#to the point that fans are literally chasing them and giving them piles of fan letters by season 3 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ohthehypocrisy · 6 months

Text

Tropius for Pokemon Unite!

Season 1

Season 2

Prev: Cradily - Hatterene

Now, when I say that Gen 3 had a lot of great and unique designs, Tropius is included among them. I mean, a flying fruit bearing tree sauropod? Who else would’ve come up with this design if not for the directors at the helm of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire? If this pokemon was revealed nowadays, it would probably be ridiculed for how outlandish the concept is. And yet, for what it is, it’s probably what’s remembered the most about it. I mean, after three headed ostriches and piles of literal sludge, the bar has arguably been set very low for quite some time now. How can Tropius be any worse than that as a design?

Wait, we’re supposed to be talking about how great Tropius is. Uhh, dinosaurs are cool, especially flying trees. Imagine having one of these as your friend and it gives you free bananas every day. Yeah, that’d be great. I wish dinosaurs were real.

Too bad Tropius isn’t real in Pokemon Unite, yet.

Now, these stats aren’t all that bad, it’s just that a Grass/Flying typing doesn’t do these numbers any justice. High HP and decent bulk makes for a bulky pokemon, in lower tiers of play. Yeah, Tropius hasn’t had the best life all these years. I mean, with poor offensive stats and super low speed (seriously, it’s faster than the Regi Trio by 1 point!) this pokemon hardly has an impact on any facet of any situation it’s been in.

It’s better known for being a fruit bearing tree dino, and not even the ferocious kind. With nothing else going for it, I designate Tropius with the role of a...

Supporter

Basic Attack - Ranged/Sp. Attack

Becomes a boosted attack after three hits. When boosted, multiple leaves are scattered in a fan formation, reducing the movement speed of the enemy and Stunning them for a bit. Each time a berry is eaten, this boosted basic attack expands and increases its effect on the opposing pokemon. This number resets when the pokemon is KO’d.

At the start of each spawn, your boosted basic attack is a wide ranged leaf attack that reduces movement speed by 5% and Stuns for 0.2 seconds. The speed reduction effect lasts for 2 seconds. After a berry is eaten, the movement speed reduction effect increases by 5% more and enemies are Stunned for an additional 0.16 seconds. Oran Berries are included.

The boosted basic attack count increases to a maximum of 5. When maxed out, the maximum effect becomes; Movement Speed reduced by 30% and Stun for 1 second.

After eating berries and increasing the effect of the boosted basic attack, the increased effect is retained for the next boosted hit. The effect resets after being KO’d and respawned.

The boosted basic attack displays the level of effect gained next to your basic attack icon.

Now, you have to understand that Tropius is defined by its great love for fruits and berries, and that compels all aspects of its gameplay to lean into that. For instance, eating a berry improves how much stronger its boosted basic attack becomes, slowing down the enemy some more, on top of an annoying Stun effect. By itself, the boosted basic attack makes it very annoying to try and chase down Tropius, as the combined effects greatly hinder the enemy’s ability to move forward. So making it stronger by eating berries is sure to give the opposing team a stomachache.

Every time you eat a berry, your boosted basic attack ‘levels up’ and stays that way until you get KO’d, which incentivizes you to eat healthy. It’s also because berries are pretty rare in the late game, so it’s important to stay in tip top shape.

Of course, as a fruit producing tree dinosaur, Tropius actually has an easy time producing its own product to help itself out, as well as its teammates.

Ability: Harvest

Activate to spawn a Nanab berry that heals a little HP and reduces damage taken for a short while. Afterwards, the ability goes on cooldown for 30 seconds. Dealing damage to pokemon on the opposing team with your boosted basic attack and eating berries reduces the cooldown of this ability. When Harvest is active and you eat a field berry, the Nanab berry is replaced by the type of berry eaten. The replaced berry gains extra effects when consumed by you or an ally.

The Nanab Berry restores 15% of the HP of any ally who eats it. It will also reduce damage taken by 30% for 7.5 seconds. When activated, it drops directly in front of Tropius.

The ability goes on cooldown for 30 seconds. Damaging an enemy with your boosted basic attack reduces the cooldown by 1 second. Your moves will also reduce the cooldown by a set amount of time, which will be explained as the move is detailed.

Harvest’s cooldown is reduced by 5 seconds each time a berry is eaten, excluding Oran Berries.

When Harvest is ready to use, eating a field berry changes the Nanab Berry to the eaten berry instead. The eaten berry will then be spawned by you when Harvest is activated, and grants the same effects as the copied berry plus restore an additional 15% HP. Oran Berries are exempt.

The type of berry Harvest will spawn will be displayed on your HUD. It will be a Nanab Berry if no additional effects are in play. Otherwise, it can be changed to a Sitrus Berry or a Salac Berry when affected.

Isn’t there a saying that perfectly describes Tropius’ love for fruit? ‘You are what you have eaten’ or something to that effect? Actually I think it better describes Applin or Trubbish. Anyway, the ability to produce your own food is something very few animals have, like chickens. Am I comparing Tropius’ delicious berries to a chicken’s delicious egg? This is getting out of hand. Moving on.

So, when Harvest is used, a Nanab berry is dropped, as it’s the berry that closest resembles the bananas hanging off of Tropius’ neck. Why is it yellow anyway? Forget about that, being able to make berries from nothing makes you a walking vending machine for your teammates, as its hearty 15% HP recovery and defense boost is a savory snack at any time during battle. Side note, since the Nanab berry is a consumable berry, it can be stolen by Hoopa, the only other pokemon that can ‘make’ berries, so watch out for that crafty little thief.

Tropius is a real cultivar extraordinaire, as it can crossbreed the berry it produces with the ones it eats. And it’s not without difference, as the produced berry gains the effect of both the eaten berry and the Nanab Berry. For example, Sitrus Berries heal a flat 1500 HP when eaten, which is a lot or a little, depending on how much HP the pokemon eating them has. But when Tropius eats it while Harvest is ready, the resulting Berry spawned is a Sitrus Berry that heals 1500 HP plus an additional 15%, along with a very helpful damage reduction buff, same as the Nanab berry. This will also work with Salac Berries, granting a major movement speed buff along with all the extra healing and defense boost the Nanab berry would’ve provided.

This means that Tropius eating berries not only benefits you, but also your teammates when you use Harvest afterwards. You’re basically doubling a berry and increasing its effect for your team. Provided you’re diligently keeping your team healthy with your spawned berries.

Being able to reliably heal your allies provides the team with a valuable crutch later on in the game, as Sitrus Berries become rare or disappear altogether in the late game. Even so, there are other ways to actually make more berries than through just the Harvest Ability alone, as you’ll soon see.

At the start of the game, you can choose between Growth and Leaf Tornado as your first move. By Level 3, you’ll have learned both.

Move 1: Growth (Recovery)

Restores a little bit of HP and boosts your Attack and Sp. Attack by a little bit. Reduces the cooldown of Harvest by 5 seconds. If Harvest is used during Growth, the dropped berry gains the Attack and Sp. Attack boost and additional recovery when the berry is eaten. 10s cooldown.

Growth restores your HP by 10% and boosts your Attack and Sp. Attack by 25% for 5 seconds. It also reduces the cooldown of Harvest by 3 seconds.

If Harvest is activated while the Growth boost is active, the dropped Berry gains Growth’s boosting and recovery effects as well.

Tropius can eat the Growth boosted berry to reset Growth’s boosting effect on itself.

Harvest can spawn a Sitrus Berry or a Salac Berry while Growth is active, combining the eaten berries effect with the Growth boost. The combined effects total an additional 25% healing and an Attack and Sp. Attack boost to either the Sitrus Berry or Salac Berry when spawned.

Berries enhanced by Growth will ‘shine’ while on the field.

The fruits of one’s labor is flavored with the blood, sweat, and tears of the laborer, which makes it all the sweeter when you take that first bite. Yeah, this sounds gross, but we’re talking about a Grass Type pokemon so it’s tasteful, I think.

Growth gives you a simple bit of HP recovery along with an Attack and Sp. Attack boost. It also reduces the cooldown of Harvest a little bit when used, so using it at every opportunity is beneficial to your role as a Supporter. If you pop a Nanab Berry while Growth is powering you up, however, the dropped berry gains extra effects.

Because Tropius is growing these berries for the team, changes to its health and mood affect the flavor of the fruit it produces, and Harvest Berries are no different. If you drop a Nanab Berry while Growth is active, the berry gains extra healing and even an Attack and Sp. Attack boost to whoever eats it. The extra effects total to 25% healing and a 25% Attack and Sp. Attack buff for 5 seconds, which can help an ally turn the tide of a fight very easily.

If you switch the berry out with a Sitrus or Salac Berry, Growth will also add to the berry’s total effects, granting another 1500 HP recovery or a big speed boost, depending on which fruit drops.

Just be careful that these berries don’t get stolen by the enemy team. That’d be...rotten.

Move 2: Leaf Tornado (Area)

Creates a whirling vortex of sharp leaves, dealing damage continuously. Enemies will have their vision reduced while within Leaf Tornado. 7s cooldown.

Leaf Tornado affects the designated area for 4 seconds, dealing weak continuous damage over time to enemies and also obscures their vision while within the area of effect.

The vision obscuring effect is an effect of the move itself and not a hindrance inflicted on the enemy through the move. Hindrance protection and clearing will not prevent Leaf Tornado from obscuring the vision of affected enemies.

A simple whirlwind of leaves thick enough to obscure the vision of all enemies within, Leaf Tornado is admittedly a simple move. Being able to set down a short-lived attack is handy in some situations, but it’s not the most impressive attack, especially since it doesn’t hinder the enemy in any other significant way. I mean, the enemy can easily just walk out of the attack, as the move doesn’t deal enough damage to threaten even frail Attackers.

It is what it is, and it’s best not to overcomplicate things here. Tropius is trying their best, ok?

At Level 5, Growth becomes either Synthesis or Dragon Dance.

Move 1a: Synthesis (Recovery)

You and all nearby allies recover HP, and the cooldown of Harvest is reduced. The more pokemon healed, the more the cooldown is reduced. When Synthesis is used while at full HP, the cooldown of Harvest is reduced even more. While Synthesis is on cooldown, press the button again to switch the type of berry that Harvest will spawn. 9.5s cooldown.

At Level 10, Synthesis becomes Synthesis+.

Increases the area of effect. Also reduces damage taken while the move is on cooldown.

All allies within range restore 20% HP, including Tropius.

The cooldown of Harvest is reduced by 6 seconds. For each Ally that had their HP restored, an additional 2 seconds is reduced. If your HP was full when Synthesis is used, Harvest has its cooldown reduced by 9 seconds instead.

If Synthesis is used again while the move is on cooldown, the next berry made by Harvest will change into a Sitrus Berry. These berries are the same as Sitrus Berries crossed with the Nanab Berries you normally make with Harvest. This effect is reset after Harvest is used.

Synthesis+ expands the area of effect and reduces damage taken by 30% while the move is on cooldown.

A full range healing move is admittedly pretty rare in Pokemon Unite, with the closest example being Clefable’s Moonlight. 20% HP recovery is comparable to a free Potion for all teammates in range, and it also drastically reduces the cooldown of Harvest when used. The more teammates you heal, the bigger the cooldown reduction, which makes you much more dependable as a dispenser of delicious fruits.

Synthesis also has an extra effect where, if you use the move again while it’s on cooldown, you’ll change the Harvest Berry from a Nanab to a Sitrus Berry. Now, that would normally be a downgrade, but this berry is dropped with the same effect as a Nanab boosted crossbreed with the Sitrus Berry. As in, it’ll restore 15% HP, boosts your defenses, and heal an extra 1500 HP. On top of the healing of Synthesis, you can heal yourself or an ally a grand total of 35% HP plus 1500 HP. That’s some very healthy eating!

The upgrade, Synthesis+, expands the range of healing, making it easier to keep the whole team healthy. But it also comes with extra damage reduction while the move is on cooldown, effectively buffing your defenses in the late game. Combined with eating the super Sitrus Berry you can spawn, you’ll have defenses comparable to a Defender.

Of course, you have to keep in mind that your base stats are very low as a Supporter, so don’t get overconfident just because you have a vegan diet (is it still vegan food if it’s made by a Tropius? I’m genuinely asking).

Move 1b: Dragon Dance (Buff)

Boosts your Attack, Sp. Attack, and movement speed greatly for 7 seconds. Press the button again during the cooldown to switch the type of berry that Harvest will spawn. Also, if Harvest is activated while the boost is active, the dropped berry grants the same boost to whichever ally eats it. 10s cooldown.

At Level 10, Dragon Dance becomes Dragon Dance+.

Increases the boosts gained and the cooldown of Harvest is reduced for each KO you or an ally get while under the effects of the boost.

Your Attack, Sp. Attack, and Movement Speed are increased by 30% for 7 seconds while Dragon Dance is active. Dragon Dance+ increases all of these boosts to 50% instead.

If Dragon Dance is used while the move is on cooldown, the Nanab Berry spawned through Harvest will become a Salac Berry instead. The spawned berry grants the same movement speed boost as the field berry, plus the Nanab Berry healing and boosts.

If Harvest is used while the Dragon Dance boost is in effect, the boosts are imparted onto the Berry dropped, granting you or the ally the same boost.

Eating the Dragon Dance boosted berry resets the duration of the boost on yourself.

While Dragon Dance+ is active, each KO reduces the cooldown of Harvest by 6 seconds, whether you or an ally scored the KO with the boost.

While Tropius may not look like it, everything about its physiology suggests that it is a dragon. Four legs, long neck, and a set of wings define a dragon, even though it’s lacking a big tail for the most part. Yet, that doesn’t stop it from learning Dragon Dance, which grants it a pretty sizable buff to its Attack, Sp. Attack, and Movement Speed.

However, Tropius is too weak to use these boosts effectively, especially since it’s supposed to be a Supporter. The idea is to instead impart these effects into the berry you drop through Harvest, which grants your allies the same buff to their stats, along with a 15% heal and slight boost to their defenses. If you feed the Dragon Dance boosted berry to a reliable ally, you and that player can certainly tear things apart together and spread ruin, like actual dragons from mythology.

Just like Synthesis, Dragon Dance changes the berry you can make from a Nanab Berry into a Salac Berry. The newly formed berry grants the same boost to your Movement Speed, but also adds in the healing and defense boost of the Nanab Berry. But if you were to do this and then spawn the berry while Dragon Dance is active, you’ll spawn a Salac Berry that combines the movement speed boost, the healing, the defense boost, and the attack boost of all three abilities and berries. Who needs a laboratory to make a super serum when you’ve got Tropius cooking in the kitchen?

Just make sure the berry doesn’t get stolen.

I should also quickly mention that Dragon Dance+ increases all the boosts as an upgrade but also makes it easier to reduce the cooldown of Harvest. With each KO you or an ally get while under the effects of Dragon Dance+, the cooldown of Harvest is reduced by 6 seconds. In a standard battle, landing a full team wipe is enough to completely reset the cooldown of Harvest, so go crazy with that hearty superfood you’ve grown all by yourself.

At Level 7, Leaf Tornado becomes either Leaf Storm or Air Slash.

Move 2a: Leaf Storm (Area)

Summon a hurricane of leaves at the designated area, dealing damage constantly for 5 seconds. Reduces the enemy’s vision while they are within Leaf Storm. 8.5s cooldown.

At Level 12, Leaf Storm becomes Leaf Storm+.

Expands the area of effect.

Leaf Storm deals moderate continuous damage over time within an area of effect. Enemies within also have their vision obscured while the move is active.

Just like Leaf Tornado, Leaf Storm’s vision obscuring effect is caused by the move itself and not as a hindrance inflicted on the enemy. This means that Full Heal and other hindrance protection will not stop the vision obscuring effect of Leaf Storm. Umbreon’s Mean Look works in the exact same way.

Leaf Storm+ slightly increases the area of effect.

While Leaf Tornado was just kind of plain in its damage and effect, Leaf Storm is a pretty beefy upgrade as it more than doubles in size and damage. A massive whirlwind of leaves obscures the vision of all enemies within, which cannot be cleared by hindrance protection as it is an effect of the move itself and not a hindrance inflicted on them.

While the move is pretty big, it can still be walked out of as it doesn’t apply any other effect to enemies caught in the attack. However, Leaf Storm is a secret counter to sure hit moves, as they require visible enemies to be in range, but Leaf Storm prevents such moves from being used. This is why things like Absol’s Sucker Punch and Dragonite’s Hyper Beam cannot hit invisible enemies like Inteleon or Phantom Force Dragapult as they cannot see the enemy and cannot lock on. If you get the feeling that the enemy will run similar sure hit moves like that, Leaf Storm can be a bigger boon than it may seem, helping your team out.

Plus, the ability to deal continuous damage in a wide area is very useful for securing objectives like Regieleki, especially when boosted by Dragon Dance. Just, remember that Tropius still has pretty low stats, so don’t go thinking you’ll be scaring any Defenders or All-Rounders away with your whirligig lawn trimmings.

Move 2b: Air Slash (Ranged/Hindrance)

Unleashes a projectile blade made of air in the designated direction, Stunning an enemy briefly. 5.5s cooldown.

At Level 12, Air Slash becomes Air Slash+.

The size of the explosion effect increases, making it possible to stun multiple enemies.

Air Slash creates an explosion of turbulence at the point of impact, stunning an enemy for 0.5 seconds.

Air Slash+ increases the size of this explosion, making it possible to stun multiple enemies. However, the size is not that great and enemies would have to be huddled together in order to stun multiple at once.

The projectile explodes on contact with the first target it hits.

A long range Stun attack is not an uncommon attack in Pokemon Unite. Mr. Mime’s Confusion, Pikachu’s Thunderbolt, and Espeon’s Psyshock all have similar effects, but unfortunately, this is really all Tropius can muster as a move.

It’s not a bad move, per se, it’s just a bit on the underwhelming side. I mean, Supporters aren’t expected to deal big damage, right? It’s ok if a Supporter can do enough by stunning enemies from far away, even if it’s not a unique effect. After all, the surprisingly low cooldown makes it easy to use repeatedly, and the long range means it can be used safely from a distance.

It also creates a lot of turbulence when combined with your boosted basic attack after a few berries. 5.5 seconds of cooldown may seem like so little time, but in the heat of battle, you’re going to be fending off Speedsters and All-Rounders wishing you had just a microsecond of more time to fire off another Air Slash. That’s why, on top of either Synthesis or Dragon Dance, you utilize your boosted basic attack to calm down the entire crowd of enemies in front of you and run off to create some space.

Causing mass stuns and debuffs is one of two sides to the coin that is playing as a Supporter, with providing great boons and healing being the other half. However you play as Tropius, you are playing as a fully realized team player.

Unite Move: An Apple A Day (Buff/Recovery)

The user eats a Big Apple, restoring HP and resetting the cooldown of your moves and Harvest. After a while, an Apple is dropped to the ground where the user is. When an ally eats this Apple, their HP is restored by 25% and the cooldown of their moves is reset and is prevented from going on cooldown for 4.5 seconds.

An Apple A Day restores Tropius’s HP by 40% and fully resets the cooldown of all of your moves as well as Harvest.

After 10 seconds, a regular sized Apple drops where Tropius is, which can then be eaten by one of your allies. This can be seen as an Apple Icon displayed over your head and slowly fills in like a clock. Tropius itself cannot eat this Apple, as it is too full from eating a Big Apple.

When an ally eats the Apple, the cooldown of their moves is reset and prevented from going on cooldown for 4.5 seconds. Enemies and allies will see this effect active with an Apple Icon over their head.

Enemies cannot eat the dropped Apple. The Apple lingers on the ground for 15 seconds before disappearing.

If you’re wondering why ‘Big’ and ‘Apple’ is capitalized, that’s because this Unite Move is a reference to the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games. While the items in those games didn’t really restore your HP, they granted a major boost to your stamina, fighting off hunger and helping you stay in the adventure for longer.

However, in Pokemon Unite, An Apple A Day does two different things for Tropius and the team. First, it restores a huge chunk of your HP immediately, as the apple is big enough to completely fill up your belly. Not only that, it resets the cooldown of all of your moves and your Harvest ability, allowing you to get some extra healing if required. However, it’s not a Berry, so it doesn’t affect your basic attack and level it up or anything.

Speaking of Harvest, since Tropius just ate a huge fruit, it’ll make one of its own and drop off a regular sized Apple in front of itself soon after. However, Tropius’ belly is way too full for it to eat again, so it’ll stay there for your allies to take instead. And when they take it, they’ll find that not only does it restore their HP, it’ll also reset the cooldown of all of their moves and even keep those moves from going on cooldown for 4.5 seconds!

Four and a half seconds is a very small amount of time to work with, but it’s just long enough for a teammate to do some serious damage, especially if an Attacker or Speedster ate the Apple. It could also really help out a Defender or an All-Rounder single-handedly win a fight against the entire enemy team, provided you give back up with either Leaf Storm or Air Slash. And don’t worry about dine and dashers, as the Apple can only be eaten by your teammates.

Speaking of which, for such a powerful effect, 10 seconds is a long time to wait for the apple to drop to the ground. It’s not like you can just pop the Big Apple and immediately grants your teammates a 4.5 second round of Fully Fury Mode. The Unite Move has to be premeditated, especially as part of a plan of attack. Depending on who you’ve coordinated with, An Apple A Day can either win the battle, or lose the war.

Nature provides a bounty for those who take care of it, but it cannot be rushed. Protect Tropius, and Tropius will provide for you.

Achievements

Heal over 5000 HP to your teammates in a single battle.

As a Supporter, Tropius employs healing or self boosting moves along with some disruptive attacks, but that’s all it has. At least, that’s all it would have without Harvest. The ability to create and mix berries together with Harvest is what grants Tropius a unique role in Pokemon Unite, separate from other Supporters.

By dutifully providing berries to your allies and healing them, you are not only fulfilling the role of a Supporter, but also able to sustain yourself. Now, in order to use Harvest liberally throughout the match, you need to reduce the cooldown of the ability as much as you can, as often as you can. And you can do that by eating berries yourself and slinging your basic attack all over the place.

Mastering Synthesis or Dragon Dance+ is also helpful in reducing the cooldown of Harvest, so this Achievement covers a lot of bases in helping players learn how to play Tropius.

Holowear

Tropius really loves fruit, and thankfully, so do we humans. There’s a lot of career choices out there for the lovable tree dino, so let’s see what Tropius can pull off in a professional setting. First off, Farmer Style Holowear gives it a frayed straw hat and a checkered flannel shirt under a pair of overalls tailored to its body shape. To actually process the fruits of its labor, Cook Style Holowear dresses it up in a chef’s hat and overcoat, along with a dainty little red ascot. Maybe it can learn to relax a bit and go with Vacation Style Holowear, giving it an undiscerning cap and glasses and a cheeky Hawaiian tee. Perhaps with Waiter Style Holowear, it can serve juicy appetizers in a professional vest and tie, and a platter balanced delicately on its head. And lastly, Fruit Style Holowear makes Tropius resemble a Brazilian dancer with a bright red dress, along with one of those hats absolutely overflowing with fruit, but instead of fruit its berries, since actual fruits don’t exist. Nope, none, especially not bananas and apples. Nuh uh.

However Tropius brings you fruit, it’ll serve while serving up looks. Gotta look fancy and fresh while delivering fancy fresh fruits, you know?

Strategy

Supporters have one job, and that’s the support the team, either by healing or buffing their teammates or by disrupting the opposing team. Tropius is made by its Harvest ability, the ability to spawn a Nanab berry that can restore their HP and boost their defenses for a short while. These spawned Nanab berries can be crossbred and enhanced by eating other berries or by using them while under the effects of a boost. As such, diligent supporting requires that you master this ability, as I’ve explained before in the Achievements section.

The cooldown of the Harvest ability is a whopping 30 seconds, but it goes down a bit when you deal damage with your basic attack and each time you eat a berry, including the one Harvest spawns. However, those berries better serve your allies than yourself, so you need to be constantly in the fight and save the field berries for yourself to keep Harvest’s cooldown low. At the beginning of the game, Growth lowers the cooldown by a meager 3 seconds, but if the Harvest ability is ready to use, you can use it to power up the Nanab berry Harvest spawns. It’s very useful to power up yourself or a teammate for when the enemy Jungler shows up in your lane.

Because of your passive nature as a Supporter, Tropius reaches its full potential sooner than other pokemon. By that I mean that your movekit is fully loaded at level 7, and the moves are fully upgraded at level 12. But what moves to run will depend on what the team composition of both yours and your opponents looks like. A bulky crew of Defenders and All-Rounders can easily be saved with a well placed Synthesis, and diligent healing cuts down a lot of Harvest’s cooldown time. Dragon Dance, however, is very useful to power up ally ranged Attackers, allowing them to deal more damage from afar along with a mild defense boost for safety. Plus, Dragon Dance+ gives you the biggest cooldown reduction to Harvest when you or an ally KO an enemy while under the effect of the boost, rewarding hyper aggressive offense and pushes.

Leaf Storm and Air Slash aren’t the toughest choices to pick, as neither one is any more effective or ineffective than the other. Like mentioned before, Leaf Storm blinds the enemy team caught in the attack, rendering their sure hit moves useless until they can leave. Air Slash is a long range Stun attack, of which there are already a lot of those moves in the game, so it’s only useful when providing back-up for a melee attacker or Defender on your team. These disruptive moves work very well with your basic attack though, as it Stuns and slows enemies down with each boosted hit. It needs 3 hits to become boosted though, making it really slow, and requires a healthy diet of berries to become substantially boosted as well, but if you know how to stay alive, you can provide some valuable cover fire for your allies with it and Leaf Storm or Air Slash.

The Unite Move, An Apple A Day, is a different beast altogether, as it provides a unique effect of powering up your teammates to an insane level. Firstly, it heals a lot of HP, which can save your butt in the heat of battle, and it also resets the cooldown of all of your moves and Harvest. Combined with Synthesis and Harvest spawning a Nanab Berry, this Unite Move is the first ever instance of ‘burst healing’ (Goodra can also burst heal, but you’d need to deal direct damage to enemies with Dragon Pulse and has to hit enemies bogged down by Gooey, so it sort of doesn’t count, sort of). After finishing off the apple, Tropius will spawn another one meant for your teammates, which also heals and resets the cooldown of all of their moves as well. Not only that, the apple keeps their moves from going on cooldown for 4.5 seconds, allowing them to go absolutely insane with their moves. Speedsters will start zipping around like their hitting the peak of a sugar rush, Attackers will unload shot after shot of high powered attacks, Defenders will start shoving enemies around like a broom on a dusty floor, and All-Rounders will go buck wild with impunity. Of course, it requires proper coordination to pull it off, and you’re putting a lot of faith in your teammates to do what is necessary, but good supporting requires meeting your allies in the middle and expecting them to do their part after you’ve done yours.

All Tropius wants to do all day is eat fruit, but it can help its friends out by sharing its spoils with them. Keeping your friends happy and healthy and providing them with the bounty of nature is what an altruistic supporter aims to do. Take care of nature, and it will take care of you.

And that’s Tropius for Pokemon Unite! Hey so here’s a fun fact, there was a leak a long while ago about Tropius that might’ve shown that it was coming to Pokemon Unite, but we never got an update on that story. Supposedly, there was data for it to suggest that it might’ve been playable in a future update, but later updates removed it. It didn’t stop me from making and posting this, though I would’ve been very miffed if it turns out that Tropius was indeed coming to the game at a moment where this draft was almost done. Glad I held out.

That’s not to say that it can’t happen. I mean, someone has to like this fruit dinosaur enough that there were plans to put it into the game. Maybe we’ll be seeing playable Tropius next year, or the year after that, who knows.

Anyway, I’ve got other posts to finish. Hope you enjoyed the read. See ya!

#Tropius #Pokemon Unite

3 notes · View notes

an-aussie-button-masher · 2 years

Text

Where Is It?! Five Games that Drove You Crazy With Collectables

We’ve all been there. You’ve found almost every single collectable item in a game, but there’s just one left and it’s driving you nuts. Is it under that ramp? Behind the throne? Off in the far corner of the map, or maybe even beyond? It’s gotta be around here somewhere - god forbid you give in and need to consult a guide or something like that. Some games can just get too darn frustrating with some of the points you need to collect, and it’s even worse when there’s a reward locked behind the very last one! I’ve gathered a few of these collect-a-thons myself to see exactly how annoying it can get; if you think your favourite game is giving you a tough time grabbing that last point, try finishing a few of these collections!

Super Mario Odyssey - Power Moons and Purple Coins Most 3D Mario games boil down to “Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach, and Mario needs to collect a hundred Power Stars or Shines or whatever as he chases after him”. Super Mario Odyssey takes this to its logical conclusion, with a whopping 890 unique Power Moons to collect throughout the game. These moons are found everywhere, from simply ground-pounding the right spot to completing extremely difficult minigames and platforming challenges. Thankfully, you can find hints for a lot of them, and most are easy enough to spot on their own. However, the hints are often rather unhelpful, and there’s a fair few that are entirely up to trial-and-error or just plain luck to find them. Besides the moons, almost every kingdom in the game has special purple coins to find scattered about - there’s always either 50 or 100 in a kingdom, and there are no in-game hints whatsoever for their location. Have fun scouring every map from corner to corner and back again if you want to earn 100% on this Mario adventure!

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Korok Seeds No list of tedious video game fetch quests would be complete without mentioning the infamous Korok Seeds of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. There are exactly 900 of the little guys scattered across the massive, sprawling map of Hyrule, and collecting them all is so time-consuming that even many diehard fans just refuse to bother with them. There are no hints, no in-game guide, no help whatsoever finding them, and they tend to pick some really obscure hiding spots. Most of them are hidden under rocks in weird locations like under huge bridges or on the sides of cliffs, and these rocks look identical to every other rock in the game. Without an online guide handy, you’d best be ready to go out of your way to pick up every rock you see in hopes that a Korok decides to pop out, shouting the same line every time: “Yahaha! You found me!” Believe me, you’ll be sick of that line after the first dozen times, never mind the first few hundred. Aside from squatting under rocks, a few Koroks hide themselves atop hard-to-climb peaks and buildings, or even behind random puzzles strewn about. If one isn’t under a rock, look for some random hole or neatly-stacked pile of other rocks nearby to put the rock in. As for the reward you get for finding all 900…well, spoiler alert, but the reward is literal crap. Hestu, the overgrown Korok that asks you to find all the seeds in the first place, grants you an item called “Hestu’s Gift”. It’s a golden pile of poop sitting in your inventory, doing nothing. Totally worth it.

Monster Camp - Events and Outcomes You might not expect a multiplayer dating sim parody to be on this list, but Monster Camp will definitely give completionists a headache. The game is a comedic, competitive take on the usual dating sim formula, with up to four players pursuing one of the numerous different possible romance options for a few in-game weeks, and either attempting to screw over the other players or be each others’ wingmen and work together. Players spend the days finding their chosen interests around the map and starting various events, resulting in either impressing your possible partner or making an absolute fool of yourself. These events are where the completionist aspect comes into play - Monster Camp features 367 unique events with well over 1000 different outcomes, and there are achievements for seeing every last one of them. The kicker? They’re all entirely random. Each playthrough will see the player encountering completely different events, and you’ll need to find them all multiple times each to earn all the different outcomes. Thankfully, the game keeps track of them all and checks off all the unique outcomes you see across all playthroughs. A large number of events are even locked initially until other events are encountered, so it will take hundreds of playthroughs to see absolutely everything. Best attempted with friends onboard!

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands - Lucky Dice Borderlands wouldn’t be Borderlands without copious amounts of loot, and the spinoff Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands brings it to another level entirely. Hidden throughout the game are various collectables that drop various bits of loot, but special mention goes to the Lucky Dice. There are a grand total of 260 of these glowing golden D20s scattered about, and not only do they drop their own piles of guns and gear, but they also each permanently increase your Luck stat, giving you ever-better odds of finding more powerful loot for the rest of the game. The dice are not marked on the map at all and are often very deviously hidden - I honestly doubt anyone could find every last one without consulting a guide. The game doesn’t even expect you to find them all either - once you roll the final dice, Tina herself breaks the fourth wall to address the sharp-eyed player, expressing how absolutely bewildered and annoyed she is at the developers for not implementing an actual reward!

Forza Horizon 5 - Roads That’s right, even racing simulators have their own frustrating fetch quests. The Forza Horizon series challenges the player to drive on every single road in the game. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, consider how absolutely massive the open world maps are in the series, especially Forza Horizon 5 that boasts almost 600 different roads to visit across the vast Mexican landscape. That number even includes driveways and shortcuts as part of the counter, not to mention all the offroad paths to find hidden in the bush. Undriven roads show up as greyed-out lines on the map, and the game will let you know exactly how many roads you’ve found and how many are left - but that’s all the help it gives you. Prepare to spend hours at a time squinting at the map, searching for the tiniest sliver of grey to denote some random driveway you haven’t barrelled over yet, only to find your eyes are playing tricks on you and you’ve already done that one. The fact that there’s a reward for finding all these roads might make it better - or worse, depending on your patience. Each road you find can then be used as a fast-travel point, teleporting you to any other road you’ve found from anywhere in the map. Better buckle up and cruise the entire game looking for that last little shortcut!

That wraps up my hunt for frustrating collect-a-thon games, but there’s gotta be more out there. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you’ve uncovered any other fitting games in your own searches, feel free to let me know! Thanks for reading! (Now, where is that last Korok…?)

#article #gaming #super mario odyssey #super mario #nintendo #legend of zelda #breath of the wild #botw #loz #monster camp #beautiful glitch #tiny tina's wonderlands #ttwl #gearbox #forza horizon 5 #forza

4 notes · View notes

thefairyletters · 4 years

Text

NaruSaku Fanfics

I wouldn't say much – I love NaruSaku and I hate to see great works shadowed behind the piles of popular NS stories that I never have liked as much except for a few, which also I'll drop below in the list.

I'll update this list whenever I come across a story that I particularly enjoy or finds worth spreading word across. So be sure to like and reblog this post so you can revisit it to add new story in your reading pile later.

Also, genres vary and are not mentioned, but does it make any difference as long as the story is good?

Warning: super long post featuring beautiful, beautiful stories that you wouldn't regret reading. I swear. I'm positive. Contains SNS and other side pairings.

Without further ado;

How I fell in love with my best friend: Krapo || ff.net || M || complete

How the little blond boy Sakura had always known had changed, changing as well her feelings. The unfolding of their life, while Naruto worked to become the best Hokage and she faced her own emotions. Growing Love.

(I have nothing but upmost reverence for this story. This author writes one of the nest NS and I have loved all. NS is beautiful and Sakura is badass. Everything we already know is here and more.)

Dangerous infiltration mission: Krapo || ff.net || M || complete

Naruto and Sakura are send by the Hokage for a difficult infiltration mission. They will have to face more than just the danger itself as they will have to keep their cover to be fake husband and wife credible. how it will impact the relationship between the two ninja. Growing Love. Misunderstanding.

(If you loved the aforementioned story, you'll love this one too. Mutual pining.)

All over again: Krapo || ff.net || M || post-war || complete

Sasuke come back, Team seven is reunited. But Sakura has lost Naruto. How will she make him fall in love with her again? What other difficulties lies ahead of them?

(Naruto loses memory. SasuSaku angst but not in romantic sense and I loved it all. Misunderstanding and more mutual pining. And I'm in love with this story too.)

Hit the floor running: Sakurablossom009 || A03 || M (but unnecessary) || Modern Hitman/Robbers AU || complete

Life was going great, Sakura thought. She was penniless, stranded in Europe without a way home, her fiancee had just dumped her for another woman AND her new companion was quite possibly a thief. How could things get any worse? Wait...was that guy pointing a gun at her?

(Now, personally, I don't prefer modern AU, but this story really had interesting characterisation and more character depth. NaruSaku is pretty spot on. It also features SasuHina and bamf!Hinata)

The greatest pretenders: snowyseas || ff.net || M || Borutoverse || ongoing

Fifteen years is a long time to not talk to someone you consider your best friend, and is made even more difficult when they (and you) are married. The things Sakura should have confronted Naruto about never came to fruition, but as an old saying goes, "the truth will always be revealed".

(Your typical I-made-a-wrong-choice-but-now-can-be-done story but unlike many other stories in this they don't admit their love for each chapter at the first chapter itself. In fact, it feels so canon and you can almost superimpose it upon the canon. Sakura is mentally strong and knows what's right. )

He was the sun: SavageTrickster || ff.net || T || Canonverse || ongoing

He had come a long way - from a lonely orphan ostracized by everyone to a loved hero. He deserved all these. His Hokage dream to come true. All the ramen he could eat. - Her eyes fell on a certain Hyuuga seated close enough for accidental touches. Her heart sank a little at a harsh whisper of reminder - And a deserving girl...who could give him all her love.

(So far so good. It's ongoing, and is at chapter 3. Sakura leaves Konoha much like how Naruto did, to explore the world aka seeing my headcanon in writing.)

Wilderness: Kanji no Sakka || M || canondivergent || ongoing

As the war screeches to a temporary halt, Naruto leaves the battlefield on a unique mission only he can complete. Sakura is ordered to go with him. In the days that follow their bond is changed forever.

(Although I hate any explicit stories that involve characters below age 17, I give this a pass because of the uniqueness of plot and characterisation. It has fine lemons that comes with a good plot.)

How It Should Have Been: OfPaintAndOil || ff.net || T || canon divergent || oneshot

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Sasuke was supposed to be the dark one, the unredeemable one. Naruto was the bright one, the good one. It wasn't supposed to be like this, with blood on his hands and glowing red eyes and a grin. Naruto was supposed to make everything better, and maybe he did, in the end, but Sakura had never expected the end to look quite like this.

(Featuring Yandere!Naruto. It leaves you wanting for more and is a fascinating read. It's dark themed so proceed with caution as your favorite character might or might not be dead.)

The Best Dates are the Cheap Ones: Shivakashi || ff.net || T || post!Timeskip || Oneshot

The whole point was to get the best date; that meant the richest and classiest guy, right? Sakura realizes what she has taken for granted and Ino learns a lesson in value.

(Sakura learns her lesson and snatches her boy. InoNaru is worth noting. Not the best characterisation of Sakura but bear with her jealousy for that is the reason why NS fluff exists. Story itself is very light and entertaining.)

mangoes and strawberries: ohthelinsanity || ff.net || T || postwar || oneshot

Sakura Haruno was elbow deep in Naruto Uzumaki's guts when he asked her to marry him. It was so not the right time. But she still said yes.

(This story just screams NS upon every single line. Diabetes warning. Too cute for this world. One of the best NS fluff I've read thus far. It kinda sticks to you forever!)

18 minutes, 23 seconds: ohthelinsanity || ff.net || T || postwar || oneshot

in which Naruto asks Sakura about that time she literally reached into his chest and grabbed his heart with her bare hand.

(Heartwarming. We all know how Sakura held Naruto's heart on her palms and how we love that moment. This is memory of that moment reminisced by our cutie pies.)

One Big Uzumaki Family: John Smith || ff.net || T || postwar || Complete

A set of drabbles revolving around Naruto, Sakura, and their children. It turns out that, when the war ends, these two get busy. Real busy.

(IF YOU DON'T READ THIS MASTERPIECE HOW DARE YOU CALL YOURSELF NS FAN?!!! READ!!! This story should be on the top of your reading list.

UNDERRATED AF!

R e a d t h i s s t o r y and cry with me for this should have been canon. 100%)

My Life Would Suck Without You: peanutbutter126 || ff.net || T || oneshot collection

Sometimes it's the smallest things that matter the most.

(Read this and then One big Uzumaki family. You'll feel super satisfied. I promise.)

Colors and Carousels: Folle Sakura || ff.net || T || oneshot

She couldn't count the number of times she'd been mistaken for Naruto's girlfriend. Not that she minded. But Naruto acted like it was so… so… offensive.

(No words for this one. Just read and enjoy the confusion.)

Let's Get Married: luvtoshi || ff.net || M || postwar || complete

It was supposed to be a simple solution to their immediate problems. But maybe they took more than they can chew?

(This is one of my few favorites that is also popular. Spot on characterization and beautiful relationship growth. This is one of the few stories that always stuck to me.)

Chasing Smoke with Bare Hands: soulaire || ff.net || T || oneshot

"I could have loved her," Sasuke says flatly. "If she'd just given me the chance—" "Sakura gave you all the chances in the world," Kakashi cuts in, stern. "You underestimated her. And you underestimated her ability to walk away from you. At the core of it all, that's where things went wrong."

(This story is for those who loves both SS and NS but thinks Sakura deserves happier life than what she got in canon. Features NS and slight SS.)

Touch: ohthelinsanity || ff.net || T || oneshot

Kakashi watches as his student grow to be more physically comfortable with one another. He finds it kinda ridiculous.

(Fluff. Feelings. Kakashi's fed up and might have diabetes from all the observation.)

Moonlight shadows: luvtoshi || ff.net || T || oneshot

Sometimes, the moon brings out hidden feelings to the surface.

(Beautiful literature. NS feels. You can almost mistake it for canon with the way characters are written.)

Seriously Serious: Damsel in Shining Armor || ff.net || T || modern AU || oneshot

He confessed to her when they first met. He confessed to her years after. He confessed to her almost everyday. Her response was almost always positive... So why the heck was he still single? "I love you." "Love you too. So is Sasuke-kun taken or not?"

(The only reason why I even picked this story is that it is a oneshot. I have very little interest in modern AU. But this one makes another exception. Pining. Love at first sight.)

It was always you: luvtoshi || ff.net || M || postwar || complete

The war is long over. They have both grown. Now it's time to conclude their story. Naruto and Sakura.

(You know what, all stories from this author are just, Chef's kiss. )

A Safe Pair of Hands: Kanji no Sakka || ff.net || T || oneshot

Sakura heeds a stern warning to make it clear how she feels about Naruto.

(Feels. You'll love this if you like first person pov. This story told from Sakura's pov.)

Other Dreams: tricksie || ff.net || M || oneshot

"Naruto, you shouldn't endanger yourself—" "Stop it," he snapped. Dropping his arm to hook under her seat, Naruto pulled her firmly onto his hip, locking her to him. Sakura gasped, suddenly aware of just how very close they were.

(Sexual tension. Romance. Leaves you wanting. Also, high on feels and lust on equal measure.)

Heaven Unexpected: Folle || ff.net || M || oneshot

Because nothing can happen; it's Naruto. He always comes back. He's practically indestructible.

(Heavy on feels. There are chances that it might rain. Actually there are high chances. But oh well, it's beautiful and one of my favourites so here it goes.)

Shade of the Leaf: Ravyn || ff.net || T || canon divergent || complete

Sasuke is back. Naruto has joined ANBU. Sakura is spending more time in the hospital than in the field. Team 7 struggles to redefine itself, because sometimes you don't know what you really want after all.

(Featuring Mature but still in-character!Naruto, Badass!Sakura, (Bit)Supportive!Sasuke along with Team 7 friendship. Mutual pining. Ending but with a lot loose ends.)

Breaking Up Isn't that Hard to Do: Narf-for-the-Garthoc || ff.net || T || oneshot

This is not an epic tale of action, suspense and true love. Yeah, I'm disappointed, too.

(This is pure comedy. With a dash of romance. And insanity.)

Steamy Encounters: Narf-for-the-Garthoc || ff.net || T || oneshot

A flurry of coincidences and fateful machinations bring Naruto and Sakura together at the local baths. Can they rein in their animal passions? And do you really think that's the kind of story I write?

(Just r e a d. Please.)

Garden of Sanctuary: Nes Mikel || ff.net || T || Canon divergent || oneshot

An alternate ending to Naruto. The Heavens describe the Garden a peaceful paradise. The Hells describe the Garden a baneful prison. In here... which is it?

(This is part of a series which you can follow from the author's profile. This is the second part, but can be read exclusively. As far as the AU goes, this story and settings is brilliant and heartbreaking. This is told from Naruto's pov. To look at things from Sakura's, read the first part. It is multi-chaptered.)

Complications: Geno Calamari || ff.net || T || canon divergent || oneshot

While capturing the Kyuubi, Uchiha Itachi finds true adversaries in the form of Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto.

(Wanna see NaruSaku teamwork? This is it! You wouldn't find it anywhere better. Strong!Naruto, Strong!Sakura versus Itachi Uchiha)

Life is a waving feather: jusrecht || AO3 || T || AU || oneshot

Everyone thought they were inevitable.

(There's beauty in subtlety and this is that. Also, mentions of character death.)

Home: kirabook || AO3 || T || AU || complete

Shinachiku finds himself in a strange place with little to no explanation. Everyone he knows is there, but why are they acting so strangely? Why do they seem so different? And where is his home?

(Cute and heartwrenching at the same time. Cameo Stalker. Read this for NS family feels pre-marriage.)

Things we never say: thekatthatbarks || AO3 || T || oneshot

She wished she knew how to hold things lightly. There were some things she was terrified of breaking. Whether it be from an honest misstep or simply because she could.

(Reminds you why we love NS so much.)

Open seasons: sazzafraz || AO3 || T || SNS || postwar || oneshot

The way Sasuke comes home is less myth and more devastatingly embarrassing happenstance.

(Featuring badass!Sakura, obedient!Naruto and normal!Sasuke, as well as Sakura's commentary on her life)

Five things Sakura will never tell Naruto: sowell || AO3 || T || AU || oneshot

Kunoichi know how to keep their secrets.

(NS relationship analysis story.)

Artistic purposes: StormyInk || AO3 || M || AU || Oneshot

Sai finds his favorite drawing subjects a bit lacking of late, and he sets a plan into motion to draw his team mates together. Simply for the sake of his art, of course.

(Aka Sai is fed up from seeing his teammates dancing around each other and decides to help them get laid–the story. You gotta admit Sai is the best wingman.)

I collect my tears (so I can drown you in them): amako || AO3 || T || AU || complete

The hardest thing is letting go. Or Sakura sees Naruto falling in love with Shikamaru a little more every day, and she does the only thing she can think of. Then it's only a matter of learning how to stop loving Naruto.

(Sakura and Angst that has nothing to do with Sasuke. Featuring Sakura-sensei. And Shikamaru. It's a great story if you know when to let go of canon)

Stranger than the wild: kiddattwell || AO3 || M || SNS || postwar || Ongoing

The war is over and Sasuke is home for good, but Sakura can't choose between the boys she loves. Sasuke still has his demons and Naruto still fights them and Sakura still follows them both, but this time down a path that none of them expected.

(This is canon. It is the best SNS story I've ever read. Story told in SNS POV in rotation. Slow burn, pining and relationship complication. YOU GOTTA READ THIS, I INSIST!!!! Also features SaiIno and InoShika.)

Bringing Back Sasuke: Blue Jeans || ff.net || T || post war || oneshot

Naruto brings Sasuke back to Sakura. Many, many times over. Sasuke does not appreciate; not the blood and definitely not the angst.

(I've read this story multiple times and it gets funnier and makes your heart hurt and swell simultaneously each time. NaruSaku wouldn't be blissfully happy together without Sasuke thrown somewhere in the mix, that's exactly why I love SNS. This story perfectly represents the dynamic of team 7.)

Yurei: Kanji no Sakka || ff.net || T || AU || oneshot

The past should stay dead and buried, but it won't if Naruto can't let go.

(Not exactly my favourite story, but I liked the concept. We all know how stubborn Naruto is once decides on something. If he wants to become Hokage, he will become Hokage. If he believes in Sasuke, he will believe in him forever. If he loves Sakura, he will marry her – uh, or should have, very OCC of him that he didn't.)

Tag NS fan you know so they don't miss any of this!

#naruto #sakura haruno #naruto fanfiction #uzumaki naruto #fanfics #fanfiction #fanfiction reccomendations #fanfiction rec list #fanfiction recommendation #ff.net #ao3 #narusaku #i ship narusasusaku #i ship these two so much #naruto x sakura #sasusaku #kakashi hakate #shikasaku

964 notes · View notes

immaturityofthomasastruc · 3 years

Text

IOTA Reviews: Optigami

For the first time this season, we're actually acknowledging what happened at the end of the last season. Of course, it's the thirteenth episode chronologically, so you can tell the writers really wanted to strike while the iron was hot.

Let's get into the ninth (chronologically the thirteenth) episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season: Optigami.

We start off with Nathalie recounting the events of “Miracle Queen” to Gabriel, where Chloe exposed the identities of the temp heroes, which is kind of odd considering they were both there. Then again, it's entirely possible Gabriel forgot what happened given we're literally halfway through the season chronologically. According to Nathalie, she created a Sentimonster the very next day to spy on the heroes. After a lot of surveillance by the Sentimonster, named Optigami, all Nathalie and Gabriel really found out was that the heroes were just regular teenagers who occasionally got a Miraculous from Ladybug without even learning her identity, all while we learn she continued to give Miraculous out to the heroes despite the risk to their safety.

Okay, a few questions here. First, why the hell didn't Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth or Mayura try something like this from the beginning? It took you two lucking out in finding out the identities of seven heroes to think about spying on your enemies? Second, Mayura created Optigami the next day? Wasn't she in a lot of pain as a result of using the Peacock for a whole season? At least when she created a Sentimonster in the New York special, it was set a vague amount of time after “Miracle Queen”. Third, Ladybug is seriously recruiting the same heroes again after the rules that she imposed onto Chloe? You know, the person who couldn't use the Bee Miraculous again because of the risk to her safety, and ultimately betrayed Ladybug because she hated the rule? Seriously, the video footage shows Ladybug recruiting Ryuko, someone whose identity Shadowmoth already knew before “Miracle Queen”, so this makes even less sense. If Chloe doesn't get her Miraculous after exposing her identity to the whole world, the same should apply to the other heroes too. If they wanted to make Chloe an exception, all they had to do was have Ladybug bench Queen Bee because she didn't trust Chloe in her civilian life. This just makes Ladybug come off as a hypocrite who serves to justify Astruc's warped mentality that Chloe doesn't deserve a Miraculous even though she lost hers for the same reason as the others.

Nathalie calls Optigami a failure, but Gabriel actually uses his brain for once and comes up with a plan to take out all of the temp heroes at once by putting them in a situation where Ladybug is forced to recruit one of them in order to stop an Akuma. He calls Audrey Bourgeois, a major fashion magazine writer and praises her idea to give a monthly award to a fashion icon, and Gabriel says “there's no better introduction than giving it to his son”, so I'm not sure if he told Audrey to give the award to Adrien, or if he already got the award and Gabriel was just capitalizing on the chance.

So we cut to Marinette and Alya hanging out in the former's room, and surprise, surprise, Marinette is gushing over Adrien. It isn't a love story if there's a single scene not talking about the love interest according to Astruc.

Yeah, despite not being on the list of targets, Marinette got a ticket to the award show because the writers weren't sure how else they could work her into the plot. The Kwamis ask if they can come along, forgetting about the fact that they need to be a secret or be with an owner (guessing Marinette learned her lesson after “Furious Fu”). I'm starting to think I was a little too harsh on Master Fu considering he managed to put up with these godlike idiots for 176 years.

Alya and Trixx, the Fox Kwami, bring up a decent point that now that Alya knows she's Ladybug, she can take a more active role in helping her as Rena Rouge if she had the Fox Miraculous full-time, while Marinette points out the fact that it's too risky for anyone but her to hand out Miraculous. This is brief, but I like this little disagreement here. While I think Marinette could have brought up the fact that Shadowmoth knows Alya's identity in her argument, both sides still make a good point, and this will come into play later on, for better or for worse.

So Marinette and Alya head out to the award party where they meet up with Adrien, Kagami, Luka, Kim, Max, and Nino, with Alya doing a secret handshake with him that I'm sure won't be important later on. We also get a hilarious scene of Alya once again trying to force Marinette into an elevator with Adrien with the explicit intent to have her get closet to Adrien, while she unsurprisingly freaks out, leading to some brief Unfunny Marinette Slapstick.

So much for Marinette growing after the second umbrella scene.

Optigami is set up, and Shadowmoth creates a Sentimonster of the man hosting the award ceremony, and takes the opportunity to do what we've all wanted to do since Audrey's first appearance in late 2018.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank you, Gabriel Agreste. You're the real MVP of this episode.

So Shadowmoth sends out an Akuma to akumatize Audrey into his “magnum opus”, Style Queen, once again (Audrey is also implied to be willingly akumatized like Chloe in “Queen Banana”). And since the titular Sentimonster plays a big role in Shadowmoth's plan this episode, I think now's a good time to talk about Optigami.

Optigami has a simple design, a butterfly colored like Mayura, but I like the role it plays. It has the power to hide in any solid object and observe the environment like a camera Nathalie watches, all while Style Queen chases after the temp heroes and turns them into piles of gold dust. Whether that's because she's been powered up by Shadowmoth or because the animators can't afford to create new models of the characters as gold statues isn't clear. It still really shows the writers are taking advantage of the concept of Sentimonsters as support for Akumas outside of more muscle.

So Kagami tries to distract Style Queen while Adrien runs, and she is the first to be taken out. Chloe then tells Style Queen where Ladybug went, but she gets targeted because she laughed at her mother earlier, and then tries to use Zoe as a human shield before getting blasted. Oh, thank God. I thought Chloe was going to appear in an episode where the writers didn't remind the audience how much of a terrible person she is and anyone who supports her is just as bad.

Marinette and Adrien both run off to transform, but get into the same elevator together, which then gets broken thanks to Style Queen's interference. This leads to an interesting setup where neither of them can transform and hope their partner will save them, leading to some real tension. There's also thankfully little to no stammering from Marinette in these scenes. It's almost like the writers only have her struggle to talk with Adrien so they don't actually have to write scenes like this. Alya briefly teases Marinette for saying she's stuck in an elevator with Adrien before realizing she's trapped in an elevator with a civilian and can't transform.

After Max and Luka get taken out, Marinette calls a phone she set up near the Miracle Ball to call the Kwamis, pretending to talk to the fire department and secretly tells them to send Kaalki to help her, but Adrien sees Optigami spying on them in the elevator, so Marinette is forced to hang up. Marinette and Adrien are about to transform and reveal themselves to each other, but because neither of them are on the list and because Shadowmoth felt like actually being a decent father today, Optigami retreats with Style Queen, who then takes out Kim, leaving only Alya and Nino left.

Marinette tells Alya to call the Kwamis, but while she does so, she gets a call from Nino, who is soon taken out by Style Queen and... is replaced... by an... evil... doppelganger... The eighth one in four seasons...

youtube

The only question I have is how did Shadowmoth create two Sentimonsters in the same day? Did he recharge offscreen? Either way, he sends “Sentinino” after Alya to lure her out, but Kaalki arrives and portals her to Marinette's room, leading to the funniest joke of the episode.

Alya takes the Fox Miraculous and transforms into Rena Rouge and creates an illusion of Ladybug to distract Style Queen while she meets up with Marinette with the Bee Miraculous, but she decides to take the Turtle Miraculous even though Marinette didn't tell her to just to be safe.

Rena Rouge meets up with Sentinino and gives him the Turtle, alerting Shadowmoth to the fact that Alya may have a bigger role than he anticipated. Sentinino transforms into Carapace (or would a more accurate term be Sentipace?) while Optigami hides in the Turtle Miraculous, leading to another interesting conflict. If Style Queen gets Ladybug's Miraculous, Shadowmoth wins, but even if Ladybug wins, Sentipace can swoop in and steal Ladybug's Miraculous when her guard is down. This is David Xanatos levels of planning here.

Rena Rouge escorts Adrien out of the elevator via one of Kaalki's portals, and Marinette transforms into Ladybug before unifying with the Bee Miraculous into Ladybee.

Ignoring the creepy look on her face, I think Ladybee has a pretty good design. I think the black and gold go well with her suit, and the ponytail with the gold streaks is a nice touch. I'm not sure if it's referencing Queen Bee's design, but I like it, as well as the slight antennae on her head. I still prefer Dragonbug's design, but I can see why so many fans love this one too.

Ladybee is surprised Sentipace is there, but accepts his help anyway. Ladybee summons her Lucky Charm, a compact mirror, but when looking around, she doesn't see how to use the Lucky Charm with Sentipace as he isn't highlighted in her vision like certain objects/heroes that play a part in stopping an Akuma. Ladybee uses Venom, and with Sentipace's Shelter, manages to tank Style Queen's blasts and stun her before de-evilizing her.

Cat Noir tries to cataclysm the golden shield Style Queen placed around the building, but shows up too late, being surprised at the presence of Rena Rouge and Sentipace. He jokes about it, but this will somewhat come into play in future episodes.

Ladybug prepares to throw the compact mirror to use Miraculous Ladybug and fix the damage, but through the mirror, sees Nino fail to do the secret handshake with Alya. Ladybug pulls a John McClane and swings off the top of the building and tells Cat Noir to use his Cataclysm to destroy the Turtle Miraculous, releasing Optigami, and giving Nathalie a major headache. Shadowmoth undoes the creations of Optigami and Sentinino and retreats.

Alya is naturally upset that she screwed up and almost let Shadowmoth find out Ladybug's identity, but then, well...

Like with “Gang of Secrets”, I'm very mixed on this ending. Both Alya and Marinette make good points here. Alya knows she almost let Shadowmoth win, but Marinette points out how invaluable Alya was today and realizes how helpless she was doing a lot of things on her own. Even if Alya didn't give the Turtle Miraculous to Sentinino, Marinette still had to face the possibility of revealing herself to Adrien. Like it or not, she needs someone to help her more, and Alya is the only one able to fill that position.

The problem I have is that because of how Marinette phrases that sentence, it comes off like Alya is being rewarded for what happened this episode. I get she helped, but I just find it weird that Marinette doesn't feel a little uncomfortable trusting Alya more after going behind her back and almost screwing up the entire mission in the process. I think the scene could have worked if Marinette was a little more stern towards Alya and realized she had no choice but to give her the Fox, creating a little tension between the two as a result.

So the episode ends with a post-credits scene where Gabriel and Nathalie realize they need to focus more attention onto Alya due to her connection to Ladybug.

But yeah, this was honestly a really good episode. It's become my favorite this season.

The plot has a fair amount of suspense and tension, most of it derived from the very clever plan Shadowmoth has this time, taking full advantage of the repaired Peacock in order to make what was already a very powerful Akuma even more of a threat. There were jokes, but unlike in other episodes that focus on humiliating Marinette or interrupting the tension, they're well-placed. The same goes for the elevator scene. The writers easily could have made Marinette stammer all of her words around Adrien, but for once, they realized that they needed to have her actually interact with him in order to maintain the tension of the episode.

Granted, there are still some flaws, like Marinette really had no reason to be invited to the award ceremony. All they really had to do was have Adrien invite her himself, which would justify her eager reaction at the beginning. It's also strange that nobody brings up the fact that all of Adrien's friends who were invited were temp heroes. I've already gone over the problem with timeline at the beginning as well as the ending and I plan to talk about Rena Rouge's partnership with Ladybug next time.

Overall, this was still a really good episode. Even the evil doppelganger plotline had an interesting twist to it. What's the next episode about again? What? Another evil doppelganger of Nino?

youtube

98 notes · View notes

lokust · 3 years

Text

Lore Olympus Tickle Headcanons!

I’m going to start with some side characters and then go into Hades and Persephone so enjoy this.

Eros

May come as a shock but I think Eros would be a true switch.

Loves being the lee or the ler in really any situation.

Absolutely loves to get Psyche all giggly, but he will not try to run away from retribution in the slightest.

As far as teasing when he’s in a ler mood, prefers the casual teases.

“Oh is this a bad spot? I didn’t notice?”

“No? What do you mean, no? You’re having a blast! You’re laughing like a maniac, you must be having a great time!”

Shockingly enough, casual teases don’t work on him.

But any like… baby talk teases?

Already on the floor, rolling around in a giggly puddle before he’s even touched.

Never been a fan of the tickle monster, as a lee or a ler.

Tickle monster teases just don’t get to him, and he doesn’t like to take on the “monster” role anyway.

Prefers to get straight to the point on either end of the tickling.

Anticipation does nothing but get him all frustrated and huffy.

Completely unashamed about his enjoyment of tickling.

He can be made to blush a bit if you talk about his little squeaks he tends to let out.

Or the faces he makes when he’s tickled.

His worst spot is on his right side, just above his hip.

With the right method, that spot will make him literally scream before he just breaks down into a pile of unhinged cackles and squeaks.

His favorite spot to have tickled is his shoulder blades. It gets him all giggly and squirmy but it makes him so happy.

His favorite spot to tickle is ribs. He absolutely loves ticklish ribs because he likes how many different tickly methods he can use on someone’s ribs.

50% lee/50% ler.

He’s the definition of a switch.

When he’s in a ler mood, he’s anything but subtle about it.

The first lee he can find is immediately turned into his victim (so long as they are okay with it of course).

His fingers literally start twitching, he gets absolutely restless.

His lee moods are almost identical.

He goes out searching for someone, and he isn’t above taking on a ler role for a moment to get someone to take revenge and satiate his mood.

Usually that’s not necessary as everyone can usually tell when he’s in a lee mood.

Gets all fidgety and excited.

No problem saying the t-word.

He doesn’t particularly like straight up asking for tickles, but he will if it’s absolutely necessary.

Loves gentle or rough tickles, it sometimes depends on his mood as to which one he wants but it usually doesn’t make a damn as long as someone is tickling him.

In that same sense, he always asks whether his lee prefers to be absolutely wrecked or if they want him to be gentle before he starts tickling them.

Hermes

Oh my God, can you say lee?

He literally will try to be a ler, but he just ends up flustering himself and curling up in a ball.

Secret little crush on Artemis.

While he usually ends up having to go to Eros or Persephone for his lee moods, the few times that Artemis has truly wrecked him gives her the spot as his favorite ler.

His laugh is loud and boyish and full of squeals. Literally cannot contain his laughter in the slightest.

His worst spot is his ribs, lucky for Eros.

His favorite spot is his sides, simply because they’re not as bad as his ribs, but they are almost as bad.

Any kind of teasing will literally kill him.

Sue me for this one but I think he’s a sucker for gentle tickles.

They get him all giggly and fidgety and he just curls up in a ball.

Though, he does love to be absolutely wrecked sometimes.

Absolutely loves raspberries, especially around his neck and ears.

Gentle kisses or nuzzles on any of his tickle spots make him absolutely forget how to function.

Give him nice raspberries on his tummy and sides and he will love you for the rest of eternity.

Be warned, he does kick. Completely unintentionally, but he can’t control it in the slightest.

Would rather choke on a lemon than say the t-word.

Asking for tickles? Sorry, he’s just going to bother everyone and their mothers until someone finally wrecks him.

And if that doesn’t work, he’s going to sulk under a pile of blankets until someone notices something is wrong, and he’ll do that for days if necessary.

Another quick warning, he is a cuddler. He’s going to want tons of cuddles afterwards and maybe even during if the tickles are gentle enough.

The worst best way to tease him is to talk about how much he loves it.

The tickle monster is his worst nightmare and he loves it.

Artemis

Not really much of a lee, but she doesn’t mind it from time to time.

Very brutal ler.

She’s not super ticklish, but she’s got a bad spot right under her kneecaps.

Remember how I said Hermes has a little crush?

Artemis is anything but dumb and she definitely knows.

Secretly has a soft spot for Hermes because he’s incredibly respectful, and he’s a very gentle soul.

Her teases are always absolutely evil.

Will chase her lee down.

Is absolutely not above cheap shots, she’ll go for a death spot immediately.

Like I said, she doesn’t much care to be a lee, but if she is feeling tickly, she’s going to want relaxing tickles, preferably on her back.

I don’t have much to say about Artemis.

One of the few times she tickled Hermes was when he fell asleep on her couch and he absolutely refused to get up.

She told him he had five seconds to get up and run because the tickle monster was coming after him.

When she caught him, she pinned one of his arms up and immediately started scratching and clawing at his ribs.

Loves to hear her lee laugh all helplessly.

Also gets a big head about making her lee all flustered so Hermes is a good match for her ego.

Her laugh is rich, it’s not too high pitched, or too low. It’s really consistent.

Her favorite spot to tickle is her lee’s hips.

Likes doing the thing where she digs her thumbs into their hipbones and wiggles the rest of her fingers on the back of their hips.

Can be gentle if her lee wants that.

Hecate

A ler. 100%

Never really tickled anyone until she and Hades got close, and then she turned into the ultimate tickle monster.

She literally is not ticklish. Any attempt at tickling her would be both useless and fatal.

Can recognize lee moods in an instant.

When she met Hermes, she was literally taken aback because she could just tell.

Her ler moods are not constant but they are consistent.

Would absolutely be Artemis’s partner in crime.

But Hecate is much more versatile when it comes to the type of ler she tends to be.

She’s either a seemingly merciless monster of a ler, or she’s a very nurturing, motherly ler.

It depends not only on her lee’s mood, but her own mood as well.

If her lee is having a bad day? Go get a hug from Hecate and let her give you the nicest tickles and teases you’ll ever get in your life.

Her lee is feeling playful and restless? Better watch out, she’s gonna have a blast destroying you.

Her favorite spot to tickle is her lee’s neck and ears, because they’re usually either just sensitive enough to get some giggles, or they’re an absolute death spot.

Her teasing is based on anticipation; Wiggling fingers and whispered teases about how bad it’s gonna tickle.

Loves to see her lee blush, but also loves to hear her lee scream when she gets to a particular ticklish spot.

Will start on a bad spot and pretend to move on from it before going right back to it.

Her favorite method is claws and spiders.

Like Artemis, she will absolutely chase her lee down, yelling out teases until she catches them.

And if you do run from her? It’s gonna be 100 times worse.

Running from Hecate is like poking a bear. It makes things worse for you, and much more fun for her.

Um aftercare? Yes. She’s gonna give you a blanket and some juice and she’s gonna make sure you’re all happy and tickled out before she gives you the biggest hug and tells you she’ll get you absolutely anything you need.

10/10. The best. Would absolutely poke this particular bear.

Persephone

Okay, Persephone is a very affectionate character.

So this is going to be a controversial take.

I feel like tickling happened so often when she was being raised in the mortal realm, that she got a little tired of being on the receiving end.

That’s not to say she absolutely hates tickles, but I do think she likes being a ler.

She does get occasional lee moods, but she doesn’t really like to be fully wrecked.

She wants cuddles and relaxing tickles while snuggled up under a blanket.

She’ll only tickle people if she knows for a fact that they’re absolutely, entirely comfortable with it.

If she does find out someone likes it, she will make sure they’re always receiving tickles when they want them.

Absolutely uses her magical flower goddess powers to tickle her lee, why would you even need to ask?

Teasing doesn’t really work on her because it’s just a part of the process in her mind.

Again, I feel like she went through a lot of tickles and teasing when she was growing up, so it was normal to her and none of it really affects her.

Her thighs and knees are her worst spot and I will die on that hill.

Doesn’t particularly care for her worst spots being tickled.

She likes her back being tickled because it’s relaxing.

Come on now, y’all know who her favorite lee is. Poor Hades.

Loves giving tummy tickles. It just makes her heart happy.

She is a master at teasing because she went through so much of it. She just knows what to say and do.

Her teasing is similar to Hecate’s. It’s all about anticipation.

She’ll claw her hands and wiggle her fingers above a bad spot and slowly get closer and closer to it until she finally starts tickling.

And the whole time she’s gonna be whispering teases.

“Uh oh… here it comes. Are you ready? I’m gonna tickle you!”

It literally doesn’t matter how badly she’s wrecking her lee, she always seems so sweet about it.

Could literally be killing them with tickles and she’d still be cooing about how sweet they are and how wonderful they’re doing.

Raspberries and tickly kisses are her specialty.

Definitely the type to laugh with her lee.

Literally can’t control it, she loves to see people happy and smiling.

No trouble saying the t-word or talking about tickle related things.

It’s a normal thing to her. It makes her happy and she knows it makes other people happy so she sees no reason to be ashamed of it.

Her laugh is light and bubbly.

If you do manage to wreck her, it turns shrill and high pitched, but that’s not really her cup of tea.

Hades

A bigger lee than Hermes.

The t-word makes him literally flinch in any context or situation.

So ashamed of it.

Would rather forget tickling even exists, but Hecate would never allow that and OH BOY PERSEPHONE WON’T EITHER.

Lee mood is his state of being.

Gets all huffy and embarrassed and mopes around hoping nobody notices and they all forget he exists.

Will not ask for it, will not provoke it, won’t even hint at it.

He literally always talks about wanting to feel safe and loved with someone, and wanting to be cared for.

Lee energy.

Cannot even begin to try to tickle someone because tickling in itself makes him want to hide under a rock.

Severely ticklish. Like, horrendously. He is a walking tickle spot, but his worst spot is his stomach.

Oh my God, he absolutely loves being tickled, it’s ridiculous.

Unlike the rest of them, his worst spot is his favorite spot.

His favorite ler will always be Persephone.

Likes to think nobody knows he’s a lee, but literally everyone knows.

Persephone tried to convince him that he doesn’t have to be so ashamed of it, but that just embarrassed him and he hid in his room for the rest of the day.

He warms up to it eventually but only a bit.

Will lay across Persephone’s lap like fuckin Cerberus and do his best to let her tickle him.

His favorite tease is definitely the tickle monster.

“Claws” wiggling towards his tickle spots and coming to attack while his ler (Persephone) coos those stupid little “I’m gonna get you~” teases.

Hades was deprived of all things affectionate and loving for the majority of his childhood, I can’t help but think he’d have a soft spot for the more childish side of tickling.

His laugh is full of snorts and hiccups, and any sort of tickling around his belly will make him lose his mind.

He is rather feather ticklish, which Persephone loves.

Is not opposed to Persephone using vines as… *cough cough* restraints.

Would rather choke than admit it but he usually does need to be pinned down or restrained in some way because it sends him into fight or flight and he cannot control anything he does.

He’s also enormously fuckin tall so it’s safer for Persephone if he’s held down properly.

Tried to gain more control over his reactions and squirming because he elbowed Persephone in the face once. (He begged for her forgiveness and apologized profusely. She laughed and assured him he was fine, but he was literally about to cry he was so upset with himself).

Lighter touches work way better on him.

Likes raspberries and kisses on his belly so much.

Only problem is that he is so wildly ticklish that any tickling will immediately tire him out.

He’s going to wrap himself around Persephone and fall asleep instantly, and she won’t be able to go anywhere until he either wakes up or, by some miracle, moves.

Not tickle related but he’s a clingy sleeper and I live by that.

Mushroom and Big John used to sleep in his bed but he would snuggle them in his sleep and he wouldn’t let them go for hours, so they started sleeping on the floor to escape their father’s cuddly habits.

I think when he starts accepting his lee moods and stops being so ashamed of it, he gets a little whiteboard and an expo marker and draws sad faces on the whiteboard for Persephone to see when he’s a lee mood.

Sometimes he forgets about it and goes about his day, and then when Persephone brings it up, it’s already too late for him.

#tickling #tickle community #sfw tickles #sfw tickling community #AHHHHHH LORE OLYMPUS #Lore Olympus tickle #Lee!Hades #ticklish hades

36 notes · View notes

shadow--writer · 3 years

Note

Hey there! I saw that your requests were open so I was wondering if I could request headcanons for the main six and what it would be to cuddle/play fight with them? And make it extra fluffy! You’re writing is really awesome btw!!!

Dawwwww you’re making me blush. I’m so glad you like my writing :DDD

Hot dang my last post blew up way more than I thought it would more than my story too no im not bitter at all

So thanks so much! Hope ya like this, I’m glad you’re liking my writing ^^! Requests do be open my dudes, check out my pinned post bc Tumblr has a thing against links

Main six x MC play fight (cuddles would make it super long, if ya want cuddle headcanons send in another ask and I will be happy to get on it ^^)

~~~~

Julian

Play fighting with this man gets pretty intense and dramatic

Ya know that one scene in Princess Bride with Indigo and Westley?

Yeah that’s you and Julian, sword fighting with anything you can find around the house (if this is a modern au he would be quoting that movie no I don’t take criticism)

Up and down the stairs swinging your fake swords, quipping back and forth

“You’ve bested me this time MC my sweet, but I’ll get my revenge!”

He’ll swish his coat back and forth like a villain’s cape

Things get intense as things go on, and he starts to take things seriously

He’ll tackle and pin you down, declaring his win

“I win” you whisper

A bit of confusion “Why? I have you pinned!”

“Exactly”

That never fails to turn him bright red and sputtering

During his sputterings, you flip things over on its head, holding your fake weapon to his throat

Dramatic swooning “Ah MC you wound me, using my momentary lapse against me!”

Dramatic death scene, this is Julian we’re talking about if he wasn’t dramatic he’s been replaced

“Ah and I’m dead.”

So much laughter coming from the two of you it’s unbelievable

“Ah, and what about my reward for besting you again?” ;)

Asra

Play fights with harmless magic

Tickle magic (think animated feathers), fake swords and so on (modern au he’d be a big fan of Star Wars lightsaber fights, imagine fighting with fake sabers with him)

You bop him on the head with a paper rolled up and he attacks

Magic and sparkles go everywhere, shooting out of his fingers

He does not play when it comes to play magic fights

And he will tackle you

Like straight up launch through the air to take you down

Leaving you both laughing so hard you can’t get up

“I do believe that’s my win MC. Care to reward me~?”

Smack him with a pillow and things turn into a pillow fight

Literally do anything and he will retaliate

In a loving way of course, he enjoys hearing you laugh and goof around

He would make light swords with magic

Imagine how cool that would be though, like hear me out here

Turn off all the lights and fight in the dark, bouncing off the bed and couches, light swords illuminating your faces

If this was a modern au he’d be quoting Star Wars

In the end it’d be a draw

*swooning* “Oh MC you’re...too powerful!” *falls on you*

“Asraaaaaaaa!”

Lots of yelling and trying to (unsuccessfully) get him off of you

You give in eventually, calling an end to the fight

Nadia

What do you mean by play fighting? She’s a countess she doesn’t play fight anymore-

Did...did you just bonk her on the head with a scroll?

You’d better run fast because she’s the youngest of six and she will kick your butt

She’ll chase you around the palace, throwing pillows at you

Ducking behind surfaces, think a snowball fight but with pillows and blankets

“MC get back here!”

It’s the first time you see her like this, the weight lifted off her shoulders and laughing so much

You will hit Valerius in the face at one point

Knocking him and his wine over

Nadia goes to apologize, but then you nail her with a large pillow, also knocking her to the ground

Laughing so hard you fall over, you and Nadia laughing together

Valerius is embarrassed but won’t mention it if you won’t

Don’t tell anyone about this incident

She’ll kiss the top of your head, making you squeal breathlessly

“I love you darling. We’ll call it a draw.”

“Well I clearly won!”

“A draw.”

Muriel

He’s so big he doesn’t wanna hurt you

But when you smack him lightly with a small (magical) gust of wind it’s on

Honestly he’ll just pin you down and you have no hope of getting back up

It’s very funny to him but less so to you

“I have you pinned, you have nowhere to go.”

He’s very ticklish on his sides so if you prod him there he’ll fall off of you with a squeak

Play fights with Muriel usually end up as tickle fights anyways

He’s too easy to beat at those, and you’re thankful for that

Otherwise you’d never win your play fights

Ever

He pouts and says you’re cheating

All’s fair in love and war though ;)

If you straddle him he’s never getting up. Straight up will die on that floor with you on top of him

Inanna joins in on the fighting, barking and jumping up and down

She’ll lick your faces when you both fall to the ground

He’ll bundle you up in his arms, and roll over onto you, pinning you down with his palms

Both of you are out of breath and smiling like idiots

Gosh he’s so cute

10/10 mountain man will play fight with again

Portia

She’ll make the ‘bzzst’ and swoosh sounds as she swings her fake sword

Don’t play with me she totally would

“I’ll win this fight don’t you worry!”

Pretending to be pirates, sword fighting across her house

You both have tripped on Pepi more than you’d like to say

Modern au (along with Julian from time to time) she’ll quote Pirates of the Caribbean at you

Even dress up

You’ll fall into pillows and blankets a lot her house is covered in them

Bouncing off the couch, falling with muffled ‘oofs’ into pillow piles

Laughing at one another’s frizzled hair and how unimpressed Pepi is with the two of you

She’ll wrap her whole body around you to take you down

“Ha! I got you this time MC! You can’t escape me!”

Try as you will it will never happen

Fall back on her with a squeak onto the pillow pile

“No fairrrrr!”

You win this time just by falling over

She pouts about it for days, you teasing her about it

“I will beat you one of these days!”

Love fights she will always win

Kiss your face all over until you call for mercy she will

But she’ll cuddle with you after every play fight, both of you out of breath and giggling

Ah she’s so cute

Lucio

He has no idea the difference between play and real

Prepare yourself for an ass whooping because he was raised by Morga

Also make sure to play with fake swords I cannot stress this enough-

He knows how to do a takedown, wrapping his arms around your waist and slamming you down on the bed

Leaving you out of breath and kind of hurting

Man was he always this strong?

“Ha! I bested you MC yet again!”

He wouldn’t mind if you used magic during a play fight, ever more challenging

He would ask for kisses (and maybe more ;3) as a reward for taking you down

Again

He always wins, but you will beat him eventually

How you do beat him his sitting on his chest, holding his hands above his head with yours

He’d make suggestive jokes I swear

“oho....things are heating up aren’t they?~”

Smack him

Do it

Make him wheeze before laughing

“Fine, I guess you win just this time. Next time I won’t go as easy on you.”

Easy huh?

Curse him to trip on himself for a whole day and we’ll see who’s going ‘easy’

He loves you though, and is always open to play fight anytime

#the arcana #main six x mc #main six x apprentice #arcana apprentice #lucio morgasson #nadia satrivana #julian devorak #portia devorak #asra alnazar #muriel #muriel headcanons #julian headcanons #lucio headcanons #portia headcanons #nadia headcanons #asra headcanons #fan apprentice #arcana headcanon #play fighting

282 notes · View notes

geekgirles · 3 years

Text

Your Heart

Chapter 4 -- Stalemate Word Count: 8284

READ ON AO3

Waking up to the sound of her parents’ latest invention going awry was something she was sure she was never going to get used to. Never mind that she’d have an entire life to get accustomed to it or her newfound respect for what her family did for a living.

As disciplined as Jasmine Fenton was, being awakened by an explosion was never going to be anything but annoying.

Sighing resignedly, Jazz yanked her covers aside and got up, ready to start a new day. After showering and getting dressed with a long-sleeved, white dress shirt, a black ribbon tied tightly around its collar; a matching black, a-line skirt over thin grey tights; a teal blazer over her shirt, and brown ankle boots (which went well with her brown leather shoulder bag); she first made her way down the stairs to her parents’ lab.

Absent-mindedly combing her pixie cut with her fingersーa decision she made after 18 years of rushed haircuts due to having been covered in some sort of unknown ectoplasmic goo after an invention explodedー, Jazz cut straight to the chase. “Let me guess, your latest invention just ‘malfunctioned’”, she air-quoted.

As she expected, Jack and Maddie were hunched over a metallic device that had definitely seen better days, if the smoke coming off of it was any indication...What she wasn’t expecting though, although she should have, was her dad’s answer. “Actually, that was just the Fenton Toaster. We were about to start the day with a healthy, ghost-kicking breakfast, when she failed on us.” Had she been sixteen again or literally any other person in the world, Jazz might’ve actually been taken aback by the fact that her dad was tearing up over a toaster. Then again, she was Jazz Fenton and this sort of thing from her dad was as common as him yelling obscenities about ghosts. “Oh, dear friend. We hardly knew ye!”

Rolling her eyes at his dad’s antics while her mum patted his shoulder in an effort to comfort him, Jazz muttered, “Dad, that toaster’s almost as old as Danny…” Who, by the way, was going to be ecstatic to learn the dreaded toast-drying machine from Hell had finally been vanquished.

Speaking of her little brother, “Where’s Danny, anyway?”

Again, to any other family in the USA but the Fentons, that question would have seemed stupid. Danny was a college student who lived at his university’s dorms with his best friend, so the chances of him being around his childhood home during the school year were pretty slim. And, again, they were the Fentons, and her little brother had been going back and forth from his dorm, to Fenton Works, to the Ghost Zone (not like their parents knew, or even needed to know, about that one…) since he first got into APU.

Maddie left her weeping husband’s side to pick a wrench up and start working on the toaster again ーpoor Danny; it seemed the evil, toast-drying machine from Hell was harder to get rid of than Vlad. “Sorry, sweetie. You missed him while you were doing your research. Your brother was here yesterday; he said he came Sunday night because he couldn’t find his dorms’ keys. But he’s back at college now.”

She suddenly stopped tinkering with the busted toaster’s inner workings, taking off her goggles from her face, a pensive expression plastered on her face. “Hm...I know Danny’s always been a little distracted, but he keeps losing his keys. At this rate he’s going to end up sleeping on the street just because he can’t get inside his own home!”

Recovering from his temporary loss of composure over the Fenton Toaster ー“I love you, guys, but it’s a miracle this family hasn’t been studied by professional psychiatrics already. Not like I didn’t give it my best shot…”, Jazz thought to herselfー, Jack was soon standing right beside his wife, towering over the pile of scrap metal with a matching pensive expression of his own.

That couldn’t be good.

“Now that you mention it, sweetcakes,” he said, “you’re right. Danny’s always losing stuff!”

“Right?” Maddie insisted. “Don’t you remember, back in his first year of high school, when his English teacher, Mr. Lancer, called you over because Danny’s pants kept falling several times just that week?”

“Uh...the memory’s a bit blurry, Hon, but I know what you mean.” In truth, Jack didn’t remember any of that. All he knew was that he suddenly found himself chaperoning a homecoming dance. If only there was a way to get your memories back like those keychains that you attached to your clothes… And then it hit him. “I know, Maddie! Why don’t we make one of those keychains that you attach to your clothes so you won’t lose them for Danny?”

His wife beamed at that. For all his scatterbrained-ness, Jack truly was a talented inventor with a creative mind. Just a fuzzy head. “Oh, that sounds marvelous, honey! I’m sure Danny will love that!” She exclaimed before quickly pecking him on the lips.

Unbeknownst to her parents, Jazz grimaced in worry at the idea. Back when she was sixteen, or any other day, really; she’d have been overjoyed at the idea of her ghost-hunting parents creating something that was absolutely non-ghost-related, but since said idea would make it more difficult for Danny to keep his secret from them...She was just glad she was in town to look over him. Trying to appear supportive rather than dismayed, Jazz chirped, “Yeah, great idea, Dad...What are you going to call it? The Fenton Keychain?”

“‘The Fenton Keychain?’” Jack parroted before scoffing. “Of course not, Jazzy-pants! I was thinking something more along the lines of, ‘The Fenton Fermoir’!” He announced, striking a dramatic pose.

The blue-eyed young woman started at that, taken aback. “Wait, ‘fermoir’? Isn’t that French?”

“Yes, it’s an adjective that means ‘that which closes.’”

Gaping at her dad, Jazz blinked. And blinked again. And blinked a third time for good luck. “...you know French?”

This time, it was her mother who answered her, laughing her question off. “Oh, yes. There’s more to us than just ghost-hunting, you know?” Then she and her husband laughed together at her own joke.

“Could’ve fooled me…” Jazz mumbled.

“What was that?”

“Nothing! Um...oh, right. So Danny’s not here today, huh?” Her parents shook their heads. “That’s a shame, I wanted to ask him how things were going with...um...with, you know, school and all that. Oh, well! I’m sure he’ll tell me some other time.”

Jack and Maddie exchanged a glance. Ever since Danny started going to high school, their kids often acted weird. At first, they blamed it on adolescence, making them want to make an identity for themselves outside of their parents’ influence but not knowing exactly who they truly were, either. But the fact that their eldest child was 23, their youngest 21, and they still acted like that sometimes was a bit concerning.

The wrench in her hand long forgotten, Maddie made her way to her daughter’s side. She draped an arm around her shoulders, not noticing that said arm was the one holding the aforementioned wrench and that she was unconsciously pointing at Jazz’s face with it. “Honey, is there something about Danny we should know about?”

Jazz panicked.

Yes.

Yes, there were so many things about Danny they should know about.

They should know their kid had gone through a terrible accident that changed his life forever at the tender age of fourteen. They should know he got ghost powers he spent agonising months trying to get control over. They should know he only ever wanted to protect innocents from ghosts and yet, he was labeled as a menace by the very same people he was trying to look after. They should know he’d not only been carrying the burden of being Amity Park’s unofficial protector since he was fourteen, but also became the king of an entire dimension and could count the people he could rely on with his hands. They should know he went through his very first serious heartbreak because the girl he liked hated his ghost half more than she liked him. They should know their college best friend was a fruitloop who wanted to kill Dad, take Mum from him, and either kill or adopt Danny; because, really, it all depended on the side of the bed Vlad woke up on.

They should know their only son was risking his life even more now because he’d made a deal with the Queen of the Witches of Amity Park who, judging by what Danny had told her, was the embodiment of a death sentence.

And he’d been carrying all those burdens and responsibilities, facing constant danger, making decisions not even full-fledged adults would find easy to make, and had been aimed at with ecto-blasters by his own parents since he was fourteen. Being Danny Phantom had stolen some of the best years of his life away from Danny Fenton.

And they had no idea of any of that.

But how could they, when Danny refused to tell them the truth?

Every time Danny faced a bigger threat than dealing with ghosts of the same caliber as the Box Ghost, Jazz tried convincing him to come clean to their parents. Because, what if they never saw him again after that battle? What would she tell them, then?

But Danny would not budge. And, Jazz remembered, she couldn’t blame him. With the entire town, barring a dedicated fan club, and a good chunk of the Ghost Zone against him, how could he risk losing one of the very few places he could call home? Just like she told him when he asked her why she never said anything about his secret, it was his secret. Only he could talk about it with Mum and Dad.

“Jazz, honey? Is everything alright?”

Her mother’s voice broke her out of her stupor. She must’ve spaced out for a while, for her parents were looking at her worriedly. Flushing sheepishly, she cleared her throat. “Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry. And don’t worry about Danny either. He just…” What was that excuse he told her he’d use if anyone started asking questions again? Oh, right. “He’s just busy working on a paper to help me with my own thesis, that’s all.”

Okay. So not only was it a lie, but it wasn’t exactly what Danny told her to say, either. Her little brother decided to respond saying he was suddenly very interested in the occult because he was writing a paper on a seminar he’d signed himself up for, but since she went back to Amity Park to study the witches there, it was still a good excuse.

Said excuse seemed to calm her parents down, before they fully registered her words and they seemed worried again. But, she knew, this time they were worried for her.

“Uh, Princess? Are you sure you want to focus that thesis of yours on...witches?” Jack asked warily, looking up from the remainers of the Fenton Toaster.

The redhead rolled her eyes in annoyance; there they went again. “Your father’s right, sweetie. While not necessarily a bad topic...erm...it’s not exactly the easiest one to research.” Her mother tried to discourage her gently. “For starters, most of the records we have are nothing but speculations and hearsay… I mean, the Salem witch trials were mostly based on unfounded accusations!”

How two of the world leading experts in ectology, who defended the existence of ghosts long before their theories were proven correct, could be so convinced there was no such thing as witches was beyond her. Arbitrary scepticism, much?

Jazz had to admit, she understood her family’s surprise when she opted to focus her thesis for her Cryptology class on the legendary women. A psychology undergraduate, a woman convinced of the infallible nature of the scientific method since birth, and an aspiring psychologist since she was sixteen, it was understandable that her decision to minor in Cryptology would come as a surprise to...well, everyone.

But protecting your half-ghost little brother from the shadows for the last seven years had a way of making you question everything you once thought you knew.

After all, if such a thing as ghosts weren’t only real but had an entire dimension for themselves, then who was to say such a thing as magic-wielding women couldn’t exist?

The moment Danny told her and Tucker he planned on asking them for help at the beginning of Fall only cemented her decision. It was a real pity Danny refused to disclose the supposed location of the Amity Park clan for her safety.

“Mum, Dad, I’ve told you already. It’s precisely because of all those myths that I want to study them. For all we know, all those potions that are always mentioned in folklore could just be really advanced medicine. Are we really going to turn our backs on the scientific community like that?”

“And that’s a great idea sweetie! But…” Maddie tried reasoning with her, but nothing came to mind. Awkwardly, she turned to her husband and whispered harshly, “Help me out here, will you?”

Jack didn’t need to be told twice. “What your mother’s trying to say, Jazz, is that, if there was evidence on the existence of witches, we’d already know. Don’t forget, your ancestor, John Fentonightingale, was a celebrated witch hunter during the time of the Salem trials. He was an admired and respected member of his village, but the only thing he ever did was send innocent people to be burned alive.

“When he eventually realised what he’d done, he spent the rest of his life lamenting his shortsightedness; rejecting the fame and glory his witch-hunting days had brought him. And even if he ultimately turned to ghost-huntingー”

“Goodbye, fame and respect.” Jazz mumbled.

“ーthe hole in his heart caused by his actions would never be filled again.” Jack finished his tale with a morose expression, hoping Jazz would understand what he was trying to say.

She didn’t. “Okay, that was a very moving story with a valuable lesson on the dangers of letting fear and paranoia overtake us. But what does it have to do with me?”

Still standing by her daughter’s side, Maddie tried comfortingly rubbing her arms with the hand that wasn’t holding the wrench. “We’re just trying to warn you not to jump to conclusions, because you might regret it.”

Okay, that was it. Her parents were in no position to warn her against jumping to conclusions; they lost that right the day she finally understood they’d been unknowingly talking about ripping their own son apart ‘molecule by molecule’ ーright in front of him. Jerking away from her mother’s touch, she put her hands on her hips as she sent them her most meaningful look.

“For the last time! I’m not going to try and, I don’t know, rally up the entire town against the witches! I just want to study them. You know, learn about their culture, about the origins of their abilities, about the differences between fact and fiction...” she shot them a pointed look as she stressed that last part. “I just want to understand them!”

“But you don’t even know if they exist!” Jack protested as she made it to the stairs.

Hearing her dad’s comment, she turned to face them once more. Oh, she knew they existed alright, that much Danny had been able to clue her in. What she didn’t know was where to find them. But she couldn’t tell them that. “Well, that certainly didn’t stop you from building a ghost portal to another dimension you weren’t even sure existed! And it sure as Heck won’t stop me!”

That last comment should be enough to get her parents off her back for at least a couple of days. But the conversation had put her in a bad mood, something that didn’t happen since she learned to appreciate her parents’ ghost-hunting abilities, or, when it was Danny who was being pursued by them, their lack thereof. Stomping out of the house and slamming the door closed behind her, Jazz angrily made her way to the usual starting point of her quest.

The Amity Park Public Library.

The large granite building was supposed to be completely white, but the decades since it was built had washed out the stones, making them look grey-ish instead. The several steps leading up to the entrance were flanked by two lead lion statues resting atop a block of stone each. The front of the building, on the other hand, was both decorated and supported by numerous columns, with two of them at either side of the wooden door.

Despite the impressive sight, what truly mattered lay behind its doors. Walking inside, Jazz let herself be washed over by the smell of ink and paper so characteristic of the library. Wherever she looked, hundreds of books stood proudly on their shelves, some of them so high up that the only way to reach them was with the help of stairs.

Scattered around the library were several tables and plastic chairs where the visitors could sit to read their latest acquisition or work on the projects that brought them to the library in the first place.

Breathing the scent in, Jazz walked over to the little counter located right at the entrance of the library, where the librarian would usually be working on her computer. Whenever she wasn’t out and about organising books, that is.

Jazz waved at her with a smile. After coming to the library to study for years, she was basically a regular by now. “Good morning, Wilhelmina!” Wincing at her unintentional high-pitched tone, she lowered her voice to barely a whisper. “How’s everything around here?”

Looking up from her computer, the pudgy woman smiled knowingly at Jazz before willing her chair to get closer to her. “Good morning, Jasmine. It’s been so long since I last saw you; when was it again, two days ago?” Wilhelmina joked as she leaned in closer to the redhead, intertwining her fingers as her elbows rested on her desk.

Jazz flushed slightly at the harmless jab. “What can I say? You won’t get rid of me so easily!”

“Don’t I know it…” There was something odd about the way the librarian said those words, but the redhead decided to let it go. It was probably nothing, either way.

“I wanted to ask you if you could recommend a book onー?”

“On witches?” The auburn-haired lady finished for her. Seeing the young woman’s embarrassed hint of red on her cheeks, she chuckled. “Oh, don’t be so surprised, my dear. You’ve been asking for the same thing for almost a month now! It’s just nice seeing someone retain some sort of interest for this old place and its books. Nowadays, most people just come here to surf the net for free.”

“Well, you won’t have to worry about me for a while, then! So, the books?”

Leaning back on her chair, Wilhelmina pointed to a faraway aisle. “Try the History section. I’m sure there’ll be a journal or something to help you with your paper.”

Jazz flashed her a charming grin, “Thanks, Wilhelmina. You’re the best!” As she turned her back on the librarian, Jazz failed to notice the dark grin that made its way to her face.

Once Jazz was out of earshot, Wilhelmina said, “Oh, you have no idea,” the twisted expression never leaving her face.

As she walked around the library’s endless halls, Jazz couldn’t help but be grateful for having Wilhelmina as the librarian. Any other person would have looked at her like she was crazy or a Satanist murderer in the making for researching the occult so much, but never Wilhelmina. The woman just smiled at her and tried helping her to the best of her abilities. If Jazz had been looking for information entirely on her own, she’d have stuck to a particular section of the library, but Wilhelmina was always recommending a broader search. And, Jazz couldn’t help but think, it was a smart choice. One never knew what they could find or learn if they listened to different experiences other than their own.

Standing in front of the shelf where the history books were, the aqua-eyed woman began scanning for something that might help her clear up the fog surrounding the group of witches Danny might be facing from now on. If she could just find out where their hideout was supposed to be… Not only would she be able to study them, but she might even convince them to ally themselves with her brother for good!

Ever since she was a teenager and found out about her brother’s secret, Jazz was determined to focus her thesis on the effects such circumstances could have on him. But as time went by, she came to understand that would be impossible. Writing a thesis on Danny’s very unique circumstances would be akin to exposing him, and she couldn’t do that to him.

Because he trusted her.

Danny’s number of enemies increased tenfold by the day, while his allies followed a much more stagnant rhythm. Goodness, he couldn’t even get his girlfriend to give up ghost hunting for him! She and Tucker were the only two people in all of Amity Park he could rely on.

And there was no way she’d ever betray that trust.

Which, sure, was a very meaningful proof of the love and bond between them, but still left Jazz without a topic for her thesis. So when Danny revealed his discoveries on the existence of witches, of all things, she was ecstatic.

The possibility of a magical species living in Amity Park was perfect on many levels. On the one hand, it would expand their knowledge of the paranormal, with the added bonus of finding potential alternatives for everyday problems. And on the other, it gave her the perfect excuse to stay close to Danny and make sure he was safe. With her in town, he wouldn’t have to make up excuses as to why he slept in Fenton Works when he already had a perfectly nice place to stay at APU. All he had to do was phase through her room to get to his.

And, most importantly, that way he had somebody else he could talk to about his double life. He was going to need it if he’d indeed managed to establish a truce between the spellbinding women and ghosts. From what he’d told them, those sorceresses were vile.

As she walked over a nearby table carrying a pile of books with both hands, Jazz couldn’t help but wonder how her little brother would handle the situation.

.............

Danny was not handling the situation well.

Although, it wasn’t necessarily his fault. Lady Arcana’s own unwillingness to cooperate was a key factor in their stalemate.

Even if they addressed each other formally and obvious jabs directed at their respective species were, thankfully, non-existent, the coldness between them that reigned during their first face-to-face interaction was now stronger than ever.

Just like the last time, he’d sent Skulker to escort the queen and her entourageーwhich still consisted of the same two witches; talk about confidence…ー through the Ghost Zone up until they arrived at his lair’s throne room. They still pretended they were both honoured to be in each other’s presence even though Danny was sure the Witch Queen wished she could just spit at him as much as he did.

And knowing Desiree, if she were near to grant her wish, a cascade of spit would rain down on him.

This time, however, Danny had ventured deeper inside his lair, with the witches close behind him. Figuring discussing over inter-dimensional safety in the middle of his throne room would be unwise, since one never knew who could be watching, he led his guests to the Council Room; where the Observants, Clockwork, and heーand occasionally Frostbite or any other ghost with a modicum of authorityーgathered to discuss political affairs regarding the Infinite Realms.

Admittedly, he wanted to slap himself for not thinking about it sooner.

Another thing that was different and he had failed to point out earlier was that, technically, the witches weren’t alone. No, there was nobody else besides the queen and her two...guards? ーcould he even call them guards?ー but they weren’t alone per se, either.

The bespectacled, strawberry blonde one had a pet owl perched on her shoulder. The bird, Danny had to admit, was beautiful. Its plumage was predominantly white and cream. The white feathers were more noticeable in its belly and heart-shaped face, with most of its body and the top of its head looking rather creamy. The owl’s black orbs seemed not only capable of seeing in the dark, but also deep inside your soul.

In other words, the girl’s pet was pretty, but creepy. And he had a feeling that would be a stable of these women.

The Asian teenager seemed to prefer reptiles, and, yes, he based his hypothesis entirely on the fact that the girl had a bearded dragon around her neck as if she was wearing a scarf. Danny couldn’t tell what was creepier; the lizard’s naturally spiky, scale-covered body and its little tongue licking its eyeball, or the way the witch scratched her pet’s chin and cooed at it when she thought nobody was paying attention to her.

“Well, it could be worse. She could buy herself a cat and name it after a married woman who will never love her back.” Danny had to physically restrain himself from shuddering at the thought.

But the weirdest thing, of course, had to be Lady Arcana’s own companion. Which, again, he was sure was going to be a stable between them. At first he didn't even see her carrying anything, her form obscured by her cloak, but the moment they entered the Council Room ーalone; Lady Arcana had stationed her witches to guard the doors, just as he did the same with two of Walker’s goonsーand she made herself comfortable (or as comfortable as she’d ever be in enemy territory), he spotted it.

Had she really brought a potted plant with her all the way from the portal to his lair? And, now that he took a closer look, was that a carnivorous plant?

Scratch whatever he said about the teenager and her lizard. The way the plant nuzzled her face or wrapped itself around her forearm as she gently stroked its stem was ten times creepier. Although, a part of him couldn’t help but think she and Undergrowth would get along swimmingly.

Two plant-loving psychos bonding with each other. Talk about a meet cute.

But never mind their questionable taste for pets. They’d been discussing for over an hour and they were still at the starting point. Time was money and this woman was going to make him go bankrupt if they kept going like this.

“Your Majesty, I understand the situation is quite...extraordinary, but I’m afraid we are still in need of a solution.” He tried for the umpteenth time that hour.

The woman before him just sniffed in displeasure. It was a good thing they were separated by a rather large, rectangular table, otherwise, he might have leaned forward and wrung her little neck out of sheer exasperation. “I am perfectly aware of the situation, King Phantom. But, as I have informed you already, there is not much I can do if I do not know the cause of the portals opening.”

But that was precisely why he needed her help! Getting frustrated, Danny let out through gritted teeth, “Which I believe is precisely the reason why I need you here in the first place, my Lady. You are supposed to be able to discover the reason behind it.”

“Well, supposedly, these portals are a natural occurrence of the Ghost Zone. How is it possible that you do not know how to take care of the problem on your own?” She countered, matter-of-factly, and Danny would have given about anything to get her to shut up and do something useful instead.

“Supposedly,” he echoed, “your people have the natural ability to surpass the laws that separate the Infinite Realms and Earth from each other, and hence, youーshouldーknowーhowーtoーcounterーit!” His voice raising in volume as he spoke, he made sure to punctuate that last part for emphasis.

Narrowing her violet eyes at him in disdainーhow could he have ever thought they were beautiful?!ー, Lady Arcana spat. “Supposedly, that bond was tattered after your kind’s betrayal.”

If it weren’t for the audacity of her statement, he would’ve recoiled at the gravity and resentment etched into her words. Narrowing his own eyes at her, he leaned forward. “Trust me, your Majesty, you would be wise to keep your mouth shut; you are in no position to talk about betrayals.”

As her scowl deepened, teeth borne at him in anger, a low growl could be heard emanating from her throat. But Danny was not going to be intimidated that easily. Returning the intensity of her gaze, the two kept eye contact, initiating a staring contest born from frustration and distrust.

Eventually, the Witch Queen averted her eyes, crossing her eyes in a huff as she leaned back on her chair. Her little plant reacted to her turmoil, for it hopped over to her ーwait, it hopped?!ーto get her attention. Noticing her weird-ass pet near her, the witch began to absent-mindedly caress its little, purple...head?

He was never eating a salad again in his life; he ought to let Tucker know he’d decided to join him in his carnivorous ways.

Leaning back against his own chair, Danny pinched the bridge of his nose, exhausted. They’d been at it for more than an hour and, rather than discuss a possible solution, all they’d done was argue. Sighing through his nose, he called out to her, an idea forming in his mind, “Hey.”

Taken aback by his sudden drop of formality, Sam looked over at him with a guarded expression. What was he up to? Rather than answering, she raised an interested eyebrow as a sign to go on.

Danny took that raised eyebrow and her silence as permission to continue. “How about we drop the honorifics and formality for a while, huh? I don’t know about you, but I’m a rather laid-back person and having to address someone as if I was meeting the Queen of England tends to stress me out. And that by extension makes me much more prone to get defensive.”

Sam bit back her reply that she was, in fact, as much of a queen as the Queen of England, and that he should treat her as such.

“And let’s be real; getting defensive with each other is going to get us nowhere, don’t you agree? Besides, I’m already stressed out as it is due to a matter regarding a black hole forming, so I bet I’m not the most agreeable guy to be around right now.”

“No, you aren’t”, Sam was actually surprised Phantom shared her beliefs about formality and social distance. But that didn’t mean she was going to lower her guard around him. And his last words took her completely by surprise. “...did you just say ‘black hole’?”

“That’s not something you should concern yourself with.” He dismissed the question immediately.

Squinting her lavender eyes at him, her suspicions of any ulterior motives never quite going away, Sam gave in. “What are you getting at?”

At least she was listening to him. He was willing to count that as progress. Danny raised his palms up in mock surrender. “I’m just saying, we don’t know for how long we’re gonna have to work together. So how about we’re at least casual with each other? Because, I don’t know about you, but all this higher register of speech is giving me a headache.”

As if to prove his point, Danny rose up in the air until he was comfortably floating about three feet high. As he leaned back, his arms crossed behind his head and one leg over the other, nothing would’ve wiped the smug look on his face as he looked down on the Queen of the Witches of Amity Park, her own jaw hanging low in awe.

Noticing the smugness radiating off of him in waves, the raven-haired girl forced her jaw shut. No way in Hell was she going to give him the satisfaction of amazing her. Even if she wasn’t going to say it aloud, Sam concurred with his point. Straightening her back, head held up high, she made sure to bruise his ego the same way he almost bruised hers. “Fine. Let’s drop the honorifics, I was tired of pretending I have any respect for you, anyway.”

Danny frowned at that. “Hey!”

“What? Do you seriously expect me to believe I’m not in immediate danger of being attacked by a ghost just for the mere fact of invading their turf? That you and your people actually respect mine?” Her voice was laced with cynicism as she scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

As much as Danny would’ve loved to contradict her, he knew he couldn’t. After all, he hadn’t just sent Skulker to escort them in fear they might get lost, the possibility of them being ambushed by vengeful ghosts was very real.

The raven-haired girl smiled triumphantly, knowing she had him right where she wanted him. “If it’s any consolation, if any of you so much as tried stepping foot, or ghostly tail, or whatever, into our territory, not a single one of us would hesitate to exorcise the Hell outta you.” Motioning to the door with her head, she added. “Susan in particular would have a blast.”

“Susan?”

“The teenager with the bearded dragon; Count Scalynton”

“‘Count Scalynton’?” Danny echoed in disbelief, before having to stifle a laugh with his gloved hand. Seeing the Witch Queen’s unamused stare, however, he sobered up. “And...uh...what about...the owl?”

“That’s Spooky.” Lady Arcana replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

“And your little friend?” He asked hesitantly, pointing at the potted plant comfortably perched on its owner’s lap, but making sure his finger didn’t get too close; in fear of getting it bitten off.

“Oh, this little guy?” Sam looked down at DeMilo with a fond smile. “His name’s DeMilo.”

“...are you serious?”

“You got a problem with that?”

“No! No, no. Of course not! DeMilo is...uh, a great name.” He quickly assured her, sheepishly. The last thing he needed was to invoke her wrath, again. Clearing his throat, Danny decided it’d be best to change topics. “So...No honorifics?”

“No honorifics.” Lady Arcana nodded from her chair.

“Right. So, instead of ‘your Majesty’, ‘my Lord’, or ‘King Phantom’, you can just call me ‘Phantom’ and Iー”

“You can just call me ‘Lady Arcana.’” The Witch Queen cut him off with a tone that left no room for discussion.

The white-haired young man slouched slightly at that. Just when he thought they were making progress, she closed herself off completely all over again. But he couldn’t afford displeasing her further, so he’d have to play by her rules...For now. “Right. Got it. So...about those portals?”

As he asked that, Phantom leaned forward to her, changing his position mid-air so his torso was facing now upside down but his head remained straight. As the Ghost King lowered his body so his forearms were atop the wooden table, an intrigued gaze directed at her, Sam deposited DeMilo on the table, her own hands resting on it. Locking eyes, they had each other’s undivided attention.

Understanding they were back to business, Sam sighed tiredly. “I wasn’t lying when I said I need to know the cause behind the portals’ strange behaviour. If this is something that can be solved through magic, then it is imperative that we know what’s causing it to figure out the best course of action to take. The wrong spell could lead to disastrous consequences.”

“Like?” Phantom raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

“Like sending the world to another dimension instead of closing a portal between dimensions.”

“I guess that makes sense. So how do we figure out the cause?”

“I can start by looking through this.” Sam offered as she, seemingly, got a book out of nowhere, Phantom’s eyes widening at the sight. The reddish-brown leathered book was the same one she used to open the portals to the Ghost Zone, which made it their safest bet for finding a solution. After all, if the book guarded almost forgotten knowledge on how to open inter-dimensional drifts, then it should have the answers to more mysteries, right?

...............

Outside the Council Room, on each side of the door, Stephanie and Susan were patiently waiting for their queen. Well, “patiently waiting” might have been an exaggeration. Stephanie was stiff as a board, while Susan looked like a furious guard dog, the murder in her eyes only cemented the picture.

Both witches’ emotional state could only be attributed to one thing.

Ghosts.

Or, to be more precise, the two police-dressed, green spirits they were forced to stand guard alongside because the Ghost King wasn’t about to be caught dead (pun not-intended) with three witches and no back-up.

As much as she hated it, Susan had to give the spook credit: he wasn’t nearly as stupid as she thought.

The teenager kept stroking the length of Count Scalynton’s body, currently sprawled alongside her arm, as she pondered different ways to escape the Ghost King’s lair and his ectoplasmic, door-floating, bloodcurdling realm in case things went awry.

Beside her, Stephanie was lovingly scratching Spooky’s beak in an attempt to calm herself down. Looking over at the ghost-guard assigned to her, she squeaked and promptly looked away when the spectre, having felt her gaze on him, landed his blood-red, pupiless eyes on her. Gulping loudly, she whispered to Susan. “Do you think her Majesty will be frequently meeting Phantom from now on?”

Susan whispered back with a sneer. “I hope not! Miss Wilhelmina was right when she warned me against these putrid, soulless drones. We can’t lower our guards, especially not now that the queen needs us.”

Discreetly pointing with her head, the Asian girl guided her partner’s gaze to her hips. Lifting her red hoodie almost unnoticeably, the strawberry blonde’s eyes widened at the sight; two crossed, leather bandoliers were filled to the brims with an assemblage of jars containing colourful liquids. Stephanie’s jaw almost fell open in shock; the 17-year-old girl was armed to the teeth with potions!

Realising they weren’t alone and the dangers in their secret stash being found out, Stephanie tried to appear nonchalant. Pretending to be talking in general, she added. “I just hope her Majesty is safe.”

Susan gave her a wry smile. “Oh, trust me. Her Majesty will be fine even without our help.”

...............

As she skimmed the pages of the spellbook in search of more information on the portals, Sam kept looking over at Phantom, praying he hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

As satisfying as it’d been seeing his bewildered face when she suddenly pulled the book off seemingly out of nowhere, the truth was she’d been carrying it with her under her skirt. But what she worried about was not him finding out about the book, but the other items her dress hid from plain sight.

Strapped around her thigh was a black holster filled with potions. Unlike the arsenal Sam knew Susan had brought with her, which consisted of several offensive and highly corrosive concoctions, the queen’s own collection consisted mostly of Blinding Bombs. As the name indicated, it was a type of potion whose main purpose was to distract the opponent long enough to retreat or come up with a plan. If things went south, all Sam had to do was smash the jar against the ground and cover her eyes, for a small explosion of light would ensue and temporarily blind the spirits, giving her and her girls enough time to escape.

As she leafed through the spellbook’s pages, she suddenly shivered, noticing a cold presence by her side sending shivers down her spine. What was even odder was the sudden smell of something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Dumbfounded, she turned her face to the side and growled at the sight. Snapping the book closed and bringing it close to her chest, she snarled at Phantom. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Taken aback by her sudden movements, Danny blinked. “Um, trying to help you?”

He had to be kidding her. “Come again?”

“I...uh...I just thought I could help you look for answers.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “So I was trying to see if I could find anything useful in that book of yours.”

Oh, he definitely had to be kidding her. “No, thank you.” She turned him down, only thanking him out of politeness. She turned back to the book. “You’ll only drag us down, anyway.”

Danny was starting to get really frustrated with that all-knowing, condescending attitude of hers. Even his sister wasn’t as annoying despite her know-it-all tendencies. Hell, Skulker was easier to work with! Standing up in mid-air, using his leverage to stare her downーliterallyーhe folded his arms in front of his chest. “And how, pray tell, am I going to drag us down?”

He was surprised by the witch’s next action. Huffing loudly, she got up from her chair and shoved the book in his face quicker than he could blink. At first he had trouble registering what just happened (mostly because he was levitating a good three feet above her and she was still safely on the ground) until he took notice of the sparkly, purple mist surrounding theーfloatingーspellbook. He blinked in awe; so that’s how her magic looked like. Once the initial surprise had worn off, however, Danny had to admit, he was a little disappointed; he’d expected more than a floating book.

Looking over the tome, he saw Lady Arcana staring intently at him. Instead of anger as he expected, however, an amused, knowing expression adorned her features. He might’ve thought she looked pretty hadn’t it been for the wickedness of her smile.

“Read.” She instructed him.

Danny did as he was told...only to furrow his brow in confusion. What the…? Reading over the pages he couldn’t make sense of anything written on them. The inked markings splattered all over couldn’t even be considered hieroglyphics! Squinting at the offending piece of paper, he tried reading aloud. “Spiral...lightning bolt...spork?...What kind of sick mind came up with this?!”

Sam let out a hollow laugh. “You really think that if you were really able to read this book in the first place all by yourself, you’d even need to call for me?” She rolled her eyes at him, not knowing what to think; either this guy was messing with her head or he was an idiot. She motioned with her hand for the book to return to her “Limit yourself to keeping your subjects in line and let me handle this. Although, on second thought, I might actually be asking way too much of you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The green-eyed ghost didn’t like where this was going.

Still reading, Lady Arcana raised her palms up in mock surrender. “I’m just saying, for a ghost that’s supposed to be the undisputable ruler of an entire race after having defeated a tyrant, you sure have a lot of detractors defying your authority.”

“Oh, please! Like you know anything about my subjects or any possible detractors.” Was it true he was often fending off ghosts who didn’t care for his laws to stay clear of Amity Park? Saying he didn’t occasionally get his ass handed to him would be like saying his parents took kindly to people who disrespect their jumpsuits, but he didn’t have to tell her that.

“I know more than enough.” Sam countered.

“Oh, yeah? Name one ghost who doesn’t respect my rule and still causes trouble.” The halfa challenged. What was he trying to get out of this? At least ¾ of his enemies screamed their names and evil plots whenever they were freed from the Ghost Zone! In Ember’s case, she literally depended on people knowing and chanting her name.

“That poacher ghost of yours...what’s his name?”

A poacher ghost? Who the fuck was she talking aboー? “You mean Skulker?”

Sam perked up at that. “Yes, that one! He so obviously doesn’t respect your authority. I mean, he literally hunts you, the Ghost King, for sport almost every two weeks!”

An undignified sound escaped the halfa’s throat, but that was the last of his concerns at the moment. “Okay, first of all,” he started, raising one gloved finger, “he so totally respects my authority. Whenever I need help, he’s always willing to put the whole hunting-the-most-unique-specimen-ever aside for the greater good. And second,” he sent her a pointed look, floating closer to her. He revelled in the way she uncomfortably shrunk away from him; served her right, “Skulker’s not a poacher, he’s a hunter!”

“Does he have a permit or a hunting license?” Lady Arcana asked, not missing a beat.

That actually gave him pause. “Well...no, butー!”

“If a hunter hunts with no permit, then he’s a poacher!” Seriously, how dense could this dude be?

“You seem to be forgetting that Skulker is a resident of the Ghost Zone; my domain. Whatever laws are followed on Earth or among your kind, do not necessarily apply to us.”

“That outta shut her up,” he thought triumphantly.

“So you’re saying you’re okay with innocent creatures dying solely for the purpose of flattering one ghost’s ego?”

Well, apparently not. Danny spluttered at that. Who was this woman anyway, Jane Goodall?! “Whaー? No, of course not!” He vehemently denied before changing topics. This woman was about to get a taste of her own medicine. “But what’s with all these pointing fingers anyway?! I bet some of your ‘loyal’ witches also commit their own atrocities right under your nose.”

Oh, she was going to blast him into next Thursday for that! Standing up from her chair, Sam slammed her hands against the table (careful not to hurt or startle DeMilo, though). “For your information,” she snarled at the ghost before her, “the only huntress in my clan is Diana. And not only is she formidable, sheーalsoーhasーaーpermit!”

Fed up with the ridiculous conversation and the even more ridiculous woman, Danny slammed his own hands down on the table, even if he was floating. “Again with the permit! What’s with you and permits?! What are you, a cop?!”

“I’m a queen!” Sam all but roared. “So, yes, it is my job to ensure certain jobs are only trusted to people with permits!”

Danny was about to continue ranting, but he stopped himself. All this pointless fighting was only making them waste time, and they couldn’t afford that. He didn’t understand how she wasn’t already exhausted from all the arguing. Rubbing his face with his hands, he let himself fall back on his chair. “Let’s...let’s just keep on investigating. Forget I said anything.”

Sam was about to retort when she took notice of the white-haired ghost’s tired eyes, her own fatigue finally kicking in. Slumping her shoulders as she, too, fell back on her chair once again, she continued reading. “Yeah, sure. That’ll be for the best.”

They stayed in silence for a while after that. Lady Arcana reading intently, and Danny praying to all things above him that he’d be able to survive the day. Eventually, the Witch Queen broke the silence, slamming her book shut. His head snapping up at the sound, Danny dared to hope. “Any luck?”

The queen sighed. “I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”

His heart sank. “The bad news,” he moaned pitifully.

“Bad news is, there’s nothing in this book about what could possibly be causing the Ghost Zone to create more portals than usual. The most it has is the spell I use to get here, but that’s about it.”

Danny was convinced his heart was now lost somewhere along his knees. “And the good news?”

“This isn’t the only book that might have information on the Ghost Zone. When our people parted ways for good after you-know-what,” the look of resentment was back on her face and Danny didn’t know what to do; he should be the one feeling offended! “most of our knowledge was forgotten, but not lost.”

“Meaning?” He prompted her to finish her statement.

“Meaning, there’s still probably many more books on the topic.” She finished.

“Which means…” Danny began, only for the two of them to groan in dismay. As nice as it was that not everything was lost just because that particular book didn’t have the answers, having to look for another spellbook or grimoire meant they would have to keep meeting with each other. For Lady Arcana would never leave a precious heirloom belonging to her people out of her sight and in the Ghost Zone, and Danny couldn’t afford to take his eyes off of her in case she and her kind double-crossed them.

In other words, they were stuck with each other until further notice...He was starting to regret not being fully killed by the accident the day he got his powers.

#danny phantom #dp #dp fic #my fic #your heart #danny fenton #sam manson #jazz fenton #jack fenton #maddie fenton #oc #Amethyst Ocean #ghost king au #witch queen au #ghost king! danny #witch queen! sam #enemies to friends to lovers

21 notes · View notes

sellyoursoulforagoodfic · 3 years

Text

Shelbys at Somme: Chapter 6

Thomas X Reader

by @adventuresintooblivion

Word Count: 1929

Summary: Walking home in the cold is never fun. Thomas organizes a search party.

On the way back, they didn’t bother to put a bag over her head. They were more concerned about making sure her blood didn’t get on the backseat. Inspector Campbell wasn’t with them; he had stayed behind.

Y/N was barely conscious. Everything ached. Her thoughts were sluggish at best as she was flung from side to side when they rounded tight corners too quickly. She forced her eyes open just enough to tell it was dark. Thomas should be looking for her by now. If he had noticed I was gone.

She banished that thought with a shaky breath and tried to reserve her strength. Y/N didn’t know how far she’d have to go on her own before someone found her. She just hoped they didn’t dump her in a pile of trash.

After what seemed like ages they came to a sudden halt. “So we just leave her here right?”

“Boss said we were supposed to take her clothes too. Make sure she’s only in her underclothes so she doesn’t violate any decency laws.”

“B...But it’s freezing out there.”

“You saw what she did to Matthew. I think that’s the point.”

Moments later she was tossed onto the ground, body trying to recoil from the freezing stone as it scraped her hot skin. The car drove off, leaving behind a noxious cloud of gas in its wake.

Y/N didn’t move despite the cold. Nowhere she could get to would be any warmer, and quite frankly she couldn’t get her body to move. They’d left the handcuffs on which meant she’d have to navigate around those to get anywhere useful.

After a long while she took a deep breath and sat up. Everything screamed. She was more than certain she at least had a couple of broken ribs. Slowly she lifted her hands, testing out each finger individually to see if they were broken. She thanked whatever Devil had been watching over her that her hands were still intact at the very least.

Besides her ribs and maybe a toe, nothing seemed broken or bent too far out of place. However, she could literally feel the bullet nestled next to her spine. The muscles around it had inflamed so much that ,normally, she wouldn’t have dared to try and get out of bed. Not exactly an option right now.

She glanced around, and with her limited knowledge she realized she was on the very edge of Peaky Blinder territory. Which meant she had about five miles to cross before she could get to the Garrison if she was lucky.

Y/N used her hands to scoot backwards toward a wall. Every inch jostled her injuries. Bruises had already formed around most of her torso, and her left eye was beginning to swell shut. She braced her hands against the wall, placing her right leg beneath her and pushed. A roar tore from her lips as she forced herself to stand.

The pain made her shake so hard her teeth clattered together. Or maybe it was shivering from the cold. She didn’t know anymore. Tonight the air was not only cold but wet as well. It had rained sometime during her capture, making everything slick, but this also caused the type of cold to change to one that seeped into your bones and make you ache. As if she weren’t aching already.

To her right was the pile of trash she’d imagined them tossing her into. It became apparent why they hadn’t. Campbell wanted her alive and not more of a cripple than she already was. Beside her, a maimed ironing board jutted out awkwardly into the road. She sidled closer using the wall to hold most of her weight.

Her hand closed around the foot of the ironing board and she pulled. Her legs buckled under her and she collapsed.

Y/N screamed in frustration. She steeled herself. One. Two. THREE. She used all her weight to yank back on the leg of the ironing board, freeing it from the mess.

She didn’t give herself time to celebrate her small victory before she scooted back to the wall and stood. The leg was long enough to act as a sort of crutch, something she desperately needed if she was to make it any distance. With a slow lean, she tested it out to see if it would hold her weight. It bowed slightly but would do well enough. With vengeance burning in her heart, Y/N began the long trek home.

Thomas thought he already knew what madness was. He was certain the nights he couldn’t sleep came pretty damn close when opium mixed with memories of war. This, on the other hand, was something entirely different, and he hated every second of it.

He’d stopped by the Garrison rather late to check up on Y/N, certain he’d get an earful for his stunt at the high class restaurant. He had said ‘hello’ to Harry and Grace, and asked if she was in. When the answer was no, he’d gone to wait at one of the tables. Evening gave way to dusk. Then dusk to night. Hell, Harry had handed him a key and told him to lock the door behind him on the way out as if he didn’t have two already.

When it hit eight o’clock, Thomas sprinted down the road to grab his brothers and the few men he could rouse at this hour. Now, he and half the gang were out searching for Y/N. There was nothing specific that told him something was wrong, just a gut feeling.

Thomas had sent men to each of the major directions people used to come into the area. They’d wait until word came for them to come home in case she was just out running errands or something. The rest fanned out starting from the pub and worked their way out systematically.

“You’re being paranoid Tommy,” Arthur grumbled for the hundredth time.

Thomas snapped, “My being paranoid has saved your skin on multiple occasions, so how about you shut it and keep your eyes peeled?”

He continued as if Thomas hadn’t spoken, “I just don’t get why you woke us up to go searching for some broad-”

His brother closed the distance between them in moments, lifting up Arthur by the collar as he shoved him against a nearby wall. Thomas’ voice was a low hiss in the night, “She is under my protection Arthur. Not the Peaky Blinders. Mine. I will not hear another word of disrespect out of your mouth, understood.”

“Geez Tommy, What the hell? If she’s just another piece of tail you’re chasing-”

“She’s not. Y/N saved my life and yours countless times.”

Arthur growled, “What’s she got to do with me? I never met her before the other day.”

“She was a Runner!” Thomas’ voice echoed off the deserted street.

Arthur’s face turned a ghostly white, “You mean she was up there distracting the Germans while we-”

“While we dug. Yes. Now stop your whining and help. Me. Find. Her.”

Thomas practically threw Arthur when he released him. Before he could apologize Thomas was already storming off into the night. What he’d told Arthur was only a partial truth, but he couldn’t say the words aloud again so soon after speaking them for the first time in years. If Arthur wanted the full story he could go find himself a reverend.

A loud shuffling suddenly caught Thomas’ attention. It was coming from around the corner up ahead. He instinctively lifted his light, illuminating the street in front of him. He called out, “Who is that?”

There wasn’t an immediate answer, but the shuffling seemed to speed up ever so slightly. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity he watched as Y/N rounded the corner. Her face was every shade of red, black and blue skin could possibly be. Y/N’s left eye was swollen shut. Her clothes were missing causing her skin to have a deathly pallor in the cold, but it also let him see more of her skin. The bruises covered the majority of her skin, and one of her toes looked swollen compared to the rest. She was leaning against what looked like a malformed house appliance as she gasped for breath.

Y/N flashed him a grin and immediately regretted her decision. “Hey Tommy.”

“Y/N!” He rushed forward, scooping her up into his arms.

She let out a loud hiss as the most ginger of movements jostled her, but once she was off her feet a certain stress had left her features.

Thomas spun around as Arthur came into view. “Gather everyone up, I need anyone with medical experience at the Garrison, now!”

Arthur’s eyes landed on Y/N’s figure, his eyes widening in horror before he sprinted off in the direction more of the men took.

“Y/N, talk to me ok? We’ll get you nice and fixed up once we’re back at the Pub. But I don’t want you passing out on me just yet.” Thomas began sprinting, the quake in his voice was the only hint that anything was wrong.

A shot rang out. Just one, but that's all it took. Tommy reached for her to pull her back to safety. He didn't even get to her in time to catch her collapsing body. Y/N hit the ground hard.

Tommy was there in a heartbeat. He glanced around wildly. Dirt clogged his lungs as he gasped for breath. Searching. They were alone except for the dead. And the dying.

“No. Y/N. Hey, look at me. You can beat this alright? We just need to get you back to the med-tent.” the crack in his voice betrayed him. He was Thomas Shelby. He had to be strong.

Y/N shook her head, blood oozing slowly from her stomach. “Tommy if we move they’ll shoot you just as fast. I...I’ve some things to say-”

Thomas shook his head so hard his hair fell into his eyes, “You can’t talk like that. If you say stuff like that you’ve already lost.”

She placed a finger on his lips. It was covered in a thick layer of mud, but he knew the soft flesh that lay beneath. The gentle gesture caught him off guard amidst all of the chaos. Y/N spoke so low he had to lean forward to hear her.

When she didn’t answer he began to truly panic so he said the only thing that came to mind, “If we make it through this will you marry me?”

She slapped him. “Shelby I swear to God if you make that joke one more time I’m going to feed you your testicles and turn your ball sack into a coin purse.”

“It . . . Got us through a lot.” For the first time in recent memory, he sounded uncertain.

Y/N turned her face toward his shirt. “That was before you meant it.”

Her voice broke; they both heard it. He had wondered if she remembered those last few minutes between the two of them. They had fucked before that fateful day, so the chemistry was no surprise. They had also been fast friends from the start; only her and Danny got along more famously.

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. “If it had gone as planned, would you have said yes?”

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answers to.” A soft sob escaped the fabric of his vest.

#tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby imagine #thomas shelby x reader #thomas shelby imagine #peaky blinders imagine #reader insert

59 notes · View notes

amerrierworld · 4 years

Text

Three Times Over (pt 3)

Ocean’s 8 - fan fiction

Pt 1 | 2

Summary: You, Lou, Debbie. A road trip.

Characters: Lou x fem!reader x Debbie

Word Count: 2,461

Warnings: the end to a trilogy folks. Super Fluff and NSFW. Hope you enjoy!

“You’re lost, aren’t you?”

“I’m not lost, Ocean. Shut up.”

“Lou. Admit it. You’re fucking lost.”

Lou huffed, looking up from the map to glare at Debbie as you wandered by the road edge, overlooking hills and a far-away shoreline. You kicked some stones from the gravel on the ground, turning your head to bask in the setting sun heat.

The three of you decided to take an impromptu road trip on Lou’s new motor cycle, loaded with money from the last heist. You’d been squished between the blonde and brunette on the bike, holding on for dear life for the whole trip so far. Somewhere along the way, Lou had pulled over -something about watching the view or enjoying the outdoors?- to glare at the map.

She was so lost.

“Look, I might have taken a wrong turn somewhere, fine. But that doesn’t mean we’re lost.”

“Lou, that is literally the definition of lost,” you giggled, hands shoved deep in your pockets. She shot you a look but you blew her a kiss and her eyes softened a bit.

You hurried over to her, wrapping your arms around her waist from behind. “It’s okay we’re lost, baby,” you said. “Cause look at this view we got to catch because of it.”

“We’re not lost,” Lou mumbled defensively. You and Debbie shared a look.

“How about I just look up where we are?” she said, waving her phone in Lou’s face, who groaned.

“But that ruins the adventure,” she whined, and you hugged her tighter. “Ugh, fine. I’m trying to find the same motel from the last time I went down these roads.”

Within minutes, you figured out where you were and you were back on the road after Lou had analyzed and remembered the directions. Cool summer air whipped past your face and you felt an occasional kiss against the back of your head from Debbie.

The sky was darkening by the time you arrived at the motel, at the centre of a small rural town with a gas station and a shop or two. A motorcycle trip with three people didn’t leave room for too much luggage but you and Debbie had managed to sufficiently pack small backpacks to bring along. Food you could buy easily, that wasn’t an issue.

Lou checked the three of you in, greeting the motel owners with a familiar hug and sliding them extra tips for letting the three of you share one room meant for two. They didn’t question it with the sight of more green bills being passed their way.

“It’s surprisingly cozy,” you said as you walked in. Dim yellow lights lit up the room with a nice view of the forest behind the motel.

“Oh, the owners owed me a favour from the last time I was here. Helped them out of a scam. I might have conned them in the process but they’re none the wiser,” Lou shrugged as she flopped down on the bed. “The one reason why I always come back here is cause they actually clean their rooms.”

“Hey!” Debbie scolded. “Boots, missy. We all have to share that bed.”

Lou grumbled again and tugged her black boots off her feet, tossing them on the floor before shuffling up further on the bed, falling asleep almost instantly. Debbie grabbed your hand and the two of you wandered the town, buying some food and drinks from the convenience shops and chatting with the locals. It was quiet and peaceful; streetlights brightening the roads and the weather cozy enough for you to wander around without any burdening layers.

Lastly you bought ice creams from the gas station and a pack of cigarettes for Lou before heading back to the room, where you found said blonde snoring into the pillows. You gently shook her awake to ask if she wanted food and soon the three of you were sitting on the bed in a pile, eating junk food as the rickety ceiling fan spun above you.

“Where are we going after this?” you asked as you popped open a bag of chips.

“It’s a surprise,” Debbie said.

“Ugh, no fair,” you said, puffing your cheeks indignantly. “Why do I always get left out of the planning?”

“We just want to spoil you baby,” Lou said, nuzzling your cheek. “You’re the only one who hasn’t seen the place yet, so we wanted to make it special.”

You pouted at Debbie insistently, who sighed in response. “Fine, you brat. It’s a cottage.”

“What! No way, how on earth do you own a cottage?”

“It’s a family property; well, technically it was Dannie’s, and now it’s mine, since he’s dead,” she said.

“If he’s dead,” Lou chuckled. “But,” she continued, holding you tighter, “it does mean we gotta get up early tomorrow to get there. It’s a few hours away. I don’t want to drive over those bumpy roads in the dark.”

“Mkay,” you agreed. “Thanks for telling me.”

“Of course,” Debbie said, a loving look in her eyes as she watched the two of you. “Now pass me the gummies before Lou eats them all.”

You turned on the tv where the only channel that worked was a crappy crime show. Lou and Debbie kept pointing out rookie mistakes by the criminals and cons of the show and you found yourself falling asleep with your head in Lou’s lap and your legs on top of Debbie’s.

The next morning you awoke at the crack of dawn, three sets of limbs tangled with each other as the rickety fan kept spinning. After a meagre and quick breakfast you were back on the bike and speeding along the countryside while the sun came up.

The cottage was close to the edge of a beautiful forest with dirt roads leading to it. Debbie led you inside while Lou put her bike away.

It was basically just a regular house plopped in the middle of the forest. The Ocean siblings clearly spared no expense for this place. Debbie gave you a quick tour and you marvelled at the beautiful home.

“..and this is the guest room, though we most likely won’t be using that,” Debbie said with a wink. You giggled and pinched her side, leading her to gasp in mock offence and chase you through the hallways.

After digging through the kitchen with Lou to look for preservatives, cans and frozen food that were still good to use and eat, Debbie walked by the two of you, her hair up in a knot and a large towel wrapped around her body.

“I dunno about you two, but I’m knackered. I’m gonna go take a bath,” she announced. Both you and Lou stopped and couldn’t help but watch as she hurried up the stairs. Just before she disappeared around the corner to the master bathroom she gave a flick of her hair and tugged the towel off with one hand to sling it over her shoulder, leaving her stark naked.

“Care to join me?” she chuckled at the top of the stairs. Neither of you needed to be asked twice.

Clothes lay strewn about the floor leading into the bathroom. The tub, thank God, was enormous.

“Jesus, it’s like a fucking pool,” you exclaimed, dipping one foot in. Debbie sat at the other end, submerged in the water to her shoulders with a glass of champagne, looking every bit a luxurious home-owner who definitely didn’t do anything illegal for a living.

The warm, floral scented water enveloped your body and all the aches in your body from riding calmed down. You sighed contently and twisted your body to watch Lou undressing.

“Down, girl,” she scolded you after catching your hungry gaze while she unbuttoned her shirt.

“Hm. Make me,” you grinned back. She nearly lunged at you, barely able to finish undressing as you scurried back before she could grab you. You were met with Debbie’s arms around your middle pulling you flush against her, her lips nibbling at the shell of your ear.

One of her hands trailed down to rub teasingly along the inside of your thighs and you shuddered at the feeling. Lou stepped into the bath opposite you, dipping low into the water and coming closer. Her own hands pulled your ankles apart and she moved in between them, kissing you softly as Debbie began circling your clit.

“Hm, this is a much better surprise than the cottage itself,” you commented as Lou moved down your neck, hands fondling your breasts and Debbie starting to rub your clit diligently.

“Yeah? You like it here?” she asked with a smirk against your hair. You nodded, limbs trembling as Lou sucked a bruise into your damp skin. “We can stay as long as you want, baby.”

“Well, uh, until the food runs out,” Lou remarked. Your chest began heaving as Debbie worked up your arousal under the water. Lou moved away to give you more space but you grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. She let out a groan of surprise as her own centre came in touch with yours and Debbie’s persistent fingers. You pulled her even closer, legs entwining so that you could feel her against her and you bit and sucked at her jawline as she rubbed herself against the two of you.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” Debbie whispered in your ear as she felt the two of you against her fingers under the water.

Lou’s fingertips dug into your thighs and she shuddered as her orgasm took over, the sight of your face and Debbie looking just as aroused sending her over the edge. She growled into your shoulder as she came, hips jerking. Debbie kept moving her hand, making Lou tremble with aftershocks from her persistent fingers.

“F-fuck,” you stammered, your breath ragged as Debbie kept pushing you further and further. “W-wait, I wanna.. do something else..”

Debbie halted her movements and Lou watched you patiently. You turned around, pulling Debbie to sit up on the sturdy edge of the tub right by the wall and moving in between her legs. She got the hint and smirked deviously as she opened her legs for you and you wasted no time in licking a long stripe up one leg to her cunt. She tasted salty- no doubt from the bath salts she used in the water, but her skin was warm, wet and glowing, and you dug in hungrily.

As you worked on sucking on Debbie’s clit and teasing her entrance with your tongue, Lou’s slick body moved up against you and a hand wormed its way back under the water to press against your clit, spiking your arousal tenfold again. There was a yank that lifted Lou’s body slightly off of you and looking up, you saw Debbie focusing on Lou behind you, no doubt with a hand pulling at her hair.

You moaned as Lou’s fingers twisted and pressed your clit and folds, sending waves of pleasure through Debbie who slumped against the wall, eyes shutting.

“Curl your fingers inside her, Y/N,” Lou whispered in your ear. “She likes that.”

You made a noise of understanding just as Lou lifted your ass out of the water for a better angle. “Just like this, baby girl, I’ll show you.”

You gasped as Lou pressed two fingers inside you from behind, the other hand holding you up to show you exactly what she meant. Despite your trembling body, you mimicked Lou’s movements on Debbie, fucking her with your fingers. She was right, Debbie was soon writhing and begging to cum.

Focusing extra hard and pushing your own arousal down for just a little longer, you curled your fingers inside her just as your lips sucked hard on her clit. Debbie’s hips stiffened and she bit down on her own hand as she came. You were looking up at her lovely, flushed face and nearly came undone by the sight alone, but Lou stopped her motions just there, leaving you teetering on the edge.

“Wha- n-no, I was so close,” you whined at the loss. Lou turned you around, gazing at you with a playful look in her eyes. Her hands guided you to sit against the edge of the tub, between Debbie’s legs, and moved you up with ease in the water until you found yourself straddling Lou’s thighs. Your mouth opened wide in shock.

Debbie’s hands ran through the wet locks of your hair first, cooing at you as you began rocking back and forth, your earlier denial making you extra horny for release. Lou held you tightly as you moved up and down against her thigh, helping you out with motions of both her leg and arms, making sure that you were grinding deep against her.

Hands reached down to pinch your nipples and Debbie licked a hot stripe up your neck from behind. As Lou’s nails dug into your ass and Debbie’s hands gripped your breasts, you came with a desperate cry.

“Good girl,” Debbie murmured in your ear, kneading your breasts softly as you rocked against Lou, shaking uncontrollably. “God, you’re so perfect. You both are.”

“N-no, you guys are more perfect,” you breathed out, your head falling back against Debbie’s middle. Lou took the opportunity to lean down and suck your aching nipples.

“We can do this all day, Y/N. You’re perfect for us,” she said as she eased your body down from her thigh, letting you submerge a little further into the water.

“I don’t ever wanna leave,” you murmured as Debbie’s hands raked through your hair again.

“Good,” the brunette responded. “Cause we don’t want to either.”

Lou grabbed a bar of soap and began rubbing your sore legs with it. “Good thing about bath sex is that you can get as dirty as you want while still being clean,” she commented. You giggled as Lou ran the bar up your thighs, working it deep in the sore muscles and you almost dozed off again.

“Alright gals, move over, let me back in, it’s getting cold up here,” Debbie said. You pushed yourself up off of her and she came off the edge to settle into the warm water. You turned around to kiss her on the mouth, arms wrapping tightly around her neck and she returned the kiss eagerly.

You took the bar of soap from Lou and moved behind Debbie to rub and wash her back, admiring the smooth skin with your hands. As you did, Debbie and Lou shared a heated, passionate kiss that made you beam. Not an ounce of jealously filled you and you hugged Debbie tightly from behind, moving the soap from her back to her abdomen and pressing a soft kiss against her hair.

A/N: Aaahh! Here u go! We can never have too much smut and fluff with these ladies honestly. Though I’m gonna say this is officially the final instalment of Three Times Over, it doesn’t mean it’s the last piece I’ll write for Debbie x Lou x you ;) You never know what can happen! Love u all

186 notes · View notes

mommymooze · 3 years

Text

A Lesson in Beekeeping

Claude x reader

Warning: bee sex discussed. Honeybees. Bee Stings. The noble worker bee giving up her life for the hive

Today is a free day. Free from classes and studying and homework. Everyone needs time to themselves to relax and do what interests them. You’re deep in the woods near the monastery, collecting plants, seeds, flowers and mushrooms. Your restful time alone is interrupted as Claude, your house leader, has found you.

“What’s a little girl like you doing out in the dark spooky woods? You better watch out for big bad wolves!” Claude laughs.

“I’m not Lys. This isn’t frightening. The higher altitude and specific climate divergence varies greatly from what I am accustomed to, as well as the flora has specific diverse qualities that interest me.”

“No need to go all Linhardt on me.” The dark haired male backpedals.

“New place, new plants.” You translate.

“You’re not going to complain about being called little?” Claude elbows you, digging for a reaction.

You roll your eyes. “My stature is undisputed. 95% of the student body is taller than I am. As time passes, the percentage pullulates.”

“So now what am I going to pick on?” Claude shrugs.

“Your pants, most likely, you’re standing amongst cockleburs.” You grin.

Pulling your notebook out, you scribble something on a page, stuffing a few leaves in the book before you return it to your pocket.

The next day, Professor Byleth makes an announcement to the class. “The kitchen is in need of anyone who is familiar with collecting honey or bees.” She continues to read the note and frowns. “Honeybuns no longer available in the kitchen.” She looks panicked.

Dorothea, recently recruited into the house raises her hand. “Ferdinand is much like a bee, send him!”

You raise your hand. “I will assist.” You do not mind missing the afternoon class for weapons training and maintenance, since you are a mage, it does not interest you.

“I’ll give it a shot.” Claude throws his hat into the ring.

“You guys are creepy, wanting to play with bugs.” Lysithia snipes.

Class ends and everyone heads out for lunch. Byleth thanks you and Claude for saving the honey buns.

You finish lunch quickly and head to the back entrance of the Kitchens. Martha greets you and hands you a few buckets and sharp knives. They don’t really have the beekeeping equipment, the keeper left suddenly due to his mother becoming ill.

“Looks like we’re going to have to improvise.” You groan.

“To be honest, I’ve never done this before. Always willing to learn something new though.” Claude confesses.

You frown at him. “You’re just curious because their stings contain poison.”

Claude looks away.

You run over to the Golden Deer lunch table. “Professor, we’re going to need assistance gathering equipment together. I’m going to leave the buckets and knives here, if anyone can add to it bring it here. Dorothea, do you have any stiff wide brimmed hats? I need 2. Leonie, can you bring some scissors, needles, thread and thick twine string or cord. Going to need about 3-4 meters. Does anyone have any thick extra leather gloves? Especially if you don’t want them back because they are going to get messy. A pair for me and a pair for Claude. We also need 2 white long sleeved shirts. Ignatz, if you have a spare that would be wonderful. Need one for Claude too unless he has one.”

You run off to the marketplace to find some dark black diamond netting with the smallest holes you could find. Back at the dining hall the Deer have done the deed and all needed items are acquired.

You create a beekeepers veil from the hat, stitching the netting around the brim of each hat. Wearing the long sleeved shirt you put the hat on, then tie the hat itself on with it’s ribbons so it won’t fall off when you bend over. Then you tie the string over the veil around your neck so that the string goes under the collar of the shirt. Putting on the gloves, you stuff the cuffs inside then wrap the open end of the gloves shut with gauze, pinning then tying it with more string. At the bottom of your pants you tie them around your ankles keeping them close over your socks. You take extra string and wrap them around bundles of semi dry weeds you pilfered from the compost pile.

You are ready for the battle of the bees.

“How do you know all this?” Claude asks as you head out around the walls of the monastery. The bees are located around the back by the fruit trees.

“Grew up a farmer. Brothers wrangled the larger animals. I was stuck with smaller ones. Chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits and bees. Need bees to pollenate fruit trees.”

“An expert on the birds and bees. Got it!” Claude grins.

“Have you ever been stung by a honeybee?” You ask him.

“Dunno. I’ve been stung by all kinds of bees. Black ones, yellow and black, black and white.” He shrugs.

“Claude! Just like every four legged animal is not just a horse, every flying insect is not necessarily a bee!!” You chastise him. “Honeybees are mostly non-threatening unless you are invading their home or disturb them while they gather nectar.” You stop at a nearby flowering bush. “This bush has all sorts of insects on it.” You take the sharp knife and point at a few different ones identifying them. Bluebottle fly, paper wasp, hornet, sweat bee, carpenter bee, bumblebee and finally honey bee.

“Most of the stinging insects have a sharp, smooth, pointy stinger, like Felix’s sword. The honeybee has a barb at the end of its stinger. Think of Byleth’s fishhook. The smooth stingers, can sting multiple times each putting a little poison in. Honeybees, when they sting, their barb gets stuck in your skin, and it rips off their stinger. When the stinger rips out, the poison sac comes along with it. The bee then dies, they are literally giving their life protecting their homes. Never use your fingers to grab the stinger to remove it, you are squeezing more poison into you. Scrape it off with the blade of the knife.”

“Good to know.” The archer nods.

“We are headed out to work on the bees. As soon as you notice you have been stung, we move away and make sure it won’t kill you. If it itches or swells a little, that’s normal. If you swell up to 10 times your normal size and stop breathing, you’re allergic.” You warn.

“Understood.” The Deer’s leaderman nods.

At the middle of the orchards are several different tables and boxes. You put the knife and bucket on the table. Inside of the boxes, with the front completely open, are what look like upside down baskets. They have a small hole in front that the bees are going in and out of at a fast rate.

“First we need smoke.” You instruct, taking out a bundle of semi dry weeds, lighting the ends with fire magic until most of the ends catch fire, then you blow the fire out. The weeds give off lots of smoke.

You tell Claude to wait by the table. You quickly go in front of a hive and lift it, pulling it out of the boxlike shelf and placing it on the table. You lift the hive pulling it to the edge of the table and let the smoke go into the hive for 30 seconds or so.

“Smoke gives the bees something to do besides chase you. When bees smell smoke, they think there is a fire in the hive. That means they have to grab what they can and get ready to leave. The bees are filling their stomachs as fast as they can and will fly off when the heat is too much. Another benefit of this is the bees will have a full stomach and are less likely to sting you. The bee has to curl its body to the front of it to sting you, like bending itself into a letter C. That is much harder to do when its gut is full, less likely to sting.”

You look underneath again There are several rows of beeswax combs hanging down with bees crawling all over them many bees face first into cells eating. You squat down low so you can look up into the hive. The white beeswax comb on the outside looks like it is empty, the next section of comb looks like it has some nectar or honey in it, and the one after that looks like it is fat with honey that has been covered over by the bees.

“Ok. This is a skep, we try to get bees to build their hives in them. It is thick rope that is bound together in sort of a bell or upside down pot shape. The bees start at the top and attach wax to the top, then create these combs. The combs are built hexagonal cells on each side at the tiniest bit of an angle, facing up in a wide V shape. That is so they can put nectar in it and fill it almost half way. Once the nectar is in, other bees will evaporate the water from the nectar by fanning their wings. Once enough water is evaporated, it turns the nectar to honey. Once it is the right thickness they fill the cell up completely, then bees cover it with wax to preserve it. Then we steal it.”

You stick the knife between the ropes of the skep. You cut through the beeswax at the top and sides of the third comb from the left until it comes loose in your hands. Gently, so gently, you pull it out from the hive. It has some bees on it, but most of them stay inside the hive.

“Honeycomb is made from wax that the bees shed off their bodies. They chew it until soft and build these perfectly symmetrical 6 sided cells. Notice the bottom of the cells on this side matches with where 3 cells come together on the other side. Makes it super strong. This honey is heavy, at least 15 pounds on this one chunk alone. We only want to take honey, and the honey should be covered by wax.”

You tilt the comb to the right and some liquid runs out of a few cells.

“Too watery. Bees didn’t cover it and won’t until it evaporates more. Whatever spills the bees will collect and put into their hive again.”

There is about 16 centimeters of comb at the bottom where there is nectar not covered or just empty. You cut this from the rest of the honeycomb, placing the capped comb in the bucket.

You take the part that is cut off and hold it to the light.

“Sometimes you can see eggs in the bottom of the combs that do not have nectar in them, those are bees of the future. I am not wasting this. I’m going to melt the wax at the cut and put it back where I took the other part out.

Squatting under the hive, you summon magical flames, melting all along the cut edge of the wax and nectar, sticking it into the space you took the top of it from. Holding it up there you wait a bit for the wax to cool and it sticks. You leave the next couple combs alone, looking at the opposite side. You don’t want to disturb the queen or babies. The bees keep their spare honey to the sides of the nest where the queen is laying eggs. You decide to cut another chunk out. Gently taking it out you bring it to the table. There is capped honey about half way down. Then the honey stops and there is different colored darker stuff in the combs.

“The top is capped honey. Bees make it to feed the babies and feed themselves, especially in winter. Next they gather pollen. They even sort it keeping the types of pollen together. Grass, clover, ash, oak, maple, sunflower, if it has pollen bees take it. Heavy protein in pollen. They sort honey too. You’ll see all kinds of colors. Really light colored honey in the spring. Darker honey in the fall. Anyway, cells lower than that is where the queen lays the eggs. When the eggs hatch they look like larvae, you know, the stuff Teach fishes with. The bees feed the larvae honey and pollen. It grows and fills the cell. Once it is big enough it spins a cocoon, the adult bees cover them with wax. They pupate and turn into adult bees, chewing their way out and going to work in the hive.

You continue working as you harvest more honeycomb and try not to destroy any of the hard work of the bees by putting what comb you can back inside the skeps.

“I gotta know. Tell me about bee sex. Everyone talks about the birds and the bees.” Claude grins.

“There are 3 castes of bees. The queen. The worker. The drone. There is one queen in a hive. She is the only female that mates. She mates for maybe 7-10 days of her life, maybe 12 to 16 times. Spends the rest of her life laying eggs. Her body is the longest/biggest in the hive, her abdomen is quite large, swollen with eggs. It sticks out much farther than her wings. Next are the female workers. That accounts for 90% more or less of the population. They gather the nectar, bring it back, put it in the cells, dehydrate it, make wax, build cells, protect the hive, guard the hive, get rid of the dead, feed the queen, clean the queen, pollenate the flowers, collect the pollen and 100 other jobs. If there is work to be done they do it. They have the stingers that sting to protect the hive. Queens have stingers too, but theirs are smooth. They fight other queens, nothing else. That is why there is only one.“

“We can’t’ forget the drones, the males. They have no stinger. They do no work. They contribute nothing to the hive except for the queens genes. They don’t pollenate. Their only purpose is to go out and find a virgin or recently virgin queen to mate with. They mate while flying in the air. The drones hang out in an area looking for their lady love. Their eyes make up 80% or more of their head, go almost all the way around it. Once they see a queen, they fly after her. She flies high and fast and whoever catches her first gets her. He sticks his male part into her female part. Upon his entry, his part breaks off, and he falls to his death. She goes out again for more. Bees don’t mate with their relatives, each has their own smell. So they spread their genes around. “

“Gah!” Claude slaps his arm. “They got me!”

“Get over there by the wall and sit down!” You order him, quickly finishing what you were doing, then rushing to Claude’s side, away from the bees you take off your hat and veil putting your ear to his chest to listen. His heart sounds pretty normal. Breathing sounds good

“Where is the sting?” You’re looking him over.

He points to his right upper arm.

“How are you feeling?” You’re watching the spot where he was stung, checking his fingers, his eyes, listening to his breathing.

“Talk to me for a bit. Just talk about anything. If your tongue swells up, that’s a bad sign. Talk so I know you’re okay.” You unbutton his shirt and pull it down over his shoulder to where the sting is.

“Gah! Just mention bee sex and you’re all over me!” He laughs.

The bee must have snuck inside his shirt, got into a small hole somewhere. His arm looks okay, the stinger is still in his arm and his skin is red around the stinger, the spot is about as big as a gold coin and slightly puffed up. Pulling a dagger out of your pocket, you scrape along his arm, flicking the stinger out.

All the while Claude keeps talking, counting trees in rows. Asking if you would be taking his pants off if he was stung in the leg…

“How are you feeling now?” You ask. “And that is why your pants legs are tied at the ankles. To keep them out.”

“Doing fine.” He grins. “The sting hurts a little less now. Not sweaty, not a real good poison. Mostly localized.

You put your ear to his chest again, checking on his breathing and heart rate.

“So how many stings before they really get to you?” The master tactician asks, his mind always working.

“If you are allergic 1, if you are sensitive maybe 20? If you work with them all of the time? Well I had over 75 in a single day and it just made me a bit nauseous.” You say as you help him put his shirt back together. “Want to do more or call it quits? I don’t want to do this when it starts to get dark.”

You both agree to play it safe. Marking the hives that were harvested, you head to the kitchen dropping off the buckets of honey. There’s a few bees hanging out with the honey comb, but the kitchen can deal with them.

Heading back to the hives you finish cleaning up.

“So what did you bring to put bees in?” You ask.

“What?” Claude feigns innocence.

“Don’t be all innocent with me. You want some of their poison.” You grin. “Give it to me. I’ll get some in it and then show you how to get your poison. Oh, remember, male bees have no stingers right? I think we should prank Lorenz. It’ll give him a heart attack.”

Claude laughs heartily, “And here I thought you were nothing but a bookworm with no sense of humor.”

“I can have fun too!” You whine.

“Great, just come by my room any night you want to discuss more about the birds and the bees, eh?” He grins.

“Now you’re sounding like Sylvain.” You groan.

“Oooh, that was a major insult. I am wounded.” Claude laughs.

***********************

Yes. I am a beekeeper. I love my bees. I could watch them work for hours. The smell of a beehive on a warm summers day is amazing.

#fe3h #Fire Emblem Three Houses #fe16 #feth #fe3h x reader #Claude von Riegan #beekeeper #Save the Bees

34 notes · View notes

itsyou-itsme-itsus · 4 years

Text

Gambled Away

Dark Avengers AU!

Summary: Your boyfriend Scott has a gambling issue that finally catches up with him when he plays the wrong people.

All Avengers are dark.

I don’t own any of the characters just writing for fun.

Warnings: Its a little violent and no smut yet but small hints of dubcon. Do Not read if this is not your thing!

The restaurant was the literal definition of a hole in the wall. Somewhere in the dead center of New York your boyfriend Scott brought you here. He swore up and down this was the best Italian food in all of New York. You had your suspicions. The walls were a faded red paint looked rusty, likely meant to be deep maroon at some point. Spots near the ceiling were chipped and peeling away. Risking the chance of dropping paint chips into the food or drinks. The floor tiles were covered in a greasy brownish grime. Black soot sat wedged within the cracks.

You cringed feeling lucky to have not seen any cock roaches scurry around. The night was young so you didn’t fully let your guard down yet. The cleanliness of the restaurant was questionable and there was no way a health inspector allowed this. You wondered what could have been keeping them a float. Bribes? Maybe a secret laundering service in the back.

“Oh Mr. Lang. Welcome back. Will you be having the house special?” A tall man with dirty blonde hair and glasses came out.

He sounded smart, his enunciation almost sounded robotic or artificial. He shot you a sympathetic side ways glance. He seemed so out of place to be working in a dump like this.

“We’ll be right back.” Scott said pushing the employee towards the kitchen.

“Scott wai-“ they disappeared before another word could reach your boyfriend’s ears. It was hard to hold back the audible huff of annoyance that crept up from the pit of your stomach.

Like a rancid taste in your mouth that wouldn’t go away, there was a tugging in your chest. Something felt off and it wasn’t just the sketchy nature of the restaurant. More details started to become more apparent. There seemed to be only one employee in the back and no other staff since you walked in. Feeling the need to plan an escape route you doubled checked the space between you and the door behind you. It was glass looking out into the busy streets of New York a Seven Eleven sat on the corner across from the restaurant.

Tony’s was painted across the top of the glass in white stenciled paint. Parts of it were fading a little. No one had even come out to ask you for your drink order. The urge to run out the door and home was strong. You wanted to give Scott the benefit of the doubt because he was so sweet! You would just have to put your foot down towards these kinds of situations.

“Who is all here tonight Vis?” Scott asked following Vis to the basement door.

Vis didn’t need to answer when he opened the door it had told Scott his answer. Sitting at the table was Bucky, Steve and Natasha. He had prayed that it was Tony and Sam. They often had higher payouts and were surprisingly more merciful when Scott lost or had to take a couple weeks to get the money back. It was more of fun competition among the wealthy. While the poker games with these three were often high stakes and more ruthless. They would be more likely to break your leg if you didn’t have the money to give them the next day.

“You know what. I should probably just get back upstairs.” Scott tried to hurry and escape before he buried himself.

“No, we need a fourth.” Steve spoke tapping a deck of crisp cards on the table.

“Shit.” Scott muttered to himself before smiling and agreeing. He sat down and watched as Bucky slid him over a stack of chips.

“Buy in is $300.” Natasha said pinching out a few 20s and setting them in the middle of the table. Bucky followed suit and waited for Scott and Steve.

Scott looked into his pockets. He only had about 2k on him. The pot was steep. But he swallowed hard and asked that luck be on hid side tonight. He peeled out $300 from the stack in his pocket and put it with Bucky and Natasha’s. Steve was the last to put his down.

Scott always won due to his calm demeanor and straight poker faces. It always worked in bluffs with Tony and Sam. Not with these three sharks. They were mercenaries and ex-assassins. They knew how to read through someones facade.

As Scott waited for Steve to finish shuffling the cards he let his eyes wonder. In the far corner of the room near the door was a large TV screen. On the screen was the video live streaming from upstairs. Scott could see you in the chair at the table looking around nervously. He was starting to wish he had just taken you to a real restaurant. This might cause you to break up with him.

“I’ll see your $100 and raise you $200.” Bucky said to Nat. She smirked at him fanning her cards up at eye level.

“Bet.” Scott said nervously.

“Bet.” Steve stared down Scott. They knew all about how Scott had been cleaning poker games out in different parts of New York. He had gotten infamous for taking home 500,000 to a million a game.

Steve normally wouldn’t of cared until he heard that his friends Sam and Tony had lost 2.5 million dollars to Scott last week. Steve wanted to get Scott out of the gambling world, to teach him a lesson. To Steve People like Scott were pests. An invasive little ant marching around like it owned everything in someone else’s kitchen. He figured just like an ant he’d rough Scott up and send a message to all the other ants out there. Slowly poison the nests within the area.

Scott kept playing his hand quietly and safely. For the first time in his life he had folded in one round. This pissed Steve off, fueling his fists for when they took Scott into the back Alleyway behind the dumpsters.

The air felt thick and ominous. Scott was beginning to perspire. His leg bounced uncontrollably and he kept looking up at the camera feed. Natasha caught on to this and nodded to Bucky and Steve they looked up to see a beautiful younger woman sitting in the upstairs restaurant area.

She looked nervous as she looked at the kitchen door and then back at the front entrance. Steve couldn’t help but think of how innocent and sweet she looked. Not like the usual girls who came through here. It was easy right away to tell that she had no idea what kind of place she was in.

“Vision.” Steve yelled standing.

“One moment.”

Steve met Vis at the door. They began to whisper and a vis’s face fell. He nodded, complying and left with the door shutting behind him.

“Hello, can I get you anything to drink?” You jumped startled at the sound popping up behind you.

“Sorry, I did not mean to frighten you.”

“That’s alright.”

Vis smiled and waited patiently for your order.

“Oh right. I’ll have ice water please.” Vis internally sighed the only other options would of been strong liquors, beer or wine.

“I’ll be right back with that.” Vis smiled and walked back towards the kitchen.

He had been instructed to make sure you didn’t leave. He worried what was to happen. He wanted to tell you to leave but if they caught you on camera and Bucky got to chase you, it would be far worse than if he just did his job. Vis scrambled through the fridge and realized that there was no food in the entire place. Thinking fast he decided to call the pizzeria down the block and instructed they come to the back door of the kitchen.

He came out with a smile and set down a bottle of water. You eyed it, raising an eyebrow before twisting open the cap and taking a sip.

“Thank you.” You trailed off feeling awkward. Vis smiled and excused himself to the kitchen again.

Scott had to hold back celebrating his first win. Bucky grunted pushing the pile towards Scott. Nat shot him death glares and Steve, seemed to be somewhere else. Just as they expected Scott raised the pot. He got his confidence back and had planned to rake it all in tonight and leave to take you to the kind of restaurant you deserved to eat at.

The second and third time Scott won he was all out. Smiling leaning in to pull the cash to him. He laughed and gloated while the others watched him. The more confident Scott got the sloppier his tactics were. He became more reckless with his hands.

“I need a drink.” Bucky growled. He stood and brought back three glasses to the table. Giving Nat, Steve and Scott each a glass. Bucky poured whiskey in each glass and leaned back to take a swig straight from the bottle.

“Well this has been great guys. But I’m all in!” Scott said reloading the middle of the table with the last pot.

“All in.”

Once all in everyone watched and loosely played their hands. They wanted Scott to win. Scott was the only one who was unaware of this.

“Royal fluuuuush baby!” Scott yelled flopping the cards onto the table. The others leaned back poorly feigning disappointment but Scott wouldn’t notice in his moment of glory!

Scott was so happy! He kept dropping cash as he tried to gather it all. He used his jacket as a sash to help him carry the load. He quickly shot you a text saying pick a new place to eat at, anywhere you wanted to go. While he was scooping up his earnings he hadn’t noticed that Bucky perched himself near the door, the only exit out of the basement. Steve sat on a worn leather brown couch in the back of the room, Nat sat leaning against the wall. Just behind the poker table.

Steve texted Vis to bring you downstairs using the ruse that Scott wanted her brought down. Steve relaxed his new plan would be so much better than Just breaking all of Scott’s bones.

“Thank you and goodnight guys!” Scott yelled waltzing towards the door.

Bucky stuck his metal arm out and ushered Scott to back up. Scott’s face dropped and the color drained from his face. He swallowed hard looking behind him to Steve.

“Wouldn’t want leave your girlfriend behind.” Steve’s tone was calm with something sinister hiding beneath it.

Scott’s blood ran cold. He dropped the money and looked up at the camera. You were gone from your seat. The door now had the open sign shut off. It said closed and the lights were off. He tried to reach for the handle but Bucky drove his fist into Scott’s stomach. He doubled over in pain. Gasping as he hit the ground instantly curling into the fetal position.

“Um, why are we going this way?” You clutched your hoodie to your chest as you followed Vis through the now desolate kitchen. You hadn’t noticed that Vis shut the lights off after the two of you entered the kitchen.

“Scott is leaving out the back, he asked for you to meet him down here.” Vis said his face devoid of emotion and his voice still in monotone.

It neither comforted you nor did it make you feel worse. It was the dark basement stairs that made you feel frightened. The hallway lit up as the door opened you stepped in and saw Scott slightly slouched over on a couch with a tall muscular blonde with a thick dark beard. A beautiful redheaded woman stood behind a table full of cards and poker chips. She stood with her arms crossed.

“Hello?” You said softly looking at her and she smiled warmly.

“Hi I’m Nat.” She said not moving from her spot.

“I’m Y/N.” You returned the gesture.

“That’s a beautiful name Y/N, I’m Steve.” He was stretched out with his arm along the back of the couch.

Even though you felt like something was very wrong you couldn’t stop yourself from being polite. You were never one to judge people off their appearance.

“Thank you.” You couldn’t help but blush a little. It made a carnal feeling twist inside of Steve, he subtly palmed the hem of his pants as it to adjust himself for comfort.

“Scott lets go.” You said turning to your boyfriend. That’s when you noticed. His eyes looked red and his face was pale white. He had blood on the corner of his mouth. You looked up searching for the door and Vis. Your body jolted a bit once you noticed the tall muscular man with long brown hair staring back at you from the shut door. His flesh hand held a bottle full of whiskey. His other hand was metal, it rested on his leg.

“Whats the rush doll?” He asked addressing you for the first time. He had been so silent that you wondered if he had been there the whole time.

“I’m so, so sorry Y/N. Please I didn’t kn-“ Scott cried out to you, you could tell he genuinely shaken up. His frame shook and you tried to make sense of the situation.

“What is this?” You asked looking to everyone in the room for an answer. A deafening silence seeped into the room like a gloomy fog on a cold morning.

“Scott here is 4 million dollars in debt.” Natasha spoke. Her smile slid away but it stayed in her eyes. To her and Bucky this was like a cat playing with a mouse after it was cornered. This mouse would think it had a chance but the cat sealed its fate when it caught the mouse.

So many thing swept over you. Trying to process the severity of the situation left your mind grasping at scenarios. Part of you wanted to hug Scott and tell him it was all going to be ok. While the other half of you wanted to scream and slap him for being so stupid! The emotions twisted within your gut like a tornado. You felt nauseous.

“F-f four million??” Was all that you could muster to come out.

“That’s right.” Steve said pulling your attention back to the couch.

Scott couldn’t make eye contact with you, he just looked down at the floor in shame. His heart was breaking from knowing he had drawn you into something dangerous, over his addiction for gambling.

“Give me one week, i-I’ll pay it back and you’ll never see us again!” You glared at Scott warning him to follow your lead. You weren’t even sure how you would get that kind of money.

“Y-yes you’ll never see me again.” He promised looking at Steve. Steve wasn’t looking at Scott. He was staring at you.

“That doesn’t work for us.” Steve said leaning back on the couch.

“Here’s the choice. One. We beat the shit out of Scott until he’s unconscious in the hospital or you stay and be his payment.” Natasha and Bucky smirked loving how Steve had turned the tables. Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked at Steve in disgust.

“I’m calling the cops!” You yelled, with tears in your eyes. Your trembling hand dipped into your pocket gripping your phone with clammy hands. It felt slippery and you struggled to get it out of your pocket. Bucky, Nat and Steve watched you intently.

They allowed you to pull the phone out and open the screen. 9-1-1. Your thumb hovered over the call button. Steve jumped up scaring you and the phone fell to the floor. Steve wrapped his arms around you holding you tightly to his chest. He was so much taller and wider when he stood. You felt small and fragile in his grip.

“Sh sh sh... its ok.” He whispered in your ear, his lips grazed the outer shell of your ear and it made you shiver. You tried to pull away and shrink into yourself all at the same time.

“Please!” You cried out struggling to get nowhere. Steve just held you close to him. His cheek pressed against yours. His beard scraped against your skin. He was warm, it made you feel claustrophobic. He inhaled smelling the lavender shampoo in your hair.

“STOP! This doesn’t involve her! Just hurt me!” Scott cried out standing up. Steve nodded to Bucky who came up behind Scott and socked him right in the ribs with his flesh hand.

Scott wheezed and choked as he doubled over clutching his sides. His face flushed a bright red. Bucky likely broke his ribs. He tried to crawl to you. One hand holding his sides while his legs curled towards his chest. He drug himself on one arm. Nat walked up casually and smiled at you before swinging her leg violently and her foot connected with his ribs again.

Scott gasped for air as his body flopped over onto his back, he looked up at the ceiling feeling disoriented. For a moment he was in shock from the pain. A small amount of blood pooled at the corner of his mouth.

You hadn’t realized it but you were crying and shaking uncontrollably. Steve was holding you up, pulling you closer to his chest. He was trying to sooth you. As if he and his friends hadn’t been the ones hurting you and Scott. In the moment of terror you had gripped onto his strong arm to steady yourself.

“I’ll stay!! Please stop hurting him!” Once the words flew out of your mouth the air in the room seemed to thin out. Nat backed away to the table leaning on it with her fingers curled over the edges. Bucky helped Scott up who howled in pain when he went from prone to standing. He clutched onto Bucky as if his life depended on it.

Bucky hobbled Scott’s crippled body to the door. He banged on it with his metal fist. A few seconds went by before Vis opened the door looking mortified.

“Take him to the hospital.” Bucky said nodding his head to Scott who was going in and out of consciousness.

“Wait.” Steve said causing everyone including you to look at him in confusion.

Steve shifted you slightly in his arms, you were now against his chest facing him. You had to look up at him. There was a shimmer in his eyes that made you feel sick.

“Kiss me. Like a handshake for our deal.” Steve lowered his head his lips were only a few inches away from yours. His other hand left your waist to raise your chin with one finger.

Your heart hammered in your chest, you felt dizzy. You didn’t want to kiss this awful man! Tears filled the brim of your eyes, a heavy invisible stone started to crush your chest.

Bucky lifted Scott’s head making him watch as Steve pressed his lips to yours. You didn’t fight him, you wanted to get it over with so that they’d take Scott to the hospital. Steve parted his lips when yours didn’t he slid his tongue along the seam of your lips, Prodding for entry. Reluctantly you let him. He sighed into your lips as his tongue met yours. Bile felt like it was rising up into your throat. You just wanted this to end. You kissed Steve back timidly but it seemed to appease him.

He pulled back smiling at you before peppering your soft swollen lips with a few gentle kisses. In shock you allowed Steve to set you on the couch. He turned and nodded to Vis who helped Bucky get Scott up the stairs. Nat and Steve talked in the corner for awhile.

“Alright see you tomorrow. It was nice to meet you Y/N.” Nat smiled before grabbing her jacket.

“Yeah.” Was all you could say as she walked out the door leaving alone with Steve.

Steve walked over to you, he held out his hand. You looked up at him through the tears in your eyes.

“You must be tired. Let’s go home.” He said as if you and he had been dating for years. You looked to the door weighing your options of escape. Steve followed your glance and smiled.

“You can try it if you need to.” He offered crossing his arms over his broad chest. The blue button up shirt was stretch tautly against his broad chest.

You put your head down shaking it. Tears quietly streamed from your eyes. Staining your cheeks. Scott was gone and now your were stuck with this man who terrified you. Steve offered his hand to you again and this time you accepted it. You placed your hand in his and let him pull you up.

“I can be good to you or I can be harsh. It’s really up to you.” Steve leaned over kissing you on the head as he lead you out of the restaurant. You just nodded your head letting him guide you with his hand on the small of your lower back.

Your fate had been sealed. Your boyfriend had gambled you off like a trophy piece. Now you had to go home with this man and do whatever he wanted you to. May be it would be smart to just pay off the debts and leave town forever. He would eventually get bored with you. At least you prayed he would sooner than later.

#Avengers #steve rogers #bucky barnes #Dark Fic #AU #natasha romanoff #Vision #Scott lang #steve rogers x you #scott lang x reader #captain america #winter soldier

87 notes · View notes

popculturebuffet · 4 years

Text

Amphibia Reviews: The Sleepover to End All Sleepovers/A Day at the Aquarium

Last full episode before hiatus! The Kids have a sleepover in the castle that starts like the Princess Diaries 2 and ends in unspeakable horror, while the Plantars try to spend one final day together without getting sad. Sort of like everyone these days without the final part. One last ride under the cut.

Whelp it’s the end for this batch of episodes which is sad, and i’ll genuinely miss covering these every week. Yeah I have other coverage incoming with Ducktales coming back, eeeee, and current Loud House coverage.. but it was still nice to have something to cover this summer and something to watch every week during this blighted year, as i’ve mentioned before there weren’t any BAD episodes just hard to cover ones and I think by the end I figured out how to do that.. mostly by stopping straight up recaps for more condensed ones. Point is I had fun, grew as a reviewer, and it was a good way to kill a few saturdays, sundays and one or two mondays, and that ain’t bad at all. So before we come back for halloween, let’s send off weekly amphibia coverage in style for now, unless it comes back in November and I look stupid, with this week. Let’s go.

The Sleepover to End All Sleepovers

Well this one took a turn. It was also an excellent one as we got more insight into Marcy and Anne’s friendship with Sasha, and some truly excellent horror. Yes, horror. The Plantar kids head to the castle for the evening for a Sleepover. Turns out the king finally did find something, as did Marcy who’s playing coy about what they found in the hidden library I forgot to mention last time because I was covering 4 episodes at once. Anyway King Keith David has a meeting with them tommorow. So the kids are staying with Marcie to have a fun night together while Hop Pop has a night without the kids to get something head to toe.. it’s better not to ask. They also annoy Olivia who goes off to drink.. juice. Yes the hard juice that comes with a lemon wedge and speedoed servant newt.

It’s also our ambigously gay duo’s first sleepover without Sasha, but their confident they can do this themselves while Sprig is hoping i’tll be good as his first sleepover (And has a creepy closeup about formative memories) Cue a fun montage of everryone annoying olivia and getting into hyjinks round the castle from sillys tring, which is shot from critters, to painting moustaches. It’s fun stuff. Then we go from fun stuff to...

As , in order to stay awake, as being the bastion of pleasantness she is Sasha refused to let them sleep till sunrise, Marcy and Anne initate a SCARE DARE! A SCARE DARE! is a scary dare where the person who dosen’t complete it goes in the book of losers. Which of course was Sasha’s idea, both in general concept and the dares done. What a well adjusted young lady! So naturally our heroes go into the basment they were told to stay out of. They get pass Lady Olvia because she’s passed out drunk on hard lemonade, living the dream as it were. ,Anyway they. find a bunch of tombstones, and then Marcy and Anne taking a selfie (Say desecration) wakes the dead... all because they were both playing chicken. One has to imagine how the kids talking with hop pop would go

youtube

So yeah the ghostly horror terrors chase the kids, who somehow end up in Marcy’s room. So she just has a passage from a floating graveyard contaning horrifying eldtirch ghosts to her room.. a room the king put in for her. Someone protect this child.

So our heroes soon have to deal with the ghosts but luckily sprig’s mirror catching it reveals the mirrors, which were foreshadowed earlier by a hall of mirrors leading into the corpse room, making the ghosts solid and allowing our heroes to fight htem back. Our heroes are exausted, Marcy and Anne reveal that they also chickend out on the scare dare so it’s okay, and Oliva arrives. It’s go time. Final Thoughts: A fun episode that quickly pivots into a great and nightmare inducing one perfect for spooky season coming up soon. I do generally wonder just WHAT those things are, and it’s great setup for whatever’s abotu to come. And while I didn’t mention it in the recap we also get sprig finding some sort of painting and it being of the king, a toad and a frog.. we don’t get to see it clearly so it could be someone else.. but.. it’s clear the king likely has ties to what happened before. But what DID happen before? what are those ghost things? what’s the king’s angle?

Yeah I have no answers for now on what the king’s plan is, or how inocent he is or if that’s his dad, just that something’s clearly wrong. And the omonious chess metaphor told us that.. yeah I do think that bit was kind of a mistake as otherwise while we’d probably still question the king, we would be more conflicted as evidence piled up versus “yeah something’s clearly wrong. “ Then again we genuiely don’t know what his motives or plan is or how well intentioned he is or anything other than he SEEMS nice, and that said game could be a necessary evil for all we know. We just don’t have enough information, even with the ominus bits, to truly know what’s going on and what kind of villian the king is. If he is one at all the show could pull a massive swerve on us.. I mean I doubt it he probably is evil, but I wouldn’t put it past the show. For now let’s move on so I can do more wheel spinning and what not...

Day at the Aquarium

So it’s time for another audience with the king. Turns out he and Mar-mar found out a LOT. Or Marcy did at least, as the above makes clear the king may of known ALL OF THIS already, and just needed Marcy and Anne to think he didn’t long enough for his evil plans. But we do learn a LOT about the gems, the box, and what it does as well as how to fix it...

So let’s not waste time since some of you probably don’t have episode acess this early and want to know: Turns out the calamity box is an interdimensional travel device, and, as far as the king tells us anyway, the king’s ancestors went around from world to world as explorers, possibly the group seen in the picture and just as likely the king himself hiding his role in things. Now how much of the explorer part is TRUE remains up in the air, especially since history also painted Columbus an explorer, including when I was in school, and not you know.. an idiot and a colonizing bastard. History is written by the winners after all so it’s hard to know what’s true, only that the book is likely real: While the king COULD’VE planted it to lead marcy, or had one made up, a fake would’ve been spotted immeditly as we’ve established Marcy is a master detective with batman level deductive skills. Or Elongated Man but I wanted most of you to get the refrence and his adaptation versoins so far haven’t been the kindest to ralph. Anyways, point is that con wouldn’t work on her so the book IS real, as is it’s info on the box.. i’ts just hard to tell what was left out or if this was written before utter diastaer and apocalypse insued. After all Gravity Falls Journal 3 is all fine and dandy about bill before the giant passage about bill not being trusted written in blood and Ford going into a paranoid tailspin after realizing his friend is actually a horrifing monster, literally and figuratively, so we don’t know WHAT could’ve been hidden in a nother book the king could’ve removed at any time before Marcy got there or while she was away on a mission. But yeah while we know there’s probably more to it this is sitll big information, the box connecting to 4 other worlds other than amphibia, which not only opens up the story possiblities but the fan fiction, and that each of the gems can be recharged at three temples, each one of the gems responding to a diffrent trait judging by the symbols, each representing our girls; Purple is strength, and thus sasha, Blue is Heart, Anne, and Green is Brains, Marcy. I do like thisd as it tells us more but only raises further questions, hooking the audience more. It’s great stuff. But our heroines now have a goal.. but unforutnately the Plantars need to go back and Anne can’t go with as Marcy wants her close. It’s harvest season soon and the Plantars have been away long enough. So they have one last day, though both marcy and the king are apologetic and the king offers them a large tissue and upon getting no response just gives it to them as next time we see them with it. it’s both a great gag, and a nice show of kindess from the king and possible diabolical mastermind.

So the Plantars decide to spend their final day with Anne at the aquarium, as it always cheered her up. This goes south as eveyrhting from the eels to the giant kraken to the coral reminds them of their past and leaves the poor group sobbing. Even a water show goes sideways as Sprig sees an eel, but it does lead to the group fighting off the stingrays at the show in an utterly stunning fight sequence. Not the best i’ve seen this month.. but only because I binged what I missed of rise of the tmnt this month and that show’s final figh tis an utter showstopper, as are most of it’s fight, but this is easily on par with most of them. Fluid, well done and emotoinal. Our heroes get thrown out of course, but the thought counts and they decide one last throughly them memory is better than nothing. The final scene is naturally an utter gut punch as we get tearfull goodbyes (sprig and anne forever). Their crying, i’m crying we’re all crying and Hop Pop promises they’ll see each other again. Because family always finds each other. My heart.. it’s too full. here have an apporiate song...

youtube

Let’s see how i’m doing.

Yeah so two things: I’m not going to be able to stop sobbing thinking of this scene so let’s move on and how have I only NOW refrenced gilmore girls on this blog?

But yeah the scene is utterly moving as the Plantars leave and Marcy realises something. She likely was keeping Anne close because she just got her back... but realizes she’s being selfish. It’s not SAID on screen but it’s clear both in Hailey’s voice acting and from the animation what’s going through her head. It’s utterly captivating stuff. So she tells Anne to go with them.. offically because they should have someone they can trust keep an eye on the box, which is a good idea honestly given just giving it to a royal messenger is just asking for it to be stolen. So Marcy will stay behind and prepare, and since she mentioned it before likekly try to find Sasha as she earlier stated they HAVE to find her.. and given what we see with the recharging that’s both because she misses her friend no matter what she’s done, and because she’s vitally important, while Anne goes with the Plantars to get the box and have some more time before they say goodbye forever, with Marcy coming to wartwood to pick it and anne up for the first temple. Because nothing terrible’s ever happened when a plucky youth with a sword went to three seperate temples, especially involving a guy with a beard and full plate armor.

Marcy stares off, sad her friend and possible crush is gone.. but unederstanding that this is what she needs, and that she can’t hold her here.. Anne needs to see her family off.. and we get a tearful reunion as Anne chases after them, passing her friends from “Scavenger Hunt”, and reunites with her family. But of course we can’t end on a happy moment, as we cut back to Marcy whose utterly sad.. and the King who says he has a proposition for her, one she’ll find most agreable.

But yeah we end on that bit of ominus as we close till october.

Final Thoughts: Yeah if it wasn’t obvious this was a great one. Great plot progression, great animation, great emotional hook, good jokes which I dind’t get into for time, and tons of stuff to leave fans wanting more just before the break, but without a HUGE cliffhanger. Sure we don’t know what the King’s planning, but that aside our heroes are still together outside of marcy, and we haave a lot to look forward to whenever the show gets back. I’m hyped. Your hyped. IT’s a good note to go out on, especially since last weeks eps were also excellent and it looks like things are about to pick up. When next we meet it’s an inconsequential, probably, anthology episode, though it should be fun, then whenever new episodes return, wether it be just in november or more likely in February, our heroes return to wartwood! And we’ll find out what everyone’s been up to. Hopefully Ivy didn’t leave sprig. We’ll see. Until then, you can check out this blog for more recaps, as I said i’m covering ducktales as it comes back monday and loud house whenever I can get my meat hooks on the new episodes, and until then say safe and go team venture!

#amphibia #recaps #reviews #animation #day at the aquarium #the sleepover to end all sleepovers #marcy wu #king andrais #keith david #Anne Boonchy #hop pop #hopidiah plantar #sprig plantar #polly planatar #lady olivia #disney channel #disney

52 notes · View notes

honibee-arts · 4 years

Note

Sangcheng and Nielan prompt- NMJ thinks that JC is one of rare people he can trust in case of his brother. JC is a Good Bro. NMJ tries to be a matchmaker and make sangcheng happen. LXC tries to help because he is in middle of projecting his own romantic tension and young love is so cute

"I need your help."

"I'm all ears, A-Jue." Xichen said softly petting the purring mass of grey-brown fur in his lap. Baxia looked at him smugly as Xichen scratched behind her ears, cooing at her. Traitor.

He pushed back the warmth that flooded him every time Xichen spoke his name and sat forward.

"A-Sang has had his heart broken before, we both know this." he began.

"A-Jue I'm not hiding a body for you. I don't care how much I love you."

Not in the way I want you to.

Anyway.

"A-Sang's taste in men is... Questionable. But. There's this TA who joined the department, Jiang Wanyin. He's a good kid and I..."

"You think he would be right for A-Sang." Xichen finished.

"Yes. That."

"And you need my help in getting them together?"

"Yes. That too." he was grateful Xichen could read him so well.

"Alright. I'll play."

"You will?"

"Yeah. Another side project won't hurt."

"I still don't understand why you're pushing Wei Wuxian on poor Wangji like this."

"I don't choose who my didi likes, A-Jue. Now. You came to the right person for this, I'm something of an expert in matchmaking younger siblings."

Mingjue let out an amused huff as Xichen collected the materials from his pile of papers and began to draw up a plan.

Huaisang needed to have words with his da ge. Why this kid from the engineering department kept finding him, he'd never understand, but he had a feeling it was something to do with him.

A quick gossip with Wei Wuxian and a little bit of digging in his brothers social media accounts had confirmed his suspicions and had lead him to the point where he was banging his fan on his da ges door.

"DA GE! DA GE OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR AND EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"

The door swung open.

"Ow! Huaisang what the hell!" Mingjue growled as Huaisang's fan smacked the side of his face. He gripped the fan and yanked it out of his hand. "What are you screaming about now? I'm marking papers, can this shit wait?"

"No it can't fucking wait!"

"Language."

"Will you make your mind up about my love life? First you want to kill anyone I've ever slept with and now you and your little boyfriend are trying to set me up?!"

"Xichen isn't my boyfriend, Huaisang, we've been over this."

"You live with him, you're both single, and you have a cat. You're basically a celibate married couple."

"HUAISANG."

"Anyway, we're getting off topic. Why are you setting me up with this Jiang Wanyin kid? You literally chased my first boyfriend out of the house with a meat cleaver and probably asked Meng Yao to put hits on all my exes."

"I haven't, but it's a good idea. Remind me to call him later."

"Da ge!"

"Okay! Fine, fine." Huaisang watched his older brother deflate and lean against the doorframe, taking off his glasses and pinching his brow. "I just... Bear with me I'm not good at this feelings thing but... I've seen you get hurt, a lot, okay? I... I promised Ba and A-Niang when they died that I would look after you and make sure you're okay... These boys... These children... They've hurt you. Wanyin is a good kid. Strong spirit, a good heart. He's someone that would treat you right. He seems angry but he's quite gentle. He's a very good uncle actually. I just... I thought setting him up with you would be a good idea."

Huaisang sighed as his brother handed his fan back. He shuffled his feet, staring at the ground. Da ge rarely spoke about their parents, and now he was getting choked up. His da ge gave up everything for him when their parents died. He put his whole life on hold for him, fought their aunties and uncles to keep custody of him. A brother and a father, he truly was grateful.

"I guess... I could give him a chance. He's pretty cute. Nice sharp jaw... Nice arms... Cute b-"

"Don't finish that sentence in front of me."

Huaisang cackled and snapped his fan open, hiding behind it. Mingjue rolled his eyes, huffing softly. His lips twitched up in a soft smile. Mingjue reached forward and ruffled Huaisang's hair, chuckling softly.

"I'll kick his ass if he hurts you."

"I know da ge." Huaisang hummed, fixing his hair with an annoyed pout.

"Alright, get out of my sight. Do your work."

"Make me!" Huaisang stuck his tongue out before breaking into a sprint. "You can't catch me!"

"I'm just glad you're doing exercise, Huaisang!" he called down the hall. "You need to work on your form though, you're running like a newborn fawn!"

"I can't hear you!"

Mingjue chuckled to himself, shutting his door.

"So," Xichen hummed, sipping his tea from his chair on the other side of his desk. "A celibate married couple?"

Mingjue spluttered, trying to come up with an explanation, feeling his cheeks burn and tripping over his words. Xichen laughed, such a sweet, musical sound. He stood up - so elegant, oh so elegant - and walked toward Mingjue.

"I-it's just a joke! Yeah. Just a joke. You know A-Sang..." he said nervously, cringing at how his voice cracked.

With a sly smile, his long, deft fingers wrapped around his tie, gently straightening it. Mingjue felt mortified at the shiver that jolted through him.

"Just a joke? So how would you feel if I asked if you would like to make this 'marriage' not so... Celibate, anymore? Maybe more of an actual marriage?"

Mingjue felt his cheeks burn even hotter as he nodded, feeling unable to say anything other than;

"Yes. Yes. Please. I want that. For so long. Please."

Xichen laughed softly, gently pulling Mingjue in by his tie.

"Good. Me too." he hummed, his breath fanning against his lips before he drew him into a kiss.

#the untamed #mo dao zu shi #lan xichen #nie mingjue #nie huaisang #jiang cheng #jiang wanyin #sangcheng #nielan #ship prompts #my shitty writing

83 notes · View notes

monkeebratz · 5 years

Text

Bio!Dad Bruce Wayne AU - Super Meet

SO we have two ways that the Parisian Super Squad meets the Batfam.

The first, which I’m only writing down because I cannot forget about it, and its hilarious is: the Super Squad gets to Gotham, gets Mari’s texts, gets to their hotel room, throws their stuff in, transforms, and starts running around looking for her. They find her walking around the fashion district with the Wayne’s. Adrien, as Chat Noir, spies Marinette first. And, in typical fashion, acts first and thinks later.

So basically the Wayne’s watch a young, blonde, male version of catwoman throw an incredibly expandable baton between them and Mari, jump down, pick her up. Say “Bonjour. Au revoir.” And then make his expandable baton extend again and carry the now screeching Marinette to the top of the building where the rest of the Super Squad is waiting. Luka is going to strangle him. Holy shit. Chat Noir? More like Chat NO-ir!

The Batfam, of course, suits up and starts chasing after them. In full daylight. (These are the perfect opportunity for “Only in Gotham tweets” tbh) They catch up to Marinette berating all of them in incredibly loud and frantic French. As Multimouse. Going on about how irresponsible it was to leave Paris unprotected! Yes she knows Hawkmoth was defeated but it is the principle of the matter!! And they left BEFORE she told them about what happened with her bio!family and Batman! ALSO THEY KIDNAPPED HER IN BROAD ASS FUCKING DAYLIGHT IT DOESN’T MATTER IF THIS IS GOTHAM YOU SHUT YOUR TRAP CHAT!

The whole squad looks so defeated but then Mari starts crying and throws herself into Chat’s arms going on about how good it is to see them and she’s so happy they’re here and they’re so so stupid! And then its a hug pile. Big hug pile. The Batfam looks on in utter confusion bc, again, only like. Two of them know French. Then Batman coughs and they all look up and just. Don’t move. Maybe if they don’t move he won’t see them.

“... I need to be taking Miss Dupain-Cheng back to her family, now.”

“But-!” WHACK (why yes that’s the sound of Marinette kicking at them all)

“You kidnapped a girl in front of her family with no warning, in a very dangerous city. I’m sure her family would like the reassurance that she’s safe.”

So Batman and the Robins take Marinette back to Wayne Manor and Alfred clings to her (like he totally didn’t put everything together already they’re all so obvious). And then the Batfam, minus costume, comes barreling down the stairs and they all tackle Marinette and its another hug pile. Bc holy shit Mari why did you get kidnapped by your so called friends? Oh, they’re stupid? Can relate.

And then. Of course. Guess who shows up at the door. Just peeks their heads in, detransformed of course. “Uh, hi? We’re friends of Marinette? We’re here to visit her?”

Bruce is shrieking like WHY. WHY IS THIS SHIT GENETIC?! Internally. Can’t spill the beans QUITE yet.

Anyway, INTRODUCTIONS GALOR, YADA YADA, Dick and Adrien get along so well. Too well. Kagami and Damien also get along well too (they’re both ready to stab a bitch, don’t test them). Luka is too chill NOT to get along with anyone, unless they insult his friends and partners. Chloe is ready to throw down but also holy shit that’s Bruce fucking Wayne? Damn, Mari. DAMN. Already on social media about this.

(Also listen, I am shipping trash so I’m going to be vague as hell with things but in my brain this will be a poly!partners au so the Super Squad is just dating each other. But for the sake of everyone they could also just be really good/close friends, as they’ll be sharing rooms and be very touchy feeling and such. Its up to you. But just know, I’m just. Like this.)

So it basically just devolves into story sharing and puppy piles and the Wayne’s all looking at the Super Squad with side eyes bc HM. HOW FAMILY. ALSO STOP TOUCHING THE BABY! NO CORRUPTING THE BABY!! THAT’S OURS!!!

WE SAW HER FIRST SO FUCK YOU!

I’M LITERALLY? HER FATHER? FUCK? YOU? YOU CATWOMAN KNOCK OFF???

This is all happening with their eyes btw

And of course. The whole squad follows Marinette out as Multimouse to go meet batman, who Bruce told her had something to talk with her about. And she kinda cries bc SHE’S GOING TO GET KICKED OUT OF THE CITY BC OF HER IDIOTS!

Its not, its the Batfam taking the Super Squad to the Justice League tower. They weren’t expecting so many people but its fine. They’ll make it work.

Because Bruce had called the Justice League for an emergency meeting that night with the tone of voice that clearly said anybody who didn’t show up would have a bat hunting them down and shoving his foot up their ass so far they’ll taste patented leather for the rest of their life. They’ve almost never seen him so angry? And he’s bringing guests? What? The fuck??

Multimouse Marinette gets briefed that, as the current Guardian of the Miraculous, and a hero of Paris, she’ll be there to get a formal apology and an explanation about why a bunch of teenagers had to fight an emotionally manipulative super villain by themselves. Chat Noir is maybe hiding behind the rest of the Miraculous Crew and they’re only kinda notice but don’t think much of it tbh. Adrien does NOT want to be the one to explain that his FATHER was said super villain. save him.

Btw the whole group is having mixed reactions to the idea of meeting the Justice League. Adrien wants to run away but he also doesn’t care? Like. They’re all superhero’s, he gets that they can’t always help, but also. Fuck. He loves being a superhero but having someone with actual experience might have saved them all a lot of heartache. Chloe, meanwhile, doesn’t give a sINGLE SHIT about the JL. Fuck them. Fuck them so hard, so assholes ignored them and they’re going to be high and mighty. She may be a better person now but she will not put up with their nonsense. Not now. Not ever. Fight her. Luka is that sort of calm angry? He’s pissed that they brushed them off but since everything’s over there’s no point in holding onto his anger. There may or may not be a lot of meditating in the Bat Plane on the way there so he doesn’t use his lyre like a fucking BOOMERANG AGAIN and smack them all upside the head with it. Kagami doesn’t care? She’ll threaten them to the ends of the earth should they ever blow off such messages again, but she also just. Has very little emotional investment in them otherwise.

Marinette, of course, is freaking out and pacing and trying to channel her inner ladybug and screaming internally bc why. WHY. She’s angry but she also understands, but she’s still so stressed. just. please. Tiny squeaks.

And okay, they get there, and Batman comes in with ALL the Robins AND all these new kids?

Flash: I’m sorry, you called an emergency meeting because of your extended family?

Diana: HUSH

Because Diana, of course, recognizes them what and who they are. And is screaming bc holy shit? The Miraculous Holders are active again? Do they need their help? Where is Ladybug? Who is the Guardian? She just has. so. many. questions.

And Captain Marvel/Shazam (seriously wtf IS HIS NAME) is fangirling HARD. Because that’s the Miraculous Holders! The ORIGINAL magic users! SEVERAL of his people (Hercules/etc) were Miraculous holders on top of Shazam and HOOOLLLY SHIT THEY’RE HERE! IN FRONT OF HIM! HOLY SHIT!!!

Superman, Green Arrow, and several others are sweating bc uh. UH. OH SHIT THOSE MESSAGES WERE REAL?

Yes. They were real. And now they have Batman in full dad mode demanding an explanation. Several people (Superman, other mutation/alien esc powers) claim they went to Paris to check on the damage but they couldn’t find any, OR the supposed supers of villain.

Multimouse steps forward and starts explains how the Ladybug powers work and if they had bothered to contact them beyond telling them this wasn’t a line of communication to be used for PRANKS, they would know better. Diana chimes in with how she was helped created BY the Ladybug miraculous, etc, why did nobody ask her about this? Hell, why did nobody ask their resident magic user, Captain Marvel/Shazam???

Green Lantern: No offense, but doesn’t this all seem a little far fetched?

Chloe: ... Bitch, you have an alien ring that gives you powers. Shut the fuck up.

So there’s some arguing, back and forth, and Bruce looses his temper a little bit. Smacks his hand HARD on the table. “Enough. It is your job to investigate. It is not your job to leave the saving of an entire city to my fucking daughter, who was barely thirteen at the time this all started. As far as I’m concerned, this can never, ever, happen again. Wonder Woman, Captain, I assume you’d be willing to go through our notifications for any discrepancies?”

And there’s a huge moment of silence. Everyone’s staring at him. Multimouse squeaks. Red Hood just. “Good going, Bats. Real smooth.”

Chat: OH MY GOD YOUR DAD IS BATMAN? WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY ANYTHING, WHY- HOOOOO OH MY GOD YOUR DAD! BATMAN! IS DAD! YOUR DAD WHO IS ALSO-!

Viperion is making wheezing noises and covers Chat’s mouth and then there’s even more yelling and arguing and finger pointing, and Bruce wants a drink. And a nap. In whatever order he can get them.

Basically he gets Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel/Shazam to agree to looking through messages but also gets the hell out of dodge.

Next in, the reactions to all this tomfoolery. Also apparently superhero-ism is now genetic.

Tag List! (Please remember to send me an ask if you want to be added!)

@mystery-5-5 @mariae2900 @vgirl-10123 @iglowinggemma28 @deredereart @synnesstra @dahjokester @destinationdesignation @lordsmeldingtonthethird @emjrabbitwolf @unabashedbookworm @saphiraazure2708 @rhub4rb @romanoff-queen @octoberscorn@littleblue5mcdork @foxyrelina @severelyenchantedwonderland @dast218 @ace-aro-agender @rogueptoridactyl @kitkatcatfangirl @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @poshplumcot @iggy-of-fans @schrodingers25 @two-faced-biatch @moonlitarchangels @vixen-uchiha @rikku052 @elspethshadow

People who should be tagged but may not? So sorry, I’m still going to add you until tumblr stops being a dick about this.

@tbehartoo @wuvpancakes

#miraculous ladybug #maribat #batman #biological father bruce wayne #miraculous ladybug au #batman au #aaaannnd that's its i'm not tagging anymore i'm sorry i'm just TOO TIRED

744 notes · View notes

beebleboosuwu · 4 years

Text

Fic: Took My Days With You

I originally posted this on AO3 but wanted to share this with y’all:

There’s one thing that she hated the most about herself:

The fact that she grew up.

Lydia didn’t want to, but that was a part of life. She left fifteen years ago to pursue her dream career of becoming a photographer. Her success with that led to her becoming an author and multiple of her publications became New York Times hits. Her autobiography came soon after, and people were enthralled by her life story. Obviously she had to leave out the... interesting bits of her teenage years other than telling her audience that she lived in a house where the previous tenants died and telling them that she could feel their presence everywhere she went in that house. And she told her story to all who would listen, they seemed to enjoy it claiming that it was all in the name of fiction but to her it was real. When she left, all five of her family members waved farewell and wished her the best of luck. Delia and Charles helped her pack, Adam and Barbara made provisions and supplies for her trip and Beetlejuice, the sentimental bastard, waited and bid farewell to her on the roof where they met. But one devastating phone call from Skye sent Lydia into a panicked frenzy, she hurriedly left her home of Salem, Massachusetts to Winter River, Connecticut. With her car supplied for only a week's worth of clothes, and now 40 years old, she returned to her home. She was always nearby, and never too far from her family, she didn’t have the heart to go that far.

Lydia drove past the sign of Winter River with a somber look on her face, her black convertible rolling down the familiar town. The town didn’t change much, it was still a small town and the nostalgia factor was striking a hard chord in her. She couldn’t stop the wetness running down her cheeks though.. This is where she grew up and now…. it’s gone..

Not like gone, but in the more ‘this no longer feels like home’ vibe. She had a home and lost that one with the death of her mother, but she rebuilt a new one with a second set of (ghost) parents and a strange and unusual best friend. Lydia could see it in the distance, a raggedy looking building faded with age. The surrounding hill hasn’t changed, other than the fact that her dad actually pulled through with that gated community deal with a different partner other than that snob Maxie Dean. It was a nice area though, multiple houses lined the way to her house, or rather the ‘flagship model home’ her dad nicknamed it so long ago.

She pulled up to the driveway, taking note of the dead vegetation around the property. She hasn’t been back in years, and it certainly has seen better days. The paint was chipping off from the wind, and there wasn’t even a strong breeze blowing. No one has lived here for a couple years either. Her father and stepmother died 3 years ago and she never got the chance to return to Winter River. She was always so busy, and whatever time she had to herself, she would throw herself into her work. Always working on the next big thing that her fans would enjoy.

The windows had been covered with wood and the door was left wide open. Multiple cans of bear and graffiti littered the front porch and the front door. Lydia was afraid to enter in, not because of the ghosts that she hoped were still in there, but how empty it looks from the outside.

She left her things in a hotel already and chose to come straight here rather than getting some rest. The hotel manager so it seem, was a big fan of Lydia’s and asked if she was going to return to her house that she used to live in. Rather than disclose that information, she said no. He said it was a shame what happened to her old house, it fell out of repair and no matter how many times realtors wanted to sell it, no one would buy it. According to the locals, no one would buy and live In a house that is haunted by its old occupants. It also became a place that was frequented by juveniles to get a good scare from this place. Which did work cause they claimed that some monster always chased them out. She knew who it was and the reason for Skye’s call:

The monster sightings and other weird stuff happening in her old house suddenly ceased.

The porch creaked beneath her feet, as if the wood would snap at any moment. Normally the Maitlands would come rushing out and greet her at the door and Beetlejuice would be in the living room watching whatever he wanted to, but there was nothing, and that definitely made Lydia pause her advancement towards the rickety old house. Her nose wrinkled from the old, wet, wood smell emanating from the house.

Lydia trudged on anyway and went past through the threshold, and what she saw saddened her. The roof had given out at one point and that pile of wood was tucked away to the side. The living room was a mess, riddled with dust and more garbage thrown around. And call her crazy for keeping it, but the sculpture that she used to stab Beetlejuice with was knocked over. The stand was crushed to smithereens and the pole and the adorning head piece laid far away. The pole was resting by the fireplace and the spiky headpiece was near the base of the stairs. Multiple photos of herself and her family were callously left on the floor, leaving the glass frame shattered and the photos caked with grime.

“Adam? Barbara?” Lydia called out to the empty house, “Lawrence?” her demon adopted brother would usually hiss at her for using his first name, and she got no response from her ghost parents or Beetlejuice. “Anyone home? It’ me, Lydia!” She called again, but only the echoing tones of her voice reached her.

She entered the kitchen next, leaving her just as devastated. The stove had been ripped out of the wall and the table was smashed to pieces, knives, pots and other cooking utensils were scattered on the island, sink and counter tops. the backdoor to the garden was no better. The door hung off its hinges and the backyard was full of dead grass and weeds, like the entire life of the house just disappeared.

Scared of what that entailed, she rushed towards the staircase and climbed up it without disregard. The hand rail fell off the moment she touched it but ran up, ignoring the protesting groans of the wood. She had to know.

She had to.

The hallway was filled with odd bits and bobs of the rooms, a smashed mirror was on the floor, a mattress was laid against the wall, pieces of metal stuck out from the mattress too. Making it seem that someone repeatedly stabbed the thing multiple times. Lydia cautiously stepped around the debris to head towards the door to the attic and out of all things that were destroyed, the door was the only one that looked like it hadn't been touched.

With hope rejuvenating her system, she busted down the door only to find no one inside. The attic was an absolute mess, the room was torn inside and out. Barbara and Adam’s bed was ripped to shreds, the love seat’s ripped and the fluff from inside the cushions were strewn along the floor, Adam’s model town was no longer here and Barbara’s clay pots lay shattered on the shelves. The window opening to the roof is left wide open causing a draft into the room. There was a small pile of clothes in the middle of the room, all looking like it was haphazardly thrown there.

“Adam? Barbara? Beej?” Lydia pleaded to the open air that one of them are still around. “Please, I’m here!” Now she couldn’t stop the tears from forming, “Beetlejuice? Ghost-mom? Ghost-dad? Where are you?!” Lydia started to feel the adrenaline and panic flood into her system, she frantically went to every nook and cranny of the attic throwing anything that might have obscured a hiding ghost, but no luck. There was no trace of the ghost couple and the green haired demon here. Her tearful gaze turned towards the roof, she checked every room of the house and no one responded to her calls.

The cold, crisp autumn air embraced her once more.. The weathervane rusted beyond recognition and the barriers between the edge of the roof and the solid ground she stood on were missing, most likely they were the things stabbed into the mattress. A hoarse scream left her throat and Lydia sunk onto her knees clutching her chest.

They were gone… She was alone, again. Forsaken. Invisible.

Her family has been scattered to the winds, Dad and Delia have expired, only days apart the doctor said. Lydia alone paid for the funeral and their gravesites to be dug, she didn’t return to Winter River. Instead she went straight into her work and wrote a hit, “The Demon Among Us.” It was about her experience with a literal demon, but over analytical professors and English majors chalked up her demon character (Beetlejuice) and said it was a personification of depression. Which would have been awesome… if that was what she wrote about.

Adam and Barbara were nowhere to be found, and the house they loved so much was falling apart. Their precious items, littering the lawn to the backyard to the front yard. If they could see what had happened, they would be surely hopeful and ready to fix it.

Beetlejuice didn’t appear instantly when she called his name, and since Juno was eaten by that Sandworm… Beetlejuice never had a problem with saying his name or getting anyone to say it. He did mention there was a slight tug from the after effects of the curse being lifted, but other than that he said it was manageable.

Lydia cried onto the roof tiles, the family she had built… vanished.

She pounded the ground, cursing herself for not making time, screaming that her life was taken away from her hands again. This was worse than when Emily died, back then she had her father to talk to about things like this. Delia would give insight of finding distractions to move past grief.. While Barbara and Adam gave Lydia a shoulder to cry one whenever she was upset. Beetlejuice made her laugh again and even though he was dead, or born-dead, he made her see that life is worth living. That even if it is a struggle, she could pull through.

Now they were not here, her decaying memories and odd photos of the family were the only things that helped remind her that they existed and were real to her.

“Lydia?”

Lydia turned around to find the familiar stench and sight of her black and white striped demon best friend. She gasped, got up and ran towards her friend. The demon had his arms wide open for her to collide into which she crashed into wholeheartedly.

“Beetlejuice…” she cried into his lapel.

“Heya scarecrow.. nice to see ya. You’ve changed.” Beetlejuice shakily rubbed her back.

“And you haven’t,” she let go to take a good look at him, “Oh Beej, your hair.”

Beetlejuice sadly smiled, his hair being a deep purple with even darker blue tips, his dress shirt was tinged purple too. She now got a better look at him, his face, stained with tears and wrinkle lines dominated his forehead. His eye bags were heavy as if he didn’t sleep for a long time. “I know.” He replied, “Things happened when you were away.”

“What happened?”

“The Maitlands…” His breath hitched. “They’re gone.”

Lydia stared at Beetlejuice and waited for the punchline. This was Beetlejuice, he was a prankster. Lydia laughed a little.

“You’re joking right?” She playfully shoved him, “They probably moved to the Netherworld, did you check there?”

“I checked… They aren’t.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m serious. They’re gone… Adam, Barbara… They vanished.” Beetlejuice rubbed his shoulder, “I’ve searched the Netherworld top and bottom, they aren’t there.”

Lydia stood dumbfounded, staring at Beetlejuice with wide-eyes.

“Here, I’ll tell ya what happened.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 years ago

The couple scared off its next batch of kids that thought it was cool to party when the Maitlands were around still, haunting their now decaying house. Beetlejuice hung around giving the ghastly couple tips on what could be scary for these new kids coming in and trashing their house. Delia and Charles passed peacefully during a trip at their vacation spot in Lake Tahoe. They never got to go to the funeral, but letters addressed to Lydia were mailed here. Offering condolences to her and informing any other occupants that the Deetz couple have passed away.

The house quickly fell in disarray, Barbara and Adam couldn’t step outside the house in fear of being teleported to Saturn and being eaten by a Sandworm, so the plant life outside died. Beetlejuice tried to revitalize the plants by gardening, but nothing he did made the grass green again and the plants to grow. Barbara and Adam tried their best to coach Beetlejuice but the pants wouldn’t grow. Nothing was growing in the house.

At one point, during a cold winter, the three had become a throuple. Barbara initially asked Beetlejuice if he was interested, and with Adam’s happy smile, the three became a relationship. They slept on the same bed, kept each other company, and scared everyone who dared enter their territory. They kept the house unoccupied in hopes of Lydia returning one day.

But she never did.

One day when Beetlejuice was finishing scaring off a particular group of kids who seemed impervious to his usual tactics, returned to the attic to celebrate another successful spook, only to find no one there. Thinking it was a joke, Beetlejuice playfully rummaged through the attic to find his partners. Nothing. The roof was next and still: nothing. He checked all points of the house and each empty room he entered, he got more worried and scared that they have been abducted into the Netherworld by one of Beetlejuice’s enemies. After Juno, a lot of Netherlings seemed to come after Beetlejuice. He easily deflected them off but now if they came after the people he loved then there would be hell to pay.

He investigated the attic once more to see if there was any sign of struggle but there was nothing. Not even evidence of a door being open to the Netherworld. He checked anyway, he drew his passageway to the Netherworld and entered. Beetlejuice asked multiple people if they have seen the couple anywhere, and all of them have said they haven’t. Even Miss Argentina said she never saw them, and they were decades past their date of death. If they came through to the Netherworld, she would’ve seen them.

Beetlejuice returned to the house with a broken heart, and fearing the worst, he thought they were done with life. Done with him, and teleported themselves to Saturn for suicide. But that didn’t sit right with him, Adam and Barbara said they loved him. That they cared for him, was that all a lie?

Beetlejuice transported himself to Saturn to search for his partners, and when a Sandworm started following him and nudging at his palm, he concluded that Sandy was the one who followed him and consumed the Maitlands. At first he was furious, hair flushed a deep red and yelled at the Sandworm to spit out the couple, if he was there early enough they could be still alive within the Sandworm. Sandy tilted her head to the side like a dog, confused why Beetlejuice was yelling at her.

He continued to berate the worm into telling him where they are, but Sandy only stared with puzzlement.

Beetlejuice cried and begged Sandy to show him where they at least ended up so he could say goodbye on top of their graves, she agreed and took both Beetlejuice and herself back to the attic. She shrunk and dragged herself to the middle of the attic and curled around herself.

Beetlejuice finally understood.

The Maitlands have… died, again.

After some time, if they don’t go to the Netherworld, ghosts usually fade into nothingness. He has seen it a couple times, and all of them writhed and squealed with pain. It was sudden too, you never know when it will happen. Beetlejuice had gotten enthralled with the prospect of being loved for the first time that he forgot about this and he paid the price.

He then let an anguished cry, and laid on top of the floor. He was unable to hold them as they reduced to ash and disappeared into the void. He scratched the floor and roared. The entire house shook, and he left the attic in a flurry of rage and grief. Beetlejuice tore through each room, tearing it asunder and plowing it of all memory of a happy family within each wall. He grabbed the metal spikes from the roof and stabbed them into a mattress, he tore the oven out of the kitchen wall and threw it out the door. He brought his fist through the table and slit his arms with the knives over and over again. Causing them to bleed over and over again. He smashed Delia’s sculpture next, throwing each piece to the opposite ends of the room. He returned to the attic and smashed Barbara’s pottery and set Adam’s model ablaze.

He blamed them, he blamed himself for falling in love, he blamed their stupidity for not heading to the Netherworld when they had a chance, he blamed the universe. Cursing it. It took away his happiness and he would burn down the world to force people to feel how he felt.

But he couldn’t, it would dishonour their names. It would dishonour his love to them, he won’t hurt anyone. He’ll scare off anyone who comes nearby the grieving demon.

People started coming in troves everyday, and it was fulfilling at first… But without them, it meant nothing. Beetlejuice became defeated, each scream never satisfied him as much anymore. Not without them.

He collected a pile of Adam and Barbara’s clothing and placed them in the middle of the attic floor and he would sleep on it, and he would dream the sweetest dreams. Adam and Barbara cuddling him and making him feel loved. He would dream of everyone, Barbara, Charles, Delia, Adam and Lydia having a great time. He would dream of Christmas parties and softer moments with his partners. Sometimes he dreamt of memories, a kiss there, a fleeting touch, a smell from Barbara’s perfume and Adam’s cologne would linger in the air when he suddenly woke.

He always woke up crying, knowing that he’ll never have them again.

And one day, he wrote a note:

To the Maitlands,

For the past couple of months I haven’t been able to sleep much or if not, not sleeping at all. I mean, I already had problems sleeping but with your disappearance, it got worse. By all means, this does not seem like I am pointing fingers or blaming anyone… Although it is easy to blame someone for something.. I loved and still love you guys. I still do… I mean it, one hundred percent. All those little kisses we shared, stay with me everyday. Any place I want to be, I want you guys here with me. With you guys, my whole undead life found meaning again. My world, my days, my nights, my hopes, my dreams, was there in front of me and I didn’t do anything about it. This place fills me sorrow, and I can’t bear being here without you two.

Thinking back, you had grand ideas and many stories that the world should’ve heard. All the things you’ve told me were fascinating. All those conversations we’ve had will always be in my memories. Even forgotten, they will be there.

Each day it is depressing to know that I’ll never get to see you two ever again. You guys had so many things to do, and I was left with those broken hopes and dreams. I’ll never get to see your happy faces and feel the same happiness you two gave me, this hurts beyond human and even demon comprehension.

You know, all the time I ever smile and laugh, I instantaneously frown and have a huge wave of sadness run over me. The thought of: “why are you happy? You don’t deserve to be happy.” shut me down. Even with the sweaters and photos left behind, it has both given me great relief and immense sadness. Cause it is a constant reminder that you’re not here with me.. Selfish as it is, I just wished I would’ve spent one more day with you. And I would do anything to have that one last day.

I am haunted with each day that passes. Most, if not all, of my dreams always have you in them. I see you, I hear you, I feel you. When I wake, I loathe to get out of bed. Cause I want to be with you, even if it was just a dream.

Countless memories flood my mind each night before I sleep. From the time I harassed you two, and to the time where we three fell in love. I am overcome with joy and sadness when thinking with those memories. And I’m sad I can’t make more with you. I don’t sleep until 3 or even 5 AM because the thought of seeing you in my dreams puts me in great agony and some nights I lay in anticipation for you to come barreling to my room saying that more breathers have entered the house.

I’m sorry that I’m saying all of this now that you’re gone. I’m sorry I think about you every night. I’m sorry for my brash and lewd nature. I’m sorry that I didn’t make enough time for you two. I’m sorry that I didn’t try hard enough. And I know I am apologizing for nothing but it hurts. Everything hurts. Everyday I’m putting on a mask to hide my emotions because I’m afraid.

I will never stop looking for you in this house. I will never stop hearing your booming laughter in these hallowed halls. I will never take down your photos. I will never stop being your friend and lover.

Everyone knew that there was something wrong with all three of us being dead and all… You two knew what was wrong with me, and I to you. We comforted each other at times, You guys were smart. Funny. Talented and beautiful. And undeniably sexy. A couple with hearts of gold.

I love and miss you guys,

Beetlejuice wrote multiple letters that he left scattered to the winds, and everyday he thought it was all a nightmare and he would wake up to find them on top of him smiling their bright smiles at him. But no, he would wake up to empty air and breathers rummaging around the house. Beetlejuice kept the door to the attic shut and would lock each time a breather would try to pick the lock.

He hoped that they would walk in through a portal from the Netherworld and make him feel better but it never happened. Days passed, weeks, months and eventually a year.

He laid unmoving from the pile of clothes, until a voice called out to the empty house.

“Adam? Barbara? Lawrence? Anyone home? It’s me-“

It was Lydia.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At one point during his retelling, Lydia and Beetlejuice went to the roof and sat on the edge just like they used to do. They cried together, comforted each other. Lydia hugged Beetlejuice when he stopped to catch his panicking breath, and returned it to Lydia when she curled into herself. They stayed like that for minutes and finally moved when Lydia stood.

She wiped her eyes, “Beej we have to leave. It’s not healthy for us to stay here,” she looked over to the setting sun. “I rented a place here for a week, it would be nice if I had a friend with me,” Beetlejuice opened his mouth but was cut off by Lydia, “I know, I want to stay here too, grab a picture of them and grab a piece of their clothing and maybe find their perfume and cologne”

“But what if they come back?” Beetlejuice asked her, with desperate hope in his eyes.

“I… wouldn’t bet on it Beej,” she sadly replied, “Here I’ll help you grab some stuff.”

Lydia headed back towards the house with Beetlejuice following. They grabbed one of Adam’s green flannels and one of Barbara’s oversized coats. During her time in this house, she found a way to take a picture of the ghost couple, and Beetlejuice took the family photo and stuffed it within his suit pocket. Barbara’s perfume and Adam’s cologne was stuffed in a closet that was full of their junk, Lydia quickly did a search on her phone. Luckily enough, the companies that made the perfume and cologne still made them.

Their treasures in hand, they headed towards Lydia's car in silence. They both got in and headed towards the hotel.

“Wait, before night falls, I have to show you something.” Lydia quickly made a detour, and reared towards the graveyard.

“Lyds, the graveyard?” He asked incredulously.

“Just wait, I came here once and discovered something. Got that letter with you still?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You’ll see.” Lydia smiled at her demon best friend.

They pulled into the parking lot and Lydia frantically left her vehicle, yakking at Beetlejuice to come after her. She has been here before and quickly went down the path. During the ride, Beetlejuice had changed into Adam’s flannel and donned Barbara’s coral coat. It was warm underneath, and he could still smell them.

“M….” Lydia scanned through the multiple rows. “Here! Lawrence come on!”

Beetlejuice slowly trudged down the path, meeting Lydia at two gravestones. Two gravestones, engraved with the Maitland’s names. A little poem alternating between the two headstones:

Warm summer sun,

Shine kindly here,

Warm southern wind,

Blow softly here.

Green sod above,

Lie light, lie light.

Good night, dear heart,

Good night, good night.

Beetlejuice immediately seized and collapsed to his knees, hugging the two marbled stones.

“I’ll be in the car if you need anything,” Lydia rubbed his shoulder and left Beetlejuice there crying.

“Thank you Lydia.” Beetlejuice looked at her with sad eyes.

Lydia nodded and walked away, her boots digging into the gravel path, the sound retreating as she got further and further away.

Beetlejuice rubbed the gravestones longingly, hoping that wherever they ended up that they might feel his soothing touch. Lydia brought him here to say goodbye and to leave the letter he wrote.

He couldn’t do It right away, but opted to sit there a little while longer. It seemed like ages went by but he knew that Lydia would be in the car and she had to go to bed and eat sometime. He’d hate to leave but he could always teleport here anytime. Beetlejuice bit down on his thumb, biting down hard enough to make it bleed. Knowing a rune that he had learned as a child, smeared his blood on Adam and Barbara’s grave. A triangle and three circles on each point and then a small inverted heart in the middle. He’s going to come here often.

Beetlejuice summoned a bouquet of flowers for each of them.

For Adam:

Rosemary

A Crimson Rose

Purple Hyacinth

Red Carnation

For Barbara:

Pink Carnation

Primrose

Sweet Pea

Forget-me-nots

He placed them and stood up, but before he would forget, he dug a little hole where he stuffed his letter in. They wouldn’t read it, but having it nearby their graves made it feel like that would.

He returned to the car soon after, and let himself in. Lydia had it running and was ready to go when he got in.

“Thanks again,” Beetlejuice said softly.

“You needed closure and you can always come back,” Lydia leaned over her seat and hugged her best friend again. “I’ll miss them everyday.” She sighed. Beetlejuice nodded his head in agreement, it was a small movement but nonetheless it was seen. His hair throughout this entire interaction has never reverted to its usual green, staying on that deep purple and blue. Lydia let go and drove to her hotel.

It will never be the same for Beetlejuice ever again, he loved them and knows he’ll never see them again and will never feel that same love again. Sure, Lydia is his best friend, but nothing would fill that void left in his unbeating heart after today. Lydia reassured him that time heals all wounds and even she missed her dead mom, dad and step-mom but it got easier when she met people like Beetlejuice to make her feel better. He had a little flutter in his chest but paid no mind to it. He wished that he didn’t have to live this cursed world, but having good company made it worth the while.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They watched the car drive past the graveyard gates from up above, tears flowing down their faces. They didn’t want to fade away but that’s the next progression of their after life. They initially believed that the Netherworld was definitely the end, but here? The Aether was just as everyone imagined it to be, like the Netherworld, they were forbidden to interact with the realms but they could watch whenever and whom ever they pleased.

This made Adam and Barbara so happy. They loved Beetlejuice and it broke their hearts seeing him mope for months until Lydia stopped by. They wanted to hug them but it was not allowed.

“Thank you Beetlejuice, we love you.” Barbara whispered.

“Lawrence, I’ll never forget you.” Adam wiped away a tear from his face.

#beetlejuice #betelgeuse #beetlejuice broadway #beetlejuice the musical #lydia deetz #charles deetz #delia deetz #adam maitland #barbara maitland #goldenbeetle #beetlelands #fanfic #fanfiction

26 notes · View notes