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gumnut-logic · 3 years

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Mosaic Beach

It has taken me since Thursday morning (it is now Saturday night) to write this goes-nowhere-piece-of-fluff. I had a low level migraine Wednesday night and felt awful Thursday morning, so the first 850 odd words are me visualising being in a better place other than outside my daughter’s school. Then Scott had something to say and promptly ate my fic. But then at least he was thinking about Virgil.

Also, Gordon is evil.

As always, many thanks to @tsarinatorment @scribbles97 and @janetm74 for the read throughs and support. You guys are amazing to me :D

I hope you enjoy this totally lazy fic ::hugs you all::

-o-o-o-

It was a lazy day.

Virgil suspected John, who had been kicked off Five the day before, had Eos routing all but the most dire situations to local authorities whether Scott authorised it or not.

There were days where Virgil wondered if Scott was really in charge, since John had so much ultimate say.

But that thought was for another day. He was tired and it was likely going to be a day off - please let it be a day off - and he was going to find a corner of the Island to sit alone and scribble in his sketchbook.

He ended up on Mosaic Beach, a personal favourite on the edge of the caldera. Gordon had mentioned it the day before regarding the quality of flotsam available after the last storm and Virgil thought he would see what he could find.

It was overshadowed by an ancient pokey tree brilliant in red blossom and the sand here was a mass of black and white swirls as the coral detritus fought the eroded igneous rocks – the reason they had given it its name. Gordon was right - there was all sorts of things tossed up the sand and Virgil spent the first half hour wandering along the strip of sea wrack picking up shells and whatever caught his eye.

One of the shells appeared determined to return to the ocean and it was with a small smile that he picked up the tiny hermit crab and watched it curl up into its shell.

Holding it gently in his palm, he sought the shade of the giant tree and sat down on the sand in its shadow. Here the breeze was gentle, the sand cool and, leaning back against a rock, he set the little crab down on a smooth patch of sand, along with his small hoard of shells and let it scamper across the little landscape that resulted.

Sketchbook out, he spent the next few minutes sketching the crab madly as it moved about. It shifted angle at random and he found himself increasingly switching from real life to a character sketch. A little personality sprouted from the page that reflected the little crab’s determination.

Ever aware of the crab’s needs above his own, he sketched fast, took a few photos and then gathered the little creature in his hands once more. He trotted down to the rock pools at the edge of the beach and found a spot he felt the crab would be happy.

Crouching down, he watched it scamper into the water.

His lips curved into a smile.

Gordon would know what species it was, where it lived and how to best care for it. Virgil was pretty sure he knew what type it was. Mel was pedantic about crabs and had given them a list of ‘these are endangered, tell me if you see them, kill one and I will kill you’. Fortunately or unfortunately, it wasn’t a long list, so Virgil had memorised it. This little guy...he should be happy here.

The crab found some weed and promptly hid under it.

The rockpool drew Virgil’s eye a little longer before he finally stood up and let the breeze cool his face. A sigh at the sun’s warmth and he wandered back to the shadow of the pokey tree and sat down again.

The little crab stared up at him from his sketchbook, spritely and determined.

Kind of like Gordon really, despite the claws.

That prompted a smile at the thought of his fish brother’s reaction to being compared to a crab.

He would squawk, but he would love it.

Virgil returned to sketching the shells and bits of coral he had collected. Rearranging them, repositioning for lighting. He picked one up and stared at the colours created by a little mollusc. He was ever amazed at what Mother Nature was capable of. Simple geometrics and chemical formulae made one of the world’s strongest and most beautiful substances in nacre. Another broken shell showed the rainbow of colour that he knew his paintbrush would never quite be able to capture, much less the pencil and stick of carbon he had with him today. He was left with a little snapshot from his phone...which was never quite the same either...and what his memory could provide.

Perhaps it was nature’s way of ensuring it was always the most beautiful.

He shifted to scribbling down the beachscape after that. It wasn’t the first time he had drawn this beach, but as with all beaches, it was different every day as the tide sculpted it.

His fingers grew more and more lazy, his lines wandering through more emotion than reality as the day drifted on. At some point, he ate the sandwich he had packed, quite happy to not care what time of day it was and refusing to look at his watch.

Eventually the sketchbook was set aside and he let himself just stare out at the ocean lagoon, eyes tracking the movement of the distant waves and the laps of the ripples against the shore.

And nature’s rhythms lulled him to sleep.

-o-o-o-

“Hey, big bro, you might want to drop by Mosaic Beach before the tide comes in.” Gordon waltzed past the desk Scott was sitting at with a smirk on his face.

“What?” Scott’s brain was still stuck in working out what the hell Simmonds meant by the ‘urgent memo’ that had interrupted his afternoon off.

“The snoring is scaring away all the wildlife.” With that Gordon grabbed a book off the shelf on the far side of the room and backtracked out the way he had come in...without another word.

Scott was left staring where his brother had been.

But then Gordon was worth ignoring some times.

He turned back to his display and continued to try and work out why Simmonds had ordered sixty plastic flamingoes and then memo’d him about it in a panic.

It took him a good few minutes more before throwing it back at Simmonds’ supervisor in Japan with a ‘concerned’ note.

What did Tracy Industries need with sixty plastic flamingoes?

He shook his head and forced himself to stand up and not invest any more in any comms from the business. Today was hopefully his day off and he refused to fall into the trap of losing himself in all the things that required attention.

All the things.

He paused mid rise.

But no. No! Vacation day. He forced himself away from the desk and out onto the balcony.

It was a beautiful out here. The afternoon sun was blazing in a brilliant blue sky without a single cloud. The sea was murmuring far below. It was an artist’s dream.

He blinked as certain Gordon utterings connected neurons together.

A frown. “Gordon!”

No answer.

Another frown and he strode back inside, following the recent tracks of his fish brother down to the kitchen.

Scott found him reading at the table, a phone that was most definitely not his in one hand and the book in his other.

There were lots of photos of crabs.

“What are you doing?”

“Confirming the identification of a crab.”

“Why?”

“Virg found one down on Mosaic Beach and I wanna make sure it is what I think it was so I can report it to Mel.”

The dots that had been connecting earlier fused into a solid line with an arrow pointing directly at Gordon. “And where is Virgil?”

“Snoozing on the beach.”

“And why do you have his phone?”

“Because his drawings were excellent, but I needed a colour shot.”

“Gordon!”

His brother didn’t even look up. “What?” But then he blinked and frowned at Scott. “He’s fine. Well above the high tide line.” A glance down at the book again. “There, that’s it. Oooh, Mel is going to be so excited.”

Scott glared at Gordon for a whole second longer before storming over and snatching the phone out of his hands. Without another word, he strode out of the kitchen and took the path that would lead him down to the reported beach.

Younger brothers were hard work.

The little beach wasn’t the closest on the Island. Probably one of the reasons Virgil chose it to get away from pesky younger brothers. Trust Gordon to find him anyway.

He fingered Virgil’s phone in his hand as he walked. The green leather case was embossed with an elaborate dragon design.

Looking at it, all he could really feel was fondness.

He must be tired. Grandma was right. He needed a day off.

Easier said than done. It wasn’t like he could park himself on a beach and fall asleep.

He grunted as he stepped over some rocks to start the climb down to the little cove. The path was thin and wove amongst several pōhutukawa trees – or pokey trees as Alan called them, their dark green leaves adorned with puffs of red blossom. Birds darted between them squawking at each other. That combined with the surf in the distance and the breeze rattling palm trees, it wasn’t the quietest of places.

Nevertheless, he found his brother sprawled against a rock under the largest pokey tree at the edge of the beach, snoring his head off.

Definitely noisy.

Virgil was dressed in an old pair of work shorts and a t-shirt with a hole in it. Both sported spatters of paint and clearly showed how relaxed his brother was trying to be.

Beside him on a rock, carefully placed, no doubt by Gordon, the brat, was a sketchbook and a box of drawing tools. Virgil’s artist backpack lay folded up supporting his head - again likely Gordon.

Virgil snorted and curled up just a little more against the rock.

Gordon was a shit, but he was a kind one. Virgil slept like the dead and would likely need one of those waves off in the distance to wash over him if he was going to wake up before he wanted to.

Staring a moment longer, Scott sighed, gave up and sat down beside his brother. He dropped the phone onto the sketchbook and looked out at the beach.

Virgil continued to snore.

His biggest little brother had always snored. Scott had cornered him and got him tested for a variety of sleep issues, but he was fine. Just loud.

The terrible two used to make a point of pointing it out as much as possible. But that was before the hydrofoil accident.

Gordon didn’t know it, but due to his injuries, he now snored, too.

The ribbing about snoring in the Tracy household had dropped to a minimum since, Gordon the only unknowing ribber.

But Virgil remained the major noise maker and the brothers worshipped the soundproofing in the villa.

Regardless of the racket, Scott did find it strangely quiet out here. Sitting on the sand with nothing to do was oddly relaxing. Of course, he wasn’t really one to do nothing and Virgil’s sketchbook was right there. Gordon had obviously already stuck his nose into it and Scott was pretty sure Virgil wouldn’t mind if he took a peek.

Would he?

Lifting the phone off the book, Scott carefully picked it up and nestled it in his lap...ever, ever so careful. Okay, so he had some respect and not a little fear of damaging Virgil’s artwork.

The pages were thick and stiff and likely designed to support wet media as much as dry. Most of the work in it was pencil, however, maybe some charcoal? The darks were so deep in some that they had to be.

But Scott was no artist and really only had eyes for the content.

The first page found him looking at himself. Virgil had obviously either captured Scott’s likeness on the sly or drawn from a photo or holoprojection. His drawing stared up at him in almost all three dimensions. The expression on his graphite face was thoughtful, almost wistful. He could see his rendered self was thinking or planning and totally distracted...which was likely why he had no clue his brother had captured this shot.

But the artistic strokes were strong and sure, simple in their complexity.

Scott blinked, moved that his brother was so talented and capable.

Though he really shouldn’t be surprised.

Turning the page, he discovered their grandmother.

He had to smile. The concentration on Grandma’s face was almost comical. A bowl and a recipe book sat in front of her and the very tip of her tongue stuck out of the side of her mouth as she frowned at whatever she was reading.

There was a touch of caricature in the drawing, a little exaggeration, but done with love and fondness, not mockingly. His grandmother was beautiful.

Scott swallowed and turned the page to find several detailed scribbles. They looked like pieces of machinery and the pages had notes written down the sides.

It was a spark moment. He knew Virgil well enough for that. One of those times when his thoughts all came together and saw him running naked out of the shower to grab whatever he could find and get it written down.

Several major equipment improvements had occurred exactly this way. It appeared that at some point, this sketchbook had been the nearest note book and had borne the brunt.

He stared at the diagrams, doing his best to work out exactly what they were. Sharp notation, numbers, that had to be the backend of a pod. It clicked. This was part of the pod assembly redesign from the previous year. Virgil had come to him with some major improvements, including a pod body redesign. What followed had been a massive overhaul of all the ‘birds’ assembly systems and a whole new set up, including colour changes according to which Thunderbird housed which pod. Virgil and Brains had been buzzing for weeks.

And it was possible it had all started here on this piece of paper. Now he could see the scribbled down inner workings of the assembly mechanism and the shape on the second page was a worked and reworked pod shell.

He glanced over at his brother who was still snoring peacefully. Virgil was amazing. Scott could not have been prouder of what his little brother had achieved. Yet Virgil never really boasted or bragged or even highlighted what he had done. He was just there. Always there, one step behind him ready to help.

He must be really tired because now he was getting emotional. There had been a few times in the last couple of years where he had come close to losing Virgil. He hadn’t, but there had been nightmares and many a night where he had spent reassuring himself that his biggest brother was still with him.

And yes, he could stand outside his brother’s bedroom door and listen to him snore.

It gave him comfort.

Gordon had caught him once.

That had been a heartbreaking moment.

Because his fish brother hadn’t said a thing, just reached up, squeezed his shoulder, dropped his forehead against Scott’s arm and just stood there for a solid moment. Another gentle squeeze and he left, not even looking up at Scott before he was gone.

It said more than any words.

Scott sighed and turned the page...only to come face to face with Gordon again. Though this time the joy in their fish brother’s eyes was lighting up the page. He was grinning at a shell and there was a speech bubble - ‘Virgil, come and see this!’

Scott had to smile. Gordon was notorious for sharing his beach discoveries. Virgil was usually the target because at least he knew a little bit about their little brother’s fascinations. Scott loved to see Gordon happy, but honestly, he couldn’t tell the difference between one shell or another. He tried. He honestly did, but Virgil had the patience of a saint and was much more engaging.

Scott loved to watch the two of them instead.

And yes, he saw Virgil sneak things into his pockets. Usually shells, but occasionally rocks and bits of coral. Those finds made their way back to Virgil’s studio and there was a whole corner devoted to marine still life.

Which was why it was no surprise when the next three pages of sketchbook turned out to be exactly that. A curly shell, a pile of cockle shells - Scott knew those at least - they were good for fishing. The third page had a plan for a reef painting. It had scribbled notes, much like the pod redesign pages, but this was based around a sketched layout. Scott frowned at it...it was vaguely familiar. He would have to ask Virgil about it when he woke.

The next two pages sported today’s efforts. The same beach he was sitting on emerged from the paper, along with some sketches of a crab. The first few were realistic, but the last one had the little hermit crab with an IR symbol on its side and one of Dad’s old uniform hats perched on top of its shell. It bore a sash that resembled Virgil’s despite the lack of green colour and one of its claws was bigger than the other in a very exo-suit-like way.

That had Scott grinning. This was no doubt the reason why Gordon had run for the crab book. Mel, in her position of Director of the Kermadec Expedition south of them on Raoul Island, was very particular about the endemic crabs on all the islands in the area.

He wondered what she would think of them inducting crabs into IR.

He wondered what she was doing today and if she might be available later for a nice evening together.

That thought was very distracting and had nothing to do with crab identification at all.

Virgil snorted, rolled over off his backpack and face first into the sand.

Scott startled, fully expecting a woken bear of a brother to surface from that.

But Virgil just kept snoring, now snorting sand as well.

He placed the sketchbook down, scrambled around his brother and gently shoved the folded backpack under his head again.

His fingertips brushed sand off Virgil’s face.

And he found himself sitting beside his brother again.

Why was he out here?

Because Gordon was evil and dangled the concept of Virgil drowning in the tide simply to aggravate him enough to do exactly what he did.

Gordon was a shit.

But a good one.

Another sigh and he lay back against the rocks and got comfortable, because, let’s face it, he wasn’t going back up to the villa without Virgil. His brother was safe, sure, but walking off and leaving him to the elements ran against his grain.

And Gordon knew it.

He would throttle, and possibly hug, his fish brother later.

Besides, it was nice out here, taking a moment to just be.

Virgil would approve.

Virgil would fake being asleep just to get him to do it.

Scott’s eyes darted to his now softly snoring brother, a sudden suspicion at the forefront of his thoughts. He would put it past either of Virgil or Gordon’s conniving ways to conspire to get him out here.

Virgil was drooling a wet patch onto his backpack.

Ugh.

Well, maybe not.

Perhaps he was just being paranoid.

Perhaps he just needed to relax.

Relax.

He closed his eyes and folded his hands in his lap. Kayo was good at meditation. So was Gordon. Virgil did some connecting with nature thing that seemed to work for him.

Exhibit A snorted as if in agreement.

He could try.

Out of all the sounds he could hear, only one really held his attention.

That same soft snoring. No waves or wind or birds squawking brought him any kind of comfort.

The sound of his brother breathing evenly beside him, safe and sound, was the most beautiful sound in the world.

What that said about him...well, he didn’t care right now. He was tired and worn out. Maybe Gordon was right. Maybe this is what he needed. He should care, should be annoyed, but the rhythm was lulling and, god, he was so tired.

So goddamned tired.

Virgil kept breathing and Scott followed him into sleep.

-o-o-o-

Hidden in the foliage of the grove of pokey trees behind his two brothers, Gordon just smiled.

-o-o-o-

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #Virgil Tracy #Scott Tracy #Gordon Tracy

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k7l4d4 · 3 years

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Kamen Rider Info and Ideas (Feel free to ignore)

As a huge fan of Kamen Rider, I always wondered about ways it could be expanded, and maybe not improved so much as become More. So, right now, I am gonna make a list of Kamen Rider Series, starting with Black and RX, and continuing all the way to the Reiwa Era! Everybody clap your hands!! *Cricket noises* Okay, here we go!

Kamen Rider Black, and its sequel, Black RX, details the journey of Kohtaro Minami, or Minami Kohtaro for those who prefer the traditional Japanese naming conventions, on his mission to defeat Gorgom, an ancient tribe/organization that has evolved into a cultic terrorist organization bent on world domination. While still holding to the Showa era’s tradition of having Cyborg Riders, Black and RX were the first in which, aside from Kamen Rider Amazon, the supernatural played a prominent part in the powers of the riders, as Kohtaro and his stepbrother Nobuhiko were the designated heirs to the leader of Gorgom, the Century King, and infused with the relics that contained his power, the Kingstones. Both Kohtaro and Nobuhiko were infused with the Kingstones, in the attempt to convert them into the Villains Black Sun and Shadow Moon, with only Kohtaro managing to escape.

One of the things that I felt could’ve been at least a little better in regards to the series was if Shadow Moon could regain his original self and rejoin the path of justice. It would’ve also been pretty cool if Shadow Moon gained his own upgraded form, which did actually happen in tie-in novels and manga, and if either or both of them gained the ability to unleash a final form that drew upon the power they wielded as the New Century Kings. Ah well, that’s what fanfiction is for!

Kamen Rider Kuuga details the battles of Yusuke Godai, the successor to the ancient warrior of justice, Riku, as the Kuuga. Kuuga’s powers are derived from Growth, allowing him to access a variety of forms and powers based on what he needs to grow into, and can be bolstered by mystical energy sources to ascend even further! Yusuke’s enemies are the Gurongi tribe, ancient monsters who abandoned their humanity to satisfy their love of death and conflict, and wished to have all of humanity become as dark and twisted as them, with the “honor” of being the Gurongi to start the process going to whichever of them managed to win their tournament, in which the Gurongi Tribal-members all battled to the death as a whole.

One of the things that bugged me a little, was that Kuuga never fully evolved all his forms, and that his true final form was even used in his series! I mean, seriously, what!? Once again, budget concerns limit the awesomeness of a series before it can bloom, sigh.

Kamen Rider Agito is the story of Shoichi Tsugami, a young amnesiac who belongs to an offshoot of the human race known as the Agito. Agitos possess incredible psychic powers and exist in a perpetual state of evolution, adapting to the changes in themselves and the world around them at an incredible rate.

My only real beef with this series was the limited number of forms Agito had as compared to Kuuga, and that one of the Extra Riders had the lazy name of Another Agito. You heard me right. All in all, not to bad, but a little frustrating.

Next up, Kamen Rider Ryuki, which also served as part of the inspiration for the list. Honestly, with how much I plan on covering JUST for Ryuki, I’ll probably leave this off after this and pick up more tomorrow. Ryuki is one of the first series in the franchise to fully exploit the nature of multiple riders, and basically invented the concept of Dark Riders, which I will also explain.

Ryuki involves the Rider War, a conflict taking place in the real world, and a parallel realm known as the Mirror World, populated by unfeeling monsters known as, you guessed it, Mirror Monsters, which must constantly kill when in our world in order to remain stable, or at least they are allegedly supposed to. The Rider War was a conflict set up by a man known as Shiro to revive his dead sister, under the guise of a tournament to the death for a reality-warping wish, which Shiro wanted for himself. The war brought together 13, yes you read that right, 13 Riders, all with variances in their styles and abilities. This selfish conflict is partially, if not entirely why I said that introduced Dark Riders properly to the franchise; Dark Riders are individuals who bear the same transformative powers of Kamen Riders, but instead of using them to fight against the wicked and monstrous, are instead put towards their own selfish ends, and none of them are the type of individual you wanna run into in a dark alley.

The Riders of Ryuki derived their power from two things, their Contract Monster, a Mirror Monster that they formed a bond with in order to exist without needing to bring about death, and an Advent Deck, a Deck of Cards that harnessed the power of the Mirror Monster it bonded to and allowed the Riders to survive in the Mirror Realm, which is inherently fatal for humans to be in. One of the key aspects of Advent Cards is how they work, each one draws and harnesses an aspect of the Contract Monster it is connected to, or wields a power specifically to fight other Advent Riders. Now, before I get to my thoughts and ideas, I am going to list each Rider from Ryuki, as well as the nature of their Advent Decks and fighting styles.

Shinji Kido: Kamen Rider Ryuki himself, and contracted to the fierce Dragon-Type Mirror Monster, Dragonredder. With a Dragon on his side, you’d expect him to be the powerhouse of the group, right? HAHAHAHAHA no. Shinji stumbled upon the Rider War by near-complete accident, and, being the nice guy he is, decided if he was going to be a part, he would protect the bystanders from the conflict and ensure as many of the Riders made it out alive as he could. Easier said than done. Out of all the Riders, Ryuki has the least straight-forward fighting style, not helped by his incredible clumsiness, with his deck emphasizing the ability to have as many options as possible; jack of all trades master of none, but better master of none than master of one.

Ren Akiyama: Kamen Rider Knight, and the contract holder of the Bat-Type Mirror Monster, Darkwing. He comes across as aloof, cold even, whose only in it for himself, but in truth he decided to enter the war to save the life of his ill fiance. Knight’s fighting style blends straight-up direct combat, and subterfuge based war tactics, with his deck emphasizing this by providing him with both weapons and special abilities that optimize getting the drop on his foes. Hmm... themed after a bat, a knight, and mixing close combat with dark and spooky tactics. Now where have I seen THAT before?

Masashi Shido: Kamen Rider Scissors, a Dark Rider, and the contractor of the Crab-Type Mirror Monster, Volcancer. A corrupt cop and detective, Scissors took bribes and cuts in illegal dealings, and used his Mirror Monster to liberally dispose of witnesses as he pleased. He ultimately died when his contract was destroyed and Volcancer turned on him. Despite his practices necessitating subterfuge, Scissors’ fighting style is rather extravagant, emulating that of a gladiator, with his deck providing cards that mix heavy combat with putting his enemy into an unfavorable situation to seal the deal, fitting for a backstabber.

Shuichi Kitaoka: Kamen Rider Zolga, one of the neutral and later heroic elements in the war, and the bearer of the contract for the Minotaur-Type Mirror Monster, Magnugigas, a colossal bio-mechanical behemoth. A shady lawyer with a lot of wealth, Zolga was diagnosed with fatal cancer, and desired to become immortal to continue living his lifestyle forever. While initially uncaring and selfish, he ultimately came to see the value in others, and lamented all the criminals that walked free due to his actions, hoping Ryuki would win. Cunning, intellegent, and crafty, Zolga’s fighting style favors both heavy defense and massive firepower, burying an enemy in a storm of blasts while he hunkers down, with his deck further emphasizing this with a bevy of long-distance combat cards and barriers.

Miyuki Tezuka: Kamen Rider Raia, a fortune-teller beyond compare, he enters the war to save lives and honor his deceased friend, and bears the contract of the Stingray-Type Mirror Monster, Evildiver. Raia’s fighting style places heavy importance on movement, offering cards that can offer him superior movement, and uses a whip as his principle weapon.

Jun Shibaura: Kamen Rider Gai, an utterly selfish and monstrous beast of a man, he wields the contract of the Rhino-Type Mirror Monster, Metalgelas. A prodigy of computers and gaming, Gai sees the death match that is the Rider War as nothing more than a game, and the fighters as players he can wipe out at his leisure. Gai’s fighting style is a straight up rush of overwhelming force, with his cards emphasizing interfering with his opponent’s options to force them to fight him directly and his brutal power of himself and his Contract Monster gives him an edge.

Takeshi Asakura: Kamen Rider Ouja, and the main Dark Rider of the series, holder of the contract for the Snake-Type Mirror Monster, Venosnaker. A sadistic monster to his core, Takeshi killed his own family as a child, and left a bloody trail in his wake for years, remorselessly cutting down anyone who falls in his path in his bloodlust. Despite his seemingly simple minded nature, Ouja is immensely cunning, favoring a sadistic fighting style that emphasizes causing as much pain to his enemy as he can before they die at his hands, and he is far from afraid to get his hands dirty. Ironically, Ouja has one of the weaker decks in the war, bearing limited options to fight with, Ouja thrives due to his sheer brutality, fighting ability, and utter ruthlessness. “Fun” fact, unlike the other Riders, Takeshi never realized that a wish was up for grabs, he was just having a good time! When he finally learned that the winner got a wish, he decided his wish would be to have ANOTHER Rider War, so he could kill another pack of warriors! Ouja’s deck does have two solid advantages over the other riders; Ouja possesses extra Contract Cards, meaning he can add other Mirror Monsters and their powers to his deck, ultimately deciding to save them to take the Mirror Monsters of the Riders he kills, with his other big trick his Unite Card, which allowed him to COMBINE his Mirror Monsters into the horrifying Chimera-Type Mirror Monster, Genocider (ain’t that a name).

Odin: Kamen Rider Odin, a Rider not designated Dark only due to the fact he doesn’t have enough of a mind to be one, and wielder of the Phoenix-Type Mirror Monster as his Contract, Goldphoenix. Odin is unusual, in that he is essentially a puppet, a brainwashed shell that acts as Shiro’s representative in the war that occupies whatever body Shiro gives the Contract to. Out of all the Riders, Odin has the greatest immediate strength, allowing him to overwhelm just about anything in ideal situations, and if things go wrong, Odin (along with Shiro) can REWIND TIME to reset the war until Shiro gets the outcome he wants, only giving up when he accepts that he won’t be able to bring his sister back.

Satoru Tojo: Kamen Rider Tiger, a man who wants to be a hero, and wields the power of the Tiger-Type Mirror Monster, Destwilder. Tiger is a broken individual, lacking a LOT of basic understanding in regards to people, he wavers between good and evil in his desire to be a hero due to his incomprehension of what it means to be heroic, ultimately becoming a hero when he selflessly sacrificed his life to save a father and son about to be hit by an oncoming truck, finally realizing what it truly meant to be a human in his last moments. A highly inexperienced fighter, Tiger often lost, which didn’t help his instability, forcing himself to rely on ambushes to win, his deck favored close-range melee and offered him support in the form of ice attacks.

Mitsuru Sano: Kamen Rider Imperer, a self-styled mercenary rider, and wielder of the multi-type contract allowing him to command the power of the Gazelle-Type Mirror Monsters, with Gigazelle serving as the leader of his horde. Imperer was raised to believe that wealth was what was most important in life, completely missing the fact that his idea to be a mercenary in the Rider War was impossible as all but one of the contestants must die for it to complete and you cannot quit either. After falling in love, Mitsuru seemed to be realizing that there is more to life than money, he tragically died before he could act on his new views, trapped in the Mirror World, reaching out to the image of his love, screaming in fear. Imperer’s fighting style makes use of boxing, and bum-rushing his enemies with his massive swarm of Contract Monsters.

And, because I am starting to grow tired and this is REALLY LONG, I am gonna finish this later today before I burn out.

#kamen rider #kamen rider franchise #kamen rider series #kamen rider ryuki #observations #feel free to ignore this

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mirkysconcubinefiction · 4 years

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Quietly Jaded

Pairing: Omega!Peter/Alpha!Kingpin -- Omega!Peter\Avengers.

Summary: Peter Parker is an Omega masquerading as a Beta. A story of student loans, Avengers wanting Spiderman, Avengers wanting Peter Parker for his Omega status, and Peter just done with them. He doesn't need them - he already has an Alpha. Not the best Alpha but... Well... Fuck.

Tags: Major AU, ABO world, Heats/Ruts, Drug Abuse, Dark Personalities, College Peter, Dubious Consent, more added later.

Part 1

Peter hadn't always been the silent type. It grew on him with time. Losing friends, losing family, it was just easier to not talk than to talk - besides school there wasn't much to talk about.

Not like he could discuss being Spiderman?

With college dreams came college debt and even with grants and scholarships, student loans kept a roof over his head and food in his stomach.

Legally no one had to know his gender. He didn't act like most Omegas or Alphas so many people presumed he was a beta which wasn't a bother.

Betas were a safe median.

If Peter Parker was a Beta then so was Spiderman.

Hero's or vigilante's of justice weren't titles Omegas carried. Not that they were incapable but mostly the world was a shitty place and he was safer as a Beta than Omega.

No worries of being snatched.

No worries of his degree somehow being mishandled.

No worries of being treated like a damsel in need of a minder. Modern America, as progressive as any first world country, was still archaic in nature to a Omegas ability to cope outside of a Pack or Alphas knot.

It started as a curiosity or so that's how Peter saw it as. The Avengers paying attention to him was... Unneeded but the geek in him was intrigued.

First was Tony Stark aka Iron Man who appeared from nowhere one cool Autumn evening. It was a quiet night, the witching hour, a time where nothing really happened in the never quiet city. Sitting on a swing made from his webs he was eating a sandwich from his favorite bodega. The grandmother of seven never took no for an answer after he had saved her life and that of her children several times over the years and had even knitted him a scarf once.

Peter still had that scarf.

Mask pulled up to sit along the ridge of his nose he had sat staring out into the world with a gargoyle above him for company.

"You're softer than I pegged you for."

His senses didn't tingle and that alone kept him there, hanging like a booger from an impossibly high building, and taking a much deserved bite from his sandwich. A cuban torta with extra adobo.

"So. Kid. Got a name?"

Silence.

Peter chewed and ignored the floating man whose stare went from curious to frustrated.

"It's rude to not speak when spoken to."

Shoving the last of his food into his mouth Peter wiped the crumbs from his chin, pulled down his mask, and with a thumbs up, ripped an end of his webbed swing.

Plummeting like a bowling ball down... Down... And with a well-aimed (practiced) web swung himself away from sight. Iron Man wouldn't find him, not when Peter knew of a well hidden niche that he could slip into and not be seen or leave a heat signature.

Something that Iron Man was trying to do and Peter was grateful for his sensitive ears.

Next was Captain America. Decked out in his uniform and shield. It was a pretty wicked shield and one that Peter had caught before it could hit the cyborg that was destroying a nameless street of the city.

Spiderman ignored the shouts of 'traitor' and the arrows that followed him but Peter was more than a flexible arachnid. He was quite familiar with this street. It was the street that housed a shit ton of kids.

Kids that had loved it when he opened the fire hydrants or handed out frozen pops because Peter loved kids.

Not because he was an Omega.

Hell no.

He just loved kids. Kids loved him and thought he was cool.

Using the shield to block the occasional laser blast - because of course lasers - Peter lead the cyborg away. His webs helped to drag the thing and keep it from swinging wildly but Peter was more than bendy, more than, web's, he was strength and endurance.

While the others had stopped trying to kill him - yes those were kill shots - Peter managed to drag the hefty piece of machinery away. Feet digging into the concrete, one hand fisting a bundle of his webs as the other held close to a shield that left his hand tingly.

From the sewers a mass of crab like machines took the Avengers attention and as he finally reached an open area of an eight lane street Peter didn't panic when the cyborg finally broke free. The webbing shredding and as he fell from the slack Peter turned and tucked himself behind the shield in time for a powerful beam to hit the Vibranium and drag him backwards from the force.

Even in the face of death he thought it was cool. So cool.

This wasn't his first time facing a cyborg. A giant imitation of a man decked out in weaponry with a human brain attached in its center. Cyborgs bled green and their eyes were yellow pinpoints of awareness.

Cool but creepy.

Very creepy.

With one hand he sent out a web, latched onto a bus and swung it towards the cyborg that put all its attention to the massive vehicle, using each arm to fire laser beams - still so cool - missing Captain America's shield that hit where the brain sat.

Right side, 8 inches from the center, shield at a 70° angle.

A stream of green blood - plasm - and brain matter coated the streets. The shield hit the ground at a roll and lodged into the side of a brick building. A hair's breadth away from the man who had aimed arrows at his head.

Peter was sad that he missed. Not that he couldn't have killed the man but Spiderman had an image to keep up and he was sure kids were peaking through blinds.

If Hawkeye stared at the shield with wide-eyed 'what the fuck', Peter accepted that as payment.

Asshole.

Had Peter been... Well... Nicer... He would have thrown himself back into the fray helping the Avengers finish iff the crab robots except Peter wasn't that nice and he wasn't that forgiving.

Padding to the twitching machinery Peter took a moment to web himself a mat on the ground and take apart the cyborg. He was quick, knowing exactly what he wanted and where to find it, bundling it in his own web Peter pulled up the edges and folded the edges together and without a backwards glance he left.

Fuck the Avengers.

As Spiderman Peter had the nasty habit in bumping into random heros with hero size complexes and it got to the point where he just waved at the several who tried to stalk him.

They weren't as stealthy as they thought they were.

As Peter Parker there was no Avengers just debt and homework. The two worlds very rarely collided. Peter Parker was a nobody... Well... He was on the Deans List and top 12% of the university when it cam to grades even if his attendance was far from stellar.

Thankfully he had made a friend with a doctor who wrote really nice perfectly excusable doctor notes.

He had done the math. It would be a 2.8% chance he would catch the eyes of anyone Hero related. Nothing he did as a regular schmoe would catch anyone's attention.

Really.

Honestly.

Of course he never fraction in his own Parker Luck.

Fuck his Parker Luck and Fuck his inability to think properly after a near 27 hours of no sleep and a lab all to himself. At 1am he had the building to himself and the key card to prove it!

At 1 am and still wide-eyed with a brain that wouldn't shut off, Peter shouldn't have been allowed near anything that contained chemicals besides H2O. Instead he had 2 walls dedicated to his scribbles with a rainbow of color - thank you crayola - a pyramid of Styrofoam microwaveable ramen and a teetering tower of hot pocket boxes, and a keurig.

He had an unlimited - well half a box left - of hot chocolate to tide him over and a bag of mini marshmallows to keep the shakes away as he worked on his thesis. Technically his thesis was typed, edited, and awaiting a last read through BUT he was stuck.

He was so close to creating the perfect drug that he was vibrating with a desperate energy as his friends - the machines scattered around the room - worked to show him if his calculations were correct or he had to start again.

Staring at the board Peter needed to distract himself from the whirring and beeping. Headphones in place he jump started his bluetooth and filled the silence with his google playlist set to play his thumbs up.

As it was so late and he was alone in the building Peter didn't think singing along to his playlist would be a big deal. Being an Omega he had few quirks that were... Questionable.

Omega's were notorious for their allurement beyond their scent. Many were artists, creators of music, rhythm, designers, they were architects, chefs, Omegas were once considered Sirens and Muses of the God's... While Peter could sketch and recite the periodic table backwards and forwards he could sing.

There was something about his voice that could draw attention or put someone to sleep if he so wished. A lullaby sung softly and with his will alone he could hush a colicky baby in minutes much to the relief of the parents he had babysit for.

Peter blamed Toni Braxton.

Peter blamed the open windows to the lab.

Peter blamed the chaos that happened less than a mile away from the University and the Hulk that somehow broke away from the group and all but bulldozed himself to the lonely building off set from the rest of the school.

Peter blamed... Well... He blamed Tony Stark for being a nosy douche of a man and tuning into the voice singing a very heartfelt rendition of un-break my heart.

Outside the lab Tony watches as the Hulk shifts back to being just Bruce and the man is swaying, "Omega."

Tony's gaze swivel down to where Bruce is laid out on the ground, dazed. "What?" Had he heard the man right.

"Hulk..." It was difficult to speak so soon after a change but Bruce managed one more word, "Omega." And it didn't take much to put two and two together and Tony moved until he was hovering by the only window lit out of the building.

Hair a mess, clothes askew, ass perched on the a desk, sat a young man staring at a dry erase board and hands moved with each dip and rise. The boy was moving, a dry eraser in one hand and a purple marker in another as he wrote a different scribble.

Tony was smart, brilliant even, but even if he squinted he couldn't make out what was written. There was numbers with familiar sequences but even JARVIS who had scanned the room was at a lost and suggested the scribbles were a code.

Quiet filled the room and he took that moment to shush his team and soon another song had the younger man humming, head nodding to a beat.

"Send away for a priceless gift One not subtle, one not on the list Send away for a perfect world One not simply, so absurd In these times of doing what you're told

Keep these feelings, no one knows

What ever happened to the young man's heart? Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart..."

Maybe he was just tired but Peter didn't feel the eyes watching him. There was no warning from his spider senses just a quiet madness as he darted through the room. The keurig churning out hot chocolates and fueling the madness of no sleep and rainbow scribbles.

A.M. comes with bright lights and failure.

It was tempting to swipe the board clean but Peter was passed out under the only desk that would block out the sun with his lumpy backpack as a pillow.

It's an awkward way to sleep but Peter isn't picky. He's slept in worse conditions, even upside down once, and he had a 48 hour hold on that particular lab.

The click of the door unlocking doesn't wake him. The tap of heeled leather Oxford shoes doesn't wake him as said shoes stroll through the room until they pause right where he was sleeping.

Eye's hidden by sunglasses worth more than all the textbooks he was sleeping on, Peter didn't notice the frown on the man's face or the flurry of texts the man was sending before he crouched and woke Peter with a gentle nudge.

What did wake Peter was his alarm on his phone. A far too loud alarm that startled him enough he jerked awake, banging an elbow and his head on the desk. Swearing a storm, mind addled by sleep, Peter fumbled for his phone and dropped it.

Blinking at the pair of dress shoes, Peter held his breadth as he looked up... And up... Into familiar brown eyes. "Who the fuck are you?"

An eyebrow arched, "Everyone knows who I am."

No. Spiderman knew Tony Stark. Peter Parker could care less. "Are you lost?"

"Nope." The man rocked on his heels, eyes gazing around. "Came to see you. Interesting finding someone like you here of all places."

Peter frowned, "I'm not squatting. I wouldn't be the first person catching a nap trying create something big."

"Big hu?" His hands slipped into his slack pockets, "the hot pockets are shit for your metabolism by the way."

"They're cheap and I'm broke. I'm guessing you wouldn't understand the concept of broke." Peter tried to lay back down and cover his eyes with his arm, legs folded.

"Yet with no full-time job you somehow have managed to chip away at your student loans. I'm impressed."

A warning buzz settles over him and Peter keeps himself as nonchalant as he can unwilling to give the Alpha the show of panic that he felt. "This is a school of side hustles. Take your pick and leave."

A moment passes in quiet but Tony doesn't leave. Why would he? "Quite rude." The man murmurs, "Is that anyway to..."

"Leave before I call security." Peter interrupts, "You're a strange old man alone in a room with a sleeping student, only perverts stay where they're not wanted."

"Pervert? Pervert!"

"Yes. Pervert." Arm dropping away Peter made a point to glare into the yellowish hue of the glasses. "I've asked you to leave and you refuse. You are not my professor or the janitor. This is my lab and either you picked the lock or bribed someone and I'll be sure to tell the Dean that a creepy old man was allowed into his building to harass a student."

"Actually this is my lab. I own this building." Tony expected some form of recognition instead he got snark.

"Did you piss on the wall or write your name on it like a petulant child?"

It's not often that Tony finds himself without words but his lips part in surprise before. He lets out a whoosh of air shakes his head. "For an Omega you're a mouthy little thing."

The quiet is met with Peter blinking and Tony waiting. If Peter was smart he would have immediately denied any accusation or stood in righteous anger... Instead the younger man laughed. "That..." Peter folded his hands on his stomach and grinned, "is quite a compliment thank you." Tony frowned and Peter batted his eyelashes. "I'm pretty enough to pass for an Omega has to be the nicest thing anyone has said to me this semester."

"Just this semester?" Tony couldn't help but ask.

"Yep."

The quiet stretched far longer than was comfortable and Tony sighed, "I have a proposition for you."

"No."

His carefully constructed speech and patience flew out the window as he was interrupted, "No?"

"No." Peter repeated, slowly. "N. O." He spelled out just in case.

"No? You can't tell me no."

"I can, I did, and I don't care." Peter frowned before he unfolded himself and crawled out from under the desk and brushed the dust off his wrinkled two-day old clothes, "Alphas who can't accept a no and argue over the word are a danger to society." Tony wasn't sure how someone that wasn't eye level could make him feel small.

"Do you know who I am?" The kid arched a brow, took a step back, and eyes him from the tips of his shoes to his perfectly coiffed hair.

"Yes." Tony preened, "You're a misogynistic ass hole who thinks you can walk into my lab unannounced and get away with harassing a student and bringing up genders as if the position of my scent glands justifies your casual dismissal of my constitutional rights. You can't belittle or coerce me into agreeing to anything you have to say based on your purse strings or that you imply ownership on a building that was built from multiple donations. If I was an Omega I have every right to kick you in the nuts and get away with scratching your eyes out."

Tony's lips pressed into a firm irritated line.

"Seeing as I'm not I'll just settle for telling you to get the fuck out of my lab or I will scream murder. I'm a beta on beta kinda guy, so keep your paws off my no-no spots."

It was unexpected, Tony twitched as Peter's hands touched him - shoved him really - right out the door. Tony would never admit to sputtering or tripping over his own feet as he was pushed out the lab and the door firmly locked behind him.

Confused and slightly embarrassed he adjusted his blazer and nonchalantly walked away. I'm a beta on beta kinda guy... the words are like oil and water, his skin tingles where the younger man's hand roamed, the heat that made that primal part of his brain rear up and whisper Omega.

Spiderman was an escape.

There was times when he could swing away his worries with dizzying feats of near deaths, the adrenaline rush doing more for him than any drug on the market.

There was times, like that morning, when he would climb to the highest point, tuck himself into a corner, and hide. He was a millennial with a safe space and it was the safest space to exist in N.Y.

Just him and the pigeons.

Times like this he wondered how far he could fall without instinct there to make him survive and carry on another day?

Curling in on himself he hugged his knees tight to himself and let the tears fall. It wasn't often that he cried but when he did it was usually quiet and when he was alone. No one could see him weak, no one could see him break, no one could... A trumpet broke his depressive silence. An unexpected noise at an impossible height except it was a drone.

The four propellers were whisper quiet and a white flag waved in the wind.

"Fuck." Summed it up.

A 3d hologram appeared and it was the image of Princes Leia kept him sitting, curious, vs jumping off the ledge. "Hello itsy bittsy spider."

Peter narrowed his eye's and flicked out a web, the drone was quick to swerve.

"You're cordially invited to attend a gathering..." Diving off the building was a better option than listening to Tony Stark invite him to a Tea Party as if they were friends. You don't forgive people who tried to kill you.

Especially if they didn't apologise.

Especially if they stalked you.

Since being bitten by a radioactive spider like some weird comic book character, Peter had gone through physical and mental changes. Presenting as an Omega had come later, in fact his first spike of heat happened during a particular difficult battle with none other than Kingpin himself.

It had been a gory fight with Peter having to plow through layers of underlings from normal everyday thugs to enhanced goons that were blood thirsty to get the bounty Kingpin had put on his head.

It was a hefty bounty too.

Just enough where Peter contemplated killing himself off for profit. Kingpin had been his usual boastful self and holding a weapon that was more sci-fi than the usual glock.

They had stood in a penthouse that had made him hyper aware he was dripping blood on the cream-colored carpet and the beautiful statues were judging him.

Kingpin had a spiel like all super villains and Peter had listened as his mind raked over how he would survive this encounter when the A.C. kicked on. Cool filtered air pushed from the vents, Peter had shivered as it passed over his heated flesh that peaked from the patches of bare skin, it had taken moments for that devilish curl of the Kingpin's lips to unfurl and something else come forth.

Kingpin was a force of human nature. Built by weights and sheer spite. He was aggression, darkness, he was the devil amongst demons, he was a pendulum that swung between the dark side of the underworld and the light side of a family man.

Most importantly.

Kingpin was an Alpha.

An Alpha tied to a Beta and a son.

Dark blue eyes shifted, bleeding red before the massive bulk of a man lifted the gun and fired a single shot. The sizzle of the blast prickled the side of his face as the beam shot over his shoulder and the thump of a body falling told him that his spider senses were off.

Peter had studied many things but Omegean Biology wasn't one of them. He knew the fundamentals like many but the liquid fire that pooled at the base of his spine and slithered its way up left him standing rigid and an ache between his legs had him hissing.

Peter didn't remember closing his eyes, he didn't hear Kingpin move, his senses were so out-of-order he flinched when a large hand settled atop his head. "Shhh." Peter felt himself tugged into Kingpins girth, it had made him tremble and a whine had escaped him.

Later. Much later. Peter would learn that the man who was intent on killing him had cuddled him on an impossibly massive bed, the Alpha crooning, hands that could bend steel caressed him like a lover would, and for three days helped him through his first heat.

"Call me Wilson. Wilson Fisk."

Awareness had come in doses. The feel of soft cotton against his bare skin, the slick between his thighs, the ache somewhere deep and personal, classical music played in the background drowning the hitch in his chest, relief had been a burst of gratitude as shaky fingers touched the familiar texture of his torn mask.

The stretchy fabric cover his nose an encircled his cheeks and curved along his brow, seemingly glued to his skin. Hair, ears, lips, and chin were as exposed as the rest of him.

Before Peter could sit up a hand came from no where and settled on his chest, thumb and finger digging into his collarbone as he was pushed back into the mattress.

Pliant.

Weak.

A mess.

Kingpin was a solid presence he hadn't noticed until that moment. Hard naked lines with impossibly wide shoulders and solid smooth skin with not a hint of hair except for two perfectly sculpted eyebrows that furrowed in contemplation. "Where do we go from here Spiderman?"

It had been when that hand slipped and encircled his throat did Peter feel his body involuntarily move. Legs splaying openly and back arching as a familiar haze of arousal overwhelmed the need to run.

Wilson was an exceptional lover. His first Alpha, his first Knot, Peter never expected to be the Mistress of his arche nemesis, he didn't expect to have heats that were bursts of short frequent intervals, he didn't expect the open invitation to spend it with the Alpha, and he didn't expect the absolute possessiveness of Wilson or just how much control an Alpha like Wilson had over an Omega like Peter.

"Save the world but you will not interfere with my organization and you will be my most prized possession."

It was a story twisted by biology, twisted by the illogical logic of an emotion one could say was love if you squint, and the reason Spiderman dressed as a different character jumped from the side lines and into traffic, using his strength to flip a car that was chasing the Kingpin.

It rankled something deep that the urge to protect made him feel like a villain and the mocking laughter of Kingpin getting away hit him hard.

Fighting The Avengers to keep the Alpha alive had never been part of the plan, watching the chase from a random store front window, hearing the helicopters, it was a spur of the moment decision to steal a face bandana with a skull smile and a pair of polarized wide swimming goggles.

Running fast and hard he didn't use his webs and instead focused on his natural talent and that primal urge to protect the knot-head responsible to keep him blissed out for his next upcoming heat.

Toe to toe with Captain America and the Winter Soldier was... Thrilling. As Spiderman there was an awareness of maintaining his cool but as a stranger with a cheap mask and flannel shirt Peter could catch the Winter shoulders Vibranium arm and force the man to the ground before kicking Captain America's shield and tossing the pompous soldier away like a rag doll.

Peter's body moves on auto pilot as he flips backwards and moves with grace and fluidity as a mess of weaponry aim for him. Between Iron Man's blasts, Hawkeyes arrows, Black Widows bullets, Peter feels like he's dancing on the edge of death and it leaves him feeling hot and aroused.

Slipping beneath an abandoned truck he sticks his hand on the underside and with hard pushes against the asphalt he uses the truck to plow through what traffic is left and holding his breadth Peter pushed up with his leg and the truck flipped, the roof smashing on the ground and catching sparks.

Letting out a whoop, his flannel shirt wafting in the air he grinned behind the mask as he surfed for a stretch of time before coming to a halt and with Iron Man trailing him Peter ran.

Hard.

Fast.

Through the city.

Forcing the Avengers to chase him and not Kingpin.

More later...

*Part 2*

34 notes · View notes

whatshername-please · 4 years

Text

Out of the Water - Chapter III

Synopsis: You were very proud to be a mermaid, thank you very much. You didn’t want to be where the people were. Actually, you’d rather avoid it. Defending the merfolk was the biggest goal in your life… well, it was until you meet a certain pirate… it seems that your family really had a thing for humans, after all. Not that you’d ever admit it…

Pairing: Harry x reader

Word count: 3564

Part 3 of ?

Warnings: none? Possibly grammar mistakes? Also, some cuss words

A/N: English isn’t my first language, so I’ll probably mess up some tenses, grammar and stuff. Go easy on me, please. Feedback is always appreciated.

_________________________________________

“Maybe it’s contemporary art”

You pointed at the destroyed painting on the floor which made Mal stare at you in disbelief. Ok, maybe now wasn’t the best time for light hearted jokes.

Thus, it was probably better not to say anything about the curtains being all torn up since no one took notice of them…

Ben’s castle was not very different from the rest of Auradon: dead silent and a wicked atmosphere hovered in the air. Well, it was until everyone started searching for the king.

Everyone was calling for Ben but that made absolutely no sense, you thought. If Audrey had gone to the castle, she’d have turned Ben to stone or something, making impossible for him to answer. All the noise would just draw her attention, if she didn’t already know you were there which was very likely, by the way.

Really, why couldn’t she set Ben’s clothes on fire, break his favorite clock, shave his eyebrows? It’d have been so much easier to deal with.

Humans always had to make everything more difficult, hadn’t they?

You had gone through the whole the castle and found no one and also Dude had lost the track of Ben’s scent, the best option now would be to go back to Auradon Prep since it was the last place Audrey was seen at. But of course Mal wasn’t entirely convinced that the castle was empty and you were checking the last room left: it was a large hall full of coats of arms, vitrals and armors.

Why were there so many armors? Questionable decorating choice, if someone asked you. And unless Ben was hiding inside one of them, he wasn’t there either. Coming to Ben’s castle had been a completely waste of time.

“Hey!” someone called you, way too over-excited. “We weren’t properly introduced yet, I’m Gil”

The muscular boy extended his hand smiling widely at you. You shook his hand, presenting yourself.

“Are you a princess?” he asked. While Harry called you a princess with disdain, Gil appeared to be genuily interested in you, then again, he was fascinated by everything in Auradon, from the leaves on the trees to the berries in the bushes.

“I am” you answered him.

It seemed to be physically impossible, but his smile grew even bigger than before.

“I’ve never met a princess before. Your highness” he bowed and then looked at you with gleaming eyes “Have I done it right?”

Gil looked very proud of himself and it broke your heart. It was infuriating to think how many wonderful kids were stuck and forgotten on that Isle. For 20 years no one thought or cared about them, even now most people believed that the Isle’s inehabitants were dangerous and past redemption. You dared King Beast to look in Gil’s eyes and say he was a criminal who deserved to be punished for the rest of his life.

“Yes, you did. But you don’t have to do it, really.” you said and he nodded in agreement. Ok, you decided, out of Uma’s friends Gil was your favorite.

All you wanted to do was to find Audrey and go back home, but what was an already difficult task in itself was getting even harder because of Uma and Mal incessant bickering. You tried to ignore when Mal said she wandered what fried octopus tasted like. One thing that never entered humans’ head was that mermaids and fishes were friends, one day you were hanging out with a squid or a crab and suddenly they were fished and eaten by some unfeeling human. Sebastian still had nightmares about the time he got trapped inside your uncle’s…

Oh, wait. Did that armor just move?

Shit.

Everyone noticed it too, excepting Uma and Mal because they were too distracted fighting with each other.

“Girls!” Harry yelled “We have a situation here”. You wished you had a phone to take a picture of Uma’s face at this moment. She looked outraged by the audacity of Harry to cut her off.

At least now everyone was completely aware of that all the armors in that cursed place were moving towards you and ready to cut you all into tiny pieces. Drawing back wasn’t even an option since you were completely surrounded, the only chance you had to get out of this mess would be to fight.

WHY WERE THERE SO MANY ARMORS? If you survived this, you’d have a long talk to Ben about interior design.

Good thing everyone was optimistic about defeating them because, by your account, you were way outnumbered… not that Uma and Mal seemed to care since they were quarreling again. Evie was the one who got fed up with all the nonsense and stepped in and, while she tried to talk them into their senses again, you took the comb from your hair, ready to make it assume its true form. If Fairy Godmother didn’t have a rule against magic… or weapons being unnecessarialy used, you wouldn’t even bother changing your trident into a hair comb. You looked super badass carrying your trident around like the bitching sea queen you were…

Would be….

Whatever…

“Will you really brush your hair now, princess?”

That.

Mocking.

Tone.

Again.

You could either punch him right now or wait for an enchanted knight to do it…. but you had a better idea.

His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open when he saw the comb that had been in your hand the moment before become an imponent trident. You watched with delight that ridiculous smirk on his face change into a shocked face. It always amazed you the look people made when they realized that your cute hair pin could make someone bleed to death, and Harry Hook did not disappoint you.

That would answer his question about your fighting skills.

The jerk.

But you had no time to think any further about Harry Hook and his pesky presence, the knights were near and you had a battle to face.

————–

It was official, you hated the human world and the ridiculous armors they used as house decoration. If Belle and the Beast (did he even have a name or his name was really Beast? Whatever…) hadn’t decide that every single corner of that castle needed to have a knight’s suit, you wouldn’t have had to be dodging swords attacks coming from every single angle that you could think of. It didn’t matter how hard or fast you hit them or that they were too heavy to react because they were enchanted. They could be slow to strike, but they neither got tired nor hurt, so you could attack them as much as you wanted and it didn’t make any difference, you were just scratching the metal. They were many and you were only 8, this wasn’t a fair battle, at all

“We need magic to defeat those things” you shouted to Mal while hitting a knight right in his chest, he stumbled a little but regained his balance fast enough. At the same time that you avoided another hit, you caught a glimpse of Harry who was close to you and unaware of the armor approachinh him from behind.

C'mon Harry, turn around…

Gosh, you had to do everything.

The knight striked again, but you avoided the blow. Taking this as a cue, you ran towards Harry and, as you did so, you managed to knock down the armor that was ready to attack the pirate. The sound of metal hitting the floor made the boy turn his head, he saw the armour laying on the floor and gave you a surprised look; either the boy didn’t expect you were able to fight or he didn’t expect that you would put yourself at risk to help him.

“You can thank me later” you said already attacking another hellish knight.

Thank goodness Mal had heard you and decided to use her magic against the cursed armors and before you could blink, the knights stopped moving and fell in the middle of the room.

It was about time.

Everyone was celebrating the victory, there were no more Uma’s crew or Mal’s gang, all of them were friends and, well… it ended as fast as it started. In one second they were cheering and laughing and in the other they rememrebed they didn’t like each other. The friendliness lasted two seconds, it was a new record.

Both gangs walked away from each other, Uma and her pirates stood on one side, and Mal and the VKs stood on the other. Celia and you decided to stay away watching them from afar.

Evie, who seemed determined to make everyone to get along, proposed an icebreaker and it took all your willpower to not to laugh at your friends’ faces upon hearing this. You have never heard so many groans or seen people looking away so fast in your life: Uma was probably deliberating all the choices she did in her life and looked like she could use a drink, or five, while Gil was just confused. Carlos and Jay were clearly unconfortable and would prefer to sleep forever than to go through this, and the only reason Mal didn’t shut Evie down right at the spot was because she dind’t want to hurt the girl’s feelings. And Harry…

It was a surprise to you when he didn’t come up with some ironic comment. Actually, he looked rather astonished when Evie complimented him and it appeared he was about to reply her before Uma cut him off.

And then she and Mal restarted their usual bickering.

Maybe the icebreaker wasn’t a bad idea, after all.

“Summer School?” Harry laughed “No wonders she wants revenge”.

Not that you’d ever say it out loud, but the pirate had a valid point.

Finally, they decided on following Uma’s initial plan to the joy of the sea witch’s daughter. Apparently, Audrey was still in Auradon Prep, so the girls would go and check her room for clues, and the boys would look out for Ben.

Everyone was ready to leave, but before the team split you spoke up.

“Actually, I’m going with the guys, ok?”

“Why?” Mal questioned you, raising an eyebrow.

“Because if Audrey shows up it’s better that at least one person knows how to use magic” you explained.

“No, the amber is the only thing that can defeat her, you wouldn’t stand a chance” Mal was clearly annoyed that you were holding them back, but you ignored the whay she glared at you and went on.

“Even so, I may be able to hold her off with my trident. You, Uma and Evie got brains, strenght and magic. Jay, Carlos, Gil and Harry, on the other hand….”

Your eyes lingered on the boys in front of you who, you knew for a fact, would kill each other in the first opportunity.

“Too edgy” you pointed to Jay.

“Too pure” and Carlos.

“Too bubbly” Gil.

“Too…” you looked Harry up and down and shrugged “Honestly? I can’t even describe him.”

Mal went silence for a moment, deliberating whay you had said, while everyone else was staring at you with a look you knew too well. It was the famous “I can’t believe she actually said that” face.

“Fine, you proved your point” Mal finally declared and the ofended look on Jay’s face almost made you laugh. You’d have to apolize to him later… But right now you had a king to find before Mal snapped at you again.

You and the guys left the castle and followed Dude, who had detected Ben’s scent.

“I’m not edgy” said Jay with a pout, looking too adorable to be taken seriously.

“Didn’t you almost break your arm trying to learn R.O.A.R just for the sake of beating Chad? Or what about that time when you got into a fight with a guy twice your size because he said the only reason you won the tourney game was because everybody on the other team was scared to come near a villain kid? ” you asked him.

“Hey! You were encouraging me!” he reminded you, laughing about the incident.

“I was not” you denied, putting your hand on your chest in a mocking manner “How dare you to suggest I’d ever do something like that”. You tried to make a serious face, but broke into a smile in a matter of seconds as you remembered that day. "Did we punch him, though? I can’t recall".

“No, Carlos stopped us… he is too pure” the VK teased, and Carlos didn’t take it kindly. As he passed by the both of you, he hit Jay’s arm hard enough to make his friend yelp.

“Come back here, Carlos” Jay called and ran after him “I was only joking”.

You giggled.

Humans, what dorks.

Minding your own business, you kept walking silently. Your friends were ahead, making sure to not lose Dude from their sight. Things appeared to be safe, at least for now, so you decided to change your trident into its pocket version, and with one quick motion of your hand, it became a hair comb again.

“How do you do that?” it was Gil who asked and he seemed utterly puzzled by your trident.

“Oh, it’s magic.” you said while Gil observed with narrowed eyes you place the enchanted comb in your hair, the boy was staring so intensively at it that looked like he was wainting for the comb to burst into flames or something “It’s no big deal, really”

“Yeah, you’re probably used by it, right? But we don’t have magic on the Isle…” he looked down, ashamed of being impressed by something that was so ordinary to you, and you felt terrible. You didn’t mean to upset him.

“Oh no, I mean… I just never really thought about it…” you tried to explain.

“Of course you didn’t, why do people in Auradon would think how their lives are perfect?” Harry, who had been oddly quiet, spoke. However, if he were expecting you to ague with him, he’d be disappointed. The pirate could get on your nerves but you couldn’t be a hypocrite and deny all the privileges you had just because you were born on the “right” side of the barrier.

Of course Harry didn’t know that was how you felt about the barrier and took the lack of a response as an confirmation.

“How nice it must be to have everything, huh?” he tried to sound cynical, but you could hear the hurt and bitterness in his voice.

“King Triton has a trident too, you know.” Gil said absently, ignoring completely the tension between Harry and you “It was on the Isle two years ago, we almost got it”

“Yeah I know. I nearly killed my cousin when I discovered she messed up with grandpa’s trident” you remembered like it was yesterday. Your cousin Arabella decided she wanted to prove her worth by summoing a storm using your grandfather’s magical trident. If this wasn’t reckless enough, she also lost the trident that ended up on the Isle. Thanks to Mal and her gang the trident was recoreved before your grandfather noticed it was gone.

What a day.

“Wait, your grandfather? Are you…?” Gil’s eyes widened when he realized who you were.

“Yeap, King’s Triton granddaughter, that’s me.” you finished his sentence, very proud of being who you were.

“Then you are a mermaid!” the blond boy’s eyes moved to your legs and he frowned at them, as if he couldn’t understand what they were doing there “If you are a mermaid, where is your fishtail?”

You chuckled and explained. It wasn’t the first time someone asked you that, but you didn’t mind. Actually, everytime you had the chance to brag about being a mermaid, you did it.

“When I need to be on land I turn into a human”

“Uma is Ursula’s daughter, did you know that?” it amazed you how Gil was capable of saying anything in such a light manner. Most people would be very cautious about speaking of the former villain of someone’s family in their presence but not Gil, he definitely didn’t mind bringing the subject up.

If you knew that Uma was the sea witch’s daughter? IF YOU KNEW THAT. You have been talking about this girl for years and, in the past months, you literally hid her in your room. YOU DID KNEW THAT.

This was what you really wanted to say, but instead you laughed it off “I think I’ve heard her name a few times”.

“Is it his trident?” it was Harry the one making a question now and, for the first time, he seemed genuinely curious and not just being sarcastic or cunning.

“Oh no… it was a gift from him, actually. It’s not as powerful as his, though. But it’s good enough” one thing that never ever bothered you was to talk about your life as a mermaid. If someone ever decided to write a tale about you, people would stop thinking that every mermaids’ wish was to become human.

You just loved being a mermaid and nothing would ever change that.

“What can it do?” he inquired, taking a closer look at the comb in your hair. He was wondering about the damage that could cause, no doubt.

“It can control water, for the most part. But is also good to beat the shit out of my enemies”

He smiled.

Harry Hook had sincerely smiled at you.

Maybe people were right, maybe you were born on the Isle and were switched at birth with some kid from Auradon. It would explain your talent for befriending villain kids.

You have never made friends easily, better saying, people didn’t want to be friends with you because of your reputation of being temperamental and moody, which wasn’t entirely true. You just didn’t care about being on the spotlight or doing what people expected you to do. Did you have to to sing along with woodland creatures just because you were a princess? Your area of expertise was marine life, for crying out loud. Squirrels and mice freaked you out! Once, a guy asked you on a date and thought it would be a good idea to go to a sea food restaurant!

You weren’t moody, humans were the ones who had the emotional range of a barnacle.

Also, a lot of people in Auradon were too self-absorbed, they thought everyone had a lovely happy life like them. Everytime you brought the Isle up they said you were overreacting and that it couldn’t be that bad. You wondered if they could see the black clouds that covered the place or if they even remembered that all Auradon’s leftovers were sent there.

You tried to be patiente but sometimes -well, most of times- you could not help yourself and ended up speaking your mind. At least from now on, you could claim that you have never cursed anyone out of spite.

Thanks, Audrey.

“If we’re getting to know each other, I have a question for you” you said to Harry who arched an eyebrow, curious about what you were going to say “Is your accent real?”

He blinked in confusion, not sure if he had heard you right.

“Yes! What kind of question is that?” he was perplexed by what you asked. Harry wasn’t used to people commenting on his accent and the times someone had said something about it, it was always to make fun of him - and Harry always made sure they learned not to do it again. So, he didn’t know if you were serious or simply mocking him.

“I don’t know. I believed you were being dramatic, to be honest. The eyeliner, the coat… The accent could very well be part of your pirate aesthetic” You didn’t want to sound rude or anything, you honestly imagined the accent was only him being theatrical, but since he didn’t answer right away (not even a ironic remark), you added quickly “It’s a lovely accent, it suits you”.

At first, you expected him to shut you down or tell you to fuck off. However, as he didn’t reply anything, you thought you really had offended the boy. You were ready to apologize (you could be the sea bitch, but you weren’t rude…). Instead, he bursted into laughter and you frowned, not understanding what was so funny to make Harry Hook laugh like that.

That boy was completely unpredictable.

“It’s not an aesthetic, lass. I’m a pirate” it was the first time since you met that Harry seemed so amused and it wasn’t at someone’s expanses. “Why did you think this?”

“Well, you do walk around carrying a hook” you pointed to the sharp object he kept holding since the moment you laid your eyes on him.

“And who are you to judge? You have a magical trident in your hair.”

It was your turn to laugh, maybe Harry wasn’t that bad.

“Fair enough, I can’t argue against it” you agreed with him,

Upon hearing your words, his mouth twisted into a smug grin…

“I knew you would warm up to me, princess”

Yeah, you took back what you thought seconds before, Harry Hook was insufferable. You huffed in annoyance and walked away from him and his pompous attitude.

Humans were never worth the stress.

#harry hook x reader #harry hook x you #harry hook imagine #harry hook #disneys descendants #descendants x reader #descendants imagine #descendants fanfiction #out of the water

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cutiecrates · 5 years

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Cutie Reviews: Yume Twins August 18

I took a few days longer than I was planning on, but since I got my November Gacha Gacha crate (like three or four days ago <3<) I realized I should probably get to work on this!

This months theme: Dream Land (ᴗ˳ᴗ)

We are all about trying to make every part of your day cute and relaxing, and this month we are all about making sure you end your day on a cute note. This includes when you are heading to bed after a fulfilling day! Your kawaii box this month is packed with items that will help you wind down, relax, and drift off to dreamland!

Contest

Despite the items not being at all Pokemon themed, the Contest was to draw your most favorite Pokemon and include it with a pic of our Pokemon-themed item in the box.

The prizes included a Sailor Moon Luna Shoulder Bag, and a Sailor Moon Uniform wallet for Grand Prize, while runner-ups won a Sailor Moon plastic cup.

(I really, REALLY love that purse x3 I wish I had entered~)

Yume Prize

And again we’re bombarded with Sailor Moon (not that it’s bad of course), plus some My Melody action on the side. They had been doing a collab around the time this came out (or maybe right before?), so I think this was a cute idea~

Our special topics for this month featured Gudetama celebrating his 5th anniversary, and Sumikko Gurashi.

Sleepy Pokemon Cable Protector

Our first item is an adorable Pokemon cable protector blind box, themed after sleepy Pokemon. There was 6 available, including Umbreon and Espeon, Pikachu, Vulpix and Alolan Vulpix, and Eevee.

I love all of Eevee’s forms, and Pikachu, but Vulpix is my favorite Pokemon- so I really, really wanted one of them! But they all look so sweet, I’m not that disappointed.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

It’s a really cute, high-quality figure. Even if you didn’t use it for the intended use, you could probably do quite a few things with it. But there is one thing bugging me; am I one of the few people who doesn’t get what a “cable protector“ is about?

I mean... why does the cable need protected anyway? It’s a really popular blind box trend in Japan, but I just don’t get it. I’ll still use it, but I don’t get it.

Don’t get me wrong though, if I got one of the vulpix I’d totally be super-excited to add to my collection.

Mini Cooling Pillow Cover

First of all, this fit a normal-sized pillow. If this is mini, I want to see what normal or large size to them is.

Anyway, this is a cooling pillow- a great item to have during summer when the warm weather can make sleeping or taking naps a real pain in the cutie. Especially if you end up tossing and turning, and often flip the pillow to find it’s cool patch, something I do often.

The pillow is made from cooling fabric made to instantly cool and remain cool by keeping a specific temperature. It came in a doggy-coffee themed design and was available in mint or indigo (the book mistakenly says “two designs”, but they’re both the same).

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I’m not even going to lie. When I got this I took it out to try it right away, and I’ve been using it since (or at least until a month ago, because lately I’ve been using a different pillow. But it still works perfectly fine!). Even now when it’s winter, it’s cool to touch and doesn’t seem effected by the chilly weather, but I noticed it feels a tiny bit different. But it’s not uncomfortable or anything.

Not only that but it makes a really cute decorative pillow~

Kawaii Sanrio Notebook

This one goes great with my folder I got a few months back~

Besides being cozy for bed, it’s also nice to unwind by writing in a diary or journal, or recording your various dreams. So for this month, we get a Sanrio-themed notebook for that purpose. There are 2 designs, including Little Twin Star, and this one I got featuring Marumofubiyori, one of Sanrio’s newer characters. He is joined by his two toy friends, Kanikama the crab and Gyoniku the fish.

The inside of the notebook has a simplified design featuring Marumofubiyori, and this is the back of it. It serves as a little character section.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

What I like about this notebook is it’s high quality. Like the Sailor Moon one in the Doki Doki box I just reviewed, it’s thick and made from nice material, and it has a spiral binding. It also has a stretchy band to keep it shut, which you don’t see on too many of these notebooks we get.

I really don’t write in a diary anymore (I don’t have a life, so I don’t have much to say), and I never kept a dream diary either. But I will use it for something one way or the other.

Relaxing Puffy Plushie

This is the perfect item for bed and nap-time! A plush toy x3 I love plushies and stuffed animals. Not only was there six different cuties available, but when you squeeze their tummy they make an adorable squeaky snore. They’re also a little bit mochi-like so they can handle a little pulling.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

It’s a really cute and nice plushie, but I’m kinda bothered by the fact three of the animals are shown holding an item, while the other three don’t. Maybe it’s to make them unique or something- but to me it seems weird. Not only that, but doesn’t a squeaky toy kinda defeat the purpose of relaxing sleepy time?

Sumikko Gurachi Wash Towel

This is an important before and after bed item : D nothing feels better then washing your face after a long day, or a long sleep. It came in 2 designs (the other matching the cup I got some boxes back), and is 34cm x 36cm length.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Not only is the design really fun and cute-looking, but it’s a useful practical item that you don’t need to make exclusive for bed time. Other than that, a towel is a towel you know?

Kawaii Animal Bookmark

Our last item for the bx is this adorable bookmark set, featuring five different animals, each with four unique sticky note sets. A very detailed, but cute and simple-looking product.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

It’s things like this that I really like- especially since I’ve been reading again these past two years or so. I could also see it coming handy for work or school, or if multiple people are sharing a book..

♡ Cutie Ranking ♡

Content - 5 out of 5. Everything was decent and cute, and I loved how it all had variety.

Quality - 4.5 out of 5. Quality is there for sure, but I’m not sure they were worth the price. I’m probably just being really picky but I just can’t see this specific box matching the price we pay.

Theme: 3 out of 5. It’s there for sure, but honestly I feel like there was a missed opportunity here. There are so many different things they could have put in here to say “this is specifically a dreamy-cute bed-time or nap item~“ rather than “it’s so practical you can use it at practically any time of the day!“. I mean that’s good and all, I like practically. But at the same time I would have loved to have more bed or nap-time worth items. Like maybe an eye mask, or a sleeping cap, a tooth brush , or maybe some cozy socks or some kind of relaxation item??

Total Rank: 12.5 out of 15 Cuties. It wasn’t a bad box, bu I can’t say it was my favorite. Practicality was definitely there and I do appreciate that and how cute everything is, but I was turned-off by missed opportunities and how it could have been so much better.

♡ Cutie Scale ♡

1. Sleepy Pokemon Cable Protector - They’re so cute and adorable looking! These would be perfect for pictures~

2. Animal Bookmark - I love it’s soft hues for the coloring, and how sweet each set looks. I would have been happy to get any of them.

3. Pillow Cover - It’s covered in a cute doggy and coffee stuff! I love coffee~ Not that you could tell since I’m always really tired.

4. Plushie - It’s cute, but... I don’t know, to me it’s lacking something.

5. Notebook - Same as below, but it's so sweet due to having so many different details/designs~ I just wanna cuddle Mofu whenever I see him~

6. Wash Towel - As adorable as Sumikko Gurashi is, this is a generic design from the brand.

Okay, so that’s it for this review! Since I got November’s Gacha Gacha I’ll probably be doing that one next before I resume August box reviews. It’s just easier this way. I’m planning on getting 1 or 2 more reviews done before Christmas, but in case I don’t I’ll just say Merry Christmas now!

Until next time, stay dreamy cute~

#pokemon blind box #sanrio #sanrio notebook #kawaii #yumetwins #yume twins #sumikko gurashi

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liliannorman · 4 years

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How math makes movies like Doctor Strange so otherworldly

For wild chase scenes, it’s hard to beat Doctor Strange. In this 2016 film, the fictional doctor-turned-sorcerer has to stop villains who want to destroy reality. To further complicate matters, the evildoers have unusual powers of their own.

“The bad guys in the film have the power to reshape the world around them,” explains Alexis Wajsbrot. He’s a film director who lives in Paris, France. But for Doctor Strange, Wajsbrot instead served as the film’s visual-effects artist.

Those bad guys make ordinary objects move and change forms. Bringing this to the big screen makes for chases that are spectacular to watch. City blocks and streets appear and disappear around the fighting foes. Adversaries clash in what’s called the “mirror dimension” — a place where the laws of nature don’t apply. Forget gravity: Skyscrapers twist and then split. Waves ripple across walls, knocking people sideways and up. At times, multiple copies of the entire city seem to appear at once, but at different sizes. And sometimes they’re upside down or overlapping.

Bringing the twisty other world of Doctor Strange to the big screen required time, effort and computers. Wajsbrot also needed a geometric pattern called the Mandelbrot (MAN-del-broat) Set. This is a type of shape known as a fractal. It’s made of curves and patterns, but those curves and patterns have curves and patterns of their own. There are patterns within patterns. And similar ones show up as you zoom in on an object. This happens in nature, too. Zoom in on a jagged mountain top and you find smaller jagged peaks within the peaks.

The Mandelbrot Set is a pattern called a fractal. It looks a little like a bug. Look around the edges, and you can see smaller Mandelbrot “bugs.” If you could zoom in on those bugs, you’d find still smaller copies.Wolfgang Beyer/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The people who worked on special effects for Doctor Strange wanted to use a lot of fractals, says Wajsbrot, who works with a company called Framestore. As characters try to navigate bizarre changes to their reality, scenes zoom in or out on a building, wall or floor. And this reveals more buildings, walls and floors within. The filmmakers’ goal was to use math to create sights that people had never seen in a movie before. To get that type of novelty, Wajsbrot says, they needed fractals. And of all the fractals they worked with, they found special inspiration in one type — the Mandelbrot Set.

“The Mandelbrot Set,” says Wajsbrot, “was the cherry on the cake.”

Monsters, infinities and snowflakes

The Mandelbrot Set is named for Benoit B. Mandelbrot. He was a Polish-born mathematician who studied math in Paris, France. He would go on to spend most of his life in the United States working for IBM, the computer company. He died in 2010. Mandelbrot is most famous for his studies of fractals. (In 1975, he even coined the term fractal to describe these shapes.)

Mandelbrot didn’t invent or discover these shapes. Earlier mathematicians had explored them. In 1904, for example, a Swedish mathematician named Niels Fabian Helge von Koch (Fon KOKH) devised one of the most famous fractals in history.

Von Koch’s fractal is a little easier to grasp than the Mandelbrot Set. Here’s his recipe: Start with an equilateral triangle (that’s one where each side is the same length). Then remove the middle third of each side. Now, build an equilateral triangle in each of those places where you removed the line. Keep going: Everywhere you find a line segment, remove the middle third and build an equilateral triangle there.

This image shows the original triangle and first six steps of a shape known as von Koch’s snowflake.António Miguel de Campos/Wikimedia Commons

The figure is known as von Koch’s snowflake. Mathematicians called shapes like this “pathological curves.” (“Pathological” things cause, or are caused by, physical or mental disease.) They sometimes called them mathematical “monsters” because the shapes don’t follow easy rules. For example: If you keep going with von Koch’s process forever, you’ll end up with an infinitely long line. Von Koch’s snowflake is a fractal. If you zoom in on it, anywhere, you’ll find the same pattern of triangles on triangles.

One of Mandelbrot’s early demonstrations of a fractal was similar to von Koch’s snowflake. It arose from a question: How long is the coastline of Great Britain? The question seems simple. The answer isn’t.

Measure a coastline on a globe or from satellite images, and you can use a ruler to find the solution. But if you hop in a boat and follow the rocky coastline all the way around, you’ll get a larger number. (That’s because you can measure more twists and turns, which add distance.) If you walk the whole length, you’ll get a still bigger number.

If you could enlist a crab to do the measurement for you, its report would be even bigger. That’s because it would have to scramble over or around every rock it encountered.

Mandelbrot showed that the measured length depends on the size of your ruler. The smaller your ruler, the larger your answer. By that process, he said, the coastline is infinitely long.

Nature is truly rough

Explainer: The basics of geometry

Geometry — the math of curves and other shapes — involves straight lines and neat circles. Mandelbrot argued that those concepts don’t describe the roughness of the natural world. Many objects in nature, including mountains, clouds and coastlines, look the same from far away as they do up close. In order to study these irregular shapes better, Mandelbrot turned to the idea of dimension.

A line has one dimension. (The lines making up the letters of this article, for example, are one-dimensional.) A plane, like a sheet of paper, has two dimensions. A box has three. But Mandelbrot’s idea was that rough, natural shapes, such as coastlines or clouds, have a dimension somewhere between two whole numbers. He said they have a fractional dimension, which inspired him to make up the term “fractal.”

Mandelbrot’s work opened a new area of math exploration, starting in the 1970s and 1980s. For artists, it led to new ways of creating landscapes. Mandelbrot showed that math could be used to create a realistic scene of mountains, water, clouds or other things in nature. The equations that make fractals soon became tools for artists.

Many digital artists now look to fractals like the Mandelbrot Set for inspiration. This fractal-like landscape was created by Hal Tenny, an artist in New Jersey. He contributed drawings to help inspire the filmmakers of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Hal Tenny

“A lot of people may not even realize they are looking at a fractal design that was created with math,” says Hal Tenny. This New Jersey artist creates his art using fractals. “With the different computer programs we have now, we can create almost photorealistic fractal images that are so different than what we are used to seeing with ordinary images.”

The Mandelbrot set grows up — and out

The Mandelbrot Set might be the most famous fractal of all. Like the von Koch snowflake, the Mandelbrot Set follows a mathematical recipe that tells you to repeat the same steps over and over and over. Mathematicians call this an iterative process.

The basic recipe for a Mandelbrot Set includes only multiplication and addition. These are done over and over, again and again. “It is this amazing thing that comes from such a simple rule,” says Sarah Koch. A mathematician, she works at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Koch is an expert in a field called complex dynamics.

Her work often leads her back to the Mandelbrot Set. It looks like a bug with lots of smaller bugs around its edges. Zoom in on those exterior bugs, and still smaller bugs, identical in shape, appear. (Other patterns, with names such as Seahorse Valley, also appear.)

Zoom in on the Mandelbrot bug, between the head and body, and you’ll end up in “Seahorse Valley,” which gets its name from curves that look like the snout and body of seahorses.Wolfgang Beyer/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Mathematicians still don’t know everything about the ultimate outermost edge of the Mandelbrot Set. It’s not a neat line or curve. It’s so twisty that the further you zoom in, the more twists you discover. There are other shapes lurking near the edge, too.

“If you take a Mandelbrot Set and zoom in anywhere around the boundary, you will find a baby Mandelbrot Set that’s close to the place where you’re zooming in,” Koch says. “The Mandelbrot Set has small copies of itself inside of itself.”

One of the most surprising things is that the Mandelbrot Set pops up even when people aren’t looking for it. Mathematicians have created graphs that should have nothing to do with the fractal. Yet when they zoom in on the pattern, they discover tiny copies of the Mandelbrot Set.

“It’s everywhere when you start to iterate,” says Koch. It’s so common, she says, that mathematicians now recognize the Mandelbrot Set as something basic, like an element in chemistry. It’s a building block of other shapes. “It is one of the fundamental objects in the field.”

Perhaps that’s the reason it’s been so irresistible to mathematicians and computer programmers alike. As computers became more popular in the 1980s and 1990s, people began writing code to show the Mandelbrot Set and other fractals on screens.

Soon they began to wonder: What would a three-dimensional version of the Mandelbrot Set look like?

Many programmers have now developed mind-bending spaces based on it. One of those is Tenny, who says he “works on fractals daily,” incorporating them into his art.

His digital images look like bizarre worlds that are both familiar and unbelievable at the same time. They’re so convincingly alien that, a few years ago, he heard from people working on a new movie about aliens. It was called Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2.

From ‘Mandelbulb’ to movie star

The Guardians filmmakers asked Tenny to send in his ideas about what exotic, faraway planets might look like. Part of the 2017 movie takes place on a planet inhabited by Ego, a conceited and powerful creature with bad plans for the universe. That’s where Tenny saw his ideas on the big screen.

“Parts of my images had been selected and composited together by other artists,” he says. There, in the background, he saw glimpses of a Mandelbulb go flashing by.

What’s a Mandelbulb?

Back in 2007, mathematician Rudy Rucker began writing equations aimed at creating a three-dimensional Mandelbrot Set. He was also a California-based science-fiction writer. His work inspired other computer programmers to work on the project. One of them, Daniel White, gave the project a name: the Mandelbulb.

Paul Nylander was another one of those programmers. Now a mechanical engineer in Los Angeles, Calif., he first learned about the Mandelbrot Set in 2001. At the time, he was in college. “I asked the professors . . . in the math department what they knew about it,” he recalls. After lots of trial and error, he managed to write his own Mandelbrot computer program. “I finally figured out how to do it.”

About 10 years ago, Paul Nylander developed ways to depict Mandelbrot Sets in three dimensions. This is one of his creations.Paul Nylander

Eight years later, he found an online discussion about creating three-dimensional fractals. He read about the work of Rucker and other programmers. After 10 days, he produced an image of a 3D Mandelbrot Set that he liked. He posted the blob-like Mandelbulb image to the online group. Since then, the Mandelbulb has taken on a life of its own.

After seeing the 2017 Guardians of the Galaxy sequel, Tenny recalls being told “that some of my designs were pivotal in the direction they eventually took for Ego’s palace and other areas.”

Nylander says he’s seen many recent movies that draw inspiration for special effects from the Mandelbulb. At the end of the 2014 animated flick, Big Hero 6, the main character tries to rescue his robot from a strange otherworld filled with floating, Mandelbulb-like shapes. In the 2018 science fiction movie Annihilation, a translucent, jelly-like wall streams with Mandelbulbs. The alien in that movie, too, seems to be made from that shape.

Beyond the Mandelbulb

And then, of course, there’s Doctor Strange. “We are quite fond of fractals,” says Wajsbrot. “Quite early on we knew we wanted to use Mandelbrot.”

But they didn’t use the Mandelbulb. Instead, they tested a shape called the Mandelbox. It’s a cube that looks like it’s engraved or carved into Mandelbrot-like patterns. The Doctor Strange team ended up using a similar shape, called the Mandelsponge, which is also a fractal. To control the fractal — and create the illusion of worlds within worlds — the filmmakers had to use powerful computer programs.

Getting the look just right took more than a year. “On Doctor Strange, the Mandelbrot is one of the first effects we tried to nail,” Wajsbrot says. “And it was the last we delivered.”

Wajsbrot also worked on fractal images for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. More recently, his group used the math shapes to model undersea corals in the 2018 Mary Poppins Returns. They’ve also created a virtual-reality program called CORAL, based on fractal patterns. It’s an immersive world, full of self-similar shapes.

“It is aimed at discovery and exploration, giving the user infinite space to discover the beauty of mathematics,” says Wajsbrot. Looking for beauty and wonder, he says, is an important part of his job. “A good visual-effects artist needs to be open-minded and curious about the world he lives in. And there are so many interesting things in fractals.”

How math makes movies like Doctor Strange so otherworldly published first on https://triviaqaweb.tumblr.com/

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existentialkendall-blog · 7 years

Text

Sharpie Soulmates: Part 2

Pairing: Kickthestickz Wordcount: 2.4k Rating: Light swearing

Plot: Chris visits PJ at University. Based on a prompt that whatever you write on your skin appears on your soulmate. Find the first part here

A/N: Request a fic here, gimme feedback, don’t forget to read the first one. This wasn’t suppose to turn into a thing, but at the rate it’s going I might end up writing a third

After their first meeting, PJ learns that Chris wants to be an actor. PJ tells him that he wants to make short films. They're a perfect team, the artist and his muse. While PJ was in London for an interview, Chris was in the cafe gearing himself up for an audition.

The meeting in London was a success. Despite the sweaty palms and hair secured over tattooed forehead, he'd spoken clearly, enunciated his ideas, described his plans. Which led to an increase in funding for a project of his choice. Or more than one if he budgets and uses his old friend cardboard.

On the other hand, the audition had not been a success. They'd exchanged phone numbers, so luckily Chris didn't have to write all their negative opinions on PJ's skin.

Along the lines of 'too tall, too nervous, not attractive enough'. PJ had written on his skin for that one, that Chris could not be any hotter, he was breaking the laws of physics as it was. He almost felt like Chris for the cheesiness of that. Around it he'd drawn a large swirling design with a cartoon PJ shooting heart eyes his way at the top.

Chris had replied with a 'thank you', and a 'the auditions will be so much easier now that he can't show his thigh to them'. PJ smirked, 'maybe that's where you were going wrong', and grinned harder at the 'can't be it, I have impressive thighs', because at least Chris was being positive about something.

One night, while writing a second draft of his latest short film script, the word 'Friday?' materialises on his hand. The crudely drawn dick from yesterdays Chris doodles is peeking out from underneath his shirt sleeve and the writing makes a nice addition to the body art.

While PJ still gets daily pick up lines, Chris sometimes graduates from University level cheese to Shakespearean quotes. Which are not always relevant, and usually baffling to read.

He mentally checks his schedule. Friday he has class in the morning and then nothing past midday.

Earlier that morning he'd drawn a skeleton design over Chris's hand so he avoids there, and writes a yes across his wrist in attempted calligraphy.

A short list of times promptly appears, trailing down his arm. PJ writes over the best one, and lets the excitement build. On Friday he'll see his soulmate for the second time.

____

Morning classes suck. Especially when you've made plans as soon as the class ends. Normally PJ would consider himself an enthusiastic person when it came to work, considering it's creative and that's his whole personality. But the droning hours and early morning start made concentration unbearable.

So he reverted back to his hobby.

Doodling.

By the time lunch came he'd drawn a myriad of fantasy creatures on his arm, along with other things that he couldn't remember because he'd spaced out.

Daydreaming while drawing.

He escapes University and heads straight for the train station. With the time he's making, he makes it there with a couple minutes to spare. He's preoccupied with thoughts about getting actors for his next short, the amount of cardboard he'll need, and the fact that he has a whole weekend with Chris, so he doesn't register that the train is there until there are streams of people pouring out.

PJ bites his lip and taps his foot rhythmically until a floppy haired boy bounds out of the carriage wearing a soft grey coat.

"PEEJ!" He tackles PJ with a suffocating hug and squeezes until he starts protesting.

"What?! I missed you," And fuck if that doesn't cause a flurry of butterflies in his stomach. "Well, we have been talking constantly. So I guess I only missed your face."

"Thanks Chris. Glad to know you're here for the face," Pj says dryly, but he's in agreement with Chris. He'd forgotten how pretty the other boy is.

"Did you miss me, sugar tits?" Chris grins at PJ like he's come up with the cure for any and all diseases. PJ can't help the smile that appears right back at Chris's, overpowering his face until his whole being is radiating with joy, and a nervous excitement that thrums at his bones.

"How could I not?" PJ feels the smile shift so it's growing out the side of his mouth in a sardonic way, and Chris visibly reacts with shock. And pride.

The soulmate syndrome is weird.

"What have you got planned for us today," Chris asks, while shifting his bag around his shoulders and readjusting his coat so it rests on his shoulders.

"Film, pizza, bed?"

"Emphasis on the bed part," Chris nods, eyes narrowing with humour.

"Depends how well the pizza goes."

"You put out on the first date?" Chris assumes his natural position, arm slung around PJ's shoulder and mouth dangerously close to his skin. "I can't wait, planet boy."

PJ blushes at the nickname. Telling him about his channel was possibly a mistake. But then, Chris saw all his short films and animations in a way that felt like he was looking into his soul. And that was worth the teasing nickname. Plus, he'd started drawing wobbly planets and sporadic stars instead of just dicks.

In fact, at the time being, PJ only has a red inked Jupiter on his upper thigh.

Chris still manages to draw in the most obscure places.

"Peej?" PJ's heart warms at the nickname and the hesitance that taints it.

"Chris?"

"Did you find mine?”

PJ frowns, mind coming to a standstill. Chris is on YouTube? Did he tell him?

Chris reacts to the silence with a loud, "You don't know me? Me, the famous Crabstickz?" His arms open wide to the sky, the announcement of his username is in a Japanese game show host voice.

PJ laughs and shakes his head.

"Why would you want to be called crab sticks?”

"Why would you want to be called kick the PJ?"

"I have a foot fetish."

"A public foot fetish? Can anyone get involved, or just the fans? Is it some weird reverse Stockholm syndrome thing?" Chris makes himself laugh with the last question, and almost walks into a singular sparsely leafed tree. He dodges it narrowly and brushes PJ's arm.

"What about your fetish for seafood. Do you like watching them get made, or is it the watching men eat them that thrills you."

The corner of Chris's mouth turns down as he pretends to contemplate the choices.

"I'd have to say watching women eat them is the way to go. Women make good fish stick eaters."

PJ winces in disgust at his crudeness, and then the answer Chris gave hits him.

"So... You're bi?"

"You aren't?"

"I guess so," Not that he's kissed a boy before. Hadn't really thought about them as potential dating options, never really looked at one and wanted. Be that as it may, he's not going to tell everyone he's 'Chris-sexual', whatever the fuck that's suppose to mean.

"Wait. This means. You haven't been with a guy before, have you? Does that mean I get to pop your ass cherry?"

"You can fuck off if you think I'm bottoming first."

Chris giggles. His laugh is undefined, it's brimming with childish behaviour. Maybe that's where all the joy escaped to, because PJ is getting better at reading him and he's learning that the humour is a mechanism.

"You know about positions? You can't be that much of a virgin then."

"I've seen porn," Specifically to research how fucking Chris would work. And yeah, there's no way their first time is involving him getting it in the ass.

"Well fuck me sideways. You, PJ le kicky, has seen porn? That's a criminals commodity, you're a real rule breaker. I might have to report you to the police."

They're quickly approaching his building and it'll be a while before they can be alone again. There's introductions, re-introductions, talking, making dinner.

"Hey, since we're both youtubers we could become a power couple and take over the site!"

PJ rolls his eyes and pushes Chris's arm so he turns the corner and they're walking down the street to his halls. He palms the keys and takes the lead to unlock the front door.

"We're here!"

_____

Chris is sitting on the floor, legs crossed and fingers playing with a loose black thread on his jeans, when PJ exits the bathroom. His head flicks up when the door closes and he throws the pen next to him at PJ. It hits him square in the chest and falls to the floor.

"What have you done now?" PJ sighs.

"It's a game. You have to find the x to get your prize. You better start stripping." PJ looks down at him, face devoid of emotion. Chris's lopsided grin is focussing all it's attention on him.

"The pizza will get cold," He drops down onto his single bed and takes a slice, biting the perfect pointed end off. The taste of it is drowned out by the weight of Chris's back as he relaxes against his leg that's hanging off the bed.

After wolfing down half the plate full of food, Chris yanks his jumper off so he's left in a long white sleeved shirt and a grey t-shirt over that. At this angle PJ can stare at Chris without the other boy knowing, and he takes advantage of that.

What his eyes fixate on the most is his neck. He wants to kiss him there, feel his pulse under his tongue, bite softly. Make Chris a whimpering mess from playing with his neck alone.

"Thanks by the way."

"Huh?" PJ replies, snapping back into reality.

Chris pushes away from the bed to look at PJ. "Really?"

"What?"

"Well if you don't remember, I'm not gonna tell you."

Pizza forgotten, PJ looks at Chris with pure confusion. Chris smugly finishes his last slice.

"Tell me."

Chris shakes his head, "I can't. I'd have to show you."

"Show me then."

His hand goes to his white shirt sleeve and he pretends to sexily pull up the piece of clothing, and then stops.

"Nah."

"Chris!"

He pulls the sleeve back down and leans forward so he's on his knees. "Are you gonna eat that?" He asks, reaching for the food residing next to PJ.

PJ isn't finished with the conversation, so he grabs Chris's arm. It's as if he expected it, and he pulls away. PJ tackles him and pulls up the sleeve, pinning Chris down by straddling his waist. Chris is panting softly underneath him.

Drawings. What PJ would call ghosts, creatures, sea monsters. They cover Chris's pale skin. He hasn't seen his penmanship on Chris before. He didn't expect it to be so bold, so bright.

Once he's taken in the colourful drawings, he turns Chris's arm by pulling it up and over his head so it rests back against the floor.

Chris.

Chris with two love hearts, shaded with close lines of the same pen.

The real Chris, the one underneath him, laughs suddenly, and PJ shifts on top of him.

"I can't believe you don't remember doing that!"

"Shut up!" PJ scowls at the smirking boy.

With a twist of his smile, and a dark edge to his eye, Chris murmurs, "Make me."

PJ's eyes go to Chris's mouth.

He ignores the hesitation, the nerves, the caution.

Chris's lips are soft. They part under him with shock and PJ feels heady with the rush of dark heat and warmth. Tentatively he flicks his tongue into his mouth, caressing Chris's. He moans under him with soft mewling noises and his hand tugs on PJ's hair, but not to pull him away, to push him closer.

Chris tilts his head and the position changes, getting infinitely deeper. PJ didn't mean for it to go this far this quickly. Honestly he didn't have anything in mind when the kiss started.

But Chris is gripping his arm on the right side of too tight and PJ feels arousal growing and he's glad it happened like this.

"I underestimated you," Chris breathes when they part.

PJ licks his bottom lip to reclaim the taste of Chris, conscious of Chris's eyes tracking the movement.

Chris lurches forward to kiss PJ again, but his nose collides with PJ's and they're wincing. He collapses back on the floor, hands automatically covering his face.

"Chris?" PJ leans over him, hands in fists on either side of his face.

Underneath his hands, he shakes his head once, and then removes them. His whole face is scarlet with a beautiful blush.

"You dork."

"Hey! That's my line."

PJ smiles in fondness. The next thing Chris says makes the smile fall instantly.

"Take your shirt off."

"Excuse me?"

Chris realises what he said and laughs, "No, I mean. From earlier. Take it off, you'll see."

"If I recall correctly, from earlier, you have to go first."

Chris mutters "Semantics," Under his breath before stripping. Then he's lying on the floor, arms behind his head in a mock comfy reclining position, staring up at PJ.

Under all the layers of clothing Chris is still as pale and lanky as PJ anticipated. All bones and hot skin, smooth curves and a cocky smirk.

It's funny that he thought kissing Chris for the first time would be the hard part. Like a plaster. Rip it off, take the shirt off.

Still breathing, world still turning.

Chris is staring at his chest in awe. God, he's pretty. His hazel eyes tear themselves away from his chest to his face. Look.

In the peripheral haze he can only see red. Arches of red and curling waves. "Hang on," PJ stands and goes to the bathroom mirror.

Love hearts. Small ones framing a singular large heart, framing the skin over his real heart. And in it, drawn in the same way as the rest of his chest, is a five letter word.

"CHRIS!"

"Babe?" Chris appears in the doorway, arms crossed at his chest as he leans against the doorframe.

"What the fuck?"

"You already have my name tattooed across your soul. Why not make it clear on your heart?"

PJ turns back to his reflection. How does he always end up here?

Chris moves behind him, hands sliding around his waist and pulling him back against Chris's chest.

"We should make a video. Gay chicken."

#kickthestickz #fanfiction #mywriting #crabstickz #kickthepj #crabstickztag2 #pjthekick #pj liguori #chris kendall #mein

21 notes · View notes

jackblankhsh · 7 years

Text

Wedding Crash

Because I did not receive an invitation to the wedding I felt a desire to attend. I reasoned if they really didn’t want me to come, the bride and groom could’ve taken better steps to prevent me from knowing about the impending nuptials. Seeing how they brazenly mentioned it on social media, I felt indirectly invited. Alluding to an open bar, frankly, they might as well have told a moth about a flame. So, in the interest of saving money, with hope of kindling a chance of romance, I ventured downtown to the wedding of Jackie Sanchez and some guy.

I met Jackie in high school. The first time I saw her I learned an erection can swell to a painful degree – dick feeling like a rock about to explode apart. Long licorice colored hair, caramel skin, and sneakers decorated in white out doodles, she inspired feelings I’ve never learned to properly express. Mainly that’s because there’s no way to charmingly say, “So I was jerking off the other day, thinking of you, and…” whatever comes next is irrelevant. For some reason most folks aren’t flattered to learn they’re in the spank bank. Maybe it’s something everyone fears they won’t live up to. I don’t know, I’ve never had a problem failing people.

Hitching a ride from my buddy Sid, I told him to head to the Art Institute. He pulled over to the curb, put the car in park, and said, “Do not go to Jackie’s wedding.”

Struggling to put on a tux while seated passenger side, “I resent the implication of your accusation.”

He sighed, “You had four years in high school, four years to ask her out.”

I nodded, “Truth fact. However, life is a continuous opportunity for those willing to try. I’m not dead. Ergo…”

“Fuck yourself,” Sid said, then for emphasis, “Error go fuck yourself.”

“Are you gonna drive me to the Art Institute?”

Shifting the car into gear Sid remarked, “Only to see you fail.”

I truly believe it’s the amount of faith we have in one another that explains why the world is the way it is.

Sneaking into any kind of event is an art form. The amount of security dictates the level of infiltration skill required to achieve a successful sneak. For instance, breaking into an eighth grade graduation is very different from photo-bombing the President at the State of the Union. One simply requires ice cream cake and a hammer, while the eighth grade graduation involves chloroform, white wine, peanut dust, and a child sized coffin.

I originally considered crashing the actual wedding, but since it took place in a church I could not. God and I have an understanding, and though we clearly have little respect for one another, I abide by our agreement: I stay out of the churches, God stays out of evolution, and the Winter Olympics. So instead I aimed at the reception.

Security didn’t appear to be anything other than Art Institute guards. Instead of preventing flash photography two doorstops in blue blazers checked invites and IDs against a list on a clipboard. Once again I felt like they left the door wide open. Out of myriad gambits, the way one guard blatantly scratched his ass, hand down the back of his pants to get at bare skin, I decided to go with the maneuver known as the Hideous Hideaway.

I called up a video on my phone then approached the entrance.

A guard said, “Good afternoon. May I see your invitation?”

“Sure thing.” Smiling I fumbled in my pockets, pretending to be unsure of its location. In the process I pulled out my cell phone which seemed to inspire my remark, “Oh, hey, have you seen this yet?”

I pressed play on the video. It featured insects devouring a man’s penis while he writhed in agony. The millipede scrambling down his urethra is as far as most get, missing out on the young woman who comes along to save his cock by stomping the bugs to death. These two made it all the way to the end. That made things easier.

As expected, one guard asked, “Where’d you get that?”

I informed her of the link’s location, and while the two hurried to share the hideous spectacle with their friends, I slipped inside. It almost felt too easy. Then I stepped into the banquet hall where I immediately bumped into Jackie’s brother Alvaro.

Alvaro Sanchez Junior always impressed me until he spoke. He possessed the regal bearing and beauty of an Aztec emperor. Unfortunately, he often spoke with a toxic tone symptomatic of silver spoon poisoning. This stemmed from the fact Sanchez Senior held a low level, but well connected political position; and many expected Alvaro, as eldest, to assume his father’s spot; regardless of the realities of democracy that political seat belonged to him – voters be damned. Groomed, practically from birth, to be, as Alvaro liked to say “a leader of men,” he took a method approach to his future. Like a Strasburg disciple, he stayed in the character of king almighty every moment of the day.

We literally bumped into one another when, as I stood perfectly still, he walked into me. For a moment I tensed, expecting him to recognize me. Alvaro never cared for me. I based this on the fact he often told me, “I don’t care for you.” However, he assumed from the second rate quality of my tux that I worked as a server. An assumption made plain when he said:

“Watch where I’m going, and get me some crab puffs, or I’ll have you fired.” He and a buddy high fived, yet didn’t linger. So I headed for the open bar.

There I collected a pair of cocktails, one for each hand. Draining the glasses steadily, I orbited the banquet hall. Staying in one spot ran the risk of prolonged conversation, chancing the development of holes in my cover – anonymity my best camouflage. Still I paused every so often to dance in and out of conversations, killing time saying things like:

“Baseball is a hell of a game if you can stay drunk… I’ve never been to Guayaquil, but that iguana park sounds fascinating… well, you’d be surprised. Tuberculosis kills all kinds of career opportunities lemme tell ya (cough, cough)… Oh, I know the best man. We used to sell runaways to the circus… No ma’am, I don’t think the bride’s dress is too tight. She’s having trouble sitting because the groom, well, he likes to drill that ass.”

In retrospect, I could have been milder in some regards. Yet, no one caught on to the presence of a crasher. I’ve been to several weddings. They all tend to be the same affair. A nebula of tables adorned with floral centerpieces, ringed by a smattering of guests with various degrees of connectivity. Wedding receptions are the only occasion where it’s okay to openly rank family and friends, status defined by seating assignments. Therefore, the trick to remaining discrete involved finding a table with the least desired family and friends. There I could sit, pretending to share in the minimalist joy of having at least been invited.

“That’s better than Aunt Frida. No one invites her anywhere.”

“That’s because she’s dead.”

“Only on the inside. She’s a real downer.”

Still, I occasionally chanced brief hellos with those I recognized. Her Aunt Morena, who wrote Xicana literature, a woman with a helmet of hair redefining Chicana archetypes. Grandpa Emilio, whom I always thought of as the old guitarist. I saw his beloved instrument beside his chair – Ana from the alley of the kiss – and hoped I’d get a chance to hear him play once more. Cousins Fabiana and Facundo forever locked in a debate about the realism of football. Friend of the family and party regular Vincent Redon in the 800th retelling of the woman at her toilette he saw after the hurricane ripped her house open. Jackie’s family and friends gathered, while I snuck booze in the background – it felt like old times.

When dinner arrived, instead of eating I slipped outside for a smoke. Exiting the room, I jokingly asked the guards if I needed a hand stamp to get back in.

One laughed, “Nope, but you gotta watch this.”

He showed me a video of four women explosively shitting on the floor. They then used the excrement as finger paint to draw floral designs on one another like sewer hippies. I made an exaggerated display of comical disgust. Delighted, the guards waved me off, and returned to finding more revolting videos.

Outside I felt my phone buzz.

Sid texted, “I can’t believe you’re still in there.”

“Believe it,” I typed back.

“How much longer?”

Good question, I thought.

After high school Jackie and I didn’t keep in touch. By then we’d gone down very different roads. We used to be kids searching for how to be who we wanted to be, following breadcrumbs laid out by albums, films, and books. We could agree on the significance of a song, but not the whole album; the brilliance of a line from, though not the entire film, or book. It seemed to me we were only off by a slight degree, that one shared element would bring us into sync. But by the time we graduated… we took comfort in dissimilar realities, that one thing never having materialized.

Over a decade later, when social media blossomed, we got back in touch; however, it rarely amounted to more than peripheral interactions.

Post: Look at dis cutest kittie!

“Liked” by Jackie Sanchez.

Strolling back to the banquet area, it dawned on me my infatuation with Jackie stemmed mostly from not dating her. We never had a romantic relationship, so it never failed; therefore it could’ve been anything. Possibilities are endless in the absence of contrary evidence. Because I could only imagine us together I could always imagine us perfectly. And oddly enough, fantasies have a way of making promises.

Promises like if I got the DJ to play Patti Smith’s “Because the Night”, the song would inspire the words I needed to say to win her heart. Seizing one last bold chance for love go up to the head table while the song fills the air, and speak – about this time I realized I hadn’t merely been vividly imagining the scenario, but actually now stood in front of the head table, Jackie staring over her pollo relleno in wide eyed disbelief.

“Howdy do?” I said, immediately regretting my very existence. If nothing else, I doubt any romantic victory ever began with howdy do, although I could be wrong.

Jackie blinked, “I’m good. How… how are you?”

“Not bad.” I put my hands in my pockets, wondering how many times I’d have to punch myself in the throat with my keys before I finally killed myself. I said, “It’s been a while.”

“Yes it has,” she nodded, “The last time I saw you, you set my boyfriend’s car on fire.”

“This is that guy?” her husband said. He suddenly looked desperate to call the police.

Smiling, I said, “That is indeed me.”

“What are you doing here?” Jackie asked.

I sincerely believe honesty is the best move. However, on this occasion, I lied, “Well, to tell you the truth, I’m here to steal a painting, saw y’all in here, and thought I’d stop by to say congratulations.”

“Thanks?” her husband said.

“Thank you,” Jackie smiled. She got up, hurried around the table to hug me. She smelled amazing, the kind of aroma that cures depression. She whispered in my ear, “You’ll go to jail if you steal a painting. Please tell me this is some deranged romantic stunt.”

It felt like an opening, yet I oddly enough knew better. I squeezed her gently, “Nope.” Stepping away from her I waved to the groom, “Once again, congratulations. I’d stay, but timing is everything. Don’t want to miss my moment.”

Heading out, feeling several eyes on me, I texted Sid: "be out front, engine running, backseat open.“

Minutes later, running down the steps of the Art Institute, carrying one of Monet’s “Haystacks” – I had to steal something to diminish the lie – I found myself wondering what else I needed to let go of. Diving into the backseat of Sid’s car, we peeled out, rocketing home.

Glancing in the rearview Sid said, “What the fuck is that?”

“One of six, 25 technically – they can spare one.”

He cracked a beer, “So how was the reception?”

“A little too clear.”

My impression of the past would no longer be the same, but that’s just growing up. I tapped Sid on the shoulder. He handed me a beer. Opening it I thought, "Here’s to you Jackie. I’m glad you’re happy.”

Sid said, “You know alotta marriages end in divorce.”

“Yeah.” But I didn’t feel like hoping for that. I felt like finding another dream girl, only this time actually trying to hold her instead of chasing the mirage.

#writing #satire #sliceoflife #honestyisnotcontagious #humor #comedy #comedywriting #fiction #weddingcrash #chicago art institute

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whatshername-please · 4 years

Text

Out of the Water - Chapter III

I didn’t die!! Chapter 3 is here!

Synopsis: You were very proud to be a mermaid, thank you very much. You didn't want to be where the people were. Actually, you'd rather avoid it. Defending the merfolk was the biggest goal in your life... well, it was until you meet a certain pirate... it seems that your family really had a thing for humans, after all. Not that you'd ever admit it...

Pairing: Harry x reader

Word count: 3564

Part 3 of ?

Warnings: none? Possibly grammar mistakes? Also, some cuss words

A/N: English isn't my first language, so I'll probably mess up some tenses, grammar and stuff. Go easy on me, please. Feedback is always appreciated.

________________________________________________________________

"Maybe it's contemporary art"

You pointed at the destroyed painting on the floor which made Mal stare at you in disbelief. Ok, maybe now wasn't the best time for light hearted jokes.

Thus, it was probably better not to say anything about the curtains being all torn up since no one took notice of them...

Ben's castle was not very different from the rest of Auradon: dead silent and a wicked atmosphere hovered in the air. Well, it was until everyone started searching for the king.

Everyone was calling for Ben but that made absolutely no sense, you thought. If Audrey had gone to the castle, she'd have turned Ben to stone or something, making impossible for him to answer. All the noise would just draw her attention, if she didn't already know you were there which was very likely, by the way.

Really, why couldn't she set Ben's clothes on fire, break his favorite clock, shave his eyebrows? It'd have been so much easier to deal with.

Humans always had to make everything more difficult, hadn't they?

You had gone through the whole the castle and found no one and also Dude had lost the track of Ben's scent, the best option now would be to go back to Auradon Prep since it was the last place Audrey was seen at. But of course Mal wasn't entirely convinced that the castle was empty and you were checking the last room left: it was a large hall full of coats of arms, vitrals and armors.

Why were there so many armors? Questionable decorating choice, if someone asked you. And unless Ben was hiding inside one of them, he wasn't there either. Coming to Ben's castle had been a completely waste of time.

"Hey!" someone called you, way too over-excited. "We weren't properly introduced yet, I'm Gil"

The muscular boy extended his hand smiling widely at you. You shook his hand, presenting yourself.

"Are you a princess?" he asked. While Harry called you a princess with disdain, Gil appeared to be genuily interested in you, then again, he was fascinated by everything in Auradon, from the leaves on the trees to the berries in the bushes.

"I am" you answered him.

It seemed to be physically impossible, but his smile grew even bigger than before.

"I've never met a princess before. Your highness" he bowed and then looked at you with gleaming eyes "Have I done it right?"

Gil looked very proud of himself and it broke your heart. It was infuriating to think how many wonderful kids were stuck and forgotten on that Isle. For 20 years no one thought or cared about them, even now most people believed that the Isle's inehabitants were dangerous and past redemption. You dared King Beast to look in Gil's eyes and say he was a criminal who deserved to be punished for the rest of his life.

"Yes, you did. But you don't have to do it, really." you said and he nodded in agreement. Ok, you decided, out of Uma's friends Gil was your favorite.

All you wanted to do was to find Audrey and go back home, but what was an already difficult task in itself was getting even harder because of Uma and Mal incessant bickering. You tried to ignore when Mal said she wandered what fried octopus tasted like. One thing that never entered humans' head was that mermaids and fishes were friends, one day you were hanging out with a squid or a crab and suddenly they were fished and eaten by some unfeeling human. Sebastian still had nightmares about the time he got trapped inside your uncle's...

Oh, wait. Did that armor just move?

Shit.

Everyone noticed it too, excepting Uma and Mal because they were too distracted fighting with each other.

"Girls!" Harry yelled "We have a situation here". You wished you had a phone to take a picture of Uma's face at this moment. She looked outraged by the audacity of Harry to cut her off.

At least now everyone was completely aware of that all the armors in that cursed place were moving towards you and ready to cut you all into tiny pieces. Drawing back wasn't even an option since you were completely surrounded, the only chance you had to get out of this mess would be to fight.

WHY WERE THERE SO MANY ARMORS? If you survived this, you'd have a long talk to Ben about interior design.

Good thing everyone was optimistic about defeating them because, by your account, you were way outnumbered... not that Uma and Mal seemed to care since they were quarreling again. Evie was the one who got fed up with all the nonsense and stepped in and, while she tried to talk them into their senses again, you took the comb from your hair, ready to make it assume its true form. If Fairy Godmother didn't have a rule against magic... or weapons being unnecessarialy used, you wouldn't even bother changing your trident into a hair comb. You looked super badass carrying your trident around like the bitching sea queen you were...

Would be....

Whatever...

"Will you really brush your hair now, princess?"

That.

Mocking.

Tone.

Again.

You could either punch him right now or wait for an enchanted knight to do it.... but you had a better idea.

That would answer his question about your fighting skills.

The jerk.

But you had no time to think any further about Harry Hook and his pesky presence, the knights were near and you had a battle to face.

--------------

It was official, you hated the human world and the ridiculous armors they used as house decoration. If Belle and the Beast (did he even have a name or his name was really Beast? Whatever...) hadn't decide that every single corner of that castle needed to have a knight's suit, you wouldn't have had to be dodging swords attacks coming from every single angle that you could think of. It didn't matter how hard or fast you hit them or that they were too heavy to react because they were enchanted. They could be slow to strike, but they neither got tired nor hurt, so you could attack them as much as you wanted and it didn't make any difference, you were just scratching the metal. They were many and you were only 8, this wasn't a fair battle, at all

"We need magic to defeat those things" you shouted to Mal while hitting a knight right in his chest, he stumbled a little but regained his balance fast enough. At the same time that you avoided another hit, you caught a glimpse of Harry who was close to you and unaware of the armor approachinh him from behind.

C'mon Harry, turn around...

Gosh, you had to do everything.

The knight striked again, but you avoided the blow. Taking this as a cue, you ran towards Harry and, as you did so, you managed to knock down the armor that was ready to attack the pirate. The sound of metal hitting the floor made the boy turn his head, he saw the armour laying on the floor and gave you a surprised look; either the boy didn't expect you were able to fight or he didn't expect that you would put yourself at risk to help him.

"You can thank me later" you said already attacking another hellish knight.

Thank goodness Mal had heard you and decided to use her magic against the cursed armors and before you could blink, the knights stopped moving and fell in the middle of the room.

It was about time.

Everyone was celebrating the victory, there were no more Uma's crew or Mal's gang, all of them were friends and, well... it ended as fast as it started. In one second they were cheering and laughing and in the other they rememrebed they didn't like each other. The friendliness lasted two seconds, it was a new record.

Both gangs walked away from each other, Uma and her pirates stood on one side, and Mal and the VKs stood on the other. Celia and you decided to stay away watching them from afar.

Evie, who seemed determined to make everyone to get along, proposed an icebreaker and it took all your willpower to not to laugh at your friends' faces upon hearing this. You have never heard so many groans or seen people looking away so fast in your life: Uma was probably deliberating all the choices she did in her life and looked like she could use a drink, or five, while Gil was just confused. Carlos and Jay were clearly unconfortable and would prefer to sleep forever than to go through this, and the only reason Mal didn't shut Evie down right at the spot was because she dind't want to hurt the girl's feelings. And Harry...

It was a surprise to you when he didn't come up with some ironic comment. Actually, he looked rather astonished when Evie complimented him and it appeared he was about to reply her before Uma cut him off.

And then she and Mal restarted their usual bickering.

Maybe the icebreaker wasn't a bad idea, after all.

"Summer School?" Harry laughed "No wonders she wants revenge".

Not that you'd ever say it out loud, but the pirate had a valid point.

Finally, they decided on following Uma's initial plan to the joy of the sea witch's daughter. Apparently, Audrey was still in Auradon Prep, so the girls would go and check her room for clues, and the boys would look out for Ben.

Everyone was ready to leave, but before the team split you spoke up.

"Actually, I'm going with the guys, ok?"

"Why?" Mal questioned you, raising an eyebrow.

"Because if Audrey shows up it's better that at least one person knows how to use magic" you explained.

"No, the amber is the only thing that can defeat her, you wouldn't stand a chance" Mal was clearly annoyed that you were holding them back, but you ignored the whay she glared at you and went on.

"Even so, I may be able to hold her off with my trident. You, Uma and Evie got brains, strenght and magic. Jay, Carlos, Gil and Harry, on the other hand...."

Your eyes lingered on the boys in front of you who, you knew for a fact, would kill each other in the first opportunity.

"Too edgy" you pointed to Jay.

"Too pure" and Carlos.

"Too bubbly" Gil.

"Too..." you looked Harry up and down and shrugged "Honestly? I can't even describe him."

Mal went silence for a moment, deliberating whay you had said, while everyone else was staring at you with a look you knew too well. It was the famous "I can't believe she actually said that" face.

"Fine, you proved your point" Mal finally declared and the ofended look on Jay's face almost made you laugh. You'd have to apolize to him later... But right now you had a king to find before Mal snapped at you again.

You and the guys left the castle and followed Dude, who had detected Ben's scent.

"I'm not edgy" said Jay with a pout, looking too adorable to be taken seriously.

"Didn't you almost break your arm trying to learn R.O.A.R just for the sake of beating Chad? Or what about that time when you got into a fight with a guy twice your size because he said the only reason you won the tourney game was because everybody on the other team was scared to come near a villain kid? " you asked him.

"Hey! You were encouraging me!" he reminded you, laughing about the incident.

"I was not" you denied, putting your hand on your chest in a mocking manner "How dare you to suggest I'd ever do something like that". You tried to make a serious face, but broke into a smile in a matter of seconds as you remembered that day. "Did we punch him, though? I can't recall".

"No, Carlos stopped us... he is too pure" the VK teased, and Carlos didn't take it kindly. As he passed by the both of you, he hit Jay's arm hard enough to make his friend yelp.

"Come back here, Carlos" Jay called and ran after him "I was only joking".

You giggled.

Humans, what dorks.

"How do you do that?" it was Gil who asked and he seemed utterly puzzled by your trident.

"Oh, it's magic." you said while Gil observed with narrowed eyes you place the enchanted comb in your hair, the boy was staring so intensively at it that looked like he was wainting for the comb to burst into flames or something "It's no big deal, really"

"Yeah, you're probably used by it, right? But we don't have magic on the Isle..." he looked down, ashamed of being impressed by something that was so ordinary to you, and you felt terrible. You didn't mean to upset him.

"Oh no, I mean... I just never really thought about it..." you tried to explain.

"Of course you didn't, why do people in Auradon would think how their lives are perfect?" Harry, who had been oddly quiet, spoke. However, if he were expecting you to ague with him, he'd be disappointed. The pirate could get on your nerves but you couldn't be a hypocrite and deny all the privileges you had just because you were born on the "right" side of the barrier.

Of course Harry didn't know that was how you felt about the barrier and took the lack of a response as an confirmation.

"How nice it must be to have everything, huh?" he tried to sound cynical, but you could hear the hurt and bitterness in his voice.

"King Triton has a trident too, you know." Gil said absently, ignoring completely the tension between Harry and you "It was on the Isle two years ago, we almost got it"

"Yeah I know. I nearly killed my cousin when I discovered she messed up with grandpa's trident" you remembered like it was yesterday. Your cousin Arabella decided she wanted to prove her worth by summoing a storm using your grandfather's magical trident. If this wasn't reckless enough, she also lost the trident that ended up on the Isle. Thanks to Mal and her gang the trident was recoreved before your grandfather noticed it was gone.

What a day.

"Wait, your grandfather? Are you...?" Gil's eyes widened when he realized who you were.

"Yeap, King's Triton granddaughter, that's me." you finished his sentence, very proud of being who you were.

"Then you are a mermaid!" the blond boy's eyes moved to your legs and he frowned at them, as if he couldn't understand what they were doing there "If you are a mermaid, where is your fishtail?"

You chuckled and explained. It wasn't the first time someone asked you that, but you didn't mind. Actually, everytime you had the chance to brag about being a mermaid, you did it.

"When I need to be on land I turn into a human"

"Uma is Ursula's daughter, did you know that?" it amazed you how Gil was capable of saying anything in such a light manner. Most people would be very cautious about speaking of the former villain of someone's family in their presence but not Gil, he definitely didn't mind bringing the subject up.

If you knew that Uma was the sea witch's daughter? IF YOU KNEW THAT. You have been talking about this girl for years and, in the past months, you literally hid her in your room. YOU DID KNEW THAT.

This was what you really wanted to say, but instead you laughed it off "I think I've heard her name a few times".

"Is it his trident?" it was Harry the one making a question now and, for the first time, he seemed genuinely curious and not just being sarcastic or cunning.

"Oh no... it was a gift from him, actually. It's not as powerful as his, though. But it's good enough" one thing that never ever bothered you was to talk about your life as a mermaid. If someone ever decided to write a tale about you, people would stop thinking that every mermaids' wish was to become human.

You just loved being a mermaid and nothing would ever change that.

"What can it do?" he inquired, taking a closer look at the comb in your hair. He was wondering about the damage that could cause, no doubt.

"It can control water, for the most part. But is also good to beat the shit out of my enemies"

He smiled.

Harry Hook had sincerely smiled at you.

Maybe people were right, maybe you were born on the Isle and were switched at birth with some kid from Auradon. It would explain your talent for befriending villain kids.

You have never made friends easily, better saying, people didn't want to be friends with you because of your reputation of being temperamental and moody, which wasn't entirely true. You just didn't care about being on the spotlight or doing what people expected you to do. Did you have to to sing along with woodland creatures just because you were a princess? Your area of expertise was marine life, for crying out loud. Squirrels and mice freaked you out! Once, a guy asked you on a date and thought it would be a good idea to go to a sea food restaurant!

You weren't moody, humans were the ones who had the emotional range of a barnacle.

Also, a lot of people in Auradon were too self-absorbed, they thought everyone had a lovely happy life like them. Everytime you brought the Isle up they said you were overreacting and that it couldn't be that bad. You wondered if they could see the black clouds that covered the place or if they even remembered that all Auradon's leftovers were sent there.

Thanks, Audrey.

"If we're getting to know each other, I have a question for you" you said to Harry who arched an eyebrow, curious about what you were going to say "Is your accent real?"

He blinked in confusion, not sure if he had heard you right.

"Yes! What kind of question is that?" he was perplexed by what you asked. Harry wasn't used to people commenting on his accent and the times someone had said something about it, it was always to make fun of him - and Harry always made sure they learned not to do it again. So, he didn't know if you were serious or simply mocking him.

"I don't know. I believed you were being dramatic, to be honest. The eyeliner, the coat... The accent could very well be part of your pirate aesthetic" You didn't want to sound rude or anything, you honestly imagined the accent was only him being theatrical, but since he didn't answer right away (not even a ironic remark), you added quickly "It's a lovely accent, it suits you".

At first, you expected him to shut you down or tell you to fuck off. However, as he didn't reply anything, you thought you really had offended the boy. You were ready to apologize (you could be the sea bitch, but you weren't rude...). Instead, he bursted into laughter and you frowned, not understanding what was so funny to make Harry Hook laugh like that.

That boy was completely unpredictable.

"It's not an aesthetic, lass. I'm a pirate" it was the first time since you met that Harry seemed so amused and it wasn't at someone's expanses. "Why did you think this?"

"Well, you do walk around carrying a hook" you pointed to the sharp object he kept holding since the moment you laid your eyes on him.

"And who are you to judge? You have a magical trident in your hair."

It was your turn to laugh, maybe Harry wasn't that bad.

"Fair enough, I can't argue against it" you agreed with him,

Upon hearing your words, his mouth twisted into a smug grin...

"I knew you would warm up to me, princess"

Yeah, you took back what you thought seconds before, Harry Hook was insufferable. You huffed in annoyance and walked away from him and his pompous attitude.

Humans were never worth the stress

#harry hook x reader #harry hook x you #harry hook imagine #descendants #descendants fanfiction #descendants imagine #descendants x reader #disney descendants #Out of the Water #harry hook

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