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bbyseok · 1 month

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genshin dragon men : calling him handsome

♡ pairing: zhongli, neuvillette x gn!reader

♡ a/n: this was originally supposed to also have wriothesley, dan heng, blade, and jing yuan, but i ran out of ideas. if you’d like to see something for them, please lemme know lol

———

zhongli — flattery, you swallow me.

the former archon is rather composed in nearly every waking moment you’ve seen him. he carries himself with an aura of calm confidence, whether he’s dealing with business on behalf of the wangsheng funeral parlor or spending his time leisurely alongside you.

he has a way with words; speaking oh so eloquently on a variety of topics.. from today’s weather to the latest tale of liyue’s history he’s been wanting to spew.

zhongli doesn’t get flustered often, if not at all. which makes sense for a man like him. having had many experiences in his six thousand years of life, it’s not really surprising.

but let’s just say that you’re feeling rather.. determined to see what blushing looks like on the funeral consultant. his stoic expressions do nothing to deter the handsomeness of his facial features, but you’re sure you can make him even prettier.

it’s like any other day in liyue harbor: bustling streets full of commerce, clear skies overhead, and calm waves from the sea.

zhongli had proposed to you earlier in the week that you spend a day with him. “i enjoy your company,” he had said without batting an eye and knowing that those words easily had your heart racing, “even if we are simply doing nothing at all.”

you have yet to see him so far, waiting beside a food stall and trying to catch sight of his presence amongst the crowd. you shift on your legs, moving to lean on the stall and crossing your arms. ah, there he is.

dressed in his usual attire of brown, gold, and black, he catches your eye quite easily and begins to approach you. his strides are long and he’s quick to almost reach the spot where you’re standing.

and here’s your chance!

before he can speak and greet you, you take a deep breath, flash up your own smile, and say right as he closes the distance in the most suave voice you can muster, “hi, handsome.”

you’re expecting a reaction of surprise from him, of course. he’s no stranger to compliments, but he’s not used to them as brazen and blunt as this—especially from you.

but you still certainly don’t him to stumble and nearly fall at your feet. zhongli’s footing stutters ever so slightly and he has to regain it as he stands in front of you, clearing his throat with eyes that seem to widen for only a couple of heartbeats.

and you were right: he looks even prettier with the faint pink dusting over his cheeks. it’s barely visible, but it’s there. and it’s there because of you.

frankly, he feels like a silly fool, fumbling like that. even though his current status is one of a mortal, he had stood boldfaced during countless events in the middle of wrath and destruction, and these mere words from you has him acting like some- some teenager!

zhongli clears his throat again, trying to confirm that he hadn’t misheard you. “pardon?” he coughs, amber eyes sparkling with curiosity and a hint of mirth.

your smile is the same as before, tugging at the corner of your lips subtly. “hi, handsome,” you repeat cheekily, speaking as if you just hadn’t witnessed him trip oh so elegantly. you straighten your form so you’re no longer leaning on the stall. “was wondering what was taking you so long.”

his eyes are watching you closely, and he seems to have regained his usual composure, even with the blush still lingering on his cheeks. “ah, i apologize,” he muses, “i failed to realize the time.”

and then, it’s his turn to flatter you. because the feeling is mutual, is it not? your boldness should be repaid. after all, flattery is an exchange that goes both ways.

zhongli grasps your hand within his gloved one, lifting it up to brush his soft lips over your knuckles with delicacy that makes your heart skip a beat.

“a beauty such as you should not have to wait.”

———

neuvillette — oh, how the water stirs.

the chief justice of fontaine is a man of an honorable reputation. your hear nothing but good—and sometimes mysterious—things from the people of the nation.

being an assistant of the iudex, however, does allow you to see other sides to him. while he is strict and stern, almost immovable, in the court, he is also kind and tender to those he seemed fit to receive such treatment from him. (the melusines are a prime example.)

whatever he seems to be doing though.. he nearly always wears almost an emotionless expression on his alluring features.

now, there are many words that you can use to describe neuvillette’s appearance with: ethereal, striking, breathtaking even. but the last thing you want is to overwhelm him and embarrass yourself.

so you’ll start small, you decide. a short and honest compliment because the iudex’s assistant is allowed to compliment him sometimes, right?

today’s routine is quite normal so far—you help sedene and any of the other melusines that have tasks around the palais memoria before preparing to greet neuvillette and help him out with his papers and any other duties.

you can tell he has arrived when everyone takes a look and hushes down; the entrance hall of the palais memoria is usually quiet in ambience but even more so with the chief justice now present.

“good morning, monsieur neuvillette,” you greet him as well as he approaches, and he gives you a polite smile in return, cane stamping on the floor gently.

he says your name softly and shakes his head. “ah, i’ve already told you before. you can simply call me neuvillette— i insist.”

you chuckle in response and nod. first name basis with who is essentially one of the most powerful beings of the nation is nothing short of nervewracking. you don’t let it get to you though, gesturing to the door. “ah, right. sorry. shall we head into your office?”

neuvillette nods and walks. you move to follow him, but there’s a sudden tugging on your clothing and you look to see sedene behind you.

the melusine giggles, perhaps in a knowing way. “monsieur neuvillette seems to be quite fond of you, if i must say!” she says in a hushed voice.

you flush, waving her statement off. “oh, sedene!” despite feeling slightly embarrassed, you’re flustered as well. eventually, you head into neuvillette’s office, hoping he doesn’t notice anything amiss.

you settle into routine easily; briefing him up on any upcoming trials and cases, smaller notifications from the people of fontaine, and of course—situating his seemingly endless stacks of paperwork.

after a while, neuvillette now seated at his desk, he emits a soft sigh and bids you thanks. “thank you. that’ll be all for now.” his ever glistening gaze rests on you. “i do wish you a pleasant rest of your day.”

okay, you can do it. it’ll be fine. just tell him he looks good and leave! why does it seem like his eyes are boring straight into you? they’re unreadable as ever, leaving you to simply wonder what will go through his head when you say what you want to say.

nonetheless, you take a quick, deep breath and go for it. “you look handsome today, neuvillette,” you tell him, a sincere smile tugging at your lips.

he doesn’t say anything, and the brief silence that hangs in the air is nearly startling as he simply continues to stare. you clear your throat quickly and look away. “well, you look handsome every day, but i just wanted to let you know now and well-”

you’re rambling, great. “um, i’ll be taking my leave now, monsieur!” you awkwardly dismiss yourself and hurry out of his office, missing at how the tips of his ear subtly burn with a different shade of color.

you don’t even bother glancing at a curious sedene as you usher your way out of the bulding. oh, archons! how are you going to face him now?

unbeknownst to you, all that is left is the hydro dragon in deep contemplation, papers still completely untouched since your departure.

it is only when sedene enters the room with her clipboard does he stir, and he blinks at her appearance. his brows furrow, still deep in pondering.

“monsieur neuvillette, is everything alright?”

there’s a pause. for a rare moment, the chief justice allows himself to be hesitant and genuinely curious aloud.

“sedene.. am i… handsome?”

(it’s safe to say that for the rest of the day, fontaine has nothing but a sunny sky.)

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musicfeedsmysoul12 · 1 month

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Our second DCXDP au has Danny hiding in Gotham with the cores of Dani, Dan and two other clones who survived. They need DNA to be able to reform but it's in a ‘it doesn't have to be now’ kind of way. Not just Danny’s DNA but another to to balance out their genes.

They'll become babies and be raised up. Dani was melting but forced Danny to promise he wouldn't find someone right away he'd take his time to fall in love first. Dan did the same and the twin clones did to.

Danny decides it's a good idea but keeps the cores safe. He ran to Gotham in the DC universe because the GIW were to close to killing him. His parents, Jazz, Sam, Grandma Ida and the Foleys all followed. Grandma Ida is running some gang down in crime alley having a blast with Sam, constantly trying to hook Sam up with Jason who Ida is in a turf war with. Tucker is happily running a tech company that will soon outstrip it's competitors., his parents helping Jazz is terrifying in Arkham as she tears our corruption.

Maddie abd Jack found out about the Leauge of Assassins and went: study time. Danny, knowing its corrupted ecto and also not wanting to deal with assassins lets then have fun. So Ra’s is dealing with liminal mad scientists who keep stealing the Pits and also have uncovered two Damian clones they kidnapped. Their kids now.

But we’re focusing on Danny who is in college and living a peaceful life which is what he wants most of all. The cores of his kids are always on him just in case and he's casually dating. It's great. He can just be Danny the guy who is super into space and plans on being a mechanic for the watch tower.

Then one day Two-Face attacks the cafe he's at (because of a sale it was having where it was two for one on some sort of new treat). Danny has to run for his life. He gets hit and the bag he has the cores in is harmed. One falls out and he freaks, diving for it. He grabs it just as Black Bat swoops in to save him. She flies him up to a roof.

They land and then she moves to grab one of the cores that fell out. Danny gets antsy but it requires skin contact so it should be okay, she's wearing gloves after all. It'll be fine!

On her part, Cass is wondering why her hand feels tingly but there isn't anything malicious in the mans face so she thinks it might just be the orb she caught being weird. She swings off, noting that she has a hole in her glove.

Danny goes home and doesn't think about it until he realizes that the core the hero touched is growing. And it's getting sick without the touch of its other parent.

Cass on the other hand feels strange. Like she's pulled somewhere. She instantly thinks of the guy and alerts the others to him. They hunt him down to find him on a rooftop. He's surprised to see them, holding an Orb that’s glowing.

“I thought it would take longer…” the man says. He shakes his head. “Umm… rip the band-aids off- I'm nottotslly human.”

The Batfam kinda pauses cause he's giving this info up for free. Cass is eyeing him closely. It's just her, Batman and Robin in front of the man. Everyone else is listening in or in the shadows.

“I ran away from my home dimension cause they were hunting me down to kill me because they believed I was non-sentient. You know sad trench- I mean, John Constantine? I think he put in the word we’re friendly,” the man babbles. The orb shines. “Okay, okay. I need to… Black Bat did your glove have a hole in it when you touched this?”

Cass hums but nods. Barbara has Constantine on the line (and no one wants to know the blckmail she has to make him answer) and he's confirming it's a friendly.

“Okay, okay… this is a Core and it's the heart, soul, brain, everything of an ecto-entity like me. And it… it’s my child. But it needed a second set of DNA. It's fine dormant, it doesn't hurt the baby. But it…” the man swallows. “Skin touch.”

Cass knows in a second what he's leading up to. She touched the orb. It needed DNA.

That's her baby in his hands.

Que the chaos.

#dcxdp #dpxdc #Cass and Danny get together #she spends a lot of time with him for the baby’s health #also it's Dan #slow burn time #Bruce is blue screening cause his daughter is having a baby #the bets did not account for Cass who is ace as fuck #Alfred even lost #Fenton parents roll in with their clone sons talking about stealing them #Bruce has a headache

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nanamimizz · 1 year

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𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐍 𝐇𝚬 𝐆𝚶𝐓 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐘…

…𝐓𝐀𝐊𝚬 𝐇𝚬𝐑 𝐅𝐑𝚶𝐌 𝐇𝐈𝐌 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐋𝚬𝐀𝐕𝚬 𝐇𝐈𝐌 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐍𝚶𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆.

author’s note: set in the yandere blade universe! part of a more significant piece in mind willing to answer questions about it. reader, the daughter of a cloud knight general was in an arranged marriage with blade before he became a criminal and took on the mantle blade - we aren’t aware of what his name used to/was so he is referred to as blade continuously. the reader is a social pariah and is married to a second husband. while we do not know exactly what blade and dan heng did together, we assume it was a creation of sorts, so that is implied. please keep in mind there is kidnapping in this piece but when this is out in it's bigger state there will be more heavy dc within the story!!

tags: +18 minors dni! dc content within, fem reader! arrange marriages, implied cheating/unfaithfulness, jealousy, angst, kidnapping, crying, mentioning of murder- let me know what i missed !

synopsis: a ghost shows his face - the past never dies, especially here in the xianzhou luofu.

You were frightened - it’s what you say to yourself as you grip the pillow beneath you, trembling in your inner clothes. It was like seeing a ghost, an apparition of your shameful past as red eyes leered at you from above, framed by long blue-black strands of his hair. Tilting his head you can hear the ornaments of his clothing and his earring clink quietly, paired with your trembling breaths; it’s all that can be heard in the room you share with your second husband. The man in front of you is like a cursed statue, unflinching, unmoving and unbreathing.

Still and present - like a stain you can’t get out, the past that will never die. He will lick his wounds and even if he were to lose a limb, his memories or his mind, the man known as Blade will always appear before you like a dog that doesn’t know any better. His eyes never leave you, even as you choke out the words and clutch the thin jade necklace he gave you as a wedding gift you still wear.

“Are you here to kill me?” Your words are punctuated by the cold sweat that runs down your cheek that he eyes with hunger.

“No. Of five people, three must pay a price…you are not one of them. Destiny has decreed that we will be together again.” His words turn your fear to anger. Fear, anger, betrayal - you think of your marriages. Though you grew to love the man he was once, your love had always been for the highest bidder. Blade’s former self’s talent was unmatched and your current lecherous husband’s money were the reasons for you being promised to these men. Love was never in the cards for you and even the man you did love had caused you so much strife because he couldn’t stay away from what intrigued him. Despite your counsel, your pleading, your begging - your life turned to ash in your mouth.

“Destiny? That is why you are here before me - because of the ramblings of a mad man?” You ask, tone impudent and harsh. If this was anyone else you’d be embarrassed, you were raised better than that but you just can’t help yourself at this moment. You didn’t even realize that you had tears stinging your eyes until he had drawn closer, knees to the bed and a gloved hand reached to cup your cheek. You couldn’t stop him even if you wanted to, once you were a proud warrior, the apple of your father’s eye and strong.

But after the incident you were stripped of it all - your weapon, your strength and even your father’s love.

You are weak and alone, a frightened woman with tears in her eyes at the mercy of the man she once loved. How pathetic you are, still the same from when you lost everything crying before all at the gravity of your loss.

“I made you cry.” He speaks finally, the artificial moon making his eyes glow like a crow’s in your room. His thumb rubs at your cheek and the affection is haunting as he would do this when his name was familiar to your tongue. You haven’t been touched so gently in a time, depraved of it for so long you don’t have it in you to smack his hand away. You’ve heard him say those words before - the memory makes you flush.

“You’ve always made me cry.” You say, tone warbling as you look at him with red eyes that almost match his. Blade makes a sound, confused but wanting and you look away to bring forth memories from when your lives were intertwined.

“Throughout our arrangement you didn’t say a word when we first met, I cried because I thought you found me repulsive. And you only gave me swords as gifts in the beginning, I thought it was because you didn’t find me womanly.” You laugh a little at that one, teary and soft because at the time you were driven mad about what to do but now you can’t help but find it humorous. The man before you was your blue spring of youth, and the winter of your death all the same.

“Were we arranged?’ He murmurs, confused as his eyes scrunch in the same way they did when he would begin to craft some new tool for the artisans. You nod, letting small drops of salt water drip down your face.

“Yes. My father thought you were brilliant. He wanted to sponsor your talent, and through our marriage, you received financial help for your crafts.” You explained, feeling your cheeks turn tacky at the talk of finances. He nods, and again there’s a fog in his eye - a glaze that dulls his warrior sense as he begins to reach back into his mind for his ghosts of the past.

“That’s how me and Dan Fen-”

“Don't mention that man’s name to me.” You cut him coldly and it makes him laugh. Despite what you may think he does have some memories of you - your smile and the gentle way you would hold out your hand for finches to rest in your palm. It’s humorous to see you so harsh, like a lion cub growling.

“Don’t worry, I plan to kill him when the time comes.” He says and it shames you to admit but that promise does soothe you some.

“I don’t care, I hate him. I hate you.” You say and Blade huffs an amused sound. Condescending and almost patronizing, you are aware that you sound like a petulant child.

“You’ve let me get rather close, for a man you hate.” He tries to tease but his voice is too monotone and you only grow more annoyed as you narrow your eyes and hiss at him.

“That’s because for as much as I hate you, I still love you. You were my first love, how could I possibly let you go?” You mutter the last bit but he still catches it and something smug grows in his chest at your admittance.

“Only love.” Blade says and you look at him bewildered.

“I am your only love. Unless you’ve fallen for the pig that is your current husband.” You blink and a new emotion glitters between your lashes and he wonders if he has made you cry again.

“Only love…yes…that’s right. A curse I must bear.” You say and he says nothing, as he supposed he must be like a stain on your life.

“Are you happy here?” Blade asks suddenly and it makes you glance at him from under your lashes that are still dewy with saltwater. It's a redundant question, the answer hangs in the space between the two of you - the liminal space that can be seen between the sun and the moon. Your voice cracks, and you answer him with a voice so bitter it makes Blade grin.

“No. No I’m not.”

“Would you like to leave?”

“Yes.”

Red eyes close to let his grin widen, a sight that before made you smile back then when he was younger and an awkward young man. Now all it does is drive a chill down your back, cold sweat like icicles down the fabric of your inner clothes as dread fills you up to your head. His head comes closer, you drown in a sea of banners and wine, your breath stutters and you don’t even see it - the tranquilizer in his hand that he is quick to inject you with. He is the last thing you see, and the last thing you feel is the ghost of his lips brushing against yours.

He laughs - a dark and cool sound that makes you whine like a frightened dog.

“Come with me then, just like it used to be - back then, now again.”

The celestial boat continues its journey, the artificial night sky filled with the stars it imitates but the only thing, when you wake up in a bed that is most unfamiliar next to a man who is both past and present you finally see the true stars for the very first time.

#lamb.writes #blade x reader #yandere blade x reader #honkai star rail x reader reader #cw: dark content #cw: kidnapping

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lephamquynhnhu · 6 months

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Panacea

Chapter 2: Storm before the Blushing Morn

Dan Feng x Fem!Reader

WARNINGS/ TAGS: The reader has a default name, OOC, mentioned of blood. (This is a work of fanfiction, events are not aligned or relevant to the original work)

Word count: ~2k

Summary: He met you on a drizzling day when hydrangea fully bloomed on its field. Amidst the sea of mild pastel petals, Dan Feng never thought the flowery domain that intertwined your fate was the precise thing withered with you. They said he was a dragon, a hero, a sinner, but never a person with love, hatred, sorrow, or joy like everyone else in this world. However, it was a demi-truth. He committed the cardinal sin because of you.

Note: Do you like...pain?

He revisited on a sprinkle day, his signature ambergris aroma mixed with the freshness of humid forest note. You did not know why, but the High Elder seemed to be into rainy days because every time he came, water definitely showered outside. It has been weeks since you met him for the first time, and thanks to the frequency of his visits, you learn that the nonchalant Imbibitor Lunae gradually displays the other side. Although Dan Feng never clearly shows his emotion, you can tell his mood through the draconic tail. When he feels happy, his tail swings side to side and stands still as its owner is interested in or concentrates on whatever your information. In addition to your surprise, he sometimes even punchlines on your venting stories.

Under the Mulan's foliage, you slowly gaze at the kaleidoscope sky after rain. A mid-summer breeze that carries the scent of white flowers softly blows through, driving the ripples to gleam on the water's surface.

Immersing in your haze, you forget what was going to do until the Long Scion gives out his curiousness about the bush of Datura Metel in a corner garden.

"I have studied an organic pesticide which extracts from their active agents." - The elegant smell of lotus still glistens in the morning dew perfumes in your lungs when nudging into them. Suddenly, you shove the flower cart into his arms and tell him to wait for you at a nearby wooden bench. Dan Feng thinks eternal Spring never leaves this sunlit Shangri-La as he wipes the Mulan's petals out of the seat because the flora seems to blossom in four seasons.

While idly watching Koi fish under silky leafages, the High Elder does not notice you snicker behind. A forgotten raindrop stagnates on the lotus leaf trail like a lost pearl, arousing the quiet pond like his emerald orbs rising in astonishment. Amid the multi-colored palette, Dan Feng finds your smile is the most gorgeous flower when you abruptly pop up with a posy of Emperical Peony. The beam you flashed him still lingering in his mind as Dan Feng reluctantly takes the gift. Your hands lightly brush together via the exchange, reminding him of the existence of those black gloves since he has not seen you take them off once. Nevertheless, he lets it pass and dances his slender finger around the ombre corolla instead.

"Thank you, Yi Ting." - Imbibitor Lunae softly mutters under his breath, and as the lost ray shines through frost winter, a faint smile stretches on his usually glacial face.

On that day in the summer season, Dan Feng realizes that he does not return to your place because of its spectacular. He wants to revisit the Shangri-La because he likes spending time with you.

On an Autumn afternoon painted in a burnt orange hue and wafting with a ripe persimmon scent, you are leisurely proceeding to the Dan Feng's residence while absentmindedly grazing a bunch of white chrysanthemums in hand. Looking at the High Elder Statue at the Dragonvista Rain Hall, your mind winds up reminiscing about the previous conversation.

"Yes?" - Transfering your focus toward his position, you represented the confusion as if hearing him wrong. The quiet Long Scion might befriend you and be your custom guest, but it was an extraordinary phenomenon since Dan Feng has not asked you to deliver flowers to his estate before. He patiently repeated the order while reading his scroll in one hand, and the other halfway was lifting the teacup with expressionless features. Looking at his relaxing manner, you unknowingly realize this house became Imbibitor Lunae's office.

When immersing thought in the past, you are suddenly pulled back to the present by a low thud of a light collision with a follow-up painful cry. Tears are bubbling in the Vidyadhara child's doe eyes as she feels the pain. You swiftly support her to stand up and inspect the body while trying to comfort the child, which results in two news in this situation. A good one is a scratch, and the bad is her cry getting louder even though you used up all your tricks.

"Pain, Pain goes away!" - You singsong to conjure an apple lollipop appearing in hand, and tears stop falling as she eyes your apologetic smile with compensation. When you clean the last drop of trail wet on her chubby cheekbones and apologize with head patting, other Vidyadhara children circle you to admire the little show. A defeated sigh escapes your breath as you look at their twinkle glims and secretly count the remaining candy's quantity. Unfortunately, in addition to your trouble, with an invitation from a brunette-haired boy, the group of children tugs your sleeves to play blind man's buff with their puppy eyes.

"Alright, but I won't be lenient." - You confidently state when settling the bouquet on a stone bench. And you keep your line.

Once darkness invades the vision, you start to track down the children. By listening to their footsteps and sensing the airflow, you catch all of them except Ma Tian, the boy with sheen eyes who cleverly outclasses your skill. Finally, thanks to your florist's exceptional technique, you discreetly declare the endgame while detecting his fabric detergent in the wind's stream.

"Catch ya, little brat!" - You happily exclaim your victory when circling your arms around Ma Tian's figure. However, you immediately realize something is wrong as a familiar ambergris cologne lingers on your nose, and you are hugging a lean body. Hurriedly removing the blindfold, you see Dan Feng mimic your shocked expression while Ma Tian lolls out his head behind the Long Scion.

"How long do you intend to embrace me?" - The High Elder clears his throat with a light reprimand nuance laces in but does not seem annoyed. If there is anything you would admire about Imbibitor Lunae besides his glorious feats, the quick recovery from an embarrassing situation is one of them. As soon as you two detach, Dan Feng grabs the bouquet and leads you out of the Scalegorge Waterscape, leaving the cheerful goodbyes of those children behind. You do not understand why Dan Feng is rushing in his strides until you see a pink tint on his tip ears.

When the sunset light turns golden on the greenery beneath, which gets everything basked in the look of burnished copper, you two arrive at the military memorial area where illustrious warriors rest in peace. Passing through hundreds of black marble graves glides their name, Dan Feng unravels your holding hands as he crunches down to place the chrysanthemum bouquet in front of a stone-carved Bai Heng.

You know that name. She was once a High-Cloud quintet member and a gifted pilot who sacrificed in the third Denizen of Abundance. People say Imbibitor Lunae is never a person with love, hatred, sorrow, or joy like everyone else in this world, but now you can shout out they are all wrong because of the unfathomable somber besieges in his orbs.

"Life is so short when it comes to mortal organisms'' - He mouths in a calm and unwavering tone after a long silence - "No matter what you do, they definitely die." With his back turned to you, it is challenging to figure out its meaning, yet you can degust a longing taste entangled in that clause. Forgotten fragments of sunlight slowly die on your heels while trekking to the way out, and the crescent vaguely takes place in the saturated navy sky. Although the High Elder rarely shared his thoughts with someone else, you hardly agree with this viewpoint.

"Even if it is short-lived, even if fate sometimes turns tragic, limited longevity creates the beauty of lives and valuableness because we learn to cherish life, and not all farewells are regretful. Sometimes, death is also an extrication, and I believe we will rendezvous on another horizon."

Dan Feng follows your graze to the glitter crepuscule, causing the mellow ray to cradle his features. - "Someday, you also turn into ashes?" - A sliver of bitterness in the question soon morphed into those cyan irises as you confirmed with your bright smile. When the two of you pass through the gate, Imbibitor Lunae abruptly informs you of his next arrival with special requests that combine with osmanthus cake and jasmine tea. It is the first time he proactively reserves in advance because Dan Feng neither notices his attendance nor does he appear on sunny days.

"Do I have to wait for the rain to meet you?" - Only one sentence, it has changed your relationship ever since. You guess that might be the way he expresses his feelings.

In a dream, I see myself in my childhood state with a bouquet of blue hydrangeas. Strolling by the seashore, the shells confound in golden sand rustles underneath my bare feet as I search for someone. End then, an abnormal bloodred butterfly hovers around to lead me toward that person; we have passed zillions of landscapes and territories, from glacial rivers where white snow permanently coats mounts to the vast rug crafted by countless vivid blossoms. From the nameless barren deserts with magnificent starry nights crown aloft to the rich prairie possesses coast breezes. I keep going, going.

"Hydrangeas is the soulmate of rains." A distant voice echoes from those feeble wings in the entire journey. It feels like Amber Periods have flown until we reach a field with full-bloom hydrangeas that unfold our presence. Suddenly, my companion disappears into thin air, and I notice a nostalgic glimpse waving his hand from afar as if he has been waiting for me for an astronomical long time.

"You got my wish fulfilled... Thank you, my comrade." - The boy says in a gentle demeanor. His blue eyes shine brighter than any stars I have ever known, and he also disappears like the bloodred butterfly. His silhouette dissipates into thousands of flower petals as he flashes a warm smile toward me.

"Wait, H...H..." - A tsunami of impuissant waves brews into my heart when I try to call his name, but none of the syllables come out, and tears continuously cascade from my eyes while I witness the lost world fading.

You wake up from a soothing noise of hot steam oozing out of your old kettle and forget the dream cleanly. "You had a fever." - A low tone voice diagnoses as soon as Dan Feng senses your consciousness. Slightly lifting the heavy eyelids, you see him situating beside your headboard with a botanical book in hand. The glorious sun is far high hanging in the sky to pour its honeyed light through your window, which informs you to oversleep impliedly. You do not notice tears rolling down until the Long Scion points out in skimming your complexion and uses his thumb to caress the trail wetness. Sensing no engagement in conversation, Dan Feng shifts his hand to cover your eyesight and tenderly leans forward.

You only feel a pillowy touch on your forehead afterward.

"Please do not leave the bed today, and take the medicine on time because this is a prescription from the High Elder." - He faux-orders when rendering your vision. Astoundedly grazing the lingering sensation, you did not know that Imbibitor Lunae has a bizarre way of assessing the temperature.

Winter at Shangri-La never experiences snow, yet it takes some seasonal features such as the gloomy weather all day with northeast wind seething through every direction. Inspecting the murky clouded skyward, you tug the scarf closer when your breaths dimly turn into silver smoke. As soon as you attempt to lift the white lily cart, a hot stream of fluid smelling like rusty iron runs down your chin, which the soil absorbs its falling drops. When you bring your hand to clean the water, it takes a moment to process it is blood. Your irises squeeze as you dumbfoundedly stare at the ivory gloves tainted with the crimson hue. Just as you intend to step forward, the surrounding spins around as though Earth and Heaven are twitching position, and you kneel only to cough out blood that permeates the fabric. The pollen sparkles in the ether after the collapse, and the shivering lily's petals in chilly winds are the last things in your blurring vision.

#honkai star rail fanfic #honkai star rail x reader #hsr fanfic #honkai star rail x you #hsr x reader #hsr x you #dan feng x you #hsr dan feng #hsr dan feng x reader #dan feng x reader #dan feng fanfic

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zalrb · 1 year

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OTH REWATCH REVIEW 3X02

A couple of anons have asked about my reviews so I did one :)

1. I don’t think you guys realize how 00s this whole look is

2. They’re really playing up this whole fire thing. That’s OTH, man, subtlety like a fucking brick.

3. I like that Anna is on Peyton’s side of the wall, that could’ve been interesting to explore.

That also would’ve been interesting.

5. “Are we friends?” “Tell you what, I’ll play you for it. Game to 11.” Jesus christ.

6. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII DON’T WANNA BE ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT I’VE BEEN TRYNA BE LATELYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

7. Yo, Haley comes back to town SO indignant and I’m just like, what did you EXPECT?

8. “What the heck?” LOL really? Haley can’t say ‘hell’?

9. Peyton exhausts me.

10. I am forwarding through this Peyton/Ellie scene, I can’t do it.

11.

Like, I’m tired.

12. I was also tired when it was Elena’s storyline

Do boys ever get this storyline?

13. This is a really long scene to look at Hilarie struggling to cry

14. That looks like a pretty uncomfortable couch, Brooke.

15. omg their chemistry totally disappeared.

16. “Oh, by the way, I think I found a pair of your black gloves, leather right?” This dialogue is killing me.

17. This is such a long episode. Jesus.

18. Ugh, Keith and Karen, I just never got into them.

19. The pacing is SO slow. It’s like season 1.

20. “You’ve changed.” I mean, not really, he just isn’t talking to you, Haley. You kissed a guy, went on a tour, didn’t correct Chris when he said you two were dating on live TV, said that you thought they made a mistake when he drove across the country to see you, didn’t visit him in the hospital when he crashed a car, and called him twice throughout the entire ordeal. He doesn’t have much to say to you.

21. Shiftiest fucking drug dealer.

22. “Oh, look, it’s Tim, I had a dream you died.” The delivery.

23. Brooke dragging Peyton to the party to be a DJ is like OK respect your friend’s headspace but Peyton purposefully putting on depressing music because everyone has to suffer for her bad mood is also super petty.

24. Dan is a terrible detective.

25. LONGING LUCAS

26. Hilarie and Chad don’t even really have chemistry as friends, they’re just kind of around each other.

27. Lmao Brooke, Peyton’s biological mother just showed up out of the blue, she’s going through some shit. It’s annoying but you can’t be surprised that shes in a weird headspace right now and you can’t force her to be out of it.

28.

He’s just not talking to her! Did we forget that he got into a car crash over her like 2 seconds ago? Lmao.

29. AM I MORE THAN YOU BARGAINED FOR YET??????????????

30. AND SUGAR WE’RE GOING DOWN SWINGINNNNNNNNNNNN. lol the 00s.

31. Nathan showing up, not even talking to Haley but burning Tim’s guitar is lol. idk maybe I’m just petty but I respect this Nathan.

32. The height difference tho

33. WHEN ALL YOU GOTTA KEEP IS STROOOOOOOOONG MOVE ALONG MOVE ALONG

34. I’M THE GUY FOR YOU BROOKE DAVIS.

FOR. FUCKING. LEYTON?

35. It would’ve also been cool if Brooke and Nathan developed a kind of friendship this year while Haley and Lucas were trying to win their affections

36. “It used to be my cocaine vial.” You did coke once, Peyton, relax. I feel like Dina in Superstore

37. Oh yeah, don’t mind me, I’m just a grown ass adult walking into a teen party. Fucking Dan.

38. DAN SAW LUCAS’ FACE IN THE FIRE. GUYS, OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. SHIT’S ABOUT TO GET REAL. Lmao, I don’t think I cared for that storyline even when watching it live.

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unboundtravels · 4 months

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One moment, there was the comfort of sleep aboard The Astral Express. The sound of the train's stellar engines, the hum that resonates through the walls, the passing of the stars outside in the void of space. Falling asleep surrounded by the comforts of what one knows and is familiar with... knowing you're safe and secure. Nothing can get to you in the safety of your home, and you certainly can't be stolen away from home if you're surrounded by people who you know are capable, and who you trust to take care of you— people you know are capable. So you're safe. You can't be stolen from your home. Can you?

Dan Heng wakes up in a barren world. The ground is salt and the sky is a dull grey. The sun is absent but it's bright and the fog is thick as well as plentiful. He's dressed in the attire he usually wears, even if he remembers not wearing that last. He'll also immediately notice that he's stripped of his weapons, however, the person across from him doesn't seem to be unarmed. The device that the individual is holding has some kind of trigger, but it's not clear whether or not it's a weapon.

Who is it sitting across from him, though?

Well, that's not entirely clear either, as he's most certainly someone that Dan Heng has never seen before. Even the man himself knows that this is the first time he specifically is meeting Dan Heng. The complexity of being a time traveler and a timelord is a topic that is a different discussion altogether and most certainly not one the man across from Dan Heng wants to engage in.

He's a tall fellow, wearing a purple waistcoat, a black tie, and a white shirt along with white pants and a heavy white coat with black cuffs. His hair is white, tied up into a thick wolf tail-like tie. The stranger also has bright purple eyes and white leather gloves. Even while he's silent and still, though, he looks charismatic and theatrical. His legs across crossed, and his elbow is resting on his thigh. He's sitting against a rock, chin in his palm as he stares down at Dan Heng. He's been watching for hours, but he's sure the nameless doesn't know that. Though he speaks after some time.

"Are you March 7th..?" He asked suddenly, but eventually, he chuckled, "Or are you the other one?" He waited for confirmation. If Dan Heng didn't answer immediately, the man simply continued to talk. "I'm sorry if that's impertinent... you see: you're her friends, not mine." He makes a gesture with the hand holding the strange device in his hand. Eventually, he realizes that this all must be rather strange for the other trailblazer, so he places his hand on his chest and inhales.

"Oh, that's right— introductions." He chuckles, "I'm also not very social, either. You see, I normally just kill the help, I don't usually hire." He chuckled again, shrugging as if all of this was just a casual meeting in the middle of a supermarket, not a barren wasteland. He also acted as if he wasn't holding some kind of weapon, and that this wasn't aggressive coercion. "Allow me to introduce myself: I'm referred to by most as The Master." He accompanied that introduction with a sharp grin and a narrow gaze.

Then, he waited. After a brief silence, he groaned in frustration and tapped at his thigh impatiently.

"This—" He said, as if Dan Heng was being cued for a line, "This is the part where you give me your name."

@resolutepath

#!!!. {in character | ic}#XM. {The War Master}#resolutepath

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popculturebuffet · 3 years

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Carl Barks: Back to the Klondike Review: Blinkus of the Thinkus

Welcome one and all! If your a longtime reader of this blog, you know I love a good birthday celebration, having started with my first year reviewing animation last year with Donald’s and deciding to do Mickey and Scrooge’s later that year. But since I misseda LOT of disney birthdays, and found several Non-disney birthdays and anniversaries I just gotta celebrate, this year i’m making it up and style and have a whole calender set up to tack these big milestones to the wall. So over the year expect tributes to the greats of disney, looney tunes, and mgm both behind and in front of the scenes, as well as to various shows I like. It’s gonna be a good time.

So to start us off, it’s only fitting my first duck birthday since Scrooge, is for the love of his life and the stealer of his wallet, Glittering Goldie O Gilt! And I felt the best way to celebrate this storied day was to go back to her very FIRST apperance, one of earliest Scrooge headlined comics and a forever fan faviorite, Back to the Klondike!

But before we get into that, a little history on our gal in gold. Goldie was created for this story by comics god, the late great Carl Barks. Barks ended up just using her once, which is a shame but understandable as he probably only thought of her for that one adventure. While some characters like Gyro ended up being used again and again he probably just didn’t have any more stories in mind for her and figured Scrooge would return to her one day or he wouldn’t, but it wasn’t up to him. Fans however loved the character, her feisty dynamic with scrooge, and the fact she brought out his good side, so naturally other writers would bring her back. In paticular Barks Superfan Don Rosa cemented her as the love of his life and wrote several more stories with her, fleshing out their backstory and saying that at least in his personal canon, Scrooge retired to spend his final years with her. And while his fanboy was clearly showing, and that can end nasitly just ask Dan “Hates Wally West because he’s not barry allen” DiDio, glad he’s gone.. Rosa’s work with goldie is an example of what happens when it’s done right. Less DiDio or Bendis and more Al Ewing. Using the continuity and what’s there to build on a character who deserved better.. to me that’s one of the BEST things you can do in comics and Rosa’s work is proof of that, ironing out the.. questionable elements we’ll get to and leaving the gold in. So Rosa’s work combined with Ducktales not only adapting this story but bringing Goldie back a few times after that has elevated the character to a storied and permenat part of the duck canon, with her excellent heavily revamped Reboot counterpart currently carrying the torch with the help of the wonderful Allison Janey, perfect casting there. So with a legacy of gold behind her, let’s take a look at where it’s started and see if it still glitters after all these years under the cut.

We begin our story at the Money Bin. Scrooge has been counting his money.. but has already forgotten, and forgot where he put the slip he wrote the number on and even forgets who Donald is when he shows up until Donald, while having some fun with him as Scrooge is trying to phone him while he’s right there. As for how he got into the most secure place in the bin.. the story actually answers that both worringly and hilariously: Scrooge left the door unlocked. Naturally he’s not happy about this and Donald states the simple solution: Go see a doctor something’s CLEARLY very wrong, and the fact this could possibly be something like Demntia is VERY bad for someone who runs a zillion dollar company. Scrooge of course scoffs at “wasting his precious money” But Donald not only points out the obvious, that two bucks now saves him from having someone rob EVERYTHING, but Scrooge’s attempt to tie a string around his finger.. instead triggers a trap. And this entire sequence is decent with some good gags.. it’s just hampered a bit by making light of something that’s kinda bad. Not old people forgetting things.. but an old person with a disease as we find out forgetting things. Not helping is I laughed at first at the gags.. till I remembered a kind, old, friend of the family who had it and forgot me entirely by the end. So yeah, not the worst gags and the boxing glove and donald bits aren’t terrible, but it hurts now my brain’s made that connection.

Our heroes head to the doctor’s office where Scrooge is diagnosed with...

That.. might be the best name for a fictional illness i’ve ever heard in my life.. just inching out “Brain Cloud” and “Whale Cancer”. Still not the most SENSITIVE gag.. but it was the 50′s and mental issues weren’t given a lot of respect. IT’s why the above sequence and this whole part of the plot dosen’t scuttle things: It’s not the most repsectful.. but it wasn’t a time where these things were givne proper respect, treatment or knowledge, so barks wasn’t being an insentive douche on purpose, he just didn’t know. It dosen’t make it 100% okay btu it dosen’t wreck the story like say his blatant racist caractures in Voodoo Hoodoo. Seriously that’s.. not okay, and given he’s the kind of guy who researched locations he used, unlike with mental illness i expect BETTER of him than most men at the time. Still respect the guy, but it dosen’t mean i’ll overlook the fact he made some pretty bad mistakes. Same way while I love and miss Stan Lee I won’t ignore his blatant sexisim or racisim towards Chinese and Vitamise people. You CAN like a creator even if their work has some questionable and unjustifable elements, times do change and people do mamke mistakes when their young. It just depends on exactly WHAT they did or wrote that makes that distinctoin. So on that bombshell, Scrooge is given medication after a needle gag. He needs to take his pills every 12 hours. It’s then he starts to remember something, mubling abotu skagway, goldie and dawson and telling Donald to get the boys, their going to Alaska! Once they get on the boat Scrooge explains: he remembered thanks to the medcince he left a stash of gold nuggets there from his prospecting days.. and part of why this story ended up being one of the single most important to Scrooge’s character. While it establishes some character traits, something I dind’t realize till wikipedia pointed it out, it also establishes Scrooge’s days as a prospector. While other things made him what he was and got him to that point as Don Rosa would later flesh out, it was his days in the yukon that, for better or worse defined who he is now and shaped him into the man he is today: Tough, fair, badass as all hell, mean as the devil and richer than god. This time would be used a lot to set up stories, which made sense as it was the cleast and most agreed upon part of his past by all writers, and him at his abosltuely peak physically and mentally and the gold rush motif of the time perfectly fits someone defined by being rich. It’s also honestly nice that the Yukon is used, as Canada sometimes gets lost in the shuffle wise and hell until reading life and times I gneuinely had no idea what the Yukon was or where Calvin was headed when he and hobbes ran away from home.

Scrooge also first mentions Goldie and while clearly remembering her fondly.. goes into a rant about her howing him a thousand dollars which has compounded to a billion the second the boys catch on he was sweet on her with Donald assuming he’s just not a good person. But this is really just setting up another vital part of his character and the other thing: his heart. Before he’d been show as a pretty heartless, greedy asshole. While the previous story, Only a Poor Old Man, had softened him up a bit, this is the first to show that beneath the pile of greed and mean lurks a decent human being. Just don’t tell anyone or he’ll throw his money at you.. then tell you to bring it back to him. It’s what makes the character who he is: he’s cruel, onrey and selfish.. but he CAN care when the chips are down and can do the right thing.. as we’ll see later.

God I love the little poems Bill Watterson would put in the books. I didn’t as much as a kid, but god I do now. Anyways before our heroes can get going Yukon Ho, they stop in Skagway for suplies before heading out, Scrooge softing at taking a plane as “Soft” and him and the nephews hiking a week.. before running into the same flying service again, and finding out Scrooge OWNS it and forgot, because being scrooge he forgot to take his meds. Something I can relate to and i’m not proud of as staying on them is important to my well being. Seriously always take your meds. Unless their not working for you then talk with your doctor to get new ones.

So we arrive in Dawson, as our heroes will have to walk rest of the day Scrooge takes the boys to the Black Jack Ballroom, which used to be a hot spot and was where he met Goldie for the first time. After another covering for his reminscing with greedy bollocks, he tells the boys the story.. one that was cut from the original printing despite introducing goldie and something the editors dind’t bother to tell carl till they berated him over trying to sneak a blackjack saloon and a kidnapping in there... and to them, or their long dead skeletons probably, I say.

Yeah not wanting that in a kids story, while bollocks, tha’ts their perogative.. not having him send in replacement pages to keep story flow.. is dickish and underestimates kids intellegence as Don Rosa, while loving the story felt something was off till he saw the missing pages years later thanks to a fellow fan. So yeah kids, and adults, into the work noticed. Nice job. Again I can’t BLAME them for not wanting Scrooge to be a kidnapper as we’ll see and Don Rosa had to massage the hell out of that, but I can blame them for not caring enough to fix the obvious hole int he story. Though it’s now complete and unabriged and has been since the 80′s so there's that.

So in a nutshell Scrooge came to town for a coffee, and while the bartender ignored him he didn’t once he plunked down his goose egg nugget, what made his fortune and one of Scrooge’s most treasured possessions. It’s here we meet Goldie.

Yup.. just in case you thought her being a thief and greedy as hell was a new thing, and I kinda forgot how much, she dirves for the nugget, has Coffee with scrooge.. and drugs it, but makes the mistake of NOT clearing town, so Scrooge fights his way through the ballroom to her, gets the nugget back, forces her to sign the money for the iou he spent.. and then uh.. kindaps her to force her to work on his claim for 50 cents to try and teach her how to work honestly.

Yeahhhh as I said Don Rosa tried his best to fix this , and did so in his final story, which we’ll get to some day, revealing Goldie had a shot gun on her the whole time and was going along entirely to find out where Scrooge’s claim was. That.. actually makes more sense with the character and is far less horrifying and Scrooge finds this out fairly quick, so them forming an attraction out of this becomes 100% more plausable. So yeah good on Don Rosa for fixing the implications here. I may give out on him from time to time.. but he is a genuinely talented writer and did what a good comic book writer in an established continuity should do: update elements so they aren’t so... eugguuhhh after they become horrifingly outdated. And look YES she did do horrible shit to him.. but you still can’t kidnap someone over that. just put her in jail. What was any of that.

Anyways Scrooge HAS been taking his medicine, and proves it by showing the boys his pills and the next day they head to Scrooge’s old claim.. only someone’s living there and using it, and his old cabin.. and a shot gun. Yeah so they aren’t getting through in the day what about the night.. well they get attacked by Blackjack, who turns out to be owned by the claim jumper.. and is also you know a bear> And Donald left his back in new quackmore so their outmatched.

So outgunned and outplanned, if not outnumbered or outmanned, our heroes make a camp fire and whiel Donald again suggests the obvious, call the police.. Scrooge can’t. He didn’t pay taxes on the claim so he’s technically jumping his own claim and techincally she has a right to it. So techncially.. Scrooge is the bad guy here as he left the money here, didn’t pay his taxes and didn’t ever come back for it. Still beats trying to terrify your nephews or deny orphans a train because your an asshole buffet.

So the next morning Scrooge dosen’t want to rush her because “We Daren’t Get Rough with an old woman”. Two things.. 1... think before you put images in my head scrooge.. brrrrrrrrr. I mean Goldie. is not in the best shape in thie story as you’ll see and neither are you. In the reboot sure you two kept up a lot better but here.

And it’s not even an old people thing. Ann Margret was still fine so fine by the time of Grumpy Old Men, not to get creepy jut to prove i’m not being ageist. For a still alive example Keith David is also still a smokeshow at the tender age of 64. So yeah, not an age thing just not these paticular old people.

But they need a plan so the boy suggest luring the bear into a trap with honey. Donald and Scrooge build the cage while the boys.. find the jar of honey.

Regardless since the boys won’t do it for what Scrooge pays and neither will donald Scrooge goes to lure the bear with the honey. Once that’s done, and Scrooge is being covered with honey and licked by a bear...

So while he washes that off, the boys come up with another plan: they run around back while Donald makes noise to draw Goldie’s fire, with that being Dewey’s plan to meet her since he’s figured this out already. But Goldie has a backup plan and when she figures out they disabled Blackjack unleashes mosquitos... ugh. Having been stung like hornets about 50 times in animal crossing I feel you boys. So while Scrooge and Donald run off naked... troy if you will.

Thank you Troy, the boys confront Goldie who reveals her identity... and that she’s broke, her dance hall having failed with the rush and this claim being all she has.. and her suspecting scrooge woudl gladly take it. The boys vow not to tell scrooge.. but he’s on his way so they kinda have to and he primps to go visit and Donald starts to see through his BS about collecting the debt. Sure enough despite being taken aback by her putting on her old dress , he takes her for all she has and is.. genuinely suprised as she thought she’d have more and she’d actually changed since the old days, donating her profits to orphans from mining disasters. Scrooge.. is clearly rattled by this. Whiel it turns out to my shock he was clealry after the money, though givne who we’re dealing with I shoudln’t of been really, he still cares and still realizes he’s being kind of a dick. So he challengers her to a gold digging race, and if she wins the claim is hers and any gold she finds.. and naturally, while he seemingly puts her soemwhere where there isn’t she finds the claim and Scrooge bemoans not taking his pill.. but while the boys boo him for it, Goldie who fondly waves them off and Donald know better: Donald points out he counted the pills this morning.. and recently. SCrooge DID take one today... he’s just has his cane shoved firmly up his ass with pride so he coudln’t ADMIT he was wrong and instead simply staged that whole thing with the full knowledge Goldie would win. It, again, sets up one of his defniing traits; how he keeps people at arms length. How he’s just so proud and full of himself he can’t bear to admit anything resembling weakness.. but WILl find a way to do the right thing without that or forgoe it as a last resort. He may project being a stingy cretionus old man.. because he is.. but he’s got a heart as big as that nugget.. it’s just locked tight in it’s own bin... his body is complicated and weird that way Final Thoughts:

This story is a classic with a decent setup, great backstory for scrooge, and a great guest character and unquestionable impact on the character. However.. it does have it’s problem; As Don Rosa, who as i’ll remind you is both a huge barks fanboy and huge scoldie shipper, himself pointed out he wrote his final story, and had planned to for years ENTIRELY because this one never quite explains how Scrooge and Goldie went from old enmies to lovers.It did lead to one of his best stories and one of the first I read post life and times so, props to that. And of course as I pointed out some things have just.. not aged well, especially the kidnapping so their relationship kinda comes off like stockholm syndrom as a result of both of these.

That being said.. warts and all.. it’s still a really damn good story and a good one to try if your intrested in barks work or where Goldie came from: it has adventure, some really good jokes and if you can get past the dated bits the plot is solid. And while it goes without saying i’ll say it anyway Barks art is goregous as always ESPECIALLY in the flashback sequence. Overall not the best AGED Scrooge story, though not the worst either see Voodoo Hoodoo, good god, but defintely a classic for a reason. If you liked this review, follow me for more, and for more duck content as I still have more of the three cablleros to work through, another chapter of life and times coming up this week befor ewe break again for feburary, and some other fun stuff. Until the next rainbow, it’s been a pleasure.

#carl barks #scrooge mcduck #uncle scrooge #donald duck #huey duck #louie duck #dewey duck #glittering goldie #goldie o gilt #scoldie #back to the klondike #blackjack #comics #disney #ducktales

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conman167936 · 3 years

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Fan-Casting A Hypothetical “Next To Normal” Movie

As some of you may know, both “In The Heights” and “Dear Evan Hansen” are getting film adaptations this year. Assuming that those are successful, we could be getting more musical adaptations on the horizon. And “Next To Normal” is one of my favorite musicals, and I think it could translate to the silver screen incredibly well. If done well, it could be the one of the greatest movie musicals we’ve had in a long time.

Now, I don’t know who they would get to direct the film, but they say that 90% of directing is casting, so I thought I could help out with that part. These are some ideas I have for casting the Goodman family in a hypothetical “Next To Normal” movie

Let’s start with the ‘simple spirit’ at the heart of the story - Gabriel. I see so many productions depict him as a villainous character who acts increasingly sexual around his mother. I would like to tone these aspects down a bit - I personally see him as a teenager lashing out because he’s being ignored.

Now this choice might surprise you a bit, but I want to see Andrew Barth Feldman take on this role. He has an unbelievable singing voice and I think he could stretch his acting muscles to portray Gabe’s angrier moments, but still be sympathetic enough for “I Am The One (Reprise)” to hit home hard.

Then we have Natalie. Like with Gabe, I would rather cast an actual teenager with limited film experience than cast someone in their mid 20′s who’s more well-known. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why directors do that. I mean, it’s not like you’re likely to find someone under eighteen years of age with pitch-perfect vocal control and acting chops to match...

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTZQeWx_xy0)

Meet Kendall Nicole-Yakshe. Starkid fans know her for her role as Hannah Foster in Black Friday. She is currently fifteen years old. Her vocal abilities are far beyond her years, and she is a remarkably good actress, too. This is someone who needs a big break. And the role of Natalie Goodman fits her like a glove.

Next up, Dan Goodman. And I didn’t have to think long at all to cast this role - it should be Jeremy Jordan. Jordan is 36, he has the voice of an angel, but has also shown his dramatic capabilities in roles like The Last Five Years. I think he has both the acting range and the vocal range to portray this complicated character. I don’t even know what else to say - we all know how good Jeremy Jordan is.

And now, the big one. Diana Goodman.

I could list off a dozen actresses from stage and screen alike that would kill for this role. You probably have a few in your head right now. But I want to be bold with this pick, and find someone who maybe isn’t the obvious pick, but has the ability to blow everyone away.

We know that Diana is in her late thirties or early forties. We know that she was young when she married Dan. We know that he describes her as being a wild burst of light and energy before Gabe’s death. On stage, Diana can occasionally come across as being bubbly and childlike, before switching on a dime to show us the deep pain that she’s feeling.

I propose casting an actress who is known for more lighter material, that people will know as the ‘wild young girl’ Dan fell for but can surprise the audience with her ability to reach down deep and bring out the emotion.

And in case you haven’t guessed it by now, I believe that the perfect person to play Diana Goodman is Kristen Bell.

Kristen Bell is currently 40 years old, is mostly known for comedies and for being the voice of a Disney Princess. She obviously has an amazing singing voice. But she’s also a capable dramatic actress, which many people often forget. Of all things, it was her performance of the song “The Next Right Thing” in Frozen 2 that first made me realize how good Kristen could be in this role. Listen to her performance of that song and then imagine her singing So Anyway.

But what really sold it for me is this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYUQ_nlZgWE), in which she describes her own struggles with mental health. This is someone who can truly relate to Diana Goodman more than most actresses could. For an actress who is well-liked but mainly known as a comedienne, this role could be an Oscar-worthy vehicle for her.

So there you have it. Kristen Bell, Jeremy Jordan, Kendall Nicole-Yakshe and Andrew Barth Feldman as the Goodman family. And for those wondering, I don’t have a Henry in mind, although I would prefer to cast an actor of color in that role. And the two doctors should probably be played by different actors in the film to avoid confusion.

Well, that’s basically it. If you liked or disliked my casting ideas or you have some ideas of your own, let me know in the comments!

#next to normal #next to normal musical #next to normal movie #movie musicals #fancast #fancasting #diana goodman #dan goodman #natalie goodman #gabe goodman

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feverinfeveroutfic · 3 years

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chapter eleven: art whores

After they had had their cups of coffee, and Sam took the honor of checking out of the hotel for herself, she stayed in the passenger seat next to Dan with her shirt off the whole hour long drive up to Boston. He had rolled up his otherwise short sleeves up to his shoulders, and showed off his muscular arms all the while; he also had borrowed a little rubber band from inside of the glove box; his mirrored sunglasses reflected the early morning sunlight the whole entire way up the freeway. Every so often, she took a glimpse behind her to Joey, who had propped his hair over the back of the seat so it would be up off of his neck. He squinted his brown eyes against the amber sunlight and he bowed his head a little bit from the intense glow over the continual skyline of small towns to the right.

“We're gonna swing by another hotel to pick up Frankie,” Dan finally said at one point over the roar of the freeway

“Sounds good!” Sam declared as she gave her dark hair a slight toss back.

They took the next exit off of the freeway into a part of town near the Massachusetts state line: there was in fact a little hotel there and Frank stood under the exposed stone stairwell with his lush dark hair sprawled over his shoulders like the floppy ears of a dog and his mirrored sunglasses upon his face; Sam thought about Joey's old apartment at the very sight of him. He nodded at them and showed her a grin once they rolled up to the parking spot before him.

“Hey, all o' youses,” he greeted them; Joey slid to the seat right behind Dan, and Frank climbed in next to him.

“I like this look, by the way,” he said to Sam.

“I got hot last night,” she explained with a shrug.

Joey muttered something to Frank, which brought a little chuckle out of him.

“What's goin' on back there?” Dan demanded.

“Fuhget about it,” Frank said with a wave of his hand, and he buckled into the other passenger seat.

They rolled out of that spot and doubled back to the freeway for the rest of the way up to Boston.

Sam thought about what Zelda and Belinda had said the night after Cliff died, and she knew she was doing them justice by being in that car with those three men. She was headed for yet another brand new place that she never really knew about before and had only dreamed of in the past. She knew she would have to put her shirt back on at some point, but the feeling the cool coastal breeze on her chest and belly was something she hadn't done before, not even back home in California.

Within time, the skyline emerged under the amber sunlight: Sam spotted a large Cisco sign off in the distance. It seemed like the kind of place that had only cobblestones for streets and had horse carriages all around. When she peered out the window and beyond the freeway, she spotted a few alleyways down below that did in fact have those old earthy faded cobblestones all underneath the lush green oak trees. She wondered if it really was how she believed it to be once Dan took the next exit for the venue, a long low dark building called the Paradise Rock Club, nestled down in the heart of downtown about a block from the freeway: if she didn't know better, Sam swore it was movie theater, especially since the black sign over the front doors read ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, and special guests THE CHERRY SUICIDES in large white lettering.

“This is also the very first time we're touring here, too,” Dan explained as he rounded the corner to the back alleyway.

“What better way to celebrate than for a couple of dates,” she exclaimed.

“Right?” Joey laughed.

“I guess this place is literally right by the college,” Dan continued, “so we might be seein' a lot of people of your caliber tonight.”

“I hope so,” said Sam. They rolled up to the pale white back door, which hung slightly ajar for them. Once Dan killed the engine, Sam put her top back on and fixed her hair before she climbed out with them. They were alone there, but Frank rounded the back side of the car and joined up with her.

“Can I tell you something?” he started in a soft voice. “This has just been—eating at me for a while now.”

Dan held the door for them, and she and Frank stepped into the cool, dimly lit back hallway first. Joey sauntered past them towards their dressing room, and then Dan followed suit.

“Hey, Joe—wait up—” he called after him, and that left Sam and Frank alone; he took off his sunglasses and tucked them into his shirt collar, and then he ran a hand over his smooth crown of lush dark hair.

“What's up?” she asked him.

“Really hope you don’t get mistaken for a groupie,” he admitted in a soft voice.

She frowned at that. “Why’s that?”

“Because groupies are often seen as whores or just women who sleep around with the band. I don’t want my best friend to be seen like that.”

“They won’t know that, though,” she said, albeit with a nervous feeling in her stomach.

“But that’s always the assumption, though,” Frank insisted. “You can’t stop people from assuming shit about you, even when you know in your heart that it’s not true. Not saying I don’t want you around—not at all. I love the fact you’re going to be with us for most of the summer. But what I am telling you is what you’re about to see when you come along with us more and more. And if you don’t believe me, let me show you what the people have been saying about your girls, the Cherry Suicides. Calling them the ‘n’ word, especially Morgan and Minerva; calling Rosita ‘fake’ because of her nails; calling Zelda a skinny bossy bitch. All kinds of nasty shit. We love and embrace our female fans, but most of our crowds don’t. How have they acted with you and Marla?”

“Like… we’re not even there,” she recalled.

“There you go then. Again, I’m not trying to be ‘that’ guy, but it’s just the truth. If only there was a way I could protect you from it, though.”

“You can always be like, 'hey! Quit pickin' on my friend!' or something like that,” she suggested, but he shrugged his shoulders.

“That's just a worry I've had,” he continued. “Y'know, I see how Joey looks at you, but I just wonder who else out there looks at you and not like that, either. Like you're fresh meat for the taking.” He then lifted his head to the hallway behind her, and she turned and followed his gaze.

“Even when there's duct tape on boots involved,” he said, that time in a louder voice.

Zelda walked up to the door right behind them with Chuck's boots latched onto her feet: the silver duct tape glistened under the low golden lights on the ceiling, still in place after Greg stuck it on with haste and after a few shows under her belt. She had slicked her black hair back with a handful of gel and wore nothing but a stained dark red sports bra and a pair of pearly white gym shorts. Her flat toned stomach already had a layer of sweat all over.

“If I was hot, I would dress like that, too,” said Sam, which brought a laugh out of both of them.

“Nah, I just put my head and body under a hose,” Zelda assured her; she pushed open the door and Sam realized that was the Cherry Suicides' dressing room. “You guys wanna come in?”

“Sure!” said Sam as she followed her inside.

“I gotta get to our room, but I'll poke my head in in a bit,” Frank promised her, and he kept on going to where Joey and Dan had run off to. Sam stood in the doorway for a second and she took in a whiff of the fresh incense in that little room. A vanity mirror stood on the left wall, as well as a small desk and a pair of accompanying chairs: Rosita's hats stood on a small rack on the wall opposite the door, and a long, shabby lumpy couch and a coffee table with a pitcher of water and a little wooden plate of smoldering incense right near the right wall. Zelda fixed her bra and she glanced down at the stains with a wrinkle to her nose.

“Does this thing make me look like I spilled ketchup all over myself?” she asked Sam.

“Sorta.”

“Damn it. It's supposed to be fake blood—I was gonna put some on my shorts once we get closer to show time, too. We're trying to hone in a more gory image for ourselves. You know, something to make people take us a bit more seriously. We have the songs, we just need the image. You thirsty? I'm dyin' of thirst—”

Zelda then reached for a stack of paper cups on the other side of the table and took two out, one for herself and one for Sam. She poured them both some of that icy water from the pitcher and then she raised it for a toast. They both drank it down in unison.

“Frankie was just telling me about groupies and all the nonsense you girls put up with,” Sam explained as she stepped inside more.

“Oh, yeah, we knew right away that was gonna happen with us,” Zelda pointed out as she poured herself a second cup. “We just demand more from the people who claim to support us.”

“I think it's a little harsh, though,” Sam confessed.

“Absolutely!” Zelda brought the cup to her mouth and guzzled it down. “Like I remember it kinda got to me at first, but I'm a Rhode Island chick who's not a rich snob. I look up to Wendy O. Williams, Lita Ford, and Bessie Smith, and also Peter Murphy, Henry Rollins, and Iggy Pop. I gotta be tougher than toenails, so it's part of the shit sandwich we eat. In fact—you heard this from me—that's a song Rose wrote just the other day. Called 'Shit Sandwich.'”

“Is it gonna be on your new album?” Sam chuckled. “We'll see.” Zelda poured herself a third helping of ice water and then she set the pitcher back down on the coffee table and took her seat on the couch. “We have to talk to Aurora some more, and then hopefully—it's the hope, anyways—we'll be knocking on Jonny Z's door soon.” She took a small sip from the cup and crossed her right leg over her left knee. “That's how Testament did it.”

“Do you guys have a manager at all?”

“Who, us? You're looking at her.” Zelda flashed her a wink, and then she stopped in her tracks, and a grin crossed her face. “Why? You wanna do our dirty deeds for us?”

“I'd have to do it plus school, though,” said Sam, to which Zelda shook her head.

“It's not hard—you just have to pick up the phone and shake hands with people. You gotta have a tough skin to do it, too—I mean, you saw us struggle.”

“Oh, yeah, definitely.” They fell into silence for a moment, and then Sam spoke again.

“How do you cope with it?”

“What, the struggle?” Zelda asked her once she took another sip.

“Yeah.”

“I usually like to poke fun at it. And the three of them do, too—like I said, Rosita wrote a song a few days ago about it called 'Shit Sandwich.' That's just our sense of humor: to be dark and bleak but not over the top with it. We make fun of the struggle because we're part of it.”

“You know, Aurora and I formed a bit of a duo called the 'art vixens'.”

“The art vixens?” Zelda smirked at that.

“Yeah, 'cause she thinks Joey has his eye on me and now she's married to Emile. We're like the vixens now.”

“It's funny, before the wedding, like back when you guys were shopping for dresses, I actually got to talking to Belinda and she told me she liked our name. And I was like, 'thank you, that's real cool of you.' 'Cause our name is very love it or hate it, you know?”

“Oh, yeah, definitely.”

“I told her it's akin to a woman stabbing herself in the chest, or a virgin sacrificing herself. And then she made a joke about cherries after that, and I started callin' her Miss Cherry 'cause of it.”

“So the cherries and the vixens,” Sam said.

“Together, we can be the 'art whores'!” Zelda declared.

“The art whores?” Sam burst out laughing.

“Yeah!” Zelda laughed along with her. “Yeah—you, me, Aurora, and Bel. You and Aurora are the vixens. Bel and I will be the cherries. The four of us collectively are the art whores.”

She drank down the rest from the cup, and then Sam helped herself to some more.

“I gotta get you to hang out with Testament more,” Zelda told her in a low voice.

“I partied with them over New Year's,” Sam recalled.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, when they were preparing to record upstate. I got to join them all the way 'til midnight.”

“You gotta do it more, though. Even though Louie and I are broken up, they are literally the coolest dudes. Chuck and Eric are especially nice to Minerva and Morgan, mainly 'cause they're Hispanic boys and they're a couple of black girls, but they're our neighbors, though. I mean, Chuck lent me his boots for god's sake. And another case in point is Louie is still a really good friend to me. He'll call me once in a while and ask me how things are doing. He called me over Christmas and on my birthday. We just—can't really be a couple is all.” Her face fell a little bit upon saying that but she shrugged it off.

“Even Alex?” Sam asked her as she knitted her eyebrows together and took another sip of water.

“Alex is kinda standoffish—and skittish even—I mean, you saw the way he acted towards me when you ladies were shoppin' for dresses—but it's only because he's still breaking in his shoes. I mean, he graduated high school not even a year ago. Graduated and now he's on a lengthy tour with us and the five dicks from Manhattan—well, four of them are, anyways, unless Joey has another place that we don't know about. But he's a good kid, though, Sam. I promise you.” She paused for a second. “I think he's talked about you a little bit. I think—I haven't heard full conversations, but I have heard him mention you a bit before.”

“Who, Alex?”

“Yeah, he calls you 'Cliff's girl.' You know, 'cause you and Cliff were together. But like I said, I never really paid much attention to it so I only ever hear him mention you by the fact you're Cliff's girl.” And then the smirk returned to her face. “So Joey's been keeping his eye on you?”

“Yeah, but it's—platonic, though.”

Zelda squinted her eyes and she rested her elbow on top of the couch next to her.

“You sure? Because I swore that with Mr. Clemente when we first met, and then next I know, we're moving to a little place outside Narragansett together.”

“Wait a minute, how'd you guys work it out, though?”

“He quit Testament for a little bit, 'bout a year. Back when they were still referred to as Legacy and like right before you came into the picture. That was how we were able to work it out for as long as we did, but then he decided to come back because, you know—I was the one paying the rent.”

“So that explains why when they were about to record in that studio upstate, they had another drummer listed,” Sam recalled.

“Right! Right—Mike, I think was his name?” Zelda snapped her fingers twice. “Mike—Mike—something or other. I can't remember what it was now.”

“Ronchette?”

“Ronchette, yeah! Good pull with that.”

The distorted sounds of a guitar floated in from the hallway behind Sam.

“Speaking of Testament, I think that's them,” Zelda said with a nod of her head. “I hear them jammin' all the time. So I kinda know Eric's tone when I hear it.”

Indeed, Sam leaned back a bit but she couldn't see anything. She stood in the doorway and she spotted Eric, Alex, and Greg right down the hall upon stools.

“Little bit of Mercyful Fate,” Greg was saying as he plucked at his thick bass strings.

Alex leaned his back to the wall with the guitar cradled upon his lap. He kept his head bowed a bit so his bangs hid most of his eyes from view; his arms looked a little more toned and sinewy than before. His playing at such a quick and hard pace and in such a brief amount of time endowed him with much more strength. Sam tucked her hand into her pocket and she felt Cliff's pick inside of there. Maybe she was too hard on him, especially since that was how he saw her.

He lifted his head and fixed his hair, and then he gazed on at her with a grave look on his face. The corners of his mouth were turned a little bit so it looked as though he was smiling, but simultaneously wasn't, like that of the Mona Lisa. Those deep eyes seemed deeper than before; and the black hair dye was starting to fade off from his head: the plume of white over his forehead was trying to make its return, such that it looked rather ghostly over his head.

She thought about that evening in the Bay Area, where he and Greg dueled on the front porch. If only she could see that side to him again. But she had nothing to say to him. If only she could show Alex the Joey she had seen that morning. If only she could show him the other side to him, but she couldn't.

But then he bowed his head again and returned to the three man jam between him, Eric, and Greg, and she returned to Zelda, who had climbed to her feet and made her way across the room to the small fridge in the corner behind Rosita's hat rack. She took out a little fruit cup and then she gestured to one of the hats on the rack.

“D'you hear about this band called Guns 'N Roses?” she asked Sam.

“Yeah?” She vaguely recalled Eric talking about them in the few months before.

“They're awesome,” Zelda said with a twinkle in her eye. “I saw them last month here in Boston—they opened up for the Stones. Completely blew them off the stage. Their lead guitarist had on this big black top hat and afterwards, he chucked it out to the audience and I caught it.” She pointed at the black top hat on the part of the rack closest to her. “Gonna see if Rose wears it tonight.”

“Rose with a rose from Guns 'N Roses,” Sam joked, and Zelda laughed out loud at that.

The two of them hung out in the dressing room for a little while longer until Aurora bustled into the room in a white camisole and a laminated badge around her neck and a clipboard under her arm.

“I was just thinkin' about you,” Sam told her.

“I was, too,” Zelda joined in with a smirk on her face.

“I have some good news, some not so good news, and some bad news,” Aurora said, out of breath.

“Bad news first so it's out of the way,” Sam quipped, and Zelda nudged her for that.

“Okay, the bad news is the label is getting bought out, and Sam—” She fetched up a sigh. “I think you and I are gonna lose our jobs.”

“Oh, no!” Sam gasped.

“Oh, shit!” Zelda gasped with her, and they looked on at each other.

“I hope Marla finds a place to live in Hell's Kitchen because I don't wanna be stuck in the Bronx forever,” Sam confessed.

“No, you don't,” Zelda assured her. “I like the Bronx, but it's not really a place you wanna get stuck in.”

“What's the not so good news?” Sam asked Aurora.

“The not so good news is Emile is moving to Brooklyn.”

“So landlord's gonna be away from his building—sounds legitimate, though. I mean, it makes sense. You guys are newlyweds.” Sam shrugged.

“Now what's the good news?” Zelda chimed in.

“Good news is if all goes well tonight,” Aurora announced, “we just might see the Cherry Suicides en route to a legitimate record deal.”

“Things just have to go well, anyways,” Zelda said with a little wave of her hand. “So no tech problems, no drama, no nonsense, things like that.”

“Absolutely.”

Zelda glanced over at Sam, who raised an eyebrow at her.

“Think we can do it?” she wondered aloud.

“Hell yeah,” Sam told her with an extended hand, and Zelda gave her a low five. “You got those big boots with you. You can so do it.”

Within time, Minerva, Morgan, and Rosita showed up, and the latter set the black top hat upon her head to go with her black lace crop top and matching short skirt. She tucked the signature rose onto the base to make it distinctly her own. Meanwhile, Sam stayed in her spot on the couch next to Zelda and watched the three of them. Even though she wasn't properly asked to do so, just sitting there alone made her feel like a band manager.

She could hear the audience outside, and she wondered what the rest of the place looked like. She ambled across the floor and she stepped out to the hallway: next door was Charlie and Scott talking to each other about something in soft voices. The former nodded at her and his soft black curls fluttered a bit over the top of his head.

“Hey you,” he said to her.

“Li'l Sam I am,” Scott followed with a raise of those thick dark eyebrows. “What'chu doin'?”

“Oh, just hangin' out—I also wanna check out the rest of this place, too.”

“Not much here,” Charlie explained, “just a little bar and a stretch of floor enough for a thousand people.”

“A thousand?” She was stunned by that.

“That's nuthin',” Joey called from their dressing room.

“Yeah, that's nuthin',” Scott echoed him.

“I think that's something,” Sam pointed out, and that got a laugh out of him.

“It's general admission, too—so everyone's either gonna have a bunch of folding chairs or standing up,” Charlie said. He then gestured for Sam to follow him out of the hallway, and he led her to a stretch of curtain at the very end, past Testament's dressing room. She looked over her shoulder and she spotted Louie perched on a small barren shelf on the wall with his white gloves on and his drum sticks in hand. He gave her a little wave, and she returned the favor.

“Right over here,” Charlie gently coaxed her: he pushed the curtain back a little bit, and she gazed out to the small stretch of black stone floor before her, lit up with some yellow and red lights overhead. Indeed, there were a few folding chairs on the floor but everyone else congregated about the place. On the opposite wall stood a small bar with a small crowd around it to boot.

“Nothing to it,” she remarked.

“Nothing to it at all,” Charlie echoed, and he nodded to the left. “That's where we're gonna playing in a little bit.” She spotted the stage adjacent to them. It looked awfully small, but she trusted the three bands behind her. Once the sun hung low over Boston, one of the people at the bar came backstage to check in on the Cherry Suicides.

“We're opening act, so we were born ready,” Zelda told her as she flicked a little fake blood onto those white shorts.

Sam lingered back on the side of the stage a bit and she watched the four of them take to the center. Zelda mounted herself on the stool while Rosita slung her bass down low: she had written “las putas” over the bridge, and Sam eagerly nodded at that. The lights turned low and she realized how small that room truly was once it erupted in noise.

“Hello, Boston!” Minerva declared into the microphone. “We are the Cherry Suicides, straight outta Rhode Island, and we're here to make all of youses into soup! Hit it!”

They opened with that gory song that Sam recalled from that night in L'Amour. The one she and Cliff danced to. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. She tried not to think of him, but she couldn't help it. She missed him right there.

There was a loud crack! and she jerked back a bit. She looked around a bit and she spotted a guy near the front had put a fire cracker right near Morgan and lit it off there. But another guy pushed him away and one of the stagehands dragged him out of there.

“Fucking hell, dude, did the room clear out!” Morgan shouted, and everyone laughed at that. Sam swayed a little bit and she shook her head as she tried to shake Cliff away. He was gone, there was nothing more she could do or say right then. But the feelings persisted, at least for the next two songs. The fourth one was “Day of the Dead”, where a true mosh pit finally opened up for them.

They were moshing for the girls. Sam nodded her head at them, but then a guy close to her threw a punch to someone next to him. There was another punch, followed by a third, and a fourth, and the next one after that had been inflicted onto a woman. Zelda stopped drumming right there and she stood to her feet as a brawl broke out before them: several men but a handful of women in there as well. Sam gaped at them and she took a step back.

Even from a distance and over the wall of noise, she made out Zelda saying, “this is bullshit.”

Then someone picked up a chair from the floor and chucked it towards the stage.

“Oh, no,” Sam muttered as another guy threw a chair at Rosita. She ducked and held onto the top hat but it tumbled onto the stage behind her.

“Oh, my god!” Sam yelled.

“Jesus!” Zelda shouted as she bowed out from her drum kit: she picked up her sticks and ducked into the darkness. There was nowhere to go right there, and so Sam lunged to help her. But then something pulled her back.

“What the—”

“Get away from there!” She recognized Alex's big voice right behind her. She turned to find him putting his other hand on her shoulder. He yanked on her other arm and then bowed his head a bit before another couple of chairs sailed right past her ear.

He saved her life, but she wanted to save Zelda from the exact same thing.

“Alex!” she shouted over the wall of noise. “ALEX!” He dragged her off stage and back into that corridor. She tried to force herself away from him but he was such a strong boy. He threw open the dressing room door and all but shoved her inside.

“Stay in here!” he commanded. “No—Samantha, stay in here! It's not safe!”

“What're you—”

But before she could say anything more, he shut the door and left. Fuming, she threw open the door and she poked her head out to the corridor. No one there and the whole wing of the theater was silent save for the out of control mosh pit out there.

She let out a low exasperated sigh. But she spotted Louie and Greg at the other end of the hallway, both of them with spooked looks on their faces.

“What the hell!” she cried out as they came within earshot.

“I know, right?” Greg said, out of breath. “Alex just ran outside to get help and Chuck and Eric both just ran across the street to call the cops—Eric told us to stay here.”

“Yeah, Alex got me off the stage—I was trying to help Zelda, but he got me off of there before I almost got hit in the head.”

“But, man, Zelda's gotta be pretty pissed right now,” Louie told her as he ran his fingers through his smooth dark hair. “I saw her runnin' and she looked furious.”

“I bet she is—Aurora said they were supposed to get a record deal after tonight.”

“Hope they can do it tomorrow night,” Greg confessed as he folded his arms over his chest. “Hope there is a tomorrow night. Those girls are tough but—damn, they don't need all that.”

“Zelda told me they make fun of the fact they get called whores, though,” Sam pointed out. “I say 'kudos' to be honest.”

“Right?” Louie chuckled; the noise on the far end of the hall and on other side of the curtain seemed to die down a bit, but it was all noise from a distance to them.

“You know, that's not a bad idea to run with,” Sam continued.

“What, making fun of what they call you?” Greg asked her with a little toss of his black hair.

“Yeah. Like she and I decided to call ourselves art whores because of it.”

“Buncha art whores,” Louie chuckled some more.

“You guys!” Eric called from the doorway down the hall. In the dim light, Sam saw him gesturing for them to come on closer. “Come on! Come on! The cops are coming!”

“Where are the girls?” Sam demanded.

“They're fine—they're right out here, but come on!”

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secretsantasides · 4 years

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Gift #8: My Universe

Gift for @enby-fander

Prompt: Analogical High School AU

My Universe

Characters: Logan, Deceit (called Daniel), Virgil, mentions of Remus, mentions of Patton

Pairings: Romantic Analogical, Platonic Loceit, Brotherly Anxciet, implied Brotherly Logicality

Warnings: Alludes to homelessness and poverty, sad boi Virgil

Summary: Thank you to the two anons who showed up on @enby-fander's account and gave me major inspiration right when I needed it. Here you go, Trans Virgil and Nonbinary Logan that starts as angst and ends as fluff.

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As the rest of Kingston High School's sophomores rushed into the cafeteria, Daniel Hyde instead ducked through an out-of-the-way, yet familiar, pair of dark, wooden, though probably fake wood, double doors. His head was down as he stalked over to the Fiction section, deliberately searching. For what, bystanders had no clue.

They parted, anxious to induce the wrath of Dan, a boy rumoured to be in a gang. None of them would put such a thing past the punk boy. He wasn't someone to mess with.

He walked with such a determination that they knew he was on the hunt. His prey? Another, hidden from all but him.

Logan Jekyll was seated in the middle of the mystery section, shrouded in darkness. The junior knew these shelves well, so much so that they could traverse them without requiring sight. That way, they had no reason to flick the switches at the start of each row to the "on" position, which would illuminate the row of dim fluorescent bulbs dangling above. Logan liked it better in the dark, anyway. It hid the introvert from those pesky freshmen. The ones who liked to taunt Logan for some unknown reason.

"Oh look, it's genius Jekyll. Aren't you the one with the ridiculously high GPA? Highest in your year?"

They gave a quick, curt nod to both questions, not speaking. Instead, they continued to read their book, turning the page after a few seconds of silence.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was most definitely living up to the praise they had heard it received, primarily by the Hyde brothers. Daniel had always pressed them to read it, so they had finally began the novel.

As they read, laughs were heard. The rowdy students had become bored with the junior and had stampeded away towards the computers. Logan never understood what they seemed to find so funny.

"Hey, first chair Jekyll, heard you got the solo for the next concert."

When they nodded, quick and curt, the group started laughing yet again. All the way over to the doors. Probably after they walked out the doors, too.

Logan recognized someone in that mob as the sophomore who liked to raise hell during rehearsal, along with a few trumpet players, a bassoon, and half of percussion. He brought the baritone horn section down considerably, even with Logan there to counterbalance his pure idiocy. And to think, this kid is laughing at him. Sheer stupidity, all of it.

"Jekyll, my man, the reason our debate team isn't shit. You're captain, right? Who's second, in your book?"

At the first question, they nodded. At the second, they scowled and looked back at his book. They did have an opinion on who would fall second, but that opinion was not owed to a group of freshmen who loiter around and taunt others. Seeing the spectacle-wearing one's scowl, the boys laughed. Turning and walking away, they kept on snickering and joking about "perfect Jekyll."

'Our debate team? You mean, my debate team.' Logan recognized none of those dumbasses as members of debate, especially not the one who initiated the conversation. He would be debating things when pigs flew.

"I found Jekyll, man of the hour. Nice speech you gave, didn't realize you could do that. Thought only seniors could."

They shook their head "no" at the statement, causing them to… big surprise… laugh at them.

At least they're eloquent enough to make a speech. These people could barely string together simple sentences, let alone write with enough skill to compose a speech at the level Logan did so at.

"Hey guys, here's Dr. Jekyll. Heard you finally found your Mr. Hyde, and you're terribly in love."

They scowled, otherwise ignoring all of them. That narrative wasn't even fitting to Robert Louis Stevenson's original story. In the end, it was revealed that Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr. Edward Hyde were one and the same, a relationship they and their boyfriend do not possess.

"What, don't want to admit that you're gay as f*ck for Hyde?"

The scowl already adorning their features intensified some, but that was the only indicator of how pissed Logan truly was. Lacking a reaction, the group turned and walked away, laughing as they went.

Did they owe them an explanation of their love life? No, they should f*ck off. It's their damn significant other, not theirs. They were thinking of multiple profanities that could describe those idiots, but decidedly did not execute them aloud. Their choices would make probably Remus Kingston proud, a boy who has an alphabet of swear words, an alphabet that only skims the surface of his cursing dictionary.

As Logan sat there, reminiscing about how much of an asshole all of those freshmen were, Dan was slowly honing down his search radius.

He had visited most of Logan's normal rows, besides mystery and parts of nonfiction. As he walked to non-fiction, he stopped abruptly and turned to walk down the row of mystery novels. Logan truly adored the who-dunits covering these shelves, or so he's heard. He may have good luck looking here, as long as his brother knew Jekyll well. Dan was certain he did.

Don't fail me now, nerd, I need you, he thought, breathing deeply.

He strolled casually into the aisle, flicking the switch at the start of the row. The dim fluorescent lining the ceiling flickered on, revealing exactly what he was looking for. Exactly who he was looking for. Logan Jekyll.

Logan hissed at the sudden lights, sparking a chuckle from the sophomore stalking towards him. They looked up, blue-green eyes meeting grey.

There was an amused smirk adorning the boy's features. Logan did not mirror the expression, but they were nonetheless glad to see the sophomore.

"Didn't realize us Hyde's had made an impression on you. Not surprised, though, with how much you see my brother."

The one clad in blue blushed a deep red at the mention of their boyfriend. Daniel laughed at the sight, before offering out his hand. Logan looked down at the palm obscured by black, fingerless gloves, bewildered as to why the other was putting his hand out. Their confusion showed, causing Dan to roll his eyes and huff.

"Take my hand, Calculator Watch, I'm helping you up. That sorry excuse for carpeting is stale as f*ck, so we might as well go sit somewhere more comfortable."

Reliasition flashed before Logan's eyes as they muttered an, "Ah." Their hand took the other's gloved one, allowing the younger boy to hoist the older off of the matted, black carpet. They now were roughly at eye-level with each other, Logan with a solid height of 5'5" and Daniel being just a half or full inch shorter.

Daniel ran one hand through his slicked back black hair, shoving the other in one pocket of his faded leather jacket. The hand brushing the hair joined the other in the pocket opposite.

"Now, Jekyll, we have a pressing matter to discuss."

The two walked in silence for a while, Daniel leading them through the hallways. Suddenly, he took a left into a classroom, Logan following behind.

The classroom was abandoned, obviously having been used as a science room at one point. There were posters adorning two of the walls, saying things like "Eat, sleep, science, repeat."

"We need to talk about my brother."

Panic flashed in the eyes of Logan, who hid the emotion quickly. Dan wouldn't have noticed if Logan had not coughed directly afterwards, drawing attention to their still shell-shocked expression

The older of the two anxiously scuffed one of their NASA-themed Vans across the linoleum tiles, before looking back at the aforementioned boy.

"Go on."

"Well, he has refused to leave his room for the past 5 days, so I wanted to ask you for…"

He hesitated, but Logan pushed him on.

"For what? Spit it out, Hyde."

Daniel coughed, before regaining his composure.

"I need your help, Jeyll. I need your f*cking help. You're the only person I know that can do anything to get my brother out of his hiding space, and that's all I care about. I'm willing to put aside our indifferences if it helps my brother. Now, tell me, will you?"

"So, what am I supposed to do again?"

The two were walking to the apartment the Hyde brothers shared.

Daniel cleared his throat. "You're supposed to get that bastard to emerge from the cave he has made out of his room. This may be a habit of his, but it has gone on longer than normal, which concerns me."

Logan chuckled. "Sounds like him, alright. At least I now know for certain you and I are talking about the same person."

Dan burst out, "Finally! Someone understands how antisocial that motherf*cker can be!"

He gestured dramatically to emphasize the point.

The older's face morphed into a grin and they began to laugh.

"Hey!" they said, through their laughter, "That's my boyfriend you're talking about!"

Daniel snorted.

"He's my brother! I'm allowed to call him an antisocial bastard."

The pair's laughter tapered off as they continued their trek.

"May I ask how far away your apartment is?"

Daniel coughed, shifting a bit awkwardly.

"Um… it's still a few minutes away, but we're heading up on it."

Logan cocked an eyebrow.

"Y'all live in the downtown area?" they asked.

Dan stayed silent, but nodded.

"My apologies for pushing the subject."

The pair had arrived at the place Daniel pointed them towards, a run-down, dirty-looking, crowded apartment building. Dan stopped multiple times before they arrived, obviously completing a routine.

First, he stopped by an older woman, who was walking across the sparsely filled parking lot with a cart. In the cart, canned food resided, all of which had a small message written on them in Sharpie.

As he reached her, Daniel pressed a can of food he procured from the pocket of his black backpack into her hands.

Logan heard her murmur, "God bless you, honey. You and your brother stay safe, alright Danny?"

They saw Dan give a warm smile towards her. "We will. Stay safe, Mrs. Cunningham."

Secondly, he waved to a group of little boys running in the lot, kicking a ball around. The one who had the ball kicked it towards Daniel, grinning brightly.

"Mr. Hyde!" the other boys shouted, having just spotted the teenager.

"Now what have I always told y'all? Call me Dan."

"Okay, Mr. Dan!" the boys chorused.

Daniel rolled his eyes, ruffling the hair of one. "I give up, y'all obviously are gonna be respectful at all times."

He paused, before clearing his throat.

"That's a good thing, boys. Respect everyone, even if it doesn't seem like they deserve it. Just gotta respect everyone."

The last part was murmured.

The boys all nodded vigorously, before one shouted, "First one to the tree over there gets to pick teams!"

They all sprinted, leaving Dan and Logan to chuckle.

"Kids, right?"

Daniel gave a half-moon smile. "Yeah."

The last stop before the Hyde apartment was at the front desk of the lobby. It could barely be considered a lobby, more like a room with a desk shoved in the corner, some assorted furniture in the other, and stairs to the upper floors. Daniel stepped up to the desk, pulling a sheet of folded notebook paper out of his jacket pocket. He set it on the desk before turning around and smoothing the worn-leather of his jacket. He popped the collar, looking Logan in the eyes.

"Let's go, Jekyll."

"Apartment 7C, correct?"

The pair had just arrived at floor 7, both out of breath. Daniel hid it better, though.

"...Yes," he composed himself, looking at the junior with a look of annoyance.

They strolled down the hall, stopping just short of the end.

APARTMENT 7C read a small, dirty plaque mounted just above the doorknob.

Dan proccured an equally rusty key from his back jean pocket. He turned to Logan and said, "Let's go get my bastard of a brother out of his damn slump."

The pair walked into the mess of an apartment, Daniel shouting out a quick, "I'm home!" to ease the other Hyde's anxieties. Though, the shouting may be contradictory, as the older Hyde brother was not a fan of loud noises.

Daniel quickly dropped the key on a rickety table close by to the door. His combat boots were shed, as Logan kicked off his Vans.

Dan turned to Logan, directing him towards his brother.

"Down the hall, first door to the left. It'll be locked, so… here."

He grabbed a penny from the counter and threw it to Logan. They caught it with ease, studying the coin. They looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"Our locks are garbage, so this should get it easy. I would've done it myself earlier this week, but I believe in the sanctitiy of one's room. That is, until you're in there for almost a week."

Logan nodded, turning to follow the instructions given.

Dan stopped them.

"I don't think he wants to see me, so I'll stay back. Jekyll, get my brother. Please."

He sounded almost desperate, so Logan obliged.

They found the door indicated easily, as there was a galaxy-patterned poster in blues and purples attached to the door with Scotch tape. It just seemed… right.

They jangled the knob a bit, discovering it was unsurprisingly locked. Logan took the penny, shoved it into the flat indentation on the rusty knob, turning slowly and carefully. It worked. The door was now unlocked.

Logan turned the handle, quickly entering the dark room. They heard a hoarse voice, dull due to lack of use, emitate from the corner.

"L-eave m-e the hell alon-e."

A throat was cleared, a few coughs ringing through the silence of the room.

"I'm fine."

Logan huffed, rumbling for the light switch mounted on the wall next to them.

Their hand knocked the switch up, prompting a hiss from the figure huddled in a corner.

"I thought you would be happier to see me. I assume I was wrong."

The figure looked up, revealing messy purple hair, tired and unfocused eyes, and a miserable expression adorning the features Logan would always find beautiful.

"Stella?"

"It's me, nebulosa."

Logan looked around the room.

It was very… Virgil.

He had a few band posters on the walls, hoodies with patches and stitching and a worn leather-jacket (much like Daniel's) hanging in the closet alongside his school-issued letterman's jacket, a black guitar propped up nicely in a corner, a chair that looked similar to those in the small dining room set with his low-quality music stand, band folder, and the large, bulky case of a euphonium put aside carefully, and a few trophies and certificates earned for track, for musical achievements, or for academic accomplishments were set on the dresser or hung on the wall above it. Everything was in black and deep purple, with subtle hints of navy.

They liked the color scheme a lot, as it was quite pleasing to the eye.

Much better than their brother's mixture of bright and pastel blues, all light in tone. Patton really didn't know how to mix colors.

Logan's attention was diverted, however, from the room surrounding them when they heard sniffles from Virgil's corner.

"Hey, hey. What's wrong?"

Virgil wiped his eyes, acting as though he wasn't just crying.

"I'm just over-emotional, I guess. Damn it, peri-"

He stopped himself, a look of shock adorning his features. Logan looked upon him with a look of pity, sad-smile creeping onto their features.

"Is that why you've been isolating yourself, babe? Hey, hey, come here."

Virgil shook his head. "I'm fine," he said stubbornly.

Logan walked over to him, wrapping their arms around him.

"It's okay, stella. ...I love you."

Virgil gave a weak smile.

"I love you too, Logan."

#fanfic #secretsantasides #analogical #virgil sanders #ts virgil #logan sanders #ts logan #high school au #sanders sides

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kileyrose-2003 · 5 years

Text

Dan Torrance x Fem! Reader

This smutty request was submitted by @oneirnaut Might be a little different then you imagined but I hope u enjoy.

You always knew you were different from the time you were little. You could tell the future and have conversations entirely in your head with people if you wanted to but you couldn't. You never met anyone who had the same abilities as you and nobody understood you.

Your siblings would make remarks as to how you were weird or your parents would just ignore you because they were afraid for you. Or of you. Sometimes you couldn't tell.

It was a lonely gift another person until you met Dan seven years ago. He certainly wasn't in a good spot when you met him but it didn't matter to you. It was the first time you met someone didn't make you feel lonely or question your sanity.

At first he was confused to how you figured it out but it wasn't hard for you to put two and two together between the things he did at the hospice while you were at work to the first time you went to his apartment and seen the little blackboard messages on his wall.

It was an unorthodox friendship that your parents didn't approve of but their opinion didn't matter to you. You helped him heal and you healed from him and to you, that was a beautiful thing.

Overtime you grew closer to him. Hell, you loved the man but that was something you told yourself you'd never express verbally or through your shine and he told himself the same thing.

While you were a woman, you still were much younger than him and he never thought it would work out between your family and your age gap.

It was your day off and you and Dan were at a local place pizza place getting dinner together at an off time. He was acting like himself but today he just felt..different.

"So how's your little pen pal?" You asked quietly, holding a forkful of pasta up to your lips. "She's alright. She tried explaining this RWBY stuff to me I don't get. The one girl has blue hair or something."

You giggled and shook your head. "It's an anime, Dan. I think it came out a little after or before I graduated nursing school."

"Because I remember what happened so clearly 5 or 6 years ago. I don't know. When I was growing up it Bugs Bunny. All simple stuff."

You rolled your eyes. "Okay gramps." You joked and Dan rolled his eyes. "Gramps? Next thing I know you're going to be calling me as Abra calls it, a boomer. Does that mean I get the respect you would give to your elders?"

"Dan, stop it." You smacked the back of his hand playfully. "If I didn't like you, I wouldn't tease you."

"Well could you like me a little less than?" Knowing Dan, you knew he was kidding but his words came off semi snappy.

"Maybe I will." You mused and ate in silence for a few moments. "Good." He wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Okay snippy." You snapped.

(Well if you seen what I did, you'd be snippy too.)

You over heard the thought and Dan cringed. Yep, definitely wasn't supposed to hear that one.

"What's bothering you?" He narrowed his brows. "Nothing..I'm fine. Just a long day at work the past few night."

"Don't give me that bullshit, Dan. You and I both knew it was a semi easy night and I know what you're trying to do with that look on your face."

"It's not exactly something I can talk about in public." He wouldn't meet your eye.

(I know you want your privacy and I respect that but just know I'm here for you.)

"I know it's just..I can't drag you into this." Dan rubbed his face. "Is it something with family or-"

"No..well..maybe..Damn it Y/n! Can't you just it go?" He actually yelled at you and people stared.

You blushed out of embarrassment and looked at the people in the restaurant. "Hi! Take a picture. It might last longer."

"Y/n." He scolded. "Don't you Y/n me. You started it." You knew you sounded like a child but he was being pissy.

"You're being ridiculous." He whispered venomously. "No, you are. It's seven years ans you won't talk to me about somethings and all I want to do is help you."

Your waiter came over to your table. "Is everything okay?" You nodded and handed her a wad of cash. "I was just getting to go. This is for the check. Any change is yours."

You stood up from the table and Dan sighed. "Y/n come on..Y/n, I'm sorry." You started to walk away. "Don't talk to me Dan, please. I need some space."

"But Y/n I didn't mean it like that." He chased you outside to your car. "It's too late for that. I'll see you tomorrow." You got in your car and slammed the door in Dan's face.

"Y/n.." You ignored him and pulled away. Dan sighed ran his fingers through his hair. "Damn me."

Meanwhile as you were driving down the road you felt a presence in the back of your car. "You know, Doc might not be the best at expressing emotions but he does care about you."

You tensed and looked into your back seats and found a woman sitting back there. "..you're Dan's mom aren't you?"

She nodded and smiled. "I'm Wendy. It's nice to finally meet you Y/n." Her voice was soft and gentle. It reminded you of being a little girl all over again and having your own mother speak to you before she realized your "phase" was not going away.

"Nice to meet you too Wendy." You felt a rush of cold air go through you as she ran her fingers through the back of your hair. "Oh yes..I approve. You have a heart of gold."

You gave a tight lipped smile. "Oh no..Dan and I don't have a relationship like that." Wendy just grinned. "Not yet at least."

"Look, I'm not trying to be rude but why are you here?" Wendy lost her smile. "Because you're my only path of communication to him. Danny doesn't think about me anymore. It pains him too."

You thought back to the death flies you seen inside Dan's head and seen them in a flash over Wendy's face. You gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"You got to keep him away from the woman in the hat, honey doll. She's bad news. You're the only one who can keep him from going. He'll listen to you but not to me or even Dick."

"The woman in the hat?" You were so confused. "What hat woman?!" You felt your heart begin to race. "The one who killed that little boy. You know Abra?"

You thought back to Dan's little pen pal and your car began to slant up in the air. "Wendy!" You screamed as the road began to float away from you. The word Redrum was broken into the pavement. "It's okay sweetie..soon you'll see just what exactly I mean." The ground began to vortex and you were flung inside the swirling black hole.

You screamed and eventually landed face first in an old hotel. There were signs on the walls. BLUEBELL CAMPGROUND and OVERLOOK you could clearly see. 'Good old western hospitality.' You noted mentally as the first thing that came to mind and took in the smell of the place of grimaced. You knew it well. Funeral parlor and sickness. 'Like that time I accidentally walked in when Dan was helping Fred Langston cross over and-'

You only had a few more seconds to take in the scenery before you felt a small thud against the top of her head. Then whatever the substance was ran down to your nose. You wiped it off and stared at it. 'Blood.' You had a single second to think before the floor began to shake and what looked like red smoke or some sort of..steam rolled in. It had a face and by God it was horrifying.

You covered your face for a moment and dropped to floor, attempting to shield herself from the scene but then something strong pushed back her hands. Forcing you to look up.

The hardwood began to crack and there was a single word scrawled upon it.

Redrum

"Oh fuck.." Ghostie faces covered in blood flashed in front of your face and you began to cry. The world began to slide again and you fell through the set of floorboards and this time awoke at a wooded area.

We are The True Knot

'Breath Y/n..Breath. It's a just nightmare.'

Or worse. You immediately shut that little voice out of your head and stepped forward. You wanted to go back to her body. Wake up in your bed or your car, screaming bloody murder. At least Dan would be close to you then even if he wasn't physically present. You knew he'd protect you. That was or if you did ever wake up. Because there always was that chance you wouldn't and you'd get stuck here.

What is tied may mever be untied

But something kept pulling you forward. You followed the voices through the dark woods. The smell of embers and smoke entering your nostrils.

We Endure

It all looked so familiar. There were tables everywhere. Almost like the ones in the park you went to when you were little. Except without the chipped paint you were afraid would give you splinters or get into the homemade sandwiches you brought with you so you didn't have to stop at the local gas station to get food.

Your made your way down the beaten path and what was there horrified you. A group of people stood their. Like a chain of paper dolls or snowflakes chanting in some sort of foreign language. Hebrew based maybe?

Either way, it didn't matter to you. The worse part was the body on the green grass. The boy on the ground was 13 to 14 years old. Maybe the same age as Abra.

A cloud of what you thought was campfire smoke was above the group. Next to the body was a woman in a hat. Her hands like bloody gloves and a man with intense eyes. Like a Crow. They all turned to stare at you.

Redrum indeed

Fear coursed through your veins. You wanted to run. Sprint. As far a way as she could but you stood there. Completely frozen. Not able to speak or move.

You would never know which one of them it was that knew your name and called it but that was all it took for you to start running. You could hear some of them laughing. It was sick.They were killers and they certainly weren't people either. They were monsters.

"Wendy! Wendy!" You screeched, hoping either of them could hear you. She sent you to this damn place. She should be able to get you out. Unless it was something else..pulling and dragging you there. You made it half way down the path before you felt a tug on your knotted tresses.

You screamed and immediately fell to your knees. It was the hat woman and you were terrified. She scooped you up in her arms and laughed. You were fucked.

"Let me go!" You kicked at her but she was strong. "Oh no sweetie..no, I won't." Her hand connected with the back of your head and you seen yourself laying on the ground. Blood all over you and the steam floating out of your mouth and Dan in the hotel with fire burning around him, blood running all over his legs.

(GET OUT OF MY HEAD!)

The hat woman blasted away from you and you were flung back to your car, screaming and kicking the whole way.

You felt Wendy's hand running through your hair as you crashed back into your seat and you started sobbing. "Shhh..it's okay. She's gone. You're alright."

"How do I-how do I stop this?" You wiped the tears away from your eyes. "Go to him and tell him what you seen. He'll listen to you. I can't protect him anymore. I leave it to you."

"But what-" Wendy shushed you. "Just go to him." Before you could even respond Wendy was already gone and you were alone. One way or another you had to save him. Whether he liked the way you were going to do it or not.

Later on that night you sat with a very sleep deprived and cranky Dan Torrance. "Are you crazy?!!" He held his hands up defensively. "No, I'm not Y/n. Believe me I don't want to do this as much as you don't want me to."

"If what you're telling me is true, these people are going to fucking kill you. I'm not saying that out of assumption. I'm saying it because I see it. You know too much Dan. They see you at that gravesite with a shovel in your hand, you're fucked."

"I know..I know but Y/n, Abra's right. We can't just let the kids body just sit there and if she's right about all this then I have to protect her from these things. Whatever the fuck they are." Dan rubbed his face.

"Then I'm going with you!" He shook his head. "Like hell you are. Just like you said, they see me and I'm fucked. I'm not dragging you into this whole mess too. You've still got a life to live and time left."

"But how am I supposed to enjoy it when you're not here?" Dan's face went flat. "What?" You ran your fingers through your hair frustratedly. "For God's sakes Dan, I love you."

For a moment there was silence. "Y-you do?" The words were barely a whisper. "Yes! I've loved you since I started my job at the hospice doing clinicals and that was almost 7 years ago. You were a little skittish with me at first but I don't mind because I know you went through alot, even if you won't tell me what it."

The silence continued for a long stretch. "Dan, please just saying something." You begged. "I-i love you too..I didn't think you would reciprocate the feeling though because you're younger than me."

"Dan, I'm 3 years away from being 30 and you're 40. Your age doesn't matter to me. Or your past. I love you for you." You wrapped your arms around his neck and he pulled you close to him, cupping the one side as he leaned forward to kiss you on the lips. His lips felt soft like silk and you melted into his warmth.

"I love you..so so much." He ran his hands up and down your sides. "I love you more." You gasped as he picked you up in his arms and laid you down on his bed.

Dan leaned over top of you and continued to kiss you all over. You ran your fingers through his hair as he made his way down past your chest.

"You're so beautiful." He hummed softly as he examined every inch of you. "I think you're perfect."

He crawled up your body, leaving his face inches away from yours. You caressed his cheek and smiled. "And you're so handsome." He smiled and smashed his lips passionately against yours. It felt like an eternity when he finally pulled away.

"Dan?" You were panting like you ran a marathon afterwards. "Yeah Y/n?" You forced him to look at you. "I want you."

"You're sure this is what you want?" You nodded and he worked his way down your body. You could feel his scarred but soft skinned his hands caressing your stomach as he pulled down your pants.

"Such a gentle man." You murmured softly and ran your hands down his still clothed back, gripping onto his shirt tight as you felt his fingers beginning to move around down there.

"D-dan!" You could hear him grunting from beneath you. "Is that okay?" You nodded feverishly. "It feels so good! Fuck! Faster Dan!"

He began to quicken up the pace. "God you're so tight. I can feel you clamping around my fingers."

"S-sorry." You blushed a little bit and he smiled. "It's fine, babe." He continued to work his magic and you squirmed in pleasure. "Dan I think I'm gonna..gonna cum!"

"Then cum for me." You arched your back as you felt the jolt from the orgasm take over your body. It felt euphoric and you never wanted the sensation to end.

Dan pulled his fingers out from inside you and straddled you. "That felt amazing." You panted as you slowly released your grip on his sheet and took of his shirt.

"I try." He was blushing a little bit, which brought out some of his features more, and you thought it was adorable. He bent down and peppered kisses all over your neck while and you did the same to him.

"I'll be as gentle as possible." He whispered in your ear as he moved painstakingly slow down to your lower area and began to plunge himself inside of you at a steady pace.

You whined and dug your nails into his back. "M-more Dan..Faster! Please!" You begged. He did as you asked hesitantly, making his whole way inside you and you moaned. "Fuck! You feel so good." Dan grunted in reply and moved around inside you. "So tight. Saving yourself for me?"

"Maybe." You tone was lower and raspy. It drove Dan mad. "God you're gorgeous." He quickened his pace. "The most beautiful woman you've ever seen?" You pulled at his hair and kissed him all over. "Fuck yes."

"You're mine, Y/n. I want everyone to know it from now on." Dan's tip hit your spot and you thrust yourself up onto him more. "Yes! Right there Danny. Don't stop!"

"Tell me you'll be mine." He was begging and you took such joy from it, knowing you had him wrapped around your finger. "Only yours, Dan. I swear!" You screamed.

You rode each other for a couple more minutes and you both were getting near the finish point. "Should I pull out?"

You shook your head and nuzzled closely to him, the layers of sweat on the both of you interlacing. "N-no..go for it."

You tensed as you felt his seed entering you and you both came simultaneously. Dan pulled out of you and flopped down next to you on his bed. Holding you tight in his arms as you both attempted to regain control of your breathing.

"I love you so much." You cupped the sides of his face. "I love you too." Dan pressed a kiss to your forehead. Never wanting to ever let you go. "I mean what I said before when I said you're mine."

You smiled softly and nuzzled closely to him. "I'm not letting you go either." You tightened your grip on him, thinking back to everything about Dan everything that Dan told you about the baseball boy.

"I'm afraid for you." You started to tear up. "Because I know it's not going to pleasant and I just got you now and I-i don't want to lose you."

He laced his fingers through your hair. "We go on, Y/n. It might be scary but I'll be okay in the end. It might not be my first choice on how we'd be together forever-" Dan attempted to joke and you glared. "But know that I'd never truly leave you."

You smiled despite the tears in your eyes and clear despair. "Yeah...I guess I wouldn't be." He held your face. "We'll figure it out together, okay? As long as we have each other we'll be fine."

"Okay..I love you, Dan." You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him. "I love you too, Y/n..I love you so much."

#danny torrance #dan torrance #doctor sleep #dr sleep #imagine #x reader #smut #true knot #the true knot #the shining #answered

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paradisobound · 5 years

Text

Rebirth to Rebloom

Summary: Dan Howell met Phil Lester while they were still in high school when Phil was helping him out. But as time went on, they lost touch when Phil graduated, and they never speak. Dan thought of him often and hung onto his crush all these years until Phil shows up at the flower shop he works and asks for Dan’s help arranging flowers for his daughters birthday.

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: None

Written for @phandomficfests Bingo Fest prompts used were: anxiety, second chance, and writers choice (flower shop au).

View My Bingo Card | Read on Ao3

Dan first met Phil freshman year of high school. Phil was the graduating senior who had full control over Dan’s seminar class to help the freshman kids adjust to being in high school. Phil was just really kind to Dan. Dan felt like he held Phil in a higher position of trust than he held any other authority figure in his school. Phil was someone that Dan genuinely looked up to.

Throughout freshman year, Dan wished he was able to grow closer to Phil but the truth was that it just didn’t ever happen. It wasn’t some dreamlike scenario where Dan grew close to Phil and then Phil grew close to him and sparks flew. In fact, it was much more of the opposite.

Dan knew he had a crush on Phil pretty early on. He hadn’t come to terms with anything to do with his sexuality and frankly, that crush scared him. He didn’t know why he was looking at Phil differently than he looked at girls. He didn’t know why he suddenly begin to daydream about what it would be like to have Phil hug him or even hold his hand and…kiss him. He didn’t know why he was even thinking about all of this but suddenly he began to realize that his crush was definitely a crush and fuck he was beginning to get head over heels crazy about Phil.

One day after freshman seminar, Dan asked Phil if he could talk privately. Phil had gleefully accepted and hurried the other students out of the room so he and Dan could talk. Dan doesn’t know what struck him to want to talk with Phil about this but he does.

When Phil sits down in front of him, Dan blurts out what he’s been wanting to say. “I think I might be gay.”

At first, Phil’s eyes went a bit wide and that made Dan nervous but then Phil’s expression softened and Dan realized that he was in no real trouble by admitting this. “There isn’t anything wrong with that,” was Phil’s response.

Dan felt so relieved that Phil wasn’t saying anything differently about Dan’s admission. There was just something that felt so much more relaxed.

They spoke for a half an hour following that. Dan got out all of his feelings and Phil just listened and gave advice where he could. And Dan honestly—and maybe a bit selfishly—waited to see if maybe, just maybe, Phil would say something about his sexuality too.

And he did. But not what Dan wanted to hear.

“My girlfriend Alyssa is bisexual so I’m sure if I told her about your sexuality struggles, she would be really grateful to help you out! I can even have her message you on Facebook if you want.”

Dan’s heart shattered in that moment. He tried to hide how sad and broken that confession made him with a smile and a thankful nod as he hurriedly made some excuse that he needed to get out to meet his mom in the parking lot. That wasn’t true—Dan always walked to school.

When he got halfway home, he stopped on the sidewalk and dropped onto a curb and let out a few muffled cries into his arms. He shouldn’t have gotten so worked up about Phil. He knew it was never going to happen but yet, it still hurt to hear that anyway.

He got up after a few minutes and made his way home where he told his mom he wanted to be alone for the night and he headed up to his room. Two hours later, more tears came as he saw he had a friend request from both Phil and Alyssa on Facebook.

He accepted both and then turned his phone off.

The rest of freshman year was difficult with seeing Phil every other day for seminar. But eventually he got over his unrequited crush and on the last day of freshman year, he even gave Phil a hug and congratulated him on graduating.

Dan thought that that was the last time he’d ever see or hear from Phil. But little did he know that his chance to be friends with Phil would could again nearly ten years later.

***

Dan maneuvered through the shelves of his flower shop, picking up flowers and placing them back into their respective containers. He didn’t technically own the store, but he sometimes feels like he does with the amount of work he does here.

His friend from high school, Gina, decided to open up a flower shop in their hometown right after high school and while Dan didn’t originally have any say in the shop, Gina eventually talked him into working here. So Dan’s degree in philosophy went into a bin for later and he instead put on a green apron and a pair of elbow high rubber gloves.

Dan knew next to nothing about flowers but after working there for three years, he’s beginning to know a bit more every single day…even if Gina isn’t here all that often. Although, Dan can’t entirely blame her. She does have a three year old son and she is a single parent so he does understand it. He can’t imagine how tough it must be but on the rare chance that she brings in Lucas to the store, he loves chasing the little tot around the aisles.

This day was like any other for the store. Dan opened it so Gina could take Lucas to the doctors and then he spent his morning rearranging flowers and putting together new arraignments to put in the window display. He hasn’t had any customers in person but they have a few online orders that he needs to have ready for tomorrow so he’ll work on those sometime this afternoon.

He’s still working on fixing up one of the flower displays on the shelf when the bell over the front door rings and Dan stands up from his kneeling stance and brushes his soiled hands on his already stained apron.

Dan makes his way, weaving through the aisles until he finds himself coming to the counter. He instinctively picks his head up and begins to say “Welcome to Gina’s, how can we help you?” when he’s suddenly cut off by the attractive male standing with his back to Dan. His hair is black as a raven’s feathers and he’s wearing a red bomber jacket with black skinny jeans and Dan instantly stops in his tracks.

He takes a deep breath and lets it out as he smoothes down his clothing and reaches up to try and fix his tangled curls. He hopes he doesn’t have any dirt on his cheek or some shit that could look embarrassing.

The male turns around and flashes a smile and then Dan realizes who it is.

That’s Phil. Senior Phil who Dan was hopelessly in love with in high school.

“Oh my god.”

Phil’s blue eyes widen and he’s squinting a bit underneath his glasses. “Dan?”

“Phil?”

“Hi!” Phil says, walking forward and pushing his car keys and phone into his pocket. “Wow, this is unexpected. It’s been so long.”

“I know.” Dan says, feeling a blush begin to creep up onto his cheeks.

“How have you been? How was high school?”

Pretty shit. I was bullied nearly every day my senior year after I came out via a Facebook post but that’s okay because I managed to be salutatorian and that counts for something. “It went okay.”

Phil reaches up and rubs the back of his neck with his hand. “High school is pretty shit, to be fair.” He says. “College was a lot better.”

Dan scoffs. “That’s the understatement of the century.”

Phil laughs and Dan watches as his tongue sticks out from between his teeth and suddenly Dan is being hurled back into his high school days where he was crushing so damn hard on Phil.

“So you’re probably wondering why I’m here,” Phil begins with a chuckle. “I actually need some help. So my daughters birthday is in two days and I have nothing for her party but she loves anything to do with flowers so can you help me pick some out for her?”

Dan feels the smile fall from his face as he tries to hide his sadness. Phil has a daughter. That probably means his ended up marrying Alyssa and having a child with her. And that means Phil is definitely straight and Dan’s dream of rekindling his crush is immediately flushed away.

Dan nods with a painful smile and then motions for Phil him to the counter. Dan bent down and pulled out a book of flower meanings that Gina had left for him to look over and he opened it up to the tab that read ‘for children’.

He immediately sees that Lily’s are listed and Daisy’s are too so he looks up at Phil and points to them. “Lily’s are actually symbolic of daughters so if you want to give her a flower that not only looks pretty but also is a deeper meaning for her, that is your best choice. But daisy’s are good too if you wanted to do a mix.”

Phil looked at them and then nodded with a smile. “Remi would love lily’s honestly. I’m sure she would absolutely adore having them for her party.”

Dan smiled at Phil and then closed the binder and pulled out an order form from the slip that Gina had next to the register. “We can fill out an order form then and you can give me a pick up time and date and I’ll have them ready?”

Phil nodded quickly and smiled in relief at Dan. “That would be amazing, Dan. Remi is going to love them.”

They quickly filled out the order form and Phil put down that he would pick up the flowers at 9am that Friday and while the store doesn’t open until 10:30, Dan would be willing to come in early to supply Phil with the flowers he needs.

“Thank you.” Phil says, handing Dan his credit card when they begin to process the price for the order. “I seriously thought I was going to be screwed with how last minute I was but time has just been getting away from me lately. Like Remi is turning four this year and I’m actually in tears watching her grow up.”

“It must be hard.” Dan says, his voice a bit stiff. “The owner of this shop, Gina, has a son Lucas and he’s a handful but he’s growing so fast. I remember the day he was born and now he’s going to pre-k next year.”

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? How fast time goes when you’re out of high school.”

Dan nods with a smile. Because it is true and it only becomes more and more painfully aware when he thinks about how he is 24 years old and painfully single.

Phil finishes paying and then says his goodbyes with a ‘it was good seeing you’. As the door chime shut and Dan is left alone again, a few tears spring to his eyes that he wills to hold down because it was just another stupid crush coming to light. And he didn’t want that to effect him. He knew long ago that Phil wouldn’t feel the same way and it’s certain he won’t now so Dan needs to accept that.

Even if it hurts him a bit more to know that Phil has a daughter and he was going to be fixing a bouquet of pink for her birthday.

***

The flower shop gets a call from Phil one day later. Dan expects the worst with the call. He’d been working on Phil and his daughter Remi’s flowers endlessly the last day. He doesn’t answer the call because he hears the phone from where he is water the hydrangeas but Gina does.

It turns out Phil needs the flowers delivered to his house on Friday at 9am because he isn’t going to have time to pick them up at the store. Gina originally tells Dan she’ll do it by dropping off her son at daycare and then swinging by the Lester residence but Dan asks to do it instead.

“I can do it.”

“You’re going to get up before 8 on a tomorrow to deliver flowers by 9 at a home twenty minutes away?”

“Yeah.”

Gina just scoffs and laughs a bit. “Okay mate. If you do this, I’ll pay you overtime.”

Dan just nods and smiles with a slight blush as he takes Phil’s address and sets it aside with the order. He then prepares a few more things for it before leaving to go home to his sad apartment for a sad lunch with his pet goldfish.

On Friday morning, Dan wakes up early, 6:30 to be exact, and gets ready. He styles his hair, something he never does, and then wets down his face, cleaning it and washing it to get some of the oils from his skin that sometimes like to accumulate when he’s anxious. He takes the time to get dressed nicely and then he leaves his flat with his car keys in hand and drives to Gina’s.

He can normally walk to Gina’s in just fifteen minutes but since he needed his car this morning, he double parked it in front of the shop and walked inside to get the order ready to go. He gets his car situated and everything ready and secured at just around quarter after eight and he leaves with his GPS telling him the way.

He makes his way out of the small town to a rural area just outside of the suburbs. He’s still driving down the street when the GPS tells him to make a turn down a short road and he ends up at a small ranch home surrounded by trees.

It’s cute, Dan presumes. It’s isolated and small but it looks great and Dan pulls into the driveway of the home just as the front door opens and Phil walks out. Dan parks his car and gets out, walking halfway to Phil.

“Thank you so much for being able to bring the flowers to my house.” Phil says. “Remi’s mom is…well, she’s not being fair right now and so I have to leave and pick up Remi by 10 and I would have never made it to pick up the flowers, bring them home, and then go and pick her up for her party.”

Dan feels his stomach clench and roll. So, Remi’s mom didn’t live with Phil…which meant they were separated?

“…you can bring the flowers inside for right now. I have a table all set.”

Dan snaps out of his thoughts to smile up at Phil and open the trunk of his car so they could take out the flower arrangements. Dan helped bring them inside Phil’s home and they set them on a table in the living room which had photos of Remi from the time she was a baby to one that was clearly taken not that long ago. Dan couldn’t help but look at how she looked so much like Phil. Her hair was red but she had stunning bright blue eyes and cheekbones to match.

The cake was sitting in the middle with the cover on it and it read “Happy 8th Birthday, Remi!” and it was decorated with little flowers and roses all over.

“Remi is going to be 8th this year.” Phil says. “I have such a hard time believing my little girl has gotten so much older. I remember when Alyssa called me on the phone and told me Remi was born, it was so surreal. I still remember what it was like to hold her for the first time. She was so small and fragile.”

Dan’s lips curled into a smile as he looked at Phil and Phil’s cheeks flushed red a bit. “She looks like you.”

Phil lets out a laugh. “She actually is a spitting image of Alyssa. I can’t look at Remi without thinking of her mother.” Phil pauses. “It’s both a blessing and a…”

Dan knows what Phil was about to say but maybe in this case it was best to leave certain things unsaid.

“Do you have any children, Dan?”

Dan shook his head and bit his lip. “Ah…no, I’m um…I’m gay.”

He sucks in a breath and waits for anything Phil might say back to him but just as soon as it looks like Phil might say something, Phil’s phone starts ringing and he leaves the room to answer it.

Dan looks around, looking at all of the pictures on the wall of Remi and Phil. There are no photos of Phil with anyone else but Remi. In fact, it doesn’t look like there are even any signs that anyone else lives here besides Phil and Remi.

Phil comes back just seconds later and lets out an apology. “Alyssa is asking to meet me early so I have to go now. Thank you for bringing the flowers here. I know it was probably super ridiculous to do this but it means a lot.”

“It’s really not a problem.”

They exchange a quick glance and Dan’s about to turn to leave when Phil brings him in for a tight hug. He releases Dan quickly and they both blush and Phil motions that he’s leaving so Dan follows him out and they leave right after each other.

***

“Get the flowers to the Lester Residence okay?”

Dan nods at Gina as he walks through the door and ends up at the counter.

“Of course.”

Gina gave him a knowing look. “Was there a reason you were so eager to take the flowers to Mr. Lester?”

Dan felt his mouth fall open and he quickly shook his head. “No! No. There is nothing going on…he’s…”

“Dan, you’re blushing like mad, babes.”

“He’s an old high school friend that I used to have a crush on.” Dan says and Gina coos. “But he’s straight and has a daughter and she was who the flowers were for.”

“And you two didn’t steal a cheeky kiss in the front door before you left?”

“Gina!”

She waved him off with a laugh. “I’m just taking the piss, babes.” She twirls a strand of her loose hair in her fingers. “Are you sure he’s straight?”

“Why else would he have a daughter?” Dan asks.

“Sweetie, you’re being a bit ridiculous.” She says. “Gay men can have children. Maybe it was a one night slip up. Or maybe he did fall in love with a woman for a short time. A man can have a daughter with a woman and then decide he wants to be with men instead.”

Dan feels a blush creep up his cheeks because Gina is completely correct.

The conversation ends and he spends the rest of his shift helping Gina rearrange some of the displays in her store and assist a few straggling customers.

Later that day when he goes home, he gets a message on Facebook from Phil Lester.

Phil Lester: Just wanted to tell you Remi loved her flowers!

Attached is a photo of his daughter stood in front of the table with a massive grin on her face. Her hair is pulled up in messy dutch braids and her glasses on her nose are slightly skewed but something in his heart swells a bit when he sees the photo.

Dan Howell: I’m so glad!

Phil Lester: Excuse me if this is too creepy or weird but…would you like to get coffee sometime? I’d like to catch up.

***

Despite how his anxiety was welling higher and higher as he walked to the cafe on the corner of first and main, Dan was still excited to meet up with Phil to catch up. It had been two weeks since Phil messaged him about the flowers but he had to wait to meet up with Remi went back to her mom’s for the weekend.

But now here he is, opening the door and seeing Phil sat at a table in the corner, his lips sipping from a black mug. Dan lets out a deep breath and walks over to him, a small hop in his step.

“Hey.”

Phil looks up from his coffee and smiles. “Hey.”

“How are you?”

“Could be better.” Phil answers. “Dropping Remi off is always really hard.”

Dan sits down in the chair across from Phil and lets a sympathetic look come across his face. “I’m sorry.”

Phil shrugs. “It’s okay. Alyssa and I have been co-parenting Remi since she was born so it’s something I’m used to but it hurts more and more the older she gets.” Phil shakes his head. “But you don’t want to hear about this. Tell me about what you’ve been up to since we last spoke.”

And Dan does. He tells Phil about high school and how he was salutatorian and then he tells Phil how he tried going to college but realized it wasn’t for him and got a dead end job at Urban Outfitters for a few years before he found his job with Gina who was a coworker he had from UO.

They finally get on the topic of relationships and Dan goes first. “I had a boyfriend for a few years but we wanted two different things in life. He wanted to party and get drunk every night and have drunken sex and I wanted to actually live my life and it didn’t work.”

Phil shook his head. “My ex was the same way. He wanted to spend more time hanging onto me and clinging onto me but any time I told him about Remi, he recoiled. He never wanted to meet her and it hurt because Remi will always be the first person in my life before anyone else.”

Dan tried to not linger on the word ‘he’ but he couldn’t help it.

“Remi is such an important part of your life,” Dan says. “If someone doesn’t want to meet her, they don’t belong in yours.”

Phil smiled at Dan and nodded. There was a silence between them for a moment before Phil looks up from his gaze at the table and smiles. “Dan?”

“Yeah.”

“Would I be too forward to ask if you would let me take you out on a date this weekend?”

***

They date for two months before Dan is introduced to Remi. Phil explains that he wants to make sure that Dan is serious about taking on a commitment of being in Remi’s life with Phil and he agrees almost instantly. Of course their relationship is new but they both knew from the moment they walked out of the coffee shop that they were supposed to have met again. It was fate telling them so.

They both felt the connection.

Their first date, they wind up at Dan’s apartment and it’s the best sex Dan’s ever had and despite all of that, waking up next to Phil convinces Dan that he’s the man he wants to wake up to the rest of his life.

The day Dan meets Remi, they go to the park together and he watches and plays with Remi on the swings as Phil watches. At the end of the day, Remi gives him a hug and then tells Phil how much she likes him and it makes a tear come from Dan’s eyes.

One year after they start dating, Dan moves in with Phil and Remi begins to call him her step-dad. He meets Alyssa and he feels more than happy when she welcomes him with open arms into Remi’s life. She even says she remembers him from high school.

And Dan still works at the flower shop with Gina but now instead of staring out the window and wondering where his life is going, he gets to stare at his ring finger and think about where his future is heading with Phil and Remi by his side.

And all of this happened because Phil came to them to do her flowers for her birthday.

#phan #phanfiction #phanfic #fluff #smut #angst #princesslexi763fics #bingo fic fest

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kathyprior4200 · 4 years

Text

Alastor Interview

Part 1: “I’ll Steal The Limelight!”

On a TV screen, the 666 News logo appeared in neon outlines. A skeletal blonde woman was sitting at a desk, wearing a red dress and a pearl necklace. She had wide eyes, sharp teeth and bright red lipstick on. She was the news anchor of Hell, Katie Killjoy. Next to her was a man with a face mask for a face. He had short white hair and wore a business suit. He was Tom Trench.

“Good afternoon to Hell’s First Circle!” said the woman. “I’m Katie Killjoy.”

“And I’m Tom Trench,” the man added.

“Another drug dealing brawl is taking place by the 666 Store along Maim Avenue and Broadslay Street.”

The image showed a tall great white shark wearing a teal suit and an anchor necklace, snarling at a tall black spider wearing torn jeans and a t shirt. Both started fighting, the shark chomping at the spider, almost biting off his neck.

“That’s right,” said Tom. “The loan shark wasn’t very happy that Black Widow the Third didn’t pay him back for the bag of cocaine. Instead, he got high off the cocaine, stole the shark’s stash of meth and sold it to an arachnid mafia at an even higher price!”

The spider screamed as the shark opened his maw, rows of sharp teeth shining.

“Looks like Black Widow is in the jaws of fate this time,” Tom added as a loud snap shook the miniature screen.

The screen changed to a red wall displaying plaques with fancy papers taped onto them. “Employee of the Month” was printed in headline format at the top and a row of smiling black and white pictures of Katie.

“Now for a special public program, here at 5! To commemorate me earning “Employee of the Month” for the tenth time in a row this year, me and Tom will be answering a series of questions in an exclusive live interview!”

She fluffed her short hair.

“You may be wondering why 666 News is Hell’s number one news station. Well now, you can get a sneak peek behind the scenes as I explain to you folks how my hard work and stylish outlook made all of this possible!”

She spread out her arms with loud cracks, bonking Tom Trench in the head.

Tom Trench rubbed his head as Katie moved her arms back and put her hands together in front of her.

“If you would like to apply to be part of the set and news crew, please call the number on your screen, 1-800-666–NEWS or go online at 666news applications.com.”

“Gays need not apply,” Katie added, with jazz hands.

Fast rapid music followed as the logo appeared again, and the words “Exclusive Interview with Katie Killjoy (and limp dick Tom Trench)!” appeared in stylish gold letters.

After the I.M.P. jingle played, the screen cut back to the two news anchors sitting at their desks.

A rapid knocking sounded from Tom’s left.

“Oh, that must be our two never-before seen interviewers,” Tom said. “Brain Brimstone and Cecilia May! Come on in!” He stood up.

The sound of footsteps, muffled grunts, and dragging steadily grew. Two shadow figures were thrown off-screen with thuds on the floor. Tom Trench took one look at the third figure and took several steps back. He breathed out loud in surprise.

Katie scratched her nails on the desk and looked over. “What now, Tom?!”

“Why hello there, news people!” said a loud radio voice. “Fancy seeing you here!”

Both of them were staring into the pale, red-eyed face of Alastor. He wore his usual long blood red dress coat, dark pants and black shoes. Dark gloves covered his four clawed hands. His hair was red and black and two small antlers were sticking up from his head between two furry tufts shaped like deer ears. A monocle rested under his right eye, connected by a thin chain.

“What a splendid surprise!” Katie chirped, looking at the camera. “The one and only Radio Demon has decided to join us for the interview. I hope he has some good questions up his sleeve, ‘cause I’d be more than happy to answer them.” She smirked and swayed her hips suggestively.

Alastor laughed forcefully. “Nonono, that’s not what I came here for. You see…” he mentioned to the two demons in the background, slowly getting up. “I came across those two fellows who were chatting about interviewing someone important. Seeing how easily bored I can get, I decided to follow them to your station to see what all the commotion was about. It was pretty funny seeing the terrified looks on their faces when they turned around and saw me. They were going to come in, but I brought them here for you. Wasn’t that so considerate of me?”

Katie and Tom Trench looked at each other, worry on both of their faces. Katie cleared her throat and cracked her neck, standing up. “Well, then, shall we get started? Take a seat and let’s begin with your first question.”

“Sure,” said Alastor, not moving, a smile on his face. “Here’s one, may I take things over from here? I’ve been bored as usual and I believe it’s my turn to provide some fun for the sinners.”

Tom Trench gulped, whole Katie narrowed her eyes.

“Excuse me, sir, but this is my program. I’ve been named the best employee and news anchor for ten months now! This is a perfect way to increase the good ratings! I’m the star who answers the questions, not you.”

She blew him a kiss. Tom’s eyes grew wide as he realized Katie’s big mistake. He shook his head, but Katie ignored him.

“My dear,” said Alastor, leaning closer, eyes glowing. “That wasn’t a request. This is my show now. Broadcasting on the radio is fine and dandy, but I enjoy looking for new entertainment platforms.” His microphone staff lit up.

Katie gave him a side hug. “My time is money, good sir, so I suggest we get started.”

A low growl rumbled from Alastor’s throat. He forcefully shoved her away. “Touch me again, and I’ll break your already broken body.”

“Why I never!” she responded. Katie transformed into her insect form, eyes glowing, pinchers out. “Get out of my studio!”

Alastor’s eyes turned into red radio dials. He spoke in a low voice. “How about, no. If any dumb Dora needs to get out, it’s you.”

Before Katie could react, she found herself ensnared by a couple black tentacles snaking around her feet, one wrapped around her right wrist.

“Let go of me!”

Tom Trench was yelling and hanging upside down by more tentacles grabbing onto his legs. Katie tripped in her red high heels and fell to the ground. A flaming portal formed from the floor nearby. Katie dragged her nails into the floor, scratching sounds piercing the air as she was pulled in further against her will.

“Why won’t anyone help me?!” Tom yelled as he was swung in the air as the crew fled the scene.

Katie swore loudly and screamed again as she fell through the portal.

Monstrous roars and yells came from below. After a few minutes, a tentacle flung Katie back up and onto the floor. Her body was shaking and her dress was torn. There were cuts all over face and arms. Her eyes were briefly red, her pale face full of fear.

She stood on shaky legs and mumbled to herself.

“Those visions…my studio gone…crushed again…they rejected me…”

Alastor’s shadow let out a bone-chilling laugh and spoke in reverse: “.der ni dalc nomed eht eraweB”

Katie had gotten a glimpse of her worst subconscious fears and her past. Her parents comparing their worthless daughter to beauty patents in magazines…being fined for animal abuse…the press badmouthing her after being on air for the first time…a wealthy boyfriend rejecting her for a brunette model…smoking and gasping for breath…cameras and machinery falling and crushing her to death…

But her worst fear at the moment was a red and black haired man, glaring at her with glowing red eyes. She screamed and scurried out of the room. Tom Trench was thrown by a tentacle out a window, glass shattering. The portal in the floor closed.

“Apologizes folks, but now that those two are gone, it’s time to begin my show with those two over there.”

Alastor’s shadow appeared and floated around him. With a snap of his fingers, the 666 News logo on the wall was replaced with large red letters reading “The Alastor Show!” The two demon interviewers hovered over in the air, surrounded by red auras. They were dropped into leather chairs. The desk vanished and Alastor sat in a tall leather chair of his own, with antlers extending from the top.

He beamed at the two in front of him. He stood up and walked over to Brian Brimstone. “The name’s Alastor, it’s a pleasure meeting you. And you are?”

“Brian,” he said in a quiet voice.

“Great to have you here. And you, what’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Cecilia.”

“Pleasure to meet you as well!”

He sat back down. “So you’re here to interview me, yes? Well feel free to ask whatever you’d like. No pressure or anything. But I do warn you, the price for asking any personal questions, is your souls. Are we good?”

Both nodded.

“Excellent! To make this even more entertaining, I’ve invited some fine imps from Immediate Murder Professionals to join us.”

Blitzo, Moxxie, and Millie opened up a portal to Earth, a circle of flames between space and time.

“I paid them several souls to create an opening for the living world. Thanks to them, I can now broadcast this interview to those on Earth. While I provide some dad jokes and murder broadcasts for a while, these two here will travel to Earth and talk to the human mortals. If they have any questions they’d like to ask me, then my two associates will report back to me in the next hour. Have fun, you two!”

Brian and Cecilia were tossed into the portal off screen.

“By the way, did you hear about the day two radios got married? The wedding was great but the reception was awesome!”

He laughed out loud as a shadow spirit did a “ba dum tis” sound effect on a drum set. “Hahaha! Oh that one never gets old! For my radio listeners out there, just a reminder that my show starts Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 6:06 AM. Get it? A M.” He laughed again.

“Tune in after the break. The Alastor Show is proudly sponsored by: “Dan’s Cannibalicious Cooking Segment. It’s Damn Delicious! By Murder King’s large Fat Nugget Bacon Burgers. The Perfect Snack for a Heart Attack. And by Princess Charlie’s Hazbin Hotel. The place to stay to wash your sins away!”

Part 2: “I’ll Make Music!”

“Welcome back everyone!” Alastor said happily. The two interviewer demons scurried out of the portal and took their places behind the camera in their chairs. The interviewers, obscured by darkness flinched as Alastor’s shadow hovered between the chairs, growling and showing sharp teeth. Antlers extended from the shadow’s head. Alastor continued. “As you can see, my two interviewers just came back from their journey to talk to the humans. They now have their questions ready. So, without further ado…let the show begin.”

Brian cleared his throat. So…uh…we picked up several questions for the humans and…those in an exclusive group seem to know a lot about what goes on in this version of Hell. They call themselves “Hazbin Hotel fans or supporters.”

Alastor shook his head and chuckled. “How can any mortal possibly know about the Hazbin Hotel?” He spoke in a low whisper. “It’s nothing more than a pit and a joke if you ask me.” He spoke up, “But hey, I was happy to help out and rejuvenate the place. I just summoned Husk and Niffty, my associates to help assist Charlie and her friends. I believe they are named Vaggie and Angel Dust. I was there to seek out entertainment, to find a cure for my nagging boredom.”

Alastor’s shadow laughed. “.enorht s’reficuL ekat ot nalp ew dnA”

Understanding his shadow, Alastor whirled around and spat, “Shut it!” The shadow apologized in French and retreated.

“Where were we? Oh of course. The Hazbin Hotel. You say people know about it? Probably from I.M.P. I imagine.”

“No, sir. They say you’re part of a show they watch.”

Alastor chuckled. “Aren’t we all the stars of our own shows? For me, there’s an audience out there just waiting to see what I’m capable of. Like I say, the world is a stage!”

Cecilia turned to Brain in the darkness, “Don’t try and explain it to him. We’re breaking the 4th wall enough as it is.”

Alastor’s microphone staff lit up. “Hello there, fellow humans! I’m your host, Alastor, the only and only Radio Demon! I can’t really see you as I’m in the fiery depth of Hell, but I hope you’re doing swell wherever you live.”

“And the 4th wall has been broken,” Brain muttered.

“Now that both demons and humans can witness this interview, let’s get started. Now, state your questions.”

Cecelia looked at the list.

“Question 1: What instruments do you like to play?”

“Glad you asked,” said Alastor. “I enjoy playing the piano, trumpet, and saxophone. Electro Swing and Jazz are my favorite types of music.” Shadow spirits rose up from the ground and began to play a jazzy tune. He moved his body to the beat and hummed along. “Music has always been central in my life. Growing up in New Orleans back in the day, jazz was everywhere there. Singing and dancing was my way of bonding with people, plus it was a great hobby to do in my spare time. Well, besides murdering people and eating them.”

Alastor’s eyes lit up. “Oh ho ho ho ho! I have a special surprise for you folks. With the help of Blitzo and his crew, I was able to track down a curious British fellow who had invented a very unique musical instrument. What was his name again?”

Blitzo looked up from a computer. “LOOK MUM, NO COMPUTER.”

“No need to shout it out, good sir. Are you sure that’s his name?”

“It’s written in all caps. That’s what he calls himself.”

“Whatever. Mortals sure are strange. Anyway…”

He snapped his fingers and a large object was covered with a black tarp. I present to you…one of my favorite instruments to play, when no one’s looking…”

The shadow spirits did a drum roll…

The tarp was lifted away into the air…

“The Furby Organ!”

It was a grotesque combination of an old fashioned organ and a children’s plaything. The organ had a wooden stool to sit down on and a row of white and black piano keys. The frame was polished oak.

Six long rows of colorful furry robotic toys stood close together like toys displayed in a shop. The furbies had long soft ears, yellow bird becks for noses and little mouths that could open and close. Their large plastic eyes opened and closed at random…their eyes looking disturbingly like human eyes. They all had soft furry feet to hold them upright. Their fur was a variety of colors: gray white, blue and black, brown, orange and red, and yellow. There were 44 furbies in total, all hooked up by a complex array of colorful wires criss-crossing in the back of the machine.

Below the furbies was a series of round metal knobs with notes as letters written in silver sharpie below them. Slightly larger knobs were off to the right. One of the switches was labeled “wake” another, “vowel” and another, “loop.” “LOOK MUM, NO COMPUTER” was written on the front.

A tall white young man stuck out his head from the portal with a shocked and angry expression. His hair was dark and slightly messy.

“Hey, you there! I saw you and some gazelles steal my instrument the other day. I’d like it back!”

Blitzo fumed. “It’s imps to you, ya piece of…”

“Ha! No,” Alastor cut in, pushing Blitzo back. “I believe this marvelous organ belongs to me now. You’re smart. Go make another one.”

The YouTuber stood, flabbergasted. “You don’t know how much I spent on those furbies!” he exclaimed. “They’re rare to find. I wanted to find a use for them and I’m still not done with it.”

“I must say, I’m quite impressed with your work,” Alastor mentioned, running his hand on the polished wood. “It looks done to me. Go make me some more, and I might consider sparing you.”

“What?! What the heck even are you?” the man asked.

“Alastor, Radio Demon, pleased to meet you! Now sit back and enjoy the show, No Computer Man!”

“That’s not my name…” he began, before he was held in place with a yelp by several shadow spirits.

Alastor sat down at the stool as the camera was focused on him.

“Please sir,” said the YouTuber. “Just let me have my machine and I’ll be on my way.”

“Sure, okay, go ahead,” said Alastor. He waved his hand and the silver letters changed to red on the black front structure. “LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER” changed to “ALASTOR RADIO DEMON.” Red voodoo symbols decorated the front and sides of the instrument. “But first, I’d like you to hear me play my favorite song, “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile! Congratulations, human…you’ve got a front-row seat!”

He moved his eyes over toward a switch to the far right of the machine. Below the switch read “Collective Awakening,” in silver letters.

He hovered a long finger over the switch, his grin growing wider.

The man’s eyes widened in fear. “No, no, don’t…” He couldn’t explain where his internal fear was coming from.

But he knew the answer soon enough once Alastor flicked the switch upwards.

All at once, the furbies came to life in a high-pitched discordant. The ears, eyes and mouths of the toys moved on their own accord. The furbies’ voices overlapped each other, almost sounding like screams. A few furbies were still and asleep, unaware of their Matrix-like fate of being part of a musical machine.

Alastor sat down on the stool and laughed. He played around with the knobs and notes. The furbies’ eyes glowed red. He turned the loop button and the furbies screeched and stopped in mid sound. He began to play the keys expertly with his fingers as he sang out loud in his radio voice:

“Hey Hobo Sinner, hey Dapper Winner

You’ve both got your style

But brother you’re never fully dressed without a smile!”

“Your clothes may be, Beau Brummelly

They stand out a mile

But brother, you’re never fully dressed without a smile!”

He snapped his fingers and Rosie, Mimzy and Charlie were lifted up from portals via tentacles. Charlie looked around, her pale face framed by her blonde hair, red circles on her cheeks.

“Alastor…what’s going on?!”

“My lovely companions!” he introduced.

Mimzy giggled and danced along. Rosie, having agreed to the plan prior, also hummed along.

The three of them did the backup sounds: “Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo doo…”

“Who cares what they’re wearing

On Maim Street or Inferno Row

It’s what you wear from ear to ear!”

He held up two severed ears…

“…and not from head to toe…”

A severed head and toes appeared in his other hand…

“That ma- ah- ah- ters…”

He took several bites of the human flesh and swallowed, playing a solo with the shrilling and singing of furbies. LOOK MUM, NO COMPUTER shut his eyes tight, trying in vain to get the shadows off him. Alastor tossed the parts aside for the imps to retrieve, along with a bag of souls and coins at the imps’ feet. He cleared his throat as he played some more.

“So room and board, so Overlord

So long for a while

Remember you’re never fully dressed without a smile!

It doesn’t matter how you dress…

Though you make look the best…

You’re never fully dressed without a smile!”

Charlie took one look at the furby organ and screamed. “What in Satan’s name is that thing?!”

“My fabulous furby organ!” Alastor exclaimed.

“It’s my invention!” the YouTuber yelled, eyes open.

“Who’s that?” Charlie asked.

Alastor ignored her and finished the song. The furbies talked and moved their mouths in a frenzy before falling still.

Audience clapping sounded from the microphone staff as Alastor stood and bowed.

“Thank, you, thank you! I hope you all enjoyed my little performance. Now to send everyone home.”

He snapped his fingers and the shadows gently carried LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER back through the portal and into the human world. The portal closed behind him, leaving the YouTuber with nothing but a pamphlet advertising the Hazbin Hotel. Under the pamphlet was a hard piece of paper with detailed instructions on how to build another organ made of scales and sea creatures…complete with Baxter’s signature.

Charlie protested but she was soon sent back to the Hazbin Hotel through another portal. Mimzy waved goodbye and Rosie led the way out the door.

After playing several more songs, Alastor snapped his fingers. The organ vanished back to his interdimensional lair and the imps were sent on their way.

Part 3: “I’ll Annihilate Your Assumptions!”

“Alright, next question,” said Brian. “Question 2: Why were you made asexual?”

“Pardon me?” He titled his head in confusion.

“Asexual. Aromantic. Not interested in love?”

“I don’t know what you mean by that. Where did those peculiar terms come from?”

“Well, don’t you know about heterosexuality and homosexuality? Being straight or gay? Everyone uses them.”

Alastor shook his head. “I’ll never understand the random out-of-the-blue labels that you modern folk use. Asexuality? That didn’t exist in my time.”

Brain stared, confused from his seat. “Ok, boomer.”

Alastor snapped his fingers and an explosion tore open a hole in the wall right behind Brain. He yelped in fright.

“Was that a good enough boom for you? Angel Dust told me that “ok boomer” was somehow an insult. I could make you explode, oh that would be fun!”

“Nononono! I didn’t mean anything!” Brian called, in a stuttering voice.

“Alright, let’s fix that wall,” Alastor mentioned.

He snapped his fingers and the formerly broken white wall became a repaired red wall with golden antler designs on it. A black and white picture of a dark skinned woman hung nearby.

The camera focused on Alastor walking up to the wall where the picture was and briefly embracing it.

“Hey, I gotta get my hugs sometime when I’m alone.” He stood up and walked back to his seat. The picture disappeared.

“Alright, about this “asexual” business. Let me explain the best way I can,” said Alastor. “When I was alive, nearly everyone assumed that men liked women and vice versa. Those who did behaviors outside the norm were arrested or imprisoned. At the earliest, that “heterosexuality” term…meant someone with an abnormal passion for the opposite sex. There were no official terms…you were either accepted or condemned by others. As for me…I wasn’t interested in men or women. Dealing with messy emotions and meeting other’s expectations wasn’t worth my time. Sure, I had my fair share of friends male and female…and yes, I did enjoy flirting and touching the ladies. Kind of amusing and pathetic how they could fall for me just like that. Humanity…so gullible! So easy to dance with the women, give them compliments, lure them into my house, and then watch as they screamed for their lives in my basement. I’ve found dames to be the much more tender gender…”

He licked his lips.

Brian and Cecilia shivered in their seats, legs ready to spring and flee.

Alastor shook his head, and spoke back in his normal voice. “Oh sorry about that. I got lost in my thoughts. So, what was the question again?”

Brian repeated it.

“No one is “made” into anything. I was born who I am and then was raised with certain beliefs. Were you born to love the opposite sex? Was I somehow destined to become a demon? No one really knows the answers.”

A pause.

A narrowing of red eyes.

“I can sense that these questions are becoming more personal…”

“Okay, okay,” said Cecelia in a trembling voice. “We won’t ask anything else…”

“On the contrary, it’s quite enjoyable to let my thoughts out,” he said. He snapped his fingers. The doors slammed shut and the locks clicked into place.

“Stay tuned for more, next time on The Alastor Show. For now, you can only imagine what fate I have in store for my guests.”

His microphone blinked off and the TV screens burst into static.

Brain and Cecelia found their arms and legs pinned down by red magic.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you guys escape. Wouldn’t want anyone to taint my reputation by revealing personal details. I mean, heheheh, you still have lots of questions to ask me, and I wouldn’t want to be dismissive of your hard work. But how to dispose of you when the interviews end…”

The shadow hovered by Alastor and whispered in his ear.

“.senob rieht htiw yalp nac sllod oodoov eht dna meht no tsaef em teL”

“Oh, that’s a great idea, Rotsala! Then again, I always have great ideas.” The shadow grinned and sat in a shadow chair beside Alastor.

“In regards to your strange question…why would I love anybody down in Hell?” He burst into laughter. “They’re all a bunch of lost causes anyway! I do make deals here and there but I just use people for my own entertainment. I’m not interested in any sexual activity. Those like that pervert Angel Dust…they can just do their own thing far away from me.”

“But,” he continued, “I will say this. I don’t want to see dear Charlie and her friends get hurt. Especially by my rivals Vox and Valentino and other sinners and demons. I should be the one who decides what to do with them. Those who harm me or my associates would be in for a rude awakening.”

“Um,” said Cecelia. “You’re not gonna…you know…”

Oh, don’t worry, they’re still safe and sound at the hotel. I’m just taking a break. Dear, if I wanted to hurt anyone here…”

He paused…

“I would just get bored again later,” he said in a normal voice.

Cecelia and Brian looked at each other.

“What?” Alastor asked with a smirk. “You thought I was going to say something else?”

“The fans do love it when you’re creepy…” Brian mumbled.

“What was that?”

“N-nothing.”

Alastor held out his hands and a plate of shrimp, sausage, rice, and vegetables appeared on a small table that emerged from a small portal.

“Jamabalya?” he offered with a smile. “It’s my mother’s special recipe.”

The two demons dug in off screen while Alastor enjoyed the dish as well.

“Yes,” said Alastor after they had finished eating. “I’m affectionate with my friends, but I’m not into sex and romance. I assume that not many humans or you demons understand that.”

“Uh…yes we do,” said Cecelia, her voice trembling. “Yeah, I have a friend who’s not into romance…”

Alastor held up a hand. “Of course you wouldn’t. None of you would. Only I can understand my feelings and aversion to intimacy. My Creole heritage, my love of Hoodoo, Voodoo, the radio, and theater…the thrill and desperation when I hunted my own kind during the Depression…No. I’ll remain an elusive enigma to all of you.”

Part 4: “I’ll Tell You About The One I Truly Love”

“Is there…anyone you do love?” Cecelia asked.

“Like I said before,” Alastor mentioned, “I don’t care much for anyone in Hell. However…” His red eyes took on a faraway look, the shades of red descending into darker shades of red, until ending at black holes.

“I loved my dear mama with all my heart. Back when we lived together in New Orleans in a small house by the bayou not too far from town. Others called her by her name, Loretta Duvalier. Beautiful lady, dark skin, black curly short hair, loved to wear red cotton dresses and dapper hats.”

“Wow,” Brain breathed. “I didn’t know she had a name.”

Alastor scoffed. “I didn’t know you had an identity, but here we are. As a matter of fact, no one else knows what you and your friend look like. Even the camera doesn’t want to know.”

“Why you disoriented, deer-brained…”

Brain strained to lift up his arms in the darkness, reaching for the camera in vain.

“Goodness, don’t wear yourself out just yet,” Alastor chuckled. “I still have more to tell you!”

“You have no soul, redhead!” he sputtered out.

“That’s because I need live souls to warm me up,” Alastor retorted. “Be patient; you’ll be next soon enough.”

Brain stilled in defeat.

“That’s better. Moving on.”

He cleared his throat. “In case any of you are wondering what I looked like as a radio host and serial killer as a human…”

Morphing from shadow, was a black and white picture that appeared in Alastor’s hand. It briefly revealed colors. A young man grinned widely, wearing a white buttoned shirt, a sandy red shirt over the white one, dark gray pants and a black bow tie underneath his pointed chin. His hair was short and brown, with a faint reddish tint that sometimes shined in the light. Light brown skin, brown analytical eyes, and a pair of round glasses. He held a dark gray hand-held microphone in his right hand.

“I…thought you were white…” Cecelia added. “All the fan art and the comics say you are.”

“What exactly is ‘fan art?’” he asked. “You seriously want to believe what is portrayed in the human world? And just after an hour? You’re even more stupid than I thought.”

“I am part French, part Creole,” he continued. “My race and my personality were several reasons why I was bullied throughout my school years…and my working life. You two should be grateful to be getting these facts first hand. I almost never tell these to anyone.”

In a blink of an eye, Alastor walked over and twisted Brain’s arm hard.

A wailing wheezing scream followed a millisecond after the sickening crack. Moments later, he did the same thing with one of his legs. The demon yowled again.

“Heh, it seems that my stories cost you an arm and a leg to listen to,” he smirked. The smiling shadow spirit did the “ba dum tis” sound effect on the drums again.

“Anyway, back to my dear mother, Loretta. She once made a recipe for Jambalaya that nearly killed her. Mind you, this was before she died from an illness and I had her for dinner in despair. You see, several of the voodoo deities liked to consume rum, blood, and gunpowder in the legends. She had a bit too much Southern Comfort drink and she put gunpowder and wasabi sauce in the jambalaya. The stove was on and some of the powder exploded in her face. I warned her not to eat it, but she decided, with her face all charred, that she would taste test it. The wasabi sauce almost gave her a heart attack and I had to take care of her for a while. But when I tried the dish…it was so spicy and so splendid!”

He burst out into laughter.

“Oh,” said Brain, through pained gasps. “That’s what you meant when you said that her recipe nearly killed her and that the kick was right outta Hell.”

The shadow spirit did the drum effect again.

“That’s seriously getting annoying,” Cecelia complained.

“And so are you,” he retorted before continuing.

“My mom told me that her mother was a well-respected Voodoo Priestess and Hoodoo oral traditionalist. She followed in her footsteps, though like many women during the time, she worked in second-class jobs, not very well-paid. I remember her warning me not to delve too deep into the dark Loas and evil magic. She also said, “Never resort to cannibalism unless as a last resort.” Well, she only ate one human who had already died of starvation, and that’s when we had no food for several days. When it came to the Great Depression…it was both survival and the thrill that got me into cannibalism. Oh the irony!”

“W-where is she now?” Brain asked.

“In Heaven, of course. She went there because she was pretty much the only light in my human life. She comforted me after my father and uncle…took advantage of me. My father and uncle were sent to Hell for obvious reasons.”

His smile appeared strained.

“You know…it’s okay to show emotion other than happiness all the time,” Cecilia said.

“Frowning makes one weak,” Alastor replied. “Both my parents told me that. I’ll never forget mother’s saying she often used, “Always remember to smile, Alastor. You gotta appear confident and fully dressed to others.” I can see why she told me that, with the racism and the lavish-centered culture back then…”

“Will you ever get to see her?” she asked.

“Not with being stuck down here,” he replied. “Charlie’s whole plan of “redemption” is a big joke. But, since she’s nice enough, I still want to help her out…for entertainment, of course.”

“I bet you secretly want her plan to work so you can go back to Heaven to reunite with her!” Cecelia claimed. “He wants to dance with Charlie and love her forever and ever!”

“Or,” Brain countered. “He wants to lure her into a sense of false security so he can take over Hell and be king!” He spoke in a high voice, “Oh Charlie, if only there was someone who actually loved your hotel and ideas!”

Radio static filled the room. “Assumptions, assumptions,” Alastor growled. “I tell you facts about my life and here you go making up stories to fit your puny ideals! You’re even lower than the mortal humans. I’m usually very kind and patient…but I’m literally this close to ripping your eyes out and leaving your corpses for the voodoo imps to feed on.��

“.ti od ,erofeb dias I tahw s’thaT”

“That’s what I said before, do it.”

“Not now,” Alastor hissed to his shadow.

He turned back to them. “Only questions come from you two. Not another word, unless you want me to use your tongues for decoration.” His voice lowered. “You hear me loud and clear?”

Both interviewer demons nodded.

“Good. Now, let’s move forward.”

Part 5: “I’ll Describe Rosie and Mimzy, My Fellow Female Friends!”

Part 4: “About Charlastor…”

Part 5: “About RadioDust…”

Part 6: “Other shippings?”

Part 7: “Gender and race of my victims doesn’t matter”

#hazbinhotel #alastor #furbyorgan #radiodemon

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cheddar-the-dog · 4 years

Text

b99 the podcast episode 5:

ain‘t no heist like a halloween heist

@jake-and-ames and I have summarized what we think are the highlights of the fifth episode of the brooklyn nine-nine podcast. maybe those of you who can’t listen to the podcast for whatever reason can profit from it a bit

under the cut as usual

[[MORE]]

Part 1 with Melissa Fumero, David Phillips, Cortney Carrillo

they expected the heist episode to be a one-off thing but the reception was so good they decided to do more of these episodes

inspiration were Halloween episodes of different shows

eventually it was a given that there‘ll be a heist episode

there is a video of Mel geeking out because she‘s on a harness going through the ceiling in S1 like in Mission Impossible

there’s generally a lot of MI elements

the Halloween episodes are especially long shoots

shooting the Handmaiden scene in S5 took so long that Mel started texting with a friend and they did astrology charts of people and analyzed them together

initially in the 3rd halloween heist the woman opening the door on the 16th floor was supposed to be Kylie but the writers didnt feel it was right so they changed it

they didnt plan Terry hating heists to use that as a tactic later on but they realized in S5 that they could use it in S6

roman numerals are used for many things in the writer‘s room but they only stuck for the heist episodes

for one of the heists (sorry I didn’t catch which one) they tried emulating the Ocean‘s 11 score

when Holt explains the whole flutist thing there is a flute playing in the background

there’s a “Babysitter’s Club” theme when Amy and Rosa team up and there’s a few instances when Mel and Steph tried sneaking in the theme song

HalloVeen: the cold open is Mel‘s favorite

‘you’re being so mean do it harder’ was an alt-line and thats how that bit became a thing

the Jake/Amy dynamic in HalloVeen is a throwback to early Jake/Amy dynamics

Andy ripping Andre’s shirt open and vice versa was done in one take

where does Bill come from? the writers felt like they wrote themselves into a hole with Bill because they worried it wouldnt be funny or they wouldnt find an actor who could make it work

but they saw the actor for Bill walk into the audition room and they knew it would work with him, and he can imitate Joe very well

there were theories about next heist winners: Kevin or Cheddar

SPOILER: Scully‘s medical probems will be explored a bit more in S7

there weren’t a lot of people in the room when the proposal was filmed but a lot of production people came down before the filming, including Dan Goor - it made Mel realize that it‘s a meaningful moment and she says she wont forget how she felt

Andy came up with the “I love how you pretend to love Die Hard” line

they mention Andy‘s heart eyes and they talk about them and that one panel, when a girl in the audience asked him to look at her like that and she burst into tears immediately after

everyone loves how in the wedding what made Jake cry is Amy saying “your butt is the bomb“ and how he responded with “you’re my dream girl”

“Kevin and Holt should get their vows renewed” - MEJ

Part 2 with Alexis Jacks, Chris Call, Walter Eckert

property master is in charge of everything an actor touches and interacts with (watches, phones, computers, glasses, jewelry etc) not interior design in itself though

art director: overlooks the look of the show (sets, costumes, paint, architecture, design) makes sure it all gets done

set dressing and constructing: build sets and dresses it (sofas, tables, carpet etc)

costume department: 10 people (shoppers, continuity supervisors, fittings and dressers)

the characters have closets so the costumes can be reworn and give the characters and the show a “normal people” vibe

stuff gets changed mid-week and in the beginning people had to change a lot of things or scrap everything they compiled so far and start over so now they make drafts first because they expect changes mid-week before they start

if there’s bigger things that are needed the departments get a heads-up, also for calculations and adjustments

the B99-seamstress (they call her Monina so I’m assuming it’s Monina Arellano) is very low-key but a fast and impeccable worker and “a master” at what she does. she came to B99 after Parks ended

The Bullpen is a standing set (meaning it’s there the full year)

Shaw’s bar is a stage over but it gets taken down and sent away each season because they use that stage for different sets

The builders can construct and deconstruct stages in less than a day

a lot of props are get ordered online but many things are built from scratch

The cake in the cake shop was a prototype constructed of the Die Hard DVD Boxset (it comes in a Nakatomi tower) covered in fondant and a figurine scaling down on a string of licorice

the actual cake was never fully constructed, they built the shell of the broken tower in pieces, and laid them on the floor and then stuffed them with real cake

Gina’s statue was made of hard density foam and then spray painted

Cinco de Mayo Terry was spray painted and the clothing was color matched

Cummerbund: they created 2 belts with different inscriptions for HalloVeen

The belt in 6 was remade because they couldn’t find the original anymore

Terry wears suspenders because they wanted him to have a retro detective look and no jackets to show off his physique

Jake’s jeans are more often than not Andy’s own jeans

Holt wears either his uniform or navy suits to echo his work uniform

Rosa can run in her heeled boots but the show is not always accurate to actual work life and a real life detective would most likely not wear heeled boots to work

“Boyle is a Boyle” with tones of beige, butter and brown. the whole family wears it, even Nikolaj

Amy wore pant suits and now her uniform which is, like in reality, ill-fitting and when she’s out of work, Costumes try to put her in very casual clothing

the utility belts are super heavy so now it’s just foam and rubber. and there are belt keepers that snap the utility belt to the belt of your pants because otherwise you would have to strap it so tight that you cant move or it would pull all your clothing down with it (it carries a gun magazine, a baton, handcuffs, belt keepers, pepper spray, the Walkie-Talkie [case], a gloves pouch, taser etc)

the NYPD tasers are yellow but props went with black ones

props handle all real and fake weapons as long as they’re not automatic ones. then they’d have to bring in an Armor, a certified fire-arms specialist

they never used a real gun so far but air soft guns are used as the guns while shooting and gun shots are added in post

Props is also responsible for animals

there was a time when Props could go to a pet store and rent a hamster, shoot with it and bring it back now there’s an animal trainer for any animal you can think of

animal trainers have headshots of their animals as well and someone has to look at them and choose which animals they want to cast

#b99 #b99 the podcast #b99 podcast #brooklyn 99 podcast #brooklyn 99 the podcast #brooklyn nine nine the podcast #brooklyn nine nine podcast #brooklyn nine nine #brooklyn 99

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anistarrose · 5 years

Text

To See The Unseen - Ch. 2 (Gravity Falls)

Summary: Stan meets the mirror’s creator.

Warnings: a very brief description of a dead animal, and a character being hospitalized (no character death)

AO3: archiveofourown.org/works/20884673/chapters/49642817

Big thanks to @apathetic-revenant for betaing this chapter!

***

“I’ve never been more ready to go to bed in my life,” Wendy groaned as she led the way back to the Mystery Shack. “You think Stan will mind if I crash on your couch for a couple hours? My brothers will be awake and screaming their heads off by the time I get home.”

“Yeah, he probably won’t mind,” Dipper replied. “Just be sure to tell him we were camping. He’ll go ballistic if he found out we almost died in the Author’s doomsday bunker.”

“But only because he cares about us,” Mabel spoke up. Her sweater was still slightly damp, and she shivered in the brisk early morning breeze. “I mean, if I was him and you guys told me you fought a shapeshifter in a fallout shelter, I’d go ballistic too!”

“You WHAT?!” Stan gasped. “What did I tell you just the other day about looking for trouble with the Journal?!”

The kids kept walking, passing straight through him. Mabel shivered again, but other than that, they gave no sign of having heard his outburst.

“Even if I have been a hypocrite about it…” Stan whispered.

Wendy squinted at the Shack, raising a hand to shade her eyes from the morning sun. “Hey, am I so tired I’m hallucinating, or is that Blubs and Durland on the porch?”

“Oh, great. What did Stan do this time?” Dipper mumbled. “Hey, Soos, you should probably hide that laptop from them —”

“Pines kids!” Durland shouted. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here! Something terrible has happened!”

Soos, Wendy, and the twins stared at him with glazed-over, sleep-deprived eyes.

“You need us to… help solve a mystery?” Dipper asked.

“A murder mystery?” Mabel echoed, rubbing her eyes. “We have a kind-of-okay track record with those…”

“Whatever it is, I have an alibi,” Wendy muttered.

Blubs stepped forward, gaze fixed on the floorboards. “It’s about… it’s about your uncle.”

“Shit,” Stan mumbled. “Kids, whatever they say happened, I promise it’s not actually that bad —”

His voice cut off. Was that even true? He didn’t know a single thing about what being trapped in this gray mirror world meant for him — it easily could be not just ‘that bad,’ but even worse.

“Is Mr. Pines okay?” Soos asked. “What happened?!”

“He’s in the hospital. Dan Corduroy found him in the forest this morning, and… well, I’m no doctor, but apparently he didn’t seem injured and his vitals were all A-okay. He just… won’t wake up no matter what anyone tries.”

Mabel gasped, and Soos covered his mouth.

“Do — do you know how it happened?” Dipper stammered. “Was it one of the anomalies? How long has he been unconscious?”

Blubs sighed. “I’m so sorry, Dipper, but I don’t know a single thing. You know what — here, get into the squad car. I’ll drive you to the hospital so you can see him.”

Stan drifted after his family, watching as they piled into the police car. Mabel stared out the window, quieter than Stan had ever seen her before, while Dipper buried his nose in Journal 3, frantically flipping through pages so quickly he gave himself a paper cut.

“It’ll be alright,” Mabel told him without making eye contact. “The doctors will figure something out.”

“But what if they don’t?” Dipper asked. He didn’t seem to have even noticed his finger was bleeding. “What if medicine can’t help him, because it’s supernatural?” he continued in a voice barely above a whisper. “There’s no info about anything like this in the Journal — but if only I had the other volumes, then maybe they’d have something that could help. Something about how to cure him…”

“Oh, Dipper,” Stan murmured. “It just got me into this mess in the first place…”

***

Pacifica lay in bed, half-awake, for longer than usual that morning, until the sound of a servant knocking on her door startled her, and she finally crawled out from under the satin sheets. It took a few seconds of staring at the compact mirror resting atop her dresser before the events of the past night rushed back to her, and she shuddered.

The mirror still gave her bad vibes, even in broad daylight and outside of the infamously unnerving Gravity Falls forest. It reminded her of certain taxidermy-filled rooms of the mansion, especially the allegedly haunted one — there was just a sort of chill in the air around it, just barely subtle enough for you to convince yourself it was only your imagination acting up.

Even though she hadn’t changed out of her nightgown yet and would’ve looked ridiculous had anyone been around to see her, Pacifica put on a pair of gloves before opening the mirror. She was still going against both her gut feeling and basic common sense by examining the artifact at all, but she knew that if she hid it away now, there would eventually come a day when she grew so bored, she wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation any longer.

Despite bracing herself for the worst, nothing cataclysmic happened when she opened the mirror — no swarms of insects flew out, no bolts of dark magic incinerated her, and as far as she could tell, no deadly plagues seemed to be released into the world.

But although it wasn’t quite the Pandora’s Box she’d been expecting, it was most definitely supernatural. The mirror reflected everything in grayscale, except for her own body, which glowed blue. And the picture below…

Surprisingly, it looked incomplete. A broad-shouldered silhouette dressed in dark clothing stood in front of a row of trees, that much was clear, but most of the details were missing, especially around the completely blank area where a face should’ve been.

“Well, that’s freaky…” Pacifica was about to rummage through the contents of her desk, looking for a magnifying glass to examine the portrait more closely, when her maid knocked on her door again, and she reflexively snapped the mirror closed.

“Remember, your dance tutor will be arriving at ten o’clock sharp! You’d best be eating breakfast soon, unless you want to be late!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming!” Pacifica called back, shoving the mirror under her pillow as she hastily selected a dress from her closet and a necklace from her jewelry box before rushing to the bathroom. “I’ll be back for you,” she whispered to the mirror.

The mirror didn’t reply, but had it still been opened, Pacifica might’ve noticed that the portrait was ever-so-slowly growing closer to completion, adding a tie to the figure’s sharp black suit.

***

After a few minutes of asking the doctors one question after another, none of which they were able to answer, Dipper threw a glass of cold water in his face, adjusted his hat, and declared that he was off to investigate the place where Stan had been found, hoping to find some evidence that would lead to a cure. Wendy quickly announced she was going with him, which didn’t surprise Stan — he knew she’d never been fond of hospitals.

Figuring it would be smart to stay close to his body in case of a breakthrough, Stan didn’t follow Dipper and Wendy as they left, but still he overheard Dipper muttering to himself:

“I need to find the other Journals. One of them must have the answer to getting him back, somehow…”

“Come on, kid,” Stan whispered. “Don’t you go down this road too. It’s no fun to live your life like this, trust me…”

Mabel pulled her chair right up next to Stan’s hospital bed, and leaned up against him, burying her head in his spare pillow. Soos sat on the other side of the room, half-heartedly flipping through hospital-provided health magazines and flinching almost every time Stan’s heart monitor beeped. Like Pacifica, neither of them had reacted to the pale blue glow that Stan could see coming from beneath his body’s half-closed eyelids.

He tried to give Mabel a reassuring pat on the back, to no avail. Her breathing slowed as his hand passed through her shoulder, and for a second he was afraid he’d hurt her somehow, but then she began to snore quietly, and he realized she’d just fallen asleep.

“What am I gonna do, Soos?” Stan asked. “I can’t get back in my body, I can’t tell you what happened, I can’t even let you know I’m okay…”

A new, terrifying realization dawned on him. “I can’t operate the portal! I was so close to getting Ford back, so goddamn close! But how am I going to save him if I’m trapped in this mirror world?!”

“You could always do what he did, and get a little help from a friend!”

The voice wasn’t spoken out loud as much as it resonated in Stan’s mind, high-pitched and echoing in a way that made his nonexistent ears ache. He was also pretty sure he’d heard it before, even if he hadn’t been in the most coherent state at the time.

“I swear,” he growled, “if I turn around and see that screaming geometry dipshit from my nightmare last week, I’m gonna puke ghost guts all over that one-eyed piss-yellow triangular ass of his.”

The being behind him began to clap. “Go ahead and turn around, then! I’d love to see it!”

Stan turned, and sure enough, found himself facing a one-eyed, piss-yellow, triangular entity.

“Well? Where’s the ghost puke you promised me?”

“Shut the fuck up, Bill. That is your name, right? I gotta be sure you know exactly how much I hate your dumb whiny voice in particular.”

“Read about me in Fordsy’s journal, did you?” Bill asked, twirling his cane.

Stan raised a hand to his ear. “Huh, what’s that noise? ‘Cause it definitely isn’t a first grader’s math homework shutting the fuck up, that’s for sure!”

Bill let his cane go flying out of his grip and through the nearest wall, disappearing from view for a moment before popping back into existence in his other hand. “Oh, Stanley, Stanley, Stanley. I’m here to help you, just like I helped Sixer! So let’s not say anything we’ll end up regretting later —”

“Too late.” The cocky grin disappeared from Stan’s face as he made a fist. “No one calls Ford ‘Sixer’ but me, and you’re really gonna regret mixing that one up if I have anything to say about it.”

“Oh, my bad!” Bill shot back, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I didn’t mean to slight your precious sibling relationship, which you both clearly value SO much! If only I could make it up to you by… I dunno, saving you from ETERNAL IMPRISONMENT?!”

“I’ve broken out of prison in three different countries, I’ll be fine on my own. Also, I know you tried to hurt my family when you all went off on your wild goose chase through my mind — and call me overprotective of those kids if you want to, but in my book, that’s a pretty good reason not to make any dark magical contracts with you.”

For the first time, Bill looked genuinely looked caught off guard by one of Stan’s comebacks. “You were conscious for that? You know what, forget it. I —”

“Well, I mean, I was asleep — but I was definitely dreaming about you getting your ass kicked.”

“I said FORGET IT!” Bill snapped.

“Touchy subject, eh?”

“It was in the past! It doesn’t matter anymore!” Bill shouted. “You need my help and my deal now, Stanley Pines, and there’s no way around it!”

Stan floated lower, until he was able to roughly approximate sitting at the foot of the bed. “Well, looks like I’ve got all day to kill and nothing better to do. I’m not gonna listen, but you might as well start making your case anyway.”

Bill’s eye narrowed with glee, and he began to chuckle to himself, then cackle louder and louder until it felt like his laughter would never stop echoing inside Stan’s head.

“Here’s the thing, Stanley — you really don’t have all day at all! In fact, you have…”

With a burst of flame, he summoned a ticking gold pocketwatch in his hand. “Exactly twelve hours and two minutes!”

“Until what? I’m not gonna fold and cut a deal with you just because of a vague threat and a time limit — that’s like, even more basic than Manipulation 101.”

Bill laughed, and his pocketwatch cooed like a cuckoo clock as an avian skeleton sprung out of the hole in the center. “Twelve hours until your body stops breathing, obviously! It’ll be real sudden, too — no time for the doctors to switch you over to life support before your brain runs out of oxygen!” One of his arms extended as he reached over to Stan, rapping him on the skull. “Then again, I’m not sure you’re getting much blood flow up there in the first place. Certainly less than old Fordsy —”

“Why should I believe you?” Stan asked. “If I was a math nerd’s demonic fever dream, I’d be making up bullshit life-or-death ultimatums left and right. Who would be be dumb enough to make a bargain with me otherwise?”

“Oh, you’d be surprised. But to answer your question, just look at your own eyes, down there in your body! They’re not even glowing half as bright as when you first got flipped into the mindscape, and they’re only gonna keep getting dimmer until the connection’s gone altogether!”

Bill snapped his fingers, summoning a plume of blue flame in which an image of the mirror flickered into existence. “When that portrait in the compact is completed, exactly twenty-four hours from the moment you entered the mirror, you’ll be severed from the living world forever — and that’s not all! Your soul gets trapped inside that musty old picture to rot and fester until either someone new scries with the mirror, or eternity itself comes grinding to a halt at the end of the world! That’s the beauty of it: you get to be all-seeing — almost like me! — for exactly one day, but once that’s over, all you’ll ever see again is the inside of a closed compact!”

The image in the flames faded away as they swirled around Bill’s hand, which he extended in Stan’s direction. “But I can put you back in your body, and send the mirror’s previous prisoner back into the painting instead! I can save you, just like I saved your brother! Whaddya say?”

“Yeah, of course,” Stan answered, voice dripping with sarcasm. “All makes perfect sense to me. You just so happen to be the world’s leading expert on cursed mirror and equally cursed painting combos!”

“Well, why wouldn’t I be? I helped make the thing, after all!”

“Oh, did you? That explains why holding it instantly reminded me of my deep hatred for trigonometry.”

Bill ignored him. “You know, your brother wasn’t the only mortal I’ve been a Muse to! He was just the only one in recent memory who was actually USEFUL. I’ve appeared before countless pupils over the years, looking for someone who’d be smart, ambitious, and not to mention gullible enough to help me fulfill my vision — but before Six-Fingers, everyone fell short. And worse — some of them wouldn’t stop summoning me even after I’d given up on them! They kept asking me inane questions about the beginning of the universe and the meaning of life!”

His triangular body turned bright red and the flames surrounding him roared as he continued: “Life doesn’t HAVE a meaning! Humanity was put on the planet to reproduce, die, and make meaningless philosophical arguments in a desperate attempt to convince themselves that morality and ethics are worth anything in the callous void that is existence — what else did they want me to tell them?! Some saccharine bullshit about being born so they could make the world a better place?”

“So you got fed up, and made the mirror to trap one of your ex-pawns?” Stan asked.

The flames disappeared, and Bill seemed to calm down, turning yellow again. “You catch on faster than I thought you would! I tricked one of my most insufferable pupils into creating it, and sure enough, he hasn’t bothered me since!”

“So when Ford tried to scry with the mirror thirty something years ago, he freed that guy’s ghost — but you still thought Ford would still be useful, didn’t you?” Stan tried to keep his voice calm, but he was starting to get a good idea of just who had driven Ford to such paranoia and desperation thirty years ago, and he was fuming inside. “So you freed Ford by switching his place with the ghost of that first guy you trapped.”

“Exactly!” Bill cheered, rubbing his hands together. “And I can do the same for you — just give me the word, and you’ll be back in your body before you know it!”

“Let’s imagine a parallel universe where I was a dumbass and I did take your deal. What other conditions would you be hiding in the fine print?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be hiding it! I’d actually be rather upfront, just like I’m being right now!” Bill smacked Stan on the head with a roll of paper, which unfurled to reveal a document titled CONTRACT.

“All I’d ask is for you do owe me one tiny favor down the line — a chance for me to borrow your restored body for a few hours when the right moment rolls around! I mean, you’ve coped without it for this long — what’ll one more brief stint in the mindscape be to a pro like you?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to say FUCK NO to that. I know you’re used to dealing with my brother, the most gullible genius on the planet, but while he may have all the brains, I have some actual goddamn common sense.”

“But — but don’t you want to open the portal?” Bill asked him, a little too quickly. “I’d like to see you try and operate it without your body!”

“Well, yeah — but are you really expecting me to be able to activate it all on my own? Even with all the journals, I’ve still got no idea what I’m doing,” Stan lied. “I could just as easily flip the thing’s self-destruct switch as I could find the right settings to bring Ford back. I’ll feel guilty if I can’t at least try, but… it was a hell of a long shot in the first place. I accepted that a long time ago, even if I don’t like to admit it.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Bill shouted. “The thing doesn’t even HAVE a self-destruct switch! I — I could even sweeten the deal, if you want! I could help you turn it on! This has been thirty years in the making — you can’t just give up on it now! Also, did I forget to mention YOUR ETERNAL FUCKING IMPRISONMENT and SLOW, PAINFUL CORRUPTION INTO A REVENGE-BENT MONSTER?!”

Okay, so Bill really wants the portal activated for some reason, Stan thought to himself. Interesting.

Out loud, he told Bill: “I’ve been messing around with too much shit that I don’t understand since before you even showed up. I’m not adding a deal with a demon to that list, and that’s final. Besides, you’re forgetting that the kids will probably figure something out. They always do.”

“Well, that sure is a cute sentiment!” Bill shot back. “But you’re already as good as dead to them, Stanley. They can’t see you, they can’t hear you — and soon enough, if you don’t do something, they won’t be able to feel your heart beating in your body anymore either!”

“Oh, I do plan on doing something,” Stan replied with a straight face. “It just won’t be the something you want me to do.”

“My offer still stands!” Bill shouted as he disappeared in a burst of blue flames. “Just call my name once it sinks in how doomed you are without me, and I’ll be right there to shake your hand and seal the deal!”

Mabel, still asleep next to Stan’s body, let out a deep sigh as Bill vanished, but otherwise didn’t react to their conversation. She was hugging Stan’s arm and clutching handfuls of the bedsheet like it were the lifeline tying Stan to the world, and if only she held on tight enough, she’d be able to drag him back.

And maybe, in a roundabout way, she could.

“Bill said I’m all-seeing like him until my twelve hours are up,” Stan explained to her, even knowing it wouldn’t be heard. “So if you’ll bear with me here, Mabel…”

He placed his hand over her forehead, and closed his eyes.

“I’m gonna see if I can haunt dreams like him too.”

***

Pacifica’s dance lesson dragged on for over an hour, showing no signs of coming to an end until she claimed to be experiencing a dehydration-induced dizzy spell and her instructor reluctantly excused her, probably fearing a lawsuit. She headed back to her room right away, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her pillow — and the mirror beneath it — hadn’t been disturbed. She was going to have to find a better hiding place for it soon.

As she pulled out a map of the mansion, trying to think of nooks and crannies that no one ever checked, a thud from the hallway made her jump. She almost brushed it off, chalking it up to her imagination, when she heard it again, and then a third time, growing louder with each repetition.

It didn’t sound like footsteps — or at least, not the footsteps of any human. If anything, it sounded like solid stone was striking the hallway’s hardwood floor.

Pacifica watched, frozen in place, as a veil of smoke materialized around her doorknob, twisting it counterclockwise degree by degree as the door ever-so-slowly swung open —

And then she laughed, because what she was seeing in the hallway couldn’t have been further from the monster she’d been expecting.

“You’re a statue,” she snickered, and her visitor’s stone eyes lit up red.

Oh, but not just any statue, a voice boomed from inside the familiar face that had once watched over the town square. I’m Gravity Falls’ very own Nathaniel Northwest!

***

(End notes:)

I was very excited for this chapter since I don’t write a whole lot of Stan and Bill interacting (outside of Some Sunny Day, which was a whole different beast altogether). And sure enough, I had a ton of fun with Stan’s dialogue, which led to this chapter being about a thousand words longer than expected.

Anyways, comments/reblogs are appreciated as always!

#gravity falls #stanley pines #bill cipher #dipper pines #mabel pines #wendy corduroy #soos ramirez #pacifica northwest #fic: to see the unseen #rosalia writes fic

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