#dat was never ever EVER da point

[gurorori]

the mika in me whenever the topic is children

#icamt do this... mebbe it's cuz we & i have been wronged on so many levels before we even turned school age. but i am forevwr glad we never #grew up into a child hater cus dats the lowest thing ya can b fr #nawt 2 say smth a lilll bit awful but <3 some were clearly nawt abused enuff as a child that they have the chutzpah 2 dehumanise kids #this is all slash j but i do think havin endured life changin shit before likr age 5 n bcomin self aware of it all at one point served us #in a way cuz we gawt 2 realise jus how. vulnerable we were. like that's all there is.. vulnerability n helplessness n reliance on adults #2 realise dat we also ain't alone n kids r so majorly unprotected n failed on all levels ALL OVER da world #like clearly sum ppl have not had 2 sit w it all. how cld ya ever choose anythin but unendin love compassion n protection 4 children arnd ya #tw child abuse #mika caws

[austinsastrology8991]

Mercury in da HoUSe (s) mercury and why you think your smart - you only think your smart, you don't even know if you are because you can't think any other way. I dont care if people tell you your smart, they don't even know if they are smart because they have the same dilemma as you....... but if you think your dumb your probs right.... okay enough chit chat we gotta do some astrollogy >> Mercury in the first - These guys talk the talk, hella good at talking, talk too much, but at least they know how to talk. but it gives everyone in the rooom a headache. also there voices go a million directions... they like to put on voices. actually i hate your voice. its too earpiercing its like your looking at there voice even if you look away. how are you able to make me look at yo voice, its meant to be auditory but i can fucking see it STFUUUU Mercury in the second - I like money but not as much as this guy. this guy will think of every scam, every business every investment possible just to prove his worth (typically with money) as kids they are hustlers with money, everyone knows they gonna make coin, but typically as they get older, money don't mean shit to them and they start investing into something substantial and if they dont grow outta this mindset, they become shells of themselves like bill gates or the amazon guy. mercury in the third - okay these guys are actually smart, but its almost hard to tell. because there intelljgence isn't attached to anything beside intelligence itself. so its hard to notice, but they are very smart people. quick learners but i notice not quick thinkers, or at least they don't voice it much. which i guess makes them smart because they ploying liek dat mercury in the fourth - subtle intelligence, almost manipulative intelligence, they are the types to make you make a point jsut so they can point out the flaws in your point rather than make a argument themselves.... then make an argument once yours has been smashed to pieces. assholes honestly... but i rate it its just smart tactics but make em talk first and they speechless lmao mercury in the fifth - funny yes your funny, yes i see what you did there, oh yes this next joke is also funny because it ties in with your last joke.. did i mention your funnY? oh im not that funny, well im sorry i can't do it like you becayse yourr liek for real funny. okay can someone else speak now, this guys voice wasn't annoying but now it is. fr comedians but every comedian over do it, and so do they mercury in the sixth - annoying intelligence, always pointing out the flaws in whatever the fuck you just said. like dude im trying my best to think, to then speak it, and to respect you as a person. and your lookjing for flaws, in my speech? oh you can't help it? well i can't help but not wanna talk to you. annoyingly nitpicky with what i say you say she say, why so serious? oh your too smart? thats what every dumbass has ever said to me stfu. mercury in the seventh - always on your back, but can you get off my back, im still working on my argument i dont need you to suck me off about it jeezes. id rather you criticize me honestly. oh now your critical of me. well why can't you just think for yourself. oh you don't know how to. you only don't know how to because you just wanna learn more and more and more and more and more. and now you dont know how to think for yourself. congrats you played yoself mercury in the eighth - so mysterious wow so profound, i never saw it that way. no you just were thinking of something cool to say this whole time and you jsut thought of it. your only quiet so you dont look like a fool. insecure bitch ass. oh but now you just wanna insult me yeah thats because i called you out. honestly these guys are just looking for a deep chat, and its only deep because they were digging for so long.

mercury in the ninth - these guys know way too much bullshit. like they read a lot and just spit random facts and its hard to talk to them without feeling patronized. like yeah we get it, you read a lot. most peole don't because we like to be a human, not live in a book. go outside its nice. oh thats where you get your information > outside, books, the world is your dictionary - god you really are annoying. oh you knew that already. fuck off man.

mercury in the tenth - shrewd; always thinking and saying the best possible thing to say for each scenario, and its typically just sayings they read in hustler books, or what they dad said once. yeah your street smart, but no one else advertises it as much as you, which means you don't understand the streets as well as you think. yep thats right re-strategise; they just wanna own the streets i swear. and no one tries as hard as them. and thats saying something mercury in the eleventh - stop protesting you mong, you really think convincing us the realities of the world, will change the world? oh itll start the butterfly effect, okay true go on, tell us how eating veggies gonna stop the meat industry. oh you were just saying this crap for bants. yep that was annoying. oh now you wanna talk about how attitudes has shaped the world, dude why you always trying to integrate everysingle philsophy of the world into one conversation. you do realise its all bullshit? but everyone likes em because they invite everyone in on the conversation... hey someone gota do it Mercury in the twelfth - these guys are the worst i swear, cant be more manipulative than these lot, they will act innocent, but come at you aggressivly, and itll just confuse ya. youll think they just dumb and naive but they klnow damn well what da hell they doing. play yo game with someone else... oh you don't like to play with them because they fall for your shit, yep so you only like people who set you straight ehhhh you should just come at me straight or ill set you straight. oh you just struggle with convos well it shows.

#astro community #mercury aspects #house placements #astrology observations #astrology notes #astrology blog #astrology #astrology houses #mercury astrology

[darlingsfandom]

Me again! ☺️

Okay can we talk about Yvonne’s lipstick on Cillian’s nose during his acceptance speech being the cutest thing ever 🥹

I had an idea based on that where Cillian x girlfriend reader can’t keep their hands off each other during the ceremony. Like they sneak off at one point and come back with his shirt still unbuttoned and lipstick on his neck and lips. So when it’s announced he has to walk up on stage like that, it’s VERY obvious what they was just up to.

I know you’ll work your magic 💕

they're are the cutest! can they take me in with them? Anything they'd want I'd do!

Gif credit: @thesoldiersminute

Warnings: swearing, public sex!

It was all glitz and glamour in your eyes as you watched your boyfriend pose for all the cameras. You stood there with a soft smile until you realized he was waving you over but you declined until he gave you the look! You bit your bottom lip while clenching your thighs as best as you could without anyone noticing. Your heart was going to burst out of your chest, this wasn't the first award show you've went to with Cillian but it never got any easier. All the flashing lights, people calling your name or his name, all the other the other celebrities , it was a lot to always take in but Cillian always did his best to keep you calm and safe.

His arm wrapped around your waist to pull you closer and kissed the top of your head making you blush. Cillian switched places with you when it was time to move forward. He grabbed the long black material of the train of your dress to show off how pretty you look in it. Cillian couldn't help but smile when you turned to look over your shoulder at him, you looked gorgeous! Very little eye make up, dark red lipstick and just a pinch of blush on your cheeks but that most beautiful part of you was your shy smile. He was falling in love all over again.

All you could hear was people calling his name as he hooked his arm onto yours while walking into the building. He patted your hand with his as the two of you made your way to the table.

"Cillian!" Robert cheered as he hugged his best friend making you giggle while Cillian patted him on the back. Robert looked at you and smirked. "And hello pretty lady! You must be Cillians girl." Robert wrapped his arms around you and rubbed your back before taking your hand and kissing it which made your cheeks pink.

"Dats right, she's me girl!" Cillian gripped your hand and pulled out your chair for you helping you sit down. Cillian sat down with you and wrapped his arm around your shoulder. "Da best girl in ta world." Cillian kissed your temple as the rest of the cast made their way to the table. You did your best to stay calm as more people filled up the room. Cillian held your hand tightly making sure to squeeze it every few seconds before placing it on his knee. "Yer doin so good sweetheart! I know tis is a lot fer ya but I'm proud of ya." He kissed your cheek before pulling you closer.

Once the ceremony started and the lights dimmed down you calmed down a little more. You were star struck a few times but as the awards continued you felt something else growing. All the nerves, the smells, the way Cillian held you , the fact he was dressed in that suit... it was making you want him even more. You squeezed his hand hard making him look down at you with concern.

"Ya alright darlin?" He rubbed your cheek gently. You pouted at him and shook your head.

"Let's get ya some fresh air." You were on your feet and linked onto his arm making your way out of the stuffy room. Once the two of you were in the hall Cillian turned to face you and held onto your shoulders.

"Me pretty girl, ya feelin okay?" Your eyes looked into his and he knew exactly what was hidden in them: lust! "Oh, is tat yer problem baby?" All you could do was nod. The two of you casually made your way to the bathroom in hopes of ignoring any paps that were lurking around.

Once the two of you were in the bathroom Cillian pushed you against the wall with a smirk on his lips before kissing you hard. It wasn't even soft, the two of you were kissing like your lives depended on it. Your hands ran down his back gripping the fabric as he moved you over to the sink to bend you backwards so his hands could bunch up the bottom of your dress.

"Dirty girl, didn't even wear yer panties tonight?" You giggled a little in between kisses when you felt his fingers tracing your thighs. Cillian dropped the fabric before reaching behind you and unzipping your dress. "Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful baby." He looked at you like you had just fell from heaven with awe in his eyes that quickly turned into lust when he remembered what was going on and the fact anyone could just walk in.

"I need you Cill! Please please!" You whined spreading open your legs for him while jumping backwards onto the marbled counter , it felt cold against your hot skin. His jaw dropped when he seen how your pussy glistened with wetness.

Cillian waisted no time bending down, spreading open your folds and licking up your slit.

"Cillian!" You gasped loudly before covering your own mouth when his icy blue eyes looked into yours. His tongue lapped up your juices like a starved man as your fingers pulled on his hair while you bit down on your knuckles to keep your moans and whimpers down. Cillian watched as you melted around him. He pulled away slowly licking his lips before leaning in and spitting onto your clit. His thumb rubbed it in as you watched him with pleading eyes.

"Aww yer bein such a good girl fer me! If anyone deserves an award baby it's you! Makin everyone tink yer so innocent yet yer getting fucked in a public washroom!" As you opened your mouth to say anything his fingers were sliding inside of you making you grip the counter. "Ya know I'm right baby." His lips wrapped around your perky nipple as his fingers sped up inside of you making you whimper.

"Baby! You're gonna make me cum!" Your voice was shaking as you arched your hips off the counter.

"Cum fer me! Cum sweet girl!" Cillian encouraged you while pumping his fingers as fast as he could while keeping eye contact with you that sent you over the edge and making a sticky mess on his fingers. You were panting heavily while he cleaned up his fingers but Cillian wasn't finished with you. He undid his pants and freed his hard cock that sprung right up .

"Please Cillian ! I need your cock! Fuck me please!"

"Yer such a dirty girl!" He gave you that signature smirk while stroking his cock a little. "Me dirty girl, how could I ever say no to fucking ya when ya ask so pretty!" Cillian lined the head of his cock up with your pussy before slowly pushing in. He loved how your mouth hung open and the smallest yet neediest moan fell out of your mouth. Your hands gripped onto his chest so you could pull him closer for a deep kiss. Your tongues mixed together hungrily as his cock slipped all the way inside of you. You cried out into mouth while Cillian toyed with your nipples, twisting and pulling while he started thrusting into you. He moved one hand under you to have you wrap your leg around his waist while you pulled him close as possible by the shirt. You pulled a little too hard making a button pop off but neither of you cared, not when his balls were smacking against you hard.

"Dats me good girl takin me fuckin cock." He grunted into your ear. You held onto him tightly as you could throwing your head back in pleasure and crying out his name. At this point you didn't care who heard or who could walk in. You needed him! Cillians thrusts were becoming sloppy which meant he was close and with one more hard thrust he was cumming deep inside of you with a loud grunt and looking into your eyes. He panted against your face while his cock twitched inside of your warm pussy. Cillian slowly pulled out of you and before you could do anything his fingers were scooping out his cum and shoving them into your mouth. "Good girl! Clean yer mess." You smiled weakly around his fingers while sucking them slowly.

Cillian helped you back into your feet, got your dress back on you and zipped up. He did his best to help you look back to normal and not completely fucked out. You helped him tuck his shirt in his pants and get him back to normal. He stuck his head out the door and luckily no one was around, so both of you quickly snuck back into the room and just in time because they were announcing his category. When his name was announced as the winner both of you stood up and you were kissing all over his face. Cillian made his way up there and when started his speech he was all smiles. He asked if there was lipstick, he just moved on but in that moment you realized that it was obvious that you two had just did something. His hair was slightly messy, his shirt was wrinkled and not as nicely tucked in as you thought, plus his zipper was still down! You giggled to yourself when you felt a bump on your shoulder only to see Robert giving you a smirk.

"Now that's one way to win an award!" He chuckled making your face flush when you realized that Cillian was now off stage and back behind you. He looked at Robert with grin. "As you can see, I won in more ways than one tonight ."

#cillian murphy blurb #cillian murphy fluff #cillian murphy drabble #Cillian Murphy #cillian murphy smut #Cillian smut #emsblurbs

[marcy-lan-starlight]

interesting dat the arguments against bi lesbians is just victim blaming an conservative talking points.

like da only two argumentsive ever seen are jus variations of;

“words have meaning!!! you cant use these two words because those are separate boxes and i dont like you not fitting into the boxes ive made!!!!” hmmmm, where hav i heard that before… oh ya! right wingers arguing against trans & enby ppl! words hav meaning yes, the meaning we give them, an for ur own identity is the meaning they hav to u, other ppl don get to tell u who u are. an u don get to tell other ppl what words describe them, an their meaning doesn apply to you. jus like “woman” can mean very diffren things to diff ppl who use that word, bi and lesbian an whatever othr word u want can mean whatever they mean to u, an only to u, because only u get to decide who u are. ud thimk we’d hav all figured dat out by now but no, apparently ppl still thimk they need to put evyone into neat little boxes with labes an checklists of features they hav to meet.

da other i seen is “bi lesbians are making straight men thimk its ok to hit on lesbians!!” first off, ur fumking stoopid if u thimk that. those straight guys don care about ur identity cuz they see you as a fleshlight, not a person. second, they’ve probably never even fumking heard about bi-lesbians, an if they hav they wernt paying attention, do u rly thimk the guy catcalling u is up to date on queer terminology??? ud be lucky to find one who knows that saphic is even a word. an lastly, why is straight guys hitting on lesbians the fault of othr lesbians an not the fault of the fumking straight guys??? those bi-lesbians usually dont wamnt those straight guys hitting on them either, most straight women dont wamnt those guys hitting on them. so why are u blaming the othr victims instead of the ppl actually causing the harm? u wana know the answer? cowardice. standing up to da cishet guys an making systemic change takes actual effort an time an courage, is much easier to just attack another minority an blame all ur problems on them, cuz thats easy an makes u feel like u did something, even if all u did wus harass another, much smaller, minority group.

[misticloyal]

Ooo ouwchie regrets 👍

I can’t imagine what it’s like to be Wukong. Like, the amount of GUILT compounded into that character is making me go I N S A N E. I’m in love with it. 

As a hurt/no comfort slut /hj I can’t help but IMMERSE myself in how guilty Wukong must feel- just how many things he fucked. UP.

Imagine having such a perfect life, having access to a soulmate- one who loves you, one who takes care of you- and then of course you make things more complicated, but it’s fiiiiiine you trash the celestial realm everything fiiiine- u h-

O shit is dat da Buddah-

And after that you’re in super dum babey jail 💀 No but, in all seriousness. I can’t imagine the amount of self loathing that must form after realizing that YOURE the one that took the good things away from yourself. Obviously in the end ‘well yeah that was the past but look at you now ✨w✨’ and whatever optimism- but

Wukong. Bud. You had it perfect. You even took care of your anxiety and got immortality- you had a soulmate- your own partner made for YOU. 

and then you go and get yourself roped into a Journey and-

You just straight up kill him.

And THIS is what I really wanted to just write out for a fat minute ha, all of that was just kinda the introduction- but holy. SHIT.

How much self loathing must build up in that body of his- the realization that he ruined it. He’s never going to get warm hugs. Or reassuring praise. Or see that beautiful black fur ever again or see those gold eyes or smell the scent of mangos and figs and plums and home. He’s never going to see it ever again and he’s never going to HAVE it.

How many nights did Wukong go to sleep having to stare at the ceiling and hope that he won’t roll over to a cold empty bed with no one with him? Because after the Journey he would’ve been completely isolated 🤷‍♂️

I think it’s a reasonable thing to claim that one of Sun Wu Kong’s most biggest regrets was taking away from him the one thing that could’ve helped him stay mentally stable throughout his entire life: Macaque.

Wukong needs someone to point out his faults and put him into place without hurting him the same way Tripitaka did. He needs someone to tell him ‘no, self isolating isn’t the right way to go about this’ but he needs that person to do it without the pain and torture of an entire ass weapon against him. 

He needs someone who can tell him ‘I still love you <3′ after pointing out a problem he has and have it NOT feel like a sick manipulative trick. 

Anyways all of this is kinda just headcannoning how much Macaque could’ve meant to Wukong and how much Wukong fucked up by killing Mac and moving on with his life- how much he regrets that decision and how much time he spent beating himself up for it because he knows things will never be the same again <3 ^^

#lmk shadowpeach #shadowpeach angst #sun wukong #lmk sun wukong #l

[dballzposting]

confession: i read dballzposting like its the daily newspaper biweekly. Like wow....... trunks really does sorta need a different kind of fatha figure (cloth mother) in his life... gohan and goten are both kinda rly fcked in the head just a little bit but they have such drastically different approaches to finding peace andd enlightenment or watever.. yamcha is SO milfy.... this is all true no falsehoods hsve been spoken here

I would never have thought about yajirobe like dat.... bear w me cuz im a little disorganized rn but when i think about him hes like. everything being human is all about. he lived as he pleased, authenticly. a vagabond that truly does not need to gaf. He's a survivor, and Everything he did was out of survival, for himself and later for others. Of course he was a little self-serving and dishonest at times, but he did what he knew he was capable of and he did that very well. Yajirobe's got being human really figured out.

Then he meets thar cat and he LICKS HIM!!!!!

anyways peace and love on earth forever and ever 💋 💯 have a good night dballzposting

WOAH ...

SO LEGITEMATE.

#RESPECT.

You really do read da slop and glean the most beauty out of it .. you have a beautoful mind and i am honored ..

I especially like this part: "gohan and goten are both kinda rly fcked in the head just a little bit but they have such drastically different approaches to finding peace andd enlightenment or watever" That is so true and addressed so plainly .. I dont think i ever said that but ive probably implied it bc it's on my mind a lot .. But that's your synthesis ... Beautoful stuff ..

I don't know what you mean by you "would never have thought about yajirobe like dat" becasue judging by what you have written here you nailed it. Like I obviiously think that becasue you're borrowing words from my own posts so yeah like i agree... but thats what i mean. I especially like this part: "but he did what he knew he was capable of and he did that very well. Yajirobe's got being human really figured out." HE DOES DO WHAT HE DOES WELL AND NO MORE .... HE'S GOT IT ALL FIGURED OUT <3

Our supposed disagreement presumably lies in the following line about him LICKING THAT DAMN CAT !!! But it's not a disagreemnt actually (not that you seem to care much about disagreeing with it anyway BTW youre so real for that) and I can explain.

That notion came from THIS HILARIOUS POST that was so awesome and that i loved so much becasue it floored me so profoundly and was so funny ...

It made me think a lot about whether he actually licks that cat or not ... I NEVER would have thought of that before ... but if something is really funny then I'll believe it no problem. But i had/have a lot of conflicting ideas about it.

Then came the discovery that in TFS's DBZ abridged they had Yajirobe and Korin be gay married and yknow love wins <3 but again I never would have thought of it like thag.

So I think that we are on the same page <3

My formal professional Yajirobe Opinion is that: he consistently refers to Korin as "karin-sama" in the japanese dub and that honorific I think is a constant reminder of the discrepancy between the two's status and furthermore Yajirobe is not capable of romance so i dont think tht he could gay marry the cat sorry .. But i have a lot of thoughts about what I just said. A story is worth telling if you want to tell it and when you borrow character already pre-established in something in order to tell it, well it's a bit of a situation becasue now you have to conform to the original author's writing of the characters otherwise what's the point of borrowing them ... I think ... And that's always been the line for me: whether it's feasibly in-character or not .. otherwise it feels weird and makes me a bit sick (PERSONAL FEELINGS NOT A JUDGEMENT) . .. If you can make something seem in-character or CONVINCE YOURSELF THAT IT IS then a story passes. Otherwise I'd prefer that one be honest about their intentions and admit outright something like "yeah this is out of character but I'm projecting and have a vested interest in telling these sorts of events" or something. And that's totally fine like i dare not cast taboo onto the indomitable human spirit

The UNIVERSAL EXCEPTION however has always been IF IT'S FUNNY THEN IT LITERALLY WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Every Time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Partly due to the way that often funny things are funny becasue theyre true or true-adjacent. BUT NOT ALWAYS !!!!

You didnt ask for this ramble. What is my point

My point is that I definitely think that it is insane to portray romance between Yajirobe and Korin, but intimacy less than that is honestly agreeable and passable because it's either funny or pleasant to see.

That being said: A.) I Love Insanity B.) I WANT EVERYONE TO FOLLOW THEIR HEART'S CALL!! NEVER DENY YOUR HEART YOUR CAREFUL ATTENTION!! NEVER JUDGE IT!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!! C.) I Really Strongly Admire That Tumblr User (Linked Earlier) for Following Their Heart Despite Their Obvious Implicit Insecurities And For Drawing Yajirobe x Korin Stuff I Loved That So Much and I think that they're so Strong and On The Right Path D.) Love Wins <3

I mean if he gay married that cat then that would be sooo funny like NO one knew (least of all him) that his life would end up this way but Korin is a crazy bitch and let this happen so now we're here. And that's beautful <3

To borrow your words:

PEACE AND LOVE ON EARTH FOREVER AND EVER !!!!💋 💯

Thank You All

#dballz posting #dballz asks #yajirobeposting

[brooklynislandgirl]

Advent Day XI ~ Christmas Eve Will Find You @tabbyrp

"I know dis is da time of year ya make a lot of money an' stuff, but I really t'ink you should turn down jobs between now an' New Year. Spend dat time wi' us. An' if you gonna bring up havin' bills t' pay an' all dat borin' kinda stuff… I'ma suggest…you can move into our buildin'…any one of da apartments. Except da one where Carl live, obviously." She laughs at that which causes the masseuse working diligently on her shoulders to pause. "But like for real…if not one of da downstairs, den you could move into our apartment. You know we have empty rooms inside it jus' gadderin' dust. Or we could have Andy call in a team of contractors an' fix up da six floor jus' for you, custom-like. Considah it early Yule present." They are taking a spa day, mostly because the last time Tabby hugged her, she mentioned she could bend steel across Beth's shoulders with all the tightness and tension in them. Andy is also remarkably similar be he'd never allow anyone but Beth or his significant other to get close enough to touch him in anyway that would leave him remotely vulnerable. But that isn't really the point of all the pampering. Beth knows Tabby works harder and is more self-sufficient than anyone she can imagine, including her brother. She knows Tabby doesn't talk about the things that worry her, and that she is too stubborn to admit if and when she needs help. She's never wanted to be seen as someone who would take advantage of any of the Rileys, the only one for who she has spite being the clan patriarch. And that makes Beth all that much more adamant about wanting Tabby to give in. To give herself a break. To be a part of the family that's already embraced her heart and soul; her brother who loves Tabby, Beth who thinks she's one of the greatest friends any of them have ever had, and Jay who loves Tabby like a sister. The three of them have talked it out at length, the pros-a list too long to know where to start- and the cons -the only one they could come up with is how quickly Tabby might come to hate the various amounts of sibling rivalry- and everything in between. Jay even proposed to write up something a lot like a combination roommate agreement and pre-nup, if that would make her more agreeable to the arrangement. "Now, I don' expect you to answer righ' now, or even at suppah tonight. But promise me you'll t'ink about it?" She doesn't realise how much like Andy she sounds like just now except her tone is even, hopeful to a degree but with a softness that says she'll drop the subject. Heated stones are set along Tabby's spine, letting the soothing warmth penetrate skin and muscle. Her own masseuse then picks up a bowl of seaweed and mineral paste and begins to paint it in long strokes from the stones outwards to Tabby's ribs. "So, once we're done here…an' we still have pedicure an' manicure, diamond dust facials, an' den mud ba'd waiting for us, we'll take lunch in midown, den go last minute shoppin'. Regardless of if you take up da offer, we'll have a space for ya in da Tree cuddle puddle aftah Midnight Mass. He makin' buttermilk pancakes in da mornin' an' den sausage an' bacon an' fresh squeeze orange juice before we get to open presents. An' of course, stayin' for supper, too. One of da kine we'll be doin' is makin' plans for New Year's Eve. Normally we do our rounds of wha'ever charity ball goin' round but dis year, I t'ink we'll be sendin' in cheques in our r-s-v-ps an' spend quiet night in. I don' remember last time we did dat. Should be novel. Watch Ball drop on da television, maybe play some board games or do a puzzle." The masseuse finds a tender spot on Beth's neck and for a moment her eyes flutter and half close as she moans in a sensual fashion that less than a handful of people can ever claim to have heard.

"Or we could jus' stay heah, f'evah."

#tabbyrp #One Says She's A Friend of Mine|Tabby Mitchell #There Are Seven Stars|Tabby and Beth #Latchkey Saints|verse #Brooklyn Stories|New York

[sunnys567]

Friends in Strange Places Ch. 2

What if Vlad was good instead of evil? Link to chapter 1:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/39040329/chapters/97656390

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

Vlad was at the door with his suitcase, mentally double checking that he had everything, when the vultures phased through the floor. The lead one was absent.

"Vlad." the raspy voiced one said "Da tree of us just vanted to vish you varewell bevore you levt."

"I'll only be gone for a few days." Vlad said, putting on his coat. "And I notice there's only two of you."

"Ay, vell, he and Rochester vere fighting over da paper again."

"Oh for goodness sake." Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose. "Rochester only wants the comics section. Can't he just give him that?"

"Ah, you know how dat old bird is."

Vlad sighed heavily.

"You know what? I'm just going to start getting two newspaper subscriptions. The mail carrier will think I've lost it, but this is just getting ridiculous." He turned to head out the door.

"You're going to Amity, yeah?" The vulture with the glasses said. "Dat mean you're going to see da Venton's again?"

Vlad stopped with his hand on the knob.

"I'll...try to pay the Fentons a visit if I have time." he turned to look at the vultures "Although, truth be told, as much as I'd like to see Jack and Maddie, it might not be wise for me to just walk into the house of ghost hunters. Especially ghost hunters with as much...passion as them."

"An understandable concern, Vlad, but you know if dat ghost kid's been managing to live dere okay, you shouldn't have any trouble popping in for a quick visit. Just relax! Try to enjoy yourselv!"

Vlad considered this for a moment.

"Fair point, I suppose. Now, I really must be going. Remind Cecilia she doens't have to cook, make sure someone's keeping an eye on the portal, and- well, I suppose you the drill by now. I'll see you all in a few days."

Vlad opened the door and stepped outside.

"Oh, and Rochester had better not have any claw marks on him when I return. "

With that, Vlad shut the door and was gone. The two vultures looked at each other.

"You tink ve should go check on Rochester?" The one with glasses asked.

The raspy voiced one sighed.

"Yeah." he said.

They both phased through the floor.

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

"-and now I can't find that ghost dog anywhere!" Danny flopped onto his bed "It's like it just showed up to destroy Axiom Labs and then left!"

"Well, maybe that means it's gone forever?" Tucker suggested, swiveling back in forth in Danny's computer chair. "Problem solved!"

"Since when have ghosts ever decided to just leave?" Sam asked from her bean bag. "There's at least an 80% chance that dog is going to pop up again."

"And at the least convenient time, I'll bet." Danny added from the bed.

"Well, even if that's the case there's nothing we can do about it, so what's the point in worrying about it?"

"You know, you could stand to take this a little more seriously." Sam glared at Tucker.

"I am taking this seriously!" Tucker stuck out his tongue at Sam. "Look on the bright side, Danny. Sure, the security system got completely fried, but most of the projects were unharmed."

"And, more importantly," Sam shot Tucker another side-eye "You got everyone out safely."

"I guess." Danny sighed and sat up. "I just can't help feeling like a failure. If I don't find that dog, what's to stop him from doing the same thing to some other building when I'm not around? I barely managed to get everyone out in time as it was."

"Well," Sam said "He did come to you before storming Axiom. So maybe he'll come to you again."

"Even if that is true, I couldn't stop it last time, so what would I do if it did show up again." Danny massaged his face in exasperation. "I wish there was someone we could just ask how to stop it. It feels like we never know what we're doing."

Sam and Tucker looked at each other. Tucker got up and patted Danny on the back.

"Aw, come on buddy," he said "We'll figure it out. We always do."

"Yeah Danny." Sam cam and sat on the bed beside him. "You've got nothing to worry-"

"INTRUDER ALERT!!! INTRUDER ALERT!!! A GHOST HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING!!! INTRUDER ALERT!!!" A loud robotic voice repeated very loudly.

The trio rushed out of Danny's room to the top of the stairs. Jazz had clearly just run in from the kitchen and Danny's parents were standing near the door. About twenty different guns had popped down from panels in the ceiling and were pointed directly at-

"Vlad?"

"INTRUDER ALERT!!!"

"Hello Daniel, Jasmine." Despite Vlad's friendly composure, he was clearly uncomfortable with all the alarms and the guns pointed at him.

"INTRUDER ALERT!!!"

"It's Jazz." Jazz replied sharply.

"INTRUDER ALERT!!!"

"And can someone please turn that off!"

"INTRUDER ALERT!!!"

"Oh, right." Maddie pulled a device out of her bag and clicked a few buttons. The guns retreated back into the ceiling, the alarm went silent, and the voice stopped repeating itself. Vlad visibly relaxed.

"Perhaps the security system's a little too sensitive." Maddie said. "This isn't the first time it's been set off by someone who wasn't a ghost." Vlad subtly raised an eyebrow at Danny. Danny smiled nervously from the top of the stairs.

"To be honest, Maddie, I'd get rid of this system entirely." Vlad said. "It seems a little overkill. And besides, if a ghost did make it into Fenton Works, surely it'd be no match for you and Jack?"

Danny had to admit that that was pretty smooth.

"You make an excellent point V-man!" Jack beamed. "And we can repurpose the defense system into even better anti-ecto weapons!"

"Or maybe something a lot less dangerous?" Jazz suggested.

"Well, we can decide that later." Maddie said clapping her hands together. "Come on in Vlad! It's so nice that you could drop by! I'll put on the tea. I just made cookies this morning, so they should be cool by now. And these ones didn't come to life this time, so help yourself!"

"Sound delightful." Vlad said as the group walked into the kitchen. He glanced up at Danny as they passed by on their way to the kitchen.

"Okay Danny," Tucker said once the grown ups were out of site "So what on earth is Vlad Masters doing in your house?"

"Oh, I forgot." Danny slapped his forehead "Mom and Dad said he was coming over today. Kind of got distracted by whole ghost-dog thing."

"Okay, I have a follow up question." Tucker said.

"Apparently he was friends with my parents in college. They used to be pretty close until-"

Danny stopped himself. He didn't know if Vlad would be okay with Sam and Tucker knowing. They were cool with half-ghosts, sure, but Danny knew he wouldn't want Vlad telling anyone his secret without asking first. Even mentioning that Vlad had been in an accident involving a ghost portal might be enough to tip Sam and Tucker off, and he didn't want to risk it.

"-uh, until, you know, they split up and Vlad started his own company. Which, as you probably know, turned out pretty well for him. He just held a big college reunion about a month ago, and they're kind of reconnecting, I guess."

"Wait," Sam held up her hand "That's why your family went down to Wisconsin for the weekend? To hang out with the CEO of VladCo? Why on earth are we only learning about this now?"

"I watched a bunch of adults dance around an auditorium with fake cheese on their heads for four hours. It was boring. Not much to tell. At all." Danny wracked his brain for anything else to talk about, until he realized something. "Hey, how do you two know who he is? I only learned about him in the RV on the way up."

"Uh, tech nerd?" Tucker held up his PDA, as if to illustrate his point.

"Rich people know each other." Sam shrugged. "Not that I've ever met the guy. Apparently he's pretty reclusive. Very selective about who he'll see, but I've heard my parents say his name about five billion times. It's all about connections with them. Knowing someone who knows someone. The intricately tangled web the rich have woven to keep those below them in their place. I'd take a flamethrower to that that web if I could."

Danny and Tucker just blinked at her.

"Anyway," Sam said, checking her watch "If he's here visiting your family, I guess we'd better go."

"What!?" Tucker said "And miss out on the chance to talk to tech giant Vlad Masters? I have so many questions for him!"

"He's a busy guy Tucker." Sam said, grabbing Tucker by the sweater collar and dragging him down the stairs. "He's probably too sick of work stuff to want to talk about it any more in his off-time than he does on a daily basis. Also, CEO's don't tend to know much about the tech side of the tech industry anyway. He probably just crunches numbers and pushes papers. Anyway, enjoy your visit Danny!" Sam waved pleasantly at him once she'd gotten Tucker out the door.

"Don't forget to check out that trailer for DOOMED I sent you!" Danny heard Tucker call before Sam shut the door.

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

When Danny entered the kitchen, Jazz was sitting at the table, a pile of closed books in front of her. Presumably she'd been studying before Vlad arrived. Maddie was talking as she pulled cups out of the cupboard.

"...so nice to be able to properly catch up with you without all the hubbub of the party. Ah, there you are Danny. Would you get the milk and sugar out?"

"Yeah, V-man, " Jack mock-aimed whatever device he was working on at Vlad as he spoke "I never got the chance to tell about all the cool new invetions Mads and I have been working on at the reunion!"

"Oh goodie." Vlad said dryly. "I simply cannot wait for that." He reached up and gently pushed the device away from his face.

"I simply cannot wait for that. Fear me."

The room went silent. Danny looked at the table and saw a familiar device amongst a small pile of Fenton inventions.

"Oh, great, you're working on the Ghost Gabber again." he said nervously, realizing his mistake a millisecond too late.

"You're working on the Ghost Gabber again. Fear me."

Jazz's eyes flickered between Danny and Vlad a few times before she pushed her chair back and stood up, an annoyed look on her face. She walked around to Jack's side of the table.

"I'm going to put this glitchy thing away." She said, snatching it off the table "Before it annoys us all to death."

With that she stomped down the stairs clutching the Gabber.

"Say," Jack rubbed his chin "That's a great idea! Why don't we all head to the lab! Maddie and I can show you how far we've come since our college days Vlad!"

"Oh," Vlad's smile seemed a bit forced and his voice sounded nervous "Erm, well, I don't know if-"

Before he could finish speaking, Jack had wrapped his thick arm around Vlad and was practically dragging him down the stairs.

Danny made to follow them, but he stopped when he felt his mom's hand on his shoulder.

"You mind helping me carry the tea stuff down, sweetheart?"

"Oh, um, maybe tea in the lab isn't a good idea right now?" Danny was desperate to get down there and not leave Vlad alone. "With Vlad here, Dad might get over excited and spill it on something important?"

"Hm, I suppose you're right..."

"We can just have it when Dad's done showing Vlad around. But we should go down and join them. Right now." Danny hoped his mom didn't notice the urgency in his voice as he pulled her down the stairs.

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

When they arrived in the basement, he found his dad giving Vlad a tour. To Danny's relief, Vlad's apprehension had been replaced with genuine interest. He examined various machine closely as Jack blathered on about them.

"This is quite the innovation Jack!" Vlad and Jack were currently looking over the still incomplete Spectre Speeder. "And it's ability to convert the ambient ecto-energy of the Ghost Zone into fuel, creating a self-sustaining perpetual energy source is absolutely brilliant!"

"It also ensures you won't run out of fuel if you get lost!" Maddie said, jumping right into the conversation. "We know so little about the Ghost Zone, so we want to be as prepared as we can be."

"Indeed. And, although I am of fan of the ample storage space, I'm wondering if the converters are able to generate enough power? Especially if you're going to install weapon functionality which, if I know you two, you will be doing in excess."

"Yeah, that's the tricky part," Jack frowned "We're a bit stuck on that, but if we can find a way to compact the circuitry, we might be able to disperse it in such a way to maximize the ambient ecto exposure the Speeder gets, but then there's the issue of excessive energy production, which..."

Totally lost by their jargon, Danny glanced at Jazz and saw her discreetly flipping some switches on a few devices. She probably didn't want something else to go haywire and disturb Vlad's visit. Or maybe just annoy her personally.

 Luckily the thing that Jazz seemed to have dubbed 'annoying' were the same devices Danny tended to set off unintentionally. That was convenient. Sure, Danny knew which ones to avoid, but Vlad didn't. Now he wouldn't accidentally set them off and rouse suspicion. Danny silently thanked Jazz and her limited patience with their parent's ghost stuff.

"...and of course, there's out crowning achievement, The Fenton Ghost Portal!" Jack said, gesturing proudly to the portal.

"Oh," Maddie made a strange face. "We can just ignore that thing if we want to, though." she smiled nervously.

"It's kind of a little hard to miss, Mom." Danny said.

"Don't worry Maddie, I know exactly what you're thinking." He wrapped his arm around Vlad's shoulders. "Don't worry Vladdie, we perfected the design of this baby.

There's no way it'll explode in your face and leave you hospitalized indefinitely this time!"

Vlad smiled back at Jack, but it was very obviously strained. Maddie and Danny looked away awkwardly. Jazz glared at her father.

"Yes, well, as much as I appreciate the painful reminder and the concern," Vlad pushed himself out of Jack's grip "There's truly no need for it. We've come a long way since our college days, I'm sure you'll agree." Vlad walked towards the portal. He gave it a quick look-over. "It seems you two were more thourough with your planning this time. Unlike that prototype, this portal seems to be in perfect working order. In it's current state it holds no risk towards anyone."

Jazz flashed Danny a look that he almost missed.

"Besides, of course, for the ghosts that come out of it." Vlad added, running his hand along the metal frame.

"You know, it's funny." Maddie said. "We've had the portal running for a few months now, and barely anything's shown up. Of course, we haven't actually gone into the Ghost Zone ourselves, so maybe it opened on a deserted patch, or something. "

It took all of Danny's willpower not to burst out laughing.

"Probably wise." Vlad removed his hand from the frame. "Who knows what dangers lie on the other side."

Danny suddenly wondered if Vlad had been to the ghost Zone. He probably had, since he did have access to a working portal, and he'd sounded like he was familiar with the Ghost Zone when he was talking to Danny at the end of the reunion. He'd have to ask him about it when he got the chance.

"Of course, there was that kerfuffle down at Axiom Labs that sounded suspiciously like ghost activity to me." Maddie frowned.

"Oh, have you investigated?"

"Unfortunately not. Those darned security people wouldn't even let us take a look at the Axiom building." Jack stared into the distance, determination and frustration written on his face. "I just know it was a ghost that caused all that destruction!"

Danny wondered if anyone could here his heart rate increasing.

"Well, Jack, I am meeting with John Axiom today," Jazz's eyes went wide when she heard that. Danny had to admit he was a bit impressed too. Vlad didn't seem to be bragging, though. "Perhaps I'll be able to find out from him what happened."

"Ooh, good thinking V-man. You can come back to visit when you're done with all your business stuff and tell us what happened at Axiom."

"Oh, I don't know that I'll have time to visit again, but I will definitely get in touch with you and Maddie if I hear about anything ghostly."

Danny noticed both his parent's faces fall.

"Oh," Maddie said, the pep gone from her voice. "You're sure you can't-"

"And speaking of which," Vlad looked down at his watch "I'm afraid I'm due for that meeting rather soon, so I must be going now." Vlad started his way up the stairs. The others followed him.

"Oh, you didn't even have your tea yet." Maddie said as they emerged into the kitchen.

"I really would like to stay Maddie, but unfourtunatley, this is a business trip, and I'm afraid my schedule's rather tight." Vlad said as he opened the front door. "It truly was a pleasure seeing your home. And the lab is quite the upgrade from our old makeshift college one."

"Thanks Vladdie." Jack beamed. "And if you think that's cool, wait to you see the Ecto Annihilator!" Jack punctuated his sentence by pulling out a menacing looking box with many tiny flailing metal claws.

"Oh wow, look at the time, I really have to go right now!" Vlad almost slammed the door shut in his hurry.

"Awww." Jack's shoulders slumped and he threw the Annihilator over his shoulder. Danny zoomed as far away from that thing as he could without looking (too) conspicuous.

"Well, that was..." Danny started.

"Brief." Jazz finished.

"We don't get to see him for twenty years, and he still barely talks to us." Maddie sighed. "I get that he's busy, but he could at least return my calls."

Jack just sighed loudly. It was like looking at a kicked puppy. Danny and Jazz weren't sure what to say.

"Welp," Maddie clapped her hands, the smile returning to her face. "No point in standing around moping. It was nice to be able to see Vlad at all. Now, we've got some perfectly good tea in the kitchen that shouldn't go to waste."

"You know what, you're right Maddie." Jack's smile also returned and he wrapped an arm around Maddie's waist. "I finally got the chance to show Vladdie the new lab. And I think he was impressed. That's a win! Maybe later he'll be thinking about it, and realize it's so cool that he'll want to join us in ghost fighting again! I bet he'll be calling any day now!"

Danny didn't say anything, but that seemed a little optimistic to him.

"In the meantime," Jack continued "Let's have that tea. And those cookies you mentioned. And I can tell the kids all about the upgrades I'm making to the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle! To the kitchen!"

Danny glanced warily at the 'Ecto Annihilator' that was still in the way to the kitchen, but Jazz had already procured a set of tongs and a garbage bag and was cautiously approaching the device. Danny wasn't sure what it did, but he was very glad Jazz was the one dealing with it.

"That Vlad guy is pretty...interesting." Jazz said as she dropped the Annihilator into the garbage bag. " Wouldn't you say Danny?"

"Huh? Yeah, I guess."

Danny suddenly thought he felt something brush his leg. He looked down and saw a folded piece of paper sticking out out his pocket. He pulled it out and unfolded it, revealing a note.

Daniel,

I should be able to stop by tomorrow night sometime around 8:00. It would be good to catch up with you. Also I heard you may have been having some ghost trouble, and I'd certainly be willing to offer my assistance. I must say, I am impressed with your efficiency in evacuating the Axiom employees. You may be feeling discouraged by the fact that you weren't able to subdue the ghost, but it's important to choose your battles and have your priorities straight.

                                                                                                                                                            We'll talk more tomorrow,                                                                                                                                                                                  Plasmius.

It was actually kind of nice getting praised. Danny beamed to himself as he stuffed the note back into his pocket. He couldn't wait for tomorrow.

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

Of course, Danny hadn't considered that he'd have to see Valerie tomorrow. Or how defeated she'd look.

Danny stared warily at her as Valerie skipped the lunch line in the cafeteria. He noticed she was carrying a bagged lunch.

Did this have something to do with the ghost dog?

He felt his stomach sink.

Sam noticed his staring.

"You're not seriously thinking of asking out another popular girl, are you Danny?" she asked, disapprovingly "You know, considering how well the last time went."

"What?" Danny looked at Sam. "No, I- you remember that ghost dog?"

"Yeah?"

"Wait, that's Valerie Gray!" Tucker cut in. "As in Damon Gray's kid. I read about her dad getting in major trouble with Axiom Labs. They sued him for all he was

worth. The guy even had to sell his house."

Danny's stomach was absolutely churning.

"Wait, why'd they sue?" Sam asked "Did it have something to do with the ghost attack?"

"Well, according to official reports, Gray's so-called 'foolproof' new security system went haywire and caused a lot of damage. The building was practically unsalvageable. No one could figure out why, including Gray, so John Axiom made him pay for the damages. Which were pretty expensive, as it turns out. The security footage of the incident was toasted, and no one has said anything about seeing a dog. Some witnesses did mention getting save by 'a creepy teenager with super powers' though."

"I've been called worse." Danny shrugged.

"Wow, "Sam said "Billionaire sues hundred-thousand-aire for damages he could already afford to cover with what amounts to pocket change for him. It's a real dog-eat-dog world in rich people land. Well, more like dog-eat-flea-when-dog-already-has-a-steak world. The flea is Valerie's dad, in case that wasn't clear."

"And it wasn't even his fault." Danny said "It was that ghost dog that wrecked all the machines. It was weird, he seemed so friendly until we got near Axiom Labs. And tiny."

"Hey, " Tucker was staring beyond Danny "What's going on with Valerie's friends?"

Danny and Sam turned to look at the popular kids table. They watched as Valerie dejectedly skulked off from her friends and sat at a different table by herself. She pulled a sandwich out of her brown bag and picked at it.

"Wait, why isn't Valerie sitting with her friends?" Danny asked.

"If I had to guess," Sam said "All her dear A-lister 'friends' dropped her the second they heard she was broke."

"Oh."

Yeah, Danny wasn't eating the rest of his lunch today.

"Man," Tucker knitted his brow "Losing your house, all your money, and your friends all in one go? That's rough. We should go talk to her."

"What?" Sam rolled her eyes "And throw rich girl a pity party for finally getting a dose of reality?"

"She's still a person Sam." Tucker glared at Sam as he spoke. "A person whose going through a real tough time right now." He looked over at Danny. "You coming?"

"I..." Danny rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn't look Tucker in the eye. "...don't think that's a good idea, Tuck. It might be weird, cuz it's kind of my fault she in this situation in the first place, so..."

Tucker stood up.

"You two are unbelievable. Well, I'm going to talk to her whether you jerks come with me or not."

He walked away. Sam kept and impassive expression, but she didn't look at Danny. He also avoided eye contact with her.

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

"Hey Valerie." Tucker greeted her. She looked up from her sandwich and glared at Tucker. "Uh, I'm Tucker. Tucker Foley."

"I know who you are. You're in my PE class."

"We also went to the last dance togeth- never mind. You mind if I sit?"

She didn't say anything. Maybe this was a bad idea, but Tucker felt like he had to at least try, so he sat down.

"Sorry your friends are being such jerks."

"So the entire cafeteria saw my humiliating rejection. That's just what I needed."

"I mean, I just heard about what happened with your dad, and-"

"Great, so the whole school is talking about how much of a loser I've become?"

"No! I just follow Axiom Labs, being a tech nerd and all, and I read about the, uh, incident, and how they sued your dad, so I thought-"

"Thought what? That you'd just walk over here to nobly pity to the lonely loser kid? Ooh, lucky me! The biggest nerd in school wants to sit with me! How could my life possibly get any better! All my problems have been dwarfed thanks to the presence of Tucker freaking Foley everyone!"

Despite her harsh words, Tucker found himself having difficulty getting offended. Maybe he was desensitized from Dash's crew saying stuff like this about him all the time, but maybe deep down he understood that Valerie wasn't trying to hurt him specifically, she was just lashing out. She was at a pretty low point, so Tucker figured he could forgive her for this one.

"Look," he said firmly, but not harshly. "I know you're having a hard time. It's not easy, having your whole life upended by ghosts. But, and as weird as this sounds-" "Ghosts?"

It sounded ridiculous, but once Tucker said the word 'ghosts', gears started to turn in Valerie's head. The monster that had destroyed Axiom seemed able to disappear, and the kid that had saved her and the others could fly through walls.

They were ghosts.

Ghosts were real.

It sounded crazy, but, somehow, it was the only thing that made sense.

"Oh my gosh!" Valerie shot up from her seat "Ghosts!"

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Tucker said sitting down opposite her. "I deal with ghosts all the time, there's no need to freak out."

But it was too late. Valerie wasn't listening. She was running towards the cafeteria faster than Tucker had ever seen her run in gym class.

"Hey, wait!" Tucker called after her "You forgot your-"

But Valerie was long gone.

"-lunch."

Tucker sighed and stood up. Worried some bully might steal it, he packed up Valerie's lunch and headed back to his table.

"Well that went well." Sam said dryly.

"At least I tried Sam." Tucker glared at her, not at all in a joking mood.

"How is she?" Danny asked tentatively.

"Not good. She's really freaked out and upset over everything."

"I wish there was something I could do to help her."

"Me too. I think I just made everything worse, though. You gonna finish that?" Tucker pointed to Danny's tray. Danny shoved it over to Tucker.

Nobody said anything for the rest of the lunch hour.

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

They all split up after lunch. Tucker hated that they had separate fourth periods on Thursdays.

As he turned the corner he smashed into someone carrying a rather large stack of books. Tucker and the other person fell to the ground and the books they were carrying went everywhere.

"Oh jeez, sorry!" Tucker scrambled to collect the books. "I did not see you at all! But, maybe you shouldn't be carrying so many books that you can't-" he suddenly noticed a theme in the books he was picking up.

"Ghost Hunter's Almanac? Ghost Hunting for Nitwits? What's with the interest in-" he looked up from the books in his hand and saw Valerie picking up up the rest of the mess.

 "Oh. Hey Valerie." What were the chances? "Um, here's your...ghost books back." he held them out awkwardly. Valerie glared at him and snatched her books back.

"What, are you stalking me or something?"

"No, I honestly didn't see you. You know, if you're interested in ghosts, Danny's parents are ghost experts. You could totally ask him for help. Or you could ask me and I'll ask him." Tucker gave what he hoped was a charming and friendly smile, but it just seemed to annoy Valerie.

"I don't know what your game is Foley." she said, glaring at him. "But you can quit now. I don't have any money left, and despite my new status, there's no way I'll ever be desperate enough to date you. So you've got nothing to gain from sucking up to me."

"Wait, what?" Tucker blinked in confusion. "Valerie, I'm not trying to get anything from you, I'm just trying to help. Honest."

"Great, I've even lost my appeal to the bottom of the barrel."  

Wow, Valerie was making it really hard to be nice to her.

"Then what do you want? Why are you being so nice to me?"

"You just, seem like you could use some kindness, I guess." Tucker shrugged. "I do kind of know what it's like for ghosts to uproot your life. Adjusting can be...hard."

"Oh." Now it was Valerie's turn to be caught off guard. "Well, thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome, I guess."

Valerie started to walk away.

"Hey, wait!"

"Ha, I knew it! I knew you wanted something!"

"You forgot this at lunch," Tucker handed her her paper bag. "I thought you might get hungry later."

"Oh." Valerie took the bag. She and Tucker just stood there looking at each other for a few seconds. The bell suddenly rang, interupting their awkward staring contest.

"Oh no, I'm late!" they both said at the same time, sprinting off in opposite directions.

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

Valerie was having trouble processing her interaction with Tucker. It was weird. Her own friends had snubbed her, but the loser kid she (if she could help it) never talked to was helping her at her lowest point? Valerie didn't get it.

But at least he had reminded her of some valuable information; Danny Fenton's parents were ghost hunters. That meant some of the worlds leading ghost experts were right in her town. Ghost experts she could actually talk to. The books were interesting, but they weren't super helpful. If she wanted to protect herself from ghosts, she needed weapons.

And Fenton Works was just the place to get them.

Valerie rang the doorbell. She fixed her hair while she waited for someone to answer. She only had one shot at this, so she needed things to go as well as possible.

A large man in an orange jumpsuit, whom Valerie recognized as Danny's father opened the door. He looked back and forth a few times before looking down and spotting her.

"And who might you be?" on paper the question might have sounded rude, but the man seemed earnestly curious. "One of Danny or Jazz's friends?"

"I'm in Danny's class. My name's Valerie Gray." Valerie tilted her head slightly and used a voice she'd been perfecting since kindergarten to get adults to do what she wanted "I just heard that the Fenton's were top tier ghost hunters, and I was wondering if there was any way you could teach me so I could help fight against the ghosts too."

Jack absolutely beamed when she finished speaking. Valerie internally pumped her fist. That was a good sign.

"Well would you look at that." he said. "It's not often you find young people so enthusiastic about ghost hunting these days. Maddie! Come here!"

"What is it Jack?" Maddie appeared at the door. "Oh, are you selling cookies? I didn't know they let teenagers be girl scouts." Again, in theory that sentence could have been condescending, but Maddie sounded genuinely interested.

"She's not selling cookies Mads. Wait, are you selling cookies?" Valerie shook her head. "Darn. Anyway, this is one of Danny's friends. She came here to ask us about ghost hunting!"

"Ooh!" Maddie squealed. "That's exciting! What did you want to know Sweetie?"

"I wanted to become a ghost hunter, like you two." Valerie said, putting on her best smile and sunniest voice. "I want to learn how to fight ghosts so I can protect this town and myself when those menaces attack."

"Wow, such ambition!" Maddie beamed "Unfortunately we can't actually teach you to fight ghosts."

"What?" Valerie felt like a balloon in her chest had deflated.

"Yeah," Jack nodded solemnly "Those police officers warned us about giving out 'volatile energy weapons' to 'random teenagers' after the last time. We'd love to recruit you kiddo, but they said they wouldn't be so forgiving next time."

"But I'll be careful!" Valerie wasn't ready to give up "You could train me, and I promise I wouldn't use any of the weapons unless it was a real emergency, and-"

"Sorry Sweetie, I'm afraid our hands are tied."

Valerie face fell and her shoulders slumped.

"I'll tell you what, though." Valerie held her breath when Maddie spoke. "We can give you these."

She handed Valerie two small devices. One looked like a pager, and the other sort of like a shield handle without the shield.

"The Fenton Pager and The Fenton Hand Shield." Jack said proudly.

Well, that made sense.

"You can use the Pager to contact us if you run into any ghosts."

"Our number's also in the phone book if you have any questions." Maddie added. "Our message box is usually pretty empty, so we should be able to get back to you fairly quickly."

"That shield is also a piece of cake to operate." Jack said "You just use the button to turn it on and off. It's small, but easy to transport and conceal. The ghosts'll never suspect you've got it on you."

"The charge doesn't last very long, but you shouldn't need to use it much. For emergencies only."

Valerie lost all hope when Maddie said that.

"Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. I should really be getting home now."

"It was great to meet you...what was your name again?" Maddie asked pleasantly, as if she hadn't just crushed all of Valerie's hopes and dreams.

"Valerie."

"It was nice to meet you Valerie. Feel free to stop by anytime."

Valerie heard the door close behind her as she walked glumly down the stairs. She stopped at the bottom and stared at the devices in her hands. The shield was something, she supposed, but nowhere close to what she was hoping for.

She closed her hand into a fist and clutched the hand-shield.

"I'll find a way." She said looking up, determination burning on her face.

"Find a way to do what?"

Valerie jumped and turned towards the voice. Her thumb instinctively found the button on the hand-shield, and a translucent green circle about the size of a trash can lid sprung up in front of her face.

"Who's there!?"

The stranger stepped out of the shadows of the ally way.

"My apologies for startling you. I'm-"

"I know who you are. Vlad Masters. CEO of VladCo." Valerie clicked the button with her thumb again, and the shield retracted.

"Hm. I'm not usually recognized by people under twenty. Anyway, I couldn't help but overhear you've taken an interest in ghost hunting."

"What's it to you?" She crossed her arms and glared at Vlad challengingly. Under any other circumstances, she would've been excited to meet the famous billionaire, but not when she'd just caught him creeping in an alley, eavesdropping on her.

"Not many people take interest in that particular field. Most don't even believe in ghosts in the first place, let alone want to hunt them. Especially not your age."

"You...believe that ghosts are real too?" Valerie was surprised.

"My dear I've run into many ghosts over the course of my life time. Spoken to more ghosts than ghost-believers."

Valerie scoffed.

"Spoken? To those monsters?"

"Whether you believe it or not, it's true. However, as I'm sure you're aware, not all ghosts are friendly. I'd advise you to steer clear and leave the ghost hunting to the professionals."

"Professionals?" Now Valerie was seething. What right did this guy have to just show up and tell her what to do and not worry about? "You mean the same 'professionals' who stopped that giant monster from destroying my father's security system? The same professionals that saved everyone at Axiom Labs who was in danger? The same professionals who stopped my life from being completely ruined in front of me? Oh wait!"

"Tell me Mister Masters," Valerie took a step forward. Vlad stepped back. "What right do you have to just show up, out of literally nowhere, and tell me what I should be doing with my life. "

Maybe this had been coming. Maybe Valerie's fear and anger had been festering for too long and were finally boiling over the edge. Maybe it was because she was never going to see this idiot again. Whatever the reason, she let out everything she'd been carrying inside her for the past week.

"You haven't lied awake at night because you're too afraid to close your eyes in case something more terrifying than most people can even imagine shows up and destroys your life without warning. You haven't had nightmares about giant green faces that wake you up in a cold sweat at 3:00am when you finally do get to sleep. You haven't seen monster you know you saw, but can't tell anyone about because they'd think you were crazy!" She felt tears prickling the corners of her eyes, but she pressed on. Now that she'd started, she wasn't going to stop until she got everything out of her system.

"You don't have to look at your dad's face every morning when he smiles and tells you everything's gonna work out, when both you and he know the truth is that everything sucks, and it might suck for a long time! Maybe forever." Valerie's voice wavered, but she steadied herself. "Ghosts took everything from me! And that monster is going to continue to haunt my life until I do something about it!"

Valerie could feel herself shaking. She felt drained, but also lighter than she had in a week.

Vlad didn't say anything. He looked mildly surprised. Valerie found that she didn't care what he thought. She turned around to leave.

"You're right."

She stopped walking and looked over her shoulder.

"Ghosts can haunt you in more ways than one. I...have experienced the fear. I've lied awake worrying that what happened once may happen again. I've gone about my daily life on edge, worrying that they might attack out of nowhere. If anyone knows what you're going through, it's me. I have no right to tell you to just go back to living your life like nothing happened when I know that's impossible."

Valerie was genuinely speechless. She hadn't expected this old man to listen to her, to care, to understand.

"I know someone who can deal with the ghost that attacked Axiom. It will be dealt with, I can assure you."

Valerie nodded and bit her lip thoughtfully.

"But there's more, aren't there?" she said. "And don't you dare lie to me."

"Yes."

"A lot?"

"I'm afraid so."

"I know what they can do. The damage they can cause. I won't be able to sit by and watch ghosts destroy the lives of the people around me. I can't do nothing."

Vlad didn't say anything right away. He looked pensive.

"I'll make you a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"The kind that will give you the tools you need to protect you from ghosts, and help you protect others."

"You mean ghost weapons?" Valerie raised her eyebrows.

"Yes. Weapons and armour, of sorts. But, you'll have to agree to a few conditions."

"What are these conditions?"

"Firstly, you must be careful. Ghost hunting is dangerous and the only reason I'm giving you the tools to do it is because you seem desperate enough to go charging in with or without proper protection. And if those are my only two choices, than I know which one I'd rather you do.

Secondly, as I told you before, not all ghosts are as dangerous as the one that attacked Axiom. Many are quite friendly if you get to know them. I imagine most of the ones you meet here in Amity won't be, but I'll have to leave that to your discretion. That being said, I believe you've met a ghost child? Looks about your age? Lanky, black hazmat suit, white hair?"

"Yeah, I've met him." Valerie knit her brow. She actually hadn't thought about that ghost kid much. She'd been too preoccupied with the dog.

"He's on your side. I'd strongly advise working with him if you can, but you are under no circumstances to harm him. He's been protecting Amity from a large sum of ghosts these past few months. Simply put, there might have been a lot more Axiom-situations if it wasn't for him."

Valerie's eyes widened. So ghosts attacks had been happening without her even knowing? She wasn't sure if she found that comforting or creepy.

"I'm afraid this part of the deal is non-negotiable. I'll need your word you won't harm him."

"Yeah, I'll leave him alone. I wouldn't go after him anyway. He...saved me when the dog attacked. He saved everyone. I didn't get his name, though. Do ghosts even have names?"

"Most of them do. I believe he goes by 'Danny Phantom'. Do me a favour, if you will, keep an eye on him for me?" Vlad seemed almost...concerned about this ghost. Valerie wondered why.

"Was he...close to you, or something?" she was trying to be sensitive, but truthfully this situation was kind of awkward.

"Hm? Oh, well, I've only met him recently. I just...see myself in him in some ways. He's capable, but what he does is dangerous. I'd rather neither of you involved yourselves in ghost hunting at all, but if you're going to either way, it might be good to have each other's backs."

A ghost who was a ghost hunter? With all the other craziness suddenly going on in her life, why not?

"I'll...think about it. I'd better get home before my dad starts to worry."

"Yes. It was very nice meeting you Valerie. You should receive something in the mail shortly. I'll send you something...appropriate. Goodnight, and do be careful."

"Thanks Mister Masters." Valerie said, turning away.

Vlad watched Valerie walk away into the night. Sure, he'd expected some excitement , but this was not at all how he'd thought his night to go. What had he gotten himself into with this teenager?

He'd worry about that later. Once he was certain she was gone, he stepped back into the alleyway and summoned the black rings that transformed him into ghost form.

Once the transformation was complete, Vlad floated up to Danny's window.

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

Danny jumped when he heard something tapping on his window. He almost fell out of his seat when he looked up from his homework and saw Vlad Plasmius's face behind the glass. He was waving and smiling politely, but seeing that face at your window was enough to stop anyone's heart.

He went over and opened the window.

"Vlad!" Danny said happily. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you, but a little warning might have been nice."

"I did say I'd be dropping by. Are you available right now?"

"Absolutely." Danny said, transforming and flying out the window beside Vlad. "We should probably take this somewhere else, though. Wouldn't want to accidentaly get spotted by my parents."

"Yes, that would definitely be wise."

They decided to fly over to Amity Park Park (after Danny managed to convince Vlad that, yes, that was really what the park was named). They talked as they flew.

"So how long are you staying in Amity?" Danny asked.

"My business with Axiom is almost all settled. I'll be heading back to Wisconsin tomorrow."

"Oh." Well that was disappointing. "Hey, you've been to the Ghost Zone before, right?"

"Yes I have. Many times in fact."

"What's it like in there?"

Vlad thought for a second.

"The Ghost Zone, despite being intrinsically linked to the human world, is nothing like it. It is an endless swirling void of ectoplasm and chaos. It's like outer space in a way, only green instead of black and without stars. There are patches of land floating about. Islands, if you will, and they all seem to operate on different rules. If a human were to enter the Ghost Zone, they'd likely be stuck on one of those islands, since navigation is impossible without flight. Gravity does not exist and, of course, you are surrounded by various types of ghosts at all times."

"That sounds...terrifying."

"I'd say it's more confusing than scary. Sure, you have to be prepared for the unexpected, but that's what makes it interesting. The threat of death may be in any direction you look, but so is the thrill of discovery!"

Danny suddenly understood how his parents and Vlad became friends.

"Now it's my turn for a question. Do your parents often have their inventions around the house?"

"Um, yeah, I guess."

"Have they noticed that you seem to set all their devices off?"

"They always assume it's a glitch or something. I usually just pretend to be as confused as they are, and try to leave the room as fast as possible. They don't suspect anything so far."

There was a pause in the conversation.

"It's amazing how they can be so brilliant yet so dense."

"Makes my job easier." Danny shrugged.

"Still, it must be quite stressful, being constantly under the risk that someone might find out. Especially with no one to talk to about it."

"Well, I'm not totally alone."

"Oh? Does Jazz know about your powers? I didn't think to ask last time."

"No. Sam and Tucker were there when the accident first transformed me."

"Sam and Tucker?"

"My friends. You met them when you came over the other night."

"Oh." Vlad furrowed his brow. "So you do have people in your life who...accept you for what you are."

Danny thought that was kind of a weird way to phrase it.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Hm." Vlad had a strange expression on his face. Danny wasn't sure if he should say something. "That's...interesting. On another note, how have you been keeping up with the local ecto activity?" Vlad asked. "Any particularly troublesome ghosts?"

"Uhh, you know the whole Axiom situation? Well...there was this ghost dog that showed up and attacked Axiom Labs a few days ago. It hasn't really caused any trouble, you know, besides the whole destroying Axiom thing, but I'd like to track it down and get it back to the Ghost Zone anyway, just to make sure he won't cause more trouble, but he seems to have disappeared completely."

"Have you checked Axiom Labs?"

"What?"

"If the ghost has caused a disturbance at Axiom, then that place may hold some significance for him."

"But there's like, construction workers and stuff there. Surely someone would've noticed a giant green dog."

"Daniel, have you heard that demolition on the building was delayed?"

"Wait, what?"

"Well, this information hasn't been made public, but it has been delayed indefinitely. They haven't been able to extract the remaining projects because apparently anyone whose sent in reports being scared off by a horrible monster. They haven't been able to organize a proper investigation yet."

"Wait, seriously?"

"I was actually planning on asking if you knew anything about that."

"Well now I know where to look at least."

"Are you going after it tonight?"

"I mean, the sooner I get rid of it, the better, right?"

"I suppose." Vlad nodded. "Though, if this ghost has bested you before, perhaps it would be good to bring some extra firepower."

"Did you have something in mind?"

"Yes, in fact, I'd like to accompany you. If you're alright with that."

"Really? That'd be awesome!" Danny said. "Hang on, I just need to call- oh..."

"What is it?"

"Well," Danny rubbed the back of his neck "I just usually bring Sam and Tucker along on these things, but they don't know about you."

Vlad didn't say anything. Danny couldn't read his facial expression.

"I mean, it's fine, though. I take on ghosts by myself all the time, so they don't really need to be there."

"They can come if you like." Vlad said.

Danny might've jumped if he wasn't already in midair.

"Really? Are you sure you don't mind?"

"I'll admit it will be strange explaining my...situation to them." Vlad gestured to himself. "But I'd like to meet your friends properly. And see how you three do on the field."

"Huh. Wow. So no pressure or anything."

"I'll reserve judgments, but I may have some useful pointers." Vlad grinned. " There's a small thicket near Axiom's front entrance. You can explain things to your friends and meet me there."

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

"So you think the dog's still hanging out at Axiom?" Sam said.

"Wouldn't there be an excavation crew swarming the place? Surely we'd have heard if something ghostly was going on there?" Tucker said.

"That's the thing," Danny said. "There have been sightings. Specifically of a giant green dog monster. Sound familiar?" Tucker and Sam's eyes widened at Danny's words. "The higher ups have been trying to keep it quiet, so word hasn't gotten out to the press yet."

"Okay," Sam raised an eyebrow "So how do you know all that? You're not exactly the world's greatest detective there, Sherlock."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny asked.

"First off," Tucker cut in "the world's greatest detective is Batman, not Sherlock Sam." Sam glared at Tucker. "Second, yeah, how do you know all that?"

"You remember how Vlad Masters was visiting my family?"

"Yeah?" Sam and Tucker said together.

"Well, the reason he came down to Amity Park was because of the whole Axiom fiasco."

"Ah, that makes sense." Sam said. "The tangled web. Figures he wouldn't be down here just to visit old friends."

"So, Vlad was able to get the inside scoop and shared it with you?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"So the rich crone wasn't useless after all." Sam smirked. "That's a first."

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Tucker said "Let's get down to Axiom and bust that ghost!"

"Um, first, there's, uh, something else you two should know. About Vlad."

Sam and Tucker both looked at Danny. Neither of them said anything, curious as to what Danny could possible have to tell them about CEO family-friend Vlad Masters.

"Um, well, you remember how I said he and my parents split up in college?" Danny rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn't really planned how he was going to break it to them. "Well, what actually happened was that Vlad was in an accident. See, he and my parents used to study ghosts back in college."

"Seriously?" Sam smirked. "Vlad Masters was into ghosts in his college days. He just became the slightest bit interesting. Wait, were you about to tell us that the he's going to Axiom to nerd out, or something? Ugh, that would mess with things."

"Er, no, not exactly. See, it's just that when Vlad got into his accident, he and my parents were trying to build a...ummm...a ghost portal. And it kind of went off on him."

Nobody said anything for a second. Then Sam's eyes bulged.

"Wait," she said "Hold on. Are you saying...what I think you're saying? No. No way!" Sam put a hand to her forehead, eyes fixed vacantly on the ground.

"Wait, what?" Tucker looked between Danny and Sam. "What's he saying? What happened to Vlad?"

"Tucker," Sam grabbed Tucker by the shoulders and looked him directly in the eye "Vlad had a ghost portal accident." she said, stressing each of the last three words.

Realization suddenly dawned on Tucker.

"Wait," wide-eyed, he pushed Sam off of him and looked At Danny "Are you're saying that...Vlad Masters is half-ghost too!?"

"Yeah." Danny confirmed. "Turns out there's someone else like me."

Danny felt a strange lightness in his chest once those words left his mouth. The feeling surprised him, but if was nice.

"Anyway," Danny snapped out of his daze "We should head down to Axiom. I told Vlad we were going to meet him there."

Tucker and Sam, still slack-jawed, just blinked at Danny.

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

The trio hid their scooters in some bushes once they got close enough to Axiom.

"Okay," Danny said "Now we just gotta find Vlad and come up with a plan."

"Where did he say he'd meet you?" Sam asked.

"Somewhere in this thicket."

"He couldn't have been a little more specific?"

"I'm sure he's around here somewhere. We'll just have to-"

"Good evening."

"AH!" All three of them jumped at Vlad's voice.

"How long have you been standing there?" Tucker asked, clutching his chest.

"Oh, not long." Vlad turned to Danny. "I assume you've explained things to them?"

Danny nodded.

"Excellent. I was floating above invisibly, waiting for you three to arrive. I wasn't going to stand somewhere in the middle of these trees and hope you'd run into me. That would be a little ridiculous. I did also scout the building while I was waiting for you. No sign of that ghost dog in my preliminary search, I'm afraid."

"Does that mean it left?" Danny asked. Sam and Tucker seemed to have lost their ability to speak, and were just staring at Vlad. He didn't seem to notice. Or he was pretending not to.

"I doubt it. More likely it's just hiding. We'll either have to do a more thorough search and hope to stumble upon it, or find a way to lure it out."

"Oh!" Sam suddenly gained her voice back "I actually brought something for that."

She swung her spider backpack off her shoulders and unzipped it. Inside were various dog toys and a small bag of dog treats.

"He may be a ghost dog," Sam pulled out a squeaky toy and squeaked it "But he's still a dog, right?"

"Excellent thinking." Vlad smiled "You seem to have a very good instinct for ghosts...Sam, was it? Well, we can talk more inside. I don't know how long this will take, so we'd better start searching right away."

The group began to walk towards the Axiom Labs building. They'd barely started down the hill when Danny felt a sudden chill and a puff of mist escaped from his mouth.

He looked around. There was no sign of a ghost anywhere. That was weird. Danny thought he was too far away, but maybe the dog had set off ghost sense?

Danny sighed. He'd had his powers for months and still couldn't seem to quite get how they worked.

He looked over at Vlad. Vlad's ghost sense must have gone off too, but he didn't seem concerned, so Danny figured it probably wasn't something to worry about. It was just the dog setting it off.

Yeah, that was probably it.

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

Danny pulled Tucker and Sam through the walls of Axiom intangibly. They both stared at Vlad as he emerged beside them.

"Wow," Tucker said "There really is another half ghost in the world."

"What?" Vlad raised an eyebrow playfully "You didn't believe him?"

"No! It's just, it's, weird, I guess." Tucker shrugged awkwardly.

"I understand that it can be a lot to take in." Vlad casually examined his fingernails. "I am open to questions, but we'd better start moving. As I said before, I don't know how long it will take us to find our ghost, so we'd better start now."

And so the four of them patrolled the building. Tucker carried the bag of treats and threw one on the ground every so often. Danny held the squeaky toy and squeaked it a few times whenever they entered a new room.

They walked in silence for a while, Tucker and Sam seeming to not want to address the elephant in the room.

"So, how long have you had ghost powers, Mister Masters, sir?"

Okay, maybe Tucker was actually fine addressing the elephant.

"Oh, about twenty years at this point." Vlad said "And just 'Vlad' is fine, son."

"Cool. And I go by Tucker. Tucker Foley."

"Noted."

"So...I was wondering, do you ever use your tech for ghost research? I've actually used some of VladCo's stuff to modify Danny's parent's inventions. The kritonic stabilizer really improved the Fenton Thermos. Danny could stabilize it with his ecto-whatever, but I noticed the KS did a similar thing, so that way the rest of us could use it too. Didn't take too long to solder, either." Tucker smiled a wide smile that made Sam silently glare at him.

"As a matter of fact, that's what it was actually initially developed for. Not that my employees knew that. I told them it was for improving cooling systems. Of course, PC's don't run on quite the same energy wave a lot of ecto technologies do. In the end it was rolled out onto very few models, since the impact on efficiency was negligible, but it was quite useful for me personally for its capabilities with ecto-energy stabilization."

"Yeah, I actually got one of the PC's that implemented KS, and that's where I got the it for the thermos. I always wondered why they'd bothered with it. Worked out pretty well for us, though. I thought it was such a weird coincidence that something so useless happened to work so well for ghost hunting."

Danny squeaked the toy as they entered a large room through an mangled archway. He soon found himself unable to keep up with Vlad and Tucker's conversation. How did this always happen?

At least his friends were getting along with Vlad.

"Shh!" Sam suddenly stopped walking.

"What?" Danny asked.

"I hear something."

"What is it?"

"I don't know, shh!"

The rest of the group listened. Now that they weren't talking, Danny noticed it too: a soft crunching noise. The noise stopped after a second and then started again.

"What do you think that is?" Danny whispered.

"I think the dog found our trail." Tucker whispered back, holding up the bag of treats for emphasis.

A high pitched bark suddenly cut through the silence.

"Yup, that's definitely the dog." Danny said.

The barking started to get louder.

"Okay, I'm going ghost!" Danny held up his arms and transformed. He turned to Sam and Tucker. "You two stay back. This dog is not something you want to mess with."

Danny squared up, ready to fight. The barking was steadily getting closer, until around the corner appeared...

A small dog yipping happily. He turned the corner too fast and slipped onto his face, but quickly recovered and kept running towards Danny. When he got close enough, he jumped towards Danny's chest. Danny instinctively caught the dog.

"Oh yeah, I see what you mean Danny." Sam nodded "Reeeal Scary."

"I...don't get it." Danny said. He absentmindedly started to pet the dog. "He was like this when I first met him, but he turned a lot bigger when he got to Axiom." He tuned to Vlad "And you said he was scaring away all the excavation crew." Vlad nodded. Danny turned back to the dog. "What is your deal?"

"Maybe he just hates humans?" Sam shrugged. "He did seek you out when he came here. Ghost dog likes ghost?"

The dog lept out of Danny's arms, ran over to Tucker and stood up on his hind legs, wagging his tail. Tucker dug a treat out of his bag.

"Sit!" He said, holding up a treat. The dog sat obediently.

"Wow! He's well trained." Tucker tossed the him the treat. The dog caught it and happily wagged his tail. He got down on one knee and scratched the dog under his chin.

"Good theory Sam, but he doesn't seem to mind Tucker." Danny said.

"And if you can stand him, you can stand any human." Sam nodded.

"Hey!"

"But then why did he attack the Axiom employees?"

"Hey, check this out!" Tucker said. "On his collar! It's the Axiom logo!"

"What?" Danny and Sam gathered around the dog. Sure enough, the tag on his collar bore the atom insignia of the company.

"You know," Tucker said "I was doing some research, and Axiom did used to use guard dogs before Valerie's dad upgraded their security system. I have a feeling that might be relevant."

"So the dog came back to destroy Axiom to get revenge for being replaced?" Danny said.

"You're getting warmer," Danny had almost forgotten Vlad was there. "But there's still a hole in your theory. You may have noticed that the majority of the lab's projects are still intact. And, according to reports from various Axiom employees, our ghost doesn't seem to have caused any further damage since the initial attack."

Danny took a quick look around the room. The most prominent signs of the dog's earlier attack were a charred security camera dangling on one wall, and the doorway they had come through that was actually a large hole in a mangled steel security door. There were some gashes in the walls, but none of the computers or other furniture in the room had been damaged.

"It was also recently brought to my attention that it was mainly the security system that he went after."

"Hey, you're right." Danny said.

 "And the only other time he was sighted," Sam furrowed her brow in thought "Was when the excavation crew came in to get Axiom's projects. Otherwise he seems to have stayed completely out of sight."

"Yeah, it didn't like those people, but it doesn't really seem to mind us being here." Tucker said.

"Okay," Danny said "So he destroyed the security system because it replaced him, but he hates the excavation crew because...?"

"Because they were trying to take Axiom's stuff!" Tucker snapped his finger "And it's the dog's job to protect Axiom's stuff!"

"Yeah!" Sam said "Cujo over here was actually just doing what a guard dog's trained to do!"

"So...he's not trying to get revenge?" Danny said "He's just trying to do his job?"

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a ghost phasing through the floor and snapping something around the dog's neck before anyone could react.

"Ha ha! At long last I, Technus, have caught the guardian of Axiom in it's smaller form, thanks to the distraction caused by you, ghost child, as well as you teenage friends." Technus seemed to notice Vlad for the first time. He seemed caught off guard by his presence. "As well as this senior citizen, I suppose?"

"I'm forty-two." Vlad said.

"I knew it wasn't the dog that triggered my ghost sense!" Danny said.

The ghost dog began to glow green, like the first time he transformed when Danny met him. He yelped as little sparks shot out of his collar and remained the same size.

Sam looked at the dog with horror in her eyes. She turned towards Technus and glared.

"What did you do to him?" She demanded.

"I have placed an inhibitor collar around this dog's neck, barring it's access to it's much larger and scarier form. For days that infernal mutt has been tormenting me! Biting and drooling all over my stylish trench coat whenever I so much as set foot in Axiom Laboratories. But, now that it has been neutralized I, Technus, now have unfettered access to all of Axiom's most advanced technologies!"

Technus finished his speech by thrusting his arms out to the side. Various machine pieces began to flow towards him from every hallway and swarmed around his body.

"Behold, my ultimate revenge upon this menace guard dog, Mecha-Kitty 5000!"

In about thirty seconds, Technus was decked out in a mechanical suit that looked like a giant cat. A giant metal cat with glowing green eyes and matching veins of energy running along it's body. It had razor sharp metal claws, and teeth fixed in an incredibly creepy smile.

"And now, before I use the technology in this lab to take over the world, I'm going to destroy you meddling kids and that pesky dog! And, also this elder."

Cujo whimpered. He looked at the ground and tucked his tail between his legs.

Danny clenched his fists and turned to face Technus. He began to fly towards him, but Vlad put his arm out to stop him.

"You three get the collar off the dog." he said. "I'll handle this." He turned away from the group and looked into the robot cat's visor. A black ring appeared around his waist, splitting into two and travelling up and down Vlad's body, transforming him.

Sam and Tucker stared at him with awe and a little bit of intimidation. This was their first time seeing Vlad in his ghost form.

"I don't suppose you're familiar with the name 'Vlad Plasmius'?" Vlad asked, floating up to Technus's level.

"I, Technus, am not familiar with the name 'Vlad Pasmius'!" Technus seemed surprised by Vlad's ghostly transformation. He quickly recovered, though, and the robot cat swiped it's claws at Vlad. Vlad managed to dodge them, though.

"That," Vlad began to charge up an ecto beam in his hand "Is about to change, then."

The robo-cat raised it's tail and began shooting electrical beams out the end of it. Vlad threw his charged up ecto blast at the robot before quickly swooping to dodge the electric blast. Vlad's blast hit the cat's cheek, but barely seemed to do any damage.

"Is that all you've got?" Technus gloated. He fired beam after beam at Vlad.

Vlad split into two while Technus continued to fire at him. The two Vlads flew in around in a random swirling pattern. Danny quickly lost track of which Vlad was which.

"Blast it!" Technus cried "Stay still so that I, Technus, master of all things electronical, can fry you with my electronic blasts already!"

The robo-cat began to shoot alternating electrical beams out of it's nostrils as well. The two Vlad's continued to swoop around intricately, making it hard for Technus to aim properly. They both stayed well away from the area where Danny and his friends were.

Danny turned away from the fight. He grabbed the dog's collar and tried to make it intangible, but was met with an electric shock. Danny and the ghost dog both yelped.

"Sorry boy." Danny said, shaking his smoulderding hand.

"If the collar's designed to block ghost powers, then ghost tricks aren't going to work on it." Sam said.

"Then let's try a tech trick." Tucker pulled a jack cord out of his backpack and plugged it into Technus's collar and his PDA. Green text that was incomprehensible to Danny began to scroll down the screen.

"Bingo! I'll have this collar off of him in no time!"

"Perfect." Danny stood up. "In the meantime, I'll go help Vl-"

Danny stopped mid-sentence when he turned. He didn't see Vlad.

Suddenly, Vlad appeared beneath the robo cat. He clenched his fist and charged up an ecto beam. At least, Danny thought it was an ecto blast. The aura around his hand intensified, and then spread down the rest of his arm.

With his other hand, Vlad shot an ecto beam at one of the robo cat's front legs. It struck it right in the knee joint, causing that leg to buckle. The robot was thrown off balance. As Technus adjusted, Vlad flew over to one of it's back legs.

He grabbed it just above the knee joint with his glowing hand, assaulting everyone's ears with a screeching cruuuunch. Pink energy spread around the area where Vlad was holding the leg.

The bottom half of the leg split from the top and fell to the ground. The part where it had been severed glowed red-hot, as if it had been melted off.

"Hey, hey! What's going on down there?" Technus said. "What did you do to my leg?"

Vlad's only answer was to unleash an onslaught of ecto beams at Technus's other legs. They weren't very powerful, but Vlad aimed for the knee joints, which kept knocking the giant robot off balance. Technus kept trying to adjust, but Vlad would not let up.

Danny suddenly noticed the cat's tail sneak under the robot's body.

"The tail!" He shouted "Behind you!"

Without even looking, Vlad went intangible and flew up through the robot's body, an electro beam barely missing him. He emerged from the top and kept flying upwards. Once he was almost at the ceiling, he swooped around, flying back towards the robot at top speed, both fists thrust out in front of him.

He turned solid again.

SMAAAASH!!!

The robot's remaining legs, still askew from the earlier ecto beam barrage, instantly gave out from Vlad's impact. The robot's body crashed against the ground, sparks and bits of metal flying off of it.

Vlad hovered above the wreckage. There were two large dents where his fists had made contact with the robot.

That cat was not getting up anytime soon.

Technus intangibly floated out of the robot's head. When he turned solid again, he looked furious.

"You fool!" he shouted "You may have destroyed this glorious creation of mine, but I am a master of technology, and we are currently amongst some of the most advanced technological devices in the world! What's to stop me from rebuilding my machine! Or perhaps something even more powerful!"

Danny suddenly felt something woosh by him, and Technus was bowled over by the ghost dog, now in his gaint form. The dog absolutely pummeled Technus. It was almost hard to watch.

As his finishing move, the ghost picked Technus up with his teeth, shook him violently, and let go. Technus went sailing straight into a wall.

Splat!

Technus actually stayed where he hit the wall for a second before slowly sliding down to the floor. He did not get up.

"I...got the collar off." Tucker said.

"Nice job Tuck." Danny pulled out the thermos and aimed it at Technus. The blue beam began to suck him in.

"Noooo! How could you have best me, Technus, master of-"

Danny slammed the cap on the thermos, cutting off Technus's speech.

The ghost dog turned to face Danny, panting heavily.

"The bad ghost is gone." Danny said. "You did a good job."

The dog shrank back to his normal size and barked happily. To Danny's surprise, the ghost began to disappear, seemingly dissolving into the air. Within a few seconds, he was gone.

"That's...never happened before." Danny said.

"Is he gone?" Tucker asked, looking around. "Like, he's not just invisible?"

"I believe so." Vlad landed on the ground next to Danny. "I haven't seen any ghost that disappears like that reappear. It seems when they do that, they're gone for good. I have no idea where they go but, and I could be wrong, but I think that when that happens it's a good thing for them. Nice job with the collar, by the way Tucker. I may have to hire you one day."

Tucker beamed when Vlad said that.

"All he wanted was to protect Axiom." Sam said. "Even after everything they did?"

"I think he just wanted someone to acknowledge the hard work he did." Tucker said. "Those dogs did a good job, and they weren't exactly rewarded well. Huh. I'm starting to get why you feel bad for animals."

"You three did well tonight." Vlad smiled. "I am quite impressed. You've picked up on the intricacies of ghost hunting rather quickly. Truth be told, I don't even think that I even really had to step in there when I did. You seem to work well as a team, you're all quite resourceful and adaptive, and I honestly don't have any major notes."

The trio all smiled at each other. They weren't used to getting praised.

"Of course, I'd advise you from letting your heads get too big. There's always room for improvement. I do wish I could stay longer, but I'm afraid I'm on a rather tight schedule and must be going now. It was a pleasure to meet you both. Ta ta!"

Before anyone could respond, Vlad went intangible and flew through the roof.

"Okay," Tucker said "I know he said the three of us were good, but we've barely managed to scrape out of half the ghost fights we're in, and that guy took down Technus like it was nothing! Like, seriously, did you see him?"

"Yeah." Sam turned to Danny "Like, we see you do some incredible things, Danny. But that Vlad guy? He's kind of...scary powerful."

"Maybe I'll get that powerful someday too." Danny said "It'd make our jobs easier. And I wouldn't have to keep bugging you guys with ghost hunting."

"Aw, come on Danny," Sam elbowed him in the side "Cut that out. If there's one thing your parents are right about, it's that ghost hunting rules. Please don't tell them I said that, though."

"Oh, absolutely not." Danny laughed.

"Okay, but now that the ghost is gone, we'd better get going." Tucker said. "It is a school night."

"Ooh, look at you being all responsible." Sam smirked.

"I want to be well rested for the release of DOOMED tomorrow."

"Ah, that explains it."

"You saw the trailer I sent you, right Danny?" Tucker wrapped an arm around Danny's shoulder "It's gonna be awesome!"

"Yeah." Danny took one last look at the ceiling. He wished Vlad hadn't left so soon.

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

Danny braced himself for the wave of guilt upon seeing Valerie the next day, but it didn't come. She looked a lot happier today. Her head was held high and she was even smiling.

Much to the trio's surprise, she stopped by their table.

"Hey Tucker." she said. "Thanks for the advice yesterday. It was the best anyone's ever given me."

"No problem." Tucker smiled warmly. "Glad I could help. Hey, you can sit with us if you want."

Tucker's offer earned him some raised eyebrows from Danny and Sam.

"Nah, I got some stuff I gotta research in the library." She turned around "Maybe some other time, though." she said before walking away.

"What'd you say to her anyway?" Danny asked.

"No idea, actually." Tucker shrugged "But she seems happy."

"That...might have something to do with her father getting hired by another company's security department." Sam said.

"Wait, really? That's great!" Danny smiled. "Wait, how do you know that Sam?"

Tucker leaned closer to Sam with a smug expression. "Would you know that because a certain heartless goth actually does have a heart, and put in a good word? Hmmmmm?"

"Someone had to do something." Sam pushed Tucker away by his by face "Since your efforts left her running out of the cafeteria. Anyway, enough about Valerie." Sam turned to Danny. "So, Danny, how long have you had a half-ghost billionaire friend?"

"Huh? Oh, I only found out about him when we met in Wisconsin last month. Honestly, besides last night, I haven't seen him since."

"But, still, it is really cool that there's another half-ghost out there. And one that kicks serious butt too!" Tucker said.

"I just wish he wasn't so busy. It'd be cool if he came around more."

"That's the life of a billionaire, Danny." Sam said "Although, if I were him, I'd be doing everything I can to clear up my schedule and spend time with the only other half-ghost on the planet, so who knows. Maybe you'll see more of him soon."

"Yeah, maybe you're right Sam." Danny didn't mention that Vlad wasn't returning his parent's calls. Vlad seemed to like his parents, but Danny wondered if he'd come around more often if they weren't ghost hunters.

"Yeah, and it's not like you need him anyway." Tucker added. "Sure, he's awesome, but you've been getting waaay better with your powers. I don't think you've fallen through the floor at all this month, and I've lost count of how many ghost-butts you've sent crying back to the Ghost Zone. You're not doing too bad on you own Danny."

Danny smiled. He was glad he had friends like Tucker and Sam. He had no idea how he would've survived becoming half ghost without them. Sure, Vlad made him feel less alone when he was around, but Sam and Tucker made him feel less alone in a different way. Maybe an even better one.

-------------------- Epilogue --------------------

It had been nearly a month since her dad had been hired by the Mansons. Thing were going well.

"I'm moving up the ranks pretty quickly Val! The Mansons are pretty impressed with my work."

"That's great Daddy!"

Even though it was Saturday, Valerie still liked to get up early to see her Dad off. It was worth it to see how excited he was with his progress at work. His smiles in the morning didn't look like they took effort anymore.

"Of course, I'm nowhere near my old salary, but at this rate, we should be able to afford to live in a slightly better apartment. One that's closer to your school. So, as soon as I find a decent one, we're moving!"

"Now that is good news." Valerie said. She was sick of killing cockroaches and getting up at 5:00am to catch the bus to school.

Damon glanced at his watch.

"But only if I make it to work on time. Gotta go Sweetie, have a good day." he kissed the top of her head. "Oh, by the way, that came for you in the mail from Wisconsin." he said, pointing to the package on the living room table Valerie had missed. "Might be that dress you ordered before I got fired. Anyway, gotta go. Love you!" he called on his way out the door.

"Love you too, Daddy!" Valerie called as she heard the door shut. She went over to inspect the package. There wasn't a return address, but Valerie had a pretty good guess of who it was from.

When she pulled open the flaps of the box, she discovered a note at the top of a pile of packing peanuts.

Ms Gray,

As promised, enclosed are two things: a protective suit and an Ecto Blaster. The blaster should be pretty straight forward to use, but the suit is much more advanced and, I imagine, much more helpful. It is made up of ecto-resistant material, and I've added a number of helpful ghost-hunting implements. I've included a detailed manual, and I suggest ample practice before taking on any actual ghosts. I would also appreciate you keeping this on the down-low. Giving volatile energy weapons to teenagers is generally frowned upon, and I am a very public figure. To be perfectly frank, I have my doubts about sending these to you, but I don't like going back on my word, so please do be careful, and remember, there's no shame in backing down.

The note wasn't signed.

"Very nice Mister Masters," Valerie smiled as she dug through the packing peanuts and pulled out a weird gun-looking thing. "Finally, I can get some sweet sweet payback. Things are finally looking up!"

The ecto blaster suddenly went off on it's own. The beam shot out an open window and hit a passing seagull, causing it to fall to the ground.

"Valerie?!" she heard her dad call from down the hall.

"I'm okay!" she yelled back, instinctively hiding the blaster behind her back.

#danny phantom #dp #vlad masters #dp fanfic #danny phantom fanfic #friends in strange places #fisp #fanfic #writing #danny fenton

[greattrashalpaca]

Dear my precious babi

First of all i would like to say……. HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY, HAPPY 18 YEARS OF LIFE, HAPPY EVERYTHING TO THE MOST DEAREST AND PRECIOUS PERSON TO ME IN MY LIFE MY BEAUTIFUL, STUNNING, CUTE, PRETTI GIRLFRIEND JESSICA FLEUR HO !! u mean the world to me im so in luv and obsessed with u, everything about u infatuates me i just couldn’t wish for such an amazing person as u. You make me so happi i cant imagine a life without u so that means life without u is impossible so never leave me 😤. Now i dont really know exactly what else to say aside from birthday wishes but that goes at the end of the letter ! so im going to go over a bunch of random stuff ive been wanting to tell u. Its absolutely insane to think that only 2 years ago in little yr 11 we started dating and now at the age of 18 we are casually living together. it is crazy to comprehend, little me would of never ever EVER predicted this and im so so so happy it did. I know u were worried about how i felt about the situation but i honestly was so happy and excited and i still am so happy, im living the dream honestly. I also know that it isnt all butterflies and rainbows i know that ur really struggling and its hard for u to just keep on living and i know im not that helpful so i just want u to know that i believe in u i’ll always be there for u and ill always be waiting. If ur happy then im overjoyed 😁. u happy = me happy (only equation i know). Onto one of my last points im really grateful for everything u do for me i really appreciate the snacks and gifts that u get me it really makes me happi and i really appreciate all of it ! Lastly HAPPI FRICKEN BDAY i knw u dnt like da idea of growing older and dnt care for it but i think its sumthing really special and i really hate dat i cant spend it with u but nevertheless i hope u have a wonderful birthday I love u so friggen much ur so precious to me and i wish u nothing but hapiness and joy. ur everything to me u have my entire heart and itll be urs forever.

Love

-Seb

[hello-im-not-a-possum]

Hey Possum, Remember this fic?

I was wondering if you could write a fic where that Sammy, Wally, Norman and Susie find a way to Hell's studio and meet their alternate counterparts

Bonus points if: Susie scares Snowflake again causing the small toon to run to his paps, Both Sammys compare notes, both Wallys talk about their families, and Bendy pranking the two sammys

This took longer than expected, but at least they're getting along! ...Maybe.

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

After returning home, the timid imp had promised himself that he'd never ever go into other dimensions again. While nothing was outright scary or dangerous (aside from the chainsaw wielding Music Director, but even he didn't directly threaten him), he just felt like there was something deeply wrong about that place... The weird smells, the way everyone looked so worn and beaten down, the oppressing air of the uncanny valley- Part of him even wished that there WAS a monster in that place, he wished that... that there was some big bad scary villain that would cackle menacingly and and evilly twirl his mustache after tying someone to railroad tracks and cause lightning and thunder and then get defeated by some hero and everyone could live happily ever after.

That way, there wouldn't be that lingering uneasy feeling of dread in there, right? Maybe if there was a clear threat that could be taken down and dealt with, the tension would be gone and that timeline would be hopefully just another timeline like home, but with different flavors.

Part of him felt bad about being scared of the other Studio, after all, those other workers seemed interesting, even if they did smell funny..

Snowflake did a double take as he saw her.

"I'm so happy to hear that everything's going great here! ..To be honest, part of me was a little worried that it was only as good as it seemed on the surface..."

"Well I can't really blame you for worrying, and sorry to hear about losing the role, your Joey sounds like... like an absolute jerk!"

"It's putting it lightly, but yes." the shorter woman nodded.

Right there, talking with his own timeline's Susie was a petite woman with fiery red hair tied in a braid resting on her shoulder, she had blue eyes but one of them was dull and lazy. She had tannish peach skin peppered with freckles. She looked so different, and yet, and most importantly, her voice matched up with HIS timeline's Susie Campbell perfectly.

He felt a large pit in his stomach as he saw her. Sure, she was as sweet and kind as the Susie he knew, she had the same slightly southern twain to her voice, but there was just something that felt deeply wrong about the timeline she came from..

Part of him felt like it was a *good* thing that magic wasn't the norm in that studio, he felt like if it was, things would go from bad to worse.

"Hi there, kiddo! Remember me?" the woman from another dimension waved him over and asked him as innocently as if they had met in a non-supernatural but still odd way.

"Y-yes, although I wasn't expecting to see you here... Did something happen in your place?!"

"No, at least nothing bad did. The boys and I were just curious."

"B-but how did you all get here?! There's no-" he put his hands over his mouth, remembering Joey's warning about the timeline butterfly effect "Er, w-we came from such a far away place! And we didn't tell you where we're from! And- and-"

"..Snowflake..?"

Were they some kind of supernatural stalkers?! Was this why he was so nervous about the people in that timeline?! Did they know he was coming in the first place?! They had either said or implied that their Joey was bad, but were the rest of them bad too...? He looked at her like a deer in the headlights, he SWORE that he never even told any of them his name!

While it was a small thing, it was what broke the camel's back and the imp zoomed off in search of his father, who he really hoped would convince him that this was just a weird dream... ------

"-So I kid ya not, da first thing dat little babyfaced new-hire me did the second I walked into that room was clear my throat, gettin' all of their attention and say 'Hey, you guys look like you've killed before and wont hesitate ta kill again! Wanna kill my parents?' I didn't get an answer, just, silence aside from Jack hitting one of the pool balls outta reflex. While I don't think anyone decided to adopt me right then an' there, I think that's the key moment where I went from 'The annoyin' janitor' to 'Da kid we need to check in on every now an' again'."

"Hold on, I'm still wrappin' my head around ya having your first kid in your teens, I'm an adult, I've only got one kid an' I need all the help I can get with Snowflake!"

"Well, I think part of it is dat Vincent is a human kid an' Snowflake's a cahtoon demon who brings in alotta strays and also has a supahnateral force of chaos and mischief actin' like a mama bear ta him. Yeah he sounds like a good kid, but he's also the type of kid who needs a lotta hands on deck to properly raise."

"Ya got me there." the other Wally adjusted his hat.

"DAAAAAAAAAAD!" The little toon zipped out of nowhere and clung to the janitor's back and neck, unintentionally tackling him in the process.

"Speak of the lil' devil..." The janitor pat his son's back. "What happened, Snowflake?"

"T-there w-w-was- there was-" the imp stuttered while he did a double take, realizing that there were two of 'his dad' even if one of them looked very different...

"Do ya think he saw Susie's eye fall out?" his other dimensional double whispered to him.

"Gosh I hope not, it would probably scar him..."

"M-ms. Susie's eye fell out?!"

"N-no! I mean, *hopefully* it didn't but sometimes glass eyes can-"

The janitor was cut off by the sound of the imp screaming bloody murder.

------

Sammy didn't like the new 'guests' that showed up in the music department. Er- rather didn't like the other Sammy as well as the fact that the four of them had spontaneously appeared in his personal break room. (the 'Sammy sanctuary' as Bendy humorously called it.)

The other Susie was friendly and chipper, the woman's 'lazy eye' was a little off putting for some, but he didn't mind. He had mixed feelings about the other Wally as he did the notion of a timeline where he and Wally were brothers. The other Norman was... tolerable. He didn't like the man's sense of humor, and his stories creeped him out, but at least he was smart enough to know when to quit.

He couldn't blame the others for leaving but he wished they didn't leave him with him.

THIS guy? He was almost convinced that if he took his eyes away from him for too long, he'd either kill someone or ...something else... And it didn't help that he showed up half naked and with a goddamned chainsaw.

Aside from the obvious signs that there was something deeply wrong about that guy, there were other things about this 'Sammy' that unnerved him; the redness in the whites of his eyes, the man's twitchy movements, an all too familiar bitter smell mixed in the man's breath that wasn't tobacco...

He shook his head, he didn't want to overthink this other Sammy and what was going on with him, he just wanted 'babysitting' to be over and done with as soon as possible. He didn't want this man chasing down the other musicians, he didn't want him causing trouble with his instruments, and the last thing he wanted was to call the cops over him-

"Hey! Don't touch that!" the Musician barked at his double as he took the notes out of his hands. "They're not finished, and I don't need you messing with them-"

"The character that theme is for is Ruby, right?"

"...Yes...?"

The other musician fished some crumpled up, half done sheets of music out of the trash. "What seems to be the issue between all of these drafts and your current one is that they're all too *orderly* there's chaos in Rube Goldberg machines. Organized chaos, yes, but it's still very chaotic. And it's noisy chaos too."

"Uh huh, and how do you suggest I add 'more chaos' into this?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well-timed sound effects and improvised instruments over instrument instruments in some places. Sometimes, an empty can of soup and a wooden stick gives off the sound you need over a drum set." the man shrugged. "Here, let me show you an example..."

He took an empty can of bacon soup, a drumstick, the chainsaw, and a violin. With the violin, he followed the notes of his double's piece, he rev'd the chainsaw and used its low, mechanical purr as a base, and he rhythmically tapped the drumstick against the empty can.

The other Sammy used an empty tape to record the song, in spite of his feelings about his double, he couldn't deny that at least he knew what he was doing...

*Click*

"So what does he do to keep you here?"

"..Joey?"

"Yes, I might.. ...have issues, but I'm not blind or deaf. I could hear you muttering under your breath about 'crazy things happening like this every week', I saw the bucket of ink placed over your office door, and I'm very used to the phrase 'Goddamnit Joey, not again', but I wasn't expecting to hear it right after coming here."

"...Wanna talk with it over drinks in the breakroom?"

"You can drink, I'll just have coke."

As they got there, the neater and more put together Sammy poured the bottle of whiskey into a glass and handed his double a can of cola. The shirtless one added a fine, white powder to his own drink which he mixed in while his double wasn't looking.

"I work here mostly out of spite."

"...Spite? That's it?"

"Most of it." he sipped on his glass. "There's also some of the few coworkers here that I like and don't think I'll see if I don't work here and I'm partly convinced that the Ink will throw a tantrum if I leave for good."

"The ink's alive?"

"We have living toons here and the ink is magic, it wouldn't surprise me if it was alive too, especially with how it acts sometimes..." he shook his head. "So what about you? Why do you stay in your studio?"

"I have nowhere else to go."

"Nowhere?"

"At first I thought that one of the only good things about Joey was that it didn't matter who or what you were to him as long as you were talented..." The man sighed as he stared at his drink. "At first, I thought it was a good thing that he went out of his way to hire people who most found undesirable.. But as it turned out, that was his plan. Nobody cares if people like me wind up dead or missing. Police in the area can't be half assed to keep anyone but their own kind safe, they're not going to bother." he spat bitterly "I'm sure that shitheel bastard only fired me and re hired me only to show me that it doesn't matter if I run, I can never go back home, he's burned all my bridges that I didn't burn first. The studio is my home now. And I'm sure it'll be my grave too."

"You know... It doesn't have to be."

The brown haired man let out a loud, broken sounding laugh at the black haired man's suggestion.

"...'It doesn't have to be', god, you're so fucking optimistic it's hilarious!"

Sammy gave his double a questioning look..

"What? And don't suggest I live here, trust me, you really don't want me to do that.."

"But weren't you the one who got everyone here in the first place?"

"Huh..?"

"It obviously wasn't your Joey, otherwise, he would've made the toons by now and judging by what you've told me about him, he would've used it for other terrible things too. It couldn't be your Norman because according to him and this timeline's Norman 'He knows better than to mess with this damn' trash'." The neater Sammy listed off on his fingers. "If any Wally knew magic, I'm sure he'd use it whenever he could, especially in a place where everyone's used to it. That leaves you and your Susie and I could be wrong, but I think that you people wound up in my place because you were the one doing the spell. And don't take this the wrong way, but you are definitely unhinged enough to take on magic."

Sammy stayed silent and stared at his own hands. "I... I don't-"

The shirtless man was cut off by a bucket of ink landing on them both.

"Dammit Bendy!" Sammy cursed as he wiped the ink out of his eyes. "Can't you see this is *not* the time?!"

"Oops, didn't know we had a guest.." the imp nervously chuckled. "You're from the same place as other-Norman, right?"

"Ti ast fach..." The other Sammy grumbled under his breath as he got up.

"uh... gesundheit?"

"Bendy, if I were you, I would run." Sammy suggested as he watched his double reach for the now empty bucket.

"A-aren't you gonna tell him to calm down?!"

"Nope, good luck."

The music director of this timeline exited the room, leaving his double and Bendy to their own devices.

Both Normans rolled their eyes (or in his double's case, his eye) when they saw Bendy running for dear life away from the bucket-wielding Music Director who was screaming profanities.

"...So I take it there's never a dull moment in your timeline either?"

"Nope, in fact I'm surprised the this one's Sammy didn't join 'im..."

#bendy and the ink machine #sammy lawrence #joey drew #susie campbell #wally franks #snowflake the demon #hells studio oc #bendy the dancing demon #norman polk #hells studio #fanfic

[seahdalune]

Seana’s 2020 art highlights (a thread)

(Note: this is a reupload of a thread i did on twitter a few years back. so these are really old.)

January: i didn’t draw anything complete that month.... closest thing i could find to finished is this art i made of my OC, Angelord. man. remember when i drew my OCs? [2023 note: it's..... funny you say that. you would try to start up an original comic for the entirety of next year.... not that it ever came to fruition.]

February: i finished Link’s Awakening that month. i drew Marin bc i thought she was cute. i wish i could get motivated to draw fanart of recent video games i finished more... this is probably the last proper traditional art i made this year... after this, it’s mostly digital.

March: look. i’m attempting anatomy... and i failed lol. i remember being like “how do you draw woman” after drawing this... i mean. i still wanna know how to draw woman, so i guess i haven’t changed lol. [2023 note: I STILL DONT KNOW HOW TO DRAW WOMEN]

April: wait NVM here’s another traditional piece i made this year. he was an adoptable i made... but nobody was interested in them so he’s with me for now. i’ll try and redesign them, either to sell them or to keep him. [2023 note: i never sold this guy.... i was lazy and nobody values points these days. probs for the best because scamming children with virtual coins is probably not a good idea lmao. at the same time, i wish there was an easy way to buy and sell designs+commissions without having to get a credit card or paypal or something.]

May: another month where i didn’t draw anything. buuut i did some plush sketches to reference so das dat. [2023 note: you'll probably be able to name most charas here, but who's the guy i drew the most? that's Matteo, he's a little pink vampire and i made him through Gatcha Life.]

June: ah. the month where i started digital art. this was fanart for my friend’s OC. i didn’t know a lot of features of digital art so it looks like shit LOL not the first digital art i made ever, but it might as well be. [2023 note: i actually received my tablet around 2018, but i never had time to draw on it because i had 1 hour of screentime every day. this restriction was finally lifted in 2020 (because online classes) and i finally had time to venture out into the world of digital art...]

July: i made a lot of stuff this month, but to shorten the list... i finished the plush of my OC, Matteo. i wanna make another plushie... maybe with Suitcase.

this was also the month i joined the OSC... oh hell. it’s been 6 months?? [2023 note: 2 YEARS BITCH. ITS GONNA BE YOUR 3RD ANNIVERSARY if i didn't get so tired and started to hate the community so much.]

August: ...ergh. lets get over with this month quickly... Object OCs this. Object OCs that.

occasional Algebians.

i do not like the art here... it really shows that i’ve improved. ok let’s get outta here. [2023 note: i fucking despise the person who asked me why "they were old" to my humanizations of the Dangos. this is why i refuse to join another public server ever again and might have contributed to the delay of my human drawing skills.]

September: lots of Taco II. i seriously liked her a lot. still do, but the love is a bit more spread out between characters.

oh. and i watched ONE that month. cool.

October: i finally found a style that i could weld. hooyah.

don’t ask why i drew my friend as a cat maid... i thought it was funny ok.

September: the month of gift art. nothing else to say, but i like the thin lines. yes, ‘thin’. ...god i need to think of better things to say. [i would then realize i said the wrong month, and unlike tumblr, i cannot edit tweets once published, so my only option was to delete the whole thing and start over. or just say this:] did i just say September... oh for fucks- no i am not fixing this i’m already tired of this just imagine i said November ok

December: best art of this year so far (doh) nothing to say. just... happy that i improved. can’t wait to improve even more.

[hey look! i was in the 2020 JnJ christmas video! thats me! me!!]

aaand, that’s all for this year! man, i thought i was done with improvement. i can’t believe i proved myself wrong. usually other people do that for me lol. lets see if i can disprove myself again in 2021.

#dalune recap 2020 #dalune recap

[gurorori]

LRB ok i might b too sleepy i misread dat as the art havjn' 2 b openly & loudly queer.. nawt the artist.. um. (scratches head) well point stands. literally no one is obligated 2 'come out' it's a stupid concept anyway yep i said it. sure it has significance 2 ppl but as sm1 who cant even begin 2 fathom da idea of comin' out 2 anyone irl ever, 4 obvious reasons, i jus' don' get the obsession with it in more 'progressive' circles & i most likely never will cuz da thought of ppl findin' out irl sends a chill down my spine like actually terrifies me deeply down 2 da very bone...

#mika caws

[himetsuri]

A Man’s Fight

It was because she believed in him. He would definitely come save her. He would break everything about this horrible situation to pieces. He might be in a bit of trouble now, but he definitely won’t lose. After all, he'd promised her as much–––"I'll never, ever die." That's why she wasn't scared. That's why she was smiling. “Jus’ look at me! Can’t believe I’m…what am I wussin’ out fer!?” Azumi believed that she was only alive due to her mother's sacrifice. There was value in experiencing death firsthand–––without that knowledge, it was difficult for one to truly know the value of life. But she was still young, and so she was scared, terrified of "losing something precious, and it was all her fault.” At this rate, Azumi would, in her fear of getting hurt, become unable to care for something ever again. "Azumiii! Jus’ lie dere a li’l bit longer, ‘cuz I’m comin’ fer ya!” Kagetora tossed aside all his hatred for Kurotaki and fear of being hurt. There was only one feeling driving him now. He wanted to let Azumi know. He wanted to let her know that "in this world, there are things that you don’t have to worry about ever breaking," that if a child like her was to splay her arms and legs out and fall back, someone would be there to catch her.

"Kurotaki! Yous only got five shots left in dat finger gun ya love so much…go ahead an' hit me wit’ all of ‘em!” He spread his arms out wide and egged her on; Kurotaki was, of course, apprehensive. "What…are you…" "I ain’t gonna dodge an’ I ain’t gonna run! I win if I’m still standin’ after takin’ dem all, an’ yous win if I bite da dust…howzzat, piece ‘a cake, right!?" He threw away his broken sunglasses and licked the blood dripping down from his forehead, a daring smile spreading across his face. (What is…he thinking?) Was it a bluff? Or did he have some sort of ulterior motive? Many thoughts swirled around in Kurotaki's mind, but she just couldn't understand what in the world Kagetora was thinking. "What sort of…such foolish…ah!?" She realized that Kagetora’s unfathomable yet intense resolve had caused her to unwittingly take a small step backwards. Kurotaki always wore a smile and an expression of unyielding confidence. It was always oozing with both her delight and just how much she looked down on her opponent. (Afraid…? Me? Of some foolish little punk!?) At some point, she had begun to fear Kagetora, and being forced to recognize this meant her pride took a severe blow. "Very well…I shall take you up on that offer with all I have…please, do not think my ability is a mere pistol knockoff!" When she raised her left hand, holding it level, all five of her fingers from thumb to pinky began emitting light. "Fifth Finger Bombs!!!" Five "Finger Bombs" shot out at the same time–––her Burst had been charged up into bullet-form, a synergy that caused an explosive spike in power that would be able to obliterate a person without a trace. Rrroooooaar!! Kagetora was engulfed in flames from the explosion, the blast whipping up a violent wind. "Ahahahahahahahahahaha!!!" Certain of her victory, Kurotaki burst out laughing, unrestrained. She would always cover her mouth with her hand when she smiled. It was to hide a smile brimming with malicious glee that seemed to reflect her twisted personality. However, there was no need to hide it any longer. That punk had just been blown to smithereens––– "Ahahaha–––eh?" The dust that had been kicked up was slowly starting to clear. And within it stood a man's shadow. “Impossible…such absurdity…” His suit was burned away, his shirt was in tatters, his skin was covered in burns, and he was bleeding from countless areas. But even so, Hyoudou Kagetora was still standing. “’Ey…looks like it's my win, huh…?” Death was something he no longer feared. Pain was something he could endure if he readied himself for it. But the one thing he could never do was betray someone who believed in him. If he did, "he was better off dead."

That fierce resolve granted his body a power that far surpassed Kurotaki's Finger Bomb. "Impossible…this is inconceivable…" Step Kagetora took one step forward. "Eek!" Kurotaki took a step backwards as if she'd been shot. Step Again, Kagetora took a step forward. "S-Stay back…" At this point, Kurotaki couldn’t care less about her pride. She was simply terrified of the man before her, slowly approaching, who resembled some sort of demon. That fear made half her body go rigid; she lost control of her legs and collapsed right where she stood. From this position, Kagetora was coolly staring down at her as he continued to come closer. "A-Aaah…forgive me…I-I lose…” The image of him closing in like the incarnation of strife, after powering through an attack that she put everything into, finally made Kurotaki let out a shriek as loud as she could. Kagetora had won without their fists meeting even once.

“‘Ey, yous okay, Azumi? Nuthin' hurts, right?" “Mm-hm…I’m okay…are you okay, Tora?" He helped her up and untied the rope binding her. "Ha ha ha, I'm good. One ‘er two more scratches means squat ta me by now.” Kagetora laughed heartily at Azumi’s concern for him. "Hey…Tora, what about…what about Kurotaki-san?” "…Aah." Kurotaki had acknowledged her defeat, her spirit broken, fear carved into her being. She was holding her head with both hands, curled up and shivering. Laws didn’t exist in the underside of society. In that world, it was “the law of the jungle,” “kill or be killed.” But that in itself was the reason why there was an implicit law. “Anyone who attempted to kill was fair game to kill”––– Kurotaki had killed four of the Shuueikai's members, at least that Kagetora had witnessed, and would've killed Kagetora himself ten times over if he'd been your average Joe. But above all else, she'd deceived Azumi and made her suffer. "Tora…I’m…I’m okay, see…?" Azumi, however, was looking at Kurotaki with a sad expression, as if she was looking at herself. "Ahh…nn…" The woman had to pay up for what she’d done. But Azumi was a kind girl. She took others' pain as if it was her own. She would never be able to accept using someone as a sacrifice in order to save herself, consider it “inevitable,” even if it was someone wicked. “Guess it would be…a bad lesson fer ya…” And in truth, raising a hand against a woman also left a bad taste in Kagetora’s mouth. Silently, he nodded an "All right" to Azumi. Perhaps a little reassured by this, Azumi went over to Kurotaki and politely lowered her head. "Kurotaki-san…goodbye, and…thank you very much for everything you’ve done for me.” It had been for no other reason than to get everyone to relax their guards, but Kurotaki was the one who took care of Azumi up until this point, ever since Azumi had lost her mother. It was unfortunate that their parting had to be like this, but Azumi tried to convey her gratitude and farewell candidly, even so. "Azumi-chan…" Kurotaki was trembling as she raised her head, her eyes open wide like she'd seen something unbelievable, and touched a hand to her mouth. Beneath it lay that smile filled with cruel joy. "–––!? Azumi! Get away from her!" Kagetora noticed it and shouted right away, but he was just barely too late. "Kyaa!" Kurotaki stood and grabbed Azumi's collar violently, pulled her close and pressed her right thumb to Azumi's head. “Might I have you refrain from moving…Hyoudou-san?" “Cut da bullshit…yous already outta ammo…!" Kurotaki had shot her "Finger Bomb" once to start things off, three consecutive times after that, once more to pierce Kagetora's gut, and then five times simultaneously to make ten shots in all–––she should have nothing left. "Now…Hyoudou-san…what makes you think that?" Upon hearing Kagetora's words, Kurotaki's smile grew even more smug, to the point he could practically hear it. "This is no third-rate novel…surely you do not believe your enemy would just tell you the limitations of her abilities?" A single charge would load all ten fingers on both hands one at a time. However––– "So dat was…another load ‘a bunk…” Kurotaki herself was the one who’d relayed that to him. “Are you aware of the concept of ‘reserves’?* A hunter will purposely leave her last shot unused in case of emergency…an ace in the hole remains concealed until the very end. This, too, is basic strategy.” "Kurotaki-san…why…" Azumi cared for Kurotaki from the bottom of her heart. She’d lost her mother and sunk into grief, and it was Kurotaki who comforted her and became a mother figure to her. “Do you…not like me anymore…? Though she was still young, it wasn't as if she couldn't understand that her grandfather’s “occupation” had something to do with Kurotaki’s deception. Despite this, she just couldn't believe that every smile Kurotaki had aimed at her up until now had been nothing more than fakes. She didn't want to believe it. "You read me picture books…" "Why, yes, you quite liked that picture book with the pig…I read it to you so many times, I now remember it word for word." "You made my…favorite hamburg steak for me…" "Why, yes, and you hated carrots…so I grated them up and mixed them in. You never realized." “You were…I…” The only reason Kurotaki had deceived her was because of that "occupation,” and in actuality Kurotaki cared for her as well–––Azumi was clinging onto that hope. "Azumi-chan…you truly are a kind child…but you are quiiiite the little fool…try thinking, if you would? Even should I survive, the ‘organization’ would not forgive me for failing my objective…and even should I escape them, my reputation has been tarnished; I have no means to live in the underworld…” Her “Finger Bomb" wouldn't work on Kagetora anymore. But it could still blow away the head of a young child like Azumi. Kurotaki was aiming an ability at Azumi that could steal her life in one shot. She was aiming it with a smile at a child who believed in her to the very end. "If you truly do feel so grateful towards me…then allow me to kidnap and take you hostage like a big girl. Honestly…for you not to understand something so simple…what a stupid little brat you are…” There were despicable, irredeemable people in this world. Kagetora had known this, yet he still let his guard down; even if it had only been for the slightest moment, he could not blame himself enough for that foolishness on his part. “Why you sonuva…how da hell d’ya think Azumi feels…" "Yes, that was also part of the plan." "What…was dat!?” Having considered the off-chance that things could go south and leave her in an unpredictable situation with her life in danger, Kurotaki had implemented a “slow-acting poison.” Her year-long infiltration was for the sake of getting everyone to relax around her–––but, at the same time, it was also so Azumi would grow attached to her and therefore “stick up for her” if that time came. "Just how…low can you be…yous irredeemable…” "The irredeemable ones are you and that brat. Would you not agree? To stand by the one who executed her mother…she must be an irredeemable little fool." “Exe…cuted? Bullshit, so yous sayin’ dat ‘er mother died…” "Yes, under the pretense of an accident, you see?" In order for her to make her entrance as a "kind lady" that Azumi could take a liking to, she first needed to eliminate the one preventing that from happening. If a professional was someone who completed their objective, even using others’ hearts and emotions to their advantage to do so, then Kurotaki was undoubtedly an exemplar. "Mama…you killed…my…" Azumi was trembling in a vortex of anger, grief, hatred, and countless other emotions. "My…no…nooo…" The torment from this preposterous fate wasn't something a five-year-old girl could bear, and her heart seemed as if it would burst. "Now, let us cease the small talk! Hyoudou-san? Would you kindly forgo any attempts to resist? Simply relax, do not utilize Rise, and obediently allow me to pierce your heart with my 'Finger Bomb.' If you do…I shall, at the very least, guarantee this child's life♪" "…I'll never…ever forgive you…" “Like I give a fuck about that, you shitty thug! If you regret how this turned out, then curse your own idiocy for not killing me when you had the chance!" He no longer had any means of resisting. Azumi's life was irreplaceable. He had to do as Kurotaki said. "Don't you dare…hurt Azumi…" He relaxed, lowering both arms and closing his eyes to signal his compliance. "Yes, that is perfect." Bang! A bullet of light shot from Kurotaki's thumb.

"God, are you an idiot? You die here and that kid'll be sad forever! You really think that'll count as protecting her!?"

(Eh…?) He thought he was just hearing things. But when he opened his eyes, standing before him like a valiant and noble god of war was none other than Yagumo Matsuri, stopping the bullet of light from coming towards him. "Y-Yous…” "Hmph! What a lame peashooter!" In the blink of an eye, Matsuri effortlessly shattered Kurotaki’s bullet of light. Her "telekinesis" had forcibly canceled Kurotaki's "Finger Bomb.” It was an impossible feat, unless the difference in power between the two was as great as the distance between Heaven and Earth. "Wh-Who the hell are you!? S-Stay back…I've got a hostage–––huh?" Her “Finger Bomb” might’ve been used up, but a run-of-the-mill Psychicer like Kurotaki could still kill a child with her bare hands. But that little girl had disappeared from her grasp. "Is this who you're looking for?" And there, resembling a kitten with the back of her collar in Matsuri's grasp, was Azumi. "Wh-When did you–––!?" It wasn't just Kurotaki. Kagetora and even Azumi joined in. “What’s with the shock? I just snatched her up faster than your brains could process what was happening." In other words, she'd saved Azumi “faster than the eye could see.” "Anyways…so you're Azumi-chan?" Matsuri aimed a bright grin at Azumi, resembling the ladies on children's television shows. "Y-Yes…" "You're a good girl, huh? So kind, honest, and brave! Your big sis here loves kids like you. But…as things stand, a 'cute woman’ is all you’re gonna be.” "Y-You…tell me who you are! Which organization are you–––“ "Shut your trap! We're in the middle of class here!" "Eek!?" Kurotaki, who'd tried to interrupt, was silenced with just one lion-like roar. "Today's lesson is 'how to become a good woman.'" After saying this, Matsuri gave Azumi to Kagetora and slowly approached Kurotaki. “You listening? Now, in this world, there are foolish women who use the fact that they're women to their advantage, use devious means to get what they want, and sneer at people. For some reason, they think this makes them cool. They are, in a sense, the number one 'enemy of women.' You might say that leaving such idiotic women alone is a danger to the world as we know it! And that is when ‘the good woman steps in'!" Kurotaki could feel an aura of pure rage, or maybe something akin to a battle aura, welling up behind Matsuri and the terror broke her spirit. Her legs had already given out on her. "W-Wait! It is my loss! I shall return that child to you, yes? And then I shall never dare to appear before you again! So, please–––" The frantic pleas for her life only added more fuel to the fire of Matsuri's rage. Matsuri had appeared so suddenly out of nowhere for some unfathomable reason and Kurotaki didn’t truly understand the reason why she was so angry. As a fellow woman, Matsuri could never forgive Kurotaki for using a child’s yearning for a mother's love against her; for sneering at Azumi, who'd never forgotten how to be kind despite all the pain she was in, and calling her an "irredeemable little fool.” "Shut your fuckin' trap!!!" It was over in a heartbeat–––Matsuri's slap was enhanced to the utmost by Rise, launched as if to destroy the twisted reality that had spread itself before the young girl in its entirety. "Gwaughh!!!?" Kurotaki let out a foolish sound and flew back, hitting the wall like a pinwheel before peeling off and falling to the ground like a squashed bug moments later. “Make sure to finish things off with some flair, just like that! Just don't forget to hold back some." Kurotaki's arms and legs were twitching. It was undoubtedly an incredible feat, to use such tremendous strength and still hold back enough to not kill. "You got it? Little girl." "Y-Yes!" "All right, good answer!" Azumi's eyes were practically sparkling as she looked at Matsuri. Kagetora was of the opinion that “he just wanted her to grow up healthy and strong, even at the cost of a little mischief.” At the same time, he couldn’t help but think, “Did it really have to go this far?” "God, you're a dumb man. Can’t even launch a shitty woman like that into next week…well, you're still leagues better than the trashy men who hit a woman and then gloat about it." Matsuri drew closer to Kagetora and lightly poked his scarred chest. "Ah…" Kagetora had only exchanged words with her for a little bit, but long enough to tell that she was plenty holier-than-thou–––and now, it felt like she’d just acknowledged him. "Uh, what's wrong? Is there something on my face?" "N-No…I, er…" He'd fallen hard. For her striking and noble eyes. “…I mean. O-Oi…how didja manage ta sneak in here?" There should've been dozens of members, if not more, hanging around the "Dakugoukai's" headquarters. "Haah? 'Sneak in,’ what, are you trying to make me look bad? Do I look like a phantom thief babe to you? I didn't do anything out of the ordinary, for your information. I came in through the front door and walked here like a normal person." “Dat's impossible!" Flustered, Kagetora opened the door of the "Execution Room"–––and his mouth fell open as he found himself dumbfounded. "What…da hell…" What greeted him was a landscape of ruins. Aside from the "Execution Room" that Kagetora and Kurotaki had fought in, everything of the "Dakugoukai's" vast and vaunted estate had been reduced to mountains of rubble. Throughout the rubble, yakuza members lay strewn about, half dead. "Ha–Haha…hahahahaha…" On this day, the extensive criminal group, the "Dakugoukai,” enemy of the Kantou Shuueikai, had been completely wiped out by one self-proclaimed extraordinary pianist babe.

And so, "the organization's" plan of using the "Dakugoukai" as a stepping stone to further expand into Japan ended in failure. The underworld placed a heavy value on reputation. News of their plans being thwarted by only two people was fatal, and therefore it was impossible for them to be any threat to the Shuueikai–––in other words, peaceful days had returned to Azumi as well. And several days later… In a seafood restaurant in a certain port district, Yagumo Matsuri and Hyoudou Kagetora sat with a table between them. “So what’s up, calling me out to a place like this?" Kagetora had wanted to meet Matsuri, no matter what. He tried calling her a number of times, but it was clear she was pointedly ignoring him. With no other choice, he left a message of, “I know a place where y’can drink super rare wine not found easy in Japan.” He received a reply of, “Tell me more” immediately. “Ahh…well…dat’s…” With Matsuri gulping down her drink right before him, Kagetora was uncharacteristically, unusually, and extremely nervous. “Yous been…a big help ta me…” “I told you back then, too, but I didn’t do anything for your sake. It’s too much of a pain to have you feeling like you owe me. Well, I’ll have you foot the bill, though, since you were the one who asked me out here. He~ey, Mr. Waiter! Fetch me a bottle of this wine here with the nice six numbers for the price!”

After everything was over, Kagetora had asked Matsuri while carrying an exhausted and sleeping Azumi on his back. About why she’d come to save him after telling him, “See if I care” and, “Go ahead and die.” And Matsuri had replied to that question with an indifferent expression on her face. “Don’t get any wrong ideas. I really couldn’t care any less for you.” To Matsuri, those who “wasted their lives” were the epitome of idiocy. If people wanted to throw away their lives for some sort of moral code, then she’d let them do as they pleased and look the other way. “If you guys want to get excited over ‘Battles Without Honor and Humanity’ and go out in a blaze of glory, go right ahead. I don’t really care, I won’t stop you…however, this child is unrelated.” As she said this, she gently stroked Azumi’s cheek. “For her to be tossed about in an absurd fate…and then ultimately lose her life…who’d leave that be!?” For a brief moment, Matsuri’s eyes took on a grim shine, as if she was remembering something. “The reason I saved you–––the reason you ended up being saved was because this girl wished for it. Because she was scared out of her wits and still believed in you ’til the very end and I didn’t want to make her sad.” “Mmmnn…” Perhaps in response to the talking, Azumi began mumbling in her sleep. “Mmmnn…good woman…mmmnnmmn…flair…mmmnn…” “Ahahahahaha, reviewing in your dreams? She’s gonna become a fine woman. Kind, clever, strong, and extraordinary.” Azumi’s heart had sustained deep wounds because of Kurotaki. But Matsuri’s words and actions had, without a doubt, taught her “strength” and “fortitude.” In a sense, she had saved Azumi’s life and heart both. “Well…I may have said ‘I couldn’t care less,’ but I can’t deny that seeing you risk your life for a child made me reconsider you a little. You were kiiiiinda cool, just a little bit.” As she spoke, Matsuri smiled softly like a goddess.

“Dere’s somethin’…I gots ta tell ya…” “For the hundredth time, I don’t need your gratitude–––” Fwoosh! Abruptly, Kagetora whipped out the bouquet of roses he’d been hiding underneath the table. “I…I’ve fallen for ya.” “Huh?” “Yer noble, strong, cool…no…er, I mean…I’ve fallen fer everythin’ about ya! I love you…” Days after he and Matsuri had separated, he couldn’t get her face out of his mind. She was all he could think about whether asleep or awake, to the point he started wondering if something was wrong with him. Even just seeing “Sanja Matsuri in Asakusa” in a newspaper headline got his stomach doing flips. And then he realized–––this was love. “…” “…” Matsuri drank from her bottle with a cool expression, while Kagetora stared at her with sweat pouring down his cherry-red face. “U-Um…?” “Ah, excu~use me. I’d like more of this wine! Preferably the whole cask.” “Yer just gonna ignore meeeee!?” Kagetora fell right where he stood, the roses scattering into the air. “Sorry, but I’ve got no interest in guys weaker than me! That’s that, there’s your answer.” “N-No waaaay!”

This––– “Don’t say dat, Sis! Jus’ gimme a chance!” “Who the hell is ‘Sis’!? ‘The hell are you even saying? *kick*” This was the very first of Hyoudou Kagetora’s “Thousands of Proposals.”

~~~~~~ [Notes: *The word used here is 命玉 (inochidama), the definition of which is exactly as Kurotaki goes on to describe: it is a bullet that a hunter has but never uses for the actual hunt, instead saving it in case he needs to protect himself

The ‘Sis (nee-san)’ that Kagetora uses to refer to Matsuri is specifically the one used in the yakuza when referring to a well-respected, high-ranked woman in the yakuza, like the boss’ wife for example]

← Part 2 |

#psyren #hyoudou kagetora #yagumo matsuri

[wata-gyal]

Noble:

This story takes place after the events of Bernie's comic called Frankenstein Alive, Alive. For those who are unfamiliar with this story The Creature gains the trust of a young lady, named Rachel who has been kept hostage by yet another mad scientist. The scientist intends to make his wife immortal through Rachel's baby. The Creature saves her, and the scientist and his wife end up passing away. Rachel has the baby before The Creature can take her to the nearest village. Ultimately he was left to take the baby on his own.

Other than that this is simply a one-shot sort of story. Venti has a heavy accent so her words are often chopped.

_____________________________

"Do you truly believe we did the right thing?"

She knew the answer despite the emotions behind it. It was loaded, aiming to get her to doubt her reasoning and succumb to the raging river of emotions behind her.

"Promet' eus, ya know da gyal would be safer wit'a own kind."

Her traveling partner was not convinced. Large hands clenched the tattered scarf about his neck as he continued forward.

"...But… what if they cast her out like they did me? I could not bear the thought. "

With her face towards the sky Venti

sighed for seemingly the umpteenth time today. This was not the first time she had heard this question nor would it ever be the last.

Rachel had passed away weeks ago and had left her daughter behind in the capable hands of "monsters". Prometheus had delivered the child himself and had no prior knowledge of the whole process. In fact, he had been trying to avoid playing nursemaid all together. Rachel's death haunted him and thinking of her mewling child only served to heap another mound of self hatred on his already broken heart. In any case though human younglings were small, helpless, and loud little things… They would make noise no matter how many times you told them to stop. As outcasts to the general populous they had to travel unseen and unheard. How would the child aid their endeavor? Surely, he understood why they couldn't go back to the town they dropped her off in.

"Dey won't do dat Promet'eus."

He placed himself before her, setting his stony gaze on her dark face.

"You don't know that!" He thundered

"To them she may very well be an outcast as well! They may shun her for her lack of family ties and would be called all sorts of names. They could abuse her, beat her...hurt the child as opposed to keeping her a-alive."

By this point Prometheus was shaking. Wave upon wave of sorrow crashed upon his back. He feared for the child and her safety….And rightly so! The world could be cruel and ultimately crush whatever fighting chance the child had. Venti stayed silent and guarded, not wishing to share these thoughts.

"...However, I understand that we cannot take her with us. I...p-perhaps we could stay close by, to see if they will do right by her."

Prometheus gave her an expectant look as his sentence trailed off. He wished to warrant a response from her.

"... An' for 'ow long woul' dis be happenin'?" She said after about a minute of pure silence and angry stares in his direction.

"A couple months."

She was silent once more.

"But, we could leave right after, and never return to this area."

She was still contemplating. It would be risky to stay anywhere for an extended period of time. Thankfully, they had the cold weather on their side and they happened to be almost completely illusive. Venti primarily took to the streams, rivers, and Prometheus traveled the rugged terrain under the cloak of night.

Another sideways glance in his direction her decision.

"*sigh* ….. Fine, but we are only stayin' for ONE mon't!" She hissed. This did nothing to scare her travel partner. He practically scooped the small merwoman in his oversized mitts and pressed her close to his chest in gratitude.

Once he set her down he took off in the direction of the town. After the shock wore off she soon followed after.

#my ficlet #Noble #the modern prometheus #original character #merfolk #adam frankenstein #or Prometheus

[toriannotweakin]

its been like a day later so now i can finally say i accidentally unfollowed so many cool cute ppl cuz i went ghrough somebody media tab and her face was soooo protrusive 😍😞 and the the top half of shordy pupils to her forehead reminded me so much of “Italy” plus she Albanian &i could fr hear her accent biting my ear telling me “FUCK U IM CUMING” and i was dangerously horny for her spirit then i read her diary and all hell broke loose cuz we think she’s here in NY but AlbanianDoll and she has a very pretty “asky” face and i became assumingely submissive and im SORRY i unfollowed all dem but yall woulda did it too if u could hear her cumm⚠️ ng like i did!

long story short; i now realize women who take selfies and never look directly into da camera are so responsible and thoughtful cuz yall are clinically aware what dat does to ppl and yah just here to have a good time and be da baddest ever i get it and adore yah for thinkin ahead. stop being pretty and looking in ppl eyes via http cuz some of us are not well and we will give in(up and crumble) for what might feel like for no reason to some of yall.

(i’ll never do dat again unless im physically asked and at dat point im already gone(fullblown Stockholm) so issa easy yes.immediately.may i have some sunlight plz 🙏🏽)

GOODFUCKINNIGHT

[mocweepe]

ohhhhh my gxd it was never abt da brick

#y do ppl take tings at such face value #it does not matter dat marsha didn start da stonewall riots #dat izn da significant ting she did 4 da community dat was jus optics #she and rivera started da STAR house. using dere SW 2 #keep queer and otherwise lgbt+ youth off da streets #2 keep dem FED #she and rivera helped SO many people can terminally online folks #stop fucking talking abt 'she didn actually start stonewall' DAS NOT DA POINT!!!!!!!!!! #dat was never ever EVER da point #she did SO much. srop disrespecting her #AND AND AND STOP DISRESPECTING HER TO SEGWAY INTO TALKING ABT OTHER FUCKING HISTORICAL FIGURES W/O #MENTIONING HER REAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS WELL!!!!! *deep breath* #it is NOT on transfems. it iz NOT on marsha p johnson if other parts of da community r erased #transfems ARE NOT over emphasized in our history‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼ #YES mascs r UNDER emphasized das true‼‼‼‼‼‼ 100000%%%‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼ #BUT DA SOLUTION IZ NOT 2 FUCKINH DISCREDIT HISTORICAL TRANSFEM FIGURES #IT IZ 2 JUST. FUCKING TALK. ABT MASC FIGURES. #dis izn dieting. we do not need 2 take rep out 2 put a different kind in. now listen 2 me!!! we can!!!!!!!! just add!!!!!!!! more rep!!!!!!! #im not rewriting dat tag but ignore da dieting comment. i feel like it implies restriction/replacement diets r good #and das absolutely not da case. healthy eating iz achieved da same way as good rep: add more of wht u want in w/o subtraction #again completely irrelevelant but i want my stances clear but i do not have da memory 2 rewrite da rag 2 avoid it all 2gether so :/ #neway #transmisogyny