An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
So, I had something in mind for the "Hero or Villain" prompt for Cedric Week since the prompts popped up, but I still ended up being late. Go figure.
This is probably one of the most artsy and self-indulgent things I've written in a while. XD
I just really like writing things that I can use as an excuse to experiment with prose and are also kind of sad. I'm a poet by trade, and poetry often spills into my prose. I'm known to still dabble in writing some true pure angst once in a great while. So, enjoy?
For those following my quirky little series "Mistaken: The Untold Story of Enchancia's Royal Sorcerer," there's some fun little explanations and things tucked in here and there that you'll recognize, and you'll find some more pieces to the puzzle I've been laying out for you across some of the other fics in that series.
However, this works plenty well as a stand alone piece.
I think I forgot to tag @cedricweek in my other fic I wrote earlier. Oops.
Again, many apologies for the late post, and many thanks for organizing. It was fun to see the cool stuff people posted! Enjoy the fic/ offering. Like I said, this was an enjoyable little experiment both in prose and thought on Cedric's backstory.
Spirit Reference Key:
Niki Nihachu - Death
Captain Puffy - Fire
Jack - Light
Eret - Ice
Awesamdude - Dark
Foolish - Life
On the eve of Puffy's birthday, Niki finds herself cuddled with her girlfriend on a beanbag sofa as Jack and Puffy's three other friends laugh and banter around her. She reaches for the cookies to dip in her chocolate milk. Puffy gulps down her own favorite drink, her ears already flushed red with tipsiness.
Jack and Sam play a card game, taking shots every time they lose a round. The two other teammates Niki just met today, Foolish and Eret, dance around in the kitchen as they cook up dinner.
Niki grabs a handful of popcorn and chews it thoughtfully. The others haven't pressured her to fight with them yet, but she's ready for the inevitable disappointment. She watches the card game, trying to keep her mind off of darker musings.
Eret strides out into the living room, their bi-pride-flag cape swooshing behind them. "Dinner is ready, Captain."
Captain Puffy grins and wobbles to her feet. "To the kitchen!" She crows.
Jack groans good-naturedly. "Man, I was just about to win!"
"No, you weren't." Sam retorts, shoving Jack's shoulder playfully.
Niki follows Puffy to the kitchen, where Foolish has set up the dinner table with paper plates and plastic cups. "Thanks, Effy, my son." Puffy slurs her consonants slightly.
Foolish smiles and waves a bashful hand. "No problem, Papa."
Sam sits down beside Niki. She slouches in her seat uncomfortably as he smiles at her. He's been waffling for weeks between either unsubtly avoiding her and being overtly friendly. If she didn't already know that he's very monogamously in love with some other dude, she'd think he's crushing on her. But that can't be it, so Niki is confused in regards to his possible motives.
Eret serves everyone heaping piles of the noodles and stirfry. "Truly, a queen among humanity." Puffy giggles as she stuffs food in her mouth.
Foolish laughs at Jack, who's formed a mustache out of his noodles. The banter is so normal, the scene so mundane, it brings an ache to Niki's heart.
The heavy knock on the door shatters the illusion.
Niki rises to answer, but the door swings open before she can peek out the peephole. "Why, hello." A gruff voice intones, two glittering eyes pinning Niki in place. "Mind if I come in?"
"Who are you?" Niki crosses her arms, blocking the way of the shadow.
"You may know me as Technoblade." The massive form ducks through the door and into the light, shedding the boiling shadows. Niki gasps and flinches back from the menacing figure.
Technoblade adjusts the glasses resting on his muzzle, scratches his bristly neck, and widens his amused grin. Behind Niki, her friends have all stood up, tensing for battle. "Relax." Technoblade admonishes lightly, raising his claws. "I'm not here to kill any of you this time."
"This time??"
Technoblade laughs awkwardly. "Aha, don't let this scare you or anything, but I'm under oath to not harm any of you tonight."
"What do you want??" Puffy snarls, yanking Niki behind herself protectively.
"We would like you to join our anti-emperor coup d'etat as allies." His tusks glint as he bends his head to stare at them through his glasses. "Sam, you smell terrible."
"Ha- what??" Sam clenches his fists. "Wanna say that again, big guy??"
"Yeah, actually. You stink of guilt and lies." Technoblade shrugs. "Hey, that's none of my business though if y'all wanna associate with a traitor."
"Out." Puffy growls, glaring up at Techno. "Get out."
"Wait, wait, haha, I kinda have to secure this alliance. C'mon, Captain, what do you say?"
"Fuck you." Puffy flips him off. "Leave."
Technoblade shrugs. "K. Don't say I didn't warn you." He ducks out of the door again, once more shrouded in shadow.
Puffy slams the door after him. "What the hell was that about?? How dare he come in here to, to try to tear us apart!"
Niki steps back as Foolish and Jack join in Puffy's rage. She turns and meets Sam's eyes. He stares at her with broken desperation apparent in the welling tears. Eret offers Sam their hand. "You good, man?"
Sam flinches. "I- I'm so sorry."
The room goes unnaturally silent. Puffy breaks the quiet tension with a furious shriek, throwing up her arms and storming to the beanbag. She throws herself into the poof and muffles an angry scream.
"What do you mean, Sam??" Foolish cries. "What are you sorry for, you've done nothing!! Right??"
Sam drops his eyes with a heavy sigh. "I have prior loyalties that- I thought I wouldn't encounter him again, okay? I thought- I thought he was gone for good. But he's back. And I can't betray him again, or- or he'll kill all of you, and I can't let that happen!"
Jack pats Sam's shoulder. "Hey, look, at least you had good motives."
Niki leaves Jack and Eret to comfort Sam, and approaches Puffy, who kicks her feet on the floor, still making noises like a pissed off tea kettle. "Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not okay!" Puffy snaps, going miserably limp in the poofy beanbag. "I can't even protect my own team." Tears well in her eyes. "I can't even protect my own fucking team!! Why the fuck did that goddamn bastard Technoblade notice before I did??"
"I, I think he's still out on the balcony, Puffy." Niki hisses upon glancing out the window.
"Damn him, of course he is." Puffy grumbles. "Please deal with him for me?"
"Of course, babe." Niki impishly plants a kiss on Puffy's wrist, then leaps up.
Upon opening the door, she scowls at the lurking Technoblade. "Fifty thousand a day."
"Heh? That's a rather high price, what about-"
"This is not a negotiation." Niki smiles sweetly. "It's an ultimatum. We will be your allies in this coup if you pay each of us fifty thousand bullion credits a day."
Technoblade huffs heavily. "Don't punt anyone, they said. Just barter, it'll be easy, they said... Damn Wilbur, he should've been here instead."
"Take it or leave it."
"Fine, I suppose that deal is okay, I guess." Technoblade grumbles. "We'll contact you when we want your assistance."
"Deal." Niki slams the door closed on him once more.
Puffy giggles hysterically as Niki sits down beside her. "Niki, I can't believe you just extorted the Pax Triumvirs!"
"Wait, what??" Niki shrieks furiously, leaping to her feet. "The what?? Didn't they beat up Sam??"
"Yes, but- Niki, you good, babe?"
Niki glares venomously at the window. "I am going to extort so much more when those bastards try to contact us again."
Puffy guffaws. Niki glances back at her with a fond smile. In the kitchen, Foolish, Eret, and Jack try to comfort Sam with ideas on how to free him from whatever entity that's been threatening him.
Nothing about this is normal, anymore. But Niki finds she doesn't mind so much.
++++
Cloaked in the night, Badboyhalo trails Technoblade back to his base. The foolish Angel walks confidently, unaware of his stalker. Bad waits as Technoblade turns a corner. He sneaks around after waiting a moment.
But Techno has disappeared. Bad huffs, annoyed that he has to use his meager strength to track the Angel. This was supposed to be a quick, easy mission. He closes his eyes and lets the darkness seep through him.
Technoblade's form is a mere whisper tickling Bad's senses. Right behind him. Bad ducks; the blade of an axe whistles over his head. His daggers leap into his hands and he slashes for the Angel's arms. Feathers rustle, Bad's only warning before a heavy wing bowls him over.
"Rude." Technoblade places a foot on Bad's chest, slowly increasing the pressure as Bad struggles to gasp for air. "Why are you followin' me?"
"I, I was just, just passing throu-gck-!" Iron gravity wraps around his limbs, choking him. "Please-" Bad whimpers.
"I asked a simple question."
The pressure eases slightly, allowing Bad to gather his breath for an answer. "I- I just want to make sure they stay safe!" He cries.
"Who? Nemesis?? They'll be fine. I ain't gonna kill them unless they try to cross us."
"I know." Bad pleads. "I know, but the Lucid Spider is out and looking for revenge."
Technoblade's eyes light up. He lifts his foot and yanks Bad to his feet. "The Lucid Spider, you say...?"
"Yes! He's going to kill me if he finds me, but there's not time, I have to warn the Spirits." Bad brushes himself off. He glances up just in time to see Technoblade hiding a smirk.
"Well, then. I've got some good news, then."
"Oh? Really?" Bad perks up hopefully.
Technoblade caresses the blade of his axe thoughtfully. "Good for me, that is. I'm not entirely sure how great it will work out for you, to be honest."
"Oh-" Bad shrinks away. "Please don't?"
"Alright. What'll I get if I let you go?"
Bad thinks for a moment. He doesn't have riches, or anything really. "Uh, the satisfaction of doing the right thing?"
"Heh." Technoblade laughs darkly. "I'm afraid that doesn't pay the bills. I can't have Quackity getting pissy cause I let a hostage go for having the moral high ground, now, can I..." He raises his axe. "You're comin' with me."
Desperately, Bad kicks Technoblade in the gut. The Angel grabs his foot and twists, knocking Bad off balance. Bad shrieks as the axe slams down. It stops, hovering barely a centimeter away from the heartbeat pounding in Bad's throat. Technoblade scowls at Bad for a moment, then turns away and sheathes his axe. "Come on."
Bad shrinks back, trembling with terrified adrenaline. He wants to go home. He wants to return to Skeppy and Antfrost, his team, his friends.
He starts to draw the shadows to himself in the vain hopes of sneaking away, but he's yanked into the air by gravitational forces beyond his control, then slammed down again. Technoblade doesn't even glance back at him, doesn't say anything, merely waits as Bad regains his breath and struggles to his feet.
Badboyhalo looks over his shoulder at the nearest escape. Then he looks back at the Angel, who stretches his arms with a lazy yawn. He meekly follows his captor.
++++
Antfrost and Skeppy search the bridges and alleys frantically for Bad. Skeppy gets increasingly more and more panicked as no traces are found. "What if Dream got him??" Skeppy cries. "That fucking bastard-" He bursts into tears. "Now Bad will never yell at me again!!"
Antfrost growls low in his throat. He's grown accustomed to teammates dying, but the loss still aches. "We will find Dream and make him pay."
"Ye-yeah!" Skeppy sobs. "I don't understand, how could Bad let himself be defeated??"
Antfrost shakes his head. "The goddamn muffinhead shoulda taken us with him."
"He didn't even tell us where he was going!!" Skeppy cries. "He could be literally anywhere!"
"I will try to look." Antfrost kneels on the cold bridge and clasps his hands together. His eyes snap open, blazing golden as his cyan phylactery floats up from the silver chain around his neck. Beams of light flare and dance around his body.
"Badboyhalo." He hums and Io hums with him. "I am Antfrost, Speaker for the Dead. I summon you. Badboyhalo!"
Skeppy stares at Antfrost, never failing to be amazed every time the former Spirit of Death taps into his lingering power. Antfrost's white and gold outfit glistens with diamond dew, setting off the cyan accents of the sharp holographic wings fluttering behind him.
"We can't find him." Punz murmurs through the invisible portal to Hel's gates.
"He's not here," Fundy confirms.
"We will search for him." Purpled promises.
Tears bead in Antfrost's eyes. He struggles to close the portal and cut off his power. His dead friends give him spectral hugs, then retreat once more to whatever afterlives they've chosen. His eyes flicker closed as he collapses weakly to the ironwood planks.
Skeppy wails as he picks up Antfrost. "Don't die!!"
"I'm not dead, you idiot." Antfrost snaps with his remaining strength. "Just, just let me rest."
Antfrost lets Skeppy carry him back to their team headquarters. Skeppy, dear Skeppy. Formerly Spirit of Life, until it was ripped from him. Badboyhalo, dear muffin, former Spirit of Dark, until he gave it up for Skeppy's life. Punz, Fundy, and Purpled were not so lucky. Antfrost senses his remaining reserves of magic. He's running too low. Just one more spell, and his own body could be torn apart by the forces that only the gods will ever truly understand.
Believix was not a bad concept. The execution was lacking a little and I have to say that it didn’t make much sense in-verse because how many worlds are there where the inhabitants no longer believe in magic? We only know about Earth and even if there are others, they’re probably not a lot. So if Winx made Earth people believe in fairies again, that means that there is one less planet on which Believix can be earned. My point is that if there were a lot of fairies wishing to gain Believix, eventually they would run out of ways to do it because the planets where people don’t believe in magic would get less and less every time a fairy earned Believix until all the worlds started believing in magic which would make earning Believix impossible in the future. The greater impact their logic has on their universe has never been a concern of the writers because as we all know, Winx are the only ones that matter in the Winx universe but that is still a pretty major flaw in the concept of the transformation. Not to mention how super tailored to the circumstances it was. Wizards of the Black Circle want the Earth, to stop them Winx need Believix, Believix can be won on Earth because people no longer believe in magic there. Convenient as fuck. And the way Winx were going about convincing people that fairies exist was not ideal. Add to that how long it took them to earn Believix and then make people believe in them to gain more power, and the transformation didn’t get enough time to shine before it was replaced by the next ones.
The Tracix wings are absolutely fucking outrageous. How can wings help you see the past? They magically fly you in the past without actually leaving the present? It could have been cool if they’d explained how they worked. And a big minus here is that they didn’t use them at all. Only twice as far as I can recall and one of those times (in the Amazonian jungle) it didn’t really do shit for them. The wings were only relevant when the Wizards kidnapped Roxy which was the only reason they existed anyway. They didn’t even fit thematically with the other two sets of wings.
Zoomix could have been okay if they had not created a plot hole. I suppose the writers included Zoomix so that Winx could teleport to Amazonia, Sybila’s cave and then later to the Northern Pole. Oh, and to Tir Nan Og as well. But the wings became a problem when Winx were trapped by Nebula because they could have just used them to teleport away from there, yet it never occurred to them. It was really annoying. Otherwise, that set of wings was mostly okay.
The Speedix wings actually made the most sense out of all sets of wings and Winx made good use of them so I am not mad about them being included. It might have been better if that’d been the only pair of wings that came with Believix, however.
And a thing about all sets of wings that was annoying was when they would show how they changed them. I can’t decide what was worse - using only Bloom to show it or slogging through all of Winx changing their wings. Those parts were pretty dreadful.
The Sophix and Lovix transformations suffer from the opposite where there is no transformation at all. The Believix outfits and wings just change and it is underwhelming. They could have been a little more creative with that without turning it into a full-blown transformation even though that wouldn’t have bared down on the screen time too much since they only transformed once in Sophix and once in Lovix. But I guess that’s why they didn’t bother with creating actual sequences for these two subtransformations.
Sophix was fine. The outfits were fresh and the new powers they gained were decent. They even got to use them more than once. I think the writers undermined the very concept of Sophix a little by not taking into account what they stated in the beginning of that mini arc - that Sophix will make them one with nature. That was later implicitly contradicted and I was a little disappointed by that fact. Not to mention that Flora did not differ from the others in any way even though Sophix was a nature transformation and should have resonated even better with her than it did with the rest. But generally, it wasn’t half bad.
Lovix annoyed me because they didn’t really get to use it much. I am not sure if all of them even got to use the new magic the subtransformation granted them. Perhaps they did but it was so unmemorable that I can’t even remember it. I suppose a lot of my beef with Lovix stems from the fact that the whole mini arc that was supposed to be about them against Aurora (aka the Gift of Heart against her coldness which makes for a great thematical opposition) derailed pretty fast and they didn’t get to play up the Lovix card like they did with Sophix. Plus, I already mentioned that but the aesthetic of Lovix annoys me because it is supposed to be for a cold weather and even though the transformation obviously magically keeps the cold away it looks ridiculous with the tons of exposed skin it leaves while having ornamental fur details. It just grinds on my nerves unnecessarily. And I think it would have been refreshing to see a transformation that covered the whole body for a change instead of being more minimalistic. (I do realize later season have these (god knows Bloomix is too much) but in season four the only such thing we’d seen was Tecna’s body suit from her Magic Winx transformation.)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Summary: “Great, magic with a sense of humor. God help us all.”
Rating: Gen
Notes: Posted this a couple days ago, I was getting antsy after not writing anything for DC for a few months so I polished up this thing I wrote like a year and a half ago and posted it. Enjoy.
-
The Batcave is usually pretty damn quiet unless there’s a major emergency so Jason’s rather put off when he arrives to raised voices and more than a few yelps of surprise. Also fire. He’s partway up the stairs from the parking landing when he has to hit the dirt to avoid having his head burnt off. Can’t imagine that that’d be a pleasant way to go out a second time.
When he finally gets up the steps he’s confronted by a sight that’s equal parts horrifying and hilarious. There’s a dragon sitting up on it’s haunches in the middle of the computers and equipment, and it’s sneezing. Jets of fire shooting across the room every time it does. Dick is looking absolutely frantic and helpless, while Damian sits on the desk just out of the range of the fire looking very nonchalant all things considered. “What the fuck?”
Dick glances over at him. “Don’t just stand there! Help!”
“How the hell am I supposed to--” Jason ducks again as another blast of flame flies over his head. Seriously this is ridiculous. This doesn’t look like it’s getting any better and with Dick apparently useless, Jason does the only thing he can think of, he grabs the nearest fire extinguisher – there’s always a few in the cave, never can be too careful and all that – and sprays the dragon’s snout.
Look at that. Crisis averted. The day is saved thanks to Jason Todd yet again but will he get any credit for it?
“Jason!”
Of course not.
“What?” Jason says as he sets the extinguisher down. “I helped, I don’t see the problem.”
Dick of course sees the problem. He always sees problems. Especially when it comes to Jason, but that’s a sore spot for another time. “You could have hurt him! There’s no way of knowing what putting out his fire like that would do!”
The dragon, wiping the foam off its snout, rolls its eyes and all of the sudden, Jason knows why Dick’s freaking out. He kinda wants to laugh, but also-- “A dragon? Fucking seriously?”
As the dragon gives Jason a look that banishes any doubt that it’s the replacement under all those black and red scales, Dick sighs, like Jason’s making everything more difficult. Then he just leans against a counter, apparently resigned, and says, “Be nice, Jay. Tim’s had a rough day.”
“He’s had--” Jason groans and honestly, yeah, he should have expected this kind of shit from somebody with the last name ‘Drake’ and a penchant for pissing off magical entities. Still he thinks he can be forgiven for losing some tact in the surprise of walking into the cave to find a goddamn, ten foot long dragon sneezing fire across the room, thanks. “Just… just tell me what happened.”
Dick looks at Tim and Tim just huffs as he wipes away the last of the foam. Shrugging Dick turns back to Jason. “Tim had a run in with something magical and now he’s a dragon for some reason we’re not sure of.”
“The pun would be my guess,” Jason supplies, which gets him a low growl from Tim and a look of confusion from Dick. Grinning, Jason tilts his head towards Tim, “I mean it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to think that something magical would know our real names so…”
It takes a moment for Dick to get it, but the realization is met with a bark of rueful laughter. “Great, magic with a sense of humor. God help us all.”
“So, what sort of magic thing was it?” Jason asks as he walks closer to Tim.
Looking more than a little miffed, Dick responds, “We don’t know, because Tim was Tim and decided not to let anybody else in on the whole ‘going after a magical entity be back for dinner hopefully not as a dragon’ adventure.”
Wow, shade thrown at somebody who isn’t Jason? Somebody needs to be marking this date. Jason decides not to acknowledge that, not worth the inevitable complaining and instead focuses on another interesting fact. “So… I take it Replacement can’t talk in this form, huh?”
Before Dick can respond to that, Damian, who’s been curiously absent from the conversation up until now, finally deigns to speak up. “Indeed. It has been a welcome reprieve from his usual, useless prattle. Almost worth putting up with his ineptitude with the fire breath.”
Tim’s head whips around and embers begin mixing with the smoke rising from his nostrils again. Not good. Jason reaches out quick and grabs Tim’s jaws holding them closed as best he can, while scolding, “Hey! Whoa, yeah, none of that shit. Pretty sure literally roasting the preteen is only hilarious in theory. Cool it, baby bird.”
Despite narrowing his eyes a bit and snorting a few small flames from his nose, Tim doesn’t fight Jason’s grip, possibly conceding the point. Slowly, Jason lets go and though Tim does curl his lip at Damian, showing off an impressive row of teeth, he doesn’t actually blast the brat so Jason counts it as a win.
Damian snarls right back at Tim like he thinks his display has anywhere near the same impact and that’s just adorable. Well, it would be, if he weren’t goading an actual dragon directly after Jason just prevented him from getting crispy-fried. Some gratitude. “Pathetic as usual, Drake. Even in a form where you have all the power you defer to Todd of all people! Shamef--”
“Enough!” Dick orders, all commanding and Batman-y, as Tim starts to growl again. “Both of you.”
Immediately, Tim and Damian turn so they aren't facing each other, still stubbornly refusing to look even a little apologetic after being reprimanded. And here Jason thought he was the petty one. Learning new shit all over the place today. “So, what’s the plan for getting Timbit back to his normal, less fiery self?”
Dick shrugs. “Bruce went to check in with our local magic users to see if any of them can figure it out. Until he gets back our orders are to sit tight and make sure Tim doesn’t start… hoarding things or something.”
“I see…” Jason grins at Tim, getting a wary glare in response. “What’d ya say, Replacement? You feel like you’re going to start hoarding coffee?”
Tim lets out a loud groan and covers his face with his talons.
“Or maybe Sherlock Holmes novels?… No wait! I know! Workloads! We’ll turn our backs for five seconds and you’ll be lounging on top of a mound of case files you stole from the rest of us, won’t ya?”
Dick smiles a little. “I’m honestly shocked he hasn’t already tried to break out and abduct a princess.”
“That’s because all the princesses we know could kick his ass, dragon form or no dragon form.” Jason sits down next to Tim on the floor and slings an arm over the scaled shoulders. “Betcha Super-Teen would let you kidnap him if we asked though, so, ya know, back up plan.”
Abruptly Tim lifts his head and turns so his snout is only inches from Jason’s face.
“Wha--?”
Before Jason can finish his question, Tim opens his jaws and exhales. There’s no flames but Jason gets a face-full of something just as bad. Warm, humid breath that smells distinctly of sulfur and charcoal.
Quickly Jason rolls away from the smell, hacking and coughing… maybe laughing just a little. “Fucking hell, baby bird! Ugh, just torch me next time, it’d be more humane. Damn, brush you’re teeth or something!”
Tim of course just looks smug. Because he’s a little shit.
WARNING: This episode contains censored cartoon nudity and strong adult themes. WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK! Welcome back to episode five of MahouShowGirls! Much ...
While it took me a lot longer than I anticipated, I finally got the latest MahouShowGirls episode up!
As hinted in the previous episode, this time we talk about all the Cutie Honey revamps throughout the past few decades. While they all have the same source material, they all manage to do something new and interesting and it was a ton of fun to go through and watch them all.
As a warning, the footage in this episode is a bit more mature than the last, but I think I did ok with censoring everything.
Take a watch! Find out which Honey you might be most interested in!
Hannibal (NBC). During one of his Chesapeake Ripper kills Hannibal pisses off a witch/gets hit by a death curse that turns him into a beast-in this case a dog. Breed up to writer (anything from something purebred and fancy to the kind that just have “….mixed” as best guess). Stunned and confused, he ends up being found by one FBI profiler Will Graham.
