff has nothing really feeling sexual at all, but fuck Comic☆Studio does a comparatively great job making the two’s sexual tension feel real.

If you were paying attention to the foreshadowing, the next paragraph is likely pretty obvious. the ending of Comic☆Studio also sucks, in a similar situation where konogi forsakes the actual interesting parts of the female character in order to set up an idyllic tradwife situation for her, with the same “oh well shes still doing her job” as a bandaid on the whole situation. it sucks. For Eroko and Henjo‘s sake, I really hope she’s outgrown this pattern.

Speaking of!

Shingeki no Eroko-san: Hen na Oneesan wa Danshikousei to Nakayoku Naritai (2019-Present)

Eroko is probably the most buckwild series Konogi has ever done, which is saying something when SE exists. Eroko actively exists in a world where the act of a college aged man dating a high schooler is, while not illegal, kinda cringe but the act of a late 20’s woman being desperately horny for the pits of a 17 year old boy is laudable and on the same tier as gay rights. its a struggle worth fighting for. she may face discrimination but those people are in the wrong. her twitter account where she tweets about how she needs a highschool bf to wear her like a hoodie is popular in universe. a gay woman actively stands up for her against someone calling her “kinda cringe.” not against like, “jesus girl you should at least be within the same decade” types of harassment, but against someone calling her kinda creepy and weird. the high school boy’s father openly supports their eventual marriage. she has a shrine to him with a handmade doll. Eroko is horrible. you should read Eroko.

What now?

Now, I think its important to run down some stuff about Konogi herself, because while looking into her i did find out some stuff that is pretty on paper “cringe,” as the kids would say.

yep, the cursed hexagon.

She is, in fact, involved in NFTS. While I didn’t do a large amount of research partially because I think if I were to touch opensea for too long i would develop heretofore unknown diseases but moreso because it feels gross trying to unpeel personal things like that, I feel like I’ve gotten a good glimpse into her involvement and reasonings. the first piece of the puzzle to understand is Yoshiwo Konogi. While I can’t tell if their relationship is familial, romantic, platonic, or strictly professional (the most i can find is something from 2018 saying he’s her Chief Technical officer and some tweets implying cooking dinner together) and more importantly I DONT want to know, I can say that he’s had a very large impact on her work and her as well. The easiest example is the multiple different twitter bots they have, which, no notes. I love these harmless bots like this so much and I’m glad he got to set some up with her work. The other connections I feel are both tenuous and extremely obvious considering. around the same time that Yoshiwo got into into NFTS, Yoshiru also got into them too, producing a handful of signed NFTS that got bought and basically ignored about two years ago. everything else credited to her account is 14 experiments in AI generated art of the main girl from Henjo (some of which were given away in some sort of sweepstakes she held a while back, but most are just sitting in her wallet) and her twitter profile picture. while she is somewhat active in the scene, with her last recorded transaction being in august, but that seemed like a one time thing in a field of not giving a fuck anymore. her delve into AI work seems to have preclipsed the current boom, being about two years old, but it also was really not that deep. On top of that, this really isn’t getting into the fact that from my understanding, in general the overall cultural view about NFTS, AI, and whatever tech grift of the year is going around is normally at least half a year behind or so in japan, so it feels like actively being upset about this tier of NFT involvement is silly. sometimes a bitch wants a hexagonal profile picture, I guess.

Closing Thoughts

I have done a pathetic amount of work into a mangaka who likely wouldn’t get this much scrutiny and frankly is undeserving of it. not in a pejorative way, but because frankly ya girl does ecchi comedy, she doesn’t need to be given the same scrutiny as works like Berserk or March Comes in Like a Lion but- *checks phone* what

what do you mean fifth longest currently running series

in the same fucking magazine???

Nevermind, you have a moral requirement to read and share both Eroko and Henjo as much as possible.

#big post #idk if i should tag like #works in these or the mangaka #i dont want this to enter someones tags when they just wanna talk to other ppl into henjo or smthn #miri.edu

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doctor-dt · 2 years

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More underswap :D Here, Sans is confronting the human during a No Mercy route. Papyrus still fights the human before him, so Sans will be the one to wait in the Judgement Hall to protect the Queen.

#'the queen's orders' reflect the promise sans made to toriel in the og game #so here i like to think sans dedicates his life to her in a similar way #papyrus #sans #underswap #my art #canonswap #? yeah #sans teleports liberally for comedic effect (and to be intimidating)#!! and papyrus would float in random places!! for comedic effect #chara #utmv

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irenedubrovna · 4 years

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A post regarding Euphoria for the benefit of myself and basically no one else

So, it really bothers me when people say Euphoria is groundbreaking, progressive media. Here’s a dissection of why I don’t think it is, because this is what I feel like doing at work:

The character of Rue is objectively great. She by far receives the least overt sexualization, and is treated neutrally in terms of active sexuality. She’s treated like a normal teenage girl with mental issues and an addiction to drugs. She falls in love with a girl who she pines for and places on a pedestal. The reason I think she is written this way is because she is a Sam Levinson proxy. She written with gender ambiguity and with little regard to the experiences she’d go through as a black gay female, probably because Sam Levinson has no insight to that aspect of life. Her performance is heightened of course by Zendaya, who breathes unique life to the Sam Levinson’s artistic extension, and without her performance this show would not get even half the acclaim it gets. Attribute that to Zendaya of course, because the director has done little to deserve this acclaim.

The rest of the females, sans Lexi, are pornified to a disgusting extent, not only due to the fact that they are supposed to be underage, but also because their existence as people is treated as being absolutely secondary to their sexual appeal. They are foremost presented in terms of their relation to sex. Cassie, Maddy, Jules, and Kat cannot be removed from their sexuality without disrupting the plot or their journeys in relation to the plot. Why are the females so intrinsically linked to uber fetishized versions of female sexuality, or uber fetishized versions of blossoming female sexual identity?

Maddy is presented not only scantily clad 90 percent of the time, but also dressed in a precariously unattainable sexual fashion. At any given time she is styled to look straight out of, simultaneously, a high fashion editorial, and a “barely legal” porno. She is airheaded and profane, and promiscuous, her mannerisms dictated by the adult films she’s “studied” in order to project an image of perfect hyper sexual femininity. She’s complacent in becoming a prototypical housewife because it will earn her a comfortable place as a trophy wife. She has no aspirations beyond that. So, let’s unpack all of that. Maddy’s role in the show is mostly passive. The most active thing she does in the plot is revenge fuck a man in the pool of a party. Nearly everything else she does in the show that is plot relevant is of someone else’s volition. Even less of what she in the show is related to anything other than a man. She is abused and then pressured into framing another man for said abuse. She has no agency as a character. The only notable difference to this rule is when she takes drugs at a carnival, knocks a pot of chili over, and calls her ex’s mom a cunt. Removed from her active sexual life and carefully cultivated aesthetic, she’s a trite stereotype of an unambitious girlfriend who gets treated poorly. I see people call Maddy iconic, but if she wasn’t gorgeous and well dressed, I doubt anyone would even think twice about her, let alone create fancams and Instagram pages dedicated to her. She exists as a plot device, and as pretty set dressing to build up the shows aesthetic. Her emotions are not well explored, her motivations are sexist, and she is often there to be demeaned, objectified, or to say a bad word. The most damning part of her involvement in this show is her episode where it is stated that she, as a fourteen year old girl, lost her virginity to an adult man, and it is stated she was in control of the situation. This is a dangerous thing to say about a character, to any audience, but especially a young one. To imply that a precocious young girl was in control during her first sexual encounter with a much much older man implies things that frankly border on rape apologist ideology. This show states this unflinchingly and with no further elaboration. If there’s one thing that tells you that Euphoria is a bad show, let it be that. Also, if there’s one thing that tells you about Sam Levinson as a person, and the way he views girls and women, let it fucking be that.

Jules is a young trans girl. She also likes to have sex with men as a means to “conquer femininity”. Scratch that, she likes to have degrading sex with older men in order to “conquer femininity”. This mindset is shown to be toxic, of course, but I think the problem with this idea in general is that there’s no deeper exploration for what this mindset means. It implies that she believes women are the sum of their intrigue and degradations. This mindset I can only assume would be a cultivation of dysphoria and internalized misogyny, which this series is absolutely not prepared to address in a tactful manner. Jules is a teenager with mental illness, trauma, and is undergoing an identity crisis. There’s something powerful in her character, something worth saying, however we only get trimmings of those meaningful things, and are ultimately left with a hurtful depiction of a trans girl because all of her musings on womanhood and identity are incomplete, and they fail to reach beyond the surface of their thesis statement. She wears colorful clothing, is overtly feminine and artistic in her presentation. Everything about her screams insecurity over her own womanhood. That is the crux of her character. Now, I think we should ask ourselves, is trans person who is insecure about their identity peak representation? Is this what trans people deserve? Is it “groundbreaking “? If this show was run by someone else, I might be inclined to say that there’s nothing insidious about this, but this is the guy that made Assassination Nation, so I think we know what he thinks of young women, the way they should be portrayed (that is, for the capitulation of a man) and realize his inclusion of a trans woman in his cast is no more meaningful than the inclusion of any other woman. Women to him are made to be categorized and should, at the end of the day, be easily palatable for the capitulation of a man. The device of having Jules being interested in older men and rough sex for identity reasons is transparent. Trans women are exploited and objectified with a similar fervor to cis women, the caveat being that they are “a forbidden fruit” of sorts to straight men. Jules is sissified, her presentation fetishistic. Her role in the plot is more involved. Her relationship with Rue is sweet, though toxic on both sides. She is ultimately betrayed, blackmailed, and snowballs into something of a manic episode, all well portrayed by Hunter Schafer, but I don’t think her inclusion in the show absolves it of any of its many sins.

Let’s talk about Cassie. Cassie is the Eurocentric beauty standard exemplified. She is the blonde haired blue eyed girl next store, and her boobs are of course always on display. She is notably promiscuous, something I say right off the bat because that’s how she’s introduced, as a so called slut through the words of the devil (Nate Jacobs). She is a girl with daddy issues, which we are all familiar with at this point. Her sexual boundaries begin and end at the whim of her partner. The terms of her consent are much like the terms of consent of many young girls brainwashed by society and the rising tide of degradation porn: everything is alright as long as you provide them comfort and affirmation afterward. You can touch them roughly without asking, you can use them as a tool to affirm your masculinity. This is the way men prefer their women now: just broken enough to say yes to anything they want. It’s become a joke at this point. Men like girls with issues, but only the ones that will feed their own desires. Cassie Howard is meek. Her inclusion in the plot I suppose ties to themes of drug addiction and how it divides and destroys the people you love. It doesn’t show what it does to her beyond shaping her sexual encounters, which is no surprise. Overall I’d say Cassie is in this roster of females as the most traditional categorically, in relation to how men view women and further how they sexualize them. She has a relationship with someone who doesn’t really love her. That mostly what she does here. Gets used. Doesn’t drive the plot or conflict much. More pretty set dressing. More aesthetics. How this show consists of so many women but is driven so much by men is unsurprising, and, again, very enlightening in the grand scheme of things.

Lastly we touch on Kat. I’d like to begin with the fact that self actualization through sexual exploration, in a show run by a man, is just a cloak for a woman to gratify the audience with her sexuality. Regardless of whether or not she is plus sized, this is overt objectification. She is on this show to be sexy. Beyond that, the fact that a minor using sex work as a form of liberation is disgusting. Whether or not she is portrayed as “owning” her sexuality is negligible, and speaks to the same mindset discussed with Maddy. Minors cannot fucking consent to sex, sexual acts, or anything within the confines of such. It’s crazy that this occurs with two different characters in such a similar way. It has echoes of “Well, she looked older..” and “Well, she wanted it..” or “She’s advanced for her age”. Never, not once in the events of the series is there meaningful introspection on what doing this kind of thing does to a minor. Moreover, these acts are explicit, and made clearly for sexual gratification. None of these things are absolved by the fact that she’s plus sized. If anything, her body type is fetishized in this context. It’s also another case of a “good girl to bad girl” transformation, which are archaic and, of course, sexist. With the rise of adult websites targeting minors for explicit content, this is even more reprehensible. Once again, in terms of representation, is this really what speaks to you as progressive? Groundbreaking? A girl gains control of her own narrative by having sex with lots of men. She gains control by being sexy. She gains control by dehumanizing and objectifying herself. No she doesn’t. Media controlled by men will tell this story to you thousands of times, don’t listen because she’s bigger than a size four.

ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS ARE UNDERAGE. ALL OF THEM HAVE EXPLICIT SEX SCENES, EVEN THE SEXUAL ASSAULT IS MADE CINEMATICALLY PORNIFIED. THESE SHOTS ARE MADE TO BE OBJECTIVELY SEXY. THIS IS NOT A CASE OF SOMEONE CREATING SOMETHING FOR THE SAKE OF REALISM. IT IS ABOUT MAKING SCENES THAT SPEAK TO A MALE AUDIENCE. THAT CATER TO THE MALE GAZE. ARGUE WITH THE WALL.

I won’t go further into the plot, other characters, or the structure or the episodes for sake of brevity, but I felt compelled to air my thoughts on this to the void. I can only hope I was critical enough that Sam Levinson will one day see this and cry because another bad feminist thinks something that he made sucks

#euphoria #I don’t even think anyone will read this but #it’s just not good #sorry #anti euphoria #anti Sam Levinson

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haikyu-boys-am-i-right · 3 years

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Hateful comments

Aged up Haikyuu (set after high school so the characters are pro volleyball players)

Character: Oikawa

Warnings: fans saying hateful things about yn

Summary: yn receives hate online because she is dating Tooru Oikawa and he speaks about it in an interview.

Requested: no

Word count: 1,668

Reblogs, likes, and comments are appreciated but please don’t repost my works.

Disclaimer: I do not own haikyuu or any of the characters.

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Yn sighed contentedly as she sat down on the couch in the living room of her home. She smiled thoughtfully as she thought of her husband who would be home from work pretty soon judging by the time on the wall clock but she never went by that thing anyway seeing as his hours always were all over the place when it came to volleyball season being in session.

About half an hour later yn hears the front doorbell ring. She grins as she goes to see if it actually was her husband at the door. She opens the door and smiles brightly as she is met with the face of her loving husband. “Welcome home tooru”! “Hello my darling yn-chan, how was your day?'' he says as he goes to hug her and his head rests on top of hers. Yn sighs and snuggles up close to him. “Work at the sports medicine clinic was long, but now I’m glad that I am at home and I get to spend some time with you”. “I agree wholeheartedly my dear”, Oikawa says, pulling out of the hug but keeping his hands gently placed on her waist while her arms are around his neck. “So what do you want to eat for dinner my love”, he asks as he peppers kisses across her cheeks before he actually kisses her lips. “Well sweetie, I was thinking about ordering some take out food and that way we don’t have to waste time on cooking and we can watch a movie together, how does that sound”? “That sounds great”, Tooru says as yn moves out of the way so he can come inside.

Oikawa sits down on the couch and yn sits beside him with her head on his shoulder. They are still newlyweds seeing as they had only been married for about five months, and even though they had been dating for a while they still found themselves to be in the honeymoon phase of their relationship.

They place the order for the take out food and Yn pulls out her phone and she goes to her social media while they wait to see what the news of the day is. “Is there anything interesting trending today yn-chan”?, Oikawa asks as he kisses the top of her head. She shrugs. “Not really…oh wait it says that the black jackals won their game, oh good for Hinata-san”. “Yeah shorty is doing pretty well in the pros”, Oikawa says.

Suddenly the doorbell rings. “Oh that must be the food” Oikawa says kissing yn’s cheek one last time as gets up from the couch. “Don’t worry about getting up love, I'll get the food while you pick the movie that we will watch alright”? “Alright ru sounds good”, says smiling as she turns on the tv.

Out of the corner of her eye, yn notices that she has a notification on her phone on her social media. Curiously Yn picks up the phone and her eyes widen as she reads the message from an anonymous user.

The message contains a link to a topic and chat board online and when yn clicks on it her heart sinks. The entire chat log is dedicated to people talking about how awful yn is for oikawa, how someone from his fan club should have been the one to marry him, and so many hateful comments about yn in general. Yn bites her lip as she tries not to cry, sure she had been through similar situations in high school with Oikawa’s original fan club but this was on a global scale and she was afraid that these hateful words would get the best of her.

“Yn-Chan what’s wrong you have an upset look on your face is something the matter”, Oikawa asks placing the food down on the coffee table before sitting beside yn. Yn sniffles and rubs at her eyes. “It’s your global fan club they hate me,'' she says as she bites her lip. “What that can’t be true you and I have met so many wonderful fans who have always been so polite to you,'' Oikawa says as he sits down and pulls her close to him. “Just read these awful things that people are saying about me”, she says with a sob as she hands him her phone. Oikawa frowns and his frown soon turns to a look of anger as he scrolls down through the countless posts that seem to be trashing yn but what hurts him the most is how affected yn is about this, he knows that she is kind, gentle, and loving and she rarely ever speaks a bad word about anyone and it breaks his heart to see his wife so upset over what random people have said online.

Oikawa sighs as he turns off the phone and he puts it down on the couch. He puts his hand on yn’s knee and rubs it gently trying to comfort her. “I have an interview that I have to go to tomorrow. do you want to come with me, yn-chan”? Yn shrugs her shoulders sadly as she nuzzles up to him. Oikawa kisses her cheek gently. “I’ll make a public statement about how much I love you alright”? “Tooru that may upset your fans”, she says sadly, not removing her head from his shoulder. “Well I don’t care I love you with all of my heart and you deserve to be told that and no one on th internet should be able to make you doubt my love for you alright”? Yn smiles as she sits back up and she kisses oikawa’s cheek. “Thank you ru” she whispers. Tooru smiles softly as he ruffles her hair. “You’re welcome my dear”, he says before turning to the food on the coffee table. “Now let’s eat before it all gets cold alright”? “Alright” she says with a small smile as she leans forward to get her food. They end up watching a random nature documentary but they don't really pay attention to it seeing as they end up cuddling and falling asleep together pretty early on in the documentary.

The next day

Oikawa and yn arrive at the studio where the interview will be held. Yn sighs and takes a deep breath as she looks up the building. “Are you okay?'' Oikawa asks her looking a bit worried. “I’m just nervous about what is going to happen during this interview tooru”. “Hey it’s okay yn-chan” Oikawa says as he takes her hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I will be with you the entire time alright”? Yn smiles and she kisses his cheek. “Okay” she says. Oikawa holds her hand the entire time that they have to walk through the building to get where they need to go.

As Oikawa is called to come on air he pulls yn out with him. “Oh this is your wife right Oikawa-San”, the interviewer asks as Oikawa and yn sit down in the two chairs provided for oikawa and one guest. Oikawa grins. “Yes this is the light of my life my darling yn-chan”. “Aww” many people in th crowd say. “How has married life alongside being an famous athlete been like for yn”, the interviewer asks. “We have had to make adjustments but yn here has been a shining star through it all”. “How have been dealing with the fame, Oikawa-san”? the interviewer asks turning to yn. Yn blinks nervously. “Oh I’m not a huge fan of the limelight so I mostly keep to myself but I know how proud tooru gets when he wins a game and the crowd is cheering for him so I don’t mind”. “How have your fans reacted to your marriage” the interviewer asks. Tooru and yn’s faces fall at that question. Tooru frowns as he crosses his arms. “It seems that sadly many of my fans do not approve of my marriage to yn even though we have been dating for six years since we met in high school and I love her more than anyone in the world”. “They always leave hate posts online” yn says. “I’m just trying to be the best wife to Tooru that I can be and they are all mad that they aren’t the ones married to him” she says trying to blink back tears. “It hurts me to see my darling yn-chan cry,'' Tooru says. “It also hurts me to see that so many people post nasty things about her, it honestly makes me want to quit volleyball sometimes so she isn’t getting hurt”. Yn gasps in shock as she had never heard Oikawa say that before.

“As long as she makes him happy that’s all that should matter, am I right folks”?, the interviewer asks as he turns to face the audience. “Yes”, they all say. “You do have fans that support your relationship”, someone in the crowd says. “Thank you that means a lot”, yn says as the interviewer wraps up the questions. “Thank you two for coming”, he says as he goes to shake their hands. “No thank you for having us on here”, Oikawa says with a grin before he and yn walk off the stage.

“Did that interview make you feel any better”? Oikawa asks as they leave the building holding hands once more. Yn nods. “Yes”, she says and she stops and turns around to face Oikawa with a serious look on her face. Oikawa looks puzzled. “What is it, Is something the matter”? “Never say that you would quit volleyball over me”, she says trying to blink back tears. “I never want you to give up on your dreams okay ru”? Oikawa gives her a wide smile. “Okay if that is my lady’s wish I shall keep to that promise”. Yn rolls her eyes and smiles as she wraps her arms around her husband’s neck. “Kiss me” she whispers. “Of course”, he whispers back as he closes the gap between their lips.

#haikyu x reader #haikyuu!!#haikyū!!#haikyuu time skip #Oikawa tooru #Oikawa tooru x reader #oikawa x reader #oikawa tooru x you #Oikawa tooru x y/n #haikyuu fanfiction #my fics #sfw

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dreamii-yume · 4 years

Note

Would it be possible to have a chapter dedicated to Vil creating a poison to temporarily immobilize the reader so he can use them as a doll and fuck them however he wants to and however much he wants to~? Bonus points if he goes the extra mile and even dresses them up and does their make up like a pretty doll... I just. Mm. Can't get Vil and dollification out of my mind and I LOVE your writing!

Oh, gosh...Here we go! I hope I don't disappoint! ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ but honestly, im not proud of this at all so...

♥︎ Warnings ♥︎

♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎

One kiss and they lived happily ever after just like that? Vil had always thought that something as half-assed as that is simpy unacceptable, just plain lazy writing in his opinion. If a romantic fairytale is what the world had wanted all this time, his love story with his Darling would’ve been better. Maybe then the world would know what it’s really like to live in a happy ending.

♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎

It all started with a sip.

One sip of a seemingly harmless tea was all it took to ruin your life.

Your balance was the first to be cut off, allowing you to stumble upon your own feet and knocking the most authentic utensils off the table. You once tried to hold yourself from falling completely but even your arms had given up on trying to work. You landed on the ground with a rough thud, your heart was beating so fast in your ribcage whilst your brain was desperately processing for a reasonable explanation. You were left in cold sweat, unable to move anything aside from a few twitches here and there, even turning your head was a challenge. With your bodily functions suddenly falling so useless like this, you naturally panicked as a batch of heavy breathing escaped you.

A feeling of dread went up your spine, a poisoned tea was not the first thing that came into your mind during all of this, it didn't taste any different than the usual, and the aroma was as inviting as ever.

It was only when you heard the haunting clicks of someone's heel heading towards you that you noticed something very strange. His slender legs blocked your vision and you almost strained your neck just by glancing up at him, sweat dripping down your forehead from the tenacious effort. "V-Vil-san..." You called out his name, your friend's name. God, even your throat is uncooperative with your commands, merely speaking feels as if a thousand needles were all simultaneously poking your vocal cords open.

But really, you still find it very strange, especially now that he's looking down upon you so apathetically like this. Despite the fact that your body is clearly suffering from something that you have yet to find out, Vil seems to be awfully calm about all of this. "H...Help, please...!" But even with that suspicious trait, you still called out for him, who else could you turn to at this desperate moment? He was really the only one capable of doing so as of now.

Surprisingly, he did reach for your aching hands, clasping his smooth ones over yours as delicately as possible. "Are you familiar with the tale of the Princess who danced with Death upon eating a Poisoned Apple?" You couldn't help but be lost at what Vil had suddenly asked of you. He pulled your body up from the ground, until you were in his arms, embracing you by the waist since your legs have been practically rendered useless. "...But because of a Prince who fell in Love with her at First Sight, she was saved."

Vil sat you back down on the chair that you once resided in just a few minutes ago, watching as your body slumped down without any support. He placed your hands properly on the armchair, so that it doesn't limp on your sides. "How? You might ask. By a True Love's Kiss, of course." He said with what looks like to be a smile from your angle, you couldn't move your head to adjust your view of him anymore so you had to make use of what you can see for now. "What do you think of it? It's the perfect romantic story to tell the children, isn't it?"

Vil tucked a stubborn strand of hair behind your ear before holding your head up by the chin. There, your twitching eyes finally had a good look at his handsome features, looking down upon you with an unfamiliar emotion swirling in his eyes. "...But I always hated that ridiculous story." He confessed with a sigh, you could only stare up at him with widened eyes, wondering where he's trying to get at. "The Princess was just a naive little girl and the Prince was stupid enough as it is. Even as a child, my opinions never changed about it."

Then, you saw his other hand reaching for the unfinished tea you were drinking earlier from your peripheral vision, a spark of distress had suddenly come down upon you. With widened eyes, you glanced at Vil in hopes of finding out what he was going to do but you were met with nothing but a disturbing smile on his lips. "But doesn't it resemble you a bit?" He suddenly said, finally shifting his attention to you.

"Eh...?" You breath out, lips quavering as your body twitched in response. "What do you-"

"A naive child who writhes on the hands of the friend she thought she had upon drinking a cup of tea that she didn't know was tampered with." You widened your eyes as everything just slowly clicked by that single, meaningful sentence. Then, you gasped as Vil placed the rim of the teacup on top of your lips, the mesmerizing swirling liquid of the tea now looked so deadly when you took in consideration on its true purpose. "Similar, yes...Except for the fact that you don't have a Charming Prince that will come and save you."

"You only have me." His haunting words was left echoing in your mind as he opened your mouth and forced down the remaining liquid inside.

"M-Mmgh...! Aa...!" Gurgled sounds came out of you as warm tea flows down your throat, almost choking you in the process. Vil's hands was firmly locked onto your jaw, not allowing you to close them until he made sure that you have swallowed the drink until its very last drop. His nails were digging onto your cheeks, causing tears to escape your eyes whilst your lips quaver, a line of liquid escaping in the sides of your mouth had already dripped down and stained your cloth.

With a final gulp, Vil finally released you from his grasp, allowing your weak body to fall limp on the chair. The beautiful antagonist before you had crouched down to your eye level, carefully wiping your mouth with a clean handkerchief. "...If you think about it that way, doesn't your version of the story sound better?" He asked, but it was clear that he wasn't expecting any answers from you at all, not that you have any at the moment. "It's much more realistic and we can sweat about the tiniest little details."

Vil grabbed your body once again, resting your head on his shoulder before taking a hold of your legs. He neatly picked you in a bridal manner, gracefully turning around to transport you in a place that you can't quite see. "Come now, my Little Doll. Let's get you all dressed up." He said with a satisfied smile decorating his handsome face, as if he wasn't holding your shivering body against his arms. "After that, we'll talk and we'll play. Let's create a beautiful story for ourselves, much better than the ones out there."

"I wonder what kind of happy ending we'll get." With his heels resounding against the empty hallways of the elegant Pomefiore Dorm, Vil lovingly nuzzled against your cold cheeks, ignoring how your skin practically shies away from his touch, creating goosebumps as protection. He then stared dreamily at nothing, as if he was getting his creative side of brain to work. "But let's start from the beginning..."

"Hm...Let's see..."

♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎

Continue the Spice~?

Don't mind me, I'm just waiting for the day that the rest of chapter five comes up with Vil's official backstory and COMPLETELY debunks everything that I said in here ha h a

can i just mention how much i love writing for Vil? Yeah, that's it. Thank you for coming to Yume's ted talk-

#yandere twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #vil schoenheit #yandere vil schoenheit #yandere #pomefiore #sinfic #spicy dream

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pillow-anime-talk · 4 years

Text

traditional & maternal s/o.

synopsis: You as a beautiful, traditionally dressed and perfectly behaved woman who shows maternal behavior towards your partner’s subordinates.

# tags: headcanons; current relationships; mature!reader; romance; fluff; slice of life; sfw

includes: female reader ft. yukichi fukuzawa, ougai mori & francis scott key fitzgerald {bsd}

— YUKICHI

↘ Fukuzawa is also a traditional man, so when he met you for the first time, he was genuinely delighted with your grace and your way of speaking. Your delicate tone of voice and perception of the world made a huge, positive impression on him. On top of that, you were really beautiful, and your flowery yukata perfectly highlighted your pretty smile, eye color and hair.

↘ You were adults, so your feelings towards each other were slow and mature. However, when you finally got into a relationship, shortly after that, you lived together in a beautiful old minka with a huge engawa, where you loved to relax and talk about his day at work or plans for the future.

↘ You made the most delicious tea in the whole world and you were a great housewife who loved to cook, bake and take care of others. Yukichi was even happier when you brought to home a homeless little kitten with a twisted paw one day. You took care of him together, considering the pet as your first baby.

↘ More than six months after you moved in together, you visited your partner at the Agency for the first time. Fukuzawa talked to you about his subordinates more than once, showed you their photos and always smiled slightly. And when Kyouka – who was wearing traditional Japanese clothes just like you – joined the Armed Detective Agency the man said that you two looked quite similar.

↘ When on that day, you crossed the area of the building and then knocked on the wooden door, you sighed a little, a bit stressful about meeting new people. Shortly thereafter, a tall, blonde-haired boy with a green notebook in his hand appeared on your doorstep and greeted you. You bowed as well, and then with his consent, you entered the office.

↘ “Have you had an appointment on any case, Lady? How can I help you?” Kunikida asked in a polite tone, and you shook your head.

↘ “I came privately. I made some mochi for you, kids.” You responded warmly. Your person immediately interested Ranpo, Atsushi and Dazai. “Ah, I didn’t introduce myself, I’m so sorry. I am Y/N Y/L/N. Nice to meet you all. Also thank you for taking care of our beautiful city.”

↘ “... How did I deserve to meet such a wonderf...” Osamu began with a broad smile, but the newspaper that hit him on the head silenced his happy lips immediately.

↘ “Stop scaring my partner, Dazai.” Fukuzawa walked towards you, standing next to your figure. “Something happened that you came?”

↘ “Oh, no, Yukichi. I just wanted to meet your almost adopted children.” You smiled at everyone in the room. “And I’ve done too much mochi.” You added when you went to one of the desks to lay out the colorful sweets. The members of the Agency were fascinated with you from the first second.

↘ Yosano was really happy to see her President with a woman who was so perfect for him. Kyouka immediately saw her deceased mother in you and held your yukata with each subsequent meeting, following you step by step. Naomi and Kirako loved hearing your stories and always asked you for tasty recipes. Atsushi, Kenji and Ranpo were your little babies to you, while Jun’ichirou was like your eldest son. Kunikida, on the other hand, was terribly ashamed of you, but finally overcame his shyness, stating that you were a wonderful woman and the future wife of his master. Dazai liked you, of course; even though you often scolded him because of his behavior, he still adored you and respected your person very much.

↘ Your beloved was more than pleased to see that you had such a good relation with his subordinates. You even had great contacts with Fukuzawa’s mentor, Mr. Natsume. It all confirmed Yukichi’s thoughts that you were the best woman he could ever meet.

— OUGAI

↘ Mori wasn’t surprised that another woman around him dressed in traditional kimonos and tied her hair in beautiful buns or braids. After all, he had Kouyou under his command, and before that, also had the sweet Kyouka.

↘ However, what got you all his attention is your kindness and dedication to others.

↘ Neither you, nor Ougai, nor even Elise will forget the day when three of you met in the middle of the street and at the same moment a thief ran out of the bank and his hand with the gun was automatically directed towards Elise who standing next to you. You covered her with your own body, fearing that a stranger would hurt her, but luckily nothing like that came, because Mori personally knocked him out and then calmed your terrified thoughts.

↘ He sincerely thanked you, then suggested a walk and a coffee in a nearby bar. Elise held your warm hand all the way and you were literally the first person the girl liked and trusted so quickly. I think she saw the mother in you, though she shouldn’t have thought so, since she was only Mori’s ability.

↘ But now we are here, a few weeks later, when you recognized the girl as your beloved daughter, and at the same time you became the wife of the boss of the Port Mafia, knowing very well what could happen to you.

↘ But even that, your relationship was really nice and warm; the man finally had someone to come back to, he had someone to talk to about something more than just work, he could cuddle someone and watch a movie or cook a delicious dinner together. Additionally, Elise could finally feel like a real, normal girl and could protect someone more than her own creator. They were both sincerely in love with you, albeit on different levels of this feeling.

↘ Your meeting the rest of the Mafia members was totally unplanned, because one afternoon your beloved husband called you to ask for important documents that he left in a locker, in his office, in your shared small apartment. Of course, you agreed to bring them to him, and on the way to the building you also went to the bakery to buy him and the cute girl something sweet to eat; you chose tiny fruit tarts and a few donuts.

↘ Ten minutes later, you entered the huge building very calmly, looking around to find an elevator or stairs. When you moved another few steps, you immediately stopped when the figure of blonde-haired Elise with a huge syringe appeared in front of you, and a black-haired – unknown to you – boy was thrown hard against the nearest wall.

↘ “Akutagawa senpai!”

↘ Your eyes widened when Elise hugged your stomach, covered by flowery, long yukata. You were still looking at the boy lying next to the white wall, who a second ago wanted to overpower you, probably considering you a threat from outside. You understood it perfectly well, after all, the Mafia had many enemies.

↘ “... Don’t touch my okaa-san!” The girl screamed, squeezing your body a little tighter. You touched her smol head, stroking the blonde locks, and smiled warmly.

↘ “Elise, my honey, you shouldn’t treat others like that, okay?” You asked softly, to which the girl nodded uncertainly. The security staff next to you, as well as Akutagawa and Higuchi, were shocked by Elise’s polite behavior towards your person. Who were you? “Where’s Ougai, my honey?”

↘ “He’ll be here soon. I was faster than him because I sensed you entering the building. I just wanted to say hi.” She replied with a blush and you laughed softly. “It’s for me?” She asked suddenly, pointing her finger at a paper bag with the smell of icing and kiwi. You nodded and handed her the brown bag full of sweets, then headed towards the still-lying boy and woman with the two guns in her hands.

↘ “Are you okay? I’m so sorry to cause the confusion, I didn’t want to look suspicious.” You whispered, stroking his head while guessing that the Mafia man in front of you is quite young. “Does something hurt you?”

↘ “... Oh, Y/N-chan, what happened?” Finally Ougai came downstairs and you smiled once again.

↘ “There was a little misunderstanding, but it’s okay now.” You answered softly, patting the twenty-year-old’s dark hair one more time. Ryuunosuke found your touch really soothing.

↘ “B-Boss...! Excuse m-me, but...!”

↘ “Hmm. I guess, all of you have already met my lovely wife?” He asked rhetorically, walking up to you, helping you to get up and kissing your forehead. “Be nice to her, otherwise you know what awaits you.”

↘ Akutagawa and Higuchi nodded slowly, swallowing the saliva in their mouths. The boy was really glad that day that Elise had stopped him, because it could end up really... bad.

↘ Needless to say, you gradually got to know more and more people and every member of the Port Mafia liked you; you were especially close to Kouyou, Gin and Yumeno, who became another baby to love for you. And also, despite the first meeting, Akutagawa adored you very very very much. You spoiled him as much as your daughter.

— FRANCIS

↘ Fitzgerald met you in the store when he was at one of the many sales. You watched him with a soft laugh as he selected pots and other cheap things.

↘ Of course he noticed you quickly; how could he not do that? Your traditional, long kimono and breathtaking hairstyle immediately caught his eye, as did your warm expression and amused, shiny eyes. So he replied with a big, manly smile, then started a conversation about how delighted he was with the items here and their prices. You two talked for a long time that day, and in meantime, he invited you for coffee at the nearest coffee shop.

↘ (Of course you had to take him there and teach him to use the menu card because he never has been in the cafe, lmao.)

↘ After eating a sweet, delicious cake and drinking a warm drink, you left the small building and moved on, still talking about your life and plans for the coming days. In the middle of Yokohama city, both of you found Miss Alcott who looking in shock at her leader who was so kind and affectionate turning towards a woman he had barely known.

↘ Louisa, as a great mind, immediately stated that you are a really good human, full of warmth, empathy and respect for other people. All of this was even more true when you offered two newly met people to use your own home to devise a plan for their actions to regain their good name, social status and money. Francis was more than grateful and Louisa genuinely happy that she didn’t have to rent something ugly and dingy.

↘ They stayed with you for more than a few days, and you, as a good housewife, continued to delight them with your tasty meals, desserts and scented tea.

↘ The natural course of things was that the man fell in love with you. However, before confessing his love to you, he first wanted to earn to ensure you a decent life; as his future, wonderful wife.

↘ That’s why he first returned as ‘The Great Fitzgerald’ and then as the man who took your heart and promised to treat you like a Queen.

↘ Of course you agreed; not for money or gifts, but only for him and his honest heart, because the whole situation has brought you closer to each other like nothing else. You supported him very much in his return and you were really proud and glad when Francis came to you one day in a fancy suit, took you in his arms and sincerely thanked you for the last weeks of support.

↘ Shortly after that, you became a couple and later, you became his fiancée. The man thought you were just his personal guardian angel and your getting to know each other was simply planned by fate.

↘ Miss Alcott was more than happy to see you two smiling and so beautifully in love.

↘ Now all you have been waiting for is a wedding and the enlargement of your little family.

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boredout305 · 3 years

Text

Kid Congo Powers Interview

Kid Congo Powers was a founding member of the Gun Club. He also played with The Cramps and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Powers currently fronts Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds and recently completed a memoir, Some New Kind of Kick.

The following interview focuses on Some New Kind of Kick. In the book Powers recounts growing up in La Puente—a working-class, largely Latino city in Los Angeles County—in the 1960s, as well as his familial, professional and personal relationships. He describes the LA glam-rock scene (Powers was a frequenter of Rodney Bingenheimer’s English Disco), the interim period between glam and punk embodied by the Capitol Records swap meet, as well as LA’s first-wave, late-1970s punk scene.

Well written, edited and awash with amazing photos, Some New Kind of Kick will appeal to fans of underground music as well as those interested in 1960-1980s Los Angeles (think Claude Bessy and Mike Davis). The book will be available from In the Red Records, their first venture into book publishing, soon.

Interview by Ryan Leach

Kid Congo with the Pink Monkey Birds.

Ryan: Some New Kind of Kick reminded me of the New York Night Train oral histories you had compiled about 15 years ago. Was that the genesis of your book?

Kid: That was the genesis. You pinpointed it. Those pieces were done with Jonathan Toubin. It was a very early podcast. Jonathan wanted to do an audio version of my story for his website, New York Night Train. We did that back in the early 2000s. After we had completed those I left New York and moved to Washington D.C. I thought, “I have the outline for a book here.” Jonathan had created a discography and a timeline. I figured, “It’ll be great and really easy. We’ll just fill in some of the blanks and it’ll be done.” Here we are 15 years later.

Ryan: It was well worth it. It reads well. And I love the photographs. The photo of you as a kid with Frankenstein is amazing.

Kid: I’m glad you liked it. You’re the first person not involved in it that I’ve spoken with.

Ryan: As someone from Los Angeles I enjoyed reading about your father’s life and work as a union welder in the 1960s. My grandfather was a union truck driver and my father is a cabinetmaker. My dad’s cousins worked at the General Motors Van Nuys Assembly plant. In a way you captured an old industrial blue-collar working class that’s nowhere near as robust as it once was in Los Angeles. It reminded of Mike Davis’ writings on the subject.

Kid: I haven’t lived in LA for so long that I didn’t realize it doesn’t exist anymore. I felt the times. It was a reflection on my experiences and my family’s experiences. It was very working class. My dad was proud to be a union member. It served him very well. He and my mother were set up for the rest of their lives. I grew up with a sense that he earned an honest living. My parents always told me not to be embarrassed by what you did for work. People would ask me, “What’s your book about? What’s the thrust of it?” As I was writing it, I was like, “I don’t know. I’ll find out when it’s done.” What you mentioned was an aspect of that.

When I started the book and all throughout the writing I had gone to different writers’ workshops. We’d review each other’s work. It was a bunch of people who didn’t know me, didn’t know about music—at least the music I make. I just wanted to see if there was a story there. People were relating to what I was writing, which gave me the confidence to keep going.

Ryan: Some New Kind of Kick is different from Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s autobiography, Go Tell the Mountain. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but think of Pierce’s work as I read yours. Was Go Tell the Mountain on your mind as you were writing?

Kid: When I was writing about Jeffrey—it was my version of the story. It was about my relationship with him. I wasn’t thinking about his autobiography much at all. His autobiography is very different than mine. Nevertheless, there are some similarities. But his book flew off into flights of prose and fantasy. I tried to stay away from the stories that were already out there. The thing that’s interesting about Jeffrey is that everyone has a completely different story to tell about him. Everyone’s relationship with him was different.

Ryan: It’s a spectrum that’s completely filled in.

Kid: Exactly. One of the most significant relationships I’ve had in my life was with Jeffrey. Meeting him changed my life. It was an enduring relationship. It was important for me to tell my story of Jeffrey.

Ryan: The early part of your book covers growing up in La Puente and having older sisters who caught the El Monte Legion Stadium scene—groups like Thee Midniters. You told me years ago that you and Jeffrey were thinking about those days during the writing and recording of Mother Juno (1987).

Kid: That’s definitely true. Growing up in that area is another thing Jeffrey and I bonded over. We were music hounds at a young age. We talked a lot about La Puente, El Monte and San Gabriel Valley’s culture. We were able to pinpoint sounds we heard growing up there—music playing out of cars and oldies mixed in with Jimi Hendrix and Santana. That was the sound of San Gabriel Valley. It wasn’t all lowrider music. We were drawn to that mix of things. I remember “Yellow Eyes” off Mother Juno was our tribute to the San Gabriel Valley sound.

Ryan: You describe the Capitol Records Swap Meet in Some New Kind of Kick. In the pre-punk/Back Door Man days that was an important meet-up spot whose significance remains underappreciated.

Kid: The Capitol Records Swap Meet was a once-a-month event and hangout. It was a congregation of record collectors and music fans. You’d see the same people there over and over again. It was a community. Somehow everyone who was a diehard music fan knew about it. You could find bootlegs there. It went from glam to more of a Back Door Man-influenced vibe which was the harder-edged Detroit stuff—The Stooges and the MC5. You went there looking for oddities and rare records. I was barely a record collector back then. It’s where I discovered a lot of music. You had to be a pretty dedicated music fan to get up at 6 AM to go there, especially if you were a teenager.

Ryan: I enjoyed reading about your experiences as a young gay man in the 1970s. You’d frequent Rodney’s English Disco; I didn’t know you were so close to The Screamers. While not downplaying the prejudices gay men faced in the 1970s, it seemed fortuitous that these places and people existed for you in that post-Stonewall period.

Kid: Yeah. I was obviously drawn to The Screamers for a variety of reasons. It was a funny time. People didn’t really discuss being gay. People knew we were gay. I knew you were gay; you knew I was gay. But the fact that we never openly discussed it was very strange. Part of that was protection. It also had to do with the punk ethos of labels being taboo. I don’t think that The Screamers were very politicized back then and neither was I. We were just going wild. I was super young and still discovering things. I had that glam-rock door to go through. It was much more of a fantasy world than anything based in reality. But it allowed queerness. It struck a chord with me and it was a tribe. However, I did discover later on that glam rock was more of a pose than a sexual revolution.

With some people in the punk scene like The Screamers and Gorilla Rose—they came from a background in drag and cabaret. I didn’t even know that when I met them. I found it out later on. They were already very experienced. They had an amazing camp aesthetic. I learned a lot about films and music through them. They were so advanced. It was all very serendipitous. I think my whole life has been serendipitous, floating from one thing to another.

Ryan: You were in West Berlin when the Berlin Wall was breached in November 1989. “Here’s another historical event. I’m sure Kid Congo is on the scene.”

Kid: I know! The FBI must have a dossier on me. I was in New York on 9/11 too.

Ryan: A person who appears frequently in your book is your cousin Theresa who was tragically murdered. I take it her death remains a cold case.

Kid: Cold case. Her death changed my entire life. It was all very innocent before she died. That stopped everything. It was a real source of trauma. All progress up until that point went on hold until I got jolted out of it. I eventually decided to experience everything I could because life is short. That trauma fueled a lot of bad things, a lot of self-destructive impulses. It was my main demon that chased me throughout my early adult life. It was good to write about it. It’s still there and that’s probably because her murder remains unsolved. I have no resolution with it. I was hoping the book would give me some closure. We’ll see if it does.

Ryan: Theresa was an important person in your life that you wanted people to know about. You champion her.

Kid: I wanted to pay tribute to her. She changed my life. I had her confidence. I was at a crossroads at that point in my life, dealing with my sexuality. I wanted people to know about Theresa beyond my family. My editor Chris Campion really pulled that one out of me. It was a story that I told, but he said, “There’s so much more to this.” I replied, “No! Don’t make me do it.” I had a lot of stories, but it was great having Chris there to pull them together to create one big story. My original concept for the book was a coming-of-age story. Although it still is, I was originally going to stop before I even joined the Gun Club (in 1979). It was probably because I didn’t want to look at some of the things that happened afterwards. It was very good for my music. Every time I got uncomfortable, I’d go, “Oh, I’ve got to make a record and go on tour for a year and not think about this.” A lot of it was too scary to even think about. But the more I did it, the less scary it became and the more a story emerged. I had a very different book in mind than the one I completed. I’m glad I was pushed in that direction and that I was willing to be pushed. I wanted to tell these stories, but it was difficult.

Ryan: Of course, there are lighter parts in your book. There are wonderful, infamous characters like Bradly Field who make appearances.

Kid: Bradly Field was also a queer punker. He was the partner of Kristian Hoffman of The Mumps. I met Kristian in Los Angeles. We all knew Lance Loud of The Mumps because he had starred in An American Life (1973) which was the first reality TV show. It aired on PBS. I was a fan of The Mumps. Bradly came out to LA with Kristian for an elongated stay during a Mumps recording session. Of course, Bradly and I hit it off when we met. Bradly was a drummer—he played a single drum and a cracked symbol—in Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. Bradly was a real character. He was kind of a Peter Lorre, misanthropic miscreant. Bradly was charming while abrasively horrible at the same time. We were friends and I always remained on Bradly’s good side so there was never a problem.

Bradly had invited me and some punkers to New York. He said that if we ever made it out there that we could stay with him. He probably had no idea we’d show up a month later. Bradly Field was an important person for me to know—an unashamedly gay, crazy person. He was a madman. I had very little interest in living a typical life. That includes a typical gay life. Bradly was just a great gay artist I met in New York when I was super young. He was also the tour manager of The Cramps at one point. You can imagine what that was like. Out of Lux and Ivy’s perverse nature they unleashed him on people.

Ryan: He was the right guy to have in your corner if the club didn’t pay you.

Kid: Exactly. Who was going to say “no” to Bradly?

Ryan: You mention an early Gun Club track called “Body and Soul” that I’m unfamiliar with. I know you have a rehearsal tape of the original Creeping Ritual/Gun Club lineup (Kid Congo Powers, Don Snowden, Brad Dunning and Jeffrey Lee Pierce). Are any of these unreleased tracks on that tape?

Kid: No. Although I do have tapes, there’s no Creeping Ritual material on them. I spoke with Brad (Dunning) and he has tapes too. We both agreed that they’re unlistenable. They’re so terrible. Nevertheless, I’m going to have them digitized and I’ll take another listen to them. “Body and Soul” is an early Creeping Ritual song. At the time we thought, “Oh, this sounds like a Mink DeVille song.” At least in our minds it did. To the best of my ability I did record an approximation of “Body and Soul” on the Congo Norvell record Abnormals Anonymous (1997). I sort of reimagined it. That song was the beginning of things for me with Jeffrey. It wasn’t a clear path when we started The Gun Club. We didn’t say, “Oh, we’re going to be a blues-mixed-with-punk band.” It was a lot of toying around. It had to do with finding a style. Jeffrey had a lot of ideas. We also had musical limitations to consider. We were trying to turn it into something cohesive. There was a lot of reggae influence at the beginning. Jeffrey was a visionary who wanted to make the Gun Club work. Of course, to us he was a really advanced musician. We thought (bassist) Don Snowden was the greatest too. What’s funny is that I saw Don in Valencia, Spain, where he lives now. He came to one of our (Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds) shows a few years ago. He said, “Oh, I didn’t know how to play!”

Ryan: “I knew scales.”

Kid: Exactly. It was all perception. But we were ambitious and tenacious. We were certain we could make something really good out of what we had. That was it. We knew we had good taste in music. That was enough for us to continue on.

Ryan: I knew about The Cramps’ struggles with IRS Records and Miles Copeland. However, it took on a new meaning reading your book. Joining The Cramps started with a real high for you, recording Psychedelic Jungle (1981), and then stagnation occurred due to contractual conflicts.

Kid: There was excitement, success and activity for about a year or two. And then absolutely nothing. As I discuss in my book—and you can ask anyone who was in The Cramps—communication was not a big priority for Lux and Ivy. I was left to my own devices for a while. We were building, building, building and then it stopped. I wasn’t privy to what was going on. I knew they were depressed about it. The mood shifted. It was great recording Psychedelic Jungle and touring the world. The crowds were great everywhere we went. It was at that point that I started getting heavy into drugs. The time off left me with a lot of time to get into trouble. It was my first taste of any kind of success or notoriety. I’m not embarrassed to say that I fell into that trip: “Oh, you know who I am and I have all these musician friends now.” It was the gilded ‘80s. Things were quite decadent then. There was a lot of hard drug use. It wasn’t highly frowned upon to abuse those types of drugs in our circle. What was the reputation of The Gun Club? The drunkest, drug-addled band around. So there was a lot of support to go in that direction. Who knew it was going to go so downhill? We weren’t paying attention to consequences. Consequences be damned. So the drugs sapped a lot of energy out of it too.

I recorded the one studio album (Psychedelic Jungle) with The Cramps and a live album (Smell of Female). The live record was good and fun, but it was a means to an end. It was recorded to get out of a contract. The Cramps were always going to do it their way. Lux and Ivy weren’t going to follow anyone’s rules. I don’t know why people expected them to. To this day, I wonder why people want more. I mean, they gave you everything. People ask me, “When is Ivy going to play again?” I tell them, “She’s done enough. She paid her dues. The music was great.”

Ryan: I think after 30-something years of touring, she’s earned her union card.

Kid: Exactly. She’s done her union work.

Ryan: In your book you discuss West Berlin in the late 1980s. That was a strange period of extreme highs and lows. During that time you were playing with the Bad Seeds, working with people like Wim Wenders (in Wings of Desire) and witnessed the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the GDR. Nevertheless, it was a very dark period marred by substance abuse. Luckily, you came out of it unscathed. As you recount, some people didn’t.

Kid: It was a period of extremes. In my mind, for years, I rewrote that scene. I would say, “Berlin was great”—and it was, that part was true—and then I’d read interviews with Nick Cave and Mick Harvey and they’d say, “Oh, the Tender Prey (1988) period was just the worst. It’s hard to even talk about it.” And I was like, “It was great! What are you talking about?” Then when I started writing about it, I was like, “Oh, fuck! It really wasn’t the best time.” I had been so focused on the good things and not the bad things. Prior to writing my book, I really hadn’t thought about how incredibly dark it was. That was a good thing for me to work out. Some very bad things happened to people around me. But while that was happening, it was a real peak for me as a musician. Some of the greatest work I was involved with was being done then. And yet I still chose to self-destruct. It was a case of right place, right time. But it was not necessarily what I thought it was.

Ryan: Digressing back a bit, when we would chat years back I would ask you where you were at with this project. You seemed to be warming up to it as time went on. And I finally found a copy of the group’s album in Sydney, Australia, a year ago. I’m talking about Fur Bible (1985).

Kid: Oh, you got it?

Ryan: I did.

Kid: In Australia?

Ryan: Yes. It was part of my carry-on luggage.

Kid: I’m sure I can pinpoint the person who sold it to you.

Ryan: Are you coming around to that material now? I like the record.

Kid: Oh, yeah. I hated it for so long. People would say to me, “Oh, the Fur Bible record is great.” I’d respond, “No. It can’t possibly be great. I’m not going to listen to it again, so don’t even try me.” Eventually, I did listen to it and I thought, “Oh, this is pretty good.” I came around to it. I like it.

Ryan: You’ve made the transition!

Kid: I feel warmly about it. I like all of the people involved with it. That was kind of a bad time too. It was that post-Gun Club period. I felt like I had tried something unsuccessful with Fur Bible. I had a little bit of shame about that. Everything else I had been involved with had been successful, in my eyes. People liked everything else and people didn’t really like Fur Bible. It was a sleeper.

Ryan: It is.

Kid: There’s nothing wrong with it. It was the first time I had put my voice on a record and it just irritated the hell out of me. It was a first step for me.

Ryan: You close your book with a heartfelt tribute to Jeffrey Lee Pierce. You wonder how your life would’ve turned out had you not met Jeffrey outside of that Pere Ubu show in 1979. Excluding family, I don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone who’s had that sort of impact on my life.

Kid: As I was getting near the end of the book I was trying to figure out what it was about. A lot of it was about Jeffrey. Everything that moved me into becoming a musician and the life I lived after that was because of him. It was all because he said, “Here’s a guitar. You’re going to learn how to play it.” He had that confidence that I could do it. It was a mentorship. He would say, “You’re going to do this and you’re going to be great at it.” I was like, “Okay.” Jeffrey was the closest thing I had to a brother. We could have our arguments and disagreements, but in the end it didn’t matter. What mattered was our bond. Writing it down made it all clearer to me. His death sent me into a tailspin. I was entering the unknown. Jeffrey was like a cord that I had been hanging onto for so long and it was gone. I was more interested in writing about my relationship with him than about the music of the Gun Club. A lot of people loved Jeffrey. But there were others who said they loved him with disclaimers. I wanted to write something about Jeffrey without the disclaimers. That seemed like an important task—to honor him in a truthful manner.

Ryan: I’m glad that you did that. Jeffrey has his detractors, but they all seem to say something along the lines of “the guy still had the most indefatigable spirit and drive of any person I’ve ever known.”

Kid: That’s what drove everyone crazy!

Ryan: This book took you 15 years to finish. Completing it has to feel cathartic.

Kid: I don’t know. Maybe it will when I see the printed book. When I was living in New York there was no time for reflection. I started it after I left New York, but it was at such a slow pace. It was done piecemeal. I wanted to give up at times. I had a lot of self-doubt. And like I said, I’d just go on tour for a year and take a long break. The pandemic made me finally put it to bed. I couldn’t jump up and go away on tour anymore. It feels great to have it done. When I read it through after the final edit I was actually shocked. I was moved by it. It was a feeling of accomplishment. It’s a different feeling than what you get with music. Looking at it as one story has been an eye-opener for me. I thought to myself, “How did I do all of that?”

I see the book as the story of a music fan. I think most musicians start out as fans. Why would you do it otherwise? I never stopped being a fan. All of the opportunities that came my way were because I was a fan.

#kidcongopowers #interviews #gunclub #jeffreyleepierce #cramps #Badseeds

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vfdarkness · 3 years

Text

AVFD Script - S2EP03 The Forgotten Man

[[Intro]]

You’re at a bus stop and your bus is late.

Finally, it pulls up, you step aboard, and for a brief moment…

the driver’s facial features - their eyes, nose, mouth are in all the wrong places.

As you stare, their face quickly rearranges itself to appear more normal. More human.

The door closes. There’s no one else in the vehicle.

You need my help.

[[AVFD intro music kicks in]]

This is A Voice From Darkness.

[[AVFD intro music fades out]]

Hello, this is Dr. Malcolm Ryder, parapsychologist, here to help you with all problems paranormal, supernatural, and otherworldly. And we have a wonderful show planned for tonight. There’s two national alerts for the state of Florida - one for the panhandle, and another for the everglades. After we go over these we’ll explore one of the strangest roadside attractions in American history. And of course we’ll finish our show with the phone lines open so you, our listeners, can call-in. But first, let's get to our national alerts

[[National Alerts music starts]]

A sinkhole has appeared in the middle of Kelson Ave in Marianna, Florida. The hole’s depth is currently unknown however twenty feet down, stone carvings of faces appear. The carvings continue for as far down as anyone can tell. Each is unique yet is made to grotesquely express either the emotion of fear or that of delight. A spelunker descended into the hole to gather information about its depth. Two hours into his descent contact was lost and he was pulled out. When he resurfaced he was said to be in a daze. He removed his harness and immediately jumped back into the hole. Please be careful while driving on Kelson, Ave in Marianna, Florida.

Our second national alert is for the Florida Everglades. The Singing has returned to the wetlands. All those in the area are advised to wear hearing protection for at least the next 72 hours or until otherwise instructed. The source of The Singing is unknown but is said to compel all who hear it to walk into the wetlands and be devoured by the creatures there-in. Again, please wear hearing protection if you’re within earshot of the Florida Everglades.

And that’s all we have for national alerts this evening.

[[NA music fades out]]

Next up we have Today In Odd America, where we’ll discuss a manifestation that once haunted every corner of this land. And afterwards we’ll open the phone-lines.

[[Today In Odd America]]

Today in Odd America we find ourselves across the highways of our country. Forty four years ago today marks the last known visit to a roadside attraction commonly called The House of Narcissus. No physical evidence of this place exists. It was never found in the same location twice - yet hundreds of oral testimonies swear to its existence. Tonight I will cobble together disparate accounts from those who claim to have toured the fabled roadside museum. My hope is this will paint you a picture of what the experience was like for those who wound up touring a space dedicated completely to themselves.

“I was driving down Route 8,” Maise Bridges stated to the Columbus Dispatch in 1955. “It was late and dark. No other cars were on the road. Then I saw it - a billboard illuminated by a single dim light that read: Know Thyself, Next Exit. No other words. But next to them, taking up the entirety of the right side was a painted picture - of me. Unmistakably me. Done in a sort of… Norman Rockwell style I suppose. I just… What was I supposed to do? Of course I took the next exit.”

All descriptions of The House of Narcissus begin this way. A strange billboard on a lonely road, mere seconds to decide to take the exit or not. Oddly, there are few confirmed cases of those who saw the billboard and kept driving. It’s impossible to say if that says something overall about human nature or merely the people The House chose to manifest for.

“I was overwhelmed when I first drove up to the house,” Curtis Johnson said to the Louisville Times in 1948. “I’m not ashamed to admit it, but I might have cried a bit. I mean the place was just, just magnificent. Out there, in the middle of this grassy field, in the middle of nowhere there’s this small piece of heaven, you know? I didn’t feel like I was about to tour some cheap-o roadside scam where they show you a mannequin in a five dollar gorilla suit and tell you it’s Bigfoot. I felt like I was home. Of course I rushed right outta my car up to the door. Why wouldn’t I? I was home.”

Descriptions of the museum are typically left vague. Abstract. At least when describing the exterior. Visitors will speak of the joy they felt upon seeing the house. Often they’ll say a sense of nostalgia or homecoming overwhelmed them. However no one was ever able to give a single concrete detail of what The House looked like. How many stories were there? What color was the siding? What the house looks like remains a mystery to this day. But there’s much agreement about its interior. At least in some respects.

“There’re no employees, no turnstyle to go through, nothing like a museum or roadside attraction typically has. You just go in the front door, and you’re suddenly there - in the first room. It’s filled with photographs along the walls. They were all of my family, friends, neighbors, teachers, former classmates, folks from my church, employers, co-workers. People I might have talked to only once in passing. None of these were photos I took or remember anyone else ever taking. None are in any photo album I own,” said Judge Michael Harvester in 1972, when he called into the KIRT radio station of Olympia, Washington.

The Photo Gallery is always the first room visitors find themselves in. Under each photo is a brass plaque, on which a single sentence is etched: the last words said by whomever is touring the house to the person featured in the photograph.

Even this first room can be disarming to a visitor. As Judge Harvester said: “You don’t realize how many people you speak to, thinking you’ll do so again, but then never do. It adds up over a life. It really does. I didn’t look at all the pictures, or read all the plaques. I had to stop after awhile. I saw one in particular… the last words I said to an old neighbor of mine, lived a few houses away from the place I bought right after law school. Me, him, and some of the guys down the block would get together to play poker twice a month. Last thing I said to him, ‘I’ll see you in a few weeks.’ I don’t remember what happened after that. I guess the poker game fell apart. I don’t think either of us moved, I don’t remember us getting into any fights. But I never spoke to him again. And that’s just one example. People like to call that first room the photo gallery, and that makes sense, I guess. But that’s not what it is. It’s a monument. A monument to lost relationships.”

Most visitors to The House expressed regret coming there at all after visiting this first room. Unfortunately, the way they entered disappears after entry - replaced by a wall filled with photographs. Once you enter, The House forces you to continue through the rooms. That is, if you wish to leave.

“The second room was a full scale replica of my childhood home,” said Sara Lopez to the San Diego Tribune in 1966. “All five rooms of our house back on Balboa Avenue. “I went through the cabinets in the kitchen. The dishes… they were identical to ones we had. There were these little hand drawn designs on them. They’re abstract, hard to describe, but the plates in that museum. They matched perfectly how I remembered them. It was impossible.” Most statements regarding the second room share similar amazement at the level of detail on even the most insignificant items - stains on the carpet, entryways scuffed and dirty from children’s shoes. “What really got me about the second room, “Sara Lopez said, “were the smells. The kitchen had this overwhelming odor of garlic and cumin, spices my mother put in everything. The carpet near the entryway smelled like wet dog. Our lab, Daisy, would run through our neighbors sprinkler then come inside, right to that patch of carpet, and roll around. Little things like that, I’d forgotten about completely. Hadn’t thought of in years, but suddenly a million memories came rushing back to me.”

The average visitor reported spending somewhere between four to five hours in The House of Narcissus. There were outliers of course, in both directions. Some, after seeing the photo gallery, ran through the other rooms without lingering. Others claimed to have spent days and only left when they were near dehydration.

There are dozens of other rooms in The House. Too many to go over tonight. But I’ll end by stating what’s in the only obligatory room, the last room. The room with the only way out.

At the very end of a long hallway is a plain wooden door with a small sign above that reads: What if…

Inside is a small movie theatre. There’s a single red cushioned seat in the room with the perfect view of a small screen. To the right of the screen is a door with an exit sign above. The door will not open unless the visitor sits down in the chair and watches, truly watches and listens, to the film that plays in that small theatre.

“On the day of what was supposed to be my wedding I called my best friend - my bridesmaid. I cried and I gave her the awful job of telling my husband-to-be I’d changed my mind,” said Tonya Blanton to the Sante Fe Dispatch in 1958. “I was living in Minneapolis at the time. Born there, was to be married there, figured I’d die there eventually too. I don’t know what overcame me. But I got in my car and drove. Found myself in New Mexico and started a new life. My parents were furious. And I never spoke to the man who was to be my husband ever again. He sent me a letter when I’d settled in Santa Fe. I wasn’t brave enough to open it. But in that last room. In that last room of that awful house - a film played. It showed what my life would have been had I stayed in Minneapolis. I won’t… I won’t say what all I saw. What all I missed out on. All I’ll say is I know I made the wrong choice. I’ve thought about that every single day since visiting that terrible place.”

Tonya Blanton is not a unique case. Chicago journalist Studs Terkel in his book The American Road: An Oral History devoted a chapter to The House of Narcissus. He conducted over twenty interviews with those who'd toured the roadside wonder. When asked if they could change places and live the life they saw in that last room - would they? Every person he interviewed said they would.

The House of Narcissus only existed for some sixty odd years. The last known visit occurred in 1977, outside of Spring Green, Wisconsin. “People say I must’ve burned the place down or something,” Buddy Palmer, the last recognized visitor, said to the Madison Gazette in 1980. “I didn’t, I swear,” he went on, “but if I had some matches and kerosene on me, would I of? Sure thing. No one should ever be forced to watch the movie that plays in that last room. I’ll think of that picture the rest of my life. I’ll know I messed up early on and I’m not living my best, happiest life. You know how hard it is to get out of the bed in the morning with that hanging over you? Sometimes that movie plays in my dreams. I usually gotta call in sick to work the next day when it does. I just can’t stop thinking about it. The rest of the place too… it’s just... Just too much.”

For those of you listening to this while driving alone, rest assured, you’re unlikely to see a billboard with your own face staring back at you and the words: Know Thyself, Next Exit. But in the rare chance such an event occurs, please consider my advice: don’t take that exit. Just keep driving. There are some truths about ourselves perhaps better left unexplored.

And now back to our main show.

[[TIOA music fades out]]

ACT II

RYDER

And we're back and we already have a caller on the line. Why don't you tell us your name and the nature of your supernatural problem.

RENE

Hello, Malcolm. I was wondering if we'd ever get the chance to speak again.

RYDER

(uncertain)

I don't recognize your voice. Have you called into the show before?

RENE

A few times, yes. And we met once or twice in person.

A beat.

RYDER

Who is this?

RENE

My name is Rene Dupont. And though I've explained this to you before, I will kindly do so again. I exist with a peculiar condition. People can rarely retain memories of me. Not in any form. As this conversation gets to a certain point, I'll begin to vanish from your mind as well as most of your listeners. If you try to write down anything about me during this call, you'll likely only produce gibberish or the vaguest of details.

RYDER

I've read case studies of similar situations. There was a man in Utah-

RENE

(interrupts)

Yes, yes.

Nathaniel Cotwell who lived in a small town that couldn't create new memories of him past the age of eight. And so as an adult they'd still treat him as if he were a young boy. You studied him and Sarah Pullman of Butte, Montana who went missing one night in the woods. When she found her way home again, her family had completely forgotten her.

A beat.

RENE

The few times we've spoken, you've wished to demonstrate knowledge of people who've existed with Memory-related ailments and those are your two most common examples.

RYDER

It seems we have spoken before. Mr. Dupont-

RENE

Please, call me Rene. No need for formalities. We're old acquaintances after all.

RYDER

Yes. Of course. And why have you called into the show tonight, Rene?

RENE

There's been a man following me. Repeatedly.

A beat.

RYDER

(realizing what he means)

And of course that's a difficult task to accomplish, as it's so hard to remember you.

RENE

You're correct. I am Anonymity Incarnate. But there's a man in a grey suit who seems to have found my scent. A further detail about him: he's missing one of his fingers. I'll let you guess which.

RYDER

Why is The Traveling Salesman after you?

RENE

I called you in search of an answer to that very question.

RYDER

In all likelihood he wishes to strike a deal with you. That's why he seeks anyone out. That, or to kill them.

RENE

Let's assume the former for the moment: what sort of deal would he want to make with me?

RYDER

I have no idea. Perhaps he needs information from someone. But he doesn't want this person to know they've given their secrets up. I imagine with your talent that's something you'd be good at.

RENE

Before the wall was destroyed in '89 I was employed on both sides doing something akin to what you just suggested.

A beat.

RYDER

Then that might be what he wants. Or perhaps something more... metaphysical.

RENE

Such as?

RYDER

Your ability to be forgotten. Julian already has some power over memory, but not that.

RENE

Could he really take that from me?

RYDER

Not take. Trade. The Salesman doesn't steal, Rene, but his deals are often one-sided, exploitive, as he'll neglect to tell you pertent information before you agree.

RENE

So he wouldn't really be taking something from me so much as he'd be giving me the gift of being able to be remembered.

A beat.

RYDER

That's a dangerous way of viewing such a deal.

RENE

Dangerous for you, perhaps, but of great advantage to me.

RYDER

It would be dangerous for the whole country for The Traveling Salesman to be easily forgotten. One of the few weapons we have against him are the memories of devastation he's brought about by the deals he's made. The only reason anyone ever turns him down is because his reputation precedes him. Take that away-

RENE

(interrupts)

I have the means and resources to go to many other countries. Julian Holloway can have this one.

RYDER

You'd potentially sacrifice hundreds of millions of people to-

RENE

(interrupts)

To be remembered. And yes, I would. This "talent" of mine came to me when I was young. For most my life I've been unable to have a meaningful relationship with another human being.

To even have an extended conversation. What's my name?

RYDER

Rene...

Malcolm searches his mind for the surname.

RYDER

Rene Dupont.

RENE

You're close to forgetting already, Malcolm Ryder.

A beat.

RENE

If I made a deal with your friend for him to take this power away, you'd never even know.

RYDER

The Traveling Salesman is not my friend.

RENE

If your former friend might help me where no one else could before, including yourself, then I would take him up on his offer.

RYDER

That is if he even wants to help you. He could be searching for you, as I already said, to kill you.

RENE

And why would that be his objective?

RYDER

There are limitations to his power. I don't fully know what they are, but I know they exist.

RENE

Again I ask, why would this necessitate him wanting me dead?

RYDER

Because you possess power in one of his realms - Memory and Dream. And if you have more power than he does, and if he can't use you, or your power, towards his own ends, he'll want you dead. You're a liability otherwise.

A beat.

RENE

You're bluffing. Trying to stoke fear in me so I stay away from him. So I can't make a deal. If what you said was true, your friend Charlotte Price would be dead.

RYDER

Charlotte has found ways to take care of herself. She's forged alliances with things even Julian fears. Have you done the same?

A beat.

RENE

What you're telling me is that I need leverage before I allow Julian Holloway to try and offer a deal to me.

RYDER

That's not what I'm saying at all. Under no circumstances should you attempt to make any deal with him.

RENE

That's not what I took away from this conversation. Thank you so much, Malcolm. As always, you've been helpful.

RYDER

No, wait-

Dial tone.

A long pause.

RYDER

There was someone on the line just now. I swear there was.

I have notes I made, most are illegible which isn't like me. Of what I can read: Shadow, Mirror, Flesh, Spirit, and Dream. I tried to write Memory but it seems my hand was unable to. Odd...

A beat.

RYDER

I think we'll end the show there tonight. I'd like to play back the recording of the past several minutes. See if I can see what I'm missing.

A beat.

RYDER

But if you're experiencing anything supernatural, paranormal, or otherworldly, please feel free to call in next time on A Voice From Darkness.

[[AVFD outro music fades in and out.]]

#a voice from darkness #avfd #malcolm ryder #rene dupont

6 notes · View notes

quiver-full-of-sims · 4 years

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I can’t believe that my next set of twins, Isaac and Alyssa-Grace, are now TEENAGERS! How time flies in a FULL ministry home!

It looks like Isaac is following in the footsteps of his elder brother- like Asher, Isaac has a strong heart for the Lord and would love to SPREAD the word of the LORD! Whether that’s through being a pastor, creating a ministry, being a missionary pilot, or something else, we will see! I am also so PROUD of him for his dedication to fitness! He loves playing sports and doing other MANLY activities. Isaac is a joy to have around and we are so excited to see what happens during this special season of life.

Of course, his twin Ally G is ALSO a teenager. She is such a special young woman- her devotion to purity, modesty, and all of our CHRISTIAN values makes me so HAPPY! Seeing her paint and draw fills my heart with so much JOY!

She is currently in a program to create CHRIST-centered murals in San Myshuno. It’s SORELY needed in these types of cities, which are breeding grounds for sin- the most common being HOMOSEXUALITY, FORNICATION, and even ATHEISM!1!! And of course, we’ve given Ally a purity ring. We are so proud of her commitment to our RADICAL purity standards. It’s so important as parents to make sure you are protecting your children’s hearts and purity! (ESPECIALLY the daughters)

[AN: As you see in my tags below, I find the genetics aspect very interesting. While writing the tags I decided to do a last-minute photo collage with Kaylie, HB, and all of the teens and adult children. (Seriously, I did this ~30 minutes before posting!) It’s so fascinating! The photo quality isn’t great but the kids seem to be a good mix of features. No copy-paste faces here, though you can definitely see similar noses/jaws/mouths etc! What do you think?]

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krsnbgirl · 4 years

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Fly High! || Kageyama x Fem!Reader || Part 2

Summary: Still reeling over what had happened the week before, you look back at how your daily life at Karasuno immediately changed for the better. Nishinoya also comes to ask you for a favor that helps you grow closer to the weird quick duo after school. The boys also learn more about your past from middle school.

Pairing: Kageyama Tobio x Fem!Reader

Genre: Rom-Com, Slice of Life, Sports

Word Count: ~3.1k

Warnings: Slight swearing, smoking (for Ukai), Signs of Anxiety from Reader, Timeline heavily based on the anime

Author’s Note: And here is part two of the series! I hope you guys enjoy it! Thank you to anyone that has interacted with the first part :) Taglist is still open if any of you would like to be a part of it! Also crossed posted on AO3! xoxo, Ren ❤

Taglist: @misnmatchedsox

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Masterlist

It’s been a week since the boys caught you doing a serve in the gym and a distraught look could be seen on your face as you made your way to the rooftop during one of your breaks. The boys began to try and convince you to become their manager even more ever since that practice. Tanaka would always call you their manager, a hopeful glint in his eyes, in the midst of his jokes. Hinata would try to bug you whenever he bumped into you in the hallways with Kageyama being dragged behind him. Then there was also Yamaguchi who would just give you a smile while Tsukishima would give you snide remarks whenever they passed your desk to sit at the back of the classroom. You sighed as your daily life at school was becoming more filled with the different presences of the boy’s volleyball team. It was nice finally getting to see the boys that Nishinoya always talked about, but you heavily underestimated the chaotic energy they brought with them. Escaping to the rooftop had become more of a daily thing for you so you could take a moment to breathe. You rested your arms on top of the railing as your mind flashed back to the moments right after you served the ball.

The boys gaped at you as Hinata began his typical rambling after seeing something amazing with Nishinoya and Tanaka closely behind him with proud smiles. Sugawara, Daichi, and Asahi shared a look before smiling to themselves and giving a thumbs up to Shimizu. The second and third years were aware of your situation with volleyball because you used to frequently appear at their games when Nishinoya, Tanaka, Ennoshita, and the others were first years. The team had found out that you used to play volleyball when Nishinoya mentioned that he was going to attend one of your matches as his weekend plan. You were similar to Nishinoya on the court and a lot of people at Chidoriyama used to call you two ‘The Yin and Yang Twins.’ Nishinoya was always the hyper one but quiet on the court meanwhile you were the more composed one but very hyper on the court. They were all there when you got injured and watched your downfall. All of them tried their best to be there for you, but the players knew how devastating it was to have one’s ACL tear. It’s one of the worst injuries to have and the hardest to come back from depending on the degree it got injured. Unfortunately for you, it was the degree that had to be taken with caution and the healing process was a lot longer.

So once the boys gave up on finding Kageyama and Hinata on their jog, they decided to return and Nishinoya was the first to come back. He noticed right away the look in your eyes and looked to his side to find the rest of the team approaching. Motioning them to stay quiet, he pointed towards you and they all crowded by the entrance. As they watched you serve the ball, those that were by your side and respected your space felt a warm feeling spread across their chests. This could be your time to finally realize your worth once more. Before they knew it, they all surrounded you and complimented you on the serve.

You ruffled your hair in frustration as you looked over the school grounds to find Hinata and Sugawara practicing at the gym’s entryway. You noticed Kageyama walking towards the vending machine near them and pressing the buttons to get his drink. A chuckle escaped your lips as you watched a couple of students get scared of his presence. You shook your head in amusement and raised an eyebrow once you noticed a soft expression on his face as he enjoyed his drink. ‘So he does have a soft side to him…’ you thought to yourself as your eyes followed him.

“(Y/N)-chan~”

“Oh, Yu-nii, did you need anything?” you asked as Nishinoya joined you by the railings and he shrugged.

“I just wanted to check up on you after everything that’s happened.” he asked and looked at you from the corner of his eye.

You gave him a scrutinizing look because he typically checks in on you like this if he needs something. He’d usually just try to tease you or joke around with you when he knows that something is troubling you or waits until you come to him. Besides, he already scolded you on your way home about being more careful with your knee since you haven’t been conditioning lately and skipped more than one appointment with your physical therapist.

“Liar, you need something from me.”

Nishinoya laughed out loud and smiled at you. “You know me too well, (Y/N)-chan.”

Turning your attention fully onto Nishinoya, you waited for him to speak. He rubbed his neck sheepishly and said, “Daichi said that we needed to pass our exams in order for us to go to Tokyo for training. If we fail, the supplementary exams fall on the day that we leave.”

“Yu-nii, I can’t help you with your studying. I’ve tried and can be a lost cause sometimes.” you sighed.

He winced at your bluntness but knew he had it coming. You were always the more studious one and had to always make sure he concentrated on homework whenever he came over. But in this case, he already had the third years and Ennoshita whipping him into shape during their after school sessions. But seeing the first years struggle and being the amazing upperclassman he was, Nishinoya wanted to give his beloved underclassmen some help.

“It’s not for me, (Y/N)-chan. If you think Tanaka and I are stupid, Kageyama and Hinata are struggling more than us.”

You couldn’t believe what came out of Nishinoya’s mouth and you burst out laughing. “W-Wait, are you saying that Kageyama-san isn’t smart? But he looks like he has good grades!”

“That’s what we thought too but I guess he’s only smart when it comes to volleyball.” Nishinoya pouted.

You couldn’t stop imagining Kageyama failing at regular school work because he just gave off that impression that he had some common knowledge in him. With Hinata, you had a good feeling that he wouldn’t be that smart since it looked like volleyball was the only thing on his mind. But it was a good surprise to you to find out that Kageyama was just as bad because it proved to you that you shouldn’t have assumed in the first place. It did give you some amusing thoughts though. Crossing your arms, you looked at your best friend as he rubbed his hands together and bowed slightly towards you.

“Please, I’m begging you (Y/N)-chan, please help Kageyama and Hinata! We need them to be there with us! I’ll even buy you lunch for a week straight because you helped them!”

With such a good offering, you smirked to yourself and ruffled his hair. “Alright Yu-nii, I’ll go help them.”

You could see his eyes immediately light up and was about to go hug you when you held your hand up to him.

“But, they have to come and ask me for help first.”

Nishinoya cheered before hugging you tightly, thanking you a million times before darting off to tell them the good news. You shook your head in amusement and gathered your things to head back to your classroom and get a jump start on your homework in order to help the team’s newfound duo.

------

The lunch bell finally rang and you mindlessly sipped on your carton of juice that you got during the previous break. You weren’t sure if the boys were going to come to you that day since Nishinoya never texted you back after the conversation on the roof. Listening to your stomach, you considered dropping by the shop that Coach Ukai ran for some snacks and a meat bun. You frowned to yourself as you realized that Coach Ukai still wanted to talk to you about your volleyball history. The grip on your juice carton slightly tightened and your other hand began to tap your desk as you thought about the questions he was going to ask. With a sigh, you shook your head to try and clear the questions and assumptions racing through your mind. You were snapped out of your thoughts when you heard your name being called and looked over to see Hinata and Kageyama walking into your classroom. You smiled at them and waved them over. The look of determination was evident on their faces as they stood in front of your desk and you couldn’t help but find their dedication towards the sport endearing.

“Hey (L/N)-san!” Hinata greeted you happily and Kageyama met your eyes as he nodded at you and said, “Hey.”

You held his gaze and greeted them back. Kageyama’s eyes widened slightly, surprised that someone was able to hold his gaze like that outside of practice, and looked outside the window. You smiled to yourself and turned your attention towards Hinata who asked you a question. You laughed to yourself because seeing Kageyama be so awkward outside of the gym was a cute sight to see.

“(L/N)-san, do you like studying?”

You looked up in thought before shrugging. “I don’t hate it…”

With a hopeful look on his face, Hinata held out his notebook and asked, “Could you teach me this English?” He tugged on Kageyama’s shirt too and continued to say, “You should ask her, too, Kageyama!”

You looked back to the quiet setter who stuffed his hands in his pocket and you met gazes once more. “Please teach us.”

Hinata continued to try and convince you as he stepped forward and said, “If we fail any tests next month, we won’t be able to go to the Tokyo away games, so we’ve been having the tall guy with glasses named Tsukishima help us...But lately, he’s getting irritated because Kageyama and I are so stupid.”

“I’m not scared of him.” Kageyama snorted, glaring at Hinata.

“But it’d be better for someone to teach us nicely!” Hinata huffed.

You couldn’t stop yourself from letting out a soft chuckle, holding your hand to your face to cover your reaction. “You guys are really too much. I didn’t think you guys would be struggling this much.”

Kageyama felt an unfamiliar burning on his cheeks as he noticed your cute expression and shook his head to get rid of any unnecessary thoughts. He couldn’t get his focus messed up now, even if you did catch his interest. He didn’t need any distractions but a small part of him wanted to do something to keep seeing similar reactions from you.

Giving both of them a warm smile, you gestured towards your desk and said, “If I’m good enough-”

“Really?!” Hinata excitedly asked.

You pursed your lips as you let them know what you were thinking, “But I wonder if I’ll be able to teach in a nicer way than Tsukishima...I used to get really strict when I helped Yu-nii with his homework.”

Both of them shook their heads simultaneously as Hinata reassured you, “You definitely don’t need to worry about that.”

“Well, then shall we get started?” You smiled as you clapped your hands together and opened up your notebook.

As the study session took place, you simplified what was being taught to them in a way the two would understand it. If what Nishinoya told you was true, then the way that you outlined things would be easy enough to teach to them.

“I see! Wow!” Hinata exclaimed as you explained the construction of an English sentence to him.

You rubbed her your sheepishly and shrugged. “Oh, it’s nothing..”

“Your notebook’s really easy to look at, (LN)-san. You’re great at drawing too.” Hinata commented when he noticed the small doodles that covered the sides and corners of your notes.

“Ah well, when I was on a break I suddenly got into drawing and I typically try to be the best in everything I get into so I guess it’s from my perfectionist side.” you sheepishly replied before pointing at Hinata’s notes. “Oh, if you leave a space here, it’ll be easier to fill in later. Also, if you limit the number of colors you use, it won’t get confusing.”

Kageyama watched as you bit off the cap of your pen and began to write guides on Hinata’s notebook. He wasn’t much of a talker, but he was grateful for you being willing enough to help them. There was something about you that helped calm down his nerves as you taught them their class’s material. He didn’t feel as competitive or stressed when they studied with Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. You were encouraging but knew when to be strict with them. As he quietly took down his notes, Kageyama listened in on your conversation as you and Hinata talked about his dislike for studying and how he’s just trying really hard to get to Tokyo.

You were amazed at Hinata’s passion and was surprised to also find Kageyama chiming in on the conversation when Nekoma High was brought up. She vaguely remembered Nishinoya complaining about Nekoma one time so she assumed they were pretty strong opponents and now friends off the court. Especially if Kageyama mentioned that there was someone as good as Nishinoya on their team. It reminded you that you should check up on your friends from that school and filtered a mental note to do so once she got home. You lost contact with them for a bit during your rut and since volleyball was starting to make a comeback in your life, it was a good idea to check up on a childhood friend.

Resting your chin on your palm as the two boys got lost in their own banter, you began to think about going to their games more. Nishinoya had been trying to get you to come back to their games but then he got suspended after his scuffle with Asahi. You mentally sighed and realized you had been so caught up with your own problems, you fell short on supporting your best friend. If anything, you should be thankful for Nishinoya introducing you to his new friends at Karasuno. With your budding relations with the current team, you were able to make new friendships with classmates you never noticed before. Your eyes unconsciously went towards Kageyama and you began to admire his features as he continued to talk to Hinata. You hated to admit it but now looking up close with him off the court, Kageyama was quite attractive. It was funny to you because people often got scared of him, but all you saw was a socially awkward guy. Also having grown close to the second and third years, you saw those boys as older brothers so none of them had gotten your attention when you got to know them. It didn’t help that Nishinoya would try to get in on your business to see if he could play cupid between you and a member of his. That idea didn’t sit right with you in the beginning but now, you might just be open to it.

“So, (L/N)-san, did you used to play volleyball?”

You sighed as you knew that this question was going to be brought up sooner or later after they saw you serve.

“I’m pretty sure Yu-nii has already told you guys this, but we went to the same middle school together. He was the libero for the boy’s team and I was the wing spiker and pinch server for the girl’s team. Our school called us ‘The Yin and Yang Twins’ because of how our personalities switched in and out of the court.”

The boys noticed your eyes softened as you remembered your days playing the sport that they loved and Kageyama couldn’t help but ask, “How come you stopped?”

“I tore my ACL during my final match.”

They winced trying to imagine how that went down and you shrugged. Kageyama couldn’t help but blame himself for making you remember something that terrible and murmured, “Sorry, I didn’t know.”

You shook your head dismissively and looked down to play with your hands. “It’s okay. To be honest, taking time off to heal has opened my eyes a lot. I just don’t know if I’ll ever be fine to properly play again.”

“Have you tried to give yourself that chance?” Hinata asked.

You looked up to find Hinata smiling down at you as he stood up from his seat, palms resting on top of your desk. “I know that there are times where things seem to be impossible. I’ve had those thoughts for the longest time, but giving myself a chance to try things out and see where it goes has gotten me to where I am now. A lot of people underestimate me for being small and even if I’m not big, I can fly.”

Your eyes widened as you saw the look in Hinata’s eyes. His words had an impact on you and you sat back in your chair, your mind going back to your serve. Kageyama noticed the thoughtful look on your face and understood that you needed your space for the time being.

“Hinata, don’t you need to copy this down?” Kageyama asked to divert Hinata’s attention from you.

You looked out the window as Hinata sat down, continuing to write down his notes. While doing so, he began to ramble about volleyball again and while listening, you mindlessly said, “Then you’re like the Little Giant of the team, Hinata.”

Kageyama sighed as Hinata got amped up again just by hearing the nickname he respected so much and then met your gaze. It was asking for him to help you calm him down so that you could all wrap up the study session. Turning his attention back to his notes, Kageyama continued to write down what he needed to know.

“Hey, Little Giant that’s not gonna make it to Tokyo, hurry up and copy this.”

Once the two finished copying down your notes and finally understanding some of the material, you agreed to continue to tutor them. You walked them to the hallway and the both of them thanked you once more before bumping into Nishinoya who held up your lunch in the air on the way back to their classroom.

“I hope she’s been treating you well, boys!” Nishinoya greeted his underclassmen before walking up to you.

Kageyama couldn’t help but turn around and watch as you gave Nishinoya a bright smile and hug. An unfamiliar feeling crept inside of him as he grew irritated for some unknown reason. He clicked his tongue and tried his best to forget about the part of him wishing that you would greet him like that in the near future.

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artificialqueens · 3 years

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Please Don’t Take My Crown Just Because You Can (Olivia Lux x Trixie Mattel) - Plastiquedoll

read on ao3 👑

Summary: It was a bad idea. Trixie knew it from the second she signed up for it. Her stomach hadn’t been quiet from that moment on, she could barely get any sleep the previous night and her hands were constantly sweaty. How could she let her mother convince her of entering a beauty pageant? …Another beauty pageant. That was what she thought until she met Olivia and maybe -just maybe- her day got much better.

A/N: hi there! this is my entry for the rare pair fic challenge! I hope you like it <3

my train of thought for this story was the following one: rare pair challenge > 21 Jolene by Dolly Parton > Dolly Parton Trixie Mattel music > Dolly Parton movie Dumplin > Dumplin movie with beauty pageants > (break to remember that one roast joke about Ginger working with Jennifer Anniston) > pageant queens > line of the song about the Jolene’s > Olivia has a beautiful smile > Trixie was kind of obsessed with her on the pit stop > Trixie x Olivia > rare pair > Trixie x Olivia pageant queens au with Jolene somewhere

It was a bad idea.

Trixie knew it from the second she signed up for it. Her stomach hadn’t been quiet from that moment on, she could barely get any sleep the previous night and her hands were constantly sweaty.

How could she let her mother convince her of entering a beauty pageant?

…Another beauty pageant.

Only because her older sister was a pageant queen it didn’t mean she was cut from the same mold.

Even during the prior weeks when she tried that beautiful nightgown covered in sequins that fit her so well, she didn’t feel fully comfortable in it. Even in the talent category –one she was supposed to excel in since she had chosen singing- she wasn’t completely sure of the song she had picked and don’t get her start on the swimsuit category.

It was a nightmare.

Now she had paid the fee it was too late to regret it. She was already in the building, she had signed the damn application form and she had a number assigned –twelve- there was no way out even when all her senses were tingling and her body kept telling her to run away.

She took a deep breath and walked into the dressing room where her fellow competitors were already dolling up. She saw a mother stretching a corset so much the boobs of the girl were in a different color than her face and also a girl with a professional makeup team of three people doing her face, hair, and nails. This was no joke for some of them.

Of course, Trixie had been looked down on the moment she showed up and it was intimidating to walk among those trained pageant girls who whispered and tittered when she passed by their stations. Some of them might have identified her, some of them might be guessing what she was doing there.

Luckily, she found her mirror and hangers to be located in an isolated area near one of the back doors. At least she could get ready in peace.

Her mother walked into the room and it got as quiet as a church. The heads turned and immediately recognized the former Miss USA even after all those years, they also knew Trixie’s sister, Pearl, the current Miss Teen America; with both proud achievements under her arm, her mother solemnly crossed the place to her station with a couple of makeup bags on her hands. She greeted everyone with her fakest smile and then she looked at her daughter.

“Ronan will get your stuff in a moment.” She caressed Trixie’s hair. “Brush your hair, it’s dry.” She said with disdain. “And pinch your cheeks, you look ill.”

Forget that part of getting ready in peace.

Trixie instinctively grabbed a brush while her mother went mingle –and collected information about the other girls.

Suddenly, a voice surprised her.

“Hi!”

Trixie turned around and froze for a moment.

In the contiguous mirror labeled number thirteen, there was a girl with a bathrobe, rollers on her dark brown hair and by far the most beautiful smile Trixie had ever seen, the kind that made people go weak on their knees, with her not being the exception.

She’s beauty and she’s grace, she takes my breath away.

She looked like she had just arrived as well. Her makeup bags were closed and her dresses were in bags.

“It seems we’re going to be neighbors today.” She kept flashing her dazzling smile.

“Yeah… I mean… Hi, I’m Trixie.”

“Olivia, Liv…” She shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Trixie. If you don’t mind, may I ask you a question?”

Trixie would later find out that was Olivia’s catchphrase.

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Where can I find a plug for my phone?”

“Behind the mirror.”

“Oh, thank you… by the way I love your hair.”

Trixie touched her messy blonde hair she hadn’t even styled yet and wondered if that was a tactic but Olivia seemed genuinely nice. The girl sat on her chair and started doing her makeup, -Trixie needed to do the same but she also wanted to keep talking to her.

But before she could say something else, her mother came back with the bags with her outfits.

“Bad news is that Violet is here but maybe you can beat her in the talent portion, good news is that there was a blizzard and Naomi couldn’t take the flight.” She sounded way too excited about that.

“Jeez, mom…”

“What? Know your competitors.” She stared at Olivia. “And who do we have here? I’m afraid I don’t remember your name, darling.”

“I’m Olivia Lux, Mrs. Mattel. We haven’t met but it’s such an honor.”

Her mother smiled and shook her hand. “Lovely.” She looked at Trixie again. “We have a lot of work to do.”

“I’ll do my makeup.” She began taking her brushes out of the bag.

“Good idea, don’t apply too much the judges didn’t like it last time.”

At that point, Trixie just wanted her mother to be gone for a hot second since that was the only moment she could get to relax while doing something she enjoyed and she couldn’t fully do that under her eagle eye. She was already stressed by the rehearsals and the competition, she didn’t need any more pressure over her shoulders.

As if her thoughts were heard, one of the other mothers called Trixie’s mother’s name and she made a fuss to say hi to her and gossip some more.

“Whoa, your mother is a legend.” Olivia whispered, still a bit thunderstruck.

“I guess…” Trixie sighed. “Sorry you had to hear what she said earlier, she gets a little… in the pageant mood.”

What Trixie wanted to say was «she’s like a shark and pageants are bloodbaths».

Olivia just gestured with her hands downplaying it. “Most mothers here are like that… don’t worry.”

“By the way, where are you from? I don’t think I have seen you here before.”

Way to go, Trixie, what brings you to San Antonio, Texas to this room full of nasty people and ugly hot weather?

“I’m from New Jersey but I think the reason we hadn’t met it’s because… being completely honest, this is my third pageant.”

Trixie almost had a seizure. “What?”

She looked so calm and collected she couldn’t have guessed it was only her third time participating.

Olivia giggled. “The first beauty pageant I participated was as a dare from one of my friends back in New Jersey and I won Miss Polaris… then I tried my luck in the Miss Natural Beauty in New York and also won.” She fidgeted with her rings. “I hadn’t gone this far until now and I’m actually considering going full-time… but I don’t have many references to ask advice from.”

And she wanted to ask Trixie? Out of all girls in that room?

“I have to admit that’s pretty impressive.”

“Thank you.”

“Pageant world is… wow… exhausting? It requires a lot of effort and dedication. My mother put my sister and me in pageants since we were little so we grew up in this environment so we’re used to the viciousness of it.”

Just to think they could’ve made it into Toddlers and Tiaras if it wasn’t canceled a year before their pageant debut.

Olivia looked at her with wide eyes, expectant.

“It is also a nice place to share and form sincere bonds with other girls, like a sisterhood.”

The girl grinned. “That’s wonderful!”

“Yeah…”

“I must admit that the scholarship program of Miss Teen America is also what dragged me here today. I need to gather some more experience before even considering giving it a try and having a good score here could help me to qualify for the nationals.”

“That’s the dream…” Trixie knew about it, she had been prepared all her life to be the following to reign after her sister.

Trixie did her makeup in almost record time, she knew they had counted minutes inside the dressing room and they hadn’t rehearsed the walk or the places on the stage –they barely had some time to try the acoustic and do something similar to a soundcheck before lunch.

She needed a minute away from that place or she was going to have a breakdown. When her mother wasn’t looking, she sneaked out to the emergency stairs that had a «DO NOT CROSS» yellow sign… perfect.

To her surprise, she wasn’t the only person who had had the same idea.

“Hey, Violet.”

The girl with black hair in a purple robe with her name embroidered –she probably had her famous corset underneath- lifted her gaze. She was sitting on the stairs with a cigarette in one hand and her phone in the other.

“Needed a break?”

Trixie nodded. “I swear there’s something inside there that sucks the air of the room.”

“It’s not the air, it’s the former pageant queens sucking the youth out of your body.”

The blonde cackled. “Most likely.”

“Where’s your sister? She won Miss Teen and now she’s too good for an open call pageant?”

“Didn’t you hear? She sprained her ankle skiing a couple of weeks ago…”

“I heard that.” Violet rolled her eyes. “Now tell me what really happened.”

“She sprained her ankle trying to climb the window of her room after she sneaked to go to a college party.”

Ladies, gentlemen, and folks… Miss Teen America!

Violet snickered. “Dumb whore.”

She offered Trixie a smoke but the blonde shook her head.

“It’d fuck my throat for the talent section.”

“Maybe that’s the strategy.” A cloud of smoke came from her lips.

Trixie laughed. Violet had never needed to use a dirty tactic to win. She simply didn’t give a fuck and that was the reason Trixie liked her and the reason they had developed a certain level of camaraderie… it could be even called a friendship. Maybe what she had said to Olivia wasn’t as far from reality as she thought, maybe there was room to bond over the trauma of lost childhood and terrible mothers.

“Are you doing your baton routine?”

The raven-haired girl nodded. “This time, with a spark…” She did jazz hands, ironically.

“They are letting you do the fire thing?”

“God bless Texas or something like that.”

“I thought it was unsafe.”

“Nonsense… I could do it blindfolded… actually…”

“Pyro psychopath.”

“What about you? I saw your guitar in the dressing room. Are you finally going to sing one of your SoundCloud songs?”

Trixie sighed. “I wish… Mrs. Barbara Mattel won’t let me. She says it isn’t appealing to the public like going for a well-known classic.”

“Let me guess, Dolly Parton?”

“Yeah…”

“It’s always «yes» not «yeah», Miss Mattel.” She mocked.

“Fuck off, you skinny bitch.”

“You say it as if it’s something wrong with that.”

“I’m always hoping for you to faint during the run on the stage.”

“Because that’s the only way you could win.”

They laughed at each other. Everything was so ridiculous they needed the laughter to make things lighter.

“Well, you have competition with the singing thing…” Violet commented.

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

“That new girl from Jersey… the one that looks like she came out from a toothpaste commercial.”

“Olivia?” She asked with disbelief… well, it shouldn’t have been any surprise since she seemed like the type of girl who could do anything anyway.

“And she plays piano too.” Violet dumped the ashes of her cigarette over the stairs but she was also adding fuel to the fire.

Fuck.

Maybe Trixie was very good at singing but the judges always looked with good eyes when someone played a more classical instrument like violin or piano, it made the girls look more sophisticated than an acoustic guitar.

She was truly underestimating Olivia for being the rookie in the room but if she was as good as Violet had said, she might have reasons to be worried.

Back in the dressing room, her mother nagged her for disappearing before getting the curlers on. She had her hair pulled and entangled in the plastic tubes under a pink cap. Some girls had left in rounds to the rehearsal of the talents that couldn’t make it in the morning, Olivia among them.

With her not being there to bright the room a little, Trixie felt alone. She knew she had just met Olivia but there was something so radiant and charming about her that she couldn’t shake off her mind. That… and the fact that Trixie was just being gay as fuck while yearning for a competitor.

To relieve her anxiety, she lulled herself with her autoharp and one of her songs that wouldn’t make it into the program.

“Whoa… that was beautiful.” The voice of the girl woke her from her reverie.

She hadn’t noticed Olivia had returned since she was so mesmerized with the music, closing her eyes and feeling it with her heart.

Olivia clapped and smiled, even brighter than before.

“Is what you’re going to play on today’s talent show?”

Trixie shook her head. “It’s mine, actually. I don’t think the public would respond as you just did.”

“What are you saying? It sounds terrific… I wish I could write songs too, what a great talent.”

“You’re just being polite… pageant polite.”

“I’m not…” Olivia reached for her hand and Trixie felt butterflies flapping on her stomach, no stage fright related. “Your music is wonderful, I mean it.”

She didn’t want to let go of Olivia’s hand but at that moment, there was a commotion in the dressing room that attracted all stares.

It was Alyssa Edwards, the hostess of the pageant and mother of the current Miss Teen Venus. Trixie had overheard her mother calling her things before but the second she walked in, everyone shut up. She didn’t look content at all.

“Miss Atlanta…” She called. “The color one.”

Violet.

“Violet has been disqualified from today’s competition.” She announced, as serious as she could be about it.

“What?!” Trixie looked around, she was nowhere to be seen.

“There has been an accident during the rehearsal of her talent and since the board and the judges consider it to be too dangerous and the lil’ miss refuses to change it… there’s no other choice but to continue without her.” She explained, reading a piece of paper she had in her hands. “Also, Miss Violet argues there had been some type of sabotage involved…”

The word sabotage made the room explode into an uproar. Alyssa was only the messenger but the women assembled in front of her demanding explanations and repeating how nonsensical the accusation was.

“Ladies, ladies…” She tried to get their attention but finally the only way she could do it was whistling loud enough to leave everyone deaf. “Ladies! I know this is a severe accusation but I promise you we’ll be taking action into the matter and proceeding with the corresponding investigation. This is not the image of any Miss Teen Venus and if the allegations turn to be true there will be a prosecution and punishment of such acts.” She shushed a pageant mom that was about to protest. “Margaret, sit your ass down no one wants to hear it.”

Trixie’s mother looked ecstatic. “Yes!” She celebrated in a lower voice.

Trixie just shook her head.

Violet returned to the dressing room wearing what to Violet was pedestrian clothing to pick her things about half an hour later, she looked done with everything and everyone there. She didn’t even mind the stares and whispers –even during rough times she shone for her confidence-, her mother behind her, however, kept ranting about the level of unprofessionalism showed and how they were going to regret it.

Trixie approached her station when things were cooling down a little.

“Hey, what the fuck happened?”

Violet sighed. “I don’t know, there was something wrong with the baton or the kerosene, this has never happened before.” She crossed her arms on her chest. “My mother thinks there’s a conspiracy going on and I just want to sleep on the plane and cuddle my cat back at home.”

“But like… do you really think someone deliberately tried to mess up with your act?”

“I have no clue but… I never make mistakes and that’s not an exaggeration.” She gathered her things. “If someone’s really sabotaging people you should watch your back.” She put a pair of designer sunglasses on.

“…we don’t need this trashy fifth category contest; Violet has a modeling contract…”

“I have to get my mom out of that argument. See you at the nationals I guess.”

“No «break a leg» or something?”

“You don’t need my help with that.” She waved her hair on her way out.

“Bitch…”

Alyssa called them for the runway rehearsal a couple of minutes after.

“Tracy,” She pointed at Trixie. “you go before Peronka.”

Trixie and Priyanka exchanged a look. To be fair, Priyanka was a newbie but still, it was funny that Alyssa confused their names so badly.

“Olivia, you go next.”

Of course, she remembered her name.

They paraded in their robes with curlers and clips on their hair pretending it was the real thing. They had to smile, wave, stuck their stomachs, stretch their shoulders, elongate their necks and look absolutely fabulous while wearing heels.

Olivia, just like the pageant she had won before, was a natural. She gracefully walked upstairs, sashayed all over the stage, and posed like a professional.

Trixie couldn’t keep her eyes off her to the point Priyanka had to elbow her to move.

“It got you hard this time…” She murmured.

“Shut up, Peronka.”

The first round they all had to wear the same simple v-neckline blue dress –not Trixie’s favorite color to wear- with a sad matching pump but it was just one lap to show their charms while playing a corny song about being Miss Teen Venus and all the qualities that came with it –did anyone else notice that it sounded oddly similar to Dancing Queen? Because Trixie did.

They also had a short presentation and because of that reason, Trixie didn’t let her mother rub vaseline on her teeth before stepping out the stage.

“Good evening, everyone. My name is Trixie Mattel, I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I enjoy playing the acoustic guitar and composing my own songs. The people who inspire me the most are Michelle Obama, Dolly Parton, and my mom whom I love very much.” She smiled widely.

The judges nodded and wrote something down.

Alyssa in her all glitter, all glam golden gown and perfect huge blonde hair read the card, and after Trixie was done she commented. “Isn’t she lovely, folks?”

Claps from the audience and then her cue to leave the center of the stage and get in line next to Priyanka –always keeping the poise and the smile.

Olivia was next.

“Miss Olivia Lux.” Alyssa presented.

“Good evening, everyone. My name is Olivia, I’m from Buena, New Jersey. The activities I like the most are performing on a stage, playing the piano, and cooking with my mom and my grandmother. The people who inspire me the most are Malala Yousafzai, Kamala Harris, and Beyoncé Knowles.” She giggled.

“Adorable!” Alyssa said into the microphone.

Oh, she was good-good.

It reminded Trixie of the time Pearl went against Valentina, her smile also charmed the judges effortlessly making her sister lost that pageant.

Okay, the first round was done. The talent portion was next and Trixie hadn’t been that nervous before.

There were twenty –well, nineteen- girls competing that night, and some of them were really good. The swimsuit portion was something Trixie just preferred to ignore it happened; she was embarrassingly looking at one particular lady but she did her best pretending she wasn’t –even when her face was probably as red as her swimsuit-. Next were the talents and they went from juggling, opera singing, gymnastics to some awful singing, uncoordinated tap dancing, and some slips and falls -those that fail were often the most entertaining.

After Priyanka’s interpretative dance, it was Trixie’s turn.

She was on her country pink leather bodysuit with her Texan boots and big brushed hair. She held her pink glittery guitar near to her.

Alyssa was about to announce it when she felt a hand over her shoulder.

It was Olivia.

“Hey, I just wanted to wish you good luck. I’m sure you’re going to kill it.”

Trixie squeezed her hand. “Thank you.”

She took a deep breath before walking onto the stage.

“…here she is, Trixie Mattel!”

“Good night, everyone, how are you doing?” She displayed her white teeth. If something, Trixie felt comfortable in front of an audience when she had her guitar with her. “I hope you all know this one… because if you don’t… ”

She knew the chords by heart, as soon as she plucked the strings she got into character, moving her body and dancing around. The audience recognized the first couple of notes of Jolene right away. They could say she foreshadowed it on her presentation so no one should’ve been surprised at all.

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene

I’m begging of you please don’t take my man

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene

Please don’t take him just because you can

People started clapping along and mouthed the words.

Your beauty is beyond compare

With flaming locks of auburn hair

With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green

She was having a great time and then, the lyrics came out of her mouth and her eyes directed to the girl behind the curtains who was still looking at her performance even when she was next.

Your smile is like a breath of spring

Your voice is soft like summer rain

And I cannot compete with you… Jolene

«Your smile is like a breath of spring» that single sentence could be used to describe Olivia perfectly and Trixie didn’t stop staring at her while pronouncing every word.

The rest of the song went even better, she really engaged with the audience. Trixie was very good at impersonating Dolly but she also liked giving it a little twist here and there, letting her personality shine through the music.

She had done a better job than that other girl that attempted to do These Boots Are Made For Walkin’. People gave her a full standing ovation, that was the best feeling in the world.

She was still shaking with adrenaline post-show when she crossed paths with –probably- her biggest competition of the night.

Olivia, who looked polished and gorgeous on a halter aqua short dress, her hair perfectly tight in an up-do and that blinding smile…

“Trixie you were fantastic! I knew you were going to do a great job but you really gave a show out there.”

“Thank you… break a leg… uh…”

“I’m so nervous.” She peeped over the blonde’s shoulder. A member of the staff was setting Olivia’s keyboard in the meantime Alyssa thanked the pageant sponsors.

“Look, the judges already love you so you just have to do your best out there and… have fun.”

Olivia nodded and hugged Trixie tightly before heading to the main stage.

Trixie was out of breath.

She knew her mother was going to go crazy if she was late back in the dressing room to change to her nightgown but it didn’t matter. She wanted to be there, supporting Olivia just like she did.

“Without further delay, Miss Olivia Lux.” Alyssa announced.

Olivia started playing the notes of For Elise on the keyboard and the audience was already fascinated by it but then, she pressed a couple of buttons that added rhythm to the classical symphony and the song became For Albert by Sarah Jackson-Holman. Olivia’s voice was also lovely and it complimented the song very well. She had an amazing stage presence and that was what made her performance stand up.

She guessed that the line «Your voice is soft like summer rain» also applied to Olivia.

Trixie was bewitched watching her leaving it all on the stage and so were the judges. She was surely scoring high with that interpretation. The audience gave her the second standing ovation of the night, well-earned.

Trixie herself was clapping like her biggest fan.

“That was amazing!” She celebrated the other girl.

“Oh my God… you watched it?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t miss it.”

Olivia was about to cry. “Thank you…”

“Hey, hey… save those tears for the end or you’re going to ruin your makeup.”

“Okay…” She sobbed but her face remained dry and her makeup flawless.

Back in the dressing room, Trixie’s mother wasn’t around which was strange since she was the first to boss Trixie around as soon as she put a step in.

She didn’t pay much attention since something else happened in the contiguous station, number thirteen.

“This cannot be happening…” Olivia was on the verge of a panic attack. “It has to be here somewhere.” She sounded so afflicted it made Trixie feel about whatever was going on before even knowing the details.

“What is it?” She asked.

“Oh, Trixie…” She fell into her arms. “It’s terrible, just terrible…” She was trying her best not to cry, Trixie could tell. “My nightgown has disappeared!”

“What?! No, that can’t be. Where was it last time you saw it?”

“In the hanger with my other dresses… It was here before the talent show I just saw it… My mom went to check on the car just in case but… I swear it was here. You have to believe me.”

Trixie stroked Olivia’s back trying to comfort her, even when she wasn’t the most affectionate person and having this type of contact was difficult to her, with that girl it was innate… she felt in need of protecting her.

“I believe you. We’re going to find it, okay? I promise it. We still thirty minutes before our turn.”

“Thank you… you’re a great friend.”

She smiled at Olivia.

Something shady was going on and Trixie was going to find out what it was.

She went out the hallway; neither of the other girls had seen something so if someone really stole Olivia’s dress it had to be while the girls were performing on the stage. Olivia’s mother did what she could to make time but finally decided to tell Alyssa was for the best, the hostess had cursed in her southern accent but assured the lady that they were also going to look for the emerald green nightgown.

Trixie finally found her mother next to the coffee machine with a cigarette in her hand.

“Mom, Olivia’s dress was stolen from the dressing room, where you around it before the talent show?”

She frowned and shook her head, the cigarette hung on her mouth unlighted. “No clue. Kids should be careful with their things.” She looked at Trixie from head to toe. “Why aren’t you dressing up already?”

“I’ll do it in a second. We’re trying to find her dress or she’s not going to make it to the next round.”

“Why do you care? You should be responsible for yourself and yourself only, Patricia. Otherwise, you’re not going to make it far in life…” She rummaged her purse trying to find a box of matches when it fell from her hands. “Shit…” She cursed.

Trixie kneeled on the floor to pick up the purse when she spotted a bottle of kerosene.

She picked the item and looked at it carefully and then she looked at her mother.

“Isn’t this the thing Violet uses for her baton routine?”

“I don’t know, I use it to clean…”

“Mom… What are you doing with this in your purse?”

“Oh, c’mon, Trixie. Give it to me.” She snatched the bottle from her hands and lighted up her cigarette with the matches. “You didn’t see anything.”

It suddenly made sense.

“You were the one who sabotaged Violet’s act, didn’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh my God… you did.” Trixie was speechless. “Did you steal Olivia’s dress too?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, why would I do any of that?”

“Because you don’t think I can win on my own… You’ve been obstructing the competition all day long.”

“Fine, whatever… yes. I don’t think you can win on your own and these little amateurs cannot beat you… you’re a Mattel, do you have an idea what that name represents? The legacy that’s over your shoulders?”

“You got no shame at all, do you? What’s next? Are you going to throw marbles all over the stage?” Trixie felt like she was about to throw up. “Where’s Olivia’s dress?”

Her mother jeered. “Do you really believe I’m going to tell you? Please… Now go back to the dressing room and put some fucking vaseline on your teeth, I didn’t pay for your braces all those years for you to look like a bitter hag.”

“You’re going to regret this.”

Trixie really wanted to yell something at her but a plan was already forming on her mind and if it worked, her mother was going to get what she deserved.

“Any news?” Olivia asked with a spark of hope in her voice.

Trixie’s heart broke in the spot. She shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Liv. I couldn’t find it.”

“Oh no… Alyssa said if I don’t go out in fifteen minutes they’ll have to continue without me and I’ll be disqualified from the category meaning I won’t win in points…” She buried her face in her hands.

“Not necessarily.” Trixie squeezed her shoulder. “Fortunately for you… and because I come from a great tradition of pageant winners, I’ve learned to always go to a competition with a back-up.” She pulled a bag that was previously hanging next to her.

Olivia’s face lit up. “What is it…? Are you serious?”

Trixie nodded. “You can wear this one… now, obviously we’re not the same size but I think it can fit you just well with a couple of quick adjustments.”

“Oh my goodness… Trixie…” She was trying to find the right words. “You’re the best.” She embraced the girl into a hug.

Trixie beamed. “Don’t worry, it’s going to be alright. Text your mom you have a dress and get ready… I need to get a bottle of hairspray I left in the hallway, okay? I’ll see you behind the stage.”

“Okay…” She nodded. “Right. I’ll do that. Thank you, thank you… I cannot express it enough.”

“Hey, that’s what friends are for.”

Olivia held her hands. “You’re a wonderful person, Trixie Mattel.”

She felt a sting of guilt on her stomach. “I am…”

Trixie’s mother was about to enter into cardiac arrest when she found her daughter who was next in line, not ready.

“Trixie, where the hell were you? It’s almost your turn… where’s your dress?”

“I’m not going to walk on that stage, mom. I don’t want to win, not like this at least. It’s not fair.”

Her mother rolled her eyes. “Don’t start with me, Patricia. Do you have an idea of everything I had to do for you to be here tonight?”

“I do… that’s why I’m out of this competition. I already informed Alyssa I’m out.”

“You did what? Spoiled brat… Where is she? I’m going to find her and tell her you’re completely out of your mind… you’re being irrational and complicated and… you’ll see when we get home.”

Trixie’s mother tried in vain to convince Alyssa but she kept repeating “Barbara, please…”

The girls were starting to get in line and Trixie saw that Olivia was looking around trying to find her, when she did, she was highly surprised.

Olivia looked stunning in that shimmering pink-peach dress, the sequins fell over and sparked whenever she moved, she had added some orange accents to her makeup and an orange lily flower on her hair –Trixie was sure she had seen that flower on a vase at the reception but she wasn’t going to discredit her resourcefulness.

“You look so beautiful…” Trixie admired.

“Thank you… But… where’s your dress? Why aren’t you ready?”

“I dropped out.” She confessed. “This competition wasn’t for me so go ahead and kill it as you did before.”

“Wait- Is this?” Alyssa announced the category. “This is the dress you were supposed to wear, isn’t it?”

“It’s okay… It looks amazing on you anyway.”

“Trixie, no… I can’t do it. I can’t accept it…” The girls started walking.

“Listen, Olivia. I have a very good reason to resign but you don’t. This is a gorgeous gown and one of us should wear it tonight… and I’m glad is you.”

Olivia pouted. “Trixie…”

“No tears… no tears… make me proud, okay?”

Olivia held Trixie’s hand until it was her turn and even then, she didn’t let go until her fingers slid from her hand.

To no one’s shock, Olivia nailed the interview round and she truly wore that gown as if it had been made specifically for her. Trixie’s mother kept grumbling on the back and tried to light up another cigarette in the close environment, finally, a guard escorted her out of the venue while she kept repeating do you know who I am? I’m Miss USA!

But Trixie only had eyes for Olivia and that flashing smile of hers…

When she walked out of the stage, she almost overthrew the blonde.

“Trixie! I think there’s a chance I might win this…”

“You’re going to win this.” She assured.

Trixie knew one or two things about pageants and the way the judges reacted to her was more than just good.

After Alyssa announced the top five and Olivia’s name was among them, she knew she was going to win.

“Ladies, gentlemen, folks… it’s time to announce the results of our pageant of Miss Teen Venus 2021… Could the finalists please step forward?”

Trixie had her fingers crossed.

“For the title of second runner-up we have… Miss Priyanka!”

Everyone cheered when the girl in the red gown waved at them, Priyanka was probably just happy that Alyssa caught her name… finally.

“Our first runner-up is… Miss Crystal!”

The red-haired girl that had won the audience over with her personality waved enthusiastically.

“And now… for the title of Miss Teen Venus… let’s welcome my daughter Tiara, the past winner of this pageant who’s ending her reign tonight.”

Trixie sometimes wondered if no one founded it weird that Alyssa’s daughter was named after an object that was so common across the pageant world when she was also… a pageant queen… maybe it was just her.

The soon-to-be-former Miss Teen Venus looked exquisite in a white gown with her big tiara and flower bouquet.

“And now… the moment we all been waiting for… the judges have made their decision… Our new Miss Teen Venus is…”

Drum roll…

“Miss Olivia Lux!”

Trixie cheered as loud as she could, the pageant theme song started playing –really? No one? It was basically a Dancing Queen rip-off…- and there were glitter and confetti canons… Olivia got her sash, her crown, and her flowers. She was now shedding tears of pure joy and the cameras were flashing almost as much as her smile.

She looked jubilant and Trixie was just happy to witness it.

She had to take pictures with her family, with the judges, with the former winner, with Alyssa… it took a good fifteen minutes before she could leave the stage with the hostess wrapping up the event and saying goodnight to everyone.

Trixie was still shaking behind the curtains when Olivia walked down the stage, she opened her hands to hug the winner but instead, Olivia cupped her face and planted a kiss on her lips. Trixie suddenly felt dizzy and that ninety percent of her body was turned into jelly.

“Sorry… I’ve been wanting to do that for a while… maybe it was rushed and without permission I-”

But before she knew it, Trixie was kissing her back.

“Congratulations… Miss Teen Venus.” She said, breathless.

Olivia grinned and looked at her with pure devotion in her eyes.

“I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“You deserve it.”

“This means I can go to the nationals now!” She wiggled with excitement.

“That’s right.”

“And do you know what it means?” She wrapped her arms around Trixie and pulled her closer again.

“That we’re going to meet again?”

She nodded, her crown almost fell out.

“And that next time… we’re going to compete for real.”

“I’d like that.”

“But until then… may I kiss you again?”

She didn’t need to hear the words to get the response to that question.

read on ao3 ✨

#rpdr fanfiction #olivia lux #trixie mattel #olivia x trixie #rare pair #fic challenge #song fic #beauty pageant #lesbian au #jolene by dolly parton #don’t take my crown just because you can #plastiquedoll #concrit welcome

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faerytale-au · 4 years

Text

A Darkness Lingers Pt.2

Word Count: 6,750 Fourth Prompt Place: During and After “Promises and Tokens” Rating: M TW: Mentions of Past Abuse Cross Posted Here Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

Instead of crying or letting the hurt get to her she chose to sit on the couch, and before she knew it she was being called. “FRISK?”

She jerked in place, snapping from the daze she’d been unknowingly aiming at the wall. Forcing a smile she glanced up at Papyrus, a curious tilt of her head somehow only deepening the uncharacteristic frown on his face.

“YOUR MAGIC IS ALL OVER THE PLACE, IS SOMETHING WRONG?” Instead of answering she flicked her eyes over to the front door. Papyrus followed the look before letting out a deep sigh.

Papyrus smiled as he took a seat beside her. “IF YOU NEED TO TALK YOU KNOW I AM A VERY DILIGENT LISTENER MY DEAR SISTER.”

Like he wanted the gentle use of her new title made her smile more genuine. He could see a fragment of the tension ease from her shoulders as she looked down at the ruby ring on her hand, a concentrated furrow of her brows making his smile nearly falter.

“Were you…” She paused thoughtfully. “Do you miss your dad?”

Papyrus didn’t move, didn’t so much as breathe as he looked at her. After a moment his hands, resting unassuming on his knees, curled into tight fists even as the rest of him remained loose and relaxed in appearance.

His tone fought to keep it’s cheerful inflection. “SOMETIMES!”

And then it was hard to keep his voice steady. “Other times…”

Frisk watched as Papyrus glanced away from her, his teeth pressing together firmly as his sockets dipped with a softness she couldn’t decide on being sadness or affection. When he spoke he still kept his gaze averted, locked on a bit of peeling wallpaper he hadn’t noticed before.

Redecorating was definitely on the agenda.

“Truth Be Told...I Don’t Really Remember My Father Too Well. If There’s Anyone Who I’d Worry About Missing Him, It’d Be Sans.”

Frisk didn’t comment, and Papyrus looked back over with a timid smile. “They Were Really Close. Well Maybe Close Isn’t Right...They Both Had A Habit Of Acting Close But Being Distant. Only When They Told Me Stories Of Mom Did They Seem...Not Far Apart.”

“Sans hasn’t ever mentioned your mother.” Frisk frowned curiously. She was sure he hadn’t, trying to think over their many conversations she couldn’t even recall a moment where he might’ve hinted at her.

Papyrus chuckled so quietly she could’ve almost mistaken the laughter for Sans’s. “I’m Not Surprised. Her Passing Was Always A Sensitive Subject.”

Frisk hesitated but decided to risk asking. “What happened?”

Like a switch had been flipped a haunted look flew over the Seelie’s expression, Papyrus’s sockets dulling and turning a shade darker than she knew they could ever go. He shut them and in a very high falsetto he forced his words out.

“I Killed Her.”

Frisk thought her heart stopped.

“Her Soul Shattered While Giving Life To Me.” All she could do was stare at the floor. Frisk couldn’t think of what to say, what reassurances to give. How do you comfort someone when you hadn’t the first clue as to how they were feeling?

“I’m sorry you lost her like that…but it wasn’t your fault at all Papyrus.”

“HMM MY BROTHER OFTEN TELLS ME THE SAME THING. AND WHILE IT MAY BE TRUE...That Doesn’t Change My Personal Feelings On The Matter. IT’S JUST SOMETHING I’VE LEARNED TO DEAL WITH.” Frisk had to blink back the tears that wanted to fall from her eyes. Papyrus always seemed so cheerful and upbeat, she never would have guessed he held such pain close to his heart.

“Why do you think that?”

Here Papyrus hesitated. “Because...I’m Certain If She Hadn’t Died Our Father Would’ve Never Went Down The Path He Did…Our Lives Would Be Very Different.”

He sounded oddly like her; if she had tried harder to be good maybe dad would have loved her, if she had been a little more quiet, more invisible, maybe her mother would have cared. Maybe Frisk’s life could have been different from what it was now. They were thoughts she used to have constantly and that sometimes still plagued her at night.

Frisk didn’t like hearing something so similar coming from Papyrus.

She didn’t know what to say. Why did she never know what to say?

“Would you be happy...having your father back?”

Papyrus looked thoughtful, his expression scrunched in concentration as he thought on Frisk’s question with the most honesty he could give. He eventually shook his head and let out a huff of air.

“I’M NOT SURE. BUT I THINK SANS WOULD. STUBBORN TO ADMIT IT HE MAY BE. BUT THE PAST IS THE PAST THERE’S NO CHANGING THAT, IT’S SOMETHING WE HAVE TO ACCEPT.”

And little did he know Papyrus had just made a decision for her. Maybe...she could repay them both by offering what she had never had herself back in her world.

“Thank you Papyrus. Talking helped.” They both looked at each other in a soft and comfortable silence, his sockets taking on a less darkened hue as he unclenched his fists.

He pulled her into an unexpected hug. “ANYTIME!”

Frisk stiffened on instinct, her expression becoming awash with shock before she slowly smiled and hugged him back. Papyrus was the greatest Seelie she knew next to her husband, and he deserved everything, they both did.

Sans barely saw the grove in front of him from the ring of mushrooms; his mind was wandering and his sockets were bottomless pits. He hadn’t wanted to leave Frisk the way he had, he already felt so guilty over it, but he...couldn’t take another second talking about his old man.

It was a given he would’ve had to tell Frisk eventually. But he had wanted to do it on his own time and terms, he hadn’t wanted the reason to be because the Unseelie was plotting something.

Sans had wanted to live with Frisk in ignorance for just a bit longer.

Now all he could think about was not only how to explain his other job to his wife, but what preparations he’d have to take to prevent whatever drawback Gaster’s sudden activity would cause.

He was silently cursing himself, he was usually better prepared than this.

“Your foolish fancies will get you into trouble one day.”

The last time he’d seen Gaster in person...

How long had it been exactly? Sans couldn’t remember. He hadn’t tried too, in fact he’d gone out of his way not to think about him. But now alone and sitting with nothing to distract him his thoughts took over...the memories he’d long repressed surfaced.

He could remember vividly how angry and hurt his father had been, the way he had sounded when he’d spoken in a voice not entirely his own to condemn Gaster for what he knew was the greater good, and how broken that had made both him and his still very young and impressionable brother.

Papyrus had suffered from nightmares for years after witnessing the fight that had broken out, Sans still suffered from them on occasion with flashbacks to boot, but he handled them better now and as far as he knew Papyrus didn’t even have them anymore.

But that didn’t mean the wounds were no longer there.

Sans shut his sockets, and all he could see was how Gaster’s gaze had turned vicious and loathing when Sans had told him he was selfish. Gaster’s shock when he’d accused his old man of loving only himself without regard to his family and those around him.

Gaster had been many things...always cold, standoffish, hard to relate too. But even then Sans had known in his youth, his father had been different deep down. He had been kind, patient, and always full of a tame but strong energy that he had little doubt wasn’t where Papyrus got his own wild flame from.

Papyrus ironically took after the old bones, both of them had difficulties socially, both of them had more to them than others typically saw or bothered to look for. Sans was sure if Gaster had been there for all the years he missed, he would’ve likely loosened up and been softer, Papyrus too would have learned more decorum.

It wasn’t hard to imagine.

At least with how Gaster had been before...

There wasn’t a night where Sans hadn’t questioned if he’d done the right thing. A day where he wondered where everything had gone wrong. And Frisk had reminded him of that so painfully he had almost snapped.

He couldn’t...handle admitting his doubts.

Gaster had been his first Unseelie case, and he could still remember being horrified as his father had morphed from the corruption right in front of him and Papyrus both. His little brother in tears as Gaster’s arms had melted and evaporated away leaving behind nothing but floating hands and how his face had grotesquely cracked in a bone rattling snarl.

His father hadn’t even looked like himself anymore.

It had been too much for such a young child to see, it had been to much for himself, and it had been traumatizing in how it had made Sans wonder if he’d look like that if he ever let his own darkness take over. If Papyrus…

Sans had hated Gaster in that moment.

It had killed a part of Sans when he’d flung him through the Unseelie gate; his soul threatening to fracture under the sorrow he’d felt at the shock and surprise in his father’s gaze right before the doors had slammed shut behind him, it had also been relieving.

But Gaster had stopped caring, had stopped being the Seelie he and Paps had once so admired. He’d been a fae dedicated to family, a Seelie sought after not only for his dedicated work ethic but also for his wit when it came to negotiating and deal making.

Gaster had been the very image of their society, no less than the Queen herself.

So his darkness as it had consumed him had been not only a blow to Sans and his sibling but to their world as a whole. There wasn’t a soul alive that didn’t know about the Seelie’s fall from grace, that didn’t get told of Gaster not as someone to idolize but as a cautionary tale.

The day he’d emerged from his lab donning that haunting eye piece, his eyelight wide and pulsing with a silent victory Sans had felt sick, could tell something was off. He’d seemed so mad, entirely out of his skull with knowledge and insidious intent that had made it hard for Sans to even breathe.

Could he have done something then?

If he had tried, could he have kept Gaster on the right path?

But more than anything Sans now silently wondered...why after all this time? Why appear now and go after Frisk? Gaster never pursued anything unless it had been to his benefit or to that of his ambition.

A protective anger flared in Sans’s soul.

Was it revenge? A way to escape? As much as Sans tried he couldn’t think of a valid reason or guess the intent behind his father’s sudden interest. If he didn’t already know the drawback to going into the Unseelie realm Sans would’ve been there already confronting the other.

He refused to let Gaster ruin anything else with his greed.

A small stinging sensation tugged at Sans’s chest, pulling him from his thoughts as his eyelights came back with a harsh flare.

He clutched at his chest with a frown before pulling back his sleeve to stare down at his wedding bracelet. The moonstones along the back of it were lit up a furious red, oscillating between different shades and tones, but all meaning the same thing.

An image, sheer and thin like looking through lace flashed in his mind.

Golden doors, a hesitant step...

Frisk was before one of the gates...an Unseelie gate.

Sans felt his soul quiver, the magic between his joints tightening in panic as sweat coated his skull. She was trying to not only leave the realm but to open a gate to the corrupted fae? A possibility so logical and most likely true made him sick.

She had said she wanted to help Gaster.

Had he messed up?

Again?

Sans never should’ve been harsh to her that morning, he had never acted that way with her before, of course he would’ve upset her. Of course she’d rebel against him when he was so out of character with her.

Panic, thick and unrelentingly harsh overcame him.

He was back through the gate and rushing to shortcut in a single breath as guilt and worry shot a bolt of ice down his spine.

He prayed he wasn’t too late.

Frisk was uncertain as she stood at the abandoned post, her mouth dry and chest heaving with thick breaths. She already knew Gaster was standing on the other side, waiting. His presence she could feel like a weight on her chest.

He’d known she’d show hadn’t he?

She swallowed thickly, she didn’t know if she could even open the gate, but she was more than sure if she did not only would Sans know, but every Seelie in the realm would too.

A glance up at the thick bells hanging ominously above her made her heart give a painful skip in her chest. There were so many it felt like, but in reality only six stood guard, three to either side of the arch overhanging the entrance. All wide enough that Frisk imagined if one were to fall it could encompass a whole village in it’s depths.

Her eyes drifted down to a pair of hand prints embedded within the golden doors, one on each side of the doors seam. The tiny indentations were like specks to it’s immense stature but Frisk could feel the powerful magic swirling out from them like a hot breeze, coiling and calling with a phantom caress.

She shut her eyes as she tried to get her breathing under control.

“Second thoughts?” Frisk’s eyes snapped open and she frowned as she looked down at her hands, wispy sparks of muted fire tracing along her palms and fingers, as if her magic was trying to soothe her.

“I...need your word.”

Gaster was silent, but soon his voice was echoing in her mind again. “Has my son not taught you the dangers of an Unseelie deal?”

Frisk clenched her hands and let them fall to her sides as she stared ahead, her eyes boring into the door as if she could see Gaster just behind it smirking at her. But she refused to let his words antagonize her.

This was a front for him, she felt it in her soul, she’d seen there was more to him.

“He has, but I’m willing to bet you would never truly harm those you call family.” She couldn’t see him, but the sudden thickening of the air around her told of his annoyance...and his power. If he could cause such such a shift locked in another realm there was no doubt he could cause unfathomable damage when present. She wanted to believe in him, truly she did, but she wasn’t naive enough to overlook his taint.

“...What do you ask of me?”

“I know better than that Gaster, I know how deals work, your word or I walk away.”

There was a long stretch of silence.

“...Place one hand to the door…” Nervousness made a knot form in Frisk’s stomach but she managed to take another step forward, careful to avoid touching the spot her hand was to rest when opening the gate she pressed her palm flat and firmly to the smooth surface.

Warmth and chill mixed, curling like ghostly tendrils through the thick door to wrap her fingers and wrist. It stung, burned her flesh enough that she hissed painfully. It had never felt like this when she’d made a deal before; like her hand was slowly blistered and then quickly dunked into freezing water.

His magic was this potent?

“For my freedom, voice your request.”

Her heart hammering Frisk spoke slowly, “You are not to bring harm or death to a single soul in this realm.”

The air became suffocating, laced with bitterness and fury so engulfing Frisk covered her mouth and nose to keep from choking on the suddenly foul air. The magic binding her hand nearly had her knees give out with how intensely it constricted around her.

She’d angered him, but just as quickly as that anger had come it just as quickly soothed and withdrew. The overpowering feeling in her arm was still there but had gone down to a dulled throb.

“...Is that all you demand?” The curious tone in his voice had her shoulders hunching suspiciously.

She took a second to think over her words and was sure there were no loopholes or room for him to betray their deal, but she was still learning. Hesitantly she chose to say something else instead of trying to add to her conditions, something told her she needed to.

“That’s all I ask of you...as family.”

For a moment it felt as if Gaster had softened, something warm and yet sad filling the bond being manifested between them. If she could see him, she’d have seen how haunted he looked, how empty and bitter he was.

Gaster was to be denied even his vengeance.

...For family…

How manipulative, and thoughtful.

“I see now just how perfect for my son you are.”

Frisk wasn’t given the chance to respond as an acidic burn of pain shot up her arm and straight into her chest, sending her vision tunneling as her soul was constricted and squeezed in the onslaught of a corrupted deal struck.

Gaster felt her try to topple but his magic still scorching itself in an unseen contract kept her up and firmly on her feet. He couldn’t help the smirk on his face. The repercussions and consequences from what she’d just done caused her to suffer, which pleased the darkness in his soul.

It was just punishment for the rules she’d just imposed on him.

When he could sense the tie on her being firmly in place he released her.

Frisk crumpled, fell painfully to her knees, and tried to keep her balance by resting her hands and forehead against the doors where she panted as if she’d just ran a marathon. In all her years she’d never felt something so nasty and horrible as what had just happened.

It was almost as if she’d dirtied herself…

“Quickly now, I highly doubt my eldest didn’t feel the violation to your soul.”

Violation?

She must’ve said it out loud because Gaster answered, “An unfortunate side effect. I can explain more after you hold up your end to our agreement.”

Swallowing down what felt like cotton Frisk pushed shakily to her feet and narrowed her eyes at the door’s seal. Taking another deep breath she moved her hands into the imprinted grooves and let out a gasp as her palms settled almost perfectly into them.

A cool breeze, comforting and warm wrapped around her as her magic flared to engulf her hands and rapidly climb her body. Flames that didn’t burn or singe flowed around her and flared into a fiery typhoon, whipping her clothing and hair as if she was caught in a hurricane.

“That’s it! Focus Frisk.” Gaster’s encouraging call echoed.

She squeezed her eyes shut as they began to burn, tears running from their corners only to be lifted into the air in a bizarre loss of gravity. The air distorted and bent, a heatwave or time magic rapidly grew the grass at her feet and wilted it before reverting it rapidly to a youthful green.

She--she didn’t know if she go on--the doors gave but it felt like her energy was a battery, fluctuating between full and powerful to weak and drained--

No!

She...she could do this!

Frisk could set Gaster free; she could give Papyrus and Sans their father back. She could prove she was more than just Sans’s wife and a human, she was capable of so much more than sitting around day in and out with nothing but the worry and fear of being a burden that being a mage brought.

She could prove she was more than anyone had ever given her credit for.

Frisk cried so loudly her voice rose above the ringing the bells began to give as she poured all her frustration and deep buried regret into pushing the door’s apart. Foul wind and diseased air bathed her in cascading flows of evil intent that made her almost collapse with nausea.

Another inch--

And she fell, her magic going out as the doors swung wide enough Gaster reached forward and caught her easily. Moving quickly he passed the entry way and glared back at the feral Unseelie that had been alerted, their charging forms barely visible before Gaster coalesced his magic and slammed the doors back shut with a resounding crack of thunder.

Frisk was gasping and barely coherent as Gaster knelt with her and pressed his forehead to her own. She shivered as a feeling pushed in and started to replenish her but nearly made her gag at the bile it raised in the back of her throat.

Despite how gross it felt her breathing evened out, and thankfully Gaster pulled back before standing fully again. His hold on her only released once he was sure she could stand without shaking. It took her a second to get her thoughts straight but once they were she looked up at him cautiously.

“Thank you.” He hummed before turning.

Frisk froze.

Sans was still and at a distance but his whole frame tensed the moment his eyelights locked with Gaster. She watched as his sockets narrowed in disbelief and his grin trembled at the edges.

Gaster looked amused.

Her heart dropped.

Frisk felt the air take on a sudden chill, ice spiraling out from the bottoms of Sans’s feet to coat the ground as the wind picked up and billowed his cloak and clothing. Her husband’s smile, so often soft and adoring, suddenly widened and...felt as if it went empty of all feeling.

A bolt raced down her spine as his eyelights snuffed out, the left socket flaring bright like a raging inferno lit up with yellow and blue light coalescing violently in hostile intent. She was shocked as Sans spoke with the voice that she heard in her dream.

“Y O U D O N ‘ T B E L O N G H E R E.”

Gaster’s smirk dropped.

“Sans wait please!” Frisk tried but her plea died in her throat as he glanced over at her, the weight of the power she could feel in his gaze suffocating and stalling her thoughts.

It felt like he was seeing right through her.

Frisk locked in place, her and Sans both staring at each other with vastly different expressions and intent. There was apprehension and...she didn’t have a name for the way his face shone with false warmth in his smile but yet felt so condemning.

She didn’t know rather to be afraid...or worried.

Gaster took the opportunity to slip an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side, the abrupt motion jarring her enough into breaking eye contact as she looked up at Gaster.

It seemed to be enough to affect Sans.

Instantly his eyelight went out and he looked absolutely petrified as the whirling wind of his magic died. The sight of his wife in his deranged father’s arms sent such a painful spike through his soul that he had to fight not to let the magic in his joints constrict.

“don’t you dare--” Gaster gave a dismissive snort.

“So, it seems the risk to her well-being is what can temper you, duly noted.” Frisk tensed but the reassuring rub of his thumb into her shoulder relaxed her. The gesture was unexpected and it confused her how such warmth could come from him while he still glared Sans down, bitterness and cold detachment livid in his one good socket.

Sans glanced over at her and then back to Gaster, like hell he’d risk Frisk’s life for his job let alone his anger.

His demeanor became forced as he hitched his grin higher in one corner and held his hands up in a shrug. “no need to get so handsy, why don’t we go ahead and sit down for a talk. seelie were we can compromise?”

Frisk perked up hopefully but Gaster wasn’t fooled by the sudden attitude change. He could see his son’s tell with the magical sweat drop that subtly slid down the side of his skull.

Unlike Papyrus, Sans wasn’t good under pressure, it’s why he so often relied on his magical abilities when push came to shove in high tension situations.

An unfortunate flaw in his eldest.

“Your acting is about as poor as your puns, lacking in dedication and effort,” Sans’s expression darkened. “Rather disappointing given our race. But not nearly as disappointing as the thought you’d honestly believe me capable of intentionally hurting my daughter-in-law.”

It took Sans a moment to register Gaster’s words and slowly his body unwound as he blinked in confusion. Of course he thought that, if he could betray both him and Papyrus when they were younger, what was stopping him from hurting Frisk who he didn’t even know?

Sans wasn’t stupid.

Frisk took a deep breath and her voice was gentle.

“I’m sorry I hurt you by bringing Gaster here.” Sans’s skull whipped in her direction and he looked as if she’d slapped him but she continued, her eyes bright with her determination that it kept him rooted to the spot in which he stood.

“He just...misses you and Papyrus, his home. Don’t you miss him too?”

Slowly Sans’s eyelights panned over to his old man’s face, and the slight twitch of his frown, the way he had a hand absently adjust his monocle was telling. If only Sans couldn’t see the grudge his father still carried on his soul he might have relented.

But Gaster’s sins were countless.

He looked back over to Frisk, his kindhearted and stubborn wife, with a gaze soft but somber. It was too late for what she was trying to accomplish. Gaster was banished, an Unseelie who refused to give up the very conviction that corrupted him.

A Fae that had sacrificed everything that should have been precious.

“frisk--you can’t save him.”

She looked ready to defy him but he cut her off. “surely even he’s told you that.” He shot Gaster a glare. “my old man has always made it a point to make sure everyone knows reality from fiction.”

Gaster...looked away as his hand tightened on Frisk’s shoulder only the slightest bit.

If he hadn’t been holding her she would have thought he was ignoring the way Sans was speaking about him, indifferent to how hurt and angry his son sounded. And though she could tell he was becoming more angry himself, more tempted to lash out still he held to his word and didn’t.

“my old man died years ago frisk.” She could sense the ache, but it sounded so final.

Frisk looked down at her feet as she collected her thoughts before facing her husband again. Sans’s sockets were locked on Gaster but his attention was so clearly on where she was held it was impossible to miss the nervousness with which he hid his hands in his cloak.

Seeing how distressed he was it felt as if she’d wronged him, and doubt began to settle in her chest. Was she really doing the right thing? Couldn’t everyone be saved? She didn’t know what to think.

Frisk felt herself fade out, the world turning grey and loud. Shadows both sharp and blurred ran across her vision as hopelessness and desperation struggled with the fire of her hope and fought to quench her resolve.

She felt her body vanish.

Sans almost flinched at the cold and detached look that took over her face, it was horrifying to him how washed out her skin turned with her eyes going so dull it felt as if her soul had fled. It hit him in the most painful way to watch her wilt like a doll whose strings had been cut, but it wasn’t nearly as painful as her words.

“You saved me…” She muttered through numb lips.

And that made him question...if he actually had.

Gaster looked down at her, a mix of intrigue and surprise quirking one of his bony brows as he took in her state. It twisted Sans’s magic with disgust as he recognized the look in his father’s sockets.

no, don’t look at her with curiosity, like something to dissect, this isn’t--this wasn’t okay--

“sweetheart, that’s not the same thing, not by a long shot.” His words were hushed, gentle as if she might shatter. He wasn’t even aware that he’d gotten closer until Gaster held a hand out between them and nearly touched him.

Sans fought not to instinctually lash out with magic and shot Gaster a deadly look, but it went ignored as his father fully turned and adjusted Frisk to face him at arm’s length.

The longer Frisk stared at nothing and Gaster examined her the more Sans felt his anxiety grow, the more he tried to come up with a way to separate them without somehow accidentally harming her.

Eventually, “Ah, you’re traumatized. Classic dissociation associated with PTSD.”

Then Gaster did something Sans hadn’t witnessed since he was a child.

The former scientist got down on his <em>knees</em> and kept his gaze intentful and measuring as he spoke with the same authoritative voice he’d often used when he’d had to calm Sans down in his worst moments.

“Memories and feelings are just the mind’s way of storing information. None of that applies to the here and now, you don’t need to remember Frisk. Focus.”

”Family is everything Sans, greater than even yourself, never forget that.”

Sans felt his soul give a violent thrum and he had to do everything he could not to take his sockets off of Frisk. He hadn’t thought back on his father’s encouraging words in years. But now it was all he could think about as Gaster worked to bring his wife out of her stupor.

The doubt he’d carried all this time in the back of his skull came to the forefront.

Had Gaster...wavered in his depraved dedication? Was he changing? Had he...ever changed really? It was so hard to believe anything else as Frisk’s eyes slowly began to brighten, and her lashes fluttered away her daze.

Sans felt his stance on his father give.

Frisk sucked in a breath as her body lit up with warmth and her mind slowly cleared. She was confused to see Gaster kneeling in front of her but that quickly turned into mild embarrassment as he smirked at her.

“Good.”

Soon as she was coherent Sans moved to hold her, but was met with Gaster stepping forward and blocking the way. His guard went up, and the softness Sans had felt bloom in his chest hardened upon seeing his Father’s malicious smile.

Frisk stiffened at the sudden mood shift. “Gaster, we had a deal!”

“And we still do my dear.” He chuckled. “Nowhere did you state I couldn’t fight him.”

Frisk reached forward, her hands grasping and burying within the smoke that composed Gaster’s form as she tried her best to gain his full attention, anything to buy her precious seconds to try and convince him not to go through with the sudden whim.

Gaster however simply peered over his shoulder at her, “That’s enough of that, stop acting so childish.” and spawned a hand into being.

“frisk!” Sans panicked and tried vainly to teleport to her but found himself frozen in place, a dark and corrupted purple surrounding and suffocating his soul. Gaster looked back towards his son with a shrug as he snapped his fingers.

Frisk’s eyes went wide as dark light erupted from the ground around her, exploding upward and encasing her in a dome of pure blackness. Her cry went muffled and silent as it formed a cocoon around her, flipping and deafening her senses.

Sans began to sweat as he visibly struggled to break free, “F R I S K!”

His old man had gotten stronger through the years.

Gaster took a step forward, the last five of his hands appearing and enlarging as he prepared for combat. Sans was gasping, his eyelight bright and flaring with rage. His father was unperturbed and merely looked at him boredly.

“Is that all you plan to do? Act dramatic for your human? Come, let’s see what the years have taught you my boy. Best hurry.” He gave a snide smile. “Dear Frisk has, at best fifthteen minutes of air.”

Sans’s smile went so wide it threatened to crack his skull.

He should’ve known better. He should’ve acted as soon as he’d seen Gaster had returned.

Instead Sans had let nostalgia and his worry for Frisk make him weak.

The air turned chill, frost and snow whipping into a flurry around him as he glared his father down with tears in his sockets...as his second eyelight lit up with equal power to the first.

Gaster smirked as he easily dodged the first barrage of bones, his body morphing and shifting to allow the ring of projectiles through his form without a single scratch. He chuckled as Sans took the opportunity to break the hold his magic had on him and shortcut away.

Predictable.

The taller fae didn’t even have to turn as a frustrated cry echoed from behind him. Smirking he looked over to the shorter Seelie’s enraged snarl as a thick wall of impenetrable darkness kept him back from where Gaster held Frisk hostage.

“Fourteen minutes.” He taunted.

Sans’s shoulders slumped as if in defeat but Gaster easily sensed the pool of magic building beneath him and leapt, just barely missing a circle of sharpened bones protruding from the ground in a spray of cold fog.

“Ah, intending to actually kill me are we?” Sans slowly turned to face him, one hand still firmly pressed to the wall between him and his wife, his smile gone and replaced with a firm line.

“let her go old man. i didn’t like your games when i was a kid, and i don’t like them now.”

Gaster frowned and leveled a cruel glare at him. “Who says I’m playing?”

Sans vanished, the area around Gaster becoming awash in black before snapping into sharp clarity as the judge swung an elongated humerus bone. Gaster dodged with ease and the area once more turned black before returning with Sans coming down from above.

“Your shortcut’s effects will only do so much to aid you.” He remarked as an equally cold black wall of bones spawned above him blocking his son’s blow. Shards of ice like that of shattered glass rained down, catching the glow of Gaster’s corrupted magic and reflecting it with ethereal light as he shot Sans a narrowed smirk.

“Stop being lazy.”

Sans’s eyelights flared and quicker than Gaster could blink reality dissolved and snapped back in furious and rapid succession.

The monocle Gaster wore lit up and pulsed.

A blow aimed from the side, met with a gigantic palm.

Bones from beneath his feet while Sans struck from behind, blocked and evaded.

His son’s frustrated smile going wider as he summoned a blaster and fired only made him chuckle at how childish the Seelie’s ultimate defender looked as the powerful beams were easily absorbed by the holes in his hands.

Each time Sans tried to strike or entrap him Gaster simply thought ahead of him and prevented it, his monocle allowing him to peer moments into the course of his son’s actions to determine the best way to counter.

Gaster would be lying if he didn’t admit he was mildly disappointed.

This fight was too easy.

The moment Sans appeared again and lunged at him, humer raised in defiance, Gaster merely glanced up and shot a hand out from the darkness of his body.

Sans was shocked as he was locked in place, his forehead glistening with magical sweat as the hand, thoroughly cracked like a jigsaw puzzle and looked as if it was barely held together kept him from finishing his attack.

Apparently his father had seven hands instead of six. Sans wondered if he’d bothered trying to salvage it as a reminder of just how angry and bitter he was at him. It wouldn’t have surprised him.

Sans felt his arms strain as he pushed the humerus stubbornly against it.

Gaster knew he had won, all without barely lifting a finger, he could see it in the way Sans’s smile threatened to falter as it wobbled in the uppermost corner. Logically this was where he should stop. He had made a deal with Frisk after all.

But this was so tempting.

Before him was the very reason he’d been forced to suffer more than he had even when they’d all been locked in the void, the Seelie responsible for sending him to a place where he couldn’t feel the call of nature or the binding of magic that composed their very existence.

Sans could’ve purified him years ago...instead he had chosen to send him away.

He had damned him.

“I owe Frisk an apology.” He stated lowly.

Sans’s sockets narrowed in confusion and Gaster’s smile broke into a horrifying and twisted leer as his glee and eagerness outshone the calm composure he'd maintained throughout the entire confrontation. “...For making her a widow.”

Sans barely registered the words as Gaster’s palms rose up to encircle him from all directions, their hollow centers lighting up as they prepared to eviscerate him. He went to shortcut but his soul was pinged as Gaster used his magic to cancel his own.

Pulling from his magic started to exhaust him as he summoned another rain of bones but groaned as Gaster once more scattered and shattered them before they could impact. Sans didn’t even have the energy to call another blaster.

His sockets slammed shut as he tried to think but he kept coming up short on figuring out a way to escape, his magic was racing along his leylines and he was gasping as the world went impossibly silent except for the roar of his incoming death.

...Was..was he really this weak?

He didn’t realize he was so out of practice.

Couldn’t he manage to protect one person?

Sans opened his sockets and looked up passed the Unseelie to the wall standing between him and Frisk, his soul shuddering in agony as he envisioned her floating unconscious and vulnerable, completely at another’s mercy without anyone to help if she cried out for it.

His frisky…

His wife…

Sans could only ever fail to be there when she needed him.

A shout pulled Sans from his spiraling thoughts and he whipped his head around just in time to see a giant orange bone come flying and connect sharply with the side of his father’s skull.

Gaster was caught off guard, his body lurching and soaring with barely any effort into the wall of a building that broke and collapsed around him in a grotesque version of a fairy mound. Sans fell to his knees as Gaster’s magic broke and looked up with relief.

“hey bro...what took you so long?”

Undyne was smirking along with the rest of the guard as Papyrus slowly lowered his hand, his magic thick and undulating around him in a burnt orange aura as his cape levitated beyond gravity's hold in crusted ice.

Papyrus frowned. “HONESTLY BROTHER, YOU KNOW I DETEST FIGHTING.”

Sans smiled, battle ready and bringing backup?

His bro was the coolest.

#frans #sans x frisk #gaster

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worm-man-gaming · 4 years

Text

My top 10 list for who I WANT as DLC in Smash

We’re reaching the end of an era. Smash Ultimate’s DLC is going to end eventually, with four more characters to be announced. They could release some kind of ‘Echo Pack’ in the future, which I would be hyped about (They didn’t really do much with the echo fighter mechanic), But I have a feeling that after this, there won’t be any more. So I wanted to post my list of who I, specifically, would like to see in the game.

This is not based off of likelihood, as some of these characters probably don’t even have a chance of making it in. I just think they would be neat.

Full list under the cut, counting up from #10

- Papyrus (UNDERTALE)

Okay, so hear me out.

We got the Sans mii skin, and that was by far one of the most popular mii skins since Geno, probably. People were more excited for the Sans mii skin than Terry Bogard and maybe even Banjo. They probably made a lot more money than expected from it. So why not try it again?

And while Sans is the popular character, he definitely is not a fighter. He’s a lazy, laid back character that just wants to have fun, but he’s far too weak to go into an all-out battle without risking his own safety.

HOWEVER!

Sans’s brother, Papyrus, is the polar opposite. He’s dedicated, hardworking, and can take quite a few hits. He’s got plenty of moveset opportunity. And it would be another indie rep, which is really really good for someone like me, who wants to go into game design.

Another thing: When we got the Cuphead mii skin, we also got Cuphead Spirits. They could have easily done that with Undertale, there’s enough characters. So maybe they’re saving it for a DLC Spirit board? I don’t know, just a theory.

He would be primarily a ground-based fighter, with projectiles that could crawl across the stage like that one sparky item. He could also use his blue attack, which could be good for an easy spike on airborne characters. And, who knows, maybe for his final smash we could finally see his special attack.

I really enjoy Undertale, and seeing Sans as a mii skin made me super happy. Getting a whole fighter from the series would be even cooler.

- Paper Mario (Super Paper Mario)

Nintendo, we’ve got three whole Links in this game, but only two Marios? Preposterous!

With that being said, Super Paper Mario was one of my favorite Wii games (Although I didn’t play it until very recently) And it’s a very popular series. He’s essentially his own character separate from Mario at this point. The games have so much lore put into them, and we already have a Paper Mario Stage in the game, so maybe we could get Dimentio’s dimension, or the Origami Palace or something.

He’s been in enough games and done enough crazy things to earn a pretty diverse kit for himself. He could use Pixils, the 1000-Fold arms, or even summon Paper Bowser, Peach and Luigi for some attacks.

I think he would be super fun to play. I’m terrible at vanilla Mario, but I think Paper Mario would be a good fit for the game AND be a super good-feeling character. However, this comes from a G&W main, so take from that what you will.

- King Boo (Luigi’s Mansion)

I 👏 want 👏 more 👏 villains 👏 in 👏 Smash! 👏

King Boo is a staple of the Luigi’s Mansion series as well as being an enemy for Mario in some games like Sunshine. He’s the Big Bad Evil Guy for Luigi.

And I DEFINITELY want him in this game.

It’s not so much the character himself, although King Boo is really good, I want him in for his kit. Think about it. A large character but with floaty jumps like Jigglypuff and an aerial based moveset AND a teleport? He’d be ruthless. And really fun. And that’s what I’m looking for in a character.

- BOTW Zelda (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity)

Yes, I know. “But Worm, the Zelda we have now is annoying and awful, and you say you want ANOTHER one?!?!?” Well, you’re half right.

Yes, Zelda is known for her darkness-sealing powers in BOTW, BUT, in the recent Age of Calamity game, her moveset for almost have the game revolves around the Sheikah Slate. She uses it creatively, hopping around on ice and whirling metal slabs around with a magnet. And I think that would be a SUPER cool moveset for Smash Bros.

And who knows, maybe they would call back to older games and allow her to switch to using her powers, like Zelda used to change into Sheik.

She would be very technical, with her attacks being powerful but with some startup, almost similar to Snake of all characters. And for her final smash she could use a Weak Point Smash or they could bring back Bow of Light (Which was MUCH more fair than the current one, by the way). She’d be fun, and that’s what I want.

- Maxwell (Scribblenauts)

Maxwell is from Scribblenauts, a game where you have to solve puzzles by writing words in a notebook and those words coming to life. So he’s work in the same way in Smash, although much more randomized.

For his neutral special, maybe he could write a random item and it shows up in his hand. That would be funny AND cool, and it’s possible (because Peach does the same thing with Turnips!). He could use projectiles but also have plenty of close range options, and for a Final Smash he could use the Meteor, which in the game clears the screen of living things. Brutal! He also uses Adjectives on both his creations AND himself, so maybe for some moves he could effect the other opponent with a poison or freeze effect.

Would he be banned in competitive play? Yes. Would he still be fun? Definitely!

- Jibanyan (Yo-Kai Watch)

I may be in the minority here, but I REALLY liked Yo-Kai Watch as a game. It may seem like a cheap Pokemon ripoff, but the gameplay is nothing like it at all. You’re given a map to explore and various objectives within the map, and the battle system is really creative and fun. It’s actually the inspiration for some of my own games. Yo-Kai watch deserved more credit than it got.

Jibanyan is the poster boy for the series (and also has the saddest backstory of any cat-based character ever), and mainly attacks with both his paws and fire attacks. He could have fire-based moves and would almost play similar to Pichu. His final smash could be Paws of Fury, his soultimate move, that would hit like Donkey Kong’s final smash as a flurry of blows.

This series is really well made and thought out, and it deserves more than it got. So please put my boy in Smash, I’m begging you.

- Specter Knight (Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment)

Okay, yes. I know Shovel Knight is the main character of this series. But again, hear me out.

Specter Knight is either the first or second boss you encounter in the main Shovel Knight game, and he’s already got some moveset potential from that alone. However, he also had his own story mode, Specter of Torment, ad let me say, that is a phenomenal game. I’d go so far as to say it’s better than the main Shovel Knight game itself. His controls are quick and easy to pick up. And he has a whole bunch of special abilities you can get as the game progresses, such as a boomerang or even a shadow clone.

His smash moveset would pull most of the specials from the unlockable items he can get, leaving room for an incredible spacing game as well as a good aerial defense, as Specter Knight can both float and do a Dash Slash through enemies for some extra air time.

Shovel Knight is the main character, but Specter Knight obviously has the most soul put into him (Pun not intended). And, again, he’d be fun to control.

- Master Hand / Fighter Hand (Super Smash Bros. Series)

This is mostly me just being mad at the game for giving us a playable Master Hand, but only once. We couldn’t have even gotten a Master Mode in extras, huh?

Yes, yes, I know Master Hand is the staple boss character for Smash Bros. He’s been in every game, for crying out loud! I’m honestly surprised it took them this long to give us a playable Master Hand. But this leads into my idea:

A new hand, made specifically to fight in Smash Bros, called Fighter Hand.

Yes, it’s cheesy. Yes, it’s stupid. But hey, it would be fun.

He would have scaled-down versions of Master Hand’s moves, with mainly projectile-based specials and tilts. He would be floaty, although introducing a flying character would be interesting to see how they balance it. For a final smash, maybe they could bring back Master Core from Smash 4 for a Giga Bowser-esque punch.

- The Knight (Hollow Knight)

Hollow Knight is an Indie Game that I never finished (I’m working on it, okay?) that’s kind of like Metroid in the way it’s played. It's also a very popular game, and I like bugs, so they get the number two spot because I like him.

And the special Soul moves you unlock translate well into Specials. Platformers always translate well into Smash, so he would work very well in the game. I don’t know what their moveset would be (as I haven’t finished the game yet), but I know they would be a small, fast character that mainly uses their nail to attack like a sword.

And my most wanted character in Super Smash Brothers: Ultimate is...

- Beatrix LeBeau (Slime Rancher)

Okay, look. I’m aware this has zero chance of happening. Slime Rancher was never the most popular game, and Nintendo has never mentioned it ever. But it’s one of my favorite games, and I just think Beatrix would be an incredible character in Smash Bros.

She would use her jetpack to recover, she would shoot plorts as projectiles, use he vacpac to suck up both fighters and projectiles, and maybe shoot a boom slime as an explosive and unpredictable bouncing hazard. Her smash attacks and aerials would use the various slimes you can vacuum up and feed in the game, like the Rad Slime and Rock Slimes. She would be really good offstage and onstage with her weakness being her speed.

She could bring a LOT to this series, and it would be another inspirational indie rep. And, hey, Minecraft Steve got in. Who knows at this point.

Anyway, there’s my list. Feel free to argue with me or explain why Geno should be on my list (I will not care) in the comments or reblogs, this list is not changing unless I play some new game that I feel should be represented.

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zoocross0vers · 3 years

Text

ZOOTOPIAN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG BRAINSTORM TIME DAY 3

CHARACTERS AND CHARACTER ROLES

The Heroes Concept

Sorry for delay but I finally showing topic that what character would fit into character and how their roles would look like (I explain in here)

As an example let’s start with main cast:

Sonic as Sonic - since he’s the main character of the story there’s no need to change his character role since those are key-important for the plot like in movie

(here’s his profile just in case: https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_(Paramount)#Cast_)

The only in his case would be the change of place and comunity: he’s in world of anthromophic mammals with no powers and certain prejudices and stereotypes, and sometimes certain paranoias, which that makes his anxietes harder since he is also a mammal/hedgehog but still different: blue, prefers shoes, glowes instead of clothes and has powers. And it could be possibility that when he arrived on Zootopia (not sure how if their planet is called Earth or not) the missing mammal case was happening and distrust towards mammals was growing, give him reason to not show up after what happened last time. There could be also small possibility he helped stopped the Bellwether takeover although unknowingly (or maybe not? who knows) and some two pair of eyes probably might noticed him even briefly though if you know what I mean. But for the record he decided to hide in Green Hills where he meet Nick and Judy and you know the rest.

Nick Wilde as Tom Wachowski

Tom personality

Kind-hearted and hard-working, Tom actively pursues the chance to help other people and is dedicated to his duty as Green Hills’s sheriff. He is very brave and is not afraid to get physical if the need arises and is protective of those he cares about. Despite his sharp tongue and an occasionally dark sense of humor, he is very sweet and gentle and frequently goes out of his way to assist others. Tom enjoys telling corny jokes, whether he is alone or with company. According to Sonic, Tom often talks with donuts and eats them if they “do not listen him”.

He dislikes boredom to the point that Green Hills’ lack of action nearly drives him out of his hometown to pursue work in San Fransisco. Tom shows open skepticism when presented with a situation that seems odd or fabricated, such as when he first met Dr. Robotnik. Although Tom is not afraid to fight, he prefers to avoid resorting to violence, shown when he tried to leave the Piston Pit when confronted by angry bar patrons.

Nick personality

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Nick_Wilde

Since those two are pretty much different when it comes certain things but have still lot in common like bad pun jokes and sense for justice.

It was not easy to make it right. I wanted him fit into Tom’s role but also keep his Wilde charm he has. Thankfully I was able to do right somehow so here it is:

Nick was actually born in Green Hills and was friend with Judy Hopps in childhood after incident with Gideon, but after incident with Ranger Scouts where she was present in this case ashamed for certain actions he decided to move (or run away) to Zootopia to live as shifty fox, unaware of him been targeted by Bellwether. But Judy whose also decided to study in Zootopia find and trying to make up to him and bring him back to Green Hills. After studying, while dating, they return to Green Hills get married and Nick follows footstep to became sheriff be a better person (unaware of him also been followed by small certain blue guardian: take a hint of what I mean by it). After hearing of Bellwether case he wants to try be a cop in Zootopia to find a purpose (instead just leave Green Hills out of boredoom he wants to prove himself be better). He sympatize with Sonic more since he knows what is like to feared of what you are and been haunted by a past. I still need to work on that.

Judy Hopps as Maddie Wachowski

Maddie Personality

As a veterinarian, Maddie cares deeply about living creatures and enjoys helping them to heal. She scolds Tom not to shoot the raccoons that get into their trash with her dart gun and gets annoyed with him when she finds out he shot Sonic with it. She also shows sympathy for Sonic when she sees that his feet hurt because he wore through his sneakers. She works well under-pressure and shows emotional and intellectual maturity. She is very loving and supportive of her husband. She made him a cake to congratulate him in case he got the job he wanted in San Francisco and another cake in case he did not get it. She also tells him that since he has made sacrifices for her, she is happy to sacrifice for him.

Judy Personality

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Judy_Hopps

They sure have more in common aside for job. She cares for her husband since childhood despite of what happened, she even go after him to make up to him, save him from wrong path and ask for forgiveness, since she feels responsible for it, even though none of both was fault. She was born in Bunnyburrow but always visited her relatives from mothers side in Green Hills where she also first met Nick (inspired by my life, I really love to visit my relatives) She wanted to be cop but could not, but also found a passion in medicine and that is why she became vet after she moved in Green Hills with Nick (those two make a really great team, also it is nice callback from concept of Zistopia where Nick pretented to be vet). She also shows connection with Sonic and in this case has less problems with his “nudity” considering she always has to check her patients without clothes. (trust me I know what I talking about)

Again still need to work on that. I hope you help me grinding with this. For now that is all but I promise there will be more. Also think you can pictures on those description since I dont know how to do that along with your opinions? (you can use my drawing for that if you want ;-D)

And also:

HAPPY 5TH ANNIVERSARY ZOOTOPIA

...

Hi Guest! I’m so sorry for taking forever to get back to you on this. Hope you had a great 5th Zootopia Anniversary! I watched the movie again that day and even after 5 years, I still love that movie!!! <3 <3 <3

But anyhoo, on to this lovely Sonic crossover!

When it comes to the setting, do you think Green Hills should actually be BunnyBurrow? Or do you want Green Hills to remain it’s own thing?

I guess I ask because the way Nick is being set up, he kind of reminds me of this one fic that Helthehatter wrote called, “Blueberries”, where it’s an alternate story of how Nick and Judy met. In that fic, Nick is a deputy in BunnyBurrow and his police partner is Finnick and Nick is pretty bored because not much happens in a small town like BunnyBurrow (that is until he meets Judy, who never became a cop before meeting him).

I picture Nick would be something like this where he and Judy weren’t the ones who solved the Bellwether and Nighthowlers case, but Jack and Skye. And he wants to have an exciting adventure like that and be a hero, do something important, but nothing ever happens in BunnyBurrow/Green Hills.

I could still see Judy being his partner on the force, but unlike him, she’s actually pretty content being a cop in a small town. Though, if you like the idea of her being a vet better for this then I could work with that ^^

Personality wise it shouldn’t be too hard to give the characters similar traits since they seem to have enough in common.

Would it be okay if Judy does at least try to get Sonic to wear some clothes, it still feels like something she would do, lol! ^^” But of course, in a nice understanding way rather than in a panicky manner.

When it comes to Sonic, rather than Nick just forming a sort of best friendship with him, maybe Sonic can kind of look up to him and Judy like parents? I mean, Sonic is still a teenager and Nick and Judy are full grown adults. That way at the end, he really is joining a new family. :)

I think I like the idea of this Nick having been born in Green Hills/Bunny Burrow rather than Zootopia, because that makes his desire for a new and bigger setting more important. If he grew up in Zootopia, left it, then wants to go back to it, then it kind of takes away that feeling of wanting more.

In regards to Sonic, maybe he decided to hide not just because he’s a blue hedgehog, bust also because he’s basically walking around naked and maybe when he first showed up he walked like that in front of some old ladies and he scared them. Ever since then he decided to observe the animals from afar. It’d be a good reason too why he had a disguise too. Here not to blend in as a human, but simply to cover himself up?

I say let’s just call the Zootopia world Earth. It’s easier ^^

Not sure yet, if Sonic should’ve had an active role in the nighthowler incident, but maybe he did manage to see the fear and chaos it caused in animals via Nick and Judy’s TV and by observing animals from afar. If he did decide to help solve it though, maybe he probably just helped Jack and Skye grab the concentrated pellet and handed it to them like a blue blurr and then with that evidence in their grasp, it proved enough to arrest Bellwether and they got the credit since nobody saw him.

This is all I got so far. Does this work for you? Is there more you’d like to add or change?

#zootopia #sonic #crossover #fanfic #au #wildehopps #submission

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