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#anyways sorry saying ship is cringe but what else do i say folks
bluehairedtracii · 4 years
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Hooks and Coins|| Harry Hook x Reader Soulmate AU!
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Requested: by @lemonypink
Warnings: Harry being cute 
Pairings: Harry Hook x Swann-Turner! Reader
Author's note: Oh my gosh this took so long! I’m literally so sorry! My motivation for writing has been a little iffy lately. Buuutt I’ve also been binging Criminal Minds soo it kinda gave me a creative push to start writing again. (Spencer Reid fics comin in the future) Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this fic as I get back into writing again. 
P.S. Melody is Melody from the second little mermaid movie, and I know she's kinda not mentioned again in the fic but just know that this is y/n’s best friend and that’s who she is lmao.  I also thought the Coin would fit well in here because of the movies just sshhhh. Enjoy!!!!
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"it's soon! I swear!" The night of your 16th birthday, the day your life would change.
The day you get your soulmate tattoo.
"Are you sure??" Melody whines. "I'm positive! Look, it's not even 12:00 on the dot yet- ONE MORE MINUTE!" You look back from the phone on your lap to your right wrist.
"It's twellveeee." Melody cooed.
"Please please please..." You muttered still hopeful.
Then it hit, well stung. "Ow, ow, I feel it!"
"Let me see!" Melody basically climbed on top of you and saw it before you could. She gasped "oh my gosh y/n..." "What? What is it?" You tried to pull back your wrist to see, but Melody kept it steady.
"Y/n, as your best friend, I have to warn you as to what you're about to see...."
"C'mon Mells, it can be that bad." You sighed and tried to pull away from her. 
"You have to PROMISE Me that you won't freak out?"
Annoyed, you sighed and smiled "I promise." "Okay.." she released your hand. You rubbed your wrist and looked at the small tattoo, "A Hook?" "Not just any hook... Penny told me about this." "This is the same hook as the famous Captain Hook himself! It must be his son!"
"Captain? So my soulmate is a Pirate? Like Dad and Mom?" Melody nods almost worried.
"Awesome."
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"It's late Harry, your sister is gonna kill us if we get caught and wake your dad." Gill rubbed his eyes as he walked towards the galley of the ship.
"I know, but this is where the best lighting is...in a few minutes, I'll get me soulmate...well uh, tattoo I mean." He whispered and unlocked the door, cursing at the squeaky floors.
Harry turned on the lamp nestled on his father's desk. The room lit up illuminating the maps that his father and oldest sister had drawn up while sailing the open seas. He dreamed of nothing more than doing that, sailing and hailing a crew of his own, but for now, he follows Uma’s orders. 
“One more minute Harry.” Gill whispered looking at the tickless clock on the desk.
“Aye, ow! fff-!” Harry cupped his hand and flipped it to see his wrist, he bit back the pain as he saw the black ink form on his wrist. He’d been confused and tried to make it out as it formed. “Bloody hell, this sure is detailed in’it?” Gill loomed over Harry's shoulder, wondering what it was himself, Gill was sure he wasn't ready for his soulmate yet if he had to endure this much pain. 
Harry closed his eyes and exhaled as the pain stopped.
He opened his eyes to see the grim Aztec Coin staring back at him.
“Holy shi-” “Gil do you know what this means?!” “She’s spooky?” “No GIl, you git, She’s a pirate! and she’s a Turner...” He says in awe as he smiles down at his wrist.
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A few months later both of you seemed to forget. The events of your daily lives getting in the way. You’re training to go off on a sailing trip with your dad for a few months, and Harry is… currently Helping Uma get revenge on Mal by kidnapping Ben. 
But.. you were unaware of this. Obviously. 
Lonnie and you were fencing/sword fighting in the school’s courtyard (for fun) when you saw the boys rushing into the limo. You both caught up to them and questioned them immediately. 
“What’s going on here Jay?” Lonnie snickered full well knowing what’s happening because she overheard it earlier passing their room. “We.. uh..” “we’re going with you..” Lonnie cut the pair off. And this is how you went to the Isle of the Lost for the first time. 
They had told you the plan but left out the part about who they were going to have to deal with if the plan went south. You were nowhere near nervous. All those times you’d trained with Lonnie and your parents at the shop basically were all for this moment. Your pirate self was ready. 
Mal handed over the wand and you cringed a bit. “She’s gonna know it's fake…” you turned to Lonnie and whispered. “Shh I know, get ready..”  you prepped your sword and placed one hand on your lapel while the other was free to toss the swords. 
That’s when everything went south. You and Lonnie sprung into action and helped the others. The sounds of metal clashing mixed with the creaking of the ship and the salty sea air made you happy, it filled you with adrenaline. It felt like you were at home.
2 people fighting you at once, then three, then none, one by one you tossed them overboard.
You were caught in the crossfire between Carlos and some other goons so you ducked under them and sprung onto your feet right into someone else's back. 
You both turned to each other, swords ready, you saw him and you felt that burning in your body. The one that your friends always said happened when you met your soulmate… “Ow!” “Oi!!” Harry lurched back and held his hand. And so did you. 
“You…” he pointed at you “are you…?” you held up your hand and showed your tattoo. He gasped and smiled “I knew I’d see you one day..”  you said in awe. You heard Uma yell for Harry and his smile faltered into a smirk.
“Sorry lass, no ‘ard feelings right?” “Obviously.” You struck your sword first and your swords clashed with each other. “I knew you were good Turner, but not this good.” he laughed as you both turned a corner of the ship. “Thanks! Maybe I can teach you sometime Hook, You seem a bit rusty!” “Oi! My ‘eart Lass.. that one hurt!” 
You snickered and he had caught you by a wood post “awe, our first dance is over now?” your eyes sparkled. He smirked ”Aye if this were different, i’d very much like to get to know you lassy…”  he got closer almost closing the gap in between you two. And his lips brushed yours before you heard Mal and Lonnie yell that it’s time to go. You smiled “sorry Luv, it’s time for me to go!” you kiss his cheek and push him away into a hole that’s in the ship. “Oi! That’s not fair!”
You were the last one to leave and thought of an idea, you caught up with them and helped Mal to kick off the ramp back to the car. “Find me!” You blew a kiss to Harry and smiled, and so did he. on the inside, of course, he had to be “mad” for Uma’s sake. But right now he was anything but. He just met his Soulmate and she was everything he dreamed of.
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Almost a year had passed when you had first met Harry. And you constantly think about him every day and so does he. 
He sat at the bow of the ship looking out to the ocean thinking about you. It’s all that he’s been thinking about actually. He’s waiting for the day you can be with each other and in each other's arms. You literally took his breath away, because you kicked him, but he was entranced by your skills and beauty. He dreams about learning with you, meeting your folks, owning a ship, and most importantly.. Sailing away with you to see the world. He was stuck here. 
Though he didn't know that you had convinced Ben (it took a lot of convincing) to let Harry over onto the isle for a while. Your boating trip with your dad had gone so well that you also convinced your dad to let you go alone this time. Your parents knew how a forbidden love felt more than anyone else. The love between the two of them, a humble blacksmith that was the son of a pirate and the daughter of a wealthy governor who found that boy so long ago. They were never supposed to be together in society's standards, but their love was the strongest bond. They granted their blessing to you, they knew you'd be safe. You’re a strong pirate and they want to see you the happiest you can be.
You smiled and looked out the window of the limo as it crossed the bridge. Mal and Evie both came with you so they could help you find him and tell him the news. You guys slip onto the docks while Mal and Evie keep guard on the limo and watch you just in case you need back up. “Ursulas…” you smile and cross through the swinging doors, you found him and you felt the burning feeling in your body again. So did he. “OI!” he dropped the basket of chips he was holding and growled at the mess he made. He was fuming until he locked eyes with you. “My princess has come back to me?” he smiled and walked towards you completely forgetting about the fries as he kicked them to the side. “Hey Hook.” you smiled and felt his hand on your face but he backed away. “Woah Turner you ain't gonna kick me ‘gain right?” “no.” you laughed and you both hugged each other. 
He took the two of you outside “what are ye doin here luv? I mean, you don’ ‘ave to make any excuses to see me, but you came all the way from the other side.” he laughed and pushed back a strand of stray hair behind your ear. You blushed and held one of his hands, but unknowingly played with one of the rings on said hand. He bit his lip smiling at your nervousness. “U-Uhm.” you were surprised by the nerves in your voice, you were never this nervous before. This boy is going to wreck you. “It took major convincing, but I finally convinced my family and Ben to let you come to Auradon with me for a three-month sailing trip…” you smiled and looked at him. His eyes lit up and he lifted you off the ground and spun you around. “Are ye serious?! Of course I'd go with you!”  “Great! We leave…” you check your watch on your left arm. “ In 30 minutes!” “Aye! I need to pack!”  you laughed.
 he backed you into the wall. You smirked, “oi, I've been trying to do this ever since the first time we met.” He closed the gap between you two and the feeling of his soft pillowy lips on yours brought you comfort and warmness. You kissed back and ran your fingers through his dark locks as he tightened his grip around your waist. You never wanted this to end. “25 minutes!” You heard the girls yell and you pulled away and laughed. “I've finally found my Turner..” “And I’ve finally found my Hook..”
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littlemisssquiggles · 5 years
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So...just finished wrapping up the season finale of Young Justice Outsiders
With Young Justice Outsiders being officially done now, I’m going to give my honest opinion of the entire series and I’m going to be blunt here folks:
Outsiders was pretty great. I enjoyed it a lot. However, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Invasion and the original first season. 
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to say the season itself was underwhelming---I’m just saying that there were certain things that the other first seasons did better than Outsiders for me.
One of my biggest beef with this season is how it didn’t do a good job at letting us get to know the new characters like Tracie 13, for example. If it wasn’t for the fact that I knew about Tracie through my love for Blue Beetle, I would have absolutely zero idea who she is. And what sucks is that Outsiders didn’t do a good job at introducing her to me as part of the audience. 
Even after one whole season, I don’t know anything about Tracie beyond the bare minimum that she’s canonically the girlfriend of Blue Beetle and has powers. 
For people like me who aren’t familiar with her character, I wish the series could’ve done a better job at setting her up---allowing me to get to know her first. This is how I was able to fall for Blue Beetle. In Invasion, we were introduced to newbies like Blue and Bumblebee. Same for Impulse and Invasion did a good job at setting these guys up and developing them. 
Blue of course got it better since he was a focal character of S2. Sadly Tracie 13 isn’t the only character who suffered from this. There were Whisper and Oprhan too.  Unless you’re a Batman fan, you might not know these characters at all. Even now, after this whole season, I’m like WHO ARE YOU guys? Who are you supposed to be? 
I guess I can look into them now but you get what I’m saying right? Maybe next season we can get a chance to know more and see more from these new characters. Speaking of next season:
Young Justice S4...when?
With the way how things ended off, I’m hoping S4 is a sure thing. I sincerely hope it’s in the cards. Now before I close things off with this post, I’m just going to unapologetically screech things that went through my mind while watching the final few episodes of Outsiders. Apologies for the ALL CAPS:
BRION! GODDAMMIT MAN! 26 EPISODES! 26 GODDAMN EPISODES OF PLOT AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT ALL GONE TO SHIT! DUDE! WHAT THE F*** WITH THAT ENDING! WHYYY? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE WHOLE TWO EPISODES BEFORE WHERE HE WAS TALKING ABOUT PATIENCE AND SHIT! YES I KNOW HE WAS BEING MANIPULATED BUT SERIOUSLY MAN! DAMMIT BRION I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU!
WALLY! FREAKING WALLY WEST. THANK GOODNESS THEY CONFIRMED THAT YOU’RE TECHICALLY STILL NOT OFFICIALLY DEAD! THAT LEAVES ROOM FOR YOU TO RETURN IN THE SPEED FORCE LIKE MANY OF US HAVE BEEN SPECULATING SINCE INVASION FOR YEARS.
AND SINCE WE’RE ON THE TALK OF WALLY, ARTEMIS AND ROY---I MEAN WILLIAM. THANK GOODNESS YOU TWO DIDN’T HOOK UP. THAT SHIP WAS CRINGE. I’M SORRY. I MEAN I GET WHERE THEY WERE GOING AND I ACTUALLY ENJOYED HOW THE SHOW HANDLED THESE TWO. FELT VERY GENUINE AND REAL. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, GLAD IT DIDN’T PULL THROUGH CAUSE IT WOULD’VE BEEN WEIRD AND I’M HAPPY THE SHOW ACKNOWLEDGED IT. ARTEMIS IS STILL IN LOVE WITH WALLY BUT SHE’S ACCEPTED THAT HE MIGHT NOT BE COMING BACK. THAT’S ALRIGHT, WE ALL KNOW HE’S GONNA COME BACK IN S4. YOU’RE GONNA GET YOUR HAPPY EVER AFTER WITH WALLY ARTEMIS. JUST YOU WAIT.
 SPEAKING OF SHIPS, FREAKING BRION AGAIN AND HALO. YOU SUNK MY SHIP AGAIN! JUST AFTER IT GOT BACK TOGETHER AFTER THAT ODD SUBPLOT WITH THE TRAITOR DOCTOR! DOES… THIS MEAN THAT HALO IS GONNA HOOK UP WITH CYBORG NOW? CAN I SHAMELESSLY SHIP THESE TWO NOW AS MY REBOUND SHIP TO COMBAT MY FEELINGS OF ANGER OVER HOW THEY SCREWED BRION’S CHARACTER IN THE END AND RUINED WHAT HE AND VIOLET HAD? SERIOUSLY I’M GONNA BE SALTY ABOUT THAT FOR A WHILE. F***ING BRION!
 OKAY,WHAT ELSE, WHAT ELSE? OH! FOREGGER IS BABY. FRED BUGG WITH TWO G’S IS STILL BABYEVEN AT THE END. CAN WE ALL SIMULTANEOUSLY AGREE WITH  THAT NOW? FOREGGER IS BABY. MY PRECIOUS BUG SON WHO I ADORE SO MUCH. I SHALL ADD HIM TO MY GROWING COLLECTION OF BUG SONS RIGHT NEXT TO BLUE BEETLE. MY TWO BEAUTIFUL BUG BOYS.
 OUTSIDERS MADE ME REALIZE HOW MUCH I MISS BLUE BEING A RELEVANT CHARACTER. I KNOW HE HAD HIS STORY IN INVASION AND IT WAS FREAKING AWESOME. BUT I FEEL LIKE INVASION SPOILED ME. THEY GAVE ME SO MUCH GREAT BLUE BEETLE CONTENT THAT I WAS STARVING IN OUTSIDERS. YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. I MISSED MY PRECIOUS BUG SON THE FIRST DURING THAT TRYING HIATUS, OKAY.
 SPEAKING OF SONS, EDUARDO DORADO JR…YOU WERE SURPRISINGLY GREAT THIS SEASON. WAS NOT EXPECTING EL DORADO TO BE SUCH A POIGNANT CHARACTER BUT HE WAS. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING HIM THRIVE MORE IN S4.
 AND SPEAKING OF ED…HMMM…I DUNNO. AS MUCH AS I LOVED THE FINAL MOMENT WHERE WENDY TOOK OFF HER INHIBITOR COLLAR AND SHE AND ED SHARED A NICE BIG OLE SMILE THAT WAS SOO ADORABLE….I DUNNO.
I TOTALLY SHIP ED AND WENDY BUT…I’M ALSO STARTING TO LIKE THE IDEA OF BARTUARDO TO MAKE UP FOR BLUEPULSE BEING DEAD NOW. SO…I’M CONFLICTED. MAYBE ED CAN BE REVEALED AS BI. IT COULD HAPPEN NOW. YOUNG JUSTICE IS WOKE ENOUGH FOR THAT NOW, RIGHT?
DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON HOW WOKE THIS SHOW GOT THIS SEASON. NOT GONNA TOUCH IT. JUST GONNA MENTION IT AND SAY THAT IT WAS THERE---IT WASN’T AS OBNOXIOUS AS MOST WOKENESS IN MEDIA TODAY. BUT IT WAS THERE. I SAW IT.
 ANYWAYS NEXT---STATIC SHOCK; OH MY WORD, STATIC WAS…SURPRISINGLY UNDERUSED THIS SEASON. NOT GONNA LIE. HE HAD SOME GOOD MOMENTS BUT…I DUNNO, I FELT LIKE THEY DIDN’T DO MUCH WITH STATIC THIS SEASON AT ALL. NOT AS MUCH AS WHAT THEY DID WITH ED.
I MEAN I LIKED THAT THEY CHOSE TO PUSH ED OVER STATIC SINCE HE’S A CHARACTER FOLKS BARELY KNOW ABOUT WHICH…MAKES THE SCENARIO WITH HIM GETTING MORE SCREEN TIME TO SHINE THAN STATIC MORE IRONIC. BEFORE YJ, STATIC HAD HIS OWN SERIES AND WAS MORE KNOWN THAN EL DORADO. IN YJ, ED IS GIVEN MORE MOMENTS TO SHINE. I’M HOPING THAT S4 GIVES ME THAT SUPERPOWERED RUNAWAYS REUNION I’M CRAVING NOW.
LET ED, VIRGIL, JAIME AND BART GO ON A SOLO MISSION AND BRING BACK TEAM HEADBANDS TO JOIN THEM. BRING BACK ASAMI AND TYE. MAYBE ARSENAL TOO. I NEED THIS EPISODE.
 And on a final note…WHAT WAS THAT REFERENCE AT THE END? THEY TEASED SOMETHING BEFORE THE CREDITS BUT BECAUSE I’M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS CHARACTER OR SYMBOL, I WAS LEFT CONFUSED BUT…EXCITED?
 And that��s all I gotta say. Overall, I liked Outsiders. Invasion is still my favourite season of YJ though. If I had to rank the seasons from personal favourite to least favourite, it would be--- Invasion, Original First Season and Outsiders would be last.
Again, not saying Outsiders wasn’t good. As a matter of fact, it was great and proves that Netflix and DC can provide a great continuation to this franchise. I just hope that the traffic for Outsiders was good enough to warrant it being in for a S4. I really hope so. I hope fans don’t have to wait another several years for YJ again.
 Fingers crossed. But yeah, those are my thoughts on Outsiders.
 ~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)  
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queen-scribbles · 5 years
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Skittish
For @pillarspromptsweekly fill 87. I didn’t really pick one of the RFI companions, but rather gave a few of them a little attention. Went with puppies, and despite intentions otherwise, a pet Edér is not allowed to pet.
It started with the dog. A scrawny, rust-colored lab Emiri found while they were clearing out Crookspur. He just looked so hungry, and his eyes were so sad, she and Edér spent a good half hour sitting on the ramparts near the crate he cowered in, letting the others handle the few remaining slavers while they earned the lab’s trust.
Or, well, Emiri did. Even after he’d cautiously edged toward the pair, tail between his legs but unable to resist the scraps Emiri offered, he skittered away from Edér’s attempts to pet him.
“Guess that answers how Crookspur treated him,” Emiri said with a sympathetic smile. “Must’ve been bad for him to still be afraid of folk.”
“Yeah.” Something stormy flickered in Edér’s eyes. “Glad we killed the bastards.”
“‘Cause the slave-trading wasn’t bad enough?” There may have been a tiny bit of unintentional edge to the ribbing.
“Shit, no, ‘Mir, that’s not what I meant,” Edér muttered, tossing a pebble back over his shoulder. It ricocheted off the ground and battlements a couple times, and the dog cringed. “I just-”
“I know you have a soft spot for animals,” Emiri said, keeping still so she didn’t further spook the dog.
“Yeah, and I think the best thing I can do for this one is leave.” Slowly, reluctantly, Edér got to his feet and headed for the stairs.
“You can cuddle Lottie as long as you want when we get back to the ship,” she offered. “You know she loves you.”
Edér half-smiled. “Thanks, Miri. I’ll probably take you up on that. For now, I’ll see if the rest need any more help.”
He’d no sooner vanished down the stairs then the dog closed the gap, ears still back, tail still down, and warily let Emiri scratch under his chin. She chuckled softly and shook her head.
“Now that’s just mean,” she whispered, shifting her hand to stroke the side of his face. He flinched slightly, but let her. “Edér loves animals; more’n anyone I’ve ever met. He’d give you so many good tummy rubs and ear scritches.”
The dog whined and gave her a soulful look.
Emiri sight, looked him over. “I know, boy. Someone treated you bad, didn’t they?” She snorted softly, scratched the side of his face. “We’ll make it better, I promise.” She got to her feet slowly, smoothly, no sudden movements, and patted the side of her leg. “C’mon, boy.”
He started after her, but it only took a couple steps to see he was limping.
So she knelt back down and cajoled him closer so she could pick him up. “Shh, shh, it’s okay,” she soothed when he started to panic. She shifted her grip so she wasn’t touching the injured leg. “We’ll get you all fixed up.” She kept talking, soft and soothing, all the way to the ship, kicking every slaver corpse she passed for good measure.
-*o*-
Fortunately, the dog’s injuries weren’t serious, and he took an immediately liking to Xoti, so held still while she patched him up. Emiri had to simply trust it would end well--Xoti’s cooing and the dog’s faintly wagging tail suggested it would--while she took care of their other rescue from Crookspur, the death godlike Eliam.
She wasn’t even halfway through breaking his manacles when Edér joined her on deck, stem of his pipe clenched between his teeth and a little rain cloud practically floating over his head. Emiri raised an eyebrow as he slouched on a crate.
“Lottie liked the new dog,” he muttered in answer to her unspoken question.
Emiri bit her lip to keep back a giggle. “I’m sorry,” she said with a sympathetic smile. “I’ll give you a hug once I have Eliam free,” she offered. “You know she’s a curious thing. Once she’s satisfied, she’ll come find you for some attention, I’m sure.”
He just grunted and took a pull on his pipe. She couldn’t blame him for feeling put out, considering.
Emiri was eventually proved right; it took a couple hours from their return for Lottie’s curiosity about the new dog to be satisfied, but she did come flop down with her head in Edér lap afterward.
“So, what’re you gonna name the new one?” he asked, one hand contentedly scratching Lottie’s ears. “Figured that out yet?”
“Actually, I have.” She was surprised by that herself; most of the pets she collected in the Dyrwood had taken forever to name. “I was thinking Rexan after the main character in the book I’m reading. Right now he’s just a beggar and street thief, but I’m pretty sure there’s more to him than that. Seems fitting.”
Edér grinned. “Rex for short?”
Emiri shrugged. “Sure, if you want.” I would be easier, and the concession felt like an apology for the lab’s lingering distrust. She smiled as Lottie let out a contented-dog noise. “She likes what you’re doing.”
“‘Course she does. I know all your soft spots, don’t I, girl?” he crooned, and the hound’s tail thumped the floor. “Includin’ your new buddy Rex.”
“Don’t be jealous,” Emiri admonished with a laugh. “She still loves you.”
“Not as much, though. I think she’s happy to have somethin’ else four-legged along for the ride.”
Emiri chuckled again and nodded. “Probably, but no one gives better ear scritches--or puts up with her drooling on them longer--than you.”
“Aw, thanks, Miri. I’ll keep that in mind when she starts spendin’ all her time with Rex,” he laughed sardonically.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”
Edér gave her a skeptical look. “Sure, and maybe Aloth and Tekéhu will be best friends someday.”
-*o*-
In the end, neither of them was completely right. Lottie didn’t spend all her time with Rex; but they were together enough it wasn’t really a surprise when she ended up with a bellyful of pups. And despite the hound’s open adoration and trust for Edér, Rex still wasn’t comfortable around him. He never growled or snapped, just got up and slunk away whenever he saw the farmer.
As was inevitable in close quarters, everyone knew within a couple days that the new dog wouldn’t let Edér pet him. As was equally inevitable, everyone had their two pands as to why. Everything from ‘talk more softly around him’ to ‘just sit close by ‘til he trusts you’. Nothing worked. Then came the more extreme suggestions; like Serafen’s.
“Maybe it’s your beard, mate,” he pointed out at dinner one night, stroking his own impressive facial hair. “Mayhap he prefers folk which are clean shaven.”
Aloth all but choked on his drink. “I’m not certain whether I’m terrified or intrigued by that prospect.”
“Ain’t gonna find out,” Edér retorted, sounding so indignant Emiri couldn’t entirely bite back a giggle. “‘Sides, he likes Konstanten just fine, so I don’t reckon that’s it. An’ it ain’t bein’ folk, ‘cause he’s alright with Xoti and Rekke.”
“Much as I hate to say it, if we haven’t figured it out by now, we probably aren’t going to,” Emiri said with a sigh. “Just gonna have to deal with it, keep working to see if he’ll trust you.”
Lottie came trotting in just then, and rested her head on the bench between Emiri and Edér. She gave a soft whine to make extra sure they knew she was there and both of them obliged with head pats.
Lottie panted happily, tail wagging, then looked back toward the door and barked. Emiri turned and saw Rex lurking out in the passage. She could see his tail wagging softly, but he wouldn’t come in the room, even when she called for him.
Lottie gave another whining bark and rested her head on Edér’s leg as she looked encouragingly at Rex.
He wouldn’t budge.
Emiri flashed a wordless, apologetic smile to Edér, then slid off the bench to sit with Rex. She knew you couldn’t rush recovery, but Wael’s eyes, she wished she could figure why the dog was afraid of Edér, the last kith on Eora any animal  needed to be afraid of. Unless they didn’t like being petted, she supposed. But Rex thoroughly enjoyed attention from everyone else on the ship now.
“Do you just need more time, boy?” she murmured, both hands scratching the sides of his face. Rex let out a happy-dog groan and rested his face more firmly in her hands, tail swishing back and forth. I just wish I knew how much time, she couldn’t help thinking, all the same.
-*o*-
If Rex was reluctant to let Edér near him, Lottie spent the second half of her pregnancy compensating for that. Any time Edér was on the ship, Lottie plunked herself down next to him, rolling over so he could rub her slowly-expanding tummy. He always obliged, and Emiri started teasing that maybe they should call Lottie his dog now.
He always waved her off--”Nah, Miri, I know what she means to ya”--but Emiri was willing to bet he was at least tempted. As it was, he was the first to feel the pups move, Lottie’s first choice for attention when she couldn’t find Emiri, and yet somehow still the bane of Rex’s existence.
But he had apparently resigned himself to the reality that this one dog he might never get to pet. He didn’t have to be happy about it, but he had accepted it. And anyway, by this point Emiri had collected another half dozen animals aside from Lottie he could pet and cuddle.
-*o*-
A breakthrough still hadn’t arrived by the time Lottie’s pups did. Rex still skulked away whenever he sensed Edér approaching, but now there were puppies--adorable lab-hound mutts with floppy ears and soft fur--which effectively dulled any remaining sting to that fact.
There were eight of them, and they were enough of a handful even before they opened their eyes that Emiri begged Konstanten to check on them whenever she wasn’t there to do it.
“Sorry to drop that responsibility on you,” she said sheepishly. “But you can handle it, right?”
“Sure can,” he assured her with a chuckle. “And if I can’t, I’ll just get Maia to help.”
“She’ll love that,” Emiri laughed. “just don’t ask Fassina; she’s so done with that kind of work, she may toss you into the ocean, and no one wants that.”
Despite the dwarf’s laughing promise he’d be just fine, Emiri still tried to shoulder most of the responsibility when she was aboard the Mercy. Tried being the operative word--Edér usually beat her to it and waved away offers of help.  On the rare occasions Emiri got puppy duty, Rex would join her, head in her lap while he, too, kept an eye on his offspring. Lottie tolerated the company, but largely didn’t need it. She was a good mother, which Emiri and Edér praised her for regularly.
-*o*-
In one small gift amid their circumstance, the sea stayed mostly calm for weeks after the pups were born. And even when a storm finally hit, it wasn’t a bad one, by sea-faring standards.
Emiri’s standards, however, were not normal seafaring stands. She spent the duration on the floor of her cabin, hugging Rex--who seemed to know how badly she needed him--and hoping Lottie was alright. The weather had been cleared up a good half hour before she convinced herself to get up, it was safe now. You really need to check on Lottie, anyway.
Rex padded behind her with the occasional soft whine as she made her way to the area they’d partitioned off for Lottie and her pups. They’d padded things as well as they could when Konstanten first spotted the approaching storm, but she was still worried.
She shouldn’t have been. Soon as the area came into view, she could see Edér sitting on the floor by the dogs’ bed, slouched in what she guessed was a mildly uncomfortable position, all eight puppies piled in his lap and Lottie curled up next to him.
“Not taking any chance?” Emiri asked playfully. She sat next to him and caught one puppy as it tried to squirm over his elbow.
“I didn’t do it, she did,” Edér retorted with a grin, nodding toward Lottie. “I was just plannin’ to sit here and keep an eye on ‘em. Guess she felt like this was safer.”
Lottie’s tail thumped the floor.
Emiri couldn’t resist a quiet laugh, leaning over to stroke one of the velvety soft heads. “Aww, that’s adorable. And you doubt when I say she loves you more than she does me.”
“Miri, you weren’t here, or she prob’ly woulda picked you,” he protested.
“You don’t have to try and protect my feelings, Edér,” she laughed. “I’m glad she trust you.”
As if on cue, Rex poked his head around Emiri, cautiously eyeing the man with a lapful of his puppies, clearly trusted by his mate, and edged a couple tentative steps closer. Edér shifted ever so slightly to catch a slipping puppy and Rex shrank back.
Emiri and Edér both froze in response and Lottie gave an encouraging whine, licking Edér’s arm as if to reinforce her endorsement.
Oh, come on, boy, you can do it. Emiri urged mentally but didn’t dare actually do anything for fear the skittish lab would just bolt. After several arduous seconds, Rex crept forward again. He edged slowly, hesitantly around Emiri, darting nervous looks at Edér ever step of the way.
For his part, Edér was barely breathing, still as a statue even as the pups wriggled in his lap. Emiri saw the hope in his eyes and prayed he didn’t try anything too soon.
Finally, Rex stood closer to the farmer than he’d ever dared before, faintly trembling but not running in the opposite direction.
Good boy, Emiri thought, afraid if she actually so much as whispered she’d shatter the breathless moment. Edér, for the love of all that’s holy, don’t try to pet him yet.
He didn’t, and both of them watched with bated breath as the lab slowly craned his neck, chin briefly resting on Edér’s drawn-up knees to bump noses with a puppy who had settled quite comfortably there. A muscle in Edér’s arm twitched in fatigue at his position, and Rex flinched away, skittering from the room.
But Edér still looked at Emiri and grinned. “Well, ain’t that somethin’.”
She nodded, returning his smile. “That it was.”
It wasn’t much, but it was a first step, and that was definitely something.
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Race x Spot - “What did he do this time?”
A/N This is one of my one-shots from Wattpad. Enjoy!
~
Era: Canon
Ship: Sprace
TW: Stealing, Getting caught, the Refuge, Bruises, Broken ribs
Word Count: 1.5k
Genre: Hurt/Comfort ig
It was the year 1896, and out of the shadow of night, the morning is breaking over the picturesque water of the Brooklyn Docks; where a surprisingly awake Spot Conlon sits on the harbour wall, basking in the rays of dawn's early light reflected off the shimmering water.
He had wandered down quite early in the morning in his red shirt and suspenders because he couldn't sleep and, no one else knew this but, it was actually his favourite place to go before becoming a Newsie and he still loved it down there. It helped him think.
The reason he couldn't sleep was that he was worried about that Manhattan Newsie, Racetrack Higgins. He had got himself arrested the day before and he was currently in a holding cell in the Refuge. That laughably stupid Newsie took the blame for a younger kid, he thought that the kids' name was something like Elmer; anyway, the kid was caught stealing and Race took the blame.
Flashback ~The day before
Elmer's POV
"Buy a pape, miss?" I pleaded with my signature puppy eyes.
"She didn't even look at me. Why? That's what I want to know. She completely ignored me; I mean, she looked like she could spare a penny!" I thought, well I actually ended up muttering it quietly, like an old man who was done with life. 
As it turned out, a certain blond-haired, blue-eyed Newsie overheard me, while making his way back to the Lodging House.
"You'se alright, kid?" He asked.
"Yeah, I haven't had a good day for selling. Again..." I replied. I showed him how many papes I had left and he cringed slightly.
"Well, hows about I help you sell, just this once. And I might be able to show you some of my methods that have customers practically begging me to sell them a pape!" He offered, and I nodded quickly.
"I don't think I've seen you around, you new? Oh, I'm Race by the way." He asked.
"I'm Elmer. And yes, I'm new" I replied as he started walking away from me and signalled for me to follow him. 
"How old are you, kid?" He asked once we had arrived at the place he was taking me.
"11." I replied simply. Quite a few people that meet me are surprised to find out that I am 11, they always think I am 7 or 8 because I'm so small. There isn't enough food to go round at my house; what with 9 brothers and sisters to look after and feed, it is quite hard.
Race said that we could take full advantage of my height and the fact that I look a lot younger than I actually am. He said that I should go up to them and say, 'Buy a pape from a poor orphan boy, miss or mister'. He said that it was guaranteed to work as long as I looked sad or coughed or something. 
A few minutes had passed before a young girl, about my age walked past. She looked like she could afford to buy a pape, so I walked up to her and did exactly as Race said, well I smiled instead of coughed. She smiled at me and I was given a dime. She had such a pretty smile and I guess Race could see that I thought that, because when I turned and walked back towards him, he said,
"Ooooo, has Elmer got a crush?!?!?" I blushed a bit, but he just brushed it off, thank God!
"Anyway, nice technique! Right, the next method is flattery." Race showed me different ways of selling throughout the rest of that day, but even after I had sold all of my papes I still hadn't made enough money. 
When I don't make enough money, I have to steal food and sometimes money. I don't like doing it, but I have to, to survive and feed my family. 1 of my sisters and 2 of my brothers are sick and the money I make pays for medicine.
By the time Race had gone, I had found a stall selling bread outside the Lodging House and I decided that it was a perfect place; so I snuck up while the stall-keeper wasn't looking and snatched a loaf and started off down the street. I think the stall-keeper me because he shouted and started to chase me.
"Help! Thief! Stop kid!" He was yelling as he chased me. There was another adult in the street in front of me and he must've heard the man chasing me because he grabbed onto my collar and held me firmly.
"Let go of me! Please!" I cried.
"You're going straight to jail, kid. Or worse, the Refuge!" The man said once he had caught up with us. Those two words, the refuge, made me really scared. I had heard stories about the refuge and none of them were good. 3 boys to a bed with rats and vermin everywhere, kids starved and beaten; my father had always told me to steer clear of that place, but it seemed like I was well on my way there until...
"Hey! Let go of him!" I heard a familiar voice call out. I also heard a door open and the footsteps of people run down steps. I turned my head to see a big group of Newsies gathered outside the Lodging House, watching the entire scene play out. 
And there was Race, coming to my rescue. While he was teaching me earlier that day, we became quite good friends and I told him about my family and why I had to sell papes so he could figure out why I was stealing.
"Do you know this boy?" The stall owner asked him.
"Yes, as it happens, I do." Race said very matter-of-factly. "He's my little brother."
"Well, you can tell your little brother, that it is bad to steal and will earn you time in the Refuge." Race saw me flinch at the mention of the Refuge and, for some reason, said,
"I told him to steal the bread! It's not his fault! Let him go and take me instead." 'Race! What are you doing?
"Either way, he's the thief and he deserves to go to jail."
"But, I'm the one who told him too! It's not his fault that he listens to me." I could tell the men were getting tired of this and I could see that Race knew that too.
"Fine. As long as someone pays for what they did, whether it was you or you." The man holding me said, gesturing to both of us. As Race walked towards us, the man let go of me and took the bread away. After he let go of me, he turned Race around and cuffed his hands behind his back. He was then, almost literally, dragged off the Refuge.
Before I knew it, tears were falling down my face and I started to run after Race, but I was held back by one of the other Newsies and I yelled,
"Race, I'm sorry, It's my fault!" That night I went home and all I could think of was Race taking the blame for me, if he was OK and the fact that he called me his little brother.
Spot's POV
"Hey Spot!" I heard one of my Brooklyn Newsies call me.
"What is it Roger?" I yelled down from my throne.
"It's that Racetrack Higgins!"
"What did he do this time?"
"He's been locked up in the Refuge!" With those words, I jumped down from my throne and asked him where he heard all this.
"Cowboy Jack's 'ere. He told me." I told him to bring Jack in and asked him what happened.
"Well, it was the new kid, Elmer, he was caught stealing a loaf of bread for 'is folks and when 'e got caught Race took the blame and got 'imself arrested. They took him to the refuge. Just thought I'd tell you, cuz I knows you is close to him."
After Jack left I spent the rest of the day, which to be honest wasn't that much time, thinking about my poor Racer in the Refuge.
What did they do to him? Is 'e OK? Should I break him out o' there? That was what I would be thinking when I were sitting on the harbour wall, watching dawn break over my city.
Suddenly, I felt two arms wrap around my slightly shivering body; I tensed, ready to lash out if I had to, and turned my head to see the handsome, although slightly bruised, face of none other than Racetrack Higgins! I turned my body around and held him tightly. Almost too tightly because he said in a slightly strangled voice,
"Spot...Spot... my ribcage!"
"How'd you get out?" I asked him after releasing him from my hug.
"I ran." He replied
"You ran!"
"Yeah of course I ran! There is more than 1 reason I earned the name Race, you know!" He laughed and I smiled and laughed back. I know it might sound cringey, but that was the happiest I had ever been in my life, seeing the beautiful face of my Racer again.
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blindtaleteller · 5 years
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Teaser Chapter 7: Photograph
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                                      (Still looking for this artist!)
Also quick note: I finally added that bonus track to the end of Chepter One.
--===PETER
“  Go ahead and make the call man.  “ called attention to the fact he’d been snooping; not that Peter seemed to mind. He looked combination pissed and .. Clint wasn’t sure how to label the rest of it. Tired, definitely.  Distressed?  He was staring at those messages with an almost flat expression, a little too still before he finally nodded, pressed the call button and brought it to his ear. Clint settled back, watching the jellyfish; half waiting for Peter to stand up and take it outside.
                                        He didn’t.
      And Clint took that for what it was, him and Quill both knowing well enough he would hear every word when he heard the pickup; and Peter took a breath, keeping his voice low.
“  Before you say word one; know if you actually wanna hear me, this is as loud as it’s gonna get; and I am hanging up and shutting this off if it sounds like you’re not gonna actually   listen: cause there’s somebody else sleepin’ in the room and I ain’t waking him up after the long-ass day we’ve had.  “
     ‘Where the hell   are   you? Was having them leave us behind your way at getting back at me f--’
                                 “ I ain’t playin’ that game right now, Gamora. I asked him to leave you and your sister behind, ‘cause the both of you’ve been on attack mode for almost a month with no given reason or reprieve; and I didn’t want that slowin us or the Benny down long enough for someone else to catch on and tag her, and make it worse. Time saving. We at it; and frankly.. I am not   for draggin’ our feet on this any more than the two I’m with want or need to. Especially not when you’re like   this. When it’s not me? Now there’s Loki, and that’s bullshit. You never even met the man for more’n a minute or two in passing. Haven’t bothered to try even talking to him, or his guy.  “
   If she had anything to say to that, it didn’t come. He rubbed his brow between his fingers; and Clint knew that look, all the tired and trying to be patient. Still nothing. Not from her end. Just quiet, and he could see it pulling that tension, and pulling it; until it snapped with some small metallic sound from the other end that had nothing to do with anyone’s voice; a sound that poked and burst the bubble he had barely brushed on the too-still surface of his breath. “ ‘ Course. Why am I not surprised.  “ and he blew out a breath and let his head fall back. “  I thought, I didn’t wanna do it like this; but you know: I think any other way’d just be worse for all of us, so here it is.  “
Clint felt a slow cringe creeping up his core at that tone, because that kind of phrase never meant anything good was coming after it once it was said. The clench wasn’t as low as it should have been though. And he didn’t feel like he should get up, or plug his ears into something else. He wanted to tuck the guy, hearing the tone to his quieted voice. Sounded way too familiar, and it snagged his sleeve and tugged a little, not that he was wearing the kind of shirt that had any. Part defeat, a dead acceptance for it and whatever he was about to spit out. “  I’m done.  “ was about half what he expected. “ And I hope you’re listenin’ cause here’s your out: if all of this is too much for you? Any of you? Take the Benatar and get to the nearest yard on the way to finishing up what we need to do for Thor and his folks and maybe picking up M if she’s ready. I’ll open up my savings and buy you something to get you around to wherever you go that isn’t here, doin’ whatever you want that isn’t this.  “
               ‘Quill! You do not get to pull this kind of crazy shit and just walk it off!’
                                                                    “ Shut up a minute, cause that ain’t what this is and I ain’t done. Loki found the Milano, not that you’d remember her; and the Benny was always more Rocket’s bit than mine, no matter how much I messed with her. Kraglin only put her in my name cause Rocket had his licenses and permits revoked in so many quads. Which, we already got fixed since. So if he wants her, she’s his whether he stays or goes; though, I’m pretty damned sure he’s all in, same as me. I seen and heard too much. I ain’t good for standin’ aside, and sure as hell not for beatin’ the ones we should be helpin’ down in the process of finding out where we fit next to ‘em.”
“I can wait for the Milano, however long it takes. If his work fixin’ her’s as good as what I’ve seen of it so far, I’ll pay the god triple the tribute she’s worth to get her back, no matter the wait: if he even wants it.  “ a breath in. Peter had a staying capacity he envied; the kind that went way past the physical. All that, and he had barely raised his voice over a whisper even once. Though he was pretty sure he was going to regret this. “  What I can’t wait for any more, is a solid answer from you. It’s been almost a year, and nothin’. Today was it. That’s all I had left. That talk you messaged me about? That’s over. That was over when he pushed her off that cliff;  “
                                                                                         Fuck, I almost forgot about that. Shit.That was a sucker punch, kid..
“  and I just …...I am, so  tired; of getting kicked in the gut, the head, or the balls every time I try, just   try   and believe there’s a tiny chance we can start over and step around that. So here it is; I’m gonna treat this like I should have when the whole story was piled in my ear and knotted up in my chest seeing you standing there; breathing, looking down at me. “  
And what do you  say  to that?  What do you say, when you realize; the other reason he’s whispering, isn’t because he has to?  That he didn’t have the breath himself, for anything more. The guy was so damn up sometimes; so seemingly put together where it counted. Steady and on point it was so easy to forget what else he’d been carrying around all day, and longer. Easy to forget, the first words he’d walked up on well before they'd gotten into each other's faces.
That this one; this girl he was talking to, was the  days of the past  copy. That  his  her had  been killed in hand by the shitstain that had been the closest thing she had to a father, as a trade for one of the rocks they were recollecting. The same trade that had Nat had outright  fought him  to give her life  willingly  for,  for them  ; but without the  willing  part having  anything  to do with it. Peter's Gamora had been murdered. So Thanos could kill a lot more. His kids. Laura. So, so many others. Half a universe worth. Peter included. And he'd come back to this.. probably thinking they were brought back together: and getting something else.
 “You want to help? Your sister wants to help? Then stay on, sure. Pick a ship and stick to it if you wanna. You’re part of the fam regardless. That ain’t gonna change. But don’t go thinking I’m looking for or expecting any more, from here on out. You’re right. I dragged you into this.  “
                                  '  Peter..‘
                                         “  And I’m sorry about that. “ the depth of the inhale between, made Clint want to scoot over and actually pet him through the set that followed; and that felt.. right, and weird all at once.  “ Real sorry, about it. A whole lot of sorry cause I absolutely did, and I knew better. I knew better and I chased this anyways. But, and you gotta have seen this coming; I’m also sorry partially ‘cause it took me spending the whole day toting a living, breathing infinity stone in a big plastic box full of salt water and tiny baby shrimp with a pair of crazy people who know me less than you do; and they managed to make me feel more comfortable, welcome and needed than I’ve felt in the last almost ten months   straight   in my own home:   even then. You don’t want whatever this is, Gam. If you wanted this, if you were feelin’ this even a little? We wouldn’t be having this conversation almost a year later. Tell me I’m wrong.  “
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READ MORE HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19248328/chapters/45772732
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Just Another Kind of Freak
I think I ship Zsarina and the Mummy
This is a long one and probably won’t be in any finished product
The Mummy thrusts his hand right into his gut. Zsarina has to remind herself that there’s no gut there, because otherwise it looks like something out of a b-movie where they forgot the blood. He rummages around a bit between the strips. “I’m not hungry anymore,” Tsarina declares.
“I didn’t know you were hungry,” the Mummy says.
Zsarina cocks her chin up a bit and smiles, waggling her foot. “Oh,” the Mummy says, and turns to the side, embarrassed.
“My bad,” Zsarina says, “that was really dumb.”
“Oh no, it was a good joke,” the Mummy pulls his hand out and presents to her a small tub like the size of a ring box. With one rubber coated finger he rubs the ointment on her burn.
“What a cute baby condom,” Zsarina says.
“They’re called finger cots, actually.”
“I know what a finger cot is,” ugh, she can’t even get a dirty joke in. Lame.
The Mummy rolls his eyes and dresses the wound. Gauze kind of spews out of him but as much as it does, he doesn’t seem to lose any on his arm. Finally he bites the strip with his razor blade teeth and wraps it around the arm. He leans in and Zsarina bites her lip.
“Alright,” the Mummy pulls back, “you’ve got be more careful out there.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Zsarina rolled her arm, then shouts, “ow!”
“Oh?” The Mummy says, “Is that the same ‘ow’, or another ‘ow’? Don’t poke it!”
“I didn’t poke it,” Zsarina says, “it’s not that. I think my shoulder’s hurt too.”
“Huh,” the Mummy says, “and it didn’t hurt before?”
Already suspicious, huh? Zsarina holds her shoulder and hisses. Academy award winning. “Can you just look at it?”
“Alright,” the Mummy leans in closer this time, and Zsarina puckers her lips. She strikes like a barracuda but the Mummy pulls away before she can reach his mouth.
“Hey!” he shouts.
Cold terror takes root in Zsarina. She just fucked up. She plays with her hair, “Not into tall girls, I take it?”
“No! Zsarina,” the Mummy stops himself, “I mean. Zsarina. I’m not a kisser.”
Zsarina blushes. She can’t not notice the nervousness in his voice. She lets her heart float like a butterfly and leans toward him, “Hey. Do you? Like me?” she grins.
“No!” he says way too quickly.
“Oh!” Zsarina plays with her hair some more and giggles nervously.
“No, really,” he’s gesturing way too much now, and his voice sounds shrill but kind of excited. “I mean,” he spins, then seems to realize he’s cornered, and his frame falls. He sits on the bench with her. He strokes her hand.
“All right,” he admits, “so maybe the crush is both-sided.”
“Oh,” Zsarina’s sunshine melts.
“What? You don’t have a crush on me? But why’d you kiss me?”
“Because I’m a slut, duh.”
The Mummy jolts, and Zsarina clenches her teeth, “Oh, jeez. Sorry, Mister,” fuck, it is so hard to address someone with respect in this place where names don’t exist.  Calling him ‘mummy’ right now just seems disrespectful. “It’s not anything against you. I just, yanno, I don’t know you yet.”
The Mummy shakes his head, “It’s not that. Zsarina, don’t use that word, ok? It’s vile.”
“Mister?”
The mummy gives her a pointed look.
“Oh! Slut. Well, what of it? I am a slut. I’m also stupid bitch.”
“Zsarina.”
“No. I own my sluttitude. I live the slut lifestyle.”
“There’s no such thing as a slut, OK?” He throws his hands in the air, “Let’s drop it,” he huffs. It’s a prickly subject for him, honestly, to the point where Zsarina wonders if it her jokes are even worth it.  “Well,” he says, “now I feel like a dumbass for confessing to you. But you have to admit, you were sending a pretty mixed signal there.”
“Sorry,” Zsarina rubs the back of her neck, “it’s a cultural barrier, I guess. Be in L.A.,” she counts on her fingers, “get hammered out of your fucking mind, kiss every man, woman and enby that catches your eye.”
“Oh. Alright. And the ‘getting hammered’ part?” the Mummy asks.
“OK, so I skipped a step.”
The Mummy laughs, and Zsarina’s glad for it. She takes his hand. It’s so soft- so squeezable! Like a teddy bear.
“Do you want to try for, a more straightforward kiss?”
“Zsarina, I have razor blades for teeth.”
“Oh, yeah!”
“You just remembered?” he chuckles.
“Yeah,” Zsarina shrugs, “let’s do it!” she leans into him.
“What?” he pulls back, “No! Zsarina, I’ll hurt you.”
“That’s hot.”
“No it’s not. I’ll tear your lips or your tongue to shreds.”
He’s standing up now. His body language is definitely closed off; upset. And yet Zsarina, the hot mess that she is, just has to come in with another trashy quip.
“Yeah, tear me up, Daddy.”
“Zsarina, what the fuck?”
Zsarina’s mouth goes dry. The Mummy’s staring at her with reproach. She crosses her arms.
“Who fucking cares if I get hurt, anyway?”
“I do. I care.”
“Oh right, because if I die, I can’t destroy that book and get everyone’s precious humanity back.”
The Mummy blinks, “Do you think that’s the only reason I like you?”
Zsarina takes a heavy breath and then lets it out.
“No,” she gets up to take his hand, “I’ll leave it be. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.”
She squeezes his hand, then throws her arms around his shoulders. He lets out a little gasp, then sighs.
“Zsarina. You’re not in Hollywood. Country folks need a fair bit of warning before you glomp them.”
“OK,” Zsarina backs away, but it’s against her instincts. There’s a part of her that wants to lash out at the Mummy. Punish him for actually liking her. Show him what a mistake he’s making because- well, he is, isn’t he? She’s going to fuck this up. That’s not a guess, that’s the facts. She’s going to fuck this up. The longer she doesn’t fuck it up, the worse it’ll be when she finally does. She wants to implode it right now. Minimize the damage.
She doesn’t, though. She just says, “You know, Mummy, I bet you’re like, an extraordinary cuddler.”
The Mummy laughs, “Well, yeah. I have no bones. The kids love piling on me.”
“The fuck? That must be. Ridiculously cute,” especially with the kids being one baby lemur and one baby badger. Honestly, Zsarina could get a little jealous that she never got to turn into one of the monsters here.
“It is! I mean they are. I’m not cute, just there.”
While Zsarina’s trying to come with a clever argument, the Mummy says, “You know, if it was just me, I’d say don’t go to the middle of the forest.”
Zsarina blinks, and cocks her head, “You don’t want skin again?”
He pulls at his cheek, causing the fabric to buckle, “This really ain’t that bad. And it stays sterile.”
Zsarina smiles, “You’re like a walking clinic.”
“I really am!” he smiles and reached into his chest, pulling out a capped syringe, “See? Any kind of medical supply I want!”
Zsarina cringes though, “OK, maybe you should stop letting the kids cuddle up on top of you.”
“Oh don’t worry,” he stuffs it back under the wraps, “they disappear if I don’t want them,” he grins, and shrugs, “I’m basically a black hole! I make no sense. That’s fine, though.”
Zsarina smiles, “Can I hug you?”
He nods.
She hugs him around the chest and buries her face in his shoulder. It’s only a little bit scratchy- not nearly as bad as a beard.
“You’re awfully affectionate for someone who doesn’t have a crush on me.”
She shrugs, “Maybe I can be convinced to crush.”
The Mummy laughs, nervous.
“Wouldn’t you like. I dunno. Want to go home, though? Like I hope you’re single if you’re crushing on me. But don’t you have like, a family at home?”
“Not much of one.”
Zsarina leans her cheek on his cheek.
“Yanno, I think I kind of identified with you as a kid more than the character you played on TV.”
Zsarina exhales through her teeth and pulls back “That’s rough.”
“Not everything. But the parents who didn’t give a shit about me and left me with an abuser? Yeah that was a thing.”
“Bah,” Zsarina crossed her arms, “adults suck.”
“A lot do, yeah.”
Uncomfortable now, she looks around, a particular hunger at the back of her throat, “Yanno it’s a marvel you haven’t all gone nuts here without booze.”
The Mummy shakes his head, “Doesn’t help.”
“Yeah. I know.”
There is uncomfortable silence between them. The Mummy nearly strokes her, but shyly stops himself. She pretends not to notice.
“I want to help them,” she says.
The mummy chews on his gauze lip, severing it like he feared he would do to hers. She licks her own lip in sympathy.
“Do you really?” he asked, “Or do you feel like you have to?”
Zsarina feels a lump in her throat. She shuts her eyes.
“Sorry! Did I- say something wrong?”
“No,” she sighs, “I would like to. But honestly,” she gestures to herself, “look at me. I don’t think I can.”
She sits on the bed again. The Mummy sits with her and strokes her arm. They’re quiet for a while.
“You don’t think I can either, huh?”
“I think it’s super dangerous.”
“Yeah?”
“I mean, obviously you have more chance to succeed than any of us nameless. But. Fuck,” he holds his head.
“Yeah?”
“It’s bad. Who knows what magic has popped up now. And Lionhart and his goons are out there waiting to pounce on you. You shouldn’t have to just because there was glitch with your name.”
She puts her hands on her knees, “I want to, though. I mean, Batticorn is such a sweet  kid and she fights for everybody. I think somebody should fight for her. Even if it’s a broken old tranny with PTSD.”
“God, Zsarina, I wish you wouldn’t say those things about yourself.”
She squeezes his arm. “You’re so nice. How do you get off being so nice to a pile of trash?”
“God damn it.”
“OK. Sorry.”
This time, he leans his head on her. It surprises Zsarina, but he’s incredibly light.
“I think Batticorn needs out of here,” he says, “and Vampire Leech, and Hide Behind and the kids, too. The forest drains them of happiness.”
Zsarina nods.
“But we can find someone else.”
“Nah.”
“Nah?”
“How long is it gonna take for another trans person to come to this dump, and give their deadname away?” She stands, “I believe in fate, Mummy.”
“You do?” he sounds dubious.
“Well, I don’t believe in God, so I gotta have something.”
The Mummy sighs.
“I came here for a reason, I think. So, I’ll do my best.”
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woildismyerster · 6 years
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hi:) in all honesty i have no idea for a prompt but i'd die for some Mush x Reader, i mean there's a lack of content about him and i just need you to write something with him. So feel free with the prompt and thanks a lot!
“Just until I find a place of my own,” you promised the landlord.  “It shouldn’t take long.”
He waved you off, pointing you toward the bunking area.
The fact that the room was full of grubby boys was no surprise, but seeing you was evidently a surprise for them.  You rushed past them to an empty bed in the back, ignoring their whispers.
Somebody new in the Lodge.
Somebody - maybe a rich somebody - in the Lodge.
Somebody who doesn’t have to stay, but does anyway.
You had grown used to being that somebody.  You just weren’t used to going at it alone.
You leaned against the gate, watching the boys buy their papers.  Every morning, they got up at the crack of dawn to wait in line.  Jack told them all to hush up; they shouldn’t wake anybody up who has the good fortune of sleeping in.
You could tell they all did their best.  They set their clothes out the night before so they wouldn’t make a ruckus getting them out in the morning.  They put on shoes in the hallway so they could walk through the room in sock feet.  They tried.
Despite their best efforts, they were kids.  You would be woken by barks of laughter, or a cry of outrage, or sometimes by the thud of somebody getting shoved into a wall.  The first few days you would pretend to keep sleeping, if only so they wouldn’t feel bad about waking you.  Today, you decided against it.  You let them leave, but quickly got dressed and walked to the square to watch them get started.
“Got big plans for the day?”  Jack asked the question with practiced disinterest, but you could see the way he sideyed you.  He didn’t distrust you, but he wasn’t sure about your place in his home.
You shrugged.  “Maybe I’ll get a job.  Maybe I’ll find an apartment.”
“No folks?”
“There are folks.  I’m just not there,” you said.
Jack looked near asking you about it all, but he was cut off by the appearance of a small, muscular boy with large eyes.  “Jack?”
“Mush,” he said.
“Kids are saying that Snyder is on 33rd.  You should stay south.”
“I ain’t scared of spiders,” Jack said.  Even so, he slugged the boy’s arm and wandered in the opposite direction of 33rd.
You gave the boy a careful smile when you saw him eying your nice, clean clothes.  “You the brains?”
He blinked, startled.  “Jeez, no.  Why’d you think that?”
You didn’t, not really.  Everybody gravitated toward Jack.  Even so, you were struggling to figure out the hierarchy of the others.  “You’ve been watching things.  Jack sends you out, so he must expect you to bring something back.”
“Not ‘cause I’m the brains,” he scoffed.  “I’m the muscle.”
You wanted to smile at that.  You were all too young to think that way.  Muscle was for men.  Muscle was for power struggles.  You opened your mouth to say so, but it occurred to you that this wasn’t like home.  These were kids acting as adults.  These were kids who had reason to fear adults.  Maybe muscle was a valid position.
“Do you ever have to use your muscles?”
He shrugged.  “Sure.  We all do.  I just look the part.”  He said the last part with pride, like his stature was something to be proud of.
“Yeah,” you admitted.  “You do look the part.”
He grinned, taking you by surprise.  He had a wonderful smile.  “What are you?”
“I dunno,” you said thoughtfully.  You smiled back at him, taking note of the fact that his face went a little slack at the sight of it.  “Think about it, and tell me later.”
“Does that mean you’s sticking around?”
“For a while,” you promised.  The world was so wide, so limitless, that you were having trouble picking a new destination.  Ireland, maybe, or someplace in Africa.  Who knew?  “Until I pick a new place to go.  Take your time.”
“Why’d you leave home?”  Mush stood near your bench, sporadically asking you questions between sales.  
“There was this old woman back home,” you said wistfully.  It wasn’t the woman you missed; it was the feeling you got when she came calling at your house.  “She was sick, and the doctors told her to get some fresh air.  She wanted to travel to Europe.  To rest, you know?”
He leaned against a lamppost.  “And she invited you along?”
“As a companion,” you agreed.  “She paid me to keep her company while she travelled.  It’s how I afford to stay in the Lodge.”  She had left you everything.  You could have gone anywhere, done anything, but you had chosen New York.  For now, at least.
“You got to keep the money?”  His surprise was understandable.  Most parents would have taken the money for themselves, even if it was to set aside for you to use later.
“She came to me first.”  You grinned at him, loving the rapt look on his face.  He turned away for a second, bellowing news of a sinkhole in Queens.  “She told my parents it was a vacation, and gave me all the money to hide away.”
“Where is she now?  Back at home?”
“She died.”
He winced.  “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” you said quietly.  “She was sick.  I’m not saying it was good for her to die, but she made good memories leading up to it.”
“Like what?”
“We saw the world,” you sighed.  “Some of it, anyway.”
Mush settled onto the bench next to you, pushing his bag of papers under the seat.  “Tell me about it.”
“Don’t you need to work?”
“I’s good at timing,” he said.  “Tell me a story.”
So you did.
“I’s going to open up my own juke joint someday,” Mush confided.  He stood by the edge of your bed, not wanting to sit down.  You weren’t sure that it was inappropriate, not when so many people were around, but Mush had an unexpected streak of propriety.
“Really?”
“Of course.”  He was confident in the dream.  You could see the longing in his eyes; longing for a world where he wasn’t a Newsie, wasn’t poor, wasn’t needing each day to be successful in order to survive the next one.  “The best joint in the city.”
Your lips quirked.  “That’s a good plan.  And here I thought you weren’t the brains.”
He grinned.  “That ain’t a plan.  That’s a promise.”
“More of a plan than I have,” you protested.  “You’ll make it someday.  Smart, muscular, and rich.  The ladies will swarm you.”
Mush gave a hoot of laughter, warming you right down to your toes.  “Please.  I’s gonna get somebody else to make the plans.  Jack, or maybe Davey.”
“I’ll go to your joint,” you said with a half smile.  
“You better,” he said firmly.  “It won’t matter if you ain’t there.”
There was a fluttering in your chest that didn’t feel bad, but didn’t bode well.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He flushed crimson.  “Just that you’s the ultimate judge.  If you like it, it must be good.”
“We should run away,” you said.
You were sitting against a building, looking out at the docks.  Mush stood next to you, leaning against the wall.
He gave a small smile, eyes on the waves.  “From what?”
“Everything,” you said.  “Nothing.  To something.”
He glanced down at you.  “You shouldn’t sit down there.  You’s gonna be filthy.”
“Is that a no?”
“Was that a serious offer?”
You bit your lip.  No, it wasn’t.  You were a runner.  You chased things, even if you weren’t sure there was anything to chase.  Mush was not a runner.  He was grounded.  “If I thought you would say yes, it would be.”
When he saw that you wouldn’t be standing up, he sighed and lowered himself to the ground.  “Where would we go?”
“Where do you want to go?”
He gave a crooked smile.  “Yes.”
You laughed.  “That’s just the kind of mindset I’m looking for in a partner.”
“Partners are supposed to want the same things,” he finally said.  “You and I really don’t.”
You weren’t sure exactly what he meant, but that somehow didn’t stop you from thinking he was wrong.
You were looking at all of the ships.  One was leaving for South America today.  Another for India in two days.  Others were mysteries to you, but every bit as fascinating.
“Hey, kid,” a dock worker said.  You looked at him, surprised, half expecting to see him looking at somebody else.  When he grinned at you, your stomach sank.  Ugh.
You hurriedly looked back at the sea, pretending not to have noticed.  
“Hoping to set sail?”  He came over to your bench and leaned against the back, eyes skating over your figure.
“No,” you said.  To your surprise, it was true.  You wanted to look at the ships, but that was all.
“Come on,” he crooned.  “You don’t have a fantasy?”
You cringed and shifted away.  “No, sir, I don’t.”
“Y/N,” a new voice said.  The tension leached from your shoulders.  Mush.  His hand skated along the back of your neck while he eyed the man standing by you, protective in a way that didn’t feel possessive.  “There you are.  I’s been looking all over.”
You plastered on a false smile.  Perhaps he had been, but not because you had plans.  Mush had been keeping an eye out for your sake, not his own.  “Sorry.  I lost track of time.”  When you stood, you brushed a kiss against his cheek.
The dock worker didn’t say a word while Mush led you away, pulling you into a side street.  “Christ,” he breathed at you.  “The one time I ain’t here with you, men come flocking.”
“It was one man,” you protested.  Even so, you were grinning at him.  “One.  And to think, that man could have been you.”
He laughed.  “It is now, right?”
“Of course,” you agreed.  “Thanks for flocking to me, muscle.”
“It’s what I’s good for.”
“Not just that,” you said, slightly strangled now that you were alone with him.  The two of you were never alone, not really.  If the other Newsies were out of sight, it was because you were out in the city.  “You’re so much more than that.”
He leaned back against the wall.  “Yeah?”
You hummed out a sigh of agreement.  You thought back to the dock man.  Not hoping to set sail, no sir, but perhaps there was a fantasy.  A fantasy involving the smell of newsprint, beautiful eyes, and dreams of a future that was wonderful because you stayed still, not in spite of it.
You leaned in toward him.  The street was small; there wasn’t much room between the two of you even before you cut the distance.  Mush looked into your eyes, at the line of your jaw, and the curve of your lips.  His head tilted toward yours, hands coming up to curl around your waist -
He flinched back, grimacing with something like grief.  “Sorry,” he muttered.  “I wasn’t thinking.”
“What?”  You took a step back, bewildered.
“It ain’t right,” he mumbled.  “To take advantage without intentions for a future.”  He darted out of the alley, walking slow enough to keep you near but far enough to be set apart from you.
You chewed on your lips, ashamed and confused.  You shouldn’t be dragging Mush through something before you knew what it was, but it was difficult to figure it out when he was always taking one step forward and two steps back.
You woke in the middle of the night to see Mush’s eyes gleaming in the dark.  He took your hand and led you outside, hardly breathing along the way.
Out on the street, you took a deep breath.  “What is it?”  He had never woken you before, not this early, so you were a little afraid that there was something wrong.  Neither of you had much to lose, so maybe he was hurt.
“I don’t think you’s anything.”
You blinked, hurt, though you had no idea what he was talking about.  “What do you mean?”
“What you are.  I’s the muscle.  Davey’s the brains.  You don’t fit.”
“I’m not sure I know what you mean,” you said.
“To be somebody,” he said earnestly, “you’s gotta be a part of something.  You don’t have a part if you ain’t a part of something.”
“I’m not a part of you guys?”
“Not if you want to leave soon,” he said.  His face was unreadable, which was somehow worse than his words.  He always let you read him.  It was one of the reasons you had trouble breathing when he was around.  “We’s just a stop for you.  That’s all I had to say.  You gotta - gotta stop trying to be a part when you just want to leave that empty space.”  He made to go back inside, his eyes lined with purple bags.  Had he really been so worried about this?
You grabbed his hand.  “What if I wasn’t?”
He gave you a slow, uncertain look.
“If I wasn’t leaving,” you continued.  “If I wanted to stay.  There’s this business plan, see, and I want in on it.”
“What kind of plan?”
You grinned.  “See, there’s this really smart, muscular boy.”  He laughed out loud, but you powered on.  “He wants to open a juke joint, and it seems like a prime deal.  I have money set aside, so I was thinking I could fund the place.”
His jaw dropped.  “Y/N, that ain’t funny.”
“I’m not joking.”  You still held his hand, and you shifted it to let his fingers slip into place alongside yours.  He didn’t pull back, so you took a step closer.  “I’m ready to, I don’t know, put down roots here.  I don’t know what I am yet, but I want whatever that is to be next to you.”
“You really mean that?”  His eyes were so wide, so hopeful, that you almost forgot it was the middle of the night.  You almost forgot that this was a secret, risky meeting.  All there was was a certainty that this was the one thing you couldn’t bear to leave behind.  If Mush didn’t want to leave, you wouldn’t either.
“If you want,” you whispered back.
He grinned at you, leaning in just a little, so his breath brushed your cheek, but Jack’s voice floated down from above you.
“This is all very touching, but you should get back to bed.  I don’t like clandestine meetings keeping me up.”
“C’mon, Jack,” said Crutchie, much quieter.  “Let ‘em talk.  When else can they do it?”
“Any time that doesn’t wake me up,” Jack groused.
Mush gave a low laugh, pressing his head against yours for a second.  “We can talk more tomorrow,” he whispered.  “We got time, if you’s staying.”
“Tomorrow,” you promised.  “Or the next day.  Or the day after that.  I’m not going anywhere.”
When he smiled at you like that, it didn’t seem like a bad thing.
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elizas-writing · 7 years
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Anime Reviews: School Days
For the record... I watched this whole series while buzzed on wine.. in two sittings. I hate my life.
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A 2007 adaptation of a visual novel of the same name, School Days has become a notorious anime among fans as being one of the worst. I spent so many years avoiding it because I spoiled myself with the entire plot and ESPECIALLY that ending. But curiosity got the better of me eventually, and the idea of a drinking game was too tempting, so I finally put it on.
Is it really one of the worst animes of all time? Well... Yeah, it’s bad.
Spoilers ahead for the five of you out there who have been blessed to never hear this show up until now. Trust me, you’ll understand why.
A new school year begins for Makoto Itou, and his sights are set on a girl who rides the same train with him every day: Kotonoha Katsura. He seeks help from fellow classmates, particularly Sekai Saionji, on how to win over Kotonoha and get closer. However, his desire for intimacy conflicts with Kotonoha’s extreme shyness to the point where he gets bored with her and cheats on her for Sekai, who’s been low-key manipulating the situation so they can be together.
... Oh...
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Because Makoto doesn’t have the guts to officially break up with Kotonoha, she ends up deluding herself into thinking they’re still dating. This begins the start of her becoming your stereotypical yandere. THEN, he ends up sleeping with a bunch of girls at his school, and Sekai claims she’s pregnant with his child and BLURTS IT OUT IN FRONT OF THEIR CLASSMATES. Of course, she wants to keep it and start a family with Makoto because he’s been oh so faithful even though you know he cheated on you. Because Makoto has severe commitment issues and all his side chicks jumped ship at the news of Sekai’s pregnancy, he dumps Sekai and gets back with Kotonoha because she’s losing her shit and only NOW does he feel bad for breaking her heart.
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Just when you think it’s about to stop there, after Sekai tries to confront Makoto and Kotonoha, what do they suggest? They recommend for her to go see a doctor FOR AN ABORTION.
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As you can imagine, Sekai doesn’t take the news lightly as when she next sees Makoto to talk things over, she grabs a knife from the kitchen and stabs him to death Cell Block Tango style. And just when you think it ends there, you look at the time and see there’s about five to seven minutes left and you’re wondering, what the hell could happen next after a main character was brutally murdered by his baby mama?
Well, Sekai is lured up to the roof of her school where Kotonoha is waiting, and she has Sekai look in a gym bag where MAKOTO’S HEAD IS SITTING IN BECAUSE KOTONOHA CUT IT OFF AFTER FINDING HIS DEAD BODY. Kotonoha proceeds to cut Sekai’s throat with a blade and lets her bleed to death before cutting her open to find out she wasn’t in fact pregnant at all. Then, Kotonoha runs away on her family’s yacht where she can finally be alone with her dead boyfriend’s head.
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Believe me folks, I wish I made most of that up in a fever dream.
That plot summary speaks for itself on why it’s been often deemed as one of the worst animes. It’s mainly driven by a protagonist who is easily one of the most despicable characters of all time. Never honest what he wants out of a relationship, only values girls so long as they’re good in bed, and has no regards for someone else’s feelings, especially when he’s one hundred percent at fault. Fuck you, Makoto Itou. You messed with the wrong girls, and you got what you deserved.
Surprisingly for all the batshit crazy things that happen in the show, it’s actually very slow paced. It doesn’t really start getting cringey until a few episodes in. And of course, it lures you into a false sense of security by playing off as your typical high school slice-of-life with a touch of ecchi harem elements thrown in. I do appreciate shows that take their time to build up before throwing you in the loop of intense moments. However, for something like that to successfully work, there still needs to be parts of the show I enjoy.
Even with animes I didn’t like, there was always something there that didn’t make it feel like I totally wasted my time. Madoka Magica had distinct and lovely animation, and Attack on Titan had a great set up in the beginning. School Days offered nothing except a satisfying ending where a terrible character got what was coming. Otherwise, it’s just twelve episodes of typical high school anime plot lines (i.e talking about romance and preparing for the school festival) mixed with cringe on top of cringe.
I know it’s easy to harp on Makoto, and rightfully so as he’s just an awful character all around. But good fucking God, why does no one else talk about how terrible the rest of the characters are? Most of the girls are straight up hypocrites and play into his games even though they saw him do this once before with Kotonoha. No one has the guts to call him out for being a piece of shit. Everyone’s just a stupid asshole, and I hate all of them.
Worst of all, to me anyway, is how no one cares how Kotonoha was affected. She’s either brushed off to the side or treated like shit by everyone (hey, did I mention they imply she was raped too?). I know it’s not saying much given her inexcusable behavior in the later episodes, but I can’t help but feel a little sorry for her. She deserved a better boyfriend, better classmates and friends, and someone who wouldn’t take advantage of her shyness. Goes to show even the most kind-hearted and sweet people have their limits.
Sigh... I don’t know what else to say that hasn’t been said before. If you go in with any hopes that maybe this will be a good anime, you’re sorely mistaken. The only good it did for me was showcase how important it is to treat your romantic and sexual partners respectfully and to be honest in what you want out of a relationship, so I’ll give it that. Other than that, you can leave School Days as the kind of anime only to watch while inebriated (and possibly play Cell Block Tango in your head at the last episode).
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