#i was playing music instead of sleeping (as one does) just to get some closure before the day ended | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ray-ray-writings · 3 years

Text

Family Fatality-Awesamdude

Gn!reader x Sam x Son!Tommyinnit …. It be angsty and sad with a happy ending. Also, does not follow what actually happened in the lore!

Small note: I think this is the last fic I’m going to write in first person. I think a lot of people enjoy the use of second person more and it’s also a bit easier for me to write in second person. The only reason that this fic is written in first is because it’s a part two and I want to keep it consistent. If you have thoughts about this, feel free to message me!!

Part One: Family Matters.

Check out my masterlist here

Y/N believed it was a bad idea from the beginning. Call it parental instincts. But unfortunately no one believed them… until it was too late.

Y/N’s POV

I knew it was a bad idea.

I should have listened to my gut.

Tommy should have listened.

Sam should have listened.

We should have known better.

When Tommy told Sam and me that he wanted to visit Dream in prison, I instantly said no. That boy had been through so much trauma and manipulation because of that green wearing bastard, I didn’t want Dream to ever be able to see Tommy again.

Sam was more into it. It was less of wanting Tommy to be able to see Dream and more he wanted an opportunity to show Tommy the prison. But he was for it. Sure he knew what Dream did to Tommy and hated the blond for it, but he also understood Tommy’s desire to see him.

We told Tommy we would talk it over and let him know our decision.

I really didn’t want him to go.

Sam talked me into it.

That night after we put Tommy and Stella to sleep and crawled into our own bed, Sam began to explain his side further. He told me about how it might be nice for Tommy to get some closure. To be able to see Dream completely trapped in prison with no way out. It may help stop the nightmares.

That’s what convinced me in the end.

As much as Tommy would try to tell us he was fine, his dreams told us otherwise. More often than not, we’d wake in the morning to find Tommy had crawled in bed between us or that he would be sitting in the rocking chair in Stella’s room. He never told us exactly what would happen, but we could tell.

I just wanted them to stop. I wanted my boy to be able to feel safe in this house. And if that was the only way to have it happen… I had to let it happen.

Tommy was thrilled with our verdict. Threw his arms around us in a huge hug and kissed our cheeks. I did my best to put on a happy front, but it was difficult. Sam could tell. Tommy could tell. Heck, I’m sure that even baby Stella could tell.

I was wrapped in another hug by Tommy and was pulled close to his chest while he buried his face in my hair.

“I’ll be alright baba… I promise.”

Liar.

My stomach was in knots the day he went to the prison. I woke up with enough time to see them off. I gave both of them extremely tight hugs, forcing them to promise me they would be safe before sending them off, telling them to be back in time for dinner.

I watched the two walk toward the horizon and stood there watching long after they disappeared from view. The thing that snapped me from my swell of anxiety and nerves was the sound of Stella crying.

I immediately jumped into action, closing the door and rushing toward her room. I carefully got her out of her crib and began our usual morning routine. “They’re going to be fine baby,” I cooed as I changed her, “They’re going to be just fine.”

I knew she couldn’t understand me. I knew I was saying that more to try and convince myself of that. Thinking if I said it out loud it would make it true… it wasn’t true.

The whole day I could help but worry. I tried to focus on Stella, on taking care of her, playing with her, making sure she was okay, but I found my thoughts drifting back to Tommy and Sam and the visit. I couldn’t help but wonder how it was going, if the two were safe.

The pit in my stomach deepened when our usual dinner time rolled around and there was no sign of the boys. I tried to contact one of them via communicator, but no response. I wasn’t surprised. The prison was so heavy laced with obsidian it was nearly impossible to get a signal in there. I watched with a heavy heart and a knotted stomach as the sun sunk lower and lower into the sky and still, no boys. Stella’s bedtime came and I was forced to put her down alone, Sam and Tommy still nowhere to be found.

I tried to remain calm. I sat on the couch and stared at the TV as a movie played. After a while, I realized my knee was bouncing like crazy and that I was halfway through the film but I had no idea what the hell was happening. I reached over and quickly shut off the TV. The black screen reflected the scene behind me, letting me see what was behind me.

I immediately jumped at the sight of my husband standing in the doorway behind me. My hand flew to my chest as my head whipped around to look at him. “Sam!” I exclaimed a bit breathless, using my free hand to push myself up from the couch to completely turn to him. “You scared me! I didn’t hear you come in!”

Sam didn’t say anything. He only stared at me. That confused me. He usually rushes right for me, shouting hello, and wraps me in a hug and kisses me sweetly… Why is he just staring at me blankly? “Sam?” I questioned, taking a few steps forward toward him. He still didn’t move. Sam just stared. As I grew closer, I could see that his eyes were rimmed red and the usual light that filled his eyes was completely gone. It was really freaking me out. “What’s wrong?”

It was then I noticed that he had entered alone. Tommy hadn’t come in with him. That sent a fury of butterflies to stir in my stomach. “Sam? Where’s Tommy?”

That was the question that broke the dam.

I watched as Sam’s bottom lip began to quiver and a hushed sobbed echoed throughout the room. “I’m sorry,” Sam whimpered out, another sob escaping him. “I’m so sorry.”

Sam’s legs seemed to give out from under him, causing me to rush forward as my husband fell to his knees. I sunk down to my knees and quickly cupped his face, gently tilting his head to look at me.

Sobs were still falling from his lips as his eyes met mine. I rose my eyebrows at him, not wanting to rush him but still wanting to know what the hell was going on. I didn’t have to wait long for his gut wrenching words.

“You were right.”

It instantly clicked. I was right. That’s why Tommy wasn’t here. I was right. I was right to not want him to go. To not want him to see Dream. Something happened. Something bad happened. I was right.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop him. I was too far. I failed him. I failed to protect him. I failed our son. He’s dead and it’s all my fault.”

Time seemed to stop at Sam’s words. Sam kept babbling words out through his sobs, but I became unable to hear him any longer. A loud ringing filled my ears and I watched as my own vision blurred.

He’s….

He’s dead….

Tommy…

Tommy is dead.

Dream… Dream killed him.

A gut wrenching sob ripped itself from your throat as you fully registered what your husband was telling you. Sam’s arms instantly reach out and wrap around you tightly, bringing you into his chest. Your hands fall from his cheeks onto his chest as you clutch his shirt, burying your face in him as you sob.

You’re not sure how long you’re there, kneeling on the floor sobbing. Slowly, and I mean slowly, but surely, your sobs die down until the only noise filling the room are soft sniffles.

“I was right,” you manage to croak out, pulling yourself away from your creeper hybrid husband to look up at him.

“You were right,” Sam echos, moving one of his hands to cup your cheek and tilting his head down to rest his forehead on yours.

You let out a watery laugh as you close your eyes tightly and relish in the gentle contact.

“God. I have never wanted to be wrong more in my entire life… I wish I wasn’t right.”

The next few days passed slowly. The sky seemed to be constantly dark and everything seemed gloomy. Even Stella was more somber, as if she could tell something was wrong. And she probably could. She had gone from spending almost every second with her older brother to not seeing him for days on end in the blink of an eye.

Sam still had to work. He had to force himself to go back to that damned prison with that bastard and listen to his taunting laughter through the cameras as he mocks the Warden’s pain. It takes everything in Sam to hold back and not barge into the cell and kill Dream himself. He knew that wouldn’t bring back Tommy and wouldn’t make him feel better, but even still.

The house seemed so quiet. Even with Stella babbling and cooing, the rooms had never felt more quiet and empty. I found myself searching for Tommy’s voice, his laughter, his whole presence everyday only to be disappointed when my search came up empty. I tried to play some of his favorite music discs, but tears would fill my eyes as I realized I would never hear him sing along to them and the silence that would have usually been filled by him babbling about the disc was too deafening for me to want to listen to them again.

The worst part, I found, was when Sam would get home. I was always happy to have my husband back. Always more than willing to hug and kiss him in a greeting. A welcome home. But everyday, I’d try to turn to greet Tommy two. I would be waiting for two blonds to appear in my home, even though I knew only one would be home. My heart would break over and over as I searched for the boy that I knew wouldn’t be there.

I let out a sigh as I finished up the last dish I had prepared for dinner. Sam should be home from work any minute now. I set the table, thr-- two places and the food in the middle, Stella in her high chair. Now all there was to do was wait for Sam.

As I finished up, I heard the front door open. “Honey! I’m home!” Sam’s voice called out. A soft smile placed itself on my lips as I turned around and made my way to the front door.

“Hey honey welcome--” The sentence died on my lips as my eyes met what was at my front door. My husband had not come home alone. Instead of the one blond that I had seen come home day after day, had been joined by another blond.

A familiar blond.

The blond I had spent the last several days missing and mourning.

Tommy.

“Tommy?” My voice croaked as my eyes met his icy blue ones.

Tears formed in the corner of his eyes as he gave me a soft smile, “Hi baba.”

A sob let my lips as I raced forward and wrapped my arms around the middle of the boy I call my son. His arms immediately wrapped around me as he pulled me tightly to him. His face turned down and buried in my hair as I nuzzled into his chest. My fingers clutched at his shirt that rested on his back, trying to prove to myself that he was here. That Tommy was back and actually here. Here in the flesh.

“How--How did you? Why are you? What the?” I babbled out, tilting my head up to try and look at him.

“We can talk about it later… For now I’d just like my parents to hold me.”

Another sob escaped my lips as I moved my head back to its original position. Sam’s strong arms wrapped around the two of us, pulling us close to him. Our little family was back together again. How? I don’t know. But I didn’t care. Tommy was back.

The sound of Tommy’s stomach rumbling broke up from the sweet moment. I let out a small laugh as I carefully pulled away from the hug. I let my hand come up and cup the boy’s cheek. “How about you go sit at the table? I’ll get another plate.”

He gave me a quick nod, leaning down and kissing my cheek before making his way to the table.

“STELLA!! I MISSED YOU!”

I laughed again and turned to my husband, giving him a smile. “He’s back?” I whispered the question, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“He’s back.” Sam confirmed, placing his hands on my hips, pulling me close to him. He then leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips, one I instantly returned. The kiss said it all. Tommy was back. Our family was back. We were whole once again. And I’m going to make sure that it stays that way.

That sucked. I’m sorry. But if you did enjoy, be sure to leave a like and maybe a reblog and comment telling me what you liked about it. Until next time!

#mcyt #mcyt x reader #mcyt imagine #mcyt one shot #awesamdude x reader #awesamdude imagine #awesamdude one shot #tommyinnit x reader #tommyinnit imagine #tommyinnit one shot #son!tommyinnit #family fatal #ray-ray-writings #requested #dreamsmp x reader #dreamsmp #dreamsmp one shot #dreamsmp imagine

169 notes · View notes

clean-bands-dirty-stories · 3 years

Text

Drive By ~ part 3

A/n: HELLO I FINALLY DID IT!! This part was hard until I finally rediscovered a few songs that FUELED this part (namely “Falling” by Harry Styles and “Far Away” by Nickelback) and then I managed to finish it! Hope you guys liked it :)

Warnings: Some depressive tendencies (distancing, slight disassociation, etc.). Internalized homophobia. Demonizing of soulmates. Bigoted opinions (Luke and Reggie make fun of them)

Word Count: 5800+

MASTERLIST

Luke and Reggie hadn't been the same since seeing Y/n again, but in very different ways.

Whatever Luke was on, it could only be described as overcompensating. His energy was higher than ever, and he could never quite sit still. His voice was louder, and he talked more. He never stopped talking. It stopped making sense after a while, but Julie and Alex were too worried to stop him. When they tried, his face went blank and his shoulders seemed to slouch and he stopped dead. It was like he'd been slapped... There was a sort of distance in the way he looked at everyone, and talked, and even engaged. He didn't even really process the whole shebang with Caleb, he just stuck very close to Reggie.

And then there was Reggie. He was already kind of off to begin with. He was smart, but he tended to zone out sometimes, and when he tuned back in he'd missed something important and was super lost as to what was happening. Or, someone would say something and he would get the wrong meaning, like the context of the situation had gone just over his head. It was adorable above anything else, and the boys loved to gently tease him about it... but now it wasn't something light hearted and funny. He did a lot of sitting and staring off into space and being silent, and it was very much not like him at all. Usually when he got upset all one had to do was talk to him about one of the things he really loved, but even that was a dead end conversation these days.

Julie, Flynn, and even Alex were all completely lost on what to do with either boy. They still responded when spoken to, and if they had to pitch in they did. Luke still wrote songs and Reggie still hung out with Ray and had Carlos' back and Luke still visited his parents and they both still performed. Luke still seemed to be there when Julie gave "Unsaid Emily" to Luke's parents. They were both still THERE when they were needed, it was just in the little hours. In the small moments, they were... far away. They looked through people and seemed to drift far too much. They were spiraling in a very hidden sort of way and no one knew how to even begin to help.

It was a relief at the end of the day that they could take comfort in each other. Neither had to talk about it, so still no one knew that Y/n and Reggie - and also maybe Luke and Reggie as well - were soulmates. It was written off as Reggie and Y/n being best friends. The two had always understood each other better than the others did. They had soft conversations and secret jokes that lead to exchanged looks no one could quite catch up on. Losing Y/n had been as much a weight on Reggie as it had on Luke. It had been the most clear in those last days. Luke could see the unsettled, unfinished business resting in Reggie's eyes. It had been the same look Luke had seen in his own eyes after the argument with his parents. Every day he hadn't gone back, and when Julie had called him from the dead and he'd gone home and felt it in his very bones. He saw that look, that feeling, in Reggie clearly. Which made sense, considering that Reggie and Y/n had ended in an argument the same way Luke and Y/n had. The pair had never really recovered after that last argument. Reggie had been the one to encourage Luke to let it go when Luke's tattoo had gone grey... and now it was all a mess.

Reggie understood the mix of joy and pain that Luke felt when he'd seen Y/n. Had realized that Y/n had died around when they did. That he was still their age, a ghost just like them, and within reach... theoretically. That's where the bitter came in.

It was nighttime that was the biggest relief.

Luke and Reggie spent most of it cuddling, clinging to each other like they did when they were kids. That night, both of them were having a hard time sleeping as was usual of recent. Ghosts didn't really have to sleep, but they did get physically exhausted every once in a while. Usually a good sit down with a side of relaxation would be enough, but sleeping lessened the overwhelming amount of down time the boys found themselves in, with no one else to talk to but Julie and nothing else to do but sit around and write music, and nothing else to think about than all the mistakes they'd made and the people they'd lost and the things they'd left behind. When one's mind ran that quickly, sleep would have been a relief. Except that a racing mind rarely if ever allowed one to rest, especially if it wasn't required.

So they stayed awake and they talked and they let the time pass as quickly as possible.

"Do you really think you could still fit in the kid swings?" Luke giggled, nose scrunched in that adorable way that always made Reggie's heart race.

"Oh absolutely," Reggie responded with a warm smile of his own. His insides always warmed in these moments, despite how cold he'd felt since seeing Y/n again. Luke seemed to make that connection Reggie lost feel... whole again. Like the thing that had broken in him since losing Y/n was just about fixed. Y/n really had meant a lot to Reggie, and as amazing as Alex and Flynn and Julie were and how important they all were to him, Luke was just different.

A soft breath escaped between Luke's lips then, and his large, green, sparkly eyes found Reggie's. "Thank you Reggie. I don't think I've really laughed since-" His smile faltered. "In a while." His forehead pressed to Reggie's shoulder. "You're my best friend, Reg. I hope you know."

Reggie hummed. "Yeah sure." He noticed the way Luke's eyes zoned out again, getting duller as they zoomed in on the freckles across Reggie's neck and arms. "You okay, Lu?"

For the first time since being asked that question multiple times every day by all of his other friends, Luke was honest. "No." His voice was suddenly very broken.

There was a mixed feeling about this whole thing. Reggie understood Luke perfectly, and how sideways this whole situation was. He knew nothing could make it better, or ease the pain. Nothing but time, if even that. This didn't stop Reggie from WANTING to help though. To ease that pain, and lessen it. To make Luke feel better. All he could do was offer himself, knowing how much it just wouldn't be enough.

"Come here." Reggie opened his arms and Luke rolled onto his side so their bodies were pressed together. Luke's shoulder nestled under one of Reggie's collar bones; Luke's head pressed into Reggie's neck. He didn't mean to, but Luke was warm and he wanted so desperately to say something that when his mouth opened... "I'm sorry I'm not him."

Luke's head moved back, his shoulder pressing more into Reggie's chest as their eyes locked. "What does that mean?" Luke's head tilted, eyebrows dipping in silent accusation. No, not accusation. Worry.

Reggie's eyes jerked to the side. "I just... I wish I could give you some closure. Or just talk to him. Or just have him back. I wish I could actually help, instead of just laying here every night and settling with just distracting you." He shrugged.

One of Luke's hand rose to hold the side of Reggie's face, maneuvering it so they were forced to look at each other again. "Reggie, you're enough. Just you. You've always been enough, you have to know that." His eyes were so sincere... They were so bright and honest and earnest.

What else was Reggie to do but believe him?

Suddenly there was a warmth where Luke's shoulder touched Reggie's chest. It was that moment both boys realized two things. First, it was the same shoulder that Y/n had touched the night the two boys had met. Second, Reggie's collar had fallen down, pushed aside in all the squirming around so the same spot Y/n had touched the night they'd had that special heart to heart was exposed, pressed to Luke's shoulders. What followed next was a completely new realization. Their soulmate marks were touching, skin to skin, and there was a distinct, familiar feeling because of it. A tingling. The same tingling both boys had felt anytime Y/n had touched their soulmate mark. The same feeling they'd gotten the night they'd received those special marks. The two nights that had become two of three nights that had changed everything. Just as it was all about to change again.

Reggie jerked away very suddenly. He scrambled to his feet and then suddenly disappeared. Luke was a second slower, just behind him. Too late to stop him. He scrambled after Reggie though, appearing on the floor rather than in the loft where they'd been before. Just in time to see Reggie tripping over himself to get to the mirror in the bathroom. Luke followed, just in time to see Reggie yank down his shirt to reveal-

Two roses, stems crossed over the other like an 'x'. Just black ink outline, like a coloring page before it's been colored in. The same exact rose that had been on Luke's shoulder and Reggie's neck, but two this time. The same roses that had been on Y/n's palm the night he'd given Reggie a soul mark as he had given Luke one.

Luke turned his body, showing his shoulder in the mirror as well.

The same two roses in the same exact fashion showed on his shoulder.

Reaching out, Luke pulled Reggie's shoulder so they were facing each other. "Reggie... what the hell?" He was even more nervous when Reggie looked back with eyes that had answers. Answers Luke was worried he might very much not want to know.

"What are you doing?"

The small boy looked up to see another small boy. Both of them had green eyes and brown hair - that was the first notice. "I'm playing guitar," the second small boy answered the first.

"No you're not," the first argued. "That's not a guitar. It's a- a- well, its a stick with string tied to it is what it is. And it has too many strings at that!"

The second boy hid the stick behind his back, his chubby face screwing up in anger. It was like a pouting puppy, and the first small boy had to admit it was... kind of adorable. "It IS a guitar," the adorable boy huffed. "What do you know about guitars anyway."

A smile adorned the face of the first boy. "My mom has one. She said I could have it one day."

The adorable boy tilted his head. "Well I guess you're lucky then."

The first boy laughed. "Would you like to play it some day?" The adorable looked shocked, and the first boy smiled even wider. "Thought so. What's your name?"

"Luke," the adorable boy answered. "Yours?"

"Reginald. I... don't like it though." Reginald scrunched his nose, shaking his head.

Luke nodded. "What about a sort of nickname then? Something you like more." Reginald sat next to Luke, and the not-guitar-actually-a-stick was abandoned in favor of the conversation. "There's all sort of odd, funny ones. Like um, Gin."

"That's even worse," Reginald complained.

Luke giggled. "Uh, how about Ginny?" Reginald only had to glare for Luke to rush out, "Okay okay okay, HUGE no on that then. I suppose... well you could be totally boring and go with Reggie."

"What's wrong about boring?" Reginald asked immediately. "You need a little bit of it to make everything else interesting." As Luke went to respond, Reginald continued, "Plus, look who's talking! Luke is the most normal name I've ever heard."

"It's short for Lukas," Luke defended.

"Even worse!" Reginald declared. "Why go with Luke? That's the most obvious nickname for Lucas!"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, but my name is spelled Lukas with a K. So it's cool."

After a second, Reginald nodded. "You can call me Ginny if I can call you Kas."

That made Luke bust up laughing. "You can call me Kas all you want. It's a fun nickname I think."

"I think I'll stick to Reggie though," Reggie decided.

Another nod from Luke. "That's fair." He hesitated a moment. "Wanna be friends?"

A grin like no other took Reggie's face, and Luke found his insides warm up and soften. "Absolutely."

Luke's mind was reeling.

Reggie was worrying. Exceedingly.

"Are you mad at me?" Reggie had never been known for holding his emotions in, and really neither had Luke.

Which is why it was no surprise when the guitarist suddenly looked up, eyes wide with surprise and expression open and honest. "Why would I be mad at you?"

For second, Reggie didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to explain the emotions in his chest that hurt so much. But then he looked into Luke's eyes, and the words came on their own. "I know things haven't been easy for you when it comes to mixing band members and romance. Or when it comes to soulmates." He shrugged. "It doesn't help that - I mean, we've changed a lot, and being with Julie has taught us so much. We've learned to accept a lot about ourselves, and we're lucky for that. But we were still born and raised in the 90's. And back then, soulmates were... bad."

Immediately, Luke sighed. Reggie realized it was in relief. "I feel like I'm behind. Like I didn't leave those fears behind when he got brought back. I still feel like... sometimes I still feel like loving Y/n is wrong. Like I need to keep it a secret and hide it away and push it down. I got so scared when Julie found about my soulmate mark - and then was so surprised when she was so casual about it. I still expect her to snap at me, or be secretly bitter that I'm asexual, or attracted to men. I don't know." he shook his head, sighing again. His shoulders sagged, and Reggie realized that he must feel so relieved to have lost whatever huge amount of stress he was carrying this entire time keeping that inside. "Does it make me a bad person? To flinch away from things like that? It's not that I hate it, I just-" He was obviously struggling.

Sitting down next to Luke, Reggie placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Luke you were conditioned from a kid to hate the things about yourself that are most important to you. Things that are ingrained in your coding." He chuckled, and Luke smiled. "Hell, I think even people who were born nowaday still struggle with it sometimes. It's programming. Subconscious. Your emotions don't make you - the way you react to them do."

At that, Luke finally completely relaxed, resting his head on Reggie's shoulder. "Do you ever realize that the only reason people back then demonized soulmates so much is just because it was one less thing they could control? Like, people back then really cared about power so much. Power over people specifically. Like I remember that week that our school did a campaign for fighting against soulmates-"

Reggie gasped. "Oh my god I remember that! They said it was brainwashing. Wasn't it like... like I remember it was so cool for a while, but then people of the same gender started to become soulmates and everyone lost their minds."

"Men and women balance each other out; same sex attraction is an easy way out and ultimately cheats people who deserve better," Luke mocked, his voice snapping and bitter. "This just proves that soulmates are of the devil!"

Reggie busted up laughing. "Don't remind me of Mrs. Kyde-" He snorted, leaning into Luke more, his face light up with a smile.

Luke shook his head. "People are so weird. Literally what does who anyone loves or marries or whatever have anything to do with anyone not involved in that relationship? You don't like the fact that I'm into men? Fine! Go be straight somewhere else." He rolled his eyes. "I hate thinking about how afraid I used to be. Of people finding out about Y/n and me. GOD we were so happy. And the way people treated him..." Suddenly the mood dropped, and Luke raised his hand to wipe away a tear. He scoffed softly. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry for feeling things, Luke," Reggie reassured, raising his arm to wrap around Luke's shoulders and pull both of their bodies closer together.

Turning his head to thank Reggie, Luke stopped short when he then realized how close they were. "You know," he said softly. "It's so weird to realize you're my soulmate too." He smiled though, so Reggie didn't panic as much as he would have normally. "I mean, you were really right there from the beginning. We met in middle school. I was like. Tiny." Reggie giggled and both of them were suddenly smiling again. "You were there for all my worst phases."

Reggie groaned. "God you were my sexual awakening."

"I wasn't," Luke gasped, eyes wide.

"You were." Reggie laughed again, shaking his head. "I was CRUSHED when you started dating Alex. And then you two were so happy, and I saw how hard it was. Saw you guys figure that out, and then kind of devolve into just being friends. And then we started the band, and I realized it was just so much easier to stay friends with you."

"We took ages to figure that out," Luke recalled. "I don't think we ever really figure out personal space again."

Reggie nodded. "And then Y/n came along and I figured I could just jam with being friends. I was so used to it at that point, and there were so many things to be distracted by. Our band was gaining traction and people were talking to us. To me. You two were so happy, and it was a little dangerous and fun and I was so relieved that I hadn't done anything, because I was watching soulmates interact properly and it was everything I ever wanted. I was glad I hadn't gotten between that." His smile faded. "And then..."

"And then you and Y/n," Luke offered. Reggie nodded. After a few seconds of silence, Luke asked, "So what do we do now?"

Shrugging, Reggie looked back at Luke. "What do you want to do?"

Luke thought about that for a second. "Well I know how happy I was with Y/n, and now the stupid things I was worried about before just won't be a problem. No one can see us unless we perform, and the person who can always sees us doesn't care. We don't have to worry like Y/n and I did. And maybe we'll see Y/n again. But we might not, and even if we do it won't mean things are going to go back to what they were. Do you... like him?" Reggie hesitated, then nodded. "Do you like me?" With less hesitation came another nod. "Can I... try something?" Yet another nod, this time with no hesitation.

His heart racing, Luke took a leap of faith. He knew himself at this point. Knew that there was only really one way to figure out his emotions. If he tried to figure it out via analysis, he'd eventually over think it until nothing made sense and he was just more confused. So he did something he knew would work. He softly grabbed Reggie's face and pulled his best friend to him until they were kissing.

When their lips touched, something seemed to unlock in Reggie. He shuddered and Luke leaned back immediately, eyes wide with nervousness. But then he saw the way that Reggie leaned in after him and he felt his heart swell and his insides warm. Reggie looked at him, unsure, but then seemingly at the same time they both grabbed each other, meeting for a passionate kiss that set them both on fire.

All either of them could think for a while was... Finally.

Luke was so happy to see Y/n getting along so well with his friends. They had met only an hour ago and Alex and Y/n had already bonded over being attracted to men. Bobby was standing back a bit, unsure how to approach Y/n and the situation implied between this new boy and Luke. Bobby didn't mind it, he knew about Alex after all. It had just surprised him because he didn't know about Luke. On top of that, he DID very much know about Y/n and his reputation, so he didn't know what to do with this person that seemed so different than the one Bobby had heard about, being seemingly romantically involved with a dude who Bobby had been sure was straight until today. Reggie and Y/n had distracted from Bobby's awkwardness by hitting it off right out of the gate with how comfortable they were with physical affection, as well as the fact that Y/n just seemed to be so quickly aware of and good with Reggie's little odd ways of doing things that were always so different than how most other people did them. Y/n was extremely insightful, and a fast learner and those two skills came in handy now.

In fact, Y/n and Reggie were getting along so well that Alex and Bobby had settled by Luke. A calm, warm air had settled in the room just like it always did when they were all together. The studio attached to Bobby's house had become like a second home for the three boys. Luke hoped that would carry to Y/n to.

After introductions, Y/n stayed for a little band practice, grinning from ear to ear as he clapped between songs. It seemed to fuel Luke, which only fueled the others. Luke's energy had always been contagious to his best friends, and now was no different. It only took one song for Bobby to warm up to the surprises he'd had tonight and this stranger he wasn't sure what exactly to do with. By the end of it, Y/n was shouting so loud Luke had to come over and gently remind him it was getting late and people might handle a band playing, but they definitely would refuse to tolerate straight up screaming. When the sun began to set, they all headed out to sit on Bobby's roof and watch the sun set as they talked about that day's practice just like they always did. Except, instead of the usual criticism and praises and general discussion, they turned to Y/n to get an third person opinion. Their mistake too, because Y/n grabbed the opportunity immediately to drown them all in praise, sparing no second or word to tell them how amazing they were and how much he loved their music.

"You play at all?" Bobby asked as Y/n began to calm down, blushing as he got self conscious at how long he'd been talking.

Thankful for Bobby sensing his rising awkwardness and distracting him from it, Y/n shot the rhythm guitarist a warm smile. "My older sister did." His smile faltered and the other boys exchanged looks before Reggie - who knew enough about siblings to recognize when someone mentioned something about them they didn't want pressed - shook his head in a firm no.

Luke took that to heart - he always trusted Reggie's instincts - and let it go. "So you've been around music a lot then. Anything you've especially taken to? Favorite band?"

Y/n smirked, but none of them were fast enough to stop him from saying, "You guys of course." The others groaned, but Luke's eyes only widened and he blushed. Y/n winked.

Eventually everyone had to go to bed. Alex, Luke, and Reggie had stayed here hundreds of times easy, but Y/n was hesitant to join them tonight. When Bobby encouraged it, finally he gave in and curled up with Luke on the couch. The first to fall asleep - to everyone's surprise - was Y/n. Bobby, who always slept in the studio when the boys stayed over, smiled at Luke. "So you found your soulmate."

That of course made Luke just beam with joy. "Yeah." Y/n had fallen asleep on Luke's chest and it was the most comfortable Luke had ever been in his light. He loved the weight of Y/n on him, reminding him every single second that this was real. "It's everything I thought it was going to be," he mused dreamily. "He just fits, like a puzzle piece. I totally thought I had everything figured out and then this person drops into the middle of my life and suddenly there's a whole other half of this picture I was sure I'd finished a long time ago..." He shook his head. "It's great."

Reggie chuckled. "So great you took, what, a month and a half to tell us about him?"

Luckily Y/n was a heavy sleeper, because if he hadn't been Luke would have woken him up with how hard he flinched. "I just didn't know how you guys would have reacted. Y/n kind of has a reputation, and I don't care obviously, but he's been through a lot of shit with people who do care and if you guys hadn't all gotten along it would have been the worst." Alex went to say something and Luke rushed to add, "And it's not that I thought you guys were dicks or anything. I just had this... fear, anyway. I mean, I've been standing by the fact that I don't really like anyone for a while and that's why most things like this haven't worked out, and it's still weird and complicated but Y/n is helping me a LOT to figure out that some attractions are different than others and..." He sighed, eyes purposefully looking away from Alex.

Sensing the core of Luke's worry, Alex reached over and touched Luke's shoulder, a genuine smile on his face. "Luke, I'm happy for you. I'm glad you figured out all the stuff you were struggling so much with back then and that you can be happy now." There was an unspoken, 'even if it's not with me' that he didn't have to say.

After that, the conversation died pretty quickly, and Bobby and Alex went to sleep too.

"Do you still think we'll be able to cuddle and stuff?" Reggie asked softly, looking up from where he lay.

Rolling his eyes, Luke answered, "Of course Reggie. The only thing that's going to change is that I might be a little less needy. I'll always be your Kas."

That made Reggie settle more, smiling to himself. There was something about thinking of Luke as HIS that made butterflies flutter in his stomach. "Good because I might've had to fight your boyfriend if that wasn't the case."

Luke chuckled. "Go to bed, Gee." After all those years, Luke had finally come up with his own, original nickname for Reggie that didn't sound stupid, and they both loved it.

Getting more comfortable, Reggie decided to do just that, right after one final, "Goodnight, Kas."

A sleepy, "Goodnight, Gee," came from Luke as they both finally drifted into sleep along with the others.

Things had been complicated, but that had been the case for far too long now, and Reggie and Luke had done everything in their power to make it as simple as possible. With the threat of being erased from existence completely looming over their heads, and no way to mend things between them and Y/n, now was as good a time as ever to let go of the past and hold on to the little time they had now. And they made it work. Despite the fear. Despite the pain. Despite once again losing all of the things that could have been and that they so wanted to be, what they did have was their soulmate mark, and that MEANT something. For now, they'd be fine with that.

Tonight was supposed to be it. They'd said their goodbyes and lined up the performance up so the boys could pass on. But they weren't showing up, and Julie Molina knew her boys well. Too well to think they'd left her again, so that meant two things. They were doubled over in pain somewhere, too incapacitated to play. Or... they were already gone. It had been too late and they'd been destroyed Julie had to do this performance completely by herself. Performing after Panic at the Disco, in one of the most sought after local gigs. In a packed auditorium.

In that moment, Julie did the only thing she knew how to. She went to her mom for help.

Rose Molina didn't show up, but someone did. A boy, maybe one or two years older than him. He was completely decked in white. Just jeans a t-shirt and everyday shoes, except he didn't have even a speck of dust or shirt on him. He was so clean that under the moonlight in the dark, dim alleyway, the boy seemed to glow. He smiled to her and extended his arm, and in his hand was a single flower.

A Dahlia.

She took it, her eyes welling with tears. She'd asked for a sign, and a boy as close to angelic as one could get without causing a scene had shown up to give her the flower that had always been her mother's favorite. He turned around and began to walk away but she rushed after him, reaching to catch his arm. She gasped when her hand went right through him. He turned as if he felt it, that soft, warm smile still on his face.

"Who are you?" She asked with a voice filled with awe.

He seemed to get sheepish. "I'm not an angel, if that's that you're thinking."

"Then what are you?" Julie asked, stepping closer.

For a second, he just thought. "A friend," is what he gave her. "When you need me most, I'll be there. I can promise that." And then he rose a single hand and waved at her before disappearing in a fashion that she had seen more than plenty of times with the boys.

After, when she tried to recall anything special about the boy other than his pristine, perfectly clean white clothes, she remembered few things. She'd been too caught up in the moment that was already packed with stress and heavy emotion and shock to think about anything else. It wasn't until after, when the boys were better and Luke had grabbed Reggie's face and kissed him in pure relief that she thought about the boy again. It wasn't much longer later - just later that night - but that had brought him into her mind was a surprise. For the first time in a long time, Julie was seeing Luke without sleeves, and as he turned to grasp his boyfriend in the heat of the moment, Julie saw his soulmate mark. Except now, it was a little different. It had two roses instead of one.

It was the exact sane mark that had been on the boy in the white clothes' hand as he waved goodbye to her.

She rushed to him touching his shoulder with wide eyes. "Luke, your soulmate mark..."

Reggie got excited, unbuttoning his shirt a little to show the matching one he had on his upper chest. "We're soulmates, Julie. Didn't we tell you that?"

"Well yeah," Julie dismissed, looking between the to marks that not only matched each others' but also the one from earlier that had been on the mystery boy's hand. "But... it changed."

Luke and Reggie looked at each other and decided silently in that moment that they couldn't handle it. Not right now. Not on top of everything else. They couldn't talk about Y/n. So Luke told a half truth. "It changed."

Immediately Julie glared at Luke. "This didn't change Luke, it doubled. Soulmate marks don't do that. They fade at best. There's been three cases total in all of the history of visible soulmate marks that completely disappeared - it's extremely rare for them to even make room for new marks, let alone create a whole new one that looks that similar to the last one you had there." Her face relaxed. "You guys are both soulmates with Y/n."

Reggie sighed, his happiness and relief melting for despair. "Yeah." He shook his head. "But can we please not talk about that? We just barely didn't completely die, and-"

"But I know where to find him," Julie rushed urgently. The two boys froze.

"What?" Luke choked out.

Julie took off, out of the room and returning back again with the Dahlia she'd received from who she now knew to be Y/n. She knew that the boys had seen him when they'd been at Bobby's house, but at the time she hadn't known who to look for and had missed him. She had gotten a description of him though here and there a few times, and from what she knew, this had to be him. If anything, the mark was enough. She didn't know why it hadn't hit her the second she'd seen the two roses, so very similar to Luke's one she'd seen before, right in the place that she knew Y/n's mark to be. Pushing that out of her mind now, she held up the flower to the boys. "When I thought you guys were gone, I went into the alley and I asked my mom to-" her voice got suddenly think with emotion and she cleared her throat, shaking her head. "I asked for a sign. Anything to let me know she was still here and watching me. That she was like you guys, or maybe somewhere else. Helping. And then Y/n showed up with THIS and told me he was a friend and that I could call on him anytime I needed him. That he would be there for me."

Luke ran a hand through his hair. "How did you know it was him?" His voice was strained, but the message still came across.

"He waved at me before he disappeared. He had the same roses on his palm, that you two do. We can find him! We can finally fix what happened all those years ago!" She grinned, her smile making the room brighter. "You guys can FINALLY go and get your man!"

Reggie and Luke looked at each other again, but this time their expressions were unreadable. When they turned back to look at Julie, she thought they were about to have a whole new purpose. Something GOOD that actually meant something. Not struggling for success, or running from life threatening danger, but something purely good that would finally help two of her four closest friends find peace with the one thing they regretted most about their lives before. Then Reggie spoke, only one word. One word that made less sense than anything Julie had heard in her entire life.

Reginald Peters opened his mouth and with complete conviction told her, "No."

150 notes · View notes

kenzieam · 3 years

Text

Us This Way - Oneshot

Rating: M

Warnings: Angst, heartache, some language ****TRIGGER WARNINGS****

Word Count: 4417

Tags: @jewels2876 @moonbeambucky @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123 @iammarylastar @captstefanbrandt @badassbaker @pinknerdpanda @oliviastan17 @mizzzpink

***************************************************************

Okay, so this frickin’ song gets me every time.

Kudos to the beautiful Lady Gaga for this hauntingly beautiful gem.

**************************************************************

Lev swallowed past the lump in her throat, skimmed the note in her hand one last time. She’d wrote and rewrote the words so often in her head she knew them by heart, but it didn’t make reading them any easier.

James,

By the time you sober up and read this, I’ll be gone.

I can’t do this anymore, the drinking, the fights, the lies.

You aren’t the same man I fell in love with, and I can’t say anymore that I’m the same girl you knew either.

When we started this journey, you told me things would never change; that it would be just the two of us, against the world, travelling and sharing your music and voice and I, naively I guess, believed it.

But everything is different. You’re drunk all the time, drinking to excess and its only going to be a matter of time before your followers see it too, there’s already gossip on the fan sites about your behaviour.

And I’m not leaving because of that, I could deal with the alcohol if it weren’t for the craziness that comes with it.

These women aren’t here for you, they’re here for the idea of you, the Rockstar, and I can’t watch you take them into your hotel rooms anymore, I can’t hear you through the walls with them.

I deserve better and, to be honest, so do you but I can’t help you anymore.

God knows I’ve tried.

I hope one day you find peace and closure from whatever haunts you so badly and discover your voice again.

I love you; I always have.

I always will,

Levi

A tear burned hot down her cheek, but she wiped it away absently, clearing her throat. She’d already wasted so many tears, she couldn’t spare any more.

Laying the note silently on the bedside table, Lev took one last lingering glance at the man, her former lover and friend, current rockstar touring and conquering the world, now passed out face down in the hotel bed, back scratched and red from his latest groupie foursome she’d chased out just minutes ago, two or three empty liquor bottles visible among the tangled sheets, then turned and left the room.

*******************************************************************************

A throbbing headache dragged him from oblivion later and, for a time, James just lay there, eyes half-open, trying to piece together the last hours.

He remembered two, or was it three? Groupies: giggling girls with fake tits and trout pouts, wearing little more than ace bandages and laughing at his every word like he was the most charming asshole on Earth and everything that fell out of his mouth was pure gold.

Lev had never put up with his shit. She’d always set him straight with a few well-chosen words, a sharp glare with her hypnotizing violet eyes.

Come to think of it, where was Lev? Usually she was prodding him awake by now, pushing coffee into his face, talking about getting up, getting showered and getting on the damn bus.

Bottles clinked as he moved, struggled in the tangled sheet to push himself upright. His back stung and faint memories surfaced, one of the harpies scratching him, moaning theatrically as he fucked her, wishing it were Levi beneath him still instead of this random stranger.

God, he hoped he’d worn a condom, not that it stopped theses psychos; Christ, every week there was a new accusation, a new girl stepping forward claiming he’d impregnated her.

Thank fuck for his lawyer, Sam Wilson; the man was a gem, with the retainer bills to prove it.

“Lev?” He croaked, wincing as fresh pain shot through his skull.

No answer.

“Lev!” He chanced a shout, growling and grabbing his throbbing temples. “Fuck, where are you?”

He turned his head, squinting before freezing as his glare landed on the letter.

***********************************************************************************

“So, you just left, huh?” Steve asked, swirling the amber liquid in his glass, and staring at it contemplatively.

“Yeah, same as you.” There was a hint of venom in Lev’s voice and the blond man smirked.

“Yeah, same as me. Got tired of the shit.”

“Everyday.”

Steve sighed, staring out at nothing, thoughts a thousand miles away. “Remember when we first started out?”

“You, me and James in that old van? Driving from bar to bar and playing for peanuts?”

“You’d go up on stage when he reached for you, join him for a few songs?”

Lev sighed sadly. “Long time ago, man. We were just fucking kids.”

“Yep, but you two? Timeless. I remember when I first saw you. First day of grade three in Ms. Hawthorn’s class; James elbowed me and said, ‘that’s the girl I’m going to marry’.”

“He did not!” Lev fought a smile, she’d heard this story so many times, her reaction varying from honest disbelief to warm-hearted nostalgia depending on how fresh her latest pain was.

“He did.” Steve replied, smiling fondly. “Couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

“Yeah, well… something else has caught his eye now.”

“You can’t save him, Lev. He has to want to save himself.”

“I know… it just hurts.”

“I know.” Steve murmured quietly. “I know.”

*****************************************************************************************

‘Rockstar James Barnes’ newest run-in with the paparazzi, next on TMZ’

Lev groaned and turned off the TV, throwing the remote onto the scarred coffee table.

Obviously, he was perfectly capable of carrying on with his shenanigans without her, not that her pleas for him to stop had ever fallen on anything but deaf ears.

She glanced at her cell phone, then cursed and purposefully looked away. Every day for years she’d seen his name come up on her display, multiple times a day, through the night and she’d come to expect it.

The calls after she’d left had come heavy and hot, barely a pause in between except for increasingly abusive texts and voicemail messages. When they had changed to broken, mournful, pleading messages she’d thrown her cell away, smashed it for good measure.

It was just habit to look for his name now, a useless throwback.

She had left a month ago and James’ spiral of self-destruction was becoming a nightly news story.

She didn’t envy Pepper, his long-suffering publicist, nor Nick, the rep from Fury Records; word was both were close to dropping him soon, if he didn’t get his act together.

Cursing herself afresh, Lev reached for the remote and flicked the set back on. She was a fucked up as him sometimes, intent on making it hurt.

James’ face appeared on the screen and Lev was shocked at how haggard he now looked, pale and drawn. His hair was lanky, in his face, clothes wrinkled. As the paparazzi swarmed him, leaving the latest club, he glanced up at the cameras and Lev was struck dumb by the utter misery on his face. His eyes were red-rimmed, either from sleep problems (something he’d had more than his share of in the time Lev had known him) or he’d taken up hard drugs.

The pap screamed questions at him, jostling each other and him as he struggled through the mob, the slightly shell-shocked bottle-blonde woman on his arm being all but dragged behind. What security James hadn’t chased off was all but overwhelmed by the reporters and fans, light flashes strobing the scene.

“Just leave me the FUCK alone!” James roared, pushing hard at one spectacled paparazzi, knocking him to the ground and only inflaming the mob more.

Lev felt a surge of fear, mixed in with a healthy dose of rage at the sight. Someone could easily get hurt tonight, lines could be crossed that would never be forgotten. James was juggling with the remains of his career right now and he had the shakes.

“Are the rumors true?” One pap screeched.

“Where’s Lev?” Another yelled and Lev winced. They were still asking him, four weeks into her departure.

“Is the picture of you snorting a white substance outside The Down Low real?”

Shit.

James didn’t answer beyond a wild-eyed sneer then he was scrambling into a large black SUV, the confused milling of his few remaining security guards telling Lev they hadn’t expected him to drive; then the SUV was screeching away, paparazzi and security scattering like flies, their shouted questions turning into screams of shock and fear and Lev clapped her hands to her mouth, biting back her own scream.

He had totally gone crazy; without Lev there to anchor him, he was dangerously adrift.

The clip ended and the TMZ crew started rehashing it, some expressing sympathy for James and others outright condemning him for losing his shit so badly.

“Does anyone know where she went?” Harvey asked, sipping on his trademark straw.

“Who, Levi Riel?” One the lackeys frowned in confusion.

“Who else?” Harvey laughed. “I mean, James Barnes was a wild man before but now he’s completely off the rails. Something’s happened there but his camp won’t comment. Any luck on contacting Lev herself?”

They’d tried, endlessly, until Lev had smashed her phone and gotten a new number; so far, that hadn’t been leaked but the pap was sneaky and resourceful, Lev had been in the spotlight long enough as James’ gal Friday to know how it worked and she didn’t expect to remain incommunicado forever. Besides, she was already fielding calls from other musicians, hearing she was free and desperate for her services. So far, she’d said no, it was still too raw for her to go back into the industry, but her savings wouldn’t last forever.

Would she be alright? Running into James at an award show somewhere, contracted to another singer, seeing him with some other woman (not that that was in any way new), or perhaps worse, doing just fine now without her? How long would he last like this? There were plenty of examples out there of musicians who’d self-destructed, died by suicide or misadventure, and if James had been spotted snorting white powder already, he was well on his way to joining the club.

Her phone rang and Lev almost dropped her glass, despite staring at the damned thing almost compulsively looking for James’ name, the sound still made her heart race.

“Hey, Steve.”

“You saw that?” His voice was resigned. “TMZ?”

“Yeah, you?”

“Every miserable second.”

“You going to tell me to go back to him?” A part of Lev wanted Steve to say no, but a larger part wanted to hear yes.

“No. I was going to tell you to make sure you stay the hell away. This isn’t your mess anymore, hon.”

“But… my leaving-”

“Didn’t do anything, he was already circling the drain, you were right to get yourself out when you did.”

Lev blinked back tears, wiped them angrily away. “When did it all go so wrong, Steve?”

He exhaled sadly. “Who knows? After Clint overdosed?”

“After my miscarriage?” Lev whispered, the memory of James holding her, crying with her on that hotel bathroom floor, blood smeared on her inner thighs rushed back into her mind’s eye.

They… he’d wanted a child so badly, back in the good years, when they’d lay sated and exhausted in bed together, murmuring softly before sleep claimed them both.

“I want a baby,” he’d whisper, eyes searching hers. “You’d be such a good mama.”

“Not right now,” she’d always answer, although the thought of growing round with his seed sparked heat low in her belly. “It’s not the right time, you’ve had five consecutive number one hits, you’re on top of the world.”

“We are.” He’d reply, reaching up and stroking his calloused thumb over her bottom lip.

“Maybe.” Steve replied softly. “It’s still not your fault, Lev.”

She couldn’t hear anymore; the memories were rushing back too hard and too fast. “Goodbye, Steve.”

********************************************************************************

A part of her expected the call, and she reached for the phone, half-awake, when it rang sometime after two a few nights later.

“Miss Riel?” A clipped, professional voice. “This is Dr. Keening from the UCLA Medical Center, I'm calling about your husband, James.”

********************************************************************************

Lev wouldn’t let herself examine the reasons why she dropped everything and booked the next flight to Los Angeles, maybe it was seeing him so distraught on TV, maybe it was thinking about their past; the way he’d held her so tightly, so lovingly, even as he cried so hard with her that night, the realization so fresh that their child, almost too early to even be called a baby yet, had left them already.

She gave the Uber driver directions then leaned back in the seat, staring out the window without really seeing and, all too soon, the car was pulling to a stop in front of the hospital.

The sterile smell inside made her stomach roil and she almost turned around and left, then squared her shoulders and pressed the elevator button for the right floor.

A nurse directed her to the correct room then had the grace to leave her alone. Lev milled around the hallway for a beat, chewing on her lip and struggling to find a reason, any reason, why she should walk through that door.

This…. He wasn’t her problem anymore, she’d left.

But they could both use some closure.

He was asleep when she entered the room but before she could turn around and leave his eyelids fluttered. He’d always been able to sense when she was near, and that connection apparently hadn’t faded in their separation. The instant his gaze landed on her the cloudiness vanished and a desperate, clinging hope took its place.

“Lev?” His voice cracked with exhaustion, his hand shaking as he reached for her and Lev was surprised by how hard it was to not step forwards and take it, smooth back the dark hair plastered on his sweaty forehead. He’d lost weight, dark rings under his eyes, the muscles that always flexed so deliciously as he moved fading away.

She squeezed her fist around the handle of her bag and waited, not moving forwards.

His fingers twitched, confusion joining the hope. “Levi?” His voice was plaintive.

“What are you doing, James?” She clipped.

“What?” His brow furrowed, his breathing beginning to speed up. Finally, he dropped his hand, pulling it back into his lap, fingers clenching.

“Acting like this? Getting caught by the gossip rags snorting coke? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

He’d obviously not expected to be chastised and wasn’t that the heart of the issue; he’d always gotten his way before, the coddled rockstar, no one calling him out with any degree of seriousness, no one but Lev anyway and she’d always caved before laying out any real boundaries, never done something so extreme as leave before.

Was that why she’d come back then, because she felt responsible for this?

The furrow in his brow deepened, the simple hope in his face vanishing. Now came the temper, the short bursts of fury meant to force his will, likening him to a spoiled child, an attitude that Lev regretted not shutting down years ago when it first started raising it’s ugly head.

He stared at her, eyes dark and wounded, “you left,” he hissed.

“I couldn’t do this anymore.”

“Do what?” A compulsive snap, he knew exactly what she was talking about, but he’d never owned up to it, never, not once.

“Watch you with all those girls, see you take them into your room, hear you fuck them through the walls, chase their skanky asses out the next morning so I could get you out of your drunken stupor and looking like a human being only to have you treat me like a piece of shit by doing it all over again the next night!” Lev hissed, enraged to feel the prick of tears in her eyes.

For a moment she was surprised to see betrayal flash through his eyes. “They don’t mean anything. They’re just groupies-”

“So that makes it alright? And telling people I’m your wife? What the fuck, James?!”

“Well, you should be!” He snarled. His arm snapped out, sweeping across the rolling table hovering over his bed, loud crashes sounding as everything on it hit the floor. “I fucking asked you enough times!”

He had. So many times, and every time she’d said ‘no’. What had held her back?

“Grow up.” Lev snapped, her face heating. How many times had they argued like this? How many times had they danced this twisted dance?

Too many fucking times.

“Fuck you.”

“No, James. Fuck you. I’m done. I don’t know why I came here anyway… I’m, I’m done. Have a nice life, what’s left of it anyway.” She turned to leave before the fury she was feeling was overwhelmed by the hurt and disappointment; what had she expected? Why did she always do this? Hadn’t she learned yet that he would never grow up and be the man she saw deep inside him? When would she stop hurting herself trying to draw that out?

She needed to stop trying.

“Hey. What are you doing?” James demanded but Lev ignored him, marching back out the door she’d just entered moments ago. “Hey!”

Lev stopped and took a deep breath, collecting her words. Without turning she swiveled her head enough to look at him.

“I’m done, James. I can’t watch you self-destruct anymore. I tried for years to be there for you, because I love you… but I can’t do this anymore, I need to live my own life.” Without waiting for an answer, she swiveled back, let her feet carry her away even as she felt her heart break anew in her chest.

If this was the right thing, why did it hurt so bad, why did she feel like she was abandoning him just when he needed her the most?

“Levi!” His voice broke on the scream, reverberating around her in the hallway but she didn’t turn back.

******************************************************************************

Ten Months Later

Lev sorted through her mail, separating the junk from the real then paused, lifting a large, cream coloured envelope from the pile.

Who sent letters anymore?

Splitting the seal, Lev pulled out folded sheets of thick paper, the same colour of the envelope, definitely expensive. As it opened, another smaller piece of paper fell out and Lev reached for it, brows drawn in confusion.

JAMES BARNES – STRIPPED BARE

A SPECIAL EXCLUSIVE, ACCOUSTIC ONLY ENGAGEMENT

She stopped reading, dropping the ticket to the table, and focussed on the letter instead.

Levka.

It’s been a while since we spoke, but I wanted to send you this anyway.

I understand why you left, and I applaud you for having the strength to do it. It seems to be the kick he finally needed.

James took a break from music, as you may or may not have realized but has recently decided to return, albeit in a much different capacity from before.

He has done away with the show, or ‘bullshit’ as he so eloquently puts it. No more pyrotechnics, no more lightshows and theatrics; he said he wants to return to the way he started, just him and his guitar, the band behind him.

Enclosed is a ticket to his first show and a plane ticket, first class, to reach it. The seat is in the back, where James won't be able to see you, if that is your wish.

I leave it up to you whether you attend but understand that James has not asked me to do this, and I have not told him I have.

Regards, Pepper

Lev stared at the letter for a full minute, marveling despite herself at the publicist’s flowing handwriting, her graceful hand.

She had stayed with James after all, even when Lev had left.

The second sheet was a printed plane ticket, leaving the next morning. Lev, if she took it, would land in mid-afternoon, giving her a few hours to gird herself before going to the show.

She recognized the venue listed; James had played it in his earlier years, just as he was starting to become famous and it was smaller, intimate, suited to an unplugged show. The seat shown was in the back, just as Pepper said; Lev could attend the show and leave again without James ever seeing her.

But did she want to?

What would it feel like to see him again, to hear him sing again the way he used to, his voice clear and full? When he’d reach his hand out to her, pull her onstage and sing with her, gaze at her so lovingly as they shared a microphone, voices melding and complimenting each other so beautifully?

Could she handle seeing him again?

She hardly knew.

*************************************************************************

Taking a deep breath, Lev opened the door and stepped inside. Other ticket holders milled around, no one paying her any mind. She prayed no one would recognize her, going so far as to dye her auburn hair a lustrous blue-black, switch out her contacts for the thick wayfarer frames she usually only wore in quiet moments spent relaxing or working from home.

The show was going to start in only a few minutes, but Lev resisted the urge to find her seat just yet, drifting until she gathered the will to enter the main area.

Finding her seat, Lev stared at the stage, hardly noticing as others shuffled to find their own places. Although small, the venue appeared to be sold out. Scott sat at the drums; Thor held an acoustic bass and James sat on a stool at the front, head bent over his favourite redwood acoustic guitar, the one he’d always said reminded him of Lev’s hair.

One jean-clad leg bent, worn biker boot on the footrest, he looked better than Lev remembered. Some of his physique had come back, thigh straining the jean’s stitching, biceps visible through the t-shirt he wore as he plucked the strings slowly, listening for the sound.

He looked good. He looked healthy again, his hair lustrous under the light, cheeks dark with just the right amount of stubble, fingers strong and sure, the boot flat on the stage floor tapping slowly to the beat in his head.

Lev felt a riot of emotions swell in her chest. This was the James she’d fallen in love with, the man she’d spent their early years with, before the vampire of fame began to bleed him dry.

He lifted his head, flashed a gorgeous smile at the audience and the show began.

It was beautiful, James’ voice strong and clear; the audience sat spellbound, hypnotized and Lev knew he’d made the right decision; to go back to his roots, let his talent speak for itself. He would enjoy a long career like this, unplugged and real.

Time passed like the blink of an eye and suddenly, too suddenly, James was standing, setting his guitar in its rest and stepping to the side of the stage. The spotlight followed, leaving Thor and Scott in the dark and illuminating a gleaming grand piano. The audience cheered in building excitement as he sat, adjusted the microphone.

He had not played piano is one of his shows for years, Lev wasn’t even sure he knew how to anymore.

The din died down, waiting and James looked out over them as he began to speak, a small, sad smile pulling at his lips.

“A while ago my life fell apart,” he stated simply. “I got tangled up in fame and being a rockstar and pushed away everyone that cared. Even Lev, the most important person in the world to me.”

Lev felt her cheeks warm, edginess creeping into her limbs. Was he about to blast her? Was she about to get her proverbial ass handed to her? Did he know she was here?

“She left,” he continued. “And I crashed. The only woman I’ve ever loved, and I hurt her everyday until she couldn’t take my bullshit anymore.” He swiped at a tear and Lev bit her lip.

“I hit rock bottom and Lev came to see me one more time. But instead of being grateful, of begging her for another chance, I acted like a total asshole and pushed her away again. And that was finally it, Lev leaving me like that was the push I needed to get my life together. I haven’t seen Lev since, I don’t deserve to…. but I owe everything to her.”

Lev heard sniffles around her.

“A while ago I heard this song for the first time. It made me cry like a baby and I listened to it for hours, until I couldn’t cry anymore. It brought about this idea I had about ‘stripping bare’ and starting over again…. This song is for you, Lev. I love you, baby.”

He focussed on the keys and a haunting melody began. Lev recognized it immediately, for it too had provoked her own tears the first time she’d heard it.

That Arizona sky burnin’ in your eyes.

You look at me and, babe, I wanna catch on fire.

It’s buried in my soul, like California gold.

You found the light in me that I couldn’t find.

His voice was heart-breaking, emotion pouring through as he sang, the piano a poignant, moving accompaniment, his fingers sure on the keys.

So when I’m all choked up,

But I can’t find the words.

His voice broke, but he pushed through.

Every time we say goodbye baby, it hurts.

When the sun goes down

And the band won’t play,

I’ll always remember us this way.

The band joined in quietly and Lev was lost in the sound, swaying slightly to his beautiful voice as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Too soon, the song ended, James’ head bowing as he breathed the last words, the last notes fading and the audience sat still, stunned silent for a beat before exploding.

Lev exhaled raggedly, wiping at her tears. As she watched, James tipped his head back, tears shining on his face and swallowed hard, seeming to gather himself before returning to the show.

The crowd continued to scream and cheer as James nodded once in acknowledgement, the smile on his lips tempered by the pain in his eyes.

He was open and vulnerable, stripped bare and he’d never been more beautiful in Lev’s eyes.

God, she still loved him, but was that enough?

Was she the key to his success, or the poison?

Should she go to him, step through the crowd and join him onstage, forgive him and start their next chapter together?

Or leave, let them both live their lives and follow the song, simply ‘remember us this way’?

She decided.

#bucky barnes #au bucky barnes #bucky #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes angst #au bucky angst #bucky and lev #bucky and levi #au bucky fanfic #au bucky barnes fanfiction #au bucky drama

24 notes · View notes

randomsevans · 4 years

Text

You cant be serious

Ransom Drysdale x reader

#30daysofchris2020 @jtargaryen18

Summary , you and randoms have to get married and either of you want to but ransom want to keep his money and you want to be able to keep your family a float as well as publish your book series . You started as just a general made at the mansion . Harlan took a liking think it was because you were his employer not because he was planning on marrying you of to his grandson.

As you sit there in a closet of room in the Thortons manner , you think this would be the perfect time to run . Run away for this insane idea and leave Ransom at the alter (that's even if he turns up ) . If you though with this you will become y/n Drysdale and become the wife of the asshole , trust fund play boy knows as Ransom Drysdale or Hugh to the help (which you were before you were giving this offer by Harlon ).

This is not how you expect your wedding day to be like you thought it would be months of planning and before that years of saving , all to marry the man of your dreams , a man you love . But no instead it was a shot gun wedding to an asshole you cant stand and you know will no not stick to the vows and promise you are about to make .

You could just run in your white silk knee length dress , that was quickly brought for you hours before .

Run and act as if you were never made this offer , never asked to become a Drysdale. But at the same time you will never get another chance at this. With you doing this you would be able to help out your family and that's you could ever want .

Your plans to make a quick get away way was cut short by the opening of the door to reveal you best friend and also one of your bridesmaids, followed by Meg who would also be your bridesmaid.

" you ready ? " martha entered the in a stunning knee length emerald dress .

"Your not changing your mind are you ?" Meg questioned in a similar dress.

" of course iam ,I just dont get why me ?" You stood up.

Meg come closer to you " I believe that my Grandfather just wants what's best for Ransom and he know like all of our, you have a good heart and if anyone can his bratty behaviour its probably you " her words caught you of graud .

"I'm not going to lie to you and you probably already know it's not easy to be in this family and god knows Ransom is indeed going to be the worst husband in the world , but give him time "

You just nod in response.

" so I'll repeat Martha question are you ready ?"

" for my death sentence ya !" There both giggle and that lightens your mood, maybe it's not glug to be that bad when you have these two to complain to . "Has he even turned up? "

"Yeah he has " martha say just as as surprised as you .

"Y/n , I want you to know that I care about you and apart from gramps I'll probably be the only one ,and I want you to know Ransom I only doing this so he can keep his money , so he probably wont be the most honest , respectful husband, he will probably still be .."

" sleeping around .. I know .. I know,he has his reason why he marrying me and I have mine , it's not how iam imagined it but ..."

" I'll always be here okay , but give him time he might change and if he doesnt well just come to me if he becomes even more of an asshole , okay ?"

" I think ... I think I'm ready?" You said nervously .

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

The music starts play ,and you enter the garden, with Megan and Martha behind you , nobody turns around to face you apart form Harlan who gives you a warm smile with a little nod . You began to walk down the small isle and walk past the rest of the Drysdale and Thortons , you didnt invite your little family , you didnt want them to get judge and see you going to your life long sentence of hell .

As you reach the alter , you notice Ransom in a stunning emerald green suit at complainant's the surrounding you are currently in , his hair slick back as used and a clean shave , he hasn't even looked up once at you.

As Martha and Meg leave your side , you step in front of Ransom with the small flowers placed in your hand . The music finally stops and you let out a breath you didnt know you were holding, as all eyes glare at you and Ransom . Fully knowing nobody wanted to be here . Well maybe Harlan .

Ransom finally looked up at you and his eyes widen as if surprise to see you . He did know he was getting married to you right ? But it wasnt a shocked look, but you couldn't quite put your finger on it , either way you began to blush and the bastard saw it and stared to do that devilish grin he always has on his face . You two stare at each other for what feel like enterity broken by Harlon who has some how manage to get up and looks like he is the one who is going to entitle you and Ransom together .

"We are here today ..." harlon begans

"Yeah .. yeah can we hurry up " Ransom rudely hissed at his Grandfather.

"Random" his mother Linda shouted , he just returned a death glare and a shrug . Wow this man is really something you think .trying to hold back your laughter at this whole situation, maybe if you find the humour in this , you could survive. Megan picks up on you and bust out laughing and you do the same . You know it's not funny but you can help your self . Ransom quickly turns his head to you and now your receiving the death stares. You calm your self down and raise your head high , still a smirk on your face .

"Fine , can we have the rings " Harlon exclaims and soon enough Jacob bring up a pillow with two rings. Ransom picks one up and you do the same. When jacob turns away and automatically whacks his phone out and sits back down . You examine the ring, a simple band but instead of being gold it was much darker or like iron , looked at more morden and probably suited Ransom taste more . Not like he would wear it much , probable end up taking it of at a bar and losing it only fo get a replacement and lose that one .

"I assume you to know what to say " I nod and to my surprise Ransom does it , he probably gonna say some stuiped shit , 'like your my mine now get use to it and you cant tell me what to do and you better keep one eye open when you sleep '

But when Ransom gently lift your hand and looks into your eyes with the softest blue eys the words that leave his months surprised you . "I Hugh Ransom Drysdale take Y/n Y/m/n Y/l/n to be my lawfully wedded wife ,for richer , for poor , for sickness and in health till death do us part "

He said remain eye contact with you as if he was saying it as a man who loved you, but no doubt he probably had hes fingers or toes crossed while saying it .

He pushes the ring upon your hand , not looking at it , scared to break the trance you and Ransom are currently in , even tho you feel it's one sided . Onde Harlon clears his throat you began to fiddle with the ring and bring up Ransom hand that is massive compared to your ,towards the ring and stare back at those ocean blue eyes you are too scared to look at knowing theres a risk you will never look away .

You didnt notice until you began to speak that you were shaking. " I Y/n Y/m/n Y/l/n take Hugh Ransom Drysdale to be my lawfully wedded husband... for richer " you unknowing pause " for poor , in sickness and in health ... till death do... us ..part" to whisper but enough for even one to hear as your weak little voice shakes.

The blunt clasping begans and sets a steady rhythm that brings pain your eardrums.

"I now pronouns you man and wife " Harlon glance at Ransom " you may ..." oh no you forgot about this part ."kiss the bride "

Oh no .. your heart sinks to your stomach you forget about this part. You glance away from Harlon to to Ransom expecting to see a smug smile on his face but instead he looked calm maybe even a little nervous. He brought his hand to your check ,stepping closure , and brought a hand to your hip sending shock waves through out your body . " may I " he whispered and you nodded . He finally brought his lips to your ,soft and plump. He place one lingering peck , long enough for your to be standing there feeling the earth move as both your eyes are closed . With his soft, lips leaving yours with a pop , you keep your eyes closed until his hands were removed form your hip and check. You final open your eyes to see a smug Ransom and , the butterfly you felt in your stomach moments ago was slowly fading. He reaches for your hand , and you place your small hand in his and intertwine your fingers, that fit perfectly together. You turn to face everyone, while Ransoms bends down and whispers in your ear .

" Your mine now Mrs Drysdale " he said in smug as voice, what he didnt expect was .

"So are you Mr Drysdale ".

#steve rogers #comics #fanfic #steve rogers au #steve x reader #knives out #ransom drysdale #ransom thrombey imagine #ransom drysdale x reader #ransom thrombey x reader #30daysofchris2020

123 notes · View notes

antihero-writings · 4 years

Text

Stolen Sunlight (Ch4)

Fandom: Tangled | Tangled the Series | Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure

Fic Summary: Arianna never thought she'd find herself afraid of a fourteen-year-old boy, but the events of Secret of the Sundrop won't seem to leave her. She needs to talk to Varian in prison. Not for his sake...but for her own.

(I'll put links to the other chapters in a reblog!)

Character focus: Arianna & Varian

Notes: It's finally here!!

Sorry it took so long, and my dearest apologies to anyone's comments I have yet to respond to. This chapter needed more editing than the others, plus got started on a couple of zines and it took over a lot of my focus for these past few months.

I really hope it was worth the wait!!

FYI When I wrote this it was before season 3, when I didn't know he shared a cell with Andrew. After I did know, I didn't want to add him in because I felt it messed too much with their interaction.

Right now what I'm thinking is that this is supposed to be set early in his imprisonment, and that perhaps he started alone, and then they later realized he needed a cellmate.

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments, they really really do help me have motivation to continue things like this, I'm so happy you guys are enjoying it. <3 <3

I'd really appreciate if you could comment again!!

Chapter 4: Passing Glances, Lasting Words

Varian’s blue eyes are questioning, almost glowing behind his fringe, like shards of ice holding prehistoric monstrosities just waiting to thaw.

She clears her throat, her tongue searching for where to begin. Options flare behind her lips;

The anger returns; she could tell him what he once was, and how he’s changed too much, and it breaks all their hearts.

She could lecture him about how hurting people is wrong, and she disapproves of all he did.

She could turn around, and say nothing at all; give in to the fear bubbling below the surface, run far away, and leave him wondering why she even came, thinking he won, without quite knowing what game they were playing.

She could demand why he did what he did, and for his apology. She could demand for him to bow before her, and beg for mercy.

But, if she lectured him, he would not be receptive to her words. If she asked him questions, he would surely put the answers in a magician’s box with swords in it and tell the audience to watch carefully. If she was angry, if she yelled at him and demanded he see her as his queen…she’d never be able to sleep.

But he is not a child for her to order around. Nor was he a villain for her to condemn.

None of that would matter. None of that would work. None of that is why she’s here.

“The truth is”—where to begin? How to set the tone?—“I don’t approve of what you did.”

She starts with something disciplinary even so. Something queenly. Something motherly, but stern. Her intention was not to lecture, but she thought it best to start from a place of principle. Sympathy is best given by those whom you respect—best given by from those whom you think it’s worth being given. It was somewhere to begin at least.

He gives a small smirk. “You came all this way to tell me that?” He inclines his head. “How sweet.”

She tries to ignore the venom in his voice.

Even in this cell, he believes he’s in the right, that he can control her, make her afraid. But he does not. Will not.

She is not doing this for him.

Now she can move her pieces on the board; her words are pawns, which can move only forward, step by step.

“I think it was harsh, and cruel and in some ways, I still don’t understand why you did it.”

In a lot of ways.

But what would she have done to get Rapunzel back when she was gone? And wouldn’t she have spat in Mother Gothel’s face, had she known, had she met her? And what did Frederic do for her when she was dying?

He is not some monster, not something she can’t understand. She has to remember they are not so different.

“Glad I’m still a mystery.”

His tone makes it harder to remember what he is. Just a boy, locked in this cell. And the difference between them is that while she may have to line her words up in the right order; put them in neat little ribbons and bows, building up her case, or everything will come crashing down…words are all he has. He will use them to hurt her, because he has words…and nothing left to lose.

“That, however, is not why I’m here.”

His eyes flick up before he can hide the surprise in them.

...But they darken, and he stands up, his raccoon hopping to the ground, chittering, as if he could feel the tension bubbling below the surface.

“Oh, really? Then what, pray tell,” he mocks, lifting a hand, “are you here to tell me, your Majesty?” The words are the scorpion’s sting.

This is how he is, how he was then, how he’s going to be. …But she knows this is not all he could be.

And this is how she is.

She wraps her free hand around one of the bars, holding onto it like it’s her own resolve, and if she doesn’t hold tight it will turn to sand and slip through her fingers. She is going to get as close as she can, she will prove to him that she is unafraid, though everyone else treats him like a beast.

Even though she is. She is—

She’s afraid of a fourteen-year old boy.

These words won’t get through the bars to him; they are destined to topple. For they are the same as they were that day. The same tone, the same message, though they may be kinder, they still look down upon him, they scorn his goals and treat them as childish. And if they didn’t get through to him in his lab, they won’t reach his heart now that its had time to harden in this cell.

She hates that; knowing that it is their fault, her fault, in some way, that he is like this—

That is why she must forgive him. In a way, she is setting herself free from her own prison.

And she wants this to work. She wants him to realize there’s more to him. She doesn’t want him to be like this forever. She wants to set him free too.

Speaking to him as the Queen, judging his actions, starting from a place of truth, but disapproval, will not get through. Appealing to lofty ideals like the good of the kingdom, the good of the king, and of his own soul won’t matter to him. Lofty ideals mean nothing to a boy grieving for his father.

This is not for him. This is for her. It doesn’t matter what he says, what he thinks. In the end, all she can do is try to reach him, knowing it is ultimately his choice to take her hand through the bars. But the success or failure of this mission is measured by whether it helps to heal the fear ingraining itself in her heart, whether it helps to heal the way she thinks of him.

So, in light of this, what can she say to gain some amount of closure? To heal her heart? Her fear?

She takes a deep breath.

It isn’t easy to say aloud, to anyone, especially to him. But she knows the truth will save them both.

“What you did…” Her words now gain a far-off quality, more ragged themselves.

The words tasted like anger and fear. They are not the queen’s lofty proclamations…they are Arianna’s real feelings. Her grip tightens around the cold metal of the bar as she whispers darkly, “It scares me.” Her eyes dart to him, her own resolve tightening in coils inside her, becoming something more than the fear. But, despite the still-present anger, there is something very sad in her voice; “You scare me, Varian.”

At first he wants to sneer—she can almost taste the poison on his lips.

But something about these words catches up to him, reaches the mainframe; the edge in his blue eyes falters, and for a moment, a mere moment, he is a boy again. He is the kindness, the Oh I’m so sorry! the Did I do something wrong? and he is realizing that there is something about her words that makes him sad too. But he pulls the plug, hits reset, the venom replenishes itself, and he is the villain again. He folds his arms over his chest, turns his head, and scoffs, his tone becoming blank of anything that reached him;

“So what? You expect me to be sorry?”

“No.” She answers immediately. “No Varian,”—she is going to say his name as much as she can, calling to something deep inside him that is still Varian—“I don’t expect you to be sorry, nor do I expect that you’ll care about anything I have to say.”

Because she doesn’t.

She wants him to be. She knows from that single look that that boy is in there; the one who does very much care, who would care if his friends got hurt, who knows there is more to life than just making his father proud, and who would care if the Queen was afraid of him, for whatever reason. She knows that that boy is sorry, even now.

But she doesn’t expect to see that boy.

She knows he will hide him, shove that boy and his kindness to the side—(just like they all did, once upon a time)—push him down into the pieces of his shattered heart where there are monsters, and little oxygen, and black rocks growing like thorns.

If she expects him, she will never see him again.

If she doesn’t, she will see him in every passing glance.

He takes a step forward.

He is, so unbearably small. He is weak, and dirty, and she can tell he hasn’t been eating well. Yet he’s so tall in her eyes, even here—like he was that day, when she was on the ground, and he on the ladder, his heart is incased in living metal, his motions wound to the tune of a sad music box. He seemed so tall then…though he’d fallen so far then.

“Then what are you expecting? What do you want from me? Why did you come here, your Majesty?” He gets close to the bars, too close, but she isn’t letting his words get so close to her heart. “Did you come to gloat? To condemn me? To lecture me?” He pauses. “Don’t bother,”—His voice becomes a quiet breath—“I’ve already heard them all.”

At first she wonders where he’s heard them, who told them to him—if she was wrong, and Frederic came after all, opted for lectures, instead of accusations. Then she realizes, Ah, of course. Quirin. And that thought, the way he mentions his father, the hopelessness hidden in the midst of the intense sadness…it makes her thoughts falter, reshuffle.

“I don’t think you yourself even know why you’re here.” The sting still hides in his tone, slithering in the background, and it will latch its fangs onto her conviction, a parasite, stealing it away, if she isn’t careful. She can almost feel his breath now, he is so close, so horribly close. “Do you? You’re…scared. So why come before the object of your fear?” His lip curls as he mocks, “You must think you’re so brave.”

Anger ignites in her gaze. She can’t believe he’d talk to a queen like this. She grips the bar tighter, the imperfections in the cold metal digging into her palm.

Her fear makes her feel like a little girl before him. But if he’s weaving fear into the little girl in her heart, she will sow doubt into the little boy in his.

And from now on she will speak simply to him. Without the judgment, the lectures, the threats. Not as a queen, but as a mother. She will sit down with that boy as he cries in the dark, bring down a drop of sunlight, stolen from the outside, to the boy who doesn’t believe he deserves it.

“You want me to—?!”

“Listen.” She breaks though his words.

“What?” he takes a step back.

That’s all it is. All she needs to heal her heart. All he needs for a chance at redemption. It’s so much simpler than they all thought, than she thought at first.

“I came here because I want to talk to you. Forgive me if it sounds like a lecture,” She laughs a little, sadly still, “I’m afraid I don’t have much practice. But I don’t pretend to have all the answers either.”

At first he grits his teeth, trying to fight her request, but he turns away, his hand to his chin like when he’s doing serious calculations. He pauses for a long moment, then his eyes tick back to her and scan her.

He shrugs. “Not like I’ve got anything better to do.” The words are not kind, but the snake in his voice curls up quietly.

She releases the bar at last.

“I don’t approve of what you did.” She takes a step back, assuming a more reserved position. “I don’t like it, I don’t understand it, and at times, you still scare me. But this,”—she stops and gestures to the bars—“this cell…” Her eyes fall upon him. She is not afraid to meet that blue now, now that the electricity has calmed slightly, now that he is at least willing to listen. “It won’t change that. It won’t change what happened, or how either of us feel about it.”

She is meeting him where he is now, in this cell, not standing above him and calling him villain.

“Locking you up …I thought it would give me some peace of mind, and while it might mean that you can’t hurt Rapunzel anymore…” She shakes her head a little and murmurs. “I don’t think it helps either of us sleep any easier.”

He pauses, looking down.

“I don’t want our happy ending to mean the unhappiness of yours.”

What? The boy in his eyes whispers as he jerks his head up.

“This is not where I want your story to end.”

She can see it. That drop of sunlight she stole for him taking root in his eyes.

“So what are you going to do?” The snake in his voice lifts its head, hisses. “It’s not like you’re going to let me out.”

“No.” She gives a small smile. “It’s not much, I know…but I have made a decision.”

“And what’s that?”

“I have decided to forgive you.”

The fear is gone from her voice now. And at last, she means it. She has done what she came here to do.

Surprise, sunrise, flares behind his eyes for a moment. Then he folds his arms, turns away and scoffs,

“Is this some sort of joke?” The snake has moved to his hands, curls them into fists at his sides, rattling noiselessly in warning.

“It’s not a joke, Varian.” She answers simply. “Would I go this far for a joke?”

“I didn’t ask for this.” The snake raises its head, bares its fangs.

“No, you didn’t.” She gives a small tinted smile, and she can tell at once just how angry her kindness makes him.

The snake shoots at her.

“I don’t need your pity, your Majesty! Or your—!”

“No, you’re right, you don’t.” She cuts him off. Her voice is completely calm and collected. She can feel the snake in her own heart, slinking away. “Nor am I intending to give it. I didn’t come here for you, Varian.”

He looks up at this thought.

She has no reason to hide the truth from him.

“I came here for me. For my own presence of mind. I wanted to forgive you. Nothing more. No one made me do it. It’s not a joke, or a lecture, or a new form of punishment.”

“I get it,” he sneers. “Just like the royal family to forgive for the sake of yourself, or your precious kingdom…never for me. Never for the poor boy who just needed a second of your time!

“What would your beloved family think of you if I told them you came down here to see me? If I told them—!”

“Tell them if you want to. Frederic may be angry, but what’s done is done. This was my choice. That’s not what this is about, and you know it. I came here for my sake… because I knew if I came here for you, you wouldn’t give me the time of day. So thank you, Varian, for listening. That is all I needed.” She bows slightly. “Think whatever you want, after I’m gone. It doesn’t matter to me.”

He isn’t looking at her, the rattling his spread to his body.

“I have one last thing for you, if you will except it.”

His eyes flash to her like lightning.

“Again, I know it’s not much, but it’s the best I could do.”

In lieu of an explanation she lifts up the journal and quill, smoothing her hand over the cover, and holds it through the bars for him to take. She knows putting even her arm through the bars is risky, that it might leave her with serpentine venom in her veins...but this is her act of good faith

He tsks his teeth, folding his arms, turning away.

“Its not for you.” She says simply.

He raises an eyebrow. Oh? Then who is it for?

She smirks.

“It’s for that boy I met the day of the science competition. You know, the one who cleaned the library? Do you think you can give it to him for me?”

That makes him angrier, but she isn’t leaving till he takes it.

“Don’t call it pity.” She smiles, seeing the look in his eyes as he takes a step closer. “Call it revenge, if you that makes things easier.”

At first he simply stands there, dark hair covering electric eyes, glancing up every few moments to see if she’ll go away. Then he sighs, walks over to her, snatching it from her grip.

“I gave Rapunzel a journal just like this one.”

His hands shy away from the pages, like they’ll bite him, at the mention of her daughter. She knew the name would not help, but she needs him to know what this means; that she is treating him the same way she treated her own daughter.

Threats flare behind his eyes, but quell themselves. He returns to the journal, flicking through it roughly.

“I thought you might need something to do.” She explains lamely.

It is a feeble excuse, but a true one nonetheless.

What will he fill it with? Not drawings, like Rapunzel, or flowery interpretations of his adventures. He will likely fill the pages with calculations, like the ones that littered his desk and the walls of his lab, the ones he put the withered sundrop flower on, the ones surely detailing the plot that put him here in the first place.

The fear is all but gone from her by now. In its place is growing something akin to a flower; hope, the sunlight she intended to bring to him, the seeds planting in her heart too. That’s what forgiveness does, after all.

His eyes scan the empty pages.

He starts at the back, and ends up at the front cover. Upon seeing the inscription, he holds the notebook up in one hand, trying to decipher the words. Unlike her daughter, he doesn’t make some ill-attempt to pronounce the foreign language, instead his eyes pivot to her, demanding an explanation.

“Plus est on vous,” the translation rolls off her tongue, “It means ‘there’s more in you.’”

He slams shut the journal with one hand, closing his eyes. He runs his finger along the spine as if trying to give it chills. Then he pulls out the quill, thumbing through the feather, likely checking that they wouldn’t give him anything too sharp.

“You honestly believe that, don’t you?” His words are dull now. Not sad, not spiteful either. Still grey.

“What can I say?” Her smile is entirely genuine now, it contains that stolen sunlight. “I’m a sucker for a happy ending.”

“Even for someone like me?”

“Oh, especially for someone like you.”

He smirks. “You really are a fool.”

“Better a fool than a cynic, right?”

The smile fades, and his eyes lid as he pauses, thinks, then murmurs, “...How do you know I won’t use this to plot against you and your precious kingdom?”

“I don’t.”

(Though, from the softness of his tone there, she is almost certain he won’t.)

“So why would you—?!”

“I told you, I didn’t come here for you. I don’t care what you do with it after I’m gone. That’s your choice.”

“That doesn’t make sense!” The turmoil, thinly veiled, boils over. “Why would you come here?! Why would you act like everything’s okay?! Like I’m not the guy who kidnapped you, and chained you in his lab?!”

And at last she knows she has reached him... because behind every word she can hear that little boy crying out for mercy.

As the sky bleeds into navy she knows the last drops of day that guided her down the stairs to him have been planted in his heart.

She raises an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly. “Oh? I thought you’d heard all the lectures.”

His eyes widen.

“Goodbye, Varian.” She turns and begins to leave. “I do hope to see you again, out free. And when I do,”—She stops to look back his way—“Maybe you can teach me that home alchemy after all.”

She catches one last glimpse of the boy she met that day before she exits the dungeon, sure, after all this, she will at least be able to sleep.

16 notes · View notes

countdown-to-destruction · 4 years

Text

Inuyasha Sequel: a rant

Put this up this earlier on a post I re-blogged, tried to edit a part or two where I didn’t like the way I had phrased it, and ended up messing up the whole format I wrote this in. Luckily I wrote this as a draft earlier anyways! So I did a some fixing and now I’m just copy-pasting it again and making it a text post instead. This will be very long and a little nit-picky but I wanted to make a post ever since I heard about the upcoming sequel to Inuyasha, Hanyō no Yashahime. I did put a TLDR at the end for those who don’t want to read everything. Not sure how many people in the fandom still follow me and will see this, as it's been a long time since I was actually active in the fandom, but it's hands-down both my favorite manga and anime of all time and I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately so I had to post something. Before reading this be sure to read all of the translated character bios for Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha so that this makes sense.

When I first heard that Inuyasha would be getting a sequel I was excited! But after reading up on it, to be completely honest I'm not feeling this sequel anymore. I know it’s an unpopular opinion but hear me out. Firstly, it seems like Rumiko is mostly involved in the character design aspect and the writing is up to Katsuyuki Sumisawa. The music will be produced by Kaoru Wada which is great! And from what I’ve seen and read online a number of others who worked on the original series will reunite so hopefully the story will go well. However, knowing Rumiko isn't personally writing and not knowing how much input she has or will give makes me unsure about watching. The original Inuyasha anime followed and was based off of the events in the manga, and there was no manga prior to this for it to be based on. Depending on what happens this could be an alright sequel or a total miss. Unfortunately sequels in general are known to be disappointing in some way.

Secondly, if I hear anything about Rin being the mother of Sesshomaru's twin daughters I'm out. This part will be a SUPER long and in depth explanation on why I think this way, feel free to skip if you're not interested. Please don't come for me on this, I'm here to explain my thoughts and feelings on the sequel and the theories around it so far, not start an argument. I'm more than aware that there's plenty of controversy out there on this pairing and personally I do not support it. I never saw their relationship as more than a friendship, or something akin to child and guardian as Sesshomaru and Jaken are basically Rin's caretakers up until she goes to live in the village with Kaede. He definitely cares for her deeply but I can't see it in a romantic way, being that Sesshomaru isn't even a character focused on romance to begin with. He learns compassion through Rin's second death but that doesn't mean he loves her romantically. As a reminder his main goal is to seek power and be powerful, and it's stated that he needed to learn compassion and grief in order to mature. It's what helped him learn to wield the Tenseiga at its full potential. In addition, she was really young when they first met and still was when she went to live with Kaede. The idea of Sesshomaru (an adult) having romantic feelings for a kid under ten years old (around eleven at the end of the series, and still a literal child in all ways) and waiting for her to age with the intention of marrying her sits totally wrong with me. Age wise I realize that Inuyasha is decades older than Kagome and that his father was much older than his mother, Izayoi, as well. The difference here is that Kagome was a teen when she met Inuyasha (who not just physically, but more importantly mentally was also a teen) and clearly Izayoi was old enough to conceive Inuyasha and give birth. As far as the audio dramas (more specifically "Asatte") go they're generally considered as an outtake reel and are essentially parodies, or a form of satire. Some will debate on this but realistically there’s plenty of reasons this is true, and those who take the time to properly check them out understand that. For me I've always had a headcanon that at some point in her teen years Rin would inevitably develop a one-sided crush on Sesshomaru and that he would ultimately set boundaries and reject her, seeing her as more of a close companion than a love interest and wanting her to live with someone she can grow old with. He gave her the choice to follow him and it's most likely that she would, but I think that once she began aging he would want her to have somewhere to settle, given that he enjoys roaming and seeking out other powerful beings to battle. It's strange to me that they decided to give Sesshomaru hanyō/half-demon children in general but based on the artwork we've seen it's fair to guess that they might have made Sesshomaru and Rin a pairing in this sequel.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I want to clarify that if you ship them together I'm not writing this here because I want to hate on your ship for no reason, or in order to create an argument on if the pairing makes sense, these are my thoughts and opinions on the matter and I’m voicing them because it’s what I believe. I already know that somebody won’t like this and will take it personally. People usually say that once Rin is an adult the pairing is acceptable but I disagree. I find it quite creepy that someone would think it would be alright for an adult to wait around for a kid to grow up with the intention to marry and/or sleep with them. Watching from a distance is the same exact thing, after making an impression on the child... let’s not normalize this. In this situation it would be grooming. We all have our own opinions when it comes to our ships and fandoms and I try to respect that but I can’t get behind this one.

Next we have the apparent lack of parental figures for the heroines. Where are the original Inuyasha characters at? Moroha's character bio says she barely knows her parents (Inuyasha and Kagome, our former main protagonists) and has been alone since she was young! It makes me think either something has happened to them or some kind of bizarre event separated them. And sorry, not related, but why does she transform by PUTTING LIPSTICK ON?? That part threw me for a loop.

When it comes to Setsuna and Towa their parents are absent too. I find it difficult to believe that Sesshomaru wouldn't keep track of his children given how he treats Rin and reacts to her going missing in any capacity. Especially if he happened to be fond of whoever their mother is. One daughter works as a taijiya/demon slayer for Kohaku and the other mysteriously transports to Kagome's era and is raised by Sota (I thought we had finished with the time jumps when the well closed but apparently not. When the Bone Eater's Well closed after Kagome's return it gave a sense of finality and closure to the story, and showed that Kagome had chosen where she was most happy and felt she belonged. I think that bringing the theme of time travel back into the sequel makes it feel repetitive, like something right out of a predictable fanfic. Props to Sota for taking in and raising a child who showed up out of nowhere though).

Another thing that came to mind when I read these character bios was why Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter and Sesshomaru's daughters are the exact same age. Of course there's nothing wrong with that. It only struck me as odd because suddenly everyone is having kids at the same time. And so far there's no mention of other characters like Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Jaken, Kaede, or Miroku or Sango's three children or where they are. One might expect that a story focused on the children of some of the original Inuyasha's main characters would feature appearances from those who had important roles in the previous series and their children. Which brings me around to wondering what made twin daughters a trend? Two sets of twin girls is a unique choice (Sango and Miroku's twin daughters. For such a small group of parental characters, what are the odds of two sets of twin girls? Where is the creativity and again why the repetition?).

Lastly, Sesshomaru's daughters lack some of the common yōkai/demon characteristics we see on Inuyasha and other characters. Their ears are human, and they have no markings or otherwise (that I noticed) with the exception of Setsuna's mokomoko/fur which is similar to Sesshomaru's. So perhaps they take more after their human mother? Given that Inuyasha seemed to inherit strong genes from his father it's interesting that they did not. Their ages also interest me as they appear to age the same way as humans do. Yōkai/demons are known to have a longer lifespan than humans and appear to slow down or almost stop aging at some point. Perhaps this confirms that the slowdown in aging occurs once they reach the equivalent of a human teen?

Overall Inuyasha was a fantastic manga and great anime on its own, and I never got the feeling that it needed a sequel. As a stand-alone it was everything it needed to be. I thoroughly enjoyed both formats of the original, though I do have a tendency to disregard certain parts of the anime. I always preferred the manga more when the anime dragged out certain scenes (Shichinintai/Band of Seven arc for example) or straight-up excluded, changed, and added others. Taking that into consideration the sequel might end up being the same for me in that way, but rather than one scene that plays out for too long or an excluded, altered, or unnecessary added scene, if it’s not any good I’ll simply disregard it altogether. When the anime comes out I certainly plan to try watching it out of loyalty to the fandom, and due to the fact that it's "technically" canon (without Rumiko being the writer I don't necessarily consider it canon, much like how some folks do or do not consider the movies canon) but I get the feeling that I'll wind up giving up on it in disappointment.

TLDR; Overall I'm left questioning if the sequel is worth watching (for me) given what I've read and heard so far, but nonetheless I will give it an optimistic try! I'm currently wondering how much we'll see of the original Inuyasha characters, if we get to find out what happened to them, if the number one pairing I'm not fond of will make an appearance (and cause me to drop the whole thing), and questioning parts of the character backstories and designs (why is there a repetitive and recurring theme of time travel and does it end up hindering or ruining the story, why do the protagonists all lack parents, and why do the hanyō/half-demon characters lack common yōkai/demon traits and does it make them more human than demon?).

#inuyasha #hanyo no yashahime #sesshomaru #please don't be sessrin #kagome #a feudal fairytale #internal screeching #my thoughts #my opinions #unpopular opinion

25 notes · View notes

josh-cole · 4 years

Text

Closure • Jack & Josh

noun

an act or process of closing something, especially an institution, thoroughfare, or frontier, or of being closed."hospitals that face closure"

(in a legislative assembly) a procedure for ending a debate and taking a vote; cloture."a closure motion"

28/08/2020 Visiting the city to celebrate his birthday, Josh runs into Jack in his Chelsea nightclub and is forced to allow the worlds of Joshua Cole and Joshua Yates to collide.

“We’ve got you,” Elijah is chuckling over Kevin’s shoulder, eyes squinting as he beams at Josh who holds their friend from the other side.

Josh feels a little guilty, laughing at the man’s slurred reply (something that might be ’no I’ve got you’ or ‘I’m about to throw up’ – could be either) but his boyfriend is laughing that contagious laugh that can’t be anything less than infectious. He hadn’t expected to leave whilst the music was still playing or the lights were still on, but even Josh can admit that he’s had a few more shots than he’d expected and, if Kevin’s drunken grumbles are anything to go by, he’s not the only one.

The diner across the street that they’d seen earlier this evening is becoming increasingly appealing.

The drink will catch up to him any minute now, no doubt. E’s already has that glisten in his eyes; that glassy look that he gets when he’s a little too drunk or, on rare occasions, too high. It’s the same look he’d have at about this time on a normal night mind - when they’re up too late and the sleep is just catching up to him and his eyes go pink around the edges. He looks soft and warm and ready to climb into bed.

“You look so gone,” Josh calls over the music, giggling until he accidentally trips Kev (who’s too lost in whatever song he’s now chanting to acknowledge the couple’s conversation anymore) as he turns slightly to speak around him.

“I am,” Elijah slurs, his lips pursed as he tries to fight his smile, but then the grin is breaking out again and his voice joins Kevin’s. In the hand that isn’t holding Kev, he holds Josh’s jacket above his head as he sings along.

They’re not even close to the door when the bouncer sweeps in and, instead of his friends supporting him, Kevin’s being held up by a tight grip around his bicep as a bulky man marches him towards the exit, ignoring Elijah’s “hey, we’re just on our way out,” and Josh’s “relax!”

Just a few steps closer to the door and Kev must lose his footing or stumbled over the security guy because he’s almost on his face suddenly – would be if the vice grip on his arm hadn’t remained as tight as it did when he’d gone down.

Elijah mutters something under his breath, but they’re almost out now anyway, Josh telling him to leave it. Still, the man is already sprinting ahead as he calls out, “hey, what the fuck’s wrong with you?” as he ducks to secure himself under his friends other arm again. “I’ve got him, man, calm down. Hey—” He’s pointing to someone off to the side then. “Hey, tell your security to loosen up, will you? Jeeze, I—”

“Let him go, Levi,” a voice among the crowd calls back, and Josh can’t place it -in the masses or his memory- and has to take a moment to search through the faces rushing past in the opposite direction. Then he spots him. The only one in the rush that’s stood still, and suddenly Josh is too.

He’s not looking at the bouncer as he adds, “take your break, chill out,” but is instead mirroring Josh’s gaze. The change in Jack’s appearance is almost enough to make Josh doubt himself; his hair styled with precision and beard shaved cleanly to show off skin that glows in a way that Josh can’t imagine New York has graced him with, even in the summer. He wonders where else he’s been.

He looks older too, but not in a way that might suggest he’s aged. Rather in a way that exposes some kind of maturity Josh had never seen in the past, purely in the way that Jack seems to stand taller, burying any of the vulnerability that he might have once had.

The same vulnerability that Josh himself still struggles to shake off sometimes.

He supposes he was bound to run into him eventually, but he hadn’t expected it to be so soon – or under these circumstances. In a forced, awkward reunion at Arthur’s maybe, but not a busy Chelsea club on a Friday night.

“Hi.” Jack’s soft smile doesn’t even try to match the tone he’d used before, but he’s not just looking at Josh now, he’s addressing him too as he adds, “sorry about him.”

Does he even recognise me? Josh doesn’t dare ask.

Somewhere in the flock ahead, Elijah is supporting Kev alone – maybe through the door by now, but Josh has fallen behind, stuck on the spot and unable to see over heads or through bodies. Not that he’s trying, too busy focussing on—

“Jack.” He’s meant to tell him that it’s alright, or maybe thank him for easing the guy off, but it seems to slip his mind.

He’d have guessed Jack was just visiting the city too, for no other reason than the fact that seeing the man in this world seems so bizarre to him. But then, picturing him anywhere other than that place would feel surreal, he’d suppose. Then there’s that bouncer, Levi, who had practically bowed to him as he walked away, nodding firmly to Jack. Jack with his styled hair and his royal blue blazer.

Jack cuts through his thoughts. “You heading out?”

“Yeah, uh. Kev. He’s had a little too much,” he tries to joke, and Jack gives an ‘oh, right’ kind of nod before he gestures to the door and they begin to walk together, towards the exit. “Gonna try and soak up the tequila in the diner across the street before we head back.”

The obvious conversation to have is what the hell are you doing here? But he can’t seem to bring himself to be so bold.

Soon the cold air outside is biting at his arms; any trace of the summer heat they’d enjoyed earlier today completely vanished. It’s not an awkward silence, per se, but he feels Jack’s mind racing just the same as his own as they step aside, away from the large doors where the bass of the music inside had followed them out. He focusses on looking around the busy street for his friends, already gritting his teeth against the cold. “Barney’s pizza is a crowd favourite at around this time – you better hurry.”

“Hm? Oh!” He laughs, linking the name with the illuminated building he’s headed too. He supposes they’re acting like this is all normal. “Wouldn’t be a huge shame really. We ate before we came out. Kev is just…”

“Josh!” Speak of the devil. He spies Kevin swinging from a post at the other side of the street, and exchanges a look with Jack, raising a brow as the man chuckles in return. You better hurry? Was he trying to get rid of him already? Kev shouts, “I love New York!”

Jack is digging around in his inside pocket as his eyes trail across the street where the man is now spinning around the pole as Trevor and Dylan (who must have been waiting outside the diner for them) try to slow him down. They’re too taken over by their own laughter to be much use. Elijah must be thinking the same as he stands a few paces back from the trio, his arms crossed as he shakes his head before glancing across the street. Josh thinks he might roll his eyes as he smiles in his direction but is too far away to be certain. He laughs anyway in return.

He hears a small click and, when he looks back towards Jack, the man is still watching his ridiculous friend swing in circles, but Josh is relieved to see the man smiling around a cigarette as he asks, “your boyfriend?”

He snorts, can’t even entertain the idea as he shakes his head. “God no. Just a friend,” he amends, watching again just in time to catch Elijah glance up the street before braving the road.

He sprints over to their side, Josh’s jacket still in hand, which he hands over once he’s within arms reach, telling him, “put this on, it’s freezing.” It feels tense for a second as the man exchanges a look with Jack, before he says, “thanks for helping my buddy out,” as he points over his shoulder. “He’s a different guy after a tequila or two.”

A cloud of smoke fogs up the air around Jack as he laughs, shaking his head as he takes another drag. “No worries,” his voice is thick with smoke until he completes his exhale. “Don’t mind Levi, he’s just pissy ‘cause his wife’s having an affair with some guy from Jersey. You smoke?”

Elijah takes a cigarette from the man, ignoring the disapproving hit from the back of Josh’s hand. He doesn’t smoke when he’s sober but, where tequila turns Kev into a show dancer, it turns Elijah into a chain smoker - despite Josh’s best efforts to prevent it. Jack pockets his lighter after lighting Elijah’s cigarette as he tells them “I didn’t realise you knew each other.”

If seeing Jack in the real world was surreal, this is downright unnatural. Elijah opens him mouth to speak, and there’s something cheap about the idea of letting the man break the news for him, so, when an arm resting over his shoulders, Josh says, “he’s my boyfriend,” before his other half gets the chance.

He supposes it makes sense for Elijah to have met Jack if he’s some kind of manager at the club. E’s had their booth booked for months now; had swung by just yesterday to finalise the details - with Jack, apparently.

Jack doesn’t falter though, just smiles again; nods once more as if to say, ‘that’s nice.’ Good. Josh can smile about it too. Does smile even, when Jack says, “cool, how long?” and Elijah takes the question this time because Josh is busy thinking about how there’s nothing strange about introducing your new boyfriend to your ex-boyfriend after bumping into one-another after years of zero communication on both parts, in a foreign city at the other side of the country - and did he mention that they met in an illegally run asylum, he and his ex? Because that’s probably an important factor, too.

That pizza is sounding a lot more appetising right now as he looks across the road to where his friends wait patiently for them to finish their exchange. Trev looks like he’s about to pull Kevin’s arm from his socket as he holds him back from his attempts to cross the road after Elijah – likely for the cigarette he’s acquired.

“Blacklist, wow,” he hears Elijah mutter then, having missed where the conversation had gone. “I forget it actually happened,” he then adds, rambling a little more than usual in his drunken state. Josh has never told him in-depth about the relationships he had in Blacklist. If Jack’s name has ever propped up, it’s for the sake of filling in the gaps of a story rather than giving a rundown of his sexual history. That being said, if Elijah happens to recognise names like Arthur or Billy or Stella over, say, Jack Croft, then that’s purely a coincidence. “Doesn’t sound real, you know?”

“You’re telling me.” Jack’s being polite: if someone had said something like that to Josh, he’d have been damn close to biting their head off at one time, but Jack somehow manages to put it into perspective without being an asshole about it.

He doesn’t mean to get so anxious about the situation, but he must do because he focusses so much on the smaller details that he misses half of the conversation they have. At some point, Kevin makes it across the road and is dragging Elijah back towards the diner in a similar way to how Trevor had done with him. His boyfriend says his goodbyes and Josh is preparing his own parting words as he begins to make his exit, but then Elijah’s waving him off as he says, “you guys should catch up – we’re only across the road. I’ll order for you.” He leans in for a kiss that Josh almost refuses -cigarette breath- but lets it slide just this once.

He’s about to make his excuses anyway and head off with the rest of them, but Jack’s already nodding politely, saying, “yeah, why not?” and his boyfriend is being dragged away and then they’re alone on one side of the road while his friends huddle into the 24-hour diner on the other.

Suddenly the street feels quieter and the crowd further away as the two of them stand before each other with no distractions but a hazy bass deep inside the building behind them. He should have said yes to that cigarette, he thinks as he tucks his hands into his jacket pockets uselessly, clueless as to how to hold himself anymore as a million questions coming to mind now, that he hadn’t even considered a second earlier.

Jack picks one for him. “What are you doing in New York?”

He answers him easily- “Elijah booked up for my birthday.” -safe in the knowledge that their introductions have already been made. Elijah, his boyfriend. Current boyfriend.

“No kidding. Happy early birthday.”

“Thanks. Yeah, uh... Small world.” They both clear their throats at the same time. Josh adds, “what about you?”

“Uh, I own the club.” He looks bashful as he says it, looking down to where he kicks the ground with a shoe that looks too expensive to be scuffed on some New York sidewalk. Josh wants to ask how on earth he found himself here. How he seems so well despite those years that he let alcohol take over him, only to now own a bar in Chelsea. He forgets that a conversation usually requires two or more people to take turns in speaking, but Jack takes it upon himself to pick it up again as he asks, “how long have you been here?”

“Just a couple of days.” He’s quick to reply. “You?”

“God… Eighteen months now.”

“Wow, good for you.”

“Thanks, yeah.”

“Any insider tips? We fly back on Sunday.”

“Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village isn’t bad. There’s a show tomorrow, actually.”

“Will you be there?” Shit. Bad question. Awful question. Why would he—

“Nah, I’ll be back here, cleaning this mess.”

Thank God. “Got it.”

It flows and it doesn’t. They answer so fast that it’s clear they’re chasing out an awkward silence. They allow themselves to slow down then though, pretending to be distracted; Jack by the people still filtering out of the building (his building) and Josh by the group of four that laugh over the table of the diner opposite.

Elijah is trying to read from a menu while Kev attempts to snatch it away, just to be a pain no doubt. They feel an entire world away from where he stands with Jack, who feels so out of their league as he leans back against the brick wall and takes another long drag of his cigarette.

Images of the man stood against a similar brick wall, only mossy and cracked and along the edge of a dreary courtyard flash before him, but Josh can’t find the link. Jack holds the smoke almost elegantly between two fingers, bringing it to his lips and back down again smoothly. No chapped lips or shaky hands, no brushing his hair from his face or rubbing red eyes with dry knuckles. No, there’s no correlation at all.

“So, where’s back?” Jack asks, catching him off guard.

“Sorry?”

“On Sunday. Where are you going back to? Where’s home?”

“Oh, San Francisco… A little outside Silicone Valley.” Now it’s his turn to watch the ground, his cheeks flushing at the fact. The Gay Capital of America. That’s that they call it, and he wishes he could defend his choice, but, honestly, he can’t. He never went home; flew over to the coast the second he got the chance to leave the rundown hotel he was staying at in exchange for another, not-so-run down hotel. Wanted to live a little; didn’t want to be alone; wanted to find somewhere where the people would embrace him – would embrace anyone. He travelled across the country in search of love. He can admit that, but not to Jack. Can’t admit how eager he was to shake the dreary waters of Blacklist off his back and pretend it had never happened. “We own a hotel out there. Or—I own it. Elijah’s just my backseat driver when I need him to be.”

Jack’s laughing but it’s not jeering. No, he looks taken aback, head shaking again as he pushes himself away from the wall with the new energy he suddenly has. “Woah, that’s. Awesome. Really. I’ve never been but I’ve been wanting to.”

Of course he has. He’d fit right in there. Josh would be tempted to say Jack’s on the complete wrong side of the country if not for the fact that he’s seen him here now and witnessed how he thrives on a busy New York street.

“Let me know if you do, I’ll—”

“Josh!” Elijah’s stood at the entrance of Barney’s, hands in his pockets and shoulders drawn up in the cold. They look towards him together, and he gestures to the diner beside him to suggest that their food is ready.

“That’s me,” he says with an apologetic smile, which Jack returns as he drops his cigarette, expensive shoe grinding against the slab beneath him.

“I ought to go back inside anyway.” He checks his watch. “Forty minutes ‘til closing, yikes. I’ve got a lot of shit to do. You’re causing havoc already, Joshua Yates.”

“Cole.” Jack frowns – confused by the single syllable and Josh shrugs slightly as he scratches the base of his neck. “My name.”

The man’s frown only deepens, but then flickers to something lighter. Intrigue? “I… You. I mean… To Elijah?” He blinks, gesturing across the street.

“Oh. No, no.” Josh huffs in amusement, shaking his head. “I mean that I changed it.”

Jack blinks again, his understanding visually dawning on him as he lets out a simple “huh” at first as he considers this. “You said you would.” Josh nods. He had said that, hadn’t he? Right before he said he wanted to leave Blacklist and everyone in it, and never look back without a hint of remorse. He sees a similar realisation wash over Jack’s face before the man adds, “have a good life, Joshua Cole,” his soft smile returning.

#We wrote this over zoom lol time to pretend Jack and Josh can be friends #para #f2f:jack #selfpara

5 notes · View notes

kate837 · 4 years

Text

All Planned Out

I wrote this fic all the way through and then TUMBLR DELETED IT!!!! So basically this fic is based directly off of a scene from FRIENDS. I've been watching a lot of FRIENDS lately and realized that some of the scenes remind me of Blindspot so I was thinking of making a series of Blindspot AU fics based off of scenes from FRIENDS. Depending on how this fic goes, let me know what you think.

#: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #:

Why do I always do something stupid when I get drunk? Now don't get wrong I love going out with the girls but why oh God why do I always have to do something stupid when I get drunk?! Anyways, why am I on the floor and who's floor am I on? Ok maybe I should (mentally) retrace my steps.

#: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #:

"You need to let looooooseeeee! " Tasha yelled over the excruciatingly loud music.

"I'm trying! " I never really felt comfortable dancing, much less in a club with people so close to me.

"Here Jane just take my hands and follow my lead! " I did as Patty said and took her hands and followed her lead. Oh I just realized that Rich's nickname for Patterson actually caught on and that makes me about as nauseous as this horrid hangover does. But anyways, we mostly jumped around than danced but it was actually pretty fun!

Then the drinks came in.

#: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #:

"My feet hurt, let's go to the bar! " Tasha yelled.

We went over and talked a little, I guess I was noticeably upset. I mean why wouldn't I be? Kurt just told me that he wasn't even at the park, right when I was about to explain why I wasn't there! That d*mn park.

"Look Jane I know it hurts that Kurt wasn't at the park, and that he said you two would be 'too complicated' but this isn't the end of the world. I promise. It's still rotating, albeit very slowly. So why don't we just forget about all of our problems and have a really fun night? I mean isn't that what girls nights out are for?" For Patterson to be so blunt I guess I looked worse off than I thought.

" You are entirely correct! Look Jane we're all a family, when one of us is sad we're all sad. We all love you and just want you to be happy so let's have some fun! " That was the first time that Tasha addressed the team as my family and it spread a great warmth through me.

"Alright let's do it!"

So we headed back to the dance floor.

#: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #:

We danced for a couple more hours before I bowed out. I took a seat closest to the dance floor. It was actually more entertaining to watch them dance. But being alone with my thoughts is never a great idea. My mind went straight back to Kurt. Then I remembered what Tasha and Patty said about being sad and that plus my blood alcohol level decided you know what that guy shouldn't have the power to bring my mood down! I'm going to let him know that!

So I dialed Kurt's number.

Dang it voicemail.

"Hey Kurt I was calling to tell you that I don't care that you weren't at the park, and you don't get to have this poWeR over my mOod anymore! Because you know what iiiiiiiiii am over you! And that my friend is what they call closure! "

I hung up and joined the girls back on the dance floor.

#: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #:

None of us could drive in our current state and Tasha's apartment was the closest to the club so we walked there and somehow made it home intact. And oh- I just realized that I consider Tasha's house, home and that brings a smile to my face. Anyways, in a drunken haze we had the wonderful idea of having a 'sleepover party'. We made a makeshift fort in Tasha's living room and slept on the floor. Needless to say that when we woke up with killer back aches that idea seemed less than stellar.

#: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #:

I woke up first with a huge groan. I had a splitting headache and it felt like all my muscles we're strained, part from sleeping on Tasha's floor and part from dancing most of the night away.

Tasha was next. She woke up with a groan like mine and I caught her up to speed on what happened last night or what I could remember of last night (some of it was fuzzy so I figured I dreamt it). We both agreed to stay where we were until Patterson woke up, so she wouldn't wake up alone. Also, because we both knew that once we got out of this fort the morning rays would send our headaches into overdrive. Patterson woke up about a half hour later with a loud groan which made Zapata and I laugh so hard we wheezed, it seemed like we all knew each other's pain a little too well.

"Guys we have to get up, we have to be at work in about twenty minutes. Who wants to shower first?" I tried to coax them.

"I'll be right behind you once I learn how to stand. " Patterson said dramatically.

With many setbacks we all got ready for work. Buttttttt we may owe Tasha a new coffee table. Don't judge ok? We all needed support standing up and apparently three grown women putting most of their body weight on one glass coffee table isn't a good idea. It broke and sent us all tumbling back to the ground. Second was, apparently Tasha and Patty shower together. I was shocked.

" I'll make coffee and you two can figure out which one of you want to take the first shower. "

"Actually we shower together. You know to save water and stuff, FBI paychecks only cover so much. " Tasha said nonchalantly.

"Come on Jane, don't look like that. It's nothing inappropriate we just help each other wash up and get out, you could come too if you want. " Patterson grabbed my shoulder.

"Not to be rude but I'm not a very uh- open person. I think I'm my most open with you guys but I just don't think I'm quite that comfortable yet. "

"Ok next time, toots. " Tasha winked and started to laugh at my shocked face.

That was setback number two. Setback number three was the fact that Patterson and I didn't have a change of clothes and we didn't have time to go to our separate houses. With me being so tall it took a while to find something from Tasha's closet that doesn't look small on me, and Tasha has like no waist so it took forever to find something for Patterson.

We left with about five minutes to spare. Which we killed by going for a coffee run.

#: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #:

We arrived at SIOC right on time. Patty was wearing one of Tasha's dull navy blue button-ups with fitting black jeans, Tasha was wearing a gorgeous lower cut, black button up with a black blazer and sleek black pants, and of course, her famous heels. I was wearing a dulled emerald green button up with sleek black boot cut pants. And of course we were all wearing sunglasses. Our attire distracted everyone from our obvious hangovers. Thank God.

We also got a lot of looks, and compliments throughout the office. Especially Patterson. The navy brought out her eyes.

#: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #:

After last night, we decided to leave separately. I was still in the office well after everyone. Everyone except Kurt. Kurt and I were the only two left in SIOC. He finally got up.

"Goodnight Jane. "

I had almost succeasfully played it cool all day.

"Goodnight-oh wait did I call you yesterday?"

"Um- I don't know. I'll check. Do you not remember? " Kurt started chuckling and walking closer to me.

"Ok you caught me. Tasha, Patty, and I went out last night and had a few too many."

"Wow." Kurt started almost giggling. Which instantly made me start to laugh.

"Yeah. Are you sure I didn't call you? Actually, maybe it was a dream. "

"Ohhh you're dreaming about me now?"

"Don't flatter yourself. "

"Wayyyyy too late for that. Actually wait-"

Kurt pulled out his phone.

"Yeah you actually did call me, you left a message too. "

Jane froze. Kurt put his phone on speaker.

Hey I was just calling to let you know...

Jane launched into action and sprinted straight for him.

"NO KURT DON'T LISTEN TO THAT! "

Kurt sprinted in the other direction. They were now running in circles around SIOC.

.....poWeR over my moOd

Jane then jumped onto her desk and jumped onto Kurt's back in a last ditch effort to take Kurt's phone out of his hand. Except she wasn't entirely on his back. One of her legs was swung over his shoulder and the other was slightly dragging on the ground.

Iiiiiiiii am over you! And that my friend is what they call closure!

Kurt stopped running, and Jane stopped trying to grab Kurt's phone. She was still on his back and he didn't try to get her off. Instead he slightly adjusted her so she was properly on his back, so he was supporting her weight and the risk of her falling off was minimal.

"You're over me? " Kurt sounded so.... Hurt.

"Kurt- I- I don't know. "

She was so grateful that she didn't have to look him in the eye when she said that. She got off his back and made a beeline for the locker room. Grabbed her stuff then took the stairs out of the building. Leaving Kurt in an empty SIOC. Alone.

#: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #:

She walked home and the only thing on her mind was how Kurt's voice slightly cracked when he asked her if she was over him. She walked into her safe house and was inside for a grand total of three minutes before she heard a knock on the door.

"Kurt what are you doing here-"

"Jane I'm your coworker. Not just your coworker, I'm the lead agent on your case you can't tell me that- that you have feelings for me! What am I supposed to say to that Jane? I can't deal with this! "

He can't deal with this? They're my feelings. Wait did he just come over to yell at me?!

"This isn't my fault! I didn't just wake up one day and say 'Oh hey, this is a great day to fall in love with Kurt' like what the f*ck! "

"You- you're in love with me? "

F*ck.

"I need to go. "

"Fine then, leave! "

She slammed the door, sat on the couch, buried her head in her hands and cried. That lasted about thirty seconds before there was another knock at the door. She didn't even need to look through the peephole. She knew.

No words were spoken. She opened the door and looked up at Kurt. Then he grabbed her by the waist into a searing kiss. Jane backed them into the house and Kurt closed the door with his foot to not break the kiss.

They kissed for a few minutes and just before the tension became overwhelming, Jane broke the kiss, and rested her forehead against Kurt's.

"I have to say, I'm getting some pretty mixed signals from you." Jane was laughing and slightly crying at the same time. Kurt chuckled.

"I love you too, Jane. "

#: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #: #:

#jeller #blindspot #humor #JanexKurt #FRIENDS #crack fic #All Planmed Out #Girl Power #Family #please let me know what you guys think!!😁💜

11 notes · View notes

jackyjango · 5 years

Text

Dark Phoenix Review

I saw Dark Phoenix yesterday and I wanted to bank in my reactions until Saturday, because many more would have watched the film by then, but it turns out that I’m not very good at keeping my opinions to myself. I almost didn’t sleep the whole night (which isn’t healthy. lol)

So I’ll empty my guts here and leave it. You can read it now, or after you’ve watched the movie or not at all. Life’s full of options.

Oh, and 1 more thing, spoilers come free with my opinions

Who is that man in a wheelchair with a bald head and? They say he’s Charles Xavier. Listen, you want to portray Charles in grey shades, be my guest. Charles does have many dark qualities. He’s prideful, he’s manipulative, but one thing he’s not is selfish. He wouldn’t put his interests before the lives of someone he loves and cares. In fact, one of Charles’ greatest downfall is that he loves and cares too much. The man who practically drunk himself to death over Raven leaving him doesn’t shed a tear when she dies, instead gives a speech on what a hero she was.That, to me is not Charles Xavier. You get to see the real Charles Xavier only for the first 5 and last 15 minutes of the film, which is quite a tragedy in itself.

Jean making Charles walk up a flight of stairs while he pleads for her to stop was SO painful to watch. I can hate this movie for that scene alone. Using Charles’ disability against him is all kinds of screwed up.

The Helmet and the wheelchair has become symbolic of Erik and Charles in a way. I understand Jean destroying both of those is metaphorical and all, but they could have done it without putting Charles through that pain and humiliation.

I absolutely don’t understand Raven’s characterisation. Now, she’s suddenly the one to lecture about family (She’s not Mystique anymore). Wasn’t she the one giving speeches on how they’re not kids anymore and that they need to fight and not hide behind walls? And suddenly, they’re kids all over again? (They’re in their late twenties for fuck’s sake) The friction between her and Charles is really tiring.

Telling a little girl that she was responsible for her mother’s death and that her father didn’t want her because he thought that she was a freak is apparently the right thing to do. Brave XMCU! Blaming Charles for hiding that truth away and sending them on dangerous missions while he stays back is a low blow (He didn’t think about himself when he passed out using the cerebro, did he Raven? Is that dangerous enough for you!!?) Urghhh! I won’t even understand that trajectory, so fuck it. It pisses me off to no end.

As I expected, the friction between Charles and Hank is just baseless. Blaming Charles for Raven’s death (come on man, that was an ACCIDENT!!!) and running away to kill Jean was contradicting. Because Raven dies trying to save Jean and Hank now wants to do everything that Raven would have done? (Uhhhh? Where is the logic, exactly?)

I don’t know who wrote that scene where Hank forces Charles to admit that Raven’s death was his fault, because I’m sure I’ll tear that person to shreds if I meet them) ‘Come on, man. Admit it. Admit it to me right now!’ It’s not a juvenile version of ‘Truth or Dare’ where you force your friend to admit that they have a crush on someone.

Hank and Erik “bonding” over the fact they both loved Raven. You know what, I don’t even want to get started on that shit trail.

Why portray Charles as an almost-alcoholic? Was it really required? What did you want to show? That he’s drowning his sorrows and short comings in alcohol.? Well, in order to do that, you have to portray his sorrows first, you geniuses. It’s some shitty story telling.

Why bring in the storyline of Quicksilver being Mag’s son when you’re not going to broach the topic at all? Not once, not even in passing.

Hey, you know what? I’m terrible at writing dialogues. I write shit dialogues. But I thought that I could write better dialogues than who ever has written it in this movie. And if I can write better than them, just imagine how bad it is: In no universe I know would Charles say things like, ‘Yep’ and ‘Damn it man’. And in no universe would Erik say, ‘Save your ‘old friend’ shit Charles’. Listen, Erik might be a lot of things, but he isn’t the one to disrespect relationships. Above all else, Charles is the only meaningful relationship he has in his life (and need not be in a romantic way). He would in no way disrespect it. ‘So… yeah, I have killed people’ IS THAT THE BEST DIALOGUE YOU COULD HAVE COME UP WITH, YOU IDIOTS!? Bad dialogues are not new to the X-Men movies, but the actors have always pulled them off. Some of them in this are so bad that even James and Michael sound stupid saying it.

Some scenes are so bad that I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Jean just taking off after Raven dies. That’s so uncharacteristic!! You would shoo away a dog better than how Erik sends Jean away from Genosha.’Go! Leave now!’ Really? I almost died out of second hand embarrassment.

The aliens feel SO WEIRD in an X-Men movie. I thought I could get used to the idea, but… no. Didn't happen. You simply cannot associate aliens with an X-Men movie. Avengers, sure. Just not an X-Men movie. It’s not a bad thing necessarily, just weird.

No matter what, I can’t root for Jean and Scott’s relationship in this. The chemistry just falls flat. They look more like brother and sister. And since their relationship plays an important role, that whole branch of that arc doesn't entice me at all.

The trope of ‘someone important in Erik’s life dying to turn him bad again’ isn’t cute the fourth time around.

I knew the ending even before I went to see the movie, so I knew that Charles would leave his school to Scott (as it is in the comics), and I was thrilled at the prospect of cherik being canon. While I’m thrilled for the cherik ending, I feel like Charles was almost forced out of his own school. Okay, he lied to Jean to protect her from the truth, so what, he’s not fit to be a teacher anymore? He’s not the same man who guided and gave you guys a home and showed you how to control your powers, you ungrateful shits? There should have been some sort of closure where Charles chooses to retire voluntarily and says goodbye before leaving.

Well, there ARE some really good aspects to the movie as well. It’s not completely bad. I really enjoyed it in many ways:

The movie is actually centred around Jean, start to end. It shows her struggling with her powers and the story doesn’t stray away from her, so that’s definitely done better than last stand, where Jean was just a fuming bulldozer. I also love how powerful they’ve portrayed her to be.

Genosha is really nice and I especially like Erik’s flat/container/living situation. It’s very rusty and cool. Suits him (I would like that very narrow single bed to turn into a double bed once Charles is there) I also loved Erik’s and Charles’ wardrobes. (Though I prefer Charles in cardigans, suits do him good)

I didn’t like the fight sequence in New York because there were too many unwanted things going on, but I did like the fight sequence in the train. Mags especially! AWESOME!!

All of them fighting together. That’s what I always wanted.

The music is really good. But that’s expected from Hans Zimmers.

These movies would have hit rock bottom if not for the actors. Sophie is AMAZING!! Everyone as well. But Sophie stands out.

The officers in the train scene who are transporting the x-men are called ‘Mutant Containment Unit’. In short, they have MCU (also known as Marvel Cinematic Universe) plastered on their uniforms. Erik telling them ‘you need us’ was brilliant. If it was intentionally put in there, it’s a stroke of genius, else it’s just luck.

There’s a scene in the train sequence where Erik protects Charles, Scott and Jean by closing the compartment they’re in with metal. I literally clapped my hands. Similar to what Sir Ian did it in ‘Days of Future Past’. Not as obvious and grandiose in gesture as the ‘X’ in XMA, but it’s enough to satisfy my little cherik heart.

I LOVED the chess proposal at the end!! And when Erik said, ‘You gave me a home once and I’d like to return the favour’ I think my heart exploded in my chest. If your OTP flirting with each other in the city of love while one proposes of moving in doesn’t make them canon, then I don’t know what does!!

In short, you’ll love the movie if you only love Jean Grey and Raven. If you love everyone else along with them, well…tough luck.

I said that I’ll be happy as long as they give me a cherik ending.

They did give me a cherik ending and all I want now is to read a fic where Charles and Erik are cuddled up on Erik’s very narrow bed while Erik re-assures Charles with kisses that nothing was his fault. (I’ve deleted the part where Charles loses his hair in XMA from my brain, so Charles still has his luscious locks intact in this fic I want to read)

It’s certainly a private joke to me that 19 years of X-Men ended with cherik being canon. The thing with X-Men, you can love it and hate it at the same time and somehow not get tired of it.

#dark phoenix #xmdp #cherik #spoilers #xmdp spoilers #i'm all for discussions when you watch the movie #but if you want to convince me that charles was wrong- don't even try #and that his characterisation is interesting or whatever they're calling it #don't even try because I won't get convinced #xmdp review #jackyj.txt

157 notes · View notes

helaintoloki · 5 years

Text

Whatshername {F.H.}

Pairing: Five Hardgreeves x Fem!Reader (mention of vanya)

Warnings: heavy angst, like actually depressing, one or two mild swear words, mentions of pregnancy and sharing a bed

Notes: idk why most of the stuff I write is angst ??? but anyway this is my first time writing for five so pls be gentle !!!

~inspired by the song Whatsername by Green Day~

When the chaos had settled and his family had scattered, when the commission was off his ass for just a moment, Five Hargreeves found himself standing outside the apartment building where he spent nearly half his childhood visiting. But the apartments were gone, and instead hung a large banner overhead claiming its lease offerings. The apartments, the people, she was gone. Without a trace and without a mark for him to follow. The fifty eight year old- or is he considered thirteen now? it’s insane, really- had no idea what he was doing here, to be honest. It seemed like forever ago that he last had her in his arms, and he doubted she had waited for him this long. Sixteen years without a companion is excruciatingly lonely, five knew that better than anyone. But still, there was a small part of him that refused to let go of the hope that she hadn’t forgotten, that she hadn’t taken a different path once he went away. But hope is child’s play.

The brunet let out a soft sigh as he carefully reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a photo. A photo of her. Her bright smile and innocent, childlike features were what kept him motivated to return in time to save the world, to save Y/N. Maybe she wasn’t even in the city anymore. Perhaps she’d gotten married to whatshisface and popped out a few kids, started the white picket fence life somewhere else away from the old memories with a man that wasn’t Five because he had left her and god damnit, she deserved happiness, too, didn’t she?

It was pointless. Even if she had waited, Y/N would be too old for his now thirteen year old self. At the very least she’d have some closure as to why her best friend left her behind without so much as a warning. But then what? What does one do when the love of their life returns from the presumed dead as a pubescent boy? So why bother?

“Vanya!” That voice. Her voice. Y/N. His first instinct is to take flight and use the large tree trunk beside him for cover, and he isn’t sure why. Y/N’s not a threat, she’s not a deadly commission member ready to pull the trigger on him at any moment. Yet... his heart is pounding, his palms are sweating, and for the first time in a long while, Five Hargreeves is afraid.

She’s older now, obviously. Her body has reshaped itself into a more womanly figure and she’s grown in height since he last saw her when they were kids. Y/N is different now, and yet she’s still the same. Her bright smile remains, and her laughter is still like music to his ears. He’s sure she still smells just as good and still feels just as soft. He wants to reach out to her, really. All he wants to do is reveal himself and tell her he came back for her. Just for her. But as she pulls away from his sister he sees her body really has changed...

Her stomach is swollen and it’s not hard to tell she’s carrying somebody’s child. His heart drops down to his stomach and despite himself, his eyes begin to water. He hadn’t cried for Delores, the only one there for him in his years of solitude, so why the hell was he crying now? All the pain, all the lost years, and all the regrets are useless now as he watches her beam with the glow of pregnancy.

For a split second he considers the option of time travel. He’d go through hell all over again if it meant another chance with her. But his rational mind takes over, and he takes one last look at her photo before tearing it to shreds. It’s of no use to him now. Perhaps he can’t turn back time, and perhaps he’s better off if he moves on and tries to forget the only real love he ever felt for another living being, but as he lets the ripped pieces scatter with the wind, Five realizes that he’ll always have her in the time. When she wasn’t just a whatshername.

~~~

“Five?” Y/N whispered quietly, afraid to get either of them into trouble. Reginald would definitely have a cow if he were to find that she had snuck into his room and allowed herself to sleep in Five’s bed with him.

“Hmm?” He mumbled sleepily, his back facing her as he slept on his side. He felt her move closer, and he stiffened when he felt her arms wrap around his torso. Her head rested against his back and despite his pajamas covering his skin he could feel her warm breath gently blowing against his shoulder.

“When you learn to time travel will you take me with you?” The question was innocent enough, but it still caused a light laugh to escape his lips.

“Of course.”

“Promise?”

“...I promise.”

#number five #number five x reader #five hardgreeves x reader #five hargreeves #five hardgreeves imagine #five hardgreeves x y/n #the umbrella academy #tua

269 notes · View notes

rosethehat · 5 years

Text

DOCTOR SLEEP SPOILER REVIEW

WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS AND IS FULL OF SPOILERS!!! DO NOT READ IT YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

SPOILER REVIEW

Okay this will be less eloquent than my spoiler-free review and I’m just trying to dump my thoughts. I love that they started the movie with Rose / Violet (Violet McGraw) which was shown in a teaser. So lovely to hear Rebecca Ferguson’s beautiful singing voice even though it was brief. Plus that one scene of Ewan McGregor singing with a hospice patient…can we call Doctor Sleep a musical? I love love love Rebecca and Rose that much is obvious she is so good I don’t even have to say. I could just go on about her gorgeous face and all that charm. Rebecca’s decision to make the accent a diluted Irish that became American is clever because then it won’t sound unnatural cause at first I was worried the American wouldn’t sound American, or the Irish wouldn’t sound Irish. Her alluring and signature “Hi there”’s are so good but I didn’t expect her to say it that many times and I was afraid that if she kept saying it, it would be overdone. By the way, Rose astral projecting across the galaxy and the weird sci-fi flying stuff was a nice touch, and it was cool that RWBY actually had a significant part for Abra.

Hospice stuff was pretty faithful to the book. Azzie! Best cinematic cat since Goose the Cat. John Dalton didn’t really get a significant role but again, didn’t impact too much. Neither did Momo/Concetta, I almost thought they wouldn’t include her in the book at all. This also means that Dan is never revealed to be Lucy’s half brother, but Abra still calls him Uncle Dan anyway.

Baseball boy scene was talked about a lot in interviews, and they were right! Jacob Tremblay is brilliant.

The switcheroo was made a lot simpler and didn’t matter too much that it was changed except I think it would’ve been nice to have the model train since they teased it at the beginning with Teenytown and all that. David Stone and Billy Freeman’s deaths… I was not expecting that. It almost made me think of Kubrick deciding to kill of Dick Hallorann but you know what? The way I see it, I can justify it because Dave and Billy dying only give more motivation to Abra and Dan, whereas Dick showing up at the Overlook and dying immediately did absolutely nothing (yes I’m mad about that, Mr. Kubrick). Speaking of Dick I was so good to see him, and I’m glad Mike Flanagan managed to have him play a big part in helping Dan even after he died, so Kubrick’s change didn’t end up being that bad I guess.

Casablanca scene, love love love!! I love Rose and Crow at the movies, and changing from Indiana Jones to Casablanca I hope that was a nod towards Ilsa? If not, I’m just glad it was the way it was. (Side note there’s a moment when Dan and Abra say ‘Did we get it? We got it’ which made me think of Mission: Impossible too). So Rose the Hat and Crow Daddy… they were so horny in the book oh god. As an R-rated film they totally could have gotten away with including every sex scene from the book but none of it was cause I guess it wasn’t necessary to move the story forward. When Rose sits with her legs spread and then she crawls over to him… god… Also Rose is still a bisexual icon in my heart even if it’s not shown on screen. I hoped Crow Daddy’s death would be sadder for me since I felt so invested in their relationship in the book and in the book he said “Rose I love y-“ before he died which absolutely killed me but none of that was there. Still, that gif of Rose screaming is exactly what everyone speculated it to be… I wanted to see more of her pain mourning them. Grampa Flick’s death was quite impactful though. Andi’s initiation scene with Silent Sarey and Apron Annie holding her down reminded me of that one Midsommar scene. Speaking of them… the other True Knot members had literally no lines I wish they had more to do than just lounge around when they weren’t eating steam, and you wouldn’t even know their names if you didn’t a) read the book or b) look at IMDB. They kept in Abra saying Barry the Chunk but I’m glad they cut the Ch*nk slur. Also the whole measles plotline is cut and the ‘gunfight’ scene kind of felt a little ridiculous to me cause they don’t use ‘rube weapons’ and it took them out so quickly.

Some people think they went overboard with The Shining references and I only agree for some of them. Alex Essoe playing Wendy was good, but some recreations were unnecessary (like the iconic shot of Wendy screaming in the bathroom. We really didn’t need a 2019 version of that). The surprise appearance was Jack Torrance, and I get that some people might have thought it was too much but you see Dan confronting him and his demons. Alcoholism is brought up way more after Dan is sober, and you continuously see him get tempted and struggle which I don’t recall the book does. Rose even uses that as a motivator to tempt him, and I liked that touch.

Speaking of Dan and Rose, the final confrontations changed so that there was a lot of Dan fighting Rose instead of Abra handling most of it. When Abra fights Rose it was kind of baffling to me that she so easily kept cutting Rose’s legs it was a little wtf for me. I actually kind of prefer movie!Rose’s death because I always felt that book!Rose simply falling off a roof didn’t feel like a ‘good’ enough way for her to go. When Rose mentions that there are more of them out there, I really hope they’re not trying to set up more sequels cause I think it’s perfect the way it is…

Okay now for the big bold choice…. Dan… dies??? What the fuck Mike Flanagan! What the fuck! I know he likes closure but I was hoping he’d get more of a Luke ending than a Nell ending if you know what I mean, Hill House fans. He really played us… I was thinking “Wait oh my god Dan’s dead? Oh good, he’s not dead. Oh fuck, he is! Wait what? IS this open to interpretation? I have so many questions…” I can see how Stephen King was pleased with it, and I bet it was the Overlook burning up that really won him over. I just realized that literally only Abra and her mom survive 99% of the characters are dead wow. The ending ‘Shine on, Abra Stone’ was a little cheesy but you know what? I loved it.

Read my Spoiler-free review here

#DOCTOR SLEEP SPOILERS #doctor sleep #dr sleep spoilers #review #rambles #mine

12 notes · View notes

lunarity2013 · 5 years

Text

OC Details: Lucy Stone

So, I figured it was high time I told you guys about my Hogwarts Mystery OC! I got most of these questions on here from @thewasp1995 (Go check out his OC David, btw, it’s super detailed and so cool!) I really hope you guys enjoy!

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

Name: Lucille Maria Stone

DOB: October 16, 1972 (turned 12 during her first year)

Parents: Candace and Sean Stone

Siblings: Nathan Samson Stone (oldest, 9-year age difference, Ravenclaw), Casey Andrew Stone (youngest, 6-year age difference, muggle)

Nationality: Irish

Ancestry: Muggleborn

House: Hufflepuff

Height: as of Year 4, she's 5'1". She doesn't get much taller until after graduation, stopping at about 5’3” by age 25

Eyes: large, round, dark brown

Hair: waist length, light brown, wavy

Sexuality: Demisexual, hetero-leaning

Likes: reading, writing, singing, helping others, cheering her friends on, card games, charms, astronomy, ancient runes, nifflers, cats

Dislikes: being the center of attention, hurting people, fighting, doctor’s offices, spiders, clowns, being betrayed, baking (she’s bad at it)

Friends: Rowan (best friend), Ben (best friend), Penny (surrogate sister), Charlie (competitive best friend), Bill (surrogate brother), Tonks (good friend), Barnaby (crush), Tulip (good friend), Andre (friend)

Enemies: Merula (formerly), Ismelda (thinks her constant threats are a big red flag), Rakepick (evil), Snape (his decision), Nathan (depending on the game's ending)

Neutral: Skye (she helps tutor her), Talbott (more Penny’s friend, but she enjoys seeing him), Merula (after finding Nathan), Liz (Barnaby and Charlie's good friend), Murphy (he's cool)

*Badeea, Jae, Diego, and others to be decided at a later date, after I actually meet them in-game*

Love Interest: Barnaby Lee

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

Strengths/Weaknesses/Hobbies:

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

What’s their personal philosophy? Do they even have one?

For much of the earlier portion of her life, Lucy’s motto would be “do unto others and you would have them do unto you”. Up until about the time Rakepick shows up, and Ben’s secret-keeping, and just the all-around mess that her life becomes when the Vaults come into question, this is what she lives by. After about Year 4? It shifts a bit, focusing her own values and energy towards protecting her loved ones and innocent people from those who would cause harm, and doing whatever necessary to stop them. And after finding Nathan, she begins to include him in the latter.

How do they feel about their status and reputation as the curse-breaker in the school?

Lucy was never one for the spotlight, even as a little kid. She was content for years to simply look up to her older brother in his successes, and then later to help her parents with her baby brother, showering him with love and attention. Actively searching for the Vaults, and subsequently breaking the curses within, was only part of her plan to try and find some closure as to her brother’s disappearance (something she has convinced herself he was merely a victim of and not an active participant, to save herself grief of her brother not being what she thought). She doesn’t like having so many eyes on her, especially for something she knows is dangerous and putting herself and her friends in harm’s way. But every time she tries to back out and leave it be, she gets dragged back in.

Did they get sorted into the Hogwarts House they expected to? Did the Sorting Hat have any problems sorting them? Or did it not even have to touch their head?

Before Nathan’s disappearance, she would have loved to consider herself lucky enough to be a witch, let alone be sorted into her brother’s house. After his disappearance, however, she had mixed feelings about the idea of sharing his crest and colors, and possibly having more eyes on her than before. Her values lined up differently than his, however, and the Sorting Hat gave her an out in the form of Hufflepuff house. She was still a little disappointed by being so far from her brother’s life there, but years later, she’d swear up and down that being put in the house of fairness, honesty, and loyalty is where she truly belonged.

What’s their personal style?

Lucy wears a lot of early Autumn colors, usually. Lots of oranges, yellows, browns, and olive greens are kind of signature to her style. She typically wears things that make her feel cute and kind of kid-like, so over-large sweaters with skirts or overall shorts and dresses with print tops (floral or stripes, typically). She usually pairs both with comfortable boots and long socks. She wears her hair down most of the time, except when actively exploring the Vaults and when studying for final exams.When it gets cold, she’ll sometimes “borrow” sweaters from her friends to stay warm (usually Bill and Barnaby).

What are their coping strategies for dealing with everything (the Vaults, Jacob, etc.), if they have any?

Lucy has terrible coping mechanisms for her problems, unfortunately. She convinced herself early on that her brother had probably been killed by the Cursed Vaults while trying to help protect others from the curses, and is thus even more broken up when she eventually does find him and sees what kind of person he’s really become. She tries at the start of every year to ignore the signs of another Vault opening, just trying to live a normal, Hogwarts-student life, only to be dragged into it when people have already been attacked or hurt. After the incident with the dragon and Rakepick, she tries to close herself off, thinking it’s because they’re so close to her that her friends keep getting hurt. It doesn’t work, and her friends end up finding her and hugging her as she cries about everything that seems to go wrong with her life.

What electives do they take throughout their time at Hogwarts?

If she could, she would take every class available because it was so hard to choose just a few! In the end, however, she settled on Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and Ancient Runes, because Alchemy was only for 7th years, and Arithmancy was “just magic math”. Muggle Studies was almost chosen instead of Divination, but Luc decided she wanted something a little more challenging. (She didn’t realize her patience was what would be tested lol).

Are they in any clubs or extracurricular activities? What about Quidditch?

It’s really hard to find time to do extracurriculars when you’re trying to protect people from being frozen in ice blocks or sleep-walking into an acromantula nest. She did join the Frog Choir after third year, though unfortunately drops out between 5th-6th year to focus on her studies (and the Vaults). She occasionally goes to the music club, though is not an official member. Unfortunately, Lucy may be a decent flyer, but isn’t quite cut out for Quidditch. Besides, she’d rather be in the stands (huddled and warm) while watching her friends play instead. Sometimes she’ll help Madame Pomfrey with healing students in the Hospital Wing, but the smell of the potions and medicines reminds her of the doctor’s office, so she wouldn’t ever do it for a living.

How studious are they? What kind of studying strategies do they use? Do they have any study groups with their friends?

Lucy is a stickler for good note-taking, bringing a bunch of spiral notebooks and colored gel pens and highlighters with her every year to take “proper” notes to share with her friends during their weekly study sessions. She and Rowan usually lead for most classes, though Penny takes charge for Potions, Ben (and Rowan and Bill, sometimes) lead for Charms, and Charlie and Barnaby for Care of Magical Creatures. Lucy, Rowan, and Bill sometimes help some of the younger students set up study groups as well, and often let the younger Weasley siblings and Cedric join their sessions, too. Liz doesn’t always study with them, but will when she needs to, Tulip and Tonks only show up when forced or bribed, and Skye was wrangled into coming once, but got everyone off task getting into a trash-talk showdown with Andre over the Gryffindor v. Ravenclaw game the following day; everyone else either has a different group to study with or refuses to do so entirely.

How willing are they when it comes to breaking school rules?

Lucy hates getting in trouble, since it’s being put under a spotlight in a more negative context for her. The first three years of school, she tries whatever she can to avoid breaking the rules when possible. After the Fear Vault is closed, however, she starts loosening up a little bit. She still doesn’t like to break the rules, but she’ll do it with less coercing, and gets even sneakier to get away with it.

Do they hang out with any of their friends over breaks? If so, which one(s) and what do they do?

Living all the way out in Ireland, just outside of Dublin, it’s a bit harder to get to visit her friends before she heads into London for her school shopping at the end of summer holiday. Charlie and Bill make use of the fireplace to invite her over for dinner a few times during the break, flooing her there and back without much hassle. She makes time to spend with Rowan specifically during the summer, inviting her over to spend a week or so every year, and Rowan inviting her for the same amount at her house right after. She gets an owl (a cooky brown owl that her little brother named Bernard) for her family to send her mail during the year, and uses him herself to keep in touch with the rest of her friends until September rolls around again.

After they graduate, do they fall off the map and keep a low profile? Or do they continue to exist in the public eye?

After deciding very early on that she didn’t much care for being the center of attention, once she had the opportunity to fade into obscurity, she took it. She eventually married Barnaby and moved with him to Romania, where he and Charlie work together with dragons. Lucy decides a little later on to document some of her childhood, but feeling awkward about writing her own life story down, changes the names and some of the details to instead create a fictional book series for kids. It later gets published under a pseudonym and achieves moderate success in both the muggle and magical worlds.

How does their career path differ from what they thought they’d be doing? Or does it differ at all?

It took Lucy her entire life to figure out what she wanted to do. At Hogwarts, when asked what career path she wanted to pursue, she was so shocked that she asked if she could “just go back to bed”. She decided to take whatever classes could be most broadly considered for a number of professions, and even then wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do once she left Hogwarts. She decided to handle her personal life first, cheering her friends on as they found their paths, and then going with Barnaby so he could achieve his dream. It was only later, after beginning to just write things down, that she realized how much she enjoyed doing it.

Do they have any hobbies? What about any talents or aptitudes?

She loves taking some time to just goof off with her friends, playing Gobstones or getting some Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. She’ll spend some gloomy weekends curled up in a big armchair in the library, quietly reading to herself (and later, helping Barnaby with his dyslexia). She’s also a major card shark, winning almost every muggle card game she’s ever played and often tricking her friends into playing with her and losing anything from candy to wizard cards to even money, on occasion. She’s particularly good in Charms class, as well as Astronomy and Ancient Runes.

Do they have any favorite spells?

She likes spells that can used to help others, like Episkey or Protego. She has a certain fondness for Expecto Patronum, of course. She also likes using Lumos, to light up her bed behind the curtains after a bad nightmare.

What’s one thing they did or thought as a child that they later look back and cringe about?

Long after she and Barnaby finally get together, they both end up hearing about the bets their friends placed on their relationship and how lovesick they apparently acted before asking each other out. Tonks and Tulip will sometimes act out their mutual pining at lunch or at the Three Broomsticks, leaving both of them flustered and cringing over just how insufferable they must've been before they realized their feelings were returned. If she could go back and do it over, she might almost be tempted to have just kissed Barnaby at the Celestial Ball and avoided the whole mess. Almost.

If they could travel anywhere at all in the world—money, time, and language not being an issue—where would they go and who would they take with them?

It's a tough choice between some very good options, travelling to historical landmarks across the globe with Rowan, getting tasty food in Paris with Penny, or taking her family for a nice, normal vacation to Disney in the States. But eventually, she'd probably decide on travelling the world looking for various beasts and creatures with Barnaby, and writing about their adventures.

If they’re an Animagus, how easy was becoming one for them? Were they happy with their Animagus form? Or did they want it to be something different?

Lucy studied up on being an animagus with Talbott while at Hogwarts, but couldn't bring herself to actually become one until after graduation. She remains an unregistered sparrow animagus even after Voldemort is finally defeated. She would've liked to be maybe some kind of cat, but can't deny that being so small and being able to fly are some great advantages when the second war rolls around.

Do they like what they see in the mirror?

Had it not been for her magical abilities making themselves known as she grew up, she might've gone through all of primary school unnoticed. As it was, kids often ostracized and ridiculed her for being weird and different until she finally went to Hogwarts. Between that and the guilt she carries for everyone that gets hurt by the Vaults, it takes her a very long time to come to terms with herself and her self-worth.

How good are they at taking compliments?

Lucy is pretty decent at taking compliments, so long as it's not a bunch all at one time; she gets anxious when too many people try and talk to her at once. When Barnaby compliments her, though, she gets flustered and stumbles over her words while blushing really bright, almost blocking out her freckles.

How much do they trust their friends?

Lucy trusts those she keeps close to an almost impossible degree. It can sometimes lead her to trouble, such as leaving her vulnerable to pranks by Tonks or Tulip.

Are they pretty self-reliant? Or do they like to go to their friends for help?

At first, she's much more willing to do things as a group, having her friends' backs as much as they have hers. Later on, however, she begins closing herself off, trying to take on everything herself to avoid her friends getting hurt because of her. It doesn't last very long, however, as they all work better as a team.

Who is their favorite Weasley? Or can they not choose?

Ginny and Ron are just too cute, from what little she's seen of them. Bill is like another older brother, and she loves him dearly. She and Charlie are great friends, but anything and everything becomes a competition with them, starting with a "who knows more about dragons" contest that she actually won in their 2nd year. They could almost have been considered rivals up until later on in Year 4. Percy is alright, she Guesses, but even she thinks he needs to loosen up a bit. And she spends most of her time trying to just keep the twins separated from Tonks and Tulip, if only to avoid the Apocalypse.

What’s the thing they like least about themselves?

She's a little stuffy about rules, she worries too much, her actions and choices keep putting people in danger, and FFS, she faced a DRAGON and still can't kill one measly little spider??

What’s the thing they like most about themselves?

She cares about her friends and family, she would never go out of her way to betray them or to hurt others. She takes pride in the lives she's helped and saved.

How bad is their temper? Do they tend to lash out at others or themselves?

Her temper only gets really out of hand when someone she cares about gets hurt. She can usually handle someone hurting her with nothing more than a few years, but attack the people she cares about? That'll be the last thing you ever do.

What’s their biggest regret in life, if they have any?

She blames herself for far too many things. She wishes Ben hadn't been hurt and controlled by Rakepick, she thinks she could've done more to help and support him. She feels like if she had been more observant as a kid, she might've seen something going on with Nathan and could've stopped his disappearance. She's terrified about how the two of them being so involved in the Cursed Vaults with effect Casey as he grows up, and if he'll end up inheriting their legacy or not, if it might get him killed.

What kind of first impression do they tend to leave on others?

Lucy is sweet, doe-eyed, and a little naïve. A pretty face, very smart, but very open and trusting. Would apologize to you if you poured soup into her lap. Most would either want to protect the sweet, innocent child or absolutely take advantage of her trusting and kind nature.

What is the achievement they’re most proud of?

She once managed to eat an entire tin of her mom's homemade butter cookies without vomiting (her mom isn't a very good cook, and definitely can't bake). But now she's expected to eat at least some every time her mom bakes them when she's home. (Just another advantage to being away at a boarding school most of the year).

Do they like having photos taken of themselves?

She's a little camera shy, depending on who she's with; any groups larger than maybe 5 and she'll try to duck around and take the picture herself instead. But small groups, she can handle it. And she'll take any photo with Tonks, so long as she changes something about her appearance to take the main attention off of her.

What’s one big way that your MC differs from the in-game canon?

Lucy does not like searching for the Vaults. She would have been content with maybe a few of his journals and an official, personal explanation from Dumbledore. Sh didn't need this. She doesn't want to be the one fixing this, but apparently no one else knows how or cares to try, so she feels responsible. She's also not in the same house as her brother.

If they’re an Animagus, why did you choose the form for them that you did?

Lucy becomes an animagus much later than in canon. She becomes one right before the 2nd war, in order to evade detection. She becomes a little sparrow bird, small and common enough to escape notice. I chose it because of its relation to the second Fable game, whose protagonist is named "Sparrow".

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

So, I hope ya’ll enjoyed! Let me know if any of you have any more questions!

(Edit: I am so sorry about the picture formatting, I know its hideous, but I have somehow lost the ability to use my mobile app to fix it (no fucking signal, my ass) but I promise I will try again tomorrow, when I am far away from the lack of signal at my house.)

#hphm #hphm mc #hphm oc #hogwarts mystery #hogwarts mystery oc #jacob's sibling #oc details

8 notes · View notes

dp-pastandpresent · 5 years

Text

Past and Present: Chapter 11

'Sarah lives with Sam's family! But of course, she's if she's still alive she must be getting up there. Needing someone to watch after her...'

If ghosts needed sleep, Danny wouldn't be getting a wink of it. Instead he was on top of the music store, listening to the faint hum of a local band playing cover songs from below, contemplating his next move.

While it had seemed like a good idea to find and approach Sarah earlier that day, now that he knew how close he was, he wasn't so sure.

He and Sam had shared some really personal stuff that afternoon, things even Danny didn't know he remembered until those moments.

'My mom used to bake the best cookies. Man I miss those…'

Was it worth the risk of betraying Sam's trust just so he could get a little closure?

'Danny, stop. You need to think about now. Sarah was then, and even if you do confront her, how will you explain all this?'

Despite how much he tried to put all the pieces together, there was no easy way to explain the situation. Sure, it had gotten easier the past few weeks with memories returning, but could anyone really believe that he was the spirit of a boy who died fifty years ago?

Sam lay awake in her bed, her mind too cluttered to even try to sleep.

'Why did you let him unearth such hard memories today? He looked so pained when he left…'

She had learned a great deal about her ghostly boyfriend today, more than she ever expected him to even remember. And yet, she wished she hadn't.

The more Sam learned about Danny and his past, the more he became real to her. And the last thing she needed was to think he was a reality, when they both knew that he may not be someday.

'Forget about the pain Sam, what about his body temperature. No human is warm enough to transfer that much heat that fast.'

The idea that something unnormal, even for a ghost, was happening to Danny brought a new sort of fear to Sam. The fear that, while he could not age, that didn't mean she wouldn't lose him someday.

Small tears appeared in her eyes as she began to think about her life without Danny. Up until now, she had always been so miserable. Enough, in fact, to consider taking her own life. But ever since Danny had arrived, she had been happy, smiling, living. If and when Danny finally had to move on, well, she just couldn't stand the thought.

"Hey Mrs. Fenton, I'm ready for my first day on duty!" Sam said, trying to smile, as she approached Maddie after school.

"Oh honey, call me Maddie, please!" Maddie responded, letting the girl inside."Jack! Sam's here! She's going do some minor chores around the lab for us!"

"Great Maddie, send her down! I'm just finishing up some computer stuff!"

Sam had only seen the lab on TV, but she'd never expected it to be as expansive as she what she found when she went downstairs. The room was large and metallic, steel desks laden with various gadgets scattered throughout. But the biggest wonder was the Ghost Portal, a large opening on the wall opposite the stairs that was currently sealed by two yellow and black striped doors. The size alone was enough to make Sam shiver, let alone knowing what existed on the other side.

Maddie wasn't joking when she said they could use someone to help cleanup; several of the gadgets had green sludge on them, while others were just gathering dust from lack of use. The floor was a mess as well, with crumpled paper and shards of metal in various corners.

'What have they been doing down here?' she found herself wondering, not sure if she wanted an answer.

'I just hope Danny never gets involved with any of those sharp ones over there…'

Jack was sitting at the computer, staring rather intently at the screen, when she arrived. Hearing her footsteps he turned and looked at her.

"Hey! Sammy! Welcome to the lab! Sorry it's a bit of a mess. Experimenting you know!"

Sam tried to smile, but being called "Sammy" was not something she was used to from anyone but her Grandma.

"It's ok Mr. Fenton, that's what I'm here for. Just point me to the broom and I'll get to work!" she said, plastering on the most enthusiasm she could muster about getting covered in green goop.

"Oh, brooms aren't going to do you any good down here! What you need is Fenton Ecto-be-gone! And a hazmat suit!"

Jack seemed excited at the idea of fitting the girl into an orange jumpsuit, despite Sam's dismay. Luckily, there were a few in their closet that both met her style and made Jack happy.

"Here yah go kiddo, take this bottle and spray it at the green stuff – ectoplasm – and it should start to deteriorate. I had an easier way, the Fenton Thermos, but I seem to have misplaced that…" Jack scratched his head as he went back over to the computer.

'What have I gotten myself into…'

It had been a late night, and despite the constant battle, Danny still had no answer to his current dilemma.

Luckily for him, he had managed to find a distraction in the form of a glowing blue dragon that was currently setting fire to the local skating rink.

'This place still exists? It's been here for ages,' he thought, remembering a couple of dates he had been on as a child.

"BALLL!" the dragon was roaring as blue flames came from her mouth, causing panic to all those below.

'Although it won't be around much longer!'

"Hey you! Dragon breath, did anyone ever tell you that you need feet to skate?!" Danny yelled, sending a beam from his hand.

Since his last ghost attack, Danny had been practicing, and as a result he was finally able to emit ghost rays without even thinking.

The dragon flapped her wings, causing enough wind to deflect the beam, and continued on her rampage.

"BALLL!" she roared as the music from inside blared.

'Great, she can't take my beams and I left that soup-thing at Sam's…'

As he floated above the building, trying to think of a new solution, he watched as another bout of fire came from the dragon's mouth. But what he hadn't noticed before was that every time she let out the flames the medallion around her neck glowed a bright green.

'Her power source?'

He had to find out, and the only way he knew was to get closer. But getting closer meant getting charred.

"Oh wait, ghost, DUH!" he said, smacking his head and turning invisible.

Unable to see her opponent, the dragon was sent into a panic before turning back towards the rink and opening her mouth for one last blow.

But it didn't come. Instead she found herself shrinking in size, her shape morphing until she came to a stand on the ground, completely human in form.

Danny floated above her, holding the medallion in one hand and staring down at the girl in shock.

"I just wanted to go to the ball…" she cried, looking up at her ghostly foe.

"Sorry miss, but I think that this time you're going to have to miss out." Danny replied, coming down to the ground beside her.

"What ball are you talking about anyway?" he questioned, hoping to get a civil answer.

"My brother's… sob… coronation ball… he's getting… sob… married tomorrow and he didn't… sob… invite me."

'Maybe he was worried about your bad breath.'

"Coronation? What time are we in, the 1800's?"

"Well… sob… yes… but you see… sob… time doesn't matter. What matters is when those who you love hurt you the most… sob…" she responded, trying to hold back green tears.

Danny was beginning to feel truly sorry for this girl, despite having just attacked her moments ago. And what she was saying was very true. Pain was pain, no matter the time.

"Miss, maybe your brother had a reason. Did you ever do anything that would make him want to uninvite you?" Danny asked, trying to smile while still keeping his distance.

"Well… sob… his bride, she never seemed to like me. She was always JEALOUS of my powers!" Her eyes began to glow green as the hatred filled her body.

"Woah, hold on. Take a step back. Isn't this the source of your power?" Danny asked, holding up the medallion far enough away to keep her from grabbing.

"Well, yes, but I don't even want it! It's too dangerous! Eregon, my brother, he has one too, twice as powerful as mine and he hasn't even told his bride about it! All he does is use it for evil and if she knew he was the real cause of our realm's destruction she'd leave him for good. The girl's tears began to dry as she thought about all the bad things her brother had done.

"At least I don't mean to cause harm - I only use mine because it's bound to my body. Unfortunately I was born with the ability to get upset rather looked up at Danny, her eyes getting bigger as she explained her story.

"I think you need to explain. About your brother, his powers, your powers, everything. Clear the air."

"But if I try he'll just yell at me and then I'll just get angry, and then I'll turn into that monster again!" she shrieked.

"I can guarantee that will not happen," a small smile forming on his face.

"How?"

"Well for one, I have your amulet."

The girl had been so upset that she hadn't even realized that he did, in fact, have her amulet.

"But… but… but… it's bound to my body! Only one may remove it and prophecies state it had to be a special ghost. One who lives on both realms."

"Well, seeing as I'm a ghost, and I live in the human world, I must fit the bill." Danny grinned, suddenly wondering if this had anything to do with his recent 'mood swings'.

"You must! Oh great one! Thank you, thank you! What can I ever do to repay you?!" Her mood suddenly turned around, going from tearful to cheerful in a matter of seconds.

"Just promise you'll keep that dragon brother of yours away from here!" Danny smiled.

"Deal!" she said happily as she began to fade away. Just as she was about to disappear, however, she added. "Savior, what's your name?"

"Phantom, Danny Phantom."

"Oh Phantom, thank you for fulfilling my prophecy. I will forever be indebted to you."

And just like that, she was gone.

Danny, however, stood outside the rink, holding her amulet in his hands.

'Feeling warm, losing control of my abilities, flickering. One of both realms. There must be a connection.'

The amulet suddenly began to glow a faint green color, just as it had when the girl had worn it, as if answering Danny's questions. Slightly freaked out, he quickly tucked the amulet into his back pocket before flying off.

Two hours and three bottles of Ecto-be-gone later, Sam was finally done cleaning up the lab. Jack had finished up his computer work about half way into her job and wandered upstairs, hoping to find more fudge.

This left the computer completely vacant.

Sam had said she wouldn't touch the computer, and she really wanted to keep that promise, but the whole time she was cleaning all she could think about was the fact that it had all the information she could possibly need.

'Sam, stop. Don't touch the computer. There's gotta be a less risky way. You just got this job after all…'

She had somehow managed to get through all of her chores without touching it, but the allure was too strong now that she was done. Putting her last bottle away she peered up the stairs to make sure no one was coming then made a beeline for the desk.

To her dismay, it was password protected.

"Probably for the best…" She found herself whispering as she wandered back upstairs. "Maybe next time."

What the dragon girl had said was really jumbling his mind. What sort of prophecy could she have meant? And was he really the one who fulfilled it?

But more so, what she had said about time and love had really struck a chord. She was right after all; time didn't matter. It was those who you loved that did. And despite everything, he owed both the women he loved an explanation.

By now he knew the location by heart, and it was his heart that was leading him straight to Sam's.

Sam was sitting on her bed, having just finished combing ectoplasm out of her hair and reading another of her favorite graphic novels. She didn't even notice the sudden chill in the air when Danny snuck into her room.

Deciding to be sneaky, he quickly became invisible and floated over to her bed.

"Hey Sam!" he said as his head reappeared, sticking out of her book.

"EEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The book went flying as Sam jumped up; and Danny just floated there, laughing.

"It is NOT funny Danny! Really, grow up!"

"Sorry, can't, ghost remember?"

"Hahaha you know what I mean," she replied, crossing her arms and turning away from him.

"Sam, I was just messing with you, come on, lighten up."

She was still turned away, but he knew what would make her cave. Flying over to where she was standing, he leaned in a pecked her on the cheek.

"That's it?" she said, smiling and finally giving in.

"For now," he finished as he went back over to her bed and sat down. "We need to talk."

'This can't be the break up talk, it's only been a few weeks…' She pondered as she sat down next to him.

"Ok, what's up?"

Before Danny could actually answer, Sam's door opened to her grandmother sitting on the other side.

"Sammy, are you ok? I heard you…" She stopped and let out a slow 'awwww,' her eyes getting a bit bigger.

The door had opened so suddenly that Danny hadn't had the chance to turn invisible.

#danny phantom #sam manson #danny phantom fanfic #danny phantom fanfiction #danny phantom au #phanfiction

6 notes · View notes

courage-a-word-of-justice · 5 years

Text

Summer debuts aplenty!

Demon Slayer 12

I assume the creature on the episode titlecard is a boar…?

I see…! So Kyogai uses the drums like a game controller! Y’know, like A = attack and directional keys to move.

I almost expected Inosuke to appear from behind the screen door, but it was just Tanjiro…

Huh? For some reason, I find Zenitsu funny now…but only the tiniest bit. Not enough to laugh out loud, but enough to give tiny “heh”s.

Well…that episode title didn’t lie, at least…

Ah-hah! I knew it! Knewwwwwwwww it! It’s the double-personality trope I liked 5 years ago (you see it embodied in Martin/Alter-Az). The only thing I didn’t know was how Zenitsu would become badass…well, now we know. He sleep fights…I still think ingesting blood to invoke a second personality is still way cooler though.

Shoichi? Is that the kid’s name?

“Marechi” doesn’t seem to mean anything…

“Show me your wounds.” Then again, there are some wounds that you can’t present to others…not unless you show the side effects.

As much as I was scared by Exposition Crow, I have to be thankful the little feathered buddy is around. I wouldn’t understand “marechi” otherwise. But seriously, where does that crow hide in his spare time…?

Oh…the duty of filial piety…I know your feel, Tanjiro.

Tanjiro’s brain!Zenitsu is so accurate, I LOLled…a tiny bit.

Tanjiro, you gotta remember: be proud of where you’ve gotten today! Don’t be the man you were yesterday! Keep evolving with the times like water itself, because that is what water is about – change! (triumphant music plays in the background to accompany this declaration)

The only problem I have with filial piety is…what happens when your family has only daughters???

OPM S2 Ep 11 (Ep 23)

Garou’s got a point in that villains are meant to be sympathetic in order to get a good story. However, I’d still root for the heroes all the same.

Naruto running…why’s it so popular???

“Mentsuyu” (on Saitama’s blue shirt) means “noodle soup base” = a mixture of dashi (soup stock), soy sauce, mirin and sugar.

It took me a replay to realise that Garou turned red when the tree fell down.

BSD 36

Uh, dude? Who calls their kid “Eruisu-chan”…? It’s Elise, isn’t it?

Katai – yet again, can I just say he is the husbando we need and not the husbando we want? (LOL) There’s even what appears to be a sake bottle in the bottom left corner…

Is there such thing as a bullet-proof futon???

Come to think of it, this scene with all the rubble about halfway through the episode looks like it comes from the Dead Apple first key visual –the one that came out when the movie was announced. Not the Shin Soukoku one, the other one with Soukoku in a rubble-filled place looking at the horizon.

Looking at Natsume-sensei from the back reveals his hair is calico-coloured too…

I wonder how much of Dazai’s scheming is actually just Natsume-sensei…?

“What did you have for dinner last night?” “Yeah.” – Just imagining this with a monotone instead of Akutagawa’s usual anger is hilarious!

Snakes don’t run…?

Oh, I get why he was calling Akutagawa “bro”! When you’re married, you call your brother in law “brother” as well!

Bungou Stray Dogs 37 (FINAL)

I discovered something – the kanji under ECHO, 回向, are read ekou. What do they mean? The verb form means “to hold a memorial service for [someone]”, so I’d assume it’s “memorial service”.

For some reason, when Atsushi said “you’re not paying for this ride!”, I thought, “It’s your Ubr driver here”…LOL.

I seem to remember that Goncharov controls rock and his power is The Precipice…but I don’t remember reading past ch. 52…

“How can you be so sure?” I thought it was something like “Because that’s what I would do.” Turns out I was right…maybe I have read chapter 53??? Or is this a previous chapter that’s been movd forward???

Hmm…come to think of it, why is Akutagawa’s power to control fabric anyway? (Because he can control other things, it’s just that he chooses to use his coat as a default.) Does the Rashomon story have to do with that…?

Oh, that’s cute. Shin Soukoku are on the same thinking wavelength now. (somewhat sarcastic)

Come to think of it – season 1 anime!Atsushi was about as whiny as Zenitsu…hmm. Now there’s a cross-anime comparison I never thought I’d make.

“…what appears to be a hiker…” (or maybe it was multiple hikers…?)

Did you notice Akutagawa was missing his coat?

“Fancy hat boy” – That’s why the fandom calls Chuuya “Mr Fancy Hat”, LOL.

One thing’s for sure – whether you like BSD or not, you gotta admit they have a great sense of closure.

Shield Hero 25 (FINAL)

See? There is a Meteor move for Naofumi!

Raphtalia’s mostly been saying nothing but “Naofumi-sama” over and over again…it kind of irks me. It’s too bad I’m almost finished with this show.

I’m gussing the reward has to do with Raphtalia’s village.

Is Naofumi leaving???

LOL, before Naofumi faced the Waves, he was wavering…geddit??? (Oh, that joke’s terrible…)

Fruits Basket 12

I think Shigure attended the ceremony to procrastinate on his writing…LOL.

Okay…I started this episode a few days back and now I hav a bowl of piping hot pho to go with it! Let’s get back to business!

Momiji is a scheming little brat, ain’t he?

The “Yuki wearing a girls’ uniform” was funny…because reactions.

Hmm…even though I know what’s going to happen, I only just realised Akito and Yuki only seem to wear traditional Japanese dress when tied down to their curse or their main house. Westrn cloths thereby symbolise progress for them…but you can’t say the same for Shigure, though, so there goes that hypothesis…

I thought for a second they were going to play baseball…that’s what they did in Star Driver.

Fruits Basket 13

Snake attack!!!

Hmm…Ayame clearly used a convo diversionary tactic there (avoiding the topic).

“Aya says he sells men’s dreams.” – LOL.

Demon Slayer 13

I find it interesting Tanjiro also has respect for his opponent, not just empathy.

Aww…this message of recognising your skills and having them be recognised by others is cute. I needd that, really – ever since about a year ago, sometimes I’m so negative I just want to be erased from the face of the earth. That’s why I love Rokuhoudou so much – it was my solace from such thoughts.

Seeing the eyecatch’s strip go vertical for Zenitsu was interesting – I didn’t think it would change orientation midway through the show.

Okay, in this book I read recently – Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin – the protagonist admits to having “an overdeveloped sense of theatricality”…or dramaticism or something like that. I now realised Zenitsu has that too…although now he’s back to bugging me as a result.

Oh! So Inosuke was the 5th survivor! I had a feeling that would be the answer, but now I’ve confirmed it.

WHOA! I’ve never seen Tanjiro go all Papa Bear like this!

…and you can tell with that pre-OP shot that Ufotable ran out of budget for once.

The Legend of the Eight Samurai is also known as…wait for it…Hakkenden! There’s an anime called that, y’know? Update: It’s Satomi Nansou Hakkenden vs Hakkenden (with some subtitle on it).

To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts 1

First anime of summer! Now if only my CR would stop buffering so much…I’d be a happy person.

Oh…great. Fantasy information dump right here…just like Fairy Gone.

Is this weird that I recognise Patria to be…Korea? (At least in history. Its people seem to be generic Europeans.)

Is this a “dudes in war are scarred for life” thing again??? Please, please don’t let this be another Spec-Ops Asuka.

…and now here come the furries. (sarcastic)

Aren’t the white coats really impractical for battle???

If Cain isn’t a vampire or based on a bat…I dunno what I’d do, but I’m pretty sure he is, based on those pretty boy features.

I thought her name was Nancy…? Her name is Nancy Schaal Bancroft, after all.

Ooh! It’s the Abominable Walrus! I’m so scared~! (mocking tone)

This is basically an AI story, but fantasy-based, isn’t it…?

90s fire in the background…LOL.

“I’m going to ask Elaine to be with me.” – Now there’s something I didn’t think Hank would say.

LOL, Cain Madhouse really is mad! (in the Joker-style “insane” sort of way)

Well…uh, it was a bit predictable, but had its perks. I mean, there’s no CGI in it at all for one thing…I guess we wait for more (of this show and the debut of other shows) to see if it stays.

OPM S2 Ep 12 (Ep 24) (FINAL)

Shouldn’t that be “whale on an opponent”…?

What’s up with the montage, though???

*dead Centichoro* - Now that’s what I call “legs for miles”…! (LOL)

Astra 1

I’ve read some of the manga for this, so it’s my most anticipated anime this season! I can only hope it lives up to its own hype.

Double-length 1st episode! Ooh! Just like the manga’s double-length debut.

Okay, who decided on using CGI for Aries? Put it on the ship, not on her!

Oh, foreshadowing! Me likey.

I can’t really tell what Aries is meant to be screaming because she’s screaming over the woman, but it’s definitely not “beef” Aries is yelling.

Is it just me, or is there a frame around this scene at the Spaceport…?

I guess Aries is what they call a space case! (Wahaha!...Okay, I think that’s one stupid joke too many, now.)

Boob shot??? Why??? Also, according to the manga’s supplemental material found between chapters, Yun-Hua’s suit is newer than Aries’s (IIRC).

I definitely do not remember seeing a picture of Kanata’s sensei in the manga at all. I know Kanata refers to his sensei quite a bit, but…hmm…maybe the fact he looks like Charce means something. Update: For some reason, I remembered Charce as “Charles”…?

This scenery, with the ground making platforms in the air, looks like Dr Stone!!!

I just noticed the frame expanded after Kanata entered the sphere.

Did we need the flashback again???

Zetsubou is “despair”, at least from the way I learnt it – from Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei, of course. It can be translated as “hopeless” in context, though.

Second recap from earlier in the episode. Well, at least it’s not Detective Conan or Demon Slayer bad…

Wow, they’re really trying to sell a potential Kanata x Aries ship here. That wasn’t in the manga either.

This is the 3rd time for the same recap…geesh. The things you notice when the episodes are compiled and online for you to watch…they can get kind of annoying.

I think the star = planet thing makes more sense when in Japanese, since “hoshi” can mean both. In English, it makes Aries sound like more of a space case…

Maou-sama, Retry! 1

…and the award for Most Boring Opening in a While goes to…this show!

I almost expected blonde!Rem to be called Rem…I knew that her name wasn’t Rem, but still…

Seriously? The face game of this show should be higher for it to pull off a gag involving funny faces…

The run cycle of this show’s…kinda suckish. Like Dororo’s one scene where he’s Naruto running.

“It’s you who is the root of all evil.”

UchiMusume 1

Aka “If It’s For My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord”.

The language on the title card seems to be a substitute for English. If you just take that thing that looks like brackets as one symbol, that seems to be a Y. How can you tell? Because “little” matches the 3rd last word.

The devil language seems to be based on Japanese, though…at least from what I’m picking up. Update: Oh! So when she says “toilet”, it’s just the syllables backwards! Just like in Hataraku Maou-sama.

I swear, if this guy isn’t voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, I’m going to have to swallow my hydralyte drink properly! (I’ve been struggling to drink it all day today.) Update: Nope, it’s Nobuhiko Okamoto.

I thought I just read something on the devil list that said “Bobble Space” in English…wuh?

Dr Stone 1

This is my 2nd most anticipated debut of the summer 2019 season. Let’s go!

Ooh, I see Crunchyroll even got themselves a fancy new intro card…which makes them more like what Funimation used to be on that front…

I know people have been comparing Senku’s hair to green onions…and now I can’t unsee it. Dang it, you guys! That’s the first real thought I’m having for this anime?!

*raises arms like Christ the Redeemer*…and Boichi and Riichiro Inagaki said, “Let there be light!”…and for some reason, it was green light…

Hmm…I thought in the manga Yuzuriha was shoved to the tree, which made Taiju look more like a hero to her. Turns out she ran to the tree then got petrified, if the anime is anything to go by.

I heard a really accurate “what’s happening?” in the scene which is meant to have English speakers in it…it’s almost creepy, to be honest with you.

Shuei…LOL. It’s clearly a play on Shueisha.

I didn’t think of this when reading the manga, but this anime’s very much a Holmes and Watson scenario…although Watson here is a little bit too dumb for some people’s liking…

I swear TMS used pictures of the real thing when looking at those grapes…

I love seeing Senku being pissed off. He’s so smug all the time, I needed that change of pace.

Maybe one day Senku will make vodka…LOL. I’m kidding.

Fire Force 1

Oh geesh…so Ohkubo grabbed the Aria from Ao no Exorcist to make his nuns work???

Why is there Naruto running???

“I’m a newly-assigned…”

Kyoukai means church. Does it really mean “cathedral” as well???

“Is that the scent of a damp woman?” – Uh, duuuuuuuude? Excuse-moi? That is not how you treat a lady you’ve just met…!

Can I insert a “Twinkletoes” comment from Toph (Avatar) yet…?

Okay, scrap that. Can I do that Overwatch “Molten CORE!” thing instead…?

Granbelm 1

I started watching this because it’s being promoted as “magical girls drive mechs”.

One of the mech ladies reminds me of…what’s her name…from the Re:Zero LNs…I believe her name is Beatrice, but that’s the name of one of the library loli, isn’t it…? *Googles* Okay, her name is Priscilla. AFAIK, “Priscilla” is NOT the name of the orange-haired lady in Granbelm, though… Update: Her name is Anna, actually.

These mechs remind me of Kim from Twinkle Star Sprites.

Wow…ripoff purple iPhone, much…?

Shingetsu = new moon, mangetsu = full moon.

I feel like Mangetsu is a relatable protagonist, but also annoying as a result of being relatable.

“Pennies from heaven” is a phrase you say to declare your good fortune, much like you say “speak of the devil” for bad luck when it comes to a certain person who arrives at the wrong time.

2 notes · View notes

violethowler · 5 years

Text

My thoughts on Kingdom Hearts III

My initial reaction to the ending of Kingdom Hearts III was equal parts confusion, devastation, and just being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of how much time was spent on the final battle. I had a lot of conflicting opinions about how some things were handled, but unlike when that happened with the final season of Voltron, I feel a lot better about everything after a good night's sleep, because I was up late at night finishing the game. I'll get into the spoilers under the cut.

So, for starters, let me put my reactions on a scale of negative to positive:

Major disappointments that should absolutely be done better in the next saga:

After Kairi was hyped up for so long that she'd have a more important part to play in the story, her role in the final battle was a letdown. I can swallow her not being as amazing a fighter as the others because she's never been in combat before and she's been effectively thrown into the deep end on her first day, but I at least expected her to resist when Xemas grabbed her, instead of passively standing there like a helpless damsel in distress. The only in-universe explanation would be if after stress and panic of the previous fights, she froze up when Xemnas made a more for her. But after seven years of being built up as a Keyblade Wielder, and her relationship with Sora, she could have done so much more. I sincerely hope that Testuya Nomura learns from this and lets her shine in the next saga.

With trailers and interviews hyping up how big the worlds were this time around, having Twilight Town and 100 Acre wood be just one small area each was seriously disappointing. I was really looking forward to seeing more of the 100 Acre Wood. They could have fleshed out the whole "Sora disappearing from the cover mystery" for at least a little bit, maybe let us run around the other characters' houses instead of just Rabbit's. And for Twilight Town, I would have liked to have been able to see how the other districts looked.

Going straight to the endgame after San Fransokyo. I know that the creators decided to focus on quality over quantity when it came to the worlds in this game, but I was hoping for just one surprise Disney world that could give fans one last breather after rescuing Aqua and Ven. If not a Disney world, then I would have at least liked to have been able to explore more of Land of Departure or visit Radiant Garden outside of cut-scenes. I love RG's look from BBS and I would have loved to walk around and see the world restored to its former glory.

Vanitas was frustratingly underused in this game. For all the hype surrounding his return, I expected more from him. Especially because the Kingdom Hearts concerts kept including his theme music with the "heroes and heroines" meddley, tantalizing us with the possibility of him getting a redemption arc. And instead, he just dies all over again, only this time, he's calmly accepting his own demise instead of freaking out like after his final fight in BBS. As someone who loves the idea of him getting redeemed, that was a big disappointment. The only thing I'm hoping for is if he somehow comes back in the next saga, because it was kind of unclear whether he's really dead, if there's a way for him to come back, or if he's just faking it like Xigbar was.

Things I wish had been handled differently but I can ultimately live with and hope are handled better in the next saga:

The lack of focus on or explanation of the X era mysteries we've been pondering for years disappointed me on first playthrough, but now that I've had time to think about it, I realized that X/Unchained X/Back Cover/Union X/Whatever-They-Change-The-Name-To-Next isn't truly a part of the Xehanort Saga, but rather, the connective tissue that sets the stage for what comes after Xehanort. It was supposed to set just enough things up that we'd know who the Foretellers were and what Xigbar being Luxu meant. But because it was released before KH3, the fandom built up our expectations that the mysteries of what happened would ultimately be answered in III, so when they alluded to Marluxia and Larxene's past as Dandelions without following up on it, I was kind of disappointed. But now I realize that it was meant to open the door to them playing larger roles in the Lost Masters Saga.

Maleficent and Pete just lurking in the background despite trailers and previous games hyping up her interest in Luxu's box and the Book of Prophecy. This is something else that was clearly being set up for the sequel, but I wish Maleficent had at least had more to do. A boss fight with Pete followed by a conversation to establish that she's waiting for the dust to settle between the Guardians of Light and Seekers of Darkness before she makes her move would have been nice.

The sudden introduction of this mystery girl. At first, I thought when they kept mentioning this girl, they were talking about Kairi, and that we'd be starting to learn more about her past in Radiant Garden. I soon realized that the implications of Kairi's life pre-Destiny Islands were a red herring, but the more they kept bringing this girl up, the more I was expecting there to be some kind of explanation for who she was in the game itself. I can understand in retrospect why Isa and Ansem SoD would suddenly bring her back now, because both knew they were going to die (Isa at least had the promise of recompletion) and wanted closure on burning questions they hadn't thought about in years. Considering that the epilogue and secret reports imply she's amnesiac Ava, I think this is another case of planting seeds for future installments in a way that I wish had been done better.

After years of Aqua being celebrated as a badass Keyblade Master, her not really getting to do anything in this game is upsetting. Sure, things make sense from an in-universe perspective: she sent her Keyblade to Destiny Islands as a beacon for Sora, Riku, and/or Mickey to find her, which weakened her already worn down defenses when Xehanort’s heartless came for DiZ. With how much warping Terranort does, I figured he’d attacked Ven at speeds so close to superhuman that Aqua didn’t have time to react. And in Land of Departure, Nomura wanted to have Ven’s awakening be a dramatic moment where he swoops in to protect someone he cares about. But having Aqua kick Vanitas’ ass only for her to get taken down by a single Firaga spell feels like a poor way to achieve the desired result.

While having some Disney worlds follow the plots to their respective movies was expected, Sora, Donald, and Goofy's presence their felt a little insubstantial. I mean, I'm not saying they should have just copied the movie shot for shot with SDG there in the background, but it felt like they missed out on large chunks of the movies. It was forgivable in Kingdom of Corona because they were there for the important parts and Marluxia basically told them what they missed re: Rapunzel. With Arendelle it felt weird that they were really only involved with Elsa running away, the Marshmallow fight, and the ending. The rest was pretty much spent with Larxene coming up with elaborate ways to keep them away from the plot of the movie. With Pirates it was just ridiculous. They were really only there for the escape from Davy Jones locker and then just ran around with fake!Jack doing their own thing until it was time for the final fight of the movie. It's hard to not know the plots of Tangled and Frozen due to pop culture at this point, but if you're playing this game with no knowledge of the pirates of the Caribbean movies, you're going to be very confused on what's happening in the maelstrom fight.

Minor quibbles:

An explanation for what happened to Demyx would have been nice, but then, that could just be another mystery to be addressed later.

The whole "rewind time and replay everything before Sora's near-death until things change at the last moment" thing didn't really make a whole lot of sense, but it wasn't too big of a deal, and Xigbar's "we don't need you to make a second blunder" implies that he had something to do with it, which can hopefully be explained properly at a later date.

Little moments that weren’t necessarily big for the story, but I enjoyed anyway for personal reasons:

At first, I was crushed by Even’s return to the Organization because I loved the fanfic Why The Sun Sets Red where he becomes a surrogate parent figure to Xion, and wanted that relationship to be a reality in canon. Then when he saved Ansem, Hayner, Pence, and Olette from Fake Ansem, my head was saying “this is probably a trap”, but my heart screamed #ShittyScienceDadConfirmed. And I was so relieved when my heart turned out to be right. I will probably end up writing a post-III fanfic of Even bonding with his Science Daughter at some point.

I generally stay away from shipping in the KH fandom, but after years of having SoKai as my first OTP, I came to start shipping SoRiKai, and as upset as I am about Sora’s fate (I can’t really complain about that too badly since Nomura already promised that Sora would still be the main character in post-KH3 installments so having this kind of ending should have been expected, if not for 3 than for a future title), I at least take comfort in the fact that there’s enough wiggle room for SoRiKai headcanons set after Sora’s inevitable return.

Everything else that I absolutely loved:

The visuals were absolutely freaking gorgeous. On every single world, they went out of their way to make the graphics as beautiful as possible. The 2D fire effects on Olympus, the different shaders used each world to make Sora, Donald, and Goofy fit with the aesthetic...

The Skein of Severance. While I wish we'd gotten to explore more of the Keyblade Graveyard during the final battle, or that the maze was a little more elaborate, I loved having to fight multiple members of the new Organization simultaneously, and oh dear god the aftermath of every fight: Xion's return, Terra regaining control of his body, Saix's death.... I was sobbing after every boss fight.

Despite how complicated the lore has become, the story itself was actually pretty straightforward. It was pretty refreshing and reminded me of KH1 and BBS, where the heroes have a clear overarching goal and a reason for why they're traveling to other worlds.

As much as I wish that Unchained X had been held until after KH3, there's a stroke of genius to the epilogue: Because of Xehanort's whole "balance between dark and light" obsession and Riku's whole "dark is not necessarily evil" character arc, I've seen a consistent idea within the fandom that the main villain of the next saga after Xehanort should be one of those who fit into the "Light is not good" trope. And by implicitly setting up the "Lost Masters" for that role in the epilogue, they've both ensured a masterful conflict between the Keyblade Wielders of the past and the ones of the present, and ensured that the next saga will be as heartbreaking as possible by ensure that the fandom is already attached to these characters.

Honestly, despite the issues I've had with the game above, I absolutely enjoyed Kingdom Hearts 3. It was worth the wait in my opinion, and I can't wait to see what the future holds. My only hope, given the epilogue and secret ending, that we get an announcement of Kingdom Hearts IV within a year or so. Doesn't need to release next year, but it definitely needs to be announced for development.

#kingdom hearts 3 #kh3 spoilers #kh spoilers #kingdom hearts spoilers #kingdom hearts 3 spoilers #my thoughts #long post #my review

6 notes · View notes