#Rupert really enjoyed the rain

[honourablejester]

While we’re on this topic of old films we watched and enjoyed, some random movie recs from the 1910s through to the 1970s based on the things that popped into my head fastest. Warning in advance, I like horror, noir, swashbucklers, dark comedy and dodgy fantasy films.

1910s

Fantômas serials (1913/1914) – As I said in the previous post, if you ever get a random hankering for silent-era pulpy French crime thrillers, these are an excellent start.

1920s

Metropolis (1927) – the imagery in this movie is absolutely stunning, even if the morals are extremely heavy-handed. Worth it for the Robot Maria transformation sequence alone. Also, and I feel mean for thinking this, because the poor man’s going through hell, but there are moments where Freder is truly hilarious. And also, Batman: The Animated Series owes so much, visually, to this movie. It single-handedly shape a vision of what cities and the future and architecture and transport could look like.

Nosferatu (1922) – imagery. The Germans were so fucking good at imagery in early cinema. Admittedly the movie does some very strange things to the Dracula mythos, and is probably the source of a lot of later ideas of him that have nothing to do with the novel (the sunlight thing), but it’s so cool.

1930s

M (1931) – Peter Lorre is incredible. And actually the whole set up of this movie is so creepy and tense and enthralling, and then the court scene busts it wide open. Deals with some heavy things, including child murder, vigilante justice and mental illness, but it’s so good. And you will never hear ‘Hall of the Mountain King’ the same way again.

The Thin Man (1934) and sequels – they’re half hardboiled noir and half screwball comedy, but they’re not a parody, because they predate most of the noir genre, so this is more of a funny hybrid precursor series. And they’re really funny. If you just want some pep and jazz in your life, a good time for an hour or so, totally watch these, they’re adorable.

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) – Okay. I just like a good swashbuckler? You will see Zenda several times on this list, because I enjoy a lot of versions of this, but of all of them you need to start with this one, because Douglas Fairbanks Jnr. No one else will ever do Rupert of Hentzau like him. If you like your charming, snarky villains, if you like your Lokis, Rupert of Hentzau. Douglas Fairbanks Jnr. If you also like your villain and your hero to have powerful sexual tension and lean very close to each other while crossing blades, again. Rupert of Hentzau. Just watch. You’ll see.

Son of Frankenstein (1939) – I’m not going to lie, I watched this movie purely to see where Young Frankenstein (1974, also very much worth a look) was getting a lot of its in-jokes and gags from (Inspector Kemp in YF is riffing off Inspector Krogh in this movie). But it is worth watching wholly on its own merits. Among other things, Inspector Krogh is a genuinely cool and compelling character (as a kid, the monster ripped his arm out during its first rampage, and during this movie Krogh fully stands up to that childhood nightmare and has a cool moment with his prosthetic arm), and if you have any interest in Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi, this movie is fantastic. Lugosi in particular as Igor does so much in this movie. If all you picture when you think of him is Dracula, try this. (And The Black Cat (1934), which also has Karloff and Lugosi, but is significantly more intense).

1940s

The Mark of Zorro (1940) – Okay. I like swashbucklers. I like movie sword fights. This movie has the best movie sword fight ever. Basil Rathbone vs Tyrone Power. No contest. And, I mean, yes, the rest of the movie is also good. But watch it for the sword fight. Perfection.

The Wolf Man (1941) – This movie and Casablanca between them gave me a bit of a thing for Claude Rains. I don’t know, he’s just really compelling to watch. Very soft-spoken, but very there. And if you want the tragedy of the werewolf curse, this is the movie that started it all. This is not a monster movie. This is a psychological horror story of one man breaking apart under the burden of a curse. It’s so good.

Casablanca (1942) – I mean, it’s everyone’s answer. It’s stereotypical, the classic movie. But it is very, very good. Extremely quotable. I wish to punch Rick in the face several times over. And Claude Rains as Renault is so sleazy, but also so compelling.

Arsenic & Old Lace (1944) – If you ever wondered what the deal with Cary Grant was. This movie. His face. The whole movie just rides on his face. His reactions, his body language. I mean, the movie does a lot of things spectacularly. If you enjoy dark comedy, this is the pinnacle. Hiding bodies in window seats, kill count competitions between a psychotic criminal and his maiden aunts, the extremely morbid running gags of ‘yellow fever’ and Teddy charging up the stairs and the elderberry wine. But really it’s all Cary Grant and his fucking expressions. There are several points in this movie where I can’t breathe. For a man with so many suave, serious leading roles, his physical comedy was incredible.

The Big Sleep (1946) – This was the movie that introduced me to noir. Not the Maltese Falcon, not Double Indemnity, not Sunset Boulevard. This one. The Big Sleep. And you can argue that it’s not the best of the noirs, it’s a bit too caught up in itself, the plot if you pay attention has some big holes in it, and if you compare it to the book one female character in particular got rather cheated. But. As an introduction. It does land, very definitely. Bumpy Go-Cart (sorry, Humphrey Bogart) and Lauren Bacall are all that and then some. If you want to pick a noir, you can do a lot worse.

1950s

The Prisoner of Zenda (1952) – Mostly I like this as a compare/contrast to the 1937 one. It’s damn near a shot-for-shot remake, and while that could be a bad thing, it’s fascinating what differences and interpretations show up because of that. Watch the ’37 one first, and then watch this one. It’s just cool to compare them. And, you know. It’s still a really fun swashbuckler.

The Court Jester (1955) – Just the best time. The best. I have an unreasonable amount of fondness for this film, this gentle send-up of previous swashbucklers and period dramas in the vein of The Adventures of Robin Hood, and basically every movie Basil Rathbone ever made. Watch it for Danny Kaye, watch it for the tongue twisters, watch it for a baby Angela Lansbury, watch it for an absolutely hysterical duel scene, watch it for Maid Jean being the single most competent character there. Just watch it. I cannot entertain criticism on this point. It’s excellent, and I’m not sane about it.

Some Like It Hot (1959) – Jack Lemon is going to show up again later in this list, and for good reason, (as is Tony Curtis, but we don’t care as much about him), but Some Like It Hot is also, for a 1959 movie, a really gentle, funny, interesting look at gender roles? I mean, the premise is two dudes going undercover as female musicians with an all-female band to avoid mob hitman, and one of them keeps getting hit on by rich man while the other struggles to get it on with Marilyn Monroe in his male persona while trying to hide from mob assassins in a female persona, so it could be such a hot mess, but it actually … It’s quite gentle. Marilyn’s Sugar gets to talk about what men expect when they see her and, because he’s pretending to be a woman, Tony Curtis’ Joe has to listen to her, Jack Lemmon’s Jerry/Daphne gets to get genuinely swept up in the feeling of being romanced as a woman to the point that he’s semi-seriously talking about marriage, and in the end, when Jerry reveals he’s a man to Osgood, the rich old idiot who’s been trying to romance ‘Daphne’, Osgood famously just goes ‘well, nobody’s perfect’, and still appears perfectly willing to marry ‘her’. I mean, it has its issues still, but there’s such a lot of gentleness in it for a comedy movie made in 1959.

1960s

The Innocents (1961) – One of my two all-time favourite horror movies, on raw atmosphere alone. It’s so eerie. SO EERIE. It’s horrible and twisted and goes heavy places (child death, a child acting ambiguously sexually while possibly possessed, strong questions of sanity), but it’s done so gracefully and gently and eerily. If Gothic Horror is of interest to you as a genre, if you enjoyed Crimson Peak, try this. It is all beautiful sunshine and sprawling lawns and twisted desires and paranoid terrors and the single eeriest scene I’ve ever seen in anything ever. Watch the lake scene. It’s stunning.

The Raven (1963) – Pivoting back to comedy horror, this time with added fantasy. Vincent Price has been in a lot of better movies, but I’m not sure if he’s been in many funnier ones. Him and Peter Lorre just own this movie. Wall to wall ham. Just. Just go in, just watch it. There’s a loose frame plot of duelling magicians, vague references to Poe’s ‘The Raven’, Boris Karloff returning as a villain, animal transformations, and the obligatory young romance getting embroiled in their sorcerous parents’ plots (although, jarringly, the young romantic lead is a baby Jack Nicholson, which sure gives it a weird vibe), but honestly? You’re here for Vincent Price and Peter Lorre and the wizard duel.

The Great Race (1965) – Jack Lemmon is back, as is Tony Curtis, but we only care about the former of those, because Professor Fate (obligatory shouting). Okay. I don’t know how many people remember the old Hanna-Barbera Wacky Races cartoons? Am I aging myself here? But this is the movie they were based on, and Professor Fate is who Dick Dastardly was based on. The premise is a 1910s global car race between Curtis’ Great Leslie (you will want to punch him, and that’s perfectly natural) and Lemmon’s Professor Fate, an exaggerated eccentric conman and cheater and over the top cartoon villain of man, and you will love him. He’s the best thing in it. But there’s also Natalie Woods as the reporter who also enters the race, and a young Peter Falk as Fate’s sidekick Max. That’s a baby Columbo as the ‘villain’s more competent henchman. AND. For me, for bonus points, a huge section at the end of the rest is basically a whole-plot Prisoner of Zenda reference in which Professor Fate is the hero. Look. Look. Do you ever want to watch a live-action cartoon? This is that movie. Trust me. It’s fantastic. The romance has aged terribly, you will want to throw Leslie off a cliff, it has several extremely sixties tropes in it, but it’s that movie. Watch it. Have fun.

1970s

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) – Right. So. 70s fantasy movie. Not politically correct in the slightest, and some extremely unfortunate choices were made in it. But. Ray Harryhausen. Stop motion fantasy effects of awesome. And, also, I just really enjoyed the character of the Vizier. He doesn’t really get to do anything, he’s kinda just set-dressing, but he is the horrifically maimed advisor to the king who fell afoul of our sorcerous villain, and he has a cool golden mask to cover his scars, and you think he’s going to turn out to be treacherous but no, he’s rock-solid calm and noble and helpful the entire way through, and I just really really like him. The image of him stuck in my head for years.

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) – My other all-time favourite horror movie, and again it’s the eeriness. Pure eeriness. Nothing happens in this movie. There’s no monsters, there’s no explanations. 3 girls go missing on a rock in early 1900s Australia, in the midst of baking heat and sunshine and the looming shape of a volcanic geological formation, and the movie just follows their society unravelling in the aftermath. No one knows what happened. Grief and terror and unanswered questions destroy people. Reactions, prejudice, respectability and hidden flaws, loss of innocence, the unpredictable reactions of people unstrung by grief and fear, all of it snowballs in the wake of the disappearances, and over it all looms the sunshine and the rock. The score and the cinematography of this movie work so well to create this pervasive, eerie, unreal mood, this sense of something watching, this ancient force presiding over the unravelling of the false civilisation layered over top of it. I fucking love this movie. It’s stunning.

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) – A rather big jump in genres, we’re back to crime thrillers here, which we haven’t really touched since the 1910s on this list, but the sustained tension in this movie is par excellence. The opening half hour. A theme for the seventies movies on this list is going to be sunshine and drifting tension, and Precinct 13 does it so well. Heat, claustrophobia, urban isolation, siege mentality. And the character relationships that develop inside that siege mentality, the alliances and bedrock life-or-death trust that evolves between enemies, and then are brutally cut short by the re-establishment of the outside world at the end, the rude reintroduction of law and connectedness and social consequences, is just … amazing. The movie is a heat dream, a bubble of disconnectedness and violence and blood and faith, and then the ‘real’ world slams back down at the end. It’s good. It’s so well paced. Watch this movie.

Nosferatu (1979) – Just to, again, tie things back to the earlier entries on this list. Werner Herzog’s 70s remake of Nosferatu was actually the first version I saw, as it was considerably easier to get hold of. And it stuck. Even after seeing the original. And a lot of that, I think, was because of the opening, which is just spectacularly eerie. The drifting, eerie music, the monastic chant, the heartbeat under it, the panning shots of the mummies in the catacombs (which are from Mexico, but howandever). I mean, there are a lot of problems with this movie, Werner Herzog is not exactly the most upright and sensitive of dudes, (and it added some more questionable elements to the Dracula mythos), but for sheer imagery and tone-setting, this opening was incredible. And the movie does keep that tone, that eerie drifting, especially once Dracula starts bringing the plague behind him. Again, the 70s theme of sunshine and eeriness. It’s worth a look.

#movie recs #classic movies #1910s #1920s #1930s #1940s #1950s #1960s #1970s #horror #swashbucklers #crime thrillers #fantasy #noir #comedy #random selection based on my idiosyncratic memory

[brdpch]

{5} a game of cats, mice and hearts like ice

desktop: previous ✧ next mobile: previous ✧ next

synopsis: in the world of deadly games and their lives at risk, a very smart sociopath meets a very cunning stripper who claims his life as hers.

warnings: canon-typical violence, graphic descriptions of violence, sexual abuse, substance abuse, niragi, literally everything, you name it.

formatting: it's a glued-together dynamic roleplay between me and @bvrdel-mama, so the replies are separated by ♠♥♦♣, and the dialogues are written like — This. — yes, the symbols look horrible on mobile, we know.

statistics: 1,795 words 9,888 characters.

author's note: it's a mix of manga!chishiya with show!chishiya. also! what's worth noticing - in this rp there are dice involved. the mechanic is called a d20 mechanic, and it's based on dungeons and dragons 5th edition. we also use other dice rolls for other outcomes, so future events might surprise both me and my roleplaying partner. enjoy!

Shuntarō nodded at everything she said, ignoring the gunshots, unfazed. He didn't know if it showed but he was very impressed by her quick thinking and ability to work under the pressure of time and looming death. He was right - the sweet, stupidish performance she put on hid a wolf underneath, just really similar to his blank emotionless one which hid a cold, calculating predator. He thought really hard about the flaws in her analysis of their situation but much to his disappointment he couldn't find any. The know-it-all tone wasn't lost on him as well, although he chose to ignore it just like the gunshots and screams of the panicked people below. She was dangerously intelligent, that could be a problem later on, one that didn't simply involve her questioning his intelligence in an elaborate way.

Shuntarō met her gaze now, still leaning over the balcony, putting his chin upwards.

— I have no idea, but I'm positive you will now enlighten me.  — he lowered his voice and uttered dryly.

He was following the horse-head on the opposite side from him, watching his movement and noting the floors which were targeted by his bullets. They must know where the room they're looking for is - it's a matter of noting down where their feet took them and where their sight and bullets go. She thought of the playing field well, let's see if she can come up with a solution to this game as fast as he can.

♠♥♦♣

She had to be used to the gunshots, but not because of visiting the shooting range or playing paintball; she was used to the real thing used in actual gunfights. She also had to witness death at some point, because she seemed unfazed by the dead bodies, screams and blood.

Another scream interrupted their conversation, followed by a rain of bullets, and then a pause. Something was dropped, Unmei was sure it was an empty magazine - she saw it from across the balcony. The tagger was reloading.

— Rupert Sheldrake, scientist, actually - currently biologist, — she spoke quietly, turning off the recording. — Theorized about atoms, which was actually proven a few years ago, have weight, but in this weight they carry widely understood knowledge. The atoms „communicate” with each other by the use of a morphogenetic field - which is, for us, the apartment complex. One thousand people were experimented on in the United Kingdom, answering a question about what's on two paintings. On one of them, there was a dog; on the other one - a woman in a hat, but here's the catch - these pictures looked similar to Rorschach test ones. — Unmei paused for a moment. — You know, those dark splotches on light background which are used in the psychiatric field. Anyway, back to the point - 3.9% of surveyed could recognize a dog, and 9.2% surveyed could recognize the lady. Next time they conducted the experiment they got much better results - about 10% rate with the dog, and 20% rate with the lady. It could possibly mean that this knowledge was already „discovered” and then „stored”, or rather „kept” in the morphogenetic field, transferred later on by more surveyed subjects. If there is someone who knows where the safe zone is, it's the tagger, and their knowledge - in theory - is stored in the atoms around us

Unmei waited a little bit for Chishiya to catch up to her with his thinking.

— Nonetheless, I don't really believe in this version of the theory. But if the tagger knows where the safe zone is, he'll reveal it to us sooner or later by protecting the right door. When the players are in enough distance, then he'll start actually chasing them. — she paused again. — There was no player limit, so they have to carry enough ammo and weapons for not only a few, but maybe even tens of people, meaning we cannot take them one-by-one. Have you already counted their magazine capacity? Tagger keeps going around the middle floors, so one of these doors could be the solution. Let's say that this apartment complex has one hundred flats, and there are fourteen of players - seven doors for each player to check, if we assume all of us are alive and we'll keep checking them efficiently, one by one. it's impossible to do in twenty, — she checked her phone. — Ten minutes.

♠♥♦♣

Unmei could deduce earlier that Shuntarō was a man of few words, who preferred acting from speaking. It was the case even now. Chishiya partly observed the tagger wandering around the lower levels, but partly listened to Unmei's words. It didn't seem like the massacre surrounding them was a problem to Shuntarō, quite the opposite - at times a dark smile would appear on his face when the echoes of players choking on their own blood reached their ears.

— It's good that you added that you don't believe in that theory. It sounds as probable as building your life on horoscopes. — he answered dryly, scanning Unmei from head to toe.

Shuntarō shook his head and then a focused look appeared on his face. He agreed with the part where Unmei mentioned that the tagger will lead them to the goal of the game.

— A standard machine pistol has either twenty-five or thirty-two bullets in its magazine. I assume the second option is more proba- — Shuntarō was cut off by a rain of bullets directed at someone on the other side of the complex. The tagger emptied out the whole magazine.

— Thirty two. — he said quickly, leaning over the balcony to check where the bullets go. Why would someone shoot from such a distance? From a weapon which loses its effectiveness the further it is from the target? They would shoot if someone is close to the right room - Chishiya answered his own question. 

After a second he pulled out the phone and opened the camera app, zooming on the walls of the opposite floors. Analyzing the angle in which the bullets entered the room is on the...

♠♥♦♣

— Do I believe in the experiment? Not necessarily. But I do believe in the theory itself. — said Unmei, leaning over the balcony. The girl with the short dark brown hair has just climbed over the railing to the upper floor, a salvo of bullets behind her, moments before she begged an older lady to change the floors with her.

— Morphogenetic fields are confirmed to exist by science. Besides, you're a Scorpio.

Blue ducked behind the half-wall, covering his ears in panic. Shaggy, despite the stern 'no' he heard from Hawaii, rushed to help Blue. Unmei tilted her head, paying close attention to them. Chishiya and her both answered the question about the safe room at the same time. Getting there was the problem.

— Hey everyone! — shouted Shaggy, revealing himself for a second. — Let's tell each other where the tagger is! We will find the safe room together!

♠♥♦♣

Shuntarō furrowed his brows and shot an irritated glance towards Unmei - then his gaze snapped to the girl that was prepping for a run in the lobby. Looks like it wasn't a run, but rather a quick climb around the complex. She was hanging from one of the balconies now.

— Ideal moment for discussing scientific theories. — he said ducking back behind the balcony, when a salvo of bullets flew their way.

Chishiya's eyes wandered towards the lower levels where the two young men were running about, and soon one of them spoke inviting all of the participants to work together. And he was right, there was no way Chishiya and Unemi could clear the game by themselves in the time which was left.

— Second floor, northern corner! — Chishiya shouted leaning over the balcony just to be greeted by 9mm bullets again.

♠♥♦♣

Unmei hid behind the wall, her head low, almost between her knees, as she squatted. She didn't come out when Shuntarō decided to get a look at the tagger yet again, only to hear him shout. She quickly put her hands on his head, pushing it down, pulling on his hair. It worked best, she knew it really well from her own experience.

Unmei held him like this for a second, their foreheads touching - she had to use her body weight to make sure he ducks on time, before a bullet makes its way into his skull. She held him in place for a few more seconds, not letting go, as to make sure he's not gonna get up.

— As I said, — she hissed, her voice barely audible from gunshots. — Don't get in my way. What do you think you're doing?

Her once ice-cold eyes were now ablaze, burning their way through Chishiya right into his non-existent soul. It was a scream-whisper, and as she let go, she started moving, her body as low as possible, knees on the rugged concrete. That'll leave bruises, for sure.

five minutes remaining.

— We'll take care of the tagger! — shouted Beach member number one, and as Unmei took a quick look around her surroundings, Hawaii responded. — You guys find the safe zone!

♠♥♦♣

Shuntarō laughed maybe a bit too loudly when his hair got snatched and pulled down by Unmei, then for their foreheads to touch - the woman not letting go of the clump of strands she clinged to, hissed at him through clenched teeth while Chishiya was still laughing in her face - literally.

— Mind the hair. — Shuntarō said through his giggling, then his demeanor changed drastically, his eyes became emotionless and a twisted grin appeared on his face.

— You are very annoying, you know? If you want me out of your way, sure. How about we bump up the difficulty level then?

He leaned over the balcony again and shouted to get the horse-head's attention, then got up and sprinted to the elevator, barely ducking through a barrage of 9mm bullets leaving marks in the wall behind him. His pulse was up, he was ecstatic, he finally felt something - anger, passion, the thrill of life. He had five minutes, the shout should give him at least a few seconds before the horse-head appears on the highest floor. He took Unmei's shoe that was stuck in the door - clicked the floor he last saw the horseman on and exited the elevator.

He then turned to Unmei and waved at her.

— Have fun! — he shout-whispered to the girl before turning around and sprinting down the staircase to the 4th floor.

#personal #a game of cats mice and hearts like ice #i have no idea how to tag for shit #alice in borderland #niragi headcanons #niragi imagine #niragi suguru #niragi x reader #niragi alice in borderland #chishiya alice in borderland #chishiya imagine #chishiya x reader #chishiya headcanons #aib chishiya #chishiya shuntaro #arisu x reader #aib karube #karube daikichi #aib #aib memes #aib niragi #alice in borderland x reader #niragi x oc #chishiya x oc #aib oc #aguni alice in borderland #hatter alice in borderland #mira alice in borderland #alice in borderlands #kuina hikari

[androidcharles]

So, as promised, a nice little side story. This is the story of how Rupert first met Charles. There's some slight whump/ Hurt and Comfort, and of course, mentions of blood, so be forewarned. There's also a lot of parts that don't make sense, so be forewarned of that as well XD Anyway, I hope that you guys enjoy!

Rupert remembered his first month training under the government forces like it was yesterday. He was determined to prove himself, ready to step forward as he enrolled. It took a while for the paperwork to go through, surprisingly. Apparently, his mother had received a few phone calls from General Hammond and whenever Rupert asked about it, she just got this sad smile on her face and told him not worry about it while patting his head.

Finally, after a week of this, Rupert was finally able to enlist. His first week seemed to get off without much of a hitch. It was brutal work, but it was supposed to build him up, so he endured the grueling training so he could become stronger.

Then the second week came along. One fight and one black eye later, Rupert was sitting in Captain Galeforce’s office getting chewed out by him. In all honesty, he didn’t mean to pick the fight, it was all the other guys fault, but somehow he managed to get under his skin somehow. Now Rupert was sitting outside the office waiting for some guy named “Charlie” to come and take him to his punishment.

He rocked back and forth, getting increasingly impatient as he tried to think of ways to entertain himself until he saw someone approaching him. He didn’t really think much of him, he was much taller than him really (much like everyone else here). His hair curled up and was super messy, almost like he didn’t really take care to brush it. Hidden behind messy curly bangs was a pair of soft soothing green eyes and he was wearing the same white t-shirt military pants combo as him, except he was wearing a pair of bright red rain boots. It looked so gaudy on him that he almost laughed.

He tried to hide his smirk as this guy approached him, his eyes a little concerned as he put his hands on his hips.

“Are you Rupert Price?” he said.

“Uh, yeah?” Rupert answered.

“Alright, c’mon let’s go.” Rupert felt a bit stunned as this person beckoned for him to follow him. He begrudgingly followed, coming to the conclusion that this must be the “Charlie” that General Galeforce was referring to.

“Uh, Charlie-” Rupert started.

“Don’t call me that. Call me Charles. Sergeant Calvin if you prefer… actually you should probably just call me that instead,” Charles said softly, mostly to himself. Rupert sighed as he continued to follow Charles.

“I’d say as far as punishments go, you got off super easy. I mean, it could be worse… you could be cleaning the bathrooms right now,” Charles said, “It must be your first month here because usually new recruits don’t get off this easy. But that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna be tough.”

After walking for some time, they finally reached an open area, where the helicopters were parked. There were several in a line, about twenty or so to be exact as Charles walked over to the building. Rupert didn’t understand what was happening until Charles tossed him a sponge and some soap. He carefully handed Rupert the hose and dropped an empty bucket in front of him as Rupert struggled to keep everything in his arms without dropping it.

“Alright, get washing!” Charles said. Rupert stood there, dumbfounded as Charles rolled his eyes.

“That wasn’t a suggestion, Private, THAT WAS AN ORDER! C’MON!” Charles shouted as Rupert suddenly ran towards the first helicopter, carefully turning on the hose as he sprayed it down. It continued like this for several minutes, Charles barking orders at him while he washed the helicopters, trying to keep his temper low.

Finally, after about two and a half hours, he had managed to scrub down the tenth helicopter as Charles groaned.

“You know, I know blind people who can see dirt better than you can! I can’t believe how many spots you missed!” Charles shouted, “C’mon, if you’re not put any effort into it, you might as well go home!” Rupert gritted his teeth as he pulled himself back on the ladder, feeling every muscle in his body ache. Between Charles shouting at him and the fact that he was soaking wet, not to mention the intense July heat, he was like a pressure cooker that was about to explode.

“Well, are you going to start or what?!”

“Just give me a second, I have to-”

“You’re seriously giving up on me?! Are you some kind of weakling!?”

“Sarge, just give a sec to-”

“I could always tell Captain Galeforce what a lazy sack of bones you are! Maybe he’ll come up with a much more suitable punishment for you! One that involves you laying at home doing nothing like the lazy flesh wad you are!”

That’s it. Without thinking, Rupert quickly turned around, aiming the hose at Charles as he squeezed the nozzle, spraying Charles from head to toe, his vision red as Charles fell back. He sat on the ground, looking at Rupert with this dumbfounded look on his face as Rupert gritted his teeth, his rage boiling over as he felt his heart pounding in his ears, his blood rushing through his arms before he suddenly realized what he had done.

“Oh no…” he whispered as Charles’ eyes changed from green to red. Wait what? How did his eyes change color? It didn’t matter anymore, because he suddenly stood up and walked towards the building.

Oh no… oh no oh no oh no, this was it. Rupert gritted his teeth as he hopped off the ladder, getting ready to stand at attention. This was really how it was going to end. Charles was going to call General Hammond over here and pretty soon he was going to be kicked out. A wash out on his second week of training… he couldn’t believe it.

He was about to bring the supplies back to the building when he was suddenly sprayed himself. He dropped his supplies as he looked to see Charles, a look of rage and determination on his face as he pointed the hose at Rupert.

“Well, what are you gonna do newbie!? Huh?” Charles shouted. Rupert gritted his teeth once again as he sprayed Charles back. Charles expertly dodged as he ran towards Rupert. Rupert quickly dodged the charge as he ran around one of the helicopters, hiding himself as Charles started to stalk the line.

“FOUND YA!” Charles shouted, spraying him with water. Rupert started to sputter as he sprayed Charles back, running off as Charles chased after him. Rupert found himself trying to outwit Charles as he followed the hose trail, but since his hose was the same as Charles’, pretty soon he got lost. It was working in his favor however, as Charles couldn’t track him either. But either way they kept spraying each other, at first trying to let out some rage but before Rupert knew it, he was suddenly having fun.

He quickly untangled his hose as best as he could to track Charles down easier as Charles kept finding him, spraying him down more and more as the sun began to set in the sky. Finally, the two of them were carefully backing up, watching their surroundings as they suddenly bumped into each other. They stood still for a second, trying to figure out what to do.

“Ten paces… than we shoot partner.” Rupert turned towards Charles, who had a goofy smile on his face. Wasn’t he supposed to be punishing him? Was he having as much fun as he was.

“Bring it on partner…” Rupert said in response. He didn’t know why he was playing along, but he just… felt like it.

They counted the steps, Rupert feeling more and more nervous as the number ten came closer and closer. Eventually after ten paces, they stood in silence, Rupert feeling a bit nervous as the seconds crawled by.

“One… two… three…” Rupert prepared himself, ready to fire.

“DRAW!”

“WHAT’S GOING ON OUT HERE?!” Before the two of them could even turn around to shoot, they suddenly saw a trio of higher ups heading towards them. Captain Galeforce, along with General Hammond of course, and another higher up officer named Lieutenant Pearson.

“Calvin, this is how you punish people!? In all the time you’ve been doing this, this is the first time I’ve ever seen such reprehensible behavior! This isn’t a game you know!” General Hammond said, “Galeforce, you told me he could handle this!”

“He can. This is the first time he’s done this…” Captain Galeforce said, raising his eyebrow at Charles, who shrunk back a bit.

“Price! Get back to the office! We can discuss a new punishment for you. As for you Galeforce, deal with your kid!” Rupert followed the general back to the office, but not before he looked at Charles, waving goodbye to him forlornly. Charles waved back as Captain Galeforce approached him.

Now he was definitely getting kicked out.

- - - - -

Rupert should be lucky he was doing this.

He was now in the hallway of one of the buildings, the cafeteria to be exact as he opened the closet to pull out some supplies. A mop, a bucket, some detergent. After grabbing everything, he walked towards the kitchen to fill up his bucket and gasped when he saw Charles standing over the sink, filling up his own.

“Charles?” Rupert said, a little shocked.

“Oh, hi Private Price!” Charles said, smiling at him, “Guess we really got the sore of the stick, huh? A week of mopping the mess hall in our free time… it sucks, but I guess that’s just how it is.”

“Less talking and more washing!” they heard a voice shout. They looked up to see Sergeant Rocket, who narrowed his eyes at the two behind his sunglasses.

“Sorry sir,” Charles said softly as he pulled the bucket out of the sink and rushed out to the cafeteria.

“I WANT THAT FLOOR SO CLEAN I COULD EAT OFF OF IT!” Sergeant Rocket shouted after him as Rupert quickly filled his bucket.

So this was his routine for the next week. He would report to this closet after every meal during his free time and get some supplies before he met up with Charles and mopped the cafeteria floor. They would sometimes exchange words with each other, while working of course, but oftentimes it would be met with a whistle blowing and shouting from the sergeant.

But pretty soon, the week ended and finally Rupert had his precious free time back as well as a new friend. He had to admit, as harsh as Charles was when he first met him, he was only doing his job. He hated that part, but maybe it wouldn’t be long before he could start doing the same thing. He smiled as he started to get to know Charles better over the next week, spending time with him in his free time and talking about various things that interested them.

It was than he began to notice something odd about Charles. He kinda looked strange. He was tall sure, which was normal, but he also had inseams on his arms and neck and when he was shirtless, there was even an inseam where his torso met his abdomen. Not only that, but his eyes changed color when he was angry or serious or just excited. From the cool soothing green to a more intense red.

Rupert wanted to find out, but he didn’t want to pry too much. After all, it wasn’t like he had to know, but at the same time, he was kinda curious.

His curiosity would be answered about a month into his basic training. He was eating lunch after not having much success finding Charles when Captain Galeforce approached him.

“Price, when you’re done eating, I need you to meet me in the office building. We have an assignment for you,” Captain Galeforce said. Rupert’s eyes widened as Captain Galeforce walked off before he could even so much as say anything else. He didn’t know what to say anyway, so he finished his lunch as quickly as he could before he practically sped out of the cafeteria, heading towards the office building and locating Captain Galeforce’s office.

After being let through by two soldiers guarding the door, he stepped in nervously, looking around as he saw two red headed soldiers, the Bukowski twins. He always had trouble telling them apart, but today they were wearing little badges that were different colors to signify who was who. Calvin was wearing a purple one while Konrad wore a yellow one. Charles was there as well, along with Sarah Connifers (who was giving Charles the stink eye for some reason), Sergeant Major Victoria Grit, and a soldier he didn’t recognize, who introduced himself as Patrick.

“Good, our bait is here!” Calvin joked as Rupert glared at him.

“No using the new recruits as bait. Rupert, do you know why you’re here?” Captain Galeforce said.

“Because I’m in trouble again?” Rupert guessed as Charles giggled.

“No Price, you’re here because you’re about to be sent on a mission of utmost secrecy. What you hear in this room does not leave this room. You got that?” Captain Galeforce said.

“Sir yes sir.”

“Right. Now you six are already fully aware of the Toppat Clan and their nefarious deeds. The Toppats have recently targeted a museum in West Mesa, the West Mesa Museum of Natural History and Artifacts. I imagine you’re familiar with it, Price,” Captain Galeforce said. Rupert remembered perfect well… all the carnage that the force had walked in on, all the security guards being yelled at for letting HIM slip away again. Seeing Dave, with that sad look on his face; he should be lucky he wasn’t fired, as he was knocked out so pity was taken on him.

But to think that one person could cause so much chaos… what the heck was he?

“We don’t know what they’re planning on stealing, seeing as the Tunisian Diamond was taken already. But we need to ensure that they don’t get past us again. If you see anyone who looks remotely important, anyone at all, try to find a way to capture them,” Captain Galeforce said.

“Are we just gonna walk in there? I don’t know about you, but the mayor has been pretty antsy about us taking charge and trying to take down the Toppats as of late. I don’t know about you, but I’m beginning to get suspicious,” Sarah said.

“He was wearing a top hat when he was elected… you don’t think-?”

“Regardless of how the mayor feels, we have to take action. After all, we can’t just sit here and do nothing while priceless artifacts get stolen. Now Price, you’ll be planted in the museum as a fake security guard. We’ll be waiting outside and if you see anything, anything at all, you give us the signal and we’ll barge in there,” Captain Galeforce said.

“So he is the bait…” Konrad muttered.

“No, he isn’t. He’s our undercover agent,” Victoria muttered, narrowing her eyes at Konrad.

“Um… I’m not sure about this,” Rupert said.

“Don’t worry buddy, you’ll do fine! I do undercover work all the time. Besides, I’ll be with you as well!” Charles reassured him.

“Huh?”

“That’s right, I forgot to tell you. Charlie will be with you as well in the security room. He’ll be… plugged in, in a sense, to everything that happens in the museum. He may be an expert flier, but he’s also an expert hacker as well,” Captain Galeforce said.

“Maybe we should have Patrick do the security room thing. After all we don’t if we can really trust Charles and-”

“Connifers, are you suggesting that Charlie is untrustworthy?” Captain Galeforce said.

“Uh… nooooo, I just… I’m nervous about him…” Sarah said, glancing to the side.

“Seriously Sarah… seriously?” Victoria said, “C’mon, Charles has gotten us through thick and thin. I highly doubt that he’s untrustworthy.” Sarah let out a small “hmph” as Captain Galeforce glanced at Rupert.

“Can we count on you, Price?” Rupert felt the glares of everyone in the room as he gulped.

“You can count on me sir.”

- - - - -

At least this was an excuse to talk to Dave again. He slipped on a security uniform from the closet as Charles started to type away at the computer, occasionally glancing at Rupert before he finally left the room, taking the hint that Charles obviously didn’t want any company while he was doing this.

It was now much later in the day, Rupert had been dropped off in an inconspicuous car as he headed towards the break room. He was ready to start his “shift,” but there was one person he had to see before he went out there. He pushed the door open, seeing two security guards talking amongst themselves as Dave sat a ways away from them, looking off into the distance forlornly.

Rupert walked towards him before sitting down in front of him, smiling at him with a big smile.

“Hi Dave,” Rupert said softly. Dave jumped as Rupert giggled at his reaction, causing the two security guards two glance at them awkwardly.

��Hey… Rupert… don’t tell me you got washed out,” Dave said, a little worried.

“Ah, no, I can’t say why I’m here. But, I thought I’d pop in and say hey,” Rupert said.

“You know you’re not supposed to be doing that,” Charles said over his ear piece, “I know you wanna catch up with your friend but the mission is important. Get in position and get ready.” Rupert grinded his teeth, wishing that Charles wouldn’t go sergeant on him at the worst times. But he had to admit, he was right. He couldn’t just let this distract him.

“Are you OK?” Dave asked.

“I’m fine,” Rupert said, “I hope you have a good day. Stay safe alright.”

“Ah, other than that one incident… I’ll try my best,” Dave said, “Maybe I’ll see you later! We can stop by Gouda’s and get that steak-shrimp combo you like so much? Sound good?” Rupert smiled and nodded his head before heading out of the break room, getting to his position.

“Sorry Rupert, but the mission is like… uh… really important. Don’t worry. You can hang out with him afterwards if things go well. Or not… I don’t wanna say but…” Charles seemed to be rambling a bit, so Rupert tuned him out a bit as he got into position. He laid low as much as he could, listening to the conversation from the Tunisian archaeological exhibit.

Apparently the mayor himself had come by to check on the exhibit and was now discussing something with one of the guards in there. Rupert tried to strain his ears to listen, but he couldn’t make out much of what was being said. The mayor than made his way out to the corridor, but not before he glanced at Rupert. He tried to be polite and waved at him as the mayor gave him a sour look before heading towards the exit.

It wouldn’t be long now. The PA announced the closing of the museum, reminding patrons not to leave any valuables behind and leave as soon as possible. The night shift started and Rupert found himself pacing the same area over and over again. Maybe if he was lucky, he would find “him” among all the carnage. After all, it wouldn’t be shocking if he was a Toppat. He was always a bit slippery and according the captain, Toppats were always a little slippery.

It must have been at least a few hours after closing before he suddenly heard a crash coming from the retro exhibit.

“Charlie… something just-”

“I know, I’m looking right now! Um… two Toppats coming out of the retro exhibit. They might be distractions, so just head into the Tunisian exhibit and wait for the others!”

“Copy.” Rupert ran straight into the exhibit just as a security guard (named Todd Slimmonds), who seemed to have a hard time staying awake, woke up. He heard a shout and suddenly he was wide awake, running into the exhibit with Rupert as he drew his weapon.

Meanwhile, two other security guards shouted as they tried to barricade the exhibit, the two Toppats trying to claw their way in.

“Keep on guard! We don’t know if GYAAAH!” One of the security guards cried out as he fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder, blood pouring out as his friend tried to stop the bleeding. Rupert gasped and looked behind him to see more Toppats, grabbing items and approaching them. Rupert took a few shots and managed to wound one before he ducked behind another display. Todd, meanwhile, was holding his night stick, muttering to himself while trying to come up with a plan.

Rupert had no choice; with one man injured and the other tending to him while the third one was trying not to have a panic attack, he had to take action. He ran out, firing his weapon as one of the Toppats grabbed him. He bit their arm, wrestling out of their grip as the Toppat snickered, swinging a bat at his head. He heard a high pitched whine as he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

“Dave…” Rupert said softly as he saw his friend running towards the Toppat that had bludgeoned him. He tried to reach out to him, but Dave was grabbed as he tried to fight back. Rupert felt his vision getting blurry as he heard the Toppats shouting at each other. Pretty soon, he saw a shadow hovering over him, a wicked grin on his face. It was the mayor.

“Night night, Price…” he felt the cold barrel of a pistol on his forehead. Oh god, was this really it?

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he saw Charles rushing at the mayor, punching him in the face as he fell back, his pistol skidding across the floor. Immediately, he saw the group running in after the remaining Toppats as he suddenly remembered his mission and ran to join them, trying to take down a few Toppats as he used his gun to weaken a few more before he heard a horrible scream.

He turned to see Charles, crouched on the ground as the mayor ran out as fast as he could (for someone so large, he could sure run fast). Charles was shaking and shivering as Rupert saw part of his arm on the ground. But something was wrong.

There were sparks flying out of Charles’ wound. Metal twisted and contorted from the wound as he saw his eyes blinking red and green and blue and all sorts of colors, as if he was trying to process the pain.

Rupert couldn’t take anymore. Feeling the world go black around him, he passed out.

- - - - -

Rupert’s eyes shot open as he woke up with a start, looking around as he tried to figure out what was going on. The last thing he remembered were the Toppats, Dave trying to stop him from getting hurt, Charles getting his arm ripped off…

Charles! Dave! Rupert tried to get out of bed only to be stopped by a very stressed out nurse.

“Nononononono!!” they said, pushing him back in bed, “You’re staying here until we clear you, Price. Until than, you stay in that bed!” Rupert grumbled as he pulled the thin sheet over him, feeling the opposite of unwell.

“Where’s Charles?” Rupert asked.

“I can’t tell you that,” the nursed replied as they headed out of the room, leaving Rupert feeling frustrated and confused.

“THAN AT LEAST EXPLAIN WHY HE HAS METAL IN HIM!” Rupert shouted at them. When he got no response, he growled, trying to bottle up his anger as he closed his eyes. He wanted to know where Dave was… what happened to Charles… if the mission was a success…

“Price, are you feeling alright?” He looked up to see Captain Galeforce, a look of great concern on his face as Charles hovered behind him, bouncing as if he was trying to get his attention.

“I’m fine…” Rupert said, “Can I get out of here now?”

“I would highly suggest getting some rest. I cleared your schedule for today and tomorrow while you recover,” Captain Galeforce said, “You were lucky you weren’t shot, but because you passed out and with Patrick, Connifers, and Charlie wounded, we had no choice but to pull back.” Charles was wounded alright… or was he? He looked fine now. His arm was back… or maybe it was a fake one. Or maybe Charles wasn’t a real person, who knows?

“So the mission was a failure because of me…” Rupert muttered, feeling a bit guilty.

“The mission was doomed from the start,” Captain Galeforce said, “To think that the mayor is a Toppat… there’s not much we can do about it. We’re gonna have to approach that situation very carefully. Besides, he isn’t in his office and the search party that went to look for him wasn’t very successful.”

“Hey, cap’n, you know-”

“Charlie, I don’t think an airborne search would fair any better. He’s probably fled the city…” Captain Galeforce sighed as he rubbed his temples, “I thought we could get the jump on them, but I guess I was wrong.”

“OK, but before you go, what the heck is Charles!?” Rupert asked. Charles gasped as he looked at Captain Galeforce, who only sighed before he looked straight at Rupert.

“Usually we don’t tell the new recruits this… but since you were on the mission with him and you saw what happened to him… it won’t hurt to tell you. But as I said before in the office, what you hear doesn’t leave this room. Got it?”

“Sir yes sir.”

“Right… Charlie is an android.”

“Ah…” Charles glanced to the side as Rupert sat up, looking at him in awe. No wonder he had weird inseams on his joints… no wonder his eyes changed color, no wonder he found him eating crayons at one point. He was like a robot.

“You’re an android?” Rupert said.

“I wasn’t supposed to tell you,” Charles said, “It’s supposed to be secret because if word got out that the government forces had enlisted an android, well… the public would start to worry.”

“Charlie was built by a third party company funded by the government forces a long time ago. A company by the name of Project SAI,” Captain Galeforce said, “We found him in the defective units closet in the original base, so we got him fixed up and he’s been pretty useful ever since.”

“I wouldn’t say that…” Charles said, glancing to the side bashfully. Rupert started to chuckle, feeling great for the first time in a while.

“An android… wow…” Rupert said, “I can’t believe it. You know, Dave is really into that stuff. Maybe I should call him up and-”

“Price, remember what I said?” Rupert suddenly flinched as he remembered what Captain Galeforce had just said.

“Right… but I still should call him… I need to know if he’s alright,” Rupert said.

“Dave? You mean that tall guy that ran in and tried to protect you from the Toppats?” Charles said.

“Yeah, him!” Captain Galeforce and Charles exchanged looks as Captain Galeforce sat down at the edge of the bed.

“Rupert… I hate to tell you this but… the Toppats took him.” Rupert’s smile twitched a bit as he tried to process what Captain Galeforce just said.

“What?”

“He was taken. We weren’t able to catch who grabbed him in time. We don’t know where he was taken but… knowing the Toppats… they probably took him prisoner,” Charles said, “I’m sorry but we don’t know where he is…” Rupert felt a horrible pit in his stomach as he shook, pulling his knees up to his head, trying not to cry as Captain Galeforce said,

“I’m sorry,” before getting up and leaving the room. Charles stayed behind as Rupert tried to breathe, feeling his throat getting sore and his face getting hot from holding in tears.

“Rupert he’ll be OK. Who knows? Maybe they’ll take pity and make him a Toppat too?” Charles said. Rupert only shook his head, his body shaking as he tried to shoo Charles away.

“You know, it’s OK if you wanna cry…” Charles said as gently as possible, “It’ll hurt worse if you hold it in.”

“JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!” Rupert screamed at Charles as tears started to flow down his cheeks. He gasped as he felt Charles take his hand, a look of determined comfort on his face as Rupert suddenly felt queasy. Here he was, feeling stupid emotions AGAIN and he didn’t want anyone here to witness it. But Charles was still here, why was he still here, why wouldn’t he just go away, why couldn’t he just-

“Rupert, it’s OK if you want to cry. I know you don’t think it isn’t, but it is. And you don’t have to worry about me making fun of you or making you feel bad about it, because I know how strong you are,” Charles said, “If you don’t wanna cry, it’s fine. But it’s gonna hurt you worse if you don’t.” Rupert sniffled as he sat near Charles, putting his head on his chest, hearing the strange whirring and ticking of electronics in his chest.

“Why… why… do you… you know anything about-” Rupert tried to find a way to get back at Charles, maybe even go on about how he might not know how human emotion works, but the dam had finally burst and he started to cry. He pressed his face against Charles chest as he cried more and more, feeling his face getting hot and soggy as Charles held him close, softly whispering reassurance to him.

Eventually after what seemed like forever, he stopped crying, his nose dripping with snot, his eyes itchy and sore as he felt Charles running his hands through his hair. He listened to the sound of the electronics in Charles’ chest and suddenly found it strangely comforting, almost feeling warm as he gripped Charles’ shirt.

“Feeling better?” Charles said. He didn’t want to mention that he could have sworn he saw a couple of items floating as Rupert cried. He figured he would probably mention it later… if he remembered that is.

“A little,” Rupert said softly, “I’m sorry… Dave was one of my first real friends you know. He was always a bit timid, but he was smart in other aspects. He was strong in so many ways that didn’t rely on brute strength or brawn. It was amazing He would have been so jealous because… if he knew you were an android, he’d be asking you all sorts of questions…”

“I… I’m nothing special,” Charles said, “I really just wanna blend in to be honest.” There was silence as Rupert clutched Charles’ shirt tightly, trying not to think about Dave as Charles rubbed his back.

“It’s gonna be OK. Maybe things will work out,” Charles said, “We’ll be able to rescue Dave soon and you guys can catch up, you know.” Rupert wanted to hope that was the case. He felt sick to his stomach thinking about how scared Dave must be.

“Well, I’ll leave you alone now. Let you get your rest,” Charles said.

“Wait…” Rupert said, “Stay here a little longer. Please? I don’t wanna be alone…” Charles’ eyebrows shot up as Rupert gave him a pleading look before he smiled.

“Ah of course…” Charles said, “Can I at least get something from my room before I do?” Rupert nodded his head as Charles exited the room and Rupert suddenly felt… empty. Why? Why did he feel so empty without Charles in the room?

- - - - -

The nurse had to come in at least three times to get the two of them to shut up, but at this point, Rupert didn’t care. He was feeling a lot better thanks to Charles cheering him up as they played video games, talked to each other, and ate snacks (Rupert never thought he’d miss potato chips as much as he did). He found it strange that Charles was able to eat things like erasers and thumbtacks and tongue depressors (the nurse gave him a hard time for that), but apparently, he was equipped with nanites that allowed him to eat anything without much problem.

Eventually, it was time for Rupert to sleep and he practically begged the nurse to let Charles at least stay in the ward so he wouldn’t be alone. He didn’t understand why he was so obsessed with the idea of Charles being in the same room as him or just with him in general. But a dream he had made him understand.

In the dream, he was talking to Charles, except they weren’t in the medical ward, they were outside at a secluded location near the base. He had been here before dozens of times with Charles, as he ate lunch out here with him on occasion as he talked about various things.

Suddenly, Charles planted a soft kiss on his cheek as Rupert blushed, feeling fuzzy as he looked up at Charles, who had a gentle look in his eyes. Rupert felt himself moving as he planted a kiss on Charles’ cheek in return and Charles giggled. He held his hand, feeling almost lighter than air as Charles ran his free hand through Rupert’s hair, telling him how soft his hair was, like a cloud. He remembered this; Charles had told him this before he went to sleep, how his hair was like a soft fluffy cloud.

Why did that make him feel so happy? Why? Wait a minute… this was just your average happiness…

Rupert’s eyes flung open, he sat up, feeling a wave of disbelief wash over him as he heard the distant trumpet playing the morning call over the base. He didn’t feel empty without Charles because of what had happened. He felt empty without him because was in love with him.

Oh my god, I’m in love with an android, Rupert thought as he put his hands in his face, feeling almost embarrassed and scared at the same time. He wasn’t unfamiliar with the idea of romance. He had gotten his fair share of love letters in high school and he even kissed a boy once in tenth grade before he ran off to throw up and have a panic attack.

He had never developed a crush on anyone before though, and this new feeling of love welling up over him made him extremely uncomfortable. He was fortunate that he had today off too, so he could spend his morning trying to fight another panic attack as he lay in bed, shivering and shaking before drifting off to sleep again.

Eventually, he woke up around noon, Charles at the side of his bed, all smiles as he told him that he missed breakfast and that lunch would be up soon. Rupert nodded his head, smiling at him as he sighed.

He would have to keep his feelings a secret. After all, if Charles was an android, he wouldn’t really have a good idea of how love or romance truly worked. Heck, even when he asked him, he seemed to give some skewed answers. He would keep his feelings under lock and key, no matter how much it hurt.

After all, what’s one more bottle?

#the henry stickmin collection #charles calvin #rupert price #the narrators stories #katie's stick drawings #fanfic #fanfiction

[dark-twist-fairytales]

YOU KNOW WHO IT ISSSS

Former Toppat leaders? :eyes:

I knew someone was gonna ask about the former Toppat leaders!

But, this did give me time to think about a cool concept. See, they're FORMER leaders, meaning their more than likely to already be dead, which brings up some interesting things that can happen. So! We go in order from first leader to latest!

(Buckle down, this is long, so it's under a read more (T.R.N.K is not included on this list))

We start of with Dusty, and given that he is one of the best and most peaceful leaders, he would become an Enderman- No! Not fully! Once a former leader is resurrected, they partly become a hostile mob. Meaning Dusty would have the ability to pick up blocks like it's silktouched (bare hands only) and can teleport around at will. He can't swim, however, or go out in the rain, which coaxed him to living in the end. He helps Rupert build often times, since he can move quicker. He looks human and younger, but with little purple particles surrounding him, as well as his voice being slightly warbled. The end is the only place he really feels comfortable.

-

Cloudface is up next, and oddly enough, I think he'd become part skeleton. Basic, no exactly verbal, and being pretty good with a bow. He lives in caves, but will sometimes come out if he finds a helmet and a chest plate. But, he doesn't prefer it. He eventually found out, through Henry, about the nether, and now he loves it there. He takes things slow, often found curled up asleep or helping out RHM. About half of his body is turned to a skeleton, but he doesn't mind it, as it can be covered. Non of his face is effected, thankfully. Yep, nether is his favorite.

-

Jaques is actually allowed through fully when the dragon is resurrected for the second time. So, yes, he's the dragon and made it clear that it was him. This means that he can travel endlessly through the end, but the portal back isn't big enough to go through. This means he lingers around Rupert and Dusty, but quite enjoys it, since Dusty goes a lot of places, he's allowed to give him a ride to the the portals and back. But, Dusty isn't the only person he gives a ride to: Johnny is as well! It took a little working up, but him and Johnny get along great! He's the mob-turned former leader there is, but doesn't mind it. The end is his home.

-

Randy is a creeper! Now, I know this can be argued with 'what about Reynaldo', but there's a very good reason why Randy is the creeper. He is able to break into the code this way and actually add in mods. Nothing that would change the games entire forum, but basic things that helps out the builders and Quentin. It makes it closer to real life in certain aspects, and he appreciates the way it helps others. He can only work on mods in the overworld.

-

Reynaldo is a super charged creeper. Need a say more? Him and Randy work together, but as Reynaldo has less control over mods and more control over looking up what they do, that's what he does. He also had to learn to control himself, as a good bit of anger makes him explode. Him and Randy reside in caves, both with creeper-like hisses in their voices when they speak. Reynaldo has a blue shield that hovers around him. He does like the over world, it keeps him fueled for when he needs to explode on command.

-

Billy G. is a tougher one, but I feel like he would be a zombie. Again, a classic, but he likes the seclusion he is forced under. Similar to Cloudface, about half of his body is zombified. He also tends to mine a lot, as he doesn't need torches to light his path up fue to night vision. He did need someone to bring him wood, which ended up being Doc Vin. This is how she figured out mobs that spawn naturally (spawners and buildings) are different from those that spawn in pure dark. Billy G. cantalk to zombies, his own vocal cords untouched. The likes the over world.

-

Sir Wilford is a blaze that is nothing but tired. Since he resides in the nether and doesn't go out to the overworld, he helps out with building and mining at the cost of letting him sleep as much as he wants. The only reason he helps with these things is because he can fly for a brief amount of time and reach higher places than anyone else with a conscious more easily than some methods. He likes the nether, the heat makes him sleepy.

-

Terrence would be a cave spider: farel as fuck. I don't think anything else really needs to be said about this. He lives in mineshafts, and makes the space big enough for the spiders to live. Once he finds a way out, he is confused and scared in a way. He can tone down his farelness just slightly, but mix being alone with an already impulsive person, you get a hell-hound for a spider person.

#henry stickmin au #thrown in au #dusty #cloudface #jaques kensington #randy radman #reynaldo the brute #billy g #sir wilford iv #terrence suave

[iliveinnarniaandstudyathogwarts]

have you watched anything else from the hp and narnia cast? Or just Harry Potter and narnia?

I have watched some things but not that much tbh. I like to support them but also I watch things if I believe it’s something I’d enjoy

I’ve watched several of things from Emma, I still love ballet shoes.the perks of being a wallflower is one of my favorite movies

From daniel I’ve watched “my boy jack” because it suddenly came on tv in night. And December boys which is also a movie I absolutely love! I really wanna watch “horns” and “Frankenstein” as well. Also I’m gonna watch “the lost city” it looks hilarious

I haven’t watched any other movies from Rupert, I haven’t really seen anything I believe I’d like

I haven’t watched anything from William Anna or skander. I’m still considering trying rain but it think it ends kinda weird?

With Georgie I’ve watched “perfect sisters” “Jane eyre” “tide” some of the Spanish princess I wish I could watch “sisterhood of night” and “access all areas” they both look so good and interesting!! I also watched her live show of tarantula which was so good!

All in all the ones I watch the most from is Emma and Georgie, because they make the most things I’m interested in.

#ask #this answer ended up being way to long #i could just have wrote yes

[rupelover]

I'd say this premiere in London was ICONIC. It was raining like mad, but they still walked the red carpet for their fans. Besides, wet hair looked incredibly good on Rupert Grint. (July 7, 2009 - Half-Blood Prince premiere.)

#Rupert Grint #Rainy #Daniel Radcliffe #Emma Watson #Golden trio #Soaked #Rain #The rain dance #Rupert really enjoyed the rain #Rupert Grint 2009 #Halfblood Prince premiere #Harry Potter #Premiere #Rgrintedit

[marvelfansince08love]

Hey Neighbour! - Part 5

Word count: 2.5k

Pairing: Ally Mayfair-Richards x Reader 

Warning: Flirting with a huge side order of fluff 

A/N: Enjoy loves! I don’t know how well this chapter is but I hope you like it x

Tags: @waitingfortheendtocome @natasha-danvers @creepingwolfberry @coconutlipss @saucy-sapphic @minavenable @pearplate @r0an0ke @mssallymckenna @grilledcheeseandguavajelly @venablemayfairgoode @veteranwerewolf95 @chewbacca0805 @pluied-ete @supremeinlilac @nyx-aira @witchxaf @black--widxw @fireflyglass @cordeliafoxxe @d14n4ol @bluevelvetbitxh @amethyst-bitch 

 Not my gif! 

Part 5 

Pulling up outside of Ally’s driveway you try to keep up with Ally’s rapid steps as she frantically opens her front door making a beeline to an upset Oz and a distraught Lily who seems to have tried her hardest to console the boy. You frown sympathetically knowing that at the end of it all only his mothers comfort will soothe his nightmares. 

“Oz! Are you okay baby?” Ally asks frantically, moving to crouch next to the boy cupping his full cheeks as she attempts to wipe away his tears. His low mumbles are too quiet from your position in the doorway but from the knowing look that passes through those mature brown eyes, you know this is a recurring nightmare. Ally quietly dismisses Lily thanking her for her efforts with a small squeeze to her shoulder as she rubs Oz’s back as one more attempt to comfort him but his attention is solely glued to his mother as he cuddles in close to her, his face tucked securely between her shoulder and neck. Leaving the two alone you move to walk Lily back to her car, allowing the mother and son a private moment. 

“I’m so sorry I ruined your date this evening with Ally,” Lily murmurs, guilt evident within her voice. You shake your head dismissing her apology with a wave of your head. 

“You didn’t ruin anything, Lily. Oz is the main priority here I would expect the same if Amelia had a nightmare and I wasn’t there.” you reassure, feeling grateful that when Amelia has nightmares it’s few and far between. Lily remains quiet for a moment as you go to open her car door for her. Her eyes find yours for a moment as she calculates her next words.

“It’s nice to see her so comfortable around someone again,” she pauses for a moment as she tries to find the right words. “You all seem to fit well together, you're good for each other. I hope you guys get another chance to go out again and I promise not to cut it short this time,” she murmurs sheepishly, a gentle smile appearing on her lips. You fluster over her words, your lips fighting the urge to smile wide at her observation. For someone so young she definitely doesn’t miss a trick. 

“Does that mean you’re offering to look after Amelia as well? Because I gotta admit her current babysitter's a bit of a dismal,” you joke, looking around as if your brother could hear you. Lily laughs no longer feeling awful about the situation. 

“I’ve seen them two together, I think I’d need double the pay and counselling after that ordeal” she jokes back, before her eyes widen as she realises her words. “Not that Amelia is a bad kid I-” you stop her from her ramblings as you laugh patting her shoulder in reassurance. 

“I know Lily, you get yourself home now and drive safe okay. Text Ally once you’re home I know she worries,” you insist. Lily nods her cheeks blushing red as she hurries inside her vehicle, waving sheepishly at you as she sets off. 

You make your way back into the house amused at the shy babysitter before suddenly feeling awkward as you watch Ally rock Oz in her lap whispering soothing words to the boy who smiles and laughs at his mothers attempts to make him smile. You can’t help the small smile that graces onto your lips watching the private moment, you suddenly realise that you may be trespassing on the intimate moment which makes your shuffle on the spot debating on letting your presence be known by the two or allow them a few more moments. Your decision is made as Oz’s eyes find yours from across the room, he grins sheepishly at you from his mothers shoulder. 

“Hi Y/N,” he mumbles tiredly. His greeting makes his mother turn to face you as well, identical brown eyes taking in your form you can see the apologetic gaze from your position by the doorway. You smile widely at the young boy before winking subtly at his mother a silent reassurance passes between you both at the gesture as Ally seems to relax. You move to crouch in front of the boy by the sofa holding your fist out for him to bump which he does happily. 

“Hey, bud. You had a nightmare huh? That must have been scary,” you sympathise with him, watching him nod in agreement at your words shivering slightly as he recalls his terrors.

“Super scary,” you nod, understanding the small boy’s fears. After everything he went through a few years ago with his other mother and the cult that terrorised his family, the poor boy is bound to be imbedded with nightmares. 

“You know what I tell Amelia when she has a nightmare,” he nods silently waiting for you to continue. “I tell her to imagine me next to her holding her hand because as long as I’m there with her no one will ever hurt her,” you pause as your gaze meets Ally’s. “Just like with your mommy, she would never let anything harm you because you’re her baby and she loves you very much and love is the most powerful thing, it can conquer any nasty monsters in our dreams,” you explain watching his innocent eyes sparkle at your words. 

“Mommy always looks out for me!” he exclaims, the remaining essence of his nightmare no longer in his mind. Ally cups the side of his head and holds him close, her glossy eyes stare right back into your own. A look of gratefulness passes across her beautiful brown eyes as she mouths her thanks. You nod once, smiling at the brunette as you go to stand brushing your fingers through his thick blonde locks in comfort before subtly moving your hand to tuck Ally’s brown strands behind her ear, her eyes flutter briefly at your light touch feeling her press slightly against the palm of your hand briefly. 

“I’ll see myself out, thank you for a wonderful evening,” you whisper, your eyes meeting Ally’s as she debates with herself. 

“Let me walk you across at least,” she fights, looking down briefly at the half sleeping boy in her arms. Squeezing her shoulder gently you reassure her that you can make it across your lawn without any trouble and to get her tired boy to bed. Ally stubbornly stands adjusting a now sleeping Oz in her arms as she stands close to you, her side that is not holding Oz leans close to your side as her lips graze softly against your warm cheek. 

“Good night, Y/N. Rain check?” her voice hopefully, as her raspy voice becomes deeper the night's events finally catching up with her. Your lips hover close by her ear.

“Oh most definitely, Senator.” you husk, watching her gape at your braveness with Oz so close. You can see the mischievous glint in her eyes but she remains silent, her lips quirking in anticipation. Stepping from within her space you move for the front door, smiling widely at your neighbour taking in her form and her son who rests close against her chest and shoulder. 

“Sweet dreams you two,” you mutter, winking once before heading out into the dark outside leaving the small family to rest for the night. Excitement bubbles through you as you count down the minutes to see her again. 

***

You woke up to the smell of fresh pancakes and burnt bacon, startling awake as you come around from your dreamy haze. Racing down the stairs you sigh in relief as you take in your brother and daughter plating up breakfast, you had thought your brother left not long ago assuming how much work had picked up for him in the last few months. 

“I thought you were out early today?” you ask, rubbing the sleep from your eye as you move to greet your daughter who sits nicely at the kitchen counter waiting patiently for the sugary goodness. 

“Hey baby.” you mutter into her hair, as you take a seat next to her. Rupert places a freshly brewed coffee in front of you making you smile gratefully for his thoughtfulness. Your smile turns into a scowl as you watch him grin mischievously. 

“What and miss out on the details of your evening?” he teases, quickly diverting from your hand that swings for his bicep. He chuckles as he brings over the plates handing Amelia her orange juice. You fluster at his pinning gaze, knowing that with Amelia here you have to be careful on what you reveal. 

“It was nice actually, really nice.” you murmur before taking a sip of your morning coffee. He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively above Amelia’s head making you scowl at his immaturity. 

“I bet,” 

“Not like that you idiot, we made cookies at her restaurant,” you elaborate, as Amelia’s gaze shoots towards you, a pout in place. 

“I wanna make cookies at Ally’s shop!” she whines, sulking slightly as she munches on her pancakes. 

“Well maybe you and Oz can come next time and we can all make cookies,” you suggest, knowing how much she enjoys being in the Mayfair-Richards company. Her eyes sparkle at the idea as she grins rambling on about the different types of cookies you could make. Your brother grins from beside her before whipping his hand forward in a ‘whipped’ motion, the movement startles Amelia next to him who tries to copy him by making the whipping sound. 

“That’s right Amelia-cakes, your mom is whipped.” he jokes further as your daughter laughs nodding in agreement with his words without fully understanding them. A knocking sound from the front door startles you all from your moment, as you frown in confusion, certainly not expecting anyone this early. 

Standing you make your way to the front door, glancing through the peephole to see blurry blonde hair. Smiling you open the door and come face to face with the young boy from next door who you have grown fond of. Oz stands wrapped up warm in his coat and beanie hat that looks similar to Amelia’s, as he grins softly and waves. 

“Good morning Oz, does your mom know you’re here?” you ask, leaning against the doorframe as you glance over towards their driveway searching for the familiar brunette. You finally spot her by her car carrying two brown bags up the driveway, she must sense eyes on her as she turns slightly meeting your gaze. Her lips twitch into a small smile as she attempts to wave, she holds out a finger gesturing for you to wait a moment while she settles the bags down by the doorstep before making her way over. Your eyes widen briefly as you remember your attire, folding your arms across your slightly exposed chest, brown eyes trail up your form taking in the thin piece of material noticing the small dip by your chest. You clear your throat startling her intense gazing. 

“Good morning Ally,” you voice lower than you expected as you shuffle in place. Her lips twitch as her brown eyes sparkle.

“Good morning indeed,” she murmurs, biting her bottom lip briefly. Your eyes lock with hers for a moment as that familiar tension between you manifests, like metal to magnets you’re drawn to each other's space and presence. 

“Ozzy!!” Amelia’s voice screeches from behind you, making you cringe at the loud volume. Ally laughs in understanding as her gaze finally leaves your own and zones in on a running Amelia. Oz beams at her as she rushes forward hugging her best friend, she pulls back and pats his head inspecting the new piece of clothing. 

“Your hat is like mine!” she exclaims, as Oz grins sheepishly his pale cheeks blushing. 

“Your beanie is really cool, so I asked my mommy if I could have one as cool as yours,” he explains, as Ally smiles fondly down at the two. At the mention of the brunette, Amelia turns her gaze to your neighbour and launches forward wrapping her arms around her legs as Ally chuckles in surprise before bending down to greet her properly. 

“Well what a lovely way to be greeted in the morning,” she comments, brushing the few stray pieces of hair out of Amelia’s face. 

“Can we bake cookies at your shop!” Amelia asks, her eyes growing big and round as she pouts at the poor woman who seems to be struggling under her endearing expression. That face has been known to get away with anything. 

“Of course you can sweetheart! How about next weekend?” Ally suggests, her eyes seeking out yours for permission. You happily nod along, excited at the idea of spending more time with the brunette. Amelia cheers holding onto Oz’s hand as she pulls him deeper into the house to go and tell her uncle and to introduce her new friend to him. Ally goes to protest but the two disappear out of sight before she can breathe a word, leaving you alone together at the front door. Her dark eyes admire your form slowly, taking in every curve and exposed skin. 

“I’ve never met someone who looks this good after just waking up,” she murmurs, her eyes never drifting from your body. You fluster at her words, biting your bottom lip feeling shy by her gushing compliment and intense gaze. You decide now isn’t the best time to continue with this back and forth flirting in case prying ears were nearby and you don’t just mean the children. 

“Would you like to come in? I was just thinking about taking Amelia to the park if you wanted to join us?” you offer, hoping she would say yes but the small frown that appears onto her dark brows vanquishes any hope you had for spending more time with the brunette today. 

“That sounds wonderful but I have a campaign meeting in about an hour and with the election in less than two weeks-”

“Oh god yeah, honestly don’t worry about it maybe next time?” you suggest hopefully, Ally nods and promises next weekend you can do something together and with the kids. You continue to talk briefly at the door realising the meeting is being held at Ally’s house, you offer to look after Oz for the day while she attends to her campaign meetings. Ally shakes her head insisting that Oz would be okay and can entertain himself while she works but you insist that since Amelia doesn’t seem to be letting go of her new friend anytime soon, you were sure they’d appreciate the run around at the park. 

“Are you sure? Honestly, I’m fine with keeping Oz at home with me. I don’t want to disrupt your day with Amelia,” you lace your fingers through hers to stop her from her ramblings.

“Ally, it’s okay I would love to take Oz out with us. Besides it takes a bit of stress off your shoulders for a few hours,” you reassure, squeezing her hand. Her bright smile makes you melt on the spot feeling your chest flutter at the sight. 

“You’re too good to me,” she whispers, brushing your cheek with the tip of her finger, her eyes full of gratitude and fondness. You shrug feeling sheepish at her physical gesture of thanks muttering a ‘no problem’. 

“Would you like to come in for a moment? I think they’re in the backyard,” you assume, sharing a small smile with Ally as you refer to the two best friends. She nods brushing herself past you, making sure her chest brushes briefly against your own, your eyes flutter for a moment enjoying the way your body reacts to hers. That exciting spark that radiates throughout your body whenever you’re near her it both excites and terrifies you. 

You follow close behind her as you enter your kitchen area, you relax when you notice the empty area catching glimpses of your brother outside with Amelia and Oz keeping them entertained. 

“You have a beautiful home, Y/N.” Ally comments, her eyes taking in the newly installed kitchen counter and sink. You smile as you thank her, feeling proud of your new home, Ally moves towards the backdoors watching the two run around after your brother. Ally smiles fondly as she takes in Amelia’s pyjamas under her coat and wellingtons enjoying how carefree the two are whenever they’re around one another. You stand next to her for a moment enjoying the same view in front of you. 

“I should call them back in, Amelia’s gonna end up with muddy pyjamas and she’ll only be upset for ruining her favourite set.” you explain, muttering to yourself. Ally chuckles quietly next to you. 

“Probably for the best,” she says, laughing as they both managed to finally tackle your brother to the ground. You can faintly hear him call for help, as his eyes find you both by the backdoor. 

“Please come and get your children, they are both menaces,” he complains, grunting as Amelia accidently knees him in his stomach trying to get back onto her feet. You shake your head at their antics before stepping forward and begrudgingly helping your brother. 

“Come on you two, leave him alone. You guys are far too strong for him,” you tease, reaching a hand out for Amelia to take. Oz runs to your side, laughing at your brother's offended expression. 

Ally places her hands on top of Oz’s shoulders as he enters back through the house, you following not far behind. 

“Oz, how do you feel about spending the day with Amelia and Y/N?” she asks him. His eyes widen in excitement as he nods. 

“Yes! What are we doing Y/N?” he wonders, Amelia steps up next to him and explains your plans of playing at the park and picking some ice cream on the way back. 

“Aw man, I’m missing out on Ice cream?!” Rupert exclaims, pouting at his niece and her new friend. She pats his back in some form of comfort. 

“It’s okay Uncle Rupie, I’ll save you some for next time!” she promises, before coming distracted with talks of favourite slides and swings with Oz. Your brother eyes Ally who stands close to you as she watches the two move towards the living room. 

“So you must be Ally, I’m Matt this one’s handsome brother,” he charms, grinning from ear to ear. Ally smiles amused at his charming ways, but her eyes fall onto you.

“He’s a real charmer huh?” her question directing towards you, as you grin playing along with her teasing mannerisms.

“Oh yeah a real stud, also your name isn’t Matt jackass,” you joke back, as his eyes glare at your smug form. 

“Your name isn’t Matt silly! It’s Uncle Rupie!” Amelia exclaims, entering back into the kitchen with Oz in toe. Your grin widens further as your brother flusters. 

“Oh yeah I forgot, Matt is your name when you’re trying to hit on the ladies,” you joke further, as Ally’s eyes sparkle with amusement. He puffs out his chest in defence before deflating.

“Rupert doesn’t work well with the ladies okay? Matt does. Rupert is an old man’s name,” he explains, as you all laugh at his sad expression. You move forward and pat his cheek mockingly. 

“I don’t think either works well with them, brother.” You smile innocently, as you move to make Amelia and Oz a drink. Ally’s lip twitches in amusement as she watches you move around the kitchen but startles out of her daydreaming remembering what she needs to do before the meeting starts.

“I better get going then!” she announces, turning her attention onto Oz as she crouches down to hug him goodbye. “Be good okay, I’ll see later on.” she promises, kissing his forehead and standing. Ally smiles at your brother and holds out her hand for him to shake which he takes happily. 

“It was nice meeting you… Matt,” his cheeks flush at her teasing tone as you laugh at his embarrassment. Rupert glares at you before turning his attention onto his niece leaving you with a free moment to walk Ally over to the front door. She turns to face you by the door and lightly kisses your cheek. 

“Thank you for doing this,” her voice full of warmth and gratitude. Your lips twitch fighting back a wide smile. 

“Of course, I’ll see you later on.” you whisper back, her lips an inch from your own. The silent urge to kiss her lips again burns strong within you but you resist knowing a rude interruption is possible. A knowing look passes between you both as Ally steps back and smiles once more before rushing back across to her porch to collect her grocery bags by the doorstep and with a final wave in her direction you head back inside to change for the day. 

She’s going to be the death of me. 

***

The day passed by fast with both children slowly starting to tire out after a fun filled day in the fresh air, stomachs full with hot delicious food and yummy cold treats. Now back at your house as the bright day slowly fades into night, you look around the new makeshift living room taking in the twinkling fairy lights that dangle around the made up Teepee giving the room a bright orange glow, pillows stacked all around with thick duvet covers spread out inside the Teepee. You stand holding the bowl of popcorn by the living room doorway watching as the two lie on their stomachs chattering away, laughing at the silly yellow creatures on the TV. 

“I got popcorn!” you announce to the room, both heads turn quick in your direction at the mention of popcorn wide smiles spreading across their youthful cheeks. Moving forward you flop in between the two placing the bowl in front of you allowing them both to grab a handful. The movie continues with the three girls finally finding their home with their new father and his yellow minions, you watch as Amelia’s eyes flutter as her chin resting heavily in the palm of her hand, Oz following close behind. 

“Alright you two, I think it might be best if we walk Oz back home now,” you mutter, looking over to the clock on the far wall you frown as you take in the time, realising that it’s getting late and still no word from Ally. 

‘She must be really busy with this campaign’ you wonder to yourself, moving to get rid of all the empty bowls of sugary goodness hearing the collective groans and moans from two very tired children. You shake your head at their protest continuing into the kitchen, you look across through your window in hopes to catch a glimpse of her in her own kitchen and frown when you notice the lights off and the house in darkness. A loud knock startles you from your curiosity as you head quickly over to the door and open it wide. Ally stands slightly out of breath, her eyes apologetic as they meet yours. 

“I am so sorry, everything got really hectic so fast and we were missing a few locations from the campaign tour and i-” you hands on her shoulders makes her pause as you smile at her chuckling softly. 

“Ally it’s okay, we’ve had a great day today!” you reassure, watching a small pout play on her lips.

“I wish I had a fun day with you,” she grumbles slightly, making you laugh fondly at her. Your hands move from her shoulder to cup her cheeks briefly rubbing your thumb along her cheekbones. 

“Next time, Senator.” you vow, before ushering her into the house. Her brown eyes widen as she takes in your neat little set up in the living room. 

“Wow you guys have been busy today,” she says impressed by your hard creative work, a hint of sadness evident in her voice. You lean against the doorframe watching as she crouches down to see into the teepee as the small whispers of young voices escape the tent. 

“Mommy!!” Oz exclaims, launching forward into his mothers arm who manages to hold his weight against her even in those heels. She laughs as she rubs his back pulling back to move his shaggy hair from his face. 

“I love the little set up you guys have here,” she compliments, as your daughter's head pops out of the teepee. 

“Come join us Miss. Ally, I have a star nightlight and fairy lights!” Amelia informs her with enthusiasm. Ally smiles fondly at her and cups her cheek briefly. 

“Sounds wonderful, sweetheart.” she mutters, warmth evident in her tired voice. The two entice the brunette into the tent as she tries to protest. Her gaze searching yours for help, you laugh and merely shrug your shoulders. 

“If I had to get in there, it’s only fair that you do too.” you chuckle at her glaring expression but you can see the bright glint in her eyes. She removes her heels as crawls into the teepee giving you a nice view of her behind for a moment before she disappears completely into the makeshift tent. Amelia’s head pops out again as she looks at you with a confused expression, tilting her head slightly.

“And you mommy, come on come on,” she rushes, waving you over. You sigh and begrudgingly crouch and crawl inside the teepee. The extra body doesn’t leave much room for you all to sit around which forces you to lie down onto your back next to Ally, Oz on her other side with Amelia on your other. You and Ally remain silent for a moment as the other two tell Ally about their day in hushed voices, you both grin at their words and storytelling while watching the twinkling lights above. You tense for a moment when you feel a hand brush against your fingers that rest at your side, brown eyes rest upon your face with a small smile in place making you match her expression. 

“Mommy’s good at making days special,” Amelia informs Ally from your other side, as she snuggles into you. Ally raises an eyebrow and answers your daughter, her gaze still locked with your own. 

“Yeah, she’s amazing Amelia-cakes,” her voice no more than a whisper, your head turns towards hers at her words making you flush. A moment of silence settles across you all, but Ally’s eyes say plenty of words that are left unspoken making your heart flutter and burst as you both come to the realisation. 

‘I’m falling for this woman’ 

Ally lays her head against your shoulder, as you all bask in the quietness of the room watching the twinkling lights scatter across the inside of the teepee. Your eyelids begin to flutter as you fight to stay awake and bask a little more in this close embrace but sleep starts to win as you succumb to the darkness. 

***

The different weights that lie against your chest startles you awake from your peaceful slumber as your blurry eyes take in the different coloured hair on either side of your chest, a small foot sticks up across Ally’s hip as you blink a few times regaining senses. The small shift stirs Ally awake as she moves her head from your chest, your hand still resting a top of hers that lays against your stomach. 

“Good Morning’,” you whisper, feeling a small smile play against your lips. Her eyes lift to meet your gaze as she greets your good morning with a breath-taking smile. 

“Yes, definitely a good morning,” she whispers back, reluctantly removing herself from your chest to help settle Oz next to her who seems to have slept in an eagle position, his knee digging into her side. You focus your attention onto your daughter who seems to still be in a deep sleep brushing the hair from her face. You settle her onto the pillow allowing her to sleep further as the sun starts to stream into the room. 

You both crawl out of the teepee without disturbing the two, tip toeing your way out of the room and into the kitchen. You laugh quietly as you take in Ally’s attire, still dressed in her formal senator wear that’s now crinkled from sleeping in it. 

“Nice outfit,” you tease, grabbing the coffee mugs from the cupboard to make you both a fresh cup. She glares playfully at you as she makes her way over to you, with your back now turned as you concentrate on making the fresh beverage the weight of her front against your back startles you slightly as her warm breath hits against your neck. 

“It would look better on your kitchen floor,” her sultry voice vibrates against your skin as her teeth nip briefly at your earlobe making you suppress a moan. 

“Ally I-” 

“Mom!” The distant sound of Oz’s voice startles you both from your heated moment as you both sigh in disappointment. Ally looks at you for a moment before squeezing your hand. 

“Maybe next time yeah?” her teasing voice, leaving a low heat in your navel as you nod mutely. Ally saunters away making sure your gaze is on the sway of her hips as she leaves to see to her son in the other room. 

Well fuck. 

#ally mayfair richards x reader #ally mayfair richards #sarah paulson #sarah paulson x reader #ahs cult #Hey Neighbour! series #ally mayfair x reader

[themadauthorshatter]

Henry Stickmin Headcanons Part 2, to "celebrate" the finale of the Toppat!Charles AU(Press F to pay respects). I'll be going in and oit of the AU as well, but that will be seperate from the other headcanons

In Triple Threat, and in order, the tallest is Ellie, standing at 5'9" and Henry is the shortest at 5'4". Charles sits comfortably between them at 5'7". Neither use their powers for evil, even though it's tempting to literally something over his head sometimes.

Each member of Triple Threat has their reactions toward horror in general.

Charles is pretty unfazed by games like FNAF or anything with heavy jumpscares. He will not watch a movie with bad jumpscares(jumpscares used poorly.) He was a baby watching Sinister, The VVitch, and Lighthouse.

Ellie gets scared by just about anything, but breaks whenever she sees evil clowns specifically.

Nothing really scares Henry. Or at least he tells himself that. He's less open by getting scared, but don't tell Ellie or Charles.

Ellie and Heney, because they were in a mischief mood, tried scaring Charles. He punched Henry in the face on accident.

Charles sings really well, but only when he thinks there's no one around.

Ellie is the smartest of the trio. That doesn't mean Charles and Henry are idiots, even though they've done things that have warranted them a spot in the dumbass hall of fame.

When Rupert first joined, he'd literally never been more annoyed than when he met Charles, who, in his opinion, talked too much and didn't take anything seriously. It didn't really help that Galeforce always partnered the two, as to keep Charles safe on the ground when he couldn't directly see him. Rupert was mad at the fact he'd gone through a lot of training and was promoted to government babysitter, and it boiled out of him when Charles asked if he was okay. Rupert snapped at him, shouting at the pilot to just shut up for five minutes and actually do his part in missions, which was have Rupert's back or keep him informed of anything around them. He also yelled that Charles is incompetent and shouldn't even be in the military, as all he does is talk. He had brought this up with Galeforce, when the two got back and Charles excused himself to allow Rupert to give the report on their mission, but got a very proper scolding. He apologized to Charles when the YOUNGEST PILOT EVER got them both out of a sticky situation using some incredibly evasive maneuvers that Rupert was sure would get them killed.

After the deaths and funeral of Mr. And Mrs. Calvin, Galeforce adopted Charles, something that was in the couple's will. Charles did not talk to him for a long time, not until a rainy day that prevented any work that needed to be done. Galeforce noticed Charles sitting near either a patio door or by a window staring up at the clouds. He carefully sat next to him and admitted that he missed Charles's parents, too, saying they were very good friends of his and were always good to turn to for a smile or just to take a breather. He couldn't imagine how Charles felt, but he still missed them and was sorry all the same. That's when Galeforce noticed a card Charles was holding to his chest; a birthday card, one that read, "Charlie, if you're reading this, know that your father and I love you very much. No matter what, always remember that. We couldn't have asked for a better son, one as silly, smart, and ambitious as you. We will always love you. I'm sorry. Love, Mom," from Charles's mother and, "Hey, hawk. If you're reading this, it means something really bad happened to us both. Sorry we won't make it back for your birthday, more specifically that I broke my promise to you. You deserve to be happy, and I hope you can do that again someday. Charles, you can miss us, you can be sad, you can cry, it's more than okay to. I just hope one day you can smile and be happy again for us. I'm sorry. Your mother loves you, Charlie. I love you so much, son. Love, Dad," from Charles's father. There smugdes on some parts of the card, some old and some new, and it especially struck Galeforce that the two extremely sad messages shouldn't have been on a nine year old's birthday card. Galeforce apologized for not being Charles's parents, though told him that he'd try to be what they were, maybe more. He didn't talk, but Charles did huddle closer to his side and Galeforce put an arm around him as they continued watching the rain.

Do not challenge Charles to a foot race. He will outrun you.

Do not challenge Ellie to an arm wrestling match. She will always win.

Do not challenge Henry to an underwater how-long-can-I-hold-my-breathe challenge. You will most likely drown.

Triple Threat beat each other in their respective challenges/contests by cheating/sabotaging each other; Henry will try tackling Charles while Ellie will try to trip him, Charles will try kicking Ellie's chair to push it away while Henry teams up with him to try and push her arm down, and Ellie will throw little pool torpedoes at Henry, which is more passive than Charles shouting, "This is the greatest PLAAAAAAN!" and cannonballing in before wrestling Henry back above water.

Charles wakes up Ellie and Henry in various methods, since he's usually up first: He'll usually use an alarm, but sometimes, when he's really energetic, he bangs pots and pans together, gets a teakettle singing, uses and airhorn, and, the most extreme he's ever gone, taped a brown lunch bag to a leaf blower and brought a really bright light into both their rooms, rigging the devices to a light switch. With a snicker, he began to play that army/military wake up song on a trumpet with a megaphone taped to it and flipped the switch.

Both of them were ready to kill him.

Henry was initially left at an orphanage, but he was adopted at the age of seven. He was brought up well enough, until one of his parents started noticing that he was acting "weird," as in his 'ability' to see his choices and fails. This parent started ignoring him and told him to start acting normal or he'd be sent back to the orphanage. The other parent, the one that also noticed but didn't want to talk about it, still loved him, though started to get a little irritated when their partner left out of spite; "Either I go or the crazy brat goes." The other parent re-married and this new step-parent was nicer, but happened to wirk as a janitor for the CCC, and warned Henry to be careful with his 'powers' because the people the step-parent worked for weren't nice and would do bad things to him. The step-parent meant well, but Henry, having the memories of the parent that left fresh in his mind, took it as a threat to behave, which made him a very anxious kid. Anxious enough to become a kleptomaniac and pickpocket to relieve stress.

Ellie had the most normal life, having two parents and a brother, but turned to a life of thieving because the pressure of being a good person and her family's view of a black and white world drove her crazy.

You would have to be crazy to try and take on all three members of Triple Threat at once.

The trio sometimes share a room and bed, because of nightmares and they don't want to be alone.

Yeah. Triple Threat is basically a found family.

Ellie is the father and Henry and Charles are her two, wonderful, dumbass children, even though there are times the two take turns being the mother.

Now, ONTO SOME POST TOPPAT!CHARLES AU STUFF! This is kind of like an Epilogue, so buckle in.

Triple Threat gets two weeks off to fully recover. (Thank goodness)

They return to their apartment and go straight to bed, though they actually just camp out in the living room.

They still sleep like the dead; they wake up LATE the next day, at 4 in the afternoon.

Breakfast for dinner.

Even when they know they should go back to sleep around 10 pm, they stay up and watch movies. They let Charles pick, and he chooses a collection of Looney Tunes, Merry Melodies, and even the Looney Tunes Show.

Henry and Ellie notice him giggling whenever Daffy's on screen, and can't help but wonder why, though they don't ask when he also gets tears in his eyes. He explains later that he used to watch the old version of Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies with his parents and even Galeforce, sometimes, even though it was something that happened less frequently as Charles grew and became a more solid part of the military.

They stay up all night, taking turns watching movies, making small talk, and just enjoying each other's company.

Charles does have an episode when they're making lunch the next day when he accidentally drops a glass and has a flashback of Right killing the pilot of a destroyer sent to rescue him. It is a nerve wracking memory and it leads him to breaking down on the floor. Henry and Ellie do help him out of it, but he refuses to share what he saw with them. They don't push it and tell him to feel free to share whenever he's ready.

They keep an eye on him when he takes his ADD medicine, just to be safe.

They often go outside to do workouts, because they don't want to break anything in the apartment. Charles keeps up with them, and they simply enjoy the breeze and the outside when they're done.

Henry and Ellie do talk about what she told Henry back in Part 6, and she apologizes for not telling Henry sooner, also admitting that she was scared he would abandon her, if she told him. Needless to say, Henry's just glad the three of them are together.

Charles is welcomed back much more warmly when they return from their break.

First daybback and it's out of the frying pan and into the flame, because they have another group of thieves to deal with, smaller than the Toppat Clan, but still noticable: a biker gang that's here to steal stuff by any means necessary and be an insane headache for police and people on the road.

They don't know much now, but they will when the gang is followed in the air.

Galeforce offers Charles to fly and get some possible intell, though says that if he isn't comfortable with it he can back out.

Charles agrees, and says with an excited, nervous smile that he's missed being in the air.

Galeforce makes sure Henry and Ellie keep an eye on him, which they promise to do, before everyone sets out, Charles taking a seat in his fixed up helicopter with Henry and Ellie behind him.

With a deep breath, they head out, ready to do some government recon, which they're successful in.

At The Wall, Dmitri is grumbly and still a little pissed at how Henry got away AGAIN, but has to admit it's good to not have to worry about the Toppat Clan anymore, most of whom being in maximum security cells.

Right is bored as hell, but is glad that his cellmate is Reginald; Right's missing his cybernetic arm from the elbow down, his legs have been downgraded to be normal legs, and he is no longer OP.

Reg apologizes for letting this happen to the clan, but Right assures him it's not his fault, self deprecatingly admitting that he may have been stupid for MAYBE crossing the line. Reg can't help but softly chide him for it.

Right promises that they'll get out, though Reginald only snuggles into him more, saying it can happen in good time, but right now he just wants to be close to Right a little longer.

The CCC hasn't gotten a single major chaos reading since the orbital station was destroyed and the clan was arrested. Bill Bullet chuckles a simple, "Not bad, kid," as he leaves his readers to their work.

Terrence is kicking back in his new room, lying in a bed as he reads a book. He's enjoyed having regular, warm showers, access to a razor to shave, and, mostly, a sky that didn't have the orbital station in it; it leaves a bad taste in his mouth that Reginald actually outdid him, sending the clan in space for a short time.

He chuckles at the fact that Henry would've been a damned good leader, mostly because he could see overthrowing HIM to be easy. "Too bad he joined the government instead," Terrence sighs with a shrug before he burts into laughter, mad, hysterical laughter. It really would've been fun to see Henry as the leader of the Toppat Clan.😉

Back with Triple Threat, after their mission as they sit on a hill that would've held Charles grave, if this was Valiant Hero. They're quiet, enjoying the sunset and the sound of the waves below, not ready to go home yet.

Even though they're all quiet, Charles tips his head back and takes a deep breath, taking in the sun, the air, everything, before returning his gaze to the sunset.

"Man," he breathes, "I've... really missed this."

Ellie replies that she has as well, Henry nodding in agreement.

They all watch the remainder of the sunset, though, quite nicely, all three are holding each other's hands and smiling to themselves

#henry stickmin #completing the mission au #completing the mission #charles calvin #headcanons #ellie rose #stickvin #copperright #sad stuff #death of a parent tw #not nice parent tw #implied poor self medication tw #ptsd tw #fluff #angst

[rumir-has-it]

What would a vacation be like for rupert and Amir ? (Also I love ur head cannons so much ur fantastic)

Ok first of all, I’m sorry this took so long

Second of all, thank you!! I really enjoy making them!

Third of all, this kinda turned into a part two to my Honeymoon post

Once Rupert and Amir have the new kingdom up and running, they send groups of knights out to explore in the hopes of finding other kingdoms and expanding their maps

One day, the knights find a secluded beach and report it back to the kings as usual

The kingdom is settled, there are no major issues to be resolved, and it’s coming up on the Kings’ 5th wedding anniversary

So instead of their usual one night trip to the cabin by the waterfall, they decide to take a week long vacation to this beach

They leave their mothers in charge, knowing they’re capable of handling everything, and set off with a group of knights

(They take a group this time because now they are more well known as Kings, and because this is uncharted territory)

They arrive and the knights set up camp on the cliff while the Kings venture down to the beach

For the first few days, it’s just Rupert and Amir, relaxing, exploring, swimming in the sea, while the knights keep watch from above

They bring a tent for shade and shelter but most nights they sleep under the stars, wrapped up in each other’s warmth

One day, one of the knights who comes from a coastal town, comes down and shows the boys how to make sandcastles

This then turns into a competition for who can make the best

(Rupert wins)

Then, to make it more fun, they get all the knights involved as well

They keep building sandcastles until there’s a whole little city

And that’s the point where it starts raining heavily

Rupert remembers a cave they found while they were exploring, so they grab some food and other things from their tent and head down to the cave

A couple of knights follow, to make sure they’re safe, then stand guard outside

Amir, Turing around to see the knights in the downpour, decides to invite them in

In fact, he urges them to signal to the other knights, because he realises he enjoys their company and they don’t deserve to sleep in a tent in the pouring rain

So all the knights joint the boys in the cave, they start up a fire, and start telling stories

They all talk well into the night, not even noticing when the rain stops

Later, when Amir and Rupert are settling down to sleep, they agree that they need to make more of an effort to get to know the staff and knights in the castle

The next day, they pack up camp and head home, chatting to the knights on the journey

After that, they make time each week to spend time with different groups of people, and even take some of them on trips

#this kinda moved away from rumir a bit #but i like the idea that they’re really good kings #which means good relationships with their people #and it’s adorable anyway #the two princes podcast #the two princes #rupert #amir #rumir #prince rupert #prince amir #ttpp headcanons

[purgatoryandme]

Hey! I can't seem to find the post you made with all the books references in Illuminate Me and the reason behind it? Is it deleted?

I know that there is an incomplete one floating around in my reply tag, and it should be in the Illuminate Me tag, but tumblr’s search features are so bad that I went back to the original word doc of the complete list, so prepare for that particular storm lol.  Quoted/Referenced Reading List (In Order of Appearance) Shakespeare: Macbeth I opened on a Macbeth quote (‘When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lighting, or in rain’) because I wanted to start with something immediately relatable. Most readers were introduced to more ‘dramatic’ plays through Macbeth. Beyond that, they were introduced to the concept of pathetic fallacy, which I think plays nicely with Tony as a character (a man who is CONSTANTLY imparting emotion onto inanimate objects…and then actually giving them their own emotions) and with one of the core problems in IM, which is deciding the emotions of others for them. I was hoping to get the ‘feel’ of that without having to lean too far into the actual concept. 

Bonus: I picked this quote in particular because of the importance of threes in Tony’s life (his core group of friends, iterations of the reactor, number of times reborn, his bot children VS his AI children, the number of lovers or almost lovers he has in the fic, etc). Milton: Paradise Lost ‘What is dark within me, illuminate!’ is a modernization of the original Milton quote ‘what is dark within me, illumine’ for readability. I actually feel a bit bad about changing this considering how many people think this is the original quote now. This wound up being a central (and title) quote somewhat by accident. I’m fond of it because of how much I liked a different one that I had originally wanted for Tony’s thoughts of the reactor: ‘yet from those flames, no light, but rather darkness visible’. I had originally wanted to start off on a sadder note, one that showed how much Tony hated losing his humanity, and so the flames of Hell and their physics-bending concept seemed thematically appropriate. I had always intended to eventually invert the imagery – instead of Extremis being (to Tony) flames capable of extinguishing light, the reactor would become a water-like blue light that couldn’t be choked or recreated by any of the shadows that pursued Tony in his life. I picked Milton SPECIFICALLY for the imagery of light and shadows. 

But, man, listen. Darkness visible is a great concept, but it’s also tired. It has, as you’ve noted, been discussed to death. So as I was reading ‘Milton’s darkness visible and Aeneid 7’ to refamiliarize myself with some of the broader themes attached to that particular piece of imagery, I wound up thinking about how to invert the darkness itself instead of the overall concept. The flames of Hell extinguish light instead of having to exist away from it. It is a bad that cannot be penetrated by good. 

Instead of chasing away shadows, which would be implied by shining a light ON them, the request Tony makes here is to actually invert the darkness - to have it illuminate in and of itself. It’s becoming something better instead of being removed or forgotten. On the flip side of that, the darkness within isn’t growing as light weakens, but rather under its own force. Two forces equal in nature and origin in a person. It’s a different take on lighting than the one most critics hammer home. Long ramble is long, but this was the basis for using that quote. It grew from there to have many different meanings, however the core has always remained. All in all I’m pleased with it.

EM Forster: A Room with a View Very forgiving even in its satirical takes on human nature. A lot of passages are very therapy-quotable in their urging to accept the inevitability of causing some harm in life. It plays on a lot of the same concepts with light being obvious metaphor for good and evil that Paradise Lost does, but softens them into more realistic shades of human existence. Isaac Asimov: Foundation Continuing on with themes of rigid morality vs the flexibility and romanticism of humanity, we have Asimov, master of machines and the three rules of robotics! There are lots of quotable epigrams in this beast. The quote pulled from this has two readings depending on what you assume of the man who has said it. If you see him as manipulative, there’s an insidious underpinning of killing off your own morals. If you see him as a kind man, then you could read it as foregoing morals in place of empathy. Tony’s therapist loves a very specific brand of double speak that lets Tony work through the conversation purely through interpretation. Tolstoy: Anna Karenina Tolstoy’s prose is lengthy...so so lengthy, but Anna Karenina is worth the read as long as you relate to at least one of its major characters. Frankly, I think you can choose to read a single character’s plot arc and leave it at that. It’s mostly a novel that is interesting, not because of its plot, but because of its study of relationship dynamics. Tolstoy was really invested in picking apart the idea of what makes a ‘family’ and, beyond that, what makes a class. It’s refreshing to see so much of the critique occurring within the lived experience of the characters instead of through a narrator or outside punishing moral forces. Baudelaire: Windows and Benediction I cannot recommend enough reading multiple translations of Baudelaire poems (fleursdumal.org has a wonderful array available). Benediction is a personal favourite. I love me some malevolence wrapped up in religion. Dante: The Divine Comedy There’s a lot of bleak humor in Dante if you look for it. Several interpretations insist of making each piece excessively grim dark, but faithful translations tend to have a hint of humor in them. It works well for engraving War Machine’s spine - a benediction and a mockery of human limitations. I try to pick quotes that not only fit the scene, but would still fit into the context of the grander themes from whence they came...unless I hate the author. Tennyson: The Lady of Shallot “I am sick of shadows” vs “I am half-sick of shadows”. Tony’s expressing more frustration here with being alone and his passive involvement in that loneliness. Another quote I feel vaguely bad about changing, haha. The Lady of Shallot is a very nice classical piece that I’m sad isn’t taught in schools alongside Hamlet. There are some nice Ophelia parallels here. I wanted a feminine influence on Tony’s loneliness and one that is somewhat youthful despite his age. Yeats: Vacillation I fucking hate Yeats as a person. That said, the man can write. The man can REALLY write. His pieces are almost always layered to the point of absurdity and he’s perfect to swiping quotes with multiple meanings. Definitely Tony’s kind of author. Goethe: Faust Speaks for itself and in the author’s notes on its reference.  Dostoyevsky: The Brothers Karamasov IMO a book that deserves all the acclaim of Anna Karenina and then some. Very VERY Russian in its ethical debates of, as always, religious morality vs free will. Also dips into familial struggles and patricide, because it wouldn’t be a Russian classic if it didn’t contain some deeply buried bitter resentment towards paternalism. I’m going off-script here, but this is a fucking excellent book. I don’t really have words for how much I enjoy how Dostoyevsky explores the concepts that he does. Shakespeare: Julius Ceasar Shakespeare: Twelfth Night Twelfth Night deserves more credit for its development and maintenance of an enigma. Twelfth Night has charisma in spades both because of and in spite of the exceedingly petty actions of some of its characters. It is also a refreshingly simple take on love for the sake of it. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Stephen King: Lisey’s Story I consider Lisey’s Story to be the best of King’s work. The man has his obvious writing ticks and his even more obvious issues as an author. Lisey’s Story contains many of them, but navigates them far better than any of his other work. The monster here is all in the mind and is too vast to truly see or understand. It’s perfectly representative of a creeping sense of inescapable horror. It was fun to flip it on its head with a reference here – Tony isn’t terrified of dying, but he is terrified of his inescapable enjoyment of Bucky’s company. Maria’s family saying is inspired by Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass Armitage: The Death of King Arthur A genuinely fantastic classic tale of heroism, filled with all the drama, tragedy, and sacrifice that you’d expect with strongly feminine undertones. I’m a sucker for this kind of thing. TS Eliot: The Wasteland Excellent piece of poetry with many layered meanings and dual interpretations. I can’t really articulate my thoughts on The Wasteland, but I reference an essay at the end of this list that does that for me. Oedipus Rex Rupert Brooke: Safety Not directly quoted but obscurely referenced through Bucky and Tony’s war conversations + Bucky’s conversation about, you got it, being ‘safe’ with his therapist. His poetry is about WWI and is, largely, idealistic. Safety is…not quite an exception to that. His other poetry contains a certain sense of honour and duty, whereas safety, maintaining a seemingly light tone, has nothing of the sort. It is safety in the soul – something untouchable by the horrors of war or death. It treats that as a ‘house’, which leant itself to the article Tony send Bucky. Armine Wodehouse: Before Ginchy Not directly quoted but obscurely referenced through Bucky and Tony’s war conversations + Bucky’s conversations with his therapist. This is also WWI poetry, though far darker than Brooke’s work. It discusses the parts of the heart and soul soldiers lose. It is an extremely good piece AND references Dante’s Inferno. I had to work it in somewhere even if I didn’t want to directly quote it. Meyer and Brysac: Tournament of Shadows Referenced several times over in discussion of war, the great game, and British military history. Beautifully self-aware account of Britain’s insistence on rewriting history after the fact and the tiny hilariously embarrassing moving pieces that shaped what is often considered the heyday of espionage. Murakami: Kafka on the Shore I love Murakami’s response to questions about understanding the novel as a whole. There are no solutions, only riddles presented, and through their interaction the possibility of a solution takes place. It’s a great lens through which to view the book and individual passages taken out of it. Reminds me of The Wasteland having to be read in totality before you can begin picking it apart, after which each individual piece can be read of its own. Kafka on the Shore, with its musings on the uncertainty of fate and redemption, was the perfect book to outline Tony’s horrifying realization, which he is desperately suppressing, that he might be coming to accept Bucky’s feelings. This quote in particular, while I would’ve used it anyway, is also a great callback to the first chapter and its storms. Chapter 29 is a turning point. Beyond it there are some intentional quote contrasts that are probably more easter eggs than they are anything else. Yeats: A Dialogue of Self and Soul Great contrast with Vacillation. Some parts of self and soul are used in that poem and thematically they are connected and contrasted - self and heart vs self and soul. The symbolism and imagery in Vacillation is really on point and layered, but Self and Soul is peak Yeats for its reversal of the typical ‘the soul is pure and bluntly honest and the body is tainted and bad’ in Christian works. Also Self and Soul’s broader context is scrumptious considering the debate poems history of relying on divine forgiveness and lack thereof instead of on forgiveness of the self. 

It was fun to give this poem a double meaning in IM as both hugely ominous and ultimately pointing to the later forgiveness Tony receives from himself through the divine (if the soul stone can be called that) in the heavens (space!). There’s also another fun twist to ‘who can distinguish darkness from the soul’ in its contrast with ‘what is dark within me, illuminate’. To take that a step further, Vacillation was the beginning of the path of forgiveness for Bucky (understanding Tony’s heart…somewhat literally as he slowly gets closer and closer to the reactor itself), while Self and Soul is a final step (re: Bucky being presented the final hurdle of Tony deciding to move forward alone). Hermann Hesse: Siddhartha Hesse is wonderfully blunt at times. I gotta admit I love German takes on spiritual self-discovery because they always seem to tend towards much more straightforward answers than other countries. Hesse’s relationship with Buddhism in literature vs his lived experience is also really intriguing. Anyway, Siddhartha, in its humanizing of Gods, is wonderful contrast to the consistent imagery of the untouchable and unknowable forces of good and evil in previously quoted works. It has stopped bringing humanity to the divine and has started placing the divine within humanity. Emily Wilson’s translation of the Odyssey One of the ultimate poetic epics. Now that we are nearing the end, I’m going overtime with making the grander themes of this whole piece hit home. A lot of IM was built on a foundation of poetic epics, of heroism, and a bit of Greek tragedy. The Odyssey embodies all of those things beautifully. It also suited Thor too well to pass up. Yeats: An Irish Airman Forsees His Death Ah, Yeats. Very blatant foreshadowing here that is keeping with the foreshadowing from Self and Soul. Fate has, up till this point, been a bit of a question. It has been ‘when will it come to me’ and ‘how will I avoid or overcome it’. Now fate is a set point. It is knowable and present. ‘I know I shall meet my fate, somewhere among the clouds above’. This goes for the true onset of Infinity War and for Tony’s feelings towards Bucky – when he had no one, he allowed Bucky in after essentially promising himself he wouldn’t. If that’s not an accidental admittance of love, nothing is. Henley: Invictus Absolutely fantastic poem. Continuing with the heavy fate themes coming into this climax. Now that Tony knows his fate, truly knows it, he is choosing to take it on directly. Agamemnon (Anne Carson’s Traslation if you prefer a more modern language approach, Lattimore is you prefer a classic) Agamemnon is forgotten all too often in the world of poetic epics and it’s a damn shame. I cannot say enough good things about it. I always wanted to use lines from Agamemnon in a Tony fic because the Cassandra parallels were too perfect to resist. The chorus in this play was also a perfect narrative device for interacting with something of a hive mind. Yeats: The Wanderings of Oisin Another poetic epic. Nice contrast with The Odyssey, The Death of King Arthur, and Agamemnon. Here the dialogue is between an aged hero and a saint looking into the hero’s past. It has the kind of reflective and aged mood necessary for this stage of the story, but is actually a poem I sortof hate. The line ‘And a softness came from the starlight, and filled me full to the bone’ is absolutely gorgeous, though. Some final inspiration pieces:

The Penelopiad 

The Iliad 

House of Leaves (for surrealism in the final chapters) 

Dante at Verona (used in an author’s note as an intentional jab at the dull uninspired nature of the this particular take on Dante. Repurposed quote, essentially) 

a broke machine just blowin’ steam by themikeymonster (great character study of Bucky) 

Frank Kermode’s essay “Eliot and the Shudder” (inspiration behind Tony’s entire interaction with literature)

#long post #reply #illuminate me #literature references

[fisherfurbearer]

Sad times today. Rupert is going to the vet to be put to sleep.

I love him so much, I cried a lot last night over this. I've been bracing myself for this day for weeks. He's been slowing down a lot, he can't climb like the others, there's something wrong with his lower half that he can't lift himself and walk properly. He can only drag himself around, and while he does get around pretty fast and still enjoys digging around, eating treats, and snuggling with Lisp and Java...he's getting to the point where he can't clean his rear end, and is starting to smell from dragging himself in urine...no matter how much I clean their bedding, because he can't lift himself up, he pees on himself, and it can't be hygenic or okay...

I don't really know what else to say.

I know I made a big song and dance over how much I really really wanted rats, building this huge over-the-top ridiculous enclosure for them, planning so far ahead and going overboard (AS PER USUAL, RIGHT?) and thinking I was doing a good job because I researched for so long, thinking I thought of everything...but then the fire happened and the enclosure was halfway done (top two parts weren't finished, bottom 4'x2'x2.5' one was so the baby boys lived there) and I lost so much motivation and time to work on it...we had to move around a lot and then landlord (Jessie's parents actually) said they had to live in the (unfinished) basement because the upstairs was carpeted. Turns out the basement fucking floods when it rains, and it got so hard for me to care for them down there, not seeing them all the time like when they used to be right in our bedroom, it just...fucked up so much.

Lost Python to a horrible URI and overall failure to thrive. It was awful. I spent so many hours over so many days syringe feeding him food and water, he would perk up and have energy, then crash before we could call the vet, perk up so we'd keep going hoping he'd be ok, then crash, repeat...eventually he passed away on his own. It was awful. Lisp and Java and Rupert and Squealch (whom I adopted from a coworker before things got really bad, they ended up living in a seperate enclosure because Squealch was very rat aggressive) were all good but. Anyone who has had rats knows they're the most heartbreaking pets you can own and I should've fucking listened.

I never stopped loving them, but it was hard. Losing Python, feeling so hopeless, not having the energy to finish the rest of the enclosure (no point really, since I only had Java and Lisp left there, and Rupert and Squealch had their own space almost as big as theirs) But eventually I convinced everyone to let me move them upstairs, after our one roommate moved out and we had a spare bedroom. Things got a lot better for a while. This was mid-pandemic though, before I got the unemployment money, so finances were tight. The rats all seemed to perk up being closer to us and with more attention, and things were ok for a while. Then Squealch developed a tumor on his side...I had no money to take him in. I thought I was keeping a good eye on it, but he's so shy that he wouldn't come out all the way to see me when I'd check on them. I thought he was okay for a while but then very suddenly he developed a tumor on his face, his eye looked horrific, he was losing weight quickly. He was oldish? About 2.5 years old. But dammit I just. Wish I had taken him in sooner. I wish I had instead of letting him get this bad. Whatever. He was PTS a day or two after we noticed the face lump, now that I had money I could take care of him. I just wish he didn't suffer like he did.

Rupert is as old as Squealch, so he's more like. 2.75 years old, I guess. This is just his time, now.

It hurts so bad because...Python and Squealch weren't the nicest rats, no matter what we did. But Rupert is such a sweetie. He really wiggles his way into your heart...even though he's not okay right now, he loves pets, and exploring (to the best of his abilities), and treats, and loves his new brothers and they love him...I'm gonna cry again. I'm just glad he got to know Lisp and Java for a little while. They've been taking care of him. When I gave him a bath to clean up his pee stains, I used a blow dryer and towel to get him dry, but he couldn't reach his backside to get fully dry. Lisp and Java pounced on him and started grooming him all over, helping him reach where he couldn't. They're such good, good, good boys. I just wish I could've done better by them.

Sigh. Just. After losing Python the way we did, and then losing the love of my life Mr. Jinx (I'm...still not over that cat. How can I be?), and going through the first mice passing away/being pts because of various old age mousy problems, and seeing our last old man rats deteriorate like this...I don't think I can do it anymore.

I should've listened, when people talked about how HEARTBREAKING rats are. But I got them before I REALLY knew what losing a pet was like. I've learned a lot about life/death and myself since then. A LOT of crazy life stuff has happened, too much to talk about here, and it's just...

I HATE that I wasted so much time/energy/excitement/money but...I think these will be our last rats. After Java and Lisp, we'll be closing the rat chapter of our lives. I love them so so so much...an unbelievable amount. They really are amazing little animals. But they are JUST big enough and they live JUST long enough...and the fact that they get elderly so quickly, and slow down so much...it's too much. I can't keep going through this.

I'm glad that I've learned that the mice are a much better fit for me, somehow, even though they live even shorter lives...somehow that's been working out much better for me? I guess it's because they live so fast and die so fast, it's always something that I understand will happen, but with rats they're there for just enough changes of the seasons that it feels like they've been here forever and losing them is...just So much harder on me. At least, I know I'll be keeping mice for a long while yet. They really jive with me and I'm very happy with how they fit into my life. But the rats...I feel like I've just fucked up so much with them, and I regret that all of this even happened, but I know I did my best, I know THEY weren't unhappy all in all, and that they liked us a lot and we loved them so much...it's just...too much for me, these days. And that's okay.

So. Goodnight, sweet prince Rupert. I love you impossibly so. I just. Never want you to get to the point of suffering. I hope you've had a nice last night with your new brothers. I'm sorry that you couldn't live forever.

#tw pet death #closing the rat chapter #this is also why i never really talked about yhem #because ive been ashamed i guess #that it hasnt been going as well as i wished it would #but goodness knows ive been trying So Hard theyre just....not the Fit for me #that i thought theyd be #negative

[sunshinexlollipops]

I'm so sorry, Luffy, about your piggie. Sending you the tightest virtual hug.

thank you, @nuvoleincielo. 🥺

I'm just shocked that this even happened. for what it appeared to be, Duddits seemed completely healthy and without any issues. he was also only 3 years old, so he was no senior pig by any means. not like Popcorn, his diabetes and other health complications aside.

Duddits was only ever sick once, and that was after I first adopted him from my former employeer. he was originally taken off the sales floor because his long hair kept getting stuck in his manly bits and he was getting pain medication for it because it was obviously not a comfy ordeal. my one manager allowed me to adopt Duds because of his care needs.

little did I know that he had gotten exposed to a URI bug by some other piggies, and he developed one the week after I got him. took him to the vet and he was right as rain after some piggie antibiotics, and he never had an issue again.

sincerely my only guess to his passing was over bonding with Popcorn. Duds showed signs of depression after I got Popcorn taken care of at my vet the day he passed, but Duds improved to a degree with Rupert being around.

I mean, this was them just a couple of weeks ago at the beginning of this month. :(

[video ID: Duddits and Rupert, guinea pigs, are playing in the front yard during one of the last warm days before winter. they are in a covered playpen with a bowl of fresh veggies and with a hide for them to enjoy. in the video, Rupert is eating the veggies while Duddits eats grass and runs into the hide. the video is only about 5 seconds long. end ID.]

he seemed healthy. legit no chase for concern. which is why I felt like I was in shock when I discovered he had passed at some point after I'd gotten home from work.

I'm just so shocked and frustrated and I'm so over 2020 emotionally. I feel like I should be crying over Duds more but I'm so enraged and pissed because it's like -- seriously? After all this, he gets taken too?

IDK. I'm talking in circles. I had some drinks tonight and I'm about to go to bed but yeah, this is NOT something I expected to have happen right after Popcorn.

here's two cursed pictures of my beloved gremlin babies. may they rest in peace. 🥺💛

[image description: left -- Duddits, a mostly pure white, long-hair guinea pig with tan around his eyes. he is facing the camera like mothman before a bridge collapse. right -- Popcorn, short-hair guinea pig. Popcorn is mostly a honey mustard color, with an almost salt and pepper splotch along his left eye. he is staring at the camera through the bars of his cage, as though he is the one who is going to ensure the bridge collapses. end ID.]

again-- thank you for reaching out to me. you've been so sweet for all that's been going on for me.

I wish I had better news or updates to share but my luck has just been in the shitter since October. still, you've been so supportive it's really helped make a world of a difference. thank you from the bottom of my heart. 💛

#luffy asks

[geethedentist]

The Sassenach Warrior

Catch up on Chapter 8 here and read this chapter on Ao3!

Chapter 9: Tea Leaves and Existential Crises 

Torrential rain battered the windows. It was loud but I enjoyed the static as I sat curled up in an arm chair near the hearth with a cup of tea. My boots were strewn on the floor below in favor of woolen socks. The back of my head had a large, sensitive lump from where it had made forceful contact with the floor last night. It was now accompanied by a dull throb and minor light sensitivity. Brady had thought me unconscious, and had turned his back to celebrate a premature victory. The power I felt surging off the ground to claim the true victory was indescribable. The match was hard won but I had triumphed, and Dougal got his hands on another bag of coin this morning. 

Becoming more accustomed to the fighting techniques, I determined that I had graduated to a different opponent. A larger one, whose size I could use against him. These matches were hardly about strength, and anyone who thought otherwise was surely going to lose … to me. 

As Jamie entered the room I sat up straighter, stopped squinting, and tried to appear altogether non-concussed. His face was buried in an empty teacup as he sat in the chair across. “There’s an auld woman in the taproom readin’ tea leaves! Give her yer cup once ye’re finished.”

I shifted in my seat, letting my leg hang over the side. “You actually believe that stuff?” 

“Well, I suppose not fully. But there’s always a voice in the back of yer mind asking if it could really be true.” 

I rolled my eyes. “Yes and there is another, louder voice asking how the hell a bunch of soggy leaves could know that.” 

He feigned a pout. “Ye’re no fun, Sassenach.” 

“Well? What did your leaves say? Oh please don’t keep me in suspense.” Waving my hand in the direction of his cup, I took another sip.

Jamie inhaled deeply, as if he seemed unprepared for me to ask him this. His voice turned serious. “Well, she told me a lot had happened to me for one so young.” He shifted his shoulders, and I knew he was thinking of the scars, Randall, the death of his father. It was silly how something like this could dredge up those memories for him. How could this woman have possibly known what his life was like? 

“She said my hardships were far from over.”

I wondered what more the world could possibly do to Jamie Fraser. 

“But there will be one thing to make it all worth it.” 

I looked up sharply to find his blue eyes staring intently into mine. “One thing?” I whispered. 

And with that, the door from the taproom banged open announcing Rupert, brandishing his empty cup. “I knew it!” He said. “I’m goin’ to be a hero in battle! That will impress the lassies for sure.” 

“Let me see that!” I grabbed the cup from him and inspected the contents. “Well this lump looks a bit like a pile of shite … and would you look at that! This one looks like Dougal!” 

Rupert snatched the cup back. “What do you ken? Ye dinna have the sight!” 

I ignored him and looked into my now empty cup. “I’ve got a snake that’s eating itself, and what appears to be a lopsided bannock.”

Jamie was trying unsuccessfully to hide his laughter at Rupert’s rising anger. Rupert held his hands out for both cups; I gave them to him. “Ye ken on second glance, this clump does bear a slight resemblance to Dougal.” 

“It would seem I have got the sight after all.” 

Rupert suddenly began staring very intently into my cup. “But I would be lyin’ if I said I wasna curious about Claire’s leaves.” 

I stiffened. They still knew next to nothing about me. It wasn’t that I was afraid the leaves were going to reveal my true past. But that whatever they did reveal, true or not, they would likely believe it. Sure enough, Dougal was lurking in the corner of the room as Rupert handed my ‘fate’ to Mrs. Graham. 

She spent an awful lot of time with it, rotating it this way and that. She was squinting the whole time; her pale eyebrows knit together and she looked worried. I had noticed my heart had begun to knock against my ribcage. At last, she set it down on the counter. The only sound was some muffled conversation from some patrons in the corner; all the other mouths were shut for once and all of their eyes were locked on the fortune teller. 

“I read yer tea leaves,” she said finally. “Here’s some whisky.” 

I silently reached for the glass and took a large sip. Clearly she was about to drop a large problem onto my head. Another large problem. Why was I gripping the glass so tightly? I had just finished telling Jamie how this is a load of crap. Who was this women to tell me my fate? She could be making it all up for all I knew. 

I pictured her sitting back and laughing while she watched a bunch of sorry fools running around doing ridiculous things just because they believed it was their fate to do so.

“Your life has been full of tragedy.” She began. “No family, nowhere to go back to. You are an outlander no matter where on this earth you think you can run to.”

Breathing heavily, I abruptly backed off the stool. Jamie got to his feet as well.  “No… you can’t know that.” 

“As for the future,” Mrs. Graham consulted the leaves again. “Should ye so choose, ye can be an integral part of something greater than yourself. It will bring ye much more sorrow, it will bring crushing defeat. But it will also bring great joy, and great passion. Ye can replace what ye’ve lost.” 

All the while she was talking her voice was mounting in intensity, and I was involuntarily backing up towards the door, pricks of tears behind my eyes. With the end of the proclamation, I turned and sprinted out. 

With absolutely no idea where I was going, I kept running. The woman had just laid my whole miserable life out before me, and before everyone. In times when emotions like this began to take control, the cool metal of my ring would give me comfort. I couldn’t even remember how many months it had been since I’d seen the damn thing. 

Should I run off without it? Is it even worth it? All throughout this roiling confusion I was dimly aware of the pouring rain. It didn’t even matter now if I was crying or not. Also becoming apparent was the fact that I didn’t bring my weapons, my cloak, or even bothered to put my boots on. I stopped and looked down at my feet. The once cozy and inviting wool socks were now soaked with mud, and my toes were quickly turning numb. 

So what will it be Claire? Go back, grab your shit, have an awkward confrontation and leave? Or shall I just keep running and lose a couple toes to frostbite? I had a nice head start anyway; everyone else was likely still standing open mouthed in the taproom. 

The scariest thing was not even the harsh reminder of the death of my family. I had always considered myself a solitary person. But when she had declared that I truly had nowhere and nothing to return to, a strange weight of soul crushing loneliness had settled upon me. I had spent so much of my time trying to escape from Dougal that I didn’t even stop to think about what I was going to do when I returned to the pile of rubble that was formerly my parent’s house. My books, my wooden sword and bow, a scorched portrait of my mother lay strewn about in the ash in front of me. I don’t even remember what they looked like. 

I belonged nowhere. 

And it was during this insane inner turmoil when a sound materialized that appeared to be the approach of many riders on horseback. A streak of red between some of the farm buildings at the edge of town, and suddenly I was back in the glade in which I had first met Jamie. A bright red blob in a mass of green, and I stood cursing at myself to move, climb a tree, do something. 

With the same absence of thought with which I sprinted out of the tavern, I was sprinting back. The need to warn Jamie had overshadowed the tea leaves, and my feet squelched in the mud as I picked up speed, barreling back through the door. Mrs. Graham was gone. 

Jamie had returned to the chair by the hearth, his head in his hands. My boots were still on the floor a few feet away. It was as if I had never left, as if I wasn’t standing over his now startled face soaked to the skin and looking like an absolute lunatic. 

“Sassenach, what …” 

“Redcoats.” I blurted out. “You have to hide.” 

“Me? You have to hide!” He spluttered. 

I grabbed his hand and yanked him up the stairs. “All right we both have to hide.” 

I brought him into my bedroom and we crouched just inside the door frame, across from one another. The hallway overlooked the taproom, allowing us to see below. Jamie was looking around the small chamber with wide eyes, as if he found it scandalous for him to be here. I laughed to myself at the thought. My room was a complete mess. The blankets had fallen off the bed, there were empty tankards everywhere, and to be quite honest, it didn’t smell that great.

Dougal was striding around the bar, inquiring about Jamie. “The lad’s done well to make himself scarce. I think some soldiers are headed towards this tavern.” He commented to Angus. “Although don’t ye find it strange the second that sassenach ran out of here, a whole squadron of English show up?” 

“Insufferable fucking bastard. After everything I’ve done.” I groaned angrily and banged my head back against the wall; the doorframe rattled. Pain immediately radiated in all directions and I emitted a high pitched gasp, having aggravated the sore spot from my head injury the previous night. 

Jamie turned his head sharply in my direction. “Claire,” concern dripped from my name, and his hand involuntarily flew up. He forced it back down again. “Are ye all right? Ye’ve been acting quite funny lately and …” He broke off, 

So my strained movements and small winces of pain had in fact not escaped his notice. Of course not. He was more attentive to me than my own damn self. 

“What are you talking about I’m fine.” I quickly removed my hand from the back of my head. 

His eyes narrowed. “Ye never let anyone help you.” 

“I don’t need it or want it. I can take care of myself.” 

Whatever his next rebuke was had gotten cut off when the front door slammed open and in strode about a dozen redcoats. Loud and boisterous, they showed a complete lack of respect for the establishment. Jamie was intently scanning the crowd, undoubtedly looking for Randall. I had no idea of what he looked like. 

“He isna here,” he whispered, more to himself than to me. 

The redcoat in charge had made himself right at home. “Well what are you waiting for?” He sneered at the barman. “Ale for myself and the lads.” 

The poor flustered man scurried about behind the bar, dropping and splintering several glasses in the process. The Englishman had taken up a seat and placed his muddy boots on top of the bar. After the fifteen or so glasses of ale had been served, the redcoat flicked a penny at the barman’s head. 

“Keep the change!” The rest of the men roared with laughter. 

I started to get to my feet. “He can’t just do that!” 

Jamie quickly grabbed my wrist. “Yes, Sassenach. He can.” 

The barman’s face held an expression of utter defeat. Jamie was right. 

“What brings the patrol in today, sir? Ye’re early.” 

“What? We can’t pay a visit to our favorite tavern? Didn’t you miss me?” Came the mocking reply. “Well first off, we’re about to run out of food again, so you’d better tell that little brat of yours to come load up our wagons.”

“Right away, sir.” The man’s head remained directed at the floor. 

For the next hour, the soldiers laughed and drank and harassed the women serving them beer. Jamie and I still sat across from each other. We had started to toss a balled up pair of my socks back and forth. 

“Ow! What did ye have throw it so hard for Sassenach?” He huffed, rubbing his eye. 

I shrugged. “I was bored.” 

Downstairs, the conversation had resumed. The Englishman in charge approached the bar with quite a nasty smile on his face before he spoke. “Rumor has it, you’re harboring fugitives. What’s more, there seems to be an attempt to stir up the rebellion in this very tavern! Among other illegal activities in this shitehole of a town.” Ah. The real reason for the visit. 

Where the hell was Dougal? 

My eyes snapped up to Jamie’s at the very second his eyes came to mine. And for the second time that day, I wanted to run as far away from that tavern as humanly possibly. I made to get up again, wildly turning my head in all directions. Jamie had risked a quick maneuver over to my side of the doorway. His hands held my forearms, and the effect stilled me. Breathing slowing down, I wondered what ridiculous thing I might have done if his touch hadn’t brought me back.

“Claire. Ye’ve got to stay put. What can ye possibly do at this moment?” 

There it was again. His words had driven home the feeling of complete powerlessness conferred to us by the English. My arms trembled with anger and panic under his hands. 

“Fucking nothing.” 

“Nothing aye? All we can do is wait and see what happens.” He said matter of factly. 

“Jamie what if they find us?” I already knew the answer to that. I would be sent to the noose and Jamie would be sent into the arms of Jack Randall. I had never thought my days as a fugitive would come to an end like this. We crouched pressed together, sharing the tiny amount of wall between the left side of the doorframe and the washstand, waiting to see what happened next. 

Downstairs the barkeep, ever the Jacobite, was lying straight to the ugly bastard’s face. “I run a simple, honest establishment sir. I’ll no have ye comin’ in here accusing me o’ such a thing. Not to mention drinkin’ all the ale that I ken well and good ye have no intention of payin’ for! Agh!” 

He crumpled onto the countertop clutching his face into which the redcoat had just emptied his glass. 

The solider grabbed the man by the front of his shirt. His eyes were red and streaming. “See to it that you’re telling the truth then. Because there is a little English bitch and a red headed Scottish brute both of whom the Crown would love to welcome into its custody. The next patrol will be by again in two weeks. If you don’t have more food, we will be taking more coin. Get up lads, we’re leaving.” 

As the last redcoat lurched out the door, Jamie and I let out simultaneous breaths. I turned to look at him. “Are you all right, red headed Scottish brute?”

“Better than ever, little English bitch. But my arse seems to have fallen asleep.” He grinned. “I want to thank ye for coming back to warn me. I ken those tea leaves really unsettled ye.”

I had completely forgotten about the tea leaves. 

“Jamie!” Dougal’s voice sounded from somewhere above. He must have made his way up to the attic during the little English tea party. 

“Right here, Uncle.” Jamie rose, and extended a hand down to me. 

Dougal stopped in front of the doorway, and narrowed his eyes at me. “Where in the devil have you been?” 

I stomped my foot and opened my mouth to give him a wise mouthed answer when Jamie gently squeezed my wrist, a sign which I took to mean shut up. 

“Claire was here with me the whole time. She was the one who told me to hide in the first place. She was the one who first spotted the patrol. I should think ye can place a bit more trust in her, Dougal.” He snapped at his uncle. 

I had the grace not to smirk at him over Jamie’s shoulder. 

A couple days, a couple more bags of coin, and more than a couple bruises later, I was about to return to the tavern from my latest fight. Of course, it was decided that we would be leaving this town in a few days time, before the redcoats tore the place apart looking for us, and I told Gavin as much. 

“Aye it seems that surprise patrol has put everybody on edge. I was actually going to close down the ring for a bit after tomorrow night.” 

“Well you can be sure to see me tomorrow. I wouldn’t miss my last fight for the world.” I would miss this, and I hoped I would have the opportunity to do it again someday. 

“Dinna tell anyone, but ye’re the bonniest fighter that I’ve ever seen.” He smiled. “Half the lads are scared of ye!” 

“As they should be. Goodnight, Gavin.”

After going through my ridiculous ritual of hiding behind the stables for twenty minutes and then creeping up to the window to make sure the coast was clear, I caught sight of the heinous reflection starting back at me and heaved a sigh. My breath caused a bloom of fog across the glass. 

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the consequences of my actions.” 

My left eyebrow was almost completely split in two, a dark mass of congealed blood in between. It was surely going to leave me with a lovely little bald spot after it healed, and not even a win tonight to show for it. Given only half the coin I normally receive, I groaned at the prospect of a disappointed and now spoiled Dougal in the morning. 

I had been cocky and overconfident in my big genius plan and I could have split my other eyebrow myself because of how foolish I’d been. Who knows how much money I had just handed over? 

Do you not think things through on purpose or are you that stupid, Beauchamp?

And yet, despite the fact that Scotland was accepting my donations to its fight for  freedom in the form of Dougal Mackenzie’s greedy hands, it felt right somehow. 

The footsteps were completely silent. 

“Claire?”

#outlander #outlander fandom #outlander fanfic #outlander fanfiction #Jamie Fraser #jamie and claire #jamie x claire #the sassenach warrior #claire beauchamp