#Had so much fun with this set and adding little details for each OC <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[inafieldofdaisies]

OCs Romance Chart | vol. 1 for Sabrina and Mercedes

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[professorsnape394]

The Potions Master’s Apprentice

Chapter Three: Steaming Sessions

A/N: This is the third part to my fanficiton ‘The Potions Master’s Apprentice (Severus Snape x OC)’. Chapters 1-16 can be found already uploaded on Wattpad under the same name. Feel free to leave requests in my inbox for anything Snape related you want me to write. Leave a comment below if you wish to be added to my tag list. 

Pairing: Severus Snape x OC (Dumbledore’s Granddaughter)

Summary: A talented young witch is employed as an apprentice professor at Hogwarts, but who will she be working under? Severus Snape is not best pleased with his new responsibility of taking on an apprentice, however she is relentless to create a friendship between them. Will she be successful? Or might the friendship just go a little two far? With the eyes of her grandfather constantly watching over them, an attempt at a relationship might not be in the cards for Aria Dumbledore and Severus Snape.

Word Count: 1726

Warnings: n/a

Credits to Gif Creator

As much as Severus hated to admit it, even to himself, thoughts of the young witch had persistently threatened to enter his mind the week following their initial meeting. Despite how badly Severus wanted to suppress his primal urges, he could not deny he had noticed her beauty.  An attractive witch of her age was a rarity in his life, and so he allowed himself the simple pleasure of a thought or two regarding the new Professor. That was until he actually got to know her. She had taken it upon herself to interrupt his last few weeks of solitude before his life was disrupted by masses insolent children. The once somewhat pleasant thoughts of the woman had now been replaced by anger and agitation. He had in fact been preoccupied in thoughts of Aria Dumbledore upon her arrival to his office on Tuesday morning. He was enraged at her boldness to contradict him and any thoughts he ever had regarding her attractiveness had for sure been killed during their most recent meeting, or so he told himself.

The following day Miss Dumbledore delivered a list of potions she wished to revisit with Professor Snape in order to give him time to prepare for their next session. The temper she had awoken within him remained, as her comments still lingered in his mind. Never before had he met someone so audacious, and brave he hesitated to add, that they would so cunningly insult him in such an underhanded manner. The rage inside him motivated him to test his apprentice's abilities even further. Inspecting the list in front of him Severus Snape began to devise a plan.

"You should have learned by now, Miss Dumbledore, that I am very much a fan of saving time and working as efficiently as possible." Severus begun, warranting an exasperated eye-roll from his coworker as she thought back to the caterpillar scenario. Clearing his throat and shooting her a threatening look Snape continued his speech. "In order to further prove yourself I have arranged for us to complete several potions from your list simultaneously. "

"You should have learned by now, Miss Dumbledore, that I am very much a fan of saving time and working as efficiently as possible." Severus begun, warranting an exasperated eye-roll from his coworker as she thought back to the caterpillar scenario. Clearing his throat and shooting her a threatening look Snape continued his speech. "In order to further prove yourself I have arranged for us to complete several potions from your list simultaneously. "

"I'm sorry?" Aria asked, not fully comprehending how his set up could possibly help her grasp the correct brewing method for each individual potion, especially since they were ones she had admitted she was not completely familiar with.

"As you proved the other evening you are very capable of brewing a potion on your own, with my help you should have no problem perfecting say four? maybe five?" He shrugged slyly.

"Five!?" Aria gasped. "You do realise Professor Snape that the list of potions I gave you were those I am unfamiliar with. I wish to spend the time going over them with you, so when the time comes I will have no problem helping the students. I fear this method may not be ideal in allowing me to master those fine details."

"Well then, Miss Dumbledore, I fear you do not have what it takes to match the skills I require in an assistant."

"I want to make it clear, Professor Snape, that I am not your assistant. I am to be your apprentice. This means it is your duty to train me as such. I will do as you ask of me, but believe me I will not be pushed around and made a fool of for the whole of this year."

"Then I hope this means we understand each other Miss Dumbledore, for I will also not tolerate the back chat I received the other day when lessons finally commence."

"Then I suppose we both have to respect one another’s wishes." Aria stated finally, circling the desk of cauldrons. Beside each cauldron she found the list of instructions. Taking the time to read each one carefully, realising these potions will take a little longer than she anticipated. "These cannot be completed in a day?" She questioned.

"Clever girl, you noticed." Snape retorted sarcastically. "You see now why I could not dedicate one lesson to each potion. The potions have different brewing times and can all be left to rest over night, this gives you time memorise the instructions between lessons. We will complete them over the next three days, giving us both the weekend free."

Complying to his wishes Aria set about collecting her ingredients and began brewing each potion one after the other. It wasn't long before Aria noticed the Potions Master get comfortable behind his desk, burying his head in another one of his dusty old textbooks, she knew he would not be attempting to assist her any time soon.

The day was long and tedious. Neither Severus nor Aria felt the need to engage in any kind of conversation at the risk pissing the other off. Severus was clearly a lot more used to the silence and spent hours behind his desk reading, occasionally making small notes in the margins of his book. Aria on the other hand felt every slight noise she made was amplified a hundred times over, hesitant to make too much noise at the risk of Snape telling her off.

The room quickly became stuffy and humid from the constant steam emitting from all five cauldrons. The young Professor struggled to work in her tight, un-breathable clothing, she had previously thought was a wise choice for her sessions with Severus. The witch peeled her thick locks of hair from her perspiring face, pulling it up into quick messy bun. Struggling to breath from the fumes, Aria took a short break, sliding off her uncomfortable shoes, hiking her skirt up to her thighs, to air out her legs and unbuttoning her blouse exposing her chest. This did not go unnoticed by the older professor, as he stealthily watched her over the top of his book, absentmindedly turning a page ever second or two. Aria let out a throaty groan, fanning herself down with a nearby notebook.

“Aren’t you hot?.” She panted.

Severus felt his jaw almost drop in awe at the woman's movements as she rose from her chair, reaching up to the sky to stretch out her bones, her skirt shifted further up her thighs as she did so.

"Can't we open the door or something." She gasped the heat getting the better of her. Severus wriggled uncomfortably in his seat, unable to take his eyes off her body. Her eye catching his, Aria awkwardly attempted to cover herself up. Shocked at the Professor's boldness, she began to roll down her skirt covering back up her legs, her chest on the other hand remained bare.

"Professor." She spoke again, trying to catch his attention.

"Umm, very well. If you must." He flustered, clearing his throat, embarrassed he had been staring in the first place, let alone been caught out.

"You don't tend to be around women much, do you Severus?" Aria questioned, seeing no reason either of them should pretend she hadn't just caught him looking.

"Professor Snape." He once again stressed. "And I don't really think that's any of your concern, is it Miss Dumbledore."

"Forgive me. I was just trying to make a little conversation." Aria found herself rolling her eyes at the man once again. "The day has dragged in after all, it might go quicker if we talk?"

"I prefer to work in silence." He retorted, carefully ensuring his eyes did not leave the page of his book.

"I'm just saying." She pushed further, ignoring his statement. "I don't blame you. Being stuck in this school 10 months of the year cannot allow for much of a private life."

"No it does not." Severus agreed, his eyes burning into the page, not seeing a word that was written.

"Still." Aria continued, going back to brewing her potions. "It doesn't mean it's impossible. I'm sure there's plenty of women in Hogsmeade willing to date, bar maidens and what not." She shrugged.

"That may very well be true Miss Dumbledore, but I am not interested."

"Men then." She stated, raising one eyebrow playfully, although she knew very well he did not bat for the other team .

"Don't be absurd." The Professor scoffed.

"What about hobbies." She chose to change the subject, turning up the heat on potion number 3. "What do you do for fun?"

"Read." Snape replied bluntly, motioning to the book in front of him, turning the page though no information entered his brain from the last.

The pair continued to talk for the remainder of the day, although Severus provided nothing but blunt responses to his apprentices enquires, he had to admit, he was not completely opposed to her company. Soon it came time for the potions to be taken off their heat and left to rest for the night. It saddened Aria knowing she had to go back to her quarters, having no one to speak to until it came time for dinner with Hagrid, and though she hated to admit it their conversations on bowtruckles and grindylows had become rather tedious.

Pausing as she reached her exit, Aria turned back to her mentor, who didn't even look up from his desk. "Professor Snape." She spoke to get his attention. "Do you fancy joining us for dinner? Hagrid and I, that is. I usually bring food down from the kitchens, so you don't have to worry about his cooking." She laughed nervously.

"Spending my evening in his cramped hut, being drooled on by that beast of his and discussing the best way to distinguish knarls from hedgehogs? Sounds like the perfect evening." He commented sarcastically. "Goodnight, Miss Dumbledore."

Letting out a short breath Aria Dumbledore flashed one last smile at the Professor before taking her leave. "Goodnight, Professor Snape."

Taglist:

@ayamenimthiriel

[faterpresources]

Anonymous:

Do you have any advice on how to start an rp blog? I feel like there's so much to do and so many specific things, it looks intimidating, but I really want to get into it (and your blog seems like a safe space to ask as a baby in the matter)

Hi! Thanks you for asking and for trusting. I do admit that rping on tumblr can look daunting and there is a series of things that are considered “etiquette” that might not be obvious for newcomers. And the only way to learn is to ask, right? As I’m not sure if you would like something more specific or a step-by-step, I’m going to go through the whole process.

note: this is a repost from an ask in a more reblog-friendly format

1.       Setting up the blog

You might want to make a new e-mail account for each blog you want. I recommend making a gmail/google account, so you may be able to use other services and associate them with your blog. I’ll go into more details in a minute.

Some people would rather have a personal blog and then making the RP blog as a side-blog. Or a “hub” blog and many side-blogs so they have everything centralized. The downside is that you can’t follow people with side-blogs, only the main – and some rpers are a little suspicious of personal blogs, so if you intend to go this route it might be a good idea to state somewhere in your blog that you have a RP blog.

Tip : It isn’t said too often, but I recommend saving your blog’s e-mail and password somewhere, maybe a flashdrive or even google drive. This way, if something happens you will be able to retrieve your account.

When picking the URL, for a very long time tumblr had problems tagging URLs with a hyphen ( - ). I’m not sure if it has been fixed or if there are still some issues, so I recommend only using letters and maybe numbers. Other than that, pick anything that sounds nice to you!

Themes are nice, but not entirely necessary. Not everybody has photoshop skills and all that. Some people do have commissioned themes, but if you want to try your hand at it my first stop is usually @theme-hunter  or @sheathemes . They reblog many themes from many creators, so there are always many options that might suit your needs.  Some creators offer very newcomer-friendly themes that you can configure a lot of things without much hassle but some might require basic HTML knowledge – a few creators have guides on how to properly set up their themes and are willing to and answer questions, so don’t be afraid to contact them! You can also send me an ask, I’m not a specialist but I can certainly help walk you through the basics.

Tip: @glenthemes have very good themes and a basic installation guide here.

When fiddling with the options, try to pick colors that have nice contrast and are easy to read. If you are bad at picking colors or have problems in finding the code for them, I recommend trying this link. There is also this one that auto-generate palettes.

Tip : If you mess with your theme, remember there is the Theme Recovery.

Tip: If you use Chrome or Firefox you can set up different profiles and associate each with a different blog, so you don’t need to log out from any of your accounts.

There are two pages that I recommend having: one is an about your muse. If they are an OC, it is always a good idea to have at least some information out there to make things easier. If they are from a canon source, not everybody is familiar with the material so it might be a good idea to state. For example, if you are going to roleplay as Altria/Arturia, it is a good idea to have a “RP blog for Saber (Altria Pendragon) from FGO/FSN “ somewhere visible. The other page that is a good idea having is a rules/guidelines page. This one can be a little intimidating, but it is usually a way to communicate important things. For example: are you comfortable writing violence? Do you have any personal triggers? There is something you absolutely won’t write? There are things you may figure out along the way and it is absolutely ok to fine-tune this session every now and then. Some people also credit source for their icons and graphics in general in their rule/guideline page.

If you are using the tumblr default themes, when you create a new page you can turn on the option to show a link to the page. If you are using a custom theme, most of the time you will have to link it manually.

Oh, and if you are planning to do a multimuse, it might be a good idea to list which muses you have. The same goes for a hub blog; list the muses and link to the pages.

Icons aren’t necessary but are considered commonplace. You can find some icons I’ve done here but there are plenty of other sources. If you want to do your own icons, keep in mind to don’t make them too big, as a courtesy to your mutuals.

Tip: Anything larger than 300 pixels will be stretched to fit the post. As of today ( 4/29/2021 ) the posts are currently 540 pixels wide. This can be useful as making banners for your blog.

Tumblr allow users to “pin” posts. This mean that they will always visible if you access your blog, even on dash/mobile. You can use this to set up a post with basic links for mobile users or something else. For example, if you are out on vacations and won’t be able to do replies, you can pin a hiatus notice and then remove the pin once you are back.

2.       Introducing yourself

Time to officially join the fun! (insert a “Hi, Zuko here” joke) Don’t worry if you don’t have a fancy promo graphic or anything, most people make their initial introduction with a simple post.

(as you can see, I’m not very good at saying ‘hi’)

Try to introduce yourself in a few lines, but make sure to state which muse you RP as. Some people also like adding their pen name/alias and establishing a brand. Follow as many people as you want that reblogged or liked your post, and tumblr is going to start recommending other blogs that are related to the tags you use normally or have any relation to the people you follow. You can put as many tags as you want, but tumblr will disregard more than 6 tags in their system. Try tags like “<fandom> rp” and “<fandom> roleplay” along with the media, such as “movie” “video game”, “anime” and so on.

It might also be a good idea to follow a few RP memes blogs. They often have options to break the ice, like one-liners that your mutual can send you.

Tip: Don’t forget to turn on the asks and the anon

3.       Practical advice

Alright, now that you have a few mutuals, it is time to get to some general tips:

Tumblr can be a little “iffy”, and a great quality of life extension for RPers and navigation in general is installing the New Xkit extension. They offer a number of options to enhance your tumblr experience, but the ones I consider essential are the “editable reblogs”, “quick tags” and “blacklist”. Get it for Chrome or Firefox.

As a rule of thumb I recommend writing your RPs using Google Docs before posting or replying. By doing this you can do some spell check and if your browser crashes for any reason you can easily recover your work. You can also use Word, Open Office, or any text editor you feel like.

Because I’m a bit of a perfectionist, I also have Grammarly ( Chrome / Firefox ) installed for an extra layer of spell/grammar check. There is a subscription option, but the free one works perfectly fine.

To make things easier to locate, always tag the URL of your RP partner when doing a reply. There are other useful things you can tag, such as open starters, memes, and such.

Risking being obvious here, but when you are not interacting as your character it might be a good idea to tag as “ooc” or “out of character”.

Some people like making google docs with basic info and other useful stuff for easier access on mobile. It is a recent trend, it might be easier to edit as opposed to going through tumblr page editor and dealing with the HTML.  You can find some templates here and here.

Tumblr’s activity can be unreliable, so don’t be afraid of contacting your partner to see if they have gotten your reply after a few weeks. However, some people also enjoy using the RP Thread Tracker in order to be on top of things. It might be a good idea to check it out.

Because of Tumblr shadowbanning and shenanigans, it isn’t unusual for people to have NSFW sideblogs (sometimes referred as ‘sin blogs’). If you want to write smut, it might be a good idea to consider making one.

Some people don’t like replying to asks, as Tumblr won’t let you remove the initial ask. It has become common to see people making new posts to reply to asks.  This is a simple example:

As you can see, I used the mention to have the RP partner notified then I copied and pasted their question on my post and used the quote to indicate it. You can also have fancy graphics, like a line to separate the contents, just do whatever you feel like with the formatting or keep it simple.

To make sure your partner got the answer, I recommend copying the link to the post and pasting on the ask and then replying it privately.  An example sent to my rp blog:

4.       Basic Etiquette

Ok, this is a little subjective most of the time but here are a few things that are considered universal courtesy.

Never reblog someone else’s headcanons. If you enjoy it, maybe it should politely contact the author and ask if it is ok to write something based on their original idea but you should never downright copy or lift something from another creator. It is considered rude, or even theft in some cases.

Don’t reblog threads you are not involved with. It is ok to leave a like, but never reblog. This is because Tumblr can mess up the notifications and disrupt the flow of the RP.

Don’t copy other people’s graphics. It is very rude and sometimes they commission (aka: paid) for it.

Trim your posts. What does that mean? Every time you reblog with a reply, the post tends to get longer and longer, and it can cluster your and your mutuals’ dashes. This is why the New X-Kit’s “editable reblogs” is an almost must-have tool. If for some reason you can’t install X-Kit (if you are on mobile for example), then remove the previous post or ask your partner to trim for you.

Never take control of your RP partner’s muse. This is called “godmodding” and it is heavily frowned upon. It is ok to control your muse and the possible NPCs that you inserted, but never seize someone else’s character. Likewise, it can also be very upsetting if you use what people call “meta-gaming”, applying knowledge that your muse shouldn’t know about the other. For example, let’s say your RP partner’s muse is a vampire, but they have never disclosed that information to your muse, who also doesn’t have an excuse to know that (for example, being a vampire hunter) so it can be quite jarring sometimes. When in doubt, contact your partner.

This should go without saying, but RPing sexual themes with users under the age of 18 are illegal. It doesn’t matter if the age of consent in your location is lower, once you join Tumblr you are abiding by their user guidelines and the law of the state they are located in. If you are an adult, don’t engage minors with these topics, maybe a fade to black would be a better option. If you are a minor, don’t insist or you might cause a lot of legal problems for others.

Try to tag anything triggering. Violence, gore, NSFW. Both Tumblr and the New Xkit have options to block keywords.

When picking PSDs or graphics for your blog, you should avoid templates that change the color of the skin of POCs muses and try to pick the right race/ethnicity of the muse you are going to RP as. I won’t go through a lot of details, as it is a rather lengthy subject in an already lengthy conversation but keep this in the back of your mind.

Some RPers don’t like when you reblog memes from them without sending anything. Try to always reblog from a source or to interact with the person you are reblogging from, it can be rather disheartening to be seen as a meme source rather than a RP blog. This isn’t a rule and some people don’t mind, but it is always a good idea to try to do this.

This might be more of a pet peeve of mine than proper etiquette, but it is ok to use small font. What is not ok is use small font + underscript. Some people have disabilities that might make it harder for them to read it, so it might be a good idea to refrain from using it. Maybe if you feel like doing something fancier every now and then, but I wouldn’t recommend making this a habit.

Mun and Muse are different entities. Remember that it isn’t because a muse does something (especially a villain one) that the mun condones something. Never assume anything about the mun, when in doubt talk to them.

Be mindful of your partners and treat them the way you would like to be treated.

As a rule of thumb, always talk to your RP partner. It is only fun as long both of you are enjoying it.

5.       Closing Words

This got longer than I expected.

Despite all of that, don’t be too worried about not being very good at first. I assure you that you will get better with time, so don’t be afraid of experimenting as long you feel comfortable. And don’t be afraid of saying “no” if something bothers you.

My inbox is always open to questions and ideas, so feel free to contact me anytime!

I would also ask my followers: there is advice I missed/overlooked? Anything you would like someone have told you when you first started? Add your thoughts so I can update this.

Happy RPing!

[beevean]

3 years of Sonic Forces, the biggest love-hate relationship of the series

[note: this is the translation of @latin-dr-robotnik​’s article]

Today is an almost special day, today it’s the anniversary of a rather peculiar game in this series.

On this day 3 years ago, the (to this day) newest game of Sonic Team was released: Sonic Forces. After waiting a year and a half since its announcement (and four years since Sonic Lost World’s release), it was finally time to see what the last chapter of the main series had in store for us, and the results were… okay.

There were so many warning signs in the months before the release: a marketing campaign that was noticeably absent until the very last month, opting to focus more on Mania (let’s not forget that we still get videos about Mania even after the game’s release, not so much about Forces), which added to the uncertainty caused by the footage already available at the time, which ended up being confirmed a few days before the release, when some people managed to get the game early and streamed a good chunk of the game. While one of the leakers was just a bad player, the quality of the game itself was put into question…

A harsh reality

I’m not going to soften up my words here: for being the latest Sonic game, in a post-Generations and post-Boom era, Sonic Forces fell short of everything it tried to do (if it tried). Anything positive comes from the roots of something negative, and in the context of this anniversary, after 3 years without knowing a thing about the next game, it only emphasizes the frustration and the disappointment it caused.

Sonic Forces promised a world devastated by Eggman, an epic battle to save the world and win against a powerful enemy. However, of so many promises, not even the first one, the most basic one, was kept: it was an empty takeover, explained poorly (because they didn’t even show it, they told it through text) and developed even worse. All the potential of such an exciting world was thrown away as soon as the game didn’t even try to explain some of its most important questions (like why Green Hill was in the process of desertification); to this day we still don’t know what the fuck does the Phantom Ruby do, in Mania it has some powers, in Forces it has different powers, and it’s not clear where does it come from or if it’s more powerful than the Chaos Emeralds. It is disappointing to not be able to discover all this untapped potential, and it is so disappointing that one of the oldest works on my blog was an attempt to rewrite the beginning of the game, give it more context and a better footing to start the adventure.

This old leak dates back to 2016, when the game was barely announced, and surprisingly it ended up being real, very very real. Even the title “Sonic Wars” is true, and if you don’t believe me you can open the game’s folder and read the names that appear. Source.

The confusion and disappointment don’t end here. If you have read the mess of opinions and emotions that is my analysis of the game [translator’s note: the link is in Spanish], you may have noticed that one of the biggest questions never answered was, what’s up with the order of the levels and why is it so confusing? Between 2016 and 2017, there were some leaks and statements going around places like Sonic Stadium that confirmed that the game went through numerous changes, not just in the plot, but in the levels as well. Right now I can’t find these old posts (I’m surprised that the fandom didn’t archive them), but it was said that the original idea for Forces, then still called Sonic Wars, was to shine the spotlight even more on the Avatar, or Buddy as it was called; the decision was unanimously rejected by SEGA of America and Europe, forcing SEGA of Japan to order that the game was modified. In fact, I remember that the leak that mentioned this meeting between the SEGA branches was rather bad, with a very tense atmosphere and lots of disagreements.

This is the closest thing to a confirmation of the scrapped plot that I could find. At least it’s proof that I’m not crazy and that Forces was indeed more focused on the Avatar. Source.

The mess that is the order of the levels, the questionable presence of characters like Classic Sonic, and some of the details of one of the leaked scrapped scripts such as that apparently they considered to reintroduce Mephiles – all of this shapes the network of a mediocre game, created under the premise of “from the creators of Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations” but taking all the wrong parts of those two games, using an engine that has been proven to be less efficient than Unleashed’s and Generations (and I’m not talking about the Hedgehog Engine, which is the graphical engine – I’m talking about the game and physics engine of Lost World), and with short levels and… polarizing bosses, to say the least.

The result is a game that shows a lot of potential, but in practice it doesn’t live up to it at all, be it for its own limitations (being rushed like hell) or for a noticeable lack of attention to details; it didn’t succeed in creating a cohesive and coherent world, with levels that could be worthy of what has been learned in these years. This is the reality of Sonic Forces.

And yet...

Despite everything I’ve just said, despite all the unacceptable errors that Forces made, and despite all the terribly wasted potential… we still talk about this game.

There are many reasons. On one hand, Forces and Mania have been the latest Sonic games for 3 years now, which is tragic in on itself (Team Sonic Racing disappeared from the face of the Earth); on the other, we still talk about Forces because there is something that still attracts us to it.

It’s not the same attraction we feel for Sonic ‘06, though. Forces is not a complete, almost-franchise-killing disaster like ‘06 was, it’s not a giant meme that spread from the fandom to popular circles and internet figures such as the Game Grumps. People have been trying to fix Forces’ mistakes, but not on the same scale as projects that tries to completely recreate ‘06 with a radically different engine, or fix each and every bug in the original version. Forces is nowhere near as infamous, and so the discussion goes in different directions.

Episode Shadow is still one of the most entertaining parts of the game, and one of the most important as well, as Shadow himself hadn’t been a playable character since… well, Sonic ‘06.

On one hand, there is a cult surrounding Infinite, one that I personally don’t agree with, and I don’t know if it’s bigger than Mephiles’ 15 years ago, but I do know that it exists and it’s still present. One of the ways Sonic Team tried to “go back to its roots” was to introduce a character like Infinite in a plot that was supposed to be “more serious”. Final results notwithstanding, Infinite managed to win the heart of a sizeable portion of the fandom, which still wishes for his return and development.

On the other hand, there is the Avatar, our personal OC with an impressive customization system, which allows us complete freedom, to the point that we could recreate characters introduced in Sonic IDW like Whisper the Wolf. What at first looked like a questionable idea, nothing more than a source of memes, ended up becoming the smartest idea Forces had, with a gameplay style that, in my opinion, retains a little of the old Adventure spirit, and even had some of the most fun levels in the game. While Classic Sonic ruined one third of the game, and Sonic was somewhat mediocre compared to his past feats, the Avatar’s gameplay style manages to keep its quality throughout the game, despite the fact that the plot keeps revolving around their presence instead of focusing on the other aspects of saving the world, which is... well, a little unfortunate.

Even I, who I’m not really into Sonic OCs, had a lot of fun recreating some of the characters.

And finally we get to the best part of the entire game: the music.

Even after three years my opinions haven’t changed much. Forces’ music isn’t perfect, it has its low moments (I feel like I’m the only one who doesn’t like Light of Hope) and some disasters (F*ded H*lls lol), but overall it has good intentions and it has some pretty good highlights.

The use of synths, as overdone and criticized as it is, was an honest attempt to follow a trend present in older games, like Sonic Unleashed, where this instrument symbolized Eggman’s influence. An interesting touch that, while wasn’t completely successful, is appreciated.

I still say that Fighting Onward is one of the best themes of the entire game, and Spaceport as the level benefits from having it.

Then there’s the best part of the entire soundtrack: the return of vocal themes, such as the main theme, the villain theme, and some of the level themes. I cannot explain with enough words how much fans were waiting for this, and it was brilliantly handled by the advertising campaign: a preview of the instrumental version of Fist Bump, a short peek of the Avatar themes, and finally the reveal of some of the major themes. It’s not surprising that it became one of the most appreciated parts by the fans. From the iconic intro of Fading World to the subtle nod to Green Hill in Set In Motion, every theme has something that makes it stand out from the rest of the game.

But even so, the rest of the music in the game has redeemable points as well. Forces in general distances itself from the music styles previously used in the series, especially from the variety of incredible sounds of Unleashed or even Lost World; but from time to time it still recognizably Sonic, like in the half-Megaman, half-Runners Network Terminal, in the extremely epic and underrated Last Judgement, or in the always-mentioned Ghost Town (not the only “good” Classic theme in my opinion, but the first one that comes to mind). Even the remixed Zavok theme sound better in Forces than in its original version.

A love-hate relationship

At the end of the day, the only thing left I could say is that Forces is still one of the most polarizing games in the series. 3 years aren’t enough to heal some of the wounds left by the 4-year hiatus, plus the disappointment of the time, but at the same time these 3 years kept alive the memory of its best moment, the discussions about the music and the uncountable groups of fans reunited to share OCs like the fandom has always done.

In this anniversary, I thought it would be interesting to revisit a bit the peculiar relationship I have with this game, as we wait for a new hype cycle for the next game. And maybe, just maybe, that will be the moment Forces will fade from our collective memory, at least for a decade, until new fans will look back to the good and bad this game has done. And I hope that, in the future, the situation of the franchise will also be different from what it has been these last years, in a good way of course.

This is all we have left of Forces today, a game that did not manage to capitalize on its opportunities, and a game that shames the legacy of the Unleashed-Colors-Generations era; but also a game that had some genuine, interesting ideas, and a different musical direction, one that (with some exceptions) was what the fans wanted. It’s a polarizing game, it’s a love-hate relationship.

[shadowsong26fic]

Coming Attractions!

First Monday of the month (and year. Thank every known deity in the universe.)

...ahem.

Yeah. It’s been a...well, 2020. But it is now officially a new month and year, and time for a Coming Attractions post!

The big news, obviously, is that I actually finished Precipice. \o/ ...well, the first seven arcs, anyway.

As I’ve discussed before, and explained in my very long author’s note at the end of the final chapter on Ao3, the next steps for this AU are a series of seven one-shots which will be released as ‘Preludes,’ covering the six-year timegap before Arc Eight. These mostly deal with Rebels characters (although I’m slightly rethinking one of them because I should probably include Mara Jade in it...), as well as Sidious’ fifth apprentice and possibly Maul.

I’ll also be starting the sequel, entitled either Protectors or Promises (it’s been Protectors for a while, but now I’m waffling? IDK). Anyway, that picks up with arc Eight, Escalation, six years after the end of Precipice. I’ll probably post a preview snippet sometime this month because Why Not.

There will be a hiatus (an actually Planned one this time, lol...). I’m aiming to start posting in April, but we’ll see how things go.

Anyway, moving on to other plans!

Other Star Wars Projects:

our faces like a mirror

I totally planned to start posting that this year <.< On the plus side, I don’t...think the Siege of Mandalore arc (or the stuff from the Mandalorian) really Jossed anything I had planned? Especially given the fact that it’s set from 5 years pre-TPM (I recognize that Lucasfilm has made a timeline decision but given that it’s a stupid-ass timeline decision I have elected to ignore it) to about 5 years post-TPM, so I wasn’t really expecting it to, but it was a vague concern of mine. Anyway, I’ll rewatch to be sure before I post, probably. But, yeah, I’m all the more excited about my girl Bo-Katan now, so hopefully I’ll get some momentum on this.

2021 SWBB:

I finally figured out a general shape of the plot, lol! And I have about...just under 4k of miscellaneous text in this AU (like, actual Story text, not just random notes and scribbles of which I have. A Lot). I need to get another 2k by Sunday, but that shouldn’t be a problem.

It’s going to be in four parts, plus prelude/interludes/coda, because that is the Structure that my brain at like 4AM gave me the other night, lol. While I don’t know the details, I have a general idea of What Happen in parts one, three, and four; except for tying in some Mandalore stuff and making some Decisions about who I want to draw in at various points. Part Two is also up in the air. I know how it needs to end to set up part three, but not so sure about what should actually go in there. Possibly I’ll end up cutting Part Two and just having a three-part story, but eh, we’ll see.

Anyway, I’m having fun with this, especially since I’ve discovered the Plot, so we’ll see how things go from here :)

Other SW Fanfics:

I am...hoping??? to resurrect Distaff and/or the Ventress outline at some point this year, because I’m very fond of those AUs and they deserve some more love. Possibly also another Devoted story. We shall see.

AtLA Fanfic Projects:

As I’ve mentioned a few times over the past few months, I’ve fallen back into this fandom (which was my primary fandom for...like...four to six years????) And I definitely want to write more in it. I’ve already done one AU outline, and I have plans for a couple fulltext fics (...discounting the super-self-indulgent crossover stuff I don’t super plan on sharing outside a very small circle lol). I don’t have much actual, uh, Text on anything yet, but I’m hoping to start posting one or more of those at some point this year, too.

Project One is an Avatar Zuko AU; Aang is around for reasons that do get explained in story; Zuko finds out a couple months before the duel with his father when accidental water or airbending happens (he’s in a sailboat, there’s a storm, I haven’t worked out the details yet). He decides That Clearly Didn’t Happen and proceeds to ignore it...until he manages to accidentally waterbend again when in the infirmary post-duel. At which point he decides he Does Not want to be just...used as a weapon. He figures he has about three and a half years before the comet, he can use that time to figure out what to do next; maybe come back with the comet and Prove his Worth at that point.

He goes to the WAT first, to see what he can figure out about airbending from any texts/mosaics/whatever that are still there; then he heads to the NWT; then he’ll probably pick up Toph because I love their dynamic. He plans to spend a year on each other element (not enough time for mastery but that comet deadline looms large). Obviously, over the course of those three years, his plans change.

And then things get thrown even more off the rails when Aang emerges from the iceberg before Zuko’s year of earthbending is up.

There will be a fair number of OCs hanging around (both to give him someone to talk to at the WAT and I think he’s going to learn from a less-prominent master than Pakku when he gets to the NWT), as well as Iroh trying to find his nephew, and various other familiar faces from the show.

Project Two is about Lu Ten, and a lover he had during the Siege of Ba Sing Se, and what happens to her (and her daughter) after his death. I’ve talked about that one in a little more detail in other posts, I think, hence the comparatively short summary, lol.

Original Stuff:

I am hoping to get more origfic posted this year than I did last year. I’ve got these universes I love exploring, and I feel like they should get more attention, lol.

...I think that about covers it! At the end of last year, I set myself some Goals, which were. Well. 2020 happened, soooo...

Anyway, because I am an Optimist, I’m going to set goals again for this year. And I guess go over how well I did on the ones I had??? A lot of my goals will probably be repeats from last year, because...yeah.

2020 Goals

1. Finish Precipice; complete Arcs 8 and 9 in Protectors/Promises/Precipice II; put out some level of Arc 7.5/Preludes content.           I did finish Precipice! I did not do the other things. 2. Write at least 10k of origfic content.           Not quite--I ended up with 8,129 words. 3. Start posting OFLAM           Nope, that did not happen. 4. Revive a semi-hiatused fic (i.e., Distaff; Auxiliaries; Phoenix!Verse; one of the BSG fics I keep meaning to go back to if I ever actually sit down and rewatch the series; if I add an actual sequel/companion to Deja Vu… that probably counts…)           Did not happen. 5. Finish updating Lux and Farglass Cycle archives; keep them updated through the end of the year as new content gets added.           Nope. 6. At least four AU outline installments of some kind; preferably including a continuation of Ventress and Her Tiny Time-Travelling Conscience and actually writing up the main part of Let’s Go Steal a Crossover; but any outline will count.           I did put up one AtLA outline, as mentioned before; and I also posted a massive timeline for the Jedi of Valdemar AU, but nothing else. 7. Complete BB submission and keep an eye out for other challenges/exchanges.           Did complete BB, and one giftfic exchange over the summer. 8. Write at least one holiday fic (Valentine’s Day; Mother’s Day; Father’s Day; Halloween; New Year’s; etc.) and post on the appropriate day.           Did not do the thing.

2021 Goals

1. Post Arcs 8 and 9 in Precipice!Verse as well as at least half of the Preludes stories. 2. Write at least 10k of origfic content. 3. Start posting OFLAM. 4. Revive a semi-hiatused fic; preferably Distaff; but Auxiliaries or Phoenix!verse or one of the BSG fics would also count (Serenissima, Other Battlestar, For Sorrow Sung rewrite...) 5. Start posting at least one AtLA fulltext fic. 6. Finish updating Lux and Farglass Cycle archives; keep them updated through the end of the year as new content gets added. 7. Find a title and set up an archive for Untitled Intrigues Story 8. At least four AU outline installments of some kind, preferably including a continuation of Ventress and Her Tiny Time-Travelling Conscience 9. Complete BB submission and keep an eye out for other challenges/exchanges. 10. Write at least one holiday fic (Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween, New Year’s, etc.) and post on the appropriate day.

[tessadoesstuff]

Sunset Queens - Chapter 4

for Naboo Review Day 4 - Handmaidens

Chapter 1, Chapter 3

on Ao3

Padmé exits through the opposite side of the customs office of Theed’s smallest spaceport. Normally, as a senator, Padmé is exempt from customs, because normally she flies right into the hangar in the palace itself. However, queen elect Apailana (Padmé will never get tired of saying that, she’s so proud of her pupil.) asked Padmé to not use the palace spaceport, and who is Padmé to deny the younger woman such a small thing?

Padmé understands so many complaints about customs now.

“Padmé!” A voice rings out around the mostly deserted room, and Padmé turns to see the queen elect herself waving to her. Padmé feels a grin spread across her face. The woman before her isn’t all that much older than the little girl who first came to study with Padmé, but she’s visibly more mature. The same youthful energy that has defined Apailana’s campaign is there, but it’s tempered with a new strength that Padmé can see. If Apailana was a diamond in the rough when she came to Padmé, the queen elect who stands here today has been not only polished but made into the beautiful centerpiece in a gorgeous necklace.

And Apailana does look gorgeous. If Padmé’s outfits as queen tried to capture a sense of fire and fight and sun, Apailana is the moon and the stars that counterbalance her. She has no crown yet – won’t until her coronation, but whoever does her makeup has added two little rhinestones at the inner corners of her eyes, and they, in turn, match the silver beads that are woven into and hang down from the younger girl’s hair. The patterns on her face are done in a pale blue khol which flatters the deep purples and silvers of her dress.

Padmé is so proud of her beautiful, royal, grinning student.

“Apailana! Funny meeting you in a place like this.” She says. It’s partially in reference to a joke that had developed between the two of them on coruscant, but mostly because she really hadn’t expected Apailana to meet her at the station in person. Apailana gives a cheeky grin back to Padmé.

“You taught me that when things get busy, it’s important to set aside time for self-care.”

“It’s one of the most important lessons my predecessor taught me, the least I could do was pass it on,” Padmé comments idly and decides that some time before Apailana’s coronation in three months, Padmé is going to have to find an excuse to end up in a canal with her. You know, for tradition’s sake.

“Well, this is my self-care time. I am spending time with someone I don’t get to see as often as I would like but who I love spending time with.” Apailana grins and loops her arm through Padmé’s. It’s not exactly proper conduct for a queen-elect of Naboo, but the other monarchs have always been exceptions to those traditions and rules anyway.

“Well, who am I to argue with that?” Is Padmé’s response, which earns a beaming grin. They make their way out of the mostly deserted spaceport to the streets of Theed. Between her own handmaiden training and all the time she has spent with the members of the Guard and Ani’s battalion, Padmé can pinpoint the exact moment Apailana’s new security detail joins them outside the spaceport, even though they are staying out of the way. Apailana doesn’t appear to notice. Sabé would be so disappointed in her pupil, but Padmé trusts that the 13-year-old (one of the youngest queens in modern history! Padmé’s so proud) will pick these things up in the brutal handmaiden training that is in her future. Actually, that reminds Padmé.

“Have you met your handmaidens yet?” She asks the queen elect, who beams in response.

“I did! Just three days ago. They’re all wonderful.” Padmé grins at the excitement in Apailana’s voice. Meeting her handmaidens had been one of the best parts of being queen elect.

“Tell me about them.” Padmé grins. They turn onto one of the busier streets of Theed and Apailana unhooks her arm from Padmé’s, which Padmé understands and would have done the same, but she’s a little disappointed anyway.

“Well, there are five of them, and it’s a little weird because we all look so alike, but every time we train together that gets less weird,” Padmé notes as Apailana gushes that her student has managed to break herself of her habit of gesturing wildly as she speaks. She’s growing up. “There’s- well, they all picked new names this morning.”

“That is an important moment, and a big milestone.” Padmé grins, and Apailana beams.

“I know! Okay, so, there are five of them. Maphia and Sala, who are sisters. They’re both singers, although Maphia sings ballads and Sala prefers pop songs.” Apailana’s lips twitch. “I have learned a lot about the difference between the two in the past couple of days.” Padmé snorts. She remembers that. Rabé had taught her a lot about painting, and Yané still holds many… opinions on the weavings in the palace. “Then there’s Shanta, who was raised in Otoh Gunga. Her parents moved there when she was four, and she continual expresses it is to see the sun every morning, which is equally weird for the rest of us.” Oh wow, Padmé feels old. Every now and then it happens, like when she’s reminded that Apailana was born during the reign of Queen Amidala. “And then Yimana was born on Naboo, but her parents and her brother were all born on Balmorra before they came to Naboo as refugees during the reign of Queen Reillata. And finally, do you remember Yasmin, who was in the Junior Legislative Program with me?”

“I do. The two of you were practically inseparable.” Padmé grins, remembering fondly.

“She’s taken the name Yonya, and is working alongside me,” Apailana announces, and Padmé gives her a soft smile.

“I’m glad. I have a handmaiden like that as well – Sabé was my best friend in the Junior Legislative Program as well, although we met before it, since we grew up on the same street, but she’s one of my closest confidants to this day and has stood by me through everything.”

“Really? I thought I was the only one who asked someone they knew before to join them.” Apailana sags with relief, and Padmé can’t help but laugh.

“Truly. In fact, it was Sabé who started the tradition of handmaidens changing their names alongside the monarch.” Apailana looks up at Padmé in surprise.

“Really? That kind of felt like something that… had just always been done.” Padmé squeezed Apailana’s hand quickly.

“Well, we have been doing it as long as you have been alive.” Apailana makes a face at that.

“You’re old.”

“I- thanks. Real diplomatic.”

“It’s just the truth.” Padmé restrains a sigh of amusement.

“Do you want to know another tradition that’s leftover from my reign that Sabé started?”

“You’re changing the subject.”  Apailana sing-songs, and she’s not wrong. “But now I’m curious, so yes.”

“Sabé was the first handmaiden to actually act as queen when taking on the role of the body-double, rather than just all of us wearing the handmaiden’s garb while traveling,” Padmé confesses.

“What, really?” Padmé flushes as she nods her confirmation. “Now I want to know why.” Padmé is really glad she no longer has to wear the elaborate makeup and, as such, can bury her face in her hands.

“I snuck out of a diplomatic event with a couple of the other girls, and we all got totally covered in glitter and covered dye at the party we went to. We couldn’t get it all off in the morning, and we couldn’t admit we’d snuck out of a diplomatic summit, so Sabé, the only one of us not covered in glitter and paint, was queen that day.” Apailana bursts out in laughter right there, and Padmé suspects that if the girl weren’t queen elect in the middle of the streets, she would have doubled over. When her laughter dies down, Apailana looks at Padmé with the look the older woman has come to associate with having something on her mind.

“What’s going through your mind?” Padmé probes.

“It’s just… you always sound like you got along so well with all of your handmaidens, but I don’t feel nearly that close with mine. Sure, they’re all fun people, but we just… don’t click like that.” The younger girl confesses. Padmé grins.

“We didn’t click right away either. It takes time, Apailana. It will happen. There’s no one a queen has to spend more time with or have to put more trust in than her handmaidens. At least you all get along already. My handmaidens and I could barely stand each other at first.” Padmé snorts remembering it all. “It will happen in time, Apailana, and someday, you will also have a thousand dumb stories to tell the future queens as well.”

Notes:

look, there was going to be a scene explaining why Padme had to go to a different spaceport, but it didn't flow right, so here's the deal:

Apailana is remodeling.

That's it that's the story she thinks it's about time someone did something about the carbon scoring that's been there since the invasion of Naboo when Padme was queen.

Also, here’s a collage of Apailana’s handmaidens, all of whom are my OCs.

Starting at the top left and working around clockwise it is Maphia, Sala, Yime, Yonya, and finally Shanta.

[whatcouldgowrong-ohthat]

We Do This to Live Ch. 3

Chapter Three

Summary: On Earth-198742, there are no heroes. There’s humans. There’s mutants. There are even some that fall somewhere between. But when Boliver Trask manages to get the Sentinel program signed, it’s up to a thief and her brilliant sister to find those that still believe in something more - something good. And maybe, along the way, they’ll get the chance to save mutant kind.

Pairings: Rogue x Remy, Marie x Shuri (eventually), Geneva x Bucky (eventually)

Word Count: 2782 words

Warnings: Cussing, fighting, mentions of blood

Masterlist to OCs - Masterlist to Other Works

Previous Chapter

--

Two Hours Ago

Highschool parties weren’t exactly what the TV shows and movies portrayed. But that being said – kids from New Orleans always had a flair for parties and this was no different. Speakers had been strapped to the trees, blaring music. Lights were tangled in the trees and Spanish moss, adding a glow where the small fire couldn’t quite reach. Most of the kids had snuck random alcohol from their parents’ houses. Not unexpected – it was a bunch of kids whose parents no doubt conceived them on Bourbon street. Remy and Rogue often made the joke that their behavior was “in their blood”.

Now, Geneva wasn’t sure what she expected when she came here, but so far? She was having fun. For once, she didn’t feel like the sick kid. She wasn’t a thief’s daughter or anything like that. Here, she could just be Gen.

And she liked that.

She poured herself some whiskey from the stash, enjoying the burn it sent down her throat. Some of the kids were already buzzed, more so tipsy and borderline drunk, but she hadn’t felt anything yet. Just a little warm. Walking past the dry-humping buffoons, she looked back at the water. It glowed a pale white from the moon and pretty red orange from their company, calm even though there were gators sleeping just beneath.

“Mon pere says it ain’t gonna be too long ‘fore they roundin’ ‘em all up.”

Geneva grimaced at that thick accent, her ears recognizing the voice faster than her brain could recall the name. Oliver Boudreaux. Julien’s bastard kid. He and a couple other kids had grabbed some chairs. She recognized the bottle at his feet, knowing very well that its contents were most likely moonshine.

“Y’really t’ink so? C’mon, they ain’t all bad.”

“We got our in diable blanc livin’ right under our noses, ‘member,” Oliver asked. Geneva scowled. Having braced against a tree, her hand dug into the bark.

“Oli, stop,” one of the girls said. Though he had remained oblivious, she’d seen Geneva listening to their conversation. Her eyes were fixated on the water, but there was no doubt the girl was paying attention.

But Oliver didn’t care. He waved her off, telling one of the others, “Mon pere says him ‘n’ that vipere venimeuse ain’t gonna be ‘round too long.”

“Oliver.” Geneva finally speaking up was enough to silence the giggles that had erupted from his friends. He looked over his shoulder, those eyes of his as bright and cold as his dad’s. She smiled sweetly, stepping over a massive tree root as she told him, “Shut up.”

Oliver scowled, knowing just as much about Geneva as she did about him. That’s what it meant to have family in the Guilds. You were known. “Learn y’place, fillette.” His disgust flipped, twisting into a satisfied smile as the others snickered. He raised his glass.

“Could tell y’the same t’ing,” Geneva snapped as the moonshine met thin lips. “That’s mon famille y’talkin’ ‘bout, Couyon.”

Oliver tensed. He and Julien always had the same triggers. The same weaknesses.

They hated being called a fool.

Oliver stood up. His foot knocked over the bottle. Moonshine soaked his shoe and the ground, but he didn’t care. He had a point to make. Lanky in build, but towering over Geneva, he stalked towards her until she was pinned between him and the tree.

“Oli! Quit it!” One of the girls stood, noticing how Geneva refused to back down. Still, they didn’t want the party ruined over Guild drama.

“Non, the kid wants t’act like she all high and mighty,” Oliver spat, never looking away from her. She straightened; shoulders set. Smirking, he looked her up and down. From head to toe, lingering in spots that made her skin crawl. “This’s y’first party, fillette. Might wanna pick and choose y’battles. Dieu knows y’bout as weak as de rest o’them t’ieves.”

She watched him take a step back, hating that once again satisfaction glimmered in his eyes. Geneva knew she shouldn’t egg him on. Her parents always told her to never start fights. They told her to finish them, sure. But never, ever start.

Oliver looked over his shoulder, amused by her silence and grinning at his friends. “Cat got y’tongue, fillete?” He turned back to Geneva, reeking of alcohol. Leaning into her ear, he whispered, “Can’t wait ‘till y’mutie parents are rottin’ in cells. It’s what they deserve.”

Well, maybe they could forgive her this one time.

It was instinct, what happened next. She rammed her knee into his stomach. A smirk appeared when he grunted, stumbling back. But it wasn’t satisfying enough. He called her dad the devil. Her mother? A poisonous viper.

It wasn’t enough.

Her fist curled, held in the way her dad always showed her how. One hit to his jaw. He spat out blood.

It still wasn’t enough.

But Oliver was ready now.

He caught her second punch, shoving her into the tree. The bark scraped against her back as the kids scurried to their feet, running off to get help. Teenagers kicked branches in and out, ignoring how some caught fire.

How embers caught leaves…caught moss…and spread.

“Y’ pathetic,” he snapped. His hand flew, a blur in the dark. It snapped against her cheek. Tasting blood, Geneva knew he split her lip. But she didn’t care what she tasted. She cared about how it felt.

A rush.

That was what it felt like.

“Learn y’place now,” he snarled at her.

Her red hair, a curtain between the two of them, hid the key detail he needed in this moment. She looked up. The flecks of gold everyone recognized were no longer small. No longer glimmering and faint. They moved. Spun like liquid and glowed in the darkness.

The string lights snapped, each bulb popping one by one as electricity glimmered under her cheekbones, along her skin.

She looked radiant.

And Oliver looked afraid.

His words were a faint murmur, weak and stuttering as he spoke, “Le fille du diable.”

Electricity flickered out of her skin. It danced along her cheek, as if happy to finally be a part of her world. Each strand and glimmer traveled down her body, cording itself around her arm as she stepped towards him. He stumbled back, finally remembering who exactly her parents were.

“’M gonna make y’eat those words.”

Her fist, glowing brilliantly, collided with his cheek.

And a brilliant light lit up the bayou.

----

Remy pulled up to the scene, making sure to keep his distance from people too nosey to mind their own business. Since the news made the announcement, there were more people. More cars. He tensed, fingers curling around the wheel when he recognized one logo on two black vans.

SHIELD.

Getting out of the car, he made his way to the bayou. No one was paying attention to the thief in the shadows. Everyone had eyes on the news crew, the men in black and blue, and someone else. Remy froze. He recognized him. The man with sandy blonde speaking to one of the officers. Alexander Pierce.

Remy really needed to find Geneva.

-

Devil eyes glowing in the darkness, Remy paused on the outskirts of the party and watched as firefighters assessed the damage. There was so much. He saw the remains of the fire pit and breathed a sigh of relief. At least there was little chance that she was the one who started it. Maybe they just hadn’t found her yet.

He stuck close to the shadows, noticing a couple more kids getting rounded up. They were being questioned by men in suits. Nowadays, there were always men in suits. Remy grimaced. Still, he saw no sign of his daughter.

Where was she?

Remy kept walking, light on his feet and careful not to step on any shattered glass. The last thing he needed was attention brought his way. He passed the speakers and lights, brow furrowing when he saw the bulbs were…gone.

“Gen,” he whispered, his voice so low that it blended with the wind. Remy wanted to scream. Every minute that passed sent a rush of terror through him. What if they found her? What if SHIELD was already prepping to send her to some prison? He gulped. Or the Raft…

The idea of his girl in one of those cages, a collar around her neck, and no chance of seeing family again…

Tears brimmed his eyes.

“C’mon, petite luciole,” he muttered, wincing when he heard a clang. Remy looked down. His metal boot had kicked a bottle. Great. They’d been drinking. Picking up the glass bottle, he brought it to his nose and grimaced. Moonshine. What idiot chose to drink this?

Tossing the bottle towards the water, he expected a splash. What he got was a whimper.

Remy’s head spun. His eyes flickered to the trees, noticing the branches had splintered. Cracked. Fallen. Looking to the water, Remy caught sight of a leg. A body under those branches, a part of it in the water. “Geneva,” he murmured. It was a miracle she hadn’t been attacked by a gator in the middle of all of this. He pushed the branches aside, noticing the scratches they left behind. “Geneva, bebe, c’mon. Say somet’in’.”

He ignored the voices behind him, already well aware that he had to move fast. Another whimper passed her lips as he set a branch aside. With no hesitation, he reached for her, fingers brushing her skin.

A jolt ran through him. He hissed, jerking his hand back. And that was when it hit him. “Oh…Petite…” he whispered, now noticing the glimmers and streaks of gold passing under her skin.

She was a mutant.

--

…Beep…Beep…Beep…

Geneva groaned softly, recognizing that sound. A heart monitor. A hand securely held onto her left, fingers intertwined and holding tight. She slowly opened her eyes, relief washing over her when she saw Rogue asleep at her side. “Mama?”

Rogue opened her eyes, the rough sound of Geneva’s voice stirring her. Her shoulders relaxed, relief easing the tension away as she beamed at her daughter. “You’re alright,” she breathed. A statement more so for herself than her daughter, but neither admitted that.

She moved to sit up, already knowing the drill. Her hand met the sheets, but she wasn’t greeted by a warmth or softness. She felt pain. Geneva cried out, jerking her arm and cradling it to her chest. She hadn’t even realized her hand and arm were bandaged up. Looking from her injury to her mother, she asked, “What happened?”

Her mother faltered, gloved hand lightly tracing hers. How could she explain? “Sweetheart,” she murmured, squeezing again. “Somethin’ happened at the party.”

Memories flashed behind her eyes. The party. Oliver. The fight. Geneva’s jaw dropped, realization dawning on her. “I’m a…”

Worry flitted over Rogue’s eyes as she watched Geneva. She knew being a mutant was hard, now more so than ever.

But what she hadn’t expected was the grin that split Geneva’s face.

“So I’m really a mutant?”

“Oui, y’are.” The two looked up, smiling when they saw Remy standing in the doorway. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a couple days. His eyes were red, hair mussed, and he needed a shave. But seeing Geneva awake and happy? That was enough to make him feel a million times lighter. “Y’really okay wit’ this?”

To her, it was simple. Her parents were mutants. She had to be a mutant. It was just a matter of when for her. Not if. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Told ya,” Marie spoke up, poking her head around Remy. She ran past him, grabbing the spare chair and scooting it to Geneva’s side. “Now, we have a lot t’figure out.”

Geneva groaned, collapsing against her pillows as Rogue stood. They hadn’t taken her to the hospital. The private physician didn’t think it was necessary. If anything, he was relieved to finally have a reason for the fevers that truly made sense. She came to Remy’s side as Marie plopped a stack of research on her lap, squeezing his arm. “Maybe we should let them process this together, Sugah,” Rogue whispered against his shoulder. It was an excuse really, but Rogue wanted him to rest. Truly rest because he needed it.

“Yeah,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head. “Let’s…” He smiled tiredly. “Let’s go take a nap.”

Geneva noticed them leave, but Marie was far too wrapped up in her research. Her actions and buzzing energy made Geneva feel…alive? More awake? She wasn’t sure. But even now, she felt far more aware of everything than she had ever been before.

Shaking her head, she looked at the papers in hand. “What’s all this?”

“Everyt’in’ I could find on mutants right now.”

Geneva’s gaze shifted to Marie. Did she really – “Marie, how long’ve I been asleep?”

She shrugged, as if stating the weather when she admitted, “Nine days, twelve hours, t’irty-two minutes, and…” Marie checked her watch. “Eh, I t’ink we can ignore the seconds.”

Geneva’s stomach twisted in knots. Maybe that was why she felt so rested now. But still, that had been a long time. Shouldn’t she be tired from resting too much? Combing her fingers through her hair, Geneva forced herself out of her thoughts and back at the ramblings Marie spewed out so easily.

Jeez, the girl was smart.

“—And no one’s heard from that Tony guy since.” She flipped the page. “Oh! Just last week some guy named Charles Xavier was arrested! Apparently, he was helpin’ mutants up in N’York. Teachin’ them ‘ow t’control their powers and all that. But that’s not even the crazy part.” Marie combed her fingers through her hair, tugging it into a ponytail before turning a page and tapping on the photos there. “He had a whole team o’them actin’ like masked vigilantes. Called themselves the X-men.” She waved it off. “All arrested or disbanded now.”

Geneva ran her uninjured hand over her neck, feeling the tension rise underneath her skin. More organizations. More names. The Avengers – vigilantes and criminals after the Accords passed. Steve Rogers – given a lethal injection because he was a “man out of time” fighting for a cause that no longer existed. Because he was fighting against the government. Bruce Banner – sent to some middle-of-nowhere place called Wakanda. Natasha Romanoff – the Raft.

Logan Howlett…Orroro Munroe…The Brotherhood…James Barnes…T���Challa…Morlocks…

Arrested.

Disbanded.

Arrested.

Killed.

Banished.

Arrested.

“Marie!” Panic had settled in her voice, coiled underneath her skin. A fluorescent shattered above them. Geneva’s chest rose and fell with every quick breath she took.  

Marie winced, knowing she had taken it too far. “Je suis desole, I just…” She shrugged, offering a small smile. “Gen, y’got a chance t’really do somet’in’ good here. Somet’in’ more than the Guilds could ever hope t’be.”

Geneva stared at the sprawled-out papers. It was so much information. Things that Marie found so interesting. Things that gave Marie hope.

And Geneva already felt like she was drowning.

“I know,” Geneva murmured, offering a small smile. It wasn’t easy to make her nervous. She was the fun one. Always smiling. Always easy going.

But everything had changed so quickly.

“I t’ink I just…need t’rest.”

Marie nodded, already gathering up the papers. She would let Geneva read them on her own time. As Geneva watched her pack up, she knew she didn’t need rest. She needed the opposite of it. She felt as if her whole body was on fire, itching and tingling to do something.

She watched Marie leave, eyes fixated on the door shutting. When she was finally alone, she collapsed against the pillows and shifted her gaze to the ceiling. She knew Marie wanted her to be a hero. Something that wasn’t allowed to exist since 1998.

But right now, for the time being at least, Geneva had to be the only thing that could keep her safe.

“Y’look tired.”

Geneva yelped, sitting up and wincing when the jerk of her movements hurt her arm. She’d definitely have to be more careful. Shifting her attention from her arm to her newest guest, she smiled slightly when she saw her grandfather.

“’Ello.”

He came to sit next to her, noticeably careful not to touch her or the bed. While Marie and her parents didn’t mind the risk of injury, she knew he did. Jean Luc was careful. Calculated. It came with being the Guild Master.

“Pépé,” she asked, tugging at the bandage on her arm.

“Hm?”

Geneva took a slow breath. She knew her parents wouldn’t like this. She knew Marie wouldn’t either. But it was what she needed. “I…I wanna join the Guild.”

--

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@butcherofblackwater​

[sometimesiwritebadly]

The Lost Girl (Part 1)

Series Summary: The story of Raven, this first and only Lost Girl of Neverland. A long time ago she was a prisoner on a ship, and now she’s stuck on the island she helped create.

Chapter Summary: A long time ago in the Enchanted Forest, a young Killian, Liam, and Talia watch the stars. In present day Neverland, Raven runs into an old friend-turned-enemy.

Notes: Me? Starting a new series when I have two perfectly good ones? No I would never.

Ok actual notes now this is an OC story starting in season 3 of Once Upon A Time. It’s gonna have a little Peter Pan x OC, maybe some Henry x OC in far later chapters. But overall the story is more about my OC, Talia/Raven, than her relationships. In this story we’re disregarding the whole “Peter Pan is Rumplestiltskin’s dad” thing cause that was stupid. I’ll come up with something better. Also Henry is slightly aged up, I’m thinking around 15. I know this creates problems but i don’t really care :) Besides that there’s not much canon divergence for now, but once we get into seasons 4/5 whatever (idk IF the story will go that far into the show cause I only have a vague plan on the beginning and the end and the middle is a big old question mark) i’m gonna fix some shit *cough* frozen *cough*

Warnings: Heavily implied that the OC is a rape victim. I won’t ever go into any detail but it’s going to come up multiple times throughout this series. Not so much in this chapter, but depression/suicidal thoughts may come up in later chapters because of this. Language. 

Word Count: 2.6k

Series Masterlist

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~ A very long time ago ~

“Talia!” A young boy’s whispers, and his hand shaking her shoulder, woke Talia from her sleep. Talia slowly peeled her eyes open, to reveal a boy a few years younger than herself. 

“Killian, it’s the middle of the night.” 

“The stars are falling! Come out and look, Liam is already on the deck!” Killian tugged on Talia’s hands this time, pulling as hard as he could. Even though Talia was easily stronger than Killian, she allowed herself to be taken from her bunk at the mention of Liam. Liam, Killian, and Talia are the only kids on the ship, luckily all relatively close in age. Talia couldn’t help but develop a crush on Liam, who was only a year older than herself.

When Killian and Talia emerged onto the deck, Talia’s eyes were immediately drawn to the sky. Just as Killian had said, hundreds of stars appeared to fall from the sky in a way Talia had never seen before. Killian and Talia ran to the side of the ship to where Liam was already standing. The trio giggled as they watched the sky, pointing out their favorite stars and enjoying this rare moment of fun. Normally the time spent on the ship was the exact opposite; they were all servants, sold to work for Captain Silver until they could buy their way out. Liam and Killian were brothers, who had been sold to the Captain by their father. Talia was given to the Captain by her mother a year later, when her mother was in desperate need of money. The three of them spent their time cleaning the ship, and avoiding the abuse of the crew.

“I wish I could fly like the stars.” Talia said to the brothers, still watching the sky as the stars began to stand still once more. 

“What do you mean?” Killian asked, looking up to the girl. Talia often teased him for his height, as she stood nearly a head taller than him.

“The stars are free. I wish I could fly away and disappear, like...like a raven disappears into the night.” Talia felt a tear develop in her eye, though quickly wiped it away, not wanting to appear weak. As she got older, Captain Silver and some of the other crew had begun expecting more of her. Talia wasn’t sure how much longer she could succumb to their requests.

“You would leave us?” Killian said, in a whisper so low Talia could barely hear it. Talia knew her answer, though she couldn’t form the words to voice it. How could she tell Killian, her best friend, the closest she’d ever come to a brother, that she would leave if given the chance? Before she could figure out her answer, an adult voice interrupted the night.

“Talia.” The deep voice caused all three kids to turn around, and they found Captain Silver had joined them on the deck. “Come. Keep me company tonight.” Liam’s hand found Talia’s, causing her to turn to look at him. Liam gave her hand a comforting squeeze, before releasing it. Liam and Talia had agreed to try and keep this part of her life from Killian as long as they could. He was still two years younger than Talia, and blissfully oblivious to the darker parts of life. But as Talia grew, the crew became less subtle about their eyes for her.

“Aye, Captain.” Talia spoke to Silver, leaving her friends for a night she’d rather forget.

~ Present day ~

Raven ran through the woods of Neverland, avoiding the traps she knew lost boys had set. She’d lost count of the days she’d been running a long time ago. For more years than she’d like to admit, Raven had been trying to find a way off the island, and rumor has it that Pan was close to finding the heart of the truest believer, which meant she had to get off this island now or never. If Pan really did have the heart, he’d soon be more powerful than ever before. She wouldn’t be able to hide from him any longer, If Pan ever found out what she’d done, he’d kill her on sight.

Luckily, right now she didn’t have to worry too much about Pan finding her, because his focus was on the newest group that had landed on the island. Raven didn’t know who they were, but her magic made it easy to sense them. They had magic of their own, both light and dark, that much was obvious. If Pan is distracted by them, she may be able to find a portal back to the Enchanted Forest without Pan noticing.

Raven slowed her run to a walk as she approached her hideout. The only place on the island that was hidden from Pan. She had a friend that had used it when he hid from Pan a long time ago, but he was gone now, and with a little extra protection magic, she’d made it her own. Her eyes moved up to the rock that covered the entrance, only to see a group of people attempting to get in. Quickly she drew her bow, and took aim. Her warning shot hit the rock just past the ear of one of the men, causing the whole group to turn towards her. It was a group of five; three women and a man she didn’t recognize, and one man she did. Hook.

“Hook, why the hell are you invading my hideout?” Raven said, pointing her bow at him this time. The other four were armed with weapons of their own; one woman even had a ball of fire in her hand, but she paid no attention to them. 

“Your hideout? Last I checked Baelfire was the one who lived here, lass. And you were with Pan.” Killian’s words caused the group to look at her with even more animosity than before. Raven didn’t even get a chance to respond before a fireball was making its way towards your face.

“Regina, no!” One of the women yelled, but she quickly realized her words were useless. Raven moved her bow into her right hand, and used the left to easily catch the fireball before it could hit her. With a smirk on her face, she made the ball disappear. The strangers looked at the seemingly young girl with shocked faces.

“You’ve been gone a long time, Hook. A lot has changed. Especially me.” Raven briefly stopped speaking, and used her magic to move the stone blocking the entrance. “I’m assuming you’re looking for something of Bae’s.” Raven walked towards the group, slipping past the man and women who held swords to enter the little home. “His stuff is all here, help yourselves. Just do it quickly, you being here will bring Pan’s attention, and he and I aren’t exactly on speaking terms.” She had moved all of Bae’s old things into baskets, and so she pulled them out of their hiding spot and onto the makeshift table. “I don’t know what use they have to you, Hook.”

“We thought his things might show how he managed to get off the island.” The woman who spoke had held a bow, like your own, but she was the only one of the group who had actually put away her weapon. 

“Bae got off the island?”

“You didn’t know?” Hook said, taking a step towards Raven and putting away his sword.

“When he ran from camp I was still with the lost boys. When he never came back, I assumed Pan killed him, or that he’d died trying to get off the island.” Raven paused, not wanting to accidentally reveal too much emotion behind her next words. “I’m glad to hear that he’s ok.”

There was an awkward silence after she spoke. “He’s not exactly-” The brunette, the nice one, spoke, before being cut off by another woman, who you assumed to be Regina.

“He’s dead.” Any hope Raven had previously was squashed in an instant.

“Regina!” The man she didn’t know scolded, only to be met with Regina’s glare.

“What? Are we supposed to comfort her? Lie to her? Hook said it himself, she works for Pan!”

Raven scoffed. “I used to work with Pan. I never worked for him.” While she spoke, Hook and the blonde woman were examining the drawings on the walls. Most of them were old, from Bae’s time in the cave, but a few were newer. Raven had added to Bae’s doodles over the years. “If there’s anything in here that’ll get someone off the island, I haven’t found it. And trust me, I’ve been trying to get off this island for a long time.” She said, beginning to pull stuff out of one of the baskets. The nice woman joined her, inspecting each item as she went.

“I’m Snow.” She introduced herself as she worked, looking at a coconut bowl before setting it down. “That’s my husband, David, and our daughter, Emma. That’s Regina, and it’s clear that you already know Hook.” She pointed to each person she introduced. David and Emma each gave Raven a nod when Snow spoke their names, while Regina ignored her as she rummaged through another basket. “What’s your name?” Snow asked kindly.

“Raven.” She could hear Hook scoff from across the cave, but Raven elected to ignore it. 

“Hand me that candle.” Emma said from across the room. David grabbed it from the table where Snow had left it, and quickly lit it aflame before handing it to his daughter. Raven moved to the edge of the cave, watching as the group looked through Bae’s things and examined the wall. Emma and Hook had a hushed conversation about the drawings, while Regina, David, and Snow continued to look through the baskets. Emma turned away from Hook and spoke to the rest of the group after she finished looking at the artwork. “What’s all this?”

“Uh,” Snow began, “Just some cups and bowls he fashioned from things he found here.” Some of those items were actually Raven’s, but she decided to keep quiet and continue watching quietly.

“I don’t know how great a cup this coconut could make. It’s filled with holes.” Raven had already discovered the map that the coconut actually revealed, but she also knew the problem that followed it. So again, she kept quiet. She had no reason to help them, and she hoped once they realized there was nothing of use here, they’d leave and never come back.

“Uh, maybe it’s a tiny...colander.” Snow suggested.

“What’s a colander?” Raven spoke up. Snow waved it off, signalling that it wasn’t exactly important. 

“Yes, because preteen Baelfire probably made lots of pasta.” Regina noted sarcastically, ignoring your question and rolling her eyes at Snow. While Snow glared at Regina, you noticed Emma figuring out the hidden map.

“Hold on…” She started, “Hook, snuff out that torch.” Hook followed her direction quickly, and plunged the cave into darkness. Emma connected the two coconuts, and looked up at the roof. 

“What, am I supposed to be impressed that he made a night-light?” Regina made yet another sarcastic comment.

Raven, having enough of their slow place, decided to jump in. “It’s a map.” Unlike the rest of the group, who were looking at the ceiling, Raven’s eyes were fixed at the ground. She’d stared at that map hundreds of times, but could never decode it. 

“To home?” Emma questioned, a slight attitude in her voice, “I thought you said there wasn’t anything useful here?”

“I didn’t lie. It’s unreadable.”

“Aye, She’s right.” Hook said. Raven looked up, shocked that Hook would even be willing to admit she was right about anything. “There was a short time in Neverland when Baelfire was aboard my ship. I taught him to navigate using the stars. What you’re looking at is the fruit of my labors.”

“Then you can read it.” Regina noted, as she glanced away from the map and towards Hook. For the first time Raven had heard, there was no animosity in her voice. Raven scoffed at her remark, causing Regina’s glare to return and land on Raven. “What?”

Raven looked at Hook as she quoted the words they’d both heard as children, “The best captains conceal their maps in a code.” Hook held the stare for a moment before he spoke again.

“Aye. He was an apt pupil.”

“So you’re saying the only person who can read this map is Neal.” Snow said. Even her hope appeared to be draining. Raven’s eyebrows furrowed at the name Neal, but she figured Bae must’ve done the same thing she had when he left Neverland; New life, new name. 

“Which means the only person who can read it is dead. I told you, there’s nothing useful here.” Raven said. Emma took the lid off of the candle, before setting it back on the table and walking out of the cave, followed by Snow and David.

Regina continued to look annoyed, but shuffled through the last of Baelfire’s items. Raven decided to take this moment to confront Hook.

“Why’d you come back?”

Hook looked at her with an unreadable expression. “Why aren’t you working with Pan anymore?” Raven rolled her eyes at his question. Pan was the last person she wanted to be thinking about.

“We had a disagreement. Answer my question.”

“Pan found the heart of the truest believer.”

Raven drew a deep breath at this. Sure, she’d heard the rumors, but it’s different to have it confirmed. She’s really running out of time now. “I heard. What does that have to do with you?”

“It’s Emma’s son. Emma and…” Hook paused. “Emma and Baelfire’s boy.” Raven’s eyebrows shot up now. This was not what she’d expected at all. To learn that Baelfire made it off the island, died, and had a son who was now being held captive by Pan all at once is a lot for anyone to handle. Especially someone who has so much history with Bae.

“Pan took Bae’s son?” Raven could barely believe it.

“Aye.”

At this point, Emma came marching back in, followed by Snow and David. David took this time to relight the torch. The group began looking around again, she assumed they were trying to come up with some kind of plan, but Raven was hardly paying attention. She owed Baelfire so much, and even though every logical bone in her body said that she should just get these people out of her life, her heart knew she had to at least attempt to help. After all, she’d spent so many years working with Pan, her help had set Pan in the right direction to find Bae’s son. When Emma, Snow, and Regina made their exit Raven followed them, while Hook and David stayed behind a moment. 

“I want to help you guys.”

“No.”

“Really?”

Regina and Snow spoke at the same time, glaring at the other’s response.

“Look, I know you guys have no reason to trust me, but I owe Baelfire my life.” Behind you, David and Hook exited the cave. She had the whole group’s attention now. “If I can’t pay back Bae, the least I can do is help his son. Plus, I really hate Pan.” Raven could practically feel Hook rolling his eyes behind her, but she kept talking. “And I spent more years than I could count working with him. I know him better than anyone. All I ask in exchange is passage off the island after we find the boy.”

“Henry.” Emma said, as she took a step towards Raven, “His name is Henry. How do we know this isn’t a trick? Can you prove to us that you don’t work with Pan anymore?”

“Yes.”

“How?” Hook spoke up this time, coming into her line of sight.

“Easy. I’ll take you to my grave.”

~~~

I hope this is a good first chapter! I had a hard time deciding when to stop lol, but i already have half of the next chapter written so hopefully I’ll update this one pretty soon :)

[xrikix]

Happy Birthday Iwaizumi! A birthday AU <3

It’s an AU where all the Haikyuu characters are grown up in the future! We also made OCs for their children :). Enjoy~

Happy Birthday Iwa-Chan! 

Iwazumi was standing besides the counter, sipping his coffee as he slowly let the caffeine wash away his drowsiness. The sunlight filtered through the windows, lighting up the kitchen with rays of yellow. The city was quiet, with the leaves rustling outside from the slight breeze. 

The silence was peaceful… maybe a little too peaceful. Soon enough, Iwaizumi heard feet thumping on the wooden floors of the house as his son yelled at Oikawa for waking him up too early in the morning. Iwazumi sighed, placing his coffee on the counter, waiting for them to appear in front of his eyes like a traveling circus. 

Okiawa slid in through the doorway of the kitchen, clutching the side of the wall as Hoshi popped up behind, slamming into Oikawa in the process. Both of them, catching their breaths from running, looked up to see Iwazumi staring at them in confusion. Iwazumi opened his mouth, his expression tired, “It’s too early for-” 

“Happy birthday!” Hoshi yelled, cutting in. Both Oikawa and their son had a huge smile on their face as they looked at Iwaizumi expectantly. Iwazumi exhaled, trying to hide his obvious happiness.

He laughed, “Happy birthday to me, I guess.” 

Okiawa walked up to him, placing a kiss on his cheek, “We need to do something for your birthday!” 

Iwazumi shook his head, “I’m fine with just relaxing at home.” 

Hoshi gasped, “No! You can’t do that dad! You need to go out and enjoy your birthday!” 

Okiawa was pondering ideas before brightening when one hit him, “Let’s go on a date!” Oikawa grabbed Iwaizumi by his arm, snuggling with his body.

Iwazumi chuckled, “There’s really no need-” 

Hoshi shook his head, beginning to push Iwaizumi out of the kitchen, “No, no, dad. Go out and have fun.” 

Iwazumi confused, twisted his head to look at his son, “What about you? What will happen while we’re gone?” 

“Don’t mind me dad,” Hoshi said as he grunted from the weight of trying to push his dad out the door, “Just go and have fun. Look at dad! He’s practically jumping from excitement.” Iwazumi looked towards where Hoshi pointed his finger, his eyes meeting his husband who was bouncing with joy.

Iwazumi sighed, “I guess we haven’t gone out for a while… Okay, fine. But-- ” 

“No buts! Go have fun!” Hoshi said as he pushed Iwaizumi out the front door. 

Iwazumi squinted as the sun suddenly glared into his eyes, “Hoshi, I’m not dressed yet.” 

“Oh.” 

“Why did we ride the train?” Iwazumi asked as he and Oikawa stepped off the train, onto the platform, and into the bustling crowd. 

Okiawa who couldn’t stop glowing from the thought of having a date looked at his husband, “It’s a surprise!” 

Iwazumi rolled his eyes, “Well, let’s get to it.”

The sun continued to shine brightly into the afternoon sky with the white clouds gently rolling by. Iwazumi couldn’t ignore the fact that everything was peaceful. They were walking side by side, with Oikawa randomly clinging to him as they looked at the different shops. 

Iwazumi glanced at his husband, and saw that he was wearing a beige coat they had bought on their first vacation together. Iwaizumi smiled, “Aren’t you hot?” 

Okiawa looked over his shoulder and shook his head, “Not really.” He was dressed with a short sleeve shirt with jeans but topped with a beige coat around his shoulders. Although simple, it radiated his fashion style as they walked around on the streets. 

Oikawa decided to twist Iwazumi's words, grinning to himself, he looked at Iwaizumi square in the eyes, “Did you just call me hot?” he remarked. 

Iwazumi chuckled, “You answered my question already.” He could feel Okiawa slip his hands into his. He could feel the rough calluses from the years he had practiced volleyball. 

“Well I think you look even hotter than usual," Okiawa said, staring back into the distance. Iwazumi was dressed in clothes that Okiawa forced him into, a jean jacket over a simple white shirt and jeans. Iwazumi sighed, “You forced me into this.” 

“Is it so bad to make my husband look hot?” Iwazumi gave a slight grin, not bothering to respond to his question, both fully knowing the answer. 

They continued to walk for a few more minutes as they came across an antique bar nestled the corner of a street. Okiawa opened the door and cool air blasted onto their face making them feel refreshed. Iwazumi looked around, the wood paneling on the floors contrasted the white walls. Different plants were set up around the place along with fairy lights that strung across the ceiling. The bar was in the middle of the room, with tables set up around it. Tucked away in a corner was a record player, playing sweet melodic music throughout the place. 

Iwazumi felt relaxed inside the new bar, very different from the loud pulsating ones that his teams made him go to after their games. The bar was quiet, with only a few people here and there, the chatter breaking the silence. 

Okiawa walked them over to the bar, with the sole bartender’s back to them. “Can we have some drinks?” 

The bartender turned around and Iwazumi gasped. Standing in front of them was Kyotani from high school. His hair was still blonde, with the two dark lines but was slightly longer. He still had a fierce, brooding look on his face but nodded at Okiawa’s question. “What are you doing here Kyotani?” Iwazumi asked. 

Okiawa smiled, “He owns this place.” 

Iwazumi stood in awe as he watched Kyotani professionally make their drinks. His hands added the ingredients, shook the shaker, and with a flourish added the extra details. Within a few minutes, he placed the drinks gently in front. 

Okiawa took a sip and sighed from how relieving it felt, “Mad-dog chan, you make one fine drink.” Iwazumi had to agree as he felt the liquid slip through his mouth, the refreshing taste cooled him off.  

“Thank you,” Kytoani said, his voice deep but surprisingly still quiet. “What are you here for?” 

“It’s Iwa-chan’s birthday,” Okiawa responded as he faced Iwaizumi. 

Kyotani glanced at Iwaizumi, “Happy birthday.”

 Iwazumi chuckled, “Thank you, it’s nice to see you doing well.” 

Kyotani nodded and walked off to the side of the bar to greet new customers, leaving the couple alone with their drinks. 

“This was surprisingly nice,” Iwazumi said, taking another sip and enjoying how peaceful he felt. 

Okiawa softly laughed, “You wanted to just relax right? So here we are," he said, as his eyes wandered around the bar. 

Iwazumi sighed in contempt, "Don't you think it's a bit early for drinks?" He stared out the window, the sun still high in the sky, "It's only the afternoon."

 "We're at a bar, and bars are where you drink." 

Iwazumi laughed, "Noted." 

The two were quiet out of contempt and comfort. It felt nice to be around each other in this setting where no words were needed. 

Iwazumi sighed as he outstretched his arms to relax with his thoughts wandering, "Look at where life brought us." His hands were on top of the counter, and he could feel Okiawa lightly put his hands on top.

He looked to see a grin on Oikawa’s face, "We're at the peak of our careers, playing volleyball."

"With a family," Iwazumi added, envisioning Hoshi in his head. 

Okiawa stifled his emotions that were starting to get the better of him, "I'm glad." 

Iwazumi nodded, after a moment of silence, both cherishing how lucky they were. 

"Thank you for this." Iwaizumi grabbed Oikawa’s hands.

"Anything for you darling." 

Although Iwaizumi has never been an emotional person, so much so that he never knew how to properly convey his feelings in words, right now that didn't matter. His mouth opened to mutter the words he would say a thousand times over and over again, just for one person, "I love you." 

Okiawa's grin grew wide as his eyes glittered with happiness, "I love you too," both meeting for a kiss. 

Although they spent most of their time in the bar, catching up with Kyotani, they eventually went outside. They walked past countless shops as Oikawa glanced at all the clothing. Soon enough, the sun was waiting to wave goodbye.

The peacefulness hadn’t lasted very long after that.

When they arrived home from their date, Iwazumi opened the front door to find literal chaos. 

Kyotani was sitting on the couch, silent and occasionally shift his eyes towards the kitchen. They could hear the yells and screams of multiple people emerging as the couple walked into their home. 

"Uh, hey Kyotani..." Okiawa said, oblivious. 

Iwazumi, slightly concerned, faced Kyotani, "What are you doing here?" 

He didn't respond but his eyes were focused on the kitchen. 

Iwazumi sighed, seeing the living room covered in bags, garbage, paper, party supplies, everything just thrown everywhere. He gingerly walked towards the kitchen, worried at what he would find. With Oikawa behind him, they entered the kitchen to find the twins of Kageyama and Hinata ruining the peace. Leo was furiously swiping on his phone, Minami was covered in frosting, and Hoshi was trying to save a burnt cake. 

Iwazumi's eyes continued to wander as he noticed baking supplies flung everywhere. Flour coated the walls, eggs dripped on the floor. He saw Hinata and Kageyama on the other side looking dejected and tired, as they flung themselves away from the children. Hanamaki and Mattsun on the other hand were dying from laughter. 

The group didn't seem to notice as Leo looked up from his phone, gasping when he saw Okiawa and Iwazumi standing in the doorway in shock. He turned to the rest of the crew, "Um guys? We have visitors…" he said,  gingerly waving. 

Okiawa waved back but Iwazumi continued to stare.

"Hello Mr. Oikawa and Mr. Iwazumi, nothing suspicious is going on here." Minami said as she quickly wiped frosting off herself.

"Oh hey!" Hoshi said as he hid the cake behind him, “Didn't notice that you guys arrived!" He sheepishly chuckled as he flashed a what do we do look at the twins. 

Minami shrugged and Leo mouthed some words towards Hoshi, who nodded. 

Okiawa walked over to prod Kageyama and Hinata who looked like their souls were sucked out of their bodies. "So… tired… how… " muttered Hinata as his eyes were blank. Kageyama's head was pressed into the table, no response.

"Um, I think they're broken," Okiawa remarked as he backed away. 

Hanamaki almost choking on his laughter said, "Oh yeah, they tried to fix this but was bombarded with all the stuff the kids were doing," 

Mattsun nodded, "You should have seen them try to help the kids after they burned the cake! Hilarious! We have it all filmed here," as he proudly shoved the phone in their faces. 

"Um… we'll get this all cleaned up I swear…" Hoshi said as he continued to try and fix the cake. Iwazumi, not knowing how to respond, soon bursted out in laughter. His amusement rang throughout the kitchen, adding onto Hanamaki and Mattsun’s, soon Okiawa joined in.

“You’re not mad?” Hoshi hesitantly looked up, his expression still confused. 

Iwazumi shook his head, “Why would I be? It was just a surprise, it’s the thought that counts.” 

Hanamaki snickered, “But your house is a mess.” 

Iwazumi sent him a glare, “And you guys are helping me clean it up since you found this so amusing.” 

The house was a mess but in due time, everyone was able to clean it up. The moon was shimmering in the night sky and despite everything that had happened, they managed to pull off a small celebration. With the help of Oikawa and Hinata, who recovered himself, Hoshi baked an actually decent cake. 

The twins helped decorate the cake, with a rainbow of frosting. 

“You call that a volleyball?” Minami said as she pointed at a lump of white frosting that Leo meticulously placed on the cake. 

“What do you mean? It clearly looks like a volleyball!” 

“It looks like poop!”

“Oh yeah?” Leo said whipping his head, “Yours is a flippen oval! What volleyball is oval?!” 

“It’s a circle!” Minami angrilerly faced Leo. 

“Hah?” Kageyama towered behind his kids, his glare sending chills down their spine, “Quiet down.” 

The two returned to work with their mouths shut. Hoshi snickered from the side to which Minami looked up and stuck her tongue out. 

Festivities continued and they placed the newly decorated cake in the center of the table with candles.

Iwazumi had the biggest grin on his face as he watched his family and friends sing happy birthday. The amount of love that engulfed him, he could not speak into words. 

He joyfully laughed as the song ended and he blew out the candles. He knew he might be a year older, but he could feel the steady beating of his heart, telling him that he’s still here. He would never trade his family for anything and his thoughts wandered back, to high school, to college, his volleyball games, his marriage, and especially the day that he got to meet his son, Hoshi. Like he said before, he felt extremely lucky, surrounded by the people he cared about, thankful for what life provided him. 

“Frosting attack!!” Hoshi took a glob of frosting and shoved it into his dad’s face. Oikawa and the rest of the crew gasped.

Iwaizumi, shocked, slowly came back to his senses. “Run or die.”

He didn’t have to tell Hoshi twice.

[alwaysrunningoutoftime]

(Pictures: 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9)

Your Friendly Neighbourhood, Wizard. (Alex Russo/Justin Russo Fanfiction)

Prologue

Pairing: Superhero! Alex Russo x Justin Russo, Slowburn.

Genre: Action, Humour,  Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Romance

Warnings: mild/explicit language, Injuries, sisterxbrother.

Set: After Season 4x10 "Wizards Vs. Angels" (Which is somewhat heavily involved in both Alex and Justin’s separate storylines.) + “Back to Max”.

Est. Length: 8 Chapters.

Summary: After defeating the dark angels, Justin continues to teach his delinquent class unconsciously suppressing his guilt over the ramifications of the moral compass. Simultaneously, Alex unconventionally stumbles into a superhero gig. Inept and unprepared, great power and an even greater burden is placed on her shoulders. Bothered by his sisters reoccurring absence, Justin determinedly investigates her distant behaviour. Meanwhile, Alex is forced to face a truth she’d always buried, discovering it unwillingly from a formidable powerful being she will have to defeat.

Disclaimer/Author's Note: I’ve been brainstorming this fic probably since quarantine started. It’s mostly inspired by Spiderman! Into the Spiderverse, Holland! Spiderman and Garfield! Spiderman. As well as the looks and feel of DC Comic’s Raven and Marvel’s Scarlet Witch. Other inspirations include music from Birds of Prey, On My Block, Euphoria. All of which I do not own. In addition, I sadly do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.

However, Alex’s origin story is wholly my own that I personally thought up myself (so let’s hope it’s believable) and if it correlates with any other superhero storyline it’s purely coincidental. The OC’s are also obviously my own creation.

“Do you know why you’re here, Alex Russo?”

“Ummm…” Alex backed up at the man's intense stare. She was pretty sure he was going for intimidation, but it fell short landing right on uncomfortable. “Not really…”

“Well, young lady,” His words were layered thick with haughtiness. Alex had just met the man today and she already knew she disliked him. “It seems you were part of a riot in central park.”

“No…” She narrowed her eyes at him, shook her head, even elongated the word in an attempt to get it through his thick skull. “I was trying to get home.”

She was actually trying to find her wand, but he didn’t need to know that. The wand that Rosie and Gorog decided to fling off the dark realm tower.  The detailed image of it glowing magic in the night sky as it twirled to its doom stayed seared to the front of her mind. She could even hear her own cry for it as everyone watched it go. My wand.

“So what were you doing in Central Park?” Right after returning the moral compass she searched Central Park assuming it had landed there. Key word: assuming. It was hard to calculate where objects falling off towers landed. For her, it was hard to calculate in general.

“A girl can’t go to one of New York City's finest parks just for the fuc- fun of it.” She replied with a smile, catching herself before she swore. It was just her luck to get the arrogant, novice, goody-two-shoes, by-the-book cop. They didn’t enjoy it when she did that.

“And you just happened to be hanging out with an enraged mob?” He asked mockingly. Okay so...she did get mixed up in a riot. Which wasn’t her fault. She was too focused at the task at hand to pay any attention to the crowd of screaming people she had walked through. What was more concerning was that one of those fuckers was stepping all over her wand, or worse one of them had already snapped its cherry redness in two.

“I wasn’t hanging out with them-”

“Yeah, instead you were disturbing the peace and provoking assaults.” Alex had to stay low to the ground for any sign of her wand which perhaps caused a few people to accidentally trip over her. There was also a minor possibility that her assertive bumping into others unintentionally started some fights. This all lead to Richard here (according to his desk tag), cuffing her and bringing her to the NYPD Central Park precinct. Meaning her wand had been left behind, defenceless against the grimy boots of crabby New Yorkers...if it was even there to begin with.

“How do you disturb the peace in a riot?” Alex fired back.

“Ms. Russo, you’ve had a record since you were twelve.” He said, abruptly switching topics and ignoring her. Rude much. To prove his point he made a show of flailing her folder around. It was a decent size for her age, Alex inwardly complimented herself. The first crime listed there was in summer 2004, when she sold those fake broadway tickets to unsuspecting tourists. That summer was a blast: hundreds of ice cream sandwiches and magazines.

“This behaviour is to be expected.” He finished. Alex suppressed an eye roll, this dude was getting on her nerves. Yes, she had a few run ins with the cops, but that didn’t mean she was always guilty of doing something vaguely illegal. Ever since she became a wizard, she'd barely caused any trouble with the mortals, Alex commended herself. Her last record was a good year ago, with a little vandalism and conning going under the radar but that was it. In their eyes, she could have set herself straight since then. Which she did.

What happened to the benefit of the doubt, what happened to believing people could change. Screw him and his patterns. And screw her wand for not being in Central Park. Now she’d have to buy a new one she sulked, slouching lower in the hard chair.

“I don’t like your attitude, Missy.” He said, noting her behaviour. ”Kids these days, not respecting the police.”

Oh my gosh, I just wanna go home. Richard Owens (what a lame name) continued typing at his computer, probably adding ‘riot starter’ to her record. He’d been holding her here for an hour now, still trying to gather evidence and witness accounts to file in her record. So far he had zero, zip, nada, not a single thing. Since everyone's memory seemed to be fuzzy, which she guessed was due to the moral compass.

Alex was annoyed at him and his cockiness. Annoyed at this hard chair that was making her butt fall asleep. Annoyed at the amount of people in this room, and how overly hot it. Would it kill them to crack open a window or turn up the air conditioning.

“Is that you, Alex Russo?” A woman said, approaching the desk. Oh finally her saviour.

“Wassup, June!” Alex grinned up at Song Namjoo, or June, as Alex called her. Much to Namjoo's displeasure. Not so much the name as it was Alex being an annoying little shit.

“What’d you do now?” She asked, placing a hand behind Alex’s chair, leaning forward to scan over the computer. The woman had her hair pulled down into its signature low bun, not a hair out of place. Her pristine police sergeant uniform was pressed to perfection with not a single crease, something Justin would greatly admire.

“No way, June you passed your Police Sergeant Exam!” Alex exclaimed. “You look dope.” She nodded in approval.

“Yeah.” June modeled for a second, before straightening her posture. “Passed about six months ago.”

“Well congratulations.” Alex smiled, genuinely proud. June was her life saver, and lowkey pain in her ass. Wherever she caused a ruckus (exclusively non magical) June would shortly be there. June had stopped a lot of unwanted things from going on her record, and also had a way of calming down Jerry and Theresa when they threatened to send her to the military. On the other hand, it's like she had some sort of Alex specific third eyes always managing to catch her in the act. Plus, her lectures were lengthy and boring and she didn't even allow Alex the option to sleep through them. In a way, she was Justin, if he were in the police force and was, you know, a Korean woman.

She shivered at the thought. Sure, Justin saved her a few too many times but that was because he was her brother. June was altruistic, she held herself with poise and grace. Like a cool aunt who'd let you off the hook halfway then let you decide for yourself the rest of the way. Besides, June was high-key a badass and Justin still cried over 'Mantooth'.

She felt a light pinch on her arm, automatically ready to shout 'POLICE BRUTALITY!' catching herself as she connected eyes with June.

June subtly raised an eyebrow in question towards Alex as if to say ‘What did you do now?’ Alex shrugged in response, her face saying ‘I’m innocent I swear’. June in turn gave her a half believing/ half disbelieving expression, before rolling her eyes. Which was always code for ‘Fine, I believe you’. After knowing June for a good 5 years they'd learned to read each others facial expressions pretty well. It helped with her record, it definitely helped with the parents.

“Okay really Richard a riot starter.” June stared at the man with clear judgement on her face. “Leave the girl alone. We have bigger things to worry about then a riot starter.”

“Oh, like what, June?” Richard goaded. First he disrespects Alex, and now June. Alex doesn’t know a lot of things she will admit, but she picked up on workplace professionalism. To begin with June was a higher ranking officer meaning she was above him. And Richard said her name without its formal title, displaying a lack of respect. Alex watched as June’s expression turned perplexed, or more accurately her ‘bitch, what did you just say?’ look. Alex wished she had popcorn now and a comfy chair.

“First of all, that is Sergeant Song to you Richard. Secondly, maybe you’ve been on desk duty for too long but we’re dealing with a lot more than riots.” June started. This was gonna be good. “There have been innumerable cases of aggravated assaults, burglaries, thefts, property crimes, arsons, and attempted murders. The crime rate has exponentially increased on this day alone. It’s worst than the 80s, Richard.” As the venom dripped from June’s mouth, Alex was quickly realizing what truly happened this night. “Every precinct in New York is packed to the brim and every hospital too. There are more citizens than staff members. And to top it off, a lot of these people had no previous record before this night. No explanation why they would do this and barely any remembrance of what they did. Not even a full moon could explain this utter fuckery!” She exclaimed, motioning around the precinct.

Alex cringed, knowing exactly what had caused this, or more accurately who. She didn’t realize how serious turning that moral compass was. It had only felt like a game of tug a war with her brother like what they did as kids. She even played around with him, tricking him into thinking he had broken the thing so she’d gain the upper hand. When they were flying above the dark realm tower, pulling and pushing they felt so far removed from the world. It was literal child’s play, no throwing punches, no broken bones just like a high school grip test.

But, she could see the damage they caused now. The place was overfilled with people. At each desk, in the cells, standing around. Some bleeding out, others with lost expressions on their faces, the ones she couldn’t even look at were the people crying. All these people had done something bad or suffered because of it. All because that moral compass pointed in the wrong direction a little too long.

“And out of everyone in that riot you chose the person farthest from the action, a clear bystander.” Alex wanted to laugh bitterly at that, if only these people knew just how involved she really was in this. If only they knew their desire to do good relied on a floppy arrow on a disk. But, she’d never tell them this, she’d let people continue to believe they had a bigger choice in their lives. That’s what she had to do as a wizard. As long as it saved her ass. As long as it didn’t affect her.

“So yes Richard there are bigger things than a 17 year old girl.”  June finished. The room was completely silent, all eyes staring at Richard. It was so quiet Alex could hear the sound of Richard’s ego deflating like a balloon, saw his face turning as red as a tomato until he resembled a sheepish boy who had just been scolded by his mom in front of all his friends. She couldn’t even take pleasure in his pain, now faced with her own mistakes.

Ha, take that dick. She tried to lighten her spirits. Cause like dick is the nickname for Richard. It didn’t work that well.

And…

Richard let her go, with no new record of ‘inciting a riot’, all thanks to June and how she completely dragged him through the mud.

June walked her to the front door of the precinct, stopping at the door.

“Okay bye Alex. I wish I didn’t have to say this…” June said, taking a deep breathe and closing her eyes to ground herself. “See you soon.” She gave a fake smile.

“You know me so well June. I’ll be sure to bring my best stuff next time, though.” Alex replied back keeping her humour up. She was still a little unsettled at the amount of people she saw on her way out.

“Aha.” June laughed drily, clearly not amused. “Stay in school, kid." And then she was pushed out of the building.

Just as Alex took her first steps away from the precinct, "Hey! The streets are worse tonight, stay safe Alex.” June shouted before shutting the door.

Alex looked back, a sigh heavy on her lips. She composed herself, her mood quickly lightening at the prospect of going home. Which meant her bed, which meant lying down, which meant sleep.

She wouldn’t walk of course. Use magic, definitely. If someone thought she was gonna walk home, they were sadly mistaken.

Looking around to see if anyone was watching she backed into the nearest alley.

“Woah, watch out kid!-”

She was pushed with brute force into the alley wall. Are you kidding me? She smacked right into the bricks, her elbows preventing her face from getting smashed. Hadn’t she been jostled enough today. She stiffened as she felt a bolt of magic graze past her, causing the hairs on her arms to stand up.

Wait a minute… Magic? There was a wizard.

She turned around to see a woman in a Kevlar black suit push a man further into the alleyway. The woman threw a punch to the man’s face, a crackle of blue magic extended through her fist causing the man to crash into the wall.

“What the fuck.” Alex whispered. She must have actually hit her head because this couldn’t be real.

The woman turned to Alex, her dark blue boxer braids swinging with the movement. A mask covered half her face, but all Alex could see were her eyes glowing blue in the dark, as if rimmed with the magic. “Leave, now-“

“Watch out!” Alex screamed back, seeing the man getting up already. A bright pulse of white magic extended through his fingertips towards the masked woman, who quickly ducked dodging it, giving a swift kick to the man's stomach.

He was thrown off balance, long enough for the woman to turn to Alex shooting a burst of blue magic into her direction.

Alex brought her hand in front of her as if to stop it. Was this woman trying to kill her? She closed her eyes, ready for impact.

Then opened them to silence and a vast space of whiteness. She was in the wizard portal. The masked lady had teleported her here.

So, the blue magic lady was a wizard and a superhero…and people were still being bad even after the moral compass was returned.

Alex thought about it for a moment. Then with a shrug of her shoulders she brushed it off, beginning to walk to the lair.

Frankly, Alex was exhausted: her back hurt from flapping those wings, her knees were sore from all of the heavy landings she endured with the wings, her arms ached from that tug-a-war contest she had with Justin, her butt was sore from that hard chair, her feet ached from all the walking she did and she nearly got zapped in the face with magic. On top of all of that, she still didn’t know where her wand went.

Alex sighed in relief when she finally got to the lair. All that walking was making her even more tired. She pushed the door open, determined to get to bed and collapse. But her steps faltered when she was greeted by the sight of her brother looking down at a white feather.

It didn’t take a genius to realize the feather was Rosie’s. Alex was worried at the sight of him, grasping a feather from another lost love wasn’t a good sign. And more than that he hadn’t been himself for the past week. She’d barely talked to him for the past week, so she was nervous to see how he was after everything.

“Justin…” She began, confusion laced in her tone. He turned at her voice.“What are you doing still up? It’s late.” And also past his appointed bedtime.

“I stayed up because I owe you something.” He began. Her cherry red wand in his hand. Her glorious cherry red wand she’d been looking everywhere for. Finally, reunited with what had been plaguing her mind all night her eyes immediately brightened at the sight of it. She grasped at it with both hand, smiling down at her wand.

“I found it in Washington Square Park.” Oh, Washington Square Park. Damn she really did suck at calculating. Nevermind, the fact that it was in the complete opposite direction. “A two-headed dog had it. Pretty sure he didn’t start out that way.”

So her wand was chilling in lower Manhattan with a two headed dog as she searched the grounds of upper Manhattan, tripping people over and starting fights, and getting caught by the police. She giggled at that, amused with what her night turned into.

“Thank you.” She genuinely meant it. “What about your wand?”

“I, uh…” He held his wand up, inspecting it for a moment just to show her the sad state it was in; snapped in half with duct tape barely holding it together. She laughed at her brother’s antics. Secretly, relieved to have her brother back. Him and even his humour. Yup, he was still Justin. “I’ll find a spell to fix it.”

He set his wand down and turned to face her, an earnest expression on his face. Alex was taken aback by the swift change in atmosphere, the room suddenly feeling more serious. “And I owe you something else.”

He came forward. Her eyes flickering at his movement. Oh, And we’re hugging.

His arms wrapped around her, bending down to rest his chin on her shoulder. He quietly uttered, “Thank you for saving me.” while comfortingly rubbing her back as he always did. Ever since they were children, it was a soothing motion he always did when he hugged her. A distinct movement they could focus on together to calm down. She nodded slightly, silently appreciating the moment.

“It’s for all the times that you saved me when I wasn’t so good.”

Countless images were brought to mind, most prominent of all: a campfire in the rainforest. She began to feel nostalgic and a bit anxious. Not fond of the emotions, she quickly lightened the atmosphere. “And for a couple more times in the future, so we’re even.” She finished with a smile, satisfied with her little joke.

“No, we’re not.” Justin replied, coming to sit down on the desk beside her. “You saved the world today.”

She studied him for a moment, silently disagreeing with his words. She was only trying to get him back, everything else, saving the world was secondary to that.

She’d never admit how anxious she felt seeing Justin so unlike himself: stealing flowers, using magic in public, and stomping on people's groceries. Overall being a jerk. The worst of it was when she revealed Rosie's true nature, he still chose her, a girl he’d known for less than a month than his own sister. A dark angel, whose values would never align with his own. And when she tried one last desperate time to get him back he still chose darkness. Only turning good because of that girl. It hurt more than she thought it would.

But Alex had to remind herself of something very important: that Justin was the one influenced by dark angels. That he wasn’t himself at the time and that scarily some powers are greater than her connection to her brother. So she’d keep it to herself, shove it in the back of her mind like she usually did with all of her emotions, and ignore it, until she’d be forced to confront it.

Instead, she focused on the reassurance she’d gotten when Justin finally came back. How happy she was when he immediately told her to put the moral compass back, in that commanding voice he used when he would clean her messes. The ease she felt now that he was once again right beside her. Like a puzzle piece clicking back into place (and screw him for making her think of boring puzzles). This is where he was meant to be.

She would never say that out loud so she said, “You gave up a girl to protect it” instead.

She watched a faraway expression take on his face, familiar to the one he wore in Transylvania when he lost Juliet. He’d lost Rosie now, and a few weeks ago she'd learned she wasn't meant to be with Mason. It’s like they were both cursed to never have a happy ending. Only ending up with the comfort of each other.

She didn’t think about how established this felt. Or the strange notion that perhaps this was how her happy ending was supposed to be.

In an attempt to stop herself from wandering too far back in her mind, she asked him. “Why do we have to keep dealing with stuff like this?” He was Justin and he always had the answer. She could always count on him.

“We’re wizards.” And it was like that was the be all, end all. “I don’t think we have a choice.” The plain and simple answer.

It was horrible how that answer alone made complete sense to her. How she’d just thought about it in that overpacked precinct. All of her mistakes and losses were always tied into being a wizard.

So, maybe she was past the point of caring, past sadness and moving into delirium with a little sprinkle dead tiredness because she smiled instead. She smiled up at him and he caught her before she turned away. He bumped her with his shoulder, bouncing her away and back to him.

They were settling back into their pattern. Just the two of them: Justin and Alex. She sighed contentedly and a little tiredly resting her head on her big brother's shoulder, feeling his head rest on hers.

For all her mistakes and all her losses at least she always had her Justin.

And she hoped he knew for all his mistakes and all his losses he’d always have his Alex.

She closed her eyes, fully ready to sleep.

“We’ll be okay, right?” Justin quietly asked.

Alex yawned, furrowing her brows slightly at the unexpected question. Maybe they should have been more aware in this moment, appreciated it more. Maybe she could have helped him better if she’d paid more attention. Maybe, he could have protected her better from darker things than angels.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine.”

For Alex would soon face a burden so great it would compromise her relationship with those around her. After all, with great power comes great responsibility.

[percywinchester27]

About a boy (Part-3)

Word count: 3.3K

Warning: Suspense, feels, mention of physical abuse and bullying

Characters: Dean, Cas, Gabriel, Benny, Michael, OCs and… Sam?

Summary: Dean Winchester has a secret. A secret that could really land him in trouble. He never expected to connect with anyone when he walked into the ‘Blue Stone Orphanage for Boys,’ but even then, the walls he has put up are slowly coming down. Now, a series of strange events are threatening to expose him. When everything starts falling apart around him, will he still be able to save the one person that matters the most?

A/N: Many thanks to @thing-you-do-with-that-thing and @deanssweetheart23 for beta reading this story. I love you guys <3

Part 1 Part 2

Cas prayed. Every day. He woke up each morning, sat on the bed with his feet folded Indian style and hands joined in a Namaste. Dean would just look up from his bunk and there he would be meditating on the top in his boxers and a loose tank, eyes closed, back ramrod straight. It was funny, Dean actually cracked a smile.

For the next few days he stuck to Cas. Going around with him to the school which was about a mile and a half away, and then back. Cas didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to enjoy Dean's company. Dean would be lying if he said he had been used to something like that before.

On the outside, it looked like Cas was taking him around the place, showing him the ropes and such, but in the few minutes they managed to snatch away from the prying eye, they were always plotting.

Dean realized one thing. It was hard. Finding Sam was going to be hard as hell. Even harder than what he thought it was going to be. 

Sam had been 6 months old when he was thrown into an orphanage, and as Cas pointed out, it might have been completely another orphanage. He might have been transferred here and it could be as recent as a couple of months ago or as old as a few years. 

Dean was also curious about his fellow roommates. Cas said they were nice boys, but Dean had his reservations. Gabriel, or Gabe, as Cas called him, was loud and obnoxious, he had the cheesy behavior, but his whiskey colored eyes were always full of mischief, like he knew something about you that you didn't know yourself. His brown hair was on the longer side, and his smile dripped cunningness. Gabriel's bed was always littered with chocolate wrappers. Even though it was against the rules to get stuff like that from outside, no one seemed to rat Gabriel out. It was as Cas had said, he had one up on everyone. Gabriel didn't show any particular interest in wanting to get to know Dean, and Dean was thankful for that. Gabriel smelled trouble, and he didn't want any of it.

The other roommate was silent and kept to himself, but that made Dean even more wary of him. Benny wasn't in the face like Gabe, but he was just there, observing everything quietly. It was unsettling, like everything he did was being watched, was being noted. To add to that, he never seemed to sleep… like some sort of a vampire. It was disconcerting enough that he was now confiding everything in Cas when he had promised himself that this was going to be his own battle to fight. Now he had gone ahead and included Cas in it.

But, boy, it relieving. 

Cas was just as excited to find Sam. He went over the whole management system with Dean. The place was owned by a Styne family. The head, Eldon, barely ever showed, about twice or thrice in a year. Andy was the one who managed everything. He knew that Michael and his little parade of goons were up to something, but as long as everyone remained scared of Michael, it maintained the place in order, so he turned a blind eye towards that, until something brought it to glaring attention, like Gabriel's little stunt the other day would have.

In the coming week, Dean learnt the hierarchy. Michael's two main supports were Gary and Raphael. Cas had warned him to not cross paths with them, because after what had happened, they wouldn't waste a second before ratting him out.

It was Cas' brilliant plan to sneak into the record room in the evening when everyone was out in the grounds playing and having fun. It would have worked well, but just as they were about to sneak into the record room, Andy called out to them.

"Winchester!"

Dean stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes, praying that he wouldn't get caught. 

"What're you doing here?" Then Andy realised that Dean wasn't alone. "You're hanging out with Castiel?"

"Is that a bad thing?" Cas asked, voice feebly brave.

Andy smirked. "Not really. Didn't expect you to hang out is all. What're you doing inside at this time?"

"Thought I'd take Dean around the library," Cas managed, effortlessly.

The older man eyed them, especially Cas, then shrugged. "Fine, if you're gonna nerd out together. Just lock the door when you're done. I'm not waiting back till you two are done. I have a hot date."

That was too much information, but the moment Andy turned, Dean exchanged an excited look with his friend. They were alone now. 

Ascertaining that Andy was truly gone, the two of them rushed to the record room and shut the door behind them, facing the rows and rows of filing.

"This is going to take ages, isn't it?" Dean mumbled.

A corner of Cas' mouth pulled down. "Guess so."

They set to work anyway, trying to figure out the system of filing. After half an hour of going through the pile, Dean finally said out loud what was on his mind. "Why did Andy sound like he wasn't expecting me to hang out with you?"

Cas wasn't visible to Dean, as he was working on the rack after his, but his hushed voice was still audible. "Let's just say I'm not the most sought out kid here."

"What does that mean?"

A sigh.

"This place is like the jungle. Survival of the fittest and all that… You look like you could fit right in with the predators."

What Cas meant was pretty clear. Dean gave off that vibe, what with the sullen looks and his dad's overlarge leather jacket, he would be expected to hang out with idiots like Michael and his gang. He would be expected to give in to their stupid initiation test, lick Michael's ass and raise to the ranks of the bullies instead of being bullied.

"I'm the nerd of sorts. I let people be," Cas added.

Something still didn't add up. From what Dean had seen, Cas wasn't a bully, but he wasn't bullied either.

"That first night," Dean said slowly, weighing his words, "Michael could have easily hurt you, or his guy Gary, instead they just restrained you and shoved you around. Why?"

Another sigh. Apparently Dean was asking all the questions that Cas didn't want to answer… but he did anyway.

"Michael and I… Well, we go back a long way. We come from the same orphanage. I've known him as long as I remember… He's the closest thing that I have to a…"

"Brother," Dean completed. The word hung awkwardly between them.

"He's not a bad person," Cas said, "Just angry and bitter. Life hasn't been fair to him."

Who had life been fair to? Dean thought. If that had been the case, none of the 712 boys would be rotting here at the home. He didn't say that out loud though.

"I figured it out!" Cas exclaimed, all of a sudden. "I figured out the filing system!"

He bent around the rack to see Dean, blue eyes wide with excitement. "These are stacked according to the year. That means the one who came first, the box would be at the very end."

"Great!" Dean groaned. "Now we have to find out when Sam got put into this one, too."

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

It took more than a couple of weeks.

Mostly because Andy didn't have a date everyday to abandon his post, but also because Dean had his share of duties, too. The cleaning, the washing, the babysitting duties for the little kids. 

Sometimes, Gary and Raphael would cross him in the corridors, a few more of the older kids would give him looks, but for the most part everyone just ignored him. Who was he but another sheep added to an overly large flock? No one cared.

He quickly realised one thing though, if it hadn't been for Cas, it would have been a lonely existence. Gabriel, he learned, had been from the same orphanage as Cas, too. They had been transferred here about 8 years back. Benny was new, but Benny also didn't care. The place could go down in a tornado and he still wouldn't care.

Through the chores, the school and the scheming, Dean couldn't help but look around the kids bunking on the 4th floor, searching for eyes that looked like his, a gait like his or a crooked smile here and there. There were at least 100 of them aged 11 to 14. How was he ever going to find Sam.

"Tell me what you remember about him most clearly?" Cas asked one evening as he dumped the contents of pale brown box on the floor of the record room.

Dean thought for a second before replying. "I think it's the smile."

"Smile?" Cas asked pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah. I'd tell him that we could practice ball when he grew up and he'd recognize my voice and smile."

That wasn't a helpful detail. Cas knew all the kids, but that didn't help if Dean couldn't remember how to pinpoint it. There had to be something distinctive about him that Dean could remember. Something that would help.

"Tell you what? If you keep going at it, you'll remember something helpful I'm sure."

The comment was encouraging but Dean wasn't sure if he had it in him.

"So, what's your story?" Dean asked, more to distract Cas from the conversation.

"My story?"

"Yeah."

Cas scratched his black hair. "There is nothing to it. My memory begins in an orphanage. Seems like my folks weren't interested in me from the get go."

Must be hard, Dean thought, to know that you were never  loved enough. Sure he had to deal with the searing pain of losing his mom and dad like that, but at least he knew it in his bones that they had loved him. Did that make losing them worse? Probably. But was the possibility of love better than never having been loved at all?

"So who gave you your name?"

Cas surprised Dean by grinning sheepishly. "Someone at the old orphanage was a bible freak. They named all the kids after angels. Michael, Rapahel, Gabriel, Castiel… see where this is going? Basically, if you find a biblical name around here, you know where the kid came from, yeah? Kind of makes the distinction easy. Right, Dean… Dean?"

Dean had gone shock still.

"Dean, you okay?"

"How old were you when you came here?" Dean asked, urgently, dread growing in his chest.

"4 months," Cas answered, "We found my file the other day, didn't we?"

"Yes! But we went through all the files from that year and we didn't find Gabriel's. He was put in the same year, too. That means-"

"There are missing records?" Cas completed, voice hollow. 

Dean stumbled back into the cabinet, the file he was holding slipping out of his hand. If Sam's records were misplaced, they could go through these files their whole life and never find Sam.

"Don't give up, Dean," Cas whispered, but the words fell on deaf ears. He should have known that this was too good to be true, too easy. As if just by looking at all these folders he was supposed to find his brother.

As if after everything, things were just going to go back to normal.

Dean skipped dinner that night. Cas called him, but he just pretended to be asleep, till Cas had gone away. The darkness of the room wasn't enough to shroud the hopelessness that he felt within. What was he doing in this alien place. Dean didn't belong here. He missed the dry heat of the place that he thought of as home, now. Missed the stains of dark grease, the damn smell of a garage on rainy thundering nights. 

It was thundering that night, too.

The sky cracked and lightening thundered in the dark sky. Dean held on to the crib tighter.

"Shhhh… Sammy," he said running his fingers over his brothers forehead. "It's gonna be alright."

"C'mon, let's say goodnight to your brother," his mom reminded him lovingly from behind as she turned the lights off. 

Dean leaned over and kissed Sam on his forehead. "Night, Sam."

"Good night, love," his mom said, lightly brushing Sam's brown hair back, and following Dean's suit and kissing him, too. Dean pushed back into her. He loved the way his mom smelled. Tangy like apples.

"Hey, Dean."

Dean turned to see his dad standing in the doorway, a light smile playing on his lips. Dean immediately rushed over and threw himself at him. "Daddy!"

His dad scooped Dean up. "Hey buddy!" Then he raised his hand, which Dean high-fived.

"So what do you think? You think Sammy's ready to toss around a football yet?"

Dean turned back to look and his little brother, then shook his head, laughing. "No, Daddy."

Dad laughed. "I don't think so, either."

Just then mom passed them both, ruffling his hair. "You got him?" She asked dad.

"I got him," dad winked at Dean, then looked over at Sammy. "Sweet dreams, Sam."

He's asleep soon. Then awake. Too suddenly.

His mom screamed.

"No! Mary!" His dad yelled "No!"

Dean jumped out of bed and ran towards the noise. His mom and dad sounded scared. It was too warm… hot.

There was a fire in Sam's room, Dad was there… no mom.

"Dean!" His dad called.

"Daddy!"

His dad was scared, sweating and hurt. In his hand was a little bundle. Sammy.

He thrust Sam into Dean's hands, his back to the blazing fire. Dean's eyes were burning. He couldn't see mom.

"Take your brother outside as fast as you can and don't look back! Now, Dean, go!"

Dad pushed him hard, towards the stairs. He held Sam tightly and made a run for it, till he was outside the door and into the lawn.

"It's okay, Sammy," he whispered. "I gotcha."

Then the window blasted and the whole house exploded in fire.

Dean sat up bolt in his bed, sweating, heart trying to beat out of his chest. He blinked his eyes not just to be rid of the moisture there but also to figure out where the hell he was. It took a couple of seconds, but then it all came to him. He was at a boys' home. Cas was snoring lightly above him. Gabriel not so lightly next to him.

The tiny digital clock on the rickety table read 00:17.

Dean tried to breathe normally, but gave up after a couple of minutes. He wasn't going to get any peace with the rate at which his heart was going, or how clammy he suddenly felt. The very dread he had been trying to run away from all evening, had finally caught up with him and how.

Denial was a crappy coping mechanism. He knew that, he had always known that. But what else did he have?

Getting up, he made his way to the bathrooms at the very end of the corridor, and splashed water on his face. Dean immediately felt a little better. The cold water seemed to help with frayed nerves. So, he splashed his face once more, running the water over his hands too. Not knowing what else to do, he strolled along the long passageway and came to rest in front of the staircase grill that locked everyone on to the floor. The light breeze coming in from the window opposite to the grill was calming. Dean slid down along the length of the grill to the floor, staring up at the dark sky, barely illuminated by the crescent shaped moon.

"Can't fall asleep?" The quiet voice made him jump out of his skin.

"What the fuck!" Dean swore, his barely in control heartbeat accelerating again, as he tried to look for the person in the dark.

"Sorry," the voice apologized sincerely. "I didn't mean to scare you or anything."

Dean squinted in the darkness, finally spotting the person. On the other side of the grill, on the opposite end from him was another shadow, mirroring his exact pose, huddled with his back against the grill.

"I can't sleep, either," the kid said, not deterred by Dean's lack of response. "Still, sorry for creeping up on you."

"That's okay," Dean said, not wanting to give away that he actually had been frightened.

"You new?"

Dean shrugged, then remembered it was actually too dark to see anything. "Yeah."

"It can be hard," the boy said. "Lot of new admits find it  tough to adjust."

Was the kid patronising him?

"Not much of a talker, I see," said the kid. "I'm gonna shut up now."

It made Dean smirk despite himself. "What're you doing up?"

The voice perked up at some response. "I got a math Olympiad, tomorrow. I suck at it."

"You're up because you're nervous about a silly test?"

It brought Dean up short. It shocked him that there were kids here with normal fears, like tests and exams. Not everyone was on a mission to find long lost brothers. How stupid of him to just overlook that? It made him feel out of place.

"Like you've never been worried about an exam before? And it’s not a  silly test, It could be my one way ticket into a University." He'd offended the kid. Must be what? Around 11 or 12 years of age. Couldn't be less than that since he bunked on the 4th floor.

"You're just like the other big guys," the kid muttered. 

"It's not like that," Dean said. "I'm just distracted." Why was he explaining this to the kid anyway?

"That's fine," came the reply, chirpy again, apparently satisfied with Dean's half-hearted explanation. "I know the sort of crap that goes on up on your floor."

"Know something about that, huh?"

"Everyone does."

Fair enough. "I'm not a favourite," Dean warned. "It'd be better for you to not be found chumming up with me."

"I don't care." The answer was firm. steely. "I hate bullies."

The word 'hate' somehow sounded harsh coming from a soft voice like that. Dean had to raise an eyebrow.

They sat in silence for a while. Dean let his mind wander through all that had happened today. Sam's smile kept invading his mind. His light eyes, his brown hair.

"Brown hair!" Dean yelped.

"What?" 

"Nothing," Dean said, more to himself than the kid. "He had brown hair." Like their dad's… lighter, but still definitely brown.

Dean couldn't give up now. Not when he was already in here. He couldn't stop looking for Sam. If he didn't give it his best shot, he'd regret it all his life. He would go through every damn file, tear the place apart if it means that he could find his brother again.

"Are you alright?" The voice on the other side sounded vaguely concerned, as if not anxious about Dean per se, but doubting his mental health.

Dean didn't care. At last, he could actually breathe. Freely.

"Hey, kid, thanks!"

"For what?" Perplexed.

"Nothing," Dean almost grinned. "Good luck with your test… uh Olympiad tomorrow," he said, getting up and dusting his clothes.

"Thanks, I guess?" The voice trailed behind him as Dean walked back to his room. He fell on the bed fully clothed.

Tomorrow would be a new day, and he would try again… and again and again till he succeeded.

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

A/N 2: I really really hope y’all like this story!! Please let me know what you think… the feedback is what keeps me going :)

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[hookedontaronfics]

Honky Dancer series - Chapter 8

Chapter title: Consequences Read the previous installments here: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3  | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 Rating: M Pairing: Taron x OC Warnings: Trigger warnings for a subtle mentions of an eating disorder and some medical drama A/N: A lot happens in this chapter, and it’s quite dramatic. The chapter bears its name well; you cannot outrun the consequences of your actions, as our beloved Juliette will soon find out. I hope you enjoy this emotional ride! X

Night shoots, I quickly learned, were a special sort of experience. Most of us had tried to nap before the call time, and we were all standing around clutching cups of coffee, full of caffeine and running on adrenaline. The choreography for “Saturday Night’s Alright” required every dancer that was hired, and a cast of extras simply to fill the background too. The amount of crew and the rigging required to give the number an expansive feel also added to the sheer number of people on set at the moment. The volume level was almost too much, with everyone chatting excitedly.

I was standing with my usual group, minus Markus, who was giving me an extremely cold shoulder by not acknowledging my presence at all. I couldn’t blame him, though; I’d told him to never talk to me again, after all. But now that it was the next day and my simmering anger had dulled, and I’d managed to smooth things over with Taron, I wondered if I hadn’t acted out too irrationally. Blame the baby hormones, I thought ruefully to myself.

Being on that carnival set, amongst the twinkling lights and magical atmosphere, made us feel like we were transported somewhere else. And I certainly hoped that effect would come across on film when it was all said and done. My favorite part was the massive Ferris wheel, ablaze with color. I spotted Taron, talking animatedly with Dexter, and when he looked over I gave him a small wave, which he cutely returned.

“Ugh, adorable,” Leah commented, making me smile behind my coffee cup lid as I took another sip. After what felt like a waste of an hour, we were finally called into place. We discarded our coffees and dumped our jackets and bags and went through last-minute costume checks, the costumers nit-picking over the littlest details, adjusting collars here, snipping stray threads there. We had already been walked through some preliminary blocking, but now that the cameras would be turned on, we all wanted things to be as perfect as they could be. The less takes we all had to do for each beat, the better.

Still, that constant ripple of excitement and thrill ran through all of us and kept us going as the nightly hours wore on. Watching Taron in his element really felt like a treat though. How he managed to turn that energy on and maintain his performance level take after take after draining take was mind-boggling, really. And whether he was tired or not, he never showed it, and he stayed positive and kind to everyone around him. But even though the work itself was exhausting, I still loved everything about it. 

The track itself was phenomenal, and Taron’s vocals were strong. I never got tired of listening to it no matter how many takes we did. Giles Martin was a genius, keeping the original integrity of the song but building segments of the different musical influences that Elton had been exposed to and incorporated into his music over the many years, and those flavors had also been used in our dance styles. The choreography was engaging, energetic and exciting, and being a part of this musical number certainly felt like being a part of something much larger than ourselves. The sequence was a crucial part of the storytelling, and needed to feel as youthful and adventurous as Elton’s life was during that time.

I had to admit that I was more than happy when they finally called that night’s filming to a close, as the first creep of dawn was just beginning to tinge the sky. I felt the exhaustion and soreness in every fiber of my body, and blearily changed out of my costume, located my bag in the pile, and wearily made my way off the set and toward the tube station before realizing someone was calling my name. I whirled around, nearly knocking myself off my own feet as I stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk.

“Juliette! Hey, wait up,” Taron said, jogging over to me and sweetly brushing his fingers over my cheek, still somehow not looking exhausted. “Clara’s with her dad and your mum has Troy. Can I just drive you over to my place?” he asked, and I was so tired I didn’t bother arguing, and nodded instead, letting Taron slip his arm around me supportively.

“How are you not completely exhausted?” I grumbled.

“Well, I’m not pregnant, so that helps,” he quipped lightly. “But I’m also just used to it, I think. Not exactly the first night scene I’ve ever been in.”

“I can think of a few,” I smiled. “Bit of a fan of your work, here,” I teased lightly.

“Well you nearly have to be, now that you’re dating me,” he smirked back, and I cracked a smile despite my exhaustion. I sank gratefully down into the plush of the car seat, fighting off falling asleep right then and there. The last thing I needed was Taron taking it upon himself to carry me to bed, as sweet of a gesture as that would be.

“I think today went well,” Taron spoke into our tired silence.

“Really well, at least on our part. It’s always one thing to rehearse a dance. It’s another to see it in the place, in the world so to speak, the lights and colors and costumes. Something about that just made everything feel much more real today,” I replied. “And you… You totally killed it.”

“I don’t know if I killed it, but I wager I gave it everything I had,” he smiled, looking over at me.

“Well, I think, from what I’ve seen, you’re carrying this whole damn thing.”

“I don’t know about that,” he said, running his fingers through his hair in the way he did when he felt humbled by something.

“Well I do,” I smiled, more to myself than anything.

“I am so ready to crash,” he yawned when we finally pulled into the drive and parked. 

“You and me both,” I sighed wearily. We made our way inside, and I realized oddly that I hadn’t been in his home for a fair bit. It felt just as cozy as before as he led me to the bedroom, pulling me to him for a couple of sweet kisses before we both got ready for bed, too tired for anything more. He did his best to try and block the morning sunlight creeping across the floor, able to darken the room a bit, and we curled up together and were sound asleep within minutes, my brain for once too worn out to keep me awake.

The baby, on the other hand, had other ideas, waking me up a few hours later. I stumbled to the bathroom and wretched, hardly anything in my stomach to get rid of. I groaned slightly and splashed water on my face before returning to my slumbering boyfriend. I checked my phone briefly, scrolling through social media mindlessly, waiting for sleep to find me again, but hunger found me first instead.

I got up and, still too exhausted to make anything else, popped some bread in the toaster oven, rapping my fingers on the counter as I waited for it to be ready. I smeared some butter on, then took a few bites, chewing slowly, my hand resting on my belly. But then the part of my brain that worried about calories kicked in, and I found I couldn’t eat another bite. I tossed the rest of the toast in the trash and reminded myself I needed to stay away from carbs as I returned to the bed, not entirely satisfied but at least my stomach had stopped gurgling uncomfortably.

“Mmmm,” Taron murmured next to me, turning over and sliding his arm over my waist and nuzzling into my neck. “Can’t sleep?” He asked, cracking his green eyes open and looking at me.

“I got sick. And then I got hungry,” I smiled, as his eyes drew down to my stomach, his fingers splaying out under my sleep shirt and caressing my skin there sweetly.

“This will be worth it in the end,” he said gently, kissing my forehead. “Try to get some more sleep. Tonight will be difficult if you don’t.” I nodded at that and tried to let him soothe me back to sleep, and I eventually did end up drifting off again.

We woke with enough time to shower, make some dinner, and watch a little telly together before heading to set and doing it all over again. The second night seemed a little easier, but maybe it was just because I knew more of what to expect, the lag between scenes, the flurry of activity, the massive rigs swinging around and being readjusted constantly, the dead space where we had to try and keep our bodies warm, the constant makeup and costume retouches, the attempt to keep our energy up through the slog of what felt like a 14-hour night. We had fun with some bumper cars and there might have been more horsing around than actual dancing during that sequence.

The next two nights felt a little more laid-back, as a bulk of the large group shots were already done. The transitions into and out of the scene, with the bar and with Kit Connor, who played the mid-aged Reggie, were the focus of those days, so I spent more time sitting around than anything else, but that also gave me time to be curious about the behind-the-scenes machinations of putting a movie together. I found it completely fascinating, so different and removed from what I did on the stage when I danced professionally, a completely different set of lingo I didn’t quite understand. What was a grip? A racking focus? A polarizer? I had no idea, but hearing people talk casually about the technical aspects made me feel curious to know more.

Needless to say, I was grateful when night shoots, at least for that sequence, were done. It was kind of saddening to see the carnival get dismantled, but of course it had only been put up for the film and I knew that. I had to return to my own crazy schedule, my daughter and my own students and trying to balance that with further rehearsals for “Bitch is Back” and time with Taron as well, though the next few nights he spent at my home with me. It wasn’t even a conversation we had, he just showed up every evening, joining me in making dinner and helping Clara with her homework and walking Troy and just generally filling a space in my home I hadn’t realized had been empty. Eventually I thought it was high time he had a key, so I made it a point to make a copy and give him one.

“You’re in the special group of people who gets one of these,” I giggled as we cuddled on the couch together, long after Clara had gone to bed.

“Oh?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “And just how many people get a key to my girlfriend’s abode?” he chuckled.

“My mum, of course. Zayn, just in case something came up with Clara. Now you…” I smiled, as Taron flipped the key around in his palm slightly. He seemed a bit reserved about it, but then he’d been a bit reserved the past few nights. I chalked it up to just being knackered from night shoots until he sighed slightly and spoke my name in a hesitant manner.

“Juliette. I really need to ask you something,” he said, his eyes focusing somewhere just above the crown of my head.

“Anything, T,” I replied, even though a cold knot had formed in my stomach.

“Markus pulled me aside the other day and um, he wanted to pass along a few… things.” It was just like Markus to try and fuck everything up for me, even if we weren’t together. Even if I’d thoroughly ended things. Why could nothing in my world stay perfect, ever? I swallowed past the lump in my throat, willing my voice to not shake.

“I’m sure he wasn’t doing so out of the kindness of his heart,” I said coldly.

“Of course I took things with a grain of salt. We haven’t exactly had the best history, Markus and I, all things considered,” he said, finally focusing on my face, but the look of hurt that knitted his brows caught me off guard. “But he told me that you two were still together, that you slept with him again, when you had told me you wanted to be with me. When you were supposed to have broken up with him. And you never told me about that, and your nonadmission might as well have been as good as lying to me,” he continued, his voice cracking slightly.

“I… I’m so sorry,” I tried, my brain still processing what he was saying to me.

“I’ve been wrestling with this for a few days, whether to ask you about it or not. Whether to strike a divide between us or not. I’m forgiving, but relationships have to be founded on trust and communication, neither of which you’ve given to me, and that hurts.”

“I tried to break up with Markus. I tried to tell you that I failed. I felt so...humiliated and… ashamed. Of my history, of my weakness, of this shitty pattern I’ve never been able to get myself out of. I never meant it to hurt you, so I thought I could protect you from… me,” I said, stumbling over the words, unable to keep the tremor out of my voice. “You have to believe that, please.”

“I believe you, it’s just a misguided principle, really. Relationships sometimes hurt. Sometimes you have to be raw, and open, and vulnerable, and ugly in front of the other person, and sometimes that makes them hurt for you, because they love you. I want to accept your flaws, your imperfections, but I can’t do that if you won’t open up to me. I can’t do that if I can’t trust you to be honest with me. I can’t do that if you try to protect me from the difficult, painful bits. I can’t do this, if you won’t extend that to me,” he said into the dead silence of the room. My heart was near pounding out of my chest and I felt the need to get sick.

“What are you saying, Taron? Are you breaking up with me?” I asked softly, tears already threatening in my eyes.

“I just need...some time. To think. To know where I stand. I am hurt, and you’ve got to learn that there are consequences for your actions. But I’m not leaving you, no,” he said as evenly as possible. “I told you I loved you, through the hard times too. I stand by that. I just need you to try and earn my trust back,” he said softly, brushing his fingers lightly over my chin.

“Okay,” I sniffled slightly, feeling the shame burning in my chest.

He leaned over and set the key on the coffee table, the clink of the metal against the wood top making me cringe slightly, before he stood up and turned to me.

“I’ll see you around at the studios. We’re not going to be strangers. But there is this wedge we need to deal with, and I hope you can understand that.”

“I created it,” I said, a couple of tears rolling down my cheeks. But I couldn’t pity myself; I had done this. I had turned Taron away from me, yet again. I had made a muddled mess out of something that should have been good and pure.

“Hey, no need to cry. We will work through this, alright?” he said, tipping my chin up to look at him, but his face was fractured into a thousand tiny pieces through my tears.

“Why would you want to? Why aren’t you pissed off at me?” I asked, pulling away from his touch, his arm returning to his side awkwardly.

“I was, at first. But I try incredibly hard to not act out in anger. It never leads to anything good; it tends to cause more problems than it solves. I also know that even while you had promised to choose me, you really hadn’t, not yet. I wanted to believe I’d be enough to convince you...” he trailed off.

“Fuck, of course you are, T. You’re the best thing that’s ever really happened to me. And I keep trying to ruin it, so maybe you’d be better off without me dragging you down,” I said harshly.

“Stop, stop. I won’t let you talk about yourself that way,” he said, kneeling down in front of where I sat on the sofa, directly into my line of sight again. “Your self-loathing won’t help anything. Please see that.”

“Maybe I’m one person you can’t fix. Maybe no one can,” I said shakily, and Taron sighed deeply.

“I hope this feels better in the morning, but going around in circles on it with you all night won’t help either. I’m going to take my leave, and you should get some sleep, and we’ll figure out how to move forward together. That is, if you still want to.”

I couldn’t give him an answer so the silence between us yawned open until he stood up and placed a soft kiss on my forehead before gathering up his jacket and letting himself out the door. I’m not really sure how long I sat there, staring at nothing, thoughts whirling around my head. Time passed me by unnoticed until Clara padded barefoot into the room.

“Mum?” she asked, and I startled back into reality.

“Yes dear?” I asked, trying to push back the edges of darkness I felt threatening to overcome me.

“I got sick in my bed,” Clara said, starting to cry.

“Oh, honey,” I said, instantly sweeping up off the couch and going to attend to my sick daughter, cleaning the linens and giving her medicine and crashing in my bed with her that night, her feverish little body shivering next to me as I held her tight. At least I had this; I could look at my bright, inquisitive, beautiful daughter and know I had a hand in bringing her up in this world, hopefully teaching her how to avoid the pitfalls I’d fallen into in so many ways. I was grateful she was still young, that boys still had cooties and she was still years from her first kiss, her first love, her first heartbreak.

By the time the morning rolled around, neither Clara nor I had gotten much sleep, as much from Clara’s illness as from my dark thoughts. I called my mum to see if she could watch my sick kid while I went to teach classes and later Rocketman rehearsals, and of course my mum was all-too-kindly available to come over. I tucked Clara in her own bed, glad that her fever had come down overnight, and called school to tell them she wouldn’t be in that day while I waited for my mum to arrive. I made some coffee, desperate for the caffeine boost, and when my mum finally made it across town I blearily stumbled through my day. 

I couldn’t help glaring daggers at Markus’ back during rehearsals every time he wasn’t looking, which was most of the time, but I knew that was petty. It certainly wouldn’t make him apologize for ratting me out to Taron, and it wouldn’t take back what happened between us either.

By the time I got home I was completely exhausted, but Clara was feeling better and I couldn’t just crash out, even if my mum offered. I shook my head, telling her she’d done enough already for me, and sent her home with a thank-you pound note she tried to protest but I slipped into her purse anyway when she wasn’t looking. I ended up tossing a frozen pizza in the oven, but found it difficult to choke down the calories, while Clara didn’t seem to notice how little I ate as she chowed down on her slices. We watched a movie together, and I admittedly might have nodded off a few times, the Disney songs drifting in and out of my dreams.

I was so happy once Clara was tired enough to put to bed; I even skipped a shower just so I could faceplant in my bed that much quicker. I missed Taron’s warmth next to me as I pulled the blankets tightly around me. He promised we’d be okay, but what if he found more reasons to stay away from me in this temporary absence? What if he didn’t really miss me all that much? What if I was the one that was unlovable? I shivered slightly under the covers, the darkness creeping even closer than it had before in my mind, threatening to take over as I sank into a restless, dreamless sleep.

That darkness that resided inside my brain manifested itself in my attempt to control my calories; every little thing I put in my mouth had to be accounted for, and controlling my diet seemed to help me calm my nerves. Even when everything else felt like it was spiraling out of control, this one thing I could have total control over. I had exactly one scrambled egg white and 8 ounces of a protein shake in the morning, a 150-calorie protein bar at lunch, a handful of plain unsalted nuts for a snack to sustain my energy, and usually made some fish and vegetables for dinner. Eating for two was an absolute myth; I was religious about my prenatal vitamins and making sure the growing baby inside me was still getting the crucial building blocks it needed. But overeating wasn’t going to help either of us so I stuck to my routine, obviously varying things up for Clara so she wouldn’t be bored or wrinkle her nose up at my dinners. 

Over the next couple weeks of classes and rehearsals, I started to see an instant change in my arm and leg tone, and that made me at least happier. I had been needing to lose that unnecessary weight for years, and even if I couldn’t stop my belly from getting bigger, I could stop the rest of me from following suit.

As we headed full on into the summer months, the weather grew hot and sticky, as London weather was wont to do. We’d been rehearsing the Broadway musical-style choreography for “Bitch is Back” for a while in the studio, but were finally taking rehearsals outside, into the back lot to do some initial blocking. Taron was of course there, sporting some mockup cardboard wings that looked completely ungainly to manage. But somehow he did, as we danced our way through the piece and Dexter showed Taron and Matthew Illesley, who played the youngest version of Reggie, how the scene would operate.

I could feel the sweat trickling down my back, down my arms and legs, dripping off the edge of my nose. We were all allowed to wear our sunnies since it was a rare bright day in London and we weren’t officially filming yet. But when the production was able to secure the Pinner Street location, we would all need to be ready to go, so putting in this work now was important. They made us take a lot of breaks, providing Gatorade and water in massive jugs to keep us all hydrated, but I was beginning to feel rather sick to my stomach and had to fight through the nausea for the rest of the rehearsal.

Seeing Taron there, being so close to him and yet feeling far away, was painful. He acknowledged me, but it was mostly in a professional manner, and I could feel the difference in my bones. I wanted nothing more than to have him scoop me up in his arms and hold me to him, but that reality had been shattered. There are consequences to your actions, Juliette, the words popping into my brain and making my heart ache. I couldn’t run from those consequences; the only way to move forward was to accept them and move through them.

But how was I going to be able to prove to Taron that he could trust me, when we weren’t even spending time together? What grand gesture could show him how much he meant to me? I wasn’t really sure, and these thoughts hounded me throughout the day.

The next few days were much the same, the temperatures staying sticky hot and making me feel worse for wear. Pregnancy and heat did not go well together, and I found myself taking a few more breaks than everyone else, coming up with some lame excuse as I hadn’t told anyone on set I was pregnant. Only Taron and Markus knew that, and well, we all know who actually did his part to check in with me, concern written all over his face.

But then rehearsals suddenly ground to a halt, and we were left in a strange holding pattern as the production moved onto other scenes, keeping to its schedule and of course keeping Taron very busy. We had a couple short rehearsals to keep the choreography fresh in everyone’s brains, but there wasn’t much else for us to do. I focused more on teaching my classes, texting off and on with Taron when he’d ask how Clara was doing.

<She’s got a recital next week, if you’d like to go. She’d probably like that; she’s been wondering why you haven’t been around as much. I just told her it was because of work.> I responded one evening.

<Of course, I’d love to go. Text me the details and I’ll be there.>

And be there he was, dressed in a sharp navy suit coat, a white shirt underneath, and pressed slacks, looking as handsome as he ever did. Sitting next to him was almost intimidating, stealing glances at each other, sharing awkward smiles with each other as we waited through student after student, some well-practiced, others not so much, waiting for Clara’s turn.

When she got up on the stage, I could hear a bit of an audible gasp from the crowd; my opinionated little girl had chosen to don a sequined, sparkly pink jacket over her recital dress, and she had on a pair of star sunnies too, “just like Elton!” she’d declared when I’d tried to convince her otherwise.

“That’s our Clara,” Taron grinned over at me with a chuckle, before looking down at my hand and slowly taking it in his. I sucked my breath in slightly, still staring straight ahead as Clara took a seat at the piano. “You look beautiful today,” he whispered in my ear, taking in the light summer dress I’d chosen.

“Thank you,” I said, glancing over at him, those dimples of his causing my heart to flutter again. That special thing we had, it wasn’t gone by any means. We sat through my daughter’s songs, Clara gamely making it through Bach and Debussey with only a few stumbles, before getting to play a chosen song. And of course she’d chosen “Your Song,” playing it with gusto to much applause and appreciation from the audience. She gave an enthusiastic bow after her performance and skipped off the stage, returning to us excitedly as we were still clapping for her.

“Lovely job, sweetheart,” I said happily, giving her a huge hug.

“I think Elton himself would be very proud,” Taron added, making Clara grin so big she was showing off her toothless gaps.

“Yeah, if only he’d been able to watch it,” she sighed, making us both laugh.

“He’s a very busy man, but maybe some day you could play for him,” Taron said, as I playfully slapped his arm.

“Don’t promise her that!” I hissed slightly under my breath, but Taron waved it off.

“I’m sure I could get it arranged,” he said, as Clara fairly begged Taron to stay around for dinner. He obliged, and it turned into a really decent evening, the first one I felt I’d had in a bit, even after Clara commented “ewww, fish again?” when I served us dinner. He stayed long enough to tuck my daughter into bed, but said he probably shouldn’t wear out his welcome, though we lingered too long at the doorway, unspoken words and feelings passing between us.

I was actually at the academy when I got the phone call that the Pinner Street location had been secured, and that we’d be needed on set within a few hours. I scrambled to get my afternoon classes covered and made sure mum could pick up Clara from school before heading over to the studios, arriving just in time to get through hair and makeup. We changed into our costumes and were all boarded onto a shuttle and driven across the city, dropped off on a suburban street where crews were already busy setting up rigging for the cameras.

The place was an absolute blur of activity as us dancers huddled in the shade of some trees, trying to stave off the bright sunlight. We used each other to stretch and warm up, a steady hum weaving through the shimmering air as directions were shouted loudly, people running frantically to and fro. I hadn’t imagined this much chaos as the rest of the production had always been incredibly orderly. But I supposed this could happen with locations in the streets; it probably was a pain in the ass to secure city permits to shut entire blocks down for filming. When the city gave you a window of time, you had to spring into action; there would be no dragging feet here.

This sequence, of course, was an important element of the story that brought Taron into the picture as a sort of segue from rehab into his childhood years. It involved the other patients in rehab and the counselor, a brass band, and Taron in a bright orange neoprene Elvis-inspired devil costume with massive wings. The first time I saw him in it I nearly tripped over my own feet. The costume left very little to the imagination, but it was also somehow fitting to the vision of Elton that Dexter and Taron had created for the film. Elton at times played the devil, but he could also be the angel, and in many ways he was neither and both at the same time in his own story.

I loved the energy of this part of filming; the heat, not so much. The makeup crew constantly had to step in and powder us all between takes, and I’m sure our costumes weren’t going to smell very nice by the end of it. The filming day was kept short, as there were heat advisories and the production certainly didn’t want anyone to pass out. The heat sapped the strength right out of my body, and I wondered at how weak I felt as I made my way home, knowing I’d have to fight through the next few days in the same way.

The weakness in my body didn’t really abate the next day, and was joined by more nausea. Even if I didn’t get sick, I still felt turned inside out. I could barely stomach water, but I made myself push it down nonetheless. If my performance suffered for it, no one said a word to me. The third day, the dizziness hit me like a sack of rocks, making me stumble into another dancer and completely ruining the take. I mumbled my apologies and tried to concentrate the best I could. My muscles knew the motions; my brain couldn’t keep anything straight so I tried not to think too much and let my body do the work it knew by memory.

But some things you cannot win against, no matter how hard you fight. Weeks of undereating had caught up to me, leaving me emptied out; spots began to dance across my vision, my skin flushed cold despite the heat, and I found it difficult to breathe. I vaguely thought someone was calling my name, but I couldn’t hear them over the rushing in my ears. The music continued on, but my body did not; I dropped to the ground and stayed there. I don’t remember hitting the pavement, but I came to with my face burning, pressed against the hot surface. I was dimly aware of people gathered around me, and I thought I heard Taron yell at someone to “get these bloody wings off” before bright orange swam into my view.

“Juliette, can you hear me?” he asked as he knelt down beside me, the material of his costume stretching taut over his thighs. I don’t know why my brain focused on that, but I couldn’t move my head enough to look up at his face. The crystals glittered almost painfully bright in the sun as my vision went in and out of focus.

“She’s probably got heat stroke,” one voice said.

“Give her some space,” another added.

“Where’s the fucking medic?” someone else in the throng of voices shouted, my brain picking these out amongst the murmurs.

Did I really look that bad? I wondered, unaware of how crumpled I must have looked. Someone brought over an umbrella and at least shielded me from the sun; someone else tried offering water but I could neither hold the bottle nor swallow when it was poured into my mouth, vomiting onto the pavement instead, a strange thought that I should be embarrassed weaving its way through my brain, too wispy for me to grab onto.

I felt my body being moved as my pupil reaction was checked, my pulse taken, my body fussed over. Words were said that I didn’t understand and then I was being lifted through the air on a stretcher and pushed into the back of an ambulance. I flicked my eyes around at the faces staring down at me, the hands pushing IV lines into my arms, everything blurry and strangely in slow motion. 

And then I felt the sharpest pain in my abdomen, making me cry out. I instinctively tried to curl into a ball but the straps held me down, and I started to feel panic rising in my chest as another sharp pain wracked my body. I clutched at my stomach, gasping out something incoherent; this wasn’t right, and I knew it could only mean something terrible was happening.

“Oh god, the baby,” I heard Taron say, his voice sounding too loud and tinny to my ears, my secret spilled out for everyone within earshot to hear.

What was happening to my baby?, I thought, as more hands poked and prodded me, more needles stuck into my flesh, more words were said I couldn’t make sense of. All I could understand was the shivers that shook me, the pains that tormented me, the blackness that threatened to overtake me. The noise was too loud, the siren, the beeping machines, the medics’ voices, the rattling of wheels over roads as we sped toward the hospital, the hush of the cast and crew we left in our wake, growing in a cascading crescendo inside my brain until, mercifully, there was silence. 

I began to float into the void, the absence of noise, of feeling, of the physical realm, detached from what was happening to my body. The darkness came up to meet me, soothing me, warming me, easing me into slumber, the medicine working through my veins, easing the fire in my body. And then everything, everywhere, went black, and I was gone.

This is not the end of the story. Read Chapter 9 HERE.

[janelledarling]

Coming together.

This is my contribution to @hoopshoney and @purple-apricots Valentine’s Day Fic Fest, With Love, From Wakanda. I had a lot of fun writing this! I hope you enjoy it, and sorry in advance for any spelling/grammatical errors. Let me know what you think! My character is BLACK.

My prompt: “I told you not to get me anything”“And I’m smart enough to know that meant get you something.” 

Pairing: Erik ‘Killmonger’ Stevens x Black! OC

Warnings: None, just a lot of fluff! 

Word Count: 4,500+

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“Hello, is Ms. Graham available?” an unfamiliar voice spoke politely into the phone.

“Yes, this is she. May I ask who’s calling?” Absedi Graham said pleasantly. Normally she didn’t answer calls from numbers she didn’t know, especially at work. Absedi worked at a large jewelry store where she specialized in Men’s Luxury Watches. Her work day was winding down and she happened to be locking up early as the customers were slow today which was odd since it was Valentine’s Day. Absedi was more than ready for her upcoming week off, whoever was calling just happened to catch her at a good time.

“This is Veronica, with Ross Horology Worldwide. I hope you are doing well.” the woman continued.

Absedi immediately paused her progress of locking the display cases in the watch section of the jewelry store, eyes going wide and mouth falling open at the sound of the company Veronica said she was with.

“I am, thank you. I hope you are as well. To what do I owe the pleasure Ms. Veronica?” Absedi said confidently even though she was so nervous her palms were starting to sweat.

“Well Ms. Graham, upon review of your Resume, background check, and the few phone and in-office interviews you have done in the last few months. We would like to extend an offer to you. That is, of course, if you are still interested.” Veronica explained.

“Wow! That is amazing! I am most definitely still interested!” Absedi exclaimed.

“Wonderful! Your orientation will start on Monday, 2 weeks from now, at the headquarters where the in-office interviews were located. Please arrive at 9am, and check in with the receptionist upon your arrival, she will provide you with your itinerary and tour. Did you have any questions for me?” Veronica asked.

“Nothing is coming to mind.” Absedi remarked.

“Ok perfect! I will send you an email with all the details. Welcome to the team and Happy Valentine’s Day, Ms. Graham!” Veronica advised.

“Thank you so much! See you in 2 weeks!” Absedi replied as she ended the call.

“HOLY SHIT!” Absedi yelled excitedly as she jumped up and down and danced around the display cases.

She grabbed her purse and keys from under the counter and finished locking up all the display cases in her section of the Jewelry store.

As she made her way out the the building her rude ass co-worker called out behind her “Bye Abby! You have a good weekend, Sis!”

“That’s not my name, and I’m not your Sis, we’ve went over this! Bye Brock. Have a Happy Valentine’s Day.” she responded putting on the fakest smile she could muster.

“It’s Blaine, girlfriend!” he said as she made her way out of the store.

“I’m well aware.” she mumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes.

She grabbed her phone to call her friend with her good news with one hand, as she walked out of the large double doors of the building and into the busy city with an extra pep in her step.

Just as she thought the call was going to be routed to voicemail, a deep voice answered, “Wassup Princess?”

“ERIK! GUESS WHAT!?” Absedi screamed with excitement. “THEY CALLED ME! I DID IT! IT’S IN TWO WEEKS! HOLY SHIT ERIK! I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS, I’M SHAKING RIGHT NOW! MY HANDS ARE TREMBLING!” Absedi shouted into the receiver, startling the people walking down the sidewalk as they turned and gave her passing stares.

__________________________________________________

Absedi and Erik had been friends for well over a year. When she met Erik, he had come into the jewelry store looking for a new piece to add to his collection of watches. After showing him the new collection of Cartier watches that came in earlier that week and answering his questions on which models were self-winding, quartz, or manual winding, Absedi left him to view the collection while making her way over to another customer who had recently came in. Just like most of the other middle aged men that made their way to her section of the store, this particular customer was worried less about the watches and more about whether or not Absedi had a man and when her shift ended. When the older gentleman grew tired of Absedi denying all of his advances, he left the store without making a purchase and she made her way back to Erik.

When she walked over to see if he had any questions or if he needed any additional assistance. He took her for surprise when he spoke up and said. “Yeah, actually, I do have some questions. First one is does shit like that happen often? I didn’t think ole dude was gonna take no for an answer. I didn’t wanna have to cause a scene, but I would have with his ole nasty ass.”  

“Yeah, more often than not unfortunately.” Absedi said as she stifled her laugh. “But I’ve gotten used to working around them and deflecting. Tricks of the trade I guess.” she shrugged.

“Hm.” Erik nodded. “Second question, do you work on commission?” Erik continued.

“Yes…? Why?” Absedi answered hesitantly.

“Just making sure if I drop a grip in here the commission would go to you and not that grimy ass colonizer over there.” Erik explained motioning to Blaine.

Absedi couldn’t hold in her laugh when Erik motioned to her co-worker on the other side of the store.

“Yeah, Chadthaniel never comes over here, so you good.” Absedi giggled.

Erik laughed loudly, shoulders bouncing. “Chadthaniel. That’s a good one! I’ma have to use that shit. Ok in that case, I’ll take the Clé De Cartier Mysterious Hour. The Manual 18K Pink gold. Clé De Cartier Automatic Skeleton Gem-Set. The Automatic in Palladium.”

It took everything in Absedi’s power for her to keep her composure. Those watches were some of the most expensive she had in her cases. Everyone would look at those two in particular, but she would rarely make a sale. She nodded and walked away to make sure the watch bands she had in stock would be the right size and fit him properly. He handed her his black card and she went to the register to process his payment. Finally seeing his name. Erik Stevens. Absedi started getting them packaged up for him. These watches were expensive as all hell. Her commission alone was about to be at least $10,500.

After processing his card successfully for over $210,000 and packaging up the watches. She called out to him to let him know she was finished.

“Mr. Stevens?” Absedi called out behind the counter.

“Wassup?” he said turning around from another display he was looking at and walking toward the counter.

“I’m all finished up. Here is your card and your bag. Did you want your receipt with you or in the bag?”

“In the bag is cool. Thanks. Now, before I leave I have one last question.” Erik smirked.

Trying not to get too caught up no the effect his dimples and pretty ass smile were having on her, she cleared her throat before she answered. “Sure, what is it?”

“What’s your name? I might have to come back for some more pieces and I wanna make sure I ask for the right person. If that’s cool with you...” Erik said.

“Sure, that’s fine.” she said quickly.

Like she was about to miss out on another big commission sale like this. Tuh! Momma didn’t raise no fool.

“Here’s my card, it’s got my name, our store hours as well as the store phone number on here, should you happen to need anything.” she added handing him over her business card.

As she watched his eyebrows furrow, she added before he could ask. “It’s pronounced AB-S-IH-Dee. Absedi Graham.”  

“Absedi Graham” He repeated for clarification as she nodded. “Alright Ms. Absedi, it was nice doing business with you.” he nodded as he turned to walk away.

“You too Mr. Stevens. Have a good rest of your day.” Absedi added as he walked away.

“Call me Erik.” He yelled back over his shoulder throwing her a million dollar smile as he left the store.

Ever since that day, Erik would come in at least once a week. They would make light conversation about the new collections coming out with different brands and get to know each other a little bit more.

After 3 and a half years of being in a dead-end job at the Jewelry store, realizing her position was getting her nowhere. Absedi decided it was time to move onto bigger and better things with her career. She applied to a few of her favorite watch companies but had yet to hear back from any of them. Erik came in while she was checking her email for the 12th time that morning for a response from any of the applications she sent over. When Erik asked what she was doing, Absedi told Erik she was looking for another place to further her career and if everything worked out the way she hoped it would, she would probably be leaving the jewelry store in the next few months but maybe sooner. Erik asked her hypothetically if he had questions on some upcoming collections and she isn’t here anymore who was he supposed to ask, because he sure as hell wasn’t asking Chadthaniel shit. Letting Erik know she could still answer any of his questions whenever he had any, she wrote her cell phone number on the back of her business card and handed it to him. Erik ended up texting her right after he left the store. From then on, it seemed like they were constantly in contact with each other. Whether it was sending each other meme’s, talking about politics, or just how their day was, there wasn’t anything the pair didn’t feel comfortable talking about with each other. Absedi found herself reaching out to Erik more often than not. He was very easy to talk to. So it made sense to her that he was the first person she would call when she found out she got the job or her dreams.

__________________________________________________

“Babygirl, slow down. Who called you? What’s happening in two weeks?” Erik said confused as hell, trying to wrap his mind around the bits and pieces he was able to understand as she was speaking a mile a minute.

“Ross! They called me! They want me to start in two weeks!” Absedi squealed.

“That’s dope as fuck Princess!”

“I’m so excited Erik! Like things are really starting to come together for me, you know?” Absedi reflected as she made her way home.

“It seems that way, huh. So how you wanna celebrate?” Erik asked.

“Erik, it’s Valentine’s Day every place from Oakland to Long Beach is about to be packed and busy as hell.” Absedi assumed.

“I ain’t ask you all that, did I? What’s the move girl? Pick sum. Whatever you wanna do, I got you.” Erik commanded.  

“Hmm… OH! I know! You always talking about how you throw down in the kitchen, lemme see sum.” She said imitating one of Erik’s frequently used sayings. “You know what I like, surprise me!” Absedi exclaimed as she listened to Erik chuckle on the other end of the line. Absedi had never been to Erik’s home, they always hung out in public places. He lived about 45 minutes away from her so it was easier to just kick it somewhere between both of their places.

“Bet. Come through around 7pm. We celebratin’! My girl landed her dream job! Whatever you wanna do or anywhere you tryna go, I got you. I’m proud of you Sed!”

“Thank you! I’m proud of me too. Don’t do anything extravagant though Erik.” Absedi warned.

“Huh? I can’t hear you. You cutting out.” Erik lied.

“Nah, you can hear me just fine. Nothing extravagant and no gifts.” Absedi continued as she rolled her eyes. Erik was always trying to get her something she didn’t need. He had already gotten them matching J’s earlier in the week.   

“Huh? Babygirl, you there? Sed?” Erik said trying and failing to hide his laugh as he hung up the phone.

He is so damn petty! Absedi laughed to herself as she waved down a cab.

Looking out the window on the ride to her studio apartment, she couldn’t stop smiling. Time with Erik was just what she needed to kick off her upcoming week off and to celebrate her new job.

It was obvious to everyone including the two of them that they had chemistry. They both really liked each other and were open to the idea of being more than friends, but never spoke on it directly. Just hinted around the subject. Erik would always call her pet names, and refer to her as ‘his girl’ but Absedi just assumed it was how he acted with his other friends too. Although he hadn’t mentioned any other friends, Erik was fine as fuck and Absedi wasn’t dumb. She wasn’t about to assume she was the only person he was showing interest in. Erik would tell her how beautiful she was and kiss her on her forehead whenever they went out for dinner or to the movies, and he might’ve left a few messy voicemails after one too many drinks with his boys. Absedi had also sent her fair share of drunk texts after clubbing with her girls, and may or may not have sent a few thirst traps she didn’t remember until scrolling through their text thread the following morning. Needless to say she swore off drinking for a good month after that.

Just as she was getting out of the cab she got a text from Erik.

Mr. Stevens: 2232 Westridge Road, LA. Don’t be late.

Scrunching up her face at his commanding tone, Absedi sent out a quick reply.

Babygirl: Don’t tell me what to do. We celebrating ME remember.  

Erik smirked and shook his head at her response when he read it. This girl and her smart ass mouth, he thought to himself as got ready to run his errands and head to the grocery store to get all the ingredients to make dinner for the two of them.

While Erik went to the store Absedi got in the shower, exfoliated and moisturized. Debating between a few different outfit choices and reminding herself it is Valentine’s Day after all, she decided to go all out. Ready to get dolled up and leave the house looking like a snack. Absedi settled on a strappy crushed velvet dress in wine just because she wanted a reason to use her new Body Lava. Pairing it with strappy nude heels to show off her baby pink pedicure and her trench coat. Absedi than began working on her make-up, going with a nude look. Putting her hair up into a high pony with her edges laid to perfection, she began gathering her things to head to Erik's house. Turning off the lights and locking the front door she made her way to her car. After putting his address into her navigation and sending him a quick text letting him know she was on her way, Absedi pulled out into evening traffic.

Turning on her Masego playlist and hitting the highway, Absedi couldn’t help thinking about how everything was finally going her way. She was just offered the job of her dreams and would be able to start making a career out of her passion in just two weeks.  She finally had someone in her corner, encouraging her. Erik was her best friend in every aspect of the word. She could not wipe the smile off of her face if she tried.

Not realizing she zoned out the entire drive reflecting on the days events until she heard her navigation say “You have arrived at your destination.” Absedi parked in the driveway grabbing her purse and surveying the area.

Of course, he lives in this nice ass house. I mean it makes sense, he was dropping like $200K on accessories. Absedi thought to herself as she made her way to the front door. After knocking twice, the door swung open.

“You’re late.” Erik said as he raised an eyebrow in challenge.

“No, I’m not. It’s 7:02pm. I’m on time. You were early.” Absedi responded as she flipped her hair behind her shoulder.

“How am I early to my own damn house Sed?” Erik chuckled as he held the door open for her to come in, taking a moment to look her up and down. “Damn, you really came in here looking like a whole ass meal. Good gawddd!”  

“Shut up Erik. You always got somethin’ smart to say.” Absedi giggled as she walked into the open concept area. The smell of dinner invading her nostrils immediately. Taking off her trenchcoat and hanging it on the coat rack near the door.  

“You always gotta have the last damn word!” he retorted from behind her, watching the sway of her hips as she made her way into his home.

“You damn right!” she snapped back over her shoulder as they both started laughing.

After closing and locking the door. Erik walked up and gave her the biggest hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. “I’m so proud of you babygirl. I knew you could fucking do it.” leaning down placing a light kiss on her forehead. Absedi wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, finally feeling at peace.

“You ready to eat? I made steaks, loaded baked potatoes, and salad. Sounds basic as fuck but you ain’t had my shit before. You know ion do anything basic.” Erik shrugged.

“That's a fact.” Absedi laughed as she nodded.

“Princess, you gotta let go of me if we gonna eat.” Erik chuckled rubbing circles on her lower back and shoulder blade with the tips of his fingers. .

“Just give me a minute.” Absedi quickly added holding him even tighter and snuggling her face into his chest, feeling the soft scars of his skin press against her cheek.

“Ight.” Erik responded, not hiding the smile in his voice.

After another moment, Absedi pulled away and looked up into Erik’s eyes taking in his features. Plump lips, deep brown eyes, smooth brown skin, dreads braided back from his face, noticing his dimples appear and his white teeth with a little bit of shine come into view.

“You for real checking me out right in my face, you bold as hell.” Erik chuckled.

“And what about it?” Absedi said as she raised her eyebrow, turning and making her way to the kitchen following the smell.

Erik had made filet mignon pan-seared in butter thyme and rosemary, smothered in A1, and sauteed mushrooms and onions. Alongside salad and loaded twice-baked potatoes that were filled with broccoli, mascarpone, pancetta, bocconcini, cheddar cheese and topped with scallions.

“It smells so fucking good, Erik.” Absedi swooned as she damn near drooled looking at all the delicious food he made.

“C’mere.” he said from behind her.

Turning around she noticed Erik was standing by a small table set for two as he poured two glasses of champagne.  

“We can’t celebrate without a toast. Here.” Erk said handing Absedi a champagne flute.

Raising his flute Erik began “To my girl, landing the job of her dreams and molding her destiny to whatever she sees fit. I’m happy you are in my life Sed and I’m so fucking proud of you Princess. You out here doing the damn thing! Salut.”

Absedi couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face after Erik finished his toast, nor did she have a smart ass remark to add when he was done. She did, however have butterflies and could not get them to go away.

“Here.” Erik said as he pulled out her seat for her. “I’ma go grab the food.”

Erik placed both of their plates at the table in front of their respective seats. As soon as Absedi took a bite she couldn’t help the happy dance or the moan that escaped her.

“Erik this is sooooo fucking good! Oh my gawddd!” Absedi moaned in between bites.

“I told you, I don’t do basic.” Erik stated smugly.

“Shut up and just say thank you, damn. Is it really that hard for you?” she shook her head playfully.

Erik smirked at her before adding “Thank you Absedi. I appreciate that.”

“See! That wasn’t so hard was it.” She retorted shooting him a wink.

“It’s probably as hard as you not getting the last word.” Erik snapped back raising a challenging eyebrow and tilting his head to the side.

Watching Absedi just roll her eyes and just keep eating shocked Erik to no end.

“That’s it? You really don’t have something to say?” Erik said eyebrows reaching his hairline due to his surprise. Slightly shrugging her shoulders and smirking at Erik as she chewed a bit of steak. Erik nodded to himself in fake astonishment, causing both to start laughing.

After finishing her third glass of champagne and liquid courage kicking in, Absedi asked the question that had been lingering in her head for a while.

“Do you call all your friends little cute names?” Absedi asked quietly.

“Nah.” Erik responded slowly, setting his plate to the side. “Why? Wassup?”

“I was just curious. I figured you probably called all of your other friends ‘Princess’ and ‘Babygirl’ and stuff like that.” she said looking at anything but him as she shrugged her shoulders.

“Nah, just you.” he stated smoothly.

“Why?” she asked quietly.

“Why you think?” Erik retorted.

“I wanna hear you say it.” Absedi said tilting her chin up to look Erik in the eye.

“What you want me to say?” Erik asked leaning forward on the table and resting his chin on his fists looking her in her eyes. “You want me to tell you how I think about you from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep? How I intentionally irritate you so I can see that cute ass face you make when you get mad as hell? Or you wanna know about how many stacks I spent at that jewelry store just to spend more time with you? How about how I was ready to kill that grimy ass motherfucker that kept trying to touch on you the day we met? I mean I can go on and on. You tell me what you wanna hear.”

Absedi was speechless. “Why didn’t you say something! You know how many wack ass niggas I entertained? And you over here just keeping all these damn emotions to yourself. Stingy ass. You won’t let us be great.” Absedi pouted as she crossed her arms.

“I know your ass, Sed. If I’da said something, you would have started that ‘I don’t wanna ruin our friendship’ bullshit.” Erik replied with a shrug.

“Ruin it.” Absedi said with a straight face.

Erik’s jaw dropped and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Champagne got you all the way bold huh?” Erik smirked.

“I mean, we being all the way real right now, right? So I’m just gonna put it all out on the table. I like you, Erik. I don’t know if a relationship is something you would be open to, but if you are I think I would be viable candidate.” Absedi finished as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

“I’m open to a relationship. There ain’t no other candidates, just you.” Erik stated.

“Just me?” she inquired while side eyeing him.

“Mhm. Nobody else. Since we putting it all out there, I haven’t entertained anybody in a good minute. I just want you.” Erik confessed looking Absedi in her eyes.

“Hmm… Good to know.” Absedi nodded.

Erik stood from the table and started gathering the plates to take them into the kitchen. Leaving Absedi to sit and collect her thoughts. She was oddly enough no longer nervous, she was content with finally letting him know how she felt about him.

Erik made his way back to the table with his arms behind his back. Knowing he was up to something she furrowed her eyebrows while she looked at him. “What are you up to Mr. Stevens?”

Sitting the large navy square leather box with golden script that read Chopard in front of her with a golden ribbon tied around it, Erik pulled his chair from his side of the table just to sit it right beside her. Erik grabbed her hand an intertwined their fingers.

“Baby…” Absedi breathed her eyes wide in astonishment staring at the box bringing her other hand up to trace the golden boarder around the sides of the box.

“So I’m your baby now?” Erik asked lightly tilting her chin towards him to grab her attention. He was wearing the biggest smile she had ever seen.

Nodding and climbing into his lap not taking her eyes off of the box of one of all time favorite jewelers, Absedi leaned back into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

“Yeah, you my baby too.” Erik added quietly.

“I told you not to get me anything.” Absedi whispered as she went back to staring at the box in awe.

“And I’m smart enough to know that meant get you something.” Erik chuckled as he rested his head on the side of hers.

“I know how much you love Chopard watches but something else caught my eye. You gonna open it or what?” Erik asked

Slowly taking off the ribbon, and opening the leather box, Absedi saw the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. A large amethyst in a rose gold setting with diamond accents hung on a 18K rose gold chain.

“Oh my god, Erik...” she whispered gently touching the dainty necklace. “Thank you! It’s so beautiful.”

“Lean up real quick.” Erik said gently taking the necklace from the packaging and gently putting it on for her and sccurring the clasp at the back of her neck. “Beautiful necklace for a beautiful girl.”

“Damn you really feelin’ me, huh?” Absedi teased as she tugged on his arm playfully.

“And what about it?” Erik imitated her from earlier on in the evening light-heartedly, causing them both to bust out laughing hysterically.

“How you feelin’ about all these changes? New job, Me, alla dat.” Erik questioned.

Turning around and pulling her dress up so she was able to straddle Erik’s lap and wrap her arms around his neck and rub smoothing circles into the back of his neck with her fingertips, as he lightly ran his hands down her sides. Absedi thought back from all the changes that had taken place in her life in the last 24 hours. New job, new man, new necklace, and new outlook on her future.

“Honestly truly, I’ve never been better.” Absedi beamed.

Absedi leaned up slightly and pressed a few soft kisses against his lips. As he murmured “Happy Valentine’s Day Princess.” in between them he felt her body melt against his. Erik’s hands tightened around her waist, pulling her closer, he kissed her back deeply until they both pulled away to catch their breath. Neither one of them could wipe away the huge smile that had taken over their faces.

This Valentine’s Day was definitely one for the books.

Taglist: @chaneajoyyy @marvelpotterlove @faatassbitch

[kneworder]

Hey! 

I made a (pretty long and possibly out of control) list of (mostly) Five-centric fanfic recs, so if anyone’s interested, here it is!

(pretty much all of them contain spoilers, so beware!)

Umbrella Academy Fanfiction Recs:

* = my favorites

**= PLEASE READ THIS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

One-Shots

this is a bad town (for such a pretty face) by luciimariiellii (3747 words)*

Set in the apocalyptic future, shows the Hargreeves ghosts reacting to seeing Five again after 17 years, interspersed with their reactions to his earlier absence

Covered in Ash, Covered in Glass by Qpenguin98 (8359 words)*

Five character study! Goes through time before and after canon.

Stages of Decomposition by telm_393 (3249 words)*

Five’s time through the apocalypse.

falling backwards by syncwhispers (2770 words)*

Series of vignettes documenting Klaus’ time in Vietnam and Five’s time in the apocalypse. Later focuses on sibling bonding!

Requiem by historymiss (673 words)*

Five buries his siblings. Short and (not so) sweet.

A Little Whiskey Goes a Long Way by Zyla (3360 words)

Drunk Five and sad Klaus, with a little Diego towards the end.

Blood Like Lemonade by Ford_Ye_Fiji (2860 words)

Klaus being able to see ghosts is especially interesting when his brother just so happens to be an incredibly prolific assassin

PB & MM by M3xxaTh3M3z (2739 words)

Goes into Five and Vanya’s relationship as kids, and takes another approach at Vanya being ordinary. (Five sees her lack of powers as a kind of freedom, in a a way, which I thought was fascinating)

Multi-Chapter

Complete

6 Times Five Helped Out His Siblings… by kbaycolt (8402 words, 7 chapters)*

I am a sucker for 5+1 (or 6+1, in this case) and this does it justice. Exactly what it says on the tin.

Blink by Lady_Origami (10,294 words, 3 chapters)

Five and PTSD, includes Five, Klaus, and Ben bonding! (Also classified under The Sky Weeps series, so related to The Moon Laughs)

you're the only one who knows by WeWalkADifferentPath (3459 words, 2 chapters)

Corporeal Ben finds Five in the library, and bonding ensues!

Partners, Parents, or None of the Above by DarkFairytale (20,616 words, 2 chapters)

Numerous times that people have mistaken Klaus and Diego for a couple (and often, Five as their son)

Ongoing

(All word counts are as of 3/22/19 and are subject to change)

(Chapter count is specified if an end chapter count is given, otherwise chapter count is omitted)

An A-Z Of the End of the World by historymiss (5305 words 20/23 chapters)*

Drabble series giving insight into Five’s character at different points in time.

The Moon Laughs by Lady_Origami (52,046 words)**

One of my absolute favorites, as this one has both all the great character-study elements I love, and a really compelling plot. Essentially: Five in a Groundhog Day loop of the 8 days in canon. Takes its time, explores the characters, in multiple iterations. Heartbreaking, hilarious, just… fantastic. Highly recommend.

A Snippet of Time by Milu_i (4338 words)

Series of Five-centric one-shots/fics, only 2 chapters so far, but both have been good!

An Eye For An Eye by dgalerab (23,626 words)*

Set post canon, picks up where season 1 left off. Fun twist in chapter three, I’m excited to see where it goes!

Blessed be the boys time can't capture by thebatmandiaries (7812 words, 6/10 chapters)

-blurb contains comic spoilers!-

Blends comic canon and show canon by rewriting the show with the added comic detail of Five having implanted serial killer DNA from the Commission

Falling Forward Into Orbit by Roserayrose (9119 words)

Five returns to 2019 after only 2 months in the apocalypse. Things are the same, but everything is different.

I Missed You Idiots by Allwalkfree (3557 words)

Klaus finds Five making a cake for Ben’s ‘birthday,’ and it’s bittersweet.

mirror, mirror by screechfox (5701 words)

Picks up from the end of season 1, except instead of everyone becoming young again, they’re faced with their young selves. Essentially, adult Hargreeves are all sent back to 2002.

Relearn, Restart by emavee (8982 words, 4/15 chapters)

Vanya survives the apocalypse, and is forced to reconnect with a furious Five.

run (because you know you cannot hide) by e_va (6643 words)*

Only one chapter so far, but it gets off to a great start. The Commission decides to kidnap Five’s family to exploit his *one* weakness. Original villain is surprisingly interesting? This coming from someone who never likes OCs in fanfic, he’s pretty cool. Characterizations are great!

Shingaling by LWF (3658 words, 2/3 chapters)

After the apocalypse is averted, Five, Diego, and Vanya go to clean up Harold Jenkins’ corpse.

Sunshine, Lollipops, and Thai Food by slightlyworriedhuman (5574 words)

The Hargreeves family finally gets a firsthand look at the violence Five has become capable of, thanks to the Commission.

the desperation murmur of a heartbeat by slytherincosette (9386 words)*

Five doesn’t run into the apocalypse at 13. Instead, he takes his siblings (sans Luther) and runs away from home at 16. (Gets extra points for Green Day quotations… what can I say, I’m weak for Green Day)

two can be as bad as one by myeyesarenotblue (1715 words, only 1 chapter so far)

Power swap!

how we react (and how we recover) by shamefulshameless (13,123 words, 1/2 chapters)**

I think this is the only non-Five-centric fic on this list but… damn. Entirely in Dave’s perspective, chronicles his and Klaus’ relationship. Now, I usually don’t like shipfic, but this had me Crying in the Club because it’s so beautiful. Highly recommend.

Series

the odds were never in our favor by aletterinthenameofsanity (27,442 words total, 7 works)**

Okay so it’s a Hunger Games crossover, and if that doesn’t sound like something you’d like, hear me out. It’s actually fantastic? So far, there are 7 installments and every one is beautifully haunting. Portrays each sibling as a previous victor, and crosses over with Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Hands down, my favorite work in this fandom. Just… please read it, it’s so good.

old dog, old tricks by Soulykins (27,823 words total, 9 works)

After living in the apocalypse for over 40 years, Five doesn’t adjust well to no longer having to just survive. Series centers on his family learning more about his issues and helping him through them.

Out Of Time by Devilbaby (4368 words total, 4 works)

Series of short interactions between Five and his family.

you've walked all these miles (and now you're in the right place) by slytherincosette (3813 words total, 2 works)

Five makes it home to his 16 year old siblings after four years in the apocalypse.

((((also My Immortal but it's The Umbrella Academy by speedythief which is easily recognizable as crack for anyone who knows my immortal but it’s hilarious and I couldn’t not include it))))

Please read these! There’s so much talent in this fandom, and I know I’m leaving stuff out, but these are just the ones that I’ve found so far, and they’re all fantastic!! 

[sceptilemasterr]

Endless Summer: The (un)Official Screenplay - “End Credits”

Yes, you read that right: this movie script does include an “End Credits” of sorts! Though since there are very few people who actually worked on this script (aka: just me), I’m also going to be including my final thoughts on how the script turned out, where the story’s going from here, what the hell is up with that “CIU Project” tag I keep adding to these, and... in true MCU-style fashion, even an end-credits scene! Or two?

Masterlist: Link

CREDITS:

Written by: SceptileMasterr (obviously)

Based On: Endless Summer, Book 1 by Pixelberry Studios (with some additional elements taken from Hero, Vol 1)

Copyright Info: All names, places, and concepts from Endless Summer and Hero are copyright Pixelberry Studios. The only things I own here are Ian and Alyssa, my various Vaanti OCs, as well as the majority of the Vaanti language except the words taken from canon (conlangs are hard!)

Inspirations:

The MC Twins: @blightarts (go read his Pokemon Summer Version crossover fic where I got that idea from, btw, it’s awesome)

Movie Concept in General: @mysteli and her amazing ES Fan Trailers (both of them!)

Estela and Ian’s First Kiss: Borrowed from another one of my fics, “Sunset”

Screenwriting Software: Final Draft 11

Special Thanks:

@brightpinkpeppercorn: My fandom twin and “beta reader” of sorts; thanks for all the great and fun discussions we had about the twins, their loves, the story, and concepts and future plans; they’ve been great! I love and appreciate your feedback!

@mysteli: You’re the entire reason I started this project! Ever since your first ES trailer I have envisioned what an ES movie would be like. And then my imagination spiraled out of control from there... Appreciate your feedback as well!

@edgydepressedchoicesthot: A fellow Estela stan! I met you even before I had a Tumblr, back on AO3. I read and fell in love with your ES rewrite series there... then school blocked AO3 (grr) but I eventually caught up! I hope you enjoyed this rewrite as much as I liked yours!

@bbaba-yagaa: A more recent fandom friend, but I’m so glad I met you and your blog! I adore your Estela fics so much!

@endlesshero1122: I’m still amazed at how we had such similar ideas with our respective ES and Hero rewrites. Dual MCs and everything, with one of them even being named Alyssa, what are the odds?! Glad you’ve enjoyed this script!

...And of course, everyone not on the tag list who’ve liked, read, and/or commented on this script! Every time I get a new like or comment, it makes me so happy to know that I made someone’s day a little better with this screenplay-rewrite of a visual novel we all know and love. I love writing; I really have a passion for it, and I hope I can continue entertaining people with my future stories to come!

And SPEAKING of future stories...

FADE IN:

INT. THE CELESTIAL LOBBY - DAY

Estela is standing at the concierge desk, gazing at several sheets of paper stacked atop it. The elevator doors open, and Ian emerges, the folders he’d found previously now clutched in his hands. She turns at his approach.

ESTELA: Ian! There you are! Listen, you should see this-

IAN: Look, I... I’ve got something I need to show you. To show everyone, really. Where are they?

ESTELA: I think most of them are still sleeping. Can’t say I blame them, after last... night? Morning? Day? Anyway, look.

Ian crosses over to the desk and looks at the papers. On them, in a messy scrawl, are written several seemingly non-sequitur messages. Ian picks one up and reads it, confused.

IAN: “The Hostiles know.” “McKenzie equals Lupus.” “The STARS are key!!” “He’s here he’s here he’s here he’s here...”

He looks up at Estela.

IAN: What is this? Looks like nonsense.

ESTELA: I’m not sure. But more to the point, this wasn’t here before we “time traveled.” Someone was here during the 204 days we skipped. Is this Diego’s handwriting?

IAN: Nah. I’d know his scribbles anywhere. Doubt it’s the Hostiles, either, since they don’t speak English.

ESTELA: So that means... what?

Before Ian can respond, the elevators open again, and Alyssa and Jake emerge. They stop short when they see the folders in Ian’s hand.

ALYSSA: Wait, are those-?

JAKE (simultaneously): You found some too?!

Estela and Ian turn to face them. Ian shrugs and holds up the folders.

IAN: I... I didn’t mean to keep these from you guys, I just didn’t really get the chance-

He stops when he realizes what Alyssa and Jake had said.

IAN: Wait... “found some too?” You both-

Alyssa shrugs sheepishly.

ALYSSA: At that emergency shelter. One of ‘em was about you, Estela.

ESTELA: Me?

IAN: You should’ve shown her!

ESTELA: To be fair, we all had our reasons for not trusting one another, especially at first.

She pulls out her own set of folders. The top one is Jake’s, and she hands it to him.

ESTELA: This is yours, I believe.

JAKE: Goddamn...

He flips through it, saying nothing, but his eyes go wide in surprise.

JAKE: Hang on. Be right back.

He sprints out of the lobby, toward the entrance to the basement. Alyssa hangs her head and sighs.

ALYSSA: Sorry, Estela. Really. We’re long past the point where we should’ve stopped keeping secrets from each other-

ESTELA: It’s fine. Apparently we all did the same thing.

IAN: I was hoping to find everyone so I could show them all at once. I’ve got Craig’s, Zahra’s, and Quinn’s.

ALYSSA: But how do they know this much stuff about us? Birthdates, locations, history... except yours, Estela; a lot of it’s blacked out for some reason.

She hands the folder to Estela, who reads through it.

ESTELA: What is here is worryingly accurate. How could Rourke possibly know all of this? Down to the last detail?!

Alyssa shivers involuntarily.

ALYSSA: I dunno, but it’s freaking me out-

Jake bounds back up the stairs, a pair of folders clutched in his hands.

JAKE: Found these right before all that Aleister business started, and then I forgot all about it, given... uh, what happened that night.

He looks awkwardly at Ian. Alyssa coughs and glares at Jake.

IAN: What happened that night?

ALYSSA: None of your business! Actually, hang on: what were you two doing that night? I seem to remember you rushing in together-

IAN: “None of your business!”

ALYSSA: I really should’ve seen that coming.

JAKE: None of that matters right now. You two are gonna wanna see these.

He passes the twins’ folders to each of them. They stand side by side as they open the folders, staring openmouthed at the “Birth” sections.

IAN: “December 31, 1995 - 11:59 PM” ... “Location... La Huerta?!”

ALYSSA: Mine says “January 1, 1996 - 12:00 AM.” Also La Huerta.

JAKE: There’s no way in hell you two were born here. You’d have known that, right?

Alyssa and Ian shake their heads.

ALYSSA: Jake... we were adopted together when we were babies. We never knew our birth parents or anything.

IAN: Our birth certificates said “January 1st, ‘96,” so that’s just when we celebrated, but... Alyssa...

ALYSSA: If Jake and Estela’s birthday info is all true, and if the others’ are true as well, then...

IAN: ...We were born here. On La Huerta.

ALYSSA: Ian... who are we?!

FADE TO BLACK.

TO BE CONTINUED IN... ENDLESS WINTER

FINAL THOUGHTS AND FUTURE PLANS:

How do you actually write one of these things? Well, I start out by playing through the canon chapter(s) that a given scene is based on and transcribing the script into Word for reference. The canon ES chapters are L-O-N-G, by the way. Then, I decide what to keep, what to alter, what to get rid of, and which lines to include unchanged, and then I write the actual script! After that, I run through it once to edit, then I’ll read the lines aloud and make more changes to make them sound natural. Post it to Tumblr, fix the formatting (and edit once again), then voila! A scene is born!

What was up with the changes? You skipped a ton of scenes! I thought the script turned out well, and (based on people’s reactions and comments) reasonably easy to follow even with all the changes. Most of the changes were made with the aim of streamlining and shortening the story; even with all the scenes cut from canon, the script still ended up being an estimated 3 hours long! Yikes! The other major changes were mostly made with the aim of setting up threads for weaving a greater story, which leads us to...

What the hell is “CIU Project?” Okay, okay, if anyone’s looked in the tags, you’ve probably noticed the recurring tag “ciu project” as well as tagging my Vaanti OC names with (CIU) at the end of it. CIU stands for “Choices Interconnected Universe” and is what I’m calling any- and everything that takes place in the same universe as this ES rewrite. There will be a more detailed post about the CIU and a general idea of my plans for it later on, but I wanted to wait to announce it until this first script was finished!

Have you written anything else in your CIU universe? “Choices Interconnected Universe Universe?” Okay, but seriously, this is the first official, “canon” work set in the CIU. I have written my Vaanu “Post-Credits Scene” during ESAPW, but consider that more of a loose “teaser” for the project than anything. Once I get to the script that scene’s meant to appear in, I will rewrite it and it may have a few tiny details different. Anything else I write in the CIU will be tagged with “ciu project” (no quotes) so you can find it easily there!

What other Choices books besides Endless Summer are going to be involved? I’ll be explaining that in the separate CIU post I plan to make soon, but in the meantime... 

FADE IN:

INT. L.A.P.D. STATION - OFFICE - NIGHT (FIVE MONTHS AGO)

A man in a crisp suit, his back to the camera, scrolls through data about Rourke International on his computer screen; images of Jake, Lila, and Aleister appear beside a satellite view of the Caribbean Sea. Scattered on his desk are copies of the various dossier pages that Ian, Alyssa, Jake, and Estela had all found across La Huerta. The man sighs and rubs his forehead in frustration.

The door swings open, and a young auburn-haired policewoman rushes into the office, slightly out of breath. This is Jake’s sister, REBECCA MCKENZIE. The man looks up as she enters.

MAN: ...Officer McKenzie? I told you I’d let you know when I found something-

REBECCA: They’re pulling you off the case. You’re getting reassigned. I asked her not to, but-

MAN: Listen, Officer, I told you before: technically this case is well outside my jurisdiction. It’s not even in this country, let alone the city. I figured it was only a matter of time ‘til they wanted me working on something a bit closer to home.

REBECCA: But... what the hell am I supposed to...

MAN: Whatever I’m being reassigned to, I promise I’ll keep digging up leads on my own time. An entire island can’t just go missing with no one noticing; there’s definitely something fishy going on.

REBECCA: Yeah, and my brother was on that island. You’re a detective! Solving mysteries is your job!

MAN: Well, this mystery is tougher than most. But I promise we’ll figure it out eventually. He’s not the only person who’s gone missing in that area last month, besides.

He indicates the scattered pages on his desk.

MAN: Fifteen missing, including your brother. Don’t worry. You know I’ve got plenty of friends in high places.

Rebecca smiles, reassured by his words.

MAN: So what’s this new case I’m being reassigned to? I swear, if it’s another celebrity feud over nothing-

REBECCA: Nothing like that. You heard about the Tower Murders the other night?

MAN: Yeah, I thought Barton and Sanchez were handling that one-

Rebecca shakes her head.

REBECCA: Nobody can figure it out. Captain wants you. Specifically. There’s even rumors that... y’know... Li might be behind it.

MAN: Heh. Of course they think she’s behind it. If Li was behind everything everyone claimed she was, there’d have to be at least a dozen of her running around. 'Sides, murder isn’t her style.

He stands up from his desk, adjusting his suit and tie.

MAN: Tell the Captain I’ll do it.

REBECCA: You will? Just like that? But what about my brother?

MAN: I’m at a dead end for now anyway. I’ll find this murderer, get ‘em locked up, and be back on the La Huerta disappearances faster than you can say “Case closed.”

Rebecca laughs in spite of herself, then recovers and nods professionally.

REBECCA: Thank you, Detective. I’ll let the Captain know, and she’ll fill you in on the details. And... I appreciate what you’re doing for me. For my brother.

MAN: Of course. After all, there’s never been a case I couldn’t crack, and I’m not about to let that change!

Rebecca leaves the office. The man turns and faces the camera, adjusting his badge, which reveals his name: DETECTIVE DAVE REYES. He shakes his head, glancing back at the images on his computer once more.

DAVE: What the hell are you up to, Rourke?

FADE TO BLACK.

TO BE CONTINUED IN... MOST WANTED: THE HOLLYWOOD KILLER

It’s all connected...

[notajinn]

Ranking Video Games Played in 2018 But Less Detailed Because of Procrastination

Starting this in the evening on the 31st, so let' see if I even get this done in time. Normally I start more ahead of time, and provide seperate detailed post for each game in my list. Initially I wasn't planning on making a list at all this year since I played very few 2018 releases. But then I realized not only that I played more than I thought, but that the non-2018 games I played for the first time this year deserve some love as well.

I conveniently played ten games this year, so here is the ranking of my top ten games:

10. Marvel Puzzle Quest (Mobile)

This game is garbage, and I play it every day. It's a Match-3 puzzle game, which I somehow never played until this year. And it's on mobile and with a Marvel flair to give it an edge, plus a Gacha mechanic for longevity and scum.

Pros

The actual puzzle gameplay is fine. I have no other Match-3 to compare it to besides Puzzles and Dragons, which I tried out around the same time solely due to Persona 5 characters being in it. And I enjoyed Marvel more. You can only move each gem one space rather than across a line or column, or straight up anywhere like in Puzzles and Dragons. But there is no time limit, which I really appreciate.

I like a lot of Marvel characters, so I don't mind them as the rewards. Each one also has different Abilities which make a bigger difference in the gameplay than I initially expected. I unfortunately do not have Ms Marvel, Gwenpool, or Silk yet, but I do have Spider-Man.

Speaking of, the free characters they give you are pretty decent. Within the first few missions, you will come out with Spider-Man, Iron Man, Storm, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Thor. You can also get Juggernaut and Venom with only slightly more effort.

The game has thus far been very generous with the gacha resource, but I can't comment on the actual pull rates (which may be where they really make their money).

Cons

You may get a lot of chances to pull, but you have a limited barrack you can recruit characters into. And the resource to increase slots is VERY slow. Which means you could potentially pull a great character, but either wait a few weeks to earn enough coins to buy a new barrack spot, remove one of your existing characters, or give them money. And if you wait more than a few weeks, your un-recruited character will be automatically "sold" for resources. I've lost one or two characters to this already. At this point the smart thing seems to be to never pull unless you have open slots, since your recruitment resource does not expire (that I'm aware of).

The difficulty is all over the place. Even the so-called "Prologue" has unusual difficulty spikes in terms of enemy levels.

The leveling system is also garbage in general. You need duplicates of characters to level up, but higher rank characters start at higher levels. Which means even though I pulled and merged like 6 Iron Man, the single 3-star Dr Octopus is significantly stronger with no effort.

Final Thoughts

This game is garbage, and I will continue to play it.

9. Fire Emblem Heroes (Mobile)

Not long ago, Fire Emblem Heroes was one of my favourite games. But the game fell so far in 2018, perhaps outlining the heightened speed of a gacha game's life-cycle.

Pros

They started adding alts of characters that were not from Awakening or Fates. It's not exactly good that we're getting so many alts, but at least they're not all Camilla or Xander.

The new Aether Raids mode is legitimately good. It allows you to create your own mini-maps with different structures and traps, and play against other players. You win a new resource called Heroic Grails, which you can use to summon otherwise limited-time free characters like those from Grand Hero Battles, or the Tempest Trials. I should specify this lets you select characters, not go into a random gacha system. You want more of Joshua? No problem, just select him from the list and hand of the Grails, and you've got him. A lot of characters I like fall into this category, so I especially appreciate it. The actual mode of fighting in user-created maps is also fun.

Book 2 of the story had some good moments early on, and I liked some of the new characters. Said new characters were also added into the summon pool, and not as limited-time units either.

A lot of older characters got new weapon refinements to help them keep up with the cast slightly. Some of these are only okay, but some have been amazing. Still waiting for my man Matthew to get one.

Also this one is kind of cheating since it didn't happen yet, but we are confirmed to finally be getting Laguz (the beast units from the Tellius games) in 2019, which I am very excited for.

Cons

After a decent start, Book 2's story fell into disarray. A comically bland villain was the worst offender, feeling like an OC a child came up with that kept getting sudden new powers for no reason.

Said main villain is also the focal point of the powercreep in the game this year. The absurdity of how good 2018 units are compared to before is frustrating, and I say that as someone who doesn't particularly care about ranking. A lot of these new units and skill sets are just plain not fun to fight against.

Outside of Aether Raids, the game felt pretty stale in terms of having things to do, and I simply found myself far less interested.

Final Thoughts

Laguz will keep my interest for at least some of 2019, but I see myself playing this far less next year. And with a new real Fire Emblem game coming out, I may leave this game entirely.

8. Final Fantasy Record Keeper (Mobile)

This is an unusual one because I didn't play this game much this year. For a few months, I didn't even bother logging in. And 90% of the time I do log in, I just grab the daily rewards and leave. So how did this beat Marvel Puzzle Quest and Fire Emblem Heroes?

Pros

This game is absurdly generous with resources. Keeping in mind this is a gacha game way past it's prime, and being cannibalized by its own parent company through other newer Final Fantasy mobile games, Record Keeper has been trying very hard to keep people playing. Even as someone who barely plays, I am flush with good resources. Enough so that, if I get interested enough, I could probably catch up to the meta-game.

The game has also continued its policy of "characters are free, the gacha is for equipment" that I love. I have no trouble getting characters I want (new ones I liked added this year include Marche from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and Sora and Riku of Kingdom Hearts).

The gacha itself is also generous, with multiple event banners that guarantee at least one 5-star for every 11-pull. I wish other gacha games were this generous.

It also keeps the great aesthetic and soundtrack that got me into the game.

Cons

I've played it so much over the years that it's not super fun, but I appreciate it's there for me and doesn't feel like scum.

Final Thoughts

Thank you for doing a gacha game well, Square-Enix.

7. Mighty Switch Force (3DS)

Though I got this years ago in a Humble Bundle, it wasn't until one bored weekend this summer that I actually tried it out Wayforward's other first-party game. The Mighty Switch Force DLC trailer for Shantae: Half Genie Hero also helped.

This is an interesting little arcade action/puzzle hybrid that's a little unusual. It puts you into different areas where you have to use the main gimmick of moving things into and out of the foreground along with other puzzle mechanics to find and arrest some escaped criminals.

Pros

The main mechanic of moving objects forward and backward is pretty fun, and while it's been occasionally seen in other games it's worked more effectively here than I've ever seen. I also appreciate that most levels will add a new mechanic you have to learn.

The levels are short and easy to digest on the 3DS.

It's got the classic Wayforward cartoon aesthetic.

Cons

This is mostly personal preference, but I don't play puzzle games a lot; they don't hold my interest too long. So this was a one weekend game. I didn't beat it, but I got my fill in those two days.

The lack of story really drives home the "arcade" aspect of the game, which is frustrating because I like the often silly pacing of the Shantae series. I'm also someone who invests in characters heavily, so having very little to go off but designs really hurt my long-term interest here.

Final Thoughts

This is a fun little puzzle game I recommend to try out considering it's often on sale and under $10. It's far from the best game, but you'll probably have fun with it.

6. Bayonetta (PS3)

For better or for worse, my first introduction to Bayonetta was when she was added as a DLC character to Super Smash Brothers 4. Suffice to say I was bummed a character I had no interest in won the people's choice, and that definitely negatively tainted the series for me for a while. But after getting itnerested in character-action games by playing Nier Automata and Platinum's Legend of Korra, I ended up picking up Bayonetta on sale on the PS3.

Pros

Oh my god, the combat is so strong. I knew this from Platinum's other games, but it has a different feel. Korra was ultimately a budget game, and Nier Automata was an RPG first, but Bayonetta was a character-action game through and through. The combat is not easy to learn, but when you figure out and see the radical moves you're pulling off, there's a certain unmatched joy to the gameplay.

The plot is campy and silly in the vein of Devil May Cry, and has a good handful of characters I like (particularly Jeanne and Luca). It ramps up to hilarious scales.

The music is so good, and I wish more of it made it into Super Smash Brothers.

I love that you have a space to practice combos without any repercussions by turning off the timer in the loading screen transitions. This helped me so much early on to get a hang of which combos I could both pull off effectively, find a use for, and actually enjoy.

Checkpoints are fairly generous, and so long as you don't care about your score you can continue to try again with no repercussions until you win.

Cons

There are certain sections of the game where you are pulled into on-rails vehicles. These sections are not fun, and last FAR too long. To make matters worse, the best boss fight in the game is in the second half of a level where the first half is one of these terrible vehicle sections. Which means I'll never fight that boss again since I don't want to go through that initial part.

Through a combination of the initial negative reaction and the fact there are more interesting characters around her, I didn't end up attached to Bayonetta herself, which is disappointing considering how much I like Dante and the Nier Automata cast.

The first few levels are also far harder than the rest of the game. This happens because you're learning a new combat system, have less moves purchased, and most importantly do not have the Bat Within ability that increases your dodge invincibility. This move probably saved me so much, and you can get it pretty early, but not until you get past some hard parts. In particular, the first major boss has you contend with the above issues and, for no particular reason, is the only major boss without any checkpoints. This boss almost made me give up on the game, and heavily slowed down my progress and general enjoyment.

Probably the biggest issue is that this is a PS3 era game, which means you can expect tons of QTEs that cause instant death if you fail them. These even happen during bosses. It's such a product of its time.

Final Thoughts

If you can struggle through those initial hard (but not un-fun) levels and that first frustrating boss, you have a great game ahead of you. With some truly awful vehicle sections thrown in, but mostly great. At the very least, grab the soundtrack.

5. Dragalia Lost (Mobile)

Oh you thought the mobile games were all at the bottom? Then you forgot about Nintendo's newest IP, Dragalia Lost. Which would be fair, because this game is available officially in very few countries, and it's kind of crazy.

With the success of other mobile games, Nintendo decided to try out a new IP in a mobile game with the help of the experienced developers CyGames. What we got was a mobile MMO with a heavy anime aesthetic and a lot of love.

Pros

The character designs vary, as they do in any mobile, but one major strength of Dragalia Lost (and the reason I started the game) is the large percentage of dark-skinned characters. It may seem silly, but as a South Asian it's so rare to see dark-skinned characters in this aesthetic. You'll get your token characters here and there, but Dragalia Lost alone probably has more than I've seen in a few other series combined. I'm pretty sure they have more than Fire Emblem Heroes, or at least an equal amount.

The developers have been very generous with resources, and so far have given you a free 10-pull whenever there's a new event.

We've also already had a lot of improvements due to developer feedback, which is a great sign for the game's future.

The strangest thing perhaps is...the gameplay is really fun for a mobile game. It's a top-down action RPG with heavy MMO elements in terms of leveling and co-op play. While your party setup means a lot, your skill in-game means even more if you're skilled at dodging, effectively moving around the map, and knowing when to throw out which ability. As you have such a heavy level of interaction with the characters, you also feel more attached to them, which is great for longevity in a gacha game. Each weapon type plays very differently, and with different elements and abilities you get a lot of variety. You also have different dragons you can transform into as essential limit breaks.

I really love how seamlessly co-op is integrated. You can play any mission with or without co-op, and it takes very little effort to group up with people.

Cons

It's still a gacha game, so a certain level of garbage is expected. The rates of pulling a 5-star seem far worse than Fire Emblem Heroes and Final Fantasy Record Keeper. To make matters worse, you can potentially pull a 5-Star Wyrmprint (a type of equipment) instead of a character or dragon, thus resetting your pity rate.

In co-op, if a host quits the entire battle is considered a fail. Which makes logical sense, but it's frustrating when the host quits while you're winning.

Bows are also significantly worse than the other weapon types, but my favourite character is an archer. This presents a problem.

It’s only available in a small number of countries, with still not announced plans for others.

Final Thoughts

It's the best mobile game I've played this year, but it's still a mobile game. Unless you're looking for a mobile game, I recommend just appreciating the art from afar. If you ARE looking for a mobile game, however, I highly recommend this. And if you care about Nintendo, maybe keep an eye on this; I could see this IP eventually coming out of mobile.

4. Deltarune (PC)

It's tough to write these all at once. Okay, Deltarune. The surprise game from Undertale's creator. I still don't want to get into too much detail in case you haven't played this free and relatively short game, but it's been a while. There will be sort of spoilers below, so if you want to go in blind, skip down to number 3.

Pros

From the graphical style to the writing to the soundtrack, it's got the same great charm of Undertale in a smaller package.

The battle system is more involved and honestly a lot more fun. You're also not forced to go Pacifist to get the good ending, so you can actually enjoy it like a normal RPG. Even if you do go Pacifist like I did, the inclusion of different abilities gives you a lot more to do than just dodge enemy attacks.

The progression of Susie and Lancer as characters is fun to watch unfold, and the game does a great job making you invested in these characters within such a short time frame.

The final section of the game, without mentioning any spoilers, is also a nice little reward.

Cons

Simply because of playing Undertale, you may assume you have to play Pacifist and thus miss the main combat. This is untrue, but hard to know since you also want to go in blind on your first run. This is entirely a self-made issue, but it is nonetheless a common issue I can see.

..I don't really have any other negatives offhand except that it's short?

Final Thoughts

If you played Undertale, play this. If you didn't play Undertale, probably play that first and you'll enjoy this more. But you'd probably enjoy this regardless. And hell, it's free and under 5 hours, and runs on probably any modern PC.

3. Dragonball FigherZ (PS4)

There have been so many Dragonball Z games, but the quality never hit this level. Remember when we considered the Budokai games to be amazing because of the competition? Now we have a DBZ fighter that's not only the best of the series, but also a legitimately great fighting game when compared to the other big fighting series. No weird 3D mechanics, no attempt to heavily integrate fighting. This is just a solid 2D fighter with some unique elements and a DBZ flavouring.

Pros

Made by Arcsys, the gameplay is unsurprisingly amazing. It's fluid, has a lot of ease-of-use for beginner players, and a lot of more complex mechanics to make high-end gameplay fun to watch. I was able to teach some friends in a short amount of time how to play this decently, which is very important with a multiplayer game.

And despite most of the characters fighting extremely similarly in DBZ, each character feels unique here. They're all just throwing punches, kicks, and energy blasts, but they all have their own distinct feel. Even the various orange-gi-black-hair characters all stand out with different silhouettes and colour tinting.

The new OC that Arcsys seems obligated to add may be strange as an Android/Buu hybrid, but adding a new female character to such a male dominated series is much appreciated.

The online lobby is easy to find the types of fights you're looking for, and provides a good deal of variety.

Cons

The DLC lineup is awful. Two versions of Goku, two versions of Vegeta. Really? Do we really need that? Then we got Goku's dad Bardock, who visually looks like another Goku. And then we got Fused Zamasu, who is basically an alternate version of base game charater Goku Black. The only characters unique in both design and gameplay are Broly (who I generally hate), Android 17 (who's great), and Cooler (who's not quite as cool as his brother). There's so many good choices for DLC, but short of a second season, this is what we got stuck with. And honestly, good DLC characters can make or break my interest in a fighting game long-term. This was what broke it.

Final Thoughts

It's a great fighting game, and hands-down the best Dragonball Z game. But there's only one fighting game series that is able to hold my interest long-term.

2. Super Smash Brothers Ultimate (Switch)

It's still wild this was announced and came out in the same year. After being used to a long pre-release for Super Smash Brothers games, Ultimate really bucked the trend. It's also not like the other games in other ways as well, opting to include as much old content as possible instead of taking the usual "add a lot but cut a lot" approach.

Pros

One of my long-time top wished characters finally made it in: K. Rool! And he's so well-animated and sporting so many references! They really put a lot of love into him.

I'm vicariously excited for all the Ridley fans who finally got their big space dragon into Smash. They were always steadfast beside us K. Rool fans, and really deserve this win.

No one has to worry about their main being cut, because everyone is here. For those few people that legitimately liked Pichu, that must be a great feeling.

The core gameplay also received a nice boost in speed so it's not overly-fast like Melee, but still a lot more fluid than the other games. Bringing back moving air dodges, and clamping down on over-dodging have helped make the gameplay feel much smoother.

After the disappointingly poor single-player of Smash 4, I love all the single-player modes here. Classic has been redesigned to give each character a tuned and unique experience. We have a big single-player mode in the World of Light, and the smaller but more long-term Spirit Board.

Spirits in general are just a great way of reusing Stickers from previous games in a way that makes everybody excited. Seriously, they are just your typical gacha JPGS, but throwing effects and levels onto them really makes them feel more involved than trophier or stickers in past games.

My main, Zelda, got significantly buffed. This is really specific to me, but it makes a big difference.

Mii Fighters also feel far more viable this time around.

The range of music and stages in the game is just amazing.

Cons

For a game that promotes itself as having everything, it's bizarre and frustrating that the Stage Builder was completely removed. I really enjoyed playing around in there, and being able to use tracks I like from stages I don't like.

We also lost modes like Target Smash and the Home Run Contest for almost no reason. Short of these being added in future updates, I find this odd.

I could make a lot of complaints about character choice, but I'll keep it short and mention that I'm one of the few people not happy about the Piranha Plant, and I would really have had almost any non-3DS FE character instead of Chrom.

World of Light is also really long, and unlike the Subspace Emissary lacks cinema scenes. The opening scene everyone has seen is great, and then...that's it so far. I am expecting one more at the end (I'm maybe halfway through), and maybe one in the middle, but it's not going to live up to the SSE.

I also can't believe the huge backwards step taken in the online mode. Rather than having a separate Casual and Competitive mode like every other fighter (including the last Smash Brothers), there is only one queue, and you can easily get thrown into the opposite type of style you want. I actually cancelled my plans to buy the online service after I heard how bad this system is.

Final Thoughts

It's a Super Smash Brothers game, so I will enjoy it for a long time. The Spirits add a lot of longevity, but unless the online is heavily fixed I can see myself dropping out of this game within the next year.

1. Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)

This game had such bad timing. Released alongside the similar but more anticipated Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on a competitor system, and the different but same-system Persona 5, I think a lot of people completely missed this game. Or as many as can miss a big AAA game. If this came out just a few months earlier or later, I'm sure I'd see a lot more talk about it. But as things stand, it seemed to disappear from everyone's minds very quickly.

If you're one of the ones that forgot, Horizon Zero Dawn is an open-world action-adventure about a post-apocalyptic world where humans are left to deal with the increasingly dangerous machine robots built by pre-apocalypse humans, and is just as much about dealing with different tribes and cultures that emerge in this new world.

Pros

Alloy is one of my favourite new main characters in a long time. Not just in video games, but in general. While having some of that player-character "choose their personality" feelings here and there, she is mostly a defined and often interesting character with distinct strengths and weaknesses.

Voice acting from Alloy as well as the entire cast is superb, and really sells the world.

The gameplay is heavily archery focused with a lot of traps and different ammunition to help you bring down the machines that heavily outmatch you in a straight fight. The game is built to allow you to play with stealth or as an action game depending on how you select your skills. It's also got a good level of difficulty where you will definitely die a few times, but never get overly frustrated.

The story hits on many different points, and most of it has something interesting to offer. Don't expect story quality on the level of something like Nier Automata, but for a new IP it's pretty impressive.

One thing I love about fast travel is that, early on, you have to use consumable items to do so. This means you're initially encouraged to manually explore, and in doing so will learn a lot more about what the game can offer. Once you get a little further, you can unlock the ability to fast-travel with ease so you can backtrack and do quests without an issue. It's a good way to try to balance having people skip over environments.

Also it's a big AAA game with NO MICROTRANSACTIONS AT ALL!

Cons

The subtitles are pretty small based on my TV size and the distance I sit at. If you sit closer to your TV, it's probably fine.

For a game with such good quality everywhere else, the soundtrack is honestly pretty average outside of the main theme.

The open world is nowhere near as fun to explore as in Breath of the Wild, and holds far less secrets.

Final Thoughts

This feels strange to say for a AAA game made by first-party Sony, but please don't sleep on this game. It's really good, and it's been insanely cheap for the latter part of this year.

That's it. That's all the games. This took a lot more time than I expected, and I don't feel like proofreading since now it's already almost midnight.  2018 may not have had that many good new releases, but I found fun with video games.

Looking forward to playing Fire Emblem Three Houses and Kingdom Hearts III next year, and talking about them next December. Hopefully not on the 31st again.