#'we may have at some point stopped fitting the definition of monster hunter huh'

[thefledglingdm]

Umm can I request directors commentary for literally any Leopika fic you’ve written??? Love your stuff!

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

ahhahaha thank you so much! yes, absolutely! this is going to be long, because i have decided to do that scene in light of my life, pain of my ass. beware LONG BULLSHIT and spoilers below the cut!

ok to set the scene. i was TERRIFIED to write this part. because this is the climax, you know? we've had 150k words of build-up and emotional tension to this scene. while this has been a romantic story, this is the actual climax of the story. we've spent all this time in kurapika's head as he's dealt with his anxiety, his need for control, his fear of letting go. how he's changed as he's opened up his heart and his life to people outside. and finally he's actually working through all of his emotions and the progress he's made out loud, in front of everyone. and because he forgot about giving his speech until like five minutes before (sorry, kp), he is forced to speak from the heart.

For five agonizing seconds, Kurapika stood alone in the middle of a silent room. Above him, the string lights coalesced into a single shared point of soft white light that illuminated his space.

i so wish this could be adapted to, like, netflix or made into a movie. i put so much into this imagery. the play on light? the cinnamon topography? *chef's kiss* yes please netflix CALL ME.

Everyone in his life was staring at him expectantly, Pairo and Altair and Gon and Killua and Nanika and Alluka and Kalluto and his parents. And approximately a hundred other people on top of that, extended family on both sides, industry insiders, coworkers. All staring at him and waiting for him to say something amazing and powerful and deep about love and what did Kurapika know about love, anyway? He was a thirty-two year old trans man so terrified of his own emotions, so paralyzed by his fear of loss, that he did not figure out he was in love with his best friend until three weeks ago.

this is me screwing the knife in deeper for poor kurapika, sorry. this is so incredibly horrifying for a person with anxiety, as someone with anxiety. behold, the terrifying ordeal of being known.

Five seconds. Kurapika finally found Leorio standing near the back, leaning against the bar. He wondered if Leorio picked the same spot where they sat together the very first time they came here on purpose. Leorio sent him a wink and a thumbs-up.

the terrifying ordeal of being known and being so, so loved anyway. it was great to write in a way that showed leorio realized he was in love with kurapika first (indeed, realized that kurapika was in love with him before kurapika knew himself), because these little interactions shows so much how leorio is inviting and allowing kurapika to come to him on his own time. and supporting him the whole way, because they are friends!!!!

Breathe, Kurapika thought. Just breathe. It’s going to be okay.

this statement was not supposed to be a running theme/motif, but i'm super glad it did! i wrote it as a one-off line for melody, but then i was like, hang on, that's kinda good? every other time i write i'm like, hey, you could make a theme out of this!

“Um,” Kurapika started, his voice cracking. Christ, he sounded seventeen again. He cleared his throat.

my friends told me about how their voices changed and dropped on T. any trans person is stronger and more powerful than any us marine.

“For those of you who may not know, I’m Pairo’s brother. Kurapika. His older one, just to be clear.”

this is definitely something that has happened like a hundred times.

There was a smattering of chuckles around the room. He twisted to look at Pairo. “I’ve known Pairo since he was a toddler dragging a ragged, threadbare T-Rex plushie around behind him. I was there when he read his first chapter book on his own – Dino Hunter, of course – because he came bursting into my room at two o’clock in the morning to tell me about it.” Another round of laughter. “I was there when he got his first notebook, when he won his first writing contest, when he was published in his first magazine. I was the first person he told about liking boys instead of girls. I’ve watched him grow and learn and fall in love. And now Altair is part of our family, too.”

pairo and kurapika's lives as brothers were amazing. dino hunter is a reference to the book they both read in the manga that led to kurapika wanting to leave the kurta and explore the world.

i also thought that writing fit pairo well because it's a pretty accessible career for his eyes. he could type, he could enhance the screen and font when he needed, and he could do talk-to-type. one day i want to write a side-story of when pairo and altair met, because i have it perfectly formulated in my head and it's adorable.

Kurapika took a deep breath, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear. He confessed, “To be perfectly honest, I was scared when Pairo asked me to do this, because I’ve run out of things to teach him. He’s run on ahead of me in life. Settled down, moved in with his boyfriend – now husband, congratulations on that by the way – and gotten married, while I’m perpetually single and living alone in my loft apartment with an absolutely spoiled monster of a cat. Stop laughing, that wasn’t supposed to be a joke.”

emperor the cat was also not intended to be a character. i came up with him like, right before i started writing the chapter.

i think it was hard for kurapika to watch his brother fall in love and move on ahead in life. even if he was genuinely happy for them both. i had a conversation with a coworker a few months ago where we both talked about how we feel like we are "behind," even though we're both very accomplished. she felt like she was "behind" because i have a master's degree; i felt like i was "behind" because she was happily married and already had a child on the way (who is here and beautiful and perfect). and i imagine kurapika wondered if he was falling behind or missing something when he saw his brother succeed in love and business without really trying.

but there's no competition at all, of course. the world spins on, and we grow and change and find our place in our own time. there's no race.

The room quieted again. Kurapika went on, his eyes flicking over the crowd. He was starting to smile, too, now.

he's starting to realize this is okay, he's not going to mess up, he may actually have something worthwhile to say or share. he's getting more comfortable in all this.

“But I’m also a wedding planner – I know, ironic – and I’ve learned a lot about love from my clients. So if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to share some of those lessons now.”

No one from the back shouted at him to shut the fuck up, that he didn’t have a single clue what he was talking about, so he thought he was safe to carry on.

how funny would that have been??? like, it would have been fucked-up and humiliating, but in any other situation?? hilarious. just killua looking like that dude in mean girls being like HE DOESN'T EVEN GO HERE except it's like HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT LOVE IS.

He thought back to Light of My Life’s various couples, musing over their own rocky paths to the altar and the beautiful, fractured glimpses into their lives they gifted Kurapika and his team. What did they teach him? What did they teach his heart, that terrifying, terrified lump of meat frantically beating in his chest?

More than you think, his heart seemed to be telling him. Trust me; I will guide you through this. Trust me, trust me, trust me.

*"listen to your heart" plays in the background*

also like. trusting oneself and your perceptions and your feelings and your heart is so necessary. it's an important part of healing. and being honest with yourself and your feelings is part of a foundation for all healthy relationships, i think.

also i really like writing alliteratively. the play on words with "terrifying, terrified" was. inspired? terrifying, because kurapika for a long time feared his own heart and feelings, viewing them as a loss of control; and terrified, because his heart is afraid, too. and they are taking this leap together!

And Kurapika explained: “Love isn’t just found in eloquent professions or grand, romantic gestures. It’s supporting each other through your lowest, worst moments and coming out the other side stronger for it. It’s standing together, hand in hand, against the world. It’s in looking at someone simply existing in the world and seeing them as they are: good, beautiful, strong, intelligent, kind. It’s in your communication and your foundation and trusting that all good things will come together in time. It’s in the family that you build together. It’s in the work you each put in to get through the hard times. Together.”

me: yeah uh-huh jj you really did summarize the fic so far.

this is also where i started being sappy and thinking about love. friendly and romantic love. the love i've seen in my friends, the love i feel myself in my relationships.

There. That’s what his clients taught him. Menchi and Buhara; Morena and Theta; Pokkle and Ponzu; Knov and Morel; Knuckle and Shoot; Canary and Amane. But so many more people showed him what love was. He pictured Pairo and Altair on his couch, laughing at him and judging him and helping him put his own puzzle-piece heart together into something cohesive and beautiful. He smiled at his brothers and saw the way they were clutching each others hands, mouths beaming and eyes dewy.

they LOVE their brother so MUCH. their view of the outside looking in for the past year, watching kurapika fall in love, go soft, be happier than they've ever seen him.

He told them, “It’s in the way you can communicate in gestures and looks, and sometimes, without looking at all. It’s in banter and private jokes and finishing each other’s sentences. It’s in casual touches and... pouring their coffee before your own.”

my coffee is never as good as when my partner makes it. my honey-lemon tea is never as good as it is when my partner makes it. my jokes are never as funny as they are when my partner and i finish each other's sentences, build off of each other's quips. we can communicate across rooms with nothing but a look. these little signs of love are everywhere and expressed in so many tiny ways. these examples here are between people in romantic relationships, but these apply to platonic friendships as well.

His eyes swept the room and found Killua and Gon. Gon had his camera hefted onto one shoulder, and Killua stood behind him, arms around his waist and chin on his shoulder. “It’s on the first day you wake up and realize the way you look at the world has changed. The way you open your hands and your heart and give what you have, simply for the joy of being received.”

to love? transcendent. to be loved? incandescent. to love and know that it is valued and cherished and requited?

and this was a callback to killua talking about, of course, how he fell in love with gon like melting ice. like sinking into a bath. and this was also a quieter callback to how gon fell in love. because it wasn't just that he had/has so much love to give, but because for the first time in his life, he got to see it truly received. accepted.

Kurapika saw Killua’s breath catch and Gon’s hand flex over the fingers interlaced over his middle. Heedless of their surroundings and of the running camera, Gon twisted to kiss Killua on the mouth.

SMOOCHES ahahaha!

He turned his head back to Leorio. The man had not moved; indeed, he looked like he was nailed to the floor. His eyes were so intense as they watched him that Kurapika was almost surprised he had not yet burst into flame. Kurapika said, “It’s in the moment you see someone you’ve never met before, but you look at them and just know, to your core, that this is really going to be something.”

leorio realizing something is happening here. something huge is about to happen, is about to change. and he's trying so hard not to dare to hope it might be good. it might be everything.

A chorus of oohs went around the room. Even from this distance Kurapika saw the way Leorio’s face went red, and he ducked his chin, looking bashful and embarrassed.

leorio: holy shit holy shit holy SHIT IT'S HAPPENINGGGG

How was I such a fool before, Kurapika wondered, How was I so blind, so willfully ignorant and oblivious. How did it take me so long to realize you were talking about me. I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. I’m sorry I made you wait for so long.

this is important because it's not just kurapika realizing and accepting his feelings for leorio. this is kurapika's version of realizing that leorio feels the same for him. leorio is in love with him, too. and he's wondering how it was possible he was so scared and blind for so long. he fears he may have hurt leorio by holding off on this for so long, so he wants to be brave, take the leap, and see what they could be.

Kurapika did not want this man to wait another second. He did not want Leorio to spend another moment trapped in this limbo. So he confessed in the middle of a silent room in front of over a hundred people, “It's the first time you hear them laugh, and your entire world’s axis shifts beneath your feet.”

i remember the first time i met my partner. i remember the first time i looked at them and felt my world shift a little to the right. i remember falling in love and thinking that this one was unlike all the others. it was warm, golden, comforting.

Kurapika watched the confused frown on Leorio’s face when he heard that, amused by the almost puppyish tilt to his head as he considered it. He knew the moment Leorio realized what he meant when his eyes blew wide, amazed and awed and achingly soft. His lips parted.

gOD he is so CUTE. he's like oh hmm huh what does that mean

and then he remembers

i promise, he's not a huge dickwad!

and leorio laughing at gon's accidental gaffe and his sweet earnestness. and kurapika walking in. leorio realizing kurapika wanted to know him before they ever even met.

Kurapika made himself turn away from the arresting sight. “One of my favorite venues lately was the Roseview Ballroom downtown. Among its many beautiful, gaudy attractions are its murals depicting scenes from Shakespeare’s plays all across the ceiling. One is a famous quote from Twelfth Night: ‘journeys end in lovers meeting, every wise man’s son doth know.’ But the more I think about it, the less I agree.”

i'm such a WHORE for shakespeare, as any readers of mine will know. check out my modern college adaptation of much ado about nothing.

He turned to meet Pairo’s eyes again, repeating, “‘Journeys end in lovers meeting.’ But nothing is ending here. It’s just changing.”

life does not end when we start relationships! or when they end! or when we move, change jobs, graduate, go to school, drop out of school. happy endings in stories still aren't endings. the greatest constant in life is change.

“Because what I’ve learned in this job, Pairo and Altair, what nugget of wisdom I have to give you, is this. Love is looking at a world that can be terrifying, cold, capricious, and indifferent, and finding the person whose hand you want to hold through it all anyway. Because you want every laugh, every tear, every wrinkle, every spark of joy. Love is life’s greatest leap of faith, because you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. But you know exactly who you want to spend all those tomorrows with.”

me finishing this: dammit i just wrote out my wedding vows.

Kurapika looked around the room again. At Gon and Killua; at Kalluto, Nanika, and Alluka; at his parents; at his brothers. At Leorio.

He concluded, “So you simply breathe. And you trust it will be okay.”

There wasn’t a dry eye in the room when Kurapika dropped the microphone.

DAMN ME TOO THIS SHIT WAS GOOD TF?????? sorry my writing has peaked here.

[sterekloving]

If you’re new to the fandom or just want something new to read or even reread an old classic, here’s the most popular and iconic fics in the fandom!

(Those with a * are my all time favourites - if you want me to do a personal fave ficrec, let me know!)

Alpha Spikes* -  thestarbeast - 70k+ - Explicit

AU. Alphas are like royalty and are offered their choice of any age eighteen-and-up virgin Omega for each heat season, as a 'thank-you' for all they've done throughout the year. Derek is an Alpha and...yeah, Stiles. Stiles is an Omega. And still a virgin. In every way. And he's just turned eighteen. This...is not his day.

Bones Straining Under the Weight* -  weathervaanes - 15k - Explicit

One of Stiles' favorite things about life is Derek Hale's food blog. He never expects to meet the man in person.

“Derek,” he says again, and the name feels very strange on his tongue.

“You don’t mean Derek Hale.”

His professor’s eyebrows reach up, eyes widening. “You read his blog?”

"Uh. Worship. Would be a better more descriptive word. That is Derek Hale?"

Jimmy chuckles. "Good-looking guy, huh?"

"You mean to tell me the Food Network hasn't snatched him up to dethrone everyone else from daytime TV."

Jimmy smiles a small private smile. "I don't think TV is his medium."

Stiles raises an eyebrow. "Shy?"

The man laughs heartily at that. "No, I wouldn't say that. He just has particular forms of expression, like eyebrows and chili powder."

By Any Other Name -  entanglednow - 33k - Explicit

He doesn't know his name, he doesn't know who he is, and neither does the werewolf he's on the run with. But he's pretty sure they hunt monsters, because they seem to be really good at it.

Can’t Be Hateful, Gotta Be Grateful -  HalfFizzbin - 6k - Teen

"Be cool, Dad, we've decided to con Grandma." (Or, the one where the Stilinski men drag Derek to Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma's and she gets the right wrong idea.)

Cornerstone* -  Vendelin - 83k - Explicit

Suffering from PTSD, ex-Marine Derek Hale moves back to Beacon Hills to open a bookshop and find a calmer life. That’s where he meets Stiles, completely by accident. Stiles is talkative, charming and curious. Somehow, despite the fact that he’s blind, he’s able to read Derek like no one else.

Cupboard Love -  mklutz - 30k+ - General

He’s carefully balancing the sandwiches and the two biggest tupperware containers he could find that both had functioning lids when the front door opens and he almost drops everything right there in front of the stupid fountain. If that’s Derek Hale, he’s definitely not a mountain man.

Dating Backwards* - RemainNameless - 85k - Explicit

Pornstars Derek and Stiles work for the same company. Derek only shoots with werewolves and Stiles only shoots with humans. That's not going to change after they meet. It's really not. (It might.)

DILF* -  twentysomething - 30k+ - Explicit

"Today is Scott's first day of kindergarten and Derek is terrified."

Divided We Stand* -  KouriArashi - 100k+ - Mature

Derek is being pressured by his family to pick a mate, and somehow stumbles into a choice that they didn't expect and aren't sure they approve of....

Don’t Savage The Messenger* -  exclamation - 172k - Explicit

There is an uneasy truce between the werewolves in the woods and the humans who live in Beacon Hills, protected by a magical boundary that gives warning any time a werewolf crosses it. Then the sheriff is taken by the werewolves and his son offers himself in exchange.

Stiles promises to serve the werewolf pack, not knowing what horrible use they might have for him. But it turns out his most useful skill is the ability to cross the boundary line between humans and werewolves. Life with the werewolves is nothing like he feared and the werewolves themselves are nothing like the hunters' stories would have him believe.

Don’t Worry Baby -  kalpurna - 20k - Explicit

"You know you're allowed to ask for vanilla sex, right?" he says, afterwards. "We can do whatever you want. That's kind of the point." Derek doesn't respond.

Dude, Werewolves -  mysecretashes - 29k - Explicit

Stiles gets partnered with Cora for a history project, and they become bros. Also, he kind of falls in love with her older brother, Derek.

Electricity In the Contact -  ladyblahblah - 27k - Explicit

In which Derek has been invited to the Greater Pacific Northwest Alpha Symposium (that's not what it's called, Stiles, stop saying that), and showing up unattached would mean an arranged marriage. When the rest of the pack objects, he agrees to let Stiles come along to pose as his mate. Derek is reasonably sure that he's not going to make it out of this weekend alive.

Enemy Lines* -  qhuinn - 149k - Explicit

This is the story of werewolf Derek Hale and human Stiles Stilinski: two people who grew up in the same town but completely different worlds, their realities split by the war between men and wolves.

Years later when Derek returns to Beacon Hills, he does it as Alpha of a military pack on a mission to capture those responsible for the region’s resistance. With his main objective, Sheriff Stilinski, out of sight, he settles for the next best thing: his son, Stiles.

Neither of them suspects they’ll need to trust each other if they want to make it out this alive.

Every Step You Take -  Nokomis - 49k - Mature

Stiles accidentally ends up magically bound to Derek. It’s super.

Fireman Derek’s Crazy Pie (Cheeseburger Baby) -  owlpostagain - 17k - Teen

“He can't blame me for the fact that I live in a building full of people united in the singular effort to ogle Hot Fireman as often as humanly possible." Laura laughs, loud and echoing in the empty restaurant.

"Hot firemen can make a girl do crazy things," she agrees, nodding towards her brother's name on the menu. "Derek won't let me date anyone from his company, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the eye candy."

"Send them my way," Stiles suggests, finally loading up a forkful of pie. "Apparently I'm incompetent enough that I need to be babysat at all times, because it would be cheaper than dispatching a truck every time I try to use a kitchen appliance."

Gravity’s Got Nothing on You* -  zosofi - 83k - Explicit

“Three weeks,” Derek says.

“Still don’t want to,” Stiles says.

“I’ll pay you,” Derek says, and that… that has Stiles interested. Alf’s Antique’s may be a great job, but it’s not a high-paying job, and half of Stiles’s tuition is coming from financial aid, so… “How much,” Stiles asks, “are we talking here? Because I know your family, dude. And it’ll be kind of awkward after.“

“My family thinks you’re some sort of fucking gift to the world,” Derek seethes, like he’s jealous, “they’ll probably be pissed at me when we break it off, so don’t worry about that. Five hundred bucks.”

“A thousand,” Stiles says, because screw ethics. Also, the Hale family is loaded. Derek can deal.

Hemingway Can Suck It -  KuriKuri - 10k - Teen

“For those of you who just transferred into this class or simply decided that day one wasn’t important enough to attend, I’m Professor Hale. Welcome to English 346, The American Novel.”

Stiles is pretty sure his mouth is hanging open right now and that his eyes are wide with shock, because holy fuck, he thinks he knows why his students transferred. Hell, if he was still an undergrad, he probably would have transferred, too.

(Or: In which Stiles is a Biology professor and Derek thinks he's a student.)

Integral to Survival -  asocialfauxpas - 8k - Mature

Derek is in the cell for about ten minutes before the lone door opens and a new body is tossed in. The person hits the floor with a grunt, rolls, and stands as the door is clanging shut. “That’s really not the way to treat a guest!”

Just Act Normal -  zosofi - 70k+ - Explicit

If someone had told Stiles back in high school that he would be an Oscar winning actor by the time he turned 25, he would’ve probably told Scott to punch them. The thing is, though…they would’ve been right. Which makes returning to Beacon Hills, center of all that is supernatural and better left avoided, all the more awkward.

Kaleidoscope* -  Vendelin - 50k+ - Explicit 

Stiles spends a year before college working at the all-night coffee shop in town. It's nice and quiet, until one dark and brooding Derek starts coming in every morning, ordering coffee so strong that it should not be fit for human consumption. Ever. Stiles tries not to be affected by the mystery guy, but it's not like anything else happens around here, so really, what did you expect? And when he's already in too deep, he realises he might even be in way over his head...

Little Wild Animal* - DiscontentedWinter - 61k - Explicit

Derek Hale finds a feral human on his pack's property. Humans are supposed to be extinct. But then, Stiles is full of surprises.

Lock All The Doors Behind You -  entanglednow - 25k+ - Mature

He has no idea what you're supposed to say when you find one of your...werewolf acquaintances, completely out of their mind, growling like they're about to see what your insides taste like. There's no handbook for this. Stiles is thinking that if he survives he might write one.

Losers -  stilinskisparkles - 30k+ - Explicit

Where Derek is new to college, eager to spend his time learning, and Stiles is everything he didn't want in a room mate. He's loud, he's into sports, and he keeps trying to make Derek do things. Or, the one where Derek falls for a jock, Erica will cut you if you disturb her studying, and Jackson is a closeted romantic who pretends to hate everything.

Move a Mountain* -  ZainClaw - 69k - Explicit

Stiles goes camping with his friends in New Mexico after graduation where they befriend a biker gang led by Derek: a guy whom Stiles can’t decide if he will be either relieved or devastated to never see again once their week is up.

No Homo* -  RemainNameless - 80k+ - Explicit

Stiles' sophomore year starts something like this: 3 FourLokos + 1 peer-pressuring cat - 1 best bro to end all best bros = 1 Craigslist ad headline that reads "str8 dude - m4m - strictly platonic". Derek is the fool who replies.

Our Lives Are Changing Lanes* -  grimm - 47k - Explicit

There's a lot of screaming going on inside the first house Stiles visits. He isn't really worried, because it sounds like kids, but then the door opens and hi, says his dick, because the dude in front of him is gorgeous, built like a god with a face like thunder. Stiles wants to lick that solid jaw line. Hold the fuck on, says his cop brain, because the dude's got kids hanging all over him; one's on his back, skinny legs looped around his waist, and another two hanging off one arm, toes barely brushing the ground. There's a tubby toddler clinging to his leg like a koala, and he's got a baby tucked into the crook of the one arm that doesn’t have kids hanging off it. Stiles' mouth drops open.

"How many of those kids did you kidnap?" he asks before he can wrangle his brain into submission.

The man gives him a look that says what the fuck is wrong with you and snaps, "You think I'd subject myself to this on purpose?"

"Oooh," says one of the kids hanging off his arm. "I'm telling Mom."

Permanent Fixture* -  linksofmemories - 80k+ = Explicit

Derek is Scott's older brother. Stiles is Scott's best friend. Derek is falling in love with Stiles. This is a bit of a problem.

Practice Makes Perfect -  blacktofade - 21k - Explicit

In his sophomore year, Stiles gets dragged to lacrosse tryouts by Scott and ends up practising alongside the senior captain, Derek Hale. Stiles just wants to live long enough to become a junior.

Prince Among Wolves* -  tylerfucklin - 100k - Explicit

Looking for full day/evening sitter. 2 twin boys age 4. Must have exp. w/werewolves. Must be human. No pedophiles. No teenage girls. Pay negotiable.

Salty Sweet - secondstar - 40k+ - Explicit

Derek works at a porn store. One day, Stiles comes in asking all sorts of TMI questions about different toys. That's where it all starts.

Sideways and Slantways and Longways and Backways -  hologramophone - 7k - Teen

“I called you a slave-driver!” Stiles cried hysterically. “I called you an ogre! I stole all the blue paperclips!” Derek raised an eyebrow at him. “That’s company property!” he shouted, waving his arms madly in distress. Derek ran a hand over his face. “It’s not theft if the vice president of the company gives you permission.” (Otherwise known as the Elevator AU)

The Company I Keep* -  secondstar - 67k - Explicit

Stiles has a favorite table at the library. Then some asshole comes along and steals it from him.

There is a Brotherhood* -  minusoneday - 21k - Explicit

So far, college has taught Stiles three things:

1) Eight am classes are cruel and unusual and should be avoided at all costs, even if it means having to enroll in something truly hideous instead, like Econ 101.

2) Dorm security is just as tight as Stiles’ orientation leader had promised it would be, and the dude guarding Scott’s dorm in particular does not respond well to bribes.

3) Mrs. McCall clearly had no clue what she was talking about when she’d insisted that Scott and Stiles needed to branch out and room with strangers, so it’s all her fault that Scott ended up with a total dick of a roommate and Stiles got stuck all the way across campus with some guy who has a girlfriend two towns over and is thus never around.

Or, the one where pledge brothers Stiles and Scott start a prank war with Derek Hale's fraternity.

There’s Monsters At Home -  calrissian18 - 80k+ - Explicit

“How did you get past the wards?” Derek had put them up, with Peter’s grudging assistance, after the Alpha pack had made themselves at home a few times too many. The guy pulled a face. “You mean the wards a five-year-old girl with the mental ability of a goldfish could deconstruct?” He blinked wide eyes at Derek. “Gee, I don’t know. It’s bound to go down as one of life’s great mysteries.” Derek despised him.

Tiny Houses* -  ohmyjetsabel - 77k - Explicit

"So this is what Stiles does. He lies in Scott’s bed and waits for Melissa to say she’s found someone to get it out of him, to cure him of the wrongness and the bad, and he dreams.

God, he dreams.

He dreams of fire and swollen bellies and that scene in Alien, of giving birth to jackals through his urethra, the whole horrific nine yards. His head is a terrible place to be, he can’t imagine his stomach is much better, why anyone would want to put a thing inside of it."

Versus* -  secondstar - 90k+ - Explicit

At age nineteen, Stiles Stilinski was the next big thing, according to The Guardian. It was surreal, not being able to turn on Sky Sports without hearing his name mentioned along with the names of players he grew up idolizing. Stiles couldn’t believe that this was his life.

Windows* -  dr_girlfriend - 83k - Explicit

Derek has a new neighbor who won't stop looking. 

Excerpt: “You’re blind,” Derek said flatly, the anger draining from him so suddenly he felt almost woozy. His vision cleared, his claws sliding back into blunt fingernails. 

“Thanks for the memo, genius,” the kid said acidly. “I can still fucking defend myself, so don’t take another damn step.” 

“Fuck, I...I’m sorry,” Derek stuttered. 

“What?!” The kid’s brow crinkled. “I mean — what?! You’re fucking sorry!?” His lips thinned into a harsh line. “What, is this some kinda Hallmark movie where you’re discovering the error of your ways because you don’t want to rob a blind person?! That’s fucking condescending, man. I’ll have you know that —” 

“Just, wait.” Derek interrupted what was apparently the start of a convincing argument as to why he should rob the kid after all, feeling his head start to spin. “This is — it’s a misunderstanding. I’m — I’m not robbing you. You’re — you’re safe, okay? I’m taking three steps back. Just — just let me explain.” 

“Explain why you came busting into my apartment? Yeah, go right ahead, man, I can’t wait to hear this epic tale.”

What I Did On My Summer Vacation -  grimm - 118k - Explicit

There's something weird about Beacon Hills that Stiles can't quite put his finger on. The way everyone in town knows his name the day he arrives. The way they insist the melancholic howling that echoes through the forest every night is just a dog. The way his dad denies getting a dog, even though Stiles comes home to find one sprawled across his bed, some big black thing whose eyes gleam red in the right light. The way that massive oak tree out in the woods vibrates under his touch, pulsing with sickly life. There's something weird going on in this town, and Stiles is determined to get to the bottom of it.

[such-a-common-girl]

“The Hunt” Casifer x Reader

Words: 2,065

Casifer (Lucifer) x Reader

Request: Can I request a reader x casifer one shot where he and the Winchesters get injured on a hunt (the reader stayed behind to do research). And when they come back the reader helps patch them up but casifer gets very jealous that she is helping/touching/paying attention to the Winchesters?

Warnings: Language, mentions of violence, wounds from getting hurt, talk of sex, jealous lucifer, implied smut

“Please tell me you’ve found something useful.” Dean mumbles over the phone, sounding slightly drunk. You can hear people in the background talking loudly, indicating that they may be at a bar.

“I’m not finding anything in the books. I don’t know. You need to give me more time.” You groan, flipping to the next page of the lore books.

Sam, Dean, and Lucifer (who was currently preoccupying Castiel’s body) were out on a hunt. Lucifer demanded to be taken along, since he was a “viable member of the group.” They got to the place where the killings have been happening yesterday, and you know that Lucifer is driving them crazy. Dean has barely any patience when it comes to that man, and it’s leading to both him and Sam rushing you to figure out what it is that they’re hunting. They’ve only been gone one day and Dean is already overly annoyed with Lucifer.

“Just please hurry, alright? I can’t- I swear to god, I don’t even care that you’re occupying Castiel’s body right now, you need to fucking stop or I will stab you.” Dean hisses at Lucifer, making you giggle slightly. “Y/N, figure it out, or I’m making him stay with you while we do this hunt.”

“He’s not that bad. You need to be nice- he’s helping us with Amara, after all.” You roll your eyes even though you know he can’t see it. “But, yes, I will pick up the pace. I’ll call you once I figure it out.”

“Thanks.” The line cuts off. You sigh, setting down your phone and going back to research.

You’ve been hunting with the Winchester boys for years now- they’re practically your brothers, and you consider them your family. Your mother and John had a “thing” in the past, before the both of them died. They both denied it, saying that the only reason John was always over at the house was because they were helping each other with hunting things, but right before your mother died she admitted to you that he was the love of her life.

Spending most of your teenage and young adult years with Sam and Dean, you three became close. Three peas in a pod, John and your mother called you. Once both of your parents died, the three of you just sort of migrated back together again and now are permanent hunting partners.

“Finally!” You yell out loud once you finally find what you were looking for in your lore books. You grab your phone and frantically type in Dean’s number, hoping he wasn’t already asleep (or passed out from getting drunk.)

“I know you weren’t calling for me, but I’m better than Dean, so I don’t think you’ll mind talking to me, right?” Castiel’s voice rang out through the phone, although it was definitely not Castiel saying that. The poor little angel would blush just looking at you, nevertheless flirting.

“Lucifer, how do you even have Dean’s phone?”

“He’s out on a one night stand. Accidentally left his phone on the bar. I thought I would just be the amazing friend that I am and keep it safe for him. Why, you calling for phone sex or something?”

“You’re hilarious.” You mumble. “I’ll just call Sam.”

“Both brothers, huh? You’re such a dirty-“

“I’m going to hang up on you.” You grit your teeth. Lucifer loves to tease you about anything and everything, whether it be something truthful or just a plain lie.

“Hey, hey, calm down. Look, if you found out what we’re hunting over here, feel free to tell me. I can pass the message along.”

“It’s a basilisk. You need to be careful, if you look at it, it can kill you from just a glance. The only way to kill it is to hold a mirror in front of its eyes, to make it look at itself. Or a rooster, some of the lore says that the crow of a rooster will petrify it. I don’t know where you’re going to find a rooster... Just… Be careful, okay? Please. None of you can get hurt. Don’t look at it.” You say.

“Care about me, too, huh?” Lucifer teases.

“I’ll take that back if you keep on messing with me.”

“Wouldn’t want that. Well, I will pass the message along to Sam and Dean.” He says before hanging up.

You can’t help but feel nervous; basilisk are vicious monsters, and they have no mercy for anything. You’re afraid that something is going to happen to them, that they’ll get hurt, or worse- killed.

-

“Y/N!” Sam yells as he opens the door to the bunker, waking you up from your sleep. It was the next morning, and you had fallen asleep at some point the night before. You were waiting for a phone call from one of the boys, hoping for good news, but after you didn’t hear anything you allowed yourself to fall asleep.

“Are you guys okay? What happened?” You jump off the couch, running over to them. They were all alive- thank god- but they looked pretty badly beat up. Dean had bruises forming all over his body and a decent sized cut on his arm. Sam had a gash on his stomach, which was already patched up, but you could tell it was bad. Lucifer looked the best out of all of them- only a few bruises here and there.

“The mirror didn’t work.” Dean took a sharp breath as he tried to sit down on the kitchen table. “We almost died, but then Lucifer over here distracted it while we got away. Apparently, basilisks don’t kill the Devil.”

“Told you I was a viable asset to the team. Am I a part of the squad now?” Lucifer says dramatically.

“Anyways,” Dean shoots a glare at him. “While he was distracting it, it’s damn tail whacked me and Sam into a glass window that was two stories off the ground. That hurt like a bitch. When we got back up there, the thing was dead. Lucifer killed it, although he still won’t tell us freakin’ how. You know, I really hate you, even though you saved us.” The last part was directed at Lucifer.

“Okay, that doesn’t matter right now. Stay here, I’m going to clean your cuts.” You walk into the hall closet, opening up to get your medical supplies. There was no doubt that Sam was going to need stitches, and both of the boys were going to need ice packs.

“I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you for doing this stuff for us.” Dean says when you come back into the kitchen, ready to clean them up.

“Yeah, seriously, Y/N. I don’t know what we’d do without you.” Sam pipes in.

You can see Lucifer clenching his jaw slightly, not keeping his eyes off of you the entire time. You ignore it, and pay attention to Sam and Dean.  

“It’s really not a big deal. I love you guys, obviously I will do anything for you.” You shrug your shoulders, pouring hydrogen peroxide onto a gauze pad and placing it over Dean’s cut. He hisses slightly, but relaxes after a minute.

You continue to work on Sam and Dean, the stitches you give Sam being the worse part. You knew it was hurting him and you hated that, but it needed to be done.

Lucifer was oddly quiet the entire time. Usually, he is a sarcastic, loud mouthed dickhead every time you around him, but this was different. Every time you touched one of the boys, a look would cross his face that you couldn’t quite read. He would clench his jaw, either looking away or looking directly at you. He wouldn’t say one word when you gave him a quizzical look, until eventually he just huffed and walked out.

“What’s going on with him?” You ask Sam. Dean had gone back to his room about half an hour ago, and now that Lucifer had stomped out, it was just the two of you.

“It’s Lucifer. There’s not a reasonable explanation I can give you.” Sam laughs softly.

You finish patching him up and he thanks you, walking off to bed as well. It’s the morning, but none of them got any sleep last night and they were all exhausted. Being a hunter is hard work.

You set all your supplies back into their rightful place in their box, walking back over to the closet and setting it on the shelf. You’re about to go back out into the hallway when you feel someone pressed up behind you, making you jump.

“What the fuck,” you turn around, seeing Lucifer standing behind you. He looked cute, you’ll admit. His hair was slightly messed up, and he was smiling down at you like you were the light of his life. You’ve never seen him look this way before.

What has gotten into you?

“Did I scare you?” He raises an eyebrow, stepping into the closet with you further and shutting the door behind him. It was a tight fit, and both of your chests are pressed up against each other.

“No. I don’t get scared.” You say, getting nervous. You’ve never been this close to him before, but what makes you more nervous is that you’re allowing yourself to like it.

“Whatever you say, princess.” He laughs, using his nickname on you. He normally says that just to piss you off, knowing that you hate it. He always says it in such a tone that makes it you want to punch him in the face.

“Mind telling me why you just locked us in here?” You change the subject.

“I didn’t like seeing you pay so much attention to Sam and Dean tonight. I was hurt, too, and you didn’t even look at me once.”

“You had one bruise.” You roll your eyes. “Their injuries were much worse than yours. They got pushed off a second story window, Lucifer.”

“It’s not that… I don’t like seeing you touch them so much, it makes me, what’s the word…”

“Upset?”

“I think jealous is the word.” Lucifer frowns. “You make me crazily jealous. I wanted to kill them both for looking at you that way.”

“I, uh,” You’re at a loss for words. “Why are you jealous, exactly?”

Lucifer looks down at you, glancing down at your lips. You can’t believe this is actually going to happen- you’ve imagined it a few times, you won’t lie. But that was a part of you that you desperately tried to hide and keep deep down. You didn’t even like admitting to yourself that you harbored feelings for Lucifer himself.

His lips crash against yours, kissing you roughly. You kiss him back almost instantly, wrapping your arms around his neck as you jumped up onto him.

Lucifer presses your back up against the wall, removing your shirt as he kisses your neck.

“No, no,” You break away, feeling slightly guilty. “This is wrong.”

“Is it, though?” He cocks his head to the side. “I’ve been inside your dreams, princess. I know you’ve dreamed about this exact moment. Me pressing you up against the wall, fucking you until you can’t walk the next day…”

“Oh.” Your cheeks go red.

“Just made me want you more.” He smirks. “I’ve been dying to fuck you since the moment I saw you. You’re fucking gorgeous. I just want you all to myself…”

“Fuck it.” You whisper, crashing your lips up against his once more.

“Nuh-uh,” He pulls away. “If this is going to happen, it’s not gonna be here. I just wanted to see you get all flustered first. Let’s go somewhere a little more… private.”

You blink, and you’re suddenly in your bedroom. Lucifer smirks at you, and locks the door behind him.

“Now, let’s act out some of those fantasies of yours, yeah?”

[furederiko]

Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017 was held on June 13-15 in Los Angeles, USA. Meaning, it has once again come and gone, and now comes the time to talk about some of its biggest news (ones that matters to me, at least). That's right, it's a Video-Game Special Random-News-Digest this time around...

NOTE: In general, the topics below are categorized under the company that released them. But in some cases, they go by their separate franchises instead. And one more thing, this was supposed to go up yesterday, precisely one day after E3 2017 ended. BUT... due to unexpected technical issues (internet connection, and... my health), I had no choice but to postpone it. Better late than never, I guess... *sigh*

Marvel vs Capcom

Let's kick this off with a collaboration of Marvel and CAPCOM. Aside from another "Monster Hunter" title that I honestly couldn't care less, "Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite" was one of CAPCOM's big showcase this year. Remember that leak that arrived earlier this month, the one that spoiled the game's roster? Looks like that report might be true after all. CAPCOM has officially unveiled several more playable characters: the Marvel side has been added by Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange, cosmic warrior Nova, assassin Gamora, and the Mad Titan Thanos; while the CAPCOM side was expanded by silver haired Dante of the original "Devil May Cry" (so NOT the latest reboot "DmC"), Zero from "Rockman X" series, cyborg Spence of "Bionic Commando", and goofy knight Arthur from the action comedy franchise "Ghosts 'n Goblins". Considering all eight of these names fit that roster report, I'm pretty sure the credibility of that leak has been confirmed. Everyone was revealed through the new Story trailer, that also announced that a Story Demo has been made available to those who want to experience the game first-hand. You can also check out some of these characters in action, as well as possible in-game pairings (like Gamora-Strider, Strange-Arthur, and so on), through the official gameplay video.

As I've commented on my previous R-N-D, most of the names (with the exception of two) revealed here are 'has been' characters. So while some people were happy about them, many were equally disappointed, which isn't good considering the internet hasn't been kind towards this title. An issue that stemmed from public's disappointments to "Street Fighter V", really. Thankfully, there was one pleasant surprise that came along with this trailer. And it's Black Panther! Those X-Men enthusiasts who cried foul when Wolverine is omitted from the game, can stop whining because the character officially has a replacement now. I'm pretty confident that Panther is going to share a similar 'slash and dice' movesets, if not simply a re-skin version. Panther's inclusion made a lot of sense, considering his first-ever solo movie is arriving in February 2018. The same logic goes to Thanos, as "Avengers: Infinity War" that will put him in the spotlight will arrive a few months after in May. And thanks to Thanos' importance in the story mode, now I understand why Gamora (who shares a famillial link) is necessary to be included in the core cast. Somehow I suspect she's going to be a re-skin of Jill Valentine though, and that might be an issue. Speaking of problem, Panther's not among the core roster. He will be part of the upcoming 6 character DLCs that already includes Ultron and Sigma, though seemingly will be available on launch as part of the 'Deluxe Edition'. And since we already have Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, and also Groot (who has been confirmed to be an official assist of Rocket, as they come in one package), I wouldn't be surprised if Star-Lord will follow suit among this DLC wagon as well.

Story is usually not a fighting game's forte. Even the seamless touch of "Mortal Kombat" couldn't hide the fact that it's... ridiculous at best. And well... this one is no different. Jugding from the trailer, this game seems to rely heavily on the Infinity Stones, or as Captain America suggested, "Infinite Six". Again, it also makes sense, due to the movie based on it happening in less than a year. After all, why would the title even bothered to have 'Infinite' as the sub-title, if that's not the whole point, right? The universe-shattering plot somehow reminded me of "Street Fighter V" all over again, which wasn't that great. So I'm not too sure CAPCOM will be able to pull this 'cinematic experience' off into something significantly better. The CAPCOM characters already felt... what's the word... out of place? And yikes, what happened to Chun-Li?! Subjectively speaking, she's not as 'ugly' as NetherRealm Studios' design for female characters, but I've certainly seen the Chinese Interpol agent in a much better shape before! On the other hand, never thought I'm gonna say this, but Thanos totally kicked-ass with his Infinity Gauntlet. Getting me more and more excited for the "Infinity War" movie, which might be the other primary goal of this game from the very beginning.

I don't know what you think, but overall this game doesn't look half bad. The design might need some getting used to, but I think it feels closer and closer to the previous 3 titles the more I see it. Unfortunately, as I've said before, the general sentiment of this game is definitely leaning on the side of negative. Fans who have 'tasted' the Story Demo have expressed a similar pessimistic tone as well. With a release date crawling closer and closer, how would CAPCOM react to this? I guess we'll just have to wait and see when the game is officially launched. "Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite" will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 19.

Sonic the Hedgehog

SEGA released a new trailer for "Sonic Forces", and this time around, they introduced the set of villains that Modern, Classic and Custom Sonic will be teaming up to face. I was already sold by the inclusion of a Custom character, but seeing all those arch-nemesises in one place just turned me into... a pure happy camper. And that's not all, because a new powerful and mysterious enemy will be joining, if not commanding them. Infinite, no relations to the above category, will be teaming up with Doctor Ivo Robotnik/Eggman (from... duh, almost every game?), Metal Sonic (who debuted on "Sonic CD"), Chaos (of "Sonic Adventure"), Shadow the Hedgehog (of "Sonic Adventure 2"), and Zavok (from the recent "Sonic Lost World") to take over the world. Seriously, that new villain looks scary, and he's totally stealing my attention. Dang it, I totally wish I can play this game. There's no release date so far, but "Sonic Forces" will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC this holiday.

Dragon Ball

I actually couldn't care less about any "Dragon Ball"-based games beyond the ones released during the 90s, but this one... "Dragon Ball FighterZ"? This totally got my attention! Indeed, it was that good, that it was stealing many E3 attendee's attention with its high speed action, flashy moves, and colorful anime graphics. For some reason, the "Marvel vs Capcom" style felt strong in this, to the point that many people have come to loving this more than that franchise's upcoming release. Ironic, huh? I guess nostalgia does play a crucial factor...

This title is under Bandai Namco, but developed by Arc System Works, and somehow was leaked a few days ahead of its planned official reveal. The latter is the company that is known for franchises like "BlazBlue", "Guilty Gear", and also the "Naruto" series. But unlike the Naruto ones that went full-on 3D style, this one utilized a 2.5D style, which once again, is the right call! Why? The development is in 3D, which as producer Tomoko Hiroki has confirmed, makes some technical elements much easier to pull off, but the visual is of 2D animation. And I say, not just that. "Dragon Ball" IS and has always been an anime, thus the anime style is definitely the way to go when it comes to adapting Son Goku and other character of the long-running franchise. It also easily reminded me of those classic "Dragon Ball" fighting game I used to play on my SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive with my family. Aaah, the good 'ol times when the world was still kind, and people hasn't been corrupted by the irony called... growing up.

The game's official reveal trailer only included 6 characters so far: Son Goku, Vegeta, (child) Son Gohan, Cell, Frieza, and Majin Buu. But since the game will be based on the whole "Dragon Ball Z" arc, it's obvious we'll be seeing many more characters like the twins Android 17 and Android 18, Krillin, (future and child) Trunks, and even Son Goten. Especially with Bandai Namco stressing out that "famous scenes from the Dragon Ball anime reproduced in 60 frames per second and 1080p resolution.". A closed beta demo will be held on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One before the end of summer, so fans who are intrigued to give this game a shot, just need to wait a bit longer. For the time being, we can indulge ourselves with several gameplay videos taken as direct-feed from the E3 hall. You can visit Gematsu (HERE, and HERE) to view them. "Dragon Ball FighterZ" will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC worldwide in early 2018.

Nintendo

Contrary to previous report, Nintendo did take the stage this year, as they announced numerous exciting titles that made MAAANY people happy. Not a surprise as well, because Nintendo Switch was just released 4 months ago, and there haven't been many softwares to complement the hybrid console.

Let's start with what's probably the biggest signature title for Switch. A game that IGN has even crowned to be the "Game of Show", "Best Platformer", and "Best Nintendo Switch Game" of E3 2017. It's none other than... "Super Mario Oddysey"! In this game, players will take Mario on a globe-trotting 3D adventure to collect Moons, a fuel for the airship 'Oddysey' that is necessary to rescue Prince Peach from Bowser. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. How many effing times do Mario needs to walk through the same scenario, right? But never mind that, because this game looked super fun.

I haven't purchased Switch yet, but even I'm already itching to play this game. For so many reasons. That great and catchy theme song that made me dancing like a child. That white broadway top-hat, or Mexican sombrero? And Mario 'possessing' practically any living beings around him with a cap throw? Dang it, if only I can play it right NOW. This looked a lot like "Super Mario Galaxy" on Wii, but with its own... spin. Get it? Here, just take a look at its reveal trailer, or the gameplay videos (available on Gematsu), and tell me if you're not easily charmed by this game. Because if you're not, then I seriously pity your sad childhood (just kidding, no need for death threat!). "Super Mario Odyssey" will launch on October 27th, 2017... only on Nintendo Switch.

The second Switch game for Mario is "Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle", that combines the world of Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom, with Ubisoft's "Rabbids" franchise. Yep, this worst-kept secret collaboration title has been developed by Ubisoft, hence why I don't give the company their own exclusive category (because its content will be separated in two). In this game, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and also Yoshi will join forces with their four... Rabbids dopplegangers, to journey four different worlds, in the hope of restoring order to The Mushroom Kingdom. I'm personally NOT a fan of the Rabbids, but even this crossover game looked FUN. And beyond that, according to IGN it has a deep strategic battle system too. But more importantly, this game also proved that Nintendo is becoming more open to allow other developers to use their properties. A fact that inspires great potentials and possibilities in the future. You can watch the official announcement trailer on Youtube, as well as a Development Diary for the game. Gematsu also had 21 minutes of gameplay from the E3 floor, so go ahead and visit the site. "Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle" will be released for Nintendo Switch on August 29th, 2017.

More Mario? Yes... more Mario! Announced during Nintendo's E3 2017 Treehouse live stream, "Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions" is a renewed classic that will arrive on October 6th, 2017 exclusively for Nintendo 3DS. In this game, rather than trying to battle Bowser, the Mario Bros are teaming up WITH Bowser to restore Princess Peach's voice. Visit Youtube for the official trailer, and also Gematsu for 25 minutes of gameplay videos. Wow, Mario is killing it, huh? Nope, not just him, his green dinosaur friend Yoshi is also getting his own Switch game! Conveniently titled as "Yoshi", the 2D side-scrolling adventure will see Yoshi exploring a world of miniature diorama filled with flip-ping surprises. Go ahead and watch the trailer and have your mind... flipped. LOL. "Yoshi" will be released in 2018.

What about other franchises, you wonder? Well, ask and you shall receive! In list form... LOL - The honestly weird-looking "Arms", is getting rave reviews. It's ridiculous fun, even with its lack in the story department as well as... logic. It might look simple, but it has a startling amount of depth that will wow anyone. Many are saying that this will be a hit for families entertainment, and the game is already hitting the market with a DLC already announced. - Fans of the "Metroid" series will also get their share of excitement. "Metroid Prime 4" has been announced for Switch. There's no release date for now, but I'm sure information about that will come in the near future. The same can't be said about "Metroid: Samus Returns" though. A 3D polygon remake of Game Boy classic "Metroid II: The Return of Samus", the title will be officially released for 3DS on September 15th, 2017. - The pink ball Kirby also gets Switch-ed, in the equally conveniently named "Kirby". Kirby will be adventuring in a party of four, which means up to 4 players can play this game together. Don't forget to check out its Hollywood style trailer! "Kirby" doesn't have a release date yet, but is set to be released in 2018. - And "Skyrim" fans? You got it! Complete with amiibo support and Legend of Zelda skins...

As you can see, the library of Switch is expanding like crazy, and it's an exciting turn around especially compared to what happened to Wii U. Those who have purchased this hybrid console since day one, no longer has to worry about not having a game to play. And for those who haven't had a chance to do so... well, the more the reason to get a Nintendo Switch, right? *grins*

Pocket Monsters

Are you among those who are waiting for a core Pokemon title on Switch? And you were disappointed when "Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon" was announced for 3DS instead of the rumored "Pokemon Stars"? Well, turns out you only need to wait... a little bit longer. The Pokemon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara officially announced that Game Freak has begun developing a core RPG title for Nintendo Switch! So it is indeed happening, folks! He added though, that the title "may not release for more than a year, but we hope you will look forward to it all the same", hence why I told you to wait. Then again, more than a year from now can also mean... it MIGHT arrive on November 2018, right? Wow, I'm getting excited for no reason... LOL.

In a way, this announcement has also partially confirmed that the Switch is indeed the officiall replacement of 3DS. Moreso, and this is just a wild guess, but likely the rumor about "Pokemon Stars" was actually referring to this particular development, instead of the recently announced extension of "Pokemon Sun & Moon". Either way, this is a great news, because we're finally getting what many Pokemon fans have been dreaming: a chance to play a Pokemon RPG on the TV screen! How is that possible, you dare ask? DUH, Switch is a hybrid console that enables that! Of course, this also works wonder to Switch itself, because quoting my own words from last week: "The hybrid console is definitely in need of a fan favorite franchise like Pokemon to attract more players". Yes, the E3 announcement for those Mario titles and many others have shut down the public concern of 'Switch is lacking of exclusive game titles'. But having a Pokemon RPG on Switch, will undeniably attract Pokemon fans who are still on the fence to purchase the console and help boost its sales. Want prove? That's easy, because mark my word, I'm TOTALLY getting a Switch (sooner or later) just for this! *geeks out*

By the way, technically speaking, this section should've been part of the Nintendo category. But since it has already established its own category (in various form of medias) for such a long time, I've decided to put it separately.

Assassin's Creed

At long last, Ubisoft officially unveiled "Assassin's Creed: Origins" during Microsoft's E3 2017 stage. It was certainly not a surprise announcement, considering the title was already leaked since May. More than that, a Game Informer coverage was already leaked ahead of E3, officially spilling the beans in a non-official manner. Ouch! Someone at Game Informer is going to get fired...

Confirming the rumor, the new game will take place in Egypt, and as the title suggest, will be telling about the founding of the Assassin's Brotherhood. The main character (but not the only playable one) will be Bayek, a protector of the land whose story will be root of the Creed. Since the game takes place in the ancient Egypt during Cleopatra's reign, we can expect to see Great Pyramids, mythologies, pharaohs, and many other awesome bits from the country's history. Eventhough this game has been in production before the infamous "Assassin's Creed Unity", it will have a new free-form combat system with new A.I., revamped narrative experience and freedom to choose quests, an entire country to full explore, while still retaining and improving the series existing signatures like puzzles, Eagle Vision (through an Eagle named the Senu this time), stealth, that annoying climbing, Naval adventures, and many others. You can check out the official reveal trailer on Youtube, a Gameplay Demo, coverage by Game Informer, as well as a "Mysteries of Ancient Egypt" that gave additional details about the game.

There are several version of the game that fans can purchase. First is the "Deluxe Edition" that contains the game, printed version of the hand-drawn world map, soundtrack, and Digital Deluxe Pack. Second is the "Gold Edition", that adds a Season Pass for upcoming expansions and equipments. There are also the "Collector's Edition", "Dawn of the Creed Collector's Edition", and the special "Dawn of the Creed Legendary Collector's Edition". That last one will add a highly detailed resin statue of Bayek and Senu, The Collector's Certificate of Authenticity, replica of Bayek's eagle skull amulet, two Steelbooks, and four large lithographs signed by the studio artists. This limited edition (only 999 units for worldwide sale) is already available for pre-order exclusively on Ubisoft store for $799,9. As the pricing suggest, this is totally for that devoted fan with plenty of money to spare! *sigh*. Visit Gematsu for further details of these items. "Assassin's Creed: Origins" will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 27th, 2017.

Square Enix

The company brought their top franchise to the convention this year. Several new iterations of "Final Fantasy XV" were announced during the event, while new development on the highly anticipated "Kingdom Hearts III" was also revealed elsewhere.

Second DLC episode for "Final Fantasy XV", one that will focus on Prompto Argentum's solo adventure will be launched on June 27th, 2017, alongside the "Regalia Type-D" update (brings greater freedom to drive Regalia off-road). Just like the first that featured Gladioulus as the central character (released back in March), "Episode Prompto" will likely take place in between the infamous Chapter 13 of the main game as well. If Gladioulus was a hack and slash action genre, then apparently Prompto will take on a first-person shooter experience. Makes sense, really, considering his signature weapon of choice. You can check out a six minutes gameplay video of this DLC on Youtube.

Expanding the "FF XV Universe", two more extension games have been announced. The first one was "Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV", that will be available for PlayStation VR. It's a... fishing game, that let players explore oceans, lakes, ponds, and rivers alongside Noctis and his friends. Clearly based on one of the main game's mini-mission, the game will be launched in September. For now, you can view the official trailer to know that I'm not at all kidding. The second was "King's Knight: Wrath of the Dark Dragon", which apparently is an action RPG. This one's an App game, and will be released on iOS and Android later this year. I can't see the relation of this title with the main game, but I'm sure Final Fantasy fans will dig it like crazy anyway, right? Last but not least, the main game will soon have a major update to support Microsoft's new console. One which I will talk about at the end of this post. "Final Fantasy XV" is available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

As for "Kingdom Hearts III", Square Enix debuted a new trailer during the "Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour". Compared to the "Final Fantasy" one, I personally liked this one better. But while the game looked great, the story seemed to have gotten... even more confusing by and by. Apparently, Hades, Maleficent, and Pete are looking for a Black Box or something, while lead character Sora alongside buddies Donald Duck and Goofy want to bring Roxas to reality, with a certain 'dire cost'. I recall only getting to the second game, thus never experienced the Nintendo DS ones to even have a clue of what's going on. Still, the charm of this series is the various Disney/Squaresoft worlds, and at the end of this trailer, Square Enix officially announced that new information will be delivered at the Disney D23 Expo 2017 on July 15th, 2017. That means there will be new worlds to explore, and I bet it will involve recent released titles like "Frozen", "Moana", and/or "Big Hero 6". "Kingdom Hearts III" is still under development, and hasn't gotten a release date, but is likely to arrive in 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Taiko no Tatsujin

The latest iteration of the "Taiko Drum Master" series, the "Taiko no Tatsujin: Session de Dodon ga Don!" has been announced on Famitsu Magazine. The game will have a special jam session against other player's musical performance data, that can even be achieved when they are not actually available online. This game will include over 70 songs that cover from famous Japanese classic anime songs, classic orchestral musics, recent tunes from the J-Pop circle, up to modern hypes like the "Pen-Pineapple Apple-Pen". A teaser website has been opened by Bandai Namco, that revealed a special feature to play the game alongside popular characters from Japanese shows. Development has reached 80% and the game is set to be released for PlayStation 4 later this year.

Spider-Man

As proven by their smartphones games like "Future Fight" and "Contest of Champions", or the collaboration with CAPCOM that I've talked about above, Marvel is ramping up on their video game divison. And the one I'm going to talk about here, is their collaboration with Insomniac Games, in form of the non-nonsense titled "Marvel's Spider-Man". It is best known as "Spider-Man PS4" though, because as the nickname suggests, it will be exclusively released on PlayStation 4. And well, since SONY is the copyright owner of the Spider-Man franchise, it's not really much of a surprise huh?

A special 9 minutes gameplay video has been released to give players a sense of what to expect from this game. My reaction? If you're eager to see how Spider-Man gets trapped in a Rocksteady's Arkham game, then this is easily your answer. The whole stalking, cinematic quick-time sequences, as well as exciting one-vs-many combat totally reminded me of those Rocksteady titles. But instead of Batman and his vast array of gadgets, we have Spider-Man and his iconic humor, jokes, acrobatic movesets, and... gadgets in his place. Creative director Bryan Intihar also described the footage in details, through PS4's official blog. It seems Spidey will 'cooperate' with Wilson Fisk, to deal with the Inner Demons gang, who works under Martin Li or Mr. Negative. He will be exploring an open-world of New York to deal with super villains as well as personal matters.

Honestly, I'm not too keen on the human character design, as well as the first suit that has too much white. But this certainly caught my attention. Heck, I think every Marvel fans would be amazed by this. In fact, this game has been confirmed to include additional Spidey suits, as well as multiple Spider-Man characters, meaning there's more to it than what we've seen so far. With strong emphasis on story, it's not a joke that IGN has awarded it as "Best PS4 Game" as well as "Best Action Game" of E3 2017. Here's hoping the actual game will be as good as, if not better than this achievement suggested. "Spider-Man" will be released in 2018.

LEGO Games

New characters have been announced for "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2"! Giant teleportation mutt Lockjaw, and Inhumans Queen Medusa have officially entered the game alongside Agent Venom. As to be expected, the whole roster of Guardians of the Galaxy have also been confirmed to be playable in this second game, because the story will pick up directly where the previous title left off. Not to mention tying in to this year's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" movie. There weren't many details offered for this game, because likely TT Games and Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment is saving more reveals to be delivered on Disney D23. For now, you can watch various gameplays through the official LEGO presentation stream on Youtube. "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2" will launch for all consoles on November 14th, 2017.

Professor Layton

Following last month's reveal of the first episode of "Layton's Mistery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires' Conspiracy", LEVEL-5 celebrated E3 2017 with with details for the second one. Episode 02, entitled "Song of a Certain Love: Riverside Festival" will focus on the town's tradition of confessing love from opposite sides of River Thames. One that is called "Riverside Confession Show". The legend told that the couple who engaged in that would die unnatural death. But this time, contrary to the annual festive that usually went victim-less, two young people actually get killed! An event that shakes the town, for better or worse. I found the premise of this episode to be exciting, because it means Katrielle isn't just a run-of-the-mill detective in this game. She's going to be investigating deaths, and possible murders!

Another two of the "Seven Millionaires of London" have also been revealed. Joining Ridley Fremens and Clerk Gospec are Andrea Quinto and Zach Lyell. Quinto is a young multi-millionaire who inherited a vast sum of money following the death of her parents. While Lyell is a sharp business who is extensively expanding businesses. He's the president of a group enterprise that owns Long Roller Bank. Up to this point, it's still unclear how or in what capacity these Millionaires are involved in the game. Are they part of a secret organization, that is somehow responsible for Professor Layton's disappearance? Or is there other mystery behind that? And how will they affect Katrielle's life?

Several new features have also been announced. Katrielle will be able to change clothes in the game, and they are specially designed by famous stylist Shouhei Kashima. New outfits can be obtained by using "Special Coins" in the 3DS version, or actual money in the smartphones version. Those who purchase the 3DS download version in Japan will receive a Flora Reinhold-style outfit. Player can also decorate the interior of Katrielle's "Layton Detective Agency" through the new "Room Coordinate" feature. New furnitures might be obtained by trading "Interior Tickets". As for the puzzles, this game is said to have the highest number of them, of all Layton titles. Lastly, the game's theme song "Girls" is sung by Kana Nishino, and will be officially released on July 26. "Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires' Conspiracy" will be released worldwide on July 20th, 2017.

Atari

No, you're NOT reading it wrong. Atari, the classic 90s gaming console that even I have never even seen in real life, is getting back into the hardware business. Apparently, CEO Fred Chesnais had publicly stated this news on the E3 2017 floor. He didn't really go into specifics about this, aside from saying that it is based on PC technology. But could he be talking about that "Ataribox" that has been teased on Youtube? The video DOES call it 'a brand new Atari product'. It even has its own website. The current speculation on the internet, that Atari is attempting to replicate Nintendo's accomplishment with their NES Classic. You know, the one that only saw limited release and has been discontinued? Especially because the video hinted at the "Atari 2600" which was the first console ever released by the company. I guess we'll just have to wait for more information about this. But be honest, would you purchase a NES Classic-esque console just to play classic and likely long-forgotten Atari games? Personally, I'm NOT too sure...

Microsoft

Speaking of console... Okay, let's end this R-N-D with a topic that many are calling to be... the 'MOST POWERFUL' reveal of the Expo. Microsoft has officially unveiled the name of its high-tech console Project Scorpio, and it officially goes by name "Xbox One X". That's... so many Xs, huh? LOL. By 'most powerful', I'm obviously talking about the console's technical specifications of course. And not about that over-confident official tagline that's being boasted throughout the event on T-Shirts, as well as flaunted pretty much everywhere. Hold on... HUH?

Really, its technical specs is certainly no joke. True 4K resolution with 12GB GDDR5 graphic memory, that enable games to run smoothly in 8 million plus pixels resolution (that's the highest possible, for current technology at least); 8-core Custom AMD CPU with 6 Teraflops GPU and 326GB/s Memory Bandwidth, for realistic and smoother animations; liquid cooling and supercharger-style centrifugal fan, to ensure it stays cool with less noise, a system that, according to Xbox Software Engineering Kareem Choudhry, is usually implemented for servers; 8GB flash and 1TB internal HDD storage, with faster hard drive speed; 4K UltraHD Bluray Disc Drive; DTS and DOLBY TrueHD Atmos sounds; various connectivities via wires and wireless; and not to mention being the smallest consoler the company has ever released. To be honest, eventhough I might have an IT background, I have NEVER been into hardware. Thus all these gibberish tech-talks almost put me down to sleep. But I don't think it takes a genius to easily tell that this thing is massive. Undeniably a 'First Class' product that offers immersive gaming experience. According to IGN, the CPU is 30% faster than the current Xbox One, with a GPU that's 4.6 times higher. To ensure backward compatibility with it, all of its accessories and games will work on this Xbox One X, and existing games (like "Dragon Ball FighterZ", "Final Fantasy XV", and "Assassin's Creed: Origins" that I've mentioned above) will soon receive major updates to ensure faster loading time, even for a player who isn't utilizing a 4K TV.

Said technical specification is certainly an eye-popping fact. This is basically a super high-end PC set, in form of a standalone console. Unfortunately, that comparison also immediately raised several glaring questions among the public, particularly game enthusiasts. One that ranged from the most simple, like "Who is this intended for?" to the most philosophical like "Why even bother choose this over PC?". Indeed, which gamer market is Microsoft really trying to aim with this product? Because obviously, to make full use of the UltraHD 4K resolution, a gamer needs to eventually own and plug it into a 4K TV as well. Which is... STILL a really pricey technology that NOT everyone can afford. The fact that the console itself will arrive at an equally 'premium price', feels like a hard wake-up slap to every average guy's face.

Will this win over those gamers who have abandoned home consoles and have since moved on towards PC? In an interview with Gamespot, a developer (who's working on exclusive Xbox title... a random FYI to see the bigger picture) sang praises for Xbox One X by calling it as the most developer-friendly due to its super over-powered hardware. He said, "it's like a high-end PC crammed into this tiny little box". Of course, the logic that follows is, why not just... use a PC instead? A PC World writer has even made a possible comparison to the budget necessary to build one with similar specs. With its own valid pros and cons. The point is, PC gamers will likely opt to spend less money to upgrade their existing PC sets. So is this meant for Xbox fanatics who are looking to upgrade from a very recent Xbox One then? Or VR enthusiasts, eventhough it might be a veeeery niche market? Why not go with the cheaper Xbox One S instead? Hmmm...

Sure, technically speaking, Microsoft has created a console that's... uncomparable, and has no competitor in terms of power and performance (that's the words of Head of Xbox Phil Spencer himself). Will that guarantee a win in the console competition? Remember, the hip and popular neighbour PlayStation 4 (and its 4K extension PS4 Pro) proudly carries the advantages of having far richer library of titles and DLC exclusives, one that only continues to add as we speak. While the sweet and seemingly innocent new kid-on-the-block Nintendo Switch, is offering the ease of mobility, family-friendliness, and multiplayer experience both offline and online. Both are already promising long hours of entertainment with a relative 'family-budget' that seems more inline with the current economical climate throughout the world. So can Microsoft really be certain that their luxury product will appeal a much bigger mass than those? Particularly when sales for the current Xbox One isn't even doing... good? Learning from past experience, the answer to that is rather... skeptical.

No offense to the company, but somehow the term 'most powerful' itself feels... exaggerating much? I mean, A for effort, but it's nothing but a temporary bubble with a very limited lifetime. We are talking about technology here, a means that is ever-changing and ever-evolving. This month, perhaps Xbox One X is indeed the strongest there is, but another console will surely swoop in with better specs and surpassed it. Perhaps next year, if not sooner or later. Trust me, this is coming from a proud Xbox360 owner, who still has the fully operational console and plays its numerous game titles every now and then, and who has consciously skipped out Xbox One due to the lack of interesting titles (aside from monetary situation LOL). What I'm trying to say is, I don't really see the point of moving on towards Xbox One X, at least in the near future. Which is ironic, because what seems to be winning over many gamers' heart, was none other than Xbox One's backward compatibilites. Yes, the exact thing that SONY has been failing to deliver for years, has become the big positive difference that Microsoft is generously offering. Said function will not be available until later this year, but it will support up to classic/original Xbox games! That's an era of 15 years ago, so we're talking about valid nostalgia boost here.

In the end, the common sense is the Xbox One X is NOT for everyone. But it's still all up to you to decide whether you want, NEED, or even afford to have one decorating your already-possibly-expensive home. Lest we forget, freedom of choice, is everyone's basic human rights, regardless of their financial ability *sigh*. This 'most powerful console' is set to be released on November 7th, 2017 at the mindblowing price of $499. I guess that's when its accessibility strength to the general public can truly be tested. So as always, we'll see...

[whatdoyouthinkmyjobis]

Hunters on the Hellmouth

masterlist

first chapter

previous chapter

AN: This chapter was inspired by events in BTVS 7.10 “Bring on the Night” and 7.14 “First Date.”

Warning: implied torture, blood, STRESSSSSS

Chapter 26: Digging

All she said was, “We're alive. Get here.” Racing back to Buffy’s, Dean’s mind flooded with bloody, maimed pictures that fit alive. When he saw the house -- dark, windows shattered, doors smashed -- he bit back a scream. Alive. Alive.

Xander and Anya, sweeping up glass around a body in the living room, both pointed upstairs. He found Buffy in her sister’s room lifting an unconscious Andrew. Seeing Dean, she dropped the boy’s limp body and leapt over the bed, landing in Dean’s arms.

As he held her, he tried to make sense of the bodies in the hallway and the giant hole between the sisters’ bedrooms. Through the hole lay the splintered remains of the chair Spike had been in. “Did Spike hurt anyone?”

Buffy started to tremble. Dean eased her to her room where she set loose a torrent of tears muffled by his chest and a pillow.

After a few minutes, she blew her nose, and chewed on her lip while searching for words. “It’s all the same thing. It’s all one thing. My visions. ‘It is watching.’ Mom and Tara. Spike killing. It’s all the same. Its flunkies, they were in my vision a few nights ago; it was the first time in dozens of visions that I saw what killed me.”

Fear had carved a place around her eyes. It was the sort of fear people had when they first heard the hounds baying for them.

“Girly, ain't nothing gonna kill you. I’ll kill it first.”

“But that's what they're doing.” Her voice was rough and weak. “Dean, I think the evil monks are killing Slayers, or at least unactivated Slayers. I'm probably the big finish. It's the only reason I can think of that I would see and feel so many of these deaths.”

And she felt them. Night after night, she’d wake coughing, sputtering, flailing and scared. When her breathing steadied, and she stopped sweating, she’d tell him her vision. Always a girl being murdered. Sometimes she ran. Sometimes she fought. She always died.

He refused to accept it as some sick prophecy. “Maybe you're just supposed to protect these girls, and that's the only connection.”

“The bodies. Those are the monks. That’s what wrecked the house. A crew of them came to kill Andrew and ran off with Spike.”

Spike. Of course. Were the tears for Spike the redemption project or Spike the ex?

“What happened?” he asked.

She seemed to calm as she recounted Spike attacking Andrew, though Dean was less than thrilled to hear the thing had dressed up like him. She rattled off details of the attack on the house like it was a paper for school.

“Spike’s gone,” she said, an emptiness taking over her eyes. “He has information, and God knows what they’re doing to him.”

“We’ll get him back, Buffy. We’ll find him. Now, tell me how we kill the branded freak shows.”

“They’re easy enough to kill, but we have no idea what’s controlling them. It knows where to find us.” The fear returned to her face. “I c-cant fight this! It's just me, and I-I n-need Giles.”

Dean took her face in both hands, once again reveling in just how tiny his superhero warrior really was. “Look at me. This nasty has been hiding underground for how long?  Even if it’s met a Slayer before, you’re a goddess-crunching, master-vampire-dusting badass who’s fucking climbed back from death. It may have been the baddest son of a bitch on the block back in the day, but it ain’t got shit on you.

“First thing we’re gonna do is seal up the house. Then Sam and I are gonna get rid of those bodies. When I get back, darlin’, if you’re not in bed, I’m dragging you in with me. You’ve been up for days. Tomorrow, we’ll hit the books. Okay?”

She slid back into his arms, calmer and quieter than before. “You’re wonderful, you know. I love -- love hearing your voice. It’s all deep and rumbly and calming.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, concerned about her brief pause, the way her words sped up to the point of tripping her tongue. He looked over the room again just so he didn’t have to make eye contact. “Get your cute little ass in bed. I gotta deal with the bodies.”

He was sound asleep, but Dean still stretched out his arm for her. Buffy placed his searching hand over her heart and smiled as he snuggled deeper into the pillow, his pouty lips slightly parted, his brow smooth with peaceful sleep. The night they’d met, she had a hard time pinpointing his age. Dean Winchester existed between two extremes -- the wide-eyed, grinning boy with a soft heart and silly humor, and the brutal, cold-eyed hunter with a temper. Both sides of him had a place in her life, but she liked seeing his boyish side the most. Perhaps because that was a rarer moment, a moment when they were safe and happy; she liked to imagine who Dean would have become had his innocence not been stolen from him when he was four.

What if Dean’s mother hadn’t been killed? What if Dean never knew monsters were real? Would they have still found each other? Doubtful. Maybe that Dean would have settled down with a wife who could provide him with a couple chubby babies to bounce on his knees. He wouldn’t know the recoil of a gun or the sensation of blood on his hands.

That Dean wouldn’t be afraid of the words I love you which Buffy had felt obligated to choke back a few hours before.

But a Slayer and a Hunter would be crazy to think of happily ever afters. They’d discussed the likelihood of dying young many times, but those talks had been what ifs. Now, an unknown evil was knocking down her door, and she had no idea how to stop it; which meant the clock was ticking on their time together. She wondered if those glimpses of Dean the Lost Boy were about to disappear.

Startled by the sound of a window sliding open, she reached for the dagger she kept on her nightstand. Then she recognized the shadow climbing inside from the trellis. Painfully aware that she was wearing her boyfriend’s t-shirt and nothing else, Buffy approached the man in her bedroom. “Angel, what are you doing here?”

Her vampire ex, her first love, glanced at Dean sleeping in her bed. “I heard you were in danger.”

She tugged at the hem of the shirt and willed herself to stop feeling so dizzy. “So you climbed through my bedroom window? That might have seemed romantic to high school me, but I gotta tell you, adult me would have appreciated a phone call. Or a knock on the door. It’s battered and glassless, but still extremely knockable.”

He shook his head and smirked. God, did she swoon over his smirk. “Had to be in person. Had to be secret. So the rumor’s true then?”

“Off-the-scale danger. Some big evil force with an army of evil monks is trying to kill me with...evil. And I have no idea how to fight it.”

“I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about your new boyfriend, Dean Winchester,” he said, pointing at the bed.

Feeling like she’d been dunked in cold water, Buffy grabbed a blanket and sat down on the bench. “How did you know about Dean? Are you keeping tabs on me?”

“Not in the ‘Let me know if my ex is seeing anyone’ sort of way,” he confessed, sitting down beside her, “but a stranger rolls into Hellmouth City from another dimension? That causes some waves. Been hearing his name for a while, doing some research, catching some whispers. Buffy, he’s bad news.”

“I know who he is,” she said with a bubbling rage. “Who do you think you are to come here in the middle of the damn night to comment on my love life?”

“I’m someone who cares about you! This guy is a pathetic low-life. He’s a womanizing, alcoholic criminal. Worse than that, he’s a black hole. He’ll suck you in and you’ll die. He’s got a trail of bodies in his wake, and a lot of them are people who cared about him.”

“We live a violent life. You know that. Just because people died, that doesn’t mean it’s his fault.”

“Okay, ask him whose fault his dad’s death was. Ask him about his girlfriend Jo and her mom. Ask him about Bobby--”

“Bobby’s not dead. He’s just missing.”

“Then he probably doesn’t know about Bobby yet. Anyway, they all died because he abandoned them, and he’ll abandon you too. You think he’s going to fight beside you against whatever is coming? Buffy, it’s here because of him. He’s going to get you and your friends killed, then turn tail and run. He only cares about himself and his brother.”

“If you knew Dean at all, you’d know that’s not true. He cares about everyone. Yeah, Sam’s definitely special --  he practically raised him for God’s sake -- but Dean Winchester would never run from a fight.”

“Is that why he jumped dimensions? He wasn’t running?” Angel rose and straightened his jacket before walking towards the bed. “I’m sorry, Buffy, but you’re not listening to reason.” In one swift motion, he yanked the pillow from under Dean’s head and covered his face with it.

“NO!” Buffy pulled on the vampire’s arms while her boyfriend flailed. “Angel, stop! Please, don’t!”

Her cheek stung, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Dean leaning over her, worried. “You okay, Buffy? You were screaming about angels. Did you have another vision?”

She was in her room, in bed with her boyfriend, alive. “Let’s hope not.”

A cup of cold water to the face didn’t rouse Andrew. Dawn crossed her arms and twisted her mouth. “Boiling water?”

“Ooh, that’s an excellent idea,” said Anya, nodding.

Buffy smacked Andrew, causing his lip to bleed. Stung awake, the boy shook his head, trying to take in the room. She grabbed his bound wrists and practically spit in his face. “I am done playing. Tell us about the seal, or I’m turning you over to them.”

She pushed him into Anya’s arms. “Anyone have any wishes for Andrew?”

“Could you turn him into a jellyfish?” Dawn asked from the stairs.

“No, please,” begged Andrew, as Anya pushed him down at Willow’s feet.

“We have some unfinished business,” said Willow darkly.

Andrew, pale and shaking, rolled away from her. Sam yanked him up by the shoulders and turned him to face Dean.

“Wha-what are you gonna do to me?” Andrew asked with a small bit of hope.

Dean smirked. “Whatever we want. See, my brother and I, we just like hurting people. What’d’ya think, Sammy? Kneecap first, or maybe a molar?”

“Knee,” Sam replied.

Dean raised a hammer.

Twisting away, Andrew cried, “I liked you so much better yesterday, when you were just the guys who tied me up!” He bumped into the Slayer. “Thank God! The crazy hot guys are trying to kill me. You’re a hero. Go hero for me!”

“Answers now or--” Buffy pushed him back to Willow.

“Oh God, no! No! Please! Okay, the seal is in the basement of the high school.”

“In that case, it’s guaranteed to be sealing sunshine and rainbows,” said Xander, who’d been watching the show from the stairs with Dawn.

“What does it do?” Buffy asked.

“Don’t know. I was just told to open it.”

“How?”

Looking very much like a child learning to lie, Andrew bounced on the balls of his feet and said in sing-song, “If you sing it showtunes, it will tell you everything your heart desires.”

Grabbing Andrew by the throat, Dean raised him to eye level. “Willow, you think he needs two eyes? That seems like a lot.”

“Blood! Blood! You open it with blood.” Dean dropped him, and Andrew fell to his knees gasping.

“The pig’s blood,” said Willow.

“Yeah, I botched it the first time, so I was hoping to open it with pig’s blood or I’d be next.”

“First time? Why do I have the feeling the first time wasn't a simple ‘open sesame’?” asked Buffy.

“H-he told me how to do it, but it didn’t work. The pig’s blood was sort of my long-shot to the thermal exhaust port, but I-I’m not as good of a pilot as Luke.”

“Details, Andrew,” Buffy demanded.

“W-Warren told me sacrificing Jonathan would open the Seal of Danzalthar and we’d become gods, but Jonathan didn’t have enough blood.”

“First of all,” said Willow, shaking her head as if it would help make sense of the chaos, “Warren is super dead. Second, you killed your best friend because your dead worst friend told you to?”

“Warren is very convincing. He’s like the Yoda of badness.”

“Yeah, a dead Yoda,” Dawn scoffed.

“Death cannot stop a true Jedi!” Andrew shot back. “Plus, Jonathan said it was okay. It didn’t even hurt, and he’s in a better place.”

“For the record, kid, getting stabbed always hurts,” said Dean, setting down the hammer and leaning against the washer.

“But Warren said--”

“Andrew, that wasn’t Warren!” Buffy was rubbing her head. “Your friends haven’t been talking to you. Those guys who came to kill you last night were sent by whatever thing’s been visiting you.”

“Assassins?” His big blue eyes filled with tears as the betrayal sunk in. “But I’m just Andrew Wells, little brother of the guy who ruined prom.”

“I thought you were Moriarty,” said Sam, bored.

“This may surprise you, but I was never very good at being bad. Warren was the brains. I was just the brawny lemming.” He pulled his knees up to his chin and started to weep.

Dean looked at Buffy, who shrugged. When they’d set up this ruse, they hadn’t expected tearful remorse.

Willow mouthed ice at Dawn who went upstairs for something to help Andrew’s swelling.

Dean almost felt bad for the kid -- was he even eighteen? Nerdy and insecure, he’d fallen in with a bad crowd, much like the teenager who’d stolen Sam’s body months before.

Andrew sat up and wiped his face on his sleeve, leaving a noticeable trail of snot. “If Darth Vader can throw the Emperor into the reactor shaft, I can change too. It’s never too late for a super villain to redeem himself. I’ll help you.”

The timing of everything was a perfect stress cocktail. Buffy should have been studying for her Developmental Psych exam next week. She should have been decorating and shopping with Dawn. She should have been planning her first Christmas with Dean, who, if the pattern held true, hadn’t had enough holiday cheer in his life. Of course, all of the evil would converge around the holidays and finals time. When did the bad guys ever make things easier on her?

Instead, ‘tis the season Buffy and Sam were following Xander and Andrew through the high school basement.

“Pick up your feet, you shuffling waste of air,” Xander hissed.

“It’s hard to walk with my hands tied behind my back. It’s hurting my bad shoulder, too. I pulled it in a light saber fight right before Episode I came out, and now whenever the weather changes it--”

“Shut. Up,” barked Sam.

Maybe if she wasn’t so stressed, Buffy wouldn’t haven’t gone gushy on Dean. There was fear in his eyes when he left her room, though she didn’t know if it was because she’d almost said I love you or because of his phobia that caring about him marked her for death; not that she needed help in that area. But he’d come back and climbed into bed with her after doing God knows what with the bodies. He’d even told her a story about a cursed coin, a wishing well, and a suicidal teddy bear she refused to believe was true. True or not, it was funny and sweet that he wanted to help ease her mind. They seemed to be okay. Maybe her fumbled attempt at affection hadn’t hurt.

After a couple turns, they entered a small room. Xander whistled low as Sam and Buffy swung their flashlights over a large metal plate featuring a goat’s head in an inverted pentagram. The ground was littered with shovels, burnt torches, and spots of blood. When Sam lit one of the torches, they could see a large, bloody wheel suspended from the ceiling.

“Of course this is what’s in the school basement. I don’t know why I expected anything different,” Sam muttered.

“The wheel of misfortune wasn’t me,” Andrew said. He looked away from them, his voice falling to a whisper. “I just stabbed Jonathan and took off.”

“You left your friend to die alone?” snapped Buffy, who wished more and more that they didn’t have to let their hostage talk in order to get information.

“It was icky.”

“Someone was bled on that thing.” Buffy wondered if it was Spike’s blood. If so, at least no one died, but it couldn't have been pleasant. What would they have done with him after?

“Do you think it opened the seal this time?” asked Xander.

Passing around shovels, Buffy replied, “Don’t know, but we have to cover this thing.”

Later as they were leaving the little room, Buffy stopped short and stared at a dark corner, a corner she’d hidden in days before. “Andrew, what night did you kill Jonathan?”

“Wednesday. I remember because I had to record--”

“No one cares,” said Sam.

“Slayer senses tinglin’, Buff?” Xander asked.

“I was down here on Thursday during school, and I ran into Principal Wood. He had a shovel and blood on his sleeve. If Jonathan’s body was still down here, maybe Wood moved it.”

“I don’t know,” said Sam. “Wood is a pretty chill guy. He’s never given me the impression he’s wrapped up in Hellmouth business.”

“Maybe he wasn’t before,” Xander said. “See, the Hellmouth used to be directly under the library. Giles had a bunch of charms and incantations to keep from going crazy with it blasting him every day, but that room we were just in sits right under Wood’s office. He may have started the year as Principal Nice Guy, but who knows where his head is now. Sam, you got a key to his office?”

“Just the outer doors and the library, but…” He pulled a lockpick kit from his jacket.

Principal Wood’s office was tidy, modern, and devoid of any personality. Buffy sneered at the motivational poster on the wall. “I hadn’t noticed he was Anya levels of bland. He doesn’t even have free, random business pens.”

After some poking around, Sam said, “Nothing looks out of place in his files; well, other than you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Here’s my employee file. Standard stuff. My resume. My quarterly review. School picture.”

“Look at you with your tie!” said Xander.

“Very handsome,” added Andrew.

“Your employee file is similar, but I found this laying underneath all the other files.” He slapped a thick manila folder on the desk.

Suffering horrible high school flashbacks, Buffy flipped through it. Disciplinary records. Report cards. Teacher concerns. A Child Protective Services notice that was never sent. She knew her file was thick, but the other additions alarmed her. Wood had her records from her pre-Sunnydale stint in a mental hospital, transcripts and letters from all of her schools -- university included -- medical records, lists of jobs she’d worked and friends she’d had. Most disturbing of all was a small collection of candid pictures -- Buffy at school, at her house, in various graveyards -- all clearly taken from a hidden place with a professional camera.

A snap pulled her away from the stalker puzzle. Sam had jimmied open a locked case on the wall, revealing hangers full of axes, knives, and swords.

“For the record, I’ve never met this Wood and have no idea what his deal is,” said Andrew.

“Apparently none of us have,” said Buffy.

Dean chewed on his lip as he thought about how to get away with murder. It was important to not leave a body, but if he made it look like the principal was killed by a vampire, would anyone even look twice?

“Babe, are you listening to a thing I’m saying?”

“‘Bout how your boss is a fuckin’ stalker? Got it. Thinking ‘bout how to handle it.”

“Not the priority right now.” Buffy handed him another dish to dry. They’d been piling up for days, a fact no one had noticed until there was only one plate for lunch. “Besides, it’s not like he’s going to break into the house to steal my underwear. It felt more like research notes. You know, kind of Initiative-y.”

“You think he’s workin’ for the government?”

“Or crazy. Should be able to handle either, although I admit gave me the wiggins. We’ll keep an eye on him.”

“I got a footnote in the stalker file?”

“No, it looked like most of it was pre-Winchesters. I guess he didn’t feel like he needed to follow me around anymore since my desk is right outside of his office.” She shuddered and started scrubbing the flatware. “Tell me happy news about research,” she said.

“Dawn’s gonna lap Sam for smartest kid in the class.”

“You think Sam’s the smartest? Don’t say that in front of Willow. She had a panic attack over an A minus.” Buffy grinned.

“My brother’s brilliant, an’ you know it. Anyway, Dawnie found a pile of letters with your monks on ‘em. Post-translation, she found out they’re called Harbingers of Death. I know what you’re thinking, that’s an awesome name for a metal band.”

“You know me so well,” she said, stretching on her tiptoes to give him a peck on the cheek.

“These Bringers worship something called The First Evil, which Anya said is a shitty demon pick-up line, but I figure she never got high enough clearance in the demon world to learn some of the uglier stuff.”

Buffy pulled the plug on the drain and dried her hands. “How do we fight it?”

He wanted to keep doing dishes, keep making her smile with lame jokes, instead of telling her what hours of research had produced. “That’s it. Jack shit on the seal. We got two letters in Sanskrit, an’ they’re mostly poetry.”

“That’s not enough! We need--”

“We need a lotta things. The geek squad is crackin’ at it now. Do you wanna call the Council again? They gotta know something or at least have more books.”

“They made it pretty clear they have no desire to help.” Throwing her towel on the counter, she grumbled, “I need Santa to bring me a very English-y Giles bearing answers. An army would be nice, too. And some new boots.”

Xander popped his head in the newly repaired backdoor. “Hey-ya handyman, can ya gimme a hand with the drywall situation? Unless you two enjoy zero privacy.”

The Median Witches’ Chronicles was also a bust. Willow looked at the book-strewn dining table and, not for the first time, longed for the resources the Magic Box provided. She kicked herself again for burning it down. One of those books could have had answers. No, no, she wasn’t going to guilt trip herself again. She wasn’t going to dwell on what she couldn’t change. Healing meant those moments had to stay in the past.

“Anything?” she asked the room.

“I found a really cool spell for changing hair colors,” said Dawn.

“Ooh, lemme see!” demanded Anya with grabby hands.

“I thought the drug store sold magic kits for that,” said Xander, relaxing on the couch after reassembling Buffy’s house.

“Try to focus!” snapped Buffy. “I know you’re all tired, but we’re sitting ducks right now. We don’t know how to kill this thing or even how to find it.”

Willow, too excited to find words, began waving her hands and ooh oohing.

“Monkey girl, do you have something to share with the class?”

“We don’t know how to find it!”

“Why is that exciting?” asked Dean.

“Locator spell. I can find anything.”

“Like with the map and little lights?” asked Sam, closing his laptop.

“That’s one kind, but with the not-so-creative name of The First, I’m thinking we won’t get great results. There’s another kind that lets you essentially search for something’s essence and see what it sees without it even knowing you’re there.”

“So any time you’re bored, you could get inside me, touch my essence, and have a looky-loo?” asked Dean. “Willow, I didn’t know you were such a perv.”

“What? No perv. Not perv!”

“Do you really want to try touching something that calls itself The First Evil?” asked Buffy.

“Yeah, you touching evil books didn’t go so well for any of us last time, and publication is several steps removed from evil essences,” said Anya, as she copied the hair spell from Dawn’s book.

“I’d like to think I’m smarter than that. No, for this to work, I need to touch something it touched. We don’t have anything of The First’s, but we have those Bringer blades. They probably touch each other’s weapons. They worship The First. Maybe if we find where they’re hiding, we could, I don’t know, bag one and give it the once over for answers.”

“I knew we shouldn’t have staged that Andrew scare. Now the fear-lust is in you,” said Buffy.

“I also like to think I’m a badass,” said Willow.

Everyone gathered in the dining room to watch her work her magic. The spell itself was shockingly simple -- a couple candles, some sand, ground eggshells, an object, a bowl; it was staying in the subject’s head that was hard. It was the beyond the mental equivalent of tiptoeing. She had to be cat-like quiet, or whoever’s mind she was in would kick her out. Pouring the sand over the knife, she closed her eyes to see.

The room was cavernous. A church warmly lit with the flicker of a thousand candles. She was sitting in one of the pews beside a few other Bringers. At the front of the church, beneath a dark rose window, lay Spike, pale and stripped, stretched out on the altar.  

“Why don’t you bugger off?” she heard Spike. “You’re wrong. She’ll stop you.” She couldn’t see or hear whom he was talking to. Focusing on the host Bringer’s legs, she tried to stand.

Suddenly she was hit by an electric blue light searing through her body, a voice rumbling like thunder. Witch, you will only make me stronger.

The roar of it deafened her, and she blacked out.

Everything was dark. There was a steady beeping. Willow reached for the needles in her arms. “Will, don’t try to move, okay?”

“Xander? I’m scared. I-I can’t see!”

He squeezed her hand. “There’s a bandage over your eyes. No, don’t freak on me,” he said, pulling her other hand off of her face. “The locator spell went kaboom, and this giant demon ghost thing came out of you and started shooting lightning at Buffy and Dean. They’re okay, but your eyes have a flash burn from whatever you saw. The doctor said you’d heal, but only if you keep your eyes covered.”

Willow tried to speak, but her voice was replaced by a choked wail. She heard a couple clicks and felt Xander crawling into the bed with her, wrapping her gently in his arms.

“You can get through this, sweetie,” he murmured. “You can do this. We’ll all be your eyes while you heal. You’re not alone. You’re not alone.”

But she knew. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t alone, because the First wanted to see them all die together.

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