#you get a prize if you can guess my two favorite gems

[pleasant10000years]

Guess who watched steven universe for four days straight :))))))

It's very good

#steven universe #:3 #you get a prize if you can guess my two favorite gems #oh and yes it was very unhealthy for me to do this buuuuut... #¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #also i still have to watch the movie and future

[in-superbloom]

did you ever hear about the girl who got frozen? (a.i.)

right where you left me: prologue

pairing: ashton irwin x olivia jones (oc)

warnings: uhh a kinda grieving theme i guess? but no deaths. it has a sad tone overall, but nothing major (in this chapter hehe). foul language because i can't help myself. the tiniest mention of alcohol, but as a memory. think i should probably warn you that this contains a very sad ash. also not much dialogues. this is mainly for explanation and introduction, but very important for the story. if you find anything else that might be triggering, please let me know so i can add it here !!

author's note: oof okay. so. this is the prologue of a series very very dear to my heart that i've been working on for what it feels like my whole life but really it's been just a few months. but i'm in love with the story (which rarely happens with my own writing) so i hope you can enjoy it too !! this is also my very first time posting a fic since 2013 so pls keep that in mind <3 no i am not shaking as type this ofc not also: although i have the full story ready in my head, this is the only chapter that's written. i wanted to wait until i had at least a few ready before posting this but i'm too anxious for that lmao just saying this bc it will take a good while until i have any more chapters, so <3 (p.s.: i went over this thing a million times since may so if you find any errors pls look away, i'm not fixing this thing anymore. thanks <3)

another note: anna from the future here to say that i completely forgot about the playlist i made for the story lmao here it is in case you're interested k thanks bye <3

credits: title is from taylor swift's song right where you left me. model in the picture: paola locatelli. banner by me.

i also wanted to take a minute to thank some really nice friends that i've made here over these past few months & that i'm extremely grateful for @wastelandcth @suchalonelysunflower @littledrummerangie i cannot thank you babes enough for inspiring me the way that you do & for letting me yell about this to you && for encouraging me so much 🥺 i'll never be able to explain just how much this means to me, so i'll have to settle for saying thank you at any change that i can get <3 i love you all 💜 also gem my baby, thank you for the inspo with the banner 💚

@bluesdelis look babe i did it 😌 you know how grateful i am for you & for you letting me have a breakdown every week about my writing for the past 8 years so let's not dive into that or else i will write something bigger than this prologue jsjsjdjd love you 🖤

i hope you all have a good reading and a nice day ♡

let me know what are your thoughts about the fic ! ♡

word count: 4.1k

☆☆☆

Cold. That was the first thing that Olivia’s brain processed.

Still with her eyes closed, she buried herself more into the duvet, while her arm blindly reached for the furnace in human form that she calls boyfriend. However, as soon as her arm was only met with cold sheets, her eyes shot open.

Blinking the sleep away, she sat up on the bed, searching for the infamous red clock resting on Ashton’s bedside table that was supposed to look like a vintage alarm clock. Olivia had ordered it online at an auction website a couple of years back, as a gift for his 23rd birthday, since it was something he had mentioned multiple times prior that he was looking for, but still hadn't found. But when it finally came in (two weeks after the due date), it looked nothing like the picture she saw on the website. Feeling beyond frustrated, she wanted to send it back immediately and ask for a refund and maybe leave a not so polite review on the seller's page. But Ashton stopped her right away, laughing like the situation was absolutely hilarious to him, while saying, 'I like it, it’s quirky'. So, the clock stayed and found a home right next to him in their room.

Some days, however, she would wake up at some ungodly hour because of the blaring noise of the only ringtone the clock had. But whatever annoyance she could feel towards the object, it always vanished as soon as she felt Ashton's lips gently touching her face in a good morning kiss before he would get up to start his day, leaving her to catch some more hours of well deserved sleep.

As the furthest from a morning person as a touring musician could possibly be, Olivia had always feared that living under the same roof as Ashton would turn her into an early bird like him, but she's thankful that it never happened (not that he needs to know about that).

When she sees the red clock, she smiles at the sudden but welcome memories of them flooding her foggy brain, but frowns slightly when she realizes it reads 12:13 pm. Ashton rarely lets her sleep past 10 am.

Gathering all her strength and will, she rises up from the bed, smoothly picking up a grey wool sweatshirt from the chair (way too baggy on her slim body, but it smells like him), pulling it over her head and relishing on the soft material warming up her body. Making her way to the door and calmly going down the stairs, she can’t help but stop for a minute to admire the picture frames on their walls, one in particular catches her attention – probably one of the most prized pictures and memories they had. It felt older than it actually is, but it was around 4 years ago, she's sure – a little while after the two of them met. The picture was of their group of friends that still remains the same: Ashton and his best friend, Luke; Olivia, her best friend, Calum and their old hometown friend, turned into Calum’s new friend at college, turned into everyone’s friend, Michael; and her then newly band members, Suki, Eli and Ravi. Together, their group was the life of the party through all their college years, and it showed by the big smiles and drinks in hands they all had in the picture. It was a very special night, the first time Olivia’s little band played for the public – for a small audience sure, but it was a wonderful night nonetheless. What a long road it had been since that night.

Her nostalgic thoughts were interrupted by a shiver that went through her whole body, and it made her realize how oddly cold the whole house was, not only their bedroom. Which, granted, it was November in New York and the weather was just getting colder, but that’s exactly why Ashton always made sure to keep the house warm enough. As much as she loved the chilly season, the warm weather always reminded him of his hometown, and who was she to deny him that?

The smell of fresh made coffee could be sensed even before she reached the kitchen. Arriving there, the curly haired woman still found no signs of her boyfriend, so she went straight after the coffee maker pot sitting on the far left corner of the cream marble counter. Smiling softly at the tons of memories of Ashton's sleepy figure making their favorite beverage, she reached for a coffee mug on the cupboard on top of the counter and poured the remainder of the hot liquid on it (it's her favorite mug, if she must choose – it was a gift from a fan, and it had printed on it a collage of the pictures of her and Ashton that were posted on social media through their first year of relationship).

Moving to the glass doors that lead to the mini garden they cultivate, she didn't have to open them to spot the 6-feet-tall man sitting on a bench outside, looking oddly small in his oversized clothes, coffee mug tightly held between strong hands. Something about his figure made Olivia frown, however: he was staring with an unwavering look at her small but eye-catching pot of yellow daffodils that were almost as much of a pet to them as Stitch at this point. Sensing that there’s something definitely off about his semblance, she made a mental note to talk to him and find out what’s wrong later. So she goes back to the kitchen, knowing that he might need this quiet and private moment for himself.

She lost count of the minutes that went by (couldn't have been more than five) before she hears the garden's door opening and closing, and then his bare feet are dragging his brawny body to her. Except, he goes over to the sink, walking right through her, not showing any sign that he even saw her hunched figure over the counter table in the middle of the room.

Alright, someone's in a mood.

Olivia tries to swallow the annoyance already bubbling inside her – he knows how much she hates to be ignored, no matter how mad he might be – by trying to think of what she can say that won't piss him off. This is always a hard feat to accomplish when Ashton gets in these moods, but there’s a reason for them to work so well together.

“I missed my favorite body heater when I woke up,” she says in her best sweet voice, knowing how quickly his resolve crumbles when he hears that voice.

Still, no reaction.

That settles a worry at the pit of her stomach, because Ashton is never like this. Even when he's not in the mood to talk, he always gives some kind of reaction to her words; it doesn't matter how small, just enough to make her feel acknowledged.

When he's finished washing his mug and the few scattered dishes across the sink – she noticed that he already had lunch, if the lone plate in the drying rack is anything to go by –, he dries his hand in a towel, turns around and throws it on top of the same counter Olivia was leaning up against. Once again, he walks away not even sparing her a look.

Indignant, she leaves the now empty coffee mug on top of the table and follows him as he walks up the stairs, any determination to not aggravate his mood now well gone.

“Hey! In case you didn't notice, I'm right here. Whatever got you in this sour mood, I'm certainly not to blame, so can you stop being a child now and talk to me?!”

Ashton just keeps walking – more like sluggishly dragging his body – until he reaches their bedroom and suddenly stops just merely two feet inside the room, looking around with vacant eyes; like he was expecting to see something that wasn't there.

“Okay, that's really mature of you. Are you planning on ignoring me all day then?” Olivia questions exasperated, staring angrily at the back of his neck, where the condor tattoo lives – her favorite of his, but that sight doesn't bring her any peace today like it usually does.

Her glare only breaks when she hears the familiar sound of dog tags swaying on her right side. Shifting her gaze to the direction of the sound, Olivia notices Stitch, their small, black & white French bulldog – who she thought was outside in the garden – slowly trudging his way from around the bed until he stops at Ashton's feet, looking up at one of his humans with sad eyes. That realization only makes the worry in her stomach grow uncomfortably.

“Hi buddy,” Ashton's voice cracks a bit from the lack of use, but he smiles softly at the sweet dog, and crouches down to pet him.

Olivia can't help but gasp as she notices three things all at once that leave her overwhelmed: first, how she didn't even notice Stitch was in the room when she woke up – which never ever happens, in fact, most days he wakes her up whenever he deems her bedtime as finished and can't ever contain his excitement when she finally gets up; second, how the windows blinds are closed, which, again, rarely occurs under their roof, not if Ashton can help it. And third, how sad and melancholic the whole scene in front of her is – how sad and melancholic Ashton is. Pointless to say by now – that's also a very rare occasion.

A chill creeps up Olivia's spine, putting her body into high alert and also serving as a reminder of how everything looks out of place today. Trying to keep her head from spiraling down way too soon, she wraps her arms around herself and crouches down beside her two favorite boys, trying once more.

“Ash? Can you hear me?” even with her throat closing, she softly asks, purposefully putting her face in Ashton's point of view. Her only answer is the low whispers he's letting out to Stitch, while cradling the tiny dog in his arms, spreading gentle kisses on his head.

“I know, bud, I know. I miss her too,” is the only whisper she could understand and immediately wishes she hadn't. The weak wail that comes from Stitch's throat seems to fit perfectly with how the three of them feel.

Ashton then looks up and for a couple of seconds, and Olivia can swear he’s staring right into her eyes. But when he shows no reaction, she knows he’s just staring ahead and not at her, with that look that says there’s too much going on inside his head. She feels the urge to embrace him and get him to talk about whatever is on his mind, so they can share that weight like they always do, but when Ashton gets up from the ground and settles on the bed with Stitch, Olivia can physically feel the crack in her heart caused by the feeling she’s left with.

While Ashton is pulling the duvet over him and the dog, with clearly no intentions of getting up anytime soon, Olivia stands up on her feet with a new-found determination – she needs to figure out what the hell is going on.

This nightmare had to be just that, right? Nothing but a very vivid dream – she's had those before. Scary sure, but they always go away, and soon enough she's back into Ashton's arms, with Stitch jumping on the bed ready to lick their faces off. She just needs to wake herself up from whatever fucked up dream this is – right?

She's running down the stairs this time, frantically in search of something, of what exactly, she doesn’t know – but she knows she needs an answer. The more she looks for something, the more desperate she gets, not knowing what to look for. Then suddenly, something catches her eyes.

The white and blue calendar that's held up by magnets on the side of the fridge. She knows their calendar is red and yellow. They got it from their favorite flower market. Slowly, as if scared of what it might be there – “It's just a calendar, for fucks sake” – she approaches the damn thing. Upon inspection, she deems it as a normal calendar – she really doesn't know what she was expecting – until.

She knows what's wrong with it now.

It's November. She knows it, because the Asian and last leg of her first world tour is about to begin November 21st, eleven days from today. Right after Mike's birthday, she knows this.

Then why does the calendar say today is January 14th?

☆ ☆ ☆

Ashton woke up with a jolt. He quickly sat up, frightening the little Frenchie that was asleep right next to him on the bed. Trying to make sense of his surroundings, he roughly rubbed his face to get some sleep off of it and soon reached for the dog that was staring at him with sleepy but sad eyes. Ashton is sure Stitch understands far more than a dog is supposed to understand about their current situation.

The room is covered in shadows, almost pitch black, but he can see the sunlight even through the thick dark grey blinds covering up the windows. Ashton knows he won't be able to sleep again at that moment, so he gets up from the bed – much slower than he used to. His heartbeat is still out of control because of the nightmare that woke him up, but he can't bother to pay attention to it when Stitch is softly wailing beside him. Ashton lets out a ghost of a smile when the dog rests his head on his right upper thigh, looking up at him with an expression Ashton knows all too well.

“C'mon you little ravenous creature, let's feed you,” the bulldog excitedly jumps to the ground, already running his way down the stairs, not even waiting for Ashton to get up.

That gets a real smile out of him, but it vanishes as soon as he glances at the alarm clock on his bedside table. It reads 5:13 am, nothing out of the ordinary for him. But that small and inoffensive clock, with its red paint peeling off, holds a lot of memories for him. Memories that two months ago would bring joy to his heart, but now he almost wants to throw the object across the room.

It was a stupid thing, really. He had been wanting a vintage alarm clock and Olivia got one for his birthday. But the product they received was definitely not the one she bought, and if he's being honest, he didn't like it as much as he made out to. But seeing her so excited in the weeks before it arrived, and how disappointed she was when it did, he couldn't help but try his best to make her smile that luminous smile again. It's part of his nature by now.

That's also the reason why he lets her think that he doesn't notice when she wakes up at some ungodly hour (her words, not his) along with him, because of the annoying and only sound the alarm clock is able to produce. He always leaves soft kisses in every inch of bare skin he can find on her sleeping figure, so she goes back to the dream land and doesn't wake up before 10 am. No one wants to deal with that kind of bad humor, not even him.

As much as he likes being a morning person and absolutely enjoys her company in the mornings, he knows she'll take any and every extra hour of sleep she can get before starting the day. And that's why he loves that she's so stubborn that his early bird tendencies never got to her – he knows she feared that this would happen when they moved in together, but he met her like this, fell for her like this. He wouldn't change a single thing about her.

Ashton drags himself out of the bed, wincing slightly at how cold the wooden floors are under his bare feet. He doesn't bother putting some socks on, or a sweater – the cold weather in the house is uncharacteristically comforting to him. Nothing feels warm without her anyway.

While descending the stairs, he mentally curses himself for not being strong enough to look past the picture frames on the wall. One in particular catches his eyes – a picture from the night of Olivia's first concert with her band. The memories of that night are still painfully vivid in his mind: the laughter among their group that eventually infected everyone at the pub, Suki and Luke's first kiss and the silly smile that didn't leave his best friend's face all night, the standing ovation Olivia got after her three-songs set, and her captivating and breathtaking smile that made him realize right then and there, while watching her sway to the music, that he was definitely falling in love with her and there was nothing he could do to stop it – not that he wanted to.

So many memories held up on that wall, in the relatively short time since they met, that he can't help but wonder if that's all they'll get in this lifetime.

Ashton is abruptly taken out of his thoughts by Stitch's barks coming from the bottom of the stairs. He quickly jogs down the few steps left and goes straight after the dog's food in the kitchen's cabinet. After Stitch starts to happily devour his breakfast, Ashton goes to make his coffee, doing enough for two people like he always does, since Calum drops by most days for a chat or to drop Duke before going to work. Although all three of them know he just can't bother to make food for himself in the morning, while Ashton is the group's elected chef. Ashton always says he just needs a boyfriend – Olivia says Calum already has one who makes him breakfast every day.

He grabs an apple from the fridge and makes his way outside to their garden. Even though a lot of their memories took place there, the garden is the only space in the house where he doesn't feel like suffocating all the time. At least here, he can breathe some fresh air and look at the sky when he's feeling overwhelmed – which is basically all he's been doing for about a month now.

Yet, a lot of the garden has Olivia's name written all over.

He remembers vividly the day she came home after spending two weeks in LA doing some pocket shows, with a pack of daffodil seeds and the largest smile. She excitedly told him that a friend gifted it to her when she mentioned the little garden they were planning to build together at their new house. The friend told Olivia that daffodils symbolize rebirth and new beginnings, so as the good lover of symbolism that she is, Olivia loved the idea of having those flowers to symbolize their new beginning.

Ashton, on the other hand, wasn't a fan of the flowers at first – he just didn't see the appeal to them. But nonetheless, he indulged her, letting Olivia plant the seeds near the bench they used to sit during the quiet and unrushed afternoons, so they could admire the sunset, and she could happily look at the daffodils.

Pointless to say – the damn flowers grew on him.

Now, however, looking at them without Olivia and her contagious joy next to him, they were back to be as dull as they were before, if not more so.

Still lost inside his head without any sense of how much time went by since he sat down, Ashton doesn't hear the front door closing, and doesn't notice that he's no longer the only person inside the house until someone sits next to him on the bench. Yet, he doesn't show any sign of acknowledgement to them.

A few minutes go by before either of them speaks up.

“Luke said you didn't go to see her yesterday,” Calum starts softly, not wanting to disturb the calmness of the morning.

Ashton takes a few seconds to respond, “No point in doing that.” The black haired man licks his lips while thinking carefully about his next words.

“You know staying inside this house all day by yourself won't help either,” Calum turns his head to his left and takes a good look at Ashton's uncharacteristically hunched over figure, and immediately thinks that anyone can tell this man is not himself anymore. His second thought is that Olivia would hate seeing him like this.

“And what exactly do you expect me to do? Move on with my life like nothing happened? Like I'm not slowly and painfully losing the love of my life? Just because it’s easy for you doesn't mean it's easy for me.”

Calum closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He knows Ashton doesn't mean it, it's the anger and frustration talking. He knows it. Doesn't make it sting any less.

“I'm not telling you to move on with your life, because that's far from what I'm doing, and I certainly don't expect you to do it. I'm just saying you need to occupy your mind or else–”

“I'll go insane? Think it's a bit too late for that,” Ashton interrupts with a bitter tone that doesn't belong to his usual chirpy voice.

“You know it's not,” Calum sighs and drinks the rest of his coffee, moving his body slightly, so he's facing the blonde man, “I got a job interview for you at that school you talked about so much last summer, the principal said you can go any day this week. I went ahead and sent her your resume as well as explained everything that she needs to know about Olivia, so you don't have to. You just gotta put on some decent clothes and show up.” he sees Ashton's face softening a little and takes it as a victory. A few beats go by and then, “Maybe take a shower too. That's gonna make you feel better.” Calum leans in closer to his friend's personal space and takes a sniff, causing Ashton to deflect from him slightly, but not to push him away – another small win.

“Definitely take a shower, you stink. When was the last time your hair saw shampoo?”

“Fuck off,” is Ashton's only reply to the younger man's inquest. But Calum can see a smile creeping up on the blonde's face, which brings out a smile of his own.

“I'll send you all the details later today,” he checks the hour on the watch on his wrist and gets up, “Just please, Ash, go. I can't lose you too.”

Calum gently lays a hand on Ashton's shoulder and squeezes a little. The man doesn't look up, but gives a curt nod to his friend, who's satisfied enough. Calum stops on the threshold of the garden glass doors to give some kisses to Stitch – who came to make Ashton company as soon as he finished his food –, and then he puts the coffee mug on the dishwater. And soon enough, he's on his way out of the door. But not before snatching a tangerine from the fridge.

Ashton is left by himself once again. As he hears the sound of the front door closing, he thinks that this might be his life from now on. Just him and Stitch, trying their hardest to make it through another miserable day without the love of their lives. While everyone else comes by just to make sure he's still breathing. Breathing, maybe, but alive?

Swallowing the tears, he looks up at the sky. It's a deep, beautiful mix of orange, pink and blue, but he knows that it won't last long and soon the rain will be pouring down. He thinks about how much Olivia loves the rain.

God, he needs to pull himself together. She would hate to see him like this. Maybe he should take Calum's offer after all, he really needs to occupy his mind.

Making a mental note to thank Calum later, and also to apologize for how rude he was to him this morning, Ashton slowly gets up from the bench to put his mug on the sink and makes his way to the living room, with the small dog loyally following his every step. He puts on some cartoon that for once doesn't remind him of her (she always lovingly made fun of him for still watching those) and cuddles with Stitch on the couch. He can take a shower later.

Not half an hour goes by, he falls asleep and has a good dream for a change. He dreams of the days he spent with Olivia in the Philippines last February, right before her first world tour started. Some of the most magical days of their lives – surrounded by delicious food, a whole new culture to learn about and the warmth of the sun. Infinite counted days full of love and passion, where they were the only people in the world.

Even his subconscious knows to hold on to that brief moment of happiness, because he might never live that again.

#anna writes #perhaps she does write after all #alright i'm gonna go hide somewhere now bye #ashton irwin fanfiction #ashton irwin fic #ashton 5sos #ashton irwin x oc #5sos fanfic #5sos fic #ashton irwin imagine #5 seconds of summer #5sos imagine #anna writes: rwylm

[himox]

Goodbyes Are Hard

Killua x Reader

Bisky x Reader (Platonic)

A/N: I cried during this episode, shut up.

—————

—————

“Congratulations on clearing the game.”

You gripped Gon’s hand tighter, your time in Greed Island had led up to this, you were finally going back to the real world. Killua and Bisky had already gone before the two of you.

“And now, choose four specificed slot cards from your binder, and four that you desire.”

You still hadn’t decided what you were going to choose, having already figured out what your boyfriend and brother were doing with their chosen card. Unlike Bisky, who had made it obvious of her choice from the start.

“You've chosen #2, Strip of Beach, #81, Blue Planet, and #84, Paladin's Necklace.”

Your brother turned to look at you, his brown eyes boring directly to the identical pair. You gave it a moment of thought, before taking a card. Gon immediately understood what you were doing, a look of sympathy reflected on his face.

“Are you positive that these are the four cards you want?”

“Yep.” Gon answered confidently.

“Alright, I will now return your rings. Very nice work.”

Her fingers flew across the keyboard before she pulled out two rings and held them out for the twins to take, their eyes being the only similarity between the two, their personalities a close second.

“Thanks a whole lot, Miss..uhh...” They both simultaneously trailed off.

“Miss. Elena!” Gon and Y/N exclaimed in sinc. The two of you weren’t twins for nothing, constantly completing each other’s sentences, it drove her boyfriend, Killua, nuts.

Elena let out a small laugh. “So you remembered my name? Thank you for that.” She sincerely said.

You and Gon both let out a light chuckle, smiling up in reply.

“Goodbye now.” She cut shortly, and within the blink of an eye, you were faced with Killua and Bisky who were waiting for the two of you.

“Welcome back!” Bisky greeted. Gon stood up while you strided over to your boyfriend, who reacted by putting an arm around your shoulders, your short stature fit snugly into his side.

“What do you think, are we back in the real world now or not? I can’t tell.” Gon asked.

“Well, the game was part of the real world, remember?” Y/N clarified, Killua nodding in agreement.

Bisky quickly became ecstatic, “Hurry up and get your binder out, let’s get this party started!” She stated enthusiastically.

“Book!”

As expected, Gon’s binder appeared almost out of thin air, gliding safely to him and Bisky, who was now looking over Gon’s shoulder. Killua began to gently pet your hair.

“Gain!” Bisky shouted, a bright light surrounded the card before a small, blue gem materialized into Bisky’s hand.

“YAY! This is it! This is the one that I really wanted! I’ve been dreaming about you for so long!” She exclaimed, the whole universe sparkled in her eyes as she held her prize.

As she began to giggle, contemplating what to call her new found treasure, Killua and Gon stood behind her, sweatdropping at her excitement. You let out a small giggle, amused by her actions.

Once Bisky finally realized the three of you were watching her, she cleared her throat and went back to a more professional look.

“So, what about the ones you three picked, happy with your decision?” She questioned.

“Yeah, Gon and I chose the best ones, right?” Gon nodded in confirmation. Killuas chin rested on his girlfriends head as he pulled Strip of Beach from the binder,

“Well, should we try it?” “Yeah!” The thrill never left their tones.

“And gain!” Gon announced, The Paladin’s Necklace formed around his neck.

“Killua, I’ll take it,” Gon compromised, not wanting to interrupt Y/N and Killua’s position.

Killua handed Gon the card when all of a sudden, the necklace began to glow. The card emitted steam, the necklace having transformed the Strip of Beach to an Acompany card.

“Yes! It really worked!” Y/N smiled softly, watching her brothers excitement.

“It sure did!” Killua and Y/N replied, both bringing a thumbs up to Gon.

“Oh, now I get it!” Bisky cut in, hands on her hips.

“So you just used transform to turn Accompany into a specified slot card! And then you use The Paladin’s Necklace to revert it. That was some clever thinking you guys,” She complimented.

“But, I have to say, I’m suprised you would go to all that trouble for an Acompany, instead of choosing another specificed slot card.”

“Yeah,” Gon began, “It’s just, if I hadn’t been the first to enter the game, then I wouldn’t have noticed, so I guess it was a good thing I was.”

Bisky tilted her head in confusion. “Huh?”

Killua lifted a finger, careful not to hit Y/N, “Do you remember when we played ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’?” Killua asked.

“You mean janken?”

“See, I was the first person to enter the game,” Gon continued, “and while I was standing there waiting for Killua and Y/N, there was nobody else around.”

“That means the first person I met in the game, should’ve been the second to show up, Mr. Goreinu.” Gon clarified.

“But it wasn’t,” Gon hadn’t mentioned this to you during the game, intrigued, you continued to listen. “When I checked my binder, it said there were two other people I met before him.”

“Ging is spelled ‘G-I-N-G’.”

“Oh, I get it! So ‘NIGG’ is an anagram!” Bisky concluded.

“My guess is that when Y/N and I were just babies, we must’ve come here with Ging...” Gon trailed off. Killua squeezed his arms, which sat comfortably around your waist a bit, his breath hot against the nape of your ear.

Gon glanced at you and Killua. “Maybe this was his way of trying to tell us, if we’re ready to get up everything we have to go find him, then we have to get strong enough to clear the game.”

Gon’s glance travled to the Acompany card in hand before Bisky cut him out of his trance, “You both really are tenacious, it’s impressive,” She said, referring to Gon and yourself. “So, what are you planning to do once you find Ging?”

“That’s easy! Y/N and I will introduce him to Killua!” This caught Killua’s attention, a noise of confusion parted past his lips as his head rose from your shoulder.

“I’ll tell him he’s my best friend in the world! And Y/N can tell him he’s the best boyfriend in the world!” Gon happily glanced at the two of you, a light blush covering both of your cheeks.

“What?! Shut up! It’s embarssing, man.” He quickly dove back into your shoulder, his hair covering his bashful expression.

The three of you began to hear tears and choked sobs. You were met with the sight of Bisky whimpering and crying, causing you guys to sweatdrop at the scene.

She blew her nose with a handkerchief from her dress, “I can’t take it! It must be my age, but it’s so easy to make me cry!” She choked, blowing her nose again.

“Speaking of you, Y/N, what card do you pick anyway?” Killua asked, this caught Bisky’s attention.

“Oh...right.” You solemnly replied, Killua and Bisky looked confused, but Gon smiled gently, pulling out your card.

“It’s...another Blue Sapphire card?” Killua asked, confused.

Bisky’s pupils seemed to double in size as she received a nod from Gon, the pieces finally fitting together.

You never had that close of a relationship with your Aunt Mito and grandmother, while you loved them, you wanted a figure you could look up to.

“Gain,” you whispered, similar to Bisky, The Blue Sapphire card changed into the item, forming in your hand.

You looked up at Bisky, tears were streaming down your face.

It was silent, Gon put a hand on Killua’s shoulder, both of them knew the bond you and Bisky had created, you loved her like a child would love their mother, and it was no doubt she felt the same.

She had told herself a thousand times that she couldn’t hang onto you three, but she couldn’t help but form a connection with you.

You quickly ran to Bisky, her being only a few inches taller than you granted access to land your head on her shoulder, similar to how Killua had done a few minutes ago. She wrapped her arms around you just as tightly, a few tears slid down her own face.

She glanced at the two boys mouthing, “Take care of her.” Both of the nodded solemnly, not wanting to have to interrupt the moment.

Bisky gently pulled you away by the shoulders, looking directly at you, having to refrain a smile. Even while you were here, her attire had grown on you. You dawned white tights, a pair of black Mary Jane shoes paired with a light pink skirt, along with a slightly darker shade of pink off-the-shoulder sweater. To finish the look, you had taken Bisky’s other ribbon from her previous pigtails and wore it as a joke, but it grew on you, and Bisky never minded in the first place.

She gave you a sweet smile, and sent you back to the boy’s.

Killua brought you back into his arms, your sniffles and whimpers breaking his heart.

“Hey, why don’t you come with us to see Ging, Bisky?”

Bisky had turned around, “Thank you, but I think I’ll pass...” She began to walk closer to the edge, “I’m not interested in men with kids.”

You let out a soft laugh, Killua smiled a bit, happy to see your crying repressed.

‘If I’m with them, I’ll just get attached to Gon and Killua like I did with Y/N....like a parent.’ Bisky thought, her eyes began to gloss a bit.

“Well I guess that’s it then, take care, Bisky.” Gon supposed.

“I will, you guys too, ok?”

“Thanks so much for everything,” The three of you got into position,

“OSU!”

Bisky looked at the three of you, her eyes locked onto yours.

You couldn’t help yourself as your body began to move on it’s own, right back into Bisky’s arms for a final time.

She let out content laugh before you walked back over to Killua. She gave a satisfied hum, and nodded her head to all of you.

Killua held onto your waist as Gon held up the Acompany card, “NIGG!” He announced, before the three of you began the travel to said place.

Bisky stood behind, waving at the blinding light which carried you, Gon, and Killua. She sighed, raising her hand, “Bye guys.”

—————

Bonus!

“So, what are you gonna name your sapphire, Y/N?”

You pondered for a moment before you looked at your two favorite boys.

“I think Bisky is a good name.”

—————

#killua x reader #gon x reader #Bisky #bisky krueger #bisky hxh #killua imagine #killua tag #killua zoldyck #gon freccs #x reader #hxh 2011 #hxh imagines #hxh x reader #hxh x y/n #hxh x you #hxh scenarios

[writing-the-end]

LoL Chapter 51- Fallen Angel

(Sorry this is late! i got my vaccine and it mcfucking knocked me out lol)

Masterpost

A Wizard Hermits tale (AU, designs, ideas belongs to @theguardiansofredland)

The hermits return to Eremita from a restocking trip, to discover they have been raided. And one hermit has been taken. 

Warning: Capture, slight torture scene

_________________________________

Eremita has become their safe haven, the last bastion for the guild. Even when the arcane guard chased them all the way to the water’s edge, no sane person would dare follow the hermits into the Ashioll sea. Which is exactly why they lived in its mysterious, misty embrace. 

They could no longer simply fly off upon the backs of sky turtles, or even teleport into the towns they frequented. Now, when the hermits absolutely had to go into public for supplies they couldn’t make or grow themselves, they sailed in on Cleo’s pirate ship. And when they had to leave, they made sure that if anyone was following them, they took a roundabout direction back to their home. It adds time, weaving between the islands and through the mists, but ensures no one can guess where they live. 

Cleo’s pirate ship beaches up onto the sand, nestling back into place as a wrecked vessel once more. The dream magic fades, revealing broken oak boards, seagrass growing through seams, and splintered masts of the ghost ship Cleo commands. Hypno blinks free from his sleep, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “Already? Man, my dream was just starting to get interesting.” 

With the help of rattling skeletons, their bones held together by magical muscle and sinew, the hermits unload food, meats, fabrics, and more. Enough for months, as if they were preparing to be snowed in after a massive blizzard. Almost all the hermits were a part of the flow of supplies. 

Almost. Only three hermits stayed behind. Zedaph had an accident with his two explosive friends, and while it wasn’t the first time, Grian wanted to keep an eye on the burns in case the magic lingered. Mumbo stayed behind as well, but for very different reasons. One, he was easily recognizable. Everyone knows the multimage that Dolios wants captured alive. Him and Grian are the only two who Dolios demands be captured alive. He also was in the middle of inventing some new contraption, and was not about to leave it behind and lose all his progress. Last Cleo saw of him, he was extinguishing burning locks of hair. She wonders if he’s made any progress, or if he’s burned all his hair away at this point.

Once Impulse and Tango have unloaded their share of the shipment, they go in search of their friend. Both still feel bad for burning Zed, even if it was by accident. And they’ve all been burned at this point in all their years together. But it doesn’t mean they don’t feel bad, especially leaving Zed behind. At least they brought back a caramel apple from his favorite stall in the market, as well as fresh hay for his barn and animal friends. 

“Zed? We have a surprise for you!” Tango calls, his voice twinged with mischief, as if they plan to prank their friend rather than give him a gift. No response comes from the flat roofed barn, except the distant bleat of a sheep. Tango looks at Impulse, fiery hair remaining vertical even as his head tips to the side. “Could he be taking a nap?” 

“You know Zed and his sleep schedule, he wouldn’t interrupt it, even when he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed.” Impulse waves it off. “He probably just isn’t listening, or maybe pulling a prank of his own. Let’s go in.” 

Impulse waves Tango through the gate, careful to keep the sheep, goats, and other farm animals from getting between Tango’s feet and causing his hair to ignite the dry hay in his arms. A horse nips at the bale, but Tango keeps it well away from catching fire. He’s relieved to lighten the load he’s carrying as soon as they're inside the barn. Both mages look to the bed tucked in the corner, but no Zedaph. Tango tosses the haybale aside. “He should be resting.” 

They clamber over the piles of hay, searching every nook and cranny for Zedaph. Even his cookie stash, which they let him believe is still a secret. But Zed is nowhere within the barn he chooses to live in. 

Concern pales both Impulse and Tango’s face, and Tango’s hair reacts in kind to the revelation. “Perhaps he’s being treated by Grian?” 

Tango doesn’t answer, already following the path across the width of the island, from one shore to another. Grian’s floating cloud, the quartz tower with large archways and a glass domed roof. Perfectly built for a sky angel, his wings and speed. Not so perfect for his roommate, and all of Mumbo’s redstone machinery, his own lanky body climbing up onto the solid cloud and stairs to sleeping quarters.

The redstone workshop at the base of the building has been cleaned up, though a few vials seem to have rolled away, as if they were grabbed then subsequently dropped. But, just like the barn, no sign of Mumbo. 

But there is a sound. Echoing from the glass dome, a sniffling, stifling cry escapes from above, followed by a gasping, shuddering breath. Impulse runs up the steps as fast as possible, each bounce from stair to stair accentuated with a tiny explosion to give him more speed. Tango blazes behind, fire burning bright as the sun as energy courses through him. He notices on the way up grey streaks against the pure white quartz. 

“Zedaph?” Impulse breathes, screeching to a full stop. In the center of the room, Mumbo and Zed are huddled close, holding on tight. Their eyes wild with fear, and in Zed’s eyes he can see a shared memory. A shared trauma him, Impulse, and Tango all share. Two hermits, holding onto each other like its their last hope. 

Only two. “Where’s Grian?” 

Mumbo opens his mouth, but a strangled cry only escapes. Tears fall from both their faces, shaking like leaves. Something bad has happened to their friend. Tango slides across the floor, grabbing Zedaph and Mumbo. “What happened? Where’s Grian? Are you hurt?” 

They both shake their heads, but finally Mumbo gathers enough of his voice to speak. It’s weak, broken apart like glass shattering. “He took him.” 

__________________________________________________

A cold, wet air fills Grian’s lungs, biting into his skin like ice on a cold morning. When he tries to open his eyes, the dull ache of his skull becomes sharp, forcing the angel to screw them closed again. Grian grimaces, trying to figure out why he has such a terrible headache. Did he hit his head in training? No, he wouldn’t have been allowed to sleep with the hermits hovering over him. Perhaps he drank too much. Once again, impossible. Grian knows what his hangover is like, and it’s not this. 

He realizes he’s definitely hanging, but not from drinking. Cold, hard metal presses flat against his wrists, suspended over his head. The iron bites into his skin, all his weight rubbing his wrists raw. 

“Good, you’re awake. I was starting to get bored waiting, though I do quite enjoy relishing in finally having my prize thirty years in the making.” The snide, even tempo of Magistrate Dolios’s voice hurts worse than any headache or wrist, and Grian finally manages to open his eyes. The cavern he finds himself in is foreign, not even remotely similar to the brick and iron dungeons where he last woke up in Dolios’s clutches. So long ago, it feels like. The Championship. At the time, he felt like he was at the top of the world. Now? Now he feels like the world was crushing him. 

Grian resists his bindings, but even when he kicks outward, his feet don’t even scrape the dank floor. He tips his head back, until the crown of his head collides with a smooth, hard material. Just at the touch, he can feel the oppressive energy of the crystal. In his vision, he sees the sharp tip of the massive gem. Each wrist is locked tight against the crystal, the nails buried deep in the crystal lattice. 

He looks around, searching for other hermits. For Mumbo, the last face he remembers before…

The memories flood in, cascading alongside the fear and panic. He remembers everything, every terrifying second. Leaving Zedaph to meet with Mumbo, he remembers the scent of marigolds on his hands, just after crushing the petals to make a paste for Zedaph’s burns. The quiet island, most of the other hermits gone. He remembers patting his pocket, the note from his best friend telling him to meet at Iskall’s place. 

But when he arrived, Mumbo was nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t unusual, Mumbo tended to get distracted and be late. So he waited, plucking orange petals from his clothes, hair, and hands. He should’ve noticed the way the wind shifted, becoming cold and stale, before disappearing completely. 

He should’ve realized something was very wrong when the grey stormcloud appeared. But he didn’t. He was so focused on waiting for Mumbo, then on getting rid of the flowers in his feathers, that he didn’t see the husks crawl their way free of the ocean. At least, not until the husk of a soldier came barreling for him, empty glowing white eyes and ashen, flaky form charging with halberd drawn.  

Grian squeaked, dodging the attack. Stumbled over the writhing form of a cactus cat, the fading spines still quite sharp, he was saved by a pair of not-grey arms. 

Not grey arms draped in wine red fabric, the hems decorated in gold thread. He realized who it was immediately, and scrambled to try and get away. But Dolios’s magic kept a strong grip, vines of black twisting and tying Grian’s wings to his back, while a hazy fog had grown around them. 

He remembers the feeling of Dolios’s hands in his hair, pulling him to his feet as he struggled and fought against the vines and the fog that filled his mind. Hands clawing at his binds, even biting the magistrate at one point. He remembers the taste of blood, iron on his tongue and Dolios swearing, blasting Grian with magic. 

And the last thing he remembers, before being knocked out and torn away from his home, was Mumbo’s face. Rounding the corner, completely oblivious to the fight occurring. It was at that moment that Grian realized, when his eyes locked with Mumbo’s that it wasn’t him that sent the letter. The confusion, of seeing Grian, the surprise on his face. He was walking towards the infirmary, dropping the box  in his hand upon seeing the sight before him. 

The fear on Mumbo’s face matched Grian’s own, as he was dragged into the sea. A second later, a swift burst of sonic energy knocked him out. 

And now he’s here. Dolios saunters across the room, gathering ingredients and writing down notes. Grian swings his legs, and summons his wings to try and be free. But as soon as the blue and white feathers appear, they crumble into ash. Crushing weight sets in on his head, his shoulders, his lungs, and his magic, and the crystal he’s trapped against hums with power. “You’re quite different from the last angel I hunted. At least you fought back, but in the end they left me without the gift of their magic. This time, I’m not letting anything go to chance.” 

The magistrate sets his bowl of guts aside, approaching the crystal and Grian. His hands are clasped behind his back, shoulders straight and head held high. The weight of the oppressive dark magic doesn’t bother him. Grian’s not ready to give up just yet. He attempts to kick Dolios, but the dark mage stands mere centimeters out of reach. So Grian decides to use his words. “You’re kind of an asshole, you know that?” 

“I’ve been told that once or twice before, yes. But the rest of Lairyon loves me. And why wouldn’t they? I’ve brought prosperity to this kingdom, done more than that stupid rainbow king could ever do, and all of this because of my power.” Dolios sweeps his hands, vapors of dark magic swirling from his fingers as his fingers clench to fists

“Stolen magic. If the citizens knew, they’d hate you just as much as I do.” Grian reels back his head, and does the best he can to annoy Dolios. He spits on him. The glob of spit lands on Dolios’s cheek, the magistrate flinching, then reaching up and wiping it away. A fresh anger in his eyes. 

“And who would believe you? An outcast mercenary orphan? The last of your kind?” Dolios stoops low, plucking a husked feather from the floor. He walks back to the table, mixing the components and ingredients from his jars of death with Grian’s feather. “Your power is rare. Angelic mages are always powerful, a power I crave. You will be a wonderful addition to my collection of magic. The last of the angels to complete my set!” 

A fearful shiver ricochets down Grian’s spine. “You’re going to turn me into a husk?” 

“Oh, gods no!” Dolios laughs, so loud that it echoes off the cavern walls as he throws his head back, brown curls dancing across rich fabric. “I wouldn’t dare waste such magic to become simple energy for me and my beast. No, no. Do not fret, little bird, you will become so much more. I don’t plan to drain your energy. I plan to steal it.” 

The hunger in Dolios’s eyes as he turns, the concoction in his hand, Grian realizes what he's seen all this time in Dolios’s eyes. Hunger. A madman hellbent on taking what he sees as rightfully his.. A predator stalking his prey. And Grian was cornered, pinned. Unable to fight back, unable to fly away. Fear is replaced by terror, a sensation Grian struggles to fight back. He needs to think clearly if he hopes to survive. 

“The last angel died before my powers were…” Grian pauses, seeing the coy smile on Dolios’s face. 

“I always had a-” Dolios pauses, waving his hand nonchalantly before marking the ground around the crystal spires with dark seal. “-fascination with angelic wizards. A dear friend of mine in my youth was one. Ever since then, I knew I had to have that kind of magic in my collection. So strong, each and every one of you. With magic even the ancient ones revered. And now?” 

Dolios steps back, casting his magic circle. Rather than emitting color and light, it absorbs all color to make the pattern of his magic. He raises his hands, and two satellite crystals awaken. Darkness swirls in the lattice of the gems, mist eeking out through pores and filling the cavern with darkness. When the mist reaches the seal surrounding the crystal Grian’s chained to, the spire behind him, pressed against his back, activates. The pressure on his body, his magic becomes unbearable, breaking into pain. Like a harpoon through his chest, the dark magic takes hold. Biting down, biting in. 

And slowly, agonizingly stealing his magic. So intrinsically tied to his soul, hsi lifeforce, it feels as if his very being is being dragged from every inch of his body in contact with the crystal. He writhes to escape the painful magic, but the bonds hold firm and he struggles to catch his breath. Dolios steps back, basking with ravished delight at the scene before him. Enjoying the pain that tears at Grian’s skin, soul, and spell. “Now the magic will soon be mine.”

#hermitcraft #hermitcraft au #hermitcraft fanfic #light of lairyon #wizard au #wizard hermits #lol #wizard grian #wizard cleo #wizard zedaph #wizard mumbo #grianmc #grian #zombiecleo #zedaph #mumbo jumbo

[rohad93]

Moonlit Masquerade: 6

The witch just has a gravitational pull on her she can’t explain, even before she acknowledged her feelings, but now more than ever all Luz wants is to be close to her. She knows she is supposed to be keeping her distance somewhat as Willow and Gus had suggested but she can’t help it. She just vibrates with energy at the prospect of spending time with Amity.

Preferably alone. A thought that sends her heart into a thundering pace inside her chest.

She still finds herself actively seeking out Amity before or after class on days they don’t have them together. She’s pretty sure Willow has caught on because she rolls her eyes and shakes her head in fond exasperation whenever she runs off with a lame excuse to seek out the mint haired girl. Despite being in on her little secret, Gus seems completely oblivious to it though.

She knows that she's supposed to be winning Amity over anonymously so the witches' feelings won't be influenced as much by their friendship so that she can see that they could be more, but she just can’t help herself.

It’s Friday and she’s hoping with the incoming weekend that Amity might have some free time for the Boiling Isles resident human today. She still has to spend all of tomorrow running errands for Eda and as much as she’d prefer not to, she really needs to study Sunday, as well as help the Clawthorne sisters train with glyphs.

As soon as the bell lets out its regular scream signaling the end of the day she bolts for the door and dashes down the hallways toward Amity's locker.

“Sorry, ‘scuse me!” she calls around herds of other students as she dodges and weaves around them as they fill Hexside’s halls.

She skids around the corner just as Amity is opening her locker and setting her books inside.

'perfect'M

"Hey, Amity!" she calls as she barrels down the hall, giddy at the sight of the girl. Amity looks up and sees her and gives her that small sheepish smile Luz has come to adore as she waves.

Hi, Luz, how were your healing track classes?" she asks, pushing a loose strand of mint-colored hair behind one of her pointed ears and maybe Luz watches the movement far more closely then she should be.

"Great, "I learned how to make this paste that heals small cuts and bruises…" She grinned.

"Well, that should come in handy for you," Amity teases with a grin.

Luz gives a loud, dramatic gasp, a hand resting on her chest.

"Are you implying something about me, Miss Blight?" she asks with mock indignation that makes Amity giggle behind her hand.

"Not at all, Miss Noceda." Amity replies and the way her surname rolls off Amity's tongue makes Luz's knees go weak.

“I was thinkin’ since it’s Friday, do you wanna maybe go to the library and have book club?” she asks hopefully, but those hopes are immediately dashed by the fallen look on Amity’s face. “If you don’t want to, it's fi-” She doesn't get to finish as Amity cuts her off.

“I do!” she cringes at her volume. “I do, but my parents want me to come home right after school. They’re having some work associates over for dinner tonight…,” she trails off.

‘I have to be there to play dress up for them.’ She keeps that part to herself even as she thinks the bitter thought.

“Oh, it’s okay, another time?” she asks, doing her best to keep the disappointment out of her voice and she thought she had but the dejected look on Amity’s face tells her that she needs practice in concealing her emotions.

Before she can speak though a pair of arms drape over her shoulders, making Luz jump.

“Hi, Luz.” her name sounds in stereo in her ears and she realizes it’s the twins draped over her.

“Hey, guys.” She looks at Edric and Emira as they remove themselves from her to stand next to Amity, who already looks mildly annoyed at her siblings’ appearance.

“Long time no see, cutie.” Emira winks, Edric grins and Amity scowls, face turning red and not in the usual way Luz has become accustomed to, it's definitely an angry red and she seems to be looking at Emira specifically.

“We go to the same school and it seems like we hardly ever see you,” Edric laments with a sigh as he drapes an arm around Amity’s shoulder and drops his cheek to the top of her head.

She wastes no time elbowing him in the gut and he quickly retreats with a pained grin. Luz chuckles.

“Yeah, Mittens has been hogging you.” Emira pouts, crossing her arms.

“Ah, well…,” Luz mumbles, unsure what to say to the tricky duo.

“Can we just go?” Amity growls at her siblings. “I’ll see you later, Luz.” She smiles at the other girl before walking off down the hall without waiting for her siblings.

Edric and Emira look at each other and chuckle before Edric hurries off after their little sister.

“Bye, Luz.” He smiles.

“She can be so cranky, maybe we’ll take her to the Redstone bakery next weekend and get her some of those treats she likes so much.” Emira turned to Luz. “She can never get enough of their Thornberry tarts,” she says

“Thornberry tarts?” Luz questioned with interest.

“Yup, it’s like her favorite treat, Well I better catch up to them, see ya later, Luz.” Emira winked before trotting down the hall after her siblings.

Luz watched as the Blight siblings disappeared before shouldering her bag a little higher and heading out of the school straight for the owl house.

She was disappointed that she wouldn’t get to hang out with Amity, but she had gotten some useful information out of it.

~ ~

By Saturday afternoon Luz was exhausted. She had spent the whole day delivering potions for Eda in return for the money she had leant her to buy the flowers.

“For Amity,” she mumbled to herself as she trotted to and fro across Bonesburough with heavy bags of potions in their glass bottles. Even as her arms burned it was still worth it to have seen that smile on Amity’s face and know that she had been the cause.

“Thank you very much.” The old wrinkled shopkeep nodded as she took her delivery.

“No problem.” Luz smiled.

“For your trouble, child.” She held out a hand and Luz blinked as she held up a hand and a handful of snails dropped into her open palm and her eyes lit up.

“Thank you very much!” Luz grinned before taking off, all her deliveries were done and she now had an unplanned stop to make.

With the handful of snails in her pocket, she heads straight for the bakery that Emira had mentioned. The market was bustling with people all haggling and making deals with the various vendors that line the streets and after living with Eda for the nearly two months she had, she knows to be wary of pickpockets, keeping one hand shoved into the pocket of her shorts, clutched around the money.

She has to stop and ask for directions a couple of times but finally finds the small, unassuming bakery on the corner, it’s front windows are full of both delicious and strange-looking treats that Luz can only guess at.

She pushed open the door and a bell overhead chimes.

The large man behind the counter looks at her as she comes in.

“Welcome to the Redstone bakery!” he calls and Luz grins and trots up to the counter. “What can I do for you?” he asks, leaning over the counter to look at her.

“Thornberry tart?” she asks like she’s not sure and he nods walking over to the case and pulls out a palm-sized treat that looks like any tart from her world with deep red filling. He puts it in a box and tells her total. She hands over the snails happily and leaves the shop with her prize and money still in her pocket. A win in her book.

She takes her time walking back and perusing the stalls while humming a happy tune.

She happens to be passing by a booth when something catches her attention. A small stall selling an array of glittering jewelry and the like. Eda isn’t expecting her back at any given time, so there's no harm to stop and browse. She walks up to inspect the offerings. The four-eyed, scaly merchant behind the stall eyes her warily but says nothing as she keeps her hands in plain sight wrapped around the box her tart is in.

The gems shimmer and shine in the sunlight, nearly blinding her at certain angles.

Then something catches her attention. A small trinket and not half grand as some of the things on display but she can only think of one person as soon as she sees it.

Seeing the sudden gleam in her eyes the merchant finally addresses her.

“See something you like?” his voice is scratchy and low.

“How much for this?” she asks, pointing to the item in question. He glances at it.

“Eighty snails.” Luz’s heart sinks. She has five left and as good as she’s gotten at bargaining by learning from Eda she knows there's no way she could get him to agree to that.

“Ah… thanks…” She smiles downtrodden and starts to turn away.

“Hold on there, tiny.” The merchant calls, a scaled tail swaying behind him. “I got a lot of fine pieces here, what makes that one so special?” and he’s right, next to the many bejeweled pieces that look like they cost more than her, it must seem like an odd choice, so small, with a single tiny gem.

She hesitates.

“Professional curiosity,” he says with a shrug.

“Well, when I saw it, it reminded me of someone,” she explains.

“Someone special?” he asks and his four eyes blink as he regards her curiously from behind the stand. Her face flushes and his question is answered but he waits for her answer anyway.

“Very special…” she nods her head, fiddling with the tart box.

He hums, looking Luz over.

“How much you got?” he finally asks.

“Five…”

He grimaces but seems to be thinking.

“How bout a deal?” he says after a long moment. Luz looks at him, curious but wary. “I got a package I need delivered to another shop on the other side of town, but I've been pretty busy today and don’t wanna leave and miss out on customers. Give me the five and deliver the package and it’s yours.” He offers and Luz is practically vibrating with excitement.

“Deal!” She grins brightly and he grunts but smirks as he reaches beneath the stall and pulls out a wrapped parcel and gives her directions to where it needs to go.

She wastes no time taking it to its destination. It takes her about an hour to get there and back, dropping it off at another shop.

When she gets back, sweaty and tired she hands over the receipt for the package as well as her five remaining snails and he nods, taking the trinket out of its case and slipping it in a small maroon-colored velvet box and handing it over.

“Thank you so much!” she calls as she takes off running back to the owl house with her tart and newest acquisition clutched firmly in hand and a bright grin on her face.

~ ~ ~

Despite just coming off the weekend Amity was tired.

Friday nights dinner had taken a lot out of her.

Honestly? She preferred it when her parents mostly forgot they even had children. It was easier for her and the twins.

With that dark thought, she trudged through the school halls with Emira and Edric following behind her and talking quietly to each other, choosing to let her stew in her foul mood. They had as good a time at the dinner as she had, which was to say none at all.

“I’m almost glad to be back at school.” Edric huffed as they walked up to Amity’s locker. Emira made a sound of agreement.

Amity pulled her book out of her bag as she walked up to her locker but before she could reach out its mouth popped open and its tongue slid out, revealing a small box bearing the Redstone bakeries logo.

Amity blinked, heart, beating a little faster as she picked it up. A folded slip of paper was taped to the lid.

She pulled it free and unfolded it.

‘Amity,

A sweet Monday morning to you, Your secret Admirer’

The same handwriting and little heart over the ‘i’.

“Ohhh~”

Amity froze at the twins' chorus behind her.

“Someone’s after your heart, Mittens.” Edric teased with a wide, toothy grin. Emira hummed knowingly.

Amity growled but ignored them as she opened the lid of the box and stared wide-eyed at the treat sitting inside the box as saliva began to fill her mouth at the sight

A Thornberry tart.

How did this person know?

“Oh, Thornberry tart!” Edric grins. "Can I have some?" He reached for the box, which Amity slaps shut and hisses at her brother warningly, baring her teeth at him.

"Just a bite!"

"No!"

Emira watches them squabble with a knowing smirk.

~

At lunch Amity sits with Willow, Gus, and Luz, and practically inhales the treat, her happiness is apparent In every pleasurable sound she makes with every bite. Her terrible weekend was all but forgotten.

Luz smiles brightly as she watches from the corner of her eye and thinks that she would make deliveries for Eda every Saturday if it meant making Amity that happy.

#Lumity #Luz Noceda #Amity Blight #Edric Blight #Emira Blight #Eda Clawthorne #Moonlit Masquerade #fic #The owl house

[misslavendertown]

🌹My thoughts on Steven universe future!🌹

WARNING this post contains a lot of steven universe future spoilers if you haven't seen the new episodes and don't want to be spoiled don't read. I would put a read more link below the warning but Tumblr mobile sucks.

Little homeschool

So Steven can heal corrupted gems using a mixture of what I expect are the diamonds escents? Maybe it's from the extraction Chambers? I can't remember what they're called but yellow's sauna and blue's bath.

Pamphlets about being uncorrupted. Kind of makes me think of those awkward puberty pamphlets you get from school.

The next few minutes are just the trailer.

Connie's preparing for college. I'm so proud. 😊

Pearl teaching gems how to use phones is just golden. Also Holo Pearl is back.

"took me forever to pull those puny green earthlings out of the ground" "you mean grass"

People are gonna hate me for saying this but I actually kind of feel bad for Jasper I think she's bored. She just wants to fight maybe she can take up boxing or wrestling. You know what never mind she'll kill the first person who steps in the ring.

F I G H T M E!

Steven putting a bubble around baby birds to protect them from him and Jasper's fight is purest thing I've seen on the show.

Pink Steven shows up but we already knew about that.

Steven seeking guidance from Jasper disturbs me. This obviously isn't going to end well.

Guidance

Guidance counselor amethyst!

Mr. Smiley has gem employees now maybe he can finally get some sleep. Does anyone remember that?

Amethyst assigned human jobs to the gems and a lot of them are doing jobs they did on homeworld. Steven has a big problem with that but I'm not going to be quick to judge him because I also had a problem with it and I'm sure I'm not the only one who did.

I thought little larimar would be smaller

Larimar and snowflake have I've powers. It's really hard not to make a Frozen joke.

Snowflake seems to have a "male" voice like rainbow 2.0 I think it's Ian Jones-Quarty voicing them but I could be wrong so don't get your hopes up.

I just hope people won't start thinking the gems have genders. The gems don't have genders and I'm tired of explaining that to people.

"I wish to hear the humans scream forever" - little Larimar 2019

Steven is becoming a bit of a control freak that must be the diamond in him.

Uncle Andy is back.

One of the rubies has a #1 body guard mug. I love the idea of a Ruby drinking coffee

As expected Steven forcing gems to do things they suck at goes horribly wrong and now there's all kinds of crazy stuff happening including a runaway rollercoaster.

SMOKY QUARTZ RETURNS!!

Pink smoky and they have super speed now or Steven has super speed. they're so fast everything is slow motion like that one episode of regular show with the double glazed apple fritters.

For some odd reason amethyst never questions Steven's new abilities but then again she probably doesn't know that it might be a bad thing.

Some of the gems actually enjoy what they did on homeworld. Amethyst is a really good guidance counselor I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this in the future.

"sometimes you save all the people and the rollercoaster still crashes into the ocean....and that's okay" words of wisdom.

Amethyst found out who she is and what she wants to do.

Larimar likes children and now she hands out prizes for them at one of the game stands.

"I love their laughter it's sounds just like screaming"

"OH NO WE FORGOT ONION!!! eh he's fine"

Onion is immortal apparently. Whatever it's onion don't question his logic.

Rose buds

The homeworld humans are back! They've taken control of the zoo after the diamonds freed everyone and now it's a cruise ship.

J10 and y6 being salty about Greg not choosening them. J10 annoyed at the amethysts for being lazy. I guess he doesn't realize that's how cruise ships work.

Holly blue agate and the famethyst are back! Holly doesn't know how to relax.

THE BUBBLED ROSE QUARTZ GEMS ARE FREE AND THEY ACT LIKE TEENAGERS. THEY'RE SO CUTE!

They consider Steven their hero and are super excited to see what the Earth has become since they've been. There's only three of them staying.

Steven feels overwhelmed by all their questions and accidentally invites them to dinner.

Only three of the roses come a bubbly rose, a laid back rose and the one we saw in the trailer

As expected it's super awkward for everyone the gang isn't ready to face them yet.

They call carrots carrot beans and it's so adorable. I love them so much.

Greg considers the human zoo humans his exes. He mentions he hasn't had this many exes in one place since and then he's cut off I would like to know more about Greg's exes and the incident he was talking about.

"I can feel the rest of my hair falling out!" -Greg Universe 2019 seriously though poor Greg.

They all hide in the bathroom.

The rose quartz want to stay with Steven. he's uncomfortable around them but doesn't want to seem rude and hurt their feelings or make them feel unwelcome.

SLUMBER PARTY!!!

Steven tells the roses how he really feels and turns out they were faking their feelings too. They're really hurt over what happened and they know what Steven is going through with the whole pink diamond fiasco and their conflicting feelings regarding her. It's a very sweet and touching moment between them.

Steven considers them siblings now because they were all created by pink diamond and understand what it's like living in Rose's shadow

I know they don't stay on earth with Steven but I hope we get to see the roses again before the series ends.

Volleyball

Doctor Steven > Doctor Mario don't @ me.

long necked Ruby is hilarious

Pink Pearl's crack can't be healed by Steven's spit.

She doesn't remember being under White's control which makes sense. She was under her control for 8000 years.

So Pink hurt pink pearl why am I not surprised? 😒

I think she's still grieving obviously. Again trailer stuff.

Pink pearl is older than pearl

Some Pearls were made on Earth and the facility doubles as a repair shop. It also has accessories basically it's like a place where you can get your phone fixed and shop for phone cases and other stuff.

Pink pearl is a ribbon dancer. That's what they're called right?

The problem isn't her gem it's a psychological thing.

Gems can damage their physical forms without damaging their gem. That's very interesting and I don't think we've seen this in the show before.

Pink had destructive tendencies It was a tantrum that hurt pink pearl after being denied a planet and gave her PTSD or something similar.

Maybe it was PD hurting Pink pearl that made the other diamonds realize she was a force to be reckoned with and that led to them giving into her demands and giving her Earth.

Seems like those destructive tendencies are starting to come out through pink Steven. Maybe the corrupted Steven theory is right?

Steven should really consider anger management but hey puberty will do that to you. Just kidding I am genuinely concerned.

Apparently the Pearls were both in denial and kept making excuses, never really accepting who PD really was. pink pearl kept saying "she didn't mean to hurt me" this is clearly a metaphor for abuse.

The crack must've been caused by her burying her feelings.

I swear rose/pink gets worse every episode I get she was abused herself but that's not a good enough excuse. Not saying I don't like pink diamond l just hate the things she's done.

I love how the two Pearls bonded over pink hurting them and how they never stopped hurting. it's so sweet and wholesome how can you not ship it? Pearl's gotta stick together.

PEARL FUSION SHE HAS A CAPE!!! SHE LOOKS LIKE A QUEEN!!

I'm assuming the fusion's name is red pearl.

I can't tell if it's a different voice actor playing the pearl or if Deedee is speaking in a low voice.

They didn't show pink Pearl's eye so whether or not if it's healed is up for interpretation.

I think this is easily my favorite episode so far.

#steven universe #steven universe future #garnet #amethyst #pearl #jasper #pink pearl #steven universe snowflake #little larimar #rose quartz #steven universe spoilers #volleyball #steven universe volleyball #queen pearl #pearl fusion

[hope170]

Honestly I just wanna give all my love to Spinel, so if it's not too much how about a Spinel x fem!reader where she makes sure Spinel is happier than usual for the entire day, she does little things like making her breakfast etc ;") maybe it's like the anniversary of Spinel becoming good again or some other (more creative) reason you can come up with :D

This was so much stinking fun to write, I hope you like it!

When Spinel woke up that morning she was alone. For a split second she panicked. She had woken open alone before, it wasn’t something new, but she still had those moments. Thankfully, she had gotten better at handling it and the panic only lasted that one second. She could hear the noises coming from the kitchen, the clanging of pots and pans mixed with your soft footsteps and quiet singing.

She sighed, snuggling deeper into the blankets and happily listened to you sing. To her, your singing was the most beautiful sound in the galaxy, nothing could compare. It relaxed every muscle in her body, no matter how tense she was, and always made her hum happily. 

She quietly groaned in disappointment when the singing stopped, dragging the blanket over her head. She listened to the soft footsteps as they approached the bedroom and the groan of the door as it was opened. 

She peaked out of her blanket pile, smiling up at your face brightly. You smiled back, giggling and crawling back into bed, cuddling close to the gem. She wrapped her arms around you over and over, holding you tight and humming happily. 

“Morning, love.” You chimed, giving her a peck on the lips. Her face heated up and her smile widened. She never would get used to your kisses. She would blush every time and get these cute little hearts in her eyes. It made you giggle.

“Morning, Doll. What’ve you been up to?” She purred, nuzzling into your neck. 

“Just making breakfast. It’s your favorite!” You said that last part in a sing-song voice.

Spinel gasped, pulling away from you to look into your face.

“Chocolate chip pancakes?! You never make those!”

You giggled at her expression, giving her another kiss.

“Today’s a special day!”

Now Spinel was just confused, frowning thoughtfully at you.

“It is?”

“Yep!” you chimed happily. 

“Why?”

You shook your head. 

“I’m not telling you, you have to guess! If you do, you get a prize!”

Spinel hummed thoughtfully, smirking at you, eyes sparkling at the prospect of a game. 

“Oh really? How long do I got?”

“Till the end of the day.”

“Well… It’s not our anniversary....”

“Nope!”

“It’s definitely not your birthday. I’d never forget that!” 

She hummed thoughtfully again, looking rather perplexed. She couldn’t for the life of her figure it out! As far as she could tell, it was just another ordinary day.

“Maybe some pancakes will help you think.” You suggested and she smiled, letting you drag her out of the bed and into the kitchen for some breakfast. It was there that you told her you’d be going out for the day. You both decided to go to Funland and the arcade.

You spent all day doing whatever Spinel felt like, indulging her every random impulse. Did she want to jump into the ocean? You jumped with her, laughing together when you bobbed to the surface. Did she want to eat a pound or two of funnel cake? You bought it for her. Did she want to play that one arcade game fifty or a hundred or two hundred times in a row? You cheered her on, exploding with excitement every time she beat her own high score. 

By the end of the day, there was only one more thing she wanted to do.

“Walk with me?”

And you did, the gem clinging onto your arm as the two of you wandered down the boardwalk, watching the lights as they glimmered like stars and reflecting off the gentle ocean below. The night was filled with the warmth of the summer day, the orange lights, and the body pressed close to yours. You had to admit, this was probably your favorite thing you’ve done all day. Nothing compared to the sparkle of the lights in Spinel’s eyes, the warm smile on her face, the way her gem shimmered. She had to be the most beautiful being in the universe.

You stopped in the middle of the boardwalk, both leaning against the railing to look out over the ocean. When you looked at Spinel again, she was staring at you, hearts in her eyes and a dopey smile on her face. You felt your face heat up and smiled sweetly at her.

“Did ya have a good day, sweetheart?”

Spinel hummed, snuggling closer to you and sighing.

“Sure did, Toots, the best day. There’s just one thing I still don’t get …” She looked at you, confusion clear on her face. “I still can’t for the life of me figure out why. What’s today?”

You smiled softly at her, then looked back out over the ocean. You could feel the gem’s eyes on you, not wavering for a second. 

“It was a trick. There’s no way you can know about today. Sorry, love…”

Spinel huffed at that, poking your cheek and making you giggle.

“No fair!” She whined. “You cheated! Now you Have to tell me!”

“I know, love.” You were silent for a second. “It was today a year ago. We weren’t dating then, but we were friends. I think we were hanging out on the beach, just messing around. I must have said something funny cause you were laughing so hard you were crying!” You took a moment just to look at her, admiring the blush on her cheeks and the way she looked at you, with so much love you felt like you could explode. “That’s when I first realized I love you.”

Her blush grew darker and she made some sort of strangled sound, plopping her face into your shoulder in embarrassment. The sight drew a loud happy laugh from you and you wrapped the gem in your arms, holding her close to your chest. She giggled, hugging you back.

“I love you so, so much, Spinel.”

“I love you.”

#spinel x reader #reader x spinel #spinel #reader insert #steven universe #su #steven universe spinel #su spinel #spinel x fem!reader #spinel x male!reader #gender neutral reader

[takonei]

Beta AU - Main story: Chapter 2, daily life (Part 1)

Note of the author: Gay. And actually some nice stuff. I won’t cover the entire daily life part, as you probably guessed from the title. It turns out the daily life part was longer than I expected, so it will be in 3 parts.

A thing I forgot to add was where the labs are placed. I updated the info page so you can see where the opened labs are. 

Chapter 2: The wolf and the lamb - Daily life

Day 5 since the beginning of the game. 7 AM.

Shuichi had trouble sleeping that night, the vision of Gonta’s corpse and Tenko brutally dying was playing on loop in his mind.

He saw the first rays of sunshine through his window and decided to stop trying to sleep. Perhaps he could try playing a soothing song in his lab, that would make him feel better, he hopes.

After taking a shower and getting dressed up, he left his room. The morning announcement was in an hour, but he needed to go out. He went down the stairs and noticed Kaede leaving her room as well. She had a faint smile on her face, but Shuichi could tell she hadn’t sleep well either.

“Good morning, Kaede.”

“Good morning!”

“Good morning…”

A third voice made its entrance. It was Maki. The three decided to go to Shuichi’s lab, after he suggested them to go there for some time before the morning announcement.

Shuichi was slowly mentally waking up, meanwhile Maki and Kaede were chatting behind him. Kaede was complimenting Maki on her ability to help in the trial, but Maki brushed it off as basic tailor knowledge.

But the moment they opened the main door, they were met with an indescribable sight.

One of the Monokubs, Monokid, was there, completely destroyed, and so presumably dead. The robot's foot was hanging from a rope and the rest of his body in small pieces scattered across the floor, with small traces of blood around it.

They stood there, completely baffled by what they were seeing. The rules stated that any type of violence against the headmaster was prohibited, but did that include the Monokubs? Who even was able to-

Shuichi’s thoughts were interrupted when Monokuma popped up out of nowhere.

“Boohoo! My precious Monokid, destroyed and shattered to pieces! Such despair!”

Kaede panicked. “N-none of us actually did this I-”

“Nah, Monodam did it.”

She blinked. “Huh?”

The bear didn’t look shaken up at all. “He was babbling about everyone getting along and Monokid getting in the way, so he destroyed him.”

Maki rolled her eyes. “What a father you are.”

Monokuma shrugged. “Hey, Monokid wanted to include him in miss hero karateka’s execution, but SOMEONE can’t do their job properly!”

Shuichi was extremely confused. The monokubs were killing each other? That would be for the best, but who knows what they have in mind.

“Anyway, shoo! I gotta clean this mess.” he grumbles. “Kids these days...”

They left without saying a word. They would have to explain once everyone was there. Or perhaps that wouldn’t be necessary if Monokuma decided to do the job himself.

When they arrived at the violinist’s lab, Shuichi asked if they had a specific song in mind, but Kaede told him to play the song he wants to play. After all it was his idea to play some music. And besides, neither she nor Maki were music experts.

Shuichi went through some of the music sheets before finding one of his favorite pieces.

He placed it on the desk and sat down to play. Unfortunately that was a song not meant for violin solos, and was often played by both a pianist and a violinist. But that didn’t matter. Shuichi wanted to play a song to calm both himself and the girls down. Not to perform like the whole world was watching.

(BGM)

Kaede smiled and took out a notebook to start writing. Maki closed her eyes and let herself get lost in her thoughts.

When the song ended, Shuichi looked at the two girls. Maki was sleeping on Kaede’s shoulder and the other girl was violently blushing and unable to write anything down. She looked at the boy with distress written on her face.

Shuichi chuckled. “Do you want to wake her up?”

Kaede was a blushing mess. “I- uh…” she took a deep breath. “To be honest I don’t mind her sleeping on my shoulder. It… Feels kind of nice actually.” she wrapped her fingers around the sleeping girl’s. “I think I’m gonna stay here for a while. I want to enjoy my time here even though it’s not exactly the best situation.”

She rested her head on Maki’s. “And even if I were to die here, I at least want to be with the people I love.”

Shuichi smiled. He was happy for them. But he felt sad remembering the situation they are in.

He left the room to give the girls some space. They would probably be woken up by the morning announcement, but at least they would have enjoyed their time in his lab, he thinks.

He went outside to get some fresh air and noticed Kokichi sitting on the grass, looking at nothing in particular, so he decided to join him.

However the smaller boy got startled by the taller one’s sudden appearance. Shuichi apologized and Kokichi brushed it off, that it was just him being himself. The violinist noticed him stepping back to make some space between them, even though they weren’t that close.

After some silence, Shuichi tried to start a conversation. “You and Himiko look rather close, did you two become friends?”

The first reaction of the boy in black was to raise the collar of his sweater above his nose to hide his face. “I… Yeah, you could say that. She is nice to me, but I don’t know why.”

Shuichi thought for a second. “Himiko looks genuinely kind, compassionate and energetic, it feels like she wants to share this positivity, perhaps that’s why she hangs out with you.”

Kokichi didn’t seem to agree, but decided not to respond.

After a moment of silence Kokichi got up and brushed off the dirt on his sweater. “I just needed some fresh air, I’ll go back to my room.” he didn’t even wait for Shuichi’s answer to leave.

He sighed. He didn’t know if it was because he said something wrong, if Kokichi didn’t like him or simply because he was shy, but Shuichi was a bit troubled by the end of the conversation. He hadn’t heard much from him, but he could tell he needed some help. He hoped Himiko was helping him in some way.

Shuichi decided to go to the dining hall, to give a hand with the breakfast if possible.

Kirumi was alone in the kitchen, cutting some apples with a precision that was almost scary. The way she held the knife to cut the fruits was almost hypnotic.

“Do you need anything?” she asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. In hindsight her gaze was terrifying.

“Ah- no actually. I was wondering if you needed any help with the breakfast.”

She got back to cutting the apples and simply replied “I am a maid. It’s my duty to make those tasks.”

Shuichi wanted to respond, but she probably wouldn’t take no as an answer. He left to go to the dining hall, where actually no one was there.

The morning announcement played, and Shuichi just rubbed his eyes. The others started coming as well.

Kirumi brought the food and drinks, to serve everyone. She had remembered by now what was everyone’s favorite food. Shuichi got his blueberry pancakes, but decided to wait for Kaito and Rantaro, who weren’t here yet.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive. Kaito looked a bit tired, but that was to be expected from what happened the day before.

Rantaro, Miu, Kaito and Shuichi ate in silence, mostly because no one had any conversation subject in mind.

Soon after, Monokuma showed up. Claiming it was to give a prize for surviving the first class trial.

If looks could kill, Kirumi and Ryoma would have destroyed the robotic bear as soon as he showed up.

Keebo let out a robotic sigh. “Just get to the point. Even though this doesn’t concern me, the others would like to eat in peace.”

The rest of the Monokubs showed up as well with of course everyone noticing the blue one’s absence. After another petty argument, they gave the rewards, which were “a dragon gem, an ocarina, an ancient passport and a hexagonal crank from some zombie game” as they put it.

The bears left soon after. Shuichi was holding the ocarina to inspect it. That looked like a real one, at least.

Rantaro suggested they went to inspect the academy in groups, to see if there were anymore hints about their whereabouts. He suggested 4 groups, one for each item.

Shuichi was leading the group with the ocarina, which were himself, Kaito and Miu.

Tsumugi, Ryoma, Kirumi and Keebo decided to take care of the passport.

Korekiyo, Angie, Maki and Kaede would investigate the crank.

Rantaro led the last group with the dragon gem. His partners were Kokichi, Himiko and Angie.

After finishing their breakfast they began to investigate.

They decided to look outside since two groups were already indoors. They later found a building that looked abandoned, but had a a sign with notes in front of it. Shuichi may not be an ocarina expert, but he could try playing the notes. After a few tries he managed to get it right, and the plant covering the door withered away, to the other two’s surprise.

The building was a pool, according to the entrance sign.

Miu smiled. “Nice! We could do a pool party sometime!”

Kaito winced at the remark. “Yeah.... Without me.”

“Come on... I’m sure you have a sexy body underneath that shirt...”

Kaito’s eyes widened at the flirty response. “What?? My body is fine, but back off! I just don’t like swimming!”

She chuckled. “Is it because you can’t swim, then?”

“No! I just said I don’t *like* swimming!”

The two bickered for some time before Shuichi fake-coughed to get their attention.

“Perhaps we should look inside.”

The pool area had a nice warm and modern aesthetic, and had surprisingly less weeds than the exterior let believe. Miu whistled in admiration.

“Damn, damn! That looks good, but it might as well become my playground!”

Shuichi raised an eyebrow. “Huh? Is swimming one of your passions?”

She laughed. “Nah, but look at this!” she extended her arms, to show the walls around them. “That’s a perfect canvas for me! I’m a street artist, it’s my job to paint the entire walls just as I please!”

Kaito looked skeptic. “Won’t Monokuma count it as vandalizing? Is it in the school rules?”

Before Miu could think about a response, the four remaining monokubs appeared out of nowhere. The yellow one talked first.

“Painting the walls isn’t considered vandalizing, nor it is against the school rules.”

The pink one continued. “However if you do vandalize as in destroying or removing equipment, it will be replaced!”

The red one pointed at the set of rules they hadn’t noticed. “Also, swimming at nighttime is against the rules! Even touching the water is prohibited!”

Monosuke shrugged. “It would be unfortunate for someone to have an accident involving someone drowning.”

Shuichi imagined it was because it would be “boring” for them to have a class trial where someone just drowned by themselves.

The bears left. The three friends looked at each other. “Now what?”

They decided to get the others to see if they were successful in their research. They found Tsumugi’s team but Kirumi was missing. They had just found out that Kirumi’s lab opened, but she didn’t want the others to disrupt her while she was rearranging her stuff. They had found it strange but the lab didn’t look suspicious from what they saw.

They decided to help Rantaro’s group since they were the closest to them and the passport only gave access to one lab.

They found Rantaro in his own lab, that just opened. It wasn’t the largest, but still had 3 minimalist beds, a few shelves that Rantaro was exploring and a large work space. He noticed the group and waved at them.

“So, have you guys found anything? Come in if you want.”

Perhaps seven people were a bit much in the lab, so the rest of Tsumugi’s group decided to find the others from Rantaro’s group in the meantime.

The three others stepped in the lab and looked around. The lab had this ruined aspect, but more because it was deliberately damaged than abandoned like the rest of the school.

Shuichi looked at the shelf Rantaro was going through. “What type of products are in there?”

Rantaro put a white plastic bottle back where it was from. “Mostly emergency stuff medics use. Bandages, crutches, a lot of disinfectant products, medical alcohol and tools for emergency surgeries.”

Kaito looked a bit worried. “You think anything in there could be used to... You know...”

The medic scratched the back of his neck. “If you’re talking about the chemical products nothing can exactly kill you if taken in a small dose, so don’t even try. I would notice if something went missing from my lab. Also...”

He took a small bottle, opened it and approached it to Kaito’s nose. “That stuff smells a lot. It’s easy to tell when it’s in your plate or drink.”

Kaito backed off pretty quickly.

“So unless you decide to drink an entire bottle by yourself, you should be fine.”

Suddenly, Himiko ran to them with Kokichi by her side. “Miu! You’re here!”

She got up. “What is it, twinkle?”

The smaller girl smiled. “Your lab is open! Kaede’s lab is open too but since she’s not here yet...”

The street artist’s eyes widened. “For real? C’mon let’s go!” she almost ran off.

Once arrived, they saw the spacious room that was Miu’s lab. She looked around in awe the empty walls waiting to be filled. The walls were light grey and the room was well illuminated by the neon lights on the ceiling.

“I think I’m in heaven.” her sparkly eyes made Rantaro chuckle.

“There’s a door right here, is there a second room?”

They turned to the door with a window in the middle. Himiko shrugged. “We didn’t check since it’s not our lab.”

From what they were seeing, it looked like some kind of chemical lab. her eyes widened. “No way... Is that...”

She opened the door to get a better look, and got overjoyed by this room. Everyone else was quite confused, except for Kaito, apparently.

“Miu, what is this?” Kokichi asked her.

She laughed. “You uncultured swine! Remember that I make my own fluorescent paint!” she pointed her thumb to her face with a proud grin. “That’s what makes my work different from the others.”

She went the shelf in the corner of the room and opened it. It was full of colorants and chemical products that Shuichi assumed to be the ingredients used to make the paint she was talking about.

“It’s perfect.” she says.

Rantaro took one of the bottles and examined it. “I understand why your lab has this part in it. But that stuff doesn’t look safe to manipulate.”

She flicked the boy’s nose, snatched the bottle with two fingers and took a few steps away. “You don’t have to worry about it, sweetie.” She turned her head to him. “You’re talking to ‘the firefly of the city’ in person. That stuff is child’s play for me now.”

Kokichi didn’t look reassured at all. “Still... An accident can happen really easily.”

Himiko put her hand on his shoulder and smiled. “I think we should trust her with her stuff. She seems to know what she’s doing.”

After the street artist’s lab it was time to check the other labs. When they left the lab they met the last group who was done checking with the crank.

Apparently the area behind a wall was opened now, with a casino and a love hotel.

Miu chuckled. “Damn, does that bear wants us to kill each other or to fuck each other?”

Korekiyo sighed. “At this point I feel like I should stop wondering what his intentions are.”

They decided to join the rest of the group to Kaede’s lab. It looked similar to the library, but it had a warmer atmosphere, and a large desk in the middle. The lab looked like a library that would belong in a fantasy novel.

They were about to close their research, until Tsumugi showed up, panting.

“There’s... One last lab that opened.”

Rantaro raised an eyebrow. “We scanned the entire building, are you saying there was a hidden room?”

She shook her head. “No it’s... Another building.”

They went outside and noticed that there was, indeed, a new building, not so far from the shrine of judgement. It looked like a cottage, which was weird when you compared it to the rest of the buildings.

“Have you seen which lab it was?” Shuichi asked. She didn’t even look at the him.

“It’s better to show you in person.”

After a short walk they stood before the building and Tsumugi opened the door.

It was Gonta’s lab.

The room was invaded by plants, there were shelves filled with books and other shelves had animal skulls and bones it it. It sent a shiver down Shuichi’s spine, but that was to be expected for a zoologist.

The lab would have made Gonta happy, but he wasn’t there anymore. Now it was just this empty building that looked like a hunter’s shack.

No one was sure about what they should do with the lab, so Rantaro suggested they should leave it as it is, just like Tenko’s lab.

After a moment of silence, Angie asked for the attention of the group. When she was exploring the second floor, she found a treasure chest with some sort of flashlight in it. Since she didn’t know what to do with it she asked Monokuma to help her, to everyone else’s dismay.

After she said that, a bell ringed and Monokuma appeared on the monitors of Gonta’s lab.

“This is an important announcement! Everyone, please gather at the gym!”

The screen shut off almost instantly. They had no choice but to do as the bear said.

Once at the gym, Monokuma showed up as well with the peculiar flashlight. He explained it was a flashback light, and would be used to help them recover their memories.

Shuichi glanced at Rantaro, who looked already annoyed. “It’s already your fault our memories are lost. Why should we trust you about this and why on earth would a flashlight help us recover memories?”

The bear laughed. “Aww, I bet there were a lot of naysayers and skeptics when the telephone was invented too.”

“That’s not the point.”

“The flashback light can treat various symptoms of memory loss, the light it emits stimulates the basal ganglia and hippocampus. Not just that, but physical-”

He interrupted himself. “Explications are boring, but basically it works like that.” he disappeared right after.

“Now hold on a sec-” Rantaro didn’t even finish his sentence.

Shuichi crossed his arms. “Do you think we should use it, Rantaro?”

The green haired teen picked up the flashback light and examined it. He took a few seconds to think about an answer. “That flashlight looks extremely fishy, not gonna lie.”

Ryoma rolled his eyes. “Duh. It’s Monokuma giving it to us. But we won’t be able to investigate anything if we don’t take risks. Unless you have any clue on how to use a goddamn pool at our advantage.”

Rantaro sighed. “As much as I hate to admit he’s right.”

Miu looked skeptical, but agreed. “I can’t tell anything since I know nothing about human anatomy but I trust you.”

The others agreed as well, and Angie turned on the flashlight.

The memories flowed through their brains, and after what felt like an eternity the world went back to normal. Everyone was shocked by what they remembered.

Erasing their own memories... Fleeing because of the ultimate hunt... But not being able to remember why they were being chased in the first place.

Shuichi was extremely disturbed. He remembered running and running, but felt frustrated because he had no idea why. The flashback light didn’t give all the info they wanted. He looked at the “leader” of the group to get his opinion.

Rantaro looked like he had seen something way more traumatizing.

There was this mix of confusion and anger on his face that scared Shuichi at first. he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and stood straight.

“I’m guessing everyone saw the same thing?” he asked the group.

“If we’re talking about fleeing the ultimate hunt, then yes. However I am unable to remember why we were the targets.” Keebo replied.

Tsumugi put a finger on her chin. “There is a possibility we were fleeing this killing game targeted for us ultimates, and we lost.”

Hoshi huffed. “That wouldn’t even surprise me at this point.”

Korekiyo narrowed his eyes. “Erasing our memories so we wouldn’t become targets anymore for this twisted game.”

Angie extended her arms in joy. “Let’s talk about the positive news! At least we know why we’re here!”

Maki crossed her arms. “Those are just speculations. We don’t know for sure.”

Kaede smiled at her. “But that’s one more step in our investigation!”

That didn’t seem to reassure a lot of them, though.

Kirumi suggested they should try to calm down and think about this over a meal.

They agreed and walked to the dining hall. Shuichi overheard a conversation between Keebo and Kirumi, with the maid asking him how did he even recover memories, since the flashlight was functioning for humans. Keebo was confused at first, but explained that his vision was simply an artificial version of the humans’, which was probably why he remembered as well.

After a calm lunch, they left in separate ways to do their activities.

Miu and Kaito were in the street artist’s lab, presumably painting.

Maki was sewing in her lab. Tsumugi and Angie were here too, probably to keep her company.

Kaede, Kokichi and Himiko were at the casino, for some reason.

Kirumi and Korekiyo were relaxing in the maid’s lab. Now that Shuichi thought about it, he hadn’t seen what the lab looked like yet.

Rantaro and Ryoma were in the medic’s lab, but judging by Rantaro’s mood earlier, he preferred not to disturb him.

That left Keebo, who was in Gonta’s lab, for some reason.

Shuichi and Keebo were not exactly friends, but that was an opportunity for him to get to know the robot better.

When the violinist arrived, Keebo was staring at nothing in particular. He was like frozen in place.

“Keebo?”

He didn’t move.

“Um... Keebo?”

He put a hand on his shoulder. The robot got startled and emitted some strange noise before actually talking.

“Sorry, it looks like my circuits went off for a second.”

Shuichi shook his head. “No, it’s alright. Are you okay though?”

He smiled. “Yes, I’m okay. I sometimes space out like this, nothing to worry about.”

Shuichi looked around. “Why were you in Gonta’s lab though?”

Keebo gently passed his fingers on one of the shelves not to damage anything. “I don’t really know. I wanted to know more about him. What he was into. And I thought the lab would give me a clue about this.”

He opened one of the windows and took on of the smaller skulls, which looked like it belonged to a rodent.

Shuichi was curious. “Do you think these are real?”

The robot gave him the skull. “I cannot tell, since my sense of touch is not very developed.”

He took the skull and brushed his fingers on it. “Those are replicas. It’s plaster, I think.”

“I see.”

They put back the skull and left the lab. They sat on the ground and talked to pass the time. It was mostly them comparing their ways to live, as a robot and a human. At rare occasions the robot would lag for a bit, even if it was just for a few seconds. Perhaps that was the reason he didn’t call himself the ultimate robot.

~ I’m bad at Free time events episode 1, just consider it’s the evening now ~

Everyone ate dinner more or less separately, to Kirumi’s dismay. Himiko assured her that she didn’t need to stay the entire time, and that it was okay for her to take a break. The maid sighed and left the dining hall, saying she will be in her lab if anyone needed anything.

Shuichi ran up to her when no one was looking.

“What is it, Shuichi?” she didn’t seem mad or anything. Perhaps it was just her natural aura that was frightening.

“Um... Could I visit you lab if you’re okay with it? I was curious since I didn’t even get to see it.” he was more worried that she was hiding something, but he decided not to say that.

Kirumi looked like she was analyzing his expression to see what his intentions were.

“Sure. Follow me.”

The more he walked alongside her, the more worried he became. A part of him was begging him to run away and pretend nothing ever happened, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

When the two arrived at the door, Shuichi unconsciously held his breath.

“You look tense. Are you okay?”

The question startled him. “Ah!- Sorry, I’m fine, don’t worry.”

She opened the door. The lab looked like a dining hall from a Gothic mansion, it was not very illuminated. The furniture looked fancy, with expensive plates and glasses exposed. 

“Is there anything you needed to see?” she asked.

Shuichi looked around. “What even are in those drawers? We got the everything necessary in the kitchen after all.”

She approached one of the drawers and opened it. “It’s mostly fancier than in the kitchen. I’m guessing that would be to fit a certain ‘aesthetic’, like in the others’ lab. It’s not uncommon for me to work in those large mansions.”

Shuichi chuckled. “You too, huh?”

She raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I’m used to perform private concerts in rich people’s homes. It’s the type of wealth I’ll probably never achieve.”

The maid sighed. “Sometimes I do wish to take a break. My job can be really exhausting when it comes to certain types of clients.”

He faintly smiled. “I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to be a maid full time, but performing for hours for two or three people at most isn’t easy, even with experience.”

“I understand.”

She thought for a few seconds. “Please do not take offense in what I say, but I can see that you lack confidence, whether it is about leading the group or simply in social interactions.”

A shiver went down Shuichi’s spine. “Do I?”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, pardon me if this sounded strange. Those are just the impressions the class trial gave me. What I meant is...”

She paused for a second, then sighed. “If... Another class trial occurs, perhaps the culprit won’t be as merciful as Tenko. Perhaps cornering them would be necessary, and being passive would lead to nothing.”

“For a reason I can’t point out, the others followed your lead, so I did as well. But I suggest you work on your confidence.”

“Of course we shouldn’t rely on you too much, I know that better than anyone else as a maid. But that would also help the group in those hard times.”

Shuichi didn’t know how to respond. That sounded right, but he was surprised nonetheless. “Thanks a lot, Kirumi.”

He waved at her and left her lab. He exhaled a deep breath he didn’t know he was holding. Perhaps he could talk to Kaito about this, he who seemed really confident in himself. But the nighttime announcement was approaching, and according to his monopad, Kaito was already in his room, so perhaps the next day would be better.

Shuichi took a shower and let himself fall onto his bed. Tomorrow would be another day.

#ndrv3 #danganronpa v3 #ndrv3 au #beta au #main story

[c-atm]

Fighting Flirty: Birthday Boss Rush

Chapter 1: Hanging with the Maheswarans

The sound of the warp pad reverberated throughout the area as a stream of crystal blue hit the pad and vanished as fast as it came, leaving the now 22 year old Steven ‘Mister’ Universe, dressed in his usual summer outfit of a black cotton short sleeve button up, pink bubble vest, blue jeans, and black and pink sneakers. He took a step off, hands in his pocket as he headed towards his destination. It didn’t take long for him to reach it, as he came to a large fountain with a statue of Rose Quartz, his mother;  in the very middle. He sat on the edge of the fountain, kicking off his socks and shoes and dipping his feet in the water. He turned towards the tear streak visage of the woman who gave him birth, with an even smirk.

“Hey Mom.” It was so much easier to call her that these days, no longer feeling the strain of living up to her legend or cleaning her mistakes. “Hope you don’t mind me stopping to check up on you unannounced, just figured I should while I have a bit of time.” He grinned, not getting an answer, not that he was expecting one. “It’s my birthday, I’m officially twenty- two today and man, let me tell you about it so far.”

*earlier that day*

Steven just finished getting dressed, looking himself in the mirror before nodding in approval. He looked at the time read 11:30AM, Connie already left to run her errands and her shift at R&D,a half hour ago. Sighing, he went downstairs to the living room of his and Connie’s home to see a crystallized orb and a pink note beside it that simply read ‘Mister💝’. He picked it up with a curious smile, the smell of her chai and lily perfume caressed his senses as he opened the note up.

To my dearest Mister

I’m sorry that I can’t be there with you right now to celebrate your Birthday

But unfortunately ,things are happening at R&D that I need to be there for.

So with that in mind, I figured a way we could have fun together.

A birthday quest.

The orb, it holds part of your gift, but you need a voice activated code to open it.

I left pieces of the code with people I trust to keep a secret. My champions so to speak.

You’re tasked to get their part of the code by winning their challenges, whatever that might be.

As to who I chose, well follow your nose, Mister. You already have the scent of the code.

I hope you enjoy your birthday game and I'll see you later.

 💘🍓

P.S. :Your first clue

'L'.

"A hunt, huh?" Steven thought as he looked at the orb. It shined in the sunlight and was small enough to fit in his pocket. " Well, I've never been one to turn down a wholesome and fun time."  Pocketing the crystal in his vest, and the note in his pants pocket, not before giving it another sniff, a relaxed smile on his as Connie’s mischievous grin came to mind; gathering his keys from the bowl near the door, he set off, determined to win Connie’s game.

Steven gave a diamond enhanced sniff every few seconds as he walked around Little Homeworld, quite sure that a few of her ‘Champions’ were gems. It didn’t take him long to get a slight waft of the perfume, multiple actually. All moving around except for a couple.One being Startries and the other being at Funland for some reason he felt the champ at Funland was more menacing than the one at Startries, he made his choice and headed to Startries.

He was surprised to see that the champions weren’t inside but sitting at one of the outside tables. He would have doubted the authenticity of the situation, but the scent was definitely coming from their table. Steven couldn’t believe she got them in on it. He pulled up a chair grinning. “Priyanka, Doug.”

"Good afternoon, Steven."

"How are you doing on this fine day, My boy."

The Maheswarans greeted the birthday star, with warm voices and sly grins.

"Can't complain."The hybrid answered as he looked at the streets of Little Homeworld, seeing humans and gems interact with each other so easily, satisfaction on his face. He turned to the two as he leaned back on his chair "Seem like it's another peaceful summer day."

"That it does." Priyanka agreed.

"So Steven, how does it feel to be twenty-two years old?" Doug inquired.

"Hmm." Steven sat back in thought. "No different from yesterday." He scratched  the back of his head, kind of surprised at his answer. He used to feel so much excitement for this day when he was younger. Now after everything he has done..after everything he's currently doing with his life. It almost feels like another day. “Guess it comes with being older. Feel like another day on the calendar.”

“Oh wow…Didn’t expect that from you.” Priyanka responded, honestly. “I assumed you had a party planned.”

Steven let loose a shy chuckle. “That would be my normal MO, but I even forgot my birthday was coming up to a few days ago.” 

“Been that busy for you, lately?”  Doug asked. 

 Steven nodded with a smirk. “It’s not bad though. ” 

Priyanka looked at him closely, narrowing her eyes at the boy she considered a son. “Hmm..” She leaned back in her chair “Well doesn’t look like you’re overworking yourself..”

“What?” Steven waved his hands in front of him “ No no. not at all! I’m definitely making time to relax.” He reassured “Even today, my plans for the day were just to make rounds around Beach city and Little Homeworld. Check up on everyone." He folded his hands on the table. "That is until, Connie enhanced it."

"Enhanced it. That's a nice way to put it." Doug joked

"I'm still making my rounds, she just made them a bit more fun. Guess she wanted to make sure I'm enjoying my birthday to the fullest" His cheeks turned a bit pink "Just like her to play such a prank."

Doug and Priyanka glanced at each other privately, sharing secret smirks at the loving tone in his voice.

"That being said..." gave them the grin from before."...What game two got for me?

Priyanka sighed as gently folded her arms. "Really, we are having such a good conversation as well."

Doug chuckled. "You can't blame him, he is on a mission for our Kahanni. We gotta play our roles as 'Champions'."

"You’re really getting a kick out of this, Durga." She playfully chastised as Doug nodded.

"So what's my challenge?"  

The Maheswarans looked at the eager Steven before glancing at each other and back at him.

"Have you ever heard of the game 'Plead the fifth'?"

They chuckled lowly and mischievously as  Steven's eyes widened,his lips pursed together in a thin line and his nostrils flared.

"Oh..You've played before." Priyanka stated, matter of factly, her grin growing a bit more.

"You guys gonna grill me?"

"It's just five questions, Son. You can survive five questions without pleading the fifth,right?" Doug teasingly taunted.

"Five invasive questions."

"I promise not to get too invasive Steven." Priyanka swore, though her grin said differently.

"I'm afraid of that 'too'." Steven admitted with a sigh. " But I trust you. " He gave them a strained smirk. "I'm ready. Ask away."

"What is it that you want for your birthday?"

Priyanka turned to her husband a bit embarrassed at his crassness. "Really Doug."

"Hey, can't blame me for taking the opportunity." The security officer shrugged. "Besides, he could plead the fifth...He'll lose his right to our piece of the code..buuut.." He smirked as he left his statement hanging.

"It's ok." Steven laughed. "I did the same thing to Connie when we played once...Though that was about...Something else." He paused a  bit of a longing look on his face, before shaking his head. " But yeah my birthday, have no idea. Like I said, I had to be reminded of it by Connie." Steven looked up towards the sky and took a moment to ponder the question. "Though I've been trying to get back into my tube tube, maybe something towards that."

Priyanka glanced at her husband to stop him from giving them away, he was already in position to punch the sky in celebration.

" Who knows maybe you will." Priyanka said with a fox grin. "Now that Doug asked his ONE question-"

"I'm satisfied with my question, thank you very much." The man Interjected giving his wife a kiss on her temple, getting an eye roll and a hand squeeze. 

"It is my go, ready?"

"No. and that counts."

Priyanka's mouth was agape at his cunning, but soon nodded a bit impressed. "Fine. three questions… One. What did you ask Connie, when you two played this game?"

Steven smirked." I asked her many things. How long her hair was, who’s her favorite fictional character. A lot of things."

"You said you asked her something similar to Doug's question towards you. What was it?"

"What kind of ring she wants to be proposed with."

Priyanka eyes widen at the confidence  in his voice.  There was no blush, no shaking, no bashfulness. "Are you telling the truth?"

"Yup and that's question number five." He breathed out before grinning, doing a small little jig "I win..I win."

"You let him have that." Doug stated in a whisper in her eear.Giving her temple a kiss.

"It is his birthday, after all." The Maheswaran mother said weakly, trying to save a little face. She turned to the twenty-two years old and clapped her hands in flux applause. "Congratulations on your win."

"Yeah!....OK, I'll stop now." He chuckled as he tapped the tabletop.

"So ready for your code, your spoils of victory." Doug dramatically flared as he crossed his arms.

"Yes sir" Steven sat up straight puffing out his chest.

"You are both silly." Priyanka sighed as she shook her head, a half smile on her face. She signaled Doug to go inside the bakery to get his prize.  He did, stating he'd be right back, leaving the two alone.

"She worries." Priyanka  stated as Steven lay his head down.

Steven sighed. "I thought that was my job…"

"It's a 'THING'...mutual thing. You want the person in your life to be happy. " Priyanka answered expecting him to refuse the status. She was surprised when he seemed to nod in agreement.

"True enough...and I am happy. Happier than I've ever been in a while…" He turned his head towards Priyanka. "Your daughter gave me a quest for my birthday and it is already my favorite." 

Priyanka nodded before squeezing his shoulder giving him a motherly smile. "She would love to hear that…"

Before he could answer the fragrance of her perfume ignited his senses. He was surprised to see a box, wrapped in rose pink paper with a red bow land in front of him. 

Wrapped in the bow was a pink paper, the same one the note was written on. He took the paper breathing in the scent, before unrolling the paper.  "ove"

"Love.." He admired. "Certainly smells like it." He chuckled, putting the note with the other one.  He turned to the box and was caught off guard at the expecting looks of the Maheswarans. 

"Happy birthday, Steven." They both announced with matching smiles.  

Steven tittered in surprise as he undid the bow and tore open the wrapping paper. 

"Guys, you..Aw man." In front of him was a whole recording setup for a home studio. "I don't know what to say…" He gave them both a tight hug. "Thank you so much

for this."

"It's no problem." Doug assured. 

"We're happy to do it, Steven."  

Steven released them turning back to the box for the moment. "Aww man. I just want to set this up and start recording and streaming… I want to but, still gotta a way ahead of me."

"Don't let us stop you." Priyanka assured "We'll drop it off at your home later" Doug added. 

"You sure? I mean, I don't  want to take you out of your way." The hybrid commented, feeling a bit guilty.

" I'm not taking no for an answer. Trust us, ok?"  Priyanka told him as she took the box in her hands. "Now go. You gotta quest to finish" She commanded him in motherly tone.

"Better do what she says.." Doug joked. "You don't want her to get the abacus."

Steven took a look at Doug before turning to Priyanka who arched an eyebrow, challenging  him to defy her. "Pssh.. Mean." He pouted before getting up.

"Get going young man."  she snickered as he rose.

"Yes mom." He droned in play before smirking."You guys wouldn't know the code..Would you?"  His eyes lingered to the set up. " Just wondering."

"No. She didn’t say...And you'll be able to play with this when you're done." Priyanka reprimanded. " I swear Boys and their toys, no matter the age." 

"You better get going Steven," Doug added with jest. " She might really get the abacus."

"OK, I'm as good as gone." Steven announced as he began to  walk away, only to turn in give them one more hug. "Love you guys."  With that he was gone heading toward his next destination, Funland.

As the two watched  they found themselves  wrapped in another hug which they returned.  " Was you watching this whole time,Connie."

Connie Maheswaran  gave her mother a father a kiss on their cheek, before nodding.  "You guys did awesome..Even  if you went easy on him mom."

"It's his birthday. " She defended. "That being said..Ring size?" Priyanka added in tease.

Connie took the box from the table, grinning cheekily. " I plead the fifth." 

#Fighting flirty #steven universe fanfiction #steven universe fandom #steven's birthday #Mister and heart berry #mister #priyanka maheswaran #Doug Maheswaran #connie maheswaran #steven universe

[claihn]

Impulse

[[ Warning: Bugs. Violence. Language. ]] 

“So... you're not mad?”   Two shadows flickered against the wooden wall opposite from twin flickering candles. The lights rested upon a table nestled against a window frame and a blanket of stars twinkled behind the glass. The familiar scent of the ocean, leather and spice blanketed Kini like an old shawl that threatened to tempt her into relaxation. This was a quiet place that was absent of confusion, muddling ideas and loud voices. “No,” A'khato rumbled. His large, calloused hands navigated a roll of bandages with meticulous precision around his sister's fingers. Her other arm was already fully wrapped with snug support that covered the entirety of her hands all the way up to her elbows. She winced when he brought a cloth, saturated in pungent minty mix, and wiped at some of the blistered lacerations. The area was then patted dry before he went to work again, little by little bandaging up her injuries. “Why?”  Kini couldn't help but whisper, biting her lower lip. Her watery blue eyes surveyed his stern features, noting how there was an edge to his expression, but it was distant. Almost satisfied. His medium-length, wild cut locks of ebony hair were tousled in various directions and the charcoal paint on his cheek was smudged to the side. His motions paused and his lips pursed at her question, until he dragged his gaze up at her with a flicker of annoyance.  Kini winced an apologetic smile and ducked her head with ears flattening sideways. Oops. “You've always been impulsive. Do better next time. This mistake could've made you useless, and don't let it slow down your work.” He reprimanded her, although his words were flat and bored sounding. He went back to navigating the bandages. The silence between them grew palpable, as was the knowledge that both siblings knew the question was unanswered. He'd given a response, of course. Yet just as A'khato could read Kini with little trouble, so could she pick up on his tells. He was calm, but he was too focused on simple motions. His tail was actively twitching back and forth.   What aren't you telling me? She knew better than to prod an agitated King. At least this time.

She had her back pressed against the warm, stoned wall of the hallway. He smelled like ale and herbs, especially as he crowded his body against hers. Pudgy, greedy hands wandered over her frame and Kini could feel his breath against her right ear. It made her flinch and she'd asked him politely to leave that side alone, but for some reason people always mistook her. Clearly she trembled because she enjoyed it. She flinched because it was sensitive. She was just playing coy.  I hate it. Her eyes were glancing past him though, and instead she absently nodded at the words he was mumbling. Something about smells and fancy clothes. It was hard to hear when he was mouth breathing against her right side instead of her left. She found herself focusing on the light beneath the crack of the doorway that led into the living room. Kini could faintly hear the deep, baritone voice of her brother along with a higher, barked voice of the woman he was meeting with. This was a job that her brother had asked her to come along as a temptation. Almost like old times, except now he thought she should be better as a “professional” distraction. Kini didn't mind. It gave her a flutter of happiness to be of use on one of his missions, even if it was a boring one without any fighting. Those were always her favorite. She enjoyed using her magic to assist him, while he killed anything that stood in his way. He was a force of nature. A force of nature that sometimes she was lucky enough to protec-no. Assist. Behold. Adore. “Fucking distracted?!” The man hissed as he gripped the top of her shoulder and gave her a shake. Kini's eyes snapped back to attention to flash him a delicate, apologetic wince. “S-sorry! I just thought I heard something. You seem very nice.” She bumbled out the words, although the stuffy man sneered in response. His fingers dug a little more into her skin, while the other scrunched up the airy, cotton fabric of her skirt and began to roughly yank at it. Once, twice and then the sound of tearing along with the painful stretch of the opposite side cutting into her skin announced the gaining success of his goal.   “Even dressed up all fancy, guess you're still just a novice whore, huh? That's fine. You're gonna be here a loooong time. Plenty of suns, moons to train you to be a real slut.”  His eyes glittered darkly and Kini felt a lump rise in her throat, even more than his pressing weight.   “N-no. I'm j-just here as my brother's assistant. When he's done, I have to leave too. I already have a jo-” Her words were cut off by a barking laugh from the man. His greasy fingers on her shoulders instead moved to her neck and he leaned into the motion. Kini acted on instinct and drew in a quick, squelched gasp before a pressured strain began to build in her face from the lack of air. “Stupid kitten. Your brother is going to die here tonight. All this is just a wasted effort and he just brought a little prize for our game. So jus-” 

The man was still talking, but the rest of his words drizzled away. Perhaps it was the frantic pounding of her heart or the pressure in her ears. Your brother is going to die. Why was it always her brother? A furrowed brow from a stranger. A clatter of knives. A bite to the neck. Desperation. Panic. A murmur of disapproval. Warm, questioning words between sips of honey-mead. Isolation. A threatened hand. I need him. My savior. My King. Don't take him away from me. Don't take him away from me. Don'ttakehimawayfromme! DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HIM. Kini's eyes widened as they locked onto the man, but there was no flicker of fear. There was a heavy pause of staring into the eyes like an unhinged doll before silvery blue light spilled from her pupils to engulf her vision. She grabbed the man's arms, nails digging like a vice with a false sense of strength. The warm, pleasant air of the room plummeted like a stone and the man felt an annoying, tiny bite upon his wrist. Then another upon his elbow. Two near his hands. Two became four, four became twenty, twenty became a hundred and the biting pinpricks rapidly dominated his body. Kini stared blankly at him, ignoring the growing chill of his body as rime formed upon her own arms, harmlessly blossoming here or there upon the man's own bulbous form. He, however, stared in horror as skittering, chittering bugs of all shapes and sizes burrowed their way out of his skin. They tore through muscle, wriggling and bulging just underneath flesh. Thousands of legs tickled at every inch of him, both inside and out. They filled his lungs. They consumed his tongue. They crawled over his eyes and churned in his stomach. The man screamed, threw Kini to the side and fled to the door. He battered against it once, twice and three times before he broke his nose but managed to get it open.   A'khato and the woman inside both started from where they sat across from each other at a dining table. The man barely made through the entrance before he collapsed on the floor, spasming and spittling at the mouth. His scream was silent, skin sickly but otherwise alive even if he looked blankly to the side from his new slobbering spot upon the floor. No bugs. No blood. Only flecks of inconsequential ice. 

Kini's eyes had returned to normal and she staggered through the doorway, leaning against the frame. Her face was blanched, breath heavy and her partially rimed arms hung loosely at her sides with spidery, dark bruises along their lengths to compliment the smattering of bleeding blisters.  Yet her expression was cold and unflinching. The collapsed piece of garbage went completely ignored in favor of looking to her brother, voice deadpan. “A'khato, they're trash.”

“Do you want me to be mad at you?”  A'khato's voice broke the silence when he finished bandaging her arms. He peered up at her, searching. Kini quickly shook her head. She noticed the yellow, gold and black bracelet that he wore around his wrist. The ribbons had been carefully braided until they were thickly corded with a flat, obsidian gem nestled in the center.  She closed her eyes, drew in a deep breath and made a show of wiggling her fingers with a wince. “G-good as new!” He rolled his eyes and rose from his seat, gesturing to the bed. “Rest here. When you leave tomorrow, don't be stupid and bother with your bag. You can get it another time.” A'khato sighed, rubbed the back of his neck and stretched languidly a moment after. His footsteps carried him to the doorway where he paused and glanced over his shoulder back at his sister. Golden eyes narrowed into slits and a sinuous growl formed into words. “Don't do that ever again.” He left. A muffled clatter of plates announced his location in the kitchen a few minutes later. She ducked her head and found toes wiggling to jingle the bell attached to her thin anklet. He hadn't waited for the answer, but she was grateful for the mercy.  They both knew it was an empty promise to make, but even so- Kini couldn't help but capture a sliver of happiness from it. 

#RP shenanigans #kini #writing #ffxiv #balmung #crystal #oc #a'kini khotan #a'khato tia #The Risk #Truth & Error

[mysterylover123]

My Top 10 Halloween Episodes

mysterylover123

Happy Halloween Everyone! 

I’ve been rewatching my favorite shows’ Halloween episodes as a means to prepare for the holiday (and get ideas for things to do!) and I’ve decided to compile a list of my Top 10 favorites. These are the episodes I consider the best, the most packed with spooky goodness and Halloween surprises, of all the shows I’ve seen. Let me know if there’s one I should check out!

#10. The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror V”

“NO TV AND NO BEER MAKE HOMER SOMETHING SOMETHING.” “GO CRAZY?” “DON’T MIND IF I DO!”

While I do wish Simpsons had stopped at Season 10 like most, I can still acknowledge its absolute mastery of the Halloween episode with this annual anthology. And like most, I can also concede that the best of the best, the creme-de-la-creme, is the 5th one: The Shinning parody of course, first and foremost, is absolutely classic and deservedly so. Having recently endured a week without power, and thus NO TV AND NO...NOT BEER BUT COFFEE...I totally get where  Homer is coming from. The other two segments, and other Halloween eps, are also strong as well. But you can’t have a proper TOP 10 HALLOWEEN EPS list without a Treehouse of Horror. So here it is!

#9. Spectacular Spider-Man The Uncertainty Principle”

“Twas the night before Halloween, and no folks were stirring, not even Green Gob...lan.”

Spidey is one of the few superheroes with both the whimsical roster of characters and the appropriately spooky rogues gallery to make for great Halloween episodes. While Spider-Man and his amazing friends in 1981 started out with it’s own Goblin Halloween ep, my nod has to go to Spectacular’s ‘Uncertainty Principle’, a suitably creepy episode featuring all the stuff you want around this holiday. The cast in whacky costumes, spooky decor, and creepy plotlines about the Green Goblin and the arrival of the Symbiote. It’s even more horrifying in hindsight when you find out what’s really going on in the series finale...but for itself, it’s a suitably spooky time. Also, Spider-Man dressed as Spider-Man for Halloween.

#8. Angel “Life of the Party”

“Some are saying it’s an even better ritual sacrifice than the one last year.”

The absolute master of the Halloween episode is uncontrovertibly the Buffy-verse. I have 3 entries on this list alone, and it was hard to resist including a forth. But for now, let’s start out with Angel’s sole incursion into the Halloween genre, an Office Party ep from their 5th season. Spoiler alert: Season 5 is about Team Angel taking over Wolfram and Hart and trying to use it for good. The Halloween party there is a big deal and Lorne is going nuts from planning it. Consequently, we get a wild ride of demon guests, LorneHulk, Team Angel doing crazy things, and whacky Halloween decor. Spike smiling and partying out like a loon is definitely worth htetheprice of admission.

#7. Friends “The One w/ the Halloween Party”

“I am a woman who spent a ton of money on this dress and wants to wear it until she is too big to fit into it.”

I had actually never seen the Friends Halloween episode until this year. I definitely enjoyed it; the cast’s costumes are funny, the various Halloween antics are adorable - especially Rachel being pushed around by candy-randy kids - and the Halloween-y atmosphere is quite convivial. Though as a comic book nerd, I must point out how completely absurd Joey’s suggestion of ‘who would win, Catwoman or Supergirl’ being Catwoman. Like, seriously? A nonpowered thief vs a freaking Kryptonian? Even people who don’t read comic books should know the answer to that one! Were people in the year 2001 really that clueless? But anyway, on a more somber note, this was apparently the first one they shot after 9/11, and ended up Lisa Kudrow’s favorite, because a stranger thanked her for making them laugh. Aw!

#6. South Park “A Nightmare on Face Time”

“Oh, and Kenny? Stay gold.”

SP has a number of Halloween episodes, but my favorite has to be this one from 2014. There’s two main plotlines and they’re both Peak Halloweeny goodness. First, there’s Randy reenacting The Shining as his new Blockbuster  video goes under due to Netflix stealing business, which is absolutely hilarious. Then there’s the boys as The Avengers, hoping to win a costume contest despite Stan having to FaceTime. This part is full of trick-or-treating goodness, with each of the costumes being perfect for the kid (WE HEAR KENNY’S VOICE! ALBEIT DISTORTED!) and the comedy of how seriously everyone takes Stan’s ipod battery dying being absolutely killer. Certainly wins the prize for Funniest Halloween Ep Ever. (Also, Kyle’s thor costume. Thor would obviously look so much cooler with that hat.)

#5. Buffy “Halloween”

“It’s come as you aren’t night!”

The second of the Buffyverse Halloween entries on the list. Not just a great Halloween ep but a great Buffy ep too, this one is absolutely rolling in seasonal riches. Pumpkin patch vamp fight! Halloween decorated Bronze! Ethan Rayne turning everyone into their costumes is such a clever gimmick, and as usual with a Buffy ep they do more with it than just that. Noblewoman!Buffy, Military!Xander and Ghost! Willow are each a treat to watch as they try something new with their lives. I’m a little annoyed by the “not like other girls” sappy Bangel ending, but otherwise, this one is just golden. (My shipper heart rejoices in the Cangel Bronze Date and Buffy being awfully flirty with Willow as well, for the record). 

#4. Parks and Rec “Halloween Surprise”

“You can’t plan your future, Leslie. You just gotta let it happen.”

Parks and Rec is another one with a plethora of great Halloween eps to  choose from (something about blonde female leads I guess). This one takes the spot for being the most substantial, plot-wise, of all four, including lots of changes in the story and a great lesson at the end - though also for having the best costumes (Rosie the  riveter Leslie! Princess Diane), the best celebration (Screening of Death canoe 4 Murder at blood Lake sounds like an absolutely delightful way to spend a Halloween) and the best ending (BEN PROPOSES TO LESILE OMG). The only thing it’s missing is April, who only cameos at the start. But she gets plenty to do in the other Halloween eps, so I’ll forgive it.

#3. Frasier “Halloween”

“I’m  Waldo. From Where’s Waldo. You know, the guy you  can’t find because he blends into the crowd.” “I don’t know, but I’d love a demonstration.”

Frasier is absolute peak sitcom comedy, especially with the Farce plotline. This one is a great, sophisticated classic, with Niles throwing a Library association ball - which means everyone must dress as a character from literature. Niles is Cyrano, Martin is Holmes, Frasier and Daphne are from the Canterbury tales, and Roz is O from the Story of O. The real conflict of the ep is “Is Roz Pregnant” and everyone mistaking who’s pregnant by whom. The  climax is Niles proposing to Daphne who he thinks is the one pregnant from an imaginary fling with Frasier. It’s funny, glib, and absolutely whacky, with some extra Halloween shenanigans to keep you occupied, like Niles’ weird old-timey theme and the parade of trick-or-treaters constantly interrupting the skits demanding candy. Definitely don’t miss this one!

#2. Gravity Falls “Summerween”

“We’re getting older, there’s not that many Halloweens left!’

There’s definitely something about supernatural shows and Halloween episodes that just creates that extra level of quality. GF is a great show all around, and this little gem of a Halloween ep is one of the best of the whole series. It’s got everything: The Summerween Trickster, the trick-or-treating, the try-hard scares and the mad dash for candy. My favorite thing about it, though, would have to be the conflict between Dipper and Mabel about what to do for Halloween. They were always debating whether it were better to grow up too soon or try to stay a kid, and this one uses Halloween to illustrate that: Dipper torn between the Grown Up party and the Kid Trick-or-Treating, and the poignant way that rings true for all of us here in the US - that day when you finally realize you’re ‘too old’ for trick-or-treating - really makes this one strong. 

Hon Mentions: The other Parks and Rec episodes; Buffy All the Way; the camptastic Smallville episode “Thirst”, the How I met Your Mother Halloweens

#1. Buffy “Fear Itself���

“Don’t taunt the fear demon!” “Why, can he hurt me?” “No, it’s just tacky.”

Like I said before, no one does Halloween like Buffy does Halloween. And this one is the best of the best, of the best. Everything you could want from a Halloween ep is right here. Pumpkin carving, check. Crazy party, check. Whacky costumes, check. Spooky real scares, check. The Gang’s costumes are a parade of awesome (ANYA AS BUNNY!) and the concept of exploring each member’s Greatest Fear is an absolute winner. I love every time a TV show tries to do a Greatest Fears episode, because it’s just a concept I get a kick out of - such a great way to explore our characters’ most primal needs! - and this is b y far the best. The atmosphere, the subject matter, the costumes, and  the writing, which is seriously killer in this episode (”Prepare to have your spines tingled and your gooses bumped by the terrifying...Fantasia.” “Maybe it’s because of all the horrificthings we’ve seen, but hippos wearing tutus just don’t unnerve me the way they used to”) all make this, in my opinion the best Halloween ep of all time.

#the simpsons #treehouse of horror #Halloween #halloween episodes #spiderman #spectacular spider man #angel #friends #the one with the halloween party #south park #buffy #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #Parks and Recreation #frasier #gravity falls #summerween #top 10

[myheroaizawashota]

Woops-- I forgot the song, didn't i? ehhhh I think I did-- This is for Hizashi x Villain reader. Could you use Miss Jackson by Panic! At The Disco?

[okay fun personal fact about me, panic at the disco is my FAVORITE band, so I’m more than happy to do miss Jackson for this song! For some reason when I think of this it gives a very frisky playful vibe so I’m so excited for this one!!]

The air around you sat stagnate and calm as the typically bright city lay silent in slumber. You walked your way down the dully lit roads of town, thumb tracing sinfully against your perfectly painted red lips, eyes glistening as the thoughts of bad swirled around in your brain. As the street lights bounced off your beautiful irises, the glint in your eyes only confirmed that your intentions were anything but pure as you walked along the strip of stores. The pickings were ripe tonight as your body strut its way up to the store fronts, the heels of your shoes echoing through the streets as a grin twisted across those devilishly stunning lips of yours. You practically walked on air around here, while many had tried to capture you and apprehend you for all your crimes, none have ever succeeded. You had earned yourself a well deserved reputation for dancing effortlessly out of the authorities grasp, and for that you were proud. Your eyes scanned through the glasses that separated you from all your glittering prizes, only stopping when your attention caught the window display of the jewelry store in front of you. Splayed gorgeously on a luxuriant black satin pillow, lay the most breath taking necklace your eyes had ever seen. Your tongue slipped past the corners of your lips, as your eyes grew hungry to hold that pendant around your own neck. The reflection of the moon bounced off the beautifully cut sapphire that hung surrounded by platinum and diamonds, you unable to contain the compulsion to make it your own. Effortlessly you slipped yourself down the alley way just to the side of the Jeweler’s. With a bit of stealth you managed to wiggle yourself inside the store, a sigh passing your lips. It took a bit of work, but from here on in was were the smooth sailing began. You eyes sparkled with lust as you wandered through the store, finger tips grazing along the display cases that held all the treasures your heart could content. Perhaps that stunning sapphire wouldn’t be the only thing you took tonight. In no rush you took your time smashing the displays open, no phase to your enjoyment as the alarms began to funnel around you. Cockily, your lips tugged into a grin, your fingers gently running across the oddly shaped diamonds that decorated the neck of the piece your heart so badly desired. With a content hum, you placed the piece on your own neck, fingers tracing over the outline of the sapphire where it laid on your chest. “Do you think this looks a bit to much on me Mic?” You asked, as you heard the sound of familiar boot steps coming up from behind you. Confusion played across his features as his brows narrowed together, how did you know It was him? God were you good, and he knew that. After all this wasn’t his first encounter with you. He’ d faced against you on several different accounts, and lost each and every time. You claimed it was always accidental when you two would cross paths, though he was starting to figure out that it was less of an accident so much as a calculated situation. You gave a hum, glancing in the oval store mirror sat on top of the half shattered display in front of you. “Your silence speaks wonders for a man whos never stops flapping his gums” you chuckle turning around to face the other with a smile “You gotta admit though, it looks stunning on me doesn’t it” you hum, body circling around his, your finger tips gently grazing the leather of his jackets collar. The clicking of your heels taunted him, their seemingly ceaseless clicking only stopping when your body stood face to face with his. You watched as he peered down at you past those orange tinted sun glasses of his.

Your body gave a shuttered as the green of his eyes looked you over, his hand rising to lift the sapphire from your chest “it looks like a 10 out of 10” he smiled, fingers moving to the back of your neck working undemanding to undo the clasp one handed. “But I gotta say, it looked better on the pillow were you found it sweetness…I mean unless you’ve got the fortune to pay for it”

A chuckle bounced in your throat as your eyes watched  the necklace drop perfectly into the others palm, he slipping it right into his back pocket. “And I thought you were the fun one” you pout, body moving to gently press against his own. 

You loved this little game of cat and mouse you two had. You‘d come and go whenever you pleased, and he’d fail to stop you. It was adorable. Even when you made the most predictable of moves, the other was always three steps behind you. Leaning on your toes, you let your nose gently nudge the pads of his headphones away as your lips moved to press softly at the space behind his ears, your tongue gently tracing down as far as it could before being stopped by the metal of the stereo that hung around the others neck. “ya know, sometimes I wish you had less pieces to this damn costume” you teased, hands moving to push the heavy leather of his jacket right off his shoulders. 

He couldn’t help bit dig his teeth into the corners of his lips, they tugging down into a frown as he tried to fight against you…though truthfully he didn’t want you to stop. While he knew he had a job to do, he couldn’t help but fall under the lore of your actions every time. With a soft hum, his eyes fluttered half closed his index finger moving to curl under your chin as he drew your lips closer to his own. “ I’ll have you know, my regular clothes are a lot easier to get through, though you wouldn’t know that. Bummer that every time we see each other, its like this…just a lil heads up incase ya didn’t know, if you wanted my attention so bad all ya had to do was ask. You can give me a call any time, I always accept listener requests“ he all but purred.

You couldn’t help but grin as he moved to connect your lips together. Calculating the time frame between the moment you tripped the alarm to when the cops probably dispatched a unite to get to you, you figured you had a good five or six minutes to get your fix for the others attention. While perusing the embers of the spark that constantly ignited between the two of you whenever your paths crossed was not the intended target of your heist tonight, you were more than happy to oblige to the kiss the other placed against your lips. Hands, running down his chest, you allowed yourself to melt into the kiss. Both of you knew this was by far wrong in every aspect, however no matter what you two tried, you always ended up this way. It was a dangerous game you played, even you as cocky as you were, had to be cautious. Knowing your time together was nearing an end, you let your nails drag lightly down his back, hands reaching casually into the back pockets of his jeans. Your eyes flickered open as you felt the others hands wrap around your wrist, he tugging your hands back to the front of his body where he could see them “I can’t tell if thats you trying to get freaky or if your just going after those jewels again” he laughed, forehead moving to press against yours.

A smile crept its way across your face you scoffing a sound. Your head turnt as you heard the sound of sirens approaching the area, well that was your cue to leave. In one swift movement your broke the others hold on your wrist, your body spinning around behind his, shoving him against the floor with a smile. Leaning in you pressed a kiss to the tip of his ear, whispering lowly “i guess you’ll never know” before running off right out the back door. 

Shit! Fist slamming against the ground, the voice hero pushed himself up to his feet moving to chase after you. His efforts were fruitless though, by the time he managed to get to the back door you were gone again. God damnit...not again. 

BONUS:  

Trying to shake his failures from the prior nights patrol, the pro hero turned DJ sprawled himself out in his office chair. He had managed to recover the gems from you, but he was still disappointed in himself for once more letting his guard down and allowing you to escape once again. Doing what he did best when his mood was down, he turned to his music. Same time every week his radio show played across the city, anyone within the Tokyo radius would be able to hear the show. Doing what he could to brush the bad vibes from last night off, he turned to the listeners. Interacting with his fans usually did brighten his mood quite a bit. “Heeeeeelloooo Listener! You’re on the air with Present Mic, what can I do for you.” he pouring every bit of enthusiasm he had into the greeting. 

“I was thinking you and me could accidentally meet up again tonight.” 

His heart jumped at the familiar voice, a smile tugging its way onto his lips. "Didn’t think you’d actually call in Listener” 

You just gave a hum, you gnawing away at the corners of your lips “you made some pretty compelling arguments last night. I’ll meet you under the street lights tonight. Don’t worry ill be on my best behaviors.”

Just before he could respond back to you, he was hit with the dial tone of a dead end. A smile played at his lips “Here’s too you Y/N.....comin’ up is the hit new song straight from the USA! Here’s Miss Jackson by Panic at the disco!”

He flipped the switch the song beginning to roll, he grinning like a child. You may not have been perfect but god damn did he love you anyway.

#hizashi yamada #yamada hizashi #yamada x aizawa #hizashi x reader #present mic x reader #present mic #bnha x reader

[differenttriumphdragon]

Good evening, everyone! We've got a big update for you this time!

Big as in, important, not in the number of images. And like any big update, there's a new title screen to go with it!

Once again, an unreleased Cookie is being featured!

How are they not in the game yet when they have so much dialogue!? Don't do this to us, Devsisters! Ugh...at least I'm back on the title screen where I-...wait, is that DC in the back? How does he fit into this?

Apparently our new friends are cooperating to find him...the reason remains to be seen why, though. For now, let's go over the updates!

Guilds have arrived!

And for everyone who was wondering if we're flat or round...we're, uh, both? I guess?

Place a Cookie of your choosing around your guild's headquarters to receive rewards! Sometimes you'll receive a super reward, which gives gifts to all of your guild members! You can also send a team of your own Cookies out on adventures to find prizes and level up your guild!

That sounds pretty cool and all...but isn't that kind of an RPG thing? Wouldn't it make more sense for this kinda thing to be in Cookie Wars, or maybe, like, one of the...upcoming games?

I suppose it would, honestly. But the developers have confirmed there's more to come, so we-

'We'll have to wait and see', yeah, yeah, we all know already.

...Do I really say it that often?

YES!

So you guys saw that trailer where they spoiled this guy, right? Here he is!

Purple Yam Cookie has arrived!

...I'll be honest, I was kinda betting on him being Dragonfruit.

Good guess, but I think Dragonfruits are usually a little more reddish.

The spikes really threw me off... Cool mace, though!

Purple Yam is a Cookie geared towards destruction of anything and everything, and his companion Firestarter is much the same way. Both share an all-consuming anger that Purple Yam claims is from surviving the fires of Hell itself.

Uh, we ALL have, buddy. It's called The Oven.

If Hell is really The Oven...

HEY! WAIT A MINUTE!

...Yes?

The new Cookies are literally just US!!!

Wait, what?

This edgelord here is clearly just a ripoff of me! We're even the only two Cookies with that Widow's Peak hair or whatever! Seriously, look it up!

I mean, I can see the resemblance between myself and Milk...

LISTEN UP, TRYHARD!!! You think you've been through Hell? I AM HELL!!!

Devil, please, you promised not to transform in the studio!!!

Urgh...you're lucky I'm running low on magic right now...

Let's just move on to the treasure, okay?

Huh? No costume this time?

Apparently not.

Wait, THAT'S the Treasure!?

Don't take it lightly, Devil, this-

No no no, it's just- I haven't seen one of these since I moved out!

Excuse me?

My Dad made them all the time! They're his favorite! Usually he'd eat them straight, but sometimes he'd chuck 'em around for fun!

Wait, he ate them? Just, still on fire?

Uh...yeah? He's kinda made of fire?

...OH, right, you're talking about HIM!

Heh, he figured out pretty quick I couldn't take that kind of heat when I was little...but I've trained ever since! It's how I learned to breathe fire!

...This is getting more concerning by the minute.

Why? What's wrong with getting tougher?

...Anyway, we have a new event to discuss...

Introducing a brand-new board game event!

Ugh, another Spinner!?

It's not another Spinner, Devil. This event involves rolling dice to move along a board, which has prizes waiting along every space!

So it's exactly like the Spinner?

Well, no. The aim is to get a certain number of laps on this board. You can roll the die with gems, but you can also earn free rolls by completing missions-

So it's exactly like the Spinner.

...Yes, I suppose it is. But at least the board looks nicer this time...?

...It's a little bright, but I guess I'll give you that one.

And that's it for the update, everyone! Until next time...

Heaven or Hell, let's rock!

...Wait, doesn't Dark Choco have a widow's peak, too?

Still doesn't change the fact that Yam ripped me off!

#cookie run #heaven n' hell #purple yam cookie #milk cookie #dark choco cookie #angel cookie #devil cookie

[korinsu-t-blog]

May 28 // Ueno Park & Museum + Akihabara

Got to sleep in today, and it was overcast so the awful heat got toned down for a much-needed day. It’s supposed to be typhoon levels of rain tomorrow though, so I guess good things don’t last forever. Overall, today was pretty mellow- nothing crazy explosive, but it wasn’t boring, either.

Today we visited Ueno Park and the national treasure museum (I know) deep inside. Ueno Park is a really big green space with plenty of paths, some shrines/temples, a starbucks, lots of koi ponds, and a big craft sale area with homemade tools and whatnot. Not a ton going on there, but it was another example of how municipal Tokyo goes to great lengths to incorporate greenery in forms both big and small to make sure that the city isn’t an urban hell. We visited a shrine to the goddess Benten (the shrine was called Bentendo), who is of the luck domain. We also visited an extremely opulent shrine that was visited by emperors and the shogunate in the distant past if they couldn’t make the trip to the main temple of opulence about 100 miles north. This temple was extremely different from most that you visit, for reasons detailed below.

There’s two trending ideas in contemporary Japanese design: wabi and sabi. Wabi is the idea of spurning the gaudy, moving away from the China-heavy designs that involved grandiose displays of gold and jewelry in favor of a simplistic, yet evocative design. Sabi is the beauty of imperfection, of a fallen blossom or a stone that the river parts around. Put together, they create a philosophy of design that cherishes the simple things, imperfections, and a natural order that is left to determine its own beauty without the interference of a guiding hand. The Tokugawa temple that we visited was one of the few shrines that does not follow the ideals of wabi-sabi, but it was done so for the purposes of an emperor or warlord showing off their wealth. Rarely done, but sometimes a necessary measure.

The Ueno national treasure museum was also pretty neat. Lots of katanas, samurai armor, paintings, scrolls of Buddhism, and more. The katana were especially notable in that they were almost always mounted without their hilts or crossguards- typically only the craftsmanship of the blade is prized, unless the weapon is exclusively for decorative purposes.

Next up was Akihabara, which is basically weeb central. Stores all over the place, anime and manga merch everywhere, it’s pretty crazy. Anime honestly hasn’t been that widely advertised where I’ve been in Japan, it sorta just congregates into specific spots which is unusual considering most kids even through college keep up with at least a few shows. Besides the SAO advertising you see literally everywhere (ice caves and trains were some of the most out-there), anime honestly isn’t very popular on the public level. It’s weird, like the people enjoy it but don’t really acknowledge it outside the hubs like Akihabara. We live like five minutes from one of the biggest anime-specific stores in the Akihabara district so I’ll probably visit later to pick up something for Ryan.

The last part of today and probably my favorite was going thrift shopping at a clothes store. Thrift stores in Japan actually have good clothes and they have a huge selection of stuff (most of it bland or terrible, but there are some gems) that you’ll never see in a department store like Uniqlo. I was able to pick up like 5 t-shirts here for fifteen dollars, some of which were on the 100 yen rack (shirts for $1, so good). I also picked up a yukata (traditional men’s summer wear) in Ueno, so I’m loaded on all the cool stuff. I’ll have to take a picture of the yukata and some of the hilarious shirts we found.

[A lilypad pond in Ueno Park.]

[Koi pond, they were t h i c c.]

[Need I say more?]

[The ornate shrine. As you can see by the amount of gold plating and decor, it’s very nontraditional and not very wabi.]

[Some gates at a shrine in Ueno park. Typically, this particular arch design signifies that one is entering a sacred site.]

[I had this type of chicken, karaage, for lunch. It’s so so good.]

[Stone pic of the day, but I think we found the source of the bad luck...]

[...though in my defense, the other sign didn’t have a shrine like this.]

[A katana at the museum. Note the elegant carvings close to the hilt.]

[A part of the park behind the museum. So many of these old-style gardens are extremely beautiful.]

[Akihabara street. Surprisingly enough, it’s not the busiest place I’ve been (that honor goes to Shibuya at night)]

[Today’s candid: Seth! He’s 19 and heading into graduate school next year. Super super smart guy, he’s a linguistsics major and knows pretty much everything about anything history related. I didn’t get a picture with his hat off, but if I did you could see that he’s 100% Adam Driver’s twin. Same voice, same face, same everything- it’s scary accurate.]

=======

Reading review:

Today’s reading was on otaku culture, and it was honestly pretty awfully written. Otaku aren’t exactly shut-ins, but the two groups often overlap. Most commonly otaku is referred to as being analogous to a “superfan”, but in the field of psychology, the problem runs much deeper. Otaku are consumers of media and fiction who define themselves by said fiction; to the point of often being unable to sustain relationships with other people (though that is ultimately their end goal). They are obsessed, and their self/culture worth is so often tied into media that they are defined by their ability to recreate and reflect that culture, most commonly through outlets like cosplay, fan fiction, etc. In some small way, these acts are a means for an otaku to “own” the media that dominates their life- but unlike a collector of model trains or legos, there is no way for an otaku to own everything that they let define themselves.

It’s a bit of a sad state. The otaku have been consumed by the things they enjoyed- and in doing so, they have become unable to move on and grow as a person. They are obsessed for something they can never attain, and the dream of living a fiction more appealing than the real world merely spurns them into a continual downwards spiral.

[heroesofcrash]

3/30/19 - Heartfelt Pranks to Band Vs. Band!

http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com

Cannon pranks the cast of Band Vs. Band in our annual April Fool's Day strip!

I'm sure a bunch of you were expecting me to get someone from the Collective of Heroes to make a cameo appearance. I definitely want to do that eventually, but I'm still catching up on a lot of their comics. There's only three that I've read fully; two I've already done April Fool's fillers with (Gyno-Star and Grrl Power), and one I have... other plans for...! Besides, Band Vs. Band is a lot of fun, and I've been dying to draw this comic for a while!

If you're not familiar with it, Band Vs. Band centers around two rival band leaders: the Candy Hearts' goody-two-shoes Honey Hart, and the Sourballs' crude, vulgar Turpentine. However, their rivalry masks a mutual attraction, turning every "battle of the bands" into a battle with their feelings. With its limited color palette, retro art style, hand-written text, and borderless panels, Band Vs. Band has no shortage of eye candy, but it's the story and characters that you'll truly fall in love with. Check it out through my Links page. Many thanks to Kathleen Jacques (@kathmachine) for letting me use her characters!

Drawing this filler was tricky. To make the joke in the last panel work, I needed to incorporate elements of Kathleen's style into my own, most notably the color palette. The only colors she uses are shades of blue and pink, which contrast with Cannon's green-and-purple ensemble (Normally, he doesn't wear purple pants, but I stretched his wardrobe a bit to help him stand out more). Trying to emulate her lettering and rounded borders was a bit too daunting (especially for all the things I wanted to fit in the panels), so I stuck with my old fonts and borders. But I did color the letters and word balloons like Kathleen does.

The final panel is chock-FULL of music-themed gags. Can you spot all of them? I'll give you a minute.

(Doo-dee-doo...)

Was that enough time? Okay, let's run through all the hidden jokes, starting with the audience.

The audience members are modeled after various musicians from fiction (with some tweaks here and there), plus the very real (or rather, SURreal) Weird Al Yankovic (my favorite music artist!). The fictitious artists, going from top left to bottom-right are based on:

- Ember McLain (from Danny Phantom) - Chap Lipman (The Beets, from Doug) - Marina (Off the Hook, from Splatoon) - Danny (Love Handel, from Phineas and Ferb) - Manolo Sanchez (from The Book of Life) - Sakura (Franchouchou, from Zombieland Saga) - One of the Aquabats (from The Aquabats Super Show)

In addition to the audience members, there's also a bunch of parody posters in the background: - Linus N. Lucy (The title and moustache are a reference to Vince Guaraldi, who wrote my favorite song, Linus and Lucy - better known as the theme song to Peanuts!) - Lease (Parody of the musical "Rent") - Elwood Pretzel (Elvis Presley) - Holly Graham and the Gem Stones (Jem and the Holograms) - Brentalcase (Brentalfloss) - Rosie and the Kittycats (Josie and the Pussycats) - The Fad 4 (The Fab Four, AKA The Beatles) - Linda Silver (Lindsey Sterling, as you may have guessed from the violin) - Stephanie and the Stephanies (Steven and the Stevens from Steven Universe, as the star symbol suggests) - Specter of the Rock Opera (Parody of "Phantom of the Opera", obviously) - She Loves Fabric (Referencing the notion that "She Likes Cloth" would make a good band name from HomestarRunner Dot Com's "Teen Girl Squad Issue 12")

Despite this being one of the more detailed strips I've drawn in a long time, I managed to complete it in a surpisingly fast two days; perhaps the lack of colors, action poses, and dramatic camera angles had something to do with it...?

Drawing this strip as a form of fan art has been a lot of fun. :-) If you want to get in on the fan art train, why not enter my contest? There's still over a month and a half to go, and ALL valid entries win some art as a prize! Happy drawing... and happy April Fool's Day!

#band vs band #webcomic #april fools #april fools day #webcomics #comic #comics #superhero #superheroes #superheroine #superheroines #funny #humor #comedy #Cannon #the heroes of crash #theheroesofcrash #The Heroes Of C.R.A.S.H. #heroesofcrash

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior 8/13/21 - CODA, FREE GUY, DON’T BREATHE 2, RESPECT, THE LOST LEONARDO, WHAT IF, and More!

Well, that was kind of a disappointing last weekend as James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad pretty much tanked at the box office, making less than Birds of Prey did back in February 2020 with all sorts of backseat analysis explaining why it didn’t do well as anyone, other than a scant, few thought. I mean, I’m still kind of stunned, even though COVID and the Delta variant seem to be losing steam as far as being news. It certainly didn’t help that HBO Max decided to release the movie concurrently on HBO Max on Thursday at 7pm.

The nice thing about this week is that we have three new movies, none of which are on streaming or On Demand at the exact same time, so if you want to see any of them, you’ll have to put on your N96 masks and get yourself to theaters. Two of the three movies are originals, while the third is a sequel to quite an original horror movie from about five years back. All of them are pretty good, actually. We’ll get to them soon...

But first, let’s start with this week’s “The Chosen One” and it’s gotta be Siân Heder’s CODA i.e. “Child of Deaf Adults,” which will play in select theaters and on Apple TV+ starting Friday. If you hadn’t heard, it was the belle of the ball at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, winning the Jury Prize and Audience Award alike. Heder previously directed Tallulah and is the showrunner on Apple’s Little America, but this really is a very special film that I’ve enjoyed on repeat viewings now.

It stars Emilia Jones as Ruby Rossi, the sole hearing person in her family of Gloucester fishermen, who are out every day on the sea making the latest catch in their nets. Ruby has other aspirations, and when she joins the school choir, the teacher, Mr. Villalobos (Eugene Derbez) sees talent in Ruby that he thinks might get her into the Berklee College of Music. Ruby has to weigh that with her family’s need to have her as an interpreter while dealing with the other fishermen of the town.

I didn’t know what to expect when I saw this at Sundance back in January, and it still surprised me when I rewatched it again, because it’s a movie that involves a lot of elements that shouldn’t necessarily work, between the fishing and the singing and all the ASL between the amazing ingenue, Ms. Jones, and the deaf actors playing her family, including the one and only Oscar-winning Marlee Matlin. If not for these disparate elements, Coda might be a fairly standard indie family drama, but Heder finds just the right balance of showing how these disparities in Ruby’s life make it hard for her to pursue her dreams.

Ferdia Walsh-Peelo from Sing Street plays the classmate who Ruby is set up with to perform a duet at their high school recital, and of course, he also becomes an unwitting love interest. Unfortunately that’s the aspect of the film that’s the weakest, because Jones’ scenes with Matlin and the other actors, including Derbez, as well as Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant, as Ruby’s father and brother, are just so powerful and moving even if they’re all in ASL with no dialogue or even incidental score.

Coda is Heder’s second film after Talllulah, a movie starring Elliot Page that never really connected with me, but Coda is such a strong and exceedingly crowd-pleasing film that I have to imagine that this would connect with everybody. I’m not sure if Apple’s gonna be able to get this movie all the way to Oscar night, but I do like its chances for Adapted (?) Screenplay, and maybe Matlin and Kotsur Supporting? I don’t know, because it’s so early and hard to tell, but hopefully the decision to wait so long after the virtual Sundance won’t hurt this movie as it hurt other Sundance award-winning films. Coda is just a joy that I’m sure will be many people’s favorite movie.

You can read my interview with Ms. Heder over at Below the Line.

Incidentally, in last week’s column, I talked about the 20th New York Asian Film Festival, but I didn’t realize that it was only running at Film at Lincoln Center for a week before going down to the SVA Theater on 23rd Street, and you can check out the schedule of movies playing there at the official site. And of course, there’s still the Virtual Festival that’s running through August 22. Also, Fantasia is still going on in Montreal, and I still haven’t had time to watch very much. What can I say? I suck.

Let’s get to some wide releases, shall we?

First up and probably the most likely to win the weekend is Ryan Reynolds’ new action-comedy, FREE GUY (20th Century Studios), directed by Shawn Levy and co-starring Jodie Comer from Killing Eve. The high-concept comedy has Reynolds playing Guy, a bank teller, who actually is a non-player character in a video game called “Free City” that’s kind of a cross between Grand Theft Auto and Fortnite. When he meets Comer’s character in the game, he falls mady in love and decides to do whatever it takes to get on her level. (Get it?) In doing so, Guy ends up becoming a hero for Free City, as well as a viral sensation across the globe as gamers thrill to Guy’s adventures.

Free Guy is Ryan Reynolds’ first live-action starring role theatrical release since…. Oh…. the action-comedy sequel The Hitman’s Bodyguard’s Wife a little under two months ago. Considering that barely made half of what its predecessor did, and that’s with Reynolds sharing the screen with Samuel L. Jackson and Salma Hayek, one wonders if his draw as an A-lister can be maintained during a pandemic. Before that, you’d have to go all the way back to 2018’s Deadpool 2 for a fully live Reynolds movie, because he wasn’t seen as himself for most of his role in and as Detective Pikachu. Of course, Reynolds’ unmistakable voice was back in DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods: A New Age, the sequel to the 2013 blockbuster that made the ballsy move to be one of the first movies to open during the pandemic. It grossed $58.6 million in theaters, which was slightly more than Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and even more than the Warner Bros. sequel, Wonder Woman 1984.

This is also a big movie for Jodie Comer, who won an Emmy and was nominated for two Golden Globes for Killing Eve, but hasn’t really been in too many movies, other than playing Rey’s Mum in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Later this year, she’ll star in Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel and may possibly be back in the awards game again, we’ll see. The movie also stars Lil Rel Howery, who seems to be everywhere and in everything these days, as well as Taika Waititi who is super-hot right now due to 2019’s Jojo Rabbit, and his various television projects, as well as having a small role in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad last week.

In some ways, Free Guy is gonna be a test for a lot of things, the first one being whether Reynolds is a big enough draw when not playing Deadpool to get people into theaters, just as people are starting to get skittish again about going into movie theaters. More importantly, it will show whether not having a movie on streaming or VOD means that people who want to see it will put aside their fears and return to theaters… like they did with F9 and Black Widow and Godzilla vs. Kong. Is an original non-franchise movie like Free Guy enough to get people interested in getting their butts off the couch and into a far more comfortable movie theater seat? (I’m being facetious, if you didn’t guess.)

After The Suicide Squad last week, I’m really not sure whether I can trust my own instincts, but I also don’t want to lower my prediction to something ridiculous out of fear that the pandemic really is destroying any chance of the box office fully recovering. One thing working in Free Guy’s favor, besides its PG-13 rating is that it’s not available on streaming and VOD. Anyone who has been intrigued by the film’s great reviews will HAVE to go out to a movie theater to see it or else, they’ll have to wait 45 days.

Maybe if this opened last month, I could see it open in the $30 million to $40 million range, but with things being the way they are, I’d probably go with high $20 million, so close to $30 million but not quite.

You can read my review over at Below the Line, and I’ll have an interview with the film’s Production Designer, Ethan Tobman, fairly soon.

Also opening Friday is the horror sequel DON’T BREATHE 2 (Sony/Screen Gems), starring Stephen Lang as the blind former Navy Seal who terrorized a bunch of kids who broke into his house in 2016’s Don’t Breathe.

The original movie, which starred Jane Levy, reuniting with director Fede Alvarez after the two remade Evil Dead for producer Sam Raimi, opened in late August, on the fourth weekend of the original Suicide Squad, in fact, and it knocked the movie out of the #1 spot. Its $26 million opening in 3,000 theaters was impressive for the time, partially because late August has never been great. It stayed #1 for a second weekend, over Labor Day, and it ended up grossing $89.2 million in North America, which is great for an R-rated horror film.

Levy isn’t around for the sequel and Alvarez has moved into a co-writer/producer role for his creative partner, Rodo Sagayes, to take over the directing reins, but honestly, I’m not sure how many people will know or care, because Lang’s character and the film’s violence and chills are it’s real selling point. Like many horror movies, there isn’t much in terms of star power other than Lang, but that has never really hindered the success of a horror movie in the past.

As with every movie I cover in this column, there’s the pandemic in the room and whether that might hold people back from going to theaters. I wish there was a way to calculate the effect that’s had on moviegoing, because it seems to affect movies differently. For instance, the recent The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It was able to open with $24.1 million just two months ago, although that was down from the $40 million of the previous two chapters. So that’s about a 40% drop-off in a similar five-year gap between movies. (Actually, it’s kind of strange that 2021 is replicating 2021 with three sequels to movies from five years earlier.) There’s no denying that the number of Covid cases are way up since June and movie theaters are still being painted as the “enemy” even though no significant cases have been traced back to the movies.

We also have to look at Sony’s last horror sequel, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, which I quite enjoyed, but it ended up opening with about $10 million less than the original movie a few years back. We can probably expect Don’t Breathe 2 to have a similar pandemic drop-off even if it’s another movie that won’t be on streaming or VOD this weekend.

I think Don’t Breathe 2 should be good for around $15 million this weekend since it’s catering towards a young audience that’s a bit more devil-may-care about going out to theaters. It will also probably appeal more to older single guys than something like Free Guy, which seems different enough to pull in a different audience.

My review will be posted over at Below the Line later on Thursday, plus I have a bunch of interviews coming, including this one with Rodo Sayagues and Fede Alvarez.

Next up is RESPECT (MGM), the long-awaited Aretha Franklin biopic (for those that didn’t see Genius, like me, I guess), starring Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson as the Queen of Soul. The movie directed by Liesl Tommmy was supposed to be released in January to take part in last year’s Oscars race, but I guess MGM wanted to make sure it got a proper theatrical release, which wasn’t possible since NYC and L.A. movie theaters didn’t reopen until March after the cut-off. But MGM had already decided to push the movie back to the summer in hopes of having more theaters able to play the movie, which is kind of true now?

It’s been a while since we’ve seen JHud in a high-profile theatrical release, and unfortunately, the last one was 2019’s Cats, a movie in which she probably was the best thing, although it still only grossed $27 million domestically, a flat-out bomb. Before that, she provided her voice for the animated blockbuster Sing in 2016, and then a bunch of smaller movies before that. She’s joined in the movie by the likes of Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Titus Burgess, Mary J. Blige, Marc Maron, and Audra MacDonald, quite an impressive array of talent that shows how many wanted to be involved with this project. Director Liesl Tommy is making her feature directorial debut after directing a ton of theater and TV shows like The Walking Dead and Jessica Jones.

Even so, it’s obviously that the ongoing popularity of Aretha Franklin, especially since her death in 2018, is going to go a long way into getting people into theaters, which includes a lot of older black women who really haven’t had much to get them out into theaters in recent months. Will this be enough?

Before Respect was delayed from its original January release, many thought that Hudson would receive another Oscar nomination for her performances. Having not seen the movie at the time of this writing, I can’t confirm or deny those chances. If that’s still the case, then releasing the movie towards the end of the summer (similar to The Help, successfully, and The Butler, not so much) is an odd decision rather than just holding the movie for festival season by holding until next month.

Either way, I think the love Aretha’s fans have for the Queen of Soul as well as Hudson’s fans, Respect should be good for between $8 and 10 million this weekend -- hard to pinpoint exactly without knowing how many theaters MGM is getting for it against the stronger summer movies.

Mini-Review: I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Respect, even after seeing the trailer a couple dozen times in front of other movies, but it’s a respectable biopic that cover 20 years in the life of the Queen of Soul from singing at a young age in her father’s church to returning to church for the gospel records as captured in the recently-released doc, Amazing Grace.

But first, we go back to 1952 where Aretha is a young girl (played by Skye Dakota Turner) is uncertain of her future as she’s being ordered about by her preacher father (Forrest Whitaker) and trying to find direction. The movie casually sets up the fact that young Aretha was sexually abused by a family friend, and maybe she got pregnant, too? It’s hard to tell and maybe a little odd since she would only have been 10 at the time, but it’s something that will be brought up (just as subtly) over the course of the film.

Jennifer Hudson takes over as Aretha as she turns 19 and goes to New York City to start recording, meets Marlon Wayans’ Ted White, makes him her manager and marries her, which basically has her going from one abusive man in her father to another one. It feels like the movie spends a long than normal time on the ‘60s, which is when Franklin’s career really took off with “Respect” and then a series of hits that took her all around the world. That whole time, she’s dealing with Ted’s abuses and jealousy while trying to write and record those hits, before her dark demons return and she starts drinking heavily.

As you might imagine, you go to see Respect to see how well Jennifer Hudson pulls off the Queen of Soul, and she’s an incredibly complex character that needs a nuanced performance, which Hudson tries to pull off by bringing different aspects of her life into different scenes.

There are some scenes that don’t work as well as others, and it feels like there’s a bit of time-crunching or futzing around so that at a certain point, her father seems to be de-aging, although I was just as impressed (possibly even moreso) with Forrest Whitaker, whose performance as Aretha’s father is more than just a full-on villain despite his violent treatment of his daughter. Wayans is also good and almost unrecognizable at first, and there are a few other nice performances in there as well, including Marc Maron as record label head Jerry Wexler.

But the performances Hudson gives as Franklin are goosebump-inducing, leading up to the recording of her record-selling gospel record as depicted in the aforementioned doc.

A fairly decent representation of Franklin’s little-known life leading up to her fame, Respect probably succeeds the most when Jennifer Hudson is performing as the Queen of Soul, but she’s also created a fairly moving portrait with strong dramatic moments that far outweigh any of the film’s issues. Rating: 8/10

With that in mind, this is how I see the weekend looking with two of the new movies bumping Suicide Squad down to third place where it will be facing off against Respect.

1. Free Guy (20th Century/Disney) - $28.5 million N/A

2. Don’t Breathe 2 (Sony/Screen Gems) - $15 million N/A

3. The Suicide Squad (Warner Bros.) - $10 million -62%

4. Respect (MGM) - $9.6 million N/A

5. Jungle Cruise (Walt Disney Pictures) - $8.7 million -55%

6. Old (Universal) - $2.5 million -36%

7. Black Widow (Marvel/Disney) - $2.4 million -39%

8. Stillwater (Focus) - $2 million -39%

9. Space Jam: A New Legacy (Warner Bros.) - $1.3 million -43%

10. The Green Knight (A24) - $1.1 million -56%

Donnie Yen stars in Bennie Chang’s RAGING FIRE (WELL GO USA), which premiered at the New York Asian Film Festival on Monday and at Fantasia in Montreal on Tuesday, and I’m not going to review this, because honestly, it’s such a cookie-cutter Hong Kong police action-thriller that I’m not sure I really have much to say about it, so I won’t.

On the other hand, I do have more to say about Andreas Koefoed’s documentary, THE LOST LEONARDO (Sony Pictures Classics), the Leonardo being Da Vinci, the master artist behind the Mona Lisa and many other works. Since I don’t really follow the world of art, I really didn’t know about the Salvator Mundi painting found about 10-12 years ago that was thought to be an original Da Vinci worth in the hundreds of millions, often dubbed “The Male Mona Lisa.” But it’s also a painting that was surrounded by controversy due to the 5-year restoring job that may have left very little of the original painting.

As the film began, I was groaning a little about sitting through another movie of art experts and historians talking about how important a find this is and why it’s either great or horrible, depending on who is being interviewed. Eventually, the film gets more interesting as it starts getting into the idea of selling it. After being sold to a wealthy Russian oligarch by an unscrupulous Swiss art dealer who made a nice profit on it, the painting ends up being auctioned by Christie’s, and the story just keeps getting more and more interesting as it goes along.

While I’m not one to go ga-ga over any painting by Da Vinci or otherwise, I do like a good mystery or suspense-thriller, so good on Koefoed for realizing about halfway through this movie that the talking heads will never be as interesting as actual footage. And that’s what happens here, too. I actually feel a little ignorant that I wasn’t aware this was going on as it was, maybe because I don’t really follow the art world in that respect. Maybe I just missed it, so it’s good that Sony Classics (who loves making movies about art) is giving this a fairly high-profile release following its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival a few months back. In that sense, The Lost Leonardo is quite a gem.

Heinz Brinkman’s USEDOM: A CLEAR VIEW OF THE SEA (Big World Pictures) is a somewhat intriguing doc about the Baltic island of Usedom, the location of a number of imperial German health resorts, beaches and such, and how the Jews were kicked out by the Nazis before Usedom was split into a German and Polish half after WWII. I wish I could get into this more, but I just have a limited mental capacity for a lot of German talking heads.

Which brings us to Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein’s THE MEANING OF HITLER (IFC Films), the new doc from the team behind Gunner Palace, which looks at the cultural fascination with Hitler and Nazism and the recent rise in white supremacy, antisemitism and the “weaponization of history itself.” I don’t know what that last part means, because I got so swamped this week that I didn’t get to watch this, and like another recent doc on the subject of Naziism and the Holocaust, I just couldn’t get into the right head space to hit play on this doc. Maybe I’ll watch it sometime down the road.

Similarly, I didn’t get around to watching Dutch filmmaker Jim Taihuttu’s THE EAST (Magnet Releasing), which I may like as a fan of Paul Verhoeven’s Dutch WWII films, and I probably should give this a look, but I just ran out of time this week. It’s about a young Dutch soldier who joins an elite unit led by a mysterious captain called “The Turk,” and it takes place in the Indonesian War of Independence after World War II.

As far as TV goes, Wednesday sees the debut of Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF...? on Disney+. I’ve seen the first three episodes, and I was a pretty big fan of the comics in the ‘70s (sadly, part of the giant collection that I sold a few years back), and I guess this is okay. The first episode is the one with Haley Atwell voicing “Captain Carter” i.e. Peggy Carter gets the Super Soldier Serum, which is one of the more obvious What Ifs that could possibly done, so that we can get another “women are as good as men, and they need to be heard” storyline that’s in 90% of the Marvel movies already. On the other hand, the first episode does include the voices of Sebastian Stan and others, so it’s quite a coup in that sense, but whoever wrote it, clearly doesn’t understand that people spoke differently in the ‘40s. I liked the 2nd episode, a mash-up of Black Panther and Guardians of the Galaxy, which is a fun idea that brings together a lot of great characters -- including Chadwick Boseman’s last voice performance -- but again, hearing the voices just isn’t the same when the writing isn’t as good as the movie. I feel like the animation for the show is okay, maybe not quite on par with some of the great Batman or Superman cartoons we’ve gotten over the years. On the other hand, the entire series features the great voice of Jeffrey Wright as The Watcher, acting kind of like the Rod Serling for the series, much like the Watcher does in the comics. I also dug the music by Emmy winner Laura Karpman (Lovecraft Country), and I’ll watch the rest of the series as it debuts, but I’m not sure it’s as much a rush to see each episode to avoid spoilers as with Loki or WandaVision.

Hitting Netflix this week is the limited series, BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR (Netflix), starring Rosa Salazar, Eric Lange, and Catherine Keener. The tagline is: “Lisa Nova (Rosa Salazar) comes to LA dead set on directing her first movie. But when she trusts the wrong person and gets stabbed in the back, everything goes sideways and a dream project turns into a nightmare. This particular nightmare has zombies, hit men, supernatural kittens, and a mysterious tattoo artist who likes to put curses on people. And Lisa’s going to have to figure out some secrets from her own past in order to get out alive.”

Also, TITANS Season 3 debuts on HBO Max, but since I haven’t watched seasons 1 or 2 yet, it might be some time before I get to it.

Next week looks like it could be a bit of a dog with four or five new wide releases but nothing that really jumps out, plus I’ll be in Atlantic City all next weekend, so who knows how much I’ll be able to watch or write about?

#The Weekend WArrior #Movies #Reviews #Coda #Free Guy #Respect #Don't Breathe 2 #the Lost Leonardo #Box Office