#Ground Zero Defence

[groundgroundzerodefence]

Ground Zero Defence: NDA Coaching with Schooling in Dehradun

Ground Zero Defence, positioned inside the serene and academically wealthy metropolis of Dehradun, has earned a popularity as a finest training institute for aspirants of the National Defence Academy (NDA). The academy combines rigorous education with pinnacle-notch schooling, providing students with a holistic educational level aimed at getting them ready for a career within the defense force. The institute has crafted a unique approach to NDA training, integrating the exceptional of each world—educational schooling and specialised defence education.

The Importance of NDA Coaching

The NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun is one of the most prestigious institutions in India for educating younger cadets to serve within the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. It is the stepping stone for those who aspire to serve their usa via a profession in the armed forces. Admission to the NDA is relatively competitive, and it requires passing a hard front examination, which includes a written test and a complete SSB (Services Selection Board) interview.

The NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun front examination checks a candidate’s knowledge in various topics, which includes mathematics, general expertise, and English. To secure a seat inside the NDA, applicants need to illustrate wonderful instructional talent in addition to intellectual and bodily health. Preparing for such an examination requires based guidance, full-size practice, and consistent motivation—attributes that Ground Zero Defence affords in abundance.

Holistic Approach to Preparation

NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun sticks out due to its dedication to imparting a well-rounded coaching approach. The institute focuses no longer only on the academics essential for clearing the NDA written exam, but also on developing a student’s standard character, that's vital for the SSB interview.

Expert Faculty: NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun Boasts a crew of particularly experienced and certified faculty members who provide comprehensive education in arithmetic, well known information, and English. The teachers use interactive and current coaching strategies to help students draw close complicated standards and improve problem-fixing skills.

Personalized Coaching: One of the highlights of Ground Zero Defence is its consciousness on customized interest. The batch sizes are designed to be small, ensuring that every pupil gets individual attention. This allows the school to cope with the specific strengths and weaknesses of every scholar and assist them in recognizing areas that need improvement.

Regular Mock Tests and Practice: Ground Zero Defence conducts normal mock checks and practice sessions that simulate the real NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun exam. These mock checks assist students familiarize themselves with the pattern of the actual NDA exam and compare their performance beneath timed conditions. Regular tests are important for measuring progress and boosting confidence.

Physical Fitness Training: Physical health is some other vital issue of NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun practise. Ground Zero Defence is aware the significance of bodily conditioning and includes health education as a part of its curriculum. Regular exercise exercises, out of doors activities, and obstacle courses help college students develop the stamina and strength required for the NDA.

SSB Interview Coaching: NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun additionally prepares college students for the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview, which is a vital part of the NDA selection method. The SSB interview assesses a candidate’s persona, management ability, and decision-making talents. The academy presents expert steering and ridicule interviews to assist college students refine their conversation capabilities, construct self-self assurance, and broaden a wonderful attitude.

The Role of Schooling in NDA Preparation

In addition to NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun, Ground Zero Defence gives ordinary schooling through its related instructional institutions. This unique feature permits college students to simultaneously pursue their 11th and twelfth-grade schooling even as making ready for the NDA examination. NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun included technique ensures that students do no longer omit out on their training even as specializing in their defence exam preparation.

The combined schooling and NDA coaching provide numerous blessings:

Curriculum Synchronization: The instructional curriculum of the college is aligned with the NDA syllabus, making sure that scholars don’t have to divide their time between unique educational necessities. The subjects taught in faculty are designed to complement the NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun.

Time Management: Students learn the essential skill of time management, balancing their academic education and NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun correctly. They follow a disciplined timetable that maximizes productivity and guarantees adequate time for both research and physical health.

Emotional and Social Development: Being part of a school community facilitates students to keep a balanced social existence and develop emotional intelligence. It also reduces the possibilities of burnout, as students have a greater holistic environment that gives both educational and private development opportunities.

Location: Dehradun – A Perfect Setting for Focused Preparation

Dehradun, called the 'City of Schools,' is a super area for NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun. The metropolis is home to several prestigious academic institutions and has an environment that encourages getting to know and a private boom. The serene and pollutants-loose environment of Dehradun offers a peaceful and distraction-free space for college kids to be aware of their research and bodily schooling. It is the ideal backdrop for younger aspirants to hone their abilities and get mentally and bodily prepared for the challenges of the NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun.

The city’s herbal beauty, mixed with its instructional infrastructure, presents the proper combination for college kids to excel in their schooling and NDA training. Ground Zero Defence capitalizes on this gain, imparting college students a non violent and focused surroundings that is conducive to their average improvement.

Conclusion

Ground Zero Defence in Dehradun gives a terrific combo of NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun and education, ensuring that scholars are very well prepared for the challenges of the NDA front exam and the SSB interview. With a focal point on lecturers, physical fitness, and character development, the institute ensures that scholars are not just exam-equipped but also properly-rounded individuals capable of excelling within the military. The included approach, at the side of professional school and customized training, makes Ground Zero Defence one of the main destinations for NDA coaching with schooling in Dehradun aspirants in India.

[yanderedrabbles]

Yandere Survivor - Zombie Apocalypse Au

Yandere! Survivor who's at ground zero when the infected start attacking. Who watches the world turn to chaos in the blink of an eye.

Yandere! Survivor who's willing to face off against hordes of infected because he wants to live. Even if the grisly horror of it turns his stomach.

Yandere! Survivor who knows there isn't hope for anything. The army is scattered and helpless. The cities are overrun. The people don't have a chance in hell.

Yandere! Survivor who knows but fights anyway.

Yandere! Survivor who saves you from a whole pack of infected. Who can't belive his eyes when he sees you. The city is overrun with freaks and you're still wearing a pretty little sundress, not a single weapon in sight.

Yandere! Survivor who stands frozen when you hug him. Who can feel the way you're trembling, your fingers knotted into his shirt. Who finds his voice and promises to keep you safe. Somehow.

Yandere! Survivor who fights tooth and nail to get you out of the city. Who scavenges guns and ammo off dead soldiers and tries not to look into their milky, rotting eyes.

Yandere! Survivor who finally has someone to look out for and it makes the loneliness much more bearable.

Yandere! Survivor who gets stronger each day. Who can feel his muscles literally straining against his shirt.

Yandere! Survivor who tries to teach you self defence and fails miserably, because every time he has you pinned under him he can't help but get turned on.

Yandere! Survivor who inspects the hem of your sundress and let's his knuckles brush against your thighs. Who scoffs and tells you its way too flimsy to keep you safe, that a zombie could bite straight through it.

"Hell, I could rip it off without even trying."

Yandere! Survivor who loves how helpless and scared you are. Who feels a rush of pride every time a zombie shrieks and you immediately grab onto him.

Yandere! Survivor who quickly learns to trade with other survivors but to never let his guard down.

Yandere! Survivor who notices the way men stare at you. Like they're dying for a taste of you even worse than the zombies are. Who notices the way people talk about you like you belong to him.

'Your girl.'

Like you're his property or something.

Yandere! Survivor who feels a rush of pride every time it happens. And soon he starts thinking that way too. You're his responsibility therefore you are his.

Yandere! Survivor who never settles down or allies himself with other people. He doesn't trust them. But more than that, he doesn't trust them around you.

Yandere! Survivor who finds it easier and easier to kill the infected. And from there, it's just a small step to start killing the living.

Yandere! Survivor who slits the throats of an entire trading party because he heard them talking about you. In the morning, he tells you they just left early and that it's nothing to worry about.

Yandere! Survivor who doesn't let your disappointment linger when you have to leave camp and move on. Who constantly reminds you he's doing what's best for you.

Yandere! Survivor who insists on being with you when you bath in the rivers and lakes that dot the countryside. He'll keep his back turned for most of it, but inevitably he'll find an excuse to turn around and watch you. Your clothes always cling to you afterwards and he's throat always goes dry when they do.

Yandere! Survivor who takes any chance he can to share a bunk or sleeping bag with you. Who tosses his arm around your waist and tells you it's just to conserve heat.

Yandere! Survivor who knows there isn't a future for the world, but he'll be damned if he can't see one with you.

[chaifootsteps]

Full Moon anon, ask 2/2

OK, let's go back to these so called defences of Stolas

Blitzo isn't entitled to the book

Blitzo could negotiate his way out of the deal

Blitzo could do another job

it's not coercive because Stolas will give him a month or two off if he's sick/not feeling up to it

Blitzo enjoys sex and is fine making transactional deals/treating sex like a trade to get what he wants

Blitzo should know Stolas cares about him for more than sex because of the list of things he describes Stolas doing in Oops

First one - Blitzo isn't entitled to the book. That's true; it's not Stolas' responsibility or his fault that Blitzo founded a business around having access to the grimoire after he stole it. But I also have seen absolutely no one suggest Blitzo is entitled to the grimoire.

What I have seen them suggest is that Stolas could have proposed literally any other arrangement for the book, or none at all. He could have just taken it back. He could have told Blitzo about the Asmodean Crystals way, way sooner or helped him get one. He could even have punished Blitzo for stealing. Bottom line is, no one forced him to handle the situation by extorting Blitzo for sex despite having no reason to believe Blitzo would have been happy sleeping with him once a month - they had a one night stand then Blitzo started ducking his calls. Stolas assuming Blitzo would be happy trading sex for the book is his own delusion.

Also like - it bothers me no one acknowledges the sketchiness of Stolas mentioning explicitly 'you know how I've been permitting you to access the mortal realm less than legally for some time now?' In Stolas' own words, he let Blitzo have the book with no strings attached for some time, despite knowing it was illegal, and then when Blitzo was starting to get the business off the ground with a client he called up to change up the deal (and again, he waited until Blitzo had no time to think and didn't make it a proper transaction/business discussion).

That's way crueller than if he had just refused Blitzo the book before he'd started the business. Stolas knowingly broke the rules and was irresponsible with the grimoire, presumably because lending out the book gave him an excuse to keep calling Blitzo to do dirty talk over the phone (and then get hung up on, at least back when the pilot was canon). He was already seeing his book as a transactional way to have a one sided thing with Blitzo. Whatever it is he even does with the book as part of his duties he doesn't even care to have it in his possession apart from once every month and he doesn't care enough for the grimoire to protect it. He consistently sees it as a way to get what he wants out of his 'affair' with Blitzo.

Second one - Blitzo could negotiate his way out. This argument is annoying to me, to be honest, bcause it rests entirely on framing the argument through how the writers treat Stolas now and not how they wrote him back in Murder Family. Murder Family Stolas cares so little for Blitzo's well being that he shows zero concern when a gunshot goes off right next to Blitzo's head - given where Blitzo was holding the phone, it should've been pretty darn loud in Stolas' ear but all he has to say is 'then let me keep it simple: give me sex once a month or no book'. Stolas so far has not developed into understanding this was wrong (anyone's guess whether full moon will see him take 100% responsibility for the way he pitched the deal or not), they've just magically retconned him into the kind of person who wouldn't have done that in the first place (or so they tell us, a lot of what we're shown Stolas is like suggests he still has the same classist neglectful habits as s1 - only now we're supposed to think that's funny or Via should shut up whining)

anyway, It's kind of weird to suggest Blitzo should negotiate his way out when Blitzo circa season 1 was dealing with a way crueller, colder Stolas. He had no reason to assume that Stolas would hesitate to punish him for trying to wrangle his way out of the deal, not when he spends the entire Loo Loo Land trip ignoring Blitzo's boundaries and even as late as Truth Seekers (one episode before Stolas goes from just interested in sex to suddenly in love with Blitzo) he hammers home the message to Blitzo that even his help comes with transactional strings when he asks for a thank you for saving Blitzo's life and doesn't balk at Blitzo's assumption that he wants sex. Why would Blitzo, knowing what Stolas is like in s1, even bother trying to reason with him? In Stolas' own words, he's the owl's 'plaything'. You don't negotiate fairly with playthings, you pinch their cheek and put cigarettes out on them.

Third one - Blitzo could do another job. He could, sure. But I find this a weird line of argument since it assumes that it's fine to question Blitzo trying to rise above his station by starting a business that requires access to the human realm, but it's never fine to question why it's OK for Stolas to just be handed the power to get to the human realm. Also, like - going off Blitzo's dialogue about the business not killing people in Hell anymore, it implies maybe the business was based around Hell hits originally but that didn't work out for some reason, so they pivoted to a new USP. And given the economic precarity most imps are in, it's pretty unempathetic to say Blitzo should just give up on his business and get another job when he has a daughter to support and 'another job' in imp terms from everything we've seen in the show likely means low paid menial labor. It's fine for Stolas to have all the money and power that gives him, but Blitzo should be non stop judged for being poor wrong, for daring to want access to resources that were just handed to royalty for no other reason than birthright and succeed past expectations. If he didn't want Stolas extorting him for sex he should have been happy being a farmer providing food for everyone else, or being a butler to someone like Stolas who likes to use them as stress balls when he's mad at his wife!

Fourth one - it's not coercive because Stolas will give him a month or two off. I don't even think this kind of argument deserves dignifying with a response tbh. If Stolas treats Blitzo kindly or cruelly in this arrangement, the arrangement itself is still coercive. If Blitzo cannot easily end it as and when he wants to due to his economic circumstances, it's coercive. The circumstances Stolas used to make the deal were coercive. Period, end of.

Fifth one - Blitzo enjoys sex and is fine making transactional deals/treating sex like a trade to get what he wants. Two things here. We see him seduce Stolas to get the book the first time, but he wasn't actually interested in sleeping with him - he wanted to leave. He went back out of pity; it wasn't his original intention to trade sex for the book. Second, Blitzo enjoying sex doesn't make the circumstances Stolas used to pitch the deal any less coercive. Also, Blitzo enjoying sex with Stolas is very much something written in to season 2. Where is it hinted he actually enjoyed sex with Stolas in s1?? He spends the Loo Loo Land episode rebuffing/being annoyed by Stolas' advances and he's outright indifferent post sex in Harvest Moon (and it visibly gets to him when Striker says he shouldn't have to demean himself to be able to run his business - why is that the case if he enjoys being exploited?). Even in the ending of Truth Seekers it plays more like he's clawing what little power he can back by being the dominant one in the relationship. We see very few instances of Blitzo actually being enthused about sexual advances from Stolas in s1, even in some of the instas covering the deal; I don't think it's good enough to just claim this is tsundere behavior. Also there's a difference in a one time quid pro quo one night stand sort of thing and having a sustained affair whether you want to or not to keep your job going. Blitzo freely and enthusiastically jumped into bed with Chaz, partly to get info from M&M. But he did want to sleep with Chaz. He didn't wince in revulsion when Chaz made a move on him, even if the sex they actually had wasn't great due to Chaz being a loser.

Last one: Blitzo should know Stolas cares about him for more than sex because of the list of things he describes Stolas doing in Oops. So this argument goes that regardless if the audience isn't shown anything suggesting Stolas cares about more than sex from Blitzo, Blitzo should definitely know because of all the stuff he listed when he was ranting to Fizz.

I'm gonna be blunt - this line of argument is just rewarding the writers for lousy writing.

They couldn't be bothered to give the audience the sense Stolas has ever given Blitzo the impression he wants more than sex because he refused to end the deal until s2, so they just have the characters polyfill all that in and expect us to judge Blitzo as cynical or unreasonable based on a new relationship dynamic they retconned in just that second. It's even worse when they have long scrolls of blink and you miss it text messages - not only is it lazy but stans act like they have greater media literacy because they paused to read each message, even though important information like that should be in the actual show and not treated like some kind of bonus easter egg.

And just to drive the point home - even if we want to count all these lazy retcons around what the dynamic between Stolas and Blitzo is, it wouldn't matter all that much because their entire relationship is founded on the full moon deal. Until Stolas does something to end it, it's entirely valid for Blitzo to feel Stolas ultimately just wants sex. If someone takes advantage of the fact you can't freely consent to get you to hastily agree to monthly sex then tries to act sweet after the fact, personally I'd be more inclined to feel annoyed that they want to have it both ways and feel like they're a good person treating me like a romantic partner instead of being honest with themselves about how they've treated me until now. And wouldn't you know it, that's exactly what Blitzo tells him at the end of Ozzie's. And if we're counting blink and you miss is text messages as being valid ways to understand their relationship, there's also a text message from Stolas where he says he's sorry 'if anything he said or did offended Blitzo'. He's not sorry for the actual thing he did wrong; he obviously doesn't understand the problem. So if we're counting the lazy text messages and offscreen phonecalls as 'fixing' their dynamic to being cute and sweet on Stolas' end we also have to count the fact that he currently can't bring himself to understand why what he's doing is wrong.

It'd be like if Fifty Shades of Grey followed up that scene of Christian getting Ana drunk on purpose while they're supposed to be hammering out the dom/sub contract with scenes of him being an asshole who doesn't care about her freely consenting to anything just so long as he gets sex, then they tried to 'fix' all that by showing Ana's text history is full of Christian trying to be lovey dovey (while ignoring what the problem is with him getting her drunk). It doesn't fix the fact that she can't properly consent to the dom/sub lifestyle he wants if he gets her drunk while they're talking about it. If anything the audience would probably feel he was more creepy, not less, because he's engaging in lovebombing behaviors while all we're being shown on screen is him not respecting her consent or her as a person. And then being supposed to judge Anastasia for it and not Christian!

sorry for the long rant, it's just - Stolas defending arguments are like hydra. every time one is dismantled a bunch more worse and disturbingly victim-blamey ones pop up in their place. I'm honestly glad I'm giving up on the show for good after the next ep - mostly I'm just rubbernecking to see how bad they're gonna mess the 'breakup' episode up

You don't know how cathartic every last word of this precious sanity was to read. Gonna keep it on hand, when I need reminding that the world isn't completely hopeless.

[ugotcooneycrossed]

you look so pretty (and i love this view)

clàudia pina x reader

w/c: ~700

based off this lovely request

a/n: I LOVE MY BABY PINA

send me more requests if yall have any😩

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

There’s not many things in life that you love- truly love that is, I mean sure, there are definitely things- people that you love. You’re just not the type to show it.

Any team you’ve played on you’re always marked as the silent, stoic, deadly player. And it’s not a lie- you always have a scowl on your face when you play.

Football is one of your loves- because of course it is, it’s lasted longer than any relationship you’ve had; barring of course, your fat, fat crush on Clàudia.  

You grew up together- you’ve been with each other through everything. You’ve watched each other grow into the players you are today. You’ve spent hours upon hours with her at the park- situated perfectly in your spots; you in goal, and her up front.

She’s joked before how you were meant to be- with her as a striker and you as a goalie.

-

Your favourite thing about being a goalie isn’t being able to make amazing saves- it’s not the honour of knowing that, after defenders, you’re the only thing standing between the other team and a goal.

Your real favourite part about being a goalie is? It’s getting to watch your team play- well, you’re only ever watching Clàudia anyway.

She plays majestically- and you love watching her. Even after running around- she still looks as beautiful as ever, and you love watching her.

You know your stoic demeanour breaks when it comes to her- you feel a smile tugging at your lips when she scores, and you thank your lucky stars the cameras always stay up with the girls when they celebrate- though Clàudia always looks towards you after she scores.

Her cheeky, bright smile- that takes up half her face beaming at you.

Even across the length of the field, when your view isn’t always the best, she always finds you.

The downside? You’re indeed across the entire field if something were to go wrong.

-

You watch it happen- and it’s like your world slows to a stop, as you watch the defender collide with Clàudia.

The sound echoes in the stadium and rings in your head- and without thinking, you take off. You run past Lucy and she tries to grab your arm- trying to hold you back but you manage to slip away.

You don’t even realise Clàudia is sitting up- getting helped to her feet, as your eyes have zeroed in on the player who took her down.

She has her back to you and you run up- shoving her to the ground, you can feel about four pairs of hands all pushing you away, one of the players even holding your jersey so you stay in place- you scoff.

Overlapped yelling increases as more people get involved, your team coming to your defence and the other team trying to get you booked, yet all you can focus on is if Clàudia is okay.

With the fray of players surrounding you- you shove them off, looking around frantically to find where Pina is. Your panic rises when you see the medics disappear into the change room, and with no sign of Clàudia you almost run after them.

Only when you feel a small squeeze to your hand do you breathe a sigh of relief.

Clàudia stands in front of you, a small bruise on her cheek but she still grins up at you.

You take off your gloves- gently cupping her face, you move it gently to inspect the bruise.

“Are you okay?”

She nods at you, and you smile back.

“Good.”

When you know your Clàudia is okay, you turn back to the ref- scowl fixed on your face, you don’t flinch when she shoves a yellow in your face and you pick your gloves back up, walking back to the goal.

Mapi waves to get your attention and when you look up at the defender she shouts at you from across the field.

“You can smile?!”

“Mapi shut up!”

Alexia elbows her in the ribs and smiles at you from a hunched over Mapi.

Clàudia- who looks much better, beams at you from beside them- and you send her just as bright of a smile back.  

[fluorescentbalaclava]

training season's over

Chapter 2: Charlie Foxtrot

Summary:

Charlie Foxtrot / CF / cluster fuck Chaotic situation with all plans disintegrating in all directions.

TF141/female reader

spy reader, forced bonding, slow burn, slow build, militar inaccuracies, sugestive language, language, canon typical violence, second chance

previous: chapter one "Ground Zero"

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Everything felt relatively normal...for one month. You tried to avoid Ghost to the best of your capabilities, considering that he ( allegedly ) lived on the floor above yours. Awkward lift rides occurred but weren't so frequent. 

After spending three weeks in your new home, you were called back. The task wasn’t hard at all, just to pose as a sniper while a small team of rookies conducted a RIF on a Konni base, which apparently held some important cargo that soon was going to be on the move. Your duty was to back up the team in case things got hairy and to observe the strength, deployment, preparedness, determination, and other tactical data of the target for a future raid.

You packed up only the necessary, as it was a short affair, and once you were ready to leave, you double checked all the entries on the flat, to make sure it was all locked. Once in the hallway you pressed the down button in the lift, and you weren't surprised at all when you saw Ghost going down as well, you just sigh to yourself, standing next to him as the door closed behind you. Does this man live in this lift?

"Going somewhere?" He asked, checking you from the corner of his eyes. 

"With some friends for the weekend" You answered nonchalantly, looking up as the lift went down. Just one more floor. 

"I see," He answered, leaving it there. The door opened and you basically sprinted your way out of the building. 

After taking a nap both on the transfer and the plane to the safe house close to the target, you were all equipped and ready to go. Your face mask leaving only your eyes uncovered, your hair in a bun, your dark blue uniform on and the case where you kept your sniper rifle hanging from your back. Your station chief gave the team their assignments before leaving. The scouting team had weapons free order, while you were given weapons hold order, only engage when engaged. 

The recce team were in motorcycles, the idea was doing a hit and run, and see what the Konni soldiers used to fight back, and how many were visible. You were dropped midway by them, and you walked to your position. The warehouse was surrounded by fields, some wind turbines could be seen in the distance, and you made your way to an abandoned watchtower that was the perfect sniper nest. 

"Sage to Control. I'm in position, I have visual." You said as you settled down on your stomach on the floor of the dome of the top of the tower. 

"Copy, Sage. Control to Delta team. Delta, you're clear to engage." The voice on your comm answered. 

After the order was given, you could see through your scope three motorcycles from the Delta team, each one with two people on them, one driving and the other shooting, quickly approaching the place.

"Delta-1 to Control. Control, we have contact." The voice came through the comm followed by the sound of shooting, and you could see through the scope the whole scene. 

"Control to Sage. What do you see?" 

"Six armed personnel. Automatic weapons...they don't seem very prepared." You said as you zoomed in on the scope, and you could tell everyone there was caught by surprise, unorganized men rushing to shoot back, no heavy weaponry in sight. They sure are disorganized for people guarding an important cargo. 

After a few more minutes of combat, two hurt Konni soldiers, and with no changes in the defences, the team was called back to retreat.

"Control, how reliable was the intel? These poor bastards couldn't even defend themselves against an angry dog" You said as you kept looking at the warehouse, everyone looked as if they were angrily talking to each other, clearly still on edge. 

"It was a tip, reliable source so we thought it was worth a check. I'll tell Delta to pick you up on their way back”. 

"Thank you very much" You said as you stood up to start disassembling your rifle, carefully putting it back to its case, and hanging it in your back.

As you came out from the tower, you were greeted by a very heavy and unexpected hit on the face and when you felt something warm and salty in your mouth, mixed with the sharp pain that made your head hurt and left you stunned, you were pretty sure it broke your nose. Your mask was starting to get wet with blood, as you fell on your back on the floor, and when you focused your sight you saw a big figure towering over you, with a knife. You quickly kicked it on the stomach, a deep grunt was heard, and they answered with a cut on your leg that made you hiss in pain, but you used the same leg to kick their arm, throwing the knife across the room, hitting one of the walls. The figure was already charging at you again when a shot impacted on the wall of the tower, prompting the figure to quickly flee to the woods. 

"Motherfucker...fucking shit, fuck" You took off your mask, whimpering at the pain. You spit a mix of saliva and blood to the floor, as you tried to clean your mouth with the back of your hand, which made you wince in pain as you accidentally brushed your nose. 

"Jesus Christ, Sage, what the hell was that?" The man that you only recognized as Delta-1 approached you quickly, lowering his gun, looking down at you at the floor. 

"Do I look like I fucking know?" You shot back, glaring up at him. This was not the first time you got punched in the nose, however it was the only time where you got it broken, and the pain was making you dizzy.

"They left their knife," Delta-2 said, picking up the stray knife from the floor close to the wall. Nothing remarkable about it, just an average hunting knife. 

"Come here, mate" Delta-1 said, letting his gun go from his hands and hang behind him, as he crouched over and carefully helped you up from the floor. Your head was killing you, and the cut on your leg wasn't as terrible but you felt it with each step.

Two days later, you were dropped in the corner of your building. Gauze wrapped around your nose, and some packing stuffed inside it to provide support while it heals. If you thought a broken nose was bad, it was because you haven't heard about the recovery of a broken nose. You felt like it was constantly stuffy and you couldn't do anything about it, your head hurt very often, and you could only breathe through your mouth, making it dry and your lips constantly chapped. Additionally, you were given a three-week medical leave, with no strenuous activities or heavy lifting, and some purple was starting to show under your eyes. You entered the building, bag in your back, and you lazily walked to the lift. As you were waiting, you heard heavy footsteps behind you. Jesus Christ, have I not suffered enough? 

“Morning" You heard that husky voice you were familiar with behind you. 

"Hey" You answered back, doing very little to hide the contempt in your voice. And as the lift opened its doors, you entered, followed by Ghost. 

There were some minutes of silence, which made you believe that he wasn't going to try to be a smartass, but then...

"What happened to your nose?" He suddenly said, looking down at you. 

"Rhinoplasty" You answered flatly, shrugging.

"It looks the same to me" He answered in a matter-of-factly tone.

"That's because the swelling needs to go down" You answer in the same tone. 

"You're limping" He poked again, still looking down at you. 

"Got fucked." You answered once again, nonchalantly, and if you were looking you could see him arching a brow under his mask at the blunt answer. 

"With a broken nose?" 

"Don't tell my doctor" You said as you reached your floor, exiting the lift.

Once inside your flat you locked the door behind you before laying on your couch and basically passing out on it, without even bothering to change your clothes. You already knew that Ghost knew. If he didn't know who you were exactly already, he for sure was close to it after today. 

For now, you just hoped he would spare you for the night, as you slowly started to drift asleep on your couch.

You don't know how much time has passed before loud knocks at your door woke you up. You grunted as you got up from the couch, and you went to your desk and looked in the drawer for your handgun...you were surprised to see that it wasn’t there. Someone was here.  You were so tired that you didn't even check.

Your body tensed, as you went to the kitchen and grabbed a knife, the second-best option. You held the knife on your back, slowly opening the door. 

Bucket hat = Price

You froze as you stared up at him, and when you lowered your gaze you noticed how he was carrying your gun. 

"Think very well about your next actions, kid" He warned you, taking the safety off your gun. Why does everyone in that damned unit have the same husky voices?

You were a fighter, but you weren't stupid. So, you moved the hand off your back, and handed him the knife. 

"Atta girl" He said as he stepped back, making a gesture with his head indicating you to step out of your flat. "Let's go for a walk.” 

The next hour or so was kind of confusing. He got you into a car, putting a bag over your head, making you flinch when it touched your nose. Then, at some point in the ride, you felt a sharp pain on your neck, then everything went dark, as you heard a distant female voice talking. 

When you felt yourself slowly regaining consciousness and getting back to your senses, you blinked a few times, trying to clear your blurry vision. You looked around a bare grey room, a table in front of you, a blinding light hanging over it and Price sitting across it. Behind him, a blonde woman standing against the wall, looking at you as well. You tried to move, but both your feet and hands were tied up. 

"Easy, girl. Try to focus" You blinked a few more times, taking a few deep breaths, your mouth felt dry. "You are slippery and hard to find, I give you that" He added, as you tried to concentrate on him.

"Where am I?" You managed to mutter, but your words came out a bit slurred. 

"Don't worry 'bout that for now..." He answered before he started. "I can't begin to explain the pain in my ass you've been these months. The higher commands have been chewing my ear off bitching about how we spent taxpayers’ money to purchase the intel from some contracting company that magically got to it first. It could have been a coincidence, yes. One time? Sure. Two times? Maybe. But seventeen fucking operations frustrated in the span of 8 months? Someone was on us." 

You started to be able to see his image more clearly and the haze you were in started to wear off. You were in an interrogation room...and the camera was off. Off the records, bad sign.

"So, we started to look back, every detail, every camera, every mistake we made, anything we could find. A shadow in the middle of the smoke in shitty quality footage of some warehouse, which led us to multiple street cameras, until we saw the same figure getting in an unregistered car. The unregistered car led us to some tax haven in God knows which island, and then back to our old friends from KorTac, but your profile didn't match anyone we knew from there before...but we got a solid lead a couple of months ago and we went with it. And three days ago, we managed to confirm it by pulling some contacts, and dropping some fake tips...I'm sorry about your nose by the way, my hand slipped, and I punched harder than I was expecting to."

“Son of a bitch..." You muttered under your breath.

"When Captain Price showed me the footage, I ran your face through facial recognition..." The blonde woman that has been silent since you woke up suddenly said, before handling Price a tablet. You were sure it was the voice you heard on the car as you blacked out. "...and imagine my surprise when I saw that on our database." 

You turned your attention back at Price in front of you as he showed you the screen of the device. You saw a much younger picture of yourself, when you first enlisted, and then the word "Corporal" followed by your full name. 

"I spoke to your old sergeant, and he said amazing things about you. He was happy to hear about you again. He remarked on your exceptional performance and leadership abilities. And of course, he started boasting about your good records in basic and advanced individual training, and he said how excited he was for you to take the test and pass the SAS selection, and how he was even planning to write you a recommendation letter..." 

You lowered your gaze; you already knew this story. 

"And how shocked he was when he learnt you put your 28 days’ notice after two months of signing your contract." He then swiped his finger, showing the scan of your formal letter of resignation, to which you looked away. I already saw that bloody paper before . “Is that when you joined KorTac?"

"I wanted more liberties, not being tied up for four years" You said in an attempt to put on a nonchalant tone. 

"Are you sure that’s the reason?" The woman said from behind Price, to which he turned around, and the woman nodded at him. 

He then swiped again on his tablet, revealing a photo of your parents. You felt how your whole body went stiff, as you felt yourself immediately getting sick, bile threatening to go all the way up to your throat. 

"Cunts" You manage after some minutes, trying to desperately free your hands from the handcuffs to the chair, the sound of metal clicks echoing through the silent room. "Leave them out of this.” 

"We are not planning to hurt them." The woman spoke again, but it did little to calm down your growing anxiety. "We were worried that since you're officially MIA in KorTac's records, that they would try to...tie other loose ends" She said as she swiped through more pictures of your parents and judging by the looks of it, they have been under surveillance for weeks. 

You felt nauseous, you haven’t even thought about that. Once you joined, you tried to leave all your old friendships back home, and keep the contact to your parents at minimum, since you couldn't just cut them off completely. It was easy to blame not having signal while on the move. 

"They're actually very nice people but imagine my surprise when I was informed that they think you're still in the army" You started to feel like you were about to have a panic attack. All your lies catching up to you at once. 

"I...W-We needed the money..." You answered after a few minutes of struggling to the strength to talk, your voice still came out strained. 

“And…?” The woman said, and by the look in her eyes, you could tell she already knew the answer.

“KorTac had someone in the army, they would contact the recruits with the best performances to work for them. They showed me what they could pay me, if I joined…my parents are not young anymore, and they need money for the mortgage, bills, healthcare…I just wanted them to have a good life…I wanted to have a good life.”

"There you go, kid. Doesn't it feel nice to say the truth for once?" Price said, putting the tablet on the table and returning his attention to you. "The boys are with them right now, playing along with your lies...for now. They're going to move them to a safe house, until we can find another place for them to settle."

"Why...?" You looked between both Price and the woman. Why protect them? What's the trick?

"Your parents are not to blame for the things you've done. Legally, you should be prosecuted for high treason, and you'd get at least 7 years. And how do you think your parents react when we tell them their daughter, who they thought was serving in the army, is in prison?" Low blow. You just stared up at him, clenching your jaw. "However, Kate and I discussed your situation before bringing you here..."

“You have potential, kid" She said from behind him, still leaning against the wall. 

"What is this? Some kind of intervention?" You said looking between them, anxious and confused in equal measure. 

"We can always just send you to prison, if you don't want to hear us" He said, crossing his arms, and you just leaned back to your seat, staying quiet and listening, your body still tense. "That's what I thought."

"We could use a person of your abilities...and your experience." Kate said again, still glancing over you. 

I'm fucked, I'm so fucked, so, so, so...

"What's the catch?" You asked, still looking at them.

"Instead of spending time in prison, like you should, you'd serve in the army again" Price started explaining again. "You'd get an ankle monitor, you can't leave the base unless someone from the team is with you or for deployment, you'd serve for 5 years, and you would be demoted, from your fancy sergeant title in KorTac back to corporal." 

"So like parole?" 

"Sort of" Kate answered.

"And if you break any of the terms of the agreement, you'd go straight to jail, no third chance" Price added. Both were just staring at you. 

"Truth be told, you know too much. You're a liability for them and for us, however we could be more...understanding. Can you say the same about your friends back at KorTac?" Kate added, making you lower your gaze, contemplating her words. 

Your leg was shaking under the table, and you bit your lip, still looking down. Your life's work goes down the drain, but at the same time you were getting a second chance, besides going back to the army would mean you'd stop lying to your parents. This is the worst day of my life.

"Would I still get paid?" You asked looking up, meeting their gazes again. The question made Price sigh.

"Yes, you would. But while on duty, your accounts will be controlled by your commanding officer, and any purchases or transfers must be authorized by him" Kate explained, making a gesture with her head pointing at Price. 

You stayed quiet for a few minutes, contemplating. Not that you had many options, jail or the army. But you still stopped to try and put yourself together to meditate and try to get a thought out of the mess your head was. 

"Can I talk to my parents?" You asked in a small voice, looking nervously between the both of them. Price looked back at Laswell, and she nodded.

You felt your heart beating in your ears, your hands shaking and your palms sweating. You haven't spoken to them in months with the excuse of being in deployment, it always made you nervous. They were proud of you when you joined, praising you for following your dreams. It broke your heart a little to see the glint of sadness when you explained how you couldn’t frequently talk to them, but they still supported you.

So lost in your thoughts you didn't even hear what Price said before he put the phone on speaker.

"Darling...?" You heard your mother on the other side of the phone. 

You felt some tears forming in your arms, as a smile appeared in your face, your demeanour visibly softening. 

"Hi, mom" You answered as clearly as you could with the knot on your throat, trying not to worry her. 

"Hey, love, I'm so glad to hear you. How are you?" She said, her voice sounding worried but slightly relieved to hear you. "Is everything alright? When we saw three soldiers on the door, we thought the worst.” 

The lump on your throat felt tighter, and you bit your lip trying to control yourself at the thought of your parents thinking that you were dead at first. 

"Yeah, everything is alright, mom. Those are my...colleagues" You explained while looking at Price. 

"They told us they're going to move us, that we should leave the house for a few months, that they will pay for a new place for a bit. What's wrong? Are you in trouble?"

Ah, mom, I'm in deep shit.

"It's for security. We just got back from deployment, and we bumped into some...dangerous people, I told them it wasn't necessary but they insisted on relocating you for a bit, everything is going to be alright, just do as they say, everything will be fine, it's just for prevention...army things as you always say" You said with a soft smile, looking at the phone. "Maybe they could even get you a place with a heater that actually works." 

That made your mom chuckle, and her tone audibly was more relaxed, and it made you chuckle too, which prompted some tears to fall down your cheeks. 

"Well, you're not wrong, maybe a change of air would be nice..." She added. "Did you get hurt?" 

"Just a broken nose, that's why I didn't go there, had to stay for a check-up, but I'll be fine" You answered, just to hesitantly add. "Are...are my colleagues treating you and dad okay?" 

"Please tell me what the doctor says...and yes, dear, your friends are lovely. We were having tea while we waited for you to call" That confused you, and you looked up at Price who had a small smile on the corner of his lips. "Johnny and Kyle are very sweet, but uh..." and then she added whispering "...is the man in the mask your colleague as well?" 

You glared at Price, and he was visibly trying to hide his smile. Of course he sent Ghost.

"Yes, mom, he is... he's just a... little shy" Your unsure answer made Price chuckle softly. 

"Your father invited them for a barbecue later on," She added, sounding excited. 

"Of course he did..." You said with a sigh, closing your eyes. "Mom, I need to go now, yeah? I'll call you as soon as I can, please do as they say, okay?" You said as you looked at both Kate and Price.

"Alright, sweetheart. Tell me what the doctor says later, we are so glad you're alright" You smiled again, looking back at the phone. "Your father and I are very proud of you. We love you.” 

You couldn't do anything to wipe your tears as your hands were still handcuffed.

"Thank you...I love you too...Bye, mom, I will call later, I promise" You answered in a soft voice, still trying not to give away how upset you were. 

"Alright, love, bye-bye" She said one last time, before the sounds gave away that she must have passed the phone back to someone, to which Price turned off the speaker and put the phone back on his ear, standing up and leaving the room for some minutes. Kate walked over you and wiped some of your tears quite gently with a handkerchief, and you felt so defeated that you just let her. 

After a few more minutes, Price walked back into the room, phone back in his pocket. 

"Your parents are packing to go to the safehouse. Nothing out of the ordinary in the perimeter, and the guys will keep them safe." He said, his hands behind his back as he looked down at you. "Do you have your answer, kid?" 

"I'm in"

next chapter: Chapter three "Foxtrot Oscar"

if you like it leave me some kudos or suggestions on ao3! <3

[spiderybobcat]

Sprite movement probably doesn't correlate with how much effort a monster is giving

There's a popular theory that suggests that how much effort a monster in putting in fighting you correlates with how much their sprite is moving. Toriel (Who is extremely reluctant to hurt you at all) and Napstablook (Who skips entire turns because he doesn't feel up to it)'s sprites barely move at all, while characters that really want to kill you like Undyne and Sans sprites bob and wave a lot. Undyne the Undying has a crazy amount of movement and is also the monster who puts the most effort into fighting you. This theory seems to have substantial evidence backing it up and is often used as a reason for why Papyrus would have to be ridiculously powerful. And it's probably also wrong.

Let's look at two other monsters who have completely stationary battle sprites.

Monster kid's genocide battle sprite is completely stationary with no animation at all. Zero. Zilch. This theory would imply Monster Kid was putting 0 effort at all into standing in your way, which obviously cannot be the case.

Ok, but monster kid is just a minor enemy who doesn't even do anything except trigger the Undying fight. One could argue that they don't have an animation because they don't create bullet patterns.

When Dogamy is slain before Dogaressa, Dogaressa will become enraged. Her attacks will do more damage, the patterns will go faster, the flavour text states that she "on the warpath", and she literally says she's going to chop you in half.

And you know what happens when you kill Dogamy?

Dogaressa STOPS MOVING.

So we have a case of a monster that starts putting MORE effort having LESS sprite animation. In my opinion, this proves that Toby Fox could not have designed sprite animation with effort in mind.

By the way, if you kill Dogaressa before Dogamy, Dogamy will become heartbroken. His defence drastically drops and the attack pattern he uses become significantly easier, a sad dog chucking a single heart at the ground. The dog doesn't even do damage. A pair of monsters with differing responses to grief. One who becomes depressed. One who becomes enraged. This would have been a PERFECT moment for Toby to drop a hint as to how the more effort a monster is putting in to fighting you, the more their sprite moves. But nope, Dogamy's sprite does the same thing as Dogaressa. Just stops moving.

And honestly even without that piece of evidence the theory was still a stretch to begin with.

-Sans is sweating buckets and trying harder to stop you than he's probably ever tried in his life and yet barely sways. Moldbygg has way more animation than him.

-Mettaton NEO barely moves either. His EX form (and arguably his box form) moves more than his NEO.

-If that theory were true even regular Undyne should have more animation than anyone else in the game.

-Asriel's final form moves way less than his god of hyperdeath form.

[phantomphangphucker]

Phic Phight - Goo, Sleep, Repeat, Or Please Don’t

@everystarstorm @ LumianaKatenke

Danny had really bad luck with G.I.W. and Nocturne has precisely zero tolerance for their foolishness.

Nocturne grins maliciously, pouncing down on Phantom, the little prince in the making, a young god would didn’t get enough sleep. There are spectators, Phantom’s citizens, cheering the battle on, giving reverence to their master. As they should. His little Fraid and Makers hovering around, unable to get involved since they’re so far above such mortals. The human government fools still try, pathetic things; as if they could truly do anything either.

Nocturne swirls, twisting and bending around blasts; there’s not too much power behind it, expected, Phantom was still so young and had no interest in truly damaging most ghosts. Phantom smirking up at them, “you’re not a very good nighttime comforter! Because no one finds this assault comforting! And getting clawed in the face isn’t comfortable!”. That child and his way with words. He was so very fond of them much to the annoyance and groans of everyone in earshot.

Nocturne smacks him with their ghostly tail into a wall, grinning more, “one of these days I will knock you out!”, knock him out to stay asleep for awhile. But Phantom pops back out of the indent while sticking out his tongue, “and I’ll knock you back to sleep with the fishes!”. Ah the death jokes, no ghost made them quite like Phantom did.

Nocturne gets blasted past a couple buildings, going past one to see those human government fools setting up some large launcher. They have no interest with dealing with that, but perhaps they should not lead the child king over here. This was for play, to spar and tire the boy, a good nights rest after stretching out protective powerful muscles. So they zip up, into the sky, and fire a quick blast to send Phantom back a little. Only for those makers of his to hit him square in the back as a result, right over to where Nocturne was trying to not have Phantom go. Those fools, snarling quickly at the male maker, “insolent mortals!”, before moving to follow after Phantom.

They’re not quite fast enough. They don’t stop Phantom from getting hit by the large gooey rocket. It seemingly liquifies most everything from the shoulders down; sending the boy splattering into the pavement. They wanted Phantom asleep but this was Unacceptable! Roaring and tackling the human government worms, “how dare you dare harm a young one! Young zone’s hand and head! Little dignity! Sweet dear child!”.

It was pure chaos, immediate chaos, Jazz screaming as the ghosts ghostly tail wraps around her, Sam, and Tucker, basically flinging them at and in Danny. Sam muttering, “shit, shit, shit, shit”, while trying to push the bits of Danny soup back into a more coagulated pile.

Tucker ripping through his pockets, “thermos, fuck I should have a thermos right? Zone is that even a good idea?”.

Jazz snapping, “I don’t know Tucker, but you’re a better shot than I am and we have an issue!”. Tucker jerking his head up and wincing around, more G.I.W. agents had seemingly popped up out of nowhere… at least they were forcefully keeping the Fenton’s back. Small mercies. At least he managed to find two thermoses, passing them off to her and taking her pistol.

Tucker half kneeling, using a knee to help him aim, shooting two who shout back, “WE ARE THE GOVERNMENT! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO REIST! CEASE YOUR DEFENCE OF A MONSTER AND MENACE!”.

Maddie shouting in the background, “WE HAVE MORE RIGHT TO IT THAN YOU!”.

“Silence or you will be placed under arrest for interfering with a government seizure!”.

Tucker wincing, “Sam!”.

“I’m busy helping Jazz! Tucker! Figure it out!”.

For the first time in a long time all three of them seriously wishing Val/Red or, heck, even Vlad, to show up. Tucker having to flatten himself, grabbing the back of Jazz’s shirt to get her on the ground too; a blast whizzing right over their heads. Him wincing at seeing a bit of Danny’s ‘goo’ spill out.

Jazz and Sam were honestly just stuffing what they could of half liquid Danny into the thermoses, not daring to actually suck him into the thing. And then there’s suddenly a bunch of Nocturne’s pillow shade ghosts around them, almost like a barricade, some throwing hands with and occasionally being destroyed by the G.I.W. agents.

G.I.W. agents scowling, struggling more than they’d like, “great, the monsters summoned minions”. Nocturne impales an agent with their elbow spikes, crushes the machine/vehicle completely underhand, and snarls again, form growing to cover the sky, “I HAVE NO TOLERANCE FOR THIS FOOLISH BEHAVIOUR!”.

Sam, Tucker, and Jazz all wincing; at this rate Nocturne was going to knock out the whole town again or start breaking buildings. Sam and Tucker exchanging looks before both sigh and shout, “EVERYONE LAY DOWN! THIS ONE’S A FLOATING KNOCK OUT GAS!”. And… surprisingly a few people actually listened, not the G.I.W. obviously, though people might also be hitting the ground to avoid getting caught in cross fire since it was well known that the G.I.W. did not give a single flying fuck about bystander casualties. At least the Pillow Shades give all three of them the time to focus on getting Danny into thermoses. Tucker ripping off his hoodie and passing it to Jazz to get the not soup shoulder, arms, and head wrapped up somewhat securely; Danny groans.

The three all stilling at Nocturne’s black starry arm slamming down over Danny with a harsh yet soft, “sleep child”. Danny doesn’t groan again and his face relaxes. Jazz is the only one that can manage to give a small, “thank you”.

Maddie has no clue what’s going on. The fight was mostly normal, her and Jack hoping to maybe get in a good shot or get some new samples, when suddenly the place was swarmed with G.I.W. agents. It’s been a long time since her or Jack have actually liked the G.I.W., them firing live rocket rounds at an observatory full of children was the last straw for her, and right now they’ve fully pissed her off. Her husband, Jack, was the one to hit the ghost first, they might have taken It down but It was still their hit first! They had more claim! But fighting this many agents was out of the question, especially with the ‘villain’ ghost summoning shades, it would do her kids no good for either of them to get arrested.

But at least she understands the G.I.W.’s actions, she can even rationalise what sounds like some teens actions to protect Phantom. The G.I.W. were hated by the teen populace, Phantom was disturbingly belove-d. She didn’t approve of some teens putting themselves in danger like this but at least it made sense. Now this ‘Nocturne’s’ actions? Those did not make a lick of sense. Why was It defending not only Phantom but seemingly also the teens that were defending Phantom? Why had It called Phantom a ‘sweet child’? It made no sense. Ghosts had no understanding of age, nonetheless childhood versus adulthood. Perhaps ghosts could tell when a ghost was a newer ghost, but sightings of Phantom have been recorded since ancient Egypt and It had been haunting Amity for multiple years now. It wasn’t a fresh ghost. The other terms It used seemed like merely other ways to say the same thing, linguistic complexity were not supposed to be truly possible with ghosts; Phantom was abnormal with Its use of puns and that was it, and Its heightened exposure to humans increasing Its vocabulary.

She watches, using the G.I.W.’s distraction to slip behind a different building, as part of this Nocturne ghost physically throws a G.I.W. agent through the air as Its form finally full blocks out all the light from the sky and sun. This ghost… was incredibly dangerous, far more than It had been while Phantom was fighting It. Do the ghosts ‘pull their punches’ when fighting Phantom? Why? How would any ghost have the self awareness to do such a thing? It didn’t make sense.

“MAD’S!”.

Maddie snapping her head to the side, seeing five of the pillow-like shades slamming Jack into a wall. “You let him go! You ectoplasmic fiends!”, raising her weapon only for a black starry portion of the ghost to push her down onto the ground. Jack slumping, unconscious, surrounded by grinning pillow shades that… lower him slowly? to the ground with happy? grins. The things even lay his head down gently? And now she’s getting lightheaded, foggy? Right those teens said It was a ‘knock out gas’ or something? Right?

G.I.W. agents are screaming in the background, the ghost lowers Its masked head to glower over her, “you, behave, your foolish words and thoughts bother the young one’s sleep far too much. You will be no bother to him now”. She glares, expecting the ghost to simply crush her, instead drifting off to sleep, eyes slowly closing.

Nocturne was not happy. Nocturne was not impressed. Nocturne was not willing to tolerate this foolishness. Phantom could act foolishly if the child so chose, as could his fraid, it could even be tolerated from those makers; but from human mortals who were not even his possessions or loyal servants? Hmph, absolutely not. They press their mass down on the buildings, through their own might or their Sleeper shades they send all inside to sleep. The ones outside put down gently, as the little prince would hate for harm to be done; the ones that listened to his little fraid will be promised lovely sweet dreams as their reward. The mortals who fight them however, they will be knock out by blows and impacts, only fitful nightmares awaiting them for their disrespect and foolishness.

Their Sleepers communicating that the prince’s fraid had gathered up what of him they could, good indeed, he was hurt, foolish mortals having dared to have done such to the Infinite Realms most precious one; to do so to any child ghost would be unacceptable.

They push portions of themselves through the veil between worlds, tearing opening a portal between the land of the living and the land of the dead. The young prince’s fraid and nest-mate could cart him off to where is best. Whether that be another ancient more familiar with his physique than them or one of the many clans that worshiped the child, or his Infinite Realm bound lair perhaps? The FrightKnight even? They wouldn’t object too much to them taking the little one to their own lair, but that would hardly do him much good beyond further gentle restorative sleep.

Phantom’s mortals scooping him and the cylindrical devices Phantom loved to use that they’d put the more liquified portions in, all three moving through the portal and Nocturne letting it snap shut right after. They had hardly any interest in spending energy maintaining a portal, when they had punishments to dole out.

These men, why so many of them feared being dirty they did not get, but they will make everything dirty then. Every inch of their machinery and weapons they have their Sleeper shades stuff them full with dirt, mud, animal manure. Every red liquid Nocturne could locate in the young one’s lair gets dumped on their suits, scratching their glasses up and imbedding them with rocks.

Those makers of his get their weapons destroyed but nothing more… besides unpleasant dreams of exactly what would befall this simple town without its lair master and protector.

Nocturne settles themselves over the city, content to keep everything inside trapped in slumber till the sweet little prince returned. Any outsider attempts to get in will be crushed, be they helicopter, tank, or other vehicle; all life forms residing inside said machines sent to slumber, bodies scattered around the parameter like dead flies surrounding a carcass.

FrostBite was having a good day, SwiftSnout had her baby perfectly fine, ColdStep’s aim had gotten noticeably better, and IceHorn’s sweetsuckle had finally produced berries. So, FrostBite was having a good day, was. He was until the Great One and his fraid and nest-mate showed up; he’d been so distracted by the Great One’s state that he hardly noticed that they somehow arrived in the middle of the foxdew den while he’d been feeding the little mongrels. The smell of sandalwood, rose, and patchouli that accompanied their arrival telling him that Ancient ClockWork had some hand in the peculiar sudden arrival, even if the portal was clearly one of Ancient Nocturne’s.

FrostBite rushing over to the children, The Great One smelled strongly of lavender and chamomile so he doubts the young god was unconscious of his own will. However… that appeared to be something of a kindness, considering his state. He had a minor cut on his head and a small burn on his shoulder, just beneath his shoulders he cut off jaggedly into goo, the goo half dripping and half floating vaguely attached and seeping into a worrying collection of thermoses. “What happened? Come, we’ll get you to the infirmary immediately”.

Lady Sam scowling, “G.I.W. happened, those jackasses”.

Miss Jazz, giving him a better explanation as he scoops up the Great One and the thermoses in his arms. Lady Sam, Pharaoh Tuck, and Miss Jazz all climbing on his shoulders as the young adult speaks, “he was sparring with Nocturne, he’s been skipping sleep again. Jack got a shot in on him and the G.I.W. took advantage of that”.

FrostBite nodding respectfully as they get into the infirmary, “ShardHeart, get the lay down capsule out, he’s mostly goo so we need to keep that all contained together”. She nods at him immediately and gets to work with professional ease.

Sam and Tucker grimace, dumping their thermoses into the capsule, trying to not splash it on Danny’s face. Tucker grimacing, “we’re not really sure what he got hit with, only that is was very big and rocket shaped”.

FrostBite nodding, “and this-”, nodding his head down at Danny, “-happened immediately?”. Both teens nodding immediately. “Alright, we’ll assume there’s some form of contaminating substance mixed in with him, since he’s not reforming and healing on his own”. ShardHeart hooking up a filtration mixture, effectively just dumping the resulting powder in with the Danny goo; his ectoplasm was basically already exposed so there wasn’t any need to ‘feed’ it into him. FrostBite pushing all three back away from the capsule as mist starts steaming out of it, impurities leaving Danny’s ectoplasm. LeftSnow sticking some kind of detector type tool into the mist, sucking it up, and frowning, “yeah this is a high corrosive, could have ended a weaker ghost”.

Sam crossing her arms, “so if they’d hit Danny with this when he was fourteen he’d probably have been ended”. LeftSnow nodding seriously, “that would be very likely, yes”. Sam just scowls and continues watching Danny from a safe distance. LeftSnow continuing to suck up the substance to make sure it doesn’t have the potential to mix in with the Zone’s free-floating ectoplasm.

After about ten minutes Danny just snaps back together as he’s supposed to, making a face and groaning a little, doesn’t wake up though. Jazz shaking her head, “Nocturne can be a bit of a pain”.

FrostBite chuckling, “it doesn’t help that the Great One ignores his need for sleep so often and readily”. Jazz shaking her head, “and I keep telling him how bad that is but somethings are more important to him than sleep”.

Sam scoffing, “not much different from you and your studying”.

“That will advance my career and it’s educational”.

“And Danny has needs and he’s helping people”, Sam nodding to herself, “that’s a better reason”.

Tucker shaking his head at the two girls, looking to ShardHeart, “is he good for us to take back home? I’m pretty sure Nocturne has basically just taken the whole place over and isn’t going to leave till the ‘little dignity’ is back”. FrostBite chuckles to himself but doesn’t comment.

ShardHeart hums and eyes the sleeping boy, “I would prefer to keep him here for observation, but he’s going to wreck things if he wakes up and realises anyone kept him here longer than absolutely necessary”. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz all laughing or smirking at that, because it was very true. Danny was a shit like that. Either way ShardHeart and LeftSnow waving them to go ahead, Sam and Tucker picking him up by his wrists and ankles. Jazz nodding, “now, how? Are we supposed to get back?”. Earning owlish blinks in response.

FrostBite sighs internally, he really had been having a nice largely relaxing day.

The G.I.W. were pissed their newest corrosion rocket -which may or may not have qualified as a war crime and possibly a violation of the Geneva convention- was supposed to completely dissolve any ecto-filth instantaneously, nothing more needed. Just reduce Phantom to goop, do crowd control, keep the Fenton’s from getting involved or claiming ownership, and collect the remains for further study. Phantom maxed out their ecto-scanners, It was a powerful monster, if they could eliminate It then the ghost issue would be solved and they could move on to that disgusting false afterlife where the creatures resided. But no, not only did it not fully work, but the other ghost that they had been banking on as a suitable distraction had been far stronger than they had been prepared for.

While one agent had managed to fire another round at the Nocturne ghost before passing out, however the ghost merely tore off the part of It that corrosively liquefied and threw it at them like feces.

The cleanliness violations were piling up rapidly. Head office would not be pleased.

A bunch of teenagers even managed to not only stop them from getting so much as a single sample but also were able to flee with the ghost. A complete failure and waste of their (the taxpayers) money… well not entirely. They’ve learned that at least this other strange ghost that maxes out their scanner would ‘protect’ Phantom, it confirmed their theories, Phantom was very much one of the monsters just toying with humans, except far more sinister. Phantom was trying to fool the American people, break down their distrust, and then like all other ectoplasmic filth attack the American people. It was far more a threat to national security and the American people than any other abomination. The fact that every agent that went near that town now became unresponsive was further proof; they were being blocked by a clear aggressor ghost from talking to, giving aid to, or reprogramming anyone while Phantom was mia. Clearly a plot. Clearly an attempt to stop humanity, America, from reclaiming her town from the clutches of Its kind. Vile monsters.

Then the large ghost swirls in on itself, funnelling down into the town, Agent F squinting, “go, get in there. The thing must have run out of steam. Get something of a foothold in there before Phantom returns or It regains its strength”, grumbling, “probably by eating someone, foul creatures. Those indoctrinated townsfolk would probably view the sacrifice as a blessing”. Multiple G.I.W. armoured vehicles that had been on stand by start moving to converge on the small town.

Nocturne grins, hunched over and coiled around the little prince, so much power and healed already. The Infinite Realm would bloom under him, they’re pleased not only for that but also that a child ghost hadn’t been ended on their watch. No child ghost, especially not this one, should be ended and especially not by living mortal hands. Pathetic living creatures, acting as if they’d earned their existence the way the dead have. They were only alive by the random chance hands of the reincarnation and creation cycle, ghosts had earned their place to exist by necessity and by suffering.

That darkly dressed fraid-mate puts her hands on her hips and glares, “you better wake him and everyone up or so help me I will find a way to fell an Ancient”. So headstrong, so commanding; as if she had any place to order them around truly. But, they’d… respect this ghost child’s fraid, the High Ghost Prince’s fraid.

So with an eye roll, they release their mental hold on the little one and his little lair-folk. The roar of those silly mortal vehicles approaching from the distance, they’re tempted to do something about it but well….

FrostBite huffs, cracking a set of knuckles, “this”, smirking wolfishly, “will be fun”.

The little prince grumbling a, “that’s nice, Frostypa”; while the young ones fraid basically yanks him out of Nocturne’s grasp, as if Nocturne wasn’t actively allowing them to do so. The boy is hardly worth sparring with now and he’s quite well rested as well, they’re content to take their leave entirely. Let those FarFrozen yetis deal with the silly government mortals that dare threaten a child ghost; and let all Phantom’s little lair-folk wake up to an interesting show.

By the time Jack woke up, he could hear chanting, the kind he’d expect to hear at a sports game actually!

“Woo! Go get ‘em yeti guy!”.

“That’s right! Sock him in the jaw! Go for the crotch!”.

“Burn! Baby! BURN!”.

“Who’s the ghost with the most!?! Not you! But still kick his ass!”.

Jack shaking his head and sitting up on the side of the street, right he’d got a shot in on Phantom and then all Hell broke loose and he got? knocked out? by a pillow ghost. At least it didn’t feel like he’d bumped his head!

It takes him a bit to get to where all the noise is coming from, expecting Mad’s to already be there (she is), and staring a bit. There was a yeti, a ghost yeti but still a yeti, snarling and throwing both G.I.W. vehicles and G.I.W. agents around like toys! The ghost even reminded him of himself even! The ghost laughing boisterously and grinning, all sharp teeth, happily.

But also! He’s never seen a ghost yeti before! Did It form based on common human myth and lore? People’s superstitions perhaps? So many possibilities! And clearly Mad’s had the same idea, since she’s hiding around a building taking notes. Heck, even Phantom is just observing somehow looking no worse for the wear!

A G.I.W. agent grumbles, “damn freaks, this town is completely insane”. Jack couldn’t even disagree with that! But also, the G.I.W. tried to buy away all his life’s work and he’s not about to actually side with them.

Phantom shouting, “tell him to suck on deez nuts!”. And for some absurd hilarious reason the yeti ghost actually does it. Jack can’t help but laugh, even if he didn’t get the darn ghost boy this time there was always more chances and he’d rather lose Phantom today than let the G.I.W. have his prize. Phantom was so strange, the things they could learn! That privilege belonged to proper ghost hunters! Not some silly government group!

Was Danny a fan of his random bullshit day? Obviously not! Nocturne went and rode his ass about his sleeping habits again, then his dad decided to shoot him one in the back like that wasn’t totally a cheap shot, and then G.I.W. decided to liquify his ass… and legs and stomach and feet. Sure he got to catch up on his sleep but he also probably gave his Frostypa a minor core attack or at least made the guy shake his head at Danny’s general bullshit; even if FrostBite made some comments after about it ‘having been a while’ since he ‘terrorised some humans’, good to know at least one or two ‘yeti’ sightings was probably ol’ Frosty messing with some poor idiot.

At least Danny didn’t really remember being half goo, even if Jazz told him it was very disgusting and Tuck said he was the consistency of syrup, Sam just smacked him and told him to pay more attention to his surroundings. Hey! It wasn’t like he really needed to, he was a tough cookie these days.

But the G.I.W. were chased out of town again, his sister and friends were disappointed in his dumbassery yet again, and his folks were so focused in on their new findings (ghosts can possibly be formed from myths and legends! Is this amazing! Apparent Phantom is still a child somehow! It’s my that weird! We should write another biased and bigoted paper based near entirely of our half baked assumptions! Aren’t you proud!?! Don’t you want to run FentonWorks some day!?! Do you want to help write a paper even though you’ll have to leave out all the actual facts you know!?!) that they couldn’t be bothered to chase Phantom him around for a while.

So everything’s an even win in his opinion. Even if even Val/Red called Phantom an idiot for thinking everything was a net positive. She shot him, he made a joke about their relationship being a little too sadomasochist for his liking, she shot him again; then he went home for some only one third burnt pasta and aunt Alicia’s pie (Danny did not have a slice. Danny could smell that someone peed in it. Jazz followed his lead. They both cringed at their dad having a slice merrily).

End.

Prompts: When the GIW/Fentons get a lucky shot on Danny during a ghost fight, severely hurting him, the ghost he'd been fighting suddenly gets very protective and attacks the ghost hunters. Something about them hurting a baby? GIW encounter leaves Danny down for the count, forcing his friends and Jazz to step in to defend him until he can get taken away to the Far Frozen.

[oh-munda-kukkad-kamaal-da]

wait you've overdosed on cough syrup before??? (no offense intended, no pressure to answer)

Yup. In my defence i had zero about how much is the required quantity and i lived alone so by mistake i took 90% of the entire suggested dose for the entire day at just once. Or maybe more than that. When i woke up i felt like the entire world is literally moving around and the ground is tilting randomly

[deepperplexity]

Prompt: 20. Returning Home [B7]

Pairing: Snape x Fem!OC

POV: Third, Snape

Setting: Unknown place during a blizzard

Continuation of: Prompt 2. Restless Waiting, 3. Snowballing, 7. Stormy Reunion,  8. Rosemary For Holly, 16. Keep Warm & 19. Hope

A/N: Let's get right back at it with our dear Severus and Belinna, gosh, what a state we left them in yesterday 👀

Tags/TW’s: Love/Happiness/Life, Grief, Losing All Hope, Giving Up, Battle Of Hogwarts, Snape Lives, Slight Draco Redemption Hints, Muggle Medicine, Crossing Muggle Life And Wizarding Life, Reunion(s), Going Back Home, Asking For Help, Fear, Blood, Hospital

Word Count: 3.3k

LINKTREE // AO3 // MASTERLIST

⩤• Severus •⩥

The day he showed his most sacred place to her, he lost her. The days blurred together, a week turning into a month, the months into a year until the war arrived. Not one moment had passed when Belinna wasn’t on his mind one way or another, only hiding the memories, dreams, and heartache to present the Dark Lord with the memory of her in his arms as he cried in true despair — making the man believe her to be dead. In a sense, she was. There was never a future to be had between the two. Severus wasn’t foolish enough to delude himself into such false hopes and follies.

What he had done, to keep her safe, was to sacrifice the last chance at any form of happiness or love during his miserable life. He’d enjoyed her from afar, allowed his eyes to wander over her and his mind to have a second or two of false hope — but that was all. If he let go of his barriers, if he allowed any more to exist he would have abandoned everything he’d worked tirelessly for all these past years — nearly all his life if truth were to be told.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t worth it, to him she was worth the world. That, unfortunately, meant he could not abandon his mission to be with her. It would be the death of all if he were to fail and she would have no world left to smile that brilliant smile of hers within. How he missed that smile…

“Severus, my loyal servant,” the Dark Lord said while they both stood in the abandoned hall of Malfoy Manner. “My liege,” he replied, lowering his head for a second as the snake-like man stepped closer. “Tonight, we shall end the impure and lay waste to those who dare oppose me. We will start a new world, a perfect world where those worthy shall relish the freedom from the filth.” “Yes, my liege.” “I can feel it, the time has finally come for the world to see reason and fall in line.” “Yes, my liege. They will all bow, to you, your excellency,” Severus said as he kept his tone even, his face a stoic mask of a void. “Come, let us join the others.” And they apparated to the grounds of Hogwarts, just beyond the border of the soon crumbling defence keeping them out.

Severus could not help but wonder where you were as his feet hit the soggy grounds of the forbidden forest. He, a man of little belief, sent a silent prayer to any god or being who might have listened to keep you safe until the end. If he could lay down his life knowing you were safe, that would be the greatest comfort he could ever ask for.

⩤• Belinna •⩥

I was a shell, a little tiny droplet in the ocean, one grain of sand in the vastness of the world, a perhaps broken little thing that had lost its way. Moving from place to place for more than a year, cutting contact with all those I loved and cherished, hiding — as he asked of me. Why his love mattered more than any other I still couldn’t quite grasp. It just did. Knowing the hopes of ever seeing him again to be close to zero made me feel an even greater need to honour his wish, to help him stay safe, to pretend I was dead so he didn’t need to worry about me when he already worried about far too much.

Perhaps it was silly of me, but by Merlin, I still held on to that sliver of hope that all would be fine in the end. Despite the blackening of the world, the maddening hunts for those not pure, and the waste of life and blood I could do nothing about, I still held hope. A tiny flicker I refused to put out. My one job was to help keep Severus safe by renouncing my own existence. It hadn’t been easy giving my life up, even if it had always been mediocre and of no particular value. It was still my life I gave up. “I’d do anything for him though, so really, why am I thinking about it all now?”

The wind rustled the trees, the canopies swaying and dancing in the wind as the entire sky had gone horribly grey — as if the world knew something I didn’t. The little cabin I’d managed to rent from an old muggle couple in the south of Denmark was a cute thing, with floral curtains and a sort of comfortable ease embedded in the very walls of the place — yet today, I found no peace. I couldn’t get my heart to calm down, if it was anxiety or just longing I couldn’t quite tell. Perhaps something else entirely.

As the day passed, it only hammered harder. I was struggling to breathe when evening came and my entire body was restlessly itchy — a need to move, to run, to get somewhere. It was overwhelmingly strong. So, I paced the little kitchen. Tried to make my body calm down and settle back into its usual state. A whoosh filled the air and I jolted as a dreary-looking elf appeared on the kitchen table. “Master Draco sent me, miss.” “Master-, who?” I asked, trying to get my head wrapped around the creature who looked nothing like the other elf I’d met over a year ago. I had never seen him again after that one time. Was he alright? Still wearing those goofy clothes? “Master Draco, Master Draco Malfoy, miss,” said the elf with a lowering of its head. “My master wishes you to help, miss. His protector, needs help, miss.” “His protector? What-, what on earth are you talking about?” I asked, clutching at my chest where the incessant pounding of my heart was turning unbearable. Beyond anything natural.

“He is to die, but my master is kind, he knows his protector needs help, miss.” “His-, I don’t know who you’re talking— Haaa— ” My sentence got cut by a horrendous tensing in my chest, it felt like my heart was being pulled out of my chest and I fell to my knees. The thud echoed through my entire body, the tang of a memory filled the back of my throat. As if there was something there when there wasn't. “Miss, you need to go. My master’s protector needs you, my master asks you to help when he cannot help.” “Bloody hell, fuck—” I panted, gripped at my clothes, and tried to hold myself still while my chest heaved and seemed to nearly cave in on itself. “Follow your heart, miss,” the elf said. “Follow your heart, my master said to tell you.” “Follow my— SEVERUS!”

The elf evaporated in thin air, I crumbled to the floor. No, no, no. Severus… No… But the ache in my heart only grew stronger, unlike anything I had ever felt before. There had been days of pain, days of tensing, days my heart ached in a manner it shouldn’t have. It all started back when I drank that potion Severus had provided, that day in the blizzard when he tried to break my last hope of us ever being with each other — of him living. He hadn’t managed, I’d still had that flicker of hope and through it all, it never faltered. It nested in my heart like a secret greater than any other.

The ache was unbearable when the elf’s words echoed in my mind. “Follow my heart, follow it…” I whispered in a wheezing breath as I let go of anything and everything, thinking only of Severus as I felt my pounding heart twist in on itself and my body turned too heavy for me to keep myself from laying flat on the cold floor. It turned to soggy ground, damp and covered in roots. The all too familiar surroundings of Hogwarts grounds took shape all around me as my heart thumped harder yet the pain lessened.

I got up on my knees and hands, lifting my head to see a cacophony of spells filling the air — red, green, blue, white, streaks, and explosions. High up, by the crumbling castle, a battle was taking place and my entire body roared at the sight. My friends, my second home, my childhood, and adulthood — it was under attack and I hadn’t been there to help. I hadn’t even known it was happening as I’d cut off the world so completely. Severus… Severus, where are you? I wondered while I tried to suffocate the nausea twisting my guts from the sudden transportation.

I hissed as something snapped at my calves. Looking to the side and back, the Whomping Willow was readying itself to hit me with full force. I rolled away, its giant branches just missing me as I panted and got on my feet. The garbled sound of screams and shouts barely reached me from the castle, a dull murmur carried by the wind. My heart got pierced. Something invisible drove itself through me and sent me to my knees as the most horrendous pain spread through my entire body. My heart lurched in my chest, and I landed on creaking floorboards that seemed to sway beneath my hands and knees.

I panted, tried to suffocate the cries wanting to leave my mouth. Beyond the slightly ajar door several feet came rushing by, dressed in muggle-like clothes I knew it could only be kids. “Hurry,” I heard the all too familiar voice of Hermione Granger. “You can’t go by yourself, mate,” said Ron Weasley — his voice deeper than I remembered but still clearly his. “He’ll be in the forest, I have to do this alone after I take this to the pensive…” said Harry Potter but the voices died down as they moved down the steps and out of the Shrieking Shack.

My heart lurched again and all I could think of was Severus, I didn’t care where the kids were going, what they were going to do or who Mr Potter would be meeting in the forest — all I could think of was getting to Severus, to find him.

⩤• Severus •⩥

I thought she would come… His mind was letting go, turning fuzzy and unlike itself. The poison was spreading, the antidote he’d consumed only staving off his death but not any of the symptoms. His heart was slowing down, his thoughts turned muffled and groggy, his breathing a wheezing barely there. His body slid down the back of the bed he’d been half propped up against, he was tilting to the side and began to fall toward the floor below.

Something soft caught his head, a muffled voice from far away seemed pierced with agony as it screamed a likeness of his name. He tried to focus, tried to stave off the slumber of not dying but being wrapped up in death. “Severus…” It was her, her voice, so broken and frail in a hazy fog. “Severus, no, no, stay with me, stay with me,” she pleaded and he felt his heart thump a harder beat. But just one. You came… My love… You still have hope… You found... me…

His mind turned quiet, his body a mere lump of unmoving muscles and unfeeling skin. His heart beat slowly, just enough to keep him from dying but not enough to keep him conscious. He knew there was no hope, but he was thankful he’d heard your voice one last time. He hadn’t told a single soul of his plan, and so, there was none who could reverse the death his body would face within days from the poison filling his veins. Yet, he was at peace, knowing you were alive and that all would end once Potter learned of his role in the death of the Dark Lord. He had done his part, until the very end...

⩤• Belinna •⩥

I screamed, I wailed, I cried and I pounded his chest while his head rested in my lap. He laid atop me as he had in his office, yet, this time it was different. He was dying. There was barely a breath leaving him, I could only feel the faintest of sporadic heartbeats when I laid my palms against his chest and pleaded with the universe to bring him back to me.

“Why did you do this?” I asked, scrunching up the robes beneath my hands before grabbing onto him. Something hard lay within his cloak, I shoved my hands into the inner pocket and found a vial. There was no label, but as I sniffed it the similarity to the smell of a bezoar was unmistakable. Antidote. You took antidote! My hope soared to the sky only to plummet just as fast. That he was dying in my arms only meant it hadn’t fully worked, or it had been the wrong one, or that there wasn’t any potion strong enough to counteract the poison injected through the wound in his neck. I knew it could only have come from one thing, the creature the Dark Lord held so dear. It was no secret he had a pet snake, a giant one at that.

“Mom!” I called in shocked exclamation as I jolted into a straight position. I wasn’t crying out for her, but if the man I loved would have any chance of survival I knew I needed help — not from the world of magic I was part of, but from the muggle one my chosen family lived in. “Hold on, Sev. Just, hold on for me,” I pleaded as I worked up the courage to apparate. I knew it was dangerous, with Severus being in the state he was it could very well cost him his life. But, I had no choice. If I did nothing he would slowly die, fading away until his heart stopped.

With a deep breath, and all the will I could muster, I cleared my head of everything but my chosen home. The home I was welcome in as myself, without any pressure to only associate with those of the same blood as me. Pure blood. My muggle family was far greater than my biological one, far kinder, far better in all manners and I had them to thank for becoming the woman I now was. Please, please, please be there, I thought and held on to Severus before wishing us away from the battle to return home. Even if returning home after all this time, with everyone thinking I was missing or dead, had my heart in a different kind of uproar.

I shook my head, my hands still grasping Severus fiercely as the familiar warmth of my former home enveloped me effortlessly. The smell of disinfectant and fabric softener, the sound of the radio blaring classical music, and the all-white interior were a contrasting brightness to the gloomy dark we’d come from. No battle sounds or creaking walls were heard either.

I checked Severus over, he was still breathing and his heart thumped in its sporadic pattern with too long pauses between each beat. “Hold on, Sev, please, hold on,” I whispered as I cradled his head in my lap. “Helen, is that you darling?” came the voice of my mom from upstairs, just beyond my view from the living room floor. My heart lurched and guilt trickled in with fear — what if she turned me away now?

It didn’t matter. Severus needed help and, even if Mom would want nothing to do with me, she’d never turn her back on someone in need of her. She was too kind-hearted. “No… It’s-, it’s me,” I said and her steps faltered in the hallway. “Please-, please, help,” I pleaded while sobs racked through me, the comfort and safety of my old home — my old sanctuary — too overwhelming. “Belinna?” Mom asked, her voice hesitant but her rushed steps echoed right away.

“Mom, please,” I whispered and she stopped in the doorway, her face paler than usual while her wide eyes found me on the floor, cradling Severus with tears streaming down my cheeks that I couldn’t stop. “What-, how-, why-, Belinna!” she called out as her face crumbled into a sad relief before she ran up and dove for me, hugging my shoulders harshly. “My sweet, oh, my sweet, you’re alive,” she sobbed and kissed my head. “Mom, please, please help,” I pleaded and held Severus closer to me while she leaned back.

Severus was so pale, so cold to the touch. But Mom switched gears before I had time to say another word. The blood on his clothes, the look of him, it had her in full doctor mode instantly.

She asked so many questions and I had answers for so few. She never asked who he was, what he was to me, where I’d been or anything of the sort while she looked at him, inspected the wound, took his pulse and flashed a light in his eyes several times.

“Oh, where’s Pete when you need him,” she sighed after a while. “What?” “Well, we need to move him,” she explained and I scrunched my eyebrows at her - not understanding how she still forgot about magic after all these years. “Where do you want him?” I asked while taking out my wand. “Oh, right, yes, of course, guest room,” she said in a rush while standing and I levitated Severus up to the second floor, just barely able to swing him around in the narrow landing above before gently manoeuvring him through the door to the guest room.

Everything happened in a rush after that. Mom talked about blood, antidotes, risks, cardiac arrest and a whole bunch of doctor terms I couldn’t wrap my head around while I sat on the floor, holding Severus’s hand firmly while attempting not to break down in a complete mess.

***

Four hours later we were situated at the local hospital, Severus was hooked up to a strange machine that pumped out his blood, purified it, and pumped it back into him. He looked terrible, cold sweat lingered on his forehead, his hair sticking to it and he seemed even paler. How is that even possible? You're as pale as they come, Sev.. “Now, we need to keep him warm, the blood cools when it moves through here,” Mom said while pointing to the machine while I watched her fully dressed in scrubs. “I’ll have the nurse fetch some blankets, but you can hold the tube closest to his arm so the blood heats up from your body heat. It’ll help, darling,” she continued and I moved on noodle legs to the other end of the bed to do as she said.

I hesitantly moved the sticky strands of his hair before reaching up to kiss his cold forehead. “Belinna,” Mom said and I looked at her, not knowing what to say or do. “Where have you been?” she asked, all calm and collected but the tapping of her finger against her thigh said otherwise. “H-hiding,” I confessed. “He asked me to.” I glanced at Severus, avoiding the sad eyes of my mom. The guilt was nearly too much, it had been easier when I didn’t see all the people I abandoned. “This man?” I nodded. “Who is he to you? Who is he period?” she asked and I bit my lip, not knowing what to tell her.

“Belinna, answer me,” Mom eventually said and I caved, my shoulders slumping. “The man I love,” I said. “He’s-, he saved the world, saved so many people, and is seen as a monster. A traitor, a… He’s… His name, I-I can’t give you mom, it’s too dangerous.” “Belinna, I’m your mother and you will talk to me,” Mom declared and a second later my head was pressed into her stomach as she cradled me with all the love a mother could ever offer. I caved. All my fear, all my hurt, all my worry, it all spilt to the surface and I cried while she held me. And then, I told her everything.

…To Be Continued…

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A/N: Uffh... Gosh, this part hurt to write - reminds me too frikkin much of the movie and how that (questionable) canon ends 😩 Sevy-boy is alive, and he's getting better - now we just gotta figure out the aftermath of this entire mess 👀👍

Q: Would you rather go to a Yule Ball confined to the Great Hall for 10 hours with Severus OR have 52 hours to roam the entirety of Hogwarts and its grounds with no risk of harm but only seeing Severus once from afar? 👀 A: Honestly, this Q is mean... why did I ask this Q? Ugh... I'd have to go with option 2, roaming Hogwarts - so much I wanna see and try so 🙈

TAGLIST: @lizlil @snapefiction @darkthought15 @monstreviolet @flowerdementia @marvelschriss @once-upon-an-imagine @ravennight41 @caseydoodles98 @slytherinprincess03 @theconsultingdetectiveswife @grimmyhild @monster-energies @myobscureimaginarium @snowblossomreads @eternal-silvertongued-prince @cherryglossie @setsuna-meiou31 @helena211 @a-queen-and-her-throne @justsaturn0 @turvi @imwithyoutiltheendofthelinebucky @sunnylikesfrogs @mamawolfsmith16 @dianilaws @sassanoe @snapesrn @bernadette-peters12 @sammy-13 @smartowl999 @castleofthorns @serenanight87 @leah1243

@morphineisouthoney @meteoritewolf69 @bionic-otp @elizabeth-baelish @romanceandsarcasm @severuslovebot @glowstar826 @rickmandowneyjr @yellowbadgermole @snapesangel @a-queen-and-her-throne @impulse-anchor @commodoreseverus  @writewithmarites @alisongurl13 @yan-senna @writewithmarites @reinekefoxart @nixislight @lokisbjchnl  @lght-n-drk @ladykardasi @lyrixsnape @sunset90 @mamawolfsmith87 @snowblossomreads @ladykardasi @a-queen-and-her-throne @eternal-silvertongued-prince @lyrixsnape @imwithyoutiltheendofthelinebucky @daddythanatos

Want to be tagged? 💚 You can tag yourself HERE! Or tell me and I’ll gladly tag you! 😍

[Dec:2023]

[everybodyshusband]

Do you have any thoughts on regressed Aether or Mountain? *shoves a bikkie into your pocket and runs to work*

thank you for the bikkie, troob !! <3 and thank you both for the asks !! i'm combining your asks (i hope that's alright) and this'll be one big ol' post about my current hcs for regressed ghouls :D

(under the cut)

~

when he’s regressed, aether is maybe around 7-ish years old (he and mountain are the two ghouls that don't tend to regress quite as young as the others). he likes kid’s cereals and orange juice for breakfast, and he’s always ridiculously sleepy in the mornings (some things don't change; he's ridiculously sleepy every morning, especially when he isn't regressed). he pretends to be too old and mature to hold cirrus’ hand, but if she thinks he needs a hand to hold, she knows how to trick him into it (usually with a "oh, aeth, this movie's really scary, isn't it? can you hold my hand and keep me safe?" when the scarier scenes in his favourite movies come on). his favourite game is doctors, and all he needs to do to get a playmate is pull the cutest little puppy dog eyes on swiss before the multi ghoul is dramatically collapsing to the ground with a cry of "oh, no, doctor aether! i've got a boo-boo on my knee, can you fix it??"

mountain tends to regress to 10 or 11 years old. he still loves his garden, and could spend all day digging for worms and climbing trees all around the abbey's grounds. he could live off of those chocolates that look like rocks, but he also can, and will, with zero regrets, sneak into primo's garden and eat his vegetables right off of the plant (most of primo's broccoli plants have ghoul teeth-shaped bites taken out of them, right in the centre). his favourite days out are picnics in the woods, especially with rain and cumulus. they'll sit on the picnic blanket and make daisy chains for each other and mountain while the earth ghoul pretends to go on important expeditions around the forest (all within sight of his supervising ghouls, but don't tell that to mountain) and excitedly comes back every so often for a snack, a daisy chain, and to recount his adventures.

i've thought/written about regressed rain quite a lot, (and my hcs for them keep changing, haha!) but in my defence, he's just so stinking cute, and the rest of his pack thinks so too. they consistently regress to about 3 or 4 years old, and he is absolutely obsessed with dinosaurs. he doesn't actually know a lot about dinosaurs, but he can talk about how cool they are for hours and hours if he's asked. they love hanging out with swiss when they're regressed because they insist that "swissy" gives the best hugs and loves rain's dinosaur plushies the most out of everyone. he tends to get a lot of pain in his legs when he's small because he toddles around with his feet turned in and that position makes his legs hyperextend a lot more than usual, but not to worry! they have a special set of crutches they use when they're regressed that are covered in ribbons and dinosaur stickers and coloured foam to help keep them feeling small even when they're using adult sized crutches (if he's wandering around on his own, he tends to forget about the crutches, but if he's with the other ghouls, they'll usually remember for him). i'm sure there's more i could say about regressed rain but i'll leave it at that for now :)

dewdrop's regressed age is a bit of a mix. some days he's more of a toddler and other times he's an infant (he's also been known to regress to the same age as aether, but that hasn't happened very often). he's very clingy, always needing hugs or a hand to hold or a touch of some kind to be in a good mood. when he isn't regressed he has an oral fixation and that doesn't change when he's little; he loves his dummies and teethers (he has little dummy clips for them that slip around his neck so he doesn't have to worry about holding onto a soother when he isn't using it) and if he's ever without one then something's not right. when he's an infant, he loves cuddling with cumulus. he'll sit on her lap for hours and hours, cuddling up with her and sleeping for as long as she'll let him (he's a bit like a cat in that aspect; once he sits himself on her lap, cumulus knows she won't be able to move for a good few hours)

no one has a clue as to where swiss gets his energy from. whether he's an older toddler or a child, he loves moving around, especially dancing (when he's regressed it's less of a dance and more of a wiggle but shh). ...that's the extent of my current hcs for him really, the little guy just really loves to boogie KJSFHJKDH he also really loves squeezy yoghurts and fruit pouches

(i still don't know what to call him, but) the new ghoul regresses quite small. either a really young toddler or an infant. they're not a big fan of dummies/pacis (whatever you want to call them) but they love teethers. he'll sink his teeth into one of those bad boys and be happy for the rest of the day (they're one of those babies that barely chews on the teether. they'll just kind of have it in their mouth and gnaw on it softly with their mouth still mostly open). he also loves snuggling up with the ghoulettes, but he's quite attached to zephyr, too! they'll curl up in zephyrs lap and let the old air ghoul read to them softly until they fall asleep.

~

i think that's about it !! i've only thought about the ghoulettes and other era ghouls as caregivers rather than regressors, but if i come up with any regressor hcs for those guys i'll put them in the reblogs :)

[peachjagiya]

I respect your opinion anon, but that is what it is only an opinion. Good for you if you think this is how train started. But what you said is so biased and respectfully if you were not in fandom that time you don't know what happened. Even the people who were present can't truly say the unbiased events. I don't understand why you assume it was only tkkrs who started hating on jmn. You could have thought maybe because tkkrs didn't get content from company and made their own theories of the separation, other armys and jkkrs made fun of them and tkks bond. Funny even now if neutral posts about taekook they get called out of being taekooker as if it's an insult. How do you know how many jeeekukas existed then? How do you know they didn't hate on Tae? Because you heard it from someone? It is not a chronological timeline that you can go and get your facts verified. As I said earlier, even the present people will have biased opinion so I don't think you can "tell" or try to explain what happened. You can only give your perspective and I simply don't agree to it.

All of this too.

I will add that when I mentioned nobody was sure who started it, I meant it like it probably happened a long time ago and I doubt any of the loud voices hating are trying to settle an ancient fandom grudge. They're just lashing out and claiming a moral high ground.

It's actually irrelevant who started it and I don't mean for it to turn into a Sherlock Holmes mystery about who shot first. Where it currently stands, antis are literally arguing over who's parents loved them and who didn't, claiming it's ok to make fun of armys who are terminally ill and dragging up pictures of each other to make fun of.

Whatever "just protecting my bias" they think they're doing, they're just showing themselves up as reprobates. The second you start wishing someone into a casket is the second you have zero defence.

[william-solace-aaaaa]

@superherokisser sorry if it's not good, it's in it's early stages😅 I haven't even properly re-read it yet to make sure it makes sense bc I'm tired and it's pretty much 12am rn, the chapter is called "cursed birthdays" but I also might change that:) also srry if it's too short I'm just rlly sleep deprived and I'm abt to pass out🥲❤️ gotta copy n paste it into tumblr now. It's 1396 words.

@nico-di-angelo-aaaaa

@camstargone

Here:

A Cursed Birthday

I woke up this morning thinking all was well, and it was just another ordinary day, for me, anyway. But no. I don't even get one birthday of peace. It's always something every year. I mean, last year,  a bunch of rats ate the cake. The year before that, my hamster, Charles,  the magnificent, committed suicide.  And this year, I get sucked into a magical portal. Yay.

It was normal. Nothing happened the entire day, and I was sceptic, to be honest. But no. The one thing that couldn't have happened (due to its... well. Impossibleness) just had to happen. Thanks a lot, God. I swear I'm cursed or something.

It was around 8 pm by the time I finally let my guard down about my evil-birthday curse. I was walking my amazing dog, Ruby. She is this adorable black and white pitbull that puts any and all other dogs to shame. So naturally, I was showing her off... at 8pm, in winter. In my defence, I'm definitely not the smartest person I know. I mean, what lunatic would be out at 8 pm in winter, in the UK? Besides me, of course.

I was walking through the nearby park, like I usually do. But this time, something had caught my eye. The park was empty except for me and Ruby, but there was an object emitting some sort of blinding light. The kind that if you were to look at it for more than a few seconds, then when you would finally look away, you would have little dots dancing around your vision. When I picked it up, which I kind of see was a bad idea, it was like holding fire. I dropped the glowing thing, and Ruby started to bark at it, the burning feeling still prickling my hand. Then, right where the object had dropped, some sort of vortex had started to open, sucking me in. The last thing I remembered after that was falling.

Thankfully, the forest that I fell into had some pretty tall trees that cushioned my fall (not really). I angelicaly landed (crashed) onto the ground.'Ow! Damn it, who put trees here?' I yelled because it really really hurt. My body made this cracking sound, and my leg had bent in a super unnatural way. There was bone and a lot of blood. A lot. I blacked out (I don't know why, though)

When I woke up, I was on a bed in a sort of cabin-like room. There were 2 green sofas against the walls facing each other, with a little coffee table in the middle and a kitchen, in which I was in the middle of on a table, not a bed, which was probably why my back hurt like hell. There were two people in the kitchen, one baking some sort of bread and the other washing some dishes.

'Ow.' I winced as I tried sitting up. Pain shooted to my leg. 'Oh! You're awake.' Both people had turned around and were now looking at me. 'Your leg was pretty badly hurt. How did you manage to do that?' The girl said, looking at me with disapproval. She had long, blonde hair that looked so straight she wouldn't have to brush it for days, and it would still have zero knots in. Her green eyes seemed to dance like a flame. She wore a lovely white dress dotted with purple flowers and all sorts of jewellery. 'What?' I questioned, still not entirely sure of what was happening.

'I found you out in the forest. You were unconscious and badly hurt, so I took you and brought you here. We had to do something about your leg, though. Sorry.' She said, which confused me until I looked down.

'AHH!' I screamed. 'Calm down, it's not that big of a deal.' The man, a strong, muscular dude with dark skin adorned with freckles that looked to be in about his forties. 'Not that big of a deal!? My leg is gone!' I yelled. 'Where did it go? I had my leg this morning.' 'Now you dont.' He replied with a proud looking smile.

'Now I- where is my leg!' I demanded. I mean, who just takes people's legs off without asking? 'I told you we should have asked, dad.' The girl said to the man. 'Exactly! Thank you!' I said. 'You guys can't just take my leg!' I yelled, directing the words at the man. 'I'm Jericho, I prefer Eric though, since you didn't even ask before you chopped my leg off!' I said (cool name, I know). 'I'm Ariel, this is my dad, Sebastian.' She said. 'Well, Ariel, lovely to meet you.' I said, shaking her hand.

'I can make you a new leg, Jericho. No need to be a baby, now, is there?' He said with a grin on his face. Rude. Before I could say an awesome comeback, he started measuring my right leg (which was still there). After a while, he walked away to go make my new leg, letting me talk with Ariel. You could tell she was one of those really pretty girls who didn't try to be pretty.

'Soo... where is this because the last thing I remember is falling out of the sky.' I said, looking at her expectingly. 'This is Emaia. Also, what did you mean "falling out of the sky?"' She questioned, looking confused and tilting her head to the side. 'Well, I was just walking my dog, Ruby, and I kinda just fell, and there was this glow-y thing and- My dog! Ruby!' I yelled, standing up from my position on the sofa, forgetting about my leg and immediately falling to the floor. 'Ow.'

I'd forgotten all about Ruby! Did she fall through with me? Is she safe? A million things were going through my head, and I didn't even notice I was hyperventilating until Ariel's dad, Sebastian, had started to shake me lightly. I had managed to tuck myself into a weird looking ball against the couch because my left leg was, well, not there. After a long, long time of uneven breathing and being told everything would be okay, I finally was able to slow my breathing. 'Sorry.' I said. I mean, I just wasted these nice (ish) people's time. 'It's alright, love,' He said in the same soothing voice he had been using for the past 10ish minutes.'Ariel had been trying to calm you down for a while by the time I came back in here because I found you a leg that would match.

He went and got me the leg, and after him showing me take it on and off, he let me look in a mirror. Well... I looked like I had just fallen out of the sky. My dark hair was more matted than usual with a few leaves sticking out, a few cuts that would easily heal on my head from falling through branches, my new leg which was made out of a amazing-looking black metal and my clothes were covered in blood. While I was checking myself out, Ariel had explained what had happened before Seb had gotten there.

'Yeah, we are probably gonna have to find you some new clothes.' He said, patting me on the shoulder. "For now, you'll just have to borrow some of mine.' He said, Ariel going upstairs and grabbing me a pair of clothes that were 1000% too big. Man, he is bulky. The outfit looked like it came directly out of the 1900s, but still, I looked at amazing as always.

The prosthetic was really weird getting used to, but after three days, I was good enough not to trip every five seconds. I didn't want to wait any longer because I didn't want Ruby to be out there any longer. In my time staying, it wasn't that hard to figure out that I was nowhere near home. These guys didn't even know what Sonic the Hedgehog was!

Me and Ariel left to go look in the forest around where she found me, and Seb had to stay because he runs a bakery! (Who would've thought.) We left at 7, after having the best food I have ever eaten, except for the cake at my aunt Jessie's funeral. That was some good cake.

[nyxi-pixie]

I genuinely cannot pick ur WIPs i want to ask abt all of them. so I’m asking abt all of them please please PLEASE yap at me (current 5+1 included I want a snippet 🤭)

PLS😭

- 5+1. i rlly need to finish this chapter i got frustrated w it deleted half of it and now im redoing but ANYWAYYY have some silly dialogue

"My aching limbs demand rest. You should be accommodating; I had to do a lot of running earlier."

"It was a light jog at best. I did most of the work, again, while you spent half the night telling your hostage exactly how easily I could beat them."

-skipping tskatsby bc we have beef again. shes grounded.

-Early Sunsets over Monroeville is a higugin mcd zombie apocalypse au (title comes from the mcr song) that i started Agess ago and havent worked on in forever. it also has background sskk who mostly spend the entire time snarking at eo while everything goes to shit

"And what are you doing it for? What do you want, Higuchi?"

Their eyes meet, and Higuchi swallows down every word clawing at her throat.

She waves a dismissive hand, "The same as always."

-Did you know a dog's saliva is antibacterial? um. skk wound sex. i offer no defences. its wound care turned freaky bc ofc it is. dazais being an annoying little shit throughout as per.

-a series of moris unsuccessful attempts to set skk up. randomly thought of it earlier today but the whole teehee of it is they get together in the middle somewhere. mori just has zero faith in them bc theyre the worst. he wld probably have figured it out if he wasnt actively losing his sanity from dealing with them. poor guy always suffering😔

-answered the sskk one for rori

-this is tew long already i have no way to explain oc stuff simply. um vague plot. what if the fantasy series was about destroying the monarchy instead of replacing it with The Good Heir (to be clear. i love fantasy that keeps its monarchy its fun but i wanted family drama so)

[wholelottatransbians]

Shooting Stars is partially a role swap, so I wanted to establish what exactly happened during the Entrance Exam.

Midoriya handled the robots pretty decently, as the strength and defence boost of her Quirk was more than enough to pick off 1- and 2-pointers, even if she had issues with the larger ones. She's also been helping the other contestants, mostly by shielding them from laser fire.

The the Zero Pointer happened. She was helping with crowd control the best she could until the Zero Pointer knocked some debris onto her, effectively pinning her to the ground. Just before she could get crushed, Hagakure came in and hit it with a massive store of light energy, filtered into a laser that cut straight through it (even if it left her with some nasty burns afterwards).

Midoriya managed to slip herself out, just in time to tackle her and Shine up to protect her from falling robot parts.

Anyway, they walked away as friends, with Midoriya starting to develop a small crush on her.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Apollo (1992-2006) was a German Shepherd search and rescue dog who worked with the New York Police Department’s K-9 unit.

Handled by Officer Peter Davis, Apollo was one of the first search and rescue dogs to arrive at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001.

The team arrived just 15 minutes after the collapse of the towers.

The conditions were incredibly hazardous; the air was thick with smoke, dust, and dangerous chemicals. The debris field was unstable.

At one point, Apollo even fell into a pool of water created by the firefighters’ efforts, but he was unharmed and eager to continue his work.

Apollo and his handler worked 18-hour days during the initial stages of the rescue operation, searching for survivors amid the rubble.

The duo was also tasked with locating the remains of those who had perished in the attack, aiding in the difficult process of identification.

In recognition of his bravery, Apollo received the Dickin Medal in 2002, which is often described as the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.

Apollo passed away in November 2006, but his legacy lives on as a symbol of the special bond between humans and animals, particularly in times of great need.

The PDSA Dickin Medal was instituted in 1943 in the United Kingdom by Maria Dickin to honour the work of animals in World War II.

It is a bronze medallion, bearing the words "For Gallantry" and "We Also Serve" within a laurel wreath, carried on a ribbon of striped green, dark brown, and pale blue.

It is awarded to animals that have displayed "conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty while serving or associated with any branch of the Armed Forces or Civil Defence Units."

The award is commonly referred to as "the animals' Victoria Cross."

[inevitably-johnlocked]

HEYA - this might be a bit of an odd request but I've been aching for some longfics with slow burn and a shit ton of angst, particularly the unrequited love but it's actually mutual pining tone. Certainly wouldn't mind some internalised homophobia, jealousy and "watching the love of your life marry someone else/die unexpectedly". I'm completely fine with a bittersweet or even unhappy main character death ending.

I guess to sum it up, what are your favourite, most beautifully written long fics (preferably 50k or 100k plus) Johnlock stories centering around angst and pining fruitlessly (or not) for the other?

Hey Nonny!

Oh, what a great ask... Everyone loves my pining lists, so why not compile all the long ones from all my lists into ONE list? LOL. Hopefully this list pleases you!!

LONG PINING FICS (50K+)

See Also:

Pining Sherlock || [MOBILE FRIENDLY VERSION]

Pining Sherlock Pt. 2 (Under 5K)

Pining Sherlock Pt. 3 (5K+)

Pining John

Pining John Pt 2

Pining John in S4

One Sided Pining

Mutual Pining

Mutual Pining Pt 2

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by SilentAuror (E, 50,635 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4/S4 Divergence, Case Fic, For a Case / Reverse Fake-Relationship, Conferences, Marriage Equality, Travelling / New York, Pride, Homophobia, Bottomlock, Marriage Proposal, John POV, Sexuality, Love Confessions, Emotional Love Making, Public Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Passionate Kissing, Needy/Clingy Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Touching / Hand Holding, Bed Sharing, Little Spoon Sherlock, Intense Orgasms) – John and Sherlock go to New York to attend a conference run by the National Defence of Traditional Marriage Coalition in order to investigate the potential bombing of the annual Manhattan Pride parade. As the conference unfolds, John finds himself repulsed by the toxic ideology being presented, which becomes relevant to his own unacknowledged issues and his friendship with Sherlock...

Triage by scullyseviltwin (E, 51,612 w., 14 Ch. || Character Injury, Introspection, Pining Sherlock, Falling in Love, Slow Burn, Sherlock POV, Toplock) – Sherlock’s mind goes exceedingly, devastatingly quiet and gray-blank. When he speaks it’s through a thick haze, it’s through molasses, he’s so disconnected from the words that it may as well be the unconscious shooter speaking.

In the Dark Hours by hubblegleeflower (E, 51,639 w., 12 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE ||Friends to Lovers, Unreliable Narrator, Closeted Bi John, Angst, Miscommunications, Slow Burn, First Time, John’s Blog / Epistolary, Selective Mutism) – John, wounded and silent, drifts back to Baker Street for healing...and then goes home again. He visits, gets more upbeat, chattier, smiles, jokes... and still goes home again. Sherlock wants him to move back in - it just makes sense - but John shows no signs of doing so. This is the story of how John and Sherlock learn to say what needs to be said when they're both so very, very rubbish at talking.

Never Change a Running System by Lorelei_Lee (E, 54,246 w., 18 Ch. || Pre-TRF, Romance, Humour, Drama, Sex Toys, Anal, Rimming, Masturbation, Frottage, Blow Jobs, Public Sex, First Kiss / Time, Virgin Sherlock / Loss of Virginity, Accidental Voyeurism, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Experiments, Naive Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock, Possessive Sherlock, Straight With an Exception John, Hand Jobs) – Sherlock discovers his sexuality – with far-reaching consequences for John.

A Hundred Crimson Sols by elldotsee (E, 55,536 w., 16 Ch. || Astronauts AU || Mars Exploration / Space Travel, Slow Burn, Shy Sherlock, Scientist Sherlock / Biomed Engineer John, Alternating POV, Mutual Pining, UST, Angst with Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Injuries, Suicidal Ideation, Zero-G Sex) – Will Holmes is a chemical researcher recognized widely for his contributions to the new Mars exploration program. Thanks to his ground-breaking developments, the IMMC (International Mars Mission Corporation) is one step closer to Martian colonization. Will and his team of scientists are headed out on the first of three manned missions before the first group of settlers arrive. Three days before launch, one of the crew has to be replaced. Will panics because...new people. The replacement is of course one John Watson, biomedical engineer and space hottie who was pretty sure he had retired from actual space exploration and was now content to work in the nice, quiet research lab. Can the crew survive this TOTALLY ROUTINE trip? Will they be able to endure each other for the looooooong trip in close quarters? Gonna be a wild ride... prepare for blast off. Part 1 of SpaceBois go to Space

Isosceles by SilentAuror (E, 56,609 w., 7 Ch. || Post-S4, POV John, Original Male Character / Sherlock Dates Another Man, Love Triangle, Jealous John, Virgin Sherlock, Sexual Coaching, Angst, Romance, Domesticity, Unrequited Feelings, Miscommunication, First Kiss/Time, For a Case, Friends With Benefits, Bottomlock, Love Confessions, Spooning) – After solving a case for a major celebrity, Sherlock gets himself asked out. When John asks, he discovers that Sherlock has no intention of going, at least not until John agrees to coach him through whatever he might need to know for his date...

The Thing Is by TSylvestris (E, 56,743 w., 21 Ch. || Case Fic, Dev. Rel., Anal/Oral, Blow Jobs, Meddling Mycroft, Drama, Romance, Humour, Casual Encounters, Pining Idiots, Possessive Sherlock, Orgasm Delay, Rough / Alley Sex, Public Sex, John Whump, Drugged John, Emotional Love Making, Awkward Relationship, Marriage of Convenience, Switchlock, BAMF John) – The problem with living with Sherlock, John thought, was that you never, never, ever knew the significance of anything. Like your flatmate's nose buried in your hair. Whilst you're in bed. Part 1 of Nitroglycerine

Lunar Landscapes by J_Baillier (M, 57,046 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || S3/TAB Fix-It, Slow Burn Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Confessions, Drugs, Pain, Medical, Injury, Sherlock Whump, Mental Health Issues, Panic Attacks,  Romance,  Secrets, Tragedy, Trauma, BAMF John, Doctor!John, Drug Addict Sherlock, Injured Sherlock, Grieving John, Idiots In Love, Protective John, POV John Watson, PTSD Sherlock, Sherlock is a Mess, Medical Realism) – An accident forces John to face the fact that Sherlock's downward spiral had started long before his flight to exile even left the tarmac.

One Little Change by jadztone (E, 58,312 w., 12 Ch. || ASiB Divergence, Fake Relationship, Bed Sharing, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss / Time, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bi John / Gay Demisexual Sherlock, Switchlock, Alternating POV, Jealousy, Misunderstandings, Case Fic, Angst with Happy Ending, Emotional Love Making, Butt Plugs, Cuddles) – Our story begins right after John and Sherlock's first meeting with Irene Adler in September. It splits off into an AU that imagines them taking a case where they act as bait to hook a killer targeting closeted gays in secret relationships. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, many things happen that have our boys wondering if maybe they have a chance with each other. Then Irene fakes her death on Christmas Eve, and things get a lot more complicated - especially since they still have a killer to catch.

Bridging the Ravine by SilentAuror (E, 58,887 w., 3 Ch. || Post S4, Couple For a Case, Bed-Sharing, First Times, Confessions, Awkwardness, Sex Trafficking, Massages, Wet T-Shirt Contest, Group Therapy, Past Loss of Child) – Sherlock and John go undercover at Ravine Valley, a therapy centre for same-sex male couples in an investigation into a possible human trafficking ring. As they pose as a couple and fake their way through the therapy sessions for the sake of the case, it quickly becomes difficult to avoid discussing their very real issues. Set roughly six nine months after series 4. Part 1 of the The Ravine Valley series series

The Burning by SrebrnaFH (M, 60,658 w., 24 Ch. || Reverse Reichenbach, Suicide, Depression, Hurt Sherlock / John, Separation, BAMF John, Good Big Brother Mycroft, Angst, Implied/Referenced Torture, Fake Character Death, Rescue Mission, Reconciliation / Reunion, Hospitalization, Marriage Proposal, Illnesses, Physical Therapy, Happily Ever After) – Something went very, very wrong. John had seemed, if not happy, then reasonably content with his life. Sherlock had never predicted something like THIS might have happened. Not in his worst nightmares. He was the lousiest friend ever, apparently. At least Mycroft found him something to occupy his mind with, so that he didn't have to go back to 221B and stare at the walls and the chair, where John Watson would never sit again.

The Progress of Sherlock Holmes by ivyblossom (E, 62,006 w., 25 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || First Person Sherlock POV, Pining, Angst, Slow Burn, Infidelity, Sherlock Learns About Himself, Happy Ending) – Sherlock struggles with his feelings for John, makes a mistake, and learns just how important he and John are to each other. Non-BBC Mary / John, but it’s a *complicated* relationship.

The Bells of King's College by SilentAuror (E, 64,019 w., 5 Ch. || Post-S4, Missed Opportunities, Angst with Happy Ending, Fake Relationship, Case Fic, John POV, Jealous John, John in Denial, Travelling / Holidays, Virgin Sherlock, Wedding Proposals) – It's only been two weeks since Eurus Holmes disrupted their lives when Mycroft sends John and Sherlock to Cambridge to pose as an engaged couple at a wedding show in the hopes of solving six unsolved deaths...

You Have Drawn Red From My Hands by J_Baillier (T, 67,085 w., 17 Ch. || Three Garridebs, Heavy John Whump, Hurt / Comfort, Pining, Heavy Angst, Case Fic/Adventure, Slow Burn, Sick Fic, Injury, Guilt & Depression, Just Talk Already Please, Medical Realism, PTSD) –  John getting injured leads Sherlock on a path of guilt and revelations.

Hell Sent, Heaven Bound by ConsultingHound (M, 64,381 w, 16 Ch. || Angels / Demons AU ||  Fallen Angel Sherlock / Angel Cop John, Alternate First Meeting, Slow Burn, Case Fic, John & Lestrade are Friends Before Sherlock, BAMF John, Mind Palace John, Friends to Lovers, John in Denial, Sherlock Picks Out John’s Clothing, Clubbing / Dancing, Mildly Jealous John, Awkwardness, Kidnapping, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Sacrifice, Worried / Anxious Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Immortal to Mortal) – Ex-War healer and current angelic guard John Watson is not having the best day. He overslept, he’s underpaid, and now there’s someone tagging the Council’s building walls. However things may be about to get interesting: there’s an unusual stranger hanging around (the definition of tall, dark, and handsome), a literal underground cult is brewing, and rumblings are coming from hell. Can he keep his neighbourhood safe, how and why is he being connected to all this, and who the hell is Sherlock Holmes?

White Knight by DiscordantWords (M, 69,840 w., 13 Ch. || S4 Compliant/Post S4, Marriage For a Case, Jealous John, Pining John, Janine / Sherlock Fake Relationship, Serial Killers, Case Fic, Undercover as a Couple, Weddings, John is a Mess, Misunderstandings, Wedding Planning, Jealousy, Drunkenness, Love Confessions, Angst with Happy Ending) – Green. The word green was used to convey a great many things. Illness. Envy. Inexperience. Standing there amidst Janine's chattering bridesmaids, watching Sherlock furrow his brow and study fabric swatches, watching him smile and simper and flirt, John thought it a remarkably apt colour choice. Because he felt quite sick to his stomach, he feared the source of said sickness might very well be jealousy, and he had absolutely no idea at all what to do about it. Or: Sherlock needs to fake a relationship for a case. He doesn't ask John.

The Vapor Variant by 88thParallel (CanadaHolm) (M, 72,684 w., 18 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-THoB, John Whump, Protective Sherlock, Guilty Sherlock, Anxious/Worried Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD John, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Suspense, Virus, Sick Fic, Big Brother Mycroft) – They stood face to face in the middle of a clearing. The dim light of the moon barely allowed Sherlock to see the glassy terror in John’s eyes and the sweat that glistened off his forehead. His nose was bleeding again, blood dripping in a slow stream from his right nostril. They were both gasping for air, John’s eyes locked on Sherlock’s. There was no recognition there, just wild animal fear. Time stood still for an eternal few seconds, and Sherlock took a shaky breath. “John—”Spell broken, John spun and bolted back into the woods. Still heaving for air, Sherlock took off after him. 

Summit Fever by J_Baillier (M, 78,802 w., 18 Ch. || Mountain Climber AU || POV John, Angst, Tragedy, Suicidal Ideation, The Himalayas, Mountain Guide / Doctor John, Mount Climber Sherlock, Loneliness, Drama, Suspense, Slow Burn, Injured Sherlock / Sherlock Whump, Pining John) – After graduating from medical school, John Watson followed his heart to the Himalayas. Ten years later, he's a haunted cynic working for his ex-lover's trekking and mountaineering company. Will leading an expedition to Annapurna I—the most lethal of all the world's highest mountains—shake John out of his reverie, and who is the mystery client added to the group at the last minute?

Secrets and Revelations by Hisstah (E, 83,535 w., 9 Ch. || Sentinel / Guides Omegaverse AU || Adventure, Violence, Anal / Oral, Omega!John / Alpha!Sherlock, Case Fic, Politics, Mild DubCon) – Dr John Watson has some major secrets that he's kept from his flatmate, Alpha Sentinel Sherlock Holmes. Now the Sentinel Tower is after him. Can John stay out of their hands until he can reveal his secrets to Sherlock? Part 1 of Secrets and Revelations

Thermocline by J_Baillier (M, 83,557 w., 14 Ch. || Scuba Diving AU || Adventure, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Marine Archaeology, Asexual Sherlock, Horny John, Relationship Drama, Technical/Scuba/Wreck Diving, Slow Burn, Underwater /  Medical Peril, Doctor John, Hurt Sherlock, Anxious Sherlock, John POV, Protective John, Body Appreciation) – John "Five Oceans" Watson — technical dive instructor, dive accident analyst and weapon of mass seduction — meets recluse professor of maritime archaeology Holmes. As they head out to a remote archipelago off the coast of Guatemala to study and film its shipwrecks for a documentary, will sparks fly or fizzle out?

Not Broken, Just Bent by Schmiezi (E, 87,585 w., 43 Ch. || Pining, Love Confessions, Rape/Sexual Assault, Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Villain!Mary, Suicidal Ideations, Main Character Death, Sherlock First Person POV, Parentlock, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Grief/Mourning, Emotional Love Making, Possessiveness, Depression, PTSD, Kidnapping, Virgin Sherlock, Eventual Happy Ending) – "For a second, I allow myself to remember teaching John how to waltz. There is a special room in my mind palace for it. A big one, with a proper parquet dance floor. For a second, I go there. I remember holding him, closer than the World Dance Council asks for, excusing it with the fact that we are training for a wedding, not for a competition. For a second, I feel his hand on mine again, smell his sweat, hear the song we used. For a second, I allow myself to love him deeply. For a second, only a second, that love reflects on my face." Fix-it for S3, starting at the end of TSoT. Evil Mary.

A Case of Identity by jkay1980 (T, 91,009 w., 22 Ch. || Post-TRF, Fake Relationship, Case Fic) – John and Sherlock have succeeded in rebuilding their friendship after Sherlock’s fake suicide, but an unusual case puts their relationship to the test. They pretend to be engaged and attend a marriage counseling workshop. Under the pretext of the case, Sherlock turns out to be a master of seduction, and John finally learns he might like Sherlock more than he thought. Slowly, John discovers that he loves Sherlock not only in a friendly, brotherly way, but both men have to fight their own demons before they can think of taking their relationship to a new level…

Northwest Passage by Kryptaria (E, 95,157 w., 27 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Canadian AU ||  BAMF!John, Canadian John, PTSD, Anal / Oral Sex, Rimming, Emotional Hurt / Comfort, Drug Rehab, Falling in Love, Pining Sherlock, Love Confessions, Sherlock’s Violin, Panic Attacks, Switching, Anxious / Protective Sherlock, Hugs for Comfort, Suicide Mentions, Healing Each Other) – Seven years ago, Captain John Watson of the Canadian Forces Medical Service withdrew from society, seeking a simple, isolated life in the distant northern wilderness of Canada. Though he survives from one day to the next, he doesn't truly live until someone from his dark past calls in a favor and turns his world upside-down with the introduction of Sherlock Holmes." Part 1 of Tales from the Northwest

31_Days_of_Porn_Challenge_2017 Series by distantstarlight (E, 96,540 w. across 31 stories || Prompt Ficlets, Assorted Kinks, PWP) – A collection in response to the 31 Days of Porn Challenge issued by AtlinMerrik! Thanks for doing that because this has been buttload of fun (that joke never gets old). All stories will be brief stand-alone one-shots. 

The Baker Street Nativity by SwissMiss (E, 99,662 w., 23 Ch. || Nativity! AU || Teacher Sherlock / TA John, Pining, Sherlock POV, UST, Angst, Christmas, Music/Song Fic, Anal / BJ’s, First Kiss / Time) –Fusion between Sherlock (BBC) and Nativity! (2009 movie starring Martin Freeman). Sherlock is a primary school teacher and John is assigned to be his classroom assistant. Together, they are charged with putting on the school's Nativity play. What could possibly go wrong? Part 1 of The Baker Street Nativity Verse

Definitions by siennna (T, 101,528 w., 12 of ? Ch. || Dev. Rel., Pining, Fluff and Romance, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Fluff, Cuddles, Girl’s Night, Texting, Virgin Sherlock, Drunk Sherlock, Background Mollstrade, Hair Petting, Laying on Lap) – Sherlock’s journey in defining his flat mate and stumbling through the muddled world of emotion. {{This feels complete even with a ? Chapter count}}

A Study in Winning by Jupiter_Ash (E, 106,658 w., 11 Ch. || Tennis AU || John POV, Dirty Talk, Mutual Pining, Misunderstandings, Happy Ending, Sherlock Speaks French, Switchlock, Wimbledon) – John and Sherlock are professional tennis players and it’s Wimbledon. One is a broken almost was at the end of his career, the other an arrogant rising star tipped for greatness. It should have been a straightforward tournament. It really should have been. How were they to know that a chance encounter would change everything? Part 1 of Tennis

Two Two One Bravo Baker by abundantlyqueer (E, 114,574 w., 27 Ch. || Military AU || Afghanistan, War Story, Thriller, Switchlock, Rimming, Emotional Lovemaking, Lots of Sex, HJ/BJ’s) – Captain John Watson of 40 Commando, the Royal Marines, is assigned to protect and assist Sherlock Holmes as he investigates what appears to be a simple war atrocity in Afghanistan. An intense attraction ignites between the two men as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens everything they’ve ever known, but Sherlock is as much hunted as hunter, and everyone close to him is in deadly danger. Can he solve the case in time to save himself and John? Part 1 of Two Two One Bravo Baker Universe

The Burning Heart by May_Shepard (M, 119,150 w., 21 Ch. || Canon Divergence / Post-TRF / S3 Rewrite, John’s Sexuality, Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, POV John Watson, Gay John) – When Sherlock dies, John Watson feels like his life is over too. He’s completely shut down, until Mark Morstan, a new nurse at John’s medical clinic, catches his attention, and helps him uncover the long buried truth of his attraction to men. Although he’s certain he’ll never get over Sherlock, John plans to move on, and build a new life with Mark, unaware that Sherlock is not quite as dead as he appears, and that Mark is hiding secrets of his own.

The Swan Triad Series by Pennin_Ink (T, 121,660 w. across 3 works || Swan Lake AU || Magical / Fairy Tale AU, Romance, Falling in Love, Pining, Psychological Torture, Transformation) – Sherlock and John grow up spending every summer together. Their mothers' attempts to play matchmaker only fuel their mutual resentment and scorn. But then, one summer.

A Further Sea by i_ship_an_armada & ShinySherlock (E, 125,492 w., 23 Ch. || Historical Pirates AU || Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Doctor John / Pirate Captain Sherlock, Sailing, UST / RST, Masturbation, Action / Adventure, Mild Angst & Peril, Romance, Shaving, Molly/Janine, Bottomlock, Hand / Blow Jobs, Past Drug Use, Slow Burn, Mild Violence, Facial Shaving, Happy Ending) – Here be a tale of adventure for both body and soul, but beware if ye be not of stout heart, for this be piratelock, ya savvy? Luckless ship's surgeon John Watson takes a chance, and finds himself eye to eye with The Ghost, the scourge of the seven seas and a definite thorn in the side of the blaggard, James Moriarty. But when John finds there's more to this most cunning pirate than be meetin' the eye, he has to choose... is it a pirate's life for him?

The Bang and the Clatter by earlgreytea68 (M, 137,049 w., 37 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Baseball AU || Slow Burn / Dev. Rel., Possessive/Obsessive Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock, Mutual Pining, Body Appreciation, Depression, Closeted Sexuality, Family, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Ogling Each Other, Anxious Sherlock, Panic Attack, Drunkenness, Talk of Forever, Big Feelings™) – Sherlock Holmes is a pitcher and John Watson is a catcher. No, no, no, it's a baseball AU. Part 1 of Baseball 

Colors by Quesarasara (E, 140,537 w., 17 Ch. || Pleasantville-Inspired AU || Soulmates, Colour Bonds, Alternating POV, Angst, Fluff, Pining, Case Fic, Medical Procedures) – Everyone on earth is born with eyes that see in black, white, and an endless series of greys. When you meet your soulmate, you finally see the world in color. We're all searching for the person who brings color to our lives. John and Sherlock are no exception. Part 1 of The Colors 'Verse

Midnight Blue Serenity by BeautifulFiction (E, 151,907 w., 19 Ch. || Friends to Lovers, Gay Bar / For a Case, Drugs, Pining, Case Fic, UST) – When Sherlock infiltrates a club in order to track down a serial killer, his altered appearance is enough to make John question his assumption that Sherlock is beyond his reach. However, is he the only one who appreciates his flatmate's charms, or is Sherlock at risk of becoming the next victim? 

Gimme Shelter by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John (E, 159,368 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE|| 70′s Surfer AU || Period Typical Homophobia, Hawaii, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Professional Surfers, Gay John / Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, John was a Sailor, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining) – All John Watson wants is the feeling of a freshly waxed surfboard under his feet and the hot California sun baking down onto his back. To finally go pro in the newly formed world of professional surfing and leave the dark memories of his past behind him as he rips across the face of a towering blue barrel. To lounge beside the beach bonfire every evening with an ice cold beer tucked into the cool sand beside him and listen to Pink Floyd and the Doors while the saltwater dries in his sun bleached hair. That's all he wants, that is, until the hot young phenom taking Oahu and the Hawaiian shores by storm steps up next to him in the sand in the second round of the 1976 International Surf Competition. (PUBLISHED AS ‘The Sea Ain’t Mine Alone’)

Mise en Place by azriona(M, 161,004 w., 28 Ch. || Restaurant (Kitchen Nightmares) AU || Sherlock is Gordon Ramsay / Celebrity Sherlock, Restauranteur John, Harry Plays Prominent Role, Alternating POV, Mutual Pining, Cranky Sherlock, Bed Sharing, Slow Burn) – John Watson had no intentions of taking over the family business, but when he returns from Afghanistan, battered and bruised, and discovers that his sister Harry has run their restaurant into the ground, he doesn't have much choice. There's only one thing that can save the Empire from closing for good – the celebrity star of the BBC series Restaurant Reconstructed, Chef Sherlock Holmes. Part 1 of Mise en Place

Proving A Point by elldotsee & J_Baillier (E, 186,270 w., 28 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Me Before You Fusion || Medical Realism, Insecure John, Depression, Romance, Angst, POV John, Sherlock Whump, Serious Illness, Doctor John, Injury Recovery, Assisted Suicide, Sherlock’s Violin, Awkward Sexual Situations, Alcoholism, Drugs, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Body Image, Friends to Lovers, Hurt / Comfort, Pain, Big Brother Mycroft, Intimacy, Anxiety, PTSD, Family Issues, Psychological Trauma, John Whump, Case Fics, Loneliness, Pain) – Invalided home from Afghanistan, running out of funds and convinced that his surgical career is over, John Watson accepts a mysterious job offer to provide care and companionship for a disabled person. Little does he know how much hangs in the balance of his performance as he settles into his new life at Musgrave Court. Part 1 of the Care And Companionship series

Radioactive Trees In A Red Forest by Maribor_Petrichor (E, 280,251 w., 73 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-S4, Suicidal Ideations, Alcohol / Rx Drug Abuse, Coming Out / Bisexual John, Seizures, Past/Referenced/Implied Child Abuse, Hallucinations, Rehab, Celibacy, Sobriety / Relapse, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Grief/Mourning, Psychological Trauma, Nice /Not Anti-Mary, John’s POV, Parentlock, First Time, Angst, Switchlock, Angst with Happy Ending) – John Watson is what happens when a man can no longer see a reason to go on. John Watson is what happens when a man starts to let go. "It is what it is." John Watson is what happens when what "it is" becomes too much to bear. This is a story of the life, death, and resurrection of John Hamish Watson. (TO READ)